this is bbc news. the headlines: police say several people have been killed after a pedestrian bridge collapses onto traffic in florida. as the prime minister visits salisbury, scene of the nerve—gas poisoning, mrs may's allies show their support for her sanctions against russia. we do hold russia culpable for this brazen, brazen act and despicable act that's taken place on the streets of what is such a remarkable city. russia denies any involvement, as france, germany and the united statesjoin britain to condemn the attack. tests on a door from grenfell tower show it was only fire resistant for half the time it was meant to be. thousands flee the syrian enclave of eastern ghouta as government forces intensify their attacks on the rebel—held area. also ahead this hour. thousands of students take part in the bbc‘s school report.

this year's project focuses on fake news. good evening and welcome to bbc news. police in florida say a number of people have died after a pedestrian bridge collapsed onto a highway in miami. eight people were taken to hospital. eight vehicles are trapped under the bridge. emergency services are at the scene. according to local media, the 950 tonne bridge, at florida's international university, was only installed last saturday to connect the university to a student housing area. in the last half an hour emergency services have been updating the media. at 130 this afternoon we received a

call from a collapsed bridge and our units responded to find eight tracked vehicles under the bridge and at this time we have transported eight victims to the hospitals. we have many, over 100 firefighters technically trained, technical rescue specialists, working on the area on the bridge to try and find viable victims. 0ne eyewitness, gabriela collazo, posted on twitter shortly after the bridge fell. we can hear her talking as she filmed the scene. we're casually... a worker was on top of it. you know, living. the bridge collapsed out of nowhere. they're helping workers. pulling them out. there's definitely people stuck under. eighth street is

going to be shutdown. this is crazy. god bless everyone involved. i hope everyone comes out as safe as possible. that was an eyewitness recording at the scene. bbc mundo‘s luis fujadojoins me now from our miami studio. we spoke an hour ago and when we we re we spoke an hour ago and when we were talking you told us about the immediate reaction and we have now had more details from the emergency services about the operation. what have they had to say? they continue to look for possible survivors and there is more testimony from people at the scene. apparently many drivers were stopping at a red light at the precise moment when the bridge fell, and it could have fallen without any kind of notice, it fell suddenly, and authorities insist they are looking for survivors. much of the discussion in

miami is moving fast to the issue of who is to blame, because this was a brand—new bridge and had only been set up at the weekend and it was touted as a special bridge with very fast construction, setup over because of one week, and now questions being asked how that was done and any possible link to what happened today. various eyewitnesses have spoken to your colleagues at the same, saying it sounded like a bomb exploding. —— at the scene. one woman said she walked under it moments before it gave way. the irony is that the bridge was designed to make it saferfor irony is that the bridge was designed to make it safer for people to get across the road. exactly. the bridge was built to a state university in florida, the international university, this had become an issue in miami because

there have been incidents of people being struck by traffic so the city government and the university had made a big deal about how this bridge was going to make the situation safer, and the irony of the situation they are facing now... some good news, at least one person was rescued unharmed from the rubble, but we are still waiting to know what happened to the other victims. for now, thanks forjoining us. victims. for now, thanks forjoining us. i know you will keep us updated. the united states, germany and france have backed britain's conclusion that russia carried out an attack on a former russian spy in england earlier this month. the four countries jointly condemned russia, saying it was the first offensive use of a nerve agent in europe since the second world war. they've called on moscow to make a full disclosure to the international organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons. russia rejects the claims. president putin has met with his security council,

which expressed grave concern over what it called britain's destructive and provocative position. james landale reports. this was theresa may's first visit to salisbury since the nerve agent attack. a chance to be briefed by the police and public health experts, but also a chance to meet and reassure members of the public, whose lives have been so disrupted. the spirit of those that live here has been fantastic. she visited the scene of the attack on the former russian intelligence officer and his daughter 11 days ago. the restaurant where they ate. the park bench, under a tent, where they were found. the prime minister thanked some of the police officers who first responded to the call. thank you, what you did is what the police do day in and day out. you go to a routine call, you don't know what you'll find. then at the local hospital she met and thanked detective sergeant nick bailey, who is still recovering

from exposure to the nerve agent. russia, she said, was guilty of a brazen and despicable attack. she expelled 23 of its diplomats, but was ready to do more. there are other measures we're looking at. and if we face further provocation there are other measures we can deploy. what is important in the international arena, and we have taken this into nato, the united nations and we will be taking it into the european union, is that allies are standing alongside us. that came in a joint statement from the leaders of britain, france, germany and the us, blaming russia for what they called an assault on uk sovereignty. i spoke with the prime minister and we are in deep discussions, a very sad situation, and it looks

