welcome to bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: 100 days, 100 million shots: joe biden sets out his coronavirus vaccination plan, warning things will get worse before they get better. truthfully, we remain in a very dark winter. infection rates are up 34%. more people are being hospitalised because of covid—19 than ever before. the number of people around the world who have died with covid—19 passes the 2 million mark. thousands of people set off from honduras, heading to the united states, hoping a new president will give them a warmer welcome. and keep your distance: the warning to footballers wanting to celebrate goals in the age of coronavirus.

hello, welcome to the programme. two million people worldwide have now died from covid—19, and nearly 400,000 of those deaths were in the us. so far, just 11 million americans have been vaccinated against the virus. but the incoming president joe biden is promising to vaccinate 100 million americans in his first hundred days. he set out his plan. the honest truth is this — things will get worse before they get better. i told you i will always level with you. you know, and the policy changes that we we're gonna be —— you know, and the policy changes that we're gonna be making are gonna take time to show up in the covid statistics. and they're notjust statistics, it is people's lives. people getting infected today don't show up in case counts for weeks.

those who perish from this disease die weeks after exposure, so it will take time. but i know there are things we can do, and we can do them now. for example, the vaccines offer so much hope, and we are grateful for the scientists and researchers and everyone who participated in the clinical trials. we're grateful for the integrity of the process, the rigorous review and testing that's led to millions of people around the world already being vaccinated safely. but the vaccine roll—out in the united states has been a dismal failure thus far. and in today's briefing, we discussed five things — five things — we will do in an attempt to turn things around, five things to turn frustration into motivation, five things to help us meet our goal of 100 million shots by the end of our first 100 days in office. some wonder if we are reaching

too farfor that goal. is it achievable is a legitimate question to ask. let me be clear — i am convinced we can get it done. let's take a closer look at what the five elements to the president—elect�*s vaccination plan are. first, he wants to expand vaccine eligibility, so that the vaccine is made available to more people in various priority groups. he also pledged to create more vaccination sites, to increase supply of the vaccines, to hire a dedicated vaccination workforce and also to launch a large—scale public education campaign. earlier, i spoke to dr ingrid katz, an infectious diseases expert from the harvard global health institute. i asked her what she made ofjoe biden�*s plan. well, i think this is exactly what we need right now. this is a very standard public health plan and i think it really speaks to the fact that

we've had a lack of a national strategy that this feels revolutionary at all. and that's because up until now, it has been pretty much left to the states, is that right? that's absolutely right. there has really been no federal plan to ensure that there was massive vaccine distribution that was absolutely needed. 0k, and what do you make of some of the numbers, then, that he is talking about — 100 million vaccines in his first 100 days? i think that is absolutely achievable. we have the infrastructure here in the united states to make that happen. we can boost manufacturing and we can ensure that we get massive distribution through all sorts of different ways, including travelling vans, setting up shelters and other places where people can come and get immunised quickly. and what about the supply of the actual vaccines? so i think there is definitely going to have to be a boost in manufacturing, but the two

pharmaceutical companies that are involved in these two vaccines, that are now approved for emergency use authorisation in the united states, have guaranteed that they will get 200 million doses ready to administer to 100 million people, ensuring that everyone gets both shots by the end of march. and one issue here is, of course, you can have all of the supply in the world and all of the infrastructure in the world but if people don't come forward and want to have the vaccines, then you don't get anywhere. people, ithink, would be quite surprised — there is quite a bit of reluctance among the general population, isn't there? yes. and i think we really had two large issues here in the united states, with the first being the backlog in terms of distribution and really not getting vaccines in people's arms. i think the second thing that is deeply concerning is there is a decent amount of vaccine hesitancy, and that is why physicians like myself and many others have put pictures of ourselves

