this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at seven. the bbc understands traces of the nerve agent — used to poison sergei and yulia scripal — were found on and around the restaurant table where they ate. england's chief medical officer says up to 500 diners and pub—goers have been told to wash their clothes and possessions. some say the advice should have come earlier. we haven't taken that precaution yet. a little outraged, to be honest, that we only find out now. the chancellor says there's cause for economic optimism — ahead of his spring statement on tuesday. there is light at the end of the tunnel. what we are about to see is debt starting to fall after it's been but we are still in the tunnel at the moment. rail disruption at manchester piccadilly station after pro—kurdish demonstrators take to the tracks and suspend services for several hours. china's congress approves the removal of term limits for its leader — paving the way for president xi

to remain in power for life. also in the next hour — celtic move to nine points clear in the scottish premiership. with only ten men, they manage a win against old firm rivals rangers at ibrox and my guest is cb beaton, the author of the series of stories featuring highland policeman hamish mac beth. good evening and welcome to bbc news. hundreds of people in salisbury, who went to the same restaurant and pub visited by a poisoned former russian spy, have been advised to wash their clothes and possessions.

england's chief medical officer says anyone who spent time at the zizzi italian restaurant, or the mill pub last sunday or monday, should take precautions, but she stressed the risk is extremely low and no—one should be alarmed. the bbc has learnt that the table where sergei and yulia scripal ate in the restaurant, has been destroyed. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports. wearing gas masks and protective clothing, military personnel were spending mother's day in salisbury loading potentially contaminated cars onto trucks. two vauxhall vehicles had been parked behind a church not far from the city centre. bizarre and extraordinary scenes once again. this time in a pay and display car park in this historic cathedral city. it was the attack on yulia and sergei skripal that led to the operation. the bbc understands that the table

in the restaurant used by the pair was so contaminated that it had to be destroyed. police gave this advice to those in the pub and restaurant on saturday and sunday. —— sunday and monday. wash clothes, ideally in the washing machine, any items that cannot be washed and normally would be dry cleaned should be double bagged in plastic until further information is available. wipe personal items with baby wipes and dispose of them in the bins. wash hard items that cannot go in the washing machine in warm water and detergent. steve cooper was in the pub on sunday at exactly the same time. he said he is getting worried. they haven't revealed what the nerve agent was and what the effect long—term on anyone's

health could be. i'd like to know more about that. i'd like to know what precautions i personally can take. rather than just washing my clothes, having potentially already been exposed, what precautions can me and my wife take. i don't think washing my phone and my watch with baby wipes is going to get rid of a nerve agent. did the emergency services respond quickly enough? are you satisfied that you escalated this incident quickly enough at the beginning of last week? the machinery, the support, the national advice, the capability and expertise was mobilised. for this ancient medieval city it has been a surreal and frightening seven days. if the suspicions prove right, what happened here, the use of a chemical weapon, nerve agent, to attack to people is likely to have huge

implications with britain's relations with russia. as suspicions continue of russian involvement, the episode is being compared to the killing of alexander litvinenko — who died in london in 2006, after the former russian spy was poisoned with polonium inside a restaurant. an inquiry concluded he was probably killed by the kremlin. his widow marina litvinenko has been talking to andrew marr. it was a very difficult moment when i received this news, because i believed it's never, ever happened again after public inquiry provided all evidence of the death of my husband. but unfortunately, it did happen. and now i'm reading every day 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 now. and everything that's happened in the world — doping in sport, or involvement in an election — immediately,

russia in the front of all minds. but in this case, i would like to be very serious and take all the evidence and maybe sometimes to provide the truth. and was it exactly russia, or any other country, behind of this crime? for us, it was almost ten years to provide this whole fact and evidence. and it was all proof. and i want the same case to be made in the same way. it would be not politically motivated. and only after proper investigation, we could say exactly who behind of this crime. let's speak to dr simon cotton, a senior lecturer in chemistry at the university of birmingham. thank you very much forjoining as. based on the advice that we are hearing about those who have come

into co nta ct hearing about those who have come into contact with this substance, what do you believe is known about the substance? good evening. no one is telling as what the nerve agent is. the two nerve agents that have been used in the past that we know are oursarin and been used in the past that we know are our sarin and vx. there are some suggestions that they could be something else but we don't know that. sarin is much more volatile than the vx. sarin has been used to poison people usually by inhalation. it's employed by saddam the same in the late 1980s and in the mid—i9 90s by the japanese aum cult on their

