hello, it's tuesday, it's 9 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire, welcome to the programme. our top story... a former russian agent who also spied for the uk is critically ill in hospital. police are trying to identify what caused him and a female companion to collapse on a park bench in salisbury. an older guy and a younger girl, she was sort of lent in on him, it looked like she had passed out, maybe. he was doing strange hand movements, looking to the sky. so, was he poisoned? and, if so, was it by the russian state? we'll tell you what we actually know so far. also on the programme... if you're taking xanax as a recreational drug you're dicing with your death — that's the warning this morning as we reveal a rise in the number of young people taking it, some as young as 13. how long have you been using?” would say about... about nine months. how often do you use?

probably once every two or three weeks. that full exclusive story in about 15 minutes. we're keen to hear your experience of xanax too — if you've taken it, do get in touch in the usual ways. food companies have been told they must cut the calories in their products by a fifth within six years, and we're being told to go on a diet and eat 400 calories for breakfast and 600 calories for lunch and dinner. is that sensible advice? do let us know what you think. hello. welcome to the programme, we're live until 11am. throughout the morning we'll bring you the latest breaking news and developing stories. a little later, britain's most senior counterterrorism police officer will tell us in his final provides television interview before

retiring from his post that social media companies have a moral duty to tip of police about individuals posting extremist content online. as always, we want to hear from you. do get in touch on all the stories we're talking about this morning — use the hashtag #victorialive. if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate. our top story today... police are trying to identify a substance which caused a former russian double agent to fall critically ill in salisbury yesterday. sergei skripal was convicted by a russian court of passing state secrets to mi6, but was later given refuge in britain as part of a prisoner swap. leila nathoo reports. police are racing to establish just what happened here. last night, officers were examining the contents of a bin near to the bench where sergei skripal and a 33—year—old woman were found unconscious on sunday afternoon. a high—street italian restaurant nearby was closed, the staff inside questioned. detectives are trying to piece together the events that led to the police being called out to this shopping precinct in the centre of the city. there was a couple. an older guy and a younger girl.

she was, sort of, lent in on him. it looked like she had passed out, maybe. he was doing some strange hand movements, looking up to the sky. ifelt anxious. ifelt like i should step in. but, to be honest, they looked so out of it that i thought even if i did step in, i wasn't sure how i could help. the two remain in a critical condition at salisbury hospital. sergei skripal was a former russian secret service officer, convicted of treason in 2006 after he was accused of spying for britain. but he was pardoned in russia in 2010 and handed over to the uk in a swap when he and three others were exchanged for russian spies in the us. police say they're keeping an open mind about this incident and don't yet know whether a crime has taken place, but given sergei skripal‘s background, it's likely to be a sensitive investigation. and leila nathoojoins me from salisbury. what is the latest? you can see

there is a bit of police activity, picked up a bit this morning when we first arrived earlier. police are still remaining tight—lipped about the identities of the two who were found here. we expect to hear a little more from them later today, perhaps with an update. so far they are only confirming a 66—year—old man and a 33—year—old woman were found here and conscience. police say they were known to each other and are working to determine why and how they fell unconscious. there was a big decontamination method in the aftermath of when they were found. that has now cleared that there is a white police caught in place. last night we saw more officers in protective suits, as i saw in my report, wearing masks, scarring the bins. there is no sign of that sort of activity going on yet, but it is

clear the is of substantial interest to police as they try to piece together the movements of the two before they appeared on the bench. the restaurant was closed last night, there is still a police presence. that is clearly one focus of the inquiry. it still looked like police are some way off confirming exactly who was here and what happened. annita mcveigh is in the bbc newsroom with a summary of the rest of the day's news. water companies have been working through the night to restore supplies to thousands of homes across south—east england affected by burst pipes after last week's cold weather. production at two of jaguar land rover plants had to be halted temporarily to allow water to be prioritised by emergency services and hospitals. tom burridge reports. after the big freeze, the thaw, and cracked, leaking water pipes in several parts of the country. so this the only supply

for thousands of people for several days. thames water is handing out bottles of water to its customers in parts of london which are cut off. thousands of homes in scotland, wales and southern england are affected. i've got five kids, and literally without water for like — since 6:00pm yesterday morning. it's terrible. washing the bottles is just a bit difficult. there's a lot of stuff covered in baby poo that i can't wash at the moment. 7:30am in the morning they sent me a message, the water's fixed. nurseries and schools have closed. some say the water companies should have planned more. this is a national crisis in our water industries and it is clear they are not fit for purpose. at the very least, one would have thought there would be some kind of public inquiry. people will be interested to know whether they will get compensation for what has happened. several water companies have apologised. they say they were working overnight to get people connected again. counterfeit xanax pills laced with a powerful painkiller have

become a party drug among some young people — but public health england have warned this programme users are "dicing with death." the drug is widely prescribed in the us to treat anxiety and can be obtained on private prescription in the uk. but among some teenagers and young adults in the uk it has become a popular recreational drug used illegally. one of the country's most senior police officers has said that the threat from far—right extremist groups is growing. the metropolitan police's counter—terrorism chief, assistant commissioner mark rowley, told this programme that the rise of organisations such as the now—banned, national action, was alarming. particularly concerning that the end of 2016, the home secretary prescribed, that means she banned, as a terrorist organisation, national action, which are home—grown. they are, sort of, white supremacist, neo—nazi. they want things like whites—only towns. they are a very unsavoury group.

and they are plotting violence, they are trying to undermine britain and they are starting to make international connections. that's a matter of grave concern. i don't pretend it's the same as the threats... it is of grave concern that's growing up in our communities. and you can hear victoria's full interview with mark rowley at around 10:45 this morning. a new unit is being set up to tackle gang activity and organised crime being carried out within prisons in england and wales. thejustice secretary david gauke is concerned that too many prisoners are able to smuggle drugs, mobile phones and weapons into their cells, fuelling violence amongst inmates. under the changes, set to be announced later today, inmates who get involved with crime behind bars could be moved to higher securityjails. public health england have challenged the food industry to cut calories in products like ready meals, sandwiches, pizza and snacks. it's hoped the plans, targeting some of the most popularfamily foods, could lead to a drop

in the number of obese children the packaging industry in england has denied claims that it is greatly exaggerating the amount of plastic it recycles. it follows the release of a report today by waste consultancy group eunomia, who say the industry's figures don't add up and companies aren't paying enough towards the £2.8 billion annual cost of collecting and processing plastic. former bbc breakfast presenter bill turnbull has announced that he's been diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer. he tweeted the news late last night and has undergone chemotherapy. he says he is in good spirits and hopes to be around for some time yet. he was at breakfast for 15 years before leaving the sofa in 2016. bill was diagnosed at the end of last year during the recording of the great celebrity bake 0ff for stand up to cancer on channel 4.

i was getting pains in my legs and my hips, particularly. and they would come and go and i thought this is old age. eventually the pains got so is old age. eventually the pains got so bad i thought, well, i'd better see my gp. he said, well, i'm just going to give you a blood test, just an mot, just to check if few things out. the next morning he called me and asked me to come in pretty quickly. the doctor said it is fairly clear from this that you have advanced prostate cancer. bill turnbull. that's a summary of the latest bbc news — more at 9.30am. i would like to send our love and strength to bill turnbull. do get in touch with us throughout the morning — use the hashtag #victorialive. and if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate. let's get some sport. 0lly foster is with us this morning. we spoke yesterday, 0lly, about that dcms doping report that claimed that british cycling had crossed an ethical line.

sir bradley wiggins said he would have his say and he certainly has. yes, he'd sort out our sports editor damp roan, gave an hour—long interview yesterday defending himself against what was the main thrust of the dc ms report that he and team sky, the professional cycling team, had crossed an ethical line in the use of prescribed asthma and allergy medication. a very powerful steroids, to enhance performance. he says he is the victim of a smear campaign, that the source quoted in the report is being militias. he says he feels let down by his former head coach shane sutton hoo said the use of this drug was unethical. wiggins did admit that his completely legal use of the drug might have had performance enhancing benefits. the intention, ithink enhancing benefits. the intention, i think that is the key. was there a performance

enhancements? you tell me there was. there may well have been. but they we re there may well have been. but they were the rules at the time, and to treat this problem that is what i was prescribed. i can't change the la st was prescribed. i can't change the last five years. wiggins went on at length to categorically deny he had 100% never cheated throughout his career. and he talked about the damage to his personal life? you says it has been hellish, really, really difficult to keep himself together. keeping his counsel for the duration of this report. all this dcms hearings in the past 18 months in which his reputation and that of british cycling has slowly been eroded. he says he has found it so been eroded. he says he has found it so tough. the widespread effect of the family

is horrific, i do not know howl will put that back together. i don't how to deal with that as well as salvage my reputation. i would not wish it upon anyone. i have worked and have had the passion i have had for this sport for 15 or 20 years. i have been writing a book all morning about the love of the sport. to do that to the sport. it isjust absurd. it is the worst thing to be accused of, i have said that before, but it is the hardest thing to prove you have not done. we are not dealing in a legal system. i would have more rights in this process if i had murdered somebody. much more of that interview, gripping at times and fascinating to hear his defence, with our sports editor dan roan on the bbc sport website. the headlines in half an hour, a fantastic manchester united winger. and a really interesting

