this is bbc news. talks between the eu and the uk are continuing overnight in brussels — with both sides warning they're unlikely to reach a post—brexit agreement by tomorrow's deadline. a british government source says the eu often remains unacceptable. mass testing programmes like the one trialled in liverpool will be rolled out in the 67 tier 3 areas in england with the first starting on monday. the us regulator authorises the pfizer biontech coronavirus vaccine — donald trump says it'll be rolled out immediately. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers martin lipton and penny smith — stay with us for that.

good evening. a former conservative defence minister says the government's decision to put the royal navy on standby, to protect british fishing waters in the event of a no—deal brexit, is "undignified" and "irresponsible". tobias ellwood who's now chair of the commons defence committee, was speaking ahead of tomorrow's deadline set by the uk and the european union, to reach an agreement. both sides have warned a deal seems unlikely. our political correspondent, iain watson has more. is this what no deal with the eu would look like? the ministry of defence has confirmed that four armed vessels will be ready to patrol uk waters if there's no agreement with brussels on fishing rights. the scottish government has denounced this as gunboat diplomacy, and they don't want the ships off their shores. some of boris johnson's own mps are also concerned about the signal this sends.

we need to be building alliances, not breaking them apart. the advent us administration is wanting to rekindle western resolve, re—energise an international alliance to take on our adversaries such as russia and china, and here we are actually arguing with a close military european ally. the drumbeat to no deal continues to resound with, overnight, a practice run in kent in how to deal with traffic disruption. though even if a deal is reached, new customs checks at ports will still provide a challenge. and on the other side of the channel, to convey a sense of unity, eu leaders such as angela merkel have rebuffed borisjohnson‘s attempts to speak to them individually about how a deal could be unlocked. so, the mood around the talks, like the weather, is rather gloomy. in fact, the only thing that might be agreed this weekend between downing street and the eu is to halt the negotiations and move towards no deal. yet the fact that both sides have been very publicly highlighting the potential negative consequences

of failing to reach a deal suggest that they could yet at the last minute pull back from the brink. but a former adviser to the brexit department thinks it will take a dramatic move to avoid no deal. we've got one day left. there are talks ongoing, but really we need a breakthrough at the political level, and i'm not hearing the messaging at the moment that would indicate that's going to happen. the uk's chief negotiator knows well enough that brexit deadlines come and go, but this weekend's talks in brussels could finally answer the question, deal or no deal. iain watson, bbc news. speaking to the bbc earlier, the former governor of the bank of england mark carney, outlined his concerns about the situation the uk finds itself in. i think it is recognised that there are two types of issues around if there is a rupture in the relationship. the first is very important logistical challenges that come through more checks at ports and the knock—on effects but then

there is the fundamental question of the changing economics of the relationship with europe if there are tariffs in place, if there are other product standards. companies have begun to adjust to those and anticipated some of those. i will say one thing that is important, as the financial sector, my colleagues and the bank of england have helped to ensure that the financial sector is ready for if there is a difficult outcome it is ready for that and so the financial sector will not make this worse, it will be part of the solution but undoubtedly there will be challenges if an agreement is not reached. in other coronavirus news in the uk, community testing programmes are to be rolled out across 67 councils currently under tier 3 restrictions in england. more than 1.6 million rapid turnaround tests will be provided, in an effort to cut infection rates.

pu bs, restau ra nts a nd cafes across much of central western scotland are reopening, after three weeks. but venues in 11 council areas still have to close by 6pm and cannot sell alcohol, under scottish level three restrictions. wales‘s health minister, vaughan gething, has warned the country faces an ‘incredibly serious situation‘ as infections continue to rise. he says the government may have to rescind the policy allowing families to mix over christmas, though he's acknowledged such a move could affect public trust in government. clive myrie is next with the national news bulletins — and at 10:30 — i'll back to look at tomorrow's front pages in the papers — our guests joining me tonight are the chief sports reporter at the sun, martin lipton and the broadcaster, penny smith. you're watching bbc news.

new warnings tonight of unbearable pressure on the nhs, over covid restrictions this christmas. as the festive season continues, healthcare trusts across england want the government to proceed with caution, because of a possible third wave of infections. people are really worried that if we relax the restrictions now, the nhs simply won't be able to cope with all of the work that it needs to do in late december, january and february. the government is to review the current tier list next week. also tonight — more pessimism over brexit talks between the uk and eu, ahead of tomorrow's deadline. how best to battle climate change. the un says only ambitious targets to cut carbon emissions can save the planet. and a thrilling match between scarlets and bath on the opening weekend

of the european champions cup. good evening. there are fresh warnings tonight that any relaxation of coronavirus restrictions over the christmas period could risk a third wave of infections. in an open letter, nhs providers, which represents more than 200 healthcare trusts in england, has urged the prime minister to exercise caution when the current tier lists are reviewed next week. the letter says there are now 10,000 fewer beds in operation than last year because of coronavirus infection controls, with large numbers of covid—19 patients needing treatment, on top of the usual winter pressures like flu.

