this is bbc news. i'm kasia madera with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. borisjohnson isjoined by the eu in saying they're unlikely to strike a post—brexit trade deal by sunday, with differing interpretations of how a new relationship might look. "get it done." the trump administration puts pressure on regulators to approve a coronavirus vaccine, asking it to do so within hours. scientists say they've identified genetic variants that make some people more likely to develop severe covid symptoms. all right, girls, get in with the coach! and tributes poor in for the british actress dame barbara windsor, who has died at the age of 83. —— pour in.

both boris johnson and the president of the european commission have spoken in gloomy terms about the likelihood of a post—brexit trade deal. the two leaders have agreed to make a decision on the future of the negotiations by the end of the weekend. early this evening the british prime minister chaired a meeting with ministers to revisit contigency plans for how to manage no—deal. alex forsyth reports. it was a covid welcome for the prime minister today at a firm providing energy for the future. more immediate trade talks, though, must be on his mind. negotiators are still working out which way they'll go as borisjohnson warned again reaching agreement with the eu looks doubtful. it's looking, you know, 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 january the 1st, though obviously it would be different from what we'd set out to achieve. but i have no doubt that this country can get ready, and as i say, come out on world trade terms. so, for those affected, what does that mean? this farm exports barley to the eu. if there's no deal come january, world trade rules kick in, meaning tariffs or taxes on goods moving between here and the continent, which could push costs up. i think for the industry as a whole, it'll be disastrous. we've got a perfect storm approaching of these support payments being taken away, brexit, possibly no deal and covid—i9. all these things have come all at once, and that is a massive problem. these were the queues in kent this week. there's already congestion at ports as global supply chain struggle with demand

and covid restrictions. brexit will mean more change for business, whatever the outcome of trade talks. the government says it is prepared, testing plans for traffic build—up this weekend. but no—deal would mean more disruption. both sides say they want an agreement, but that may well not happen because the same sticking points remain — access to fishing waters and shared regulations and standards. and on that, number 10 says the uk has to be able to make its own decisions and not be tied to eu rules in future. from brussels today, the message was that's perfectly possible, but there'd be a price. 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 the decision of the united kingdom, and this would apply vice—versa. so neither side shifting yet, but the door isn't entirely closed. translation: we believe finding a solution in the talks

is difficult, but possible. that's why we as eu will continue negotiations as long as the window is open, even if it's only a crack. the negotiations are still ongoing. and i think the implications are very serious for all concerned in the event of a no—deal, and i think all politicians in the united kingdom and across europe need to reflect on that. so in brussels, the mood may be gloomy, but until sunday, which is decision day, they are still talking. alex forsyth, bbc news. let's bring you some breaking news now. the us supreme court has rejected a legal application by the state of texas seeking to invalidate voting results in georgia, michigan, pennsylvania and wisconsin. the ruling is yet another blow to republicans supporting donald trump's attempts to overturn election results in key states which were won by the democratic president—elect joe biden. texas had sought to stop electoral college votes

from those states being counted. the electoral college is due to vote on monday. we will speak to our correspondent in washington shortly for more on this. despite the imminent approval of a coronavirus vaccine for use in the united states, thousands of people are likely to continue to die each day from the disease for some time. there have been nearly 2,000 deaths counted today already. the us food and drug administration says it's working hard to issue an emergency use authorisation for the pfizer biontech vaccine. president trump has repeatedly criticised them for not speeding up the process. and today, he took to twitter to describe the organisation as a "big, slow, old turtle," and accuse them of "playing games." final clearance is expected this weekend which means the first americans could get their inoculations early next week. jesse goodman is a professor of infectious diseases at georgetown university and former chief scientist at the us food and drug administration.

he spoke to me about the timeframe for the vaccine's final approval. well, there is really two things here. one is the fda's outside advisory committee, which held this public meeting yesterday, and the advisors voted that they felt the evidence of safety and efficacy supported this emergency authorisation. so based on that discussion and some of the feedback, the fda is currently working on what would be the final terms of that authorisation, in other words, who could get the vaccine, what advice might go along with it, what information would be with it, et cetera. and it is important to realise there have been latebreaking developments, like those emergent cases in your country, —— allergy cases in your country, as well as the fda's own analysis showing some potential issues that we need to monitor going forward. so right now they are putting

together that authorisation. i presume it will be forthcoming shortly. but it is going to be some months of additional follow—up that will be needed to ultimately result, hopefully, in a full approval of the vaccine, where it meets the normal standards for any vaccine. just important to stress there were two, out of thousands already issued in the uk, of the vaccine, two people had shown allergies. they fully recovered, they were not deemed serious allergies, and they are fully recovered. just going back to the amount of pressure at the fda must be under, we are hearing the comments from president trump, he has called ita president trump, he has called it a big old slow total —— total. we have also heard the reports that the white house ordered to be of the fda, stephen hahn, to consider resigning unless the vaccine was approved by friday. he is denying he is saying that those allegations are untrue, but it just shows the amount of

