welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: russia defies a deadline to explain the nerve agent attack in britain that left a former spy and his daughter fighting for their lives. as international pressure mounts, moscow warns any punitive measures will be met with a response. hours after the us secretary of state's shock sacking, a breathless rex tillerson bows out of public life. what is most important is to ensure an orderly and smooth transition during a time that the country continues to face significant policy and national security challenges. where 70% of people are obese or overweight, qatar says it's time to tax sugar. and the black directors behind blockbuster movies. diversity finally hits hollywood. hello.

russia has ignored a midnight deadline, set by the british government to explain how a nerve agent, thought to be russian made, was used to poison a former spy and his daughter. sergei and yulia skripal remain in a critical condition in hospital. moscow continues to deny any involvement in the attack. our correspondent sarah rainsford reports from moscow. accused of a crime many miles from here, under pressure to explain a chemical attack that shocked britain. but today the kremlin has remained silent. the foreign minister, though, was in full defensive flow. sergey lavrov rejected britain's 2a hour ultimatum to respond to the claim that moscow used a nerve agent. russia should get ten days, he said, accusing britain of floating the chemical weapons convention.

and when i asked about the actual charge the minister called that nonsense. translation: russia is not guilty. russia is ready to co—operate in accordance with the convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons if the uk finally decides to fulfil its obligations under international law within that document. russia's also demanding a sample of the substance used in the attack to conduct its own tests. the uk has identified it as novichok which the bbc believes was once produced here in a secret soviet programme. reports in moscow say any stockpiles were destroyed long ago. so when the british ambassador was called to the foreign ministry, moscow says he came to hear its protest at a sordid attempt to discredit this country. i reiterated the points made by prime minister may that we expect by the end of today an account

from the russian state as to how this material came to be used in salisbury. russia has always insisted it had nothing to do with the poisoning in salisbury and that position clearly has not changed even with the threat of sanctions. after all this is a country that's been living under international sanctions for some time, linked to its actions in ukraine. those actions have not weakened president putin politically at all. if anything, they have made him stronger. moscow then is in no mood for ultimatums and it will continue to insist on its innocence. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. a russian exile who'd been granted political asylum in britain, nikolai glushkov, has been found dead at his home in south—west london. police say they are treating the death as unexplained. scotland yard has given further details about the movements of sergei skripal and his daughter yulia in the hours before they became critically ill.

daniel sandford has the latest. this evening, with nerve agent contamination still a huge concern, police were working at the pound where sergei skripal‘s car was found after being towed away from salisbury town centre. britain's most senior counter—terrorism detective warning today that the complex operation in the city will last many weeks. we are sifting and assessing all evidence available and we are exploring all investigative avenues, this includes extensive cctv footage from across the city and over 380 exhibits so far. detectives now believe yulia skripal arrived at heathrow airport from russia on the afternoon of saturday, the third of march. the next day, the day of the attack, she and herfather, sergei, drove into salisbury in this red bmw. police are asking anyone who saw the car between 1pm and 1:45pm that sunday to come forward.

at 1:40pm that afternoon, they parked on the upper deck of the sainsbury‘s car park from where they walked past a small park to the mill pub. after a drink, they headed to the zizzi restaurant, where they were between 2:20pm and 3:35pm. they then headed back to the park where, at ii:15pm, they were found desperately ill on a bench. today, police said detective sergeant nick bailey, who also became seriously ill after getting contaminated, was making good progress. the two people targeted in the attack, yulia and sergei skripal, are still in intensive care here in salisbury hospital, where staff are having to use special precautions because of the military grade nerve agent. they're both in a critical condition, but they are both still stable, which means they're not getting significantly worse. i understand that she is doing slightly better than he is. we still don't know if detectives have a specific suspect in this unique and challenging

investigation, they said they wouldn't be making that public at this stage. daniel sandford, bbc news, salisbury. michael slobodchikoff is a professor of russia, the former soviet states and international relations, at troy university in alabama. thank you forjoining us. the first question, what can the uk actually do in response to this which will make russia think twice about doing this kind of thing again in the future, if indeed they are responsible for this?” future, if indeed they are responsible for this? i don't think there is much that the uk can do to make russia stop any such actions. russia has been under sanctions for quite a while and it has only made vladimir putin more ‘at e

cu-. however, i would of the world cup. however, i would think that ultimately nothing will change russia's perspective, especially this being an election year so this is a man who as . as um ti . r; igm zli i i‘fi‘zn it: “iifizit= «ssgfisss 1-75.51 wan wé $5155.75 7,773 we understand has not necessarily been involved in the russian spicy for a while. what is the rationale, if indeed russia is involved, what is the rationale for russia doing

