russia hits back at the salisbury poisoing investigation, telling the united nations that the allegations are unfounded and mendacious. britain's ambassador to the un says two russian military intelligence officers carried out the nerve agent attack. russia says its all been invented. they tried to murder the skripal‘s, they played dice with the lives of the people of salisbury. they work in a parallel universe where the normal rules of international affairs are inverted. translation: london needs this story forjust one purpose, to unleash a disgusting anti—russian hysteria. and to involve other countries in this hysteria. today the us, france, germany and canada said they have full confidence in britain's assessement that russia was behind the attack. also tonight. an inquest finds that neglect by a leading children's hospital led to the death of this toddler who was left waiting days for emergency surgery. his nurse ran down and said you need

to do something, this baby is too per litre need to look after with the other babies i have got. and they still didn't do anything. plans to cap some energy bills — 11 million people could save around £75 a year. some of donald trump's closest advisors deny writing an anonymous article attacking the president. and celebrations in india as the supreme court scraps a law from colonial times — which banned gay sex. and coming up on bbc news: we're live in cardiff as a new era of international football begins. wales take on the republic of ireland in their nations league opener. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. russia has told the united nations

that it categorically rejects allegations that it was involved in the nerve agent attack in salisbury. russian‘s ambassador to the un hit back at the claims and said russia had never produced novichok and the uk had no evidence that russia was involved. yesterday theresa may revealed that two russians from the military intelligence service were thought to have carried out the attack. they are accused of the attempted murder of the former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter yulia who were poisoned with the nerve agent novichok in march this year. moscow has denied any knowledge of the men. but today the uk, the us, france, germany and canada released a joint statement saying they believe with "almost certainty" the attack was approved at senior russian state level. our diplomatic correspondent james landale has the story. these are the pictures the government believes show russia's responsibility for the first use of chemical weapons on european soil in

decades. two russian military intelligence officers elliot alexander petrov and russell and boris off flying to britain in march, taking the train to salisbury, laying a trail of deadly nerve agent on orders ministers say from the very top. all of which british diplomats in new york said was reckless and malign behaviour by one of the five permanent members of the united nations security council. ip the united nations security council. ip five member has undertaken a pattern of behaviour which showed they tried to murder the a] styles's, they played dice with the lives of the people of salisbury. they work in a parallel universe where the normal rules of international fair are inverted. russia said neither its military intelligence organisation known as the gru or president putin here on the gru or president putin here on the past visit to its headquarters had anything to do with the attack. its ambassador insisted britain's

accusations were unacceptable. translation: the russian federation categorically rejects all unfounded accusations regarding its involvement in the poisoning with toxic chemicals. london needs this story forjust one purpose, to unleash a disgusting anti—russian hysteria. back in marsh officials here at the foreign office were successful in building international lines against russia, convincing 28 countries to expel around 150 russian diplomats. the challenged never britain is to step up that international pressure. that will not be easy because some countries in europe are reluctant to antagonise russia further, particularly with new sanctions. for now the leaders of france and germanyjoined the now the leaders of france and germany joined the british now the leaders of france and germanyjoined the british american and canadian counterparts in issuing and canadian counterparts in issuing a joint statement expressing their full confidence that this operation

was almost certainly approved at the senior government level in russia. they also agreed to disrupt together the hostile activities of foreign intelligence networks on their territories. translation: madam president in light of these very serious elements i would like to express serious elements i would like to ex press a serious elements i would like to express a profound concern in my country and reiterate our condemnation of such actions which are unacceptable. while this incident was an salisbury who is to say it could not have happened in paris or amsterdam or addis? we must i'iow paris or amsterdam or addis? we must now help our british friends find the two russian suspects they have identified. the question now is whether this diplomatic support at the un will turn intojoint action on the ground targeting russia with new sanctions. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford joins me now. as far as the police investigation is concerned, a lot of detail yesterday but it's by no means over?

