this is bbc news. the headlines: at least 11 republican senators say they will join president trump in refusing to accept the official results of the us presidential election that named joe biden the winner by 8 million votes. the group have repeated unproven allegations of fraud this is bbc news. in november's poll. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: the government is coming under a group of republican senators intense pressure from teaching say they will support unions who want to keep schools president trump who refuses in england closed for the first to accept the official result of the us presidential two weeks of the new term. the profession's calling for election. the delay because of the rapid spread of the new coronavirus variant. in india, tens of thousands spread of the new of health workers take part in a one day mass coronavirus variant. immunisation rehearsal. and 36 hours after it started, meanwhile, in the uk, as coronavirus cases surge, french police have finally teaching unions in england shut down an illegal rave, demand a two—week closure despite threats of a riot of primary and and three officers getting injured. more than 1,200 fines were issued to revellers secondary schools. after more than 2,000 of them filled a warehouse near brittany for two days. the regime in iran marks one year since a us drone strike killed the country's top military commander, qassem soleimani. and in northern france, after clashes, arrests and fears of a riot, police shut down an illegal employers in all sectors rave 36 hours after it started. have been cutting hundreds of thousands of jobs, as the economy struggles against covid—19, leaving an estimated 1.7 million people out of work.

our business correspondent sarah corker caught up with some of them. three people who all lost theirjobs because of the pandemic. welcome to the programme. 0lympia, rebecca, and heather were facing the toughestjobs eleven senators in the united states say they'll market for a generation. refuse to certinyoe biden‘s we've got no money coming in, victory in the presidential so we'll survive as long election unless a commission as we can. is set up to investigate alleged voter fraud. the group, led by the texan, ted cruz, claims there were "unprecedented" irregularities in november's vote, without offering any proof. courts in several us states have already thrown out a series of challenges to the result. paul hawkins reports. —— jon seaton is a republican strategist. he joins us now from alexandria in virginia. thank you for coming on the programme. thank you for having me. we have had court case after court case fail and no evidence of widespread fraud with any credibility upheld in

the united states, so what is going on here? llorca, i think what is going to happen is that on6 what is going to happen is that on 6 january the electoral couege on 6 january the electoral college results will be certified, once and for all, and on 20 januaryjoe biden will be inaugurated as the president of the united states andi president of the united states and i think that everything else going on right now is a little bit of political theatre and a little bit of political gamesmanship, but at the end of the day it will not have any real impact on who becomes president of the united states on 20 january. use a political gamesmanship. what is the motivation behind the support for donald trump? ihlein a long time ago not to request or try to speculate on someone's motivation, but i do think it is unquestionable, we're talking about it right now, it has gotten them a little bit of media, if you will come a little bit of publicity, i am sure has helped their campaign coffers and brought more people

into their campaign. you will note a number of people who signed the letter are considering a run for president in 2024. considering a run for president in 202a. and others may wish to potentially avoid a primary. so it really could run the gamut of the why, but like i said, i don't anticipate it having any real material outcome. the election was decided in november and the electors have cast their votes and 6 january will still be a formality, albeit with a little bit more gamesmanship, like i said, then maybe past years. what about the long—term impact here, are you worried about that gentle day in, day out undermining of the democratic process? you know, think it is a fair question. i do worry somewhat about norms being changed or challenged or, in some cases broken stop i think that is one thing, love him or hate him, president trump prided himself on, be interesting to see how

the country response, whether they will be a course correction or think are moving in that direction. i think one thing we can see is a number of judges who, as you mentioned, throughout the court cases that we re throughout the court cases that were brought were donald trump appointees, were republican judges. so the system, it did work and it continues to work andi work and it continues to work and i expect that most americans have, i think, and i expect that most americans have, ithink, moved on, they have accepted the results and x acts, as most of us results and x acts, as most of us do, that the election is over and joe biden will be president on 20 january. does this also show that power and —— the power and influence donald trump remains within the republican party despite the fa ct republican party despite the fact he is out of the office with just a few more days ago, his influence on the party and hold certain elements of the party is still there. there is no question that donald trump

remains the loudest voice in the room, if you will. he is still the titular head of the republican party. again, once he is out of office it remains to be seen how long that enjoys, but right now i think you are absolutely right and i think the party is very much tied to him and his brand and interested , tied to him and his brand and interested, like a lot of people, to see if that continues to endure once he does leave the white house in a few weeks. just while i have you hear, before a let you go, can we have a quick look at georgia, that crucial senate race there, two senate seats. does this play into it at all? i think at this point a lot of the, as i say, the cake may be based, the republicans have a very, very strong ground game in georgia. i expected to be close. but i do think that, ultimately, both incumbent republican senators are going to bea republican senators are going to be a really did and, you know, we will find out in a

