09/03/2018 BBC News at Ten

The army on the streets

of Salisbury, as specialist troops

arrive to deal with the scene

of the nerve agent attack.

Military equipment and personnel

trained in chemical warfare

make an unusual sight

in the cathedral city.

They have the detection equipment

that will allow them to properly,

safely a very detail

survey of those areas.

And if there is any contamination,

they can then safely remove

that and have it destroyed.

A forensic team examine the grave

of the son of Sergei Skripal,

the former Russian spy

who was targeted in the attack.

Tonight, he and his daughter

are still critically ill.

The people of Salisbury

are urged to stay calm.

Also tonight:

After the insults, a surprise

meeting is to take place

between President Trump

and the leader of North Korea.

A court sees the contents

of the bomb that partially exploded

in a Tube carriage in London last

September.

Why increasing numbers of young

British Muslim women are deciding

to wear a headscarf.

And banging the drum

for Great Britain -

our athletes arrive in South Korea

for the biggest ever

Paralympic Games.

Coming up on Sportsday on BBC News.

We'll preview the penultimate

weekend of the Six Nations,

which could prove pivotal

to Ireland as they attempt

to win the title again.

Good evening.

These are the scenes that greeted

the people of Salisbury today

as just under 200 military personnel

arrived in the city

and onto the streets.

Specialist troops, with training

in chemical warfare,

will be working in the area

where the former Russian agent

Sergei Skripal and his daughter

Yulia collapsed on Sunday.

Forensic examinations are also

taking place at the cemetery

at the gravestone of Skripal's son,

Alexander, who reportedly died

of liver problems at the age of 43.

The Home Secretary will chair

another meeting of the Government's

emergency Cobra committee tomorrow.

Our home affairs correspondent,

Tom Symonds, reports from Salisbury.

It began with unprotected police

officers dealing with

an unexplained medical emergency.

This evening, the military

was called in at Salisbury Hospital.

Troops, trained to tackle chemical

warfare, supporting a British

police investigation.

Their mission includes securing

possibly contaminated evidence -

painstaking work.

The stakes are high.

As Ministry of Defence we have been

supporting the police

in their investigations

through the work of military

scientists at Porton Down.

We will continue to do that.

Another task - dealing

with contaminated vehicles.

This police car may have been driven

to the hospital after the incident.

180 troops will be involved in this

phase of the investigation.

They have all the chemical agent

monitors, the personal

protective equipment,

respirators etc that allow them

to safely, and they will probably

take this kit to Porton Down

or perhaps Winterbourne Gunner,

where it can be

decontaminated effectively.

They're also expected to secure

Sergei Skripal's car

and there are ambulances which may

have traces of the nerve agent.

Across the city, scenes that might

have come from a disaster movie.

This is just a graveyard,

but it contains the graves

of Sergei Skripal's wife and his son

Alexander.

He died last year.

Again, no official

explanation for all this.

The dates on Alexander's

grave may be relevant.

Last week, before

the nerve agent attack,

was the anniversary of his birth.

Did his father and sister visit

the grave at some point?

The Home Secretary was the first

senior government representative

to come to Salisbury this morning.

Ministers have stressed

the importance of getting

to the bottom of the alleged plot

before pointing fingers.

She met and praised those

who've helped the victims

and decontaminated the area,

including these firefighters.

I am in awe of their sympathetic

approach and professionalism

as they engage with these people.

And now as they reflect,

they are quite concerned sometimes

for themselves and their families,

but they've all said to me

that they wouldn't have done

anything differently.

Then to the hospital,

continuing to provide the highest

level of care to three victims.

Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey,

exposed to nerve agent

during the incident,

is now making good progress.

He's an officer who has

been widely praised.

Always really easy to speak

to and he delivers effectively

and efficiently and he's always got

this sense of humour around him,

so he does it easily and nothing

is ever too much trouble for him.

Sergei Skripal remains

in a critical condition.

His daughter Yulia the same,

but she is responding

better to treatment.

Salisbury has become

a multi-location crime scene,

a city of disturbing images

and unanswered questions.

Who wanted to kill them?

Why? How did they do it?

What will happen next?

Tonight the evidence

is being gathered.

Tom Symonds, BBC News, Salisbury.

Sergei Skripal is still fighting

for his life in hospital

alongside his daughter Yulia.

