this is bbc news at 111 o'clock. i'm ben brown in amesbury. two people from one of the flats by me are still critically ill fighting for their lives in hospital after being exposed to norwich, the same russian nerve agent used on sergei skripal and his daughter yulia four months ago in salisbury. the nature ofa months ago in salisbury. the nature of a nerve agent such as nobbyjock is it is an absolute tiny needle in a very large haystack that we have defined. the government's emergency cobra committee is meeting, to discuss the latest of elements in vulture. health officials are warning if necessary they should ta ke warning if necessary they should take precautions. take the simple precautions of washing the clothes you were precautions of washing the clothes you we re wearing precautions of washing the clothes you were wearing at the time, but of course we should all remember not to pick up any items that we don't know what they are. i'm annita mcveigh — the other news

stories this morning — downing street releases a new plan to deal with customs arrangements after brexit — but will the cabinet and eu agree to it? disruption for thousands of commuters, as trains in and out of london victoria are cancelled, due to signalling problems. people are warned not to travel. and — happy birthday to the nhs, as it turns 70 today. events to mark the anniversary will be held across the uk. good morning. the government's emergency cobra committee is meeting now to discuss the poisonings of a man and a woman in wiltshire. let's crossed a my colleague, ben

brown. yes, good morning, the anita. two people from flat number nine just behind me, behind this police cordoned, they were taken from the flat on saturday, rushed to hospital by paramedics. dawn sturgess and charlie rowley are still critically ill in salisbury district hospital. it has taken four days for the authorities to identify that they seem to have consumed or ingested in some way nobbyjock, the russian nerve agent, that was used against —— nobby —— tamme one. novichok. a brand—new housing estate, many people have just moved in in the last few weeks and there shock displayed and alarm about what has happened and a lot of questions the authorities as well. it does seem that this couple, dawn sturgess

and charlie rowley had no connection whatsoever with russia. the authorities do not believe it was an attack on them so they're working assumption is that this couple went to salisbury and somehow came across a residue of the novichok that may have been left by the assailants who attacked the skripals. the day was left there during the preparation or after that attack, and this couple may have found a syringe, a vile, or some of the residue. the spectre of a chemical weapon attack is back. a number of areas around salisbury and amesbury in wiltshire cordoned off for forensics test. two people, dawn sturgess and charlie rowley, unconscious in hospital, the victims, we now know, of novichok poisoning. and a full counter—terrorism investigation is under way.

people in the area can expect to see an increased police presence, including officers wearing protective gear as they carry out activity at different sites. this will look similar to the activity you saw happen in salisbury earlier this year. in march, former russian spy, sergey skripal, and his daughter, yuliya skripal, were poisoned with novichok. while there are striking similarities, the police say it is too soon to link the cases. the alarm was raised on saturday when both charlie rowley and dawn stu rg ess were both charlie rowley and dawn sturgess were admitted to hospital. over the weekend, their symptoms caused increasing concern and on monday samples were sent to porton down laboratory. yesterday, those results came back positive for novichok, and a major incident was cleared. with the novichok known to have been involved, this investigation is a priority, with 100 counterterrorism detective is drafted in. it is theirjob to find out all they can about charlie rowley

and dawn sturgess and to find out how two apparently random members of the public came into contact with this potentially deadly nerve agent. but is there still danger? public health england says it doesn't think so and it is unlikely anyone else is contaminated. you do not need to seek advice from a health professional, unless you are experiencing symptoms, as any individual who had been significantly exposed at the same time would by now have symptoms. as forensic work continues in wiltshire, in london, later, there will be another meeting of the government's cobra committee, where perhaps some of the many outstanding questions can begin to be answered. ben ando, bbc news. that government committee is under way in whitehall. amongst considerable alarm, understandable alarm really come of residence here

in amesbury. the security minister ben wallace has been talking about what happened here, and appealing to the russian authorities to come forward with information about what the british government have always believed was a russian attack on surrogate and yulia skripal. —— on sergei skripal. a couple in amesbury went to salisbury and came into contact with some of that novichok, thatis contact with some of that novichok, that is the working assumption here. the investigation all the way back from march, is taking a lot of time, hundreds of police officers man hours and intelligence officers to try and get to the bottom of it, and that means the full picture is not yet known, and it may take a very long time to know. but until that happens, our levels of assurance is based on the science and the advice of health care professionals. but i can't sit here and guarantee you

that you will be safe in manchester 100% from terrorism, nor can i guarantee you in the west country that you are going to be at the moment 100% safe from a further contamination, until we know the full details of what happened back in march. that is ben wallace, the security minister. health officials here say there is a low general risk to members of the public after what has happened here. but they are urging certain mems of the public to ta ke urging certain mems of the public to take precautions, if they have been in any of the cordoned off areas, the areas it is believed the couple here from amesbury visited from friday night onwards, queen elizabeth gardens insoles become a baptist church here in amesbury, a green here where the man went to a hog roast, it is understood, on saturday, and also a chemist here. if members of the public have visited any of those places, health

officials say they should wash their clothes and mike down any personal possessions —— clothes and mike down any personal possessions -- queen elizabeth gardens in salisbury. of course we understand that people will be concerned in the local area, but our advice and assessment working with the police who are undertaking a detailed investigation is that the risk to the general public remains low, and it is perfectly reasonable to carry on your normal day—to—day activities. we are giving some highly precautionary advice to people who were in the areas of concern from ten o'clock on friday night onwards, take the simple precaution of washing the close that you were precaution of washing the close that you we re wearing precaution of washing the close that you were wearing at the time. and of course we should all remember not to pick up any items that we don't know what they are. paul cosford from public offering. when the two people here from amesbury were rushed to hospital, it was thought they had taken some sort of drug overdose, neighbours and witnesses said the

man in particular was hallucinating, foaming at the mouth, and so on, but thenit foaming at the mouth, and so on, but then it emerged that it was novichok. it took the authorities four days to identify that, and the porton down defence research laboratories did it. we know novichok is a russian nerve agent, the british government have always had that is what was used by the russian state, they believe, to attack the skripal family. and experts said novichok is not only very potent, very powerful, but very persistent, it doesn't lose its potency, and for months on it is clear that the novichok that seems to have been left around in salisbury was still very potent. let's here from a chemical weapons expert. this is a secret russian chemical warfare agent that was designed to over match nato and armed military capabilities to detect it, so detecting it is very difficult indeed. we also believe that it difficult indeed. we also believe thatitis difficult indeed. we also believe that it is quite persistent. one

thing that would be really helpful at the moment is with the russians engaging with us, as they really know all about the stuff, so that we can do better at detecting it and finding it. from what we know, and i understand the police and counterterrorism investigation is moving forward to track down these assailants, or at least find out who they were and where they went, the chance that we will find more day brief or collateral from the attack in marchi brief or collateral from the attack in march i believe is pretty low, and unlikely. that is a chemical weapons expert. we mentioned the government emergency committee, the british government committee, cobra, as it is called, which is always co nve nes to as it is called, which is always convenes to discuss matters of national emergency, and they are meeting in whitehall right now, chaired by the home secretary sajid javid, and we think there will be a statement from that meeting in

perhaps the next half an hour or so. we will bring that to you as soon as we will bring that to you as soon as we can, but in the meantime those two residence here in amesbury, from the flat just behind two residence here in amesbury, from the flatjust behind me, still fighting for their lives, critically ill in salisbury district hospital just down the road. back to you in the studio. thank you very much, ben brown, reporting. now onto one of the day's other main stories. downing street has set out some of the detail on a new plan for how customs could be handled after brexit. the latest model is known as a "facilitated customs arrangement" and number 10 says it would use technology to guarantee frictionless trade with the european union, while also allowing britain to strike its own trade deals. our assistant political editor norman smith is at westminster. morning to you, norman. lots of different strands to talk about on brexit today but let's begin with that brexit planned theresa may is due to present to the cabinet

tomorrow, so are changing on it. is it going to fly with the cabinet, and also with the eu? that is going to depend on how both sides views of the detail about the plan that we are now getting, after days of rumours and speculation. number ten beginning to brief out some of the ha rd facts. beginning to brief out some of the hard facts. and the truth is the third wave plan is basically a meshing together of the two previous options, which were dismissed by the eu, and which the cabinet was unable to agree on, namely the customs partnership and the maximum facilitation option. those have now sort of been combined in a new third way plan which goes by the decidedly not snappy title as you were saying of the facilitated customs arrangement. which, as i say, six to ove rco m e arrangement. which, as i say, six to overcome the doubts about the two previous options. what does it do?

there are two key elements. the first centres on tariffs, and what this plan will mean is that eu imports, that is to say goods coming into britain en route to europe, we will collect the eu charis on those goods coming into britain as they go on to europe. however, we will have the freedom to charge our own british tariffs, so those goods, which arejust coming british tariffs, so those goods, which are just coming into the uk, could have a lower tariff, and that will be possible because of the use of smart technology to work out which goods are going on to europe, and which goods are staying in britain, enabling us to have these two tariff regimes at the border. the second key element centres on the rules british manufacturers will have to observe. and what has been agreed is that we will abide

effectively by the eu rule books, thatis effectively by the eu rule books, that is to say there will be regulatory alignment. that means we will stick to eu rules on goods when it comes to things like consumer standards, food hygiene, we will play by the eu rule book. now the plus there of course is it means frictionless trade across borders. the concern about it is we will have to stick to what the eu decides. the plus is that we can in time choose to opt out. we will have the freedom to opt out. we will have the freedom to opt out. we will have the freedom to opt out, if parliament wants to to opt out, if parliament wants to opt out. the difficulty in doing so of course is that might compromise our access to the single market, and might also raise question marks about the border in northern ireland. so there are still significant plusses and minuses in this compromise to plan, and there are plenty of brexiteers very uneasy about whether this new plan actually

complies with all the red lines set out by mrs may. just a thought norman, on the theresa may angela merkel meeting in berlin today, how important is it for theresa may that she manages to persuade angela merkel that everything is running smoothly at the uk end? absolutely pivotal, because here at westminster we pivotal, because here at westminster we have perhaps only focused on the struggle in the cabinet, the battle on the backbenches, the rift between the rival camps. as important is whether europe will accept this third wave plan, and one has to bear in mind that the eu has already dismissed the two previous options and this is a synthesis of those two options, so the chances are they will be pretty sceptical, in large pa rt will be pretty sceptical, in large part because i think there will be doubts about allowing britain to administer eu tariffs, and fears too

