this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. am sally bundock. the end of an era — the uk and eu sign their trade deal into law. a new relationship is less than 2a hours away. most people in england are now living under the toughest level of restrictions as the new coronavirus strain spreads rapidly. and in the us, a new daily high in deaths. almost four thousand people lose their lives to covid—19 in one day. also in the pogramme — a continent under curfew. from moscow to madrid there's no easing of restrictions as europe prepares to see in the new year.

hello and welcome. borisjohnson‘s trade deal with the european union has become law in the uk. the legislation easily passed through parliament after being approved by mps. it means the uk will stop following eu rules. but critics say the deal should have faced greater parliamentary scrutiny. here's our political correspondent, chris mason. this was the moments late into the night when the brexit trade deal became the law of the land. her majesty has signified a royal assent to perform the following, european union future relationship 2020. the final confirmation at 11

o'clock tonight after 4.5 years of argument since the referendum, the uk will begin a new relationship with the european union. if you are thinking, hasn't this happened already? didn't we leave in january? well, yes, legally exit did happen 11 months ago. but in practical terms, it had pins tonight as the uk leaves the eu's single market and the customs union. boris johnson told the bbc the deal will bring many benefits. we will be able to do things differently here, support our businesses here, support our businesses here, develop our... whether it is biosciences, free ports, all the things we want to do differently in the uk in order to drive our economy while not having any barriers to trade. but prime minister, that is factually not the case. there will be some new barriers. they will be some new barriers. they

will be, i can go through some list if you want. there will be more checks on the borders of annals and plans, if you're a musician who wants to perform in some european countries you will need to get a work permit which you don't need now. you will need to have more paperwork if you want to take your dog on holiday. it is not true that there will not be more barriers. you have got more barriers. you have got more political control but you can't sit there and say there won't be extra barriers. there will be changes and we've been very clear to people that they have to get ready forjanuary one, things will work differently. labour accusing mr johnson of not being honest about the new barriers to trade and so misleading people. but... after all the noise, the turbulence, flag—waving, megaphones, resignations, the elections of the last few yea rs, elections of the last few years, the debate here in the last few days with the overwhelming support for the government's deal has felt something like a fire blanket, smothering many of the past fla mes smothering many of the past fla m es of smothering many of the past flames of anger. plenty of

course are still hugely passionate about brexit one way or another. the snp opposed the deal among others, this won't be the last time you ever hear the be word. but things may, just may, be a little quieter from now on. this mason, bbc news at westminster. and we will have more on the practicalities of this new arrangement with the european union a little later in our program and we have a look at some of the top business issues. more than three quarters of people in england are now living under the toughest level of restrictions — as the new strain of coronavirus continues to spread rapidly across the country. parts of the north—east, north—west, south—west and the midlands were placed under tierfour measures at midnight. john mcmanus reports. hidden behind scaffolding and

2017, tonight, big ben will temporarily resume normal service absolute rings in the 2021. bells toll. others service absolute rings in the 2021. bells toll. others know such a prayerfor 2021. bells toll. others know such a prayer for much of england. the new year will start on a sombre note with millions more people moving into the highest coronavirus tear from today. it means they must now try to stay at home with household mixing band and nonessential shops and services closed. it is a tough ask especially at this time of year. i must ask you to follow the rules where you live tomorrow night and see in the new year safely at home. that means not meeting up with friends orfamily means not meeting up with friends or family indoors u nless friends or family indoors unless they are in the same household, or support bubble, and avoiding large gatherings of any and avoiding large gatherings ofany kind. and avoiding large gatherings of any kind. the latest figures for the whole of the uk show more than 50,000 new infections

recorded in the latest 2a hours. with 981 new deaths reported on wednesday. you can see unfortunately, it is a pretty grim and depressing picture at the moment. the situation in the uk is precarious in many parts already, particularly at the south—east london. already, particularly at the south-east london. areas under the tightest restrictions now include leicester, the north—eastern greater manchester. in total, just under 80% of the population in england. shropshire, devon and cornwall amongst those moving up cornwall amongst those moving up into tier three. with no region now in tier two, only 2000 residents on the aisles remain in the first tier. these are people in northern ireland, wales and scotland living the toughest restrictions stop for those facing tier four for the first time, there is some unhappiness. it is completely

ridiculous they keep locking us in unlocking us out and going back and forth. they need to be more organised and what they do and figure out what's going on. it's not ideal for us but i think that is important and people need to follow and just be there because there are more important things like the hospitals and patients who are suffering. i haven't had the university experience for one, i turned 18 so i can't really do normal things an 18—year—old does. i mean, it's fine. rising case numbers and a feared further rise after christmas are driving the new restrictions but it will be sometime before we know which direction the virus will take in 2021. john mcmanus, bbc news. the united states has set a new record for the number of coronavirus deaths registered in a single day. in the last 2a hours, the country recorded over 3,900 new deaths fromn the virus. the figure was released byjohns hopkins university which keeps official us records on the pandemic. california has become the second us state

