this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. borisjohnson promises big changes following his brexit trade deal, as his chancellor rishi sunak says the deal brings reassurance to those worried about the impact on businesses. for those who were anxious about the economic implications of leaving, they should be enormously reassured by the comprehensive nature of this free—trade agreement. the rollout of the pfizer biontech covid vaccine begins for millions of people across the eu, starting with italy and the czech republic. millions of americans lose their unemployment benefits, after president trump refuses to sign the covid economic relief bill into law. bangladeshi authorities are planning to move a second group of rohingya refugees to a remote, flood—prone island in

the south of the country. storm bella brings gusts of more than a hundred miles an hour, with roads in parts of wales, and devon and cornwall blocked by falling trees. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. prime minister boris johnson promises "big" changes are on the way for the uk following his brexit trade deal with the european union. in an interview with the sunday telegraph, he says he wants to focus on "leveling up the country" and "spreading opportunity" across the uk. mrjohnson said the brexit trade deal would provide new regulatory freedoms to "deliver for people who felt left behind". but some fishing leaders have accused him of "caving in" to the eu and sacrificing their interests. mps will vote on the deal in parliament on the 30th of december.

the bbc‘s business correspondent vivienne nunis has more. it's now 2a hours since the government published its 1,200—page trade deal with brussels. this morning, the chancellor was quick to dispel fears the uk might be economically worse off under this new trading relationship with the eu. for those who were anxious about the economic implications of leaving, they should be enormously reassured. the free—trade agreement will cover nearly £670 billion worth of trade every year, making it the largest in history. there will be no added taxes on imports, known as tariffs, and no limits on how much can be bought and sold. but there will be checks, red tape and form—filling when goods but there will be more checks, red tape and form—filling when goods move across the border. that could mean delays and added costs for businesses. labour says the deal is better than no deal, but it's not happy

with what's been agreed. this is a thin deal, it's not the deal the government promised. and there are large areas of our economy, for example financial services, that employs one in 14 people in our country, where there aren't clear elements within this deal and where much more work will need to be done. the chancellor says the uk will remain in close dialogue with the eu about how things will work moving forward, for instance with financial services. indeed, many are asking for more clarity on how services will be dealt with under this deal since the service sector makes up 80% of the uk economy. now that we've left the european union we can do things a bit differently and we are embarking on that journey. for example, examining how we make the city of london the most attractive place to list new companies anywhere in the world. mps will vote on the trade deal in parliament on wednesday. despite labour's criticisms, opposition leader keir starmer has confirmed labour mps will support the deal. but as scrutiny of the document continues over the coming days, more questions will inevitably arise about what exactly this new trading relationship will mean.

the deal itself comes into force in just five days' time. and joining us now is the snp‘s westminster leader, ian blackford. thanks for coming on the programme. a pleasure, good evening. let's get to the deal, people have picked through it, do you support it? no, we do not. your package you had made the point that 80% of our economies and services, there is no dealfor services. the harsh reality and the uk government knows and has admitted that, less brexiteer will make us more poor and the analysis shows in scotla nd more poor and the analysis shows in scotland on average —— all we have heard over the last few

yea rs all we have heard over the last few years about getting brexit done, taking control of the seas and the rest of it, it's all been shown to be absolute bunkum because as we know from the fishermen, they have once again been sold out. when it comes to a vote on the 30th of december, mps will get their say. will you vote to support this post—brexit radio? will you vote to support this post-brexit radio? no, because it is madness, this deal we have been asked to support. we know it is going through because the labour party and tory parties will be quick through the lobbies and the key thing is in scotland, we were told 2014 if we stay in the uk when we get our referendum, our rights as the eu citizens would be respected. snp members will go through the no lobby. i understand the right of people in england to vote for brexit if that's what they want and that's what they are getting, same for people in wales... put your foot on

the 30th of december as a member of the 30th of december as a member of the uk parliament, —— but your vote, if the vote was close, labour decide to do things differently, the votes of the snp could make a difference are you saying you would carry on and vote for effectively and no deal, plunge the uk into chaos? let's deal with realpolitik because labour and tories are going to vote for it. we are good for that for scotla nd for it. we are good for that for scotland as a compromise position, we have been ignored, scotland has been ignored. 0ur votes do not count and it makes the point, the message i would give to the people of scotland, increasingly numbers of people want to protect their eu identity, their eu citizenship. we now have a choice in front of us because westminster is locking us out of europe, taking us out of this historic tie, taking us out of iran and the switch was very much the brainchild when she was chair of the european committee and we can escape this madness. ——