and all this comes along with the new demand of having to deliver the coronavirus vaccine. here's our health correspondent katharine da costa. 0n the front line, and under pressure, hospitals expect to be at their busiest over winter, but with the unprecedented impact of coronavirus, this will be a year like no other. there is no question that we are full—on during the second wave now, and we are seeing, certainly where i work, increasing numbers of covid patients coming in. we are also dealing with the normal winter pressures, but we are, at the same time, trying to keep everybody safe and socially distanced, while we are dealing with staff who are also unwell. in a letter to the prime minister, nhs providers say there were 13,000 covid patients in hospital in england this week, compared to 500 in early september. 0ur trust leaders are very concerned. its chief executive has urged caution ahead of the review of tiers next week.

what we are saying is you just need to be really careful about relaxing the restrictions on social contact, because we know that that inevitably at the moment, what that means is, more covid cases, more pressure on the nhs, and to be frank, more people dying unnecessarily. all four nations have been under tough measures in recent weeks, but the r number, which shows whether the epidemic is growing or shrinking, is thought to be above one in some areas. so it is thought infections are rising in london, the south—east and east of england and in northern ireland. and it is a similar picture in wales too, and that is raising concerns that household mixing and travel over christmas could lead to a third wave. think about what you should do. do you really need to have, should you really see three different households together indoors over this period? can you see fewer people, can you see people for a shorter period of time? the government says it won't hesitate to take necessary actions

to protect local communities. its review will be based on the latest data that will include factors such as infection rates among the over—60s and pressure on the nhs. katherine da costa, bbc news. the government's latest coronavirus figures show there were 21,502 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, and that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 17,855. there were 1,497 people admitted to hospital on average every day in the week to friday, and 519 deaths were recorded of those who'd died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week 433 deaths were announced every day, taking the total number across the uk to 64,026 americans will start receiving the pfizer—biontech coronavirus vaccine from monday. the us food and drug administration

has approved its emergency use. president trump says the delivery of a safe and effective vaccine injust nine months, is a "medical miracle". there's continued pessimism that a deal can be reached between uk and eu brexit negotiators on future trading arrangements before tomorrow's deadline. a british government source said tonight that "as things stand the offer on the table from the european union, remains unacceptable". it comes as a former conservative defence minister said the government's decision to put the royal navy on standby, to protect british fishing waters in the event of a no—deal brexit, is "undignified" and "irresponsible". here's our political correspondent, iain watson. in brussels, the briefest of glimpses of the uk's chief negotiator. he is locked in talks behind closed doors with his eu counterparts to see if a deal is possible in the next 2a hours. but indications tonight are not positive.

a government source told the bbc talks are continuing overnight and, as things stand, the offer on the table from the eu remains unacceptable. the mood around the talks, like the weather, is rather gloomy. in fact, the only agreement that might be reached this weekend between downing street and the eu is to halt the negotiations and move towards no deal. downing street says, to reach agreement, the eu must recognise that the uk is now a sovereign nation. theresa may's de facto deputy when she was prime minister is urging both sides to focus on avoiding no deal. we are coming to the last knockings now, so, obviously, it is getting very tense and quite emotional. i would advise both sides to keep talking up to and if necessary beyond the final hour because, while there is talk, there is hope. and is this what no deal with the eu would look like? the ministry of defence has

confirmed that four armed vessels will be ready to patrol uk waters if there is no agreement with brussels on fishing rights. but the scottish government does not want to see the ships off its shores. this uk government gunboat diplomacy is not welcome in scottish waters. we will protect our fisheries where necessary. police scotland have primacy to do that. but we won't do that by threatening our allies, our nato allies, in fact, they are our friends and neighbours. brexit deadlines have come and gone before but this weekend's talks in brussels could finally answer the question: deal or no deal. iain watson, bbc news. let's get the latest from our europe correspondent, gavin lee in brussels. pretty glu m pretty glum on this side of the chanloung, are they as pessimistic where you are? from conversations in brussels today, a sense of optimism there will be a trade deal is in short

supply. 0ne european council official told me this should be called no deal eve which gives you a sense of how bleak some are about chances. these are the people in the room right now. we are told those talks are still going on into the night. some chief negotiators have left but others are still going through and they will continue tomorrow. 0n through and they will continue tomorrow. on that issue, that there will be those patrol navy boats available in the chanloung, that met with some european reaction saying it isa with some european reaction saying it is a sabre rattling. a source of the french government shrugged it off saying they will keep calm and carry on. 2a hours to off saying they will keep calm and carry 011.211 hours to go. off saying they will keep calm and carry on. 2a hours to go. this is off saying they will keep calm and carry 011.211 hours to go. this is a self—imposed deadline, they could carry on. we may see tomorrow an end to these talks. regardless of whether or not a brexit trade deal is agreed, from january 1st, british citizens

