president, donald trump has held his first meeting with a foreign leader, hosting the british prime minister theresa may at the white house. the two talked for around an hour before emerging to take questions from journalists, covering terrorism, trade, nato and mexico. theresa may was greeted by donald trump as she arrived at the white house. the president then gave the prime minister a tour of the white house. at one stage, mr trump took her hand as they walked. theresa may confirmed that the president has accepted an invitation from the queen free state visit to the uk later this year. theirjoint news conference was a chance for journalists talk about wives been described both sides of the atlantic asa described both sides of the atlantic as a special relationship. the bbc‘s political editor was among the journalists to ask a question. thank you very much, prime minister. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. prime minister, you've talked about where you agree, but you've also said you would be frank where you disagree with the president. can you tell us where in our talks you did disagree, and do you think the president listened to what you have to say? and mr president... we will see what she says! you have said before that torture works. you have praised russia. you have said you want to ban some muslims from coming to america. you have suggested there should be punishment for abortion. for many people in britain, those sound like alarming beliefs. what do you say to our viewers at home who are worried about some of your views and worried about you becoming the leader of the free world? this was your choice of a question? there goes that relationship. on the issue you raised with me, laura, can i confirm that i have been listening to the president and the president has been listening to me. that is the point of having a conversation. we have been discussing a number of topics. we will carry on meeting after this press conference and discussing topics. there will be issues on which we disagree. the point of the special relationship is that we are able to have that open and frank discussion so that we can make that clear when it happens. but i am clear also that there are many issues on which the united kingdom and the united states stand alongside one another, many issues on which we agree. as i said in my speech, i think we are at a moment when we can build an even stronger special relationship which will be in the interests notjust of the uk and the united states, but in the interests of the wider world as well. we have a great general who hasjust been appointed secretary of defence, generaljames mattis. he has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture, or waterboarding or however you want to define it, enhanced interrogation, i guess, would be the words a lot of people would like to use. i don't necessarily agree, but i would tell you that he will override because i am giving him that power. he is an expert. he is highly respected. he is the generals' general, got through the senate very quickly, which in this country is not easy, i will tell you. so i am going to rely on him. i happen to feel that it does work. i have been open about that for a long period of time, but i am going with our leaders and we are going to win with or without. some of what happened just a short time ago. our correspondent is at the white house for us. just on a couple of specifics on the question of torture. very interesting there. he seems to be ceding authority over this to the person who's going to ta ke this to the person who's going to take charge. is that a surprise? well, he has been very much supportive of the general who is the secretary of defence. he has always spoken very positively about him and the general has made it pity clear that he thinks torture or enhancement derogation techniques are not the way to go. but as you heard there, mr trump still believes it could work, but he will defer to the general. i have to say, i think that will be a great relief to people here, as well as to people in the uk that he is taking the journal so the uk that he is taking the journal so seriously, because the secretary of defence is seen as a safe pair of hands, somebody very experienced who has a lot of experience in terms of relationships with other armies and other defence departments. not only on the issue of torture, which was important that theresa may said something like that, given the criticism of comments back home, but also in terms of the general conversation he will have with the secretary of defence. to be talking to russian, german and french leaders tomorrow by only told. his tone on russia seemed a little different from what we have heard in the past. hugh was noncommittal. he said he wanted to have a good relationship with valid amir putin. he put that into the context of other countries. he said, i hope the get along. he said that sometimes he thinks we will get along very well with somebody and when i meet them, i don't make them at all and sometimes it is the verse. he was also noncommittal about sanctions on russia over ukraine. you was asked about reports circulating that he might sign the report lifting the sanctions and he said it was very early to talk about that. he said he might consider it, which is something that theresa may will have taken a tough, because britain's position is that sanctions should only be lifted when russia needs his obligations in terms of the conflict in ukraine. what was the reaction to seeing the spread of images together in this press conference? have conferred legitimacy on each other? they are both very new readers. —— leaders. the press conference went there as far as can be expected from