that britain could become a sort of smugglers haven for people bringing goods into britain and saying they are only going to stay in britain, and then in fact sending them on to europe and getting around eu tariffs. so it will be an absolutely pivotal meeting as mrs may tries to win angela merkel‘s backing of this new third wave plan. think you're very much, norman smith at westminster. today marks clinic today marks 70 years since the creation of the national health service. a series of events are being held across to the uk to mark the anniversary. more than 3000 people — including nhs staff past and present — will attend services at westminster abbey and york minister. martine croxall is at st george's university hospital in tooting in south london this morning. martine, as much as we spend a lot of time talking about the challenges facing the nhs, today is certainly a

data also talk about its achievements? and so many achievements? and so many achievements there have been. good morning. yes, a radical idea in its day, and aneurin bevan, bmp, forcing health care for all, free at the point of access, paid for by taxation, so that nobody had to more than they could afford. it was all done on a means tested basis. we have all kind of got used to it, that radical idea, haven't we? we are here at st george ‘s hospital in tooting, 8500 staff have i'd care to 1.2 million people in south—west london here, and 3.5 million people in total, if you take in those who live in surrey and sussex. it is a place where a huge amount of medical training goes on, and one of the many hospitals across the country pa rt many hospitals across the country part of the nhs, which has made sure that we as a people of the uk, enjoy better health longer life and greater well—being. in a moment, we

will be meeting one of the youngest users of the nhs, a baby who was born a little earlier this morning, but first our health correspondent dominic hughes looks back at the history of the national health service. josh from the communications team. his sister simone, a doctor's assistant. their mum, sue, who works in occupational therapy. and her mum helen, a retired nhs cleaner. one family who all work or worked at one nhs hospital, wigan infirmary. i feel it's a good place to be and i'm happy to get up in the morning and go to work. i feel that the elderly population, they are very strong. i think because they have seen the nhs grow from starting because they respect it and appreciate that it's available. it's so great. i think a lot of people now, the nhs hasjust always been there. but of course, it hasn't. the new national health service starts, providing hospital and specialist services, medicines and drugs... 70 years ago, in the aftermath

of the second world war, the uk was being prepared for the new national health service, the brainchild of this man, aneurin bevan. this is where it all began 70 years ago today, symbolically, at least. and the then health secretary, nye bevan, came here in manchester to receive the keys to the hospital from lancashire county council. that marked the birth of the nhs and the culmination of a truly ambitious plan to create a health service that was free for everyone and funded by taxation. over the past 70 years, the nhs has had its ups and downs but today across the country, celebrations will mark the creation ini948, in 19118, joyce thompson was training asa in 19118, joyce thompson was training as a nurse. now aged 90 she marvels at what the nhs has become. we could not do without the nhs now. very few things at the beginning. with money coming forward, we did better as we

went on. over the past 70 years, the nhs has had its ups and downs, but today, across the country, celebrations will mark the creation of what has become a very british institution. dominic hughes, bbc news, manchester. at about ten to ten at st george ‘s hospital in tooting, chris grey, our film producer this morning, was invited in to see a baby being born by elective caesarean section. and it was quite a moving moment i am sure for chris, having never seen anything like that before, but in amazing hands of these experts in this to part who deliver a lot of babies. we will find outjust how many. ina babies. we will find outjust how many. in a moment let's meet that baby, her name is celia and that daddy's name is enrique. congratulations to you both. you are

so kind to let us film your baby being born. tell us what it was like for you in there, surrounded by all of these health care professionals? it was an amazing experience, it was just very quick and easy. so yes, we are just very pleased to have a healthy baby boy. a very healthy baby boy. enrique, tell us about him, he was quite a good size. grate he was quite big. but very healthy and we are very happy for this moment. this is your second baby, it was an elective caesarean, you knew he was going to be born today, rather a different experience in the first time? absolutely. the first time was very hectic, very stressful, an emergency caesarean for our daughter, and this hasjust been very quick, and i compliment is

already over and the baby is here. he is in there, nestling. he has been trying to have a drink, hasn't he? he told me earlier you are from norway, how does the care you get here compare with what you would have had back home? it is amazing here. we had our daughter here at st george's, and the care has been amazing. i think in norway the health service is very good as well, andl health service is very good as well, and i think it is similar. but the nhs is amazing. i have to very quickly turn and speak to francis dennington, the midwife in charge. i mention how many you deliver a year. over 5000 every year. you are expecting a spike in birth rates, why is that and when will it be?m

will be nine months' time, a combination of the really good weather and england's success in the foot ball weather and england's success in the football guarantees a peak in births in nine months' time. how busy ayew? we are quite full, relatively these in labour today so i am expecting a few more nhs babies to be born today. we have a little present, this is what he's going to be given. he hasn't got a name yet. let me give that to celia and enrique. thank you so much. it is from the hospital. there was big to the local labourmpfor hospital. there was big to the local labour mp for tooting, who is also a doctor here. we will be back with you soon. doctor here. we will be back with you soon. martine, thank you very much, wonderful access, sorry about the break—up on the line, but it is not everyday we get sort of access

toa not everyday we get sort of access to a hospital, and congratulations to a hospital, and congratulations to the new arrival and his mum and dad. there is major travel disruption at britain's second busiest station — victoria, due to a total loss of signalling power. thousands of passengers have been urged not to travel as network rail says three separate power supplies have failed. the disruption is expected to last for the entire day. our reporter lauren moss is at brighton railway station. lauren, good morning to you, just give us a sense of the chaos this is causing. like you say, it is chaotic, and this has affected thousands of passengers heading into london victoria this morning, thousands who come through here at brighton station and stations across the south—east, as services on southern rail and gatwick express were cancelled, and thames link services were also severely affected and many delays. it is all down to a signalling issue, detected at streatham last night at around half

past ten by network rail engineers. network rail engineers were working through the night to try and get this issue resolved in time for the morning rush hour. but they did not manage to do so. therefore it has heavily impacted people here this morning. in the last hour, network rail has said power supply to the signalling port at streatham has been resolved, but majorjuice option is expected sometime. they are making an announcement saying do not travel to london victoria along this line unless it is absolutely necessary. of course for thousands of people this morning thatjust isn't an option, commuters have got to get to work and people have other places to be. rail replacement buses have been running and tickets have been valid on other services too, like south—eastern, which has not been affected, running into london victoria, but then people have to get to those train stations in order to travel to the city. people are

still coming out of the station now but on twitter people have been venting their anger as well, discussing bus queues, describing them as biblical. biblical bus queues, lauren, iguess them as biblical. biblical bus queues, lauren, i guess the traffic situation is particularly bad because people are being forced onto the roads perhaps, whereas they would have ordinarily chosen to travel by train. yes, it will have a huge knock—on effect, anyone heading into london as well, anyone who wa nts to into london as well, anyone who wants to use rail replacement buses, they will be hit by traffic. anyone trying to reach of the stations in the south—east, such as south—eastern lines trying to get into london as well, there will be delays there. despite this issue being resolved now, the power supply signalling fault in streatham, network rail and govia thameslink are warning that this problem, these

delays and cancellations are expected to have a large knock—on effect last well into the end of the day which will then impact the evening rush—hour, if many people have in fact manage to get into london victoria this morning. thank you very much for that update. lauren moss at brighton station, good luck if you are trying to get from a to b. rescuers in thailand say they re facing a race against the weather to free the group of boys and their football coach who've now been trapped underground for 12 days. they say good conditions in the last 2a hours have helped lower the water level inside by an average of a centimetre and a half every hour — but they re concerned a turn in the weather could reverse the progress they ve made. our correspondent, sophie long is in tham luang for us. sophie, i can see it is dry at the moment, but give us an update on how the rescue effort is progressing?m is dry here at the moment but the

concern is it will not stay that way, there are showers forecast this afternoon, but the big concern is that there will be more monsoon rains, heavy rains, overthe weekend, sunday in particular is what is causing concern. that is their main worry, the weather. in terms of how the operation is developing at the moment, we have heard they have been able to reduce the water levels inside the cave complexes nafaqa glee. we were told this morning by the guy running this operation that they have managed to pump out 128 million litres of water. aim is pump out 128 million litres of water. - aim is to pump out 128 million litres of water. aim is to the water. theiraim is to bring the ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ water. theiraim is to bring the ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ levels water. thsirsins is ts bring ths ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ levels down enough sister. thsirsirs is ts sriss ths ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ levels down enough so that sister. thsirsirs is ts sriss ths ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ levels the n enough so that sister. thsirsirs is ts sriss ths ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ levels the boys yugh so that sister. thsirsirs is ts sriss ths ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ levels the boys out so that sister. thsirsirs is ts sriss ths ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ levels the boys out the that sister. thsirsirs is ts sriss ths ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ levels the boys out the way they can get the boys out the way they can get the boys out the way they came in, without having to teach them to dive or use full ‘s cuba ackerman. one of my colleagues has been —— full scuba equipment. one of my colleague says he has not been concerned by any authority is at all, he says if they manage to bring the water down by another meter then they could be in business. you get a sense there is an increased sense of urgency, obviously there has always been an urgency about this operation, but

they are now really fighting against they are now really fighting against the clock. if an opportunity to get the clock. if an opportunity to get the boys out presents itself before those rains come, i think it is possible they will take it. we were hearing until today that they would not risk anything at all. they would not risk anything at all. they would not bring the boys out until they were 100% certain it would be a successful operation. when we heard from the governor of the problems this morning running the operation, he said if there is a window of 90% possibility they can get them out, then they will take it. he also said they would not necessarily bring all they would not necessarily bring all the boys out together, if some they felt were strong enough, in terms of swimming and physical health, mental health, then they would be brought out first. and tell us about communications with the group, and of course families are gathered there, hoping that those boys will get out sooner rather than later. yeah, what an emotional roller—coaster for the parents of these boys, they spent nine days not knowing if they were alive. then there was huge euphoria in this

