can the further east you are you can expect to keep a lot of cloud. further west, the sand should put in an appearance, albeit with one or two showers. winds will be light for most. temperatures on sunday will be higherfor some because most. temperatures on sunday will be higher for some because we will have stronger winds and outbreaks of rain. it stays unsettled and mild into the start of the new week. the prime minister says it is likely the uk will have to start trading with the eu on world trade organization terms from january the 1st. it is looking likely that we will have to go for a solution that i think will be wonderful for the uk, we will be able to do what we want from january the 1st... they would remain free, sovereign, to decide what they want to do. we

would simply adapt the conditions for access to our market accordingly the decision of the united kingdom. this would apply and vice versa. the self isolation period has been reduced from 1a days to ten for anyone who has come into contact with a positive case of covid—19. the first minister of wales city cannot rule out a post—christmas lockdown. the number of coronavirus cases there is on the rise. nonessential shops have opened for the first time in three weeks across much of western scotland after a covid lockdown. tributes pour in for dame barbara windsor. we will be taking a look back at her extraordinary life.

good afternoon. the european commission president ursula von der leyen has told eu leaders that a trade deal with the uk before sunday's deadline is unlikely, describing the talks as difficult. her comments come after the prime minister urged businesses to prepare for a no—deal brexit when the transition period ends at the end of the month. speaking this morning borisjohnson said it was very likely that from january 1st, the uk would have to trade with the eu on world trade organization terms. here's our political correspondent iain watson. eu leaders met in brussels today, while negotiations with the uk went on behind closed doors. no deal remains a possibility, but the government says this would not be so bad, it could look like this, a road without so much sunshine. ministers say we can trade with the eu on australian terms. after all, they don't have a free

trade deal with the eu and they are doing ok. it is looking very, very likely that we will have to go for a solution that i think would be, you know, wonderfulfor the uk, we would be able to do exactly what we want from the 1st of january, obviously it would be different from what we set out to achieve, but i've no doubt that this country can get ready. government ministers have not totally given up on getting what they call a canada plus a deal. translated, it is one that cuts out the need for taxes on most goods to and from the continent. now, the uk could end up with something that is described as australia minus. because while australia has no free trade deal with the eu, it does have a series of mini deals and arrangements, on nuclear energy, for example, and on wine imports. even then, a former australian prime minister says this arrangement is not exactly bonser. there are very big barriers to australian exports of agricultural products in particular.

there is a lot of friction, be careful what you wish for. australia's relationship with the eu is not one, from a trade point of view, that britain think would want. call it an australian—type relationship, or call it no deal, there is a very real prospect that the talks between the eu and the uk and without agreement this weekend. that's because borisjohnson says, no british prime minister could sign up to brussels' demands which would keep the uk in step with eu rules for years to come. the president of the european commission made it clear today that the uk could diverge from eu rules in the future, but there would be consequences, and there would be less access to european markets. this is not to say that we would require the uk to follow us every time we decided to raise our level of ambition, for example, in the environmental field.

they would remain free, sovereign, if you wish, to decide what they want to do. we would simply adapt the conditions for access to our market accordingly. eu leaders insist they are united. face—to—face negotiations with the uk continue in brussels this weekend. but the two sides still don't see eye to eye. iain watson, bbc news. with me now is our political correspondentjessica parker. the mood music feels grim, jessica, is that fair? the mood music is certainly not one of optimism either from the european union side or indeed from the prime minister today. important to point out we don't know exactly what is going on behind closed doors in terms of those negotiations led by lord frost on the uk side and michel barnier on the eu side, but as far as we can tell from what is being said in

public, these crucial sticking points that have been the sticking points that have been the sticking points for some time now, they're not really making any headway on them. so ursula von der leyen saying today, look, infuture them. so ursula von der leyen saying today, look, in future the uk can move away from the standards, but there will be consequences, and the uk saying, that's no different to what you've been saying before, that is the so—called ratchet clause where the uk would feel they could face penalties going forward and potentially automatic penalties, if they don't stick to eu rules and standards, and on that issue are fishing as well, downing street saying in the last hour or so that what they're prepared to do is annual negotiations starting in 2021 for eu access to fishing waters, and that it for eu access to fishing waters, and thatitis for eu access to fishing waters, and that it is a fact not an aspiration that it is a fact not an aspiration that the uk will have control of its waters come the new year. so at the moment it feels like positions are hardened and not a lot of progress is being made. but again, i throw in that caveat that we can't be exactly sure what is going on behind closed doors. all right, jessica, for now,

thank you very much. we've also been hearing from our europe correspond at nick beake, who explained why ursula von der leyen was sounding downbeat. this private warning from ursula von der leyen that there is more chance of it now being a no deal echoes the mood here in brussels and also in london. but she did suggest that the offer that is on the table is a good one for the united kingdom, and to used the word sovereignty, saying that the uk wouldn't lose any sovereignty by accepting its terms and conditions. of course, sovereignty is a very big thing for borisjohnson. he says the whole point of brexit is to take back control, and he doesn't want to cede any sovereignty. he said in the future if the eu raised its standards in some different areas, whether that is for your agriculture, the uk wouldn't necessarily have to follow, wouldn't have to mirror that, but there would be implications, and uk sources are saying, although this sounds like a friendly offer, those implications

may be very harsh tariffs or taxes oi'i may be very harsh tariffs or taxes on uk goods in the future, and this wouldn't amount to taking back control. we have also heard from president obama in france, he said he hopes in the future of the two sides can enjoy a harmonious relationship, and he denied when asked whether the french and the eu we re asked whether the french and the eu were having their cake and eat it, and this was specifically related to some contingency measures the european commission are put forward in the last day or so which is to say, if there is no trade deal reached before december the 31st, the commission are suggesting that for all of next year, fishing access, eu boats going into uk waters, would remain the same. president obama and said he wasn't trying to have his cake and eat it, that famously was a phrase used by borisjohnson, but mr that famously was a phrase used by boris johnson, but mr macron that famously was a phrase used by borisjohnson, but mr macron said that he did want to hold onto his portion of the cake. it's also been confirmed today by an eu source that borisjohnson had asked whether confirmed today by an eu source that boris johnson had asked whether he could have individual conversations with president obama in france and

angela merkel of germany, but the commission refuse that. —— with president macron in france and angela merkel in germany. but that european commission refuse to that. nick beake in brussels, and we will keep an eye on that and if the might of elements we will let you know. but now we will talk about coronavirus. from monday, the time that people must self—isolate after coming into contact with someone who's tested postive for covid—19 will be reduced from 1a to ten days. it also applies to anyone who's returned from a country which isn't on the government's safe travel list. it comes as mass testing of secondary school pupils and staff in parts of kent, london and essex is rolled out. our health correspondent katharine da costa has more. pupils at this school in dagenham are being encouraged to get tested

for coronavirus this weekend. cases have risen sharply among 11—18 —year—olds in parts of north east london, kent and essex. these people think it is a good idea. i feel like it will be useful, and efficient, ensuring the rate remains low and not increasing. i know some people in my school, they may not be ambitious for the whole testing thing, with the fake rumours, but it is about helping the community. following a trial in liverpool last month, pupils, staff and parents will be offered rapid swab test providing results in 30 minutes. one in three don't have any symptoms which is why mass testing is seen as a priority to help schools and communities get on top of the virus. what we have lost in the past is the ability to control and plan for the future. this possibly will give us in the short term the opportunity to know what we are dealing with. the programme as it rolls out into schools without other students think is positive way forward. extra mobile testing units will be sent out

to secondary schools in the worst—affected areas, but teaching unions think, like in wales, they should close next week instead. is the testing, which will take a couple of days, schools will close on friday, is that a better decision than the one in wales where essentially you are stopping the community transmission? in the week to the 5th of december covid cases were falling in most areas of england. the latest figures show one in 115 had the virus, but cases were rising in london and the east of england. one in 120 had the virus in scotland and wales. while scotland remains stable, cases were rising in wales. they were falling in northern ireland where half as many people had the virus. while mass testing is being rolled out in more hotspots in england, self isolation rules are being simplified. from monday, england, scotland and northern ireland will follow wales in reducing the period to ten days. the tail end of infectiousness

if you like is the one where you are least likely to transmit infection. allowing somebody out of self—isolation a short time earlier than that is a reasonable balance between managing the risk to the public, but allowing us not to intrude on their lives. there is still a question over whether london and essex will be moved into tier 3 when measures are reviewed next week. some hospitals are already under significant pressure and another surge may mean tougher restrictions are needed. health leaders say a third wave is not inevitable but what we do now will shape how the pandemic plays out. katharine da costa, bbc news. our head of statistics, robert cuffe, is here. good afternoon, robert. that r numberand good afternoon, robert. that r number and infections, what is it all telling us? that report gave us

the broad picture, about one in 100 in england and wales have the virus, but it is a mixed picture. the north of england is coming down to meet the south of england coming up, broadly. the r number in the north—east, north—west of yorkshire, we're north—east, north—west of yorkshire, we' re pretty north—east, north—west of yorkshire, we're pretty confident that is below 1. we're pretty confident that is below 1, infections are coming down and hospitalisations are coming down as well. but in the east of england, the south—east and london have been seeing r possibly above 1, and infections rising as well. and we talk about the ons, people might have read stories questioning to what extent is the ons on the right track here. explain a little more about that. cast your mind back to mid—october and the daily infections the ons were saying that we were seeing every day. that changed over time. they were estimating about

50,000 new infections a day when they first published data, but every week they give us new data and they revise their figures, and we saw that in subsequent publications, that in subsequent publications, that figure came down and down eventually to about half that level, leading people to question whether the basis for the justification of lockdown was reasonable if infections were actually half the level they were. the issue here is that estimating new infections every day is very hard, but if you look at the headline measure, the number of people who have the virus, it is much more stable. we can show a similar chart to the viewer is now showing those figures, but when you look at the number of people who have it, it looks like one line almost. each of the new revisions, they don't change the figure is very much at all and they have that same estimate for how many people in the middle of october, around half a million, and that same trend of it going up, probably to a plateau in november. so in the headline measure there is no real reason to worry too much about the ons survey, but when

you are looking at the number of new infections every day, it is harder to estimate so you need to be a bit more cautious. so glad you're here to talk us through all of that! thank you very much indeed, robert. and let's talk about r numbers and infections and where we are now. dr bharat pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at university of exeter medical school. i will call you a friend of the programme now! thank you very much for being with us. we took third robert talking about figures in one of the country coming down and in other areas of the country going up, does this mean people are behaving responsibly or not? i agree that in different parts of the country we have different pictures, and a few minutes before coming online with yourselves, i was talking to colleagues in essex, and the numbers

in essex are showing a clear upward trend, and it shows to us that it probably is the london effect whereby commuting into london on crowded buses, transport, etc, and then living in essex, your case numbers are showing a distinct upturn, and this is mirrored in other places as well, especially where there is poverty. people who have to go to work and interact with other human beings, case numbers are up. that is interesting, and anecdotally public transport is feeling a lot busier. and today we also got the news about self isolation. we have got used to the notion that you should self—isolate 14 notion that you should self—isolate 1a days, now we are told that's down to ten. why the change, and is it the right approach, do you think?” think it is what we would call a pragmatic approach. we mustn't mistake cases versus in quarantine.

this is pertaining to quarantine. quarantine was 14 days, it has now been reduced to ten days, and the reasoning behind it is that most cases occui’ reasoning behind it is that most cases occur within the first ten days. very few cases will go on to happen after day ten, that is also accepted. but what we need to be careful about is during those ten days, if you were to become a case, in other words have signs and symptoms of illness, then you are a case, symptoms of illness, then you are a case , you symptoms of illness, then you are a case, you are not in quarantine. and that case has to self—isolate for at least ten days from symptom onset. and i'm struck that you describe this as a pragmatic approach. so are you saying that clinically, you feel in an ideal world 14 days would be better, but we have to operate within the bounds of what is possible, if you like? indeed, so most of the cases will have occurred within three to five days, at the

majority within ten days, and then from ten to 14 days, are very few number. and the checks and balances for the very few number is you do a check at the end of your ten days quarantine period, have i got any signs? have i got any symptoms? have i got signs? have i got any symptoms? have igota signs? have i got any symptoms? have i got a temperature? do i feel lethargic, do i feel anything different from before. and if you go to that check plus the ten days, i think we are in a safer territory. the other benefit that may come from this is compliance, because people need to get bread on the table, and if it is reduced from 14 to ten days, and people can become economically active, maybe there are more likely to also comply. all right. doctor thank you very much, from the university of act exeter. just to bring you some news coming through from westminster about mps'

pei, but i think there is a link with coronavirus from what i can see. mps' pay is going to be frozen from 2021 to 2022, and they say this is because a pay rise would be inconsistent with the ravages that the pandemic has cause to the economy. so mps' pay to be frozen for the year 2021—2022, giving a pay rise, essentially. i'm trying to paraphrase quite a long document, but essentially the head of ipsa saying that to give a pay rise wouldn't reflect the reality that many constituents are facing this year, so that news just through. two serial rapists who were each given a life sentence are to have the minimum time they must spend in prison increased. the high court has ruled that

joseph mccann, who was jailed last year for 37 offences involving women and children, and reynhard sinaga jailed in january for 159 offences against 48 men, will now both have to serve a minimum of 40 years. the judges rejected calls for whole—life prison terms, which have never been imposed in a non—murder case. a little bit more now about coronavirus. wales's first minister mark drakeford has warned that a post—christmas lockdown could come into force if the number of coronavirus cases does not begin to fall. a five—day relaxation of rules begins on 23 december across the uk, but with more than 1,900 covid patients in hospital there is pressure for tougher rules from the 28 december. here is the first minister speaking earlier this afternoon. our nhs staff are doing an

incredible job our nhs staff are doing an incrediblejob under our nhs staff are doing an incredible job under very difficult circumstances, and i thank them all for everything they have done throughout the pandemic, and continue to do so. but there is only so much we can ask of them. there is only so much we can ask of our national health service. put quite simply, the nhs will not be able to cope as it is today if we continue to see this level of coronavirus —related admissions in the coming weeks on top of normal winter pressures . weeks on top of normal winter pressures. now, i must be clear with everybody this afternoon. if the strengthened measures of last week and the extra actions of this week, together with the efforts each and every one of us need to make, if those measures do not succeed in

