this is bbc world news. our top stories: the uk has left the european union and will embark on talks about the future relationship —— but the country is far from united. to be independent, to be free to make our own trade rules is extremely porton for me as a button. i think it's against the peace and prosperity we have had and i think we are very arrogant and i think that's really dangerous for us asa that's really dangerous for us as a country. us senators vote against calling witnesses at donald trump's impeachment trial, making the acquittal of the president

all but certain. 1,300 new cases of the coronavirus are confirmed in china. the death toll rises to almost 260. and we'll be live in melbourne in the run—up to the final act in the women's competition. none of the britain has now officially left the european union after 47 years. there have been celebrations and commiserations across the united kingdom with many people gathering in the streets to mark the moment of history. prime minister boris johnson says it's not an end but a beginning — but many questions remain over what the future holds. john maguire reports.

they had come to parliament square from far and wide, from the north... t side. and the site. i've come from brighton. to witness what the rallystar attraction's called the greatest moment in modern british history. we should celebrate the fact that, free from the constraints of the european union, we once again will be able to find our place in the world. to be independent, to be free to make our own trade rules, our own laws, our own trade laws, who we trade with is supremely important for me as a briton. did you ever doubt that tonight might happen? yes, you bet. we said that, at times, in those dark days, that it would be a miracle if we got brexit and i think it is some sort of miracle that we have got

brexit. so you've come all the way down from teesside to london especially for tonight? yes. tell me why. because it is a momentous moment in history for the country and it's worth celebrating and i wanted to be pa rt celebrating and i wanted to be part of that. big benbrexit bombings's had materialised. instead, clocks both digitally and famously analogue were projected onto ten downing street. while outside the palace of westminster, they partied like it was 2020. well, thatis partied like it was 2020. well, that is it. brexit, the giant screens declared in red, white and blue, we are out. 11 o'clock on the 31st of january, 2020. one of course for the history books but really, it's the future that will determine whether or not this was the right call. of course, not eve ryo ne right call. of course, not everyone celebrated. some commiserated. this

was 0xford. my commiserated. this was 0xford. my business was put at risk because of this and my kids futures and jobs are being put at risk and my family disagree with it. i think it's against the peace with that in the prosperity and the cooperation andi prosperity and the cooperation and i think we are being very aggressive and arrogant and i think that's really dangerous for us as a country. i hope we have the wisdom to negotiate come something useful and sensible, i really hope so. it's really unknown. i'm not that hope at the moment. in edinburgh, capital of a country that had voted to remain in the eu, they used music to soothe their souls at holyrood and some called for independence, to pave the way for a return. the fact of the matter is that the only way back into the european union for scotland is if we regain our statehood and regain our independence. i'm feeling sad because brexit is happening but really optimistic that the fact scott and

actually has a chance to rejoin the eu and just have a nicer future than brexit britain. but celtic cousins in wales where leave at the upper hand lowered the european flag outside the senate the last time. it wasn't just a political party, it was democracy. democracy has one and that's why i'm celebrating. and on the irish border, for so long the issue that seemed insurmountable in the pursuit of exit, remain as expressed concern and regret. tomorrow morning might not be different but in the coming weeks or months ahead as we see, rights and opportunities taken away from us, we will certainly feel it then. leave supporters in parliament square were told we would still be friends with the people of europe despite leaving the union. meanwhile a conciliatory message was emblazoned across the white cliffs of dover. the face we she was still show to

continental europe even if from now on, so continental europe even if from now on, so much of our relationship has changed. alongside a trade deal, the uk and the eu must also agree a deal on how to cooperate when it comes to their security. with lives at stake, it is a big priority for both sides — but withjust 11 months to the end of the transition period, how much can be achieved? 0ur europe correspondent jean mackenzie reports. inside this laurie, the dead bodies of 39 and these people smuggled across borders last over to reach the uk. this was an international criminal operation. as countries by these increasingly complex crimes of trafficking as well as drug smuggling and terror, more and more they are having to work together. thousands of joint police operations are run from here every year, the headquarters of europe also in their police across europe are