detectives have made incredible progress, going from two people on a park bench to two men travelling on russian passports coming into britain and leaving and apparently being responsible for the crime. but they still need a lot of assistance, they still need a lot of assistance, they want to get the exact identities of those men and although they have got good intelligence they would like a good evidence about it. they want help from the public still about the movements of those men around britain that weekend between the second and 4th of march. they wa nt to the second and 4th of march. they want to know what happened to the perfume bottle between march and june. they are also interested in a suitcase alexander petrov was carrying as he left heathrow airport on the evening of the 4th of march, he is not seen carrying that suitcase earlier in the trip so does anything know anything about the distinctive dark grey suitcase with a green stripe? also the backpack the men were wearing as they went

around salisbury, one man was wearing it and then alexander petrov ends up winning it, does anyone know what happened to it? it seems to disappear before they leave the country. still a lot of detail the need to find out. an inquest into the death of a toddler who'd waited days for emergency surgery has found "gross failure" in his care at the royal manchester children's hospital. the coroner ruled that 20—month—old kayden urmston—bancroft died in april 2016 of natural causes "contributed to by neglect". the hospital has apologised unreservedly to kayden‘s family. our health editor hugh pym sent this report from manchester. the thing that i miss the most is going home and not hearing him. he would shout nanna or grandad the minute you walk in the door because we had been at work all day. julia expected her grandson becky lynch would have a straightforward operation for a chest hernia at one of the country's most prestigious children's hospitals. but he never came home after a series of delays

and feelings with his carer. the pain that he was in was horrendous. you would pick him up and nurse him, he would literally be crime in over your shoulder because he was in that much pain and you could not come him down. when the pain hit it was horrendous for him. kayden should've had his operation within 2a hours but it had not happened after four days, he went into cardiac arrest and never recovered. his family were left with no choice, life support had to be turned off. the coroner said that the hospital had deficiencies in handovers between co nsulta nts deficiencies in handovers between consultants and the way patients needing urgent operations are managed. she said there were difficulties with the culture which some town allowed routine surgery to be prioritised over urgent operations. she said surgeons failed to ta ke operations. she said surgeons failed to take the initiative to ensure kayden‘s operation was carried out at the right time. she said neglect had contributed to his death. that

was highly significant according to lawyers will stop it surprisingly trust of that size with those resources and that reputation could have had feelings which are considered to be so gross. so as to constitute neglect. the trust has apologised to the family and said it made changes. how could a series of these tragic errors have happened at a leading children's hospital like yours? winnie any incident like this happens it's critical to look at all the different processes that might have contributed to that. and it's important for us to learn from the circumstances and put in place the actions that prevent those things happening again. he passed away on shannon when they turned the machines off. then i took him off shannon and they took all his chips out and i washed him and put him into his pyjamas. because i did not wa nt into his pyjamas. because i did not want them doing it. it must've been a horrendous decision to make at

that point on that sunday?m a horrendous decision to make at that point on that sunday? it was, it was the worst thing ever. for the family today's ruling at least recognises the full extent of the failings of the hospital which went down. urgent action is being taken against shrewsbury and telford hospital trust by the regulator, the care quality commission. it follows an unannounced inspection a week ago which revealed widespread concerns about the quality of patient care and safety. the trust was already under investigation for a cluster of baby deaths in its maternity services. our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan is in telford for us this evening. we know there are lots of pressures across the nhs often driven by unprecedented demand but the problem here is that they simply have not been able to hire enough staff to cope with predicted demand and that failure to have enough consultants and junior doctors became apparent during the unannounced inspection by the care quality commission last

month. inspectors themselves were being pulled aside by patients as they could not find anyone else and they could not find anyone else and the staff they did speak to said they felt some people were being treated in an undignified and uncaring fashion. the trust say they are working with the ctc and with patients to ensure the right procedures are in place but as you say this problem for the senior leadership team comes as they are already trying to deal with problems in their maternity services and the seat you see it should be added have also taken action against another west midlands hospital trust, dudley hospital trust who have allegedly also failed patients. the trust there sevilla are working hard to improve their care. 11 million people could save around £75 a year after the regulator announced plans to cap some energy bills. ofgem's proposals will affect customers on a standard variable tariff as our personal finance correspondent simon gompertz reports. pick any crowd of people... this is

