this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at midday: a two minute silence has been observed at ceremonies around the country to honour the dead of two world wars and other conflicts. the queen watched the national commemorations from a balcony while prince charles placed a wreath on her behalf at the cenotaph memorial. thousands of people have braved the very chilly conditions to observe the silence here on whitehall. vetera ns the silence here on whitehall. veterans of all ages continue to march past the cenotaph. in other news, the mayor of london, sadiq khan, backs calls for the foreign secretary, borisjohnson, to lose hisjob following a series of gaffes. i think he's got to go. he is our warren secretary, whose job i think he's got to go. he is our warren secretary, whosejob is diplomacy and presenting the best interests of our country. —— here's

oui’ interests of our country. —— here's our foreign secretary. if theresa may was a strong prime minister, she would have sacked him a long time ago. no one is unsackable. we are all that do ourjob and i think boris is doing a good as foreign secretary. a former head of scotland yard confirms he was aware of allegations that pornographic material was found on a computer used by the cabinet minister, damian green, in 2008. also in the next hour: the spanish prime minister visits catalonia for the first time since he imposed direct rule on the region. he'll be campaigning for his people's party ahead of next month's early regional elections. and in half an hour here on bbc news, click goes to shenzhen in china — once the centre for consumer electronic goods and now hoping to become the home of innovation. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news.

prince charles has led the tributes at the cenotaph as the nation comes together for remembrance sunday. big ben chimes. music: last post. prince charles laid the first wreath at the foot of the cenotaph, with the queen watching on from the nearby balcony at the foreign and commonwealth office. it's the first time that she's been present, but not led the ceremony. the duke of cambridge and prince harry followed,

both of whom have served in the armed forces. they laid their wreaths alongside their fathers. the prime minister theresa may led the leaders of the main political parties, paying their respects to all those lost in conflict. they were joined by hundreds of ex—servicemen for the service at the cenotaph. and we can speak to our correspondent sarah campbell, who's at the cenotaph. a moving ceremony, as ever. slightly different this year, because the queen was watching from a nearby balcony at the foreign office? yes, indeed, a slight difference there. the queen and the duke of edinburgh, the duke of edinburgh newly retired

but it was always understood that he would want to take part in a few key events and this was one of those. so they watched from the balcony rather than being on whitehall. practical reasons must have been involved. the queen is now 91 years old. it does require standing out in particularly cold temperatures and also walking backwards after laying the wreath. it is also seen as important as it is seen as the most visible sign yet of this transition of royal duties from one generation to the next, from one generation to the next, from the queen to prince charles, who as you say led the queen's allen on her behalf. always a very moving ceremony. it was a time of reflection for the many veterans party of america, but everyone has their own thoughts when that two—minute silence is happening, and i'm pleased to say we have a of the british army with us. your connection with the armed forces goes back years, through your father

and grandfather? that's right. my father did 27 years of service. my grandfather, prior to that, father did 27 years of service. my grandfather, priorto that, did father did 27 years of service. my grandfather, prior to that, did 12 yea rs grandfather, prior to that, did 12 years in the service as well. he was deployed to the borneo war, and my father went to the falklands war in 1982. and when the two—minute silence is happening, what are your thoughts? are you thinking of them? are absolutely. the first thing that comes to mind as my grandfather, who is no longer with us. secondly, all the fallen heroes, paying my respects to them. to be here today is amazing. i feel so proud to be here. this is your first time observing the silence at the cenotaph. can you describe the atmosphere? it is my first time being here. like i said, i atmosphere? it is my first time being here. like i said, lam so proud to be in uniform serving and

having my history read my grandfather and father being ex—military, it has been sensational to see the crowd out here. as a member of the armed forces now, how important is it to see the packed crowds along the streets of whitehall and so many people in support of remembrance? whitehall and so many people in support of remembrance ?m whitehall and so many people in support of remembrance? it is a brilliant thing. you have support from all the civilians as well as the veterans, so to see the old guys out there is really humbling. every year, there are many anniversaries. it is 100 years this year since women were legally allowed to be members of the armed forces, something obviously very significant for you. absolutely. women in the army, we are moving forwards. we are on the same par as what men do in

the army. it is good. your grandfather was in the second world war. did he ever talk about what he experienced, did you know what he went through? yeah, he used to speak about it quite often. him and my father, when they got together, that was the topic of conversation. he used to talk about the days when he was in the war, and they had it really ha rd was in the war, and they had it really hard back then, not like what we have got now, in terms of equipment, clothing, rations and being out in the cold with not very warm clothes. he used to talk about his old days. thank you for sharing your thoughts today on remembrance sunday. there are 8800 veterans of all ages who continue to march past the cenotaph, each with their own

