you're watching bbc newsroom live. it's ham and these are the main stories this morning: scotland's finance secretary derek mackay quits hours before the budget. he admits he "behaved foolishly" in messaging a 16—year—old boy on social media. the government wants to rush through new rules in less than three weeks, in a bid to prevent a terrorist from being automatically released from prison. thejustice secretary insists it's not a knee—jerk reaction. there was a lot of muscle clenching, we are tough, this is all about punishment. this is about public protection. it is the firstjob of government to get that right, and that is what we are doing. president trump is cleared of abuse of power and obstructing congress after an impeachment trial which bitterly divided the united states.

a mother's agony as her daughter's murderer is released from jail, while still refusing to reveal where he buried her remains. i'm spartacus! kirk douglas dies at the age of 103, after a film career spanning seven decades. and coming up, back on the buses. £170 million to reverse a decline in england's bus network, with plans for more frequent services, and the first all—electric bus town. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live. scotland's finance secretary has resigned after a newspaper revealed he had been sending messages to a 16—year—old boy. derek mackay was due to present the scottish government's budget at holyrood this afternoon.

the scottish sun printed a series of message he sent the boy on social media over a six—month period, inviting him to dinner and to attend a rugby event. derek mackay has issued a statement, he says: i spoke last night with the first minister our correspondent in glasgow, james shaw, explained more about the background to the resignation. essentially what the scottish edition of the sun newspaper is recounting is a story over six months whereby derek mackay was in contact, apparently he contacted the 16—year—old boy out of the blue around about six months ago and spoke to him, sent messages,

they had conversations on instagram and facebook, and it seems derek mackay was, in some way, trying to establish a relationship with the boy. he invited him to dinner, as you have said, he invited him to a rugby event, and now, whatever his thinking was then, he accepts that his behaviour was foolish, as he puts it, and he has apologised unreservedly to the boy and his family. but clearly it is hugely damaging for him and for the scottish government as well, coming as it does come on the day of the scottish budget. has there been any reaction from the family or people around them? not that we have heard as yet. we do know from the sun's account of the story that his mother was extremely angry when she discovered these conversations had been taking place. derek mackay 42 years old, a

divorced father of two. this boy is 16 years old and the sun newspaper says he knew, mr mackay new, this boy was only 16. the newspaper says that the mother was furious that these conversations were going on. in their account of the story, she called for derek mackay to resign and, of course, that is what has now happened. what is the wider political impact of this likely to be? it certainly looks damaging at this point in the new cycle, as it were. it couldn't have come at a more awkward time for scotland's finance secretary, the day, the most important day of the year, when he is supposed to deliver his budget. scottish government spending amounting to about £115 million a year. he was due to announce that spending plan for 2020, 2021. that will now not happen. he will be

replaced by the public finance minister kate forbes, stepping in at the last minute. whether it has wider repercussions for the snp, for the scottish government, it is probably too early to tell. they are at the stage of damage limitation, i guess, trying to manage this extremely embarrassing and awkward situation as effectively and as carefully as they can to ensure that the scottish government can carry on doing itsjob. the scottish government can carry on doing its job. james shaw. the government wants emergency legislation ending the automatic release of convicted terrorists rushed through parliament in less than three weeks. ministers are said to be concerned about a shopkeeper from sunderland who is due to be freed at the end of the month, after being jailed for posting messages supporting the islamic state group, and calling for shia muslims to be burnt alive. it's understood that there are five other convicted terrorists due for release before the end of march. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw is here. danny, people are going to be really

alarmed that this question has not been sorted out already and worried about these individuals being mentioned now. it has been a long—standing principle of sentencing policy that, unless you are convicted of a very serious crime, you serve a portion of your sentence in prison and the rest of it in the community with licence conditions attached. the idea is you don't go from present one minute to com plete don't go from present one minute to complete release without any conditions without any supervision. that is the sort of principle behind it. this has become hugely controversial because what it means for many offenders is that they serve half of their sentence in prison and then they are released automatically, automatic halfway release is how it is described. the problem the government has got after these three attacks in london, cambridgeshire and streatham, the

problem the government has got is that you have more prisoners coming out similar to those who carried out those attacks, released at the halfway point and the danger is that they could be copycat attacks or other similar incidents. that is what they are trying to stop by introducing new laws that would apply even to prisoners who have already been convicted and sentenced and told you are coming out at the halfway point. that will no longer apply to them. we will hopefully get more on this in the coming. we want to ta ke more on this in the coming. we want to take you live now to oppress briefing. liu xiaoming, is giving a press conference from the chinese embassy in central london on the coronavirus outbreak. let's hear what he has to say. to prevent the further spread of the disease. more than 6000 medical professionals from all over the country have arrived in the province, including wuhan. medical

supplies such as masks, hazmat suits, medicines and necessities such as meat and vegetables have been transported to the affected areas. without delay. two specialised hospitals were built in ten days and have started to receive and treat the critically ill. i want to emphasise that although the large number of people have been infected with the virus, the mortality rate in china, which stands at 2.1% is very low. this is much lower than a bowler, —— ebola. and other

outbreaks in previous years. more than 90 million people have fallen ill with the flu so far this season. with a death toll being 10,000. this is more serious than coronavirus. currently in china is the number of cured patients is rising and we are fully confident in beating the virus. china is also honouring its obligation, the director—general of world health organization has expressed his full confidence, expressed his full confidence, expressed full recognition of china's prevention and control

effo rts china's prevention and control efforts and spoken highly of tremendous contribution that china has made to the world in fighting the disease. he said that china is setting a new standard for outbreak response. there is great porters and containing the spread of the virus to other countries and regions. china has strengthened management and control and overseas travelling of chinese citizens and called on chinese citizens to take on their social responsibilities to prevent further spread of the disease. as of february three, there are 153 cases outside china which accounted for less tha n outside china which accounted for less than 1% of all cases. this is a testa m e nt to less than 1% of all cases. this is a testament to the effectiveness of

their measures that china has taken and it's important contribution to preventing the spread of disease and protecting the health and safety of people of china and of the whole world. third, the chinese government has attached great importance to enhancing international cooperation. china is open, transparent and responsible in this cooperation with the world. first, china has shared with who and the relevant countries and regions the information about epidemic, including genetic sequence of the virus. this is highly appreciated by who and many countries and regions. china has also kept in close touch with many countries on the prevention and

control of the disease. second, china has attached great importance to the safety of foreign nationals living in china and tried its best to address the difficulties they face keeping them informed about epidemic through various channels, including through foreign representative institutions. foreign nationals in china have been tested positive of the disease, of which two have been cured and 1a and under quarantine and treatment, and are all in stable conditions. china has also offered some countries, including the uk, assistance in evacuation of their nationals. third, the chinese enhancing

cooperation in research, working together to safeguard the safety of public health around the world. in face of the epidemic, people have shown great love to each other. government officials and people from all walks of life in many countries have expressed their sympathy, trust and support for china. many governments and international organisations have donated supplies for epidemic prevention and control. here in the uk, the business community, chinese associations, chinese students, have donated money and supplies through various channels. a few days ago, right here at the chinese embassy, a donation ceremony was held, attended by more

than 20 chinese community and student associations in the uk. we have been deeply moved and greatly encouraged. we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all those in the uk who have shown their love, their support, and their kindness. ladies and gentlemen, the chinese government has the firm resolve and has taken serious, vigorous measures to prevent the spread of the disease. this will continue to be the most important work. first, we will try our best to treat the infected. every life counts. the right to survival and health is the

most basic and important human right. medical institutions all over china i doing their very best to increase the hospitalisation rate, the cure rate, and reduce the infection rate and mortality rate. second, we will strengthen the epidemic prevention and control effo rts epidemic prevention and control efforts in key areas. by key areas we mean especially wuhan city. measures are being improved and strengthened in this province and city. patients are diagnosed, reported isolated and treated in the most timely manner. monitoring of the epidemic is strengthened. the affected a re the epidemic is strengthened. the affected are treated in specialised

hospitals. people have close encounters with patients are under close medical observations. all of this is aimed at preventing further spread of the disease. third, we are enhancing international cooperation on epidemic prevention and control and on scientific research. china will continue working closely with who, countries and regions. a few days ago, china published a multi—language version of the guide for the general public to prevent pneumonia caused by the coronavirus which has been shared with all countries in the world through social media and other channels at top speed. this demonstrates china's

sincerity to work with international communities to fight the disease. this also shows china's determination to pick up its responsibility as a reliable, global player. as i understand, researchers from china and the uk and other countries are working around the clock to trace the origin and transmission route of the virus, followed closely as revolution, share relevant data and case information, design prevention and strategies and measures and develop new vaccines. ladies and gentlemen, it is understandable that there are concerns in the uk and the rest of the world about the epidemic. some people are worried that it might

