welcome to bbc news — i'm rich preston. our top stories: president trump belatedly signs a huge bipartisan coronavirus relief and government spending bill into law. south africa registers more than a million cases of coronavirus — hospital admissions rise steeply as a new faster spreading variant is detected. the vaccine rollout begins in european union countries — health workers and the elderly, the first in the queue. new york prepares to say a rousing, if virtual, farewell to 2020.

we begin with breaking news this hour: president trump has approved a $2 trillion government spending and coronavirus stimulus package days after objecting to elements of the bill. the new law will not only support people and businesses threatened by the pandemic, it will also ensure the government remains open. in a statement, mr trump said it was his "responsibility to protect americans from the economic devastation and ha rdship" caused by the coronavirus. he also said that he has told congress that he wants far less wasteful spending and more money going to the american people in the form of $2,000 per adult and $600 per child. daniel lippman is the white house reporter for politico. he joins us from washington. president trump signed this and says it is his response ability but clearly not happy with it still. they talk about how they should write against big tech in this rambling statement that

had some typos stop it called operation war, project warp speed, that is the government plan to get, to develop vaccines. it has been pretty successful. he was kind of kicked, dragged, kicking and screaming. senator david perdue who is up for re—election in a couple of weeks. he says he will updated with a redlined version. he say what that will mean? you make it in. -- he didn't specify. it is up to congress to accept some of those changes from the president and so this will be more of a symbolic thing than actually being carried out and

so actually being carried out and soi actually being carried out and so i think washington is breathing a sigh of relief since they didn't want to have a government shutdown, they wa nt a government shutdown, they want these checks to go out to millions of americans who are in desperate need of help. businesses are continuing to fail so they need this payment protection, pay check protection. so this bill could have been approved months ago but democrats and republicans didn't want to back down from their negotiating positions. realistically, how much power over this does donald trump have even that in a number of weeks a new president will be sworn in? he doesn't have much influence anymore. republicans are not scared of him or else they might agree to his $2000 checkidea they might agree to his $2000 check idea per adult. and so his influence is really waning and a lot of them don't think that he is a man of his word, given that his treasury

secretary steven mnuchin said we are ok with the $600 per person and yet trump was huffing and puffing that oh, it should be $2000. well, democrats are saying why didn't you tell us weeks ago months ago? why are you springing it on us ago? why are you springing it on us at the last minute? thank you for being with us. andrew stettner is a senior fellow at the century foundation — a nonpartisan think tank aimed at reducing inequality. he'sjoining me from washington. what is your immediate reaction to this? i think it is both a relief and a lot of rage. this caused the delay in signing this bill, it caused needless stress and financial anxiety. an actual cost, some of the money they thought they were going to get. at the same time, this bill could not wait. they will be millions kept out of

poverty, millions kept in their homes, so there is a lot of relief in making sure we are able to sign this important piece of legislation. resident trumps as his reason for delaying was he wanted americans to get more money and he was working for regular americans. arguably, $2000 would have been a much more welcome figure or an average american. well, it is like somebody playing a football game where you could say well, if we had used this formation in the first half, maybe we would have one, but that —— when there is one seconds left in the game, you can't replay it. his treasury secretary was the one who negotiated the $600. it was his party that kept the total bill to 900 billion dollars. in fact, the democrats had passed the $2000 per person stimulus package in august, so really it was well past the point. this bill was not perfect. more should have been delivered to families, more to the economy, but it was

a compromise that all realised was the minimum needed to get the us family and our economy through this very difficult time before better times are ahead. besides the direct payment forfamilies, ahead. besides the direct payment for families, what else is included in the bill? some key elements. in addition to the $600 stimulus, there is up to $8,000 perjobless worker in unemployment benefits including a top up that had expired in july. there is also an eviction moratorium, money to get schools open, protective equipment. early vitalaid up—and—down in terms of the immediate needs caused by the pandemic. the wheels of bureaucracy can turn slowly. how quickly will americans see the impact of this? in part, we know that some of the checks

that the jobless had expected may not come until well into january. i think that $600 will hit some taxpayers. within two weeks. it will take some time to get there but i know the states and the federal agencies responsible that had one try with this so we do hope it will bea with this so we do hope it will be a little more efficient this time around. thank you for being with us. south africa has recorded more than i million coronavirus cases, since the first case wasrecorded in march. it comes days after the south african authorities confirmed that a new faster—spreading coronavirus variant had been detected. around 26,700 people have died from covid—i9 related complications so far. mark lobel reports. got it? let's see how short of earth you are.