this now? i think the rationale is twofold. first of all, it is an election year, it makes vladimir putin look stronger. it reiterates russia under assault from the west. but it also sends a clear signal if, again, russia is involved, it sends again, russia is involved, it sends a clear signal that anyone who betrays a russia or defects to be west is going to get hurt by russia eventually. it is only a matter of time. there is a picture on the front page of the times in the uk, if people want to look on it, look at tomorrow's papers today. the are probably familiar with, three friends, they are locking arms and looking at the camera, all three are dead and a mysterious circumstances in the uk. why does this kind of thing keep happening? in the uk. why does this kind of thing keep happening ?|i in the uk. why does this kind of thing keep happening? i think it sends a clear signal that no matter

where these people are who have crossed vladimir putin and crossed russia, that they have ended up dying. and nothing will protect them. i think that sends a very strong signal to those in russia as well as those abroad not to cross vladimir putin and the russian government. it is an election weekend coming up in russia. tessas up weekend coming up in russia. tessas up president putin will be re—elected, are there any circumstances under which mr putin is not president of russia and in which he loses support in which he is not the premonition new czar of russia? —— are there any circumstances? what russia wants to avoid is low voter turnout and apathy by people. russia wants to make this look like an extremely legitimate election where vladimir putin will win overwhelmingly and have the support of the russian people. it already has that support, but there is a sense of voter apathy. if people don't turnout at

the polls it sends the wrong signal to the rest of the world about russia's elections. that is what the kremlin is worried about. thank you very much. that is professor michael slobodchikoff from alabama. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the syrian government has allowed the first medical evacuations from eastern ghouta. the besieged opposition stronghold has been the focus of a major government offensive for the last three weeks. the un says more than a thousand people are in desperate need of medical attention. prosecutors in florida say they will seek the death penalty for the teenager charged with shooting dead 17 people at a high school last month. they say nikolas cruz acted in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner and that the shooting was especially heinous. the former south korean president lee myung—bak has reported to prosecutors for questioning in a corruption probe. the 76—year—old has been facing allegations of corruption involving his family during his time in office. speaking to reporters outside he said he was "very sorry for causing concern to the people." and venezuela's secret police have

detained a former interior minister who has become an outspoken critic of president nicolas maduro. in a statement, the government said he conspired against the country's constitution. the us secretary of state rex tillerson has made his first statement since being sacked by president trump, conspicuously failing to thank his boss or praise his policies. the president told reporters that he and america's top diplomat had a "different mindset" on key issues, including the iran nuclear deal. the director of the cia, mike pompeo, has been named as mr tillerson's replacement. our north america editor, jon sopel reports. after a long trip to africa glad—handing and promoting the us, rex tillerson flew back to washington overnight. but unbeknown to him, the president had signed his death warrant, and it would be death by tweet. mike pompeo, director of the cia,

will become director of the cia. but tillerson isn't on twitter, so excruciatingly it fell to his chief of staff to inform him of his demise. there was no contact from the white house, only this afterwards from the president. i think rex will be much happier now, but i really appreciate his service. happier? he didn't seem it. in his farewell statement, he never mentioned donald trump by name, didn't thank him or wish him luck. instead, there were these pointed remarks on russia. much work remains to respond to the troubling behaviour and actions on the part of the russian government. russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interests of the russian people, and of the world more broadly. i, rex wayne tillerson, do solemnly swear... it was all so different when he was sworn in, then seen as one of the grown—ups of the administration.

but his fate was probably sealed last october when it was reported he called donald trump a moron, an accusation he didn't exactly deny. i'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that. i mean, this is what i don't understand about washington. again, you know, i'm not from this place, but the places i come from, we don't deal with that kind of petty nonsense. then there was the public undermining of the secretary of state by the president, sending family to do work that would normally be done by america's chief diplomat, and public shaming on twitter, like this. there's not much love lost between donald trump and rex tillerson, they disagreed on policy and didn't much like each other personally. mike pompeo will be much more to donald trump's taste and it's vital they do get on given the importance of subjects like north korea. but will he be the man who says to the president,

