i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines — the usjoins britain in blaming russia for last week's nerve agent attack. at the united nations, its ambassador demands action. the credibility of this council will not survive if we fail to hold russia accountable. moscow, again, denies any involvement in the attack. translation: we demand that material proof be provided over the allegedly found russian trace in this high—resonance event. i'm sharanjit leyl in london. also in the programme — iam very i am very proud and i have been able to contribute to our understanding of the universe. the world pays tribute to visionary physicist stephen hawking who's died at the age of 76. and 10 plastic particles per litre —

growing concerns over many brands of bottled water. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 9am in singapore, iam in london and 9pm in new york where britain requested an emergency meeting of the united nations security council to discuss the use of a nerve agent to poison a russian spy and his daughter. the british ambassador said it was a reckless act and said russia was to blame. earlier in london, british prime minister theresa may went to parliament to say what she planned to do about it. it's the most dramatic action against moscow in 30 years. our political editor laura kuenssberg has more.

it was right to offer russia the opportunity to provide an explanation. but their response has demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events. the midnight deadline came and went, leaving a morning with no new answers. theresa may went prepared to prime minister's questions, ready to announce the biggest diplomatic action against russia since the cold war. they have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent in europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance. so, mr speaker, there is no alternative conclusion, other than that the russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of mr skripal and his daughter. this represents an unlawful use of force by the russian state against the united kingdom. so the uk will retaliate. the united kingdom will now expel 23 russian diplomats who have been identified

as undeclared intelligence officers. they have just one week to leave. this was notjust an act of attempted murder in salisbury, norjust an act against uk. it is an affront to the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons, and it is an affront to the rules—based system, on which we and our international partners depend. so, 23 diplomats suspected of being spies have seven days to leave, all high—level contact between the uk and russia is also being suspended, and no minister or member of the royal family will go to the world cup. and some russian state assets could be frozen with possible new laws to crack down on hostile states. anger displayed in westminster that this is happening on british streets. in dorset today, the lorry that

removed the skripals‘ car, seized. in salisbury, the bench where father and daughter were found, still sealed off. while the prime minister makes her opening moves in a diplomatic tangle that could last. while britain's allies have offered support, russia has dismissed prime minister's may‘s words as a political show. speaking at a political show. speaking at a political debate in new york, the russian ambassador denied russia's involvement in the attack. translation: we were given an ultimatum and requested in 2a hours to admit that we committed a crime. in other words, confess. we do not speak the language of ultimatums. we do not use that language with anyone, and we will not allow it to be spoken to in that language either. we demand that material proof be provided over the allegedly

found russian trace in this high resonance event. also making news today, the syrian army has continued its advance on eastern ghouta, entering a key rebel—held town. the syrian government has been trying to capture the area, which is the last big opposition—held area near damascus, in a fierce offensive that began in mid—february. the european parliament has said they had held talks to end the nuclear programme. the group said it met senior officials 14 times over the last three years and plans another meeting in brussels in the near future. a democrat has claimed victory in a congressional race in western pennsylvania. the strong showing by the former marine, conor lamb, in a district donald trump won by nearly 20 points in 2016, could set the tone for november's us mid—term polls. and in sport, the spanish football giants, barcelona, have booked their place in the last

eight of europe's most prestigious competition, the champions league. they beat chelsea 3—0. tributes have been pouring in from around the world for the renowned physicist professor stephen hawking who's died at the age of 76. famous for his work on black holes and relativity, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1964. over the subsequent decades, he shaped modern cosmology. david shukman looks back at a remarkable life and career. there is nothing like the eureka moment of discovering something that no—one knew before. stephen hawking had a gift for inspiration, a powerful spirit overcoming an ailing body to allow a mind to roam through the cosmos. it earned him a place as the most famous scientist in the world. it has been a glorious time

to be alive and doing research in theoretical physics. who else could draw crowds like this? the man who gazed at the stars became one himself. his story both poignant and uplifting. his career involved concepts so alien and complicated that for most people it's been a struggle to keep up. but he explored the strangest of features of the universe, black holes, drawing together the science of the very largest things in space with the science of the very small — part of a quest to come up with a single theory for the universe. he made these incredibly original insights, which set up the modern theory of black holes, and made great contributions to cosmology, and so he was a huge figure. i was devastated, really upset. i'd only met him a couple of times, but he had a real impact on my life.

