welcome to bbc news, i'm mike embley. our top stories: china confirms the new respiratory virus spreading across the country can be transmitted from person to person, as a fourth person dies. the world health organisation calls an emergency meeting. controversy over the rules for president trump's impeachment trial, democrats say the proposals amount to a cover—up. chaos as mexico tries to stop hundreds of people from central america entering on their way to the united states. and we'll find out why an attempt to set a world record in sri lanka for the largest gathering of twins seems to have failed.

it's been confirmed a new virus spreading across china can be transmitted between humans. more than 200 people have been infected with the virus so far, and in the last hour a fourth death has been confirmed. cases have also been reported in japan, thailand, and south korea. the world health organisation will hold an emergency meeting later this week. our medical correspondent, fergus walsh reports: it's official. china's mysterious new virus can pass from person to person. health authorities there are urging the public not to panic. most cases have come as a result of direct contact with animals, but human—to—human transmission means this virus is potentially a far bigger threat. the outbreak centres on the city of wuhan, population 11 million, where the source is thought to be a seafood market. 170 people in wuhan are being

treated in hospital. several are critically ill and three deaths have been confirmed. there have been a handful of cases of the virus in south korea, thailand and japan, all travellers who had come from wuhan. the infection is a new type of coronavirus, which originated in animals. although person—to—person transmission has been confirmed, it does not, thankfully, spread easily. signs of infection include breathing problems, fever and cough. it's the height of the flu season, meaning it's hard to know initially what infection patients have. hundreds of millions of chinese are expected to travel over the coming week to celebrate the lunar new year, making further spread inevitable. at train stations and airports, temperature scanners are being used. some airports in the united states, singapore and japan are screening travellers. the outbreak is a reminder of the sars epidemic, also caused by a coronavirus, that killed nearly 800 people worldwide nearly 20 years ago. then, there was an initial cover—up by the authorities. this time, global health officials say china has learned from past mistakes. it may be weeks or months, though, before we know how big a threat this new virus poses. fergus walsh, bbc news.

let's stay with that story now. james palmer is senior editor of the global magazine foreign policy. he joins us from washington. thank you very much for your time, i know you have been writing on this, what is your thinking currently? and i think that at this point it seems as though the government has acknowledged the scale... and problems in chinese healthcare in the way that the government handles the way that the government handles the spread of information and a

possible academic. it is very difficult on the chinese system for... disasters or to share with colleagues, because they see them as... james, you will have to forgive me. if you can hear me all right, we're having a lot of trouble with the connection with you but at the moment it is breaking up quite badly. we will come back to you if we possibly can. moving on for the moment... republican party leaders in the us senate have proposed rules for president trump's impeachment trial that could mean no witnesses are called and no new evidence is discussed. a resolution unveiled by mitch mcconnell, who leads the republican majority in the senate, could see a vote on impeachment as early as tuesday. chuck schumer, who leads the democratic minority in the senate, has called the proposals a cover—up and a national disgrace. 0ur north america correspondent, peter bowes, has more details. let's get more on this now from our north america correspondent, peter bowes. as far as the democrats are concerned, this is a very bad

move and as you have just implied, they are livid but it seems as if the republicans are trying to push this process through very quickly. it is certainly what the white house has been saying in its pre—trial documents, that there should be a swift resolution to this, but it may not be that straightforward. essentially what has been announced is that each side will get 2a hours split over two days, so two days, 12 hours long, it will be a gruelling few days for all concerned that the initial first four days will be set aside for the opening statements from the house managers, the prosecutors in this case, and the president's lawyers, but within that framework, there is a possibility that the president's lawyers could call for a vote to dismiss the charges. it seems unlikely at this very early stages that would pass, but it is possible. what chance do you think then, that the witnesses and the evidence that was not available to the house

of representatives but is available now, will actually be heard? if this framework were to proceed, it is looking less and less likely, but it isn't a far gone conclusion because there is a lot that can happen over the next few days. one thing that could happen is that some of those republicans that are sitting on the fence, wavering a little bit may decide to side with the democrats and agree that there ought to be some witnesses and ought to be evidence, documents that have been revealed in the last two days. so at this stage you can't say that it is impossible that it is going to happen, itjust seems a little less likely and it seems as if it is what the republicans want to happen but the democrats are putting up quite a fight. let's get some of the day's other news: prince harry has carried out what are likely to be some

of his last engagements as a senior royal. it's reported he's now flown to canada to be reunited with his wife and baby son. the duke of sussex left the uk after meeting prime minister boris johnson and world leaders at the uk—africa investment summit in london. malaysia has revealed its sent back 150 shipping containers of illegally—imported plastic waste to the developed countries it came from, including the uk. richer countries have been sending plastic to malaysia since 2018, when china banned most waste imports. but malaysia's government has taken a stand, saying it doesn't want to be the world's garbage dump. mung wan—joe, the senior huawei executive detained in canada, is in court for a hearing to decide if she should be extradited to the united states. the us wants her handed over to face accusations of fraud and breaching sanctions on iran. she says the charges are politically—motivated. after many years of expert argument, a painting of vincent van gogh has finally been confirmed as a self—portrait.

