this is bbc news. the headlines at 7pm: richard osborn—brooks, arrested on suspicion of murdering a suspected burglar, has been released without charge. sergei skripal, the former russian spy, is no longer in a critical condition and is responding well to treatment. the foreign office has refused his niece a visa to come to the uk and visit her relatives in hospital. the met police commissioner offers reassurance to londoners after a string of murders. we have not lost control of the streets. i can understand why some people are very worried at the moment, particularly in some areas of london. palestinian sources say israeli troops have killed at least six people and wounded more than 400, in renewed violence on gaza's border with israel. campaigners have hailed the introduction of a tax on sugary soft drinks. also in the next hour, controversy at the sumo wrestling. the head of japan's sumo association has apologised after two women were ordered to leave the ring where they were performing life—saving first aid.

good evening and welcome to bbc news. a pensioner who was arrested on suspicion of murder, after a struggle with a burglar at his home in south london, has been told by police that no further action will be taken against him. richard osborn—brooks, who's 78, was detained after the incident at the property in hither green on wednesday morning. our correspondent simon jones is with me now. a bit more on the background and where the last one is on this, simon. this was in the early hours of wednesday morning. richard osborn—brooks was in his home and phoned his police as saying there we re phoned his police as saying there were intruders. it is understood he

had gone into the house and one of them was armed with a screwdriver and had threatened him. the met police said a struggle student and that ended up in one of the suspected burglars, named henry vincent, being stabbed. he was found collapsed in the street a short time after that. he was taken to hospital but pronounced dead at 3:30am in the morning. after that, the homeowner was originally arrested a suspect in of the grievous bodily harm but then murder. we lost in a day has been a development, they will be no further action taken against him. where does the lost and on this? when we look on the law, it is down to what is considered to be reasonable force and someone defending their home. the law was changed to clarify it backin the law was changed to clarify it back in 2013, saying if it was a highly stressful situation, if someone was under a great highly stressful situation, if someone was under a great deal of

pressure, then if they are teasing reasonable force, that would not be against the law. it is always debatable what reasonable force actually is but i think we are talking about if someone on and as an intruder and then you confronted them and stabs them, but that the reasonable? perhaps it wouldn't. if it was someone small in stature and you used a gun, that would not be considered reasonable. but there was an assumption that if someone enters your house, if you are genuinely petrified and you do take some action such as we had in that case, that could be considered reasonable. because there was comments made at quite high levels before this decision was taken. we heard from the justice secretary who made decision was taken. we heard from thejustice secretary who made it clear that the government sympathies are with householders who are during break—ins. the met police seem to have gone down that line, they say they have discussed it with the crown prosecution service and decided to take no further action. they said they have informed the

family of henry vincent, the suspected burglar about their decision not to take further action. they describe this as a tragedy for everyone. but the police are defending their actions because it produced a loss of tabloid headlines are seeing the man is defending his own home and possibly will be charged with murder. the met said they had to carry out a thorough investigation to establish the fa cts , investigation to establish the facts, it was right and properfor them to do it. but having looked as though action over the past few days, they have decided it was reasonable for us and will take no further action. thank you very much. and we'll thank you very much. find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10.a0pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are torcuil crichton, political editor at the daily record and lynn davidson, whitehall correspondent at the sun. the former russian agent sergei skripal, is no longer in a critical condition and is responding well to treatment. he's been recovering at salisbury district hospital, after being poisoned with a nerve agent at the beginning of march. his daughter yulia who was also attacked, said yesterday she is gaining strength daily. britain says russia is behind

the poisonings, but moscow has denied any involvement. our home affairs correspondent leila nathoo reports. targeted with a chemical weapon, sergei skripal and his daughter yulia were exposed to nerve agent, a toxic chemical designed to shut down the human body. today, the hospital gave this update. as yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she can leave hospital. i also want to update you on the condition of her father sergei skripal. he is improving rapidly and no longer in a critical condition. 0n the 11th of march the two were found incapacitated in the centre of salisbury, critically ill. a police officer, one of the first to respond to the incident, was also

admitted to hospital and discharged a fortnight later. last week, yulia regained consciousness and now her father appears to be making progress. it's fantastic news and somewhat unexpected. we heard earlier this week that yulia is getting better and to hear that sergei is recovering well is also great news and i hope to hear more in the coming week. in a statement, the foreign office has said... yulia skripal is communicating, yesterday she put out a statement saying she was getting stronger daily. it's not sure whether sergei is recovering to the same extent.