this is by regaining our destiny as european members... the referendum was a one in a generation vote and that has not passed yet. that is not the case. the edinburgh agreement established the right for the referendum and then we had a sniff commission at the end of it and the edinburgh agreement was —— smith agreement. it expresses said it did not rule out a further referendum and if you take the situation in northern ireland, the good friday agreement allows for a border in ireland and ireland and explicitly states that could happen once every seven states that could happen once every seve n years states that could happen once every seven years so states that could happen once every seven years so let's dispel this meth which is put around by the tories that this was a once in a —— myth. that was put around by the tories. you are being disingenuous, it was part of the campaign leading up it was part of the campaign leading up to the referendum, but leaving that aside, leaving that aside, is

there any deal borisjohnson could have come back with you would have supported. on the basis of ideology, because that's what this is, our economy is going to be severely damaged. people will lose their jobs, costs for businesses will increase. the point i'm making is the best interests for all of us would be staying in the single market and customs union. we have a very clear choice because democracy has to prevail. 17 polls one after another have shown majority support for independence. boris johnson another have shown majority support for independence. borisjohnson has to support that if we do not wish to stay in this union we have the right to do so and scotland has to be given the opportunity to be given the choice as we come through the coming period. thank you so much for coming period. thank you so much for coming on, we appreciate your time. thank you. the coronavirus vaccine will be given to millions of people across europe from today, as countries including france, spain and italy begin the rollout of their vaccination programmes.

more than 14 million people have been infected and strict lockdown measures are currently in place in nearly all the eu member states. damien mcguinness reports now from berlin. the european vaccine roll—out has begun. in berlin, mobile teams are taking the first vaccines from this distribution centre to those who need it most — the elderly in nursing homes. this airport once provided a lifeline for west berlin at the height of the cold war. it was closed down in november to make way for a larger airport and now it has been turned into a mass vaccination centre, providing, yet again, a lifeline for berliners, but this time in the fight against the pandemic. one of the first people in berlin to get the vaccine this morning was gertrude haase, 101 years old. in italy, where fatalities among health care workers have been particularly high, doctors and nurses are also among the first to get the jab.

translation: it's not the end of the pandemic because there's still a long way to go, but it is the beginning of the end. today is a beautiful day. to boost support, some european leaders have also gone first. the czech prime minister said he wants to set an example and said the vaccine provides hope that we will return to a normal life. across europe, elderly people have been isolated, afraid and vulnerable. now they are the first to be protected. several countries have reported cases of the new variant of coronavirus which was first detected in the united kingdom. norway's institute of public health says its traced the new variant back to two travellers from the uk who entered the country in early december. the portuguese island of madeira has also blamed travellers from the uk for an outbreak, but has not specified how many people are infected. and it's a similar story injordan which has reported its first two

cases of the variant. canada, australia, italy and the netherlands have also confirmed cases of the new variant which scientists say is up to 70 per cent more transmissable. health officials in south wales have thanked medical students who've responded to an appeal for volunteers to help in intensive care departments. earlier, the cardiff and vale university health board tweeted that it was urgently looking for medical students for its critical care department. the health board said while staffing was still challenging, the situation had improved and it had now withdrawn its appeal. 0lwen williams who's vice president of royal college of physicians in wales says it's only the tip of the iceberg. i think the situation across wales is quite sobering. the number of people that are presenting symptoms of covid—19 that not only require hospital admission but are so seriously ill they require intensive care and more than 50% of our bed occupancy

in intensive care is now due to covid—19 patients, it's very worrying. meanwhile, hospital admissions for coronavirus have continued to rise across england. saffron cordery is the deputy chief executive of nhs providers, she explained the pressures hospitals were under. we are seeing a real rise in the pressure for hospital services, but also other types of nhs services as well, notjust hospitals, ambulance trusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community and mental health services. everybody affected by the impact of covid—19 and talking to trust leaders overnight, they are under no illusions about how challenging this is at the moment and part

of the issue is demand, many more people coming through the door with covid—19, but also people coming through the door with other conditions as well and we can see that to an extent as a success of the campaigns that have been run over the summer to make sure people do keep coming forward if they have suspected heart attack or stroke so it's really important people do use services, but it's also adding to the demand so we're seeing real pressure, particularly in london and the south, and that comes from this added demand but also staff absence. it's localised at the moment, but we could see that growing and i think it's really important to remember that what's going on in the community will also be going on in health care settings. so if someone is unwell with covid—19, they cannot go to work or if a member of their family or if they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive they need to self—isolate. this hugely impacts on staffing levels across the nhs, so i think that's worth remembering. the final thing is we have got this new strain of covid—19 and it's much more transmissible, so we're seeing this spread much more quickly than before.

