this is bbc news — i'mjames reynolds — our top stories: a panel of us experts recommends that the szier covid—19 vaccine be given approvalfor use. the fda normally follows their advice. a last minute appeal to the supreme court fails — as brandon bernard becomes the first person to be executed during a presidential transition, in more than a century. time magazine names joe time magazine namesjoe biden as its person of the year. pushing the poorest further into poverty. how coronavirus is hitting those who are already struggling — and making a hard situation even worse. and the british actress, barbara windsor, best known for her roles in eastenders and the carry on films — has died aged 83.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. let's start with the news that broke in the past few hours — a top us government advisory panel has recommended the authorisation of the country's first vaccine against covid—19. the committee agreed 17—4 that the known benefits of the vaccine, developed by pfizer and germany's biontech, outweigh the risks in those over 16 years of age. the formal approval from the food and drug administration is expected to follow very soon and the first patients in the us could receive the vaccine as early as next monday. here's what the head of the fda's office of vaccines research and review said as the meeting concluded. i just wanted to thank the committee for voting on this very complex topic, i wanted to thank the committee for the discussion and their

suggestion, we very much appreciate their input on this very important topic and we will take what we have heard today into consideration when deciding on, not only the eu issue here but also how to move on in the development of this product. thank you so much. speaking before the vote, vice president mike pence said this could be a turning point for the spread of coronavirus in the us. we are living in a challenging time. cases rising, but you need to be assured, we have never been more prepared to combat this virus than we are today, and people deserve to know that we are just a few short days away from what i believe will be the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic in america. well earlier, i spoke to doctor krutika kuppali who's assistant professor of medicine in the division

of infectious diseases at medical university of south carolina. i asked her how rigorous she felt the vetting procedure was for this particular vaccine. it has been very rigourous. the fda is the gold standard here in the united states for evaluating the vaccine clinical trials and they went through a very thorough review of the clinical trails that have been conducted thus far for the coronavirus vaccine, so the science is very sound. i listened to the entire committee meeting today and they had a very great discussion. how will it be distributed in the states and where you are? so, the way it's being distributed in the states is that, the federal government distributes it to each state and then the state distributes it to the hospitals that have the capacity to store the pfizer vaccine, as it is required to have an ultra cold storage system, so where i am in south carolina, our

healthcare system is going to be one of the places that will be distributing the vaccine, and then in this first wave, the cdc has recommended that healthca re workers and residents of long—term care facilities will be in the first wave to receive the vaccine. is that the right order? i believe that is the right order. healthcare workers on the front lines, we are putting ourselves at risk, we need healthcare workers as cases surge here in the united states. today alone we had 214,000 new cases, our hospitals are at capacity. we have over 100,000 people in the hospital, over 3,000 deaths so we need our healthcare workers to be healthy so we can take care of the patients. that special challenge of refrigeration that this vaccine needs, how might that work if there is a care home in an isolated area? so, there are also partnerships with pharmacies that are going to be helping to distribute the vaccine

to care homes as well, so here there are two pharmacies, cvs and walgreens that will be helping to distribute to care homes as well. clinical trials of a covid—19 vaccine in australia have been abandoned after participants returned false positive hiv test results. the developers of the vaccine, the university of queensland and the biotech firm, csl, stressed there had been no serious safety concerns. it is one of four coronavirus vaccines which australia's government has committed to purchasing. prime minister, scott morrison, says it was not a wasted investment. every cent we have invested in getting the best and most early available and safe vaccines for australians in the middle of the covid—19 pandemic has been money well spent. every single cent. i mean, there are no

guarantees when it comes to vaccine development and if you don't put the investment in across a range of opportunities and options, then you don't get one come out the other end. and i think the expectation that there would be a 100% success rate across these is naive. it is just not true. scott morrison there. a federal prison in the united states has carried out the execution of the convicted killer brandon bernard. he's the ninth federal inmate to have been put to death sincejuly. more federal prisoners have been executed in the us this year than than in the previous 56 years combined. lebo diseko has this report. brandon bernard had been on death row for the last 20 years and on thursday he became the first federal prisoner to be executed during the transition. he is one of five that is visual, the rest go ahead,

donald trump would have overseen the death of 13 federal inmates sincejuly this year. more than any president ina race year. more than any president in a race entry. the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1980 -- 1988 but death penalty was reinstated in 1980 —— 1988 but executions we re 1980 —— 1988 but executions were rare, just three are taken place there and none since 2003. the trump administration resumed the practice injuly after a 17 year eyeless. brandon bernard's after a 17 year eyeless. brandon berna rd's case after a 17 year eyeless. brandon bernard's case had attracted the support of elaborate is like kim kardashian west. the reality star in prison reform activist had called on her followers to tweet donald trump to save mr benign. and tomorrow, another federal execution is scheduled at the same penitentiary in indiana. these executions come just weeks before joe indiana. these executions come just weeks beforejoe biden ta kes just weeks beforejoe biden takes office and he has said that he will seek to enter the death penalty. the incumbent death penalty. the incumbent death penalty. the incumbent death penalty would usually defer to his successor and let the president—elect set the course. a donald trump's attorney general says he is just following the law. he says he owes it to the victims and

