welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: poisoned at home — uk police reveal a deadly nerve agent was on the former spy‘s front door. after kim jong—un‘s secret trip to beijing — chinese officials head to south korea for key talks. grief and fury in siberia at the first funerals for victims of the shopping centre inferno. egypt's president looks set for a landslide victory in the presidential election. but human rights groups say the vote was a farce. also in the programme: the rise and fall of an african hero. burkino faso‘s former president remembered on stage. it could be a major development in the investigation

into the poisoning of the russian double agent sergei skripal, and his daughter, in the english town of salisbury. police have identified the highest concentration of the nerve agent used, on mr skripal‘s front door. caroline rigby has the latest. three weeks on from the attack, the investigation now focuses on this front door at the home of sergei skripal. detective saves it's where they discovered the highest concentration of the russian agent novichok, suggesting it was where the pair were first poison. it is the pair were first poison. it is the latest development in a huge investigation involving 250 counterterrorism officers. search continues in and around the town of salisbury traces of the nerve agent found that a number of locations including the restaurant where the pair rate on the bench where they

we re pair rate on the bench where they were found unconscious shortly after the meal. the criminal investigation continues alongside significant political activity. an ever—growing list of nations, now more than 25, have expelled more than 130 russian diplomat source buyers. a co—ordinated response to the country britain says is behind the attack.” believe that these expulsions represent a moment when appealing has suddenly crystallised. when yea rs of has suddenly crystallised. when years of vexation and provocation have warned the collective patience to breaking point. across the world, gci’oss to breaking point. across the world, across three conference —— across three continents, countries were willing to say and up is enough. russia continues to deny any involvement in the poisoning and has threatened retaliation for the expulsions but for what extent and what form remains unclear. and more now from our security correspondent gordon corera, on the significance of the latest police discovery.

that scientific and forensic trail has been crucial to this very complex investigation as they have looked to try and match the skripals‘ movements with the location of any contamination of the nerve agent. that's been supported by police and military scientists from the porton down lab nearby, preserving evidence and avoiding getting contaminated themselves. crucially, that has led them to the conclusion that the skripals were poisoned most likely at their own home and specifically the highest concentration of the nerve agent they found was on the front door handle. i understand from independent scientists it is possible to administer this nerve agent as a kind of gloopy substance which could be smeared onto the door handle. in turn, that could explain why it was found in so many other places like the car door and the restaurant because the skripals may have transferred it further with their own hands. while this is significant, it doesn't tell us who did it. it makes it makes it less likely they came face—to—face with their own attackers, they may not have been in the town centre but the investigation will focus on the house,

the forensics around it, talking to neighbours and see if they can work out who might have gone to this house in a quiet cul—de—sac and administered a military—grade nerve agent. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: malala yousafzai, nobel peace prize winner and education rights activist, is visiting pakistan for the first time since she was shot and almost killed by the taliban nearly six years ago. now twenty and a student at oxford university, she'll be attending a ceremony and meeting the prime minister. the taliban attacked her, it said, for her pro—peace, anti—taliban, secular agenda. a riot among prisoners and a fire at police headquarters in the venezuelan city of valencia has left at least five people dead. reports say they include a woman and two children. police used tear gas to disperse relatives who had surrounded the station. ecuador says it has cut off

julian assange‘s ability to communicate with the outside world from its embassy in london. the wikilea ks founder took refuge there in 2012, to avoid extradition procedures which he feared could see him sent eventually to the us. the ecuadorian government says it wants to stop him interfering in the affairs of other countries. the first funerals have been held in russia for some of the 64 people who lost their lives in a fire at a shopping centre on sunday. most of those who died in the city of kemerovo were children. relatives claim dozens of other people are still missing. a national day of mourning has been declared. 0ur correspondent sarah rainsford reports. they're desperate not to let go. a couple cling to the coffin of their ten—year—old daughter. masha's little brother and their grandma were also killed in the kemerovo fire, on a day out at the cinema. for those left behind, saying goodbye is too much to bear. wailing