have an effect on china's economy or even the world's economy. there are also reactions by individual countries, panic among the public, and even insulting and discriminatory remarks and behaviour targeting the overseas chinese community. with regard to these issues, i want to stress the following four points. first, the impact on china's economy should be seen from a comprehensive perspective. at the moment, the epidemic is having a relatively severe impact on the service sector, including transport, tourism, hospitality, catering, films and entertainment. but the impact will be short—term and temporary. it will

not change the fundamentals of china's economy which will maintain sound growth in the long run. chinese economy is highly resilient and has enormous potentialfor growth in mid to long term. china has the capability and confidence to minimise the economic impact of the epidemic. the world bank and the economist have all agreed the impact of the epidemic in china's economy is temporary. they have full confidence in the future of china's economy. second, understanding the epidemic should be objective and reasonable. the who has reiterated that it disapproves of, and is even against, travel and trade

restrictions in china. in recent days, the uk on a bilateral level, has fully recognised china's tremendous methods infighting the virus. and also expressed willingness to enhance cooperation with china and do its best to assist china in its efforts. it is our hope that the governments of all countries, including the uk, should understand and support china's efforts, respect the professional advice of the who, avoid overreaction, avoid creating panic, and ensure the normal cooperation and ensure the normal cooperation and exchanges between countries. third, media reports of the epidemic should be objective and fair. coronavirus have been hitting the

headlines in many countries, including here in the uk. many of the port speaks highly of china's hantavirus the port speaks highly of china's ha ntavirus efforts and the port speaks highly of china's hantavirus efforts and offer objective and reasonable advice. we appreciate all of this. however, some reports are biased and even maintain malicious slander and misinformation. rumours and panic are more frightening than the virus itself. confidence and determination are of vital importance in overcoming the epidemic. public health goes beyond national borders and requires the joint efforts of all sides, including the media, who should take up their due social risk

—— social responsibility. we should join hands to oppose any insulting or disc discriminatory remarks. this is a time forfacts, not discriminatory remarks. this is a time for facts, not fear. this discriminatory remarks. this is a time forfacts, not fear. this is discriminatory remarks. this is a time for facts, not fear. this is a time for facts, not fear. this is a time for facts, not fear. this is a time for science, not rumours. this isa time time for science, not rumours. this is a time for solidarity, not a stigma. i believe this is a time for reason and call headedness. this is a time for scientific approach and reasonable response. it is my hope that people from all portions of society will stand up against this challenge and pull together. ladies and gentlemen, as the chinese saying goes, one people of one mind, they

can move you mountain terrain. it is the highest mountain in china. if we are of one mind, we can move this mountain. iam are of one mind, we can move this mountain. i am confident under the struggling district of the communist party of china and with the strength of their chinese characteristics and the solidarity and perseverance of the solidarity and perseverance of the chinese people, and broad support from the international community, we will beat the virus. that was the chinese ambassador to the uk with a clear message they're asking for solidarity and support to beat the virus, urging people not to panic, not to exaggerate and talking about the international cooperation that china is involved in. also saying that there had been many deaths just from normal saying that there had been many

deathsjust from normalflu, for example, in the us and therefore asking for a degree of perspective in the coverage of what is going on and the reactions. let speak to robin brant in shanghai. you heard some of that, i think. what did you think of it? i think what you have just heard from the man who i think is china's longest serving foreign diplomat is a highly objective and highly optimistic version of what is going on here. let's out with that point about comparing it to flu in the us and how many people are affected and killed by that. this version of coronavirus here is not as deadly as the outbreak we saw 18 yea rs as deadly as the outbreak we saw 18 years ago but it is infecting far more people. that means that although the mortality rate may be low in terms of 2%, if we can trust the figures, it is affecting far

more people, far more people might in the future be killed. let's talk about other elements of the things he said. there tends to be a vaccine, inoculation, on a yearly basis for flu, available to most people around the world. there is no vaccine or inoculation as yet for this type of coronavirus, so there is another side to those constant comparisons that we keep hearing. let's talk about the fact that there are very few let's talk about the fact that there are very few cases let's talk about the fact that there are very few cases breaking out in people abroad. that is true, the number is very small, it is centred in hubei. injapan, on that ship, they have discovered another ten people positive for the virus. the numbers are taking up both domestically and abroad. he talks about love from people in the uk, chinese students associations, cooperation with the uk government, but of course the uk government now regards china as a country citizens

should leave if they can do so... but they should not unless it is vital. they talk about transparency but we know that the president admitted just in the past few days there had been deficiencies and shortcomings. the mayor of wuhan admitting last week they didn't take the virus serious enough when it broke out there. we know there was a two or three week period between them realising what they had on their hands and it being passed up to the government in beijing. like i said, a very one—sided, optimistic view, perhaps unsurprisingly. note right at the end before praising the people of this country, he praised the communist party, the ruling communist party here in terms of being the people at the very top, in terms of trying to contain this.

there are other sides to this. one more thing i might add, in terms of the accusations that people are spreading panic, the us in particular. we are hearing anecdotal evidence time time of people being turned away from hospitals here in wuhan, they can't get treatment, there is not enough hospital beds, and that is evidence that is undeniable. it is of course the chinese government, understandably, but nonetheless in some parts of this countries in shutting down cities and districts, insisting people can't go anywhere, insisting people can't go anywhere, insisting people don't travel, and that may be feeding a sense of panic domestically. briefly, his words urging reassurance do seem to contrast with their domestic reaction. why do you think he has made this speech? because he wants to give the best possible impression that he can to western media based

in the uk. he is a very experienced senior diplomat. his english is absolutely perfect. he started giving these media conferences recently, particularly on the issue of huawei, the tech giant. i am sure he will give a long version of china's government, the ruling communist party, their take on how things are going at the moment. many thanks indeed for that. this sunday will mark 32 years... this sunday will mark 32 years since helen mccourt went missing on her way home from work in merseyside. pub landlord ian simms was jailed for her murder, but has never revealed where her body is. yesterday he was released from prison. helen's mum, marie has spent years campaigning to deny killers parole unless they reveal where their victims' bodies are. now legislation, known as helen's law, will be introduced.

marie has been speaking exclusively to breakfast‘s jayne mccubbin about why, in the case of her daughter's killer, it's come too late. when i got the call this morning, i knew that's what it was going to be. i said, i can't believe that they'd do this. marie mccourt has long dreaded this phone call. just four days before the 32nd anniversary of her daughter's murder, her killer ian simms was released from jail. it's helen's anniversary on sunday. ijust think, could they not have shown just a little bit of sensitivity and compassion? helen mccourt‘s murder made history. simms was one of the very first people in the uk convicted on dna evidence without the discovery of her body. part of helen's bloodstained earring was found in his pub, another in the boot of his car, fibres and blood found on clothing and towels dumped miles away. yet simms refused to admit his guilt

or reveal where her body was hidden. for years, marie mccourt petitioned for helen's law — no body, no parole. and last year the government finally agreed. laws will be introduced to ensure that the parole system recognises the pain to victims and their families caused by offenders refusing to disclose information relating to their crimes. but the legislation has stalled. so for marie, that commitment has come too late. if it hadn't have been for a general election and brexit... and brexit, yes. ..and a number of other things... it would have gone through. ..it would have gone through. you came so close. so close, yes. it must feel brutal to you. it's — yeah. i can go through all of that, the part that upsets me is that i can't give helen one last goodbye.

the only thing i want is to have my child back. whatever tiny bits and pieces there are, it's my daughter's, and i want them back. and i can't have them now. all marie has is a memorial bench in the family's church, in the village where simms once ran his pub. she can't bear to leave this place. 32 years on, she still organises searches for helen's body, the last in october, the next later this month. simms wakes up this morning in a hostel on a tag. he's forbidden from entering a huge area spanning miles around the mccourts' family home, notjust to avoid him coming into contact with them, but, the family tell me, to stop him returning to helen's body. i kept telling myself i'm strong enough to deal with that. ok, it may not benefit my case,

but it will hopefully benefit all the people who are going through the same thing as me, and for the families who will also follow on. because i know that pain they're going through, and i wouldn't wish it on anyone. you came so close. yes. so close. i didn't think a heart could break twice. but mine did. the american astronaut christina koch has landed back sorry, we will come back to that story. we have a report from police in northern ireland about a ferry that researched, nothing was found

and it sailed as planned. they received a further report that a device was attached to a lorry living to a haulage company. there was a surge, and a bomb was found attached to a lorry in county armagh. we will confirm or details as soon as we can. the american astronaut christina koch has landed back on earth this morning after a record stay on board the international space station. she spent 328 days in space, surpassing the previous record held by fellow american peggy whitson. during her mission, koch completed more than 5,000 orbits of the earth and travelled 223 million kilometres, that's the equivalent of 291 round trips to the moon from earth. libbyjackson is the human exploration programme manager at the uk space agency. she's in swindon.