that point of view. there was a lot of speculation about possibly awkward moments, but mr trump and his reputation for being unpredictable and erratic. he might embarrass her or say something and statesman—like. was his first news conference and visit with a foreign leader and it turns out that they both seemed to handle it pretty well. he made a concerted effort to rein in some of those instincts, to present himself in a more professional way. it wasn't bill clinton and tony blair in terms of us and british leaders having a conversation. they seem to hold their own and that will have been noticed. look i guess, he held her hand. one of the major points that came out of this of course is nato, something that has been worrying many countries. donald trump has previously questioned the role of the us in this organisation. theresa may seem to make it clear that she is confident of their commitment. you said your 100% behind nato, but we are also discussing the importance of nato continuing to fight terrorism and cyber warfare as it is to fight more conventional forms of work. i've agreed to continue my efforts to encourage fellow european leaders to deliver on defence of the bridge and is more friendly shed. it is only by investing properly in defence we can ensure we are properly equipped to face our shared challenges together. theresa may speaking for the president there. the camera we had was not on his face, so i can see whether he was not deny shaking his head. he didn't deny wishy stated there. how crucial is that? think i was pretty important. britain and its partners in the two are quite worried about his statements about the alliance, that it is obsolete, that america might not be as committed to it as it had been and is over how to state in that way" him that he was 100% behind it, you are right, he didn't say the words himself, but he did not refute her. it is an important signal. he said a need to become more nimble in terms of more modern challenges like cyber wa rfa re of more modern challenges like cyber warfare and making sure people pay their bills and their defence requirements for the alliance. something he has stopped about a lot. i would also say that if he's going to defer to the general in the wa ke going to defer to the general in the wake defer to him on the torture question, the general has been very clear that america is completely committed to nato and two of the first three calls he made were to be head of nato and the secretary of britain where he made that point. perhaps it will be reassuring for britain. because this is a slightly different donald trump that we have seen, do you think you will be more presidential in a way? think he was making an effort to come across as more statesman—like, yes. making an effort to come across as more statesman-like, yes. the new us president at his inauguration spoke just one week ago of putting america first. theresa may looking at brexit, getting a good trade with the us is a priority. trade between our countries is already worth £150 billion a year. the us is the single biggest source of the inward investment to the uk and together, we have around $1 trillion invested in each other's economies. the uk—us defence relationship is the broadest, deepest and most advanced of any two countries sharing military hardware and expertise. the president and i are ambitious to build on this relationship in order to grow our respective economies, provide the high—skilled, high—paid jobs of the future for working people across america and the uk. are north american business correspondent has been looking at the reaction to this. she is in new york for us. we didn't get a huge amount of detail from either the prime minister or the president. what has the reaction been? the kind of line which used there is what people want here. —— language. the uk still has to deal with brexit, they have to disentangle themselves from that. no real concrete action can be taken. the fact that we heard theresa may said the groundwork has started, is encouraging. you had that same positive language coming from president trump as well, reiterating how important have a partner that the uk is and how important they are in terms of establishing bilateral trade agreements. not like is in the conflict in the us position and president trump has taken a very protectionist line? theresa may needs a fast deal politically here. there is going to be very difficult, because traders are notoriously complex. in some ways, it does work in the way that president trump has been talking about. he's very against these big, multi—country trade deals. things they'd tpp which involve a dozen companiess countries, which is an agreement with canada, the united states and mexico. what he wants to put forward oui’ mexico. what he wants to put forward our bilateral trade deals. trade deals with one individual country. he believes that is a better way for the united states to get a trade deal that is more beneficial with them, because really that is what donald trump has set with these trade agreements, the united states has not been able to get a very fair deal in his opinion. they have now parted ways, but the us president has continued with my engagements today. a short while ago, he arrived at the pentagon, where he is introducing his new secretary of defence, here we have been hearing quite a lot about. the commander—in—chief police interrogation techniques like water boarding can be effective. he has said that he will allow the general to overwrite that view. that has been a big change, because has been a big political row over his state m e nts a big political row over his statements on torture. much more ahead on bbc world news. we will go to