on social media as we have been getting vaccinated to help provide reassurance for the general public. dr ingrid katz. well, with more on the how the world is dealing with the pandemic, here's our global health correspondent naomi grimley. mass graves in brazil and in the iraqi desert, too. at the end of september, the world passed the milestone of a million covid deaths. it has taken only 3.5 months to see that toll double. thousands of people have seen their relatives buried at a distance, and sometimes with undignified haste. translation: my father had to be buried like an animal, l a worm or a dog. this is a lack of respect for the people. in the space of a year, the pandemic has claimed more lives than hiv, malaria, flu and cholera combined. according tojohns hopkins university, the worst—affected

country remains the us, which has seen around 390,000 deaths. brazil and india have suffered huge tolls too. russia recently admitted its death figures could be three times what had previously been stated. in europe, the uk and italy have lost the most lives to the virus. africa appeared to have escaped the worst in the first wave but the region's cases have been going up since mid september, especially recently. there is concern that the new, more transmissible variant found in south africa may be to blame. all eyes are now on israel, where there are positive early signs of the effect of vaccines on hospital admissions for the 60—plus age group. the country has been

vaccinating at the fastest rate per capita, with one in four israelis so far receiving shots. but vaccinations in the world's poorest countries will not even start until next month. naomi grimley, bbc news. brazil's presidentjair bolsonaro says he regrets the health emergency in the northern city of manaus, where hospitals have been overwhelmed by the pandemic. according to local media, people have resorted to buying oxygen tanks on the black market to give to sick relatives. they said patients were being taken off ventilators as the oxygen ran out. health authorities say intensive care wards are so full that scores of patients are being airlifted to other states. coronavirus infections in the region havejumped since the discovery of a more contagious variant. ever since the new variant of covid emerged in the uk, there've been questions about its impact on children and whether they are more likely to get it or help spread it.

as our science correspondent rebecca morelle explains, the new variant is no more harmful to children than before. children have been one of the pandemic�*s biggest puzzles, with the young less likely to get the virus than adults. but does the arrival of the new variant change this, and is it affecting children more? initial data was analysed for all ages and something stood out. this red bar for 10— to 19—year—olds suggested the new variant was particularly infectious for this group, compared with the old one in blue. but this was during november's lockdown, when much was closed apart from schools, and this may explain that bump. the latest evidence shows the new variant is 50% more infectious, but not especially for children — it's just that it's better at infecting everyone across every age group. is the new variant different for younger and older children? nurseries are still open in england and wales

and scientists think the youngest are less likely to catch the variant and pass it on than older kids. we know that in all variants, children less than ten were less susceptible but, you know, susceptibility and transmissibility increased by age. especially over the age of 15, transmission dynamics are almost similar to adults. does the new variant make kids more ill? the latest evidence suggests that it isn't causing more severe disease in the young. children can need hospital treatment, but they still make up a tiny proportion of cases overall. we are seeing slightly more children because there are more people being infected, but we are not seeing children being disproportionately infected and we're certainly not seeing wards full of children with covid. with classrooms empty, schools are part of the uk lockdown, but this isn't

about risks to children, it's about controlling the spread of the virus. the science of the variant is fast—moving, and researchers will continue to monitor its impact on the young. rebecca morelle, bbc news. early results in uganda's presidential election have given the incumbent yoweri museveni a clear lead. but his main challenger, pop star turned politician bobi wine, says the poll was rigged. catherine byaruhanga sent us this from kampala. one of my gardeners came and informed me that we were surrounded. he calls himself the hope of a new generation but tonight, bobi wine finds himself surrounded in his home. security forces patrol the area, reminding him of the power of the government he wants removed. the army says it's for his own protection. bobi wine rejects thursday's presidential elections.

