06/03/2018 Victoria Derbyshire

Hello, it's Tuesday, it's 9 o'clock,

I'm Victoria Derbyshire,

welcome to the programme.

Our top story...

A former Russian agent

who also spied for the UK

is critically ill in hospital.

Police are trying to

identify what caused him

and a female companion

to collapse on a park

bench in Salisbury.

An older guy and a younger girl, she

was sort of Lent in on him, it

looked like she had passed out,

maybe. He was doing strange hand

movements, looking to the sky.

So, was he poisoned?

And, if so, was it

by the Russian state?

We'll tell you what we

actually know so far.

Also on the programme...

If you're taking Xanax

as a recreational drug you're

dicing with your death -

that's the warning this morning

as we reveal a rise in the number

of young people taking it,

some as young as 13.

How long have you been using?

I

would say about... About nine

months.

How often do you use?

Probably once every two or three

weeks.

That full exclusive story

in about 15 minutes.

We're keen to hear your

experience of Xanax too -

if you've taken it, do get in touch

in the usual ways.

Food companies have been told

they must cut the calories

in their products by a fifth

within six years, and we're

being told to go on a diet and eat

400 calories for breakfast and 600

calories for lunch and dinner.

Is that sensible advice?

Do let us know what you think.

Hello.

Welcome to the programme,

we're live until 11am.

Throughout the morning we'll bring

you the latest breaking news

and developing stories.

A little later, Britain's most

senior counterterrorism police

officer will tell us in his final

provides television interview before

retiring from his post that social

media companies have a moral duty to

tip of police about individuals

posting extremist content online.

As always, we want to hear from you.

Do get in touch on all the stories

we're talking about this morning -

use the hashtag #VictoriaLive.

If you text, you will be charged

at the standard network rate.

Our top story today...

Police are trying to identify

a substance which caused a former

Russian double agent to fall

critically ill in

Salisbury yesterday.

Sergei Skripal was convicted

by a Russian court of passing

state secrets to MI6,

but was later given refuge in

Britain as part of a prisoner swap.

Leila Nathoo reports.

Police are racing to establish

just what happened here.

Last night, officers

were examining the contents

of a bin near to the bench

where Sergei Skripal

and a 33-year-old woman were found

unconscious on Sunday afternoon.

A high-street Italian

restaurant nearby was closed,

the staff inside questioned.

Detectives are trying to piece

together the events that led

to the police being called out

to this shopping precinct

in the centre of the city.

There was a couple.

An older guy and a younger girl.

She was, sort of, lent in on him.

It looked like she had

passed out, maybe.

He was doing some strange hand

movements, looking up to the sky.

I felt anxious.

I felt like I should step in.

But, to be honest, they looked

so out of it that I thought

even if I did step in,

I wasn't sure how I could help.

The two remain in a critical

condition at Salisbury Hospital.

Sergei Skripal was a former Russian

secret service officer,

convicted of treason in 2006

after he was accused

of spying for Britain.

But he was pardoned in Russia

in 2010 and handed over to the UK

in a swap when he and three others

were exchanged for

Russian spies in the US.

Police say they're keeping an open

mind about this incident and don't

yet know whether a crime has taken

place, but given Sergei Skripal's

background, it's likely to be

a sensitive investigation.

And Leila Nathoo joins

me from Salisbury.

What is the latest?

You can see

there is a bit of police activity,

picked up a bit this morning when we

first arrived earlier. Police are

still remaining tight-lipped about

the identities of the two who were

found here. We expect to hear a

little more from them later today,

perhaps with an update. So far they

are only confirming a 66-year-old

man and a 33-year-old woman were

found here and conscience. Police

say they were known to each other

and are working to determine why and

how they fell unconscious. There was

a big decontamination method in the

aftermath of when they were found.

That has now cleared that there is a

white police caught in place. Last

night we saw more officers in

protective suits, as I saw in my

report, wearing masks, scarring the

bins. There is no sign of that sort

of activity going on yet, but it is

clear the is of substantial interest

to police as they try to piece

together the movements of the two

before they appeared on the bench.

The restaurant was closed last

night, there is still a police

presence. That is clearly one focus

of the inquiry. It still looked like

police are some way off confirming

exactly who was here and what

happened.

Annita McVeigh is in the BBC

Newsroom with a summary

of the rest of the day's news.

Water companies have been working

through the night to restore

supplies to thousands of homes

across south-east England affected

by burst pipes after last

week's cold weather.

Production at two of

Jaguar Land Rover plants had to be

halted temporarily to allow water

to be prioritised by emergency

services and hospitals.

Tom Burridge reports.

After the big freeze,

the thaw, and cracked,

leaking water pipes in several parts

of the country.

So this the only supply

for thousands of people

for several days.

Thames Water is handing out bottles

of water to its customers in parts

of London which are cut off.

Thousands of homes in Scotland,

Wales and southern

England are affected.

I've got five kids, and literally

without water for like -

since 6:00pm yesterday morning.

It's terrible.

Washing the bottles

is just a bit difficult.

There's a lot of stuff

covered in baby poo that

I can't wash at the moment.

7:30am in the morning they sent me

a message, the water's fixed.

Nurseries and schools have closed.

Some say the water companies

should have planned more.

This is a national crisis

in our water industries

and it is clear they are not

fit for purpose.

At the very least, one would have

thought there would be some

kind of public inquiry.

People will be interested to know

whether they will get compensation

for what has happened.

Several water companies

have apologised.

They say they were working overnight

to get people connected again.

Counterfeit Xanax pills laced

with a powerful painkiller have

become a party drug among some young

people - but Public Health England

have warned this programme users

are "dicing with death."

The drug is widely prescribed

in the US to treat anxiety and can

be obtained on private prescription

in the UK.

But among some teenagers and young

adults in the UK it has become

a popular recreational

drug used illegally.

One of the country's most senior

police officers has said

that the threat from far-right

extremist groups is growing.

