0:00:05 > 0:00:08The Foreign Secretary confirms that a former Russian spy
0:00:08 > 0:00:10and his daughter are the two people believed to have been
0:00:10 > 0:00:12poisoned in Salisbury.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found two days ago slumped on a bench -
0:00:15 > 0:00:19they are now in a critical condition.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Sergei Skripal is a former double agent working for MI6 -
0:00:22 > 0:00:27friends of his daughter Yulia say she was here visiting him.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Areas near the incident in Salisbury remain cordoned off -
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Boris Johnson told MPs the government would do
0:00:32 > 0:00:40what was necessary if Russia is found to be involved.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I can reassure the house that should evidence emerge that implies state
0:00:45 > 0:00:47responsibility then Her Majesty's government will respond
0:00:47 > 0:00:49appropriately and robustly.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52We'll bring you all the latest from our correspondents here and in
0:00:52 > 0:00:53Russia on this developing story.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Also this lunchtime...
0:00:55 > 0:00:58The leaders of North and South Korea have agreed to meet
0:00:58 > 0:01:02for the first time in a decade.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Britain needs to go on a diet - health officials urge food
0:01:06 > 0:01:09manufacturers to cut the calories in their products.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Six months after Hurricane Irma swept through the Caribbean
0:01:12 > 0:01:17flattening all in its path - we return to the Island of Tortola.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19It's been no mean feat to clear this island,
0:01:19 > 0:01:21if you remember the kind of
0:01:21 > 0:01:22damage that was created.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24More than 80% of buildings were badly damaged,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28or completely destroyed.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And the former BBC presenter Bill Turnbull has revealed that he's
0:01:30 > 0:01:33been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36And coming up in the sport on BBC News...
0:01:36 > 0:01:38After 14 months out and now a mother, Serena Williams
0:01:38 > 0:01:41makes her singles comeback and she says don't expect
0:01:41 > 0:01:47too much at first.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09The government has confirmed that the two people suspected
0:02:09 > 0:02:11of being poisoned in Salisbury are a former Russian
0:02:11 > 0:02:13spy and his daughter.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Sergei Skripal was found slumped on a bench in the city centre
0:02:16 > 0:02:22on Sunday, alongside 33-year-old Yulia Skripal.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Wiltshire Police say both remain in a critical
0:02:25 > 0:02:27condition in intensive care, after being treated for suspected
0:02:27 > 0:02:30exposure to an unknown substance.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32A restaurant and a pub in Salisbury have been cordoned off,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and one member of the emergency services remains in hospital
0:02:35 > 0:02:37after the incident.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39The Foreign Secretary says the government will respond robustly
0:02:39 > 0:02:41if any Russian state responsibility is proven.
0:02:41 > 0:02:47Richard Lister reports.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52Two figures, believed to be Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia
0:02:52 > 0:02:53Two figures, believed to be Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57caught on CCTV on Sunday. Within hours they would be fighting for
0:02:57 > 0:03:02their lives, poisoned by an unknown substance.There was a man slumped
0:03:02 > 0:03:05on the bench, being sick. I was told that there was a woman on the floor
0:03:05 > 0:03:10but I could not see because she was surrounded by paramedics.The man
0:03:10 > 0:03:13has a complex past, Sergei Skripal is a Russian convicted of spying for
0:03:13 > 0:03:22the West before coming to the UK. Today, police are
0:03:29 > 0:03:32focused on the area outside of a shopping centre where he and his
0:03:32 > 0:03:34daughter were found unconscious. They have said emergency services
0:03:34 > 0:03:36personnel at the scene were taken to hospital for assessment afterwards.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38All but one have been released. Wiltshire Police are still trying to
0:03:38 > 0:03:41establish whether a crime has even been committed here but they are
0:03:41 > 0:03:42being supported by counterterror officers.The critical thing is to
0:03:42 > 0:03:46get to the bottom as to what caused this illness as quickly as possible.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51As you would expect, specialist resources in the counterterror
0:03:51 > 0:03:53network, and partners, working with Wiltshire Police to get to the
0:03:53 > 0:03:57bottom of this as quickly as possible.With a mystery poisonous
0:03:57 > 0:04:01substance involved, tracing the pair's movements is a priority.
