Transcripts For BBCNEWS Outside Source 20201125

Todayss figures confirm that taken together we are providing to get the economy through coronavirus. Ethiopian troops are preparing to attack the tigrayan capital as a deadline for local forces to surrender expires. Half a Million People are in the city. Such sad news a little earlier, Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60. Football is our true global sport, and certainly for a time, perhaps for all time, was the best at it. Hell forever be remembered for moments like this. Maradona. Going at them again. Brilliant run by maradona. Fantastic goal and of course for this, too, in 1986. Here is Diego Maradona speaking to the bbc back in 2006. Translation i ought to thank the guy upstairs, the beard, as i call him. He gives me opportunities and i make the most of them. And i give my all to make the most of them. Look at these pictures just in from naples in italy. These are crowds chanting there is only one maradona. Lighting candles next to an enormous mural of the legend. He played for seven mural of the legend. He played for seve n years mural of the legend. He played for seven years there between us and 84 and if anyone and feelings run strong for him there. Tributes have been pouring in. Gary linekar tweeted of his friend. And then theres this from the brazilian legend he was always compared to, pele. He said. And this from a current great, Cristiano Ronaldo ofjuventus. And here is from lionel messi whose style is sometimes compared to maradona, both slight men who did extraordinary things. We will have more on the life of maradona a little later on in outside source. Americas president Electjoe Biden is set to make a thanksgiving address shortly. This is the live scene now from wilmington in delaware, which is where mr bidens transition has its headquarters. We will go to that when it starts. Lets take a look at the latest on covid in the us. The numbers remain stark. First, the number of new cases continues to set record highs. For the first time, the us has added more than i million cases in two consecutive weeks. Now we should note that Testing Capacity was far lower at the beginning of the pandemic, so many cases may have gone unrecorded back then. Nonetheless, clearly the current rates are concerning, as is the daily total of covid related deaths. That is also rising, passing 2000 a day. And it may rise further because a surges in cases is often followed by a surge in deaths several weeks later. Well, lets hearfrom a doctor in nashville, tennessee who argues the core problem is here that people arent following the advice. This virus is now spreading in an uninhibited fashion throughout most of this country. Some of the people impatient with the restrictions, covid fatigue, covid annoyance is out there. Theyre waiting until they can get the vaccine, but of course that will be months in advance. And now america faces the period between now and when the vaccines bein to help. And there are two Major Pressure points. First, its thanksgiving on thursday, and millions of americans are already travelling to celebrate with their families. Not as many as usual, but for three days across last weekend, around a Million People passed through americas airports. Thats a higher volume than weve seen since the early days of the pandemic. And then this coming sunday is projected to see even greater numbers of people travelling. Thats despite pleas from Health Officials for people to stay at home. Heres dr schaffner again. It certainly does look as though many people havent heard that advice or havent acted on it. And of course were concerned. All those people getting together during transport and even more importantly during their holiday celebrations, close together, indoors for prolonged periods of time, lots of asymptomatic transmission, then people going home, spreading it further in their communities. Were going to see a spike on top of whats already spiking in about two weeks, followed by hospital admissions and then followed im afraid by even more deaths. That is thanksgiving in the second of course is christmas. Many challenges both for President Donald Trump and the president Electjoe Biden. Gary is in washington. Is it too strong to suggest america is in limbo in terms of its approach to covid i9 . Limbo in terms of its approach to covid19 . I dont think thats too strong a word to be honest. Clearly behind the scenes the scientists and the federal agencies like the cdc and the various task forces are carrying on doing their work. And of course across america, doctors, nurses, hospitals, state officials caring for people and setting up facilities. In a sense thats all happening. What is not happening is anything coming from the top, from the white house, in terms of the battle against the pandemic. The president has talked a little bit about the vaccines but he really has not mentioned anything beyond that since the election. And so i think thatis since the election. And so i think that is in that sense of limbo and moment of waiting forjoe biden to ta ke moment of waiting forjoe biden to take over to see what his plan is. Help us understand the rules at the moment. People watching and parts of the world where there are restrictions on people coming into a persons house and restrictions on how you can travel. Are there any equivalent restrictions in america at the moment . Not really nationally, no. These tend to be left down to the individual states. There is advice and guidance from the people at the cdc who are concerned about anything more than three households mixing together. Certainly gatherings of ten or 20, they are very upset about the idea of that. And of course thanksgiving isa of that. And of course thanksgiving is a particularly intergenerational celebration. So the warnings you heard that scientist about hospitalizations and deaths will be a concern securely hospitalizations and deaths will be a concern securely amongst hospitalizations and deaths will be a concern securely amongst the older generations who are exposed to couege generations who are exposed to College Students coming home, younger children coming home, mixing with