south africa's struggling to contain its battle with coronavirus. the average number of people dying has doubled in a fortnight. hospitals and medical centres are reporting rising admissions, straining resources and healthcare staff. here comes the second wave, so, i don't know, i don't know how the health organisation will manage to deal with it, i don't know, but we're just pinning our hope that maybe something will be found so they can cure people, because i see a lot of people die. it wasn't that bad? yeah, it wasn't. a million people have now tested positive here. 100,000 new cases were recorded in less than ten days. with cases doubling in over two weeks. some hospitals have had to cancel some of their staffs

leave. it is getting worse but the fear now, is people, they are not trying to protect themselves. you can see that most of the people... many people suspect a new coronavirus variant that's more easily transmitted, is believed to be driving this surge. the variant called 501.v2 was identified in the country's eastern cape province and is reportedly gaining dominance in the south and south—east. several countries have banned flights from south africa as a result. after one of the world's earliest and strictest lockdowns back in march, including an alcohol ban, tougher measures are now being reconsidered by president cyril ramaphosa. vaccinations haven't yet reached these shores, although this one, developed in the netherlands, is being tested here. i'm really disappointed to see

the world map of access so far and the whole of the african continent seems to have been left out. but right now the country is preparing for other measures as it finds itself on the back foot. hopes now dashed that it had skipped the worst of the pandemic. mark lobel, bbc news. people across europe have started to receive the coronavirus vaccine after countries including france, spain and italy, began 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 rollout 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, come on, i'll do it, too. in italy, where fatalities among healthcare workers have been particularly high, there was relief, as doctors and nurses were among the first to get the jab. in denmark, a moment of vaccine humour. "let's hope it works", says the doctor. "if it doesn't, i'll come back to haunt you," replies a 79—year—old. in some countries there are 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 and the prime minister. translation: i believe that every greek today is smiling underneath their mask. in getting vaccinated first, greece's political and state leaders want to send the 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. here in the uk, the ever rising numbers of covid infections is putting a severe strain on the national health service. the london ambulance service says it has had it's busiest 2a hour period since march. in scotland doctors say health services could be overwhelmed, if the relaxation of covid restrictions for christmas, triggers a surge in cases. but 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.

hospitals and other front line services are under mounting pressure tonight in some parts of the uk. that's the warning from the nhs. the bbc has learned that student paramedics and two other ambulance services outside the capital have been called in to assist after a sharp rise in calls. the london ambulance service says that yesterday, boxing day, was one of its busiest ever, with calls up by more than 50% compared to last year. 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. meanwhile the welsh government

has described the nhs there as "stretched to the limit and working to full capacity". annual illnesses, staff shortages and the rapid spread of the new coronavirus variant yesterday led cardiff and vale university health board to tweet this stark appeal. the art of proning patients, and that is about moving patients when they're in intensive care from their backs on to their stomachs and vice—versa, and this process is quite heavy lifting, 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. 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. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: this year has seen covid—deniers and anti—vaxxers spread their ideas on social media. we'll be asking why 2020 has been the perfect storm for conspiracy theories. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland we are going to use the money we picked up in belgium today, and then we will be in france, and again it will be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go.

george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. just good? no, fantastic. that's better. bells toll this is bbc news, the latest headlines: president trump has approved a $2 trillion government spending and coronavirus stimulus package days after objecting to elements of the bill.

south africa has registered more than 1 million cases of covid—19, just a few days after a new, faster—spreading coronavirus variant was detected. one of the by—products of coronavirus has been a sharp increase throughout the world in the amount of people believing in conspiracy theories. significant numbers believe covid—19 was created deliberately, has killed far fewer people than reported, is a hoax, does not actually exist and the vaccine is an implant that is being used to track people. so what's driving this growth of conspiracy theories, and why are so many people engaging with them? let's talk now to political scientist and conspiracy theory expert professor joseph uscinski. professor, thank you very much for being with us. some will say they are just being cynical, sceptical. when does healthy cynicism become a conspiracy theory? well, the problem with beliefs is that sometimes people act on those beliefs. so if people believe

