Transfer of power . More people may die if we do not co ordinate. Light at the end of the tunnel the postponed Tokyo Olympics and paralympics will go ahead, according to the ioc. A british diplomat is hailed as a hero in china after jumping into a river to save a woman from drowning. Hello to you. Well, we all need a bit of good news at the moment. We begin with more good news in the search for a covid vaccine. After Clinical Trials in the United States, the firm moderna says its vaccine is almost 95 effective. Its one of around 50 now being tested on people worldwide and its success along with pfizers announced last week raises hopes that others could also be effective. But the World Health Organization has warned that with cases surging in europe and the us, now is not the time to be complacent. Our medical editor fergus walsh reports. Another dose of hope and further evidence that vaccines will provide a way out of this pandemic. Thank you. Stunning early results from this trial, from Us Firm Moderna, have eclipsed the strong ones just a week ago from pfizer biontech. I broke into an ear to ear grin when i heard the numbers. It really exceeded our best hopes, and it is an incredibly exciting moment for us as a company, and as the world, as we start to develop tools to fight the virus. 30,000 volunteers in the us took part in the trials. Half had two doses of the vaccine a month apart, the rest, dummy injections. Early Analysis Shows there were 90 covid cases in those given the dummy treatment and only five in the vaccinated group. Moderna says this shows the vaccine is over 94 effective at preventing covid. Whats more, there were 11 cases of severe disease, but none among those who got the vaccine. Moderna, like pfizer, have used a completely new method for creating vaccines which doesnt need the virus itself. It uses the genes for the coronavirus spike protein. This synthetic code, known as rna, is created in the laboratory and forms the vaccine. This teaches the body to recognise and build an immune response to coronavirus. Before we can all throw away our facemasks and ditch social distancing, were going to need to protect the world from covid. That will require billions of doses of Coronavirus Vaccine, and its why Clinical Trials must continue. Like this one, which began today in southampton and other sites across the uk. The jab from the belgian firm janssen is one of six covid vaccines pre ordered by the government. Over time, we will learn which of those works better in different ages and different people with different conditions, and also how to use the vaccines in combinations to give people the best and longest lasting immunity. Caution is needed we still need full safety and effectiveness data for the moderna and pfizer jabs. But there is a real sense that some of the most vulnerable to covid could be immunised before christmas. Fergus walsh, bbc news. Fergus walsh with that report. More than i million americans have been infected with covid i9 just in the last week. Theres a severe risk in the coming weeks that hospitals across the us will be overwhelmed by the numbers. Despite this, wall street was buoyant with the Financial Markets soaring because of the news that modernas vaccine could be available before the end of the year. Nada tawfik reports. The United States may be entering the most dangerous period of the coronavirus crisis. This time, its affecting the entire country. In north dakota, hospitals are so overwhelmed that covid i9 positive asymptomatic medical workers continue to treat patients. It isa continue to treat patients. It is a drastic change of fortunes for a state that was among the few to avoid a lockdown in the spring. Now its in emergency mode, breaking record after grim record of hospitalisations and deaths. Our situation has changed and we must change with it. In response, the republican governor, issued a mask mandates after resisting one for months and imposed other restrictions on large gatherings. But the move remains contentious. Health officials are concerned that fatigue with the pandemic is sitting at the worst time as the cold weather and Holiday Season the cold weather and Holiday Season approaches. We have got to change those assumptions. Doctor Anthony Fauci has been back on tv, warning that another 200,000 people could die over the next few months if Public Health measures are not followed into the vaccine is widely available. And that a smooth president ial transition is essential. The virus is not going to stop and call timeout while things change. The virus is just while things change. The virus isjust going to while things change. The virus is just going to keep while things change. The virus isjust going to keep going. We wa nt isjust going to keep going. We want a smooth process for that, and the way you do that is by essentially having the two groups speak to each other and exchange information. Yet the president s refusal to formally begin the transition process has left residents Electjoe Bidens team at a disadvantage and unable to talk to current officials such as doctor fauci. Thank you very much. We are going into a very dark winter. Things are going to get