0:04:01 > 0:04:02After taping of the area around the shopping
0:04:02 > 0:04:04After taping of the area around the shopping centre where they were
0:04:04 > 0:04:10found, police secured the Zizzi restaurant as a precaution. Today,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12they said the Bishops Mill pub
0:04:12 > 0:04:13restaurant as a precaution. Today, they said the Bishops Mill pub in
0:04:13 > 0:04:16the centre of Salisbury had also been sealed off. Sergei Skripal and
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Yulia Skripal are still in a critical condition at Salisbury
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Hospital. Public Health England has stressed there is no wider health
0:04:24 > 0:04:31risk from the incident. But parallels with the 2006
0:04:31 > 0:04:34parallels with the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko are hard to
0:04:34 > 0:04:37ignore, a Russian dissident, poisoned in London by a radioactive
0:04:37 > 0:04:40compound. It is thought he was probably
0:04:40 > 0:04:44murdered by the Kremlin. The Russian embassy complained of speculative
0:04:44 > 0:04:47stories today, which it said were demonising Russia. But the
0:04:47 > 0:04:52government have now put Moscow on notice.While it would be wrong to
0:04:52 > 0:04:54prejudge the investigation, I can reassure the house that should
0:04:54 > 0:05:00evidence emerged that implies state responsibility, then Her Majesty 's
0:05:00 > 0:05:03government will respond appropriately and robustly.The
0:05:03 > 0:05:07first pictures have now emerged at 33-year-old Yulia Skripal, who was
0:05:07 > 0:05:11visiting her father from Russia when they fell ill. They may be able to
0:05:11 > 0:05:17shed some light as to what happened to them on Sunday, but they remain
0:05:17 > 0:05:19gravely ill. Richard Lister, BBC News.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22The Kremlin says it is willing to co-operate in the police
0:05:22 > 0:05:25investigation but says Russia has "no information" on what could have
0:05:25 > 0:05:27caused the incident.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Officials are stressing that it's too early to speculate
0:05:29 > 0:05:30on what happened in Salisbury.
0:05:30 > 0:05:36Richard Galpin takes at any motives there might have been.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, now fighting for their lives,
0:05:42 > 0:05:46they are not the only Russians in Britain who may have been targeted
0:05:46 > 0:05:49for assassination by Moscow. It was proved a former spy Alexander
0:05:49 > 0:05:54Litvinenko was poisoned by radioactive polonium in London 12
0:05:54 > 0:05:59years ago. At an inquest, continuing into the mysterious death in Surrey
0:05:59 > 0:06:08of this whistle-blower. This is the moment in 2004 when
0:06:08 > 0:06:13Sergei Skripal was arrested in Russia for betraying his country. He
0:06:13 > 0:06:16was a military intelligence officer who had been secretly supplying MI6
0:06:16 > 0:06:23with information, and worse convicted for high treason. But
0:06:23 > 0:06:26after several years in prison he was pardoned and able to fly to Britain
0:06:26 > 0:06:31as part of a spy swap. But that was never a guarantee that he would be
0:06:31 > 0:06:36safe here.The fact that he was a British spy, a former member of the
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Russian military, in the minds of most Russians, they would categorise
0:06:40 > 0:06:43him as a traitor. There would be, and there are people there, who
0:06:43 > 0:06:47would be delighted to see him dead. From the Kremlin today, a guarded
0:06:47 > 0:06:51response. They said what had happened was a tragedy and they were
0:06:51 > 0:06:55open to co-operating with British authorities. But for many Russians
0:06:55 > 0:07:00living here in the UK, who opposed the Kremlin, it has been clear for a
0:07:00 > 0:07:05long time that they are vulnerable and they want greater protection.We
0:07:05 > 0:07:09need to be sure that people receiving political asylum here are
0:07:09 > 0:07:18completely safe, and the state that provide this asylum need to be more
0:07:18 > 0:07:24serious, particularly now after what happened to this Sergei and his
0:07:24 > 0:07:32friend or partner. Meanwhile, back in Moscow, Vladimir
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Putin is almost guaranteed to win yet another term in office in the
0:07:36 > 0:07:40presidential election later this month. The British enquiry into the
0:07:40 > 0:07:47death of Alexander Litvinenko concluded that Mr Putin probably
0:07:47 > 0:07:50ordered the assassination, something the Kremlin denies. The question now
0:07:50 > 0:07:54is whether there has been another killing in this country ordered by
0:07:54 > 0:07:58the Russian state. Richard Galpin, BBC News.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00In a moment, we'll speak to our Moscow
0:08:00 > 0:08:02correspondent Sarah Rainsford.
0:08:02 > 0:08:03But first to our Home Affairs Correspondent Tom Symonds,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07who is in Salisbury.