the families. So that is the riskless of the problem is that thanksgiving is so cute here, you have to remember that it is as big as christmas in the christian calendar here. And people are very, very tired and they are very weary of not seeing their families. On other matters, mentioning at the beginning of the programme are waiting on the president elect to make a thanksgiving eve address. What briefing have been giving a what we are expecting him to talk about this statement . He will talk about this statement . He will talk about the Covid Response and he will acknowledge what he calls the shared sacrifices that americans have been making. He is going to promote a message of unity and said the American People will get through this together and that they are making sacrifices to try and prevent the spread further. But of course in some ways there is no point on a wednesday afternoon here when people are already travelling making any appealfor them not are already travelling making any appeal for them not to do so because those decisions of already been taken. And so i think the focus will be on what kind of measures he plans to impose. We know he is going to suggest a nationwide mask wearing mandate but he cannot really enforce that without sort of withholding money from states in order to encourage them to take it on. So we will see exactly what his plan is when he takes over but in the meantime, he is going to be getting briefings from the white house covid tea m briefings from the white house covid team is part of the formalisation of the transition process. Gary, thank you very much indeed for the moment. As we spoke to gary, here is the feed from wilmington, delaware. No sign ofjoe biden yet as hes running a couple minutes late but when he comes out we will hear what he has to say on the subjects gary was outlining. The numbers across america are worrying, but they are particularly worrying in north dakota in the midwest. Its the worst affected state. It has the highest number of cases and deaths per capita in the country, an average of 158 cases per 100,000 over the last seven days. And the virus is hitting Health Services hard. Larry madowo has been to one small rural hospital struggling to cope. We all love you. Love you, too. Diana has just been allowed in to see her dad for the first time in almost one month. 75 year old dwayne is finally doing better and no longer infectious after a bad case of covid i9. I didnt care about anything. I didnt think i was going to make it. I kind of said goodbye to my family. He was so weak. And his voice sounded so helpless. And i just wanted to run and hug him. I had covid as well, so i was quarantined at home. But almost every patient here now has covid or is recovering from it. More people are getting infected than they can deal with. Ive had to recently tell my staff i may not be able to honour vacation. That is really tough. My staff deserve their time off, and to not allow that, its heartbreaking. This small town hospital doesnt even have an icu. It was not built to take care of critical patients. But because of the covid surge in north dakota, theyre using every Available Space for patients, and sometimes when they get critical, they have nowhere to send them because the whole state is running out of hospital beds. There are no ventilators here, but the mostly elderly patients need a lot of physical therapy. It is a long road to recovery. A full blown outbreak is now tearing through north dakotas small towns faster than it can handle. It has caught a sleepy state by surprise a place where there are 2. 5 times more cattle than people has become the covid capital of america. The state now requires everyone to wear a mask, but at this cafe in another small town, it is a hard sell for some. I just dont think its necessary for that. I understand for everybody elses safety, but. Thats just my take on it, but im 22, im young and dumb. At unity, the patients keep coming. Every new arrival is assumed to be coronavirus. This is your day every day . Every day in the last few weeks, this is what its been, yep. Health care workers in north dakota fear the thanksgiving holiday may bring another surge in covid cases, pushing the system to breaking point. Larry madowo, bbc news, fargo. A reminder we are waiting on a speech from joe biden and when it begins we will bring it to you. Today, the uks chancellor of the exchequer, the finance minister, has laid out the cost of covid i9, and its huge. This is a story with many numbers, but lets start with one. The uk is forecast to borrow £394 billion this year thats over 500 billion to meet the cost of covid. Thats equivalent to i9 of the uks gdp, the highest level of borrowing in peacetime. Heres rishi sunak in parliament earlier. 0ur Health Emergency is not yet over, and our economic emergency has only just begun. Mr sunak also laid out the economic consequences of covid, projecting that the uk economy will contract by ii. 3 , the largest contrcaction in 300 years. And the Unemployment Rate is expected to peak at 7. 5 next year. That equates to 2. 6 Million People out of work and means the government expects around i Million People are to lose theirjobs by the middle of next year. In terms of costs coming towards the government, £18 billion, or 24 billion, is being set aside for coronavirus testing, protective equipment and vaccines in 2021. That, though, is a tiny investment when set against the overall amount spent by the government. Heres the chancellor again. Were prioritising jobs, businesses and public services. The furlough scheme, support for the self employed, loans, grants, tax cuts and deferrals, as well as extra funding for schools, councils, the nhs, charities, culture and sport. Todays figures confirm that, taken together, we are providing £280 billion to get our country through coronavirus. And this level of borrowing is not going to stop regardless of how quickly the vaccine starts to make life easier. These figures were released today by the uks 0ffice for budget responsibility. It says £394 billion, over 500 billion, were borrowed this year. Itll be 164 billion next year, nearly 200 billion. For the following