it is impossible to get your head around these figures. why is it so unusual to see a woman spending this level of time in space question mighti level of time in space question might i suppose it is difficult for anyone, but why for a woman in particular? it is unusual for anyone to spend that amount of time in space. usually, you see astronauts and cosmonauts spent six months on the space station, because of problems around the new commercial crew vehicles that america have been developing, nasa asked christina koch to stay on for longer and extend her mission. she has been up there for a year, only 12 days short of the flight by scott kelly, who was in space for a year. when astronauts go into space for so long, we can learn about their bodies because they change and

evolve. a lot of the changes that happen reflect what happens to everybody as they get older. as well as the great spacewalk she has done, she has herself been able to contravene a lot to the scientific knowledge. is it damaging to their bodies? absolutely things change. your bones and your muscles get weaker, that's one of the reasons you can see her coming out of the spacecraft, she has helped out because of the bones and muscles getting weaker with every month that you stake in space. they exercise to try and reduce that damage. the fluid shifts around the body. when you are floating in space, you don't feel the effects of gravity, so your fluid equalises through your body. your heart gets weaker, the fluid in your brain could change. all sorts of things happen. when you come back to earth, the body adapts again, it

can takea to earth, the body adapts again, it can take a little while, after a year to get back to normal. she will have been exposed to slightly more radiation than people down on earth. these are some of the challenges we help solve the international space station, and things we have to learn and understand more if we are going to send humans back to the moon and on to mars. which we hope to do in future, and the uk hopes to be part of that through the european space agency's contributions to these efforts. extraordinary changes there, they are brilliant and brave, these astronauts. how about the mental capacity of her being able to cope for that long? it sounds incredibly difficult. it is very difficult. it is an isolating place, but the astronauts to have good communications, they are able to talk to their loved ones everyday, they can ring whoever they like, they can ring whoever they like, they have got video communications. some of those are things that the uk provide as one of our contributions to the international exploration

endeavour, which is where we have strengths. they love looking out the window, and the astronauts are trained for this, they know what they are going to face. they always talk about missing their home in space as much as they want to be back on earth. good if you join space as much as they want to be back on earth. good if youjoin us, thank you. thank you. child protection organisations have called on facebook to stop the roll—out of encryption on its direct messaging services. the company is moving ahead with plans to implement the measure on facebook messenger and instagram direct. more than 100 organisations, led by the nspcc, have signed an open letter warning the plans will give abusers a place to hide. today, home secretary priti patel released a statement backing the nspcc‘s efforts to engage facebook on this issue. i'm nowjoined by andy burrows, he's the head of child safety online policy at the nspcc.

can you explain why this move by facebook is going to make the online space even more dangerous? we are delighted to have led 130 organisations across the world with a very clear organisations across the world with a very clear message organisations across the world with a very clear message that facebook was macro proposals to encrypt its services, so facebook messenger and instagram direct, posing considerable risks for children. that is because at a stroke, if encryption is introduced, years of very sophisticated techniques to be able to identify child abuse images will be lost. facebook will lose the ability to be able to identify grooming taking place on its site, and it means that in the space of a few clicks, a child abuser or groomer would be able to make initial contact with a child using the site's features, the recommendations that all of us get, and they can send encrypt it m essa g es to and they can send encrypt it messages to children which neither

facebook nor law enforcement will be able to access. is there anything the government can do to stop this happening? facebook has been adamant that it wants to proceed with these features. mark zuckerberg talks about the trade—off between privity and safety. he believes it is the right thing to do with a moral certainty which you only seem to find in silicon valley executives. if facebook won't listen, it is essential that the government must. we are close, possibly days away from the government committing to statutory regulation of tech firms, and it is vital that we see enforcea ble and it is vital that we see enforceable —— a legally enforceable mandate being put on facebook. can that be enforced just within one country, given the global nature of

people's data? absolutely. for many yea rs, people's data? absolutely. for many years, tech firms have argued to great effect that this is something that can really only happen globally, but we know that facebook relies of the uk, it is one of the largest markets for facebook. there isa largest markets for facebook. there is a real opportunity here for this government to really set out a british model for how we regulate the internet that in turn can become the internet that in turn can become the global standard for how we protect children online. we are calling on the government now to step up and deliver that regulation because that can be a game changer to keep children safe from the risk of online sexual abuse. thank you for your time. some news is coming in that a burglar who sexually assaulted and murdered an 89—year—old widow in her own home in london in tottenham has been jailed at the old bailey, with

a life term, minimum term, of 3a yea rs. a life term, minimum term, of 3a years. that is a particularly brutal assault and murder of a pensioner, and that sentence has just come in. the white house has called president trump's acquittal at his impeachment trial "a full vindication and exoneration". senators voted along party lines in the republican—dominated chamber, and prosecutors failed to gain the two—thirds majority necessary to convict mr trump on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress. the democratic minority leader, chuck schumer, said the acquittal was without value as the republicans had refused to allow any witnesses. chris buckler reports from washington. trump is... guilty! despite the protests and many accusations, donald trump was never going to be found guilty. this divisive president split the senate, just as he has split the american public. senators, how say you? is the respondent, donald john trump, guilty or not guilty?

it would have needed two thirds of senators to remove mr trump from office and his party has a majority in the chamber. in the end, only one broke ranks. mr romney? guilty. mr romney, guilty. mitt romney, who delivered a passionate speech, was the sole member of the president's party to find him guilty of the first charge, that he abused his power to try to benefit himself politically. the president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. the president withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. republicans claim democratic leaders rushed into impeachment and, although they tried to talk up the success of getting mitt romney to vote with them, many people believe the acquittal is a gift to a president running for re—election. no, not at all. this was seeking the truth. history, if you believe that right prevails, we know we were right and we know they know they were wrong,

as evidenced by the hiding, shaking in the cloakroom and even being unwilling to listen to the other side. polls suggest that in recent days, president trump's approval ratings have been rising. the white house is presenting this impeachment as an attempt to overturn the will of the people who voted him into office in the first place. i really do believe that the democrats keep trying to run down this president because they know they can't run against this president. i think they tried to impeach this president because they know they can't defeat president donald trump in november 2020. president trump is due to deliver a public statement later today, expected to be nothing short of a victory speech. he believes he has been exonerated, vindicated, and that this whole impeachment process has backfired on the democrats. on twitter, the president posted

a mock—up of a time magazine cover in which he wins elections for decades to come. mr trump can only serve two terms, but it's clear he believes the outcome of this trial has made a second one much more likely. chris buckler, bbc news, washington. the latest results from the democratic caucasus in the us state of iowa show the left—wing senator bernie sanders and the centrist former mayor pete buttigieg almost tied in first place. elizabeth warren, who came in third place, would have five deleagates. the other two would have about 11. the other two would have about 11. the numbers are still changing on that. we will wait for the final results, of course. i have been speaking to greg swenson — a partner at investment bank brigg macadam, and member of republicans overseas,

a group for republican supporters who live and work outside of the united states — he told me what he thinks president trump's acquittal at his impeachment trial demonstrates. i think what it proved as either he did something inappropriate that clearly wasn't impeachable and the bar has been lowered on impeachment, which has some long—term implications, or he didn't do anything wrong. either way, the whole impeachment process was doomed from the start. they knew that. for three years, they have been pushing back the extreme progressive left of her party, saying that impeachment isa her party, saying that impeachment is a bad idea, it only works if it is a bad idea, it only works if it is bipartisan. this was clearly not bipartisan. it is difficult for that process to be bipartisan. it is almost presented as a legal trial, but is totally political. of course, it isa but is totally political. of course, it is a little instrument. you don't actually have to commit a crime. bill clinton, at least was a crime committed and the same with nixon, there was a crime committed. but it

doesn't necessarily require that. it is very political. in both the nixon and clinton impeachment is, it was bipartisan. you had republicans coming over the wall in 1974, and many democrats for clinton. mitt romney was not a surprise, because there is a scart issue that i did goes back a few years. there is no love lost there. it would have been nice to have a perfect record in the senate. he voted to acquit on one and not the other. this really backfired on the democrats and i think they knew it was coming. not surprising given that it is the election period and people are looking out for their own careers and progression, we have had the state of the union as well with fairly extraordinary scenes. president trump not shaking nancy below is as hand, as you would expect. it is a schoolyard brawl

argument, who started it, but she did not help herself or stop she ripped up the speech, did not look good. the handshake thing was not unnoticed. she did not properly introduced at the beginning. there is some coldness between them to say the least. i think her sheer hatred of the president came through at the end. it will not help her. i don't think she will do well after that scene. obviously the white house saying this is a complete vindication and exoneration, but we are now seeing the process of the democrats choosing their leader. iowa has been chaotic, but if they choose someone who resents a real fight, the politics will change halfway through this year for the us was not there a nine months ago.“ the election were today, the president would win clearly. e is polling at 49. he came out of the impeachment very well. he went from

