0:00:06 > 0:00:08It is now clear that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned
0:00:08 > 0:00:15with a military grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18The Prime Minister points the finger at Moscow saying it's highly
0:00:18 > 0:00:21likely it was behind the attack in Salisbury.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Tonight a supermarket car park in Salisbury is sealed off
0:00:23 > 0:00:25as hundreds of police continue to investigate the attack
0:00:25 > 0:00:29eight days ago.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Sergei and Yulia Skripal are still critically ill -
0:00:31 > 0:00:33the Russian ambassador has been told to explain by tomorrow
0:00:33 > 0:00:41what happened.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45President Putin, BBC News...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47In Russia, President Putin brushes off questions about the attack -
0:00:47 > 0:00:53as Moscow accuses the British of making up fairy tales.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56We will have the latest on the investigation and...
0:00:56 > 0:00:58We'll be looking at what happens next.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59Also tonight....
0:00:59 > 0:01:01A teenager is jailed for carrying out a string of acid
0:01:01 > 0:01:04attacks on moped riders - to steal their scooters.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Tributes to Ken Dodd - the last of the great
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Music Hall variety comedians - who has died at the age of 90.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12This river in Greater Manchester found to have the highest levels
0:01:12 > 0:01:18of microplastic pollution so far recorded anywhere in the world.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Sky's football pundit Jamie Carragher is suspended
0:01:20 > 0:01:25after he spits at a teenage girl and her family.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27And a "master of elegance" - Hubert de Givenchy -
0:01:27 > 0:01:34the man who dressed Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kenedy - has died.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Coming up on Sportsday later in the hour on BBC News,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40will it be another step closer to the Premier League title
0:01:40 > 0:01:41for Manchester City?
0:01:41 > 0:01:49They made a good start against Stoke.
0:02:02 > 0:02:03Good evening.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05The Prime Minister has pointed the finger at Russia tonight, saying
0:02:05 > 0:02:09it's highly likely it was behind the attack in Salisbury on a former
0:02:09 > 0:02:10Russian spy and his daughter.
0:02:10 > 0:02:11In a dramatic statement,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Theresa May revealed that Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned
0:02:14 > 0:02:20by a military grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Russia's ambassador has been summoned and told to explain -
0:02:23 > 0:02:26by tomorrow night - what happened.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28The Prime Minister said if there's no credible response,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31the Government will conclude it was an unlawful use of force
0:02:31 > 0:02:32by the Russian State against the UK.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34And she said there would be consequences.
0:02:34 > 0:02:42Here's our political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53Who was responsible? Who brought a chemical attack to quite British
0:02:53 > 0:02:59soil?The Prime Minister was ready to lay the blame. It is now clear
0:02:59 > 0:03:02that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a military grade
0:03:02 > 0:03:08nerve agent of a type developed by Russia. This is part of a group of
0:03:08 > 0:03:12nerve agents known as Novichok. Either this was a direct act by the
0:03:12 > 0:03:17Russian state against our country or the Russian government lost control
0:03:17 > 0:03:20of its potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it
0:03:20 > 0:03:28to get into the hands of others.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41But what would she be ready to do? Should there be no credible
0:03:41 > 0:03:43response, we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of
0:03:43 > 0:03:45force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom. Mr Speaker, this
0:03:45 > 0:03:48attempted murder using weapons grade nerve agent in a British town was
0:03:48 > 0:03:50not just a crime against the Skripals. It was an indiscriminate
0:03:50 > 0:03:52and reckless act against the United Kingdom, putting the lives of
0:03:52 > 0:03:57innocent civilians at risk and we will not tolerate such a brazen
0:03:57 > 0:04:02attempt to murder innocent civilians our soil.The Russian ambassador
0:04:02 > 0:04:07summoned to the Foreign Office for an explanation and handed an
0:04:07 > 0:04:10ultimatum to respond by midnight tomorrow. Not much chance of
0:04:10 > 0:04:16consensus between red and blue at home.We need to continue seeking a
0:04:16 > 0:04:21robust dialogue with Russia on all the issues currently dividing our
0:04:21 > 0:04:25countries, both domestic and international. Rather than simply
0:04:25 > 0:04:30cutting off contact and letting the divisions get worse and potentially,
0:04:30 > 0:04:37even more dangerous.A serious moment on both sides though.I hope
0:04:37 > 0:04:45the whole House will be able to come together behind a
0:04:55 > 0:04:58firm response form the government in the interests of our national
0:04:58 > 0:05:00security and public safety.This, if not an act of war, was certainly a
0:05:00 > 0:05:03wart like act by the Russian Federation. Can Downing Street push
0:05:03 > 0:05:05the powerful Kremlin? There will be more expulsions. She has taught this
0:05:05 > 0:05:08about being an unlawful act about should bring in Nato and we should
0:05:08 > 0:05:10be consulting Nato allies and I hope that is going on now, because
0:05:10 > 0:05:15anything we do will be more effective if there can be a broader
0:05:15 > 0:05:21solidarity behind us.The Skripals still in critical condition, their
0:05:21 > 0:05:26personal plight now a grave diplomatic fight.