pennsylvania, with the tradition of welcoming refugees, to see what the impact of his executive order will be. the shuttle exploded soon after that tough, there were seven astronauts on board. all of them are believed to have been killed. by the evening, the heart of official cairo was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word revolution. tonight the search for it survivors has an increasing desperation about it as the hours pass. the new government is firmly in control of the republic of uganda. moscow got his first taste of western ferries food as mcdonald's opened the biggest restaurant. hundreds of people queueing up today will not find a cheap, with a big mack costing half a day ‘s wages for the average russian. this is bbc world news today. the british by minister theresa may has become the first world leader to visit the new us president donald trump at the white house. the two leaders pay tribute to the special relationship between oui’ to the special relationship between our countries and reaffirmed their commitment to the nato alliance. relations between britain and the us are comparatively easy perhaps compared with those of us and mexico. there could be progress there, too. we had a talk that lasted for about an hour this morning, and we are going to be working on a fair and new relationship. but the united states cannot continue to lose vast amounts of business, vast amounts of companies and millions and millions of people losing theirjobs. that won't happen with me. we're no longer going to be the country that doesn't know what it's doing. so we are going to renegotiate our trade deals and we're going to renegotiate other aspects of our relationship with mexico. in the end, i think it will be good for both countries. there have been a number of developments since then. talk through the last couple of hours if you can, because after that press conference, we had a statement from the mexican government. that is correct. the past 48 hours have been a blur. they don't know where to begin. i suppose the thing is that what stood out to me from the joint statement from both sides were but they have agreed to at least not publicly discuss the border issue, which is so controversial. at least thatis which is so controversial. at least that is to one side and of the two diplomatic teams can begin to find more common ground on these areas of trade, a cross—border migration, security. some of the other key issues they need to talk about in which the wall has muddied the waters so much, the two men could not sit down and hold a summit, which was scheduled for tuesday. that border tax question will carry through for many weeks and months and we wait and see if the white house comes up with a more concrete proposal. i gather you were there with a very interesting development. yes, icame with a very interesting development. yes, i came dashing back from that just now and it was interesting. he talked about mexican unity a lot and about how he is not the mexicans unified around a single class in the 1985 earthquake that left many dead. it's very interesting to have him compare this political and economic earthquake on a similar scale. in terms of donald trump, you could hear a degree of sympathy towards him. he was seen by mexican conditions in the united states are very favourable at the moment, which echoes this line from donald trump and mexico is taking advantage somehow the united states. nevertheless, mr slim and his basic line was that he is there to support the mexican people when it comes to the mexican people when it comes to the relationship of the united states. but there's anyone who outranks financially donald trump it is carlos slim. we'll have to leave it there. let's catch up with some other newsletter. the us vice president has sold an anti—abortion rally in washington that the tide is no turning with the president. both houses of congress opposed to the practice. turkey has agreed to cancel you do with the european union on taking back migrants who cross over to greece. the policy decision by the greek supreme court not to extra to date a group of turkish soldiers who fled to greece. more international help as arrived to help to refight the worst wildfire in modern history. russia has sent a supertanker aircraft capable of carrying tonnes of water. one town has been destroyed by the police. hundreds of millions of people across asia and around the world a re people across asia and around the world are celebrating the start of the lunar new year. the year of the rooster officially began in china several hours ago the celebrations running into the evening. fireworks, flowers, line dancing and lots of food are part of the celebrations for many. this extraordinary week has seen donald trump breaking his way to many of his campaign promises and is thought that another imminent one is a crackdown on immigration. he is expected to sign an executive order restricting migrants from a number of countries in africa and the middle east, where islamist militants have sparked violent conflict. he's also but be preparing to announce tighter limits on the number of refugees that us taken. for more insight into what it is like for it migrants in the years, we're been to lancaster, pennsylvania. we were initially tied to welcome refugees, because it is our heritage, that is how we started this state. consider lancaster to be the best place in the world. mohammed and his wife and his four children arrived to lancaster pennsylvania last july. we left syria because it was unbearable and we we re syria because it was unbearable and we were not able to stay there. for long months we were not able to sleep. not than four months, he found a job sleep. not than four