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tv   BBC News  BBC News  March 11, 2018 12:00pm-12:30pm GMT

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mild. this is bbc news. i'm carrie gracie. the headlines: up to 500 salisbury pub—goers and diners are told to take precautions by england's chief medical officer, after traces of nerve agents are found. asa as a belt and braces approach, the people who were in either zizzi restau ra nt people who were in either zizzi restaurant or the mill pub from 1:30pm last sunday until evening closing on monday, should clean the clothes they wore and the possessions they handled well there. sergei and yulia skripal remain in a critical condition in hospital, a week after they were taken ill. the chancellor says there's cause for economic optimism — ahead of his spring statement. there is light at the end of the tunnel. what we are about to see is debt starting to fall. but we are still in the tunnel at the moment.
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china approves the removal of time limits for its leader, effectively allowing president xi to remain in power indefinitely. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. hundreds of pub—goers and diners in salisbury have been told to wash their possessions, after traces of nerve agent were found in a restaurant and pub in the city. the advice is aimed at those who visited zizzi restaurant and the mill pub in salisbury, as the investigation in to the poisoning of sergei and yulia skripal continues. the pair remain critically ill in hospital. in the past hour, the government's chief medical officer for england, professor dame sally davies has been responding to concerns from the public. i want to reassure the general
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public the risks to us all from this incident in salisbury has not changed, and remains low based on the evidence we have, as i said on wednesday. rigorous scientific analysis has been ongoing and continues. but we have now learned there has been some trace contamination by the nerve agent in both the mill pub and zizzi restaurant in salisbury. i am confident that this has not harmed the health of anyone who was in the mill pub or zizzi restaurant. however, some people are concerned that prolonged long—term exposure to these substances may, over weeks and particularly months, give rise to health problems. i am therefore advising, as a belt and braces approach, the people who were in either zizzi restaurant or the mill pub from 1:30pm last sunday, until evening closing on monday, should clean the clothes they wore and the possessions they handled while there. the relevant closing times on monday
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were 9pm for zizzi and 11pm for the mill pub on monday. this means wash clothing you haven't already, ideally in the washing machine. any items which cannot be washed and would normally be dry cleaned should be double bagged in plastic until further information is available. wipe personal items such as phones, handbags and other electronic items with baby wipes and dispose of them in plastic bags in the bin. wash hard items such as jewellery and spectacles with warm water and detergent. more information is now on the website public health england, and will be made available at quayside in salisbury. i want to reiterate that this is precautionary advice aimed at only those people who were at the venues between these times, which i believe to be less than 500 people. meanwhile, let me repeat that the risk to us, the
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general public, remains low. and i am confident that none of these customers a re staff will have suffered harm. thank you. the chief medical officer. we are expecting a news conference from authorities in salisbury, that is the police, the ambulance service, fire and rescue, the district hospital. all of that coming in the next half an hour on the russian poet —— spy poisoning. let's look at other news. china's people's congress has voted to approve a constitutional amendment, abolishing two—term limits for the country's president. the move will allow xi jinping to stay in office beyond the end of his second term in 2023, and possibly rule indefinitely. among the nearly 3000 delegates, just two voted against the change and three abstained. joining me now from his home in nottingham is the director
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of the china institute at soas, professor steven tsang. professor, the fact that only two people voted against this, is that an accurate reflection of the enormous support for xi jinping?m is correct reflection of how effort is correct reflection of how effort is xijinping and the party has put in to make sure that the amendment was carried. it was unusually low. normally there would be a greater number of dissenting votes. do you think there is an element in which people may be frightened to vote against this? we have heard so much about the clamp—down on freedoms in china during the first five years of his rule. he is about to start a second year term. now we know he
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could go on and on. does that make people afraid to vote against something like that?” people afraid to vote against something like that? i think you are absolutely right. what we are seeing is a kind of fear. xijinping is not a figure who is loved and admired within the party, but he is a leader who is feared by his colleagues. what you think it will matter that he now has this ability to rule indefinitely? you think outsiders will see any difference? —— do you think. i think most outsiders will probably just work with china as they have been anyway. and in fact, since the 19th congress of the communist party last october, it was already clear that xi jinping had no intention of ending his power in 2022 or 2023. the big change now is
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that he is officially confirmed that he will not only not give up power, he will not only not give up power, he will not give up office. will be notice any difference? if you have one strong man who rules in china not just one strong man who rules in china notjust for a decade, one strong man who rules in china not just for a decade, but one strong man who rules in china notjust for a decade, but for a longer, does that make any difference to china's future?|j difference to china's future?” think it will make a huge difference to china's future. in the previous 25 years the communist party of china had an impressive record in getting major policies right. it is a system that has to get its policies right. that happens because the scope for debate within the party has been widened in the last 25 years. that has now been reversed. the debate is narrow. when that happens the risk of mistakes being made on major policies will be greater. when that happens i don't
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think it will be in china's interests. what kind of mistakes do you think we should look out for, and will they be the kind of m ista kes and will they be the kind of mistakes which now effect —— affect people inside china but people globally, giving the enormous impact of china? —— given. globally, giving the enormous impact of china? -- given. again, you are absolutely right. china is now so important in the world and is so integrated with the rest of the global economy, that when the chinese government make major policies, particularly on matters of the economy, of trade with countries like the united states, there will be very major implications for the outside world as well. we see that already with the current issue at hand. the constitutional amendment. 25 of the brightest and most able of china's leaders must have seen that
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it was a very unpopular move. and yet nobody could either advise or persuade president xi not to press on with it, which was not a necessary change. we already see that kind of mistake being made. the prospect looking forward is not that reassuring. professor, thank you forjoining us. the chancellor, philip hammond, is arguing that there is light at the end of the tunnel for the economy, as he prepares for his spring statement this week. the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, has criticised his approach, saying the conservatives can not deliver the change the country needs. earlier i spoke tojonathan blake, who explained that austerity measures have been part of the conservative government response for some years. under theresa may and david cameron, the spending is to be controlled and the country has a debt problem. the aim has been, on the whole, to reduce the deficit and get it down to zero.
