to the us — thejustice department launches an appeal to enforce donald trump's travel ban on seven countries. president trump said the decision to reject his executive order was "ridiculous" — and tweeted that bad and dangerous people could enter the country. after days of mass protests, romania withdraws a draft decree which would have reduced some penalties for corruption. the campaign to be france's president — emanuel macron and marine le pen promise to unite a divided country with radically different policies. —— emmanuel. the us government is to make a formal appeal against the legal ruling suspending president trump's ban on travellers from seven mainly—muslim countries.

the announcement from the department ofjustice follows a series of tweets from mr trump in which he denounced the judge who made the ruling, and warned that bad and dangerous people could be pouring into the united states because of it. major airlines are again allowing citizens from the affected countries to board flights to the united states. here's our washington correspondent — richard lister. they're the scenes which have characterised the first two weeks of theftrump presidency. ' w * ' millions protesting what they see as discrimination against muslims and an unwonted change in american values. and all triggered by this one executive order, denying entry to people from seven countries. the order was hit by a series of legal challenges, the latest at this seattle court was that it banned some people from returning to american companies and colleges, damaging the united states.

i find that the court should and will grant the temporary restraining order. the ban was suspended. it's obviously an historic decision and an important one for the rule of law and for the people in the state of washington and the people of our country. i said from the beginning it's not the loudest voice that prevails in a court room, it's the constitution.

and his fury at the judge's ruling was all too apparent. he tweeted: he later added: this is truly a politicised decision by a judge who doesn't understand the law brought in the 1950s that gives the president the prerogative to determine how immigration is handled. that is the fact of the matter and this judge needs to understand that. protesters were back on the streets in several american cities today. as they were in london and across europe. but president trump is adamant that ultimately he is right and he will win. earlier, i spoke tojosh blackman,

a constitutional law professor at the south texas college of law in houston. i asked him if he think mr trump's denouncement of the judge is fair. the problem with the judge's order from washington is that he offered maybe a paragraph of reasoning and didn't in the least explain why he was issuing the order that he did so maybe it is right and maybe it's wrong. we simply don't know the basis on which he issued his decision which will make it difficult for the appellate court to review. one of the judges said that it's un—american and unconstitutional. you have to be more precise than that. there are several specific grounds on which this could be unconstitutional. maybe a violation of the free exercise clause, maybe a violation of due process. the judge in washington today merely

said this is unlikely to succeed. let me give you some breaking news, about 20 minutes ago, do you think that we are perhaps heading for a compromise with donald trump where it might be a travel ban on those who have no reason to be in america, stricter screening and perhaps stricter immigration rules which are already pretty strict, let's face it. traditionally, the courts don't have much say over who is admitted to the country. so the order is unprecedented. what we will find is that the court will have to assess whether he can choose to restrict people based on the seven countries that have been in identified. additionally, whether the court will determine whether this is a religious screen, where certain religions are being excluded at the cost of others. there is not much precedent for courts to intervene is it constitutional to ban people from an entire country for the sake of the security of the united states of america,

even if those people have a job and have a life and perhaps even family in america and clearly pose no threat? i love the way you phrase the question but the fact of the matter is it's a very close call. this has usually been left in the sole discretion of the president. this will be the first time the court says, "we determine your policy is too broad and you should be admitting more people to the us." that is a big decision and the courts may well hold that but a close question under current law. what about the damage it is appearing to be causing to the united states? people are not turning up for work at the moment. surely that is a legal argument? certainly, people can seek individual relief and to be admitted but again, courts do not usually get involved in decisions on who to admit to the country. i appreciate that there is a human cost and a political cost and diplomatic cost but in terms of the constitution,

this is a novel area of the law that the courts have been asked to intervene in. we have just got these pitches in from florida. hundreds people are marching in protest against his executive order. the protest began with a rally right outside trump plaza. we understand they with a rally right outside trump plaza. we understand t red t?— :[‘.:‘x’: tin" i caughandthat andr— — cough and that they and ~ — cough and that they set it! ~ — draped a cough and that they set represent —— draped a cough and which they said represented the

death of democracy. there has not been any violence. we have seen similar protests, small and large, all around the world, in protest to the travel ban. those pictures just the romanian government has withdrawn a draft decree which would have reduced some penalties for corruption. it follows days of huge street protests against the measure. the prime minister said he did not want to divide romania. steve rosenberg sent this report from the capital, bucharest. in bucharest tonight, it felt like an entire country had come together in one square. for five days, romanians have been protesting against a government decree. it would have meant that some public officials who had abused their power could not be prosecuted. tonight, the government caved in. it said it would cancel the order. these are the largest anti—government protests romania has seen since the fall of communism, and they appear to have succeeded. people power has forced the government here into a humiliating climb down. tonight, pressure from the streets