much tougher before they get easier, and that requires sparing no effort to fight covid, so we can reopen businesses safely, resume our lives and put this pandemic behind us. Joe bidens leadership will be tested not just by his plan to stop the rapid spread of the virus but his ability to counter the messaging coming out of the trunk camp. Doctor scott atlas, one of advisors encourage people to rise up against new restrictions in michigan. The governor, gretchen whitmer, who has become a frequent target of the president and his supporters, was shocked by his statement. It actually took my breath away, to tell you the truth. We are in the midst of the worst weeks of this pandemic. Hope is dimming that the current occupant of the white house will prioritise the threat of covid. Comejanuary, it is anyones gas what situation joe it is anyones gas what situationjoe biden it is anyones gas what situation joe biden and it is anyones gas what situationjoe biden and the country will find itself in. Nadia tawfik, bbc news. Anyones guess. We can now speak to Democratic Communications strategist mary anne marsh. She joins us from boston. The Vice President as a senator seems to be getting more briefings than the president elect . Briefings than the president elect . His speech today was really talking about getting the presidency work with him rather than getting americans back to work. Unless republicans and democrats co operate, it will be tough to get americans back to school, back to their lives and be covid was that he used his meeting before this meet with Business Leaders and union leaders, often like dogs and cats, saying, ifi leaders, often like dogs and cats, saying, if i can bring them together to Work Together and create newjobs in this country and fix our economy, certainly i can get donald trump and the republicans to work with me, too. That was the message he sent today. And it was just like turning up gas on a gas stove, it was just that much harder on trump today. Joe biden is really trying to pressure him to do that. In addition, you have had barack obama in the last few days and in interviews last night on his book to talking about the need for donald trump to co operate and Michelle Obama weighed in today as well. She did not campaign throughout this election, rarely speaks on politics now without the exception does make with the exception does make with the exception of the democratic invention, she talked about how important it is for everyone to Work Together, at this time in the country does s history. Everyone says i want to Work Together and for the people who voted for me and people who didnt. Yet we know there are something that 72 million americans who do not wantjoe biden as president. Many of them, it is quite possible, because of what the president has been saying, thinks the whole process is illegitimate. How to pull them onside . |j think more importantly, in a democracy, 77 Million People voted forjoe biden. He won an overwhelming mandate. He will end up with 306 electoral votes, exactly what donald trump got four years ago, which he declared an overwhelming victory. That is what matters here. I think over time, asjoe biden reminds everyone what a real president looks like, how our government should function, what it is like to try to save lives, but people back to work, back to school, reminding them of what our country used to be and can be again, i think many of them will start to move over. There will always be a hard core 25 35 who will follow donald trump to the end of the earth, but the rest of the country and the people who supported him, pretty shortly, i think they will come back onboard when they see the benefits joe onboard when they see the benefitsjoe biden onboard when they see the benefits joe biden can onboard when they see the benefitsjoe biden can bring to this country to get back on track. Just briefly, there is a worrying historical president. Precedent. Bush and gore, people took their eyes off the ball in National Security terms. Its one of the reasons why people werent prepared for 9 11. Thats a perfect example of one of the threats we face, and that was not really known at the time. Even though bush got briefings until the end, we know it we are facing. An economic crisis, a healthcare crisis, a pandemic the likes this country has not seen in over 100 years. It is up to all of us to Work Together, and donald trump has to be part of that, too. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you. And we will be speaking to a strategist from the Republican Party in the next bulletin. Swedens announced new limits on public gatherings after a surge in coronavirus cases. Groups of more then eight people will not be allowed. The public is being urged to cancel engagements such as visits to the gym. There are no plans, however, to introduce the countrys first lockdown, as paul hawkins reports. If the country without lockdowns or face masks. If the country without lockdowns orface masks. Even when cases were surging in summer, sweden followed a different path, opting for volu nta ry different path, opting for voluntary social distancing and Public Gatherings Limited to 50 people. It was hailed as a model of how to live by anti lockdown campaign is around the world. But a sharp rise in cases has led sweden to tighten those restrictions with Public Gatherings Limited to a maximum of eight people. Translation we live in trying times now, it will get worse, do your duty, take your responsibility to stop the spread of infections. Dont go to the gym. Dont go to the library. Dont have dinner. Dont have parties. Cancelled. This is now the new normalfor the whole society, for all sweden. The country because cases per 100,000 are currently ten times higher than fenland and four times higher than norway. The hospital admissions rate here has grown faster than any other european country. Translation we need to go in with strong recommendations and restrictions, and i think it is starting to be time to consideration uptown of society here and there in sweden. Consider a shutdown. Translation we dont believe ina translation we dont believe in a total lockdown, we believe the measures we have taken and decisions we are taking are appropriate. What we want to do at the National Level now is to send this very clear, strong signal on the necessity of social distancing, not spending time with people that you do not live with. Sweden says its strategy is not heard immunity. That the vulnerable are protected are not protected and everyone gets the virus and immunity eventually. And let in the first wave i was more worried because you didnt know anything about how hard it could hit. Translation now it is a little better and healthcare translation now it is a little better and healthca re has translation now it is a little better and healthcare has some control over how to treat it. This spring, everything was so new you do not understand the seriousness. Now i think i take it more seriously. If they dont, then a lockdown looms even larger. Paul hawkins, bbc news. Lets quickly round up some of the main news for you. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the coasts of honduras and nicaragua as hurricane iota bears down on the region damaged two weeks ago by another storm. Forecasters say the hurricane threatens to destroy many homes, wreck Power Supplies and quite possibly make the area affected uninhabitable for months. Perus congress has named a new president. Francisco sagasti is the countrys third leader in a week. He replaces manuel merino, who resigned on sunday following the deaths of two Anti Government protesters. Hed only been in power for several days, after the impeachment of martin vizcarra. African leaders are trying to persuade ethiopias government to agree to a mediation process to end its conflict in tigray and prevent the fighting spreading. The Ethiopian Government says it must first carry out a Law Enforcement operation. Hundreds of people have been killed in two weeks of fighting. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come the british diplomat who jumped into a river in china to save a drowning student. Benazir bhutto has claimed victory in pakistans general election, and shes asked pakistans president to name her as Prime Minister. Jacksons been released on bail of 3 million after turning himself into police in santa barbara. It was the biggest demonstration so far of the fast growing european anti nuclear movement. The South African government has announced that its opening the countrys remaining whites only beaches to people of all races. This will lead to a black majority government in this country and the destruction of the white civilisation. Part of the centuries old windsor castle, one of the queens residences, has been consumed by fire for much of the day. 150 firemen have been battling the blaze, which has caused millions of pounds worth of damage. This is bbc news. The latest headlines trials of a second vaccine for coronavirus bring promising results. The Us Firm Moderna revealed the outcome of phase three trials showed its almost 95 effective. As cases in the us top 11 million president Electjoe Biden says more people could die if the Trump Administration doesnt cooperate with transition process. Britains Prime Minister, six conservative mps and two political aides have all been told to self isolate after a breakfast meeting in downing street last thursday. One of the mps tested positive for coronavirus after the 35 minute gathering in a state room. Downing street insisted that social distancing rules were observed. This report from our Political EditorLaura Kuenssberg contains some flash photography. The moment you might dread from your phone or inbox a message from the coronavirus trackers to stay at home and stay away. The Prime Minister stuck in number ten too. They pinged me, and ive got to self isolate, because somebody i was in contact with has developed covid. It doesnt matter that im fit as a butchers dog, feel great so many people do in my circumstances. And actually it doesnt matter that ive had the disease and im bursting with antibodies. We have got to interrupt the spread of the disease. On thursday, borisjohnson met with half a dozen mps, at least meant to be keeping their distance. But on saturday, lee anderson from ashfield tested positive. The five