this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top story: poisoned at home — uk police reveal a deadly nerve agent was on the former spy‘s front door. one year to go until brexit. as theresa may embarks on a whirlwind uk tour, we ask: what's agreed? and what's not? laying the foundations — officials from north and south korea meet to discuss denuclearisation ahead of next month's historic summit. it helped build the spitfire — but can it fight off the biggest hostile takeover bid britain has seen for a decade? shareholders will decide the fate of engineering giant gkn today. a warm welcome to the programme,

briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. and you can be part of the conversation. lent ends today for the roman catholic church so we're asking — did you give something up? is it a good time of reflection? tell us your story — just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. 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 city of salisbury. police have identified the highest concentration of the nerve agent used, on mr skripal‘s front door. nearly 30 countries around the world have responded to the attack by collectively expelling more than 130 russian diplomats. caroline rigby has the latest. three weeks on from the attack

which left a former russian spy and his daughter critically ill in hospital, the investigation now focuses on this front door at the home of sergei skripal. detective say it's where they've discovered the highest concentration of the russian—made nerve agent novichok, leading to the suggestion it may have been where the pair were first poisoned. it's the latest development in a huge investigation involving 250 counterterrorism officers. searches continue in and around salisbury where traces of the nerve agent were found in a number of locations, including the restaurant where the pair ate and 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 diplomats or spies.

a co—ordinated response to the country britain says is behind the attack. i believe that these expulsions represent a moment when a feeling has suddenly crystallised. when years of vexation and provocation have warned the collective patience to breaking point. across the world, across three continents, countries who are willing to say enough is enough. russia continues to deny any involvement in the poisoning and has threatened retaliation for the expulsions, but to what extent and in what form remains unclear. caroline rigby, bbc news. 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've looked to try and match the skripals‘ movements with the location of any contamination from this nerve agent.

that's been supported by police and military scientists from the porton down lab nearby, important to preserve 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 that it's possible to administer this nerve agent as a kind of gloopy substance which could have been smeared onto that 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. of course, while this is significant, it doesn't tell us who did it. it makes it perhaps 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. the british prime minister theresa may is making a whistle stop tour of the uk today to mark one year until the uk leaves the eu. she will say her government is taking action to keep the country "strong and united". but tough negotiations on the future relationship with the eu still lie ahead. the bbc‘s reality check correspondent chris morris has this report. said just one year to go until the united kingdom this 2—part company with the rest of the european union. it is one year since theresa may triggered article 50 of the lisbon treaty the triggering formal start of the brexit process. and in accordance with the wishes the british people, the united kingdom is leading the european union. this

is leading the european union. this is an historic moment in which there can be no turning back. well, after a stuttering start, negotiations on the withdrawal agreement have made process “— the withdrawal agreement have made process —— progress. legal text on a financial settlement, the divorce bill. the government says we will pay the eu upto £39 billion to cover things like outstanding bills and pensions. also broad agreement on the rights up to brexit of eu citizens here in the uk and uk citizens here in the uk and uk citizens in europe and crucially on the terms of a 21 months transition period up to brexit when the uk will continue to abide by all eu rules and regulations. the transition will give governments and businesses more time to get ready for a new relationship in the future. but there is still an awful lot to do in there is still an awful lot to do in the next 12 months. both sides are promised no return to hide border in ireland. the intensive talks on how to guarantee that once the uk leads

the single market in the customs unions. also no full agreement yet on the role of the european court of justice up to brexit. elsewhere, spain, for example, is insisting it must be consulted on the future status of gibraltar. as for a new trade deal between the uk and eu, talks have not begun. the eu says the uk's redlines limit what can be achieved by the uk still wants the most ambitious free—trade agreement in history. customs is one obvious challenge. the future of fishing another. the aim is to reach a broad political agreement by october with detailed trade negotiations continuing long after the uk has left. so is brexit on track? well, there are two big warning signs. firstly, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. in other words failure to reach agreement on one issue could bring the withdrawal deal crashing down. and secondly it is farfrom deal crashing down. and secondly it is far from clear whether the government has a majority in the house of commons to win approval for