he told the bbc he believes he is the clear winner. i'm not calling myself a president—elect yet. i am saying the results that have been communicated by the electoral commission are fake, they are fraudulent, they are not a representation of what happened, of what the people said. therefore, we reject them. but uganda's electoral commission says bobi wine needs to present evidence of his allegations. results they have released so far show the incumbent, president yoweri museveni, has taken a decisive and early lead. the 76—year—old, who is seeking a sixth term, has controlled uganda for three decades and is in charge of the army and police. he had this warning for his rivals. to all who have voted, the count should be peaceful. nobody should

try to do violence. the real power here is still in the hands of the old guard — business leaders, politicians and army generals. they want to maintain the status quo for economic stability. but they will have to deal with a growing chorus of young people who believe the state has failed them and wantjobs, better education, and health care. there is anxiety here over whether the final results will be accepted. many of bobi wine's supporters stayed back towards the vote count. even though he is challenging the process, bobi wine has so far stopped short of calling his supporters out onto the streets. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news, kampala. this is bbc news. the headlines: 100 days, 100 millionjabs: joe biden sets out his coronavirus vaccination plan, warning things will get worse

before they get better. the number of people around the world who have died with covid—19 passes the 2 million mark. palestinians will head to the polls for the first time in 15 years. president mahmoud abbas issued a decree on friday scheduling a parliamentary election for may 22 followed by a presidential election onjuly 31. khaled elgindy, a seniorfellow at the middle east institute where he directs the program on palestine and israeli—palestinian affairs says it's been a long time coming but hurdles remain. i think it is something that the palestinian public has been waiting for for many years. we have had a number of false starts and it has become almost an annual ritual to announce that elections will happen $0011. so this is the first time we've seen an actual date

and an official degree by president abbas. but without a mind there is still quite a few obstacles that need to be overcome before those elections can take place. so not 100%, from your point of view, that they will actually go ahead — but optimism, nonetheless. just remind us, what has been the problem? why have there not been elections for the past 15 yea rs ? there have been a number of reasons. one of the most serious is this split, that we have, that palestinians have had to endure since 2007, between the west bank, which is nominally under the control of the palestinian authority and abbas�*s fatah party — at least in the 38% of the west bank that the palestinian authority controls — and the gaza strip is controlled by fatah's

main rival, hamas. and that division essentially has paralysed palestinian institutions and politics for most of the last 1a 01’ so years. those are long—term issues and problems. it seems a really tight timetable, given the fact as well we are in a global pandemic. it seems an ambitious idea. yes, i think it is very ambitious to imagine that after 15 years with no elections that all of the logistical preparations — that candidates and parties will have sufficient time to organise and to campaign — it is a tall order. in addition to the fact that the palestinians have to negotiate some kind of arrangements with israel to allow palestinians in eastjerusalem to participate in these elections, as they participated in previous elections. so that will be a difficult political hurdle that no

israeli leader will want to give permission for such a quintessentially political act happening in what they view as their undivided capital. we will see what happens in the coming months. thank you very much for coming on. thank you for having me. 0ur our thanks to khaled elgindy there. police in guatemala have arrested 600 migrants accused of entering the country illegally. thousands are trying to cross the country after setting off from honduras, bound for the united states which is some 3,000km away. they say they're escaping poverty and violence for a better life in the us, which they hope will be more welcoming with president trump leaving office. paul hawkins reports. it's 5am in honduras�* second biggest city, san pedro sula, and the start of a long, long journey for thousands of migrants. their goal — a more welcoming america underjoe biden. translation: we pray that he will be filled - with mercy — that god

will touch his heart and that there will be doors opened. i just want a chance to work. we're defeated. we have nothing. we're left on the streets. we lost everything. most of us have nothing, not even a blanket. the incoming president plans to reverse many of his predecessor's immigration policies. building that wall will stop. young migrants known as dreamers will get permanent protection from deportation. us immigration hearings will no longer be held in mexico. the cap on the number of refugees resettling in the us will be raised to 125,000. within 100 days i will send to the united states congress a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people. but it's 2,000 miles to the us border, which, if they walk all the way, could take up to two months. and the journey will be even tougher than previous years, with co—ordinated security and coronavirus travel

