personal messages to a16—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.

i'm spartacus. tributes are paid to the hollywood actor and icon kirk douglas, who's died at the age of 103. and a new record is set by astronaut christina koch, who's spent more days in space than any other woman. and coming up on bbc news... scrum—half ben youngs is one of five changes for england's six nations clash with scotland on saturday. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. scotland's finance secretary has resigned over personal messages he sent to a 16—year—old boy on social media.

the scottish sun newspaper reported that derek mackay contacted the boy hundreds of times over a six—month period. the first minister, nicola sturgeon, said his conduct had been unacceptable, and that it fell far short of what was expected of a minister. in a statement, mr mackay, who was due to present the scottish budget to msps this afternoon, admitted he'd behaved foolishly, and said he took full responsibility for his actions. this report from our scotland correspondent james shaw contains flash photography. derek mackay was seen as a rising star of the scottish national party, perhaps a future first minister. but in his resignation letter, he admits he has behaved foolishly and apologises unreservedly to the teenager and his family. he first contacted the boy out of the blue via social media about six months ago. there were hundreds of messages, including an invitation to dinner and rugby events. during one exchange about a photo,

mr mackay commented on the boy's haircut. the boy replied, "not at all." later mr mackay repeated that the boy looked cute, and went on... within the last hour, nicola sturgeon has spoken in scottish parliament about mr mckay's resignation. derek mackay has apologised unreservedly for his conduct 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, this morning, been suspended from both the snp and our parliamentary group pending further investigation. this was the response from the acting leader of the scottish conservatives. i have to ask the first minister, can the reputation of scottish politics and this parliament be maintained with the full confidence of the public, or even his constituents, if mr mackay remains as a member?

mr mackay‘s budget speech will now have to be delivered by a junior minister. it's all come as a shock to derek mackay‘s constituents in the town of renfrew. i think it's a scandal. if that was somebody else in parliament, he would be the man demanding they resigned. nicola sturgeon will hope that mr mackay‘s resignation can limit the damage to her government and party, but she has lost a key minister at a crucial moment. steadying the ship will be top priority. james shaw, bbc news, glasgow. our scotland editor sarah smith is at holyrood. a big blow for the snp, just before what's likely to be a difficult time for them? yes, there are many problems for the snp coming up, and today this couldn't be more explosive. the

finance minister having to step down on the day he was supposed to deliver the budget statement. proceedings in parliament dominated instead of course by people talking about his behaviour. the labour leader said the text he sent the 16—year—old boy constituted an abuse of power and were predatory, and jackson carlo has said he thinks the finance secretary's behaviour meets the definition of grooming. although he has resigned as finance minister and has been suspended from the snp, he remains a member of the scottish parliament and there are calls from all sides for him to stand down as an msp. until he does that, this will be a scandal that dogs the snp. nicola sturgeon said she had suspended him from the party and there will be an investigation and there will be an investigation and there is nothing more she can do, but she must be hoping he will stand down. this comes a few weeks before the criminal trial is due to begin of the former snp leader alex salmond, accused of sexual assault

and attempted rape. that trial will start next month and it will also be a very difficult time for the snp. sarah, many thanks. our scotland editor, sarah smith. ministers want to rush emergency laws through parliament to stop the automatic early release of convicted terror offenders before the next prisoner is freed at the end of the month. a shopkeeperfrom sunderland is due to be released after serving half of his sentence for supporting the islamic state group. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw is here. this follows the streatham attack at the weekend, but the government will face some opposition over this? yes, this follows the attack at the weekend by a prisoner who had been released at the halfway point of his sentence, and shortly after that he carried out the attack, stabbing two people before being shot dead by police. clearly there is concern that other prisoners in a similar situation being released at the halfway point could do a copycat attack. the next prisoner in the situation where he is due to be

released is mohammed khan, due to come out on the 28th, so there is a window of about three weeks to get these laws through which means he and about five others in march who are due to come out would be detained and kept in prison until the parole board decides, from the two thirds point of their sentence onwards, whether it is safe for them to be let out. the government has a big majority in the house of commons, 80 seats, so they will probably easily comfortably past that hurdle. in the house of lords i would expect there to be more opponents of this. firstly because this is said to be an emergency measure, well is it an emergency? the government knew the release dates of these prisoners from the moment they were sentenced. the other point is introducing laws that affect people who have already been convicted and sentenced raises concerns about whether that is fair

