frozen, it doesn't their assets frozen, it doesn't sound an awful lot. and it does not sound an awful lot. and it does not sound as if it is going to scare russia a single bit. we saw a bbc correspondent speak to vladimir putin last night and he smirked when he was asked about whether russia had anything to do with the poisoning. i don't think he cares andi poisoning. i don't think he cares and i think the problem we have with this, and i've seen a few commentators say this, is that russia is prepared to go to the length that we are not. they seem to have no boundaries whatsoever, as seems to be happening with the poisoning and possibly again with this suspicious death of someone. you're not suggesting the uk intelligence services match the russians in being willing to poison double agents. i'm not saying that, but that is the problem. they are prepared to go to these degrees and we are going to hit them with a few assets? jenni, what is your thoughts on this coverage? do you take the same view as michael that it is i could add up to anything to cause

vladimir putin sleepless nights? no, i think it's very deliberate on his part. he could've chosen if he wanted to commit to kill this man or these two people, to have done so without leaving a trace. he is leaving britain a message, which is ican do leaving britain a message, which is i can do what i like in your territory and there's nothing you can do about. michael is right. the reality is we are weak. it's not that he is going to find that we are weak. he could see a position now. to be fairto weak. he could see a position now. to be fair to say, they have sounded to support this evening. what are the actually going to do against russert? the question is not whether people make diagnoses or whether they do anything to combat russian power and we have very little leverage of our own. we can take these of measures but we are very small country. what economic power do behalf against russia that will also damage us? and russia very clearly said tonight this is no way

to talk to a nuclear superpower. they are directly threatening us, basically making clear that if you attempt to retaliate against us, wow are we going to... in the meantime, potentially, another problem. you referenced it a moment ago. death of ex—russian exile terror probe. referenced it a moment ago. death of ex-russian exile terror probe. this isa man ex-russian exile terror probe. this is a man of 69 years old who says he was on russia's hit list and he has been found strangled. the fact that this happens within days... the counterterrorism unit is not confirming the hit for the regulation mind but this is in the sun and the metro. i think they are calling it in some russian on my newspapers. it's in the metro as well. it does seem as though it's adding up to, again, a big? against

the russian state. itjust goes to show what they are prepared to do. and this is a guy who was the right—hand man of... and this is a guy who was the right-hand man of... himself, an enemy of the kremlin. found in his bathroom hanging. well, was he hanging? had he strangled his neck again, this guy, a friend of his, they say date did not believe he had struggled himself. there are four or five suspicious deaths of russians oi'i five suspicious deaths of russians on british soil. there is clearly a pattern here, which is russia is saying we can do it as we please. yes, interestingly, matt has found some black humour on this. yes, a phone call to a moscow lab saying, "yes, this is state—sponsored

doping. you want state—sponsored poisoning." but as greedy changes for a moment and look a different story —— let's look at the changes... the financial times. they are going with their lead story, hammond but then also, they have got the trump— tillerson story. hammond but then also, they have got the trump- tillerson story. he got sacked and did not really think trump for his time as secretary of state. he has gotten the boot and we have the cia director, mike pompeo, who is basically a trump yes—man. he can hold his hand and be nice to him and not patronize them as much as others do, and i think tillerson called him a moron, and at one point, trump, didn't he? do they connect the time is between these two events in the ft story? are you interested in the timing? do you

think it's merely an accident, in fa ct think it's merely an accident, in fact that tillerson has had some things to say about that? comp has obviously been in it different place from russia. it seems very unlikely that it from russia. it seems very unlikely thatitis from russia. it seems very unlikely that it is a coincidence but the white house is disputing that event. within hours saying tillerson saying we can russia is behind that, he gets sacked. the white house said, we planned to sack him last friday, he was told nothing about it, and he is sacked. i doubt there is an equal incident about this at all. and interest, donald trump did come out and say something about salisbury today but late in the day. we need today but late in the day. we need to be worried about the secretary of state because he's come as the former cia director and he's made it

his business to set up to trump privately and publicly on every occasion, and the reason trump says he likes him is he's on his wavelength. in other words, he likes him is he's on his wavelength. in otherwords, he he likes him is he's on his wavelength. in other words, he will not challenge trump in any way at all. he's a hawk and he will do whatever trump wanted to do and would try to be —— would not try to be, as tillerson was with his fault, a voice in contrast. a crisis in north korea, with a summit potentially in the offing and then possibly the other nuclear crisis reigniting again with iran. it's certainly a very frightening time at the moment in geopolitics, isn't it? and with that the russian threat here as well. terrifying. when he says we're not really thinking the same and the 22nd, theresa may would not have half a cabinet if he was done on that bit. looking down stories that, let's get back to stories, and the daily express. at