He came to the UK in 2008 as part

of a spy swap with Russia.

But what led him to betray his

country and seek refuge here?

Our security correspondent,

Gordon Corera, has been given

exclusive access to details

and photos from his past.

The man behind the story. Friend of

Sergei Skripal have provided the BBC

with the first detailed account of

his life, including these personal

pictures. Here Skripal is in the

centre with his daughter Yulia, just

after her birth in 1984. Both are

now fighting for their lives.

Skripal

Skripal was grew up listening to the

world service on the radio. He

joined the eairborne troop and

became a charm beyondship army

boxer. This was him a few years

later with colleagues serving in

central Asia. When Soviet troops

went into Afghanistan in 1979, he

was among the first to go in. Soon

after he was talented spotted by the

GRU military intelligence. He served

undercover in Europe twice in the

80s and the 90s. It's during that

time it's thought hes with

approached by British intelligence

to spy for them. In 2004 he was

arrested, friends say his shoulder

was wrenched out of its socket in

the process. He was sentenced to 13

years in a labour camp but in 2010

he was released as part of a spy

swap. He had dreamed of ice-cream

and it was the first thing he asked

for on his release. He was reunited

with his wife and they began to

rebuild a life in Salisbury shech

grew roses while he liked to

barbecue sausages. It was short

lived. In 2012 she died of cancer.

Friends told the BBC he spent his

time playing World War II tank games

on his computer and visiting local

military museums. The BBC

understands from friends that during

his time in the labour camp Skripal

would imagine being a home in his

mind. They say they hope he'll be

using the same trick now as he

fights for his life. Gordon Corera,

BBC News.

Our home affairs correspondent, Tom

Symonds, is in Salisbury for us now.

An extraordinary week in Salisbury,

what can people expect to see

in the next few days or weeks?

Well here more evidence gathering.

That's going to take days and

possibly weeks. I think we can

expect that this process will go on

and on. There are going to be no

quick, easy answers. The Litvinenko

case took years to get to the bottom

of. I don't think we can expect the

police to give what they often call

a "running commentary" on their

progress. Ministers will be watching

them every step of the way. There is

a meeting of the Government's Cobra

emergency committee tomorrow.

Ministers say we can expect tough

action once they get to the bottom

of what this was all about. Of

course the big question is - will

the finger be pointed at Russia?

Fiona.

Tom Symonds in Salisbury.

Thank you.

The Old Dotard is to

meet Little Rocket Man.

President Trump has agreed to meet

the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

in a surprise move after months

of tension and name calling.

But the White House added tonight

that no meeting could take

place until North Korea

takes concrete action.

South Korea claims that Kim Jong-un

is committed to denuclearisation

and an end to nuclear

and missile tests.

Our North America correspondent,

Nick Bryant, reports.

Like the kid who couldn't keep the

secret. Donald Trump slipped into

the White House press room and told

reporters to expect a huge statement

on a big subject.

Here we go, here

we go.

Sure enough, a delegation

from South Korea soon stepped before

the microphones to make one of the

most jaw dropping diplomatic

announcements in decades. After

delivering to the President a

personal message from Kim Jong-un.

He expressed his eagerness to meet

President Trump as soon as possible.

President Trump appreciated the

briefing and said he would meet Kim

Jong-un by May to achieve permanent

denuclearisation.

Prior to arriving

in Washington, they had held a

meeting in Pyongyang with Kim

Jong-un offering a warm hand of

friendship rather than rattling his

usual sabre. On state TV the

soundtrack doubled as diplomatic

mood music because the North Korean

leader offered to abandon his

nuclear arsenal in return for if

security guarantees in the United

States. Kim Jong-un sent them off

not just with a wave, but an

invitation to Mr Trump the most

improbable of overtures. Donald

Trump abreed to the invitation

instantly, apparently without

pre-conditions, without even con

youing aides. Perhaps that explains

the confusion at the White House

with aides playing catch-up and

demanding actions by North Korea

before the summit can take place.

President will not have the meeting

without seeing concrete steps and

concrete actions take place by North

Korea. So the President would

actually be getting something.

Frankly, the world would be getting

something.

North Korea's nuclear and

missile capability has posed the

toughest foreign policy dilemma for

successive administrations. US

presidents have turned down offers

of face-to-face meetings. Only

yesterday America's top diplomat

ruled out directing talks with any

US officials.