painted in 1889, it's the only known artwork which shows the dutch artist in a depressed state, while he was in an asylum in france. hundreds of people, mainly from honduras, who are trying to reach the united states, have waded into a river on mexico's border with guatamala. mexican national guard troops with riot shields have been trying to stop them climbing the river bank. mexico has cut off migration routes to the us under pressure from president trump. rich preston reports. 0n mexico's southern border, men, women, and children wading through the suchiate river, many of them eventually reaching mexican territory. they were met by mexico's national guard. they used shields and teargas to push the people back. the migrants hurled stones and rocks at the police lines. many of the migrants were thought to have originally been from honduras.

guatemala says several thousand migrants have crossed into its territory from honduras since wednesday. these migrants had been camped out in the town of tecun uman on the guatemalan side of the border, and wanted to cross to the town of ciudad hidalgo in mexico. when they were refused permission, they took to the water. those crossing the river are part of a larger group of between 2000 and 3500 people, which has been called 2020 caravan. many of whom are ultimately trying to reach the united states. translation: i'm a mother, i left my daughter there, i have to support her and i'm a single mother. we only want to work. please, i am just scared and i don't want to return to my country. there is no work there, there is nothing. my daughter and i go hungry. mexican officials say they have already taken in over 1000 people and that many will be

allowed to stay and work, but will not be given free passage to america. amid tense relations with its northern neighbour, mexico is under increasing pressure to help stem the flow of migrants to the us. but despite the firm response on the border, many say they are so desperate, they will keep trying anyway. let's ta ke let's take you back to that story of that new virus spreading across china and the confirmation it can be transmitted between humans. james, i hope the connection is all right this time, thank you very much for staying with us. part of the difficulty here is knowing whether we can trust the information that china is giving out? that is absolutely true. we have already seen the number of cases jumped dramatically over the weekend, after the authorities felt under pressure

because cases were being watered in south korea and thailand, and the chinese public was asking if these cases are spreading elsewhere, how can the number has stayed static in china. systematic problems with the data given up by the chinese health system, because officials often have a strong incentive to underreport numbers to make their own performance seem numbers to make their own performance seem better or because they feared their enemies will use that information against them. clearly, james, disease control methods have improved greatly since the 1918 lou epidemic but it's not at all clear to people at the who that screening is the answer? yes, it is very hard to know. we know very little about the structure of this virus at the moment and one of the purposes of the who conference is to determine the best techniques.

we're already seeing screening of flights out wuhan and increasingly of flights out of china into the us and elsewhere, but it is uncertain whether that will stop all possible cases, especially because we don't know what the dormancy period might be. what are the hopes of containing this, given millions are on the move? i think that they are probably quite slim, it will probably spread yonder wuhan to outbreaks elsewhere in china but have lee at that point, we will know more about it and the damage will be contained. next week, we will see hundreds of millions of people moving before the lunar new year and that is a complete petri—dish of disease with people on crowded trains, sharing dishes, and those in the worst possible circumstances. it sounds like we will be talking to you again. james palmer, thank you so much. thanks to

you for being with us. stay with us if you can, there is much more to come on bbc news, including this. thousands of heavily—armed protesters march against stricter gun laws in the us state of virginia. donald trump is now the 45th president of the united states. he was sworn in before several hundred thousand people on the steps of capitol hill in washington. it's going to be only america first. america first. demonstrators waiting for mike gatting and his rebel cricket team were attacked with tear gas and set up on by police dogs. anti—apartheid campaigners say they will carry on the protests throughout the tour. they called him ‘the butcher of lyon'. klaus altmann is being held on a fraud charge in bolivia. the west germans want to extradite him for crimes committed

in wartime france. there, he was the gestapo chief klaus barbie. millions came to bathe as close as possible to this spot. a tide of humanity that is believed by officials to have broken all records. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: doctors confirm that a new virus in china can be transmitted from human to human, as the outbreak continues to spread, and a fourth person dies. in iraq, three more protesters have been killed as demonstrators loose from each side will have just 24 loose from each side will have just 2a hours to prevent the arguments. —— lawyers from either side. manage national visitors are expected to stay away even though many of the fires are now out or under control.