sharing information, resources and strategies but when the uk leaves the european union, it was these as its membership here. until 2018, it was these as its membership here. until2018, it was was these as its membership here. until 2018, it was run by this bridge, sir robert wainwright. every day, uk police officers, port officials, border officials are relying on the fact that they can check instantaneously certain eu systems for example, rely on agencies like europe to deal with like international criminal problems. in that sense, if you replace it with nothing, yes, of course, that would be a major security challenge for the uk. and it's not just these joint police operations. the eu has a whole load of systems which make it easier to identify, track and extradite minerals. uk could lose access to databases, finger prints and dna and allow police to track suspects as they move between countries. so

in this next round of negotiations, both sides have a critical task. they have to agree a new way of working together that protect their security. how much bargaining power do you think the uk will have when it comes to security? i think they have some bargaining power, more than in free trade, i would, in my perspective see but if you want to participate in certain agencies, you also have to think about participating in policies. you have to live up to the eu human rights standards and the data protection standards if they wa nt to protection standards if they want to have access to databases of want to have access to data bases of euro want to have access to databases of euro pole and the european union. you know, we're going to have to react something new that hasn't been done before to a certain extent. i do think though that the period of terrible terrorist atrocities for example that europe has gone through over the past 5— seven years focuses the mind so i'm an optimist in nature, i'd like to think we can get there, i think there is an awful lot of work still to be done. the government security of the uk's top priority. the next

11 months will show what concessions it's prepared to make to keep people safe. jean mackenzie, bbc news. us senators have voted against calling witnesses at donald trump's impeachment trial, a move which brings the end of the process much closer. the democrats failed to persuade enough republicans that witness testimony was necessary. the final vote will take please on wednesday. 0ur washington correspondent chris buckler reports. president trump left the white house to spend the weekend at his mara largo resort in order and he can afford to relax now. are there any senators in the chamber wishing to change his or her vote? if not, the is a 49. the neighbours are 51. by the narrowest of margins, a request to call witnesses was rejected. two republican senators did vote

with the democrats, to have potentially damaging testimony and demand documents but that was half the number they needed. if the president is acquitted, with no witnesses, no doc men's, the acquittal will have no value because americans will know this trial was not a real trial. among the people the democrats wanted to call to give evidence wasjohn bolton, the white houseformer national‘s security adviser. in a forthcoming book, it's claimed pieces mr trump told him ofa claimed pieces mr trump told him of a plan to put pressure on the ukrainian president with a significant aim of asking him to launch an investigation into president trump was my political opponents but the presidentlawyers's in their transcripts of phone calls show he did nothing wrong. let me read you what our ukrainian allies said. it was normal. we spoke about many things i think when you read it that nobody pushed me. they think you can

read minds. ithink pushed me. they think you can read minds. i think you look at the words. senators will convene again on monday for closing arguments and then on wednesday for a final vote. it would take two—thirds of the senate to convict mr trump and remove him from office and across america, remove him from office and across america , everyone remove him from office and across america, everyone knows there is no chance of that happening. chris butler, bbc news, washington. the united states has announced that foreign citizens who've been in china in the past 14 days will be barred from entering the us, to control the spread of the coronavirus. the authorities in hubei — where the outbreak originated — have declared 1,300 new cases of the virus, and confirmed at least 45 more deaths. let's go live to hong kong and speak to the bbc‘s mariko 0i. many countries are doing what the us is doing and banning travel to and from china and getting tough on their battle

with the coronavirus. indeed, ever since the world health organization declared this outbreak a global emergency, we heard just from the united states, but many other countries including japan, singapore and if few in europe announcing travel restriction. some countries banning any mainland chinese passport holders from entering the countries. this is what beijing might‘ve been afraid of in terms of this declaration. there has been a bit of speculation if there was any pressure on the who on beijing not to declare this as such because these measures could have quite admitting an impact on chinaeconomy. ‘s with the various that this outbreak could knock off 1—2% of chinese growth that we heard from the

party secretary of wuhan city whether the virus originated saying, i feel very guilty, ashamed and remorseful if we could have taken strict measures earlier, the situation wouldn't have been as bad so very worded apology from the communist party official which is quite unusual but a lot of pressure on the chinese government and here in hong kong, the government has closed some of the borders but there isa some of the borders but there is a lot of pressure on the hong kong government to do more to follow other countries and close all the borders in order to prevent spread of the virus thank you very much indeed for that update. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the customs might look familiar but people in new england tell us a trade deal between the uk and the us won't be that straightforward. this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for.

