this is bbc news — i'm victoria fritz with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. deeply sorry — prime minister borisjohnson apologises as the uk covid death toll passes 100,000. we have a special report from iraq — where the bbc�*s arabic team have been investigating a string of recent activist murders in basra we have heard talk of a kill list of activist names drawn up by the militias. a new survey reveals almost two thirds of people around the world now view climate change as a global emergency. and a 20—million—year old fossilizsd tree has been discovered on the greek island of lesbos.

almost a year after the first cases of coronavirus were diagnosed in the uk, the number of people who've died with the disease has passed 100,000. it is a grim moment in the country's struggle against the pandemic, and britain is the first european nation to pass that landmark. only the us, brazil, india and mexico have reported greater loss of life. in downing street, borisjohnson promised lessons would be learned. he said it was "hard to compute the sorrow" felt by the nation as a whole. on this day, i should just really repeat that i am deeply sorry for every life that has been lost and, of course, as prime minister, i take full responsibility for everything that the government has done.

what i can tell you is that we truly did everything we could and continue to do everything that we can to minimise loss of life and minimise suffering in what has been a very, very difficult stage and a very difficult crisis for our country and we will continue to do that. the virus was first detected in the city of wuhan, in china — late in 2019. the outbreak spread quickly across the world in the first months of 2020 and was declared a global pandemic by the world health organisation on the 11th march. so how does the uk death toll compare with the rest of the world? 0ur science editor david shukman reports. the pandemic has touched every nation. the virus claiming lives as it has spread across the globe. and despite the arrival of vaccines, the toll continues to be heavy.

more than 2 million people around the world have now died of covid so far, but some countries have suffered far more than others, and the best way to measure that is to look at the number of deaths in relation to the size of the population. so, vietnam, new zealand, australia and norway have seen 10 deaths orfewer per 100,000 people. in fact, more than half the countries of the world have recorded losses at this relatively low level. denmark, germany, poland and many others have lost more but brazil, the us, italy and the uk are among those with the greatest losses of all, at least 100 covid deaths for every 100,000 people. so, what might explain this? a key question is the government response and how fast it was. some countries were quick to enforce social distancing and other measures, like masks, for example. and the results have been clear.

there is a lot more virus per 100,000 population in the uk and the us, in my view, than there is in some of the east asian countries which have reacted more rapidly and robustly when the outbreak started. planning for the pandemic is anotherfactor and how effective those preparations were. countries hit by the sars virus back in 2003 learnt lessons and got ready. so did nations struck by ebola. britain provided them with expertise and finance to help look out for the next disease. we financed those institutions that help to respond to outbreaks. yet we really don't listen to our own advice, so we didn't listen to the institutions that we finance that then said to do this you need to implement effective track and trace and do that quickly, swiftly as possible. and then there's the controversial question

of borders and were they closed? many countries did shut their frontiers but the advice from the world health organization was to keep them open, because by then the virus would have slipped through anyway. but that guidance was often ignored. some states did it. states such as new zealand, australia, they did it and it benefited them. in terms of minimising the risk of infection from those coming outside of the country. so, it really raises this question of was this advice around borders coming from the world health organization effective, and did it harm those countries that didn't close off its borders? how different countries have responded will be examined for years to come. but, right now, the struggle against the virus is far from over. the british—swedish pharmaceutical company, astrazeneca, has rejected criticism from the european union over delays in the supply of its coronavirus vaccine to countries in the bloc. the firm's chief executive acknowledged that eu

governments were aggravated about the issue, but denied that vaccines were being taken away from the eu to be sold for a profit elsewhere. he said britain was getting its doses of the vaccine well before the eu in part because it had signed a contract for their supply three months earlier. it must have been quite the call. during their first exhange, president biden challenged vladimir putin about russian election meddling, cyber while not dimming while not attacks, ukraine and his treatment of the opposition. the white house said mr biden had raised concerns about the poisoning of the opposition activist, alexei navalny, and the suppression of protests by his supporters last week. the new us administration has promised to be tougher on russia than donald trump. joins me now. mr trump drew criticism from some quarters for being too cosy with putin. does the russia—us relationship look to be on a different footing?

