this is bbc news with me, tim willcox. the headlines at eight... another phone call between boris johnson and european commission president ursula von der leyen — but "significant differences" remain for finalising a post—brexit trade deal. the prime minister will travel to brussels for face—to—face talks, in an effort to push a deal across the line. final preparations are under way with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow. hashem abedi — brother of the manchester arena bomber — admits his involvement in the conspiracy for the first time. applause and he's made it. leeds rhinos‘ kevin sinfield completes seven marathons in seven days — raising more

than a million pounds. borisjohnson is expected to head to brussels in the next few days, in a last—ditch effort to break the deadlock over a brexit trade deal. talks between the uk and the european union have again failed to produce a breakthrough. ajoint statement issued by the prime minister, borisjohnson, and the european commission president, ursula von der leyen, says... "we agreed that the conditions for finalising an agreement are not there due to the remaining significant differences on three critical issues: level playing field, governance and fisheries. we asked our chief negotiators and their teams to prepare an overview of the remaining differences to be discussed in a physical meeting in brussels

in the coming days." let's speak to our political correspondentjessica parker. shejoins us now she joins us now from westminster. do we know when because of course there is a council leaders meeting on thursday, presumably before that? yeah, i mean, ithink people on thursday, presumably before that? yeah, i mean, i think people are getting at the moment in terms of when this meeting will happen. we have been told in the coming days, asi have been told in the coming days, as i understand that it is not likely to be tomorrow, and some sort of choreography without it figured out to get borisjohnson over there, sort out the relevant meetings. the timing is important, because the european council on thursday, you're right in suggesting that shirley wouldn't i want to meet before that and so say that whatever they can be presented to the head of state of the eu later in the week but the truth is at the moment we do not know when this meeting is going to happen. one thing i am beginning to understand is that in terms of the chief negotiators, michel barnier‘s tea m chief negotiators, michel barnier‘s team for the eu, and david frost's tea m

team for the eu, and david frost's team for the eu, and david frost's team for the eu, and david frost's team forthe uk, team for the eu, and david frost's team for the uk, as they drop this overview they are set to meet tomorrow in person in order to do that but that doesn't appear to be the same as actually continuing on with negotiations. as you are putting out from the statement, those three issues, competition rules, governance and fisheries still remain a problem and a senior government source here in westminster tonight very downbeat about the prospects, basically saying that there hasn't really been any tangible progress since friday. there was a sort of college branch it seemed a few hours ago when boris johnson said he might change a few of these clauses in the internal market bill which so concerned the eu, but that is still being heard in the commons tonight and there is another taxation bill as well which is just another taxation bill as well which isjust going to another taxation bill as well which is just going to use the same closes, is not the right reading of the situation? it emerged earlier on today that the government said that these controversial clauses that are various bits of legislation, the

internal market bill and a separate finance bill, that they would be willing to withdraw, deactivate or review those clauses if, if solutions and agreements can be agreed, so it is very much a conditional withdrawal, as you say, one of those bits of legislation backin one of those bits of legislation back in the house of commons this evening. some of those closes have been removed effectively by the house of lords, quite likely to be reinserted by the house of commons, so reinserted by the house of commons, so it is an olive branch of sorts, but a rather conditional one and for now the legislation is continuing. how much pressure is the prime minister underfrom how much pressure is the prime minister under from those hard brexiteers in his party? the mood music from those mps who are very passionate about brexit, they seem to be saying that they trust boris johnson and this government to stick to the promises they think they have made in terms of not compromising with the european union, but over the coming days, if there is going to be progress, if there is going to

bea to be progress, if there is going to be a breakthrough, surely compromises will have to emerge, potentially from either side. it is just read the big question as it has now been four days, weeks, if not months, who is going to make those compromises, what exactly are they going to be? thank you. let's go to tony connelly, the europe editor at rte . tony connelly, the europe editor at rte. we spoke about this time yesterday, simon coveney for foreign affairs minister was pretty upbeat about things yesterday. that seems to have changed quite radically in the past 12 hours. what is the latest you are hearing? the past 12 hours. what is the latest you are hearing ?|j the past 12 hours. what is the latest you are hearing? i think the irish government has been very anxious that there be a deal because ireland will be quite badly hit by the economic fallout of a new deal situation, —— no—deal. both dublin and london are co—guarantors of the good friday agreement and the settle m e nt good friday agreement and the settlement in northern ireland so no—deal certainly won't help things

in northern ireland, but i think overnight it was clear that both sides were notjust not getting anywhere but there was a feeling that they had drifted even further apart on key issues. at the end of last week, the uk felt that the eu we re last week, the uk felt that the eu were putting fresh obstacles in the way of progress, especially over the level playing field, and now this morning michel barnier the chief negotiator told eu ambassadors that the uk were making life difficult on the uk were making life difficult on the fisheries question with some unexpected developments there, so at this stage in the game if you are going to get a deal across the line, you don't want to be subtly hit with fresh obstacles on either seed of the negotiating table. so are you saying that the new conditions from the uk have been seen as like an ambush in terms of negotiations now, that they hadn't been raised before? i wouldn't necessarily say ambush, but certainly there is a perception