after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. the ban on the african national congress is lifted immediately, and the anc leader, nelson mandela, is to be set free unconditionally. ..four, three, two, one... a countdown to a critical moment. the world's most powerful rocket ignited all 27 of its engines at once. and apart from its power, it's this recycling of the rocket, slashing the cost of a launch, that makes this a breakthrough in the business of space travel. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it a piece of cake. thousands of people have given the yachtswoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world

non—stop. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the uk has officially left the european union, bringing to an end nearly half a century of membership. us senators have voted against calling witnesses at donald trump's impeachment trial, making the acquittal of the president all but certain. more now on brexit, and the situation has made little impact in the us. politics there has been dominated by the impeachment trial and the upcoming presidential election. but there's some sympathy with the upheaval caused by four years of uncertainty, as jane o'brien reports from new hampshire. gareth barlow is on board a ferry travelling from hook of holland to harwich and hejoins me now. i know the ship you on has docked, and that route you took

this evening is a hugely important one in terms of the uk's connection with the european union, isn't it? yeah, you join us live on top of the helicopter death of this vessel, rather windy up here, but we have arrived in the uk. this vessel left the port of rotterdam in holland late last night. at the moment brexit happened, the moment the uk left the european union, well, nothing really was notable on board. people had gone to bed, there was a couple of people left in the bar and the restau ra nt. left in the bar and the restaurant. you could have blinked and you would have missed it. for people who operate shipping lines like this and also people who use shipping lines like this, they say nothing really changes for them at the moment, because of them at the moment, because of the transition period, because of the status quo regarding the rules and regulations, because that will be the same, nothing really changes that will be the same, nothing really cha nges insta ntly. that will be the same, nothing really changes instantly. but obviously it is an historic and momentous moment. what have people been saying to you, on that boat? what have they

been saying about how they feel about the changes coming in the next year? well, they have told us next year? well, they have told us they are very much ready, that the shipping lines have done all they can, the companies that operate these lines. we spoke to one gentleman who was taking 30,000 seeds for flowers from holland to commentary in the uk. he was ready, he had spent several thousands of pounds of new technology on new software to be sure that he could be ready for any customs changes, any regulatory changes that might come into effect. they say they have done all that they can, and if anything, the stability of the transition period is reassuring, to a degree. they are now waiting, they are waiting to see what the eu and the uk decide over the next 11 months, if they make a decision and reach an agreement at all. so they are in a waiting game now to see what people do and do not decide on how they do and do not react. from their perspective, both the people who operate lines like this and the people who use them, they

say they are quietly confident at the moment that this period will be a bit more simple to deal with in the last three yea rs of deal with in the last three years of uncertainty have been. gareth barlow, thank you. let's get a bit more now on brexit. the situation has made little impact in the us. politics there has been dominated by the impeachment trial and the upcoming presidential election. but there's some sympathy with the upheaval caused by four years of uncertainty, as jane o'brien reports from new hampshire. the silver phantom tea party in dover — that is dover, new hampshire — is a popular spot for ladies who lunch. here in new england, they feel close to the old country. and not only because of the familiar names and tradition of tea. the political upheaval of brexit is something they can also relate to.

