15/03/2018 BBC News at Six

Standing together -

America, Germany and France join

Britain in blaming Russia

for the Salisbury

nerve agent attack.

The Prime Minister visited the crime

scene today and welcomed

the international support

in the wake of the poisoning

of the former Russian spy.

This happened in the UK,

but it could have happened anywhere.

And we take a united

stance against it.

Now streets are cordoned off around

the home of the police officer,

still seriously ill

after the attack, as the Defence

Secretary voices his anger.

If you are a nation and another

nation has launched a nerve agent

attack on your people and you have

every right to tell Russia

to shut up and go away.

Moscow continues to deny

being involved and says

it will expel British

diplomats in retaliation.

Also on the programme tonight.

Thousands flee the Syrian enclave

of eastern Ghouta as government

forces intensify their attacks

on the rebel held area.

A police investigation reveals that

a fire door at Grenfell Tower only

held back the flames for 15 minutes

- half the time it should have.

The world health organisation orders

a review into the potential risks

of microplastics after hundreds

are found in leading

brands of bottled water.

And coming up on

Sportsday on BBC News:

Penhill wins a thrilling Stayers'

Hurdle - giving trainer

Willie Mullins his 60th winner

at the Cheltenham Festival.

Good evening and welcome

to the BBC News at Six.

President Trump has joined France,

Germany and the United Kingdom in

issuing a joint statement, laying

the blame for the Salisbury nerve

agent attack firmly on Russia.

They said the first offensive use

of a nerve agent in Europe

since World War II was an assault

on British sovereignty

and there was no plausible

alternative explanation other

than that Russia was responsible.

Today Theresa May went to Salisbury

and spoke to the police officer

who's still seriously ill

in hospital after trying to help

Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

Russia continues to

deny any involvement.

James Landale reports.

This was Theresa May's first visit

to Salisbury since the nerve agent

attack. A chance to be briefed by

the police and public health

experts, but a chance to meet and

reassure members of the public,

whose lives have been so disrupted.

The spirit of those that live here

has been fantastic.

She visited the

scene of the attack on the former

Russian intelligence officer and his

daughter 11 days ago. The restaurant

where they ate and a park bench,

under a tense, where they were

found. The Prime Minister thanked

some of the police officers who

first responded to the call.

Thank

you, what you did is what the police

do day in and day out. You go to a

routine call, you don't know what

you find.

Then at the local hospital

she met and thank Detective Sergeant

Nick Bailey, who is still recovering

from exposure to the nerve agent.

Russia, she said was guilty of a

brazen and despicable attack. She

expelled 23 of its diplomats, but is

ready to do more.

There are other

things we're looking at. What is

important in the international arena

and we have taken this into Nato,

the United Nations and we will be

taking it to enter the European

Union, allies are standing alongside

us.

That came in a joint statement

from the leaders of Britain, France,

Germany and the US, blaming Russia

for what they called an assault on

UK sovereignty.

I spoke with the Prime Minister and

we are in deep discussions, very sad

situation and it looks like the

Russians are behind it. Something

that should never, ever happen and

we are taking it very seriously, as

I think are many others.

The joint

statement is significant because it

shows the Foreign Office and Downing

Street are convincing Britain's

allies that the Salisbury attack is

different, it represents an

escalation of Russia's hostile

behaviour. And as such, those allies

are ready to crank up the pressure

on Moscow. Bad diplomacy continued

today in Brussels where British

security officials briefed Nato

allies. The head of the alliance

said Russia had clearly breached

international agreements.

It is

important to express strong,

political support to the United

Kingdom, sending a clear message

that the United Kingdom is not

alone. We stand together with them.

In Moscow, President Putin discussed

the Salisbury case with his

ministers, who denied Russia and the

soviet union had ever run a Novichok

nerve agent programme and promised

to respond soon to the expulsion of

its diplomats. The Porton Down

military research laboratory, which

identified the nerve agent is to get

an extra £48 million in funding.

Ministers confirmed it would provide

a sample to the chemical watchdog.

Ministers, whose diplomacy is not

extending to Russia.

If you are a

nation and another nation has

launched a nerve agent attack on

your people, you have every right to

tell Russia to shut up and go away.