we have those three things coming together really adding to the demand. in scotland, there are warnings that the health service may not be able to cope with a further surge in coronavirus cases. professor michael griffin from the royal college of surgeons edinburgh said there was the potential for hospitals to be "overwhelmed". there are two elements that concern all of us clinicians across the united kingdom, but particularly in scotland. and that is first of all, the necessary christmas release of lockdown that occurred, it means households have mixed and met over christmas. and possibly more than we would have liked. the second issue which is really important is the

discovery of the new variant of covid—19, which appears to be much more transmissible than the standard strain and that the combination of these two occurrences where much more mixing over christmas and the very high transmissibility of the new strain would result in many more infections and therefore many more hospital admissions and necessarily then more admissions to intensive ca re then more admissions to intensive care unitand then more admissions to intensive care unit and more deaths, sadly. the london ambulance service has said it's experienced a huge surge in calls over the christmas period. the service said boxing day had been one of their busiest days ever with nearly 8,000 emergency calls and urged people only to phone 999 in an emergency. the uk government has released the latest coronavirus figures, citing partial data. 30,501 confirmed cases were recorded in the past 24 hours. a further 316 people had died

within 28 days of testing positive for covid—19, bringing the total of deaths to 70,752. the government said the figures reflected data from england and wales but said there was no new data from northern ireland and no new deaths data from scotland owing to the christmas holidays. millions of americans have lost unemployment benefits as a consequence of president trump failing to sign a massive covid relief bill into law by a deadline of midnight. president—elect, joe biden, has warned of devastating consequences for the people who would have been helped by the bill, which passed overwhelmingly in congress. the relief package aimed to provide a 1.4 trillion dollarfederal budget, agreed by both sides of the house. it also proposed one—off payments of 600 dollars to most americans, but despite his administration negotiating the deal, president trump changed his mind, saying he wants to give $2,000 instead.

he also wants to cut foreign aid. legislators could pass a stopgap bill by monday, to prevent a partial government shutdown looming a day later, but it would not include coronavirus aid and mr trump would still have to sign the bill. ashwin vasan is the president of fountain house, a community—based mental health charity. he told us how many americans are struggling in the wake of the pandemic. too many americans already live paycheque to paycheque, 44% of 44% of americans said that they were living paycheque to paycheque before the pandemic and that has increased to 63% during the pandemic. faced with a $500 emergency, eight out of people reported they could not cover those costs and we are seeing this show up in a host of ways and we are seeing unprecedented lines at food banks, for example.

you are seeing the threat of eviction. and economic insecurity really starting to rear its head at the family and community level and we are seeing the show up in people's well—being and mental health. we are at the beginning of what i think will be a second pandemic of mental health issues as a result not only of the kind of mass casualty event and trauma we have been under during covid, but the long tail of the epidemic, which is the social and economic insecurity thrust upon so many people due to the pandemic is going to rear its ugly head for years to come. we are already seeing that show up in the data, more than half of americans reported having a negative impact on their mental health and those are faced disproportionately by those who lost their jobs. 40% of adults according to the cdc are reporting symptoms of depression, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. suicide levels are three times higher than pre—covid.

depression levels are three times higher than pre—covid. bangladeshi authorities are planning to move a second group of rohingya refugees to a remote, flood—prone island in the south of the country. officials say up to 1,000 of the refugees, orignally from myanmar, will be moved from camps in to a specially built housing complex. gusts of more than 100mph have been recorded as storm bella continues to bring heavy rain to large parts of the uk. the needles, on the isle of wight, saw winds that reached 106mph with a number of train operators reporting delays across the south of england. the met office has also issued yellow warnings for snow and ice — meaning disruption is likely — for parts of wales, north—west england, scotland and the whole of northern ireland. chi chi izundu reports. storm bella making her presence known on british shores. winds of up to 106 miles an hour have been recorded on the isle of wight, bringing down trees,

including on this car, and huts alongside brighton beachfront. train operators have issued warnings about delays and cancellations because of debris and flooding on the railway lines. but parts of the uk are still reeling from heavy rains over christmas, like cirencester in gloucestershire. residents trying to adapt. more than 70 homes were without power and the environment agency has warned some river levels are still rising. this is ducklington farm in 0xfordshire, where farmer helen's priority has been the safety of her animals. the amount of rain we've had in the last few days has made it very difficult for us. we have over 3000 sheep and we've had to move 1200 of them in the last three days, so the whole of christmas we've been moving sheep. they‘ re all pregnant,

and their welfare is our priority at the moment, but finding dry ground is almost impossible because it's just completely saturated. the met office has issued three yellow weather warnings about snow and ice in parts of scotland in particular and the north—east. officials say they're working hard to help those in need but have added there may be at least another day of harsh weather to come. chi chi izundu, bbc news. some other news now... voters in niger are choosing a successor to president mahamadou issoufou, who's stepping down after completing the permitted two terms in office. it's the first democratic transfer of power in niger since it became independent from france in 1960. at least 10 climbers are now known to have died during an avalanche in iran. more than a dozen others were rescued from the alborz mountain range, north of tehran. the victims include a mountaineering instructor. a search operation is continuing for other survivors. elections in the central african republic are under way, after a campaign marred by violence between government and rebel forces. three un peacekeepers were killed by unidentified assailants during two separate attacks ahead

of the vote. it's the first election in the country since a peace deal was struck in february 2019. lots of different coronavirus restrictions remain in place across the world, as countries try to keep the pandemic under control. cases are rising in russia, but president vladimir putin says he won't impose a new national lockdown as he tries to protect the economy. 0ur moscow correspondent sarah rainsford reports. red square is at its picture—postcard best. no sign here of covid—19 cancelling christmas, despite the spiralling infection rate. there are precautions and many things have been scaled back this year, but there's no lockdown, and people told me they are fine with that. translation: i think there is enough restrictions. lots of people wear masks and gloves.

