welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: a pedestrian bridge collapses onto a highway in miami, killing four people. we'll have the latest from florida. president trump joins the uk, france and germany in blaming moscow for the poisoning of a russian spy. as russia holds its presidential election on sunday, we find out why people in the country's "rust belt" find mr putin so popular. and in a special report we speak to syrian civilians who escaped the conflict in eastern ghouta. at least four people died when a newly built pedestrian bridge collapsed onto a highway in miami. emergency services are working to rescue those still trapped in vehicles under the bridge

which crosses one of the busiest roads in south florida. it was only put up last week and hadn't yet been opened to pedestrians. lebo diseko reports. it was built for safety. but as night fell, what was left of this bridge was the scene of a tragedy. emergency services say they are still in search and rescue made. for now. it is thought several have died, but it is not clear yet how many. we will continue to search this file until we are sure there are no other survivors. —— pile. we removed nine victims earlier on and transported them to local hospitals. once we have completed our search and rescue operations, we will remain on the scene and help with recovery efforts as well. it was just before 2pm local time when the

950 tonbridge collapsed, crashing down on the bridge —— road below crushing cars and people. —— ton bridge. it was built on saturday and was meant to get people across a six lane motorway to university. pleaded not hear much, but we heard sirens, then multiple cars crushed by the bridge. i was in the dormitory and that my uncle told me it collapsed andl that my uncle told me it collapsed and i did not believe him. it was called an instant bridge because of the fast construction method used. authorities will want to know how this structure, which was meant to be iconic, could have failed so catastrophically. investigators are being sent to the scene to try and establish what happened. meanwhile, the company that put the bridge up

says it is devastated at the loss of life and is doing everything it can to help. lebo diseko, bbc news. bbc mundo's patricia solburon is in miamifor us. you have been to the scene, patricia. what was it like when you we re patricia. what was it like when you were there? well, the neighbours, right after the bridge collapsed, they were quite nervous. some of them told me they thought it was an explosion happening because the sound was just so huge, you explosion happening because the sound wasjust so huge, you know? and we actually saw, from the beginning of this tragedy, umm, the rescue operators just going to be seen. i wasjust rescue operators just going to be seen. i was just there half an rescue operators just going to be seen. i wasjust there half an hour ago. they were still trying to get people out of the rubble. and how about people trapped in their cars? have they finished taking them out? what is the latest with the rescue operation? the authorities have not said how many people are trapped

currently under those cars. what they said is that they are going to work throughout the night with a special operations unit, with experts, on this matter, to try to get out, hopefully, survivors. and how about that bridge itself? it was only, what, erected a few days ago. it is incredible it has fallen already. yes. they called it an insta nt already. yes. they called it an instant bridge. they tested it earlier today before it collapsed. it was not supposed to be open to the public until 2019. they were doing this testing and it is a technology that they put in place in order to make the bridge in six hours. they built it in six hours on saturday. but the authorities do not know what happened. why did the bridgejust fall over know what happened. why did the bridge just fall over like that? 0k, thank you very much. patricia in miamifor us. the us hasjoined france, germany, and the uk in a joint statement demanding that russia explain the use of a military grade nerve

agent in an attack on a former russian spy in england. the us treasury department also ordered further sanctions against a number of russians for meddling in the us presidential elections. moscow denies any involvement. the british prime minister has visited the scene of the attack in salisbury, as 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 members of the public, to chat, to reassure. she visited the scene of the attack on the former russian intelligence officer sergei skripal 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. well, thank you. because what you did

is what the police do day in and day out. you go to a routine call, as you say, you don't know what you'll find, what's there. and then, at the local hospital, she met and thanked detective sergeant nick bailey, who's still recovering from exposure to the nerve agent. russia, she said, was guilty of a brazen and despicable attack. she had expelled all 23 of its diplomats, but was prepared to do more. there are other measures that we will be looking at. and if we face further provocation from russia, then there are further measures that we can deploy. but what is important in the international arena, and we have taken this into nato, into the united nations, we will be taking it into the european union, is that allies are standing alongside us. and saying this is part of a pattern of behaviour that we have seen from russia. 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. it certainly looks like the russians were behind it. something that should never, ever happen. and we're taking it very seriously, as i think are many others. thejoint statement is significant because it shows that 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 now ready to crank up the pressure on moscow. that diplomacy continued today in brussels, where british officials briefed allies about what they called russia's reckless and unlawful behaviour. in moscow, president putin discussed the case with his ministers, who denied that russia or the soviet union had ever run a novichok programme, and promised to respond soon to the expulsion of its diplomats. we need to give strong support to