year, £105 billion. And look at these comparisons. The yellow bars on the left in each year are the level of borrowing the obr expected in march, when the scale of the pandemic had yet to emerge. Back then, the obr project £55 billion of borrowing, and it is now 394. But even these newer enormous borrowing forecasts may not cover what happens. This is the head of the institute for fiscal studies speaking on the bbc earlier. The office for budget responsibility have broken down these numbers according to covid spending and non covid spending, and we actually see quite big cuts in public spending over the next few years relative to what was being planned back in march. And so even the borrowing numbers you just quoted assume that well be spending less in three or four years time than was planned back in march, that we spend nothing after next year on anything related to covid and that overall the pressures on public spending have been reduced by what were seeing this year. I think thats unlikely, to put it mildly. So i think there are some questions here about how well this set of numbers will work through in the medium run given what we know about the pressures on public spending. Vicky pryce is a formerjoint head economist for the uk government. These are huge numbers. What do you make of these figures . Do you think they are advisable . dont think the government has any choice but to borrow as much as it possibly can and is much as the markets would allow given that we are paying very little for that borrowing. And after all other countries have done the same. The europeans are doing the same come of the us has done that and may do more, japan and so on. So there is no other way of getting over this crisis and i think the borrowing figures are something we had been expecting anyway to see and as you know they are being supported by a huge amount of liquidity coming from the Central Banks everywhere, including the bank of england, which is buying those bonds back from the secondary market. And quantitative easing as well. So getting some support from the liquidity and that easing and some cheap money can borrow but in the end that money has to be paid back weather tomorrow overin to be paid back weather tomorrow over in 30 years. He will pick up the bill . Very interesting as we talk about paying it back but lots of bonds mature at some point in the question is do you want to go out and borrow a little bit more. You look at any of the forecasts that are coming out, whether from the government or anyone else and we have beenjust government or anyone else and we have been just hearing government or anyone else and we have beenjust hearing what government or anyone else and we have been just hearing what the government or anyone else and we have beenjust hearing what the opr thinks so you want to carry on borrowing so its not paying back but you are adding to your own borrowing. You do it in such way that it does not add hugely to your costs and also in a way that does not frighten the markets, which might in fact at some point think that if you dont have a plan to at least reduce your sustainable debt or deficit, how much you are borrowing every year in relation to yourgdp, then there borrowing every year in relation to your gdp, then there might be a sign that levels are unsustainable and they might raise the interest they wa nt they might raise the interest they want to get. I want to be clear on this because some have said the next generation will have to foot the bill for this Covid Response what you were saying that is not an entirely accurate representation of what is happening. You can issue bonds, bills for very long periods of time if you want in terms of their maturity. And it does not really cost this generation hugely. The fact that we have onlyjust been paying back the debts we incurred during world war ii. So, no, what you really need is growth and if you dont have the growth in the next generation does considerably worse than they would have done otherwise and thats what you need. We could not have borrow this money and basically seen the economy really collapsed and that was not on the cards at all. Thats one part of the story i want to ask you about. Lets now take a look at other element because there have been some changes in the uk government spending. £4 billion extra for defence and there will be cuts. Public sector employees will see a pay freeze. And the uks overseas aid budget will be cut from 0. 7 to 0. 5 of total national income. That is proving controversial. It was a manifesto commitment from borisjohnson and his conservative party to not do that. One minister from the Foreign Office has resigned over the decision. Baroness liz sugg said she thought it was fundamentally wrong to abandon the spending commitment on foreign aid. And here, alex wickham from politico lists the many times this government has promised not to do this. As recently as september, the foreign secretary, dominic raab, says the aid budget was written in law, which it is. But that can be changed. Also theres this counter argument from former civil servent will tanner, who points out. Well, we were always likely to hear from the former Prime Minister David Cameron on this. He introdcued the spending commitment and said this today. That 0. 