this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. eu ambassadors unanimously back the post—brexit trade deal that was agreed between the uk and the eu on christmas eve. president trump signs a coronavirus relief and spending package, after previously threatening to block it. the uk hits a new record of 41,385 covid—19 cases, with 357 more deaths as the new variant puts pressure on hospitals. a chinese journalist who reported on the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, has been sentenced to 4 years injail. tonight's premier league fixture between everton and manchester city has been cancelled for medical reasons, due to city's squad being hit by the coronavirus.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. the post—brexit trade deal, between britain and the european union, has taken another big step to being implemented. all 27 eu ambassadors have approved the agreement that was announced last week. on wednesday the president of the eu council, charles michel, and president of the eu commission, ursula von der leyen, are expected to sign off on the deal. but it will also have to be ratified by the european parliament, next year. also on 30th december, uk mps will vote on the deal in a special sitting of parliament.

it all means that tariff—free trade will provisionally be allowed, after britain leaves the eu single market in the new year. the uk prime minister, borisjohnson, has described the trade deal as "a new starting point for our relationship" with the eu. our europe correspondent, kevin connolly, says there's a lot of detail which still needs to be fleshed out. well, it is a 1200 page agreement, so an enormous number of things have been agreed to, covering everything from what happens when you take your pet on holiday in the european union from the united kingdom to how trade will be executed. that of course is the really big headline. there will be no tariffs and no quotas on trade. that is the essence of a free trade agreement. that's goods. now, from the british perspective, there are lots of important areas of economic activity which are either still to be negotiated or which do not currently

form part of that agreement. that would include financial services, that is a huge motor in the british economy, actually, and it includes various other areas, including rules on data. brexit, the end of the transition period is at the end of the year, but it's not the end of the process. this is a relationship that will involve a lot of talking over a lot of time. it's the end of a phase but not the end of the talks or the process. this relationship will involve a lot of talking for a long time. the government in the uk has warned there'll be some "bumpy moments" for british businesses as they get to grips with new eu trading rules in the new year. ministers are urging companies to use the short time remaining to prepare for the changes. our business correspondent,

vivienne nunis reports. this kent—based factory produces crisps made from fresh fruit imported from the continent. after manufacturing, the snacks are then exported back across the channel to customers in europe. the free trade deal agreed with brussels means no extra tariffs in either direction, but more paperwork and red tape. the founder, nimisha raja, is getting worried. ifeel as if i'm going to be inundated with paperwork. i think it's going to cost us a little bit of money in staff costs as well, in dealing with all of this, and i know there are going to be delays, especially at the port, you know? cabinet office minister michael gove said the government is doing all it can to advise businesses on the new rules, but he warned there will be some disruption. as we leave the european union and we're outside the customs union, those new requirements will mean that, in particular, when people arrive at the french border, they do need to have the paperwork in order.

if they haven't, then we would advise them absolutely not to make the journey because they'll only be turned back. the clock is ticking... the government has been advising businesses to prepare for months. for the thousands of british companies who rely on goods crossing the border, there are nowjust four days to get to grips with the necessary changes. we need to translate these 1,200 pages of legal text to practical business guidance that every firm can understand. secondly, we need to understand how the europeans are going to be applying the deal at the borders on thursday night. as the government itself acknowledged today, there could be a bumpy road ahead. vivienne nunis, bbc news. us markets have risen sharply after president trump signed a long—awaited coronavirus stimulus bill. he backed down from his threat to block the hard—fought plan, restoring unemployment benefits to millions of americans and averting a federal

government shutdown. from washington, nomia iqbal reports. the yeas are 359, the nays are 53. this was a deal that had support by both republicans and democrats, but not by the president. a few months ago, congress started negotiations on a new package to get urgently needed help to the american people. it's taken forever. however, the bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated. it really is a disgrace. as he played golf over the last few days, he was pressured by both parties to sign the bill. the consequences of his inaction were immense. what do we want...? up to a0 million americans face losing their unemployment benefits temporarily, and being evicted from their homes. the bill now changes that. it's very exciting and i hope that

it's true so that a lot of families can get stimulus and relief and all the people who are still struggling with unemployment don't have to face such grim news at the holidays, at the beginning of a new year. the government also faced being shut down, as a lot of money was needed for funding government agencies. there will now be help for small businesses and money for vaccine distribution amongst other things. well, some key elements, you know, in addition to the $600 stimulus, there is up to $8,000 perjobless worker in unemployment benefits, including a top up that expired injuly. there's also an eviction moratorium. there's money to get schools open, protective equipment, so really vital aid. in a statement, president trump didn't say why he changed his mind. he said more still needed to be done, including

