today at 5:00: counter terrorism officers intensify the investigation into the attempted murder of a former russian spy and his daughter. the police officer seriously ill in hospital after being exposed to the nerve agent when trying to help has been named as detective sergeant nick bailey. an off duty hospital doctor tells the bbc she stepped in to help yulia skripal as she lay unconscious in the park in sailsbury. the home secretary says the attack was an outrageous crime. the use of a nerve agent on uk soil is a brazen and reckless act. this was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way. we'll have the latest from the scene and we'll be talking to an expert in chemical warfare. the other main stories on bbc news at 5... victims of the parsons green tube attack have been describing how they tried to escape the fireball which engulfed the carriage. # we hate the blacks, we do! # in nottingham... leave her alone!

two men are arrested after racist chanting outside a student's room at nottingham trent university. john lewis is cutting staff bonuses for the fifth year in a row after reporting a fall in profits. and on international women's day we celebrate feminism and discuss future challenges facing women, with two prominent activists. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at 5. our main story... in the last few minutes the police officer who is in hospital in a serious condition after trying to help sergei and yulia skripal after the attack with a nerve agent in salisbury, has been named as detective sergeant nick bailey. and a hospital doctor has told

the bbc she tried to help the daughter of the former russian spy. the doctor, who was off duty at the time, attended to yulia skripal as she lay unconscious in a park in salisbury. the home secretary has described the attempted murders as an outrageous crime. jon donnison reports the key question in this investigation is now who carried out the double attempted murder here in salisbury last sunday. in which the russian double agent sergei skripal and his daughter, yulia, somehow ingested a deadly nerve agent. specialist teams remain at the scene. a senior doctor, he was off duty out shopping and happened to walk past the pair shortly after they collapsed, has told the bbc she tried to resuscitate yulia. she said the young woman had stopped

breathing and appeared to be having a fit. they remain in a critical condition in hospital. the policeman who was also contaminated after rushing to help them when they cast is said to be recovering. he has now been named as detective sergeant nick bailey of wiltshire police. the police are working closely... in parliament this morning, the government promised a robust response, once it is clear he was behind the attack. the use of a nerve agent on uk soil is a brazen and reckless act. this was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way. people are right to want to know who to hold to account. but if we are to be rigorous in this investigation we must avoid speculation and allow the police to carry on their investigation. so, the government not blaming russia yet, at least not openly. but some are. who else could have such cause

with this man? there are some indirect signs of russian involvement. it means only one man can give the order. vladimir putin. nobody else. investigators do come through this was russia's are doing, the united states offered its support in terms of a possible british response. i've had quite a lot about this and i have talked to a number of people in the uk government that have mentioned this episode to me. it is very concerning and we respect the work of the british investigators in trying to get the bottom of this. i think we would be very supportive of whatever decision the united kingdom would decide to make. there is still a lot to be uncovered in this investigation. but for the skripal family, there has already been much tragedy. mr skripal‘s wife and son are buried here in this cemetery in salisbury. his brother died in russia and the family believe the deaths are suspicious. our home affairs correspondent leila nathoo is in salisbury. what are they saying the key

elements of this continuing investigation are? well, obviously the latest development is finding out that nick bailey, detective sergeant nick bailey, is the police officer that came here, to the scene, to the bench behind me, that is still under a police tent. he was one of the first to respond, and he had been hospitalised, presumed to have been exposed to the same nerve agent that sergei and yulia were targeted with. he was described earlier today by police as being in a serious but stable condition. he was conscious, talking and engaging. we now know his identity to be detective sergeant nick bailey. there have been bursts of activity at the various sites that are still of interest to police today. here is the scene where the two were discovered. police were here, the

tent actually blue off in the wind today, and the police were securing the bench once again. there was also some renewed activity at sergei skripal‘s house, about ten minutes out of salisbury city centre. police, and ambulances, they turned up police, and ambulances, they turned up there, a much bigger police and ambulance presents and we have seen in recent days. the court was widened, the tent was set up and it looked like a major investigation going on. the restaurant zizzi, and the mill pub are also sealed off. they will be investigating how they came to be exposed to the nerve agent, when they became exposed to it and who brought that nerve agent into salisbury city centre, and how did it get to them? so many u na nswered did it get to them? so many unanswered questions about that investigation. we're hoping to get an update later. all of that, though suggesting that this is a hugely complicated and lengthy

investigation? absolutely, some pieces of the puzzle need to be put together. we still don't have a basic timeline of exactly how and what sergei and yulia were up to on that sunday. that has not been confirmed by police. police are not officially confirming their identities as of yet. still, this is clearly being considered at the highest levels of government. the prime minister has been briefed on the investigation, the home secretary, amber ruud, was speaking in the commons earlier today, calling it a brazen and reckless act. clearly, it is something that isa act. clearly, it is something that is a matter of grave concern for the government, the emphasis from there is that we need to wait for the fa cts , is that we need to wait for the facts, wait for the evidence, as the police conduct their inquiries. for now, thank you very much. we will be talking more about this storyjust after 5.30. i will be speaking to a chemical weapons expert and discussing exactly what that substance might have been and, as

