welcome to bbc news — i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: president trump says he will leave the white house if the electoral college certifiesjoe biden as the election winner — even as he continues to deny the reality of his defeat. fans line the streets of buenos aires to say goodbye to football hero maradona on the way to the cemetery where he has been buried next to his parents. drugs giant astrazeneca is to expand current trials of its coronavirus vaccine to find the right dosages. ethiopian refugees mass on the border with sudan as the government launches its final offensive against rebel forces in tigray.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. president trump has made comments that seem to come the closest so far to conceding the election held three weeks ago. while insisting on his unsubstantiated claim that the poll was fraudulent, he said he would leave the white house if the electoral college certifies joe biden‘s victory. let's have a listen. it will be a hard thing to concede because we know there was massive fraud. as to whether or not i can get this apparatus moving this quickly, because time is not on oui’ quickly, because time is not on our side. everything else is, facts are on our side. this was a massive fraud and it should never take place in this country. we are like a third world country.

i think it is a possibility between you people... don't talk to me that way. you are just a lightweight. don't talk to me. i am the president of the united states, don't ever talk to the president that way. i am going to go to another question. so, if the electoral college does elect president—elect joe biden, are you not going to leave this building? just so you — certainly i will. certainly i will, and you know that. but i think that there will be a lot of things happening between now and 20 january. a lot of things. daniel lippman is the white house reporter for politico. i asked him if the president was right when he said that "facts are on his side". they are not. and the courts have ruled against him almost 35—1 in terms of losing court cases. most republicans electors say that the election was very secure, there was not a massive

fraud and the trump campaign has been unable to show actual evidence of mail—in ballots being fraudulent on a massive scale that would lead given that falsity, he did say that he would leave, quickly, he said that he would leave if the electoral college votes forjoe biden and we expect that certainly. is that something that his supporters will reject, be angry at or is the political class welcoming those comments? i think it isjust acknowledging reality and his supporters will probably think to themselves that we can fight another day, run in 2024 againstjoe biden or kamala harris and that is a way to revenge his loss. most of his supporters

think that biden won. only 3% of people according to one poll think that trump won. so his supporters, except for the most hard—core, they acknowledge that biden won by millions of votes. and by a healthy majority in the electoral college. how much damage do you think this is doing, having someone undermine the legitimacy of the votes? it is definitely damaging in terms of republicans on capitol hill being slow to acknowledge biden as the winner and so when he comes into office in two months‘ time they will not be as inclined to work with him because their supporters will think that he is illegitimate in some way, even if they acknowledge that he won. they will not want to help them in any part of his agenda, especially when the need to repair the economy and beat

back coronavirus is so important these days. but i think in a few years this may be washed over and america... remember after 2008, many people said that america would be permanently damaged by george w bush and barack 0bama was able to bring back the reputation. so this could be a similar situation. the argentine football legend diego maradona has been buried on the outskirts of buenos aires next to his parents. his cortege travelled through the streets of the city after the 60—year—old had been lying in state where thousands queued for hours to file past his coffin. katy watson reports from buenos aires. the tears didn't stop. all day mourners filed through the doors of the presidential palace. vice president cristina fernandez de kirchner lingering at his coffin

to pay her respects. it's been a hero's farewell for maradona. lying in state is an honour afforded to few in argentina. a mark ofjust how loved he was here. argentinians waited patiently for hours. breaking into song to keep the spirits up and to remember the good times. translation: football has died. so we have to remember him in the best way. he was one of the best. that goal with the english, we'll never forget that. this crowd here can't be explained just by argentinians‘ love of football. yes, it's important, but it's much more than that. the people who have come here today saw maradona as a national icon, a man who represented them and did them proud, and it's a legacy that spans generations. as mourners left the palace, for some it was too much to process. it's the only one who actually made all the country proud, no matter what political orientation you have, religious... he came from nowhere and he put our country

in the world. in a country hard hit by coronavirus, otherwise strict rules were being ignored for argentina's footballing superstar. but as the day went on and the summer temperatures rose, emotions also ran high. hundreds of fans broke down the barriers and riot police responded. authorities had to stop public viewing of the coffin to keep the peace. diego maradona was argentina's wild child, loved despite his flaws, celebrated beyond measure. katy watson, bbc news, in buenos aires. the drugs company astrazeneca says there will be further investigation of the coronavirus vaccine it's produced with 0xford university, after questions were raised about results released earlier this week. two separate parts of the clinical trials revealed different rates of efficacy. scientists are trying to figure out which dosage of the vaccine