on the eu side that some of these new issues around fisheries haven't helped, and contribute to an unpleasant atmosphere. i have spoken to uk officials about this and they say, look, but we are agreeing or what we are proposing has been known about for a while. for example there is an idea that if you have a foreign owner of a fishing vessel registered in the uk, they in future it may have to exhibit a more explicit link with the economic activity of the uk, because of course, a lot of dutch and spanish fishing owners have vessels that are registered in the uk. they insist this isn't renationalisation of the uk fleet, but it certainly appeared to be heading that direction to some eu officials who were suddenly taken aback by this idea, though again uk officials are saying this has been pa rt

officials are saying this has been part of our consultation, a white paper, the other issue on fisheries is that the pelagic sector which is a hugely valuable sector, basically that means fish that swim near the surface. you are talking whiting, macro, other fish like that, the surface. you are talking whiting, macro, otherfish like that, the uk suggesting that that would be com pletely suggesting that that would be completely outside of the bilateral arrangement with the eu and dealt with in a particularly different form which involves countries like russia, norway, the faroe islands and even greenland, and again the seem and even greenland, and again the seem to be a bit of a curveball to eu negotiators, we certainly didn't think it was helpful. given the eu was such a large organisation, obviously it divides into doves and hawks potentially about brexit, but how united is the eu as a whole in terms of resolving this with unanimity? i think they are pretty united still. that was the hallmark of the withdrawal agreement, when all 27 eu member states, well, 26 eu

states sold a lot of solidarity due to the irish government and tried to protect the peace process as the irish government with state and to make sure there is no hard border on the island of ireland. it is different in the trade negotiations because different countries have different interests. i asked one double last week he think michel barnier was going to give away the silver and he said, to some member states spins are more important than knives, so yes, they have different interests, but they don't seem to be really unravelling or untangling that sense of solidarity and unity that sense of solidarity and unity thatis that sense of solidarity and unity that is there. maybe a bit of the edges but certainly not enough for the eu's position to become disunited order fragmented. tony, thanks once again forjoining us. we will be speaking to a fisheries expert later in this hour. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered

in tomorrow's front pages at around 10:30pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are the uk political editor of politico, jack blanchard, and the economics correspondent at the spectator, kate andrews. the first coronavirus jabs will be given tomorrow in what's being described as a "decisive turning point in the battle against coronavirus". the vaccine is being delivered to dozens of hospitals across the uk. people over the age of 80, care home workers and front—line health staff, will be first in the queue. the army may be drafted in to help transport further stocks of the pfizer—biontech vaccine. it needs to be stored at around minus 70 degrees and moved carefully. here's our health editor, hugh pym. tomorrow, they will be part of history, among the very first to get the coronavirus jabs. harry and ranjan are in their 80s, so are in the top priority groups and they will go in together to be vaccinated at newcastle's royal infirmary. i'm really excited now.

i think that it is good that i have got the opportunity and so i am not nervous or anything like that. i'm looking forward to it. the hopes of a nation or on your shoulders! the head of nhs england visited the royal free hospital in london to see their preparations for the start of vaccinations. we are going to have to continue to be very careful, but, if we do that, i think there is every chance that we will look back on tomorrow as marking a decisive turning point in the battle against coronavirus. relax your arm and roll your sleeve right up. here, they are demonstrating how it will be done as they draw up plans to vaccinate 80 patients over the age of 80 tomorrow and, as the week goes on, care home workers and some nhs staff. and, of course, the vaccine needs to be stored at ultralow temperatures in special fridge units. the pace of it over the last three days or so has been particularly challenging and there are so many bits to get ready, particularly because this vaccine,

it is not like any other vaccine and the handling of it, so we have had to make sure we've had the right people to be able to support it. everything ready for tomorrow? staff say they are ready for what is being billed as the biggest vaccination programme in the history of the nhs. it will undoubtedly be a hugely significant moment when hospitals like this one start delivering the vaccine tomorrow, but then comes the challenge for the nhs of getting it out into local communities. gps in england have been told they can start vaccinating from next week. the complex logistics of getting the vaccine to care homes are still being worked out. in some areas, that will start before christmas. scotland's first minister, meanwhile, was being briefed on preparations at edinburgh's western general hospital. this is day one of perhaps the final stage of this pandemic for scotland and i think it is a moment for us to feel more optimistic than we have

in the past nine months. and, as the vaccine arrived at the centre in north wales, health chiefs around the uk were saying, although there was cause for optimism, the rules on social distancing were no less important. hugh pym, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 14,718 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means that the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 15,472. 1,354 people have been admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last thursday. and 189 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. it means on average in the past week, 427 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 61,434.

meanwhile wales's health minister has warned there could be further restrictions after christmas as covid cases continue to rise. vaughan gething said wales was the only part of the uk where figures were not falling at the end of november. latest data suggests there are more than 600 cases per 100,000 in some areas. mr gething said how people behave would determine how many die from the virus. the brother of the manchester arena bomber, salman abedi, has admitted for the first time that he had a "full and knowing part" in planning the suicide attack. hashem abedi was jailed for murdering the 22 people who died at the ariana grande concert in may 2017. during his trial, 23—year—old hashem abedi denied helping his brother to plan the suicide bombing. danny savage reports. he is the brother of the suicide bomber who carried out the manchester arena attack.