0:08:07 > 0:08:13Tom, bring us up to date with the police investigation.Well, I think
0:08:13 > 0:08:18we are at a critical point in that investigation for several reasons.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Firstly, I understand senior officers are meeting about now to
0:08:21 > 0:08:23discuss the future of the investigation, will Wiltshire
0:08:23 > 0:08:28Police, a relatively small force, continued to lead it? As we have
0:08:28 > 0:08:34seen, there are possible political ramifications for international
0:08:34 > 0:08:38politics. It may be the nation's counterterror operation takes over
0:08:38 > 0:08:42the lead in this investigation. Secondly, what was the substance
0:08:42 > 0:08:46that left a father and his daughter in such a terrible state on a park
0:08:46 > 0:08:51bench over there, covered by the tent behind me. What was it? Police
0:08:51 > 0:08:55will be looking at toxicology reports but we understand several
0:08:55 > 0:08:59members of the emergency services were also admitted to hospital. I
0:08:59 > 0:09:03understand two were cleared by doctors and released but one police
0:09:03 > 0:09:07officer is still in hospital. I'm told the symptoms experienced by
0:09:07 > 0:09:11some of those close to this include wheezing, trouble breathing, and
0:09:11 > 0:09:17also itchy eyes. What was the substance? Another key question.
0:09:17 > 0:09:22Finally, if it was an attempt to take the lives of these two people,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26how with the substance administered? We have seen the restaurant cordoned
0:09:26 > 0:09:30off for security, to ensure that as safe as evidence, and we have also
0:09:30 > 0:09:35seen a pub cordoned off. Was something slipped into food or drink
0:09:35 > 0:09:39during Sunday afternoon? A long way to go in this investigation.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Sarah Rainsford is in Moscow.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Tell us more about Russia's reaction to this incident?Russia has been
0:09:46 > 0:09:51pouring a fair amount of cold water on what it calls a lot of
0:09:51 > 0:09:54speculation and Russia phobia coming from the UK at the moment. We spoke
0:09:54 > 0:09:59to the Kremlin's spokesman for Vladimir Putin earlier today and he
0:09:59 > 0:10:02made the point that there is little information about what has happened,
0:10:02 > 0:10:09pointing out that it was a "Tragic situation", as he described it,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11suggesting here in Moscow the Kremlin do not know what Sergei
0:10:11 > 0:10:16Skripal was involved with, and who he was involved with after he moved
0:10:16 > 0:10:19to the UK. Suggesting that there could be other explanations as to
0:10:19 > 0:10:26what happened. As for the suggestion is to some kind of Russian state
0:10:26 > 0:10:28involvement, the spokesperson for Vladimir Putin said that that did
0:10:28 > 0:10:38not take long, did it? Speaking of the response here, it has been what
0:10:38 > 0:10:43they have called Russia phobia, and scandalous.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Our Security Correspondent Gordon Corera is here.
0:10:47 > 0:10:53What was the focus of the investigation, what will it be?As
0:10:53 > 0:10:57Tom said, identifying the substance and how it was administered, and
0:10:57 > 0:11:00seeing if other people were involved. I'm trying to work out
0:11:00 > 0:11:05why, if indeed, there is a link to Russia. The tone of the Foreign
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Secretary's remarks in the last hour were interesting. He said he could
0:11:09 > 0:11:13not prejudge the investigation, he did not want to get ahead of it but
0:11:13 > 0:11:16if suspicions that this has proved well founded, there will be action,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20that is what he suggested against Russia. Clearly, despite
0:11:20 > 0:11:23protestations from Moscow, you can get the sense that the suspicions
0:11:23 > 0:11:27within government, even if they are not yet confirmed, are that there
0:11:27 > 0:11:31may be a Russian link behind this. Because of that issue that we heard
0:11:31 > 0:11:36earlier, that this is someone who the Russian government, and
0:11:36 > 0:11:38intelligence services, may have regarded as a traitor and therefore
0:11:38 > 0:11:40someone they may target for that reason.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44We do not know that for sure yet, but clearly that is the suggestion
0:11:44 > 0:11:48at the moment that is being looked at strongly by the government, even
0:11:48 > 0:11:51as the police investigation goes on, dealing with those specific details
0:11:51 > 0:11:55as to why and how this may have happened.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57OK, Gordon Corera, thank you.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, has in the last half
