:00:00. > :00:12.This is BBC World News Today with me Geeta Guru Murthy.
:00:13. > :00:14.As congress is briefed on the US intelligence report
:00:15. > :00:17.into Russian hacking, Donald Trump has hit out again
:00:18. > :00:19.at the intelligence community, blaming them for releasing
:00:20. > :00:39.The motion reconsidered is laid upon the table.
:00:40. > :00:41.The US House of Representatives votes to begin the process
:00:42. > :00:45.A woman dies in the US from an infection which resisted
:00:46. > :00:47.Disease Control calls it a nightmare bacteria.
:00:48. > :00:50.Dying from the cold - the UN warns that refugees
:00:51. > :00:52.and migrants are struggling to survive in Europe's
:00:53. > :00:55.And one for the money, two for the show.
:00:56. > :00:57.How Elvis impersonators are reviving the fortunes of outback
:00:58. > :01:15.Intelligence agencies are briefing the US House of Representatives
:01:16. > :01:18.about their investigation into Russia's alleged
:01:19. > :01:21.campaign to influence the US presidential election.
:01:22. > :01:23.This comes after a storm of controversy over a leaked dossier
:01:24. > :01:26.alleging that the Russians have compromising information
:01:27. > :01:31.The president-elect has sent out another barrage
:01:32. > :01:34.of early morning tweets, accusing his opponents
:01:35. > :01:41.He's promised a report into allegations of Russian
:01:42. > :01:43.hacking within 90 days, as our North America Correspondent,
:01:44. > :01:49.There are storylines that could easily come from a Cold War
:01:50. > :01:52.spy thriller and plot twists involving sex allegations
:01:53. > :01:55.and potential Russian blackmail that even the TV series House Of Cards
:01:56. > :02:00.But this is reality, not a show, and the first episode of Trump
:02:01. > :02:04.the Presidency airs in just one week's time.
:02:05. > :02:07.For now, Donald Trump mainly delivers his lines on Twitter.
:02:08. > :02:16.It now turns out that the phoney allegations against me were put
:02:17. > :02:18.together by my political opponents and a failed spy
:02:19. > :02:21.Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives.
:02:22. > :02:29.Probably released by intelligence even knowing there is no
:02:30. > :02:33.My people will have a full report on hacking within 90 days.
:02:34. > :02:36.On Capitol Hill today, lawmakers received a behind closed
:02:37. > :02:38.doors briefing on the unverified dossier and Russia's
:02:39. > :02:39.alleged interference in the presidential election.
:02:40. > :02:46.And many are left demanding more answers.
:02:47. > :02:50.The American people are owed the truth and there is a great deal
:02:51. > :02:59.of evidence to say this is an issue of high interest to the American
:03:00. > :03:01.people, the strength, the integrity of our own democracy.
:03:02. > :03:07.A senior US official confirming today there were frequent contacts
:03:08. > :03:11.between Donald Trump's top national security adviser and Russia's
:03:12. > :03:14.ambassador here in Washington and that those contacts took place
:03:15. > :03:17.on the day that President Obama expelled dozens of Russian
:03:18. > :03:22.officials in retaliation for the alleged hacking.
:03:23. > :03:24.It again raises questions about the Trump team's
:03:25. > :03:30.All this as Barack Obama performs his final act and one
:03:31. > :03:34.of them took his deputy completely by surprise.
:03:35. > :03:37.I am pleased to award our nation's highest civilian honour,
:03:38. > :03:47.I can say I was part of the journey of a remarkable man who did
:03:48. > :03:54.But Washington moves on, it has always been a city
:03:55. > :03:59.And this time next week this capital, this country, will be under
:04:00. > :04:13.President Obama hasn't yet vacated the hot seat, but how much
:04:14. > :04:17.The US House of Representatives, where the Republican Party has
:04:18. > :04:21.a majority, has voted to begin the process of repealing Mr Obama's
:04:22. > :04:24.landmark Affordable Care Act - known as Obamacare.
