this is bbc news with the latest headlines as brexit talks continue — it appears the chances of a deal in the next few days are fading. we are in a difficult phase. there is no denying that. there are a number of tricky issues that have to be resolved. america's top infectious disease expert apologises for suggesting that the uk's medical regulator had cut corners in giving speedy approval of the coronavirus vaccine. and at 9.35 we'll be joined by two leading experts who'll be here to answer all your questions about the new vaccine and what it means for you. you can get in touch — on twitter it's @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions. from this evening, pubs, bars and restaurants in wales will have to shut by six o'clock and won't be allowed to sell alcohol

other than ta ke—aways. the uk will aim to cut its carbon emissions by at least 68% of what they were in 1990 by the end of 2030. the missing billions — the bank of england is urged to investigate where £50 billion in banknotes is being kept. welcome to bbc news this friday morning. britain and the eu will resume talks on a post—brexit trade agreement later amid signs that the chances of a deal in the next few days are fading. uk government sources accuse the european union of hardening its stance and making new demands at the eleventh hour. an eu insider suggests the uk may be

‘posturing' in the last throes of negotiations and insists there have been no surprises. fishing rights and competition rules are key areas where both sides are urgently seeking compromises. talks continue today in london as the clock ticks down to 31st of december when the current rules end. this report from our political correspondent, helen catt. it was another late night dinner at their desks for the negotiating teams, the chance of delivering a deal in the next few days is receding. that was according to a senior government receding. that was according to a senior government source receding. that was according to a senior government source last night you accuse the eu of bringing in new elements at the 11th hour. uk sources have suggested the eu has hardened its proposals on the common rules which both sides would agree to put in place, in particular how to put in place, in particular how to enforce them. from the eu side there was a suggestion talks had got extremely sluggish but an eu source

denied there had been any surprises or new demands from them. michel barnier is expected to go back to brussels later as planned. talks continue, what is really going on inside the building he is left behind, we cannot know for sure. a turn for the worse or the theatrics ofa turn for the worse or the theatrics of a negotiation nearing its end? we should find out soon. in a moment will we will talk to our political correspondent, iain watson but first to nick beake in brussels good morning to you. eu sources saying they have not made any new 11th hour demands but you know, we are sorted beyond the 11th hour, really, and i'm slightly reluctant to talk about her deadlines because there's been a lot of flexibility in this process but how important is it that a deal is done if it is going to be, before next thursday when eu leaders are due to meet? it is really important and i think to stress the point you were making, eu sources here have taken exception to

the noise coming out of downing street that the eu has been slapping new demands on the table at the 11th hour and the suggestion being that the eu is destabilising talks at this crucial moment. they say their demands had been there all along and haven't actually moved and one eu source used the word, these are theatrics from the british side. and i think we will see the pr campaign on both sides really being ratcheted up on both sides really being ratcheted up in the coming hours and potentially days, because of course, it is not just potentially days, because of course, it is notjust what is in a trade deal, it is how it is presented to the 27 eu countries and crucially, how borisjohnson presents it to the british people. charles michel, the president of the european council, his role is to chair the meeting of the remaining 27 eu leaders, he has been speaking in the past 30 minutes oi’ been speaking in the past 30 minutes or $0 been speaking in the past 30 minutes orso and been speaking in the past 30 minutes or so and from his perspective, he says the uk really has to act, the

ball is in the british court. we have clear european standards based on our have clear european standards based on our values and indeed, the european union, we are a strong power and this will be the choice andl power and this will be the choice and i respect the full british sovereignty but it will be the british choice, the choice of the british, what they want for their own future? which standards do they wa nt own future? which standards do they want to follow? and i think the real question is which political, economic, social project do they wa nt economic, social project do they want for their own future? and this isa want for their own future? and this is a question for the british government and the british people. charles michel speaking saying the onusis charles michel speaking saying the onus is on the british to act but i think what we have seen behind the scenes in the past 2a hours, is not a split within the european club, different priorities are emerging, led by the french, had the french foreign minister yesterday on

northern coasts, supporting the fisher and women there who are on the seas and we know fishing is a big deal and they do not want to be sold out, as they say, in these negotiations and crucially, in the past 30 minutes or so, we have had a significant player in the scene, a junior register, he says when there isa junior register, he says when there is a meeting of european leaders next week, france, if they do not like the deal and they think it could potentially undercut them in the future, if it is not keeping a level playing field, they will reject it. very interesting, nick, thank you. let's get the view from westminster. iain watson. 0n the uk side, the source quoted as saying at the prospect of a deal is receding, not the most promising language at this late stage but how much should be read into that? i think again, it isa be read into that? i think again, it is a bit of what we used to call in the old days, you have to interpret what people are saying, very

specific saying the prospects of a breakthrough was receding, not necessarily an agreement, as such. and again, i was speaking to government sources this morning and they were talking about a setback so i think when people talk about setbacks, things receding, they are not talking about things breaking down, not saying the talks are over, they are not, michel barnier and lord rose, the uk ‘s chief negotiator will meet again this morning and the talks to go on quite late last night, michel barnier leaving after 10:30pm so as long as both sides are talking i think the prospect of a deal is still possible. but despite what you heard being said in brussels, the uk is insistent that what happened was that they had received new demands on the question of competition rules, not so much the rules themselves, not so much the principal that the uk should not be undercutting the eu after brexit,

