0:00:02 > 0:00:04Tonight at ten:
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats after Moscow fails to explain
0:00:07 > 0:00:11the chemical attack in Salisbury.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13As the investigation widened today the Prime Minister announced
0:00:13 > 0:00:16a series of sanctions against Russia and cut off all high level
0:00:16 > 0:00:19contacts with Moscow.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22They have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent
0:00:22 > 0:00:26in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Russia has again denied being involved and has demanded
0:00:28 > 0:00:33to be shown proof of a Russian link to the nerve agent.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35The Russian diplomats being expelled have a week to leave.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38We'll be asking who they are and what impact their departure
0:00:38 > 0:00:39will have.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Also tonight:
0:00:41 > 0:00:44I'm very proud that I have been able to contribute
0:00:44 > 0:00:47to our understanding of the universe.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49An extraordinary scientist who inspired millions -
0:00:49 > 0:00:52tributes pour in from around the world
0:00:52 > 0:00:57to Professor Stephen Hawking who's died at the age of 76.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Students across America walk out of class -
0:00:59 > 0:01:02a month after the Florida school shooting - in the largest protest
0:01:02 > 0:01:06against gun violence for years.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08And what's in our bottled water?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10A special investigation discovers hundreds - even thousands -
0:01:10 > 0:01:17of tiny particles of plastic in a number of leading brands.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19And coming up on Sportsday on BBC News...
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Altior wins the big race on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24The favourite stormed home in impressive style
0:01:24 > 0:01:30to win by 12 lengths.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Good evening.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Britain is expelling 23 Russian diplomats after Moscow refused
0:01:50 > 0:01:53to explain how a military grade nerve agent was used
0:01:53 > 0:01:56on a former spy in Salisbury.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01It's the biggest such expulsion for more than 30 years.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03The Prime Minister told parliament that the "undeclared
0:02:03 > 0:02:06intelligence officers" have just one week to leave.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08The UK has also cut off all high level contacts with Russia
0:02:08 > 0:02:11and announced that government ministers and the royal family
0:02:11 > 0:02:14will not attend the World Cup.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Here's our political editor, Laura Kuenssberg.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20It was right to offer Russia the opportunity
0:02:20 > 0:02:23to provide an explanation.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25But their response has demonstrated complete disdain
0:02:25 > 0:02:30for the gravity of these events.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32The midnight deadline came and went, leaving a morning
0:02:32 > 0:02:36with no new answers.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Theresa May went prepared to Prime Minister's Questions,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42ready to announce the biggest diplomatic action against Russia
0:02:42 > 0:02:45since the Cold War.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48They have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent
0:02:48 > 0:02:52in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56So, Mr Speaker, there is no alternative conclusion,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59other than the Russian state was culpable for the attempted
0:02:59 > 0:03:03murder of Mr Skripal and his daughter.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05This represents and unlawful use of force by the Russian state
0:03:05 > 0:03:10against the United Kingdom.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12So the UK will retaliate.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15The United Kingdom will now expel 23 Russian diplomats
0:03:15 > 0:03:19who have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23They have just one week to leave.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25This was not just an act of attempted murder in Salisbury,
0:03:25 > 0:03:33nor just an act against UK.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36It is an affront to the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38and it is an affront to the rules-based system,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41on which we and our international partners depend.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45So 23 diplomats suspected of being spies have seven days to leave,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48all high-level contact between the UK and Russia
0:03:48 > 0:03:51is also being suspended, and no minister or member
0:03:51 > 0:03:53of the royal family will go to the World Cup.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57And some Russian state assets could be frozen,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01with possible new laws to crack down on hostile states.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04In a tense House of Commons, Jeremy Corbyn was not quite ready
0:04:04 > 0:04:09to accept the culpability of the Russian state.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Our response must be both decisive and proportionate,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15and based on clear evidence.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18But listen to rising anger, as Jeremy Corbyn turns some
0:04:18 > 0:04:22of his fire on the Tories.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26It is, as we on these benches have expressed before,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29a matter of huge regret that our country's diplomatic
0:04:29 > 0:04:32capacity as been stripped back with cuts of 25%
0:04:32 > 0:04:40in the last five years.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45It is tradition for the two main parties to stick
0:04:45 > 0:04:46together on foreign policy.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47Not these two.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49This is not a question of our diplomacy, of what diplomatic
0:04:49 > 0:04:53support we have around the world.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56This is a question of the culpability of the Russian
0:04:56 > 0:05:01state, for an act on our soil.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Fever rose.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Their continued disregard for the rule of law
0:05:06 > 0:05:13and for human rights must be met with unequivocal condemnation.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Look, Tories cheering Labour backbenchers.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21Jeremy Corbyn's team, arms folded.