was said, trying to discuss who might have access to that sort of nerve agent as well. that is coming up nerve agent as well. that is coming up after 5.30. jurors in the trial of a teenager accused of planting a bomb on the london underground have been shown images of the moment a fireball ripped through the train carriage. the blast forced commuters to scramble to escape. 0ur correspondent richard lister is at the old bailey. some quite moving testimony from people who on that day were just going about their regular commute, trying to get to work in the normal way? that's right, there were thought to be something like 93 passengers on the carriage where the device exploded back on september the 15th, at 8.20 in the morning, rush—hour, full of commuters and some schoolkids. we heard from minority commuters and sometimes the testimony they gave was really quite emotional. the first person to speak

was also one of the most badly injured, a woman named in court only as miss s. she said she was about a metre away from the device when it exploded. she heard a loud bang, people screaming, she saw fire and then she said, i had burns, my knees we re then she said, i had burns, my knees were bad, my face was burned, my coat was burning, my tights were melted. she had to pause frequently to gain composure, it was obviously difficult for her to give this testimony. amy coalville spoke and said, when the flames came over me, my hair immediately caught fire. she talked about a shudder, a wall of glass falling over her. alex bevan said he saw a rolling fireball coming over the ceiling. he was scared about a second attack and he rushed out into the panicked crowd ona rushed out into the panicked crowd on a platform and hid behind a wall. lucinda glazebrook said she felt the heat from the fireball and her hair was coming out in chunks. for a lot of the day, after the witnesses gave testimony, thejury

of the day, after the witnesses gave testimony, the jury was also shown cctv footage, which the prosecution believes documents almost the entire journey that was made by ahmed hassan on that day, carrying from his home, sadie prosecution, the bomb, ina his home, sadie prosecution, the bomb, in a plastic bag, all of the way to the rail network and onto the underground, getting off the underground, getting off the underground train one stop before parsons green, where the bomb exploded. the prosecution say, and they showed in court, that the cctv evidence shows him leaving london, getting on a train, ultimately ending up in dover. much of that journey was also documented by cctv. and he was arrested in dover, after the ferry terminal, the next morning. he denies the two charges against him of attempted murder and causing an explosion likely to endanger life. richard lister, thanks very much, following that case at the old bailey. some of the other stories making bbc news... new figures show nearly 23,000 non—urgent operations were postponed in january in england because of a shortage of beds compared to last year.

the statistics also showed during februaryjust over 85% of a&e patients were treated or admitted within the four hour target — the worst performance since the target was introduced in 2004. two 17—year—old boys have died, and seven people have been injured, in an accident involving three cars near thirsk in north yorkshire. police say the vehicles collided on the a61 shortly before 9.30 last night. five adults and two children were taken to hospital. rail passengers will be able to claim compensation more easily for the knock—on cost of delays, as part of changes to ticket terms and conditions. rail companies are removing a clause which says they won't accept any liability for indirect effects — such as people having to pay for taxis or hotels. the public spending watchdog has warned that many councils in england face becoming financially unsustainable because of the increasing demands of social care. the national audit office calculates that the money local authorities

receive from central government has been cut by nearly 50% since 2010. alison holt reports. it's lunch time at this day centre in surrey. here, people with brain injuries and other conditions can socialise and take part in activities. many have their care paid for by the county council. we like its legs. lovely. the legs are brilliant. the report says local authorities now spend more than half of their budgets on providing social care. sue, who has multiple sclerosis, describes the centre as a lifeline. i come here only twice a week. i would come more if there was the funding for it. but apart from that, it's amazing. councils like surrey have a statutory duty to support people who are older and disabled as well as providing

children's services. and across the board, demand is increasing. but the national audit office report says since 2010 the money english councils have got from central government has been cut by nearly 50%. services like bin collections and roads and libraries have had funding reduced by nearly a third over the same time. and with councils using their savings to balance the books, one in ten will have exhausted their reserves within three years. we're calling for a plan for the long—term financial sustainability of the sector. what do they want local government to do and fund them for that or make funding available. alongside that, social care needs a funding solution as well. in surrey, one of wealthiest parts of country, as well as raising council tax and making more cuts to services like bins and roads, the local authority is dipping into its reserves again. you see what the snow

has done to our roads. the council leader knows they have to change. it has been really difficult to make sure we could come in this year with a budget, with the minimum tax level increases that we had to do. we had have to use £24 million of our reserves and £15 million of our capital receipts to help the transformation. the government said a new council funding settlement has been approved to help keep services running and that will mean a real terms increase in the money they get. this is bbc news at 5 — the headlines: the home secretary has described the poisoning of a russian former spy and his daughter in salisbury as a "brazen and reckless act." a passenger has described how her hair caught fire and some of her clothes melted, when a bomb went off on a london underground train.

