this is bbc news, the headlines: the us food and drug administration has this is bbc news: i'm james reynolds. authorised the pfizer biontech coronavirus vaccine our top stories: for emergency use. the agency had come under the us regulator authorises intense pressure from the trump the pfizer—biontech coronavirus administration to approve vaccine for emergency use — the vaccine's use. donald trump says the first mr trump said the firstjab would be administered person will be vaccinated in the united states in the next 2a hours. president trump's attempts in less than 2a hours. to overturn the election result have potentially been dealt a final legal blow — the us supreme court rejects president trump's attempts of overturning a lawsuit aimed at throwing out the election result have the votes in four states. potentially been dealt a final legal blow. the us supreme court has borisjohnson and the eu say rejected a legal application they're unlikely to strike by the state of texas seeking a post—brexit trade deal to invalidate voting results by sunday — with differences in georgia, michigan, over how a new relationship pennsylvania and wisconsin, might look. which were won by the democratic president—electjoe biden. plus: # make my wish come true, borisjohnson has chaired a meeting with senior # all i want for christmas ministers to assess the uk's readiness for a no—deal brexit. is you... mrjohnson's attempts to hold a song released 26 direct talks with the leaders years ago — and a of germany and france have christmas favourite — reportedly been rebuffed — finally tops the charts ahead of the deadline this here in the uk.

sunday for a significant welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the us food and drug administration has authorised the pfizer—biontech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. the agency had come under intense pressure from the trump administration to approve the vaccine‘s use. president trump has released a video on twitter to explain what happens next. through operation warp speed, my administration provided the first vaccine will be administered in less than 2a hours. the governors decide where the vaccines will go in their state, and who will get them first. we want our senior citizens, healthcare workers and first responders to be first in line. i promised that we would produce a vaccine in

record time, before the end of the year. they said it couldn't be done, but with today's announcement we have now achieve that goal. well earlier i spoke to dr leo nissola, who's an immunologist and head of the covid act now project. i asked him how confident can we be the fda took its decision to approve for the right reasons. i have looked at the published data for the pfizer vaccine trial, i am comfortable with it. the findings that i saw, the vaccine appears to be safe and effective and i think regardless of politics, this is a special day — we were all anxiously waiting for this day to come. i have studied that while data from the vaccine trial from pfizer and biontech, and i am comfortable with the outcomes. we were expecting already the meeting that happened yesterday to go well and it did have a positive outcome. the fda has been under tremendous pressure and they have held their part on making sure that there is data transparency.

you see scientists, doctors, researchers, we have been all claiming for data transparency and yesterday, steve hahn held a meeting with the stakeholders and we were able, everyone in the us was able to see it, and to be part of that conversation. so when we saw this week a 90—year—old woman in the uk receiving the first dose of this vaccine outside of a clinical trial, it was a huge progress, you know. the uk has a tremendous mass vaccination programme and i think the united states deserves one as well. talking about mass vaccination programmes, this vaccine needs refrigeration. how will that complicate efforts to distribute it? i have heard a lot of conversations about the logistical problems with delivering vaccines that require special conditions, but i am more worried about who is going to get this vaccine first. you see, covid has hit hardest

in the united states in communities of colour, in black african—americans and latinos, in underserved communities. i am afraid that they are going to now be prioritising this first batch and i would hope that legislators make sure essential workers and folks that have been hit hardest get the vaccine first. 2.9 million doses go out next week, that is a start and i imagine a very exciting start for a lot of people, but how many months will it take to get everyone vaccinated, if not with this vaccine and other vaccines? we have yet to see a solid vaccination plan at a federal level. we lack a robust vaccination campaign. and i am worried that until a large number of the population gets vaccinated against covid, and we will be worried about avoiding indoors and wearing masks and social distancing. i think vaccines will speed up the process but distribution poses a challenge and until we have a robust vaccination plan

that is publicly available, that the scientific community can react to and the population can see and understand, things are going to look murky. there remains an urgent need to find treatments for people with covid-i9. a find treatments for people with covid-19. a new find treatments for people with covid—i9. a new study in the journal nature looked at more than 2000 patients in intensive ca re than 2000 patients in intensive care in the uk. it identified specific genes that can be targeted, possibly by using treatments already in use for other diseases. 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 2,000 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. 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.

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 challenger, president—electjoe biden. 0ur washington correspondent nomia iqbal has more details. yes, it was a very brief, unsigned one—sentence order, basically saying no to donald trump, and it was quite an audacious lawsuit, challenging those four key battleground states, as you mentioned there, and the trump team had argued that because those states had expanded mail—in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic, that that was unlawful somehow, and it was backed by more than 100 republicans in congress, many state attorney—generals, but tonight the supreme court looked

at this and said no, they don't believe that texas has the legal standing to make this case. it is interesting, james, because although it was a 7—2 ruling with alito and thomas dissenting, actually it was really 9—0, because alito and thomas have this sort of quirky procedural view where they say they should wait until the next step, and then they would throw it out, but basically this is a blow for donald trump because he had been hoping for the supreme court to back him. is that it then, for the president's legal challenges? politically is not the end of it, but legally very much so, because the supreme court was the big one. at a party at the white house on hanukkah he said that he hoped that the supreme court would back him, tonight it is a christmas party in the white house, so it would be a different atmosphere. i am sure he will continue

to dispute the election result, but it's very hard to see where he goes from here. the courts don't want to be drawn into this battle. he seemingly cannot win in the courts what he lost at the polls. nomia iqbal in washington. 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. on friday 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 i — 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 chains 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. new york police say several people attending a demonstration on the streets of new york city have been injured after a vehicle ploughed into the crowd. it's believed the car hit a group of protesters in the murray hill neighbourhood adjacent to midtown manhattan around lipm. a woman remained at the scene and was detained for questioning, while police said none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: are these skulls uncovered in mexico more evidence of human sacrifice in the aztec empire?

