15/03/2018 Breakfast

Hello.

This is Breakfast,

with Louise Minchin and Charlie

Stayt.

It is "Russia's crime."

The US joins Britain in blaming

Moscow for last week's

nerve agent attack.

At the United Nations,

its ambassador demands action

after Britain expels

23 Russian officials.

But the Kremlin again denies any

involvement in the attempted murder

of former spy Sergei

Skipral and his daughter.

The lab where scientists helped

identify the nerve agent used

What's in our bottled water?

The World Health Organization

investigates after hundreds,

even thousands, of tiny particles

of plastic are discovered

in a number of leading brands.

Openreach, the firm in charge

of our broadband network is hiring

thousands of new trainees

to boost coverage and speed.

But is it enough to get

more of us on line?

I'll speak to the boss in charge

of the project just before seven.

In sport, it's a Messi

masterclass for Chelsea.

They are knocked out

of the Champions League after losing

3-0 on the night at Barcelona.

And are we seeing the

first signs of spring?

Matt is has the weather

for us this morning.

We will have that shortly.

Good morning.

First, our main story.

The White House has backed Britain's

decision to expel 23 Russian

diplomats in response to the nerve

agent attack on a former spy

and his daughter in

Salisbury 11 days ago.

The explusions are just one

of the measures Thereasa May

is putting in place after Russia

missed the deadline to explain

what had happened.

Our reporter, Keith Doyle, has more.

Late-night comings and goings at the

Russian embassy in London 23

diplomats considered to be

undeclared spies will be making

preparations to leave written after

the decision yesterday to expel

them. -- written. While Russia

remains defiant it was not involved

in the nerve agent attack, other

world powers are backing Britain.

One member stands accused of using

chemical weapons on the sovereign

soil of another member. The

credibility of this council will not

survive if we fail to hold Russia

accountable.

Russia was to blame,

the Prime Minister told MPs, and

that is why action must be taken.

There is no alternative conclusion

other than that the Russian state

was culpable for the murder of

Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

This represents an unlawful use of

force by the Russian state against

the United Kingdom.

The Labour

leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said the

response should be based on clear

evidence. Russia insists it was not

involved and it will retaliate.

Prime Minister Theresa May is

destroying international law and

international relationships.

Last

night, the chemical weapons watchdog

was asked to verify Russia was

behind the attack in Salisbury.

There is now a fully evolved

diplomatic row which is likely to

escalate. As this goes on, Sergei

Skripal and his daughter

Skripal and his daughter remain

critically ill in hospital.

And Keith joins us now

from the Russian Embassy in London.

How has Russia reacted

to these sanctions?

In the early hours of this morning,

the UN were meeting. Various lines

from them. What is Russia saying?

Russia is still denying any

involvement. Be called the UK liars,

and said they will retaliate. --

They. We are waiting for the Russian

response in the next few days. The

significant move overnight was the

statement coming from the White

House. That significant statement

showed a lot of support for the UK.

That statement said the United

States stands in solidarity with its

closest ally, the United Kingdom.

That shows not only strength, but it

comes from the White House and

Donald Trump and is aimed at Russia.

Of course, that support is for the

measures Theresa May announce

yesterday, including the expulsions,

banning some high-level meetings

between the two countries, and of

course, the fact that no ministers,

members of the royal family, will go

to the World Cup this summer. There

is new travel advice for fans going

to the World Cup coming from the

Foreign Office. It says they should

be aware of the possibility of anti-

British sentiment and harassment and

avoid any protesting or

demonstrations. That is the advice

from the Foreign Office that it is

ongoing, this situation.

-- Foreign

Office.

We'll be speaking to

the Foreign Secretary,

Boris Johnson, about this just

at 7:40 this morning.

The labratory where scientists

helped identify the nerve agent used

in Salisbury is to get more funding

from the government as part

of a defence

modernisation programme.

An extra £48 million for a new

Chemical Weapons Defence Centre

at Porton Down, will be announced

by Gavin Williamson in his first

major speech as Defence

Secretary later today.

A review into the potential impact

of plastic in water is to be

launched by the World Health

Organization after particles of

micro- plastics were found in 11

major brands of bottled water, only

two of which are available in the

UK. David Shukman has the details.

Bottles of water are feature of

everyday life around world. But the

new tests commissioned by

journalists have found something

unexpected, tiny particles of

plastic in the water. At this lab in

New York state, test thing was

carried out on more than 250

bottles. -- testing. A special kind

of dye that sticks to plastic was

added.

Under special like it

sparkles like stars.

On average, per

litre, there were ten large

particles, each larger than the

width of a typical human hair and

confirmed as being plastic. Smaller

particles were also

confirmed as being plastic. Smaller

particles were also found. On

average, 314 per litre. They were

not confirmed, but were

average, 314 per litre. They were

not confirmed, but were probably

plastic. At the moment, there are no

rules covering these micro- plastics

or any agreed way of checking for

them.

It is an indication that we

should be concerned. It is not

catastrophic, the numbers we are

seeing, but it is concerning,

especially if you look at... If you

are drinking only bottled water and

you do this every day over eight,

you know, a year, we are talking

thousands of litres of plastic. --A.

We contacted all of the companies

involved. This is what Nestle told

us.

us. And Evian said of the study...

Coca Cola, which makes Dasani, said

this.

This is the first time that cold

water has been tested for plastic on

this scale. -- bottled. 11 different

brands bought in nine different

countries. And in almost every case,

they found some plastic. What does

this mean for our health? The Food

Standards Agency says it is unlikely

micro- plastics could cause harm.

But the World Health Organization

now wants to review the evidence,

and scientists say more evidence is

needed.

As we become more aware of

the prevalence of micro- plastics

and the potential harm they might

cause, I think we need to start

thinking now about how we

thinking now about how we reduce

those inputs so that we're not

stoking up a huge problem for the

future.

The advice, if water is

dirty, bottled water is much safer.

But this study raises questions

about where plastic can end up and

whether the Chinese pieces can

affect our health. -- tiniest. David

Shukman, BBC News, New York State.

The Brexit Secretary, David Davis,

has said he's prepared to accept

the EU's offer of a shortened

transition period of under two years

after the UK leaves

the European Union in March 2019.

He said he would agree to a call

for the transition to end

in December 2020 if that helped

to secure a deal at next week's EU

Summit.