i don't think we need anything stricter. translation: we don't need a lockdown, that would stop people earning wages and feeding their families. that happened in spring, and it was really bad. meanwhile, on another ice rink not far away, this is how moscow is dealing with covid. in october, we visited one of multiple giant temporary hospitals. there were free beds back then, but hospitals now across the country are close to capacity, and the death rate from covid is rising. vladimir putin is taking his own precautions. this year's press conference was by video link. the chosen few allowed close to him had to quarantine for two weeks first. but even loyal reporters told him things had never been this tough in russia. and mr putin promised he wouldn't make things worse with another lockdown.

russia's doing its best to look festive to lift people's moods despite the covid pandemic, but this crisis hasn't only pushed russia's health care system to the very limit, it's hurting the economy, too, and that's an issue for vladimir putin, who has always presented himself as the president of stability. this club was closed for months after the pandemic first hit. the dancers are back on stage now, but their clients have far less money to spend. and covid rules mean closing at 11pm. not ideal for a striptease show. all in all, this man tells me business is down 60%. translation: we are hardly making ends meet. i had to get a bank loan to pay wages. if there is another lockdown and we have to shut, then that's it, we'll go bankrupt and people will lose theirjobs.

so russians are bracing for another tough year once the festive lights go out. the covid vaccine has brought a flicker of hope, but this virus is one thing the kremlin is struggling to control. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. a woman believed to be the uk's oldest postmistress has announced her retirement at the age of 93. kay white did her first shift at the post office in claverley in shropshire nearly 80 years ago, and has run the branch since 1960. the local vicar, the reverend gary ward, says the village will miss her. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter, i'm @lvaughanjones, we'll be back at the top of the hour with the latest headlines in the meantime you can always catch up with the headlines on the bbc news smartphone app.

hello, storm bella has been battering a large swathe of the uk in the last 24 hours. we had wind gusts in excess of 80 mph across the south of england and north—west wales. 106 mph at the needles on the isle of wight, coupled with some torrential rain courtesy of this very active cold front. it's now cleared south and eastwards. we are all in this much colder air and we've got plenty of showers feeding in from the west, many of them wintry. we'll come back to those in just a moment but let's talk about the wind. the amber wind warning from the met office has now expired. the winds continue to ease through today. a number of flood warnings remain in place and we have snow and ice warnings in place as well. the best of the sunshine through the rest of sunday, in central and eastern parts of the uk.

plenty of showers feeding in from the west. they will continue to be wintry, particularly across scotland and northern england but almost anywhere could see some sleet oi’ snow. certainly feeling very cold. still we are exposed to the brisk wind although the gusts easing down all the while. as we head through this evening and overnight, a more persistent spell of snow over parts of scotland, then sinking south. we may see some sleet and snow moving into the north of england, the midlands. mainly central and southern england by the time we get through the early hours. where we have clear skies, sharp frost and the potential for some fog or freezing fog across the southern part of the uk. temperatures for many close if not below freezing, —6 or —8 across the glens of scotland. certainly a messy picture tomorrow. we have this area of low pressure to deal with and that will continue generating rain, sleet or snow across central and southern england into parts of north wales. sudden significant snow for a time here across the chilterns. those wintry showers continuing to feed into scotland and later in the day across parts

of north—east and eastern england so it's a day of sunshine and wintry showers. temperatures at best, six or seven celsius. for many they will struggle to get much above freezing. cold, frosty start on tuesday but for many, a good deal of sunshine around. showers mainly confined to eastern and western coasts. again temperatures not much higher than five or six celsius. heading towards the end of 2020, an area of low pressure to the east of the uk. high pressure trying to build in from the south—west. frontal systems just grazing the south—west and perhaps the far north of the uk. but essentially, as we end 2020 and move into the new year, looking cold and dry.

this is bbc news. the headlines... british prime minister borisjohnson is promising big changes following his brexit trade deal. but the chancellor, rishi sunak, has sought to reassure the city of london that the post—brexit trade deal will not damage the financial services industry. a mass coronavirus vaccination

campaign is under way in the european union. the new covid variant caused several countries to begin inoculations a day ahead of the planned roll—out. millions of americans have temporarily lost their unemployment benefits, after president trump refused to sign the covid economic relief bill into law. president—electjoe biden has warned of the devastating consequences if the bill remains unsigned. it's the time of year when many of us take a moment to reflect and say thank you — maybe for something that has happened this year, or for something that happened decades ago and has had a lasting effect. 50 years ago, martin stephen was visiting family in east lothian in scotland when he nearly drowned trying to save his cousin. he was saved by the lifeboat crew at dunbar, and has had the opportunity to say thank you for the very first time. hope webb reports.