chat with serena williams on her comeback. that is after 10am. i have tweeted a link to the full trumps big —— full transcript of dan roan‘s interview with bradley wiggins and i would urge you to hear the —— read the whole thing, i really would. counterfeit xanax pills laced with a powerful painkiller have become a party drug among some young people. now public health england has told this programme users are dicing with death. the drug, also known by its brand name alprazolam, is widely prescribed in the us to treat anxiety and can be obtained on private prescription in the uk. but among some teenagers and young adults in the uk, it has become a popular recreational drug used illegally. 0ur reporter, noel phillips, has been investigating. his report contains scenes of drug taking. you can experienced tremors, cold sweats, sleepless nights and it takes a toll on your mental

health, like, extreme anxiety. i feel really, like, drowsy. i feel, like, a lot like a cloud. he was going everyday to get it. every single day, ten tablets. it's a tranquilliser, it's an antidepressant, so it's not actually on the market or out there to make people enjoy themselves. typical customer... inaudible. whatever is in the drugs they buy could change from one batch to another. it's dicing with death, really. in clubs and house parties across the uk, there are teenagers, some as young as 13, getting high illegally on an anti—anxiety

prescription drug. it's so popular this american rapper has made a cake out of it. we celebrating with a xan cake! xanax is something you're more likely to find in a medicine cabinet, also known by its brand name alprazolam, the psychiatric drug which is used to treat anxiety caused by insomnia. but this medication isn't curing a mental disorder. instead, young people are using it to get high. this man appears to be in a zombie—like state and is struggling to stay conscious after taking several pills. it's even been glorified in mainstream music. # pop a couple xans for somebody.# but xanax is not only being abused. if mixed with other drugs, it can kill. november, 2017. el paso. i took six xanax. this is lil peep. a 21—year—old rapper. just hours before he overdosed on xanax mixed with fentanyl, a painkiller 50 times more powerful than heroin. he was open about his addiction,

posting a series of disturbing videos of the very pills that would later take his life. he did it! # xanax all over my dash.# 19—year—old kristello from birmingham used to take xanax. just describe that feeling of when you were using xanax. where did it take you to? because we hear stories about people, you know, experiencing some kind of a high. how did it make you feel? the high felt like, you know, it was very floaty. any worries you had melted away and you didn't have a care in the world. you were happy. you were on a level where you weren't afraid

of anything, really. and if you fight the sleep, if you don't sleep on xanax, the high does get stronger. and you feel a lot more warm inside. to many people, it is a nice feeling, but the thing you've got to take into account is what happens after you take xa nax. that's where the problems really, really start. kristello first started using the tranquilliser in 2017 at parties and soon after experimenting, it became a habit. # ghost of me.# but he's now changed his tune. he is sharing his story in the hope that it will prevent other young people who might be misusing the drug. before you stopped using xanax, how much were you taking? it varied, really. when it started to get to, like, a daily basis, it was usually one tablet a night. maybe two. or maybe just a half.

but one, you know, that's four times the recommended dose. so, when you are self—medicating, you don't have any knowledge of how much you're supposed to take. it's just how much you want to feel away from being sober. why were you doing it? i underestimated what it could do. i didn't know it was as addictive as it could be. so when it did take a hold of me, it was a surprise. you know, in hindsight, how quick... it kind of came on. and that's why the authorities are sounding the alarm. referred to as its street name, xan or xanny, there are no figures available to know how widespread the use of xanax is that in england and scotland, the drug has been linked to a number of deaths. there was no chance of saving scott that night. i dream of him, but he can't come back, can he? you know, all the tears in the world, do i blame myself? because maybe i should have... you know, i wasn't strict with them growing up. iwasn't, because richard

was always in prison. anne mcdermott believes xanax played a role in the death of her son, scott. she says the pills he took may have been a counterfeit. up until he was taking xanax, scott had had problems with drugs for 17 years. there was no overdoses, there was no admissions to hospital. there was nothing like that. when he took xanax, the first time he took it, he was completely out of it. he went back the next day, the next day and the next day. and that's what happened. it was an extremely powerful, potent drug. that will cause many more deaths in edinburgh, as all over. but scott's dependency to heroin was the start of a life blighted by addiction. anne says before he was found unconscious at his home, he was hooked on xanax. he was going every day to get it.

every single day. ten tablets. its early evening in birmingham and i've arranged to meet an 18—year—old who goes by the name stephen. he's a former dealer who used to sell xanax on the streets of the west midlands. say i was selling ten xanax, i would say do two at a time maximum. sometimes people would take too many and i would hear them doing expletive things. getting themselves into trouble. but it wasn't on my mind. i've sold it. if they want to do something stupid, get caught up in the moment, that is their responsibility. it's a shame but that's not on my mind. a chilling glimpse into a world where the lives of users are at the hands of their dealers. who is your typical customer? typical customers, the people my own age. i'm talking mature people in year", in high school. college students and university students. you know, they take xanax, you know, for the weekends, to go clubbing. but i also have customers

in their40s, in their 60s, for some reason, still getting high. so, why are so many young people up and down the country taking a drug which has been described as a zombie pill? i've been invited to a flat just outside birmingham in dudley by a group of young people to find out. the venue is an ideal den for these teenagers — the ultimate consumers. they've asked for their faces not to be shown but allowed our cameras into the party as they got high on the illegal drug. if you're wanting to experience the height of xanax, then the best thing... you should try and stay awake because it can send you very sleepy and very drowsy. it does make it feel very comfortable. no matter what. .. like, if i were sitting like this, i could fall asleep, lie back like this and it would just feel comfortable. i wouldn't feel any strain on my neck. the best way to describe it is that

you feel like a marshmallow. jordan and kiernan, which are not their real names, both 18. they say they've unintentionally taken counterfeit xa nax, spiked with fentanyl. and getting hold of the drug tonight was not hard. can you show us what you bought? yes. two xanax. how much have you spent? i've spent £5 for this. how long have you been using? i'd say for about nine months. how often do you use? probably once every two or three weeks i would say. would you describe yourself as an addict? no, not at all. but you are dependent? not really. xans are the best things to use. if you're using other drugs and you feel really uncomfortable afterwards... because of the come—down effects of other drugs can be quite, like, powerful on your body. taking a xanax really helps to, like, stop that feeling and make you feel comfortable with yourself.

on an average night, jordan and kieran say they take up to two xanax bars. xanax washed down with alcohol. a lethal combination. at best, users only have a vague idea of what's in their drugs. but the authorities are now acknowledging the scope and severity of this problem. we've been told by pfizer, the company that produces xanax, that over 96 of the pills they've analysed in their counterfeit labs have turned out to be fake. how big a problem is xanax at the moment? it is a real and immediate concern amongst the groups of young people with whom it seems to be a drug of choice. and, of course, people buy things from the internet. they have no guarantee of what they're getting.

whatever is in the drugs that they buy could change from one batch to another. so it's dicing with death, really. because these things are very dangerous. and one of the drugs causing concern is fentanyl, a powerful painkiller which is usually prescribed to cancer patients. the national crime agency says 113 people have died having used it in the last 12 months. the great disaster is that when these tablets are supplied between friends and one friend gives it to one friend without realising. and they kill a friend without realising because they've sold them something that they didn't think it was. until last year, tony

was the most senior anti—drug detective in the country. he saw first hand how fentanyl was a favourite of addicts. this type of tablet is the type of tablet that i would expect criminals to use, substances like fe nta nyl, to create a counterfeit. the danger we've got here is that young people who are used to taking drugs or young people that are new to taking drugs, who think they know what they're doing... it's now 20 minutes sincejordan and kieran each took a xanax pill and the after effects couldn't be more apparent. but i feel really, like, drowsy. ifeel, kind of, like, i feel a lot like cloud. i don't know, ijust feel comfortable, really. i'm feeling fine, honestly, i'm feeling fine. i'm just... relaxed. the drug only lasts 12 hours in total. say, when i fall asleep, i'm going to have a really, really comfortable sleep. you're exposing yourself to all sorts of potential risks by using xanax. yeah. you're aware of that, aren't you? we are 100% aware of the risks, they can be a factor. but we are level—headed about it.

we wouldn't go over the limits that we take. but that doesn't make it ok, does it? it doesn't make it ok, but it's just fun for us. i understand why people don't like it. ijust don't really care. what i've seen here shows pretty convincingly the challenges the authorities are up against in tackling the misuse of xanax. say i was to take a xan today, i wouldn't feel like i needed to take another one. i wouldn't go out of my way to go and get it. like, it would just be a case of, like, when it's next round. that's when i will maybe do it. # flashing lights, my stage is bright # when kristello first started misusing xa nax, he wasn't aware of the devastating impact it would have on his life. now, unlike other musicians, he's sending a message about its dangers. you can experience tremors, cold sweats, sleepless nights and it

takes a toll on your mental health, as well. like, extreme anxiety and paranoia. you can experience blackouts with memory loss. your long—term memory can be affected as well, your memory and your timeline willjust be blank because you don't remember anything from xanax. if you use or have used xanax, or a family member of yours has, please do get in touch and tell us your experience. we appreciate that means you have usedit we appreciate that means you have used it illegally. you can remain anonymous. it is about getting an insight into why you are using this drug. if you want help or advice about some of the issues raised in this item, please go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

still to come... health officials are telling us to go on a diet. a p pa re ntly we should all eat 400 calories a day for breakfast and 600 at lunch and dinner — we'll get reaction from health experts. and an in—depth interview with tennis legend serena williams on her campaign to reform gun laws in the states, equal pay and how she's being inspired by her daughter. time for the latest news. the bbc news headlines this morning... police say they are keeping an open mind about how and why a former russian double agent became critically ill after apparently coming into contact with an unidentified substance. sergei skripal, and a woman found with him, are being treated in hospital in salisbury. sergei skripal was given refuge in britain eight years ago after being involved in a spy swap. in syria, the first aid convoy for three weeks has delivered supplies to the rebel—held territory eastern ghouta.