0:05:26 > 0:05:34In the last hour, Theresa May has spoken to Emmanuel Macron. Amber
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Rudd will share another meeting of the emergency committee at 11:30am
0:05:37 > 0:05:42tomorrow. The Prime Minister's response today was strong in its
0:05:42 > 0:05:47tone and strong in its words. If by midnight tomorrow, the Russians have
0:05:47 > 0:05:52not come back with a credible answer to what really went on in Salisbury,
0:05:52 > 0:05:57the test will not be the strength or nature of the pro-Minister's words,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01but the strength and credibility of the actions she actually decides to
0:06:01 > 0:06:04take. -- Prime Minister.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned with a rare kind
0:06:06 > 0:06:08of nerve agent called Novichok.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10But what is it and where has it come from?
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Our security correspondent Gordon Corera joins us now.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Gordon. The Prime Minister was remarkably specific about the
0:06:18 > 0:06:22identity of that nerve agent that had been discovered in Salisbury.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26What do we know about it? Why was she so specific and why is it
0:06:26 > 0:06:32thought that it points to Russia? Samples from the scene in Salisbury
0:06:32 > 0:06:37were analysed at the Porton Down laboratory. The tests determined
0:06:37 > 0:06:46that it came from a rare class of nerve agents known as Novichok.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51Novichok are identifiable and new and deadly poison.The use of them
0:06:51 > 0:06:55in the UK is sending a strong message and it is therefore very
0:06:55 > 0:07:00surprising that they are being used. Novichoks are a class of agents
0:07:00 > 0:07:04developed during the Cold War in the 1970s and 1980s, they can be eight
0:07:04 > 0:07:09times more toxic than other agents like VX. They were designed to be
0:07:09 > 0:07:13hard to detect and to get through defences like chemical protection
0:07:13 > 0:07:18suits. The crucial thing is that these agents were only developed by
0:07:18 > 0:07:24Russia. Novichoks were top-secret, but an insider revealed details of
0:07:24 > 0:07:30the programme at the end of the Cold War. Now, living in America, he told
0:07:30 > 0:07:39the BBC tonight why he spoke out.I thought that I was involved in a
0:07:39 > 0:07:46criminal enterprise. I came to the conclusion that chemical weapons are
0:07:46 > 0:07:55not normal weapons against the armies, the troops of enemies.The
0:07:55 > 0:07:58identification of Novichoks meant the Prime Minister could say that
0:07:58 > 0:08:03either the Russian state itself deployed that nerve agent in
0:08:03 > 0:08:08Salisbury, or it somehow lost control of its stocks.I would have
0:08:08 > 0:08:12thought it was highly unlikely and I am sure there are other super
0:08:12 > 0:08:19weapons and some of them we have seen recently, Vladimir Putin has
0:08:19 > 0:08:21demonstrated his tactical missile and others and I would have thought
0:08:21 > 0:08:25these are under very strict control and I am sure no rogue elements in
0:08:25 > 0:08:30Russia are making a fast buck by selling them.Tonight, police
0:08:30 > 0:08:34searches by traces of nerve agent are still ongoing. Russia should
0:08:34 > 0:08:39have declared its secret programme and the Prime Minister today said it
0:08:39 > 0:08:43must now disclose its lead to the international community. Some
0:08:43 > 0:08:48questions were answered today, but we still do not know exactly how the
0:08:48 > 0:08:53nerve agent was delivered to the Skripals and there is another
0:08:53 > 0:09:02question,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08why did Russia use a nerve agent which could so easily be traced back
0:09:08 > 0:09:08to its own programme? Thank you.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Let's go to Salisbury now, where hundreds of police officers
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and army experts who've been drafted in are continuing to investigate
0:09:13 > 0:09:16what happened and deal with the aftermath of the attack.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Our correspondent Daniel Sandford is there -
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and there's still a big police operation in place?
