this is bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the us senate over—rides donald trump's presidential veto for the first time — just weeks before he leaves office. more than 20 million coronavirus cases now recorded in the us. with over 350,000 deaths, the country has the highest numbers in the world. scientists confirm the new variant of the coronavirus first identified in the uk is the "most serious change in the virus since the epidemic began". rescue teams in norway recover a body after wednesday's landslide. nine other people are missing. the rush to buy goods in cuba. price hikes are possible as the country abolishes one of its currencies. # last christmas i

gave you my heart. # but the very next day you gave it away... and, after a wait of 36 christmases, wham's festive classic finally tops the uk singles charts. hello and welcome to the programme. we start in the us, where congress has overturned president trump's veto of a defence spending bill — the first time this has happened in his presidency. the bill included funding for a 3% pay rise for us troops. paul hawkins reports. the famous pentagon, home to the us department of defence. its budget for the year, once passed by both houses of

congress, is usually signed off by the president. at least that's what has happened for the past 59 years. but this year he vetoed it. so instead we had the rare sight of a new year's day session in congress, specifically the senate, controlled by president trump's republican party, voting to overturn his veto. the bill on reconsideration is past. the objection to the president of the united states to the contrary. this was the first time congress had overturned a veto by president trump. it's a big deal. this is the first and probably last veto override that president trump will face. republicans have mostly avoided crossing trouble for most of his term but this was a rare bipartisan rebuke with republicansjoining bipartisan rebuke with republicans joining democrats. the president had refused to sign off the bill because of limits on troop withdrawals from abroad. and because it proposed to remove controversial confederate

leaders names from military bases. we also want to be built to repeal section 230 which protects social media companies from being legally responsible for what its users post. shortly after the vote, the president took to twitter, calling the republican sent a pathetic and saying this. why is it important? because it pays the military‘s salaries, the salaries of our military personnel and civilians, included in he was a pay rise, it also covers the cost of running military installations and bases. practically every state has a base or a military installation, so you can see there is a lot of political support for this will in the american society. for president trump this was an early test of redundancy. in november he was defeated by his democratic opponent. 0n defeated by his democratic opponent. on new year's day he was defeated by his own party. it isa

was defeated by his own party. it is a stinging rebuke for a president who, by his own admission, hates being a loser. paul hawkins, bbc news. the united states passed another unwanted milestone in the coronavirus pandemic — recording more than 20 million cases. that's more than any other country in the world. according to johns hopkins university, there are now 20,007,149 cases in the us. 346,408 people have lost their lives during the pandemic. on wednesday alone, more than 3,900 people died of covid—i9, a new daily record. there are growing concerns about a new variant of the coronavirus after more analysis confirmed it has a much quicker rate of transmission than the original strain. the variant has now been identified in at least 18 countries around the world after it was originally found here in the uk. its now putting enormous stress on british hospitals. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports. it might be a new year but there's no let—up

in the pressure on hospitals in london and the south east. a surge in seriously ill covid patients means staff are being pushed to the limit. intensive care beds are a real pinch point. some patients are being moved from kent to bristol and plymouth, where there's spare capacity. that in itself is not unheard of, but doctors say it shows the pressures they're working under. if the number of cases don't begin to reduce fairly soon — and, indeed, reduce sharply — we would be in a situation where the health care infrastructure — notjust in london, but across the entire country — is overwhelmed. and it's not just rising patient numbers. staff themselves are falling ill, meaning resources are getting stretched. everybody‘s reporting a lot of pressure. everybody is saying that it's really difficult to off—load ambulances because our departments are full because, in turn, our hospitals are full. it's very frustrating because you can't look after patients in the way you want to, and you feel

helpless when you know there's a sick patient in an ambulance which you just can't get into a department because there isn't space. in order to provide some relief, the nightingale hospital in london is being made ready for non—covid patients but still, hospitals report the situation remains very difficult. when we are seeing major london trusts, as we've seen in the media today, basically saying they are under real pressure, they are at more than double the normal rate of icu admissions than they would see, they are turning whole floors into additional icu space, that's when we know we're in a very, very challenging place. this surge in patient numbers is being driven by the new variant of the coronavirus. it's more contagious and it's affecting more younger people, and it's having an impact not just on hospitals in london and the south east, but right across the country. and new research highlights the impact the new variant of the virus is having on the r number — the rate at which it spreads.