but specifically on how those rules are police and they thought there was a hardening of the eu line which is responsible for the setback and earlier today, on the bbc, the business secretary alok sharma admitted things were not entirely going smoothly. we want the eu to recognise that the uk is a sovereign and independent nation and it is on the basis of that that a deal will be done. it is tricky but we are working hard, david frost and his team are working incredibly hard on this, in good faith. so let's see where we get to. tricky says alok sharma, also acknowledging talks we re sharma, also acknowledging talks were ina sharma, also acknowledging talks were in a difficult phase. but they are not over yet. time pressures, we all know on brexit, talks do not just go to the wire, they go beyond the wire, we left the eu almost two yea rs later the wire, we left the eu almost two years later and was initially intended. but time pressures are such that notjust as you mentioned, we have this summit of eu leaders to

sign off, or veto a deal on thursday but the internal market bill returns to the commons, here at westminster on monday, that is the one that allows the uk to break international law ina allows the uk to break international law in a limited, unspecific way, to quote a government minister, allows it to sidestep part of the agreement reached in the eu on brexit in the first place and its mere existence could scupper those trade talks. the eu are not chuffed with that whatsoever. it would be much better to hammer out any details of any deal over the weekend and have that ready and in place and allow the government then perhaps do withdraw, not to reinsert the offending clauses into the legislation. so there really is, i think, this time, something of a harder deadline but again, where there is a will, there isa again, where there is a will, there is a way and the transition period does not end until the very last day of the year. it's already been talked about whether a provisional ratification, all the rest of it, i would not get too worried about the timescale. i would worry at both sides disagree over the

disagreement, the uk saying on one hand, there are new demands, the eu not even acknowledging that. that does not auger well, as long as they keep talking, a deal is always possible. i think if you more late night takeaway is will be in order by the sound of things. iain watson in westminster, thank you. america's top infectious disease expert has apologised for suggesting that britain's medical regulator had cut corners in giving approval to the coronavirus vaccine. dr anthony fauci said the decision on the pfizer biontech jab had been rushed. our process is one that takes more time than was taken with the uk. and thatjust is the reality. i did not mean to apply any sloppiness, even though it came out that way. so, if it did, ijust want to set the record straight. i have a great deal of confidence in what the uk does, both scientifically and from a regulatory standpoint. if i somehow came across

differently, i apologise for that. the pfizer/biontech vaccine offers up to 95% protection against covid—19. the first consignment has arrived in the uk. the jab was approved in record time which has led to worry amongst some people about its safety. g ra ha m amongst some people about its safety. graham satchell has been getting the reaction on the streets of st albans. a freezing wet day in st albans in hertfordshire. amid the gloom of an awful year, for many there is now hope. the news that a vaccine has been approved brings this kind of reaction. joy, relief and thank god. samir‘s parents have both had covid—19. his dad is still in hospital. would you say that everybody should take this vaccine, samir? 100%, 100%. they say it's 90% effective, pfizer. it's like olden days, you know, you had polio and other things. you know if you get it, you don't know how bad. so my recommendation is just go and get it.

what do i think about it? i think they've got it very quickly. i think it will be the answer, really. and i can't wait to have it! maureen is 76 and has chronic lung disease. if i get covid, it will probably kill me, quite bluntly. so, very eager to have the vaccine. 0pinion polls suggest more than two thirds of people are confident about the new vaccine, but social media is awash with shaggy—dog stories, untrue anti—vaxx theories. the concern for some here, like emile, is not crazy or wild, but straightforward. i thought it was too soon, to be honest, to have it approved. the success rate is 95%. which sounds pretty good, doesn't it? but how did they find that out? well, they're the scientists. you don't trust the scientists? yes and no. on her home—made craft stall, jackie is having none of that. we have to have some faith in the system,

the scientific system, even if we can't have faith in the other systems. you know, if we have faith in that one, i think that would be what we need — to trust. we have to learn to trust again, really. for normal life to return, most people will need to be vaccinated. for those who have lost faith in experts, authorities, government, getting the messaging right will be vital. graham satchell, bbc news. let's get more on this now with stuart ritchie — a psychologist and lecturer at king's college london — and author of the book ‘science fictions.‘ great to have you with us. it's been a while, hasn't it, since we as a society have been encouraged to have a new vaccine, other vaccine campaigns have been aimed at very specific groups but this is right across the board, that in itself is very unusual, isn't it? absolutely andi very unusual, isn't it? absolutely and i think a lot of the research that we have had in previous

vaccines, how to convince people to ta ke vaccines, how to convince people to take other vaccines, may not necessarily apply here. i think in many cases, it is a good thing because this is one where it's not just going to feel like a standard health intervention, this one is your whole world opening up again so i think because this is such a different thing from most other vaccine appointments, that you might have to go to, i really think the u pta ke have to go to, i really think the uptake is going to be higher than we might expect. just to expand on that, you say, for example, parents are encouraged to take their children for the mmr jab, are encouraged to take their children for the mmrjab, it may be unlikely, actually, that they would be exposed to measles out and about in the community but, in this case, it's highly likely, pretty likely, if you are out and about and not taking those precautions, you may pick up coronavirus, it's a very different scenario, isn't it? absolutely. we are already at the borderline of herd immunity for measles, it's a rare thing to get whereas there is no herd immunity for coronavirus, we need this

