this is bbc news i'm mike embley. our top stories: —— very warm welcome to bbc news. my is mike embley. joe biden and kamala harris lead a ceremony to honour the 400,000 americans who've died from covid—19. to heal, we must remember, and it's hard sometimes to remember. president trump releases a farewell video on his last day in office and wishes luck to his successor without naming him. in other news, another 1,610 people have died from covid in the uk — the highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic.

hello and welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. 0n the eve of his inauguration president—electjoe biden along with vice president—elect kamala harris have attended a covid memorial service in washington, in tribute to the 400,000 americans who've lost their lives to coronavirus. national landmarks were lit up in tribute. mr biden — who will spend the night at the presidential guest house blair house — paid tribute to medical workers and spoke of the importance of healing as a nation. to heal, we must remember. and it's hard sometimes to remember, but that's how we heal. it's important to do that as a nation. that's why we're here today. between sundown and dusk, let us shine the lights in the darkness along the sacred pool of reflection and remember all whom we lost.

0ur correspondent larry madowo is in washington with more. the highlight of the day was that memorial service that joe biden and kamala harris attended at that reflecting pool which provided this really beautiful ceremony but also iconic imagery. that happened just about an hour after america recorded 400,000 deaths from the coronavirus. it's a crisis that president donald trump has downplayed, even though he's taken credit for the fast roll—out of the vaccine. two vaccines now approved for emergency use in the us,

the moderna vaccine and the pfizer—biontech vaccine. president donald trump spending his last full day as president at the white house, just two or three blocks from where i am standing, across the street is blair house where president—electjoe biden and his wife, doctorjill biden are spending the night. typically they are usually invited there by the outgoing president but in this case, that did not happen. who invited them 7 the state department. and tomorrow they start the day in church but the last four years have been those of chaos, the stark contrast of leadership, but it's all over now. he will be at mar—a—lago where he will spend the next four years trying to rebuild his political year. 0ur north america correspondent jon sopel has his final report from the trump era. where once a sea of faces would greet the incoming president as he stood

on the capitol steps, tomorrow it will be flags — thousands and thousands of stars and stripes. this is partly about covid, but even more so now about security. the entire national mall, which stretches for two miles, has been closed off. washington, dc, has been transformed into a fortress, with 25,000 national guardsmen drafted in. razor wire and fencing everywhere, now, nearly two weeks on from the storming of congress by a mob incited by donald trump. we fight like hell. and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country any more. the shock in america over that attempt to overthrow a fair and free election seems to deepen with each passing day, not dissipate, and washington has become a city on edge. the last time the president was seen in public was a week ago when he went to the border

wall, something he'd point to as one of his achievements from the four years in office. but it will be his behaviour since the election that will be his lasting legacy. the most audacious and unexpected foreign policy move came when donald trump flew to singapore to meet his north korean counterpart, kim jong—un. the meeting diffused tensions but has done nothing to slow north korea's nuclear programme. here, donald trump's election plans were upended by the covid outbreak and the damage it did to the us economy. coronavirus didn't cost him the election, but his erratic handling of it and occasionally bizarre statements didn't help him. and then i see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that...by injection? and just a little later, america was convulsed by the death of george floyd at the hands of a white policeman. amid the protests and rioting, donald trump saw an opportunity to present himself as the tough president of law and order. tonight, he's issued

a farewell video. this week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping america safe and prosperous. but there's still no concession that he lost, and now impeached twice, it will be what's happened in america since the presidential election that donald trump will likely be remembered for. he still faces a tricky senate trial, with the influential republican leader — once a firm supporter — piling in. the mob was fed lies. they were provoked by the president and other powerful people. but from tomorrow, the focus will be onjoe biden — today leaving wilmington, delaware for the last time before he's sworn in. well, excuse the emotion, but... ..when i die, delaware will be written on my heart. there will be a flurry