at his trial for being complicit in the atrocity, hashem abedi pleaded not guilty. he told police his brother's actions were a shock to him. but the jury found him guilty of mass murder. now, though, he's changed his story, saying he knew full well what his brother was planning that night. in prison, serving his sentence, hashem abedi was interviewed by members of the inquiry legal team... that admission emerged for the first time today, at the ongoing public inquiry into the arena attack, as the lead lawyer interviewed a senior police officer. and on the 22nd of october, during the course of that interview, hashem abedi admitted that he had played a full part and a knowing part in the planning and preparation for the arena attack? yes, i think that's a fair summary. so, there is no doubt now that your team's prosecution of him and the crown prosecution service

prosecution of him was entirely well—founded ? it was, and there was no doubt in my mind. for the families caught up in the atrocity, this is a significant development. and there will be some satisfaction among investigators too that the brother of the suicide bomber, who's now serving a minimum sentence of 55 years, has finally admitted to what he was accused of, after previously denying it. ismail, bbc news... it also emerged today that a forensic link to ismail abedi, the elder brother of the bomber, was found in a car used to store explosives prior to the attack. he has declined to cooperate with the public inquiry. danny savage, bbc news, manchester. the headlines on bbc news... another phone call between boris johnson and european commission president ursula von der leyen — but ‘significant differences‘ remain for finalising

a post—brexit trade deal. the prime minister will travel to brussels for face—to—face talks, in an effort to push a deal across the line. final preparations are under way with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow. time for us to catch up with some sports news, let's go to gavin. england manager gareth southgate is wary of his side's opponents, after the qualifying draw from european teams for the 2022 world cup. they'll take on poland, hungary, albania, andorra and san marino — in games to be played between march and november next year. poland are always a very good side. hungaryjust got promoted into the nations league top division, so those two in particular are going to be games that we know will be tough

and the rest are always games, whenever i have played for england we re whenever i have played for england were managed england, complicated game is to navigate, so inevitably it will be about what we do, but some exciting, poland at wembley and poland in poland, there is a great history of that fixture. there was a speu history of that fixture. there was a spell where we seem to draw them every time over the years, so a couple of good historic fixtures for the hungarians as well. well, let's see how the other home nations have fared in today's draw. wales have the number one ranked side in the world — belgium — in their group e. czech republic could also pose a problem from them too. a tough task for northern ireland in their draw — they have italy and switzerland to overcome in group c. denmark are the top seeded side for scotland to take on, in group f. they also have familiar opponents israel to contend with. the austrians who have got a really

good record and they have been consistently better than us over the last couple of years. the israelis we know everything about. we lost to them in the first game we played, so without being disrespectful to the two minnows in the group, we have to be happy with the draw but very wary that it can be a dangerous roseau. southampton can go fifth with a win at brighton this evening — they've not long kicked off at the amex. the latest score is 0—0. saints can go above manchester united with a victory. points will be vital for brighton too — they're just four above the bottom three before the match. england's one—day series against south africa has been called off because of continuing concerns over a number of coronavirus cases within both camps in cape town. the first one—dayer was abandoned and they should have been playing the second of three matches today. a south africa player and two members of hotel staff tested positive, while england say two members of their party returned

"unconfirmed positive tests". tom curran is in that england squad and was due tojoin up with the sydney sixers for the big bash later this week in australia, but after spending the best part of the last six months in bio—secure bubbles he has opted to return home to be with his family. the sixers say, "the varying conditions we are asking our players to play cricket in worldwide is taking its toll and we understand tom's need for a break." in the last few minutes it's been confirmed that a form of break dance will be included in the olympic programme at the 2024 olympic games in paris. it's part of the ioc‘s drive to appeal to younger audiences. it willjoin other urban sports such as skateboarding, freestyle bmx and three v three basketball, which are set to be retained after debuts at the delayed tokyo olympics. parkour, that involves running, jumping and climbing over obstacles, has been overlooked. that's all the sport for now. we'll have more for you on the bbc news channel later on.

mike ashley, who founded sports direct, has confirmed he is working on a possible last—minute rescue plan for debenhams. but his company — frasers group, which also owns house of fraser and jack wills — says discussions must be concluded swiftly. our business correspondent emma simpson has more. this all comes down to how much mike ashley is prepared to pay and whether it's a credible enough offer for the administrators. he made a bid during the initial sales process, but this was rejected because it was too low, so now he's having another go at the 11th hour. you can probably see the signs in the window here. the closing down sale is already under way. and one potential sticking point might be how to value all the stock that's already disappearing out the doors here. now, frasers group this morning said this had to be done quickly, time was short. it hoped for a rescue package to savejobs, but there was no certainty that this

