welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nken ifejika. our top stories — heading home — russian diplomats begin leaving washington in the latest tit—for—tat expulsions over the nerve agent poisoning of a former spy in britain. it's one of syria's last rebel towns still standing. now, a deal has reportedly been reached for douma's civilian casualties to be allowed to leave. hundreds pay their respects at the funeral of the world—renowned physicist, professor stephen hawking. and on a collision course — the out—of—control chinese space station expected to land back on earth with a bump. and it was billed as the battle of the heavyweights — what happened when two world champions met in one of boxing's biggest nights of the year. welcome to the programme.

dozens of the russian diplomats who were ordered out of the united states have left washington. on monday, they were given seven days to leave the country in what has become a tit—for—tat diplomatic row. chris buckler reports from washington. behind the gates of the russian embassy in washington, you get a real sense of defiance. you had diplomats and theirfamilies standing there, clapping, cheering and waving, and music was being played as some of their colleagues got on buses with their families and with their suitcases to leave america. they had, of course, been given seven days to leave the us. 48 of the 60 officials that america had ordered out were based here in washington. and, of course, that action was taken notjust because of the poisoning of a former spy in england, as well as his daughter, but also because of concerns about russian power and influence being used in countries like syria and also in the ukraine, and, indeed, concerns

about espionage and interference happening inside america's borders. there's a deep concern about the actions of what the white house call ‘russian spies‘ here. but russia denies all of that, and they of course have already responded by ordering 60 americans out. i think the white house will be looking closely at what's happening with the uk and russia at the moment, with russia ordering yet more uk diplomats out of their country, because there is a concern in a sense that there is a danger of this escalating. certainly, if you look at deteriorating relationships, they do exist between america and russia, and you get a sense unless somebody says, "0k, enough is enough, let's pause this for a second," there is a real chance that yet more diplomats and theirfamilies could be climbing on board yet more buses. meanwhile, the foreign office in london says it's considering a request from russia to be given consular access

to yulia skripal. ms skripal is said to be conscious and talking in hospital after she and her father were poisoned with a nerve agent in the uk four weeks ago. simonjones reports from salisbury where the attack took place. given that the british authorities were so quick to point the finger at russia in the wake of the attack here for being responsible, it might seem extraordinary that the british government is now considering a request from russia to be granted access to yulia skripal in hospital. the key thing i think here, though, is going to be what yulia skripal herself wants. the big question — is she going to want any contact with the russian authorities, and even if she did, is she likely to be well enough any time soon for that to happen? now, the russian authorities say it is their right to have contact with her, and they've also listed 27 questions that they would like to ask the british government

about the attack here, and also about the treatment that she is receiving in hospital alongside herfather. they want to know why the treatment she is getting seems to be having a greater effect than on her father, who remains in a critical condition. they've also even asked to see photos of yulia and sergei skripal in hospital to prove that they are indeed here in salisbury and that they are indeed alive. there hasn't been a response to that from the foreign office, but what they say is they will consider russia's request under international law, but they're stressing yulia skripal‘s rights will be the number one priority. we've also learnt today further details about expulsions of british diplomats from moscow. we already knew that 23 had been kicked out of the country. yesterday, we were told there were going to be even more who were going to have to leave. now, we've learned it's likely to be extra 27 or so diplomats or possibly administrative workers

who are going to have to leave moscow once again. now, what we're not sure is whether the british government are going to take any direct action following that. they say they're aware of what's happened, they're monitoring the situation, but they say it's regrettable, but it was to be expected. reports from syria say a deal has been reached to evacuate critically injured people from douma, the last rebel—held town in eastern ghouta. the agreement follows negotiations involving the rebel groupjaish al—islam, civic leaders and russia. the syrian army's general command said the whole of eastern ghouta, with the exception of douma, was now under the army's control. this is what is left in march of eastern ghouta. the last few civilians on these streets along with government troops. the suburbs

outside damascus a shadow of their former selves. on horizon, outside damascus a shadow of their formerselves. on horizon, douma, the last rebel anglais standing in eastern ghouta. if the government ta kes eastern ghouta. if the government takes it, this whole area will be backin takes it, this whole area will be back in president assad's control. for weeks, there have been evacuations gci’oss for weeks, there have been evacuations across the area with thousands of civilians and rebel fighters being allowed to leave. now, russia says it deal has been made to get people safely out of douma. but forced displacement is what the rebels have called it. they say they have made no such deal. they accuse president assad of trying to change the demographics in this area in his favour. for the families ripped apart by the fighting in the area, hope is that at least they can be reunited. translation: my hope is that my sons who are in bhutto get out and to bring my children together so we

will live together. —— ghouta. bring my children together so we will live together. -- ghouta. those who don't leave, the army has threatened a full—scale military offensive, and as the war here goes into its eight year, it is difficult to know how much more people can take. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the united states and south korea have begun their annual military exercises after a delay of about a month. they were postponed to help ease conditions for the inter—korean talks during the winter olympics. the first summit between the two koreas in over a decade is due to take place at the end of the month. votes are being counted across sierra leone following the presidential run—off. the election was delayed by several days after a complaint about fraud in the first round was taken to court. the result is not expected until next week. the outgoing president, ernest bai koroma, is stepping down after serving the maximum two terms. president trump has accused the online retailer, amazon, of not paying enough tax.

