this is bbc world news. our top stories. moscow summons the uk ambassador to confirm it is expelling 23 british diplomats as the row over the nerve agent attack ona the row over the nerve agent attack on a double agent continues. us officials investigate allegations that they mishandled facebook data in an effort to support president trump's vision campaign put thousands flee violence in syria. aid agencies say almost a quarter of a million people have been driven from loans this week. and the campaign to clean up mount everest begins. 1200 kilos of waste that behind by tourists and climbers is elevated from the world's highest mountain. —— is airlifted from. welcome to world news today. russia

has hit back at the uk in the row over poisoning of a former double agent. the british ambassador was called into the foreign ministry in moscow and given a list of measures moscow and given a list of measures moscow intends to take in retaliation for british actions against russia which russia —— london holds responsible for the attack. he had been expecting the telephone call and today it came. britain's ambassador was summoned to the russian foreign ministry. and in the skyscraper thatjosef stalin built as a symbol of a superpower, the ambassador was told how moscow would retaliate to uk sanctions. a note of defiance when he left. we will always do what is necessary to defend ourselves, our allies and our values against an attack of this sort. which is an attack not only on the united kingdom but upon the international

rules—based system on which all countries, all countries including russia, depend for their safety and security. thank you. the ambassador headed into work, to tell embassy staff about the russian sanctions. moscow says they are a response to british provocation, russia has expelled 23 british diplomats. the uk had expelled 23 russians over the nerve agent attack in salisbury. the authorities here are shutting down the british consulate in st petersburg and the british council which promotes uk culture abroad will now be forced to end all activity in russia. moscow says the language coming out of london was a factor in deciding what sanctions to announce. translation: the british prime minister insults us and threatens us. her foreign and defence secretaries insult us. they talk to russia as if they are drunk in a pub. so what the uk got from us today is the result of this loutishness and their groundless accusations. not so, said theresa may. russia's response does not change

the facts of the matter. the attempted assassination of two people on british soil, for which there was no alternative conclusion other than that the russian state was culpable. relations between moscow and london have not been this fractured since the cold war. the expulsion of 23 british diplomats, that was expected. that is traditional tit—for—tat. but the shutting down of the consulate and the activities of the british council, that feels like a challenge to the british government. and the russians have said that if britain responds with more measures against moscow, then russia will respond with more sanctions against the uk. the danger now is a spiral of confrontation. let's get more now on where this diplomatic stand—off might be going next. james sherr, is associate fellow

with the russia and eurasia programme at the international affairs policy institute, chatham house — and he joins me from oxford. welcome to the programme. theresa may and the british government say that they will look at their next steps in the coming days. realistically, what options do you think are open to the british government? i think the key steps are the ones she has already outlined. what really matters now is the extent to which we would give practical thought to steps already outlined to increase security and increase the clearest —— these of mess of our effort, primarily with regard to domestic security, including protecting those people including protecting those people including russian citizens, who are lawfully resident here, and other domains as well, which must include

financial security and the privileges that dubious russian entities have enjoyed so far, in making use of all the privileges and services of the city of london and the openness of the london property market. the kremlin is still waiting to see whether we actually wavered. this is this serious story, not the tit—for—tat, and the exchanges that are taking place publicly. do you think the british government have been hesitant to fully implement laws on legislation that they could've done over the last few yea rs ? could've done over the last few years? over the past two years definitely, and this is part of the problem. for main reasons the russians have seen the uk has relatively weak and three

unintentionally have reinforced this ina number of unintentionally have reinforced this in a number of ways, not least of all by failing to vigorously pursue all by failing to vigorously pursue a whole raft of unexplained and macabre murders of russian citizens in this country. the home secretary 110w in this country. the home secretary now says that all of this is going to be investigated. well, good. will this also apply to the financial sector, which is vitalfor a country like russia, whose system, the system that president putin has constructed is based on a merger of money and power at the very highest levels, and a lot of this money comes from very dubious celsius and from some extremely dubious purposes. so we have on the table some mechanisms on place that can

adjust this and the prime minister has also said, quite rightly, we would be looking at those to see whether these measures need to be stiffened and consolidated. the attorney general in the us state of massachusetts, is to begin an investigation, into claims that information from millions of facebook users, may have been used by a data company, during the 2016 us presidential election. a former employee of cambridge analytica, claims that 50 million profiles were accessed. the two companies deny any wrongdoing. with me now is our business correspondent, joe lynam. with me now is our business correspondent, joe lynam. this seems very complicated. please bear with me as very complicated. please bear with measi very complicated. please bear with me as i try to explain it. this is about the protection of personal data. it started with the creation ofan app data. it started with the creation of an app by the university of cambridge. that harvested lots of data from facebook users, 70,000, in

