hello, this is bbc news. large—scale vaccinations are to begin at another ten centres in england from tomorrow, with more than a million over—80s invited to receive their coronavirus jab. cities across the united states on high alert beforejoe biden? inauguration. all of france is under curfew after 70,000 coronavirus deaths. an engine test for nasa's micro can end prematurely, but the space agency denies it was a failure.

hello and welcome to bbc news at countries around the world step up their coronavirus vaccination programmes, here in the uk ten day max vaccination centres across england are set to open on monday to help meet the government does not target of offering faxing is the most vulnerable groups by the middle of february. how did this compare to the rest of the world? israel appears to be doing best with 25 doses given per 100 people, although it has faced criticism it is not supported inoculation within the palestinian territories. the united arab emirates is second on the list having given 15 doses per 100 people. the uk is next with nearly six doses given per 100. the us has given 3.7 doses per 100 people. joe biden has announced plans to

increase that figure significantly. italy, the first country in the european union to vaccinate 1 million people has given 1.76 doses per 100 people. the numberfor china is not .69. because of their size, though, the united states and china have given the most doses overall. for the latest on toast uk plans to step up vaccinations, here is rebecca morelle. blackburn cathedral, transforming from a place of worship into a nhs mass vaccination centre. last—minute preparations are under way in the crypt. it opens tomorrow. thousands ofjabs will be given here. whilst this space was not being used, we felt it would be really appropriate to offer this space up as a place where people

could come and feel safe and secure, a place that they know and a place that they feel at home in, so were delighted when it was accepted as one of the mass vaccination centres. there are ten of these new regional vaccine centres opening across england. as well as blackburn, sites are in taunton, st helens and bournemouth, then there's slough, norwich, wickford in essex, lincolnshire, york and wembley in london. theyjoin seven already in operation. the focus right now is on people who are over 80. nhs england says last week a million letters were sent to this group and another half a million will be invited to the vaccine hubs next week. what it will do is let us get more vaccine out to more people more quickly, which will protect more people from becoming seriously ill, and that will start to lower the demand on our hospital services, and that is the way out of some of these really difficult rules that people are currently following. the government is also asking the public for help by asking them to support the over—80s to book their appointments and plan their visit.

this is the biggest immunisation programme in nhs history. large vaccine hubs are already in operation in wales, northern ireland and scotland, with many more planned. across the uk, more than 3.5 million people have now been given their first dose, but the target is to offer vaccines to 15 million by the middle of february. dr richard vautrey is the chairman of the british medical association's gp committee. are we on course to hit the target in the uk?— in the uk? yes, through the hard work of gps. _ in the uk? yes, through the hard work of gps, practice _ in the uk? yes, through the hard work of gps, practice nurses, - work of gps, practice nurses, pharmacists, these hospital sites, we are stepping up the battle against this dreadful infection. we are providing protection to millions of people. that is a really positive

step forward. of people. that is a really positive step forward-— of people. that is a really positive step forward. what are you hearing from gps about _ step forward. what are you hearing from gps about the _ step forward. what are you hearing from gps about the roll-out, - step forward. what are you hearing from gps about the roll-out, how l step forward. what are you hearing l from gps about the roll-out, how do from gps about the roll—out, how do you think it is going? from gps about the roll-out, how do you think it is going?— you think it is going? overall, it is auoin you think it is going? overall, it is going extremely _ you think it is going? overall, it is going extremely well- you think it is going? overall, it is going extremely well insofarl you think it is going? overall, it i is going extremely well insofar as we can protect your most vulnerable patients, those in their 805, increasing tho5e patients, those in their 805, increasing those in care homes, and also health care workers. it is vitally important that we protect all the health care workers as quickly as possible because we need to make sure they are protected, as well. we are doing all we can to make sure we get this vaccination out as quickly as possible. we are heafina out as quickly as possible. we are hearing pfizer _ out as quickly as possible. we are hearing pfizer are _ out as quickly as possible. we are hearing pfizer are shutting - out as quickly as possible. we are hearing pfizer are shutting down | hearing pfizer are shutting down production for a short while to increase the efficiency of the way to make a vaccine in belgium. imilli to make a vaccine in belgium. will that be an to make a vaccine in belgium. ii that be an issue? i would hope not. we have been able to use all the vaccine we have had so far. we do know that the astrazeneca will become the predominant vaccine used in the uk in recent weeks. it is

