this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm philippa thomas. the uk reports a record 40,000 new infections in the past 2a hours, and with more patients now in hospitals in england than at the previous peak in april, doctors warn some services are now stretched to the limit. a chinese journalist who reported on the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, has been sentenced to 4 years injail. the british government warns 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 eu. president trump signs a coronavirus relief and spending package, after previously threatening to block it. also in the programme, a major study of the atlantic ocean has discovered species previously unknown to science.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world, and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. the new variant of coronavirus is spreading rapidly, and across the united kingdom there's compelling evidence of the pressure it's putting on hospitals and health staff. a record number of more than 40,000 new covid infections have been reported in the past 2a hours. nhs england have said there are now more covid patients in hospitals in england that at previous peak in april. the royal college of emergency medicine has warned it's now difficult to find beds for patients in some parts of the uk. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, has this report.

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 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 that 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 particularly concerned about here in scotland is that the new year festivities will shortly be upon us. of course, there is no relaxation for those festivities and it is extremely important that households don't mix. 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. 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. 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 film this? why can't i show 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. members of congress are back in washington today after president trump finally signed a long—awaited coronavirus stimulus bill, despite threatening to block it. the bill will fund $600 cheques for the most hard—pressed americans, although mr trump is pushing for that figure to

rise to $2000. that's a demand also being made by democrats in the house of representatives, which reconvenes about now, even though the president's own republican party has so far resisted that level of spending. from washington, here's nomia iqbal on the relief bill that almost got away but will mean so much to many millions of americans. 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.

up to a0 million americans face losing their unemployment up to 1a 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. 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 uk 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. today, ministers said they hoped the staggered reopening of schools in england would go ahead as planned. but unions say a number of issues, such as recruiting and training staff, are yet to be resolved. 0ne union has written to the education secretary, calling for a delay. its leader, dr patrick roach, explained what action he wanted the government to take. what we have cited the government is that they need to act their words. they have called for greater caution and more vigilance from the public. they have increased restrictions in response to a new variant which the prime minister admits is 70% more transmissible. but they have not introduced any new measures for schools. it's not enough for 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

to have a clear plan now which ensures that schools can and do reopen safely injanuary in a way that doesn't put public health at risk. the health ministry in spain has announced the country's death toll from covid 19 has topped 50,000. spain has been hit hard by the second wave of the virus, and introduced a six—month state of emergency in october. at least 200 british tourists are reported to have fled the swiss ski resort of verbier to avoid quarantine because of the coronavirus. a 10—day isolation period was ordered by switzerland after the discovery in england of the new, more contagious variant of covid—19. 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 businesspeople 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 0ffice 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. 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 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. but the trade deal with brussels was only published on christmas eve. all 1,200 pages of it. if that's you, there's

actions that need sorting. 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. number one, they need guidance so that they can make practical use of the very complicated and legally—dense text, and number two, they need 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 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. as 2020 draws to a close, we've asked our expert correspondents to give us their preview of what the coming year will bring in their field.

today, it's the turn of our global health correspondent, smitha mundasad. 2020 is the year we all learnt more about the devastation a tiny virus can bring. 2021, then, will hopefully be the year we witness how science and changes to our behaviour can put us back on track. this is the uk's margaret keenan. in december, she became the first person in the world to have the pfizer biontech vaccine, outside of clinical trials but the world health organization says no one is fully protected until everyone is protected. so the biggest question for 2021 is how to vaccinate the whole world. that's where something called covax comes in, a new system set up by the big health bodies like gavi, the vaccine alliance. its aim is to ensure everyone who needs a vaccine most, wherever they are in the world, will have access to it.