thoughts on today, remembrance sunday. sarah, thank you. coalition forces in afghanistan have also been paying their respects on remembrance sunday. british troops joined with forces from other countries, including new zealand and australia for a service this morning. lieutenant general richard cripwell stressed the importance of the solidarity demonstrated by countries coming together to remember those lost in conflict. of course it's important for us at any time. it's part of a promise we make. but it's particularly important and poignant when you are in operations, and for us here in afghanistan, it provides a focus to remember those men and women who have given their lives in the service of their country notjust in

recent yea rs, service of their country notjust in recent years, but over the centuries as well. we don't forget anybody. also, one of the things about being on operations at this time is that we are part of a coalition. you will have seen this morning how many countries opt to join us in this service of remembrance, partly as an act of solidarity, partly as a way of remembering their own dead. it is just part of what makes any coalition greater than the sum of its parts. the mayor of london says boris johnson should resign for making what he's described as "a long line of mistakes". sadiq khan told the andrew marr show that the foreign secretary had shown poor diplomacy. it comes after mrjohnson

was criticised for comments that gave the false impression that a british—iranian woman, jailed in iran, had been training journalists. 0ur political correspondent tom barton said the foreign office are taking steps to minimise the damage from mr johnson's comments. he has been in trouble ever since those comments to the foreign affa i rs those comments to the foreign affairs committee earlier this month, in which he suggested that nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, this british national who is injail in iran, had been visiting the country to train journalists, iran, had been visiting the country to trainjournalists, not iran, had been visiting the country to train journalists, not on holiday as herfamily to train journalists, not on holiday as her family and to train journalists, not on holiday as herfamily and her employer, the thomson reuters foundation, have said. those comments led to a threat from iran to double her prison sentence and led to criticism from herfamily sentence and led to criticism from her family and opposition politicians. since then, boris johnson has sought to clarify his comments. he has spoken to the iranian government to raise her case and lobby for her to be released early. but the pressure is growing

on him. today we have had strident comments from jeremy corbyn, saying it is time for borisjohnson to go, calling him an embarrassment as a foreign secretary. we have also had the labour london mayor, sadiq khan, talking to andrew marr this morning, repeating that call. he has offended the libyans by referring to their bodies. he has offended the six with what he said about whiskey tariffs in the gurdwara. he has got to go. he is a foreign secretary, whose job is diplomacy and representing the best interests of our country. if theresa may was a strong power minister, she would have sacked him a long time ago. there are questions about why she appointed him in the first place. 0n the same programme, borisjohnson

—— michael gove was asked about boris johnson's future as well? yes, he was on the programme tutor and at a new environment watchdog which is being launched ahead of brexit to provide environmental protections once britain leaves the eu. it is ahead of a critical week in parliament for the government as the eu withdrawal bill faces its first serious scrutiny from mps. but he was asked both about this issue and about boris johnson. he was asked both about this issue and about borisjohnson. he was asked why nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe was in iran. michael gove said he didn't know initially, until pressed by andrew marr, he said if the family say she was there on holiday, that must be why she was there. on boris johnson, he said the focus should not be on democratically elected politicians like borisjohnson, it

should be on the dictatorship that rules in iran. we make a big mistake if we think the right thing to do is to blame politicians in a democracy who are trying to do the right thing while the plight of a woman who is being imprisoned by a regime that is a serial abuser of human rights. who is in the dock here? iran. this morning, nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe's husband richard ratcliffe has spoken to borisjohnson husband richard ratcliffe has spoken to boris johnson in husband richard ratcliffe has spoken to borisjohnson in a corner was arranged yesterday. we are told by whitehall sources that it was a constructive meeting and the two have agreed to meet face—to—face in the next fortnight to discuss where this goes in future. we have had a tweet from the free nazanin twitter feed, quoting the foreign secretary.

when michael gove was on that andrew marr programme come when he was asked what she had been doing in iran, he seemed to leave some doubt. he said "i don't know what she was doing in iran". so the free nazanin campaign are quoting the foreign secretary as saying the government has no doubt that nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe was on holiday in iran, as herfamily and supporters have said all along. a former metropolitan police commissioner has confirmed that he knew pornographic material had allegedly been found on a computer used by the first secretary of state, damian green, in 2008. sir paul stephenson said he was briefed about the claims but regarded them as a "side issue" to a criminal investigation into leaks from the home office. the allegations were first made public last week by former

met assistant commissioner, bob quick. this morning, mr green issued a statement, saying that no allegations about the presence of improper material on his parliamentary computers had ever been put to him or to the parliamentary authorities by the police. he said he could only assume that they were being made now for ulterior motives. jon donnison reports. damian green, effectively the prime minister's deputy, is one of theresa may's closest colleagues. already under investigation over allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female activist, accusations he denies, the first secretary of state is facing more questions about pornography allegedly found on his computer. the claim dates back to 2008, when police raided mr green's office as part of an investigation into leaks from the home office. when the allegations were first made last week by a former senior officer in the metropolitan police, damian green offered a strong denial.

