today at six, right across the uk nhs staff are reporting intense pressure on hospitals, with a sharp rise in the number of covid cases. more than 40,000 new infections were reported in the past 2a hours — a record number — as doctors warn that in some areas services are stretched to the limit. it is always challenging in winter — nobody would say that it wasn't — but at the moment, the level of patient need is incredibly high. we'll be looking at the latest figures and at the biggest pressure points in the health service. also on the programme... ministers warn travellers and business people to expect bumpy moments in the months ahead as they get to grips with the uk's new relationship with the european union. the government's new immigration

rules will make it more difficult to find staff for the care sector — that's the warning from care providers. and a major study of the atlantic ocean has discovered species previously unknown to science. good evening. across the united kingdom there's compelling evidence of the pressure on hospitals and nhs staff. more than 40,000 new covid infections were reported in the past 2a hours — that's a record — as the new variant of coronavirus spreads rapidly. in the south of england, doctors are reporting that "the level of patient need is incredibly high". conditions in many welsh hospitals are said to be "very challenging" while doctors in scotland say

there's a danger that health services will be "overwhelmed". the royal college of emergency medicine has warned it's now difficult to find beds for patients in some parts of the uk. our health editor, hugh pym, has the latest. there was a stark message today from this east london hospital. nurses and doctors are incredibly stretched caring for very sick patients. no one should underestimate the impact the infection can have. at other hospitals in the capital too, covid patient numbers continue to rise with the variant of the virus found initially in the south—east of england spreading more rapidly. accident and emergency departments reported intense pressure. i was on on christmas day and it was wall to wall covid so we see patients who are coming in who have covid symptoms but we also see other patients coming in with other problems who turn out to be covid positive and between that there is a great deal of difficulty getting those

patients through into the wards. the medical director at one big hospital trust spelt out what they were facing. things have been really challenging over the last few days. i suppose the best illustration for that is on christmas eve we had about 170 patients with covid across our hospital sites and today we have around 242 so a very large increase has occurred over the last few days. the number of covid patients in hospitals in england reached a peak in the first wave of nearly 19,000 in april. then it fell away during the summer before picking up again from september and it is now only above that previous peak. so what does that mean in practice? hospitals need more beds for covid patients and in some cases are moving staff from other areas to care for them. already some less urgent work is being cancelled. health leaders say the postponement of more routine operations

and procedures will become more widespread. sadly, it is inevitable that the infections rise and the admissions rise but actually we see disruption to all services. we are desperate, our members are desperate to keep that disruption as low as possible but unfortunately, some of our elective and planned services will be disrupted, both in hospitals and in other settings as well. doctors in scotland have warned that their health system is severely stretched and are concerned that the limited household mixing on christmas day will have spread infections. inevitably, there will be a cost for this. one of the things we are particular concerns about here in scotland is that the new year festivities will shortly be upon us. of course, there is no relaxation for those facilities and it is extremely important that households don't mix. —— no relaxation for those festivities. an official at public health wales has said that health services are under enormous pressure in an incredibly challenging situation.

a significant proportion of the nhs workforce in wales is said to be off sick — a familiar story in other parts of the uk. hugh pym, bbc news. teachers‘ unions in england are warning that mass covid tests are undeliverable by the start of the spring term, which starts for some students next week. the government has announced that all secondary schools and colleges in england will be able to test staff and students from the first week of january. but unions say a number of issues, such as recruiting and training staff, are yet to be resolved. today ministers said they hoped the staggered reopening of schools in england would go ahead in january as planned. the latest official figures on the pandemic in the uk show that there were 41,385 new cases recorded in the latest 24—hour period. 357 deaths were reported of people who'd died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test,

taking the total number of deaths across the uk so far to 71,109. our health editor, hugh pym, is here. we have gone through some of those rather startling figures so what would you say to viewers about where we are? that case number total, more than 41,000, has come as a pretty big surprise. we were used to numbers recently in the mid 30,000s and that seemed a lot. there are a couple of elements of delayed reporting of cases which officials say but they are not denying that this is a significant upward move and these are newly reported infections. some of those people sadly will become seriously ill and need to go to hospital but that will not happen for another ten days or two weeks so you can see the pressure building up on the hospital system around the uk. as we have discovered in the last hour or so, the total number of covid patients in hospitals in england is now above

