welcome to bbc news — i'm mike embley. our top stories: a senior us diplomat tells investigators that president trump's personal lawyer conducted a smear campaign against the former us ambassador to ukraine to get her removed. relatives are left angry and distraught after a deadly attack on a burkina faso mining convoy. the first funerals take place for members of a mormon community ambushed by gunmen in northern mexico. and — one in a million — the veteran cyclist riding into the record books. i should probably finish up very close to 2 million by the time i die, when i'm 100!

new developments in washington as the impeachment inqury against president trump gathers pace. mr trump's dealings with ukraine are at the centre of the inquiry, and testimony has now emerged, from a senior american diplomat, who's told congressional investigators the president's personal lawyer ran a smear campaign against the former us ambassador to ukraine to try to get her removed. george kent, who's in charge of ukraine policy at the state department, accused rudy giuliani of spreading what he called ‘lies‘ about marie yovanovitch. she was later recalled from her post. george kent testified last month before the house impeachment inquiry and the transcript has only just been released. the bbc‘s david willis has been taking a look. and it is a long and comprehensive transcript. he gave a lot of evidence to that enquiry last month and george kent hitting the headlines today for that claim that there was a smear campaign orchestrated by rudy giuliani against the us ambassador to the ukraine,

marie yovanovitch. mr kent said he was also a victim of the same smear campaign, a whisper campaign on the part of rudy giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, seeking to undermine people who were not part of this inner circle, this parallel sort of initiative that was going on in the ukraine to advance, it is claimed, mr trump's own personal agenda, to bring proceedings againstjoe biden and the investigation of his son hunter. another point we should cover, normally reliable journalists are reporting that william barr,

the attorney general who is loyal to president trump, refused to hold a press conference to declare the president did not break any laws in his call to the ukrainian president at the centre of this impeachment process. mr trump says none of that is true. that is right. this is something reported by a number of different news organisations here. they claim that william barr was asked by president trump to give that news conference basically saying that no laws had been broken, he clearly declined to do so. the justice department, which he heads, did conclude after the transcript of that fateful call between president trump and the ukraine president was released that no violations of campaign finance laws were committed by the president but what is unusual about the fact that william barr clearly demurred when it came to publicly defending

the president is the fact that the relationship between the two men has apparently been quite cordial, certainly much more so than the relationship between president trump and his former attorney generaljeff sessions. one more thing that on any other night we might talk about first. meanwhile a judge in new york has ordered president trump to pay $2 million for misusing money from his charitable foundation to support his 2016 election campaign. the judge ordered that the money be donated to eight charities to settle a lawsuit brought by the new york attorney general. professor sahar aziz is the chancellor's socialjustice scholar and the director of the centre for security, race and rights at rutgers university law school. she's in new york. this what do you make of this? we should say that the foundation was closed down last year and there were allegations that it was serving, effect of lead, as a sort of cheque—book for the personal

interests of the president. it was shut down because of this lawsuit. it was part of the settlement deal. effectively, that the trump family, donald trump and his children, were using this foundation to distribute money to charities in a way that would help his campaign. in other words, the money that they had controlled by his campaign, as opposed to an independent board of directors or independent managers. for example they held a fundraiser in 2016 where they raised $2.8 million and then his campaign advisors and his campaign managers determined how to distribute those funds to charities but in a strategic way that would help get him strategic way that would help get hi m votes strategic way that would help get him votes just before the primary elections. and we understand his children will now have to undergo mandatory training on the duty of trustees. he has also been required to admit to misuse of funds but on

twitter he has said he is accusing the new york attorney general of mischaracterising the settlement for political purposes. what do you make of that? this is typical donald trump propaganda. he has become savvier portraying himself as a victim when he engages in blatant breaches of the law, flagrant breaches of the law, flagrant breaches of the law. i think this is just another example of his nepotism and his flagrant disregard. he thinks he is above the law. for example, when he allows his campaign managers to manage the foundation funds and distribute funds in a way to his political advantage, that is not the victim of a witch hunt, that is violating and exploiting tax exemption is a nonprofit loyalty to when he uses the funds of the foundation to pay legal obligations contain —— contacted to his business, it is misappropriation. ultimately he was required to pay $2

million in damages in addition to the $1.78 million that were currently in the foundations funds for a total of almost 4 million that he nil —— now has to pay to charities to and the charities that receive these funds could have absolutely no connection to donald trump or his family because the attorney general knew that he would just, that he could use the settle m e nt just, that he could use the settlement to perpetuate his political ambitions further. so this tweet is simplyjust another example of donald trump ‘s alternative reality. thank you very much. we will be hearing more on this later. the president of burkina faso, marc kabore, has called for a national mobilisation against terrorism, following an attack on a mining convoy that killed at least 38 people and injured 60 others. the convoy was carrying workers at a gold mine owned by the canadian company, semafo, in the capital 0uagadougou. the families of dozens of miners — still missing after the ambush —