:04:25. > :04:31.Live now to Washington, and the BBC's Laura Bicker.
:04:32. > :04:39.Tell us why there is such strength of feeling about this and what
:04:40. > :04:43.changes are we going to say no? You mentioned President Obama trying to
:04:44. > :04:47.define his legacy in these final days, and his Republican opponents
:04:48. > :04:52.are trying to dismantle a key part of it. The affordable health care
:04:53. > :04:58.act or Obamacare is one of these defining legacies of President
:04:59. > :05:03.Obama's time in office. He introduced an act which means that
:05:04. > :05:08.insurers have two insure those even with pre-existing conditions.
:05:09. > :05:13.Democrats say an extra 20 million people now have health insurance
:05:14. > :05:16.thanks to that act but Republicans believe health costs are spiralling
:05:17. > :05:22.out of control. They say people have lack of choice no and they believe
:05:23. > :05:27.it is Government overreach. The campaigns, and Donald Trump they did
:05:28. > :05:31.a key campaign pledge much to replace and repeal it. Repealing it
:05:32. > :05:35.might be the easy part. That is underway. But replacing it is far
:05:36. > :05:40.more tricky. That is because part of it are still popular, including that
:05:41. > :05:46.mandate which means that people with pre-existing conditions have to have
:05:47. > :05:50.health insurance, so they get health insurance which they otherwise would
:05:51. > :05:55.not get. There is a worry if they pull that right away, what would be
:05:56. > :06:01.left? No we have even a feud Republicans who are voicing their
:06:02. > :06:04.concerns. Paul Ryan the House Speaker and the senior elected
:06:05. > :06:09.Republican in the House has already said that they will find a way to
:06:10. > :06:13.make a smooth transition, although we have yet to hear the details of
:06:14. > :06:17.that. Can you briefly explain, because this has been the case with
:06:18. > :06:21.Obamacare all the way through the legal process, still to the rest of
:06:22. > :06:25.the world, they do not understand why it allows such strong antipathy
:06:26. > :06:31.because for many people for example in the UK used to the NHS, it seems
:06:32. > :06:34.exact a good idea? Part of the problem is Republicans say that
:06:35. > :06:40.health and shouldn't costs have risen. Because health insurers have
:06:41. > :06:44.two insure those with pre-existing conditions, or those who would not
:06:45. > :06:48.get injured and is otherwise. That means that they have to spread the
:06:49. > :06:52.cost site. For some people insurance premiums have gone up. That is why
:06:53. > :06:56.it has been such a contentious issue. Part of the problem is, how
:06:57. > :07:01.do you go about ensuring those who do not have health insurers, who
:07:02. > :07:04.either cannot afford it, or who do not have health insurance through
:07:05. > :07:11.their employers, get their health coverage they need, without, making
:07:12. > :07:16.sure that others paying for it, the costs go up? That is the problem for
:07:17. > :07:20.both Democrats and Republicans. There is a call now even from
:07:21. > :07:23.committees who have so far been conservative, they have been calling
:07:24. > :07:25.on both Republicans and Democrats to come together to find a solution to
:07:26. > :07:30.that problem. A woman has died in the US
:07:31. > :07:32.with an untreatable infection that could resist
:07:33. > :07:40.all available antibiotics. The case occurred last year
:07:41. > :07:43.and details have just been released in a report by the US Centers
:07:44. > :07:46.for Disease Control and Prevention. She was infected with
:07:47. > :07:51.Klebsiella pneumoniae - which normally lives in the gut
:07:52. > :08:01.without causing disease. Helen Branswell is a senior writer
:08:02. > :08:14.on Infectious Diseases for Stat News What do we know about this woman and
:08:15. > :08:29.why this particular bag has resisted all attempts to clamp down on it?