others who were there are all self isolating now too. Meetings are allowed in person for work, but even in downing street, strict rules are meant to be followed to make sure its safe. But now the Prime Ministers holed up between his desk and the downing street flat not because he has the disease, but because hes spent time in close quarters to one who has. But after days of dizzying allegations about what has been going on in government, this was meant to be a moment for ministers to get back on track. The government, like all other businesses and organisations over the past few months, has been learning to do things differently. Were doing a lot of meetings online, the Prime Minister has already this morning, youve seen the videos hes put out. Were getting on with delivering peoples priorities. Like cracking on with rolling out a vaccine which labour wants and sticking to the rules. This is frustrating for the Prime Minister, i understand that. Its important that he self isolates. Its important for all of us to say we have got to comply with the advice and the guidance. Rules may have never bothered some in government that much. Burning downing street feuds have flamed into public in the last few days. Dominic cummings who couldnt ever resist playing the pantomime villian walking off into the dark. A lot of metaphorical blood has been split on downing streets posh carpets of late, so the Prime Minister wanted to use this week to clean up with announcements on the environment, meetings with mps, no small matter of brexit talks that go on too. Butan e mail from the tracers has has seen him locked indoors. Perhaps its coronavirus thats still in charge. Governments can plan for resets, relaunches, restarts, but no minister can plan for real life. Laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, tokyo 2020 was delayed by a year. Now, the head of the International Olympic committee has said hes confident the olympics and paralympics will take place in front of spectators next year. More than 11,000 athletes from around 200 countries were due to take part in the games, now due to begin injuly 2021. Tokyo organisers now say it could go ahead with a limited audience, fewer staff and delegates from each country. And there are now hopes that an effective vaccine against covid 19 could be available within the next year. Rupert Wingfield Hayes sent this report from tokyo. This is a hugely important trip for the International Olympic committee chief. Thomas bach is here to sell the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics not to the japanese Prime Minister, but to the japanese people. He immediately sought to address widespread doubt here that the olympics can be held safely if the covid pandemic is not yet over. In order to protect the japanese people, and out of respect for the japanese people, the ioc will undertake a great effort so that as many as possible of the olympic participants and visitors will arrive here vaccinated, if by then a vaccine is available. This makes us also very, very confident that we can have spectators then in the Olympic Stadium next year, and that also the spectators will enjoy a safe environment. News from america that a covid 19 vaccine developed by pfizer appears to work is very good news and has significantly boosted hopes that tens of millions of people can be vaccinated before next july. But the japanese public remains deeply sceptical. This country has not been hit hard by covid 19 fewer than 2,000 people have died so far and many here put that down to japanese culture, universal mask wearing and closed borders. Almost all foreigners have been barred from entering japan since april. Last week, japan hosted its First International sports competition since the pandemic began 30 gymnasts from japan, the us, russia and china, competing in front of 2,000 spectators. That is a far cry from the 15,000 athletes and tens of thousands of support staff, media and international spectators who would need to be granted entry to japan for the olympics to happen. Forjapans Prime Minister, it is a hobsons choice go ahead with the olympics and risk creating a so called super spreader event, or cancel having already spent 25 billion us dollars of public money. A lot is riding on the success of that vaccine. Rupert Wingfield Hayes, bbc news, in tokyo. A british diplomat has become something of a hero in china after he saved the life of a student who was in danger of drowning in a river near chongqing in south west china. Stephen ellison, who took up his post as consul general only a month ago, jumped in to save the young woman. Our Diplomatic CorrespondentJames Landale has more. A sunny day by the river, but look closely on the left. Someones fallen in. There is a moment of shock. No one moves. The womans clearly struggling. She is beginning to lose consciousness. But step forward stephen ellison, the consul general in the area, with natty socks. He didnt hesitate. There is no time to think. There is no time to consider. There is no rational decision. There was a girl in great difficulties. Ithink if. If no one had taken action she would have lost her life. As he pulls for the bank, he lifts her