but aid workers were forced to cut the mission short after dozens of people were killed by shelling from pro—government forces. nearly 400,000 people are thought to be trapped in the enclave which has been the focus of heavy fighting in recent months. water companies have been working through the night to restore supplies to thousands of homes across south—east england affected by burst pipes after last week's cold weather. yesterday london mps called for an inquiry into why 25,000 people had water supplies cut off over the weekend, and production at two jaguar land rover plans had to be halted to allow water to be prioritised by emergency services in hospitals. public health england has asked food manufacturers and retailers to reduce the number of calories by a fifth. it wants the whole industry, from processors to restaurants, to achieve that by 2024. former bbc breakfast presenter bill

turnbull has announced he has been diagnosed with prostate and bone cancel. a 62 which? classic fm host told the region times magazine he was diagnosed after the end —— the end of last year after blaming long—term aches and pains on old age. he is encouraging other people to get tested. that's a summary of the latest bbc news. here's some sport now. 0lly foster is back. sir bradley wiggins says he is the victim of a smearcampaign wiggins says he is the victim of a smear campaign after a dcms report claimed he and team sky crossed an ethical line in the use of prescribed drugs that may have also enhance performance. wiggins says he has 100% never cheated on his career. from 2—0 down, nemanja matic scored an injury time wonder goal as manchester united beat crystal palace 3—2. they are second in the table. 14 months after her last match and six

months after her last match and six months after her last match and six months after giving birth, the 23 time grand slam singles winner serena williams makes her comeback on the women's tour this week. i will have a full update after 10am. welcome to the programme, good morning. police are trying to identify a substance which caused a former russian agent, who allegedly spied for britain, to collapse in wiltshire. sergei skripal, who is 66, and a woman in her 30s were found slumped on a bench in salisbury on sunday and are now critically ill in hospital. he was convicted in 2006 of passing state secrets to mi6, britain's foreign intelligence service, but he was later given refuge in the uk as part of a prisoner swap. freya church witnessed the couple looking unwell. i had just finished training at my job, i walked up this past year on the right—hand side, on the bench, there was a couple. an older guy and

a younger girl. she was sort of leaning in on him, it looked like she had maybe passed out. he was doing strange hand movements, looking up to the sky. i felt anxious, like i should step in, but to be honest they look so out of it i was not sure how i could help even ifi i was not sure how i could help even if i did step in. we do not know as yet what caused sergei skripal to collapse on that bench in salisbury, but the parallels with what happened to another russian, alexander litvinenko, rang immediate alarm bells. he was killed in 2006 after being poisoned by tea which was laced with polonium 210 in a hotel in mayfair. we can speak to sir tony brenton. he was the uk's ambassador to russia until 2008. during that period alexander litvinenko was fatally poisoned. what do you think the parallels between the litvinenko assassination and what we know so far regarding

sergei skripal? there are obvious parallels but there are obvious differences. litvinenko and script we re differences. litvinenko and script were both russian intelligence agents at some point in their careers. “— agents at some point in their careers. —— litvinenko and skripal. litvinenko is dead because of polonium, we do not know what skripal has taken or been given. but the differences, litvinenko fled russia and was... i don't know being pursued but had left a lot of bitterness because he had written a book attacking the russian government for blowing up lots of russian citizens. skripal was released by the russians and was pardoned by the russian president, medvedev, at the time. so we should not draw any swift conclusions, particularly since we do not yet know it was unfair play with skripal, but we should be looking

carefully at it. we do not know if it is foul play. if that ends up being the conclusion, what could the uk do, if anything? it will be very difficult. at the time of the litvinenko affair, relations were reasonably good with russia and there were actions we could take which we knew her to the russians. we took a bit of time, accumulated evidence, got it very clear that we knew who had done it and we had a case against him and we pressed for his extradition, and when they refused to extradite we imposed sanctions in the russian intelligence agencies and russia more generally, we threw out some diplomats, we made it harderfor russian officials who might have been involved in this sort of thing to get into the uk. we know the russians resented those actions. relations with russia have got much worse since then, there are other sanctions on russia at the moment. contact artificial ministerial level

are very intermittent. it is really quite hard to see what we can do to intensify pressure on russia, which is part of the general problem. we have opposed all be sanctions, the west as a whole. the russians‘ response if anything has been to toughen their response. they see us as trying to diminish and you mediate them and threatening their national security. things have gone from bad to worse. a very low point, whatever we conclude whether skripal, being when putin demonstrated a load of nuclear weapons last week which they may or might not have but are developing and emphasised his willingness to use them when necessary. it seems to me we need to find their way back from the brink we are at now of getting back to a serious old cold war type of nuclear confrontation. you think we are on the brink of that? i lecture a bit here at cambridge, five years ago i used to say to my

stu d e nts five years ago i used to say to my students the world we‘re handing on to you is not perfect but at least we have removed the shadow of mutual nuclear annihilation from the threats facing you and your children. i can no longer say that. there has been a very major deterioration in the quality of the world we are passing on and it seems to me there is a duty on our generation to do what we can to fix that deterioration. stay with us, said tony brenton, i will also bring in yuri felshtinsky, an historian who was a friend of alexander litvinenko. he joins us from paris. iam alexander litvinenko. he joins us from paris. i am going to ask you about what search tony brenton has just said. but as a friend of alexander litvinenko, what did you think when you heard of the collapse of sergei skripal? unfortunately these types of murders are attempted murders sent... tend to be an austin event. alexander litvinenko was the

first one, and it was majorly. documented. there was a businessman poisoned in london, there were people who died... there were also people poisoned in russia as well. this is not the first case at all. this is not the first case at all. this is not unusual. i think the change which initially took place when the group was exchanged for russian sleepers in the us (inaudible) . never change a russian spy for spies abroad, they exchanged foreign spies abroad, they exchanged foreign spies but not russian. because of this they probably wanted to send

russian spies back to russia. but deep inside they knew they would use the opportunity (inaudible) . what i think they did. sorry to interrupt, it is quite difficult to hear, serve. iapologise interrupt, it is quite difficult to hear, serve. i apologise to the audience. i am sorry. hear, serve. i apologise to the audience. iam sorry. don't hear, serve. i apologise to the audience. i am sorry. don't worry, i will try to make the line clearer. the images we were showing when you spoke well of your friends alexander litvinenko in hospital, an image he approved the release of two show what had happened to him. i will bring in keir giles, who is an expert on russia at the international affairs think tank, chatham house. let me ask you about the russian former agent fighting for life in a british hospital, sergei skripal. what can you say about him? he was convicted of espionage on behalf of

the uk and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment in russia, then exchanged as part of the spy swap you have just heard about in 2010. since then he has lived apparently very low profile life, he has not beena very low profile life, he has not been a prominent critic of russia. he is not the only individual that has arrived in the uk as part of that spy swap. really nobody had heard of him since the swap until a couple of days ago. but at yuri felshtinskyjust told you, this is not an isolated incident, it is part ofan not an isolated incident, it is part of an extended pattern of people who have embarrassed the russian state or costed leadership money dying in suspicious circumstances. as you pointed out, not a prominent critic, pardoned by putin but embarrassing putin would potentially be enough to be assassinated on foreign soil? this is not an instance where embarrassment would be the prime motivation for a revenge attack, but he was pardoned by president

medvedev, not putin. that makes a difference. given that legal decisions in cases like that are really of little significance in russia, let‘s not forget we should not necessarily assume he was actually spying for british intelligence coming he was merely convicted of it, this really carries very little weight when weighed against long—standing russian practice of how they deal with, as they put it, traitors. if you speak against your homeland then you risk death? acting against the homeland rather than speaking. they are reported to have passed over detail of russian intelligence operation through the west to british intelligence, meaningless operatives we re intelligence, meaningless operatives were seized. he was a career army officer and is meant to have supplied information on specific military units to british intelligence. all of those was con

