0:00:01 > 0:00:03Tonight at 6...
0:00:03 > 0:00:11The attempted murder of a former Russian spy was brazen
0:00:11 > 0:00:14says the Government, as investigations continue
0:00:14 > 0:00:17into who was behind it.
0:00:17 > 0:00:1838-year-old Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey is named
0:00:18 > 0:00:21as the police officer - taken seriously ill after rushing
0:00:21 > 0:00:26to help Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31He is well. He has sat up. He is not the neck I know that he is receiving
0:00:31 > 0:00:34a high level of treatment.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37The bench where they were found in Salisbury remains cordoned off
0:00:37 > 0:00:39as specialist teams try to establish when they were exposed
0:00:39 > 0:00:40to the nerve gas.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43A doctor who found them tells the BBC of the shocking state
0:00:43 > 0:00:46they were in and says Yulia Skripal had stopped breathing.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48We'll have the latest on the investigation.
0:00:48 > 0:00:56Also on the programme...
0:00:57 > 0:01:02The Old Bailey hears from passengers who were on board this tube
0:01:02 > 0:01:07When it partially exploded at Parsons Green.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10A shortage of beds means tens of thousands of operations
0:01:10 > 0:01:11were cancelled in England in December and January.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13And the superagers.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16How these long distance cyclists - some of them in their 80s -
0:01:16 > 0:01:17have the immune system of a 20-year-old.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19I do it for all reasons.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21For health, because I enjoy it, because it's sociable.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23It's just a wonderful life.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24And coming up on Sportsday on BBC News:
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Snowboarder Owen Pick will be Great Britain's flag bearer
0:01:26 > 0:01:28at tomorrow's Winter Paralympics opening ceremony in South Korea.
0:01:28 > 0:01:36Pick lost his leg while serving in Afghanistan.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The police officer who rushed to the aid of a former Russian
0:01:53 > 0:01:55spy and his daughter, after they'd been poisoned by nerve
0:01:55 > 0:01:59gas, is still in a serious condition in hospital.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03But Wiltshire Police say Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06who's 38, is now able to sit up and talk.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Investigations are continuing in Salisbury into how and why
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Sergei Skripal and his 33 year old daughter were exposed to nerve
0:02:12 > 0:02:15gas on Sunday afternoon.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18A doctor who was first on the scene has told the BBC that Yulia Skripal
0:02:18 > 0:02:20had stopped breathing and was in a terrible state.
0:02:20 > 0:02:28Our home affairs correspondent, Tom Symonds, reports.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey is 38 years old, a decorated officer
0:02:31 > 0:02:34with plenty of experience on the front line of policing.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37He's still in a serious condition but the good news today
0:02:37 > 0:02:45is he is awake and talking.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Here's a great character. He is a huge presence in Wiltshire Police,
0:02:50 > 0:02:57well loved and massively dedicated officer. He is clearly receiving
0:02:57 > 0:03:02high, specialist treatment. He is well, sat up. He not been Nick I
0:03:02 > 0:03:06know that he is receiving a high level of treatment.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07The inquiry's not letting up.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Police began what appeared to be a major search
0:03:09 > 0:03:11and possible decontamination of Sergei Skripal's house today.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15For a while, they even taped off the graves of his wife and son.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17We are committed to doing all we can to bring
0:03:17 > 0:03:19the perpetrators to justice, whoever they are and
0:03:19 > 0:03:22wherever they may be.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24The investigation is moving at pace and this government
0:03:24 > 0:03:31will act without hesitation as the facts become clearer.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35The BBC's been told the nerve agent used was not sarin or VX,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38which have been used as weapons in the past, but rarer.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Decontamination teams were heavily protected on Sunday.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Look at this picture from earlier that day.