0:05:21 > 0:05:28The Russian government has behaved with arrogance,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31with inhumanity and with contempt.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Anger displayed in Westminster, that this is happening
0:05:33 > 0:05:35on British streets.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39In Dorset today, the lorry that removed the Skripals' car, seized.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41In Salisbury, the bench where Father and daughter
0:05:41 > 0:05:48were found, still sealed off.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51While the Prime Minister makes her opening moves in a diplomatic
0:05:51 > 0:05:54tangle that could last.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59Tonight we do know it the Prime Minister felt she had little choice
0:05:59 > 0:06:03but to take firm steps in retaliation. We know the government
0:06:03 > 0:06:07expects there to be some form of retaliation from Moscow. What we
0:06:07 > 0:06:12don't know and what ministers don't know, what shape and form that may
0:06:12 > 0:06:17take. But we also don't know, there could be a prolonged period of
0:06:17 > 0:06:22tension between the two countries. But what is clear tonight, this is a
0:06:22 > 0:06:25big test of judgment for Theresa May, and there may be nothing
0:06:25 > 0:06:32straightforward in the coming weeks and months, for making sure for her
0:06:32 > 0:06:39that she passes it. Thank you. Tonight, Russia has again
0:06:39 > 0:06:43denied being involved and has demanded to see proof of the nerve
0:06:43 > 0:06:47agent used in Salisbury.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Our Moscow correspondent, Steve Rosenberg, joins us now.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Steve.
0:06:51 > 0:06:57There was little surprise. Russia expected sanctions. What that was a
0:06:57 > 0:07:02lot of was a feeling of anger and defiance. There is a feeling that if
0:07:02 > 0:07:11Britain wants a diplomatic war with Russia, then bring it on.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14In Russia, at least the weather is showing signs of a thaw.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16After the long winter, Moscow is melting.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18But in UK Russian relations, you can feel the chill.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Britain's expulsion of Russian diplomats has sparked anger
0:07:20 > 0:07:27with Theresa May.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Prime Minister May is destroying international law, and is destroying
0:07:29 > 0:07:30international relationship.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Of course, it is the end of her career.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33It's the end.
0:07:33 > 0:07:34It's a show.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36That was a political show.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40And this is not, it's not serious, it's not for the serious politician.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43And this was the show on Russian TV, while Mrs May
0:07:43 > 0:07:48was announcing sanctions.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Commenting live, Andrei Lugavoy, the man Britain believes poisoned
0:07:50 > 0:07:56former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Moscow refuses to extradite him.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03As for Kremlin funded English-language channel RT,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Theresa May has left it up to UK regulator Ofcom to decide
0:08:07 > 0:08:12whether it can keep its UK licence.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16What do you think the chances are of RT being censored in the UK?
0:08:16 > 0:08:20I hope RT is not censored in the UK, because I really would not
0:08:20 > 0:08:24like British media, including you, you are a very nice man,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27a gentleman, to be expelled from Russia, which is exactly
0:08:27 > 0:08:32what I believe will happen if RT is censored in the UK.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33The British government wanted to send a strong
0:08:33 > 0:08:36message today to Moscow.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38But that message has been dismissed here as nothing
0:08:38 > 0:08:41more than a provocation, and it plays into the narrative
0:08:41 > 0:08:44which the Kremlin has been creating for some time,
0:08:44 > 0:08:50that the West is against Russia.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54The man who styles himself as the defender of Russia,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56came to Crimea today, territory Vladimir Putin
0:08:56 > 0:09:00annexed from Ukraine.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03With an election in Russia in four days' time, UK sanctions may help
0:09:03 > 0:09:09the UK leader rally support.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15With an election in Russia in four days' time, UK sanctions may help
0:09:15 > 0:09:17the Kremlin leader rally support.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Tonight, Moscow is showing no signs of buckling under British pressure.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Russia is promising retaliation soon.