—— would constitute grounds in the russian sense of a revenge attack regardless of the legal status. let‘s try yuri ‘s line in paris again, if we may. how do you think britain is handling russia, broadly speaking, at the moment? we know it is very difficult. we know it took several years to officially come to the conclusion that the russian government was behind it. but in that time russia invaded georgia, russia invaded ukraine, russia interfered with elections (inaudible) terrible speech in which putin was blackmailing the whole world with nuclear. it is very difficult to deal with russia now, to argue with

russia now, to react to what russia is doing. they are able to commit crimes without punishment. (inaudible) . attempted murder to defectors, who they considered to be enemies of the state. i am afraid there is not much we can do. nothing much we can do. thank you all very much. more on that story through the day on bbc news. coming up... people taking the anti—anxiety drug xanax illegally are dicing with death. that is our top story. we‘ll be hearing from a mother whose son died after overdoing on the drug xa nax in january. if you have taken xanax as a recreational drug, get in touch and let us know your experience. it is absolutely fine to message is

anonymously, of course. the portion sizes of some of britain‘s most popular foods are to be cut, with health officials telling us it‘s time to get on a diet. public health england is targeting pizzas, ready meals, processed meat and takeaways in a new obesity drive. the government agency has also urged the food industry to start using healthier ingredients and is encouraging us all to opt for lower calorie foods, saying we should eat 400 calories at breakfast and 600 at lunch and dinner. it is all part of a drive to cut calorie consumption by 20% by 2024. with us now is kawther hashem. she‘s a nutritionist for action on sugar at queen mary university of london. julie clarke, who is also a nutritionist who helps families eat healthier. and ciara attwell, founder of the blog my fussy eater, which was set up to encourage her children to eat more a varied diet. 400 calories at breakfast... looks

like this. porridge, blueberries, if you‘re still feeling hungry, you can have a banana. i did including my calculations a cup of tea or coffee with milk and i think this is a fairly decent amount of calories and it is quite filling breakfast. filling for who? filling for a ten—year—old but not for a grown man, potentially? this is the kind of cup you would get from most outlets, it might look a bit small because of the poll, but this is about 400 calories, it is what you would typically get if you are buying a pot of porridge in the supermarket —— because of the bowl. you can make it with milk and it would still be under 400 calories. no toast croissant would take

you close to the 400 calories. is porridge a carbohydrate? yes, it has carbohydrates, but it is fibre. lunch? this is dinner, actually. these are savoury cheese and spinach muffins, a basic muffin recipe but made savoury so it has vegetables, cheese, and on the side, lots of fruit and veg, so you get part of your five day, another bit of cheese, you can use protein like chicken, maybe chickpeas. and cookie is treat. that looks very dead interesting and potentially very tasty but not very much of it, 600 calories —— that looks very tasty. for a child, two is enough, for an

adult... this is a chicken results so, leftover chicken from a roast dinner —— chicken risotto. as a side, a salad, extra vegetables, to make it up to 600 calories. that is the portion size you are looking at. and no pudding? no pudding in the 600, i'm and no pudding? no pudding in the 600, i‘m afraid. and no pudding? no pudding in the 600, i'm afraid. public health england say we underestimate the calories we eat. people associate some foods... we underestimate commie should have corrected me! we eat way more than we think we do. definitely. because foods we know are particularly unhealthy, we will say, i had a slice of cake, you had a biscuit, but you will say you did not have as many biscuits as you actually did have, so people

generally underestimate foods they associate with being particularly unhealthy. the report is really shocking, obesity is the norm, it suggests, in this country. it also saysin suggests, in this country. it also says in quite clear terms, we need what will happen to you if you eat too much healthy food? if you don‘t

do any exercise...? too much healthy food? if you don‘t do any exercise. . . ? you will have to store it as fat in your body. lots of work to do. serena williams is about to take to the court again for her first singles tournament since giving birth to her daughter alexis 0lympia six months ago. she says motherhood will only make her a better player as she attempts to overtake margaret court in winning the most grand slam singles titles ever. 24. in a wide—ranging interview talking about equal pay, her charitable work and, of course, her baby daughter, she has spoken exclusively to the bbc. very good to see you back on tour and playing here in new york. what do you make of this tie break tens format and the potential for it in

the future of tennis? i think it is a really great for much, really fun, fast, exciting, boom, boom, boom, you can get a lot of different players in it, lots of people involved. you have more thanjust one hour and involved. you have more thanjust one hourand a involved. you have more thanjust one hour and a half of one two our much. getting yourself back into the shape you have been into complete until once again, it is hard to imagine what you must have been through. how brutal has it been to try to regain full fitness after such a combo gated birth?m try to regain full fitness after such a combo gated birth? it has been hard. there have been so many days, even still when i am like how my going to keep going. -- after such a complicated birth. it has been really difficult but i keep going, i might not be at my best yet but i am getting there. every day is

a new day and every day i should be getting better. as long as i am moving forward, even if it is at a total‘s pace, i am 0k. moving forward, even if it is at a total's pace, i am 0k. do you genuinely feel ready? if i am scheduling can be an issue at times. women often put on first thing in the morning when fewer people are inside the stadium? outside of some marquee players but it is just a handful, the women‘s matches are at this time and the men‘s at the more marquee tents. would that be a member to wimbledon? they normally

schedule two men‘s matches to one women‘s. schedule two men‘s matches to one women's. i felt they put two women on last year. i think they are getting better at that but i definitely applaud them. there is a lot of progress. one of the other issues you have commented on, and you wrote a very eloquently about this in yourcnn you wrote a very eloquently about this in your cnn article, is the fa ct this in your cnn article, is the fact that there are black mothers in the united states who you say are three times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth, it is a big issue in the developing world, as you know in your role as a unicef goodwill ambassador. why do you think that is? doctors are not listening to us. i was an unfortunate situation where i know my body well, and i am who i am, andi know my body well, and i am who i am, and i told the doctor, something is wrong. she immediately listened, she was great. i had a wonderful doctor. unfortunately, a lot of

african—americans and black people, not just african—americans, and minorities as well, they do not have that same experience that i have had, so it has been really educating to me to learn that we are dying three times more likely, and also, there are some things we are genetically predisposed to that some people are not. so knowing that going in, some doctors not caring as much for us, it is heartbreaking. because of what i went through, it would be difficult if i did not have the health care i had to imagine all the health care i had to imagine all the women who go through that without the same health care and without the same health care and without the same respondents, it is upsetting. a strong element of prejudice involved, do you think?

does it boiled down to who has the health insurance? i don't know. there is a lot of prejudging, that definitely goes on. it needs to be addressed. there are so many issues to address. as you are only too well aware, the gender pay gap, diversity, sexual harassment, i do not know if you saw francis mcdormand receive her best 0scar actress the other day, she received the award, she put down the oscar, she directly addressed the hollywood executives in the audience, addressed some of the issues. is thatis addressed some of the issues. is that is what is required from sports stars and musicians and actors, time to get a bit feisty and to really ta ke to get a bit feisty and to really take the fight to another level?” can‘t say that it is not time to get feisty. maybe it is. you have to stand up. i heard someone say have conversations that are not co mforta ble,

conversations that are not comfortable, be comfortable with having uncomfortable conversations. we deserve to be paid what a guy does, we deserve to be treated fairly, the same way. conversations in 2018 we should not have to have. it is important to have that and important to speak up loud and clear and say, this is not right. treat me the same way that you were treating... how will i explain to my son he is getting more? how will i explain to my daughter she is getting less than my son? it possible to explain this. your fund is about two things, equality in education and helping the victims of what you describe a senseless violence which unfortunately you have to much experience. my fund is about equality in education and the way it is about helping bring resources to those who have had to deal with senseless violence, which,

like you said, i have had to experience through the death of my sister. i want to bring awareness to that. another cause really near and dear to that. another cause really near and dearto me, that. another cause really near and dear to me, raising awareness for women to unicef, for mums going through pregnancy and third world countries and african—america ns through pregnancy and third world countries and african—americans and minorities and having a better experience throughout the whole pregnancy. and what can you do actively for the victims of violence? do you campaign in your own way? we keep raising money. we are trying, everyone is trying, speaking up on it now, teenagers, that has been great, we keep raising awareness and money. it has affected me personally so it has been really trying. final question, strong connection with africa, for many reasons, your fund being connection with africa, for many reasons, yourfund being one of them, tennis in africa is not a huge

sport. it seems to me a double —— a wta event in africa would be that is it something you have thought about? i would like to keep thinking about it. iam i would like to keep thinking about it. i am glad you brought it up. i think it would be amazing. so fun. to go down, and the awareness and the athletes and the amazing players that would come out of africa, it would be unbelievable. great to talk to you. we wish you the best of luck for your comeback in indian wells. thank you. serena williams talking to our tennis correspondent. very good he is but it too. now the weather. we have a band of rain, sleet and snow pushing north, eventually becoming confined to the far north of scotland. further south, sunshine and showers. the latest snow and radar picture, that shows exactly where we have the sleet and snow,

especially across the hills, some to lower levels across scotland. it will continue to migrate north, cold wind blowing at around, brightening up. in scotland and northern england. northern ireland, fairly cloudy day with rain and drizzle. england and wales, some bright spots, even sunny spells, but also showers and some could be heavy. quite mild in the south. still cold in the north. this evening and overnight, the snow distribution changes, moving to the northern isles, northern and western scotland, even at lower levels. for the rest, quiet night, some showers, frosty, the risk of ice and patchy fog which could be dense across parts of east anglia and the south—east. hello, it‘s tuesday, it‘s ten o‘clock, i‘m victoria derbyshire... our top story today — russia says it would be open to helping investigate the suspected poisoning of a former double—agent, who collapsed in salisbury two days ago and is now critically ill. this morning we‘ve had this warning from a former british

ambassador to russia. a very low point, whatever we conclude about surman sergei skripal, being when putin demonstrated a load of nuclear weapons which they may or may not have that are developing, and underlined his willingness to use them if necessary. plenty more reaction to come throughout the programme. also on the programme... health officials warn that if you use xanax as a recreational drug, you could end up dying. children as yet as 13 are using the drug recreationally.” children as yet as 13 are using the drug recreationally. i did not know it was as addictive as it could be, when it took hold of me it was a surprise in hindsight how quickly it came on. do get involved with your own experiences. britain‘s most senior counterterrorism officer tells us that social media companies have a moral duty to tip—off police to