the peak that was seen back in april, to give you some indication again of the amount of pressure that is on hospitals. there is clearly a lot more to come and that is why health leaders are so concerned, as we have heard. schools in england are reopening and ministers say they are reopening and ministers say they are confident that can go ahead, the staggered plan in january, are confident that can go ahead, the staggered plan injanuary, but they acknowledge there is concern about this new variant of the virus which is spreading so rapidly and michael gove, the cabinet office minister, was asked about the tier system in england which will be reviewed this wednesday and he said he did not wa nt to wednesday and he said he did not want to pre—empt it and said the decision would bejudged on want to pre—empt it and said the decision would be judged on the medical situation which of course is what we have been hearing about. many thanks. ambassadors from all 27 eu member states have provisionally backed the post—brexit trade deal with the uk. the agreement allows tariff—free trade with britain to continue after it leaves the eu single market in four days‘ time. borisjohnson today described

the deal, agreed on christmas eve, as a new starting point in relations with the european union. but travellers and business people will face some bumpy moments in the months ahead as they get to grips with the uk's new relationship with the european union. that's the warning from the cabinet office minister, michael gove, who spoke of "practical and procedural changes" when the brexit transition period ends on the last day of 2020. mr gove also urged people travelling to the eu to make extra checks, including new roaming charges for mobile phones. the house of commons will vote on the deal this wednesday. 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. that is good news for the powder who was worried about the impact of no deal but there will be more red tape and she is nervous about the changes her business needs to make. i feel 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 that journey because they'll only be turned back. the clock is ticking... ads like these urging firms to

prepare for the new rules have been for months. the trade deal with brussels was only published on christmas eve. all 1200 pages of it. by christmas eve. all 1200 pages of it. by new year's day, firms must be ready for life outside the single market and customs union. business leaders are pleading for better guidance and more clarity. some are calling for vouchers to be paid so firms can access professional advice. most small and medium-sized businesses need two things from the government, they need guidance firstly so they can make practical use of the comic i did an illegally dense text and also financial support from the government to help access the special advice so they understand what it means for their business in practice on the ground. michael gove says there will be bumpy moments ahead. labour says the deal should never have gone down to the wire and the government must ta ke the wire and the government must take responsibility for inadequate brexit planning. prepared or not, on friday the uk will wake up to a profoundly different trading

relationship with the eu. vivienne nunis, bbc news. let's take a look at some of today's other news. at least 200 british tourists are reported to have fled the swiss ski resort of verbier to avoid quarantine because of the coronavirus. a ten—day isolation period was ordered by switzerland after the discovery in england of the more contagious variant of covid—19. south korea has confirmed cases of the new covid—19 variant after a family tested positive after returning from the uk last week. finland has also become the latest country to confirm a case of the new uk variant. britain has denounced china's handling of the trial of ten pro—democracy activists and two minors, who were arrested while trying to flee hong kong in a speedboat. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, says china is expected to conduct proceedings in a fair and transparent manner, and that he's deeply concerned that diplomats were denied entry to the chinese courthouse.

experts in the care sector say they're that the uk's new immigration rules will limit the ability to recruit enough staff to care for the elderly and disabled. —— say that they are worried. in england, it's estimated there are 112,000 job vacancies in care homes and home care. from january, the new rules will mean that most overseas care workers will not earn enough to qualify for a work visa. but ministers say care companies will be able to recruit enough people from within the uk, as our social affairs correspondent alison holt reports. hello, my name is pedro, i'm from spain. this is where i live, in mancha real. this is the home that 22—year—old pedro is leaving. with just days before the end of the brexit transition, he's heading to cornwall to become a care worker. residential homes there can't recruit enough local staff. i knew i should do something to help. this is why i decided to work in a care centre. there are an estimated 112,000 care vacancies in england alone.