pressure that this organisation is under. just explain from somebody who has been within it, how intense this must feel? well, the really good news is that of the vaccine group, in the centre of the fda that refused them, they are truly a remarkable group that are very dedicated, and from my working with them, for many years, they work extremely hard and when there is an emergency they worked day and night. so, you know, it is really ludicrous to accuse them of being slow on this. i think... accuse them of being slow on this. ithink... the accuse them of being slow on this. i think... the good news is, ithink this. i think... the good news is, i think they stand up to that pressure, and they are doing theirjob. but it has taken a lot of the toll over the last several months, the pressure from the white house, and, you know, i'm really proud but they stood up for high standards. but i would say the pressure is frankly dangerous. it is dangerous in that it has helped create an impression of

people, but corners may be cut, but they can't trust the vaccine, so there is that whole element that is going to have to be overcome, even if things go very well with the vaccine. and then in addition to that, you know, you don't want the analysis of the science by the independent experts to be hurried. you don't want that to be hurried. there is new information, you do not want m ista kes to information, you do not want mistakes to be made which could end up hurting people. so that pressure is not a good thing. professor goodman from georgetown university. here in the uk, the period of self isolation for people who have come into contact with somebody who tested positive for coronavirus is being cut from 11! to ten days. and you will take effect in the rest of the uk on monday. contact tracing in action here in peterborough.

local authority staff going door—to—door to find people who've been recent contacts of those who test positive. they're following up after initial attempts by the national test and trace service. the numbers that they've obviously been given, they can't contact them on, so we just have to make that final call to their house. 0h, hello, i'm calling... for those contacted by the tracers, there's better news. they won't have to self—isolate for so long, after a review by health officials of scientific studies. all of those combined together show that the tail end of infectiousness, if you like, is the one where an individual is 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. the self—isolation period will come down from 11! days to ten. that already happens in wales. it'll apply to contacts of those testing positive and people coming into the uk and needing to quarantine. it'll take effect on monday, though if someone's already started a 14—day isolation, it'll now be ten.

if the r number is above one, it shows the virus is accelerating. today's update shows it's just below one, though back where it was two weeks ago, suggesting no clear trend, though there are variations around the uk. the latest survey of community infections by the office of national statistics suggests that in england, one in 115 people had the virus last week, with case rates coming down in most areas, though they were on the increase in london and the east of england. in wales, it was one in 120 with the virus, with increases in recent weeks. in scotland, it was also one in 120, with case rates relatively stable. in northern ireland, one in 235 had the virus, with continued declines in case rates. in areas of south—east england, case numbers are rising fastest among 11 to i8—year—olds. at this school in dagenham the teacher is on her own in the classroom with pupils learning remotely. in birmingham meanwhile,

covid marshals are patrolling the streets, reminding people that social distancing rules are as important as ever and that the virus is still a threat. hugh pym, bbc news. european union leaders have agreed to set a more ambitious target for cutting greenhouse gases in the next 10 years. the deal comes after more than 10 hours of gruelling negotiations, after the new proposal was met with resistance in some of the eu's 27 states. the new aim is to cut emissions by 55% from their 1990 levels by 2030. until now that goal was a0%. for some context, by 2018 the eu had already reduced emissions by 23.2% from their 1990 peak. the deal also commits to a 70% reduction in coal use from 2015 levels, after a last—minute agreement with poland, to provide the coal producing country with extra funding. commission chief usula van der leyen said the target put europe on a path towards climate neutrality by 2050. we will reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030, and today's agreement puts us

on a clear path towards climate neutrality in 2050. it gives certainty to investors, to businesses, to public authorities and to citizens. it future—proofs our union. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: why do some people with covid have no symptoms, while others become extremely ill? scientists are beginning to find the answers in our dna. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil, and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses

said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven charges of tax evasion, estimated at £120 million. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: leaders from the uk and the european union have warned the two sides are unlikely to reach a post—brexit trade deal by sunday's deadline. the trump administration puts pressure on regulators to approve a coronavirus vaccine — asking it to do so within hours.

