from the start, ploughed increasing from the west, some rain gradually moving into scotland, again with that, there will be snow on higher ground. goodbye for now. you're watching bbc newsroom live — it's11am and these are the main stories this morning: a report says the salary threshold for skilled migrants coming to britain should be lowered to just over 25 and a half thousand pounds a year lawyers representing women who say they were sexually assaulted by jeffrey epstein, say they're outraged at claims prince andrew has not cooperated with american prosecutors.

there are dozens of women, i represent five of them, who allege that they were the victims of sexual assault by this predator jeffrey epstein. it is time for anyone with information to come forward and answer questions. ministers and intelligence chiefs are meeting to decide whether controversial chinese telecoms firm huawei, can help build the uk's 5g network. china tightens travel restrictions, as it confirms more than a hundred deaths, and four and a half thousand cases, of coronavirus. we have a special report on a scientific expedition in antarctica which has confirmed a giant glacier is melting at an accelerated rate. reversing the beeching cuts — a government fund is to be launched to restore some of the historic railway lines closed more than 50 years ago. and roger federer does it again. he saves seven match points to beat the american tennys sandgren at the australian open, taking him through to

the semi—finals. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. details of how the uk's immigration system could work after brexit have been published in the last hour. the migration advisory committee — that's the independent body that advises the government on immigration issues — has called for a reduction in the minimum salary for skilled migrants and a points based system for workers without a job offer. let's take a closer look at what's being proposed. currently skilled workers who are not from the eu have to earn at least £30,000 to gain admittance to the uk. the committee has recommended that is reduced by 4,000 400 pounds.

this means that all skilled workers — from the eu and beyond — will have to earn at least 25 thousand 600 pounds. professor alan manning from the committee said "our recommendations are likely to reduce future growth of the uk population and economy compared to freedom of movement." let's talk to our home affairs correspondent danny shaw, he's been at the meeting this morning where this report was released. morning where this well, morning where this i think the key message from the well, i think the key message from the report and from professor manning is that the government must make decisions on this really quickly. they don't have a lot of time. we leave the european union on friday, the government wants a new immigration system to be in place at the beginning of next year. and if they adopt all these changes there isa they adopt all these changes there is a lot of work to do in the next 11 months or so. is a lot of work to do in the next 11 months orso. in is a lot of work to do in the next 11 months or so. in terms of that salary threshold, there is no doubt the committee found that there is a definite argument to have this minimum requirement for people, for skilled workers to come to the uk, that they must have a job where they

are going to be earning a certain amount. that is to avoid undercutting by other employers. even though some businesses are worried that if you have a minimum salary than you are not going to be able to recruit enough workers. but the number of people that would qualify, the number of occupations, would be expanded under the plans put forward by the immigration advisory committee. so it wouldn't just be the most skilled occupations but it would include also carpenters, joiners, plasterers, painters and decorators. they would all now be included in this definition of skilled worker. they weren't before. but excluded from that would—be waiters, waitresses, people working in the fishery industry and agricultural workers. they would not be classed as skilled workers under this scheme. and that could cause some controversy, i think, if those definitions were adopted. now, of course, these rules on salary threshold would

apply not just people from outside the european union, as they do at present, but also workers from within the eu who want to come and live and work in britain. now, the impact, you are talking there about the possible impact of all this, the immigration advisory committee has made some suggestions that if these changes were adopted, they would lead to small changes in immigration, and increasing productivity, improved public finances, less pressure on schools, the nhs and housing. but increased pressure on social care. the clear message from the immigration advisory committees that they are concerned about the pressures on the sector. the salaries being offered arejust sector. the salaries being offered are just not competitive enough to attract people to work in this particular part of the economy. and they say that by going down this route it would mean lower net migration compared with the current

freedom of movement that exists has been part of the eu? that is what they're saying. and they have looked at various different options modelling and i think there are a lot of uncertainties about this because it all depends on whether the government adopt the proposal is that the committee is proposing. and also whether they propose a points—based system, which is what the government has said that they're going to do, for people who do not have a job offer. because the migration advisory committee are saying that's what you should do. if you want to do a points—based system where people earn points according to the qualifications, their skills, their experience or whether they speak english language and so on. you are going to do that and that would work really, they say, if people don't have a job offer. so if all those changes were adopted, yes, there would be a reduction in immigration. but there are so many imponderables here, so many different variables. you know, you have a

different variables. you know, you havea minimum different variables. you know, you have a minimum salary threshold but for some occupations there will be exceptions. and for people who are younger there will be exceptions, the salary threshold will come down. so there are all sorts of variations, it is a very movable feast. thank you very much, danny. inafew feast. thank you very much, danny. in a few moments i will be speaking to immigration watch. first some sad news to tell you about. the entertainer and performer nicholas parsons we are told has died at the age of 96 after a short illness. the host ofjust a minute who was still very active into his 90s but also known to people of a certain age for being on television in the 19705, from 1971 to 1983 hosting sale of the century. he is therefore a very well—known figure to many in the tv and radio career that he had, hosting just a minute

since it began in 1967. so we'rejust hosting just a minute since it began in 1967. so we're just hearing the sad news from his agent that he has died at the age of 96. now, let's go back to that report on immigration, how the system could work after brexit. tho5e recommendations going to the government. dr ben greening is the executive director of the campaign group migration watch uk — which believes the present level of immigration is not sustainable. hejoins us now. thank you forjoining u5. thank you forjoining us. i don't know how much you have been able to see of these proposed changes. i'm hoping you are acro55 see of these proposed changes. i'm hoping you are across the detail. what difference do you think they will make, what you think about the suggestions? well, ifi could just lay out some of the crucial context. of course immigration is running at well over half a million a year with the net figure at well over 200,000 a year. and 5ix the net figure at well over 200,000 a year. and six in ten of the public, about 30 million people, wa nt to public, about 30 million people, want to see a reduction. they have been promised a reduction by the

government repeatedly. that has not been delivered. now, the upshot of this report is that there would be a significant loosening alongside the end of free movement, a significant loosening of the current tear two which is the route for immigration to the uk from around the world. that would have the impact, if the 5ala ry that would have the impact, if the 5alary threshold is reduced to £25,000 a year, and the skills threshold is dye looted, a5 £25,000 a year, and the skills threshold is dye looted, as has been suggested, of exposing —— the threshold is diluted. competition around the world from a much love actor developing countries from which there are millions of job—seekers of which there is substantial demand comes the uk. the trouble with these proposals and we are very sad to see that there was no recommendation in the report for an annual cap on immigration on the tier two route because

the simple fa ct tier two route because the simple fact is with no cap there is no control over immigration going forward after brexit. why does a cap mean no control? it doesn't mean that there is no discretion. there will be rules of course but the cap i5 will be rules of course but the cap is essential and it has been e55ential since it was put in place since 2011 because without it employers will be able to indulge without constraint in their unparalleled addiction for cheap non—uk labour in order to first of all boost their own profit margins but also to undercut and also overlook uk worker5, but also to undercut and also overlook uk workers, of whom there are4 overlook uk workers, of whom there are 4 million people who are either looking for work or who want more hours of work, including half a million british youngsters. at a time when youth unemployment in the uk is actually much higher than it i5 uk is actually much higher than it is in countries such as germany. these are recommendations, this is a government that has made

clear it wa nts to government that has made clear it wants to reduce immigration. what would you like the government to do? well, we think that the immigration system should have two priorities, the first of which is to encourage the first of which is to encourage the training up of uk talent and to discourage employers from turning first to come as i said, cheaper non—uk workers. and the second of which would be to tackle the housing cri5i5, especially and also the pressure on the health service, the lo55 pressure on the health service, the loss of our green belt land, the overcrowding on our transport networks and roads. and the loss of oui’ green networks and roads. and the loss of our green belt. to tackle all of that by cutting the level of immigration significantly. now, we know that almost three quarters of the public according to one poll would like to see a very significant reduction in immigration. they have been led up the garden path by a government that has promised that repeatedly and then failed to deliver. and this report is absolutely crucial in showing

the shape of what the new immigration system might be. in the trouble is that the public are prone possibly to become very disillusioned and distrustful of a government that has failed to deliver so many times on a promise which has been made so many time5. promise which has been made so many times. doctor ben greening from migration watch, thank you. back to the news that the just a minute migration watch, thank you. back to the news that theju5t a minute ho5t nicholas par5on5 has died aged 96 after a short illne55. 0ur media and arts correspondent david sillito looks back at his life. welcome to just a minute. he was a chairman on just a welcome to just a minute. he was a chairman onjust a minute for 5everal chairman onjust a minute for several years. and he was the quizmaster on sale of the century for 12 years. quizmaster on sale of the century for12 years. i'm proud of quizmaster on sale of the century for 12 years. i'm proud of the fact that i helped create a huge success.

