0:00:13 > 0:00:17A new salvo from Britain towards Russia, the Foreign Secretary says
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Russia has been making and stockpiling nerve agents.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Two weeks after the Salisbury poisoning - the government believes
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Russia's interest in the deadly substances was for the purpose
0:00:26 > 0:00:27of assassination.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29From Moscow Vladimir Putin has dismissed the allegations -
0:00:29 > 0:00:31as the presidential election gives him another
0:00:31 > 0:00:34six years in office.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37With international chemical weapons experts due to arrive in the UK -
0:00:37 > 0:00:38we'll have the latest.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43Also tonight.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45A breakthrough in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis
0:00:45 > 0:00:48after a medical trial involving stem cell transplants.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51A Sunday whiteout as driving snow, biting winds and ice
0:00:51 > 0:01:01much of the country.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07And the million dollar teacher from London who has scooped up a global
0:01:07 > 0:01:17award.
0:01:24 > 0:01:25Good evening.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has accused Russia of making
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and stockpiling the nerve agents known as Novichok,
0:01:31 > 0:01:37used in the Salisbury poisoning two weeks ago.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Sergei Skripal and his daughter remain critically ill,
0:01:39 > 0:01:44but today President Putin said it was nonsense to say that
0:01:44 > 0:01:45Russia was responsible.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47We'll hear from our Moscow correspondent
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Steve Rosenberg in a moment - but first our Diplomatic
0:01:49 > 0:01:59Correspondent James Robbins.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Whatever their whether the decontamination work in Salisbury
0:02:02 > 0:02:06goes on. Two weeks after the chemical attack on circus ago and
0:02:06 > 0:02:11his daughter Yulia it is clear that one focus of the inquiry is in BMW
0:02:11 > 0:02:13with suggestions that the agent might have been placed there to
0:02:13 > 0:02:18ensure that the occupants were poisoned. A team of international
0:02:18 > 0:02:22chemical weapons experts from the global body which polices their
0:02:22 > 0:02:25prohibition arrives in Salisbury tomorrow. They will begin a further
0:02:25 > 0:02:30independent investigation. Today the Foreign Secretary went further than
0:02:30 > 0:02:35ever, blaming Russia and lifting the veil a little on secret
0:02:35 > 0:02:39intelligence. Boris Johnson says it shows Russia has been making nerve
0:02:39 > 0:02:46agent within the past decade.We had evidence within the last ten years
0:02:46 > 0:02:49that Russia has not only been investigating the delivery of nerve
0:02:49 > 0:02:55agents for the purposes of assassination but has also been
0:02:55 > 0:02:59creating and stockpiling Novichok. The Foreign Secretary also dismissed
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and derided a suggestion from one of Russia's most senior diplomats that
0:03:02 > 0:03:06the nerve agent used in Salisbury could have come from Britain's own
0:03:06 > 0:03:15military research facility at Porton down.Porton down as we know or know
0:03:15 > 0:03:18is the largest military facility in the alighted kingdom that has been
0:03:18 > 0:03:24dealing with chemicals weapons research. And it's only eight miles
0:03:24 > 0:03:28from Salisbury.You are not suggesting that Porton down is
0:03:28 > 0:03:34responsible for business agent?I don't know.But Theresa May's
0:03:34 > 0:03:38government got solid support from the Labour Shadow Chancellor after
0:03:38 > 0:03:43criticism of Jeremy Corbyn is more questioning approach.Putin has
0:03:43 > 0:03:47questions to answer because this is likely it could be a state
0:03:47 > 0:03:50execution. But in this country we don't leap to conclusions about the
0:03:50 > 0:03:55evidence.As the investigation goes on in the next days the government
0:03:55 > 0:03:57will focus on broadening international backing from Britain's
0:03:57 > 0:04:03stance. On Tuesday ministers on the international Security Council would
0:04:03 > 0:04:06discuss whether to launch a second round of measures against Moscow at
0:04:06 > 0:04:12the risk of an endless tit-for-tat. Whatever precisely happened in
0:04:12 > 0:04:13Salisbury,
0:04:13 > 0:04:14one consequence is that Russia's international reputation,
0:04:14 > 0:04:15international reputation,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17already very fragile, does seem to have been
0:04:17 > 0:04:18weakened still further.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Britain is having little trouble gathering in strong messages
0:04:20 > 0:04:22of support from overseas, although action against Russia
0:04:22 > 0:04:23is harder to mobilise.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25But Vladimir Putin shows no sign
0:04:25 > 0:04:29of changing course.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31James, thank you.