increasing the individual payments to americans. mr trump also pushed the one thing he remains focussed on — claims of election fraud, which are unsubstantiated, and demanded action on that too. but he is only president for less than a month and his requests are likely to be ignored. this last minute turmoil he created has now been averted and instead provided much needed help for a country that continues to suffer under the pandemic. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington. income housing coalition. i spoke to her earlier about the unnecessary stress caused to millions of people. it's been tremendously stressful for tens of millions of renters who were on the verge of losing their homes eviction moratorium

expired on thursday. people have been left really right up to the last moment wondering whether or not they were going to lose their homes next weekend in the weeks to come. the good news is that while it will take some time get the emergency rental assistance out to renters and to small landlords, the extension of the federal eviction moratorium takes effect immediately, so there is a reprieve there, there is time now for states and localities to get that money out the door and potentially for president—elect biden, when he comes into office, to take further action. but that moratorium is now extended through the end of january. are landlords aware of this and sensitive to this? has the eviction moratorium been adhered to? in some cases, yes. generally speaking, the federal eviction moratorium has done what it was intended to do, which is keep tens of millions of people who would otherwise lose their homes housed during this pandemic. but the order itself is flawed,

and it has holes, through which some renters are falling and in some places, evictions have proceeded, despite the order, despite the eviction moratorium. so there have been at least 150,000 evictions that have taken place during the pandemic. so some landlords, yes, are working with tenants to work out payment plans, other kind of concessions to make sure people stay housed. some landlords are proceeding and working to try to evict tenants, despite the pandemic, despite the protections under the order. the figures on the back rent debts essentially are astounding. we are looking at around $70 billion. any indication from president—elect biden, because this new deadline should take us up to when he is sitting in the white house, so is there any indication from him as to how he will handle the problem? there's a lot of work to do.

this is a stop gap and there will be a lot of work to do. that's absolutely right. the estimates are that low income renters will owe anywhere between 30 billion and $70 billion in back rent by the end of this year, clearly more than they can ever pay off in their lifetimes and $25 billion that will be provided in this covid relief package is a significant set of resources that will help many renters, but it's clearly not enough. similarly, having the eviction moratorium go through the end of january provides some relief now, but that's not long enough to keep low income renters stably housed during the pandemic. in the uk, there are further warnings of the pressures faced by uk hospitals, as the number of covid infections continues to rise. the latest figures in the uk have just been published. a record 41,385 new cases were recorded in the past 2a hours, although this may include additional cases not recorded over the christmas period.

a further 357 deaths were announced. london has been particularly affected. sangita myska has the latest. across the uk, the nhs is under mounting pressure. in the south—east of england, the new variant of covid—19 is spreading faster than anywhere else, accounting for more than 60% of positive tests. in london, that's pushed some covid hospital wards to capacity. there are large numbers of patients coming in with covid. i mean, i was on on christmas day and it was wall to wall covid. at the moment, the level of patient need is incredibly high. 0n boxing day, the london ambulance service received 7,918 calls. that is up 50% on last year. the government says it is aware of the situation and keeping it under review. but i think that we are pursuing

the right strategy, but the important thing to do to take into account the emerging scientific and medical evidence which can help us to reorient in the right way, in order to keep people safe, to protect the nhs, to save lives. in wales, nhs services there, say the welsh government, have been stretched to the limit. 0ne hospital tweeted for fully trained volunteers to support its critical care unit. the call was answered, the unit remains open. with much more mixing over christmas and the very high transmissibility of the new strain of covid would result in many more infections and therefore many more hospital admissions and, necessarily then, more admissions to intensive care unit and more deaths, sadly. meanwhile, in scotland, clinicians are issuing another warning that the nhs could be overwhelmed, and are appealing to the public to adhere to tier 4

mainland restrictions, after they were eased on christmas day. i think it was absolutely right that the restrictions were only flexed for that day. but inevitably, there will be a cost for this. one of the things that we are particularly concerned about here in scotland is that the new year festivities will shorlty be upon us. of course, there is no relaxation for those festivities and it is extremely important that households don't mix. there is, however, some hope on the horizon. there are indications that the uk's 0xford vaccine that doesn't have to be stored at extremely low temperatures may be approved by regulators this week. the uk government has 100 million doses on order. sangita myska, bbc news. the latest headlines on bbc news.... eu ambassadors unanimously back

the post—brexit trade deal, agreed between the uk and the eu on christmas eve. president trump signs a coronavirus relief and spending package, after previously threatening to block the bill, saying parts of it were "wasteful". this time last year, doctors in china recorded the first cases of a new strain of pneumonia. the cause was what we now know is the covid—19 virus, and the start of a global pandemic. the world health organization has been marking that anniversary. take a listen. this week marks the one—year anniversary since who learnt of cases of pneumonia with a known cause via a bulletin issued by the health authorities in wuhan. this is a moment for all of us to reflect on the toll the pandemic has taken,