The use of food and medical

supplies as a weapon of war

by the Syrian Regime has been

branded as "utterly abhorrent"

by the Foreign Secretary Boris

Johnson and International

Development Secretary

Penny Mordaunt.

In a joint statement to mark

the seven years of conflict

which has gripped the country,

they branded the war as "one

of the longest and bloodiest"

in recent history.

A British man is standing

trial in Cambodia charged

with making pornography.

If Daniel Jones is convicted,

he could face up to a year

in prison.

Our south-east Asia correspondent,

Jonathan Head, is watching

the trial from Bangkok.

Jonathan, remind us of this case?

It is not clear what it is about. He

was arrested in January in a party

that he was hosting. These are quite

common in places near the great

Buddhist temple of Angkor Wat.

Tourists joint pub crawls, parties,

enjoying themselves drinking. It is

not clear what else was going on.

The police produced images that

apparently came from a previous

party used for publicity with people

in suggestive poses, though with

clothes on. It is bizarre they think

it is pornography. But the

authorities are saying they want to

crack down on people being too loose

and enjoying themselves.

Unfortunately, some backpackers got

targeted. Only Daniel Jones remains

targeted. The other have been

released on bail.

It is difficult to

get across what is going on exactly,

but thank you.

Ministers are being called

on to introduce a faster phase-out

of petrol and diesel cars,

currently set for 2040.

The MPs have also demanded

a new Clean Air Act,

and say the motor industry should

finance a clean air fund.

The government says it'll

publish its own proposals on air

pollution later in the year.

Here's our environment

analyst, Roger Harrabin.

The air in many of Britain's cities

is officially unfit to breathe.

And the MPs are angry that,

despite a series of court cases,

the government has

not cleaned it up.

The young are particularly at risk,

and the MPs' report has received

support from UN children's

organisation, UNICEF,

which says that Britain's children

deserve to breathe clean air.

The government aims to end the sales

of diesel and petrol

only vehicles by 2040,

but the MPs say it is inadequate.

India will do it ten years earlier.

India will do it ten years earlier.

India will do it ten years earlier.

They say government must

work with local councils

to stop pollution-related deaths.

This really needs to be stamped out.

We need to improve it.

And that's why the whole report

talked about bringing government,

local authorities, together,

so we can work across,

not just here in London,

but across the country.

The government says it's looking

beyond cars to smokers,

fuel, and wood stoves

in its strategy, due

later

in the year.

Roger Harrabin, BBC News.

Now, we told you yesterday

there was a possibility copper coins

could be scrapped due to a fall

in demand after the Treasury

launched a review into the role

of cash and digital payments.

But don't worry, you can

save your pennies.

A spokesman for Theresa May told

a Westminster briefing there were no

plans to phase out one and 2p coins.

I did not want to be too excited,

but I was upset about this. I

launched a campaign from the sofa to

keep the pennies. I am not saying

that is why they are being kept.

Is

that why they are being kept?

I do

not think I have anything to do with

it.

Are people panicking?

Charities

were worried. They talked about the

fact you have those pots on counters

for charity. People were saying you

cannot take those away or they will

not get donations.

not get donations.

Sometimes they

say they will, then later, no.

The

point is that we are right now.

Tell

us

us of a tale of woe for Chelsea

undone by Messi. Barcelona has

announced it are incredible. They

are into the Champions League final

eight. We are running out of

hyperbole for Messi.

First, it was Manchester United.

Now, Chelsea have exited

the competition at the hands

of Spanish opposition.

Antonio Conte's side were beaten 3-0

in the Nou Camp by Barcelona and one

of the game's greatest ever players.

There was a reminder of the dangers

of racing at the Cheltenham Festival

as Ruby Walsh was taken to hospital

with a suspected broken leg

after this fall.

He'd only come back to the sport

last week after four months out.

England Rugby Union head coach,

Eddie Jones, has apologised

unreservedly after derogatory

and offensive comments about Wales

and Ireland made during a private

event last year emerged on line.

The Rugby Football Union will also

apologise to both the Welsh

and Irish unions.

In the wheelchair curling this

morning, Great Britain have lost

to South Korea.

If other results go against them

in the next couple of hours,

it means they could be out.

They have one more game of their own

later in the round-robin stage,

that's against China.

Quite a strange picture of

wheelchair curling. They're just

sitting still. No action. That's all

we have due to rights reasons. It's

a Channel 4 event.

Can I just say,

he walked off with a suspected

return leg, Walsh. -- Broken. They

are tough. This is the picture in

the papers today since you brought

it up.

There he is, squashed under the

horse,

There he is, squashed under the

horse, there's the leg as he is

being carried off.

The horses OK?

The horse is fine, yes. It's one of

the risks, if you're going to ride

horses at breakneck speeds of a

large fences, unfortunately you're

going to break some bones along the

way and Ruby Walsh knows that better

than most.

Why it's called breakneck

speeds!

Shall we look at the front pages

quickly? We are talking about

Stephen Hawking, as we did yesterday

all day, lots of pictures of him in

the papers and analysis about his

impact on all of us. So much

analysis of the Russian spy story

and Russia threatens retaliation as

Theresa May expels 23 diplomats. She

was talking about that in Parliament

yesterday.

I love the quote at the top of the

Daily Telegraph, that quote from

Stephen Hawking.

You can't hear that too many times!

We must bolster our defences, these

are the comments from Gavin

Williamson, the Defence Secretary.

We will be speaking incidentally to

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson this

morning in connection with all

developments overnight, the UN

talking about the Russian attack

overnight, we will have more on that

through the morning this morning.

The Russian spy story makes the

front page of the Mirror. Cold War

two they are calling it, the Sun

talking about it and Jeremy Corbyn

as well in the Daily Mail.

The front page of the Times, they

are reflecting on the voices in

connection with the attack in

Salisbury. These were comments from

President Macron's spokesman

yesterday and I draw your attention

to one of these quotes, he said once

the elements are proven, then the

time will come for a decision to be

made. Some voices are saying, what

exactly is the evidence? We will

talk to Boris Johnson about that

later.

Ben, you want to talk about a

massive global company and not great

news for the UK?

Potentially not great news,

Unilever, the consumer goods giant,

it makes all sorts of things, you

will know the brands if not the

company. You open your cover...