could be done. and, of course, mike ashley has long had his eye on debenhams. he lost out big time last year in a battle for control. so this really is his final chance and possibly the last chance for debenhams. even if he did do a deal, it's highly unlikely that he would keep all the stores in the longer term. the poorest areas in england have seen disproportionate cuts to public health spending. the institute for public policy research says these regions have also been hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic — with poor underlying health contributing to a high death toll. the study shows that england has seen public health spending cut by an average ofjust over £13 a person. but in the midlands, it's almost £17 per person. and the worst affected area is the north east of england, with spending cuts of more than £23 per person. our health correspondent dominic

hughes reports from gateshead. in deprived communities like bensham in gateshead, poor housing and a lack ofjobs are feeding ill health. cuts to public health projects targeting smoking, obesity or addiction haven't helped, so people are having to find their own solutions. charlie? yep. for the past decade, charlie dixon barely knew his neighbours in this sheltered housing project, but that's all changed with the start of a free food hub, ending isolation and loneliness. i've been here all these years, and i didn't know anybody. you know, not even on my floor. you'd only say hello to them, didn't know their names. now i know all their names, you know, everybody comes out and says, "hello, charlie," or, "hello, fred." it's great, it's fantastic. building strong, resilient communities is a powerful weapon in the fight against ill health, but new research shows how it's the poorest parts of england that, since 2014, have seen the biggest cuts to public health budgets

undermining that work. well, that cut has led to the reduction in some of those really important programmes that get to work on the things that cause ill health. so, programmes like alcohol and drug reduction, things to help reduce rates of obesity and smoking. these are also some of the conditions that leave people more vulnerable to covid—19 — a deadly combination of poverty and underlying ill—health. we know people from our most disadvantaged communities are more likely to be working in front line occupations and therefore exposed to covid, but we also know they are more likely to have the underlying conditions that make them, you know, have an increased risk of a severe form of covid and, sadly, death. as the health gap between rich and poor widens, charities like the comfrey garden project are stepping in to help the most vulnerable. people like hosein, a refugee from iran, who has developed new skills and friends. you can imagine how difficult it can

be when you are in an area you don't know, you don't have any friends orfamily and, also, you cannot speak the language other people speak. but i find a job in this project. they offered me a job. so, i can see how different my life can be with the comfrey project and without the comfrey project. the department of health and social care in england says more than £10 billion has been provided to help councils cope with the pandemic, but the coronavirus has only highlighted pre—existing inequalities in health. today's report is a reminder that, once the virus has faded, those inequalities will remain. dominic hughes, bbc news, gateshead. the former england and leeds rhinos rugby league player kevin sinfield has just run seven marathons in seven days — all of them in well under four hours. his extraordinary test of endurance was to raise money for his friend and former team mate 38—year—old,

rob burrow who has motor neurone disease. and he raised far more than anyone expected. here's our sports correspondent katie gornall. cheering it was a challenge powered by friendship and, this morning, that challenge entered its final strides. kevin sinfield had just run seven marathons in seven days to support the motor neurone disease association, and his former team—mate, rob burrow. made up, overwhelmed. that was unbelievable. we never knew it'd turn into anything like this. it was just six mates trying to raise a bit of money for rob. and my wife said to me this morning, "if someone offered to double it, would you do it again?", and in an instant, i said, "yeah, absolutely. " i'd do it because that's what mates do, don't they? probably the best week of my life. and then, in a couple of years, we'll look back hopefully with a great deal of pride on being able to help people. as a player for leeds rhinos, burrow constantly defied the odds. this is a sensational try! there aren't many in super league that could do that! small in stature, but with enormous ability, sinfield — his captain and close friend —

was neverfarfrom his side. when burrow‘s diagnosis became public last year, his team—mates rallied round. sinfield's initial aim was to raise around £77,000. that target was soon smashed. i've had a few little private chats with him and he said, i burst out crying at this moment, i was thinking about this and that. because he's a very emotional character, and i can't imagine what the physical and emotional energy that's been drained from him this week must've done. but i'm just really glad that he's achieved it. you know, he's raised £1 million, over £1 million! and as he set out on his final marathon, burrow had this message for him. kev, from day one, has always been a role model to me and someone who i've held in the highest regard. i hope you know i'd do the same for you. it means everything to me. rob burrow knows there are significant challenges ahead, but he won't be facing them alone. katie gornall, bbc news.

now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello there. it's been really cold today where it stayed grey and foggy the stayed grey and foggy fog is becoming dense and j: of the fog is becoming dense and parts of the lincolnshire to southern areas of thing. further north the winds will pick up overnight, blowing wet weather into scotland, some showers into northern ireland and northern ireland. the odd shower further south, that antifog could lead to some icy patches with the broth more likely across wales, the midlands southwards. some dense fog in the morning as well to south—eastern part of the uk. further showers, longer spells of rainfor further showers, longer spells of rain for scotland moving into northern ireland, further into northern england, north wales, still the odd shower further south. we should see a little more sunshine arriving. the fog on the whole ending to lift as the breeze tends to pick up through the day. shaking things upa to pick up through the day. shaking things up a bit. across western most parts of scotland after a birdie winds could be touching gale force and temperatures here eight or nine

but it could be quite cold it stays rather grey and part of lincolnshire and east anglia.