of announcements and actions in his first days in office, but perhaps the overriding goal will be to lower the political temperature and bring a fractured nation together. it'll be a herculean task. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. the actual inauguration itself usually has around 200,000 americans attending but this time only about 1,000 because of the coronavirus crisis and the fears and security scare after the storming of the capitol last wednesday, so it will be a very different event. it is a made—for—television inauguration unlike any that we have ever seen and the thing, this big highlight for tomorrow is a 90—minute prime—time special to celebrate this inauguration. it will be the first of its kind amid this tight security but also in the middle of the pandemic, so i think sean spicer, who was president trump's press secretary, he would agree this

is the smallest crowd to ever watch an inauguration, period. donald trump is now spending his last few hours as president and his four years in office will be looked upon as a remarkable time in us political history. and before leaving office, mr trump is expected to grant presidential pardons to around 100 people, featuring many of his allies and loyalists. earlier, i spoke about presidential pardons with larry sabato, who is the director of the center for politics at the university of virginia. well, they were supposed to be out before now which tells me in trump world, they are still arguing about some of them. remember, his pardoning power only extends to federal offences, not to state and local offences, but they are highly sought—after and apparently, some of the republican lawyers who have been handling these pardons are receiving large sums of money from clients to get the pardons. trump has the power until 12 noon tomorrow, washington time, eastern standard time. he will have it even

when he is being flown down to mar—a—lago florida, his home in exile after he leaves the presidency. we could hear of pardons on the plane at 11:59am. no—one would put this past trump and to be fair, bill clinton did onejust hours before he left office, a very controversial pardon of a financier by the name of mark ridge back in 2001. and bill clinton did many, i think. jimmy carter of course did a lot. it goes back to the roosevelt era and ultimately back to the kings of mediaeval england? yes, well, of course, the founders of the american republic wrote the pardoning power in thinking that it would check the executive, just as they like to check the king. that was their experience in the 1790s when that provision became a part of the constitution. i don't know that they would necessarily approve what it's become.

often there are hundreds or potentially even thousands of pardons. some arejustified, some of these pardons are coming about because criminaljustice groups have pushed them, and the trump administration or pieces of it including the president's daughter ivanka trump has been urging the president to show some compassion right at the end. as if that's going to change the evaluation of the most controversial residency in american history. what is likely to be particularly controversial if he is pardoning people who are seen to have done favours for the president or protected the president. do you think he is likely in some way to pardon himself? i'm told he is not going to do that. i've been told many things over the past four years that he did anyway. he doesn't necessarily share what doing with key staff aides but i've been told that he was strongly urged not to do so by the white house counsel's office, the in—house government lawyers for the president,

and some members of his family, who felt that it would be an admission of guilt, which it really is. if you accept a pardon, it seems to me the suggestion is you've done something wrong, but you believe might be seen by a court orjudges as having been wrong. so, i don't think is going to pardon himself. no—one would put it past him. i don't think he is going to pardon his kids, though at one point he wanted to, and is also been urged not to pardon three republican congressmen who have been sent to prison for some pretty awful crimes. he was going to do that at one point, or leaning toward it. and now it appears according to staff aides that he is not going to do it. but i will believe it when it's 12 noon tomorrow and nothing else has been released. larry sabato. the outgoing secretary of state, mike pompeo, has accused china of committing genocide and crimes against humanity in its far western region of xinjiang. in what's likely to be

one of his last acts, mr pompeo said an investigation had concluded that beijing had been systematically trying to destroy the uighurs and other minorities there since march 2017. the man who will replace mr pompeo, antony blinken, told his confirmation hearing that he agreed with mr pompeo. nury turkel is a uighur—american lawyer and a commissioner to the us commission on international religious freedom. he explained what the decision means for us—china ties. this is a huge development, and also this shouldn't surprise those who have been following the development here in washington, dc, because it shows the seriousness of the us government. we have been looking into the evidence, we have been looking into the open source information put out by the chinese government. we also have a credible witness and survivor testimonies.

