tonight at ten, the former russian spy poisoned in salisbury is no longer critically ill. sergei skripal has been in hospital since the beginning of march, after a nerve agent attack. he's responding well to treatment, improving rapidly, and is no longer in a critical condition. so what could mr skripal‘s recovery mean for the criminal investigation? also on the programme... the met police commissioner offers reassurance to londoners, following the recent string of murders. we haven't lost control of the streets. i can understand why some people are very worried at the moment, particularly in some areas of london. police say the pensioner richard osborn—brooks won't be charged or face any further action, after an intruder was fatally stabbed at his home. worth his weight in gold — gareth evans wins for wales at the commonwealth games. announcer: the notorious conor mcgregor weighs in... and aggression outside the ring — the mixed martial arts star conor mcgregor appears in court after apparently attacking

his rivals‘ coach. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news... as augusta continues to test the best, rory mcilroy has a good second day at the masters. good evening. a former russian spy, who was left seriously ill after a nerve agent attack, is responding well to treatment and is no longer in a critical condition. it's nearly five weeks since sergei skipal, and his daughter, yulia, were found slumped on a park bench in salisbury, the victims of the soviet—era chemical weapon, novichok. britain says russia is behind the poisonings, but moscow has denied any involvement.

our home affairs correspondent leila nathoo is in salisbury for us tonight. this is another remarkable turn of events here in salisbury. after more than a month in a critical condition here, sergei skripal is now recovering well. it was that attack on the former russian intelligence officer and his daughter yulia in this city that he had come to call home, that triggered the crisis in relations between london and moscow. but their recovery is now a new and unexpected twist in this extraordinary tale. they were targeted with a chemical weapon. sergei skripal and his daughter yulia — seen here in newly released family photos taken in russia. they were hospitalised more than a month ago, after being exposed to a nerve agent, a toxic chemical designed to shut down the human body. but they have been fighting its effects, and 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 is well enough to leave hospital. i also wa nt to enough to leave hospital. i also want to update you on the condition of her father, want to update you on the condition of herfather, sergei skripal. he is responding well to treatment and improving rapidly, and is no longer ina improving rapidly, and is no longer in a critical condition. it was on the 4th of march that the two were found in capacity in the centre of salisbury. —— incapacitated in the centre of salisbury. they were critically ill. a police officer, who was one of the first to respond to the incident, was also admitted to hospital. he was discharged a fortnight later. the skripals had been heavily sedated, and were unable to communicate. but last week, yulia regained consciousness. now herfather, too, appears to be making progress. it's fantastic news. somewhat unexpected. we were concerned they we re unexpected. we were concerned they were ina unexpected. we were concerned they were in a very serious state but we heard earlier this week that yulia is getting better. to hear that sergei skripal is also recovering, that's excellent news and i hope to hear more encouraging news in the

weeks ahead. in a statement, a foreign office spokesperson said, we are very pleased that both mr skripal and his daughter yulia are improving. this is a tribute to the hard—working and talented nhs staff in salisbury who have provided outstanding care. the nhs will continue to provide ongoing care for skripals, both of whom are likely to have ongoing medical needs. yulia skripal is communicating. yesterday she put out a statement through the police saying she is getting stronger daily. but it's not yet clear whether sergei skripal is recovering to the same extent. but how is it that either of them have been able to withstand the impact of such a deadly substance? there are so many variables that are poisoning from novichok might take. so you have the environmental conditions in which the poison might have been left and how they picked it up. the quantities that got into him. we hear it's through the skin, which is a lot more of a protective barrier and if it was inhaled. so overall it's a pleasant surprise,

good news for him and good news for the investigation. yulia, and perhaps herfather too, will now become crucial witnesses in the investigation, described by counterterror police as one of the largest and most complex they have ever carried out. leila nathoo, bbc news, salisbury. our diplomatic correspondent james landale is at the foreign office tonight. the possible recovery of the skripals, that could be a vital break in the case for investigators. yeah, ithink break in the case for investigators. yeah, i think it could be very significant. the police now have two witnesses they might otherwise not have got. they might be able to provide information notjust about the events of the fateful day when the events of the fateful day when the attack took place, but also the broader context. were there any threats or things like that? i think the recovery of the skripals will also fuel speculation of what i will politely call alternative theories, challenging the idea russia is responsible or even at a nerve agent was used. remember that vladimir

