the big question is whether yulia skripal are her father question is whether yulia skripal are herfathern is whether yulia skripal are her father can be question is whether yulia skripal are herfather can be any question is whether yulia skripal are her father can be any assistance to the police investigation as to how they were poisoned. what are your thoughts on that?” how they were poisoned. what are your thoughts on that? i expect that yulia skripal will not be able to give much information, but if you keep talking to her, she may say something which she remembers which may in fact be important. but sergei skripal is the important one, because investigators consider him, think back a month or two or three before what you told us, and the people you talk to us about. did it affect his economic interest negatively, did it affect the intelligence operation? can you give us some intelligence operation? can you give us some idea about the motive behind this? as they still do not know the motive. why did they attack these two when needed? and sergei skripal may be able to give some indicat

yulia skripal, attack, has left hospital. yulia skripal. one of the victims of the salisbury nerve agent attack, has left hospital. her father sergei, the former russian spy, is also making good progress and doctors hope he too will be discharged from hospital in due course. both patients have responded exceptionally well. equally, both patients are at different stages of their recovery. we have now discharged yulia from salisbury district hospital. we'll be talking to our security correspondent about what happens to yulia skripal now that she's left hospital. also this lunchtime. theresa may will speak to president trump later today about the suspected chemical weapons attack in syria. we are working with allies and partners, to assess what has happened on the ground in syria, it isa happened on the ground in syria, it is a barbaric chemical weapons attack that has taken place. an inquest into the death of six—year—old ellie butler finds that she was unlawfully killed in 2013. not in a t—shirt for once but a suit and tie, fa

earlier, russian television broadcast an unverified recording of an alleged phone call between yulia skripal cousin victoria, in which ms skripal reportedly claimed that everyone‘s health was ok, with no irreversible harm, and that she would be discharged soon. in london, the russian ambassador used a news conference once again to deny his country's involvement in the attack on the skripal, and welcomed the news she was recovering. i'm really happy, and i hope that sergei skripal will also recover. i'm quite sure that one day she will come back to moscow. today the foreign office said ms skripal had been told about the russian embassy's offer of consular assistance but had yet to take up the offer. that didn't stop the ambassador again protesting at his lack of access. today, scotland yard and the british government is refusing to communicate with us. no answer. the telephones are switched off. that's the problem for us. one month on from the attack on the skripals, the russian defiance continues. at an extraordinary news conference, for almost two hours, the russian ambassador denied that r

the first communication with the outside world by yulia skripal. she's well and asked for privacy. t, as russia puts on another performance at the un, we speak to yulia's cousin, who claimed this morning that she spoke to her. hello, viktoria... we ask her if she's scared she's being used in an information war? two more stabbings in london today, more than 30 dead from knife wounds alone in the capital this year as the met police say social media is fuelling knife crime. we explore some of the approaches other cities have taken. the authorities are scrambling for an effective policy response. it's not clear, however, that what has worked in other british cities to reduce knife crime is going to work in london. also tonight, on the eve of the introduction of the sugar tax, we talk to the man who brought it in. it's certainly one of the things i'm proudest of because i think it was one of the most politically risky, or certainly it felt like it at the time. and we return to accrington where the team from the maundy relief charity are beginning to question their role. we have to ask ou

(sot) about the condition of both yulia and sergei skripal. asked for privacy from the media and i want to reiterate her request. i also want to take this opportunity to wish yulia well. this is not the end of her treatment but marks a significant milestone. her father has also made good progress. on friday i announced that he was no longer in a critical condition. although he is recovering more slowly than yulia, we hope that he too will be able to leave hospital in due course. earlier i spoke to our security correspondent frank gardner. we the public and the media are not being told where she is going to be held so in the immediate short—term she will have been taken to any one of several government owned and controlled secure locations. it could be in a block of flats, it could be a country house with a garden. who knows? but in the short—term she will be kept well out of the public eye. actually, it is almost irrelevant saying "don't bother her" because nobody will be able to get access to her. longer term, there is the issue of where does

