welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: the yeas are 227 and the nays are 203 — the report is adopted, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table! the most radical tax overhaul in decades is on course to pass the us congress, despite a last minute hitch. in her first tv interview, harvey weinstein‘s former assistant tells the bbc why she's breaking a non—disclosure agreement to speak out about him. at least twelve tourists are killed as a bus travelling to mayan ruins crashes and overturns in eastern mexico. and we report on the super—agers, as scientists say they're close to finding drugs to help stop people getting old. the us senate is debating right now a tax bill that looks set to give

donald trump the first big legislative win of his presidency. it sets out the biggest changes to the tax system in three decades. republicans say it will boost growth and revive the economy, democrats argue it benefits america's richest and will inflate the deficit. the president's celebrations may be put off for another day though, because a technicality with the wording of the bill means the lower house of congress must vote again tomorrow. our correspondent david willis is in washington for us. how you see the bill depends on your politics. descriptions from republicans and democrats could come from different universe is? you are absolutely right. they voted in favour in the house of representatives but because of a procedural glitch, they will have to vote or over again in the morning.

we are still waiting on a senate vote but it is unlikely this will change the outcome and every indication that president trump will sign this controversial measure into law in the next few days and possibly as early as tomorrow. this bill includes a permanent tax cut for corporations and temporary tax cuts for individual american citizens. nonetheless, around 80% is expected to sit some sort of tax cut starting from next year. democrats, of course, are unanimously opposed to this bill. they said it is only the wealthy that stand to benefit from it long—term and this is what the house minority leader now the policy had to say. this is the worst bill to overcome to the floor of the

house. it is stiff competition with some of the things they tried to do. it is the worst in history. the number of people it affects, the money sucked up to the top impacts on the future of the deficit. republicans are see this as their finest hour. it is the first major piece of legislation passed in this president c. despite the fact they enjoy a majority in both houses of congress. this is what paul ryan had to say. on january one, americans are going to wake up with the new tax code. they will see bigger paychecks. in april, it will be the last date they will have to comply with the old, bad system. this is a good day for america, for workers and for growth and we are very excited about this moment. a lot of these, according to the economists,

seems to depend on whether you believe in trickle—down economics. it does seem likely it will increase the deficit substantially and that there will be cuts surely in welfare, healthcare, there will be cuts surely in welfare, healthca re, veterans benefits to pay for it? absolutely. very interesting you mentioned trickle—down economics. we have not heard that since the reagan years but that is absolutely right. the hope that this, despite a looming the national deficit, putting an extra trillion dollars it is thought on the american debt, that this will boost the economy long—term and pay for itself for precisely the reasons you have mentioned — trickle—down economics. there does he were very dubious about that. —— there are

those. and that it will put american economy even in more of a whole. stock market is booming, the economy is doing well but president trump smack popularity is doing badly. —— donald trump's popularity. they are hoping ina donald trump's popularity. they are hoping in a bump in that with the passage of the bill. they are planning a celebration will probably two o'clock tomorrow afternoon. we will keep people updated on when and if the bill passes. there's plenty more detail and analysis on the republican tax bill, along with our other main stories, on our website... let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: the defeated candidate in presidential elections in honduras, salvador nasralla has accepted an invitation for talks with the president, juan orlando hernandez.

mr nasralla has accused his rival of rigging the bitterly disputed elections. at least fourteen people have been killed in street protests since last month's vote. america and canada announced the summit in an effort to curb north korean us —— nuclear ambitions. north korea is already under arms embargoes and and other band industries. the team investigating the amtrak train crash near seattle say that the brakes were automatically activated at the time of the accident, rather than being applied by the engineer. it's emerged that a trainee was in the cab with the engineer at the time, but the cause of the accident has not yet been established. three people died and dozens more were injured when the passenger train came off the rails and crashed onto an interstate route on monday morning.