visiting any eu country as well as switzerland, norway, iceland and liechtenstein, will face new restrictions, including on receiving medical treatment. with more, here's our consumer affairs correspondent, sarah corker. with the promise of mediterranean sunshine, spain and france have been the top destinations for millions of british holidaymakers for decades. but, from january, the rules on travelling to the eu will change, and that's thrown up lots of questions. if you are a tourist, you won't need a visa to travel to most eu countries, but there are limits on how long you can go for. you will be able to stay for up to 90 days in any rolling six—month period, but it does all add up, so, a summer holiday in greece followed by an autumn half—term break in france will count towards your 90—day limit. you can still use this.

your current passport is valid as long as it's less then ten years old and has six months left before it runs out. travellers are also asking if it will cost more to use mobiles. free roaming in the eu will officially end. the good news is that the noise being made from the top four providers is that they won't be imposing huge roaming charges, but i would always suggest you check with your provider before you go. and what about health insurance? free medical treatment in the eu won't be guaranteed. from the 1st of january, travellers can no longer rely on the european health insurance card, which will make it more important than ever that they have full travel insurance when they venture to the eu and beyond. and how will people be able to take their pets on holiday? from 2021, eu pet passports will no longer be valid. the government has applied

for great britain tojoin a shortlist of countries where cats, dogs and ferrets enter the eu in a similar way to now but, if the uk doesn't make that list, then the rules get more complicated and you may need to get a certificate from the vet. so, when beach holidays are back in 2021, british tourists will need to make sure they aren't tripped up by the new rules. sarah corker, bbc news. nigerian security forces are reported to have tracked down the gunmen who'd abducted a number of students from a secondary school in the north of the country. it's not known how many children were taken, but the authorities in katsina state have assured parents that everything is being done to secure their release. it's unclear why the children were taken. some of the world's biggest polluting countries have been accused of committing "climate genocide" for not taking tougher action to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. the secretary general

of the united nations has told a climate change virtual summit that ambitious targets are necessary to save the planet. the uk has announced plans to end support for overseas fossil fuel projects. 0ur chief environment correspondent justin rowlatt has more on the virtual gathering of world leaders. it is my great pleasure to be able to introduce one of the co—hosts of today's climate... there was none of the pomp and circumstance you'd expect of a meeting of dozens of world leaders. this was an entirely virtual summit. to set their own targets... mrjohnson opened in characteristic style. we are doing this. not because we are hairshirt—wearing tree—hugging mung bean—munching eco freaks, and i have got nothing against any of those categories, the mung beans are probably delicious... he described climate change is a greater threat than covid—19, and said that going green made economic as well as ecological sense.

climate change is the biggest threat to humanity right now. only those countries promising substantial commitment to cut carbon got to speak. there were more than 70 of them, including china, the eu, india and japan. join the dots. it's happening... short films highlighted the risks our planet faces. let's be very clear about this. it is going to get much worse. even the pope made an appearance. so why is nothing happening? it was an impressive show, but environmental campaigners said there were precious few genuinely new pledges to be seen, and there were some notable absentees. australia, brazil, russia and saudi arabia were among the nations which were not invited

to address the conference. some of the world's most vulnerable nations said fighting climate change was a moral imperative. i would like to believe that the major emitters are not capable of what would in essence be close to climate genocide. i would like to believe that we are visible and indispensable for them. today's conference marks the start of a crucial year for global climate action. the uk will be hosting a climate conference in glasgow in november 2021. the hope is the entire world will raise its carbon cutting game by then. justin rowlatt, bbc news. it's the opening weekend of rugby union's european champions cup, with the leading contender exeter kicking off their campaign tomorrow at home to glasgow. today saw two other all—british ties, as adam wild explains. with the return of europe's elite

competition, a return to ofjust a little of normality. 2,000 allowed inside the rec for bath against scarlets. and whilst rugby tries to move on, traditions remain. here was the rag doll, historically the unusual prize for this old rivalry. having crossed the severn, it was number nine the first to cross the line. gareth davies with the opening scarlets score. but bath were in front before long. a brilliant team effort ending, just about, in the hands of ruaridh mcconnochie. and that is special. theirs was the lead at the break, but you couldn't take your eyes off this one. kieran hardy finding his way through. scarlets ahead, just. but roared on at the rec, there was time for one last push, the final act of the game. bath going close. not close enough. bath beaten, scarlets celebrating. no crowds in newport. the dragons were back in rugby's top tierfor the first time in almost a decade. well, some of them were. positive covid tests disrupted preparations.

