this is bbc world news today. our top stories: the former russian spy at the centre of the poisoning scandal is getting better according to doctors. he is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly, and there's no log ina improving rapidly, and there's no log in a critical condition. —— he is no longer. days before mark zuckerberg ,. m ,, , facebook announces new measures to counter fake news. brazil's top court rejects former president lula's plea to remain free while he appeals against a corruption conviction. a deadline to turn himself in has now passed. and in sport, can pep guardiola's manchester city win the english premiership in style by beating manchester city? hello and welcome to world news today. the former russian spy poisoned in a nerve agent attack in the uk is no longer in a critical condition,

according to doctors. the recovery of sergei skripal follows that of his daughter yulia, who was poisoned alongside him. their cases are at the centre of a bitter dispute with london blaming moscow for the attack. in a separate development, yulia skripal‘s cousin victoria has been refused a visa to the uk. leila nathoo reports. targeted with a chemical weapon, sergei skripal and his daughter yulia were exposed to nerve agent, a toxic chemical designed to shut down the human body. today, the hospital gave this update. as yulia herself says, her strength is growing daily and she cannot forward to the day when she can leave hospital. i also want to update you on the condition of her father sergei. he is improving rapidly and no longer in a critical condition.

on the 4th of march, the two were found incapacitated in the centre of salisbury, critically ill. a police officer one of the first to respond to the incident was also admitted to hospital and discharged a fortnight later. last week, yulia regained consciousness and now her father appears to be making progress. it's fantastic news and somewhat unexpected. we heard earlier this week that yulia is getting better and to hear that sergei is recovering well is also great news and i hope to hear more in the coming week. in a statement, the foreign office has said... yulia skripal is communicating, yesterday she put out a statement

saying she was getting stronger daily. it's not clea whether sergei is recovering to the same extent. they will now become crucial witnesses in an investigation which is one of the most competent and largest the police have ever undertaken. —— largest and most complex. a little earlier, i spoke to professor david nutt from imperial college and asked him what chance the skripals had of making a full recovery. nerve agents do not park in the brain, they do not directly kill you. they indirectly kill you. if you. they indirectly kill you. if you do not die within the first hours or so, there's a good chance you will recover. particularly as there are treatments that can be administered. it seems the

treatments that they got in this initial circumstances where the right ones. how do you tell that this was a nerve agent? that is a very good question. he would have asked the hospital experts, but whatever they did clearly built with the two main issues which you get when nerve agents, one with the heart stopping and debriefing stopping. if you can overcome both of those, in time the agent loses its grip on the body and the body replaces the damaged enzymes that the nerve agent targets. in theory, and you could make a full recovery. in practice that does not happen because very often there are residual effects on the muscles and the heart, which could last forever. april recovery could potentially ta ke april recovery could potentially take place, but necessarily so. —— a full recovery. when it comes to the dosage, what do you beat into the fa ct

dosage, what do you beat into the fact that these two family members are recovering? it makes one suspect that they were not given as much as was intended to be given to them. obviously the effect of these agents is very... if you block every single molecule within the body of the enzymes are targeting, it is pretty unlikely you would recover, but what seems to have happened if that the effect came on slowly, probably because it was absorbed through the skin. that gives the body a chance to adapt. when these agents are inhaled, they could use a very rapid and immediate death, but in this case it may be that they did not get enough, the dosing was wrong or a very slow absorption helped protect them. when it comes to the treatment available, what would you expect, what is the line of procedure that ta kes in what is the line of procedure that takes in this what is the line of procedure that takes - in this initial takes place in this initial circumstances? the initialthing

would be that people would be just doing standard resuscitating of position has —— procedures and making sure they do not have seizures by giving them anti—convulsants. seizures by giving them anti—convulsa nts. when seizures by giving them anti—convulsants. when it became clear it was a nerve agent, then there will would be added those that can be given. you can get drugs which block the effects of the excess effect of the drug. there can also be substances that mop up any unused nerve agents. staying with russia, moscow says the latest round of us sanctions are ‘aimed at the russian people'. seven oligarchs in the president's inner circle , their companies and 17 other senior officials have been targeted for what the us claims are president putin's efforts to undermine the west. so let's take a look at some of those people on that list. here we have oleg deripaska, an aluminium magnate close to president putin, who also had links to

donald trump's former campaign manager, paul manafort. another sanctioned was kirill shamolov, he's russia's youngest billionaire and married president putin's daughter in 2013. alexei miller the deputy chairman of the board of directors for the energy company gazprom, is another of those hit. he's said that he's proud of being included on the list. and finally, this is suleyman kerimov, a politician and oligarch, also close to mr putin , who was also on the list. mark zuckerberg, the ceo of facebook, says the social media giant is tightening up its procedures for people wanting to place issue based advertisements on the site. more comprehensive id will now be required as well as a physical mailing address. it comes as zuckerberg prepares to address congress next week. our correspondent dave lee has this update from san francisco.