the progress we have made, the lessons we have learned, and what we need to do in the year ahead to end this pandemic. also in that meeting was a statement that countries should not be punished for transparently sharing their new findings on covid—19. the lawyer for a chinese citizen—journalist who reported on the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in wuhan, says his client has been sentenced to 4 years in jail. zhang zhan‘s live reports and essays, criticising the chinese authorities‘ initial response to the virus were widely shared on social media. our china correspondent, stephen mcdonell, reports from beijing. tense scenes preceded zhang zhan‘s brief court appearance in shanghai. access to the hearing was prohibited forjournalists, and members of the general public, including herfriends. translation: i feel extremely sad.

how long can this country, these people, this tragedy, carry on for? in february this year, zhang zhan travelled to wuhan to report on the, at times chaotic, early stages of the coronavirus outbreak. blending activism with journalism, she focused on the failings of the government's response to the pandemic. shouting. it wasn't the first time she had come into conflict with authorities and she knew it was potentially risky. translation: maybe i have a rebellious soul. why can't i tell the truth? she has now been sentenced to four years in prison for picking quarrels and provoking trouble. a crime often used to silence dissidents in china. lawyers say they are worried she will now resume a hunger strike behind bars.

translation: after we left the courtroom, we saw her mother. she was crying uncontrollably. translation: she is such a determined person. she believes she is innocent. she is probably more determined than ever to continue her hunger strike. i am worried about her health, her life. the chinese government has been pushing the line that here, unlike so many other countries, the coronavirus has been brought under control. and it certainly does have a good story to tell in this regard. but that doesn't mean all its responses have been without problems, especially in the beginning. so, perhaps because of this, the communist party has decided to silence the likes of zhang zhan and her harsh sentence is to serve as a lesson for all. let's look at the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic around the world now, starting in europe. all 27 european union member states are embarking upon a mass vaccination programme.

a total of 416 million people will need to be vaccinated across the continent. these pictures are from belgium, where residents of care homes were among the first to receive the vaccine. in switzerland, more than 200 british tourists have fled a coronavirus quarantine in the swiss skiing resort of verbier. and south korea is the latest country to report cases of the variant first identified in the uk. a family of three who arrived in the country from london in the last week has tested positive. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah. we'll start in the english premier league where everton against manchester city has, in the last hour, been postponed after further cases of coronavirus were found at the club. the city training ground and the academy will be now be closed while more testing continues. here's our football reporter simon stone. manchester city had some routine

tests done after they played against newcastle tests done after they played against n ewcastle o n tests done after they played against newcastle on boxing day. they had already announced on christmas day that kyle walker, jesus and two more staff members had tested positive and therefore were going into a period of self isolation. the results of those tests came back this morning, they were more positives within that. city are not saying who, but there was enough within them for them, manchester city to go to the premier league to request a postponement. meanwhile honours were even in the premier league's early kick—off. wilfried zaha thought he had sealed all three points for crystal palace, but a late equaliser from harvery barnes salvaged a point for leicester. and that point was enough for the foxes to move up lionel messi says he's yet to decide whether he'll stay at barcelona

beyond the end of the season when his contract expires, having expressed his desire earlier this year to leave the club he's been at for two decades. the club's record goalscorer has told a spanish tv network that he'll leave any decision over his long term future until the end of the season. messi also says that he'd like to play in the united states "and experience life and the league there." six—time champion roger federer will miss february's australian open for the first time in his career at the age of 39. he's continuing his recovery from knee surgery. federer‘s last competitive match was against novak djokovic in last year's semifinals in melbourne. the 20—time grand slam winner says being fit for wimbledon and the tokyo olympics in the summer is now his priority. australia have it all to do to avoid defeat against india in the second test in melbourne after the tourists dominated day three. after bowling india out for 326, austalia trailed by 131 on the first innings. they looked to be going steady

when they reached 71 for 2, but then lost 4 quick wickets, collapsing to 99 for 6. an unbroken 34—run stand between cameron green and pat cummins helped them to 133 without further loss at the close, leading by only two runs. india with a big chance of winning the game and levelling up the four match series. now to centurion where south africa were bowled out for 621 in their first innings on the third day of their first test against sri lanka, a lead of 225. faf du plessis was outjust short of his double century. sri lanka closed on 65 for two, still 160 runs behind with 8 wickets remaining. that's all the sport for now. a 5—year—long study of the atlantic ocean has discovered 12 species previously

