the army on the streets of salisbury, as specialist officers arrive to deal with the scene of the nerve agent attack. military equipment and personnel trained in chemical warfare make an unusual sight in the market town. they have the detection equipment that will allow them to properly, safely and very detailed survey of those areas, and if there is any contamination, they can then safely remove that and have it destroyed. the people of salisbury are urged to stay calm. the former russian spy and his daughter are still critically ill. also tonight: after the insults, a surprise meeting is to take place between president trump and the leader of north korea. britain close to signing a multi—billion pound deal to supply saudi arabia with 48 typhoon fighterjets. why increasing numbers of young british muslim women are deciding to wear a headscarf. and british athletes arrive in south korea for the biggest ever paralympic games. and coming up on six nations

sportsday on bbc news, we're live in dublin to preview the penultimate round of the tournament. ireland are still on for a grand slam and play a resurgent scotland. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. people in salisbury have been urged not be alarmed at the sight of the army on the streets, as just under 200 military personnel have arrived in the town. specialist officers, with training in chemical warfare, will be working in the area where the former russian agent sergei skripal and his daughter yulia collapsed on sunday. tom symonds reports from salisbury. five days after unprotected police

officers, paramedics and passers—by came into close contact with a chemical weapon, the military arrived at salisbury hospital. the mission, to recover evidence. at the hospital, they were taking away a car. they are also expected to secure sergei skripal‘s car, and there are ambulances which may have traces of the nerve agent used in the attempt on his life. the military will cod in the area, probably in protective equipment. they have detection equipment that will allow them to properly, safely doa will allow them to properly, safely do a detailed survey of the areas and if there is any contamination they can safely remove that and have it destroyed. tonight, renewed police activity at the grave of sergei skripal‘s son, alexander, who died last year. it has been suggested his body may be exhumed.

the home secretary was the first senior government representative to visit salisbury this morning. ministers have stressed the importance of getting to the bottom of the alleged plot before pointing fingers. give us time, amber rudd said. she met and praised those who have helped victims and decontaminated the area, including firefighters. i am in their sympathetic approach and professionalism as they engage with these people. and now as they reflect, they are concerned sometimes for themselves and their families but they have all said to me that they would not have done anything differently. and then to the hospital continuing to provide the hospital continuing to provide the highest level of care to the victims. detective sergeant nick bailey, exposed to nerve agent during the incident, is making good progress. his friends await news. always really easy to speak to, to get hold of, always delivers. and he delivers it effectively and

efficiently. he always has a sense of humour around efficiently. he always has a sense of humouraround him. efficiently. he always has a sense of humour around him. he does it easily and nothing is ever too much trouble for him. sergei skripal remains in critical condition, his daughter, yulia, the same, but responding better to treatment. the investigation has become part of life in central salisbury. everybody is scared a little bit. hopefully everything is all right in the next couple of days. your t-shirt says it all. calm is exactly how people have remained. why you concerned? no, otherwise i wouldn't be here and i certainly would not bring my son. some warrior that salisbury will become known for this shocking event, but life will move on. —— some people worry. it will always be there but the town, the city, there are some much loved here, i don't think that would happen. for now, at least, central salisbury remains the

scene of a crime reverberating around the world. and tom is in salisbury now. what can people there expect to see over the next few days, or is it weeks? well, i think it is going to go on and on. this has been escalating since the incident on sunday evening. counter—terrorism officers have been brought in, confirmation of the use of a nerve agent. and right now, the military on the streets and the hospital campus, where i can see on the other side, they are covering a police car that has been at the hospital since sunday. we believe that is a police car that was driven to the hospital after the incident and which may be contaminated. i say we believe, because unusually in this case, very little is being confirmed by counter—terrorism officers running the investigation. amber rudd said, give us space, we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find the fa cts . bottom of this, and we will find the facts. it is important that they do