Meanwhile, this afternoon near

Salisbury, the investigation

continued with the Army recovering a

car from the village near the home

of Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey.

In a moment we'll get the latest

from Washington and Moscow but first

let's speak to Daniel Sandford

who's in Salisbury.

More cordons as we saw, the

investigation goes on?

Yes, what is

unusual about this investigation is

because of the use of the nerve

agent in this English cathedral

city, there are an unprecedented

number of safety concerns. The main

thing we have been seeing is the

recovery of those two vehicles from

the village where Detective Sergeant

Nick Bailey lived. You wouldn't

normally have to do that in a

counterterrorism investigation,

recovering the vehicles of first

responders, but they have to do that

to decontaminate them. Troops have

had to put on protective clothes and

gas masks, load the vehicles onto

the low loaders and carefully

removed the protective clothing

again to avoid being contaminated.

That is because of this

identification of this military

grade nerve agent from the Novichok

class, which was made in the Soviet

Union. That was identified last week

by the scientists from Porton Down.

It took them several days to get to

that point. Now a sample will be

made available for independent

verification. It is part of the

internationally agreed process of

the UK, proving its charge against

Russia, that Russia has used a

chemical weapon, and nerve agent in

Europe for the first time since the

Second World War. The UK will be

hoping it will persuade enough

countries the Kremlin is simply

lying and no amount of Russia

muddying the waters with conspiracy

theories and propaganda will

undermine its case.

Steve Rosenberg is in Moscow.

Russia says it will retaliate after

its diplomats were expelled but we

still don't know when or how?

Absolutely, there will be

retaliation, but we do know Vladimir

Putin discussed the matter today

here in the Kremlin with his top

security officials. A meeting of the

powerful Russian Security Council

and they denounced Britain's stance

as destructive and provocative but

there was no announcement about

their planned response. As we await

that response, you can feel the

anti-British sentiment bubbling up

in the state-controlled media here.

I was watching Russian TV and

rolling news channel and there was a

report which listed all the bad

things that Russia alleges Britain

has done to Russia over the last 200

years. Whenever there is a

diplomatic row between Moscow and

London, there is one famous Russian

expression you always hear in the

state media here, the English man

spoils everything. We have been

hearing that a lot in the last

couple of days.

And Jon at the White House.

President Trump has joined UK in

blaming Russia, a significant

moment?

Yes, since he came to office

there has been a stubborn refusal to

blame Russia for anything and

ignored the advice of his own

intelligence services. But now he

stands square behind Theresa May and

the accusation she has made about

the Russians. The statement issued

last night saying just that. Donald

Trump did something, he joint signed

the letter with the leaders of

France, Germany and Britain.

Furthermore, he had a brief news

conference with the Irish Prime

Minister, who is here in Washington

at the moment and said, it looks

like it was the Russians who were

behind it, something which should

never have happened and we are

taking it very seriously. One other

thing, the Americans have imposed

sanctions against 19 Russians over a

separate investigation. It looks as

though the calculation appears to be

this... If everyone is acting

together against Russia, much more

difficult for Vladimir Putin to pick

Theresa May off individually.

Thank

you all very much.

Thousands of people are fleeing

Syria's rebel held enclave

of Eastern Ghouta, as government

forces step up their offensive.

Doctors there have sent out

desperate messages saying

they are overwhelmed

by the number of casualties.

President Assad's forces

have now retaken large

parts of Eastern Ghouta,

the last rebel stronghold

near the capital Damascus.

Our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen

report contains some

distressing scenes.

Thousands of people are fleeing

parts of eastern pewter, going into

an uncertain future that looks

better now than the deadly present.