they will now become crucial witnesses in an investigation which is one of the most complex and largest the police have ever undertaken. earlier our political reporter jessica parker gave us the latest from outside salisbury district hospital. this afternoon we had a statement from the medical director here at salisbury district hospital, doctor christine blanchard, and in it she said what was really the key point, i want to update you, she says, on the condition of sergei skripal. he is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition. this comes a day after we heard in a statement directly from yulia skripal that she was growing stronger by the day, she had been awake for over a week and any statement she thanked the people of salisbury for helping her and her father when they were found incapacitated on a park bench.

this is quite a turnaround, given it was two weeks ago when we heard through court, when a judge was granting chemical weapons inspectors the right to take blood samples, that the pair were both heavily sedated, sergei skripal unable to communicate in any way, yulia skripal unable to communicate in any meaningful way. so a major change in their condition over recent weeks and i think speculation will now turn in terms of what it could mean for the investigation, how much the pair are able to help with that investigation. and there has been a major reaction, first of all i'll tell you what we've heard from the russian embassy. we've been told today they welcome the news of sergei skripal‘s recovery. they say they are grateful to the medical staff treating him and his daughter yulia and wish them to get well soon. they also say, we are confident that an objective probe will ultimately establish the claims against russia by the uk government are null and void. so that gives you a sense of the very heightened sensitivity

around any news coming out from salisbury district hospital about the condition of the two patients. we have also heard from the uk foreign and commonwealth office, who also say they are pleased that both mr skripal and his daughter yulia are improving. this is a tribute, they say, to the hard—working and talented nhs staff in salisbury who have provided outstanding care. but they also add, let us be clear, this was a attempted murder using illegal chemical weapons that we now russia possesses. the head of the metropolitan police has insisted the force hasn't lost control of london's streets. following a string of murders in the capital, commissioner cressida dick said this wasn't a time for blame, but for working together, although she did say her officers were stretched. our home editor mark easton has more. more than 50 killings in the capital since the beginning of the year, a catalogue of tragedy that has shone light on the metropolitan police

and its commissioner cressida dick. she has found herself having to respond to a wave of public anxiety and anger. commissioner, have you lost control of the streets of london? we have not lost control of the streets. i can understand why some people are worried at the moment. particularly in some areas of london. we have had some ghastly homicides, as you know, particularly in the last few days, including those of really young people which is bound to be very frightening. people are scared stiff out there. what can you say to reassure them? the metropolitan police are out there. this weekend we have an extra 300 officers each day in the areas which are the most significant hotspots where there have been high levels of knife crime. they are above and beyond all the other officers working in covert roles, on patrol, in the neighbourhoods, people who are saving lives every day, arresting people, taking weapons off the streets,

targeting the most violent and doing everything they can to bed down on street violence. have you got enough resources? are there enough police officers? every police chief would always want more officers and resources. it's myjob to make the case for more and also to make the best use of what we have got. do you think the awful tragic spike in homicides is down to cuts in police budgets? i don't. i think that ourjob is stretched but the causes of knife crime, violent crime, are very complex and long running. this is something i talked about from the day i arrived as one as my highest priorities. i'm really sorry that these people have lost their lives. i don't say they have lost their lives because we have suffered cuts but i need as many people as i can out on the streets. that's what we're doing this weekend and in the weeks to come.