turning the tide of the virus, then it is inevitable that we will have to consider a move to alert level 4 immediately after christmas. mark dra keford immediately after christmas. mark drakeford there. our wales correspondent in cardiff is hywel griffith and has been following developments. mark drakeford mark dra keford reflecting mark drakeford reflecting on the rising and rising number of coronavirus cases here in wales, third week now of cases going up, and accelerating, showing no signs of slowing. so while the first minister's ruled out imposing any kind of lockdown before christmas and the five days agreed for relaxed rules over the christmas period, he says unless things show a sign of improvement by then, he will move things to level four. what does that mean? he will publish that next week. we don't know what will be open and closed, but it will look pretty much like the firebreak

lockdown that wales experience in the autumn. he has been under a lot of pressure to move things, bearing in mind the pressure in the community and particularly in welsh hospitals which have a record number of covid patients at the moment. health boards have already been told that they can now start cancelling nonurgent treatment, so the pressure has already reached the front line and shows no sign of slowing. he was also questioned about the decision given late last night on closing schools next week, secondary schools and colleges across wales who will move their learning from one site to online. we have been speaking to staff and pupils today. they say they are surprised and have been caught on the hop. they say it is not necessarily the wrong decision but has come a week too late, so the welsh government really struggling to show that it is in control of the situation at the moment. hywel griffith in cardiff. six former sub—postmasters have had fraud convictions linked

to a faulty computer system quashed in court. the long—running scandal began when the post office installed a new computer system that led to hundreds of sub—postmasters being wrongly convicted. the post office has issued a statement saying that it sincerely apologises for historicalfailings and that determined action to address the past has been taken, ensuring there is redress for those affected and to prevent such events ever happening again. it goes on to say that fundamental reforms have been made to forge a new relationship with postmasters, helping them to build thriving post office businesses for customers and communities throughout the uk. dame barbara windsor, whose acting career spanned more than 60 years, has died at the age of 83. she found fame in the carry on films of the 19605 and ‘70s, and went on to spend more than 20 years behind the bar of the queen vic in eastenders, playing the formidable landlady peggy mitchell. in 2014 barbara windsor

was diagnosed with alzheimers disease, and she spent the last few years of life campaigning for better understanding of the condition. our entertainment correspondent david sillito looks back at her life. barbara windsor, much loved. the tributes today are testament to a career that goes back 70 years. matron, take them away! among them, her east end as co—stars. patsy palmer, i can hear that laugh now. daniella westbrook, my heart is broken. she was a mentor to me throughout everything in my life, and she was great fun, great fun. she began acting as a teenager. her

big break was joan she began acting as a teenager. her big break wasjoan littlewood's theatre workshop. oh what a lovely war, things ain't what they used to be, sparrows can't sing. and inspiration for those who followed her path through the stratford theatre. to grow up and see her in pictures, the legend that she was, and to get on over and work with her for the short time that did, it is super special, and i'm thankfulfor that. but her early fame in cabaret on stage also attracted some shady company. she briefly dated reggie kray. but it was the carry on films that made her a star. her entrance a lwa ys that made her a star. her entrance always an excuse for something slightly saucy. have you got a large one? i have had no complaints so far. but after those nine carry on films, there were some lean years, until she found peggy. grant. ,. i

heard you were back, i was going to give you a call. peggy mitchell in eastenders, the new landlady of the queen vic, was a role made for her. you are unfit to be a father! 22 yea rs you are unfit to be a father! 22 years on east end as. get out of my pub! which led her to be dame barbara. she was a bit of a cockney snob, my mum, so what would she be thinking now? however, her farewell to walford was also her farewell to acting. she'd been diagnosed with alzheimer's. oh, my dear friend. dame barbara windsor. talent, warmth and a lifetime of cheeky fun.

barbara windsor, who has died at the age of 83. and you can see a special programme paying tribute to barbara windsor this evening. babs is on bbc one, tonight at 7.35. now it's time to look at the weather with ben rich. hello. we can expect to see some rain at times through the weekend, not all the time. saturday will bring some brighter weather for some of us at least. but as we head through the rest of today, rain effect is parts of scotland, showery rain elsewhere, and overnight we pushit rain elsewhere, and overnight we push it eastwards, most of us keeping a lot of cloud, holding temperatures up, but late in the night that cloud will clear, allowing temperatures to dip. but the clear skies will edge further eastwards through the day tomorrow. the further east you are, you can expect to keep a lot of cloud and some showery rain. but further west,

the son should put in an appearance, albeit with one or two showers. the wind is pretty light for most, and temperatures up to eight or nine or 10 degrees. temperatures on sunday higherfor some, but 10 degrees. temperatures on sunday higher for some, but only because we will have stronger winds and some outbreaks of rain. it stays u nsettled outbreaks of rain. it stays unsettled but pretty mild into the start of the new week.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines. the prime minister says it's very likely the uk will have to start trading with the eu on world trade organization terms from january the first. the self—isolation period is being reduced from 14 days to ten, for anyone who's come into contact with a positive case of covid—19. wales's first minister says he can't rule out a post christmas lockdown, with the number of coronavirus cases on the rise. non essential shops have opened for the first time in three weeks across much of western scotland, after a covid lockdown. tributes pour in for dame barbara windsor — carry—on star and landlady of the queen vic. we'll be taking a look back at her extraordinary life.

sport now. and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah mulcarrins. newcastle united manager steve bruce says he'll still be missing quite a few players for tomorrow's match against west brom. the newcastle training ground was closed last week amid a coronavirus outbreak and their game against aston villa was postponed. he wouldn't reveal how many cases of covid—19 hit the club, but he said it was significantly more than the eight that slaven bilic had to deal with recently at west brom. the actions of shutting down the training ground, as i said, none of us training ground, as i said, none of us has seen each other since crystal palace, so we had been away for the best pa rt palace, so we had been away for the best part of ten days, which is not ideal, don't get me wrong but it was a matter of, that was the best way forward , a matter of, that was the best way forward, and, thankfully, we hope that we have curtailed it. it

certainly looks that way, with two negative tests to everybody concerned. last month and on wednesday, so that has put us in a position where we can play the game . paris saint germain are set to make another bid for dele alli in next month's transfer window. they want to sign him on loan from tottenham. alli is becoming increasingly frustrated with a lack of game time at spurs — he was clearly unhappy at being left on the bench for last night's europa league win over royal antwerp. psg tried to sign him in the summer but couldn't agree a deal. his boss at spurs, jose mourinho, has been named as the premier league's manager of the month for november... they're top of the table after a great start to the season, including three wins and a draw last month. and bruno fernandes is player of the month, after scoring four goals in four games. he's the first non—english player to win the award three times in a calendar year — he's made a huge impact at united sincejoining 11 months ago. he's nowjust one behind

cristiano ronaldo. essex batsman dan lawrence has earned his first call—up to the england squad, for the test tour to sri lanka. they set off on the 2nd of january for two matches, which will be played behind closed doors in galle. ben stokes has been rested. he'll return in february for the test series against india. the same goes forjofra archer. the selectors will be giving a block of rest to all multi—format players at various points over the winter. moeen ali and jonny bairstow have both been recalled in a 16—strong squad, with seven travelling reserves. and dan lawrence made his debut for brisbane heat in the big bash today — but he was on the losing side and he scored just eight runs. melbourne stars bowled them out for 125 and then reached their victory target with almost three overs to spare, winning by six wickets. anthonyjoshua and kubrat pulev have weighed in ahead of their heavyweight title fight on saturday at wembley arena,

with the bulgarian pulev coming just one pounds lighter than the briton, so nothing between them. this isjoshua's first uk appearance in over two years, with his last fight coming againsts andy ruinr in saudi arabia at the end of last year. plenty of spice between the pair — words exchanged — and security had to intervene at one stage. there was unexpected drama towards the end of second practice for this weekend's season ending adu dhabi grand prix. kimi raikkonen‘s haas car caught fire with just under 20 minutes to go. the finnish driver managed to find a safe spot to pull over and got out safely before helping marshals to extinguish the flames. mercedes valtteri bottas topped the time sheets ahead of team mate lewis hamilton who's returned after recovering from coronavirus. patrick reed took control of the race to dubai with a brilliant round of 64 to put him two shots clear heading into the weekend

of the season ending world tour championship in dubai. reed is looking to become the first american to top the rankings — but england's tommy fleetwood could overtake him with victory on sunday. he's four off the pace after a round of 69, dropped two shots on his closing six holes. and it's another american amy olsen who will start day two of the final major of the year, the delayed us women's open in houston, in the lead — thanks in no small part to this. a hole in one at the 16th. she's four under par, a shot clear of the field, with britain's charley hull two off the pace. that's all the sport for now. a senior official in brussels has confirmed that the european union

rejected a request from boris johnson for a call with emmanuel macron and angela merkel in an attempt to break the deadlock over brexit. the head of the european commission has reportedly briefed member states that a no—deal exit from the bloc is now more likely than an agreed trade deal. the prime minister said the eu appeared unwilling to negotiate. the irish foreign minister simon coveney is still hopeful of a deal. we do still believe it is possible to get a deal on a future relationship and on a trade agreement. we believe it is possible to do that in a way that protects eu interest, the integrity of the single market, ensuring we have free but also fairtrade and competition in the future, and also, respecting britain's insistence on being treated as an independent sovereign country. let us hope on top of all

of the challenges we face together in the context of covid, and building a post—covid economy, that britain will be a partner of the european union, working together with us, as opposed to a friend that is moving in a different president—elect direction on the back of a failed negotiation and the blame game and the acrimony that would follow. we are also talking a lot about coronavirus. we are also talking a lot about coronavirus. non—essential shops across much of western scotland, including glasgow, have opened today for the first time in three weeks. more than two million people have been living under the tightest restrictions since 20th november. pubs and restaurants are allowed to reopen tomorrow, but only under restricted hours, and they can only sell alcohol to takeaway. this from our scotland correspondent james shaw. before dawn in the centre

of glasgow, shops getting ready for the expected rush after three weeks of lockdown. and the queues formed early at popular outlets. shoppers have less than two weeks to get everything they need for christmas, and it is an anxious time for retailers as well. just how much will they be able to recoup the losses of this desperately difficult year? this is the golden quarter in terms of the trading year for retailers and hospitality, the period of time in the year when you build up your cash to sustain yourself in january, february, when times are harder. so, unfortunately, we've seen a lot of announcements as you know, or retailers who have finally had to call it a day. we are afraid that injanuary, when rent time comes around, we're going to see a few more. meanwhile, pubs and restaurants in many parts of the west of scotland are still waiting to open their doors. that will not happen until tomorrow. to use a good scottish word,

it is a pretty dreich morning here on sauchiehall street, which perhaps explains why this street is busy this morning, but not absolutely packed. but for those who did brave the weather, there was a definite sense of relief to be out and about again. 0h. it feels nice, actually, it feels real nice but at the same time you have to be careful. i've got my sanitiser and my masks, three masks in my pocket. primark, card shop, perfume shop, and now mcdonald's for a coffee. and are you getting what you need? yeah. no — not enough money to get it! high streets up and down the country bear the scars of famous names that have failed in the past. the fate of many more now hangs in the balance. james shaw, bbc news. in northern ireland, nonessential shops and most

hospitality businesses have reopened today — though pubs that don't serve food must remain closed. close contact services like hairdressers are also allowed to reopen. but the leaders of the devolved government say people must still follow public health advice and limit their social contacts. here's our ireland correspondent chris page. the circuit breaker has finished, so circuit training is beginning again. gym goers were among the first to get back their routines on the big reopening day, working out at six o'clock this morning. it's great, there's a good atmosphere about the place, and i think that downtime, and periods in the house where we were kind of cooped up, its ideal to get out and do something active. it's been stop, start, stop, start, no—one knows, but i hope this is our last lockdown. restaurants have been restricted to takeaway only since mid—october. some have enlarged their outdoor spaces for reopening, but business is still going to be tough. labour—wise, we've probably spent

£3,000 on staff coming in, cleaning the place, tidying, setting out rotas, ordering, getting prepped in the kitchen. so, probably £3,000 this week already. so, next week we'll probably just break even, if we're lucky. non—essential retailers have reopened after being shut for two of their busiest four weeks of the year. gift—buying shoppers picked up where they had left off. happy days, you can get christmas stuff in. it's amazing, i'm so glad that they're opening, a wee bit of christmas spirit. the pandemic is still there, you know, i think it's good for the economy, but people just need to be cautious about it. it certainly doesn't feel like there has been a rush back to the shops, though it is slightly busier than normal for this time on a friday. the devolved government is stressing that the last two weeks of restrictions actually haven't brought down the infection rate as much as had been hoped. so, ministers are asking people to be as careful as they possibly can. on a visit to a contact tracing centre, the leaders of the stormont executive were emphasising

the need for caution. i know it's christmas and i know people want to go out and do the things that they normally do, but we have to just do things differently this year. the vaccine is here and we're on the road to normality but we just have to stick with the guidance that is there at the moment. be safe, be careful, mind yourself, mind your family, look after each other. the next number of weeks is going to be crucial. if you want to have a christmas, then please think carefully about your actions over the next number of days and weeks. # auld lang syne... the lockdown is being loosened as we go into the last few weeks of a uniquely challenging year. but northern ireland is already braced for the possibility of more restrictions around the end of 2020. chris page, bbc news.

