Barber. And the designer Stella Mccartney lead tributes to Stella Tennant who has passed away suddenly at the age of 50. Hello to you, and welcome to oui hello to you, and welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. After years of to and fro and nine months of actual talks, the uk and the eu seem to be close, finally, to striking a post brexit trade deal. British Cabinet Ministers were summoned for a Conference Call with the Prime Minister late on wednesday evening, but any announcement is likely to be held over until a Morning Press c0 nfe re nce. Talks are expected to continue throughout the night. The final text is said to be about 2000 pages. With the view from london and brussels, here are our correspondents nick eardley and kevin connolly. The talks are going to go on for a few hours yet. We know they are into the nitty gritty. It is really crossing tees and dotting the eyes. The latest we heard is that it is likely to be included in the next few hours and it looks like it will be the morning before we know for sure that the deal is done. It seems to be going that way and i dont think anything has happened that necessarily makes us think that there is not going to be a deal agreed between the eu and the uk in the next few hours. But if you are holding your breath for a deal tonight i think you will be disappointed. It looks like the morning rather than a late one tonight. It has been a rather strange day here when that historic agreement has really seemed within touching distance all day but has not quite been touched yet. Our understanding is that the small hours of the morning here and that the talking will continue through the night, perhaps, on the vexed question of fisheries but it sums up the state of the negotiations, the rather febrile atmosphere around them that when those pizzas were delivered there was genuine speculation as to whether that was to keep the negotiators going through the night or whether it was for some kind of celebration because a deal had then done. The sense is that it is that close but with the caveat that this is brussels and nothing is done until every point of detail is done and that is not yet done. With less than a month left in office, President Trump has issued full pardons to his former Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, associate roger stone, and charles kushner, a Real Estate Developer and the father of trumps son in law and adviser jared kushner. Manafort was convicted as part of the Special Counsel probe into russian meddling in the 2016 president ial election. Mr trump had earlier commuted the criminal sentence of roger stone, who was convicted of lying to congress under oath. I think it underlines the president s determination to basically eradicate the prosecutions that resulted from the Special Counsel robert moellers investigation into allegations of russian into interference in the 2016 president ial election. Mr trump has railed against that enquiry consistently, calling it a hoax and now he has announced pardons of more people prosecuted as a result of the muller investigation. You mention Paul Manafort, the former Campaign Chairman, one of three that donald trump had and mr manafort a short time ago tweeted this saying that he and his family thank the president for the pardon bestowed upon him, words cannot convey how grateful they are. You mentioned roger stone. His sentence had already been commuted. He is a long term ally of President Trump and charles kushner, the father of Donald Trumps son in lanared kushner. He was sentenced to two years in prison for preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation and making false statements to the federal exchange commission. But these will be seen, certainly by critics of the president , as very controversial pardons indeed. And there is already shock and upset at what the president has already done with pardons, with democratic president s issued many pardons, barack 0bama and jimmy carter. But mr trump has already pardoned some people engaged in questionable activities who had admitted what they did. Absolutely. That is right. This makes a9, the number of people to whom President Trump has granted clemency in the last two days either through pardons or through sentence commutation with an acidic and it is a indication of the fact that the president intends to wield this very controversial ability that he has to the benefit of friends, to people who have been loyal to him over the years, to people who in many cases have served Prison Sentences because of their loyalty to donald trump. I asked John Goldstein what this latest round of pardons leaves the Molar Investigation. There was an effort by russia to spread disinformation to affect the result of the 2016 election, and also to try to establish relations with the Trump Campaign and to hack into the Democratic Campaign to disadvantage it and it all demonstrated that there were a number of misconduct and improper behaviour and the Molar Investigation did not exhilarate the president from obstructing justice but it didnt charge him with that so i think the Molar Investigation stands on its findings regardless of any pardons that the president issues at this point. Canadian Health Officials have approved the moderna Coronavirus Vaccine becoming the second country after the United States to do so. Canada will receive over 160,000 doses of the moderna jab by the end of the year. In laboratories like these, scientists have worked tirelessly to create a Coronavirus Vaccine. The work and the jab now approved by Canadian Health authorities. The countrys Prime Minister hailed the key step in the fight against the pandemic. Now that Health Canada has approved this vaccine we have the green light to start rolling it out across the country. The first doses of our guaranteed a0 million dose order will arrive in the coming days. South of the border in new york, Emergency Services personnel were given the jab as part of efforts to raise the profile and Public Confidence of covid vaccines. There is a sense that after months of waiting, in