attack on the tokyo subway. vx has been used most recently to kill the half brother of the korean leader and was also used by the aum to kill and was also used by the aum to kill a former member through skin absorption. how easily got rid of the substance? if they are on your clothes or possessions? sarin seems to be more easily disposed of, certainly through washing. because it's quite volatile it shouldn't stay for long. vx is more persistent. if it's absorbed in the

ground it's said to remain a long time. it could be used to deny territory to another country. but, at the moment, we don't know too much about the chemical that's been used. i think we can be assured that the government's specialists particularly professor davies, will have been told exactly what it is and what precautions need to be taken. i think their advice must be good advice. some of those who were in the restaurant or pub are wondering how it took so long to get that advice. who might be behind this, based on who might have access to sarin orvx? this, based on who might have access to sarin or vx? sarin and similar su bsta nces were to sarin or vx? sarin and similar substances were first made in the 19305 substances were first made in the i930sin substances were first made in the 1930s in germany by people trying to make alternatives to insecticides.

as an alternative to nicotine. vx was first made in 1952 in this country, again trying to make an alternative insecticide. now, the chemistry is not very complicated. but the people making it, either vx 01’ but the people making it, either vx or sarin, would need access to good quality laboratory equipment, access to fume cupboards, very good protective clothing, it could be a government but the fact that the japanese aum cult used both su bsta nces over japanese aum cult used both substances over 20 years go shows it's not imperative. thank you very much. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30pm this evening in the papers — our guests joining me tonight

are the political editor of the sun on sunday, dave wooding and owen bennett, deputy political editor of huffpost uk. the chancellor philip hammond, has rejected calls to announce the end of austerity. speaking two days before he delivers his spring economic statement, he said the country was still heavily in debt, but there was "light at the end of the tunnel". labour has accused the government, of holding back growth. 0ur political correspondent chris mason has more. morning, chancellor. there was little disguising philip hammond's smile this morning and perhaps even a spring in his step as he arrived to deliver his message that the economy is looking up. there is light at the end of the tunnel. what we are 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 and we have to get debt down. that debt, the chancellor talked about looks like this. big by historic standards

but forecasts suggest the amount that the uk owes relative to the size of the economy could have peaked. labour gathering this weekend in dundee for their scottish conference claimed there is little to celebrate and want to turn on the spending taps. lives have been destroyed and millions left in despair. it is thanks to the failed economic dogma of neoliberalism and austerity. austerity was a political choice, not an economic necessity. we choose socialism. on thursday a report highlighted the pressure on councils with squeezed budgets and cuts in services from central funding. philip hammond is also under pressure from the health service and defence for extra spending. the statement on tuesday will be a low—key affair. he won't appear brandishing a red box. significant changes will be reserved for the budget in the autumn. today's political skirmishes serve

as a reminderjust how different the instincts are of the conservatives and labour over the economy. china's parliament has voted to abolish the two—term limit for the country's president. the move allows xi jinping, to stay in office beyond the end of his second term in 2023, possibly indefinitely. 0ur china correspondent john sudworth reports. xi jinping was the first to cast his vote for a change that could — if he wants — make him president for life. the applause proved, if any were needed, that the result was a foregone conclusion. out of almost 3000 delegates, only two voted against. passed, the announcer says. this man's hold on power is now

complete and indefinite. the cost of opposition to his rule can be high. this woman shows the papers left behind by her husband, a lawyer who recently wrote an open letter calling for democratic elections. he's now been detained on subversion charges. translation: he did everything within the boundaries of the law and yet it is not allowed here and now many people are afraid of speaking out. as china enacts its most profound political change in decades, all public discussion is being tightly controlled and censored. the two—term limit solve a problem facing all undemocratic authoritarian states. it helps china ensure orderly and regular leadership succession, what's happened here today is highly significant. a choreographed, complex,

rubber—stamp parliament has removed the last limitation on xijinping's power. joining me now from atlanta city of georgia is maria repnikova, assistant professor in global communication at georgia state university and specialist in chinese media politics and non—democratic governance. how much of a difference will this make? we have to remember that china is not a democratic culture. i don't think we are going to see a