0:03:44 > 0:03:45No respirators or suits.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49These officers could not have known they were about to deal with the use
0:03:49 > 0:03:52of a chemical weapon in their city.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I guess it really brings home to us and the public again
0:03:55 > 0:03:57that we run towards danger while others walk away.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Sometimes we run to something we don't know.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04The risk they face became obvious today when a bench,
0:04:04 > 0:04:09on which the Skripals were sitting, was exposed by gusts of wind.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Just look at the operation needed to go in and peg it down again,
0:04:13 > 0:04:14four days on from the incident.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17And it wasn't just police officers who risked being
0:04:17 > 0:04:20exposed that afternoon.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I've spoken to a doctor who was there.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25She's asked us not to name her but she says she came
0:04:25 > 0:04:28across Yulia Skripal slumped over the bench, unconscious,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31not breathing, vomiting and having a fit.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33She stepped in.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36She got Yulia onto the floor, she got her breathing
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and handed her patient over to paramedics.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41She's concerned about what she's come into contact with,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44but she feels fine.
0:04:44 > 0:04:52Sergei and Yulia Skripal, attacked as she came to Britain
0:04:52 > 0:04:55from Russia to visit him, are not getting better.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57They remain in a critical condition, as the race
0:04:57 > 0:04:59to find their assailant - or assailants - continues.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00Tom Symonds, BBC News, Salisbury.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Suggestions that Moscow may be involved in the attack have
0:05:03 > 0:05:05sparked anger in Russia.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08The state media has complained of an anti-Russian campaign
0:05:08 > 0:05:13by the West, and amongst the Russian people there's little
0:05:13 > 0:05:15sympathy for the former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, as our Moscow
0:05:15 > 0:05:20correspondent, Steve Rosenberg, reports.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Moscow feels a world away from the drama of Salisbury.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Relaxed Russians are out enjoying a public holiday,
0:05:27 > 0:05:32determined not to allow a spy scandal to spoil their day.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37People here are short on sympathy for Sergei Skripal.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40TRANSLATION:The fewer secrets you sell, the longer you'll live.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41TRANSLATION:Don't betray your motherland.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Then you'll have no problems.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48TRANSLATION:When he was in prison in Russia, he was healthy.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49He goes to Britain and gets poisoned.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51He should have stayed here.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54It's a similar message from Russian TV.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56The Kremlin controlled media have been mocking Boris Johnson
0:05:56 > 0:06:02and making fun of Britain.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04If you're a professional traitor, he says, my advice,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06don't move to England.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Something's not right there, the climate, perhaps.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14But too many bad things go on there, people are hanged, poisoned,
0:06:14 > 0:06:19helicopter crashes or they fall out of windows.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Under Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has sent a very clear
0:06:21 > 0:06:26message to the Russian people that their country is a besieged
0:06:26 > 0:06:34fortress, threatened by enemies abroad and traitors at home.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40That's why there is little sympathy here for Sergei Skripal.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41And if Moscow did target Sergei Skripal...
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Most Russian people, not me, of course, most Russian people
0:06:44 > 0:06:47would take pride in it because there is a very
0:06:47 > 0:06:50black and white world, it's us against them.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Putin has brought us back in a big way.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Today, the president delivered a special address.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00No mention of spies.
0:07:00 > 0:07:06He congratulated Russian women on International Women's Day.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Moscow knows it's under suspicion that the Kremlin is acting
0:07:09 > 0:07:11as if it's business as usual.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16Steve Rosenberg, BBC News, Moscow.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18We can join our Security Correspondent, Gordon Corera,
0:07:18 > 0:07:23from outside MI6 headquarters.
0:07:23 > 0:07:31Now, are we any closer to finding out how and why the Skripals were
0:07:31 > 0:07:35poisoned?The identity of the nerve agent described as very rare is
0:07:35 > 0:07:40crucial. It may point to which country, which laboratory, is
0:07:40 > 0:07:43involved in the manufacturer. Government institutions are being
0:07:43 > 0:07:48careful about pointing the finger at Russia until the facts are clearer.
