so 50 tim is safe as they're saying. 50 tim is right. seeing as we are safe as they're saying. so tim is right. seeing as we are all aware that it right. seeing as we are all aware thatitis right. seeing as we are all aware that it is very likely russia, there is no political reason why they cannot give us more information, as they would do if it was anybody else, let's face it. it is reasonable to infer that the reason why one might use a nerve agent like this is to create panic and to send a message. it is frightening to think that because somebody routinely goes to a grave once a year one might put the agent on that grave and kill them that way, it's really quite frightening. these visuals underscore that message. do you think this could be extended? we had mps this week calling for the opening of the investigation into m other cases. talking about a number of other people who have come from russia and who have died and people say it was supposed to be natural courses but some people are saying it needs to be reopened?” courses but some people are saying it needs to be reopened? i suspect so. it needs to be reopened? i suspect so. it gains added political

salience from these images, because ifa salience from these images, because if a foreign power is using a nerve agent to kill its critics abroad, as well as that being totally unacceptable and criminal, if they have put members of the british public at risk as well, and some people are talking about this as an actor of war, this is very, very serious. it is almost an act of war which has been perpetrated by a state upon which we are reliant for many of our gas supplies and for keeping peace on the other side of the eu and upon which we are reliant for our own property market, because so for our own property market, because so much money for our own property market, because so much money comes for our own property market, because so much money comes into london and spreads through the country as a result of. it is an impossible situation for the politicians to be in if it is russia which is responsible. perhaps that is why they want to sit on it. there are people who are concerned and if someone people who are concerned and if someone from a foreign nation is able to reach across here and put his finger on somebody and extinguish their life... that is terrifying. let's move on to the ft

and another story which is on the front of lots of papers, as you would imagine. this is the idea that president trump and kim jong—un might meet face—to—face. the meeting was a snap trump decision, it says here. thursday night was i think the most interesting and exciting night yet in the trap presidency. tim, pour you! well, i always disregard all the soap opera stuff, all the russia staff! what is melania trump wearing?! within 24 hours, trump signed an order slapping tariffs on steel and aluminium, signed an order slapping tariffs on steeland aluminium, and signed an order slapping tariffs on steel and aluminium, and a couple of hours later south korea's national—security adviser stood in front of the west wing and announced that trump had agreed to a meeting with kim john barnes of this is really quite significant. he is not

the first president to be invited to meet the north korean leader. he is the first sitting president to agree to do it in principle. one suspects that one reason why it was left up to the south koreans to announce it is so that the administration at some point in the future duck out of it if it wishes. and in the last 24 hours the administration has been making it very clear that it is keeping the pressure on and north korea has to make clear concessions before the meeting goes ahead. nonetheless, a timetable has been set. it was said in the announcement that he would meet him by me. so, this is happening very, very quickly. and it has the potential to turn this situation around. this is a genuine diplomatic coup. and the south koreans were very clear that it was down to the pressure that trump had put on the north korean regime. if he pulls this off, this is the beginning of turning all our

perceptions of the trump administration around. is that the prize that he has got? that's the prize. there's a lot of ifs. as you said when you started, this is the idea. we have the idea. we have had the idea that he comes to britain for a state visit, the idea that he's going to build a wall. none of these things have yet happened. kim jong—un has renegade on every international promise he has ever made, flat. —— has reneges to. my lifetime injournalism has taught me that if you want to understand a story, try and work out who benefits from it. who benefits from kim wanting to offer to stop testing and meeting trump. kim benefits, not trump so much. kim is the one who is strong and who has made the reach across. trump is in a weakened position when he says yes. what happens next. how can they both come

away from it being the strong man for their citizenry? they can't both win out of that summit, it would be very, very typical. so i think the chances of it actually happening are fairly slim and you have to remember that every time trump agrees to do something he changes his mind fairly quickly on many things. it would be very easy for kim if trump says something on twitter one day to withdraw the application and then it is trump's fault. again there are things which trump has changed his mind about, nobody is denying that, but there are other things he has been consistent on. he said during the campaign, i will protect americanjobs — the campaign, i will protect american jobs — he the campaign, i will protect americanjobs — he has done it. and he has consistently said he was prepared to meet kimjong—un. it he has consistently said he was prepared to meet kim jong—un. it was missed but he actually said last saturday at a dinner that he would meet him. he made a joke about it. he said, i will go and meet kim

jong—un and people talk about the dangers of meeting a madman but that is just dangers of meeting a madman but that isjust a risk dangers of meeting a madman but that is just a risk that kim jong—un is going to have to take! he has got a good sense of humour! let's be realistic. it is not in kim's best interests to give up the nuclear programme is in that is what keeps him in powerand programme is in that is what keeps him in power and what keeps the world's attention. for him, the win is that america backs off, and for america it is that the american president has helped to reduce tension in the korean peninsula. moving on, the saudi prince who has been here this week, red carpet rolled out, leaves the uk with a hint of finally landing typhoon gets. again, it is an idea! another bit of pr brilliance. when we have visits by foreign dig trees, agreements they sign while they are here are agreed in advance. what's