say the government hasn't done enough to quell a rise in attacks by islamic extremists. freya cole reports. the families of those killed, injured or still missing wait for answers. they've united in grief to confront government representatives. the very people who they say should have protected their loved ones from this type of attack. translation: we need our parents bodies to bury them with dignity. that is all we are asking. imagine the stress we are living through. none of us have had any sleep. the victims were in a military—lead convoy on their way to work for a canadian—owned gold mine in the east of the country. no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the bomb blast on the military escort vehicle, followed by a shooting spree, suggestjihadi involvement. the once—peaceful nation is grappling with an insurgency of three militant groups, with links to al-quaeda and islamic state. this man tells the government

they live withjihadists every day in their villages and that death no longer shocks them. president marc kabore has announced 72 hours of national mourning and has ordered a nation—wide effort to combat terror. translation: only a concerted mobilization of the sons and daughters of the nation, regardless of region, ethnicity, political opinion or religion confession can defeat these lawless and faithless murderers. the montreal—based company has so far offered no explanation. it was forced to tighten security at the mine last year after two terror incidents. it now flies foreign workers by helicopter to the mine, but local workers still go by road. on its website it offers its sympathies, saying, given the scale of the attack it

will take some time to properly deal with it and it will do its utmost to support those affected. but it's not yet known whether a company representative from canada will go to the region, or whether there are plans for compensation for those left behind. freya cole, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. brazil's supreme court has ruled that convicted criminals should go to prison only after they have exhausted their appeal options. the decision benefits former president lula da silva, who has been injail since april 2018. lula was sentenced to 12 years in prison for unlawfully receiving a beachside apartment from a company. an agreement between the united states and china to roll back tariffs is said to be facing fierce opposition at the white house and from outside advisers. chinese officials said earlier that tariff reductions had been agreed, and a us official confirmed it. but media reports from the us say there is a divide within the administration over whether rolling back tariffs will give away american leverage in the negotiations.

british police have released more information on the 39 dead bodies found in a truck in south—east england last month. they've confirmed that all of the victims were vietnamese nationals. several people have been arrested in connection with the deaths, in the uk, vietnam and ireland. the funeral services have begun for some of the victims of an attack in northern mexico in which nine us citizens were killed. the victims were all members of a mormon community based in the mexican state of sonora. initial investigations suggest the attack was a case of mistaken identity by a drug cartel — a version of events disputed by the victims' families. from mexico — will grant reports. hand—hewn wooden coffins made by their relatives were used to bury the dead in the langford family.

the mother dawna in one, her two young children in the others. buried as they had died, side—by—side. ..thank everyone for coming out. mourners travelled in convoys from mormon communities in utah and arizona, escorted by the mexican military down the same road where their loved ones had been murdered. they struggle to comprehend the massacre of children. i feel that they really need to get on and do something and take it very serious because it is serious. this should not have happened to three women and their children who were all hurt, injured and died needlessly. for decades, the breakaway religious group lived in relative peace in a region controlled by drug cartels. but that changed with these brutal killings. the mexican government insists the deaths were a mistake. the gunmen from the la linea cartel confuse the cars full of children with a rival gang. community elders say

that does not add up. translation: the children who witnessed the attack were travelling in the suv and saw their mother get out and raise her arms and that is when she was gunned down. so the question of whether there was confusion and crossfire is completely false. these criminals have no shame. they opened fire on women and children with premeditation and unimaginable brutality. i don't know what kind of animals these people are. the investigation is under way. although whether this was a mistake or a deliberate act, the effect is the same. the cartel has sown fear in this part of mexico. for now, the mormons insist they are not leaving. instead, they prepare for more funerals to come. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the new corridor opening to allow sikhs to cross from india into pakistan to visit one of their religion‘s holiest sites — without a visa.

the israeli prime minister, yitzhak rabin, the architect of the middle east peace process, has been assassinated. a 27—year—old jewish man has been arrested, and an extremistjewish organisation has claimed responsibility for the killing. at polling booths throughout the country, they voted on a historic day for australia. as the results came in, it was clear. the monarchy would survive. of the american hostages, there was no sign. they are being held somewhere inside the compound, and student leaders have threatened that should the americans attempt rescue, they will all die. this mission has surpassed all expectations. voyageri is now the most distant man—made object anywhere in the universe, and itjust seems to keep on going. tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms, or the scale

of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. a senior us diplomat tells investigators that president trump's personal lawyer conducted a smear campaign against the former us ambassador to ukraine to get her removed. the families of burkina faso miners — still missing after a deadly ambush — say the government isn't doing enough to combat attacks by islamic extremists. the french president emmanuel macron has described nato as ‘brain dead' — and accused the biggest contributor, the us, of a waning committment to the trans—atlantic alliance. speaking to the economist magazine, he said: "you have no coordination whatsoever of strategic decision—making between the united states and its nato allies.

