0:00:04 > 0:00:07Tonight at ten, Wiltshire Police praise the bravery of an officer
0:00:07 > 0:00:10who went to the aid of the Russian former spy and his daughter,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13poisoned by a nerve agent.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey is said to be in a serious
0:00:16 > 0:00:20condition in hospital.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21He's well, he's sat up.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24He's not the Nick that I know, but of course he's receiving
0:00:24 > 0:00:26a high level of treatment.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Tonight, the area in Salisbury where the attack took place
0:00:29 > 0:00:30remains cordoned off.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34But it's still unclear how and why Sergei Skripal and his daughter
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Yulia were targeted.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39We'll have the latest reaction from Moscow,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41as the Kremlin continues to deny it had any involvement
0:00:41 > 0:00:43in the attempted murders.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Also tonight.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48An Old Bailey jury is shown video of the moment a bomb partially
0:00:48 > 0:00:52explodes, on a tube train last September.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Donald Trump signs off on higher tariffs for aluminium and steel
0:00:55 > 0:00:59imports, sparking fears of a global trade war.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02New figures show tens of thousands of patients had non urgent
0:01:02 > 0:01:04operations cancelled, as the NHS struggled to cope
0:01:04 > 0:01:07with the winter crisis.
0:01:07 > 0:01:13And the cycling senior citizens, who are as fit as fiddles.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16And coming up on Sportsday on BBC News, it's a perfect night
0:01:16 > 0:01:19for Arsenal in the last 16 of the Europa League.
0:01:19 > 0:01:272-0 they lead AC Milan, heading into the second leg.
0:01:42 > 0:01:43Good evening.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Police in Wiltshire have praised the bravery of one
0:01:45 > 0:01:48of their officers, who went to the aid of the former Russian spy
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Sergei Skripal and his daughter, after they were poisoned by a nerve
0:01:51 > 0:01:53agent in Salisbury.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey is still in a serious
0:01:55 > 0:01:58condition in hospital.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00It's still unclear how and why Mr Skripal,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04and his 33-year-old daughter, were targeted last Sunday afternoon.
0:02:04 > 0:02:10Our home affairs correspondent Tom Symonds reports from Salisbury.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey is 38 years old, a decorated officer
0:02:13 > 0:02:17with plenty of experience on the front line of policing.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20He's still in a serious condition, but the good news today
0:02:20 > 0:02:22is he is awake and talking.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26He's a great character.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28He is a huge presence in Wiltshire Police, a well-loved
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and massively dedicated officer.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35He is clearly receiving high, specialist treatment.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40He is well, he's sat up.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42He's not the Nick I know, but he is receiving
0:02:42 > 0:02:47a high level of treatment.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52He's very anxious, he's very concerned. He did his very best on
0:02:52 > 0:02:56that night. All of our stuff that attended the incident in Salisbury
0:02:56 > 0:02:59in the Maltings performed the role that police officers and police
0:02:59 > 0:03:04staff do every day up and down the country.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05The inquiry's not letting up.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Police began what appeared to be a major search
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and possible decontamination of Sergei Skripal's house today.
0:03:09 > 0:03:15For a while, they even taped off the graves of his wife and son.
0:03:15 > 0:03:21The use of a nerve agent on UK soil is a brazen and reckless act. This
0:03:21 > 0:03:27was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way. People are
0:03:27 > 0:03:33right to want to know who to hold to account. But if we are to be
0:03:33 > 0:03:37rigorous in this investigation we must avoid speculation and allow the
0:03:37 > 0:03:42police to carry on their investigation.The BBC has been told
0:03:42 > 0:03:46the nerve agent used was not sarin or VX, which have been used as
0:03:46 > 0:03:51weapons of the past, but rarer.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52Decontamination teams were heavily protected on Sunday.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Look at this picture from earlier that day.
0:03:55 > 0:03:55No respirators or suits.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59These officers could not have known they were about to deal with the use
0:03:59 > 0:04:02of a chemical weapon in their city.