vaccine to get herd immunity. we don't need to convince absolutely everyone, there will be a hard core, as you heard in the package, of people who just will refuse vaccines but i think we need to get something like 75, 80% of people vaccinated andi like 75, 80% of people vaccinated and i think there are people who maybe are slightly hesitant at the moment who want to see more information, and are persuadable on this. how tricky is it, we rant that clip of doctor anthony fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the the us, trying to clarify comments he made that he hadn't intended to say britain ‘s regulator had cut corners, the speed and the way in which this vaccine was created, that seems to be the cause of concern for lots of people? i am a big fan of doctor anthony fauci but i wish he had not said that. the government has published safety data for this vaccine on its website so anyone can have a look at the sort of side

effects and they are all very minor side effects. we need to make people aware there are some relatively common side—effects, pain at the injection site, and may sometimes fatigue and a bit of a headache but the really are very minor, they clear up within a couple of days. we need to be as open as possible, that is the watchword, being completely transparent about all the aspects of this. we really have hit the jackpot because this is an extremely safe vaccine, not only is it safe but it is extremely effective. really we should thank our lucky stars for that because it did not need to be that because it did not need to be that way, there are vaccines which are that way, there are vaccines which a re less effective that way, there are vaccines which are less effective and some less safe but this really is incredibly safe but this really is incredibly safe and effective so i think it will be relatively easy, once people see the data and i really hope pfizer will publish the paper that this is based on, the full paper, with all the data. there was some data on the government website, i

think it will be easy once people see that to convince them to take this. we've touched a little bit on the misinformation campaign after which some people may be susceptible to getting. sucked down particular rabbit holes when it comes to pretty outlandish claims going around. this information and so on. what are the techniques that we see around the world to encourage people to have immunisation because in some countries, certain immunisations are compulsory, aren't they? absolutely. in australia, for instance, you don't get your child benefit if your child is not vaccinated, that is a slightly different situation. that isa slightly different situation. that is a democratic country, it is not some terrible authoritarian thing. i'm not necessarily advocating for that, i think we can do without using coercive methods like that, we can incentivise people, make it easy for them to get the vaccine. there is evidence that making people make specific appointments, dates, times

for them to get the vaccine, getting their doctor to recommend them to have it, making it really easy for them to get to the place they are going to be vaccinated, whether it is theirgp going to be vaccinated, whether it is their gp surgery, one of these stadiums they are setting up to vaccinate people, we need to make it really easy for people. aside from that, i think psychology, my subject, has failed us in terms of any kind of a clever psychology technique that might try and convince people to take the vaccine. if you look at the research, it's all extremely unconvincing on how to do that so i think really practical things, making it very easy for people to get the vaccine, will be the thing that works. really interesting to talk to you and thank you. an investigation has started into the cause of an explosion at a waste water treatment works near bristol which left four people dead. people are being urged to avoid the area. borisjohnson said he was "deeply saddened" by the news. andy moore reports.

from this evening, pubs, bars and restaurants in wales will have to shut by six o'clock and won't be allowed to sell alcohol. new restrictions are being imposed in response to a rise in coronavirus cases over the past month. with me isjoann cooney, owner of the irish bar in llandudno, conwy and i'm you can sell alcohol during the day,, 6pm, it is take a ways only or have i mixed it up? you have mixed it up. we are talking about this all the time and i have managed to mix that up. tell us what the situation is. after today, at 6pm, you can go into a is. after today, at 6pm, you can go intoa pub is. after today, at 6pm, you can go into a pub but you cannot have any alcohol. the pub can open from ten,

11 in the morning until six o'clock at night but only serving soft drinks, tea, coffee. a bar with no beer is like a car with no engine, it doesn't work. we just, i beer is like a car with no engine, it doesn't work. wejust, i don't understand the logic behind it. does that make business viable for you? is it better just that make business viable for you? is it betterjust to shut up shop for the meantime? a lot of places, because i have asked a couple of the other pubs, they are closing. i am going to try and open today, obviously, saturday and sunday, judging from there, see what happens. it is the unknown. so many coffee shops here, they are not going to come to a pub, they can have a tea and coffee where they are shopping. do you do food as well? we do. it's pillion, they come in for food, the main thing is really

alcohol. —— it's brilliant. i'm alsojoined by and raj patel, owner of the vegetarian food studio in cardiff. good morning to you. how will these restrictions affect your business? most of my business is from 6p at night, closing at this time will really impact it. we have a loss of stock, we prepared it for christmas time, without knowing this was going to happen and now we have stock of nearly £3000 which will go out of date. it could affect my cash flow. with it being winter, the weather getting worse, obviously other restrictions in place, i guess the footfall generally during the day is not what you would hope it to be? no. we have now decided to change the hours from 11am until 6pm in the

evening, expecting our customers to come who want to join with her friends and family. we can do take away from 6pm until 10pm. joanne, hopefully, within a pretty short period, you will be able to open up more freely, we don't know that for sure, are you doing any kind of special promotions or thinking of new ways to be able to bring people in during this period? we have some great offers on food, the food is lovely. we a re great offers on food, the food is lovely. we are just going to hope, people love the hot chocolate here! when they come in. i'd serve tea and coffee during the day as well, but it's just, we are going to hope and hope that the regulars will come in and have a drink because staff are worried and again we had bookings for christmas day. we cannot, i am not sure, do i take them, do i not? he says he will review it on the 17th of december but that is not a