these measures is to monitor the funding of advertising, to see where adverts that have been paid for by a campaign to be on facebook to make sure it is completely clear, they will make sure anyone who is placing an advertising on facebook around political interest is being verified, and they‘ re political interest is being verified, and they're going to do that by making sure they are using a us government issued id. they will send an access code to a physical address in the us to prove that a person is based there. only once they can put that access code into facebook will they be allowed to place any advertising. when it comes to large pages, and people on facebook follow many of them, many millions of followers, pasted but ta ke millions of followers, pasted but take some effort to verify who is looking after those pages, to make sure they are who they say they are, because that was one thing that russian interest in campaign. they

pretended to be americans running pages about american politics when in reality they were russian troubles, as they have become known. two things facebook is hoping to do in order to make sure that this tactic used by russia cannot be used again. mark soderbergh says these controls are not foolproof. dodoo thatis controls are not foolproof. dodoo that is because of the ms size of facebook advertising. more than 7 million companies and people use it every month, to the idea that the company can go through each of these advertising is individually is going to be incredibly difficult. all of this comes ahead of some hearing late week in washington. marks at about himself is good in congress to a nswer about himself is good in congress to answer questions on two separate days, and i think many of these changes announced on friday are going to be designed to make sure

that he can be in front of those centres and representatives saying, we are doing things, here are the message “— we are doing things, here are the message —— met —— measures we have put in place. there is a lot of ground for facebook to make up before it can say it has the situation under control. it does seem to think it is going in the right direction. dave lee in san francisco. a deadline for ex—brazilian president luiz inacio lula da silva to surrender to police has passed in the last few minutes. a last ditch plea to remain free while he appeals his conviction has been rejected by the country's top appeals court. he remains holed up in the metal—workers‘ union building near sao paulo, with supporters rallying outside. the bbc‘s katy watson gave this update from sao paulo a short time ago. time is running out for the former president luiz inacio lula da silva to hide himself involuntarily in the southern city, but he is supposedly

still hold up here in the metal workers union. he has been here since last night. ms since an arrest warrant was issued. he is not going anywhere it seems. people have been gathering ever since, a valley that started last night, and the crowd has been getting bigger. people saying now known to prison. a lot of people feel it is that, and unfair trial, and it is designed to stop him running for presidency once again. bearing in mind the former president is the frontrunner for the elections electoral bar. there are lots of people here, and ask one gentleman why he decided to come. augiejust augie just like augiejust like he is here to represent and support the former president. he is a president of the people, and that is the theme here. you blankly at the idea that it is political witchhunt and he is being treated very differently from other politicians also charged with

corruption. this is the trial, it was to do with a beachfront apartment that he received from a construction company in return for political favours, but construction company in return for politicalfavours, but his construction company in return for political favours, but his lawyers deny that they did anything wrong and this is just because he deny that they did anything wrong and this isjust because he is deny that they did anything wrong and this is just because he is a political figure. and this is just because he is a politicalfigure. his opposition feel that he is very much a single of corruption at the very top. the big few hours, the next few days i going to be buried politically charged here in brazil. with me is the lawyer geoffrey robertson qc. he has been working with lula's legal team. iam assuming i am assuming that you think this is a total witchhunt. i am assuming that you think this is a totalwitchhunt. it is i am assuming that you think this is a total witchhunt. it is certainly anfair. a total witchhunt. it is certainly an fair. that is all i think. the charge who tried him was the judge who investigated him. trust him, rather like a policeman who arrest you, taking off his police helmet and putting on a wig. there was no jury. he was convicted, but he was

convicted of this extraordinary offence of bribery, in which he was out of office, he does not president, his wife had a little apartment. the beach house. the construction company, which we suspect is probably to make it a bigger apartment, give her a suspect is probably to make it a biggerapartment, give hera bigger apartment, a couple of hundred thousand dollars involved. he never occupied it. he rejected it. he did not want to go. it was registered with him as the owner, but he went there once to look at it and that is it. there was no quid pro quo. he never did anything, there was no suggestion that as president, because he had left the presidency the year prior. he was not... it was 2011, he was undergoing treatment for cancer. he was in no position to give any favours to this company. i'm sure they wanted him in there because he is the best—known man in brazil, and it would increase the