skripals as abduction. here's our correspondent, leila nathoo. she had arrived from moscow last month to visit her father in salisbury butjust 2a hours later, yulial were both critically ill after being exposed to a deadly nerve agent. in the five weeks since the attack the two have slowly been recovering. today, the hospital explained they'd responded exceptionally well to treatment. nerve agents work by attaching themselves to particular enzymes in the body which then stop the nerves from functioning. this results in symptoms such as sickness, hallucinations. ourjob in treating the patients is to stabilise them, ensuring that they can breathe and that blood can continue to circulate. the attack on the skripals involved a chemical so toxic it prompted a massive decontamination effort stretching across salisbury. experts say that despite their progress, there could still be complications ahead. the long—term effects are much harder to predict because these are effects on the brain, the nervous system, on things like the kidney and the liver. and so it's quite likely that the skripals will need more treatment before they could feel normal again. y

while he was on his feet, we had a statement from yulia skripal from the met police. evision was released on what it says is a recording of a phone conversation between yulia and victoria skripal well yulia was in a hospital bed last month. in the call, yulia skripal is said to tell her cousin in russia that she and her father recovering from the attack and she expects to leave hospital soon. russian television says it cannot confirm the authenticity that call. let us talk to our diplomatic correspondent, paul adams. which is very difficult to verify any part of that call. almost impossible, at the moment. we have to note, as you just did, the russian broadcasters themselves were not able to make that verification, so we do not know exactly what to make of it. i have to say, on the face of it, there are several reasons why we should be quite sceptical or at least reserved judgment about it. the notion, as you have just alluded to, judgment about it. the notion, as you havejust alluded to, in her words, our health is ok, referring to her and her father. words, our healt

in her statement, 33—year—old yulia skripal said: the statement was released by the metropolitan policeurs after russian state tv aired a recording of an alleged phone conversation which it says took place between ms skripal and her cousin. in the call, yulia skripal is said to tell her cousin who is in russia that she and her father are recovering from the attack, and that she expects to leave hospital soon. the russian tv station also said it could not confirm the authenticity of the call. in a news conference in london, the russian ambassador to the uk, alexander yakovenko, wished the skripals well, and talked about the possibility of bringing julia's cousin viktoria over to the uk. i'm really happy, and i hope that sergei skripal will also recover. and i am sure that one day yulia will come back to moscow. first of all, we are not sponsoring her visit. she is coming on her own. i offered her the transportation. so basically, i said that if she wants to stay on the premises of the embassy, not here, of course, because this is only for the ambassador, but we have a few places around l

mr president, i am glad, not only to be able to inform the council that yulia skripal is able to communicate and is getting better, i can also clarify what the russian ambassador said about consular access. we have received a request from the russian consulate. we have conveyed its two yulia skripal and we await a response this is an obligation under international law that the british government takes very seriously but there is also the question of miss skripal‘s own wishes. the russian ambassador had several points to make about the uk demands on russia. as he outlined on 12th of march, we asked the russian government the very clear question —— as we outlined. russia refused to respond and said it considered the request

yulia skripal, one of the victims of the nerve agent attack in salisbury, has been discharged from hospital. yulia and her father sergei were found unconscious on a bench last month, and doctors are now optimistic about him. although he's recovering more slowly than yulia, we hope that he too will be able to leave hospital in due course. with russia continuing to deny any involvement in their poisoning, we'll be asking what the future holds for the skripals. also tonight. after the suspected chemical attack in syria, theresa may speaks to president trump about a possible coordinated response. british gas reveals a rise in energy prices for over four million of its customers — the government calls it "unjustified." hope for sufferers of prostate cancer — with extra funding to speed up diagnosis and to catch it early. at the commonwealth games, england's ben proud takes gold in the 50 metres freestyle, successfully defending his title. and coming up on bbc news, pep guardiola calls for his exceptional manchester city to conjure something extraordinary against liverpool in the champions league

