tonight at ten, wiltshire police praise the bravery of an officer who went to the aid of the russian former spy and his daughter, poisoned by a nerve agent. detective sergeant nick bailey is said to be in a serious condition in hospital. he's well, he's sat up. he's not the nick that i know, but of course he's receiving a high level of treatment. tonight, the area in salisbury where the attack took place remains cordoned off. but it's still unclear how and why sergei skripal and his daughter yulia were targeted. we'll have the latest reaction from moscow, as the kremlin continues to deny it had any involvement in the attempted murders. also tonight. an old baileyjury is shown video of the moment a bomb partially explodes, on a tube train last september. donald trump signs off on higher tariffs for aluminium and steel imports, sparking fears of a global trade war. new figures show tens of thousands of patients had non urgent operations cancelled, as the nhs struggled to cope with the winter crisis.

and the cycling senior citizens, who are as fit as fiddles. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, it's a perfect night for arsenal in the last 16 of the europa league. 2—0 they lead ac milan, heading into the second leg. good evening. police in wiltshire have praised the bravery of one of their officers, who went to the aid of the former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter, after they were poisoned by a nerve agent in salisbury. detective sergeant nick bailey is still in a serious condition in hospital. it's still unclear how and why mr skripal, and his 33—year—old daughter, were targeted last sunday afternoon. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports from salisbury.

detective sergeant nick bailey is 38 years old, a decorated officer with plenty of experience on the front line of policing. he's still in a serious condition, but the good news today is he is awake and talking. he's a great character. he is a huge presence in wiltshire police, a well—loved and massively dedicated officer. he is clearly receiving high, specialist treatment. he is well, he's sat up. he's not the nick i know, but he is receiving a high level of treatment. he's very anxious, he's very concerned. he did his very best on that night. all of our stuff that attended the incident in salisbury in the maltings performed the role that police officers and police staff do every day up and down the country. the inquiry‘s not letting up. police began what appeared

to be a major search and possible decontamination of sergei skripal‘s house today. for a while, they even taped off the graves of his wife and son. the use of a nerve agent on uk soil isa 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. the bbc has been told the nerve agent used was not sarin orvx, the nerve agent used was not sarin or vx, which have been used as weapons of the past, but rarer. decontamination teams were heavily protected on sunday. look at this picture from earlier that day. no respirators or suits. these officers could not have known they were about to deal with the use of a chemical weapon in their city. the risk they faced became obvious

today, when a bench on which the skripals was sitting was exposed by a gust of wind. just look at the operation needed to go in and paid it down again. four days on from the incident and it wasn't just police officers who risked being exposed that afternoon. i've spoken to a doctor who was there. she's asked us not to name her but she says she came across yulia skripal slumped over the bench, unconscious, not breathing, vomiting and having a fit. she stepped in. she got yulia onto the floor, she got her breathing and handed her patient over to paramedics. she's concerned about what she's come into contact with, but she feels fine. sergei and yulia skripal, attacked as she came to britain from russia to visit him, are not getting better. they remain in a critical condition, as the race to find their assailant — or assailants — continues. tom symonds, bbc news, salisbury. suggestions that the kremlin may have been involved in the poisoning have sparked anger in russia. state media has complained of an anti—russian campaign

by the west, with little sympathy for sergei skripal, as our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg reports. moscow feels a world away from the drama of salisbury. relaxed russians are out enjoying a public holiday, determined not to allow a spy scandal to spoil their day. people here are short on sympathy for sergei skripal. translation: the fewer secrets you sell, the longer you'll live. translation: don't betray your motherland. then you'll have no problems. translation: when he was in prison in russia, he was healthy. he goes to britain and gets poisoned. he should have stayed here. it's a similar message from russian tv. the kremlin—controlled media have been mocking boris johnson and making fun of britain. if you're a professional traitor, he says, my advice, don't move to england. something's not right there, the climate, perhaps. but too many bad things go

on there — people are hanged, poisoned, helicopter crashes or they fall out of windows. undeeradimir putin, the kremlin has sent a very clear message to the russian people that their country is a besieged fortress, threatened by enemies abroad and traitors at home. that's why there's little sympathy here for sergei skripal. and if moscow did target sergei skripal... most russian people, not me, of course, most russian people would take pride in it because there is a very black and white worldview — it's us against them. putin has brought this back in a big way. today, the president delivered a special address. no mention of spies. he congratulated russian women on international women's day. moscow knows it's under suspicion but the kremlin is acting as if its business as usual. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.