Chances are it is a Unilever

product, Persil, Dove, Marmite, they

have said this morning they could

move their headquarters to Rotterdam

in the Netherlands. Traditionally it

has had two bases, one in London and

one in Holland, it has said they

will move the base to the

Netherlands. Will a lot of people

jumping on this as a story about

Brexit and it is a view Unilever

wants to leave the UK. That's not

the case. They have said this could

be to do with a failed takeover bid,

they were subject to a big takeover

bid last year from American firm

Kraft, that didn't happen, so they

want to slimline to make sure they

are in a good position to take on

the competition in the market but it

would mean they dropped out of the

FTSE 100, the list of the UK top 100

companies.

You were talking about coppers

earlier, one in three adults can't

calculate their change, this is in

the Mail, so maybe they don't need

these coppers. They've done a study

looking at whether we know how much

we should get back when we pay in

cash at the shop, one in ten can't

work out the value of supermarket

offers and fewer than half can't

work out the most basic financial

grass and one in three can't

calculate the amount of change they

are due -- crafts.

Thanks for that,

we will be talking about that with a

guest later on.

We will be setting a maths test for

that later as well.

The very

thought!

You are both welcome to

have a go. We are asking the

question, aren't we?

I did check

earlier, Charlie, you could do this.

That's the whole point, we shouldn't

be afraid of numbers and numeracy

and maths.

Very true, very true.

I definitely have some kind of

mental block when it comes to

numbers I think.

I can work out my

change. We will do it together.

Maybe today will be the turnaround.

All I need is a bit of confidence in

the BBC Breakfast maths test.

Naga

has volunteered to take GCSE.

Some

people have.

And Tim and Jane.

A

couple of mine before we move on?

You saw Ruby Walsh, that is the best

picture. I was going to show you

Messi...

Go on, hold it up!

This is

Messi celebrating and Arsenal's

women winning the Continental Cup

for a record fifth time beating

Manchester City last night. Got to

get the sports pages in, guys!

Thanks very much.

Darren has the weather.

No frost on Thursday morning but

more rain around, very wet in

Northern Ireland and still some rain

here first thing. Here's our rain

band, should be moving north away

from Wales and the Midlands and the

south-east, heading into northern

England, giving snow the mountains

of Scotland. Behind the rain we get

some sunshine, that could trigger

some sharp showers, potentially

thundery, but lifting temperatures

into double figures and underneath

the wet weather further north it

will be colder. The cold weather yet

to arrive, the wet weather in

Scotland turning to sleet and snow

over higher ground, heavy, thundery

showers pushing north into northern

England into the back of the wet

weather, again affecting Northern

Ireland for a time and more

downpours and sunshine to the south

were temperatures again 12 to 13,

quite a bit colder underneath the

rain further north. We start

obviously with some rain but as we

head to the weekend it's going to

get significantly colder, easterly

winds could bring snow showers

mainly to England and Wales.

Thank you very much, Darren.

Have you ever been asked

to work a free trial shift?

It's not unusual for an employer

to ask to see you in action

for a few hours before

they offer you the job.

But when does that cross the line

and become exploitation?

Tomorrow, an MP is hoping to push

a bill through parliament

which would ban them completely.

Here's our business and consumer

correspondent, Nina Warhurst.

If you cook a steak, pull a point,

load a dishwasher, it is a trial not

a trial. At this Edinburgh pub staff

are always paid for their labour but

when Meegan worked a full shift for

a restaurant, she's edgy was

effectively at staff, and at times

she was left alone with children in

a creche. Both occasions more hard

work for more than five hours for no

money.

I just feel like I was taken

advantage of because I was obviously

a lot younger and I think they just

saw someone that wasn't going to say

anything.

Why did you say, hang on,

work day shift here, I should be

paid.

They said on both occasions if

you didn't go at ahead with the

underpaid shift then the application

wouldn't go any further.

Ifill I just had to do it.

Some MPs

say the law must change. Unpaid

shifts have exploited workers for

too long. Tamara's bill could make

that practice illegal.

People are

being asked to try out for a job

that doesn't even exist, companies

are trying to cover staff absences

in other parts of the business of

this is about ending that

exploitation, in powering applicants

and making sure when people are

going for a job there is dignity

right from the application process

through to starting the job in the

first place.

There's nothing illegal

about being asked to work a trial

shift as long as it truly is a

trial, and the difficulty comes if

you need to prove you cross that

line into working as an employee.

Lots of employers argue that trial

shifts are the most effective way of

finding out whether a job is the

right fit for both parties.

Smaller businesses in particular

have to be careful not to overspend

on recruitment.

Small businesses can sometimes be

reticent about hiring or even

looking to expand headcount when the

work is there because they worry

they're making the wrong decision,

so the more we can do to make sure

we're hiring the right people, the

better. You just need to be very

careful that that doesn't cross into

what's exploitative.

And here it gets tricky, because

unpaid work is theoretically

voluntary, does that mean legally it

is hard to prove you should be paid?

There's a perception that legally

this is a grey area, is it a grey

area? What is illegal is to ask

someone to come in, give up their

time, provide services, provide

revenue potentially for an employer

and not pay them at least the

minimum wage if they're under 25, or

the national minimum wage if their

25 and above.

As far as you're

concerned there isn't a grey area?

Exactly, I wouldn't say there is a

grey area, it's as simple as that.

But when something's culturally

ingrained it is hard to be the first

to make a change, and tomorrow

Parliament will decide whether to

deliver a shift in the law that

would force that change for good.

Nina Warhurst, BBC News, Edinburgh.

Let us know what you think about

that.

The Department for Business,

Energy and Industrial Strategy says

it's already illegal to employ

people on unpaid trial work periods

for an excessive period of time,

or where there's no job

at the end of it.

The Government's committed

to spending £25 million on ensuring

the UK's lowest paid workers

get what they're owed.

You're watching Breakfast.

Still to come:

We'll catch up

with the Radio 1 DJ,

Greg James, he was forced

to stop his Pedal to the Peaks

challenge for Sport Relief two weeks

ago because of extreme weather.

He's back in the saddle now.

We'll find out how he's feeling

ahead of the final

part of the challenge,

climbing Ben Nevis.

What strikes me is he has chosen

another couple of days where there

is snow on the road. He has really

bad luck in regards to that, though.

