this is bbc news with the latest headlines... another deadline extended — brexit talks will now continue as both sides agree to carry on after being unable to come to an agreement. i'm afraid we're still very far apart on some key things but where there's life, there is hope. we're going to keep talking to see what we can do. the uk certainly won't be walking away from the talks. i think people will expect us to go the extra mile. we have accordingly mandated our negotiators to continue the talks and to see whether an agreement can be reached even at this late stage. following the decision, the prime minister held a conference call to brief the cabinet on their options in the event of a no—deal outcome.

a warning to the prime minister — relaxing coronavirus restrictions this christmas will lead to a third wave of infections. germany's angela merkel announces tighter coronavirus restrictions to run through christmas until january the 10th. and anthonyjoshua knocks out kubrat pulev to defend his heavyweight world titles, setting up a potential super fight with tyson fury. good afternoon. borisjohnson and the european commission president, ursula von der leyen have agreed to continue talks to try to break the deadlock over a post—brexit trade deal. after speaking on the phone this morning, they issued a joint statement saying they had agreed to go the extra mile to try to find a solution.

the prime minister said the two sides remained far apart on key areas but they wouldn't be walking away while there was still hope of a deal. today had been given as a deadline to decide whether negotiations should continue. our political correspondent, helen catt, reports. it was supposed to be the call that would make the call. was there enough chance of a deal to keep talking? the answer? despite the exhaustion after almost one year of negotiations, and despite the fact that deadlines have been missed over and over, we both think that it is responsible at this point in time to go the extra mile. we have accordingly mandated our negotiators to continue the task, and to see whether an agreement can be reached, even at this late stage.

in the last few minutes, the prime minister has downplayed expectations. as things stand — and this is basically what ursula and i agreed — i'm afraid we're still very apart on some key things, but where there's life, there's hope. we're going to keep talking to see what we can do. the uk certainly won't be walking away from the talks. i think people would expect us to go the extra mile. but i've got to repeat — the most likely thing now is, of course, that we have to get ready for wto terms. the two leaders met face—to—face earlier this week. a political breakthrough then was not found. as late as last night, the uk government was calling the eu's offer "unacceptable". both sides had upped expectations that no—deal was looking probable. ireland's prime minister had said that would be an "appalling failure of statecraft". that is why i say, any bit of energy we have left, we must continue to focus on negotiating our way to a deal. the two sides continue to clash

overfishing but, also, those shared competition rules. the government believes the way the eu wants to guarantee standards doesn't fit with the uk's new place as a nonmember, free to make its own rules. the eu disagrees, and so does labour. what the government seems to be saying is, we are willing to accept no—deal — which would mean tariffs across the board — because of some future theoretical threat, maybe some time in the future, to have tariffs in relation to some products. now, that makes no sense. that's like saying, i'm worried my roof is going to leak in five years' time, so let's bulldoze the house now. talks are expected to start in brussels this afternoon again. the question is if the outlook is any brighter. helen catt, bbc news. i spoke to nick eardley who was in downing street. i said it looks pretty clear that neither side wants

to be seen to be walking away from negotiations. we got a real sense from both sides, notjust from ursula von der leyen orfrom borisjohnson, but from various eu leaders this morning as well that they don't want to be the ones to walk away from these negotiations and basically put an end to any talks of the trade deal coming into place on the 1st of january. that said, the fact that this conversation has happened this afternoon, both sides have agreed that they should get back around the negotiation table, isn't insignificant because if there really was no way forward, they wouldn't be doing that. borisjohnson has made clear that if he thinks that this has reached the end of the road, he would be prepared to step back from the process and many thought that potentially, today could be the day that he decided to do so. not so. what we don't know at the moment, is because the inner circle of the people in that room negotiating is so tight, we don't know exactly where the one side is giving a nod and a wink