0:07:48 > 0:07:54In terms of why, there has been speculation that perhaps after he
0:07:54 > 0:07:57came here, Sergei Skripal was still actively involved in intelligence
0:07:57 > 0:08:00work I had picked up no signs of that from people I have been
0:08:00 > 0:08:05speaking to. There was speculation he might have been involved in the
0:08:05 > 0:08:11famous dossier on Donald Trump drawn up by a former MI6 officer, Chris
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Steele. Sources close to his companies said they had no link
0:08:16 > 0:08:19whatsoever with Sergei Skripal. That still leaves the most plausible
0:08:19 > 0:08:25motive as revenge, revenge for his working for British intelligence,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29MI6, behind me for that there will have been a lot of meetings that MI6
0:08:29 > 0:08:33in the last few days, a lot of concern about the potential
0:08:33 > 0:08:37perception that it cannot protect the lives of its agents, even when
0:08:37 > 0:08:41they are in the UK.Thank you.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Tens of thousands of patients in England had their
0:08:43 > 0:08:45non-urgent operations - like hip and knee replacements -
0:08:45 > 0:08:47postponed in December and January because of a shortage
0:08:47 > 0:08:55of hospital beds.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02New figures also show that A and E performance last month
0:09:02 > 0:09:04fell to its lowest level since records began.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05Our health editor, Hugh Pym reports.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07New Year brought extraordinary pressure, illustrated in the new BBC
0:09:07 > 0:09:09hospital series filmed at Nottingham University
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Hospitals Trust.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Today we have run out of space.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14We are being asked to cancel any nonessential activities.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16So not cancer, not clinically urgent, but pretty
0:09:16 > 0:09:17much anything else.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18I can't see the sense in cancelling...
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Word has come through from NHS leaders that all nonurgent surgery
0:09:21 > 0:09:24should be cancelled for the month to free up beds for emergencies.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I'm very sorry, but I don't know if you've heard the recent news,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29we have a bed crisis in the hospital.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33We're going to have to cancel operations at this moment.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34I'm afraid it's bad news.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36We are going to have to cancel tomorrow.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38I'm really sorry.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43Sometimes that meant operating theatres remaining empty.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46We don't know when we can start operating again at the moment.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48We've never had it as bad as this before.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51We're just left, largely, at a loose end.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53We're being paid to work, but just trying to find
0:09:53 > 0:09:56something constructive to do.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01There was improvement in February.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04But patients elsewhere, like Scott, are still facing delays.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08He was told the day before his back operation it had been put off,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10and he doesn't know when it will happen.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Very, very frustrated.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16I'm annoyed and I'm hurt, because now I've got to go
0:10:16 > 0:10:18through this all over again.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22This isn't something that you think, oh, well, I'm going to go
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and have a filling done.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27This is a very invasive operation.
0:10:27 > 0:10:35Figures out today revealed the scale of the consolations.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37-- cancellations.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40In December there were many 27,000 fewer routine operations carried out
0:10:40 > 0:10:42in England and the same month a year earlier.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44In January, there was a drop of nearly 14,500.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46And for the most recent two-week period, bed
0:10:46 > 0:10:48occupancy in hospitals, at more than 95%, was
0:10:48 > 0:10:50the highest this winter.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52They are going to be suffering pain, discomfort, difficulties
0:10:52 > 0:10:55with mobility and most of the elective conditions
0:10:55 > 0:10:57which we are waiting to operate on can deteriorate
0:10:57 > 0:11:04and develop convocations.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05-- complications.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08NHS England said February was the most pressurised month
0:11:08 > 0:11:10in the history of the service, with high levels of flu -
0:11:10 > 0:11:12the background to another deterioration in A&E performance.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Hugh Pym, BBC News.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17And you can see more from that documentary - Hospital -
0:11:17 > 0:11:22on BBC 2 at 9 o'clock on Monday 26th March.
0:11:22 > 0:11:30The latest aid convoy due to take desperately needed supplies
0:11:30 > 0:11:32into the Syrian rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta
0:11:32 > 0:11:33has been postponed.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36The International Red Cross told the BBC it was simply "too
0:11:36 > 0:11:38dangerous" to deliver the aid.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42The Syrian Army claims it has virtually sliced
0:11:42 > 0:11:45the rebel-held suburb in two.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Two 17-year-old boys have died, and seven people have been injured,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50in an accident involving three cars near Thirsk in North Yorkshire.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Police say the vehicles collided on the A61 shortly
0:11:52 > 0:11:53before 9:30pm last night.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Five adults and two children were taken to hospital.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00A jury at the Old Bailey has seen the moment a bomb partially exploded
0:12:00 > 0:12:03on a tube in South West London.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Some of the passengers on board have been describing how their hair
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and clothes caught fire when it went off in a packed carriage
0:12:09 > 0:12:10last September.