7 commitment, it really said something about britain, saying that we were going to spend that money helping the poorest people, the poorest countries. It said something great about britain, notjust that we care about tackling global poverty or tackling Climate Change or helping those that dont have what we have in this country, it was that we were actually going to do something about it. We were going to lead. We were going to show the rest of the world. There was one huge issue that is very relevant to the uk economy that didnt get referenced today. Heres the bbcs Lewis Goodall pointing out the chancellor didnt mention brexit, but as we absorb the consequences of an 11 fall in gdp, a reminder that virtually every independent body assesses that even a Free Trade Agreement with the eu will lead to less Economic Growth in the long term. No deal brexit would be even more severe. We are still in those negotiations. Were you surprised that the chancellor did not talk about the different options and economic roots now metal because of brexit . Not greatly surprised as this was a Spending Review but the forecasts already have that in it. If you look at the opr is saying as you know the syste m at the opr is saying as you know the system was crashed for a while but it did eventually and they are quite pessimistic about the impact of brexit. Saying it might cost us one or 2 of brexit. Saying it might cost us one or2 of gdp brexit. Saying it might cost us one or 2 of gdp in the short term and a longer term even more even if we have a proper Free Trade Agreement. No deal of course would be considerably worse and of course if you are in situation where you need little bit of growth you can get certainly over the next year and through this parliament, then brexit does not help from that point of view. To be clear, your assessment is whether there is a deal or not a deal both routes will constrain the growth that you say is very necessary in the short and medium term. Necessary in the short and mediumterm. Absolutely. What you do basically with any agreement, even if you have no tariffs, if you increase the cost to businesses in terms of whatever they have to fill it in terms of forms and so on, plus roots of origin, all the issues that exist in moving things across. But another big element which is the Services Sector and Financial Sector within it, where one loses the ability to trade without nontariff barriers being imposed on the services you provide. And that is much bigger in terms of the impact that it may have an after all services are the largest part of our economy and thats where i think a lot of the emphasis is in terms where the cost might be. Thank you very much for helping us talk to that statement from the chancellor. Former economic adviser to the uk government. Before we end this half can really show you some pictures coming in from argentina. Crowds have been gathering outside the private resort in buenos aires where micro wanted state after leaving hospital and if you are destroying is the really sad news is that maradona is died purportedly of a heart attack at the age of 60. And there are gatherings notjust in argentina but we are seeing them in a number of places as people pay tribute to this extraordinary footballer. We as a people in naples also turning out where he is a legend because of his service with the squad there. These are some of the squad there. These are some of the Light Pictures coming in and other Light Pictures coming into the bbc are coming from wilmington, delaware because we are still waiting on this thanksgiving address from the us president elect and we thought it would happen about half an hourago thought it would happen about half an hour ago but you can see as well asi an hour ago but you can see as well as i can that there is no sign of joe biden yet but when he does come out we are expecting him to reflect not just out we are expecting him to reflect notjust on thanksgiving but also on the covid pandemic and will listen very closely to what he says of course and show it to you. See un a couple of minutes. Hello, good evening. Frost and fog feature in our forecast for the next few days. Some of the coldest weather of the autumn so far in fact. On the satellite picture you can see you can see this stripe of cloud. That brought some patchy rain particularly across parts of england today. Clearer skies and showers following behind, but also some cooler air pushing its way down from the north. I mention clear skies, it was a beautiful end to the day for this weather watcher. We keep those clear skies in many areas through the night. Still one or two showers around, particularly across northern scotland, maybe a few for northern ireland, north west england, north wales, and this band of cloud struggling to clear away from parts of kent. It will stay rather cloudy and a little bit milder here. Similarly for the Channel Islands but for most spots clear skies, temperatures getting close to freezing or below freezing in places. A few fog patches around as well. But this area of High Pressure is starting to extend its influence towards the british isles. That means lots of dry weather over the coming days. But with light winds, any fog patches we have first thing will struggle to clear. Most of them should, and then we will see some spells of sunshine. Very small chance for a shower across the northern half of the uk. Still this band of cloud, an old weather front, plaguing parts of the far south east. Temperatures well, maybe double digits in the west, but for most it will be highs between five and 9 degrees. During thursday night its going to be another cold one. This frontal system bringing some rain into the far north west. But away from here southern scotland, england, wales we will see some quite widespread, dense fog patches which could struggle to clear during friday morning. One or two places could stay foggy for a good part of the day, and that really will peg the temperatures back, and even if you get some brightness, sunshine highs ofjust seven or 8 degrees. So that sets us up for quite a chilly start to the weekend. High pressure still quite close by, but an area of low pressure trying to squeeze its way in from the south west. Its going to freshen up the breeze across south western areas. Its also going to introduce some slightly milder air. Temperatures in the south west of england for example into double digits through the weekend. But for most of us spots, particularly the north and east, it stays very chilly. Largely dry but with some overnight frost and some patchy fog. Hello, im ros atkins, this is outside source. Football legend Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60. The argentinian reportedly suffered a heart attack. Well look back at some of the most memorable moments in his extraodinary 20 year playing career. Fans at his former club in naples react to the news chanting his name and showing their tributes to him. Also in the programme the us records two million covid 19 virus cases in just two weeks. Live feed coming in