earlier, russian television broadcast an unverified recording of an alleged phone call between yulia skripalousin, viktoria, in which ms skripal reportedly claimed that everyone‘s health was ok, with no irreversible harm, and that she would be discharged soon. in london, the russian ambassador used a news conference, once again, to deny his country's involvement in the attack on ms skripal, and welcomed the news she was recovering. i'm really happy, and i hope that sergei skripal will also recover. and i'm quite sure that one day she will come back to moscow. today, the foreign office said ms skripal had been told about the russian embassy's offer of consular assistance but had yet to take up the offer. that didn't stop the ambassador, again, protesting at his lack of access. today, scotland yard and the british government is refusing to communicate with us. no answer. the telephones are switched off. that's the problem for us. one month on from the attack on the skripals, the russian defiance continues. at an extraordinary news conference, here at the russian embassy, for almost two hours,

we have no access, nobody does, to yulia skripal. secret and secure location, presumably some sort of country house, under police protection, probably armed police protection. i have been assured that the decisions went into the wording of this were 100% hers did it they are significant. she is unequivocal ina are significant. she is unequivocal in a statement. she says that she does not wish to be contacted by the media, by the russian embassy and not by her cousin, victoria. her cousin is in russia and in that was a surprise telephone conversation between the two of them. it is quite significant that she's says victoria does not speak for her nor for her father. she says she is still recovering and her father is not well. her life has been turned upside down by this and she is yet to decide where she is to go from here but for now she has refused russian consular access. the russian embassy has responded already and said that it is beginning to look more and more like a forced detention. the russian embassy does not accept that yul

yulia skripal is a british citizen.ld result to an abduction of russian citizens. the russian embassy also saying that if they we re embassy also saying that if they were secretly resettled, the opportunity to hear their version of events would be lost. the world, while having no opportunity to interact with them would see this as an abduction of two russian nationals or as their isolation. that is what the russian embassy website. yulia skripal has been discharged from hospital. herfather is also making good progress and will be discharged in due course. a short time ago theresa may was asked about this — and the alleged chemical attack in syria. obviously, i welcome the fact that yulia skripal has been discharged from hospital and i wish her the best for her continuing recovery. and i would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff at the hospital in salisbury who have looked after her and her father so well. now turning to the apparent chemical attack on syria over the last few days. have you spoken to president

in london, the russian ambassador welcomed the news that yulia skripal was recovering. ly happy and i hope that sergei skripal will also recover and i'm quite sure that one day yulia will come back to moscow. butty once again denied any russian involvement in the attack. so amid the claims and counterclaims, what's the claims and counterclaims, what's the uk case? theresa may says the substance used is novichok, a type of nerve agent developed by russia. british scientists say this grade can only be made by a nation state but they don't say which one. instead its secret intelligence that the government says implicates russia. the conclusion that has the international support of dozens of countries. russia rejects this and says britain lacks real evidence. it denies ever producing novichok, and says other countries could have done so. says other countries could have done so. it's requested samples of the substance for testing and its called for russian officials to be involved inajoint for russian officials to be involved in a joint investigation. at the united nations th

so, yulia skripal, the former spy —— sergei skripal, the former spy, is no longer in a critical condition point but no suggestion when that will be. we will be speaking more to our correspondent in salisbury in the next while. let's just remind ourselves of the latest headlines with the time just gone 145 they be. —— 1:45pm. with the time just gone 145 they be. ——1:45pm. the with the time just gone 145 they be. —— 1:45pm. the former spy sergei skripal is no longer in a critical condition according to a statement just released by the hospital. seven more people were stabbed in london yesterday including the 13—year—old boy as the series of violent crimes across the capital continues. a new sugar tax of up to twenty four pence a litre comes into force in the uk — in a bid to tackle childhood obesity and tooth decay. i'm ben bland. in the business news... millions of workers will face a threefold increase in their minimum pension contributions from today. the government's raising the amount which will need to be paid into the auto—enrolment schemes. employees will have to pay at least 3% of