two 18—year—old men have been arrested after a video of racist slurs being shouted in university accommodation emerged. in sport, a north london club looking to avoid another italian job. arsenal are at ac milan in the last 16 of the europa league. defeat would make it their worst run in 41 yea rs. would make it their worst run in 41 years. 0wen farrell will captain england's rugby union side for the first time on saturday's six nations match against france, with dylan hartley ruled out injured. eddie jones makes three changes from the defeat against scotland. and snowboarder 0wen peck is selected as great britain's flag bearer at tomorrow's winter paralympics opening ceremony. i will be back with more of those stories are 5.30. the president of the european council has hinted that brexit

negotiations risk stalling if britain doesn't present a realistic solution for the future of the irish border. speaking this afternoon, donald tusk said that despite rejecting the eu's proposals on the issue last week, britain wasn't providing an alternative. we know today that the uk government projects customs and regulatory borders down the irish sea. the eu single market, the customs union also. well we must respect this position, we also expect the uk to propose a specific solution to avoid a hard border. as long as the uk does not presents a solution, it is very difficult to imagine substantive progress in brexit negotiations. if in london someone

assumes that the negotiations will deal with other issues first, before moving to the irish issue, my response would be, ireland first. donald tusk, talking about the problem of the irish border. now, one of the stories we talked about in headlines. two 18—year—old men have been arrested after a student at nottingham trent university said she was subjected to racist abuse through the door of her room. rufaro chisango said there were chants of "we hate the blacks" and she posted a video of what happened on social media — we will play a part of that video that you posted. we have bleeped some of the words. # we hate the blacks, we do! leave her alone! what was that, sorry? # say ooh—ah, bleep the blacks

a black woman... # we hate the blacks # we are the black haters! that is part of what was posted online. tatenda kanyere is president of the african caribbean society at nottingham trent university, and is a friend of rufaro chisango. thank you so much forjoining us tonight. i want to know, first of all, how is she? how is she feeling after this happened ? all, how is she? how is she feeling after this happened? of course, she was surprised, initially, what was going on. because these are people she sees every day. i can imagine, honestly, shock, anger, you know, feeling unsafe in your own house. i

feeling unsafe in your own house. i feel that was her initial response. right now, she is overwhelmed by all of the media, so she just wants to be around people that she loves and ca res be around people that she loves and cares about. that is how she is feeling right now. it is one of those videos, it's just defies everything. when i first watched it, i literally could not believe that i was hearing this in 2018. that is just my initial gut reaction. there are not many things that leave you speak —— speechless, when you are told about this and played the video, what goes through your mind about what on earth these people we re about what on earth these people were up to? well, it was actually sent to mejust were up to? well, it was actually sent to me just after she posted were up to? well, it was actually sent to mejust after she posted on twitter, before it got major attraction. she came to me personally and asked for advice. when she sent me the video i was in utter disbelief. i had to listen to it three times just to make sure i was actually hearing what was being said. 0bviously

was actually hearing what was being said. obviously i was outraged, i was shocked. to begin with it was just anger. having gone through the whole situation, the appropriate action has been taken and ifeel that rufaro is happy with what has been done. in terms of the response, you feel that nottingham trent has done everything have done? one thing that has been misconstrued as the the idea that the university is to blame. 0n the idea that the university is to blame. on monday night, when this happened, rufaro actually went to the security in the building and she was told you would get a response by tuesday morning. she never got a response on tuesday morning. this is a university residence. she never got a response on tuesday morning, wednesday morning, by wednesday night, after she e—mailed the university directly, she posted it on social media. as soon as the appropriate staff were aware of it, they worked tirelessly to get the

justice that rufaro deserves. the issueis justice that rufaro deserves. the issue is not necessarily with the people that deal with the stuff at the uni. but as you can tell, i am so stunned this happened but it is ha rd to so stunned this happened but it is hard to know where to go. i would never try and excuse it for a second, without naming names, word is little that she knew, —— were those people that she knew, these are people that i live in halls of residence with, people i go to lectures with, what is the relationship? what pre—empted this? there was no excuse for it, but does anyone understand why and how it happened? i am not entirely clear on the details of why it happened. i know for a fact that rufaro had just got home from work. so it wasn't something she incited or that had been particularly incited. ifeel

that, having heard it, it is something you don't expect to see, especially in 2018. things like that, you feel like you are watching a movie from maybe 50 years ago or something. it is not something you expect to hear in this day and age. i feel like for expect to hear in this day and age. ifeel like for something expect to hear in this day and age. i feel like for something like that to come out, there must have been something inside them previously that they were thinking these things, possibly expressing them asda —— expressing them as micro aggressions, these are not new feelings to the people responsible, it is probably something they have been thinking for some time. it is probably something they have been thinking for some timem it is probably something they have been thinking for some time. is this showing and reminding us that there is still a problem with racism, whether we say it is in this country, at the university, in that city, but that problem is hugely, reg retta bly, city, but that problem is hugely, regrettably, still there? of course, if we look at other universities that have had scandals, not to the