0:04:02 > 0:04:09The risk they faced became obvious today, when a bench on which the
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Skripals was sitting was exposed by a gust of wind. Just look at the
0:04:13 > 0:04:16operation needed to go in and paid it down again. Four days on from the
0:04:16 > 0:04:20incident and it wasn't just police officers who risked being exposed
0:04:20 > 0:04:25that afternoon.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27I've spoken to a doctor who was there.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29She's asked us not to name her but she says she came
0:04:29 > 0:04:31across Yulia Skripal slumped over the bench, unconscious,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33not breathing, vomiting and having a fit.
0:04:33 > 0:04:34She stepped in.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37She got Yulia onto the floor, she got her breathing
0:04:37 > 0:04:38and handed her patient over to paramedics.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40She's concerned about what she's come into contact with,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42but she feels fine.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Sergei and Yulia Skripal, attacked as she came to Britain
0:04:45 > 0:04:49from Russia to visit him, are not getting better.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52They remain in a critical condition, as the race
0:04:52 > 0:04:55to find their assailant - or assailants - continues.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Tom Symonds, BBC News, Salisbury.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Suggestions that the Kremlin may have been involved in the poisoning
0:05:02 > 0:05:04have sparked anger in Russia.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07State media has complained of an anti-Russian campaign
0:05:07 > 0:05:10by the West, with little sympathy for Sergei Skripal,
0:05:10 > 0:05:16as our Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg reports.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Moscow feels a world away from the drama of Salisbury.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Relaxed Russians are out enjoying a public holiday,
0:05:21 > 0:05:27determined not to allow a spy scandal to spoil their day.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32People here are short on sympathy for Sergei Skripal.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37TRANSLATION:The fewer secrets you sell, the longer you'll live.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38TRANSLATION:Don't betray your motherland.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Then you'll have no problems.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43TRANSLATION:When he was in prison in Russia, he was healthy.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45He goes to Britain and gets poisoned.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47He should have stayed here.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50It's a similar message from Russian TV.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52The Kremlin-controlled media have been mocking Boris Johnson
0:05:52 > 0:05:57and making fun of Britain.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00If you're a professional traitor, he says, my advice,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02don't move to England.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Something's not right there, the climate, perhaps.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09But too many bad things go on there - people are hanged,
0:06:09 > 0:06:15poisoned, helicopter crashes or they fall out of windows.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Under Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has sent a very clear
0:06:18 > 0:06:22message to the Russian people that their country is a besieged
0:06:22 > 0:06:27fortress, threatened by enemies abroad and traitors at home.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32That's why there's little sympathy here for Sergei Skripal.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36And if Moscow did target Sergei Skripal...
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Most Russian people, not me, of course, most Russian people
0:06:38 > 0:06:43would take pride in it because there is a very black
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and white worldview - it's us against them.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Putin has brought this back in a big way.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Today, the president delivered a special address.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55No mention of spies.
0:06:55 > 0:07:01He congratulated Russian women on International Women's Day.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Moscow knows it's under suspicion but the Kremlin is acting
0:07:03 > 0:07:07as if it's business as usual.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Our security correspondent Gordon Corera is live outside
0:07:14 > 0:07:17the headquarters of MI6 tonight.
0:07:20 > 0:07:26Are we any closer to understanding who was behind all this, and why?
0:07:26 > 0:07:31Well, the identity of that rare nerve agent will still be a crucial
0:07:31 > 0:07:34clue to establishing that. Government officials are still
0:07:34 > 0:07:36cautious about pointing the finger publicly. They want to make sure
0:07:36 > 0:07:42they have as many facts as possible before doing that. But in terms of
0:07:42 > 0:07:45motive, there has been speculation that perhaps Sergei Skripal was
0:07:45 > 0:07:49still involved in some kind of active ongoing intelligence work,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52but sources I've spoken to have said there's no sign or suggestion of
0:07:52 > 0:07:56that will stop there's even been talk that perhaps he was involved
0:07:56 > 0:08:01somehow in that dossier on Donald Trump drawn up by a former MI6
0:08:01 > 0:08:05officer, Chris Steele, but sources close to Orbis, Chris Steele's
0:08:05 > 0:08:10company, say they have no links whatsoever with Sergei Skripal. So
0:08:10 > 0:08:15what does that leave? Well, dull the possibility of revenge, revenge by
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Sergei Skripal's former colleagues in Russian intelligence for his
0:08:19 > 0:08:23works buying for British intelligence, revenge and perhaps a
0:08:23 > 0:08:26message to anyone else thinking of doing the same. And that will worry
0:08:26 > 0:08:31MI6 here will stop it will worry them, because they don't want the
0:08:31 > 0:08:34perception to be out there that they can't protect the lives of their
0:08:34 > 0:08:40agents, even when those agents are in the UK.Gordon Corera outside MI6
0:08:40 > 0:08:43HQ in London.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46A jury at the Old Bailey has been shown a video of the moment a bomb
0:08:46 > 0:08:49partially exploded on a tube train in southwest London.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Some of the passengers have been describing in court how their hair
0:08:51 > 0:08:53and clothes caught fire in the packed carriage
0:08:53 > 0:08:54last September.