vital that we keep up to supplies and we are working is truly hard to make sugar supplies to come through to the front lines of gp practices can get it. to the front lines of gp practices can aet it. , to the front lines of gp practices can get it— can get it. does it matter that there is a _ can get it. does it matter that there is a slightly _ can get it. does it matter that there is a slightly uneven - can get it. does it matter that - there is a slightly uneven spreads in terms of some areas of the uk have given out more than others? it is the nature of the programme as it started up that when faxing wa5 is the nature of the programme as it started up that when faxing was a relatively short supply, some areas were able to start their 5cheme5 earlier than others. we do need to ensure that all areas catch up and all patients in the eligible age groups are given the possibility to be vaccinated, and they take up that opportunity. it is vital that when people are invited they must attend. it is important to protect notjust them but their family and friends, as well. ~ ., ., ,, them but their family and friends, as well. ~ ., ., , ., ~' them but their family and friends, as well. ~ ., ., ,, ~' , as well. what do you think they take-u as well. what do you think they take-up is? _ as well. what do you think they take-up is? people _ as well. what do you think they take-up is? people are - as well. what do you think they take-up is? people are being i take—up is? people are being invited, and most people accepting the invitation? thi5 some people are vaccine hesitant, to use the phrase.

from what you have seen, do you think people are taking up those invitations in large numbers? yes. invitations in large numbers? yes, the are, invitations in large numbers? yes, they are, particularly _ invitations in large numbers? yes, they are, particularly the - invitations in large numbers? yes they are, particularly the age group we are vaccinating at the moment. people in their 805 and 905, people who have been shielding or staying at home, not been able to contact theirfamily orfriend5 at home, not been able to contact their family or friends in the way that they would want to. they are extraordinarily grateful of being given the opportunity. in yorkshire we have seen dreadful weather, with snow on the ground, but people have still been willing to come out, brave the elements to get vaccinated. everybody wants to end this pandemic in the most effective way of doing it. this pandemic in the most effective way of doing it— way of doing it. thank you so much for bein: way of doing it. thank you so much for being with _ way of doing it. thank you so much for being with us. _ the uk government is offering help to airport5 across the country which will be badly hit by the suspension of travel corridor5. mini5ter5 say a scheme announced in november will start running in the next two weeks, offering up to eight million pounds to cover fixed costs such

as business rates. all 50 us states are on alert for possible violent prote5t5 this weekend, ahead of president—electjoe biden'5 inauguration on wednesday. members of the national guard are patrolling the streets around the capitol in washington, following the storming of the building by supporters of president trump. so far, there have been none of the mass protests that had been feared. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes reports. america on high alert like never before. the nation's capitol has been turned into a fortress, with security worthy of a warzone. the national guard has been deployed to try to ensure a smooth transition of power whenjoe biden is inaugurated on wednesday. in the meantime, there's concern that armed supporters of donald trump may try to stage more protests, still refusing to accept the result of the election. the capitol building, which was stormed by a mob

earlier this month, is now surrounded by a high fence, and the city is under lockdown. it's a place in our history that i'm sad that we've come to. american troops should not have to be armed against their fellow americans. but what we saw was an unprecedented attack on our democracy and the cradle of that democracy. by wednesday, 25,000 troops will be in the capital to try to keep the peace. the goal is to try to prevent a repeat of the attack that led to mr trump being impeached for a second time, on a charge of incitement of insurrection. he now faces a trial in the senate. the fbi has warned police agencies around the country that state capitals could be the target of further protests in the coming days. a state of emergency has already been declared in maryland, new mexico and utah. state—by—state, members of the national guard are being deployed over fears that extremists may infiltrate planned protests.

