welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's tom donkin. here are our top stories: the british actor sirjohn hurt, who was twice nominated for an oscar including for his performance in the elephant man, has died at the age of 77. president trump fulfils another campaign promise and signs an executive order authorising tough new vetting procedures of immigrants to the us. britain's prime minister theresa may becomes the first world leader to visit the new us president and reaffirms their backing of the nato alliance. today we've reaffirmed our unshakeable commitment to this alliance. mr president, i think you confirmed that you're 100% behind nato. and hundreds of millions of people across asia and around the world are marking the start of the lunar new year. first, we start with some breaking news, that the legendary british

actorjohn hurt has died. he was 77. he'd recently been battling pancreatic cancer. john hurt‘s career spanned more than six decades and encompassed many memorable roles in films as diverse as the elephant man, alien, 1984 and harry potter. most recently he played a priest in the oscar—nominated film jackie. nick higham looks back at his career. everything seemed to come to a head today. john hurt was a political diarist. .. both my today. john hurt was a political diarist... both my black today. john hurt was a political diarist. .. both my black teeth have disintegrated into blackened stumps all stalactites. a complex character john hurt played with such ease and su btlety. john hurt played with such ease and subtlety. his talent was spotted early ina

subtlety. his talent was spotted early in a succession of leading stage and television roles. his first big breakthrough came in 1966. ina man first big breakthrough came in 1966. in a man for all seasons. a small pa rt in a man for all seasons. a small part but in a high profile, oscar—winning film. part but in a high profile, oscar-winning film. i will be getting a newjob shortly, i should wonder. they have asked me if i would like to train as a manager or a managing director. a few years later he was starring opposite richard attenborough. would you have to learn to read and write for that? no, you will have secretaries and things like that. he played timothy eva ns, things like that. he played timothy evans, wrongly hanged for a murder he didn't commit. on television he was the mad roman emperor in the bbc‘s iclaudius. was the mad roman emperor in the bbc's iclaudius. you ordered no tribes. of course i ordered no try also! do you think i ordered triumph

for myself? you ordered as to not order any. and it took me for my work? and defend the naked civil servant. iweb rouge and the scar on my eyelashes, i dye my hair and wear fla m boya nt clothes. my eyelashes, i dye my hair and wear flamboyant clothes. —— i wear rouge. you say you are homosexual.” flamboyant clothes. —— i wear rouge. you say you are homosexual. i am homosexual irretrievably. he played the notorious and flamboyant quentin crisp. it was a defiant moment in his career. i didn't put on any of my usual make—up. his career. i didn't put on any of my usual make-up. but people said it was a brave part to take on. but there's my hair and my fingernails. many people said, don't do that, due to work again, today said it wasn't -- it to work again, today said it wasn't —— it was about the tenderness of the individual. he earned an oscar

nomination for midnight express in which he played a heroine addict in a turkish prison. and another oscar nomination for his performance as john merrick in the elephant man.” got used to being treated so well... by got used to being treated so well... bya got used to being treated so well... by a beautiful woman. got used to being treated so well... by a beautifulwoman. he got used to being treated so well... by a beautiful woman. he was an outsider, ostracised by society. he is blind and weathered face meant he was perfect in the film 1984 as george orwell‘s reluctant rebel. odds are even? even. no, i've got on in my hand. he loved the film and television parts he was offered,

although that meant stage appearances like this were rare. that something no one can advise you on. bouteflika racehorse, you walk like... he remained in demand as the yea rs like... he remained in demand as the years passed. he played stephen ward. i could do wonders with you. you're my future selves! later in his career he made a guest appearance in dr who. why are you pointing your screwdrivers like that? his distinctive voice was once described as a mixture of honey and acid. there are convincing. few actors were busy, with almost 200 screen roles at all. you are as were as reliably and engagingly reachable. he will be sorely missed. john hurt, who has died at the age of 77. we

have already had a lot of reaction to the news of his passing. mel brooks tweeted: no one could have played the elephant man more memorably. he will be sorely missed. and there are many tweets from stephen fry, elijah wood, all reacting to the news ofjohn hurt passing at the age of 77. we will give you more reaction to the newsletter in the programme. for now, let's move on. president trump has signed an executive order to limit immigration from some muslim—majority countries to the united states. this includes a ban on syrian refugees, until the administration is able to toughen procedures to screen them effectively. mr trump's authorised new vetting procedures for immigrants entering the united states from certain countries, though it's not immediately clear which countries are included on that list. he said it was intended to keep islamic extremists out of the us. i am establishing new vetting measures to keep radical islamic terrorists out of the united states of america. we don't want them here.