more now on one of our top stories — self—isolation for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus will be shortened from 14 days to ten across the uk from monday. it comes as the latest data shows infection in london and the south east and east are rising. we can now speak to professor azeem majeed, who is the head of the department of primary care and public health at imperial college london. good afternoon. if we start with this change to the isolation period from monday, then, what do you mick of that, is that sensible approach. it is sensible, because people are going to get infected after contact with a case, that will occur within about five or six day, after ten days it is rare for people to be infected. it means people are more likely to comply with the isolation and quarantine period, if it is ten

days rather than 14. it is easier for them to comply. so i think it is a sensible step to take and hopefully we will increase compliance with isolation quarantine in future. how much do we know about compliance broadly? unfortunately compliance broadly? unfortunately compliance is very poor. so in some surveys it is as low as 20 pierce, people who comply with that isolation period. that is one of the problems, so few people comply with isolation, it, the will infect others as well, so this is is a big issue for the uk and many other european countries. i do want to talk about the rise in case, i mean we have been reflecting on that all afternoon, as you would expect and there are considerable chunk of england and we have mark drakeford talking about wales of cases going up. what are your thoughts about that, and what is driving it? so, overall, in england we have seen a

decline in cases, unfortunately we have seen an increase in wales, also in some parts of england such as london, london south—east. that increase is mainly among young people, school—children, aged 11 to 18 and young adults, so it is probably people mixing indoors, either in schools or in social settings, that is probably driving this increase among young people. so we need people to follow the rules about not mixing with other households. but the fact that they are rising in the south—east, large parts of the south—east for example, imean parts of the south—east for example, i mean does that say to you that tiers aren't work, it doesn't work? v some tiers are working so many parts of england are seeing a fall in cases so we are seeing a decline, this increase is largely confined to london and the south—east as you mentioned so i suspect probably there is less compliance with the measures in london so we need people

to come palestine to ensure the infection rate stays low and avoid going into tier 3. and to your mind, if they did decide to increase some parts of the country to a higher tier, we know of course that we have got this window for the christmas period, whatever people think about that, that is coming up, would there be any point, would there be any efficacy in having an have to duckion that wouldn't apply for a five day period. that is a good point. i think the evidence elsewhere shows the restrictions have helped bring down infections, i ee, have helped bring down infections, i agree, the five day period over christmas is worrying. people need to stay sensible. avoid large groups indoor d be mindful of older relative, so that is what people need to be cautious and not go overboard with seasonal festivities. yes, good to have your perspective. thank you very much, thanks for your

time. thank you very much, thanks for your time. more about brexit now. the bank of england says that most risks of a potential no—deal brexit to the uk's financial stability have been mitigated, and that the uk's financial system is strong enough to weather the shocks of covid and a no—deal brexit. let's speak to our economics correspondent andy verity. what is being said andy? well, when you talk about the risks of a no—deal brexit to the financial sector being mitigated let me translate. mitigated in other words the risk don't look as bads as they used to look. when we talk about the risks to the financial sector we are talking about the financial sector, that means the city, the bank, it means financial stability and the question that is being asked here by

the bank of england's financial stability report is is a question they have asked themselves since the last big crisis, the financial crisis of 2008, namely, are the banks going to go under and are they going to run out of money to lend? the answer to both questions in this report, is no, and there is a good reason for that, the banks have spent large part of the last 12 yea rs spent large part of the last 12 years under orders from the regulators and government to build up regulators and government to build up capital buffers, the safety cushions that cushion them against shocks and can absorb any losses they make from loans going back, they make from loans going back, they have something like £20 billion set aside in case loans can't be repaid. but even if it is much worse, the bank of england reckons it would have to be really severe, even though we have twin cree cease of covid and the risk of a no—deal brexit, like unemployment would have to get up to 15% for example, and then, the banks could still withstand about £200 billion of losses but here is the thing, jane.

the risks this time don't lie with the financial sector. that is the last war. this time there might be a different threat which is that the risks lie with the small businesses that have borrowed loan, big businesses, those big names we were talking about in the report a few minutes ago, they are largely fine because they have build up big cash reserves , because they have build up big cash reserves, small businesses, are in much more trouble, they have been forced by government policy, to boar roar their way through the pandemic, some taking out loans they never wa nted some taking out loans they never wanted to take out in order to manage the risks soefrkted with the government's own policy, the big question is how will the banks treat them next year if they are still struggling when they have to start repaying the loans? the economy is not expected to bounce back for two—year to its pre—covid level, how will the banks treat them? would the banks end up pulling loans from viable businesses, and these are questions that the regulators and the government are going to have to come up with answers to, if they are not going to face a sluggish

economic recovery and businesses being unsupported for no good reason. in terms, the financial institutions seem robust but in terms of the wider economy, weren't we talking in the last couple of days about if there is a no—deal brexit, the economy takes what, four yea rs brexit, the economy takes what, four years to get back to where it was prepandemic? is that right? right?‘ yes, that is what they said, if we have a no—deal brexit and covid it will take four years to get back to preco—veit levels. if we get a deal the prediction is that it will still ta ke two the prediction is that it will still take two years so it is no v—shaped recovery. we a re take two years so it is no v—shaped recovery. we are looking more like a nike tick with a very long right hand stem going off into the future, before we get back up to that pre—covid level, and in that time, there is going to be businesses that will struggle really through no fault of their own. we have to remember this particular economic crisis is unique, because it comes asa crisis is unique, because it comes as a result of government policy, we all know why those policies were brought in, in order to fight the

virus, but it is those policies that are causing the difficulties that businesses are going through. therefore, there is a question as to whether the government has done enough already to ensure the policies don't ruin people who have been deprived of a living by policy and making sure the banks continue support —— supporting businesses that would be viable, it is going to bea that would be viable, it is going to be a key priority. not the last time we will talk about it. thanks for now. medical experts advising the us food and drug administration have recommended emergency approval for the pfizer—biontech coronavirus vaccine. the decision comes after a 23—member panel met to determine whether the drug's benefits outweigh the risks. the pfizer vaccine has already been approved for the public in four other countries including the uk and canada. nomia iqbal reports from washington. fda and the sponsor, we agreed...

a day long, live streamed meeting involving health experts may not make for exciting viewing, but this group of researchers and physicians are the key to america's path back to normality. one question i have is, why... they are part of an independent committee voting on whether the pfizer—biontech vaccine should be given to all americans. pfizer has applied for emergency authorisation. the group has been analyzing the effectiveness of the vaccine and any potential side effects, including the allergic reactions experienced by two british health workers who received the pfizer jab this week. the vote came down to a single question — whether or not the benefits of the vaccine outweigh its risks for use in individuals 16 years of age and older. so if we could please close the vote and broadcast the results. in the end, 17 said yes, four said no. the next step is now for the united states food and drug administration to sign off the vaccine, this would then clear the way for the logistically complicated task of distributing it across all 50 states of america.

but this is happening during a controversial transitional period. the incoming president says he wants to get 100 million people vaccinated in his first 100 days in office. whilst the outgoing president is more focused on overturning the election result, as well as criticizing the fda for not bringing out a vaccine earlier, but his administration insists, once that green light comes for the jabs, they are ready to roll them out. thanks to president trump's and vice president pence's leadership and operation warp speed and the historic mobilisation that has happened there, we expect to see 100 million vaccinations total by the end of february. however, health experts say it could take until spring next year for enough americans to receive a vaccination to end the surging pandemic. in a sense, it's the beginning of the end, but the end is going to last a really long time.

every single day, we're shattering records for the number of new cases, hospitalisations and deaths. many parts of the us are getting ready, though, and shipping in covid—19 vaccine kits, including syringes and personal protective equipment. all they need now is a vaccine. let's return to the death of dame barbara windsor, after being diagnosed with dementia, dame barbara became an ambassador for the alzheimer's society. last year she made a rare public appearance — alongside her husband scott mitchell, she delivered a letter to the prime minister which had been signed by 100,000 people asking for better care for people affected by dementia. helena wilkinson reports. frail and holding on to her husband scott for support, when dame barbara windsor visited

downing street last year, it was clearjust how unwell she was. determined, though, to speak out about dementia care, she urged the prime minister for better support for those affected, saying the system was completely inadequate and unfair. the couple had been nervous about revealing her diagnosis, but they decided to go public in 2018, they wanted people to know and accept it for what it was. working together with the alzheimer's society has been incredible for us. both campaigned tirelessly on behalf of the charity, and became ambassadors, credited with helping so many others. unite with me against dementia. families won't discuss it, it's still a taboo. and someone as amazing as barbara, her wonderful family, even coming public and talking about this, even just that act has made such a massive difference in the dementia world

for families struggling everywhere. scott, how are you? i'm good, mate. earlier this year, ross kemp, her on—screen son in eastenders and close friend, spoke to dame barbara's husband about the couple's pain and their struggle. what was it like when the specialist turned around and said to you, "it's alzheimer's?" that was the moment when she just looked at me, and she held her hand out and said, "i'm so sorry." she whispered it to me. she said sorry to you? she said sorry. earlier this year, dame barbara was moved to a care home, her condition got worse during lockdown. her husband said it was not the ending she would have wanted... this year i am asking you to make a stand against dementia. ..but that he was immensely proud of her courage and dignity, dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others for as long as she could. helena wilkinson, bbc news. now it's time for a look

at the weather with ben rich. it is not going to be rain all time this weekend, but there is some wet weather in the forecast and there has been wet weather for some. some. that was aberdeenshire, eastern scot has had some of the wettest of the weather, this band of rain moving away from eastern england, during the morning but it per—sigurdsson ed across parts of eastern scotland, a feed of south—easterly winds off the north sea bringing this rain relentlessly into parts of aberdeenshire and caithness as well. and they will continue to see rain through the rest of the today, the ground is wet, there is the risk of disruption and potentially some flooding. some showery rain

elsewhere as we end the day. that will become more organised and heavier in the west overnight. notice in the far west of the uk, northern ireland, cully wales and the south—west, some clearer skies moving in, that could allow temperatures to drop late on. those clearer skies in the west come courtesy of a temporary ridge of high pressure. the centre of the high pressure. the centre of the high is down to the south but notice the white lines bulging towards us, so this high exerting its influence temporarily and giving a slice of drier brighter weather. but eastern areas will hold on to cloud and showery rain. the further west you are the better chance we will peel back the cloud or see more in the way of sunshine, still one or two shower, light winds as well, temperatures around eight, nine or ten degree, down on where we have been, but given sunshine and light winds that won't feel bad. as we go through saturday evening we will ta ke through saturday evening we will take this slice of clear sky and pushit

take this slice of clear sky and push it further eastwards and as that slice of clear skies passes overhead it will allow temperatures to drop you. can see a zone of lighter colours, temporarily a touch of frost, maybe fog as well. out west it is turning milder, because the winds will be strengthening and for sunday, well, we will see not only those brisk winds but pretty heavy bursts of rain, driving north—eastwards, just about all of us north—eastwards, just about all of us seeing wet weather, windy weather too. we can expect exposed coasts could see gusts of 50mph or more, but with the winds coming up from the south it will be milder, with temperatures as high as 12 or 13 degrees.

this is bbc news. i'm jane hill. the headlines: the prime minister says it's very likely the uk will have to start trading with the eu on world trade organization terms from january the first. it is looking very likely we will have to go for a solution that i think will be wonderful for the uk, we will be able to do exactly what we want, from january the 1st. they would remain free, sovereign, if you wish, to decide what they want to. we would simply adapt the conditions for access to our market according to the decision of the united kingdom, and this would apply vice versa. the self—isolation period is being

reduced from 14 days to ten, for anyone who's come into contact with a positive case of covid—19. wales's first minister says he can't rule out a post christmas lockdown, with the number of coronavirus cases on the rise. non—essential shops have opened for the first time in three weeks across much of western scotland, after a covid lockdown. tributes pour in for dame barbara windsor — carry—on star and landlady of the queen vic. we'll be taking a look back at her extraordinary life.

hello, good afternoon. the european commission president ursula von der leyen has told eu leaders that a trade deal with the uk before sunday's deadline is unlikely — describing the talks as ‘difficult‘. her comments come after the prime minister urged businesses to prepare for a no—deal brexit when the transition period ends at the end of the month. borisjohnson said it was very likely that from january 1st, the uk would have to trade with the eu on world trade organization terms. here's our political correspondent iain watson. eu leaders met in brussels today, while negotiations with the uk went on behind closed doors. no deal remains a possibility, but the government says this wouldn't be so bad, it could look like this, although without so much sunshine. ministers say we can trade with the eu on australian terms. after all, they don't have a free trade deal with the eu and are doing ok. it's looking very, very likely that we'll have to go for a solution that i think

would be, you know, wonderfulfor the uk, we'd be able to do exactly what we want from the 1st of january, obviously it would be different from what we set out to achieve, but i've no doubt that this country can get ready. government ministers haven't totally given up on getting what they call a canada plus deal. translated, it's one that cuts out the need for taxes on most goods to and from the continent. now, the uk could end up with something that is described as australia minus. because while australia has no free trade deal with the eu, it does have a series of mini deals and arrangements, on nuclear energy, for example, and on wine imports. and even then, a former australian prime minister says this arrangement is not exactly bonzer. there are very big barriers to australian exports of agricultural products in particular. there's a lot of friction. be careful what you wish for. australia's relationship with the eu is not one, from a trade point of view,

that britain think would want. call it an australian—type relationship, or call it no deal, there is a very real prospect that the talks between the eu and the uk end without agreement this weekend. that's because borisjohnson says no british prime minister could sign up to brussels' demands which would keep the uk in step with eu rules for years to come. the president of the european commission made it clear today that the uk could diverge from eu rules in the future, but there would be consequences, and there would be less access to european markets. this is not to say that we would require the uk to follow us every time we decide to raise our level of ambition, for example, in the environmental field. they would remain free, sovereign, if you wish, to decide what they want to do. we would simply adapt the conditions for access to our market accordingly.