0:04:31 > 0:04:37This evening President Putin said claims that his country was behind
0:04:37 > 0:04:39the Skripal poisoning were 'nonsense' but that Russia will
0:04:39 > 0:04:40work with the UK.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42He was speaking after winning another term in office
0:04:42 > 0:04:43in the presidential election.
0:04:43 > 0:04:53Steve Rosenberg has the latest from Moscow.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57He has been centrestage in Russia for the last 18 years. Tonight by
0:04:57 > 0:05:00the Kremlin Vladimir Putin thanked his people for re-electing him their
0:05:00 > 0:05:05president. We are destined to
0:05:05 > 0:05:12president. We are destined to succeed, he said. Russia, Russia,
0:05:12 > 0:05:20they chanted. But imputing's fourth term are Russia and the West
0:05:20 > 0:05:26destined for a cold war. Later the president dismissed accusations that
0:05:26 > 0:05:33he was behind the nerve agent attack in Salisbury.It is rubbish, drivel,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37nonsense to think Russia would do something like that head of a
0:05:37 > 0:05:45presidential election and the World Cup.Is pitched to voters had been,
0:05:45 > 0:05:50stick with me and Russia will be strong. And many Russians believe
0:05:50 > 0:05:55that.He's a genius commissioners. Putin wants Russia to prosper and
0:05:55 > 0:06:01Russians to live in happiness. It is thanks to Putin, she says, that
0:06:01 > 0:06:07Russia still exists. But critics of the Kremlin say the election was
0:06:07 > 0:06:13fixed, that only those candidates who stood no chance of unseating
0:06:13 > 0:06:18Putin were allowed to run.The problem is there's no such things
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Russian politics. Politics. Politics has been eliminated in a show
0:06:21 > 0:06:26together. There's only one political institution in Russia, the physical
0:06:26 > 0:06:31body of Vladimir Putin.Which was white Vladimir Putin was always
0:06:31 > 0:06:36going to win this fight. This election wasn't about choosing a new
0:06:36 > 0:06:40president, it was about reappointing the old one. And although many
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Russians to support Putin crucially it is the political system that he
0:06:43 > 0:06:50has built in Russia that guarantees him a landslide win. But these
0:06:50 > 0:06:54images are embarrassing, caught on CCTV woman stuffs a ballot box near
0:06:54 > 0:07:00Moscow. Suddenly two of them are at it and giving the vote count in
0:07:00 > 0:07:05Siberia balloons are moved to cover the camera. Election officials say
0:07:05 > 0:07:10they will investigate but the results will not change. Neither
0:07:10 > 0:07:21will the name of Russia's president. Steve Rosenberg BBC News Moscow.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22As the government here blames Russia for stockpiling
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Novichok nerve agents, a group of international chemical
0:07:24 > 0:07:27weapons experts is due to arrive in the UK tomorrow
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Our Security Correspondent Gordon Corera is at the Foreign Office now.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Gordon - what was behind that assessment from
0:07:31 > 0:07:36the Foreign Secretary today.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Today Boris Johnson deliberately revealed a piece of sensitive
0:07:40 > 0:07:44intelligence, the claim that Russia has been stockpiling, creating
0:07:44 > 0:07:50Novichok and looking at using it for assassinations. Why did he do that?