from wilmington delaware. We are expecting an address from president Electjoe Biden. Whenever he does step out we re biden. Whenever he does step out were expecting him to talk about the coronavirus as well as thanksgiving. Of course, we will show that to you. Ethiopian troops are preparing to attack a regional capital as a deadline for local forces to surrender expires. Half a Million People are in the city. In all the streets but the family is mixed of course theres tension of how do you call, the cloud of war. We return to the news that football legend Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players of all time, has died at the age of 60. If you ask people how they will rate him they like to tell you he was the best player ever or one of the best players theres no dispute gone bad. The former argentina attacking midfielder and manager suffered a heart attack at his buenos aires home. Our Sports Correspondent andy swiss looks back on an extraordinary footballing career. He was once described as half angel, half devil and at his best, he was out of this world. He has burruchaga to his left and valdano to his left. He wont need any of them. 0h you have to say thats magnificent Diego Maradona against england in 1986 in what was later voted the goal of the century. He seemed to have the ball tied to his boots, said a team mate. And yet, in the very same match he became one of sports notorious cheats. The two extremes of a tempestuous talent. Growing up in the slums outside buenos aires, maradona became known as the golden boy. He was just 16 when he made his International Debut and at the 1982 world cup, the first signs of his flawed genius. Two goals against hungary, a red card against brazil. His displays earned him a world record transfer to barcelona and more breathtaking goals. In 1984, his temper snapped, with chaotic consequences. Not for the last time, his skill overshadowed by scandal. But maradonas magic proved irrepressible. He flourished at his next club, napoli, and went to the 1986 world cup as his countrys captain and talisman. In the quarterfinal argentina faced england and maradona made his mark in typically controversial style. Replays showed hed scored with his arm, or the hand of god as he described it. Well certainly his arm was up. England fans were in uproar, but years later maradona insisted he had no regrets. Translation i couldnt reach it and shilton was already there. I couldnt head it, so i did that. I believe its a craftiness. Maybe we have a lot more of it in south america than europe, but its not cheating. Just minutes later, though, we saw the other side of maradona, his stocky five feet five frame ghosting through tackles with a pace and a poise which proved simply untouchable. His sublime skills guided argentina to the trophy. For a while, at least, maradona was on top of the world. Gradually, though, the dream started to sour. A tearful runner up at the 1990 world cup before his behaviour became increasingly erratic. He once fired at photographers outside his home with an air rifle and arrived at the 1994 tournament with questions over his fitness. His answer seemed emphatic. Maradona . But the celebrations hinted at the demons within. It emerged hed failed a drugs test and maradona was sent home in disgrace. Translation i will say goodbye to football with an immense pain in my heart and surely those who love me in argentina will be sharing my feelings. Without football, maradona turned increasingly to cocaine. Hed began using the drug in the 1980s, but now his addiction grew and his weight ballooned to more than 20 stone. In 2004 he was rushed to hospital after an overdose and spent several days in intensive care as fans prayed for their national icon. Slowly, maradona recovered and in 2008 he was appointed argentina coach. He was unable to recapture his playing magic and was sacked after the world cup two years later, but his fame was enduring. Even hosting his own tv show. With maradona, life was never dull. Translation i say i ought to thank the guy upstairs, the beard, as i call him. He gives me opportunities and i make the most of them. And i give my all to make the most of them. And for all his personal frailties, this is how hell be remembered. Maradona. Going at them again. Brilliant run by maradona. Fantastic goal unbelievable the greatest player ever . Well, thats for debate, but his brilliance is beyond dispute. Katie watson is with us from sao paulo. Katie, how do we start to assess this mans impact on the continent . Well, certainly here in brazil it has been the only thing that people are talking about ever since the news of his death broke in argentina there is a three day morning thats been declared. The president said that he took us to the top of the world, he made us immensely happy, you were the greatest of all and the celebrations of his life and a memorial later this evening in the centre of oneness areas. And of course there will be details coming out about his funeral. So i think its a really interesting discussion. As youve heard Diego Maradona was one of the greatest footballers ever here in brazil there is pele who is always the rival. Even pele said it was sad news today, i have lost a dear friend, the world is lost a legend for the there is much more to say bye for now may god give his family strength. One day i hope we will play soccer together in the sky. Certainly the two man created a rivalry between argentina and brazil. This is a region that is deeply proud of its footballing legacy. They were too great. Of course one we heard has now died. guess we are seeing in the reaction to this news how deeply intertwined football and broader culture and politics are in south america. In particular in argentina. Absolutely. Weve heard the argentine president making a statement. Even the former president here and purcell da silva said he was a footballing giant. And his commitment to latin american sovereign time. I think thats what so interesting is that youve got huge politicians notjust sports people who are coming out. Just praising his legacy. Its something that so many people here feel so deeply about. And merit donna really represented