"save their souls, take them to paradise," natalia begs as her children are lowered into a shared grave. and then she cries out their names. they are three of the 64 who were trapped in a burning shopping centre, where no fire alarm went off and emergency doors were blocked. sergei wants to know why. translation: someone has to answer for this. this can't be allowed. it's so hard to understand why those trying to escape didn't make it out. this is just one of many burials here today, and there are many still to come. this city is plunged in grief, and for the families that pain that pain is even fiercer because they know this tragedy could have been avoided. this giant burned carcass is now the focus of a criminal investigation. though vladimir putin has already blamed negligence and corruption. so today, the first

suspect appeared in court. a security guard accused of turning the alarms off. he claimed the system has been faulty for years and said he had reported that. but this city feels numb now, more than angry. everybody knows the victims. they're friends, friends‘ children or neighbours or... just relatives. it's... we feel like a family now. everybody is talking only about this disaster. and yet russians know the causes of this disaster run deep, and so they wonder how much will really change even after all this. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kemerovo. a memorial service for the french police officer who was murdered after trading places with a hostage during last week's islamist attack has taken place in paris. lieutena nt—colonel arnaud beltrame‘s

funeral procession crossed paris, before president macron led tributes. the 44—year—old has been awarded france's legion d'honneur. human rights groups say the egyptian government has trampled over requirements for a free election. there are mass protests years ago in e.g. it. it led eventually to the overthrow of president mubarak. in a free election in 2012, and muslim brotherhood was elected but then in 2013, the military led by field marshal sisi seized power and removed the muslim brotherhood from government. another cautious dawn in cairo.

egyptians tread carefully these days, especially if they disagree with the regime. president abdul fattah al—sisi is certain to be elected for a second term. his posters are everywhere. it's a cult of personality more than an election campaign. the army sisi used to command guard the polling stations. his supporters say his tough line saved egypt from becoming another syria. the defence minister came for an inspection. the uniforms are in charge in egypt, as they've been since the 50s. human rights groups said the vote was farcical, while the sisi regime repressed the people and tortured prisoners in the name of fighting terrorism.

esma rove is a spokeswoman for the sisi campaign. translation: of course it's a 1,000,000% democratic process. and the evidence is that all the egyptian people, including big numbers of youth and elderly, have come out to vote, and even children, as you can see here. they are coming here to say yes to mr president, yes to egypt. we are here to say yes to egypt. the president's opponent is one of his own supporters. credible candidates were jailed. others including muhammad anwar el—sadat, nephew of the late president, decided not to take the risk of standing. the idea is that we would like to give a message to the people that know one lasts forever. would you use the word democracy to describe in anyway what's going on in egypt at the moment? well, honestly we are not enjoying the democracy we all hoped to see after 2011.

modern egypt has a lot of problems. tourism is still down, corruption is endemic. and the millions who support the muslim brotherhood are seen as the regime as the enemy within. this is kerdasa, a cairo district regarded by the police as hostile territory. it's a stronghold of the brotherhood, banned since the coup ousted it in 2013. no sisi posters are on these streets. at the bakery i didn't ask them to talk about politics. they wouldn't have answered and i didn't want to get them in trouble. instead, walid told me how he learned the egyptian way to deliver bread when he was a boy but by now, he'd been hoping for something better. translation: sisi is good, he's doing a big national project. i have a degree, so why am i doing thisjob? help out young people

and those who have degrees. egyptians have been promised better lives by the president but dreams of freedom don't die easily. my one's expecting another revolution, president sisi's supporters say that he's rebuilding the country. but the preconditions that led to the uprising of 2011 are still here, including very significant unemployment among the young. if he can't get them jobs, if the president can't deal with people's grievances, then he'll face more discontent and that could spill out onto the streets. cairo is a city that doesn't sleep. but many here have been forced into silence by the pressure and fear of the police state. president sisi says the measures he is taking are the only way to stabilise and rebuild egypt. all he asks in return is almost total control. if he can deliver prosperity,

sisi mightjust do it. if not, the enemies he's making will wait for his first slip. jeremy bowen, bbc news, cairo. it's far from clear how it will all end up — indeed, if it will produce any meaningful change at all — but there is still huge diplomatic movement on north korea. senior officials from pyongyang and seoul are due to meet in the demilitarized zone, to prepare for a summit between president moonjae—in and kim jong—un in april. this follows confirmation that the north korean leader did indeed make a surprise trip to china earlier this week. a chinese envoy is also being sent to seoul to brief the government on the talks in beijing between kim jong—un and xi jinping. 0ur correspondent laura

bicker is in seoul. using the word first lot. a lot of potentially significant things happening. and a lot of people talking down expectations. cautious optimism other words being used by the white house and here in south korea. they are heading to the demilitarised zone, that heavily fortified border between the two countries, and will talk with the northern counterparts. let's look at where we are. a couple of months ago, the idea of regular meetings between the north and south was unthinkable. they are off to the border and it seems to be becoming routine. in just border and it seems to be becoming routine. injust a border and it seems to be becoming routine. in just a few days time, several k—pop acts will head north to pyongyang to perform. we expect to pyongyang to perform. we expect to hear date for the proposed summit between president moon and kim jong—un and perhaps an agenda but we know that denuclearisation is going to be the key thing to talk about. so much depends of course on what

