alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster.e programme free to customers. it comes after officials recommended that government departments stop using kas—per—ski lab products because of fears it could be exploited by the kremlin. the national cyber security centre says the advice doesn't apply to domestic users. kas—per—ski lab denies any links to the russian government. jon donnison reports. cyber security software like that provided by kaspersky lab requires extensive access to the files on a computer phone or network to look for viruses. our mission has always been to protect... kaspersky is used by consumers and businesses as well as some parts of government to protect systems from criminals and hackers. but now a new warning about russian anti—virus software, amid fears it could be used for spying. secrets of global significance... at britain's national cyber security centre, they say they've not seen actual proof of such espionage, but they've told government departments not to use kaspersky for systems containing sensiti

alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster.ancelled because of a two—day strike by examiners. members of the public and commercial services union will walk out for 48 hours on monday, the same day a new test is launched. a last minute intervention by the transport secretary, chris grayling failed to resolve the dispute, which is over changes to examiners contracts. it's been nearly a week since voters in honduras went to the polls for the presidential elections — but the results are yet to be declared. post—election violence has led to at least three deaths during days of protests and a state of emergency being declared. the demonstrations began after claims of election fraud and the announcement of results have been postponed. our correspondent will grant joins me on the line from honduras. what are you hearing about the violence in honduras? have things calmed down now there is a state of emergency? it seems it has been steadily getting worse from the first protest we now know at least three people have died. there have been

their statement read: alex forsyth has also been covering another story.g of two former police officers who leaked allegations that legal pornographic images had been found on a work computer of the cabinet minister damian green. the former chief constable of greater manchester, sir peter fahy, strongly rejected suggestions it was in the public interest to disclose information allegedly found during the course of an unrelated investigation in 2008. sir peter said in his view the officers were entering dangerous territory. nine years ago, a police operation that had unforeseen consequences. this raid was part of an inquiry into government leaks. no—one was charged but computers were seized and examined. and on damian green's work computer there was allegedly legal pornography which he has repeatedly said wasn't down to him. the claims were first made public by former met assistant commissioner, bob quick, who feared they would be covered up. then yesterday, this is retired met detective also spoke out, saying he had no doubt that mr green viewed the materia

alex forsyth, bbc news, jordan. the white house press secretary has been busy.sanders has refused to confirm whether president trump still has confidence in his secretary of state, rex tillerson. a flurry of media reports earlier suggested the white house was considering a plan to remove mr tillerson in favour of the cia director, mike pompeo. but ms huckabee sanders said the two men met twice at the white house on thursday, and that the secretary of state continued to implement the administration's agenda. we've said many times before, as many of you like to write these type of stories, when the president loses confidence in someone, they will no longer serving the capacity that they're in. the president was here today with the secretary of state. they engaged in a foreign leader visit, and are continuing to work together to close out what we've seen to be an incredible year. can we deduce from that that the president has confidence in the secretary of state? i think i addressed that pretty clearly just now. is that a yes? as i've just said, and as we've said m

alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster.t trump admits he sacked his former advisor michael flynn for lying to the fbi. legal experts say the president could now be investigated for obstructing justice. criticism grows of two former policemen who claimed legal pornographic images were found on the computer of damian green, the cabinet minister has always strongly denied the allegations. it's been nearly a week since voters in honduras went to the polls for the presidential elections, but the results are yet to be declared. post—election violence has led to at least three deaths during days of protests with a state of emergency declared. the demonstrations began after claims of election fraud. a little earlier i spoke with our central america correspondent will grant and asked if the violence had subsided on the streets of honduras. really from the first protest we now know at least three people have died. there have been scores arrested. it seems one girl who was still a teenager was shot dead by police. it is a very, very m

alex forsyth there. well, the government has commented on the resignations in the last hour. as chair of the social mobility commission over the past five years" "this government is committed to fighting injustice and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to go as far as their talents will take them." "we accept there is more to do and that is why we are focusing our efforts in disadvantaged areas where we can make the biggest difference." the youngest patient on the uk transplant waiting list has received a new heart. eight week old charlie douthwaite is said to be making good progress following a nine hour operation. a donor was found after a europe—wide appeal. duncan kennedy reports. a tender moment tracie wright thought she would never have with her baby charlie. charlie was born with only half a heart. hospitals across europe were contacted to find an organ donor. this week, a heart did become available. and now, atjust eight weeks old, charlie has had a transplant. his skin colour was just amazing. i can't describe it. from going so blue, he was just blue all the time,