same extent, such as loughborough, and warwick, we can see that there are incidents where this happens. especially in nottingham, this is not a regular occurrence. this is news for a reason, because it is something that does not happen on a regular basis. i feel that is why there are such outrage, because this isn't something that is tolerated by nottingham students, it is not something that is tolerated by the staff in nottingham trent. i feel like everybody is in solidarity as to how to feel about this. really good of you to come and talk to us, we hope that rufaro is all right. thanks for talking to us on the bbc. we understood to return briefly to the main story here, the poisoning of the former russian spy and his daughter in salisbury, in wiltshire,

just tell you that this photograph has just just tell you that this photograph hasjust come just tell you that this photograph has just come through of the policeman, the wiltshire policeman, who tried to help, who attended, initially, to them. he was the first responder at the scene when the pair we re responder at the scene when the pair were found collapsed on a bench. this photo has just were found collapsed on a bench. this photo hasjust come were found collapsed on a bench. this photo has just come through, this is detective sergeant nick bailey of wiltshire police. he is 38 yea rs old bailey of wiltshire police. he is 38 years old and, of course, he is still in hospital. he is still in a serious condition. we heard the home secretary, amber ruud, talking about him earlier today. she said he is talking now, he is communicating with people, but he is still in a serious condition. and the police just giving us a few details about him, infact just giving us a few details about him, in fact the police federation and wiltshire police telling us that he isa and wiltshire police telling us that he is a staff officer, he has always worked for wiltshire police, and he

began working as a detective for cid in salisbury last year. colleagues are saying that he has an exemplary record and is a larger—than—life character. colleagues say he has an exemplary record, that is detective sergeant nick bailey, who is still very seriously ill in hospital after he tried to help on sunday. some other stories around here tonight... john lewis staff will see their bonus cut for the fifth consecutive year, after the retail chain revealed a fall in profits. thejohn lewis partnership — which is owned byjohn lewis and waitrose employees — announced that this year's bonus will be 5% of annual salary, down from 6% last year, with 85,000 staff sharing a pot worth £74 million. the white house has confirmed that canada and mexico may be given exemptions from any planned us

strictly tariffs on steel and aluminium. last week, president trump announced he planned to do some foreign suppliers, causing many at the top of his administration to fear a trade war with other countries. well the us under—secretary of state, steven goldstein, has been speaking to the bbc. he says the administration understands the concerns the uk has with tariffs being imposes on us imports. we understand the concern of our allies regarding this issue. and borisjohnson and others have spoken with the secretary of state. i can tell you that the secretary has passed that information on to secretary ross and others within the administration, and has expressed the concerns people have. but we also have to look at this more broadly. and that's what were trying to do. we do understand the concerns expressed by the united kingdom. yeah, theresa may has spoken of her deep concern. if canada and mexico were exempted, then surely your closest ally would be exempted as well? well, that's a decision that would be made by the president. but you are our closest ally, there's no question about that. i think the prime minister, who has a very close

relationship with the secretary, they like each other quite a bit, has made that point, and i think the secretary has passed that along. the us under secretary of state steven goldstein. you can see that interview in full on the bbc news channel at seven o'clock. that is coming upa channel at seven o'clock. that is coming up a little bit later, that interview with christian fraser. kfc says it is switching back to its old supplierfor kfc says it is switching back to its old supplier for more than a third of its branches to try to help fix its chicken shortage. last month, the fast—food chain had to close up to 80% of its 870 branches after it switched to a new supplier. prince harry and meghan markle have been visiting birmingham, to launch a project to mark international women's day, aimed at inspiring female students to take up careers in science, technology and engineering industries.

the royal couple spoke to crowds outside the event — some of whom had waited for several hours to see them on the latest leg of their tour of the country, in advance of their wedding in may. time for a look at the weather. it has been cold and snowy again for some people, it depends where you live? it has been a disruptive start of the morning. things quickly improved across the country, ending the day ona across the country, ending the day on a lovely fine, dry, sunny note for most. just a few showers across western areas. 0vernight the skies will be clear, light wind. it is going to turn quite chilly and could see some frost, fog and a little bit of ice across central and northern parts of the country. that is where we will see the lowest of the tem ptress. we will see the lowest of the temptress. still some showers pushing into scotland. across the