These are the people who have spent

weeks hiding in basements from the

shelling. Eastern Ghouta is a big

area and this isn't happening

everywhere.

everywhere. Many tens of thousands

are still besieged. This was filmed

by Omar, a cameraman who gives his

material to the BBC. The attack

happened outside his building. A

small boy was caught up in it. He is

deaf, so he hadn't heard warnings to

take cover. Omar, the cameraman

worried the boy would be to death

and told us the eight minutes it

took for the ambulance to arrive

were the worst he had enjoyed since

the battle for Eastern Ghouta had

began. Omar carried him to the

ambulance where he was squeezed in

next to the bodies of the dead. Omar

has seen a lot of death. He said the

boy was a soul he wanted to say. We

have been following this doctor, a

paediatrician and an underground

hospital who spends every day with

the wounded and the dying. In that

place, they are all fighting fear,

where regime soldiers are advancing

into the eastern Ghouta. The doctor

sent a message.

sent a message. TRANSLATION:

It is

the worst it has been for many days,

the shelling is brutal, bombs,

rockets, all kinds of weapons. This

may be my last message. The injured

are everywhere, the operating

theatres are full of wounded people.

We don't have enough doctors to help

them and our own homes are being

shelved.

A small amount of aid is being

brought into Eastern Ghouta. All the

talk of a humanitarian ceasefire is

being ignored.

being ignored. This war started

seven years ago. It's horror goes

on. Jeremy Bowen, BBC News.

A man's been sentenced to at least

30 years in jail for stabbing

to death the daughter

of his ex-partner at an Aldi

supermarket in Skipton in West

Yorkshire.

30-year-old Jodie Wilsher,

a mother of one, was working

at the supermarket four days before

Christmas when she was stabbed

several times by Neville Hord.

The 44-year-old

admitted killing her.

He was told he may

never be released.

The Crown Prosecution Service has

ruled out a further review

of the death of Poppi Worthington,

the 13 month-old girl who died

in Barrow-in-Furness

in December 2012.

A coroner concluded in January

she had been sexually

assaulted by her father

Paul Worthington, hours before

she died of asphyxia.

He denies any wrongdoing.

The Anglo-Dutch consumer

company Unilever, the third

biggest firm in the UK,

has denied Brexit is a factor

in its decision to base

its new headquarters in Rotterdam,

rather than London.

Unilever, which makes

staples such as Marmite

and Hellmann's mayonnaise,

insists it's fully committed

to its British operations.

A police investigation

into the deaths of 71 people

who died in the Grenfell Tower blaze

has revealed that a fire door

installed in the tower block

was only able to hold back

the flames for around 15 minutes -

just half the time it was

supposed to work for.

Survivors of the fire have called

the revelations "shocking".

Tom Symonds reports.

Could what happened

here be the result of

corporate manslaughter?

That is what the police

are investigating.

Highly technical work,

including the test of a door

from a Grenfell flat.

One that was undamaged in the fire.

In this standard test,

heat is applied to one side

and the door must hold

for 30 minutes.

Here, there's some smoke, but this

door easily passes the test.

The sample from Grenfell

lasted 15 minutes.

The police informed the government,

which has consulted its own experts.

The response...

There is no change

to fire safety advice

that the public should follow.

I, nevertheless, fully appreciate

that this news will be

troubling for many people,

not least all those affected

by the Grenfell tragedy.

That is why, based on expert advice,

we have begun the process

of conducting further tests

and we will continue to consult

with the expert panel

to identify the implications

of these further tests.

This picture is from

before the fire.

Flats appear to have

had a variety of doors,

but they were fairly new.

The doors were replaced in 2012,

not as part as the major

refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.

After that work there

was a safety inspection.

The investigators will want to know

were the doors properly assessed?

For the survivors, understanding why

it happened is vital.

It's very important for Grenfell

survivors and the bereaved families

to feel that we can honour

the memory of those who have died.

One way we can bring justice

is to make sure that regulations

and progressive policies ensure that

people feel safe in their homes once

again and that means

tightening the regulations.

But those questions will come later.

For now, this is still the scene

of a criminal investigation.

Tom Symonds, BBC News,

at Grenfell Tower.

The time is just after quarter past

six.

Our top story this evening...

America, Germany and France join

Britain in blaming Russia

for the Salisbury nerve agent attack

as the Prime Minister

visits the crime scene.

And still to come...

How to spot fake news -

the task set to thousands of pupils

across the country for

BBC School Report.

Coming up on Sportsday

on BBC News...

Gareth Southgate names four uncapped

players in his 27-man squad

for England's pre-world

cup friendlies against

the Netherlands and Italy.

Microplastics - they're tiny pieces

of plastic small enough to be

ingested by the human body.