eu leaders insist they are united. face—to—face negotiations with the uk continue in brussels this weekend. but the two sides still don't see eye to eye. iain watson, bbc news. and for the latest from westminster earlier i spoke to our political correspondent jessica parker. the moody music is certainly not one of optimism eitherfrom the moody music is certainly not one of optimism either from the the moody music is certainly not one of optimism eitherfrom the european union side or from the of optimism eitherfrom the european union side orfrom the prime minister today. important to point out we don't know exactly what is going on behind closed doors in terms of those negotiations led by lord frost on the uk side and michel barnier on the eu side, but as far as we can tell from what is being said in public, these crucial sticking points that have been the sticking points that have been the sticking points that have been the sticking points for some time now, they're not sticking points for some time now, they‘ re not really sticking points for some time now, they're not really making any headway on them, so ursula von der leyen saying today, look, in future the uk can move away from eu standards, but there will be

consequences. in the uk saying, that's no different from what you've been saying before, that is the so—called as they would put it ratchet clause where the uk would feel they could face penalties going forward and potentially automatic penalties if they don't stick to eu rules and standards. and on that issue of fishing as well, downing street saying in the last hour or so that what they're prepared to do is annual negotiations starting in 2021 for eu access to fishing waters, and that it for eu access to fishing waters, and thatitis for eu access to fishing waters, and that it is a fact not an aspiration that it is a fact not an aspiration that the uk will have control of its waters come the new year. so at the moment it feels like positions are hardened and not a lot of progress is being made. but again, i throw in that caveat that we can't be exactly sure what is going on behind closed doors. jessica parker. the irish foreign minister simon coveney is still hopeful of a deal. we do still believe it is possible to get a trade agreement for the future relationships, in a way that

is possible to protect our single market and our interest, ensuring that we have free but also fair trade and competition and a future, and also respecting britton's insistence on being treated as an independent sovereign country outside of the european union. both can be achieved. let's hope on top of all the challenges that we face together in the context of covid and building a postcode economy, that britain will be a partner with the european union working together with us as opposed to a friend that is moving ina us as opposed to a friend that is moving in a different direction on the back of her failed negotiation and the blame game and the acrimony that would follow. simon coveney, island's foreign affairs minister. earlier our europe correspondent nick beake explained why the european commission president ursula von der leyen was sounding downbeat. this private warning from ursula von

der leyen that there is more chance of it now being a no deal mirrors the growing pessimistic mood here in brussels and also in london. but she did suggest that the offer that is on the table is a good one for the united kingdom, and to used the word sovereignty, saying that the uk wouldn't lose any sovereignty by accepting its terms and conditions. of course, sovereignty is a very big thing for borisjohnson. he says the whole point of brexit is to take back control, and he doesn't want to cede any sovereignty. she said that in the future if the eu raised its standards in some different areas, whether that is food or agriculture, the uk wouldn't necessarily have to follow, wouldn't have to mirror that, but there would be implications, and uk sources are saying, although this sounds like a friendly offer, those implications may be very harsh tariffs or taxes on uk goods in the future, and this wouldn't amount to taking back control. we've also heard from president macron of france, he said he hopes in the future of the two sides can enjoy

a harmonious relationship, and he denied when asked whether the french and the eu were having their cake and eat it, and this was specifically related to some contingency measures the european commissioner put forward in the last day or so which is to say, if there is no trade deal reached before december the 31st, the commission are suggesting that for all of next year, fishing access, eu boats going into uk waters, would remain the same. president macron said he wasn't trying to have his cake and eat it, that famously was a phrase used by borisjohnson, but mr macron said that he did want to hold onto his portion of the cake. it's also been confirmed today by an eu source that borisjohnson had asked whether he could have individual conversations with president macron of france and angela merkel of germany, but the commission refused that. that's because they want to continue this process is one. they've got to michel barnier, their chief negotiator. they say he is the main man who was in the room, and if a deal is to be done, he will be the

man who is there for that moment. nick beake in brussels. to get a clearer sense of where we're up to, let's speak to professor anand menon, director of brexit—focused think tank ‘uk in a changing europe'. hello, how are you doing? are we heading for no deal, is that your assessment? i think the odds of no deal are shortening quite rapidly, nobody really knows, but we are in a situation where we have a clash of principles, political philosophies, and it is very hard to see how those can be fudged significantly to get agreement on this contentious point. because the uk is wedded to the sovereignty issue and areas around the ecj and other issues on the other side for the eu, is that your point? it is not so much the ecj, but what the european union are saying, if you want access to our market without paying terrace, you have to sign up to set standards.

boris johnson's retort have to sign up to set standards. borisjohnson's retort is the whole point of brexit is not to sign up to your standards, so we won't be bound by your rules, and that is the circle it is proving difficult to square. and when we have a former australian prime minister talking about be careful what you wish for, talking about the difficulties that australia had of forming its own free—trade agreement with the eu, what do you make of it? i'm struck that you smile when i say that.” find the whole australia debate frustrating, partly because it is simply not the case that australia doesn't have agreements with the eu, it has a series of agreements covering a range of issues, and australia is so dissatisfied with its current trading status that it is trying to negotiate a free—trade deal with the european union. but more importantly than that, and without wanting to state the obvious, australia is a very long way away, and their trade with the eu is about a sixth of ours in terms of value, so i don't understand why what works for australia at the other end of the planet is necessary

what is appropriate for us when we are talking about our closest and largest trading partner. that is really interesting, but isn't it some member of our government to backin some member of our government to back in the early days of all of this started talking about the agreements that australia had as an example of how it can work? yes, do not just example of how it can work? yes, do notjust on this. i think members of this government have decided that australia is a sort of upbeat adjective, so you can have in australia points system for immigration oran australia points system for immigration or an australia deal with the european union. on an academic point, my frustration as it is not accurate, because no deal isn't an australian outcome because they have deals. i repeat the broader point, we do far more trade with the european union than australia does or ever will do, and so it might be that we made a different sort of outcome. right, and what you read it to the fact that the prime minister requested individual phone calls with emmanuel macron of france and angela merkel

in germany. he wasn't given them, but that was in his mind to have that conversation. it makes sense that conversation. it makes sense that he wants to have those conversations, because ultimately we reach the point where if the eu is going to make the concessions we wa nt going to make the concessions we want it to make, they need a new mandate. and the president of the commission, ursula von der leyen, doesn't have the power to change the mandate, that is down to the member state. but the reason the eu refuses they are very wary of borisjohnson getting on the phone to his cou nterpa rts getting on the phone to his counterparts in member states and trying to divide them, saying to macron, we could strike a deal on fish if the germans could be less strict on level playing field. the eu wants to handle these talks is one, because if they don't, every member state will come in with their own list of wishes and requirements and it will make it very hard for them to negotiate with us. before we let you go, a quick thought about what january could look like. let you go, a quick thought about whatjanuary could look like. do let you go, a quick thought about what january could look like. do you subscribe to the view that we will be having queues of lorries in dover and problems at ports and all those

stories that we can just see coming down the track in the next few weeks? do you think there are going to be genuine practical difficulties for british business? let me put it this way. what is clear is that the terms of our trade with the european union are going to change profoundly on the 31st of december, with or without a deal, so either with a deal without a deal, the way we trade with the european union is going to be very different. that is going to be very different. that is going to be very different. that is going to mean that companies have to adjust. some might just going to mean that companies have to adjust. some mightjust by saying, we are not going to send lorries to europe, so there might be fewer than we expected injanuary, depends on what companies decide to do. either way, it is going to have a significant impact. but my guess is that yes, during the month of january, we are going to see a bit of confusion and quite a bit of disruption at the ports because we are changing the way we trade with our largest trading partner, many companies because they have been distracted by covid haven't done the preparation is, don't know how to fill in the forms, so my guess would be dover will look very different in january to how it looks now. always

good to talk to you, thank you very much. professor anand menon, thank you very much. and he mentioned covid, let's talk about that. from monday, the time that people must self—isolate after coming into contact with someone who's tested postive for covid—19 will be reduced from 14 to ten days. it also applies to anyone who's returned from a country which isn't on the government's safe travel list. it comes as mass testing of secondary school pupils and staff in parts of kent, london and essex is rolled out. our health correspondent katharine da costa has more. pupils at this school in dagenham are being encouraged to get tested for coronavirus this weekend. cases have been rising sharply among 11—18—year—olds in parts of north east london, kent and essex. these people think it is a good idea. i feel like it will be useful, and efficient, ensuring the rate remains low and not increasing. i know some people in my school,

they may not be ambitious for the whole testing thing, with the fake rumours, but it is about helping the community. following a trial in liverpool last month, pupils, staff and parents will be offered rapid swab test providing results in 30 minutes. one in three don't have any symptoms which is why mass testing is seen as a priority to help schools and communities get on top of the virus. what we have lost in the past is the ability to control and plan for the future. this possibly will give us in the short term the opportunity to know what we are dealing with. the programme as it rolls out into schools without other students i think is positive way forward. extra mobile testing units will be sent out to secondary schools in the worst—affected areas, but teaching unions think, like in wales, they should close next week instead. is the testing, which will take a couple of days, schools will close on friday, is that a better decision than the one in wales where essentially you are stopping the community transmission?

in the week to the 5th of december covid cases were falling in most areas of england. the latest figures show one in 115 had the virus, but cases were rising in london and the east of england. one in 120 had the virus in scotland and wales. while scotland remains stable, cases were rising in wales. they were falling in northern ireland where half as many people had the virus. while mass testing is being rolled out in more hotspots in england, self isolation rules are being simplified. from monday, england, scotland and northern ireland will follow wales in reducing the period to ten days. the tail end of infectiousness, if you like, is the one where you are least likely to transmit infection. allowing somebody out of self—isolation a short time earlier than that is a reasonable balance between managing the risk to the public, but allowing us not to intrude on their lives.

there is still a question mark over whether london and essex will be moved into tier 3 when measures are reviewed next week. some hospitals are already under significant pressure and another surge may mean tougher restrictions are needed. health leaders say a third wave is not inevitable, but what we do now will shape how the pandemic plays out. katharine da costa, bbc news. the coronavirus reproduction rate, or r number, for the uk has risen slightly to between 0.9—1. our head of statistics robert cuffe explained why. the broad picture, about one in 100 in england and wales have the virus, but it is a mixed picture. the north of england is coming down to meet the south of england coming up, broadly. the r number in the north—east,

north—west of yorkshire, sage are pretty confident that is below 1, infections are coming down and hospitalisations are coming down as well. but in the east of england, the south—east and london have been seeing r possibly above 1, and infections rising as well. and we talk about the ons, people might have read stories questioning to what extent is the ons on the right track here. explain a little more about that. cast your mind back to mid—october and the daily infections the ons were saying that we were seeing every day. that changed over time. they were estimating about 50,000 new infections a day when they first published data, but every week they give us new data and they revise their figures, and we saw that in subsequent publications, that figure came down and down eventually to about half that level, leading people to question whether the basis for the justification of lockdown was reasonable if infections were

actually half the level they were. the issue here is that estimating new infections every day is very hard, but if you look at the headline measure, the number of people who have the virus, it is much more stable. we can show a similar chart to the viewer is now showing those figures, but when you look at the number of people who have it, it looks like one line almost. each of the new revisions, they don't change the figure is very much at all and they have that same estimate for how many people in the middle of october, around half a million, and that same trend of it going up, probably to a plateau in november. so in the headline measure there is no real reason to worry too much about the ons survey, but when you are looking at the number of new infections every day, it is harder to estimate so you need to be a bit more cautious. dr bharat pankhania is a senior clinical lecturer at university of exeter medical school.

i spoke to him about the change to the self isolation period and whether that is the right approach. i think it is what we would call a pragmatic approach. we mustn't mistake cases versus in quarantine. this is pertaining to quarantine. so quarantine was 14 days, it has now been reduced to ten days, and the reasoning behind it is that most cases occur within the first ten days. very few cases will go on to happen after day ten, that is also accepted. but what we need to be careful about is during those ten days, if you were to become a case, in other words have signs and symptoms of illness, then you are a case, you are not in quarantine. and that case has to self—isolate for at least ten days from symptom onset. and i'm struck that you describe this as a pragmatic approach. so are you saying that clinically, you feel in an ideal world 14

days would be better, but we have to operate within the bounds of what is possible, if you like? indeed, so most of the cases will have occurred within three to five days, and the majority within ten days, and then from ten to 14 days, are very few number. and the checks and balances for the very few number is you do a check at the end of your ten days quarantine period, have i got any signs? have i got any symptoms? have i got a temperature? do i feel lethargic, do i feel anything different from before. and if you go to that check plus the ten days, i think we are in a safer territory. the other benefit that may come from this is compliance, because people need to get bread on the table, and if it is reduced from 14 to ten days, and people can become economically active, maybe there are more likely to also comply.

the time is coming up to 23 minutes past three. we willjust the time is coming up to 23 minutes past three. we will just turn the time is coming up to 23 minutes past three. we willjust turn our attention to a different story this afternoon. two serial rapists who were each given a life sentence are to have the minimum time they must spend in prison increased. the high court has ruled that joseph mccann, who was jailed last year for 37 offences involving women and children, and reynhard sinaga jailed in january for 159 offences against 48 men, will now both have to serve a minimum of 40 years. the judges rejected calls for whole—life prison terms, which have never been imposed in a non—murder case. but nonetheless a very substantial increase. let's speak now to solicitor general michael ellis who joins me from his constituency in northampton

north. good afternoon. good afternoon. was this the right decision, do you feel? well, this was a good result in the court of appeal announced today. the reality is that these we re today. the reality is that these were some of the most heinous and serious offences ever seen in the courts of this country. a campaign of rape, in one case, over 40 male victims, and the other, in a period of just 15 days, 37 victims, and the other, in a period ofjust 15 days, 37 offences against over seven people. and the reality is they were 11 victims in that case. the reality is that no sentence that any court could pass is going to really satisfy the

demand of those people who have been so seriously affected by these horrific offences. but i went to the court of appeal, to argue in favour ofa court of appeal, to argue in favour of a whole life sentence. they had originally received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. the lord chief justice and the court of appeal said that that would not be appropriate, but they did increase the minimum term of both of these men to one of at least 40 years. and people following this story might remember, they were two absolutely horrific cases, and people will have been very disturbed if they read any of the details, therefore people listening to you might think, why couldn't you have that sentence of effectively no release for these crimes that were particularly horrific? well, that is a very fair

question, and it is one that we put to the court of appeal. i personally went to the court of appeal to put that argument. the court came to the decision, it was a very senior court, as i say, with a bench of fivejudges hearing this matter, and they came to the conclusion that really, although this was an exceptionally serious case, the whole life tariff should generally speaking be reserved, saved for the most horrific cases, for where there has been a loss of life. in other words, usually murder cases. and although of course they acknowledge that this was an incredibly serious series of offences, they took the view that the whole life tariff, which was of course our most severe sentence available in our jurisdiction, that whole life tariff, where no one can be

released, should be reserved to cases where there has been a serious loss of life. and a brief final thought if i may, in the case of siagha, the police have identified another 23 victims that they are looking for another 60 potential victims. if their investigations reach a conclusion there, could that change things? could there be a legal process where again this would go back in front of the court in light of further victims? anyone who has anything to report about being a possible victim or knowing anything more about the matter should certainly report the matter to the police. we know as i say of at least 44 victims of male rape, most of them young men. there were 136 offences at least that we know about over a period of two and a half yea rs, over a period of two and a half

years, but it is possible that there are other victims out there, and we would want them to come forward. that then will be a matter for the police and the crown prosecution service to consider further at that time. michael ellis, for now, thank you very much forjoining us. we will just you very much forjoining us. we willjust pause for a moment. much more coming up in the next half an hour. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. hello. we can expect to see some rain at times through the weekend, not all the time. saturday will bring some brighter weather for some of us at least. but as we head through the rest of today, rain affects parts of scotland, showery rain elsewhere, and overnight we push it eastwards, most of us keeping a lot of cloud, holding temperatures up, but late in the night that skies will clear, allowing temperatures to dip. but the clear skies will edge further eastwards through the day tomorrow. the further east you are,

you can expect to keep a lot of cloud and some showery rain. but further west, the sun should put in an appearance, albeit with one or two showers. the winds pretty light for most, and temperatures up to eight or nine or 10 degrees. temperatures on sunday will be higher for some, but only because we will have stronger winds and some outbreaks of rain. it stays unsettled but pretty mild into the start of the new week.