:08:30. > :08:31.Some of the details are not known. -- particular bug has resisted all
:08:32. > :08:39.attempts? So this is a woman who spent a long
:08:40. > :08:45.time in India, two years. She broke her leg, an infection got
:08:46. > :08:48.into the bone at the point of the fracture, spread throughout
:08:49. > :08:51.the bone and got Over two years she was treated
:08:52. > :09:02.in Indian hospitals. They were unable to clear
:09:03. > :09:24.the infection properly. She went to the United States. They
:09:25. > :09:29.tried to cure her and could not. What does this mean and how worrying
:09:30. > :09:37.is that? People have been warning for quite a while that we are
:09:38. > :09:41.running out of antibiotics, that the bacteria are evolving faster than we
:09:42. > :09:45.can produce new drugs. Health officials have been worried about it
:09:46. > :09:50.a lot. The reason I was keen to write about this story is because it
:09:51. > :09:53.translates what seems like a theoretical risk into reality. This
:09:54. > :09:58.is happening. It does not happen daily. At least not in developed
:09:59. > :10:06.countries. But it is happening and that is going to continue to happen
:10:07. > :10:11.at escalating rates. Is there any concern that the bug, the bacteria,
:10:12. > :10:14.could have transferred from that woman in the US hospital treatment
:10:15. > :10:22.centres that she was being cared for? That would obviously always be
:10:23. > :10:26.a concern. The hospital seems to have caught fairly quickly that she
:10:27. > :10:30.had a multi-drug-resistant bacteria and the isolated her and the health
:10:31. > :10:38.care team that worked on her use what are called contact precautions.
:10:39. > :10:41.They were wearing gowns and gloves and had to obviously washed their
:10:42. > :10:47.hands going out of her room. They have tested the health care workers,
:10:48. > :10:52.they have tested people who were in parts of the hospital near her. So
:10:53. > :10:55.far there is no evidence that the bug has spread but experts are
:10:56. > :10:57.saying it is only a matter of time before we see more of these bugs in
:10:58. > :11:00.our hospitals. More than 65 people have died
:11:01. > :11:03.as a result of icy storms Snow and strong winds
:11:04. > :11:07.have hit much of the UK. Severe flood warnings are now
:11:08. > :11:10.in place on the eastern coast of England, with
:11:11. > :11:13.thousands of homes at risk. In Scotland, heavy snowfall
:11:14. > :11:15.has caused 19 schools In France, power cuts have affected
:11:16. > :11:21.more than 237,000 homes as a storm swept across Normandy
:11:22. > :11:26.and regions north of Paris. And in Germany, wind and snow
:11:27. > :11:28.forced the airline Lufthansa to cancel 125 flights
:11:29. > :11:33.at Frankfurt Airport. Well, the sudden cold snap
:11:34. > :11:35.is severely affecting The United Nations Refugee Agency
:11:36. > :11:41.is urging governments to do more. The UNHCR said several
:11:42. > :11:45.migrants had died from cold and exhaustion in Bulgaria,
:11:46. > :11:48.and it called on Greece to move migrants from poor conditions
:11:49. > :11:50.on islands to better facilities Desperate to get out
:11:51. > :12:02.of the bitterly cold waters, these are just some of the 800
:12:03. > :12:05.migrants and refugees that were rescued from
:12:06. > :12:10.the Mediterranean Sea yesterday. The Italian coastguard helped them
:12:11. > :12:13.out of the six rubber boats Freezing temperatures in Europe over
:12:14. > :12:22.the last week have caused the UN to call on governments to do more
:12:23. > :12:26.to help migrants. In Greece, the situation was so bad
:12:27. > :12:29.that this ship was sent to Lesbos at the request
:12:30. > :12:32.of the Greek Prime Minister to house migrants, amidst health warnings
:12:33. > :12:35.that condition at the main camp Hundreds of others in Lesbos
:12:36. > :12:44.are being transferred to hotels. I am afraid but I don't
:12:45. > :12:46.know where I go. At the European Parliament