under the lockdown, maybe over the course of two to three weeks, the cases would've decreased by something like 30%. but if the new variant is now present, with this increase in the r number, all of a sudden instead of a decrease of 30%, we get a massive increase, the number of cases over the same period could triple. so this is more or less the most serious change in the virus that we've seen since the epidemic began. the best defence against the virus remains maintaining social distance, good hand hygiene and wearing face coverings, but the big concern is that as this new variant spreads, the extreme pressures now evident in london and the south east will soon be seen across the country. rescuers in norway have found a body in the debris of homes swallowed up by a landslip near 0slo on wednesday. it's the first confirmed fatality. emergency workers managed to get into the crater on foot for the first time but nine people, including children,

are still unaccounted for. vince soodin reports. it's a race against time. rescuers are accelerating the search for children, women and men hidden in a huge, dark crater filled with clay. but it's a high—risk operation as the ground is still not safe and workers are surrounded by precarious clay walls. emergency workers have managed to get into the crater on foot for the first time. they have to carry styrofoam boards to spread their weight in areas where ground remains unstable. today, the first body was recovered. translation: we've found one person. unfortunately, they've been confirmed dead. we're working intensively to search the area, and it's a risky search. many are affected by this tragedy. there are people who have lost their houses, everything they own and now, also family members. this father is one of those waiting for news. his girlfriend and 13—year—old

daughter are missing. translation: i wish i could switch places with my daughter. she could be here and i could be missing. it is unreal. i never thought this could happen. a giant army vehicle called a paver has been sent to gjerdrum. it's equipped with a steel bridge in which rescuers can move along, but the ground is still too shaky for the 50—tonne machine to be deployed. a vigil was held for those missing on new year's eve. police have said the search will continue during the night. heavy rainfall is believed to have made the soil under the homes unstable. there will now be questions as to why the construction was permitted in the first place. vince soodin, bbc news. from july 2019 to march 2020, australia witnessed its most intense bushfire season on record. blazes swept across 2a million hectares of land, affecting every australian state, destroying over 3,000 home, and killing or displacing

nearly three billion animals. at least 33 people died in what is now known as australia's black summer. one year on, the bbc‘s australia correspondent shaimaa khalil has returned to some of the worst affected areas to meet survivors trying to rebuild their lives. it was the bushfire season australians had feared. conditions were dry for months and the heat was soaring. but nothing prepared them for the catastrophic blazes they faced. australia's black summer shock to the world. a year ago i'm at rosser to the world. a year ago i'm at rossel‘s goals, a volunteer firefighter in the town of balmoral. his house was burned to the ground while he was helping his next—door neighbour. he and his wife now live in a converted garage on the same land. it will be many months until the new property is built. our living conditions

are better than what they were, but they are still pretty harsh. all the dead trees around us remind you of the fire. you can't get away from it. it is there and it is there to remind us. if we get hot days and huge wins, that really sta rts days and huge wins, that really starts to make the hairs on your back stand on end. it makes you feel, not again. we don't want that again. last summer's bushfires were unprecedented in their ferocity and the huge destruction that they caused. most scientists agree that climate change played a huge part in creating the catastrophic fire conditions and a royal commission enquiry now says that further global warming is inevitable within the next 20 yea rs inevitable within the next 20 years and that australians should prepare for more extreme weather. new year's eve was a defining moment of the bushfire season. 0h defining moment of the bushfire season. oh my god! this was the town of rosedale in new south wales on the day. and locals sheltering on the beach,