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Because there's a battle going on over information and the
0:07:52 > 0:07:58credibility. British officials believe that the Kremlin 's plan
0:07:58 > 0:08:02will be to muddy the waters and create confusion, pointing to
0:08:02 > 0:08:07including comments from the Russian ambassador to the EU today,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11suggesting that perhaps Porton down had created the Novichok and for
0:08:11 > 0:08:15some reason relisted in its own backyard. The British government is
0:08:15 > 0:08:20trying to put the Russians on the back foot by asserting that they are
0:08:20 > 0:08:24in contravention of the chemical weapons Convention by having this
0:08:24 > 0:08:27secret chemical warfare chemical assassination programme at some
0:08:27 > 0:08:34point in the last ten years. We will get that independent inspection
0:08:34 > 0:08:38coming from the OPC W but it's likely to be the next battle ground
0:08:38 > 0:08:44over credibility. They will look at samples, perhaps blood samples from
0:08:44 > 0:08:48the victims, and whatever their conclusions, they may be clear, they
0:08:48 > 0:08:52may be disputed, questions may be asked about whether the results were
0:08:52 > 0:08:58tampered with, that will be the next battle ground of the credibility.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Gordon, at the Foreign Office, thank you.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Scientists say they've achieved a breakthrough in the treatment
0:09:03 > 0:09:05of Multiple Sclerosis, after the results of
0:09:05 > 0:09:09an international trial involving stem cell transplants.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Doctors in Sheffield were part of the study,
0:09:11 > 0:09:17which showed an improvement in symptoms and the progress of
0:09:18 > 0:09:19the neurological condition halted.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Around 100,000 people in the UK are affected by MS,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23as our medical correspondent Fergus Walsh explains.
0:09:23 > 0:09:30So nice to finally get out. It feels like my diagnosis was just a bad
0:09:30 > 0:09:36dream.Before the transplant, Louise Willetts from Rotherham had severe
0:09:36 > 0:09:41relapses, attacks of multiple sclerosis. At one point she was in a
0:09:41 > 0:09:45wheelchair. It also affected her mind. She struggled to read and
0:09:45 > 0:09:51follow conversations. Now she's completely well and has a newborn
0:09:51 > 0:09:55daughter as well.It does feel like a miracle, I must have to pinch
0:09:55 > 0:10:00myself and ask if it is real, has it gone will it ever come back. I don't
0:10:00 > 0:10:05live in fear any more. I live every day the wake I want to rather than
0:10:05 > 0:10:12around my MS.MS is caused by a faulty immune system attacking the
0:10:12 > 0:10:16brain and spinal-cord. Symptoms include balance and muscle problems,
0:10:16 > 0:10:23fatigue and loss of vision. Panorama followed Louise 's treatment.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Originally developed for cancer patients. A high dose of
0:10:27 > 0:10:31chemotherapy was given to knock out her immune system. Then these
0:10:31 > 0:10:34healthy stem cells taken from Louise's blood and bone marrow were
0:10:34 > 0:10:40infused. Not affected by MS, the stem cells rebuild her immune
0:10:40 > 0:10:48system. Now more than two years on, she is back at Sheffield 's Royal
0:10:48 > 0:10:55Hallamshire Hospital for a checkup. Hi Louise, thank you for coming.The
0:10:55 > 0:11:00M R I shows there is no active disease in her brain.I'm delighted
0:11:00 > 0:11:05that this has been so successful, this is really good news.It is, I'm
0:11:05 > 0:11:11delighted as well.Results from a trial of over 100 MS patients show
0:11:11 > 0:11:15that in the half given the stem cell transplant there was only one
0:11:15 > 0:11:21relapse after one year, compared to 39 among those given standard drug
0:11:21 > 0:11:25treatment. Transplant patients were ten times less likely to see their
0:11:25 > 0:11:31treatment fail after three years and their level of disability reduced.