skripals as an abduction. here's our correspondent, leila nathoo. she had arrived from moscow last month to visit her father in salisbury butjust 2a hours later, yuliaripal were both critically ill after being exposed to a deadly nerve agent. in the five weeks since the attack the two have slowly been recovering. today, the hospital explained they'd responded exceptionally well to treatment. nerve agents work by attaching themselves to particular enzymes in the body which then stop the nerves from functioning. this results in symptoms such as sickness, hallucinations. ourjob in treating the patients is to stabilise them, ensuring that they can breathe and that blood can continue to circulate. the attack on the skripals involved a chemical so toxic it prompted a massive decontamination effort stretching across salisbury. experts say that despite their progress, there could still be complications ahead. the long—term effects are much harder to predict because these are effects on the brain, the nervous system, on things like the kidney and the liver. and so it's quite likely that the skripals will need more treatment before they could feel normal agai

i asked him what advice he had for yulia skripal.es, thankfully, possible to survive these things. and of course i‘m speaking as somebody who has survived them twice in 2015 and again last year in 2017. in moscow. and i can tell you, it does take a long time after these incidents to get back to more or less normal physically, psychologically, in many ways and after the first time i was poisoned in 2015 i had to learn to walk again, physically, had to learn to do so many things again. it is astonishing how quickly your body loses strength and losers everything. you know, i‘m not one to complain, i was given about a 5% chance of surviving that. that‘s what doctors told my wife when i was poisoned both times and i‘m sitting here speaking to you today, very happy and very fortunate to be doing so. and i‘m very happy for sergei and yulia but i hope they make a full recovery although it is important to have patience. and perseverance because it does take a long time, but it can happen and it is possible. you talk about the physical effects

it's just over four weeks since sergei skripal and yulia were found poisoned by nerve agent on this benchn salisbury, four weeks since they've lain critically ill, at times in a coma. but today, miss skripal revealed she at least is on the mend. in a statement, she said: she thanked the stuff of salisbury district hospital for their care and added: today, russian television broadcast an unverified recording of an alleged phone call between yulia skripal and her cousin, victoria. she's hoping to come to britain to visit miss skripal with the help of russian diplomats if british officials are prepared to risk giving her a visa. in london, the russian ambassador welcomed the news that miss skripal is recovering. i'm really happy and i hope that sergei skripal will also recover and i'm quite sure that one day yulia will come back to moscow. but he once again denied any russian involvement in the attack. so amid the claims and counterclaims, what's the uk case? theresa may says the substance used is novichok, a type of nerve agent developed by russia. british scientists say this millitary—grad

skripals new identities. russia has rejected the blame for the salisbury attack and hopes yulia will return home. in london claimed today secret resettlement of mr and miss skripal barred from any contact with their family will be seen as an abduction or at least as their forced ices la. the recovery of yulia skripal has opened up a new battleground in this diplomatic crisis. moscow has been offering yulia consular access, which she has so far declined. tonight she is in a safe house while her father remains in hospital. but both of them are key players, thrust into the middle of this tussle between russia and the uk. thank you very much. the chief executive of facebook, mark zuckerberg, has apologised to a us senate committee for allowing companies, such as the british data firm cambridge analytica, to misuse personal data. he said that facebook did not take a broad enough view of its responsibility and accepted that russia had exploited the network in the us presidential election. 0ur media editor amol rajan reports. it was the interrogation he feared and had long resisted. mark zuckerberg has n

let's bring you this news. this news. release of yulia skripal from salisbury district hospital. at the hospital. the deputy chief at the hospital. skripal, and this is the statement from the russian embassy. from the russian embassy. is being done to her is being done on her own free will. on her own free will. " more reaction on to come. on to come. have been following for some months, the abortion clinic in west london. the abortion clinic in west london. on whether to ban protesters from the immediate facility outside. the immediate facility outside. miranda. my niece when she approached the clinic with her mum. clinic with her mum. the lines of, "baby killer", while they called her a bad mother. they called her a bad mother. couldn't go in but tried again at a later date. later date. she didn't go ahead with the abortion. abortion. induced labour and gave birth to a stillborn baby. stillborn baby. sex is immediately followed which my niece survived. followed which my niece survived. counselling —— 0pelo —— sepsis followed. followed. about the repercussions of their actions. a

