11/03/2018 BBC Weekend News

Hundreds of people in Salisbury,

are being advised to wash

their clothes and possessions,

after last week's nerve agent attack

on a former Russian spy.

As police continue their

investigations, it's confirmed

traces of the poison,

have been found in a local

pub and restaurant.

I think I've been more

worried as the week's gone

on and the gravity of the event that

took place in our small

city has unravelled.

But England's Chief Medical Officer

says the risk is extremely low,

and no one should be alarmed.

Also on the programme.

The water regulator

is to investigate, why

thousands suffered shortages,

following the recent cold weather.

China's Parliament gives

President Xi Jinping

the right to rule, for life.

Brats wild and Millie Knight,

medallists again.

And at the Winter Paralympics,

Millie Knight and Brett Wild

win their second silver medal,

in the women's downhill super-G

for the visually impaired...

-- Brett wild.

Good evening.

Hundreds of people in Salisbury,

who went to the same restaurant

and pub visited by a poisoned former

Russian spy, have been advised to

wash their clothes and possessions.

England's Chief Medical officer says

anyone who spent time

at the Zizzi Italian restaurant,

or the Mill Pub last Sunday

or Monday, should take precautions,

but she stressed the risk

is extremely low and no

one should be alarmed.

The BBC has learnt that the table

where Sergei and Yulia Skripal

ate in the restaurant,

has been destroyed.

Our Home Affairs Correspondent

Daniel Sandford reports.

Wearing gas masks and protective

clothing, military personnel

were spending Mother's Day

in Salisbury, loading potentially

contaminated cars onto trucks.

The two Vauxhall vehicles had been

parked behind a church,

not far from the city centre.

Bizarre and extraordinary scenes

once again, this time in a pay

and display car park in this

historic cathedral city.

It was the attack on Yulia

and Sergei Skripal, with a rare

and lethal nerve agent last Sunday

that led to this huge operation.

Today, police confirmed that

traces of the nerve agent

were found in The Mill pub,

as well as the Zizzi restaurant,

where the BBC understands,

the table used by the Skripals

was so contaminated,

it had to be destroyed.

Today, the Chief Medical Officer

gave this advice to people

who were in the pub and restaurant

on Sunday afternoon and Monday.

Wash clothing, you haven't already.

Ideally, in the washing machine.

Any items which cannot be washed

and would normally be dry cleaned,

should be double bagged in plastic

until further information

is available.

Wipe personal items such as phones,

handbags and other electronic items,

with baby wipes and dispose of them

in plastic bags in the bin.

Wash hard items, such

as jewellery and spectacles,

which cannot go into the washing

machine, with warm

water and detergent.

Steve Cooper was in the pub

on Sunday at exactly the same time

as the Skripals and told me

that he is now getting worried.

Certainly, because they have not

revealed what the nerve agent

was and exactly what the effect,

long-term on anyone's

health could be.

I would like to know more

about that, what measures

I can personally take,

rather than just washing my clothes,

if I have already been exposed,

what are the long-term implications

for me and my wife.

Using baby wipes to wash my phone

and my watch, I do not really think

will get rid of a nerve agent.

So, did the police and other

emergency services respond fast

enough to last Sunday's events?

Are you satisfied that you escalated

this incident quickly enough

at the beginning of last week?

The machinery, the support, the

national advice, the capability and

expertise of local and national

partners was mobilised.

For this

ancient medieval city, it has been a

surreal and at times frightening

seven days. But if the suspicions

proved right, what happened here,

the use of a chemical weapon, a

nerve agent, to attack two people,

is likely to have huge implications

for Britain's relationship with

Russia.

Daniel is in Salisbury -

are the community reassured?

People have been on a journey. First

of all, they were frightened and

upset by what had happened, what the

Bishop of Salisbury called a

shocking attack and a violation of

their community and then they had

become a bit more reassured, they

have got used to the police cordons

and the men and women in strange

protective clothing and those large

military vehicles. What happened

today came as a bit of a fresh,

especially to those people

especially to those people who had

in the Zizzi restaurant and The Mill

pub. They had been told there was

little risk to the public and

suddenly they are being told that

those items they cannot watch, it

should be sealed in plastic bags and

stored safely away from people. That

has been a bit of a surprise, Clive.