Now the World Health Organisation

is launching a review

into the potential risks

of microplastics after

researchers found hundreds,

even thousands of the tiny particles

in many major brands

of bottled water.

At the moment there is no evidence

that microplastics can harm human

health as our Science Editor,

David Shukman reports.

In the latest research

into plastic, more than 200

bottles of water were put

through a screening process.

Most turned out to have particles

of plastic floating around inside.

There is no evidence this is harmful

but we asked people around the world

what they think of this discovery.

This phenomenon is really

a cause for concern.

And with the usage going up,

I think it's going to hit a large

And with the usage going up,

I think it's going to affect a large

segment of the population.

They tell you to not eat this

or drink this, that or the other.

I prefer bottled water than tap

water so I would have

to just have to carry on.

I'd rather just boil my own water.

That is more important,

than actually buying water

at an expensive price

which is actually a health risk.

It's kind of like you're damned

if you do, damned if you don't.

If you drink the bottled

water, if you drink

the fawcet water it's scary.

Tests on this scale have

never been tried before.

A special dye which sticks

to particles of plastic was added

to more than 200 bottles.

In the right lighting conditions,

it makes the plastic glow.

And when the dyed water

was poured through a filter,

each particle was trapped so it

could then be counted and analysed.

So what are the results from this

laboratory testing showing us?

On average, each litre contains ten

larger pieces of plastic.

That's bigger than the

width of a human hair.

And with smaller particles,

which were probably plastic, you get

an average of 314 per litre.

So, does this matter?

There's no evidence that ingesting

plastic causes any harm

but scientists say they can't

rule it out.

Plastic could release

chemicals inside the body.

Tiny particles could cross

from the gut into the bloodstream

and potentially they might

accumulate in organs like the liver.

The risks may turn out to be minor

but the World Health

Organisation wants to be sure.

We need to understand

what's in the plastic,

what the plastic might

actually carry on it -

whether that's microbes or chemicals

- and when it happens in the body.

So all those things need to be

explored with research.

There's a lot that scientists don't

know but they say it's plausible

that microplastics

could have an effect.

These are non-degradable persistent

particles that can enter the body

and cause an inflammatory response,

and there's potential for more

complex situations to arise

because of the plastic

itself and its chemicals.

The companies involved

told us they stand by

the safety of their products.

They've questioned how the study

was conducted, and they point out

there are no regulations

on microplastics or any agreed way

of testing for them.

This is a totally

new area of science.

The research is in its earliest days

but there is a growing

demand for answers.

David Shukman, BBC News.

An 18-year-old student from Egypt

has died in Nottingham three weeks

after she was attacked

by a group of women.

Mariam Moustapha fell

into a coma after allegedly

being sent home from hospital,

following the incident

in the city centre.

Detectives says there's no

information to suggest

it was motivated by hate.

Our correspondent,

Sima Kotecha is in Nottingham.

Mariam Moustapha was an engineering

student in Nottingham, she went to

the local college, but on February

the 20th as she went to meet her

mother and sister she was attacked

by a group. Police say she was

punched several times. Today in

response to rumours circulating on

social media, officers have released

a statement saying there is little

or no information suggesting this

was a hate crime, but at this stage

in the investigation they are

keeping an open mind. A 17-year-old

girl was arrested on suspicion of

assault, she's now been released on

bail.

Thank you.

A financial crisis at

Northamptonshire County Council has

become so serious that it should be

abolished, according

to a Government report.

It says that living within budget

constraints is not part

of the council's culture

and Northamptonshire

now needs a new start.

The leader of the

council has resigned.

Our Social Affairs Correspondent

Alison Holt looks at

what it will all mean.

Libraries closing, bus routes cut,

potholes not filled and prevention

services struggling. This is the

financial cost of Northamptonshire

County Council's failures. The

report concludes it lost control of

its budget. And this is the human

cost, John Smith relies on council

care. He feels cuts are leaving him

and others isolated and worried.

If

community organisations that provide

support are juiced, they are minimal

now, they're only doing the basic so

you cannot get less than what we

have got at the moment, so if it

goes even further I don't know what

will happen.