0:08:54 > 0:08:5630 people were injured at Parsons Green station.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Ahmed Hassan, who's 18, denies attempted murder.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02June Kelly has more.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07The moment when a fireball engulfed a packed train carriage.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10It left passengers burning and screaming in pain,
0:09:10 > 0:09:15the Old Bailey heard today.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20This is Ahmed Hassan, the teenager on trial for the attack.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Here shopping at Asda the day before, and being asked for his ID.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27He bought batteries and screwdrivers.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Hassan is an 18-year-old asylum seeker, and the following morning
0:09:30 > 0:09:37CCTV showed him leaving his foster parents' home in Sunbury, in Surrey.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Other cameras captured his journey as he carried a little plastic bag,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44said to contain his bomb.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47At Wimbledon station he went into the toilets,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51where it's alleged he set the timer on the device, and then he made
0:09:51 > 0:09:53for an underground train.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57A few stops down the District line, he got off, leaving his little bag
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and its contents behind.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04As the train pulled into Parsons Green station,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06the device only partially exploded, but a number of passengers
0:10:06 > 0:10:10were burned by the fireball.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12This computer-generated graphic shows the scene on board
0:10:12 > 0:10:15the train after the attack.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Today, some of those caught up in the blast described in court how
0:10:19 > 0:10:26the ball of flame rolled down the carriage.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Aimee Colville told the jury that her hair caught fire
0:10:28 > 0:10:30and she saw a wall of glass.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Victoria Holloway spoke of a whooshing sound,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35as if someone had lit a Bunsen burner.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37She said the flames were touching her legs
0:10:37 > 0:10:41and wrapping around her skin.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Two of the passengers were in tears as they gave their evidence.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47They testified from behind a screen and could be
0:10:47 > 0:10:50seen by only the judge, jury and lawyers.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54One of them, known only as Miss S, described how on that
0:10:54 > 0:10:58morning her coat was burning and her tights were melting.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03She's been left scarred after burns to her hands, legs and face.
0:11:03 > 0:11:11June Kelly, BBC News, at the Old Bailey.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16President Trump has signed into law new tariffs on steel and aluminium
0:11:16 > 0:11:18entering the United States, prompting fears of
0:11:18 > 0:11:19a global trade war.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21The European Union and China have already said they'll retaliate,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and the President's chief economic advisor has resigned over the issue.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Mr Trump says the new tariffs are being imposed for national
0:11:26 > 0:11:29security reasons, and that American industry has been "ravaged
0:11:29 > 0:11:31by aggressive foreign trade practices" for far too long.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36Our North America correspondent Nick Bryant reports.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39History is often written with a presidential pen,
0:11:39 > 0:11:43and with steelworkers who helped put him in the White House
0:11:43 > 0:11:45at his shoulder, Donald Trump added his name to a signature
0:11:45 > 0:11:48campaign promise - putting American first
0:11:48 > 0:11:53by imposing tariffs on foreign steel and aluminium.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55APPLAUSE.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58The American steel and aluminium industry has been
0:11:58 > 0:12:03ravaged by aggressive foreign trade practices.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07It's really an assault on our country.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09The workers who poured their souls into building this great
0:12:09 > 0:12:16nation were betrayed, but that betrayal is now over.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Defending America's industrial heartland has prompted his most
0:12:19 > 0:12:23protectionist move yet, one that strikes a blow
0:12:23 > 0:12:26against globalisation - the integrated system of worldwide
0:12:26 > 0:12:30commerce, from which these rust belt communities feel excluded.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31American steel...