potential terrorist activity. when you have such complex global issues, i am when you have such complex global issues, iam not when you have such complex global issues, i am not sure there are simple legal levers you can pull. i think there is a moral duty. looking at the banks, it got —— it took quite a long time to get where we are. my guess is over many years it will be persuasion and regulation which will move the relationship with the tech sector in the same way. that full exclusive television interview before 11 i am. good morning. here‘s annita in the bbc newsroom with a summary of today‘s news. police say they are keeping an open mind about how and why a former russian double agent became critically ill after apparently coming into contact with an unidentified substance. sergei skripal and a 33—year—old woman found with him are being treated in hospital in salisbury. sergei skripal was given refuge in britain eight years ago after being involved in a spy swap. the former uk ambassador to russia, sir tony brenton, said the incident was a symptom

of the increasingly strained relationship the uk has with russia. we have been imposing all these sanctions aren‘t so one, notjust us but the west as a whole. the russian response has a very thing being to toughen up our approach. they see as those trying to diminish and milik them, threatening their national security. things have gone from bad to worse. a very low point, whatever we conclude about skripal, being when putin last week demonstrated a load of nuclear weapons which they may or may not have but are certainly developing and he underlined his readiness to use them if necessary. it seems to me that we need to find a way back from the brink we are now on and getting back into a serious old cold war type of nuclear confrontation. britain‘s most senior counter terrorism police officer has told this programme in an exclusive interview that social media companies have a moral duty to tip—off police to potential terror activity. assistant commissioner mark rowley of the metropolitan police says that whilst tech companies have worked with officers on individual cases,

more needs to be done. he says that, in time, regulation will be needed to ensure their co—operation. when you have such complex global issues, i am when you have such complex global issues, iam not when you have such complex global issues, i am not sure there are simple legal levers you can pull. i think there is a moral duty. looking at the banks, it took quite a long time to get to where we are with a mature relationship with them added to the combination of persuasion and regulation. my guess is that over many years, persuasion and regulation will move the relationship with the tech sector in the same way. and you can hear victoria‘s full interview with mark rowley at around a quarter to eleven this morning. in syria, the first aid convoy for three weeks has delivered supplies to the rebel—held territory eastern ghouta. but aid workers were forced to cut the mission short after dozens of people were killed by shelling from pro—government forces. nearly 400,000 people are thought to be trapped in the enclave which has been the focus of heavy fighting in recent months. water companies have been working through the night to restore supplies to thousands of homes

across south—east england affected by burst pipes after last week‘s cold weather. yesterday london mps called for an inquiry as to why 20,000 people had water supplies cut off over the weekend. production at two of jaguar land rover‘s plants had to be halted temporarily to allow water to be prioritised by emergency services and hospitals. counterfeit xanax pills laced with a powerful painkiller have become a party drug among some young people — but public health england have warned this programme users are dicing with death. the drug is widely prescribed in the united states to treat anxiety and can be obtained here on private prescription. but among some teenagers and young adults in the uk, it has become a popular recreational drug used illegally. former bbc breakfast presenter bill turnbull has announced that he‘s been diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer. he tweeted the news late last night and has undergone chemotherapy. he says he is in good spirits and hopes to be

around for some time yet. he was at breakfast for 15 years before leaving the sofa in 2016. bill was diagnosed at the end of last year during the recording of the great celebrity bake 0ff for stand up to cancer on channel 4. i was getting pains in my legs, in my hips particularly. and they would come and go, and i thought this is old age. eventually the pains got so bad that i thought, well, i‘d better go and see my gp. he said, well, i‘mjust going to give you a blood test, just a sort of mot, if you like, just to check a few things out. the next morning he called me and asked me to come in pretty quickly, and the doctor said it‘s fairly clear from this that you have advanced prostate cancer. bill turnbull. that‘s a summary of the latest bbc news.

more at 10:30am. do get in touch with us throughout the morning — use the hashtag #victorialive. if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate. you can use whatsapp, facebook or e—mailforfree. a few people have commented on the portion sizes which public health england are suggesting our good sized portions in terms of calorific content sized portions in terms of calorific co nte nt for sized portions in terms of calorific content for what we should it for brea kfast, content for what we should it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 400 at brea kfast, breakfast, lunch and dinner. 400 at breakfast, 600 at lunch and dinner. where i come from, dinner is at lunchtime, but you know what i mean. michael says those meals are a joke. iam six michael says those meals are a joke. i am six foot three and 16 stone, i am not overweight and they would in no way even touch the sides, let alone fill me up. david says i am 67, six foot four and around 15 stone. i have stayed relatively slim without the benefit of anyone telling me what to eat. i despair of

the continuing trend of experts taking the fun out of life. thank you for those. here‘s some sport now. sir bradley wiggins says he is the victim of a smear campaign after a dcms report claimed that he and team sky crossed an ethical line in the use of prescribed drugs. wiggins says he has 100% never cheated in his career, but speaking to our sports editor, dan roan, he did concede that the legal use of a powerful corticosteroid to treat his asthma and pollen allergy may have led to performance enhancement. i think intention is the key. was there a performance enhancement? you tell me there was. there might well be. there may well have been. but they were the rules at the time, and to treat this problem that is what i was prescribed. i can change the last five years. do you feel let

down by what you are advised to do? —— i can‘t change. i think i have been let down since in terms of the last 12, 15 months, what has happened. the packages on the outcome of this report based on anonymous sources. | outcome of this report based on anonymous sources. i think the least i deserve through this now is some ha rd i deserve through this now is some hard evidence. if that is the accusation, where is the evidence to support it? much more on the bbc sport website. manchester united were 2—0 down at selhurst park last night but stormed back to beat relegation strugglers crystal palace 3—2 and return to second in the table. palace had taken an early lead through a deflected andros townsend goal and they doubled that soon after the break. but chris smalling and romelu lukaku pulled them back in to it before this injury time wonder goal from nemanja matic. that was his first goalfor the club. jose mourinho revealed that he hadn‘t been happy with matic for his performance up until then, but the serbian found the best way to get back in the good books.

he almost killed me with one action inside of our box where they almost scored because he took an eternity to clean it. so one minute he was killing me, the next minute he pushed me to satisfaction. satisfaction. england‘s cricketers are preparing for the fourth one—dayer against new zealand this evening and they have received a boost ahead of their test series. uncapped batsman liam livingstone will be fit for the tour. he had pulled out of the lions‘ tour to the west indies recently with an ankle problem but will link up with the main squad this weekend ahead of the first test at the end of march. that is all for now, i will be back

with the headline is a bit later. thank you very much. this morning, a warning that counterfeit xanax pills laced with a powerful painkiller have become a party drug among some young people. public health england has told this programme users are dicing with death. we showed you our reporter noel phillips‘ full report earlier. here‘s a short extract. it does contain some graphic references to drugs use which you might not want children to see. jordan and kieron, not their real names, are both 18. they are users

of xanax, a psychiatric painkiller used to treat anxiety and insomnia. how long have you been using? about nine months. how often? probably once every two or three weeks. this is not peering a mental disorder, it is not peering a mental disorder, it is being misused. it is a psychiatric painkiller used to choose, retreat anxiety and insomnia. the authorities are acknowledging the scope and the risks. how big a problem is xanax. it isa risks. how big a problem is xanax. it is a real and immediate concern amid groups of young people among whom it seems to be a drug of

choice. when people buy mac with things from the internet they have no guarantee of what they are getting, so whatever is in the drugs that they buy could change from one batch to another. it is dicing with death, really. it was a surprise how quick it came on. there were no figures available to know how widespread it is being used, but in england and scotland, the drug has been linked to a number of deaths. up been linked to a number of deaths. up until he was taking xanax, scott had problems with drugs are 17

years. no overdoses, no admissions to hospital, nothing like that. when he took xanax, the first time he took it, he was completely out of it. he went back the next day, the next day and the next day. and that's what happened. the company that produces imax says they are alarmed by the amount of drugs that are counterfeit. we are 100% aware of the risk that it can affect us. but we are level—headed. what i have seen shows pretty convincingly the challenges the authorities are up against in tackling xanax authorities are up against in tackling xa nax misuse. let‘s talk now to michael — that‘s not his real name —

he‘s 18 and used to take xanax twice a week. he stopped taking it recently. anne mcdermott, who you saw a few moments ago, her 35—year—old son, scott, died after using xanax injanuary. dr adrian harrop, a gp who has just finished working as an emergency medicine doctor at scarborough hospital. he‘s seen first—hand an increase in emergency cases. labour mp bambos charlambous has written to the home office about his concerns about the drug. let us begin with you, michael. tell us why you were taking xanax, you we re us why you were taking xanax, you were not using it at parties, but you were using it illegally.” suffered from anxiety, i had displeasure with my life at sixth form, i started taking benzodiazepines to deal with it, and i became addicted. i have always been aware xanax was similar in the

effects when i came to university i got hold of it and i was under the assumption that they were legitimate pills, i was not aware they were counterfeits. what effect did they have on you? sluggish, memory loss, very lethargic, sleep for hours on end, lacking motivation, lacking short—term memory, a reason why they call it the zombie drug, that is what it does. you do not want to say where you got them from, but was not a gp, where you got them from, but was not agp,a where you got them from, but was not a gp, a private prescription, but it was not online, you did not go through legitimate route to get the drugs and therefore you did not know how many to take. i kind of did my research and i understood that moderation was the key when dealing with the substance like this because i had been through dependency with