fundamental shift for ordinary citizens. comparisons have been drawn with vladimir putin and his effo rts drawn with vladimir putin and his efforts to remain in powerfor longer. how relevant is that comparison? it is relevant at a level of symbols. both of these leaders have started to develop a cult of personality. we have seen their images channelled through the press and many public opinion makers as well as ordinary people. we still see china's governance outperforming russia. how much of a risk to the two people who voted against this move and the three who abstained make in taking a stand? it's difficult to see whether this was

genuine dissent or something that was manufactured all agreed upon in advance? a unanimous vote wouldn't look as real so there had to be some dissent. however, this vote has had significantly less dissent than any other vote in recent years. how difficult will it be for western countries to engage with china knowing that xijinping countries to engage with china knowing that xi jinping could countries to engage with china knowing that xijinping could be their leader for the indefinite future? it's interesting that the leaders have criticised this move. there has been no critique. in fact, president trump actually praised xi jinping for this move. it might add stability for a while. there is no way around him. he is predictable, as we know quite a bit about him as opposed to a new leader coming in. but we are seeing a less diplomatic

leader. someone who is not going to negotiate as much as other leaders. he is going to established on the ground as it comes to china's plays in the world. he is going to be a challenge to some leaders in a world. there has been rail disruption around the king's cross area in london tonight due to a protest by pro—kurdish demonstrators. dozens of people were seen carrying flags and placards outside the station, blocking the euston road. some london underground services were only allowing customers to disembark. manchester piccadilly train station was closed for several hours this afternoon after a group of about a hundred protestors walked onto the train tracks. both demonstrations are thought to have been part of a national day of action to raise awareness of turkey's military offensive against kurds in northern syria.

the headlines on bbc news: traces of the nerve agent used to poison your ear and surrogate scrip i'll -- poison your ear and surrogate scrip i'll —— sergei skripal and his daughter were found on pub tables and people have been told to watch possessions. the chancellor says there are calls for economic optimism ahead of his spring statement on tuesday. the water regulator, 0fwat, is to investigate why thousands of people suffered water shortages, after the recent cold weather. homes and businesses faced days without running water, when pipes burst during the thaw, which followed freezing weather conditions. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. jonathan lewis in balham had no water at all for

three days last week. he couldn't wash himself or his clothes. to make matters worse, he heard nothing from his water provider thames water. there was very little information coming through from the water company. total inconvenience. you used to just turning on the tapper but not having water to flush the toilets, have a shower, do your washing. his was one of at least 20,000 homes in london that had no water last week. thames water apologised and provided many customers with bottled water. after the beast from the east burst many pipes. the watchdog says its review will examine what caused the water shortages. and whether water firms had the proper contingency plans for such eventualities. after all, the icy blast had been forecast well in advance. also, how well did companies communicate with their customers. water uk said that only 1% of customers lost supply and that teams worked around the clock to make sure that water was available as soon as possible.

if the regulator finds that the companies have breached their licence they could be fined up to 10% of their annual turnover. that is little comfort to those who had no waterfor days, despite living in a country that had plenty of rain. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news this afternoon. a charity co—founded by bono has apologised following allegations of bullying, harassment and abuse of staff in south africa. the one organisation has admitted "an institutional failure" and promised to reform its systems. the police watchdog has launched an investigation following the death of a man in custody. the 35—year—old, who was thought to be experiencing a mental health crisis, was detained in lewisham in south—east london on friday before being taken to hospital where he later died. a police investigation has been launched after anti—muslim letters were sent to a number of people in several cities. the letters were delivered to addresses in bradford, leicester, london, cardiff and sheffield. they contained suggestions of a series of violent acts to be

taken against muslims and mosques. counter—terrorism police say they're investigating a possible hate crime. the liberal democrat leader sir vince cable says britain is now mired in a "civil war" as a result of the vote to leave the european union. speaking at the party's spring conference, mr cable says brexit has created a "toxic brew" which is "fuelling the populist right". we fight ourcampaigns we fight our campaigns at a time when normal politics has disappeared. we have got a brexit obsessed government, a single issue government in a single issue parliament and brexit is sucking the life out of westminster and whitehall alike. we all know that urgent attention is needed for the nhs and social care, the housing crisis and homelessness, schools and

policing, ashun wu defence and much else. the political appetite to grapple with these issues is simply not there. the greedy brexit machine is devouring all the political energy that is needed to get the country moving forward. people were told that brexit would be simple and cheap and good—natu red. told that brexit would be simple and cheap and good-natured. laughter like real—world divorce it is proving difficult, expensive and very bad—tempered. there is a temptation to blame anything on theresa may. i don't, actually. i have always rather mired her dog at termination. that determination means she thinks that when you are ina means she thinks that when you are in a hole you keep on digging. you might eventually get to australia