in minnesota, armed guards are stationed at the state capital, which has already been descended on by protesters. in california, in sacramento, riot police are patrolling outside the home of the state governor, gavin newsom. in some cities around the country, the post office has removed letterboxes from the streets as part of the security clamp—down. away from the fray, for now, as he prepares to take office, joe biden has been to church and it has been revealed that within hours of moving into the white house, he will sign executive orders to reverse some of donald trump's key policies. they include rejoining the paris climate accord and scrapping a travel ban on several predominantly muslim countries. but this is a nation on edge, holding its breath for the days ahead. peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles.

professor natasha lindstaedt is an expert in american politics from the university of essex. thank you very much for being with us. so fortress america, extraordinary scenes, really. find us. so fortress america, extraordinary scenes, really. and it is really unprecedented. _ extraordinary scenes, really. and it is really unprecedented. every - is really unprecedented. every inauguration has security concerns, there are always concerned that president 0bama could have been targeted. that part is nothing new, but this is something we have never seen before what the fbi has all these alerts about armed protests and alter state capitals, where you have travel restrictions around dc that people can't use the metro, where legislators attended the inauguration feel they have to their own armed security personnel. you also have general concerns about soft targets, about possible sniper activity. you can get back to the issue with the state capitals, i

know they are bringing in the national guard, but the state capital don't have the capacity to handle any kind of interaction like what happened in the us capitol. we saw what happened when they weren't completely prepared. they are concerned that they will not be able to manage this. this is quite unprecedented, we have never seen anything like it. it is unprecedented, we have never seen anything like it— anything like it. it is in such stark contrast _ anything like it. it is in such stark contrast to _ anything like it. it is in such stark contrast to the - anything like it. it is in such. stark contrast to the minimal security that there was around capitol hill when it was stoned on the 6th of january. capitol hill when it was stoned on the 6th ofjanuary._ capitol hill when it was stoned on the 6th ofjanuary. right, and there has been an — the 6th ofjanuary. right, and there has been an investigation _ the 6th ofjanuary. right, and there has been an investigation ongoing l has been an investigation ongoing into why this was such a failure, why they weren't prepared. where there some members of the security personnel complicit? further even a few of congress that were working with these groups? we find that these groups are much better organised than previously thought. they are willing to use violence and do anything for trump and they seem be coordinating with each other, even though some of the social media

sites have been weakened, they are becoming better organised than ever and they see president travis darragh leader. this is a dangerous situation where you have an outgoing president that seems to have his own personal army that he either wants to control or is able to control. looking ahead tojoe biden plus my first few days in office, we heard in the report he is planning to sign some executive orders reversing some of donald trump is make decisions. what do you expect to see in the first stages of a biden presidency? there will be a lot of reversals very quickly of some of the crop decisions. it could be on the migrant policies, on the paris climate change accord that he will try to come back again. it will be trying to reverse the muslin ban. there will be some pandemic related executive orders about evictions and

preventing people from being evicted. i think he will try to reverse as much as possible and that 100 days to try to set the tone and differentiate himself from the trump administration.— in a fresh blow to the afghan government and their attempt to maintain security, two female judges have been shot dead in kabul. both justices served on afghanistan's supreme court. let's speak to our world affairs correspondent yogita limaye who is in kabul. bring us up to date and tell us what happened. bring us up to date and tell us what ha ened. ,., bring us up to date and tell us what hauened. .. , ., happened. government officials are tellin: us happened. government officials are telling us that _ happened. government officials are telling us that the _ happened. government officials are telling us that the two _ happened. government officials are telling us that the two female - telling us that the two female judges were on their way to work in a car when they were shot at. they were both killed, their driver was injured. so far we don't know who carried out this attack, but it is the latest in a series of targeted