The Metropolitan Police's

counter-terrorism chief,

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley,

told this programme

that the rise of organisations

such as the now-banned,

National Action, was alarming.

Particularly concerning

that the end of 2016,

the Home Secretary prescribed,

that means she banned,

as a terrorist organisation,

National Action,

which are home-grown.

They are, sort of, white

supremacist, neo-Nazi.

They want things like

whites-only towns.

They are a very unsavoury group.

And they are plotting violence,

they are trying to undermine Britain

and they are starting

to make international connections.

That's a matter of grave concern.

I don't pretend it's

the same as the threats...

It is of grave concern that's

growing up in our communities.

And you can hear Victoria's full

interview with Mark Rowley

at around 10:45 this morning.

A new unit is being set up to tackle

gang activity and organised crime

being carried out within prisons

in England and Wales.

The Justice Secretary David Gauke

is concerned that too many prisoners

are able to smuggle drugs,

mobile phones and weapons

into their cells, fuelling

violence amongst inmates.

Under the changes, set to be

announced later today,

inmates who get involved with crime

behind bars could be moved

to higher security jails.

Public Health England have

challenged the food industry

to cut calories in products

like ready meals, sandwiches,

pizza and snacks.

It's hoped the plans,

targeting some of the most

popular family foods,

could lead to a drop

in the number of obese children

The packaging industry in England

has denied claims that it is greatly

exaggerating the amount

of plastic it recycles.

It follows the release

of a report today by waste

consultancy group Eunomia,

who say the industry's figures don't

add up and companies aren't paying

enough towards the £2.8 billion

annual cost of collecting

and processing plastic.

Former BBC Breakfast presenter

Bill Turnbull has announced that

he's been diagnosed with prostate

and bone cancer.

He tweeted the news late last night

and has undergone chemotherapy.

He says he is in good

spirits and hopes to be

around for some time yet.

He was at Breakfast for 15 years

before leaving the sofa in 2016.

Bill was diagnosed at

the end of last year

during the recording

of The Great Celebrity Bake Off

For Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4.

I was getting pains in my legs and

my hips, particularly. And they

would come and go and I thought this

is old age. Eventually the pains got

so bad I thought, well, I'd better

see my GP. He said, well, I'm just

going to give you a blood test, just

an MOT, just to check if few things

out. The next morning he called me

and asked me to come in pretty

quickly. The doctor said it is

fairly clear from this that you have

advanced prostate cancer.

Bill Turnbull.

That's a summary of the latest BBC

News - more at 9.30am.

I would like to send our love and

strength to Bill Turnbull.

Do get in touch with us

throughout the morning -

use the hashtag #VictoriaLIVE.

And if you text, you will be charged

at the standard network rate.

Let's get some sport.

Olly Foster is with us this morning.

We spoke yesterday, Olly,

about that DCMS doping report

that claimed that British Cycling

had crossed an ethical line.

Sir Bradley Wiggins said

he would have his say

and he certainly has.

Yes, he'd sort out our sports editor

damp Roan, gave an hour-long

interview yesterday defending

himself against what was the main

thrust of the DC MS report that he

and Team Sky, the professional

cycling team, had crossed an ethical

line in the use of prescribed asthma

and allergy medication. A very

powerful steroids, to enhance

performance. He says he is the

victim of a smear campaign, that the

source quoted in the report is being

militias. He says he feels let down

by his former head coach Shane

Sutton Hoo said the use of this drug

was unethical. Wiggins did admit

that his completely legal use of the

drug might have had performance

enhancing benefits.

The intention, I think that is the

key. Was there a performance

enhancements? You tell me there was.

There may well have been. But they

were the rules at the time, and to

treat this problem that is what I

was prescribed. I can't change the

last five years.

Wiggins went on at

length to categorically deny he had

100% never cheated throughout his

career.

And he talked about the

damage to his personal life?

You

says it has been hellish, really,

really difficult to keep himself

together. Keeping his counsel for

the duration of this report. All

this DCMS

this DCMS hearings in the past 18

months in which his reputation and

that of British cycling has slowly

been eroded. He says he has found it

so tough.

The widespread effect of the family

is horrific, I do not know how I

will put that back together. I don't

how to deal with that as well as

salvage my reputation. I would not

wish it upon anyone. I have worked

and have had the passion I have had

for this sport for 15 or 20 years. I

have been writing a book all morning

about the love of the sport. To do

that to the sport. It is just

absurd. It is the worst thing to be

accused of, I have said that before,

but it is the hardest thing to prove

you have not done. We are not

dealing in a legal system. I would

have more rights in this process if

I had murdered somebody.

Much more of that interview,

gripping at times and fascinating to

hear his defence, with our sports

editor Dan Roan on the BBC sport

website. The headlines in half an

hour, a fantastic Manchester United

winger. And a really interesting

chat with Serena Williams on her

comeback.

That is after 10am. I have tweeted a

link to the full trumps big -- full

transcript of Dan Roan's interview

with Bradley Wiggins and I would

urge you to hear the -- read the

whole thing, I really would.

Counterfeit Xanax pills laced

with a powerful painkiller have

become a party drug among

some young people.

Now Public Health England has told

this programme users

are dicing with death.

The drug, also known

by its brand name alprazolam,

is widely prescribed in the US

to treat anxiety and can be obtained

on private prescription in the UK.

But among some teenagers

and young adults in the UK,

it has become a popular recreational

drug used illegally.

Our reporter, Noel Phillips,

has been investigating.

His report contains

scenes of drug taking.

You can experienced tremors,

cold sweats, sleepless nights

and it takes a toll on your mental

health, like, extreme anxiety.

I feel really, like, drowsy.

I feel, like, a lot like a cloud.

He was going everyday to get it.

Every single day, ten tablets.

It's a tranquilliser,

it's an antidepressant,

so it's not actually on the market

or out there to make

people enjoy themselves.

Typical customer...

INAUDIBLE.

Whatever is in the drugs

they buy could change

from one batch to another.

It's dicing with death, really.