let's go back to the story we broke a few moments ago. the us supreme court has rejected a legal application by the state of texas seeking to invalidate voting results in georgia, michigan, pennsylvania, and wisconsin. the bbc‘s nomia iqbal is in washington for us. tell us more about what's happened. well, the texas case is one that president trump has referred to as the big one. the one that he believes will help him overturn the election results and keep him in the white house. and this was quite an audacious lawsuit brought forward by the state of texas, as you mentioned there, seeking to invalidate the results in four key swing states that went forjoe biden. and this lawsuit was backed by 19 state attorney generals, 127 republicans in

congress. but tonight the supreme court has basically said no, they have said that texas did not have the legal standing to bring forward this case and they have ruled it out ina very case and they have ruled it out in a very brief and unsigned order. this pretty much puts an end to donald trump's attemps, his constant legal attempts to overturn the election results. brace ourselves for the tweets. 0na brace ourselves for the tweets. on a serious note, why are they doing this? the thing with donald trump is that he doesn't do losing, you know, he's very open about that fact. he doesn't believe in losing anything. he believes in winning. and it's been very difficult for him to accept that he lost the election results and he and his allies have been filing lots of lawsuits around the country in key swing states to try to overturn the election results, claiming election fraud, but not actually providing any evidence of it, certainly not enough evidence to prove that

the results should not have gone the way that they did, which was towards joe gone the way that they did, which was towardsjoe biden. so these lawsuits have been thrown out left, right, and centre. 0nly out left, right, and centre. only in pennsylvania, there was a request by pennsylvania republicans for the supreme court there and that was also thrown out with a single one sentence order. and the courts are refusing to be drawn into president trump's attemps to overturn the election and, as a practical matter, what the supreme court has done tonight is put an end to any prospect that mr trump will win what he lost at the polls thanks so much for talking us through that. normally while in washington. british scientists say they have identified genetic variants that make patients more likely to develop severe covid—19 symptoms. the researchers analysed mutations in the dna of more than 2,000 critically ill patients, finding several variants more common than in the control group. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle has more.

it's one of the pandemic‘s biggest puzzles — why some people with covid have no symptoms, and others get extremely ill. now, one of the biggest studies of its kind has found possible answers in our dna. people who become desperately sick with any infection are genetically different from the rest of the population. what we are looking for is genes that tell us a bit of biological information that will enable us to come up with a better way of treating critical illness. the scientists looked at the dna of more than 2000 covid patients in intensive care. they scanned each person's genes, which contain instructions for every biological process, including how to fight the virus. and they compared this with the dna of healthy people, to pinpoint any genetic differences. they found one at a gene called tyk2. it activates parts of

the immune response. but if that gene is faulty, the response can go into overdrive. what is particularly exciting about the tyk2 findings is that there is already a whole class of drugs that inhibit that protein. so, they target very specifically the biological mechanism that we think is causing severe covid. this means existing anti—inflammatory drugs, including one used for rheumatoid arthritis, could be tried. but it isn't the only genetic discovery. 0ne gene helps to kick—start the immune system as soon as the infection is detected to stop another plays a role in stopping the virus from making copies of itself. and it's revealing which treatments to use and also when to use them. it really is an example of precision medicine, where we can actually identify the moment at which things have gone awry in that individual. so, knowing where the gene is in that response to infection gives us an idea

of whether this is an early response or a late response, and where we should be intervening. vaccines will decrease cases of covid. but doctors around the world will be treating this disease for years to come, so new treatments are urgently needed, and these genetic discoveries could help in the race to find them. rebecca morelle, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. protesters have clashed with police for a second night in the albanian capital, tira na, after the police allegedly killed a man for breaking a coronavirus curfew. albanian prime minister, edi rama apologised to the parents of the 25—year—old, who was shot dead on tuesday. the officer accused has been arrested and an investigation has been launched. austria's constitutional court has struck down a law banning the headscarf in primary schools, labelling the measure as unconstitutional and discriminatory. in a statement explaining the decision, the court said the law which was introduced last year "contravened the principle of equality in relation to freedom of religion, belief and conscience".

meanwhile the constitutional court also ruled to allow assisted suicide, annulled the provision which makes it a punishable offense. tributes have been pouring in for dame barbara windsor, who's died at the age of 83. her acting career spanned more than 60 years. she found fame in the carry 0n films of the 1960s and ‘70s, and went on to spend nearly 20 years behind the bar of the queen vic in eastenders, playing the formidable landlady peggy mitchell. 0ur 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.

sir, we were told to bring the minimum of clothing. now, really let's see those chests come out! the tributes today to a star whose career goes back almost 70 years. 0oh, matron, take them away! not bad for a bottle blonde. a career that ended with eastenders and this scene. alzheimer's was already beginning to take hold. we asked how she would remember her friend and co—star. with sadness, with, i suppose if i'm rational, a certain amount of relief. because i think for somebody to have that awful condition, when they've been such a ray of light and a person of such joy and life, yes, it is a relief. born barbara ann deeks, the daughter of a barrow boy, she began acting as a teenager. it was joan littlewood of the theatre workshop that saw her star quality. oh, what a lovely war,

things ain't what they used to be, sparrows can't sing. the fame and the glamour also attracted some shady companions, such as the krays. but it was the carry on films that made her a star. hi. her entrance was always an excuse for something slightly saucy. 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 useless great lump? peggy mitchell in eastenders, 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 out of my pub! ..which ended with barbara becoming dame barbara. dame babs sounds nice, doesn't it?