i'm proud of that fact. but i don't wa nt to i'm proud of that fact. but i don't want to be remembered ju5t i'm proud of that fact. but i don't want to be remembered just four sale of the century. indeed, there was a lot more to nicholas par5on5. of the century. indeed, there was a lot more to nicholas parsons. what i5 lot more to nicholas parsons. what is the purpose of your visit to england? he appeared in more than 20 film5. england? he appeared in more than 20 films. i have come to find a husband. and in the 60s it became known as the straight man to another comedian. i'm sorry, ithought known as the straight man to another comedian. i'm sorry, i thought it wa5 tho5e carol singers. comedian. i'm sorry, i thought it was those carol singers. he turned to acting after training a5 was those carol singers. he turned to acting after training as an engineer. 0ne early role wa5 to acting after training as an engineer. 0ne early role was the voice of a puppet cowboy. get out of town and don't you ever come back. 0n town and don't you ever come back. on camera, he was a master of smooth talking charm. ask for his struggles growing up with dyslexia and a pronounced stammer. and then in 1967 he was made presenter ofju5t a

minute. he wanted to be a panellist but the producers knew his skill. as a straight man you know how to throw out the lines so the comic will have a good springboard to come back and make some humorous or witty response. and also you know how to ta ke response. and also you know how to take thejoke response. and also you know how to take the joke at your expense because the comedian, the straight man, in the relationship is always the one that is put down. 0nce man, in the relationship is always the one that is put down. once more it is my pleasure to welcome our many listeners... more than 50 years later he was still in charge. never regretting that day more than 70 years ago when he swapped engineering for show business. nicholas par5on5 who has died at the age of 96. i'm hoping to speak to someone age of 96. i'm hoping to speak to someone who worked with him onjust a minutea someone who worked with him onjust a minute a little

bit later. bori5johnson has been chairing a meeting of ministers and intelligence chiefs to decide whether or not to allow huawei a role in building britain's 5g network. washington has warned that granting the chinese telecoms giant acce55 to the system would jeopardise intelligence sharing between the us and britain. here's our security correspondent, gordon correra. this morning, ministers and intelligence chiefs will gather for one of the most contentious and significant decisions the national security council has had to take: whether to let the chinese company huawei play a role in building the uk'5 new 5g telecoms network. the us has argued it's a security risk to let it in because it could be used by china for espionage or even 5abotage — something the company denies. there are two options for government, the first is to exclude the company entirely, that's what the uk'5 clo5e5t ally, the united states, wants. but it would come at a significant economic cost since it would require removing existing huawei equipment from the infrastructure and slowing down the adoption

of improved connectivity, a priority for government. the second option is to allow huawei in, but with restrictions on where and how it operates in order to try to manage the risk, something intelligence and officials believe is possible. that's thought to be the more likely outcome, with the restrictions painted as particularly tough on the company's role. unless the divisions are deep, a decision is expected today — it's one with important consequences for security, prosperity and the uk'5 relations with its closest ally. gordon corera, bbc news. i will talk with our technology reporter inju5t a i will talk with our technology reporter in just a few minutes. we can speak now to the broadcaster gyle5 brandreth, a long—time colleague and friend of nicholas par5on5. thank you forjoining u5.

thank you forjoining us. this is very sad news, isn't it, about someone very sad news, isn't it, about someone who was obviously a much loved face and voice known to many over such a long period of time. unfortunately... 0h, giles, we can hear you. i couldn't hear you for a moment i can hear you now. hear you. i couldn't hear you for a moment i can hear you nowlj hear you. i couldn't hear you for a moment i can hear you now. i was ju5t moment i can hear you now. i was just saying that it is of course heartbreakingly sad and it is the end ofan heartbreakingly sad and it is the end of an era in many ways. ifir5t met nicholas more than 50 years ago and what is remarkable about him is that of course we remember him now because ofju5t a minute. but he was so versatile, he was an actor, a performer, an entertainer, he appeared in films and carry on films, he appeared in the windmill theatre. he was on stage from the 19405 onwards. he was a consummate professional and a role model to

so many people because he just went on working. right up to when he was 95 he was still doing his one—man show, still he was still doing his one—man show, 5till appearing at the edinburgh fringe and still appearing inju5t a minute until last year. it is very sad but a career to celebrate and a man to celebrate. he was such a delightful per5on. man to celebrate. he was such a delightful person. a really lovely human being. i know it is honestly very fresh and it is very upsetting for you to be remembering him and we do appreciate you joining us on the programme. i do appreciate you joining us on the programme. i mean, no mean do appreciate you joining us on the programme. i mean, no meanfeat do appreciate you joining us on the programme. i mean, no mean feat for anybody to have the longevity that he had in that programmejust a minute. 50 years in broadcasting, which is so fickle. he should in fa ct which is so fickle. he should in fact be in the guinness book of record5 because withjust fact be in the guinness book of record5 because with just a fact be in the guinness book of record5 because withjust a minute, which has been running now for more than 50 years, he

is the longest serving radio and tv performer anywhere in the world. you think of him because you are young in terms ofju5t a minute but pick before that he was doing a host of chat show on radio for cold look who's talking. but he also did a wonderful quiz show cold sale of the century. but he e55entially 5aw himself as an actor. he would say i did a couple of carry on is and i was in the west end a5 of carry on is and i was in the west end as well for more than a year. he would want us to be covering the range of his interests. when he got a cbe range of his interests. when he got acbei range of his interests. when he got a cbe i congratulated him and he said, you know, some actors get knighthoods. but i said, nicholas, to get a knighthood you need to do your leer. and he said i'm doing

my king lear. he was so versatile but also he was a great professional. king lear. he was so versatile but also he was a great professionallj began also he was a great professional.” began doing just a minute in the 19 805 and to start with he made newcomers welcome but he was a very fairchairman of newcomers welcome but he was a very fair chairman of the programme, he brought his own quick wit, lightness of touch to it and he was the ultimate professional. even in his mid—905, his mid—905, he would turn up mid—905, his mid—905, he would turn up and in the wings he might look a little bit 5tupid up and in the wings he might look a little bit stupid and have a stick, once he came on the stage to record the programme the stick disappeared, he grew 5everal the programme the stick disappeared, he grew several inches and doctor theatre took over and he gave his all. you really couldn't a5k theatre took over and he gave his all. you really couldn't ask for anything more. a career that ran from the 19405 literally to the brink of 2020, a remarkable career. and a remarkable man. ifeel so much for his lovely wife today and his

family because he was just a lovely individual. and presumably would never have contemplated stepping back and having a quiet retirement? he was so cross last summer going to edinburgh to do a show at the edinburgh to do a show at the edinburgh fringe he slipped and fell over and that really in a sense triggered the beginning of the end. and that's so frustrated him because he expected to go on forever. and i think we all expected him to go on forever. i just assumed think we all expected him to go on forever. ijust assumed he was immortal. and that he turns out not to be is a bit ofa immortal. and that he turns out not to be is a bit of a shock to the system to be honest with you. but he couldn't be more satisfied to have had such a good career over such a long period of time and to be universally liked and respected and loved by colleagues and friends. and thatis loved by colleagues and friends. and that is an amazing thing isn't it to

sustain a careerfor such that is an amazing thing isn't it to sustain a career for such a long period of time, that phrase that you use the universally liked, how will you remember him when you think of him? well, what i do remember actually is his versatility. he wrote books, he wrote scripts. he saw himself very much as an actor as well as a performer and a radio host. but he also did lots of work for charity, he was involved in the lord's taverners. last year only he was king rat at a show business charity and he organised it for them in november. 0nly charity and he organised it for them in november. only a couple of months ago. so he kept going right to the end. he lived life to the full. and he was blessed with energy, beautiful looks, a wonderfully youthful voice right at the end as well, which was a great gift. but he was a nice guy and people were happy to work with him. in fact, wanted to work with him because he was such a good companion. i really appreciate

you joining us. thank you very much. and tributes are coming into nicholas parsons from some collea g u es nicholas parsons from some colleagues here at the bbc. also the director general tony hall has said very few people have done so much to entertain audiences over the decades and no one deserves to be cold a broadcasting legend more than nicholas parsons. his charm, inventive intellect and ability to create laughs were unsurpassed. 0ur thoughts are with his family and all who knew him. the controller of bbc radio four says, nicholas parsons was one of the greats, an icon in the world of british comedy. nicholas always brought his shop wit, brilliant form to everything he did but particularly as host ofjust a minute. he was that rare beast, a presenter whose appeal spread right across the generations and he was a unique member of the radio form family. he will be greatly mist by

us family. he will be greatly mist by us all as well as by that many, many listeners who eat entertain so brilliantly. nicholas parsons who has died at the age of 96. now, back to the news on huawei, that expected knees by the government. what role huawei might play in the 5g network in the uk. it isa play in the 5g network in the uk. it is a difficult decision for the government to take. there has been a lot of pressure particular by the us for ten might one not to be involved. 0ur senior technology reporter zoe kleinmanjoins me now. why is it such a tricky issue? well, the us has been lobbying hard. it has blocked 21. it has said that there are lots of national security issues at stake. —— huawei. it turned up with a dossier of what it said was new evidence about potential security. the concerns are huawei is a chinese company and it may at some point in the future be

asked by the chinese government to interfere with uk infrastructure to spy interfere with uk infrastructure to spy on the uk infrastructure. now, huawei absolutely denies this, it says it has never had to do anything for the chinese government and it never would. the uk itself has said it can't see what it cold a smoking gun and that uk intelligence believes it can manage any risk. but this of course puts boris believes it can manage any risk. but this of course puts bori5johnson in a very difficult position because the us, you know, who he needs on side at the moment is really starting to say we are going to reconsider perhaps our relationship with you if you don't do this. on the other hand he has got huawei saying we want to be part of your network. it is already part of the network, it has been here for 15 yea rs, network, it has been here for 15 years, taking out is going to be very expensive. it is a difficult decision to make. and so what is expected as a sort of halfway house? is that even possible? what are you expecting based on the reports? the speculation is that he is going to try and please as many people as

possible by saying that huawei can be in some but not all of the networks. and by some of it, what we think he is going to say is the periphery. these are the sort of lesser essential bits. there is a co re lesser essential bits. there is a core which is like the brain of the network and that is the actual bit where all the data is moved around between devices and things like authentication takes place. he wants to keep template1 out of that but it can still provide things like masts and the external infrastructure that is part of that. now that is not going to please everybody inevitably because some people are saying that as time goes on there is no reason why this network shouldn't all merge into one, you won't have a core and periphery, everything will operate asa periphery, everything will operate as a whole and then it will be a lot harder if we decide further down the line to strip out huawei. it will be much harder to do it. thank you. that announcement expected at midday. lawyers who represent women who say they were abused byjeffrey epstein, have called for prince andrew to speak to investigators in

the us about the case. it follows claims that he has failed to cooperate with the investigation into the convicted sex offender. the prosecutor in new york says the fbi has not received a response from the prince's legal team — despite repeated approaches. last night the lawyer lisa bloom said that the prince should agree to be interviewed and this morning gloria allred who represents five women said the prince should speak to law enforcement regarding the case. andy moore reports. speaking outsidejeffrey epstein's mansion, the american prosecutor said he did not normally comment on whether a witness was cooperating or not. but he would make an exception in this case because prince andrew had publicly offered to help. the southern district of new york and the fbi have contacted prince andrew's attorneys and requested to interview prince andrew and to date prince andrew has provided zero cooperation. prince andrew says he did not see or suspect any suspicious behaviour when visiting the homes of his then—friend. now that prince andrew has stepped

down from official royal duties, buckingham palace is not commenting. and there has been no response so far from prince andrew's lawyers. but there has been from some of the women who say they were epstein's victims. well, i'm glad that he has gone public to try and embarrass prince andrew who made one statement and then behind closed doors is doing something very different. the five jeffrey epstein victims i represent are outraged and disappointed at prince andrew's behaviour. virginia roberts giuffre claims that she was forced to have sex with prince andrew by epstein and his associates. andrew completely denies any sexual encounter with her. he knows what happened. i know what happened. and there's only one of us telling the truth. in a now—infamous newsnight interview last november, prince andrew said he was willing to talk to american investigators, with some conditions. if push came to shove and the legal advice was to do so then i would be

duty—bound to do so. in a statement a few days later when he stepped down from royal duties, his commitment was even clearer. he said "of course i am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required." american prosecutors have many questions to ask about his relationship with jeffrey epstein. so far at least, prince andrew seems unwilling to answer them. andy moore, bbc news. gloria allred, who represents five of epstein's accusers, has also said prince andrew should speak to law enforcement in the us regarding the case. these victims have been suffering for years, so i always said about prince andrew, you know, not words but deeds. go ahead and speak to law enforcement. and now what's he going to do, not respond to the press about it? just try to avoid and evade?