everything is fine. many who are recruited, like pedro, make the journey from the eu. this is his new home in penzance. 0ld manor residential home has recently been refurbished, but there aren't enough staff to reopen it. hello. hello, you must be pedro. it's run by mary anson. she's recruited six people from the eu before the rules change. they'll start work in one of her other homes, but she hopes it will allow her to bring new residents in here. just empty and waiting for someone to occupy. it is a shame, it's a terrible waste, all for the lack of staff, or sufficient staff. we've got some great staff, butjust not enough of them. that pool of people coming and living here is going to decline. home care providers also warn of increased staffing problems, as most new uk arrivals will have to earn over £25,000 a year — much more than the majority

of care workers get. we call on the government, in the short term, to add care workers to the shortage occupation list. then, in the longer term, to make good on their promises to fix social care so that we can invest properly in the workforce. if you want to do something important, care for others... in april, as the first wave of covid—19 peaked, the government rolled out a recruitment drive. the bbc‘s been told that, by the end ofjuly, the campaign had shortlisted just 716 people. we need you now, and they need you always. but the government says it's had tens of thousands of applications across its platforms, which have helped cut the vacancy rate. and covid has forced some, like christian, to rethink their careers. he was an airline cabin manager, but, needing a change after getting the virus and being furloughed, he now works in a west sussex care home. here, you've still got call bells

and you've still got trolleys to push around. here, it's a bit more special than that, a lot more special. i leave here and i'm feeling i've done something pretty good with myself and for somebody else. and, for many, the pandemic has highlighted the need to do much more to recognise the importance of care workers. alison holt, bbc news. a major study of the atlantic 0cean, which has taken five years to complete, has discovered species previously unknown to science. using remote—controlled deep—sea robots, the project looked at the ocean and its hidden ecosystems in unprecedented detail. it also revealed how life in the deep ocean is being threatened by climate change, as our correspondent victoria gill reports. an ocean that covers one fifth of the earth's surface, and from populous industrial coastlines to pristine, ice—filled waters, one four—and—a—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 zorantharian — it uses its tentacles to trap food from the water. the researchers also found shellfish and five new species of coral. these static seabed 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 small percentage of the sea floor has actually been sampled. that means that pretty much anywhere that 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 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 ecosystems and newly—discovered species could already be under threat. 0ur oceans have absorbed nearly a third of 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 osteoporosis,

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 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. victoria gill, bbc news. heavy snow in the midlands has led to police warning drivers they should only take to the roads for essential trips. up to three inches fell in worcestershire and staffordshire with lighter falls as far south as devon. some rail services have been disrupted and there's a met office yellow warning of snow and ice for much of england, wales and parts of scotland until tomorrow morning. let's catch up with the bank holiday sports news, with sarah mulkerrins. thanks, huw.

manchester city's premier league match at everton this evening has been postponed, because of a further outbreak of coronavirus cases at the manchester club. the game at goodison park was called off by the premier league just four hours before kick off, following the latest round of covid testing. it follows earlier confirmed cases for gabrieljesus and kyle walker. manchester city have now closed their training ground and academy. leicester moved up to second in the premier league table, but they dropped points in their pursuit of leaders liverpool, following a 1—1 draw at crystal palace. jo currie reports. selhurst park hasn't been much of a fortress lately. last time hair crystal palace conceded seven to liverpool but are hot on the hills, leicester with a chance to move to second. giving away a penalty, less than idealfor the second. giving away a penalty, less than ideal for the hosts. second. giving away a penalty, less than idealfor the hosts. the simplest of vowels. kelechi iheanacho stalled, keita with the