watching in horror. 0h sheltering on the beach, watching in horror. oh my god! two—thirds of the homes here we re two—thirds of the homes here were destroyed. i felt very focused on just staying alive and, secondly, doing what they could with our defences to save our property, ultimately that wasn't possible. the radiant heat was just too strong. jack egan survived after taking shelter in a fire bunker. it was a life changing moment. he quit hisjob was a life changing moment. he quit his job and focused full—time on campaigning for more action on climate change. we area more action on climate change. we are a canary in a coal mine here. we have to play our part as the canary that broadcasts to the world "watch out, it's coming for you and is coming fast!" but the climate debate is politically divisive here. fossil fuels especially coal and gas are among australia's is valuable exports and the government has so far resisted pressure to commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. our

policies won't be set in the united kingdom, they won't be set in brussels, they won't be set in brussels, they won't be set in brussels, they won't be set in any part of the world other than here, because it's australia's' jobs and it is australia's' jobs and it is australia's economy of australia's economy of australia's recovery from the covid—i9 recession matters to me and my cabinet the decisions we take. in areas battered by the bushfires there are now signs of life. but most experts say that unless something is done quickly to address the climate crisis in australia and around the world this level of devastation it will become the norm. shaimaa khalil, bbc news. cuba, the only country in the world with two official currencies, has started phasing out one of them. the government is getting rid of the convertible peso to try to improve the economy. but that'll mean soaring prices, worrying many, even though wages are also going up. gail maclellan has more. cubans call it day zero — the end of a 26—year, two—currency system.

over the next six months, the convertible peso, pegged to the dollar, is on its way out. the government says it has to go to make the economy more efficient and easier to understand for foreign investors. the only problem is that leaves people here with the cuban peso, and it's worth 2a times less — or, in other words, us$i equals 2a cuban pesos. that means prices will soar by an eye—watering i60% and, to make matters worse, the government is also ending subsidies on many goods. translation: i trust it's better than what we have been through. it has been a very difficult year from every point of view — economic, emotional and social. so now, with these changes, i always trust that it will be better and that things that were done had to be done now. they couldn't wait any longer. to compensate, the government is raising wages and pension payments.

the new salary framework sets 32 wage levels, depending on thejob. it means that teachers, journalists, lion trainers and doctors in training, for example, will earn the same salary. but 80% of people here work for the state and many are worried the wage increases won't be enough. translation: we are not prepared, our country, due to the situation everyone knows that we have been living in for 62 years. having two currencies in the same country, the one that we had, the one that always existed, the cuban peso, that was always valued in gold. that continues to be the cu ban peso. last year, cuba's economy shrank ii% — its worst decline in 27 years — caused by us sanctions and fewer tourists because of the coronavirus pandemic. but the government says reform is needed. short—term pain for long—term gain. gail maclennan, bbc news. this is bbc news. our main story: the us senate has over—ridden donald trump's presidential

veto for the first time, just weeks before he leaves office. they voted overwhelmingly to approve a defence bill mr trump had blocked. more than 20 million coronavirus cases have now been recorded in the us. with nearly 350,000 deaths, the country has the highest numbers in the world. an australian pro surfer has been praised for running into rough seas in hawaii to save a woman from drowning. here you can see mikey wright sprinting towards the waves after realising someone was getting swept away in the strong current. he then entered the water, which was full of sharp rocks, to reach the woman. he had to battle to keep hold of her as the waves crashed over them and swept them off their feet, but mikey eventually got her to the safety of the beach. and i spoke to mikey wright from the north shore of oahu, who talked me through the rescue.

we're literallyjust sitting up here on our backyard and we've seen this lady getting swept off herfeet, and it straight away clicked that she's actually going to be in serious danger here. and the rocks that she's on it, it's like all volcano rock so it's very sharp and she was just getting dragged off the rocks and out into the ocean, out into where the waves were ten foot—plus. you know, obviously, by the time i got down there to her, the sets weren't as big which was lucky for her and myself. as soon i seen it, i thought, "this lady's going to need saving" so ijumped the fence, ripped me shirt off and ran straight down the beach as quickly as i could and assessed the situation as i was running to see which was the best way to get to her. when you were in the water, was there any doubt in your mind?