our security correspondent gordon corera is live outside the headquarters of mi6 tonight. are we any closer to understanding who was behind all this, and why? well, the identity of that rare nerve agent will still be a crucial clue to establishing that. government officials are still cautious about pointing the finger publicly. they want to make sure they have as many facts as possible before doing that. but in terms of motive, there has been speculation that perhaps sergei skripal was still involved in some kind of active ongoing intelligence work, but sources i've spoken to have said there's no sign or suggestion of that will stop there's even been talk that perhaps he was involved somehow in that dossier on donald trump drawn up by a former mi6 officer, chris steele, but sources

close to orbis, chris steele's company, say they have no links whatsoever with sergei skripal. so whatsoever with sergei skripal. so what does that leave? well, dull the possibility of revenge, revenge by sergei skripal‘s former colleagues in russian intelligence for his works buying for british intelligence, revenge and perhaps a message to anyone else thinking of doing the same. and that will worry mi6 here will stop it will worry them, because they don't want the perception to be out there that they can't protect the lives of their agents, even when those agents are in the uk. gordon corera outside mi6 hq in london. a jury at the old bailey has been shown a video of the moment a bomb partially exploded on a tube train in southwest london. some of the passengers have been describing in court how their hair and clothes caught fire in the packed carriage last september. 30 people were injured at parsons green station. ahmed hassan, who's 18, denies attempted murder. june kelly has more. the moment when a fireball engulfed a packed train carriage. it left passengers burning

and screaming in pain, the old bailey heard today. this is ahmed hassan, the teenager on trial for the attack. here shopping at asda the day before, and being asked for his id. he bought batteries and screwdrivers. hassan is an 18—year—old asylum seeker, and the following morning cctv showed him leaving his foster parents' home in sunbury, in surrey. other cameras captured his journey as he carried a little plastic bag, said to contain his bomb. at wimbledon station he went into the toilets, where it's alleged he set the timer on the device, and then he made for an underground train. a few stops down the district line, he got off, leaving his little bag and its contents behind. as the train pulled into parsons green station, the device only partially exploded, but a number of passengers were burned by the fireball.

this computer—generated graphic shows the scene on board the train after the attack. today, some of those caught up in the blast described in court how the ball of flame rolled down the carriage. aimee colville told the jury that her hair caught fire and she saw a wall of glass. victoria holloway spoke of a whooshing sound, as if someone had lit a bunsen burner. she said the flames were touching her legs and wrapping around her skin. two of the passengers were in tears as they gave their evidence. they testified from behind a screen and could be seen by only the judge, jury and lawyers. one of them, known only as miss s, described how on that morning her coat was burning and her tights were melting. she's been left scarred after burns to her hands, legs and face. june kelly, bbc news, at the old bailey. president trump has signed into law

new tariffs on steel and aluminium entering the united states, prompting fears of a global trade war. the european union and china have already said they'll retaliate, and the president's chief economic advisor has resigned over the issue. mr trump says the new tariffs are being imposed for national security reasons, and that american industry has been "ravaged by aggressive foreign trade practices" for far too long. our north america correspondent nick bryant reports. history is often written with a presidential pen, and with steelworkers who helped put him in the white house at his shoulder, donald trump added his name to a signature campaign promise — putting american first by imposing tariffs on foreign steel and aluminium. applause. the american steel and aluminium industry has been ravaged by aggressive foreign trade practices. it's really an assault on our country. the workers who poured their souls

into building this great nation were betrayed, but that betrayal is now over. defending america's industrial heartland has prompted his most protectionist move yet, one that strikes a blow against globalisation — the integrated system of worldwide commerce, from which these rust belt communities feel excluded. american steel... a promise made, a promise kept. wait till you see what i'm going to do for steel. now it's time for action. it's the glut of steel produced in china that's angered the president, but that accounts for just 2% of us steel imports. bigger importers, such as canada and mexico, are initially exempted. it's not clear whether britain will be punished. european union countries could be hard—hit. president trump has recently said, and i quote... "trade wars are good and easy to win." but the truth is quite the opposite.

