down to the wire — time is running out to agree a post—brexit trade deal between the uk and the eu. the talks in london have reached a difficult moment, says the government. the eu's chief negotiator pledged to work towards an agreement. it's an important day. determination. we are in a difficult phase, there is no denying that. there are a number of tricky issues that still have to be resolved. we'll have the latest from westminster and brussels. also this lunchtime: coronavirus vaccinations are due to start next week, as the first consignments of the pfizer—biontech jab arrive in the uk. tough covid restrictions come into force in wales in a few hours' time, with a big impact on pubs and restaurants.

investigations are continuing to find out what caused an explosion at a waterworks near bristol, in which four people died. the government pledges to cut uk carbon emissions faster than any other major economy, setting a new target for 2030. thunder bellows. and, what was it that woke up people in edinburgh in the early hours? we find out about the weather phenomenon of thundersnow. and coming up on bbc news: england's first one day international against south africa in cape town has been postponed after one of the host's players tested positive for coronavirus.

good afternoon. welcome to the bbc news at one. downing street says talks with the european union over a post—brexit trade deal are at a very difficult point. the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier is staying in london for the discussions this afternoon. time is running out — the current rules expire at the end of this month. our political correspondent iain watson has the latest. the mood music, like the weather, is rather sombre, but take note — both sides are still talking. good morning. how are the talks going? important day. determination. in fact, it's so important that the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, is staying in london, not returning to brussels today. and the government says a deal is still possible. 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. last night, talks went on until late, but government sources accused the eu of tabling something unpalatable and reversing recent progress. now, fishing quotas have always been a bone of contention, but there seemed to be a possible compromise, which included phasing in any changes. more seriously, the government said talks were flagging because brussels hardened its line over what's known to negotiators as the "level playing field" and to the rest of us as "competition rules". the eu said it had made no new demands, but didn't deny the importance of the issue. we want a deal, not at any cost. this is not new. and we understand that for the european union, the question of the level playing field is key. usually, brexit talks don'tjust go up to the wire, they go beyond. after all, the uk left the eu nearly two years behind the initial schedule.

but now the time to declare deal or no deal on trade really is drawing close. that's because on monday, mps will debate a bill that would allow the uk to sidestep parts of the agreement it made to leave the eu back in january. russell says this could cast a cloud over future cooperation. now, the government could withdraw it, but only if a trade deal is done this weekend. in any case, a deal has to be reached by thursday, when eu leaders meet at a summit to sign it off, or not. because today, the french government made it clear if they don't like what the eu and uk negotiators agree, a deal could be scuppered. transaltion: france, like all its partners, has a veto. we'll conduct our own evaluation of a deal, if one exists, that's normal. we owe it to the french. the uk will no longer follow eu rules from 11pm on december the 31st. that means deal or no deal, there will be big changes at the border. but both sides would benefit from a close trading relationship.

the question is whether they can move closer in today's talks. and iainjoins us now. we have had comments from the government in the last half an hour. what are you hearing? downing street is making it very clear that they are now at a difficult point in the talks, jane. they are saying that time is in short supply and there are several issues still to be overcome. so, again, as i was saying, the mood music does sound pretty sombre. as far as we are aware, the issue that arose last night as the same issue which has, as it were, put some kind of barrier in front of the uk negotiators today. they are insisting that the eu has hardened its position on this question of competition rules, and specifically its not simply agreeing the rules to ensure fair competition between the eu and the uk, it's how those rules are policed. and it's that rule that now seems to be a

stumbling block in negotiations. that said, there are still all weekend to work on these talks. michel barnier has said he is very determined. the fact he is still talking means there is a possibility ofa talking means there is a possibility of a deal. but i thought it was quite sobering that we heard from the french minister there saying that even if the did reach a deal this weekend, any individual nation could still veto it because the european parliament still has to ratify it. the existing arrangements expire on the 31st of december and we are still some way off. i don't think it's surprising that towards the end of the talks the thorniest issues will be grasped. both sides are saying out. one eu source suggested we are seeing some theatrics. despite the gloomy overtones, don't rule out the possibility of a deal over the next few days. iain watson, thank you. our europe correspondent

nick beake is in brussels. would people they think it is theatrics? that was the word given to me last night when it was suggested from sources in london that it was the eu destabilising the talks by inserting extra demands at the 11th hour. they say here they have been sticking to what we have been arguing all along. the noise is getting deafening and we are hearing conflicting reports. on the one hand, some suggesting a deal is imminent. as iain watson was suggesting, voices in london saying there is quite a bit of distance on there is quite a bit of distance on the key issues between the two sides. we know that michel barnier are staying in london. there was a suggestion he would be returning to brussels today to update the ambassadors. that is now not happening. izzy in london because that's the best place to seal a deal and he thinks one is within his grasp? or is actually the whole thing close to falling apart? or maybe is it somewhere in between?