0:09:21 > 0:09:28Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30In New York the United Nations Security Council has been told
0:09:30 > 0:09:33tonight that the chemical weapon used in Salisbury was so horrific
0:09:33 > 0:09:36that it's banned in war.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38The US ambassador to the United Nations said America
0:09:38 > 0:09:40believes Russia is responsible for the attack
0:09:40 > 0:09:47and the UN Security Council should take action.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain in critical condition
0:09:49 > 0:09:51in Salisbury, ten days after they were the principal
0:09:51 > 0:09:54victims of an attack using a banned chemical weapon.
0:09:54 > 0:09:55Widespread international outrage has now been echoed
0:09:55 > 0:09:57at the Security Council of the United Nations,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00where Russia is so often at odds with the key powers.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01Britain's principal ally the United States, urged
0:10:01 > 0:10:05collective action against Russia.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Time and time again, member states say they oppose
0:10:08 > 0:10:12the use of chemical weapons under any circumstance.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Now one member stands accused of using chemical weapons
0:10:16 > 0:10:20on the sovereign soil of another member.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24The credibility of this council will not survive, if we fail
0:10:24 > 0:10:28to hold Russia accountable.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31That's exactly the support Britain was hoping for when it
0:10:31 > 0:10:32requested this meeting.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36But what of other punitive measures against Russia?
0:10:36 > 0:10:39In the City of London it's less obvious if Russians with corrupt
0:10:39 > 0:10:44or criminal money in Britain, have much new to fear.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Unexplained Russian wealth may now be pursued more vigorously,
0:10:47 > 0:10:54including some of the most expensive property in the world.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55The leading anti-corruption organisation,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Transparency International, estimates that a fifth
0:10:57 > 0:10:59of all property bought with criminal money in Britain
0:10:59 > 0:11:01is owned by Russians.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02But it's the expulsion of 23 so-called diplomats
0:11:02 > 0:11:10which is the big story.
0:11:11 > 0:11:17At the embassy packing may ready have started.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19The government is convinced all those being kicked out are spies,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and that the hit will hurt.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Whatever the effect turns out to be of today's action,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26the Prime Minister was bold in her claims.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28She said if the Russians seek to rebuild their intelligence
0:11:28 > 0:11:30capability, we will prevent them from doing so.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33James Robbins, BBC News, at the Russian Embassy.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Our security correspondent, Gordon Correra, is outside
0:11:35 > 0:11:38MI5 headquarters.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Tell us more about these so-called "undeclared intelligence officers"
0:11:40 > 0:11:42who've been told to leave, and what impact their
0:11:42 > 0:11:50departure will have?