because there are huge international implications if this is some sort of a plot to kill a russian dissident. we know where that leads. thank you. the "old dotard" is to meet "little rocket man". president trump says he'll hold talks with north korea's kimjong un, in an historic meeting between the two leaders. the apparent breakthrough took the us by surprise and comes after months of growing tension, in which the two men have traded insults. south korean officials, who have brokered the talks, describe it as a miracle, and say the north is now committed to denuclearisation and has promised to halt all nuclear and missile tests. nick bryant has more. last night, the white house felt more like the twilight zone, donald trump slipping into the press briefing room unannounced to tell reporters to expect a major announcement. and then out from the west wing came a delegation from south korea, to make one of the most

stunning diplomatic statements in decades, after delivering to donald trump a message from kim jong decades, after delivering to donald trump a message from kimjong un. decades, after delivering to donald trump a message from kim jong un. he expressed his eagerness to meet president trump as soon as possible. president trump as soon as possible. president trump as soon as possible. president trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet kim jong un by may. to achieve permanent denuclearisation. prior to arriving in washington, they held a meeting in pyongyang, with kimjong un of —— offering a warm hand of friendship, rather than rattling his usual saver. and on state tv, the schmaltzy soundtrack doubled as diplomatic mood music as the north korean leader offered to abandon his nuclear arsenal in return for security guarantees from the united states. then came the sentimental farewell, kimjong states. then came the sentimental farewell, kim jong un sending them off not just with farewell, kim jong un sending them off notjust with a wave but an invitation to mr trump, the most improbable overture. donald trump

gave his response on twitter. the white house claims his tough talk has worked. they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. washington has been in a whirlwind, taken by surprise. shortly before the shock announcement, america's chief diplomat ruled out direct talks with pyongyang. in terms of direct talks with the united states and us negotiations, we are a long way from negotiations. this gamble offers yong eun yang a propaganda coup without much the dramatic groundwork and without a guarantee of success.

—— pyongyang. but president trump's predecessors have failed to hold north korea's nuclear programme, so perhaps it is worth this dramatic new gesture. two combustible leaders dealing with potentially the world's most combustible problem. diplomacy like a las vegas title fight, the international summit of the century. as we heard there, today's announcement follows something of a thawing of relations between north and south korea, that saw them march under a single flag at the winter olympics. the south korean president, moonjae—in, described the planned meeting with its unpredictable and heavily armed neighbour as a milestone for peace. but how has the news gone down in the capital, seoul? laura bicker has been finding out. for months, seoul wondered if it faced the prospect of war once again. today, it woke to better news. translation: the prospect of a stunning trump/kim summit has turned an impending crisis into an opportunity. the horror of the korean war is not forgotten here. the fighting ended with no peace treaty.

now future generations hope these talks will prevent further confrontation. translation: i think this will be a turning point, and through this our future children will benefit from living in a more free and peaceful world. translation: i think it is a good thing for both countries, and as a south korean citizen, it's good that the threat of war has reduced, even by a little. translation: even if things turn out well, it won't benefit the people in north korea. in the past, when the south korean president provided aid to north korea, i heard almost none of it went to the common people. so i don't think it's going to turn out well. decades of distrust and suspicion divide north and south. people have learned that hope can be a bad thing. i'm told its hard to tell what is real progress and what is propaganda. a strong word of caution.

the road ahead is very long, very complicated, very complex, and there's no guarantee that the north will ever give up its nuclear weapons easily, if at all. these talks are a huge political gamble. presidents moon and trump could be being played by pyongyang, or this peninsula could be on the verge of something it's been searching for for nearly seven decades, a peace treaty. this statue portrays two brothers divided by the war, in a last, desperate embrace. there's a sense of cautious optimism that this unresolved conflict could now have a happy ending. laura baker, bbc news, seoul. britain is close to agreeing a multi—billion pound deal to supply saudi arabia with 48 typhoon fighterjets. it coincides with the last day of a state visit by the new saudi leader, crown prince mohammed bin salman. it's a welcome shot in the arm for uk industry but has already attracted criticism.