last, tax cuts on the way, is its headline. jenni. last, tax cuts on the way, is its headline. jenni. yes, that is the daily express's spent on this. if you look be due to are saying is by 2020 from if everything goes well on the economy, philip hammond is would have £15 billion for tax cuts. we all got a little bit confused by tax cuts, but that is absolutely nothing, it is a rounding error. the idea we can project three years into the future and say, i'm deathly going to have this money, is basically... hammond is basically saying, we're still building up our debt. but that he was saying this, but he was saying i don't hunt and a nhs crisis, a social care crisis and anything else. light at the end of the tunnel. he wants to be more positive and i think tory mps wanting to be a bit more positive going into the next election in 2000 would you because they need something to fight labour on at the moment. at least it is something for

them. he described it as tigger-ing. not eeyore! claire foy paid less than that bit. she was the queen! this is so tedious! the trouble with this is there are many, many more roles for men and many more starring roles for men and many more starring roles for men and many more starring roles for men, and if you allocate pay on that basis, the men are always going to continue to be paid more and on and on. she is the incredible star of that series. she's won the bafta and the golden globe. cheese in more scenes than him as well, isn't he? she absolutely held the whole thing together. she is the show. and the

producers have said the next person to play the queen will get more money but that does not help claire foy. let us go to our last story because, you know, at least claire can can't her penny and tuppence is and put them in a jar. can can't her penny and tuppence is and put them in ajar. 896 can can't her penny and tuppence is and put them in a jar. 896 of people chuck them away, i mean, who chucks any money away? a penny on the floor. i just search any money away? a penny on the floor. ijust search pavements all the time! you're basically saying you are against the... i think a lot of people will be against it. a labourmp of people will be against it. a labour mp says charities get the loose change from there. they are going to miss out on this.|j

loose change from there. they are going to miss out on this. i was interested to read that thatcher dropped the 6p piece for a simple reason. nothing on the coins. maybe make a few thousand on that. do you think it's a good idea though? yes, i think they are just a complaints nuisance. —— a complete nuisance. lot of rummaging around a sofa on a saturday night, looking for change. and wejust saturday night, looking for change. and we just want to put on the record that you to get paid exactly the same, so no quarrelling over equal pay on the show. thank you both so much for coming and. do it again any time. that's it for the papers tonight. don't forget, you can see the front pages online on the bbc news website. all there for you seven days a week, bbc.co.uk/papers, and if you miss the programme any evening, you can watch it later on bbc iplayer. thank you, michael and jenni again.

goodbye. hello there. eight west— east divide with the weather team this wednesday. looks as though the wettest in the windiest of the weather will always be up to the west. we've got severe weather heading towards portugal and spain and it's all tied into this area of low pressure that's going to sit in the atlantic and influence what is happening across the uk for the next few days. it is dragging up mild air from iberia, so that is welcome news. that means if you get the drives and the sunniest weather, you will feel quite pleasant. a chillier start through eastern areas but sunshine coming through but it will state are promising. 0ut sunshine coming through but it will state are promising. out to the west, that is where we see the disappointing story today. what an windy across the southwest. as we head towards lunchtime, some of that

rain white heavy across cornwall, devon and into parts of west wales as well. a fairly miserable afternoon for ireland and western fringes of scotland too. gaels a lwa ys fringes of scotland too. gaels always likely on that coast. for central and eastern areas can keep some sunshine and that southerly wind. 11; degrees will feel very nice indeed. as we move into thursday, we've got a weather front which will continue to make slow progress and east. behind it,... here, slightly milder air, still 10—12d but we're starting to see the signs of a change up to the north and east and thatis change up to the north and east and that is because the wind will slightly change direction, becoming more of a southeasterly which will honestly become an easterly. it means these showers to higher ground on friday could turn a little more wintry once again. a few scattered showers after the south and west, 10-12 showers after the south and west, 10—12 behind. that will change as we

move out of friday to saturday. 0nce again, we have to look out to the east for this scandinavian high which is going to influence the story with the winds circulating clockwise in the coming from a cold source. not quite as extreme as we had itjust over a week ago but never the less, it does mean we will see a dramatic change to the feel of oui’ see a dramatic change to the feel of our weather as we head into the weekend and there is the possibility of seeing some snow showers even at lower levels of a so you need to keep abreast of the forecast for the next few care. this is bbc news. the headlines at 11: moscow is set to ignore the midnight deadline to explain how a russian nerve agent was used to attack a former spy. sergei skripal and his daughter were poisoned in salisbury over a week ago. scotland yard warns the investigation will take many more weeks. the public are going to continue to

see a great deal of police activity around the city, including potentially more cordons. do not be alarmed. it is necessary as part of this investigation. in today's other main news: just over a year after his appointment, president trump sacks his secretary of state, rex tillerson. in his spring statement, the chancellor forecasts higher growth, lower inflation and debt, and hints at possible spending rises