he called the story "completely untrue" and a "disreputable political smear", saying police have never suggested improper material was found on his parliamentary computer. now, though, the former metropolitan police commissioner sir paul stephenson, seen here with theresa may in 2010, has confirmed he was aware that pornographic material had allegedly been found. he's told the bbc he was briefed about the allegation, but said it was a side issue and not relevant to the criminal investigation into the home office leaks. this morning, damian green responded to sir paul's claim, but he did not deny the material was on his computer, only that the police had ever asked him about it. he said he reiterated that no allegations about the presence of improper material on his parliamentary computers had ever been put to him or to the parliamentary authorities by the police, and said

that he assumed the allegations were being made nine years later for ulterior motives. theresa may has already lost two cabinet ministers this month. this story will only add to the growing feeling that her government is under siege. a man has died after being struck by "a number of vehicles" on the m4 motorway in south wales. the m4 at bridgend was closed in both directions for more than 10 hours as police investigated the incident between pencoed and sam. the headlines on bbc news: a two minute silence has been observed at ceremonies around the country to honour the dead of two world wars and other conflicts.

the queen watched the national commemorations from a balcony while prince charles placed a wreath on her behalf at the cenotaph. and in other news, the mayor of london, sadiq khan, has backed calls for the foreign secretary, borisjohnson, to lose hisjob after a series of gaffes. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's richard. england and australia have drawn the women's ashes test, a result which keeps the series alive. georgia elwiss and heather knight steered their team home, with captain knight making a crucial half century. the series will now be decided by the three twenty20 matches still to come. from sydney, our correspondent andy swiss reports. a day which began with australia with a real chance of winning both

the mat and the ashes ended with england securing a draw ultimately fairly comfortably, although they did have a few scares in the first session, when they lost two wickets, both openers out. tammy beaumont was perusal for 37. both openers out. tammy beaumont was perusalfor 37. a few both openers out. tammy beaumont was perusal for 37. a few moments later, winfield was trapped lbw. at that stage, australia must have felt as if they were in with a chance of securing the ashes. but from there, england managed to come back thanks toa england managed to come back thanks to a captain's innings from heather knight. she knuckled down and they guided england to safety, heather knight finishing unbeaten on 79. elwiss was on 41 and the captains shook hands with an hour of scheduled play still remaining. so england secured the draw, but that means they have to win all three of the remaining twenty20 matches if they are to regain the ashes. that is some tall order. even so, they will be delighted to have kept this

ashes series alive. the first men's ashes test starts a week on thursday in brisbane. england will have been boosted by a convincing win in their latest tour match against a cricket australia xi and the news that fast bowler jake ball is likely to be fit , despite suffering ankle ligament damage in the match. coach trevor bayliss has also been pleased with the newer batsmen in the side. the more experienced batters have spent time in the middle before the start of the series. they are the ones under pressure the most. they have not had much experience, but they spent some time in the middle. but scoring 60s is not enough. we need 160s. england are through to the quarter finals of the rugby league world cup after a 36—6 victory over france in perth. england ran three tries in the first eight minutes

and had five by the break, the fifth courtesy ofjohn bateman. it wasn't quite as easy in the second half but two more scores came from jemaine mcgillray to complete the emphatic win. england will play papa new guinea in the last eight next sunday. rugby union now and england head coach eddiejones says his team will need to improve after a battling victory against argentina yesterday. england won by 21—8 at twickenham, with tries from nathan hughes and semesa rokoduguni. england played some untidy rugby. they face australia next, who beat wales in the series of autumn internationals. northern ireland are building up to their crucial world cup play—off against switzerland later today. michael 0'neill‘s men trail 1—0 after a controversial penalty in the first leg in belfast. they're aiming to qualify for a first world cup since 1986, and only the fourth in their history. lewis hamilton will start from the back of the grid in the brazilian grand prix after he lost control of his mercedes at 160 miles an hour

on turn six of the interlagos circuit, before hitting the barrier. hamilton has already won his fourth formula one title but starts on the back row as he didn't register a time. his team mate valtteri bottas will start in pole postion. there'll be coverage of the race on five live sports extra at 3.30. britain's dave ryding is leading after the first run of the first slalom world cup of the season in finland. this is ryding from this morning's first run. the second is under way but as he is leading, ryding will go last. it's very close between the top 20 skiers, so he'll be hoping to make a clean second run. great britain have never had a world cup win in an alpine race before. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. president trump and the north korean leader have resumed their war of words over pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. foreign ministry, mr trump has tweeted, wondering why kim jong—un would insult him by calling him "old".