it was in these choppy waters exactly 50 years ago that tragedy struck. 21—year—old martin and his cousin david were climbing rocks to watch a storm roll in, when a freak wave pulled david into the water. martin was forced to jump in after him but the waves were just too strong. david was swept away and martin was left struggling against the swell. a lifeboat was deployed and the crew saved him from drowning. and now martin is saying thank you. 50 years on, he was able to speak on zoom to davy, a lifeboat volunteer there that day. lovely to meet you at last. under very different circumstances, and thank you for your involvement. what i do remember is feeling the hypothermia start in my feet, thinking oh, dear, here we go... and then i blacked out. yeah. i was extraordinarily lucky. you were totally submerged apart from the top of your head when i seen you.

you simply don't know how you survive that, i mean... to this day, i don't know why i am still here. crew member david brunton was the one who jumped into the freezing water to pull martin out that day. he has since passed away, but now his sonjamie is only learning the true story of the rescue. i remember my dad coming home, soaking wet. if it hadn't been for my mother, putting the plaque up on the wall that he got for the rescue, we wouldn't have known about it. dad wasn't keen to talk about it. i don't think it gave me a new appreciation for my dad — i loved my dad, he was a great father. but it was certainly an eye—opener on what these people can do. i suppose what they take for granted — my dad, his five brothers, they all went out in the lifeboat, they were all crew members. so, yeah, it's incredible what they do. despite the years that have passed,

martin says the bravery of those involved that day has changed the course of his life. i thought to myself, i've been given one of the most extraordinary christmas presents any human being can give. 0ne life was tragically lost on that day, but actually david brunton did notjust save one life, he saved nine. he saved my three sons, he saved five grandchildren. and here we are, i'm 71 now. i've had an amazingly happy, wonderful life, which i am really grateful for, and all because one man, and indeed the whole crew of that lifeboat, put their life on the line to people they don't know and who they have never met. i think that is quite extraordinary. one thing that hasn't changed is the dedication of lifeboat crews up and down the country. throughout this festive period, they will be prepared to head out and put their lives on the line

for others if they're called.

at borisjohnson promises big changes for the uk, following his brexit trade agreement with the european union. ministers say the focus can now be on "leveling up the country," spreading opportunity. for those who are anxious about the economic implications of leaving, they should be enormously reassured by the comprehensive nature of this free trade agreement. but some have accused the government of selling out the fishing industry. and labour says the deal is flawed. you know, we've got to be clear — this is a thin deal. it's not the deal that the government promised. mps will vote on the agreement on wednesday. also on the programme: more intense pressure on the nhs, as covid infections continue to rise. storm bella blows in with 100mph winds, adding to flooding chaos.

and league leaders liverpool are held at home by struggling west brom. good evening. borisjohnson has promised that "big" changes are on the way for the uk, following his brexit trade agreement with the european union. in an interview with the sunday telegraph, he said he wants to focus on "levelling up the country" and "spreading opportunity". he also said the deal would provide new regulatory freedoms to "deliver for people who felt left behind". however, some have accused him of "caving in" to the eu, claiming he's sacrificed the interests of the fishing industry. mps are set to vote on the deal in parliament on wednesday, with labour saying what's been agreed is "thin", but conceding it's

better than no deal. the snp has confirmed it will vote against the agreement, calling it a "disaster for scotland". with more, here's our business correspondent, vivienne nunis. glad tidings of greatjoy. glad tidings of great joy. 1200 pages of detail spelling out britain's new trading relationship with the eu. mps and others are pouring over the fine print. this morning, the chancellor tried to dispel any fears the uk might be worse off under this new trade agreement. for those who were anxious about the economic implications of leaving, they should be enormously reassured. the free trade deal means that when it comes to the price of french cheese or spanish tomatoes, there should be little change, according to the chair of the uk's largest supermarket chain. the administrative cost associated with have thing to make a customs declaration for people sending goods

into the uk will be there, but they are very modest. i don't think it will make any material difference to the prices consumers pay. but the future isn't so clear cut on other important aspects of uk— eu trade. today, the prime minister told the sunday telegraph, on financial services, the deal does not go as far as we would like. obviously, we would have loved to have more in there on financial services, professional services and services in general. 80% of the uk economy in 70% of the eu. it is the norm that for deal such as this that they are focused on goods. the chancellor says the uk will remain in close dialogue with the eu on how things will work moving forward, including financial services. this is, though, the largest free trade agreement in history, ruling out added taxes on imports known as tariffs, and quotas

