:00:00. > :00:07.Hello and welcome, this is BBC World News Today
:00:08. > :00:19.Donald Trump faces the media over his relationship with Russia. There
:00:20. > :00:23.are suggestions intelligence agencies could have leaked false
:00:24. > :00:28.information that Russia has come promoting detail about him. I saw
:00:29. > :00:30.the information and read the information outside the meeting. It
:00:31. > :00:36.is fake news, it is phoney, it didn't happen. His choice for US
:00:37. > :00:42.Secretary of State has also faced questions. Rex Tillerson said Russia
:00:43. > :00:48.did pose a risk but Washington weakness created the problem.
:00:49. > :00:51.The number of migrants seeking asylum in Germany has
:00:52. > :01:07.We report on how refugees living in camps in Greece are coping.
:01:08. > :01:14.So, Donald Trump's first press conference in six months,
:01:15. > :01:17.and his first as President-elect - and it was highly unusual,
:01:18. > :01:22.The event had been scheduled for Mr Trump to announce how
:01:23. > :01:25.he will handle his vast business empire while President.
:01:26. > :01:27.Instead, it was dominated by allegations carried by some
:01:28. > :01:34.US media organisations that his election team
:01:35. > :01:36.colluded with Russia and that there were videos
:01:37. > :01:39.of his private life held by the Russian security services.
:01:40. > :01:42.Our diplomatic correspondent, James Robbins has this report.
:01:43. > :01:45.Donald Trump is nine days away from inauguration as president and
:01:46. > :01:47.America's commander-in-chief, but his path to the White House is now
:01:48. > :01:51.tangled in extraordinary controversy.
:01:52. > :01:56.What role might the Kremlin under President Putin have
:01:57. > :01:59.played to help Mr Trump to undermine Hillary Clinton and perhaps also
:02:00. > :02:01.uncover compromising material to use against President Trump
:02:02. > :02:07.My friend and the President-elect of the United States
:02:08. > :02:14.This afternoon Donald Trump was blunt.
:02:15. > :02:16.The allegations against him are totally untrue,
:02:17. > :02:20.It's all fake news, it's phoney stuff.
:02:21. > :02:28.And it was gotten by opponents of ours, as you know,
:02:29. > :02:30.because you reported it and it and so did
:02:31. > :02:32.many of the other people, it was a
:02:33. > :02:35.group of opponents who got together, sick people, and they put
:02:36. > :02:49.In shadowy work both to promote Donald Trump and also gain a
:02:50. > :02:53.Here he is visiting the Russian capital in 2013 for the Miss
:02:54. > :02:56.Universe pageant, then co-owned by Mr Trump.
:02:57. > :03:02.The most lurid claim is that he used the same hotel suite
:03:03. > :03:04.which President Obama had stayed in for unusual acts involving sex
:03:05. > :03:06.workers, all allegedly recorded by Russian spy
:03:07. > :03:13.I was in Russia years ago with the Miss Universe contest, which did
:03:14. > :03:15.very well, in the Moscow area, did very, very well.
:03:16. > :03:20.And I told many people, "Be careful."
:03:21. > :03:22.Because you don't want to see yourself on television.
:03:23. > :03:31.And again, not just Russia, all over.
:03:32. > :03:32.Does anybody really believe that story?
:03:33. > :03:40.The source for the unproved claims are said to be a former
:03:41. > :03:43.British spy, an ex-MI6 officer once based in Moscow.
:03:44. > :03:45.Today President Putin's spokesman said the
:03:46. > :03:51.allegations were pulp fiction, a clear attempt to damage relations.
:03:52. > :03:54.Mr Trump said he is in no way compromised by Putin's
:03:55. > :03:56.preference for him as the next president.
:03:57. > :03:58.If Putin likes Donald Trump I consider that an asset,
:03:59. > :04:02.We have a horrible relationship with Russia.
:04:03. > :04:10.I don't know if I will get along with Vladimir Putin.