Today's government

commissioned report says the

council's problems are lack of

management and it should be

abolished. The report says the 2013

plan to change the way the council

delivers its services is at the root

of Northamptonshire's problems. It

concludes there wasn't enough

scrutiny from councillors and

regular budget spends were not

addressed. The Conservative council

leader who resign today blames the

increasing demand for social care

for the problems they and other

councils face.

I am aware

significant changes need to be made.

I do not believe these changes will

amount to the additional £15 million

per year that was genuinely needed

in our budget to meet our statutory

obligations.

obligations.

Charities facing cuts

now describe the current situation

is a nightmare, so believe something

had to happen.

Maybe this is a

couple of years of uncertainty but

with the hope of a much brighter,

better future.

It is now for the

Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid,

to decide on the authority's future.

Thousands of pupils around

the country have been taking part

in the BBC's School Report day,

finding stories in their local

area and producing their

own news bulletins.

The focus of this year's project

is fake news and how to spot it,

as our Wales correspondent

Sian Lloyd has been finding out.

These pupils have been learning how

to unpick fact from fiction.

In the online world they have been

born into, it's a skill that is more

important than it's ever been.

As part of BBC School Report,

resources will now be available

to help young people across the UK,

but these pupils at Maesteg School

are ahead of the game.

They have researched their own

project into fake news.

Fake news is when someone shares

a fake news story online,

and then other people have seen it

and shared it with their friends,

and their friends have shared

it with their friends.

Sometimes it can get out of hand

and rumours can start.

We need to know how to tell

it is fake news, to actually

establish if it's fake news.

So how do you do that?

You can check the URL,

you can ask an expert -

someone with higher

knowledge than you.

Do you think that young people

are particularly susceptible

to believing fake news?

Yes, I think so because I think

social media and mobile devices have

become very popular now

and they just believe

anything they see.

After learning about it at school,

I personally like to look into news

stories to see whether they're true

or not and have a look

on different news websites.

The next headline is a boy

who is nine got locked in a safe

during a game of hide

and seek in Berlin.

Do you think this story

is true or false?

I think this headline is false

because it is difficult

to get locked in a safe.

It sounded unbelievable to him,

but that headline was true.

A lesson to the class in how

tricky it can be to sift

what is true from what's false.

These young journalists have

created their own presentation

about fake news and are sharing

what they've learned.

The BBC is encouraging young people

to learn how to check the facts

and know where to look

for reliable information.

While these students can

identify a false story,

BBC School Report wants to ensure

other young people

are also well-equipped.

Sian Lloyd, BBC News, Maesteg.

And you can find out more

on the BBC's website

on bbc.co.uk/schoolreport.

Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Helen Willets.

Just one we all thought spring had

sprung, it

Just one we all thought spring had

sprung, it is rather blue behind

you.

Take out the winter coats again!

There is an increasing risk of snow,

and the hazards that go with it,

such as ice. Rain has been causing

issues, we've had a couple of inches

of rain in Northern Ireland for a

start. It stays down, with mist and

fog in some places but on the whole

it is relatively mild compared with

what is on the way. We should see

those showers turning to snow across

the Scottish mountains progressively

during tomorrow. It is a tale of two

seasons tomorrow with wintriness

across parts of Scotland,

increasingly so later in the day at

lower levels, and the concern for

flooding because this rain has been

ongoing for much of today and will

be tonight and tomorrow. More rain

to Northern Ireland but further

south and west, 14 with light winds

but it doesn't last. You can see it

turns progressively to snow and a

much colder night tomorrow with

widespread frost in central and

eastern areas and a bit of frost is

well with that wind, which will

continue dragging in showers which

will fall as snow everywhere because

it is so cold. It will be a shock to

the system, add on the wind chill

and you don't need me to tell you it

will feel bitter. It is showers we

think on Saturday. Come Sunday,

another fly in the ointment which

could bring more widespread snow

across the southern half of the

country. It is another icy cold day,

and we see a spell of more

persistent snow in the south which

can cause a

persistent snow in the south which

can cause a lot of possible

disruption, stay tuned.

A reminder of our main story...

President Trump joins Germany,

France and Britain in blaming Russia

for the Salisbury nerve attack as

the Prime Minister visits the crime

scene.