0:12:00 > 0:12:02hour been speaking to MPs about the government's
0:12:02 > 0:12:03policy towards Russia.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Our assistant political editor Norman Smith is in Westminster.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12Norman, it was a sharply worded statement from Boris Johnson?Very
0:12:12 > 0:12:16strong words, and although Mr Johnson sought to stress that it was
0:12:16 > 0:12:19still an ongoing investigation, details were still coming in. He was
0:12:19 > 0:12:23not pointing the finger of blame, it is absolutely clear that he and
0:12:23 > 0:12:27others in government, and more widely at Westminster, believe it is
0:12:27 > 0:12:34highly likely that this involvement did involve Russian state
0:12:34 > 0:12:37did involve Russian state sponsored attack. And Mr Johnson said it
0:12:37 > 0:12:41carried clear echoes of the Alexander Litvinenko case. And MPs
0:12:41 > 0:12:46would draw their own conclusions. There were strong words. Mr Johnson
0:12:46 > 0:12:49said that the British government would respond robustly to safeguard
0:12:49 > 0:12:53British lives, values and freedoms. Much less clear is what the British
0:12:53 > 0:12:59government may do. It is under huge pressure to make a much tougher
0:12:59 > 0:13:03stand after accusations it was guilty of appeasement, following the
0:13:03 > 0:13:07killing of Alexander Litvinenko. Now, Mr Johnson was asked repeatedly
0:13:07 > 0:13:12what sort of measures the British government may take. He suggested
0:13:12 > 0:13:14that there could be targeted sanctions against those close to
0:13:14 > 0:13:21President Putin, in other words, close political and business allies.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Mr Johnson also suggested that the British government would discuss
0:13:24 > 0:13:29with Nato allies how to respond. That is interesting because it
0:13:29 > 0:13:33suggests that the British government may seek support of other countries
0:13:33 > 0:13:37for a much broader range of sanctions, to say to other countries
0:13:37 > 0:13:42that East and needs to be made against Russia in the wake of
0:13:42 > 0:13:45allegations of interference in western elections and cyber attacks.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50What is absolutely clear though, is that relations between London and
0:13:50 > 0:13:55Moscow now appear to have plunged to new depths, with Mr Johnson
0:13:55 > 0:13:59describing Moscow as "A malign and disorderly force". The chairman of
0:13:59 > 0:14:05the foreign affairs select committee accused President Putin of waging a
0:14:05 > 0:14:13soft war against the West.OK, Norman Smith, thank you.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16In other news now...
0:14:16 > 0:14:19The Russian military in Syria has offered rebels what it calls safe
0:14:19 > 0:14:21passage out of the besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24It comes as UN investigators say that all sides in the conflict
0:14:24 > 0:14:25in Syria are guilty of war crimes.
0:14:25 > 0:14:31Let's speak to Martin Patience who's in neighbouring Lebanon.
0:14:31 > 0:14:38Tell us more about this United Nations report?
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Nations report?This was a UN report, and it comes out every six
0:14:41 > 0:14:48months. It singled out two series of incidents in Syria. What we have
0:14:48 > 0:14:51seen is a conflict intensifying, they accused the Syrian government
0:14:51 > 0:14:55of carrying out three chemical attacks in that besieged area of
0:14:55 > 0:15:00Eastern Ghouta, last July. Also significantly, it accused both
0:15:00 > 0:15:06Americans and Russians of carrying out air strikes that resulted in
0:15:06 > 0:15:10mass casualties. The latest that we have from Syria is on that Russian
0:15:10 > 0:15:16offer to the rebels that they could leave eastern Gouda, to another
0:15:16 > 0:15:19area, along with their families. We have seen this kind of move before.
0:15:19 > 0:15:26That was one year ago, when Syrian troops retake the major city. In
0:15:26 > 0:15:33fact, Syria's largest city of Aleppo. Families bust out to a
0:15:33 > 0:15:37nearby province. It shows that Moscow wants to wrap up the
0:15:37 > 0:15:45campaign, but in terms of the opposition in eastern
0:15:45 > 0:15:49opposition in eastern Ghouta, they are trying to forcibly transfer the
0:15:49 > 0:15:53population there.Martin, thank you.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55More than 780 civilians - including 170 children -
0:15:55 > 0:15:58are believed to have died in the rebel-held enclave
0:15:58 > 0:16:00of Eastern Ghouta since the Syrian government started its latest
0:16:00 > 0:16:01offensive over two weeks ago.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Yolande Knell has been to a refugee camp in Lebanon,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08where families are waiting for news.
