this is bbc news. the headlines. one of the two people to test positive for coronavirus in the uk is a student at the university of york — the search is now on for people who've had close contact with the two chinese nationals. in china, the death toll from the virus reaches 259 — with nearly 12,000 people infected there. the uk enacts its most profound strategic change in a generation, leaving the european union, after nearly half a century. as some celebrated, others comisserated — among them french president emmanuel macron.

the bbc finds that more than a thousand people with the most serious complaints about the department for work and pensions face a delay of 18 months before their cases are even investigated. the acquittal of president trump becomes all but certain — as senators vote against calling witnesses at his impeachment trial. and in half an hour, bbc wales investigates one of the biggest scandals to plague the welsh nhs. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. nhs officials are trying to trace people who had close contact with 2 chinese nationals diagnosed with the coronavirus. the two are being treated

at a specialist unit in newcastle. one is a student at york university. elsewhere, 83 british people and 27 others, evacuated from the chinese city of wuhan yesterday, are spending two weeks in quarantine at a hospital on the wirral. dan johnson reports. to the absolute, you know, maximum that anyone could possibly expect... meet matt, one of the 83 people spending the next fortnight here in quarantine. the windows, i think we can...? yes, we can actually open the windows and get some fresh air. usually home to nurses, this is where families are being monitored on the return from wuhan. there is an army of people here who are looking after us extremely well. they were driven from the wirral from raf brize norton in 0xfordshire last night. the coach company says the five drivers were told they didn't need protective

clothing, but they will clothing, but they will have the next two weeks at home. in newcastle, two chinese nationals from the same family are being treated in an isolated facility at the royal victoria infirmary. one was a student at the university of york but it is not ——thoughtthat they did not show symptoms on campus. the hotel room where they fell ill is being disinfected and officials say they are making good progress tracing those in close contact with the pair. we have not really got effective treatments for a novel virus like this yet. a vaccine would be some way off, we have not heard any discussion about antiviral drugs where we have had these kind of things before. it comes down, really, to mobilising the public to be sensible in terms of practical common sense, everyday measures... in china, the virus has not affected 12,000 people and 259 have died. some countries are taking steps to ban chinese travellers, and the

world health organization has declared an international emergency, with more than a hundred cases now in over 20 countries. they have brought as televisions, radios... back on the wirral, so far all is well. as far as we know, we are all both tickety and boo and in that order. but this is just the start of a two—week wait. we can speak to luxmy gopal who's in newcastle, at the royal victoria infirmary. i suspect there are a lot of questions being asked right no, bring us up to date with what we know as mark one of the questions people may be asking is how many people may be asking is how many people have been tested so far? we have the answer for that because in the last few minutes the department of health issued details on the tester to be carried out and they told us that they have taken to

lodge in three tests and of those two were positive. the remaining we re two were positive. the remaining were not positive. two people that tested positive are being treated at the infectious diseases centre which is just the infectious diseases centre which isjust on the the infectious diseases centre which is just on the other side of the building behind me at the royal victoria infirmary in newcastle. but we also know which is on dan's report, over a hundred people were flown back from china who are being keptin flown back from china who are being kept in quarantine and looked after. what the department of health wouldn't tell me is which groups of people that they have been testing but what we know is that it was nearly back group there. with basic maths, we know a lot more people have been tested and have been found to be negative for coronavirus. the public health england have said they had made good progress in trying to trace other people who may be at risk after coming into contact with the two patients here so it may well

be that a large number of the tests being carried out were in relation to that. they have made good progress on that and what we want to clarify is that it has not caused panic for everyone who has happen to be at the hotel at the same time. the patient as they were visiting because they are at minimal risk. it is mainly around anyone who was within two metres of the two patients for a period of 50 minutes oi’ patients for a period of 50 minutes or more who was at risk and been told to get in contact if they had any symptoms. —— 15 minutes. an update on the two patients, one of them is a student from the university of york and the other is related to that student. the university has ta ken related to that student. the university has taken steps to try and work with public health england to minimise the risk and says they are aware that it is a worrying time for staff and students at the wider

community and have set up a helpline to demand throughout the weekend for anyone with questions or concerns. we're joined now via webcam from norwich by professor paul hunter who is a professor of health protection at the university of east anglia. could you take us through the process that the university of york will be going through it know with best be confirmed because marklj will be going through it know with best be confirmed because mark i am not sure what university will be doing, public health england have suggested that they are trying to identify any of the students that we re identify any of the students that were close contacts of one of the two cases and ensuring they are given adequate advice on how to try and avoid going in public for the next couple of weeks and what to look out for in terms of the development of symptoms and what to do if you become unwell. for the