this is not going to be acceptable. that was the lawyer speaking. now for a time for a look at the weather with simon. we have got some snow this morning. that is saddleworth moor in the north west of england. we have had more significant snowfall falling over the higher ground of scotland, northern ireland and north—west england as well. wintry showers will continue into the afternoon, particularly in the north—western areas. even down to lower levels you could see hail or sleet across southern areas of england but sunny spells are specially across eastern areas. these are the temperatures on the thermometer, about four to eight celsius, a brisk westerly wind out there, particularly across southern areas. gusting 50 to 50 miles an hour. it feels like temperatures, freezing or two or three celsius. through this evening and overnight

further showers moving through and with clear skies temperatures falling away towards freezing. ice first thing tomorrow morning, rain throughout scotland throughout the day but elsewhere should be dry, one or two showers with some sunshine. hello this is bbc newsroom live with joanna gosling. the headlines: welcome tojust a minute! broadcaster and host of radio 4'5just a minute, nicholas parsons, has died aged 96 after a short illness. a report says the salary threshold for skilled migrants coming to britain should be lowered tojust over £25,500 a year. ministers and intelligence chiefs are meeting to decide whether controversial chinese telecoms firm huawei can help build the uk's 5g network. lawyers representing women who say they were sexually assaulted byjeffrey epstein say they're outraged at claims prince andrew has not cooperated with american prosecutors.

there are dozens of women, i represent five of them, who allege they were the victims of sexual assault by this predator, jeffrey epstein. it is time for anyone with any information to come forward and answer questions. china tightens travel restrictions as it confirms more than 100 deaths and 4,500 cases of coronavirus. good morning. roger federer says he believes in miracles after saving seven match points against the unseeded american tennys sandgren at the australian open. john watson is in melbourne for us. he really got a sense here that something was building. a quieter day to day in numbers around the site, but watching on

the big screen behind me, people started filtering over to the screen at the numbers grew and grew and grew. a huge crowd assembled. they realise something really special was on the cards. roger federer was to — one down, and it was in the fourth set he had to save seven match points. it was quite astonishing. he only needed one match point and he still did. it was a match that had a bit of everything. a bit of bad language from the great roger federer out there. he was a bit rattled, he was struggling with a bit of an injury, he had tightness in his groin and leg and needed to get some attention. it was a match that had many talking points. federer was warned for an audible obscenity during the match after being reported by a linejudge. honestly, to be frustrated

at one point, i think it is normal. ifound ita point, i think it is normal. ifound it a bit tough. it's not like i'm known to throw around words or whatever. it is not like the old stadium heard it or whatever, but no problem, i'll accept it. was it in english? it was a mix, and clearly she speaks mixed, i did not know that! apparently fedor speaks about seven languages. federer is likely to face novak djokovic in the semi—finals. he leads milos raonic by two sets to love. there in a tight third set at the moment. top seed ashleigh barty has become the first australian woman to reach the semi—finals at her home grand slam for 36 years. she had a straight—sets victory over petra kvitova. barty, the french open champion, has been rising steadily since she returned to tennis after a break to play cricket. she described her run in melbourne as "absolutely incredible".

barty next faces the american sofia kenin, the 14th seed, who knocked out coco gauff earlier this week. tennis australia says that martina navratilova and john mcenroe have breached tournament protocols after they staged a protest calling for the margeret court arena to be renamed. the australian, who holds the record for the most grand slam singles titles, has been criticized for her homophobic views which navratilova says are hurtful to the lgbt commuinity. ijust i just felt that the conversation had stopped. i thought we gotta go ona had stopped. i thought we gotta go on a couple of years ago and i thought tennis australia would do something. they are the ones

that make the decision, but nothing has happened and margaret keeps doubling down. england bowler stuart broad has been fined 15% of his match fee, for swearing at the south africa captain faf du plessis during the fourth test in johannesburg. the pair were involved in a tetchy exchange yesterday, with england on their way to victory to seal the serreis 3—1 broad has also been given a demerit point for the incident, deemed to be a breach of the icc‘s code of conduct. tonight's match in the nba bewteen the la lakers and los angeles clippers has been postponed as a mark of respect for kobe bryant, who died in a helicoiper crash over the weekend. his friend lebron james, who surpassed his points tally in the all—time list last saturday has posted this on social media "i'm not ready, but here i go. every time i try i begin crying again just thinking about you, niece gigi

and the friendship/bond/brotherhood we had! i promise you i'll continue your legacy man! there's so much more i want to say butjust can't right now because i can't get through it! until we meet again, my brother!!" that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. just hearing from the prime minister prospect spokesman that the foreign 0ffice prospect spokesman that the foreign office is urgently exploring options for british nationals to leave wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus in china. the foreign office has been criticised for its response so far, with other countries bringing their citizens out of china to get them home. britain was not doing the same, was not planning to airlift citizens, british citizens. it is that there are around 300 britons in wuhan. we are hearing from the

foreign office that there are exploring urgently options for british nationals to leave and the details are being finalised. we are hoping to speak later to one british person who has dual citizenship with the us. he is currently at the airport in wuhan because he is being airlifted out as a result of his us citizenship. hopefully, we will get to speak to him. i think he is having a final health check at the airport before being flown to alaska. there has been criticism that britons were not being similarly supported in leaving wuhan. the foreign office is now saying that they are urgently exploring options to help britons in wuhan. we will keep you updated with that. we will keep you updated with that. the second stage of the public inquiry into the grenfell tower disaster is under way. the first part of the inquiry was to discover what happened. this stage is to find out why, and the key focus is the cladding

used on the high—rise block. we can speak to our correspondent dan johnson, who is at the inquiry in west london. what have they been hearing today? we have heard further opening submissions for the companies involved in the refurbishment of grand bell tower, that happened a few years before the fire. what really hits you are so complicated that refurbishment project was, how many different companies were involved in designing the refurbishment, manufacturing the cladding that was used, putting it on the building, then different bodies involved in testing the fire safety of those products and inspecting the finaljob in signing it off. there are so many different companies involved to become fairly easy to see how something could fall through the cracks in making sure the project was safe in terms of fire safety. that is why the first pa rt fire safety. that is why the first part of the enquiry that the cladding was so flammable and

help the fire travel so quickly. we heard from the manufacturers of the panels, who were accused by the company panels, who were accused by the com pa ny yesterday panels, who were accused by the company yesterday that fitted the panels of knowing there were flammable, having sent internal e—mails that they knew there were flammable and shouldn't be used in high—rise holdings. a representative today said it was all about the way the panels were used, that was the responsibility of the builders and contractors. there are cases that wasn't taken seriously enough, not enough thought was given as to how those panels would be used, fitted together and what will be done to make them safe. we were told yesterday to expect a merry—go—round of buckpassing between these different companies and it feels already in the early stages of this enquiry that we are already deeply in that. the message from the

manufacturer is that who ever was my fault this was, it wasn't theirs. we arejust in the fault this was, it wasn't theirs. we are just in the opening statements. there are months of evidence to be heard here. let's return now to the death of nicholas parsons and the tributes which are being paid to the veteran radio and tv entertainer. he was still working and had engagements planned. 0ur arts correspondent vincent dowd is with me now. an extraordinary figure in that his face and voice was known to so many because if the incredible longevity of his career. one of the longest of all showbiz careers. he was discovered in the 19405, went

on to work as the straight man of arthur haynes. arthur haynes died relatively young and he reinvented himself, nicholas, as a presenter and a host. he made at least 15 or 20 british films, most of which are more or less forgotten. he had a real talent as a host. people liked him. it wasn'tjust on just a minute on radio four which is run for more than half a century, amazingly, but also on tv, the sale of the century. 0n the radio it was very much his personality. we had the perfect personality. we had the perfect personality. if you go back a few yea rs personality. if you go back a few years like me, you remember people like kenneth williams on that. he could handle somebody with that extraordinary personality. he is very good if somebody is a bit

nervous on the programme, he handles those people perfectly. he was avuncular, gentle. he would have a chat with giles brandreth and there would be a little bit of great, but it was fascinating and warm to listen to. 96, still completely sharp and no intention of stopping working. no, he would have gone on to the very end, and he has. he has missed four episodes since 1967. his health has started to go a little bit, unsurprisingly in his mid—905. nicholas handled that programme perfectly. assuming they are going to replace him, and i think they will, he will be very difficult to replace. lots of tributes coming in. tony hall, the director—general, has said very few people have done so much to entertain audiences over the decades. nobody deserves to be

called a broadcasting legend more than nicholas parsons. his charm, his ability to create laughs were unsurpassed. a rare combination of those things. that word charm is very good. charm is indefinable. maybe it is disappearing a little bit in modern life. when you listen to him, you knew he was in charge of everything. he was never aggressive with anybody, but he could talk back when needed two of paul merton or somebody was a bit cheeky. that is why people loved him. the format of just a minute was very simple and could be terribly flat without the right people in it. they were very clever in getting the right person to host it for all those decades, and the right people sitting around him. radio is often the perfect thing to listen to. the government is due to announce funding for studies into whether two railway lines closed during the beeching cuts of the 19605 could

be reopened. the lines run to blyth valley in northumberland, and to fleetwood in lancashire. the £500 million fund was promised in the tory election manifesto in november. but labour has called the plan "meaningless", saying the money would only reopen 25 miles of railway. earlier, the transport secretary, grant shapps, said that reversing the cuts made by beeching would connect left behind communities. we've got to build the entire network, which is why that £48 billion working on the existing network's important. but i also think things like reversing these beeching cuts is really important, as well. so we can connect up all of these communities, many of whom just get left behind because they were cut off from the railway network and nobody seemed to care all these years. well, the shadow transport secretary, andy mcdonald, has been talking to the bbc, as well. he criticised the government's proposal. well, it's drivel. i'm amazed that anybody is taken in by it. £500 million — if that sum was devoted to restoring railways, that would cover about

