this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm samantha simmonds. a day of last—ditch talks between the uk and the eu, but still no breakthrough in a possible trade deal. donald trump says his personal lawyer rudy giuliani has tested positive for coronavirus. as batches of the vaccine arrive in hospitals in england, one official calls it the beginning of the end for the pandemic. and the family of children's author roald dahl apologise for anti—semitic remarks he made during his lifetime.

hello and welcome to the programme. talks to attempt to secure a trade deal between the uk and the european union have concluded for the night. they will resume again on monday with the head of the uk team, lord frost, insisting they were "working very hard" to reach an accord, although ireland's prime minister said things were on a knife edge. both sides are making different claims on signs of progress overfishing rights. two other main issues — competition rules and how a deal would be enforced — remain unresolved. our 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've been 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 on 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 european union, and 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's likely to be a formality, given boris johnson'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 any legislation that comes upon. we're 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. our europe editor katya adler has been following today's negotiations in brussels. well, basically, you've had negotiators this afternoon inside the european commission building behind me, trying to thrash it out in what the uk's describing as the last roll of the dice in these negotiations. and just a few moments ago, i was hearing from some in the eu that a deal on fishing, one of the three key outstanding issues, was really nearly there. now, this has been strongly denied by the uk, and that is confusing. but at 11:55pm, with a deal with such a lot at stake as this, it's not unusual to have mixed messaging like that.

and what i'm also hearing is that on the other two outstanding issues between the two sides — that's the eu push to get the uk to sign up to what it calls fair competition rules, in order to get good access to its single market, and also, because there's very little trust, how to then enforce those rules or face stiff penalties for either side if they break them — well, on that issue, the two sides are still very far apart, because the uk says, after brexit, "we want to keep our national sovereignty, we want to be free to make up our own rules and regulations," and all of these then still are the issues that can make or break this deal. so we have another day of negotiations ahead of us, tomorrow. and after that, the prime minister and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, will have another call to see where we are by then. and given, katya, that it is the same three issues that have dogged these negotiations for months and have really

been at the forefront, ever since the uk voted to leave the eu, of what will happen in the future, given that the two sides seem so far apart still, does it seem feasible that a compromise could be met on these? that depends on politics. it doesn't really depend on these technical negotiations, because these negotiators have sat opposite each other for months and months and months, saying the same things to each other about their redlines on those three issues. so, you're absolutely right. what the negotiators need is a nod and a wink from their bosses to say, "now you can make those difficult political compromises." and if both sides do that, we could have a deal. if they don't, we probably won't. and, katya, given that, really, as you say, it's 11:55pm on this — they've got till the end of the month to make a deal, but in reality, do they really have that long? how much time they have now to complete these negotiations? well, the hard line is the 31st of december, because that's when the transition period, the sort of standstill period between the two sides, comes to an end.

of course, brexit officially, legally took place on the 31st of january, but we've got this standstill transition period in between. the two sides need to reach an agreement in enough time for the uk government to be happy with it. they want to bring it before parliament. then on the eu side, all 27 eu governments need to sign up to this. you don't need all eu leaders together to do it, you don't even need eu leaders themselves to sign it. depending on each country, they can appoint one of their government ministers to sign off on the deal, once, obviously, it's been read. now, the european parliament wants to vote on the deal before the end of the year, and that makes the timing a lot more tight. they could do that on the 28th of december if they need to, but under eu law, they don't need to hold that vote this year. as long as the governments have signed off on it in the eu — this is speaking from the eu side — the deal can

provisionally go into effect from the 1st of january and the european parliament could vote on that afterwards. they don't like that idea at all, of course, but if push comes to shove, it is possible. katya adler there. let's get some of the day's other news now. the total number of people who've died in italy with coronavirus has now exceeded 60,000 — that's according to official figures published on sunday. italy the first country in europe to be hit hard by the virus last february. after a recent upsurge in cases, just under 1,000 daily deaths were registered on thursday. that's led the government to ban travel between italian regions over christmas and the new year. around 100 people have been arrested in athens for defying a stay—at—home order to prevent the spread of covid—i9. students and left—wing activists had gathered to mark the 12th anniversary of the death of a 15—year—old boy after he was shot by the police. south korea is raising its coronavirus alert level to the second highest tier after infection rose last week