makeshift camp that has been set up around the cave entrance, when the boys were found on monday. that quickly turn to, how are we going to get them out, and we are still at that stage. in terms of communications, they had been trying to get a fibre—optic cable inside the cave to make a connection with the cave to make a connection with the boys they can speak with their pa rents the boys they can speak with their parents and maybe even see them. the aim is they can have a video call potentially. efforts to do that failed yesterday, they are re—attempting that today. they are very concerned about the morale of the boys, not just very concerned about the morale of the boys, notjust their physical health. we know most of them are in good health, they treated some of them for minor injuries, but they have been in there now for 12 days. the understood the boys is just 11 yea rs the understood the boys is just 11 years old, so it is hoped that if they manage to get that communication line established, then it will be a great feeling notjust the boys and the coach stuck inside the boys and the coach stuck inside the cave, but also for the families, who of course must be very worried indeed. sophie long, thank you very much. the time isjust

the time is just after half past 11. let's ta ke the time is just after half past 11. let's take a look at the weather forecast now, and very latest with simon king. more dry weather across the united kingdom today, a bit more cloud across scotland and northern ireland, but for many of us it is just a case of blue skies and sunshine. i mentioned dry weather that there is a chance like yesterday of catching one or two showers across southern parts of england, particularly the south—east. you can just england, particularly the south—east. you canjust about england, particularly the south—east. you can just about make it out there, that shower, there could be one or two thunderstorms across the far south—east later on with some torrential rain to some. for most it will stay dry, pretty warm if not hot crossing in and wales, but temperatures across northern ireland and scotland a good 10 degrees lower than yesterday. as we 10 degrees lower than yesterday. as we go through into tonight and into tomorrow morning, a bit of cloud affecting eastern areas, quite a sticky and warm night across southern areas, have deuce no lower

than 1718 celsius but through friday for most of us again a dry day, a warm day, and lots of sunshine again. this is bbc news. our latest headlines... police have confirmed a man and woman found unconscious in wiltshire were exposed to novichok, the same nerve agent that poisoned former russian spy, sergei skripal. both are critically ill. the home secretary is meeting the government's emergency cobra committee to discuss the developments. racist do racist wning street has set out some downing street has set out some of the detail on a fresh plan to handle customs after brexit. it proposes to use technology to guarantee frictionless trade with the eu, while also allowing britain to strike its own trade deals. thousands of commuters have been hit by train cancellations in and out of london victoria this morning after a massive signalling failure. network rail say the disruption is likely to last all day. in this on the anniversary of the national health service. a series of events will be held

across the uk to mark the occasion. 12 boys and their coach remain trapped in a cave in thailand, as pumps are used to lower the water levels. a deluge is expected to hit in a matter of days and could force the level back up. sport now. here's jeanette kwa kye. hello. good morning. let's start at wimbledon, on what is a big day for the brits. this afternoon, the british and —— the british men's and women's are in action. sun, strawberries and homes excess. that is what today is opening to serve up at wimbledon. kyle edmund has never been past the second round of the all—england club, and after a smooth passage to the opening round with a straight sets win over alex bolt of australia, he faces another

unheralded opponent, qualifier bradley clarne stands on the way of the third round. i don't know too much about him. i think i played him ina much about him. i think i played him in a challenger, maybe three or four yea rs in a challenger, maybe three or four years ago. he is for sure someone who wins a match at wimbledon, and playing well. he beat a japanese quy: playing well. he beat a japanese guy, who is a good player, so for sure, there is always that respect, and you know you have to buy your capital a game to win here. and he is not the only british number one in action, would last yea r‘s number one in action, would last year's semifinalist number one in action, would last yea r‘s semifinalist johanna konta looking to go even further in 2018. she saw off a young russian in the opening round, but her challenge for silverware faces a sterner test today. dominika cibulkova, the slovakian who lost her seating at wimbledon to accommodate serena williams, packs a punch. when i played her last year, she was actually having some struggle as well with her form, so actually having some struggle as well with herform, so i think it will be a new match. there is very

little that compares to a professional athlete's happiness levels, and when you get to be in front of a home crowd, regardless of the sport, i think it is just incredible, and i really hope i can play many matches. and she is not the only one. another busy day in south—west london, with hopefully plenty to cheer. anthonyjoshua has anthony joshua has ended anthonyjoshua has ended speculation that he might look to fight in the united states by confirming his next two fights will be at wembley stadium. having defended his world titles in cardiff on the last two occasions, joshua will fight at the national stadium on september 20 two. he is likely to face russian alexander provetkin, with talks of a unification fight with beyonce well the ongoing. let's go to russia and the world cup. england have an injury worry added that quarterfinal against sweden. our sports correspondent is at the england base. the worry is over the fitness of jamie va rdy? england base. the worry is over the

fitness of jamie vardy? yes, england trained today, the first full training session since they returned from that epic night in moscow on tuesday. it was behind closed doors, so we don't know a great deal about what happened, but we do thinkjamie vardy was not involved. he needed an injection for a groin problem he picked up towards the end of that match after coming on as a late substitute, and he is now classed as a doubt for the crucial quarterfinal against sweden on saturday. elsewhere, there is still a thigh problem for dele alli, an ankle problem for dele alli, an ankle problem for dele alli, an ankle problem for ashley young, while harry kane was among those who came away with bumps and bruises. but jamie vardy is the only major concern. england are boosted by the return of fabian delph, who returned to the uk ahead of the birth of his third child. that child has now arrived. he has a baby girl, who arrived. he has a baby girl, who arrived yesterday morning, and he is now back in the camp as they prepare for what could be a chance of a lifetime on saturday.

thank you, david. and before we finished, just over a month to go until the start of the premier league season, and most clu bs a re premier league season, and most clubs are now in pre—season training. some of them are ready showing too. how about this from arsenal's mkhitaryan? a spin, not bad. that is all for now. more for you in the next hour. thank you, 09. let's return to our top story — a man and woman are critically ill in hospital after coming into contact with the nerve agent novochok in wiltshire. dawn sturgess and charlie rowley were found collapsed at a flat in amesbury and are critically ill in hospital. ben brown is there for us. ben. there is an awful lot, i guess that we there is an awful lot, i guess that we still don't know. very few facts at the moment about all of this? yes, neater. lots of questions, not many answers. this was the flat in

this block here, number nine in muggleton road, which is where dawn stu rg ess muggleton road, which is where dawn sturgess and charlie rowley both fell ill on saturday at different times during the day. dawn sturgess first, and then her partner charlie rowley, several hours later. both were then rushed by paramedics to salisbury district hospital. at that stage, doctors and nurses caring for them did not know what was wrong with them, and suspected it might have been some sort of drug overdose. it took four days, really, for the authorities to work—out report on down, the defence research laboratory down the road from here, that it was novichok, the same russian nerve agent, it seems, that was used for months ago against surrogate and yulia, in salisbury, also in wiltshire. —— surrogate and yulia skripal. the couple are now both critically ill and fighting for their lives, and we have heard from

their lives, and we have heard from the chief executive of salisbury nhs foundation trust, who runs the hospital. this is showing for me the testament to not only our staff in the hospital, but also staff in the nhs. we are so fortunate to have such skilled staff here, and they have really come into their own and been able to demonstrate not only the world—class care, as sally said, here in salisbury, but also what ca re here in salisbury, but also what care people across the nhs receive every day, 365 days a year, and for the last 70 years. so today is all about really celebrating that, because we are so about really celebrating that, because we are so lucky to have our fantastic stuff. and we know that the 'semergency committee has been meeting. we are expecting a statement from home secretary sajid javad later. what more can you tell us about that? yes, they are going to try to court the night a police response to this, and also, the public health england response to this. the message so far from health officials has been very much stay calm, people living in

this area of wilshere sajid. they are saying if you have been to any of the current deltoid cordoned off area since friday night, where they are thought to have been, you should take some basic precautions, which include washing your clothes, wiping down your possessions, and those locations are in salisbury, queen elizabeth gardens, which is where it is thought, and that is just one theory, a working assumption, that the couple picked up assumption, that the couple picked up this residue of novichok, which may have been discarded after the attack on the skripals. maybe they picked it up and queen elizabeth gardens, perhaps in a syringe or vial of some kind. people are being warned that if they have been in that area in the past few days and any of theareas in amesbury, they should wash their clothes. those areas are apart, again, where charlie rowley went to, a hot roast

on saturday shortly before he was taken to hospital, and also a boots chemist and a baptist church. so those are some of the things the health authorities are looking at. in terms of the police response to this, they are trying to work out and pinpoint exactly how this novichok got into dawn sturgess and charlie rowley, whether they did in jest it in some sort of syringe, and what are the indications of that. so there are a lot of questions the authorities. we are also hearing from the security minister ben wallace this morning that they believe that novichok was used against the skripals by the russian state, and appealing to the russian state, and appealing to the russian state, the russian authorities to come forward with information about how that operation was mounted, because that could be very useful for them now in britain to try to piece together what happened and protect members of the community. that cobra emergency government committee has been going on this morning. we will bring you more from it when we get a statement from the home secretary, who we gather was

chairing it, sajid javid. like you very much, ben brown in amesbury. —— thank you very much. let's go back now to those events marking 70 years since the creation of the national health service. events are being held across to the uk to mark the anniversary including services attended by more than 3,000 people at westminster abbey and york minister. our own martine croxall is at st george's university hospital this morning. how are they marking the day there, mateen? well, there is a party there as well, and we're hoping to be able to ta ke well, and we're hoping to be able to take part in that later on. we did spy take part in that later on. we did spy a take part in that later on. we did spy a huge cake that would probably feed the entire population of the hospital. it is a huge place here. i have got lost a couple of times. you go to the loo and don't manage to find where you were meant to be! we have come outside to the water gardens, where there are some wake—up cruising around looking for food. it is a place where people can come and sit and get away from the