and a wink to the other, that is perhaps ready to move an inch if they move an inch to inch towards some sort of a compromise to get this deal over the line. but it does seem to me now that we have potentially got quite a few days more of negotiating left. there is no deadline put today on when these talks will go on to. yes, borisjohnson is warning the wto terms which is basically a no trade deal, is the most likely outcome still. but i think some of the rhetoric that we saw in the last few days, where both sides were making it pretty clear that they thought that no deal was now going to happen, or very likely. that rhetoric is being dialled down a bit. the hope is that that gives a bit of space for both sides to try and iron out those remaining issues. but of course, i mean, for europe, a no deal on the symbolic matter of fishing would mean no access, presumably, to uk waters, if there was no deal? well, this is the big question on both sides. yes, you're absolutely right, french fishermen, emmanuel macron has told them that he is not

going to let them down by setting up to a bad deal but if there were a no deal, we heard the uk's foreign secretary this morning saying that that would mean no automatic access for french fishermen, so, that's something for the eu side to weigh up. at the same time, the uk knows that if they don't agree to a trade deal, there will be huge tariffs on some things that some businesses really rely on to trade. i think the reason that both sides are prepared to dig in at this stage is actually, with no disrespect at all to the fishing industry, is bigger than that. you have two, ideological, loggerhead issues that they can't quite figure out a middle way on. one, is sovereignty. borisjohnson thinks the reason for people in the uk voted to leave the european union is because they wanted to make their own decisions. so, he is not prepared to sign up to something that allows the eu to have significant influence over the uk's rules moving forward. at the same time, the european union's ultimate loyalty

is to the single market and it saying, we don't want to give the uk preferential access to that single market if, potentially, that sovereignty that it once, allows it to undercut eu businesses and potentially put them at risk. you can see exactly why that is the big issue and the thing that hasn't been solved. it's hard to solve, that's why still on the table at the moment. potentially now, there are a few days to try and figure out some way of inching closer towards each other but absolutely no guarantee that it will happen because it's tough. you saw some of what the prime minister had to say in that report. let's let some more of his reaction to the outcome of his phone call with ursula von de leyen: the idea was that when we went out on wednesday, the hope was that we were going to be able to finish these off today, if there was a deal to be done.

as things stand, and this was basically what ursula and i agreed, i'm afraid we are still very far apart on some key things but where there is life, there is hope. we are going to keep talking to see what we can do. the uk certainly won't be walking away from the talks. i think people would expect us to go the extra mile. i repeated my offer which is, you know, if it's necessary to talk to other capitals, i am very happy to do that. i'm very determined to keep the thing, to keep the negotiations on the way that they have been done between us and the commission. that is fine. i will repeat that the most likely thing now is, of course, that we have to get ready for the wto terms, australia terms. and don't forget, everybody, we made huge preparations for this we have now been at this for four and a half years, sam, you know. that is a long time. perhaps, more intensively in the last couple of years than previously. anyway, we got ready and anybody

who needs to know what to do, get on to gov.uk/transition to see what needs to be done. let's hear more of what the european commission president ursula von der leyen said after her phone call with borisjohnson. good afternoon. i had a constructive and useful phone call with the prime minister borisjohnson and we discussed the major unsolved topics. our negotiation teams have been working day and night over the recent days and despite the exhaustion after almost one year of negotiations, despite the fact that deadlines have been missed over and over, we both think that it is responsible at this point in time to go the extra mile. we have accordingly mandated our negotiators to continue the tasks and to see whether an agreement can

be reached, even at this late stage. the negotiations continue here in brussels. thank you so much. our europe correspondent kevin connolly gave me this assessment from brussels. i began by asking him if there had been any compromise at all on the eu side. what we need to bear in mind is that we know in broad, brush terms where the problems are. yes, they're about future rules that will govern british access to the single market, they're about fisheries, they're about dispute mechanisms. but the actual detail of what that means, the numbers on fishing, for example, the precise proposals on how you synchronise british and european economic standards in the future, we don't really know those areas in any great detail and it is in great detail that fixes will be found. the negotiations have actually been pretty tight. the real detail is known only to a very small number

of people, most of them in that negotiating room. they will be the people saying to their political masters whether or not there is any hope for a deal. no one is saying that there is huge hope for a deal. you heard ursula von der leyen there, she's not saying that they are on the brink of a deal tomorrow. just that it is worth continuing to talk. the eu belief has always been, that while you are talking, there is still hope that something might happen. the view here is, there is still some sort of prospect for progress and for a deal. borisjohnson, in his statement, said that he was happy to talk to other european leaders. europe doesn't want that to happen, they have been united behind michel barnier. also, i'm not sure what you're hearing about the fish supper with a ursula von der leyen on wednesday which really didn't go at all well in terms of the language and the british prime minister trying to reach out for a compromise.