hello. this is bbc news. the headlines — another phone call between boris johnson and european commission president ursula von der leyen — but ‘significant differences‘ remain for finalising a post—brexit trade deal. the prime minister will travel to brussels for face—to—face talks, in an effort to push a deal across the line. final preparations are under way with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow. hashem abedi — brother of the manchester arena bomber — admits his involvement in the conspiracy for the first time. and... applause ..he‘s made it. leeds rhinos‘ kevin sinfield completes seven marathons in seven days — raising more than £1 million.

more now on our top story. borisjohnson is expected to head to brussels in the next few days, in a last—ditch effort to break the deadlock over a brexit trade deal. talks between the uk and the european union have again failed to produce a breakthrough. let‘s speak now to dr bryce stewart, who is a fisheries expert at the univerity of york. he has been researching the impact of brexit on the fish trade. thank you very much forjoining us on bbc news. it‘s a tiny part of gdp for us, isn‘t it, 0.1%, but it carries huge symbolic and sort of totemic effect. how bad is the deal as it stands at the moment, in terms of what europe has offered the uk?

well, i can only go on what has sort of been mentioned in the media really, but the two sides are a long way apart. at the moment, the uk is wanting to claim substantial increases in the quotas for shared stocks, whereas the eu preferably would not change things at all. there is a new development today, and it has taught me a couple of words i thought i knew but didn‘t, pelagic and dear merciful fish. words i thought i knew but didn‘t, pelagic and dear mercifulfish. talk through what the latest of element is. pelagic fish things like mackerel and herring is, so they swim out in the water column also are quite migratory, so they will disperse where is the most selfish things like cod and haddock, they live on the sea bed. the idea today, at least the reports coming out, is that the negotiations will be separated for those two types of

fish. there‘s two reasons for that. i was just fish. there‘s two reasons for that. i wasjust going fish. there‘s two reasons for that. i was just going to say, what would that mean, as far as the eu is concerned? so what hearing is that the management of that pelagic stocks will be passed over to an organisation, the north—east atla ntic organisation, the north—east atlantic fisheries commission. they normally deal with stocks outside of national waters. unfortunately they are not national waters. unfortunately they a re not really national waters. unfortunately they are not really able to set binding agreements, and i think there is a worry from the eu, at least this is my interpretation, that the uk could unilaterally decide to increase its quotas, and there would be no comeback effectively, and if neither side gave way, then there is a danger of overfishing, and then eve ryo ne danger of overfishing, and then everyone loses out in that scenario. there are coastal communities of course in the uk, which are dependent on fishing, but that was decimated back in the 70s. there are coastal communities in france and elsewhere. is this something that

could be sold off, in terms of consultation, or would it absolutely finish off those fishing communities because they would be nothing left for those people to do? we are not talking about finishing off communities, i think there is a bit of give and take. if the uk is able to gain with the common haddock, hake and monkfish, then those are the ones that most of the inshore fishermen that live in those coastal communities are after, so they would do better, but you are right, whatever they win, the eu fishermen will have two loos to make up the difference, and compensation, yes, it‘s a possibility, but fishing is a way of life, and most fishermen i know they don‘t want to do anything else, and this is why i think it is such a difficult negotiation. just from the reports i have been reading, andi from the reports i have been reading, and i presume we have been reading, and i presume we have been reading the same ones, if there is a

no deal, the uk has said it will join atany no deal, the uk has said it will join at any efc organisation from first january, which to join at any efc organisation from firstjanuary, which to my mind when i read that made it sound as if it had a ways been on the table but perhaps hadn‘t been highlighted until now. yeah. that's always been the case and that will actually happen anyway, but it is a question of which type of fish and where are managed under that organisation. if it is done through a more formal agreement, say between the uk and eu and norway and any other countries where there are binding agreements, where there are binding agreements, where basically either side will be penalised if they don‘t stick to the rules, then that would probably be a more acceptable agreement i think to both sides. just briefly, critics of the nea fc have said this would lead to overfishing without somebody being in charge but i think it is more like a gentleman is agreement, i don‘t think it is legally binding as such. is that something that concerns you? it does concern me, as

a scientist and a fisheries biologist, ultimately looking for sustainability, and the fishing industry are as well because without that they don‘t have anything in the long term. so i think working out some formally legally binding agreement is where it is at but we just need to take that one extra step. we have been talking about taking that one extra step for a long time. indeed. the mother of a girl who died following an asthma attack has told an inquest that she would have moved house immediately had she known the effects of dangerous levels of air pollution on her daughter‘s health. nine—year—old ella adoo—kissi—debrah died in 2013. a second inquest is investigating whether air pollution near the family‘s home caused or contributed to her death. our environment correspondent claire marshall reports.

this picture of ella, two months before she died, is on display in the court room, as details emerge about the story surrounding her death. the coroner‘s court has already heard how she was exposed to years of dangerous and illegal levels of air pollution. coughing. ella became ill ten years ago. her mother, rosamund adoo—kissi—debrah, has fought so hard to be heard. their family home was beside london‘s busy south circular road. they would walk to school along it. rosamund said, at the time, no connection was made between ella‘s fatal asthma attack and air pollution. but then a new medical report said there was a direct link. the high court ordered a fresh inquest. in court today, the coroner asked if she‘d thought car fumes were having an effect on her. she replied, "no. "as her mother, i would have moved. "we would have moved straightaway. "we were desperate for anything that could have helped".

