this is bbc news i'm martine croxall. the headlines at eight. scotland's finance secretary derek mackay resigns, on the day of the scottish budget, after sending messages to a 16 year—old boy on social media. first minister nicola sturgeon says he has no place in government. their conduct has 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. a third person tests positive for coronavirus in the uk, the patient is not believed to have contracted the virus in china. to what to end result is. applause . a day after he is acquitted in his impeachment trial, president trump hits back at the democrats accusing them of a witch—hunt. back on the buses. the government announces

a 170 million pounds fund to reverse a decline in england's bus network and the first all—electric bus town. having a disability and living in poverty, a new report looks into why millions of the most vulnerable people feel they are being let down. also coming up, they say cheeta hs never prosper, but this pair are off to a new life in south africa, after being born and bred in the uk. scotland's finance secretary, derek mackay, has resigned after social media messages he sent to a 16—year—old boy were made public today. in all, there were more than two hundred and fifty messages over a six—month period, the last 5 of which were sent this week.

first minister nicola sturgeon described his conduct as unacceptable and said he's been suspended by the scottish national party. in a statement mr mackay admitted he'd "behaved foolishly". this report from our scotland editor, sarah smith, contains some flash photography. the finance secretary, derek mackay, was one of the most senior ministers in the scottish government, tipped as a future party leader and first minister. now his career has been destroyed by inappropriate social media messages he sent to a schoolboy. the scottish sun printed numerous exchanges between the politician and a boy that he knew was just 16, commenting on his appearance and calling him cute. "you don't mind compliments?" "not at all." "good." "and our chats are between us?" "yeah." "cool. "to be honest, i think you're really cute. "is that 0k? "just so long as you know but you can delete that message, lol." the sun reported that mr mackay told the boy he is gay and invited him

to dinner as well as a rugby match. i think if these allegations are founded, and they are very detailed, very explicit, totally inappropriate and, by any standard judgment of what constitutes the grooming of a young individual, these would pass that test. nicola sturgeon has suspended derek mackay from the snp but she cannot make him stand down as an msp. 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 and indeed, he offered his resignation to me and i accepted. it was not an option for him to remain in government. msps from all parties are furious. 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.

just yesterday mr mackay was planting trees to illustrate the environmental measures in the budget statement he was due to deliver today. today i present the scottish budget for 2020—21. instead, a junior minister had to announce £1.8 billion to be spent on investment projects to help move scotland towards a low carbon economy. derek mackay could now face a police investigation. police scotland say they are assessing available material and encouraging anyone with information to come forward. he was a popular politician who seemed to be heading for the top, now humiliated by his own mistakes which could seriously damage his party as well. well, we can now speak to kevin schofield, who's the editor of politicshome. thank you forjoining us. what is the reaction been across the politics and the public for that

matter in scotland today? it's been quite a shock and came out from the blue last night. the story on the front of the sun and branded at the piece they are sad, that mckay the currently listed for greatness. he spoke the snp politicians and asked who is most likely to succeed. the first name would be back mckay. he seemed to be on the up and up. it comes as a huge shock as a sudden fall from grace. he has apologised to the family and it has been a lot of criticism about his judgement of glass. what if he surprised that it wasn't picked up earlier, is there any? it seems as though this is a relatively recent thing that has been going on, so i don't think you can really suggest that snp has been

at fault, but they didn't spot this going on before it became an f candidate. it has been incredibly foolish thing for him to do. for whatever reason he wouldn't get caught, but as we all know these days these things lead an electronic trail and he was facing with danger by doing what he was doing. it's not that much of a surprise that it has come out. the timing on the day he was pressed against the budget speech, good and it was for the spanish government. he has had to resign from the same as a secretary that can be remain a member of the scottish parliament? he has been said pending —— suspended i think it will be very difficult for him to be a member of the scottish parliament. a lot of pressure from those in scotla nd a lot of pressure from those in scotland to force them out of the scottish parliament. i don't think he has any chance of then attaining