trade war are bad and easy to lose. harley—davidson, the quintessential middle america brand, and for that very reason a likely target for eu retaliation. trump supporters in key battle ground states, like wisconsin, could be caught in the crossfire. a trade war won't benefit anybody. i generally believe in free trade. i don't think he's serious about it, regardless. i think he's just trying to scare people into getting some concessions, which is how he rolls. it's too late to save these old steel mills in pennsylvania. many senior republicans fear that this act of economic nationalism could also be an act of national self harm. nick bryant, bbc news, washington. all this on a day when 11 pacific rim countries signed a landmark

trade agreement, the transpacific partnership which was intended by the obama administration as a counterweight to china, but which the trump administration pulled out of. this feels like a milestone moment for the international system and another example of america first, leaving america alone. nick bryant, live in washington. tens of thousands of patients in england had their non—urgent operations like me and hip operations like me and hip operations postponed injanuary. figures show amd departments missed waiting time targets in their worst performance since records began. our health editor hugh pym has more. new year brought extraordinary pressure, illustrated in the new bbc hospital series filmed at nottingham university hospitals trust. today we have run out of space. we are being asked to cancel any nonessential activities. so not cancer, not clinically urgent, but pretty much anything else. i can't see the sense in cancelling...

word has come through from nhs leaders that all non—urgent surgery should be cancelled for the month to free up beds for emergencies. i'm very sorry, but i don't know if you've heard the recent news, but we have a bed crisis in the hospital. we're going to have to cancel operations at this moment. i'm afraid it's bad news. we are going to have to cancel tomorrow. i'm really sorry. sometimes that meant operating theatres were lying empty. we don't know when we can start operating again at the moment. we've never had it as bad as this before. we're just left, largely, at a loose end. we're being paid to work, but just trying to find something constructive to do. by february operations had resumed. but patients elsewhere, like scott, are still facing delays. he was told the day before his back operation it had been put off, and he doesn't know when it will happen. i'm very, very frustrated. i'm annoyed and i'm hurt, because now i've got to go

through this all over again. in december, there were nearly 27,000 fewer routine operations carried out in england than the same month a year earlier. injanuary, after the national nhs intervention, there was a drop of nearly 14,500. for the most recent two week period, bed occupancy in hospitals at more than 95% was the highest this winter. some hospitals though worked hard to avoid cancelling operations. it is a very bad patient experience to cancel surgery. these patients have very often been waiting for a very long time to have their procedure done and then cancelling it one or two days before it's been planned is a thing that you really want to avoid. nhs england said february was the most pressurised month in the history of the service, with high levels of flu — the background to another deterioration in a&e performance. hugh pym, bbc news. and you can see more from that documentary — hospital — featured in hugh's report,

on bbc two at 9:00pm on monday 26th march. ministers in ireland have approved a referendum bill on whether to amend the constitution, making it easier for women to have abortions. the current law gives a mother and her unborn child an equal right to life, and this has been the basis for strict abortion controls. the nationwide referendum will be held in may. 0ur correspondent chris page has been hearing the arguments on both sides. this is a nation which was once seen as the most socially conservative in western europe, but it feels like change has been swift. in the next few months, ireland will make a defining decision. tens of thousands of irish women have travelled to other countries to have abortions. gaye edwards' baby, who she and her husband named joshua, had a fatal condition called anencephaly. she says having to go away

to end her pregnancy magnified her grief. while i knew that i had come to the right decision for me, it made me feel that society viewed my decision as being somehow wrong. when you really need to be taken care of you feel like you're just... pushed aside and into a corner. stories like gaye's have helped to bring about the referendum. voters will decide whether to remove the eighth amendment of the irish constitution, which gives an unborn child and a pregnant woman an equal right to life. these canvassers are campaigning to repeal the eighth. abortions are happening in ireland, they're happening dangerously and they're happening illegally. we're on the shoulders of generations of women who have been organising and working for this shift forward. if the change to the constitution is approved in the referendum, the parliament in dublin will determine how available terminations will be. ministers want to allow