putin's first public reaction to the incident was to say, if this was proper military grade soviet era nerve agent, both skripals would be dead on the spot. one relative of the skripals was hoping to visit them in hospital, apparently? that's right, viktoria skripal applied for a visa to visit the uk but that has been turned down. apparently it didn't meet the rules. but the uk government believes the russian state wa nted government believes the russian state wanted to use her to visit the scribbles and gain information. that said, viktoria spoke to the bbc tonight and said she didn't have enough money in her attempts to meet the visa rules, so she will try to get a job and enough money to try again in the future. james landale, live at the foreign office. the white house has imposed sanctions on russian businessmen and government officials, who're accused of profiting from moscow's alleged efforts to undermine the west.

the list includes seven russian oligarchs from president putin's inner circle, and a dozen companies they either own or control. our north america editor jon sopel is at the white house for us tonight. what's the thinking behind the sanctions? apologies, we seem to have lostjon sanctions? apologies, we seem to have lost jon sopel at sanctions? apologies, we seem to have lostjon sopel at the white house. if we regain him we will bring him to you. the metropolitan police commissioner insists the force hasn't lost control of london's streets. cressida dick was speaking after a string of murders in the capital, and said this wasn't a time for blame but for working together. she did however 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's shone a spotlight on the work of the metropolitan police and its commissioner, cressida dick. almost exactly one year after taking the helm at scotland yard, 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 very worried at the moment... people are frightened. particularly in some areas of london, we've had some ghastly homicides, as you know, particularly in the last few days, including those of really young people. that is bound to be very frightening. people are scared stiff out there. what can you say to reassure them? what i can say is that the metropolitan police are out there. just this weekend, we have an extra 300 officers each day in the areas which are the most significant hotspots where there's been high levels of knife crime. but they are above and beyond all the other officers — those who are working in covert roles, those who are on patrol, those who are in the neighbourhoods, the people who are saving lives every day, arresting people, taking weapons off the streets, targeting the most violent, and doing everything they can to bear down on street violence. have you, though,

got enough resources? have you got enough police officers? every police chief would always want more officers and more resources, of course. it's myjob to make the case for more, and also to make the best use of what we've got. do you think that the awful, tragic spike in homicides that we've seen this year is down to cuts in police budgets? no, i don't. i think that ourjob is stretched, but the causes of knife crime, the causes of violent crime, are very complex and long—running. this is something i talked about from the day i arrived as one of my highest priorities. i'm really sorry these people have lost their lives. i don't say they've lost their lives because we've suffered cuts, but of course i need to make the best use of my officers, i need to get as many people that i can out on the streets. that's what we're doing this weekend, that's what we'll be doing

in the weeks to come. you talk about priorities. what about the priority of infiltrating the gangs, of getting that intelligence so that you're one step ahead? these are challenging offences to investigate. but of course you will probably have noticed that we nearly always arrest people, we nearly always charge people. we have a fantastic homicide investigation capability. of the five tragic cases this week, we have arrested already in all but one. among the arrests confirmed by the commissioner today is that of a 30—year—old man in connection with the murder of tanesha melbourne, who was shot in tottenham on monday. whether the spate of killings in the last weeks and months marks a dark turn in the life of the capital is not yet clear, but the focus on the level of violence endured by people every day in cities up and down the land may perhaps encourage debate on how that misery can best be reduced. mark easton, bbc news, north london. a 16—year—old boy is one of at least six people who've died in protests on gaza's border with israel. shouting. troops opened fire on the protestors,