guarantee that he is going to say yes, you can open and we still have to plan ahead to get orders in. he cannot say open today and you go, that's fine, i have to place an orderfor that's fine, i have to place an order for deliveries, tap beer and stuff like that. so many things that have to be done. we do need advanced notice. the 17th is not going to give us much. to get food and, obviously, for christmas bookings that i had booked. that short window potentially between the 17th and when you would close christmas anyway. the promise of a vaccine, obviously, the start of the vaccination process next week, we hope other vaccines coming on stream very soon hope other vaccines coming on stream very soon afterwards. does that give you enough hope to think, tough times but if we grit our teeth and get through this, things should look better in the spring? sure, we hope it will happen that way, we are

looking forward to easter time, thinking business should get better by then but now we have introduced, never used to do takeaway but now we can produce takeaway on an online platform with the help of my young student here! we are doing very well. the only restaurant serving food within a ten mile radius for customers in terms of takeaway and this has also helped. thank you both so this has also helped. thank you both so much for talking to us this morning. we wish you luck through the next period, as we do with all the next period, as we do with all the business owners that we talk to, tough times ahead but the very best of luck to both of you. thank you again. thank you and have a good day. we are hoping to talk about some thunder snow in edinburgh over night. the state with us for that.

the prime minister is calling on other world leaders to set virtual emissions ahead of a climate summit next week. boris johnson confirming the uk wants to reduce emissions by 60% before the end of the decade compared to 1990 levels. our environment analyst reports. as wildfires environment analyst reports. as wildfi res swept environment analyst reports. as wildfires swept the deal, politicians started to tackle climate change with increasing urgency. they need to radically flood planet eating emissions this decade so borisjohnson says the uk will reduce its emissions by 68%, based on 1990 levels. it won't be enough to stop widespread ice flowing in the arctic and antarctic. but it poses a challenge to world leaders joining but it poses a challenge to world leadersjoining a but it poses a challenge to world leaders joining a virtual climate summit his heels hosting next week. scientists say targets are achievable but they wonder about his policies. the uk is doing very well on deploying renewable energy, wind energy, but we have not seen at

level of action in transport, for example. 0r level of action in transport, for example. or in making houses low carbon. and so we still have work to dojust to put carbon. and so we still have work to do just to put the plan carbon. and so we still have work to dojust to put the plan in place. what is more, in some ways, the uk is actually increasing emissions. take is actually increasing emissions. ta ke roa d is actually increasing emissions. take road building. the chancellor gave 27 billion pounds to new roads even though they will increase emissions. home insulation reduces emissions. home insulation reduces emissions but got only £1 billion from the chancellor. 0ne scientist said all politicians need now to where climate change classes when they foreign policy and they are not doing that yet. roger harriman, bbc news. hundreds of people in edinburgh were woken in the early hours by the sound of what they thought were explosions. what they actually experiencing was a phenomenon known as "thundersnow". two "extraordinarily loud" thunder claps were heard just before 5am.

some people have sent us videos of what happened. thunder rumbles. snow and thunder! that would definitely wake you up at 5am, snow and thunder! that would definitely wake you up at sam, the sound created apparently when thunder and lightning and snow combine. that takes us very neatly into the weather with nick miller. how unusual is it to have this? pretty unusual. not necessarily what you would expect, you go to bed in december, knowing perhaps it will be wet or slow going into the morning but the last thing you imagine, because it's in the winter season, you will be awoken by thunder and lightning but it can happen, the same process that will develop thunder and lightning in the summer, energy, instability in the atmosphere, we have a significant

weather system affecting the uk at the moment but it is something more likely to happen in a warm season than in the cold season, though it is the same process. it is more unusual in the winter. a couple of differences, because you have that snow falling, the lightning can seem brighter because it is reflected by snowfla kes brighter because it is reflected by snowflakes and although the thunder is very loud, you feel close to it, because of the snow falling, it can actually stop the sound of the thunder travelling as far as it would do, perhaps normally, from a rainy thunderstorm. they are wonderfully exciting things to happen, but what we are left with is snow and let me show you rain, snow and lightning pattern that we have seen so and lightning pattern that we have seen so far today. that's where we had the thunder snow, we are left with problems caused by that, especially across scotland but not just scotland, we have seen snow in northern england, snow falling across parts of eastern england.

certainly some difficult travelling conditions to be had. we will find a lot of the snow that we had at the moment turning back to rain, away from the high hills in scotland, saying treacherous on some high roots in scotland but for many of us, rain this afternoon, turning wet across the eastern side of scotland. the rain turning persistent ear. rain affecting parts of england, wales, northern ireland, with some sleet and snow to the higher hills, not just sleet and snow to the higher hills, notjust weird, sleet and snow to the higher hills, not just weird, but windy as well, gusts in excess of 50 miles an hour. parts of southern england and south wales have a largely dry afternoon, get some sunny spells as well but of course it is cold. into tonight, around this area of low pressure, spiralling bands of rain or showers, some clearer spells especially later in the night through eastern england, it might turn icy here, frosty, going into saturday. that ta kes frosty, going into saturday. that takes us to the weekend. this area of low pressure bringing us the snowy, wintry, rainy and windy weather gradually pulling away,

