now on bbc news, it's time for newsnight with kirsty wark. the headlines. president trump and kim jong—un. are shot dead in belgium. the authorities say they're treating it as nerve agent, we were expecting them not to survive. a terrorist attack. not to survive. i was walking along the street and i heard gunshots. was there " leave, run, leave. that they i did not understand what was happening. would not i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme. survive. survive. global impact on diplomatic relations. has her hit series cancelled, after sending racist tweets. treatment at salisbury‘s district hospital has never been told. tonight, exclusively, we speak to the team that saved them. of agriculture, damien o'connor. what they were dealing with. this get.

many casualties? italy in turmoil tonight. minister and in the grip of a deepening financial crisis. movement if there is a way out of the new euro zone crisis. #metoo and timesup movement. i will ask her if sexual politics is going through a seismic change.

implications of the attack on the skripalfamily. with a massive impact on international diplomatic relations. at salisbury district hospital. nhs staff did not know whether they too would be affected. until now, when newsnight can exclusively tell their story. to the people who treated them. here is his report. machine beeps.

coming up to the unit. there was a real concern as to how big could this get? and involve many casualties. we were dealing with the unknown. we were expecting them not to survive. patients for the effects of novichok poisoning. i think it's safe to say that we're still learning.

quite unlike any others in this hospital's history. i was the sister in charge of the shift. the evening that yulia and sergei were admitted. taken an overdose. no mention of nerve—agent poisoning. with their cardiovascular system. that was important. early the following morning, the telephone calls were

starting. on the monday morning. in my wildest imaginations having with anyone. admitted to hospital. clearly, a real situation, but feeling very unreal. we then had a briefing, as a group of executives. an update on what was happening. an external incident. and informally enacting an incident. we then go into our normal emergency planning and resilience processes. we set up an incident room. we've got very clear lines of communication.

experiencing symptoms that worried them. "just what exactly are we dealing with here? when any patient comes in. in terms of protecting ourselves. there was a real concern as to how how big could this get. many casualties? theory about opioid poisoning was discarded.

from their bodies pointed to something more shocking. that we were looking at a cholinesterase inhibition. and, therefore, what did we deduce from that? as to, was this some kind of nerve agent? typical of organo—phosphate or nerve—agent poisoning. as very small pupils. lots of sweating. you can get things like diarrhoea, incontinence. your muscles become profoundly weak. you breathe are weak.

your heart rate and it can also affect your function of your brain. for the effect of the nerve agent. levels and see whether they have been affected. us with the testing. we were expecting them not to survive. would not survive.

to recover vehicles. we did have the police car that was on our emergency department ramp. there was quite an exercise, a military exercise. care unit coffee room. so, our staff were watching that unfold. now, that had the potential to cause them some concern. uncertainties multiplied. going to last for, when things might start to improve.

long—lasting effects. and probably more the longer—term outcomes from these things. people would simply have had no experience of. played a central role in advising the salisbury team. we did take counsel. advice, which we did. i think that helped. and we were dealing with unknowns. the first of its kind. each day at a time.

signs of progress. given, remain matters of medical confidentiality. a lot quicker than it was anticipated. longer period of recovery. on duty that week that the patients were showing signs of recovery. case and worst case scenarios, "what will happen if they die? what will happen if

they recover? to suddenly thinking, "0h maybe, it's less of a and more of b". and that was a real turning point, for me. at such a pace, when it did begin to happen. that i can't easily explain. the skripals had been heavily sedated. scaling that back for yulia. it would take longer for her father to reach the same point. on your own, you'll switch the sedation off, allow it to clear.

quickly or sometimes much more slowly. it really varies from case to case, and person to person. begin chatting with the nurses and doctors there were new dilemmas. how much could they be told about what had happened to them? and at what stage would the police be allowed in, to interview them? about the weather? and the hospital food ? yes. yeah. and the ongoing investigations. but you weren't supposed to go there? is that what you are saying? it wasn't our role to have

those.... it wasn't our role to have those conversations. i was involved in some of those discussions about the timing. of what we could tell the patients, about what had happened to them. to the patients, as well. and they are being looked after. police interviews or further along the lines. outside the normal...

that's a very vulnerable and isolated place to find yourself in. from yulia and sergei skripal. on the patient‘s behalf. because these were vulnerable patients. they needed some form of advocate. without their consent. and so it was a process that that we felt that we had to go through.

these were still patients who still needed to have protection. and we still needed to act as their advocates. after the poisoning, she was discharged. for several more weeks. that there were ongoing issues that needed to be addressed. that was given to him from the medical team. and he waited until it... that he needed to be ready to go.