:04:11. > :04:13.I hope I do, but there is a good chance I
:04:14. > :04:19.And if I don't, do you honestly believe that Hillary would
:04:20. > :04:31.The press conference got most heated when CNN, one news
:04:32. > :04:32.organisation which covered the latest allegations extensively,
:04:33. > :04:42.You are attacking our news organisation, can you give
:04:43. > :04:48.I'm not going to give you a question.
:04:49. > :04:53.He also used the occasion to talk about legal
:04:54. > :04:57.documents turning his businesses over to his family.
:04:58. > :04:59.It is his response to accusations of future
:05:00. > :05:02.But the controversy surrounding Donald Trump
:05:03. > :05:11.Those who voted for him and those who
:05:12. > :05:19.rejected him all know his presidency will be a stormy one.
:05:20. > :05:24.The BBC has known about these allegations for some time but
:05:25. > :05:28.decided to report after it became clear the US intelligence agencies
:05:29. > :05:29.were taking them seriously enough to brief the president and President
:05:30. > :05:31.elect. Our North America correspondent
:05:32. > :05:34.Paul Wood has been following this He told us more about
:05:35. > :05:37.the allegations against Mr Trump. It was commissioned
:05:38. > :05:46.by an opposition research company, funded by a Democratic party donor
:05:47. > :05:49.but written by a British former MI6 agent and he spoke to members
:05:50. > :05:51.of the Russian security service, the FSB, paying them for information
:05:52. > :05:56.and several FSB officers told him
:05:57. > :06:00.there was a blackmail tape. I understand the CIA believes
:06:01. > :06:02.this is credible and That is not the same
:06:03. > :06:06.as endorsing it and saying it But I passed a message to the case
:06:07. > :06:15.officers dealing with this file through an intermediary
:06:16. > :06:18.and the message coming back was there was more than one take,
:06:19. > :06:25.audio as well video and it was more than one date
:06:26. > :06:27.in more than one place, not just the presidential suite
:06:28. > :06:29.at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow, In addition it is not just the MI6
:06:30. > :06:34.officer who is the source for this. I was told by a retired spy
:06:35. > :06:38.in August that the head of an East European intelligence
:06:39. > :06:39.agency had told him also of the existence
:06:40. > :06:41.of a blackmail tape on the Republican
:06:42. > :06:42.presidential candidate. Having said all that,
:06:43. > :06:45.these are allegations. Mr Trump is literally
:06:46. > :06:51.correct when he said so The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan joins
:06:52. > :07:04.us live from Washington. An extremely heated conference at
:07:05. > :07:07.times but did Donald Trump effectively dismissed the four Rory
:07:08. > :07:14.over the allegations and turn the conversation back to what he wanted
:07:15. > :07:17.to talk about? -- the storm. He tried but reporters in that
:07:18. > :07:21.conference continue to ask questions about unverified reports about his
:07:22. > :07:26.relationship with the intelligence community and indeed his business
:07:27. > :07:30.dealings, which originally was the reason why he hosted this news
:07:31. > :07:34.conference in the first place. I think some of the key takeaways from
:07:35. > :07:38.bad news conference are when it comes to those three areas I
:07:39. > :07:43.mentioned, the relationship with Russia, with his business dealings,
:07:44. > :07:49.and the intelligence community, it all just shows how unpredictable the
:07:50. > :07:53.presidency is going to be. Take the intelligence community. It really is
:07:54. > :07:57.unheard of for an incoming president, a President elect to have
:07:58. > :08:01.such language towards the intelligence community who he is
:08:02. > :08:05.supposed to work with. In that conference he said if they were
:08:06. > :08:09.found to have leaked information it would be a blot on the intelligence
:08:10. > :08:15.community. He did not mince his words in that respect. In other
:08:16. > :08:21.areas he was certainly in a trademark sense very forthright in
:08:22. > :08:25.the way he addressed some of the concerns, certainly around Russia
:08:26. > :08:28.and the intelligence community. Tell us about what he has said he will do
:08:29. > :08:32.with his large business empire and how reassuring his plans will be for
:08:33. > :08:38.those who worry about a conflict of interest. That was always the
:08:39. > :08:44.concern. Mr Trump said he will hand control of his company to his two
:08:45. > :08:50.sons. But notably his daughter will no longer have any dealings with the
:08:51. > :08:54.Trump industry is moving to Washington, DC and her husband is
:08:55. > :09:00.going to be one of Mr Trump's advisers. Many people will say it
:09:01. > :09:04.does not go far enough. Some people say he should have sold off his
:09:05. > :09:09.business assets to avoid a conflict of interest. In the news conference
:09:10. > :09:16.there was a bizarre moment when one of his lawyers took over from him
:09:17. > :09:20.and set out some of the ground work for his business dealings and showed
:09:21. > :09:26.piles of paper and documents and in that conference try to address some
:09:27. > :09:31.of those concerns. She said there had been more conflict of interest
:09:32. > :09:35.if Mr Trump sold off some of his companies, because there would be
:09:36. > :09:40.issues in terms of receiving the royalties from those businesses.