offers optimal protection. dr dean blumberg is an infectious diseases specialist at the university of california. he says errors made in the trial could actually result in a better vaccine. think, it might be the most fortuitous mistake made in recent scientific discovery, to find that and it is interesting because the immune system — there is so much we don't know about the immune system and it is unpredictable so who could have predicted this? given that this is a smaller group of people given a slightly flawed dosage that turns out to be more effective, a smaller sample so they hope now to what? extend that out to more people? since it worked better, obviously it would have been nice to have more people in that group rather than then the other group so they had 2741 patients in the half dose, initial half dose group and almost 9000 in the other group and wouldn't it have been nice for

that to be reversed? it is interesting now to get more data from the people in the group that appeared to work better and so if i were in charge of doing studies, that is what i would do next. does it seem like it will delay the vaccine? i don't think so. it was effective for both groups so this would be considered a fine tuning of the dosage and you could go forward with either of those groups. you would probably want to go forward with the half dose group. there are two advantages. 0ne, it appears to be more effective and the second is that it will stretch the vaccine dosage. bring us up—to—date with comments from america today talking about the timescale here, rolling out vaccines within weeks. how do you feel about that?

i think to gain the confidence of professionals and the public we really need to see the data. all the preliminary data looks very promising but that has been by press release so we really need to see the data presented more scientifically to the regulatory bodies and in the us that would be the fda, the food and drug administration, as well as the cdc, the centers for disease control. and once that comes out transparently, we will see more public confidence. ethiopian government troops are carrying out what's being described as the final operation against the rebel leadership in the country's northern tigray province. the assault comes as a deadline set by ethiopia for its regional opponents to surrender has passed. the ethiopian government says it is also distributing aid to people displaced by the fighting. but reports say its troops have been seen stopping people attempting to find refuge in sudan. from the ethiopian border,

anne soy reports. a new day away from home, but for these refugees, it's a big relief to have made it to sudan. thousands crossed this river on the border, but things have now changed. ethiopian troops are discouraging people from fleeing the country, we were told. 0ur requests for comment from the authorities went unanswered. but at this camp, a farmer and his 11—year—old daughter are luckily reunited. translation: i was with my grandmother when i started hearing gunshots. when they intensified, i asked her to flee with me, but she said no, she was too old to run — so i fled alone. i had to spend a night in the bush. i was frightened. i had no extra clothes and no money, but i was able to cross the border, and then i asked someone

to call my father. for the older people here, this brings back bad memories of past conflicts. this man is 75. he wants a resolution to the current conflict, but thinks it won't be easy. translation: they will not agree on anything unless the world intervenes. now, there is war and death. things cannot be solved that easily. these people hope this situation is temporary. they want to go back home and continue with their lives. the federal government promised a short offensive, but there are fears the conflict could persist and potentially destabilise the whole of africa region. girl sings. this is a song for peace. it encapsulates the hopes of many here. they have lost touch with those they left behind. their lives are in limbo, as ethiopian‘s current and former rulers fight. anne soy, bbc news.

bikila hurisa is an official in the prime minister's office. he explained the latest developments from the government's perspective. it's not a war crime, it is a law enforcement operation, taking care of the civilians‘ lives and the civilian institutions. and the military institutions will take the maximum care in such a way that lives can be saved and institutions can be saved. we can't equate this toa warcrime because this is targeting only criminals who are identified by name, and whose places are also identified. therefore we will not equate this to war crimes, but law enforcement operations only targeting criminals in the city. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: go! meet the little boy switching on his home town's christmas lights after people there raised the funds for life—saving cancer treatment.

president kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. the murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. he caught the imagination of the world. the first of a new generation of leaders. margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. before leaving number 10 to see the queen, she told her cabinet, "it's a funny old world." angela merkel is germany's first woman chancellor, easily securing the majority she needed. attempts to fly a hot air balloon had to be abandoned after a few minutes but nobody seemed to mind very much. as one local comic put it, "it's not hot air we need, it's hard cash." cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. castro developed close ties with the soviet union in the 1960s.

it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. the latest headlines: president trump says he will leave the white house if the electoral college certifiesjoe biden‘s victory — even as he continues to deny the reality of his defeat. diego maradona has been laid to rest on the outskirts of buenos aires after a day where thousands paid tribute to the football legend. here in the uk there's growing criticism from conservative mps, after boris johnson signalled 55 million people in england would be going into the two toughest levels of the new coronavirus tier system, when the national lockdown ends next wednesday. the prime minister admits the measures would bring "heartache and frustration". but he said they would cut the rate of infection and the danger had "not gone away".