like the russians were behind it. something that should never, ever happen and we are taking it very seriously, as i think are many others. the joint statement is significant because it shows the foreign office and downing street are convincing britain's allies that the salisbury attack is different, that it represents an escalation of russia's hostile behaviour. and, as such, those allies are ready to crank up the pressure on moscow. that diplomacy continued today in brussels, where british security officials briefed nato allies. the head of the alliance said russia had clearly breached international agreements. it is very important to express strong, political support to the united kingdom, sending a clear message that the united kingdom is not alone. we stand together with them. in moscow, president putin discussed the salisbury case with his ministers, who denied russia or the soviet union had ever run a novichok nerve

agent programme and promised to respond soon to the expulsion of its diplomats. the porton down military research laboratory, which identified the nerve agent, is to get an extra £48 million infunding. ministers confirmed it would provide a sample to the chemical watchdog. ministers, whose diplomacy is not extending to russia. if you are a nation and another nation has launched a nerve agent attack on your people, we have every right to tell russia to shut up and go away. meanwhile, this afternoon near salisbury, the investigation continued with the army recovering a carfrom a village near the home of detective sergeant nick bailey. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 1040 this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight are martin bentham, home affairs editor at the london evening standard, and jason beattie, head of politics at the daily mirror.

the crown prosecution service has ruled out a further review of the death of poppi worthington , the 13 month—old girl who died in barrow—in—furness in december 2012. a coroner concluded in january she had been sexually assaulted by her father, paul worthington, hours before she died of asphyxia. he denies any wrongdoing. a man who stabbed to death his ex—partner‘s daughter at an aldi supermarket has been jailed for at least 30 years. neville hord pleaded guilty to murdering 30—year—old mother jodie willsher in skipton, north yorkshire, four days before christmas. hord was told he may never be released. the police investigation into the deaths of 71 people

who died in the grenfell tower blaze have revealed that a fire door taken from the building has failed a fire test. it held back flames forjust 15 minutes. it should have held them back for 30. survivors of the fire have called the revelations ‘shocking'. tom symonds reports. could what happened here be the result of corporate manslaughter? that is what the police are investigating. highly technical work, including the test of a door from a grenfell flat. one that was undamaged in the fire. in this standard test, heat is applied to one side and the door must hold for 30 minutes. here, there's some smoke, but this door easily passes the test. the sample from grenfell lasted 15 minutes. the police informed the government, which has consulted its own experts. the response... there is no change to fire safety advice that the public should follow. i, nevertheless, fully appreciate that this news will be troubling for many people, not least all those affected by the grenfell tragedy. that is why, based on expert advice,

we have begun the process of conducting further tests and we will continue to consult with the expert panel to identify the implications of these further tests. this picture is from before the fire. flats appear to have had a variety of doors, but they were fairly new. the doors were replaced in 2012, not as part as the major refurbishment of grenfell tower. after that work there was a safety inspection. the investigators will want to know were the doors properly assessed? for the survivors, understanding why it happened is vital. it's very important for grenfell survivors and the bereaved families to feel that we can honour the memory of those who have died. one way we can bring justice is to make sure that regulations and progressive policies ensure that people feel safe in their homes once again and that means tightening the regulations. but those questions will come later. for now, this is still the scene of a criminal investigation. tom symonds, bbc news, at grenfell tower. thousands of people are fleeing

syria's rebel held enclave of eastern ghouta, as government forces step up their offensive. doctors there have sent out desperate messages saying they are overwhelmed by the number of casualties. president assad's forces have now retaken large parts of eastern ghouta, the last rebel stronghold near the capital damascus. 0ur middle east editor jeremy bowen's report contains some distressing scenes. thousands of people are fleeing parts of eastern ghouta, going into an uncertain future that looks better now than the deadly present. these are the people who have spent weeks hiding in basements from the shelling. eastern ghouta is a big area and this isn't happening everywhere. many tens of thousands are still besieged. this was filmed by 0mar, a cameraman who gives his material to the bbc. the attack happened outside his building.

a small boy was caught up in it. he is deaf, so he hadn't heard warnings to take cover. 0mar, the cameraman, worried the boy would bleed to death and told us the eight minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive were the worst he had endured since the battle for eastern ghouta had began. 0mar carried him to the ambulance where he was squeezed in next to the bodies of the dead. 0mar has seen a lot of death. he said the boy was a soul he wanted to save. we have been following dr amani, a paediatrician in an underground hospital, who spends every day with the wounded and the dying. in that place, they are all fighting fear, where regime soldiers are advancing into eastern ghouta. dr amani sent a message. translation: it is the worst it

has been for many days, the shelling is brutal, bombs, rockets, all kinds of weapons. this may be my last message. the injured are everywhere, the operating theatres are full of wounded people. we don't have enough doctors to help them and our own homes are being shelled. a small amount of aid is being brought into eastern ghouta. all the talk of a humanitarian ceasefire is being ignored. this war started seven years ago. its horror goes on. jeremy bowen, bbc news. sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. we begin with tonight's europa league action from the emirates as arsenal look to take their place in the quarter finals — they host ac milan in their second