the us president added that he would never call the north korean leader "short and fat". the fresh exchange came as the president began the latest leg of his five—nation tour of asia — a tour described by kimjong—un as a warmonger‘s visit. karishma vaswani reports. foes now turned new friends. us president donald trump received the official state welcome in vietnam. the two nations were once at war, but now there's pomp and ceremony at an event to show how close they've become. president trump needs his asian partners by him on trade and denuclearising north korea. and that's what he's made this trip about. he even made an offer of friendship to north korean leader kimjong—un. i think anything's a possibility. strange things happen in life. that might be a strange thing to happen, but it's certainly a possibility. if that did happen, it would be a good thing for, i can tell you, for north korea, but it would also be good

for lots of other places, and it would be good for the world. but even on this international trip, domestic politics have taken control of the agenda. president trump had to clarify what he meant when he said russia's president putin didn't believe he had meddled in the us election. i believe that he feels that he and russia did not meddle in the election. as to whether i believe it or not, i'm with our agencies, especially as currently constituted with their leadership. i believe in our intel agencies, our intelligence agencies, i've worked with them very strongly. donald trump's asian tour was supposed to be a chance for him to show off us strength in the region and build new relationships with his partners here by putting america first in matters to do with trade, as well as tackle the issue of north korea. but instead, this trip has been overshadowed by the issue of whether russia meddled in the election in the united states, questions that will follow him as he makes his final stop on the last leg

of his tour in manila. karishma vaswani, bbc news. ijust want i just want to bring you ijust want to bring you an update on the case of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, the british—iranian woman who is imprisoned in iran and the controversy imprisoned in iran and the co ntrove rsy over imprisoned in iran and the controversy over the foreign secretary's remarks about her which appear to secretary's remarks about her which appearto imply secretary's remarks about her which appear to imply that she was working training journalists rather than being there on holiday, as her family and campaigners in favour of her have been saying all along. michael gove of the government was on the andrew marr programme earlier this morning and when he was asked what she was doing in iran, mr gove told the andrew marr show "i don't know". in response to that, we have had this from the labour party from john trickett, mabel‘s shadow

minister for the john trickett, mabel‘s shadow ministerfor the cabinet john trickett, mabel‘s shadow minister for the cabinet office, saying "borisjohnson's cavalier approach to international diplomacy is compounded this morning by michael gove claiming he has no idea what nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe was doing in iran. it has always been clear that she was on holiday visiting her family. it clear that she was on holiday visiting herfamily. it appears gove is more interested in protecting johnson'sjob than is more interested in protecting johnson's job than the liberty of a british citizen in jail in johnson's job than the liberty of a british citizen injail in iran. theresa may must assure nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe does not pay the price for her ministers' bungling". that is labour's reaction to the appearance of michael gove this morning on andrew marr. spain's prime minister is visiting catalonia for the first time since he imposed direct rule on the region a fortnight ago. mariano rajoy, who called regional elections for december, is at a campaign meeting of his centre—right popular party party ahead of the vote. the open university

and the institute of directors have written to the chancellor — calling for tax breaks for companies and employees willing to re—train to meet skills shortages. they want next week's budget to reflect a ‘cultural change in attitudes to lifelong learning'. our business correspondent, joe lynam, has the details. from artificial intelligence and robotics to driverless cars and financial advice from computers, technology is changing and the uk workforce needs to change too. that's the message from employers and educational groups, who want the chancellor, philip hammond, to provide tax incentives so that we can all learn new skills. the iod and open university have written to the chancellor, urging him to raise the personal tax allowance for employees to be spent exclusively on further education. they also want employers to get a special deduction in corporation taxes to help pay for staff to do very specific courses which would benefit the economy. technology is threatening

lots of jobs. it's also going to create newjobs, so people need to be helped to improve their skills, to be able to take advantage of that technological revolution. but tax policy is skewed. it favours investment by business in equipment, rather than in people. so a rebalancing of tax policy, which ensures people can learn while they earn, will improve economic productivity and also improve many people's life chances. the government said its proposed industrial strategy white paper would address british workers obtaining the skills they need to thrive in the 21st century workplace. plenty of sunshine for this afternoon. it is the way the weather feels that is key. cold air from the arctic right across the british isles. a chilly wind this afternoon.

that emphasises the cold field. cloud clears in the coming hours. here's a better indicator when we factor in the winds. this is how temperatures will feel out and about. the winds tonight will see a ridge of high pressure building which will kill off the showers. we are fed up fully widespread frost first thing on monday. temperatures could get as low as “11 or minus five. a chilly start to monday, sunshine for england and wales, enjoy that, much cloudier in the afternoon. further north, rain arriving, wintry across scotland for arriving, wintry across scotland for a time. hello. this is bbc news. a two minute silence has been observed at ceremonies around

the country to honour the dead of two world wars and other conflicts.