st albans market in hertfordshire and it's likely that nearly half of them are on the most expensive gas and electricity rates their suppliers have on offer. les, who ca res suppliers have on offer. les, who cares for three special needs children, is on the costly standard variable paris now been capped and she's just had variable paris now been capped and she'sjust had a variable paris now been capped and she's just had a £30 a month increase. things like energy are just going up and up and up. what do you think about capping energy prices? i think it is a brilliant idea if they set it up a reasonable level, any bill that comes in is sickening but we are a typical st albans middle—class family yet we don't turn the heating on in winter. the cap will save money but the problem is it convey, upwards. the price cap that already exists for people on prepayment meters, that went up by £57 for the average gas and electricity bill in april. and

it's going up again in october, it will be £1136 which is what happens if you have a variable price cap. the new wider price cap starts at that same level but beware, it can be pushed up as well. we cannot control what it costs to produce energy. what we can assure is we will charge a feel price, if costs rise or fall the price cap will rise transparently and automatically to reflect those underlying costs. the biggest saving from the new cap of more than £120 a year on average will be for scottishpower standard rate customers. next is £91; with in power and a typical £69 saving with british gas. suppliers warn the impact could be that other deals start costing more. companies have to put prices up to cover this is the risk. the flip side argument is

actually that is why we need to maintain competition so you force those prices down from competition, not through market intervention. but competition, people switching suppliers, is not heating up enough which is why we are getting a price cap. members of the northern ireland assembly will have their pay cut by about a third because they're not carrying out their full duties. there's been no devolved government since power—sharing collapsed in january last year. our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. sightseeing! free stormont tour until 3pm! stormont still draws the crowds, even if the political parties stay away. there's been no sitting assembly here for more than a year and a half. mlas have continued to receive their salaries. today the secretary of state at westminster decided the time had come for that to change. people should only be remunerated for the work they are doing. they quite clearly

cannot be doing any work while we have the situation we do in stormont although they are working for their constituents. so how much has been paid out while stormont has been suspended? for the last financial year, more than £4.5 million was paid in salaries to members of the northern ireland assembly. their basic salary isjust under £50,000. today's announcement would bring that figure down to just under 30 6000. northern ireland's two largest parties, the dup and sinn fein, have failed to restore power—sharing despite many rounds of talks. every mla has been punished as a result of the failure of one party, sinn fein, to actually enter the assembly without preconditions, i think it's a tragedy. hitting politicians in the pockets, says sinn fein, is long overdue. we had said many months ago that the pay should be reduced, that it's not sustainable. we were not because of any delay in relation to that. today, karen bradley also ruled out calling

another snap assembly election. so for many voters, it is that cut in pay they hope will focus the politicians‘ minds. because the longer this impasse continues, the more public services and people are suffering. i think it might give them an idea, just a doublethink on what's going on. will it encourage them to get back into government? probably not. ijust think there's too much bad blood between them. it's likely to take more than today's intervention if stormont is to be anything other than a tourist attraction. our top story this evening... the novichok suspects — russia hits back at the salisbury poisoing investigation telling the united nations the allegations are unfounded and mendacious. and the ship and its crew stranded in norfolk for more than a year after the vessels owners went bust coming up on sportsday on bbc news... the nfl is back — after winning

the super bowl in february, the philadelphia eagles kick off the new season against the atlanta falcons. we look ahead to that with 0si umenyiora and jason bell. it was a colonial—era law — for 157 years gay sex was categorised as an unnatural offence in india, until today. now in a hugely historic decision the country's supreme court has ruled that being gay is no longer a criminal offence. although many in india's largest cities have long been in favour of scrapping the law, there remains strong opposition to it amongst religious groups and in rural communities. our correspondent divya ayra reports. it's a wave of relief. the end of two decades of legal struggle to take out a victorian law that made same—sex love criminal. the court struck off the law and said it was a weapon for the harassment of india's lesbian, gay, bisexual