the uk, sending a message they are not a loan. we stand together with them. in moscow, president putin discussed the case with his ministers, who denied that russia or the soviet union had ever run a novichok programme, and promised to respond soon to the expulsion of its diplomats. the porton down laboratory, which identified the nerve agent, is set to get more funding. it will also provide a sample to the chemical watchdog. it is diplomacy not extending to russia. if you are a nation and another nation has launched a chemical attack on your people, then you 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 ds bailey. james landale, bbc news. so, as we heard, the united states

has imposed sanctions on 19 russian individuals and five groups, accusing them of cyber attacks, and meddling in the 2016 presidential election. washington says its aim is to counter russia's "continuing destabilising activities." the sanctions come after an investigation by special counsel, robert mueller charged 13 russians with electoral collusion and interference. our correspondent, chris buckler, is in washington. you have got some legal language in that. what does it mean? the 13 people named in the robert morley investigation and also in these sanctions, they are accused of meddling in the 2006 in presidential election. —— mueller. —— 2016. one of them is ngeny, an oligarch who is extremely close to vladimir

putin. he is sometimes known as putin's chef. he is accused of running one of these organisations, companies, involved in spreading misinformation during the election. a number of others have been charged in relation to cyber—attacks. america is talking about cyber—attacks on infrastructure inside america, including electricity grits, things they take very seriously. —— grids. what these sanctions mean is it would stop people from being able to get assets inside america. assets would be frozen. it would stop them having any business dealings inside america. but already, moscow is starting to talk about responding to that. some retaliation, potentially, of sanctions, potentially coming from a scale. —— moscow. ngeny says

he is not worried and has no dealings in america. on line, he said this had happened before, and the only thing that will change as he will stop going to mcdonald's, the american restaurant. things are not good between russia and america. the language from the whiteout is becoming more tough. president trump appears to a certain extent to be on the side of the intelligence community and the fbi on this. yeah, andi community and the fbi on this. yeah, and i think beyond that as well, the language has become more tough from the white house. some people have questioned whether or not donald trump has spoken harshly enough about the activities of russia in recent days. i think the language is becoming more tough, notjust from the department, but from the white house itself. you saw that notjust from the statement of sanctions coming, but also the joint statement we saw from the uk, germany, and others. coming from the us as well now, saying this kind of activity from russia, that they are accused

of, is not acceptable and they will ta ke of, is not acceptable and they will take actions to stop that. let's ta ke take actions to stop that. let's take actions to stop that. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. thousands of brazilians have attended the funeral of a politician in rio dejaneiro who had campaigned against police brutality. vigils and rallies have been held in several cities. marielle franco was killed by a gunman who pulled up next to her car and shot her several times before escaping. the former zimbabwean president, robert mugabe has broken his silence to say that that his successor, emmerson mnangagwa, could never have assumed power without the army's backing. the ninety four year old mr mugabe said he had been the victim of a coup. hsbc says its female staff in the uk earned nearly 60% less last year than their male colleagues. the gender pay gap is the largest reported by a british bank. hsbc says there's a high percentage of women injunior or part—time positions while under a quarter of senior roles

are filled by females. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: taking a closer look at micro—plastics. why the world health organisation is concerned about what's in our water. today we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, fainting, headaches and the dimming of vision, all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was on the pedestal 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 triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's what the voters wanted.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a pedestrian bridge has collapsed onto a busy motorway in the american city of miami, killing four people. emergency crews are working to reach those still trapped under the rubble. president trump hasjoined france, germany and the united kingdom in issuing a joint statement laying the blame for the nerve agent attack in the english city of salisbury firmly on russia. russians go to the polls on sunday to vote in the country's presidential election. vladimir putin is hoping to win his fourth term in office and opinion polls make him the clear favourite. polls show in on nearly 70% of the vote, his next nearest rival is on seven. why is mr putin so popular?