save. after the break, the hosts finally found some festive form. first wilfried zaha sent this one a shot, his frustration clearly to see. in andros townsend whipped in a cross on the pinpoint timing and accuracy, zaha cross on the pinpoint timing and accuracy, za ha found cross on the pinpoint timing and accuracy, zaha found the net. palace ahead. but leicester were not done. harvey barnes created a chance out of seemingly nothing, his finish beyond the fingertips of the goalkeeper. and so it stayed 1—1, a point though enough to take leicester up to second. confirmation of that result there — and right now, chelsea are taking on aston villa at stamford bridge with the latest score 1—0 to chelsea — 0livier giroud with goal. six time champion roger federer will miss february's australian open for the first time in his career. the 39—year—old swiss is continuing his recovery from knee surgery and hasn't played for almost a year. federer says his priority is being fit for wimbledon and the tokyo 0lympics

in the summer. australia have it all to do to avoid defeat to india in the second test in melbourne after a batting collapse. having bowled out india for 326, they were soon struggling on day three in their second innings. in one tricky spell, the hosts lost three wickets forjust one run, slipping to 99—6. they ended the day on 133—6, a lead ofjust two runs. there's more on the bbc sport website, including news that both newcastle and bath have been handed wins in rugby union's premiership after games were cancelled due to coronavirus. that's it from me. huw. thank you very much, sara. the designer and branding expert responsible for some of the most iconic symbols on british television, martin lambie—nairn, has died at the age of 75.

he created a number of channel symbols for the bbc, the most well—known being for bbc two, and his work for the launch of channel 4 in 1982 has more than stood the test of time. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. we're back with the late news at ten. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. goodbye.

hello, this is bbc news. a little earlier, the union's general secretary, dr patrick roach, explained what action he wanted the government to take. they have called for greater caution and vigilance from the public. increased restrictions in response toa increased restrictions in response to a new variant which the prime minister admits is 70% more

transmissible. they have not introduced any new measures for schools. it's not enough of the government to simply hope for the best. we can't wait for the worst to happen. what we're saying to the government is that they need plan now which ensures that schools can and do reopen safely injanuary in a way that doesn't put public health at risk. the government needs to take preventative steps now, not wait for the worst to happen. they need to produce clear guidance for schools which takes account of that new variant of covid—19, permitting schools where they need to, to restrict on—site provision, particularly in those areas which are in the highest tier, the tier 4 areas, and we are also saying that mass testing for pupils needs to be robust and effective. finaly we are saying for staff who are clinically extremely vulnerable or in another high risk group,

should be not only permitted, but required to stay at home and to work from home during the pandemic. a chinese citizen journalist who covered the start of the coronavirus pandemic in the city of wuhan has been jailed forfour years. zhang zhan‘s live reports and essays criticising the chinese authorities‘ initial response to the virus were widely shared on social media. 0ur 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. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. cold and wintry across the uk, wherever you are the next few days the blue colours indicate temperatures well stay below normal for the time of year. that means whatever falls from the sky has a chance of being on the wintry side so we could see more scenes like these we have seen in shropshire

early on with more snow in the forecast. tonight across parts of northern england, north and east scotland, not just over northern england, north and east scotland, notjust over the hills, on the pennines and peak district we could see up to ten centimetres of snow and then the apple in parts of sheffield and leeds and manchester we could see snow. ford for eastern areas with widespread fog and icy conditions. testing through northern england towards wales again giving a covering particularly over the hills. showers elsewhere to the west and north could contain sleet and snow the persistent shower line we have across west wales and cornwall will continue, a bit of a risk of flooding over the next few days which will turn wintry over high ground. with cold air in place we have to watch the next feature pushing in from the atlantic. this

will run into colder air, milder air to the south but the northern flank will be snow. the exact track will be crucial to more widespread snow possible on wednesday and thursday. could clip into northern ireland. most likely snow through wales, the midlands towards the east anglia but bearin midlands towards the east anglia but bear in mind that system could be further south so instead of ray ned could be snow and a bit further north the further north are brighter but called for all. we could seasonal for a time wednesday night thursday morning, then on thursday new year's eve are run of northerly winds, batches of showers could bring further covering of snow. that could linger to new year's day morning, for most, new year's day 21 will structurally but dry.