0:12:31 > 0:12:32American steel...
0:12:32 > 0:12:33American steel...
0:12:33 > 0:12:36A promise made, a promise kept.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Wait till you see what I'm going to do for steel.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Now it's time for action.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45It's the glut of steel produced in China that's
0:12:45 > 0:12:47angered the president, but that accounts for just 2%
0:12:47 > 0:12:49of US steel imports.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Bigger importers, such as Canada and Mexico,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54are initially exempted.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It's not clear whether Britain will be punished.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59European Union countries could be hard-hit.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03President Trump has recently said, and I quote...
0:13:03 > 0:13:08"Trade wars are good and easy to win."
0:13:08 > 0:13:13But the truth is quite the opposite.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18Trade war are bad and easy to lose.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Harley-Davidson, the quintessential Middle America brand,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25and for that very reason a likely target for EU retaliation.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Trump supporters in key battle ground states, like Wisconsin,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31could be caught in the crossfire.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33A trade war won't benefit anybody.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36I generally believe in free trade.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I don't think he's serious about it, regardless.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41I think he's just trying to scare people into getting some
0:13:41 > 0:13:44concessions, which is how he rolls.
0:13:44 > 0:13:51It's too late to save these old steel mills in Pennsylvania.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Many senior Republicans fear that this act of economic
0:13:53 > 0:13:56nationalism could also be an act of national self harm.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Nick Bryant, BBC News, Washington.
0:14:00 > 0:14:06All this on a day when 11 Pacific rim countries signed a landmark
0:14:06 > 0:14:10trade agreement, the transpacific partnership which was intended by
0:14:10 > 0:14:13the Obama administration as a counterweight to China, but which
0:14:13 > 0:14:17the Trump Administration pulled out of. This feels like a milestone
0:14:17 > 0:14:22moment for the international system and another example of America
0:14:22 > 0:14:30first, leaving America alone. Nick Bryant, live in Washington.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Tens of thousands of patients in England had their non-urgent
0:14:35 > 0:14:40operations like me and hip operations postponed in January.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Figures show AMD departments missed waiting time targets in their worst
0:14:43 > 0:14:43performance since
0:14:43 > 0:14:48records began.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49Our health editor Hugh Pym has more.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51New Year brought extraordinary pressure, illustrated in the new BBC
0:14:51 > 0:14:53hospital series filmed at Nottingham University
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Hospitals Trust.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Today we have run out of space.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59We are being asked to cancel any nonessential activities.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01So not cancer, not clinically urgent, but pretty
0:15:01 > 0:15:05much anything else.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08I can't see the sense in cancelling...
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Word has come through from NHS leaders that all non-urgent surgery
0:15:10 > 0:15:12should be cancelled for the month to free up beds for emergencies.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16I'm very sorry, but I don't know if you've heard the recent news,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19but we have a bed crisis in the hospital.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23We're going to have to cancel operations at this moment.