university of york, it must be said that i think public health england are absolutely right when they see that the risk to other students is quite small and i think the university will be continuing to share that message and make sure that students are aware of what they should do, if they believe they have beenin should do, if they believe they have been in contact with the unfortunate student. you confront within that statement that the risk of infection would be small. many people would say that university environment is very coarse and unique as students are in close encounters with each other. does that not raise the risk of infectionmark yes. one of the to put a good opinion of this at the moment as we are not entirely sure what the time wind of this is, when

they became ill and how long ago... that is quite critical information because one of the problems with this novel coronavirus is we know except that we do have a risk of person—to—person transmission before symptoms develop. it is unlikely that that risk is very long before the onset of symptoms, maybe a few days, not much longer than that, and so days, not much longer than that, and so if the person has not been in the university within two or three days becoming unwell, i think the risks to elsewhere in the university is pretty much zero. if he was in the university indeed before then maybe the was more concern and maybe we need to be thinking more about who

he was sitting next to in classes, if he was a sign student doing laboratory work, but i have no particular... further information on that than what has already been mentioned. without causing a panic, with most people saying we have contracted a simple cold... how do you know whether you should go for the doctor? i think it's certainly... the advice at the moment paterno is, if you have nothing to worry about unless you have been to china in the incubation period, that has changed somewhat no because we have had cases within the uk. it is not clear to me yet whether both of those students have

returned from china themselves or whether one came to spend time with the other and then there was cross infection between them. public health england will be aware with that and that will be running a what about risk assessments. in terms of people know, ideally what you would wa nt to people know, ideally what you would want to do is decide whether or not you are likely to have been in contact. public health england will have contacted by no most of the people who do think will be a risk, but possibly not all. and so, essentially, if the issue... if you believe you are at risk and you develop symptoms, whether or not public health england has been in touch, it is best to discuss that with people on nhs 911. in an ideal

world, would know by now and have better parameters for people to judge whether or not they have been in contact with that information is not yet in the public domain. just to confirm, there is no point going to confirm, there is no point going to your local doctor and expecting antibiotics guess that this is not going to help? absolutely not. antibiotics will not work at all against this virus and there are no specific antiviral drugs that have been shown to guide us. there is absolutely no treatment for mild illnesses other than paracetamol, just to help reduce fever and make if you feel a little better. in any event, if you are potentially at risk to infection, it is not a good idea to go to your doctor because if you go ill to your gp and you are

sitting in the waiting room, you have the risk of infecting other people. if you are ill and you are believing you are at risk, phone nhs 911 or your doctor but do not turn up 911 or your doctor but do not turn up at the surgery. you will risk exposing other people to it. thank you very much for that. just to remind you that we are expected to getan remind you that we are expected to get an update from the university of york, hearing from the vice chancellor who is making a statement later this afternoon and we will bring you that right here on bbc news. there was confirmation that a student from university tested positive for coronavirus. the united kingdom is today beginning a new era outside the european union.

at 11 o'clock last night, the legal ties which have bound britain to its european neighbours for almost five decades were cut. in a message released by downing street, borisjohnson said he wanted to unite the country and expressed the hope that brexit would mark a moment of national renewal. 0ur political correspondent, helen catt, reports. there is no turning the clock back now. the uk became an ex—member of the european union at this moment. big ben chimes cheers in the shadow of the real big ben, some celebrated a long—held dream. we should celebrate the fact that, freed from the constraints of the european union, we once again will be able to find our place in the world. at holyrood, others sign to mark a moment they had hoped would ——sang to mark a moment they hoped would never come.

