tonight at ten... for the second time in a month, disruption at a british airport following reports of a drone sighting. no flights took off at heathrow airport for roughly an hour this evening after initial reports that a drone had been sighted. they had a police helicopter circling above and the emergency services came onto the runway to see if they could find the drone. as passengers waited for flights to resume, staff were hoping to avoid a repeat of the extensive chaos at gatwick before christmas. we will be asking what this latest incident tells us about how vulnerable uk airports are. we'll be asking what this latest incident tells us about security standards at uk airports. also tonight... the ayes to the right, 303... a defeat for theresa may in the commons as mps limit the government's freedom to raise taxes in the event

of a no—deal brexit. scum! scum! and after yesterday's abusive treatment of one conservative mp because of her anti—brexit stance, the police presence at westminster will be boosted. a legal victory for the former scottish first minister alex salmond, as the scottish government is found to have acted unlawfully while investigating claims of sexual harassment. penalty opportunity and the first goal! and in tonight's football — tottenham secure a win over chelsea in the semi final of the league cup. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news... after six additions as a player, three outings as a vice captain, ireland's padraig harrington will lead europe's ryder cup team in the usa in 2020. good evening.

for the second time in a month, there's been major disruption at a british airport because of reports of drone activity. flights from london's heathrow were stopped for an hour this evening, raising fears of a repeat of the chaos seen at gatwick airport last month. heathrow, europe's busiest airport, has said it's working closely with the authorities to implement the latest technology to combat the threat of drones. live to heathrow tonight and our correspondent tom burridge. departures here at heathrow were suspended for about 50 minutes. disruption to flights was not extensive but given the chaos at gatwick just before extensive but given the chaos at gatwickjust before christmas by drone sightings and the fact that anti—drone technology is already being trialled here at heathrow, it highlights how vulnerable all uk airports are to the threat posed by

drones, including by far the most important airport, heathrow. your‘s busiest airport is tonight almost back to normal. —— europe. after a drone citing temporarily closed the northern runway. this flight closed the northern runway. this flight radar website shows howjust after 5pm, all departures from the airport were suspended. some passengers were left waiting the runway. we all boarded the flight and we were told we would not be departing until the police said it was safe. they had a police helicopter circling above and the emergency services came onto the ru nway to emergency services came onto the runway to see if they could find the drone. the door kept opening to the aeroplane, we did not know if we we re aeroplane, we did not know if we were getting off or staying on. after about an hour we were told that we were good to go so we took off. departures were suspended for less tha n off. departures were suspended for less than an hour and flights continue to take off from the

southern runway. unverified videos are circling on social media. we do not know if the flashing object is a drone. but a bbc cameraman who was at heathrow and works with drones is certain he saw it. i noticed way up in the sky, about 300 feet up, these lights, green and red, flashing. 0bviously attached to a craft that was offering still in the sky. the traffic had slowed by that point so it was quite safe to watch this thing andi it was quite safe to watch this thing and i watched it for about a minute or so thing and i watched it for about a minute orso and thing and i watched it for about a minute or so and it was staying there up in the sky, not moving left or right. heathrow said it suspended all take—offs as a precautionary measure and the police are investigating. 0n measure and the police are investigating. on twitter, the transport secretary said the military was preparing to deploy the equipment used at gatwick at heathrow should it prove necessary. it was just before christmas when tens of thousands of passengers were stranded at gatwick and elsewhere.

all flights stranded at gatwick and elsewhere. all flights at the airport were suspended across two days. sussex police are still investigating and no credible arrests had been made. yesterday the department for transport said it would increase the exclusion zone for drones around uk airports and give the police new powers to investigate offences, part ofa powers to investigate offences, part of a raft of measures, but many in aviation have been calling for action to counter the threat of drones for a long time. after the disruption at gatwick, i was told that heathrow was already trialling some of the latest anti—drone technology, like devices which try to jam the signal drones need to operate, so the suspension of some flights here today again raises questions about how vulnerable britain's airports are. tell us a little more about the security concerns here and what police have been telling you tonight. we have just had a statement from the police in the last few minutes. they are saying essentially that police officers we re essentially that police officers were among those that saw the drone

