09/03/2018 BBC News at Six

The army on the streets

of Salisbury, as specialist officers

arrive to deal with the scene

of the nerve agent attack.

Military equipment and personnel

trained in chemical warfare make

an unusual sight in the market town.

They have the detection equipment

that will allow them to properly,

safely and very detailed survey

of those areas, and if there is any

contamination, they can then safely

remove that and have it destroyed.

The people of Salisbury

are urged to stay calm.

The former Russian spy and his

daughter are still critically ill.

Also tonight:

After the insults, a surprise

meeting is to take place

between President Trump

and the leader of North Korea.

Britain close to signing

a multi-billion pound deal to supply

Saudi Arabia with 48

Typhoon fighter jets.

Why increasing numbers of young

British Muslim women are deciding

to wear a headscarf.

And British athletes arrive

in South Korea for the biggest

ever Paralympic Games.

And coming up on Six Nations

Sportsday on BBC News,

we're live in Dublin to preview

the penultimate round

of the tournament.

Ireland are still on for

a Grand Slam and play

a resurgent Scotland.

Good evening and welcome

to the BBC News at Six.

People in Salisbury have been urged

not be alarmed at the sight

of the army on the streets, as just

under 200 military personnel have

arrived in the town.

Specialist officers,

with training in chemical warfare,

will be working in the area

where the former Russian agent

Sergei Skripal and his daughter

Yulia collapsed on Sunday.

Tom Symonds reports from Salisbury.

Five days after unprotected police

officers, paramedics and passers-by

came into close contact with a

chemical weapon, the military

arrived at Salisbury Hospital. The

mission, to recover evidence. At the

hospital, they were taking away a

car. They are also expected to

secure Sergei Skripal's car, and

there are ambulances which may have

traces of the nerve agent used in

the attempt on his life.

The

military will cod in the area,

probably in protective equipment.

They have detection equipment that

will allow them to properly, safely

do a detailed survey of the areas

and if there is any contamination

they can safely remove that and have

it destroyed.

Tonight, renewed

police activity at the grave of

Sergei Skripal's son, Alexander, who

died last year. It has been

suggested his body may be exhumed.

The Home Secretary was the first

senior government representative to

visit Salisbury this morning.

Ministers have stressed the

importance of getting to the bottom

of the alleged plot before pointing

fingers. Give us time, Amber Rudd

said. She met and praised those who

have helped victims and

decontaminated the area, including

firefighters.

I am in their

sympathetic approach and

professionalism as they engage with

these people. And now as they

reflect, they are concerned

sometimes for themselves and their

families but they have all said to

me that they would not have done

anything differently.

And then to

the hospital continuing to provide

the highest level of care to the

victims. Detective Sergeant Nick

Bailey, exposed to nerve agent

during the incident, is making good

progress. His friends await news.

Always really easy to speak to, to

get hold of, always delivers. And he

delivers it effectively and

efficiently. He always has a sense

of humour around him. He does it

easily and nothing is ever too much

trouble for him.

Sergei Skripal

remains in critical condition, his

daughter, Yulia, the same, but

responding better to treatment. The

investigation has become part of

life in central Salisbury.

Everybody

is scared a little bit. Hopefully

everything is all right in the next

couple of days.

Your T-shirt says it

all. Calm is exactly how people have

remained. Why you concerned?

No,

otherwise I wouldn't be here and I

certainly would not bring my son.

Some warrior that Salisbury will

become known for this shocking

event, but life will move on. --

some people worry.

It will always be

there but the town, the city, there

are some much loved here, I don't

think that would happen.

For now, at

least, central Salisbury remains the

scene of a crime reverberating

around the world.

And Tom is in Salisbury now.

What can people there expect

to see over the next few

days, or is it weeks?

Well, I think it is going to go on

and on. This has been escalating

since the incident on Sunday

evening. Counter-terrorism officers

have been brought in, confirmation

of the use of a nerve agent. And

right now, the military on the

streets and the hospital campus,

where I can see on the other side,

they are covering a police car that

has been at the hospital since

Sunday. We believe that is a police

car that was driven to the hospital

after the incident and which may be

contaminated. I say we believe,

because unusually in this case, very

little is being confirmed by

counter-terrorism officers running

the investigation. Amber Rudd said,

give us space, we will get to the

bottom of this, and we will find the

facts. It is important that they do

because there are huge international

implications if this is some sort of

a plot to kill a Russian dissident.