theirfamilies to he owes it to the victims and their families to carry forward their families to carry forward the sentence. lebo diseko, bbc news, washington. let's get some of the day's other news. israel and morocco have agreed to establish diplomatic relations. the israeli prime minister, benjamin neta nyahu, described the deal as extraordinary. morocco is the fourth arab country to normalise ties with israel in recent months, after the uae, bahrain and sudan. palestinians have called the agreement unacceptable, saying it encouraged israel's denial of their rights. crowds have gathered in front of the argentine congress building in buenos aires where mps are debating a bill to legalise abortion. if passed, it would allow terminations up to the fourteenth week of pregnancy. supporters of reform wearing trademark green scarves have been dancing and singing and banging carnival drums, while groups of opponents in blue have been holding prayer vigils. the short—term letting website airbnb has begun trading on the stock market for the first time. its share price opened far higher than originally predicted. the company is valued at more

than a hundred billion dollars. it's the biggest debut sale of shares by a us firm this year. conservationists say decades of efforts to save the european bison are proving successful. according to the latest update of the official extinction list, more than 6,000 of the large mammals are scattered across poland, belarus and russia. they were almost wiped out by hunting and habitat loss a century ago, surviving only in zoos. the uk prime minister borisjohnson has said there's a strong possibility of a no—deal brexit after he and the european commission president, ursula von der leyen failed to break the deadlock last night in the negotiations. his comments come after the european commission set out contingency plans to ease disruption if britain and the eu fail to secure an agreement. talks will continue until sunday. a decision would then be made on whether or not the discussions are worth continuing. the prime minister urged the uk to start preparing for a no deal outcome.

we need to be very, very clear, there is now a strong possibility, strong possibility, that we will have a solution that is much more like an australian relationship with the eu than a canadian relationship with the eu. that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. there are plenty of ways, as i have said, that we can turn that to the advantage of both sides in the conversation. there are plenty of opportunities for the uk. at the moment the uk is in a transition period until the end of december and wants continued access to the eu's single market. european commission president ursula von der leyen laid out the conditions for this to happen. i had a very long conversation yesterday night with the prime minister boris johnson, it was a good conversation, but it is difficult. we are willing to grant access to the single market to our british friends, it's the largest single market in the world, but the

conditions have to be fair. they have to be fair for our workers and for our companies, and this fine balance of fairness has not been achieved so far. 0ur negotiators are still working and we will take a decision on sunday. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: could it be the beggining of end for the movies? disney becomes the lastest major studio to switch its focus from the cinema to streaming. 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 ceasefire 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 to mourn 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 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 world news, the latest headlines: a panel of us experts recommends that the szier covid—19 vaccine be given approvalfor use. a final verdict from the food and drug administration is expected within days. a stark warning from britain's prime minister. borisjohnson, says there's a "strong possibility" that the uk will fail to strike

a post—brexit trade deal with the european union. well as the talks continue, there's a focus on what the eu is demanding in return for access to its single market. rozz atkins takes a look. the brexit trade talks are struggling. for the uk, any deal must involve being free of eu rules. this is not a trade deal. this has ceased to be a trade deal right now. the discussion is about sovereignty. for the eu, both sides must follow the same rules. translation: we must have a level playing field, not only for today but for the future. but is the eu treating the uk differently? certainly, there is a perception among brexit supporters that it is not being fair. i don't believe that those are terms that any prime minister of this country should accept. or, there's the conservative mp who accuses the eu of acting in a highly irresponsible and wholly unreasonable way.

but has the eu demanded more from the uk? in short, it has. the eu wants the uk to agree to shared rules on government subsidies, on workers' rights, on environmental and food standards and it wants the uk to remain in sync in the future too. the uk rejects that and that does go beyond other trade deals the eu has struck with canada and japan. but the eu has its justification. one mep puts it this way. it would be economic suicide for the european union to basically undermine one, not of its pillars but it's foundations — the single market. the point being if a trade deal is done but the uk has different rules, potentially its businesses benefit, and as the bbc‘s chris morris explains, that possibility connects to the eu's approach. one of the reasons of being strict and harsher is because the uk is a major global economy right on its doorstep so it thinks that

it needs to be harsher because the uk has the potential to be a much bigger competitive threat. so those are the eu's demands and the justification, but are they unusual? does this happen in other major trade deals around the world? well, not to this degree. recently, these 15 countries created a vast trading bloc. they don't share regulations, though their level of free trade isn't the same as the eu and the uk are hoping for. or there is the recent free trade deal in north america. the us insisted on certain wage levels in the car industry to stop mexico having an advantage. but there's nothing as wide—ranging as the eu is asking for here, so this is different. one analyst argues: and no doubt the eu is a huge economic force, but still, it argues, this defence is necessary. back in 2017, the then—uk international trade secretary liam fox didn't foresee this approach.