hustle and bustle of this very busy hospital, which looks after 1.2 million people in south—west london, 3.5 million, if you take in surrey and such. it is a teaching hospital, and such. it is a teaching hospital, and has many, many specialisms, such as renal, stroke, cardiothoracic as well. one of the doctors in the a&e department here is actor rosanna valentine, —— doctor rosanna alan cowell, who also manages to be the mpfor cowell, who also manages to be the mp for tooting. she has also managed tojoin me in the mp for tooting. she has also managed to join me in the water garden. thank you for taking time out of your busy day. how do you manage to juggle your busy day. how do you manage to juggle all those busy responsibilities? i'm not sure i do it very well, but i couldn't be more proud to be part of the saint george 's family and the wider nhs family, and working here on the front line to maiga to take these messages back to maiga to take these messages back to parliament, and there is some crossover there. what a fantastic day to be celebrating, the nhs being 70. it certainly is. tell us why this is such an important hospital for the south—west. it doesn'tjust

serve the community here in tooting and in south—west london, it is naturally a specialist centre which ta kes naturally a specialist centre which takes people in from all over the country and sometimes even from out of the country, because it is a specialist. but it is a place you can really come and feel supported, looked after and cared for. i was here asa looked after and cared for. i was here as a patient when my two daughters were born. my brother was born here, and this hospital saved my dad's life. the staff here are just so incredible. i don't have enough good things to say about them. and i have found out everyone is helpful and want to do everything for you, but they are under immense pressure, and they? what sort of future do you see for a hospital like this in terms of the services it will be able to provide? you are absolutely correct. our nhs is under pressure, and saint george's is also under pressure. but i must say, st george's does a superbjob under pressure. but i must say, st george's does a superb job with the resources it has. but looking forward , resources it has. but looking forward, it is about resources. this nhs, and this hospital, does need more funding. very briefly, the government has said there will be a

next £20 billion, by 2023. that is surely going to help places like this offer the best service possible? what they have not factored in his money for social ca re factored in his money for social care and public health, money for training. there are so many elements to making the nhs work. of course, any more money invested is welcome, but it needs to be going to the right places. people watching today need to know that they can get an appointment with their gp, that their children will get the emergency care that they need, and cancer waiting times will be met. this is really important. doctor rosena allin—khan, mp, thank you bring much for talking to us here in the water garden. later, we will talk to one of those other departments that is very much a specialism here at saint george's tooting, . specialism here at saint george's tooting,. join us then. ina tooting,. join us then. in a moment, the business news this hour, but first, the headlines. two people remain in a critical condition after being exposed to a nerve agent. the government is meeing to discuss its response.

downing street releases a new plan to deal with customs arrangements after brexit — but will the cabinet and eu agree to it? and 70 years after the creation of the national health service, events are held across the uk to mark the day. in the business news: the uk's biggest car—maker — jaguar land rover — has warned a bad brexit deal could cost it more than £1.2 billion in profit each year — jeopardising future investment in britain. jlr says it needs "free and frictionless trade with the eu "and unrestricted access to the single market." it's the latest big firm to weigh into the brexit debate after similar warnings from airbus and siemens. energy giant edf is to increase standard tariff prices by an average of 6% for those customers who take both gas and electricity. it said dual—fuel customers would on average pay £1.35 a week more from 31 august.

this comes after the firm increased electricity charges by 2.7% in april. losses at estate agency purplebricks have increased over the past year following expansion overseas. the company reported a pre—tax loss of £26.1 million for the year to april, up from a loss of £6 million the year before. more now on our top story. the boss of jaguar land rover, the uk's biggest car—maker, has issued grave warnings over what a bad brexit deal could mean for the company. according to ralf speth, it could cost the company £1.2 billion profit each year. it's spent £50 billion in the uk in the past five years, and currently has plans to spend a further £80 billion in the next five. but a "bad brexit deal" would put this investment in jeopardy. the company would "drastically adjust" its spending profile. uncertainty over brexit,

as well as the future of diesel cars, has already led the car—maker to announce a series of changes to its uk business. at the beginning of the year, jlr said it would cut production at its plant in halewood, merseyside where it builds three of its range rover models. in april, it decided not to renew the contracts for 1,000 temporary workers in solihull. and last month, jaguar land rover, said it would shift production of the land rover discovery suv to slovakia, potentially leading to some uk job losses. however, the car—maker also said that it was investing in its solihull site to allow it to build its new range rover models, some of which will be electric—powered, from 2020. are an industry? —— what does this mean for the car industry? joining us now is emma butcher, from society of motor manufacturers and traders. first of all, your reaction to what

jaguar land rover have been saying, because this is not the first company to warn about the dangers of about brexit? well, of course, i cannot comment on their business, but i can say that as an industry, we have consistently warned that leaving the eu with a bad deal or without the deal would be hugely damaging to the industry. this industry has thrived on free and frictionless trade with the eu, and frictionless trade with the eu, and we really need that to continue. the way to continue that is to maintain our membership of the customs union and retain all of the benefits we enjoy as part of the single market after brexit. why is it so important for car—makers to have frictionless trade with eu? explained the rationale there. this is an industry thatis rationale there. this is an industry that is deeply integrated. our supply chains are very integrated right across europe and the rest of the world, in fact. if you think about the fact that every day in the uk, more than 1000 trucks cross over the borderfrom europe, and they deliver parts just in time to car

assembly—line iss, and those are delivered exactly when they are needed, if you were to introduce new procedures that involve extra bureaucracy and jacks, that would mean delays, and that would throw our very delicately balanced finally changed just—in—time manufacturing processes in the absolute havoc. let's talk about the new car market. there have been new figures today. how is that market looking in light of what we have seen recently with diesel car emissions, air quality, uncertainty about tax and restrictions on diesel cars? market as a whole is down forjune and the year—to—date, and that is largely because of the diesel effect, so we have seen a steep decline in demand for diesel cars as a result of ongoing uncertainty about future policies for the fuel, and that is really concerning for a number of reasons. we have already seen number of reasons. we have already seen co2 emissions rise, because people aren't buying diesel cars,

and while we have seen a move into alternatively fuelled vehicles, plug—in and hybrid cars, which is fantastic, these numbers arejust not enough to offset the decline in diesel. i think what we really need to remember is, diesel is still the right choice for a lot of drivers and businesses, especially those who do long distances. new tech diesel is absolutely worth going for if thatis is absolutely worth going for if that is what your lifestyle dictates. emma butcher, from the society of motor manufacturers and traders, thank you. and that is a round—up of all the business for this hour. back to you, anita. thank you. greater manchester believe the leave a huge more fire that has burned for the last several days was started deliberately. firefighters say that people were seen firefighters say that people were seenin firefighters say that people were seen in the area before they were called. firefighters in northern california have partially contained a blaze that has

forced hundreds of residents to evacuate areas west of sacramento. but dry conditions and wind gusts are hampering efforts to stop the spread. the rough terrain in rural yolo and napa counties, west of the state capital, is also complicating efforts to battle the wildfire that broke out last weekend. lebo diseko has more. battling an inferno, firefighters try to control the blaze which has swept across yolo and napa counties since it broke out last saturday. dry conditions and powerful conditions are making matters worse, and the national weather service says it's expecting gusts of up to a0 kilometres per hour. no casualties reported, or buildings damaged yet, but hundreds of local residents have been evacuated. it's still not clear what caused the blaze, but this has been a particularly active fire season in the us. authorities say the risk is much higher than normal in many western states. by wednesday, this so—called county fire had ravaged more than 30,000 hectares of grass, bush and scrub.

this area is famous for its wine growing and picturesque views. the fear now is, even when the fire is eventually put out, the damage to crops and businesses could be longer lasting. politicians in europe have rejected proposals for a controversial overhaul of eu copyright law in what is being the plans will now go back to parliament for further debate. the proposed reform, which had strong support from from artists including james blunt... my my name is james blunt. i have been so lucky to have a career in music. i think we need to reward the effort put into visit fairly. that is why

the proposals and europe to get licenses for online services are so important to some and performers who are trying to make a living and build a career in music. we knew this problem fixed. creators need the support of members of the european parliament, and we desperately have you will give it to us. i'm joined now by naomi pohl, the assistant general secretary of the musician's union. thank you very much for coming along. you must be disappointed by the news. very disappointed, yes. it has been a long time in the making, this. so there will be a lot of people in the industry who are disappointed. and tell us, for our viewers who don't understand what it is exactly thatis don't understand what it is exactly that is being asked for her, can you explain? sure. so essentially what we're looking for is fair payment for performers and artists and songwriters, and other creators, from use of their work online. so this might be something that members of the public assume is happening at the moment.

they possibly do! assume that they are being paid, ifa they possibly do! assume that they are being paid, if a song is being used or played via a website, they might think, yes, of course, the artist is going to be paid for it, but you're saying that is not happening? know, so streaming sites like spotify, for example, have a license with labels or whoever owned the rights to the music, but a site like youtube has a lot of unlicensed content up there, and youtube don't ta ke content up there, and youtube don't take any responsibility for that, so it's not the users we are coming after, really, it's the huge companies like google who owns youtube, who ought to be paying artists fairly. so websites like youtube, like wikipedia, said that these measures will stifle creativity, will amount to censorship. what is your response to that argument? absolutely not. i think it is smoke and mirrors. it is easy to say that, because obviously, they have wanted to drum up a lot of support to get this directive voted down. they have succeeded,

u nfortu nately. down. they have succeeded, unfortunately. they have a lot more money than we have. but it is not about censorship at all. it is literally just about fair payment. so youtube just need to keep an eye on what has been uploaded to their site, and then for anything that is in copyright, like music our members create, they should be paying a fair licence fee for that. and as we heard, this will go back for more discussion. for the moment, thank you very much. time to take a look at the latest weather forecast. hello, anita. many of us have some sunshine again across the uk, but there is a bit more cloud across scotla nd there is a bit more cloud across scotland and northern ireland at the moment in particular, where it will be cooler than yesterday. this is the scene i imagine many of us have at the moment, with those blue skies. i mentioned a bit cooler across scotland and northern ireland, and that is because this cold front is moving through, bringing cloud, and nothing in terms of rainfall, but behind, a much cooler front of them moving in. of rainfall, but behind, a much coolerfront of them moving in. that cloud across northern ireland will break up together some sunny spells,

and there will be sunny spells across scotland as well. for much of england and wales, barely a cloud in the sky. but across some parts, cloud builds up, and there is the chance of some showers. don't take the position of the show was too literally. one of two of them could turn henry through the afternoon and perhaps even thundery across the south—eastern quadrant of england. they're that in mind. temperature wise, england and way of, in the mid to high 20s, perhaps 30 celsius. fresher in scotland and northern ireland, 15 — 20 celsius here. overnight, cloud moves in across the north sea coast. otherwise, clear spells. temperatures overnight not falling below 17—18dc in southern areas, quite a warm and sticky night to come in the cell. fresher further north, about 9 degrees in central scotland. during friday, any cloud will tend to disappear, moving towards the east, and we will be looking at some cloud moving through wales and into wards the midlands.