forced this televised announcement by romania's prime minister. he would make sure, he said, that the decree would not take effect. just two days ago, he'd promised there would be no u—turn. on victory square, there was more suspicion than celebration. many here don't believe a word of their government says. i don't think that we could say that we have achieved any victory. we have to see whether or not this is actually cancelled. i don't believe it. i don't believe it because they have lied a lot of times. so the protests continue? yes, sure, until we see it on paper. the authorities claim they are cancelling the decree to avoid division in romania, but after these mass protests, romania's leaders will struggle to unite the country behind the government. steve rosenberg, bbc news, bucharest. in other news:

us—backed kurdish and arab fighters say they're launching a new phase in their effort to encircle the city of raqqa. the city is the so called islamic state's main stronghold in northern syria. the syrian democratic forces — as they're known — say they plan to capture areas east of the city. meanwhile the jordanian air force says it has carried out attacks on islamic state group targets across the border in southern syria. a military statement said a number of militants were killed or wounded. the targets included an arms depot and a warehouse where i—s made car bombs. jordan is a member of the us—led coalition fighting the militants. peruvian investigators have raided the home of the former president, alejandro toledo, as part of a corruption inquiry linked to brazil's biggest construction business. local media reported that prosecutors believe that the company, oderbrecht, paid about twenty million dollars in bribes in order to win public works contracts in peru. mr toledo, who was president for five years from 2001,

has denied wrongdoing. it's less than three months now until france goes to the polls to elect a new president. and the election race is beginning to take shape. the new kid on the block is emmanuel macron — a former minister who has been gaining in popularity. in his first major speech of the campaign — he spelled out some of his agenda. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. emmanuel macron attracted huge crowds at this rally in lyon. a formal socialist finance minister, now an independent, he vowed to unite the nation. he also had this warning for the french people. translation: everywhere we see this temptation to look inwards and close ourselves off. i have the british vote in mind with this choice to leave europe

and choose a path that for of us seemed unthinkable. i have in mind our american friends‘ choice to retreat. they may choose to abandon their historical mission by our side to guarantee peace and order on the planet. this is one of the most open presidential races in decades, ever since francois hollande announced he wouldn't seek re—election. his socialist party then nominated benoit hamon to be their candidate. the frontrunner had been francois fillon from the conservative opposition, but a scandal involving payments to his wife has led to calls for him to withdraw. that may have benefited monsieur macron, seen as a centrist alternative. if the polls are right, likely to be waiting in the second round of the vote is marine le pen from the national front. she was also in lyon, where she will officially launch her campaign later on sunday.

she wants france to leave the euro, hold a referendum on eu membership, and introduce a tax on foreign workers. her election victory would no doubt upset the existing order. it may fall to emmanuel macron to stop her. tim allman, bbc news. our correspondentjonny dymond has more on the rally. right now, his platform is what he isn't rather than what he is. he has been putting some flesh on the bones ofa been putting some flesh on the bones of a rather flimsy platform so far in this speech. he has been elaborating on the traditional french values of liberty, a galaxy, equality, rather, and fraternity reinterpreting those for the 21st century. in the early part of his speech, he was saying that he was not left or right but something

different. it has been an effective message so far and the crowd is ridiculously enthusiastic. 8000 are inside. apparently another 8000 in an inside. apparently another 8000 in a n ove rflow inside. apparently another 8000 in an overflow room. you can feel the buzz india. he is very young, very confident. —— in the air. he was appointed as an economy minister, he is 39 years old. he feels like a breath of fresh air, certainly. well staying in france — we've had more details about the suspect accused of trying to attack the louvre museum in paris on friday. he's said to be recovering from his injuries after being shot by a soldier. he has been identified as a 29—year—old egyptian, who entered france on a tourist visa. his father has been speaking to a dubai television channel — here's some of that interview. translation: i say this all a scenario made up by the french government to justify the soldiers opening fire inside the louvre. four men and they don't know how to grab a man who is only this tall? excuse me.