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. and on the cliffs at ramsgate in kent, a message to our nearest neighbours. today, one came back. in a letter on social media that starts, dear british friends, the french president emmanuel said the channel had never managed to separate our destinies, brexit will not do so either. so what practical difference what we noticed this morning? well, none. the uk is now in a transition period will be keep following eu laws until the end of december while the government negotiate a new relationship with europe. downing street wants it done in time for new rules to start next january. despite warm words, the eu has made it clear that negotiations are unlikely to be easy. europe has no experience in negotiating trade agreements and this is a peculiar one because normally negotiations are about trying to come together, but this time we are going to try and negotiate a trade agreement where somebody wants to pull away from us.

i cannot get my head around that. i think it is going to be quite complicated. both sides are expected to set out their opening positions in the coming days, a new phase of uk history has started. what it will bring will take a little longer to find out. so what's all this going to mean for british expats in places like spain? gavin lee is in malaga, gauging reaction. i have gone up the hills are from margot, welcome. this is a place where the brits have been coming to it since the 1950s. it is the second highest population by the spanish 8900 british residents here. 10% of the population of malaga. it is fairly split on the residents here,

same yearfor or against fairly split on the residents here, same year for or against brexit. you would think most people would want to remain. a lot of people say it is reassuring, because of the transition arrangement, things stay the same until the end of the year, residency, passports and pensions, it is next year when the negotiations of what could change. what the government as they know that if you have papers, make sure everything is in order and form for health, it can stay the same. amongst others is beautiful views, people eating ice cream, i want to see what it means in spanish. i am joined by the deputy mayor of the area. the day after brexit, what does it mean to you at this area? yes it was a sad day. i could not stop to think about it british

citizens here because they really wa nt to citizens here because they really want to continually live here, they wa nt to want to continually live here, they want to continue being our neighbours here in mijas, so it is a sad historical day. tells what the british people, what impact they have here, in terms of... the ashley have here, in terms of... the ashley have a nickname? we have an accent and cpra have a nickname? we have an accent and cpr a long time ago, several decades, they are part of the culture, they participate in the relationships between the british citizens and the locals here. very close. what are you worries on the horizon view after the transition

period? we have to wait for the talks between the uk and europe but i hope that it will be a friendly brexit and say we are going to be in this way with all british citizens. they are not alone here in mijas, we are with them and we are going to help with all the work and we really wa nts help with all the work and we really wants them to become widows and we will be with them. thank you very much. just a quick point as we come this way. a lot of british estate agents and spanish estate agents to be are struggling because the bitters are not buying as many, it is the french and the danish and dutch by much more in a long time. something has disappeared know, but there was the most fantastic looking ice cream that even in the winter, that brings the shakier. you can see

why it remained special here. the headlines on bbc news... one of the two people to test positive for coronavirus in the uk is a student at the university of york — the search is now on for people who've had close contact with the two chinese nationals. bell tolls. the uk enacts its most profound strategic change in a generation, leaving the european union, after nearly half a century. a 19—year—old man dies and a 22—year—old woman is seriously ill, after they're believed to have taken the drug mdma at a student event in warwickshire. donald trump is a step closer to being acquitted in the presidential impeachment trial after the senate voted against calling witnesses.

he has been accused of abusing his power and obstructing congress. 0ne senior democrat accused republicans of being accomplices to a presidential cover—up. from washington, chris buckler reports. president trump left the white house to spend the weekend at his mar—a—lago resort in florida and he can afford to relax now after a vote that will cut short his impeachment trial. are there any senators in the chamber wishing to change his or her vote? if not, the yays are a9, the nays are 51. by the narrowest of margins, a request to call witnesses was rejected, two republican senators voted with the democrats to hear potentially damaging testimony and demand documents but that was half the number they needed. if the president is acquitted with no witnesses, no documents, the acquittal will have no value.

among the people the democrats wanted to call to give evidence wasjohn bolton, the white house's former security adviser. in a forthcoming book, it is claimed he says mr trump told him of a plan to put pressure on the ukrainian president, volodymyr zelensky, with the specific aim of forcing him to launch investigations into mr trump's political opponents. but the president's lawyers insist that transcript of their 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". 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 everyone knows there is no chance of that happening. chris buckler, bbc news, washington.

palestinian president mahmoud abbas has threatened to cut all ties — including security ties — with the us and israel following president trumps new peace plan. in a speech in cairo, president abbas rejected the us peace plan and said he would take his case to the un security council. palestinian protestors took to the streets on friday to demonstrate against trumps annoucement thatjeruslaem would remain the "undivided capital" of israel as part of a new peace deal. a 19—year—old man has died and a 22—year—old woman is seriously ill, after they're believed to have taken the drug mdma at a student event in warwickshire. police said a number of other people were also taken to hospital "suffering adverse effects" after going the drum and bass event in leamington. residents in the south of australia's capital, canberra, have been put on alert,