wasps seemingly intent on disrupting things even more. still, it wasn't until the second half wasps took complete control. thomas young, a welshman, winning it for the english side. european competition is back. back to normal? not quite. adam wild, bbc news. that's it. the andrew marr show is on at 9 tomorrow morning on bbc one and he'll bejoined by the foreign secretary dominic raab and the irish prime minister micheal martin. but from me and the team, have a very good night.

hello. this is bbc news with samantha simmonds.

the new year should be a bumper time of year for the new year should be a bumper time of yearfor taxi the new year should be a bumper time of year for taxi cabs the new year should be a bumper time of yearfor taxi cabs but the new year should be a bumper time of year for taxi cabs but industry bosses say it is struggling sinking toa bosses say it is struggling sinking to a festive normal levels. the industry is calling for the chance to provide more help for drivers. i have started to do a christmas light tours. it has been a lovely thing to do. this london black cab driver is trying to salvage something from what she describes as her worst year ever. these theatres, pubs, restau ra nts, ever. these theatres, pubs, restaurants, all of that is shut. even people going to work, didn't even have that because people are working from home. we literally only had supermarkets and hospitals to hang around to try to get work. she has had a self—employment grant but still had to take a job at the supermarket. it's got these brand—new electric taxi which cost me £70,000. i got it in february and

then march the lockdown soon i am working seven days a week, five days doing deliveries and doing taxi work to make ends meet. and that is not just cabbies in london who have suffered from a huge drop in business this year. it is a national problem. here in reading the drivers have been having a tough time. when the lockdown came, we were down to zero. normally at this time of year we are very busy, you would have commuters, shoppers, and this year we are not going to have that. we're not going to have christmas eve and new year parties, nothing like that. at the start only about one fifth of drivers are still at working on the rank with most taking deliveryjobs instead. as i've says they need more help to make up for lost earnings. taxi drivers, we have to change our cabs at some point. there should be money made available. the national private hire and taxi association says last year more than 500,000

we re says last year more than 500,000 were working in the industry across england, scotland and wales. 0ver those 90% were self—employed. it is estimated the sector lost £85 million a week during the first national lockdown. 0ne industry group worries many will be forced out for good leaving vulnerable customers with fewer options. out for good leaving vulnerable customers with fewer optionsm really is such an important and integral part of the transport infrastructure. without it, you're going to have ghost towns around the uk. taxi businesses as well as individual drivers are suffering. as is this private hire firm which specialises in corporate accounts, conferences and airport transfers, whichjust conferences and airport transfers, which just haven't been happening. right now should be the busiest time of the year, evening is booked out with parties. they are not going anywhere. he says he couldn't get a cash grant for the business. we did

have to sell quite a few cars to make up the difference. a government spokesperson said a generous and wide—ranging package of support had been provided including for the taxi sector. it says as well as grants for the self employed there were loa ns for the self employed there were loans and mortgage holidays. drivers like dale are trying to stay optimistic coping their fortunes will turn around. no time for the weather. tomorrow we have the rain coming in from the atlantic which will affect more of the uk. today some lovely winter sunshine across many western areas, not a bad day at all. further east, the skies looked very different with rain and drizzle, it was grey and misty especially in the house. that weather fronts will be pushing into the north sea. the next weather system to bring the rain will be moving on from the atlantic with the wind picking up the cloud arriving in some rain. for a while

some clearer skies even across eastern parts of england, the cloudy and damp weather moving away on the temperature dropping, north—east of scotla nd temperature dropping, north—east of scotland see some rain persisting and later in the nightly temperature rises in northern ireland, wales and the south—west as the cloud thickens and we get some rain. ahead of it, the temperature not far away from freezing with the risk of frost but colder than it was last night and one or two mist fog patches but cloud increases quickly from the west during sunday and we get these outbreaks of rain coming in, the heaviest across the hills and these western areas pushing northwards into scotland. some shares in sunshine returning to northern ireland in the afternoon. a stronger wind tomorrow as well coming in from the south or south—west, fresh and strong ones around coastal areas and the temperature still light, 7—8 across much of scotland and north—east england, milder elsewhere, 1a in the south—west. that wetter weather continues to push eastwards during sunday evening, heavier rain across eastern

parts of england and then those showers following on behind. weather system showers following on behind. weather syste m m oves showers following on behind. weather system moves away on sunday night into monday morning so very mild with the low pressure setting towards the north—west of the uk feeding on those brisk south — south—westerly winds, essentially sunshine and bands of showers and wetter weather across western areas, pushing into scotland, showered through the english channel, so drier weather but not completely dry across the midlands and eastern england. fairly mild with the temperature 11—12 for much of the country. still very mixed through the rest of the week, the ones not quite as strong, wet and windy weather on thursday and probably returning on friday as well. thursday looks like it should be a bit drier and brighter with some sunshine.