:09:41. > :09:44.Others say he should have put some of his industries into a blind
:09:45. > :09:50.trust, that is not going to happen either. In effect at the end of four
:09:51. > :09:55.or eight years he can take over the company again from his sons. And
:09:56. > :09:58.briefly if we have thought a press conference might indicate soaring
:09:59. > :10:05.relations between Donald Trump and the media, we were wrong. Yes but he
:10:06. > :10:11.did start by thanking members of the media who had seen those reports and
:10:12. > :10:17.the unverified reports of calls, and not gone with them and publish them.
:10:18. > :10:22.But even before Mr Trump came on his adviser and spokesperson Sean Spicer
:10:23. > :10:28.and then Vice President-elect Mike pence laid into the media in their
:10:29. > :10:35.trademark style, saying the media is biased, the mainstream media, and we
:10:36. > :10:40.keep hearing a lot about fake news. Even in Mr Trump's Twitter. It sets
:10:41. > :10:44.the tone for the relation the media is likely to happen with the Trump
:10:45. > :10:47.administration going forward. And CNN of course could not even ask a
:10:48. > :10:49.question in that conference. Thanks very much.
:10:50. > :10:52.We'll be back live in the US a little later in this
:10:53. > :10:54.programme to talk about another marathon questioning.
:10:55. > :10:57.At a Senate confirmation hearing, Donald Trump's choice
:10:58. > :10:59.for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has been
:11:00. > :11:05.trying to calm fears about his relationship with Moscow.
:11:06. > :11:08.There's been a dramatic drop in the number of migrants seeking
:11:09. > :11:13.Official figures released by the Federal Office for Migration
:11:14. > :11:16.and Refugees show that 280,000 claimants arrived there last year,
:11:17. > :11:24.The German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said that the decrease
:11:25. > :11:27.was due to the closure of the Balkan route and the migrant deal
:11:28. > :11:34.Our correspondent Jenny Hill has this assessment from Berlin.
:11:35. > :11:36.It is tempting first of all to imagine the German government
:11:37. > :11:43.Because these figures represent a real reduction in the number of
:11:44. > :11:49.Bearing in mind the year before nearly 900,000 people arrived in
:11:50. > :11:54.That triggered not just social disquiet but huge
:11:55. > :12:04.These figures are not only a significant
:12:05. > :12:06.reduction but actually come much closer to what some of Angela
:12:07. > :12:09.Merkel's critics have called for, an annual upper limit of 200,000
:12:10. > :12:14.On the one hand there is I think a sense of relief here.
:12:15. > :12:21.But even ministers admit there are huge challenges ahead.
:12:22. > :12:23.First of all there are still hundreds of thousands
:12:24. > :12:29.outstanding asylum applications and then there's the business of trying
:12:30. > :12:32.to integrate the people granted leave to stay and those who
:12:33. > :12:35.This is an election year for Germany.