alex forsyth, bbc news.ave been getting more analysis on this from our political correspondent jonathan blake. it has come as a bit of a surprise. we understand alan milburn‘s term in office came to an end officially injuly and he said downing street would be appointing somebody new to the role. he has decided not to go quietly. he has come out with this resignation letter which has been published this morning, saying in his view, the government is talking a lot about social mobility and the need to tackle inequality in various parts of the uk, but those words are not being translated into action. he puts that down to brexit in one word. a lot of time, energy and resources are being focused on the effort to leave the european union, but they are frankly, in alan milburn‘s eyes, not sufficient capacity to get much else done. he was asked about the way in which he has decided to leave his post with immediate effect, on the andrew marr show on bbc one earlier. the government probably for understandable reasons

alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster.stories making the news. a former egyptian prime minister whose family said he‘d disappeared after returning from exile has given a phone interview on egyptian television. ahmed shafik denied speculation that he‘d been kidnapped but he said he was now reconsidering his plan to run in next year‘s presidential elections. the saudi—led coalition has reportedly launched air strikes on yemen‘s capital in support of the former president, ali abdullah saleh. mr saleh had been allied to houthi rebels but their 3—year rebel alliance appears to have collapsed into what‘s described as a "street war" in sana‘a. new york‘s metropolitan opera has suspended its long—time music directorjames levine after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. the us opera house said levine would no longer appear at the met this season, and they‘ve hired a former us prosecutor to investigate the accusations. mr levine is reported to have denied wrongdoing. pope francis has left bangladesh after completing a 6—day v

alex forsyth speaking earlier to babita.ved president rodrigo duterte's request for a one—year extension of martial law on mindanao. duterte says his goal is to totally eradicate islamic state—inspired terror groups by the end of the year. it's the second time senators and congressmen have extended the emergency measures on the southern philippine island. the latest extension comes after the philippine army ended a five—month battle against islamic—state inspired fighters in marawi city last october. joining me from manila is the bbc‘s howard johnson. the battle form a row we against these islamic insurgents ended in october —— for marawi. he only wa nted october —— for marawi. he only wanted martial law until the end of the year so why is congress giving him until the end of next year? the defence secretary was their on behalf of the president to put forward the case for the government and he said he wanted an extension of martial law because the rebellion on minder now for these terrorist groups hasn't been fully contained

here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth.n that had unforeseen consequences. this raid was part of an inquiry into government leaks. but computers were seized and examined. on the work computer of damian green was allegedly legal pornography which he has repeatedly said was not down to him. the claims were first made public by former met assistant commissioner, bob quick, who feared they would be covered up. yesterday, this is retired met detective also spoke out, saying he had no doubt that mr green viewed the material. it was ridiculous to suggest anyone else could have done it. he examined the computer and thought it in the public interest to reveal what he found. the computer was in mr green's office, on his desk, logged into his account and his name. today, the former chief constable of greater manchester police condemned the actions of the pair. most police others as would be very uncomfortable in the police being involved injudging whether a politician is lying or not, or breaching this duty of keeping matters confiden

alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster. political turmoil this week as the government tried to push a series of controversial justice and government tried to push a series of controversialjustice and tax reforms through parliament. registers have returned to the streets of the capital and other cities determined to force the government to back down again. and repeat the success of similar protest earlier this year. the anti—government protesters are back in bucharest‘s victory square. the issue is the same. the government alleges the country's anti—corruption agency is too big for its boots and it wants to cut it down to size. these people have come out to defend it. it's going to take more than that to make them change their mind. but i'm sure we can, but we have to get out of the house and into the streets, that's all we have to do. all at once. the protests are inspired by a loose alliance of groups linked on social media. corruption is the reason that people have died, that our children don't have good schools that our