it's now been over a month since sergei and yulia skripal were poisoned in salisbury town centre.sian ambassador today gave a press conference — where he went toe—to—toe with our diplomatic correspondent james landale, who asked russia what their current theory was, after making so many suggestions of possible alternatives to the uk government claims that the russian state was behind the poisoning. james landale, bbc. how can you say that you are following due process and abiding by the rules of the international community when you see will not accept the findings of this body unless russian investigators are involved. and can you clarify the answer to my colleague, when he asked, what is russia's current theory behind the salisbury attack? we have heard many different theories from different russian voices as to who might have been responsible. which other countries that you've mentioned? you said, and i quote, we are not naming anyone. cani i quote, we are not naming anyone. can i be clear, as of 20 past two, today the official position of the russian state is that they are not

what happened to yulia skripal and is she recovering?od health, and she is coming to london. this is the answer. as far as the first question, i am the answer. as far as the first question, iam not the answer. as far as the first question, i am not going to answer the question about putin, and i will tell you why. he never said like that. and i have all the gratings of my president. this isjust listing all the sense what he said. so, from my point of view, it is not correct. as far as the novichok, since the question was asked, yesterday, there was a speech at the opc w meeting and russian experts, —— a russian expat, —— expert, and you can get his beach, but i'lljust make if you references from that statement. he said that the first mentioning of this novichok was unavailable for the broad access that was made in the broad access that was made in the united states in 1995. 1995 there was a report of a centre. that was the first

and sergei skripal. yuliaand she can look forward to the day where she is well enough to leave hospital. any speculation, she says, on when that date will be used that, speculation. in the meantime, yulia has asked for privacy whilst she continues to get better, something i would urge the media to respect. she then goes on to update us respect. she then goes on to update us about the condition of the father, sergei skripal, who is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly, no longer in a critical condition. of course, it's 110w critical condition. of course, it's now just over a critical condition. of course, it's nowjust over a month since sergey and yulia were found on that bench in salisbury city. jessica parker, thank you very much. you're watching afternoon live. these are our headlines: sergei skripal, the former russian double—agent who was poisoned in the nerve—agent attack in salisbury, is recovering well and is no longer in a critical condition, according to doctors. seven more people are stabb

britain has accused russia of spying on yulia skripal for five years. she and herfather were poisoned by in the nerve agent in salisbury in march. russia claims it has evidence that the apparent chemical attack in syria was a "staged event", carried out with the help of a foreign secret service. a think tank warns employers in england are falsely listing jobs as "apprenticeships" to get government subsidies. also ahead: the duke of edinburgh leaves hospital. he will continue to recover from surgery to his hip at windsor. dwayne the rockjohnson and naomie harris start in rampage, a us fantasy action film based on the cult 80s video game. find out what jason sullivan's made of. that and the week's other top releases in the film review. good evening and welcome to bbc news. sir cliff richard has told a high courtjudge he felt "forever tainted" by the bbc‘s coverage of a police raid on his home in berkshire following a sex assault allegation. the 77—year—old singer is taking legal action against the broadcaster following the raid in 2014. in his evidence to

brent: yulia skripal has left the hospital in britain and has been taken to a secret, secure locationripal and her father, an ex-ru ssian spy, were poisoned by a nerve agent in britain and month ago. it is not known what she wants to do. reporter: at one point it was feared yulia skripal would die in this hospital. after steady improvement in her health, doctors have deemed her well enough to leave. >> i want to take this opportunity to wish yulia well. this is not the end of her treatment but marks a significant milestone. reporter: five weeks ago, yulia and her father were -- they we found slumped unconscious on a park bench in the center of a sleepy english city. doctors said they were able to keep them alive until their bodies heal naturally. they say sergei skripal's condition is also improving. >> although he is recovering more slowly than yulia, we hope he, too, will be able to leave hospital in due course. reporter: it appears sergei skripal was a target of the attack. he was accused of passing information to the u.k. in 2006. he was later freed from jail as part of a swap dea