In clubs and house parties

across the UK, there are teenagers,

some as young as 13, getting high

illegally on an anti-anxiety

prescription drug.

It's so popular this American rapper

has made a cake out of it.

We celebrating with a Xan cake!

Xanax is something you're more

likely to find in a medicine

cabinet, also known

by its brand name alprazolam,

the psychiatric drug

which is used to treat

anxiety caused by insomnia.

But this medication isn't

curing a mental disorder.

Instead, young people

are using it to get high.

This man appears to be

in a zombie-like state

and is struggling to stay conscious

after taking several pills.

It's even been glorified

in mainstream music.

# Pop a couple Xans for somebody.#

But Xanax is not only being abused.

If mixed with other

drugs, it can kill.

November, 2017.

El Paso.

I took six Xanax.

This is Lil Peep.

A 21-year-old rapper.

Just hours before he overdosed

on Xanax mixed with fentanyl,

a painkiller 50 times more

powerful than heroin.

He was open about his addiction,

posting a series of disturbing

videos of the very pills that

would later take his life.

He did it!

# Xanax all over my dash.#

19-year-old Kristello

from Birmingham used to take Xanax.

Just describe that feeling

of when you were using Xanax.

Where did it take you to?

Because we hear stories

about people, you know,

experiencing some kind of a high.

How did it make you feel?

The high felt like, you know,

it was very floaty.

Any worries you had melted

away and you didn't

have a care in the world.

You were happy.

You were on a level

where you weren't afraid

of anything, really.

And if you fight the sleep,

if you don't sleep on Xanax,

the high does get stronger.

And you feel a lot more warm inside.

To many people, it is a nice

feeling, but the thing you've got

to take into account is what happens

after you take Xanax.

That's where the problems

really, really start.

Kristello first started

using the tranquilliser

in 2017 at parties and soon

after experimenting,

it became a habit.

# Ghost of me.#

But he's

now changed his tune.

He is sharing his story

in the hope that it will

prevent other young people

who might be misusing the drug.

Before you stopped using Xanax,

how much were you taking?

It varied, really.

When it started to get to,

like, a daily basis,

it was usually one tablet a night.

Maybe two.

Or maybe just a half.

But one, you know, that's four times

the recommended dose.

So, when you are self-medicating,

you don't have any knowledge of how

much you're supposed to take.

It's just how much you want to feel

away from being sober.

Why were you doing it?

I underestimated what it could do.

I didn't know it was

as addictive as it could be.

So when it did take a hold

of me, it was a surprise.

You know, in hindsight, how quick...

It kind of came on.

And that's why the authorities

are sounding the alarm.

Referred to as its street name,

Xan or Xanny, there are no figures

available to know how widespread

the use of Xanax is that

in England and Scotland,

the drug has been linked

to a number of deaths.

There was no chance

of saving Scott that night.

I dream of him, but he can't

come back, can he?

You know, all the tears

in the world, do I blame myself?

Because maybe I should have...

You know, I wasn't strict

with them growing up.

I wasn't, because Richard

was always in prison.

Anne McDermott believes

Xanax played a role

in the death of her son,

Scott.

She says the pills he took may

have been a counterfeit.

Up until he was taking Xanax,

Scott had had problems

with drugs for 17 years.

There was no overdoses,

there was no admissions to hospital.

There was nothing like that.

When he took Xanax,

the first time he took it,

he was completely out of it.

He went back the next day,

the next day and the next day.

And that's what happened.

It was an extremely

powerful, potent drug.

That will cause many more deaths

in Edinburgh, as all over.

But Scott's dependency to heroin

was the start of a life

blighted by addiction.

Anne says before he was found

unconscious at his home,

he was hooked on Xanax.

He was going every day to get it.

Every single day.

Ten tablets.

Its early evening in Birmingham

and I've arranged to meet

an 18-year-old who goes by the name

Stephen.

He's a former dealer

who used to sell Xanax

on the streets of the West Midlands.

Say I was selling ten Xanax,

I would say do

two at a time maximum.

Sometimes people would take too many

and I would hear them doing

EXPLETIVE

things.

Getting themselves into trouble.

But it wasn't on my mind.

I've sold it.

If they want to do something

stupid, get caught up

in the moment, that is

their responsibility.

It's a shame but that's

not on my mind.

A chilling glimpse into

a world where the lives

of users are at the hands

of their dealers.

Who is your typical customer?

Typical customers,

the people my own age.

I'm talking mature people

in year 11,

in high school.

College students and

university students.

You know, they take

Xanax, you know, for the

weekends, to go clubbing.

But I also have customers

in their 40s, in

their 60s, for some reason,

still getting high.

So, why are so many young people up

and down the country

taking a drug which has been

described as a zombie pill?

I've been invited to

a flat just outside

Birmingham in Dudley by a group

of young people to find out.

The venue is an ideal den

for these teenagers -

the ultimate consumers.

They've asked for their

faces not to be shown

but allowed our cameras into

the party as they got high on the

illegal drug.

If you're wanting to experience

the height of Xanax, then

the best thing...

You should try and stay awake

because it can send you

very sleepy and very drowsy.

It does make it feel

very comfortable.

No matter what...

Like, if I were sitting

like this, I could fall

asleep, lie back like this and it

would just feel comfortable.

I wouldn't feel any

strain on my neck.

The best way to describe it is that

you feel like a marshmallow.

Jordan and Kiernan,

which are not their

real names, both 18.

They say they've

unintentionally taken

counterfeit Xanax,

spiked with fentanyl.

And getting hold of the drug

tonight was not hard.

Can you show us what you bought?

Yes.

Two Xanax.

How much have you spent?

I've spent £5 for this.

How long have you been using?

I'd say for about nine months.

How often do you use?

Probably once every two

or three weeks I would say.

Would you describe

yourself as an addict?

No, not at all.

But you are dependent?

Not really.

Xans are the best things to use.

If you're using other drugs

and you feel really

uncomfortable afterwards...

Because of the come-down effects

of other drugs can be quite,

like, powerful on your body.