it's very hard to tell. i would stress what iain watson is talking about, the way the french minister, very close to the president emmanuel macron, suggested that if a deal is done, the french will veto it if they don't like it. yesterday, the french prime minister was standing shoulder to shoulder with fishing communities in northern france. borisjohnson has to communities in northern france. boris johnson has to sell a communities in northern france. borisjohnson has to sell a deal to the british people and 27 other leaders have to look to their electorate and say, this is what we have achieved and this is why it is good for you. thank you very much. the government has said it is confident the uk will have 800,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine by next week, when the vaccination programme is due to begin. the first batch of the pfizer—biontech jabs arrived here from belgium yesterday. but health leaders are warning that its roll—out is a logistical challenge, with the firstjabs expected to be given on tuesday.

here's our health correspondent katharine da costa. the nhs is gearing up for the biggest vaccination programme in its history. 50 hospital hubs are set to receive the first batches of the pfizer—biontech vaccine. huge efforts are under way to prioritise patients over 80, invite care home staff into hospitals, and it's likely some nhs staff will be among the first to be vaccinated, so that doses are not wasted. the difficulty lies with the ultra—low temperature needed to store and transport this particular vaccine. it comes in boxes of nearly 1,000 doses, packed in dry ice. brussels airport has been ramping up preparations, with up to 50% of vaccines expected to be transported by plane. think of a large pizza box, that's the way we are describing it. that's got to be stored in a fridge at —70. to be frank, the only way you can really do that at the moment is to store them inside nhs hospital hubs. you can only move them four times, and you have to ensure that the two

doses are administered three weeks apart. so it's quite complex. scotland's announced plans to break up the packs into smaller batches to send out into care homes, but it's not clear what's been agreed with the regulator. nhs england says it still needs logistical issues to be approved by the mhra before the same can happen in england. the first shipment of doses has now reached the uk. with several million expected by the end of the year. we check for quality, we ship. it's december. we've committed doses to the uk. they will be shipped every day that we can. and you can expect, next week, more shipments to arrive in the uk. i'm confident that we will have all 800,000 available as we start the programme. people should feel confident about this vaccine. the mhra is regarded as the gold standard of regulators around

the world by scientists. but yesterday, the us infectious disease expert dr anthony fauci apologised after suggesting the uk regulator hadn't been careful enough. i just 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 government hopes to have vaccinated the most vulnerable groups by the spring. until then, it is expending mass testing, including the use of rapid lateral flow tests in care homes, to allow relatives to visit. but some have questioned the accuracy of these tests, and say more data is needed. tough restrictions have helped to bring covid cases down across most of england, except in the north—east. with the latest figures from the ons suggesting one in 105 had the virus in the week to last saturday. but with some household mixing allowed over christmas,

there is still a risk cases could surge again in the new year. health leaders warn now is not the time to let our guard down, when help is so close. katharine da costa, bbc news. our health editor hugh pym is here. there have been some reports that health workers might not any more be at the top of the list to receive the vaccination, what we know about that, hugh? well, jane, it's not totally clear cut. it's certainly true in england at the major hospitals were expecting that when the vaccine was approved and it arrived, that nhs front line staff would be amongst the first to get the vaccine, along with some patients come on the grounds that you have got the staff right there. it has to go to major hospitals because of refrigeration issues, you might as well do the star. when the fine print was looked at on thursday, it was decided by health leaders and ministers that are actually the over 80s were higher up the priority list from the vaccine