at heathrow this evening. they have launched a full criminal investigation. they say that they have also deployed extensive resources both in terms of officers and equipment to monitor the air space around heathrow to try to quickly detect and disrupt any illegal drone activity. they also say that military assistance has been implemented to support the airport and the police. it is a significant incident, it did not cause the disruption we saw at gatwick but it raises those questions. how are uk airports able to get on top of this? they are looking at the latest technology, heathrow told me they have military grade technology being trialled here to detect drones around the perimeter and also to try to pick them up, take them down if needs be. clearly, this evening this incident has highlighted again that the government, the aviation industry is playing catch up, even though people within the industry including the pilots union, have been calling for drastic action on this issue for

months. tom, many thanks for the latest at heathrow. the house of commons has voted tonight to limit the government's tax—raising powers in the event of a no—deal brexit. the cross—party amendment to the finance bill attracted the support of 20 conservative mps. but ministers say the change is "minor and technical" and simply an "inconvenience". during the day, the prime minister came under more pressure to rule out leaving the european union without a formal deal, as our political correspondent, alex forsyth, reports. will my travel be affected when we leave the eu? you might have heard this on your radio. what about documents for driving? a new government advert about brexit. specifically, advice on what might happen if we leave without a deal. but in parliament, an increasing number of voices are saying that cannot be allowed to happen, including ministers. it is essential that we should be able to continue to trade. it is why i have always been clear,

representing very strongly the views of small business and large business that no deal should not be contemplated. then, tonight, a government defeat on the issue. the ayes to the right, 303, the noes to the left, 296. 20 conservative mps voted with labour and other opposition parties to limit the government's powers in the event of no deal, having argued that must not happen. well, i have to say that no deal is a terrible deal and it would be a gross dereliction of responsibility of members of this house to inflict a no—deal situation on our constituents. this won't block no—deal but showed how many mps are opposed to it and are prepared to use parliament's processes to frustrate it. there is now a serious risk we will end up crashing out of the eu with no deal injust 80 days' time. i'm worried that we could come to the crunch and parliament

wouldn't have the powers to stop it happening. i think we have a responsibility not to just stand by. number 10 has not ruled out leaving without an agreement but would much prefer to get the prime minister's plan through parliament. part of the government's strategy has been to show it is ready to walk away, initially to try to persuade the eu to give them a good deal, now to try to convince mps that what is on offer is the best option. but this morning, senior cabinet ministers joined the chorus of warnings against no deal, including the home secretary... is no deal still an option? and the work and pensions secretary, who told colleagues history would take a dim view if they pressed on with that outcome. 0thers, though, are not so concerned, and think the threat of no deal has been overplayed. some saying those trying to block it are anti—brexit. i'm not concerned about no deal because we trade with very large economies around the world on world trade terms and we know that,

at last, the government is getting going, preparing for that. and when you hear all these hysterical stories, you have to ask why. why are we going to be so stupid as to stop drugs and food? and car parts coming to us? that may bea and car parts coming to us? that may be a few disruptions but i don't see it being a disaster at all. the government says we are leaving the eu in march no matter what but with parliament flexing its muscles, ministers might not have sole control over exactly how. losing the vote tonight does not mean there will not be a no—deal brexit but it is important for two reasons, firstly because it shows there is no majority in parliament for a no deal and the second is that tomorrow mps will start once again debating theresa may's brexit deal to buy the terms of departure she has negotiated with the eu. we know there is a significant opposition to that and the prime minister has just five days to try to persuade mps to back her deal which, at the moment, is looking unlikely so just as a

sheet start that process, losing a vote in the house of commons is far from ideal and it showsjust how much sway parliament has and that it is prepared to assert its authority. alex, thank you, alex forsyth with the latest from westminster. the police presence around the palace of westminster is to be boosted in the run—up to next week's main vote on the government's brexit plans. it follows the intimidation and harassment experienced by some mps in recent months, which culminated yesterday in the conservative mp anna soubry being called a nazi and a traitor because of her opposition to brexit. our home affairs correspondent june kelly has the latest. westminster, a place synonymous with free speech. but on the green nearby, the protests yesterday degenerated into chanting personal abuse against the tory mp anna soubry during a live bbc interview. i do object to being called a nazi, actually. soubry is a nazi! right, apologies if you