25 miles. there were 3,300 miles taken out by beeching, so you can readily see that to say that this marks the beginning of the reversal of the beeching cuts is disingenuous at the very least. this is simply seedcorn money to look at some feasibility studies, but to herald it as the reversal of the beeching cuts is, quite frankly, a sickjoke. i'd be more interested if there was a real commitment to reversing some of the grayling cuts to the electrification programmes that were cancelled over the last several years, i'd start to take this government is a bit more seriously. in a moment, we'll have all the business news, but first, the headlines on bbc news: broadcaster and host of radio 4'5just a minute, nicholas parsons has died aged 96 after a short illness. a report says the salary

threshold for skilled migrants coming to britain should be lowered to just over £25,000 a year. =ministers and intelligence chiefs are meeting to decide whether controversial chinese telecoms firm huawei, can help build the uk's 5g network. now the business news. the uk's financial regulator has asked banks to explain how they set their new overdraft rates. the financial conduct authority is suspicious that most high street banks have set "very similar prices" after it demanded changes to the system. several big brands including santander, lloyds banking group and hsbc are set to bring in a 39.9% rate this year. historic railway lines closed more than 50 years ago under the so—called beeching cuts could be restored under new plans. transport secretary grant shapps says a new fund will investigate the viability of reviving the lines. the rmt union has dismissed the pledge as "pr spin way out of control".

sainsbury‘s has promised to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero over the next 20 years. the supermarket chain, the second largest in the uk, says it will spend £1 billion to reach the target. it's pledged to reduce emissions from areas like refrigeration and transport. let's get more on that news that sainsbury‘s is to cut net carbon emissions to zero over the next 20 years. it wants to reduce emissions but critics said it doesn't do enough to cover the supermarket‘s supply chain, which accounts for most of its emissions. sainsbury‘s says it will be contacting its suppliers. chief executive mike coupe said the retailer would be writing to its suppliers to ensure "they are playing their part". we have signed up to what is called science —based targets, which means we have to work with our suppliers to all —— to also eliminate their carbon emissions. we will be writing to our suppliers today and asking

them to set targets for themselves and also come in the journey with us. and also come in the journey with us. it is an ambitious target. it is ten yea rs us. it is an ambitious target. it is ten years earlier than the government set targets for the nation as a whole. we think it is very ambitious. we need to bring our customers on the journey with us. that is why we have made this pledge of 20 years. we have made significant inroads to introduce in reducing plastic in our business but we know there is a lot more than we can do. dr sharon george studies environmental sustainability at keele university. 0n the face of it, the headline looks a great idea, reducing carbon emissions to zero. the devil is in the detail. it does sound like 20 yea rs, the detail. it does sound like 20 years, it is an ambitious target to get to net zero for a supermarket. we have seen the things that have happened with plastic. some of the things that sainsbury‘s needs to do that are not easy. a lot of things are easy. it is an

achievable thing for them, a feasible thing. we must remember that a lot of the changes that are going to happen around energy efficiency, that will come with money saving for them, as well. some of this is just good business sense. some of the more tricky things, that is what will really ta ke things, that is what will really take time. the challenge will be getting to suppliers on board. we touched on at their in the clip, it is all well and good that sainsbury‘s does what it can within the organisation, but get single suppliers to contribute to that, thatis suppliers to contribute to that, that is where most of the emissions might be coming from. yes, and i think that is the worry. what we would like to see sainsbury‘s do, what sainsbury‘s might be accused of his passing the buck to the suppliers. this is something, to do this properly and eliminate those harder emissions, we need to look at the whole supply

chain. sainsbury‘s needs to work with those companies to do the more difficult things, and rather just passed the to do the more difficult things, and ratherjust passed the whole responsibility onto the farmers who are already struggling and producers already struggling. some of that might meana already struggling. some of that might mean a trickling through the pricing structure. sainsbury‘s can't be producing supercheap food, super quick and super convenient if it is also putting pressure on those producers to do extra things that will have extra costs for them. that has to be passed through. it is about that partnership working across the supply chain. sainsbury's would make a bit of money out of cutting its refrigeration cost, transport, so it is not entirely altruistic. let's talk about the 20 year time frame. some saying it is too little too late. what do you make about 20 years?” too little too late. what do you make about 20 years? i think there are some things that are very easy to do. some of the efficiencies and

things like lighting and cooling are there. this isn't something that is new. a lot of industries are already on board and doing this and creating massive efficiencies, just doing simple things like changing lighting. it can have a massive impact on the carbon footprint of your business. those are things, when you have a company like sainsbury's where there are lots of identicalfacilities sainsbury's where there are lots of identical facilities around the country, that can be rolled out very quickly. it is those tricky things that are going to take longer, that things like finding alternatives to plastic without making food waste worse. it is that problem—solving that will be the real thing to wrestle with. doctor sharon george, it is good to hear your thoughts. thank you very much.

let's have a look at the markets. the coronavirus has had an effect on markets around the world. people have been told to stay at home, not go to work. the nick kay is down by about half of 1%. the market in china is closed for the holiday and that holiday has been extended to stop people travelling around the country so much. sainsbury's is on the board there after that pledge to cut carbon emissions. that's all the business news. well an esitimated 300 hundred british people are still in wuhan. let's talk to ian thompson. he's from nuneaton, has lived in wuhan for a year and half, and is currently at the airport waiting to being airlifted out by the american government and joins me from

the waiting area at wuhan international airport. thank at wuhan international airport. you very much forj you thank you very much forjoining us. you are very welcome.” thank you very much forjoining us. you are very welcome. i presume you have to keep the health mask on for safety reasons for speaking to us. what if you gone through this morning to get to where you are?m has been a bit of a nightmare. first of all we had to get approvals from the us government to get on this flight, the us government to get on this flight, then we had to get approvals to drive from my location to the airport because the whole root system out here is locked down. i have to have my passport and my lecture with me to get past those checks. 0n the way here i went through to medical checks just to get to the airport. i've just gone through a thermal scan for the first part. this is the line—up for the medical scan for the medical check for the us.

you are coming out with the us teams because you have dual citizenship. just this morning here the foreign office, we are hearing from the prime minister's official spokesperson, is urgently exploring ideas to get people out. have you been trying to get support from the british and how will you get along with that, if so? i had been in contact with the embassy. 0ne through the us and uk embassy, and also the uk. i also tried the british embassy in sweden, but i got the same answer for each one, which as we are working on it, there is no plan yet, keep in touch. so you are going to go to alaska, then you will

have to make your way back home in britain from there. once you are in alaska... alaska first and then we fly to california. i will be held in california for a minimum of 72 hours. they are not telling us much on what is going to happen. wejust know we will be quarantined for 72 hours minimum, then we will be released and able to fly to everyone from there. people have been coming back to britain on ordinary flights while this has been under way. did you try to do that? the only way you can come out, that is through shanghai or beijing, but i am in wuhan. all trains, buses, there are no forms of transport at all to get out of the hand. what is it been like being in we pretty scary.

we have been basically under house arrest, you can go anywhere other than go to the store. all restau ra nts, than go to the store. all restaurants, bars are closed down. the only way you can get food is at the local supermarket, which they are keeping stocked at the moment. i'm not sure how long that will last with the road closures. very briefly, what is your view of how the british government has been handling this? i think the probably need to be faster and getting something worked out. i believe it is not easy to do, the chinese government is very hard to work with. they are locking down everything, but if the us can manage to date, the british government should be able to do the same thing for the people out here. ian thomson, good luck getting home. thank you very much. now it's time for a look at the weather.

we haven't seen much snow thus far this winter, but there was some in northern ireland, scotland and the north of england. we have seen more snow showers feeding in of the last few hours. this is the radar image through the morning, the white is snow, the blue is rain. further east we have had sunshine this morning, a glorious the day in essex. more sunshine in eastern areas. 0n glorious the day in essex. more sunshine in eastern areas. on or two showers cropping up this afternoon, most of the showers will be in northern and western areas, but they will continue to be wintry. snow mainly over the higher ground. maximum temperatures will be between four and eight celsius. a brisk westerly winds. it will feel pretty cold outside during this afternoon. these are the fields like temperatures, so freezing in

newcastle, two or three celsius at best. through this evening, the showers will continue to move through, wintry places and there will be some clear skies, but a mixture of showers and clear skies temperatures falling close to freezing. there is the risk of ice going into wednesday morning. temperatures in the towns and cities staying up in positive figures at two or three degrees. into wednesday, low pressure dominating things in northern areas. this weather system will move in from the west, bringing more cloud as the day goes on. it will be a chilly start on wednesday morning. there is the potential of ice. cloud will increase as the day goes on. a few showers before this main band of rain. there will be some snow over higher ground here. some of the showers moving on the north west of england. not quite as cold on wednesday with temperatures getting up wednesday with temperatures getting up to about10 wednesday with temperatures getting up to about 10 degrees. it will become milder still as we move to

the end of the week. temperatures will start to come up on thursday and towards the end of the week. you're watching bbc newsroom live — it's midday and these are the main stories: welcome to just a welcome tojust a minute. broadcaster and host of radio 4'5just a minute, nicholas parsons, has died aged 96 after a short illness. ministers and intelligence chiefs are due to decide whether controversial chinese telecoms firm huawei can help build the uk's 5g

network. a report says the salary threshold for skilled migrants coming to britain should be lowered to just over £25,500 a year. lawyers representing women who say they were sexually assaulted byjeffrey epstein say they're outraged at claims prince andrew has not cooperated with american prosecutors. china tightens travel restrictions, as it confirms more than 100 deaths, and 4,500 cases, of coronavirus. 0ne one british man who is been airlifted out today tells us it has been a frightening time. it has been pretty scary. we have basically been under house arrest, you can't go anywhere. no restaurants or bars everywhere is closed down. and coming up, we have a special report on a scientific expedition in antarctica, which has confirmed a giant glacier is melting

at an accelerated rate. good afternoon. welcome to bbc newsroom live. i'm welcome to bbc newsroom live. joanna gosling. we've heard in the past hour that entertainer and broadcaster nicholas parsons, has died after a short illness. he was 96. his agent said his family were with him when he died. nicholas parsons had a long and varied career and was best known for the radio 4 panel show just a minute, where guests have to speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition. 0ur media and arts correspondent david sillito looks back at his life. welcome tojust a minute. he was the chairman ofjust a minute on radio 4 for more than 50 years. and now, from norwich... and he was the quizmaster on sale of the century for 12 years.