who were trying 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. police say they'll take no further action against a pensioner, after an intruder was fatally stabbed at his home. henry vincent died at the house in south east london, belonging to richard osborn—brooks. well, our correspondent simonjones is outside the house in hither green now. are the police giving any more details as to why they have reached their decision? it was on wednesday morning that the pensioner discovered two intruders at his home here. it's got one of the intruders was armed with a screwdriver. police said there was a struggle and that ended up with one of the intruders, henry vincent, getting stabbed. he was discovered collapsed in the road and later died in hospital. the pensioner was arrested on suspicion

of murder, much to the horror of some of his neighbours, who said he was only defending his own property. tonight, the met have said no further action will be taken against him. they haven't given explicit reasons why, but they described what happened here is a tragedy for eve ryo ne happened here is a tragedy for everyone involved. the law states that a householder does have the right to use reasonable force if they genuinely fear for their own safety in self defence. there is no sign of him here at his home tonight, but the police presence remains. simon jones reporting, thank you. the white house has imposed sanctions on russian businessmen and government officials, who're accused of profiting from moscow's alleged efforts to undermine the west. our north america editorjon sopel is at the white house. i suppose one has to wonder what the thinking is behind the sanctions.” thinking is behind the sanctions.” think it's important to say what these sanctions are not about. they

are not about what has happened in salisbury and the response to that. we already had 60 russian diplomats expeued we already had 60 russian diplomats expelled as a result of that. this is much wider, russian interference in the presidential election, the annexation of crimea, russian behaviour in syria. make no mistake, these are aggressive moves, the most aggressive we have seen from the trump administration. and they are going to hit hardest those who are wealthiest and those who are closest to vladimir putin. the legitimate question to ask is, why now, given events we talk about our some time ago now. it's asbo donald trump did not want to go down this path. he has made clear he wants to rebuild the russian relationship with united states and congratulated vladimir putin on his election victory and has invited him for talks at the white house. at the same time, you have the administration introducing these very tough measures. it's as though we have an administration thatis though we have an administration

that is trying to look both ways at once. jon sopel, thank you, from the white house. the former president of south africa, 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 he denies any wrongdoing. our southern africa correspondent andrew harding was in court. roads sealed off and a show of force here in durban, for a 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, and, 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. this case won't go fast.

zuma's lawyers are already challenging its legitimacy, but it is a heavy blow to a man who once seemed untouchable. outside court today, a small but raucous crowd. zuma and his populist economic rhetoric still enjoy some support here. a defiant zuma emerged to tell them, "i'm the victim of a political conspiracy." innocent until proven otherwise. but that argument, like his famous dance moves, is unlikely to help him at trial. this is a hugely important symbolic moment for south africa. on a continent where so many powerful men enjoy impunity, this country is showing that no one, not even a former president, is above the law. andrew harding, bbc news, outside durban's high court. more than 14,000 nhs patients have

been waiting over a year for non—urgent operations and procedures in northern ireland, which is eight times the number in england — despite having a fraction of the population. the figures have been released by the royal college of surgeons, which says the political stalemate in northern ireland is now risking the well—being of patients. our health editor hugh pym reports. # this house don't feel like home anymore #. 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, but after a fundraising campaign allowed her to have an operation in turkey this is what it looks like today. so, you're taking your first steps here, are you,

after the operation? yeah. how did that feel? really good, but i was really sore. fantastic. your mum and dad are there as well. yeah. it was really painful. i felt really drowsy and sick and i wanted to go back to bed. i was so happy because ijust wanted it over and done with and then get back on the road to recovery. it was looking bleak for megan's family when they were told she'd have to wait a year for the operation on the nhs in belfast. that's why they felt they had to go private. what do you think it tells you about the state of the nhs? it's a shambles. it's a mess. it's no fault of the surgeons, it's no fault of the nurses. it's awful. it'sjust 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 fundraise or to actually remortgage your house. have you decided what you want?

