this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm sally bundock. the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine could arrive in britain within hours after the uk became the first country in the world to approve the jab. as we celebrate the scientific achievement we are not carried away with over optimism or fall into the naive belief that the struggle is over. it's not. sounding the alarm in brazil, as a new wave of covid—19 sees a surge in hospital admissions, with nearly 50,000 new cases in 2a hours. one of the most influential european politicians of the past half century,

the former president of france valery giscard d'estaing, has died at the age of 94. and the ski resorts with no skiers. francis is a water text to stop people travelling abroad to stop the spread of over19 abroad to stop the spread of over 19 —— border check. good to have you with us. the first doses of the pfizer—biontech coronavirus vaccine could arrive in britain within hours. a mass vaccination programme will begin next week, after the uk became the first country in the world to approve the jab yesterday. andy moore has the details. the uk has become the first

country in the western world to authorise the use of a vaccine. vaccine development was once again can —— compared to a train coming down the track. the train has now slowed down safely. it has now stopped in the station on the doors have opened. that was the authorisation by the nhra. what we need now is for people to get on that train and travel safely to their destinations. the prime minister called it a huge moment, but he also urge caution. it is all the more vital that as we celebrate the scientific achievement we are not carried away with over optimism orfall into not carried away with over optimism or fall into the not carried away with over optimism orfall into the naive belief that the struggle is over. it's not. we've got to stick to our winter plan. 800,000 doses of the vaccine to arrive in the uk shortly. they have to be kept at very low temperatures though distribution at first will be through major hospitals. that

means that care home residents, although top of the government's priority list, are unlikely to get the vaccine first. the uk regulator said the process of authorisation had been rapid but no less thorough. no corners have been cut. 0ur thorough. no corners have been cut. our expert scientists and clinicians have worked around the clock carefully, methodically poring over tables and analyses and graphs on every single piece of data. the vaccine rollout is due to happen across all four nations of the uk at the same pace. in northern ireland officials have set aside a new hospital emergency department is one of seven at designated vaccination site. in scotland, the first doses are expected to be given on tuesday. 0ther vaccines are also on the horizon. 0ne developed by oxford university and astrazeneca is currently being reviewed by the uk regulator. another from the

american company madrona is also being examined by regulators around the world. it will take months to rollout vaccines everyone in the uk to —— who wants one. the process is set to begin very shortly. andy moore, bbc news. the approval of the vaccine has caused some political reverberations. the eu has defended its own, slower approach, implying it allows for more safety checks. britain's health secretary, matt hancock, has linked the speed of the approval by the uk regulator the mhra to brexit, despite all eu countries being allowed to do this under european law. the german mep peter leesa told the bbc the uk's use of the law was inappropriate. ifs and the emergency authorisation that is proceeding under new law and i think the biggest problem is that matt hancock today said this is due to brexit that the uk can do it —— it's the emergency authorisation.

0bviously nhra said we are applying european law. they are applying european law. they are applying the provision of the european law but i don't think it's appropriate in this situation because the provision ofan situation because the provision of an emergency authorisation is foreseen for individuals that are under a big threat and that are under a big threat and that can only be helped by a medicine. so when you have cancer and the only available drug is not yet authorised you canjust drug is not yet authorised you can just try it. it's not safe enough, i will say. can just try it. it's not safe enough, iwill say. i can just try it. it's not safe enough, i will say. i wouldn't say there are major risks, but the risk is bigger than with the risk is bigger than with the proper authorisation and that you can also see with the legal situation with this emergency authorisation under eu law applicable still for the uk and forany eu law applicable still for the uk and for any other state in the european union you don't have the same liability than under the conditional licensing

that the european medical agency will give. that is the german mep they're talking about the vaccine and brexit and the relationship between the uk and the european union. something we will discuss and unpack further in our business coverage injust unpack further in our business coverage in just under 25 minutes' time. meanwhile, in the united states the number of people in hospital with coronavirus has topped 100,000 for the first time. infections are continuing to rise unabated, with 2,700 deaths recorded in a single day — the highest since april. officials have warned of a post—thanksgiving surge, and an average of 150,000 new cases are now being reported every day. the head of the centre for disease control has warned the us could see 200,000 more deaths between now and february. after the us, brazil has been the country ha rdest—hit by covid—19. more than 170,000 people have died and more than six million cases have been registered.