hello, and welcome to sale of the century. it's the quiz of the week... i'm proud of the fact that i helped create a huge success. you don't buck success. i'm proud of that fact. but i don't want to be remembered just for sale of the century. i want to see your passport please. indeed, there was a lot more to nicholas parsons. what is the purpose of your visit to england? he appeared in more than 20 films. i have come to find a husband. and in the ‘605 he'd become a household name as the straight man to the comedian arthur haynes. laughter i'm sorry, vicar, i thought it was those carol singers. merry christmas. he'd turned to acting after training as an engineer in a clyde shipyard. 0ne early role was the voice of a puppet cowboy. now get out of town and don't you ever come back. now, do you think you could try and keep quiet? 0n camera, he was a master of smooth—talking charm. a mask for his struggles growing up with dyslexia and a pronounced

stammer. and then in 1967 he was made presenter ofjust a minute. he'd wanted to be a panellist but the producers knew his skill. the good—natured straight man enduring a daily comic assault. as a straight man you know how to throw out the lines so the comic will have a good springboard to come back and make some facetious or humorous or witty response. and also you know how to take the joke at your expense because the comedian, the straight man in the relationship is always the one that is put down. and as it fades away, once more it is my pleasure to welcome our many listeners... more than 50 years later, he was still in charge. never regretting that day more than 70 years ago when he'd swapped engineering for show business. remembering nicholas parsons who has died at the age of 96.

we will have more tributes to him in a little while. just now, breaking news coming through about the future of the sg coming through about the future of the 5g network in this country and specifically whether huawei is going to be involved. the government has been under a lot of pressure on it. the news just through been under a lot of pressure on it. the newsjust through is been under a lot of pressure on it. the news just through is that huawei will be allowed to have a limited role in the 5g network. the details arejust coming role in the 5g network. the details are just coming through. the first detail that i can see here is that there will be a limited role limited toa cap there will be a limited role limited to a cap of 35% in the periphery of the sg to a cap of 35% in the periphery of the 5g network. that is things like the 5g network. that is things like the masts, the external infrastructure. huawei will be excluded from sensitive geographic locations such as nuclear sites and military bases. so the details just coming through. while we wait for further detail on exactly how it would work, we can discuss obviously

what this will mean because the uk, asi what this will mean because the uk, as i mentioned, has been under great pressure under this, most notably from the united states. president trump saying that he does not want the uk to use huawei in the 5g network for security reasons and only last week a delegation came to this country with a dossier of supposedly new evidence on the security risks of huawei been involved. the government here said there was no smoking gun. and so this decision that has been in the making for some time has now come through and what the government is trying to do obviously is to walk a middle path. so let's talk to our assistant political editor norman smith. norman, tell us more about what you are hearing about what the limited role would mean and how that would look to the united states potentially. well, ithink would look to the united states potentially. well, i think we're going to have to wait when we hear from i think it is dominic rob in the commons this afternoon. we will

get a clear idea about how this halfway house might work because there does seem to be a compromise move by boris johnson there does seem to be a compromise move by bori5johnson he has not given huawei unfettered access to the telecoms market but he has given them some considerable access, up to 35% of the market and clearly the prime minister's calculation is that yes that might anger donald trump but he might not go nuclear, while at the same time ensuring that the uk can enjoy the benefits of a much faster telecom system. and meeting his manifesto commitment to level up and introduce fast broadband throughout the country. so it is a sort of halfway house. how will that go down with some of his mp5, some of whom were very, very critical in the commons yesterday. largely because of the potential security risks, the concern that the words of the former chairman of the security committee that you are letting the fox into the henhouse.

the former culture secretary joins fox into the henhouse. the former culture secretaryjoins me now and from what you have heard, what you make of it? well, it may be a sensible compromise. i think it is sensible compromise. i think it is sensible to limit feasible to allow turn one into some parts of the network. i think my colleagues were right to express concerns about allowing cut one into sensitive networks such as intelligence and military. they are not there now and they shouldn't be in the future. what is important now is that we look at the safeguards very carefully that have been proposed. it is important that there is a market cap, it is important that there are other suppliers in the system. it is always worth remembering those other suppliers are likely to have chinese components in their technology too. so if you're worried about china, what you need to do is look much more broadly at the security of our telecoms supply chain. that is what the review when i was in government was designed to do. i think it is possible to include huawei as long as sensible, cautious and crucially wallowing the advice of the

intelligence agencies. what you to those tory mp5 who say what is the rush? why not wait until there are trusted telecom providers who can provide the same level of service as day one in about a year's time, what is the rush? as i say, many of these will include chinese components so you would need to take proper precautions anyway. but secondly anyone who is making those comments will have in a post bag comments own why can we not have faster broadband quicker? and we also want to be leaders as a country in 5g. quicker? and we also want to be leaders as a country in 56. this is a hugely important emerging technology. it is very important that the uk leads on it. so every country will be making this difficultjudgment country will be making this difficult judgment and it country will be making this difficultjudgment and it is country will be making this difficult judgment and it is a difficult judgment and it is a difficultjudgment, difficult judgment and it is a difficult judgment, but i difficult judgment and it is a difficultjudgment, but i think a sensible compromise whereby you use what is notjust cheaper equipment from huawei but generally acknowledged to be good quality equipment too. but is in the network but only where it is said to do

so. the other aspect of this is the diplomatic aspect, particularly our relations with united states at a time when we want to negotiate a trade how far do you think this compromise deal could potentially put at risk our prospects of getting some sort of trade agreement with donald trump? well, we shall have to see. it is very important that we listen to our leading allies, the united states of course pre—eminent in among them with intelligence sharing. it is worth remembering that our intelligence sharing with the us has been decades long and the experts that we are listening to hearing our intelligence agencies and the us intelligence agencies, that relationship is very close. and i think there is huge respect in the us for the technical expertise and understanding of our intelligence agencies. and as long as it is clear that we are following that advice, we are being cautious, we are setting up sensible security parameters, then i hope the americans will be persuaded that we are doing something that is sensible. but time will tell as to what their reaction is going to be

but i hope the long—standing cooperation will stand us in good stead. jeremy wright, thank you for your time. we will hear more in the commons this afternoon. i guess we should also pay attention to the president's twitter feed, just to see if he has anything to say about this. he took the words out of my mouth, norman! we will monitor that. let's speak now to peter sommer. he's a cyber security expert and professor of digital forensics at birmingham city university... the committee trying to come up with a halfway house dismissively about the concerns from america. what are you hearing? i guess we didn't know the exact percentage so the issues that are really quite well known, we need 5g in order to advance our economy full stop we have actually got four different 5g networks, huawei are already embedded within it so one of the cost problems is going to be that if we

say we don't wa nt going to be that if we say we don't want huawei at all, it will strip an awful lot of stuff out and then buy it afresh probably from vendors who are not as well advanced or offering as products as cheaply as huawei, so those of the commercial reasons. the thing that impressed me about the process , thing that impressed me about the process, which i have been following, is the heads of the major security agencies have given this not a clean bill of health but say they can manage the risk. now, any security person is very cautious if they asked about something they will say well maybe it is safer not to do it, prime minister. so they have obviously decided after a lot of study that this is actually something not that they can eliminate the risk but that they can manage it. because when we hear from america they say that we should absolutely not be doing this and there could be trade repercussions down the line for deals between the uk on the us if it happens. there

was that delegation that came with a dossier of information. mike pompeo here tomorrow i think. how does this tally with your assessment that there is a manageable security risk? well, the manageable security risk for the security professionals is, can we have the technology out on the peripheries? that it doesn't affect the core? does that mean that we can restrict the ability of the chinese to eavesdrop on our most sensitive activities? that is a technical and a security element. the other thing is basically a political assessment, which presumably is made by the prime minister. and, as we all know, he needs to deal with the states. so how that is going to play out, we don't know at the moment. i'm just very briefly, as you say, it is already embedded in 4g. i don't remember these arguments back then, how come? because most people didn't

see it at such a hot subject. but our professionals have been looking at huawei for over 15 years. they have set up an operation in banbury staffed by 38 people looking specifically at huawei products. and i think it must be the experience that they have obtained from that that they have obtained from that that persuades them that they can give not the clean bill of health that i keep on saying but managing the risk. thank you very much, cyber security expert. more an hour main stories coming up. right now we say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. let mejust bring you goodbye to viewers on bbc two. let me just bring you a statement there with just receiving from 21's vice president saying that huawei is reassured by the uk government's confirmation that we can continue working with our customers to keep the sg working with our customers to keep the 5g roll—out on track. the evidence—based decision will result