In terms of direct

talks with the United States and US

negotiations, we're a long way from

negotiations.

What the White House

is certain is about that the

President's tough talk has exerted

maximum pressure on Pyongyang.

They

will be met with fire and fury like

the world has never seen. Rocket Man

is on a suicide mission for himself

and for his regime.

This is a huge

gamble which offers Pyongyang a

propaganda coup without much ground

work and wouft a guarantee of

success. All of Donald Trump's

presidential predecessors have

failed to halt North Korea's nuclear

programme, so perhaps it's worth

this dramatic new gesture. Two

leaders dealing with what is

potentially the world's most

combustible problem. Diplomacy akin

to a Las Vegas title fight. The

international summit of the century.

Nick Bryant, BBC News, Washington.

Today's announcement follows

something of a thaw in relations

between North and South Korea,

that saw them march under a single

flag at the Winter Olympics.

The South Korean President,

Moon Jae-in says the planned meeting

is "like a miracle."

But how has the news gone down

in the capital, Seoul?

Laura Bicker has been finding out.

For months, Seoul wondered

if it faced the prospect

of war once again.

Today, it woke to better news.

The prospect of a stunning Trump/Kim

summit has turned an impending

crisis into an opportunity.

The horror of the Korean War

is not forgotten here.

The fighting ended

with no peace treaty.

Now future generations hope

these talks will prevent

further confrontation.

TRANSLATION:

I think this

will be a turning point,

and through this our future children

will benefit from living in a more

free and peaceful world.

TRANSLATION:

I think it is a good

thing for both countries,

and as a South Korean citizen,

it's good that the threat of war has

reduced, even by a little.

TRANSLATION:

Even if things turn out

well, it won't benefit

the people in North Korea.

In the past, when the South Korean

President provided aid

to North Korea, I heard almost none

of it went to the common people.

So I don't think it's

going to turn out well.

Decades of distrust and suspicion

divide North and South.

People have learned that

hope can be a bad thing.

I'm told it's hard to tell

what is real progress

and what is propaganda.

A strong word of caution.

The road ahead is very long,

very complicated, very complex,

and there's no guarantee

that the North will ever

give up its nuclear

weapons easily, if at all.

These talks are a huge

political gamble.

Presidents Moon and Trump could be

being played by Pyongyang,

or this peninsula could be

on the verge of something it's been

searching for for nearly seven

decades, a peace treaty.

This statue portrays two

brothers divided by the war,

in a last, desperate embrace.

There's a sense of cautious optimism

that this unresolved conflict

could now have a happier ending.

Laura Bicker, BBC News, Seoul.

In a moment, we'll speak

to Nick Bryant at the White House,

but first Laura Bicker joins

us from Seoul.

It's an extraordinary diplomatic

turnaround to move the US

and North Korea from trading insults

to having a meeting.

How did South Korea pull this off?

I think we have lost Laura in Seoul.

We will go back to her if we can.

Nick, first we heard that Mr Trump

was going to meet Kim Jong-un,

now he's putting

preconditions on any meeting.

Is it likely to happen?

Fiona, listening to the White House

briefing, we wondered whether

President Trump was getting cold

feet, but according to senior aides,

they say he really wants this to

happen. It is impulsive, the way he

likes to conduct foreign policy. It

gives him a reality TV moment for

the ages, his version of Nixon goes

to China. Another reason he finds it

attractive is that no President has

ever done this before and he loves

flying in the face of residential

orthodoxy. When it comes to North

Korea, he believes with some

justification that his

unconventional approach has worked

so far.

Laura, we have got you back.

How has South Korea pull this off,

if it happens?

if it happens?

President Moon saw an

opportunity and grabbed it. He heard

Kim Jong Un's speech on New Year's

Day, peaceful overtures, invited the

north to take part in the Winter

Olympics, which has seen a dizzying

level of visits and diplomacy

between North and South,

commentating in this moment. But

critics believe that President Moon

is too close to the north. He is the

son of North Korean refugees and he

has family based in the North. When

it comes to failed talks, he has

been part of those before. So when

it comes to what he has to gain,

that is obvious, that elusive peace

treaty and end to hostilities and

perhaps a place in the history

books. But he has a lot to lose.

Where does he go if this fails? And

when it comes to an end to

diplomacy, what options will the US

put on the table if they decide

diplomacy will not work? Those

military options will be back, and

people here do not want to see that.