his usual cap of 45, and he was at 49a his usual cap of 45, and he was at 49 a few days ago. he had 600,000 new voters. what we need to pay attention to is what happens behind the polling was he had a row a couple of weeks ago, butjust within the scots and crewe 58% were not republicans and 27% did not vote in 2016. these are some really interesting numbers that fly under the radar in a lot of places. in a moment, we'll have all the business news, but first the headlines on bbc news. scotland's finance secretary derek mackay quits hours before the budget — he admits he "behaved foolishly" in messaging a 16—year—old boy on social media. the government wants to rush through new rules in less than three weeks, in a bid to prevent a terrorist from being automatically released from prison. president trump is cleared of abuse

of power and obstructing congress after an impeachment trial which bitterly divided the united states. in the business news: stockmarkets in europe have been at record highs after china announced it would reduce tariffs by half on around £57 billion worth of imports from the united states. the world's two biggest economies recently signed a new trade agreement. the latest move by china comes as many of its factories have been shut down to try to contain the coronavirus. household water bills in england and wales are coming down. from aprilfirst, the average bill will fall by £17 a year. the water industry regulator says it's because it demanded greater efficiency from suppliers. the consumer group which has accused amazon of betraying the trust of its customers by allowing poor—quality products to be promoted with the label "amazon's choice", which says that amazon does not

actively select these products. they're chosen because of low prices, fast shipping and good reviews, which could be falsely generated. hello and good morning. let's start on the buses. because the government has announced a plan to make all public buses in england electric by 2025. towns and cities will be able to bid for funding to help electrify their fleet. it's part of a £170 million investment to improve bus services across england. david sidebottom is director of transport focus. thank you for being with us today. all buses to go electric by 2025. that sounds like an ambitious target. is it achievable? ithink it is. it will need a pipeline of funding from government and the bus operators to make it real. what is really important is making buses

reliable, to tackle congestion and the cleaner air and tackle the climate crisis we are facing across the world. the transport secretary has been talking about the need to improve the service on buses in various towns and cities across the country. what did you think is on the mind of the users of these buses? are they more interested in achieving greener buses orjust an improving of the service they can get? generally speaking, the clean air agenda and climate crisis are coming up quickly on the transport user. we asked bus passengers what they want to see improved and there isa they want to see improved and there is a clear message about buses running to more places more frequently and on time, providing more value for money. you want to achieve that festival and use that asa achieve that festival and use that as a foundation. they are not try to get there is basics right first of

all are they, as they have this ambitious target to turn all buses electric within the next five years. is there a danger that those reliability and service targets could be overlooked in a bid to make the buses greener? what is happening now as you are seeing an energy on buses. they are alert to this now and this announcement is putting funds into introducing priority measures in to move people away from the cars. it will not be easy, nobody said it would be. it is like rebuilding the railways. it is about making sure whatever we do to encourage people to use the buses, whether carrot or stick, there are high levels of passenger satisfaction on buses right now. nearly 95% of people in nottingham and derbyshire were satisfied last year. you have to make sure it is

more consistently delivered across the country. thank you forjoining us. other stories in the business news today: royal mail says it's disappointed that staff in the communications workers union will be balloted for strike action, over claims that the company has broken an agreement with workers. management say they're ready to invest £1.8 million to modernise its service, that the company wants to reach an agreement and that it cannot afford to delay the transformation. the games console maker nintendo has warned of delays to production of its switch console and joy—con controllers because of the coronavirus outbreak in china. the japanese company has been trying to move production out of china and into vietnam because of the trade war with the united states but it's been struggling to find enough factory space there. it's coming up on five years since apple started selling watches and, although it had a slow start,

industry figures have shown how the apple watch is now outselling the entire swiss watch industry last year. 31 million people bought the smart watch, compared with 21 million who bought one of the many swiss brands, such as rolex, omega and tag heuer, which had been among the leading luxury brands. what's happening on the markets? we mentioned the reduction of tariffs by china on us imports earlier and that's given world markets a big boost, helping investors forget their concerns over the coronavirus. the biggest fall is glaxosmithkline, it has fallen because analysis shows it has fallen because analysis shows it plans to split itself into different countries which will cost in the region of £2.4 billion. not often we talk about japanese yen. the reason i've done that is that it's a safe haven investment in times of crisis and it's falling today, which suggests investors

are becoming more confident to put their money into riskier assets. the pound versus the dollar went below 1.30 earlier this week and not recovered so far. that's all the business news. the hollywood legend, kirk douglas, has died at the age of 103. during an acting career that spanned six decades kirk douglas made more than 80 films. he secured three oscar nominations for best actor, and in 1996 he was awarded an honorary oscar for lifetime achievement. he'll be best remembered for the 1960 classic, spartacus. lizo mzimba looks back at his life. for the first time in my life, people cheering for me! he made his name

as a washed—up boxer. champion earned him the first of three oscar nominations. he played a ruthless, selfish, fiercely—driven upstart, a bit like kirk douglas himself. i can beat him! you know i can beat him! the ruthlessness and drive came from his childhood. he was born issur danielovitch demsky, the son of illiterate russian immigrants, and brought up in extreme poverty. what other way? the way we could we have gone in the first place? the easy way. now why should we do that? he enjoys playing villains more than heroes, like thejournalist at a mining disaster who wouldn't let anything get in the way of a good story. if you want a big human interest story, you've got to give it a big human interest ending. sir, would you like me to suggest what you can do with that promotion? the critics applauded his roles in films like paths of glory and in lust for life, in which he played vincent van gogh. but his lust for power earned him many enemies. he set up his own production company and hired and fired at whim, but he also defied the anti—communist witch—hunts in hollywood, crediting a blacklisted writer

with the script for spartacus. i'm spartacus! spartacus was about a slave who rebelled against the roman empire, just as douglas himself often defied hollywood. i never thought of becoming a tycoon or anything. i wanted — it gave me a chance to do movies that i wanted to do. like, i wanted to do spartacus, i wanted to do a movie called the vikings, paths of glory. you know, those are movies — they were not easy, even though they have been quite successful, it was not easy to get the financing for them and all that, but that's why i had my company. i had a call from jim lindsay the other day, dad. what's he calling you about? kirk's son, michael douglas, became as big a star as his father and both appeared on screen with michael's son, cameron. by that time, kirk had suffered a stroke. kirk douglas had craved affection from his own father, but never received it. in the end, he became the founder of a hollywood dynasty and one of hollywood's greatest stars.

kirk douglas, who's died at the age of 103. just some pictures from holyrood now, because we are respecting to see nicola sturgeon, the first leader and the leader of the snp, making a statement. she is not speaking at the moment, but there will be her reaction to the finance secretary's resignation over m essa g es secretary's resignation over messages he sent to a 16—year—old boy. we expect that in the next few minutes. we will be across that for you and bring you that live as it happens. now it's time for a look at the weather. good morning. it has been a frosty start to the day with some dense fog patches around as well. relatively speaking, it is a calm day today. any fog will lift into the afternoon. there will be some sunny

spells developing with varying amounts of cloud. where you keep that fog into the afternoon, temperatures will struggle at four or5 temperatures will struggle at four or 5 degrees, but elsewhere getting to seven to nine celsius. the big area of high pressure that has kept things settled in the last few days will move away towards the east as we go into friday. that will allow one or two weather systems to move their way into the west. more cloud into northern ireland during friday. one or two fog patches in the morning with plenty of sunshine and a breeze picking up. temperatures six to 10 celsius then into the weekend, stay tuned because a storm will give us significant impacts. goodbye for now.