were offended by what you are listening to. i just think this is astonishing. this is what has happened to our country actually. anna soubry is a prominent pro—eu backbencher. she was forced to walk back to work as a rounded and barracked by a group who continued right up to an entrance of the houses of parliament. this is one of the most heavily policed parts of the capital but at no point on her route did officers step in to deal with the intimidation. scum! the police have the right powers and they have the skills and most of them have the common sense to know how to police, keep people safe whilst supporting democracy, how to do it. yesterday, they didn't do it. yesterday, they did the wrong thing where they completely refused to intervene. just to stand on the pavement! today, more police were deployed around parliament and they were laying down the law to protesters.

meanwhile, a senior scotland yard officer was offering reassurances. we have taken all the allegations from yesterday. we are looking into all of those and we are taking advice as to whether any of the incidents from yesterday met any criminal threshold. and in the house of commons, there was this from the speaker. it is frankly intolerable if members of parliament and journalists go about their business in fear. mps are being subjected to unprecedented levels of abuse. last autumn, protesters turned up at the home of the leading brexiteerjacob rees—mogg and started addressing his children. lots of people don't like your daddy, you know that? no, he's probably not told you about that. 0n social media, women politicians have been threatened with violence and rape. the mp diane abbott has been a major target for the trolls. and during the eu referendum campaign in 2016, the labour

mpjo cox was murdered by a far right extremist. her successor is one of those appealing for calm. we need to absolutely dial down the rhetoric when it comes to this sort of overheated language around brexit. you should not have to go to work and expect to take this sort of abuse. today at westminster, a different chorus for anna soubry. and so say all of us! for she's a jolly good fellow! and tonight it has emerged that all mps have received new security advice. june kelly, bbc news. work has begun to dismantle the roof of the house in salisbury where the former russian spy sergei skripal lived. it's believed that timbers in the roof of the building may have absorbed traces of novichok, the substance used to poison mr skripal and his daughter yulia in an apparent attack by russian agents.

the scottish government has admitted acting unlawfully in its handling of allegations of sexual misconduct against former first minister alex salmond. the current first minister, nicola sturgeon, said it was deeply regrettable her government had to settle the legal challenge because of a procedural failure. a separate police inquiry into the allegations, which mr salmond denies, is still going on, as our scotland editor, sarah smith, reports. taking care not to look triumphant, alex salmond today believes he has inflicted an abject humiliation on the scottish government, forcing it to admit breaching its own procedures while investigating complaints of sexual misconduct against him. i'm not putting out the bunting today. yes, i'm glad to have won, i'm really, really sad to have been forced to take this action against a government i led for almost eight years. mr salmond clearly considers this to be a significant victory,

even though what was decided today was about process. it wasn't about the substance of the allegations against him — allegations he continues to vigorously deny. in court, mr salmond's legal team argued the scottish government breached their own procedures because the official investigating the allegations had significant contact with the complainants before the investigation began. it reveals a significant degree of assistance given by the investigating officer to the complainers, bordering on encouragement to them to proceed with their formal complaints. lawyers for the scottish government denied the complainers had been coached or encouraged but accepted the rules had not been followed. in relation to one specific aspect of the procedure, there was a failure. the court will now adjourn. after finding the government's inquiry to be unlawful,

unfair and tainted by apparent bias. nicola sturgeon played no part in the inquiry but admitted there was a flaw in the government's procedure. in one aspect of the application of that procedure, the scottish government processes have fallen short and i deeply, deeply regret that. she said it is possible the government may eventually launch a fresh investigation and she apologised to the women who made allegations against alex salmond. my particular regret is for those who brought forward complaints because they had a right to expect the process notjust in the main but in every respect would have been robust. it is also important to say that today's proceedings have no implications, one way or the other, for the substance of the complaints or the credibility of the complainers. alex salmond won a procedural legal victory today. the details of the allegations of sexual misconduct have not been tested