Daniel, thank you.

The Chancellor Philip Hammond,

has rejected calls to announce

the end of austerity.

Speaking two days before he delivers

his Spring Economic Statement,

he said the country was still

heavily in debt, but there was

"light at the end of the tunnel".

Labour has accused the government,

of holding back growth.

Our Political Correspondent

Jonathan Blake has more.

Morning Chancellor!

Morning.

There was little disguising...

Phillip Hammond's smile this morning

and perhaps there was even a spring

in his step as he arrived

to deliver his message

that the economy is looking up.

There is light at the end

of the tunnel, because what we are

about to see is debt starting

to fall, after it has been growing

for 17 continuous years.

That is a very important

moment for us.

But we are still in

the tunnel at the moment.

We have to get debt down.

That debt the Chancellor talked

about looks like this.

Big, by historic standards.

But, forecasts suggest

the amount the UK owes,

relative to the size of the economy,

could have peaked.

Labour, gathering this weekend

in Dundee for their Scottish

conference, claim there

is little to celebrate.

They want to turn

on the spending taps.

Lives have been destroyed and

millions have been left in despair.

And it is thanks to the failed

economic policy of neo-

liberalism and austerity.

Austerity was a political choice,

it was not an economic necessity.

We choose socialism.

On Thursday, a report highlighted

the pressure on many councils

in England with squeezed budgets

and reduced services,

after cuts in central government

funding and Phillip Hammond

is already under pressure

for extra spending on defence

and the health service.

But, Tuesday's Spring Statement

will be a low-key affair.

He will not appear on the step

there, for instance,

brandishing his red box.

Significant changes

will instead be reserved

for the Budget, in the autumn.

But, today's political skirmishes

serve as a reminder of just how

different the instincts

are between Conservatives

and Labour over the economy.

Chris Mason, BBC News,

in Downing Street.

The Liberal Democrat leader

Vince Cable, says too many older

people who voted for Brexit,

were "driven by nostalgia" for

a world where "faces were white."

Speaking at his party's spring

conference in Southport,

he said the voting of the older

generation, had "crushed the hopes

and aspirations of young people,

for years to come."

The water regulator, Ofwat,

is to investigate why thousands

of people suffered water shortages,

after the recent cold weather.

Homes and businesses faced days

without running water,

when pipes burst during the thaw,

which followed freezing

weather conditions.

Our Business Correspondent

Joe Lynam reports.

Jonathan Lewis in Balham

had no water at all for

three days last week.

He couldn't wash either

himself or his clothes.

To make matters worse,

he heard nothing from his water

provider, Thames Water.

There was very very

little information coming

in from the water company.

Total inconvenience,

you know, you are so used

to just turning on a tap,

but not having any water

to flush the toilet,

have a shower, do your washing...

Jonathan was one of at least 20,000

homes in London that

had no water last week.

Thames Water apologised and provided

many customers with bottled water.

After The Beast from the East

had burst many pipes.

The water watchdog, Ofwat,

says its review will examine

what caused the water shortages

and whether water firms

have the proper contingency plans

for such eventualities.

After all, the icy blast had been

forecast well in advance.

Finally, how well did water

companies communicate

with their customers?

Water UK which represents water

providers said that only 1%

of customers had lost supply

and that special teams had worked

around the clock to make sure

that people had water

as soon as possible.

If the review finds that

water suppliers had

breached their license,

they could be fined up to 10%

of their annual turnover.

That is cold comfort, though,

for Jonathan and many others

who had no water for days.

Despite living in a country

with no shortage of rain.

Joe Lynam, BBC News.

A charity co-founded

by the U2 singer Bono,

has apologised, after bullying,

harassment and abuse

claims, made by staff.

The ONE organisation,

says employees in South Africa,

have alleged they were belittled

and subjected to sexist comments.

