welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: britain's prime minister, theresa may, sacks her deputy, one of her closest allies, over allegations that he lied about pornography on his work computer. he is calling it a big, beautiful tax cut. donald trump gets his first major legislative win, as republicans approve the biggest tax overhaul in a generation. we report from barcelona ahead of crucial elections which could decide the catalan independence debate. uganda's mps vote to scrap age limits for the presidency, meaning yoweri museveni may be able to run for a sixth term in office. a senior member of the british cabinet has been sacked for breaching the ministerial code.

damian green was deputy to the prime minister, theresa may, and one of her closest allies. an inquiry has concluded he made inaccurate and misleading statements about pornography found on a computer in his office. he was also being investigated over claims he behaved inappropriately towards a female activist. this report from our political editor laura kuenssberg. sharing a joke, right by her side, only hours ago. prime minister... damian green, until this afternoon the second—most powerful politician in the country, his old friend theresa may's deputy in government. not anymore. is it right that downing street investigate you? all the allegations are completely false. thank you. he has always denied doing anything wrong, but number ten asked for an investigation into him after claims from a female journalist that he had behaved inappropriately to her, and allegations he had downloaded porn on his computer in parliament.

he still denies he had anything to do with the porn that police found when they raided his office in the commons back in 2008. but the inquiry found, and he accepts, that he wasn't honest when he said he knew nothing about it, admitting his lawyers had been told in 2008, and it was raised again in a phone call in 2013. he wrote tonight... and, on kate maltby‘s belief that he made unwanted advances, the report found it impossible to reach a definitive conclusion. she wouldn't comment tonight, but her family said they were proud of her for speaking out. but mr green wrote... it is notjust about the end of his ministerial career,

but his closeness to the prime minister. a friend since university, an ally for a leader who keeps a close circle tight. as first secretary of state, my overall — one of my overall responsibilities is for the oversight of intergovernmental relations... and, as a minister on brexit and other issues, his unofficialjob was keeping the show on the road. the prime minister in black and white tonight, clearly sorry to see him go. she wrote... those affectionate words do not make this an elegant departure. many of his colleagues will be furious on his behalf, but damian green himself has accepted that he was misleading, so the prime minister has lost one of the few politicians she could trust to watch her back. and more details from our

correspondent at westminster, alex forsyth. this resignation followed a long—running inquiry into two different elements, the first that damian green had made inappropriate advances towards a conservative activist, the second concerning allegations that pornography was found on his computer. now, he's consistently denied any wrongdoing when it comes to the substance of those allegations, and the inquiry hasn't reached a conclusion on either. what this is about is whether or not damian green was misleading when he said he wasn't told about those allegations of pornography. the inquiry found he was, and he's apologised for it, and so resigned. now, this is important because he's a very close ally of the prime minister, theresa may. they went to university together, they're very good friends, and so her decision—making in this process was being very closely watched. and what we're hearing tonight, the reaction really is that theresa may is getting a lot

of support from conservative mps, mps in her own party, who say the fact that she has asked such a close friend and ally to resign is a show of strength, rather than a show of weakness. now, you may expect them to say that, because they are her own mps. but there's also some anger among some at what they see as the way this inquiry was handled by the police, so i think the reaction is going to develop over the course of coming days. but at this point, despite the fact that there have been questions over the stability of theresa may's government throughout the last few months, really, this particular resignation doesn't seem to have dented her in that respect, so far. a quick round—up for you of how the uk papers are covering such a high—profile departure from government: "green 0ut" is the front—page headline on the metro. the paper notes that mr green has described allegations that he downloaded or viewed the pornography on his parliamentary computer as unfounded. the guardian says this is a huge personal blow

for prime minister theresa may. damian green was one of her oldest political allies. mrs may said she was extremely sad to have to ask for and accept his resignation. the daily telegraph has a photo of damian green leaving his home on wednesday. the paper points out this is the third cabinet departure in two months, just as the uk government is in a crucial phase of the brexit negotiations. the daily mirror, not normally a fan of the conservative party, says the prime minister is in crisis. "may axes her deputy over porn lies" is the headline. the daily mail has a slightly more sympathetic take on the news, describing it as a sad way to go. the paper says the pm is unhappy with the metropolitan police over the initial parliamentary raid and leaks made to the media. president trump is celebrating his first major legislative win. both houses of the us congress have passed a bill bringing in the biggest changes to the tax system in three decades. the bill slashes taxes for corporations, and republicans say it will boost economic

growth and create jobs, helping millions of people. democrats argue it will inflate the deficit and mainly benefit rich republican donors. polls suggest a majority of americans disapprove of the changes. we're bringing the entrepreneur back into this country. we're getting rid of all the knots and all the ties, and we're going to — you're going to see what happens. and ultimately, what does it mean? it meansjobs. jobs, jobs, jobs. but democrats have called the tax bill a heist. the leader of the party in the senate said there was nothing there for most americans to celebrate. now, we know they're popping champagne down pennsylvania avenue. there are only two places where america is popping champagne — the white house, and the corporate boardrooms, including trump tower. 0therwise, americans have a lot to regret. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: britain's most valuable company, shell,

