this is bbc news. i'm rebecca jones. the headlines. the government says the talks about a post—brexit trade deal are at a "very difficult stage" — the eu's chief negotiator will remain in london in order to continue negotiations. important day, determination. we are in a difficult phase, there is no denying that. there are number of tricky issues that still have to be resolved. as the first consignments of the pfizer—biontech jab arrive in the uk, vaccinations are due to begin next week. progress on vaccines gives us all a lift, and we can now start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. tough covid restrictions come into force in wales in an hour's time — with a big impact on pubs and restaurants. a woman who killed a seven—year—old

girl at a park in bolton has been cleared of murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. loud crash what was it that woke people in edinburgh in the early hours? we find out about the weather phenomenon of thundersnow. and in the next hour, anna smith takes a look at the latest move releases, in the film review. hello and welcome to bbc news. 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, 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 the rest of it as competition rules. the eu said it had made no new demands but didn't deny the importance of the issue. we want to deal in our interest, this is not new. and we understand that for the european union, we want to deal in our interest, this is not new. the question of the level playing field is key. 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 injanuary. brussels says that this could cast a cloud of future relations. now, it could be withdrawn by the government but only if both sides reach agreement this weekend. in any case, a deal has to be reached by thursday when the eu does 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. translation: 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 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. iain watson, bbc news. our political correspondent leila nathoo is at westminster. what are you hearing, leila? this evening it is clear the two sides are still at the table, put it that way. eu sources telling the bbc that both sides are trying very hard to get a deal done this weekend, that has been the mood that we have been feeling here. all week michel barnier has been in week, all week

for these face—to—face talks, they hadn't even popped out for lunches or dinners and we have seen all sorts of different types of food going into the negotiating rooms where the negotiations are carrying on. we know there is still some determination to carry on, talks will continue into the evening, they have had a break but they will resume into the evening. so there does seem to be the sort of intention to keep around the table and keep those talks going but the message from street or this lunchtime was the talks are at a difficult point. both sides recognise that time is in very short supply and it is this time around because we are looking towards the end of the year rapidly approaching, the end of the brexit transition period that so far most things have stayed the same but come the beginning of january if stayed the same but come the beginning ofjanuary if there is no deal, they will be huge adjustments that need to be made and both sides say they do want that year that will be beneficial to both sides but the sticking points that have been there throughout these negotiations remain

up throughout these negotiations remain up until this very late hour. we will have to wait and see what happens in the coming days, there are happens in the coming days, there a re clear efforts happens in the coming days, there are clear efforts to try to come to some sort of agreement, that negotiations are still with the negotiators. if we are going to inch toward a deal in the coming days, we will probably expect to see some sort of political interventions, a phone call perhaps was that we have seen borisjohnson phone call perhaps was that we have seen boris johnson and phone call perhaps was that we have seen borisjohnson and the president of the european council so that will give us an indication if a deal is on the horizon. the negotiations continuing, it was an iipm break—up and probably the same tonight. any further news on the news we heard this morning that the french and indeed some other countries to use a colloquial phrase thrown a spanner in the works and they were starting to raise objections, have we heard anymore about that? the uk site last night was talking about the issues being raised at the 11th hour that setback the talks, potentially

suggesting that the uk had lost some ground in the talk that they had gone back, the eu side, from where they ended up. the eu side rejected that and said there had been no new interventions. but we had talked today from france talking about vetoes. remember eu leaders will have to agree to the deal because michel barnier is negotiate on behalf of the european union itself, member states will need to be onboard with what he agrees in particular he on the issue of fishing, that is something that is very sensitive for france. i think at this stage in the negotiations you can expect to hear some of that kind of sabre rattling from member states, trying to refocus attention that they have, their of their constituencies too. i don't necessarily think that it is a signal of something having gone disastrously wrong in the negotiations but it's certainly a reminder of the issues that are very much still there, the difficulties that are in place. so we have lots

of hurdles still declare, the negotiators need to come to some agreement they see fit and then you had the memory states having their say and this all needs to be ratified by the eu parliament and the uk parliament, since the urgency with many days —— mustard seed with not many days ago to the end of the new year. layla, keep us posted, thank you very much. —— leila. 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 0ns 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. 0ur health editor hugh pym explained more about who'll be first in the queue to get the jab.

it is not totally clear cut but it's certainly true in england that the major hospitals were expecting that when the vaccine arrived, when it was approved, that nhs front line staff would be amongst the first to get the vaccine along with some patients on the grounds that you've got the staff right there, it has to go to major hospitals because of the refrigeration issues, you might as well do the staff. once the approval came through on thursday and the fine print was looked at, it was decided by health leaders and ministers that actually the over—80s, who were high up the priority list from the vaccine experts, they ought to be prioritised. so, hospital patients were 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 but that doesn't mean nhs staff won't be done. if they're there, and they've got these big boxes of vaccines,

then hospital trust leaders will be left to do nhs staff. but certainly, there's going to be more emphasis next week than the hospital's thought in england. 0n patients in scotland, it will be health and care staff who get the vaccine first. in the past hour, the director—general of the world health organization said the roll out of the pfizer—biontech vaccine was an important scientific step. this week, i was pleased to see that the united kingdom's medicines and healthca re products regulatory agency gave an emergency authorisation for the pfizer—biontech covid—i9 vaccine for roll—out. just like with the uk's finding on dexamethasone in the summer, this is an important scientific step for the world is vaccines will be critical in the battle against covid—i9. progress on vaccines gives us all a lift, and we can now start to see

the light at the end of the tunnel. the government scientists say the estimated reproduction number — referred to as the r number — has dipped to between 0.8 and 1.0, down from 0.9—1.0 a week ago. they added that the number of new infections is estimated to be shrinking more quickly than before. meanwhile the office for national statistics says the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus has fallen in all english regions except the north east. we've had the latest coronavirus figures from the government. another 16,298 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the uk. a further 50a people have died within 28 days of a positive test. that takes the total number of deaths under that measure to 60,617.

—— that makes the total. the welsh government has been defending tougher coronavirus restrictions which come into force in just under an hour's time — 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 six o'clock, other than for takeaways. 0ur wales correspondent tomos morgan reports. 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. the headlines on bbc news...

the government says the talks about a post—brexit trade deal are at a "very difficult stage" — the eu's chief negotiator will remain in london in order to continue negotiations as the first consignments of the pfizer—biontech jab arrive in the uk, vaccinations are due vaccinations are due to begin next week. tough covid restrictions come into force in wales in the next hour — with a big impact on pubs and restaurants. a woman with paranoid schizophrenia who killed a seven—year—old in a park has been cleared of murder. emilyjones was stabbed as she played in queen's park, bolton, in march. eltiona skana, who's 30, had admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. skana, had been on trial at manchester minshull street crown court after pleading not guilty to murder. 0ur correspondent andy gill

is at manchester minshull street crown court for us. first of all just tell us a little more about the background to this case. this is a highly tragic and shocking case. it happened on mother's day this year. seven—year—old emilyjones was playing as you said in queen's park in bolton with her scooterfor some she was out with her father. she saw her mom who was jogging nearby and went up towards her mom on the scooter. as she passed a park bench, eltiona skana scooter. as she passed a park bench, eltiona ska na was scooter. as she passed a park bench, eltiona skana was sitting there for them she got up and grab emily and cut her throat and emily died as a result of those injuries. eltiona skana ran off at the time, she was later detained under mental health act and she has been on trial here at manchester minshull street crown court for murder. the prosecution has said they wanted a jury to decide whether it was murder or not. eltiona skana decide whether it was murder or not. eltiona ska na admitted decide whether it was murder or not. eltiona skana admitted manslaughter. the the prosecution wanted a jury to

a nswer the the prosecution wanted a jury to answer the question whether the mental earn —— on this was as the prosecution put it a convenient excuse for what she did. and so what has happened today, andy? well, as you mentioned earlier, eltiona skana has severe mental health problems. she was a paranoid schizophrenic, she had for severe mental health proms for a number of years. she admitted manslaughter, and thejury we re admitted manslaughter, and thejury were told about a conversation she had with a nurse in hospital while she was awaiting trial which is suggested that she had planned this attack. however, the court was also told that on previous occasions when she had not been taking her medicine that she had become violent, and the prosecution said that because of this there was now no realistic prospect of a conviction for murder. they withdrew the charge and the judge said that thatjury should formally find eltiona skana not guilty of murder. she has admitted

manslaughter as we set and the judge will sentence her here at this court on tuesday of next week. andy gill, thank you for that update. 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. the company says it's "absolutely devastated" by the incident. from avonmouth, john maguire reports. one day on from the explosion and the force of the blast is all too evident. twisted metal and the roof of the silo turned back. of the silo torn back. people working in the area described hearing a loud boom up to a mile away. at the warehouses and businesses that occupy the industrial area next to the m5,

witnesses say windows and buildings felt as if it 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 four fatalities." the gmb union that represents workers on site say this is a terrible tragedy. 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, why, 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 elected mayor of bristol offered his condolences. to the families of those have been killed. 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 health and safety executive search for answers, families grieve, as a day at work costs four lives. john maguire, bbc news, avonmouth near bristol. 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's faster than any other major economy — but it still means the uk will need to work 50% harder to reach the target 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 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 kerb emissions from aviation. 0ur homes will need better insulation too. and we'll have to shift eventually from gas boilers and install electric heat pumps instead. 0n 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. a world war ii veteran who had been suffering from coronavirus has been discharged from hospital to celebrate his 104th birthday at home. applause # happy birthday to you doctors, nurses and family members

lined up with posters and balloons as major wooten left madison hospital in alabama. major wooten, known as "pop pop" to his family, thanked the hospital staff workers before heading home. major wooten served as a private in the us army during world war ii. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. low— pressure low—pressure sticking around overnight will bring further bands of rain, shower and sleet and high ground. the strong winds we have had over western areas will gradually become more confined towards the west and the south west soulfully easing down through the night. it will stay joined the easing down through the night. it will stayjoined the south—east, clear and cold, but for the north and west, longer spells of rain, snow for the pennines and for the higher ground of scotland. those temperatures range from around —1 or minus two celsius in the east to

four or five. minus two celsius in the east to four orfive. we minus two celsius in the east to four or five. we could see a touch of frost in south and eastern areas. it will stay cold but turned jar as this low—pressure slips southwards and takes the showers and hill snow with so we will have much later winds on sunday with miss in fog perhaps some sunshine. it stays chilly and mainly settled as we head on into the start of next week too.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the government says the talks about a post—brexit trade deal are at a "very difficult stage". the eu's chief negotiator will remain in london in order to continue negotiations. as the first consignments

of the pfizer—biontech jab are being distributed across the uk, vaccinations are due to begin next week. tough covid restrictions come into force in wales in an hour's time, with a big impact on pubs and restaurants. a woman who killed a seven—year—old girl at a park in bolton has been cleared of murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. what was it that woke people in edinburgh in the early hours? we find out about the weather phenomenom of thundersnow. let's head over to the bbc sport centre now, where sarah has the latest. thank you, rebecca. good evening. england's first one—day international against south africa will take place on sunday

after being postponed because of a positive coronavirus test within the cricket bubble. the news camejust an hour before it was due to start in cape town this morning. a member of the home side was found to have the virus. cricket south africa's chief medical officer told their own media team they were looking at how the bubble may have been breached. clearly, there is a cause for concern, and england has expressed a concern. england is questioning the confidence they have in the bio secured environment, and rightfully so, if there's been a player who askedis so, if there's been a player who asked is in the last week contracted the virus but they have cause for concern, and we respect their concern. we have met with the english medical teams and we have kind of planned out a way. we will retest all of our players and health staff tomorrow, which is a saturday, we will await the results and determine a course of action. and then on tuesday, before the final odi on wednesday, we will retest the tea m odi on wednesday, we will retest the team again. liverpool bossjurgen klopp has criticised premier league executives

for "ignoring player welfare" over the five substitutes rule. the issue was not considered at this week's shareholder meeting and klopp says people need to stop thinking it's just about benefitting the big teams. it's about all the players. and it's about load management and nothing else, and load management not forgetting an advantage, load management for dealing with the problem that micro dealing with the situation in the best possible way, and we cannot just situation in the best possible way, and we cannotjust ignore it because some people say that it would be an advantage for others because it is not about an advantage. i cannot say it often enough. eddiejones has made one change to his england side that will face france in sunday's autumn nations cup final at twickenham, with wing anthony watson replacing jonathanjoseph, who was injured in last weekend's victory over wales. the rest of england's starting 15 remains the same from that

victory in llanelli. the match comes just overe the match comesjust over a year after defeat against south africa, he matched jones to reflecting on. chance unfriendly to make sure you're at our absolute best on sunday. probably learned a bit from the world cup, where we thought in retrospect we probably underprepared for the world cup, so we collect we have at the right balance in terms of physical and recovery work this week, and the boys trained outstandingly well yesterday, so we're looking forward to game on sunday. despite never having scored a point in his 36 races spanning two years in formula 1, george russell has topped the time sheets in first practice for the sakhir grand prix. it has helped the 22—year—old briton that he's driving the car of world champion lewis hamilton, who is missing due to coronavirus. but russell was still almost a third of a second quicker than mercedes team—mate valtteri bottas, who could only manage fourth quickest in bahrain.

and second practice hasjust and second practice has just got under way. you can follow that on the website. andy sullivan is still on course for a wire—to—wire victory in the dubai championship. a third round of 68 left the four—time european tour winner on 21 under par, two shots ahead of fellow englishman matt wallace and three ahead of ross fisher. we have got our first semi—finalists at the uk snooker championship. neil roberston has beaten mark selby. the australian finished with his 750th professional century to win 6—2 in milton keynes. 0n the other table, zhou yuelong beat jack lisowski 6—4. tonight sees judge trump tonight seesjudge trump against callu m tonight seesjudge trump against callum wilson and... all on the bbc sport website. that is it from me. lizzie greenwood hughes will be here at 6:30pm with sportsday.

sarah, thank you for that. they have named the victims imac or they are... one other person was injured and is now at home. —— they have named the victims. want to bring some newsjust have named the victims. want to bring some news just into us that the mayor of liverpool, joe anderson, has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. he was among five people arrested as pa rt was among five people arrested as part of a year—long police investigation into the awarding of building contracts in the city. merseyside police have said, and i'm quoting now, five people have been arrested by detectives today, in connection with offences of bribery and witness intimidation, in

relation to building an element contracts in liverpool. the arrests are part of an ongoing investigation. liverpool city council have said in a statement that it council have said in a statement thatitis council have said in a statement that it is cooperating with merseyside police in relation to his ongoing investigation. the statement continues, we do not comment on matters relating to individuals. more now about a coronavirus vaccine — and as we've heard, there are still questions about the roll—out of the pfizer jab here 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. 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... ..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 eve ryo ne who's persuaded can say yes. and that was ros atkins. 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. us president—electjoe biden says he will ask all americans to wear facemasks for his first 100 days in office. he also says he will order masks to be worn in all us government buildings and on public transport.

mr biden also confirmed that he has asked the top infectious disease expert, anthony fauci, to remain as chief medical adviser. here's our washington correspondent lebo diseko. california readying for its strictest stay at home order yet, the governor warning the state is at a tipping point which could see hospitals overwhelmed. california has seen a record surge in new cases, more than 19,000 on wednesday alone. the toll in this one state reflecting the battle the whole country faces. figures reported on thursday show in just 2a hours, the us broke every single record since the pandemic began. the highest ever new infections, hospitalisations, and a life lost nearly every 30 seconds. for president—electjoe biden, there is one measure he will take straightaway, as he told cnn's the lead with jake tapper.

in the first day i'm inaugurated, i'm going to ask the public for 100 days to mask, just 100 days. not forever, 100 days. he said that, in conjunction with vaccines, could make all the difference. 0nce fauci says it's clear, that is my measure, then obviously we take this. and it's important to communicate to the american people, it's safe, it's safe to do this. mr biden said he would keep the country's top infectious disease expert in his currentjob as well as making him chief medical adviser. but on thursday, dr anthony fauci was at the centre of a different controversy after telling us networks that the uk had rushed its vaccine approval. on thursday, he walked those comments back, telling the bbc he was sorry. it came out wrong and that was not the way i meant it to be. in the united states, there is such a considerable amount of tension, of pushing back on the credibility

of the safety and of the efficacy, that if we in the united states had done it as quickly as the uk did, and that's no judgment on the way the uk did it, there likely would have been pushback. some now fear the debate over which country has the better regulatory system could make people wary of immunisation. more than 1.5 million people have now died from the virus worldwide. nearly 20% of those are in the us. lebo diseko, bbc news, washington. a light aircraft has made a dramatic emergency landing on an interstate highway in minnesota in the united states. have a look at this. video footage has been posted on twitter by the minnesota department of transportation, showing the pilot touching down while travelling at the same speed as vehicles ahead and behind. let's have another look at it.

the single—propellor plane appeared to have suffered an engine failure. it is extraordinary, extraordinary as well that no one was injured in the incident, although perhaps not a surprisingly, the road was blocked for several hours while emergency services attended. the queen held herfirst virtual diplomatic audience in buckingham palace from her windsor castle home. as it tradition, three ambassadors greeted the queen — but this time, it was via a video link. a palace spokesperson said it had always been the hope to restart diplomatic audiences as soon as possible. now, 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 a phenomenon known as "thundersnow". two extraordinarily loud thunder cla p two extraordinarily loud thunder clap heard just after 5am and some

have sent us videos of what they heard. we have been consulting the experts, and apparently the sound is created when thunder and lightning combined with heavy snowstorms. and it is rare, apparently. more news at 6pm, but now on the news channel, it's the film review. hello and welcome to the film review with me, anna smith. i'm filling in for mark kermode to review this week's releases, whether you're at home or able to go out to the cinema again.