our moscow correspondent, steve rosenberg travelled to the russian rust belt to find out. the stick here is the kremlin is spreading disorder. —— the west fears. but at home, nec vladimir putin as the colebee that keeps russia's moving. this is the rustbelt of russia. it overwhelms the censors. from the smoke of the copper works to the biting cold. outside, its 20 below. inside, the heat hit you. this is russian fire and fury. many here support vladimir putin, not because they think he has forged a great country, but at least one that feels more stable then in

19905 one that feels more stable then in 1990s russia, after the fall of communism. in other words, things could be worse. translation: stability will continue under vladimir putin. there is no one else worth voting for. and yet, real incomes in russia are falling. the economy stagnating. said the government appeals to patriotism, it tells the people that russia is a major player on the world stage. —— so the. that is little comfort to nina. her biggest concern is making it home because nobody clears the ice outside her apartment block. nina complaints to me about the cost of heating and electricity. the bills keep getting bigger, but nina doesn't want a new president. for the retired maths teacher, it is a simple equation. no change equals no risk. translation:

simple equation. no change equals no risk. translationzlj simple equation. no change equals no risk. translation: i will vote for vladimir putin so that wife doesn't get any worse. as long as we have no war here, that is what matters. under war here, that is what matters. undeeradimir putin, war here, that is what matters. under vladimir putin, you see two very different russias. berries at russia the military and cyber superpower, flexing its muscles on the international stage. and there is another russia, where the soviet in the air, where more than 20 million people live below the poverty line and where life is a daily struggle. tatiana can afford to buy the basics, like milk, but not much else. by the time she has paid all her bills, she has the equivalent of £2 left for her monthly pension. she has to borrow to get by. when i visit tatiana at home, i meet her daughter natalia. she has been unemployed now forfour

yea rs, she has been unemployed now forfour years, but she still has faith in the kremlin. i am for vladimir putin, says natalia. at least vladimir putin traces his best. —— prize. however bleak life maybe, many russians fear change. they worry that change can bring in greater instability and those in power exploit that fear. that benefits are vladimir putin. it allows the kremlin to argue that it's much safer to stick the same path. more than 12,000 people have been fleeing syria's rebel—held area of eastern ghouta, as government forces advance. men, women and children were seen leaving the town of hamouria, near damascus. it's the first medical evacuation since a massive assault began nearly a month ago. and for many of those who've managed

to flee the violence in syria, the shadow of war remains. rouaa and mustafa — two seven year—olds — were born in the year the conflict began. our correspondent caroline hawley has been following their stories. rouaa and herfriend hoda are part of a whole generation of syrians growing up as refugees. her family fled eastern ghouta in 2013, after a chemical attack. a nappy soaked in vinegar is all her parents have to try to protect her. this is home now, she says. one room for the whole family to eat, sleep and study in. and even after nearly five years here, she still hasn't got used to the camps shared toilets. but here, she is at least safe. her cousin, mohammed,

was killed in an air strike in eastern ghouta this week. herfather‘s thighbone was shattered by a sniper‘s bullet and he can't work. her sister was hit by shrapnel. they're just one of so many families scarred inside and out by syria's war. a barrel bomb killed mustafa's parents, broke both of his hips and lodged a piece of shrapnel in his brain. he has severe nerve damage down his left side. it's hard for him trying to keep up with his peers, but he's determined. back at home, his grandmother

brings out a photograph of his father, ibrahim. but mustafa is now losing the memory of what his parents were actually like. once a week, mustafa comes for physiotherapy. beside him is benin. she lost her father, two brothers and a sister when a shell landed on her home. syrian children have paid a catastrophic price for the war. and yet, in art therapy, mustafa draws himself smiling. despite everything he's been through, everything he's up against, i've never once seen him complain. caroline hawley, bbc news. incredibly brave children. the world health organization is set to launch a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water. in particular, it will focus on so—called microplastics — particles that are small enough to be ingested. our science editor, david shukman reports. in the latest research

into plastic, more than 200 bottles of water were put through a screening process. most turned out to have particles of plastic floating around inside. there is no evidence this is harmful but we asked people around the world what they think of this discovery. this phenomenon is really a cause for concern. and with the usage going up, i think it's going to hit a large segment of the population. they tell you to not eat this or drink this, that or the other. i prefer bottled water than tap water so ijust have to carry on. i'd ratherjust boil my own water. that is more important, than actually buying water at an expensive price which is actually a health risk. it's kind of like damned if you do, damned if you don't. if you drink the bottled water, if you drink the water it's scary. tests on this scale have never been tried before. a special dye which sticks to particles of plastic was added to more than 200 bottles. in the right lighting conditions,

