this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the uk reports a record 40,000 new infections in the past 2a hours. doctors say some services are stretched to the limit. we see patients who are coming in who have covid symptoms, but we will 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. after president trump finally signs a coronavirus relief bill, democrats in the house of representatives are trying to increase the pay—outs to americans. a chinese journalist who reported on the early days of the coronavirus outbreak has been sentenced to four years injail. and how new yorkers are banishing the bad memories of 2020 with the aid of a paper shredder.

hello, and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. there've been a record number of cases of coronavirus in the uk over the past 2a hours. the figure, more than 41,000, may include cases not recorded over the christmas period, but it underlines the worsening situation as a new, more infectious variant of the virus appears to be gaining ground. more than 350 new deaths have also been recorded, taking the overall total in the uk above 71,000. here's our health editor hugh pym. there was a stark message today from homerton university hospital in east london.

nurses and doctors are incredibly stretched caring for very sick patients. no one should underestimate the impact the infection can have. 0ne hospital in south—east london has declared an internal incident because of the high number of covid patients. the queen elizabeth hospital in greenwich said it was working with health partners and patients were getting the care they needed. elsewhere in the capital, 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 spelled 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 the level of 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's inevitable that as the infections rise and the admissions rise, that actually we see disruption to other services.

we're 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 that we're particularly concerned about here in scotland is that the new year festivities will shortly be upon us. of course, there's 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.

in washington, members of the house of representatives are getting back to work after president trump finally signed a long—awaited coronavirus relief bill. markets rose on the news, following days of uncertainty as mr trump threatened to block it. let's remind ourselves what's in the us coronavirus relief bill. the relief package approved by congress and now the president is worth over $900 billion. it includes a payment of $600 to americans earning less than $75,000 a year. mr trump said he wanted americans to receive more than three times that. about 14 million americans faced a lapse in unemployment benefit payments. they will now be restored. and in a new twist, democrats in the us house of representatives

have voted to increase the relief payments to $2000, which puts them in rare alignment with donald trump. however, it's unlikely the republican—controlled senate will concur. let's turn to washington and speak to some people who are there and talk about some of the aspects of how this bill will affect them. nita bud hands out food to the poor and unemployed in chicago. shejoins me now. we see that you were in your car and we know you are a busy lady so we appreciate you being here with us. how are un the people you are serving, i understand you run the love train in chicago which distributes food and other essential supplies. with this news of payments

returning for those who are unemployed, what difference will it make? to me, $600 won't make that much of a lot of people need more resources than $600 can afford for them. like for instance the people that i pass out stuff to they are people who are affected by violence, by covid—19, by poverty and must not having the resources due to looting. and $200 is not enough to take care of most necessities. while speaking to you there is the second strand of conversation taking place between the democrats and donald trump saying it should be $2000 and not 600 but i the senate will go for that. would 2000 be a figure that could help perhaps with some of the aspects that you have underlined? $2000 would be able to help but it would have to be a consistent $2000 and not the way that this is. this

is too separated. we got a stimulus checkin is too separated. we got a stimulus check in april and it's is too separated. we got a stimulus check in april and its december now and we still have no really. it's taken to and we still have no really. it's ta ken to january and we still have no really. it's taken to january to come. so if it was $2000 on a consistent basis or a monthly basis or more than $2000 i feel like you will be more beneficial and helpful. and tell me a little bit about the people you meet through your organisation. what do they tell you about their lives now in this pandemic?” do they tell you about their lives now in this pandemic? i can speak for a few examples people i know, like for example one of the parents isa like for example one of the parents is a single mother who had covid—19 he could not work because she had it and also is pregnant. so it was hard for her to get any income or any funds to the stuff that she needed. when other parent who is a single pa rent when other parent who is a single parent because she lost the foggier to violence and we have people who also have dealt with sickness and illness and we serve a baby who her mother passed away when she was giving birth to her due to lupus. so we have a lot of people who come

from all different parts of chicago that are black and brown people and we try to make sure that we give them enough resources as we can. and what about you ? them enough resources as we can. and what about you? you are young woman i believe you lost yourjob and the pandemic with what the president and the congress are doing, how does that affect you day—to—day? the congress are doing, how does that affect you day—to—day7m affects me day—to—day because sometimes you have to figure out where you're going to be able to get the money to do things you need to do, like take care of bills orfor me to take care of certain bills or tyres or things like that so day—to—day things it can happen out of nowhere. sometimes a stressor because you don't have the money that you need because you cannot work how you use to because hours are cut orjobs or of those. thank you so much and keep doing your good work. thank you very much for joining us from chicago. with just over three weeks until he takes over at the white house, the us president—electjoe biden has complained that his team is not getting the co—operation it needs from the outgoing trump administration.

