the army on the streets of salisbury, as specialist troops 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 cathedral city. they have the detection equipment that will allow them to properly, safely a very detail survey of those areas. and if there is any contamination, they can then safely remove that and have it destroyed. a forensic team examine the grave of the son of sergei skripal, the former russian spy who was targeted in the attack. tonight, he and his daughter are still critically ill. the people of salisbury are urged to stay calm. also tonight: after the insults, a surprise meeting is to take place between president trump and the leader of north korea. a court sees the contents of the bomb that partially exploded in a tube carriage in london last september. why increasing numbers of young british muslim women are deciding to wear a headscarf. and banging the drum

for great britain — our athletes arrive in south korea for the biggest ever paralympic games. coming up on sportsday on bbc news. we'll preview the penultimate weekend of the six nations, which could prove pivotal to ireland as they attempt to win the title again. good evening. these are the scenes that greeted the people of salisbury today as just under 200 military personnel arrived in the city and onto the streets. specialist troops, 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. forensic examinations are also taking place at the cemetery at the gravestone of skripal‘s son, alexander, who reportedly died

of liver problems at the age of a3. the home secretary will chair another meeting of the government's emergency cobra committee tomorrow. our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds, reports from salisbury. it began with unprotected police officers dealing with an unexplained medical emergency. this evening, the military was called in at salisbury hospital. troops, trained to tackle chemical warfare, supporting a british police investigation. their mission includes securing possibly contaminated evidence — painstaking work. the stakes are high. as ministry of defence we have been supporting the police in their investigations through the work of military scientists at porton down. we will continue to do that. another task — dealing with contaminated vehicles. this police car may have been driven to the hospital after the incident. 180 troops will be involved in this phase of the investigation. they have all the chemical agent monitors, the personal

protective equipment, respirators etc that allow them to safely, and they will probably take this kit to porton down or perhaps winterbourne gunner, where it can be decontaminated effectively. they're also expected to secure sergei skripal‘s car and there are ambulances which may have traces of the nerve agent. across the city, scenes that might have come from a disaster movie. this isjust a graveyard, but it contains the graves of sergei skripal‘s wife and his son alexander. he died last year. again, no official explanation for all this. the dates on alexander's grave may be relevant. last week, before the nerve agent attack, was the anniversary of his birth. did his father and sister visit the grave at some point? the home secretary was the first senior government representative to come to salisbury this morning. ministers have stressed the importance of getting to the bottom of the alleged plot

before pointing fingers. she met and praised those who've helped the victims and decontaminated the area, including these firefighters. i am in awe of their sympathetic approach and professionalism as they engage with these people. and now as they reflect, they are quite concerned sometimes for themselves and their families, but they've all said to me that they wouldn't have done anything differently. then to the hospital, continuing to provide the highest level of care to three victims. detective sergeant nick bailey, exposed to nerve agent during the incident, is now making good progress. he's an officer who has been widely praised. always really easy to speak to and he delivers effectively and efficiently and he's always got this sense of humour around him, so he does it easily and nothing is ever too much trouble for him. sergei skripal remains in a critical condition. his daughter yulia the same, but she is responding better to treatment.

salisbury has become a multi—location crime scene, a city of disturbing images and unanswered questions. who wanted to kill them? why? how did they do it? what will happen next? tonight the evidence is being gathered. tom symonds, bbc news, salisbury. sergei skripal is still fighting for his life in hospital alongside his daughter yulia. he came to the uk in 2008 as part of a spy swap with russia. but what led him to betray his country and seek refuge here? 0ur security correspondent, gordon corera, has been given exclusive access to details and photos from his past. the man behind the story. friend of sergei skripal have provided the bbc with the first detailed account of his life, including these personal pictures. here skripal is in the centre with his daughter yulia, just after her birth in 1984. both are