unknown to science. using remotely controlled deep sea robots, the project looked at the ocean and its hidden ecosystems in unprecedented detail. an ocean that covers one fifth of the earth's surface and, from populous industrial coastlines to pristine ice—filled waters, one four and half—year study of the atlantic, exploring and taking samples from 12 regions of this vast ocean has discovered a dozen species, new to science. this creature is a zoantharian, it uses its tentacles to trap food from the water. the researchers also found shellfish and five new species of coral. these static sea bed dwellers provide the food and shelter that's the foundation of hotspots of life in the deep ocean. you can think of them as underwater cities. the scientists say their atlantic—wide study is just starting to map out where the most important places for life are. we can still say that we know less

about the sea floor of the oceans than we do about the surface of the moon or mars. a very percentage small of the sea floor is actually being sampled. that means that pretty much anywhere you go that's new, you're going to find new species, and they might be tiny little worms, nematodes and things like that, but certainly the diversity‘s huge. and just like our natural environment on the land, life in the the oceans is being affected by human activity. as the climate changes, so do our oceans, and the oceans are changing in ways that scientists are still learning about and trying to understand. so some of these whole eco—systems and newly—discovered species could already be under threat. our oceans have absorbed nearly a third of the carbon dioxide that has been released into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution, and this has shifted the chemistry of the sea water that these animals have evolved in. we have this really terrifying

prospect that, right across the global ocean, the sea is becoming slightly more acid. so we face the prospect that the corals of the deep sea are changing, their skeletons are getting more porous, as that slightly acidic sea water corrodes and damages their skeletons. it is almost like an osteoperosis, they're becoming more brittle, more vulnerable to breaking. and it's those coral skeletons that form the structures that are the buildings, the architecture of those cities of the deep sea. this research is unravelling how diverse and interconnected life in the deep ocean is. and as our world changes quickly, these insights could be key to making sure that species don't disappear before they're even discovered. you are watching bbc news.

hello, it's a cold and bright day for many of you, but for others it really has been a winter wonderland today. we have seen snow as far south as the cotswolds and even in the downs this afternoon, and we are going to continue to see some further bouts of snow across the country. in different areas from one day to the next, but it is always going to be a fine balance for some between snow, rain and sleet. but either way it is going to be cold, frosty and icy by night. now, today it is cold out there, strong winds down the western flank, rain, but a little bit of sleet and snow mixed in over the higher ground towards pembrokeshire and cornwall. rain, sleet, snow mix clearing away from southern counties of england through the rest of today, but more showers down the eastern coast. rain on the coastal strip, a little bit of sleet and snow inland. and by the time we hit this evening, already temperatures close to freezing.

now, tonight the showers become more abundant through parts of scotland and northern england. rain along the coast, turning to sleet and snow inland, even the uphill parts. sheffield, manchester, leeds, bradford could see a covering of snow again as we head into tomorrow morning. away from that, though, it is going to be icy with temperatures widely below freezing. so another cold day in store. still breezy down western areas, but we could see a rain, sleet, snow mix move through the peak district, staffordshire, shropshire, the midlands, towards parts of wales and eventually the south—west. so another coating of snow possible for some of you. notice though through the afternoon showers mainly around coastal districts, most inland will be dry and clear with some sunshine. some of you will be dry all day long, but it will stay cold. cold because we have got low pressure sitting to the east of us, dragging down airfrom the north. but watch what happens tuesday night into wednesday. we see this weather feature push its way in. now, to the south of that, there will be some milder air, so could be some rain, but the northern edge of it pushing into colder air so a greater likelihood of some snow which could in itself cause disruption. the uncertainty is where that snow will track. at the moment, it could just fringe into northern ireland.

it looks like it could go through wales, the midlands, towards east anglia. rain along southern coastal counties, but bear in mind, if that system is a bit further south, it will be snow rather than rain in the south. the north of it staying dry and bright. that system, though, either way, once it clears out the way could give some snow for a time in east anglia and the south—east. and then into new year's eve, more in the way of batches of showers coming down, which could give us a covering of snow to take us into the new year's day across some eastern counties of england. a lot to play for, but certainly for new year's day at the moment, many will be dry and bright but still cold.

this is bbc news, the headlines...

eu ambassadors have unanimously backed the post—brexit trade deal that was agreed between the uk and the eu on christmas eve. the move means the changes can take effect from the 1st of january. president trump has signed a coronavirus relief and spending package, after previously threatening to block the bill — saying parts of it were ‘wasteful‘. democrats have urged the president to follow up the bill with more help for struggling workers. the daily number of coronavirus cases in the uk has passed 40,000 for the first time. there were 41,385 new cases — with 357 more deaths — as the new variant puts pressure on hospitals