the heat builds again during friday, maximum and bridges across the south—east, 30—31. widely in the mid—to high 20s. even across scotla nd mid—to high 20s. even across scotland and northern ireland, temperatures come little bit, so about 18—22. enter the weekend, temperatures come little bit, so about 18—22. enterthe weekend, it isa about 18—22. enterthe weekend, it is a very similar weather pattern we have had over the last couple of weeks. high pressure firmly in charge, light winds, lots of sunshine expected over the weekend. temperatures rising up in scotland and northern ireland up to the mid—20s. there is a high across southern parts, are about 30—31, perhaps even 32 degrees. into next week, it remains dry, warm and sunny. this is bbc news.

i'm ben brown from amesbury in wiltshire, where two people from one of the flats in this road behind me are still critically ill in hospital after being exposed to novichok, the russian nerve agent used against the former russian spy sergei skripal, and his daughter yulia in march. the nature of a nerve agent such as novichok is that it is an absolutely tiny needle in a very large haystack that we have to find. the government's emergency cobra committee is meeting while the director of public health england warns people nearby to be vigilant. i'm annita mcveigh — the other top news stories downing street releases a new plan to deal with customs arrangements after brexit — but will the cabinet and eu agree to it?

disruption for thousands of commuters as trains in and out of london victoria are cancelled due to signalling problems. people are warned not to travel. events to mark the 70th anniversary of the nhs will be held across the uk. and as england prepare for their quarter final against sweden in the world cup jamie vardy is a doubt after picking up an injury. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. straight to amesbury for the latest on the poisoning of a man and woman in wiltshire. ben brown is there.

yes, you join us live in mark wilson roadin yes, you join us live in mark wilson road in amesbury, and it is in this thread that in flat number nine just behind me, dawn sturgess and charlie rowley, this couple, were taken ill on saturday, rushed to hospital by paramedics, and for a while the doctors and nurses treating them had no idea what was wrong with them, why they were so ill. it was thought perhaps they had taken a drug overdose of some kind, charlie rowley was reported to have been hallucinating and foaming at the mouth. it took them four days, the authorities to ascertain that they had been exposed to novichok, thought to have been used against sergei skripal and his daughter yulia in salisbury four months ago in march. those two members of the public, dawn stu rgess in march. those two members of the public, dawn sturgess and charlie rowley are now in salisbury district hospital, fighting for their lives,

they are critically ill. it is thought on friday nightjust before they will they travel to salisbury. they may have gone to queen elizabeth gardens, not far from where the skripals were found on a park bench back in march. now this report from ben ando. the spectre of a chemical weapon attack is back. a number of areas around salisbury and amesbury in wiltshire cordoned off for forensics test. two people, dawn sturgess and charlie rowley, unconscious in hospital, the victims, we now know, of novichok poisoning. and a full counter—terrorism investigation is under way. people in the area can expect to see an increased police presence, including officers wearing protective gear as they carry out activity at different sites. this will look similar to the activity you saw happen in salisbury earlier this year. in march, former russian spy, sergey skripal, and his daughter, yuliya skripal, were poisoned with novichok. while there are striking similarities, the police say

it is too soon to link the cases. the alarm was raised on saturday when both charlie rowley and dawn sturgess were admitted to hospital. over the weekend, their symptoms caused increasing concern and on monday samples were sent to porton down laboratory. yesterday, those results came back positive for novichok, and a major incident was declared. with novichok known to have been involved, this investigation is a priority, with 100 counterterrorism detectives drafted in. their job, theirjob, to find out all they can about charlie rowley and dawn stu rg ess, about charlie rowley and dawn sturgess, and about charlie rowley and dawn stu rgess, and to about charlie rowley and dawn sturgess, and to find out how two a p pa re ntly sturgess, and to find out how two apparently random members of the public came into contact with this potentially didn't deadly nerve agent. but is there still danger? public health england says it doesn't think so and it is unlikely anyone else is contaminated. you do not need to seek advice from a health professional, unless you are experiencing symptoms, as any individual who had been significantly exposed at the same time

would by now have symptoms. as forensic work continues in wiltshire, in london, later, there will be another meeting of the government's cobra committee, where perhaps some of the many outstanding questions can begin to be answered. ben ando, bbc news. yes, the government's cobra emergency meeting has been going on this morning. we will have word from that pretty surely we expect from the home secretary sajid javid. the government have been saying, and ben wallace the security minister, has been saying they are appealing to the russian authorities to give them help to say how the skripals were attacked back in march and perhaps to give them clues about what remnants, what residue of another jock may have been left lying around, because that is the working assumption of the police here, that the couple here from amesbury were

not attacked, they have no known links with russia but they somehow came into contact with residue of the novichok that was used in the skripal attack when they visited salisbury on friday night. it is not known how, maybe they picked up a syringe or a file that contains the novichok it is just not known. ben wallace, security minister, has been saying it is another example of how reckless the attack on the skripals was, that novichok simply could have been discarded. you're the investigation all the way back from markj is taking a loss of time, hundreds of police officers man—hours and intelligence officers to try to get to the bottom of it, and that means the full picture is not yet known, and it may take a very long time to now, but until that happens, our levels of assurance is based on the science and the advice of health care professionals. but i can't sit here and guarantee you he will be safe in manchester 100% from terrorism, nor cani manchester 100% from terrorism, nor can i guarantee you in the west

country that you are going to be 100% safe at the moment from further contamination until we know the full details of what happened back in march. in terms of advice to numbers of the public, number is of the public who have been alarmed and shock of what has happened in the last few days, then the advice is that it last few days, then the advice is thatitis last few days, then the advice is that it is a low risk to members of the public, that is what public health england are saying, but at the same time they are saying if you have visited one of the specific —— suspected contaminated areas that have been cordoned off now, you should take some basic precautions, including washing your clothes and wiping down your possessions. there we re wiping down your possessions. there were five locations altogether that have been cordoned off, three in amesbury and two in salisbury, which the couple are thought to have visited on friday night. let's here

from paul cox but, medical director of public health england. of course we understand people will be concerned in the local area. our advice and that the risk remains low to the general public and it is perfectly reasonable to carry on your normal day—to—day activities. we are giving some highly precautionary advice to people who we re precautionary advice to people who were in the areas of concern from ten o'clock on friday night onwards, to take the simple precaution of washing the clothes you were wearing at the time. and of course we should all remember not to pick up any items we don't know what they are. some advice from public health england. now the joining me now is dr patricia lewis, a research director for international security at chatham house. the think tank in london. thank you for being with us. what are your

thoughts on the suspicion by the authorities here that it was residue from that novichok attack in salisbury back in march that this couple from amesbury have exposed to? that is a reasonable assumption to? that is a reasonable assumption to make, i think, given the location and the fact that we know very little about novichoks, but we know asa little about novichoks, but we know as a nerve little about novichoks, but we know as a nerve agent and because of its molecular structure, it is likely to be stable over a long period. it can be stable over a long period. it can be washed away, it can be swept away, but if it is inside a container or some kind of receptacle, then it could remain sta ble receptacle, then it could remain stable for an indefinite period of time. and it does seem, one working assumption is that perhaps whoever attacked the skripals had simply discarded this novichok in salisbury after the attack. i mean, it may have been left there as the attack was being prepared, but more likely discarded afterwards, and ben wallace the security minister was

saying how reckless that would have been, just to throw away some novichok in a town centre. yes, if thatis novichok in a town centre. yes, if that is the case, it depends where it was thrown away, and it also depends if that was the case, it could be of course that it was a contaminated area, which theyjust didn't know about before. that is a possibility, although i think over this period of time that seems unlikely. but there is so much we don't know and understand yet. this is very much speculation. i think we need as well to think about our street cleaners and parks cleaners, and what sort of advice they have been given and what sort of risk they are exposing themselves to all they are exposing themselves to all the time, and what we are doing now to find whatever that was, in terms of if there are objects that need to be tested, and what they might possibly be. i think this, right now, is a very difficult period for the security forces, for

counterterrorism forces, because there are so many unknowns. what the government have been saying really this morning is that they are still convinced the attack on the skripals was a russian state attacked and they are appealing to the russian government, even they are appealing to the russian government, even now, four months later, to come forward with details about how that attack was mounted in order to help them with what has happened to this couple from amesbury. yes, i think if i were the government i would be asking the russian government, particularly president putin, as to what investigations they have made internally, what they have learned, assuming that president putin is telling the truth about it not being in charge of this attack. if he is not in charge, you need to be in charge right now and find out exactly what happened and what the vector was. thank you for your time today. i am joined vector was. thank you for your time today. iam joined here vector was. thank you for your time today. i am joined here in amesbury

outside the house where the two fell ill by win—win field, editorial director of cbrn eworld magazine. you are a chemical weapons analyst, what are your thoughts on this dreadful news that it seems to be the novichok, it may well be the novichok that was used against the skripals that this couple have been exposed to? calle it is obviously terrible for the couple involved but for the police it is a real treasure trove of evidence. not only are we looking at trying to pick up gross samples of the novichok itself but also the container it was held in. if it was for example a baggy, there may be some cereal number —— serial numberfirst may be some cereal number —— serial number first are you saying a bag of some kind? some media reports have suggested these individuals came back from their trip to the pub with a syringe in a bag. either of those things could potentially be holding either within or on the surface the

novichok agent. at the moment law enforcement has not confirmed that yet, but if that is where they came into co nta ct yet, but if that is where they came into contact with it that is a lot of evidence, not only in terms of the substance but also dna finger foods that can now be harvested. novichok, we know it is a very powerful russian military nerve agent but it doesn't lose its potency over time because it is four months that it was lying around in salisbury? a lot is not known about novichoks and the russians could come and talk about this, but it is likely to be highly stable for months, potentially years, we know this for other novell agents we worked on. —— nerve agents. the chances of it remaining lethal for a relatively short period of time, as this is, is very high. and it is potentially deadly. yes, if there was anything on the outside of the container or however they came into contact with it, then there may well

be some agent on there. the police can find out exactly where they came into co nta ct can find out exactly where they came into contact with it and where that was, there will still remain a minimal risk. win winfield, thank you for being with us. meantime, the couple ta ken ill you for being with us. meantime, the couple taken ill in the author wrote in amesbury still —— in muggleston road. o nto onto one of the day's other main stories. downing street has set out some of the detail on a new plan for how customs could be handled after brexit. the latest model is known as a "facilitated customs arrangement" and number ten says it would use technology to guarantee frictionless trade with the european union, while also allowing britain to strike its own trade deals. our assistant political editor norman smith is at westminster.