fa ct, data from facebook users, 70,000, in fact, but in addition to that, their friends as well so you can see how it gets into millions. that very personal information was then given to accompany called cambridge analytica, unfortunate that the name is confusingly similar and they were ordered to breach that personal information because it was in breach of their rules. in the last 2a hours facebook said it did not delete that so facebook said it did not delete that so they are now suspending them from facebook pending an investigation. in the meantime, it is said that —— a whistle—blower has come forward and said 50 million profiles were harvested from this app and used to target specific messages in relation to the 2016 us presidential election, pro—president trump and anti—hillary clinton messages. so we have the attorney general in the state of massachusetts saying that she's going to watch an investigation. she said the residents of that state deserve

a nswe i’s residents of that state deserve answers immediately. 0n the side of the atlantic the information commissioner's office has said it is investigating the circumstances that facebook data may have been illegally acquired and used for political purposes. so obviously some big legal and political consequences, potentially. it puts facebook in a potentially difficult position as well, doesn't it? they said they have suspended the accou nts said they have suspended the accounts and able not tolerate abuse of data. they have flatly denied any huge data breach which this whistle—blower has alleged. and they said users knowingly provided all of that information when they clicked that information when they clicked that box to agree. and that its systems that box to agree. and that its syste ms ha d that box to agree. and that its systems had not been breached. also, the rules are changed from four yea rs the rules are changed from four years ago. before then you could, by taking that box, allow the app to use your friends friends. now it is

just you and your data that can be provided. cambridge analytica has denied that any of the information garnered from this app was used on the 2016 us presidential election and that it only receives and uses data that has been obtained legally and fairly. some stories the news 110w. the former fbi deputy director, andrew mccabe, has accused the trump administration of acting with political malice after he was fired, just days before he was due to retire. an internal review said that mr mccabe leaked information and misled investigators — claims he has denied. president trump called his sacking "a great day for democracy". an engineer left a voice mail two days before a bridge collapsed in miami warning that some cracking had been found in the structure but he added that there are no concerns. 0fficials added that there are no concerns. officials say that the voice mail was not picked up until after the accident on thursday, in which six people were killed.

the government of monaco has warned the public to be wary of money—making scams — by crooks impersonating top figures from the principality. last september, a local newspaper reported that a person resembling prince albert ii, monaco's ruler, tried to con a journalist into contributing funds towards a ransom. syrian civilians at both ends of the country have been facing intense fighting over the last few days, and the un says there is likely to be more to come. a few miles from the capital damascus, regime backed forces have nearly captured the rebel held eastern ghouta, and it is thought up to 50,000 people are trying to escape the area. and in the north,

as many as 150 thousand people are fleeing a military operation by turkey, aiming to push out kurdish forces in the town of afrin. now, civilians are stripping out of the city, desperate to escape. translation: as you can see this war has displaced people. we are hungry and we have been walking for three days. thank god we have arrived here. translation: we cannot sleep, we cannot eat, people are afraid. we cannot eat, people are afraid. we cannot sleep because of planes and artillery. further south on the outskirts of damascus it is russian backed government was not fighting rebels. eastern ghouta is syria's last rebel stronghold. thousands are leaving before it is too late. translation: wanted to leave three months ago but the rebels did not

allow us, they start us. this shelter to the north east of damascus is overwhelmed. mohammed and his family fled as the russian backed forces approached. translation: people were hungry, they had been in good health and then they became thin. the rebels have a lot of money. 70% of eastern ghouta has been retaken by president assad's forces. translation: according to the information we have individual units have laid down their arms and left eastern ghouta but they are waiting for the command from the western patrons. as a syrian conflict is into its eighth year, the end cannot come soon enough for thousands of ordinary civilians, who have lost so much already. stay with us, still to come, clean clean—up in the clouds.