that was met with a black wall. it is interesting. i would be wary of going down the road of over interpreting these changes in mood. this supposedly very difficult dinner took place a very short time ago with two people who just had a much more constructive telephone call where they agreed to continue negotiating, so, it is certainly possible that there are these wild emotional swings in mood. it is likely that there are leaks in briefings which talk up difficulties at difficult moments. and essentially, there is some kind of functioning political relationship between ursula von der leyen and boris johnson. you're right, she is the person delegated by the european union to handle those face—to—face contact with borisjohnson. in terms of following the roller—coaster of coverage, don't forget, yesterday, all the headlines were about

the royal navy being deployed to protect the british fisheries and potentially to arrest or impound french fishing vessels. things feel a lot more positive than they did at that point. to what extent those shifts of mood in the media genuinely affect or reflect shifts of mood between the principles is very hard to say but clearly, certainly among the negotiations at least, there is a businesslike relationship underlying the whole thing. away from the world of politics, brexit and everything else, what is happening in the world of sport? we'll start with the premier league where leaders tottenham are currently 1—0 against crystal palace. harry kane with the goal. earlier, sheffield united lost

again to remain bottom. they were beaten 3—0 by southampton, and havejust one point from their 12 league matches this season. racking up the victory for southampton who are up to third. rangers have moved 15 points clear at the top of the scottish premiership after beating dundee united 2—1. captain james tavernier was once again the key man, scoring one with this superb free kick, and setting up connor goldson‘s second. champions celtic are currently taking on kilmarnock. it is still goalless early on in that match. it's a busy afternoon in the womens super league with four matches currently under way including manchester city against second placed arsenal. arsenal 1—0 up at the moment. -- it is —— it is currently one — one piece today. —— it is currently one — one piece today. earlier, leaders manchester united scored a late winner at reading

to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. haylay ladd got the decisive goal at the madejski stadium. lead every lap of the race, and on the day mclaren announced new investment in their team they clinched third in the constructors championship. lewis hamilton didn't seem to mind too much though about finishing second and third. mclaren claimed third in the constructor‘s championship on the day they sold offa championship on the day they sold off a third of their team. there's been a thrilling finish to golf‘s european tour season this afternoon. all weekend it looked like patrick reed would become the first american to win the race to dubai title, but he was overhauled in the final round by lee westwood. his second place finish, behind the winner matthew fitzpatrick, at the season ending tour championship was enough to secure westwodd the overall title. austin halewood reports. in the shadows of the dubai skyline the stage was set for the final day of the european tour, patrick reed, matthew fitzpatrick and lee westwood, all in the hunt to finish the season

as european number one. overnight patrick reed was the man to catch but his round did not start well, instead it was fitzpatrick who raced out of the blocks, he birdied each of the first four holes, patrick reed was not done, chipping his way back into contention, but as patrick reed and fitzpatrick traded blows in the dubai desert, lee westwood quietly went about his business, the englishman with five birdies in a closing round of 68 and all he had to do now was wait and with patrick reed's chances going away with this putt on the seventh, —— the -- the 17th. it was between fitzpatrick and westwood, but with a better ranking coming into the tournament, second was enough for westwood to clinch the overall title and this double bogey from lori kantor on the penultimate hole meant he was there. fitzpatrick, the tournament winner but lee westwood, 20 years after the first time he did it, the european tour champion. austin halewood, bbc news. there are four games in the european champions cup today.