:12:47. > :12:52.in Brussels, a warning about how prepared the EU is for a further
:12:53. > :12:57.increase in numbers. We are making a call
:12:58. > :12:59.for Europe to prepare It may not happen,
:13:00. > :13:07.but we need to be prepared. We are very concerned
:13:08. > :13:09.in a number of situations, Europe does not seem to have a plan
:13:10. > :13:14.A or plan B. Conditions are also tough at this
:13:15. > :13:21.migrant camp in Serbia. More than 1000 men from Afghanistan
:13:22. > :13:25.and Pakistan are relying on one meal a day from volunteers,
:13:26. > :13:27.and having to wash outside Concern is growing that more
:13:28. > :13:33.migrants will die, trying to survive Well, in Serbia temperatures
:13:34. > :13:42.have dropped to a low as -15 degrees Celsius
:13:43. > :13:45.in the past few weeks. It's also where thousands
:13:46. > :13:47.of migrants, mostly men from Afghanistan and Pakistan,
:13:48. > :13:51.are staying in abandoned warehouses. The migrants are mainly
:13:52. > :13:54.in the capital Belgrade, hoping to get into the EU
:13:55. > :13:57.via Croatia or Hungary. Many have tried to cross,
:13:58. > :13:59.but have been sent back. We can speak now to Reuters
:14:00. > :14:15.journalist, Aleksandar Vasovic, What have you seen? Can you talk us
:14:16. > :14:19.through the situation there? The situation has slightly improved. It
:14:20. > :14:26.is a bit warmer. The problem is note that wind has started to blow. There
:14:27. > :14:33.is sort of a storm outside. I went to see migrants about two hours ago.
:14:34. > :14:40.There are still about 1200 people in these warehouses which are
:14:41. > :14:48.practically in the centre of Belgrade near the main bus station.
:14:49. > :14:52.They are still in appalling conditions. They have no
:14:53. > :14:56.electricity. They have very little running water. Apart from some
:14:57. > :15:00.heaters provided by humanitarians they have practically no heating.
:15:01. > :15:09.They are burning scrap wood they have found. They are receiving food
:15:10. > :15:15.from humanitarians everyday. The problem is that it might not be
:15:16. > :15:18.enough for everyone. The Serbian authorities are trying to convince
:15:19. > :15:26.them, at least some of them, to move to permanent or properly maintained
:15:27. > :15:34.Government maintained refugee camps. Many of them are refusing because
:15:35. > :15:41.they are trying, some of them, two, three, four times per week, to get
:15:42. > :15:44.either to the Hungarian or Croatian border and then continue their
:15:45. > :15:50.journey to Europe. If they were to go to the Government camps what
:15:51. > :15:55.would happen to them there? If they are in a Government camp they are
:15:56. > :16:00.registered. They sign a paper which States their desire to seek asylum
:16:01. > :16:07.in Serbia. The asylum procedure can last for quite some time. Some of
:16:08. > :16:13.them could be at a later point in the future deported to their country
:16:14. > :16:21.of origin. That is a possibility. But many of them simply do not want
:16:22. > :16:26.to do it. Nearly all of them I have met so far are saying they are in
:16:27. > :16:31.Serbia only temporarily, it is just one stop in their journey. The
:16:32. > :16:34.problem is the camps are overcrowded. Is your sense from
:16:35. > :16:41.talking to them that they are a mixture of economic migrants and
:16:42. > :16:46.genuinely fleeing refugees? Or is it difficult to tell? That is also a
:16:47. > :16:55.problem. It is difficult to tell, particularly know. Last year, and in
:16:56. > :17:08.2015, it was fairly clear, there were people fleeing from Syria,
:17:09. > :17:17.Iraq, Afghanistan, areas affected infighting by the Taliban. Now it
:17:18. > :17:20.appears, people are coming from where there is no Taliban at all, or
:17:21. > :17:29.there are people from Pakistan or Bangladesh. Some are chewy refugees,
:17:30. > :17:32.others are economic migrants. -- some are genuinely refugees.
:17:33. > :17:34.Iraqi forces have come up against heavy resistance
:17:35. > :17:36.after launching an attack to recapture Mosul University
:17:37. > :17:42.Elite troops entered the compound on Friday,
:17:43. > :17:44.trying to secure the area, in the last major IS
:17:45. > :17:47.There are also reports that Iraqi forces have reached
:17:48. > :17:58.In the street surrounding Mosul University, Iraqi forces gather.
:17:59. > :18:03.This, the latest target in the push to take back the city.
:18:04. > :18:05.So-called Islamic State, or Daesh fighters, had
:18:06. > :18:14.And it's claimed they tried to produce chemical weapons
:18:15. > :18:17.After heavy fighting, Iraqi troops say they have
:18:18. > :18:21.taken control of several of the University's buildings.
:18:22. > :18:23.TRANSLATION: The area we entered was a technical
:18:24. > :18:27.We were able to overcome the obstacles prepared
:18:28. > :18:31.by the terrorists, and we controlled the college and the dorm areas.
:18:32. > :18:34.We also brought down the large Daesh flag in the university.
:18:35. > :18:37.This flag was known to be the highest one erected
:18:38. > :18:41.Government forces have been trying to capture Mosul -
:18:42. > :18:46.the last major IS stronghold in Iraq - since October.
:18:47. > :18:51.Initially, progress was slow in the face of tough defence.
:18:52. > :18:53.But since the campaign was relaunched two weeks ago,
:18:54. > :19:12.they've made swift progress on the eastern side of the city,
:19:13. > :19:16.Special forces are also claiming another tactical victory having
:19:17. > :19:21.They have now taken the east side of two of the five main bridges that
:19:22. > :19:23.across the Tigris River that runs through the city, dividing Mosul
:19:24. > :19:28.They aim to take full control of its east bank before they can
:19:29. > :19:30.launch attacks on the West, which Islamic State still fully
:19:31. > :19:32.controls as the battle for Mosul continues.
:19:33. > :19:34.French authorities have launched an investigation into car maker
:19:35. > :19:36.Renault over allegations they tried to cheat emissions tests with some
:19:37. > :19:39.The company's share price dipped 4% in morning
:19:40. > :19:44.It's the latest trouble involving a major car manufacturer and diesel
:19:45. > :19:49.On Wednesday, German car maker Volkswagen agreed to pay
:19:50. > :19:53.$4.3 billion in fines after admitting it installed
:19:54. > :19:58.emissions cheating software in 11 million diesel vehicles.
:19:59. > :20:01.On Thursday the US Environmental Protection Agency accused
:20:02. > :20:03.Fiat-Chrysler of violating pollution restrictions in some
:20:04. > :20:40.It did raise the question who knew about it at Volkswagen. Obviously if
:20:41. > :20:46.Volkswagen is struggling, with emissions as in this particular case
:20:47. > :20:49.the US environment protection agency, is it possible that other
:20:50. > :20:53.car makers are struggling with the same thing? In a way it is no
:20:54. > :20:59.surprise. Two slightly different issues.
:21:00. > :21:04.For those of us driving cars, one minute you are told to buy diesel,
:21:05. > :21:08.one minute petrol. We cannot keep changing our cars. What are we
:21:09. > :21:11.supposed to do? The first answer is to highlight
:21:12. > :21:16.what Volkswagen in the end are saying, it is not possible to
:21:17. > :21:19.deliver what the customer wants in terms of performance and deliver
:21:20. > :21:22.emissions so customers have been cheated here because they were told
:21:23. > :21:27.this story that was not true. In the case of Fiat they were told when the
:21:28. > :21:32.car was driving the condensation caused by keeping the emissions all
:21:33. > :21:36.was causing damage to the engine so they allowed emissions to go up. We
:21:37. > :21:39.have two as customers understand that technically this is very
:21:40. > :21:43.difficult to do so we have got to make a choice between the
:21:44. > :21:47.performance we expect out of a car realistically, and what it is doing
:21:48. > :21:51.to the environment. More and more, customers are conscious of the
:21:52. > :21:56.environment, because these gases, these makers of side gases, are part
:21:57. > :22:00.of the climate problem. So we have to recognise that and we know that a
:22:01. > :22:09.big city like London, many people have problems with their lungs.