the brexit it wants. there isjust one year left but there is still a long way to go. some breaking news this hour. we're hearing now that 68 people have died after a riot by prisoners at a police station in the venezuelan city of valencia. it's believed the high number of dead was due to a fire which started after inmates ignited mattresses as they tried to break out. an official in the state of carabobo, where valencia is located, said the state was in mourning. relatives of the prisoners say many may have died from smoke inhalation. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news: malala yousufzai, 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. —— yousafzai. now 20 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". president trump is to replace his veterans affairs secretary, david shulkin, here in the red tie, with his white house physician, rear admiral ronny jackson, the man best known for giving him an absolutely glowing health report. mr shulkin‘s departure has been widely anticipated since news emerged of a taxpayer—funded trip with his wife in europe. let's turn to our top business story now, because the uk's biggest and most bitterly fought hostile takeover battle for a decade will be decided in the next few hours. shareholders of engineering giant

gkn have to decide whether to accept an $11 billion takeover by melrose industries — which specialises in restructuring struggling firms. gkn's story has attracted emotive coverage here because of its 250—year history and role in building the spitfire during world war 2 with me isjoseph sternberg, editorial page editor of the wall streetjournal. europe editor, is that right? yes. give us your take on this story, something rumbling on the days and weeks with even the business secretary grep rich clarke getting involved. if you separate the history of the company and emotional

attachment, what you are looking at isa attachment, what you are looking at is a very healthy business story. a large company facing some doubts about its future profitability. the market is responding to that. in some way, that's a good news story to the british economy. the way you beat you can keep companies like this healthy is by having that kind of mechanism. there is concern about melrose in particular. it is a british company but what is it a tent —— what is its intention? is it going to sell the family silver? it has to promise the business secretary point do those things. but with other companies like cadbury‘s, this doesn't always go to plan. you have to ask yourself what is the alternative. looking at a company where the business model does seem

to be undergoing strain. you are going to have to have some sort of change and that might involve dividing the company and shareholders will decide whether that plan is the right one. joseph is back later. we will discuss other stories in the news. also, a lot of more analysis on gkn melrose. coming up more analysis on gkn melrose. coming up with its own rescue plan. now, as we've already mentioned, it is one year to the point of brexit, as it were. but speak to gavin lee, who is in antwerp. the reason we are in antwerp, the second biggest port in europe behind what are down but the point is, when it comes to trade and

customs, all of these ports on the northern fringe of europe that are dealing with the uk, it's fair to say there is concern. worries that after decades of working in a certain way, the free flow of goods, everything from washing up liquid to fruit and vegetables. if you want something, it goes quickly to decide. 0ne something, it goes quickly to decide. one of the ports nearby, zeebrugge, 45% of exports go to the uk. gdp being affected trade slows down. i will give you a sense of pa rt down. i will give you a sense of part of that. let me bring injeff, you are part of the freight forwarding company. you are one of the men who gets things to the uk quickly. public hearing on the tug boats going behind us. jeff, tell me

to you, how are you feeling? what about rate is it happening? firstly, the small and medium enterprises. since 1993, they did not do any formalities at all. 93 is a long time ago. now, there will have to be customs formalities but also, when you talk about fruit, vegetables, et cetera. the food agency comes in. you have to be aware that they had to declare goods exiting europe but also entering into the uk. when you talk about small companies, awareness of the bigger picture. borisjohnson talks about awareness of the bigger picture. boris johnson talks about this awareness of the bigger picture. borisjohnson talks about this being the best trade deal there has ever been. in rotterdam, they are bringing in customs officers, hundreds of them. paperwork is

suddenly needed. using a lot of people in ports, smaller companies, bigger companiesjust people in ports, smaller companies, bigger companies just aren't aware of that. it is like that, we are talking about paperwork but also, we are talking about digital declarations. we can go fast we need to agree on the kinds of formalities and exchange of declarations between the continent and the uk. can that be done in time? a number of ports are looking at digital analysis. can trade be faster? a recent study suggesting a lorry stops were two minutes longer than they are now, 20 minutes longer than they are now, 20 minutes of traffic backed up on motorways. digital, is that a possible answer? that has to be the solution but also the customs authorities have to be prepared fruit because now, with the actual