couple of days. my expectation is the vast majority of voters are casting their ballot based on who they want to see represent them in the united states senate and i think republicans and democrats motivated, but what we are seeing and hearing about on the ground and are seeing in terms of the most recent surge of republican votes in terms of the early vote, i expect a narrow but a victory for both republican incumbents. jon seaton, thank you for analysis. thank you for coming on. thanks very much for having me. a good night. let's get some of the day's other news. suspected islamist militants in niger have attacked two villages near the border with mali, killing at least 56 people. more than 20 others were injured in the tillaberi region, which has been under a state of emergency since 2017. rescuers in norway have now found four people dead, following a big landslip near 0slo on wednesday. emergency teams are continuing to work in difficult conditions looking for several more people who are missing. they will assess later on sunday whether they are still searching for survivors

or trying to recover bodies. the chinese foreign minister, wang yi, has claimed the coronavirus pandemic began in multiple parts of the world, notjust in china. he said this was backed up by increasing amounts of research. the first cases were detected in the chinese city of wuhan. israel has given vaccinations against coronavirus to more than a million people, the highest rate in the world. the authorities are delivering jabs to about 150,000 people a day, with priority given to the over—60s, health workers and people who are clinically vulnerable. india has been rehearsing how it plans to vaccinate 300 million people by the middle of this year. on saturday, tens of thousands of health workers and volunteers took part in a one day rehearsal for mass immunisation. a second coronavirus vaccine has now been recommended for emergency use in india. unlike the astrazeneca jab, it's being made by a localfirm. anbarasan ethirajan reports from delhi.

volunteers waiting for their turn in a massive rehearsal for the immunisation drive. it will be almost real, except that those standing here will not get the dose. the indian government wants to ensure a glitch—free coronavirus immunisation programme. this mammoth exercise is essential as the country wants to inoculate 300 million people by the middle of this year. so, if you have any health conditions, you will not be given the vaccine. so, a full verification if you are healthy and fit, you'll be sent for the vaccination. after vaccination, you will be sent to the observation room. in the observation room, minimum 30 minutes you'll have to wait over there, to see if you have any complications or anything. an expert panel has recommended two vaccines, one by astrazeneca—oxford university and the second one jointly developed by an indian company and a state—run research body. both involve two doses, and the authorities want to keep enough vaccines at their disposal before

the real exercise. but, both are cost—effective and locally manufactured. still, some are doubtful about the efficacy of the vaccines. translation: i'm not that comfortable taking the vaccine, but i get it — this could offer is the cure, but it's not yet confirmed. elsewhere, they're using the vaccine and there are still unsolved problems, so i think if people are getting better after they quarantine by staying at home, it's still the best option. the government says the aim of the trial immunisation drive is also to remove misconceptions about the vaccine. it wants the country to get back to normal so that the economy can be revived. for that to happen, it is aware that it needs to conduct a successful vaccination programme. saturday's exercise will play a crucial role in achieving that goal. anbarasan ethirajan, bbc news, delhi. hospitals in the uk have

begun receiving stocks of the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine that's to be rolled out on monday. more than half a million doses will be available for rollout. the body which advises the british government on immunisation, has been defending the decision to delay giving people their second dose of the pfizer vaccine, so that many more people can receive an initial jab. there's growing pressure on the uk government to keep all schools in england closed for the next two weeks, to help slow the spread of coronavirus. teaching unions say moving lessons online is "the only sensible and credible option". here's our education correspondent, dan johnson. children and teachers were amongst those invited for tests at charlton's football ground today. one way to help keep the virus out of schools — but will it be enough? some think things are out of control and they want schools to stay closed. teaching unions say staff are at risk. we know that members of our union got sick, some of them died over the christmas period,

so there is the concern for our members. there's also the concern for parents and grandparents and we don't think it's safe. we think there should be a period of closure to get those cases down. london's primary school children will all stay off after a u—turn ended the patchwork of partial closures. so harrison's got a fortnight at home. we're not going back to school and we're going to have to do home—learning. what do you think about that? not very good because i want to see my friends. and mum and dad have the challenge of finding childcare. it all seems very last minute, really. it's all very confusing. they keep chopping and changing, which makes it very hard to plan. teachers are also being tested in liverpool, tier 3, where schools are due to open. although scientists advised closures could help reduce the spread of the virus, officials say there's no evidence schools themselves aren't safe. i don't feel they should close because i feeljust as safe

in school as i would do anywhere. ifeel the children have missed a lot of education as it is. the new strain has come out and what we're seeing happening in london, it was happening with us. you know, we had the extra testing brought in earlier on. london didn't, now they are closing. i think we should all be just doing the same. i don't feel like they should stay closed. 0ur r rate is a lot lower, isn't it, and the school i work at, the head teacher there, she's amazing and she's put everything in place to protect staff, parents and children. we have had a sharp increase in the cases. that is following the cases. that is following the pattern of the places that have already been told the primary schools should remain closed. there is now a legal challenge to see the government's basis