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. what most people in northern ireland want is the same treatment as the rest of the uk. we are part of the uk, so we think that the waiting lists should be similar. we pay taxes, pay national insurance. i would expect the powers that be to make sure the places are pretty equal. the northern ireland health and social care board says there simply isn't the money or the staffing to bring down unacceptably long waiting lists. telling a child that they can't have the operation when they want and need the operation is completely inappropriate. this spinal surgeon told me they were doing what they could with resources available, but they couldn't defend long waits. obviously it's terrible for the patients. it's awful for them, but equally for the health care

people involved in the caring, for the managers and nurses, the consultants and 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 and now we're just back to being... a normalfamily. the disparity in waiting lists between northern ireland and england, it seems really quite remarkable? remarkable and shocking that people waiting so long. these figures include 3000 patients who have waited more than two years for their treatment. part of the background is historical, lack of investment going back a few years, lack of doctors in key positions,

but the royal college of surgeons is highlighting the political situation and the stalemate since the end of power last year. no government, no health minister, no political leadership, no drive from the centre for reform which might make a difference, civil servants running it's doing best, but really a problem in taking things forward. the situation now does look pretty grim, according to clinicians. yes, the department of health in belfast wa nts to the department of health in belfast wants to invest more money in cutting waiting lists, but it does seem as cutting waiting lists, but it does seem as if it's a very sorry situation, in the words of one doctor, with a long way to go. -- hugh pym, many thanks. the mixed martial arts fighter conor mcgregor has been charged with assault and criminal mischief by police in new york. the irish former light and featherweight champion is accused of vandalising a bus with rivalfighters on board. he's been released on bail, as our sports correspondent richard conway reports. even in a sport where the hype comes as standard, conor mcgregor may have overplayed his hand. as the ultimate fighting

championship, or ufc as it's known, held a media day in new york, mcgregor and his entourage stormed the backstage area, attacking a coach containing rivalfighters. video appears to show mcgregor throwing a metal trolley, while others rain objects towards the vehicle. with his privatejet grounded, the irishman turned himself into police. and, after a night in the cells, was led to court today. mr macgregor, your case, i'm setting bail. he must reappear in june with his bail set at $50,000. a star of ufc, mcgregor‘s future in the sport now appears to be injeopardy. it's disgusting.

and i don't think anybody is going to be, you know, a huge conor mcgregor fan after this. ufc is hugely popular around the world. the company which organises and promotes the sport was sold two years ago for more than £3 billion. competitors use a combination of fists, knees, elbows and feet, in a mix of martial arts. chanting: we want conor! conor, the bbc, how are you? and within that world, there is no bigger attraction than mcgregor. supported by ufc, he turned to boxing last summer, taking on, but eventually losing to, floyd mayweatherjunior, in one of the most lucrative pay—per—view bouts in history. as a master showman, he revels in creating a circus, courting controversy, and being outspoken. all publicity is said to be good publicity, especially for a man who has forged a career as a flamboyant outsider. but any criminal conviction could yet see conor mcgregor

lose his right to work in america. richard conway, bbc news. it's the second day of the commonwealth games on the gold coast in brisbane, australia, with the home nations today picking up 13 medals. these are the current standings, with australia top, england second, and scotland and wales in fourth and ninth place. natalie pirks reports. land of my fathers sounds even better when it's sung with gusto. gareth evans was certainly giving it some. he carried the weight of the nation, as well as a total of 299 kilograms, to get wales off the mark with their first gold of the games. now we've got the prize, so i... i'm just a bit overwhelmed, to be honest! i came here with one thing in mind, and that was a medal. and notjust any medal. it was this big, shiny gold one. in the 50 metre butterfly final, there was a man swimming in seven events at these games.

announcer: chad le clos! the south african burst onto the scene in 2012, when he beat michael phelps to olympic gold. he was aiming for a record—equalling 18 commonwealth medals, and made a good start. commentator: it's close. well, that's the first gold of the games for le clos, but he's gotjust 20 minutes before he has to go in his next final. can he repeat the trick in the 200 metre freestyle? but it looked like it came too soon. despite a good final turn, he faded to finish seventh. there were still stars to follow. so dominant is adam peaty in the 100 metre breaststroke, that the world and olympic champion has not been beaten for four years. that wasn't about to change in the semi. commentator: he really is so powerful. not fast by his standards, but a games record nevertheless. 100 metre backstroke para swimmer alice tai had already won world and paralympic medals. she can now add commonwealth