high office again. in politics, said the best he can hope for is he lease and if he does it's pretty unlikely. he was considered one of the rising stars and politics, a lot of people we re stars and politics, a lot of people were prepared to back him for succeeding nikolai sturgeon, hill is the next likely person to take over for her now? it opens up an opportunity for others, the first name that springs to mind is that ms. parry, she is an s in pe, np that she is very popular with the grassroots. she is less cautious than nicholas sturgeon is when it comes to pursuing dependence referendum. there is a lot of pressure for the grassroots activate to be more aggressive in pursuing the referendum. right now it would

be on the boxee as far as the most likely successor. right now, there is no immediate prospect but obviously things could change very quickly and politics. thank you very much kevin. thank you very much kevin. and we'll find out how this story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:1i0pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers, our guests joining me tonight are the assistant comment editor at the telegraph, madeline grant and the chief executive of the new economics foundation and former labour adviser, miatta fahnbulleh. a third person in the uk has tested positive for coronavirus. it's understood he'd flown in to the country from singapore, and is currently being treated at a hospital in london. according to the latest figures from china, there are more than 28,000 confirmed cases, with the current number of deaths there at 563. the authorities in china have banned public gatherings like wedding and birthday parties in a bit

to halt the spread of the disease. but as rupert wingfield—hayes reports from hong kong, that's not stopped the rising anxiety in the region. this is what happens when fear takes hold. shops in hong kong today were being cleared of rice and toilet paper as rumours swirled of a complete shutdown of the border with mainland china. out in hong kong harbour, a huge cruise ship, the virus possibly loose on board. several passengers have tested positive and no one is being allowed off. from his balcony, hinsley lee can look out at his home town but cannot go there. translation: i am nervous but the only thing we can do is stay in our cabins and be careful. hong kong has now at least five cases of people with the coronavirus who have not been to mainland china and have not had any apparent contact with people from mainland china.

also, three of them live in the same place, that is this building behind me here, and that may be the first indication of what is called community transmission. that is the virus passing from one person to another here in hong kong. experts here say they are now not optimistic that the virus can be contained and that a full pandemic may be on the way. not so, according to the chinese ambassador to london, who today went on the offensive, insisting china has the situation under control. it is our hope that the governments of all countries, including the uk, should understand and support chinese efforts. respect the professional advice of who, avoid overreaction, avoid creating panic. but at the same time, from wuhan, pictures and the like of which we have not

seen in generations. stadiums, gymnasiums and conference centres all being turned into fever centres, so desperate is the shortage of beds for the sick. by phone today, i managed to talk to a young woman in wuhan who described to me the stress of not knowing what is going on and what to believe. translation: we don't feel safe. we don't know how the virus is passed from one person to another. but we can't stay at homeall the time, and we don't know when this will end. we don't know when we will be able to return to normal life. that is very stressful. there is some good news. these are patients who have recovered leaving hospital. but tonight there are reports that this man, doctor li wenliang, is in critical condition or may have died after contracting the virus. in early december doctor li tried to warn authorities about the spread of a dangerous new virus.

his warnings were ignored. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in hong kong. 0ur health editor hugh pym is here with me: here we had this third confirmed case here in the uk what more do you know that a? a middle-aged man in brighton who had travelled to singapore, contracted the virus and tear or authorities believe, he was isolated at home in brighton, tested positive and has been taken to a specialist in infectious diseases unit in london. at the st. thomas is hospital site. in the wake of that, the government has decided to expand geographically it's advice for travellers coming into the uk. up until the change, anyone coming into the uk from china had been advised that they develop to send some to self isolate and call the helpline oi’ self isolate and call the helpline or doctor straightaway. that is now

been extended to other asian countries including malaysia, and singapore. it is described as a preemptive move, certainly in the wa ke preemptive move, certainly in the wake of this case where somebody in the uk has contracted the virus in a country other than china. how serious are the authorities treating it here? he did a briefing on this, says asking stands, it is a very serious problem in china. at then had been brought in many cases beyond china. the world health organisation as of now or has not declared this a global pandemic, so his advice was as things stand the nhs is capable of it out of its expertise in treating a few cases. and now possibly more. it does become a problem if there is a global spread and you get people coming into the uk from different countries. that puts a lot of pressure on the nhs. he does and