and amazing. In football for the region. Beyond argentina this has resonated around the region and the world. Im guessing youve already mentioned three days of mourning in argentina. Im assuming they will be a series of events planned particular he and argentina to mark his life. Thats right. This evening there will be people meeting in the centre of oneness errors. I was talking to colleagues earlier who said that when the news broke journalists were crying on television. There was a real sense of deep sadness and therefore people going out on the streets. Argentina isa going out on the streets. Argentina is a country that has a really strict lockdown. Its always been one of the worst countries in terms of suffering from covid 19. People are still wanting to pay their respects and start marking the life of the country if not one of the world best footballers. Thank you very much indeed. In the calving but my coming hours will continue to bring reaction to the news that Diego Maradona has died. We are going to turn to a story that we every day on outside source. A crucial deadline in ethiopia has now expired. Forces in the regional of tigray have been told to surrender or be attacked in their capital. And the Prime Minister is telling other countries to stay out of ethiopias internal affairs. The city at the centre of this standoff is mekelle. Tigrayan forces were given 72 hours to surrender that time has almost passed and Government Forces are positioned on the edge of the city. These are the satellite pictures give us some idea of whats happening there. You can see cars queuing at petrol stations on monday. Fuel has has been rationed since the conflict began three weeks ago. We know around half a Million People live in mekelle. The bbcs newshour programme spoke to a journalist whos there. Everybodys worried what happens next. People are not leaving towns. Several restaurants, some are close. But th, luxury shops. But most of the big shops and restaurants are open. There is no more traffic on the street due to shortage of food. Fuel. Theres not much business, not much work. But people are walking on the streets, they are concerned about their family. There isa concerned about their family. There is a tension how do you call it . A cloud of war. Troops are very far away. Its not like the city is surrounded. I guess and imagine several will go to their relatives orfamilies. Because several will go to their relatives or families. Because they are expecting that they might bomb the city. People are afraid. Some choose to go out in the area of our surrounding cities. There is no mass movement. There is no mass movement. Already its reported that told hundreds possibly thousands of people have died since the government attacked tigrays local leaders and their forces three weeks ago, accusing them of seeking to destabilise the country. And Government Troops have made some ground. These pictures are of a strategically important town called axum, its around 200km away from mekelle. These satellite images show trenches dug across the runway of the local airport. Its understood ethiopian troops captured the town on friday. Now they want the regional capital, which is why we have this standoff. Theres also been a harrowing report from ethiopias Human Rights Commission detailing a massacre of 600 civilians in tigray earlier month. Its these images from mai kadra town are reported to show the cemetery where the victims are buried. The commission described a rampage but local forces have denied any involvement. 5 Million People live in tigray and the un is warning of a humanitarian catastrophe. We know that at least 40,000 have now left. Anne soy is at the sudanese border. This is a Holding Centre near the border. They say they are registered here and then after that they get onto here and then after that they get o nto co nvoys here and then after that they get onto convoys and are transferred to refugee centers. The eight agencies have been struggling to keep up with the numbers. Speaking to some of the refugees here, there are worries right now because the border has been closed. We have seen soldiers from the federal government along the border. We understand that they are not allowing any more people to cross over here. And their relatives who are crossed are really worried about the situation on the ground. Theres an information blackout and with that Border Closure now they are with that Border Closure now they a re really with that Border Closure now they are really concerned about the situation of the people left behind. In the past 24 hrs International Efforts to end the crisis have been stepped up. On tuesday the Un Security Council held its first meeting over the conflict. And an African Union delegation is heading to addis ababa to meet ethiopias Prime Minister abiy. A warm welcome seems unlikely. Earlier mr abiy tweeted. The us is also stepping up pressure. Jake sullivan is the newly appointed National Security adviser tojoe biden. He is not in that role yet. He has tweeted. The bbcs Kalkidan Yibeltal is in addis ababa. Thank you forjoining us. Do we know what happened since deadline pass . Not really. Like everything else, and that area since this conflict began three weeks ago the information is not easy to come by. We are not getting whats happening right now at this exact moment. But what we can understand is the government has said its going to attack the city. Thats the only major city that the government says that it major city that the government says thatitis major city that the government says that it is not controlling right now. And where the top leadership that they believe to be. They are going to attack and we are some conflicts with that at this exact moment, we dont know whats going on. All we know is the ultimatum given by the Prime Minister has expired. The top leadership have rejected calls for surrender. Do we know how many troops, how many forces the Regional Party has in the city . Thats one of the information that we cannot independently verify. We cannot even reasonably guess. But we understand that they have a number of militia and special Police Forces and some members of the