I am glad we managed to get hold of

you. Thank you both.

Let's take a brief look at some

of the day's other news stories.

The first aid convoy since Monday

has crossed into the besieged Syrian

rebel-held enclave of Eastern

Ghouta.

The Red Cross sent 13 trucks loaded

with food but says it's not nearly

enough to feed the thousands

of civilians there.

They were also prevented from taking

in medical supplies.

Britain is close to agreeing

a multi-billion pound deal to supply

Saudi Arabia with 48

Typhoon fighter jets.

The announcement coincided

with the last day of a visit

by the new Saudi leader

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

The trip has attracted criticism

because of the Saudi's role

in the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

The EU has said it may challenge

Donald Trump's decision to impose

tariffs on steel and aluminium.

It claims they are in breach

of World Trade Organisation rules.

The British government said

that, as a close ally

of the United States,

it would seek exemption

from the tariffs.

A leaked internal email

from the medical director

of Northampton General Hospital

claims an elderly man waiting to be

seen in A&E died "due entirely

to dangerous overcrowding

in the department".

Our correspondent James

Waterhouse is here.

James, what more can you tell us?

At 4pm on Wednesday, an 85-year-old

man went to Northampton General

Hospital with stomach pains. He was

seen an hour and a half later and

told he would have to stick around

because blood tests suggest a heart

problem. He was put in a chair where

he would remain for seven hours

before suffering cardiac arrest at

1am. And now you have this leaked

e-mail from the medical director of

the trust which reads, last night a

patient died, due entirely to the

dangerous overcrowding of the

department. The risk we have all

been aware of but may have felt

hypothetical, has just happened. The

trust has apologised to the family

and called the outcome unacceptable.

Ideally the patient would not have

waited so long, it goes on, we do

not know what difference this might

have made to the final outcome. This

A&E unit has had 400 patients each

day for the last few months, an

increase of 30% compared with the

same period in the year before.

The man accused of carrying out

the London Tube bombing

at Parsons Green made no attempt

to deny he was responsible

when he was arrested

the day after the attack,

a court heard today.

The prosecution claims Ahmed Hassan,

who denies attempted murder,

told a detective

that he made the bomb.

30 people were injured in September

last year when the bomb partially

exploded in a Tube carriage.

June Kelly was in court.

Ahmed Hassan on his way to Brighton,

hours after leaving a bomb

on an underground train in London.

Two years on from his arrival

in the UK, the teenage asylum seeker

had caused mayhem

in its capital city.

Hassan later headed for Dover,

where he made for the port area.

The jury at his trial has seen this

CCTV footage of his movements.

On the run, he hung around this area

until the following morning.

And it was here, 24 hours

after the Tube attack,

the police identified him

as a wanted man.

In an initial interview

with counter-terrorism

detectives from Scotland Yard,

Hassan was asked,

"Who made the device?"

And he replied, "I did."

In response to further questions,

he said there might be a few

grams of the explosive,

TATP, at his home address.

Hassan's device created a fireball

when it partially exploded

on an Underground train at Parsons

Green station in west London.

The jury was told today the bomb

was packed with shrapnel,

including nuts, bolts,

screws, drill bits and knives.

And it contained 400 grams

of the explosive TATP.

It would have been lethal if it

had fully detonated.

This was the evidence

from an explosives expert,

who went on to the train.

The prosecution evidence at this

trial is now drawing to a close

and Hassan's defence case is due

to start next week.

June Kelly, BBC News,

at the Old Bailey.

Increasing numbers of young

British Muslim women are choosing

to wear a hijab or headscarf.

It's not without controversy.

Women in some Muslim

countries, like Iran,

are campaigning against it

as a symbol of oppression.

But here some women

are taking the opposite view,

seeing it as empowering,

even a feminist statement.

It's increasingly evident in the

world of fashion and social media.

And a major modelling agency has

just signed its first British

catwalk model who wears a hijab.

Nomia Iqbal investigates.

The spotlight is on the hijab.

Many Muslim women choose

to wear it proudly.

For some, it's an act of modesty.

For others, in countries like Iran,

forced to wear it, it's a symbol

to remove in protest.

It may divide opinion,

but hijab is going high fashion.

20-year-old model, Shahira Yusuf,

has been signed up by Storm,

the agency that found supermodel,

Kate Moss.

