this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. my name is mike embley. a brexit deal within striking distance — the signs from london and brussels point to an agreement now on the table, with an announcement expected on thursday morning. president trump issues full pardons to his former campaign manager paul manafort and roger stone, convicted of lying under oath to congress. six million more people in england face the toughest level of coronavirus restrictions, as hospital admissions surge to their highest levels since april. and italy tightens measures and closes ski resorts. it now has the highest covid death toll in europe. the site she and the designer stella mccartney lead tributes to stella tenna nt

stella mccartney lead tributes to stella tennant who has passed away suddenly at the age of 50. —— the fashion house versace. after years of to and fro and nine months of actual talks, the uk and the eu seem to be close, finally, to striking a post—brexit trade deal. british cabinet ministers were summoned for a conference call with the prime minister late on wednesday evening, but any announcement is likely to be held over until a morning press c0 nfe re nce . talks are expected to continue throughout the night. the final text is said to be about 2000 pages. with the view from london and brussels, here are our correspondents nick eardley and kevin connolly. the talks are going to go on for a few hours yet. we know they are into the nitty—gritty. it is really crossing tees and dotting the eyes. the latest we heard is that it is likely to

be included in the next few hours and it looks like it will be the morning before we know for sure that the deal is done. it seems to be going that way andi it seems to be going that way and i don't think anything has happened that necessarily makes us happened that necessarily makes us think that there is not going to be a deal agreed between the eu and the uk in the next few hours. but if you are holding your breath for a deal tonight i think you will be disappointed. it looks like the morning rather than a late one tonight. it has been a rather strange day here when that historic agreement has really seemed within touching distance all day but has not quite been touched yet. 0ur understanding is that the small hours of the morning here and that the talking will continue through the night, perhaps, on the vexed question of fisheries that it sums up the state of the negotiations, the febrile atmosphere around them that when those pizzas were delivered there was genuine

speculation as to whether that was to keep the negotiators going through the night or whether it was for some kind of celebration because a deal had then done. the sense is that it is that close but with the caveat that this is brussels and nothing is done until every point of detail is done and thatis point of detail is done and that is not yet done. part of all of this is that you may well still be arguing about fishing stop but there is also a presentational issue. if you finally sort out that issue about fishing stop at 330 in the morning, you do not want to throw away the announcement of what is an historic moment. this is the first time a country has left the eu and the first free trade deal of its type that the eu has ever negotiated. it is hugely and economically significant for britain. do not want a middle of the agreement and lose the headline making power of launching a deal. expect to see borisjohnson in london, expect

to see ursula fonda leon here and expect a fuss to be made because after the very difficult negotiations, still continuing, of course, comes the task of selling this deal to the public. that is more of an issue for the british than the europeans but there will be a strong desire to get the public mind that in the best way to do that is very convincing launch moment in the morning rather than in the middle of the night here. with less than a month left in office, president trump has issued full pardons to his former campaign chairman paul manafort, associate roger stone, and charles kushner, a real estate developer and the father of trump's son—in—law and adviser jared kushner. manafort was convicted as part of the special counsel probe into russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. trump had earlier commuted the criminal sentence of stone, who was convicted of lying to congress under oath.

i think it underlines the president's determination to basically eradicate the prosecutions that resulted from the special counsel robert moeller‘s investigation into allegations of russian into variance in the 2016 presidential election. mr trump has railed against that enquiry consistently, calling it a hoax and now he has announced pardons of more people prosecuted as a result of the muller investigation. you mention paul manor fought, the former campaign chairman, one of three that donald trump had and mr manafort a short time ago tweeted this saying that his family thank the president for the hardened bestowed upon him, words cannot convey how grateful there. you mentioned

roger stone. his sentence had already been commuted. he is a long—term ally of president trump and charles kushner, the father of donald trump ‘s son—in—law father of donald trump ‘s son—in—lanared kushner. father of donald trump ‘s son—in—law jared kushner. he was sentenced to two years in prison for preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation and making false state mints to the federal exchange commission. but these will be seen, certainly by critics of the president, as very controversial pardons indeed. and there is already shocked and upset at what the president has already done with pardon with an acidic democratic presidents issued many pardons, barack 0bama andjimmy presidents issued many pardons, barack 0bama and jimmy carter. but mrtrump barack 0bama and jimmy carter. but mr trump has already pardon people engaged in questionable activities who had admitted what they did. absolutely. that is right. this makes a9, the number of people to whom president trump has granted