value of the other apartments, to have him there. but there was no quid pro quo for bribery. that is theissue quid pro quo for bribery. that is the issue that has to be decided by the issue that has to be decided by the supreme court. that is not going to be decided, thejudge who has been after him, who has investigated him, prosecuted him, convicted him, has now issued a warrant for his arrest. that warrant was issued a few hundred miles away, and we wait to see whether it is challenged whether he surrenders. we are in a position now where he appealed his initial corruption conviction and this arrest warrant, that has been overturned by the court. the court says he should be... the federal supreme court decided by a narrow vote that they would allow the process to continue before hearing his appeal. he still has his appeal,

which i think is a powerful appeal. it is on the grounds of law that he was wrongly convicted and has not committed any offence. but the appeal will not be heard for a few months. gabby situation where he, the police want him, should he not be giving himself up? should heed not be compliant? that is a matter for him if it is a legitimate —— legitimate warrant. he wasn't hurt. the essential complaint that he makes, and he has made it to the united nations, is that there is this inquisitorial system that goes right back to the spanish inquisition, that enables the investigative judge to be the trial judge, and that on any view is an fair. we are in a position where he is in fair. we are in a position where he isina fair. we are in a position where he is in a metal workers union, how long can last? butler that is for him decide. they may well be a

cellist and the warrant. that will mean because it has been issued and another province, there are all sorts of legal technicalities, the human rights committee may decide to grant what are called interim measures for acquiring brazil to let him out. until his guilt is decided finally. there is the election, he is the frontrunner, putting him in prison may well so enraged his supporters that he gets more votes than happy being out on the stump. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come... the rarest of sights — baby elephant twins are spotted in tanzania. this is bbc world news today. the latest headlines: the poisoned former russian

spy, sergei skripal, is no longer in a critical condition, and is said to be rapidly improving. days before mark zuckerberg appear before congress, facebook has announced new measures to counter fake news. at least six palestinians have been killed and more than 250 injured in a second friday of protests along the gaza border with israel. palestinians say they're protesting for their right to go back to their ancestral lands that are now in israel. israel's army says it thwarted multiple efforts to breach the border fence and opened fire in some cases. billowing black smoke, young palestinians burned huge piles and piles as a smoke screen as they have all stones at israeli soldiers. they fired back with tear gas and bullets. this was another bloody friday on the gaza border. but at

mehta, his son and grandson came to peacefully protest and pray. as a toddler 70 years ago, he lost nearly all his family and his village when the state of israel was created. all his family and his village when the state of israel was createdlj was one day expelled and deported from my original country of palestine. i want to return back again. iam palestine. i want to return back again. i am here to tell them, i am ina again. i am here to tell them, i am in a peaceful way wanting to return back to my homeland. israel rejected the claims are palestinian refugees. its military says it has been acting here to stop mass cable stations into israeli territory. it blames gaza password can ask leaders for stirring up violence. .com from the gaza border, and to my right are israeli homes and amenities, there is time pleat try to protect their children. cars are gathering,

intending to wipe israel off the face of the map. the plan is to continue the border demonstrations into the middle of next month. despite the obvious dangers, palestinians here say they will keep up palestinians here say they will keep up their protests, given the present their demands and confronting israel. on the other side of the border, israel sees all of this as a huge provocation and it is threatening a harsh response. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. south africa's former president jacob zuma has appeared in court — facing corruption charges linked to a 1990s arms deal. mr zuma appeared in court forjust 15 minutes — smiling as he walked in. he's facing sixteen charges of corruption, racketeering, fraud and money laundering. conor mcgregor, one of the world's most famous martial arts fighters, has appeared in court in new york. he has been charged with three counts of assault. the irishman was one of a group of men alleged to have vandalised a bus containing rivalfighters. now let's get only sport news. the

second round of the martyrs is nearly halfway through. the course is still really testing the golfers with the leaderboard ever—changing. this is how it stands at the moment. patrick reed back in front again. he is now on six under par, just ahead of australia's mark leishman. they arrived midway through their rounds, rory mcilroy just arrived midway through their rounds, rory mcilroyjust behind, in the clubhouse on four under. challenging those leaders elsewherejustin rose is not far behind on to other, tiger woods looks like he might make the cut despite being well over at the moment. it says he is four over in total, the projected cut is five over par. football, and manchester city can win the premier league title tomorrow if the magistrate