turning drier, but it's cold. i will show you tomorrow, some sunny spells around, also some showers. frosty, icy start in places, some of the showers toward south—west england could be thundery, probably in the form of rain but gusty winds, the men's gradually easing during the day, the temperatures no better, for the second part of the weekend on sunday, the wind falling light in the sunday morning, frosty start but also potentially foggy start. for some of us, the fog may not care on sunday, perhaps parts of central and eastern england. were it doesn't clear, you will barely get above freezing, were you get above freezing, were you get above freezing, still single figures, mainly dry and sunday, it will be cold. that is how your weather is shaping up as we go through the weekend. today, this morning, some snow falling especially across scotland, northern and eastern england.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... as brexit talks continue — it appears the chances of a deal in the next few days are fading. america's top infectious disease expert apologises for suggesting that the uk's s medical regulator had cut corners in giving speedy approval

of the coronavirus vaccine. from this evening, pubs, bars and restaurants in wales will have to shut by six o'clock and won't be allowed to sell alcohol other than ta ke—aways. the uk will aim to cut its carbon emissions by at least 68% of what they were in 1990 by the end of 2030, the bank of england is resisting calls to investigate the whereabouts of £50 billion of bank notes which are not in circulation. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's mike bushell. good morning. another big step for the return of football fans in england. last night arsenal became the first premier league club to welcome some spectators back into their ground since march, for their 4—1 victory over rapid vienna in the europa league. being in tier 2, arsenal were allowed to admit up to 2,000 fans into the emirates for the match — a small fraction of the 60,000 normally allowed, but they made themselves heard,

especially when alexandre lacazette, scored the goal of the game. here's what some of the returning fans made of being back. it's like all my christmases come together in one right now to be able together in one right now to be able to stand up there and have five minutes with the team and watch them and shout along in there. it's a crazy time, a crazy life we're living, but oh my god, having that time back, that special moment but i can't wait. when it's game day, getting the train, the walk up here, the buzz, you miss it. i don't think you realise how much you miss it. i feel like a kid at christmas. christmas has come early. i'm one of the lucky ones. i needed it. it's like oxygen. taking it away from us, football, the covid—19 situation. the first opportunity i get, i'm in there. son heung—min scored the pick of tottenham's goals as they drew 3—3 with lask to reach the knockout stage. despite that, jose mourinho questioned the attitude of a number

of his squad after the game. some of the players, they feel that they shouldn't be here. but the contradiction on that is that players like son and pierre, that are players that are starting every match, they are examples of the guys that it doesn't matter where, doesn't matter the competition, they are there and they are there for the team all the time. leicester had already made it through to the next round, which may explain why they lost 1—0 to zoria luhansk in ukraine. the foxes will still finish top of their group if they beat, aek athens in their final game. rangers are also through to the knockout stage, after a dramatic 3—2 victory over standard liege at ibrox. steven gerrard's side twice came from behind, with scott arfield scoring the decisive goal. celtic lost 11—2 against ac milan. now, the financial pressure on lower league football clubs in england, caused by the pandemic has eased

somewhat following the£ 250 million rescue package agreed with the premier league, but the chief executive of one league one side, rochdale, says while the help is welcome, he doubts it will be enough for some teams to survive. championship clubs will have access to £200 million worth of interest free loans, while clubs in leagues 1 and 2 will be able to draw from a total grant, of £50 million. sides such as rochdale will receive a minimum payment of £375,000. it's good to have, but please, let me put it in context. for a club like rochdale it's probably less than two months of our normal regular outgoings, so it's a great thing to have, and i'm not appearing to be ungrateful. we are grateful, it's a great injection at all clubs need at this moment in time, but on its own it won't be enough to ensure survival of all the clubs in league 1 and league 2. we're less than a couple of hours away from the start of england's one day international series against south africa. the build up has been dominated by the tourists' novel way

of getting messages to players on the pitch. england hung a series of coded signs from their dressing room window during the recent t20 series. ex—captain michael vaughan says it's nonsense and a step too far, but the current england one day skipper says it is in the spirit of the game. there is nothing untoward about it. it's about maximising information that we are taking in, and measuring it against things, the coaches' recommendations, the data of what's going on, so there's nothing untoward. that's all the sport for now. next here on bbc news, it's time for your questions answered. we've had the very significant announcement this week that the uk has become the first country in the world to approve the pfizer biontech coronavirus

vaccine, paving the way for mass vaccination. what does it mean for you and your family? well, we are going to answer your questions with the help of two experts. i am joined now by peter 0penshaw, who is professor of experimental medicine at imperial college london. and by dame clare gerada, who is a gp and former head of the royal college of general practitioners. great to have you with us. thank you for taking the time to answer our questions from viewers will stop peter, this is from alexander, who says they are a 61—year—old female who had covid during the first lockdown and subsequently tested to have antibodies verified by a lab test. should i still have a vaccine when my turn comes and what effect is having or having had antibodies have on the vaccination? will the antibodies interfere with the protective features of the vaccine? almost certainly, the fact you already have antibodies and have been primed to the virus, means the vaccine is more effective in

boosting that response, so you will end up with a really high level of antibody which will mean you are protected for much longer. we are in early days and the vaccine has been tested mainly on people who have never been infected, but it's not going to be an exclusion in terms of having the vaccine, the fact you have antibodies. those who have antibodies because they have been infected will still be eligible for the vaccination and it should give much longer protection, we think. so the answer to the question, should she still have her vaccine when her turn comes as absolutely yes. yes. a very clear a nswer turn comes as absolutely yes. yes. a very clear answer and i hope that's helpful. clare, steve has contacted me on twitter asking for clarification regarding transmission of the virus after vaccination. he has heard claims that people who have been vaccinated will not transmit the virus but other experts have said there is no evidence of risk so what is the truth, steve asks. so presupposing that you have