and trans community. two consenting adults have sex of any kind, in private, that there is consent and it is in private, it will not be an offence under 377. i haven't come out to my parents so i'm going to do that. this was a huge turn of events. i didn't really expect, you know, the whole... ijust came here to listen to whatever the verdict was and now i'm out. the colonial era law known as section 377 categorised gay sex as an unnatural offence and was decriminalised in 2009... only to be made criminal again in 2013 after an appeal. in its finaljudgment, the supreme court has now said the discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a violation of fundamental rights. the rains clearly haven't dampened the spirits here.

they all want to soak in the moment and celebrate their freedom. the 157—year—old colonial law meant there was a sense of fear and it pushed many into the closet, but today they are out and proud. activists say there is a tough battle of social stigma and homophobia still to be fought. now it's a battle for the social acceptance, which will take a lot of time. we have to fight the stigma in our home, in the neighbourhood. it is a long battle. this victory came after a long legal fight with religious groups and the government, and it's only beginning. they dare to dream of a right to marry, adopt, and inherit property, just like heterosexuals. divya ayra, bbc news, delhi. the lead singer of the cranberries, dolores o'riordan, died because of a tragic accident — that's what a coroner has ruled today.

the 46—year—old drowned in the bath at a london hotel in january after drinking heavily. an inquest heard that her blood/alcohol level was four times over the legal drink—driving limit and could have caused her to pass out in the bath. the government has abandoned plans to cut national insurance contributions for 3 million self—employed workers. in a statement this afternoon, the treasury announced it would not be going ahead with plans that would have benefited lower earners. our political correspondent alex forsyth is at westminster for us. why not? this is a tax that was paid by some 3 million self—employed people towards things like the state pension and maternity pay costing about £150 per year but two years ago the government said it would scrap that has plans to simplify the

system. scrap that has plans to simplify the syste m. n ow scrap that has plans to simplify the system. now it is no longer going ahead with that plan. the reason according to ministers is that because of the complexity of the tax system for the self—employed, some of those earning the least would have had to pay more towards their pensions. nonetheless it was only last year the chancellor got himself into some political hot water for having to row back on another plan change to the tax system for the self—employed. labour today has already said this one is a betrayal of workers who are the engine of the economy. thank you. president trump has launched a scathing attack on the new york times after it published an anonymous article apparently written by one of his senior officials, describing how staff are secretly ignoring mr trump's orders. the official says members of the administration are trying to counter the president's recklessness and protect the country from his worst inclinations. the president said he doubted whether the person really existed and called the paper phoney and failing. our north america editor

nick bryant reports. this american stately home is now the scene of a dramatic washington whodunnit. a search for the identity of a senior trump administration official who says they are part of the resistance to his presidency. the anonymous editorial says that, although they want his administration to succeed, many within are working diligently to frustrate parts of his agenda. it suggests his presidency is defined by trump's amorality, that he is impetuous, adversarial, petty, ineffective, and anti—democratic. god bless you and thank you, mr president. the article struck washington like a lightning bolt and shortly afterwards, at a meeting with american sheriffs, the president delivered his unsmiling response. if the failing new york times has an anonymous editorial — can you believe it — anonymous, meaning gutless, a gutless editorial. we're doing a greatjob. the poll numbers are through the roof, our poll numbers are great, and guess what — nobody is going to come close to beating me in 2020. so thank you very much,

i appreciate it. the white house issued a statement calling for the "coward" who wrote the article to resign. the president demanded that the new york times turn him or her over to the government for national security purposes. there was also this one—word tweet written in capital letters, asking treason. the author claimed to be putting america first, raising concerns about donald trump's preference for dictators and autocrats like kimjong—un and vladimir putin, and alleging he was reluctant to punish russia after the salisbury poisonings. america's top diplomat is incensed. it shouldn't surprise anyone that the new york times, a liberal newspaper that has attacked this administration relentlessly, chose to print such a piece. the article reinforces the central narrative in this explosive new book from bob woodward, that administration officials are trying to protect the american people from the american president. so the mood in washington