0:11:50 > 0:11:54It was striking the focus on intelligence in the Prime Minister's
0:11:54 > 0:11:59statement today. You could tell they picked 23 intelligence officers,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03because that was every single Russian intelligence officer who had
0:12:03 > 0:12:08been identified here at MI5, as operating undercover at the Russian
0:12:08 > 0:12:14Embassy. There are a couple of others who are not undercover. They
0:12:14 > 0:12:18are declared open intelligence officers. They have been left in
0:12:18 > 0:12:23place as a communications channel. The aspiration is ambitious. Simply
0:12:23 > 0:12:28to dismantle Russia's espionage capability here in the UK. Other
0:12:28 > 0:12:31measures the government wants, including the ability to stop
0:12:31 > 0:12:37suspected spies at the border or port, something they can only do
0:12:37 > 0:12:41with terrorism suspects, and the ability to check private flights for
0:12:41 > 0:12:45freight. We do now how do Salisbury attack was carried out, but you can
0:12:45 > 0:12:49see why the authorities want more power to stop people coming in and
0:12:49 > 0:12:54out of the country, and to check what they might be bringing in and
0:12:54 > 0:12:59out of the country. Everyone knows the Russians will respond. They may
0:12:59 > 0:13:02carry out tit-for-tat expulsions. I think the view in London is it will
0:13:02 > 0:13:05not damage British intelligence in the same way, because we may not
0:13:05 > 0:13:10have as many spies in Moscow, as the Russians do here in London, but
0:13:10 > 0:13:13British officials also have some other measures in their back pocket
0:13:13 > 0:13:19ready to go in case the Russians continue and try and even escalate
0:13:19 > 0:13:22the situation.Thank you.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Tributes have poured in from all over the world
0:13:24 > 0:13:26for Professor Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest scientists
0:13:26 > 0:13:29of modern times, who died this morning at the age of 76.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33He was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease
0:13:33 > 0:13:37when he was 22 and told he only had a few years to live.
0:13:37 > 0:13:44But he defied all expectations and went on to become
0:13:44 > 0:13:46one of the most famous physicists in the world,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48thanks to his studies on black holes and relativity.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Our science editor, David Shukman, looks back at his life.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57There is nothing like the Eureka moment of discovering
0:13:57 > 0:13:59something that no one knew before.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04Stephen Hawking had a gift for inspiration, a powerful spirit
0:14:04 > 0:14:07overcoming an ailing body to allow a mind to roam through the cosmos.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10It earned him a place as the most famous scientist in the world.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13It has been a glorious time to be alive and doing research
0:14:13 > 0:14:15in theoretical physics.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Who else could draw the crowds?
0:14:17 > 0:14:21This was Israel.
0:14:21 > 0:14:28The man who gazed at the stars became one himself.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31His story both poignant and uplifting.
0:14:31 > 0:14:39His career involved concepts so alien and complicated that
0:14:39 > 0:14:42for most people it's been a struggle to keep up but he explored
0:14:42 > 0:14:45the strangest of features of the universe, black holes,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47drawing together the science of the very largest things in space
0:14:47 > 0:14:51with the science of the very small - part of a quest to come up with
0:14:51 > 0:14:53a single theory for the universe.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55He made these incredibly original insights which set up the modern
0:14:55 > 0:14:59theory of black holes, and made great contributions
0:14:59 > 0:15:04to cosmology, and so he was a huge figure.
0:15:04 > 0:15:10I was devastated, really upset.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14I'd only met him a couple of times, but he had a real impact on my life.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I think it is the passing of a great scientist.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18He will be truly, sorely missed.
0:15:18 > 0:15:24Even as a young student his intelligence stood out,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27but at just that moment he was given a warning that motor neurone disease
0:15:27 > 0:15:28would cut his life short.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32When I was diagnosed at 21 I was told it would kill me
0:15:32 > 0:15:33in two or three years.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34But somehow he kept going.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37In a high-tech wheelchair and with a synthesised voice.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41I am happier now than before I developed the condition.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Communicating first by touch, then by twitching a single
0:15:45 > 0:15:49muscle in his cheek - a daunting burden for anyone.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51His children saw him as an example.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54His daughter Lucy spoke to us last year.
0:15:54 > 0:16:02People who've lived in really extreme circumstances seem to find
0:16:06 > 0:16:08something very, very inspirational in his example of perseverance
0:16:08 > 0:16:10and persistence and his ability to rise above his suffering
0:16:10 > 0:16:12and still want to communicate at a higher level.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13Life was never straightforward.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16His first marriage ending in divorce, as did a second marriage
0:16:16 > 0:16:17to one of his nurses.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Claims had emerged that he had been physically abused,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21the case was dropped for lack of evidence.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23None of this held him back.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26His book, A Brief History of Time, sold at least 10 million copies
0:16:26 > 0:16:28and everyone has wanted to meet him.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29From the Pope in the Vatican...
0:16:29 > 0:16:30Good evening, ma'am.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31To the Queen...