in law, and the law is quite balanced on that. it is likely to go to the courts and my understanding is some lawyers are already preparing the ground for legal challenge. many thanks. the number of people in mainland china known to have died from coronavirus has risen to over 560. the authorities there are taking stringest measures to slow its spread, including turning off lifts in some high—rise buildings to discourage people from going out, and in beijing banning group—dining for occasions like birthdays and weddings. but in london, the chinese ambassador to the uk accused the british government of over—reacting, and insisted the crisis was under control. in the united states, more than 19 million people have fallen ill with a flu so far this season, with the death toll being 10,000. this is a more serious than coronavirus infection. currently in china, the number of cured patients is rising,

and we are fully confident in beating the virus. 0ur correspondent robin brant is in shanghai. the chinese ambassador here says the uk has overreacted in its advice to britons to leave — how do you interpret that? quite bullish away —— about the way china is dealing with. yes, that clip shows a subjective version of how the coronavirus is being dealt with. it's no surprise coming from a korean diplomat, the most senior in china's foreign service at this stage. he talked about this government being open and transparent, but we have already had an admission from the president of shortcomings. also from wuhan saying

they didn't take it seriously enough when it became clear there was an outbreak to deal with. they pointed the finger at the us. the reality is this is a country where extreme measures, justifiable you might say, are being taken to stop the spread of this disease. we are also hearing continued anecdotal accounts in wuhan of people struggling to get medical treatment, people being returned to their house, dying there and perhaps not being accounted for properly. the version from the ambassador there somewhat at odds, maybe unsurprisingly, but nonetheless at odds for the reality of many people on the ground in china. many thanks, robin. robin brant. the chairman of the grenfell inquiry has asked the attorney general for a commitment that evidence given by corporate witnesses will not be used to prosecute them in future. sir martin moore—bick wants confirmation that evidence given by staff involved in the tower block's refurbishment won't be used against them in criminal proceedings. our home affairs correspondent

tom symonds is here. tom, but this doesn't mean they are being removed from prosecution? no, and that has been the concern of some victims of this fire who felt that it meant some of these companies and individuals might be given a free ride and not charged if that was to happen. police are investigating this whole case but the grenfell tower inquiry is not a court and anyone has the right not to be forced to incriminate themselves. the inquiry has a duty to get to the bottom of what caused the fire. so during this week, applications have been made to the chairman for, if you like, and assurance to be obtained that they wouldn't be prosecuted on the basis of what they say at the inquiry, and he has agreed to go ahead and ask for a senior government lawyer to provide that assurance. but as you say it doesn't mean any kind of immunity. it means the police cannot use anything they say in the inquiry as evidence against them, but they

can use documents and of course this isa can use documents and of course this is a major police investigation so they are gathering their own evidence, all of which can be used. the police have said they won't consider charges until the end of next year. tom, many thanks. the old bailey has heard how the brother of the manchester arena suicide bomber bought a chemical for the attack using an email address entitled, "we have come to slaughter". hashem abedi is on trial for his alleged role in helping his brother salman carry out the attack, which killed 22 people at an ariana grande concert two years ago. the 22—year—old denies the charges. the legendary hollywood actor kirk douglas has died at the age of 103. he starred in more than 80 films over six decades. he will perhaps be best remembered for the 1960 classic spartacus. his son michael douglas said he "leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come".

0ur arts correspondent david sillito looks back at his life. his report does contain some flash photography. for the first time in my life, people cheering for me! it was 70 years ago that kirk douglas made his name in the film the champion. a story of a tough guy from a hardscrabble background who would do anything to get to the top. there were more than a few echoes of his own life. i can beat him! you know i can beat him! born issur danielovitch demsky, he had grown up in poverty. life was a struggle, but on screen he was hollywood alpha male. he was good at playing ruthless. i'll tell you why, because the guy in there's dying. just hearing him in all those films, he was an incredible man, he was a brilliant actor but also he had a grace to him

that, you know, is rare, especially these days, i think. sir, would you like me to suggest what you could do with that promotion? in kubrick's paths of glory, he was both star and producer. he was a hollywood player. spartacus was his project. i'm spartacus! and it also created a stir for crediting a writer who had been on the hollywood blacklist for his political beliefs. i'm spartacus! i never thought of becoming a tycoon oranything, iwanted... it gave me a chance to do movies that i wanted to do. i got a call from jim lindsey the other day, dad. what was he calling you about? his son, michael, also followed his father's lead, both producing and acting. his friends and colleagues was a catalogue of names from a golden era. lancaster, bacall, astaire, sinatra. i knew him quite well because we did a movie together. so he was a friend of yours? he was a friend, yes. he was great.