to confirm a case of the new, more infectious strain of covid—19, that was first identified in britain. speaking with california governor gavin newsom, leading us virologist anthony fauci said its likely the new us strain is much more widespread. i'm not surprised that you have a case and likely more cases in california, and we likely will be seeing reports from other states, colorado were the first to do that, i think you're going to start seeing it because if you had that much of a prominence of this in the uk with all of the travel, not only directly to the united states but through other countries intermittently, like when you go from the uk to france, france united states et cetera. then, canada has cases.

i don't think californians should feel this is something odd, this is something that is expected. lets get more on this from doctor anne rimion, professor of epidemiology at ucla in los angeles. good to see you again. this recent surge and awful milestone the us is reaching, is this really because of thanksgiving, because of christmas and people getting together? is that one of the reasons? sally, this is what we predicted when we knew people we re predicted when we knew people were going to get together for thanksgiving. we saw surges after the fourth ofjuly, after memorial day, after halloween, so memorial day, after halloween, so the next big surge was thanksgiving. many people are getting together, people are travelling and it going to be a risk so this is definitely a result of those people getting together during thanksgiving time. now going to be seeing an increase again over what happened during christmas where everybody was getting together.

now, we are seeing the new covid variant in california, just give us a sense of how concerning that is as we've seenin concerning that is as we've seen in the uk it spreads rapidly. as you have seen in the uk, it does spread rapidly and that is not surprising we're seeing it here. i think we're seeing it here. i think we now know an infection anywhere is an infection everywhere globally. and so it is not surprising, we don't have travel bans in place, we don't have restrictions, we don't have restrictions, we don't even have some of the testing requirements that are prevalent in other countries. so it isn't surprising that we are seeing it here but it isn't just about the single variant, we know that this virus mutates and that there are many variants out there, once that we are probably not even aware of because we're not doing the same kind of sequencing you're doing in the uk. where you are in la, it has crossed a milestone, 10,000 deaths. just give us a sense of how hospitals and health services are coping. here in los angeles, it is a very dire situation. icus are at 0%

capacity stop there are plans for rationing care and so we are ina for rationing care and so we are in a situation where our hospitals are overwhelmed and we see no end in sight because people have been getting together for the holidays so we will see, as doctor fauci has said, a search upon a surge thatis said, a search upon a surge that is going to be very clear. there is so much virus circulating here in los angeles right now. we estimate anywhere from one in 60 21 in 90 people in los angeles county currently have covid—19 and our infectious. president-elect joe biden laid out his plans for tackling this yesterday, also of course vaccines have been approved, what is your thought on 2021 and when it this might be under control in the us? well, i think you know that here in the united states we haven't been doing as good a job of vaccinating as you have been doing in the uk or in other countries. we are vaccinating around 53 people a

day. i think in the uk it is about 60 people a day. other countries are doing much more. we really need to wrap this up if we are going to get any kind of herd immunity, vaccine induced herd immunity in the future. i am very heartened by joe biden's plan but planning is not enough, it is going to be the logistics of actually getting this vaccine from the delivery to states into people's arms and it is a massive task. good to talk to you again, thank you for being on the program. my pleasure. let's get some of the day's other news. the chinese authorities have given conditional approval for general public use for a coronavirus vaccine developed by the state—owned drugmaker sinopharm. it's the first such official backing for any of the chinese—made vaccines currently in various stages of clinical trials. nearly 1,200 brazilians have died with coronavirus in the past 2a hours. it's the highest figure since the beginning of september and comes as the country's public health system is on the brink of collapse. mexico has reported its third highest daily death toll

so far, with more than a thousand fatalities. the government in yemen has blamed the houthi rebel movement for a rocket attack on the airport in aden, which killed at least 26 people. rockets hit soon after a plane carrying members of the new government landed. the houthis deny having launched the attack. there are reports of overnight air strikes in the yemeni capital, sanaa — which is held by houthi rebels. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: britain's formula 1 racing champion lewis hamilton is among those recognised for their achievements in the queens new years honours list.

the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we're going to use money we picked up in belgium today, and then we'll be in france, and again, it'll be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. just good? no, fantastic! that's better! bells toll.

this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: borisjohnson's trade deal with the european union has become law in the uk. it means the uk will stop following eu rules. more than three quarters of people in england are now living under the toughest level of restrictions — as the new strain of coronavirus continues to spread rapidly across the country. here in the uk at the end of the country's transition period with european union trading goods between the two will know longer be frictionless. while the new trade deal with the eu ensures there will be no tariffs or quotas on goods, many traders and hauliers will still have to file new paperwork and some goods will be checked.