countries across the world, a Brighter Future is on the horizon. In mexico, soldiers explored the first delivery of inoculations to arrive in the capital. Vital consignments also arriving in argentina and costa rica. Distributing covid vaccines will not be easy but as a torrid year comes to a close there is hope that the key tools in the fight against the pandemic are becoming available. The next challenge, convincing the public to take them. Shares of alibaba plunged after an investigation was launched. Alibaba was an investigation was launched. Aliba ba was previously an investigation was launched. Alibaba was previously warned about offering their products on rival platforms. With me, gareth barlow. What is the investigation doing . This was announced by the state administration for Market Regulation and what they are doing, like you say, is looking to the policy which is called choose one of two and as effectively as a policy by alibaba that effectively as a Policy By Aliba Ba that is effectively as a policy by alibaba that is that Companies Trading with it have to have an exclusivity clause. They cannot go and then trade with alibabas go and then trade with aliba bas competitors, but alibaba is huge, its the Worlds Largest retailer, one of the Biggest Online companies on the planet so we can wield an awful lot of clout to what they are looking to do is to try to see how much clout it is wielding. It was a one sentence statement so we dont really know where this investigation is going to go, but alibaba so they will actively co operate and in early trading, shares of alibaba and in early trading, shares of Aliba Ba Plunging and in early trading, shares of alibaba plunging on the Stock Markets and its interesting that the communist Party Newspaper backing this move, saying it was an important step in the digital oversight. Is a clear way all of this is coming about now . Hello yes, it seems to be linked to events that happened last month in november. Aliba ba happened last month in november. Alibaba is owned and was founded by the billionaire who also founded a Company Called ant group. They own one of the largest Digital Payment companies. It was going to go from being a private company to a public company. Jack ma didnt take kindly to that and openly criticised the regulators are know what is happening is the chinese authorities who have great oversight and control into vast swathes of the economy of Business Sectors and now looking at Digital Businesses and sectors, this is a fairly new part of the economy for china at the end of the day, it has boomed as more and more chinese citizens get online so 110w chinese citizens get online so now they are looking very intently at these businesses. It doesnt look likely that ant group will be able to refloat that because the government is changing the rules and tightening up these restrictions so an awful lot of oversight going into these digital platforms at the moment. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come its the Christmas Card anyone who is anyone will claim landed through the letterbox, but who sent it . We will tell you in a moment. Music and chanting. Saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. The signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to 3. 5 years of conflict conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. Before an audience of world leaders, the president s of bosnia, serbia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. The romanian border was sealed and silent today. Romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. From sex at the white house to a trial for his political life, the Lewinsky Affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton his place in history as only the second president ever to be impeached. Welcome back and very glad to happy with us on bbc news. The latest headlines a brexit deal is finally in striking distance and an announcement between london and brussels is expected on thursday morning. Donald trump has issued a full part into Paul Manafort and roger stone, convicted of lying under oath to congress. Britain has Ordrered A Halt to flights from south africa from nine oclock on thursday morning. Thats after the discovery of a second variant of the coronavirus apparently originating in south africa. Our health correspondent, Sophie Huchinson has more. South africa, where another new variant of coronaviruses causing alarm. Initial evidence suggests its more infectious than other versions of the virus and doctors are reporting more young people who are seriously ill. This new variant is highly concerning because it is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the uk. The two people found in the uk. The two people found in the uk with this variant are being quarantined along with close contact stopping the government has brought in immediate Travel Restrictions with south africa and says anyone who has been there in the past two weeks must self isolate along with their close contact. And all of this on top of a new variant believed to have originated in the uk. Today the government released these graphs showing its rapid growth in different parts of england stopping the dark lines of a new variant, the lighter aligns other pre existing strains. And mps we re pre existing strains. And mps were told today the uk variant believed to have emerged and kent has probably spread further. We picked up ten cases with sequencing of this new variant, ina with sequencing of this new variant, in a country like denmark with a relatively low infection rate, would suggest, in my view, that this virus has been introduced into the great majority if not all of European Countries at the current time. Whenever viruses mutate into new strains like the one that spread so fast here in london there is inevitably concern about whether vaccines will still work. The Developers Behind the Coronavirus Vaccine are now checking that but scientists are confident that vaccines will be able to adapt. One of the beauties of this technology is its simplicity and in theory its adaptability, its agility to respond. The developers of the Pfizer Biontech vaccine which is being used by the nhs believe it will still be effective, reassuring those who are relying on it as a way out of this pandemic. 