concise manner at that stage. it is not necessarily going to depart for that. think you very much here. think you very much here. let's speak to professor robin shattock, from the department of infectious diseases, at imperial college london. he is leading a team trying to develop a vaccine which fights the virus. thank you janitor joining us. thank you janitorjoining us. what are your concerns about how this virus is spreading and other parts of the world? i think we need to listen to the chief medical officer who is very appropriately saying this is a major problem for china. possibly surrounding countries, but so far in the uk it is not a common issue. by being able to identify those people coming from areas where the virus seems to be infecting the visuals. appropriately asking them to the south quarantined themselves and screening them if they develop symptoms, is the best strategy we have to ensure that it doesn't start spreading in this country. tell us

about the progress of your team name making a vaccine. we are making a vaccine and it is a timescale that has not been achieved before. we are pa rt has not been achieved before. we are part of one of several global teams and two teams of the uk, we had a collaborative team was working at a different approach in oxford. essentially we have to be fast because of the sequence of the virus was made available by chinese scientists. they had allowed us to use that to you a short track different approaches to 90 facture vaccine carrots and get into human testing. whenever he likely to see that start? we think the group is likely to start in the first and human child towards the beginning at the centre. we hope that we might be one of those, but that still at the start of the process. it takes a

long time to check these vaccines are safe, and bad shape that they present infections in larger studies. before they can be licensed and made available. said the earliest that a bad thing would be available for global case would be the beginning of next year possibly later. but you are not the only team in the world that is trying to find a vaccine. how many other hard at it to place, definitely not the only team, we know all that their art two teams in the uk, there are three or four teams that are funded in the us. we do expect that there will be other scientists may think that i think so it's no fun. any of these approaches could fall by the wayside as we try to develop an effective vaccine. professor thank you so much and good luck with you research. the headlines on bbc news:

scotland's finance secretary derek mackay resigns, on the day of the scottish budget, after sending messages to a 16—year—old boy on social media. a third person tests positive for coronavirus in the uk. the patient is not believed to have contracted the virus in china. and, a day after he is acquitted in his impeachment trial, president trump hits back at the democrats accusing them of a witch—hunt. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's hello after england's defeat to france and six nation opener at coach at coach downs has made several changes to the team to stay in scotland that mary felt. what are five players dropped, ines comes in for hannah youngs is the most experience player. joe mylan started his left out of the match. this is

the starting england is only 13 at their last trips to mary felt. we feel that at that mary felt contented on the conditions again except a bit more space. we have his writing skills, which they want to get back into his game. he started the game, it really tends to play with a lot of control, a good kicking game, and has quite a calming influence on the people around him. salad has made one change, the pack row vic to replace his whales has madejust change, the pack row vic to replace his whales has made just one change and had their match with ireland. the centre has been getting his first start after as a replacement

debut against italy. many late teens have change the transfer window living at back to august. to bring it in line with the rest of europe. the past two seasons the deadline england was the debate before the top flight began after complaints from managers. they felt a longer window disrupted the start of their season. this closing date will now be on the 1st of september due to the bank holiday. it was a decision we made because we reflected on what is the best interest to the lake. we felt it was in the best interest to be in sync with the other leagues and set the window to the august. i understand that the reason but it put a lot of pressure on all of us to make decisions and i think it gave an advantage to other leagues.

i think it is good to be consistent. ingrid won't have arch her back until december. after he revealed he has a stretch factor in his elbow. he has flown home from the children stop in africa, where he can only play one up before test there. i ca re play one up before test there. i care about this that you are in sri la nka care about this that you are in sri lanka and the whole of bmb and premier league. he is hoping to be time forjim's three test series against the west indies. great britain has lost to china and their opening baked basketball qualifier as they attempt to compete at games on foreign soil for the first time. top three teams in the group a flexible reach until the 18 then the world and left after the opening two periods. i stopped score for gp and captain lead from the front. the world number eight side china shed superiority —— superiority. we face

self—care —— superiority —— superiority. we face self—ca re —— south superiority —— superiority. we face self—care —— south korea next. number one, has been knocked out for that snicker by. he did produce a flu ke that snicker by. he did produce a fluke in frame six. at the blue somehow finding its way into the middle pocket. not bad at all. the match went to deciding frame and it wasn't wilson who held his nerve tubing —— 4—3. and that is how they support from us. more in sports day at10:30 p:m.. more in sports day at 10:30 p:m.. president trump has been celebrating his acquittal in the impeachment trial. in a lengthy statement at the white house, he thanked supporters and colleagues, and lambasted opponents who'd brought the case, calling them vicious. mr trump said he'd endured a witchhunt for the past three years. it was evil, it was corrupt, it was dirty cops. it was leakers and liars and it should never happen to another president ever.