what about the priority of infiltrating the gangs and getting that intelligence that means you are one step ahead? these are challenging offences to investigate. you will have probably noticed that we nearly always arrest and charge people. we have fantastic homicide investigation capability. of the five tragic cases this week we have arrested in all but one. among the five arrests confirmed today is that the old man in connection with the death of tanisha melbourne who was shot on monday. ——30—year—old man. the commissioner accepts that what is more important is to prevent killings happening in the first place. well, we can speak now to the labour mp, vicky foxcroft, who represents the lewisham deptford constituency. she's also the chair of the youth violence commission, which is made up of mps from different parties and is aimed at finding

solutions to youth violence. she joins us live from deptford in south—east london. thank you very much forjoining us this evening. to what extent have the police lost control of the streets, as one former officer claimed earlier in the week? how don't think that the police have lost control of the streets, i think that it lost control of the streets, i think thatitis lost control of the streets, i think that it is a long and complex problem and involves long—term solutions. just like the rises in file installed, but overnight, nor do the solutions happen overnight. it is the reason why one of the things we have to do in terms of the use of violence commissioners like at long—term solutions. when we talk about having a strategy to go on tackle this, we don't talk about the quick fix in terms of a couple of yea rs of quick fix in terms of a couple of years of strategy, but a chilly weedy ten, 15, 20 year strategy that involves all of the partners, all of the different agencies that come into co nta ct

the different agencies that come into contact with children to have a very integrated approach in terms of working together and sharing data. what are those various elements that make it so complex and the solutions that are required? i think the thing is that sometimes you can talk about making sure that all knives and shops were stored behind counters and of course that is something the government should do and legislate for straightaway. but naturally, there are a of complex issues in terms of children and the experience they are having and the amount of trauma that they are experiencing. if children are starting to feel that they are safer carrying a knife than not, then we need to go and understand that and make sure that we ensure they have got that trust in terms of the police, so we have more policing in terms of schools, in terms of primary schools, so they can build those relationships with the police. and also that all of the

different agencies, such as education, health care, social work, are all working together to make sure that there is that wraparound subordinate and children as they are growing up. the met police commissioner has said an extra 300 officers will be patrolling the city this weekend. how helpful is that as a visible presence? i think it is extremely important that people go and see police on the street, that they are able to speak to them and engage with them. i do think we need to make sure we have got more police on our schools and more policing communities, the support officers that are engaging in the local communities, gathering that intelligence and working with the local communities to go and tackle the rise in youth violence. that's very much a case of engagement with the community by the police which was very much the glasgow experience, as we were talking to the reduction unit there yesterday. what place is there, if at all, for stop and search and how should it be

used? - next up in search has to be evidence led and that's the reason why you need to have those police and committee support officers on the ground. in terms of the violence reduction unit in scotland, as part of the work and youth violence commission, we set people up to scotla nd commission, we set people up to scotland to see what lessons we could learn in terms of what they have gone into one. when we were talking to one of the leads in terms of that, she was saying they had a 10—year strategy. as a chilly, if they were to revisit that, perhaps we day 15—20 year strategy. it's about getting in the early with the young people and making sure they never feel like they have to carry a knife in the future. thank you very much for talking to us. i appreciate you taking time to talk to us this evening. a 16—year—old boy is among at least six people killed during protests on gaza's border with israel. troops opened fire on the protesters attempting to breach the frontier fence.

last week, hundreds of palestinians were injured and more than a dozen killed, in the bloodiest day of violence since the war in gaza four years ago. the un's high commissioner for human rights has called on israel to stop the use of what it called excessive force. in policing the green line fence, israeli security forces are required by international human rights law to respect the rights to peaceful assembly and expression and to use, to the extent possible, non—violent means to discharge their duties. the headlines on bbc news: doctor who has been released without charge after killing a suspected burglar. sergei skripal is no longer any critical condition and is responding well to treatment. the met police commissioner offers reassurance to london after a string of murders. more than 14—thousand patients have been waiting more than a year for non—urgent operations

and procedures in northern ireland, which is eight times the number in england. the figures have been released by the royal college of surgeons which said the political stalemate in northern ireland was risking the well—being of patients. our health editor, hugh pym, reports. this was megan when we met her five months ago, doing what she loved. but every move was painful. that's because her spine looked like this. it was getting worse and she sometimes struggled to breathe. after a fundraising campaign allowed her to have an operation in turkey, this is what it looks like today. you are taking your first steps after the operation? yeah. how did that feel? really good. but it was really sore. fantastic! your mum and dad are there as well.