killings and assassination attempts that have taken place on journalists, women's rights activist, women in prominentjobs here in afghanistan. earlier, the afghan government blamed the taliban for these attacks. a few days ago is imax afghan's first female director and a policewoman who was shot multiple times last year. she says the taliban was behind the attack on her and she says it is because she was a woman in his prominent role. the taliban issued a statement denying any involvement in this and all of this is happening against a backdrop of peace talks that are taking place between the afghan government and the taliban. ianthem taking place between the afghan government and the taliban. when you have horrific killings _ government and the taliban. when you have horrific killings like _ government and the taliban. when you have horrific killings like this, - have horrific killings like this, what hope is there of those peace talks succeeding? that what hope is there of those peace talks succeeding?— what hope is there of those peace talks succeeding? that is precisely the question _ talks succeeding? that is precisely the question that _

talks succeeding? that is precisely the question that is _ talks succeeding? that is precisely the question that is being - talks succeeding? that is precisely the question that is being asked. l talks succeeding? that is preciselyl the question that is being asked. at a time when violence is surging in this country, will there be a resolution that comes out of those talks? 0n resolution that comes out of those talks? on friday, 2500 troops withdrew from this country, us troops, leaving around 2500 behind. this is part about withdrawal plan that the trump administration had signed with the taliban. according to the deal, all foreign forces are to the deal, all foreign forces are to withdraw by spring year. many here are worried that if that withdrawal were to happen before our sustainable peace deal is agreed between the afghan government and the taliban, then they might see the taliban coming back in power in this country. the question then will be what lasting games have been made in 20 years of us led war in this country. 20 years of us led war in this count . ., ~ 20 years of us led war in this count . ., ,, i. 20 years of us led war in this count . . ~' ,, , 20 years of us led war in this count . ., ,, i. , . thank you very much indeed. the number of coronavirus deaths in france has now exceeded 70,000.

britain and italy are the only european countries with a higher number of deaths. all of france is now under a 6pm curfew, advancing the earlier restrictions by two hours. daniel wittenberg has more. the shutters came down early on the champs—elysees and deserted streets all over france, as the country met another unwelcome coronavirus milestone. at the start of the pandemic, president emmanuel macron said the nation was in combat with an invisible enemy. since then, with more than 70,000 casualties, france's death rate has been higher than on the battlefields of the second world war. its latest strategy in the battle to curb infections, the curfew has been brought forward by two hours to 6pm for the whole country for at least the next fortnight. the number of positive tests has hit 20,000 a day and the extension has been received with relative approval.

translation: i am not an expert| but i suppose if so many scientists agree on the curfew, it must mean it is effective. translation: well, as a parent, i think 6pm isn't a problem. - it is bath—time so we will be heading home. but i will probably change my mind on monday when the working week starts again. while people will be able to travel after hours for work and urgent appointments, it is more bad news for shops. this parisien optician called on the government not to lose sight of businesses' needs. translation: this is yet another restriction and once again, - it is a loss of revenue for us. we need to reorganise our staffing and we don't know how we will get financial help for that. in the daytime, the fairly rare spectacle of snow caught in the french capital provided light relief for some, though with hospital admission is continuing to rise and concern over new variants of the virus, it seems there is still

a long winter ahead. daniel wittenberg, bbc news. mexico has urged honduras to stop the flow of migrants making their way to the united states as 9,000 people approach its southern borderfrom guatemala. the migrants are planning to walk 3000 kilometres via mexico to escape poverty and seek a better life in the united states. tanya dendrinos reports. as sea of people, this is the border between guatemala and honduras. you can hear thejubilation between guatemala and honduras. you can hear the jubilation as between guatemala and honduras. you can hear thejubilation as migrants press forward on their quest towards the us. it is estimated at around 9,000 hondurans claim poverty and violence in a region battered by the pandemic and natural disaster and in this convoy, now under way to the mexican border.