:22:10. > :22:11.They are unlikely saviours, but Elvis Presley, ABBA
:22:12. > :22:14.and Bob Marley are helping to revive the fortunes of small
:22:15. > :22:17.Their enduring music, fashion and legend have spawned
:22:18. > :22:19.festivals that are reversing the demoralising effects of drought
:22:20. > :22:23.The most glittering takes place this week in Parkes,
:22:24. > :22:26.a farming community 350km west of Sydney, from where
:22:27. > :22:34.# A little less conversation, a little more action #
:22:35. > :22:37.Elvis never travelled to Australia, but 40 years after his death
:22:38. > :22:41.his appeal here remains as magnetic as ever.
:22:42. > :22:43.The annual festival in the farming town of Parkes,
:22:44. > :22:50.350 kilometres west of Sydney, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
:22:51. > :22:57.More than 20,000 Elvis fans, many in jumpsuits,
:22:58. > :23:00.a galaxy of sequins, and jet black wigs are pouring in.
:23:01. > :23:07.A lucky few arrived on the Elvis Express from Sydney -
:23:08. > :23:10.surely Australia's most boisterous and colourful rail journey.
:23:11. > :23:12.The five-day party generates about $10 million for Parkes,
:23:13. > :23:18.The local economy just goes through the roof
:23:19. > :23:24.People come from far and wide and across the world to come to this
:23:25. > :23:27.prestigious Elvis celebration, I suppose.
:23:28. > :23:37.The festival was born out of economic necessity.
:23:38. > :23:40.Back in the early 1990s, Midsummer trade in Parkes was sluggish.
:23:41. > :23:43.But founders Bob and Anne Steel had a plan -
:23:44. > :23:45.to host an event at their Graceland restaurant to celebrate Elvis
:23:46. > :24:05.Although some locals did take a bit of persuading.
:24:06. > :24:07.Wh're a country place, we have agricultural shows.
:24:08. > :24:09.We have flower shows and all this sort of stuff.
:24:10. > :24:12.And that's all very good, but that doesn't draw the people.
:24:13. > :24:14.There's also a legion of buskers that brings Parkes to life.
:24:15. > :24:17.For a few short days, performers and fans get to turn back
:24:18. > :24:20.the clock and remember the King of Rock and roll in the heat
:24:21. > :24:46.A secondary school in the United States has apologised after its use
:24:47. > :24:51.the topic of child sexual assault in a maths assignment. Parents
:24:52. > :25:01.complained the subject matter was not appropriate for young teenager.
:25:02. > :25:09.Let us go into space no free to astronauts have been on a spacewalk.
:25:10. > :25:15.They have been upgrading the space station with two batteries. During
:25:16. > :25:20.that time there was no food and beer spacesuits became stiff in the
:25:21. > :25:22.vacuum of space which apparently is tough on the body. But they managed
:25:23. > :25:23.to complete it. Intelligence agencies are briefing
:25:24. > :25:27.the US House of Representatives about their investigation
:25:28. > :25:30.into Russia's alleged campaign to influence the
:25:31. > :25:44.US presidential election. President Obama will announce his
:25:45. > :25:50.final press conference on wed in state next week, just two days
:25:51. > :26:00.before resident elect Trump takes office. We will have coverage on the
:26:01. > :26:13.BBC. Goodbye. We are still watching the Eastern
:26:14. > :26:20.coast and the possibility of coastal flooding because of that storm surge
:26:21. > :26:21.moving southwards. There are flood warnings still in