110w after her birth in 1984. both are now fighting for their lives. skripal was grew up listening to the world service on the radio. he joined the eairborne troop and became a charm beyondship army boxer. this was him a few years later with colleagues serving in central asia. when soviet troops went into afghanistan in 1979, he was among the first to go in. soon after he was talented spotted by the gru military intelligence. he served undercover in europe twice in the 80s and the 90s. it's during that time it's thought hes with approached by british intelligence to spy for them. in 2004 he was arrested, friends say his shoulder was wrenched out of its socket in the process. he was sentenced to 13

years ina the process. he was sentenced to 13 years in a labour camp but in 2010 he was released as part of a spy swap. he had dreamed of ice—cream and it was the first thing he asked for on his release. he was reunited with his wife and they began to rebuild a life in salisbury shech grew roses while he liked to barbecue sausages. it was short lived. in 2012 she died of cancer. friends told the bbc he spent his time playing world war ii tank games on his computer and visiting local military museums. the bbc understands from friends that during his time in the labour camp skripal would imagine being a home in his mind. they say they hope he'll be using the same trick now as he fights for his life. gordon corera, bbc news. our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds, is in salisbury for us now. an extraordinary week in salisbury, what can people expect to see in the next few days or weeks? well here more evidence gathering.

that's going to take days and possibly weeks. i think we can expect that this process will go on and on. there are going to be no quick, easy answers. the litvinenko case took years to get to the bottom of. i don't think we can expect the police to give what they often call a "running commentary" on their progress. ministers will be watching them every step of the way. there is a meeting of the government's cobra emergency committee tomorrow. ministers say we can expect tough action once they get to the bottom of what this was all about. of course the big question is — will the finger be pointed at russia? fiona. tom symonds in salisbury. thank you. the old dotard is to meet little rocket man. president trump has agreed to meet the north korean leader kimjong—un in a surprise move after months

of tension and name calling. but the white house added tonight that no meeting could take place until north korea takes concrete action. south korea claims that kim jong—un is committed to denuclearisation and an end to nuclear and missile tests. 0ur north america correspondent, nick bryant, reports. like the kid who couldn't keep the secret. donald trump slipped into the white house press room and told reporters to expect a huge statement ona reporters to expect a huge statement on a big subject. here we go, here we go. sure enough, a delegation from south korea soon stepped before the microphones to make one of the most jaw the microphones to make one of the mostjaw dropping diplomatic announcements in decades. after delivering to the president a personal 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 had held a meeting in pyongyang with kim jong—un offering a warm hand of friendship rather than rattling his usual sabre. 0n state tv the soundtrack doubled as diplomatic mood music because the north korean leader offered to abandon his nuclear arsenal in return for if security guarantees in the united states. kim jong—un sent them off not just with a states. kim jong—un sent them off notjust with a wave, but an invitation to mr trump the most improbable of overtures. donald trump abreed to the invitation insta ntly, a ppa re ntly trump abreed to the invitation instantly, apparently without pre—conditions, without even con youing aides. perhaps that explains the confusion at the white house with aides playing catch—up and demanding actions by north korea before the summit can take place. president will not have the meeting without seeing concrete steps and concrete actions take place by north

korea. so the president would actually be getting something. frankly, the world would be getting something. north korea's nuclear and missile capability has posed the toughest foreign policy dilemma for successive administrations. us presidents have turned down offers of face—to—face meetings. 0nly yesterday america's top diplomat ruled out directing talks with any us officials. in terms of direct talks with the united states and us negotiations, we're a long way from negotiations. what the white house is certain is about that the president's tough talk has exerted maximum pressure on pyongyang. they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. rocket man is on the world has never seen. rocket man isona the world has never seen. rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. this is a huge gamble which offers pyongyang a propaganda coup without much ground work and wouft a guarantee of success. all of donald trump's

presidential predecessors have failed to halt north korea's nuclear programme, so perhaps it's worth this dramatic new gesture. two leaders dealing with what is potentially the world's most combustible problem. diplomacy akin toa combustible problem. diplomacy akin to a las vegas title fight. the international summit of the century. nick bryant, bbc news, washington. today's announcement follows something of a thaw in relations between north and south korea, that saw them march under a single flag at the winter olympics. the south korean president, moonjae—in says the planned meeting is "like a miracle." 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. 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 happier ending. laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. in a moment, we'll speak to nick bryant at the white house, but first laura bicker joins us from seoul. it's an extraordinary diplomatic turnaround to move the us and north korea from trading insults to having a meeting. how did south korea pull this off?