there were times when you were not obviously with her straight away, did you think it could get worse? no, as soon as i was getting close to her, as i dove in the water, i said to her, "come towards me. don't try to go straight in" because that is where the sharp rocks were, and underneath her. i was trying to get her towards more sand and less rock. but if the waves had been bigger when i was down in the water with her, it could have been a lot more dangerous. but as soon as i got a hold of her, i said, "hey, we're going to be ok. you're 0k. we're going to get in" and as soon as i got repeating that to her over and over, every wave that hit us, "you're 0k". amazing. was she saying anything back at that point?

at that point she was like, "0k, 0k" and she was pretty much saying "0k" and i said "don't let go. just hold onto me." my sister was actually on the beach and she warned me there was a double—up coming, and that's why i picked her up and kind ofjumped into the wave, copping that hit of the wave on my back and then kind of got pushed down into the rocks a little bit. she had already got scratches all over her body and i got some down my back and my arms but for the situation we were in, we both came out pretty unscathed, and at the end of the day, she's safe now and to get on the beach and to see how thankful she was and to see her son come running down the beach — at the time i didn't know he was her son — but hejust latched onto me and was hugging

me and didn't let go for a minute, saying "thank you so much. you saved my mum. i thought she was gone." mikey wright. for the first time in decades, philadelphia had to cancel its annual mummers parade, which is believed to be one of the oldest folk festivals in america. but despite the coronavirus restrictions, hundreds of revellers still held an unsanctioned march on new year's day. aru na iyengar reports. this was the rogue version of philadelphia's traditional new year's day mummers parade. the official parade was cancelled months ago, due to the covid pandemic. hundreds marched in costumes. mummering is a folk tradition where amateur actors and dancers visit house to house during festivals or holidays. hgppy happy new year! we just wanted to ring in the new year. what do you think about today? it's beautiful. i love that people are still getting out for it. we'll be out here all day. why was it important

for you to be out here? ‘cause it's tradition, just getting him into the south philly tradition. the mummers parade hasn't been cancelled in decades, but there were over 640,000 covid cases in the state of pennsylvania on thursday and at this event, there was little social distancing. police kept a wary eye on events. 0rganisers justified the event, saying that because it was a protest, rather than a parade, it fell under the first amendment right to free speech and assembly. 0thers disagreed, saying the protest was dumb but predictable. elsewhere, the 2021 rose parade in pasadena became a virtual televised event. and after the official polar plunge in south boston massachusetts, was cancelled, small groups still braved the 4 degree temperatures. it's ok. back to philadelphia and the mummers protest. any fears about the pandemic? no, we got our mask on. we'll be safe.

aruna iyengar, bbc news. wham!‘s last christmas has topped the uk singles chart for the first time, 36 years after it was first released. the festive classic was streamed 9 million times over the last week. let's have a listen. # last christmas, i gave you my heart. # but the very next day, you gave it away. first released in december 1984, george michael and andrew ridgeley‘s song was famously held off the top spot by band aid's do they know it's christmas? it's since returned to the top 10 six times. richard blade is a dj with sirius xm, and he's been telling me how he felt when he heard the news. i was thrilled — it's a great song. we play it a lot on sirius xm and i was really shocked, actually, it had never been to number one on the uk charts before.