for reopening primary schools on monday. in wales and northern ireland, the return was already delayed a week. in scotland, it's two weeks. there is a lot for the government to consider here — the rising transmission rates, the pressure on the nhs, and the demographics in different communities. it's always said keeping children off school would be a last resort, but there is growing pressure to extend these closures beyond london and parts of the south—east, and teachers are calling for decisions to be made quickly but clearly. a phased return is planned for england's secondary schools, starting a week on monday, with the hope that mass testing will limit disruption and minimise online learning. despite the downsides of that, it's already a reality for many children, and possibly beyond the next two weeks. dan johnson, bbc news, in southeast london. this is bbc news, the main headlines: a group of republican senators say they will support

president trump and refuse to accept the official result of the us presidential election. in india, tens of thousands of health workers and volunteers take part in a one day mass immunisation rehearsal. iran is marking the anniversary of the assassination of military commander qassem soleimani. his death, in a us missile strike in iraq, reverberated across the world, leading to a major escalation in tensions between iran and the united states. soleimani was seen as the architect of iran's spreading influence in the middle east. let's speak to bahman kalbasi from the bbc persian service. good to see you. should we start by just good to see you. should we start byjust reminding eve ryo ne start byjust reminding everyone what happened a year ago? american drones killed qasem soleimani as he arrived in baghdad, the capital of iraq. and even though we have had a0 yea rs iraq. and even though we have had a0 years of enmity between the two countries this was a first, killing the top

officials of either government by the other and especially since this official was a military figure, as well as a political figure military figure, as well as a politicalfigure inside military figure, as well as a political figure inside iran given how much the iranian state broadcasters had given rise to his portfolio and some thought he might have political ambitions in his future as well. so it was one that obviously started a new round of escalation. iran responding, shooting missiles towards an american military base which didn't have any casualties but, nevertheless, was their way to say they will not take this quietly. the unfortunate and very tragic downing of the euro crainey in plain leaving tehran right in the middle of that skirmish killed 176 innocent lives, that was also the consequences of those days ——

ukrainian plane. it was a very important date and the tensions between tehran and washington. i want to dig down a little bit more into that because it was so more into that because it was so significant at the time. what are the feelings there in iran? even many who do not support the government and do not fall for their version of the story that qasem soleimani was simply out there defending iran's interest, killing him was the beginning of really worrying about the possibility ofan worrying about the possibility of an open war between washington and iran, the united states and iran, so many who are not sympathetic to this regime nevertheless saw this as a moment to countries could finally enter a confrontation that could be extremely deadly and dangerous for the entire region. that warry has not subsided, even now a year

later, especially given the buildup of a us military presence in the persian gulf, b-szs presence in the persian gulf, b—52s flying through the region and iranian hardliners talking about taking revenge. so this anniversary was seen as one about taking revenge. so this anniversary was seen as one of these flashpoints that could potentially bring about another confrontation between iran and the us especially in the very last days of the trump administration. let'sjust look ahead from the end of the trump administration toward joe biden taking over at the end of this month, what difference do you think this makes? one of the promises that mr biden has made as to reverse mr trump's policy of maximum pressure which he says has failed completely to realise the goals that it stated at the outset by leaving the iran nuclear deal, violating that and hoping to get a better deal, that better deal has not materialised,

iran's economy has been devastated, of course, but the result has been one as far away from a deal that the trump administration was hoping for. in fact, administration was hoping for. infact, iran administration was hoping for. in fact, iran has resumed much of it nuclear programme which was under wraps with that deal in place so messed up biden says he must return to that deal which means if he really doesin deal which means if he really does in lifting some of the sanctions, if iran goes back to adhering to the deal, so we would exit and error of confrontation and possibility of war where the two sides could at least take some diplomatic steps to de—escalate and possibly bring about some mutual understanding around the nuclear issue. all right, thank you so much. last summer, australia witnessed its most intense bushfire season on record. blazes swept across 2a million hectares, killing at least 33 people. one year on, our correspondent shaimaa khalil returned to some of the worst affected areas.

wow! 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 shocked the nation and the world. a year ago i met russell scholes, 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 their new property is built. 0ur living conditions are better than what they were, but they're still pretty harsh. all the dead trees around us remind you of the fire. you can't get away from it, so, you know, it is there and it's there to remind us. last summer's bushfires were unprecedented in their ferocity and the huge destruction that they caused. most scientists agree that climate change played a big

part in creating the catastrophic fire conditions, and a royal commission enquiry now says that further global warming is 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. oh, my god! this was the town of rosedale in new south wales on the day. holiday—makers and locals sheltering on the beach, watching in horror. oh, my god! two—thirds of the homes here were destroyed. jack egan survived after taking shelter in a fire bunker. it was a life—changing moment. he quit his job and focused full—time on campaigning for more action on climate change. we're 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 it's coming fast!"