Quite funny, though.

It will make a

good programme. Good luck to him.

in half an hour.

Plenty more on our website

at the usual address.

Now, though, it's back

to Charlie and Louise.

Bye for now.

Hello.

This is Breakfast,

with Louise Minchin and Charlie

Stayt.

We'll bring you the latest news

and sport in just a moment.

Coming up this morning.

4,000 trainee engineers are to be

recruited by Opeanreach,

the national broadband provider

to install its super high speed

fibre network to three

million properties by 2020.

We'll ask the woman in charge

if they are being ambitious enough.

Today, classrooms become newsrooms

as part of the BBC's annual

School Report News Day.

We'll take a look at an on-line game

designed to teach youngsters

to detect whether a story

is fake or real.

#Bye, bye, Miss American Pie...#.

Ahead of the release

of his new album and UK tour,

the American Pie singer, Don Mclean,

will join us here on the sofa.

Good morning.

Here's a summary of today's main

stories from BBC News.

The White House has backed Britain's

decision to expel 23 Russian

diplomats in response to the nerve

agent attack on a former spy

and his daughter in

Salisbury 11 days ago.

The explusions are just one

of the measures Thereasa May

is putting in place after Russia

missed the deadline

to explain what happened.

She says there is "no alternative

conclusion" than to believe

they are to blame.

The government is to significantly

increase funding for its military

research laboratory at Porton Down.

Scientists there have already

helped identify the nerve

agent used in the Salisbury attack.

Today, in his first major speech

as Defence Secretary,

Gavin Williamson will announce that

Porton Down will receive

an additional 48 million and that

thousands of British troops

are to be vaccinated

against anthrax.

Evidence of micro-plastics have been

found in some major brands

of bottled water, two

of which are available in the UK.

A study by Orb Media,

a group of not for profit

journalists, tested bottles from 11

countries and found particles

of tiny fragments of plastics

in almost all of them.

The World Health Organization now

says it will launch a review

into the potential impacts

of plastic on human health.

Scientists say that there is no

evidence yet to suggest

it is a cause for concern.

The Brexit Secretary, David Davis,

has said he is prepared to accept

the offer of the EU of a short and

transition period after the UK leads

the EU on March 2019. He said he

would agree to end at 2020 if that

helped to secure a deal at the EU

summit next week.

The use of food and medical supplies

as a weapon of war by the Syrian

regime has been branded utterly

abhorrent by Boris Johnson and Penny

Mordaunt. In a joint statement to

mark seven years of conflict

gripping the country, they are

branding the war as one of the

longest and bloodiest in recent

history.

Ministers are being called

on to introduce a faster phase-out

of petrol and diesel cars -

currently set for 2040.

(TX OOV) The MPs have also demanded

a new Clean Air Act,

and say the motor industry should

finance a clean air fund.

The government says it'll

publish its own proposals on air

pollution later in the year.

The consumer goods giant, Unilever,

is set to announce it's

moving its British headquarters

to the Netherlands later.

The firm that makes

brands including Persil,

Dove, and Marmite, is expected say

it wants to consolidate its main

base in Rotterdam, rather

than using two sites.

The move is seen as a major blow

as the Government tries to uphold

Britain's status as a centre

for business after Brexit.

Students and teachers

across the United States have staged

a mass walkout to honour the lives

of the 17 people killed

at a school in Florida.

Thousands of pupils and staff

left classes for 17

minutes, linking arms and hugging

each other to remember the victims

and demand a stronger stance

against gun violence.

If you were watching

Breakfast yesterday,

you might remember we told

you there was a possibility copper

coins could be scrapped

due to a fall in demand

after the Treasury launched a review

into the role of cash

and digital payments.

However, those pennies are set

to stay in the corner

of your wallets and purses

after a spokesman for Theresa May

said there were no plans to phase

out one and two pence coins.

Fear not. They will remain. And I,

for one, am delighted. I was

complaining a lot about it

yesterday.

If they faced them out,

what would people do with the giant

glass jars? People would be rushing

to the bank and post office,

counting them... Lucky we don't have

to. But the problem has gone away

now. It is OK. What a relief.

I will

talk about Chelsea, if that's OK.

They have problems, sadly, leaving

the Champions League. It was always

going to be difficult taking on

Barcelona, one for the treble now,

at the Nou Camp. There

at the Nou Camp. There was a huge

banner that said God Save the King,

referring to Messi. He got a good

one. He nutmegged someone twice last

night.

Chelsea have become the third

English team to be knocked out

of the Champions League

in the last 16.

They were beaten 3-0 by Barcelona

at the Nou Camp thanks to two goals

from one of the game's

greatest ever players.

But both of Lionel Messi's strikes

slipped through the legs

of the Chelsea goalkeeper

Thibaut Courtois.

Manchester City and Liverpool

are the only English sides left

in the quarter finals after Spurs,

Manchester United and now Chelsea

side were all beaten.

It was terrible to concede a goal

after only two minutes. But after

this, I think we tried to play

football. For a long time, we

dominated the game, and created the

chances to score.

You were watching that closely.

Ouch. The first time I did not

realise.

realise. Nutmegged. That is a bit

embarassing for a goalkeeper.

The Premier League's joint top

scorer Harry Kane won't be named

in Gareth Southgate's England

squad for two friendlies

which is announced today.

That's after it was confirmed

Kane'll be out until next month

with ankle ligament damage.

The Tottenham striker now faces

a battle to be fit for England

at the summer's World Cup in Russia.

He may return to full training

just seven weeks before

the tournament starts.

On his Twitter account,

Kane said he was "disappointed to be

out until next month,

but injuries are part of the game.

Will do everything I can to get back

out there as soon as possible."

Mark Hughes has been confirmed

as Southampton's new manager

until the end of the season.

The former Saints player was sacked

by Stoke City in January but now

takes charge on the south coast

with Southampton currently 17th,

one place and one point

above the relegation zone.

To Rugby Union, and England

head coach, Eddie Jones,

is in a bit of trouble this morning.

Jones has apologised "unreservedly"

after derogatory and offensive

comments about Wales and Ireland

made during a private event last

year emerged on line.

The Rugby Football Union will also

apologise to both the Welsh

and Irish unions.