we want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. we only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love, deeply, our people. we will never forget the lessons of 9/11 nor the heroes who lost their lives at the pentagon. they were the best of us. joanne lin is with the american civil liberties union in washington. she said the executive order amounts to discrimination. the american civil liberties union strongly condemns the trump executive order today. and he has now delivered on his long stated promised to block muslim refugees and immigrants from the united states, and he is doing that by targeting two categories of muslims. first, refugees who are in search of protection. and secondly, immigrants coming from seven muslim—majority nations,

and those countries are iran, iraq, sudan, syria, libya, somalia, and yemen. and this is astonishing, that on international holocaust remembrance day, which is today, that on this very day, president trump is shutting down the us refugee programme forfour months, and is indefinitely ending the syrian refugee programme. this is a dark, shameful day in american history. and what sort of action will you be taking against this? your organisation has also called this action unconstitutional. yes, so the american civil liberties union is closely looking at this trump exclusion order, and we believe it raises several constitutional problems. in the us constitution, the first amendment enshrines protections, and those freedoms are religion and freedom of speech and expression. and, if you look at the trump exclusion order, among others, it shows a clear preference

for christian refugees over muslim refugees. and that is quintessential religious discrimination, if the government shows a preference for one religion over another. that strikes at the heart of the american constitution's first amendment, and the aclu will be closely looking at that. the second constitutional problem that the trump order may raise concerns freedom of expression and speech. among other things, the trump exclusion order imposes a potential "values" or ideological test for people entering the united states. the order specifically says that people should be banned if they do not support the us government, which in this case is the trump administration, or they do not support the us constitution. now, think about that. think about if your viewers were boarding a flight at heathrow, and they were asked by a us customs

border patrol official whether or not they support the us government's policies. that is what today's order contemplates, and so the aclu will be closely looking at how this order is implemented, to see if an actual ideology or values test gets imposed. it is a difficult one, isn't it? because, while many people call it discrimination, like yourself, many people in america believe mr trump, and think these orders and these new procedures are necessary to combat terrorism. i think americans strongly believe in the need to be safe. but americans also strongly believe that people should be judged based on their conduct, not based on the colour of their skin, or the god that they worship. and what president trump has done today is he has imposed categorical bans on certain muslim—majority countries, and on refugees. and, by doing this, he is actually saying we are going to block a significant chunk of the muslim

and arab world from entering the united states. that is un—american. what i think is american is what the statue of liberty represents, a beacon of hope and freedom, a country that has long had a history of welcoming and protecting refugees and immigrants. and what the trump exclusion order is designed to do is to foist blatant religious and ethnic discrimination, under this veneer of enhanced national security. donald trump also ended his first week as us president with a promise to maintain the special relationship with britain. hosting his first foreign visit with the british prime minister theresa may, mr trump said the two countries were, what he called a "beacon for prosperity and the rule of law." mrs may said they had

reaffirmed their unsha keable commitment to nato. rajini vaidya nathan reports from washington. attention! a week since he took office, president trump welcomed his first foreign leader to the white house. british prime minister theresa may, who came to power after the brexit vote in the uk last year. both new to theirjobs, both keen to strengthen the much lauded "special relationship". the pair took a moment to pose next to a bust of winston churchill, which president obama had removed. it's a great honour to have him back. and it's a great reminder of what this special relationship stood for. this new political couple seemed enamoured with each other at times, but behind the handholding are some serious differences. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the prime minister... those divides were highlighted in one of the first questions

the president was asked by the bbc. mr president, you've said that torture works, you've praised russia and you said you want to ban some muslims from coming to america and suggested there should be punishment for abortion. for many people in britain those sound like alarming beliefs. what do you say to our viewers at home who are worried about some of your views and worried about you becoming leader of the free world? this was your choice of a question? there goes that relationship. and what about america's relationship with russia? would the sanctions punishing moscow's actions in ukraine be lifted? it's very early to be talking about that. we believe they should continue until we see the minsk agreement fully implemented and we have continued to argue that inside the eu.