yeah. it was really painful. i felt drowsy and sick. i was so happy because ijust wanted it over and done with, to get back on the road to recovery. it was looking bleak for megan's family when there were told she would have to wait a year for the operation on the nhs in belfast. that is why they felt they had to go private. what does it tell you about the state of the nhs? it's a shambles, it's a mess. it's no fault of the surgeons or the nurses. it's awful. it's seeing your child in pain every day, knowing that you can't help them and the only way for a lot of families is to fund raise or to actually remortgage your house. just a few miles away, another family relive their ordeal. the nhs in northern ireland arranged for sophie to have spinal surgery in england. but only after a 20 month wait,

including the stress of a last—minute cancellation. most people in northern ireland want the same treatment as the rest of the same treatment as the rest of the uk. we are part of the uk. i think that the waiting list should be similar. we pay taxes, national insurance. i would expect the powers to be to make sure it is pretty equal. northern ireland health and social care board says they simply isn't the money or the starving to bring down unacceptably long waiting lists. telling a child they can't have the operation when they want and need the operation is completely inappropriate. this spinal surgeon said they were doing what they could with the resources available but they could not defend a long waits. it's terrible for the patients, but equally for the health care people involved, the managers, nurses, consultants, staff. it's awful not being able to offer the treatment we know they require in a timely manner. so how do you feel right now,

with megan dancing again? fantastic. i've got my 14—year—old back. now we are just back to being... a normal family. a fraudster who posed as a survivor of the grenfell tower disaster has been jailed for four—and—a—half years. joyce msokeri, who's a7, claimed her husband had died in the fire, to claim food, clothing, and hotel accommodation worth nineteen thousand pounds. the old bailey heard how she was in fact single and living miles away. the ireland and ulster rugby player paddy jackson says he's ashamed the woman who accused him of rape left his home distressed. he and team mate stuart 0lding were acquitted last week of the attack at a party. mrjackson, seen here in the middle, said he regretted the events of that

evening and apologised for betraying the values of his family. he also said he was sorry for offensive conversations he'd had on social media about the incident. health campaigners have welcomed a new tax on sugary soft drinks which has come into force throughout the uk. the levy, of up to 2a pence a litre, is part of a government attempt to tackle obesity. ministers believe the measure has already made an impact, with many firms reducing sugar content ahead of the change. 0ur correspondent judith moritz reports. a treat in the school holidays. coca—cola at lunchtime. customers of all ages queing up to quench their thirst at the national children's museum, eureka. there's plenty of choice here, but sugary drinks are popular. coke. it's nice to have some sugar. and ribena because it's not got much sugar in it. the introduction of the uk sugar tax hasn't gone unnoticed here, but for some, sweet habits die hard. if i want it and i like it,

i'm going to buy it. it's like an addiction, isn't it? you can't stop! it's the same with everything. they'll find a tax for everything, saying it's healthy. but at the end of the day they're trying to take choice away. i think it's brilliant. it's a shame it's taken this long to introduce it. they learn about healthy teeth here, but in england a child has a tooth removed in hospital every ten minutes due to decay. it's recommended the maximum amount of added sugar in your diet is 5% of your calories. but children up to four years of age are consuming more than double this at 12%, and teenagers are eating and drinking more than three times as much added sugar as they should. yeah, fizzy drinks. sugary drinks? yeah. they taste good, i guess. some brands, including fanta, ribena and lucozade, have already cut their sugar

content, thus avoiding the tax. you've chosen fanta today. have you noticed a change in the taste? they've reduced some of the sugar. just a bit. it's not major but you can tell the difference. how do you find it? i think it's better. at this corner shop, some drinks now cost more despite bottles holding less. and the owner says customers have complained. the price has gone up. the size has come down. the customer is asking, why did you put the price up? some view the new levy as a tax on treats, others say it is a much—needed boost to our health. judith moritz, bbc news, halifax. eric bristow, the five time world darts champion, has died at the age of 60. his huge success in the 1980s helped the game to win a mass audience. eric bristow had a heart attack in liverpool last night.