hello, this is bbc news with jane hill. the headlines. the prime minister says it's very likely the uk will have to start trading with the eu on world trade organization terms from january 1st. it is looking very likely that we will have to go for a solution that i think will be wonderfulfor the uk, we'll be able to do exactly what we want from 1st january. they would remain free, sovereign, if you wish, to decide what they want to. we would simply adapt the conditions for access to our market

according to the decision of the united kingdom, and this would apply vice versa. the self—isolation period is being reduced from 14 days to ten, for anyone who's come into contact with a positive case of covid19. wales's first minister says he can't rule out a post christmas lockdown, with the number of coronavirus cases on the rise. nonessential shops have opened for the first time in three weeks across much of western scotland, after a covid lockdown. tributes pour in for dame barbara windsor — carry on star and landlady of the queen vic.

sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah. good afternoon. newcastle united manager steve bruce says he'll still be missing quite a few players for tomorrow's match against west brom. the newcastle training ground was closed last week amid a coronavirus outbreak and their game against aston villa was postponed. he wouldn't reveal how many cases of covid—19 hit the club, but he said it was significantly more than the eight that slaven bilic had to deal with recently at west brom. the actions of shutting down the training ground, as i said, none of us has seen each other since crystal palace, so we had been away for the best part of ten days, which is not ideal, don't get me wrong but it was a matter of, that was the best way forward, and, thankfully, we hope that we have curtailed it. it certainly looks that way, with two negative tests to everybody concerned. last monday and on wednesday, so that has put us in a position where we can play the game. paris saint germain are set to make

another bid for dele alli in next month's transfer window. they want to sign him on loan from tottenham, and he has been struggling for game time. meanwhle, his boss at spurs, jose mourinho, has been named as the premier league's manager of the month for november... they're top of the table after a great start to the season, including three wins and a draw last month. and bruno fernandes is player of the month, after scoring four goals in four games. he's the first non—english player to win the award three times in a calendar year — he's made a huge impact at united sincejoining 11 months ago. essex batsman dan lawrence has earned his first call—up to the england squad, for the test tour to sri lanka. they set off on the 2nd of january for two matches, which will be played behind closed doors in galle. ben stokes has been rested. ..he'll return in february for the test series against india. the same goes forjofra archer. the selectors will be giving a block of rest to all multi—format players at various points over the winter. moeen ali and jonny bairstow have both been recalled in a 16—strong squad, with seven travelling reserves.

and dan lawrence made his debut for brisbane heat in the big bash today — but he was on the losing side and he scored just eight runs. melbourne stars bowled them out for 125 and then reached their victory target with almost three overs to spare, winning by six wickets. anthonyjoshua and kubrat pulev have weighed in ahead of their heavyweight title fight on saturday at wembley arena, with the bulgarian pulev coming just one pounds lighter than the briton, so nothing between them. this isjoshua's first uk appearance in over two years, with his last fight coming againsts andy ruinr in saudi arabia at the end of last year. plenty of spice between the pair — words exchanged — and security had to intervene at one stage. there was unexpected drama towards the end of second practice for this weekend's season ending adu dhabi grand prix. kimi raikkonen's haas car caught fire with just under 20 minutes to go. the finnish driver managed to find

a safe spot to pull over and got out safely before helping marshals to extinguish the flames. mercedes' valtteri bottas topped the time sheets ahead of team mate mate lewis hamilton, who's returned after recovering from coronavirus. patrick reed took control of the race to dubai with a brilliant round of 64 to put him two shots clear heading into the weekend of the season ending world tour championship in dubai. reed is looking to become the first american to top the rankings — but england's tommy fleetwood could overtake him with victory on sunday. he's four off the pace after a round of 69, dropped two shots on his closing six holes. nigel owens, world rugby's most capped referee with 100 tests, has brought an end to his 17—year international career. he's announced last month's autumn nations cip match between france and italy was his final international. he took charge of the 2015 world cup final and says he hopes to continue

to referee in the pro 14 and locally in wales. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. travellers returning to the uk from spain's canary islands from tomorrow morning, must self—isolate for two weeks — after the government removed the area from the safe travel corridor list. it's another blow to holiday firms after a year of difficulties. david evans is a dj in fuerteventura and was hoping to visit his family over the christmas period. yesterday's announcements mean he could end up spending his time in quarantine instead. good afternoon. you i believe are, well planning, hoping to come back to see family for christmas? yes, hello, good afternoon. yes, iam hoping to, but obviously with the

news that came out yesterday i am not sure what is going to happen now. i have spent late last night looking at flights, but with my work commitment for the next week it is not been possible to drop everything and go if the space of 24 hours. so goodness, i mean you are due to fly over, i think on 19th, and that would mean, so if you stick to that flight, would mean, so if you stick to that flight, that is two weeks or certainly ten days of self—isolation, i mean, what goes through your mind when you think of that as a christmas prospect?” through your mind when you think of that as a christmas prospect? i was hoping to make my three households my mum's house, dad's house and nan's house, they are the three households i wanted to spend my christmas with. but yeah, aam not sure now, i have heard it is possible that when i land i can take a test and if that is negative, then it is possible that that can be five

days so at the moment i am hoping that can happen. do you know other brits who, you know, yourfriends with, you live out there who are in the same boat? i mean i confess i don't know what the picture is like with covid there, but what has it been like? we feel really hard done by to be fair, because we have only had 930 odd cases, and at the moment we only have 47 active cases in this moment right now. the problem seems to come with tenerife, they have over 3500 active case, they have shut upa over 3500 active case, they have shut up a lot recently so everyone here is hoping that the government can give us the same treatment as they have given the greek islands and separate the islands, so if wow are coming back from tenerife you have to quarantine, fair enough, but if you are coming from somewhere like this it doesn't make sense. i feel like it, the moment i step off the plane in gatwick i am thinking i am ina the plane in gatwick i am thinking i am in a more dangerous situation

than here. well, that is ironic, i don't want to suggest this for you particularly but have you thought of just, i don't know, having christmas with your family at easter, just staying where you are for christmas? you have lots of work on and delaying the fez testties, would thaw be a possibility for you? -- festivities. my mum would hate it. i haven't been home, because of the pandemic i haven't not been back since 1st january. a whole year, my nan and grandad are very elderly so iam going nan and grandad are very elderly so i am going to go and see them. keep my distance and everything with them. i have thought about ways how it would be better when it is safe, and it is more safe to do so, but i don't know, i don't feel like i want tot have a christmas here i feel like it would be very lonely, i have myself and my housemate hand is about it. so i do want to be home for christmas if it is possible.” understand, erne does, gosh, really difficult times, thank you for

talking to us, i hope something works out for you, i'm not sure what is it going to be, thank you for speaking to us. david evans who has lived there for about a year—and—a—half and trying to get back for christmas. highly recommend a very funny saturday night live sketch about people telling their parents they are not coming home for christmas, thatis are not coming home for christmas, that is all i'm saying. genius! we will stay with covid because we can talk about the fact that nonessential shops in western scotla nd nonessential shops in western scotland have opened today. more than two million people have been living under the tightest restrictions since 20th november. pubs and restaurants are allowed to reopen tomorrow, but only under restricted hours, and they can only sell alcohol to takeaway. this from our scotland correspondent james shaw. before dawn in the centre of glasgow, shops getting ready for the expected rush after three weeks of lockdown. and the queues formed early at popular outlets. shoppers have less than two weeks to get everything

they need for christmas, and it is an anxious time for retailers as well. just how much will they be able to recoup the losses of this desperately difficult year? this is the golden quarter in terms of the trading year for retailers and hospitality, the period of time in the year when you build up your cash to sustain yourself in january, february, when times are harder. so, unfortunately, we've seen a lot of announcements as you know, or retailers who have finally had to call it a day. we are afraid that injanuary, when rent time comes around, we we're going to see a few more. meanwhile, pubs and restaurants in many parts of the west of scotland are still waiting to open their doors. that will not happen until tomorrow.

to use a good scottish word, it is a pretty dreich morning here on sauchiehall street, which perhaps explains why this street is busy this morning, but not absolutely packed. but for those who did brave the weather, there was a definite sense of relief to be out and about again. 0h. it feels nice, actually, it feels real nice but at the same time you have to be careful. i've got my sanitiser and my masks, three masks in my pocket. primark, card shop, perfume shop, and now mcdonald's for a coffee. and are you getting what you need? yeah. no — not enough money to get it! high streets up and down the country bear the scars of famous names that have failed in the past. the fate of many more now hangs in the balance. james shaw, bbc news. the public spending watchdog has strongly criticised the coronavirus test and trace service in england, which has a budget of £22 billion. the national audit office said in the early stages

of the programme, some contact tracers were busy for only 1% of their paid hours. the government said more recent performance figures had improved, as jim reed reports. this report covers the time up to the start of november, as england entered a second wave of the pandemic. on testing, it says plans were not in place to deal with a spike in cases as schools and universities reopened. at a drive—in site like this, the aim was to return results in 24 hours. but, by early november, just 38% of tests met that target. then there was a second key task — to trace anyone an infected person had been in contact with and tell them to self—isolate. here, again, the report is critical, saying too few people were called by tracers and it took too long to find those who were. test and trace had a target

for in—person tests in the community to get all of them back within 24 hours. in the period we looked out from may to october, it only managed to get 41% back within that timeframe, so it needs to look at the speed of what it's doing. more recent figures do appear to show the system is improving, but there have been changes in the way some data are recorded, making comparisons difficult. the government says it now plans to work more closely with local council teams to stop clusters of cases growing into outbreaks. the budget for test and trace this year is £22 billion, or £950 for each household. the watchdog says it must do more to justify that at a time when cases are rising across the country. jim reed, bbc news. we can talk now to conservative councillor ian hudspeth, who is chairman of the community wellbeing board at the local government association.

do you think there are valid criticisms in this report? all of -- one of the key things is that local government from the start of the pandemic has been ready to help and track and test and so we have been there waiting, it has been disappointing, we haven't been using the expertise of public health officials, and test and trace expertise, but now, we are working with government over 200 councils have got local teams in place, and this is is really good because it is so much easierfor a local contact to make, be seen by somebody, they know the area, they know what is going on, they can spot cluster, and more importantly with get boot on the ground make sure we are knocking on dooring and notifying people who

may have come innen co—tact others. do you think things are different today that it was back in march, april may at the beginning of all of this? yes, things are different. the government are working with us more and no core operation and so we will soon be able to get real time information, so we can get on top of local contacting, far earlier stage, because there has been the delay, and we have been involved in contacting those that haven't been able to be contacted by the national system and that has taken a day or so to do that, and that meant there has been the risk of potential spread as they contact other people but buyers getting earlier notification, we can go and meet the people. phone them and get in touch to, with all the people they have contacted, so we can stop the spread. i mean, i interviewed so many public health specialist at the beginning of the pandemic and they

we re beginning of the pandemic and they were all saying local heads of public health should be involved in this because they understand the patch, they understand the different demographics, why did that not happen at that stage? where was the break down in communication cases?” can't answer that, because it is government who decided to go another route and not use the good quality directors of public health minister, environmental health, trading standards, i think basically because the sheer scale of the operation, and they did need a national overview and the quantity of testing was very overview and the quantity of testing was very large, and i think that was the reason the government set up. however they are working using us which is much better and we are able to make that final contact in tracing which means we can stamp down on the virus and stop the spread. now we are looking to the coming months where we hope there will be roll out of a vaccine, are local bodies involved in that? yes,

local bodies involved in that? yes, local authorities are involved in that, involved with the planning, with the nhs partners, to find out how best it can be delivered, how we can get the vaccine to people, because that is the most important thing, but also what we have to stress at the moment is it is not time to relax and be complacent. we still must have space, use, wash your hand regularly and wear masks because the vaccine will take time to roll out and sighted important we continue with the measures to stop the spread as much as possible. and it is important. thank you. six former sub—postmasters have had fraud convictions linked to a faulty computer system quashed in court. the long—running scandal began when the post office installed a new computer system that led to hundreds of sub—postmasters being wrongly convicted. the post office has issued a statement saying that it sincerely apologises for historical failings and that determined action

to address the past has been taken, ensuring there is redress for those affected and to prevent such events ever happening again. it goes on to say that fundamental reforms have been made to forge a new relationship with postmasters, helping them to build thriving post office businesses for customers and communities throughout the uk. a pay rise for mps has been scrapped over concerns it would "not reflect the reality" that the public is facing from the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis. the independent parliamentary standards authority ordered a pay freeze for the next financial year. mps had been in line for a £3,300 pay rise. medical experts advising the us food and drug administration have recommended emergency approval for the pfizer—biontech coronavirus vaccine. the decision comes after a 23—member panel met to determine whether the drug's benefits

outweigh the risks. the pfizer vaccine has already been approved for the public in four other countries including the uk and canada. nomia iqbal reports from washington. fda and the sponsor, we agreed... a day long, live streamed meeting involving health experts may not make for exciting viewing, but this group of researchers and physicians are the key to america's path back to normality. one question i have is, why... they are part of an independent committee voting on whether the pfizer—biontech vaccine should be given to all americans. pfizer has applied for emergency authorisation. the group has been analyzing the effectiveness of the vaccine and any potential side effects, including the allergic reactions experienced by two british health workers who received the pfizer jab this week. the vote came down to a single question — whether or not the benefits of the vaccine outweigh its risks for use in individuals 16 years of age and older. so if we could please close the vote

and broadcast the results. in the end, 17 said yes, four said no. the next step is now for the united states food and drug administration to sign off the vaccine, this would then clear the way for the logistically complicated task of distributing it across all 50 states of america. but this is happening during a controversial transitional period. the incoming president says he wants to get 100 million people vaccinated in his first 100 days in office. whilst the outgoing president is more focused on overturning the election result, as well as criticizing the fda for not bringing out a vaccine earlier, but his administration insists, once that green light comes for the jabs, they are ready to roll them out. thanks to president trump's and vice president pence's leadership and operation warp speed and the historic mobilisation that has happened there, we expect to see 100 million vaccinations total by

the end of february. however, health experts say it could take until spring next year for enough americans to receive a vaccination to end the surging pandemic. in a sense, it's the beginning of the end, but the end is going to last a really long time. every single day, we're shattering records for the number of new cases, hospitalisations and deaths. many parts of the us are getting ready, though, and shipping in covid—19 vaccine kits, including syringes and personal protective equipment. all they need now is a vaccine. dame barbara windsor, whose acting career spanned more than 60 years, has died at the age of 83. she found fame in the carry on films of the 19605 and 70s, and went on to spend more than 20 years behind the bar of the queen vic in eastenders, playing the formidable landlady peggy mitchell. in 2014 barbara windsor was diagnosed with alzheimers

disease, and she spent the last few years of life campaigning for better understanding of the condition. our entertainment correspondent david sillito looks back at her life. barbara giggles. that'll do, that'll do. all right, girls, get in the coach, and you get on with the loading. barbara windsor — funny, cheeky and much loved. we were told to bring the minimum of clothing. now really let's see those chests come out! and fling! the tributes today, a testament to a career that goes back 70 years. matron, take them away! among them her eastenders co—stars. patsy palmer saying, i can hear that laugh now. daniella westbrook — my heart is broken. she was actually mentor to me and a good friend throughout everything in my life. she was just great fun. great, great fun.