0:15:23 > 0:15:24I'm afraid it's bad news.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26We are going to have to cancel tomorrow.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27I'm really sorry.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Sometimes that meant operating theatres were lying empty.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36We don't know when we can start operating again at the moment.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38We've never had it as bad as this before.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40We're just left, largely, at a loose end.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43We're being paid to work, but just trying to find
0:15:43 > 0:15:48something constructive to do.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50By February operations had resumed.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53But patients elsewhere, like Scott, are still facing delays.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56He was told the day before his back operation it had been put off,
0:15:56 > 0:16:01and he doesn't know when it will happen.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05I'm very, very frustrated.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07I'm annoyed and I'm hurt, because now I've got to go
0:16:07 > 0:16:13through this all over again.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15In December, there were nearly 27,000 fewer routine
0:16:15 > 0:16:17operations carried out in England than the same month
0:16:17 > 0:16:18a year earlier.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20In January, after the national NHS intervention, there
0:16:20 > 0:16:25was a drop of nearly 14,500.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27For the most recent two week period, bed occupancy
0:16:27 > 0:16:29in hospitals at more than 95% was the highest this winter.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Some hospitals though worked hard to avoid cancelling operations.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37It is a very bad patient experience to cancel surgery.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40These patients have very often been waiting for a very long time
0:16:40 > 0:16:45to have their procedure done and then cancelling it one or two
0:16:45 > 0:16:47days before it's been planned is a thing that you really
0:16:47 > 0:16:50want to avoid.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54NHS England said February was the most pressurised month
0:16:54 > 0:16:58in the history of the service, with high levels of flu -
0:16:58 > 0:17:00the background to another deterioration in A&E performance.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Hugh Pym, BBC News.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06And you can see more from that documentary - Hospital -
0:17:06 > 0:17:09featured in Hugh's report, on BBC Two at 9:00pm
0:17:09 > 0:17:16on Monday 26th March.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Ministers in Ireland have approved a referendum
0:17:18 > 0:17:20bill on whether to amend the constitution, making it easier
0:17:20 > 0:17:22for women to have abortions.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24The current law gives a mother and her unborn child
0:17:24 > 0:17:27an equal right to life, and this has been the basis
0:17:27 > 0:17:28for strict abortion controls.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31The nationwide referendum will be held in May.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32Our correspondent Chris Page has been hearing
0:17:32 > 0:17:40the arguments on both sides.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42This is a nation which was once seen as the most socially
0:17:42 > 0:17:44conservative in western Europe, but it feels like
0:17:44 > 0:17:47change has been swift.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52In the next few months, Ireland will make a defining decision.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Tens of thousands of Irish women have travelled to other
0:17:55 > 0:18:00countries to have abortions.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Gaye Edwards' baby, who she and her husband
0:18:02 > 0:18:06named Joshua, had a fatal condition called anencephaly.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08She says having to go away to end her pregnancy
0:18:08 > 0:18:10magnified her grief.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14While I knew that I had come to the right decision for me,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17it made me feel that society viewed my decision as
0:18:17 > 0:18:22being somehow wrong.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26When you really need to be taken care of you feel like you're just...
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Pushed aside and into a corner.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Stories like Gaye's have helped to bring about the referendum.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Voters will decide whether to remove the Eighth Amendment
0:18:38 > 0:18:40of the Irish Constitution, which gives an unborn child
0:18:40 > 0:18:43and a pregnant woman an equal right to life.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48These canvassers are campaigning to repeal the Eighth.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Abortions are happening in Ireland, they're happening dangerously
0:18:50 > 0:18:53and they're happening illegally.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55We're on the shoulders of generations of women who have
0:18:55 > 0:18:59been organising and working for this shift forward.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02If the change to the constitution is approved in the referendum,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04the parliament in Dublin will determine how available
0:19:04 > 0:19:08terminations will be.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Ministers want to allow abortions up to 12 weeks
0:19:11 > 0:19:16into a pregnancy and in some limited circumstances afterwards.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18But the Government doesn't have a majority.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20The two main parties are divided on the issue.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25The Catholic Church is strongly defending the Eighth Amendment.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Its power has diminished, but it certainly hasn't disappeared.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32Life begins at conception and ends at death and we have
0:19:32 > 0:19:33to protect all life.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38If it's repealed, all the rights are gone from the baby.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Women who support the current law are speaking about
0:19:40 > 0:19:44their experiences too.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Vicky Wall's daughter, Liandan, was still-born at 32 weeks.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51She recalls what happened when a doctor told her he didn't
0:19:51 > 0:19:52expect her baby to live.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56He said that my only option was to pop to England -
0:19:56 > 0:19:59insinuating an abortion.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02That was never going to be an option.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07We spent the summer just being with her.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09The Eighth Amendment showed to me that not
0:20:09 > 0:20:10only did we value her, but our country
0:20:10 > 0:20:12valued her like that.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15For people on both sides, the referendum's about what sort
0:20:15 > 0:20:18of society they want to live in.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20It's a personal, passionate, emotive debate.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Chris Page, BBC News, Dublin.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Millions of women in Spain have gone on strike in protest
0:20:28 > 0:20:31at gender inequality.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34This was the scene in Madrid tonight, as they took to the streets
0:20:34 > 0:20:37with the slogan "if we stop, the world stops".