the vaccination, you have the virus at that point or are asymptomatic. it's an interesting question because it's based on some of the live attenuated vaccines we give in clinical practice such as the mmr jab, where there is a warning not to mix with pregnant women for example. but we are not injecting the virus with this vaccine. to be clear, no virus is going inside the body. different vaccines differ as to what is going in the body and peter can elaborate if you like, but there is not the risk of infection or spreading once you have it. on the first question, the plan is not to test people for pre—existing antibodies, so we also don't need to worry people who think they might have had covid and now haven't been tested and should or shouldn't they get the jab when called for it, we will not do pretesting as far as i am aware and we willjust assume everyone requires it in those groups. peter, picking up that, with

the pfizer biontech a vaccine, none of the coronavirus is injected into us. of the coronavirus is injected into us. that's right. it's quite an extraordinary situation that the science has advanced to the stage where we can actuallyjust give this synthetic rna so no virus is ever involved at any stage in making the vaccine other than the sequence of the virus that was first discovered backin the virus that was first discovered back in january and the virus that was first discovered back injanuary and february, and that was provided to those who could make this synthetic rna that is a purely chemical synthesis process. there is no virus involved in making the vaccine at all. the question of transmitting the virus after vaccination doesn't come into it because there is no virus in there in the first instance. there was never any virus there. if i can just add, the astrazeneca one, doesn't even, as faras add, the astrazeneca one, doesn't even, as far as i am aware, add, the astrazeneca one, doesn't even, as faras i am aware, use add, the astrazeneca one, doesn't even, as far as i am aware, use the covid virus to start with. it uses a common cold virus, so it's even more complicated and even more ingenious.

really interesting answers to that question. the next one from carlos who says, he would like to know, are these pfizer and oxford vaccine safe and suitable for people treated with immuno suppressants? yes, i am confident they will be. the rna vaccine, all it does is deliver a signal through the wonderful mechanisms that are present within our own cells to make this viral protein, that is then recognised, but there is no virus involved at all. there is an issue with people in this group who might not respond as strongly to the vaccine, but that isn't a counter indication to having it. our bodies are very good at detecting rna in the wrong place. the immune system is setup to do that. there will naturally be a response, perhaps sore arm, feeling

like you have they flew for a day or two in some cases, but those side—effects are relatively uncommon, but it isjust our side—effects are relatively uncommon, but it is just our body reacting and means we are developing a good response, as it should be expected to a potent vaccine. similar theme in the next question from andrea, who has a son with a suppressed immune system, which means he can't have a live vaccine and nor can anyone in the household. she says she can't see any any information about that could soak and vulnerable children and their families have this vaccine if it is live? yes, what we have heard from the last question and the first one, this is not a live vaccine. this is not even the virus, it is a tiny recipe in order that the body can make the virus from its own kitchen, which is the cell, to fight bits of the virus that harm us. so reassure

herson, the virus that harm us. so reassure her son, that if he is on immunosuppressants or has a chronic immunosuppressants or has a chronic immuno condition, he will be very safe, notwithstanding what peter just said that it might need additional vaccines to get a good immune response, but people in the same household will not be infected, there is no transmission between the sun and remaining members of the family. really interesting that discussion, and hopefully clearing up discussion, and hopefully clearing up misconceptions people might have about the nature of this particular vaccine because of people are thinking back to more traditional vaccines were a bit of the virus is included in the vaccine, that is not the scenario, you are clearly explaining with this one. and if i can add to that, i am not sure it is clearing up misconceptions. we are seeing a really exciting involvement with the public and with patients around a really complicated area, immunology. even myself, having left medical school many years ago, much of this is new to me it's not about

misconception because we never had the conception, if you like. it's a very exciting time and a credit to the immunologist such as peter and other scientists who are able to simplify this so we can get involved and ask these really important questions and increase our knowledge. there is definitely a huge amount of public engagement on this, which is a good thing. derek has written to ask if the vaccine has written to ask if the vaccine has to be kept at the temperature of -70 has to be kept at the temperature of —70 celsius, how will they get it to all the different care homes to vaccinate the vulnerable and elderly? this is a real logistical nightmare, to try and make sure it gets right down to the final stage and into the care homes. that is currently being worked on really hard. according to the regulations, my understanding is that you are only allowed four transitions between the factory and delivery point. when you work it out, that doesn't allow the final transition of somebody going out with a small

batch of vaccines directly into a ca re batch of vaccines directly into a care home. i think there are ways, people are trying to solve that one. clearly the best way to deliver the biontech pfizer vaccine is going to be going into the places where the most vulnerable are, and that's a big logistical problem, but i understand it is being solved. phillips writes in to ask, has the vaccine been tested on a wide age range, including those in vulnerable adults and more elderly citizens who are apparently more likely to be adversely affected by the virus, and what is the effect? i think the only group it has not been tested in, and peter can clarify, our pregnant women andl peter can clarify, our pregnant women and i think children. unlike many drugs we have available at the moment, the vaccine has been tested ina moment, the vaccine has been tested in a whole wide range of people, including the elderly, which is unusual. what we have found is that with the vaccine, it isjust unusual. what we have found is that with the vaccine, it is just as effective in the elderly as it is in