and there will be a shiny new trade deal and a cold beer waiting for you. sir vince cable. jon lansman, the founder of the left wing campaign group, momentum, has pulled out of the race to become the next general secretary of the labour party. in a statement, mr lansman said that he'd "decided to step back" having achieved his aim of opening up the contest. new evidence has emerged about an attempt by the construction firm carillion, to get an emergency government bailout of 10 million pounds — days before it collapsed. mps say carillion paid out 6.4 million pounds to professional advisers on the same day it sought financial aid. the firm was wound—up with debts of almost1 billion pounds. people living near a volcano injapan have been urged to wear hard—hats as its eruptions get more violent. mount shinmodake is ejecting rocks and smoke several kilometres into the air. it's the volcano's fourth eruption this century. andrew plant reports.

night—time in south—western japan. high above these houses the red glow of one of the country's most active volcanos. it is now being watched very carefully as smoke rises more than 3000 metres into the air. high winds blowing ash across the town, schoolchildren wearing protective hard hats with the authorities warning of the risk of flying rocks up to four kilometres around the volcano. deep in the south of japan, it's part of a long volcanic range in a country with more than 100 active volcanoes. in 1967 it was made famous on the big screen in the james bond film you only live twice as the headquarters of the spectre organisation.

it has been spitting ash and rocks and with more than ten eruptions everyday experts are watching to see how more violent they become. in a further sign of the rise in artificial intelligence technology, researchers in texas are now trying to develop robots with minds of their own. they want to build systems that can operate in the home, the workplace, and even on the sports field. 0ur science correspondent, pallab ghosh reports. science—fiction films have predicted in the future

we would have intelligent robots. in the day the earth stood still, we had the sinister gort. in forbidden planet, there was robby. good night, doctor smith. and robots in lost in space. how close are we to having something like them now? meet the soccer playing robots of the university of texas. they are not being operated by remote control. instead they're making fast moving decisions as a team on their own. that's because they've been programmed with artificial intelligence. they're able to learn from their mistakes and improve their game each time they play. they are honing their skills for the robot world cup, this one from two years ago in leipzig. football is far harder for computers than chess or other boardgames. rather than turn—taking, everybody‘s moving at the same time. if you take too long to think about what you're going to do when you're going to pass the ball the opponents can come and take

the ball away from you. it's also continuous, there's not discreet places people can be, but always moving through air, space, continuous space, so there's really many challenges in contrast to some of the boardgames. this might look like a very simple robot but what it's trying to achieve is incredibly difficult. it's attempting to work with people in an unpredictable office environment. researchers are now building robots more like the ones you see in science—fiction films, ones you can talk to, interact with, even give commands to. this one is an office assistant. you can avoid any objects or people that get in its way. it's one of a new generation of intelligent robots. what should i do? this is not voice recognition. move a rattling container. the robot is actually learning the meaning of the words in the same way a baby does.

the essential aim is to have robots you can have a conversation with. the problem is robots have to be able to deal with the dynamics and the noise and unpredictability that people bring into the environment, so we have to think about perception and control and learning and adaptation programmes that we have to build that can deal with that sort of dynamic. archive: now, everybody stay calm, he's only a mechanical man, a robot obligingly doing the shopping for the busy wife of his inventor somewhere in leeds. these kinds of robots are still in the realms of science fiction, but with rapid strides in artificial intelligence, it won't be long before they become part of our everyday lives. pallab ghosh, bbc news, austin, texas. the superhero film black panther has now taken more than a billion us dollars at cinemas worldwide. the marvel film by disney has been widely praised as game—changing — including by michelle 0bama — for having a largely black cast

and a black director. the film stars chadwick boseman, who plays the crime—fighting ruler of a fictional african nation with the most advanced technology on earth. the film became a sensation on social media, with fans using the hashtag ‘what black panther means to me' to highlight its significance for black audiences. to talk about the huge impact it's had let's bring in sylvia 0bell, buzzfeed's entertainment reporter from new york. thank you forjoining us. just how well is this film doing compared to others at the moment? it is doing very well compared to other films. no film has ever come out in february has ever broken the billion. it is the first. it