none. you have an uncoordinated aggressive action by another nato ally, turkey, in an area where our interests are at sta ke." german chancellor angela merkel rejected the criticism of nato saying: "the french president has found rather drastic words to express his views. this is not how i see the state of cooperation at nato." well a little earlier i spoke with james goldgeier who's a nato expert and a robert bosch senior visiting fellow at the brookings institution. i began by asking why president macron chose to make such a disparaging remark publicly. you can see the anger coming through to but it is shocking that the president of france would actually say these things out loud. and he is angry at the united states, the lack of commitment, he is angry at what turkey has done in syria without co—ordination. he is clearly had a lot of pent—up frustration and he let it loose

in that interview. cynically you might suppose that he also sees an opening for europe here? well, he does and he clearly wants to leave that effort and he wants to make the case that europe should be developing its serious strategic capability and europe should be able to do things on its own and that the united states is not there for it, it should be able to handle things on its own. the problem is that by speaking in this way he makes it harder for himself to lead that effort. it needs a lot of ground work and state work and working with others in the european union and instead he blasts this out there and so you have, as you pointed out, a comment coming from angela merkel who is also frustrated with the united states but must stand up for nato and say she does not agree.

is he right? is nato brain—dead with a complete lack of co—ordination? he is specifically frustrated by what happened in the conversation between the united states and turkey and then turkey going into syria at the very end of the interview he said i spoke about brain death. nato is a system that does not regulate its members. as soon as you have a member who feels they have the right to head off on their own, they do it. he is clearly angry about turkey and the us and so i think that specific case was problematic but on the whole the alliance has been working together pretty well and especially in support of the eastern members. the fact that angela merkel and jen stoltenberg have rebuffed what he said, do you see

there being little likelihood of action on this? i don't think he will get that much and there is a nato summit coming up in london at the beginning of december and this was not a great way to prepare the ground work in the next few weeks. thank you very much. there've been heavy downpours across large parts of northern england with flooded roads and cancelled train services. the don river in sheffield has breached its flood defences in parts of the city and rsidenents in rotherham have been urged to stay home and not travel. the bbc‘s tom ingall has the latest. i'm standing in the middle of rotherham, this is the river don behind me, it is well and truly burst its banks, it is living with them fourth through what should be a car parked. it is the middle of the night, there is no—one around except the emergency services who have had a very busy 18—20 hours. that is the length of time that the rain has been falling heavily and steadily

here, across the north of england, and it has caused quite severe transport disruption. earlier this evening the focus was on the famous meadowhall shopping centre in sheffield. it should have been a very busy night for them with the switching on of the christmas light stopping thousands of people due to attend. just around 5:30pm organisers took the difficult decision to call the event off and thatis decision to call the event off and that is because the river next to the shopping centre had already risen to quite a level that was threatening roads and the organiser said sorry folks, we're going to have to send you home stopping the problem they had them with the roads we re problem they had them with the roads were gridlocked and people took a long time to leave the shopping centre. confirmed reports there were even people preparing to bed down for the night there although we believe they have already gone home 110w. believe they have already gone home now. the rain is falling still here stopping tomorrow at first like the

authorities will be looking at river levels which are believed to be approaching the same level as in 2007, went sheffield enjoyed a catastrophic flood that devastated thousands and thousands of homes. so far we're not seeing devastation on that level but it very serious and tomorrow the cleanup will have to begin in earnest. starting on saturday, indian sikhs will be able to visit one of their religion‘s holiest shrines in pakistan without a visa. india and pakistan signed the agreement last month in a rare moment of cooperation. pilgrims will be able to use a new, special corridor, that will lead straight from the border to the temple in kartarpur, four kilometres away. this comes against a backdrop of tension over the kashmir region, close by. india and pakistan both lay claim to the area, leading to two wars between the countries. the bbc‘s prateek—sha ghildial is there. i'm at the border point between india and pakistan in punjab.

just across the border from here is the sikh holy shrine of gurdwara darbar sahib which holds a lot of importance for the sikh community. as you can see, there is the pakistani flag flying over here. sikhs from all over india gather here every day to have one glimpse of the holy shrine through a pair of binoculars that's fixed over here. it is believed the founder of sikhism, guru nanuk, spent the last days of his life at this shrine and that is why it has such significance for the sikh community. on a clear day, they are able to see the white painted dome of gurdwara darbar sahib from here, and they are ecstatic that the government has taken the step to let the pilgrims from one side of the border visit this shrine which is of great significance for them.