leg of their last 16 tie. arsenal had a 2—0 lead. ac milan took the lead. danny welbeck equalised from the penalty spot. it is still 1—1. aaron ramsey is in the arsenal side tonight for that match against milan but he was a notable absentee in ryan giggs' first squad as wales manager. ramsey will undergo minor surgery during the international break. there were a number of surprise names in gareth southgate's squad for england's upcoming friendlies against the netherlands and italy. burnley‘s solid season has been rewarded with call ups for defender james tarkowski and keeper nick pope. bournemouth midfielder cook has been called up for the second time — you may remember he helped england's u20 squad lift the world cup last year.

manchester united's ashley young and arsenal midfielderjack wilshere return to the fold as southgate takes another look at his options ahead of this summer's world cup. west ham games will have increased security in place after last weekend's crowd trouble in the game against burnley. an emergency meeting took place after the incidents last weekend which involved the captain mark noble at one stage wrestling a supporter to the ground. the club have warned any more incidents could lead to a closure of the stadium. —— have been warned. rugby and head coach eddiejones has rung the changes for england's six nations meeting with already crowned champions ireland — who are bidding for their third grand slam. fly—half george ford has been dropped with owen farrell moving to ten instead. dylan hartley returns to captain the side. while scrum—half danny care and forwardsjoe launchbury and dan cole all drop out of the starting 15 as england look

to avoid a third straight defeat. not much change for the ireland squad — just one in fact as ulster‘s iain henderson comes in to replace devin toner. peter o'mahony, rob kearney and cian healy have all shaken off injuries to take their places in the squad. and warren gatland has brought dan biggar back at fly—half for wales as they aim for a second—place finish in this year's championship. he takes over from gareth anscombe, who drops to the bench. it was a good day for the irish trainers at cheltenham, winning six of the seven races. penhill — ridden by paul townend — won the big race of the day, the stayers hurdle. the 12—to—1 shot saw off the challenge of supasundae to become the sixth win at this year's festival for trainer willie mullins. mullins later had another success to become the leading cheltenham festival trainer overall with 61 victories. when you start training in ireland

you want to get one winner in cheltenham and you don't ever dream you will become the leading horse trainer at cheltenham ever so this comes as a huge surprise but i'm delighted. tiger woods has continued his comeback today at the arnold palmer invitational. woods has been in fine form and this putt on the 7th was one of a number of highlights from his li—under par 68. it leaves him joint second behind the overall leaderjimmy walker. but it's been a while since we've seen a smile like that from the former world number one. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in sportsday at 1030. thanks. it's not just thanks. it's notjust tiger woods who has a great smile, holly also has one, and now we are going to talk about happiness. it is about which country has topped the list for happiness. this light show

should make it clear to you that people in finland are the happiest on earth, toppling their neighbours norway from the top spot, but i'm sure the norwegians are keeping cheerful enough, being at number two. those are the top five nations and by all roughly in the same part of the world. economic factors, life expectancy and freedom of expression are all part of the criteria, as well as the happiness of new immigrants. as for the united states and the uk, i'm afraid we feature at 18th and 19th cases respectively. we can now speak to petra, the secretary—general of the finland promotion board. shejoins us from helsinki. i hope you are feeling especially happy at the outcome of this survey, what is it down to?”

am, i'm surprised. we are always surprised when we make these world rankings, we can't believe it. we start to think about what is still missing, what is there to improve on, and that is the basic feeling in finland, people are surprised and thinking, but we're not perfect, there is so much more to do. we were trying to dig out a few facts, there are enough steam rooms for every couple of people, there are other things, people might know about the move means, but there are other factors which mike catt against a sense of happiness, like the long dark winter nights —— which might count against a sense of happiness will stop you can also enjoy those.

the nordic geographical position is not about imagining ways of surviving that situation, we actually enjoy them, so there are things you can do in the wintertime and in the dark that is usually fine. it is notjust about functionality but also about having fun. there is the perception in more chaotic parts of the world like >> studio: -- that chaotic parts of the world like >> studio: —— that countries like finland and sweden are a bit too clinical and functional, but this would suggest that your country and others in scandinavia really do know how to let your hair down. others in scandinavia really do know how to let your hair downlj others in scandinavia really do know how to let your hair down. i think so. how to let your hair down. i think so. happiness stems from the fact you need to have those important things in order, the big things, education and health, strong democratic institutions, but in the end you need is to have fun and you