i don't know if other presidents would have been able to take it. some people said no they wouldn't have. it is a celebration, because we have something thatjust worked out. we went through hell, unfairly. did nothing wrong. i've done things wrong in my life i will admit, not purposefully but i have done things wrong. this is what the end result is. applause 0ur washington correspondent, gary 0'donoghue joins us now. not your average press conference wasn't gary? and got quite a lot of laughs from those who gathered. he was speaking to a room of about 200 republicans, congressmen, congressmen, senators, party great good, that's sort of things and

family too. his 13—year—old son was there as well. it was not a traditional and his wedding celebration that's what he called it. it lasted been more than an hour. it's tone is varied throughout, there was defiance, vitriol, self—pity at times as well. and it was sort of moved that make a whole candidate issues really. a range of the whole span of his presidency. right from the moment at the announcement of his candidacy right through to the present day. it was like he was working out of his system. where does this leave at the democrats dead their attempts to in his time in office? he was skating about then and said, we were innocent all along. yeah, it does

leave them wondering whether they are calculation it will be blowing out. to have been worth it in the long run. ithink out. to have been worth it in the long run. i think he's frankly very soon to tell. they knew when i got into this, the likelihood would be an acquittal because the partisan nature of american politics and a simple fact that there is a majority of republicans a the senate. they knew what they were letting themselves into they took that decision, they did not take it without knowing and understanding those facts. their police must be, and will be a comment that the narrative that they believe that they have exposed well to some extent advantage the president in the run up to the 2020 general election. 0n the run up to the 2020 general election. on november the 3rd later this year. you have to also remember, and take us to the extent you want to take it, many democrats it will say out loud, if you do

something impeachable you should be impeached. whatever the likelihood of the conviction is. a lot of them justify on those grounds as well. thank you very much. a jury at the old bailey has heard how the brother of the manchester arena suicide bomber bought a bomb—making chemical for the attack using an arabic email address which, when translated, meant "we have come to slaughter". hashem abedi is on trial, accused of helping his brother salman carry out the attack, which killed 22 people at an ariana grande concert in 2017. the 22—year—old denies the charges. the justice secretary says he'll push through emergency legislation to stop dozens of people convicted of terrorist offences being automatically freed from prison, as was the case with the streatham attacker last weekend. robert buckland wants a new law passed within weeks to delay the release date of around 50 terror offenders. but lawyers say they will go all the way to the supreme court to stop politicians changing sentences passed down byjudges. our home editor mark easton reports.

out of prison but extremely dangerous. these cctv pictures from last sunday in streatham show convicted terrorist sudesh amman moment before he started slashing passers—by with a stolen knife a fake suicide belt under his bulging coat. there was bewilderment that he had been freed from jail just over a week earlier. he shouldn't have been allowed out of prison if he was still a threat to the community which he obviously was and i think the focus should be on de—radicalising people rather than locking them up and throwing away the key. today the government fleshed out plans to rush through emergency legislation that would stop dozens of convicted terrorists from being released automatically in the next few weeks. is there really a national emergency that warrants fast track legislation? we have a go of about 50 people who are due to be released under the automatic provisions and i think it is therefore a timely and inappropriate moment to take immediate action to get legislation

through both houses of parliament as quickly as possible. after it released terrorist offender was moin khan made two people at fishmongers' hall on london bridge in november, minister said the situation demanded action but today the labour party said the real emergency lies elsewhere. talk is cheap, legislation is almost as cheap but the real emergencies is dangerous prisons and a criminal justice system its knees. a typicalfour year sentence is made up of two years in custody and two years on licence in the community. release from jail is automatic at the halfway point. for more serious offences, like ten years, that would comprise a minimum five years in custody and the parole board decide if it is safe to release the offender on licence. the government wants to lengthen the minimum custodial element to two thirds and end automatic release in all terrorism cases. we have heard of one convicted terrorist who said he had been

