0:00:25 > 0:00:27Good afternoon.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, says the Government
0:00:29 > 0:00:31has evidence Russia has been making and stockpiling Novichok,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34the nerve agent Britain says was used to try and kill the Russian
0:00:34 > 0:00:37spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Mr Johnson accused the Russians of "smug sarcasm" after the country's
0:00:41 > 0:00:45ambassador to the EU suggested the nerve agent could have come
0:00:45 > 0:00:47from Britain's own Porton Down research centre near Salisbury.
0:00:47 > 0:00:55Here's our Home Affairs Correspondent, Daniel Sandford.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03After two weeks of delicate investigation and decontamination
0:01:03 > 0:01:07work in Salisbury, in which police officers and troops have had to take
0:01:07 > 0:01:10extraordinary precautions to protect themselves, the Russian ambassador
0:01:10 > 0:01:14to the EU chose to hint that Britain might have been responsible for the
0:01:14 > 0:01:21nerve agent attack.Porton Down, as we all know, is the largest military
0:01:21 > 0:01:25facility in the United Kingdom, which has been dealing with chemical
0:01:25 > 0:01:34weapons research. And it's actually only eight miles from Salisbury.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38You're not suggesting Porton Down is responsible?I don't know.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43Immediately afterwards on the same programme, this was the Foreign
0:01:43 > 0:01:48Secretary's riposte.This isn't the response of a country that really
0:01:48 > 0:01:53believes itself to be innocent. Their response has been a mixture of
0:01:53 > 0:01:57smug sarcasm and denial and obfuscation and delay.And he
0:01:57 > 0:02:03insisted the Russians have been doing recent nerve agent research.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07We actually have evidence within the last ten years but Russia has not
0:02:07 > 0:02:13only been investigating the delivery of nerve agents for the purposes of
0:02:13 > 0:02:17assassination, but has also been creating and stockpiling Novichok.
0:02:17 > 0:02:26That what a direct lie?Yeah, but you will get that.Then the Foreign
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Secretary had to concede that the wife of a former finance minister
0:02:29 > 0:02:33under Putin had paid £150,000 in a Conservative Party option to play
0:02:33 > 0:02:41tennis with him.Did the tennis game happen?It did.After signs of a gap
0:02:41 > 0:02:45opening last week between Labour and Downing Street over the attack, this
0:02:45 > 0:02:49morning the Labour position was much closer to the government.Putin has
0:02:49 > 0:02:54questions to answer because this could be a state execution, but what
0:02:54 > 0:02:58we don't do in this country is we don't leap to conclusions without
0:02:58 > 0:03:02the evidence, but we are saying to our international partners, working
0:03:02 > 0:03:05with the chemical inspectors, working with Porton Down, we will
0:03:05 > 0:03:11now produce the evidence that leads us to a judgment that they can rely
0:03:11 > 0:03:15upon.The Porton Down military laboratory is where experts have
0:03:15 > 0:03:18spent two weeks analysing the rare neighbourhood confused. Tomorrow,
0:03:18 > 0:03:26international specialists from the Organisation for the Prohibition of
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Chemical Weapons will arrive to start their own analysis of what
0:03:29 > 0:03:32left Yulia and Sergei Skripal fighting for their lives.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Meanwhile, voting is under way across Russia in the country's
0:03:35 > 0:03:37election, in which President Putin is expected to win
0:03:37 > 0:03:39a fourth term in office.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41There are several other candidates but his main rival, Alexei Navalny,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45has been barred from taking part after being convicted of fraud -
0:03:45 > 0:03:48a charge he says was politically motivated.
0:03:48 > 0:03:55From Moscow, Richard Galpin reports.
0:03:56 > 0:04:03At a polling station here in Moscow, a deliberately festive atmosphere.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Encouraging people to vote.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Russians have only known one leader, Vladimir Putin, since 1999, and now
0:04:11 > 0:04:15they are casting their ballots once again with the odds stacked
0:04:15 > 0:04:19heavily in his favour.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21With the only serious opposition leader banned from taking
0:04:21 > 0:04:24part in this election, there's virtually no doubt that
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Vladimir Putin will win.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30The issue is going to be the turnout and whether it is sufficient
0:04:30 > 0:04:37to legitimise another six years in power for Mr Putin.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41And although people have been voting here, we soon found scepticism
0:04:41 > 0:04:49about how genuine this election is.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50TRANSLATION:Formally there is a real choice
0:04:50 > 0:04:54but in reality I cannot say it is fair because I know people
0:04:54 > 0:04:57are being forced to vote, especially those working
0:04:57 > 0:05:02in government institutions.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05The President himself voted here in Moscow earlier today.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08The Kremlin apparently aiming for him to get 70%
0:05:08 > 0:05:13of the vote and of the turnout.
0:05:13 > 0:05:19But when asked by journalists how many votes would be seen as a
0:05:19 > 0:05:24success, he said any amount allowing him to be president.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Voters in Crimea are also taking part in this presidential election
0:05:27 > 0:05:31for the first time since the area was annexed from Ukraine,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34the election date moved to today to coincide
0:05:34 > 0:05:36with the fourth anniversary.