ina more evidence—based decision will result in a more advanced, secure and cost effective telecoms infrastructure thatis effective telecoms infrastructure that is fit for the future. it gives the uk access to world leading technology and ensures a competitive market. we have supplied cutting edge technology to operators in the ukfor edge technology to operators in the uk for more than 15 years. we will build on the strong track record supporting our customers as they invest in their 5g networks, boosting economic growth and help in the uk continue to compete globally. we agree a diverse vendor market and fair competition are essential for... as well as ensuring that consumers have access to the best technology. that statement through with the limit from huawei. yet to hear anything from the united states, which did not want to make one involved in the 5g network in this country. details of how the uk's immigration system could work after brexit have been published in the last hour. the migration advisory committee — that's the independent body that

advises the government on immigration issues — has called for a reduction in the minimum salary for skilled migrants and a points based system for workers without a job offer. let's take a closer look at what's being proposed. currently skilled workers who are not from the eu have to earn at least £30,000 to gain admittance to the uk. the committee has recommended that is reduced by £4,000. four hundred pounds. (ani 3)this means that all skilled workers — from the eu and beyond — will have to earn at least twenty five thousand six hundred pounds. (am! 4) professor alan manning warned the government that a points—based immigration system would reduce economic growth and that there would be "unavoidable, difficult trade—offs." let's talk to our home affairs correspondent danny shaw, he's been at the meeting this morning where this report was released. there is obvious they allot to condense, danny. it is a report, what are the headlines and are they likely to be adopted the government? i think the biggest headline is that the government has to get a move on. if they want an immigration

system properly in place by early next year, properly in place by early next yea r, after we have properly in place by early next year, after we have left the eu this week, with everything ready, then there are some major decisions to make, employers need to know what the rules are. all the processes need to be set up, the home office needs to get its act together and so decisions have to be made fast and it is going to be quite a job to do that. i think the second thing that comes across from this report is the need for a salary threshold, a minimum salary that migrant workers must learn before they have the job offer guaranteed and before they are allowed into the country. at the moment it is around £30,000 for most migrant workers from outside the eu. when we have a new system, which will apply to eu and non—eu alike, then the migration advisory committee says that that should be reduced. but it says that that stops undercutting and would also help sectors such as the teaching

sector, the health sector, to employ people. there would be exceptions to some of the salary threshold, for example younger people could come in earning just less than £18,000. and i think the final message really from this report is about this points—based system. the government has said and they have said it many, many times, they have said it many, many times, they want to introduce an australian style points based system for immigration after brexit. what does that mean? well, it means that if you have qualifications, if you have skills, if you are of a particular age, if you can speak english well, then you would accumulate more points. and then after a certain level that would mean you would get into the uk. well, the migratory advisory commission is lukewarm about the idea of a points—based system. it says it could work if it was applied to people who don't have a job offer. but it also says that the idea of a points—based system is something of a sound bite stop that was the word used by

professor alan manning, the chairman of the committee. he said that really it is all about the policy within it, the actual phrase itself is something cosmetic, it doesn't mean very much u nless cosmetic, it doesn't mean very much unless you know what the policy is. thank you, danny. the headlines on bbc news... the government has decided to allow the chinese telecoms company, huawei, to have a limited role in the development of the uk's 5g mobile network. broadcaster and host of radio 4'5just a minute, nicholas parsons has died aged 96 after a short illness. a report says the salary threshold for skilled migrants coming to britain should be lowered to just over 25 and a half thousand pounds a year. sport now. hello again. roger federer says he believes in miracles after he saved seven match points against the

unseeded american tennis answer before winning two tennis sansom. an incredible comeback from roger federer who just underlined why he is and arguably the greatest male tennis player of all time. who would he saved seven match points in a full set. level day and taken it on toa full set. level day and taken it on to a tie—break against tennys sandgren before taken in the fifth set. uncharacteristic from roger federer at times, he was warned that his bad language out on court, we saw him take a medical timeout, he was clearly struggling with some tightness in his leg at the time and an incident as well involving his opponent, who was run into by a ball girl during the change of ends, during that full set tie—break. it is roger federer though who progresses and will face novak djokovic in the semifinals of the

australian open this year. a great performance too from ash barty, who came through her match. she avenged the defeat at the same stage of this tournament last year. she is into her first australian open semifinal. as we know, hoping to become the first australian to win is the single title here at melbourne park in 42 years. she will play... some huge matches to come as the quarterfinals conclude tomorrow. we will see rafael nadal in action. but no doubt what the big talking point was today. that incredible performance from roger federer. staying in melbourne, tennis australia say thatjohn mcenroe has breached tournament protocol. they have asked the court to be renamed, the margaret court, she has

been criticised for her homophobic views. ijust criticised for her homophobic views. i just felt that the conversation had stopped and i thought we had got it going a couple of years ago and i thought tennis australia would do something the government of victoria, apparently they are the ones that make the decision but nothing has happened and margaret keeps doubling down. the england fast bowler stuart broad has been since fined 15% of his match fee for swearing at the south african captain during the fourth test in johannesburg. the pair were involved inafairly johannesburg. the pair were involved in a fairly lively exchange yesterday on the fourth day of the final test with england on their way to victory. that sealed the series 3-1 to to victory. that sealed the series 3—1 to them. he has also been given a demerit point for the incident, deemed to be a breach of the icc‘s code of conduct. that is all the spot for now. i will be back after the one o'clock news at about

1:30pm. in beijing, authorities have confirmed the first death from the new coronavirus in the chinese capital. more than 100 people have now died from it in total. in china, there are now more than 4,500 confirmed cases. the bavarian health ministry has confirmed the first case in germany. robin brant is in shanghai for us and sent us the latest on the situation. earlier i spoke to somebody at the airport, a joint british chinese citizen. i asked airport, a joint british chinese citizen. iasked him airport, a joint british chinese citizen. i asked him what was the case that he's been airlifted out by the american government. a bit of a nightmare to first of all get approvals from the us government to get on this flight. then i had to get on this flight. then i had to get approvals to drive from my location to the airport. because the whole road system out here is locked down and close down. so i had to have my passport in letter with me to be able to get through the checks. 0n the way here i went through to medical checks just to get to the airport. i have

just gone through a thermal scan, which is the first part, and as you can see now this is the line—up for the medical scan to go for the medical check for the us. so you are coming out with the us. so you are coming out with the us. so you are coming out with the us teams because you have got this dual citizenship. yes. just this dual citizenship. yes. just this morning here the foreign 0ffice, this morning here the foreign office, we are hearing from the prime minister's official spokesperson, is urgently exploring options to help britons in wuhan and the finalise details to get them out. had you been trying to get support from the british and how are you getting on with that if so?” had been in contact with the embassy. i tried two days to go to the embassy, once to the british embassy here in wuhan. but i also... soi embassy here in wuhan. but i also... so i tried the british embassy in sweden too. but i got the same

a nswer sweden too. but i got the same answer from each one, sweden too. but i got the same answerfrom each one, they said sweden too. but i got the same answer from each one, they said we are working on it, there is not a plan yet but keep in touch. so you are going to go to alaska and then you will have to wait and make your way back to britain from there. and once you are in alaska... yeah, to alaska first and then to california. and i will be held in california for a minimum of 72 hours. they are not telling as much on what is happening, wejust telling as much on what is happening, we just know that we are going to be in quarantine for 72 hours, minimum. and then we will be released and allowed to fly to where ever we wa nt released and allowed to fly to where ever we want to go from there. people have been coming back to britain on ordinary flights while this has been under way. did you try to do that? well, the only way you can come out, i'm based in wuhan, you can back through beijing or shanghai and! you can back through beijing or shanghai and i have to be able to get there from wuhan and they closed all the airports, all the trains,

all the airports, all the trains, all the airports, all the trains, all the buses. so there is actually no way of transport at all. so what has it been like been in wuhan? no way of transport at all. so what has it been like been in wuhan7m has it been like been in wuhan7m has been pretty scary. i mean, we have been basically under house arrest, you can't really go anywhere other than go to the store, restau ra nts other than go to the store, restaurants or bars or places are closed down. the only way you can get food is the local supermarket thatis get food is the local supermarket that is open, which they are keeping stocked at the moment. i'm not too sure how long that will last with the road closures and all the stops. i'm just very briefly, what is your view of how the british government has been handling this? what would you say to the british government?” think they need to get a little faster in working something out here. i believe it is not easy to do. i know the chinese covenant is very ha rd to do. i know the chinese covenant is very hard to work with on these because they are looking down everything. —— the chinese government is very hard

to work with. that was ian thompson speaking to me earlier, who is heading back from china. lawyers who represent women who say they were abused byjeffrey epstein, have called for prince andrew to speak to investigators in the us about the case. it follows claims that he has failed to cooperate with the investigation into the convicted sex offender. the prosecutor in new york says the fbi has not received a response from the prince's legal team — despite repeated approaches. last night, the lawyer lisa bloom said that the prince should agree to be interviewed and this morning gloria allred who represents five women said the prince should speak to law enforcement regarding the case. andy moore reports. speaking outside jeffrey speaking outsidejeffrey epstein's mansion, the american prosecutor said he didn't normally comment on whether a witness was cooperating are not. but he would make an exception in this case because prince andrew has publicly offered to help. the southern district of new york and the fbi have contacted

prince andrew's attorneys and requested to interview prince andrew. and today, prince andrew has provided zero cooperation. prince andrew says he did not see or suspect any suspicious behaviour when visiting the homes of his then friend. now that prince andrew has stepped down from official royal duties, buckingham palace is not commenting. and there has been no response so commenting. and there has been no response so far from prince andrew's lawyers. but there has been from some of the women they say they were jeffrey epstein's victims. well, i am glad he has gone public to try and embarrass vince andrew, who made one statement and then behind closed doors is doing something very different. the five jeffrey epstein victims who are represent are outraged and disappointed at prince andrew's behaviour. one victim claimed she was forced to have sex with prince andrew and his associates. prince andrew completely denies any sexual encounter with her. he knows what happened, i