even if he'd hit one of them. so they shot him several times? coming up... they are marking the countdown to the super bowl. we would hear how the fans are viewing up would hear how the fans are viewing up to it. —— gearing up. this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. the ban on the african national congress is lifted immediately, and the anc leader, nelson mandela, after 27 years injail, is to be set free unconditionally. the aircraft was returning

from belgrade, where manchester united had entered the semi—final of the european cup. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it a piece of cake. thousands of people have given the yachstwoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world non—stop. this is bbc news. i'm chris rogers. the latest headlines: a race against time — thousands of travellers head to the us, as thejustice department launches an appeal to enforce donald trump's travel ban on seven countries. after days of mass protests, romania withdraws a draft decree which would have reduced some penalties for corruption. the ukrainian president says he's had talks with donald trump

about the violence in the east of the country where government forces are fighting with russian—backed rebels. petro poroshenko said they talked about the need to resolve the conflict through diplomacy. greg dawson reports. a single rose to mark another death in a conflict that shows no sign of ending. in rebel—held lugansk, pro—russian forces are blaming ukraine for a car bomb that killed one of their senior commanders. kiev denies responsibility. this came at the end of what has been one of the bloodiest weeks in the region since 2015. a key moment for ukraine to seek assurances from the new us president. after the phone call a spokesman for president poroshenko said... a statement from president trump said... there was no mention of whether the two leaders discussed

the us maintaining sanctions against russia despite donald trump's wishes to improve us—kremlin relations. in the town of avddika, ukraine's own forces are preparing for more violence. local officials say rebel shelling has left more than 20,000 people without heat or running water. translation: the situation remains critical. yesterday, the enemy violated the ceasefire more than 100 times. tensions remain very high in the area around avdiivka and near donetsk airport. russia says it's ukraine provoking the violence, to gain political support from the us and europe. donald trump's talk of working for peace on this border may hearten those caught up in the conflict but there is little sign yet of how it will be achieved. greg dawson, bbc news. to neighbouring russia, where opposition activist alexei navalny has opened a campaign

office in st petersburg. it's in preparation for his bid to become president in 2018. but his ambition to rival president vladimir putin could be thwarted. it will depend on a verdict due next week in mr navalny‘s embezzlement trial. the activist says the case is politically motivated. here's our correspondent sarah rainsford. it is still well over a year until the presidential elections here in russia, but alexei navalny has already opened this, his first campaign headquarters, and he's meeting volunteers here, who will be rallying support for him over the next months. but he is convinced he will not even make it to register for the vote because he is currently on trial for embezzlement in a case which he believes is politically motivated. he's been arguing in court that the kremlin essentially wants to silence him to keep him out of politics, particularly because off his high—profile anticorruption campaigns.

but he has been sending the message to people who potentially could vote for him that under alexei navalny, russia will be wealthier and a better place. translation: i understand perfectly that the kremlin will do everything possible to keep me from the elections. it will do everything to stop people from hearing a true assessment of what is happening in the country, but even so i will fight to take part because i have the moral and legal right to do so. so here in saint petersburg campaigning has begun, but how popular is alexei navalny? bear in mind this is the where vladimir putin claims to get more than 80% support in the polls. so we're going to find out what people here make of the opposition activist. translation: no, i do not know. i honestly do not know. who is he? he wants to be president. president? do you think he will have a chance? frankly speaking, not really. we hope that he will, but unfortunately he does not have any chance. why not?

just because it's russia. the first test of navalny‘s chances will come on wednesday, when the court will deliver its verdict in its trial. heavy snow falls have killed ten people in afghanistan. avalanches have destroyed homes and blocked homes. other parts of the country have also witnessed heavy snows causing travel disruption. the new us defence secretary is on his first official visit to asia. in japan, on saturday, james mattis confirmed america's commitment to the two countries' alliance. he also criticised china for building artificial islands in disputed territory. here's rupert wingfield—hayes, in tokyo. only two weeks ago, generaljames mattis was moving into his new office at the pentagon.

today he has been welcomed in tokyo. his haste for coming here, there is a reason. japan is worried that president trump is not committed to defending its most important ally in asia. not so, according to general mattis. the alliance between the us and japan is enduring and will remain as the cornerstone of peace and security in the asia—pacific region. the us defence secretary saved his most scathing words for china. we have watched in the south china sea as china has shredded the trust of nations in the region. he's talking about these huge artificial islands beijing has constructed to enforce its claim to the south china sea. if we have disputes we take them to arbitration. we don't settle them by taking military means and occupying land that is subject to question, to say the least, about who actually owns it, or is it international waters. he also promised the us would protect this group of islands in the east china sea from any