the news conference also showed how far president trump is prepared to go to please his british visitor. he once said nato was obsolete. not any more, said prime minister may. today we reaffirmed our one checkable commitment to this alliance. mr president, i think you confirmed you are 100% behind nato? a win for the british pm, but the real prize she came for was a promise of a trade deal with the us after the uk leaves the eu in brexit. we are discussing how we can establish trade negotiation agreements, take forward high—level talks and lay the groundwork for a uk—us trade agreement. when i thought brexit, i think it will go down that it will end up being a fantastic thing for the uk. i think in the end it will be a tremendous asset, not a tremendous liability. thank you very much. the president ended by saying this relationship would be fantastic. his dealings with other nations haven't gone as well this week but the may—trump partnership has got off to a good start. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come: there have been celebrations around the world to mark the start of the lunar new year. the shuttle challenger exploded soon after liftoff. there were seven astronauts on board, one of them a woman school teacher. all of them are believed to have been killed. by the evening, tahrir square, the heart of official cairo, was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word "revolution". the earthquake singled out buildings, and brought them down in seconds. tonight, the search for any survivors has an increasing desperation about it as the hours pass. the new government is firmly in control of the entire republic of uganda. moscow got its first taste of western fast food, as mcdonald's opened their biggest restaurant, in pushkin square. but the hundreds of muscovites who queued up today won't find it

cheap, with a big mac costing half the day's wages for the average russian. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the british actor sirjohn hurt has died after a battle with cancer. he was twice nominated for an oscar, including for his performance in the elephant man. he was 77. president trump has signed an executive order authorising new vetting procedures to limit immigration from some muslim—majority countries to the united states. the us vice president has told an anti—abortion rally in washington that president trump will nominate a supreme courtjustice opposed to the procedure. mike pence, the first vice president to address a march held to mark the anniversary of the ruling that legalised abortion, said the tide was now turning, with a president and both houses of congress opposed to the practice. because of all of you, and the many

thousands who stand with us in marches like this all across the nation, life is winning again in america. that is evident in the election of pro life majorities in the congress of the united states of america. but it is no more evident in any way than in the historic election of a president who stands for a stronger america, more prosperous america, and a president who i proudly say stands for the right to life, president donald trump. the bbc‘s jane o'brien was amongst the crowds, gauging reaction to the vice president's remarks. this is an annual march for life but this year the crowds are absolutely

huge, and there is a real sense of excitement because, for the first time in many years, people here feel they have a congress and a president who is listening to them. and they have been enormously energised by listing to mike pence, the vice president, who declared that life is winning again in america. and he said that as he announced that next week's nomination for a new supreme court justice would be week's nomination for a new supreme courtjustice would be somebody with conservative values, who would uphold the constitutional principles of the right to life. now, he did stop short from saying that the administration would seek to overturn roe versus wade, which of course is the court case that led to the legalisation of abortion in america, but to be perfectly honest many people say that would be unrealistic anyway. what they want to do is to change the hearts and minds of americans, and create a society where abortion isn't needed or wanted any more. and to that event, we are hearing a lot of talk about improving adoption services

for people here in america. returning to our breaking news, legendary british actorjohn hurt has died at the age of 77, he had been battling cancer. and he, obviously a huge blow to the industry, and from reaction we have been seeing so far, he will be sorely missed. a career spanning six decades, so many roles, instantly recognisable face, instantly recognisable face, instantly recognisable voice as well. what roles do you pick out? his breakthrough role in a man for old seasons. john merrick, the elephant man, who can forget the monster bursting out of his stomach in alien? to a new generation he was mr oliphant in the harry potter films. he was nominated for two academy

awards, midnight express and the elephant man, but never won the award, which is surprising given his career. he was knighted in 2015 for services to drama. he was due to be on the london theatre last year but had to pull out for health reasons. he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in 2015. he was given the all clear in october of that year but it seems that was because of his death. he married four times. he was a vicar‘s son, but he didn't believe in the afterlife. he said at one stage, of his death, i hope i shall have the courage to say, here we go, let's become different molecules. you mentioned some of his roles, he was a real chameleon and played so many characters. a member watching him in thejim henson series storyteller where he played an amazing character. i mention the reaction coming in thick and fast from around the world.|j

reaction coming in thick and fast from around the world. i mentioned from around the world. i mentioned from mel brooks, no one could have played the elephant man more eloquently. i was very sad to hear ofjohn hurt‘s passing. from alfred malina, so sorry to hear ofjohn hurt‘s passing. the gloriously talented actor. one of the best of this or any era. rest in peace. we have also heard from stephen fry, what terrible news. we have lost john hurt. as great on the stage, small screen and big. a great man and great friend of norfolk. we understand he had been living in the uk in the county of norfolk, in recent yea rs. uk in the county of norfolk, in recent years. you mentioned that he was a stage actor as well. he didn't have much time to go on the stage, because he was busy doing so many tv series and movies, was in the? that's right, he repeatedly said he would never turn down a role and he appeared in so many things. he appeared in so many things. he

appeared in so many things. he appeared in doctor who in the uk, which is shown around the world. known to be a great drinker as well, in his youth he used to party with alan reid and boasted he could drink seven bottles a night. i talked about what he would say of himself. he was asked about his own obituary at one stage and said, if you write your own obituary, they would take the things that got awards, so in his case it would be midnight express, the elephant man, and naked silver servant. those are the roles he said he would be happy to be remembered for. andy moore, talking about the life and the sad news of his death. john hurt has died today at the age of 77. hundreds of millions of people across asia and around the world are marking the start of the lunar new year. the year of the rooster officially began in china.