It's day three of the Cheltenham

Festival but it'll be missing one

racing's biggest stars.

That's after a serious injury

to jockey Ruby Walsh yesterday.

He went to hospital with a suspected

broken leg when he fell

at the second last fence.

He broke the same leg four months

ago and had only just

made his return to racing.

Now he'll miss the rest

of the Festival, including

Friday's Gold Cup.

The big race of the day though,

was the Queen Mother Chase.

It was billed as a straight fight

between the British trained Altior

and Irish horse Douvan.

But after Douvan fell

with four fences to jump,

the evens favourite Altior ridden

by Nico de Boinville easily came

home in the end.

Now from a muddy track

to the race track.

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton

says he doesn't know how much longer

he'll continue to race.

The Briton says talks with Mercedes

are relaxed as they look

to extend his contract

beyond the end of this season.

But the four time world champion

doesn't know for how long he'll

have the hunger to compete in F1.

Every time you get through another

season, you are

season, you are like, geez, I don't

want to do that again. You are done

with the year. I can't wait for my

holiday break. I don't know. I do

not want to stop early. I do not

want to stop premature, that is for

sure. I do not know how long. Are

could stay until I am 40, maybe.

could stay until I am 40, maybe. Two

years maybe. Will I still have that

excitement? I don't know.

Perhaps

only a few more years of Lewis

Hamilton.

In the wheelchair curling this

morning, Great Britain have lost

to South Korea.

If other results go against them

in the next couple of hours it means

they could be out.

They have one more game of their own

later in the round-robin stage,

that's against China.

We will bring you up-to-date on

that. Finally, if you are the

Masters champion and have a new baby

girl, what do you call her?

I do not

go.

You could go Augusta.

We said

that.

that.

Fairway... Birdie? Tee?

Garcia? Sergio Garcia had a baby

yesterday and he has called her,

there she

there she is, Azalea, because of the

Azaleas at the Augusta National. It

is famous for them. Based around the

Greens. They reflect on the

beautiful lakes. Lovely stuff, isn't

it?

Thanks to programmes

like Blue Planet Two,

we are increasingly aware

of the effects of plastic pollution.

The World Health Organization says

it is launching a review

into the potential impacts

of plastic on human health.

A study commissioned

Orb Media found microplastics

in bottled drinking water.

Scientists tested bottles

from eight countries,

including two brands

available here in the UK,

and found that almost all of them

contained tiny fragments of plastic.

Let's speak to report

author, Sherri Mason,

who is in San Diego this morning.

Good morning. Thank you for your

time. Could you outline what we have

learned from your study?

That

bottled water contains plastic, a

lot of plastic. That is the short

version. 92% of the bottled water we

tested contained plastic. For

particles bigger than about 100

microns, ten pieces of plastic per

litre. At smaller sizes, that's

number increased to 325 particles of

plastic per litre of bottled water.

Why is that a concern?

Well, each

piece of plastic... I mean, we have

to remember that plastic is not just

the volume, it is a mixture. --

polymer. It has all kinds of

chemicals in the plastic.

Frequently, plastics pick up

chemicals on the surface as well. In

fact, 4% of the particles we found

in the bottled water had industrial

lubricants on the surface of the

plastic. Umm, and so, each one of

these pieces of plastic, basically,

it almost becomes a little poison

pill, transferring those chemicals

into the food chain and up the food

chain.

I understand it has been

suggested that some of these

plastics may have gotten into the

bottles at the moment of the opening

of the bottle from the lid. Can you

just talk us through that?

Yeah, so,

umm, 66% of the particles that we

found within the water were

fragments. So these were not fibre

is coming off of clothes, which is

what has been found, for example, in

our tap water study released about

six months ago. -- fibres.

These are

fragments.

They came from something

that was a bigger item and

fragmented off. And then the second

thing is that we analysed the

plastic for what type of plastic it

was in terms of the polymer, and

more than half of the pieces of

plastic were polypropylene, used for

plastic caps. This indicates the

very act of opening the bottle could

actually be fracturing little pieces

of plastic off of that cap and it

could be dropping into the bottle of

water itself.

Now, those people that

make these bottled water is very

clearly across the board they have

all had a very different review. --

waters. They have said they are not

breaking any laws and are working

within regulations.

That is pretty

common too. I mean, there is kind of

a guidebook, if you have ever read

anything like Merchants of Doubt or

followed the tobacco story or

climate change, they have definite

ways they go about mitigating PR

disasters. That type of framing is

typical.

Can I ask you a personal

question? Given the research you

have done, you look through a

microscope at the things in bottled

water, will you be going out today.

You are in San Diego. Will you go

out today and buy a bottle of water?

I have not had a bottle of water in

at least a decade.

For that reason?

Umm, well, when you study plastic

pollution, it really... You really

quickly understand that each one of

us is part of the problem because of

how much we use plastic, which means

that each one of us as part of the

solution. And so it is really a

matter of changing our daily habits.

And when you study this as an area

of scientific research, you start

making those changes in your life

pretty quickly. When you are out,

even something as simple as doing a

beach cleanup, and you see all of

the straws and cups and bags and

bottle caps and... You know, you

start thinking how easy these things

come into our life and how easy

therefore they are to lose, and you

start to find ways to remove them

from the life. And that was one of

the first things I did.

Thank you

very much for your time this

morning. Looking in that report on

bottled water and the plastics they

contain. We will speak to someone

from the World Health Organization

who will also look into this

subsequent to that report later on

Breakfast.

23 Russian diplomats considered

to be undeclared spies

will be packing their bags this

morning after Theresa May gave them

seven days to leave the UK.

It's part of a list

of sanctions put in place

after Russia failed to explain why

a nerve agent was used in an attack

in Salisbury 11 days ago.

Let's get reaction to this

from the Russian politics lecturer,

Eleanor Bindman, who joins us now.

Good morning to you, thanks for

joining us. There are still so many

unknowns. First of all this getting

rid of spies, sending them back to

Russia, how effective is that as a

measure?

It does get a lot of

attention, it's quite a significant

number.

I say spies, they are

undeclared spies.

Absolutely. The

fact it is 23, that's a large

number, the largest number that have

ever been expelled, at least in the

post-war era. That is significant,

is likely to be met with a similar

response from the Russian

authorities so it's likely British

diplomats, may be the same number,

perhaps more less, will be expelled.