on twitter, he said the us postal service was losing money on every parcel it delivered for the company. mr trump has become increasingly critical of amazon since its founder bought the washington post newspaper. the nobel peace laureate, malala yousafzai, has visited her home town in pakistan's swat valley for the first time since she was shot there by islamist militants six years ago. ms yousafzai, who is now a student at oxford university, was attacked on a school bus and left for dead because she was campaigning for the education of girls. thousands of palestinians have attended funerals in gaza for the people shot by israeli troops during clashes on the territory's border with israel on friday. the palestinians say they were unarmed protesters. the israelis say they faced a mass attempt to break down their border defences and to send in terrorists. our middle east correspondent, yolande knell, reports from jerusalem. gunshots.

this was a day of mourning. thousands turning out for funerals in gaza. distraught relatives... and defiant militants. yesterday, palestinians said they planned a peaceful march and the young will forget, but yesterday, there were young people, children, women and men at the borders showing the occupier that they will not forget. this is their land. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem.

the funeral of the physicist, professor stephen hawking, has been held in cambridge. hundreds of people lined the streets near the church, close to the college where he was an academic for more than 50 years. jo black reports. he was one of the greatest scientists of modern times, an international icon, but home was cambridge, the city and the university. the bell at great st mary's tolled 76 times, once for each year he lived. bell tolls. outside, in the drizzle and rain, thousands came to say goodbye to the man with the magnificent mind. professor hawking was such an inspiring person and it's a very sad day. history is being made today

because stephen hawking is going to be interred in westminster abbey, next to sir isaac newton. he's a scientifical genius, like, he's discovered a lot of things, and it'sjust showing appreciation. people stood quietly, respectfully, breaking into spontaneous applause as professor hawking's coffin was carried in and out of the church. his family stood solemnly, but proud. his first wife, jane hellyerjones, waved as the hearse pulled away. the service was very heartfelt. we heard remembrances about his work, as well as his family, how he was as a man and how he was as a physicist and how he was a wonderful human being. also among the 500 mourners, actor eddie redmayne, who played the professor in the film the theory of everything, comedian and science presenter dara o briain, and astrophysicist and musician brian may.

this was a private service for professor hawking's family, friends and colleagues. jo black reporting there from cambridge. a twin—engined light aircraft has crashed onto a french motorway at saint—chamond, in the loire, killing both passengers. emergency services say the pilot appears to have lost control and struck a signalling gantry overlooking the highway, while flying at very low altitude. the body of the pilot and a passenger were discovered in the wreckage of the plane. pope francis has led the traditional easter vigil mass in st peter's basilica, attended by around 10,000 pilgrims. during the service, the pope baptised eight people. one of them wasjohn ogah, a nigerian migrant beggar who became a hero in italy last september when he disarmed a thief wielding a cleaver in a supermarket. in his homily, pope francis urged believers to renew their lives. on sunday morning, he is due

to deliver his traditional easter message from the balcony of the basilica. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — a memorialfor the a memorial for the world's last white rhinoceros in kenya. 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, pubs 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. this is bbc news. the latest headlines — dozens of russian diplomats begin leaving washington — in the latest tit—for—tat expulsions over the nerve agent poisoning of a former spy in britain. reports from syria say a deal has been reached to evacuate critically injured people from douma the last rebel—held town in eastern ghouta. families of western hostages who were killed by the islamic state group have condemned comments by two

british men accused of involvement. alexanda kotey and el shafee elsheikh, who are being held by kurdish fighters in syria, have claimed they won't get a fair trial because, they say, they've been stripped of their uk citizenship. duncan kennedy reports. the two men were picked up by kurdish forces in northern syria injanuary and had been part of a sadistic gang of british is fighters that tortured and beheaded dozens of hostages. four of them stood out for their brutality. mohammed emwazi, known as ‘jihadi john', now dead. aine davis, now injail. and the newly captured pair, alexanda kotey and elsheikh. they're accused of at least 27 beheadings, including alan henning, an aid driverfrom eccles, and david haines, a former raf engineer from perth. now, in comments which have