here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth.hen theresa may became prime minister she stood in downing street and made a promise. the government i lead will be driven, not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours. when it comes to opportunity, we won't entrench the advantages of the fortunate few. we will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you. but the government's senior adviser in improving social mobility has now left his job with immediate effect, saying he had little hope the government could make progress in bringing about a fairer britain. in his resignation letter, alan milburn said the government was: a sentiment he shared on bbc breakfast last week. his departure, along with three senior members of his team, has been described as a loss by some campaigners. downing street said it had already told mr milburn it planned to appoint a new chair as his term of office had ended. a spokesman said the government was committed to fighting injustice

here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth. times before, always appearing friendly, but there is a lot riding on their get—together tomorrow. whether eu leaders can be persuaded to move brexit talks on later this month. while back home, some of her mps have upped the pressure. a handful of brexit backing tories have written to the prime minister, laying down conditions they want met, including a promise that the european court of justice will cease to have any jurisdiction over the uk. for some, this goes to the heart of the brexit debate. the european court ofjustice is there to rule on all matters to do with the european union. we will have left the european union and therefore the simple point is that we should not therefore have to look to the european court ofjustice or to have judgments made by them, bound directly back here into the uk. when it comes to the european court ofjustice, theresa may has signalled it will have a role during any transition period, but not after. though some ardent brexiteers fear there could b

alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster.out how this story is covered in tomorrow's front pages, at 10:30 and 11:30pm this evening in the papers — our guests joining me tonight are the author and broadcaster, natalie haynes and rob merrick, deputy political editor of the independent. the government has been defending its record on promoting greater social equality, after all four members of the social mobility commission resigned. led by the former labour cabinet minister alan milburn, they say the government isn't doing enough to improve the life chances of people in england from poorer backgrounds. downing street says mr milburn had already been told he was going to be replaced as head of the commission. jonathan blake has the details. your chances of getting a job, finding a good school for your children and being able to afford somewhere decent to live. issues at the heart of social mobility. and from day one in power, tackling inequality was a personal priority for theresa may. the mission to make britain a country that

alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster.ter organised by the leave means leave campaign group is the conservative mp and former environment secretary owen paterson. he told us that the prime minister‘s gesture of goodwill in her florence speech had not been reciprocated by the european union. i think she has been more than generous, more than patient. she made a very open—hearted gesture with the speech and a generous offer, and they have been pretty churlish in their response. we said in october that if they didn‘t knuckle down and start talking seriously about the end trade relationship, which we ideally would like to see continue as it is at the moment, with reciprocal free trade and zero tariffs, based on mutual recognition of the conformity of our standards. then we should say sad but you are not talking about the really important issues. we assume we will tell our administrators and customs and businesses involved that we will be moving to wto terms, which is a global trade deal. it has been betrayed by some as leaping

earlier i spoke with our political correspondent alex forsyth who explained how damaging this is forndoubtedly damaging. theresa may made it her personal mission. she said she wanted to create a more equal society. she made it a priority to her as prime minister. i think what really is damaging is when you read the resignation letter from alan milburn in which he says he does not doubt be prime minister's personal commitment to social justice, but he minister's personal commitment to socialjustice, but he doesn't believe the government has the capacity to make that happen to deliver any meaningful action in that area right now. here in part blames a brexit, saying the government is so focused, understandably in his words, that it does not have the capacity to look at anything else. so he feels he did not have any choice but to resign. does it say anything about the stability of theresa may's government? herauthority, the stability of her cabinet and the government has been in question ever since the election. this is not the same as a resignation of cabinet ministers that we have had

here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth.n these two meet tomorrow it will take more than polite greetings. his verdict will be crucial in deciding if they have edged close enough together on key issues for eu leaders to agree to start talking trade when they meet later this month. meanwhile, a handful of brexit—backing conservative mps have increased the pressure on the prime minister, signing a letter setting out their demands including a promise that the european court ofjustice will cease to have any jurisdiction over the uk. for some this goes to the heart of the brexit debate. the european court ofjustice is there to rule on all matters to do with the european union. we will have left the european union and therefore the simple point is that we should not therefore have to look to the by them bound directly back into the uk. when it comes to this court theresa may has signalled that it will have a role during any transition, a possible two—year period to prepare for new systems. but some brexiteers fear there could be c