to more than 500 a day. new restrictions will apply to the capital, seoul, and surrounding areas for the next three weeks. donald trump's personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, has tested positive for coronavirus. the us president announced the news in a tweet, writing... there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the recent presidential election. 0ur washington correspondent lebo diseko reports. he's one of donald trump's closest allies. now, rudy giuliani is the latest in the president's inner circle to be diagnosed with the coronavirus. he's been spearheading mr trump's efforts to overturn the results of november's election. this was him on wednesday at an election hearing in michigan, asking a witness to remove her mask.

would you be comfortable taking your mask off so that people could hear you more clearly? but for all the bad news about coronavirus, on sunday, some hope — two vaccines to be reviewed in the next two weeks for emergency use. and they could be given out within days afterwards. what've we said is within 2a hours of fda green lighting with authorisation, we'll ship to all of the states and territories that we work with. and within hours, they can be vaccinating. health care workers and nursing home residents will be among the first to be immunised, then essential workers and, finally, the general public. we may start to see some impact on the most susceptible people probably in the month of january and february, but on a population basis, for our lives to start getting back to normal, we're talking about april or may. there's still a long and perilous road to travel. on sunday, warnings that the escalating surge in infections could be the most

trying event in us history. the vaccine's critical, but it's not going to save us from this current surge. 0nly we can save us from this current surge. and we know precisely what to do. so if you have loved ones that you want to protect, you have to follow these guidelines. all of this in a week where the us hit the grimmest of milestones, the highest ever new infections, hospitalisations and a life lost nearly every 30 seconds. lebo diseko, bbc news, washington. dr mati hlatshwayo davis is an infectious disease physician. i asked her if she believed the claim that the us would be "back to normal" by the spring. i think it is a best case scenario reflection and certainly one that we would all like to see. people here are tired, pandemic fatigue has set in, but what we do know is that the vaccine is not the magic bullet to end the transmission on the rise

in cases that are right now at record numbers, especially in a winter that brings with it flu and other respiratory vaccines. unfortunately in the us, we have seen that because of inconsistent messaging from leadership from the top down, there have been different approaches by states that have resulted in is not being able to get this under control resulted in us not being able to get this under control as it has another places of the world. so masking, social distancing and lack of large gatherings still has to happen in conjunction with the uptake of the vaccine and we are not seeing that effectively right now, so there does need to be a change and it does have to start at the top. we are hopeful with the incoming biden—harris administration, who have shown signs they want the science to lead, that it will take place, but it really is a all hands

on deck approach from the community. and as you wait for vaccines to be approved, hopefully the next few days, it will get fda approval, it will again be a state—by—state approach for the vaccination programmes. how do you envisage that playing out? it is. exactly, and we have guidance from the cdc and other advisory groups that have been working on this frantically throughout the summer about how this should look like, and it really should be administered to high—risk populations, the elderly and those with conditions that put them at higher risk, but the priority for the first phase is for health care workers and folks in nursing homes. we believe that is the right approach, but again, with this being a state—by—state approach, we want to see consistency so we can get to the goal, and as you heard me say before, i have concerns around equity. are we paying enough attention to these plans

to make sure that those disproportionately affected, in black and brown communities, and who have been left behind in the past, which is why we have these widespread disparities, not just in coronavirus, there is a plan to make sure this is accessible to them in their community. notjust about access, is it? because i know you are concerned that members of the african—american community may not want to have the vaccine. where i am at with this is we have two populations here. we have a population that is understandably hesitant. up to 67% of african—americans have said they would not take this — and we know where that comes from. that comes from a very marred history of mistrust, abuses that have happened in governmental and medical communities, dating back to slavery and other examples like what has happened with henrietta lacks and in the tuskegee experiments. i see this and that

mistrust continues. 0n the other hand, we have people who want this and may not be able to get it. and those of us who are leaders in the african—american community... i was just on a call with some leading infectious disease physicians and the infectious disease society of america's minority interest group and their concern was twofold. yes, vaccine hesitancy must be addressed, but in parallel, we must have a plan to make sure that those who want it will able to get it in communities that often don't have the funding, don't have the policies to support it, and there are community partnerships ready to go to make sure this happens. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: bright lights, big city — how the people of sao paulo may have to enjoy a drive—through christmas.