0:11:31 > 0:11:38The results of this trial are simply stunning. It should mean that many
0:11:38 > 0:11:42more MS patients are offered a stem cell transplant with the hope of
0:11:42 > 0:11:50stopping their disease in its tracks. This is a game changer. It
0:11:50 > 0:11:55can fundamentally alter the course of patients with MS who have got
0:11:55 > 0:12:01resistant disabling disease. The stem cell transplant involves a
0:12:01 > 0:12:05one-off cost of £30,000. No more expensive than the yearly fee for
0:12:05 > 0:12:12some drugs. It is not suitable for all MS patients but the life
0:12:12 > 0:12:20changing results with Louise and others are plain to see.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Ferguson is here, extraordinary salt, has much people with MS
0:12:24 > 0:12:29benefit from this?It will take time to scale as up and train the teams,
0:12:29 > 0:12:36three trusts, Sheffield, kings and Imperial offering this. 150 MS
0:12:36 > 0:12:41patients in the UK have had it, more than any other country in the above
0:12:41 > 0:12:46except for Sweden and Italy but is only scratching the surface. Many
0:12:46 > 0:12:49neurologists have been sceptical and they've been waiting over a decade
0:12:49 > 0:12:53for the results of this trial we are reporting tonight. The results are
0:12:53 > 0:12:57convincing but the beauty of the treatment is, it is the patient
0:12:57 > 0:13:02healing themselves. Their stem cells, no need for a donor. And
0:13:02 > 0:13:06those cells are resetting the patient's immune system to the point
0:13:06 > 0:13:10before they had amassed. It is a gruelling procedure involving
0:13:10 > 0:13:13chemotherapy and not suitable for patients with advanced disease that
0:13:13 > 0:13:19it is delivering life changing results.Fergus Walsh, thank you.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Much of the UK has been in the midst of a second significant
0:13:22 > 0:13:23snowfall of the winter.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26For many areas it's been combined with bitterly cold winds,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28bringing misery to those who've been travelling this weekend.
0:13:28 > 0:13:35Sarah Ransome reports.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40Snowstorms and snowdrifts, has seen many people woke up to this morning.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Strong winds causing blizzard conditions, making driving
0:13:42 > 0:13:49treacherous. In the north-west, snow gates on the a 66 remained closed
0:13:49 > 0:13:54between County Durham and Cumbria, and just getting outside the front
0:13:54 > 0:13:59door in Newcastle was no mean feat. I've been here for quarter of an
0:13:59 > 0:14:05hour, I've done a quarter of road so I'm making headway.Delays at
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Newbury as trains were stopped, railway stations across the country
0:14:08 > 0:14:13have also seen delays and cancellations. In Gloucester
0:14:13 > 0:14:16sporting fixtures like the Anglo Welsh cup final were called off
0:14:16 > 0:14:23because snow stopped play. And as the heaviest snowfall hit the
0:14:23 > 0:14:26south-west Bristol Airport stopped flights of Exeter Airport cancelling
0:14:26 > 0:14:30flights for most of the day. The snow showed no sign of giving up in
0:14:30 > 0:14:37Devon and know neither did those keeping traffic moving. While
0:14:37 > 0:14:40snowploughs and bridges cleared major roads some drivers got stuck
0:14:40 > 0:14:47and there were problems on the M5 and A roads, motorists seemingly
0:14:47 > 0:14:51ignoring repeated appeals not to go out to unless it is essential.When
0:14:51 > 0:14:55people ignore those warnings it does get frustrating because the already
0:14:55 > 0:14:58stretched resources we have become even more stretched to rescue and
0:14:58 > 0:15:05recover people who have no reason to be out in this weather.It was not
0:15:05 > 0:15:10all doom and gloom as the so-called mini beast from the East swept
0:15:10 > 0:15:15through. Another snow day play date beckoned. But there's an amber
0:15:15 > 0:15:19warning in place across the south-west until the early hours of
0:15:19 > 0:15:26tomorrow morning with ice a major risk.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30The amber warning is still in place, it is still snowing and the prospect
0:15:30 > 0:15:35of more snow and ice overnight. Emergency services say, please heed
0:15:35 > 0:15:38advice, check your travel arrangements to check where you need
0:15:38 > 0:15:43to go safely if in fact you need to get there at all and if you have
0:15:43 > 0:15:47children of school age you might want to check that their school is
0:15:47 > 0:15:50open, hundreds of schools across Devon and parts of Wales have
0:15:50 > 0:15:55already said they are not opening tomorrow so for some it is another
0:15:55 > 0:16:00snow day. Sarah Ransom, thank you.