it most certainly does and what we saw today was a massive pivot as far as foreign policy is concerned. there is the first conversation between the two leaders sincejoe biden took office, less than a week ago and by all accounts, it was less cordial, as far as vladimir putin is concerned that he would have expected from his predecessor and joe biden�*s predecessor. you mentioned some of the thorny issue, one positive note, the two leaders agreed to extend the last remaining us russia arms control treaty. that is the new start agreement, signed under the 0bama euro which was due to expire in ten days�* time. but some of those other thorny issues were delighting vladimir putin, particularly the mention of division —— opposition activist alexei navalnyd or indeed the russian

incursion into ukraine. interference in the us election. and so on. the readout of the call between the two leaders didn't mention any of those thorny issues. it was frank and businesslike. speaking of which, where are we with the impeachment proceedings?- with the impeachment proceedings? with the impeachment ”roceedins? , ., proceedings? well, they voted toda , proceedings? well, they voted today. on _ proceedings? well, they voted today, on whether _ proceedings? well, they voted today, on whether or - proceedings? well, they voted today, on whether or not - proceedings? well, they voted today, on whether or not they | today, on whether or not they were meant to halt the impeachment trial. it failed, despite the fact that 45 republicans weighed in to support donald trump. democrats have a 50—50 majority with the casting vote of the vice president kamala harris in the senate. this means the impeachment trial will go ahead in two weeks' time. it will be

something of a battle with the democrats to assemble the two—thirds they need, depress that case home against donald trump of incitement of insurrection. a minimum of 17 republicans. based on this boat today, the numbersjust don't seem to be there. evenjoe biden himself conceded the numbers don't add up as far as convicting donald trump is concerned. the most senior democrat in the senate, senator patrick leahy, who is due to preside over the impeachment trial, was taken to hospital this evening. he is third in

line, succession from the president, he's been released in hospital but there is no official word on his condition although it is likely to delay the start of that impeachment trial at the beginning of february. let's get some of the day's other news. the leader of the catholic church in ireland has apologised for the role it played in the abuse of thousands of unmarried women, forced into mother—and—baby homes and magdalene laundries, in northern ireland, because they'd become pregnant. archbishop eamon martin, said he was "truly sorry" for the church's contribution to a "culture of concealment, condemnation, and self—righteousness" during the 20th century. the dutch government says it will not lift a curfew, after several nights of violent protests against increased covid curbs across the netherlands. shops in rotterdam and other cities were looted and more than 180 arrests have been made. the indian government says it's deploying additional paramilitary forces in the capital, delhi, after a day of violent protests

by farmers angry at contentious new agricultural laws. thousands of farmers fought pitched battles with police after an organised demonstration descended into chaos. 0ne farmer died and more than 80 police officers were injured. withjoe biden taking up the us presidency, bbc news arabic has been to iraq to explore the impact of last yea r�*s withdrawal of us troops. ramita navai and her team have uncovered a trail of destruction in the vacuum the americans left behind. a warning that this film contains distressing images iam here i am here in basra to try to find out who is behind a series of killings last year. we are only one of a few foreign teams to visit to wright since the coronavirus struck. a police escortjust coronavirus struck. a police escort just stopped coronavirus struck. a police escortjust stopped on the side

of the road to give us extra instructions on how to keep safe because they say they are worried about our safety, this is despite the fact we are being escorted by eight heavily armed men. it's becoming clear to me that they haven't got control of the city. basra is in the south of a rock. it's mainly she our population has strong ties with neighbouring iran. iran is the centre of shia islam and supports politicians and also militia groups across iraq. 27—year—old charity worker lodya was forced to flee her hometown of basra. after taking part in anti—corruption protests she was targeted and only narrowly escaped assassination.

since then, five of lodya's wens and colleagues have been murdered. while we've been here, we've heard a lot of talk about a kill list of activist names drawn up by the militias. 0ne names drawn up by the militias. one of our sources has forwarded a list to us and some of the names on this list are activists who have since been killed. there are 35 names on the list, all—male targets from nine different cities towns. we confirmed that at least three people on this list of already been targeted. the sheer militia which allegedly posted this list but there are many others operating across the country. we asked basra's police chief about the targeted killing of activists.

but we've spoken to activists from basra have told us they have to flee because they received debt threats from the militias for criticising the militias. so far, the government has not held anyone responsible for the assassinations of any of the activists. the bbc received no answer to its request for response from the group. as countries around the world mark international holocaust memorial day, jewish leaders have been highlighting similarities

with the mass detention of uighur muslims in china. british rabbis from several strands ofjudaism say they have a duty to condemn what beijing calls re—education camps, warning that there is a resemblance to what happened in nazi germany. china denies it is committing genocide against uighurs and other minorities. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: an extremely rare, fossilized tree has been discovered in greece with its branches and roots still intact after 20 million years. the shuttle challenger exploded soon after lift—off. there were seven astronauts on board, one of them a woman school teacher. all of them are believed to have been killed. by the evening, tahrir square, the heart of official cairo, was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word �*revolution�*.