the big question in all of this for the next 2a hours is can theresa may get the agreement of her cabinet, and then of course the agreement of the eu to this plan? i detect in downing street they are quietly hopeful that this third wave plan may be something that both sides in this cabinet rift can agree to, because basically it brings together the two existing options, the customs partnership and the maximum facilitation option, into a sort of third way hybrid model which goes under the rather answer nabi title, as you were under the rather answer nabi title, as you were saying, of the —— not snappy as you were saying, of the —— not snappy title. facilitators customs arrangement. one of the key components of this plan concerns tariffs. what it is proposing is that on eu imports, that is to say

goods coming into the uk en route to the european union, we, britain, should charge the eu's existing tariffs, in effect we would collect the tariffs on behalf of the eu and handed over to them. however, we would use smart technology to also be able to charge british tariffs at the borderfor be able to charge british tariffs at the border for those goods which we re the border for those goods which were just the border for those goods which werejust coming into britain. it would enable us to say downing street, to have a lower paris if thatis street, to have a lower paris if that is what we wanted to do. the disadvantage, say brexiteers, is that we would become the eu's tax collector, which they say they don't wa nt to collector, which they say they don't want to do. more than that, they question whether the eu would accept britain in effect administering eu tariffs. the second key element concerns the rules that we would have to follow, and what has been

agreed is that when it comes to goods, we would by effectively by the eu's rule books, so—called regulatory alignment. what that means is that for exporting goods into the eu, we would stick by their all is when it comes to things like hygiene regulations, customer rules, specifications, all of that nitty—gritty of trade, we would stick by the eu's existing rules. however parliament would have the freedom of opting out of those rules if in times we wanted to. in other words we could seek to adopt different rules if that is what we wa nted different rules if that is what we wanted to do. the pluses that it gets round the issue of friction at the border and particularly the potential a border in northern ireland. the difficulty of course is that it leaves us in the eu rules, and brexiteers say who on earth would want to do trade rules if

we're playing by the eu's rules? all in all downing street to this as the best option. the headlines on bbc news... two people in amesbury remain in a critical condition after being exposed to a nerve agent. the government is meeing to discuss its response. downing street releases a new plan to deal with customs arrangements after brexit — but will the cabinet and the eu agree to it? and the national health service turns 70 — with events across the uk to mark its anniversary. time for some more sport now, here's sarah. let's start at wimbledon, straight to court number two where britain's katy balls is in action. the 21—year—old playing —— katie

boulter. it is live on bbc two. osako with set point the first set. katie boulter has recovered from a tough start. she was three live down that has got herself back into it. —— she was 3—0 down. you can follow that live on bbc two right now. later this afternoon both the british men's and women's normal ones are in action, and looking ahead for us is alex. son, strawberries and is home success , son, strawberries and is home success, that is what dez for —— day for is hoping to serve up, not from him but from head. after a smooth passage through the opening round, he faces another unheralded opponent, qualifier radley klavan

stands in a way of the third round. identity much about him, i played in a challenger maybe three or four yea rs a challenger maybe three or four years ago. ‘— a challenger maybe three or four years ago. —— i don't know much about him. he beat a japanese guy, said eta, a good player, sofa sure there is or is that respect and you know you will have to play your a game to win here. he is not the only british 11 in action with last yea r‘s british 11 in action with last year's semifinalist british 11 in action with last yea r‘s semifinalist johanna konta looking to go even further in 2018. she saw of the young russian in the opening round but her challenge for silverware faces a sterner test, dominika cibulkova, who lost her seeding to accommodate serena williams, packs a punch. when i played her last year she was having some struggles with her form, so played her last year she was having some struggles with herform, so i figure will be a new match, there is very little that compares with a professional athlete's happiness levels when you get to be in front

ofa levels when you get to be in front of a home crowd, regardless of the sport. i think it is incredible and i hope i can play many matches. and she is not the only one, another busy day in south—west london with hopefully plenty to cheer. from wimbledon to the world cup, where there is injury concern overjamie vardy editor england has a quarterfinal with sweden on saturday. he did not train yesterday and had an injection after injuring his groin in that win over colombia. the leicester striker was jude his groin in that win over colombia. the leicester striker wasjude to ta ke the leicester striker wasjude to take the fifth penalty in the shoot out but we all know that eric dier stepped in to take it, and he scored it. that is all the sport for now. much more in the next hour. today marks 70 years since the creation of the national health service. a series of events are being held across to the uk to mark the anniversary. more than 3,000 people — including nhs staff, past and present — will attend services at westminster abbey and york minister. martine croxall is at st george's university hospital this morning. finding out about life going on in

the hospital, despite the holiday elevations. yes, very busy. when chris our producer said we're coming to saint george's, he said that is great, you had to find lots of baby so can sniff their heads. we have a very small one here, her name is harley, she has even put on a party frock. she is here with her mum and grandmother. just briefly tell us about harley's arrival, because it was a bit of a surprise to you. about harley's arrival, because it was a bit of a surprise to youm was. i was a whole month in gibraltar bleeding whilst i was pregnant with her, and then i got sent over from gibraltar to st george's to see if i had cervical cancer while i was pregnant, and that came back clear. and then i was

a whole month upstairs, bleeding, as well, and then she just decided, after a month, she well, and then she just decided, aftera month, she was well, and then she just decided, after a month, she was only 24 weeks. and how much did she way? she was very tiny, just 670 grams. 1.3 lb in old money for stop you have been living here for weeks, months, on site, what has the care being like that they have had? excellent, it has been marvellous. fantastic team, magic, it is magic here. and also with us is the neonatologists, this is one of only 25 units of its kind at st george's why is it so special, this particular department? there are children who have a number of problems at a time of birth and we have a real opportunity to provide excellent care for these babies that means they can live a long and fulfilling life with their families and lots ofjoy in the future. that is what we all work

for, that is our passion. this particular unit, which is where harley is at the moment, this is where the babies have already actually put on quite a bit of weight and done a lot of growing. elsewhere, there are even tiny babies who are looking after. that's right, when harley first came into the world she was in our intensive ca re the world she was in our intensive care unit. we have about 24 beds. the babies can be extra money small and extremely sick. our hope is always that those babies can get better and they can come to where harley is at this point in time, and so harley is at this point in time, and so close to be of to go home and enjoying their families. even the paediatric surgery that goes on here, it is really pioneering stuff, isn't it? it is, we have had some great accomplishments, we have a lovely bunch of surgeons here, really kind, gentle with the babies. and we have some great recognition for having saved the lives of some of the smallest babies born. we do a

lot of neurosurgery as well, so it is notjust lot of neurosurgery as well, so it is not just about general surgery, it isa is not just about general surgery, it is a lot of different types of surgery, as it is a lot of different types of surgery, as well. harley is very hungry, keep spitting up that dummy, when you expecting to be a will to go home? next week. i still don't have a set date but we will be home next week. the best of luck to you, congratulations, and amazing work you do here. harley will have two birthdays, a bit like the queen, the daesh was born, and today she was meant to be born, and who can blame her? she has the frock for it. we will be outside for the garden party outside here at st george's later to mark the 70th anniversary of the nhs. we will see you later. there is major travel disruption at britain's second busiest station — victoria, due to a total loss of signalling power. thousands of passengers have been urged not to travel, as network rail says three separate power supplies have failed. the disruption is expected to last for the entire day. earlier, our reporter lauren moss gave us this update

from brighton railway station. like you say, it is chaotic, and this has affected thousands of passengers heading into london victoria this morning, thousands who come through here at brighton station and stations across the south—east, as services on southern rail and gatwick express were cancelled, and thameslink services were also severely affected and many delays. it is all down to a signalling issue, detected at streatham last night at around half past ten by network rail engineers. network rail engineers were working through the night to try and get this issue resolved in time for the morning rush hour. but they did not manage to do so. therefore it has heavily impacted people here this morning. in the last hour, network rail has said power supply to the signalling fault at streatham has been resolved, but major disruption is expected sometime.