attempt by china to take them from japan. beijing's foreign ministry responded immediately. general mattis should, it said, stop making wrong remarks on the issue involving the diaoyu islands' sovereignty and avoid bringing instability to the region. japan is very happy that general mattis is here so soon and he is making positive statements about america's commitment to japan's security. but there is still deep disquiet here about president trump's intentions, particularly on trade. in fact, japan is so worried, prime minister shinzo abe

will fly to washington next week to present mr trump with a japanese plan to invest tens of billions of dollars in new american jobs. in less than 2a hours the eyes of the world will be on houston, texas, as the new england patriots take on the atlanta falcons in the 51st super bowl. fans have been gathering at the nrg stadium for american football's biggest game, some say sport's biggest game. the patriots will be playing in a record ninth super bowl, but this is only the second time for the falcons. let's hear what some of the fans from both teams have to say. we have a machine by the name ofjulio jones. we have vic beasley, we have "matty" matt bryant. i mean, we have all kind of arsenal in our repertoire. we're ready to go! we're ready to beat 'em. and i'm ready to see roger goodell give tom brady that trophy! it took me a while but i'm going with the falcons.

i'm going with bryant and julio jones and i'm going with that defence. they have welcomed me to houston and i'm happy to be here and the falcons are going all the way. and before we go a reminder of our breaking news this hour: the us government has made a formal appeal against the legal ruling suspending president trump's ban on travellers from seven mainly—muslim countries. the announcement followed a series of tweets from mr trump in which he denounced the judge who made the ruling and warned that bad and dangerous people could be pouring into the united states because of it. major airlines are again allowing citizens from the affected countries to board flights to the united states. and you can get in touch with me — chris rogers — and most of the team on twitter — i'm @ chris rogers bbc. hello, there, good morning.

we are continuing to miss the very worst of the weather this weekend. we've seen this area of cloud here run just to the south of the uk, bringing with it some damaging winds and very heavy rain across northern spain and france. another area of cloud following in behind, another area of low pressure. again, it is steering just to the south of the uk. some of that rain though clipping the south coast and the south—east of england. we've got different sort of issues early sunday — where the cloud breaks, there will be a touch of frost, some icy patches, particularly across wales and the south—west of england. some patchy fog through the midlands, towards the south—east and also northern ireland. that will be a little slow to lift. a fair bit of cloud around. that rainjust clipping the south—east of england. many place bright, ending up with some sunshine and drier through the afternoon. just one or two showers, mainly across coastal areas, perhaps across northern ireland and western scotland. more showers though later in the day along the eastern side of scotland and maybe the north—east of england but mainly inland areas enjoying some sunshine. a better day for northern scotland than it was on actually on saturday. a chilly sort of look

to the temperatures — 5—7 being fairly typical. some sunshine around across england and wales. that area of cloud and rain in the south—east corner pulls away and with light winds, clear skies inland, we're going to find temperatures falling away fairly quickly. later on the night, increasing cloud and wind coming in to northern ireland, far south—west of england and wales. but frost likely for many areas, particularly in the country side, and we will find some patchy fog around as well. particularly across the eastern side of the uk to begin with on monday. out towards the west we continue to see the winds picking up, the cloud giving way to rain in northern ireland, wales and the south—west. that pushing very slowly into scotland, towards the midlands, central and southern england in the afternoon. a bit of snow over the scottish hills. quite chilly for eastern areas after that cold and frosty start. but at least it should be dry and bright after that early fog. we'll get the rain though overnight, and that will struggle

to clear away on tuesday. that weather front moving its way very slowly eastwards and then getting blocked off by those easterly winds so damp and dreary for the eastern side of the uk on tuesday. further west, there will be some sunshine around, maybe a few showers, particulalrly towards the south—west. here temperatures 9—10 degrees, under the rain struggling at 6 celsius or so. as we head through the rest opf the week, a real battle taking place between these milder south to south—westerly winds that we will get for a while in the west and colder winds from the east that will eventually win out towards the end of the week. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm chris rogers. the usjusice department has filed an appeal to reinstate a ban on travellers from seven mainly—muslim countries. president trump said the judge who suspended his executive order was undermining homeland security — he also said "bad and dangerous people" could be entering the united states. the romanian government has withdrawn a draft decree which would have reduced some penalties for corruption following days of huge protests. demonstrators said they would

continue the protests until the decree was actually repealed. france's presidential candidates have set out their plans. emmanuel macron, said he wanted to strengthen the relations with germany and boost defence spending. marine le pen has promised to leave the eurozone and hold a referendum on european union membership. labour is calling for a change in the law to stop energy companies putting up their prices.