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Nice to see you again.
0:16:35 > 0:16:42To Barack Obama, who awarded him a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44His fame reached far beyond the world of science.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Your theory of a doughnut-shaped universe is intriguing, Homer.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I may have to steal it.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Wow.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Even appearing in The Simpsons.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51Who's paying the tab?
0:16:51 > 0:16:52HOMER IMITATING HAWKING:I am.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55I didn't say that.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57HOMER IMITATING HAWKING:Yes, I did!
0:16:57 > 0:16:59In an episode of Star Trek he was given the chance
0:16:59 > 0:17:00to tease Isaac Newton.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Not the apple story again!
0:17:02 > 0:17:04And is this your new friend?
0:17:04 > 0:17:08More recently he was happy to play along for Comic Relief.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Astounding to think the Lord created all this in just seven days.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12Incorrect.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17It took 13.8 million years.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Let's not get bogged down in all that again!
0:17:20 > 0:17:22He had real a sense of adventure, even attempting
0:17:22 > 0:17:24a zero gravity flight.
0:17:24 > 0:17:32As you can imagine, I am very excited.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37I have been wheelchair-bound for almost four decades
0:17:37 > 0:17:41and the chance to float free in zero G will be wonderful.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the World Wide Web tweeted...
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And Nasa said...
0:18:00 > 0:18:02If you reverse time then the universe is getting smaller.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03All right.
0:18:03 > 0:18:10Eddie Redmayne played Stephen Hawking in the film
0:18:10 > 0:18:12The Theory of Everything and today said "We've lost
0:18:12 > 0:18:13a truly beautiful mind."
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Which sums up the real Stephen Hawking, who could always
0:18:16 > 0:18:19conjur up a visionary thought.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34So a scientist who delved into the weird realm of black holes
0:18:34 > 0:18:35achieved something remarkable.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39He found a way of acting as a bridge between science and popular culture.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42He knew his work baffled a lot of people, but he hoped they'd get
0:18:42 > 0:18:45something out of it, understanding that there
0:18:45 > 0:18:47are rational laws governing the universe, and, uniquely
0:18:47 > 0:18:53he succeeded in reaching a global audience.
0:18:53 > 0:19:01Professor Stephen Hawking, who's died at the age of 76.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Stephen Hawking's most famous book A Brief History Of Time has shot
0:19:10 > 0:19:12to the top of the bestseller list at Amazon today.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15He had an ability to bridge the divide between academia
0:19:15 > 0:19:16and popular culture.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Our correspondent, Jon Kay, reflects on his enduring appeal
0:19:20 > 0:19:21for new generations of scientists.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Stephen Hawking would have loved this - 20,000 young British
0:19:23 > 0:19:24scientists experimenting together.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Do it again!
0:19:26 > 0:19:27Do it again!
0:19:27 > 0:19:28Don't touch it.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30He told young people to be curious and today,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32as they studied trajectories and force, many were thinking
0:19:32 > 0:19:33of their scientific superhero.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37How would you describe him?
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Genius, pioneer, brilliant, inspirational, motivationally
0:19:40 > 0:19:44engaging, phenomenal.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47I've read A Brief History Of Time, I thought it was very interesting.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Did you read all of it?
0:19:49 > 0:19:52I did actually read all of it.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55And it got me into black holes and I went on to a series
0:19:55 > 0:20:00of lectures about them.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01So, yeah, it fuelled a lot for me.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03On display at the Big Bang Fair, inventions
0:20:03 > 0:20:05from the scientists of tomorrow.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07These A-level physicists, from North Wales, regard Professor
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Hawking as a modern-day genius.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14He's the intellectual follower of Einstein and Newton.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16These amazing, amazing figures that we read about in physics books,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18he was getting to that level.