What impact does that have on

diplomacy?

It's a way of sending a

signal to the other side, obviously

it gets a lot of attention, lots of

media attention. Is really one of

the few things a government in a

very difficult position can actually

do as a concrete measure -- it's

really.

This phrase undeclared

spies, will the UK be saying to the

Russian Embassy, these are the names

of the individuals who are leaving?

Is that how this works?

It's hard to

say because they would need to know

exactly who these people are and

what is quite common is they

wouldn't necessarily hold a formal

position within the embassy, so the

British authorities may know who

they are but they may not, so they

may just say, it has to be this

number of people leaving.

One of the

issues this raises, lots of people

have said the same thing, and of

undeclared spy, why have we

tolerated people we know to be spies

for this length of time and hasn't

that compounded the problem of

allowing Russia to carry on with the

way it does its business right up

until now?

It's a problem but it is

something the British secret

services are engaged in around the

world too. It is common to have

undeclared covert operatives working

in different countries around the

world. The fact the Russians are

doing that isn't particularly

unusual, and every government

wouldn't be doing that in the UK

Stoppila Sunzu about the fact

Theresa May is saying there's no

alternative conclusion than to

believe Russia is culpable for the

attempted murder of a spy and his

daughter.

There's them arms for the evidence,

will that be handed over?

It won't

probably -- there's the demands.

They are likely to want to continue

this situation for as long as

possible.

Internationally, the UN meeting

overnight, this notion of the

probably bracket attached to almost

everything in connection with this,

what is it now, is it an allegation

or accepted fact? Is it's OK for it

to remain that? Given the nature of

the business we are in, espionage,

is it anything, ever going to be

anything but probably?

If you look at the Litvinenko case,

they knew the people who physically

carried out that particular attack,

but they never fully identified who

directly did it.

Over time that has

become an accepted fact, is that the

way you think this will play out

over time?

I think so, in the

absence of hard evidence, the

problem is the people that can

provide that evidence are the

victims who aren't in a condition to

do that. Unless the investigation

throws up something more concrete, I

think we'll be stuck in that

situation.

Eleanor Bindman,

fascinating talking to you, thank

you so much for your time.

Thank

you.

Matt is in Gloucestershire

for us this morning,

and there are signs there that

spring has finally sprung?

Good morning. I certainly am. We are

in Batsford algorithm -- Batsford

Arboretum in The Cotswolds.

Not the nicest of mornings but a

beautiful sight, 60 ogres, over 3000

trees, and the beautiful spring

flowers behind me, blooming in many

parts this week, as we see the

Thames rising steadily -- 60 acres.

-- the temperatures. A big shock

this weekend. Temperatures are set

to drop markedly. Let's look at the

forecast for the rest of the week.

The big temperature drop on the way

for the end of the week but to get

us there we have windy conditions in

northern areas through the rest of

the day and into tomorrow, and we

might see further showers and longer

spells of rain. Longer spells of

rain that many have today. Looking

more closely over the next few hours

into Scotland, lots of dry weather,

a few showers over the tops of the

Grampians maybe with a bit of snow,

most places dry. Rain into the

south-west, thoroughly wet in

Northern Ireland, minor flooding

after heavy rain in the last 24 is

and in much of northern England,

north Wales, north Midlands, East

Anglia, expect rain through the

rush-hour. South Midlands, southern

England, south Wales, drying out, a

bit of sunshine to the south-west

but a few showers affecting parts of

Devon and Cornwall. Into the rest of

the day, those showers will become

more prevalent and they could become

heavy and thundery. Many southern

areas will brighten up, even though

we may see showers, more sunshine

into the afternoon. Slowly turning

drier in Northern Ireland,

north-west England and East Anglia

but the north-west of England,

eastern Scotland, much of Scotland

fairly cloudy in the afternoon,

further rain at times, temperatures

around six in Aberdeen, 12 in

Plymouth. The milder air with us the

further south you are. Into the

night, throughout in fact, strong to

gale force winds in the north of the

country. Feeding in rain to Northern

Scotland and turning to snow over

the hills. Further snout, a few

showers continuing, clear skies

around with lighter winds in the

south -- further south. Some fog.

Temperatures holding up into

tomorrow morning. Just about frost

free. If you're going to see a frost

anywhere, likely in the north-west

of Scotland. Into Friday,

predominantly cloudy for the

northern half of the country.

Eastern Scotland and north-east

England, rain at times, strong to

gale force winds, snow in the

Grampians. Further south, brightness

in Northern Ireland, better than

today, lots of sunshine in northern

England and Wales but more showers

tomorrow were some could be heavy

and thundery. Temperatures are

dropping on Friday and more for the

weekend. Get ready for the big drop,

we will have strong easterly winds

UK wide, a fair amount of cloud, a

lot of dry weather, some sunshine

but later in the day snow flurries

in parts of eastern England and note

the temperatures, a few degrees

above freezing, 8-10 drop impaired

to today on Saturday and add in the

wind, it will feel subzero for many.

-- compared to. Not the Beast from

the east but the mini beast is on

its way for the weekend. You have

been warned.

Back to Charlie and

Louise. Daffodils looking lovely as

well. Matt, thanks very much!

Everyone wants a faster broadband

connection, isn't that right?

Not

everyone can get it, though, we will

be talking to one of the bosses of a

company who could get it for you in

a moment.

Openreach is still owned by BT

but was hived off from the telecoms

giant last year but operated

as a separate company.

It is responsible

for much of the fibres,

wires and cables that

connect the country.

It sells the use of its

infrastructre to nearly 600 telecoms

service providers,

including the likes of Sky,

TalkTalk, Vodafone and also to BT.

It's been criticised

by the telecoms regulator,

ministors and competitors

for dragging its heels on fibre

investment to enable

ultrafast broadband speeds.

But it recently announced that it

plans to connect 3m premises

in eight cities to its latest

all fibre network by 2020,

rising to 10m by the next decade.

And this morning it's announcing

a big recruitment programme to help

boost its upgrade plan.

Kim Mears, managing director

for infrastructure delivery

at Openreach.

Kim, good morning.

Good morning.

Why

are you investing this money and

taking on these new engineers?