0:16:08 > 0:16:14This refugee camp is deeply affected by Syria's latest deadly battles.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Every family here comes from besieged Eastern Ghouta. Relatives
0:16:18 > 0:16:23back home constantly on their minds to.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28TRANSLATION: They cannot move because of the attacks, they are
0:16:28 > 0:16:34terrified. They spend day and night in basements. This is a disaster. I
0:16:34 > 0:16:40call on the world to save our children.
0:16:41 > 0:16:48She lost two brothers, one just days ago.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52ago. People come and give their condolences and I am burning inside
0:16:52 > 0:17:01as I mentioned my brother, she says. Her husband is devastated by what he
0:17:01 > 0:17:10sees. This was yesterday in Eastern Ghouta.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15TRANSLATION:The news is terrible, their strikes, bombings, massive
0:17:15 > 0:17:23destruction of houses and people being killed.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26being killed.It is protest songs not cartoons that the children in
0:17:26 > 0:17:32the camp watch online.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38the camp watch online. How is the camp?
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Many refugees have spent five difficult years here, it is a long
0:17:42 > 0:17:46time to be living in a tent with poor sewage and little water, she
0:17:46 > 0:17:52tells me. Now these Syrians are pessimistic about their future and
0:17:52 > 0:17:59what is happening in Eastern Ghouta. TRANSLATION:Every minute is a
0:17:59 > 0:18:05minute of pain for us, we cry over every new loss, we just hope this
0:18:05 > 0:18:09war and the bombing will soon be over.But there is no sign of that
0:18:09 > 0:18:14and for now, for these children of Eastern Ghouta, this camp will have
0:18:14 > 0:18:19to remain home.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Britain is suffering an obesity epidemic,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23and the country needs to go on a diet.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25That's the message from Public Health England,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27which has told food companies they must cut the calories
0:18:27 > 0:18:30in their products within six years.
0:18:30 > 0:18:36Our health correspondent Adina Campbell reports.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41They are firm family favourites but too many processed foods and ready
0:18:41 > 0:18:46meals do not do our way signs any favours.It is a personal choice if
0:18:46 > 0:18:54they want to buy it.I am very lazy. Personally. I would not sit there
0:18:54 > 0:18:58and look at the calories and think, this has too many.When you are
0:18:58 > 0:19:03really hungry, you do not focus on what you are taking in. Especially
0:19:03 > 0:19:07if you have a lot of fast food restaurants near where you work.Now
0:19:07 > 0:19:11supermarkets, food manufacturers and fast food restaurants are being
0:19:11 > 0:19:15urged to shoulder some of the responsibility by reducing calories
0:19:15 > 0:19:20by 20% over the next six years. Public Health England says this can
0:19:20 > 0:19:26be achieved in three ways. Changing the recipes, using better quality
0:19:26 > 0:19:30products, smaller portion sizes, which would help control how much we
0:19:30 > 0:19:36eat. Or steering us to buy lower calorie products, making better
0:19:36 > 0:19:39informed decisions.We all need to be part of this journey because it
0:19:39 > 0:19:44is affecting us now and if we think we have free choice in our
0:19:44 > 0:19:48supermarkets, in our fast food restaurants, we probably don't. We
0:19:48 > 0:19:52are being guided towards the choices we currently make by those
0:19:52 > 0:19:58businesses.Quite simply, as a nation, we are getting fatter and
0:19:58 > 0:20:01the sheer volume of high calorie foods available to us is not
0:20:01 > 0:20:05helping, not just bad for our health, bad for the NHS and
0:20:05 > 0:20:10taxpayers. To help us make healthier choices, you could soon be seeing
0:20:10 > 0:20:16more of these posters, a rough guide advising us to eat 400 calories at
0:20:16 > 0:20:22breakfast, another
0:20:25 > 0:20:26breakfast, another 600 for lunch and dinner.But campaigners say the
0:20:26 > 0:20:29advice goes too far. It is far too low, people will look at that and
0:20:29 > 0:20:32see how much a role in terms of calories is and they will say, no,
0:20:32 > 0:20:38we need to eat more.It is estimated some children are consuming up to
0:20:38 > 0:20:43500 calories more than needed every day. And around a third leave
0:20:43 > 0:20:49primary school overweight or obese. If the food industry fails to take
0:20:49 > 0:20:54action, they could face tougher consequences by the Government.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Our top story this lunchtime...
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The Foreign Secretary confirms that a former Russian spy
0:20:59 > 0:21:02and his daughter are the two people believed to have been
0:21:02 > 0:21:03poisoned in Salisbury.