numbers did start falling from the highs ofjuly and august, but medical professionals are now sounding the alarm about a new wave after an explosion of hospital admissions. 0ur south america correspondent katy watson now reports from sao paulo. for this patient and his family today's virtual visit is particularly difficult. what to say when your loved one is about to be intubated. hoping for the best, fearing the worst. half—an—hour later the medical team gathers round. getting ready for a transfer to intensive care. doctor albers is on shift. she says there is no question this is a second wave. these past few weeks haven't been easy. translation: we are seeing a rise in increasingly serious cases. i think today people get

admitted ina cases. i think today people get admitted in a much worse state compared to the start of the pandemic. so this second wave is more worrying. there has been very little let up. at this field hospital since it opened eight months ago. there are 100 beds in this field hospital and it's about 80% full. staff here say that in the quieter months, september, 0ctober, they were used to seeing ten or 12 people being admitted a day. that number fell to around two at the weekends. november was busy and in the past week alone they are seeing at least 25 people being admitted here every single day. but on the streets of brazil it feels like life is returning to normal and has done for several months now. yes, there are measures in place, alcohol gel, masks, and efforts at distancing. but, say experts, people are dropping their guard. this doctor works in one of sao paolo's top hospitals. he says this is no second wave,

this is just he says this is no second wave, this isjust a continuation he says this is no second wave, this is just a continuation of the first. translation: the big difference with europe, i think, translation: the big difference with europe, ithink, is translation: the big difference with europe, i think, is one of social economics. take sao paulo, for example, the way people live, often in crowded spaces. we didn't isolate. there was no tough lockdown. so throughout this pandemic we've had people being admitted with covid with peaks and troughs. with christmas around the corner and summer holidays to follow medical teams here fear the hospitals will get busier and theirjob the hospitals will get busier and their job is the hospitals will get busier and theirjob is much harder. katy watson, bbc news, sao paulo. let's get some of the day's other news. the hong kong media mogul and apple daily founder jimmy lai will be remanded in custody until april the 16th next year after being denied bail over a fraud charge. two other executives of next media have been granted bail. mr lai has repeatedly denounced beijing's increasing controls over hong kong. a british charity has warned that thousands

of unaccompanied migrant children may have suffered damage to their mental health making the perilous sea crossing from africa to the canary islands. save the children estimates at least 2,000 minors made long crossings from places such as senegal and gambia in the past two months. half a million south korean students are sitting the annual university entrance examination, including 35 from their hospital beds. strict measures are being observed to ensure that the tests do not become a coronavirus superspreader event. the former french president valery giscard d'estaing has died at the age of 94 after a short illness. his seven years in office were marked by the liberalisation of laws on abortion and contraception, as well as investment in nuclear power and high—speed trains. france's current president, emmanuel macron, has said he transformed the country. paul hawkins looks back at his life.

undeniably intelligent, cultured, and accomplished but to his critics, a snob, arrogant and aloof. valery giscard d'estaing, a descendant of louis xv, first entered government when he was 33 years old, serving two stints, here at the french ministry for economy and finance. it was after the second stint in 1974 that he decided to run for president and, on the second of may that year, the french gave him their backing. translation: i know that today marks a new era for french politics. that of rejuvenation and change for france. change indeed. he relaxed abortion laws, offered equal opportunities to women and, as a fan of technology, gave the go—ahead to build the famous french high—speed rail network, the tgv, whilst also expanding the french nuclear industry.

but europe was his passion. together with germany, he pushed for integration, laying the foundations for europe's single currency, the euro. but his relationship with this man became his undoing. jean—bedel bokassa, the self—styled emperor of the central african republic. in 1979, giscard was accused of accepting diamonds from him as a gift, when he was finance minister. the president said he sold the diamonds and gave the proceeds to a number of charities but one of them, the french red cross, said it never received any money from him. two years later, in 1981, the french people voted him out, opting instead for francois mitterrand, so giscard turned his attention to continental politics. in the early ‘90s he was a member of the european parliament. and then in 2002 was chosen to help write a constitution for the european union.

valery giscard d'estaing was never a man of the people but he leaves behind a legacy. valery giscard d'estaing, who has died at the age of 94. for three weeks, president trump has made unfounded claims about the election result but has focused particularly on georgia — where a second recount has made no change tojoe biden's victory there. mr trump is angry and has taken it out on state officials, who have faced death threats from supporters of the president. barbara plett usher has the story. georgia has become a focus of president trump's battle to reverse his loss tojoe biden. a last stand for his supporters. it's a republican stronghold that he and they refuse to give up. that means gabriel sterling is getting more camera time than he ever wanted.