0:16:00 > 0:16:07In Syria President Assad has visited eastern Ghouta a former rebel held
0:16:07 > 0:16:11area near Damascus, state TV showed him surrounded by soldiers and
0:16:11 > 0:16:15civilians after a month-long government bombardment. Syrian
0:16:15 > 0:16:19forces are thought to control some 80% of Eastern Ghouta with thousands
0:16:19 > 0:16:24more civilians fleeing the area today.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Facebook has announced an investigation into whether the
0:16:27 > 0:16:32personal details of 50 million of its users have been compromised. It
0:16:32 > 0:16:39has already suspended data from Cambridge Ghouta known for its work
0:16:39 > 0:16:43on the Trump election campaign after reports it inappropriately obtained
0:16:43 > 0:16:48user data. Both companies deny wrongdoing. Let's join our media
0:16:48 > 0:16:51editor in New York.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55The revelation that tens of millions of Facebook users have had their
0:16:55 > 0:16:59personal data harvested like this has caused dismay on both sides of
0:16:59 > 0:17:04the Atlantic and may have profound implications. But Facebook and
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Cambridge Ghouta deny wrongdoing and said they haven't broken the law. It
0:17:08 > 0:17:11could be just that that causes alarm because there are at least three
0:17:11 > 0:17:16layers to the story. First fully what and when, the Cambridge
0:17:16 > 0:17:21Analytica whistle-blower Chris Wylie has given an account that has
0:17:21 > 0:17:25blatant inconsistencies with the account given by Cambridge Ghouta
0:17:25 > 0:17:29and Facebook. The second issue is public safety, we live in a time
0:17:29 > 0:17:34when a few firms have become wealthy by amassing troops of personal data
0:17:34 > 0:17:38and consumers need to realise that every time they go online David and
0:17:38 > 0:17:43digital footprint and individuals, companies and governments can use
0:17:43 > 0:17:47that data to do things they might not like. The third layer is the
0:17:47 > 0:17:53politics. We have to regulators in Britain looking at whether Cambridge
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Analytica was involved in the Brexit referendum. In America the questions
0:17:57 > 0:18:05about their role in the Trump election. If it is proven as
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Cambridge Analytica claim that they use psychological profiling to
0:18:07 > 0:18:12influence voters, if that is to perhaps the fragility of Western
0:18:12 > 0:18:16democracy owes as much to our online habits as our offline once. Thank
0:18:16 > 0:18:22you.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27Now time for the sports news. The semifinals of the FA Cup will see
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Manchester United play Spurs and Chelsea face Southampton, both games
0:18:31 > 0:18:34at Wembley. The draw for the final four was made after Chelsea beat
0:18:34 > 0:18:41Leicester City 2-1 while Southampton knocked League 1 side Wigan athletic
0:18:41 > 0:18:45out of the competition. Holly Hamilton reports. For Antonio Conte
0:18:45 > 0:18:49the FA Cup hasn't always been a priority but out of Europe and
0:18:49 > 0:18:52outside the Premier League top four silverware would be a silver lining.