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Yes, there is no sign of letting up. This is an enormous operation
0:09:23 > 0:09:27involving chemical warfare trips, counter-terrorism officers and
0:09:27 > 0:09:30specialist ambulance crews who have been working at a Sainsbury's car
0:09:30 > 0:09:36park. A lot of what is visible to the public is painstaking
0:09:36 > 0:09:40decontamination work and removal of vehicles for further decontamination
0:09:40 > 0:09:43at that chemical warfare establishment at Porton Down. There
0:09:43 > 0:09:49is a lot of forensic work going on, particularly at the home of Sergei
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Skripal. It remains a focus of the investigation but counter-terrorism
0:09:52 > 0:10:02officers have made no appeal to the public for information
0:10:02 > 0:10:04public for information since Wednesday, they have released no
0:10:04 > 0:10:06images of suspects and in fact they have given very few details about
0:10:06 > 0:10:08how much progress they have made towards identifying the individuals
0:10:08 > 0:10:16involved in attacking Sergei and Yulia Skripal. They have been going
0:10:16 > 0:10:20about their business stalker here, the residence, but there is a sense
0:10:20 > 0:10:24that they should have been given better public health information
0:10:24 > 0:10:27following the attack.Thank you.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Moscow was quick to respond to the Prime Minister's speech,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32with the Russian Foreign Ministry calling her statement "a fairy
0:10:32 > 0:10:34tale" and a "circus show in the British Parliament".
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Our Moscow Correspondent Steve Rosenberg is in Krasnodar
0:10:36 > 0:10:43in southern Russia, where President Putin is on a visit.
0:10:43 > 0:10:51Steve.Before today, Vladimir Putin had not commented publicly on events
0:10:51 > 0:10:56in Salisbury. He came here today to do some election campaigning and we
0:10:56 > 0:11:00came as well to see if he would say anything at all about the attack
0:11:00 > 0:11:03that Britain is blaming on Russia.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Getting close enough to Vladimir Putin to ask
0:11:05 > 0:11:06a question isn't easy.
0:11:06 > 0:11:12But we were with the Kremlin leader when you visited Russia's national
0:11:12 > 0:11:14But we were with the Kremlin leader when he visited Russia's national
0:11:14 > 0:11:16grain centre.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18He wanted to talk about record harvests but we wanted
0:11:18 > 0:11:20to know if Moscow had targeted Britain.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21President Putin, BBC News.
0:11:21 > 0:11:27Is Russia behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal?
0:11:27 > 0:11:29TRANSLATION:We're busy with agriculture here.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30To create good conditions for people's
0:11:30 > 0:11:32lives.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34And you talk to me about some tragedies?
0:11:34 > 0:11:36First work out what actually happened there and then
0:11:36 > 0:11:38we'll talk about it.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40But when the British government announced it had
0:11:40 > 0:11:46worked out which country had attacked the Skripals, Moscow was
0:11:46 > 0:11:47in no mood to listen.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48Tonight Russia described
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Theresa May's Commons statement as a
0:11:51 > 0:11:55circus show and it dismissed accusations against Moscow as an
0:11:55 > 0:12:03informational political campaign based on provocation, a fairy tale.
0:12:03 > 0:12:09Meanwhile, Russian state TV has been pointing the finger back at Britain.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12The news bulletins suggested that the UK had poisoned the former
0:12:12 > 0:12:15double agent.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Only the British stood to benefit, he says.