the seasoned election official has been overseeing the recount of votes. but it has turned nasty and he is blaming the president. yes, fight for every legal vote, go through your due process — we encourage you. use your first amendment, that is fine. death threats, physical threats, intimidation — it is too much. stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed. in classic style, trump has weaponized his tweets, alleging massive voter fraud and attacking the state's republican officials for failing to expose it... the second recount of votes is winding up, almost certainly without changing the result. georgia's republican secretary of state has stood up to the president's pressure and become one of the targets of trump supporters. he is urging calm. i want to extend grace to those that seemingly have hate in their heart. we have all been

through an awful lot. i encourage all of you to stay engaged, advocate for your values, policies and goals you believe. argue, dissuade and engage but do so peacefully. after sterling's outburst, two republican candidates for congress did condemn any threats or violence, as did the trump campaign, but their run—off races are stoking the political heat in georgia because whoever wins will determine which party controls the senate. president trump is heading to the state for a rally to support them later this week. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we speak to the couples counting the cost of the pandemic, as therapists see a surge in relationship counselling during lockdown. it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. i am feeling so helpless that the children are dying

in front of me and i can't do anything. charles manson is the mystical leader of the hippie cult suspected of killing sharon tate and at least six other people in los angeles. at 11am this morning, just half a metre of rock separated britain from continental europe. it took the drills just a few moments to cut through the final obstacle. then philippe cozette, a minerfrom calais, was shaking hands and exchanging flags with robert fagg, his opposite number from dover. this is bbc news, the latest headlines:

the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine could arrive in britain within hours after the uk became the first country in the world to approve the jab. therapists around the world have seen a surge in couples seeking relationship counselling during lockdown. they say the pandemic has placed unprecedented pressures on families. the bbc‘s emma ailes spoke to some whose relationships have ended during lockdown. covid—19 to me is defined by my partner of nine years leaving me during melbourne's stage four lockdown restrictions. cooped up in homes all over the world, many couples i felt a strain on the relationship. therapists are saying that is translating into more and more couples seeking relationship

counselling. lots of therapists are reporting a real demand for couples therapy and relationship therapy at the moment. people are saying they are struggling with communication, there is an impact on desire, but also just a huge amount of pressure for being a couple, being a family, working and living all in the same space working and living all in the same space without an outlet. australian musician karen and his girlfriend began expensing problems in the spring. because we we re problems in the spring. because we were in lockdown and there was limits to what we could and couldn't do, we entered this routine funk. it just went down really quickly. in brazil, richard and rafael say lockdown accelerated the end of their marriage.

early figures from some countries suggest a possible rise in divorce rate since lockdown began. south africa, saudi arabia and indonesia have all reported an increase. but it will be sometime before global trends fully clear. my perspective is that, kind of, unmet. we'll see a decline in divorce in 2020 and properly a slight uptick in 2021, 2022, and then a decline longer term stop certainly for some couples, all of this transpired over the last year is going to lead them down the road towards divorce court. but it's important to understand that a majority of couples are also reporting a deeper sense of appreciation and commitment. but for those whose relationships have ended, navigating a breakup during lockdown presents further challenges. while this hurts like hell, i think we outgrew one another. but i think that it just went down one another. but i think that itjust went down in a really

traumatising way because of lockdown, because of covid—19. time now for the latest sports news. hello, i'm katie shanahan. we'll start with the news that borussia dortmund are the latest team through to the knockout stages of the european champions league. raphael guerreiro was the one to score their goal in a 1—1 draw with lazio which secured their place in the last 16. ciro immobile equalised for lazio who'lljoin dortmund in the knockout stages if they avoid defeat at home to bruges next tuesday. meanwhile, group h has been thrown wide open by wins for rb leipzig and paris saint—germain.

the germans won 11—3 in istanbul while psg won 3—1 at manchester united, with neymar scoring twice for the french champions. united — who had fred sent off — would have qualified with a draw. it all means that united, psg and leipzig are all level on nine points with one game to go. we know the destiny is in their own hands and we know that we play against a good team, obviously. leipzig in the semi—final last year, we are developing into a better team as well and tonight, very pleased with the performance apart from, of course, they we re apart from, of course, they were more clinical. when it's to be more clinical in these types of games. it aims most of the time are decided by fine margins and today they were against us. next season, mick schumacher — son of the seven time world champion michael schumacher, will make his f1 debut. he says it's "a dream i have been chasing since i was three years old" after being confirmed as a driver

with the haas team. he'll line up in melbourne in march, 30 years after his father was given his debut. the german, who's now 21, could wrap up the formula 2 championship in bahrain this weekend. ac milan, napoli and benfica are among the big clubs who will be hoping to seal their spots in the knockout phase of the europa league later on thursday. and also tottenham hotspur. the english premier league leaders will qualify for the last 32 with a game to spare if they avoid defeat against the austrian side lask. but managerjose mourinho doesn't like the fact they'll be joined by eight teams dropping out of the champions league. some important clubs are going to the competition later. that is something that i never agreed but it is the way it is