born barbara ann deeks, she began acting as a teenager. her big break wasjoan littlewood's theatre workshop — oh, what a lovely war, things ain't what they used to be, sparrows can't sing — an inspiration for those who followed her path through the stratford east theatre. to grow up, carry on, and to be at the theatre royal and see her in pictures and the legend that she was, to be able to know her and work with her for the short time thsat i did, is super special, man, and i'm thankful for that. but her early fame in cabaret and stage also attracted shady company. she briefly dated reggie kray. but it was the carry on films which made her a star. hi. her entrance, always an excuse for something slightly saucy. have you got a large one? i've had no complaints so far! # up to the west end... but after those nine carry on films, there were some lean years, until she found peggy.

grant. mum. i heard you were back, i was going to give you a call. why didn't you, you useless great lump? peggy mitchell in eastenders, the new landlady at the queen vic, was a role made for her. you're unfit to be a father, don't you dare turn your back on me! 22 years in albert square... get out of my pub! ..which ended with barbara becoming dame barbara. dame babs sounds nice. my mum would like it to be dame barbara, she was a bit of a cockney snob. god, what would she be thinking now? however, her farewell to walford was also her farewell to acting. she had been diagnosed with alzheimer's. oh, my dearfriend... dame barbara windsor. ..you won't ever leave me, will you ? talent, warmth... no, sweetheart. ..and a lifetime... thank you. ..of cheeky fun.

ross kemp, who played barbara windsor‘s screen son grant mitchell in eastenders has tweeted in the last hour: and you can see a special programme paying tribute to barbara windsor this evening. babs is on bbc one, tonight at 7.35. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. it's not going to be raining all time this weekend, but there is some wet weather in the forecast and there has been

pretty wet weather for some. that was aberdeenshire, eastern scotland. has had some of the wettest of the weather, this band of rain moving away from eastern england, during the morning but it persisted across parts of eastern scotland, a feed of south—easterly winds off the north sea bringing this rain relentlessly into parts of aberdeenshire and caithness as well, and they will continue to see rain through the rest of the today. the ground is wet, there is the risk of disruption and potentially some flooding. some showery rain elsewhere as we end the day. that will become more organised and heavier in the west overnight. notice in the far west of the uk, northern ireland, wales and the south—west, some clearer skies moving in, that could allow temperatures to drop late on. those clearer skies in the west come courtesy of a temporary ridge of high pressure. the centre of the high is down to the south, but notice the white lines bulging

towards us, so this high exerting its influence temporarily and giving a slice of drier brighter weather. but eastern areas will hold on to cloud and showery rain. the further west you are the better chance we will peel back the cloud or see more in the way of sunshine, still one or two showers, light winds as well, temperatures around eight, nine or ten degrees, a little down on where we have been, but given sunshine and light winds that won't feel bad. as we go through saturday evening we will take this slice of clear sky and push it further eastwards and as that slice of clear skies passes overhead it will allow temperatures to drop. you can see a zone of lighter colours, temporarily a touch of frost, maybe fog as well. out west it is turning milder, because the winds will be strengthening and for sunday, well, we will see not only those brisk winds but pretty heavy bursts of rain, driving north—eastwards, just about all of us seeing wet weather, windy weather too.

we can expect exposed coasts could see gusts of 50mph or more, but with the winds coming up from the south it will be milder, with temperatures as high as 12 or 13 degrees.

this is bbc news. i'm rebecca jones. the headlines: the prime minister says it's very likely the uk will have to start trading with the eu on world trade organization terms from january 1st. it's looking very likely we will have to go for a solution that i think will be wonderful for the uk, we will be able to do exactly what we want, from january the 1st. the eu agrees that a no—deal brexit is now more likely than not — but says it could still be possible to strike a trade deal without the uk being forced to follow eu rules. they would remain free, sovereign, if you wish, to decide what they want to. we would simply adapt the conditions for access to our market according to the decision of the united kingdom,

and this would apply vice versa. the self—isolation period is being reduced from 14 days to ten, for anyone who's come into contact with a positive case of covid—19. wales's first minister says he can't rule out a post christmas lockdown, with the number of coronavirus cases on the rise. non—essential shops have opened for the first time in three weeks across much of western scotland, after a covid lockdown. tributes pour in for dame barbara windsor — carry—on star and landlady of the queen vic. we'll be taking a look back at her extraordinary life.

good afternoon. the european commission president ursula von der leyen has told eu leaders that a trade deal with the uk before sunday's deadline is unlikely — describing the talks as ‘difficult‘. her comments come after the prime minister urged businesses to prepare for a no—deal brexit when the transition period ends at the end of the month. speaking earlier today borisjohnson said it was very likely that from january the 1st, the uk would have to trade with the eu on world trade organization terms. here's our political correspondent iain watson: eu leaders met in brussels today, while negotiations with the uk went on behind closed doors. no deal remains a possibility, but the government says life could look like this, although without so much sunshine.

ministers say we can trade with the eu on australian terms. after all, they don't have a free trade deal with the eu and are doing ok. it's looking very, very likely that we'll have to go for a solution that i think would be, you know, wonderfulfor the uk, we'd be able to do exactly what we want from the 1st of january, obviously it would be different from what we set out to achieve, but i've no doubt that this country can get ready. government ministers haven't totally given up on getting what they call a canada plus deal. translated, it's one that cuts out the need for taxes on most goods to and from the continent. now, the uk could end up with something that is described as australia minus. because while australia has no free trade deal with the eu, it does have a series of mini deals and arrangements, on nuclear energy, for example, and on wine imports. and even then, a former australian prime minister says this arrangement is not exactly bonzer. there are very big barriers to australian exports of agricultural products in particular. there's a lot of friction. be careful what you wish for.

australia's relationship with the eu is not one, from a trade point of view, that britain think would want. call it an australian—type relationship, or call it no deal, there is a very real prospect that the talks between the eu and the uk end without agreement this weekend. that's because borisjohnson says no british prime minister could sign up to brussels' demands which would keep the uk in step with eu rules for years to come. the president of the european commission made it clear today that the uk could diverge from eu rules in the future, but there would be consequences, and there would be less access to european markets. this is not to say that we would require the uk to follow us every time we decide to raise our level of ambition, for example, in the environmental field. they would remain free, sovereign, if you wish, to decide what they want to do.

we would simply adapt the conditions for access to our market accordingly. eu leaders insist they are united. face—to—face negotiations with the uk continue in brussels this weekend. but the two sides still don't see eye to eye. iain watson, bbc news. earlier our europe correspondent nick beake explained why the european commission president ursula von der leyen was sounding downbeat. this private warning from ursula von der leyen that there is more chance of it now being a no deal mirrors the growing pessimistic mood here in brussels and also in london. but she did suggest that the offer that is on the table is a good one for the united kingdom, and to used the word sovereignty, saying that the uk wouldn't lose any sovereignty by accepting its terms and conditions. of course, sovereignty is a very big thing for borisjohnson.

he says the whole point of brexit is to take back control, and he doesn't want to cede any sovereignty. she said that in the future if the eu raised its standards in some different areas, whether that is food or agriculture, the uk wouldn't necessarily have to follow, wouldn't have to mirror that, but there would be implications, and uk sources are saying, although this sounds like a friendly offer, those implications may be very harsh tariffs or taxes on uk goods in the future, and this wouldn't amount to taking back control. we've also heard from president macron of france, he said he hopes in the future of the two sides can enjoy a harmonious relationship, and he denied when asked whether the french and the eu were having their cake and eat it, and this was specifically related to some contingency measures the european commissioner put forward in the last day or so which is to say, if there is no trade deal reached before december the 31st, the commission are suggesting that for all of next year, fishing access, eu boats going into uk waters, would remain the same.

president macron said he wasn't trying to have his cake and eat it, that famously was a phrase used by borisjohnson, but mr macron said that he did want to hold onto his portion of the cake. it's also been confirmed today by an eu source that borisjohnson had asked whether he could have individual conversations with president macron of france and angela merkel of germany, but the commission refused that. that's because they want to continue this process is one. they've got to michel barnier, their chief negotiator. they say he is the main man who was in the room, and if a deal is to be done, he will be the man who is there for that moment. nick beake in brussels. with me now is our political correspondentjessica parker. not correspondentjessica parker. much optimism on e but not much optimism on either side, but do you have any sense at all of whether there might be any progress behind—the—scenes? whether there might be any progress behind-the-scenes? these talks, as

we know, i'm going on in private, so the biggest clue is that we have to go on are along the signs of what we are hearing from ursula von der leyen, the european commission president, and indeed the prime minister borisjohnson. president, and indeed the prime minister boris johnson. you've president, and indeed the prime minister borisjohnson. you've got to think he will have hotline to those talks, and neither of them optimistic with those sticking points still very much remaining. fishing rights and is well the idea of the uk being tied to eu standards, and if they wanted to diverging future, what kind of potential retaliatory measures there might be. boris johnson potential retaliatory measures there might be. borisjohnson earlier in the week in prime minister's questions suggested the eu wanted an automatic right to punish the uk if in future it decided to diverging from the european union standards on things like the environment, things like workers' rights. had some pushback from eu sources this afternoon suggesting that is not the

case, that no one party should have an automatic right to retaliatory measures on trade. but my understanding is what mechanism they could use to try and decide what could use to try and decide what could be done, that is the sort of thing that is being looked at in these negotiations. sunday is the current deadline for deciding where these talks are going, but to what extent that deadline is finally final, and of course we have seen brexit deadlines come and go before. we have indeed. jessica parker in westminster, thank you. we have heard a lot in the last few days about in australia style deal. i'm joined now from the newsroom by our style deal. reality check correspondent chris morris. is it essentially no deal, or are there differences? it is essentially no deal, because australia doesn't have a deal with the european union, so you trade on world trade organization terms. that is a bigger

issue for the uk dealing with the eu then for australia. if we look at then for australia. if we look at the terms of trade at the moment, 5196 the terms of trade at the moment, 51% of uk imports come from the eu. these are 2019 figures last year, and 43% of all our exports go to the eu, so it is a massive amount of our trade, and if you trade on world trade organization terms, there will be tariffs on goods moving in both directions. some of them won't be necessarily that high, for example on industrial goods, so non—agricultural goods. those tariffs are just under 3%. other tariffs are just under 3%. other tariffs can be higher, so then we get 2.8% for non—agricultural produce, but things like cars, for example, the tariff on cars a 10%, thatis example, the tariff on cars a 10%, that is something paid by the companies that take those cars across the border, and some of those

costis across the border, and some of those cost is probably going to be passed to the consumer. on dairy and meat, you can have tariffs as high as 35%, soa you can have tariffs as high as 35%, so a large chunk of our trade potentially with these tariffs put on them very suddenly, very abruptly, if there is no deal at the end of the year. so if that is the case, and essentially this is what a no deal looks like, should we be calling it an afghanistan style deal, but should we be calling it in australia style deal? it looks like they have a close a deal than the uk could potentially have with the eu ina few could potentially have with the eu in a few days' time. although they have the baseline world trade organization rules, they do have little agreements between the eu and australia on things like

agricultural tariffs, online and on product standards, there is an agreement which basically means you have to do less checks on the standard of products when they cross borders, so there are fewer delays. so all of these things mean that australia has a little bit above world dragon —— world trade organization basic rules, but the uk would be trading on the most basic rules there are. so your question implied that, the use of the word australia rather than afghanistan, it sounds familiar, they play cricket, they speak english, but make no mistake, this would not be a cuddly koala bear brexit. it would bea cuddly koala bear brexit. it would be a very abrupt change in the way we govern our economy and have done for 40 years. of course brexiteers say that is exactly what they want, they want the abrupt change, they wa nt they want the abrupt change, they want the clean break, they want the chance to go their own way. but we have heard from businesses throughout the day and in a crescendo over the last few weeks, most of the businesses who export and import from europe say for them it would be an extremely challenging

and difficult time. and just briefly, what about services which are so crucial to the uk economy? almost all the focus on this deal is on the trade in goods, but it is broader than that. yes, what happens to services, we are waiting to see whether they would be separate announcements from the eu that they would recognise for example that the uk rules on financial services are roughly the same as theirs, and without that it would be much more difficult for british financial services firms to operate in europe. but don't forget it is also broader still than that, things like security and policing, we have had senior police officer saying if we abruptly lose access to databases on things like fingerprints, criminal records and wanted persons, that is going to be to a fairly significant detriment of the way police operate in this country. it is something certainly former pro—minister theresa may has raised on several occasions in the house of commons, and she feels strongly about, so it is notjust and she feels strongly about, so it is not just about this narrow focus

on the trade in goods crossing borders. no deal encompasses a much broader range of things. chris, a lwa ys broader range of things. chris, always good to have you with us, thank you. from monday, the time that people must self—isolate after coming into contact with someone who's tested postive for covid—19 will be reduced from 14 to ten days. it also applies to anyone who's returned from a country which isn't on the government's safe travel list. it comes as mass testing of secondary school pupils and staff in parts of kent, london and essex is rolled out. our health correspondent katharine da costa has more. pupils at this school in dagenham are being encouraged to get tested for coronavirus this weekend. cases have been rising sharply among 11—18—year—olds in parts of north east london, kent and essex. these people think it is a good idea. i feel like it will be useful, and efficient, ensuring the rate remains low and not increasing. i know some people in my school, they may not be ambitious

