News Daily: Skripal suspect unmasked and 'ageing' ambulances

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45656289

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Identity revealed

There was incredulity and anger in Britain - and widespread ridicule in Russia itself - when the two Salisbury poisoning suspects protested their innocence on TV. Now an investigative journalism website, Bellingcat, has uncovered the real identity of one of them. Far from being a civilian on a sightseeing trip to the "beautiful cathedral", it says the man calling himself Ruslan Boshirov, above left, is military officer Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga. He served in Chechnya and was made a Hero of the Russian Federation - the state's highest honour, usually bestowed by President Vladimir Putin himself - in 2014. British officials haven't commented, but the BBC understands there's no dispute over the identification.

Our comprehensive piece breaks down what happened in Salisbury and the evidence against the men accused of the crime.

Meanwhile, a member of Russian activist punk group Pussy Riot, Pyotr Verzilov, who is believed to have been poisoned, says he "firmly believes" Kremlin intelligence services were responsible. Not familiar with Pussy Riot? Watch our film.

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'Ageing' fleet

A critical review has identified significant flaws in the ambulance service, which it says are hampering the NHS's ability to answer 999 calls quickly and effectively. England's vehicle fleet is ageing, says the report, and paramedics have the highest sickness rates - an average of 20 days a year - in the the whole health service. An ambulance is not just a taxi to A&E, argues author and Labour peer Lord Carter, but without the modern technology to treat patients at the scene, they can't fulfil their potential.

Tackling the problems identified could save an estimated £500m a year by 2021 - money that could then be reinvested to help meet growing demand. The government insists is is investing.

Knowledge for sale

Students caught passing off work from a so-called "essay mill" as their own can face serious penalties, including being kicked off their degree course, but it's not illegal for companies to sell such material. Many actually advertise widely near campuses and on social media. Universities want that to change and now the heads of more than 40 have written to the education secretary calling for them to be banned.

How do essay mills work and how popular are they? Reality Check has had a look. Universities minister Sam Gyimah said the sector was trying to address the problem, "but legislative options are not off the table".

'I lost my girlfriend and sister in the same car crash'

By Imran Rahman-Jones, BBC Newsbeat reporter

The road was new to Skye, who had only passed her test four months earlier. She was travelling fast, but within the speed limit. It was wet. As she turned a corner, she lost control of her car, and hit a van. "It was all down to inexperience," says her boyfriend at the time, Aidan Huddleston. He also lost his sister Caitlin in the crash. Skye and Caitlin's families are now calling for graduated driving licences (GDLs), which would impose restrictions on new drivers - for example a curfew, and a limit on the number of passengers they can have.

Read the full article

What the papers say

Jeremy Corbyn waves and smiles from several front pages after his big Labour conference speech. The Guardian says the performance was Mr Corbyn's attempt to position himself as sitting in the mainstream of British politics. The Daily Mail's sketchwriter, Quentin Letts, found Mr Corbyn's performance a "slick" and schmaltzy product of mainstream political sales techniques, complete with soundbites and dramatic pauses. Elsewhere, according to the Times, Theresa May is losing cabinet support for her plan to depart without a deal if the EU rejects her Chequers Brexit plan. And finally, the Financial Times reflects on the end of Rupert Murdoch's 30-year association with Sky, the media group he launched as Britain's first pay-TV service.

Daily digest

May speech UK "not turning its back on the world"

Diet shakes NHS should recommend their use, says study

Goldman Sachs "Swanky" bank offers ordinary UK savings accounts

Supreme showdown Anthony Zurcher on the Kavanaugh crisis

If you see one thing today

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If you listen to one thing today

That Peter Crouch Podcast: Nights Out

If you read one thing today

The musical that 'changed theatre forever'

Lookahead

Morning David Beckham will stand trial for speeding

12:00 Murdered MP Jo Cox will have a square named after her in Brussels, one of a list of "illustrious women" to be recognised by the city

On this day

1988 Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson is stripped of the 100m Olympic gold after testing positive for drugs

From elsewhere

How to tell if you or a loved one is lonely (Huffington Post)

Here's the real Brexit strategy behind Jeremy Corbyn's big conference speech (Buzzfeed)

Why two chefs in small-town Utah decided to sue President Trump (New Yorker)

Meet London's Crazy Rich Asians (Evening Standard)