0:12:10 > 0:12:1330 people were injured in the incident at Parsons Green station.
0:12:13 > 0:12:1718-year-old Ahmed Hassan denies attempted murder.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21From the Old Bailey, here's June Kelly.
0:12:21 > 0:12:29This was a day of dramatic and distressing evidence
0:12:31 > 0:12:34as the court heard from those who were on the train under attack.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36A bomb had been left in a bag.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40It failed to fully go off but it created a ball of flame
0:12:40 > 0:12:43which terrified scores of early morning commuters as it
0:12:43 > 0:12:49rolled down the carriage.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52One, Amy Coalville, described to the court how
0:12:52 > 0:12:54her hair caught fire.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57She said she'd heard a loud bang and seen a wall of glass.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59A flame came over her right hand side.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Earlier the evidence focused on the movements that
0:13:01 > 0:13:03morning of Ahmed Hassan, the teenager on trial
0:13:03 > 0:13:04for the attack.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Here he is setting off on his journey with his bomb in a Lidl bag,
0:13:08 > 0:13:09the court's been told.
0:13:09 > 0:13:16One passenger, Victoria Holloway, told the jury there was a whooshing
0:13:16 > 0:13:19sound as if someone had lit a Bunsen burner.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20She said the flames
0:13:20 > 0:13:22were touching her legs and wrapping around her skin.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24In his evidence, an Army explosives expert, Craig Palmer,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27who was further down the train, went to the scene of the blast.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30He said...
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Two of the passengers were in tears as they gave their evidence.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42They testified from behind a screen and could be
0:13:42 > 0:13:46seen by only the judge, jury and lawyers.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49One of them, known only as Miss S, described how on that
0:13:49 > 0:13:54morning her coat was burning and her tights were melting.
0:13:54 > 0:14:01She has been left scarred after burns to her hands, legs and face.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04June Kelly, BBC News, at the Old Bailey.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Our top story this evening:
0:14:07 > 0:14:10The Government say the attempted murder of a former Russian spy
0:14:10 > 0:14:12was brazen and reckless as investigations continue
0:14:12 > 0:14:15into who was behind it.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16And still to come:
0:14:16 > 0:14:24Are you ever too old to start exercising?
0:14:24 > 0:14:31How this cyclist has amazed researchers.
0:14:31 > 0:14:39It's exercise were a pill, everybody would be taking an exercise pill.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40Coming up on Sportsday on BBC News:
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Owen Farrell will captain England for the first time
0:14:43 > 0:14:44in Saturday's Six Nations match against France,
0:14:44 > 0:14:49with regular skipper Dylan Hartley ruled out through injury.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Cuts to bin collections, local libraries closing down,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54big cuts to the amount of money spent fixing our roads -
0:14:54 > 0:14:57those are just some of the consequences of the continuing
0:14:57 > 0:14:59squeeze on council funding in England.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01The National Audit Office says funding for local authorities
0:15:01 > 0:15:08from central government has fallen by nearly 50% since 2011.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10And they say the increasing demands of social care -
0:15:10 > 0:15:12for the elderly, children and disabled people -
0:15:12 > 0:15:14means that many councils face running out of cash.