translation: we have come here to pray to our guru. the guru have ordained it, and now the passage will be opened. i congratulate everyone on the birth anniversary of our guru. translation: we have heard so much about this holy shrine. we really want to go, especially because i have just got married and i want to seek blessings. but reaching a deal on this corridor has not been an easy process. india and pakistan have been trying to reach a deal on it since the late 90s but traditional hostilities kept coming in the way. but at last, the mood here in punjab is of happiness and excitement. the sikh community has been given what they have been for years. now, how's this for dedication? an 82—year—old man has become the first briton to ride a million registered miles on his bicycle. russ mantle has been pedalling away for more than 65 years,

averaging around 15,000 miles a year. the bbc‘s tim allman has the story. you know what they say. the millionth mile is always the hardest. russ mantle clocked up miles 999,995 — 1 million. a very big numberfrom a man who harbours a very big affection for two—wheeled transportation. i just love the mobility that cycling gave me. even now, i'm stuck with a bike, no longer have a car, no longer have scooters. his cycling odyssey began in 1952 when he got his first bike, a coventry eagle. the crucial thing was he kept a meticulous log of every mile he rode. russ has travelled the equivalent of two return trips to the moon

or a0 circumnavigations of the globe. lots of people have a bike in the shed or garage that they may not have rode for a while, and really hoping that hearing russ's story and that he cycled all the way to 82 will help people get back on their bikes. but he has wound down a little in recent times — this year he has only managed a measly 8000 miles, but shows no signs of stopping. just another milestone, and then onto one—one, one—two, i should probably finish up very close to 2 million by the time i die, when i'm 100! so, what's his secret? just an attitude of mind. an attitude of mind, he says. and presumably, strong calves. tim allman, bbc news. may very tiny cycle commute to work entirely to shame. that's it for

now, there is more news any time on the bbc website, thank you for watching. hello. thursday brought us a day of heavy and persistent rain across some parts of the country, particularly for parts of northern england. there was 75mm of rain by the end of the day in sheffield and many areas have seen flooding problems and quite a lot of travel disruption too. we still have numerous flood warnings and severe flood warnings in force as well. although the worst of the rain will be easing away, river levels will be lagging behind the main rainfall, so still a lot of flooding problems through friday morning. now, the overnight rain has slowly been shifting a little bit further south, but an amber warning was issued from the met office for up to 100mm of rain across parts of south and west yorkshire, derbyshire, and greater manchester too. as we head through friday morning, we've still got that rain band

with us, it becomes fairly light and patchy and as we head through the day, it will be confined to eastern parts of england. it's cold, quite a frosty start for many of us to friday, we've also got a few wintry flurries across the highest parts of highland scotland. by the afternoon, lots of sunshine developing, away from eastern parts of england where you keep the cloud and a little bit of patchy rain. temperatures between about 6 and aberdeen to around about 11 in cardiff. still on the chilly side. into friday evening then, that area of cloud and rain slowly clears off towards the east, so under those clearing skies, have a look at the blue colours, that indicates quite a cold start to your weekend, in fact, subzero temperatures for many of us, particularly in the north first thing saturday, but really wherever you are, you could well wake up to quite a sharp frost. after that chilly start to saturday, more cloud and rain work in from the west through the day, so some rain for northern ireland, western parts of scotland, and england and wales with some

of that rain of the highest ground could be falling as sleet and snow but certainly rain down at lower levels. eastern england and scotland should stay dry and bright throughout the day and it will feel pretty chilly, just 5—10 celsius, our top temperature on saturday. now, heading into the second half of the weekend, and it's still an unsettled picture, as low pressure drifts towards the near continent, a small ridge of higher pressure in between before the following system moves in from the atlantic but that means that the rain should clear away from the south on sunday, many of us should see a fine, dry day. again, it's a chilly start. quite a bit of frost around first thing and temperatures by the afternoon somewhere between about 6—10 degrees, a little below par, really, for this time of year but at least it is looking dry for sunday. and then the outlook for next week is a fairly unsettled one still, showery rain around at times, some sunshine too and temperatures rather chilly for the time of year. bye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines: testimony has now emerged from a senior american diplomat that president trump's personal lawyer ran a smear campaign against the former us ambassador to ukraine to try to get her removed. george kent accused rudy giuliani of spreading what he called "lies" about marie yovanovitch. the president of burkina faso, marc kabore, has called for a national mobilisation against terrorism following an attack on a mining convoy that killed at least 38 people and left 60 injured. distraught families say the government hasn't done enough to quell a rise in attacks by islamic extremists. france's president emmanuel macron has described nato as "brain dead" and accused the biggest contributor, the us, of a "waning commitment" to the transatlantic alliance. german chancellor angela merkel rejected the criticism of nato, saying mr macron used rather drastic words to express his views.