our security correspondent, frank gardner, is with me. with saudi waging war in yemen, this was always going to be controversial. it certainly was, and i have to say i think it is a punch in the nose for the hundreds of protesters who came out to demonstrate outside downing street against both the visit and the arms trade between britain and saudi arabia, plus all those who are sitting at home probably shaking their heads at this. but for the government and the defence industry and for those who think saudi arabia is the right ally to have, it is certainly a shot in the arm. over 5000 jobs in the uk depend on this, many more in saudi arabia. this is a man, the crown prince, who is shaking up that country. he is seen as a defence against iranians expansionism, its aggressive stance as it is perceived in parts of the middle east, and saudi arabia cooperate on

counter—terrorism. they passed a tip—off to stop an attack in 2012 ahead of the london olympics. the government has taken a view that despite concerns raised last night at chequers by the prime minister over dinner, they will go ahead with these defence sales. that will not be popular with some people because of yemen. the first aid convoy since monday has crossed into the besieged syrian rebel—held enclave of eastern ghouta. the international red cross has sent 13 trucks loaded with food to hundreds of thousands of civilians there. the organisation said the convoy was not allowed to take in medical supplies and the amount of food is nowhere near enough. the man accused of carrying out the london tube bombing at parsons green made no attempt to deny he was responsible when he was arrested the day after the attack, a court heard today. the prosecution claims ahmed hassan, who denies attempted murder, told a detective that he made the bomb. 30 people were injured in september last year when the bomb partially exploded on a tube carriage. june kelly was in court. ahmed hassan on his way to brighton, hours after leaving a bomb on an underground train in london.

two years on from his arrival in the uk, the teenage asylum seeker caused mayhem in its capital city. hassan later headed for dover, where he made for the port area. the jury at his trial has seen this cctv footage of his movements. on the run, he hung around this area until the following morning. and it was here, 2a hours after the tube attack, the police identified him as a wanted man. in an initial interview with counter—terrorism detectives from scotland yard, hassan was asked, "who planted the device?" and he replied, "i did." in response to further questions, he said there might be a few grams of the explosive, tatp, at his home address. hassan's device created a fireball when it partially exploded on an underground train at parsons green station in west london. the jury was told today the bomb was packed with shrapnel, including nuts, bolts,

screws, drill bits and knives. and it contained 400 grams of the explosive tatp. it would have been lethal if it had fully detonated. this was the evidence from an explosives expert, who went on to the train. the prosecution evidence at his trial is now drawing to a close and hassan's defence case is due to start next week. june kelly, bbc news, at the old bailey. it isa it is a quarter past six. our top story this evening. almost 200 specialist military personnel have arrived in salisbury following the nerve agent attack on a former russian spy and his daughter. coming up, i am coming up, iam in coming up, i am in dublin to try to guide you through six nations saturday. ireland could be champions tomorrow night. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... the game that could decide the best of the rest

in the premier league. we'll preview manchester united against liverpool, second against third in the table, ahead of their meeting on saturday. increasing numbers of young british muslim women are choosing to wear a hijab or headscarf. it's not without controversy. women in some muslim countries, like iran, are campaigning against it as a symbol of oppression. but here some women are taking the opposite view, seeing it as empowering — even a feminist statement. it's increasingly evident in the world of fashion and social media. and a major modelling agency has just signed its first british catwalk model who wears a hijab. nomia iqbal investigates. the spotlight is on the hijab. many muslim women choose to wear it proudly. for some, it's an act of modesty. for others, in countries like iran, forced to wear it, it's a symbol to remove in protest.

it may divide opinion, but the hijab is going high fashion. 20—year—old model shahira yusuf has been signed up by storm, the agency that found supermodel kate moss. shahira is one of the first british models with a hijab taking to the catwalk. yeah, definitely don't want to be considered a token girl. i don't want these models like ethnic models or models from different religious backgrounds to just pave the way, i want the way to stay there, become the norm within society. because it is the norm outside of the modelling sphere. shahira is becoming the face of modest fashion. at the show in london, muslim designers have come from all over the world to promote their clothes. the market for modest fashion is on course to be worth billions. i grew up in a muslim family and none of the the women