restrictions. 600 migrants have been stopped in guatemala, accused of entering a legally. —— illegally. el salvador, and mexico — all of whom have said they'll try to stop the caravan. translation: let them give us the opportunity to cross - the border, to arrive and have the dream that we long for, because we also have needs. just as people in the usa are human beings and have needs, we also have them. give us a chance because we, too, have children, like them. if they were in this situation, we, as human beings, here in honduras, would also understand them. the alternative is violence and poverty in their country, the economy shattered by hurricanes and lockdowns. many of them think there's nothing to lose. paul hawkins, bbc news. the us gun rights group, the national rifle association,

or nra, has filed for bankruptcy protection, which could help it escape a lawsuit in new york. the group said it plans to reincorporate in texas. last year, new york's attorney general, letitia james, sued the nra, accusing its leaders of misusing millions of dollars on lavish personal trips. the group has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. ms james said her office would continue to investigate the nra. a court in germany has sentenced a sports doctor to almost five years in prison for the blood—doping of athletes in skiing and cycling competitions. the court in munich also banned mark schmidt from practising medicine for a further three years. he had been found guilty of masterminding an international blood doping ring that became known as �*0peration aderlass�* or blood—letting. schmidt admitted the charges but insisted that he did not financially profit and that no—one's health was put at risk.

it's become one of the big issues of the pandemic — how to maintain social distancing. virtually every sphere of life is affected and none more so than foootball, where players must minimise unnecessary close contact on the pitch. now, the head of the english premier league has warned players to set a good example. richard masters was speaking at the end of a week when footballers repeatedly ignored guidelines about goal celebrations. 0ur sports editor dan roan reports. football's continuation during this lockdown has been something for the sport to celebrate, but the game is now gripped by a row over players flouting controversial new rules limiting close contact, and today the man who runs the premier league broke his silence to issue this warning. we are asking them now again to adjust their behaviours on the pitch, goal celebrations, and in and around the beginning and end of matches. we are asking them to adjust their behaviour, and i think they understand why. you've got to follow the rules and you've got to set a good example. we get the optics, which is why we see ourselves in a privileged position. ministers have made it clear they expect players to respect the so—called no—hug rule in a time of national crisis or risk having the season suspended, but this week it's been repeatedly ignored. why is it taking so much to get the message across?

well, it's a very recent adjustment, and we are making these requests and trying to get this message across in pretty quick order, and i think it's going to take time to adjust to the situation, so we need a bit of time to get it right. and if players refuse or fail to do that, managers don't encourage them to do so, what's going to happen? how are you going to enforce this? we have sanctions available to us. the fa's jurisdiction is on the pitch and if the clubs are breaching protocols then we can take action. so sanctions are available but i hope they won't be needed. but many are sceptical. england's record goal—scorer wayne rooney, who today was appointed derby county's new manager, says enforcing such rules will not be straightforward. there's many people losing their lives from this disease, so i will give the message to the players to obviously be aware of the goal celebrations, but on the other hand we all understand if players do hug each other because i know what it's like when you score a goal. a lot of the time your mind goes blank. are we taking the fun out of the game by asking players not to celebrate together as they always have?

this isn't forever. this is hopefully until the end of the season, and i think under the circumstances we can make those small adjustments, get to the end of the season and then hopefully things will return to normal. with a host of matches already postponed, the main goal is to complete the season and how players celebrate after scoring could now be decisive. dan roan, bbc news. it's one of the oldest tricks in the book — sawing someone in half. this sunday marks 100 years since a magician called percy thomas tibbles performed the illusion in london. david sillito has more. ok, so here we go. michaelj fitch, who is this weekend just one of many magicians taking part in a global online celebration of a magical moment. ah! there we go. now, whenever anyone says, you know, "oh, you're a magician," the first line, we hear it every day is, "oh, can you saw my wife in half?"