some truckers are nervous about the changes as our transport correspondent caroline davies reports. is this for calm before the storm? after weeks is this for calm before the storm ? after weeks of is this for calm before the storm? after weeks of cues, acquired eurotunnel. the way goods are moved in and out of the country about to change and requires new paperwork but here they say they are ready for it. it will add no more time to the journey because it takes place where we are already doing safety a nd where we are already doing safety and security checks that they are all lumped together. we don't expect to see things build up until later on in the first week of the second week of january. first week of the second week ofjanuary. but some are not so confident, concerned that delays will cost money, this haulage company decided not to run lorries from the uk to the eu for the first week of january. we didn't think the risk ofjoining a kit that could be one mile, two, ten miles long, in either direction was worth doing. you paperwork

will also be required taking goods from england, wales or scotla nd goods from england, wales or scotland to northern ireland. sarah's haulage company in northern ireland has already lost a customer because of complications. northern ireland has been left in a precarious, —— position. fourth ofjanuary to late, we have freight coming in from january the first or second or third. the memories of last week's cues to dover after the border with france was closed for 48 hours are still fresh. the government says they still do expect adjustment as they adjust to their new relationship and they say that hauliers without correct documentation will be stopped and have their good health. changes start tonight, a new yearand health. changes start tonight, a new year and a new way of trading lie ahead. caroline davies, bbc news. the next 12 months could be truly momentous for science, in particular, efforts to tackle climate change and new missions to mars and could a huge telescope

provide insights into the origins of the universe? in our series of films previewing the coming year, the bbc‘s global science correspondent rebecca morelle talks us through her highlights. this is going to be a critical yearfor this is going to be a critical year for climate change. the coronavirus pandemic meant that a major un meeting was postponed. now it will take place in 2021 in glasgow, in scotland. nations will be revealing how they intend to cut greenhouse gas emissions. which means they will find out if the commitments are ambitious enough to stop the worst effective climate change. scientists say is what we push for a greenerfuture because the window to closing fast. up in space, all eyes will be on mars, atria of spacecraft will soon be arriving at the red planet. united arab emirates hopes to make history by

becoming the first arab nation to put a spacecraft into orbit around mars. china will be entering a new era in space also by attempting to land a wheeled rover and nasa is also trying for a first, testing a minimart helicopter to see if it can fly in the extremely thin marchioness. lift off! and we should also see the launch of any private spacecraft, of the us company spacex, the aerospace giant boeing has got to starliner capsule, taking astronauts to the international space station and back but early test lights had problems of the world be watching to see if the company can get it spacecraft back on track. also in 2021, the uk's new polar research ship will be heading to the arctic, the vessel, or medical boaty mcboatface after a public vote is now named after sir david attenborough. it will undergo first ice

trials to see if it can operate intel follow conditions and if it passes the test, it head to antarctica at the end of the year. another priority for 2021 will be nature. countries will gather it in china or the convention of logical diversity and the target will be to get at least 30% of the world land and seas protected by 2030 ankle 2021 finally the launch of the james webb space telescope? it has been delayed by more than a decade and has gone billions of dollars over budget but this giant either sky could transform our views of space. 0nce sky could transform our views of space. once in position, it will unfold a giant mirror and should see the globe from the very first stars to shine in the universe. rebecca morelle on the year ahead in science. on friday, anthony zurcher will be sharing his thoughts on the year ahead in us politics. france is to mobilise 100,000

police on new year's eve as part of a coronavirus crackdown. traditional celebrations are being heavily curtailed right across europe, to stem the increase in cases and the mounting pressures on public health services. russell trott reports. combating covid—19, spanish style. security is tight in the capital, the traditional mass gathering in the plaza has been severely curtailed, and across europe it seems curfews are in place, both mandatory and volu nta ry, place, both mandatory and voluntary, to persuade the public to stay away from public places. in paris, one such cu rfew places. in paris, one such curfew will be strictly enforced by french police to crack down on parties and any large groups meeting unlawfully. 100,000 gendarmes are being mobilised, half the metro lines will be closed in

the evening. families are being advised to stay at home and enjoy new year's deliberations around the dinner table, seafood being a seasonable culinary favourite. in germany, they traditionally spend millions of euros on new year's eve fireworks every year but in berlin, they brought in a firework ban in an attempt to prevent crowds from forming. federal and lead — at regional leaders are discussing whether to extend lockdown measures imposed before christmas. in moscow, they are resisting imposing a strict lockdown like they did earlier this year, relying on targeted measures instead. despite a rising coronavirus cases, the mare in the capital is quoted as saying there will be no curfew or alcohol ban either. some still turned up to watch the new year's eve restricted party preparations, as one muscovite put it, anything to fill normal