benzodiazepines so i was struck with my usage, i never allowed myself to do more than what i thought was necessary. you do more than what i thought was necessary. you were do more than what i thought was necessary. you were self-medicating. you are not a trained professional like adrian lewis, for example. yes. iam very like adrian lewis, for example. yes. i am very aware with the stigma surrounding mental health and it is something i would rather not have on my record because it is something that follows you for ages, mental... you did not want to talk to a health professional in case how your medical records emerged later run. no one knows me better than myself, i deal with my issues are my own way, i have a great support system, friends and family. i felt that i did not need xanax so i was not in the point i wanted to escape. as a trainee gp, adrian, we have two issues, people using this drug illegally, recreationally, and people like michael who are

self—medicating because they are anxious, for whatever reason. what do you say about this drug if you use it for whatever purpose? xanax isa use it for whatever purpose? xanax is a strange entity in this country because when it is obtained by anyone in the uk, it is as a drug of abuse, really. it is not prescribed in the uk in the same way as lots of benzodiazepines are. you can get private prescriptions? but the numbers are tiny. any other way, you are using it illegally. for the vast majority of cases, yes. the places it is being obtained from, no way of regulating the quality of it. in america, this drug is very widely prescribed so you can verify the quality of the drug when you obtain it from a pharmacist. in the uk, thatis it from a pharmacist. in the uk, that is not the case. potentially extremely dangerous. what sort of admissions were you seeing relating to xanax at scarborough hospital? an

immense range. in low doses of alprazolam or other benzodiazepines, dissimilar to alcohol, being inebriated, a bit sedated, slightly larger doses. —— not dissimilarto alcohol. but it can range up to anything including stopping breathing and falling into a coma and ultimately dying and everything in between. it depends on how much has been taken and in what form and most importantly alongside what other substances? often it is the jewel use of xanax alongside other drugs —— dual use of xanax alongside other drugs such as alcohol. tell our audience about your son, scott, and although we are waiting for the postmortem results, why you are convinced xanax

postmortem results, why you are convinced xa nax contributed postmortem results, why you are convinced xanax contributed to his death. scott was a heroin addict, currently on methadone prescription, valium prescription, and of pre—gaba prescription. from the gp. he still took heroin, unfortunately, i will not lie. and then xanax came along. xanax is the only difference think that scott was taking. he had always took the same thing. and he went won the day, the next day, the next day —— and he went one day. one tablet, two tablets, five tablets. his partner said they were cut into four, quite large tablets. i do not know if you have seen that? unfortunately, scott became addicted very quickly to xanax and he was out

of it, totally out of it. he fell from the sofa onto the floor zombie—like, as michael said, and it was awful. we got a phone call to save the paramedics were with scott. they did not think there was much of a chance for scott. he had been starved of oxygen for over an hour. they were working on him. he went to hospital. at 722. he got there at 758. he died at 520 the next morning. very difficult. you have found... a diary. from before. i must say, this is not to do with xanax. related must say, this is not to do with xa nax. related to must say, this is not to do with xanax. related to all drugs. it has six of drugs, —— sick of drugs, feel

like a tramp, who would want to be with me like this any more? get back to being me. but better. being myself again. together. i need to stop feeling like this. and that was written in 2016, december. when he was, as you have explained, addicted to heroin. and i wonder if that in pa rt a nswer to heroin. and i wonder if that in part answer is a not very sympathetic message i have the users of all the drugs —— the abuses of all drugs, suggesting it is a choice, they know the dangers, people choose to take risks, my sympathy, says this man, is for their parents and friends but not for those who die as a result of taking any drugs. i do not think scott deliberately meant to die. i think by this time he was so addicted to these tablets, he was going there once, twice a day, which he was not with heroin. i appreciate

what the man says, but i think... everyone says, i feel so sorry for you, i feel sorry for you. that is lovely, but scott paid the ultimate price. i feel sorry for scott. he will not see his children get married. he will not see his grandson who is three months old. he will not see any of that. though i appreciate that person was a point of view, he did not know scott. you cannot categorise everybody. you are being very generous towards that message. let me bring you in as a labourmp, message. let me bring you in as a labour mp, yesterday writing to the department of health to voice your concerns. why the department of health rather than the home office out of interest? a number of issues about xa nax, we out of interest? a number of issues about xanax, we need to raise, the first about awareness, a lot of people are not aware about the issues around xanax, so having a

public awareness campaign would be helpful. also supporting young people, making sure there is more support for young people in relation to mental health and those who are addicted, young people who are addicted, young people who are addicted, it may not be relevant for them to go to hard addiction services, maybe more tailor—made services, maybe more tailor—made services for them. and more research, we do not know enough about how many people are using xanax. that is probably true in this country. do you not think people do know, if they‘re not getting it from theirgp, not know, if they‘re not getting it from their gp, not getting it from the chemist, not getting it from a legitimate source, then, as adrian was saying, they know they are taking it illegally? 0r was saying, they know they are taking it illegally? or do you not think young people know that or care, you think you are invincible when you are 15? maybe. but it has been glamorised in rap music and it is widely available in america and it is seen as being ok so it does not have the stigma of the hard

drugs do and i think that is why young people think it is ok to take it. this is a particular problem i have noticed as well when you look into the social media aspects of this particular drug, xanax. extremely popular in the rap music genre in america. it is very much a normalised, the taking of xanax as an anti—anxiety option for young people. the reason for that majorly is that in the us it is a very common drug of prescription and very widely available and in the uk we simply do not use it that way. when you are talking about it the way the rap artists do in the uk context, it means an entirely different thing. understood. 0k. thank you very much. we appreciate your time. thank you so much. we appreciate your time. and your views are welcome. if you want help or advice about some of the issues raised in this item, please go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

breaking news. the woman in hospital who collapsed alongside the former russian spy is his daughter. let us talk to our correspondent. fill in the audience. we have known that alongside sergei skripal, a woman was found with him unconscious on the bench behind me, but we cannot confirm that the woman is in fact his. we believe that she was visiting her father in the his. we believe that she was visiting herfather in the uk. relatives have told us they have been unable to contact her on her phone for the last two days. when sergei skripal was brought to the

uk, remember, he had been partnered by the russian government after being arrested in 2006 for allegedly spying for britain and he was handed over to the uk in 2010 in what was a swa p over to the uk in 2010 in what was a swap for russian spies going from the us to russia. in 2010, we believe yulia skripal move to the uk with her father when she left her for some time before moving back to moscow but she was a regular visitor to the uk where she visited her father who lived here in salisbury. we also believe sergei skripal had a 43—year—old son who died last year. after his death, we believe yulia skripal was visiting here more regularly, we believe the sun died in st petersburg on holiday. —— the son. relatives say they deny sergei

skripal was involved in any way with mi6, as was alleged by the russian government. but we believe now that yulia skripal is the woman who was found on the bench unconscious with her father found on the bench unconscious with herfather on found on the bench unconscious with her father on sunday afternoon. they are both still in a critical condition in hospital and police are working to find out how exactly they came to be found unconscious here on sunday afternoon. thank you very much. that breaking news that the woman found collapsed alongside the former russian spy sergei skripal is his daughter, yulia skripal, who was visiting her father from his daughter, yulia skripal, who was visiting herfatherfrom moscow. much more to come on that story throughout the day on bbc news. also still to come, but i‘m‘s most senior counterterrorism officer tells a social media companies have a moral duty to tip off the police about potential terror activity. that interview in the next half an hour. and over the last week, more than

120 mostly female immigration and eating these have been on hunger strike at the yarl‘s wood detention centre. they are protesting about conditions in the centre. we will talk about that in the next 30 minutes. time for the latest news — here‘s annita mcveigh. the russian government has denied having any knowledge of the circumstances that left a former russian spy critically ill in hospital in salisbury. sergei skripal, who was freed from jail in russia in 2010, was found on a bench on sunday alongside a woman who — as we‘ve been hearing — has been confirmed to be his daughter, yulia. police are trying to establish whether they were exposed to an unknown substance. in syria, the first aid convoy for three weeks has delivered supplies to the rebel—held territory eastern ghouta. but aid workers were forced to cut the mission short after dozens of people were killed by shelling from pro—government forces. nearly 400,000 people are thought to be trapped

in the enclave which has been the focus of heavy fighting in recent months. the packaging industry in england has denied claims that it is greatly exaggerating the amount of plastic it recycles. it follows the release of a report today by waste consultancy group eunomia who say the industry‘s figures don‘t add up and companies aren‘t paying enough towards the £2.8 billion annual cost of collecting and processing plastic. the family of a seven—year—old girl killed in a car crash in the icy conditions last week have described her as beautiful, caring and kind and say she will never be forgotten. maisie duncan died when a vehicle hit her and crashed into her house when she was playing in snow in cornwall last week. police say no arrests have been made as inquiries are continuing. public health england have challenged the food industry to cut calories in products

like ready meals, sandwiches, pizza and snacks. it wants the whole industry, from processors to restaurant, to achieve the goal of cutting calories by a fifth by 2024. former bbc breakfast presenter bill turnbull has announced that he‘s been diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer. he told the radio times magazine he was diagnosed at the end of last year after blaming long—term aches and pains on old age. he encourages others to get tested. that‘s a summary of the latest bbc news. here‘s some sport now with olly foster. thank you. these are our headlines. sir bradley wiggins says he is the victim of a smear campaign after a dcms report claimed that he and team sky crossed an ethical line in the use of prescribed drugs that may have also enhanced performance. wiggins says he has 100% never cheated in his career. from 2—0 down, nemanja matic scored an injury time wonder goal as manchester united beat crystal palace 3—2. they are back up to second in the table. 14 months after her last match and