the evidence is overwhelming that the chinese government is committing genocide, crimes against humanity in daylight. we have been, as a government entity, been asking the us government through the facts and legal tools to evaluate this, at least as early as may of 2020, but it requires some time, required some investigation, deliberation to come to this conclusion today. when somebody commits a crime, they should know that the crimes always have a label, is the case for the atrocities being committed against the uighur people in china by the communist party. there is much more to come on bbc news. to stay with us. ——

do. we will of course be covering the inauguration ceremony live and in full, here on bbc news. there's a special programme from washington presented by katty kay from 1400 gmt. donald trump is now the 45th president of the united states. he was sworn in before several hundred thousand people on the steps of capitol hill in washington. it's going to be only america first. america first. demonstrators waiting for mike gatting and his rebel cricket team were attacked with tear gas and set upon by police dogs. anti—apartheid campaigners say they will carry on the protests throughout the tour. they called him - the butcher of lyon. klaus altman is being held. on a fraud charge in bolivia. the west germans want i to extradite him for crimes committed in wartime france. there, he was the gestapo chief klaus barbie. - millions came to bathe as close

as possible to this spot, a tide of humanity that's believed by officials to have broken all records. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: joe biden and kamala harris lead a ceremony to honour the 400,000 americans who've have died from covid—19. the uk has recorded the highest number of covid deaths in a 24—hour period since the pandemic struck last year at more than 16 hundred. experts say it's likely that the coming weeks will see figures even higher than this. many hospitals say they're now overwhelmed, with some staff almost on their knees. after many months of treating desperately ill patients. that's certainly the distressing reality of life at the royal london hospital, and in the second of his special reports,

clive myrie discovers the heavy price being paid by both staff and patients. the birth of a new day brings a familiar demon — more covid infections and more death. and it's others who must stare into the abyss to spare our eyes. like hannah, a senior mortician at the royal london hospital, part of a small team of just five that's handled hundreds of bodies in this pandemic. how do you ever prepare for people just dying and dying and dying? although it's ourjob and we deal with dead people every day, this level, i think, has taken its toll. does it feel like a conveyor belt? it does, it does, in a way, yes. i hate to say that,

because i hate to think of it like that, but yeah, yeah, it is, almost, yeah. that's what the pandemic�*s done, i mean... yeah. it's no—one�*s fault. no. sorry. i've done this for years, you know, i'mjust, when someone says to you, "how does it make you feel?" and you say how it makes you feel, yeah, this is how it makes me feel. 12 out of 15 floors, more than 400 patients, and there are not enough staff. it's madness. and curiously, despite all the drugs and fancy equipment, the simple technique of periodically turning over a covid patient — or proning, can help force oxygen into scarred lungs. but the manpower needed is immense. turning and turning

and turning again. day after day. frightening, one word that defines covid's second wave for the nhs. heartbreaking is another. as marie healy checks on a 28—year—old man with no underlying conditions, but who has been on a ventilator for more than three weeks. obviously very distressing and this is a very serious complication at this stage. he also has other family members in critical care as we speak. time to call his wife. now, i know that he is quite sick. he could die from this, by the way. i'm sorry to have to say that.

i know, love. i know. don't worry. we're doing everything we can for him. it's very difficult because this poorfamily have been through a huge amount. and they're actually so nice. that makes it more difficult. the inner turbulence revealed. the rain mirrors shamima's recent tears for her family. she took marie's call, as her husband fights for his life. his condition remains serious, on life support. clive myrie, bbc news. the reality of the pandemic for staff and patients at the royal london. that was clive myrie reporting, with camera journalist david mcilveen

and producer sam piranty. let's get some of the day's other news. of the former prime minister theresa may says borisjohnson has abandoned britain's position of moral leadership. should fail to honour british values when he threatened to break international law during the brexit trade talks. 12 miners trapped underground after an explosion in a chinese gold mine ten days ago are believed to still be alive. the fate of another ten remains unclear. they sent back a note saying "don't stop trying to reach us" when rescuers seeking signs of life lowered down food rations taped to wire cable. mark lobel reports. rescuers feeding out a human lifeline to provide the liquid food for the survivors. medicines are also being sent