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that is the gap between the amount the government has coming in and going out. those plans have been loosened necessarily recently of brexit. but the chancellor, philip hammond, today signalling that there is, in his words, light at the end of the tunnel. he is known for being cautious. he does not have the nickname spreadsheet phil for nothing. but he is suggesting that after years of austerity and strict limits on spending, things may be able to change in the future. he says we are at a turning point. here is what he said earlier. there is light at the end of the tunnel, because what we're about to see is debt starting to fall, after it's been growing for 17 continuous years. that's a very important moment for us. but we are still in the tunnel at the moment. we have to get debt down. we've got all sorts of other things we want to do. we've taken a balanced approach over the last couple of fiscal events, using flexibility that we had to continue paying down debt, but also to provide additional
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support our public services, to invest in britain's future and to reduce taxes for families and small businesses who are feeling the pressure. a cautiously optimistic message. labour, as you might expect, take quite a different view. the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, was setting out labour's plans this morning to spend more on public services, take various industries back into public ownership. and as he put it this morning, the government has got it wrong. last year, we had the lowest economic growth in the g—7 countries, so we shouldn't be celebrating that. austerity — this isn't me saying it, the head of the obr has said it — austerity is holding growth back. and wages now, wages are below what they were in 2007—2008, below the banking crisis. so this isn't a matter
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for celebration. and do you know, in terms of the deficit, we were promised by the conservatives that they would wipe the deficit out completely three years ago. but i think what he's done — very cleverly, to be honest, and very cunningly — he's shifted the deficit onto the shoulders of nhs managers, onto the shoulders of headteachers and onto the shoulders of local government leaders. two very different views on the economic outlook for the uk at the moment. that spring statement coming on tuesday. the water regulator is to investigate why thousands of homes in england and wales suffered shortages or a total loss of supply after the recent cold weather. ofwat says its review will determine whether companies had proper contingency plans in place. simonjones reports. emergency water handouts on the streets. tens of thousands of customers, particularly in south—east england and parts of wales, forced to endure days of inconvenience as the taps run dry.
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they sent a message, the water is fixed. nothing was fixed. i think this is absolutely appalling. it is shocking that there is such poor communication — well, zero communication. as pipes burst in the thaw which followed the cold spell, the water company said they were facing an unprecedented situation. the government ordered a review into what went on. ofwat said today it understood how distressing it had been for people to be left without a vital public service. the review will examine whether the water companies had planned properly, how they communicated with customers and whether the compensation offered is adequate. southern water, for example, is giving households who were cut off for more than a day l75 — condemned as "derisory" by some of those affected. ofwat wants to hear from businesses, households and local authorities. it wants proof that lessons will be learnt. otherwise, it says, it may be forced to act. just a reminder that we are
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expecting a news conference from the emergency services and the police on the russian spy poisoning investigation at around 12:30pm. we will bring you that live. coming up next, it is the lunchtime news. good afternoon. hundreds of people in salisbury, who visited the same restaurant and pub as the poisoned russian spy and his daughter, are being advised to wash their clothes and possessions as a precaution. traces of the nerve agent have been found in the zizzi restaurant and mill pub. those who were at the two locations last sunday and monday, are being asked to take extra measures. but england's chief medical officer says she's confident members of the public. kathryn stancyzyn reports from salisbury.