military. We can guess that it might have for us in the ten thousands or even thousands. But we dont know the exact number. And we dont know the exact number. And we dont know the exact number. And we dont know the exact capacity of it. In terms of when we compare it with the federal army. When we guess from what we have seen in the past few weeks, it doesnt look like that its a fair match between the federal government that controls nearly hundred Million People right now. And the northern most of ethiopia. Do come back to us if we get any more definitive news as to how the government response to that deadline passing. In a few minutes on outside source we are going to have a couple of excellent took my extra stories for you. Well have the latest on the trial of a prominent saudi human rights activist lujane hathluul who has been in detention for over two years. The duchess of sussex has described the almost unbearable grief she experienced after having a miscarriage in july. Writing in the new york times, meghan said the conversation around losing a baby remained taboo, and riddled with unwarranted shame. Heres sarah campbell. Wait, listen did you hear that . heard duck sounds. Archies first birthday in may. Two months later his mother the duchess of sussex suffered a miscarriage was up really feeling today in a newspaper editor of the impact on her and her husband prince harry. She described how after changing archies nappy she felt a sharp crap. I knew as i clutched my first born child she wrote, that i was losing my 2nd. Hours later i lay in a hospital bed holding my husbands hand. And yet she added conversation around miscarriage remains taboo. Her words have resonated with those all too familiar with pregnancy loss. Have resonated with those all too familiar with pregnancy lossm have resonated with those all too familiar with pregnancy loss. Ifi had seen this essay when ijust had my first pregnancy loss i would have felt a lot less isolated and a lot less alone. Because although i knew that the loss of pregnancy was common, no one really talk to me about it. And no one actually knew what to say to understand what i was going through. Megyn joins a number of high profile women whove opened up of high profile women whove opened up about the loss of a child. Chrissie tegan was widely praised for sharing intimate pictures in the aftermath of a stillbirth. Michelle obama wrote of her miscarriage in her autobiography and zara tinto, prince harrys cousin revealed shed suffered two miscarriages before her birth of her second child. Its estimated that one and four pregnancies ends and miscarriage was all couples will cope in their own way for separate experts agree its important to those that want to talk about it they can. There is a lot of pressure that is put on women to be able to conceive and conceive successfully. And when we dont talk about it unfortunately we can hold the loss of that shame and stigma within us, within ourfamilies and sometimes in our communities in particular cultures. This is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. Our lead story is. Football legend Diego Maradona has died at 60 after reportedly suffering a heart attack. Hes one of the sports all time greats. Crowds have been gathering outside of the private resort in the argentinian capital where maradona was staying after leaving hospital. A sombre mood there then we saw in naples where people were out on the streets chanting his name put on a mixture of people paying their attributes and media as well. Lots of people discussing his greatest performances from which of course there are many to choose from. Lets hear from the argentine football writer marcela mora y araujo, buenos aires. tx sor a blow for the country a blow for the sports world and in fact something that innovation and be unexpected. But really that surprising. Youve done a very comprehensive review of micro ones life in almonds and career. We came to think of him as somehow in mortal or invincible. He always lands on his feet. In 2018 he had a close shave when he was publicly taking out of a stadium on a stretcher. I think we felt, a lot of us watching that maybe this was at. And it wasnt. I remember talking at the time in 2018 and him saying dont worry diego is like a cat he always bounces back. At his 60th birthday just on the 30th of october a few weeks ago. There were a lot ofjokes here and what his areas about where was diego sparty . And people know, know hes different now, hes calmed down there is no party. But even so, he did have a kind of in a parents Walking Around the stadium where he now works. A local commentator said he was walked through. A bit of a zoo he was walked through. A bit of a zoo exhibition. And he looked incredibly unwell already. More u nwell incredibly unwell already. More unwell than ive seen him before, ever. Just a few days later he was taken into surgery and hadnt really been seen well sense. So i think we can assume he just not recovered. And heres the bbcs daniel pardo in buenos aires with more on diego maradonnas legacy. There was never anything that went beyond his victories. All the scandal, all the drug addiction problems, he was a huge showbiz figure in argentina. He was always on tv. And for many people at least for half of the country, that was irrelevant. That wasnt enough to go beyond the figure of someone who gave the country that feeling of pride of themselves was up just to mention one of those epic moments, remember the victory in 1986 to the english team in the quarterfinals of the workup . In which he made two goals that were very symbolical stuff that was just after four years of the focalin war that the argentines lost against the british. And it was four years later that argentina ended a dictatorship. So there was always a huge political symbolism. Thats why for argentines, for many of them, thats why his scandals were not as important as his victories. Lets turn to riyadh in saudi arabic now and the resumption of the high profile trial of the rights activist lujane hathluul. Here we see her in a video from two years ago when she campaigned to end saudi arabias ban on women driving. Shortly after that