and forsure, agreed but it is the way it is and for sure, eight clubs which we re and for sure, eight clubs which were not successful in the champions league instead of going home, they come to the europa league and that will change the dynamic of the competition. and that is it for sport. france will implement random border checks and quarantine measures as a way of deterring people from travelling abroad for skiing holidays. france, in common with germany and italy, is shutting its ski lifts over christmas to stop the spread of covid—19, but swiss slopes remain open. french mountains will be quieter than usual this christmas. resorts will be able to open but ski lifts will remain like this, which means downhill skiing will effectively be in possible in france at least until january. by france at least until january. by not allowing cls to run and by keeping bars and restaurants

shut, the french government hopes to contain the spread of covid—19 stop but the decision has sparked protests. ski resorts and businesses say that we surround christmas and new year are crucialfor we surround christmas and new year are crucial for their survival. translation: we don't understand how they could claim there are more risks in a ski lift queue than in the metro in paris stop the metro is covered indoors. here, we are in the open. all this is going to damage the economy of the valleys and employment in the long—term. i valleys and employment in the long—term. lam valleys and employment in the long—term. i am convinced that in the years to come, we're going to have repercussions from the closure of resorts, which is in my opinion, completely responsibleanswer is not alone in its decision to limit skiing during the festive season. germany and italy will also close they left over christmas and french authorities are now worried holidaymakers will go skiing to

neighbouring switzerland whether slaves remain open. to avoid this, france will impose random checks on the swiss border and french skiers will face a seven day quarantine on every turn. translation: we are still living with the virus, it still living with the virus, it still is a threat to our country and our people, therefore we need to take every possible measure in order to avoid a third wave of the pandemic. in switzerland itself, the situation is still unfolding. alpine resorts want to minimise restrictions but the government will decide on friday whether to impose a limit on visitors. before we wrap up this part of the program, let's talk about a new exhibition of works from the elusive street artist ba nksy the elusive street artist banksy which has opened in madrid. rats, monkeys and even kate moss feature — plus a screenprint of girl with a balloon, similiar to the work famously shredded by the artist during an auction sale in london. the organiser says banksy

‘transmits a message of criticism to contemporary society'. the top business stories are next. hello. we've a much colder snap of weather on the way for the next couple of days, so there's a much greater risk of some ice and some snow. snow from these showers in the north through the course of today, and even perhaps in this band of more persistent rain in the south just on the hills because we got that cold airjust nudging further southwards, hanging around through today, hanging around through tomorrow as well. and look at this strengthening wind that will accentuate the chill. so, yes, we do have warnings out at the moment, especially across the northern half of the country, and the snow mainly on the hills and you can get the details on those warnings from the website. the showers are falling as snow on the hills in the north, but across scotland, even to lower levels with a slight covering. and here, with a widespread frost, northern england,

northwards, a risk of ice. some treacherous conditions potentially further south, there could be some patchy frost and a little bit of snow in this system as well across the welsh mountains, perhaps the moors of the southwest. as it edges its way northwards and eastwards, perhaps bringing some snow into the midlands as well, the showers further north still falling as snow over the hills. this, as you can see, slowly migrates eastwards through the day, giving way to showery weather further west, some hail and thunder here. whilst for scotland and northern ireland, the showers perhaps becoming fewer, more confined to the coasts with more sunshine, but it's cold for all of us, accentuated by the strengthening wind around that area of low pressure. and then those weatherfronts spiral their way around the low pressure overnight, so an increased risk as we go through into the coming night of snow potentially across northern and eastern areas, and a more widespread frost with the surfaces damp even in the south. there's a risk of some ice as well. so, quite a difficult one on friday

in terms of the details because we've got these weather systems spiralling around that area of low pressure. certainly, it's going to be cold. it'll be windier as well with a risk of gales for the west coast of scotland and also through the irish sea, and these bands of rain pushing their way gradually westwards with some snow potentially. the lower levels on the western flank, and look at the temperatures, they are quite low. in the heavier bursts, that snow level comes down as well, could even be a smattering further south as well. certainly lots to keep our eye on at the moment for our first widespread taste of winter. the weekend sees things drying a little bit, but it stays pretty chilly, as you can see. the warnings, as i say, are on the website.

hello again. i'm sally bundock. time again for the top business stories. a shot in the arm for global markets. but vaccines for all are a very long way off, warns the boss of one drugs company. plus, a brexit deal by friday? sources tell the bbc talks could be wrapped up in the next few days and there might have been enough progress for a trade agreement. so let's talk some more about

the tantalising prospect of