visited in prison by officials from the ministry ofjustice and advised he might not be released as expected. that prisoner's lawyer says the government is spoiling for a fight by retrospectively increasing the time judges rule people should spend in jail. decisions were made not to impose those sentences on these people so to then impose it by diktats from above seems to be spoiling for a fight. the prime minister is known to have been outraged by seniorjudges ruling against the government obit suspending parliament last september and some suspect he might be relishing the chance to take on the supreme court once again. mark easton, bbc news. tributes have poured in for the actor kirk douglas following his death at the age of 103. he's been remembered as an "unforgettable" film icon, whose career spanned 7 decades. he rose to fame during hollywood's golden age and went on to play the title role in the 1960 classic spartacus. david sillito looks back on his life.

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 hard 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. i can beat him! born issur danielovitch demsky, he'd grown up in poverty. life was a struggle, but on—screen he was hollywood alpha male. he was good at playing ruthless. i tell you why, because the guy in there's dying. sir, would you like me to suggest what you can do with that promotion? in kubrick's paths of glory he was both star and producer. he was a hollywood player. the movie spartacus was his project. i'm spartacus. i'm spartacus. and the director of his last majorfilm, illusion, spoke today of the impact

he had had. 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 is rare, especially these days, i think. i had a call from jim lindsay the other day, dad. what's he calling you about? his son michael followed his father's lead, both producing and acting, and today paid loving tribute. but in the past he's also acknowledged that his father could be aggressive, and there were many affairs. but for hollywood, he's one of the last of an era. i knew him quite well. the last of the golden age, he was the best. when i get old, when i get old! you know, all life is glorious... yes, even as he passed 100 and struggled with the effects of a stroke, there was still some

of the old vigour. he was truly a patriarch of the old hollywood. kirk douglas who has died at the age of 103. now it's time for a look at the weather with lucy martin. hello there. murky start for the day for some of us with some mist and fog patches which were quite stubborn to clear. many saw some good spells of sunshine. this photo sent in by a weather watcher in east sussex. the dry, settled weather looks set to continue through friday. a chilly start that could be sent mist and fog around first thing. that should clear quite quickly a little bit more in the way of a breeze. a some good spells of sunshine with a cloudier west and that cloud thick enough for some patchy outbreaks of rain and drizzle. into saturday, and there will be some good spells of sunshine for many away

from the south and east which will start outcloudy up but the winds will increase to the through the day. gales in the north and west with similar persistent rain, that is a sign of things to come through the second half of the weekend. that initial band of rain pushes east and storm keira pushed again from the west and into the early hours and it is going to be windy. gusts of around 60 or 70 mph quite widely and locally quite higher than that. so there is the potential for some disruption. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. scotland's finance secretary derek mackay has resigned, on the day of the scottish budget ,after sending messages to a 16 year—old boy on social media. first minister nicola sturgeon says he has no place in government. 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. a third person tests positive for coronavirus in the uk. the patient is believed to have contracted the virus in singapore. a day after he is acquitted in his impeachment trial, president trump hits back at the democrats accusing them of a witch—hunt. and tributes to the hollywood legend kirk douglas, who has died at the age of 103. also coming up, they say cheeta hs never prosper, but this pair are off to a new life in south africa after being born and bred in the uk. the chairman of the grenfell tower inquiry is asking the government's most senior lawyer, the attorney general, for a pledge that no one giving

evidence to it will be prosecuted later on the basis of what they say. the request comes after potential corporate witnesses threatened to stay silent without such an agreement. seventy—two people died in the fire in west london injune 2017. we can now speak to ian kelcey, who's thejoint chair of the law society criminal law committee. he joins us live now from bristol. so ian, can you help us out here? what is "self—incrimination" in law and how might it apply in the grenfell inquiry? well, one of the problems here, it's quite a wide range of problems, is that if somebody says something in a court of law or indeed, in any aspect of proceedings, that evidence can be relied upon under section 119 of the criminaljustice act 2003. if they say something different, and