In a statement, the charity admitted

to "institutional failures,"

and promised to improve its systems.

China's parliament, has voted

to abolish the two-term limit

for the country's president.

The move allows Xi Jinping,

to stay in office beyond the end

of his second term in

2023, possibly indefinitely.

Our China Correspondent

John Sudworth reports.

Xi Jinping was the first

to cast his vote for a change

that could, if he wants,

make him President for life.

The applause proof if any

were needed that the result

was a foregone conclusion.

Out of almost 3000 delegates,

only two voted against.

Passed, the announcer says and this

man's hold on power is now both

complete and indefinite.

The cost of opposition to the rule

of Xi Jinping can be high.

This woman shows me the papers left

behind by her husband, a lawyer,

who recently wrote an open letter

calling for democratic elections.

He has now been detained

on subversion charges.

TRANSLATION: He did everything

within the boundaries of the law,

yet it is not allowed here.

Now, many people are

afraid of speaking up.

As China enacts its most profound

political change in decades,

all public discussion

is being tightly

controlled and censored.

The two term limit solved a problem

facing all undemocratic,

authoritarian states.

It helped China ensure orderly

and regular leadership successions.

What has happened here today, then,

is highly significant.

A choreographed, compliant

rubber-stamped Parliament has

removed the last limitation

on Xi Jinping's power.

John Sudworth, BBC News, Beijing.

With all the sport,

here's Olly Foster at

the BBC Sport Centre...

We saw one of the great old firm

matches today, Celtic came from

behind twice against Rangers and

they also had a man sent off by

winning 3-2 to stretch their

Premiership lead to nine points. A

familiar noise and the usual colour

but for the first time in years, a

resurgent Rangers fancied their

chances. With fewer than three

minutes gone, they showed why. 1-0,

cue mayhem. When the equaliser came,

it was special. The reminder of

Celtic's quality. Rangers came

again. 2-1, but Dembele cancelled it

out to round off a breathless first

half. Was this a red card? The

assistant thought so and Celtic were

down to ten men. The fighting spirit

remained. On came the champions in

what was a titanic struggle and they

got their reward. A delightful

finish, deserving of a double fist

pump. There was drama to come, a

great save lead to a terrible miss.

It was not to be for the home side

and Celtic edge closer to seven in a

row. There were two games in the

Premier League, Spurs are up to

third after they came from behind to

beat Bournemouth 4-1 away. After

three league defeats in a row,

Arsenal beat Watford 3-0. They are

still 12 points off the top four and

the Champions League places. There

have been more British medals in the

Paralympics including a second

silver medal for Millie Knight. No

time to celebrate yesterday's silver

medal, Millie Knight and her guide

Brett Wild were first on the slopes

today, this time in the super G. A

more technical course, but it did

not slow them down. Brimming with

confidence, the standard was set.

Could their team-mates do any

better? They crashed out of the

downhill yesterday but there were no

signs of holding back in their

favourite event. Already super G

World Cup champions, this was their

best medal chance and they

delivered, not quite enough to beat

Millie Knight and Brett Wild, but a

podium finish. The winner of the

race yesterday followed them down

and she outperformed the British

competitors, so it was a silver

medal and a bronze medal.

A massive

dream come true for us both. I am so

glad we have done it together.

Elsewhere, Britain's first

representative in Nordic ski for 20

years went in the 15 kilometre

cross-country. A gruelling course

and he finished a long way down the

field in 17th place. But the second

day done and dusted, the attention

turns to snowboarding and for the

first time ever, Great Britain have

athletes taking part, all three

going for gold. Kate Grey, the BC

news. Our labour the 6 Nations

yesterday but Wales are up to second

in the table after a bonus point win

in Cardiff. George North scored two

tries. They face France in the final

weekend. The Italians defeat means

they will claim the wooden spoon for

a third year in a row. The sports

website have highlights of all the 6

Nations rugby but that is all the

sport for now.

That's it.

There's more throughout the evening

on the BBC News Channel,

and I'll be back with the late

news at Ten.