sergei skripal's daughter, yulia, who was unconscious for about three weeks, is awake and speaking.n a statement released by london police, she said, quote, i woke up over a week ago now and am glad to say my strength is growing daily. >> it's an astonishing thing. i'm sure it's something that's very surprising to those that ordered the killing. >> reporter: yulia skripal's father, sergei is still unconscious, in stable but critical condition. they were targeted at their home. the russians deny the assertion that the kremlin was behind the crippling. britain says that a novichok was left on their front door, a substance so toxic it's all the more astonishing that yulia survived. >> a nerve agent like novichok break your nerves down and you die almost instantaneously. >> reporter: tonight, investigators have their first chance to learn what yulia skripal knows about the attack. >> what would they want to ask her? >> if her father or if she was present when her father met with somebody in the recent past or received a threat and the father related to her of who he thought was posing a

britain claims russia had been spying on sergei and yulia skripal, at least five years before they were poisoned in salisbury. sir cliff richard breaks down in court as he gives evidence in his case against the bbc, which he claims breached his privacy during coverage of a police raid on his home in 2014. and newsnight, is it worse to remember a speech like enoch powell's rivers of blood, or worse to forget? debate. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the white house has ratcheted up the tension with syria and russia still further, claiming tonight it has proof the suspected chemical attack on saturday in which dozens are believed to have died was carried out by the syrian government. all eyes are on the white house tonight, waiting to see if donald trump will follow through on his threat to launch missiles on syria with military support from the uk and france. the secretary—general of the united nations has warned of the danger of military escalation in syria and says the cold war is back with a vengeance. russia, syria's closest ally, and with troops on the ground there, has warned

the key thing i think here, though, is going to be what yulia skripal herself wants.— is she going to want any contact with the russian authorities, and even if she did, is she likely to be well enough any time soon for that to happen? now, the russian authorities say it is their right to have contact with her, and they've also listed 27 questions that they would like to ask the british government about the attack here, and also about the treatment that she is receiving in hospital alongside herfather. they want to know why the treatment she is getting seems to be having a greater effect than on her father, who remains in a critical condition. they've also even asked to see photos of yulia and sergei skripal in hospital to prove that they are indeed here in salisbury and that they are indeed alive. there hasn't been a response to that from the foreign office, but what they say is they will consider russia's request under international law, but they're stressing yulia skripal‘s rights will be the number one priority. we've also learnt today further details about expuls

in a statement, a foreign office spokesperson said: yulia skripal is communicating. e put out a statement through the police, saying she was getting stronger daily. but it's not yet clear whether sergei skripal is recovering to the same extent. but how is it that either of them have been able to withstand the impact of such a deadly substance? there are so many variables that a poisoning from novichok might take. so you have the environmental conditions in which the poison might have been left and how they picked it up. the quantities that got into him. we hear it's through the skin, which is a lot more of a protective barrier and if it was inhaled. barrier than if it was inhaled. so overall it's a pleasant surprise, good news for him and good news for the investigation. yulia, and perhaps herfather too, will now become crucial witnesses in the investigation, described by counterterror police as one of the largest and most complex they have ever carried out. at least six people, including a 16—year—old boy, have been killed during protests on gaza's border with israel

at the same time, yulia skripal has given an update on her progress.met police she says, i've been made aware of my specific contact of the russian embassy who have kindly offered their assistance... russia has questioned whether she is being held against her will and has a lwa ys being held against her will and has always denied any involvement in the salisbury attack. but they's report by the world's chemical weapons watchdog appears to create more pressure on them and more support of a response by the international community. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner is at the foreign office. as we say, moscow has always denied involvement of the salisbury attack so involvement of the salisbury attack so where does this report leave all of this now? this is the public version of the report, there are actually two reports. this is the executive summary, and let's be really clear what it says and what it does not say. it says that their samples it does not say. it says that their sa m ples collected it does not say. it says that their samples collected

says needs to be answered by the british government. 0r questions again about the condition of yulia skripalthedral, there is no signs of tension is ratcheting down to any degree. britain's largest teaching union is warning that a growing number of children with special needs are being left without suitable school places. last year, more than 4,000 children with the most severe needs were not offered places. the union has accused the government of "starving" local councils of funding. but the department of education insists that local authorities now have more money for every pupil, in every school. 0ur education correspondent marc ashdown reports. britain's largest teaching union is warning that a growing like all schools, here in south gloucestershire, the aim is to offer every child a place in the classroom alongside their peers. but the reality is a growing number of the most vulnerable pupils seem to be disappearing from the system. government figures obtained by the national education union show that in 2016, 1700 children in england with special educational needs or a disability didn'