0:12:17 > 0:12:25It feeds the Russa phobia.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Security experts, though, believe the trail leads to
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Moscow and to the Kremlin.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34I haven't got the sense, frankly, that operations of this magnitude,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37something that you know it's going to have a major
0:12:37 > 0:12:38geopolitical impact, can go ahead without being signed
0:12:38 > 0:12:41off from the very top.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Now whether that actively means a plan being
0:12:43 > 0:12:47spelt out to Putin, and him saying, yes, go for it, or something
0:12:47 > 0:12:48a little bit more lightweight.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Nonetheless this is not something that came from
0:12:50 > 0:12:54anything other than the top of the system.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56This weekend Russians are expected to re-elect Vladimir Putin
0:12:56 > 0:12:59as their president.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02A new term that is set to be marked by a new
0:13:02 > 0:13:03confrontation with the West.
0:13:03 > 0:13:09Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Krasnodar.
0:13:09 > 0:13:16And our Diplomatic Correspondent James Landale joins me.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Russia's ambassador was told that he had until tomorrow night to explain
0:13:19 > 0:13:24what happened and if he doesn't, what then?If there is no
0:13:24 > 0:13:28satisfactory answer, I would expect the expulsion of some diplomats,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31four were kicked out after the case of Alexander Litvinenko. We should
0:13:31 > 0:13:36expect a lot more than that. We should see the government is
0:13:36 > 0:13:41cracking down on wealthy Russians in London, travel bans, financial
0:13:41 > 0:13:44restrictions and also tougher laws potentially that would seize the
0:13:44 > 0:13:48assets of those Russians guilty of human rights abuses. Other
0:13:48 > 0:13:54responses, targeting the Russian state broadcaster, potentially do
0:13:54 > 0:13:59playing more troops to the eastern flank in Nato, conducting even
0:13:59 > 0:14:01offensive cyber operations against Russia. None of this has been ruled
0:14:01 > 0:14:06out. The interesting question is the International site, a lot of
0:14:06 > 0:14:10diplomacy is going on to trying get support for this and the problem is
0:14:10 > 0:14:14that the bar is high. The Russians have a BTO at the United Nations and
0:14:14 > 0:14:20the Europeans are reluctant to toughen sanctions and the US is
0:14:20 > 0:14:22saying, we are supporting new but refusing to criticise the Russians.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27There are a lot of options, the test will be whether it is enough to have
0:14:27 > 0:14:33an impact on the Kremlin.James Landale, thank you.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36A 17-year-old has been sentenced to ten and a half years in jail
0:14:36 > 0:14:39for carrying out a series of acid attacks on moped riders
0:14:39 > 0:14:40in London last July.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Derryck John, from Croydon, sprayed six people with acid
0:14:42 > 0:14:44in the space of an hour and a half.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46He stole two mopeds and attempted to take another four.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48The judge described his crimes as 'despicable'.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49Tom Burridge reports.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52He'd thrown acid into the face of six men.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57But here's Derryck John calmly paying for petrol that night.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00He was linked to the stolen moped, but the person
0:15:00 > 0:15:06seen here driving him around still hasn't been identified.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09When Derryck John drove a stolen bike himself later on, this -
0:15:09 > 0:15:14an accident which linked him to a string of violent acid attacks.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Where's it hurting, mate, you all right?
0:15:17 > 0:15:21This victim says his face felt like it was on fire.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Attacked by Derryck John while delivering takeways,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Jabed Hussain is still suffering today.
0:15:27 > 0:15:28I have to keep my eyes everywhere.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Even I don't trust in the street.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32If anyone shouts next to me, I get scared.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37If I want to go out, I always lock my car doors and windows.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40I used to be busy myself, I'm a working class guy.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44After the incident, I am totally different.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48I can't believe myself that I am stuck and alone.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Today, the 17-year-old was sentenced to ten and a half years in jail.
0:15:51 > 0:15:57The judge said an adult would have gone to prison for much longer.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00We're very pleased with the sentencing Mr John has received,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03We think it does send a strong message that even as a youth
0:16:03 > 0:16:05offender, a ten-year plus sentence still sends a strong message
0:16:05 > 0:16:08that this will not be tolerated.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10The same judge sentenced Arthur Collins, seen here throwing
0:16:10 > 0:16:13acid across a crowded dance floor, to 20 years in prison.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16It was one of 400 acid attacks in England and Wales in the
0:16:16 > 0:16:17first six months of last year.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Even those under 18 who are caught, like
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Derryck John, are likely to spend several years in prison.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Tom Burridge, BBC News.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37The Leader of the House of Commons has recommended a "short,
0:16:37 > 0:16:42independently led" inquiry into claims of bullying
0:16:42 > 0:16:44of parliamentary staff. It follows allegations against
0:16:44 > 0:16:47the Commons Speaker John Bercow and two MPs after an investigation
0:16:47 > 0:16:48by the BBC's Newsnight programme.