other proceedings, so for example, is here —— if here the makers of said one thing to the tribunal and set another entirely different to a criminal trial, then the prosecution can rely on the inconsistent statement. so while i suspect the issues, they will have to vote tightly, getting an agreement from the attorney general that he would not seek to invoke section 119, my real other concern here is how this is going to play out in the terms of the tribunal itself. because if this inquiry is going to be a public inquiry is going to be a public inquiry as it is, and if it's going to be televised and evidence given, that it would seem to me that that

evidence would have to go or be taken in secret and not disclosed to the media because clearly, one of the media because clearly, one of the problems may arise that if somebody is to be prosecuted, then it would be in the public domain what they had said previously. so i think there are all sorts of issues to be concerned about. it would also, i think, to be concerned about. it would also, ithink, delay to be concerned about. it would also, i think, delay the findings being publicised until after a decision had been made as to whether somebody was to be prosecuted or not because again, whatever the findings within his decision of his inquiry, again, this would become available to those in the media and obviously, ofa to those in the media and obviously, of a legal —— available to those on the jewellery so it may influence them into cause. what precedents is

there for a situation like this? well, under the children act of 1989, section 98 of that act used to to provide an absolute clarity that people who gave evidence and childcare proceedings, it could be relied upon in criminal proceedings, but now we've had the 2003 criminal justice act to precede it so nobody quite knows exactly where the law stands. i can see why this is a problem because frequently you see in the crown court an issue where a witness might be asked to give evidence and warned by a judge that any evidence they give which may incriminate them, they don't have to a nswer incriminate them, they don't have to answer the question. it's very similarto answer the question. it's very similar to america where they have what's known as the fifth amendment. where used to hearing that in all sorts of dramas from america. what does that mean in terms of a

prosecution. it doesn't mean they couldn't go ahead, just because they have this production from giving evidence. no, it doesn't mean that if they get the protection from evidence and evidence is put in a silo and not put into the public domain, then you could still have subsequently a criminal trial. the whole issue is that you would have to make sure that what evidence was given before the inquiry remained in that silo and was not available to influence the jury. thank you very much for talking to us. 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 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. but the legislation has stalled so, for marie, that commitment has come too late. 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. 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.

today he woke up 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 to stop him returning to helen's body. helen's law is due to be enacted this spring. i kept telling myself i'm strong enough to do it. 0k, it may not benefit my case, but it will benefit families who will also follow on. you came so close. yes. so close. mmm. i didn't think a heart could break twice, but mine did. jane mccubbin, bbc news. a new report reveals the extent to which poverty and disability in the uk are linked. according to thejoesph rowntree foundation nearly half of those in poverty has a disability, or lives with someone who does. that's seven million people. people with disabilities are more

likely to work fewer hours and be in lower paid jobs. they'd be earning on average two hundred pounds less each week per household than others. our family correspondent frankie mccamley reports. people look down on you, then. like, "oh, yeah, she's scrounging off the state." "oh god, yeah, she's doing that." and actually they don't really know the impact on day—to—day life. nobody is going to employ me because at a moment's notice i would have to go and deal with adriano, and besides which i'm exhausted. i'm a hidden carer completely because no one knows. i don't get any pay for this, i don't get any recognition for this, i don't get any help. three mothers, one common problem. caring for a disabled family member has forced them into poverty. let's go, let's get fed, baby! in bristol, jennifer's family rely on food banks. she had to give up herjob to care for her youngest son, nathan, who has complex needs including adhd. my full—time job is taking care

of my son, but i also do feel i have been punished, not by my son but by life because... no matter how much you try to get yourself a couple of steps ahead, you're always going to be a couple of steps behind, financially. in york, mary receives £66 a week to care for her 30—year—old son, who has autism. to raise money for the poor and homeless. despite barely making ends meet, her family set up a food bank to help others in their position. had i been able to work to my qualifications, i would have been doing very well, thank you! i have more than enough qualifications at the head of school to be head teacher in special education. but i'd only be able to use my skills if i can give them for free. jennifer and mary's situations are not uncommon. giving up work, paired with the higher cost of living to deal with some conditions, can have a big financial impact.