the last of the golden age. he was the best. when i get old, you know, all life is growing. yes, even as he passed 100 and struggling with the effects of a stroke, there was still some of the old vigour. he was a hollywood patriarch and a performer to the end. maybe it's cos i'm a londoner, that i love london town. the time is 13:15. our top story this lunchtime: the scottish finance secretary steps down, after sending personal messages to a 16—year—old boy on social media. coming up later in the programme, these two african cheetahs — in a world—first —

born and reared in the uk, will be sent back to to live the rest of their lives in south africa. and coming up on bbc news: jofra archer will miss england's two—test tour of sri lanka next month, and the indian premier league season, because of an elbow injury. this sunday will mark 32 years since helen mccourt went missing on her way home from work in merseyside. ian simms was jailed for her murder, but the former pub landlord has never revealed where her body is. yesterday, he was released from prison. helen's mother, marie, has spent years campaigning to deny killers parole, unless they reveal where their victims‘ bodies are. she's been speaking to our correspondent, jayne mccubbin. 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 a 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. any number of other things... it would have gone through, yes. it would have gone through. mmm. you came so close. so close. yes. it must feel brutal to you. it's, er... i can go through all of that. the part that upsets me, as you can see, is that i can't give helen this last goodbye. no. i just 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 do it, that, 0k, 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. mmm. i didn't think a heart could break twice, but mine did. and that report by jane and that report byjane mccubbin. now, a large—scale rescue operation is under way off the coast of kent, as the coast guard says it's responding to "a number of incidents" of small boats carrying migrants, attempting to cross the channel. 0ur correspondent simonjones is in dover. bring is up—to—date, what is going on? well, i understand seven or eight boats have made the crossing through the channel during the course of this morning, which could bea course of this morning, which could be a record figure for a single day. the first couple of boats were detected in the early hours, i understand there were 26 people on board, and another couple of boats managed to reach land before they we re managed to reach land before they were detected. they landed just down

the coast here in folkestone. we don't have an overall figure for the number who have arrived yet from the home office, but what we do know is this has prompted a huge rescue operation out in the channel. involved have been three border. s is, two lifeboats, a search and rescue helicopter and also, a spotter plane. why so many today? well, it is simply the conditions out there in the channel. it is extremely calm, there is hardly any wind at all, so perfect conditions for someone wanting to get across. but of course, the caveat is that these people are attempting to cross these people are attempting to cross the busiest shipping lane in the world in small boats, often unsuitable vessels for dealing with the channel. now, this has been an ongoing issue because during the course of last year, around 1800 migrants managed to reach the uk by boat, and others 1300 were detected by the french authorities. britain and france say they are working more closely than ever to try to stop boats setting out in the first place

but, clearly, there is a lot of work to do. many thanks, simon. simon jones there. the us senate has, as widely expected, ended the impeachment trial of president trump by finding him not guilty of abuse of power and obstructing congress. donald trump was impeached in december by democrats in the house of representatives — over claims that he pressured ukraine to smear a potential white house rival. but fellow republicans in the senate have voted to acquit him. mr trump now becomes the first impeached president to seek re—election. this report is from chris buckler, in washington. guilty! despite the protests and the 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. polls suggest that in recent days, president trump's approval ratings have been rising, and 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.