i think we have lost laura in seoul. we will go back to her if we can. nick, first we heard that mr trump was going to meet kimjong—un, now he's putting preconditions on any meeting. is it likely to happen? fiona, listening to the white house briefing, we wondered whether president trump was getting cold feet, but according to senior aides, they say he really wants this to happen. it is impulsive, the way he likes to conduct foreign policy. it gives him a reality tv- for ages, i version of nixon z '% reggae he z '% e he finds z '% assigas he finds it to china. another reason he finds it attractive is that no president has ever done this before and he loves flying in the face of residential orthodoxy. when it comes to north korea, he believes with some

justification that his unconventional approach has worked so far. laura, you president moon saw an if it happens? president moon saw an opportunity and grabbed it. he heard kimjong opportunity and grabbed it. he heard kim jong un's speech on new year's day, peaceful overtures, invited the north to take part in the winter 0lympics, which has seen a dizzying level of visits and diplomacy between north and south, commentating in this moment. but critics believe that president moon is too close to the north. he is the son of north korean refugees and he has family based in the north. when it comes to failed talks, he has been part of those before. so when it comes to what he has to gain, thatis it comes to what he has to gain, that is obvious, that elusive peace treaty and end to hostilities and perhaps a place in the history books. but he has a lot to lose.

where does he go if this fails? and when it comes to an end to diplomacy, what options will the us put on the table if they decide diplomacy will not work? those military options will be back, and people here do not want to see that. iam glad people here do not want to see that. i am glad we managed to get hold of you. thank you both. let's take a brief look at some of the day's other news stories. the first aid convoy since monday has crossed into the besieged syrian rebel—held enclave of eastern ghouta. the red cross sent 13 trucks loaded with food but says it's not nearly enough to feed the thousands of civilians there. they were also prevented from taking in medical supplies. britain is close to agreeing a multi—billion pound deal to supply saudi arabia with 48 typhoon fighterjets. the announcement coincided with the last day of a visit by the new saudi leader crown prince mohammed bin salman. the trip has attracted criticism because of the saudi's role in the humanitarian crisis in yemen. the eu has said it may challenge donald trump's decision to impose

tariffs on steel and aluminium. it claims they are in breach of world trade organisation rules. the british government said that, as a close ally of the united states, it would seek exemption from the tariffs. a leaked internal email from the medical director of northampton general hospital claims an elderly man waiting to be seen in a&e died "due entirely to dangerous overcrowding in the department". 0ur correspondentjames waterhouse is here. james, what more can you tell us? at 4pm on wednesday, an 85—year—old man went to northampton general hospital with stomach pains. he was seen an hourand hospital with stomach pains. he was seen an hour and a half later and told he would have to stick around because blood tests suggest a heart problem. he was put in a chair where he would remain for seven hours before suffering cardiac arrest at 1am. and now you have this leaked e—mailfrom the

1am. and now you have this leaked e—mail from the medical director of the trust which reads, last night a patient died, due entirely to the dangerous overcrowding of the department. the risk we have all been aware of but may have felt hypothetical, has just happened. been aware of but may have felt hypothetical, hasjust happened. the trust has apologised to the family and called the outcome unacceptable. ideally the patient would not have waited so long, it goes on, we do not know what difference this might have made to the final outcome. this a&e unit has had 400 patients each day for the last few months, an increase of 30% compared with the same period in the year before. 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 in 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 had 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. 0n the run, he hung around this area until the following morning. and it was here, 24 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 made 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 this 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. 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 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 its 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 sawers then has died. his work in decoding the sequence of human dna, the building blocks of life, saw him awarded the prize back in 2002. the winter paralympics are under way in south korea. north and south korea didn't march together under a unified flag in the opening ceremony as they did at last month's winter olympics because they failed to agree on which version to use. britain is being represented by 17 athletes, as kate grey reports from pyeongchang. 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. 0wen 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, organisers will hope it will now be about the sport and not the weather. kate grey, bbc news, pyeongchang. that's it. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. have a very good night. welcome to sportsday. the

headlines... the penultimate weekend of the six nations could be pivotalfor ireland. if they beat scotland and england lose in paris, the title will be theirs. footballing rivalry is kicked off tonight with hibs beating hearts at home for the fifth time ina beating hearts at home for the fifth time in a row. and rory mcilroy falters again in florida. he will not be back for the valspar championship after another bad day on the course. this six nations title could be settled on this penultimate weekend. ireland are in the driving seat

after three wins while england know another defeat could end their shot ata another defeat could end their shot at a third title in a row. here's joe wilson. in dublin they line—up this way, and defeated ireland versus rejuvenated scotland. both teams should be confident, both are in contention. if ireland win they could beat six nations champions by saturday night. if scotland win, everything seems wide open. the group has confidence but they know how good ireland are and how good we will have to beat to win and will have to be better than we were against england. we're excited