softwa re fruit because now, with the actual software they are using, they cannot cope with dodi, 40% more declarations, it's impossible. cope with dodi, 40% more declarations, it's impossiblem there an upside you see to brexit? suddenly, you won't have this single borderless trade. does that mean better competition with dunkirk, with rotterdam, with zeebrugge, that antwerp can get more trade from elsewhere? i'm talking for the flemish ports because not only antwerp but certainly zeebrugge has big potentialfor antwerp but certainly zeebrugge has big potential for getting all the traffic. they are known as a ferry port and ferry transport is very important for the flow of goods between europe and the uk. they give are talking to us. it's worth saying in the uk and we talk about this, a lot of people within the ports, talking about how this transition period is going to help try to help

provide awareness. stay with us on the briefing. also on the programme: as three australian cricketers begin long suspensions over the ball—tampering scandal, we hear from the chief of cricket australia. that — and more — in the sport briefing. 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. a hundred 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. you're watching the briefing. 0ur 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. theresa may is embarking on a one—day whirlwind tour of the uk, meeting workers, families and eu migrants, to mark exactly one year until brexit. senior officials from pyongyang and seoul are meeting

in the demilitarized zone, to prepare for an april summit between president moon and kimjong un. one of china's top diplomats is coming to south korea to brief the government on the north korean leader's surprise trip to beijing this week, and there are unconfirmed reports that japan and russia are also seeking summits with him. 0ur correspondent laura bicker is in seoul. it seems that there is a queue forming now in terms of world leaders. a flurry of diplomacy. how far we have come in such a short space of time. can you tell us how important this ground work is? laying the foundations for the summit coming up in april and then the meeting with donald trump in may. so the officials from pyongyang and from here in seoul are currently

meeting at the demilitarised zone. we don't know how long the meeting will last. they will set a date and an agenda for the meeting between president moon and kim jong on which is scheduled to the end of april. we are awaiting details as i speak to you right now. yes, it is quite important that this lays the groundwork for that summit meeting because when the president moon meets kimjong because when the president moon meets kim jong and, because when the president moon meets kimjong and, it paves because when the president moon meets kim jong and, it paves the way for what may come next. now, as you say, a queue is forming and everyone wa nts to say, a queue is forming and everyone wants to have a discussion with kim jong—un now he has stepped outside the hermit kingdom and the political stage. this meeting with china signifies that he has a powerful ally in his cornerfor signifies that he has a powerful ally in his corner for now. it would seem that when it comes to the subject of denuclearisation, we are beginning to have an idea, perhaps, we you never really know with north korea, what that means. if he aligned himself with china, denuclearisation on this peninsula

does not just mean denuclearisation on this peninsula does notjust mean north korea giving away its weapons. north korea has long called for us forces and troops, and weapons to be taken off this peninsula and taken away from japan. if the talks come to the issue of denuclearisation, that is what we believe north korea means that when it says it is willing to look at giving away its nuclear weapons. it is notjust talking about itself, it talks about the peninsula as a whole. very interesting. thank you, laura. we will talk to you again soon. let's bring you the latest or news, over now to the bbc‘s sports centre. coming up in yourfirst baseball briefing, the german can then use his bid for a third masters tyre till. australia cricket reeling and premier league star surprises some schoolchildren in liverpool by

dropping in to say hello. —— third masters title. alexander zverev has often been called a rising star of tennis. good 2018 be the year he sta rts tennis. good 2018 be the year he starts to shine? after defeating nick kyrgios in the masters, he will face the quarter—final later. zverev is looking to win the third masters event of his career. at grand slam still eludes him that many fancy his chance of winning. and something every golfer dreams, putting on a famous green jacket at augusta national. jordan ‘s big moment came in 2015. he will be fine tuning his form on thursday and joining him there is phil mickelson as both players gear up for the first major of the year for golf. the wizards had to does droid to face the pistons. they are sixth in the western conference. victory over the