ban was lifted, she was arrested. Authorities said it was nothing to do with her activism and accused her of conspiring with foreign organisations which are hostile to saudi arabia. But her family says no evidence has so far been produced. She was arrested alongside 12 other activists and theres growing pressure for them to be released. The Saudi Foreign minister was asked about this at the g20 summit this weekend. We have a legal system, we have laws. We implement our laws. Our judiciary is independent for top and we do not allow people joe biden hasjust begun talking. Think about what lies ahead. You know our First National day, thanksgiving authorised by the Continental Congress took place on december 18, 1777. It was celebrated by general George Washington and his troops on the way to valley forge. And it took place under extremely harsh conditions and deprivation. Lacking food, clothing, shelter. They were preparing to ride out a long, hard winter. And today you can find a plaque and golf mills marking that moment. And the plaque reads it says, this thanksgiving in spite of the suffering showed the reverence and character that was forging the soul of a nation. Forging the soul ofa soul of a nation. Forging the soul of a nation. Faith, soul of a nation. Forging the soul ofa nation. Faith, courage, sacrifice service to country, service to each other and gratitude evenin service to each other and gratitude even in the face of suffering have long been part of what thanksgiving means in america. You know, looking back over history youll see that its been the most difficult circumstances that the soul of our nation has been forged. And now we find ourselves again facing a long, ha rd find ourselves again facing a long, hard winter. We thought a nearly year long battle with the virus that has devastated this nation. Its brought as pain and loss and frustration. And has cost so many lives. 260,000 americans and counting. Its divided us, angered us, set us against one another. I know the country is growing weary of the fight. We need to remember we are at war with a virus, not with one another, not with each other. This is the moment where we need to steal our spines, redouble our effo rts steal our spines, redouble our efforts and recommit ourselves to the fight. Lets remember, we are all in this together. Sounds trite to say it but we are in all but not in this together. For so many of us its hard to hear this fight is not over. We still have months of this battle ahead of us. For those who have lost a loved 1, i know that this time of year can be especially difficult. Believe me, i know. I remember that first thanksgiving, the empty chair, the silence, it ta kes the empty chair, the silence, it takes your breath away. Its really ha rd to takes your breath away. Its really hard to care. Its hard to give thanks. Its hard to even think of looking forward. Its so hard to hope. I understand. Looking forward. Its so hard to hope. Iunderstand. Ill looking forward. Its so hard to hope. I understand. Ill be thinking and praying for each and every one of you at this thanksgiving foot up at your thanks given table because weve been there. Were asking so many of the traditions weve made this holiday that is made it so special. For ourfamily, this holiday that is made it so special. For our family, for 46 yea rs we special. For our family, for 46 years we had a tradition of travelling over thanks giving. Tradition we have kept every year. Save one, the year our son bo died. But this year we will be staying home. We always had big family gatherings for thanksgiving. Kids, grandkids, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters and more. But the bidens the days around thanksgiving have always been a time to remember. All we had to be grateful for. Been a time to remember. All we had to be gratefulfor. At been a time to remember. All we had to be grateful for. At a time to begin to start thinking about christmas and even do the christmas list. But this year, because we care so much for each other where going to be having a separate thanksgiving. Forjill and i, to be having a separate thanksgiving. Forjilland i, we will be in our home in delaware with our daughter and son in law. The rest of the family will be doing the same thing in small groups. So i know, i know how hard it is to forgo family traditions. But it is so very important. Our country is in the middle of a dramatic spike in cases. We are now averaging 160,000 new cases a day. And no one will be surprised if we hit 200,000 cases in a single day. Many local Health Systems a re a single day. Many local Health Systems are at risk of being overwhelmed. Thats the plain and simple truth. I think made up, its real. And i believe you always deserve to hear the truth, hear the truth from your president. We have to try to slow the growth of this virus. We owe it to the doctors and the nurses and other front virus. We owe it to the doctors and the nurses and otherfront line workers. Care workers who risk their lives, some have lost their lives, there is so much on the line. In the heroic battle in this virus. Against heroic battle in this virus. Against herfor so long. You know, we owe that to our fellow citizens. Who need access. President Electjoe Biden talking about the truth of this pandemic and the sacrifices that he and Many Americans will make over the thanksgiving in order to ta ke over the thanksgiving in order to take it on. We will keep listening to that in a few minutes that follow. Keeping to that in a few minutes that follow. Keeping social distancing. Limiting the size of the groups that we are in. This is bbc news. Im kasia madera. The headlines at eight. The chancellors stark assessment of the cost of the pandemic on the uks economy. He says it will do lasting damage, more borrowing than at any point in the uks peacetime history our Health Emergency is not yet over and our economic emergency has only just begun. In its response to this pandemic, the conservative government has wasted and mismanaged public finances on an industrial scale. The argentinian football legend Diego Maradona dies. His mesmerising skill took his country to world cup glory