0:21:03 > 0:21:11I can reassure the House that should evidence emerge
0:21:12 > 0:21:16That implies state responsibility, then Her Majesty's government will
0:21:16 > 0:21:19respond appropriately and robustly.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Coming up in sport in the next 15 minutes on BBC News...
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Jack Nowell could be out for England's next Six Nations match.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27The wing is a fitness doubt for the must-win game
0:21:27 > 0:21:30against France on Saturday.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39It's six months since the second most powerful hurricane in Atlantic
0:21:39 > 0:21:41history struck the Caribbean.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Hurricane Irma caused catastrophic damage and killed dozens of people
0:21:44 > 0:21:48as it passed through the region last September.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51One of the worst-hit places was the island of Tortola,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53in the British Virgin Islands, where 85% of the buildings
0:21:53 > 0:21:58were either damaged or completely destroyed.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Aleem Maqbool has been to the island to assess how life has
0:22:01 > 0:22:04changed since the storm.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08It is perhaps unsurprising, given that Irma was the most
0:22:08 > 0:22:12powerful hurricane ever to be reported in this part
0:22:12 > 0:22:14of the world, that six months on, even though
0:22:14 > 0:22:17people are trying to get on with their lives, trying to get
0:22:17 > 0:22:18on with their businesses,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21if they can, that the reminders of what happened when the storm
0:22:21 > 0:22:27ripped through this island are still everywhere you look here.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31This site has been used solely to dump debris
0:22:31 > 0:22:33created by Hurricane Irma.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37As you can see, piles and piles of it.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Believe it or not, it is still being added to to this day.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43It has been no mean feat to clear this island.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46If you remember the kind of damage that was created -
0:22:46 > 0:22:50more than 80% of buildings were damaged or completely destroyed
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and hundreds of boats were lifted out of the sea and dumped
0:22:53 > 0:22:56on the shore.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58So, how are things now?
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Well, sadly, six months on, we found that some people
0:23:00 > 0:23:03are still living in shelters.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Most, of course, have gone home now, but even though a lot
0:23:06 > 0:23:10of construction work has taken place, we have seen many,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13many buildings still without roofs or that are badly damaged.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16One of the biggest hits the British Virgin Islands took,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18though, is in its tourism industry.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22This is one of the main docks and usually it would have cruise
0:23:22 > 0:23:24liners coming in here and flooding this place with tourists every day
0:23:24 > 0:23:28and that is just not happening on the same scale anymore and that
0:23:28 > 0:23:35has had a devastating impact on people's livelihoods here.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Given that this is a UK territory, the question for many is,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40did Britain do enough after Hurricane Irma?
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Certainly, there were British troops here in the immediate
0:23:42 > 0:23:44aftermath of the storm,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46helping with the emergency aid effort and also
0:23:46 > 0:23:49helping restore security.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53But those soldiers left after a few weeks.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55After that, we are told by the British Governor
0:23:55 > 0:23:58here that the UK has been working very hard behind the scenes
0:23:58 > 0:24:01to help restore power.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Most of this island does now have electricity well ahead of schedule.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08But that hasn't stopped the perception among many
0:24:08 > 0:24:10here on the British Virgin Islands, particularly when they look
0:24:10 > 0:24:13at the damage that remains on their roads and particularly
0:24:13 > 0:24:16their schools, that Britain could have done much more to help
0:24:16 > 0:24:22in the recovery effort.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27Aleem joins us live from Tortola now
0:24:27 > 0:24:34What is life like now on the ground for people?We know that the British
0:24:34 > 0:24:40Government is assessing whether or not its readiness or its response
0:24:40 > 0:24:44could have been better, but in the meantime, life is still very tough
0:24:44 > 0:24:49here. Facing the trauma of what happened, still having to deal with
0:24:49 > 0:24:52the impact of it, construction is going on right across the island,
0:24:52 > 0:24:58still a great deal of debris to remove and they have had massive
0:24:58 > 0:25:04blows in recent weeks, in terms of the tourism industry, the big cruise
0:25:04 > 0:25:09companies, Disney and others, they are not bringing customers to the
0:25:09 > 0:25:14island this season. Now people are fearful again because less than 100
0:25:14 > 0:25:17days' time, the next hurricane season is due. More people are
0:25:17 > 0:25:24worried about, having shot as they can go to that time but they are
0:25:24 > 0:25:30still dealing with the impact that Hurricane Irma brought last year.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Thank you.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34The leaders of North and South Korea have agreed to meet
0:25:34 > 0:25:37on the heavily-armed border between the two countries next month
0:25:37 > 0:25:39in the first such summit for more than a decade.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Laura Bicker is in the South Korean capital, Seoul.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43This appears to be a very significant development.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46How has this come about?