experts and they ought to be prioritised, so hospital patients over 80, inpatients and outpatients coming in, will be amongst the first to get the vaccine next week. care home workers were also very high up the original priority list. they will be invited into hospitals. that doesn't mean nhs staff will not be done. if they are there and they have big boxes of vaccines, then hospital trust leaders will be left to do nhs staff. the will be more emphasis on patients in england. in scotland, it will be health and care staff that get the vaccine first. hugh pym, thank you very much. the welsh government has been defending tougher coronavirus restrictions which come into force this evening, saying, without them, more people would die. pubs, restaurants and cafes are to be banned from selling alcohol and they'll have to shut at 6pm, other than for takeaways. our wales correspondent tomos morgan is in cardiff. so this pub in the north of cardiff

is on its last orders today. it has decided to shut for the foreseeable because they say it is not viable to open with these restrictions in place. they are due to be full on christmas day, with 120 covers. but u nless christmas day, with 120 covers. but unless things change, they will be closed as well. these restrictions will be in place until at least 17 december and they have come under quite a bit of criticism from people within the industry. since this morning, chefs in restaurants across wales have been prepping. ready for one last service before restrictions are put in place once again upon them. at 6pm, the hospitality industry will have to close, and they will every night at 6pm from now on. and there will also be a ban on the sale of alcohol in restaurants, bars and cafes. you've done everything, and then they hit you with another blow. you can't serve alcohol, you have to close after six o'clock. and as i say, you know,

60% of what we do is food sales. the other 40's wet sales. 80% of what we do is after six o'clock. so, you know, is it viable to reopen? we don't know, but we just have to give it a go. around the corner, the two neighbouring pubs have decided they will have to close for now. it appears that many others may be following suit, after brains brewery — the largest in wales — announced earlier this week that they would close over 100 of their establishments from this evening. the company grant that is being proposed will cover about one day of operating costs. so, of course we are grateful for it, but it does not make enough of a difference. we will lose less money being closed than by being open. and this is terrible news for our employees, terrible news for our customers and, you know, we're really fearful that we won't be open again before christmas. the welsh government have faced a backlash from business owners and opposition parties, forcing the health minister to defend their reasoning once again today. there is nothing that is pleasant

about this for the hospitality sector and i'm not trying to pretend that this won't have a very real impact. and i do know that some businesses may not survive and come back. but the alternative is that we don't act and people can't come back. as well as restrictions on hospitality, punters have been arriving for their last game in bingo halls today before they have to close, along with soft—play centres and cinemas. and these measures will be in place until at least 17 december, when the welsh government will review these measurements again in the lead—up to christmas. as transmission rates continue to rise slowly and the numbers in hospital recovering from the virus is at their highest level in wales, the authorities here in cardiff say these new measures will help save lives. and even with a financial package to help those affected, it's still left a bitter taste to those in the sector that's already endured a cutting year. tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff.

at the press conference this afternoon, the first ministerfor wales, mark dra keford, afternoon, the first ministerfor wales, mark drakeford, said the vaccines would be rolled out for the first time on tuesday for those in ca re first time on tuesday for those in care homes and those over 80. but he said the alcohol ban would not be lifted until they had seen a sustained fall in cases across wales. a travel ban also remains in place in and out of wales to other covid hotspots across the uk. tomos morgan, thank you. investigations are continuing into what caused an explosion at a waste water treatment works near bristol yesterday, that killed four people. three of those who died worked for the site's operator wessex water. from avonmouth, john maguire reports. one day on from the explosion in the force of the blast is all too evident. twisted metal and the roof of the silo turned back. people working in the area described

hearing a loud boom up to a mile away. the warehouses and businesses that occupy the industrial area next to the m5, witnesses say windows rattled and it felt like buildings shook. we thought everything was going to fall on us. people started coming out from the warehouses, saying, look over there. all of a sudden, people were running. in a message, wessex water, the company who runs the waste processing plant, said we are absolutely devastated that the tragic incident at our site has resulted in fourfatalities. the gmb union that represents workers on site say this is a terrible tragedy. sadly this tragedy is a stark reminderof the sadly this tragedy is a stark reminder of the absolute need to ensure that everybody has a safe working environment. we are here 100% to support our members throughout this. officers at the scene say the tanks are used to

treat waste before it is recycled for agricultural use. now, the investigations are well under way into yesterday's explosion. the question is exactly what happened here at avonmouth, y, and crucially what can be done to prevent it from happening again? police drone operators have been flying over the site today to map the ground as part of the enquiry. the mayor of bristol offered his condolences. it's been a very ha rd offered his condolences. it's been a very hard year for the city. it is again for the city to come together and offer all the support that we can. as the police and the healthy —— health and safety executive search for answers, families grieve, asa search for answers, families grieve, as a day at work costs four lives. john maguire, bbc news, avonmouth

near bristol. the time is 1:19pm. our top story this lunchtime: downing street says post—brexit trade talks have reached a difficult moment — the eu's chief negotiator has pledged to work towards an agreement. am not stupid! oh, yes? i_ finished i am not stupid! oh, yes? ijust finished a jigsaw in a week and on the box, it said three years! and... oh, yes, it is! it's back. panto in the time of coronavirus. coming up on bbc news. eddie jones makes one change to his england side that will face france in sunday's autumn nations cup final at twickenham, with wing anthony watson replacing his bath team—mate jonathan joseph. borisjohnson has announced plans for the uk to cut carbon emissions by at least 68% from their 1990 level, by the end of 2030.

that would be faster than any other major country — but it still means the uk will need to work 50% harder than it currently is. the prime minister will chair a virtual climate summit next weekend, and he wants other global leaders to match his pledge. but the government's spending watchdog says meeting the uk's target will be a "colossal challenge". here's our environment analyst, roger harrabin. as wildfires swept the globe this year, politicians are at last feeling the heat. borisjohnson says the uk will reduce co2 emissions by 68% this decade. he's hoping other leaders will follow suit. what the uk declared today is something we're beginning to hear in similar ways from other countries, that ambition for reducing emissions is being ramped up, and we may hear more about this next week at the ambition summit. we've heard about it also for nature conservation from the leaders' pledge for nature that was signed in september by 75 countries. so, we're globally seeing a move towards heightened ambition, and it's great to see the uk

being part of that. the arctic and antarctic will continue to thaw, though, because global temperatures have already risen — and they still rise to dangerous levels. this is a huge missed opportunity on the government's part and shows a lack of, you know, political vision. the government had an opportunity five years on from paris not just to enhance the target, but to bring a credible plan. five years on, there's no plan — to meet this target or old target. meanwhile, climate change will increasingly touch our lives. frequent flyers may be charged extra to curb emissions from aviation. our homes will need better insulation too. and we'll have to shift eventually from gas boilers and install electric heat pumps instead. on the roads, the government accepts that the electric revolution needs a spark. you provide incentives to people. so, whether that is grants to help

them put in these measures into their homes or, indeed, the plug—in grant to encourage people to buy electric vehicles. it is a process of offering people those incentives so they make the decisions that ultimately support jobs, cut costs for them but, of course, at the end of the day, also cut emissions. reducing the amount of meat and dairy we eat won't be so straightforward. scientists say emissions from livestock must be cut, but politicians don't want to tell people what to eat, however worried they are about the climate. roger harrabin, bbc news. back now to coronavirus — and as we've heard, there are still questions about the roll—out of the pfizer vaccine in the uk. and around the world, people are asking whether they'll have to have it, once it's given the green light in their country.

ros atkins has more on that. the pfizer vaccine is coming to the uk. soon, it'll be heading to other countries too, and a huge operation is under way. through 2021, we'll provide 1.3 billion doses. and while many people want this as soon as possible, some are asking, "do i have to be vaccinated?" well, let's be absolutely clear, the answer in the uk is no. i strongly urge people to take up the vaccine, but it is no part of our culture or our ambition in this country to make vaccines mandatory. that's not how we do things. now, we know some will be exempt for health reasons, but for the vaccines to tame covid—19, around 60—70% of adults need to have one. as one us official puts it... vaccines are useless if they are not, er, used to vaccinate. and that's a cause for concern. in france, the prime minister says, "my fear is that not enough french people will get vaccinated," which is why there's going to be a lot of encouragement in a range of forms. the first is reassurance on the safety of this vaccine.

some politicians are even offering to get the jab on tv. if i thought it would help persuade anybody to do it, i will do it. next, immunisation cards are coming. the welsh government says anyone who's vaccinated will get one, and it's likely that in lots of countries, you'll need proof of vaccine to do certain things. and we know an international travel pass is also in development. it will be in the form of an app on a passenger's phone. so, the data — for example, coronavirus test result that is negative — could be stored on there and, also, proof of a vaccine. the australian airline qantas is going further, suggesting it'll only take passengers who've had the jab. and if airlines can exert pressure, so can countries. we know this from the control of yellow fever. these countries in africa are from a long list of places you can't visit unless you've had the yellow fever vaccine. something similar may happen with covid. australia's prime minister says there could be options where people have the choice of two weeks of quarantine or being vaccinated. "i think that will be

an incentive," he adds. and if that's how we'll be encouraged, in some countries, we're hearing the case for mandatory vaccines for specific types of work. there's a precedent for that. some health workers in the us and finland have to get a flu jab. us authorities suggest the same could happen with covid—19. for now, though, governments are focused on showing that this vaccine is safe and the best route back to normal life. they're are also focused on rolling it out because, let's remember, it will be many months before everyone who's persuaded can say yes. it's curtain up on panto season — oh, yes, it is! — despite coronavirus. live theatre has been badly hit by the pandemic, but now a little christmas cheer is being staged by some english venues in tiers 1 and 2. among them, cinderella, which opened last night at the theatre royal in windsor. our entertainment correspondent, colin paterson, was there. # i can feel it # anticipation in the air...#.

the panto season is go. i am not stupid! oh, yeah? i've just finished a jigsaw in a week and, on the box, it said three to four years. yeah, there you go. it's a socially—distanced cinderella in windsor. your dreams will come true. i've been on furlough, so it's been quite hard, so it'll be nice to get out of the house and do something together. are you excited? yeah! and what are we going to watch today? cinderella. staggered arrival times, families sitting in bubbles, everyone over 11 wearing masks. and the whole auditorium is fogged down between performances. it's also a different experience for the cast. there are little coloured tapes so that we are social—distanced. so when i do my entrance as fairy, when there are other people on the stage, i know i have to be by a green tape if i'm on with cinderella. so, basil, do you have to wear a mask on stage in panto? muffled speech i can't hear. what did you say?

isaid... muffled speech ha—ha—ha—ha—ha! boom boom! no, i don't have to wear a mask on stage. erm, of course, i'm a different species, so i'm all right. but i do hope you've just sanitised, hmm? basil, how much does it mean to you that this panto can go ahead? i can't begin to tell you, mr colin. to have a real live audience, instead of looking at a computer screen, you know? the boom boom is on zoom! it is absolutely fantastic. and i do feel a fortunate fox that i'm not furloughed this year. if it was tier 3, we wouldn't be able to go ahead, and i was going to shed a tear, no matter what tier we were going to be in, if you know what i mean? and basil makes a good point. just to confirm that i have exchanged those tickets. slough is a little over a mile from the theatre, but it's in tier 3, meaning people there have been asked to swap their tickets for later in the run. there can only be half—capacity, so this is obviously not about making money. why have you gone ahead? for the audiences, really.

it's for them that we want to give people a bit of light relief, at the end of what's been a very difficult year for everybody. and the audience at the first performance loved it. how different was it to normal? it was actually better. why? because we had more space. she had a really good view. you can't shout out as much, and things like that. but to be honest, emma stilldid, so... # that's the wonder...#. the pandemic panto season is up and running. cinderella has gone to the ball, albeit a socially—distanced one. colin paterson, bbc news, windsor. fantastic! finally this lunchtime, people in and around edinburgh had a loud wake—up call in the early hours of this morning. hundreds of residents phoned the police thinking there had been an explosion. it was actually just the weather — and a phenomenon known as ‘thundersnow‘. bbc weather‘s alina jenkins explains.

there were some interruptions to sleep last night, as thunderstorms moved across parts of scotland. but these were not your usual thunderstorms. thundersnow was reported in edinburgh, and the sound was so unusual, concerned residents contacted the emergency services, fearing there had been an explosion. i woke my husband, who is really hard to wake, and i said to him, "what was that noise?" and he said, "it's thunder." and i said, "no, i don't think you can get thunder with snow." i thought it might have been a bomb going off or something. maybe a building being demolished, you know? it took me to go on to twitter to find out it was thunder, anyway, but it was particularly loud. while thundersnow isn't that common, it does happen here in the uk and it's the same mechanism which creates thunderstorms in the summer — instability in the atmosphere and lots of energy. but in this case, the air was cold enough that instead of rain, it was snow. like summer thunderstorms, the winter counterpart can produce