540 metres underground, as fears of rising water levels there grow. signs of life emerged on sunday after rescuers knocked out in hope, and suddenly, a pull on the rope from below. to the sheer delight of all. then, a handwritten note from the miners emerged saying 11 of the 22 trapped are together, with a 12th miner close by, reporting injuries and high blood pressure, but with ten others unaccounted for. translation: we will continue to check for signs of life and contact people trapped underground. we are also speeding up the cleaning of the main shaft, and drilling other rescue holes. using newly laid phone lines, the surviving miners say they are very weak, and asked not to be forgotten. in a lighter moment, they express their thanks for all nutritious food, porridge, and medicine sent

down the thin tunnel, but hope for pork sausages soon. and we will keep a close eye on that story of course. now asjoe biden prepares to be sworn in as the 46th president of the united states, he knows his first task will be to unify a deeply divided country. 0n the campaign trail, biden has often played up his working—class roots and has especially focused on the swing state of pennsylvania and his home town of scranton. the bbc�*s david grossman has been to scranton to see what residents there expect from a biden presidency. no class is in the numbers, it's a value set.— no class is in the numbers, it's a value set. those values have guided _ it's a value set. those values have guided his _ it's a value set. those values have guided his entire - it's a value set. those values have guided his entire life. i have guided his entire life. they come from growing up in scranton. ., , they come from growing up in scranton-— scranton. people that i have . rown scranton. people that i have grown up — scranton. people that i have grown up with _ scranton. people that i have grown up with in _ scranton. people that i have grown up with in scranton. l grown up with in scranton. every time i want part of my

grandpa's house he would yell joe, keep the faith. grandpa's house he would yell joe, keep the faith.— joe, keep the faith. their house joe _ joe, keep the faith. their house joe biden - joe, keep the faith. their house joe biden grew - joe, keep the faith. their house joe biden grew up| joe, keep the faith. their - house joe biden grew up and is housejoe biden grew up and is still there, much to distinguish it from the others on the street. that i suppose is the point of. and ordinary americans start in life. today this is a comfortable neighbourhood, and by all accounts, it was back then. in the storyjoe biden tells of his life, it was the pain of being forced to leave this home when his father lost his job, that still drives his policies. joe biden made a great deal of his roots here in scranton, growing up in n. washington ave. it was one of the reasons he said it was the only person who could be donald trump. but joe biden left this house nearly 70 years ago. in reality, how much of scranton is going with him to the white house? joe biden visited his childhood home on election day, trying to demonstrate perhaps that in barack 0bama's words, he is still the same scrappy kid from scranton. among his friends, there is real excitement about what a joe

biden presidency means for the city and for the country. we are so proud _ city and for the country. we are so proud of— city and for the country. - are so proud of him. so proud of him. when i look out, i see he is one of us. i can see him on the streets, i can see him in our restaurants, in our churches, and we are confident injoe. churches, and we are confident in joe. �* ., ., ., in joe. butthead out of scranton _ in joe. butthead out of scranton along - in joe. butthead out of scranton along the - in joe. butthead out of - scranton along the wyoming valley and you can see there is plenty of work forjoe biden to do. the coalfrom here once fuelled american industry, but its factories supplied the world. many of the jobs in factories went overseas, hurried out of town by nafta, the north american free—trade agreement. put into law by bill clinton in 1993 and voted for by the then senatorjoe biden. ifirst met richard by the then senatorjoe biden. i first met richard and eileen a year ago, they live in the hills 25 miles south—west of scranton. then, they were wondering if any of the