:12:36. > :12:36.Angela Merkel's government has to persuade
:12:37. > :12:40.a pretty nervous German electorate that not only can integration happen
:12:41. > :12:42.successfully but it can also identify any potential terrorists
:12:43. > :12:50.who have managed to come in with that migrant influx.
:12:51. > :12:54.I think also any sense of triumph might be
:12:55. > :12:57.tempered by the fact that actually this reduction in numbers has very
:12:58. > :13:00.little to do with any kind of domestic policy.
:13:01. > :13:04.Angela Merkel's government has toughened its asylum
:13:05. > :13:11.policy gradually but the reason these numbers are down is twofold,
:13:12. > :13:14.first it is to do with the fact those countries in the so-called
:13:15. > :13:19.Balkans route closed their doors to migrants,
:13:20. > :13:26.in effect sealing off the
:13:27. > :13:30.major route through Europe into Germany and ministers I think
:13:31. > :13:33.also are painfully aware that this reduction,
:13:34. > :13:37.very much reliant on that deal struck tween the EU and Turkey.
:13:38. > :13:41.They do not really know if it is going to hold together.
:13:42. > :13:43.At the moment it is doing so but it is precarious.
:13:44. > :13:46.The winter freeze in Europe is hitting migrants particularly hard.
:13:47. > :13:48.In some areas temperatures dropped to as low as
:13:49. > :13:54.The BBC's Howard Johnson has travelled to two refugee camps just
:13:55. > :13:57.outside the Greek capital Athens, to see how people there are coping.
:13:58. > :14:31.I have just arrived at the refugee camp here.
:14:32. > :14:41.There is an impromptu demonstration here against the conditions
:14:42. > :14:45.We would have a look inside ourselves but we
:14:46. > :14:48.Apparently there's a blanket ban on media filming
:14:49. > :15:17.It's not like people didn't know winter was coming.
:15:18. > :15:19.It comes every year, just like clockwork.
:15:20. > :15:29.In this particular camp, the only winterisation that's been
:15:30. > :15:33.done as far as infrastructure has been done by us.
:15:34. > :15:36.We built the first floor so we could move the families
:15:37. > :15:39.in from the tent and basically none of the large organisations
:15:40. > :15:52.could manage to do anything with the infrastructure.
:15:53. > :15:54.I am good because I have five blankets.
:15:55. > :16:26.The girls and boys fighting with the snow.
:16:27. > :16:30.Now a look at some of the day's other news.
:16:31. > :16:32.Italy's Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, is recovering from
:16:33. > :16:36.He fell ill on his return from a meeting with
:16:37. > :16:40.His office said he was awake and in touch by phone.
:16:41. > :16:43.Mr Gentiloni was due to meet the British Prime Minister,
:16:44. > :16:57.Volkswagen has pleaded guilty to criminal charges and will pay over
:16:58. > :17:02.$4 billion to settle the test rigging scandal. They admitted in
:17:03. > :17:06.2015 to installing software in hundreds of thousands of cars to
:17:07. > :17:08.cheat emissions tests. Lawsuits are still ongoing in Europe.
:17:09. > :17:10.Norway's attorney-general has told a hearing that the imprisoned mass
:17:11. > :17:14.murderer, Anders Breivik, has to be kept in isolation to stop
:17:15. > :17:19.him spreading far-right ideology and inspiring further attacks.
:17:20. > :17:22.The state is appealing against a lower court ruling that
:17:23. > :17:28.keeping Mr Breivik isolated breached his rights.
:17:29. > :17:30.French Police investigating the robbery of the reality TV
:17:31. > :17:32.star Kim Kardashian, have released three people including
:17:33. > :17:40.More than $10 million of jewellery was stolen in the raid
:17:41. > :17:48.Police are considering whether it was an inside job.
:17:49. > :17:51.The UN envoy for Cyprus says talks in Geneva to reunify the divided
:17:52. > :17:54.The country's Greek and Turkish leaders have come together
:17:55. > :17:56.after several failed attempts at reunification.