and the italian oil company eni have been ordered to stand trial in italy, in what has been described as one of the biggest corporate corruption cases in history. the companies and several senior officials face allegations in connection with a deal in nigeria. the oil firms and the individuals deny any wrongdoing. the trial in italy is expected to start in march next year. for the first time in its history, the european commission has threatened a member state with the loss of its eu voting rights. it has started disciplinary measures against poland, accusing the government of undermining the independence of the country's judges. polish ministers have dismissed the commission's actions as politically motivated. voters will go to the polls in catalonia later in a key election that could resolve spain's political crisis. pro—independence parties are up against those who want to remain part of a unified spain. the country was plunged into constitutional crisis when catalonia's parliament illegally declared independence in 0ctober. that was followed by madrid stripping the region of its autonomy.

the bbc‘s james reynolds reports from barcelona. pro—independence supporters are planning a revival... ..and a new strategy. declaring unilateral independence in october simply got their leaders sacked, and even jailed. the deposed regional president, carles puigdemont, now campaigns from exile in belgium. so this time, if they win, they promise no more unilateral steps. if you win, will you make another effort to declare independence? translation: we are the people of dialogue, of agreement. the problem with the spanish government is that it is extremely weak.

the strong come to an agreement, the weak impose their will. this election will test which side is stronger, pro—independence or pro—spain. unlike the disputed referendum in october, this time both sides will vote. the pro—spain camp wants to use this election to block any more attempts to break away. the most powerful pro—spain voice belongs to ines arrimadas, the local leader of a party called citizens. she addresses her final campaign rally in spanish, not catalan. why do you oppose independence? because ourfuture is inside spain, and inside the european union. we don't have any future outside the european union, and outside our country. because catalonia is our homeland, spain is our country,

and europe is our future. months of crisis are now marked by a single election. vote by vote, catalonia will count its divide. james reynolds, bbc news, barcelona. ugandan mps have overwhelmingly voted to remove an age cap for the presidency allowing president yoweri museveni to run for a sixth term. they also decided to reintroduce a two—term limit for heads of state which means the 73—year—old could stay in office until 2031. a presidential term is five years with the next election scheduled for 2021. from kampala, catherine byaru hanga reports. the bill passes. victory is there is, and they are relishing every moment. uganda's ruling party mps wa nt moment. uganda's ruling party mps want their leader, president yoweri

museveni, to stay in power. and one by one, they voted to remove age caps for the presidency. we are enjoying peace and stability in northern uganda. it is because of the efforts of president yoweri museveni. we should not on a technicality knock him out of the race. this is president museveni at his first swearing—in ceremony in 1986. he fought a bitter civil war to seize power, and brought hopes for a writer future. 0ver to seize power, and brought hopes for a writer future. over 30 years later, he has contested in five elections —— brighter future. later, he has contested in five elections —— brighterfuture. he says he needs more time to develop uganda. in parliament, those opposed to extending his stay in power were outnumbered, and some say outmanoeuvred. even though age caps

for the presidency have been removed, term limits have been reintroduced. museveni could be president until 2031. the opposition says it is likely, because according to them, elections here lack legitimacy. we have broken the hearts of ugandans. it is not that we are afraid of president museveni. what we are bothered about is good governance. what we are bothered about is a free and fair election. this debate has descended into violence on several occasions. fights between mps and with security forces have made headlines around the world. the dust will settle on the world. the dust will settle on the decisions made here in this parliament. but ugandans are anxious, waiting to see how this country will transition from president museveni's long stay in power. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come: the joy of old age. our special report on the real potential of anti—ageing drugs. we saw this enormous tidal wave and we saw people starting to run. us troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manual by riegger. it has failed in its principal objective— to capture the general and take in the face drug charges in the us. the russian flag was listed over what is now no longer known as the soviet unions but the commonwealth of independent states. you could see what happens

when a plane ait stories tight, falls from 100,000 feet. thousands went to midnight mass where they we re went to midnight mass where they were anti—communist riots ten days ago. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: britain's prime minister theresa may sacks her deputy, damian green, one of her closest allies, over allegations that he lied about pornography on his work computer. sweeping tax changes have been approved by congress. donald trump says it will boost the us economy. fans are gathering to say goodbye at the funeral of south korea's k—pop star, kim jong—hyun. his death has triggered an outpouring of grief from fans around the world, and today will see three days of mourning begin for him. it's thought the singer took his own life — a note said to have been written by him revealed