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a city under a watchful eye macro. they we gone from the moment surrogate and julia skripal were found collapsed on a bench in a salisbury park, the authorities are trying to piece together what happened. last night, traces of the nerve agent used in the attack were discovered in the italian restaurant they had eaten it. now hundreds of people who spent time in the restau ra nt people who spent time in the restaurant or the mill pub last sunday and monday i been told to ta ke sunday and monday i been told to take precautions. wash clothing you haven't already. ideally in the washing machine. any items which cannot be washed and would normally be dry cleaned, should be double bagged in plastic untilfurther information is available. white personal items such as phones and handbags with baby wipes and dispose of them in plastic bags in the bin. watch hard items such as jewellery and spectacles with warm water and detergent. exactly where this attack took
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place, what the nerve agent used was, our line is still being followed. caution has been written about jumping to conclusions followed. caution has been written aboutjumping to conclusions about russia being responsible. but for one victim it is history that should not be repeating itself. 12 years ago, former russian spy alexander litvinenko was poisoned by russian agents in london. his widow received this letter from the then home secretary, theresa may, promising such a thing would never be repeated again. unfortunately, it happened again. unfortunately, it happened again. it means something was not done and a lesson was not learned. five locations are still cordoned off today. some businesses remain closed. those who live here are trying to make mother's day as normal as possible, despite the fact today's service at st thomas' will include well —— prayers for the community. this park behind me is worth the
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skripals were found almost seven days ago. the public are starting to ask though, if this remains a place of interest, and there are a precautionary measures to be taken, why weren't they told before now? in terms of the skripals condition, we know they are still seriously ill in hospital. more questions likely to be answered at a scheduled press conference in the next hour given by wiltshire police and emergency services. catherine, thank you. the chancellor philip hammond has rejected calls to announce the end of austerity, but he says there is a light at the end of the tunnel. speaking ahead of tuesday's spring statement, mr hammond said the government would still need to continue paying down the debt. labour have the accused the government of holding back growth. our political correspondent, jonathan blake, reports. is that a spring in the chancellor's
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step? philip hammond looked reasonably cheerful this morning as he arrived to deliver his message that the economy could be turning a corner, after a gloomy few years of relatively few growth, a hint things could be looking brighter. there is light at the end of the tunnel because we are about to see dead starting to fall after it has been growing for 17 continuous years. that is a very important moment. but we are still in the tunnel at the moment. we have to get debt down. we have got all sides of other things we need to do. we have taken a balanced approach. that debt is too high for his liking. but forecasts show the amount the uk owes could have peaked and then fallen in the coming years. no cause for celebration, according to labour, who say other factors tell a different story. we should not be celebrating that. austerity, the head of the obr said it, austerity is holding growth
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back. and wages now are below what they were in 2000, 2007, 2008, below they were in 2000, 2007, 2008, below the banking crisis. this report weren't many councils in england we re weren't many councils in england were breaking point. one example of the effect that strict limits on spending can have. we won't see the chancellor's red box this week. the budget has been moved to the autumn. chancellor's red box this week. the budget has $151 n an ad to the autumn. chancellor's red box this week. the budget has $151 n an ad to ti on utumn. a m‘a spending contingency plans in place. homes and businesses faced days without running water after pipes burst during the thaw.
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china's parliament has voted to abolish the two—term limit for the country's president. the move will allow xi jinping to stay in office beyond the end of his second term in 2023, and possibly rule indefinitely. the amendment changes a rule that's been in place since the early 1900s, and has seen leaders serve ten years before passing on power to the next generation. john sudworth is in beijing. john, does this matter? the communist party, a big monolith, does it matter which man in black hair dye does it matter which man in black hairdye and same does it matter which man in black hair dye and same suit still runs it? you can often tell how significant a story is in china by how little coverage it gets on state media. that is certainly the case in this instance. officially communist
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controlled news sources giving only scant mention to the constitutional change, and all discussion of it on social media being heavily monitored and censored. it matters because china was once thought to have solved the big problem of how to handle leadership transitions. the constitutional change that was brought in, the 2—term limit is, after the long role of chairman mao, the disastrous chaos of his years, was done precisely to make sure that those sort of things they do not happen again. this is hugely significant and it raises fundamental questions of how power is exercised in what is now of course the world's second—largest economy. john, thank you. paralympics gb have won two more medals in pyeongchang. both came in the womens visually impaired super g. millie knight and her guide, brett wild, who finished in second place in the downhill, repeated that result in today's race. from south korea, here's kate grey. no time to celebrate yesterday's
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silver medal. millie knight and brett wild were first on the slopes today. this time in the super g. a more technical course to test the partnership that didn't slow them down. brimming with confidence, the standard was set. could their team—mates do any better? menna fitzpatrick and jen kehoe crashed out yesterday. there were no signs of holding back on their favour the event. already super g world cup champions, this was their best medal chance. and they delivered, not quite enough to bid —— to beat millie and bread but a podium finish nonetheless. the winner of yesterday's race followed them down the hill and she performed the brits. it was a silver and bronze. today's run was just about building that confidence and by about have would only get into it. she started skiing really well. we are super pleased. it is a massive dream come
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true for both of us. and just so glad we have done it together. elsewhere on the snow, britain's first representative in nordic skiing for 20 years, scott meenagh, went in the 50 kilometre cross—country, a gruelling course. he finished a long way down the field in 17th. on the ice the curlers were hoping to build on yesterday's win but the swiss hit the mark when it mattered. back to the mark when it mattered. back to the drawing board for the brits. the curlers are back in action as we speak. they are against finland and the score is 7—2. great britain lead with just two ands to go. it is looking very promising. that is the latest from pyeongchang. thank you. congratulations to all those competing. impressive performance. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one isjust after six. bye for now. hello.