things that are disconnected from our shared reality, if people believe things that are not tied to the best evidence and what the experts are saying, then they will act in ways that are potentially very dangerous, and we have been seeing that since the beginning of the pandemic. how widespread are conspiracy theories? are we perhaps just are conspiracy theories? are we perhapsjust more are conspiracy theories? are we perhaps just more aware of them this year, covering them in the news media more? it is true that the media is covering them more, and we are very much more aware of them than we have been in the past. but with that said, a lot of people to believe in covid—19 conspiracy theories. in my country, about 30% of the populace thinks the vaccine is being overblown, or that doctors are faking patients to suggest that the disease is worse than it actually is. so these ideas are widespread and there is a strong connection between these beliefs and people's behaviours, like mask wearing an hand washing and social

distancing. how does a conspiracy theory typically start and how does it build momentum? many different ways. so, people can just see something and try to explain it on their own, and come up with a conspiracy theory because thatis a conspiracy theory because that is how they see the world. for other people, they might read it somewhere or find for other people, they might read it somewhere orfind it for other people, they might read it somewhere or find it in fa ke read it somewhere or find it in fake news on social media or on a cable tv channel. so they are all over the place, and they are not hard to find, so what a lwa ys are not hard to find, so what always amazes me isn't the fact that so many people believe conspiracy theories, but often i'm amazed that more people don't believe them than actually do. is there a particular type of person who is more prone to believing conspiracy theories, and how groups like qanon come into this as well? qanon is a very fringe group, and what is interesting is that they have turned conspiracy theorising into a game. i mean, they have taken some of the most extreme conspiracy theories, the idea that the government is controlled by satanic

paedophiles, and turned it into a game where people can follow along with secret clues and pretend like they are learning something that nobody else knows. luckily, in the us, i mean it has been persistent, but it has remained around 5— 8%. but most conspiracy theorist believers, people who really see the world through a conspiracy theorist lens, they simply do it because they have this worldview, and this is just how the world makes sense to them. so no matter what they see, they say, that must be a conspiracy behind it. some people may scoff, some people may roll their eyes, but there is the potential for real danger, and for people who deeply believe conspiracy theories to act on them, isn't there? we have seen it time and time again throughout history. if someone thinks that there is a shadowy, powerful group that is out to get us, they may want to fight fire with fire, and engage in violent actions. to foil what they see is a conspiracy against him. and

that has happened over and over again in history. but on a more mild level it can still be incredibly dangerous. i mean, people who think that covid is a host that hopes are not wearing masks, not social distancing, and they are not going to get vaccinated. —— think that covid is a hoax are not wearing masks. but will allow the disease to spread further and kill people needlessly. professor, as somebody who studies these, i have to ask you what your favourite conspiracy theory is. i have always been into kennedy conspiracy theories ever since i was conspiracy theories ever since iwasa conspiracy theories ever since i was a kid. the 0liver conspiracy theories ever since i was a kid. the oliver stone movie was always excellent, but having shown that movie in class for a number of years now, you know, i realised that none of it is true, and there was one shooter. i'm sorry, finally, one more. what about future conspiracy theories? what do you envisage coming in the years ahead ? what do you envisage coming in the years ahead? well, i think next year vaccine conspiracy theories are going to be particularly tricky and we are going to have to do a lot to fight back against them, and it is going to be very important that people follow experts.

professorjoseph uscinski, fascinating to talk to you. thanks for making the time, we really appreciate it. thank you. the fbi says that dna recovered from the debris of the campervan that exploded in the city of nashville on christmas day matches samples taken from the main suspect‘s home. us attorney donald cochrane announced the name of the man who deliberately blew himself up outside a telecoms office, knocking out communications across the state and injuring three people. based on the evidence that we've gathered at this point, we've come to the conclusion that an individual named anthony warner is the bomber. he was present when the bomb went off and that he perished in the bombing. we based its conclusion underforensic evidence including dna evidence that you'll hear about, as well as evidence that was gathered at the scene of the bombing. let's get some of the day's other news. the british government is launching a new campaign to remind businesses of the changes needed to continue working following last week's brexit trade deal with the uk. businesses have to be ready