far south—west, increasing cloud. not quite as cold for plymouth, but watch out for the risk of ice. the low pressure will change the weather during the course of the weekend. it will produce rain and milder conditions for inland and wales. we start on a chilly note tomorrow. wright, lots of sunshine around. in true showers across scotland. across the south, the weather front will be spreading north to to be strong wind, outbreaks of wind and rain to the north that it should stay fine and dry with sunshine. as we had through saturday, the rain will spread northwards. we could see some snow across the north pennines, the higher ground in scotland during friday night and into saturday morning. but it is going to be very mild, particularly where you get the sunshine. see you later. this is bbc news — the headlines. the police officer who is seriously ill in hospital after being exposed to the nerve agent when helping has been named as detective sergeant

nick bailey. this is of course the case of the poisoning of the former russian spy. the home secretary has described that poisoning of the man and his daughter as a "brazen and reckless act." a passenger has described how her hair caught fire and some of her clothes melted, when a bomb went off on a london underground train. two 18—year—old men have been arrested after a video of racist slurs being shouted in university accommodation emerged. domestic abusers could be electronically tagged or banned from drinking alcohol, in a new crackdown proposed by the government. staff working for the john lewis partnership will see their bonuses cut for the fifth year in a row, after pre—tax profits fell by three quarters to just over £100 million. we will talk more about the case of

the poisoning of the former russian spy the poisoning of the former russian spy and we will talk about international women's day as well. right now, all the sports news with well. hello, arsenal ‘s europa league last 16 against milan first leg kicks off tonight, arsenal and the san siro to phase in milan who are unbeaten in the last 12 matches, although arsenal have lost their all fourin although arsenal have lost their all four in welcome additions. defeat would make at arsenal ‘s was losing strea k would make at arsenal ‘s was losing streak since 1977. so winning the europa league might be the only way for arsenal to secure champions league football next season. this is an opportunity we must take of course. it increases the pressure on us even more in this competition. at the moment it is difficult when

you go through a patch like that but i believe as well it is a good opportunity, what you want is to show that you have the quality and the strength and you can only show that when it's difficult. snowboarder 0wen peck has been chosen to carry the flag at the winter paralympics. eight years ago at the age ofjust 18 he lost a leg in a taliban blast while serving for the british army in afghanistan. he only tried at the sport having been discharged from the army. britain's17—strong team will be their biggest at a winter paralympics since turin 2006, when 20 athletes took part. england's rugby union head coach eddiejones has named his team for saturday's six nations meeting with france. england need to match ireland's result against scotland to keep alive their hopes of a third straight title. captain dylan hartley misses out through injury. 0wen farrell skippers the side in his place. we are looking forward to the game.

it isa we are looking forward to the game. it is a massive honour. u nfortu nately for dyla n it is a massive honour. unfortunately for dylan that he will miss out because of a knock but eve ryo ne miss out because of a knock but everyone is excited. there you going to lead from the front?|j everyone is excited. there you going to lead from the front? i think that is what a lot of leadership is about, you can't ask people to do things you aren't willing to do yourself. you've got to get your own stuff right. hopefully people will follow you. jockey ruby walsh has had a successful return to the saddle this afternoon in his first race since breaking his leg in november. walsh was victorious on the willie mullins—trained lareena in the maiden hurdle at thurles. he's set to ride the 2015 winner faugheen in the champion hurdle on the opening day of the cheltenham festival next week. britain's chris froome and geraint thomas remain in the top ten after stage two of the tirreno adriatico race in italy. they were fortunate to avoid this crash four and a half miles from the finish line in follonica in tuscany. they and their team sky colleagues occupy 5th to 10th

place in the standings, all of them just nine seconds off the top rider. germany's marcel kittel won the stage, while new zealand's patrick bevin retained the overall lead. there was also a crash towards the end of the fifth stage of the paris—nice race. france's jerome cousin took the first victory of his career in sisteron. spain's luis leon sanchez retained the leader's yellow jersey. simon yates is the highest placed briton in tenth overall trailing by 48 seconds. sebastian vettel was fastest on the penultimate day of pre—season testing. he recorded the quickest time seen so far this year but was using foster tyres family with was eighth and frailty and fautua 0tto bossert, mike. but yearly bottas's luck finally changed as they completed the most laps they have done on a single test basis 2013.

that's all the sport for now. more sport on the bbc website, the arsenal game kicks off at six, others and five prostate. we'll have more for you in sportsday at 6:30pm. thank you will. let's get more now on the poisoning of a former russian spy and his daughter in salisbury. in the last hour, the police officer who is still in hospital in a serious condition after trying to help them has been named, and this is his photograph, this is detective sergeant nick bailey. he remains in hospital, in a serious condition, after being the first on the scene. the acting chief constable of wiltshire police, clear prichard, has just given journalists and update on sergeant bailey's condition. i did go and see nick today and i met him with his wife at the hospital in the intensive care