in my family wore the hijab. none of my muslim friends wore it either. but now, more and more young women are wearing it. the reason why i wear it is to number one, cover my hair. and number two, to be honest, i actually enjoy wearing the hijab, i enjoy covering my hair, i enjoy the hijabs i have today i feel like it makes a statement. it's part of who i am, it's my crown. the hijab to me is empowerment and it's feminism and it's taking control and ownership of what i choose to show to the world. being online has given some women a powerful platform. social media star mariah idrissi has a huge following on instagram. the hijab is a part of me, it's part of my career and it's representation. you know, we shouldn't be ashamed or shy to represent who we are. if you are a model wearing a hijab, and you're on instagram and having thousands of people following you, aren't you doing the opposite of what the hijab is supposed to be about? the mainstream media, western media isn't representing muslims on tv,

in fashion, anywhere. the only time we are represented is for something bad. ijust saw this as, you know i'm going on the news and i'm talking about something that's not about terrorism, not about women being oppressed, i'm talking about fashion. some campaigners for muslim womens' rights think the hijab's popularity is a political statement. they feel uneasy about its use as an expression of identity. modest does not mean you need to wear the hijab. modesty goes beyond that in your behaviour and your way of dressing. i don't need to prove to anybody what i am, but in the hijab, you are singling yourself and proving something unnecessary, especially in the western world. the hijab means different things to different people. shahira believes you can wear it and be a successful model. herdream? the cover of british vogue, wearing her hijab. nomia iqbal, bbc news. sirjohn sulston, who won

the nobel prize for medicine for his work on the human genome project, has died. sirjohn's work in decoding the sequence of human dna — the building blocks of life — saw him awarded the prize in 2002. it's an important weekend of sport ahead. the paralympic winter games have got underway in south korea with the british team hoping for a record medal haul. and it's the penultimate round of matches in rugby's six nations this weekend, but with ireland in pole position, the title could be decided tomorrow. joe wilson is inside the aviva stadium in dublin. joe. if your idea of an ideal that they often is becoming engrossed in rugby union event tomorrow could be perfect with loads possibilities. ireland could be champions by tomorrow night. england essentially have to match whatever they do to keep their hopes alive. scotland are

in the mix as well. it all begins at 2:15pm in this city. in dublin they line up this way. undefeated ireland versus rejuvenated scotland. both teams should be confident, both are in contention. if ireland win, they could be six nations champions by saturday night. if scotland win then everything seems wide open. remember how they beat england. the group's got confidence but they've also got awareness of how good ireland are and how good we will have to be to win and we'll have to be better than we were against england. we're really excited to get back out on the field and get going. but, you know, there's nerves and a little bit of, you know, worry about the threat that scotland bring. well, dublin's match willjust be the start of things. the next rugby bridge to cross on saturday will come in paris. tea—time kick—off, fragile france versus uncertain england? well, with mind or muscle,

england must beat the french. they may have to score four tries for a bonus point to stay in sight of ireland. england have made big changes, some enforced by injury. there is a new man carrying the ca ptain's responsibility, his way. you try and be aggressive in the right times. you want to be calm and clear—headed to be able to make good decisions. and i think that's where i've probably matured a bit over the years. but at the same time, when the opportunity arises to be aggressive, you've got to make sure you're in it. and could france suddenly to be brilliant? not even poirot knows. that's jefferson poirot, their 19 stone prop. it's the uncertainty that makes the six nations. dublin's modern stadium lies near to the liffey. it twists, it turns. we watch, we wait. if you like your twists and turns on

snow 01’ if you like your twists and turns on snow or ice them look towards the winter paralympics, bigger than ever this time and from south korea kate grey has sent this report. the biggest winter paralympics to date. drummers and dancers, the traditional charms of korea opening the show. the weather playing its part too — nothing could be done about the fog covered fireworks. and heavy snow had prevented a full rehearsal so a slight flag hiccup could be forgiven. but the flags were in full flight when it came to the parade, some more than others. and here they come, great britain. owen pick leading the way, a great honour for the soldier turned snowboarder. and the british team certainly enjoying the party atmosphere. the international pa ralympic committee had wanted north korea and south korea to march out under a unified flag but these games will be north korea's debut winter paralympics so the team preferred to walk out separately. the host nation completed the procession but the cold