the free—trade agreement that we will have to come to with the european union should be one of the easiest in human history. that has not come to pass. the eu is asking for a lot but its single market is its greatest asset and brexit rejects the very idea of the eu. this is a unique eu response to what it sees as a unique threat. whetherfair or not, none of this should come as a surprise. some of the poorest countries of the world face severe hardship from the long—term consequences of the pandemic. international organisations, such as the world bank and the charity oxfam, have warned that up to 70 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty, undoing decades of progress. and, as the bbc‘s george alagiah has been finding out, the squeeze on household income here in britain is having a direct impact on lives elsewhere. spitalfields in east london has attracted migrants for centuries. in the 17th, it was french protestants. in the late 19th,

jews settled here. today, it is a home from home for bangladeshi migrants. one of the things migrants have always done, once they establish themselves and their new lives in places like this, is to start sending money back home. my own family has done that. the problem is, this year, 2020, covid has put a stop to that vital flow of cash. from barbers to waiters, they all want to help relatives. roughly one in every $20 in the bangladeshi economy comes from families abroad. george alagiah, bbc. athaur rahman used to send £2000 per year but since march, his earnings as an electrician have plummeted. he says hello to you, as well. i'm short of income here. i can't then send money to bangladesh. and this is money they really depend on. absolutely. we support the children's education and we are not able to do that for them, so it makes us sad here. athaur‘s cousin taiyab is desperate and is about to sell

two of his cows just to keep going. translation: my cousins were helping me before. that made it possible to cover our living costs. now, because of the pandemic, we don't get any help from anyone. i don't know how we will survive in the days ahead. only allah knows how we will live. there are 15 people in the extended family to support. translation: it's hard to buy food, pay for the children's education and pay our expenses. this loss of income comes on top of the faltering global economy, with devastating consequences around the world. 20 years of incredible progress on health, on millions of people coming out of poverty has really stopped. south africa's struggle against tuberculosis is a classic example of how covid has hijacked healthcare. next to prosperous cape town lies the settlement of khayelitsha.

tb is a disease that thrives on poverty and overcrowding. coughs. limited resources have been diverted to fighting covid—19, leaving thousands undiagnosed with tb. each one of them could infect up to ten other people. it is a ticking time bomb and ijust want to remind the viewers that tb remains the leading infectious disease killer globally, and certainly in south africa — twice the number of people die from tb in south africa compared to covid—19. the arrival of covid vaccines brings hope, but even this has the potential to widen the gap between rich and poor countries. if the first 2 billion doses of covid vaccines go only to rich countries, then not only will the pandemic last much longer but we will see twice as many deaths. we are not safe until everyone is safe. the pandemic has exposed

the way in which the well—being of people around the world, whether they live in the north or south, whether they are rich or poor, is a shared problem, needing global solutions. george alagiah, bbc news. time magazine has announced the person of the year and it has gone tojoe biden and kamala harris. anthony fauci and frontline healthcare workers, president donald trump were also among the finalists. disney is the latest major studio to divert its focus from cinema to streaming. it's just announced plans for several new television series based in the star wars universe. disney plus, which was launched just over a year ago, now has nearly 87 million subscribers — a figure far exceeding its own predictions for customer growth. with me is our news correspondent paul hawkins. to put it in the words of darth vader, these figures are most

impressive, 86 million subscribers around the world and it has only been around for around a year, acro one. netflix is top of the pile but it has taken 13 years and when they started streaming services. disney almost halfway there within a year. apple have been around for a year still have some catching up to do. even that number of subscribers is interesting for apple because apple gives away a year? free subscription with people who buy an iphone or macbook so it will be interesting to see if they renew. quoting darth vader, it did notand renew. quoting darth vader, it did not and that well for him. 21 , 647 did not and that well for him. 21,647 characters in the star wa rs 21,647 characters in the star wars universe — will they be a series about each one of them? it will go on forever. along

with these figures, ten star wa rs with these figures, ten star wars series. one successful tv heat already. then we have a spin—off on the smuggler from the originalfilm. spin—off on the smuggler from the original film. obi—wan kenobl the original film. obi—wan kenobi. back by popular demand? i would say so, for some, not for others. one you star wars film, rogue squadron coming out in 2023. a couple of cartoon series so they are really milking this. netflix, amazon, apple, disney plus, where the a nalyst stayed apple, disney plus, where the analyst stayed to go? difficult to say. it is all about content. disney has slightly