never been tried before, but carried risks for the patients? people in the hospital differ on that. key to the recovery of these individuals. probably never, ever know. were attributable to the very good generic basic critical care. excellent teamwork by the doctors. fantastic care and dedication by our nurses. input from really well informed international experts. on the doorstep in

porton down. there wasn't any heroic medicine. and we got some very good scientific and technical advice. responding to the treatment. treatment that we could. a whole new set of questions. victims make of their experience, what had it taught them? i think it was very clear from the beginning.

of a historical moment, a footnote in history maybe. to ever happen again. within your own patch. agent they'd be dead. what would your response to that be? is in the outcome. so we are very clear about what we were treating. or other nerve agents. of poisoning will be in need of long—term assistance medically? i think the

honest answer is that we don't know. to say that we're still learning. meeting slightly more poignant. rather than anything specifically clinically. goodbye to anyone who's made an impact on you, i guess. that piece

was produced by nick menzies. mark urban is with me now. confidentiality. mark, what still don't we know? did they get. this might have been a contributory factor if it was a very small dose. things are possibilities.

the precise medications. have no right to know that. notes after this, we may get more insight. had help from porton down, but we had no idea what those were. organisation at porton, and also the military. public health england were very much a part of all of this. being produced in the body starting again. that was the key to the speed of their recovery. thank you very much, mark.

prospect of an end to the country's political stalemate. caused market turmoil. one—dayjump in 26 years. the country's finance minister. and have rejected his choice 00:23:33,1000 --> 00:23:35,458 of prime minister. so where is it all headed? here's chris cook. italian politics has moved from impasse to crisis. translation: a shameful event in the history of the republic. this crisis has been deeper and longer. a sudden ground slip, but one decades in the making. government spending spiralling out of control.

inheritance of bad government in the 1980s. economic performance. followed, as we know, by sluggish recovery. france had a similar story. germany recovered much more strongly. but here is italy, stuck in its rut. pile is more worrisome. anti—austerities partners, they began forming a coalition. a big—spending coalition. that was causing nervousness. but last week, theyjust quit.

paolo savona, their proposed finance minister, could not be appointed. said italy needed... needs a plan b to leave the euro in secret. investors are going to... sell their italian bonds. roll out this secret plan. and so, you would be repaid in liras or italy would default on its debt. on an openly eurosceptic campaign. their coalition agreement didn't have a commitment to leave the euro. a clear mandate to take italy out of the single currency.

minister, but they gave up. debt to sell it off. enough to meet its costs. can be held later this year. an orthodox economist like mr cottarelli in charge. needs to be cut to repay them. in fact, he has a nickname, he is known as mr scissors. whom a judge has now freed to run, once again, for office. and their coalition with berlusconi's forza italia.

of the coalition between two populist anti—european parties. the movement and the league. maybe in six months, after a poll, it will still be all about them. but perhaps they'll have a clear mandate for their eu policies. count on nothing, though. has hinted coalition talks could just be restarted. in italy, the only certainty is worry about financing the debt. chris cook. five star movement. as finance minister had spooked the markets.

because there was no sign of leaving the eurozone. of president mattarella? we are talking about that. we didn't start the process of impeachment. if it's the case of starting an impeachment procedure. but we didn't announce that we're going to do it. but let's just be quite clear. luigi di maio seems to be rolling back from that. the impeachment of the president? you know there is... there are things that are changing very rapidly in italy. happens that they won't start. so everything is possible in these days. and the idea of an impeachment was an option.

after the failure... do you think the people of italy want to stay in the eurozone? do you think they want to leave the eurozone? and want their rights to be defended. the problem is not of staying or leaving the eurozone. representation to the people. i mean, euro isn't an instrument, it's not the policy. europe is not what is everything about. by the markets for voting for eurosceptic populists. whether the italian people want to stay in the eurozone. you don't know. let's be clear about that. what mr oettinger said, it's very, very serious. from the commission. or either ask for a reassignment. so an apology by oettinger, which he has given, is not enough? you want his resignation? absolutely. it's not enough. seemed to be suggesting that italy was a colony

of germany. you don't think your president was really indicating that, do you? care about other countries to stay together. or other people. referring to election value and people like, you know... you know, fighting in that country. relation and we don't many. and other countries of europe, but greece including. thank you very much indeed.