unit. i have known nick for many yea rs. unit. i have known nick for many years. he is a great character. he isa years. he is a great character. he is a huge presence in wiltshire police, well liked, well loved, massively dedicated officer. he is receiving highly specialist treatment so he is well, he's sitting up. he isn't the neck that i know because of course he is receiving a high level of treatment. he is in the safe hands of medical professionals working in salisbury district so i am confident he is getting the best support he can. but he is very anxious, he did his very best on that night. all of our stuff they attended the incident in salisbury, in the maltings, —— all our staff, they performed the role that police officers and staff do every day up and down the country, limited information, trying to safeguard people who are ill. based on that information i am massively proud of what nick did and what my stuff did on that night, they did a massive job

stuff did on that night, they did a massivejob and stuff did on that night, they did a massive job and i stuff did on that night, they did a massivejob and i am hugely proud. it isa massivejob and i am hugely proud. it is a worrying time because we know nerve agents do damage. what is the long—term prognosis for nick? will have to wait to see. it was great to see that he was sitting up. i very much hope you will be on his feet, back at work very soon. i was able to convey all the messages we have received across the force. m essa g es have received across the force. messages from the wider policing family up and down the country and from the public. everyone is behind him. iwas from the public. everyone is behind him. i was able to reassure him, he and his wife and family have all the support we can provide to our occupational health team. we are all rooting for him. we hope he will be back soon, we greatly and desperately miss him. acting chief co nsta ble desperately miss him. acting chief constable of the wedge of force, kier pritchard, who has visited detective sergeant nick bailey in hospital today. —— of the wiltshire force. nick bailey was the first

officer on the scene when the russian spy and his daughter were found poisoned on sunday and he is described as being still seriously ill in hospital. the police say he is well known and has always worked for the wiltshire force. we know that sergei skripal and his daughter yulia were affected by some kind of nerve agent. let's discuss that a little. we can discuss this more now with the chemical weapons expert, doctor richard guthrie. he's in our bristol studio. good evening to you. good evening. when we say a nerve agent, starting from the beginning, are their various types? what does it mean? are there only a small number of countries that use this sort of thing? let's start at the beginning. nerve agents are a group of toxic compounds that interfere with the

nervous system, they interfere with nervous system, they interfere with nervous systems that happen between nerves themselves, they stop the suppression of signals in the nervous system, suppression of signals in the nervous system , so suppression of signals in the nervous system, so it ceases to function in the way it should. another of companies have developed nerve agents over the years especially in the cold war, then they were banned as weapons of war underan they were banned as weapons of war under an international convention that entered into force in 1997.” was going to say, they are used for what reason? i assume from the perpetrator‘s point of view, do you use something so deeply unpleasant to most of us because it is fast acting? it is still illegal to to most of us because it is fast acting? it is still illegalto be used as a weapon of war under international war. it is used in this case as a fairly overt method

of carrying out an assassination attempt, to effectively show someone that you are killing somebody. there are cases when different nerve agents have been used with more su btlety, agents have been used with more subtlety, in south africa, as an assassination method. yet this is an overt act like the case of alexander litvinenko where 12 years ago, the russians, it would be beyond imagination that they would have thought that people in the uk would not have detected the polonium in the body of the dead man so people would know that he had been murdered. how is it administered, are there are several ways? there obviously is like eating them and breeding them in, a number of nerve agents are effective at getting through the skin and entering the bled, we saw this at the airport in

kuala lumpur with the assassination of that relative of kim jong—un. two young females spread liquid on his face, he became ill and passed away within minutes. so being sprayed onto the skin with a cloth is an effective way of getting certain nerve agents into the body. you say that this is done because they want to be seen to make a statement? they wa nt to be seen to make a statement? they want people to know this is an assassination. but does the nerve agent not carry a risk for the person trying to administer it? absolutely it does. if we go back to the case we were talking about in kuala lump it seems two different materials will put on the cloth carried by the females so that they we re carried by the females so that they were combined on the face of the target because if i do of them had been contaminated they would have

suffered in effects themselves. so one thing very worthy of investigation is, how did the perpetrator of this act manage not to get themselves covered in the agent. it may mean they have a novel device that perhaps released a small amount of the liquid onto the skin of the father, which then carried on acting. it may well be that the daughter herself got contaminated in coming to the assistance of her father, just as the police officer came into contact with the material in treating the first two? doctor richard guthrie, thank you for your expertise, and time. this is bbc news, it's coming up to 16 minutes to six. now something entirely separate. older people who are highly physically active have the immune system of 20—year—olds. that's the result of british research which followed more than 100 long distance cyclists —

some now in their 805. it found that not only had their muscle strength not declined, but their immune system — crucial for fighting infection — had not aged either. lets get more on this we can speak to our medical correspondent fergus walsh. everything about those statements is astonishing, this is fascinating. you have to tear up the textbooks because it is given that our immune system declined by 2% a year from when we are in our 20s so by the age of 80 we are very poor and infection. this is why old and people are not good at fighting infection. these cyclists, by these fresh immune cells are being pumped