you're watching bbc newsroom live, it's midday and these are our main stories: scotland's finance secretary derek mackay quits hours before the budget, he admits he "behaved foolishly" in messaging a 16—year—old boy on social media. this is the scene at holyrood, where the scottish first minister nicola sturgeon is about to make a statement following mr mackay‘s resignation. let's listen. derek mackay has apologised unreservedly and recognised as i do that it was unacceptable and falls seriously below the standard required of a minister. i can also advise that he has been suspended pending further

investigation but i wanted to formally confirm that the government will proceed as planned with the scottish budget this afternoon for it will be delivered by the minister for public finance, kate forbes, to set out our plans to sustainably grow our economy and step up action to tackle the climate emergency. all of that continues to be a clear focus for the scottish government. thank you. we now turn to the first question. i had fully intended to ask questions on other matters this morning but the first minister's statement does ask questions. given the evidence of the text now in the public domain, what does the first minister believe the behaviour does for the reputation of her government, this parliament and scottish politics generally?” government, this parliament and scottish politics generally? i think the conduct is unacceptable and i

will not make any attempt to say otherwise ought to minimise in any way the seriousness of that. based on what i knew about this last night, it was clear to me then that derek mackay‘s conduct fell far short of what is expected of a minister. indeed, he offered his resignation to me and i accepted it was not an option for him to remain in government. this morning, i have read the full transcript that was published in the sun and it is on that basis that he has also been suspended from the snp and the parliamentary group says pending further investigation. taking that an action that i think is appropriate, it is now notjust reasonable but that i hope members

will accept that course of action. many parents will be concerned over what assurances the first minister has received that this is the only example of his unacceptable behaviour and whether she believes any assurance she has received is credible and given that the victim isa credible and given that the victim is a 16—year—old boy and i have heard no mention of his welfare, what contact has the snp or the first minister's office had or will they be having with him and or his family atany they be having with him and or his family at any point and what support has been offered ? family at any point and what support has been offered? can i say very clearly, i am not aware of any further allegations or any conduct ofa similar further allegations or any conduct of a similar nature but i should stress, i was not aware of this until last evening and i very much hope that jackson carlaw will accept that. i very much want to make clear andi

that. i very much want to make clear and i hope members would accept this of my view without me saying it but i think it is important that i do say this but i do not condone in any way, shape or form say this but i do not condone in any way, shape orform conduct of say this but i do not condone in any way, shape or form conduct of this nature and i and i think all politicians have to reflect on the need for us to say that when it is our opponents and people in our own parties and i think all of us have to be consistent in that and i will a lwa ys to be consistent in that and i will always strive to be... of course, there is the issue raised by these particular allegations published in the newspaper this morning of the welfare of a 16—year—old boy. i am not aware of the identity or the contact details of the family. if the family of the individual wanted to speak to me i would of course be happy to do that and that is my position. i really hope that members across this chamber, all parties

have faced difficult allegations about members of their own parties in recent times and all of us have to be prepared to apply high standards when these allegations are about colleagues of our own and make sure that the conduct and the action rather that we are demanding of our opponents is action that we apply ourselves and that is what i would strive to do here. when questions are posed to me, there will be no sense in which i seek to minimise the serious nature of what we are discussing. that's to be confirmation that now that the scottish government nor the snp has had any independent contact with this young man or his family at all in as much as the identity is not known so that would therefore not be possible. the first minister has proved lease said that the internet can be an unsafe place for young people and we can all play our part

in helping to educate parents in steps they can take to keep their children safe online. parliament has taken issues children safe online. parliament has ta ken issues of children safe online. parliament has taken issues of excitation seriously andi taken issues of excitation seriously and i have to ask, can the reputation of scottish politics and this parliament to be maintained with the full confidence of the public or even its constituents if mr mackay remains as a member? clearly there are issues that derek mackay will have to reflect on. based on what i knew last night, it was clear to me that derek mackay remaining in government was simply not an option and in any event i should be very clear he offered his resignation because he clearly recognised that. having seen fuller detail this morning of what appeared in the newspaper, further action has been taken in terms of his membership in the snp and the parliamentary group. there is a

point, no matter how upset and shocked all of us are when faced with situations like this, there is also the need for due process and therefore he has been suspended pending further investigation and i do believe it is right and proper to allow that to happen before i pre—empt the outcome of that but clearly there are very serious matters for me as first minister to have two content and respond to over the last number of hours and there will be matters that derek mackay i'm sure is reflecting on and will continue to have to reflect on. i'm sure is reflecting on and will continue to have to reflect onlj appreciate the difficulty but the nspcc definition on grooming is as follows. grooming is when someone builds a relationship of trust and emotional connection with a young person so they can manipulate, exploit or abuse them. young people can be groomed online by someone who has targeted them. this could be a dominantand has targeted them. this could be a dominant and persistent figure

through the use of social media networks, text messages and apps like whatsapp and whether online or in person, they can use tactics like taking them on trips or outings or holidays. the young people may not understand they are being groomed, they may have confiscated feelings like loyalty and admiration. that is the nspcc definition on grooming. i understand the first minister wants to defer to an investigation but the full content of the text exchanges between mr mackay and this young man are available online today. how difficult is it not to reconcile his conduct with the worst connotations? and not sure if he has been playing proper and close attention to my a nswe rs. proper and close attention to my answers. i am in proper and close attention to my answers. iam in no proper and close attention to my answers. i am in no way minimising the seriousness of what we are discussing today. it is not the case that i'm deferring to an

investigation before action is being taken, he is no longer a member of my government. he is suspended from my government. he is suspended from my party, currently suspended from my party, currently suspended from my parliamentary group so in the action that is already de been taken i think it should be obvious already has seriously my government and my party treat this matter but in terms of further action, where others have to considerfuture of further action, where others have to consider future action, there of further action, where others have to considerfuture action, there is a degree of due process that has to be gone through. that would be a case for someone of your party in as much as mine. i don't think anybody can seriously doubts the seriousness of how i treat this matter and continue to treat this matter. question two. presiding officer, derek mackay this morning described his own behaviour as foolish but derek mackay‘s actions towards a

schoolboy are beyond foolish. they are an abuse of power. they are nothing short of predatory so this is serious. and whilst his suspension from the snp is welcome, he should go as a member of this parliament. let me turn to another serious matter. this week, the long—awaited report following the independent enquiry into mental health services in nhs teesside was published. it was released on the fifth anniversary of the funeral of dale. he was 28 years old. the report vindicates the courageous

families. it shows that time and time again nhs tayside ignored their concerns and were defensive and dismissive in their dealings with them. so, will be first minister today apologise to the families and will she give them a guarantee that all 51 recommendations in the report published this week will be implemented in full? firstly, asi have said previously i offer apologies to the families who have in any way been let down by the nhs. i know for these families, publication of this report will have been extremely difficult and my

thoughts and sympathies remain with them and with all families who have been bereaved through suicide for them in terms of the recommendations of this report, nhs has accepted the recommendations in full and they must be implement it and the concerns that this report sets out must be addressed. we expect them to respond with a plan describing how they will deliver the necessary improvements by the end of this month. we make clear to the board and others how seriously we treat this report and they must deliver the change required. the minister for mental health retains very close oversight for the actions that the board will take in the months ahead. nicholas sturgeon there, the first minister taking questions and making clear her upset and shocked at the behaviour of derek mackay and that

it is unacceptable and he has been suspended from her party and parliamentary group pending further investigation. condemnation from the leader of scottish labour saying the behaviour was predatory and very serious and also from jackson carlaw who was head of the scottish conservatives. sturgeon repeatedly said no one could mistake her reaction as anything other than saying that the conduct was com pletely u na cce pta ble saying that the conduct was completely unacceptable and that will remain her view going forward. let me bring you some breaking news on the grenfell tower. anyone giving evidence at the hearings will not be prosecuted on the basis of what they say. the enquiry has confirmed that it will write to the attorney general and this will prevent witnesses refusing to answer questions on the basis they might be

incriminating themselves. that might bea incriminating themselves. that might be a controversial request and we will bring you more on that in the coming minutes. more on today's main stories coming up on newsroom live here on the bbc news channel, but now we say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. more than 560 people in mainland china have now died as a result of the new coronavirus. the number of people infected has reached 28,000. stringent measures are being taken across the country to restrict the spread of the disease. the chinese ambassador to the uk gave a press conference at the chinese embassy this morning, he said serious and vigorous measures had been taken to contain the disease. the chinese enhance cooperation with the international community on research and department of vaccines and we are working together to safeguard public health around the

world. in face of the epidemic, people have shown great love to each other. government officials and people from all walks of life in many countries have expressed their sympathy, trust and support for china stop many governments and international organisations have donated supplies for epidemic prevention and control. here in the uk, the business community, chinese associations, the chinese students, have donated money and supplies through various channels. a few days ago, right here at the chinese embassy, a ceremony was held attended by more than 20 chinese

communities and associations in the uk, we have been deeply moved and greatly encouraged. we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all those in the uk who have shown their love, their support and their kindness. ladies and gentlemen, the chinese government has taken serious, vigorous measures to prevent the spread of the disease. this will continue to be the most important work. first, we will try our best to treat the infected. every life counts, the right to survival and health in the most basic human right. medical teams all

over china are doing their best to increase the hospitalisation rate, the cure rate and reduce infection rate and mortality rate. the chinese ambassador to the uk there. the health secretary, matt hancock has been speaking today about the how the government is dealing with the coronavirus. it's incredibly important to take an approach that is guided by the science in response to a disease like coronavirus and we've got a clear plan in place, including how to communicate and i deplore any attacks on the chinese community, on the british chinese community. this is not about one part of the world, it is about making sure that we have proper response so we have plans place, we are working through those plans and will make sure that we

will do everything we can to keep people safe. matt hancock speaking earlier today. robin brant is in shanghai and he's sent us this report on what it's like living in the city at the moment. this is myjourney to work this morning and it has been like this every day. this metro network is pretty much empty. train lines used to several millions ofjourneys a day on these carriages but at the momentjust no one is here. i've got my mask on, my gloves and when people do trickle back to work, the government will be worried about this kind of environment because it is here in close quarters that there is a heightened threat of the people spreading this virus. now, this is a metro station, people's square, one of the busiest intersections but as you can see, all the shops are shut, no one here. it has been like this all that week. you know, big business, this is not great for them at all but small business, this is really going to be difficult as they try and cope with it.