the plan is to secure enough doses to protect at least a billion people in 2021. health care workers and people over 65 are at the front of the queue. but it's not the only vaccine that's important. the world health organization says millions of children are now at risk of catching measles and polio because of disruption to routine immunisations. to tackle this, expect to see a newly designed polio vaccine and a global plan to thwart measles outbreaks in the next few months. the new year will also bring much—needed attention to children's and caregivers' mental health. unicef says there needs to be more support for the youngest minds. it is worried about the long—term impact on small children because healthy young brains need social interaction and stimulation to grow. but it's clear we all need more good news and there is some. the latest world malaria report shows there's been astonishing

progress, with ten countries being declared malaria—free in the last two decades. and the virus has made health systems and humans adapt in some unexpectedly helpful ways. people may actually see their doctors less in 2021 as virtual hospital visits continue to grow. there have been many covid tests and experimental treatments developed at speed, like laboratory made monoclonal antibodies, designed to help our bodies fight coronavirus. and it's likely we will see more innovation with better ways to detect and treat disease. the hardest question is if, or when, things will get back to normal. no one knows for sure yet. there are huge challenges, but perhaps the crisis is a chance to reimagine a world where health comes first for everyone. so, we heard there about some of the challenges posed by covid—19 to health care in 2021. for more on this i'm joined by the chief of immunisation at unicef, robin nandy.

really good to have you. what are your concerns about children at the moment? this is a really important point. we have to remember that during the course of the covid—19 pandemic, access to health care for children has dropped drastically. we have seen has dropped drastically. we have seen this in declining a realisation coverage, things like emergency obstetric care, newborn care, all existing threats to child health, like pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. not receiving the attention that it needs. it is important to note that even when the services are provided, people have not been able to receive the service because of transport disruptions, lockdown and so transport disruptions, lockdown and

so on, but beyond health, we are concerned, we have so many so on, but beyond health, we are concerned, we have so many concerns on child welfare. nutritional standards, educational system being interrupted, impacting both learning as well as mental health for children. in short, the situation for children has been turned upside down and we are working in a multi—sectoral manner to try and address that. i want to go back to health but let's back at what you said on education. in the uk this is just one of the country is thinking if it's safe to let children physically back into the classroom. yes, i think the determination will need to be made at local level, depending on the epidemiology, depending on the epidemiology, depending on the social mixing that is going on and the other mitigating actions that are being taken. so the

best recommendations need to come from a local level on whether going back to school is safe and if going back to school is safe and if going back to school as safe, is it done ona back to school as safe, is it done on a staggered manner? are classes phased in different times? so there are smaller class sizes? the adaptations are going to be very local and very unique to the epidemiology that you are seeing in the particular area. on your specialty of immunisation you mentioned other childhood illnesses like measles. 0ur you worried about misinformation, disinformation swirling around about the covid—19 vaccines could make more and more people vaccine hesitant, frankly afraid? absolutely. even prior to the covid—19 vaccine we have seen huge disruptions and immunisation coverage because people were unable to access vaccinations for their

children. so with each passing day of disruption to immunisation systems, the risk of measles outbreaks, polio outbreaks increases. add the distrust that has happened over the last year in the course of the pandemic, distrusting the establishment, distrust and the health system and now misinformation regarding covid—19 vaccines. and certainly we are really concerned that this misinformation layered on an environment of existing distrust isa an environment of existing distrust is a lethal combination and may erode vaccine confidence. we have to leave it there, but thank you for sharing your expertise with us. thank you. thank you. a major study of the atlantic ocean, which has taken five years to complete, has discovered species

previously unknown to science. the project used remote—controlled deep—sea robots to reveal the ocean and its hidden ecosystems in unprecedented detail. it also showed how life in the deep 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 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. 0ur 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 can reach me on twitter, i'm @philippabbc.

cold and wintry across the uk, wherever you are the next few days the blue colours on this chart indicates temperatures will 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 the hills, maybe lower levels, on the pennines and peak district we could see up to ten centimetres of snow and then the upland parts of sheffield and leeds and manchester we could see snow. fog for eastern areas with widespread frost

and icy conditions. drifting through northern england towards wales again giving a covering particularly over the hills. showers elsewhere to the west and north could contain sleet with many sunshine in the afternoon. 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 bear in mind that system could be further south so instead of ray ned could be snow and a bit further north which means rain

into the further north are brighter but called for all. we could see snow 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 stay chilly but dry.

this is bbc news, the headlines... the uk reports a record a0 thousand new infections in the past 2a hours — as doctors warn that in some areas services are stretched to the limit. a chinese journalist who reported on the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, has been sentenced to 4 years injail. the british government warns 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 eu. president trump signs a coronavirus relief and spending package, after previously threatening to block it. now on bbc news as the world reacted this year and began to deal with the fallout from the death of george floyd in the united states, sporting stars around the world