this isn‘t just about whether toxic air helped to kill ella. it goes much wider than that. government officials have been giving evidence. this is about who knew how bad the pollution was, what was being done to reduce it, and how much were the public being told? i‘m glad her voice has come out. and it‘s really important to me, still, to continue to talk about young people now, who are still suffering from asthma. government figures say 30,000 people are killed by air pollution each year, but no connection to an individual death has ever been made. will ella make that link? claire marshall, bbc news, southwark coroner‘s court. a video reminding muslims to follow covid safety rules has been published in asian languages by a north west council. it‘s after concern by the authorities that although the majority of muslims are following the law, some are still visiting the families of those who‘ve died. bbc asian network‘s rahila bano reports.

adrian purtell recites some poetry in urdu. he was 82 when he died in october. despite a ban on household mixing, visitors turned up at the family home in lancashire, to pay their respects. we try to avoid them as much as we could. some people understand the situation, some people didn‘t want to come with a thought covid is a joke, it doesn‘t exist, it was hard to some people they still wanted to come but we we re they still wanted to come but we were just they still wanted to come but we werejust being they still wanted to come but we were just being polite with them and just trying to explain to them that it is for the safety of everyone. story likes zmapp have cause concern amongst county officials in blackburn. the town had the highest rate of covid infection in england and wales for several weeks. black burn council has published this video which spells out the covid safety rules in urdu, punjabi and

good writing. we have seen circumstances where small houses have been packed with a lot of people all visiting the same time, all well—meaning, but nevertheless bringing great risks from themselves and the family that they are trying to support during this difficult time. a poster discouraging mourners from entering a person has macomb at a time of bereavement has also been designed. there were 53 muslim burials here in pleasanton cemetery in blackburn in november. more than half of them were covid—related deaths. visiting the family of someone deaths. visiting the family of someone who has passed away is an important part of the muslim faith, but it is being discouraged during the pandemic. the best way to do it is to fill in the grieving family, through videophones, give them some form of condolence, that would be bereavement support for them. form of condolence, that would be bereavement support for themm form of condolence, that would be bereavement support for them. it is hoped this campaign reinforces the

covid safety message. doctors in turkey say the coming weeks will be critical to see if covid infection rates can be reduced. new restrictions have come into effect including weekend lockdowns and nightly curfews. the country is now third in the world in terms of new infections with around 30,000 every day, according to officialfigures. the turkish doctors union has accused the government of a cover—up. from istanbul our international correspondent orla guerin sent this report. on the outskirts of istanbul, silent witness to turkey‘s second wave. critics say until recently the government was burying the truth. after pressure from the opposition, the authorities are now publishing figures for all those who test positive, not just those figures for all those who test positive, notjust those with

symptoms. officially, there are around 30,000 new cases every day. well, two more victims of the covid virus have just been well, two more victims of the covid virus havejust been buried here, side by side. now that the government is releasing more com plete government is releasing more complete data, it is clear that turkey is in the grip of a huge new wave of infections, but bad as the official figures wave of infections, but bad as the officialfigures are, doctors here believe they don‘t reveal the full extent of the crisis. 50,000 new cases per day. that's the real figure according to the head of the doctor commission, who tells me the government has been putting lives at risk. they did not reveal the truth, people can feel more comfortable and just take risks, they didn‘t know they took risks truly because there we re they took risks truly because there were no truths shared by the government. you are speaking out very openly here now, do you have any concerns that the government will take action against you? we

know they have the capacity to intimidate and to start some investigations against our members. the authorities here deny there has been a cover—up, telling us that is a baseless allegation. but turkey‘s main opposition party says the death toll, officially around 15,000, is actually two or three times higher. it says the government couldn‘t manage the pandemic, so it managed the figures. all the gear news, istanbul. the director of a hospital in pakistan has been suspended, after six coronavirus patients being treated there died when oxygen supplies ran out over the weekend. a number of other staff members at the khyber teaching hospital in peshawar have also been suspended. an inquiry has found that staff who were supposed to be on duty at the hospital‘s oxygen plant were not present. officials in the indian state

of andhra pradesh say more than 400 people have now needed hospital treatment and one man has died because of a mystery illness. residents in the town of eluru reported a range of symptoms, including seizures, dizziness and vomiting. all the patients have tested negative for the coronavirus. our reporter deepthi bathini is in neighbouring telangana state and has more on what we know. right now, we are still yet to determine what has caused this illness, because the test samples have come back, they initially collected blood samples and spinal fluid samples from the victims that we re fluid samples from the victims that were rushed to the hospital yesterday and the test reports have come back normal. for now, they have sent the samples for further analysis, and the authorities are conducting door—to—door medical