the crowd at a tournament there chanted his name when his death was announced. 0ur sports correspondent 0lly foster looks back at his life. # there's only one eric bristow!#. many of the thousands of darts fans who chanted his name last night had met eric bristowjust a few hours earlier in liverpool at a hospitality event, before he was suddenly taken ill. the crafty cockney was king of the oche, a poster boy who helped drag the sport out of the pubs and gave it public recognition. i think eric took it to a different level. i mean, i knew eric when he was 17 years old, we used to go round different pubs and clubs playing for money, in tournaments. he was a good darts player. cocky, really cocky. but that was eric, that was the way he came over. but he was quite good—eyed.

the first of bristow‘s five world titles came in 1980. as rivalries with bobby george, john lowe, jocky wilson, marked his dynasty — a boom time for darts. but he was the best. when i've finished playing darts, my name's in the record books. and i want to set up such a high standard by the time i've finished. luckily i'm a young fella as well, and i've got plenty more years in front of me. when some other youngster comes along they say, he's going to be the new bristow, we'll see how bloody good he is, you know what i mean? he was bettered — by phil taylor, the man he mentored, who was to become the greatest of all time. bristow‘s influence on the sport was huge. he lost his job as a television pundit 18 months ago, following social media comments about the victims of barry bennell in the football abuse scandal, something he apologised for. but the darts family were always going to forgive one of their legends, though. still such a popular figure on the circuit. there were tears last night, and tributes. there will be many more. 0lly foster, bbc news.

let's ta ke let's take a look at the weather forecast now with thomas. thursday was not quite as funny across the uk, as per expectations. the skies were very hazy. despite that, the temperatures still managed to get up to 17 celsius in stjames park, making it the warmest day of the year so far. you can see how cloudy it has been across a number of areas. most of the cloud across england was quite thin, the rain bearing cloud were earlier on the day across western areas. the winds are still coming in from the south, we still have mild air sitting on top of us. the warmest weather is

across europe, into the 20s. the weather tonight, southerly winds. a bit of rain expected in the early hours of saturday morning across south—western parts of england into wales. the north—west of scotland, too. but for the majority of the uk, it will be dry and temperatures about 5—6 degrees. 0n it will be dry and temperatures about 5—6 degrees. on saturday, the winds are still coming from the south but dragging in a bit of cloud and some rain in the forecast also. notan and some rain in the forecast also. not an ideal day because they will be some rain in the morning. it should clear out of bristol bike light warning then moved to wales, merseyside across yorkshire and into newcastle. but it looks as if most of the afternoon across much of scotland, it will be dry with a couple of showers but glasgow, edinburgh, around 13 degrees, aberdeen 1a. belfast also voting. then the rain for manchester, trying out the second half of the afternoon through south—western areas. still 16 celsius in london. apart from

this band of rain in this part of the country, it is actually not that bad. many of us will have bright, dry weather. 0n bad. many of us will have bright, dry weather. on sunday, a weather front still across the uk. the weather the stage still coming in from the south, so southerly winds, and again the thinking is on sunday they will be quite a lot of cloud across the uk. probably another speu across the uk. probably another spell of rain moving through the south out the midlands and yorkshire as well. i groan, relatively mild, 15 degrees in london, 13 in edinburgh. next week, not an awful lot changes. still cloud and rain from time to time. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. prosecutors will not be charging a man who was arrested after fatally stabbing a burglar who had broken in to his home. the metropolitan police say no further action will be taken against richard 0sborn—brooks. sergei skripal, the former russian spy poisoned with a nerve agent in salisbury a month ago along

with his daughter — is no longer in a critical condition — but uk authorities have told his niece that she will not be granted a visa to come to britain to visit the couple. the metropolitan police commissioner says an extra 300 police officers will be on the streets of london this weekend, as police try to curb an upsurge in violence. more than 50 people have been murdered in the capital this year. palestinian sources say israeli troops have killed at least six people and wounded more than 400 during renewed demonstrations on gaza's border with israel. let's return now to the increase in violent crime in london. police say there were eight more stabbings across the capital yesterday — in one incident, a 13—year—old boy was left with serious injuries in newham. this follows two shootings on monday. one of the victims was 17—year—old tanesha melbourne who was shot and killed in tottenham. her brother hakeem blake has been talking to our