happened here is that the saudi prince has met with the defence secretary and written a memo of intent, in other words, yeah, secretary and written a memo of intent, in otherwords, yeah, iwill have some planes! don't worry about the price, we will agree that another time. that his all that has happened. added to which the saudis have been saying this for the last four yes. we need to sell thai fax, bae systems, we don't sell very many and we need to give the company going, so they have done something which has boosted our position. the bae systems share price has gone up asa bae systems share price has gone up as a result but all it is is a promise that at some point in the future we will spend billions. i could sign this memo and it would mean the same thing! we have had the labour leader saying this is unacceptable, we should not be doing this? britain's relationship with prince mohammed is very, very close. there are only two foreign countries

which have continued to support saudi arabia so strongly, and that is america and britain, and it is partly because of this, because we sell them so much stuff, which raises questions among those who question that. it has been a week of extraordinary diplomatic turnarounds. he extraordinary diplomatic turna rounds. he has extraordinary diplomatic turnarounds. he has try to give the impression that he has forward looking, he wants to move away from oil, granting women the right to drive, putting himself forward as a progressive force and britain also to get that statement of intent as well so that britain will have this close economic relationship with a power which is not just close economic relationship with a power which is notjust a draconian feudal monarchy but one which is forward—looking. but frankly the judgment of whether or not saudi arabia is really changing is whether he gets out of yemen, and he shows no signs of doing that. very quickly, daily mail, counselling parking —— council parking charges

to sort. this is a long-running story about local authority funding and austerity since 2010 and the fa ct and austerity since 2010 and the fact that council taxes have gone up and many councils have few parts of the budget which they can increase but now they have been told they can increase council tax due to the social care crisis. the daily mail has done a story which says that one of the parts of the budget they can automatically increase on their own is car parking charges. the truce is that they may well increase by 45%... that they may well increase by 4596. .. the residents permits that they may well increase by 4596... the residents permits could bea 4596... the residents permits could be a lot more. they could be, but they're not going to get nearly as much from that as they will do from council tax increases. so, this is a very small part of the budget. when there is a cap on something somewhere you have to increase your income from something else. the kind of thing which will infuriate

people. absolutely, i recently passed my test and became a driver. that's the most exciting thing which has happened this week! i've been driving for about nine months. it has changed my relationship with my council, because i've realised that... all these potholes! my beautiful, lovely card! poortilde is getting destroyed by these potholes in the road! council tax is already very repressive really, —— very progressive. it doesn't say anything about your income. —— very regressive. i think we could do a song about that! breaking news - he's passed his driving test! and thatisit he's passed his driving test! and that is it from the papers tonight's. that is for use seven days a week on the bbc website. and

if you missed the programme any evening you can watch it later on the iplayer. thank you very much to tim and to susie. and good driving! i , the weather has been going downhill from the south today. it was not a great end to the day in devon. leaden skies overhead and some pretty heavy rain as well. the weather is being dominated by an area of low pressure. underneath this stripe of cloud, we've had quite a lot of rain falling. this is the earlier radar picture. the dark blue indicates quite intense bursts of rainfall. as it slides further north into the pennines overnight, we north into the pennines overnight, we could see a bit of wet snow over the highest ground. but much of it

will be rain because of the milder. under the clear skies in scotland, quite widespread frost. saturday morning will start in double digits across a good part of the south. and thatis across a good part of the south. and that is a sign of what is to come. through the weekend we can expect things to stay mild. there will be rain at times but it will often be cloudy. low pressure still in charge down to the south—west. frontal systems moving northwards on the south, or south—westerly wind. clu m ps of wet south, or south—westerly wind. clumps of wet weather journeying northwards as we go through saturday. it is where we get some brea ks saturday. it is where we get some breaks in the cloud across southern areas later in the day that we could have the highest temperatures. it will be staying fairly chilly across many areas of scotland. salmon hill is no continuing. into northern ireland and down into the midlands,

some outbreaks of rain at times. wales and the south—west of england should writing up later. —— should brighten up later. a very mild end to saturday. underneath the clearing skies we could see some mist and fog patches developing. some of that could lingerfor a time on sunday but then there will be some sunshine. some hefty showers galloping down towards the south. and another mild day, even scotland in double digits. this is bbc news. the headlines at 11: almost 200 military personnel are deployed in salisbury —

as the grave of sergei skripal‘s son is the latest place to be sealed off by the authorities. an 85—year—old man dies in a hospital waiting room in northampton — nhs bosses blame ‘dangerous overcrowding.‘ after months of trading insults, president trump and the north korean leader kim jong—un agree to meet face to face. the old bailey sees the contents of the bomb that partially exploded in a tube carriage in london last september. and on newsnight, we hear more from parliamentary staff after downing street says it is concerned about voiding allegations against mps, and former kremlin adviser tells us how russia feels about being accused of poisoning sergei skripal.