they are making an announcement saying do not travel to london victoria along this line unless it is absolutely necessary. of course for thousands of people this morning that just isn't an option, commuters have got to get to work and people have other places to be. rail replacement buses have been running and tickets have been valid on other services too, like southeastern, which has not been affected, running into london victoria, but then people have to get to those train stations in order to travel to the city. a lot of frustration, people are still coming out of the station now. on twitter, people have been venting their anger, discussing bus queues as biblical. others say london victoria has been converted into hell on earth yet again as the brighton line had been turned into a disaster once more. biblical bus queues, lauren, i guess the traffic situation is particularly bad because people are being forced onto the roads perhaps, whereas they would have ordinarily chosen to travel by train. yes, it will have a huge knock—on effect, anyone heading into london as well,

anyone who wants to use rail replacement buses, they will be hit by traffic. anyone trying to reach any of the stations in the south—east, such as southeastern lines trying to get into london as well, there will be delays there. despite this issue being resolved now, the power supply signalling fault in streatham, network rail and govia thameslink are warning that this problem, these delays and cancellations, are expected to have a large knock—on effect and last well into the end of the day, which will then impact the evening rush—hour, if many people have in fact managed to get into london victoria this morning. time for a look at the weather forecast. we can join matt taylor on the balcony. a very good afternoon to you, another sunny day for most parts of the uk, a bit more humid across the south this afternoon, and temperatures could climb into the

high 20s, even close to 30 degrees in one or two spots, enough to set off one or two isolated showers and storms. if i should ever scotland and northern ireland. high teens and low 20s, but good long sunny spells to ta ke low 20s, but good long sunny spells to take it through the rest of the day. a few isolated and minor showers, but they will be gone overnight, where it will be another humid night in the south, a good deal more comfortable for a night's slid further north with temperatures dropping into single figures for some of you. friday another dry sunny day for the vast majority, a bit of cloud, here and there, and one or two isolated showers across england and wales. but the emphasis the most is on the continuing dry weather and heat across england and wales, with temperatures above 30 degrees. still in the low 20s scotla nd degrees. still in the low 20s scotland and northern ireland but it warms up here this weekend and it stays pretty hot in the south, too. good afternoon. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: police confirm a man and woman found unconscious in wiltshire with exposed to norwich, the same nerve agent that poisoned former russian spy surrogate scrip al. both are seriously ill. the government's emergency security committee is to meet. downing street has released details ofa downing street has released details of a plan to handle customs after brexit. it proposes to use technology to guarantee frictionless trade with the eu while also allowing britain to strike its own trade deals. commuters beware. thousands of people have been hit by train delays in out of victoria after signalling delays. it's the 70th anniversary of the national health service. a series of events a re national health service. a series of events are being held across the uk to mark the occasion, including one which is under way at westminster abbey. and as england prepare for the quarterfinal against sweden in the world cup, leicester forward jamie vardy is in doubt after suffering a groin injury. let's go back to our main story now.

the poisoning of two people in amesbury in wiltshire. it is thought by the deadly toxin novichok. the government's emergency cobra committee has been meeting. but go to my colleague ben brown now, in amesbury for an update. yes, we are in muggleton road, and in one of the flats you can see their behind that police car, the couple, dawn stu rgess their behind that police car, the couple, dawn sturgess and charlie rowley, were taken ill on saturday, rushed by paramedics to salisbury district hospital. at that stage on saturday, the doctors and nurses treating them did not know what was wrong with them, thought maybe there was some sort of drug overdose, and thenit was some sort of drug overdose, and then it took four days for word to come through from the porton down research facilities just down the road that it was in fact novichok, the russian nerve agent, the military grade nerve agent that was

used against surrogate scrip al and his daughterjulia four months ago. —— surgea we we have been talking to a chemical weapons expert about the novichok and the fact that residues of that novichok appear to have been... the couple appeared to have been exposed to that novichok in salisbury, four months after was left there after the attack on the scrip pals. this is a secret russian chemical warfare agent that was designed to over match nato and our military capabilities to detect it, so detecting it is very difficult indeed. we also believe that it is quite persistent. one thing that would be really helpful at the moment is with the russians engaging with us, because they really know all about this stuff, so that we can do better at detecting it and finding it. you know, from what we know, and from what i understand the

police and counterterrorism investigation is moving forward to track down these assailants, or at least find out who they were or where they went, the chance that we will find more debris or collateral from the attack in march, i believe, is pretty low and unlikely. that was hey mr breton gordon, a chemical weapons expert, talking to us earlier on. we're hearing from the minister's spokesman that the british government have noted the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons about these latest developments in wiltshire. a spokesman also said that salisbury is still open for business despite what has happened here in the last few days. this is a real testament for me not only a real testament to the stafford hospital, but also the staff in the nhs. we are so fortunate to have such skilled staff here, may have really come into their own and been able to

demonstrate not only be world—class care, as sally said, here is salisbury, but also what can people across the nhs receive every day, 365 daisy year, and for the last 70 years. so today is all about really celebrating that, because we are so lucky to have our fantastic staff. well, let me just tell you that we are expecting a statement from the home secretary sergei javid in the next few minutes in the commons. he was at the meeting of cobra earlier on. ‘— was at the meeting of cobra earlier on. —— sergey javid. was at the meeting of cobra earlier on. —— sergeyjavid. he discuss all the latest of elements from here in wiltshire in terms of the police investigation, what is known about that, and the various warnings we have had from health officials here as well to members of the public saying that if they have been to one of the five areas that have been cordoned off, three in amesbury and two in salisbury, where the couple travelled to last friday night, members of the public should take the precaution of washing their clothes and washing down or wiping

down their belongings. but that cobra meeting has happened, sajid javid, the home secretary was there, along with other members of the government, including the defence secretary gavin williamson, and we will be hearing a report back to the commons from the home secretary on that and what has happened in wiltshire here in the last few moments. but for now, back to the studio. thank you, ben brown in amesbury. the health secretary jeremy the health secretaryjeremy hunt is marking that. i'm not sure if we can look at the live shot from westminster abbey now. let's look at that. no, that is the house of commons. let's get you to westminster abbey. i can tell you simon stephens, the chief executive of the nhs, hasjust

simon stephens, the chief executive of the nhs, has just staged speaking. but earlier today, he offered his heartfelt thanks to staff, saying the nhs's and ending success is down to the brilliance of its staff. our health correspond and dominic hughes has been looking at what the nhs means for one family. josh from the communications team. his sister simone, a doctor's assistant. their mum, sue, who works in occupational therapy. and her mum helen, a retired nhs cleaner. one family who all work or worked at one nhs hospital, wigan infirmary. i feel it's a good place to be and i'm happy to get up in the morning and go to work. i feel that the elderly population, they are very strong. i think because they have seen the nhs grow from starting because they respect it and appreciate that it's available. it's so great. i think a lot of people now, the nhs hasjust always been there. but of course, it hasn't.

the new national health service starts, providing hospital and specialist services, medicines and drugs... 70 years ago, in the aftermath of the second world war, the uk was being prepared for the new national health service, the brainchild of this man, aneurin bevan. this is where it all began 70 years ago today, and the health secretary, nye bevan, came here in manchester to receive the keys to the hospital from lancashire county council. that marked the birth of the nhs and the culmination of a truly ambitious plan to create a health service that was free for everyone and funded by taxation. over the past 70 years, the nhs has had its ups and downs we couldn't do without the nhs now. very few things at the beginning,

with money coming forward, we did better as we went on. over the past 70 years, the nhs has had its ups and downs but today across the country, celebrations will mark the creation of what's become a very british institution. rescuers in thailand say they re facing a race against the weather to free the group of boys and their football coach who've now been trapped underground for 12 days. they say good conditions in the last 24 hours have helped lower the water level inside by an average of a centimetre and a half every hour ? but they re concerned a turn in the weather could reverse the progress they ve made. a little earlier i spoke to our correspondent sophie long, who is at the scene. the big concern is that there will be more heavy monsoon rains over the weekend, sunday in particular, is what is causing concern. the weather is their main worry. in terms of how the operation is developing at the

moment, we have heard that they have been able to reduce the water levels inside the cave complex significantly. we were told this morning that they have managed to pump out 128 million litres of water. their aim is to bring the water. their aim is to bring the water levels back down enough so that they can get the boys out the way they came in, without having to teach them to die for useful scuba equipment. one of my colleagues has just been speaking to a volunteer who has been inside the caves and working there, and he said, i should say, this has not been confirmed by any authorities, that they managed to bring the water down by another meter, they could be in business. you get the sense there is an increased sense of urgency. there has was then an urgency about this operation, that they are now really fighting against the clock. getting the boys out before the rains come, if there is an opportunity, they will possibly take it. we have heard until today that they would not risk anything at all, that they would not bring the boys out unless there was

a 100% certainty that it would be eight successful operation. when we heard from the governor of the provinces morning, he said that if there is a window of 90% possibility that they can get them out, then they will take it. he also said that they will take it. he also said that they would not necessarily bring all they would not necessarily bring all the boys out together. if some, they felt, were strong enough in terms of swimming and physical health, mental health, then they be brought out first. and tell us about communications with the group, and of course, families that are there, hoping that those boys were at sea rather than later. —— will get out sooner rather than later. yes, the parents of those boys have spent nine days not knowing whether they were alive, then there was huge euphoria in this makeshift camp that has been set up around the cave entrance when the boys were found on monday. that quickly turned to, how are we monday. that quickly turned to, how are we going to get them out? and we are we going to get them out? and we are still at that stage, really. they have been trying to get a fibre—optic cable inside the cave to make a connection with the boys so

that they can speak to their parents and maybe even see them. efforts to do that yesterday failed, but they are now attempting it again. when the boys are mostly a good physical health, and some were treated for minor injuries. but it's also their morale. they have been there for 12 days and the youngest boy is just 11 yea rs days and the youngest boy is just 11 years old, so it is hoped if they manage to get that communication line established, it will be a great thing, notjust line established, it will be a great thing, not just the line established, it will be a great thing, notjust the boys, and their coach, stuck inside the cave, but also for the families, who must of course be very, worried indeed. sophie long reporting from the scene of the thai cave rescue effort. greater manchester police say they believe a huge moor fire that has been burning for ten days was started deliberately. they say people were seen lighting bonfires near stalybridge 50 minutes before the fire service was called. firefighters in northern california have partially

contained a blaze that has forced hundreds of residents to evacuate areas west of sacramento. but dry conditions and wind gusts are hampering efforts to stop the spread. the rough terrain in rural yolo and napa counties, west of the state capital, is also complicating efforts to battle the wildfire that broke out last weekend. lebo diseko has more. battling an inferno, firefighters try to control the blaze which has swept across yolo and napa counties since it broke out last saturday. dry conditions and powerful conditions are making matters worse, and the national weather service says it's expecting gusts of up to 40 kilometres per hour. no casualties reported, or buildings damaged yet, but hundreds of local residents have been evacuated. it's still not clear what caused the blaze, but this has been a particularly active fire season in the us. authorities say the risk is much higher than normal in many western states. by wednesday, this so—called county