0:20:18 > 0:20:19He was incredible.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21His legacy will live on.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23For ever.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28See the astronaut there, look at him.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Inside an inflatable black hole, teenagers studied Hawking's
0:20:31 > 0:20:35space and time theories, while taking selfies.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37It's a lot in one lifetime for anyone.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I think he's encouraged science as a field as well.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41I think more people are more invested in science
0:20:41 > 0:20:44nowadays because of him.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46It would navigate you to the nearest exit.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49At 15, Byron has invented an app which could help people
0:20:49 > 0:20:50escape a tower block fire using virtual reality.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54He admires Hawking's personal courage.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57He was only one man who did such great things and I was really
0:20:57 > 0:21:00inspired by that, because usually you see people follow the same paths
0:21:00 > 0:21:02and try and do the same things.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05But Stephen Hawking was really unique in the sense that he wanted
0:21:05 > 0:21:08to do things differently and he wanted to contribute things
0:21:08 > 0:21:09in a different sense.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13I was really inspired by that.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Perhaps the next Stephen Hawking was in this room today.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20Jon Kay, BBC News, Birmingham.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24And after the news on BBC One there is another chance to see
0:21:24 > 0:21:32Dara O'Briain meets Stephen Hawking.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35That's at 10.45pm tonight.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Students across the United States have walked out of their classrooms
0:21:38 > 0:21:40today to demand tighter gun safety laws.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42They staged a 17-minute protest to represent the 17 people
0:21:42 > 0:21:45who were killed in the Florida school shooting exactly a month ago.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Here's our North America editor, Jon Sopel.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Hey-hey, ho-ho, the NRA has got to go!
0:21:49 > 0:21:51The last time we saw children pouring out of school,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54it was with their hands up in terror after the Florida shooting.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59Today they came out across America, but this time with fists clenched,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01demanding change on gun control.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02What do we want?!
0:22:02 > 0:22:03Gun control!
0:22:03 > 0:22:04When do we want it?!
0:22:04 > 0:22:12Now!
0:22:14 > 0:22:16In Washington at ten o'clock, on a bracing cold morning,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18with their backs turned on the White House, these students
0:22:18 > 0:22:22fell silent for 17 minutes - a minute for each of the people
0:22:22 > 0:22:23who died at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School
0:22:23 > 0:22:25in Florida last month.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27There's no doubting the extraordinary success these
0:22:27 > 0:22:30young people have had in changing the whole terms of debate
0:22:30 > 0:22:34on the subject of gun control in America.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Their problem is that the man who lives on the other side of that
0:22:37 > 0:22:40fence seems to have got cold feet.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Hey-hey, ho-ho, the NRA has got to go!
0:22:44 > 0:22:46When Donald Trump met youngsters from the Florida
0:22:46 > 0:22:50school at the White House, he seemed to offer his support
0:22:50 > 0:22:53for tougher gun control measures, like raising to 21 the age
0:22:53 > 0:22:54at which you can buy a rifle.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56And he later chided lawmakers for being frightened
0:22:56 > 0:22:58of the National Rifle Association.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Some of you people are petrified of the NRA.
0:23:00 > 0:23:01You can't be petrified.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03But he's now backed off those proposals and so young people
0:23:03 > 0:23:04are intensifying their campaign.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06We want them to pass common-sense gun laws.
0:23:06 > 0:23:07Common-sense gun laws.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10We want to see a ban on assault rifles.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11We don't want to be scared in school.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13It should be our safest institution.
0:23:13 > 0:23:14We are tired of being scared.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15We want actual change.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17We want it to happen with this protest.
0:23:17 > 0:23:24This is what democracy looks like!
0:23:24 > 0:23:26This is a curtain raiser to a mass demonstration
0:23:26 > 0:23:34in Washington in ten days' time.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37They're a long way from getting what they want, but the power
0:23:37 > 0:23:39of youth protest has got them further than anyone
0:23:39 > 0:23:41could have imagined.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43And they're not in any mood to surrender.
0:23:43 > 0:23:44Never again!
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Never again!