president trump is due to deliver a public statement later today. expect it 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. it's understood that two former chancellors who lost the conservative whip for opposing borisjohnson‘s brexit plans have been nominated for peerages. philip hammond and ken clarke are expected to be included on downing street's list, which hasn't yet been finalised. both have now stood down as mps, but continue to be critical of the prime minister's policies. the nasa astronaut christina koch has landed safely back on earth, after completing the longest ever

single spaceflight by a woman. she's spent 328 days in space — orbiting the earth more than 5,000 times. the 41 year old says she wants to inspire the next generation of space explorers. here's our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. christina koch, you're a record—holder! she is out. so pleased to be back on earth. after nearly a year on the international space station, she's glad to be home. sliding off the soyuz space capsule that brought her back, she's getting used to the earth's gravity, after being in space so long. earlier, there were hugs with the crew, as they said their goodbyes. she returned on the soyuz with two other crew members. 10:50pm central time. her stay is just 12 days short of the all—time us record, set by scott kelly in 2016. separation burn... before setting off, during a live linkup with the iss, she had this to say

about her historic achievement. well, for me, it'sjust all about the honour that i feel to follow in the footsteps of my heroes and, hopefully, i can make it about paying homage to them. they're the ones that paved the way for us to all be where we are today. and also, i look at it as an opportunity to hopefully inspire the next generation of future explorers. among those heroes was valentina tereshkova — the first female cosmonaut, in 1963, early on in the soviet union's space programme. but she didn't get a second mission. five years ago, at an event to unveil her space capsule at the science museum in london, she told me that it was because of sexism by her superiors. translation: we had been preparing for a female flight, but it was korolev's decision not to risk women's lives, because one of the women in the space corps already had a family. we were against that decision.

we were talking about it and, indeed, we were writing to the central party committee disagreeing with that decision. even now, 90% of all those who've been in space have been men. men and women are just as capable of being astronauts. all astronauts should be chosen for their mission based on the skills and qualities that they have, and gender isn't one of them. late last year, christina koch was involved in another piece of history, as she took part in the first all—female spacewalk in more than half a century of space travel. nasa plans to send astronauts back to the moon within the next four years. christina koch is among the favourites to be the first woman to set foot on the moon. pallab ghosh, bbc news. now, two cheetahs, born and raised in the uk, are heading to south africa tonight —

for a new life in the wild. saba and nairo, who are brothers, will move from a wildlife park in kent to their natural habitat. it's the first time a hand—raised cheetah has left the uk for africa. john maguire reports. born and raised in the uk, these young men of kent are heading home, but to a land thousands of miles away that they've never seen before. nairo and saba, two—and—a—half—year—old brothers, are being reintroduced into the wild, in a game reserve in south africa. i'm doing it because i fundamentally believe animals belong in the wild. i think zoos need to be reintroducing animals back into the wild. and in the last three years alone, there've been 500 cheetah born in captivity globally. and what's the point of breeding these animals, unless we're going to try and reintroduce them? and it is possible to find safe reserves to reintroduce them. the southern cheetahs will leave howletts wild animal park in kent tonight in their own cages and will be flown to africa. when they arrive, the year—long programme of introducing them to the wild will begin.

the end game is, they're released into mount camdeboo, which is a private reserve, initially to a 1,000—acre boma, which is protected, and then to the broader reserve — once they're comfortable hunting and we know that they can hunt. and of course, they'll be tracked and they'll have a gps collar on them, so we'll be watching every step they take. the foundation has successfully reintroduced other species before, including gorillas, black rhinos and european bison, but this is a world—first for cheetahs. there are less than 7,000 in the wild, so it's hoped the brothers can make a small, at first, but important difference. cheetahs are, of course, an endangered species in the wild. the idea of reintroducing these two is to try to dilute the gene pool, because there has been a problem with genetic problems of the indigenous cheetahs in africa.

cheetahs are famously the fastest animal on land — a talent that, from now on, the brothers will need to exploit to enable them and their species to survive, and hopefully thrive, in their natural habitat. john maguire, bbc news, kent. in the past few minutes, it's been confirmed that a third patient in the uk has tested positive for coronavirus. the department of health says the individual did not acquire the virus in the uk. the patient is being transferred to a specialist nhs centre. more on this story throughout the afternoon on the bbc news channel. time for a look at the weather. good afternoon. we will start in the usa, with footage from oklahoma, where a winter storm has brought record—breaking amounts of snowfall and some disruption from that, as you can see. but why am i showing you can see. but why am i showing you this? well, it is the same

system that will bring