for the whole testing thing, with the fake rumours, but it is about helping the community. following a trial in liverpool last month, pupils, staff and parents will be offered rapid swab tests providing results in 30 minutes. one in three don't have any symptoms which is why mass testing is seen as a priority to help schools and communities get on top of the virus. what we have lost in the past is the ability to control and plan for the future. this possibly will give us in the short term the opportunity to know what we are dealing with. the programme as it rolls out into schools with our older students i think is positive way forward. extra mobile testing units will be sent out to secondary schools in the worst—affected areas, but teaching unions think, like in wales, they should close next week instead. is the testing, which will take a couple of days, schools will close on friday,

is that a better decision than the one in wales where essentially you are stopping the community transmission? in the week to the 5th of december covid cases were falling in most areas of england. the latest figures show one in 115 had the virus, but cases were rising in london and the east of england. one in 120 had the virus in scotland and wales. while scotland remains stable, cases were rising in wales. they were falling in northern ireland where half as many people had the virus. while mass testing is being rolled out in more hotspots in england, self isolation rules are being simplified. from monday, england, scotland and northern ireland will follow wales in reducing the period to ten days. the tail end of infectiousness, if you like, is the one where you are least likely to transmit infection. so allowing somebody out of self—isolation a short time earlier than that is a reasonable balance between managing the risk to the public, but allowing us not to intrude

on their lives. there is still a question mark over whether london and essex will be moved into tier 3 when measures are reviewed next week. some hospitals are already under significant pressure and another surge may mean tougher restrictions are needed. health leaders say a third wave is not inevitable, but what we do now will shape how the pandemic plays out. katharine da costa, bbc news. dr bharat pankhania is a senior clinical lecturer at university of exeter medical school. he told us why the government has changed the self isolation period. indeed, so most of the cases will have occurred within three to five days, and the majority within ten days, and then from ten to 14 days, are very few number. and the checks and balances

for the very few number is you do a check at the end of your ten days quarantine period, have i got any signs? have i got any symptoms? have i got a temperature? do i feel lethargic, do i feel anything different from before. and if you go to that check plus the ten days, i think we are in a safer territory. the other benefit that may come from this is compliance, because people need to get bread on the table, and if it is reduced from 14 to ten days, and people can become economically active, maybe there are more likely to also comply. let's get more on the latest infection figures which have been released today. our head of statistics robert cuffe is here. what are statistics telling us? in northern ireland, slightly under one in 200 people have the virus at the moment, and that is going over time. in the rest of the uk it is a bit higher, just under one and 100, but in wales, the numbers of people are going up with the virus, in scotland

it is probably flat, may be ticking down, and in england his coming down. but the picture within england is mixed. we are seeing in the north of england infection is coming down, cases coming down, hospitalisations coming down, r below 1, but it looks like the southeast and east of england are coming up to meet in the middle. the south—east hasn't caught up middle. the south—east hasn't caught up with the north yet. and where are these figures coming from, and how reliable are they? they are mainly coming from the office for national statistics survey of infected people, and there is debate about how reliable the figures are this week. the basis for lockdown on these numbers, the question is whether it was justified because they changed over time. back when we we re they changed over time. back when we were going into lockdown, the ons thought there were about 50,000 new infections every day in england in the middle of october, and i think we can show that data to the

audience now. the grey line across the middle of the chart, but the ons have published new figures every week, and we can see each of those lines represent one you publish uk should, and as the new figures came out, and the numbers came down and down until the most recent data say it looks like there were 25,000 new infections per day, not 50, and that has led some people the question, was the case for lockdown overstated ? was the case for lockdown overstated? what the ons say is that it is actually very difficult to estimate the number of new infections every day. those data, it is hard to get those data and the figures can move around a little. it is much more reliable to look at their headline measure, the number of people who have the virus, so the figures we have been talking about, the one in 100 people who have it. and if you try and do that exercise, i had to take away all the dates,

because the lines are all on top of each other, they didn't really evolve, there is a consistent picture that the number of people with coronaviruses worrying —— rising through october, so although it is very difficult to measure the actual numbers each day, this main measure is pretty solid and it looks like the cases for lockdown on that basis wasn't being exaggerated. robert cuffe, thank you for that update. uk and russian scientists will team up to see if the british oxford—astrazeneca and russian sputnik v vaccines can be combined to improve protection against covid—19. it's thought mixing two similar vaccines could lead to a better immune response in people — both through boosting immunity and increasing access to vaccines. the trials, which will be held in russia, will involve volunteers over the age of 18, although it's not clear how many people will be involved.

two serial rapists who were each given a life sentence are to have the minimum time they must spend in prison increased. the high court has ruled that joseph mccann, who was jailed last year for 37 offences involving women and children, and reynhard sinaga jailed in january for 159 offences against 48 men, will now both have to serve a minimum of 40 years. the judges rejected calls for whole—life prison terms, which have never been imposed in a non—murder case. earlier my colleaguejane hill got the reaction from solicitor general michael ellis. well, this was a good result in the court of appeal announced today. the reality is that these were some of the most heinous and serious offences ever seen in the courts of this country.

a campaign of rape, in the case of sinaga, over 40 male victims, and the other, mccann, in a period ofjust 15 days, 37 offences against over seven people. and the reality is there were 11 victims in that case. the reality is that no sentence that any court could pass is going to really satisfy the demand of those people who have been so seriously affected by these horrific offences. but i went to the court of appeal, to argue in favour of a whole life sentence. they had originally received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. the lord chiefjustice and the court of appeal said that that would not be appropriate,

but they did increase the minimum term of both of these men to one of at least 40 years. and people following this story might remember, they were two absolutely horrific cases, and people will have been very disturbed if they read any of the details, therefore people listening to you might think, why couldn't you have that sentence of effectively no release for these crimes that were particularly horrific? well, that is a very fair question, and it is one that we put to the court of appeal. i personally went to the court of appeal to put that argument. the court came to the decision, it was a very senior court, as i say, with a bench of five judges hearing this matter, and they came to the conclusion that really, although this was an exceptionally serious case, the whole life tariff should generally speaking be reserved,

saved for the most horrific cases, for where there has been a loss of life. in other words, usually murder cases. and although of course they acknowledge that this was an incredibly serious series of offences, they took the view that the whole life tariff, which was of course our most severe sentence available in ourjurisdiction, that whole life tariff, where no one can be released, should be reserved to cases where there has been a serious loss of life. six former sub—postmasters have had fraud convictions linked to a faulty computer system quashed in court. the long—running scandal began when the post office installed a new computer system that led to hundreds of sub—postmasters being wrongly convicted. the post office has issued a statement saying that it sincerely apologises for historical failings and that determined action

to address the past has been taken, ensuring there is redress for those affected and to prevent such events ever happening again. it goes on to say that fundamental reforms have been made to forge a new relationship with postmasters, helping them to build thriving post office businesses for customers and communities throughout the uk. we can speak now to susan rudkin, who was wrongly accused of stealing £44,000 in 2009 and had her conviction quashed today. we are so delighted you can join us, andi we are so delighted you can join us, and i must start by asking you your reaction to the news today. actually, it has been overwhelming. after such a long time of fighting, along with all the other claimants,

it is just fantastic. fantastic news today, and hopefully more to follow, and just overwhelmed with it all. can you take us back in time and just tell us what happened to you and your husband? yes, i was experiencing losses within the post office which couldn't be explained. ididn't office which couldn't be explained. i didn't get any help from the helpline. and as things went along, it just took over. helpline. and as things went along, itjust took over. i wasn't able to cope with it. my husband was the chief executive of the national federation of sub—postmaster, and he worked in london quite a lot, and

eventually, when the auditors came in, even though i explained, they just said i had taken the money. and it's very difficult for any individual to pull data and get data from the system, to interrogate it, that was really difficult. sorry to interrupt you, i that some postmasters did admit to certain crimes in order to try and make the whole thing go away. is that what you did? what we are convicted for? it was your conviction that was

quashed today. i was convicted of stealing £44,000, of which i didn't do. and ijust wonder in the light of that conviction, what impact did that conviction have on you?m of that conviction, what impact did that conviction have on you? it was just unbearable. it made me ill. it upset all of the family. friends. they didn't want to know. staff turned their backs. it was just devastating. i just can't turned their backs. it was just devastating. ijust can't explain how i felt. and as i say, itjust made me terribly ill. i think

anybody listening to what has happened to you will absolutely understand that, and then you've been battling now to get the conviction quashed. the post office has sincerely apologised for what it calls historical failings, and promised fundamental reforms to help. i do have to ask you, is that apology enough? no. they've totally ruined my life. and a lot of other people. and they need to be held accountable for that. because this process has been totally unnecessary. and what about your husband? unnecessary. and what about your husband ? what impact unnecessary. and what about your husband? what impact has this had on him? i can't really speak for my husband.

but obviously, it has impacted both of us, equally. yes. andjust but obviously, it has impacted both of us, equally. yes. and just to go back to the post office, i mean, what would you like them to do now? imean, you what would you like them to do now? i mean, you can't reclaim the years that you have been under the pressure that you have been discussing with us, but going forward , discussing with us, but going forward, how, how could they make amends? well... compensation for ruining people's lives in some cases taking away homes, businesses, livelihoods. just totally ruining people's lives, so they should be held accountable and they should be some form of compensation for what they have done to people. just a final thought. given that this is a momentous day isn't it. you have had

your conviction quashed. i appreciate it is not all going to suddenly disappear what you are been through, but i wonder is there anything that you are particularly looking forward to now, as you do move forward ? looking forward to now, as you do move forward? that i can actually hold my head up high and say, see, i was telling the truth. and walk down the street with confidence. well, susan rudkin it has been a pleasure to talk to you and discuss what has happened to you and your family on bbc news, we are very grateful. thank you. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. we can expect to see rain over the weekend. saturday will bring brighter weather but as we head through today, rain continues to affect eastern scotland. overnight

we continue to push this showery rain eastwards, most of us keeping cloud, that will hold temperatures up cloud, that will hold temperatures up but late in the night the skies will clear across part of northern ireland, maybe the far west of wales and the south—west of england. that could allow temperatures to dip late in the night. the clear skies will edge eastwards through the day tomorrow. the further east you are you can expect to keep a lot of cloud and showery rain but further west, the sun should put in an appearance, albeit with one or two showers. the winds pretty light for most and temperatures up to eight or nine or ten degrees. temperatures on sunday will be higher for some nine or ten degrees. temperatures on sunday will be higherfor some but only because we will have stronger winds and rain. it stays unsettled by mild into the start of the new week. hello this is bbc news, with rebecca jones. the headlines. the prime minister says it's very likely the uk will have to start trading with the eu on world trade organization terms

from january the first. the eu agrees that a no—deal brexit is now more likely than not — but says it could still be possible to strike a trade deal without the uk being forced to follow eu rules. the self—isolation period is being reduced from 14 days to ten, for anyone who's come into contact with a positive case of covid—19. tributes pour in for dame barbara windsor — carry on star and landlady of the queen vic. we'll be taking a look back at her extraordinary life sport, and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah. hello sarah. good afternoon. anthonyjoshua and kubrat pulev have weighed in and exchanged heated words ahead of the saturday's world title fight — with joshua warning his heavyweight opponent

that he will face "the real one". the bulgarian boxer goaded the briton at this afternoon's weigh in — with his team booing joshua's arrival. it drew the animated and heated exchange between the boxers — withjoshua saying afterwards he wouldn't repeat what he had said to pulev. security had to intervene at one stage. the romanian officials in charge of the abandoned champions league game between paris st—germain and istanbul basaksehir have been stood down from their domestic league matches until uefa's disciplinary case into the match has been heard. uefa is investigating an allegation from the turkish club that romanian fourth official sebastian coltescu made a racist comment towards assistant coach pierre webo in tuesday's match. both sets of players walked off in protest and the match abandoned. it was played to a finish on wednesday with a new set of officials. newcastle united manager steve bruce says he will be missing "a big

chunk" of players for tomorrow's match against west brom. the newcastle training ground was closed last week amid a coronavirus outbreak and their game against aston villa was postponed. he wouldn't reveal how many cases of covid—19 hit the club, but he said it was significantly more than the eight that slaven bilic had to deal with recently at west brom. the actions of shutting down the training ground, as i said, none of us has seen each other since crystal palace, so we had been away for the best part of ten days, which is not ideal, don't get me wrong but it was a matter of, that was the best way forward, and, thankfully, we hope that we have curtailed it. it certainly looks that way, with two negative tests to everybody concerned. last monday and on wednesday, so that has put us in a position where we can play the game. essex batsman dan lawrence has earned his first call—up to the england squad, for the test tour to sri lanka. they set off on the 2nd of january for two matches, which will be played behind closed

doors in galle. ben stokes has been rested. he'll return in february for the test series against india. the same goes forjofra archer. the selectors will be giving a block of rest to all multi—format players at various points over the winter. moeen ali and jonny bairstow have both been recalled in a 16—strong squad, with seven travelling reserves. and dan lawrence made his debut for brisbane heat in the big bash today — but he was on the losing side and he scored just eight runs. melbourne stars bowled them out for 125 and then reached their victory target with almost three overs to spare, winning by six wickets. there was unexpected drama towards the end of second practice for this weekend's season ending adu dhabi grand prix. kimi raikkonen's haas car caught fire with just under 20 minutes to go. the finnish driver managed to find a safe spot to pull over and got out safely before helping marshals to extinguish the flames. mercedes' valtteri bottas topped

the time sheets ahead of team mate lewis hamilton who's returned after recovering from coronavirus. patrick reed took control of the race to dubai with a brilliant round of 64 to put him two shots clear heading into the weekend of the season ending world tour championship in dubai. reed is looking to become the first american to top the rankings — but england's tommy fleetwood could overtake him with victory on sunday. he's four off the pace after a round of 69, dropped two shots on his closing six holes. nigel owens, world rugby's most capped referee with 100 tests, has brought an end to his 17—year international career. he's announced last month's autumn nations cip match between france and italy was his final international. he took charge of the 2015 world cup final and says he hopes to continue to referee in the pro 14 and locally in wales.