john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th cease—fire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering tomorrow and his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven charges of tax evasion, estimated at £120 million. she's pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a day of last—ditch talks between the uk and the eu, but still no breakthrough in a possible trade deal. donald trump says his personal lawyer rudy giuliani has tested positive for coronavirus. batches of the pfizer—biontech coronavirus vaccine have begun arriving at hospitals in england ahead of the first jabs being administered on tuesday. a senior health offical says it's the "beginning of the end" of the pandemic. the uk was the first country in the world to approve the use of the vaccine. 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,

it's 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 that 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. so that requires 13.4 million

doses because everybody has to have two. 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're 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 polls have now closed in venezuela, where people have been voting for members of the national assembly, the parliamentary body which for five years has been controlled by parties in opposition to the president, nicolas maduro. this time, the opposition boycotted the vote, meaning president maduro is certain to establish control. the vote came after a two—year power struggle between the president — seen voting here — and opposition leader juan guaido, who is currently recognised as "interim president" by the national assembly, the us and more than 50 nations, after the previous elections were criticised as "neither free orfair." an emergency warning is in place for residents of a coastal resort town on a popular australian island. they've been told to leave immediately as a bushfire approaches. firefighters are struggling to control the blaze on fraser island — a unesco world heritage site off the east coast of queensland. the bushfire was sparked by an illegal campfire in mid—october and has already

scorched more than half of the island. it's now quickly approaching the township of happy valley. fire crews have warned residents to leave immediately, saying conditions are incredibly dangerous and they may soon be unable to prevent the fire advancing. the family of the renowned children's author roald dahl — who died in 1990 — has apologised for anti—semitic remarks he made during his lifetime. a statement condemning his controversial comments was published on a discreet part of his official website. the statement reads... earlier, i asked danny stone — head of the anti—semitism policy trust — for his view of the statement. there's no denying that roald dahl‘s books are fantastic. you know, we're fans of snozzcumbers and frobscottle in this house, but his views were abhorrent.

it's good that there was an apology, but i like to approach things in good faith and i hope it was made for the right reasons, but people will rightly think, "why now? why's it taken so long? why was it hidden? and why wasn't there any engagement with the jewish community?" it's disappointing there wasn't. has there ever been, since his death, any engagement with the community on his views? not that i am aware of it. you know, the stories about anti—semitism have percolated across the online world over a long time, it was well—known. but so far as i know, this was the first we've ever seen the family come together and make anything public, and perhaps now the question is, "what else could they do?" it's good that they've

apologised, but they have a big platform. could they use it for good? you've said that his views were well—known, but he died 30 years ago. do you feel that, actually, amongst younger generations, they didn't know about his anti—semitic views? and how important do you think it is that this is widely known? well, i think people now, particularly now during the pandemic, are living online. and it's very difficult to look up roald dahl and not to find something about his views, so i think that when people go searching, they will easily find the details. and i believe that education is critically important, and so any honest assessment of roald dahl‘s life must include this. and i hope that, as i say, the family will look to try and provide some more educational resources about anti—semitism. would you hope that they would engage with the anti—semitism trust and otherjewish organisations that deal with anti—semitism ? yeah, i mean, we at the anti—semitism policy trust, we educate decision—makers all the time. 0ur door is open. i'd love to have a conversation with the family about what they could do. i've got plenty of ideas.