north korea wants to give up, what it wants in return. if anything at all comes out of this. that's right. when you saw the meeting between kim jong—un and president xi of china, north korea and china believe the same things in terms of what they wa nt same things in terms of what they want on this peninsula, they want us forces, us weapons, us troops, us ships of this peninsula. they want their influence away from south korea and japan. that is not something perhaps south korea or japan or the us are currently willing to give but at the moment, north korea, when they talk about denuclearisation, and everybody is wondering what that might mean, what exactly is he willing to give up, which weapons, which nuclear weapons is he willing to put on the table and what does he want in return so perhaps when president moon meets

kim jong—un at the end of this month, we will get a clear idea of where these talks are going. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: a new play here in london traces the rise and fall of burkina faso's revolutionary president. the accident that happened here was of the sort that can, at worse, produce a meltdown. in this case, the precautions worked but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, clubs or restaurants will face a heavy fine.

the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: police investigating the uk nerve agent attack say the victims first came into contact with the poison at their home — possibly on the handle of theirfront door. kim jong—un‘s secret trip to beijing has sparked a fresh wave of diplomacy, as chinese officials head to south korea to brief its president. let's return to the korea story. live now to retired lieutenant colonel daniel davis.

he's a senior fellow at defence priorities and he's in washington. very good to talk to you. why do you think this is all happening. i will try again. why do you think this is all happening and what do you think it might all come to? i think the reason why it is happening now is, according to what kim jong—un had said in his new year speech in 2017, that they were going to perfect and have operational nuclear weapons, and their november 27 test of this past year they said they reach the milestone where they said they could reach the continental united states. i think reach the continental united states. ithinki reach the continental united states. i think i had been testing so emphatically the pass two years so that he could get to what he thinks is an operational weapon that he can then use to negotiate to his advantage. i think i now has that. that is why you saw a dramatic change in his behaviourfrom very

obstinate and stubborn and using strong language to all of a sudden being let us come to the olympics, let us meet with president moon and president trump and now into china. he is basically going on a charm offensive to say i am a reasonable guide, iam offensive to say i am a reasonable guide, i am a regular leader of a country, and i think i wants to get into negotiations when he thinks he has leveraged to make the situation better —— guy. i think that is what he is thinking. i am not sure it will work out that way when the negotiations begin. we should say while doing appalling things to thousands and thousands of his own people. you say he wants to use the r people. you say he wants to use the weaponry to negotiate. why when he has spent decades building it up should he want to give it up? clearly he does not want to give it up. he thinks until he had an operational weapon that he would not have the leveraged to actually make an negotiation where he would be able to get some concessions from

the united states, that he would have to have, that would give him the ability to save our regime will be successful. they are absolutely terrified about what happened to won gaddafi in 2005 when he agreed to give up his weapons, 2009 he succeeded, after that president 0bama came in with a number of other nations and helped knock him from power. they do not want that to happen to them. before they would give up their weapons they are going to demand quite a lot in return. your correspondence that, epping, mentioned a number of possibilities, the removal of us troops, the removal of the nuclear umbrella, any number of things they could ask —— i think. that is probably what they will try. given that both china and north korea want the us of the korean peninsula entirely, the us is never going to agree to that. south korea is never going to agree to that. that kind of illuminates the

opportunity and also the risk that we face. if we go in saying we will set denuclearisation, which is the word that almost everyone is using, although they have different definitions, if we said on the united states side of the western side that demutualisation is the objective and the negotiations don't get it at a cost we are willing to pay, that leads to the possibility that the only alternative is war. we don't need to force the denuclearisation. we can work about every long period of time. our deterrent is what is really the strength and the objective is to keep stability on the korean peninsula and to not have a walk on a pre—emptive strike, that would probably cause tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, possibly nuclear, and millions, and we don't wa nt nuclear, and millions, and we don't want that and we don't need to either. thank you very much for your time sites. thank you. reports from kenya say an opposition politician, miguna miguna, has been deported in defiance of two court orders. he's understood to be on a flight to dubai. earlier, a court ordered the interior minister,

the inspector general of police, and the head of immigration to be jailed for refusing to allow him to enter the country. there is growing tension between the government and judiciary in kenya, with politicians accused of failing to respect the authority of the courts. just over 30 years ago, thomas sankara, burkina faso's young and revolutionary president, was assassinated, four years after he came to power. a new play here in london looks at the life and legacy of a man once hailed as a visionary leader. the rise and fall of an african hero has just opened. clarisse fortune went along. more than 30 years after his death, thomas sankara's more than 30 years after his death, thomas sanka ra's legend more than 30 years after his death, thomas sankara's legend lives on and continues to be a source of inspiration for some even beyond the continent. stop the response! to play has different episodes of his presidency and shows the power of