temperature meant no hanging around, with all teams snaking in and out of the stadium. the crowd were treated to an eclectic mix — a snowboarding bear, weird and wonderful contraptions on wheels, and the floor putting on its own dazzling show with the help of performers. paralympics gb have a target of six to 12 medals here in south korea and their best chances could come from the ski slopes. rising stars menna fitzpatrick and her guide, jen kehoe, will compete across the five alpine skiing events and could be two the big names of these games. there's a really good buzz in the camp, the mood is really, really positive. it feels like a real family. there's a real identity, there's a real cohesion, you can feel the support. with the cauldron lit and the fog finally clearing for the firework finale, the organisers will hope it will now be about the sport

and not the weather. kate grey, bbc news, pyeongchang. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. not as cold as south korea? actually, it is warming up in south korea, turning milder there and also for us. this was one of our spectacular pictures from the day fells fells covered in snow underneath sunny skies, a glorious day. but the weather is changing, and looking at the south there is low pressure and a waving weather front that will bring pulses of heavy rain northwards across the uk. that process is underway at the moment with the rain already arriving in southern england, into wales and the midlands and east anglia. you can see it turning increasingly heavy in central and southern england, london and the south—east in the next few hours.

the rest of this evening and overnight, this rain will extend northwards into northern england and northern ireland. we will have clear skies for a time in scotland but with the south—westerly winds strengthening it will bring up some mild airand by strengthening it will bring up some mild air and by the end of the night we will have temperatures of ten or 11 degrees in cardiff and london but further north with the clearer skies, cold enough for some frost in parts of scotland. looking at saturday, a wet start for many, the rain moving northward into northern ireland and scotland, some snow across the highest hills in scotland but as the milder air comes in the snow will change back to rain and we could have another pulse of rain come into western england and wales and in wales and north—west england it might rain for much of the afternoon. further east it will stay cloudy but there could be brighter spells and that would boost temperatures up to 15 degrees in parts of eastern england. what about

sunday? more rain forecast i'm afraid, particularly in southern counties. likely to be quite heavy, maybe some thunder and an area not far off as maybe some thunder and an area not faroff as in maybe some thunder and an area not far off as in minute continent could effect parts of east anglia but that is uncertain. further north with like to winds somma mist and fog possible but 10 degrees possible in scotla nd possible but 10 degrees possible in scotland —— some mist and fog. to summarise, we are seeing a change to milder conditions, we will all get some rain through the weekend but come in fairly heavy pulse particularly on saturday but the temperatures will be rising all the time, 15 degrees could be yours on saturday and even on the sunday, double bigots everywhere turning significantly milder in scotland. —— double figures. a reminder of our main story. almost 200 specialist military personnel have arrived in salisbury following the nerve agent attack on a former russian spy and his daughter.

that's all from the bbc news at six so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. this is bbc news. our latest headlines: north korea's leader kim jong—un offers to meet donald trump face—to—face. the us president accepts. the south koreans say it is nothing short of a miracle. almost 200 military personnel are deployed in salisbury, as the grave of sergei skripal‘s wife is investigated. they deal to sell almost 50 warplanes to saudi arabia, despite growing criticism of the saudis military campaign in yemen. the old bailey hears from passengers who were on board this tube when a bomb partially exploded at london's parsons green. ina in a moment it will be time for sportsday, but first a look at what

else is coming up this evening and bbc news. we will have the latest on the attempted murder of the former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter in salisbury. as the military moves in, we will be talking to a russian—american historian who wrote a book with former agent alexander litvinenko. from salisbury to korea and the news that donald trump will be meeting north korea's kim jong—un face—to—face. we will speak to a former uk ambassador to north korea about how important this meeting will be. and later on, we will be discussing to my‘s front pages in the papers. so that is all ahead and bbc news, but now it's time for sportsday. good evening. very good evening to

dublin, ireland. i'mjohn watson. we're here in dublin, where ireland could win their third six nations title in five years. coming up on the programme tonight... could it be a third six nations title for ireland in five yea rs ? nations title for ireland in five years? they could seal it here