less competent than netflix but they have been open about the fa ct they have been open about the fact that going full quality not quantity but given the rate which disney plus as exhilarated to is to say they will not overtake netflix soon. they can be more than one. dame barbara windsor, one of britain's most beloved entertainment stars, has died aged 83. she was best known for her roles in eastenders and the carry on films. dame barbara was diagnosed with alzheimer's disease in 2014 and made the news public in 2018. her husband, scott mitchell, says she died on thursday night at a london care home. our correspondent, peter bowes, has more on her remarkable life. what a life and what a personality. she was a tiny in stature yet she had that bubbly personality, she had that incredibly infectious laugh which i think made it perfect for the many comedic roles she

performed at some of the serious roles. a career started in the 19 for this. she was extra on british tv for several decades and she made her name in extenders but also those carry on films. a husband that she will be remembered for the love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all of their lives. especially the way she is seen by some many of herfans way she is seen by some many of her fans around the world. she was the most british of entertainers and that astonishing final chapter in eastenders. it did seem to be a sub invented almost purely for her! yes, it was an extraordinary final chapter and i have read that at that point, before she started, she was beginning to question her role, she was getting a little older and then vicki mitchell comes along, the matriarch of the

pub, the queen vic, the programme centres around and of course she was a londoner and had that cockney accent and she clearly understood london as in some of the difficult times. —— londoners. and the london sense of humourand it londoners. and the london sense of humour and it made perfect role for her. a role she stated for 20 years. reflecting on the amazing life of dame barbara windsor who has died at the age of 83. a natural cave known as the ice cathedral sees the cavity felt twice a yearforming cathedral sees the cavity felt twice a year forming a lake. cathedral sees the cavity felt twice a yearforming a lake. in autumn the water leaves the cave. its ceiling is five metres thick and the whole cave is more than 20 metres long. put it on your list to travel

when we role allowed to travel again. do state with us. hello again. although skies across the uk on thursday were almost uniformly grey and drab, skies like these overhead in llangollen were pretty commonplace across the country. there were, however, big temperature contrasts from place to place. in the west, we had some milder atlantic air moving in, whereas across central and eastern england, along with the whole of scotland, we had much colder continental air. in the west, temperatures reached double figures — it was actually quite mild, 10 or 11 celsius — but across central and eastern england and scotland, temperatures were more typically around 5 or 6 celsius. we only managed to get 4 in dalwhinnie in the highlands of scotland, so there were some big contrasts. those contrasts were driven, really, by this weather front that's been bringing rain eastwards over recent hours. and it's, as well, been one of those nights where the milder air has been pushing in. temperatures for some have actually been rising throughout the night as well.

so for most of us, friday will get off to a relatively mild note but across eastern england, eastern scotland, there will still be some rain around. in fact, the rain will linger in aberdeenshire pretty much all day, bringing a risk of some localised flooding. but i suspect there will, for a time in the morning, be some low cloud for north—east england and eastern scotland with some hill fog patches around. now, the skies do try to brighten up from the west but there will be plenty of showers coming through later on in the day. that milder air pushing into pretty much all of the uk, though, as we head towards the afternoon, so temperatures will be lifting across those central and eastern areas. the weekend, well, we've still got low pressure loitering on the weather charts. that will continue to bring some rain for a time across scotland. the rain quite slow to ease across eastern areas of england — none of it particularly heavy, mind you — but later in the day, we'll start to see a ridge of high pressure building in from the west and that means that we should see more in the way of sunshine for northern ireland, for wales, for western and central southern areas of england. now, that sunshine isn't

going to hang around too long because the ridge is going to move away to be replaced by the second half of this weekend by low pressure. that low pressure will be bringing south—westerly winds, so again, we should see some milder air sloshing its way in across the uk. now, sunday promises to be quite a windy day. we may well even have gales for a time around some of our western coasts. there will certainly be a lot of rain around as well and even as the rain clears, showers will follow on. temperatures, though, on the mild side, reaching a high towards the south—west of 13 degrees. that's your latest weather.

this is bbc news,

the headlines: a panel of experts in the united states has endorsed the pfizer biontech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. it paves the way for approval by the us food and drug administration. the us hopes to have around 40 million doses of the vaccine ready by the end of the year. the convicted killer brandon bernard has been executed in spite of a last minute appeal to the us supreme court. he becomes the ninth federal inmate to have been put to death sincejuly — and the first during a presidential transition, in more than a century. us president—electjoe biden and his vice president—elect kamala harris have been chosen as time magazine's 2020 person of the year. the pair were chosen ahead of the other finalists — frontline healthcare workers, anthony fauci, the racial justice movement — and president donald trump who biden defeated in november's election.