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 will become the norm. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, new south wales. for centuries, only those from the highest cast in india were allowed to come. this man hoped to pave the way for others, but a lawsuit and fears of intimidation have stopped authorities from appointing others as priests. i am from a lower hindu caste. i was influenced from spirituality from childhood, but only the highest cast were allowed to become priests.

in 2006, the government decided to allow priests from any cast. i enrolled into the first training programme. i came into this profession wholeheartedly. 0ver over 200 students completed the course, but their future over 200 students completed the course, but theirfuture is now unclear whether they can become

priests. we all dreamt of a bright future. i got ordained asa bright future. i got ordained as a priest, but others didn't get the chance. there are wasted yea rs get the chance. there are wasted years waiting. we all trained together. but now, they are unsure whether to follow a priest life or a normal one. before jobs were linked to your cast. now, it's not like that anymore. in temples, the old ways still remain. i don't know if that can ever change. an illegal warehouse rave that began on new year's eve in france has been shut down by police after clashes. 2,500 people, some from the uk and spain, attended the event at a disused building in the village of lieuron in brittany. here's our paris correspondent,

hugh schofield. while the rest of france spent new year's eve under a nightly curfew, 2500 people danced for two nights and a day in abandoned warehouses in a village south of rien. they'd come from places all over france and, indeed, abroad. the possibility that they might be putting themselves and others at risk from covid, they said, was exaggerated. translation: everything's reopened. the shops have reopened because they wanted to make money over christmas, but that must have caused big gatherings of people everywhere, so is it any worse here than on the paris metro? i don't think so. police decided not to intervene because they feared a riot. instead, they surrounded the premises, but when, 36 hours after the party started, the revellers began to leave, they booked them for breaches of covid rules. translation: the situation deteriorated very quickly. i had three offices injured, so i personally took the decision to disengage,

at the risk of making the situation worse, to try and contain the area. elsewhere in france, the covid news is nothing to celebrate, with daily cases now at around 20,000 and the vaccination programme barely under way, the nightly curfew has been brought forward from eight to six o'clock in 15 departments of the east of the country. president macron has warned that the coming months will remain difficult. with restaurants shut across the country, only a lucky few on the riviera have been able to eat out, in monaco — but now even that pleasure has been taken away. from tonight, only residents of the principality can book a table. hugh schofield, bbc news, in central france. right, that's it from me. i will be back with headlines in a couple of minutes. plenty more, as always, on the website. you can reach me on twitter, i'm @lvaughanjones. i'm lewis vaughan jones

i'm lewis vaughanjones and this is bbc news. goodbye. hello. it's been a cold, wintry start to 2021 and that theme is set to continue, at least for the next week or so. temperatures still below average. this was the picture on saturday afternoon in wakefield, quite a lot of lying snow around for many parts of northern england, parts of scotland, into wales, western england, the midlands as well. over the next few days, it's going to stay cold with further wintry showers at times, certainly we're all going to be seeing some ice or some frost around a cold start to your sunday morning ain the next few days, it's going to stay cold with further wintry showers at times, certainly we're all going to see some ice or some frost around. a cold start to your sunday morning with subzero

temperatures for many areas as low as —5 or —6 across parts of western scotland first thing. now, after that cold frosty start, the weather is looking generally settled with high pressure in charge of our weather, but we will have the breeze coming in from a northeasterly direction as it blows over the north sea, it will bring in some showers and some showers will be across parts of scotland northeast england as well, one or two further south into wales and the midlands. mainly sleet and snow confined to higher ground, largely rain at low levels and in the southeast of england and east anglia, some heavy rain showers here and also for the channel islands as well likely to see some rain on it through the day. and while temperatures reach around four or six degrees, it will feel colder with the windshields of the breeze making it feel closer to freezing during sunday afternoon for many of us. heading into monday and high pressure still with us sitting to the north of the uk, we've still got that north easterly breeze into monday as well. so, many places looking dry with some sunshine, but there will be some wintry showers and parts of southern scotland and northern england, perhaps one or two for northern ireland and wales and the southeast of england once again could see some rain showers. it could turn to sleet and snow over the high ground

with any of the heavier bursts. temperatures only about four to six degrees but feeling closer to freezing once again when you add on the effect of that wind chill on monday. a very similar day into tuesday as well. we've still got a northeasterly breeze with us, some rain showers for the southeast of england and flurries elsewhere, but a lot of dry weather on the cards in the sunshine, still feeling cold with temperatures around three to five degrees on their warmest on tuesday and looking ahead to the remainder of the coming week, it stays cold, temperature still below freezing, some sunshine and things looking like they are turning more unsettled later in the week. bye bye. 00:28:41,248 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 between tehran and washington.