0:25:46 > 0:25:53It came about after a dinner hosted by Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, the
0:25:53 > 0:25:58first time he has met ministers from South Korea, but the headlines to
0:25:58 > 0:26:02come out of it are extraordinary. Kim Jong-un has indicated to the
0:26:02 > 0:26:06South Koreans he is willing to talk about getting rid of his nuclear
0:26:06 > 0:26:10weapons, something that would have been unthinkable a few months ago.
0:26:10 > 0:26:16He is also willing to sit down with the US and he says there will be no
0:26:16 > 0:26:19further missile tests while the talks take place. Of course, there
0:26:19 > 0:26:25will be the summit between the leader of North Korea and the
0:26:25 > 0:26:29president here from Seoul. When they meet in April, the first time two
0:26:29 > 0:26:34leaders have met in over a decade. When it comes to sceptics, they
0:26:34 > 0:26:38wonder whether this is straight out of Pyongyang's playbook, that they
0:26:38 > 0:26:42will walk up to the table and walk away again while they buy time to
0:26:42 > 0:26:46try to get rid of international sanctions. Whatever way it goes, the
0:26:46 > 0:26:50ball is now in the court of Washington and it is up to Donald
0:26:50 > 0:26:56Trump what may happen next.Thank you.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Packaging firms in England have been accused of not paying enough
0:26:58 > 0:27:00towards the cost of dealing with plastic waste.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03The waste consultancy Eunomia claims the companies are paying only 10%
0:27:03 > 0:27:05of the overall bill for dealing with the waste.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06The packaging industry denies the claims.
0:27:06 > 0:27:12Roger Harrabin reports.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17Dealing with waste is expensive. Under a government scheme, the firms
0:27:17 > 0:27:22that produce packaging have to chip in towards improving recycling. But
0:27:22 > 0:27:26today's report says the packaging industry is playing just one tenth
0:27:26 > 0:27:30of the real cost of clearing up the mess it creates.We spent something
0:27:30 > 0:27:34like 2.8 billion as councils each year on waste collection and
0:27:34 > 0:27:38disposal, but we only receive something like 50 million from the
0:27:38 > 0:27:41plastics industry that contributes towards the cost. That is far too
0:27:41 > 0:27:48low.Today's report says the packaging industry is also
0:27:48 > 0:27:52overstating the amount it recycles by about 30%. No one from the
0:27:52 > 0:27:57industry was available for interview on the issue. A spokesman said all
0:27:57 > 0:28:02their figures on the cycling were independently verified. But the
0:28:02 > 0:28:07question of who pays how much to recycle plastics is clearly up for
0:28:07 > 0:28:11debate. This really matters to all of us because we share the bill
0:28:11 > 0:28:16through our council tax for getting rid of waste. But is that Bill
0:28:16 > 0:28:19shared fairly? Suppose I am the sort of man who eats lots of takeaway
0:28:19 > 0:28:23than drinks lots of fizzy drinks, I am generating an awful lot of
0:28:23 > 0:28:32rubbish. Suppose the neighbour does not create much waste at all. Then
0:28:32 > 0:28:36she is contributing the same amount in council tax as me but causing a
0:28:36 > 0:28:40small fraction of the problem. Environmentalists say it is not
0:28:40 > 0:28:47fair. Change is on the way, the Government is reviewing waste policy
0:28:47 > 0:28:51and councils want firms to pay much more to fund recycling. The industry
0:28:51 > 0:28:56of course wants to keep its bill as small as possible. Environmentalists
0:28:56 > 0:29:01think firms should pay 100% of the cost of recycling the things they
0:29:01 > 0:29:04produce. Roger Harrabin, BBC News.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07The former BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull has revealed that he's
0:29:07 > 0:29:08suffering from prostate cancer.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11The 62-year-old broadcaster says he was diagnosed at the end of last
0:29:11 > 0:29:13year and that he wants to encourage people to get tested.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18Our medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, reports.