austria's new chancellor has travelled to brussels to reassure eu leaders that his government is committed to the bloc. sebastian kurz, who leads the conservative people's party, has entered into an alliance with the eurosceptic and anti—immigration freedom party, sparking alarm in brussels. in her first broadcast interview, a former colleague of hollywood producer harvey weinstein has told the bbc, how she was warned about his behaviour and how she went on to warn other women that he could behave in an inappropriate manner. but zelda perkins says, matters escalated after he sexually assaulted a colleague and she accused him of attempted rape. mr weinstein denies all allegations of non—consensual sex. our entertainment correspondent, colin paterson, has the story. this is 1998, harvey weinstein is at the peak of his powers, he's about the release shakespeare in love, which would go on to win him an oscar the following year. now, in september, 1998, his personal assistant in the uk, zelda perkins, who was then 2k, quit. speaking to newsnight,

she has explained why. she said she'd endured a number of years of sexual harassment but then came the final straw. and it came to a head for you when he sexually assaulted, attempted rape, on your colleague? yes, we were at venice film festival and he tried to rape her. and what did you do? she was extremely distressed. she was shaking, very distressed, clearly in shock. didn't want anybody to know, was absolutely terrified of the consequences, what would happen and... i spoke with her and tried to calm her for about half an hour and then i went straight downstairs to where harvey was having a business meeting on the terrace and told him he needed to come with me right away. for me to have broken

into a meeting like that was very unusual and he did not question me, he got up and came with me straight away because he knew why, why i was angry and serious as i was. you accused him of attempted rape? yeah, yeah. and he denied it? yes. he said nothing at all had happened and he swore on the life of his wife and children, which was his best get—out—of—jail card that he used quite a lot. the two women secured legal representation. they were hoping to bring down harvey weinstein by revealing his behaviour to the walt disney company, because they owned miramax, which is harvey weinstein's company, but the lawyers of the two women said this wasn't a realistic option and the only option was a damages agreement. now, this agreemant was to include the creation of procedures at miramax and therapy for mr weinstein. it's not known if these stipulations were carried out. zelda perkins went on to sign a nondisclosure agreement and received £125,000 in payments.

in the interview on newnight, she calls for britain to follow the example of a number of us states and end the practice of allowing sexual assaults to be hidden behind nondisclosure agreements. a spokesperson for harvey weinstein says he unequivocally denies any allegations of non—consensual sex. colin paterson. and just to reiterate: in response to these allegations, a lawyer for harvey weinstein says he categorically denies engaging in any non— consensual conduct or alleged threatening behaviour. at least twelve tourists have died in a bus crash in the mexican state of quintana roo. they were travelling to visit a mayan ruin when the bus overturned. 0ur mexico correspondent, will grant reports. the group on the bus was comprised of passengers from the united

states, italy, sweden and brazil as well as driver and two ago from mexico. they had arrived on—board cruise ship and this, a visit to the beautiful mayan ruins, was meant to beautiful mayan ruins, was meant to beautiful mayan ruins, was meant to be a pleasurable day trip to see a little of the country. however, a dozen people killed when the bus overturned on the highway out to the ruins, some of the injured have already been discharged but others have been treated in four different hospitals in the region. an investigation is underway as to the cause of the crash. many of the coastal roads in that particular pa rt coastal roads in that particular part of quintana roo have many potholes. especially down south. for the time being, the authorities have made no comment as to what may have caused the bus to overturn. doctors in bolivia have clashed with police after almost a month of strikes by the country's

healthcare workers. riot police used tear gas in the confrontation. the walk—outs in bolivia's hospitals have led to long delays for patients, and thousands of cancelled operations. the doctors say new laws overseeing healthcare being proposed by the government are unfair. andrew plant reports. firing tear gas at protesters in bolivia on tuesday, police in riot gear, the replacement swearing white coats as doctors take to the street to challenge the government over proposed new laws governing in the healthcare industry. the dog is in bolivia have been on strike —— dog is, since the member 23rd. this clash taking place in the capital. they are angry proposals for a new criminal code which they say will

penalise professionals, legislation designed the government says to protect people from negligence. fascination mac they are trying to create unfair laws that put doctors at risk. this was the 26 day of strike. many thousands of bolivians have been affected with hospitals struggling with admissions and patients facing long delays and cancellations. doctors, joined by pharmacists as well, have taken their protests to the street. two sides throwing gas at each other over the road. meanwhile, the government has organised health fairs in the city. medical events that people can attend to get the

treatment they need while negotiations with doctors continue. not a site you see every day. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: there's left—overs and then there's left—overs — we'll tell you about the turkey bones that date back nearly 500 years. after eight months on the run, saddam hussein has been tracked down and captured by american forces. saddam hussein is finished, because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict, conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents of serbia, bosnia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details

of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house, to a trial for his political life, the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton his place in history as only the second president ever to be impeached. welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. the latest headlines: donald trump's tax reforms look set to gain approval in both houses of congress, despite a last minute glitch over some of the small print. a former co—worker of hollywood producer, harvey weinstein, has told the bbc how she was warned about his behaviour. american scientists predict that before long, it will be increasingly normal to start a new career in your 80s and to feel fit and healthy in body and mind. and increasingly normal to take on a new physical challenge