0r, "can you saw my husband in half?" and it's — for some reason, that illusion has stuck in everybody�*s mind and captured their imagination. ladies and gentlemen, my wife! thank you very much. applause and this is the man who created the illusion — pt selbit. his real name was percy tibbles, but not everyone was impressed with his new trick. it was performed for the first time on stage without an audience to a bunch of agents and bookers, and nevil maskelyne, who was the owner of one of these, the owner of the very venue the illusion was performed in for the first time, dismissed it. and while this anniversary is a celebration of pt selbit�*s creation, it's worth noting this is very much a two—person trick. would i be right in saying that a lot of the work's going on inside the box? of course, yeah. all the hard work goes on inside the box. michaeljust has to stand there and put some blades

in or knives in. what? he gets the easy part. yeah, definitely. no, that's not true! it's magic, it's magic, and it's all me, it's magic. so, is this another example of men doing all the talking, claiming all the glory, while the women do the work? well, it's always the way, isn't it? always the way, it's always women who do the hard work, yeah. it is, then, a magical landmark, but 100 years on, it is also perhaps a good time to think about exactly who is doing the magic. david sillito, bbc news, colchester. the freezing blast of arctic weather sweeping across europe is causing widespread disruptions — but for some it's an excuse to get outside for some fun. these children in southern poland are making the most of the heavy snowfall by throwing on their winter woolies and dusting off the sleds and toboggans. and the animals at this helsinki zoo in finland were a little unsure about the snowy stranger inside their enclosures.

you can reach me on twitter — i'm @lvaughanjones. that's it from me. i'm lewis vaughanjones. hello. friday turned out to be quite a quiet weather day across many parts of the british isles. perhaps you had the opportunity to get out and enjoy some of the beauty that's widely available across the north of england and indeed up into parts of scotland. and we're not quite done with this wintry weather scenario just yet, because as we start the weekend, a new set of weather fronts will drive their way in from the atlantic. and some of this atlantic moisture is going to fall into really quite cold air across the eastern side of the british isles. so we're going to see further accumulations, and notjust where we already have significant amount of lying snow. as we creep away towards the higher ground of lincolnshire and down to east anglia, this is where we may see new accumulations of snow, widely 2cm of snow, but in some areas we could see as much as 5—10cm and that's why the met office have issued this

amber weather warning for snow. as i say, up to 5—10cm distinctly possible in some areas. that threat exists while these weather fronts dominate the scene particularly so across the eastern side of britain. isobars quite densely packed on those charts so it's going to be a blustery day — especially so across the northern half of britain. right from the word go, many parts of central and eastern scotland, the midlands through north england and eastern england will see that combination of rain or snow which will take time to get away from east anglia, hence those accumulations, and they also take the time to get away from east kent, as well. quite a blustery day following behind. winds probably at their strongest across the north of scotland. temperatures really struggling after that chill wintry start across the east. some in south wales in the south—west may get to double figures. that weather feature's going to cause all sorts of problems through the heart of continental europe through sunday.

but closer to home, we'll see a little build of high pressure just getting in across a good part of england and wales. settling things nicely here. not too much in the way of breeze. further the north, a blustery day. some showers, if not longer spells of rain for scotland and northern ireland. temperatures into single figures and come the middle part of the forthcoming week things will turn a little wetter, milder and windier. take care. bye— bye.

this is bbc news — the headlines: joe biden�*s given details of his plan to sharply increase the number of americans being immunised against covid—19 in the face of a sustained rise in cases and deaths. the president—elect — who takes office on wednesday — said the priority was to inoculate everyone over the age of 65. the number of people around the world who have died with covid—19 has now passed the two million mark. that's more than the combined total of deaths for hiv, malaria, flu and cholera in the past year. after the united states, brazil and india are the worst affected countries. police in guatemala have arrested 600 migrants accused of entering the country illegally. they're part of a group of about 3000 people who set off from honduras — hoping to walk several thousand kilometres to the united states. most say they are seeking a better life in the us.

injust under 15 minutes, it's time for click.