act on friday. started the #metoo and #time'sup movements. rose mcgowan tried and failed to get the world to listen, 20 years ago. weinstein denies their encounter was anything other than consensual. than consensual sexual relations. against kevin spacey, mario testino, and morgan freeman, amongst others. of aggravated indecent assault. sexual and otherwise. rose mcgowanjoins me now. good evening. you happened to be in new york when harvey weinstein

was cuffed. it more broadly? have happened a long time ago. and survivors who will never have their day in court. is strength in numbers? definitely. and instagram are men or boys who have been hurt. there are numbers in solidarity across all genders. you

talked about it. rooftops whether it would have the same impact. that society has changed in the last 20 years. it deftly has changed in the last 20 years. anything and i knew that. it might have damaged you even more. i knew that i would not be sitting here. you didn't have the strength too, in a way, be here? itjust wasn't time. it would be a blip. to let it be. you know, to literally say, "no more". we all know what's going on, right? there are different levels of predation, for sure. that the rot at the top, that's what needs to be solved. because we have all worked in those places. terms of hollywood, obviously,

a certain glamour. it's no less difficult for them? it is no less difficult for them. more difficult, in a way. i don't know more, it could be quite equal. it is having a voice. about twitter. now that, you know, anybody can use it. and anybody could... franchise, if something is going on there. there are ways. on the company and the person? that they would be lauded for it?

for women. it is a huge risk for women and anybody. it is a huge risk. you have to gamble. it is a tough one. complicity for the people that are perpetrating will be receding. to even countenance any of this any more? i completely agree with that. you know, time's up. the younger... it is the older ones. i want to keep them from messing up. extraordinary moment, that actually it is changed. that you will see lasting change.

square one. this genie back in the bottle. time no longer being protected. things have been cleaned. but i do think that... winning... strength they didn't have before. going to work unless... should have been, as for change as they should have been. i would say publicly probably not. but i think we are getting there.

facebook, i would say i have at least 50% messages from men. toxic masculinity. and we do have these conversations. is about to appear in a film. that to a half dressed woman. degrees of... reasonable way to talk to each other. a reasonable way to have funny or frivolous conversations. do that either, i would say. that's not ok. a woman.

a woman being sexually harassed by another woman. there are just less woman in power to do it. be comfortable with each other and have fun sometimes. i am fully on board with having fun. being afraid and being abused. sentence as his. is it a different connotation now? mentioned in the same breath? i think you are correct. i think that the tables have turned on that.

news and it would be in my obituary. oh, that thing. and i wasn't willing to go out like that. tell you the truth. there has been so much pain to get here. way to speak about, "oh, you have that, too". not since the dawn of civilisation we have had nothing. thank you. warns investor trust is fading. i listened as my sister died in grenfell. the guardian, urgent mission to secure second eu referendum. a wonderful picture of serena williams at the french open. the telegraph also has serena williams at the french open.

to face their attacker in prison. that's all we have time for tonight. evan's here tomorrow. skripals were poisoned. it seems to have produced a tv offcut. to stop illegal poaching. secretary's rhetoric towards russia over the skripal case. eventually, richard madeley cracked. personality parody character. we'll leave that to yourjudgement. goodnight. and go away. happened. do you regret using that language, that is the question?

our allies. he will not answer will you? 0k. all right! interview terminated because you won't answer the question. answer a straight question. storms and today was a day of huge contrasts. contrasts. most of the country, dry weather with some sunshine. weather with some sunshine. side of scotland, where it was the one day in scotland so far, 27. 5 degrees. degrees. arriving in the south—east,

london and kent. and kent. were some massive thunderstorms and lightning. lightning. of the north sea and it is heading our way. our way. is a number of thunderstorms in there as well. there as well. has been fading away over the last few hours. few hours. this is what is coming our way, a dose of wet weather. our way, a dose of wet weather. england, elsewhere into the midlands and east anglia. heavy rain and thunderstorms. thunderstorms. we have low cloud coming in and warm night ahead. night ahead. the next few days, the distribution of showers will have changed. of showers will have changed.

pressure sitting across the north and keeping it dry will move away. and keeping it dry will move away. pressure will fall and we will see showers moving their way northwards. showers moving their way northwards. northern ireland, plenty of sunshine towards the north—west. towards the north—west. afternoon in east anglia and the south east. south east. scotland and more cloud in eastern scotland. scotland. and wales and it will be happy and punditry. punditry. it will be as ward four scotland and northern ireland. scotland and northern ireland. storms dotted about, more heavy rain and the potential for more flooding. and the potential for more flooding. the week, into friday we see everything moving further north. everything moving further north. northern england, northern ireland and scotland seeing downpours. and scotland seeing downpours. those fade away as we head into saturday. fade away as we head into

saturday. punditry and a lot of places will be dry with warm sunshine. dry with warm sunshine. but before then, there is more storms to come. 00:44:08,111 --> 858993221:14:00,375 i'm 858993221:14:00,375 --> 1717986441:43:52,639 rico 1717986441:43:52,639 --> 2576979662:13:44,902 hizon 2576979662:13:44,902 --> 3435972882:43:37,166 in 3435972882:43:37,166 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 singapore.