0:05:36 > 0:05:44Another boost for Mr Putin.
0:05:45 > 0:05:51We must emphasise that Mr Putin retains high popularity ratings
0:05:51 > 0:05:57amongst voters here, but I think there is a question about reaching
0:05:57 > 0:06:01that 70% turnout figure, which apparently the Kremlin wants.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Meanwhile, there have been some reports of electoral violations,
0:06:03 > 0:06:08with reports coming in of ballot boxes being stuffed in one area, but
0:06:08 > 0:06:13I must stress that that is only a small number of reports in just one
0:06:13 > 0:06:15area.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Much of the UK has experienced its second significant
0:06:17 > 0:06:19snowfall of the winter.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Worst affected have been the north and east of the country,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26and the snow is now falling in south Wales and the south-west of England.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Combined with sub-zero temperature winds, it's bought delays
0:06:30 > 0:06:34and cancellations to public transport and made for difficult
0:06:34 > 0:06:42driving conditions for many, as Frankie McCamley reports.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Late last night in Barnsley, not a sight you would usually see
0:06:52 > 0:06:55in March, a truck being pulled to safety by a car in
0:06:55 > 0:06:56treacherous conditions.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58And in Halifax, police rescued the driver of this car,
0:06:58 > 0:06:59who escaped with minor injuries.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01On the Trans-Pennine Express, an officer's dash cam,
0:07:01 > 0:07:06the road almost at a standstill.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08This morning as people try to leave their homes,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11it proves to be a difficult task.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13And gritters out on the A68 in Northumberland try
0:07:13 > 0:07:17to keep things moving.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20In places on higher ground like here in West Yorkshire,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25up to 11 centimetres of snow fell, but the places that saw the most
0:07:25 > 0:07:29were Hereford and Wattisham with 13 centimetres.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Today though the south-west of England and South Wales will be
0:07:33 > 0:07:36hardest hit, with amber weather warnings in place until nine
0:07:36 > 0:07:39o'clock this evening.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Elsewhere, there's been more disruption at the airports today
0:07:41 > 0:07:42with Bristol, Bournemouth and the East Midlands
0:07:42 > 0:07:44closing runways.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Heathrow and Gatwick have also told passengers to expect delays.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52Some rugby and football matches have also had to be cancelled too.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55But for some there has been fun to be had in what's been dubbed
0:07:55 > 0:07:58the mini beast from the east with temperatures expected to return
0:07:58 > 0:08:01to normal by Tuesday.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06Frankie McCamley, BBC News, in West Yorkshire.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Britain have won their first gold medal at the Winter
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Paralympics in South Korea.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Menna Fitzpatrick and her guide, Jen Kehoe, took the women's
0:08:14 > 0:08:16visually-impaired slalom crown on the final day of the Games,
0:08:16 > 0:08:23as Kate Grey reports.
0:08:23 > 0:08:29It was the golden moment they'd been waiting for. Menna Fitzpatrick and
0:08:29 > 0:08:34her guide, Jen Kehoe, saved their best till last to win gold on the
0:08:34 > 0:08:38last day. They were in silver position going into their second run
0:08:38 > 0:08:44and displayed a perfect performance. The time was unbeatable. Their first
0:08:44 > 0:08:49medal here in Pyeongchang, to become Britain's most successful winter
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Paralympian.We are running on adrenaline at the moment, because
0:08:53 > 0:08:56this first bronze was an incredible achievement to finish that race and
0:08:56 > 0:09:01to win a medal, and to finish on a gold medal and put in one of our
0:09:01 > 0:09:07strongest performances this week is beyond words. It hasn't sunk in and
0:09:07 > 0:09:11I think it probably won't until we get back to the UK and we are back
0:09:11 > 0:09:15in our own beds for a lie in. Further successful Millie Knight and
0:09:15 > 0:09:21her guide, making the bronze in the same race, meaning that Paralympics
0:09:21 > 0:09:25GB have reached their target of seven medals, but all dependent on
0:09:25 > 0:09:29one spot, one classification and a small number of athletes.We came
0:09:29 > 0:09:34into these games with clear potential on snow and ice. The
0:09:34 > 0:09:38wheelchair curlers a tough week, but from my perspective I am proud of
0:09:38 > 0:09:42every single one of the 17 athletes who came to Pyeongchang to represent
0:09:42 > 0:09:48Paralympics GB. Yes, the medals came from snow, but every athlete gave it
0:09:48 > 0:09:54their all.So the Brits have had plenty to cheer about and, with more
0:09:54 > 0:09:59nations taking part than ever before and a record number of tickets sold,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02the international Paralympic committee can also celebrate,
0:10:02 > 0:10:06claiming these games to be the greatest winter Paralympics to date.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07That's it from me.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09The next news on BBC One is at 6:35pm.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Until then, have a good afternoon.