know what happens and that there is only one of us telling the truth. in the now infamous newsnight interview last year, prince andrew said he was willing to talk to investigators with some conditions. the legal advice was to do so then i would be duty—bound to do so. advice was to do so then i would be duty-bound to do so. in a statement a few days later when he stepped down from royal duties, his commitment was even clearer. he said, of course i'm willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations if required. american prosecutors have many questions to ask about prince andrew's relationship withjeffrey epstein. so far at least prince andrew seems unwilling to answer them. andy moore, bbc news. and this is what the lawyer who represents the victims ofjeffrey epstein had to say. these victims

have been suffering for many years so i always said about prince andrew, not words but deeds, go ahead and speak to law enforcement. and now what is he going to do, not respond to the press about it? just try to evade? this is not going to be acceptable. now for a time for a look at the weather. it has been a mile start to the year. you can see where we have had some snow showers. the best of the sunshine has been through central and southern areas and generally with a westerly feed, the further east you are you mightjust dodge some of those showers. there will be a rash of showers accompanied by a blustery wind. they will be primarily of rain, maybe a bit of ale. it will continue to fail on the cool side. top temperatures

between five and 8 degrees. through the night to night, the westerly winds still continue to push our sin. they will turn back to snow as the temperatures fall away, particularly in the higher ground in scotland. elsewhere, we keep clearer skies. there could be some icy stretches first thing in the morning. as we go through wednesday into thursday, some rain into the far north, but turning milder. hello this is bbc newsroom live with joanna gosling. the headlines the government has decided to allow the chinese telecoms company huawei to have a limited role in the development of the uk's 5g mobile network. welcome tojust a minute! broadcaster and host of radio 4'5just a minute, nicholas parsons, has died aged 96 after a short illness. a report says the salary threshold

for skilled migrants coming to britain should be lowered to just over £25,000 a year. lawyers representing women who say they were sexually assaulted byjeffrey epstein say they are outraged at claims prince andrew has not cooperated with american prosecutors. the foreign office has begun the process of trying to help britons stuck in the chinese city of wuhan to get out, as the coronavirus death toll rises. one british man who is being airlifted out today tells us it has been a frightening time. it's been pretty scary. we have been basically under house arrest. you can't really go anywhere other than go to the store. all restaurants, all bars all places of business are closed down. we have a special report on a scientific expedition in antarctica which has confirmed a giant glacier is melting at an accelerated rate. the second stage of the public

inquiry into the grenfell tower disaster is underway. the first part of the inquiry was to discover what happened, this stage is to find out why, and the key focus is the cladding used on the high—rise block. well, our correspondent dan johnson has been at the inquiry hearing this morning and he sent this update. we have heard further opening submissions from some of the companies involved and that refurbishment of grand bell tower, which happened a few years before the fire. what really hits you is how complicated that refurbishment was, those who manufacture it, the planning, those who put it on the building, then the different bodies involved in testing the fire safety and inspecting the finaljob in signing at all. so many different companies involved it becomes very easy to see how something fell through the cracks in terms of making sure the project was safe in

terms of fire safety. that is why the first part of the enquiry found the first part of the enquiry found the cladding system was so dangerous, so flammable and help the fire spread so quickly. we have heard from the manufacture of the cladding panels. they were accused yesterday by the company who fitted the panels of knowing they were flammable, knowing they were dangerous and having sent internal e—mails saying at this panel should not be used in high—rise buildings. the representative of the manufacturer said, yes, those panels we re manufacturer said, yes, those panels were capable of catching fire but it is all about the way the panels were used, the way they were fitted together, that was the responsibility of the contractors. they are saying that wasn't taken seriously enough and not enough thought was given to how those panels will be fitted together. we we re panels will be fitted together. we were told yesterday to expect potentially a merry—go—round of buckpassing between these different companies. it feels alreadyjust in

the early stages of this enquiry that we are already deep into that. the manufacturer's representative said he wasn't going to indulge in that, but the message he has sent out is that whoever‘s felt this was, it was in tears. we are just in the opening statements by each company. there is months of evidence to be heard here as this enquiry gets deeper into its second stage. thwaites glacier, one of the biggest in antarctica, is roughly the size of britain. it is melting faster than originally thought. if it disappears completely it could lead to a huge rise in global sea levels. as part of the bbc‘s ‘0ur planet matters' series, our chief environment correspondent, justin rowlatt, has travelled across west antarctica, to witness the biggest scientific field project in antarctic history. here's his report.

until this year, only four people had ever been here, the front of what they call the doomsday glacier. until this year, only four people had ever been here, the front of what they call the doomsday glacier. but understanding what is happening here is crucial for us all. this ice here is very accessible to change. if we are thinking about what is sea level going to be like in ten years, this glacier is the place to be and this is the location to ask these questions at. we are standing right on it. the chaos of broken ice at front is almost 100 miles wide, and is collapsing into the sea at two miles a year. it sits at the heart of the vast region of ice in west antarctica. the glacier is the size of britain, and contains more than half a metre of sea level rise. but if thwaites goes, much of the west antarctic ice sheet will as well, and there is three metres more locked up in that. it is enough to swamp many of the great cities of the world, and drive hundreds of millions of people from their homes. getting here is not easy. it takes five weeks just to get the science teams and their equipment to the front of the glacier. this is a historic moment, the first time anyone has tried

to drill down through this glacier. beneath the 600 metres of ice below me is the most important point of all, the point at which the ice meets the ocean water. it is difficult work, but deploying instruments under the ice is the only way to begin to understand the processes at work here, and to make accurate predictions of how sea level will rise in the future. this is a world first, the first time anyone has seen the place where this glacier goes afloat, the point where it begins to melt. i was yelling and screaming, like, oh, my god! we're there, we're there! you can see the water, the ice coming down at you, the sea floor coming up at you, and it'sjust a huge rush of energy. the bed of glacier is a place we have never been and particularly here where it starts to float. and thwaites really matters because it is so vulnerable. strip away the ice from west

antarctica, and look — most of this part of the continent is below sea level. that means the glacier, and indeed the whole region, could begin to retreat increasingly rapidly. this year's work has already confirmed the scientist's worst fears. the deep, warm ocean water that circles antarctica is flowing into the coast here. and because the seabed slopes downwards, as the ice melts, it willjust expose more and more ice to that water. it will take decades, maybe more than a century, for thwaites to melt. but it is melting, and we need to know how quickly if we're going to protect ourselves as the world's oceans rise. you can find out more about the ground—breaking science taking place at thwaites glacier at bbc.co.uk/news or on the bbc news app.

let's get more now on the news that the british government has announced that chinese telecoms firm huawei and other ‘high risk vendors' will be banned from sensitive parts of the 5g network, such as nuclear sites and military bases, but will still be allowed to continue be a part of the roll—out across the uk, but to have nore then 35% presence in the periphery network. huawei's president said it is reassured that it can continue working with its customers to roll—out 5g. washington has warned that granting the chinese telecoms giant access to the system would jeopardise intelligence sharing between the us and britain and we're yet to get a reaction from the us. joining us to answer some of your questions about huawai is our senior technology reporter zoe kleinman and joe hancock, who is a cyber security expert from mischon de reya. welcome both of

you. joe, is the us objection to huawei just a trade control measure? i don't think it is anything to do with security, that is from kenneth barnsley. dgs does seem is from kenneth barnsley. dgs does seem to have a genuine concern that allowing a foreign nation state's equipment into a very sensitive network important for lots of people and businesses could be problematic. why is the us so determined huawei should not be involved in the 5g network here, you can say what it once at home, but why here? the most important reason is that all eyes are on the uk. lots of other countries are thinking about this problem at the moment i will be looking to see what the uk decides to do. the us is leaning on the uk because it knows it will impact

decisions more globally. it does have security concerns about the company. we are asked, is huawei the only company supplying this technology? it is the frontrunner. it has traditionally been the cheapest and has spent a lot of time and money over the years developing this kit. there is another chinese firm, zen te, but as china is the issue, that ruled that out. ericsson and nokia say they are ready to go and nokia say they are ready to go and can step into the breach and supply equipment if needed, but they area supply equipment if needed, but they are a lot more expensive. if they are a lot more expensive. if they are being limited to 35%, there are other companies taking up the slack. boris other companies taking up the slack. bori5johnson has said he will seek to attract fenders from outside the uk. 0ne to attract fenders from outside the uk. one of the problems here as this isa uk. one of the problems here as this is a slightly niche area. the us doesn't have its own supplier, the uk doesn't, there aren't many

places to go to find kit at a reasonable price and at the skill required. question from jan in telford, talktalk use huawei routers for their broadband, is this a cure for their broadband, is this a cure for the home? the difference between a rich in the home and a cure for the home? the difference between richer in the home and the network which might affect everyone is the issue there. home routers have had plenty of problems. we have seen plenty of attacks on them over the years. the risk comes down to how many people have them. if you are a talktalk customer and have had huawei richer, only talktalk customers can be affected. if somebody could switch off the 5g network, switch it off, do something nefarious, it could affect the whole of the uk. why are we spending money on 5g, we are asked, when there are still parts of the country that don't even have two g? we the country that don't even have two g ? we have the country that don't even have two g? we have no network where i live. this is an ongoing issue, isn't it?