sergei and yulia skripal were found slumped on a bench in the cathedral city of salisbury.they had been poisoned using a military grade nerve agent. the uk believe russia was to blame. coming to the commissary after the attack, theresa may set up the evidence. based on the positive identification of this chemical agent by world leading experts at the defence science and technology laboratory, given in the past that russia has reproduced this agent and still would be capable of doing so, russia positive record of conducting state—sponsored assassinations and our assessment that russia views some defectors as legitimate targets for assassinations. the government has concluded that it is highly likely that russia was responsible for the act against sergei and yulia skripal. jeremy corbyn began by condemning the attack and calling for continued dialogue not for the casting of all content. it his later comments on party funding provoked heckling from conservatives and disagreement from his own side. we are all familiar with the way huge fortunes often acquired in the most dubiou

yulia skripal, the russian woman poisoned along with her father in britain last month, has rejected an herfirst statement since leaving hospital, issued through the police, ms skripal said she was still suffering from nerve agent poisoning, and did not wish to be contacted by the russian embassy in britain. andrew plant has the latest. yulia skripal left hospital on monday, her father is still there after both were exposed to a nerve agent in the city of salisbury last month. she is now in a secret location and has asked to be left alone. in a statement, she praised hospital staff saying i have left my father in day care and he is still seriously ill. i too am still suffering with the effects of the nerve agent used against us. she also refuses offers of help from russia, adding that she had been made aware of specific contact at the russian embassy who have offered assistance in any way they can. at the moment, i do not wish to avail myself of their services. her father isa myself of their services. her father is a former russian spy who was living in the uk. he and yulia skripal were

we have conveyed its two yulia skripal and we await a response this is an obligation under internationalaw that the british government takes very seriously but there is also the question of miss skripal‘s own wishes. the russian ambassador had several points to make about the uk demands on russia. as he outlined on 12th of march, we asked the russian government the very clear question —— as we outlined. russia refused to respond and said it considered the request 110w and said it considered the request now and void. it was true that we asked for a response within 2a hours to the question of how did a russian developed military grade nerve agent, to be used on the streets of salisbury. and did that mean the russian had lost control of its cw stocks? we said that russia should declare its novichok programme to the opcw. we gave 2a hours, mr president because this is a weapon of mass destruction. this is no ordinary poisoning and no ordinary attack. in our view, the circumstances justified that tight deadline. notwithstanding that, the russians said to us the request was null and void. they

we've had a new statement from yulia skripal. d daughter of russian ex—spy sergei skripal. she was discharged from hospital on monday. she said she misses the staff who cared for her at salisbury. and... she goes on to say... simon jones is here. he spent a fair amount of time covering that story. very clear from what yulia says what, she's been through. you get the sense from reading this statement a woman who's had her world turned completely upside down. she talks about, although she's getting better, she still needs treatment. she talks about her father still be in hospital and that talks... interesting that she does not want help from the russian embassy. she isa help from the russian embassy. she is a russian citizen. ever since this committee russian authorities, she's a russian, we want access to her. the british authorities, saying when she was in hospital that she is in hospital... she has been made or the russian embassy are keen to offer help to her. she's been given contacts offer help to her. she's been given co nta

our latest headlines: yulia skripal, released from hospital after being poisoned in salisbury, rejectser the suspected gas attack in douma, the bbc learns that theresa may looks ready tojoin military action against syria, without the approval of parliament. it comes as donald trump warns russia to ‘get ready‘ for missile strikes in syria — following the attack. the facebook boss mark zuckerberg tells congress that he was among the millions whose data was shared as he apologises for the scandal. we didn't take a broad enough view of our responsibility. and that was a big mistake. it was my mistake. and i am sorry. more now on our top story. the bbc has learnt that the prime minister, theresa may, is ready tojoin in an international military response to the suspected chemical weapon attack in syria. she's said the uk is prepared to go ahead without first seeking pa rliament‘s approval. well, it comes as the us president warned russia to ‘get ready‘ for missile strikes against syria. our middle east correspondent lina sinjab has been following developments from neighbouring lebanon and sh