months, he found ajob in sleep. not than four months, he found a job in a supporting his family and wife. a family of six can be self—sufficient within four to six months. we're really happy about that. refugees are like any other human, looking for a better life friends and children. education, looking forjobs, just like any other person. how does it make you feel that family, relatives, friends might not be able to come here? disappointed. we had hoped that we would reunite again with the people that we know. think a lot of people are nervous with the aspect of terrorism and we have to be extremely careful and that american citizens first and safety. that is the number one role of the government. with any problem, we have to stop the bleeding. cut off a ny we have to stop the bleeding. cut off any refugees coming into this point, get a solution very quickly and reinstate refugees coming back the country. from a faith perspective, there is a moral obligation. particularly talking about women and children, to try to bring people out of harms way. well, there is much more on our website that the john well, there is much more on our website that thejohn presidency, including a look back at the events of his first week in power. just time to bring you one last moment from his first news conference since becoming president, onejournalist took advantage of the opportunity to ask him about the way his character comes over in public. just listen to this. have you found anything in common personally yet? we are not as brash as you might think. we're going to get along very well. i'm a people person. i think you are also, to reason. i can often tell how i'm going to get on with somebody very early and i think we're going to have a fantastic relationship. donald trump with theresa may. lots of pressure on many relationship. let mejust bring of pressure on many relationship. let me just bring you one development on the last few minutes on all this. donald trump has been hosting his first foreign leader at the white house, theresa may. he is due to hold talks tomorrow on saturday, with other world leaders including putin and speculation that he plans to recent sanctions against marks boot moscow. he has said that he opposes lifting any sanctions on russia. things are much for watching. thanks forjoining me. we'll give you a flavour of the weekends by the prospect in the book shelves, but make no excuses for heading down into the art ofjuliet again, because the devastation wrought by these high damage is well above normal. well in excess of a quarter of1 million normal. well in excess of a quarter of 1 million hectares normal. well in excess of a quarter of1 million hectares have now been affected by the smoke spreading up toward santiago. no real prospect of meaningful rain yet. no seasonal change for another three months or so. not the only game in town. an lot of rain to be had on the northern shores. we'll be seeing a lot of rain in the coming days. over 300 millimetres. that's the sort of experience adding california and neighbouring states this time last week. what a difference a week makes. a big area of high pressure settling things. for the north, we suffer for settling things. for the north, we sufferfor some friends settling things. for the north, we suffer for some friends coming in for noon pacific. delivering rain or more snow, as if it were needed, for the western hills. freezing fog is going to be an issue. if you have interest in the north—east of the usa or canada, we are keeping a close eye on the possibility of snow over the next three or four days. a current testing whether as we head into new north—western corner of australia. the dark clouds expatriate. it has the possibility of becoming a tropical storm is not a cyclone. the worst of it will stay offshore, as said it will be warm for the last week of the tennis in melbourne. heat has been the real story across the south—eastern quarterfor story across the south—eastern quarter for a number of days story across the south—eastern quarterfor a number of days now. as we move further north, concerns turned to rainfall rather than eat with the southern parts of the philippines likely to see up to 300 millimetres of rain in the coming days. prospect drifting a little further north at a little bit further north at a little bit further north at a little bit further north to the northern into the first half of the coming week. rain it is always a problem. it is very welcome in shoreline park with the reservoirs are at 30% of capacity. they were striped in 30 yea rs. capacity. they were striped in 30 years. rain is very welcome. pushing into the southern parts of india. an area of low pressure now beginning to show its hand across the western end of the mediterranean. the verse ends of meaningful change in weather across western areas. temperatures rising, cold is becoming increasingly confined to central areas. we are experiencing that change is well with frontal systems coming in from the atlantic. all the detail ina coming in from the atlantic. all the detail in a few minutes. the latest headlines from bbc news. the latest headlines from bbc news. the british prime minister, theresa may, has become the first foreign leader to meet president tra nsference leader to meet president transference is in operation. at a news conference, president trump paid tribute to the special relationship between the two countries. mrs may said they had reaffirmed their confidence in nato, despite the recent comments from mr trump: the transatlantic alliance obsolete. mr trump said he has had a friendly conversation with this mexican counterpart. the men had riled about the wall. the vice president has told a rally that they will