tourism is estimated to account for more than 3% of australia's economic output and one in every 13 persons jobs. for more on this, we can talk to our australia correspondent, phil mercer. he joins me from the small town of kangaroo valley in new south wales. you can see the bridge behind me, one of the most famous landmarks in this particular region. this area should be bustling with tourists. there are many attractions here or visitors but it's very, very quiet here and this is a sea that has been repeated in many other holiday parts of australia, given itsjust repeated in many other holiday parts of australia, given its just over halfway through australia's summer. this should be an error that you are generating lots of money for local people. just to give a sense, it's a

lie of the land over here. we have a local museum, we have a business hiring kayaks and bicycles, these are businesses that rely on the summit trade here but there are —— a few weeks ago there were serious bushfires not too far away from here at the net result is that many visitors have either been scared away or worried about the fires returning. it's coming towards the end of the school holidays here in australia and there is a big fear as you say that australia's tourism industry is likely to take a very significant hit because of this bushfire crisis. the government over the weekend pitched in with millions to the tourism industry, what is going to take to help these businesses stay afloat? australia's trade minister is a man called simon verma given his saying the bushfires that have banned across many states in australia since september of the biggest dent to australia's

international tourism reputation ever. so what vesting is about $15 million spent towards the government to try to read —— try to repair the image. many visitors are cancelling the trips, many domestic travellers are turning the back of the domestic tourism market because of the bushfire crisis. this government money will be spent trying to rehabilitate australia's image both here and overseas. the message from the australian government that australia, yes it is being scarred — make yes it has been scarred but it very much remains open for business. in iraq, three more protesters have been killed as demonstrators

and iranian — interference. at least 500 people have been killed by security forces and pro—iranian militia in months of demonstrations. our middle east correspondent quentin sommerville, and cameraman nik millard, have spent the past few days following protesters in baghdad. iraq is both a country in gridlock and coming apart at the seams. for months, young iraqis have been on the streets, intent on sweeping away the old guard. they say their government isn't listening, so these young iraqis are piling on the pressure — here in baghdad and in cities across iraq. they say their demands won't be forgotten and their protests won't end. they've already brought down the last government, but it's not enough. in a country of fierce division, they've emerged united — sunni, shia, christian, rich and poor. translation: we want a life, like the life others have, in europe, america and elsewhere.

we want politicians who are of the people, not men who are supported by iran, saudi or the united states. but old iraq hasn't vanished. nearly 500 protesters have died, killed by security forces and pro—iranian militia since october. today's push is to bring iraq to a standstill. they want a new prime minister and fresh elections, and they mightjust get their way. but not without a fight. after a long stand—off, the security forces are now coming down the off ramps. it looks like they're just

using tear gas for now. they are also sick of iran and the united states fighting their battles on iraqi soil. chanting. both be damned, they chant. three more young protesters were killed today. more names for a crowded memorial wall. this revolution already has too many martyrs. safaa al—saray is one of them. he wanted an iraq without corruption and sectarianism. an idealist and a revolutionary, safaa's face is now everywhere. he was shot on this bridge — unarmed, his brother says, and clutching only the iraqi flag. translation: safaa was a painter, a poet. he loved iraq very much and sacrificed his life for it. we were not surprised by his martyrdom, and we are all willing

to sacrifice for iraq. their struggle now is to stop the movement being hijacked by those they oppose. in iraq, power, religious, political and foreign, lies in the shadows. these protests may look familiar, but they're not — they transcend social class and religious sect. that and their scale make them unprecedented for iraq. the odds are stacked against these young people, but they say they have no choice. their lives and their future will depend on what happens on the streets. so tonight they're back at the barricades, resisting — and waiting for the new iraq. quentin sommerville, bbc news, baghdad. thousands of gun owners, heavily armed, have converged on the american city of richmond to protest against stricter gun laws in the state of virginia. they claim their constitutional right to bear arms would be violated

if the state's democratic governor and newly—elected democratic—majority legislature presses on with moves to tighten controls. aleem maqbool is in virginia for us. all chant: usa, usa, usa! they came from all over the country, bearing arms, after this state, virginia decided it is going to try to push through what are very limited gun—control measures. well, we're just on a regular street in downtown richmond, virginia, and yet almost everyone around us is carrying a handgun or a rifle, and that is all perfectly legal. but they're out here to say they won't allow that right to ever be taken away from them. no—one is even talking about that happening, though. politicians here just want to introduce rules that would, for example, only allow people to buy one weapon a month, and allow guns to be banned at some public events. that is too much for everyone here.