0:15:14 > 0:15:20Alison Holt reports.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25Do you want to do something different?An afternoon art class is
0:15:25 > 0:15:30a chance for people with learning disabilities and other conditions to
0:15:30 > 0:15:37develop their skills and socialise. For most here, the support is paid
0:15:37 > 0:15:42for by the County Council. But today's report says with local
0:15:42 > 0:15:47authorities facing such major cuts from central Government, they're
0:15:47 > 0:15:53struggling to cope.You like its legs?Sue, who has multiple
0:15:53 > 0:15:58sclerosis, describes this centre as a lifeline.I come here only twice a
0:15:58 > 0:16:05week. I would come more if there was the funding for it.Councils like
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Surrey have a statutory duty to support people who are older and
0:16:09 > 0:16:13disabled as well as providing children's services and across the
0:16:13 > 0:16:21board demand is increasing. Today's report calculates that on average
0:16:21 > 0:16:25councils in England pay 54% of their budgets on social care for children
0:16:25 > 0:16:33and adults. Many other services have been cut. Since 2010, more than 33%
0:16:33 > 0:16:36fewer homes get weekly bin collections and 10% of libraries
0:16:36 > 0:16:41have closed. The report warns with council also using savings to
0:16:41 > 0:16:45balance the books, one in ten will have exhausted their reserves within
0:16:45 > 0:16:52three years. In Surrey, one of the wealthiest parts of the country,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55they're dipping into their savings again.It has been really difficult
0:16:55 > 0:17:02to make sure we could come in this year with a budget that had the
0:17:02 > 0:17:08minimum tax level increases. We have had to use £24 of our reserves and
0:17:08 > 0:17:1215 million of our capital receipts. The report says there needs to be a
0:17:12 > 0:17:15long-term central government plan for the bins, roads and other
0:17:15 > 0:17:23services that people need.What we want local Government do and make
0:17:23 > 0:17:26funding available. Alongside that, social care needs a funding solution
0:17:26 > 0:17:31as well.The Government says a new funding settlement has been approved
0:17:31 > 0:17:35for council and that will mean a real terms increase in the money
0:17:35 > 0:17:38they get.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Two 18-years-old have been arrested after a video was posted on social
0:17:41 > 0:17:43media appearing to show a group of people chanting racist
0:17:43 > 0:17:46abuse outside the room of a black female student.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48It happened in an accommodation block at Nottingham Trent University
0:17:48 > 0:17:50earlier this week.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55From Nottingham, Elaine Dunkley reports.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56# We hate the blacks
0:17:56 > 0:17:57# We hate the blacks
0:17:57 > 0:17:58# We hate the blacks
0:17:58 > 0:18:00# We hate the blacks
0:18:00 > 0:18:04# We are the blacks haters!
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Recorded on a mobile phone by student Rufaro Chisango.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10We hate blacks! We hate blacks!
0:18:10 > 0:18:12What appears to be racist chanting outside her door in halls
0:18:12 > 0:18:19of residence at Nottingham Trent University.
0:18:19 > 0:18:25I heard shouting from outside my door. I was shocked. I was really
0:18:25 > 0:18:32shocked. I felt isolated and uncomfortable.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33The incident took place on Monday evening.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Her friends say it has left her traumatised
0:18:35 > 0:18:37and tarnished their experience of university life.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41I know these things do happen, but to think it was so close
0:18:41 > 0:18:45to home, being in my university, I was appalled.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50We know that people might not like who we are, might not
0:18:50 > 0:18:53like where we come from, our race, our religion, our creed.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55But it's something that we just kind of power through.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Just knowing that maybe they like us, that we do our best
0:18:58 > 0:19:02to just be ourselves.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Rufaro Chisango has now been offered a new accommodation and two
0:19:05 > 0:19:0718-year-old men have been arrested in connection with racially
0:19:07 > 0:19:08aggravated offences.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13The university says it accepts that it did not act quickly enough.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16There was a delay, a significant delay, we acknowledge that.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21It's vile behaviour, absolutely abhorrent.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22We are really, shocked.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25This is not the NTU positive culture for students and staff
0:19:25 > 0:19:26that we all recognise.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29The footage was posted on Twitter and has gone viral.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Nottingham Trent University says it has learned lessons
0:19:31 > 0:19:33from the incident, but this has prompted wider questions about how
0:19:33 > 0:19:40allegations of racism are dealt with on campuses across the UK.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48Nottingham Trent University is reassuring students this was an
0:19:48 > 0:19:55isolated incident. But the national students union say they receive
0:19:55 > 0:20:01phone calls from students who have been racially abused and this will
0:20:01 > 0:20:08only end when there is zero tolerance on university campuses.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11The Irish Cabinet has approved plans to hold a referendum in May
0:20:11 > 0:20:13on whether the country's abortion laws should be changed.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Currently, terminations are only allowed when the life of the mother
0:20:16 > 0:20:19is at risk and the maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion
0:20:19 > 0:20:20is 14 years in prison.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Chris Page reports from Dublin.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26This is a nation which was once seen as the most
0:20:26 > 0:20:30socially conservative in
0:20:30 > 0:20:33western Europe, but it feels like change has been swift.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35In the next few months, Ireland will make a
0:20:35 > 0:20:39defining decision.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Tens of thousands of Irish women have travelled to
0:20:41 > 0:20:46other countries to have abortions.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Gaye Edward's baby, who she and her husband
0:20:49 > 0:20:51named Joshua, had a fatal condition called anencephaly.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53She says having to go away to end her
0:20:53 > 0:20:57pregnancy magnified her grief.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59While I knew that I had come to the right
0:20:59 > 0:21:00decision for me,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03it made me feel that society viewed my decision as
0:21:03 > 0:21:06being somehow wrong.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09When you really need to be taken care of you feel
0:21:09 > 0:21:11like you're just...