0:18:52 > 0:18:58Chelsea took the lead just before half-time, Morata claiming his first
0:18:58 > 0:19:03goal of 2018. After the break Leicester searched for an equaliser,
0:19:03 > 0:19:08four tries in three seconds, Jamie Vardy eventually scoring. Into extra
0:19:08 > 0:19:13time and as the mercury dropped, temperatures rose. A questionable
0:19:13 > 0:19:17decision by Kasper Schmeichel gifted Pedro and empty net and Chelsea a
0:19:17 > 0:19:21place in the semifinals. In Wigan the first test for new Southampton
0:19:21 > 0:19:25manager Mark Hughes. While the League 1 side dominated the first
0:19:25 > 0:19:32half the visitors capitalised on their chances. With the clock
0:19:32 > 0:19:36ticking and the Saints set to march on to Wembley they made sure,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40doubling their lead and ceiling Southampton's first FA Cup semifinal
0:19:40 > 0:19:45in 15 years. Great Britain has won its first and only God medal of the
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Winter Paralympics on the last day of the games, Menna Fitzpatrick and
0:19:49 > 0:19:53her guide Jen Kehoe got the visually impaired slalom gold so the British
0:19:53 > 0:19:58team has met its target. Kate Gray reports from Pyeongchang. It was the
0:19:58 > 0:20:03golden moment they had been waiting for. Menna Fitzpatrick and her guide
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Jen Kehoe saved their best for last to take gold in the slalom on the
0:20:07 > 0:20:11final day of the games. They were in silver medal position going into
0:20:11 > 0:20:16their second run and displayed a perfect performance, the time it was
0:20:16 > 0:20:21unbeatable. COMMENTATOR: She's in front. Their fourth medal in
0:20:21 > 0:20:26Pyeongchang to become Britain's most successful Winter Paralympians.It
0:20:26 > 0:20:30has been absolutely astonishing, the way this week has gone from quite
0:20:30 > 0:20:36low to extremely high.Further success as merely knight and her
0:20:36 > 0:20:40guide bred wild took the bronze in the same race which meant
0:20:40 > 0:20:45ParalympicsGB have reached their target of seven medals. Or dependent
0:20:45 > 0:20:48however on one sport, one classification and a small number of
0:20:48 > 0:20:52athletes. So the games due to a fitting close with Britain's golden
0:20:52 > 0:20:56girls carrying the flag. And the International Paralympic Committee
0:20:56 > 0:21:00could also celebrate with more nations taking part than ever and a
0:21:00 > 0:21:05record number of tickets sold. They now call these games the greatest
0:21:05 > 0:21:10Winter Paralympics to date. Kate Gray BBC News Pyeongchang. In the
0:21:10 > 0:21:14last few minutes Rory McIlroy has won we Arnold Palmer Invitational.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19His first title victory since 2016. He won the tournament in Florida by
0:21:19 > 0:21:26three strokes by the final round of 64, the Masters was the only major
0:21:26 > 0:21:30he hasn't won will be less than two weeks ago -- the Masters, the only
0:21:30 > 0:21:34major tournament he hasn't one is in less than three weeks. More
0:21:34 > 0:21:38information on the BBC sport website. Thank you. An art teacher
0:21:38 > 0:21:42from London has won a million-dollar prize recognising an outstanding
0:21:42 > 0:21:45contribution to the teaching profession. She works in a school
0:21:45 > 0:21:49with a high proportion of individual pupils. We watched the ceremony in
0:21:49 > 0:22:05Dubai. The big secret, who is the best teacher.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Ghouta! An art teacher from Brent in London Ghouta was centre stage as
0:22:10 > 0:22:16winner of the global teacher price. Good morning girls.Working in a
0:22:16 > 0:22:20deprived inner-city community she was praised the going the extra mile
0:22:20 > 0:22:24to build links between school and parents and structuring activities
0:22:24 > 0:22:29around students's individual needs. To all the students all over the
0:22:29 > 0:22:32world I say whatever your circumstances, whatever your
0:22:32 > 0:22:37troubles, please know that you have the potential to succeed in whatever
0:22:37 > 0:22:40your dreams maybe. And that is a right that nobody should take from
0:22:40 > 0:22:49you.Ghouta ending that report in Dubai. That's it from