that's all the sport for now, but there's more on the bbc sport website, including the news of fifa's best award finalists, where england's lucy bronze is one of three nominated for the women's award. wales' first minister mark drakeford has warned that a post—christmas lockdown could come into force if the number of coronavirus cases does not begin to fall. a five—day relaxation of rules begins on 23 december across the uk, but with more than 1,900 covid patients in hospital there is pressure for tougher rules from the 28 december. here is the first minister speaking earlier this afternoon. our nhs staff are doing an incredible job under very difficult circumstances, and i thank them all for everything they have done throughout the pandemic, and continue to do so.

but there is only so much we can ask of them. there is only so much we can ask of our national health service. put quite simply, the nhs will not be able to cope as it is today if we continue to see this level of coronavirus—related admissions in the coming weeks on top of normal winter pressures. now, i must be clear with everybody this afternoon. if the strengthened measures of last week and the extra actions of this week, together with the efforts each and every one of us need to make, if those measures do not succeed in turning the tide of the virus, then it is inevitable that we will have to consider a move to alert level 4 that we will have to consider a move to alert level 4.

non—essential shops across much of western scotland, including glasgow, have opened today for the first time in three weeks. more than two million people have been living under the tightest restrictions since 20th november. pubs and restaurants are allowed to reopen tomorrow, but only under restricted hours, and they can only sell alcohol to takeaway. this from our scotland correspondent james shaw. before dawn in the centre of glasgow, shops getting ready for the expected rush after three weeks of lockdown. and the queues formed early at popular outlets. shoppers have less than two weeks to get everything they need for christmas, and it is an anxious time for retailers as well.

just how much will they be able to recoup the losses of this desperately difficult year? this is the golden quarter in terms of the trading year for retailers and hospitality, the period of time in the year when you build up your cash to sustain yourself in january, february, when times are harder. so, unfortunately, we've seen a lot of announcements as you know, or retailers who have finally had to call it a day. we are afraid that injanuary, when rent time comes around, we're going to see a few more. meanwhile, pubs and restaurants in many parts of the west of scotland are still waiting to open their doors. that will not happen until tomorrow. to use a good scottish word, it is a pretty dreich morning here on sauchiehall street, which perhaps explains why this street is busy this morning, but not absolutely packed. but for those who did brave the weather, there was a definite sense of relief to be out and about again. 0h.

it feels nice, actually, it feels real nice but at the same time you have to be careful. i've got my sanitiser and my masks, three masks in my pocket. primark, card shop, perfume shop, and now mcdonald's for a coffee. and are you getting what you need? yeah. no — not enough money to get it! high streets up and down the country bear the scars of famous names that have failed in the past. the fate of many more now hangs in the balance. james shaw, bbc news. in northern ireland, nonessential shops and most hospitality businesses have reopened today — though pubs that don't serve food must remain closed. close contact services like hairdressers are also allowed to reopen. but the leaders of the devolved government say people must still follow public health advice and limit their social contacts. here's our ireland correspondent chris page.

the circuit breaker has finished, so circuit training is beginning again. gym goers were among the first to get back their routines on the big reopening day, working out at six o'clock this morning. it's great, there's a good atmosphere about the place, and i think that downtime, and periods in the house where we were kind of cooped up, its ideal to get out and do something active. it's been stop, start, stop, start, no—one knows, but i hope this is our last lockdown. restaurants have been restricted to takeaway only since mid—october. some have enlarged their outdoor spaces for reopening, but business is still going to be tough. labour—wise, we've probably spent £3,000 on staff coming in, cleaning the place, tidying, setting out rotas, ordering, getting prepped in the kitchen. so, probably £3,000 this week already. so, next week we'll probably just break even, if we're lucky. non—essential retailers have reopened after being shut for two

of their busiest four weeks of the year. gift—buying shoppers picked up where they had left off. happy days, you can get christmas stuff in. it's amazing, i'm so glad that they're opening, a wee bit of christmas spirit. the pandemic is still there, you know, i think it's good for the economy, but people just need to be cautious about it. it certainly doesn't feel like there has been a rush back to the shops, though it is slightly busier than normal for this time on a friday. the devolved government is stressing that the last two weeks of restrictions actually haven't brought down the infection rate as much as had been hoped. so, ministers are asking people to be as careful as they possibly can. on a visit to a contact tracing centre, the leaders of the stormont executive were emphasising the need for caution. i know it's christmas and i know people want to go out and do the things that they normally do, but we have to just do things differently this year. the vaccine is here and we're on the road

to normality but we just have to stick with the guidance that is there at the moment. be safe, be careful, mind yourself, mind your family, look after each other. the next number of weeks is going to be crucial. if you want to have a christmas, then please think carefully about your actions over the next number of days and weeks. # auld lang syne... the lockdown is being loosened as we go into the last few weeks of a uniquely challenging year. but northern ireland is already braced for the possibility of more restrictions around the end of 2020. chris page, bbc news. an egyptian man dubbed bin laden's spokesman in europe has returned to the uk following his jail sentence in the united states. adel bary was released from a us prison and deported after a senior new york judge concluded the prisoner had a high risk of contracting covid—19. in 1998, bary was the europe—based publicist for al-qaeda leaders and told journalists that the terror group had bombed us embassies in east africa.

the headlines on bbc news: the prime minister says it's very likely the uk will have to start trading with the eu on world trade organization terms from january 1st. the self—isolation period is being reduced from 14 days to ten, for anyone who's come into contact with a positive case of covid—19. wales's first minister says he can't rule out a post christmas lockdown, with the number of coronavirus cases on the rise. dame barbara windsor, whose acting career spanned more than 60 years, has died at the age of 83. she found fame in the carry on films of the 19605 and 705, and went on to spend more than 20 years behind the bar of the queen vic in eastender5,

playing the formidable landlady peggy mitchell. in 2014 barbara windsor was diagnosed with alzheimers disease, and she spent the last few years of life campaigning for better understanding of the condition. our entertainment correspondent david sillito looks back at her life. barbara giggles. that'll do, that'll do. all right, girls, get in the coach, and you get on with the loading. barbara windsor. funny, cheeky, and much loved. so we were told to bring the minimum of clothing. now, really let's see tho5e che5t5 come out! the tribute5 today a testament to a career that goes back ooh, matron, take them away! among them, her eastenders co—stars. patsy palmer: "i can hear that laugh now."

danniella westbrook: "my heart is broken." you know, she was actually a mentor to me and a good friend to me throughout everything in my life, and she wasjust great fun. great, great fun. born barbara ann deeks, she began acting as a teenager. her big break wasjoan littlewood's theatre workshop. oh, what a lovely war, things ain't what they used to be, sparrows can't sing. an inspiration for those who followed her path through the stratford east theatre. to grow up carry on, and to be at the theatre royal and see her in pictures and the legend that she was, and to be able to know her and work with her for the short time that i did is super special, man, and i'm thankful for that. but her early fame in cabaret and stage also attracted some shady company. she briefly dated reggie kray. but it was the carry on films that made her a star. hi. her entrance always an excuse for something slightly saucy. sorry. have you got a large one? i've had no complaints so far. he cackles. # up to the west end! but after those nine carry on films,

there were some lean years. until she found peggy. grant! mum. i heard you were back, i was going to give you a call. then why didn't you, you u5ele55 great lump? peggy micthell in eastender5, the new landlady of the queen vic, was a role made for her. you're unfit to be a father! don't you dare turn your back on me! get off me! 22 years on albert square... get outta my pub! ..which ended with barbara becoming dame barbara. dame bab5 sounds nice, doesn't it? my mum would have liked it to be dame barbara — she was a bit of a cockney 5nob, my mum. so she would be, "dame barbara." god, what would she be thinking now? what would she be thinking? however, her farewell to walford was also her farewell to acting. she'd been diagnosed with alzheimer's. oh, my dear friend. you'll never leave me will you?

dame barbara wind5or, talent, warmth... no, sweetheart. thank you. ..and a lifetime of cheeky fun. and you can see a special programme paying tribute bab5 is on bbc one, tonight at 7.35. disney is the latest major studio to divert its focus from cinema to streaming. it's just announced plans for ten new television series based in the star wars universe. disney plus, which was launched just over a year ago, now has nearly 87 million 5ub5criber5 — a figure far exceeding its own predictions for customer growth. our news reporter, paul hawkins, explains. disney+ has been running now for a year, and there are up to 87 million, which, if we put it in the context of all the other streaming services that they are up against, netflix, being the top one, with 195 million subscribers. they have been going for 13 years. then we have the next

one down, amazon prime. they have been going a lot less than that and they are on 150 million subscribers. but disney+ on 86.8 million 5ub5criber5 after a year, and also, running for a year is apple tv+, but they have only got 34 million subscribers, so apple tv have a lot of catching up to do. and good news for another disney franchise — harrison ford is to return to his role as adventurer indiana jones. the film, to be directed byjames mangold, is to be the 78—year—old actor's fifth and final instalment a5 indiana jones. the actor first appeared in raiders of the lost ark in 1981 followed in 1984 by indiana jones and the temple of doom, then indiana jones and the last crusade in 1989. let's get more on all this now with film critic a5hanti omkar.

we will come on to harrison ford and indiana jones in due course, i want to first of all talk to you about disney moving away from cinema, to streaming, in your view, disney moving away from cinema, to streaming, in yourview, i5 disney moving away from cinema, to streaming, in your view, is this the death of going to the cinema? you know what, when i heard this whole statement that was announced, it was a huge four hour presentation, mo5t of us were staying up the whole night. it was overwhelming because they are following a hybrid model, 5o, they are following a hybrid model, so, they have got a lot coming to streaming but they also have stuff thatis streaming but they also have stuff that is going on to the cinema screens and this is a very good sign for me, because i saw, i was lucky enough to see the new wonderful whoer woman from warner brothers at the i marx, and that experience must never die. the fact is that warner brother5e5 are going to be showing the5e brother5e5 are going to be showing these on hbo max, but the fact is

that a lot of studios are looking to get theirfilms on that a lot of studios are looking to get their films on the bigger screens, and disney are no exception, except they are creating a lot of contonight compete the streaming war5 ju5t a lot of contonight compete the streaming war5 just like their star wars, so that people are able to watch these at homes as well as watch these at homes as well as watch them on the big screen, and some things are meant for the big screen, some things are meant for the big 5creen, they are certainly working ona 5creen, they are certainly working on a lot of films that will come on the big screen. i personally don't think that is going to away any time 5oon. think that is going to away any time soon. is this move to streaming mainly because of the pandemic, or would it have happened any way?” personally think it would have happened any way, just because of the consumer clout that netflix has built up. that plus amazon, you know, amazon have gone on prime have gone on to invest all over the world in cinema, for example netflix has spent so much money creating content and this content war was always going to start in a big way and disney who have such a big monopoly,

it was time for them to catch up in some way and this they have announced is giving fans #k6d and i am sure the investors will follow. yes, let us talk about this. i know they have announced more star wars film, more marvel film, am i being cynical if i say the message is there is money to be made in franchises? absolutely not. you are spot on. the franchise model seems to work, just because the characters are well—known, already to the audiences so it is just a matter of then building up on the story, that seems to be very very important. also, for a lot of the younger generation who haven't had a chaps to catch up on some of the character, how do you bring that back to them, and this is a very good way to do it. they might go back and watch some of the older films. disney plus has a lot of the old co nte nt films. disney plus has a lot of the old content that is already on the

platform, so it is, it seems like a natural you know, segway for them to be able to do it and bring the spin offs , be able to do it and bring the spin offs, with star wars, that was a christmas movie we have been watching every year and without that, we are getting stuff going straight on the disney plus, you can watch that with the whole of the family, then you have something like the manned loreian which hasjust given a new era to star wars as a franchise and all the little things that are coming off that, with a female—centric lead, there is a lot of diversity that is going on with what they have done with the marvel cinematic universe as well, so it is a very exciting time because they are able to focus on so many different layers that were much—needed as change in cinema. some of it is to go on that big screen, some beam straight do your house and you have have you huge volume of people who want toe so it.

the beauty of streaming is the number of territories they can access, so easily. and notjust one person going in with £20 for a ticket. the whole family gets to see it. there is a point to be made that you may be paying for the streaming service and you will probably have to pay for the film on top of that. i wanted to ask you about harrison ford but we are out of time. i assume you think that is a good idea? it is a great idea. they are deageing techniques they can use and the man is a legend, he looks great for 78. we have to leave it there. thank you. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. it's not going to be raining all the time this weekend, but there is some wet weather in the forecast, and there has been pretty wet weather for some. that was aberdeenshire earlier. eastern scotland has had some of the wettest of the weather, because this band of rain moving

away from eastern england during the morning, but it persisted across parts of eastern scotland, a feed of south—easterly winds off the north sea bringing this rain quite relentlessly into parts of aberdeenshire and caithness as well, and they will continue to see rain through the rest of today. the ground is very wet, there is the risk of local disruption and potentially some flooding. some showery rain elsewhere as we end the day. that will become more organised and heavier in the west overnight. notice in the far west of the uk, northern ireland, wales and the south—west, some clearer skies moving in, that could allow temperatures to drop late on. those clearer skies in the west come courtesy of a temporary ridge of high pressure. the centre of the high is down to the south, but notice the white lines bulging towards us, so this high exerting its influence temporarily and giving a slice of drier brighter weather. but eastern areas will hold on to cloud and showery rain.

the further west you are the better chance we will peel back the cloud or see more in the way of sunshine, still one or two showers, light winds as well, temperatures around eight, nine or ten degrees, a little down on where we have been, but given sunshine and light winds that won't feel bad. as we go through saturday evening we will take this slice of clear sky and push it further eastwards and as that slice of clear skies passes overhead it will allow temperatures to drop. you can see a zone of lighter colours, temporarily a touch of frost, maybe fog as well. out west it is turning milder, because the winds will be strengthening, and for sunday, well, we will see not only those brisk winds but pretty heavy bursts of rain, driving north—eastwards, just about all of us seeing wet weather, windy weather too. we can expect exposed coasts could see gusts of 50mph or more, but with the winds coming up from the south it will be milder, with temperatures as high

as 12 or 13 degrees. this is bbc news. i'm rebecca jones. the headlines — the prime minister says it's very likely the uk will have to start trading with the eu on world trade organization terms from january the 1st. it's looking, you know, very, very likely that we'll have to go for a solution that i think will be, you know, wonderfulfor the uk. we'd be able to do exactly what we want from january the 1st. the self—isolation period is being reduced from 14 days to ten for anyone who's come into contact with a positive case of covid—19 and also people returning from high—risk countries. wales's first minister says he can't rule out a post—christmas lockdown with the number of coronavirus cases on the rise. nonessential shops have opened for the first time in three weeks