if we ease off now we risk losing control of this virus all over again, casting aside our hard—won gains and forcing us back into a new year national lock down. the french police authorities have suspended three officers who are now being investigated after they were seen in an online video beating up a black music producer in paris. police have also been accused of using unnecessary force at a demonstration on monday for migrants‘ rights. despite those incidents, the government is trying to bring in laws that would make it illegal to broadcast the faces of police officers. mark lobel‘s report includes graphic scenes from the start. beaten for not wearing a face mask. newly released speeded up cctv footage shows three french police officers, two in uniform and one plain clothed,

confronting a black music producer in his own studio. 12 minutes go by as he‘s punched, kicked, hit with a truncheon, and allegedly racially abuse, leaving him in a bloodied state. now released without charge and filing a complaint against the officers involved, the music artist said that police should have been protecting him, not attacking him. translation: i have appointments with doctors, so i‘m going to see what they say. i don‘t know what to tell you. i‘m really exhausted. i haven‘t slept much for days. what should have been a routine police stop ended disgrace with searing questions for the now suspended officers involved. translation: i would like to say to police officers that i support them unfailingly. but they must respect the law and ethical code absolutely. and when people screw up they should leave the uniform of the republic behind them. they should be sanctioned. they should stop this work and they should be punished

by the courts. it‘s been a bruising week for france‘s police, who are also being investigated after using tear—gas and allegedly brutal tactics dispersing this tented camp. volunteers had set it up in paris for previously evacuated migrants. as many such people move on as they continue to face a crackdown in parts of france, some suspect a once centrist president macron is trying to appear tougher on law and order ahead of presidential elections in 2022. there are protests, too, at the attempt to ban the publication of photos or videos of police officers‘ faces currently progressing through parliament. which, some argue, would have censored scenes like these, for which the officers involved have now been reprimanded and, for many, was the only way that ensured the correct culprits were caught. mark lobel, bbc news.

let‘s get some of the day‘s other news. saudi arabia says it‘s opened a criminal investigation at a number of government departments as part of an anti—corruption drive launched by the de facto saudi leader crown prince mohammed bin salman. it follows the arrest of hundreds of the country‘s elite in 2017, who were rounded up and held in the ritz—carlton hotel. around 50 suspects at the defence ministry are accused of fraud, and wasting public funds — amounting to more than $325 million. face—to—face brexit trade talks are to resume in london this weekend, eu sources have told the bbc. eu chief negotiator michel barnier and other members of his team have been self—isolating, as a precaution, after a colleague tested positive for covid last week. however, one senior eu figure suggested the negotiations could be brief. poland‘s prime minister has again warned of the possible disintegration of the european union if it attempts to make access to funds conditional on member states‘

upholding the rule of law. poland and hungary have vetoed the bloc‘s budget and covid recovery package over their objections to the proposed clause. a trench is being dug around a rubbish dump in sri lanka to deter elephants from scavenging for food among plastic waste. the mammals regularly go to the landfill site, which is near a wildlife sanctuary, in the eastern town of ampara. plastic from landfill sites is a known killer of wild elephants — of which there are around 7,500 in sri lanka. thanksgiving in the us has coincided with a huge surge in coronavirus cases. wednesday saw more than 2,000 new deaths reported across the country, the highest daily toll since june. but against advice, tens of millions of americans have travelled for the holiday, including more than six million who have travelled by air since friday — the highest numbers using american airports since the pandemic began. aleem maqbool reports.

there won‘t be a thanksgiving gathering this year for deni taveras. she‘s lost six members of her family to coronavirus, including her uncle, dario. he was a man that was dedicated to his family. he was dedicated to his family, to his children, to his wife, he was just an example of what a wholesome family unit looked like. there‘s been a dramatic surge in new cases across the us, and the health official advice had been not to travel for thanksgiving. but on the eve of the holiday, us airports saw their busiest day since mid—march. there are still many who feel the risks have been exaggerated. what will you be doing differently this year? nothing. i‘m not doing

anything differently. for me, it‘s going to be the same as any other thanksgiving. less travel, less people getting together will slow the spread of the virus — do you agree with that? i agree that, yes, mathematically, statistically speaking, if no—one travels, no—one will get it. but this is the united states of america, this is not some country ruled by despots. that argument, that american civil liberties are more important than locking down, is frustrating for many who are nursing losses. it‘s a slap in the face for all of the people who died and the families that are suffering, and the people that are now not at the kitchen table or at the dinner table for us. more than 1,000 hospitals across the us are once again reporting critical shortages in staff and resources because of the mass increase in coronavirus patients. a poignant holiday for so many

who are already grieving promises to be a heartbreaking one for many more. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in washington. what better way to say thank you to the community that helped save your life than to bring them a little cheer this christmas? that‘s exactly what six—year—old oscar saxelby—lee has done, in the english town of worcester, by turning on the city‘s christmas lights in his home town. the people of worcester raised close to a million dollars to send him abroad for cancer treatment. phil mackie reports. last christmas, no—one could be confident that this story would have such a happy ending. this was oscar saxelby—lee 18 months ago, just after his fifth birthday. he had a rare form of blood cancer, and the prognosis wasn‘t good. that‘s when the people of worcester a nswered the call for help. thousands gave swabs to see if they might be a stem cell match, but when the transplant failed, the fundraising started.