he says that many national security agencies have been damaged and hollowed out during donald trump's time in office. my team needs a clear picture of our force posture around the world and our operations to deter enemies. we need full visibility into the budget planning under way at the defense department and other agencies in order to avoid any window of confusion or catch—up that our adversaries may try to exploit. but as i said from the beginning, we have encountered roadblocks from the political leadership at the department of defense and the office of management and budget. right now, we just aren't getting all the information that we need from the outgoing administration in key national security areas. it's nothing short, in my view, of sheer irresponsibility. let's get some of the day's other news. on monday, the health ministry in spain 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. all 27 european union member states are embarking upon a mass vaccination programme. a total of 446 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. 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. ajudge in the united states has denied bail to ghislaine maxwell, saying she might be a flight risk. the british socialite is accused of helping the convicted sex offenderjeffrey epsteen groom young girls. she has beenjailed since her arrest injuly and had proposed a $28 million bail package which included electronic monitoring. south africa has announced

it's tightening covid restricitions to try to contain a surge in infections. president cyril ramaphosa has warned that hospitals are close to capacity as a new more infectious strain of the virus appears to be well established throughout the country. the adjusted level three regulations will make every individual, meaning everyone, responsible legally for wearing a mask in public. from now on, it is compulsory for every person to wear a mask in a public space. 0ur correspondent nomsa maseko is in johannesburg. she says hospitals are under strain. they are severely under strain, particularly in two provinces — the western cape and kwazulu—natal provinces — where hospitals are at full capacity, some by up to 140%.

but it's notjust covid patients that are filling up those beds, but it's also trauma cases which are fuelled by crime and alcohol and also road traffic accidents. so the sale of alcohol will be banned with immediate effect in south africa until the middle ofjanuary next year. it happened before. in fact, it really helped to free up beds that were much needed by covid—19 patients when the pandemic was first announced in march here in south africa. and the news has been widely accepted by many south africans, who are obviously shocked that the country had reached 1 million covid—19 cases, with south africa being the hardest—hit on the african continent. if you look at the fact that, since christmas eve, 50,000 cases were reported, it means that there have been a lot of people who have not been complying with these covid—19 restrictions, and that there have

been a lot of gatherings where people have not been, you know, keeping a safe social distance, have not been wearing masks, have been partying, you know, which is what the president has been worried about. but when people, you know, have consumed alcohol, there is a lack ofjudgment in ensuring that they do comply with lockdown regulations. the president has not said anything about schools being shut down or opening. we do know that schools in south africa only expected to open on the 27th ofjanuary. and there is an expectation that the president will perhaps make another announcement around the 15th or the 16th of january to announce whether schools are going to be reopened, and that will be helped by when they have a look at whether or not these infections are going up or they're going to be sustained and go down a bit.

the world health organization has said that countries "should not be punished for transparently sharing their new scientific findings on covid—19". this comes after a chinese citizen—journalist who reported on the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in wuhan was sentenced to four years in jail. 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'd come into conflict with the 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're 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's such a determined person. she believes she's innocent. she's probably more determined than ever to continue her hunger strike. i'm 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 that 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. stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. ten of 12 hong kong activists arrested attempting to flee to taiwan by speedboat have gone on trial in mainland china. the activists left hong kong following the introduction of a new wide—ranging national security law. danny vincent reports. in a small room on the kowloon side of hong kong, the family members of the detained await news from the mainland chinese court with bated breath. they have hidden their identities in fear of reprisals.

their demand is to bring back 12 protesters detained in mainland china attempting to flee to taiwan. it's unknown when they will hear a verdict. across the border in shenzhen, the trial of the young activists began today. critics say that the mainland chinese legal system is opaque, secretive and arbitrary. family members were not allowed to attend the hearing. neither were these foreign diplomats. the fate of the young protesters will be decided behind closed doors. beatrice lee's brother, andy lee, is one of the 12 detained. he could face life in prison for being in violation of the national security law. it's not about being fair and transparent, it's about silencing people the regime doesn't like. and we in hong kong, we know too many of such cases happening in china, so we don't want our legal

system to merge with them. the chinese government has spoken out against criticism from abroad. translation: china urges the us to abide by the international law and basic norms of international relations, and stop taking over the hong kong issue and interfering in china's internal affairs, and immediately stop meddling in china's judicial sovereignty. in august, 12 activists attempted to leave the city, fearing that they would no longer face a fair trial. they fled by speedboat, only to be caught by chinese mainland police. two of the 12 were under 18. it's been more than 120 days since these activists were arrested at sea. their family members say their detention has been surrounded in secrecy. to many hong kongers, this trial represents the fears and anxieties brought about by the introduction