and i think it is the passing of a great scientist. he will be truly, sorely missed. even as a young student, his intelligence stood out, but at just that moment, he was given a warning that motor neurone disease would cut his life short. when i was diagnosed at 21, i was told it would kill me in two or three years. but somehow, he kept going. in a high—tech wheelchair and with a synthesised voice. i am happier now than before i developed the condition. communicating first by touch, then by twitching a single muscle in his cheek — a daunting burden for anyone. his children saw him as an example. people who've lived in really extreme circumstances seem to find something very, very inspirational in his example of perseverance and persistence and his kind of ability to rise above his suffering and still want to communicate at a higher level. life was never straightforward. his first marriage ended in divorce,

as did a second marriage to one of his nurses. claims had emerged that he'd been physically abused. the case was dropped for lack of evidence. none of this held him back. his book, a brief history of time, sold at least 10 million copies and everyone has wanted to meet him. from the pope in the vatican... good evening, ma'am. ..to the queen... nice to see you again. ..to barack obama, who awarded him a presidential medal of honor. his fame reached far beyond the world of science. your theory of a doughnut—shaped universe is intriguing, homer. i may have to steal it. wow. even appearing in the simpsons. i didn't say that. homer imitating hawking: yes, i did! in an episode of star trek, he was given the chance to tease isaac newton. not the apple story again! astounding to think the lord created all this in just seven days. incorrect. it took 13.8 million years. let's not get bogged down in all that again! more recently, he was happy

to play along for comic relief. he had real a sense of adventure, even attempting a zero gravity flight. as you can imagine, i am very excited. i have been wheelchair—bound for almost four decades and the chance to float free in zero g will be wonderful. even braving a zero gravity flight. tim berners—lee, founder of the world wide web tweeted: and nasa said... if you reverse time, then the universe is getting smaller. all right. eddie redmayne played stephen hawking in the film the theory of everything and today said, "we've lost

a truly beautiful mind." a scientist who delved into the weird realm of black holes achieved something remarkable. it touched a global audience. professor stephen hawking who's died at the age of 76. defence lawyers for the two women accused of the murder of kim jong—nam, the estranged half—brother of north korean leader kim jong—un, has told a malaysian court that the police's investigation was "shoddy" and could result in an unfair trial. kim was poisoned at kuala lumpur‘s international airport in february last year. the two women deny the charges and say they thought they were appearing in a tv show. our correspondentjonathan head in bangkok has been following the trial. i think what is really coming clear is how limited the police case is. you have two remember, and that is what is bizarre about this case,

everybody had hoped that the trial would unravel all the unknown threats of this mystery, particularly the role of the north korean government, which seems to be very clear given the known agents who were connected to these women. the prosecution and one presumes that the government supports this has chosen not to try to explore the role of north korea at all. they are focused solely on these and trying to persuade the court that the women knew they were carrying the deadly nerve agent vx, that they were responsible for wilful murder. that case the defence says is falling apart. among the witnesses that have been brought the prosecution, they rely very heavily on just one chief investigating officer and he has been cross—examined by the defence time and again, exposing holes in the evidence he does have in a security camera footage for example from the airport, saying there is a lot we haven't seen, there are gaps in the timelapse, we don't really have proof of what the women do

apart from a brief glimpse of the women going up behind him and wiping something on him. in this latest hearing, the fact that there is clear evidence from witnesses that lease had not honoured to interview in vietnam that the vietnamese woman was actually recruited two months before and carried out practice pranks, very strong evidence that indeed she did leave she was taking pa rt indeed she did leave she was taking part in some kind of video show. and, really, the more we hearfrom the cross examiner of the prosecution, the more baffling it is that they haven't been able to present a stronger case. you mentioned before known people that fled interpol list with warrants for their arrest issued last year. we don't know where they are at the moment. willjustice ever be served in this case? i doubt it very much. i think that is a reality malaysia is having to confront. the problem

is having to confront. the problem is that very early on in this case, the malaysia government decided simply not to mention the north korean government's role. it has only been mentioned once by the prime minister. they focused on the crime itself, they focus very angrily on the north korean reaction when they accuse them of politicising the investigation. malaysians were held hostage in north korea. that was the point at which three north korean is held in malaysia were released. again, one of those people we think may have been a key person, it may have been this man who create —— recruited the indonesian. he wasn't even interviewed. the police investigating officer said we didn't interview him because we didn't have orders to do it. two others who have a much more minor role in the embassy were allowed to leave. before that left on the day of the killing who played a key role will not even really clear about their

identities. the prosecution is saying they are to make people known as james, saying they are to make people known asjames, and saying they are to make people known as james, and there seems to be some confusion in our minds about which one was actually the james who recruited the indonesian. there is a huge amount of confusion that has been allowed to get into the prosecution's case, and everyone knows those agents in north korea and there is no doubt the north korean government will co—operate and find out what their role was. jonathan head in bangkok speaking earlier to sharanjit. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: what's in our bottled water? a special investigation discovers hundreds, even thousands of tiny particles of plastic in a number of leading brands. also coming up: a month after the florida school shooting students in the us walked out of their classrooms to demand tighter gun control is. —— controls.

caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was on the podium in the middle of the cabinet here. it was an international trophy and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search. above all, this was a chance for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible and that is what the voters wanted. this is newsday on the bbc.

i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm sharanjit leyl in london. our top stories: the us says it agrees with britain that russia was behind the nerve agent attack that poisoned a former spy and his daughter on uk soil. russia has dismissed the allegation. the world has paid tribute to professor stephen hawking, the world famous physicist and author, who's died at the age of 76. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the philippine star online, and president duterte's plans to take his country out of the international criminal court. last month, the icc began examining alleged crimes committed during the president's controversial crackdown on drugs. to the front page of the south china morning post, and an indication ofjust how popular the late stephen hawking was in china.

his book, a brief history of time, was one of china's the biggest selling translated books. when he visited china in 2006, state media compared his appeal to that of hollywood superstar tom cruise. and in the straits times, a warning that fake news could be singapore's biggest threat. a government hearing was told this would apply especially to foreign powers who want to attack singapore but cannot do so using military means those other top stories of leading publications around the world. sharanjit, what stories ask barking discussions online? —— asked

barking. —— are sparking. yes, let's looks at what is trending right now. the start—up company nectome has said that it will one day be capable of scanning the human brain and preserving it, and perhaps running a deceased person's mind as a computer simulation. but the company admits that the process of backing—up your brain will come with the ultimate price, death. nectome told a science journal that their product is 100% fatal. the teenager accused of the parkland school shooting in florida has appeared in court charged with 17 counts of pre—meditated murder. the deaths have inspired young people across the united states to take action to demand tighter gun safety laws. on wednesday thousands of them walked out of their classrooms to stage a 17—minute protest to represent each of those who were killed. here's our north america editorjon sopel. all chant: hey-hey, ho-ho, the nra has got to go! the last time we saw children pouring out of school, it was with their hands up in terror after the florida shooting. today, they came out across america,

but this time with fists clenched, demanding change on gun control. what do we want?! all chant: gun control! when do we want it?! all chant: now! in washington at 10am on a bracing cold morning, with their backs turned on the white house, these students fell silent for 17 minutes, a minute for each of the people who died at the marjory stoneman douglas school in florida last month. cheering and applause there's no doubting the extraordinary success these young people have had in changing the whole terms of debate on the subject of gun control in america. their problem is that the man who lives on the other side of that fence seems to have got cold feet. all chant: hey-hey, ho-ho, the nra has got to go! when donald trump met youngsters from the florida school at the white house, he seemed to offer his support for tougher gun control measures, like raising to 21 the age at which you can buy a rifle. and he later chided lawmakers for being frightened of the national rifle association.

some of you people are petrified of the nra. you can't be petrified. but he's now backed off those proposals and so young people are intensifying their campaign. we want them to pass common—sense gun laws. common—sense gun reform. we want to see a ban on assault rifles. background checks, everything. we don't want to be scared in school. it should be our safest institution. we are tired of being scared. we want actual change. we want it to happen with this protest. all: this is what democracy looks like! this is a curtain raiser to a mass demonstration in washington in ten days' time. they're a long way from getting what they want, but the power of youth protest has got them further than anyone could have imagined. and they are not in any mood to surrender. all chant: never again! jon sopel, bbc news, washington. scientists have discovered tiny particles of plastic in bottled drinking water. research commissioned byjournalists at 0rb media studied more than 250 bottles of water from 11 brands. some bottles had no particles,

but others had hundreds or even thousands of particles, some the width of a human hair. food safety experts say the levels of plastic found do not make the water unsafe. they are calling for more research. david shukman has the details. bottles of water are feature of everyday life around the world. new tests commissioned byjournalists from 0rb media have discovered something unexpected — tiny particles of plastic in the water. at this laboratory in new york state, tests were carried out on over 250 bottles. a special kind of dye was added that's known to stick to pieces to pieces of plastic. under certain wavelengths of light they sparkle like stars in the night sky. on an average per litre there were ten large particles, each larger than the width of a typical human hair and confirmed as being plastic.