six months after giving birth the 23 time grand slam singles winner serena williams makes her comeback on the women‘s tour this week. one bit of breaking rugby union news, the england wingerjack nowell is a doubt for the six nations match next weekend away in france. i will be back on bbc news after 11am. thank you. more than 120 mostly female immigration detainess have been on hunger strike at the yarl‘s wood detention centre in bedfordshire for over the last week. they‘re protesting about conditions within the centre, including the fact that england is the only country within the eu where detainees can be held indefinitely. the home office has sent letters to some of those on strike suggesting their deportation proceedings would be accelerated if they continue with the hunger strike. we can speak now to a woman currently in yarl‘s wood. she has been on hunger strike for

two weeks. she is originally from botswa na, two weeks. she is originally from botswana, she came to the uk 14 yea rs botswana, she came to the uk 14 years ago and is now 27. here in the studio isjess phillips, labour mp who has a constituent being detained in yarl‘s wood. —— has had various constituents detained in yarl‘s wood but has a lwa ys detained in yarl‘s wood but has always got them out so far. can you hear me 0k, a la gas from ya rl‘s can you hear me 0k, a la gas from yarl‘s wood? can you hear me 0k, a la gas from yarl's wood? yes. when did you last eat food? a lot of people have not been eating over the last couple of weeks. i have been having lots of fruit and veg just to keep my energy going. are you saying there are people alongside you who are not taking in food orfluids? people alongside you who are not taking in food or fluids? correct. what is the point of them doing that? lots of people just want the home office to do what is right for

them, really. people have been brought into detention unlawfully, i‘ve not been told at all or being forewarned that they would be brought to detention. lots of women want that to be brought out and overturned, really. as well as many other issues that have happened, like the indefinite detention for many people. when you say they have been brought unlawfully, what do you mean, opelo? standard procedure really is that the home office has a letter with the decision to your legal representation as well as sending a message to yourself, a letter to yourself. in that time you‘re supposed to have some sort of appeal released a response to the home office before they can proceed

with whatever action they want to take. for lots of people, virtually no one gets a chance to appeal any decision and is brought straight to detention. lots of them are then deported. last weekend you were moments away from being deported, correct? year. what happened? we we re correct? year. what happened? we were called by the legal department here and the officers told us that the home office will have told us you are going to be getting deported, we‘re taking you into a van and you will be taken to heathrow where you will be put on a flight to botswana. why didn't it happen? wii has (inaudible) helping to intervene in the

situation, but if that had not have happened we would not still be here. tell us about the conditions inside the centre, which is part of the reason so many women have been on hunger strike? of course, first and foremost, being brought into detention is quite traumatising in itself. and then you are met with so many problems like... people who have been here for months and months on end and they teddy bear stories, which really break your heart. —— and they teddy bear stories. equally having to deal with the immigration issue in detention causes so much depression, anxiety and panic attack in so many people. a lot of people struggle with the people together and a lot of the time we urge is given paracetamol and told that is all they can give you and nothing more, really. for those women who

have not been eating or taking in fluids, how are they? on a psychological level, because they are fighting for something that they believe in, that we believe in, we are very believe in, that we believe in, we are very strong. but lots of women are very strong. but lots of women a re really are very strong. but lots of women are really struggling and obviously very weak, because you need food. we are continuing to carry out the process. i will bring in jess phillips, opelo kgari, i hope you will be able to hear her. i am sure you will. let me ask you about the offers the home office sends which suggested the deportation of some of the detainees would be accelerated if they continued the hunger strike? well, that is absolutely disgusting. there is no basis for it in law. the home office has no leg to stand on with making that the case. these people are partaking in peaceful protest, they are not hurting

anyone, not rioting in the prison... in the detention centre. and we have seen over the past few years outbreaks of different protest in the prison. this is a very peaceful protest and the home office, i think, have very, very badly missed the tone. you have managed to get constituents out of there. how? the blurb i think it is important to mention that 85% of the women detained in yarl‘s wood and are becoming back out into the community to continue to fight their case legally —— end up coming back out. when my constituents and up in there, completely wrongly, one constituent rang the police because she had a threat to kill by her violent husband. it was not the police who assisted her, it was an immigration ban. what message does that send to vulnerable women, if they have insecure migrant status we are not interested in their safety, only interested in carting them to detention? you will appeal to home office processes and always there

are ongoing cases and those women should not be detention, their cases are often being heard by a tribunal or the home office systems themselves, which are incredibly slow through no fault of the women detained. the home office say last year‘s 92% of people at yarl‘s wood were detained forfour months of people at yarl‘s wood were detained for four months or less and nearly two thirds for less than a month? but the standard was meant to be 28 days. indefinite detention... detaining people are no grounds should be a human rights concerns of the entire nation. imagine if this happened to you. i believe pam has lived here since she was 13, there are children in my children's class who could exactly live the same life as opelo, exactly like us. imagine you are picked up in the night, taken you are picked up in the night, ta ke n off you are picked up in the night, ta ken off to you are picked up in the night, taken off to detention with very little legal help? my constituents often do not know where they are. one said they have taken me to

bradford, she had never even heard of bedford. that is not due process for a vulnerable woman who was a victim of domestic violence to end up not knowing where they are. the idea that four months is an a cce pta ble idea that four months is an acceptable time to detain somebody without real reason... four daters too long. opelo kgari, what do you say that happened to you if you were deported to botswa na ? happened to you if you were deported to botswana? i have never (inaudible) outside the uk, really, having spent so much time here. it is really difficult for me to try to think, gosh, what will i then be doing upon arrival. i caught most of that answer, i think you are saying because you came here when you were 13 with your mum... why did your mum come here? my mum was a student. so

because you have been brought up here, your life is here, is that the point? yes. i spent my formative yea rs point? yes. i spent my formative years here, all of my most important memories have been spent here. my zist memories have been spent here. my 21st birthday, my 18th, my16th. i just... i couldn‘t imagine all of those being ta ken just... i couldn‘t imagine all of those being taken away and being told we are taking you away to... to a country altogether in a whole other continent that you are altogether unfamiliar with. jess phillips, is that a legitimate reason to let opelo kgari stay in this country? i think it is. reason to let opelo kgari stay in this country? ithink it is. ithink opelo mycoplasma kate is quite rare in that her mother came as a student, the vast majority of women ending up in yarl's wood are coming here on spousal visas and then suffer issues of domestic and sexual violence, trafficked to the uk. i

visited two women in yarl's wood la st visited two women in yarl's wood last time i went to had been trafficked, the home office explicitly states they will not keep trafficked women there, and on a very quick risk assessment i did they had both been trafficked to the uk for six. there are all sorts of stories of very vulnerable women in there, and women like opelo. you don't need to have a very, very sad story of abuse to think that this is a kid who grew up in the uk. we are wasting tax payers money trying to fight this case when she has something to offer to the uk. absolutely i would rather she was allowed to stay, allowed to work, offer something to the nation. at the moment we are treating her as a problem, that is costing the country money. she will inevitably, i feel fairly confident to say, be allowed to stay in the long run. the home office say we take the welfare of all those in immigration removal

centre is very seriously and any detainees who choose to refuse food and/ orfluid detainees who choose to refuse food and/ or fluid are closely monitored by on—site health care professionals. it was is our duty to ensure that detainees are informed about how their actions might jeopardise their health and also make clear it will not prevent their case from being progressed. thank you to the labour mpjess phillips and to opelo kgari, we will talk to you regularly from there, or from outside, whatever happens if your case. thank you, opelo. britain‘s most senior counterterrorism police officer has told this programme in an exclusive interview that social media companies have a moral duty to tip off police to potential terror activity. assistant commissioner mark rowley of the met police says, in time, persuasion and regulation will need to be implemented to ensure co—operation from tech companies. he also warned brits that we‘re going to have to live with a severe terror warning —

meaning an attack is highly likely — for some time. he retires at the end of this week and has been speaking to us in his final tv interview in post. i started by asking him what was known so far about the critically—ill former russian spy. as you would expect in an unusual case like this, the key for us is to get to the bottom of what caused the illness. is it foul play or a natural cause? wiltshire police are leaving the investigation, they did a statement last night —— are leading the investigation. the specialist resources from the counterterrorism network and other sources are assisting as we do toxicology and other research to get toxicology and other research to get to the bottom of the cause. alarm bells are ringing because there are similarities to what happened to anotherformer similarities to what happened to another former russian spy on british soil, alexander litvinenko, who was poisoned in a london hotel?