Taking a Xanax really

helps to, like, stop

that feeling and make you feel

comfortable with yourself.

On an average night,

Jordan and Kieran say they take

up to two Xanax bars.

Xanax washed down with alcohol.

A lethal combination.

At best, users only have a vague

idea of what's in their drugs.

But the authorities are now

acknowledging the scope

and severity of this problem.

We've been told by Pfizer,

the company that produces Xanax,

that over 96 of the pills they've

analysed in their counterfeit labs

have turned out to be fake.

How big a problem is

Xanax at the moment?

It is a real and immediate concern

amongst the groups of young people

with whom it seems to be

a drug of choice.

And, of course, people buy

things from the internet.

They have no guarantee

of what they're getting.

Whatever is in the drugs

that they buy could change

from one batch to another.

So it's dicing with death, really.

Because these things

are very dangerous.

And one of the drugs causing

concern is fentanyl,

a powerful painkiller

which is usually prescribed

to cancer patients.

The National Crime Agency says 113

people have died having used it

in the last 12 months.

The great disaster is that

when these tablets are supplied

between friends and one friend gives

it to one friend without realising.

And they kill a friend without

realising because they've sold them

something that they didn't think it

was.

Until last year, Tony

was the most senior anti-drug

detective in the country.

He saw first hand how fentanyl

was a favourite of addicts.

This type of tablet is the type

of tablet that I would expect

criminals to use, substances

like fentanyl, to

create a counterfeit.

The danger we've got here is that

young people who are used to taking

drugs or young people that

are new to taking drugs, who think

they know what they're doing...

It's now 20 minutes since Jordan

and Kieran each took a Xanax pill

and the after effects couldn't

be more apparent.

But I feel really, like, drowsy.

I feel, kind of, like,

I feel a lot like cloud.

I don't know, I just feel

comfortable, really.

I'm feeling fine, honestly,

I'm feeling fine.

I'm just...

relaxed.

The drug only lasts

12 hours in total.

Say, when I fall asleep,

I'm going to have a really,

really comfortable sleep.

You're exposing yourself

to all sorts of potential

risks by using Xanax.

Yeah.

You're aware of that, aren't you?

We are 100% aware of the risks,

they can be a factor.

But we are level-headed about it.

We wouldn't go over

the limits that we take.

But that doesn't

make it OK, does it?

It doesn't make it OK,

but it's just fun for us.

I understand why

people don't like it.

I just don't really care.

What I've seen here shows pretty

convincingly the challenges

the authorities are up

against in tackling

the misuse of Xanax.

Say I was to take a Xan today,

I wouldn't feel like I needed

to take another one.

I wouldn't go out of my

way to go and get it.

Like, it would just be a case of,

like, when it's next round.

That's when I will maybe do it.

# Flashing lights, my stage

is bright #

When Kristello first

started misusing Xanax,

he wasn't aware of the devastating

impact it would have on his life.

Now, unlike other musicians, he's

sending a message about its dangers.

You can experience tremors,

cold sweats, sleepless nights and it

takes a toll on your mental

health, as well.

Like, extreme anxiety and paranoia.

You can experience

blackouts with memory loss.

Your long-term memory can

be affected as well,

your memory and your timeline

will just be blank because you don't

remember anything from Xanax.

If you use or have used Xanax,

or a family member of yours has,

please do get in touch and tell

us your experience.

We appreciate that means you have

used it illegally. You can remain

anonymous. It is about getting an

insight into why you are using this

drug.

If you want help or advice

about some of the issues

raised in this item,

please go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Still to come...

Health officials are telling

us to go on a diet.

Apparently

we should all eat 400 calories a day

for breakfast and 600

at lunch and dinner -

we'll get reaction from health

experts.

And an in-depth interview

with tennis legend Serena Williams

on her campaign to reform gun laws

in the States, equal

pay and how she's being

inspired by her daughter.

Time for the latest news.

The BBC News headlines

this morning...

Police say they are keeping an open

mind about how and why a former

Russian double agent became

critically ill after apparently

coming into contact

with an unidentified substance.

Sergei Skripal, and a woman found

with him, are being treated

in hospital in Salisbury.

Sergei Skripal was given refuge

in Britain eight years ago

after being involved in a spy swap.

In Syria, the first aid

convoy for three weeks

has delivered supplies

to the rebel-held

territory Eastern Ghouta.

But aid workers were forced

to cut the mission short

after dozens of people were killed

by shelling from

pro-government forces.

Nearly 400,000 people

are thought to be trapped

in the enclave which has been

the focus of heavy

fighting in recent months.

Water companies have been working

through the night to restore

supplies to thousands of homes

across south-east England affected

by burst pipes after last week's

cold weather.

Yesterday London MPs called for an

inquiry into why 25,000 people had

water supplies cut off over the

weekend, and production at two

Jaguar Land Rover plans had to be

halted to allow water to be

prioritised by emergency services in

hospitals.

Public Health England has asked food

manufacturers and retailers to

reduce the number of calories by a

fifth. It wants the whole industry,

from processors to restaurants, to

achieve that by 2024.

Former BBC breakfast presenter Bill

Turnbull has announced he has been

diagnosed with prostate and bone

cancel. A 62 Which? Classic FM host

told the region Times magazine he

was diagnosed after the end -- the

end of last year after blaming

long-term aches and pains on old

age. He is encouraging other people

to get tested.

That's a summary of

the latest BBC News.

Here's some sport now.

Olly Foster is back. Sir Bradley

Wiggins says he is the victim of a

smear campaign after a DCMS report

claimed he and Team Sky crossed an

ethical line in the use of

prescribed drugs that may have also

enhance performance. Wiggins says he

has 100% never cheated on his

career.

From 2-0 down, Nemanja Matic scored

an injury time wonder goal as

Manchester United beat Crystal

Palace 3-2.

They are second in the table. 14

months after her last match and six

months after giving birth, the 23

time Grand Slam singles winner

Serena Williams makes her comeback

on the women's tour this week.