out, it's fresh immune cells are being pumped out, its extraordinary. fresh immune cells are being pumped out, it's extraordinary. how many hours of exercise a day do we have to do to be as remarkable as these individuals? we don't have to cycle. if you don't like cycling, do something else, most of this is low hanging fruit. if we moved a little more and did something that god is that of birth, something we enjoy it, almost every day, a bit more exercise, it has huge benefits, take the stairs and not the lift, get off the stairs and not the lift, get off the bus one—stop early, it is that simple. most of the benefits are right download,... simple. most of the benefits are right download, . .. fascinating. thank you for giving us something to smile about, we don't often get that. thank you, fergus walsh. the

colder weather will mean an increase in potholes, apparently freezing water in road cracks has accentuated the problem. this special report. the severe weather over the past week has been causing misery for drivers, and the bad news is, the elements are now causing even more problems. the rac is warning that the freezing weather is leading to more potholes on our roads. some campaigners have had enough and are taking matters into their own hands. in 0xfordshire some residents are planting flowers in potholes to raise awareness. we've had a lot of people doing it. loads of comments on facebook. and there has been a couple that have been filled in. badly, but they have been filled in. the cold weather makes potholes even worse. because water gets into

the cracks on the road, freezes and then expands, further weakening the road surface. the department for transport says it knows people are concerned about it. and is giving councilsjust under £300 million to fix potholes. and the rise in potholes is bad for drivers‘ wallets too with mechanic bills runs to hundreds of pounds. tyres, broken wheels, in some cases broken wish bones, mechanical parts on cars that have been forced backwards because of the impact and in some cases it has written cars off. the rac warns the problem isn't going away. a bad impact, but we feel it will get worse and we may see more potholes in spring than daffodils.

the local government said councils are fixing a pothole every 19 seconds. the recent cold snap will make thatjob even harder. this is bbc news, at 12 minutes to six. let's take the rest of this problem to reflect on the fact that todayis problem to reflect on the fact that today is international women's day. for more than a century the day has marked women's fight for achieving equality around the world. this year sees the first international women's day since the #metoo and #timesup movements which have brought the issue of sexual violence against women into the spotlight. let's discuss what it all means, what has been achieved and what remains to be done. i am joined by nicole crentsil, and activist and artist, and one of the founders of black girl festival and ruth serwotka, a trade union organiser

and founder of woman's plays uk which campaigns for single sex spaces for women and girls. welcome on what is surely a busy day you both. international women's day 2018, what does this damian feel. formally the day is about celebrating women from various backgrounds globally. celebrating the amazing thing we're doing. we have women working in different parts of the world who are inspiring us. it's about bringing those to light and hearing about them, that is what is always good to remember. not but we are nationally but way you are in that global wide scale. so for me the day is about hearing those rich stories and voices coming through. ruth. i agree those rich stories and voices coming through. ruth. iagree with those rich stories and voices coming through. ruth. i agree with nicole that it through. ruth. i agree with nicole thatitis through. ruth. i agree with nicole that it is about celebration. it is also about shining a light on the fa ct also about shining a light on the fact that there are still

significant in equality for women in society and we still don't have the same rights as men in terms of economics, political or social rights. it is trying to shine a spotlight on that and making sure that people are aware that we still have a long way to go and enjoy that people are fighting for that and supporting us in that fight. people are fighting for that and supporting us in that fightm there a slight difference this year, a different mood, a different atmosphere around because of metoo and #timesup? it has been comedy is you of violence against women and the way women are treated in power structures, that has come to the foreground in a way i can't remember. i think so, foreground in a way i can't remember. ithink so, delivers foreground in a way i can't remember. i think so, delivers to such heightened emotion from metoo and #timesup. and also we are celebrating 100 years of the women's suffrage movement so there's so much going on, it's important to bring in prices of all women and make sure we

are talking about women in every industry, not just in are talking about women in every industry, notjust in hollywood, but working in film and tv and the arts. it has sparked this desire to talk about it vibra ntly it has sparked this desire to talk about it vibrantly and put those conversations to action. i feel like this international woman's day is more special because everyone has that desire to do something amazing. that is how i feel. i agree, ifeel it isa that is how i feel. i agree, ifeel it is a new mood and that moment must not go to waste, look at spain today, millions of women have gone on strike and disrupted the economy, showing that women run our public services, which is also the case in the uk. the fact that we are not cherished in the way we should be, the fact that women who run the services in those industries haven't had a pay rise, for instance, in the public sector, just 1% year—on—year for many, many years now. it's all that kind of thing that needs to

come to the foreground, a women's movement, i think, come to the foreground, a women's movement, ithink, is come to the foreground, a women's movement, i think, is about saying, we want that economic equality but also saying that things like male violence have to be named and fought and put on the agenda. i am in favour of using this movement to say that we want to put men and the spot to some extent, pointing out that male behaviour is giving rise to these situations, challenging them and saying that their behaviour needs to change. it's all part of that discussion. it's notjust about one day, look at celebrating. some of these pictures are from the protests in spain that you were talking about. by the same token, following on from what you say, we cannot understate the importance of male allies. a lot of men watching this will say, but i would never commit violence against a woman, i totally believe