in court and he is still facing an ongoing police inquiry. mr salmond denies all the allegations against him. sarah smith, bbc news, edinburgh. a former youth football coach has died in a car crash on the day he was due to go on trial for historic sexual abuse of boys under 16. no—one else was involved in the crash. michael carson had pleaded not guilty at an ealier court hearing. the 75—year—old's car crashed into a tree. 0ur correspondent richard conway is in peterborough. richard, tell us more about this. michael carson or kit carson as he was better known work to peter brilliant night a bit he was also coach at norwich city and cambridge united amongst other places. peterborough united declining to comment on the depth of their former employee. nine of the alleged offences he was due to face took place in this area. today the trial

was formally stopped, the case by against him) was formally stopped, the case by against him ) that is because kit carson was killed yesterday morning just 15 minutes before his trial was due to get under way at peterborough crown court. he was due to face 12 cou nts crown court. he was due to face 12 counts of indecent assault, one counts of indecent assault, one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual conduct. police say no other vehicles or persons were involved in car collision. the decision to end the trial is by haps in editable under the circumstances. it isa in editable under the circumstances. it is a decision that has left a degree of anger among some of the former players of kit carson i have spoken to today. there is of shock at the death and perhaps anger that they will be denied a chance to see him within thejustice they will be denied a chance to see him within the justice system. an iranian man, who crossed the english channel to the uk in a small boat, has warned others against taking the same journey. just?yesterday eight more migrants were found following a search when an empty dinghy was found on a beach near kent. the largest group seeking asylum

in the uk last year was from iran. our special correspondent lucy manning has been to find out more about his story. turkey, greece, er, germany... perhaps here. mohammed salihi is one of the faces behind what the home secretary has called a major incident. the iranian who claims to have been imprisoned by the regime for four years is one of more than 500 people who made the dangerous journey in small boats across the sea to britain from france last year. translation: i came in an inflatable boat. we were in one boat and the traffickers were in another escorting us. i paid 3000 euros. the channel is very dangerous and some people in our boat fainted. the police saw and helped us. 0ur life was at great risk. he arrived in october and has now

applied for asylum in britain but did apply in france before and was rejected. the home secretary sajid javid told the commons last night the home office should try to limit the claims of those who travel from safe countries like france. there are people in britain who would say that it is not right for you to come to britain if you have already been in france — that france is a safe country. translation: if they understood our situation they would know that there are many political activists that have been trying to claim asylum in france for three, four years but all of them were rejected. if the french government accepted me, i would have stayed there but they always reject all the cold cases. just yesterday, another eight migrants were found near the beach in dungeness.

hundreds have come in the last few months but that's still dwarfed by the hundreds of thousands of migrants who have travelled to mainland europe. with still more hoping to cross the channel, mohammed salihi has this warning. i tell anyone thinking about coming this way to be aware it is not easy. it is really dangerous. there were big waves coming from every side, throwing us around. the cold weather has come, so we say on facebook and instagram, don't choose this way. in terms of nationalities, iranians were the largest group to claim asylum in the uk last year, more than 2500 of them. nearly 50% had their asylum claims accepted and after appeals are included three quarters of iranians who claimed asylum were allowed to stay. mohammad salihi thinks more are coming by small boats across the channel

because the people smugglers have realised this is a route that works. lucy manning, bbc news. president trump is preparing to use a national televised address from the oval office to warn that the us faces a ‘humanitarian and security crisis‘ on its southern border with mexico. he'll appeal for the public to unite behind his plans for a wall, which the us congress is refusing to fund. that dispute has led to a us government ‘shutdown', which is now into its 18th day. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant is at the white house. what is the thinking behind this address? a prime-time oval office address? a prime-time oval office address is one of the biggest weapons in the presidential armoury and donald trump is deploying it tonight not so much that he believes he is losing the blame game with the democrats over the government shutdown but because white house