emergency campaigns to see if there are any other people who are suffering mild symptoms or similar symptoms to see what must have caused this. for now, they are determined to find what has caused this illness and the authorities have told us all of those have tested negative for coronavirus, so that has been eliminated as a reason of this illness. after that, they have been trying to determine what must have caused it, that is where the blood samples, because some of them have complete spinal pain and also fatigue. the spinal fluid from the victims who have been rushed to the victims who have been rushed to the hospital, and those who have been collected, and all those test reports of come back normal, but the reports of come back normal, but the reports are there to determine if there is any other virus that must have caused this. the time is 8:45pm. the headlines on bbc news... another phone call between boris johnson and european

commission president ursula von der leyen — but ‘significant differences‘ remain for finalising a post—brexit trade deal. the prime minister will travel to brussels for face—to—face talks, in an effort to push a deal across the line. final preparations are underway with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow. if you‘re dreaming of a white christmas, scientists think it could soon become a thing of the past in the uk — as climate change takes hold. the findings of a met office study, shared with the bbc‘s panorama, project what could happen if no action is taken to curb global emissions. here‘s our chief environment correspondent, justin rowlatt. nothing evokes winter like a thick blanket of snow, and sledging, snowball fights and snowmen too, of course. but, says the met office, scenes like this will become a rarity across most of britain in the decades to come if greenhouse

gas emissions continue to increase as they have been. we‘re saying, by the end of the century, much of the lying snow will have disappeared entirely, except over the highest ground. here‘s how the met office projections suggest our winters could change. this is the average temperature of the coldest day across the uk over the last two decades. everywhere in blue is below zero, and the bluer the colour, the colder it is. this map shows how things could have changed by the 2040s. as you can see, most of england now rarely gets sub—zero days. now look at this. by the 2060s, only very high ground and some parts of northern scotland are likely to still experience these freezing days. temperature changes will be much less dramatic if the world succeeds in cutting emissions, and there has been good news on that front.

just last week, the uk government announced ambitious targets for cutting carbon, and more than 100 countries — including the uk, china and the eu — have committed to going net zero by mid—century. if those promises are not honoured, we can expect more of this, the met office says. its new data gives unprecedented detail, showing how the climate could change in every neighbourhood in the uk. as well as being warmer, our winters will get wetter. all right? how are you doing? panorama has followed the wingfield family from doncaster. can we come in and have a look? you can do by all means. thank you very much. i don't give a monkeys no more. the wingfields‘ home was flooded in november last year when a month‘s worth of rain fell over south yorkshire in a day. look at this, there's just water through the whole house. yeah. this is my father—in—law‘s

room downstairs. this is terrible. look at the room. yeah. grandpa ken, suffering from dementia, had to be carried out of the home to safety. are you all right? yeah, i‘m fine. our summers will be a dramatic contrast to our wetter winters. they‘ll be hotter and drier if emissions are not curbed. the warning is clear — unless the world succeeds in cutting emissions, intense weather like this could become more common. a team of conservationists in kenya is trying to rescue eight giraffes, stranded by rising flood water. a specially—adapted barge was used to float the animals to safety — one—by—one — after they became trapped on an island in lake baringo in the east of the country. tim allman reports. like a carefully planned military operation, the rescue team began their work.

first priority — find a giraffe. wading through the flood waters of longicharo island, soon enough, they did. meet asiwa, said to be the most vulnerable of the animals stranded here. they are known as rothschild giraffes, an endangered species that was only reintroduced to this area ten years ago. there are believed to be only 3,000 of them left in africa and around 800 in kenya. once asiwa was subdued, she was led onto a barge so she could be transported to the mainland. this had once been a peninsula, but the rising levels of lake baringo meant it was now an island. these giraffes need space, hence the need for this rather picturesque rescue. one very important passenger who seemed perfectly content to watch the world go by. back on dry land, asiwa was released to her new home.

so far, two giraffes have been rescued, another six will be moved in the coming months. a big day for asiwa. a moment of triumph for her rescuers. tim allman, bbc news. after a difficult year for communities across the uk, the duke and duchess of cambridge are travelling across the country to thank people for their efforts during the pandemic. over the next three days william and catherine will travel more than 12—hundred miles on the royal train to try and bring some festive cheer. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. edinburgh‘s waverley station, the first stop for the royal train on a 1,200—mile journey around the uk to give the duke and duchess of cambridge a chance to meet different groups of key workers, and in the words of kensington palace, to pass on the nation‘s sincere thanks and gratitude for all their efforts to keep people safe and keep the country going during the pandemic.

the scottish ambulance service handles more than 1.5 million emergency calls every year, and like ambulance services everywhere, there‘s been considerable extra pressure on it caused by covid—19. william and catherine met members of the ambulance service staff in newbridge. the visit fell on a day when the service was remembering a member of staff who‘d died recently from coronavirus. # ‘tis the season of love and understanding. ..# the cambridges‘ journey had begun last night with a musical send—off from london‘s euston station. the duke and duchess met transport workers who‘d kept services running throughout the pandemic. then to the royal train, the first time it‘s thought that catherine has used it, for a journey which, as well as meeting key workers across a range of sectors, will also highlight those who have raised community spirits.