but my mum would like it to be dame barbara. she was a bit of a cockney snob, my mum. so it would be, "dame barbara." god, what would she be thinking now? what would she be thinking? but she already knew her memory was beginning to fail. oh, my dear friend. you'll never leave me, will you ? dame barbara windsor, talent, warmth... no, sweetheart. thank you. ..and a lifetime of cheeky fun. remembering dame barbara windsor who has passed away at the age of 83. and will be very sorely missed. the duke and duchess of cambridge and their three children have made a special appearance at the pantomime. — their first royal engagement together as a family. they watched the show, held as a thank you to key workers in the capital for their efforts during the pandemic, from the royal box. prince william also paid tribute to dame barbara windsor, describing her

as a ‘national treasure'. rightly so. a song released 26 years ago — a beloved christmas favourite — has finally reached number one in the charts here in the uk. # i just want you for my own. # more than you could ever know. # make my wish come true. # all i want for christmas is you, yeah. mariah carey's all i want for christmas was kept off the top spot by east 17's stay another day, back “119911. but now it's knocked ariana grande off the top spot. so we will be hearing this an awful lot over christmas. you are welcome. now, a tall story from the largest zoo in the uk — well fairly tall. meet margaret — the latest addition at whipsnade zoo. she's a baby giraffe — who still clocks in at a fairly impressive six foot — just under two metres in height. she was born on tuesday —

the day the coronavirus vaccine was first used in britain — and has been named after margaret keenan — the first recipient of the jab. six foot, that is roughly two metres. not bad. thanks for watching. bye—bye. hello there. friday was another unsettled day, a day that brought many of us outbreaks of rain. the rain was most persistent in aberdeenshire but equally, there were a few brighter moments — for example, here in cornwall to allow these rather stunning rainbows to develop. we have at the moment a very slow—moving area of low pressure crossing the country. further patches of rain moving generally slowly eastwards and with the winds very light, again, we're starting to see some dense patches of fog form particularly across eastern england. visibility is already down to 100 metres in places with the foggy weather really from essex northwards into the east midlands, perhaps east anglia, lincolnshire, and yorkshire. that's where the poorest visibility is likely to be. whereas further west, the skies tending to clear. this is where we'll see some of the lowest temperatures early on saturday morning.

and saturday itself, it's a day where pressure is going to be rising across the whole of the uk. what that will do is it will squish this area of low pressure. so, in the next 2a hours, it won't exist at all, it willjust be gone. further west we get this ridge building in and that will have quite a big impact on the weather. it means across these western and southern areas, it's an improving weather picture with sunny spells developing but with that slow—moving area of low pressure close by, it stays pretty cloudy and there probably will still be some patches of rain well on into the afternoon across the north east. so, a mixed bag of weather. for many of us, though, saturday morning will be a rather grey start to the day. extensive cloud, some patches of light rain and drizzle. very slowly pushing eastwards because there's barely any wind to move those features along. but eventually, we'll get some sunshine. sunshine to start the day in northern ireland, that will tend to spread to south—west scotland, western areas of england, wales, the midlands, and much of the south of england as well. so, an improving weather picture for some of you. now, the second half of the weekend is dominated by this next area of low pressure. there are more isobars on the chart.

so, you'll notice the weather certainly turning a lot windier and also a lot wetter as well. yes, outbreaks rain spreading up from the south west, heavy as well, as it dives in across england and wales, pushes northwards across northern ireland into scotland through the afternoon. so, although it will be a dry start across northern and eastern areas, rain will arrive later in the day and it will be blowy as well. gales developing around our southern and western coasts and hills. the winds, though, coming from a south—westerly direction blowing in mild air. so, temperatures up to 13 in the southwest.

been reached amicably. this is bbc news,

the headlines: britain's prime minister borisjohnson and the president of the european commission have spoken in gloomy terms about the likelihood of a post—brexit trade deal. the trump administration has increased pressure on the us food and drug administration regulators to approve the pfizer biontech vaccine. final clearance is expected this weekend which means the first americans could get their innoculations early next week. there have been nearly 2,000 deaths counted on friday already. british scientists say they have identified what could make some patients more likely to develop severe covid—19 symptoms. in one of the biggest studies of its kind, researchers analysed mutations in the dna of more than 2,000 critically ill patients.