:17:57. > :18:02.In an exclusive interview, our correspondent Selin Girit has
:18:03. > :18:04.been speaking to the Turkish-Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci.
:18:05. > :18:12.After numerous attempts at peace falling one by one over two decades,
:18:13. > :18:15.that is what many people call Cyprus.
:18:16. > :18:18.But could there be an end to the conflict inside?
:18:19. > :18:22.Turkey's Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci told me the time has
:18:23. > :18:27.We need to set up a united federal country now,
:18:28. > :18:39.It is high time that we are able to create a better future
:18:40. > :18:41.for our younger generations to develop culture, federal culture,
:18:42. > :18:54.Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974,
:18:55. > :18:56.when Turkey occupied the northern third in retaliation
:18:57. > :19:03.The Turkey-Cypriot state, founded in the north,
:19:04. > :19:05.is recognised only by Ankara, whereas the Greek-Cypriot state
:19:06. > :19:11.Peace talks are currently under way in Geneva
:19:12. > :19:15.Security, the presence of the Turkish military
:19:16. > :19:18.on the island, a rotating presidency between two communities,
:19:19. > :19:20.just some of the biggest concerns, but Mustafa Akinci doesn't
:19:21. > :19:27.If we try to speak about peace and so on and so forth,
:19:28. > :19:32.of course this might create suspicion in the minds of other
:19:33. > :19:35.people, saying that, oh, the Turkish side has other plans,
:19:36. > :19:45.We will do our best with all our determination.
:19:46. > :19:55.If you go again to the referendum and you get another vote
:19:56. > :19:59.from the Greek Cypriots, of course you cannot do this.
:20:00. > :20:02.Mustafa Akinci believes that this could be the last opportunity
:20:03. > :20:09.The younger generation, I believe that they will not focus
:20:10. > :20:13.on a federal setup in the future, because they are growing far apart,
:20:14. > :20:24.they are becoming aliens in their own country.
:20:25. > :20:27.They are like tourists visiting each other's side and they don't share
:20:28. > :20:34.It is the last trial of our generation.
:20:35. > :20:46.Most probably the last chance for a federation.
:20:47. > :20:53.The Turkish Cypriot leader. Letter to the US. -- we will return to the
:20:54. > :20:55.US. Before Donald Trump gave that press
:20:56. > :20:58.conference in New York, his choice for Secretary of State
:20:59. > :21:00.and America's top diplomat Rex Tillerson faced questions
:21:01. > :21:02.from a Senate confirmation hearing. Many US politicians have expressed
:21:03. > :21:05.concern that the former CEO of oil giant Exxon Mobil could be too
:21:06. > :21:07.friendly with President Putin. Mr Tillerson was awarded
:21:08. > :21:10.the Russian Order of Friendship for his business dealings
:21:11. > :21:12.and opposed US sanctions on Russia. Mr Tillerson told Senators
:21:13. > :21:14.today that Russia posed an international danger-
:21:15. > :21:16.but it was in fact US foreign Our Nato allies are right to be
:21:17. > :21:21.alarmed at a resurgent Russia. But it was in the absence
:21:22. > :21:24.of American leadership that this door was left open and unintended
:21:25. > :21:26.signals were sent. We backtracked on commitments
:21:27. > :21:32.and made allies. We sent weak or mixed
:21:33. > :21:35.signals with red lines that We did not recognise that Russia
:21:36. > :21:44.does not think like we do. Words alone do not sweep away
:21:45. > :21:49.an uneven and at times contentious history between our two nations,
:21:50. > :21:52.but we need an open and frank dialogue with Russia
:21:53. > :21:54.regarding its ambitions so we know Barbara Plett-Usher joins us
:21:55. > :22:08.live from Capitol Hill. A very influential figure if he is
:22:09. > :22:13.confirmed as Secretary of State but how tough a time did he get? He got
:22:14. > :22:17.a lot of questions about Russia policy for obvious reasons. The
:22:18. > :22:22.position of Mr Trump and the scandals floating about with regards
:22:23. > :22:26.to Russian interference in American politics, but I think that he was
:22:27. > :22:31.probably broadly reassuring to a of senators. He advocated a tough line.