a new campaign is launched on mount everest to remove some 100 tonnes of rubbish, human waste and old equipment left behind on the world's highest mountain. the headlines: moscow summons the uk ambassador to confirm it's expelling 23 british diplomats, as the row over the nerve agent attack on a double agent continues. us officials investigate allegations a company mishandled facebook users' data in an effort to support president trump's election campaign. pregnant women exposed to a chemical found in common everyday items may find their sons‘ fertility and that of future generations has been harmed — that's according to a study. researchers found that male mice prenatally exposed to the chemical dehp,

found in consumer products ranging from toys to medical devices, had less testosterone and fewer sperm than mice that weren't. their male offspring also experienced similar abnormalities. i'm nowjoined by the lead author of the study, radwa barakat, who's in chicago. thank you forjoining us here on bbc world news. can you explain what this chemical is and where it is found? thank you for meeting with me. this chemical is called dehp. it is used in ducks like and cosmetic products. —— in products like. if it enters our body it disrupts our home on balance. so there are reason for

such phenomena is considerable, but we focused on dehp as one of those making the deposits. the main study focused on prenatal exposure to dehp in mice, and we found the fertility affected in the next generation of the mice sweep round that the next generation of male mice has remarkably less testosterone in their blood. and the most interesting part was that the male mice bought this next—generation had shown also similarly abnormalities and lower fertility than the normal mice so it is really important. 0bviously, that might cause concern

for pregnant women. what can they do to protect themselves and their unborn children? we need to support a policy calling for a reduction of this chemical. this is so important for the public to try to reduce its exposure to this chemical and similar chemicals. we will leave it there. thank you very much. sports news 110w, there. thank you very much. sports news now, and james pearce has the details. it's been a busy day of sport, but we're going to start at twickenham and a brilliant victory for ireland over england in the six nations which gives them the grand slam. the 24—15 win was the perfect end to the irish campaign, winning their third grand slam on st patrick's day. catherine rory best was one of two players who remain from the irish grand slam triumph in 2009. it was a

winning streak that started with last year for flag win over england. and it was 70 yesterday week since their first and it was 70 yesterday week since theirfirst grand and it was 70 yesterday week since their first grand slam and it was 70 yesterday week since theirfirst grand slam in and it was 70 yesterday week since their first grand slam in the old five nations. i don't thinki could be much prouder of the group in the way that they committed themselves. some of the work in the 22, in that eight minutes at the start of the second half, it was almost to the pump and they managed to fight their way through that period. that was the point, really. at 21—5, if they suddenly get momentum, there were times when they had huge momentum, england, they are a super site. deserved grand slam champions. they are well coached, well led team, discipline, tough, they stick to what they know, and real credit to ireland. wales finish second, just

three points scored in the fall of the second half, 111—13 between wales and france. italy ended the tournament with a wooden spoon, finishing bottom of the group after losing 29—27 to scotland. despite leaving for much of the match they conceded a last—minute penalty and suffered a seven successive defeat in all competitions. so this is how the final table looks. ireland had already wrapped up the title. they sit pretty at the top. confirmation of wales in second. if you are in england supporter, look away now. they set about italy in both place. —— they sit above italy in fourth place. mohamed salah scored four goals as liverpool thrashed watford 5—0

to move up to third in the premier league. salah has now scored an incredible 36 goals this season in all competitions. he also set up roberto firmino for liverpool's other goal at anfield. the day's earlier matches all impacted the lower end of the table. west brom remain rooted to the bottom following defeat to bournemouth. stoke remain a place above them after defeat to everton. but palace move out of the bottom three after a much—needed win at huddersfield. christian eriksen scored twice as tottenham reached the semifinals of the fa cup for a second successive season. they beat swansea 3—0 at the liberty stadium. first—half goals from eriksen and erik lamela put mauricio pochettino's side a step closer to what would be a ninth win in the competition. manchester united currently lead brighton 1—0 in the day's other fa cup tie. that's all the sport. a new campaign to clean up mount everest has started with 1200 kg of waste

taken to the nepalese capital, kathmandu. the aim is to lift 100 tonnes of waste from the world's highest mountain and surrounding region which is visited by more than 100,000 people last year. a private airline said it would continue to transport recyclable airline said it would continue to tra nsport recycla ble waste airline said it would continue to transport recyclable waste like bottles a nd transport recyclable waste like bottles and metal throughout the year. i'm joined by british mountaineer, who has been to everest from multiple exhibitions and has climbed all of the world's peaks over 8000 metres, alan hinkes. he joins me from the lake district in england. is it really that littered? not really, most climbers take only photos, and leave only footprints. but lots of trek actually go. most of the climbers who go there are environmentally aware. but there is