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

of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: the us regulator authorises the pfizer biontech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. president trump says the first us vaccine will be administered "in less than 2a hours." president trump's attempts to overturn the election result have potentially been dealt a final legal blow. the us supreme court rejects a lawsuit aimed at throwing out the votes in four states. there remains an urgent need to find treatments for people with covid—i9. a new study in the journal nature looked at more here in the uk, the period of self isolation for those who have had contact with somebody who has tested positive for coronavirus has been cut from 14 days to ten days. 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 14 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, i 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 i in 120 with the virus, with increases in recent weeks. in scotland, it was also i in 120, with case rates relatively stable. in northern ireland, one in 235 had the virus, with continued declines in case rates.

covid marshals are patrolling some city streets, including burning and's. reminding people that social distancing rules are as important as ever, and that the virus is still a threat. 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, annulling the provision which makes it a punishable offence. bolivia's civil registry has for the first time authorised a same sex civil union

following a 2—year legal battle. the couple has been together for more than a decade and was initially denied the right to register the union, taking the case to court. activists hope the decision will pave the way forward for a transformation of the country's marriage laws. archaeologists have unearthed more sections of an extraordinary aztec tower under the centre of mexico city. it's been described as one of the most impressive historical sites in the country, as gail maclellan reports. behind this non—descript door in the centre of mexico city lies a building as historic as it is gruesome. it was built when the city was called to not to come, and ruled by aztecs over 500 years ago. —— tenochtitlan. it is made of skulls. the tower was well —— first discovered five years

ago. no more than 119 skulls have been found. this archaeologist describes how they were made out. translation: this is the external facade of the skull telecom on the east side. these goals were mounted on a fence like structure, and set in place with mortar. archaeologists were surprised to find skulls of women and children, suggesting that some of the remains were of people killed in ritual sacrifices and at appeasing the gods. the majority, though, our young men, possibly captured warriors. these skulls are placed facing outwards on the tower in an effort to terrify enemies. but nev power didn't last. the spanish conquistadorss captured the city in 1521. gail mclennan, bbc news. since the coronavirus pandemic began, millions of people have been forced to live alone, separated from friends and family in an attempt to stop the spread of covid—19. now, a french artist has gone to unusual lengths to highlight

the dangers of a solitary life, as tim allman explains. don't talk to gaetan marron about social distancing. he knows all about it, living in a plastic box in the middle of a shopping centre in marseille. for ten days he plans to be on display — 2a hours a day aside from the occasional trip to the bathroom. he will enjoy some comforts, but not the most important comfort of them all. translation: i have the feeling that we miss real human contact and i think it's not insignificant a lot of people don't feel really well or depressed at the moment. it's because we've really lost something. gaetan is not the first person to confine herself like this. the actor tilda swinton spent more than a week similarly enclosed as part of an art display in the mid—1990s and the american illusionist david blaine was famously suspended in a box in mid—air for more than a month — for some reason.

but those events didn't take place in the middle of a global pandemic. translation: i think that culture has clearly saved us during this confinement. i think that without it it would have been much more complicated. local shops and restaurants are helping him out, providing him with food, but gaetan knows what he misses the most. tim allman, bbc news. a song released 26 years ago, a beloved christmas favourite, has finally reached number one in the charts here in the uk. # all i want for christmas is you! mariah carey's all i want for christmas was kept off the top spot by east 17's stay another day, back in 1994. but now it's knocked

ariana grande off the top spot. mariah carey's fans have had a crucial role in this success. earlier i spoke to one of them, jeff ingold, who's been campaigning to get the song to number one in the uk. he told me how he's done it. lots of tweets, lots of instagram stories, lots of telling all my friends. it was a lot of work but very worth it because it happened — earlier than i thought it would. and she's been retweeting you. she did, yeah. she tweeted me on sunday, you know, showing her support. it was amazing. my heart stopped when it happened. i couldn't believe it. right, let's get down to it. what is it about this song which you like so much? i think it is, when you hear it, and you hear those first notes you know it's christmas and i think there are songs, there is no other song that most people, when they hear it they are like, yeah,

this is the moment. like december belongs to mariah carey and that is what makes the song so iconic and i think people relate to it and they respond to it, because i think it's also so fantastical and happy and it just presents this level ofjoy that people want to experience in december. i can you remember the first time you heard? no, because they have listened to it so many times! i heard it when i was four years old, i heard it now, i'm 29. i've heard it every year, every single time is different and it's so special. is there a certain day in the year and you think it is acceptable to start listening to it? let's say you get to the middle of summer, july, just going through bad day and you think, "you know what, i'll just listen to the christmas song"? i usually say1 november you can start to listen to it.

mariah‘s slightly different she likes after us thanksgiving. but i'm canadian, our thanksgiving is earlier in the year so i vary from her. but i think whenever you need it it's there for you and you should listen to it. and i right in saying she wrote it in less than an hour. yes, so she wrote it in 15 minutes. in15 minutes?! it took longer to add the instrumental, et cetera, but she did the entire lyrical moment was done in 15 minutes which is, like, genius, absolute genius and it has stayed with us for 26 years. in mariah carey's songs, she had a whole album called number ones. what does this rank for you? a tall story from the uk. midmarket, a baby drive he still clocks in at a fairly impressive six foot tall. that is under two metres tall. she was born tuesday, the data coronavirus vaccine was first used in britain, and fittingly enough, she has been named after margaret keenan, the first recipient of the jab in this country. more on our website.

you can reach me on twitter. i'm @jamesbbcnews. 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. 00:28:42,989 --> 2147483051:51:06,210 so, temperatures up 2147483051:51:06,210 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 to 13 in the south—west.