clemency in the last two days either through pardons all through sentence commutation with an acidic and it is a indication of the fact that the president intends to wield this very controversial ability that he has two the benefit of friends, to people who have been loyal to him over the yea rs, to been loyal to him over the years, to people who in many cases have served prison sentences because of their loyalty to donald trump. we speak now to an expert on us government. i think the muller investigation demonstrated that there was an effort by russia to spread this information —— disinformation to affect the result of the 2016 election and, also, to try and establish relations with the trump

campaign and to hack into the democratic campaign to disadvantage it and it demonstrated that there were a number of misconduct and improper behaviour. the moeller investigation did not exonerate the president from obstructing justice —— muller investigation. so i think the muller investigation stands on its findings, regardless of any pardons that the president issues at this point. these people granted clemency by mr trump recently, a9 so far, he would say that they are victims of injustice, of a witch—hunt. what would you say is motivating the president?” think what is unusual about many of these pardons and what distinguishes them from other presidents is that, number one, many are people who were very close to the president.

campaign managers, close political and personal associates. so it really reflects the stench of the trump administration. number two is that the president has not gone through the normal processes in thejustice department, those normally followed. when president george w bush left office, vice president employed him to issue a pardon toa employed him to issue a pardon to a close aide and george bush refused to do it because he did not think it fit within the criteria of the justice department. that does not seem to be something that this president takes account of. mr trump's veto of the defence bill, i think it passed through both houses of congress that a veto could be overridden. what do you make of the fact the president is talking of doing

that was denmark i think it is another extraordinary action, as you say. the senate passed the defence bill so it is well more than the two—thirds margin needed to override the veto. i think that the president is simply flexing his authority in a disruptive way and it really isa a disruptive way and it really is a part of the context now, that in a time when what is a 332,000 americans have died, more than that, from the pandemic, and a time when the russian cyber attack has affected the american government and american appropriations, the president seems to be focused on two things. one is contesting the election result, notwithstanding the reserve fact that more than 50 cases have ruled against him,

including byjudges who he appointed and number two, including byjudges who he appointed and numbertwo, by pardoning people close to him and then even though he is not participating in any congressional efforts to govern, he comes in at the last minute, issues a pardon and then head down to florida for his christmas vacation. it is disruptive and he is not participating with the biden administration to try achieve a smooth ministration —— transition. this is unprecedented in our history. canadian health officials have approved the moderna coronavirus vaccine becoming the second country — after the united states — to do so. canada will receive over 160,000 doses of the moderna jab by the end of the year. the approval comes as an increasing number of countries receive their first consignments of covid—19 vaccines. gareth barlow reports: in laboratories like these, scientists have worked tirelessly to create a coronavirus vaccine. the work and the jab now approved by

canadian health authorities. the country's prime minister hailed the key step in the fight against the pandemic. now that health canada has approved this vaccine we have the green light to start rolling it out across the country. the first doses of our guaranteed a0 million dose order will arrive in the coming days. south of the border in new york, emergency services personnel we re emergency services personnel were given the jab as part of effo rts were given the jab as part of efforts to raise the profile and public confidence of covid vaccines. there is a sense that after months of waiting, in countries across the world, a brighter future is on the horizon. in mexico, soldiers explored the first delivery of inoculations to arrive in the capital. vital consignments also arriving in argentina and costa rica. distributing covid vaccines will not be easy but asa vaccines will not be easy but as a torrid year comes to a

close there is hope that the key tools in the fight against the pandemic are becoming available. the next challenge, convincing the public to take them. stay with us on bbc news. still to come. as italy and you have the highest death toll in europe we look at the devastation in the northern ski resorts. —— as italy ends the year. music and chanting. 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 bosnia, serbia 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. this welcome back and very glad to happy with us on bbc news. the latest headlines, a brexit deal is finally in striking distance and an announcement between london and brussels is expected on thursday morning. donald trump has issued a full pa rt into donald trump has issued a full part into paul manafort and roger stone, convicted of lying under oath to congress.