of the new national security law. this case, to many, highlights the differences between hong kong and mainland china's legal systems. there is a fear here that the systems are increasingly merging into one. danny vincent, bbc news, hong kong. ambassadors from all 27 eu member states have provisionally backed the post—brexit trade deal with the uk. the uk prime minister, borisjohnson, described the deal, agreed on christmas eve, as a new starting point in relations with the european union. the agreement allows tariff—free trade with britain to continue after it leaves the eu single market in four days' time. a major five study of the atlantic ocean 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. 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 4.5—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 or 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 ecosystems and newly—discovered species could already be under threat. our oceans have absorbed nearly a third of the carbon dioxide that's 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's 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 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. victoria gill, bbc news. a prominent saudi human rights activist who campaigned for women to be allowed to drive cars has been sentenced to six years injail on charges of spying and conspiracy.

she was arrested in 2018 with dozens of other female activists. she's already spent nearly three years in a maximum security prison. the saudi authorities insist that her detention has nothing to do with her driving campaign. if there's one thing we're all looking forward to, it's welcoming a new year. in new york, they're saying good riddance to 2020 with a paper shredder and the bad memories. our reporter freya cole explains. it's a countdown to the new year, and many new yorkers are ready to say good riddance to 2020. i want to say goodbye to work and to covid—19. and gun violence on the streets. i think those are great things! throw them in the shredder! let's get rid of them! goodbye! times square new year's eve host jonathan bennett loves a gimmick. three, two, one! and he's promised next year will be better.

i mean everyone jokes with me that jonathan bennett, "you ruined 2020 cos you were the one standing there, bringing in the new year, and you're the one that kicked off with the ball drop." but you know what, it's not my fault and, guess what, this year we're going to have a better year by bringing in 2021. and what better way to say goodbye to the year by shredding the worst parts on good riddance day, an unofficial december 28th holiday which is needed this year more than others. we're saying good riddance to the fact we had to cancel our honeymoon in 2020. um, being broke. covid, bad vibes and stress. and i think there's one we can all agree with. ijust want to get rid of covid—19. bye, covid—19! hopefully we all get vaccinated, and we don't miss the final touch and goodbye to all our people. and goodbye, covid—19! freya cole, bbc news.

good riddance to covid—19. it is a good message but it is by for us for now. stay with us on bbc. a very frosty night out there in the glens of scotland. temperatures are not far off —10 degrees celsius, and over the next few days, it certainly is going to be cold enough about the wintry weather. not all of it pure snow, there will probably be some sleet around as well. now, the cold air has spread across many parts of the continent. the point is it's here to stay, so we're not going to see a wave of milderaircoming off the atlantic any time soon. through the early hours, we expect snow showers across parts of scotland and also across the pennines. you can see sub—zero temperatures, icy conditions in some areas as well. to the south of that, i think hit and miss showers. this is what happens through the morning.

the wintry weather, for some of us, spreads from the north into the north west of england, through parts of the midlands, parts of wales and possibly the south west. snow showers continue across parts of scotland. elsewhere in the uk on tuesday, it's going to be a mixture of sunny spells and just the odd fleeting shower, perhaps wintry. and then through the course of tuesday evening, you can see snow and wintry showers continuing in scotland. elsewhere, it's going to be largely clear. here is the forecast for tuesday night into wednesday, and we expect the next spell of wintry weather coming in from the north—west, moving across ireland and then eventually into wales. again, there's a lot of cold air across the uk. hints of something a bit milder nibbling in the south west, but that's pretty much it. on wednesday, the next spell of wintry weather moves across ireland through the early hours, and then we think it will move into wales. remember, there's a lot of cold air

sitting on top of the uk, and then that wintry weather spreads quite possibly into the midlands, the south west and the south. north of that, it's clearer, some snow across scotland, and temperatures around freezing. notice that over the next few days, heading towards the end of the week, we see certain areas of rain and snow mixed in, circling in areas, so there could be some substantial snow towards the end of the week. i say substantial, a covering. this is what it looks like, a sneak peek of new year's day, chilly and dry for now. bye— bye.

this is bbc world news. the headlines:

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 — increasing pressure on hospitals still further. a chinese journalist, zhang zhan, who reported on the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in the city of wuhan has been sentenced to four years in jail over reports that criticised the authorities' response to the pandemic. 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 has signed a coronavirus relief and spending package. he'd previously threatened 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.