0:16:48 > 0:16:56All three strongly deny the allegations.
0:16:57 > 0:17:03Tributes have been paid to Sir Ken Dodd, one of the most popular
0:17:03 > 0:17:07entertainers of our time, who has died at the age of 90. During a
0:17:07 > 0:17:10career which spanned more than 60 years, he brought laughter to
0:17:10 > 0:17:13millions of fans. Sir Ken died yesterday in Liverpool in the house
0:17:13 > 0:17:18where he was born. His partner of 40 years was by his side. They got
0:17:18 > 0:17:24married last Friday. David Sillito looks back at his life.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26I always say writing jokes for Ken Dodd was almost
0:17:26 > 0:17:29like being asked to mix the paints for Van Gogh.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30It was that big an honour.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31Geronimo!
0:17:31 > 0:17:33A little old lady went to the doctor.
0:17:33 > 0:17:34She said, "Doctor!
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Can I have some more sleeping pills for my husband?"
0:17:37 > 0:17:38"Why?"
0:17:38 > 0:17:42She said, "He's woke up."
0:17:42 > 0:17:43# Happiness...
0:17:43 > 0:17:44Ken Dodd.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48His shows could last into the early hours.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50He was a joke machine, and there were thousands.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53I haven't spoken to my mother-in-law for 18 months.
0:17:53 > 0:17:54I don't like to interrupt her.
0:17:54 > 0:18:01Did you hear about the shrimp that went to the prawn cocktail party?
0:18:01 > 0:18:08He pulled a mussel!
0:18:08 > 0:18:11It turns out that if you bang two halves of a horse together,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13it doesn't make the sound of a coconut!
0:18:13 > 0:18:14Intensely private, but in public, unstoppable.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17I think there's a show business Ken Dodd and there
0:18:17 > 0:18:18is a thinking Ken Dodd.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23And hopefully, there's an amusing Ken Dodd.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28I hope so, anyway.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31She said, do you know what an erogenous zone is?
0:18:31 > 0:18:33I said, I know you can't park there.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Ken Dodd!
0:18:38 > 0:18:42When he walked on, the place used to go up and he hadn't
0:18:42 > 0:18:45even said anything yet.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50Now, that doesn't happen very often.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51How tickled we were.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52How tickled we are.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56He would fire the gags out at you like a machine-gun.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59In 1955, he was at the top of the charts.
0:18:59 > 0:19:06Only the Beatles outsold him.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18We call it "hur" in Liverpool, Judy with the "fur hur".
0:19:18 > 0:19:23# Tears for souvenirs...
0:19:23 > 0:19:26And home was the house he was born in in Knotty Ash in Liverpool,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28and where he finally married his partner Ann
0:19:28 > 0:19:29just three days ago.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I have been overwhelmed by love and affection which I have already
0:19:32 > 0:19:34received from dear friends and the public.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36I thank you all for being here.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38He also famously had his troubles with the Inland Revenue.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39He was eventually acquitted.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41The job I fancy is Chancellor of the Exchequer -
0:19:41 > 0:19:43at least I'd be reunited with my money!
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Ken Dodd - one of our last links to the world of music hall.
0:19:47 > 0:19:54An era really has come to an end.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59Sir Ken Dodd, who's died at the age of 90.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Plastic and the problems it causes in oceans and rivers around
0:20:03 > 0:20:06the world are already well known.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09But what's not so clear is how much damage microplastics are doing -
0:20:09 > 0:20:14the tiny particles of plastic less than five millimetres in size.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16They can be found in all kinds of things from industrial
0:20:16 > 0:20:17pollution to cosmetics.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21And now researchers have discovered that a river in Greater Manchester
0:20:21 > 0:20:23has the highest levels of microplastic pollution so far
0:20:23 > 0:20:27recorded anywhere in the world.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33Our science correspondent Victoria Gill reports.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37All along this river bank you can see evidence of plastic litter,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39plastic bags, plastic bottles, food containers.