We know where that leads.

Thank you.

The "old dotard" is to meet

"little rocket man".

President Trump says

he'll hold talks with

North Korea's Kim Jong Un,

in an historic meeting

between the two leaders.

The apparent breakthrough took

the US by surprise and comes

after months of growing tension,

in which the two men

have traded insults.

South Korean officials,

who have brokered the talks,

describe it as a miracle,

and say the North is now committed

to denuclearisation and has

promised to halt all nuclear

and missile tests.

Nick Bryant has more.

Last night, the White House felt

more like the Twilight zone, Donald

Trump slipping into the press

briefing room unannounced to tell

reporters to expect a major

announcement. And then out from the

West Wing came a delegation from

South Korea, to make one of the most

stunning diplomatic statements in

decades, after delivering to Donald

Trump a message from Kim Jong Un.

He

expressed his eagerness to meet

President Trump as soon as possible.

President Trump appreciated the

briefing and said he would meet Kim

Jong Un by May. To achieve permanent

denuclearisation.

Prior to arriving

in Washington, they held a meeting

in Pyongyang, with Kim Jong Un of --

offering a warm hand of friendship,

rather than rattling his usual

saver. And on state TV, the

schmaltzy soundtrack doubled as

diplomatic mood music as the North

Korean leader offered to abandon his

nuclear arsenal in return for

security guarantees from the United

States. Then came the sentimental

farewell, Kim Jong Un sending them

off not just with a wave but an

invitation to Mr Trump, the most

improbable overture. Donald Trump

gave his response on Twitter.

The White House claims his tough

talk has worked.

They will be met

with fire and fury like the world

has never seen. Rocket man is on a

suicide mission for himself and for

his regime. Washington has been in a

whirlwind, taken by surprise.

Shortly before the shock

announcement, America's chief

diplomat ruled out direct talks with

Pyongyang.

In terms of direct talks

with the United States and US

negotiations, we are a long way from

negotiations.

This gamble offers

Yong Eun Yang a propaganda coup

without much the dramatic groundwork

and without a guarantee of success.

-- Pyongyang. But President Trump's

predecessors have failed to hold

North Korea's nuclear programme, so

perhaps it is worth this dramatic

new gesture. Two combustible leaders

dealing with potentially the world's

most combustible problem. Diplomacy

like a Las Vegas title fight, the

international summit of the century.

As we heard there, today's

announcement follows

something of a thawing of relations

between North and South Korea,

that saw them march under a single

flag at the Winter Olympics.

The South Korean President,

Moon Jae-in, described the planned

meeting with its unpredictable

and heavily armed neighbour

as a milestone for peace.

But how has the news gone down

in the capital, Seoul?

Laura Bicker has been finding out.

For months, Seoul wondered

if it faced the prospect

of war once again.

Today, it woke to better news.

TRANSLATION:

The prospect

of a stunning Trump/Kim summit has

turned an impending crisis

into an opportunity.

The horror of the Korean War

is not forgotten here.

The fighting ended

with no peace treaty.

Now future generations hope

these talks will prevent

further confrontation.

TRANSLATION:

I think this

will be a turning point,

and through this our future children

will benefit from living in a more

free and peaceful world.

TRANSLATION:

I think it is a good

thing for both countries,

and as a South Korean citizen,

it's good that the threat of war has

reduced, even by a little.

TRANSLATION:

Even if things turn out

well, it won't benefit

the people in North Korea.

In the past, when the South Korean

President provided aid

to North Korea, I heard almost none

of it went to the common people.

So I don't think it's

going to turn out well.

Decades of distrust and suspicion

divide North and South.

People have learned that

hope can be a bad thing.

I'm told it's hard to tell

what is real progress

and what is propaganda.

A strong word of caution.

The road ahead is very long,

very complicated, very complex,

and there's no guarantee

that the North will ever

give up its nuclear

weapons easily, if at all.

These talks are a huge

political gamble.

Presidents Moon and Trump could be

being played by Pyongyang,

or this peninsula could be

on the verge of something it's been

searching for for nearly seven

decades, a peace treaty.

This statue portrays two

brothers divided by the war,

in a last, desperate embrace.

There's a sense of cautious optimism

that this unresolved conflict

could now have a happy ending.

Laura Baker, BBC News, Seoul.