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Trade unions, who supported the action on International Women's Day,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43estimate that six million women took part.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Cuts to bin collections, closing libraries and dipping
0:20:48 > 0:20:52into cash reserves are just some of the ways councils
0:20:52 > 0:20:55in England have been coping with a squeeze on budgets.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58The National Audit Office says funding from central government has
0:20:58 > 0:21:00fallen by nearly a half since 2010.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Many are struggling, in particular with the growing cost of social
0:21:03 > 0:21:06care, and the NAO is warning that one in ten could completely run out
0:21:06 > 0:21:09of money within three years.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Here's Alison Holt.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Do you want to do something different?
0:21:14 > 0:21:17An afternoon art class at the Nexus Day Centre in Surrey
0:21:17 > 0:21:19is a chance for people with learning disabilities, brain injuries
0:21:19 > 0:21:25and other conditions to develop their skills and socialise.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30For most here, the support is paid for by the County Council,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34but today's report says with local authorities facing such
0:21:34 > 0:21:35major cuts to their money from central government,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38they are struggling to cope.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39Do you like its legs?
0:21:39 > 0:21:40I think they're lovely!
0:21:40 > 0:21:43I think its legs are brilliant...
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Sue, who has multiple sclerosis, describes this centre as a lifeline.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51I come here only twice a week.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I would come more if there was the funding for it.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Councils like Surrey have a statutory duty to provide
0:21:58 > 0:22:01support for people who are older and disabled as well as providing
0:22:01 > 0:22:02children's services, and across the board
0:22:02 > 0:22:06demand is increasing.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Today's report calculates that on average, councils in England now
0:22:10 > 0:22:13spend 54% of their total budgets on social care for
0:22:13 > 0:22:15children and adults.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19With money so tight, many other services have been cut.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Since 2010, more than 33% fewer homes get weekly bin collections
0:22:24 > 0:22:28and 10% of libraries have closed.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31The report warns with councils also using their savings
0:22:31 > 0:22:34to balance the books, one in ten will have exhausted
0:22:34 > 0:22:36their reserves within three years.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40In Surrey - one of the wealthiest parts of the country -
0:22:40 > 0:22:42as well as increasing council tax, they're dipping into
0:22:42 > 0:22:44their savings again.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49It has been really difficult to make sure we could come in this year
0:22:49 > 0:22:52with a budget that actually had the minimum level tax level
0:22:52 > 0:22:55increases that we had to do.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58We have had to use £24 million of our reserves and £15 million
0:22:58 > 0:23:01of our capital receipts.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Today's report says there needs to be a long-term central
0:23:04 > 0:23:06government plan for the bins, roads and other services
0:23:06 > 0:23:08that people need.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11What is it they want local government to do,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13and fund them for that, or make funding available
0:23:13 > 0:23:14from whatever sources.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Alongside that, social care needs a funding solution as well.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21The Government says a new funding settlement has been approved
0:23:21 > 0:23:23for councils, and that will mean a real terms increase
0:23:23 > 0:23:26in the money they get.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Alison Holt, BBC News, Surrey.
0:23:31 > 0:23:39Nottingham Trent University has said it's "shocked and appalled"
0:23:40 > 0:23:42after a video was posted on social media, appearing
0:23:42 > 0:23:44to show a group of people chanting racist abuse outside
0:23:44 > 0:23:46the room of a black female student.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Two men were arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated
0:23:48 > 0:23:50public order offences, but tonight have been released.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51Here's Elaine Dunkley.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53SHOUTING
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Recorded on a mobile phone by student Rufaro Chisango...