he had been struggling with depression. 0ur correspondent sophie long's following the story for us in the south korean capital, seoul. his body left the hospital in a stretched black leather scene. and there were hundreds of his young fans who are gathered. they came here since very early this morning, and stood respectfully, in silence, to pay their last respects to their idol. now, he is a member, he was the lead singer, of shinee, one of korea's biggest boy bands. four other members of the band were inside the hospital. there was sadness. they stood aside until the moment when the car carrying his body drove past, and then there was a huge outpouring of emotion. now, his body has been lying at rest here at the hospital in seoul for the past three days and it's estimated that some 10,000 people have come here to pay their respects. numbers so huge, in fact, that the hospital was forced to send some teenage girls, many of whom had queued for hours in sub—zero

temperatures to pay their respects, home. and they came back the next day, many of them standing there today questioning what caused this successful young pop star, he was just 27 years of age, to take his own life. a lot of questions here today about how mental health is handled in the country. and the level of pressure from k—pop celebrities is affecting them. music and culture across asia and beyond, lots of young people in london, japan, the united states.

the level of fame, it seems might just have been too much for kim jong—hyun, seen by his fans as a sensitive young man. the acute volatility in the value of the digital currency, bitcoin, does not pose a threat to global financial stability, according to the bank of england governor mark carney. bitcoin, which is traded online, and is not regulated by any authorities has rocketed in value in recent months. those lucky enough to own one will know that it's currently worth nearly 12,000 pounds. but some are warning the bubble is set to burst, as our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones explains. his report contains flashing images. it is either the digital currency which is the future of money or a dangerous bubble built on hype. but the value of bitcoin has soared more than threefold this year. and alessandra sollberger is one of the few people who has made serious money from it. as you can see, in 2012 it was about $9, that was for

around 400 bitcoins. and fast forwarding we are at about $18,000. she's sold a lot of her coins to fund her nutrition business but still has a feud. but still has a few. you have a dozen or so, what is that worth? 0ne bitcoin is worth around $18,000, so you do the maths. that kind of story has sparked a gold rush. at this london cafe there is a bitcoin cash machine, you put in £20 notes and a tiny fraction of a bitcoin is transferred to your phone. what happens to you if they all go to nothing tomorrow? i'm holding, i will hold it. i have faith it will all go back up, even if it collapses i will hold it. unlike a normal currency, bitcoin is not controlled by any central bank or governments. instead it depends on a network of computers which all record any transactions. you hold it in what is called a wallet on your phone or computer

with a unique address allowing you to send or receive bitcoin. new bitcoin are created in a process called mining involving computers solving increasingly complex problems. back at the cafe, this is one of the very few places you can actually spend bitcoin. actually as bitcoin saws and value it is becoming less and less useful actually as bitcoin soars in value it is becoming less and less useful as a currency. why would you spend it today when it will be worth a lot more tomorrow, so goes the thinking. so maybe for the same amount of bitcoin next week i could buy two cakes. that is one reason many are sceptical about bitcoin. david gerard has studied and written about it for six years. it is the irrational exuberance phase of a bubble. this is that economic bubbles work, people buy close others are, assuming they can always sell it and get rich. when the bubble pops, when, not if, it will be a disaster for many. ever more energy is used by bust banks of computers mining bitcoin

like these in russia. one more reason to wonder whether this financial experiment has a sustainable future. now to our series on how to live longer and better lives. life expectancy across the globe is continuing to rise, prompting scientists to ask how long we might live in the future. most think we will see gradual gains in longevity but there are predictions that anti—ageing drugs could allow people to live for centuries. in the last of his special reports on ‘superagers', our medical correspondent fergus walsh travelled to california and arizona. i like to do things. i don't want to sit in the background. enthusiastic, engaged, optimistic. lester dray is 101. the oldest resident at this retirement village in sun city, arizona. you're going to miss something if you just moan and groan

about how horrible life is. show me your teeth... do you hear a sound? say ahhh... ahhh. he gets regular medical checks, as part of a study into longevity. it's an issue which is attracting interest from unusual quarters. in silicon valley california, some of the biggest names from google to facebook are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into defeating the diseases of ageing. so why are tech entrepreneurs suddenly interested in human health? i think silicon valley is driven by curiosity. that same curiosity that drives a 14—year—old to programme computers in his bedroom drives somebody in their 20s or 30s to really apply their minds and their cash to this problem. the dna from the special part of the cell called the mitochondrion... it is why this british scientist set up in silicon valley. aubrey de grey is probably the world's leading advocate of life extension.