it makes the plastic glow. and when the dyed water was poured through a filter, each particle was cracked so it could then be counted and analysed. so what are the results from this laboratory testing showing us? on average, each litre contains ten larger pieces of plastic. that's bigger than the width of a human hair. and with smaller particles, which were probably plastic, you get an average of 314 per litre. so, does this matter? there's no evidence that ingesting plastic causes any harm but scientists say they can't rule it out. plastic could release chemicals inside the body. tiny particles could cross from the gut into the bloodstream and potentially they might accumulate in organs like the liver. the risks may turn out to be minor but the world health organisation wants to be sure. we need to understand what's in the plastic, the plastic might actually carry on it — whether that's microbes of chemicals —

and when it happens in the body. so all those things need to be explored with research. there's a lot that scientists don't know but they say it's plausible that microplastics could have an effect. these are non—degradable persistent particle that can enter the body and cause an inflammatory response, and there's potential for more complex situations to arise because of the plastic itself and its chemicals. the companies involved told us they stand by the safety of their products. they've questioned how the study was conducted, and they point out there are no regulations on microplastics or any agreed way of testing for them. this is a totally new area of science. the research is in its earliest days but there a growing demand for answers. david shukman, bbc news. new yorkers were stopped

in their tracks by this new work by the anonymous british street artist, banksy. it depicts a rat on the inside of a clock face. the stencil of the rat, on the clock perched atop a boarded up bank building, is being interpreted by banksy fans as "going against the rat race." banksy — who is presumed to be a man but has kept his identity secret — is known for creating works on buildings displaying ironic and provocative social commentary. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @nkem ifejika. hello. some of us will escape with a fine friday, even mild in some places but by the weekend it's much colder. you won't have a fine friday close to this weather front, north—east england into eastern scotland, cloudy, wet, outbreaks of rain, some snow in the scottish hills and that snow level lowering later in the day. this is your cloudy, wet zone throughout the day. also got this area of cloud and rain nudging northwards from the midlands, wales,

into parts of north—west england and fringing into northern ireland. to the south of that we see some sunshine coming through, but you may catch a shower, could be heavy and possibly thundery, not everybody will. it's here you have temperatures in double figures but it is a turning colder day through eastern scotland and north—east england, going into the evening and night, that snow level lowering and maybe into lower levels you could see a light covering into places going into saturday morning and a few of these wintry showers drifting westwards overnight and a developing and getting stronger eastern wind. a much colder start on saturday morning and temperatures are not going up very far on saturday. throughout the weekend, we have got high pressure in scandinavia pumping bitterly cold air our way and a strong wind too, so wind chill will be a factor and on that flow of air, some snow around too. some snow scattered about eastern parts of the uk through saturday, there will be some accumulations in places. many north and western areas could avoid them and stay dry,

some with sunny spells. it is all about the feel of the weather, though. significantly colder compared with friday and i have mentioned the strength of the wind, making it feel like it is well below freezing for many of us on saturday into sunday. it's going to be a bit of a shock to the system after what we have had in recent days. watching saturday night, we could see a longer spell of snow into sunday morning and again that risk of disruption, ice in places with a frosty start on sunday. that gradually edges away westwards, we see a risk of further snow showers coming into eastern parts, not everybody will see those and still, that brisk and very cold easterly wind making for a significant wind chill as well. so winter is roaring back this weekend. gradually turning milder again next week. but for the weekend, much colder, that bitter wind with a significant wind chill and yes, some of us will see some snow and there will be some disruption in places because of it too. this is bbc news.

the headlines. rescue efforts are continuing at the florida international university n miami, where a recently installed pedestrian bridge collapsed onto a busy highway. emergency crews have been working to free people from cars buried in the rubble. officials say four people have died. the us hasjoined france, germany, and the uk in a joint statement demanding that russia explain the use of a military grade nerve agent in an attack on a former russian spy in england. moscow denies any involvement. president vladimir putin is said to be considering options in respsonse to us and uk sanctions. in syria, thousands of people are fleeing the rebel held enclave of eastern ghouta, as government forces intensify their offensive. it's the first medical evacuation since a massive assault began nearly a month ago. president assad's forces have now retaken large parts of eastern ghouta. those are the latest headlines. now

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