outraged their victims' families, kotey and elsheikh have called the murders of their hostages " reg retta ble". they also say the uk has illegally withdrawn their citizenship. one of their victims was the american journalist james foley, here in the helmet. his mother says she's worried the men could escape if there's a delay in dealing with them. if somebody doesn't take the leadership and take them to trial, i fear they'll get away or something else. i am concerned that the international community and our government, the us government, and uk, need to work together to hold them accountable. but that raises the question of where the two men should be held accountable. the home secretary, amber rudd, hasn't confirmed that they've both been stripped of their british citizenship. what is known is that the uk has been speaking to the americans about them, and that the last thing britain wants is to have them back here to stand trial. a view endorsed by the government's

legal and political supporters. i'm sure it would be desirable that individuals against whom there are serious allegations should be brought to trial. but that's not to say that the home secretary is wrong in her view that they should be deprived of british citizenship, which i understand she's done, although it hasn't been confirmed, and, therefore, has no desire to bring them into this country to try them. but others say as the men spent most of their lives in britain, it's british justice they should face. we have a duty, i think, to try them, fairly as we will, and to punish them heavily. and to show the world just how british justice works. elsheikh and kotey stand accused of the most barbaric of crimes. where and when they answer for them is now the subject of intense international debate. duncan kennedy, bbc news. china's defunct space station is hurtling back to earth

and experts say it's on course to crash in the next day or so. china lost control of the tiangong—i spacecraft after it was decommissioned in 2013. earlier, i spoke to drjonathan mcdowell. he is an astronomer at the harvard—smithsonian center for astrophysics in boston. i asked him why the crash date had been shifted later. a few days ago, we thought it might be saturday—sunday and now it looks like sunday—monday. the window starts in about 12 hours. we are following the orbit of very closely. so what happened 7 that is different to the prediction we had before. it is like weather forecasting, it's really hard. we are forecasting the density of the upper atmosphere of the earth and when the sun burps and sends radiation of plasma towards the earth, it changes the density of the atmosphere, changes the headwind, so the tiangong—i spacecraft is going around the earth at 17,000 mph. it feels a very thin headwind from the outer atmosphere and as that gets denser and less dense, the rate that the spacecraft spirals in speeds up or slows down. we overestimated how much

the slowing would be, it gave it a few extra hours of life. we will see and things could still change but we are pretty confident it will come down sometime late on the first, early on the second. do we know where it might fall? that is the problem. the orbit of the spacecraft goes from 43 degrees north to 43 degrees south every 90 minutes, it goes round the earth, at 17,000 mph. so if you're off by an hour when it comes down, you are 17,000 miles wrong in your prediction. right now, the latest window is about three hours either side and that is four times round the earth we don't know where it will come down. i'm hoping that by mid—tomorrow we will have a more accurate prediction that will get us down to a couple of hours either way

and we will be able to start saying, all right, this continent is not going to be underneath but this one is. but we're not going to get any better than that until after it has re—entered. i'm almost tempted to say thanks for nothing, dr mcdowell. i know, fair enough! but this is an important question for me. should i get a helmet? i do have, from 1979, the skylab helmet complete with tinfoil for you, it's only $10 on ebay. but no, really, the chance of anyone being hurt is one in tens of thousands. the earth is a big place and most of it is pretty empty. so we really don't worry too much. even if some debris does come down in a populated area, the 17.5 ton station will mostly melt on the way down and break up into different fire balls which will come down in maybe a few hundred pounds each and they won't be crashing at 17,000mph, it will be 100mph so it will be like a light plane crash but spread over a hundred—mile strip.

so the damage would be too much. the world's last male northern white rhinoceros has been honoured with a headstone in kenya, as government officials call for tougher penalties for poachers. sudan was put down last month following months of poor health, putting an end to natural breeding efforts. georgina smyth reports. the legacy of the last northern white male rhino is set in stone. the future of his female cou nterpa rts the future of his female counterparts is less certain. as officials unveiled the headstone for 45—year—old rhino sudan, a pledge was made to safeguard what remains

of the species. with come here to pay tribute to the people who managed to conserve the northern male white rhino. —— we have come here. this is an understanding that we need to conserve so we here. this is an understanding that we need to conserve so we don't end of such species. that could end with the introduction of a harsher penalty for people who kill, life sentences. preserving is better than taking it for human. decades of rampant poaching have drastically cut the number of northern white rhinos. then you introduced harsh laws in 2013 to stop highly lucrative ivory smuggling, mainly to asia, but there is still a long way