"i think you're wrong," as rex tillerson did? tillerson was isolated trapessing around the world with little support in washington. in his previous life, the former ceo of exxon was a corporate titan, but he's now political roadkill. surely the place with the lowest life expectancy anywhere in the world, being a member of the trump administration. another senior figure who didn't smell the coffee. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: a bittersweet moment for the black director of hollywood blockbuster a wrinkle in time. what can i do fear mrs watts at? —— what can i do for the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times.

in less than 2a hours then, the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years hisjunior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90, travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an 8—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much, do you think? i don't know, really. i've never been married before. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: moscow has failed to respond to british demands to explain how a nerve agent made in russia was used to attack a former spy and his daughter. us secretary of state, rex tillerson, has bowed out of public life — after he was sacked on twitter by president trump. let's stay with that story. well, let's get more now on the implications of rex tillerson's sacking for the potential meeting between donald trump and north korea's kimjong—un. i'm joined now by stephen costello, political advisor, policy analyst and writer on korea, northeast asia and american policy. he runs the policy ngo asiaeast.org. thank you forjoining us. here are the basic personalities. trump didn't want to talk to north korea, rex tillerson did and then north korea extended at hand of discussion, of conversation. president trump accepted it and rex tillerson was a bit more cautious. wettest this leave policy right are?

—— where does this leave. we will be probably testing the administration. which has shown a disdain for expertise. now we will see a man, mike pompeo, who has spent some time in congress and should be up on the issues, he can bring a better balance. there was delicate balance among rex tillerson, general mattis anti—trump at the white house. that has now been thrown off. —— and a trump. -- and trump. pompeo can speak with more authority. he was studying up on the past 35 years of us diplomacy with north korea. on the other hand, while pompeo can't be much worse than rex tillerson, he

could be more dangerous. we may have traded and incompetent amateur in rex tillerson for more of part is an —— part is an enabler in pompeo. what you mean by dangerous? without the calming influence or it least the calming influence or it least the other voice of rex tillerson, remember that rex tillerson and general mattis together when more worldly, more grown—up and more moderate in their outlook. trump has shown himself to be rather impulsive. it may be that he is now going to allow himself to be more impulsive and the people around him, including his secretary of state, will support that. does it really matter who is in the white house or who is the secretary of state? the most important thing is, in essence, bringing north korea to heel. this

issue has confounded the last three presidents. american policy has been very confused and hard to identify what it even is. the idea that this particular white house, with its disarray and all the other problems that are surrounding it, could somehow come up with a smart and better policy, is a very long stretch. we are all in new territory. thank you very much. the gulf state of qatar will be introducing a sugar tax later this year — a move partly prompted by health surveys showing that 70% of qataris are overweight or obese — almost double the global average. the government is taking action to try to get people to lose weight — and it's also set to start screening adults for diabetes. our global health correspondent tulip mazumdar has been given rare access to the qatari health system.

it's time for the weekend shop and families are stocking up, the jamals' are trying to make healthier choices. it's because, atjust 16 years old, jabor‘s poor diet, he tells me, led to him developing type 2 diabetes. translation: when i was a kid, i really loved sweets. we would just eat, go to bed, wake up the next day and eat more. qatar has become one of the richest countries on earth thanks to the discovery of oil and gas here. with all that wealth though came a massive influx of international workers and western tastes. in a very short period of time, qataris have totally changed how they live, where they live and what they eat. they've gone from active, outdoor desert living to much more indoor sedentary lifestyles and many are now paying the price for adopting some of the worst of western excesses . qatar is now building more outdoor areas, like this one,

it's introducing a sugar tax this year and improving food labelling. we declare it's an epidemic. everyone knows and there is a high political commitment to face this. we try to find the best approach to tackle this. one of those approaches is funding new research, salem is part of a study targeting younger people trying to reverse their type 2 diabetes. translation: i used to eat very chaotically. for breakfast i'd eat sandwiches, for lunch i'd have a lot of meat and i'd have a heavy dinner. i started feeling pain in myjoints and my feet. left untreated, the disease can cause blindness and even foot amputations. almost one in five people suffer with the condition here, but through this strict diet and exercise programme patients are going into remission. we need to see the long—term outcomes, but it is possible medically to take younger people, get them fit, improve their life without any medication,

without any surgery. all these mixture of medals... aldana is part of the women's national handball team and wants to help fight the obesity crisis. she says people need better education on living well. by increasing the awareness and doing programmes forfamilies. they're not aware how much is dangerous for the children. they've started to get this information about healthy lifestyle. unlike many other countries, qatar certainly has the resources !%§£2! lag-é"? "£5. ekgéz"!!! gaudy-zan— disney's new film — a wrinkle in time — the film which stars oprah winfrey and reese witherspoon is already doing well at the box office in america. what makes this film different, it's the first time a black woman has directed such a big budget film — costing more than $100 million.