0:20:39 > 0:20:46But it's when things like this break down into much smaller fragments
0:20:46 > 0:20:48that they're just one source of the microplastics that
0:20:48 > 0:20:50end up in the riverbed.
0:20:50 > 0:20:58To find out just how much microplastic flows
0:21:00 > 0:21:02into our rivers from litter, waste water and industry,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05scientists need to take a piece of the riverbed back to the lab.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08All the mud and silt and clay and the microplastic particles
0:21:08 > 0:21:10will come into the water.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12The team analysed silt at 40 different locations,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16from remote rural streams to city centre waterways.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20They found microplastic everywhere.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Where lots of people live, we found extraordinarily high levels
0:21:22 > 0:21:28of microplastic contamination.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Just a few kilometres upstream from here, we found microplastic
0:21:30 > 0:21:32concentrations that are the highest so far recorded anywhere
0:21:32 > 0:21:34in the world, over 500,000 microplastic particles per metre
0:21:34 > 0:21:36square of riverbed, enormously high levels of contamination.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39And that is just a few miles upstream from where we're standing
0:21:39 > 0:21:40in Greater Manchester?
0:21:40 > 0:21:45Yes.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48This is a jar of sediment from the bed of this river,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51a typical suburban stretch of the River Mersey.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53And in this 250g jar, there will be 5,000 individual
0:21:53 > 0:21:57pieces of microplastic.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Aquatic insects, birds and fish can ingest these
0:22:00 > 0:22:03microscopic pieces of plastic.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05And this is where the problem becomes visible.
0:22:05 > 0:22:12This is all plastic?
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Yes, indeed.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17How many fragments would you have in this?
0:22:17 > 0:22:19So in this sample just from a few grams, about 100
0:22:19 > 0:22:20microplastic pieces.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Over here, we've got a couple of microbeads,
0:22:22 > 0:22:27a bright pink one and a yellow one.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Finding the source of this problem will be scientists' next step
0:22:29 > 0:22:31to stop our riverbeds becoming an invisible dumping ground
0:22:31 > 0:22:33for billions of pieces of plastic.
0:22:33 > 0:22:41Victoria Gill, BBC News.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43The BBC has accused Iran of collectively punishing
0:22:43 > 0:22:45its Persian Service journalists for reporting on the country's
0:22:45 > 0:22:49affairs.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52In an unprecedented move, the BBC has launched an appeal
0:22:52 > 0:22:55to the UN Human Rights Council, demanding that its employees'
0:22:55 > 0:22:57rights be protected.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00More than 20 Persian Service staff and their families have had death
0:23:00 > 0:23:04threats and some of their relatives have been harassed.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06James Robbins is at the UN in Geneva.
0:23:06 > 0:23:12James, what's the BBC hoping to achieve by this?
0:23:12 > 0:23:17This is happening because the Iranian authorities have been
0:23:17 > 0:23:22hostile to the BBC Persian television service ever since it was
0:23:22 > 0:23:27launched in 2009. They accuse it of spreading false propaganda in Iran,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30designed to encourage those who want to bring down the entire Iranian
0:23:30 > 0:23:37government system. We only know that because the Iranians, provoked, I
0:23:37 > 0:23:41think, by the BBC going to the UN today, have come out for the first
0:23:41 > 0:23:45time with a detailed response to the BBC's complaints about the treatment
0:23:45 > 0:23:49of its staff. The fact is that Tony Hall, the director-general, thought
0:23:49 > 0:23:53he was making no progress with the Iranians in trying to write to them
0:23:53 > 0:23:57and get a response. They were not coming back to him with anything and
0:23:57 > 0:24:00he said it was necessary to bring this all out into the open in the
0:24:00 > 0:24:03hope that perhaps the Iranians would now take serious note now that the
0:24:03 > 0:24:07UN is involved.James Robbins, thank you.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Sky has suspended the football pundit, Jamie Carragher,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11after footage emerged of him spitting through a car
0:24:11 > 0:24:13at a teenage girl and her father.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15The former England and Liverpool footballer described it as a "moment
0:24:15 > 0:24:23of madness" after he was goaded.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25Andy Swiss's report contains some flashing images.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26Jamie Carragher there, look!