for the new terms by the end fo the transition period this thursday. parliament will debate the new trade agreement this wednesday when it is recalled dozens of syrian refugee families have had to leave a makeshift camp in lebanon after it was burnt to the ground on saturday night. aid officials say the tents were set alight after a dispute between refugees and local residents. at least three people were injured in the blaze. the hugely popular american wrestler and actor jon huber has died. he was a1. better known to fans as brodie lee or luke harper, his wife says he passed away after a battle with a lung complaint, not related to covid—19. roger federer is withdrawing from the australian 0pen while he continues preparing to return to action after two operations on his right knee, his agent has announced. the start of the australian 0pen's main draw, usually held injanuary, was delayed by three weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic and is now scheduled

to begin on 8 february at melbourne park. the new year is rapidly approaching, with the coronavirus pandemic continuing to cause misery all around the world. social distancing and other restrictions means normal new year's eve celebrations will have to be curtailed. but in new york they insist the show will go on as much as possible. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. the more things change, the more they stay the same. workers finishing preparations to the giant crystal ball but will see out the old and see in the new. it weighs six tons, has a diameter of more than 3.5 metres, and is cloud in thousands of waterford crystal

scenes like this expect scenes like this has 2020 draws to a close. covid—19 and all it entails has put something of a dampener on proceedings. so, this year, thanks to our pandemic, it is a life broadcast closed to the public, but you can watch, you can watch online at timessquareball. net, can watch online at timessquareball.net, you can watch online at timessquareball. net, you can watch on tv, you can watch online, you can watch on the virtual new year's eve app. there are lots of ways to watch here at times square. they are calling this year's all the gift of happiness. the people of new york, and notjust new york, hoping that will turn out to be an omen. tim allman, bbc

news. that's it from us for the time being. from me and the team, thanks for your company. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @richpreston. hello. the weather is taking on a decidedly wintry complexion as we head through the final days of 2020. the satellite picture shows this big stripe of cloud that brought very wet and windy weather through the early parts of sunday courtesy of storm bella, but now we've got these speckled clouds working in from the north, some shower clouds, those showers turning wintry as well with some really cold air digging its way down. and we stick with this northerly air flow right through the coming week. so, yes, it will be cold by day and by night. there will be a mixture of rain, sleet and snow at times, amidst all of that, some spells of sunshine. certainly a very chilly

start to monday morning with temperatures widely below freezing, several degrees below freezing in places. that could well give rise to some icy stretches, and also notice this area of rain, sleet and snow across parts of wales, the midlands, down into southern england. this is going to be moving very slowly through the day, he could give some snow certainly over high ground, but even to low levels don't be surprised if you get a brief covering of snow. elsewhere, some wintry showers continuing in eastern coastal counties. northern ireland, western scotland keeping a lot of cloud. a mix of rain, sleet and snow here. it will be windy in the west, not as windy further east, but even if you get sunshine through the day it will feel chilly. top temperatures between 2—7 degrees. now, as we had through monday night western areas particularly will see further cloud and epics of rain. some sleet and snow. some wintry showers

for eastern coasts as well. elsewhere, we keep some clear spells, again a touch of frost and some icy stretches with temperatures for many dipping well below freezing. so as we go on into tuesday, low pressure will be sitting just to the east of the british isles. high pressure a long way out to the west, but that will be driving a feed of northerly winds once again. another fairly windy day across the west, where we will see showers of rain, sleet and snow. some wintry showers for northern and eastern coasts. elsewhere, a lot of dry weather and some spells of sunshine to come with those temperatures still struggling below average for the time of year. three, four, five, six celsius in most places. and we stick with that very cold weather throughout the rest of the week. a lot of dry weather around, but some showers, some of which will still be wintry.

this is bbc news, the headlines: president trump has belatedly signed a coronavirus relief and government spending bill into law. republican and democratic party lawmakers had been pleading with him to sign it before the deadline of midnight on monday. millions of americans temporarily lost unemployment benefits and emergency top—up payments because of the delay. south africa has registered more than a million cases of covid—19 — just a few days after the south african authorities confirmed a new faster spreading coronavirus variant had been detected. some hospitals and medical centres have reported a severe rise in admissions, placing a heavy strain on resources. european leaders have hailed the start of coronavirus vaccinations across the eu as a turning point in the fight against the pandemic. the first in line to receive the vaccine are the elderly and health workers, and the eu aims to vaccinate just over six—million people by the end of the year. now on bbc news, 2020

was supposed to celebrate