the wild, the london counterterrorism team picked that up and were complemented by the djurdjic did the public inquiry, who concluded there was state actors involved —— complemented by the judge who did the public inquiry. it is important these cases are taken seriously. sometimes exiles generate conspiracy theories with no foundation. but as litvinenko illustrated, foul play is possible and we had to throw all the resources specialist technical expertise to get to bottom of it. you have been head of counterterrorism further years, last year, we saw five terrorist attacks, is the growth of home grown right wing terrorism as alarming for you as islamist terrorism ? wing terrorism as alarming for you as islamist terrorism? in many ways, it is. one of the reasons i focused on it last week is because as both threats have grown, there is a danger the smaller of the two gets

drowned out and not acknowledged which is why i highlighted it last week. it is particularly concerning that end of 2016, the home threats or —— the home secretary proscribed a home—grown white supremacist group, they want things like whites only towns, very unsavoury group, and they are plotting violence, trying to undermine britain and they are starting to make international connections. it is a matter of great concern. i do not persuade it is... the home office have been grappling with the definition of the streamers. how would you define it? you know it when you see it, but finding an exact definition is very difficult. —— the definition of extremism. terrorism and extremism

are different things. extremism is a recruiting ground for terrorism. whether it is right wing or islamist, the sorts of things they do, they try to create intolerance, encourage communities to withdraw and isolate and be fearful of others, they try to undermine the state, cannot trust the state to look after us, look after ourselves, and they do maligned things to try to provide practical support to the isolated group to isolate it further and create a sense of anger and grievance which has all sorts of social ills and sometimes provides a recruiting ground for terrorists. social ills and sometimes provides a recruiting ground for terroristsm that where white only foodbanks come in which is something else you have recently highlighted which you say are being used to recruit vulnerable people? exactly. the extremist groups have more influence over the vulnerable so whether you look at the ghastly case convicted last week in east london where a man has been trying to radicalised people with

awful material, that is an islamist extremist preying on the vulnerable, the other end of the spectrum, extreme right wing people looking for vulnerable deprived people we have come across in more than one time setting up things that are effectively white only foodbanks, we will look after you, no one else ca res, will look after you, no one else cares, creating a sense of isolation, anger and grievance. pulling communities apart. that is when i talk about our whole society approach, there are many agencies, we all have to think about how we hold communities together, not let these small unpleasant groups pull them apart. how many whites only foodbanks are there in britain?” them apart. how many whites only foodbanks are there in britain? i am aware of a small number of cases. two three? that sort of number. how do we counter that question you say youtube, twitter, facebook, the

security industry, they need to do more? the private sector, whether it is the physical world, the virtual world, in the virtual world, a few yea rs world, in the virtual world, a few years ago, some of those big companies were very reluctant to get involved in any of the safety issues. they have moved a long way they are working increasingly well with us on individual cases, being responsive, that is welcome, but an awful long way to go. they are readily identifying people on their sides sharing all of gruesome, awful terrorist material, they will clean them out, but they do not always tipped us off, they never tipped us off gradually, which is disappointing. why don't they? they do not see it as their responsibility. the banks, compare it to the banks, the banks now see it to the banks, the banks now see it as their responsibility to spot dirty money going through the system, we have not got mature relationship with the social media.

do you think you need legislation to make it a requirement for social media companies to tip it off or is ita media companies to tip it off or is it a moral duty? when you have such complex global issues, i do not think there are simple legal levers to pull. looking at the banks, it took quite a lot of time to get to where we are and it took a combination of persuasion and regulation and my guess is over many yea rs regulation and my guess is over many years it will be persuasion and regulation which will move the relationship with the tech sector in the same way. last week he suggested convicted terrorists could potentially have their children removed from them, like convicted paedophiles do. why?” removed from them, like convicted paedophiles do. why? i was trying to illustrate the different sectors about how we approach extremism and how we protect vulnerable people who are extremists prey on and one example we have been wrestling with with cases over the last two, three yea rs, with cases over the last two, three years, extremists radicalising young children and it seems to me that perhaps the whole system from

police, social services, the courts, it is not used to dealing with this and in my mind, maybe not in everybody else‘s, a parent who has the interest in paedophilia is obviously a risk to the child, whether or not they have done anything to them yet, and i would say the same about a parent who is a proven terrorist. someone who is proven terrorist. someone who is proven to have shared radicalising material with others, has convictions, i would argue they pose the same mr the development of the child as the paedophile does. the sharing of information would be enough, as long as convicted?“ someone believes in violence and violence against innocent people, terrorism, and they are trying to encourage that, encourage a warped view of a particular religion or

faith, warped ideology, then if they are that hard on that —— hard and committed and pushing that and convicted for it, you have to take the view they will do that within theirfamily. we the view they will do that within their family. we did the view they will do that within theirfamily. we did research in london where we looked at a group of people across a known terrorist network and the children, about half we re network and the children, about half were being home—schooled, they had been taken out of mainstream education, that is completely disproportionate to anything else you would see, where it is a fraction of a percent across the rest of the country, it is about isolating your own children. there are risks that we allow the small number of people with wicked views to corrupt the vulnerable and we need to intervene. a mum of five was convicted of posting terrorist propaganda in this country on social media. should herfive children have been removed from her?” media. should herfive children have been removed from her? i do not want to talk about individual cases. that isa to talk about individual cases. that is a real living example. she was

convicted of posting terrorist propaganda on social media, she has five children, thejudge propaganda on social media, she has five children, the judge spared propaganda on social media, she has five children, thejudge spared her ajail five children, thejudge spared her a jail sentence so she could go home to look after the kids. he said, she was remorseful. she had shown remorse. every case needs looking at on its merits. my point is, if people are determined and committed to radicalising others and they have children, that has to be a matter of concern. the government has been giving extra money to counterterrorism in this country. the number of police officers is at its lowest number for decades. is there a link in your mind between fewer officers on the streets, gathering local intelligence which might be picked up and potentially help thwart terrorist plots and the number of terrorist plots that there have been in this country, including the ones you have stopped?” have been in this country, including the ones you have stopped? i would not try to draw a direct causal link to the events of last year, many other factors. the police federation absolutely did draw a link.”

other factors. the police federation absolutely did draw a link. i would not make the direct causal link but community policing is a critical pa rt community policing is a critical part of our model. it is easy to see what i do as being responsible for a load of specialist officers investigating counterterrorism cases, but the connection of the specialists into community policing teams is critical, a lot of information comes from that, our ability to operate in communities dealing with dangerous people and maintaining positive relationships with the rest of the community, it depends on the strength of community policing. there are ports, an example from the inspectors of policing, hmic, saying community policing is degrading across the country —— there are reports. that is the way they have described it and i would share that concern because strong community policing is the british model and in the 21st century, it as is —— it is as important as ever. brexit, do you have concerns about sharing of

information after brexit? at the moment in terms of sharing, going from strength to strength. we have not left yet. if you were to listen to the horror stories you might imagine support is withdrawn, it is not, sharing is getting better. it is not for police officers to try to work out what the legal and political solutions are. do you have any concerns? we have been clear with government. we need solutions as good as we have today, at least. that is supported by the home secretary and the prime minister and thatis secretary and the prime minister and that is what they will look to negotiate. i do not know what sort of treaties that will be. we need to be able to operate in europe and further afield for counterterrorism and routine crime inquiries. when offices in london arrest a shoplifter in the country a month, from europe, further afield, it is useful to know whether it is a one—off offence or whether they are a rapist on the run from some

far—flung part of the world and you only know that through sharing information. final thought about islamist terrorism, do you think it will ever be fully counted? will it ever end? can you stop it? that requires the crystal ball way beyond my abilities. if you look at the threat at the moment, as we have described over the last six months, more of it, going faster, more difficult to detect. the challenges we face at the moment, we expect them to continue at that level for another year or two. beyond that, so many issues around global politics, the stability or not of countries around the world, too difficult to predict. in terms of the threat level to this country, it is severe and has been for a while, it was critical after the manchester attack and it was reduced. is thatjust pa rt and it was reduced. is thatjust part of our daily life now that we have to live within this country? we have to live within this country? we

have been at severe now for i think three and a half years which means an attack is highly likely. the highest level it can be at a sustained level a critical mean something is imminent, when we are ina something is imminent, when we are in a particular time of concern like after the manchester attack. it does look like it will be severe for some time to come. is why, in the speeches i have made before i depart from myjob, iwill speeches i have made before i depart from myjob, i will be talking about whole society response. what we do with dangerous people as part of the solution, but the work of private sector do, fantastic work with us, stuffed with the travel industry, doing things with those who organise p0p doing things with those who organise pop concerts, sporting events, as well as working with people online, more we can all do to make our communities safe and strong to protect against terrorism, at the sustained high period of threat we are seeing at the moment. assistant commissioner mark rowley. news regarding the former russian spy treated in hospital, we are told two

police officers dealing with the salisbury suspected poisoning work admitted to hospital yesterday after minor symptoms but they have been released. the transgender model has stood down from her position on the labour party‘s lg bt stood down from her position on the labour party‘s lgbt advisory board, she says because of the endless attacks on my character by the conservative right wing press and endless online abuse. chloe is back tomorrow. have a good day. thank you for watching today. this morning we have been watching a band of rain, sleet and snow moving steadily northwards out of northern england and across scotland. some has been down to lower levels, eventually confined to the hills. further south, the forecast is for sunshine and showers. there goes the band of rain, sleet and snow, significant snow on the hills and

the cold wind blowing it around. brightening up. in scotland and northern england, northern ireland will be cloudy with spots of rain, england and wales, bright day ahead with sunny spells but also some showers. this evening and overnight, the snow moves in across the far north and north—west of scotland, a cold night with frost around, the risk of ice on untreated surfaces and later patchy dense fog forming in east anglia and the south—east. that will clear through tomorrow and for tomorrow and the next day, a lot of dry weather, still some showers around and temperatures dipping in the south. this is bbc news, and these are the top stories developing at 11am.

cctv images of the former russia double agent sergei skripal and his daughter yulia, who are critically ill in a salisbury hospital after being exposed to an unknown substance. russia says it doesn‘t know what happened. here, anti—terror police are working with local police to find out what made them collapse. iam here i am here in salisbury where the couple were found on sunday afternoon. police are continuing to investigate what caused the couple to fall so ill. food companies are being told they must cut the calories in products such as pizzas and ready meals, to try to halt the rise in obesity. we‘ve announced a 20% calorie reduction programme, so that‘s taking calories out of ready meals, out of pizzas,