in the uk, another 6 million people find themselves under restrictions in the next few days as infections arise. from december 26, the british government is extending the highest level tier a restrictions across the south and east of england. 0ur political correspondent reports. this sign will soon be turned, tighter restrictions their way in norfolk and elsewhere in the east and south—east of england. this woman owns a gift shop in holts and suffolk and within days a number have to close. fully appreciate the fact these measures have to put in place because it is spiralling of control. but we do feel as usual the government has lifted incredibly late to make this decision. not the gift of the government wanted to give, having already scaled back plans for christmas mixing but ministers say the new strain of the virus has for their hand. we have learnt that when it

comes to a matter of when, not if, we take action, it is better to act soon. i know that some of these decisions are tough andl some of these decisions are tough and i believe that everybody will do what is needed to keep themselves and others safe, especially this christmas and i know, from the bottom of my heart, that there are brighter had you have just said when it comes to coronavirus, it is better to act soon about the prime minister said on saturday that the new strain was present across the country. to achieve scientific advisor said it was not possible to stop it from spreading beyond the south—east. have you not wasted valuable time in trying to get ahead of the new strain of the virus? the whole basis of the tiered system is to take a proportionate approach to the areas where we need very firm action and other areas where we clearly need restrictions.

added to that of course is everybody's personal responsibility. labour say businesses are already knocked down are carrying a heavy burden that ashburton. with all the confusion around christmas and worries around the new year also, we need to see clearer and firmer leadership from the prime minister, putting the health measures but also the economic measures in place also said that we save lives and protect peoples jobs. the government insists it is confident that the system of tiered restrictions in england is now strong enough to contain the new strain of the virus spreading quicker while the vaccine is being rolled out. almost half of the countries population will soon be in the toughest here but ministers say they do not want another national lockdown but are keeping everything under review. we have been here before and had to change course. the chair of christmas is muted this year and for millions facing even stricter rules, boxing day will bring a

further test of resolve —— cheer. let's get some of the day's other news. shares of ali barber have plunged as an investigation has been launched, into competition laws. thousands of migrants are sleeping outside in freezing temperatures in bosnia since fire swept through the camp they were living in. people say people in the camp set fire to tents and containers but no injuries but humanitarian workers say the refugees are in dire need. the british supermodel stella tenna nt has died suddenly at the age of 50. stella tennant made her name in the early 1990s appearing in photoshoots for publications such as vogue and harper's bazaar.

she went on to work with designers such as gianni versa ce, designers such as gianni versace, karl lagerfeld and alexander mcqueen. crossing live now to los angeles and speaking to melissa, a fashion journalist. and the author of a book exploring fashion in los angeles. thank you for your time, iconic is a much overused word but it is pretty much there in this case isn't it?” would say so, yes. iconic is an overused word these days especially when it comes to fashion but when it comes to stella tenna nt fashion but when it comes to stella tennant as a model, an icon is an apt term for her, absolutely. what made stella tennant iconic? was she 1—of—a—kind? tennant iconic? was she 1-of-a-kind? absolutely. fashion is an industry as we know, in one day and at the next and really trend driven, breakneck speed trends and same with models, same with the way

someone looks and stella tennant managed to have a 30 year career and her look really did transcend trends and transcended fads and what designers and retailers flocked to overtime. she seemed releva nt. to overtime. she seemed relevant. to one designer or another or multiple post—season. she was constantly casting shows. campaigns, numerous magazine covers all around the world, decade after decade. we think some of the pictures on screen, how would you describe that look and how much does an individual model have to do with their own look? how much they do they have over at? generally, not so much, especially in the 1990s, when stella tenna nt was especially in the 1990s, when stella tennant was discovered and started her career. today,

we see more models who are personalities, so their persona , personalities, so their persona, their personal style have a lot more to do with it and they are more expected to express that and flaunt that and stella tenna nt express that and flaunt that and stella tennant always had her own look. she was always, you know, it was always her signature. she is best described as androgynous, a mix of aristocratic elegance but a rebellious punk attitude, i think that juxtaposition, many described that and there was a lot of allure in that. because you could not quite put your finger on it. and i think it a lwa ys finger on it. and i think it always eluded people and may be designers who counted her as a news we re always designers who counted her as a news were always chasing it. she looked as beautiful in a

seat as she did closing the channel map and she was a well—known news to karl lagerfeld —— chanel. it was that blend of statics that should not make sense usually —— athletics and it was a mystery that was her. ——. italy is ending 2020 as the country with the highest covid death toll in europe and the government has tightened measures over christmas, including closing ski resorts. italy was the first country in the west to be crushed by the virus, with the city of bergamo in the north particularly devastated. 0ur correspondent mark lowen has been back there to reflect on this tragic year. clearing the pistes for no one to use. high in the italian alps, foppolo should be preparing

for a bumper christmas season. but it, and all italian ski resorts, have been shut by the government to slow coronavirus. it's in the province of bergamo, worst hit in italy by the pandemic. and now there's the financial shock. translation: at christmas, we make up half of our season. losing it causes irreparable damage that we'll never make up. and i imagine some businesses here won't survive. what we from bergamo lived through in march was very frightening, hearing the sound of ambulances. we must take care not to relive it, but the mountains can be enjoyed safely. and this is not a fair decision. the first wave of the virus closed these pistes on march 8th, having to shut down again is a devastating blow for resorts that make up 11 billion euros of the italian economy. but there's always a trade off between economic damage and halting the virus. and losing this christmas on the pistes is a sacrifice the government feels it has to make.