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Jon Sopel, BBC News, Washington.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Scientists have discovered tiny particles of plastic
0:23:49 > 0:23:55in bottled drinking water.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Research, commissioned by journalists at Orb Media,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59studied more than 250 bottles of water, from 11 of
0:23:59 > 0:24:03the world's leading brands.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Some bottles had no particles, but others tested had hundreds
0:24:06 > 0:24:10or even thousands of particles - some the width of a human hair.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15Food safety experts say the levels of plastic found does not make
0:24:15 > 0:24:16the water unsafe to drink.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18But they are calling for more research into the effects
0:24:18 > 0:24:21of microplastic on the human body, as David Shukman reports.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24They are among some of the most popular brands of water
0:24:24 > 0:24:28in the world, millions are sold every day, but new research has made
0:24:28 > 0:24:31a surprising discovery that many of the bottles contain tiny
0:24:31 > 0:24:36particles of plastic.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39And there are certain wavelengths of light that causes them to sparkle
0:24:39 > 0:24:41like stars in the night sky.
0:24:41 > 0:24:49In the largest study of its kind, bottles were water were bought
0:24:49 > 0:24:51in different countries around the world - China, India,
0:24:51 > 0:24:52Brazil and many others.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55The project was coordinated by journalists at Orb Media
0:24:55 > 0:24:59and they recorded each step of the process, from the shops,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01to the courier companies, as the bottles were sent
0:25:01 > 0:25:03to a laboratory in New York State.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Professor Sherri Mason is a chemist specialising in plastic
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and she tested more than 250 of the bottles.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13I'm going to take a specific amount of nile red dye.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15The dye, nile red, has a proven ability to stick
0:25:15 > 0:25:17to pieces of plastic.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22It was first used to detect plastic in sea water.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25So when the bottles were emptied through a filter, what was left
0:25:25 > 0:25:28was a mass of tiny particles.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The next stage was then to analyse them under a microscope.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34The dye makes anything plastic fluoresce under
0:25:34 > 0:25:38a particular kind of light.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41So the particles could be counted and some were then examined to see
0:25:41 > 0:25:43what they were made of.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46The typical microplastics that we're finding in the bottled water,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48at the lower end of the screen you see a fibre.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50This, what looks like a little hair, just there?
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Correct.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57You see it in bottle after bottle and we see it in brand after brand.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Part of that too is, it's not about pointing fingers
0:25:59 > 0:26:01at particular brands, it's really showing
0:26:01 > 0:26:02that this is everywhere.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04So what exactly was found?
0:26:04 > 0:26:09A small minority of bottles had no plastic particles at all.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12But in this video, recorded with a special light and an orange
0:26:12 > 0:26:16lens, you can actually see pieces of plastic.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19And this close-up image of a filter shows hundreds of particles,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23it looks like a picture of the stars.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26A technique developed for astronomy had to be used to count every dot.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31The biggest particles, larger than the width of a human hair,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33were confirmed as plastic, and there was an average
0:26:33 > 0:26:37of ten of them per litre.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Smaller particles were also found, an average of 314 per litre.
0:26:40 > 0:26:48These weren't positively identified, but were probably plastic.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53At the moment there are no rules covering these microplastics or any
0:26:53 > 0:26:55agreed way of checking for them.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57What's striking is how widespread this problem is.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01The research has studied bottles from nine different countries,
0:27:01 > 0:27:0411 different brands and, in almost all of them, they found
0:27:04 > 0:27:05plastic floating around inside.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07When they looked more closely, they found that the type of plastic
0:27:07 > 0:27:11is often what's used to make the cap.
0:27:11 > 0:27:18So the theory is, that the very act of opening a bottle,
0:27:18 > 0:27:19maybe what pollutes it.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21We approached all the companies involved, a few didn't reply.
0:27:21 > 0:27:29Those that did said they maintained the highest standards of safety.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Nestle told us...
0:27:33 > 0:27:36It said the study "misses some crucial steps to avoid false
0:27:36 > 0:27:39positives, detecting something other than plastic."
0:27:39 > 0:27:40Danone, which owns Evian, said it wouldn't comment
0:27:40 > 0:27:48on the study because the testing methodology is unclear,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56and it pointed out that for microplastics there's "no
0:27:56 > 0:28:03regulatory framework or scientific consensus on testing for them."