younger people, which is really important, because most vaccines are not as effective in older people. maybe peter can say who they have not been tested in. you are absolutely right there. the thing about pregnancy is, whether you regard it as a medical condition where people need to be cosseted and wrapped in cotton wool, or whether it is part of life... just interrupts, one of our questions brings in the issue of pregnancy, from a doctor who has been told that health care workers have priority for vaccinations so what is the priority for pregnant hospital doctors and other pregnant health ca re doctors and other pregnant health care workers who are told they can't be vaccinated until after childbirth but are still working in hospitals and the nhs in general? yes, it is a really difficult one because we don't have the evidence in pregnancy. my instinct as an immunologist is that actually these vaccines will be perfectly effective in pregnancy and also perfectly safe, but there may be licensing

issues that will prevent this from being used in pregnancy, so it's not an immunological question as so much one of regulations and what those say. i'm sorry if that is slightly sidestepping it. that might be something we return to at a later point. an interesting question. the next one is from brian, which i will give to clare. how will people over the age of 80 who are still fit to be notified they are eligible for the covid vaccination? very much the same way they are notified at the moment for a flu vaccine. it will be through the registered list. the good thing about the nhs as we know everybody who is here in the country because we have them on the registered medical list and we know with the over 80 cohort, we know how many 16—year—olds with chronic complex diseases we have got. they will be invited, like they are invited for a flu vaccine,

irrespective of whether they are fit and healthy or unwell.|j irrespective of whether they are fit and healthy or unwell. i will squeeze into more questions if we can. monica has asked, iwould squeeze into more questions if we can. monica has asked, i would like to know why other countries have not yet approved this vaccine was top is it because they are more cautious and prudent? interesting question in light of the comments from anthony fauci in the united states. anthony fauci in the united states. anthony faucihas fauci in the united states. anthony fauci has come out to clarify the comments he made. i think what he was trying to emphasise is that each country has a slightly different way of regulating. 0ur regulators in recent yea rs of regulating. 0ur regulators in recent years have really come round to the view they need to work very closely with people running the trial is from an early stage in order to make sure they are doing everything in a highly compliant and well regulated way, and having seen some well regulated way, and having seen some of these close—up, i can say that the regulation is extraordinary. the hoops you have to jump extraordinary. the hoops you have to jump through our remarkable and our own regulators are every bit as meticulous as everyone else's, but

they are doing it a way that allows they are doing it a way that allows the process to be accelerated. some yea rs the process to be accelerated. some years ago we appreciated that you can't wait 12 or 18 years for a vaccine. you have to be able to do these things quicker. i am pleased to say they have responded, they haven't dropped their standards at all. and a final one from leslie, who says they travel a lot. if i have the first dose in the uk, could the second one be from another company like 0xford or moderna? i will hazard a guess and say no.|j think the answer will probably be yes, but let's wait for the science. from what i gather, and i am not saying you can mix and match normally, but from what i understand they can be used together. what's your sense , they can be used together. what's your sense, peter? that is not the a nswer your sense, peter? that is not the answer i was expecting. there are two a nswers. answer i was expecting. there are two answers. the immunological a nswer two answers. the immunological answer is absolutely. if you have been infected, and that has primed your immune system and you come in

with the vaccine, you will have an even better response and the immune system focuses on the shared bit, which is the protein, predominantly. so in designing effective vaccines, sometimes you have a prime boost schedule, where you are primed with one type of vaccine, boosted with a another, and the shared bit as your brilliant immune response. from an immunological point of view absolutely. from a regulatory point of view, it's not tested, not recommended and will not happen! that's the last time i will hazard a guess at the answer to science and immunology! really interesting points raised and a fascinating discussion. professor peter 0penshaw and dame clare gerada, thank you very much. and thank you to our viewers for sending in those questions. 0ne one interesting line on brexit talks coming in. one source quoting an eu

official saying a uk trade deal or a trade deal between the uk and eu is imminentand trade deal between the uk and eu is imminent and expected by the end of the weekend barring a last—minute breakdown in talks. very interesting, it's only one source of course, but given what we have said this morning about the sort of language and mood coming out of those talks, which was much more gloomy than this is suggesting, that sounds like quite a turnaround, if this is the case. according to one source, and eu official saying a trade deal between the uk and the eu is imminentand trade deal between the uk and the eu is imminent and expected by the end of the weekend barring a last—minute breakdown in talks. if we get any more detail on the reasoning behind that particular statement we will bring it to you. the bank of england is being urged to investigate the whereabouts of around

£50 billion worth of banknotes that are unaccounted for. mps on the public accounts committee say not knowing where the cash is raises concerns about whether it may be being used for illegal purposes. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity explains. in spite of talk of moves to a cashless society, demand for cash in the old—fashioned form of banknotes keeps increasing. between a fifth and a quarter of all notes are used or held to be spent in cash transactions. the rest, about £50 billion, could be hoarded as unreported savings, held overseas, or used in the black market economy. but the bank of england doesn't know where it is kept, who by or what for and, according to the public accounts committee of mps, doesn't seem very curious. the bank of england needs to be sharing information about where that 50 billion might have gone. they won't have all the answers — we are really clear about that — but we are really clear that they need to be sending that information to the relevant agencies. it's a bit of a patchwork quilt, patching together big issues around organised crime. clearly, the bank of england has a role to play in that. the committee is also warning that regulators and the government are not doing enough to ensure people who do need access to cash