face clear. For a short time, he feared the worst. But suddenly, she is breathing again. Im sure someone would have jumped in, i had to get my shoes off and jump in. They eventually haul her up and our hero climbs out. I have had a few comments from any friends on the socks. I didnt have time to take my iphone out. Thats gone now. He has been hailed a hero in china, where his courage has been shared with millions on social media and done much to improve britains reputation. The woman, a 24 year old student, has recovered and invited her rescuer to dinner next weekend. The first hands and feet ceremony in hollywood since january has taken place outside the citys famous chinese theatre. The star was awarded to american actor Michael Madsen during a socially distanced event. The 63 year old has made more than 170 films, including thelma and louise and sin city. But, hes best remembered for his role as mr blonde in Quentin Tarantinos directorial debut reservoir dogs, alongside Harvey Keitel and tim roth. Just briefly, that may news again the World Health Organization just briefly, that may news again the World Health Organization has just briefly, that may news again the World Health Organization has welcomed just briefly, that may news again the World Health Organization has welcomed the announcement that a Second Company appears to have developed a successful Coronavirus Vaccine but it has warned against complacency. The head of the who has said he is extremely concerned by a surge in cases in europe and the americas stopping the latest vaccine is made by the American Firm moderne. Trails show it protects 95 of people and can be kept at warmer temperatures than a be kept at warmer temperatures thana similar be kept at warmer temperatures than a similar vaccine developed by pfizer. Thats all for now, thank you so much for watching. Hello. Were all going to be sitting under a fairly hefty whack of cloud in the next few days. That cloud is being pulled in from the atlantic and it comes along with some very mild air. If it does thin and break in a few spots, which it may do with a little bit of help from the hills, we could see our temperatures and eastern regions shooting up today. But as we continue to pull in the south westerly air into western scotland, theres going to be a lot of moisture around. Here, some fairly relentless rain and across the hills, the totals keep adding up. I think well see perhaps some rain setting in from western wales and parts of Northern Ireland with the higher ground, especially through the day as well. A lot of cloud around, as i said, but some sheltered eastern spots will see the sun coming out and the temperatures could shoot up to 16, even 17 degrees, but widely, were in the mid teens on tuesday despite the grey skies. Through tuesday evening over into wednesday, still lots of cloud around, still that rain across western scotland. It will be a mild start to wednesday in many areas, temperatures down no lower than the low teens. What will actually happen through wednesday is during the daytime, our temperatures will come down, some as this weather front advances from the west. Yes, it will bring rain, itll be another windy story on wednesday too. The east starts with some sunshine. We mayjust cling onto the mild air here into the afternoon with a little bit of brightness across east anglia, temperatures could get up to 16 degrees. Behind the front, its clearer, its brighter but its consequently colder. Temperatures just 10 11, so chillier in the figures to start the day. This perhaps shows the transition best, though. Wednesday into thursday, we sweep away the mild atlanta air and were plunged into arctic air, a northerly blast setting up as our area of low pressure thats been with us for quite some time gets replaced by a brief ridge of high pressure. Very clear air coming down from the arctic. Therell be some beautiful sunshine around on thursday, some showers, though, for scotland, cold enough to be wintry. Gales down the north sea coast. It will be particularly cold when we factor in the wind, and a few showers possible for wales and Eastern England on that wind as well. The biggest change for thursday is how it will feel. For the likes of scotland, temperatures will feel closer to freezing when you factor in the wind. This is bbc news. The headlines the World Health Organization has welcomed the announcement that a Second Company has developed a Coronavirus Vaccine, reported to be 95 effective, but has warned against complacency. The head of the agency said he was concerned by a surge in cases in europe and the americas. The latest vaccine is made by the us firm, moderna. The us president elect, joe biden, has warned that Donald Trumps refusal to begin the transition following his election defeat earlier this month could cost lives. Mr biden said more people may die from covid 19 unless the president worked with the incoming team to coordinate vaccination programmes. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the coasts of honduras and nicaragua as hurricane iota bears down on the region damaged two weeks ago by another storm. Forecasters say the hurricane threatens to destroy many