limiting how much can be bought and sold. but there will be more red tape when goods move across borders. that's better than no deal but not ideal, says labour. this is a thin deal, it's not the deal the government promised, and there are large areas of our economy, such as financial services, that employs one in14 financial services, that employs one in 14 people in our country, where there aren't clear elements within this deal where much more work will need to be done. white make this bright criticism, the labour leadership will urge their mps to support the deal in the commons on wednesday. a scrutiny of the document continues in the coming days, more questions will inevitably arise about exactly what this new trading relationship will mean. the deal itself comes into force in just five days. vivienne, just how much ofa five days. vivienne, just how much of a stumbling block could be issue of a stumbling block could be issue of financial services be? clive, we are talking about a really important pa rt are talking about a really important part of the uk economy. last year, financial services was worth

something like £126 billion, and it employs around 1 million people. it is far bigger economically than, say, the fishing industry, which we've heard so much about and which took up so much time in the negotiations. speaking to people in the financial services sector today, they told me, look, it would have been pretty ambitious to think that financial services could be covered in this free trade agreement. they say deals like this always focus on goods, and the only time financial services have been covered is in the single market itself. they say they are hopeful that financial services are hopeful that financial services are nodded to in this agreement and that further down the line there can be further negotiation, as the chancellor said today, there will be more dialogue with the eu on this, and they had that in the future, deeper agreement can be reached. vivienne, thank you. the latest government figures show the number of new coronavirus infections remains high. there were 30,501 new cases recorded in the latest 24—hour period.

the true numbers are likely to be higher as some parts of the uk are not reporting data. 316 deaths were reported, of people who'd died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test, taking the total across the uk to 70,752. and the rising number of infections is putting a severe strain on the nhs. the london ambulance service says yesterday was it's busiest 24—hour period since march, and in scotland, doctors say health services could be overwhelmed if the relaxation of covid restrictions for christmas triggers a surge in cases. and in wales, one health board has had a huge response after appealing for medical students to help out in intensive care wards. here's sangita myska. stretched to the limit. nhs staff and hospitals in wales are working to full capacity, say the welsh government. annual illnesses, staff shortages caused by shielding and the rapid spread of the coronavirus variant

yesterday led cardiff and vale university health board to tweet this stark appeal. "0ur critical care department is urgently looking for assistance "from medical students and other staff groups who have previously "supported proning patients. proning patients — that is about moving patients when they are in intensive care from their backs onto their stomachs and vice versa. this process is quite heavy lifting, and it involves five to seven individuals. medical students and others answered the call in large numbers and the health board later tweeted that, while staffing remained challenging, the critical care unit remains open. meanwhile, the london ambulance service says it has had one of its busiest days ever, with more than 8,000 emergency calls on boxing day. that's up over 40% on last year.

the bbc has been told that student paramedics and volunteers have been enlisted to help. those representing a range of nhs services say the situation is increasingly difficult. i never want to say that the nhs is going to be overwhelmed, because we see the nhs being endlessly innovative and ingenious in how it can actually manage to spread incredibly thin resource, but i think it's worth remembering that things are incredibly challenging. in scotland, clinicians are issuing more warnings, this time that the nhs could be overwhelmed. mainland scotland is now in tier 4 restrictions. the new, faster spreading variant combined with the temporary easing of restrictions on christmas day could, they say, have created the perfect storm for an nhs that is already overstretched. sangita myska, bbc news.

the coronavirus vaccine is being given to millions of people across europe from today, as countries including france, spain and italy begin the rollout of their vaccination programmes. more than 14 million people have been infected across the continent, and strict lockdown measures are currently in place in nearly all eu member states. damien mcguinness has more now from berlin. the european vaccine roll—out has begun. in berlin, mobile teams are taking the first vaccines from this distribution centre to those who need it most. the elderly in nursing homes. this airport once provided a lifeline for west berlin at the height of the cold war. it was closed down in november to make way for a larger airport, and now it's been turned into a mass vaccination centre, providing yet again a lifeline for berliners, but this time in the fight against the pandemic. the first person in berlin to get

the vaccine this morning was gertrude haase, 101 years old. translation: i told myself that i didn't have to be among the first. i wanted to see what it was like for the others. but a little later, i thought, i'll do it too. doctors and nurses were among the first to get the job. in denmark, a moment of vaccine humour. let's hope it works, says the doctor. if it doesn't, it will come back to haunt you, replies the 79 euros. in some countries, there are worries that not enough people will wa nt worries that not enough people will want the vaccine, so to boost support, some european leaders have also gone first, including the czech prime minister. and in greece, both the president had the prime minister. translation:

the president had the prime minister. translationzlj the president had the prime minister. translation: i believe every greek today is smiling underneath a mask. in getting vaccinated first, greece's political and state leaders want to send a message that the vaccine is safe and effective. across europe, elderly people have been isolated, afraid and vulnerable. now, they are the first to be protected. damien mcguinness, bbc news, berlin. let's take a look at some of the day's other top stories. a 15—year—old boy is critically ill after he was hit by a police vehicle responding to a call—out in stockport. 0fficers stopped and administered trauma care the teenager was then taken to hospital, where he is in a critical state with a head injury. us officials say they're investigating whether the explosion of a campervan on christmas day in the city of nashville was a suicide bombing. three people were injured in the blast, and dna tests are now being carried out after human remains were found nearby. no—one has claimed responsibility. american wrestlerjon huber has died aged 41. better known to fans as brodie lee or luke harper,

his wife said he passed away after a battle with a non—covid related lung issue. storm bella has brought winds of more than 100mph to many parts of the uk, along with heavy rain. the met office has also issued yellow warnings for snow and ice meaning disruption is likely in parts of wales, north—west england, scotland and the whole of northern ireland. here's chi chi izundu. storm bella, making her presence known on british shores. winds of up to 106 mph had been recorded on the isle of wight overnight. bringing down trees, causing damage to cars and homes and hearts alongside brighton beachfront. ——huts alongside brighton beachfront.

train operators have issued warnings about delays and cancellations because of degree and flooding on the railway lines. but parts of the uk are still reeling from heavy rains over christmas, like cirencester in gloucestershire. residents trying to adapt. more than 70 homes were without power, and the environment agency has warned that some river levels around the country are still rising. this is a farm in 0xfordshire, where former helen's priority has been the safety of her animals. the amount of rain we've had in the last few days has made it very difficult for us, and we have over 3000 sheep, and we've had to move 1200 of them in the last three days, so the whole of christmas, we've been moving sheep. they are all pregnant, and their welfare is our priority at the moment, but finding dry land is almost impossible, because it's just completely saturated. the met office had issued three yellow weather warnings about snow and ice in parts of scotland in particular, the north—east, areas in the north of wales and northern ireland. officials say they're working hard to help those in need but have added that there may be at least another

day of harsh weather to come. chi chi izundu, bbc news. now, with all the sport, let's join jane dougall at the bbc sport centre. good evening. we start in the premier league as defending champions liverpool still top the table, despite being held to a draw by struggling west brom. brighton and west ham also drew, while leeds beat burnley. this joe wilson reports. actual friends, only allowed actualfriends, only allowed on merseyside in the premier league. west bromwich albion lost sight of sadio mane in the 12th minute. that is sam alla rdyce, sadio mane in the 12th minute. that is sam allardyce, partially masked but familiar, west brom's new boss. suddenly, it was will delete make liverpool with the problem is, a defender injured. juergen klopp is mike temper was the next thing to go — too much for the referee. 1—0 is never secure, there is always a chance from a cross. the header, the

post, the equaliser, and for the strugglers, the new hope. forward liverpool poured... sick elsewhere, west ham have always played in a bubble, or at least near them. tradition. but brighton were forward—thinking at the london stadium, first with neil notte. west ham was my equaliser came from a young man who has been with them since boyhood, a special moment for benjohnson, but since boyhood, a special moment for ben johnson, but west since boyhood, a special moment for benjohnson, but west ham couldn't stop lewis dunk. tu— one. then brighton couldn't stop thomas celtic. 2—2 would have to do. my belzer had barely completed her first crouch when bamber won leads a penalty against burnley. 1—0 is beautiful. joe wilson, bbc news.

in rugby union, wasps held on to beat sale sharks, but there was a lengthy delay as wasps wing zach kibirigi had to be stretchered off with a head injury. wasps trailed at the break, but in the second half, youngster charlie atkinson burst through to score his first premiership try for the visitors. it finished 26—23. the welsh grand national was abandoned because of a waterlogged course, it's been re—scheduled for the 9th of january. but racing at kempton did go ahead, with a shock winner in the desert 0rchid chase. the two—time champion—chase winner al—tior had been favourite, but 20—1 outsider nube negra took victory by three—and—a—half lengths. there's more on the bbc sport website, including andy murray's wildcard for the delayed australian 0pen. that's it for now. thank you for that. and, before we go, can you imagine working for 80 years? well, postmistress kay white has done just that. now she's set to retire from her post office in shropshire — at the age of 93. and in that time, she's seen it all,

from world war two to the transformation of the postal service, and she's been honoured by the queen as well. congratulations to her. i'll be back with the late news at ten. now an open letter to the prime minister published in the sunday times today is calling on the government to shift its focus from economic to well—being, when it rebuilds the country after the coronavirus crisis. instead of building back better, the government should build back happier, lord gus o'donnell and richard layard write. earlier, my colleague, ben brown, spoke to to lord 0'donnell and asked him what exactly he meant by build back happier. i think, when people talk about building back better, they talk about physical platforms. what we

are saying is let's bring the nation together, let's unite the warring factions about brexit or whatever and say there is a common agenda, we have real problems that covid has thrown up, and the election has shown us about inequality, the north and south, rich and poor, let's find ways to actually look at the population, their mental and physical health. let's think about education, building resilience and character, and kids that can take shocks. and think about making things happierfor all of shocks. and think about making things happier for all of us, shocks. and think about making things happierfor all of us, and oui’ things happierfor all of us, and our sustainability agenda. those are the things that could bring the whole nation together and result in 2021 ending in a way that 2020 alas hasn't. give us some specific examples. mental health, we know that's been a real hidden cost, often not so odd of the pandemic.