in your 90s, walking for miles with no aches or pains. the scientists are working on drugs that could help delay the way our bodies age, meaning we'll be able to do much more for longer. in the second of his reports on so—called ‘super—agers' — our medical correspondent fergus walsh has been to san francisco and new york. new york public library, one of the city's grandest buildings, which has one of the city's oldest employees. hilda jaffe is still going strong at 95, so what's her secret to a long life? pick your parents, it really is. it's got to be genetic because both my parents lived long. good morning, fergus, i'm glad you could meet me here in this absolutely beautiful room. hilda gives tours of this historic building when she's not at the theatre, music concerts, opera or her two book clubs. i don't exercise, i walk, i walk a lot. if i had to give anybody advice i would say, just keep moving.

samples of hilda's dna are stored in this freezer in the bronx, part of a study into longevity. they found only one in 10,000 people has protective superager genes, but say drugs might be able to help the rest of us. metformin is an old, cheap diabetes drug, but a major trial is planned to see if it can delay ageing. i can get you 690 of those for $60. scientists here believe it may slow the biological processes that trigger key diseases. we have data in humans that metformin would delay cardiovascular disease and will delay diabetes and is associated with less cancer, and seems to delay alzheimer or cognitive decline in people. ageing is an inevitable process which begins as we reach adulthood and continues through the decades as our muscles, bones and organs

gradually wear out. this tai chi group in san francisco show that we can delay that decline, it helps with balance, core strength and provides a social network. it makes me feel so young, i have so much fun. i feel like i'm in the kindergarten of the universe. my mother lived to 103. i don't desire to live that long, but i want to be as healthy as i can, as long as i can. that's an ambition we can all share. imagine a future where it didn't hurt to get old, where ourjoints didn't wear out? it would have a huge impact on our quality of life as we age. this biotech company in california has developed a drug to counter one of the key diseases of ageing, osteoarthritis.

human trials of this experimental compound should begin next year. this is an area of the cartilage that is now diseased, you can see the cartilage is damaged. it works by clearing cells which build up in the kneejoint, known as synthesis cells, which may be a trigger for the painful condition. a single injection that we believe and hope will alleviate their pain and begin the restorative process in their knee to perhaps at least halt, regress and even completely repair the knee in the end is what our wildest hopes would imagine. that would mean more people could age like hilda, free of aches and pains and independent well into their 90s. fergus walsh, bbc news, new york. the former boss of a construction

company in latin america has struck a plea bargain with prosecutors, agreed to testify in exchange for a more lenient sentence. the english writerjane austen put pen to paper two hundred years ago with tales of romance and love. her novels continue to find new fans all around the world and for one book club in pakistan — they've now devoted themselves entirely to the author's works. really? you would marry mr darcy? ina way! i am the founder of the jane austen society of pakistan. it started off as a facebook page and it was so much fun. hands folded in front is a very regency pose, ladies. we discuss things and analyse things and draw parallels from our own lives. we see mr collins and mr elton,

we see mr wickham and willoughby. we don't really see mr darcy very much. we would love to. for lizzie, overcoming prejudice in her life was the biggest hurdle. it's very easy for us, in the commonwealth and with our postcolonial legacy, to sort of draw parallels between the regency era 200 years ago and our society here in south asia right now and it's always very amusing and entertaining, but a darker side as well, the misogyny and hypocrisy and keeping up appearances. i am also married to mr bennett! sometimes he may become mr collins too. we still have a lot of similarities with 200 years ago in england and that's basically, especially for women, our sphere is limited, the power we have over our lives is limited, our financial

independence is limited. do i need to go on more? marriage marked. it's the same here. it is over a tea trolley. literally. the woman is expected to pour tea as the in—laws are eating and how she pours the tea and how she hands the cups and all of those things are... she has to be demure, she has to be domestic. that's regency england, isn't it? christmas is fast approaching — and for many of us, turkey

is the star of the holiday menu. now archaeologists in the uk believe they've discovered the oldest turkey bones ever found in the country — dating back almost five hundred yea rs. jon kay has the scoop. a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, but it seems they've been gobbling it up here in devon for much longer than anybody realised. at exeter university, a surprise discovery. at first i wasn't sure because it looks like a giant chicken. in a pile of ancient animal remains, found here in the ‘80s, two mysterious thigh bones and a wing. archeologists have now established they're from an american species of turkey nearly 500 years ago, believed to be the oldest ever found in britain. i started knocking on doors and showing offjust how excited i was by actually telling other people, "look what i found." but, yes, so it is very nice