i don‘t want to have to be poorly anymore. please get some money to oscar. they raised three quarters of a million to pay for treatment in singapore. now oscar‘s cancer—free, and back home with his mum and dad. i thinkjust the fact that we have such a strong, committed, loving community behind us, it means the world to us. because, you know, without everybody in woodstock, we wouldn‘t be where we are today. it has brought about some much—needed christmas cheer. this evening, oscar was given the honour of virtually switching on worcester‘s christmas lights, after recording this earlier. ready, steady, go! whee! at the same time, across the city, othersjoined in. merry christmas! top of oscar‘s christmas list is a chocolate coin—making machine. it‘s actually a special treat for my friends, because they‘ve done

all this hard work for me. ah! oscar can look forward to many more christmases at home in the city which helped to save him. phil mackie, bbc news, worcester. finally, some good news for fans of rocky the owl. the bird found in the rockefeller centre christmas tree has been rehabilitated and released back into the wild. it‘s believed the feathered stowaway hitched a ride when the tree was being transported to new york city — and she‘d gone three days without food or drink when she was rescued. the northern saw—whet owl was nursed back to health at ravensbeard wildlife centre, with plenty of fluids and "all the mice she could eat". so there you have it. that‘s about it from me. get me online. social media of course, online. social media of course,

on twitter. i‘m lewis vaughan jones and this is bbc news. hello there. if you need to head out on the roads on friday morning, fog could cause one or two problems, certainly some poor visibility in places particularly across parts of england and wales. the fog slow to clear through the day and it will feel cold out there. two weather fronts, one to the northwest, one to the south bringing some cloud and patchy rain. but in between, very light winds, temperatures have been dropping, it‘s going to be a very cold start to friday morning. widely around freezing, some spots below and we will also see some fog. indeed, some freezing fog across parts of england into east wales as well. these are the areas most likely to be affected. slightly different across the far southeast, here it‘s more likely cloud bringing the odd spot of rain. some early sunshine through wales, parts of northern england, and then for northern ireland and scotland, it‘s a slightly different story again.

this band of cloud and weather front bringing some outbreaks of very patchy rain, and that band of cloud with those bits and pieces of rain not moving far at all through the day. the fog struggling to shift as well across those parts of england and wales starting off so murky. i think in many places, it willjust linger as low cloud all day long. a bit of rain creeping in towards the english channel coasts. temperatures, if you stick with fog all day long, maybe just 3—4 degrees. even in some brightness, 8—9 the best we can expect. and then through friday night, the fog will once again reform with a lot of low cloud and some spots of rain and drizzle working northwards across england and wales. lowest temperatures likely to be across the far north of england, also southeast scotland — some spots here will see a frost because of clear skies overhead. and there will be a slice of sunshine for some on saturday. particularly across scotland, perhaps northern ireland as well. but for england and wales a lot of cloud, some misty, murky conditions. temperatures just a little bit

higher, though, down towards the south, 11—12, possibly 13 degrees. the milder airjust trying to sneak its way in. now for the second half of the weekend, high pressure remains in charge — this frontal system up to the far north—west might just bring a little bit of rain in northern and northwestern scotland. otherwise a lot of drier weather, but again a lot of cloudy weather and any fog for the morning will struggle to clear during the day, and those temperatures for most of us in single digits, at best around ten degrees.

this is bbc news, the headlines: president trump says he will leave the white house if the electoral college certifiesjoe biden‘s victory when it meets next month. the comment is the closest mr trump has come to acknowledging his election defeat, although he continues to insist on his unsubstantiated claims of massive fraud. the argentine football legend diego maradona has been buried on the outskirts of buenos aires next to his parents. his cortege travelled through the streets after the 60—year—old had been lying in state where thousands queued to file past his coffin. the ethiopian government says it is distributing aid to people displaced by the fighting in tigray hours after it launched its final offensive against the dissident leadership there. it also said it had established a humanitarian corridor, although this hasn‘t been verified by the united nations. now on bbc news,