the link between poverty and people with disabilities isn't a new one, but these latest figures show how closely connected the two are. people here in york are using food banks on a weekly basis. they say they desperately need help. it is time to break that link between poverty and disability. and it's partly because of lack of opportunities, so we need jobs that are much more flexible for people with different conditions. it's partly that we don't have a kind of social security system that really gives people the support they need. which is how community volunteers sydney feels. her mother received £66 a week for full time care. that won't cover even home care of a cleaner. so the government's saying, "you are 35, have to care for your mum at less than minimum wage because we don't have infrastructure supporting this issue. " the government says it wants to get more disabled people into work and is introducing

the national disability strategy. but for these families in york, it's all talk and no action. something needs to change. frankie mccamley, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... scotland's finance secretary derek mackay resigns, on the day of the scottish budget, after sending messages to a 16 year—old boy on social media. a third person tests positive for coronavirus in the uk. the patient is believed to have contracted the virus in singapore. and, a day after he is acquitted in his impeachment trial, president trump hits back at the democrats accusing them of a witch—hunt. 170—million pounds 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. 0ur 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. 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. young children are among a number of people who have been rescued from near—freezing conditions in the english channel. they were on eight small boats carrying migrants trying to make the crossing from france to the uk. at least two of the boats are understood to have been brought to shore, with 26 people, including women and children on board. the actress and modeljameela jamil has faced a backlash for landing a role on a new lgbt—interest tv show, and for then coming out as queer in a statement on twitter. the reaction began when us broadcaster hbo announced yesterday

that she would be a judge on its voguing dance show, legendary. let's find out more about this with vic parsons, the gender and identity reporter for lgbt publisher, pink news, who also identifies as queer. thank you for coming in. there are so many different ways that people can describe themselves these days, and it can be very confusing so we should start with an explanation. what does clear mean with halo i think the nice thing about queer means it's quite vague. the best way to defined it is someone who is not straight or cyst gender but it is also a political thing. it describes also a political thing. it describes a person who sees their sexuality and gender as a spectrum and its community of people who is more engaged with fighting for equality. what does cisgender mean?

engaged with fighting for equality. what does cisgender mean7m engaged with fighting for equality. what does cisgender mean? if someone who's never question their gender. some people think we are not assigned a gender we're just born with a particular sex, but that's an entirely different discussion. has the term been reclaimed?” entirely different discussion. has the term been reclaimed? i think it still use as us slur. i think it has been reclaimed by the younger generations and i think it's important that we are allowed to use the language that feels right to describe ourselves and how we feel. that would appear to be what jamil has done. why do you think she's facing this back last?|j has done. why do you think she's facing this back last? i think there a lot of people who are talk about the timing of her announcement and saying she has come out as queer to defend herself against the acquittal to them with her role on the show

legendary. i think it's really sad that we're policing the timing of someone coming out as queer and i think as a woman of colour, we shouldn't be saying when she can and can't come out. if she says she's clear, she's queer. how difficult is it to come out and say those words out loud, particularly on a public platform? i think she alluded to that in her statement, the reason she hadn't come out yet was because she hadn't come out yet was because she expected there would be a backlash of people saying she was jumping ona backlash of people saying she was jumping on a bandwagon. and that's kind of exactly what happened, she also said as someone with south asian heritage it's been harderfor her to talk about being queer and it is still really hard. all the evidence says being gay, lesbian, bisexual gives you, you're more likely to be discriminated against or be the victim of a hate crime or

be bullied, etc. coming out is still very much a big deal. it's difficult to get these things right. if people aren't sure of what these words mean, what should they do? they should ask. exactly as you did when you asked what act iii meant. as someone who might know. —— what cisgender meant. school lollipop patrols in suffolk are being issued with body—cams because of abuse from drivers and dangerous driving. the footage could then be used for legal action against the driver. tonight, the county's police and crime commissioner said body cams are needed because of the "cavalier attitude" of not just motorists but some cyclists too. debbie tubby reports. sleet.