the earthquake singled out buildings and brought them down in seconds. tonight, the search for any survivors has an increasing desperation about it as the hours passed. the new government is finally in control of the entire - republic of uganda. survivors of the auschwitz concentration camp have been commemorating the 40th anniversary of their liberation. they toured the huts, gas chambers and crematoria, and relived their horrifying experiences. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: uk prime minister boris johnson has offered his deepest condolences to britons who have lost relatives to coronavirus, after official figures showed the number of dead now exceeds 100,000.

more than four—fifths of people in in the uk think climate change is a global emergency, the highest level of concern across 50 countries in a worldwide poll. over a million people around the world took part in the people's climate vote, conducted by the united nations development programme and university of oxford, including more than half a million under—18s. although the survey took place during the current pandemic there was still widespread concern over the environment among older people as well as the young. we can now speak to dr christian downie, an australian research council decra fellow. christian has worked as a foreign policy advisor to the australian government's department of the prime minister and cabinet and as a climate policy advisor to the department of climate change. thank you forjoining us. what are the most striking findings for you in this report? i think what it shows is that not only people are aware of climate change, not only do

they think it is an issue that should be addressed, along with many others but critically almost two—thirds of people believe climate change is a global emergency. i think that with a really key finding and it is a climate emergency and many politicians have not always made this clear but the planet certainly has. in recent years we have witnessed the devastating effects of climate change sweep around the globe there have been unprecedented bushfires in my country of australia and in california and the ones that what this survey shows is that people are taking notice and, importantly, that they want action. i notice and, importantly, that they want action.— they want action. i was going to ask you — they want action. i was going to ask you about _ they want action. i was going to ask you about that. - they want action. i was going to ask you about that. it - they want action. i was going l to ask you about that. it sends a strong message to political leaders, this survey, but what impact has happened towards climate change?— impact has happened towards climate change? there has been a tendency _ climate change? there has been a tendency for — climate change? there has been a tendency for governments - climate change? there has been a tendency for governments to l a tendency for governments to prioritise the pandemic, rightly so, in the forefront of many policymakers but the shadow on the horizon but in fact the shadow that has now

become bushfires and floods is climate change and governments will need to do with both issues at the same time and the best way of course to do that, which many governments are talking about, is to have a green, economic recovery. of course, changing those words into actions is the critical point and for many governments are yet to do that.— are yet to do that. some of the most vocal _ are yet to do that. some of the most vocal groups _ are yet to do that. some of the most vocal groups are - are yet to do that. some of the most vocal groups are the - most vocal groups are the youngest, what impact will this age group when they become of voting age? i age group when they become of voting age?— voting age? i think the survey results for — voting age? i think the survey results for young _ voting age? i think the survey results for young people - voting age? i think the survey results for young people were the most striking. as you mentioned in the introduction, the survey included either 500,000 people under the age of 18 in this group is more likely to say that climate change was an emergency than any other age group, not that many other age groups were far behind, the majority over 18 authors said that climate change was an emergency but the level of support from young people is striking and i think it is no surprise that in the last few

years, long — young people have been leading the way for climate change in marches around the globe forcing political leaders in many countries to take notice. these people may not be able to vote in elections yet because of their age but they are making their age but they are making their presence felt, as they should be, given in the decades to come it is their future that is in peril if governments do not act. it is high time that the governments pay attention to the concerns of their youngest citizens. now time for the latest sports news. hi there. an eventful day of football to tell you about — red cards, late goals and referees getting injured. and that wasjust the milan derby in the quarter finals of the coppa italia! there was little love lost between milan and inter but it was inter who can look forward to a spot in the semis. after opening the scoring, zlatan ibrahimovic clashed with romelu lukaku and was later sent off for a rash tackle. lukaku scored a penalty. there was a change of referee

too and then christian eriksen, a bit part player for much of the season, proved his worth, coming off the bench to curl in a stunning 97th minute winner. much more plain sailing for manchester city, top of the premier league for the first time this season for the next 12 hours or so at least. they thrashed west brom 5—nil at the hawthorns for their 11th straight win. manager pep guardiola has called on his side and says the table is the last thing they're thinking about right now. leeds, arsenal and west ham also won on tuesday. france's tessa worley won tuesday's world cup giant slalom in the italian resort of kronplatz. it's a timely win for worley, with the alpine skiing world championships taking place in two weeks' time. she is a double world champion in the giant slalom discipline but that was her first world cup win in over two years.