but ava duvernay says for her, it's a bittersweet moment. chi chi izundu went to meet her. your father has accomplished something extraordinary. based on the 1962 fantasy novel, a wrinkle in time tells the story of a young teenage girl whose scientist father goes missing at its down to her to find him and save the universe. and the only one who can find him and save the universe. and the only one seeki?§ us | the! find him and save the universe. and the only one seeki?§ us box g in at number one office. start over! in at number one is that marvel epic black panther which has just surpassed the $1 billion mark worldwide. plus, it's the first time in history that two black directors with budgets over $100 million have ever taken the top

two spots at the box office. something that ava duvernay, the director, has described as. people should have had these opportunities but hollywood didn't give them to them. because hollywood decided to give media opportunities, it doesn't have anything to do with me, it has to do with the time. it's bittersweet that it's happening in 2018. do you think hollywood's changed towards people of colour being at the forefront and centre of film? changing. changed means it has been done but it is changing. that hope is turning into a reality. since the start of her career, ava duvernay has insisted on a diverse cast and crew. something that actors are now including in their

contracts. we are seeing now, we love you back. if you are southeast asian, black, filipino, we have everybody in this film. we want the film to love everyone. they can see a bit of themselves in the film. a wrinkle in time saves nine. a hanoi street food cafe has been preserved in a glass cabinet. a former us president barack obama and the chef anthony dodin ate there in 2016. the restaurant owners decided to turn it into an exhibit to satisfy curious customers. i don't know whether to believe them but they insist that the plates were washed before going on display. a reminder of our top story, a midnight deadline set by the british

government for moscow to explain how a nerve agent was made in russia has passed. those are the main headlines. hello there. plenty to talk about in the weather story for the remainder of this week. we closed out yesterday in the south—west with a beautiful sunset. however, u nfortu nately, that's the place today where we will see some of the wettest and windiest weather courtesy of an area of low pressure moving in from the atlantic. it is bringing quite a lot of heavy rain and gale force winds to parts of portugal and spain. this low will sit out in the atlantic and influence the story for the next few days to come. good news, a southerly wind will bring milder air across the country so if you managed to escape the rain and get sunshine, it will feel quite pleasant. quite a west—east divide with our weather today. central and eastern areas seeing the best of the sunshine and further west will see increasing

and strengthening winds and rain, some turning heavy as we move through the middle of the day. gale force gusts through the isles of scilly, up into cornwall and affecting south wales as well. eventually, we will see the rain pushing steadily northwards into lunchtime into northern ireland and western fringes of scotland. there is a level of uncertainty as to how far inland that frontal system will turn as we go through wednesday but central and eastern areas should state dry, bright and sunny. we should see highs peaking at 1a which will feel quite pleasant with the sun. moving into thursday, we still keep the winds across the south—west noticeably and a weather front making slow progress north and east. behind it, sunny spells and scattered showers. some could be heavy and possibly thundery. we keep the mild air down to the south but things are starting to change into the north—east. as we move into friday, more of an easterly breeze driving in a few showers and these will turn wintry to higher ground chiefly on friday but milder air still sits over england and wales for one more day at least. as we move out of friday

and into saturday, under the influence of high pressure yet again, into scandinavia, and circulating around that high, we will continue to see that easterly wind returning. not quite as extreme as last time but nevertheless it will be noticeably colder as we head into the weekend and there is a risk of snow showers falling at lower levels across eastern parts of england through the day. it is worth bearing in mind as we head into the weekend, there is the potential to see the return of some snow which could cause some issues. keep watching the weather forecast. we will firm up on those details. take care. this is bbc news.

the headlines: russia has ignored a midnight deadline, set by the british government to explain how a nerve agent, thought to be russian made, was used to poison a former spy and his daughter. sergei and yulia skripal remain in a critical condition in hospital. moscow continues to deny any involvement in the attack. us secretary of state rex tillerson has made his first statement since being sacked by president trump, conspicuously failing to thank his boss, or praise his policies. the president told reporters that he and america's top diplomat had a "different mindset" on key issues, including the iran nuclear deal. the gulf state of qatar is set to introduce a sugar tax after health surveys showed that 70% of qataris were overweight or obese — almost double the global average. the government's taking action to try to get people to lose weight and it's also set to start screening adults for diabetes. now on bbc news — tuesday in parliament.