0:23:57 > 0:23:59CHANTING
0:23:59 > 0:24:03What appears to be racist chanting outside of her door in halls
0:24:03 > 0:24:05of residence at Nottingham Trent University.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09I just heard shouting from outside my door,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and I was just shocked.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14My initial response was I was really shocked.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I felt really isolated and uncomfortable.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21The incident took place on Monday evening.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Her friends say it has left traumatised and tarnished
0:24:23 > 0:24:27their experience of university life.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30I know these things do happen, but to think
0:24:30 > 0:24:33it was so close to home, so close, being in my university.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Yeah, I was, I was appalled.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40We know some people might not like the way we are,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44might not like where we come from, our race, our religion, our creed,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46but it's something that we kind of just power through,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50just knowing that maybe they don't like us but we do our best.
0:24:50 > 0:24:58Rufaro Chisango has now been offered new accommodation and two
0:24:58 > 0:25:01-- on the university said it accepted an act quickly enough.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04There was a delay, a significant delay, and we acknowledge that.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05It's vile behaviour, it's absolutely abhorrent.
0:25:05 > 0:25:06We are really, really shocked.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09This is not the NTU positive culture for students and staff
0:25:09 > 0:25:11that we all recognise.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Tonight, Nottingham Trent University are reassuring students that this
0:25:13 > 0:25:16was an isolated incident.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18But the National Union of Students say when you look
0:25:18 > 0:25:21at the wider picture, they receive phone calls every week
0:25:21 > 0:25:23from students who have been racially abused,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26and the only way to end it is with zero tolerance on campuses.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Elaine Dunkley, BBC News.
0:25:28 > 0:25:34Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has held talks
0:25:34 > 0:25:37with the Chancellor Philip Hammond, with both sides hoping
0:25:37 > 0:25:39to agree billions of pounds of new trade and investment.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Saudi Arabia's Commerce Secretary says this is a "moment of great
0:25:43 > 0:25:45opportunity" and he's been responding to criticism of Riyadh's
0:25:45 > 0:25:47handling of the war in Yemen.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Our business editor Simon Jack reports.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Meeting the Queen, seeing the Prime Minister, chatting
0:25:53 > 0:25:55with the Archbishop.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58The British establishment rolled out the red carpet for a man whose face
0:25:58 > 0:26:00seemed to be everywhere: Mohammed bin Salman,
0:26:00 > 0:26:07Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09But this is no social visit - his Commerce Minister
0:26:09 > 0:26:10is here to talk business.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Together, we can do so much for our own people.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16It will create jobs for our own people, we will create
0:26:16 > 0:26:18opportunities for our own people, it will be win-win situation.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22There is an opportunity that we need to grab.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26And we need to work as one team, because there is a common objective
0:26:26 > 0:26:28that will be fruitful and beneficial for both nations.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Saudi Arabia is the UK's largest trading partner in the Middle East.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Arms sales are a big part of that.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38In 2015 to 16, the UK sold £3.3 billion worth
0:26:38 > 0:26:41of weapons to the kingdom.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47In total, we exported £6.2 billion worth of goods and services
0:26:47 > 0:26:51to Saudi Arabia in 2016, while Saudi investments in the UK
0:26:51 > 0:26:53come to over £11 billion.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Both the UK and Saudi Arabia are going through big changes.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01For the UK, of course, it's Brexit.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Saudi Arabia is desperate to try and wean itself off an oil industry
0:27:04 > 0:27:07which up to now has produced 90% of its income.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Some say its modernisation programme, like allowing women
0:27:10 > 0:27:14to drive, introducing public entertainment, is an attempt to make
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Saudi Arabia more palatable to the business friends it so badly
0:27:17 > 0:27:20needs to achieve that.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22But Saudi bombing of targets in neighbouring Yemen have
0:27:22 > 0:27:25caused widespread outrage, and for many overshadow any social
0:27:25 > 0:27:29progress Saudi Arabia may have made.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33I don't think that we can be comfortable selling billions
0:27:33 > 0:27:36of pounds worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, knowing
0:27:36 > 0:27:39where they are ending up and the damage and the war crimes
0:27:39 > 0:27:40that are taking place.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I don't think that the British people want those
0:27:42 > 0:27:43kind of trade deals.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Jeremy Corbyn and other political leaders agree.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49What do you say to those people who don't want to do
0:27:49 > 0:27:51business with Saudi Arabia?