smaller particles were also found. on average, 314 per litre. they weren't confirmed but were probably plastic. at the moment there are no rules covering these microplastics or any agreed way of checking for them. it's an indication that we should be concerned. it's not catastrophic. but it is concerning. especially if you look at them, if you're drinking only bottled water and do this every day over a year, you know, you are literally talking thousands of pieces of plastic that you are ingesting just from the water you were drinking. we contacted all the companies involved. nestle told us that today they have not found microplastic compounds beyond the trace level in their product. danone, which owns evian, said of the study that the methodology is unclear. and that there were no rules on microplastics. coca—cola, that makes dasani,

said the micro plastics seem to be everywhere and may be found at minute levels, even in highly treated products. this is the first time that bottled water has been tested for plastic on this scale. 11 different brands bought in 19 countries. and in almost every case, researchers have found plastic. what does this mean for our health? the food standards agency says it is unlikely the microplastics could cause harm. but the world health organization now wants to review the evidence and scientists say more research is needed. as we become more aware of the prevalence of microplastics, and the potential harm that they might cause, i think we need to start thinking now about how we can reduce those imputs so we're not stoking up a huge problem for the future. the advice is that bottled water is far safer where water supplies are dirty.

but this study raises questions about where plastic can end up and about where plastic can end up and about whether the tiniest pieces can affect our health. david shukman, bbc news, in new york state. you have been watching newsday. i'm rico hizon in singapore. stay with us. changing of the guard. we'll take a look at tv commentator lawrence kudlow, who becomes donald trump's top economic advisor after gary cohn. but does this solve the disagreement over tariffs? and before we go, a reminder of our top story. britain has told the un security council that russia has violated the convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons by attacking a former russian double agent on its soil. russia has dismissed the allegation. that's all for now, stay with bbc world news. britain has expelled some 23 russian diplomats, and they've been given a week to leave. that's it for now. stay with us on bbc news. hello there.

1a degrees yesterday in london. a0 millimetres of rain in northern ireland. those were the contrasts that we had. together with the rain in the west, we also had some quite strong wind as well. now, the rain is going to be moving, it starts as rain over the next few days and then it turns colder. we get an easterly wind just in time for the weekend. that's when it really feels cold. we may get some snow showers for england and wales. this is where we are, though, at the moment. this weather front here is moving its way a bit further north and east across the uk. stronger winds ahead of that weather front, lighter winds developing further south, and we should get some sunshine as well. still some rain for northern ireland on thursday morning and that moves through the midlands away from the south—east of england, heading towards southern scotland and northern england. perhaps a bit of wintriness over the mountains. sunshine to the south and we get sharp showers. possibly thundery. 12 or 13 degrees. north of that band of rain it is quite a bit colder,

but the cold day is yet to arrive. we'll see that rain turn to sleet and snow over the high ground overnight in scotland. still some rain for the north—east of england and we could still see some sharp bands of showers pushing up across england and wales towards northern ireland. again, no frost i think early on friday morning. that wet weather in scotland increasingly wintry over the high ground. some heavy, perhaps thundery showers in a band moving across northern england, running into the back of that wet weather and bringing more rain to northern ireland. heavy showers again developing to the south where we will get sunshine. contrasting temperatures again north and south across the uk. over the weekend, we get into the same boat. high pressure blocking things off across scandinavia and around it we pick up an easterly wind. there will be a significant windchill as well. especially across england and wales, where we will have the strongest of the wind. perhaps not too many snow showers, actually, on saturday. there could be some on friday night, but most places will be dry on saturday.

you will notice, however, the temperatures significantly lower. remember 12 or 13, perhaps, across the south on friday. four or five at best, and further north one or two celsius. that area of high pressure still around the northern part of the uk on saturday. stronger winds to the south. we could get as spell of snow overnight and especially near channel, the southernmost counties of england. that pulls through and then we'll probably find a few more snow showers, again more likely across england and wales. most of scotland and northern ireland will be dry and it is not quite as windy here but it will still be cold one sunday, colder than it should be. this is bbc news. our top story — the us says it agrees with britain that russia was behind the nerve agent attack that poisoned a former spy and his daughter on uk soil. moscow's ambassador to the un denied russian involvement in the attack. earlier, britain announced the expulsion of 23 russian diplomats. tributes have been paid

to the world famous scientist, stephen hawking, who popularised theoretical physics in a best—selling book, a brief history of time. he's died at the age of 76. and video of the american student gun protest is trending on bbc.com. in the us, tens of thousands of students staged a series of classroom walkouts to demand tighter gun safety laws. the protests were led by survivors of the florida school shooting in which 17 people were killed by a former student. stay with bbc news.