in some cases, that‘s been by live performances, or by art. and how about this? a piece of artwork, created specially for the cambridges‘ trip. it‘s by schoolboy artistjoe whale, who was asked via his dad to create something special for the journey. they gave me a little brief of some things to include, like to say thank you to all of the front—line workers and nhs, but apart from that ijust did what i wanted, really. are you guys excited about christmas? yeah! and those thank—yous to key workers will continue they met teachers and children at the school at berwick—upon—tweed, a chance for them to thank them and others for all they have done. it isa it is a theme which will continue as william and catherine travel on to other parts of the united kingdom.

nicholas witchell, bbc news. 146 deaths, 131 weddings and endless servings of hot—pot — coronation street is celebrating 60 years on our screens. when introduced in 1960 — corrie broke the mould, invented the modern uk soap opera — and provided some unforgettable moments. and as both stars and fans celebrate, our entertainment correspondent colin paterson has been chatting to some of the street‘s longstanding residents. 60 years of coronation street. from the fights between ena sharples and elsie tanner... now look here, you‘ll only move me out of this house when i want to go. in the meantime, gojump in the cut! ..to the campaign to free the weatherfield one. i didn't do anything. and those classic one—liners. what's that lipstick taste of?

woman, stanley. woman. you see this smile, betty? it's not really a smile, it's the lid on a scream. do i dress a bit tarty? give over. too demure altogether, i reckon. there‘s some days we hardly see your knickers at all! one man has been there throughout — william roache, playing ken barlow, who, in that first episode, was a student. sauce, ken? no. no, thank you. oh, but i got it specially. you always loved it when you was little. did i? and he‘s hugely proud that both he and corrie have reached this landmark. what‘s up? nothing. considering that, when it started, it was only going to run for 11 weeks. and also, i didn't want to be in it. and when you think about that, it would have been a life—changing thing if i'd insisted on not doing it. but apart from that, once we got on air, we were the first kitchen—sink drama, and the reaction was instant and amazing.

and we shot straight up into the ratings, and we've been there ever since. the character who‘s appeared in the second most episodes, 4,369, is gail platt. keeping count of how many husbands she‘s had is tricky. is it four, and one i married twice, is that it? i think that‘s it. what is the secret? why has it lasted 60 years? i think itjust might have something to do with the fact that children watch it with their parents. i hope we just go down the generations. coronation street — over 60 years, there have been 57 births, 131 weddings, 146 deaths. and knowing corrie, it won‘t be long until they‘re adding to those totals. coronation street‘s all right.

colin paterson. mind, there‘s some you‘ll have to watch. ..bbc news. some brilliant writers as well. some brilliant now it‘s time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello, there. it‘s certainly been a cold day again today, even away from the fog, but where the fog persisted all day, so temperatures remained below freezing all day. notjust here in norfolk but more widely across east anglia, lincolnshire, through the midlands and parts of southern england. the fog is thickening up overnight and becoming more widespread, and it will still be around tomorrow morning. so some difficult travelling conditions, certainty. further north across the uk, well, things are looking different because an area of low pressure is moving in from the north sea. that‘s changing the weather in scotland in particular, bringing more cloud, bringing some outbreaks of rain. if there is any snow, it‘s probably over the mountains. the winds are strengthening too, and eventually, that will push some wetter weather into northern ireland, into the far north of england. still a few showers to the south around coastal areas, some creeping

in towards the southeast corner of england. it could be a bit sleety as well, but it‘s going to be frosty more widely, i think, across wales, the midlands into southern parts of england, and there may well be some icy patches, as well as that dense fog around in the morning as well. further north, the showers or longer spells of rain continue in scotland, northern ireland, further into northern england, pushing into wales. to the south of that, the odd shower near the coast, but a bit more sunshine developing through the day, and there won‘t be as much fog around by the afternoon tomorrow, because a bit more breeze picking up just to stir things up a bit. but some gale force winds possible around the far west of scotland and into northern ireland, temperatures here around 8—9 degrees. one area that could stay a bit grey and cold through the day, likely to be around lincolnshire and perhaps into east anglia too, so temperatures will be lower here. low—pressure sticking around in scotland by wednesday, it‘s very much weaker by this time. so there won‘t be as much rain around, it will be a drier day in scotland. we‘ve still got a lot of cloud, some showers affecting scotland and perhaps down the eastern side of england. further west, a slice of sunshine for a few hours before the cloud increases and we get some rain

coming into northern ireland, wales and the southwest by the evening. temperatures ahead of that in the cold air still around 5—7 celscius. that rain doesn‘t get to eastern areas though on thursday, instead, it slides its way down into france. there is a more active weather system and some stronger winds arriving though on friday. so for thursday, still quite chilly, it will be cloudy but generally dry. friday see‘s some stronger winds, rain in more areas and temperatures a bit higher.

this is bbc news. borisjohnson will soon head off to brussels hoping to work his powers of persuasion and seal a brexit dealfor the uk. the problem is, the sticking points are anything but minor. there are real differences and neither side seems to budging. time really is running out. there are just 24 days to go until the brexit transition period comes to an end. talk about cutting it fine. arms at the ready — the first coronavirus jabs will be administered in hospitals around the uk from tomorrow. also in the programme... joe biden unveils the team he‘s tasked with leading the pandemic response, a day after the news that president trump‘s personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, has tested positive for the virus. plus — the year in quotes.