there has been a real struggle for people in rural areas to keep up. it is the progress, i suppose. it is more than likely to roll out in big cities. if it costs billions of pounds to build a site, you want millions of people using it. there are millions of people using it. there a re lots of millions of people using it. there are lots of plans ongoing to connect the rest of the uk. 0penreach has announced it is trying to connect more and more people to fast broadband. it is wrapped that up this year. there will be captured, but inevitably it will cities first. a question here, our otherfirms able to provide this technology? perhaps us companies that the us government is trying to support? what is interesting is there was speculation that boris what is interesting is there was speculation that bori5johnson and donald trump had talked about whether there was any collaboration

that could be done to come up with the uk- gs that could be done to come up with the uk— gs alternative. that will not happen overnight, it will take a lot of time and research. we will have to look outside of that alliance. the two main partners, the main players in that game seem to be ericsson and nokia. another question, can you provide a non—telecom engineers description of the sg non—telecom engineers description of the 5g system structure to explain huawei position? the main changes with 56 are outside of the network. this is what people would think of the saltire they might see on top of the saltire they might see on top of the building that communicate wirelessly between your device and the network. the core is the central processing rid of the network. it is where your billing is done, call to rated from one person to another. because of that openness it is much more sensitive. the functions that happen within there, if somebody

could control them, you could cause problems for all those people connected around the outside. the area where huawei are looking to be placed will be on that edge, producing things like the antenna and radio access points that you will see on the buildings at the end of your road. why all the fuss about sg? of your road. why all the fuss about 5g? tech of your road. why all the fuss about 5g ? tech macro of your road. why all the fuss about 5g? tech macro is being used in all of the new bt infinity cables providing broadband networks to peoples homes? these are the green cabinets that you see at the end of the road 0h, cabinets. huawei is everywhere. they are a huge telecoms provider. they are all over the world. it comes down to what the risk is. if more and more devices move on to 5g, risk is. if more and more devices move on to 56, it becomes the future of connectivity, and huawei are at the core of that, they are just on the core of that, they are just on the edge of what is essentially

domestic broadband. what are other european countries doing? we are absolutely not alone. 0ther doing? we are absolutely not alone. other european countries are developing the same thing. all we know is outside of europe is that australia has also chosen to ban huawei. there are other questions being asked in europe. germany is thinking about this problem. we might see things happen quite quickly now we know what the uk is doing. it might well be that it influences those countries to make this decision sooner rather than later. so what is australia are using? it is looking at alternatives at the moment, i believe. it is not clear yet how they will play catch up. iam clear yet how they will play catch up. i am thinking they will probably have to look at the existing

suppliers. thank you both very much. thank you for sending in your questions. the government is due to announce funding for studies into whether two railway lines closed during the beeching cuts of the 19605 could be reopened. the lines run to blyth valley in northumberland, and to fleetwood in lancashire. the £500 million fund was promised in the tory election manifesto in november. but labour has called the plan "meaningless", saying the money would only reopen 25 miles of railway. earlier, the transport secretary, grant shapps, said that reversing the cuts made by beeching would connect left behind communities. we've got to build the entire network, which is why that £48 billion working on the existing network's important. but i also think things like reversing these beeching cuts is really important as well. so we can connect up all of these communities, many of whom just get left behind because they were

cut off from the railway network and nobody seemed to care all these years. well the shadow transport secretary andy mcdonald has criticised the government's proposal. well, it's drivel. i'm amazed that anybody is taken in by it. £500 million — if that sum was devoted to restoring railways, that would cover about 25 miles. there were 3300 miles taken out by beeching, so you can readily see that to say that this marks the beginning of the reversal of the beeching cuts is disingenuous at the very least. this is simply seedcorn money to look at some feasibility studies, but to herald it as the reversal of the beeching cuts is, quite frankly, a sickjoke. i'd be more interested if there was a real commitment to reversing some of the grayling cuts to the electrification programmes that were cancelled over the last several years, i'd start to take this government is a bit more seriously. now with all the business news, here is ben brown.

in the business news: the uk's financial regulator has asked banks to explain how they set their new overdraft rates. the financial conduct authority is suspicious that most high street banks have set "very similar prices", after it demanded changes to the system. several big brands including santander, lloyds banking group and hsbc are set to bring in a 39.9% rate this year. historic railway lines closed more than 50 years ago under the so—called beeching cuts could be restored under new plans. transport secretary grant shapps says a new fund will investigate the viability of reviving the lines. the rmt union has dismissed the pledge as "pr spin way out of control". sainsbury's has promised to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero over the next 20 years. the supermarket chain, the second largest in the uk, says it will spend £1 billion to reach the target.

it's pledged to reduce emissions from areas like refrigeration and transport. more on that government move to reinstate some of the rail lines scrapped in the controversial beeching reforms of the 19605. the £500 million fund was promised in the tory election manifesto in november, but labour have called the plan "meaningless", suggesting the money would reopen just 25 miles of railway. the rmt says the funds are a "drop in the ocean". robert nisbet is from the rail delivery group. he says assessing the proposed new lines is vital to ensure the investment is value for money. you have to look at the business case. you have to understand that beeching made the decision back in the 19605 to cut a third of services and shutdown 2300 stations because they won't consider them to be value for money. all of these cases

have to be tested to see if they are value for money. we consider rail travel to be the greenest form of getting large numbers of people into and around the country, so we would support any initiative that would look at the possibility of reversing some of these cuts. look at the possibility of reversing some of these cuts. for many businesses across the uk, the question of how the trading landscape will look post brexit has seen them having to take big steps in order to try and mitigate against any possible disruption. allergy therapeutics are a pharmaceutical company based in west sussex. one of their problems is how rules for medicine might diverge once the uk has left the eu, so in order to limit any direct impact of such changes, they've built a similar laboratory in spain. allergy therapeutics is a vaccine manufacturing company for people with severe allergy to grass. we are based in worthing. up to 90% of our sales are made within the eu. when

we leave the eu we become a third country. that means the testing that we do in the uk is not recognised by the european union as suitable to release the product, so we had to build a laboratory within our facility in madrid and kitted out with exactly the same laboratory equipment as we have in the uk. also, as we are the manufacturer, we still have to do the testing in the uk, so we test a product twice. there has been a lot of stockpiling. we have had two lorries, one going from the uk and one from spain to our main customer, germany. the stock has been in two locations and has been quite tricky to manage. we now know that we have another deadline of december this year. i think our concerns are around the shipments. there is still confusion in the eu regarding importation and how that will work and

all of the confusion regarding customs can lead to delays for our customers and the receipt of their vital medicines. the other concern we have is the unnecessary requirement to repeat testing within another laboratory when that testing is already done in the uk. we are optimistic that a deal will be done, that there will bea deal will be done, that there will be a mutual agreement between the health authorities and that we can then ship as we did before into the eu without the additional test. we have a whole series of businesses telling us what they are urging to try to mitigate the concerns about the trading relationship after the uk leaves the eu. in other business stories we've been following, the times is reporting that the government plans to legalise escooters for use on uk roads and bike lanes in an attempt to encourage environmentally—friendly transport. it says a consultation will begin next month on how to regulate

the scooters as well as how to ensure safety. critics say the scooters are dangerous and several cities have banned their use, despite widespread popularity elsewhere. more than a dozen teams in the us national football league have had their social media accounts hacked. the hacking group 0urmine took responsibility for the attack, which said it was to show internet security was "still low" and had to be improved. the twitter, facebook and instagram accounts for 15 teams were compromised. several thousand aviva customers have received an apology after the insurer mistakenly called them all michael. the company, which has millions of customers, blamed a "temporary technical error" for the incorrect emails addressed to michael. it stressed that the wrong name was the only mistake and no personal details had been compromised. let me show you what is happening on

the markets. the ftse100 is doing a lot better than yesterday. it is due to the fallout from the coronavirus and the spread of that, the impact not only on travel but on commodities, oil. in japan, not only on travel but on commodities, oil. injapan, the market is down by 0.5%. the markets are so market is down by 0.5%. the markets are so close because they have extended the holiday to make sure people aren't travelling around the country. that's all the business news. let's return now to the death of nicholas parsons and the tributes which are being paid to the veteran radio and tv entertainer. and many, many other entertainers who knew him have been remembering nicholas parsons.

the director general of the bbc lord hall paid this tribute. i'm immensely saddened because he was a wonderful, warm, generous, clever host of just ten was a wonderful, warm, generous, clever host ofjust ten minutes and so clever host ofjust ten minutes and so many other television and radio programmes before that. he truly was a legend when it comes to radio and to that programme. to be doing what he did in his 905 with such charm and wit and flair, i think it is truly amazing. we will all

miss him hugely and our sympathies of course go out to his family. next, jane hill has the one o clock news, now it's time for the weather with louise lear. hello, there. it was a chilly start to the day to day. some of you even look up to a winter wonderland. there was a little bit of disruptive snow, particularly through scotland. there is no cheaply fell through the night. it is primarily turning my back to rain. we have showers being driven in by a blustery westwind. dodged the showers and you will get some lovely spells of sunshine. a beautiful morning in dorset. it looks as though central and southern parts of england will stay shower free. most of the showers will be in the west and when you factor in the wind and these temperatures, it is going to feel a touch on the chilly

side. through the night tonight we keep the westerly wind feeding them showers and across west facing coasts, and we could see more snow falling to the higher grounds. widespread calls, low single figures generally across the country, perhaps just below in rural areas. it will be a cold start to wednesday again. if we keep the showers going it is worth bearing in mind could be icy stretches, particularly on untreated roads bursting in the morning. into wednesday, a brief ridge of high pressure dominating the story before another weather from purchasing from the atlantic. it will be a quiet start on wednesday, almost like a transition day before this rain starts to push into northern ireland ireland and western scotland. 0h level of uncertainty as to just how far south that will affect. some of the rain could be quite heavy, 40 millimetres not out of the question, accompanied

by gusts of wind up to 40 miles an hour. elsewhere, a quieter story. a few isolated showers, temperatures a little bit warmer at between 7—10d. the milder air will position overnight into thursday. the south—westerly flow will drag on the milder air. there will be rain in the far north of scotland and quite a lot of cloud generally on thursday, but the real talking point will be the feel of the weather, noticeably milder, particularly to the early part of the week.

the chinese technology firm, huawei, is to be allowed to help build the uk's 5g mobile network. the government says the telecoms firm won't be given access to sensitive areas such as military bases and nuclear sites the decision comes despite pressure from the us to block the firm. we'll have the latest from our security correspondent and from westminster. also this lunchtime:

the salary threshold for skilled migrants coming to britain should be lowered to just over £25,500 a year — says a government—commissioned report. coronavirus has now killed more than 100 people in china — the foreign office says it's working on plans to bring home british citizens. welcome tojust a minute! cheering and applause. nicholas parsons, who chaired radio 4'5just a minute for more than 50 years, has died at the age of 96. and a glacier the size of britain is melting increasingly rapidly in antarctica — we report from a remote and complex scientific investigation: beneath the 600 metres of ice below me is the most important point of all. the point at which the ice meets the ocean water. coming up in the sport later in the hour on bbc news, roger federer‘s miraculous comeback in melbourne, saving seven match points to reach