i understand how they might be kind of sick of being part of all the other european nations. but that is their strength. i think brexit is a very sad situation and will be tragic for england. why? i feel england will be ostracising themself from the rest of the world at a time when is more important for us to be global and i think this isjust a really backward move. similar to the us. new england's relationship with the uk has had its ups and downs over the last four centuries. but britain is america's fifth largest trading partner. international business expert peter lane says the us is vital to the british economy. but brexit has created uncertainty. as we look forward over the next year, as these trade relationships evolve, we need to keep in mind that it is all really a rubik's cube. there is the eu and how you can negotiate with them, and that is one

side. then there is the uk and the us on the other side. but then each group has other relationships that will be impacted by it. so it is notjust straightening out one side. it is going to take several years before this settles out and we know what the world will look like. tourism is another important link. british visitors spent $141 million in new england every year. brexit should not affect that. but despite the uncertainty, some things never change. a nice cup of tea, for instance, on either side of the atlantic, can always be counted on to soothe the nerves. our europe correspondence damien, atticus has been engaging opinion in benidorm in spain, speaking to one british expat about how, now that the uk has left the eu, how she feels about what this means her business.

this is what they call the english strip here at benidorm on the costa blanca. this is the rover‘s return bar, and all the way along here, we have the bars that attract english visitors, british visitors from the uk, the yorkshire pride bar, and running the yorkshire pride bar, paige dawson. hello. the uk has left the eu. i know. it's out. it's officially happened! it has officially happened! yep. your emotions, i mean you're a brit, you've been here for 25 years. yeah, that's right. i mean, it's a sad monent in a sense to be leaving, and a lot of uncertainty comes with it for us here because we don't know exactly what's going to happen, how it's going to work and how the transition process is going to work. so it'sjust literally take it step by step, see what information we're given and how we need to go about things now and go from there, really. yeah, so, i mean, you have permanent residency here in spain. yeah,

that's right. but are you clear about how things go forward now, how you're going to secure your status in spain? no, no, we have no idea yet what documentation we're going to need, how we're going to go about getting it. the brits that are here that haven't got residency yet, how they're even going to go about getting work, what paperwork they'll need for that, if they can apply for the residency now — we just don't know. it's the uncertainty that's actually going to scare people more than the actual brexit itself, it's the not knowing and being in a bit of limbo. and this is something we've heard from british citizens up and down the coast here who simply aren't clear in their mind about how things will work now. is it something that's also impacting your business here? yeah, like, we haven't noticed any great impacts yet, but the worry is how it might affect it. so all the british products that we sell, are we still going to be able to get them? are we going to get them, but there's going to have some kind of tax on them? it's going to make them super expensive to get anyway.

there's already one of the products that we do use regularly and use a lot of and we know we already can't get that because of the fears. beers, barrells that that we get from the uk that are imported, we. . .they're already worrying about that so they've already stopped that before we'd even got to brexit. so things like that, we won't be able to carry on if we haven't got all the british produce that the brits want to come and have when they're on holiday. you have now lost, as of, through uk exiting, your rights to vote here, you may — you'll be here as a british citizen but you have no voice in spain. no, we have no voice in spain because we're not spanish nationals, so we can't vote here, and now because we're living here and not in an uk, we also can't vote in the uk, so basically we're completely silenced out and there'll be hundreds and hundreds and thousands of people that are in the same situation where they've literally got no vote anywhere now. a quick question, some british citizens we've spoken to are opting to take up spanish citizenship if they've been here long enough. you have, more than 10 years. would

you? no, iwouldn't, simply because i am proud to be british. and i've got no need to stop being british. as long as i can carry on living, working, earning a living here, travelling, which we'll be able to, i'm still british. paige dawson, thank you very much for talking to us. and as paige was saying, that uncertainty is going to last quite a long time, in particular the people with affected are those like paige who live and work across the eu and there are more than a million of those uk citizens. back to you. let's get you some of the day's other news making headlines. a one—time aspiring actress says harvey walle nstei n one—time aspiring actress says harvey wallenstein subjected her to degrading abuse and some of the most graphic testimony shared in his trial so far. jessica mann detailed a catalogue of abuse by the hollywood producer. his lawyers say that emails prove his and

ms mann's relationship was consensual. he denies the charges and all allegations of wrongdoing. the united states has announced it is expanding its curbs on immigration to include six more countries, including nigeria. its citizens will now be blocked from obtaining certain types of visas, but they will still be able to visit as tourists. the european plane maker our bus is to pay $4 billion to settle corruption allegations in the united states, britain and france. the settlement has been approved by the courts of all three countries after four yea rs of three countries after four years of investigations. airbus was suspected of corrupt payments linked to aircraft sales dating back more than a decade. before we go, reminder of our top story. britain has officially left the european union, pumping celebrations and protests, and kicking off a tense period of negotiations on their future relationship. let's listen to how this key moment happened on