that my daughter should be paid the same as my son for doing the same job. people on board with this. same as my son for doing the same job. people on board with thism just so much that can do, not by bringing themselves into it but they can work alongside women. if you have groups of people in your company and you believe that they should have equal pay you should stand with them and give your voice because your voice is as loud as theirs. i think that is important when we think about solidarity and the way communities come together. if you feel something is important, supported. men sometimes feel that conversations about international women's day exclude them because it isa women's day exclude them because it is a bunch of women talking about what women want. we need a movement that centres women and male allies are important but it is putting

women's demands at the forefront, thatis women's demands at the forefront, that is really important. we have had almost 50 years since the equal pay act, and women still don't have equal pay. these issues are still on the table, they have not been resolved. 0f the table, they have not been resolved. of course we say that not all men are violent but still there are significant issues in society that affect women much more disadvantageous rates than men. the moment is for us to push again, saying we want a new women's movement and it must centre women's rights and make sure those kisses on the table and are discussed and put up the table and are discussed and put up front. but does not mean that we don't want male allies. we do but we'd need to be sure they are absolutely behind women's rights. a new manifesto is something we should fight for, that says that women as a biological sect are absolutely at

the centre of the new women's movement. are you at the forefront of that movement? you are a lot younger than me! so you are leading? i don't represent everyone! i always make sure that i'd talk about issues relating to marginalised women, black woman specifically. but that are so many other voices who are also marginalised and who needs to come through. i perhaps represent people who look like me, others are pa rt people who look like me, others are part of the lgbt community, from lower working class backgrounds, different cultures, different religions and races, i think it's important that there were representatives from every community group. i couldn't represent everyone! but equally people might be watching this, saying, look at you, three, comfortable full—time jobs and in the west. this is

international women's day and there are women in some parts of the world light years away from the advantages that three of us would have. hard to make it work for everybody. this is why as it is important is your those stories and find ways to connect internationally with those women. and not just internationally with those women. and notjust think internationally with those women. and not just think about what we are doing in this country but think about equality issues in other countries, maybe even other continents, because there are issues there and if you are talking about supporting equal rights, if you want to support women around the world, this is how you think globally, this is how you think, how can i help myself or help a woman based in ghana or nigeria. how can we bring them into these conversations. to be concrete about it, there is an important analysis that the women's

movement has to make about a global movement has to make about a global movement forfeminism. movement has to make about a global movement for feminism. for instance, i would think, looking at things like the sex trade and the global trafficking of women and their exploitation on a global scale is something new women's movement needs to be clear—cut about and say any kind of involvement of men in those kind of involvement of men in those kind of involvement of men in those kind of trades is something that should be made illegal and is not acceptable. things about the behaviour, things that have been happening in the charity sector, for now. these are supposed to be the good guys, yet people have had to step aside and own up to bad behaviour. really disappointing. i think this is a moment when everybody has to reflect on where we are now and what has happened to women in the last ten years or so and whether there has been a backlash against feminism so we need to build a new, stronger women's movement that centres women. thank you so much to both of you. there is some much more we could discuss but

thank you very much indeed, ruth serwotka and nicole crentsil, thank you both very much. we will probably all continued chatting but we must catch up with the weather. thank you, the scene shows me what people had this afternoon once we lost the disruptive weather. this evening and overnight should be chilly with light winds, we will see folk developing, especially in northern areas where we will see the lowest temperatures. this cloud coming up from the channel, it's going to increase temperatures so for plymouth no lower than 4 degrees. we might seea plymouth no lower than 4 degrees. we might see a risk of ice, we have had showers and rain. this area of low pressure will be quite a key feature in the weather as we head through the course of the week. through friday it will gradually push its way north, introducing more cloud and outbreaks of rain. to the north

it should stay dry and there should be plenty of sunshine and after a chilly start temperatures should reach 8—10dc. things should get mild as an area of low pressure moves north, maybe a little bit of snow and the northern edges as it reaches the pennines and parts of scotland but we will notice, in the sunshine and further south it will be very mild indeed. tonight at 6... the attempted murder of a former russian spy was brazen says the government, as investigations continue

into who was behind it. 38—year—old detective sergeant nick bailey is named as the police officer — taken seriously ill after rushing to help sergei skripal and his daughter. he is well. he has sat up. he is not the neck i know that he is receiving a high level of treatment. the bench where they were found in salisbury remains cordoned off as specialist teams try to establish when they were exposed to the nerve gas. a doctor who found them tells the bbc of the shocking state they were in and says yulia skripal had stopped breathing. we'll have the latest on the investigation. also on the programme...