translation: fist mexican border. translation: �* , ., , mexican border. translation: �* , ., ., translation: at first i was afraid, but when i translation: at first i was afraid, but when i saw _ translation: at first i was afraid, but when i saw the _ translation: at first i was afraid, but when i saw the motivated, - translation: at first l was afraid, | but when i saw the motivated, happy and united people my fear was gone. thank god we got through the first part in guatemala and, if god allows it, we will go further. with faith, we can achieve anything. we 'ust have to have fl we can achieve anything. we 'ust have to have faith. i we can achieve anything. we 'ust have to have faith. they �* we can achieve anything. we 'ust have to have faith. they are e we can achieve anything. we just i have to have faith. they are seeking to more welcoming america. under the incoming president, joe biden promising a counter approach to migration. parents and children among those making the perilous journey by foot, optimistic about the land of opportunity. translation:- the land of opportunity. translation: , translation: the first thing we will do when we arrive _ translation: the first thing we will do when we arrive in _ translation: the first thing we will do when we arrive in the _ translation: the first thing we will do when we arrive in the united - do when we arrive in the united states is to find a job. we always try to think about your families and it motivates us to reach out and try to help those who have helped us. but security forces have been deployed in honduras, guatemala and mexico with hundreds of migrants already detained and no promise of

the rest making it all the way to the rest making it all the way to the us border. the rest making it all the way to the us border. the uk government is moving to head off a rebellion by backbench mp5, who could support a labour proposal to extend the temporary £20 a week increase in universal credit. the chancellor introduced the rise last april, as the pandemic hitjobs and family finances, but it is due to run out in march. conservative mp5 have been told to abstain on labour's vote in the commons tommorrow. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake gave us this update. government sources insist no decision has been taken yet, but the chancellor has got a big call to make ear and chancellor has got a big call to make earand one chancellor has got a big call to make ear and one which will have a huge impact on many people's lives either way. as you say, people have been able to claim an extra £20 a week on universal credit since last april, that is due to come to an end at the end of march, but labour, campaigners and some conservative mp5 are keen for that increase to

continue at the very least until locked on restrictions end, but many say it should stay permanently. labour are holding a vote on this in parliament tomorrow, a and that non—fine —— non—binding votes on the government, packed in a sign that the conservatives were perhaps worried about how many of their mp5 would be voting with labour and against the government, the government is allowing them to abstain and sit it out. labour say that leaves the prime minister running scared from his own backbenchers. it might do could have been an embarrassing moment for the government tomorrow, but the issue certainly isn't going away with the budget looming in march, it will cost £6 billion a year to keep this universal credit increase in place, so one of many expensive decisions for the chancellor to weigh up in the weeks ahead. nasa has tested four huge engines for its new megarocket, which it hopes will one day take astronauts to the moon. but the exercise, designed

to replicate the power necessary for take—off, was stopped early, and it's not yet clear why. mark lobel has more. take off. it's one of the most anticipated moments of any space mission. here igniting all four engines together for the first time to simulate the sls rocket�*s rise into orbit for the first manned trip to the moon in decades. and here they go. gearing up to one day reach 8.8 million pounds, or to those in the know, 39.1 mega newtons of thrust, to make it the most powerful rocket ever to fly to space. and to put you out of your misery, this is what lift—off should look like. later this year it is hoped these

rockets will send nasa's next generation 0rion spacecraft for an unmanned spin around the moon. the artemis missions should eventually lead to the first woman on the moon in three years or so to search lunar soil for earth—shattering scientific discoveries with economic benefits as well. but back on earth, thisjoint nasa and boeing test, already used late in a project billions over budget... well, quickly lost its sparkle as it was aborted early. seven minutes early in fact, afterjust a minute or so. just when we were going to see the rocket start to pivot. no—one ever said travelling to the moon was easy. nasa denies the exercise was a failure, despite the as yet unexplained white flash that caused the shutdown.