in these extraordinary times. russell trott, bbc news. the queen's new year honours have been announced. the formula 1 world champion lewis hamilton gets a knighthood and the actress sheila hancock is made a dame. many of the honours have gone to members of the public, for their work and contributions during the pandemic. 0ur entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba has more. after a record—equalling seventh world championship and the title of sports personality of the year, lewis hamilton has now received a knighthood. sheila hancock says she feels a real sense of responsibility after being made a dame for her drama and charity work. i hope i'll grow into it and i will pay back the honour that's been paid me. that's what i want to do. also becoming a dame, pat mcgrath, arguably the most influential makeup artist in fashion.

award—winning actress lesley manville has been made a cbe, actor tobyjones an 0be and singer craig david an mbe. in sport, formerjockey bob champion, founder of the bob champion cancer trust, says he's chuffed to become a cbe. following a long campaign for every surviving member of england's 1966 world cup squad to receive an honour, ron flowers and jimmy greaves have both been made mbes. the majority of honours have gone to people who aren't in the public eye. tanya and nadim ednan—laperouse campaigned for a change in the law on food labelling after their daughter, natasha, died from an allergic reaction. in a way, we just did what we felt at the time we had to do. it's like we were on a wave, and we're still on that wave. we're just, you know, moving forward and really trying to make a difference for all those people. we know that's what natasha would want us to do. among those recognised

for their work during the pandemic are health workers like nurse cath fitzsimmons, who came out of retirement to work at her local hospital. i said, "please, i can't be sitting at home knowing that my colleagues and patients and staff would be potentially in a very, very difficult position." and at more than 100 years old, anne baker's been honoured for herfundraising for the nspcc. she's become an mbe. i think it's so important, really, to think of the children because they're the future. they're our future after all. so i really was thrilled to find this honour. making this a particular year of celebration for anne, who at 106, is the oldest person ever to be recognised with an honour. lizo mzimba, bbc news.

you are now up—to—date. there is more information on our website. hello. snow and ice continue to be hazards for some as we move into the final day of 2020. still very much in the cold air across the uk, temperatures widely well below freezing through the early hours of thursday morning, with the potential for some freezing fog across parts of england and wales. for new year's eve, it's a cold day wherever you are. for most, a mixture of wintry showers with some sunshine, but across scotland through the morning, a more general spell of rain, sleet and snow sliding its way southwards and also into northern ireland as well. as the morning wears on, that snow will tend to become confined to higher ground, just pushing to the far north of england through the afternoon. a few wintry showers for parts of northwest, southwest england, west wales. the further south and east you are, mainly dry with some sunshine once any freezing fog

has lifted through the morning. still a cold northerly wind, particularly biting for parts of western scotland and northern ireland. not quite as cold across scotland and northern ireland compared to wednesday, five or six celsius the top temperature here, compared to just two or three celsius further south. through the final hours of 2020, we see this band of wintry showers just continuing to sink their way southwards, but most of the snow by this stage should be over higher ground. bit of wintry mix across scotland, quite a few showers along the east coast, where temperatures will hold up to around four or five celsius at midnight. head inland, they'll be closer to freezing. a few showers developing across northern england, parts of northwest wales, maybe south—west england through the early hours of new year's day. but also once again, the potential for some freezing fog developing across central, southeastern parts of england and wales as we head through the early hours of 2021. another cold night but not quite as cold as recent nights, but some places still getting a few degrees below freezing. so here's how we start 2021, with still a fairly messy picture, low pressure to the east of the uk and frontal systems still just trying to slide their way across. not much on them, but certainly

through new year's day, there will be a fair few showers around, particularly for east and northeast coasts. and a few of those will penetrate their way a little bit further inland. still the chance they could be wintry, particularly over higher ground. the further south you are across the uk, much more cloud around, and temperatures still not much higher than five or six celsius. looking ahead, then, to the first weekend of 2021, it stays cold, we'll see fewer showers but still the risk of some ice and snow in places. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: borisjohnson's trade deal with the european union has become law in the uk. the legislation easily passed through parliament after being approved by mps. it means the uk will stop following eu rules. but critics say the deal should have faced greater parliamentary scrutiny. more than three quarters of people in england are now living under the toughest level of restrictions — as the new strain of coronavirus continues to spread rapidly across the country. parts of the north—east, north—west, south—west and midlands were placed under tierfour measures at midnight. the united states has set a new record for the number of coronavirus deaths registered in a single day. in the last 2a our country recorded over 3,900 new deaths fromn the virus the figure was released byjohns hopkins university which keeps official us records on the pandemic.