parliament, not the tory party, had its day. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth is in westminsterine is that parliament and the mps will now decide on what a final brexit deal looks like, what are the ramifications of that when it comes to theresa may trying to negotiate with brussels? the ramifications are twofold with the result today. the first is about the process. those who have supported this amendment and wanted to enshrine in law this guarantee of a parliamentary vote, what they say this was about was ensuring the sovereignty of parliament, protecting the democratic process so ministers could not sign a deal without mps having a full sale on it harder will work in is yet to be worked out it was yesterday this amendment passed in the government was defeated but this bill still has many stages to go through for it is finalised. the government itself has said it will go away, take stock and consider the changes that need to be made. we still don't know exactly when the vote will happen or what it may mean in terms of theresa may's negotiation. the other element of courses pol

here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth.eresa may became prime minister she stood in downing street and made a promise. the government i lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours. when it comes to opportunity, we won't entrench the advantages of the fortunate few. we will do everything we can to help everybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you. but the government's senior adviser in improving social mobility has now left his job with immediate effect, saying he had little hope the government could make progress in bringing about a fairer britain. in his resignation letter, alan milburn said the government was: a sentiment he shared on bbc breakfast last week. there's a lot of talk around from government about healing division, promoting socialjustice, but right now it's heads seem to be consumed by brexit, for understandable reasons, and it doesn't seem to have the headspace to inject the necessary energy or focus into addressing these issues. his departur

people over pornographic material on a house of commons computer. 0ur political correspondent alex forsythdate. his resignation followed a long—running enquiry into two different elements, the first that damian green had made inappropriate advances towards a conservative activist, the second concerning allegations that pornography was found on his computer. now, he has consistently denied any wrongdoing when it comes to the substance of those allegations, and the enquiry has reached a conclusion on either. what this is about is whether or not damian green was misleading when he said he wasn't told about those allegations of pornography. the enquiry found he was, and he has apologised for it and so resigned. now, this is important because he is a very close ally of the prime minister, theresa may. they went to university together. they are very good friends. so her decision—making in this process was being very closely watched. and what we are hearing tonight, the reaction really is that theresa may is getting a lot of support from mps, mps in her own party, who said the fact that she had a

here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth.chances of getting a job, finding a good school for your children, and being able to afford somewhere decent to live, issues at the heart of social mobility. and from day one in power, tackling inequality was a personal priority for theresa may. the mission to make britain a country that works for everyone, means more than fighting these injustices. if you are from an ordinary working—class family, life is much harder than many people in westminster realise. but for the former labour cabinet minister alan milburn, who was in charge of monitoring the government ‘s progress on social mobility, not enough is being done. what is lacking is transferring words into deeds. it is not about what you talk about, it is what you do. i'm afraid the divisions in britain are becoming wider, socially, economically and geographically. downing street said they already planned to appoint a new chair, so is the former minister's public resignation sour grapes or political point scoring? alan milburn and i

and more details from our correspondent at westminster, alex forsyth.resignation followed a long—running inquiry into two different elements, the first that damian green had made inappropriate advances towards a conservative activist, the second concerning allegations that pornography was found on his computer. now, he's consistently denied any wrongdoing when it comes to the substance of those allegations, and the inquiry hasn't reached a conclusion on either. what this is about is whether or not damian green was misleading when he said he wasn't told about those allegations of pornography. the inquiry found he was, and he's apologised for it, and so resigned. now, this is important because he's a very close ally of the prime minister, theresa may. they went to university together, they're very good friends, and so her decision—making in this process was being very closely watched. and what we're hearing tonight, the reaction really is that theresa may is getting a lot of support from conservative mps, mps in her own party, who say the fact that she ha