it wasn't filmed in suffolk, but it's a kind of abused officers face every day. there was a driver stopped in the road and started shouting, saying she would report me. there was a lady who waved their fist at me. linda has been doing thisjob for almost ten fist at me. linda has been doing this job for almost ten years and is the first to been given a body camera. i think it will be a bit of security for me if something does happen. it will be caught on camera andi happen. it will be caught on camera and i think plenty of drivers go past and see it and begin to know that i've got it on me. under the road traffic act of 1988, motorists have to stop by law at crossings like this it. if they don't they face a fine of £1000 and three points on their licence. it way be that if it's not a police officer, it might not take heat in the same

way but hopefully the video will sort of remind people that if they do something that causes harm to others, there will be evidence of that that will lead to prosecution. suffolk has 61 crossing officers. in the last six month, 19 incidents have been recorded where drivers didn't stop when the officer stood in the road. now ten body cameras will be rotated around suffolk. drivers in this county, and we do. a lot from had the chance to attend an awareness course and that money is used for road safety purposes in this county. 0ne used for road safety purposes in this county. one thing we did this year is spent it on the cameras. on the busy road, parents welcome the body camera. there are a lot of stressful drivers on this road, so i do think it's a good idea to protect our children. brilliant idea. catcher anyone who is being abusive,

she's doing a good job.|j catcher anyone who is being abusive, she's doing a good job. i think it's a good idea because i know she's had a good idea because i know she's had a fair bit in the past. the officers will start using the cameras after the february half—time holiday. but they don't prevent abuse, the footage will be used to prosecute. two cheeta hs born and raised in the uk are heading to south africa 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, as 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. the end game is, they're released into mt camdeboo,

i think zoos need to be real reintroducing animals in the wild and in the last three years, there been —— what's the point of raising these animals are not going to reduce them —— reintroduce them? southern she does believe the wildlife park tonight and will be flown to africa. when they arrive the programme of introducing them to the programme of introducing them to the wild will begin. at the private reserve which is protected, and then once they're comfortable hunting and know that they can hunt, they'll be tracked with the caller. so will be watching every step they take. the foundation 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. the us astronaut, christina koch, is back on earth after completing the longest ever stay in space by a woman. she spent 328 days onboard the international space station.

a russian soyuz spacecraft, carrying her and 2 male colleagues, landed in kazakhstan this morning. the astronaut had already achieved a major milestone during her mission. in october she took part in the first all—female spacewalk in more than fifty years of space travel. christina koch completed more than 5—thousand 200 orbits of the earth and travelled 139 million miles — the equivalent of 291 round trips to the moon from earth. now let's look at the weather. today brought some settled, dry weather and even some blue sky and that home weather looks set to continue into the start of the weekend before we see something stormy. store ciara set to move in through the second half of the weekend, bringing heavy rain and damaging and potentially destructive winds. looking at north america, the

same winds. looking at north america, the sa m e syste m winds. looking at north america, the same system has brought some record—breaking amounts of snow fall to oklahoma, and it will get carried across the atlantic by this fast—moving jet stream later saturday into sunday, bringing strong winds and some heavy rain. today brought plenty of dry and fine weather, lots of blue sky and this photo. 0vernight tonight, not a lot changes really. it will stay dry with some patchy cloud and we could see some patches of mist and fog forming. it will turn a little breezy or in the west. some low cloud perhaps for north east england but generally it will remain dry and quiet. temperatures are sitting close to freezing for most, just dipping below freezing in a few spots. could see a patchy frost tomorrow. there'll be a few patches of mist and fog, but the cloud will clear quickly. cloudier in the west with the odd spot of rain at time,

so temperature is fairly similar today, between 6—10dc. here's how we start the weekend for many of us. there'll be some good smells of sunshine although cloud are in the south and the potential for a little rain. the winds will pick up as we move through the day. sales in the north and west. —— gales. that's a sign of things to come as we move saturday night into sunday. storm ciara moves in to the early hour. we are expecting it to be a wednesday day —— a windy day. there is a potential to see big waves for western coastal areas and those strong winds looked like they will be accompanied by heavy rain. that rain pushing its way south of the day, being replaced by blustery showers.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is 0utside source. the chinese doctor who tried to raise early concerns about the coronavirus has died of the illness. meanwhile the number of cases continues to rise. us astronaut christina cook is back on earth after this man caused a political earthquake in germany by getting into power with the help of a far—right party. he's now had to stand down. we'll explain the story.