3500 new engineers, obviously a

great announcement. Why now? Just

last month we announced our full

fibre plan, 3 million homes with

full fibre across those eight cities

by December 2020 and then we have

the ambition to go much further. Ten

million and beyond. Alongside that

we have a real drive around

improving customer service.

I want to talk about those two

things, customer service in a

moment, but firstly speed. Great if

you live in the cities that will

benefit, one of the big cities that

will get the investment, seven major

cities, what about the most of the

country?

If we go to Christmas time,

independent analysis said 95% of the

UK has access to 24 mg and above,

then you can download seven HD

videos and the whole family can

enjoy it, a good experience.

Alongside that obviously there's the

25% who don't have access and I

understand how difficult that is.

Why are we so bad at improving

speeds in this country? I looked at

the latest rankings, the UK is

ranked one of the worst countries in

the world for broadband speed, 31st

fastest. Not good for a developed

economy?

It depends, Ben, on the

statistics we use. The UK is also

ranked number one digital economy in

the G20. If you look at 95% of the

UK, access to 24 mg and above, we're

doing pretty well.

But is not good

enough. If you speak to most

businesses and consumers they want

faster because it's no longer a

luxury, it's a necessity.

Two

things, while we have the full fibre

announcement that says we will go

from 3-ten and hopefully beyond with

full fibre, that is 100 mg and

potentially up to 1 gigabyte. That's

if you like the next network. Over

and above that we've also got a

network today of 24 mg and above

capable of serving 27 million homes

and only 8 million customers are

taking

taking it, so we need to drive

adoption as well.

Sorry to interrupter but there's a

big issue, it's all well and good

you guys can put things in the

ground but there's the idea of

getting it from the pavement to your

house and that's when it slows down

because we are relying on old copper

wires -- to interrupter. How do we

improve the connection to our

houses?

That's the difference

between talking about copper,

superfast connectivity or full

fibre. Superfast connectivity would

build a new exchanges in the streets

near you, and the final tiny it is

copper. When we're talking about

full fibre, that's when we're taking

fibre direct from our exchange right

to the home, that's the 3 million,

ten million and beyond. You will see

the speeds up trading. Even if you

have that tiny piece left of copper,

you will still get great speeds

today.

Let's talk about competition

-- upgrading. You're in a market

where you have dominant position,

90% of the market, you haven't

really had competition, now you have

Vodafone and Virgin snapping at your

heels, but competition is good for

you because it will make you up your

game?

The competition has always

been there. If I go back to Virgin,

when we first started rolling out

superfast broadband, Virgin had a

substantial network. It didn't mean

we didn't invest. There's more

competition coming through and we

welcome that but we don't need that

to up our game, we are absolutely

determined with respect to both our

full fibre future but also around

the have nots.

Kim, good to see you,

time is against us but thanks for

coming in, boss of infrastructure

delivery at Openreach. More on the

Unilever story after 7am.

So stay tuned.

I'm back with the latest

from the BBC London newsroom

I'm back with the latest

from the BBC London newsroom

in half an hour.

Plenty more on our website

at the usual address.

Bye for now.

Hello.

This is Breakfast,

with Louise Minchin and Charlie

Stayt.

It is "Russia's crime."

The US joins Britain in blaming

Moscow for last week's

nerve agent attack.

At the United Nations,

its ambassador demands action

after Britain expels

23 Russian officials.

But the Kremlin again denies any

involvement in the Salisbury attack.

It's Thursday the 15th of March.

Also this morning:

What's in our bottled water?

The World Health Organization

investigates after hundreds,

even thousands, of tiny particles

of plastic are discovered

in a number of leading brands.

Lifting the lid on bottled water.

The consumer goods giant Unilever

is set to announce it's

moving its British headquarters

to the Netherlands.

The move will be

a blow to Downing St.

It's been in talks

to avert the move.

I'll have the details and look

at the impact on jobs

shortly.

So, what, it would be £1 and five

pence? Yeah?

One in three adults struggle to work

out their change at the check out.

So when it comes to sums,

are you top of the class

or at the back of the queue?

In sport, it's a Messi

masterclass for Chelsea.

They are knocked out

of the Champions League after losing

3-0 on the night at Barcelona.

Matt has the weather

for us this morning.

I will be in Gloucestershire or

morning in among the flowers. --

all. By the end of the week, better

weather is coming our way.

Good morning.

First, our main story.

The White House has backed Britain's

decision to expel 23 Russian

diplomats in response to the nerve

agent attack on a former spy

and his daughter in

Salisbury 11 days ago.

The explusions are just one

of the measures Thereasa May

is putting in place after Russia

missed the deadline to explain

what had happened.

Last night, the US Ambassodor

to the UN said Russia was to blame

for the attack.

Russia's rhyme is worthy of this

council's action. -- crime. United

States stands in absolute solidarity

with Britain. United States believes

Russia is responsible for the attack

on two people using a nerve agent.

Let's go to Richard

Galpin in Moscow.

What has the reaction

been there in Russia?

First, Keith Doyle. That was a few

hours ago. What has been the

reaction from Russia?

They have

denied having any involvement and

called the UK liars. Any retaliation

will come today or in the next few

days. The significance of the

statement from the US cannot be

underestimated. Saying that the US

stands in solidarity with its

closest ally, the United Kingdom.

The fact it came from the White

House, Donald Trump, in language he

has not used about Russia before. It

just shows the support the US has

for those measures Theresa May

announced yesterday, those measures

that include there will be no

ministers, no members of the royal

family, going to Russia for the

World Cup this summer. No mention of

England fielding a team. New travel

advice has come from the Foreign

Office and at the 10,000 or 20,000

England fans that may go to the

World Cups. -- aimed. It says that

Britain should be aware of the

possibility of anti- British

sentiment or harassment. Remain

vigilant and avoid protests and

demonstrations. That is the advice

to anyone going to Russia.

Thank

you. And now we go to Richard Galpin

in Moscow. No response to the

deadline? Any reaction to the news

overnight and what Theresa May has

led?

We certainly had a strong

statement from the Foreign Ministry.