correspondent adina campbell. i'd just come up from university, like, i don't have a clue. tanesha, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. i don't have a clue. time and time i told her, i get she's growing up, she wants to be with her friends and things, but like, the streets nowadays, it's cold. and when did you get to see her afterwards? i saw her today. how bad are the problems in london at the moment, particularly in areas where you live? it's crazy at the moment, that's why i left. i left two years ago,

i realised it's crazy, every other day, if there's not a stabbing there's a shooting or something is happening, you know when something happens, it's always just tit—for—tat. i don't know, man. it's crazy right now. tanesha was your younger sister. i loved her, you know. i didn't really get to see her. she loved to sing. i loved her voice. i told her, one day, you'll be a star. and i promised that i'd take her to the studios so she could sing, and at least try, because not everyone makes it but she had lots of potential. the brother of tanesha melbourne speaking there. let's get more now on the news that the health of the former russian spy, sergei skripal, is improving after last month's nerve agent attack — he is no longer in a critical condition. dr christine blanshard,

the medical director at salisbury hospital and a little earlier, she made this statement. following intense media coverage yesterday, i would like to take the opportunity to update you on the condition of the two remaining patients being treated at salisbury district hospital. last thursday i informed you that yulia skripal‘s condition had improved to stable. as yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she can look forward to the day when she is well enough to leave hospital. any speculation on when that date will be will be just that, speculation. in the meantime, yulia has asked for privacy while she continues to get better. something i'd like to urge the media to respect. i also want to update you on the condition of her father, sergei skripal. he is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition.

as you will appreciate, i won't be giving any further details at this time. the government says novichok was of a type made in russia and is a deadly chemical — but the skripals are making a strong recovery. so what does that that tell us about the attack on the former spy? here to help untangle the science of nerve agents is chris morris — a expert in neuro toxicology at the medical toxicology centre, specialising in chemical hazards, and simon cotton, a chemist from the university of birmingham. gentlemen, welcome. thank you for joining us. let me start with simon and the chemistry, tell us about the chemical composition of novichok. what should we know about it? good evening. novichok is the most recent family of nerve agency developed, it

includes compounds of phosphorus and they both work in broadly the same way, they knock out an enzyme in the body. the novichok agents are much less well known, they don't necessarily have treatments to hand so we necessarily have treatments to hand so we must congratulate the team in salisbury who have been looking after the skripals and other victims of poisoning. chris, tell us more about the impact it can have on the human body. sorry, that question was a chris, simon. ithink human body. sorry, that question was a chris, simon. i think simon has pointed this out, they are all affecting the system of the body that controls syria sanctions, it affects the muscles, the breathing, heart rate. when you put in a nerve

agent like this it hyper — excites the entire nervous system that affects these, you get these painful interactions, frightened secretions from saliva, from bronchial fluid, you lose blood and body function control, the heartrate is gradually reduced, cardiac arrest is caused so those are the effects of any particular nerve agent. how fast can another track work, isobars depends on the dose? i suppose it depends on the way it is administered, if it is administered as an aerosol and large doses were briefed in it could act very quickly. it is taken in by the

skin but will slow down, it might even reduce the whole dosage and in this instance it could have been a lot slower and i think that is what has happened here. slower production of the toxic symptoms. before i return to simon, chris, one more feel, how is it that they have recovered in this way, it is great news that yulia says the strength is improving and her dad is no longer ina improving and her dad is no longer in a critical condition. i think that's testament to the fact that the emergency responders got in there very quickly, the team in salisbury managed to support their breathing, the heartrate, they, that long—term treatment taking place in salisbury, but team has been looking after them very carefully, monitoring everything, making sure they get maximum support. they haven't had these long—term effects, that's down to the team, and also