is feverish, with cabinet officials such as the vice president and defence secretary rushing to issue denials that they wrote the piece. for critics of the president, this article offers proof of a white house in chaos. for his supporters, it backs up his fervent claim that the political establishment and liberal media is out to get him. that what he calls the "deep state" is trying to subvert his presidency. nick bryant, bbc news, washington. for more than 18 months, a group of indian sailors have been stuck onboard a ship in norfolk after its owners went bust and the ship was impounded. they refused to leave — fearing that if they did, they wouldn't be paid. now, their ordeal may soon be over. our correspondent jo black is there now. it is not rare for a crew to be abandoned in this way, but what is

unique is the legal battle and how long it has been over the future of this ship. this is where you have been living for the past 18 months? for an experienced sailor like this captain, the past 18 months have been pretty static. he and his crew have been stranded at the docks in great yarmouth since 2017 after the shipping company that owned the malaviya twenty went into liquidation. is that where you sleep? for the captain and his colleagues it's been a tough time away from theirfamilies, enduring it's been a tough time away from their families, enduring a it's been a tough time away from theirfamilies, enduring a bitter winter and waiting for outstanding wages. they have done a lot of reading, watched films and carried out drills and maintenance on the vessel. why do you have to stay on the ship? if we get off that is practically abandoning the ship so it is not like a car or something

that you can leave it parked, go back home, comeback after two months. there's certain regulations that govern how it is to be treated. now an end to the situation could be in sight. the admiralty marshall has arrested the ship and now it is up for sale. it's been valued at around £1 million and bidding will close next tuesday. proceeds of the sale should cover wages and port fees meaning the crew will be able to go home. it was pretty brutal in february when there was no heating on board, they had umpteenjackets on board, they had umpteenjackets on and kept their spirits up. i have a lwa ys on and kept their spirits up. i have always seen them happy and managing to have a reasonable existence. the captain and his team believe the worst is now over but they dare not celebrate just yet. time for a look at the weather... here's sarah keith—lucas. it's been a day of mixed fortunes

today. we have had warm sunshine in areas but others have had heavy showers, particularly across parts of scotland. this picture was sent by one of our weather watchers in aviemore. the heaviest of the showers and thunderstorms in the north will be fading away over the next few hours and the rain across southern and eastern parts of england also easing wake through the rest of tonight so most places will have dry, clear conditions with a chilly night ahead. single figures for most of us. parts of eastern scotla nd for most of us. parts of eastern scotland could have heavy rain at times with an area of low pressure developing in the north sea. we start off with the rain across the north—east of england tomorrow, it should ease away with the northern isles staying soggy through the day but elsewhere are mostly dry and find a. quite breezy with the wind is coming in from the west or northwest just taking an

is coming in from the west or northwestjust taking an edge off the temperature. further south we could see up to 19 or 20 celsius. as we had through friday night and on into saturday, we will start to turn our attention to the west as the next weather front moves in. that will bring rain across western parts of england and wales and it will track eastwards across much of england and wales. some uncertainty about exactly how far north it gets at the south may stay dry for much of the day. by the time we get to sunday, most of those showers should start to ease away. it won't be dry across the board but a better day than saturday and temperatures could reach 22 degrees so a touch warmer by the time we get to saturday. thank you. i will this is bbc news. the headlines: the

uk has confronted russia at the united nations over the salisbury poisoning. the united states, france germany and canada have expressed confidence in the british statement that the attack was carried out by two russians agents. we have clear evidence of russian state involvement in what happened in salisbury and the use of cw. london needs this story forjust one purpose — to unleash a disgusting anti—russian purpose — to unleash a disgusting anti— russian hysteria purpose — to unleash a disgusting anti—russian hysteria and to involve other countries in this hysteria. an inquest found