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Gerolsteiner said its own tests found microplastics "significantly
0:28:06 > 0:28:09below the limits for particles set for pharmaceutical companies."
0:28:09 > 0:28:13And Coca-Cola, which makes Dasani, said that microplastics seem to be
0:28:13 > 0:28:16everywhere "and therefore maybe found at minute levels,
0:28:16 > 0:28:17even in highly treated products."
0:28:17 > 0:28:19Plastic is turning up in unexpected places.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Last year this lab found it in samples of tap water.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23So what does this mean for our health?
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Right now there's no hard evidence that drinking or eating plastic
0:28:26 > 0:28:29particles can cause any harm, but that isn't out of the question.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Some of these particles are so incredibly small
0:28:31 > 0:28:34that they can actually make their way across
0:28:34 > 0:28:37the gastrointestinal track, across the lining and be carried
0:28:37 > 0:28:41throughout the body, and we don't know the implications
0:28:41 > 0:28:48of what that means on our various organs an tissues.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51And if there's plastic in bottled water, where else might it be?
0:28:51 > 0:28:54We turned to one of the British scientists who helped to develop
0:28:54 > 0:28:55the nile red technique for detecting plastic.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57This study is maybe just the start.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01When we start looking more carefully, we will very
0:29:01 > 0:29:04likely find it in food, in packaging, in milk,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07in any other place we look, because I don't think mineral water
0:29:07 > 0:29:10is unique in that sense.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Despite this, the message from the scientists is clear -
0:29:13 > 0:29:17if your tap water is dirty, bottled water is far safer.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20But the world of microplastics is new and full of uncertainty,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22which makes research into it all the more urgent.
0:29:22 > 0:29:28David Shukman, BBC News, in New York State.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32Toys R Us is closing all 100 of its UK stores in the next six
0:29:32 > 0:29:37weeks after administrators failed to find a buyer.
0:29:37 > 0:29:393,000 jobs will be lost as a result.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Some 25 stores have either already closed in recent days or are due
0:29:42 > 0:29:47to close by tomorrow.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49Football now, and Chelsea have been knocked out of
0:29:49 > 0:29:50the Champions League by Barcelona.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52They lost 3-0 in tonight's second leg in Barcelona.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Joe Wilson watched the action.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Barcelona helpfully provided a banner in English
0:29:56 > 0:30:01for visiting Chelsea.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Ask anyone in the world who's football royalty,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05they'll answer - Lionel Messi.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Sure, he's good, but nobody has a devine right to score.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10You can't just expect to finish your first opportunity,
0:30:10 > 0:30:11from an impossible angle.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14COMMENTATOR:And he scores, Messi.
0:30:14 > 0:30:15Oh!
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Two minutes - Messi 1, Chelsea 0.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Even at the highest level, Messi just seems superior.
0:30:22 > 0:30:30Steal the ball, then then his legs whirl and his brain beats everyone.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32No shot, a pass - let Dembele finish this one.
0:30:32 > 0:30:33COMMENTATOR:He smashes it in.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36So Chelsea were 3-1 down on aggregate, but getting a goal
0:30:36 > 0:30:39back seemed feasible.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41This free-kick brushed the post.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45Chelsea had a lot of the ball, but Messi just needed one sight
0:30:45 > 0:30:48of goal, aiming again for the gap between the goalkeeper's legs.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50There is a release clause in his contract.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52he could be yours for 700 million euros.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57Joe Wilson, BBC News.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Well, that's just about from us.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03In a moment the news where you are, but we will leave you now
0:31:03 > 0:31:07with the words and images of one of the greatest scientists of modern
0:31:07 > 0:31:09times, Professor Stephen Hawking, who died this morning.
0:31:09 > 0:31:17Good night.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Theoretical physics is one of the few fields in which being
0:31:20 > 0:31:24disabled is no handicap.
0:31:24 > 0:31:32It's all in the mind.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43I hope my example will give encouragement and hope to others
0:31:43 > 0:31:51in similar situations.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03I hope my example will show disability can be no barrier.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05One can achieve anything, if one is determined enough.
0:32:05 > 0:32:13Never give up.