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Pushed aside and into a corner.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Stories like Gaye's have helped to bring about
0:21:17 > 0:21:20the referendum.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Voters will decide whether to remove the Eighth
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Amendment of the Irish Constitution, which gives an unborn child and a
0:21:25 > 0:21:29pregnant woman an equal right-to-life.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34These canvassers are campaigning to repeal the Eighth.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Abortions are happening in Ireland, they're happening dangerously and
0:21:36 > 0:21:38they're happening illegally.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40We are on the shoulders of generations of
0:21:40 > 0:21:45women who have been organising and working for this shift forward.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47If the change to the Constitution is approved
0:21:47 > 0:21:48in the referendum, the
0:21:48 > 0:21:53Parliament in Dublin will determine how available terminations will be.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Ministers want to allow abortions up to 12 weeks
0:21:56 > 0:21:57into a pregnancy and in
0:21:57 > 0:22:00some limited circumstances afterwards.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03But the Government does haven't a majority.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07The two main parties are divided on the issue.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09The Catholic Church's strongly defending the Eighth Amendment.
0:22:09 > 0:22:15Its power has iminished, but it certainly hasn't disappeared.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Life begins at conception and ends and death and we have to protect
0:22:18 > 0:22:19all life.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24If it's repealed, all the rights are gone from the baby.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Women who support the current law are
0:22:26 > 0:22:30speaking about their experiences too.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Vicky's daughter, Liandan, was still-born at 32 weeks.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37She recalls what happened when a doctor told her he
0:22:37 > 0:22:40didn't expect her baby to live.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42He said that my only option was to pop
0:22:42 > 0:22:45to England - insinuating an abortion.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48That was never going to be an option.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51We spent the summer just being with her.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54The Eighth Amendment showed to me that not only did we
0:22:54 > 0:23:00value her, but our country valued her like that.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02For people on both sides, the referendum's about what
0:23:02 > 0:23:04sort of society they want to live in.
0:23:04 > 0:23:05It is a personal, passionate emotive debate.
0:23:05 > 0:23:11Chris Page, BBC News, Dublin.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Running a marathon or long distance cycling -
0:23:13 > 0:23:15how often do you hear older people saying such sports
0:23:15 > 0:23:18are just for the young?
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Well, it seems that's not the case.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Researchers have been following a big group
0:23:22 > 0:23:24of older cyclists - some in their 80s -
0:23:24 > 0:23:28who've all remained highly active.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31And the results are very surprising as our medical correspondent
0:23:31 > 0:23:32Fergus Walsh has been finding out.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37I've arranged a 60-mile ride through the Surrey hills.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40This is what healthy ageing looks like.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42These cyclists - aged 64 to 82 - think nothing
0:23:42 > 0:23:47of spending five hours or more in the saddle.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Room for one more?
0:23:49 > 0:23:56Yeah, welcome.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I do it all for reasons - for health, because
0:23:58 > 0:23:59I enjoy it, because
0:23:59 > 0:24:00it's sociable.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01It's just a wonderful life.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05They have all been examined as part of a trial which is challenging
0:24:05 > 0:24:06perceptions of ageing.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08One of the first results I got from the medical
0:24:08 > 0:24:10study, I was told my body fat was comparable
0:24:10 > 0:24:16to that of a 19-year-old.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Leading the peleton is Professor Norman Lazarus - at 82,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22a prime example of healthy ageing.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25If exercise was a pill, everybody in the world would be taking an
0:24:25 > 0:24:27exercise pill.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Really good, Norman.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31He not only took part in the study, but
0:24:31 > 0:24:33helped lead the research.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37This test shows his excellent lung function.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Last little bit now, keep pushing.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43An MRI scan gives another indication of how well Norman is ageing.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48These are his thighs.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Now compare Norman's muscly leg on the the right with
0:24:52 > 0:24:54that of a sedentary 50-year-old on left -
0:24:54 > 0:25:00which is mostly fat.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01Ready, push!