possible democratic candidates could tempt them away from donald trump.— could tempt them away from donald trump. when joe biden was selected, _ donald trump. when joe biden was selected, everyone - donald trump. when joe biden was selected, everyone said i donald trump. when joe biden was selected, everyone said it| was selected, everyone said it is blue—collarjoe, he understands the people that voted for donald trump and he used to vote democrat but then voted for trump. d0 used to vote democrat but then voted for trump.— voted for trump. do you think he understands? he is really. he understands? he is really out of touch _ he understands? he is really out of touch with _ he understands? he is really out of touch with the - he understands? he is really| out of touch with the working people, and he is trying to get backin people, and he is trying to get back in touch in being with the unions, but he doesn't really understand.— unions, but he doesn't really understand. bringing “obs and --roseri understand. bringing “obs and prosperity back _ understand. bringing “obs and prosperity back to h understand. bringing jobs and prosperity back to this - understand. bringing jobs and prosperity back to this part i understand. bringing jobs and prosperity back to this part of| prosperity back to this part of pennsylvania was always going to be tough, but with the pandemic ravaging the american economy, and ballooning the federal budget, headwind now is stronger than ever. nonetheless joe biden has made promises here, and he will be held to them. that special programme on the joe biden kamala harris live here on bbc news from 1400 gmt. that's it for now, thank you so

much for watching. hello there. storm christoph will bring disruptive weather over the next 48 hours. the rain's been falling through the day on tuesday, already mounting up to over an inch in places, and there's a lot more rain yet to come. and as it bumps into the cold air in the north, potential for snow as well. let's focus on the rain because in some parts of england and wales, we could have around 150—200 mm of rain falling over the hills onto ground that's already saturated. river levels are already high. so, this amber warning from the met office highlights those areas particularly saturated at the moment with the high river levels plus the snowmelt to take account of as that also runs into the river systems but it's no means exclusively these areas. as i mentioned, it's wet right the way up into northern ireland and southern scotland with the added potential of several centimetres of snow falling on some parts

of the southern uplands, possibly even the central lowlands through the night, and ice, too. furthersouth, it's milder, it's windier, and that south—westerly wind, that moist south—westerly wind, keeps pumping that rain up onto the hills and mountains of england and wales through the day but there'll be some heavier rain elsewhere as well. so, a fairly grey, wet, windy sort of day and with some risk of snow as well as further rain across some northern areas. so, quite a contrast in our temperature and that really comes into play later in the day on wednesday because as that colder air starts to dig southwards as that low pressure, storm christoph, starts to move out into the north sea and the cold air digs in, it will turn the rain progressively to snow. even at lower levels, potentially 5—10 cm through wednesday night and into thursday. certainly more over the hills. notjust scotland but, exclusively, we could see some across the hills of northern england, too. and the winds by that stage — as the low pressure, storm christoph, moves out into the north sea — get towards gale or even severe gale force winds.

so blowing that snow around, blizzard conditions but at least they're blowing that rain away by that stage. however, by that stage, we will have seen significant amounts of rainfall, as i say, and the flood risk really is going to escalate in the next 12—24 hours. then the cold air digs in and things slowly start to quieten down but between now and then, we've got that heightened flood risk across england and wales with persistent rain and several hundred millimetres in places, and then that snow risk — heavy snow with drifting and blizzards in the north. the weather warnings and the flood warnings all on the website.

this is bbc news, the headlines: arriving in washington with his wife, jill, for his inauguration as president on wednesday, joe biden has led a powerful tribute to more than 400,000 americans who've lost their lives to coronavirus. with vice president—elect kamala harris also attending, mr biden said the united states must heal as a nation. donald trump has released a farewell video on his last day in office, and wished luck to his successor as president, without naming his successor. mr trump also said he was proud of what he's achieved over the past four years. the most powerful republican in the senate has directly blamed donald trump for the riot at the us capitol two weeks ago. mitch mcconnell said the mob was "fed lies" and "provoked by the president and other powerful people". those remarks could have serious implications for mr trump when he faces his impeachment trial, in the senate.