if this saves one life, is it worth it? i mean, not if it's going to impede on my right to defend me and my family. that person who lost their life should have had a gun in their hand and should have taken their responsibility and had their second amendment exercised, and it would have saved their life. you don't just get to say there is mass shootings. i think it accounts for less than 0.001% of the population, but we're going to make it a nationwide... tens of thousands die as a result of, you know, gun violence. hundreds of thousands die of heart failure. like, come on. for all the arms on the streets and all the fears of violence, the protest did pass off peacefully, but with the promise that, if any other states try to introduce even the smallest of measures to curb gun ownership... we have only begun to fight... ..more shows of strength are to come. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in richmond, virginia.

an attempt to set a world record in sri lanka for the largest gathering of twins seems to have failed — because too many turned up. organisers wanted to break a record stretching back more than twenty years — but the size of the crowd meant strict rules on registration couldn't be met. tim allman‘s report does contain some flash photography. if you happen to be visiting the sports stadium, you may have been forgiven you might be seeing double. this was a venue full of twins. lots and lots of twins. thousands of them, in fact. the call had gone out, a record was there to be broken. when i heard the news i thought, yes, this is the moment that we as twins should go and do

best and have a responsibility to do that because being a ten is a placid thing that can happen to anybody. but setting a record is easier said than done. the numbers are turned up lead to long queues and that meant registering the twins wasn't straightforward so a new world record was very much in the balance evenif record was very much in the balance even if the organisers sounded fairly confident. while accounting is still going on we have counted 12,492. by that we have broken the world record it will submit the final count and the documentation back to the world record committee and i'm confident we will be informed in writing that behold the record. among those turning up was sri lanka's prime minister, the brother although not the twin of the president. they should find out in a couple of weeks avenue record has been set. if not, they say they will try all over again. we will be back if they are back.

much more on the bbc website and on twitter. hello. monday brought some beautiful winter sunshine to large swathes of the uk. unfortunately, the prospects for the rest of this week are distinctly dull for one reason or another, be it a lot of low cloud lurking about, orfor this morning, some pretty stubborn fog. the high pressure that's keeping things dry is going to be staying with us, but it's just going to reorientate itself a little through the next few days, eventually shifting away south—westwards and pulling in more moisture from the atlantic. that's what's going to help to thicken our cloud. for this morning, the densest of fog likely to be an issue, i think, across the southern counties of england and into south wales. a lot of our major motorways, of course, in this area. please do bear in mind when you take to the roads that the fog could be patchy, so you could be in it one minute, out of it the next, then back in, and that is particularly dangerous. and tuesday, as promised, a pretty grey affair. best of any breaks probably

to the lee of higher ground, east of the pennines, sheltered spots to the east of scotland. further west, some rain actually for argyll and bute. topsy—turvy temperatures, actually, our mildest weather to the north of the uk, with that atlantic feed to the north of the high. to the south, just six or seven, colder if you get stuck by the fog that lingers. overnight tuesday into wednesday, plenty of cloud across the uk, plenty of moisture, generally very murky, and because of all that cloud around, our temperatures will be held up. so frost limited possibly to a few pockets across southernmost counties of england for first thing on wednesday. and you can see the high here, as promised, sitting a little bit further south—westwards. and i've put the colour on behind me here to show you the air mass, to show you the atlantic air tipping over the top of the high and spilling its way south into england and wales for wednesday. things on the ground not looking too different, unfortunately.

how many ways can you say cloudy and grey? best of any breaks in the east. but the temperatures do just nudge up a little, about 10—12 degrees typically across the uk, certainly the biggest increase to the south. and for the rest of the week, same old, same old. the high still with us, always slightly milder to the north, a little cooler to the south. some signs of more rainfall perhaps across scotland, for a time, as a front works its way in. but, by the end of the week, the high really does start to break down, and then friday into saturday, it looks like we'll get an area of low pressure sweeping across the uk. that gets rid of a lot of the murk. we should see the return of some sunny spells, but they will also be accompanied by showers, and look out — it will turn windier once again, as well.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

doctors in china confirm a new respiratory virus that's spreading across the country can be passed from person to person. officials say more than 200 people have been infected — four people have died. the world health organization has called an emergency meeting later this week. the us senate republican leader, mitch mcconnell, has laid out plans for president trump's impeachment trial. under the proposals there's no guarantee that witnesses or new evidence would be allowed, and arguments for both sides would have to be presented injust 24 hours. democratic leaders say it would be a cover—up. the authorities in mexico have prevented hundreds of people from central america entering the country on their way to the united states. after some skirmishes, security forces rounded up those who managed to cross the river marking the border between mexico and guatemala.