I will have a full update after

10am.

Welcome to the programme, good

morning.

Police are trying to identify

a substance which caused

a former Russian agent,

who allegedly spied for Britain,

to collapse in Wiltshire.

Sergei Skripal, who is 66,

and a woman in her 30s

were found slumped on a bench

in Salisbury on Sunday and are now

critically ill in hospital.

He was convicted in 2006 of passing

state secrets to MI6,

Britain's foreign intelligence

service, but he was later

given refuge in the UK

as part of a prisoner swap.

Freya Church witnessed

the couple looking unwell.

I had just finished training at my

job, I walked up this past year on

the right-hand side, on the bench,

there was a couple. An older guy and

a younger girl. She was sort of

leaning in on him, it looked like

she had maybe passed out. He was

doing strange hand movements,

looking up to the sky. I felt

anxious, like I should step in, but

to be honest they look so out of it

I was not sure how I could help even

if I did step in.

We do not know as yet

what caused Sergei Skripal

to collapse on that bench

in Salisbury, but the parallels with

what happened to another Russian,

Alexander Litvinenko,

rang immediate alarm bells.

He was killed in 2006

after being poisoned

by tea which was laced with polonium

210 in a hotel in Mayfair.

We can speak to Sir Tony Brenton.

He was the UK's ambassador

to Russia until 2008.

During that period Alexander

Litvinenko was fatally poisoned.

What do you think the parallels

between the Litvinenko assassination

and what we know so far regarding

Sergei Skripal?

There are obvious

parallels but there are obvious

differences. Litvinenko and script

were both Russian intelligence

agents at some point in their

careers. --

careers. -- Litvinenko and Skripal.

Litvinenko is dead because of

polonium, we do not know what

Skripal has taken or been given. But

the differences, Litvinenko fled

Russia and was... I don't know being

pursued but had left a lot of

bitterness because he had written a

book attacking the Russian

government for blowing up lots of

Russian citizens. Skripal was

released by the Russians and was

pardoned by the Russian president,

Medvedev, at the time. So we should

not draw any swift conclusions,

particularly since we do not yet

know it was unfair play with

Skripal, but we should be looking

carefully at it.

We do not know if

it is foul play. If that ends up

being the conclusion, what could the

UK do, if anything?

It will be very

difficult. At the time of the

Litvinenko affair, relations were

reasonably good with Russia and

there were actions we could take

which we knew her to the Russians.

We took a bit of time, accumulated

evidence, got it very clear that we

knew who had done it and we had a

case against him and we pressed for

his extradition, and when they

refused to extradite we imposed

sanctions in the Russian

intelligence agencies and Russia

more generally, we threw out some

diplomats, we made it harder for

Russian officials who might have

been involved in this sort of thing

to get into the UK. We know the

Russians resented those actions.

Relations with Russia have got much

worse since then, there are other

sanctions on Russia at the moment.

Contact artificial ministerial level

are very intermittent. It is really

quite hard to see what we can do to

intensify pressure on Russia, which

is part of the general problem. We

have opposed all be sanctions, the

West as a whole. The Russians'

response if anything has been to

toughen their response. They see us

as trying to diminish and you

mediate them and threatening their

national security. Things have gone

from bad to worse. A very low point,

whatever we conclude whether

Skripal, being when Putin

demonstrated a load of nuclear

weapons last week which they may or

might not have but are developing

and emphasised his willingness to

use them when necessary. It seems to

me we need to find their way back

from the brink we are at now of

getting back to a serious old Cold

War type of nuclear confrontation.

You think we are on the brink of

that?

I lecture a bit here at Cambridge,

five years ago I used to say to my

students the world we're handing on

to you is not perfect but at least

we have removed the shadow of mutual

nuclear annihilation from the

threats facing you and your

children. I can no longer say that.

There has been a very major

deterioration in the quality of the

world we are passing on and it seems

to me there is a duty on our

generation to do what we can to fix

that deterioration.

Stay with us, said Tony Brenton, I

will also bring in Yuri Felshtinsky,

an historian who was a friend of

Alexander Litvinenko. He joins us

from Paris. I am going to ask you

about what

about what search Tony Brenton has

just said. But as a friend of

Alexander Litvinenko, what did you

think when you heard of the collapse

of Sergei Skripal?

Unfortunately

these types of murders are attempted

murders sent... Tend to be an Austin

event. Alexander Litvinenko was the

first one, and it was majorly. ...

Documented. There was a businessman

poisoned in London, there were

people who died... There were also

people poisoned in Russia as well.

This is not the first case at all.

This is not unusual. I think the

change which initially

took place when the group was

exchanged for Russian sleepers in

the US (INAUDIBLE)

. Never change a Russian spy for

spies abroad, they exchanged foreign

spies but not Russian. Because of

this they probably wanted to send

Russian spies back to Russia. But

deep inside they knew they would use

the opportunity (INAUDIBLE)

. What I think they did.

Sorry to

interrupt, it is quite difficult to

hear, serve. I apologise to the

audience.

I am sorry.

Don't worry, I

will try to make the line clearer.

The images we were showing when you

spoke well of your friends Alexander

Litvinenko in hospital, an image he

approved the release of two show

what had happened to him.

I will bring in Keir Giles,

who is an expert on Russia

at the international

affairs think tank, Chatham House.

Let me ask you about the Russian

former agent fighting for life in a

British hospital, Sergei Skripal.

What can you say about him?

He was

convicted of espionage on behalf of

the UK and sentenced to 13 years

imprisonment in Russia, then

exchanged as part of the spy swap

you have just heard about in 2010.

Since then he has lived apparently

very low profile life, he has not

been a prominent critic of Russia.

He is not the only individual that

has arrived in the UK as part of

that spy swap. Really nobody had

heard of him since the swap until a

couple of days ago. But at Yuri

Felshtinsky just told you, this is

not an isolated incident, it is part

of an extended pattern of people who

have embarrassed the Russian state

or costed leadership money dying in

suspicious circumstances.