it is not a ghost town here, there are a handful of people around, a few cars, a few shops are open. you know, you can get food, essential stuff, pharmacies, but most businesses closed, people that are out don't really have anything to go to. there's certainly no work to do and usually getting across this road is a battle with bikes and cars were at the moment, as you can see, very placid, very, very quiet. this is midday in one of the main intersections in shanghai. that's as busy as it gets in this underpass at the moment. this is the beginning of the lunchtime rush in shanghai and the rush at the moment is not people out and about, it is these guys delivering all the food. they've been doing the most business really in the past week, delivering food and there's protocol about not actually touching customers when they hand it over. getting a temperature checked again,

it happens every day here. there you go. error again, ok. head coach, eddiejones has made five changes to england's starting 15 for their six nations clash with scotland on saturday. scrum half ben youngs has been dropped in favour of willie heinz. he was replaced by him in the second half of their defeat to france on sunday. this is the starting 15. flanker lewis ludlam is in for courtney lawes. prop, mako vunipola and lock george kruis return, with jonathan joseph replacing injured centre, manu tuilagi. scotland will name their team later. so will ireland and wales for their clash. an injury blow for england asjofra archer faces months out with an elbow injury. he's already flown home from the tour

of south africa and scans have revealed a stress fracture in his elbow. it means he will miss the tour of sri lanka and also the whole of the indian premier league. he could return forjune's three—test series against the west indies though, something he'll want to get back for, as the barbados—born bowler played for their under—19s. the premier league have voted to change the transfer window back to the end of august in line with rest of europe. it was confirmed at a meeting this morning. the date had been moved two years ago following complaints that leaving the window open until the end of august caused disruption. however, the hope that other countries would follow suit failed to materialise, leaving premier league clubs open to losing players without being able to buy replacements. tokyo 2020 olympic and paralympic organisers say there are no plans to postpone or cancel the games due to the coronavirus. ipc spokesman craig spence said fear

is spreading quicker than the virus. i'm really pleased that the organising committee has established this task force committee is the sensible thing to do in this regard, it is what we did with rio but we need to put things into perspective and until the world health organization tells us otherwise, we proceed with business as usual. tokyois proceed with business as usual. tokyo is open and it will deliver spectacular paralympic games. that's all be sport. the government wants emergency legislation ending the automatic release of convicted terrorists to be rushed through parliament in less than three weeks. ministers are said to be concerned about a shopkeeper from sunderland who is due to be freed at the end of the month, after being jailed for posting messages supporting

the islamic state group, and calling for shia muslims to be burnt alive. it's understood that there are five other convicted terrorists due for release before the end of march. we are going to go to more on grenfell. the enquiry is not a court of law, it is a public enquiry, it had to explain the tragedy in 2017 west 72 people died and to do that it has the question quite closely those involved in particular companies involved in putting the cladding onto the building and the insulation that has been blamed for allowing the fire to spread. some of those people involved in that have made an application to the enquiry that they will not effectively a nswer that they will not effectively answer some questions if that would mean that they might be incriminated in future criminal prosecution and i can tell that the police is involved ina can tell that the police is involved in a major investigation into

g re nfell tower. in a major investigation into grenfell tower. what they have decided to do is ask the attorney generalfor an decided to do is ask the attorney general for an assurance that if there is evidence in the enquiry that could be used in prosecution, that could be used in prosecution, that it won't be and he has decided to make that application so it looks as though it some of those people giving evidence will not be prosecuted on what they say at the enquiry but one thing. a lot of people say, have they been given immunity from prosecution? no, it just means the evidence they give to the enquiry can't be used against them in the future. doesn't that mean that scotland yard can use the evidence that they have had to then gather their own evidence separately against these same people? absolutely. so will that be accepted by those involved? it probably will be accepted because they are going to get what they have asked for which is effectively this promise from the government that the enquiry evidence won't be used against them but there is nothing to stop the

police looking at what is happening in the enquiry, if you like replicating that in some form for example getting people in and questioning them, a lot of people have been questioned already and there are other caveats, documents given to the enquiry aren't covered by this so any documents from the last two or three years will be open to use by the police. also, it is only verbal evidence so if there are future documents produced, they also won't be covered for that the government could refuse, it is unlikely though. this is generally the way it goes on public enquiries, it has gone in the past with some of the big public enquiries we have seen and so it allows the enquiry to ask firm, solid questions of witnesses, to probe what they knew and when and what they did without fear of those witnesses saying, i'm sorry i can't answer that because i don't want to incriminate myself. what reaction had there been? this is just what reaction had there been? this isjust broken so what reaction had there been? this is just broken so we haven't got the reaction from families in particular but they argued that those involved

in the enquiry shouldn't get this at some degree of protection. i think the enquiry is quite keen to stress that this doesn't protect them from future prosecution and they believe it has been quite misreported over the last week during the time in which these arguments have been had. what it has done, this whole issue, is derail the enquiry to a certain extent is that this came quite late this application, the enquiry chairman wasn't happy about that, it meant he hasn't heard any evidence this week and won't. this was the week that the hearings were supposed to start in terms of evidence. ok, thanks very much for bringing us up—to—date on that storyjust coming the brother of the manchester arena suicide attacker created an email address called "we have come to slaughter" that was used to buy a bombmaking chemical. hashem abedi's trial at the old bailey has been told the attack was the culmination of months of planning, experimentation and preparation by the brothers, including multiple purchases of bombmaking materials via various people

and online accounts. dan johnson is at the old bailey now. explain more. thejury explain more. the jury has heard more of the outline of the evidence that links hashem abedi with his brother's attempts to gather the opponents to build the bomb that he detonated outside manchester arena and this morning thejury detonated outside manchester arena and this morning the jury was told that there was a gmail account set up that there was a gmail account set up two months before the bombing that was named... that was set up through a public wi—fi network in manchester and the jury was told that hashem abedi's phone was traced in that area at that time so the strong suggestion was that that gmail account was set up by hashem abedi himself. the duo was —— the

jury abedi himself. the duo was —— the jury was told that the phrase we have come to slaughter was found in the home after the attack. that gmail account was used just weeks before the bombing to order litres of hydrogen peroxide and the jury have been told there is lots more detailed evidence, phone records, cameras that caught registration numbers of different movements and different online accounts that were accessed through the same ip address at the takeaway shop where he worked. they all build a picture in his link in assisting and encouraging his brother in preparing for the attack. it was said, there isa for the attack. it was said, there is a clear link between the ordering of hydrogen peroxide and the defendant. the coincidences linking him with this could hardly be

accidental. he said the defendant had later denied any link to the purchase of hydrogen peroxide but said we said that was a deliberate light to conceal the truth of his involvement in these events. the prosecution is still onlyjust outlining the case. he denies murder, attempted murder and. outlining the case. he denies murder, attempted murderand. the hollywood legend, kirk douglas, has died at the age of 103. during an acting career that spanned six decades kirk douglas made more than eighty films. he secured three oscar nominations for best actor, and in 1996 he was awarded an honorary oscar for lifetime achievement. he'll be best remembered for the 1960 classic, spartacus. lizo mzimba looks back at his life. for the first time in my life, people cheering for me! he made his name as a washed—up boxer. champion earned him the first of three oscar nominations.

he played a ruthless, selfish, fiercely—driven upstart, a bit like kirk douglas himself. i can beat him! you know i can beat him! the ruthlessness and drive came from his childhood. he was born issur danielovitch demsky, the son of illiterate russian immigrants, and brought up in extreme poverty. what other way? the way we could we have gone in the first place? the easy way. now why should we do that? he enjoys playing villains more than heroes, like thejournalist at a mining disaster who wouldn't let anything get in the way of a good story. if you want a big human interest story, you've got to give it a big human interest ending. sir, would you like me to suggest what you can do with that promotion? the critics applauded his roles in films like paths of glory and in lust for life, in which he played vincent van gogh. but his lust for power earned him many enemies. he set up his own production company and hired and fired at whim, but he also defied the anti—communist witch—hunts in hollywood, crediting

a blacklisted writer with the script for spartacus. i'm spartacus! spartacus was about a slave who rebelled against the roman empire, just as douglas himself often defied hollywood. i never thought of becoming a tycoon or anything. i wanted — it gave me a chance to do movies that i wanted to do. like, i wanted to do spartacus, i wanted to do a movie called the vikings, paths of glory. you know, those are movies — they were not easy, even though they have been quite successful, it was not easy to get the financing for them and all that, but that's why i had my company. i had a call from jim lindsay the other day, dad. what's he calling you about? kirk's son, michael douglas, became as big a star as his father and both appeared on screen with michael's son, cameron. by that time, kirk had suffered a stroke. kirk douglas had craved affection from his own father, but never received it. in the end, he became the founder of a hollywood dynasty and one