abortions up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy and in some limited circumstances afterwards. but the government doesn't have a majority. the two main parties are divided on the issue. the catholic church is strongly defending the eighth amendment. its power has diminished, but it certainly hasn't disappeared. life begins at conception and ends at death and we have to protect all life. if it's repealed, all the rights are gone from the baby. women who support the current law are speaking about their experiences too. vicky wall's daughter, liandan, was still—born at 32 weeks. she recalls what happened when a doctor told her he didn't expect her baby to live. he said that my only option was to pop to england — insinuating an abortion. that was never going to be an option. we spent the summer just being with her. the eighth amendment

showed to me that not only did we value her, but our country valued her like that. for people on both sides, the referendum's about what sort of society they want to live in. it's a personal, passionate, emotive debate. chris page, bbc news, dublin. millions of women in spain have gone on strike in protest at gender inequality. this was the scene in madrid tonight, as they took to the streets with the slogan "if we stop, the world stops". trade unions, who supported the action on international women's day, estimate that six million women took part. cuts to bin collections, closing libraries and dipping into cash reserves are just some of the ways councils in england have been coping with a squeeze on budgets. the national audit office says funding from central government has fallen by nearly a half since 2010. many are struggling, in particular with the growing cost of social care, and the nao is warning that one in ten could completely run out of money within three years.

here's alison holt. do you want to do something different? an afternoon art class at the nexus day centre in surrey is a chance for people with learning disabilities, brain injuries and other conditions to develop their skills and socialise. for most here, the support is paid for by the county council, but today's report says with local authorities facing such major cuts to their money from central government, they are struggling to cope. do you like its legs? i think they're lovely! i think its legs are brilliant... sue, who has multiple sclerosis, describes this centre as a lifeline. i come here only twice a week. i would come more if there was the funding for it. councils like surrey have a statutory duty to provide support for people who are older and disabled as well as providing children's services, and across the board demand is increasing. today's report calculates that

on average, councils in england now spend 54% of their total budgets on social care for children and adults. with money so tight, many other services have been cut. since 2010, more than 33% fewer homes get weekly bin collections and 10% of libraries have closed. the report warns with councils also using their savings to balance the books, one in ten will have exhausted their reserves within three years. in surrey — one of the wealthiest parts of the country — as well as increasing council tax, they're dipping into their savings again. it has been really difficult to make sure we could come in this year with a budget that actually had the minimum level tax level increases that we had to do. we have had to use £24 million of our reserves and £15 million of our capital receipts. today's report says there needs to be a long—term central government plan for the bins, roads and other services that people need.

what is it they want local government to do, and fund them for that, or make funding available from whatever sources. alongside that, social care needs a funding solution as well. the government says a new funding settlement has been approved for councils, and that will mean a real terms increase in the money they get. alison holt, bbc news, surrey. nottingham trent university has said it's "shocked and appalled" after a video was posted on social media, appearing to show a group of people chanting racist abuse outside the room of a black female student. two men were arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offences, but tonight have been released. here's elaine dunkley. shouting recorded on a mobile phone by student rufaro chisango... chanting what appears to be racist chanting outside of her door in halls of residence at nottingham trent university. i just heard shouting from outside my door,

and i was just shocked. my initial response was i was really shocked. i felt really isolated and uncomfortable. the incident took place on monday evening. her friends say it has left traumatised and tarnished their experience of university life. i know these things do happen, but to think it was so close to home, so close, being in my university. yeah, i was, i was appalled. we know some people might not like the way we are, might not like where we come from, our race, our religion, our creed, but it's something that we kind ofjust power through, just knowing that maybe they don't like us but we do our best. rufaro chisango has now been offered new accommodation and two —— on the university said it accepted an act quickly enough. there was a delay, a significant delay, and we acknowledge that. it's vile behaviour, it's absolutely abhorrent.