As you

pointed out, not a prominent critic,

pardoned by Putin but embarrassing

Putin would potentially be enough to

be assassinated on foreign soil?

This is not an instance where

embarrassment would be the prime

motivation for a revenge attack, but

he was pardoned by President

Medvedev, not Putin. That makes a

difference. Given that legal

decisions in cases like that are

really of little significance in

Russia, let's not forget we should

not necessarily assume he was

actually spying for British

intelligence coming he was merely

convicted of it, this really carries

very little weight when weighed

against long-standing Russian

practice of how they deal with, as

they put it, traitors.

If you speak

against your homeland then you risk

death?

Acting against the homeland

rather than speaking. They are

reported to have passed over detail

of Russian intelligence operation

through the West to British

intelligence, meaningless operatives

were seized. He was a career army

officer and is meant to have

supplied information on specific

military units to British

intelligence. All of those was con

-- would constitute grounds in the

Russian sense of a revenge attack

regardless of the legal status.

Let's try Yuri 's line in Paris

again, if we may. How do you think

Britain is handling Russia, broadly

speaking, at the moment?

We know it

is very difficult. We know it took

several years to officially come to

the conclusion that the Russian

government was behind it. But in

that time Russia invaded Georgia,

Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia

interfered with

interfered with elections

(INAUDIBLE)

Terrible speech in which Putin was

blackmailing the whole world with

nuclear. It is very difficult to

deal with Russia now, to argue with

Russia now, to react to what Russia

is doing. They are able to commit

crimes without punishment.

(INAUDIBLE)

.

. Attempted murder to defectors, who

they considered to be enemies of the

state. I am afraid there is not much

we can do.

Nothing much we can do.

Thank you all very much. More on

that story through the day on BBC

News.

Coming up...

People taking the anti-anxiety drug

Xanax illegally are dicing with

death. That is our top story.

We'll be hearing from

a mother whose son died

after overdoing on the drug

Xanax in January.

If you have taken Xanax as a

recreational drug, get in touch and

let us know your experience. It is

absolutely fine to message is

anonymously, of course.

The portion sizes of some

of Britain's most popular

foods are to be cut,

with health officials telling us

it's time to get on a diet.

Public Health England is targeting

pizzas, ready meals,

processed meat and takeaways

in a new obesity drive.

The government agency has also urged

the food industry to start

using healthier ingredients

and is encouraging us all to opt

for lower calorie foods,

saying we should eat 400 calories

at breakfast and 600

at lunch and dinner.

It is all part of a drive to cut

calorie consumption by 20% by 2024.

With us now is Kawther Hashem.

She's a nutritionist

for Action on Sugar

at Queen Mary University of London.

Julie Clarke, who is also

a nutritionist who helps

families eat healthier.

And Ciara Attwell, founder

of the blog My Fussy Eater,

which was set up to encourage her

children to eat more a varied diet.

400 calories at breakfast... Looks

like this. Porridge, blueberries, if

you're still feeling hungry, you can

have a banana. I did including my

calculations a cup of tea or coffee

with milk and I think this is a

fairly decent amount of calories and

it is quite filling breakfast.

Filling for who? Filling for a

ten-year-old but not for a grown

man, potentially?

This is the kind

of cup you would get from most

outlets, it might look a bit small

because of the poll, but this is

about 400 calories, it is what you

would typically get if you are

buying a pot of porridge in the

supermarket -- because of the

supermarket -- because of the bowl.

You can make it with milk and it

would still be under 400 calories.

No toast

No toast ...

Croissant would take

you close to the 400 calories.

Is

porridge a carbohydrate?

Yes, it has

carbohydrates, but it is fibre.

Lunch?

This is dinner, actually.

These are savoury cheese and spinach

muffins, a basic muffin recipe but

made savoury so it has vegetables,

cheese, and on the side, lots of

fruit and veg, so you get part of

your five day, another bit of

cheese, you can use protein like

chicken, maybe chickpeas. And cookie

is treat.

That looks very dead

interesting and potentially very

tasty but not very much of it, 600

calories -- that looks very tasty.

For a child, two is enough, for an

adult...

This is a chicken results

so, leftover chicken from a roast

dinner -- chicken risotto. As a

side, a salad, extra vegetables, to

make it up to 600 calories. That is

the portion size you are looking at.

And no pudding?

No pudding in the

600, I'm afraid.

Public Health

England say we underestimate the

calories we eat.

People associate

some foods...

We underestimate

commie should have corrected me! We

eat way more than we think we do.

Definitely. Because foods we know

are particularly unhealthy, we will

say, I had a slice of cake, you had

a biscuit, but you will say you did

not have as many biscuits as you

actually did have, so people

generally underestimate foods they

associate with being particularly

unhealthy.

The report is really

shocking, obesity is the norm, it

suggests, in this country. It also

says in

says in quite clear terms, we need

What will happen to you if you eat

too much healthy food? If you don't

do any exercise...?

You will have to

store it as fat in your body.

Lots

of work to do.

Serena Williams is about to take to

the court again for her first

singles tournament since giving

birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia

six months ago. She says motherhood

will only make her a better player

as she attempts to overtake Margaret

Court in winning the most Grand Slam

singles titles ever. 24. In a

wide-ranging interview talking about

equal pay, her charitable work and,

of course, her baby daughter, she

has spoken exclusively to the BBC.

Very good to see you back on tour

and playing here in New York. What

do you make of this Tie Break Tens

format and the potential for it in

the future of tennis?

I think it is

a really great for much, really fun,

fast, exciting, boom, boom, boom,

you can get a lot of different

players in it, lots of people

involved. You have more than just

one hour and a half of one two our

much.

much.

Getting yourself back into the

shape you have been into complete

until once again, it is hard to

imagine what you must have been

through. How brutal has it been to

try to regain full fitness after

such a combo gated birth?

It has

been hard. There have been so many

days, even still when I am like how

my going to keep going.

-- after

such a complicated birth.