yulia skripal had recovered enough from being poisoned to call her cousin. inverything is fine," yulia is alleged to have said. the unverified called was presented to a studio audience in moscow. she also said that her father, who is still in critical condition in a u.k. hospital, was sleeping. ody ody has any problems that can't be put right." russia state television has been in overdrive ever since britain thcused the kremlin of poisoning the skripals using novichok, a russian nerve agent. this popular tv host said blame russia is like saying if someone someone is hit in the head with an ipad you should blame america because it's a u.s. invention. which is absurd. >> totally absurd, yes. >> reporter: mikael fishman is the former editor of the "moscow times." >> this is how, basically, russian nation gets its political agenda, and sees the world through the kremlin's eyes. >> reporter: we don't know if yulia skripal made that phone call, jeff, but british police said today they've released her first public comments since the attack where she says her streng

unless we are being convincingly like to in the uk about the state sergei and yulia skripal are aboutthe state sergei and yulia skripal are in, it does not appear to bea skripal are in, it does not appear to be a likely description of their condition. even russian tv seems to be saying it cannot guarantee the authenticity of it. we do not have a recording to compare it to, i think it is... it would be surprising if a conversation like this in which they discussed whether or not victoria, one of the closest living relatives of the family, could or could not get a visa to come here. at one point, the voice purporting to be yulia says that you will probably not get a visa. how would she know, lots of reasons to be sceptical. later on the un security council will be discussing this entire incident. a lot of activity today, a press c0 nfe re nce incident. a lot of activity today, a press conference going on right now at the russian embassy in london, it will be interesting to see what the ambassador has to say. taking it to the un security council later today, the un security council later

frank, is it clear that yulia skripal pepped this statement it does seem quite strange?i put to government officials in whitehall because of course we have no access, nobody does, to yulia skripal. she is in a secret, secure location. somewhere, presumably a country house, under police protection. probably armed police protection. probably armed police protection. probably armed police protection. but i've been assured that the decision that is went into the wording of this were 100% went into the wording of this were ioo% hers. they are significant. ‘s absolutely unequivocal in this statement shech says, "i do not wish to be contacted by the media, not by the russian embassy and not by her cousin victoria." that's significant because her cousin victoria is in russia. russia media aired a surprise telephone conversation between the two of them, and it's very significant that she says victoria does not speak for me or for my father. she says she's still recovering. her father for my father. she says she's still recovering. herfather is not for my father. she says she's st

yulia skripal, seen discredit russia.seen here before the attack, is now in hiding with police protection. russia has suggested she is being held against her will. her father is still seriously ill in hospital. tonight, britain has called for a un security council debate on the 0pcw report. 0fficials security council debate on the 0pcw report. officials say russia has some hard questions to answer. that is a summary of the news. newsday is coming up at midnight. now on bbc news, it is time for newsnight with kirsty wark. tonight, after an emergency meeting, the cabinet agrees on the need to take action against the use of chemical weapons in syria. france's president hardens his rhetoric on the assad regime. translation: we have the proof that last week, days ago, chemical weapons, at least chlorine, were used, and they were used by the regime of bashar al—assad. but is america rowing back? we're looking very, very seriously at the whole situation and we will see what happens, folks. we'll have in depth analysis and the la

skripal ropes. they have constantly been demanding consular access. we know that yuliaian national, has been offered congressional action, but she has turned it down so far. maybe the russians are thinking that if we get a relative, we can get information that way. that was the suspension and the uk government have decided they will turn down a visa for victoria to what they say are the usual processes. it added to that, a government source said to me, it appears the russian state are trying to use victoria as a pawn and they said that she is being influenced or coerced by the kremlin, she hasjust become another victim. and in terms of everything we have been talking about more broadly, we are now in an extract your situation where it seems someone your situation where it seems someone who was your situation where it seems someone who was so your situation where it seems someone who was so very your situation where it seems someone who was so very desperately ill is now improving, according to the statement from the hospital, and i wonder what all this then does to the