0:27:51 > 0:27:54I think that our relation, an historic relation,
0:27:54 > 0:28:00speaks for itself.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03We respect their opposition but we would like to invite them
0:28:03 > 0:28:05to see and to talk and discuss why they want to do that.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08But if they want to look at what business is happening,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10and these opportunities, I'm sure they will change
0:28:10 > 0:28:12their mind, because action speaks louder than words.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16This Saudi charm offensive moves to the US next month.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19According to Saudi Arabia, there is plenty of opportunity to go around.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Simon Jack, BBC News.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29Running a marathon or long distance cycling -
0:28:29 > 0:28:31they shouldn't just be activities just for the young.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Researchers have been following a large group of older
0:28:33 > 0:28:36cyclists, some in their 80s, who've all remained highly active,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38and the results are surprising, as our medical correspondent
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Fergus Walsh explains.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44I've arranged a 60-mile ride through the Surrey hills.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47This is what healthy ageing looks like.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51These cyclists - aged 64 to 82 - think nothing
0:28:51 > 0:28:54of spending five hours or more in the saddle.
0:28:54 > 0:28:55Room for one more?
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Yeah, welcome.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00I do it all for reasons for health, because I enjoy it, because
0:29:00 > 0:29:02it's sociable.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04It's just a wonderful life.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07They have all been examined as part of a trial which is challenging
0:29:07 > 0:29:10perceptions of ageing.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15One of the first results I got from the medical
0:29:15 > 0:29:18study was I was told my body fat was comparable
0:29:18 > 0:29:20to that of a 19-year-old.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Leading the peleton is Professor Norman Lazarus - at 82,
0:29:24 > 0:29:29a prime example of healthy ageing.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32If exercise was a pill, everybody in the world would be taking an
0:29:32 > 0:29:33exercise pill.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35Really good, Norman.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37He not only took part in the study, but
0:29:37 > 0:29:39helped lead the research.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43This test shows his excellent lung function.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Last little bit now, keep pushing.
0:29:46 > 0:29:52An MRI scan gives another indication of how well Norman is ageing.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55These are his thighs.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59Now compare Norman's muscly leg on the the right with
0:29:59 > 0:30:01that of a sedentary 50-year-old on left -
0:30:01 > 0:30:04which is mostly fat.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Ready, push!
0:30:06 > 0:30:12If more of us could do the recommended 150 minutes
0:30:12 > 0:30:16of moderate physical activity each week, it would pay huge dividends.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19Across a whole gamut of different levels,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22what exercise is doing in older individuals is giving them higher
0:30:22 > 0:30:26levels of function and better quality of life.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31The most remarkable findings came when scientists in
0:30:31 > 0:30:33Birmingham examined blood samples from a cyclist.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36They found their immune system, which normally
0:30:36 > 0:30:41declines with age, was still as strong as a young person's.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46The immune system is really key in the body, it has several roles -
0:30:46 > 0:30:48it protects us from infections, but it also helps us
0:30:48 > 0:30:50to find things like cancer.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53So the fact these cyclists have the immune
0:30:53 > 0:30:56system of a 20-year-old and not a 70 or 80-year-old, means they're
0:30:56 > 0:30:59protected from infections and from cancer potentially.
0:30:59 > 0:31:07The advantages then of exercise in later life are profound.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10So if cycling's not your thing, try another sport,
0:31:10 > 0:31:12or what about dancing, gardening, even brisk walking.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Most of the health benefits of these sup-agers are easily
0:31:14 > 0:31:21achievable if we just did a bit more physical activity.
0:31:21 > 0:31:28Fergus Walsh, BBC News, Surrey.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31While we've been on air, President Trump has said
0:31:31 > 0:31:34South Korea will make, what he's calling,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37a 'huge' announcement on North Korea at midnight.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Seoul has sent a delegation to Washington, following reports
0:31:40 > 0:31:43that the North Korean leader could be open to halting
0:31:43 > 0:31:46his nuclear programme.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50They'll be more on that on the BBC News Channel but from us