Top story: ‘Evidence said they would not survive’

Good morning – Warren Murray with the stories that are shaping the day.

Medical staff in the Salisbury poisoning case have told of the slim hopes they held for Sergei and Yulia Skripal after the shock realisation they were victims of a nerve agent. “We would try all our therapies. We would ensure the best clinical care,” said Dr Stephen Jukes. “But all the evidence was there that they would not survive.” Once a nerve agent was diagnosed, the Skripals were heavily sedated and given large doses of drugs to protect them from the effects of the poison and help their bodies recover.

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Both are now out of hospital and living under police protection. Lorna Wilkinson, the director of nursing at the hospital, said the events at Salisbury hospital represented the “total world experience” of treating novichok poisoning. “It’s safe to say we’re still learning,” she said. Full interviews will be broadcast on Newsnight tonight.

Wealth of knowledge – Oxbridge universities have between them amassed at least £21bn in a vast pool of wealth that encompasses estates, endowments, investments, property, artworks and antiquities, a Guardian investigation reveals. Their assets could pay the tuition fees of every home and international student at UK universities and colleges for a year – and there would be £3bn left over. The Labour MP David Lammy criticised them for dedicating “such a tiny proportion of their wealth” to diversifying their intake of students. But college bursars say many colleges are bound by strict terms as to how the money is used, such as for fellowships or student support, while facing considerable costs. “It is simply not the case that we have large unused funds immediately available for general spending,” said a statement from Oxford.

Threading a fine needle – The Bank of England and the Treasury are reportedly on a collision course over Brexit’s implications for the financial sector. The Bank fears it could lose control of regulation of City firms and become a “rule taker” if the wrong sort of deal is struck with Brussels. The EU has dismissed UK proposals for London and Brussels to recognise each other’s regulations covering the financial services sector. The chancellor, Philip Hammond, is trying to prevent an exodus from the Square Mile of banks spooked about losing access to EU markets.

Israel’s instant richest man – The Chelsea FC owner, Roman Abramovich, has taken up Israeli citizenship and will move to Tel Aviv, according to the Israeli government. Israel grants citizenship to any Jewish person wishing to move there. Russian oligarch Abramovich had reportedly faced long delays renewing his UK visa. Abramovich is reportedly worth £8.6bn. It is believed the British government would have required some financial disclosures for his UK visa to be renewed. The UK’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, hinted last week that the UK could take action against Russian oligarchs in the wake of the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Abramovich, who is a friend of Vladimir Putin. Having an Israeli passport allows short stays in the UK.

Crawley murder case – A man will appear in crown court on Wednesday after a woman was found dead having failed to arrive at her own birthday celebrations. Christina Abbotts, 29, was found dead from head injuries in her bed in Crawley, West Sussex. Zahid Naseem, 47, of Amersham in Buckinghamshire, is in custody charged with murder. “This independent lady, a much-travelled person, was taken from us far too early,” said Abbotts’s family in a statement released via Sussex police.

Just floating an idea – Everyone was supposed to be whipping between work and home on a cushion of magnetism by now. But a technology that makes a great deal of sense still has not entered the mainstream of transportation. Dave Hall looks at why we are still waiting at the platform for maglev trains.

Lunchtime read: ‘We ate the whole frog, not just the legs’

“North and South Korea are totally different. I had no idea what a credit card was, and that’s used every day here.” One of the revelations that awaited a North Korean refugee arriving in the South.

“I went from only being able to see a narrow slice of the world and then suddenly everything was visible,” says Pak Sool. “It was very shocking.” Pak is attending the Yeomyung school in Seoul, learning a standard range of subjects but also the quirks of assimilating, such as the South’s English-idiom-peppered dialect of the Korean language. One day, students might be at the forefront of a possible unification: Pak wants to be a doctor, and “when unification happens, I hope I can go back and help the people still suffering there”.

Sport

Eddie Jones believes his intimate knowledge of South African rugby can help England “beat history” to claim a first away series win against the Springboks. The unnamed England and Australia cricketers alleged to have been involved in spot-fixing are set to be interviewed when the International Cricket Council’s own probe gets under way.

Europe-bound football star Eni Aluko has told the Guardian that “standing up for what you believe in is liberating” as she reflects on a “stressful, negative period” and gets set to play abroad. Superheroes normally go to work in satin pants and a cape but Marco Trungelliti chose a rented car packed with tennis rackets and hopes for a 500‑mile trip that ended in Paris with a heart-warming French Open win over a sulky Bernard Tomic. And Liverpool have confirmed the signing of the Brazil midfielder Fabinho from Monaco for £40m as a replacement for Emre Can as Jürgen Klopp steps up his summer recruitment drive.

Business

Asian shares have mostly been lower on Tuesday, tracking losses in Europe, where investor confidence was sapped by the political uncertainty in Italy. US markets were closed on Monday for a holiday.

The pound has been trading at $1.332 and €1.145 overnight.

The papers

Let’s start with the FT today, which says “Italian market turmoil deepens as president picks new premier”, after the head of state rebuffed the incoming prime minister and installed an interim PM, setting the scene for fresh elections. The Telegraph cites the opinion of Prof Keith Willett, the “most senior doctor” in the NHS, who blames its problems on “ridiculous waste”. In the Times: “UN knew of sex-for-food scandal at top charities”, which reports that workers from 40 aid organisations exploited refugee children for sex. The Guardian leads with our exclusive about Oxbridge colleges sitting on a mountain of wealth.

The Express calls for Troubles-era soldiers to receive a royal pardon. “Britain’s child obesity disgrace” and the 170,000 pupils leaving primary school overweight is the Mail’s lead story today. “No justice,” cries the Mirror, as the killers of “have-a-go hero” Garry Newlove are moved to an open prison. The Sun is exercised about footballer Raheem Sterling having a gun tattooed on his leg. Those last three papers pictorially celebrate Kylie Minogue, still wearing slinky numbers at 50.

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