the duke of cambridge has praised those involved in the coronavirus vaccine roll—out in a video call with nhs staff and volunteers — describing the effort as a monumental moment. here's andy moore. hello, your royal highness. good morning, everybody. prince william spoke to a number of medics from different parts of what he called the world—leading nhs, all involved in the roll—out of the vaccine. i want to say a huge congratulations to everyone involved in the vaccination programme because it looks tremendous. it really does, and i know what a massive difference it is going to make to everyone. and the vaccine was making a massive difference to around 1,000 over—805 who were treated to organ music as they got theirjabs at salisbury cathedral. these pensioners were keen to come forward, but the prince was told that wasn't the same for everyone. we do have vaccine hesitancy in some groups, your royal highness. it is really important to really get into communities.

the prince said he was very glad that the queen and duke of edinburgh had been inoculated at windsor castle earlier this month. my grandparents have had the vaccine and i am very proud of them for doing that, so it is really important everyone gets their vaccine when they are told to. that message seems to be getting through, with confirmation that more than three and a half million people in the uk have now been vaccinated. andy moore, bbc news. winter in rome means starling season, when up to four million birds gather in the italian capital on their migration from europe to africa. their formations in the skies are beautiful, but their droppings create a hazard and the city authorities are trying new methods to move them on. here's our rome correspondent, mark lowen. in the roman twilight, nature's

great dancers flock to the stage. the acrobatic twirls like wisps of smoke. a synchronised spectacle of breathtaking beauty. the starlings migrate in winter south to africa. nesting at night in central rome for warmth, flying in formation to avoid predators. a murmuration it is called, and this city of art marvels at the show. but beneath their charm, rome is rotting, and it's a hell of a mess. in the cold light of day, the other side of these gorgeous birds is clear, and for those unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, it's not exactly sightly,

it can be a safety hazard, but i can tell you that even with the mask, the stench is rancid. "i slipped on the droppings when it was muddy", this man says. "the world has invented everything, just not bird underpants." beside the ancient forum, a new attempt to try and solve the problem. city officials shining lasers onto trees which the birds dislike, prompting them to move on. the project is focused on rome's tourist heart in a bid to clean up its image. translation: this doesn't cause the birds any stress. _ it is more like a nuisance for them. i do this work, but i'm actually a nature lover. we are not stopping them from sleeping. we are just telling them to find another location. and it works. this tree used to be completely full and now there are about 10% of what there were. even the starling fans seem supportive. i personally love to see them,

like it's amazing, but as long as it is not hurting the birds, i think it is a good system. while the lasers are harmless, fireworks are not. this last new year's eve here, starlings were caught and killed by the firecrackers, pictures going viral. not managing the issue could end in tragedy. in ancient rome, the starlings were seen to auger the gods�* wishes. centuries on, these dazzling creatures keep visiting. how man and nature can coexist is the eternal problem of the eternal city. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. let's get the weather with louise. hello, there. it is the perfect sunday for getting outside and

enjoying some fresh air. for most adults it will be a dry, settled in relatively sunny afternoon, but the further north and west to go a brisk wind driving in some showery outbreaks of rain with gusts up to 40 outbreaks of rain with gusts up to a0 miles an hour here. elsewhere, with some sunshine, the temperatures will take between six and 9 degrees, where they should be for this time of year. moving into monday, closer to this area of low pressure will continue to paint in showers across much of scotland and we will see weather from starting to gradually approach from the south—west is low pressure edges in from the atlantic. there will be some drier, brighter weather, particularly in sheltered eastern areas. more cloud around and we have seen today, 5—10 the overall height. from tuesday onwards it turns increasingly wet and windy across the country. manager for england and wales, but some of that rain could bring some flooding.