Britain is close to agreeing

a multi-billion pound deal to supply

Saudi Arabia with 48

Typhoon fighter jets.

It coincides with the last

day of a state visit

by the new Saudi leader,

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

It's a welcome shot in the arm

for UK industry but has already

attracted criticism.

Our security correspondent,

Frank Gardner, is with me.

With Saudi waging war in Yemen,

this was always going

to be controversial.

It certainly was, and I have to say

I think it is a punch in the nose

for the hundreds of protesters who

came out to demonstrate outside

Downing Street against both the

visit and the arms trade between

Britain and Saudi Arabia, plus all

those who are sitting at home

probably shaking their heads at

this. But for the government and the

defence industry and for those who

think Saudi Arabia is the right ally

to have, it is certainly a shot in

the arm. Over 5000 jobs in the UK

depend on this, many more in Saudi

Arabia. This is a man, the Crown

prince, who is shaking up that

country. He is seen as a defence

against Iranians expansionism, its

aggressive stance as it is perceived

in parts of the Middle East, and

Saudi Arabia cooperate on

counter-terrorism. They passed a

tip-off to stop an attack in 2012

ahead of the London Olympics. The

government has taken a view that

despite concerns raised last night

at Chequers by the Prime Minister

over dinner, they will go ahead with

these defence sales. That will not

be popular with some people because

of Yemen.

The first aid convoy since Monday

has crossed into the besieged Syrian

rebel-held enclave of Eastern

Ghouta.

The International Red Cross has sent

13 trucks loaded with food

to hundreds of thousands

of civilians there.

The organisation said the convoy

was not allowed to take in medical

supplies and the amount of food

is nowhere near enough.

The man accused of carrying out

the London Tube bombing

at Parsons Green made no attempt

to deny he was responsible

when he was arrested

the day after the attack,

a court heard today.

The prosecution claims Ahmed Hassan,

who denies attempted murder, told

a detective that he made the bomb.

30 people were injured in September

last year when the bomb partially

exploded on a Tube carriage.

June Kelly was in court.

Ahmed Hassan on his way to Brighton,

hours after leaving a bomb

on an underground train in London.

Two years on from his arrival

in the UK, the teenage asylum seeker

caused mayhem in its capital city.

Hassan later headed for Dover,

where he made for the Port area.

The jury at his trial has seen this

CCTV footage of his movements.

On the run, he hung around this area

until the following morning.

And it was here, 24 hours

after the Tube attack,

the police identified him

as a wanted man.

In an initial interview

with counter-terrorism

detectives from Scotland Yard,

Hassan was asked,

"who planted the device?"

And he replied, "I did."

In response to further questions,

he said there might be a few

grams of the explosive,

TATP, at his home address.

Hassan's device created a fireball

when it partially exploded

on an underground train at Parsons

Green station in west London.

The jury was told today the bomb

was packed with shrapnel,

including nuts, bolts,

screws, drill bits and knives.

And it contained 400 grams

of the explosive TATP.

It would have been lethal if it

had fully detonated.

This was the evidence

from an explosives expert,

who went on to the train.

The prosecution evidence at his

trial is now drawing to a close

and Hassan's defence case is due

to start next week.

June Kelly, BBC News,

at the Old Bailey.

It is a quarter past six.

Our top story this evening.

Almost 200 specialist military

personnel have arrived in Salisbury

following the nerve agent

attack on a former Russian

spy and his daughter.

Coming up, I am in Dublin to try to

guide you through Six Nations

Saturday. Ireland could be champions

tomorrow night.

Coming up on Sportsday

on BBC News...

The game that could decide

the best of the rest

in the Premier League.

We'll preview Manchester United

against Liverpool,

second against third in the table,

ahead of their meeting on Saturday.

Increasing numbers of young

British Muslim women are choosing

to wear a hijab or headscarf.

It's not without controversy.

Women in some Muslim

countries, like Iran,

are campaigning against it

as a symbol of oppression.

But here some women

are taking the opposite view,

seeing it as empowering -

even a feminist statement.

It's increasingly evident in the

world of fashion and social media.

And a major modelling agency has

just signed its first British

catwalk model who wears a hijab.

Nomia Iqbal investigates.

The spotlight is on the hijab.

Many Muslim women choose

to wear it proudly.

For some, it's an act of modesty.

For others, in countries like Iran,

forced to wear it, it's a symbol

to remove in protest.