officials believe that is the case and that his tweets, is favourite form of communication is not working. donald trump has always regarded that wall as a political device as well as a physical barrier, unquestionably it is one of the reasons why he got elected. why many of his core supporters were those who attend the rallies, back his uncompromising staff over the shutdown and wall funding many moderate republicans see in the long lines at airports and federal workers not being paid, evidence of trampy and dysfunctioning chaos. it was disaffection of the moderate republicans that helped democrats win back control of the house of representatives and disaffection of the republicans who pose a threat to his re—election as president. the republicans who pose a threat to his re-election as president. is he likely to go as far as declaring a national emergency and what would that mean? he has threatened to do that. that means he would be able to bypass congress and fund the war out

of money allotted to the pentagon. that is not in the draft of the speech at the moment. —— be wall. donald trump believes the longer the shutdown goes on it will hurt the democrats. the problem is a growing number of people in the republican party think quite the opposite. thank you again for your thoughts. let's take a look at some of today's other news. the north korean leader kimjong—un is in beijing for an unannounced visit. it's his fourth summit with his closest ally, president xijinping. it comes amid reports that preparations are underway for another meeting with president trump, who said at the weekend that a location would be announced shortly. gas and electricity supplier economy energy, which was recently banned from taking on new customers, has collapsed. the supply to its 235,000 domestic customers will continue. any credit they have will be protected and a new supplier will take on their accounts. the latest young victim of knife crime is a 11! year—boy,

who's died after being stabbed in waltham forest in north—east london. the metropolitan police is investigating. the past year has been one of the worst for knife crime with violent offences in england and wales at their highest level since 2011. most people caught carrying a knife are adults. but the latest figures show one in five is under the age of 18. 0ne mother we've spoken to says she's living in fear that her teenage son could also become a target. the family have been speaking to our correspondent adina campbell. we've disguised their identities and their words are spoken by actors. i have had to scale back on work in order to ensure i know where my son is. because i believe these risks are very real. this single mother is terrified her son could soon be killed by gangs. i am fearful, i am scared.

i do wonder whether this is going to be the last time that my son is going to come back. and it's not long before things get heated between mother and son. there's people that want to target you. what people? a whole area, due to where you live. i didn't grow up at 1a and see anyone murdered or stabbed on the floor. you said this was normal, what you are seeing. what do you mean by normal? if i heard tomorrow that someone got stabbed to death, i mean, you'd feel sorry, but at the same time, like, people get stabbed every day. do you ever worry? you worry all the time where your children are. we are living in times where children are meant to bury their parents, not parents burying their children. how many friends have you lost? two. do you ever worry about you being hurt? you can't always stop it. i don't really think about it. i'd ratherjust live my life than be worried 24/7, if i'm going to die.

the 14—year—old boy is no longer at school after being excluded, but his mother says he was unfairly treated. the bbc has seen documents showing her efforts to get him back in school, but as time goes on, she fears the worst. children are dying for the most silliest reasons, because somebody doesn't like someone, because of where somebody lives. we have now allowed them to be in environments where they are getting hold of marijuana. i smoke because i'm stressed, because my friend's dead. we've also seen evidence from police confirming he's been the victim of several unprovoked attacks, including being chased by boys with masks, armed with knives. you can get stabbed at any time.

you can't stop it. like, you don't know when you're going to die. what's it like hearing him say this? we are failing these children. do you feel like you are losing your son? yes. i'm losing him to the streets. to the failings in our system. adina campbell reporting there. football, and tottenham have beaten chelsea at wembley in the first leg of their efl cup semi—final. chelsea have taken their own stewards to the game — to try to identify any racist behaviour from their fans. the move comes after two highly publicised incidents before christmas. 0ur correspondent katie gornall is at wembley. yes, this is all part of the zero tolerance approach chelsea are taking towards this type of abuse. it follows a couple of high—profile

incidents. before christmas fauna approach chelsea fans were suspended for allegedly racially abusing raheem sterling. —— four. chelsea say they are trying to eradicate this type of behaviour from their fans. a semifinal between two fierce rivals brings added attention. this time vega of the fans was also under the spotlight and the message before kick—off was clear. both teams were looking to show their strength. it was harry kane who provided early entertainment. a brilliant goal! 20 minutes later the england captain was at it again. he saw his claims for a penalty waved away but va are