earlier, our political correspondent alex forsyth explained that those voting against the government on the final brexit deal. today, opposition parties and some conservative mps, that's of course the party of government, voted against the government and against the theresa may, to say yes, we do want a legal guarantee that we will get a vote. despite the fact the government had promised them they would, they haven't agreed to write it down in law, and that's what mps wanted. so today, theresa may was defeated by opposition parties and some of her own conservative mps. assess for us, alex, how much of a blow this is for theresa may at this stage? it's a blow for her authority, because it shows she can't get everything she wants to through the houses of parliament without being challenged, and sometimes by mps on her own side. and this comes just before she goes to brussels tomorrow to meet other eu leaders, so it's unwelcome timing. the government did all it could today to stop this happening but it's worth saying this was a very narrow vote, there were just four votes in it, and the

the noes to the left — 305. 0ur political correspondent, alex forsyth said the result is a blow to theresar her authority, because it shows she can't get everything she wants to through the houses of parliament without being challenged, and sometimes by mps on her own side. and this comes just before she goes to brussels tomorrow to meet other eu leaders, so it's unwelcome timing. the government did all it could today to stop this happening. but it's worth saying this was a very narrow vote. there were just four votes in it, and there were 11 conservatives that voted against the government. so the numbers aren't huge, but what it really highlights is, because there was a general election injune in the uk, theresa may lost her majority in parliament, and that means she has to rely on every vote, which shows just how tight the parliamentary maths is, how she is beholden to mps on her own side, and other parties, which of course makes her position in these negotiations with brussels very difficult. and tonight, we've seen it play out, the impact that can have. let's take a look at some of the

here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth.sterday, the prime minister and her close ally damian griffin. her deputy in orbit name. hours after they sat together in the house of commons, he was sacked. it goes back to this police raid on mr green's parliamentary offices nine yea rs green's parliamentary offices nine years ago. officers said legal pornography was found on computers. mrgreen pornography was found on computers. mr green has always and still denies it was his, but he also said he hadn't been told about it, and that wasn't right. he has now admitted police lawyers spoke to his lawyers in 2008 and the police raced it with him in 2013, and he has apologised that his state m e nts and he has apologised that his statements were misleading on that point. it is that reach of the ministerial code that cost him his job. there were also claims from this tory activist about inappropriate jaegar by mr green. her account was said to be plausible but there was no clear conclusion about what had happened. mr green apologised for

our correspondent alex forsyth reports.s was a trip focused on building relationships around the world. but while theresa may was meeting kings and ministers injordan, a major diplomatic row was brewing elsewhere. president trump had been personally rebuked by downing street for sharing far—right videos online. his response to theresa may, on twitter, of course: madame prime minister... her tour of the middle east suddenly required diplomacy of a different kind. the fact that we work together does not mean we are afraid to say when we think the united states have got it wrong and be very clear with them. i am very clear that retweeting from britain first was the wrong thing to do. he tweeted effectively telling you to stay out of his business. is that acceptable behaviour from a supposed ally? it is an enduring relationship that is there because it is in both our national interests. so, what of the much anticipated state visit by president trump? an invitation for a state visit has been extended and accepted. we have yet to

earlier i spoke to bbc political correspondent alex forsyth in westminster.ering why damian green was sacked. it wasn't to do with those allegations by kate maltby of inappropriate behaviour, it was because he said he didn't know about a whole other matter, which was pornography found on parliamentary computers in his office. he actually did know. he's always maintained that pornography wasn't his, denied he downloaded or viewed it. but it was that which led to his resignation. nonetheless, the other element to this is the wider issue of claims of sexual harassment in westminster. kate maltby, who made those claims against damian green, said the reason she's chosen to speak about this is because she is effectively saying she doesn't think enough is being done to make sure this is properly dealt with. damian green has apologised to kate maltby for making her feel uncomfortable, although he disputes her version of events. you get the sense now that the debate has come back to what really was the origins of all of this which was whether or not people are taking

we can go live to alex forsyth who is in westminster.l us more about the conclusion of this investigation. this enquiry was in two broad matters, the first was allegations that damian green had behaved inappropriately towards a conservative activist and the second concerning alleged legal pornography that was found on computers in his parliamentary office in 2008. from the outset he has denied any wrongdoing on either account and maintained that any pornography found did not belong to him and this enquiry has not been definitive when it comes to those two central matters. it does not say exactly what happened in either case but what happened in either case but what it does find is that when damian green says he was not told by police about those allegations of pornography, that was wrong and in fa ct pornography, that was wrong and in fact his lawyers were told by police lawyers and therefore he made misleading statements about what he knew about the allegations and as a consequence he is bound to have breached the ministerial code and h