0:24:26 > 0:24:28He is one of football's most famous pundits,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31but after being spotted by a fan on Sunday, Jamie Carragher winds
0:24:31 > 0:24:32down his window and this happens.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Unlucky, Jamie, lad.
0:24:33 > 0:24:342-1, lad!
0:24:34 > 0:24:38He spat on me.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40"He spat on me" - the voice of the driver's
0:24:40 > 0:24:4214-year-old daughter.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47Jamie Carragher spat on my daughter, nice.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Carragher, who'd just watched his former club Liverpool lose,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51said he'd been goaded and lost his rag.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Have you been sacked?
0:24:55 > 0:24:58But this morning, he arrived in London to be told he'd been
0:24:58 > 0:25:00suspended from his job with Sky Sports.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Carragher, who has a 14-year-old daughter himself, admitted his
0:25:02 > 0:25:04behaviour was unacceptable.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08It looks awful and I accept that.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13It's not something I've done before, it's not something I will do again.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15I'm sure of that.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20I've had a moment of madness, a really big, huge mistake,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24a stain on my character.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25I have to accept that.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28I have let my family down, but I think the family I've let down
0:25:28 > 0:25:32more than anyone is the people in the car.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Well, what Jamie Carragher did on his way home from the match
0:25:35 > 0:25:37here at Old Trafford has been strongly condemned by his employers.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40In a statement, Sky said his behaviour fell well below
0:25:40 > 0:25:41the standards they expect.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44The question now is whether his apology will be
0:25:44 > 0:25:47enough to save his job.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Before this, Carragher had proved a success in the Sky studios.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53His transition to tough-talking pundit from tough-tackling
0:25:53 > 0:25:55player had seemed seamless, but after retiring on the pitch,
0:25:55 > 0:26:01his new career could yet face an early farewell.
0:26:01 > 0:26:09Andy Swiss, BBC News.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14The cost of getting the civil service ready for Brexit is running
0:26:14 > 0:26:15into billions of pounds.
0:26:15 > 0:26:23Thousands of extra civil servants are being employed to cope
0:26:23 > 0:26:24with the challenges.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26New research suggests that in some key government
0:26:26 > 0:26:28departments, six years of austerity cuts have been
0:26:28 > 0:26:31reversed, less than two years since the Brexit referendum took place.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33The cost of getting the civil service ready for Brexit runs
0:26:33 > 0:26:34into billions of pounds.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Chris Morris from our Reality Check team explains.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39At the time of the EU referendum after years of austerity,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41the size of the civil service here in Westminster
0:26:41 > 0:26:43was at its smallest since the Second World War,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45and 20% smaller than it was when the coalition government
0:26:45 > 0:26:47took office in 2010.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48But now, in key departments dealing with Brexit,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50those staff reductions have largely been reversed.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Two new departments have been created since the referendum,
0:26:52 > 0:26:53the Department for International Trade
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and the Department for Exiting the EU here in Downing Street.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Between them, they have about 1,500 staff devoted exclusively to Brexit.
0:27:00 > 0:27:06The numbers are most striking, though, here at Defra.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08The Institute for Government says its headcount will have increased
0:27:08 > 0:27:09by 65% since the referendum.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13By the end of this month, it's due to have taken on an extra
0:27:13 > 0:27:151,200 people dealing exclusively with Brexit, including replacing
0:27:15 > 0:27:18the EU's Common Agriculture and Fisheries policies.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23Elsewhere, the Home Office is planning to have hired an extra
0:27:23 > 0:27:261,500 Brexit staff by September
0:27:26 > 0:27:29and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs between 3,000 and 5,000
0:27:29 > 0:27:32extra staff by this time next year.
0:27:32 > 0:27:40So, more people, and the Government has said it is committed to ensuring
0:27:41 > 0:27:43that the right skills and resources are available to deliver
0:27:43 > 0:27:44a successful Brexit.
0:27:44 > 0:27:50So how much is it all going to cost?
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Well, the Institute for Government thinks getting the civil service
0:27:52 > 0:27:56ready for Brexit could cost as much as £2 billion by the time we're due
0:27:56 > 0:27:57to leave the EU next year.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00And that's on top of the divorce bill with the EU,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03which the Government says will be 39 billion and could be even higher.