united with six games to spare, it will be the earliest aching has won the title. back one does not allow the title. back one does not allow the game's derby step to distract him or his team from the big prize. cauley it is quite close to be champion. we have that chance. cauley it is quite close to be champion. we have that chancem does not matter, we do not provide the season to think they're going to win the premier league. the situation is what it is, we just focus on what we have to do to win the game and that is it. we are in the game and that is it. we are in the second edition for many months. obviously it is our objective to fight for that and we need points. by fight for that and we need points. by objective for tomorrow is to try to have points that can help us to finish second. —— my object.... commonwealth games gold for

scotland, injured and wales. katie archibald bede is julia's scotland, injured and wales. katie archibald bede isjulia's competitor in the individual pursuit, to give scotla nd in the individual pursuit, to give scotland their second gold medal of the games. augie this means so much. you sometimes feel embarrassed the pride of the scotland jersey. i feel uncomfortable with it. but with this event, it means so much. gymnastics, canada went one better, taking gold, england won the mentors that event finishing second with australia third. wales won their first gold of the games in the main public sector nine kilometre weightlifting competition, gareth evans posting a total weight of 299 kilograms to finish first. let's take a look at the medal table. as you might expect from a home games, hostility well out in front. 36 in total, 1a of

them gold. england just behind with 18 and canada third with 11. scotla nd 18 and canada third with 11. scotland in fourth with ten medals. ufc champion conor mcgregor has appeared in court charged with assault and kilometre after vandalising a basket any rival fighters. he was led out of the brooklyn precinct in handcuffs on friday morning, ufc president said he was disgusted with the incident. boni this is a fight game. mean things i said, people each other‘s faces, grab each other and stuff like that, it is normal. we always contain it and had worked as part of the business. what happened today was criminal. it was disgusting, despicable, it makes me sick. we as an organisation need to make sure i does not happen again. that is only sport for now. —— all the sport.

let's end with some good news, for elephants. conservationists working in tanzania recently spotted a pair of rare twin elephant calves, one male and one female. just 1% of all elephant conceptions results in twins. and their mortality risk is often high. but these two seem to be doing well and are already around 8 months old, which has given researchers hope for the recovery of the species. the don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm bbc kasia madera. thursday was not quite so sunny across the uk, as per expect

patients. in fact some rain around, and these guys were very hazy. a picture from london earlier. despite that, the temperatures still managed to get up to 17 celsius in stjames park, making it the warmest day of the year so far. you can see how closely it has been across a number of areas. all this cloud across england was quite thin, the rain bearing clouds were earlier in the day across western areas, where you had the clash between the mild and cooler error. the wind coming in from the south, we still have mild acid and on top of us. the warmest weather across europe. into the 20s. the weather for weather across europe. into the 20s. the weatherfor tonight, weather across europe. into the 20s. the weather for tonight, southerly winds, a bit of rain expected in the early hours of saturday across south—western parts of england into wales as well, the north—west of scotland. for the majority of the uk it will be dry tonight and averages around five or six sources. saturday, the wind still coming in from the south, dragging in a fair bit of cloud, and is some rain in

the forecast as well. not an ideal day, because there will be rain in the morning, clearing out of bristol by late morning and moved to wales into merseyside across yorkshire and into merseyside across yorkshire and into newcastle. it looks as though most of the afternoon because much of scotland, the weather will be dry, one or two showers in the north, but glasgow and edinburgh around 13 — 1a celsius. bill also 14. around 13 — 1a celsius. bill also 1a. rainbow newcastle and middlesbrough, down and manchester, and trying out there in the second half of the afternoon across the south western areas. 16 celsius in london. apart from this block of rain, which will be speaking best pa rt rain, which will be speaking best part of the country here, it is actually not that bad. many others will have bright, dry weather. sunday, a weather front still part of the uk. at this stage, still coming in from the south. southerly winds, and again on sunday the thinking is that there will be a lot of cloud across the uk, another speu of cloud across the uk, another spell of rain moving across the same

area from the south through the midlands and into yorkshire. relatively mild, 15 celsius in london, 13 in edinburgh. early next week, not a lot changing, a fair bit of cloud and some rain from time to time. . doctors in britain today former russians by said that he is improving rapidly and is no longer in the critical condition. sergei skripal and his daughter were poisoned by at nerve agent a month ago. facebook says it is tightening up ago. facebook says it is tightening up procedures for people wanting to place issue —based adverts. more comprehensive id will now be required as well as a physical mailing address. brazil's top court has rejected a request by the compatriot‘s former president to remain free while he appeals against a conviction. a deadline for handing him over has now passed. medical sources in gaza say six people have

been killed and dozens wounded. during more palestinian protest on the border with israel,