we are really, really shocked. this is not the ntu positive culture for students and staff that we all recognise. tonight, nottingham trent university are reassuring students that this was an isolated incident. but the national union of students say when you look at the wider picture, they receive phone calls every week from students who have been racially abused, and the only way to end it is with zero tolerance on campuses. elaine dunkley, bbc news. saudi arabia's crown prince mohammed bin salman has held talks with the chancellor philip hammond, with both sides hoping to agree billions of pounds of new trade and investment. saudi arabia's commerce secretary says this is a "moment of great opportunity" and he's been responding to criticism of riyadh's handling of the war in yemen. our business editor simonjack reports. meeting the queen, seeing the prime minister, chatting with the archbishop. the british establishment rolled out the red carpet for a man whose face seemed to be everywhere: mohammed bin salman, crown prince of saudi arabia. but this is no social visit — his commerce minister

is here to talk business. together, we can do so much for our own people. it will create jobs for our own people, we will create opportunities for our own people, it will be win—win situation. there is an opportunity that we need to grab. and we need to work as one team, because there is a common objective that will be fruitful and beneficial for both nations. saudi arabia is the uk's largest trading partner in the middle east. arms sales are a big part of that. in 2015 to 16, the uk sold £3.3 billion worth of weapons to the kingdom. in total, we exported £6.2 billion worth of goods and services to saudi arabia in 2016, while saudi investments in the uk come to over £11 billion. both the uk and saudi arabia are going through big changes. for the uk, of course, it's brexit. saudi arabia is desperate to try and wean itself off an oil industry which up to now has produced 90% of its income.

some say its modernisation programme, like allowing women to drive, introducing public entertainment, is an attempt to make saudi arabia more palatable to the business friends it so badly needs to achieve that. but saudi bombing of targets in neighbouring yemen have caused widespread outrage, and for many overshadow any social progress saudi arabia may have made. i don't think that we can be comfortable selling billions of pounds worth of arms to saudi arabia, knowing where they are ending up and the damage and the war crimes that are taking place. i don't think that the british people want those kind of trade deals. jeremy corbyn and other political leaders agree. what do you say to those people who don't want to do business with saudi arabia? i think that our relation, an historic relation, speaks for itself. we respect their opposition but we would like to invite them to see and to talk and discuss why they want to do that. but if they want to look

at what business is happening, and these opportunities, i'm sure they will change their mind, because action speaks louder than words. this saudi charm offensive moves to the us next month. according to saudi arabia, there is plenty of opportunity to go around. simon jack, bbc news. running a marathon or long distance cycling — they shouldn't just be activities just for the young. researchers have been following a large group of older cyclists, some in their 80s, who've all remained highly active, and the results are surprising, as our medical correspondent fergus walsh explains. i've arranged a 60—mile ride through the surrey hills. this is what healthy ageing looks like. these cyclists — aged 64 to 82 — think nothing of spending five hours or more in the saddle. room for one more? yeah, welcome. i do it all for reasons for health, because i enjoy it, because it's sociable. it's just a wonderful life. they have all been examined as part of a trial which is challenging

perceptions of ageing. one of the first results i got from the medical study was i was told my body fat was comparable to that of a 19—year—old. leading the peleton is professor norman lazarus — at 82, a prime example of healthy ageing. if exercise was a pill, everybody in the world would be taking an exercise pill. really good, norman. he not only took part in the study, but helped lead the research. this test shows his excellent lung function. last little bit now, keep pushing. an mri scan gives another indication of how well norman is ageing. these are his thighs. now compare norman's muscly leg on the the right with that of a sedentary 50—year—old on left — which is mostly fat. ready, push! if more of us could do

the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week, it would pay huge dividends. across a whole gamut of different levels, what exercise is doing in older individuals is giving them higher levels of function and better quality of life. the most remarkable findings came when scientists in birmingham examined blood samples from a cyclist. they found their immune system, which normally declines with age, was still as strong as a young person's. the immune system is really key in the body, it has several roles — it protects us from infections, but it also helps us to find things like cancer. so the fact these cyclists have the immune system of a 20—year—old and not a 70 or 80—year—old, means they're protected from infections and from cancer potentially.