yeah, 36 attempts, i suppose! it is quite the wait, and given what we know of the huge part of the cultural landscape wham! and that song is here in the uk every christmas, what about where you are? same here. it's played on so many channels. sirius xm has been playing it on multiple channels — on first wave on the big 80s, on our christmas channels, and it's one of those songs that people request all the time because they love wham! and they love george. and you had quite a good close relationship with the band? idid. i was very, very lucky to know wham! from their earliest days. when they first came over in 1982, i had them on my radio show, they did their first ever live gig with me at the beginning of 1983, and i took them to the 321 club in santa monica, california, and that was the first time they played live when they lip

synced to young guns and bad boys, and then they did it the next night at the club i was doing in westwood. they've got so many hits, of course, but this particular song is, of course, played at this time of year obviously because it is a christmas song, but particularly poignant since george's death? 0h, absolutely. it is one of those tracks that when you hear it, you think about george, you think about wham! and you think about the time of year. it's the perfect track. and what happens now that it's finally made it after 36 years? do we see it going on and on? could it do the same next year? i think so. i have often said on the radio in america and around the world on sirius xm that the uk charts, to be number one on the bbc at christmas is so important, and i think it could be starting a tradition

because they got the movie behind it, last christmas, they've got the song, why not? george michael and wham! at number one — it should be a tradition. and just finally, because we are nearly running out of time, richard blade. more than 35 million fans have logged on to an online concert by some of the biggest names in k—pop. people in more than 180 countries watched the special new year's day concert, which was streamed on a variety of websites. acts including superjunior and tvxq took part in the free gig. the record—breaking band bts also held an online concert on new year's eve. that's just about it from me. 20 more online and on the bbc app. "— 20 more online and on the bbc app. —— plenty more.

you can reach me on twitter. i'm @lvaughanjones. this is bbc news. goodbye. hello there. this cold weather isn't giving up anytime soon. it will stay for the weekend and most of next week. at least for the weekend, there'll be quite a lot of sunshine around, mainly across western areas. it'll be cold and some further wintry showers, most of them across the eastern side of the country. the blue air mass indicates that cold air very much with us saturday, northerly winds pushing these showers into scotland, northern ireland and wales, plenty of them starting to go to the east coast of england, a few of them also pushing into the midlands. and there will be a covering of snow in places. but many places staying dry with the sunshine, though it will be cold. those showers start to spread a little bit further inland as we move through saturday night.

further sleet and snow in places. probably the clearest of the skies in western scotland and northern ireland, so here the coldest to start sunday. elsewhere, cold again but with a risk of ice from all the showers. as we head on into sunday, we see high pressure in the north of the uk, lower pressure to the south, and that'll start to drive in eastern and north easterly winds. some subtle changes for part two of the weekend that will push most of the showers into eastern scotland and in eastern england and they will drive their way a little bit further west through the day and there will be some sleet and snow there, not just at higher ground. probably the best of the sun will be across sheltered western areas, and it will be a cold day when you factor in the breeze. head on into monday, a similar set—up, the breeze feeding in more clouds and showers to much of england and wales, and we could see rain and sleet across the south—east. further north, lighter winds for scotland and ireland and quite a bit of sunshine around. we have the stronger winds for england and wales, particularly along the sea coast, and it will feel pretty raw as these temperatures will struggle to get much above three to six degrees.

it will feel colder than it suggests. and the blue colours are still with us as we head into next week and, you guessed it, yes, it is going to stay cold. it will be rather cloudy in places, too. quite windy for a time and i think the winds could ease towards the end of the week, but by the end of the week, we could see rain, sleet and snow for some of us.

this is bbc news.

the headlines: the us senate has over—ridden donald trump's presidential veto for the first time — just weeks before he leaves office. the republican—controlled senate voted overwhelmingly to approve a defence bill mr trump had blocked. the legislation restricts his powers as commander in chief and is seen as a rebuke to the president. the united states has now recorded more than 20 million cases of covid—19, doubling the number in less than two months. johns hopkins university says nearly 350,000 americans have died with the virus. vaccination is continuing, with more than three million people said to have received jabs. research confirms the new coronavirus variant discovered in the uk has a much quicker rate of transmission. scientists say the variant, now identified in 18 countries around the world is the "most serious change in the virus since the epidemic began" and affects more of the under 20s.