san antonio spurs on tuesday was a big win for them. seven players scored in double figures as they won 116 to 106. the win puts them within touching distance of the pieces and the 76ers. in case you missed it, it isa the 76ers. in case you missed it, it is a punishment that will prove costly both for their careers than their bank balances. australia's skipper steve smith and vice captain david warner have been banned for one yearfor ball david warner have been banned for one year for ball tampering. both players have been sent home from the tour of south africa with their reputation in tatters. it began on saturday after cameron bancroft, also sent home, used sandpaper to damage the ball in the third test. for his role he has been given a nine—month ban by cricket australia. clearly this has caused a huge amount of damage to the game of cricket as a whole and, certainly, australian cricket and it has compromised the confidence in face of fa ns compromised the confidence in face offans in compromised the confidence in face of fans in cricket. it is our

responsibility, players, administrators or coaches and others to reinstall that faith and confidence. costa bingo is due to the miami open semifinals after a straight sets win. she was too strong in wimbledon as well last year and it was more of the same as the latvian sixth seed advanced. who said school is not great fun? it is when you get to meet your hero. look at this video you are about to see. this is the moment football mad schoolchildren in liverpool got the surprise of their lives. he could finish the game here... 0h! you are at! are! quite an entrance in de. all of that news is available on our

website but for many that is your first baseball briefing. —— thursday sport briefing. and tell me what you think about our talking point today. lent ends today — did you give something up? is it a good period of reflection? we have one view here are sending us a tweet. well done to him. thomas says he was successful giving up giving up things. thank you for all your comments and your company. are

there. 0ver your comments and your company. are there. over the next few day there will be good weather and not so good weather. with a spell of rain clearing away for late sunshine here and there. there will be sunshine as we head into the easter weekend. it is not a right off by any means however it will be wet at times and cold enough for some snow over the hills, mainly in scotland, as temperatures are disappointing for this time of year. a cold start on thursday morning. widespread frost away from the far north—east of scotla nd away from the far north—east of scotland and the south—west of england and wales were showers are developing quickly, moving northward through wales into the midlands with the south—east and east anglia. coupler shelves breaking up ahead of that perhaps but it should be dry and we have cool wet weather in the north—east of scotland that the south—west of scotland should do fairly well. temperatures are nothing to write home about the evening an overnight that wet weather is in the south and it continues to work its way northwards and as it does so it stops around the borders in northern ireland and

temperatures will not be as low on friday morning. with maister to see more rain coming towards the far south—west by the end of the day. at the moment everything is coming in from the south—west because we have areas of low pressure sitting in there pushing ahead these were the systems that are moving northwards and slowing down and fading out to scotland, northern ireland, northern england, maybe a few showers to come but not a lot of wet weather. the wet weather will be more towards the south—west and, again, pushing up towards wales, the midlands and the south—east of england to maybe late sunshine across more southern counties of england are the brightest weather probably across the western areas of scotland. 7— nine degrees, not that good, really. this is the story then as we head further into the easter weekend. a low pressure in the weather front is fading away from northern areas of this one steering to the south that should be a dry day on. across wales, the midlands and southern england with those weather fronts further north there was to be thick cloud and may well be some rain

around. a bit more snow to come over the mountains of scotland with temperatures in the north are only five or six degrees did you make it double figures. in parts of england and wales that it on sunday, easter sunday at self, generally dry in the rain in the north figuring out that there will be a lot of cloud, still rather chilly, wet and windy weather returns on easter monday. this is business briefing. i'm sally bundock. it helped build the spitfire but can it fight off the biggest hostile takeover bid britain has seen for a decade? shareholders will decide the fate of engineering giant gkn today. plus opportunities in the pipeline in brazil. why the corruption scandal at petrobras means foreign oil giants could soon be cashing in and on the markets: as you can see, serious losses in asia.