It has

been really difficult but I keep

going, I might not be at my best yet

but I am getting there. Every day is

a new day and every day I should be

getting better. As long as I am

moving forward, even if it is at a

total's pace, I am OK.

Do you

genuinely feel ready?

If

genuinely feel ready?

If I am

Scheduling can be an issue at times.

Women often put on first thing in

the morning when fewer people are

inside the stadium?

Outside of some

marquee players but it is just a

handful, the women's matches are at

this time and the men's at the more

marquee tents.

Would that be a

member to Wimbledon? They normally

schedule two men's matches to one

women's.

I felt they put two women

on last year. I think they are

getting better at that but I

definitely applaud them. There is a

lot of progress.

One of the other

issues you have commented on, and

you wrote a very eloquently about

this in your CNN article, is the

fact that there are black mothers in

the United States who you say are

three times more likely to die in

pregnancy or childbirth, it is a big

issue in the developing world, as

you know in your role as a Unicef

Goodwill Ambassador. Why do you

think that is?

Doctors are not listening to us. I

was an unfortunate situation where I

know my body well, and I am who I

am, and I told the doctor, something

is wrong. She immediately listened,

she was great. I had a wonderful

doctor. Unfortunately, a lot of

African-Americans and black people,

not just African-Americans, and

minorities as well, they do not have

that same experience that I have

had, so it has been really educating

to me to learn that we are dying

three times more likely, and also,

there are some things we are

genetically predisposed to that some

people are not. So knowing that

going in, some doctors not caring as

much for us, it is heartbreaking.

Because of what I went through, it

would be difficult if I did not have

the health care I had to imagine all

the women who go through that

without the same health care and

without the same respondents, it is

upsetting. A strong element of

prejudice involved, do you think?

Does it boiled down to who has the

health insurance?

I don't know.

There is a lot of prejudging, that

definitely goes on. It needs to be

addressed.

There are so many issues

to address. As you are only too well

aware, the gender pay gap,

diversity, sexual harassment, I do

not know if you saw Francis

McDormand receive her best Oscar

actress the other day, she received

the award, she put down the Oscar,

she directly addressed the Hollywood

executives in the audience,

addressed some of the issues. Is

that is what is required from sports

stars and musicians and actors, time

to get a bit feisty and to really

take the fight to another level?

I

can't say that it is not time to get

feisty. Maybe it is. You have to

stand up. I heard someone say have

conversations that are not

comfortable, be comfortable with

having uncomfortable conversations.

We deserve to be paid what a guy

does, we deserve to be treated

fairly, the same way. Conversations

in 2018 we should not have to have.

It is important to have that and

important to speak up loud and clear

and say, this is not right. Treat me

the same way that you were

treating... How will I explain to my

son he is getting more? How will I

explain to my daughter she is

getting less than my son? It

possible to explain this.

Your fund

is about two things, equality in

education and helping the victims of

what you describe a senseless

violence which unfortunately you

have to much experience.

My fund is

about equality in education and the

way it is about helping bring

resources to those who have had to

deal with senseless violence, which,

like you said, I have had to

experience through the death of my

sister. I want to bring awareness to

that. Another cause really near and

dear to me, raising awareness for

women to Unicef, for mums going

through pregnancy and Third World

countries and African-Americans and

minorities and having a better

experience throughout the whole

pregnancy.

And what can you do

actively for the victims of

violence? Do you campaign in your

own way?

We keep raising money. We

are trying, everyone is trying,

speaking up on it now, teenagers,

that has been great, we keep raising

awareness and money. It has affected

me personally so it has been really

trying.

Final question, strong

connection with Africa, for many

reasons, your fund being one of

them, tennis in Africa is not a huge

sport. It seems to me a double -- a

WTA event in Africa would be that is

it something you have thought about?

I would like to keep thinking about

it. I am glad you brought it up. I

think it would be amazing. So fun.

To go down, and the awareness and

the athletes and the amazing players

that would come out of Africa, it

would be unbelievable.

Great to talk

to you. We wish you the best of luck

for your comeback in Indian Wells.

Thank you.

Serena Williams talking

to our tennis correspondent. Very

good he is but it too. Now the

weather.

We have a band of rain, sleet and

snow pushing north, eventually

becoming confined to the far north

of Scotland. Further south, sunshine

and showers. The latest snow and

radar picture, that shows exactly

where we have the sleet and snow,

especially across the hills, some to

lower levels across Scotland. It

will continue to migrate north, cold

wind blowing at around, brightening

up. In Scotland and northern

England. Northern Ireland, fairly

cloudy day with rain and drizzle.

England and Wales,

England and Wales, some bright

spots, even sunny spells, but also

showers and some could be heavy.

Quite mild in the South. Still cold

in the North. This evening and

overnight, the snow distribution

changes, moving to the Northern

Isles, northern and western

Scotland, even at lower levels. For

the rest, quiet night, some showers,

frosty, the risk of ice and patchy

fog which could be dense across

parts of East Anglia and the

south-east.

Hello, it's Tuesday, it's ten

o'clock, I'm Victoria Derbyshire...

Our top story today -

Russia says it would be open

to helping investigate

the suspected poisoning of a former

double-agent, who collapsed

in Salisbury two days ago

and is now critically ill.

This morning we've had this warning

from a former British

ambassador to Russia.

A very low point, whatever we

conclude about Surman Sergei

Skripal, being when Putin

demonstrated a load of nuclear

weapons which they may or may not

have that are developing, and

underlined his willingness to use

them if necessary.

Plenty more reaction to come

throughout the programme.

Also on the programme...

Health officials warn that

if you use Xanax as a recreational

drug, you could end up dying.

Children as yet as 13 are using the

drug recreationally.

I did not know

it was as addictive as it could be,

when it took hold of me it was a

surprise in hindsight how quickly it

came on.

came on.

Do get involved with your

own experiences.

Britain's most senior

counterterrorism officer tells us

that social media companies have a

moral duty to tip-off police to

potential terrorist activity.