As Keith Doyle was saying, the

Foreign Minister was talking about

UK officials, the Foreign Office,

saying they have no idea about

professionalism, diplomacy, and

international law. They say they are

fully fledged liars. It is very

strong language. So far, though,

nothing is being said from the

Kremlin. The spokesman of Vladimir

Putin, normally we hear a lot from

him. So far, silence on this issue

since Theresa May made a statement

yesterday. Meanwhile, of course,

state-controlled TV channels are

also being very strong in their

language. Of course, they are saying

Russia had nothing to do with the

poisoning. At then some quotes from

Channel one, saying even fake

evidence is not needed any more to

level accusations against Russia. It

is enough to just use the phrase

highly likely, of course, the

original phrase used by Theresa May

when she was pointing the finger at

Russia. As we know, in a statement

yesterday, she said absolutely there

is no other conclusion, what

happened in Salisbury was connected

to Russia.

Richard Galpin in Moscow.

Thank you very much indeed. We will

speak to the Foreign Secretary on

Breakfast at 20 to eight.

Breakfast at 20 to eight. Related

news.

The government is to significantly

increase funding for its military

research laboratory at Porton Down.

Scientists there have already helped

identify the nerve agent used

in the Salisbury attack.

Today, in his first major speech

as Defence Secretary,

Gavin Williamson will announce that

Porton Down will receive

an additional £48 million and that

thousands of British troops

are to be vaccinated

against anthrax.

The Brexit Secretary, David Davis,

has said he's prepared to accept

the EU's offer of a shortened

transition period of under two years

after the UK leaves

the European Union in March 2019.

He said he would agree to a call

for the transition to end

in December 2020 if that helped

to secure a deal at next week's EU

Summit.

The use of food and medical

supplies as a weapon of war

by the Syrian Regime has been

branded as "utterly abhorrent"

by the Foreign Secretary Boris

Johnson and International

Development Secretary

Penny Mordaunt.

In a joint statement to mark

the seven years of conflict

which has gripped the country,

they branded the war as "one

of the longest and bloodiest"

in recent history.

Ministers are being called

on to introduce a faster phase-out

of petrol and diesel cars,

currently set for 2040.

The MPs have also demanded

a new Clean Air Act,

and say the motor industry should

finance a clean air fund.

The government says it'll

publish its own proposals on air

pollution later in the year.

Here's our environment

analyst, Roger Harrabin.

The air in many of Britain's cities

is officially unfit to breathe.

And the MPs are angry that,

despite a series of court cases,

the government hasn't cleaned it up.

The young are particularly at risk,

and the MPs' report has received

support from UN children's

organisation, UNICEF,

which says that Britain's children

deserve to breathe clean air.

The government aims to end the sales

of diesel and petrol only vehicles

by 2040, but the MPs

say it is inadequate.

India will do it ten years earlier.

They say government must

work with local councils

to stop pollution-related deaths.

This really needs to be stamped out.

We need to improve it.

And that's why the whole report

talked about bringing government,

local authorities, together,

so we can work across,

not just here in London,

but across the country.

The government says it's looking

beyond cars to smokers,

fuel, and wood stoves

in its strategy, due later

in the year.

Roger Harrabin, BBC News.

The consumer goods giant Unilever

is set to announce it's

moving its British headquarters

to the Netherlands.

The move will be

a blow to Downing St.

It's been in talks

to avert the move.

This is a global brand.

You are

right. A huge company. One of the

components of the FTSE 100. It says

it will move its headquarters to

Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Many

people are saying this is a decision

resulting from Brexit. They have

been keen to point out they will

keep much of their staff here. That

is because last year they were

subject to a takeover from an

American firm and did not want it.

They are keen to say this is just

consolidation, about putting things

in order rather than moving because

of a result of the EU Referendum. We

just had a statement from the

government. Base a Unilever showed

long-term commitment to the UK, only

moving a few jobs. -- They say. They

will keep hundreds of jobs it is

they have important business

divisions here. They say the company

made clear the decision to move only

a small number of job is part of a

long-term restructuring. You will

see many headlines about whether it

is related to exit. They are keen to

say it is not.

-- Brexit.

You may have seen yesterday, we were

talking about this a bit, there was

a possibility copper coins could be

scrapped due to a fall in demand.

But there is good news for those who

like to count the pennies. They are

set to stay in your wallets, sofas,

and cupboards, went Theresa May's

spokesman said they will not be

phased out.

I have so many. I nearly

took a photo. I have a tree full of

them which is about that deep. --

tray.

How many?

I have not counted.

Sport and weather coming up later

on.

Hundreds of thousands of tiny pieces

of plastic have been found in some

major brands of bottled water,

only two of which are available

in the UK.

A study by Orb Media,

a group of journalists in America

tested bottles from 11 countries

and found particles of microplastics

in almost all of them.

The World Health Organization now

says it will launch a review

into the potential impacts

of plastic on human health.

Our science editor,

David Shukman, has the details

Bottles of water are a feature

of everyday life around the world.

But new tests commissioned

by journalists at Orb Media have

discovered something unexpected,

tiny particles of plastic

in the water.

At this lab in New York State,

tests were carried out on more

than 250 bottles.

A special kind of dye was added

that's known to stick

to pieces of plastic.

Under certain wavelengths of light

it causes them to sparkle like stars

in the night sky.

On average, per litre,

there were ten large particles,

each larger than the width

of a typical human hair

and confirmed as being plastic.

Smaller particles were also found.

On average, 314 per litre.

They weren't confirmed,

but were probably plastic.

At the moment, there are no rules

covering these micro-plastics or any

agreed way of checking for them.

It's an indication that we

should be concerned.

It's not catastrophic,

the numbers that we're seeing,

but it's concerning,

especially if you look at then,

if you're drinking only bottled

water and you do this every day

over, you know, a year, you know,

you're literally talking thousands

of pieces of plastic that

you are ingesting from the water

that you're drinking.

We contacted all of

the companies involved.

This is what Nestle told us.

Danone, which owns Evian,

said this of the study.

Coca Cola, which makes

Dasani, said this.

This is the first time that bottled

water has been tested for plastic

on this scale.

11 different brands bought in nine

different countries.

And in almost every case,

they found some plastic.

And so the big question is what this

might mean for our health?

The Food Standards Agency says it's

unlikely micro-plastics

could cause harm.

But the World Health Organization

now wants to review the evidence,

and scientists say more

evidence is needed.

As we become more aware

of the prevalence of micro-plastics

and the potential harm they might

cause, I think we need to start

thinking now about how we reduce

those inputs so that we're not