to go. we have recently seen the banning of the ivory trade in china. that's a big step and obviously needs to happen with enforcement and needs to happen with enforcement and needs to happen across the world, not just needs to happen across the world, notjust china. china is notjust the only consumer of ivory. even in death, sudan might help stave —— save his species. they might be able to bring the northern white rhino back from the edge of extinction. the british boxer anthony joshua has beaten new zealand's joseph parker by a unanimous points decision in a world heavyweight title unification bout in cardiff. joshua had won his previous twenty fights by knockout. he is now one belt away from becoming undisputed world champion. james gray is a freelance sports reporter — he told me more about the fight. i thoughtjoshua would emerge victorious. he is probably the stronger and bigger man. it's the first time that he'd been taken all the way to 12 rounds so that was maybe a surprise but i think given the nature of the occasion that was

probably as we expected. i've seen some comments of people who watched the match talking aboutjoshua being more tactical than people have seen of him in the past. yeah, it was definitely a low fight to him. you know, in boxing terms he still is relatively inexperienced. he is only 28, he has only got now 21 fights under his belt, and he didn't box until he was 17 at all as a amateur, so he is still learning a lot of things. parker is a very true boxer, he's not a fighter, so that was a challenge forjoshua who has come in to fights before and just been able to use that incredible physicality that he has, just unleash on people. so yeah, he did have to be more tactical but he proved he can do that and that is a huge step forward — even the opposition corner was saying afterwards in the press conference that they were impressed by some of the things that he could do that they didn't think he could do before. so, as good as we may have thoughtjoshua was before, he appears to be getting better every day. in sarasota county florida,

the carver family were woken up by large noise outside. much to their shock, a huge eleven foot alligator had broken through the screening around their pool and decided to take a late night dip. the sheriff's office called out a specialist animal trapper to assist. it's thought low water levels in the surrounding lagoons may have been the reason for the alligator seeking a new swimming hole. hello there. saturday was a pretty disappointing day across the board — it felt cool, it was cloudy, there were further outbreaks of rain across many central and eastern areas with some sleet and snow on the hills. this weather watcher picture from east lothian pretty much sums up how many places were throughout the afternoon. but there was some sunshine across the north and west of scotland. that's because a ridge of high pressure was moving in and for easter day, that ridge of high pressure will be very much in control. so we are starting off on a cold and frosty note with clear skies for many. it will be largely dry, too,

and there should be plenty of sunshine around through the morning. temperature wise, we could be looking at —3 to —6 across scotland this morning. a cold start as well across wales, the south—west of england. but still some cloud to begin the day across central and eastern areas. again, a few showers around, maybe wintry over the higher ground, but for most of us, it's looking fine and dry. glimmers of brightness around. a few wintry showers across the far north of scotland. later in the day, a spell of wet and windy weather will arrive across cornwall and devon, that's courtesy of this area of low pressure which will continue to move northwards during the early hours of easter monday, bringing a mixture of rain and sleet and snow. initially across southern areas, we will see the snow only to the highest ground but as it continues to bump into that cold air, we could see some sleet and snow down to lower levels across mid—north wales, the north midlands, northern england, the pennines and into central southern scotland, maybe northern ireland too, as it continues to march its way northwards. further south, all reverting back to rain because it will be turning mild. temperatures 10—12 degrees. but that snow could cause some some problems, particularly for central northern parts of the country,

as it settles the lower ground as well. just keep tuned to bbc local radio and to all of the weather forecasts. as we head into tuesday, a different feel to the weather. we are bringing in very mild air from the south or south—west. plenty of heavy april showers. some sunny spells in between. some of them may contain some thunder, in fact. wet weather continuing across the north and west of scotland. but notice the temperatures, ten to maybe 1a or 15 degrees. low pressure still with us as we head on into the middle of part of the week, so it does remain unsettled. a lot of rain at times too, but i think we are looking at heavy showers on wednesday. some will merge together to produce longer spells of rain. there could even be the odd thundery one for central, southern and eastern areas as again, it will feel very mild again in south—westerly winds. given some sunshine, we could be looking at highs of 1a

or 15 celsius, and even quite mild across the northern parts as well. this is bbc news. the headlines: russian diplomats expelled by the united states over the poisoning of a former double agent in britain have begun leaving washington. earlier, russia told britain it must reduce its diplomatic presence by just over 50 people. palestinians are observing a day of national mourning for at least 16 people killed in clashes with israeli soldiers at the gaza border on friday. the un secretary—general has called for an independent inquiry into the deaths. two men, believed to have been members of the islamic state cell known as ‘the beatles', complain they can't have a fair trial because the government has stripped them of their british citizenship. the funeral of world—renowned scientist stephen hawking has taken place in cambridge. the theoretical physicist, who had motor neurone disease, died march 1a, aged 76. up to 500 family and friends attended the service. now on bbc news,

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