When you have such complex global

issues, I am not sure there are

simple legal levers you can pull. I

think there is a moral duty. Looking

at the banks, it got -- it took

quite a long time to get where we

are. My guess is over many years it

will be persuasion and regulation

which will move the relationship

with the tech sector in the same

way.

That full exclusive television

interview before 11 I am.

Good morning.

Here's Annita in the BBC Newsroom

with a summary of today's news.

Police say they are

keeping an open mind

about how and why a former Russian

double agent became critically ill

after apparently coming into contact

with an unidentified substance.

Sergei Skripal and a

33-year-old woman found

with him are being treated

in hospital in Salisbury.

Sergei Skripal was given refuge

in Britain eight years ago

after being involved in a spy swap.

The former UK Ambassador

to Russia, Sir Tony Brenton,

said the incident was a symptom

of the increasingly strained

relationship the UK has with Russia.

We have been imposing all these

sanctions aren't so one, not just us

but the West as a whole. The Russian

response has a very thing being to

toughen up our approach. They see as

those trying to diminish and Milik

them, threatening their national

security. Things have gone from bad

to worse. A very low point, whatever

we conclude about Skripal, being

when Putin last week demonstrated a

load of nuclear weapons which they

may or may not have but are

certainly developing and he

underlined his readiness to use them

if necessary. It seems to me that we

need to find a way back from the

brink we are now on and getting back

into a serious old Cold War type of

nuclear confrontation.

Britain's most senior counter

terrorism police officer has told

this programme in an exclusive

interview that social media

companies have a moral

duty to tip-off police

to potential terror activity.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley

of the Metropolitan Police says that

whilst tech companies have worked

with officers on individual cases,

more needs to be done.

He says that, in time,

regulation will be needed

to ensure their co-operation.

When you have such complex global

issues, I am not sure there are

simple legal levers you can pull. I

think there is a moral duty. Looking

at the banks, it took quite a long

time to get to where we are with a

mature relationship with them added

to the combination of persuasion and

regulation. My guess is that over

many years, persuasion and

regulation will move the

relationship with the tech sector in

the same way.

And you can hear

Victoria's full interview

with Mark Rowley at around a quarter

to eleven this morning.

In Syria, the first aid

convoy for three weeks

has delivered supplies

to the rebel-held

territory Eastern Ghouta.

But aid workers were forced

to cut the mission short

after dozens of people were killed

by shelling from

pro-government forces.

Nearly 400,000 people

are thought to be trapped

in the enclave which has been

the focus of heavy

fighting in recent months.

Water companies have been working

through the night to restore

supplies to thousands of homes

across south-east England affected

by burst pipes after last

week's cold weather.

Yesterday London MPs called for an

inquiry as to why 20,000 people had

water supplies cut off over the

weekend.

Production at two of

Jaguar Land Rover's plants had to be

halted temporarily to allow water

to be prioritised by emergency

services and hospitals.

Counterfeit Xanax pills laced

with a powerful painkiller

have become a party drug among some

young people - but Public Health

England have warned this programme

users are dicing with death.

The drug is widely prescribed

in the United States to treat

anxiety and can be obtained

here on private prescription.

But among some teenagers

and young adults in the UK,

it has become a popular recreational

drug used illegally.

Former BBC Breakfast presenter

Bill Turnbull has announced that

he's been diagnosed with prostate

and bone cancer.

He tweeted the news late last night

and has undergone chemotherapy.

He says he is in good

spirits and hopes to be

around for some time yet.

He was at Breakfast for 15 years

before leaving the sofa in 2016.

Bill was diagnosed at

the end of last year

during the recording

of The Great Celebrity Bake Off

For Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4.

I was getting pains in my legs,

in my hips particularly.

And they would come and go,

and I thought this is old age.

Eventually the pains got

so bad that I thought,

well, I'd better go and see my GP.

He said, well, I'm just

going to give you a blood test,

just a sort of MOT, if you like,

just to check a few things out.

The next morning he called me

and asked me to come in pretty

quickly, and the doctor said it's

fairly clear from this that you have

advanced prostate cancer.

Bill Turnbull.

That's a summary of

the latest BBC News.

More at 10:30am.

Do get in touch with us

throughout the morning -

use the hashtag #VictoriaLive.

If you text, you will be charged

at the standard network rate.

You can use Whatsapp, Facebook or

e-mail for free.

A few people have commented on the

portion sizes which Public Health

England are suggesting our good

sized portions in terms of calorific

content for what we should it for

breakfast, lunch and dinner. 400 at

breakfast, 600 at lunch and dinner.

Where I come from, dinner is at

lunchtime, but you know what I mean.

Michael says those meals are a joke.

I am six foot three and 16 stone, I

am not overweight and they would in

no way even touch the sides, let

alone fill me up. David says I am

67, six foot four and around 15

stone. I have stayed relatively slim

without the benefit of anyone

telling me what to eat. I despair of

the continuing trend of experts

taking the fun out of life.

Thank you for those.

Here's some sport now.

Sir Bradley Wiggins says

he is the victim of a smear campaign

after a DCMS report claimed

that he and Team Sky crossed

an ethical line in the use

of prescribed drugs.

Wiggins says he has 100% never

cheated in his career,

but speaking to our sports editor,

Dan Roan, he did concede

that the legal use of a powerful

corticosteroid to treat his asthma

and pollen allergy may have led

to performance enhancement.

I think intention is the key. Was

there a performance enhancement? You

tell me there was.

There might well

be.

There may well have been. But

they were the rules at the time, and

to treat this problem that is what I

was prescribed. I can change the

last five years.

Do you feel let

down by what you are advised to do?

-- I can't change. I think I have

been let down since in terms of the

last 12, 15 months, what has

happened. The packages on the

outcome of this report based on

anonymous sources. I think the least

I deserve through this now is some

hard evidence. If that is the

accusation, where is the evidence to

support it?

Much more on the BBC sport website.

Manchester United were 2-0 down

at Selhurst Park last night