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you're watching the bbc news channel. the time is 12:25pm. let's get more now on our top story — the suspected nerve agent attack on former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter in salisbury. the incident has echoes of the attack on alexander litvinenko — the russian defector who died in london in 2006 after being poisoned with polonium inside a restaurant. an inquiry concluded mr litvinenko was probably killed by the kremlin. his widow marina litvinenko has been telling the bbc‘s andrew marr programme why people should notjump to conclusions about russia involvement‘s in the attack on the skripals. it was a very difficult moment when i received this news, because i
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believed it is never, ever happened again after a public enquiry provided evidence of the death of my husband. unfortunately, it did happen. now i am reading every day the news from salisbury and try to understand what actually happened and who might be behind of this crime. of course, russia has a very bad reputation. everything that has happened, doping in sport or involvement in election, immediately russia is in the front of all minds. but in this case i would like to be very serious and take all evidence some time to provide the truth, whether russia or any other country was behind this crime. for us, it took almost ten years to provide this evidence. it was all proof. i wa nt this evidence. it was all proof. i want the same case to be made in the same way. it would not be
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politically motivated. only after proper investigation we could say exactly who is behind this crime. marina litvinenko. this is bbc news. coming up, more on that story, because we are expecting a news conference from authorities in salisbury, from police, ambulance service and also fire and rescue. and also public health england. lots more information possibly coming in terms of the detailed investigation of the attempted murder of those two, sergei skripal and his daughter. let's take a look at the scene. of course we have been short on information from police and from ambulance services since the attack nearly a week ago. this is an important moment coming up where
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they give us more on the investigation. we havejust heard from the chief medical officer suggesting that civilians in that area, those who are in the mill pub on that day or on the following day, last sunday or monday, and those who we re last sunday or monday, and those who were in these easy restaurant last sunday or monday, should now, as a precaution, wash their clothes or other accessories, their electronic devices, that might have been with them at the time. stressing there is no immediate danger to them. that the long—term proximity to those items could conceivably be a risk and therefore they should make sure that they wash them. let's take a little look at the weather while we wait for that news conference. here is louise. hello there. first song,it here is louise. hello there. first song, it has been a murky start to mothering sunday, with fog lifting to low cloud. we have some beautiful pictures which illustrate the point.
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glorious in shropshire. across the south coast we had some beautiful spells of sunshine in devon. a lovely sunrise. make the most of it. cloud and rain is set to arrive. the uk is surrounded by weather fronts topping and telling the country. that is producing bits of rain mostly to the coast. if we take a look at the radar, this is yesterday's rain. still sitting in the far north of scotland. that will park itself across shetland. some on the east anglia and coastline. low— pressure the east anglia and coastline. low—pressure moving into the south—west. some sharp showers across parts of wales and the midlands. they are likely to continue through the rest of the day. england and wales will be dodging some showers. further north, not a bad day through northern ireland, northern england and scotland. hopefully the global break. temperatures certainly milder thanit break. temperatures certainly milder than it has been in scotland. it could reach iii.
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than it has been in scotland. it could reach 1a. as we go through sunday evening, that low—pressure will start to move in from the south—west and be fairly significant for a time across central and western areas of england. outbreaks of rain. not quite as cold. nos keeping at five to 8 degrees. further north we could see highs of three to 4 degrees, a touch of light frost. the north— south divide will continue for the new working week. low— pressure continue for the new working week. low—pressure still influencing the story across england and wales, bringing some rain. circulating around that low. rather breezy unexposed south—west coasts. the best of the weather in the north, scotland, northern ireland and northern ireland. highest values as we go through monday of around seven to 12 degrees. it does look as though the best day of the week is shaping up to be tuesday as a ridge of high pressure will build, bringing dry weather. we keep double
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figures but there is the potential for more rain to arrive on wednesday. that sets us
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