0:29:18 > 0:29:24There were some moments that I had forgotten about entirely.Bill
0:29:24 > 0:29:29Turnbull on his last day on BBC Breakfast in 2016 after presenting
0:29:29 > 0:29:36the programme for 15 years.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39the programme for 15 years. The star of many shows, among them Strictly,
0:29:39 > 0:29:44he treated the news he was diagnosed with prostate and bone cancer last
0:29:44 > 0:29:48November. He added, I am in good spirits and I hope to be around for
0:29:48 > 0:29:54some time yet.I will place that there.The diagnosis came when he
0:29:54 > 0:30:00was recording the special Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Cancer which begins tonight. In an interview, he said, I was getting
0:30:03 > 0:30:08pains in my legs and my hips particularly, and I thought, this is
0:30:08 > 0:30:12old age. Eventually, they got so bad I thought I'd better go and see my
0:30:12 > 0:30:16GP. He said, I will give you a blood test. The next morning, the doctor
0:30:16 > 0:30:21said it is fairly clear you have advanced prostate cancer. In an
0:30:21 > 0:30:25interview in the Radio Times, he urges men not to ignore symptoms
0:30:25 > 0:30:30that might indicate prostate cancer which will affect one in eight men.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34The key symptoms are any very rapid changes to how often you go to the
0:30:34 > 0:30:39toilet to your innate, any pain when you do or pain generally in the
0:30:39 > 0:30:43pelvic area, though symptoms might not be cancer, they probably are
0:30:43 > 0:30:46not, but they would potentially suggest there is an issue and men
0:30:46 > 0:30:50should go to their GP if they have any symptoms.Bill says he's still
0:30:50 > 0:30:54working and does not want to be defined by his illness. He adds,
0:30:54 > 0:31:00although cancer will shorten his consultant's ambition is he will see
0:31:00 > 0:31:07another 18 years. -- cancer will shorten his life.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Time for a look at the weather.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10Here's Matt Taylor.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18This was the scene just outside Glasgow this morning. The covering
0:31:18 > 0:31:24of snow yet again. Across some parts of Scotland, it continues to snow.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28Big temperature contrasts. England and Wales, ten, 11 degrees this
0:31:28 > 0:31:34afternoon. A struggle to get to four, five in Scotland. Here in the
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Grampians and the eastern islands, continuing to see snow on the hills
0:31:38 > 0:31:44through the day, another 10-15 centimetres possible. Most will be
0:31:44 > 0:31:48dry. A few showers to the west of England and Wales, through East
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Anglia and the south-east. Overnight, the snow clears from
0:31:51 > 0:31:56Scotland, a few more showers pushing into the western half of the UK and
0:31:56 > 0:32:00potentially the Channel Islands, clear skies in between, it will be
0:32:00 > 0:32:04colder, greater chance of frost just about anywhere, and where the ground
0:32:04 > 0:32:11is wet, on the icy side. Tomorrow, for many, dry and bright. There will
0:32:11 > 0:32:15be some showers, rain, sleet and hill snow in the West, western
0:32:15 > 0:32:19fringes of England and Wales, heavy in Devon and Cornwall with hail,
0:32:19 > 0:32:25through the day, we could see heavy rain working from South to East, and
0:32:25 > 0:32:32in between, most places dry with sunshine. Low pressure still with us
0:32:32 > 0:32:35into Thursday, clear skies, frosty night again, just watch this weather
0:32:35 > 0:32:39front developing across northern France, it could bring rain to the
0:32:39 > 0:32:45Channel Islands, it may skirt into the far south-east. A lot of dry and
0:32:45 > 0:32:49bright weather on Thursday. A few showers. The further north, the more
0:32:49 > 0:32:53likely to see snow over the hills, but nothing compared to what we have
0:32:53 > 0:32:58had of late. The sun is gaining strength day by day. Still frost by
0:32:58 > 0:33:03night, as we will see on Friday. Snow returns at times across
0:33:03 > 0:33:07northern Scotland, most having a dry and bright day, during the day,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10cloudier and wetter in the south-west of England and Wales.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15Some very mild air which will try to push north through the weekend,
0:33:15 > 0:33:20called air still in place over Scotland, so England and Wales on
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Saturday the rain spread north, it will turn to snow in the northern
0:33:23 > 0:33:28half of the country. The milder weather will eventually win,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32sunshine at times too. A weekend of a little bit of everything but
0:33:32 > 0:33:36finishing with milder and sunnier weather for many.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40A reminder of our main story this lunchtime.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44The Foreign Secretary confirms the former Russian spy and his daughter
0:33:44 > 0:33:48are the two people believed to have been poisoned in Salisbury.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51That's all from the BBC News at One, so it's goodbye from me.
0:33:51 > 0:34:11And on BBC One, we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.