yes, and it was the case beforehand. we know there are plenty of people with diagnosed mental health conditions who are not getting treatment. that wouldn't happen in the physical health sphere. we know that the returns from investing in mental health are huge. when i was cabinet secretary, i used to visit a number of prisons, and the number people i saw who is the reason they we re people i saw who is the reason they were there were mental health issues, leading to crime and violence had all sorts costs for society. if we can tilt the spending towards prevention, rather than curing things, i think we could make a really big difference. in practical terms, that would mean improving the mental health programmes in schools, for example, improving mental health programmes in prisons and throughout our health service, thinking about treating the individual and finding ways to avoid them go to hospital. when people

talk about health, they often talk about doctors and hospitals. i want to get at the prevention thing. let's think about behaviour change so we can get people healthier and happier and not in need of the repairs they have to do in hospital. are you saying that the united kingdom is not a very happy nation? 0bviously, coronavirus has made us deeply unhappy, no doubt about that, but apart from that are you saying that, compared to other nations, we are not as happy we should be, perhaps? i'm afraid so. the virus has had a big impact and bigger than elsewhere. i've written about that in thejournal. elsewhere. i've written about that in the journal. but our children, there was a study looking at this, and the results for the uk are depressing. we are right at the bottom of the league tables. very sad. asa bottom of the league tables. very sad. as a nation, we are not too

bad. the scandinavians, who always seem to win everything, are ahead of us, and there are some lessons i think we could learn there about how to look after, social care they do a lot better than us. we need to learn from others and particularly we have a problem with people with particularly well low being. when you look at them, you see there are issues that could be sold quite straightforwardly, mental health being one, that people who are out of work, i'm employed, no sense meaning in their lives, people in jobs which are low income and basically not very fulfilling. those things. and yet, at the other end, you have got volunteering, which enhances peoples wellbeing and we should be promoting it, the charitable sector is suffering a great deal during the pandemic. if we could boost them and unleash their potential, that would be a huge boost for our world.

a chilli at wintry flavour to the weather in the final days of 2020, but we are going to lose the very heavy and persistent rain some of us have had recently. still some flood warnings in force across parts of england and wales stop we have had very brisk winds thanks to storm bella. this band of cloud, that is where we had the very wet and windy weather. behind it, you can see speckled cloud working down from the north, and we are going to stick with a northerly airflow through this week. that means it's going to feel pretty cold out there. temperatures will be below average by day, some frosty nights with the risk of ice. some rain and also some sleet and snow. amongst all of that, some spells of sunshine. heading through tonight, some showers around and, across western areas, through western scotland, northern ireland, north—west england, wales, perhaps the midlands and the west country, some rain and some snow over high

round and perhaps even at quite low levels at times. it's going to be a very chilly night indeed. temperatures down to —8 in parts of scotla nd temperatures down to —8 in parts of scotland for the some icy stretches tomorrow morning. this slow—moving area of rain, sleet and snow could give some accumulating snow even at quite low levels, most likely across parts of wales, the midlands, central southern england and the west country. that will slowly pivot away and we will see another area of rain with some snow across northern ireland and western scotland. some showers in eastern areas. brisk winds in the west, lighter winds further east. there will be some spells of sunshine on what will be a decidedly chilly day. temperatures between two and may be seven. low pressure still in charge of the scene for tuesday. still a northerly wind. you can see these frontal systems across western areas, where showers are likely to join into longer spells of rain for the some

snow over high ground, much of what full from the sky at low levels will be rain. a few showers still in eastern counties. pretty chilly, two to seven. we stick with a chilly theme as we head towards the end of theme as we head towards the end of the week. there will be a lot of dry weather around but some showers, too, and they will be wintry in places.

this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. britain's borisjohnson promises big changes following his brexit trade deal, as his finance minister rishi sunak says the deal will reassure those worried about the impact on businesses. for those who were anxious about the economic implications of leaving, they should be enormously reassured by the comprehensive nature of this free—trade agreement. the roll—out of the pfizer biontech covid vaccine begins for millions of people across the eu, starting with italy and the czech republic. and millions of americans lose their unemployment benefits, after president trump refuses to sign the covid economic relief bill into law. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk