welcome to bbc news — i'm shaun ley. coming up in five minutes reeta chakrabati will be here with a bulletin of the day's news and at half past ten i'll be joined by my guests for a first look at monday's newspapers. but first, uk and eu negotiators are making a final push to try to break the deadlock in the brexit trade talks. discussions resumed in brussels with three outstanding issues — fishing quotas, fair competition rules and the enforcement

of any agreement. the irish taoiseach, michael martin, said tonight the talks were on a "knife—edge". my gut instinct is that it is 50—50 and i don't think one can be overly optimistic about a resolution emerging and my sense having spoken to some of the key principles is that this is a very challenging issue to resolve. and particularly around the level playing field. concerns have been raised about the financial help that sheep farmers would receive if no trade deal is reached with the european union. the welsh government has also raised concerns about disruption at the country's ports. here's our wales political correspondent james williams. of all the welsh lamb that's exported, more than 90% of it is sold tariff—free to eu markets. trade will continue tariff—free if a deal is struck but if there isn't a deal,

then export taxes on lamb products could be as high as a0%. we've looked at things such as a headage payment for ewes or indeed a slaughterhouse premium for lambs. any of those types of interventions would, by their definition, be quite short—term interventions to help with an immediate pressure on the sector. in the medium term, what we would do to help the sector is to identify new markets. but it is the short—term hit that worries welsh ministers, who called today on the treasury to ensure that funding will be available. everyone around that cabinet table has assured me that the cheque book will open instantly, regulations will be looked at and support will be put in place. we don't want a no deal, sheep farms especially don't want a new deal, but let nobody on the other side of the english channel be in any doubt, we will have it if they are not going to treat us as an independent sovereign nation, and we will cope. from january the 1st, customs checks will be required on some of the lorries arriving

in holyhead, but because there is still no agreed site near the port to carry out those checks, they will instead be done here for the first part of the year, in warrington, between liverpool and manchester. but even with the checks carried out 100 miles away, the welsh government is also preparing for potential congestion on anglesey. we've been making preparations for traffic disruption at the ports because of new frictions at the border. we have plans to provide for stacking for traffic, for example, as it approaches in holyhead and in north wales. preparations are also being made on the other side of the irish sea, including more direct routes from ireland to mainland europe, bypassing welsh ports altogether. we are seeing new sailings from rosslare to santander and lisbon, to ostend, to zeebrugge and we hope to see a new one to le havre too because people cannot countenance possible delays. it was back to brussels today for the uk's chief negotiator to resume the trade talks.

time really is running out but deal or no deal, big changes are on the way. thousands of turkeys are to be culled after a second outbreak of highly contagious bird flu in norfolk. the first outbreak was confirmed yesterday in a flock of turkeys near attleborough. then overnight came confirmation of the second, some 30 miles away at a farm near east winch. exclusion zones have bow been set up to prevent further spread of the disease. from norfolkjenny kirk reports. enhanced bio—security measures at a poultry farm near the epicentre of norfolk‘s first outbreak near attleborough. the news that birds have contracted bird flu at what should be a lucrative time of year. to have two outbreaks in such a short period of time is a massive concern. on top of everything else, it's really something we don't need at this time of the year.

all the birds, believed to be tens of thousands, will be cold. an exclusion zone has been set up around the farm, which hasn't been named. 30 miles away, a second cull has been ordered. defra wouldn't say which one was affected in this second outbreak, but we know we are somewhere near the epicentre of it here in east winch. drive through this area at this time of year and chances are you will see signs for turkeys for sale. the region accounts for 41% of the turkeys produced in england. the farmers union is urging vigilance. local producers say they are very worried. the next seven days are crucial for mark gorton. if his flocks can survive you will have finished as christmas orders. across the uk from the 14th of december,

owners of captive birds are of legally required to keep them inside. with a fifth of the country's poultry farms in our region, farmers here are particularly worried. reeta chakrabarti is next with the national news — but coming up on the news channel in a little while we'll be taking a look at tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guests joining me tonight are the broadcaster and journalist caroline frost and parliamentary journalist tony grew. you're watching bbc news.

talks in brussels "on a knife—edge", as negotiators make a last minute attempt to secure a post—brexit trade deal. an early train to brussels for the uk's chief negotiator. he said every effort would be made to get an agreement. we're going to see what happens in negotiations today and we will be looking forward to meeting our european colleagues

eu sources are claiming progress tonight on fishing rights, but those claims are being denied by downing street. also tonight. it's here. batches of covid—19 vaccine delivered to hospitals — the first doses will be given across the uk on tuesday. by byjove, he didn't hold back on that. the voice of golf, the legendary bbc commentator peter alliss has died at the age of 89. and england win the autumn nations cup, with a nail—biting victory over france. good evening. negotiators for the uk and the eu have spent the day in last—ditch talks to try to secure

a post—brexit trade deal. the head of the uk team, lord frost, said they were ‘working very hard' to reach an accord, although ireland's prime minister said things were on a knife edge. the uk left the eu at the beginning of the year, but the two sides have been talking for months now to try to agree a new trade relationship — which is due to start on 1st january. tonight, eu sources and downing street are making different claims on signs of progress over fishing rights — more on that in a moment. two other main issues — competition rules, and how a deal would be enforced — remain unresolved. 0ur political correspondent chris mason reports. back in brussels, the uk's chief negotiator, lord frost, arriving for what's described on the british side as the last roll of the dice in trade talks with the eu. we are working very hard to try and get a deal. we're going to see what happens in negotiations today and we will be looking forward to meeting our european colleagues later this afternoon. thank you very much.

there is frustration in government at what is seen as the eu's failure to understand the importance of the uk's new—found independence. we want to be doing a free trade agreement as a sovereign equal with the eu, so anything that undermines our ability to control our own waters for instance, or undermines our ability to make our own laws isn't something we can accept. tonight, eu sources suggest agreement could be near on fishing rights. a uk government source said there had been no such breakthrough and the issue of fair competition and how any agreement is enforced remain sticking points. as lord frost arrived at the european commission, he was reminded that the french are worried about not being able to catch as many fish. reporter: lord frost, what's your message to emmanuel macron? and supporters of the french government will tell anyone who will listen they'll say no to a deal they don't like.

this is the framing of the relationship between the uk and the eu for years, decades, to come, and so we have to be absolutely convinced on both sides of the channel that it is the right framing for this relationship and if it is not, we shouldn't sign it. if there is a deal, parliament will be asked to endorse it. that is likely to be a formality, given borisjohnson‘s sizeable majority, but labour are divided about what to do. they regard no deal as a disaster, but can't agree whether it would be wise to endorse any deal the government does. we'll have to look of course at the content of the deal, but also at any legislation that comes upon. we are not going to give them a blank cheque, but i think i have been very clear both today and on previous programmes with you, andrew, that the most important thing is the government get a deal. and tonight on that big question, the likelihood of a deal, a big player in the drama of brexit, the irish prime minister, said this.

my gut instinct is that it's 50/50 right now. and i don't think one can be overly optimistic about a resolution emerging. and so there is still plenty to discuss in brussels. after the rows, the anger and the bitterness of the last four and a half years since the eu referendum, another crucial moment of decision beckons. the talks are on a knife edge, says the irish prime minister, and we have the two sides on the issue of fish seemingly unable to agree on what they agree on. meanwhile, tomorrow, worth keeping an eye on parliament, the return of the internal market bill. a bit of legislation that could mean the uk breaches the last agreement it made with brussels at just breaches the last agreement it made with brussels atjust the point it is trying to negotiate the next one. and on the trade deal, both sides still want to do a deal if they can, and compromise has a habit of turning up fashionably late but it

may not turn up at all and in that instance, we would be looking at a no—deal brexit three weeks on friday. 0ur political correspondent chris mason there. there have been conflicting accounts over the last few days about where progress has or hasn't been made. but the main sticking points have been known for months. 0ur reality check correspondent chris morris looks at the main issues. the final days of negotiation, and while fishing may be a tiny part of the economy on both sides of the channel, it is of huge political importance. it was central to the "take back control" message in the 2016 referendum. what is at stake now is access to these uk waters where eu boats currently catch about £600 million of fish every year. the uk wants much of that back. so, it's about the uk share of fishing quotas, notjust where you can fish but how much you can catch. there is also the timeline for measures coming into full force. the eu wants a status quo

period of up to ten years. the uk says it should be much shorter. the other main area of disagreement is the level playing field, rules on fair competition for billions of pounds of business now and in the future. the two sides are trying to agree a common baseline on workers‘ rights and the environmental regulations that companies have to follow. if you cut regulations it can be cheaper to make stuff and the eu is worried the uk could do that in future. then there's state aid or government subsidies for business. the uk is determined to assert its sovereignty and is refusing to follow eu rules. but the eu says it has to protect companies within its single market. so, the third main area of disagreement, how you enforce a deal and resolve any disputes. the eu is demanding the right to retaliate if the uk breaks rules in one area, by hitting back into another, imposing tariffs or taxes for example where it thinks it might hurt the most.

then, the question of who adjudicates disputes, and the potential role of the european court ofjustice. in this final push for a deal, it is worth emphasising even if an agreement is reached, there are big changes coming. new bureaucracy, checks and paperwork for traders and travellers crossing the border from january the 1st, a deal would remove some of them, including tariffs on goods. but outside the single market and the customs union, things will be very different. the choice now, a pretty hard form of brexit or no deal at all. chris morris, bbc news. and our europe editor katya adler is in brussels for us. there's claim and counter claim tonight about progress on fishing? that's right. i am hearing from some in the eu that the negotiators who have been hard at work in the european commission building what you see behind me are nearing a deal

ona you see behind me are nearing a deal on a fish. this has been strongly denied in the uk. that is confusing, this kind of mixed messaging at five to midnight on a deal like this with so to midnight on a deal like this with so much at stake is not exactly uncommon. what i'm also hearing is that on the two other outstanding issues that we heard about there, the two sides are still very far apart, so the eu really does want to tie the uk to some kind of agreed fair competition principles in exchange for good access to its single market. and it says it wants sovereignty and to be free to make up sovereignty and to be free to make up it's own rules and regulations, and because there is little mutual trust, the eu is saying that we need to find a good way to enforce our agreement to make sure that both sides stick to the rules or otherwise face a pretty tough consequences. all of these issues will make or break this deal. we have another day of negotiations

ahead of us and then another call between the prime minister and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, to see where we are by then. the medical director of nhs england says the mass vaccination programme for covid—19 starting this week marks "the beginning of the end" of the pandemic. but professor stephen powis warned it would take many months to vaccinate everybody who urgently needs protection. batches of the vaccine have started to arrive at hospitals. around 800,000 doses are expected to be available across the uk this coming week, with jabs starting on tuesday. 0ur science editor david shukman reports. an unmarked van at croydon university hospital in south london with a delivery that could start to change the course of the pandemic. inside these boxes, the first vaccines for covid—19. ingenious research is creating light at the end of the tunnel.

this is so exciting, a momentous occasion. the nhs has been planning extensively to deliver the largest vaccination programme in our history. it is really exciting. the vaccines have to be stored at —70, only large hospitals can do that, so, distribution is complicated and will take time. nhs staff around the country have been working tirelessly to make sure we are prepared to commence vaccination on tuesday. this feels like the beginning of the end but, of course, it is a marathon, not a sprint, and it will take many months for us to vaccinate everybody who needs vaccination. so far, only the pfizer biontech vaccine has been approved in the uk, so, it is the one being used first. the roll—out of this vaccine will involve an operation on an extraordinary scale. there are something like 6.7 billion peoplejudged to be the highest priority. residents of care homes, for example, and the over—80s. that requires 13.4 million

doses because everybody has to have two doses. it is hoped there will be 800,000 available in the coming week or so, with up to 5 million by the end of the year. but however this pans out, it will be a huge challenge. production is slower than hoped at the pfizer plant in belgium after problems with raw materials. but other vaccines may come on stream soon, like the one by oxford university and astrazeneca now awaiting approval. the key factor in all of this is the readiness of the public to get vaccinated. the medicines regulator wants to reassure people. i would really like to emphasise that the highest standards of scrutiny, of safety, of effectiveness and quality have been met. international standards. so, this should be real confidence in the rigour of our approval. so, we are on the brink of the first big step out of the crisis. but there is a long way to go. david shukman, bbc news.

the latest release of government figures on coronavirus show that there were 17,272 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 15,131. 1,345 people had been admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday. 231 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week a29 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 61,245. president trump's personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, has tested positive for coronavirus. the president made the announcement on twitter earlier tonight. he praised the former mayor of new yorkcity.

mr giuliani is leading the trump campaign's legal challenge tojoe biden‘s victory in the us presidential election. the bbc commentator peter alliss, who became known as the voice of golf, has died. he was 89. he won more than 20 tournaments during his career as a golfer, and played on eight ryder cup teams before becoming a commentator. katherine downes looks back at his life. 0h! i think he enjoyed that one. his was the voice that brought the game of golf to life for millions. for a sport defined by its quirks and characters, peter alliss was the perfect match. hello, what have you been doing? i've been down to that st mellion. what a day i've had. the people and the noise, i never had a moment to sit down. golf was in his blood, his father percy had been a professional and under his guidance,

young peter flourished. even when he was still playing, he had begun to make the move behind the microphone. i think this course is in wonderful condition at this time of year. his warmth and wit made him a regular on british television where he said the key to commentary was never to take it too seriously. it has enormous rewards, great sadness, great joy, great stupidity. great nonsense, you know. and it's really not all that serious. for all his fans, he did have his critics. they look as if they might be a bit of a handful, those three. to some, he was the epitome of old—fashioned attitudes in a game in need of modernisation. i try to be an observer. you get into trouble sometimes if you don't say the right things to the right people. but there was never any debate about his expertise. he's played it boldly. that could be magical. when the world's greatest golfers produced their greatest moments, alliss was the perfect guide. thank you. he was a great man in many respects.

for his commentary, he kind of took over from henry longhurst who was regarded as the doyen of commentary. but peter took the mantle over and, to be honest, no one got near him. 0nly last month he was commentating for the bbc on the masters, broadcasting from home due to the pandemic. that is ok. lovely feeling, five ahead, umpteen putts for victory, glory be. his excitement was undimmed, even after almost 60 years as golf‘s master storyteller. so, a rather strange masters has come to an end. it is not what we expected, but it was still a good one. well done to everybody, and here's to next april when we'll do it all again. peter allis who's died at the age of 89. with all the sport now, here's lizzie greenwood hughes at the bbc sport centre. good evening.

thanks, rita. england have won rugby union's autumn nations cup — but it took a dramatic sudden—death penalty to beat a young france side 22—19. our correspondent andy swiss reports from twickenham. at last they were back, the fans might have rather trickled into twickenham but amid the facemasks and temperature checks the anticipation was clear. among the select few, 400 nhs workers had been invited including these to win seats in the royal box. it is tremendously exciting, and to be representing nhs workers and west middlesex hospital. and a final as well, the clincher, the best one to be at, amazing. twickenham normally holds 80,000 fans but the 2,000 did their best to make an atmosphere as england began hot favourites against an understrength france. what drama they got as the underdogs took an early lead.

a lead they took until the very final minute when luke cowan—dickie made his way over. at 19—19, extra time and sudden death. 0wen farrell with the chance to win it but somehow it stayed out. how close was that? when his second opportunity came, this time, he held his nerve. not a vintage performance from england but the autumn nations cup was theirs in the most extraordinary fashion. what a remarkable finish that was, and what a welcome back for these fans. if they had been missing nail—biting drama, england certainly gave them plenty today. andy swiss, bbc news, twickenham. match of the day 2 and sportscene follow the news so don't listen if you want to wait for the day's football scores because they're coming now. tottenham are back on top of the premier league. they comfortably beat arsenal 2—0 in the north london derby. son heung—min and harry kane once again a deadly double—act for spurs.

liverpool are just behind them on goal difference. they took apart wolves at anfield. leicester beat bottom side sheffield united and crystal palace thrashed a ten—man west brom. rangers continued their dominance at the top of the scottish premiership, beating second from bottom ross county 4—0. rangers now lead celtic by 13 points after they drew with stjohnstone. sam kerr scored a hatrick for chelsea women as they beat west ham 3—2 to set a record of 12 consecutive wsl home wins. england's one—day cricket series in south africa is in dissary after the opening game was abandoned twice — and tomorrow's scheduled second match has also been postponed. the latest delay is for officials to check two unconfirmed positive tests in the england team bubble. the final two games could still take place before the players fly home on thursday. lewis hamilton's coronavirus stand—in — george russell — missed—out on glory at aa dramatic sakhir grand prix. the young briton was scuppered

by a mercedes tyre mix—up and then a puncture in the closing laps in bahrain. instead, racing point's sergio perez won his first formula one race. there's more on the bbc sport website including the latest from the final of the uk snooker championship. but that's it from me. 2020 has been an exceptional year, with a global pandemic and an international campaign for racial justice following the death of george floyd. as part of a bbc series called our lives, our correspondents have been looking at how people have been coping with the year's challenges. tonight, ashleyjohn—baptiste catches up with an old school friend, xavier leopold, who uses art as an expression of hope for a better life. this piece is called george floyd. i made this piece in the summer during a time when there was a lot of political, racial and social unrest. like many, 28—year—old xavier leopold from south london was deeply impacted by the killing of george floyd in the us earlier this

year. his response — to paint about it. the words that he screamed out many many times were "i can't breathe", and that was enough to me to think to myself that i need to express this in a form of art to raise social awareness, racial awareness and to speak to my black people. it was only recently, during the first lockdown, that xavier discovered his passion for art. the impact of painting on his mental health has been life changing. it's sort of my way of keeping sane. it's one of the ways of therapy i can do indoors in the comfort of my own home, by myself. xavier has struggled since the death of his best friend, rio mcfarlane, who was fatally shot ten years ago in peckham, south london. i still get flashbacks of that day. i rushed down there literally within 20 minutes and i sat in the same position outside of the tent until his body was removed and just the sight of seeing the dried blood on the floor

still sticks with me to this day. once you've found a medium, orsome of sort of vehicle to help you express yourself, to help you cry, to help you unravel your thoughts and at the same time find comfort from it, i think that's the most beautiful thing. it's my duty to represent for those literally going against the grain of the status quo of a young black man from south london. xavier's ha rd—hitting work has also gained him legions of followers, seeing him recently exhibit his work in central london. you guys are fortunate enough to have these thoughts about what you want to be, and the main thing that you want to be. he's also been invited by schools to post art workshops. they inspire me about thinking about what my future is going to be and how i like to draw and how to be an artist. i think it was inspiring

because they are trying to explain how they painted and it inspires me to paint beautifully. yes, it's just insane... having picked up a paintbrush for the first time earlier this year, xavier could not have imagined back then how art would change his life. since painting, ifeel like my mental health is so much better and to put it in the best way possible, i really feel reborn. ashleyjohn—baptiste, bbc news. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. hello there. it's been cold this weekend pretty much wherever you are, and we've seen increasing mist and fog and places which has been stubborn to clear. now, this upcoming week is going to stay cold for most of us, and certainly the short—term will see issues with mist and fog in places. and then by around tuesday onwards, low pressure will move in, that will turn more unsettled — not for all areas, for some of us.