what a night it's set to be at stamford bridge and a shame there'll be no fans to see thomas tuchel take charge of chelsea for the first time. he's been in thejob less than a day but has already taken training and, covid permitting, will be in the dugout for the game against wolves. taking overfrom frank lampard, tuchel said he could not wait to compete in the most exciting league in football. barcelona fans may think la liga trumps it but it's the cup that's their main concern on wednesday. they're travelling to second tier rayo vallecano for a place in the last eight, hoping to avoid the fate of real madrid in getting knocked out by lower league opposition. wednesday will also see a key meeting of officials from the international olympic committee as uncertainty continues to shrowd the toyko olympic and paralympic games. 0rganisers have vowed to press ahead with preparations for the games, due to begin injuly. add into the mix a suggestion from florida's chief financial officer

that they'd be willing to host the games if tokyo can't and there'll be lots to discuss on the video call, even if we're not expecting a hard decision on whether or not toyko 2020 will go ahead. and, in the next 2a hours, we should be welcoming home the first sailers in the vendee globe round—the—world yacht race. in one of the closest races on record, the winning margin could just be a matter of minutes and the winner may not be the first boat across the line either with a couple of contenders due time compensation for helping a competitor. 80 days and more than 211,000 miles of racing is going to the wire. as always, the website is the best bet to get more on those stories and plenty more besides or you can check out the app, too. we'll see you again soon. scientists in greece have found a 20—million—year—old fossilized tree on the island of lesbos with some of its branches and roots intact. they hope it will help

them uncover the secrets of a subtropical forest ecosystem that was once covered in lava there. mark lobel reports. this 20 million —year—old tree stretches back so far, our eight ancestors may have gone, better shape. eight ancestors may have gone, bettershape. dug eight ancestors may have gone, better shape. dug up during highway works on this eastern mediterranean island, it brings new meaning to the word trunk road. translation: , road. translation: . ., , translation: it is particularly si . nificant translation: it is particularly significant at _ translation: it is particularly significant at the _ translation: it is particularly significant at the tree - translation: it is particularly significant at the tree was - significant at the tree was found with its branches still attached to the main trunk, intact. it is unique because not being that is nothing similar has been found in this forest orfrom what similar has been found in this forest or from what we know anywhere around the world. it was preserved after a thick layer of ash after the volcanic

island was overrun by lava. there are even more secrets to be found in this protected forest, whence it came. as every stem, root or bone excavated he helps piece together these millions year old jigsaw of a subtropical ecosystem of plants and animals. now, looking great for theirage, animals. now, looking great for their age, these fossils will rest here, scientists want them left for all to see in their natural environment, close to their roots. mark lobel, bbc news. amazing! before we go, here's a trafficjam with a difference. look closely and those are hundreds of freshly shorn sheep being herded along a road in new zealand's north island. they were being taken back to their field after having their biennial tidy up. 0ne local described the event as a �*lamb—pede'.

hello there. big temperature contrasts in the forecast for the next few days. many of us feeling the effects of a flow of mild air from the south—west. with that, you can see a lot of cloud on our earlier satellite image, but the orange colour�*s working in, showing that milder air. however, notice the blue colours up towards the north, cold air holds on, particularly across the northern half of scotland. a cold start to wednesday here, much milder down towards the south, but across southern england into southern and western wales, it's going to be quite misty and murky, damp and drizzly for a good part of the day. from the midlands and east anglia northwards, we should see some spells of sunshine, any early rain, sleet and snow towards scotland should tend to fade. best sunshine of all i think to be found across the far

north of scotland, that's also where we'll have the lowest of the temperatures. whereas, down to the south, highs of 11 or 12 degrees. is going to work its way north—eastwards, could be enough rain to cause some flooding across parts of north wales and north—west england. remember, the ground here is still very wet. quite an array of temperatures as we start thursday morning, and with our band of rain, working northwards into the cold air and then becoming very slow—moving, we could see some quite significant snow. i think this will mostly be over the high ground, say above 200 metres in the pennines, up into the southern uplands, the south of the grampians as well, but where this snow does fall, it's going to be falling for a good part of the day so that could cause some travel disruption, more likely rain and sleet at low levels. northern scotland seeing brightness, but it will be very cold here, just two or three degrees. down towards the south,

if we see a little bit of sunshine, highs of 13 or 1a, exceptional for this time of year. the snow will be falling for quite some time across high ground of northern england and scotland. 15—30 centimetres of snow is possible — that could cause disruption on high—level routes during thursday night. this next band of wet weather could well help to add to those snow totals, but, as we get on into friday, the wet and wintry weather should tend to ease away and it will turn increasingly dry with some sunshine. still pretty chilly across the north and mild in the south with highs of 12 degrees.

they wake this is bbc news — i'm victoria fritz with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. deeply sorry — prime minister borisjohnson apologises as the uk covid death toll passes 100,000. a cup half empty for starbucks, as global lockdowns hit the world's largest coffee chain in the pocket. hsbc denies "aiding and abetting" china's crackdown in hong kong — after its chief executive is grilled by mps in the uk. and we'll be hearing from one of the world's biggest gym equipment makers, which is putting in the hard yards to beat the global pandemic.

let's start with starbucks,