of hollywood's greatest stars. kirk douglas, who's died at the age of 103. now it's time for a look at the weather. we are bracing for a stormy weekend, aren't we? yes, the storm is set to bring stormy weather through the second half of the weekend. before that, it is the quiet before the storm. some good spells of sunshine around as we move through this afternoon. there will be some areas of cloud, but generally dry and fine. temperatures sitting at a maximum of six to 11 celsius. as we move into friday, it brings a good deal of dry weather with some good spells of sunshine. it will turn cloudy in the west with some patchy outbreaks of rain. some sunny spells to be had on saturday, but the winds will strengthen on saturday, with some rain pushing into the north—west. that is the

sign of stormy weather on the way stop the rain will push south and east and then the storm losing to the early hours of sunday. look at the early hours of sunday. look at the isobars, it will be windy across—the—board. gusts the isobars, it will be windy across—the—boa rd. gusts around the isobars, it will be windy across—the—board. gusts around 60 or 70 mph quite widely. locally higher than that. there is the potential for damage and disruption. stay tuned to the forecast. hello this is bbc newsroom live. the headline: scotland's finance secretary, derek mackay, quits after sending personal messages to a 16—year—old boy on social media. the first minister said his conduct was unacceptable. his conduct fell far short of what is expected of a minister. he offered his resignation to me and i accepted. it was not an option for him to remain in government. new rules to end the automatic

release of convicted terrorists could be rushed through parliament in three weeks. thejustice secretary insists it's not a knee—jerk reaction. it's not muscle clenching, "we're tough, this is all about punishment. " this is about public protection. it's the first job of government to get that right, and that's what we're doing. president trump is cleared of abuse of power and obstructing congress after an impeachment trial which bitterly divided the united states. the chinese ambassador to the uk urges countries not to panic about the coronavirus, as the death toll rises above 560. a mother's agony as her daughter's murderer is released from jail, while still refusing to reveal where he buried her remains. i'm spartacus. and tributes are paid to hollywood legend kirk douglas, who's died at the age of 103, after a film career spanning seven decades. and coming up, back on the buses.

£170 million to reverse a decline in england's bus network, with plans for more frequent services, and the first all—electric bus town. now all the business news. in the business news: china plans to reduce tariffs by half on around £57 billion worth of imports from the united states. the world's two biggest economies recently signed a new trade agreement. the latest move by china comes as large parts of its manufacturing industry have been shut down to try to contain the spread of coronavirus. household water bills in england and wales are coming down. from aprilfirst, the average bill will fall by £17 a year. the water industry regulator says

it's because it demanded greater efficiency from suppliers. what influences the choices you make when you shop online? anyone who's ever searched for something on amazon knows you usually get lot of options. today the consumer group which has accused amazon of betraying its customers' trust for labelling certain products as "amazon's choice" items without actually reviewing the products for themselves. neena bhatia is head of campaigns, which? shejoins me now. thank you for being with us. tell us more about what you actually found when it came to how amazon decided which listed items become amazon's choice. to how amazon decided which listed items become amazon's choicem to how amazon decided which listed items become amazon's choice. it is actually an algorithm where a high overall star rating is one of the factors for how sellers can get that

rating. in order to get that label. we looked at a snapshot investigation of nearly 200 listing with that label, and there were dozens with that label, and there were d oze ns of with that label, and there were dozens of exa m ples with that label, and there were dozens of examples of where sellers have incentivised all put fake reviews on their listings in order to artificially boost their overall rating in order to get the amazon's choice label. you hear the response to your research, it says that real customer ratings play a big part in deciding what is listed as an amazon's choice product. they do say they have rules in place to prevent these fraudulent reviews, and daylight across their ranges. we do know that, and people tell us that they trusted, they think it is a murk of quality and they are more likely to buy a product if it has that label. however, we have found dozens that label. however, we have found d oze ns of that label. however, we have found dozens of exa m ples that label. however, we have found dozens of examples of where there are fake reviews and it is only a snapshot investigation, so we really think that amazon needs to do more

to ensure that its customers are not being misled about the products that are recommended to them. what advice do you have to customers when it comes to choosing which of the long list of items which matches their needs best? don't look at the overall rating, look at the bulka reviews and see, are they getting put on at the same time, but also check the negative reviews to see what unhappy customers are saying about it. also check the retailer's website. you have to ensure there is a reputable website there as well. customers should not be required to do this research, they should be able to rely on these ratings on the websites. we need the regulator to look at websites like amazon to make sure they are doing all they can to crackdown on fake reviews and, if not, take action against them. thank you forjoining us. other stories in the business news today: a leading economic forecaster has claimed there's only a one in five chance of

the government achieving its target of doubling economic growth. the chancellor, sajid javid, is expected to set out his plans to reach growth of 2.8% a year in his budget next month. but the national institute of economic and social research has said that hitting this growth rate, not seen since 2006, would be difficult and it expects the economy to grow by 1.5% this year. royal mail says it's disappointed that staff in the communications workers union will be balloted for strike action, over claims that the company has broken an agreement with workers. management say they're ready to invest £1.8 million to modernise its service, that the company wants to reach an agreement and that it cannot afford to delay the transformation. it's coming up on five years since apple started selling watches and, although it had a slow start, industry figures have shown how the apple watch is now outselling the entire swiss watch industry last year. 31 million people bought the smart

watch, compared with 21 million who bought one of the many swiss brands, such as rolex, omega and tag heuer, which had been among the leading luxury brands. we mentioned the reduction of tariffs by china on us imports earlier and that's given world markets a big boost. helping investors forget their concerns over the coronavirus. the ftse100 is up by almost one third. biggest faller here in london today is the drugmaking giant gsk, warning that a plan to split the company will cost 2.4 billion. royal mail shares also suffering today because of that strike threat. pound versus dollar went below 1.30 earlier this week and not recovered so far.

that's all the business news. coastguards in the channel say they are dealing with "multiple incidents" involving migrants after two boats were brought into dover. it's thought there are at least five more boats at sea and 26 people have already been picked up by the authorities. our correspondent, simonjones, is in dover with the latest. what we know about who has been picked up and how they have been crossing? we understand seven or eight boats have made the journey over from france during the course of the morning. why so many at the moment? it is because of conditions. if you take a look out there, the sea is extremely calm, the sun is out, its perfect conditions for anyone attempting to make the crossing, but with the caveat that they are doing this in the busiest shipping lane in the world. i understand that the first couple of boats were spotted at around 5:30am this morning. there were 26 people

on board, i'm told. another couple of boats managed to make it all the way to land just down the coast from here in folkestone before they were picked up. then we understand another three or four boats have been found during the course of the morning. we don't know exactly how many people were on those boats, but it could be a record number of boats ina single it could be a record number of boats in a single day. the home office insists it is making progress, along with the french authorities, trying to stop people leaving france in the process. there have been a number prevented, patrols have been stepped up, but it is an ongoing issue. we know that, last year, around 1900 migrants succeeded in making the crossing to the uk. the trend has continued at the start of this year. around 95 migrants managed to reach the uk injanuary, far higher than

january the previous year. despite this, the home office says it wants to make these type of crossings and a regular event by the spring. judging by today, it will have its work cut out. people will be concerned about the welfare of those crossing but about the security aspects of this. will this be affected by what will be happening with brexit this year? what is interesting is the fact that two boats managed to get all the way across the channel before they were detected, having reached land. that will raise some security implications. what we're hearing from the home office the french authorities is that, despite the fa ct authorities is that, despite the fact that brexit has happened, cooperation is continuing. last week, officials from the home office made their french counterparts and those from belgian, which some migrants have been setting off from. the politicians say that brexit has

not affected this. but there are questions about how they are to get across the channel with so many assets out there. we have had three border force muscles out there, two lifeboats, a search and rescue helicopter and a spotter plane, plus the french authorities have been involved as well. a degree of cooperation, but what we understand is that the french are managing to prevent some boats from leaving, but obviously today there have been many boats, possibly the highest in a single day. thank you. this sunday will mark 32 years since helen mccourt went missing on her way home from work in merseyside. pub landlord ian simms was jailed for her murder, but has never revealed where her body is. yesterday he was released from prison. helen's mum, marie, has spent years campaigning to deny killers parole unless they reveal where their victims' bodies are. now legislation, known as "helen's law", will be introduced. marie has been speaking exclusively

to breakfast‘s jayne mccubbin about why, in the case of her daughter's killer, it's come too late. when i got the call this morning, i knew that's what it was going to be. i said, i can't believe that they'd do this. marie mccourt has long dreaded this phone call. just four days before the 32nd anniversary of her daughter's murder, her killer ian simms was released from jail. it's helen's anniversary on sunday. ijust think, could they not have shown just a little bit of sensitivity and compassion? helen mccourt‘s murder made history. simms was one of the very first people in the uk convicted on dna evidence without the discovery of her body. part of helen's bloodstained earring was found in his pub, another in the boot of his car, fibres and blood found on clothing and towels dumped miles away. yet simms refused to admit his guilt or reveal where her body was hidden. for years, marie mccourt petitioned for helen's law —

no body, no parole. and last year the government finally agreed. laws will be introduced to ensure that the parole system recognises the pain to victims and their families caused by offenders refusing to disclose information relating to their crimes. but the legislation has stalled. so for marie, that commitment has come too late. if it hadn't have been for a general election and brexit... and brexit, yes. ..and a number of other things... it would have gone through. ..it would have gone through. you came so close. so close, yes. it must feel brutal to you. it's — yeah. i can go through all of that, the part that upsets me is that i can't give helen one last goodbye. i can't.