6 Million People in england will find themselves under the highest level of coronavirus restrictions within the next few days as Infection Levels rise. From the 26th Of December the British Government is extending the highest level tier 4 restrictions across much of the south and east of england. This sign will soon be turned. Tighter restrictions are on their way in norfolk and elsewhere in the east and south east of england. Tracey owns a gift shop in holt and another in neighbouring suffolk. Within days, both have to close. We fully appreciate the fact that these measures have to be put in place because its spiralling Out Of Control in our areas, but as usual we feel the government has left it incredibly late to make the decision. Not the gift the government wanted to give, having already scaled back plans to allow christmas mixing. But ministers say the new strain of the virus has forced their hand. We have learnt that, when it comes to being a matter of when and not if we take action, its better to act sooner. And i know some of these decisions are tough and i believe that everybody will do what is needed to keep themselves and others safe, especially this christmas. And i know from the bottom of my heart that there are brighter skies ahead. You just said, when it comes to coronavirus, its better to act sooner, but the Prime Minister said on saturday the new strain was present across the country. Your Chief Scientific Adviser said on monday it wasnt possible to stop it from spreading beyond the south east. Havent you wasted valuable time in trying to get ahead of the new strain of the virus . The whole basis of the tiered system is to take a proportionate approach to the areas where we need very firm action and other areas where we clearly need restrictions. Added to that, of course, is everybodys personal responsibility. Labour say businesses in areas already locked down are bearing a heavy burden. With all of the confusion around christmas and worries about what will happen in the new year too, we need to see clearer and firmer leadership from the Prime Minister, putting the Health Measures but also the economic measures in place so that we save lives and protect peoples jobs. The government insists its confident that the system of tiered restrictions in england is now Strong Enough to contain the new strain of the virus that is spreading quicker while the vaccine is being rolled out. Almost half of the countrys population will soon be in the toughest tier. Ministers say they dont want another National Lockdown but are keeping everything under review. We have been here before, and they had to change course. The cheer of christmas is muted this year and, for millions facing even stricter rules, boxing day will bring a further test of resolve. Leila nathoo, bbc news, westminster. The first of thousands of trucks have been stranded in a temporary lorry park in kent, leaving for france. Has reopened its border with the uk but travellers will have to show proof of a recent Negative Test for coronavirus. Ministers a warning of severe delays before the backlog is entirely cleared. And transport correspondent reports. After three days of waiting, patience is running low. Drivers clash with police at manston airfield, desperate to get tested, get out and get home. We just want to make the test, and then go straight to home. In one day it is christmas. We are in here three days, we are very tired. We stay in the cars. We dont have a lot of food, no money. Its not very well. You need to go to your lorry, they will come to your lorry and test each of you. This morning, the airfield was full. Tests have started. But even a negative result means lorries have to navigate this to leave the country. The port of dovers Chief Executive isnt sure when the backlog can be cleared. The key thing is to get the approaches to the port clear. Thats got to be number one. And then to be able to produce a flow rate into the port of Negative Tests, that allows us to keep the port full and the ferries full. And then we can process things very, very quickly. Horns blare in dover, you can hear the frustration. Small acts of kindness in the queue. Thank you. Free drinks handed out, and volunteers opened the beach toilets. At the end of the day, it shouldnt be just down to the local Community Rallying round together. We live here. The government, the local councillors, our mp, who we havent heard from at all yet they should be here doing something. But people already exhausted by tier 4 restrictions are exasperated by the traffic. People cant get in or out of town or nothing. And theres elderly people that need shopping done, and no buses, no nothing. There are lots of old people in those flats. And its gridlock, nobody can move. Its a dangerous situation now. This is the scene across many roads in dover today, complete gridlock. Some of the people ive been speaking to today say they have been here for several days. Others arrived this morning, hoping things would have calmed down. What many people have also asked me is, where can i get a test . Speaking today, the Transport Secretary said things were moving. Theres about 6,000 lorries now in the area, and we are using every single tool we can. For example, the army arejoining us this evening in order to assist with the logistics. The police have done a terrific job in helping to clear the entrance to dover, to the port itself. The first tested drivers are now on their way to dover. A mobile Testing Centre has arrived in town. And the ferries sit tantalisingly close, holding the hopes of many to get home. Caroline davies, bbc news. Tributes have poured in from across the fashion world for the model Stella Tenna Nt across the fashion world for the model Stella Tennant who has died suddenly at the age of 50. She made a name as one of the defining faces of Cool Britannia when britain seems to dominate popular