to spend locally can withdraw it free of charge, especially in rural areas, with the number of cash machines dropping by 12% and many converting to paid—for use. the bank of england disputed that the banknotes were missing, saying members of the public didn't have to explain to the bank why they wish to hold banknotes. andy verity, bbc news. hundreds of people in edinburgh were woken in the early hours by the sound of what they thought were explosions. what they actually experiencing was a phenomenon known as "thundersnow". two "extraordinarily loud" thunder claps were heard just before 5am and some people have sent us videos of what happened. thunder rumbles the sound is created when thunder and lightning combine with a heavy snowstorm. i'm joined by travel journalist stuart kenny who lives in edinburgh and was woken up by the sound this

morning. did it sound like thunder to you at first? at first, i woke up about a:30am, may be a bit later, and thought may be a bomb was going off or something, it may be a building being demolished. it took me going to twitter to find out it was thunder, but it was particularly loud. i do love the sound of thunder, but this sounds very loud and lasted for such a long time. and it was snowing at the same time, was it? i didn't actually see the snow at the same time, but there has been at the same time, but there has been a lot of snow in edinburgh recently. yesterday there was a huge snow dumped on edinburgh and the pentland hillsjust outside, dumped on edinburgh and the pentland hills just outside, which was fantastic. it's part of this strange weather that has been happening in edinburgh at the minute. had you heard of thunder snow before last night and the early hours of this morning? i hadn't heard of thunder snow, but that's alongside from what ican snow, but that's alongside from what i can tell a lot of people in

edinburgh went online and saw a police from —— saw a tweet from police scotland at around 5am to say everything is ok, it is to stay bout of thunder snow. i went on google to find out what it was and went back to sleep after that. waking up in the middle of the night in the early hours of the morning and taking time to come around, did you get the chance to stand there and appreciate the sound and sight of what was happening? it was definitely clear that something very unusual and extraordinary was happening, so it was definitely more than just waking up was definitely more than just waking up with torrential rain on your window, which is not unheard of here either. it required a bit more research than normal, but i would be lying if i said i got up and went to the window. very honest of you. thank you for talking to us about that, stuart kenny in edinburgh. just coming into us, we were talking

about brexit a second ago. another line of copy coming from our brussels correspondent nick beake, who we will be talking to at ten o'clock or just after, who we will be talking to at ten o'clock orjust after, saying that they eu chief negotiator michel barnier is going to be staying in london today. eu sources suggest this should not be seen as a reflection of progress or lack of in the talks between the eu and the uk in the efforts to get a trade deal. so saying this should not be seen as a reflection of progress or lack of as his proposed return to brussels today was never confirmed, so it michel barnier will stay in london today. we know eu ambassadors have been told they will be brief this afternoon on the state of talks but eu officials are not confirming whether michel barnier himself will be leading the video call. we will get more from nick beake on that and the state of those talks coming up at ten o'clock. right now, it's time for a look at the weather with nick

miller. it's been a cold start to the day and a wintry one in places with snow falling in parts of eastern and northern england, but especially in scotla nd northern england, but especially in scotland where travel on some of the higher roots will stay difficult as we go on into the rest of the day with a bit more snow to come. a deep area of low pressure sitting right across us. it's notjust wet but windy as well. for many of us, if you have seen a bit of snow so far todayit you have seen a bit of snow so far today it will turn back to rain, away from the higher hills in scotland. but there will be another dose of quite heavy rain running into eastern scotland through the afternoon and into the evening and that could bring flooding and disruption in some spots. mostly rain in northern ireland, a bit of sleet and snow to the higher hills here as there will be across parts of northern england, north wales and the midlands, but for many of us at low levels it will just the midlands, but for many of us at low levels it willjust be a cold rain. parts of south wales in southern england will get to see a few sunny spells but even so, it will stay cold. that's the picture as we go through the rest of the afternoon, low pressure system,

bands of wet weather circulating around that. that's where it is turning much wetter across parts of eastern scotland again, but this particularly in the form of rain this time, and then we get to see a few sunny spells to the south. it's not just wet but windy as well. wind gusts in excess of 50 mph in some spots and that's just reinforcing just how chilly it feels out there today. into tonight, we'll continue today. into tonight, we'll continue to see some rain, again a bit of sleet and snow, particularly into the hills. some clearer skies developing more widely across the eastern side of england. this is where we are most likely to have a frost with temperatures at freezing orjust frost with temperatures at freezing or just below as frost with temperatures at freezing orjust below as we go into saturday morning. as for the weekend, that area of low pressure will pull away and it will turn drier, but it is going to stay cold and it will still have some wet weather around on saturday, mostly in the form of showers. still quite windy, particularly to the north and west, gusty wind with showers in south—west england that could have hailand south—west england that could have hail and thunder with them. also

some hail and thunder with them. also some drier weather around and a few sunny spells occasionally too, although they do nothing for the temperature. part two of the weekend on sunday as the windfall is light, there could be fog at the start of there could be fog at the start of the day under frosty start. some of that fog might linger particularly through parts of central and eastern england. a few showers in northern scotland. most dry but still cold.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. with time fast running out before current trade rules end on the 31st of december — talks continue on a post—brexit trade deal. we are in a difficult phase. there is no denying that. there are a number of tricky issues that have to be resolved. america's top infectious disease expert apologises for suggesting that the uk's s medical regulator had cut corners in giving speedy approval of the coronavirus vaccine. from this evening, pubs, bars and restaurants in wales will have to shut by six o'clock and won't be allowed to sell alcohol other than takeaways. the uk will aim to cut its carbon emissions by at least 68% of what they were in 1990 by the end of 2030.