quite a lot of rubbish on the way to base camp. not vast amounts but there is some. the nepalese sherpa is in that area are very environmentally aware, so they clean it up. 1200 kg is a lot. i don't drop litter in my local park, i would not think about doing it in this incredible mountain range. u nfortu nately, this incredible mountain range. unfortunately, there has not been a proper disposal system there like we have in first world countries so they are getting to grips with it 110w. they are getting to grips with it now. there are lodges on the trek up to everest base camp, it is eight days from the airstrip from where they are flying this rubbish and on that eight—day trek, trekkers will drink bottles of beer and soft drinks and eat things in wrapping, and all that rubbish has to be taken up. and at the moment a lot of it is just piled up. do you find it quite heartening that the nepalese and the sherpas take this so seriously? the

sherpas take this so seriously? the sherpas are lovely people. all nepalese are lovely people. it is a brilliant place, as nice as the lake district, where i am now! it is a lovely country and i would recommend anyone to go there, the nepalese are lovely people, and kathmandu is a fabulous region, worth visiting, it really is. a slight change of subject, a polish climbing expedition gave up climbing the mountain, k2, amid difficulty caused by bad weather. why is k2 so tough? it is more difficult than everest, it is steeper terrain, worse weather, more avalanches. it is known as the savage mountain. it is the only one of the big mountains that has never been climbed in winter. it is so remote, in northern

pakistan on the border with china. this was one of the strongest ever expeditions led by a friend of mine. i have been on expeditions with him in the past, and if they can't do it, it does not bode well, we don't know who's going to be able to do it. thank you for your company, alan k. finally, from las vegas to australia, more than 250 iconic landmarks across the globe are turning a shade of green this weekend to celebrate st patrick's day. what else? violin's national day is celebrated in more countries than any other festival. this is dublin, hosting the biggest parade. you are watching world news today. good evening. winter returned with a vengeance good evening. winter returned with a vengeance today. strong and cold

easterly winds have been blowing across the country and the winds have been bringing some snow showers. this was how it worked in north yorkshire, and this was the scene in kent. if we look at the radarfrom earlier scene in kent. if we look at the radar from earlier today, scene in kent. if we look at the radarfrom earlier today, you can see how many snow showers there were, lots of them feeling in from the north sea, then more persistent snow developing towards the south east. two main areas of concern, met 0ffice east. two main areas of concern, met office and weather warnings across the south east, the london area, and yorkshire, linkage and the north midlands. tomorrow, south—west england and the south east of also covered by met office and the weather warnings. because of this area are persistent snowfall that will drift west, as we get through tonight. that could bring 5—10 centimetres in places but perhaps more in the way of snow beginning to develop across the far south—west. elsewhere, showers and clear spells, and a widespread frost with the potential for some potentialfor some ice into tomorrow morning. the main concern for the

first part of tomorrow morning is a south—west of england and parts of wales. this snow will continue to fall, really piling up. blowing in on this strong easterly wind, it will drift, which could cause its own issues. still we see snow showers across parts of north—east england and the east of scotland, and some into northern ireland. through the day, many of the showers and eastern areas will tend to fade. by and eastern areas will tend to fade. by the afternoon, many places will be dry, particularly towards the south east. notice, the snow continues were a good part of the day across the south west of england. that is why there is so much risk of disruption. here, still pretty windy and cold, as well. through sunday, losing that area of snowfall from the far south—west. high pressure taking charge. and we lose that cold, easterly wind, starting to bring in more of a northerly wind. northerly wind is never particularly warm but it will not be quite as cold, so

temperatures between 4—7 celsius. heading through the coming week, temperatures will climb back into double digits. by the end of the week, things look pretty unsettled. this is bbc news. the headlines: 23 british diplomats are to be expelled by moscow amid tensions over the nerve agent attack in salisbury. the british consulate in st petersburg will also close. the prime minister has said russia must account for its actions. meanwhile, counterterrorism police have started contacting russian exiles living in the uk about their personal safety following the suspected murder of businessman nikolai glushkov. amber weather warnings are in force this evening in north—west england, yorkshire, the midlands, london and south—east england. drivers are being urged to be prepared before setting out on journeys. in massachusetts, the chief law officer has started an investigation after a data company, cambridge analytica, which worked for president trump's campaign, was suspended by facebook for violating data privacy policies.