:22:32. > :22:35.He said Americans should get tough with Russia when it behaved badly
:22:36. > :22:39.but also said it was not necessary to try to cooperate the Russians on
:22:40. > :22:44.a range of issues. -- it was necessary. They need to have a
:22:45. > :22:47.conversation about whether Russia only sees them as an adversary or if
:22:48. > :22:50.they can have some other kind of relationship. I think that is
:22:51. > :22:55.something a lot of senators wanted to hear. Not all of them. Some of
:22:56. > :22:59.them pressed him on Vladimir Putin's record, particularly the Syrian
:23:00. > :23:04.bombing of Aleppo and he declined to say who was a war criminal which
:23:05. > :23:07.upset some other senators. On some of the issues where Mr Trump has
:23:08. > :23:10.been a little bit away from traditional policy or has been
:23:11. > :23:17.overly critical or people do not know quite where he is, Mr Tillerson
:23:18. > :23:19.took up a middle line, so for the transpacific trade deal, a big part
:23:20. > :23:25.of the foreign policy approach of this administration, and important
:23:26. > :23:30.tool of Republican senators, he said he did not really oppose it, which
:23:31. > :23:33.Donald Trump does, he think we can get a better deal, he took a middle
:23:34. > :23:38.line on these issues were chatting again would reassure a large number
:23:39. > :23:40.of the senators. We heard one senator giving him a particularly
:23:41. > :23:50.tough line of questions over Vladimir Putin, Marco Rubio, a
:23:51. > :23:54.former presidential hopeful. If he does not back him, how much jeopardy
:23:55. > :24:00.does that put the administration in? The Republicans have a majority.
:24:01. > :24:03.They would probably have to be three Republican senators voting against
:24:04. > :24:09.him. No Republican senators about Wright said they would do that.
:24:10. > :24:14.There is a certain amount of leeway. I doubt very much that many would
:24:15. > :24:20.have a no vote and I doubt any word. Maybe Marco Rubio word. Especially
:24:21. > :24:23.because you are looking at Mr Tillerson as a contrast to Mr Trump.
:24:24. > :24:28.Mr Trump has dismayed a lot of Republicans with his freewheeling
:24:29. > :24:32.and sometimes inflammatory approach to foreign policy where he suggests
:24:33. > :24:37.he might question the traditional basis of it, which Republicans
:24:38. > :24:41.accept. Mr Tillerson would be seen even by those who oppose him, could
:24:42. > :24:45.be seen as a lesser of two evils. The issue about Russia is very
:24:46. > :24:50.important to a small group of senators in particular. We cannot
:24:51. > :24:53.say entirely sure which way they would go. Barbara, thanks very much.
:24:54. > :25:03.Barbara Platt Usher on Capitol Hill. A quick mention of President Barack
:25:04. > :25:07.Obama... He has set a personal record on social media after a
:25:08. > :25:20.farewell speech last night in Chicago. He took to Twitter to say
:25:21. > :25:23.thank you to everything the... This has become his most popular to date
:25:24. > :25:32.with more than 1 million likes and more than half a million re-tweets.
:25:33. > :25:37.Donald Trump has accused the US intelligence agencies of leaking
:25:38. > :25:46.information and putting out false claims that Russia as compromising
:25:47. > :25:49.information about him. -- has. He was critical of US intelligence
:25:50. > :25:52.agencies and certain members of the media.
:25:53. > :25:55.Don't forget you can get in touch with me and some
:25:56. > :25:57.of the team on Twitter - I'm @ KarinBBC.
:25:58. > :26:00.And you can see what we are working on via Facebook too
:26:01. > :26:04.Lots there to look at about our programmes coming up