the idea that humans can and will live in good health for hundreds of years. there will certainly be no limit on how long people can live once we bring ageing under control. people will still die, there are still trucks to be hit by and so on. but the fact is people will on average live a lot longer unless there is some bizarre thing like we get hit by an asteroid or whatever. that's beautiful! that's a minority view. although extending life is possible in the lab, with fruit flies, yeast or worms, it gets more difficult higher up the evolutionary ladder. so in the lab in simple laboratory animals, we can increase life span by100%, 200, 500%, really extraordinary differences in life span. it turns out ageing is really plastic in the simple laboratory animals. it may be more complex as we go over to mammals, the mouse, for example. we have been able to increase life span 20 or 30%. and we really do not know what is possible for humans at this point. we do know exercise is a magic

formula that can keep us healthy longer. and there are no drugs yet to match it. there is probably an upper limit to life expectancy of around 115 years. so the quest for immortality is still the stuff of science fiction. but increasing our health span, the number of years we spend free of chronic diseases, well that really could be a reality. here we go! # jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock! finding something you enjoy and staying socially engaged are key elements of healthy ageing. like the sun city poms, many of whom are in their 70s and 80s. i'm 78. born on the fourth ofjuly. so i'm still a firecracker, still going and booming. it keeps me physically active, it keeps my brain working and helps my memory. we just get out there and do

what we need to do and enjoy. we can't slow time but we can put more life in our years. and hopefully become super—agers. fergus walsh, bbc news, sun city, arizona. let's take a look at some extraordinary pictures from northern ecuador and a volcano known as ‘reventador‘ — or troublemaker. a british photographer used a special filming technique over a three day period in early december to capture this footage of the volcano erupting, shooting gas and lava into the atmosphere. reventador last recorded major activity in 2002. the authorities say the volcano poses no imminent danger to any local communities. this video has been speeded up to ca ptu re this video has been speeded up to capture and using moonlight

exposure. hi there. the cold weather that we had during the first half of december is a long way behind us, and, really, for the run—up to christmas, including christmas day, the weather looks pretty mild. at the moment we've got a weather front wiggling its way across central areas of the uk. extensive cloud being wafted across the uk on westerly winds — those winds are fairly light. and we've got some mist and fog patches around the coast and the hills across england and wales. some patches of light rain and drizzle to start the day as well. a risk of that for northern ireland, for england and wales. slightly drier weather for scotland although the far north again could see a bit of rain. so one way or another, as we start off thursday morning, it's going to be a murky start to the day with fog around the coast of wales and south—west england. up over the hills of the downs and chiltons, a few patches of light rain or drizzle tending ease away quite quickly during thursday morning. some damp weather as well, there or thereabouts in northern ireland. but further north in scotland, for many areas, it's a dry

and bright start to the day. high cloud in the sky and there should be some hazey sunshine coming through that across many areas. through the rest of thursday, this wiggling weather front is going to push its way a little bit further northwards and eastwards. it's just going to stay cloudy for most of us. the cloud perhaps thinning a little bit through the afternoon, to allow brighter spells in the east. but always, the thicker cloud across wales, north—west england, northern ireland, threatening some spots of rain. the brightest weather across scotland but this is where we've got the slightly cooler air. temperatures 6 or 7 degrees in the north. otherwise, for most of us, it's a day of double—figure temperatures. and those mild conditions continue through thursday night and on into the first part of friday morning. the cloud though is going to thicken up then through thursday night. with a bit of rain working in again across wales and southern counties of england, on into the midlands for a time, too. cooler across the far north—east of scotland. then for friday, again, it's a rather disappointingly cloudy kind of weather picture. weather becomes drier and brighter for most of us through the afternoon. with a bit more in the way of wind blowing across the mountains of scotland, it is probably

the eastern side of scotland that will have the best of any limited breaks in the cloud. for many of us it's a mild one, though. temperatures, what, 10, 11, 12 degrees celsius across western areas. that mild theme set to continue as we head into the weekend and indeed for christmas day, with the winds generally coming in from the west or the south—west. to start off the weekend, again, it's a lot of cloud around for most of us. thick enough to give us a few spots of light rain across western coasts and hills. perhaps something a little bit more wet across the north—west of scotland. slightly stronger winds, so again a better chance of seeing some cloud breaks for eastern scotland, running into eastern england and then, right up to christmas day itself, it stays mild, but often cloudy perhaps a little bit brighter for most of us for christmas day itself. this is bbc news. the headlines: the british prime minister's deputy, damian green, has been sacked after making misleading statements about pornography found on his office computer. theresa may said it was with deep regret that she had asked him to resign. he has denied wrongdoing.

donald trump's overhaul of the us tax system has been formally approved by both houses of congress. the president wasjoined by his republican colleagues to celebrate what is being seen as his biggest legislative success since taking office. democrats argue it will mainly benefit rich republican donors. voting takes place in catalonia later in a key election that could resolve spain's political crisis. pro—independence parties are up against those who want to remain part of a unified spain. the country was plunged into constitutional crisis when catalonia's parliament illegally declared independence in 0ctober. now on bbc news: wednesday in parliament.