desperate measures to stop a repeat of march when deaths in bergamo were more than five times previous years. christmas won't ease the pain of a city whose despair became a symbol of italy's agony. azia marquez‘s father, sirio, was one of the first to die at home, the kindly face of the local santa. his body stayed in their living room for two and a half days before the overwhelmed authorities could retrieve it. translation: someone like him deserved a funeral, something dignified, instead of being thrown into a coffin in our house like a carcass. there'll be an empty place at the table this christmas. he was the life and soul of the party. i'm angry, too, with the authorities who didn't close down bergamo fast enough. they put the economy ahead of human lives. the scenes in march

of bergamo's main hospital, short of beds and oxygen, woke the west up to what it would face. today, it's quieter, numbers are lower. so many cases here has created some herd immunity. but psychologists say the mental scars run deep. translation: patients told me of their dreams of being in a room on fire, needing someone to save them. bergamo has always been a very lively city, full of people and light. suddenly, it became a wounded city, ground to a halt, silenced. i, too, needed psychological help, and i think we will see more patients for years to come. in a year of hospital heroes, the building itself has become a christmas nativity scene here, with memories of the horrors of 2020 and dreams of a medical miracle to come. mark lowen, bbc news, bergamo.

and there is more on the news any time on the website and the twitter feed. thank you for watching. hello there. wednesday brought another wet day, particularly to england and wales. and at one point, we had over 50 flood warnings in force. now, i'm sure as the rain eases off, the number of flood warnings through christmas eve will gradually begin to drop away, but still the potential for a few problems. there is the rain bearing cloud, then, we had across england and wales, but my attention right now is being drawn to this area of cloud just running in across the north of scotland, because this is going to bring some of you snow. yes, there could be a few centimetres lying on the ground in places, along with the risk of icy stretches as we head into the first part of christmas eve. a few showers also running down north sea coast, the irish seacoast, as our main band of rain continues to edge out—of—the—way. it will be cold, mind you, a cold start to christmas eve, a widespread frost certainly

for scotland, northern england, probably northern ireland, and perhaps into the north midlands and north wales as well. now, it will be a cold day for christmas eve, these chilly northerly winds diving their way southwards and bringing showers down north sea coasts. they will continue to fall as snow in land across parts of scotland, perhaps over the north york moors, might even see an odd flake mixed in with these showers across eastern england at times. but away from the east coast where it will be windy and cold, should be plenty of sunshine, but those temperatures way lower than they have been for a number of days now, 3—a in scotland, may be a—5 for parts of eastern england. and as we head into christmas day, there will be a widespread and sharp frost, so certainly a chilly start to the big day. that might be quite a nice sunrise to start the day. best of the sunshine across england and wales, but cloud will quickly building across the north west, and ultimately, we will see some rain move its way into northwest scotland, where it will be turning milder, as south—westerly winds eventually pushing in, highs of 9 in stornoway. best of the sunshine, then, hanging on across parts of southern and eastern

england, but cold, a—5 degrees celsius. beyond that, boxing day, and sunday, the second half of the weekend, we've got this area of rain pushing southwards across the country. given that the ground is saturated, that rain is likely to lead to further localised flooding with wintry showers following the main band of rain through. it's notjust rain that could cause issues, it's also going to become very windy, gusts could reach 50—70 mph, maybe even stronger than that. so there is the potential for some disruptive winds as well this weekend, and beyond that into monday, still windy for northern ireland. further east, a mixture of rain, sleet and maybe some snow.

the latest headlines

from bbc news. a brexit deal looks to be finally within striking distance, with an announcement on an agreement expected between london and brussels on thursday morning. british cabinet ministers were summoned for a conference call with the prime minister to discuss what is on the verge of being agreed this evening. donald trump has issued full pardons to his former campaign chairman paul manafort who was convicted as part of the russian interference on the 2016 election. he has also pardoned long—time fixer roger stone. he was convicted of lying under oath to congress. 6 million more people on england are facing the toughest level of coronavirus restrictions as hospital admissions surge to the highest level since april. from december 26 the government says it is extending tier a across much of the south and east of