need to have a lifestyle you can enjoy but in order to enjoy that lifestyle you need to have the important things in life in place. what makes you happiest? personally, thatis what makes you happiest? personally, that is my cabin next to a lie, and that is my cabin next to a lie, and that goes for many people, the place where they feel happiest, at their summer where they feel happiest, at their summer cabin next to the sea and next to the lake. that sounds like a very good recipe for happiness will stop many people would like to aspire to that. petra, thanks for joining us. enjoy your happiness. thank you very much. a financial crisis at northamptonshire county council has become so serious that it should be abolished — according to a government report. it says that living within budget constraints is not part of the council's culture and northamptonshire now needs a new start. the leader of the council has resigned. the anglo—dutch consumer

company unilever, the third biggest firm in the uk, has denied brexit is a factor in its decision to base its new headquarters in rotterdam, rather than london. unilever, which makes staples such as marmite and hellmann‘s mayonnaise, insists it's fully committed to its british operations. today is news day for the bbc‘s annual school report. bbc london has been working with a sixth form student from romford. she wanted to explore if better education in schools around knife crime, could help to reduce the number of young people getting involved. 18—year—old abbianca has this report. hello, i'm abbianca. sixth form student at draper's academy, in harold hill. i want to explore the ways in which the education system can this issue is very close to my heart because in 2016, i lost a dearfriend of mine who was a victim of knife crime.

i went to scotland yard to speak to a senior police detective, who deals with knife crime on a daily basis. i asked him if he thought schools should have compulsory lessons on this issue. what to think about this, do you think this can make a difference? i think it would make a difference, i think we need to change the messaging. we've been saying for some time that police on their own are not going to arrest or enforce their way out of this. we need some answers and we need to ask the right questions, so let's get into our communities, younger people. here i am back at my school, drapers' academy where i'll be interviewing head of sixth form and some students on the issue of tackling knife crime. some people may carry knives for protection, especially because there's other teenagers carrying knives anyway. when community centres are shutdown and therefore, the youth clubs that were held in them get people getting bored and therefore joining gangs because they don't have the group where they could have gone to. if i'm being honest, schools don't really teach about knife crime that much.

my first talk was in year 12, i was 16 when i had my first talk about knife crime. do you think that these lessons will make a difference and have an impact on the younger generation? i'm not convinced. i think people who are attracted to gangs and attracted to carrying knives, they've kind of fallen out of the education system. there isn't one solution to tackling knife crime, but from my interviews, it seems that changes in the education system could possibly contribute to reduce knife crime. abbianca, bbc school report. we have a quick update on the nerve agent attack on salisbury, 46 people went to the local hospital but none have been detained with symptoms from the attack. and now we can have a look at the weather forecast. we

have seen a number of winter storms battering the east of the united states and some have proven very problematic with a lot of travel disruption and very heavy snow, and the latest storm has brought similar to new england, canada, and also boston. slowly easing down through friday, the very strong north—westerly wind adding to the wind—chill, and across the central plains another area of low pressure developing and that will move into the north east as we had through the weekend. it will count of the cold airand weekend. it will count of the cold air and produce yet another winter storm. across the west coast we have much—needed rain from california, areas of low pressure moving from the pacific. snow to the higher ground. the pacific northwest will stay fine and dry, like spring, further showers for san francisco, temperatures with some sunshine in new york but also snow as we head

into monday and tuesday with the next winter storm. south east asia, temperatures above the seasonal average, but the weather front has moved through, bringing heavy rain, exiting japan by the time we reach saturday, temperatures falling back to single figures in beijing and shanghai which had times into the low 20s —— which had temperatures. it will be turning cooler in shanghai next week. if you are heading down under, towards the northern territory into darwin, some travel disruption, we are looking at a possible formation of a tropical cyclone which will bring a lot of rainfall and we could see some significant flooding. we had a tropical storm brushed past the queensland coast in the last few days, they will be heavy rain, but the new zealand we have lost the heavy rain and it will be fine and

dry, plenty of sunshine. the same can't be said about europe, we have this weather front moving north and east, bringing heavy rain to italy and the adriatic, into the balkans. catching some very cold air which is pouring out of western russia and that will head into our direction, pretty heavy snow over parts of poland and eastern germany as we had through friday but the cold air will begin to head through the course of the weekend. notice the dark blue colours. into the low countries, denmark, scandinavia, and then to the uk, the easterly winds will be very brisk and cold and they could introduce snow so keep watching the weather forecast. this is bbc world news america.

reporting from washington, i'm jane o'brien. president trump joins the international chorus in blaming moscow for the poisoning of a russian spy. he also has new problems from the mueller probe. a bridge collapses in miami killing several people at a local university. we'll have the latest from the scene. and, it's all smiles in finland. why the nordic nation is ranked the happiest country on earth. welcome to our viewers on public television here in america, and also around the globe. the us hasjoined france, germany and the uk in a joint statement demanding that russia explain the use of a military grade