fire had ravaged more than 30,000 hectares of grass, bush and scrub. this area is famous for its wine growing and picturesque views. the fear now is, even when the fire is eventually put out, the damage to crops and businesses could be longer lasting. the headlines on bbc news... two people in amesbury remain in a critical condition after after being exposed to a nerve agent. the government meets to discuss its response. downing street releases a new plan to deal with customs arrangements after brexit — but will the cabinet and the eu agree to it? and the national health service turns 70 — with events across the uk to mark its anniversary. politicians in europe have rejected proposals for a controversial overhaul of eu copyright law, so the plans

will now go back to parliament for further debate. a total of 318 lawmakers voted against opening talks with eu countries over the proposed reform, which had strong support from artists. a little earlier i spoke to the assistant general secretary of the musician's union, which backed the proposals, and i started by asking herfor her reaction to today's developments in the eu parliament. this has been a long time in the making, so there will be a lot of people in the industry who are disappointed. and tell us for our viewers who don't understand what is exactly being asked for her, can you explain? yes, sure. essentially, what we're looking for is fair payment for performers and artists and songwriters and other creators, from use of their work online. so this might be something that members of the public assume is happening at

the moment. they possibly do, yes, assume that they are being paid if a song is used or played via a website, they might think that, yes, of course, the artist is going to be paid for it, but you are saying that is not necessarily happening? no, streaming sites like spotify has a license with the label so whoever owns the music, but a site like youtube has a lot of unlicensed content up there, and youtube don't ta ke content up there, and youtube don't take any responsibility for that, so it is not the users we are coming after, really. it is the huge companies like google, who owns youtube, who ought to be paying artists fairly. so websites like youtube, like wikipedia, has said that these measures will stifle creativity, will amount to censorship. what's your response to that argument? absolutely not. i think it is smoke and mirrors. ithink absolutely not. i think it is smoke and mirrors. i think it is easy to say that, because they have wanted to drum up a lot of support to try and get this directive voted down.

they have succeeded, unfortunately. they have succeeded, unfortunately. they have succeeded, unfortunately. they have got a lot more money than we they have got a lot more money than we have. but no, it's not about censorship at all, it is literally just about fair payment, so youtube just about fair payment, so youtube just need to keep an eye on what is being uploaded to their site, and then for anything that is in copyright, like music that our members create, they should be paying a fair licence fee for that. naomi ball poll from the musicians union. some breaking news coming to us from the courts. music teachers have been to music teachers, james husband and gary dobbie have been found guilty of sexually assaulting pupils at the school, price's hospital school in horsham, over a period of 13 years. that news just coming into us from hove crown court. more now on the 70th anniversary of the nhs — and £2.3 million children

are admitted to hospital in england every year. it can be an anxious time but research has shown that fear and pain can be reduced by the surroundings in which patients are treated. jayne mccubbin has this report. zeke is very, very shy and 18 months ago he had to learn to be very, very brave. he was first diagnosed when he was four, the same day i gave birth to this little one. oh, my goodness! a few hours after zeke met his baby brother, he collapsed and was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma. doctors decided he would need radiotherapy, but for the precision procedure, he would have to wear a full face mask, to keep him absolutely still. the radiotherapy masks are usually a massive problem for our patients and the part that most of them struggle with.

it can be quite claustrophobic. to help children find the courage, she uses art. she transformed zeke's radiotherapy mask into his favourite action hero. looking good! spiderman does high fives and low fives. he sees superheroes as brave, strong, can battle anything. and i think zeke only takes that from it, definitely, without a doubt. this is the first time he has been back to the ward. in the car, the hospital gives young patients the chance to drive themselves into treatment. today his hair has grown back and the cancer is benign. goodness me, you are strong. play, fun and arts and crafts are taken seriously here, almost as serious as the treatment itself.

i am claire and i am a clinical nurse specialist. a.k.a.? i am a nurse. no, a.k.a — olaf. oh, yes! even the clinical specialists recognise the importance of investing in the fun stuff. this is one of claire's go—to outfits to make sure that the child heading for treatment is calm and at ease as much as they can be, avoiding the need for general anaesthetic. last week, she was one half ofjedward. if you compare the risks and costs associated with anaesthetics, it speaks for itself. economically it stacks up? absolutely. we are pulling away from this report

to bring you a statement from the home secretary from the cobra meeting on the amesbury poisoning. they are currently in critical condition, and i'm sure the whole house would join me in wishing them a full and swift recovery. i would also like to express my sincere thanks to the emergency services and staff at salisbury district hospital for their tireless professionalism and a dedicated way in which they are providing it. i understand, of course, there will be some concerns about what this means public safety, in particular, i recognise that some local residents in wiltshire will be feeling very anxious. let me reassure you , feeling very anxious. let me reassure you, that public safety is of paramount importance. public health england's latest assessment is that based on the number of casualties affected, there is no significant risk to the wider public. aaron vise is informed by scientists and the police as the fa cts scientists and the police as the facts evolve. dame sally davies, the chief medical officer, has confirmed that the risk to the public remains

low, and has asked the public to follow the advice of public health england and the police. she has also advised people who have visited the area that they have been. the areas that have recently been cordoned off, they should wash their clothes and wiped down any items they pick up any unknown object such as needles or syringes. this was established in march. we have a well—established response to these type of incident, clear processes to follow. all the sites that have been decontaminated following the attempted murders of sergei and yulia skripal are safe. all sites which have been reopened have undergone a vigorous testing, and any items that may have harboured

any items that may have harboured any residual amounts of the agent we re any residual amounts of the agent were safely removed for disposal will stop we have taken a very robust approach to decontamination, and there is no evidence that either the man or the woman in hospital visited any of the places that were visited any of the places that were visited by the scree pals. by by the script pals. it is our working assumption that the couple came into contact with the couple came into contact with the nerve agent in different places than were the subject of the original site. the police have also set up to dedicated phone numbers for anyone with concerns relating to this incident. salisbury district hospital remains open as usual, and it is advising people to attend routine operations unless they are contacted and told otherwise. we are taking this incident incredibly seriously and working around the clock to discover precisely what has happened, where, and why. be assured that we have

world leading scientists, intelligence officers, and police on this case. local residents can expect to see an increased police presence expect to see an increased police presence in and around amesbury and salisbury. all six sites that were visited by the pair before they colla pse visited by the pair before they collapse have been cordoned off and are being securely guarded as a precaution. an investigation has started to work out how these two individuals came into contact with the nerve agent. around 100 detectives from the counterterrorism policing network are working to support this investigation, alongside colleagues from wiltshire police. obviously, this incident will invoke memories of the reckless attempted murder... murder attempt on sergei and yulia skripal earlier this year, and i know that many of you will question whether this incident is linked to that one. that is clearly the main line of enquiry.

however, we must notjump to conclusions, and we must give the police the space and time they need to carry out their investigations. the police's work will take time. but we are ready to respond as an when new evidence comes to light and the situation becomes clearer. following the events and salisbury earlier this year, we rapidly worked with international partners in the organisation to the prevention of chemical weapons to confirm our identification of the nerve agent that was used. through a process of extensive testing and analysis, our findings were confirmed correct beyond doubt. the use of chemical weapons, anywhere, is barbaric and inhumane. the decision taken by the russian government to deploy these in salisbury on march the 4th was reckless and callous. there is no plausible alternative explanation for the event in march other than the russian state was responsible.

and we acted accordingly. the british government and the international community... so, the home secretary giving a statement after that cobra meeting this morning on the latest poisoning in wiltshire. trying to la concerns about public safety, saying all six sites visited by the man and woman in hospital have been cordoned off, and he said there was no evidence they had visited any of the places visited by the scree pals earlier this year. ina in a moment, time for the one o'clock news. first, let's take a look at the weather forecast. hello there. a little more cloud so far today, but still some sunny breaks. a big difference is how warm it feels out there. temperatures yesterday in giant scores and aviemore peaked at 29 degrees, the warmest part of the country. notice the temperature dropped today. air pushing the atlantic behind this cloud, which you will notice has

been breaking up nicely. still plenty of blue sky to be powered up there. once you are in the sunshine, very, very pleasant rather than too hot. temperatures in the low 20s, if not high teens, whereas further south, england and wales and lighter winds, it is a bit more humid out there and had with recent days. the humidity helps set off a few more showers and thunderstorms to take isn't the evening. one severe ones, particularly towards the selbys, very much hit and miss. there will bea very much hit and miss. there will be a gardener or two who gets a welcome drop of rain. they fade into night. most will be dry, cloud again across parts of scotland and down easy to coast of england, but clear skies for many. fresh across the north, very humid in the south, whipped up a justin leonard teens. into friday, a very dry day, and another sunny one. any showers will be further isolated across england and wales. sunny spells in scotland and wales. sunny spells in scotland and northern ireland with a bit more cloudier and their across the west, maybe bringing the odd spot of rain

to the far west of northern ireland. temperatures climbing across the south could be above 30 degrees once again. into the weekend, high pressure is still firmly in charge. it has got to strive for so long now, and it is uk wide into the weekend, so wherever you are, most of the time, it will be dry. 12 exceptions on sunday, the sidmouth saturday, long sunny spells, that of cloud bubbling up and spreading out in places, but it will still be a finer and warmer day across scotland and northern ireland. temperatures and northern ireland. temperatures and the mid—205, low 30s towards the south and east. as the sunday, that slight change i mentioned will bring the chances if you show at the highlands and islands is a weak weather front clips by. highlands and islands is a weak weatherfront clips by. later, particularly for the south and of northern ireland, the temperature map warming up nicely to the time of year, cabbages and the high 20s that the vast majority, 30—32 in the south—east corner. fresh across scotland. goodbye for now. still as many questions as answers.

just how did the nerve agent novichok — used to poison a former russian spy — lead to two more people being treated in hospital? dawn sturgess and charlie rowley remain in a critical condition — police say there was "nothing in their background" to suggest the pair were targeted. speaking the in the commons in the last few minutes home secretary sajid javid said he understood the public‘s concerns. i recognise that some local wiltshire residents will be feeling very anxious. let me reassure you that public safety is of paramount importance. i'm in amesbury in wiltshire, where neighbours of the couple have been shocked and alarmed to discover they are in hospital