culture. She was photographed by richard eden and appeared on the front of vogue numerous times. She was featured by Popular Brands in high profile campaigns. A fashionjournalist in high profile campaigns. A Fashion Journalist told me that her distinctive look was a big thing in the industry. Iconic since fashion is in one day, out the other, and stella managed to have a 30 year career, and her look really did transcend trends, it transcended fads and what designers and retailers flocked to overtime. Always seemed releva nt to to overtime. Always seemed relevant to one design or another, or multiple policies and. She was constantly cast in shows, campaigns, numerous magazine covers all around the world, decade after decade. Were just seeing the pictures on screen, how would you describe outlook . And also how much does an individual model have to do with their own look . How much seed they have over its . Generally, not so much, especially in the 90s, when stella was discovered and started her career. Today we see more models who are personalities, so their persona , personalities, so their persona, their personal style has a lot more to do with it, they are more expected to flau nt they are more expected to flaunt that and express it. And Stella Tenna Nt always flaunt that and express it. And Stella Tennant always had her own look. She was always, it was always her signature, she is best described as androgynous, a mix of arrest aquatic, areas, elegance, but a rebellious punk attitude aristrocrat. There was a lot of velour in that. Couldnt quite put yourfinger on it, and i think its sort of always eluded people, and maybe designers who counted her as a news we re always designers who counted her as a news were always chasing it. She looked as beautiful in a suit as she did closing the chanel show, she was a well known news to kyle ibenfeldt. Just in case you didnt get one, or lost in the post, we can reveal what the Christmas Card from the duke and duchess of sussex would have looked like. Thought to be at their californian home here. The card has been shared on social media buying Animal Welfare charities. The original photo was taken by megans mother earlier in the month. The Christmas Tree including the home made ornaments was selected by archie. Much more on all the news for you anytime on all the news for you anytime on the bbc website and on our 20 two twitter feeds. Thank you very much for watching. On our twitter feeds. Hello there. Wednesday brought another wet day, particularly to england and wales. And at one point, we had over 50 Flood Warnings in force. Now, im sure as the rain eases off, the number of Flood Warnings through Christmas Eve will gradually begin to drop away, but still the potential for a few problems. There is the rain bearing cloud, then, we had across england and wales, but my attention right now is being drawn to this area of cloud just running in across the north of scotland, because this is going to bring some of you snow. Yes, there could be a few centimetres lying on the ground in places, along with the risk of icy stretches as we head into the first part of Christmas Eve. A few showers also running down north sea coast, the irish seacoast, as our main band of rain continues to edge out of the way. It will be cold, mind you, a cold start to Christmas Eve, a widespread frost certainly for scotland, northern england, probably northern ireland, and perhaps into the north midlands and north wales as well. Now, it will be a cold day for Christmas Eve, these chilly northerly winds diving their way southwards and bringing showers down north sea coasts. They will continue to fall as snow in land across parts of scotland, perhaps over the north york moors, might even see an odd flake mixed in with these showers across Eastern England at times. But away from the east coast where it will be windy and cold, should be plenty of sunshine, but those temperatures way lower than they have been for a number of days now, 3 4 in scotland, may be 11 5 for parts of Eastern England. And as we head into christmas day, there will be a widespread and sharp frost, so certainly a chilly start to the big day. That might be quite a nice sunrise to start the day. Best of the sunshine across england and wales, but cloud will quickly building across the north west, and ultimately, we will see some rain move its way into northwest scotland, where it will be turning milder, as south Westerly Winds eventually pushing in, highs of 9 in stornoway. Best of the sunshine, then, hanging on across parts of southern and Eastern England, but cold, 11 5 degrees celsius. Beyond that, boxing day, and sunday, the second half of the weekend, weve got this area of Rain Pushing Southwards across the country. Given that the ground is saturated, that rain is likely to lead to further localised flooding with wintry showers following the main band of rain through. Its notjust rain that could cause issues, its also going to become very windy, gusts could reach 50 70 mph, maybe Even Stronger than that. So there is the potential for some disruptive winds as well this weekend, and beyond that into monday, still windy for northern ireland. Further east, a mixture of rain, sleet and maybe some snow. A very warm welcome to bbc news, our top stories a brexit deal within striking distance the signs from london and brussels point to an agreement now on the table, with an announcement expected on thursday morning. British Cabinet Ministers were summoned for a Conference Call with the Prime Minister to discuss what is on the verge of being agreed. President trump issues full pardons to his former Campaign Manager Paul Manafort convicted of lying under oath to congress. He has also pardoned Longtime Fixer Roger Stone who was convicted of lying under oath to congress. Six million more people in england face the toughest level of coronavirus restrictions, as Hospital Admissions surge to their highest levels since april. From december 26, the government is extending to four restrictions across much of the south and east of england. It is about half past four