It may divide opinion,

but the hijab is going high fashion.

20-year-old model Shahira Yusuf has

been signed up by Storm,

the agency that found

supermodel Kate Moss.

Shahira is one of the first

British models with a hijab

taking to the catwalk.

Yeah, definitely don't want to be

considered a token girl.

I don't want these models

like ethnic models or models

from different religious backgrounds

to just pave the way,

I want the way to stay there,

become the norm within society.

Because it is the norm outside

of the modelling sphere.

Shahira is becoming

the face of Modest Fashion.

At the show in London,

Muslim designers have come

from all over the world

to promote their clothes.

The market for Modest Fashion

is on course to be worth billions.

I grew up in a Muslim family

and none of the the women

in my family wore the hijab.

None of my Muslim

friends wore it either.

But now, more and more young

women are wearing it.

The reason why I wear

it is to number one, cover my hair.

And number two, to be honest,

I actually enjoy wearing the hijab,

I enjoy covering my hair,

I enjoy the hijabs I have today

I feel like it makes a statement.

It's part of who I am,

it's my crown.

The hijab to me is empowerment

and it's feminism and it's taking

control and ownership

of what I choose

to show to the world.

Being online has given some women

a powerful platform.

Social media star Mariah Idrissi has

a huge following on Instagram.

The hijab is a part of me,

it's part of my career

and it's representation.

You know, we shouldn't be ashamed

or shy to represent who we are.

If you are a model wearing a hijab,

and you're on Instagram and having

thousands of people following you,

aren't you doing the opposite

of what the hijab is

supposed to be about?

The mainstream media,

western media isn't

representing Muslims on TV,

in fashion, anywhere.

The only time we are represented

is for something bad.

I just saw this as, you know I'm

going on the news and I'm talking

about something that's not

about terrorism, not

about women being oppressed,

I'm talking about fashion.

Some campaigners for Muslim womens'

rights think the hijab's popularity

is a political statement.

They feel uneasy about its use

as an expression of identity.

Modest does not mean

you need to wear the hijab.

Modesty goes beyond that in your

behaviour and your way of dressing.

I don't need to prove to anybody

what I am, but in the hijab,

you are singling yourself

and proving something unnecessary,

especially in the Western world.

The hijab means different things

to different people.

Shahira believes you can wear it

and be a successful model.

Her dream?

The cover of British Vogue,

wearing her hijab.

Nomia Iqbal, BBC News.

Sir John Sulston, who won

the Nobel Prize for medicine

for his work on the human genome

project, has died.

Sir John's work in decoding

the sequence of human DNA -

the building blocks of life -

saw him awarded the prize in 2002.

It's an important

weekend of sport ahead.

The Paralympic Winter Games have got

underway in South Korea

with the British team hoping

for a record medal haul.

And it's the penultimate

round of matches in rugby's

Six Nations this weekend,

but with Ireland in pole position,

the title could be decided tomorrow.

Joe Wilson is inside

the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Joe.

If your idea of an ideal that they

often is becoming engrossed in rugby

union event tomorrow could be

perfect with loads possibilities.

Ireland could be champions by

tomorrow night. England essentially

have to match whatever they do to

keep their hopes alive. Scotland are

in the mix as well. It all begins at

2:15pm in this city.

In Dublin they line up this way.

Undefeated Ireland versus

rejuvenated Scotland.

Both teams should be confident,

both are in contention.

If Ireland win, they could be Six

Nations champions by Saturday night.

If Scotland win then

everything seems wide open.

Remember how they beat England.

The group's got confidence

but they've also got awareness

of how good Ireland are and how good

we will have to be to win

and we'll have to be better

than we were against England.

We're really excited to get back out

on the field and get going.

But, you know, there's nerves

and a little bit of, you know,

worry about the threat that

Scotland bring.

Well, Dublin's match will just be

the start of things.

The next rugby bridge to cross

on Saturday will come in Paris.

Tea-time kick-off, fragile France

versus uncertain England?

Well, with mind or muscle,

England must beat the French.

They may have to score four tries

for a bonus point to stay

in sight of Ireland.

England have made big changes,

some enforced by injury.

There is a new man

carrying the captain's

responsibility, his way.

You try and be aggressive

in the right times.

You want to be calm and clear-headed

to be able to make good decisions.

And I think that's where

I've probably matured

a bit over the years.