fireworks, fresh flowers, lion dances, and of course, lots of food, will be part of the celebrations for many. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. the lunar new year was rung in 108 times at the central belltower in beijing. but the fireworks were a little subdued, the authorities worried about the environmental effects, in a city regularly cursed with smog. on the streets, people did set off firecrackers, making the best of things. translation: i think for the lunar new year, which should be a traditional holiday, it's better when we set off fireworks. in my hometown, everyone's setting off fireworks. it creates a better mood. but there was plenty of razzmatazz on state television, a huge gala, 4.5 hours long, featuring singing, dancing

and celebrities, traditionally the most—watched programme on chinese tv. but this isn'tjust china's new year. it is the lunar new year, celebrated by east asian communities around the world. a time for families, friends, and looking to the future, all hoping the year of the rooster will bring fortune and happiness. before we go, a reminder of our breaking news this hour: the british actorjohn hurt has died at the age of 77. his agent said he had pancreatic cancer. john hurt won oscar nominations for his roles in midnight express, the elephant man, and 1984. he also appeared in the harry potter series, and enjoyed a long career on british television. tributes from around the world are

coming in, especially from celebrities from hollywood. mel brooks said no one could have played the elephant man more eloquently. he carried that film into cinematic immortality. there have also been tweets from kiefer sutherland, stephen fry among others. hello. well, while some of us were shivering on thursday, for others, for example across the north of scotland, it was remarkably mild. a day of contrasts. were kind of getting back to normal. most of us will turn less cold. a bit of a breeze, some sunshine, but there will be some rain around as well.

we are losing the continental feed, which brought most of us a very cold day on thursday. starting to drag the cold air in from the atlantic, hence the rising temperatures for the majority. but we start the day with a hard frost, one or two freezing fog patches, and the odd shower as well, which could cause some icy stretches. should be a dry start across wales. that fog up over the high ground, but that will be lifted, and the temperatures will be on the rise. above freezing for northern ireland, rain knocking on the door of the west of the province. a frosty start for most of scotland, and here i think it is set to be a largely dry day, with some sunshine. heading our way down across the borders into northern england, cold with a hard frost. some freezing fog patches, for sure, in the morning, so watch out for those. i mentioned the odd showerjust building in the eastern counties, for a time, in the morning. so the risk of one or two icy stretches, but temperatures slowly rising above freezing down across southern england and into the south—west. we should be above zero. a dry start, but some showery rain lies in wait out west, and this band of showery rain will start to push its way slowly

eastwards across northern ireland and into the far south—west of england, perhaps the far south—west of wales. another little area of showers pushes up across southern england through the afternoon as well. further the north and east it stays dry, but that chilly air holding on for one more day. just two degrees in newcastle, milder, though, across many southern and western areas. as we head through the evening and overnight, so it gets a bit messy. there will be areas of rain pushing their way north and east, some quite heavy, actually, some quite wet, actually. a period of snow across high ground in particular. the temperatures could dip quite close to freezing. but for most of us, actually, it will be a frost—free start to the weekend. saturday, then, starts with cloud, with some patchy rain continuing to move northwards and eastwards. behind that it turns brighter, but also with some showers, and one or two of those showers could be wintry up over high ground. it might not be as cold as it has been for most of us, double figures in a few southern areas. that milder theme continues into sunday. we could see an area of rain pushing into southern areas, however, how far north that gets

is open to question. the best of the brightness on sunday will be further north across the uk. milder than recently. the british actor sirjohn hurt has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. he was 77. he was twice nominated for an oscar and was known for playing a variety of roles, including 1984 and the elephant man. he also appeared in harry potter. donald trump has signed an end to give order to limit immigration from some majority muslim countries. he said the measures were extreme vetting and he said the measures we re vetting and he said the measures were aimed at keeping radical islamists out of the us. theresa may has become the first foreign leader to hold talks with the new us president at the white house. they talk for around one hour before emerging to make statements to journalists and copper questions including trade, russia, mexico and the future of nato. coming up next, click, followed by

newswatch.