his personality, including when he was dealing with conflict in 1985. they are trying to pressure you. for actor ike chuks, playing the lead role was a challenge. i read about everything he did. how he was trying to free his country from debt, how he was trying to free them from the slavery mentality of the imperialism and the colonisation they had faced. in every aspect i am trying to bring out who he was, his charisma, and how bespoke and everything that he did. finally, this is the man worth seeing. this is the playwright and director. he was in power forjust three years. he had a sense of trust. he knew was he was doing was pretty dangerous for his life and for the destiny of burkina faso. so he tried to change the status quo in

his country. thomas sankara was president from 1983 to 1987. he had one goal, to put africa first. starting his own country. he also prioritised education, public health, and the role of women changed under his leadership. for all of thomas sankara's achievements, not everyone was in all. his policies alienate some people, including the powerful minute class and a former leader of colonial france. 0n minute class and a former leader of colonial france. on october 15, colonial france. 0n 0ctober15, 1987, he was assassinated. minister, an cisse tutt his family believe his comrades, who went on to become president, was behind his killing so far no one has been successfully prosecuted for his murder. but his legacy lives on. as he said, while

revolutionaries as individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas. here in the uk, a viola player who suffered irreversible hearing loss while rehearsing wagner has won a high court judgement against the royal opera house in london. chris goldscheider was in front of the brass section during a practice session in 2012, and experienced a level of noise roughly equivalent to a jet engine. and before we go, take a look at this. it's a team of nasa scientists doing some checks on the parker solar probe, which is due to launch injuly on a mission to investigate the sun. it will start orbiting our star in 2023, and will be exposed to temperatures in excess of 2,500 fahrenheit — that's over 1000 degrees celsius. it's hoped it will help us understand more about the solar storms which can affect communications back here on earth. that is it an hour. thanks for watching. —— for now.

hello again, good morning. the easter weekend will not be a washout but quite mixed weather on the way as we saw yesterday the rain in england and wales eventually clearing the way to give a little more sunshine. over the easter weekend we will see some spells of sunshine around. however, there will also be some spells of rain that could be heavy at times and cold enough for snow over the northern hills. temperatures are disappointing for this time of year. weather starting to come in from the south—west where the pressure is lower in this area will remain dry. an all—weather front is sitting to the north—east of scotland between a frosty start and clear skies it will be a bright and sunny start, but this weather is pushing up and moving north and east across england and wales. a few showers breaking ahead of that but sunshine as well. still cool and damp in the north—east of scotland. some snow over the high ground. heavy rain further south will work its way northwards during the evening and overnight. then it sort of stops, really, around the borders of northern england into northern ireland.

the rain tending to peter out. not as cold on friday morning but there is more rain arriving perhaps into the far south—west right at the end of the night. it may move to the north more slowly but we are looking at some wet weather again to drive up across inward and wales. bright skies further north and once the earlier rain or drizzle and hills now tends to peter out, that lets the sunshine in because the wind is coming in from the east. never a good direction as you saw, 7—9 degrees, nothing good at all. weather front will move northwards and peter out. this low pressure area moves away. on saturday it should be a drier day for wales, the midlands and southern england. there will still be rain and drizzle and hill snow in scotland. mainly for eastern areas. should tend to peter out more through the day but there will be a lot of cloud around and again, temperatures struggling in northern scotland and southern parts of england. not regular sunshine as we head into easter sunday.

we are between the weather systems so this is probably the quietest day of the next few and there will not be much rain around. it will still probably be a lot of cloud, mind you. north—west scotland see some sunshine, perhaps across southern counties but generally dry and cloudy and generally disappointing temperatures again so we can't even make double figures through the central belt of scotland. as we head into monday where we have some strengthening wind, rain coming in from the south—west followed by showers on tuesday. this is bbc news — the headlines: british police say the poisoned russian double agent, sergei skripal, probably came into contact with the nerve agent at his home. specialists found the highest concentration of the novichok substance on his front door. mr skripal and his daughter, yulia,

have remained in a critical condition since the attack. kim jong—un‘s surprise trip to beijing earlier this week has sparked a fresh wave of shuttle diplomacy. officials from north and south korea are due for key talks in the demilitarised zone, to prepare for a summit next month, while a chinese envoy is coming to seoul to brief the south korean government on the meeting with the nk leader. —— north korean leader. the first funerals have taken place in russia for some of the 64 people who lost their lives in a fire at a shopping centre on sunday. most of those who died in the city of kemerovo were children. relatives say dozens of other people are still missing. moscow has declared a national day of mourning. it's 2:30am.