danny stone talking to me earlier. brazil has the third worst coronavirus outbreak in the world. it means christmas celebrations will look quite different there this year. but as sophia tran—thomson reports, the country's most populous city has hopefully found a way for people to enjoy christmas safely. the magic of christmas from a distance. in the city of sao paulo, the epicentre of brazil's coronavirus outbreak, the drive—through luminna festival is brightening spirits for those taking precautions to stay safe. translation: the idea was to have a moment ofjoy, a moment when people can safely leave their homes to feel secure to enjoy time within a family, to feel the love, peace and hope that christmas gives, even if only for an hour. the elaborate installation of christmas decorations and glittering lights has been

designed to be viewed entirely from the safety of a private car. translation: this is a fantastic event. people were at home thinking about what they can do, and to have an event like this where your safe, it's really great. as brazil's covid cases continue to rise and officials warn of an imminent collapse in medical services, the dazzling installation is a bittersweet escape and a chance to celebrate christmas with caution. sophia tran—thompson, bbc news. does look like great fun, doesn't it? china says it has now begun analysing data collected by its chang—e 5 probe on the moon. the samples were gathered in the last week, and haven't yet been returned to earth — that's likely to happen in the coming days. it's the first time lunar rock has been gathered since the 1970s. chinese scientists say they've already established that parts of the moon's surface are older than others, and they're hoping to discover why.

i can't wait for the answers. that's it from me. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @samanthatvnews. thanks for watching. well, frosty and quite foggy for some of us out there again at the moment, certainly the south east of england, into east anglia as well. some of this fog could persist right through the morning and into the afternoon, a bit like on sunday, so it's going to feel pretty raw in these areas. now at the moment, we're sort of between weather systems, one in central parts of europe there, more clouds out in the atlantic. we're kind of stuck in the middle where the skies have been clear. it's a really tricky area to forecast because you have areas of cloud, mist and fog floating around. you can see we've sort of been wrapped around by this dip in thejet stream where the cold air is sitting, so that fog reforms at night and we get the patchy frost across the uk as well. so this is what it looks like through the early hours of monday morning. the frost will again

be in the south east and parts of east anglia, but not exclusively. these are the city centre temperatures. in rural spots, it will be colder than that at 6am in the morning on monday. so the frost and the fog possibly persisting into the afternoon in some southern areas. but there's a lot of sunshine in the forecast as well. certainly western coastal areas here will have the best of the weather. liverpool, belfast and glasgow, too, in for some sunshine, but it's going to be nippy. now, here's monday evening into tuesday, rain moving in off the north sea. that'll sweep into the north of england, but particularly scotland. there will probably be some mountain snow here as well. and that's a low pressure which will park itself across northern parts of the uk on tuesday. it's not going to drift anywhere else, it'lljust sort of sit there during the course of tuesday until it rains itself out. so, not a pretty day at all across scotland, northern ireland and the north of england on tuesday. on top of that, we've got gale—force winds. it'll feel cold, raw in places like belfast and glasgow,

even though the temperatures will be around 7 or 8 degrees. it's that strength of the wind that will make it feel pretty cold. now, wednesday actually doesn't look too bad across the uk. see that little blob of rain there? that's the remnants of the low pressure that we will have had on tuesday, so by wednesday, it should be gone. now there's just a hint that temperatures will be picking up a little bit towards the end of the week, so rather than chilly, well, it's going to be less cold towards the end of the week. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines —

negotiators from britain and the european union have given differing interpretations of whether they are getting closer to agreeing a post—brexit trade deal. eu officials say they are close to overcoming one of the key obstacles — an agreement on fishing rights. but the british side has denied this. president trump's personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, is reported to be in hospital after testing positive for the coronavirus. mr giuliani is understood to be receiving treatment in the georgetown university medical facility in washington. earlier, the president tweeted that mr giuliani had tested positive for covid—19. a top uk health official has warned that the distribution of coronavirus vaccines will be a "marathon, not a sprint". professor stephen powis said the roll—out is the "beginning of the end" of the epidemic in the uk. dozens of hospitals have been chosen to serve for administering the innoculation.