Shahira is one of the first

British models with a hijab

taking to the catwalk.

Yeah, definitely don't want to be

considered a token girl.

I don't want these models

like ethnic models or models

from different religious backgrounds

to just pave the way,

I want the way to stay there,

become the norm within society.

Because it is the norm outside

of the modelling sphere.

Shahira is becoming

the face of Modest Fashion.

At the show in London,

Muslim designers have come

from all over the world

to promote their clothes.

The market for Modest Fashion

is on course to be worth billions.

I grew up in a Muslim family

and none of the the women

in my family wore the hijab.

None of my Muslim

friends wore it either.

But now, more and more young

women are wearing it.

The reason why I wear

it is to number one, cover my hair.

And number two, to be honest,

I actually enjoy wearing the hijab,

I enjoy covering my hair,

I enjoy the Hijabs I have today

I feel like it makes a statement.

It's part of who I am,

it's my crown.

The hijab to me is empowerment

and it's feminism and it's taking

control and ownership

of what I choose

to show to the world.

Being online has given some women

a powerful platform.

Social media star, Mariah Idrissi,

has a huge following on Instagram.

The hijab is a part of me,

it's part of my career

and its representation.

You know, we shouldn't be ashamed

or shy to represent who we are.

If you are a model wearing a hijab,

and you're on Instagram and having

thousands of people following you,

aren't you doing the opposite

of what the hijab is

supposed to be about?

The mainstream media,

western media isn't

representing Muslims on TV,

in fashion, anywhere.

The only time we are represented

is for something bad.

I just saw this as, you know I'm

going on the news and I'm talking

about something that's not

about terrorism, not

about women being oppressed,

I'm talking about fashion.

Some campaigners for Muslim womens'

rights think the hijab's popularity

is a political statement.

They feel uneasy about its use

as an expression of identity.

Modest does not mean

you need to wear the hijab.

Modesty goes beyond that in your

behaviour and your way of dressing.

I don't need to prove to anybody

what I am, but in the hijab,

you are singling yourself

and proving something unnecessary,

especially in the Western world.

The hijab means different things

to different people.

Shahira believes you can wear it

and be a successful model.

Her dream?

The cover of British Vogue,

wearing her hijab.

Nomia Iqbal, BBC News.

Sir John Sawers then has died. His

work in decoding the sequence of

human DNA, the building blocks of

life, saw him awarded the prize back

in 2002.

The Winter Paralympics

are under way in South Korea.

North and South Korea didn't march

together under a unified flag

in the opening ceremony as they did

at last month's Winter Olympics

because they failed to agree

on which version to use.

Britain is being represented by 17

athletes, as Kate Grey

reports from Pyeongchang.

The biggest Winter

Paralympics to date.

Drummers and dancers,

the traditional charms

of Korea opening the show.

The weather playing its part too -

nothing could be done

about the fog-covered fireworks.

And heavy snow had prevented a full

rehearsal so a slight flag

hiccup could be forgiven.

But the flags were in full flight

when it came to the parade,

some more than others.

And here they come, Great Britain.

Owen Pick leading the way,

a great honour for the soldier

turned snowboarder.

And the British team certainly

enjoying the party atmosphere.

The International Paralympic

Committee had wanted North Korea

and South Korea to march out under

a unified flag but these Games

will be North Korea's debut

Winter Paralympics so the team

preferred to walk out separately.

The host nation completed

the procession but the cold

temperature meant no hanging around,

with all teams snaking

in and out of the stadium.

The crowd were treated

to an eclectic mix -

a snowboarding bear,

weird and wonderful contraptions

on wheels, and the floor putting

on its own dazzling show

with the help of performers.

Paralympics GB have a target of six

to 12 medals here in South Korea

and their best chances could come

from the ski slopes.

Rising stars Menna Fitzpatrick

and her guide, Jen Kehoe,

will compete across the five Alpine

skiing events and could be two

the big names of these Games.

There's a really good buzz

in the camp, the mood

is really, really positive.

It feels like a real family.

There's a real identity,

there's a real cohesion,

you can feel the support.

With the cauldron lit

and the fog finally clearing

for the firework finale,

organisers will hope it

will now be about the sport

and not the weather.

Kate Grey, BBC News, Pyeongchang.

That's it.

Now on BBC One, it's time

for the news where you are.