over fears that bushfires may spread. a state of emergency was declared yesterday — the first in the area since deadly fires there in 2003. shaimaa khalil has more. the bushfire south of canberra at a national park behind me has been burning for more than a week now. today was meant to be the worst day. it has already ravaged through 115,000 hectares, about 15% or more of the australian capital territory or the act. the head of the emergency services here has said there is no immediate danger to suburbs in canberra but said the situation can change for areas south of the capital. so, in the suburb of banks, where i am right now, people have been told to keep an close eye on fire activity. and you have the combination of sweltering heat. today has been a really hot day. the wind has been picking up in a tinder—dry landscape. that is how things can get worse. the fire itself has been behaving quite erratically, spreading in multiple directions. then of course there are the embers. theyjump way ahead of the main

front, causing their own fires. we understand that embers from this place have caused spot fires in new south wales. that is really what is worrying people in the southern suburbs, the kind of damage that embers can cause. something else has been weighing heavy on people here and that is the memory of the devastating fire of 2003, when four people were killed and 500 homes were destroyed. that is why the authorities are not taking any chances. a state of emergency has been called with constant warnings on the radio. we have seen aircraft fly over the blaze, dumping water and fire retardant. the military has been knocking on some people's doors advising people what to do in the case of evacuation. everybody now is watching closely and waiting to see how the fire is going to behave. more than a thousand people with the most serious complaints about the department for work and pensions, face a delay of 18 months, before their cases

are even investigated. radio 4's money box programme has found the independent case examiner is also regularly missing targets on how long investigations should take, once a case has been opened. 0ur correspondent dan whitworth spoke to shaun ley about the impact the delays are having. ultimately, you can talk about as many figures or numbers as you want, at least part of the story is people. i want to give you one example. a gentleman we are speaking to who we are calling allen, he has a dispute with the child maintenance service, who, of course, comes under the auspices of the dwp, and regardless of the rights or wrongs of his individual case, some numbers for you here now. he initially complained to the child maintenance service in november 2017. it took a year and a half to exhaust their complaints process, that brings us to summer 2019. he was then allowed to apply to the independent case examiner. it is a little bit like the ombudsman for the dwp. they said yes, we will investigate your case, but... this was the summer of last year?

this was the summer of 2019. but it is going to take a year and a half before we even investigate and i know, from data we have found out, that investigation will likely take six months. add all of that... that takes us to the beginning of 2022. around about summer 2021, but if you add all that up, that is essentially nearly a four year waiting in this case. he has described his life as flatlining during this time, he has described that delay is obscene. it is extraordinarily long. how is the process supposed to work? supposedly it isn't one person with a desktop? no, no, no. that would take a while. the independent case examiner, as i said, it is a little bit like an ombudsman for the dwp, you have to exhaust the complaints process with your individual organisation, like the child maintenance service. then you go to the independent case examiner. you have to be, sort of, accepted by ice, and then you have to wait for this investigation to start. that whole process we have found out, through a freedom of information request,

there is an 18 month gap, if you will, between the independent case examiner accepting your case and starting to investigate and when that case is investigated, there should be a 20 week target. most of the cases are missing that and most of the cases are hitting around six months. so we have big numbers of cases on backlog, what is a dwp saying itself about all this? it has actually held its hands up a little bit. we asked for a ministerial interview and they said no. but they did give us a statement. i have it here. "we understand the impact that waiting for an investigation can have on people and their families," it says, "we are hiring and training new staff as quickly as we can", and it does say "we have cleared more complaints last year than the year before," just adding finally, "the vast majority of complainers are satisfied with the service they receive." now it's time for a

look at the weather. what muck there's actually all sorts of different weather types. the best that can be found at the moment in the south. in between we have got this zone of cloud and salary raine is beginning to struggle south eastwards to the afternoon and actually there are some colder air coming in. on the northern part of the uk, this evening walk shower is clear and we have a brief window of clear and we have a brief window of clear skies. rain returns and the south—west, it turns very mild on the south—west corner and you can compare that with —1 in the aberdeen and the colder air. some snow is likely to mix them on the highest ground all year. quite a lot of ground for the south coast

and some rain for the channel islands. 5 degrees and aberdeen but very mild, highs of islands. 5 degrees and aberdeen but very mild, highs 01:14, down towards the south. hello, this bbc news with lu kwesa burak. the headlines: one of the two people to test positive for coronavirus in the uk is a student at the university of york — the search is now on for people who've had close contact with the two chinese nationals. public health england says 203 people have been tested