and it's really great for a zoo archeologist to actually have this connection with history. we've got a plate and a bowl. the bones could be dated because they were found with a pile of washing up — crockery from a grand feast in the early 1500s, which is when the first turkeys arrived here. these were an exotic bird, brand new into the country. you know, people wouldn't have heard of it. what did it taste like? you know, what is this giant bird? the first turkeys are said to have been imported by the explorer william strickland in the 1520s after he bought six from some native americans. well, strickland is said to have sold his birds for tuppence each. five centuries later, turkeys are rather bigger business, 10 million of them due to be sold in britain just over christmas. off we go then, turkeys. this devon farmer wonders if the bones found down the road might be from those original birds. potentially these, in some way, are direct descendants of the ones that arrived, and here they are back in devon. so this's quite nice. in what else but a sandwich box,

the turkey bones have now been taken to the city museum to go on the display after christmas dinner. jon kay, bbc news, exeter. they just around the theyjust around the corner from here claims to make the world's first self the beverage. they are -- printing of chocolate powder portrait from a photo. but unlike other selfies, of course, this one lasts until you drink it. donald trump's tax reform is set to ta ke donald trump's tax reform is set to take approval in the house of congress after some last—minute glitches. it means the lower house will have to vote again tomorrow morning. much more in everything on the bbc website. 0ur quiet spell of weather continues apace across many parts

of the british isles at the moment. that's not to say that it's completely dull by any means at all. a glorious end to the day captured by a number of our weather watchers. but elsewhere, well, it was one of those. the cloud sat there, so did the fog in some locations. but there is a sign of a change on the way. already we're seeing the cloud and rain associated with this weather front moving into the northern and western parts of scotland. it will continue its journey a bit further south during the course of the night. first thing on wednesday, quite a variety to the temperatures. where the cloud pops away, two degrees or so in the east. 0ut towards the west, fully exposed to the moist south—westerlies coming in from the atlantic, well, it's nine, ten or 11 degrees. here we are first

thing on wednesday. hill fog to be had if the cloud is broken overnight. there is the chance of the odd patch of fog. so bear that in mind. and enough about some of the cloud across the western facing hills and coasts for there to be the odd bit and pieces of rain or drizzle, especially near that weather front. to the north of that, a scattering of showers, not many of them, by any means at all. much of scotland getting away to a dry start. i think it's here, north of the weather front, that you get the best chance of seeing meaningful sunshine, and eventually that prospect extends into northern ireland, too. all the while, anywhere near that frontal system, you've got the prospect of some hill fog and a wee bit of rain and drizzle. to the south of it, pretty leaden skies, i'm afraid. and here we are on thursday. the orientation of the front has just changed here somewhat. the westerly portion, having come south, is starting to move back north. best of the brightness, therefore, away from that, where you get the lowest of the temperatures, but the best chance of sunshine. south, a lot of cloud, some hill fog around. and not a great deal changes as i take you out of thursday,

pushing on into friday. we've still got the remnants of a weather front, still clouding things up and producing the odd bit and piece of rain, especially across western and south—western parts. so, again, get away from the remnants of those fronts out towards the east and up into the north of scotland, the lowest of the temperatures again, but at least you get to see a wee bit of sunshine. here we are into the weekend before christmas and many will still be stuck with that relatively mild flow coming in from the atlantic. but you'll notice, come christmas eve, we're not a million miles away from seeing quite a dramatic change, with some cold and brighter weather coming in. but in the run—up to christmasm generally mild, often really rather cloudy and the chance of some rain, particularly in the north. this is bbc news, the headlines: us senators are debating whether to approve a bill that would see the biggest overhaul of the country's tax system in decades. members of the house of representatives voted earlier in favour of the radical reforms which — if passed — would be president trump's first major legislative achievement. in her first broadcast interview, a former colleague of hollywood

producer harvey weinstein has told the bbc how she was warned about his behaviour, and how she went on to warn other women that he could behave in an inappropriate manner. mr weinstein denies all allegations of non—consensual sex. a bus carrying foreign tourists to mayan ruins in mexico has crashed killing at least twelve people, including a child. the bus had been travelling to the eastern tip of the yucatan peninsula when it veered off the road and flipped over. local officials said eighteen passengers were injured. now on bbc news, tuesday in parliament.