the fact that the patients recovering very steadily and nicely. simon, how difficult is it to trace the source of where novichok has been manufactured ?|j the source of where novichok has been manufactured? i think we need to distinguish between identifying the molecule itself, chemical a nalyses the molecule itself, chemical analyses say it is this molecule and not that molecule. and actually knowing where it comes from, and thatis, knowing where it comes from, and that is, i think, involves enough intelligence work, it is not the work of scientists as such. so chemical techniques, especially something called mass spectrometry, that can pinpoint a particular molecule and say it is this one, and thatis molecule and say it is this one, and that is important, because different nerve agents will respond to different antidotes. we have the government saying that it is of a type made in russia and there are even newspaper reports suggesting

that they knew exactly where it had been made. how certain can anyone be? my personal opinion is that this is not something you can say on the basis purely of chemical evidence. i ama basis purely of chemical evidence. i am a chemist. that's what i know about. mass spectrometry gives you a fingerprint of a molecule which says these atoms are connected in this way, so it's this substance and not that one. show a chemist chemical structure of a module and they will say, i think i know how to make that. and they can find a way of making it to show whether the substance used in the attack like this but as for where it is made,

that's another matter, you need other evidence for that. simon and chris, thank you both very much for your insight and your time. thank you. the number of prisoners in england and wales has dropped to its lowest level for more than seven years. the ministry ofjustice says there are more than 83 thousand people currently in prison — that's down two thousand in the past four months. at the same time, the number of offenders released early on electronic tags has been rising rapidly, passing the three thousand mark. the amount english and welsh graduates earn, before they have to start paying back their tuition fees, has risen. students who've taken out loans in the last six years will now start paying off their debts when they earn £25,000 a year, instead of £21,000. the national union of students said the change is a "welcome relief" for many. the former south african president, jacob zuma, has appeared in court on corruption charges. he was forced out of office in february, accused of fraud,

racketeering and money laundering, but denies any wrongdoing. 0ur southern africa correspondent andrew harding was in court. roads sealed off and a show of force here in durban for the moment south africa has been contemplating for decades. jacob zuma in court. mr zuma, andrew harding, bbc, can i ask you how you're feeling? south africa's former president has been fighting off corruption allegations for years but he was pushed out of office in february. this morning, yesterday's man took his seat in the dock. my lord, the accused comes to this court today by way of summons. beside him, a representative of a french arms company, accused of paying zuma huge bribes in the 1990s. zuma's lawyers are already challenging its legitimacy but it is a heavy blow to a man who seemed untouchable. 0utside court today,

a small but raucous crowd. zuma and his populist economic rhetoric still enjoy some support here. 9. 2,552.54 1%:. 5%5,¢:fig as, egg .. ... . ww. . of a political conspiracy." innocent until proven otherwise. but that argument, like his famous dance moves, is unlikely to help him in the trial. this is a hugely important symbolic moment for south africa in a country where so many powerful men enjoy impunity, this country is showing that no one, not even the former president, is above the law. andrew harding, bbc news, outside durban's high court. the head of japan's sumo association

has issued an apology after several women were ordered to leave the ring, despite administering emergency first aid. the incident happened at a local tournament near kyoto in western japan. caroline rigby has more. 0ver over the loudspeaker they were repeatedly ordered to leave. under the sports good women are considered ritually unclean so forbidden from entering the ring. women have been considered impure because blood defiles the ring because the ring as an extension of god essentially buried in the centre of the ring, so to avoid defiling that space females are not allowed in the ring. the sport of sumo is centuries old and

still contains many ancient rituals but some have accused it of failing to modernise. this latest incident is unlikely to end such criticism. the japan sumo association apologised, saying the decision was made by a referee who was upset that it was an inappropriate act in a situation that involves 1's life. an embarrassing episode for sports trying to rebuild its image in the wa ke trying to rebuild its image in the wake of recent scandals including match fixing, gambling and various high profile cases of assault. the mayor meanwhile is recovering in hospital, in part thanks to the actions of female medics who dared to step into the ring. caroline rigby, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news. richard 0sborn—brooks — arrested on suspicion of murdering a suspected burglar — has been released without charge.