0:28:03 > 0:28:11Chris Morris, BBC News.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Next month a tax on sugary drinks will be introduced for the first
0:28:14 > 0:28:16time in the UK in a bid to tackle obesity.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19You'll be paying between 18 and 24 pence extra per
0:28:19 > 0:28:21litre for many drinks - depending on how much extra
0:28:21 > 0:28:22sugar has been added.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Our health editor Hugh Pym has been to Norway where a sugar tax has
0:28:26 > 0:28:27been in place for years.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30There are sweets and lots of them in this shop favoured by some
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Norwegians, but it is not in their own country, it is just
0:28:33 > 0:28:34over the border in Sweden.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37The store owner is offering all of this at half the prices
0:28:37 > 0:28:38Norwegians pay at home.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41In January, the sugar tax levied in Norway went up more than 80%.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Some have driven long distances to cross the border
0:28:43 > 0:28:49for their shopping.
0:28:49 > 0:28:55I'm coming every once a month to buy food, so it's worth it.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58It's not only because of the price, but we like to have a treat
0:28:58 > 0:29:00and we buy a lot when we come here.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03The company says trade has picked up since the Norwegian tax rise,
0:29:03 > 0:29:07equivalent to about 10p on a chocolate bar.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11It's hard to imagine anything else quite like it.
0:29:11 > 0:29:12The Swedish owner says this is one of the biggest
0:29:12 > 0:29:14sweet shops in the world.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16It has 20 of them, all a short distance from the border.
0:29:16 > 0:29:2195% of customers come over from Norway.
0:29:21 > 0:29:26Norwegians are used to the sugar tax which was introduced some time ago.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28Locals here in Oslo are philosophical about it,
0:29:28 > 0:29:33even after the tax increase.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37People are not happy with the tax increasing,
0:29:37 > 0:29:39but I think it's good.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42There are a lot of other taxes that I would react on,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45but this one is OK for me.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47The government says the tax has helped control child obesity rates,
0:29:47 > 0:29:48which are below Sweden's.
0:29:48 > 0:29:53We managed now to stabilise the obesity of the children
0:29:53 > 0:30:00and young people and I am happy about that.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03It means that what we have done until now has been
0:30:03 > 0:30:04functioning in the right way.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07The UK is now going down the same track with a tax
0:30:07 > 0:30:08on sugary soft drinks.
0:30:08 > 0:30:14The aim is to move shoppers towards lower sugar options.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Groups like this have already done that.
0:30:17 > 0:30:25This cookery class with healthy recipes for parents and children
0:30:27 > 0:30:34is run by a charity, made in Hackney, puddings
0:30:34 > 0:30:42and juices with fruit, but no added sugar on the menu.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Occasionally, you would have a fizzy drink,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49but I want to stop, so I am here learning about this.
0:30:49 > 0:30:50The Norwegian example shows people can learn
0:30:50 > 0:30:53to live with the sugar tax, even though when it comes
0:30:53 > 0:30:55to their behaviour, the message is, expect the unexpected.
0:30:55 > 0:30:56Hugh Pym, BBC News, Oslo.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58One of the great names of fashion,
0:30:58 > 0:31:00the French designer Hubert de Givenchy, has died
0:31:00 > 0:31:01at the age of 91.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04After founding his own fashion house in 1952, Givenchy became famous
0:31:04 > 0:31:06for dressing stars like Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08Most notably, he designed the "little black dress"
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast At Tiffany's,
0:31:10 > 0:31:11as part of a professional
0:31:11 > 0:31:12and personal relationship that lasted 40 years.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15In a moment, we'll have the news from where you are.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17But first, we'll have some images from Givenchy's life -
0:31:17 > 0:31:19set to one of the iconic
0:31:19 > 0:31:21tracks from Breakfast At Tiffany's - Moon River.
0:31:21 > 0:31:22# Moon river
0:31:22 > 0:31:25# Wider than a mile
0:31:25 > 0:31:33# I'm crossin' you in style someday
0:31:35 > 0:31:41# Old dream maker
0:31:41 > 0:31:46# You heartbreaker
0:31:46 > 0:31:52# Moon river
0:31:52 > 0:32:00# And me #.