champion to her cv. one of two golds in the pool for englishwomen tonight. and cycling is a family affair for the archibalds, with katie and her brotherjohn both in pursuit finals. commentator: katie archibald takes it. the only major gold missing from katie's collection was a commonwealth one. not any more. butjohn had to settle for silver against england's charlie tanfield. there's lots of stories of people in the 2014 year i've seen coming to track cycling, because they've seen chris hoy, or they've seen someone that they see, a famous person that's inspired them. so i've got that at home. now there's a photo for the family album. adam peaty will be back in that breaststroke final a little later on c. we can pretty much hang the gold medal around his neck already. nile wilson will be a favourite for the men's all—around gymnastics final for england and the youngest

competitor at the games, anna hursey, will go for wales in the table tennis. they are up against australia. natalie pirks in brisbane, thank you. that's it. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. have a very good night. a gust angst for many but rory mcelroy is in contention in the clubhouse on four under par after his second round at the masters. a big weekend for this man, that ordeal and his manchester city team are preparing to write their name into the premier league's history books. and a good day for the home nations at the commonwealth games with goals for england, scotland and a delighted welsh weightlifter on day two in gold coast. so, what's to come but we are

starting on the goal for mr master is just getting starting on the goal for mr master isjust getting more starting on the goal for mr master is just getting more and more intriguing. the leaderboard is ever changing as it stands patrick reed is the only one who's been able to remain relatively consistent today. the american is the outright leader. this birdie at the 9—hole putting him on eight under although he is just slipped back to seven under par. rory mcelroy was not so consistent with almost as many bogeys as birdies. he missed this birdie chance on the last hole but generally it was a good day for the northern irishman. even the clubhouse on four under. the projected cut at the moment is currently at five over and it looks like the four—time masters winner tiger woods is on the cusp of missing out. he was in the water at 12 for the second day in a row. will he make the cut? there's plenty to talk about for our team at the masters. let's go live to be augusta national golf course any barber has more analysis. thank you. there have

been plenty to entertain that thousands of patrons lining the fa i rwa ys thousands of patrons lining the fairways here at augusta national golf course and this gloriously warm sunny day but the wind has been a little best year so it has been quite tricky out there for some of the players. let's get you right up to date with the leaderboard as things stand and it's like you say, patrick reed this on his mojo on day two has a two shot lead over marc leishman and charley hoffman will you might remember lead after round two last year and there is rory mcelroy and jordan spieth. the clubhouse metres on four under par. let's ta ke clubhouse metres on four under par. let's take a look at the leaders or card. very impressive stuff from the texa ns. card. very impressive stuff from the texans. six birdies, a dropped shot at the fourth and the tenth. not his favourite place in the past, his best finish at the masters is tied for 22nd but he's certainly going very well here, just now will stop the overnight leaderjordan spieth had a terrible start, double bogey, bogey, three shots dropped in the opening tools but he don't form on

the back nine with a couple of birdies and four under. definitely not a bad result for the former champion. we are looking at maybe 300 per day, was your target. given the conditions coming up on saturday, what are you thinking, maybe readjusting that? three under a day ifi maybe readjusting that? three under a day if i could do it, 12 underwent most of the masters, and the wind is running away on most of them as well, so i briefly recognise that. there is a goal to set at the beginning of each round to pretty much have myself be patient and wait for the opportunities, because i will most likely birdie three holes during around out here. alongside jordan spieth and the clubhouse as the leader is rory mcelroy chasing that major grand slam, and it was another decent day for the northern irishman around augusta national. how do you assess your possession going into the weekend?” how do you assess your possession going into the weekend? i am right there. i have given myself a chance. i don't know where i'll be at the end of the day. i might be a couple back going into the weekend, but i'm

ina good back going into the weekend, but i'm in a good position. with the cup projected at five over part one thing we know is that sergio garcia will not be holding onto his green jacket. whose shoulders who will be placing —— whose shoulders will he be placing the green jacket on come the weekend. thank you