But at the same time,

when the opportunity

arises to be aggressive,

you've got to make

sure you're in it.

And could France suddenly

to be brilliant?

Not even Poirot knows.

That's Jefferson Poirot,

their 19 stone prop.

It's the uncertainty that

makes the Six Nations.

Dublin's modern stadium

lies near to the Liffey.

It twists, it turns.

We watch, we wait.

If you like your twists and turns on

snow or ice them look towards the

Winter Paralympics, bigger than ever

this time and from South Korea Kate

Grey has sent this report.

The biggest Winter

Paralympics to date.

Drummers and dancers,

the traditional charms

of Korea opening the show.

The weather playing its part too -

nothing could be done

about the fog covered fireworks.

And heavy snow had prevented a full

rehearsal so a slight flag hiccup

could be forgiven.

But the flags were in full

flight when it came to

the parade, some more than others.

And here they come, Great Britain.

Owen Pick leading the way, a great

honour for the soldier turned

snowboarder.

And the British team

certainly enjoying the

party atmosphere.

The International Paralympic

Committee had wanted

North Korea and South Korea to march

out under a unified flag but these

Games will be North Korea's debut

Winter Paralympics so the team

preferred to walk out separately.

The host nation completed

the procession but the cold

temperature meant no hanging around,

with all teams snaking

in and out of the stadium.

The crowd were treated

to an eclectic mix -

a snowboarding bear,

weird and wonderful contraptions

on wheels, and the floor putting

on its own dazzling show

with the help of performers.

Paralympics GB have a target of six

to 12 medals here in South Korea

and their best chances could come

from the ski slopes.

Rising stars Menna Fitzpatrick

and her guide, Jen Kehoe,

will compete across the five Alpine

skiing events and could be two

the big names of these Games.

There's a really good buzz

in the camp, the mood

is really, really positive.

It feels like a real family.

There's a real identity,

there's a real cohesion,

you can feel the support.

With the cauldron lit

and the fog finally clearing

for the firework finale,

the organisers will hope it

will now be about the sport

and not the weather.

Kate Grey, BBC News, Pyeongchang.

Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Chris Fawkes.

Not as cold as South Korea?

Actually, it is warming up in South

Korea, turning milder there and also

for us. This was one of our

spectacular pictures from the day

fells fells covered in snow

underneath sunny skies, a glorious

day. But the weather is changing,

and looking at the south there is

low pressure and a waving weather

front that will bring pulses of

heavy rain northwards across the UK.

That process is underway at the

moment with the rain already

arriving in southern England, into

Wales and the Midlands and East

Anglia. You can see it turning

increasingly heavy in central and

southern England, London and the

south-east in the next few hours.

The rest of this evening and

overnight, this rain will extend

northwards into northern England and

Northern Ireland. We will have clear

skies for a time in Scotland but

with the south-westerly winds

strengthening it will bring up some

mild air and by the end of the night

we will have temperatures of ten or

11 degrees in Cardiff and London but

further north with the clearer

skies, cold enough for some frost in

parts of Scotland. Looking at

Saturday, a wet start for many, the

rain moving northward into Northern

Ireland and Scotland, some snow

across the highest hills in Scotland

but as the milder air comes in the

snow will change back to rain and we

could have another pulse of rain

come into western England and Wales

and in Wales and north-west England

it might rain for much of the

afternoon. Further east it will stay

cloudy but there could be brighter

spells and that would boost

temperatures up to 15 degrees in

parts of eastern England. What about

Sunday? More rain forecast I'm

afraid, particularly in southern

counties. Likely to be quite heavy,

maybe some thunder and an area not

far off as in minute continent could

effect parts of East Anglia but that

is uncertain. Further north with

like to winds Somma mist and fog

possible but 10 degrees possible in

Scotland -- some mist and fog. To

summarise, we are seeing a change to

milder conditions, we will all get

some rain through the weekend but

come in fairly heavy pulse

particularly on Saturday but the

temperatures will be rising all the

time, 15 degrees could be yours on

Saturday and even on the Sunday,

double bigots everywhere turning

significantly milder in Scotland. --

double figures.

A reminder of our main story.

Almost 200 specialist military

personnel have arrived in Salisbury

following the nerve agent attack

on a former Russian

spy and his daughter.

That's all from the BBC News at Six

so it's goodbye from me

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's

news teams where you are.