downing street. big ben bongs. there were brexit party ‘s in the uk and also pro—european parties around the uk as well. —— brexit parties. hello there. it was another windy day on friday. as we head on into the weekend, low pressure will always be nearby. so it will stay rather unsettled. mild for most, and there will be some rain at times, but also some sunshine too. so here it is — low pressure to the north of the uk on saturday. this will bring some rain to northern areas. quite a few isobars on the chart there, hence the windy weather. and then this area of low pressure will arrive during saturday night into sunday. the very mild air will be pushed off into the near continent on saturday, and something a little less mild will move in. but it's still going to be pretty mild across the south. so, a blustery day for most. that weather front i showed you, affecting scotland, northern ireland and northern

england with showery bursts of rain. could have a little bit of rain across the south—east, but that should clear away and then for many it will be sunshine and showers into the afternoon. most of those showers across western areas. the winds dig down from the north across scotland, so blustery here, but also blustery across england and wales. here, the winds coming in from the south—west, so it will be much milder across the south and further north. in fact, turning quite chilly, a few wintry showers here. again, 10 or 11 degrees in the south, not quite as mild as it was on friday. now, as we head through saturday night, one or two showers around, wintry on the hills in scotland. but then a quieter spell before that next area of low pressure comes hurtling in to bring outbreaks of rain into northern ireland, england and wales. some of that rain will be mild and heavy through saturday night, turning milder again in the south as the rain arrives, but quite a chilly night to come across the north and north—east. so, here it is, a bit of a complicated picture through sunday morning. we've got that weather slowly sliding north,

tending to clear away from eastern england as the morning wears on, but it could be quite a damp start for northern, eastern england, northern ireland, central, southern scotland. as that rain bumps into the cold air across scotland, we might see some snow over the mountains there. into the afternoon, it improves for many, sunny spells around, one or two showers mainly across western areas. you'll notice the milder air will be back, 11 to 14 degrees here, much chillier in the north. as we head on into monday, this area of low pressure, deep low will bring a swathe of severe gales to the north of the country, certainly to scotland. they could see some snow over the high ground. the windy weather then clears away into tuesday and then we see a big area of high pressure building around the middle parts, that will settle things down, but it will be a bit colder. so a milder day on monday with some rain around. mid week, high pressure builds and it will settle down, turn brighter with overnight frost and gradually it will turn milder by the end of the week.

this is bbc news, the headlines: britain has officially left the european union, bringing an end to nearly half a century of membership. the moment of departure triggered celebrations by brexit supporters around the country, with many

people waving union flags for others, though, it was a sad moment. there have been muted counter—rallies by people who wanted to remain in the eu, saying they feel disenfranchised by the move. us senators have voted against calling witnesses at donald trump's impeachment trial, a move which brings the end of the process much closer. the democrats failed to persuade enough republicans that witness testimony was necessary. the authorities in the chinese province of hubei have declared 1,300 new cases of the coronavirus, and confirm at least 45 more deaths. the us has announced it will bar foreigners who have been to china from entering the country.

and let's return to our main story again britain leaving the eu. one of the most difficult challenges faced by uk and eu brexit negotiators throughout the last few years was the status of northern ireland. emma vardy was at the irish border in the minutes after it became the uk's only land border with the eu. well, all of a sudden this invisible geographical line takes on a great new significance. this, where i am standing, is now the new land border between the uk and the eu. there was no great fanfare, no singing, a small band of protesters gathered here to mark the moment. to the eye, of course, nothing will change, but it will have implications for thousands of businesses across the island. now, keeping is border open was always such a difficult part of those brexit negotiations. in the end, a resolution was found through a controversial compromise which effectively moves this border to the irish sea. it leaves northern ireland in a bit of a halfway house

in future, abiding by eu single market rules,