0:25:01 > 0:25:03If more of us could do the recommended 150 minutes
0:25:03 > 0:25:05of moderate physical activity each week, it
0:25:05 > 0:25:10would pay huge dividends.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11Across a whole gamut of different levels,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14what exercise is doing in older individuals is giving them higher
0:25:14 > 0:25:21levels of function and better quality of life.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23The most remarkable findings came when scientists in
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Birmingham examined blood samples from a cyclist.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30They found their immune system, which normally
0:25:30 > 0:25:35declines with age, was still as strong as a young person's.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37The immune system is really key in the body, it
0:25:37 > 0:25:40has several roles - it protects us from infections,
0:25:40 > 0:25:41but it also helps us to
0:25:41 > 0:25:43find things like cancer.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45So the fact these cyclists have the immune
0:25:45 > 0:25:47system of a 20-year-old and not a 70 or 80-year-old, means they're
0:25:47 > 0:25:54protected from infections and from cancer potentially.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56The advantages then of exercise in later life
0:25:56 > 0:26:00are profound.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03So if cycling's not your thing, try another sport, or what about
0:26:03 > 0:26:08dancing, gardening, even brisk walking.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Most of the health benefits of these sup-agers are easily
0:26:11 > 0:26:13achievable if we just did a bit more physical activity.
0:26:13 > 0:26:21Fergus Walsh, BBC News, Surrey.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Time for a look at the weather.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Here's Stav Danaos.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Thanks are warming up. Perfect weather for cycling?
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Thanks are warming up. Perfect weather for cycling? Yes, in fact it
0:26:31 > 0:26:36has been a nice day in many parts after the snow we had this morning
0:26:36 > 0:26:41in northern areas. As we head into this evening it is set to turn
0:26:41 > 0:26:46chilly and there could be some frost, fog and ice where you have
0:26:46 > 0:26:50had the morning snow and rain and any showers which continue across
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Scotland for example. In the far south-west of England, the cloud's
0:26:54 > 0:26:57building there. So it won't be as cold, four or five degrees in
0:26:57 > 0:27:07Plymouth. Elsewhere, sub zero values. This area of low pressure
0:27:07 > 0:27:12will introduce wind and rain, but also very mild air. Particularly to
0:27:12 > 0:27:17England and Wales. To the north we will continue to see some showers,
0:27:17 > 0:27:25they will fall as snow over the Scottish mountains. But a glorious
0:27:25 > 0:27:29day with sunshine, before cloud pushes into England and Wales.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Temperatures around 10 degrees. Still cool in the north. As which
0:27:33 > 0:27:38head into the weekend, things are set to turn milder, particularly
0:27:38 > 0:27:44Saturday afternoon, given some sunshine. Some rain spilling
0:27:44 > 0:27:48northwards and we could see some snow on its leading edge. This is
0:27:48 > 0:27:52the picture for Saturday, a messy one, with that front moving north.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57Some snow on the higher grouped of Scotland. But -- ground of Scotland.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Behind it skies brightening and when the sunshine comes out it will be
0:28:01 > 0:28:06very mild. We could see a top temperature of 16 degrees. So much
0:28:06 > 0:28:13milder. Into Sunday, another mild day. Maybe not as mild as Saturday
0:28:13 > 0:28:18and it will be sunny too. Our main
0:28:18 > 0:28:18and it will be sunny too. Our main story.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21day. Maybe not as mild as Saturday and it will be sunny too. Our main
0:28:21 > 0:28:25story. Detective sergeant Nick Bailey is named as the police
0:28:25 > 0:28:29officer taken ill after heaping the former Russian spy