the only thing i want is to have my child back. whatever tiny bits and pieces there are, it's my daughter's, and i want them back. and i can't have them now. all marie has is a memorial bench in the family's church, in the village where simms once ran his pub. she can't bear to leave this place. 32 years on, she still organises searches for helen's body, the last in october, the next later this month. simms wakes up this morning in a hostel on a tag. he's forbidden from entering a huge area spanning miles around the mccourts' family home, notjust to avoid him coming into contact with them, but, the family tell me, to stop him returning to helen's body. i kept telling myself i'm strong enough to deal with that. ok, it may not benefit my case, but it will hopefully

benefit all the people who are going through the same thing as me, and for the families who will also follow on. because i know that pain they're going through, and i wouldn't wish it on anyone. you came so close. yes. so close. i didn't think a heart could break twice. but mine did. the headlines on bbc news: scotland's finance secretary, derek mackay, quits hours before the budget — he admits he "behaved foolishly" in messaging a 16—year—old boy on social media. new rules to end the automatic release of convicted terrorists could be rushed through parliament in three weeks. and president trump is cleared of abuse of power and obstructing congress after an impeachment trial which bitterly divided the united states.

the foreign secretary, dominic raab, is in australia at the start of a tour to promote free trade deals following the uk's departure from the eu. he's also due to visitjapan, singapore and malaysia over the next few days. shaimaa khalil reports from canberra. this visit is our first look into global britain in action. the uk setting out on its own after brexit, reaching across the other side of the world and looking to forge new trade deals with old friends. the fact that dominic raab is here is significant because this is the first major ministerial visit after the eu and the uk officially divorced. we've got a trade relationship already worth £17 billion, but we've got the potential to do so much more. that's why we have recommitted today to launching negotiations between our two countries as soon as possible. australia will be part

of the first wave. businesses here now have a chance to get back into the uk market which they lost a big chunk of when the ukjoined the eu. agriculture you can bet is going to be a major point in any agreement that australia has with britain. beef exporters for example are going to be watching this closely because they have been quite constrained in the amounts they are able to export to the uk because of eu restrictions. now that this is no longer an issue, they have a chance to get back into that market and crucially diversify from the asian market, especially with the economic impact of the coronavirus. climate change is also going to be one of the major points to talk about with the australians and the brits. britain wants to play a bigger role globally when it comes to climate change. they are hosting a big summit later in the year. here in australia it has been politically quite contentious, especially with the context

of the bushfires. the foreign secretary is then going to japan, singapore and malaysia. why are they doing all of this? effectively because by leaving the eu, the uk has walked away from its biggest trade partner. while they figure out a way to deal with the eu business—wise, they are sending out a big message saying we are open for business elsewhere in the world. £170 million is being invested in england's bus network. local authorities will be invited to bid to become the first town with an all—electric bus fleet, and there'll be money to restore services which have been cut. our transport correspondent, tom burridge, reports. buses in london have been a big success. they're heavily subsidised, and the mayor decides which routes and sets fares. but in the rest of england,

council funding for buses has fallen by more than 40% over the past decade. buses in london have been a big success. today, a move by government to buck that trend. there will be more money for superbus networks. one is already in place in cornwall, where a mix of lower fares, frequent services and lots of bus lanes has driven success. campaigners who have called for more funding for years say today's announcement is a positive step, but more action is needed. transport is the highest contributor to carbon emissions in this country. we need to see greater investment in public transport, particularly buses. that takes people out of their cars and polluting forms of transport and electrifies the transport system so we can reduce emissions and improve air quality. councils in england can now apply for £50 million to create the first town with an all—electric fleet. there will also be more money for on demand buses which can be ordered via an app. two out of three public transport journeys in

britain are made on a bus. the bus has been on the decline. now a sign that that could change. the white house has called president trump's acquittal at his impeachment trial a full vindication and exoneration. senators voted along party lines in the republican— dominated chamber, and prosecutors failed to gain the two thirds majority necessary to convict mr trump on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress. the democratic minority leader, chuck schumer, said the acquittal was without value as the republicans had refused to allow any witnesses. chris buckler reports from washington. trump is... guilty! despite the protests and many accusations, donald trump was never going to be found guilty. this divisive president split the senate, just as he has split the american public. senators, how say you? is the respondent, donald john trump, guilty or not guilty?

it would have needed two thirds of senators to remove mr trump from office and his party has a majority in the chamber. in the end, only one broke ranks. mr romney? guilty. mr romney, guilty. mitt romney, who delivered a passionate speech, was the sole member of the president's party to find him guilty of the first charge, that he abused his power to try to benefit himself politically. the president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. the president withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. republicans claim democratic leaders rushed into impeachment and, although they tried to talk up the success of getting mitt romney to vote with them, many people believe the acquittal is a gift to a president running for re—election. no, not at all. this was seeking the truth. history, if you believe that right prevails, we know we were right and we know

they know they were wrong, as evidenced by the hiding, shaking in the cloakroom and even being unwilling to listen to the other side. polls suggest that in recent days, president trump's approval ratings have been rising. the white house is presenting this impeachment as an attempt to overturn the will of the people who voted him into office in the first place. i really do believe that the democrats keep trying to run down this president because they know they can't run against this president. i think they tried to impeach this president because they know they can't defeat president donald trump in november 2020. president trump is due to deliver a public statement later today, expected to be nothing short of a victory speech. he believes he has been exonerated, vindicated, and that this whole impeachment process has backfired on the democrats.

on twitter, the president posted a mock—up of a time magazine cover in which he wins elections for decades to come. mr trump can only serve two terms, but it's clear he believes the outcome of this trial has made a second one much more likely. chris buckler, bbc news, washington. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello. today's weather is literally the calm before the storm. we have stormy weather to come as you move into the weekend. the met office have named the storm, storm ciara, and it is expected to bring damaging winds into the weekend. there has been record—breaking amounts of snow in oklahoma, and thejet been record—breaking amounts of snow in oklahoma, and the jet stream will bring that to us on the second half

of the weekend, with strong wind and heavy rain. today is settled, dry and fine for most with plenty of blue sky. this photo was sent in from devon. it will stay fine through the afternoon. some areas of cloud but also some good spells of sunshine. highs of six to 11 celsius. through this evening and overnight, it will remain dry with patchy cloud and some clear spells. some patches of mist and fog forming again tonight, but also low cloud, particularly for north—east england. temperatures for many sitting above freezing, but where it does dip below freezing we could see a patchy frost tomorrow. tomorrow starts with a good deal of dry and fine weather with good spells of sunshine. any mist and fog will lift quickly, as it will be a breezy day tomorrow. cloudy in the west with patchy outbreaks of rain. into the weekend, we start off with some cloud and patchy rain in the south and east, but sunshine around. the wind will

strengthen through the day with gales in the north and west, with rain and hill slow moving in. that isa sign rain and hill slow moving in. that is a sign of things to come as we move overnight saturday into sunday. that initial band of rain pushes in, south and east, and then the next area of rain, storm ciara, will move in. the isobars show it will be windy across the boards, with gusts of 60 or 70 mph, windy across the boards, with gusts of 60 or70 mph, up to windy across the boards, with gusts of 60 or 70 mph, up to 85 mph in the north and west. there is the potential for north and west. there is the potentialfor big north and west. there is the potential for big waves on western coasts, coupled with heavy rain. that gradually pushes south. it is worth keeping across the forecast.

personal messages to a 16—year—old boy on social media. derek mackay was due to present the scottish government's budget this afternoon. the first minister said his conduct was unacceptable. derek mackay‘s conduct fell far short of what is expected of a minister, and indeed he offered his resignation to me and i accepted. it was not an option for him to remain in government. we'll be asking our scotland editor how serious this is for the snp. also this lunchtime... the government says it wants to change the law within three weeks to stop the automatic early release of terror prisoners. the grenfell inquiry agrees that evidence given to it by corporate witnesses will not be used to prosecute them in the future.