alex forsyth bringing views of the resignation from the cabinet of the first secretary of state, damiann bring you more now on his political career with our correspondent. he was the most powerful man in the government. at the heart of decision—making and the prime minister's closest ally in cabinet. damian green and theresa may have been friends since they we re may have been friends since they were students for two years ago, and last month he filled her shoes in the commons. i have been asked to reply on behalf of my right honourable friend the prime minister. his departure is a massive blow to theresa may's already fragile government and destroys a career built slowly over decades. let me tell mr blair it is my generation, the 30—somethings, thatcher's children, who have learned truths in our working lives. after working in journalism learned truths in our working lives. after working injournalism he was tempted into politics and was an adviser tojohn major tempted into politics and was an adviser to john major before tempted into politics and was an adviser tojohn major before winn

our political correspondent alex forsyth reports.e—by—side yesterday, the prime minister and her close ally damian green, her deputy in all but name. but hours after they sat together in the commons, he was sacked. it stems back to this police raid on mr green's parliamentary offices nine years ago. officers said legal pornography was found on computers. mr green has always and still denies that it was his, but he also said he hadn't been told about it, and that wasn't right. he has now admitted police lawyers talked to his lawyers in 2008, and police raised it with him in 2013, and he said: it is that breach of the ministerial code that cost him his job. there were also claims from this tory activist about inappropriate behaviour by mr green. her account was said to be plausible, but there was no clear conclusion about what had happened. mr green apologised for making her feel uncomfortable, but denied wrongdoing. in a letter to mr green, theresa may said she was extremely sad at having to write regarding his resignation. she has lo

thank you very much, alex forsyth. retailer toys r us is under pressure this week., part of the vote on thursday to agree a deal would be done, is the pension protection fund. what they do is when companies are struggling, they take on the pension scheme of the company and make sure all the people who worked for them in the past and do at the moment will get the pension they are entitled to, or a vast majority of it. they will want something in return, the creditors, they will wa nt return, the creditors, they will want cash. that is what the negotiations are talking about. they have not decided if they will back the deal on thursday yet. that is why there is still pressure on toys rus to why there is still pressure on toys r us to come up with a deal. we will definitely hear it on thursday. that will be the deadline for the vote. is three quarters of creditors need to back the deal, landlords, the pension protection fund, all of that involved, three quarters need to back it for toys r us to go forward with the plans to go ahead. that is so concerning. it is never n

alex forsyth reports. yesterday, the prime minister and her close ally, damian green, her deputy in all but name, but hours after they sat together in the commons, he was sacked. it stems back to a police raid on mr green's parliamentary offices years ago. officers said legal pornography was found on computers. mr green has always and still denies that it was his, but he also said that he had not been told about this, and it wasn't right. he has now admitted that the lease lawyers talked to his lawyers in 2008, and police raised it with him in 2013. he said, i apologise that my statements were misleading on this point. it's that breach of the ministerial code that has cost him his job. there were also claims from this activist about inappropriate behaviour. her account was said to be plausible, but there was no clear conclusion about what had happened. mr green apologised for making her feel uncomfortable, but denied wrongdoing. in a letter to mr green, theresa may said that she was extremely sad at having

claims that pornography was found on his office computer in 2008. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth. side—by—side yesterday, the prime minister and her close ally damian green, her deputy in all but name. but, hours after they sat together in the commons, he was sacked. it stems back to this police raid on mr green's parliamentary offices nine years ago. 0fficers said legal pornography was found on computers. mr green has always and still denies it was his, but he also said he hadn't been told about it, and that wasn't right. he has now admitted police lawyers talked to his lawyers in 2008, and police raised it with him in 2013, and he said... it is that breach of the ministerial code that cost him his job. there were also claims from this tory activist about inappropriate behaviour by mr green. her account was said to be plausible, but there was no clear conclusion about what had happened. mr green apologised for making her feel uncomfortable, but denied wrongdoing. in a letter to mr green, theresa may said she was extremely sad at having to write regarding his resignation. she has