in the early game, gloucester were thrashed by lyon by 55 points to 10. eight of gloucester‘s starting 15 were making eight of gloucester‘s starting 15 were making their tournament debut. promoter eddie hearn says the first of two huge heavyweight unification fights between anthony joshua and tyson fury could be as early as next may. joshua set up that potential blockbuster bout by knocking out kubrat pulev last night to retain his three heavyweight world titles. fury holds the other title, the wbc belt. joshua says he's ready for the fight i said, tyson fury‘s talented and he'll bring out the best in me, so that's brilliant. i really feel like,

you know, his confidence, the bookmakers, me studying him — i've been to tyson fury‘s fights when he foughtjohn mcdermott and i was still an amateur. i went to his fight versus chisora. i've studied him, i've watched him, so when i fight him, it will be good to change those odds and put them in my favour. that's all the sport for now. remember you can stay up—to—date on all the latest scores and results on the bbc sport website. one of the scientists developing the oxford vaccine has warned that there could be a significant rise in covid—i9. more from our science correspondent palo ghosh.

although some are being vaccinated now, the majority of high—risk people will get theirjabs next year. the aim is to immunise those most at risk by easter. this would allow a gradual easing of restrictions across the country. professor sarah gilbert led efforts to develop the oxford university vaccine currently being assessed for approval by the uk regulator. she warned people's behaviour in the coming weeks could delay progress in tackling the virus. what we've seen in the us is that after thanksgiving, when people were travelling and mixing, there has been a big surge in infections, and they are seeing 3,000 deaths a day now. the highest rate there's ever been in any country. if we have that kind of thing happening over the christmas holidays in this country, with very high transmission rates then possible injanuary, it'll take so much longer to get things back to normal because, partly, all the vaccination clinics will be disrupted. a 73—year—old man had to wait more than 19 hours in an ambulance outside grange university hospital in monmouthshire because of pressure on its services because of covid.

ted edwards was at home when he suffered a suspected stroke. unless we are able to reverse the current trend in coronavirus, we are heading into a period where everything that our health service can do will have to be focused on the hundreds and hundreds of people who are now so ill with the virus that they need to be in a hospital bed, and that compromises the ability of the health service to do everything else. hospital leaders have warned that relaxing covid restrictions could trigger a third wave of the virus. in a letter, they ask the prime minister to act with "extreme caution" in moving any area to a lower tier. england's three—tier system is due to be reviewed next wednesday. pallab ghosh, bbc news. meanwhile, germany will close shops, schools and hairdressers from wednesday as the country introduces harsher restrictions to counter rising covid case numbers.

after talks with regional leaders this morning, angela merkel said that the current measures — which include the closure of bars, restaurants, leisure and arts facilities — were not sufficient. our berlin correspondent jenny hill sent this update. angela merkel has been fighting for this for months and she has been urging regional leaders who have responsibility for imposing restrictions to get a tighter hold on this pandemic. germany came very successfully through the first wave but it is really struggling with the infections and deaths are reaching record numbers and they are still rising. angela merkel has been trying to bang heads together and finally those leaders seem to be going into panic mode. they have agreed to the new measures and some states will be imposing even harsher restrictions including night—time curfews in some parts of the country. in effect, germany is all but cancelling christmas and celebrations will be restricted to very small family gatherings, there is now a ban on alcohol

consumption outside, that is the mulled wine store is gone, and new series is —— new year's eve is being cancelled. there is a ban on the sale of fireworks, which germans usually used to celebrate the new year and numbers again very much restricted. it is the lockdown that angela merkel wanted all along and i think that most scientists would say it is very late in coming, they will be looking carefully at the numbers and whether it has an impact. in south korea, president moon jae—in has warned that covid—i9 restrictions may be raised to the higest level. the announcement comes following the second day of record increases in cases as the country battles a harsh third wave of infection. presiding over an emergency meeting at the central disaster and safety countermeasures headquarters — for the first time since february — moon urged vigilance to contain the virus.

four people are in hospital in washington with stab wounds after clashes at rallies for and against president trump. police made at least twenty arrests as they tried to separate far—right supporters from left wing demonstrators and campaigners linked to black lives matter. just a bit of breaking news that we are getting in from lincolnshire. police have arrested two teenagers on the suspicion of murder following the discovery of a schoolboy‘s body. the body was found in a village near boston yesterday morning. a boy aged 14 and a youth aged 19 are now in custody. so, to arrests following the discovery of a schoolboy‘s body. the arrests —— the teenagers have

been arrested on suspicion of a murder. anthonyjoshua has retained his three heavyweight boxing titles after beating bulgarian, koubrat poolev last night. a thousand fans were allowed to watch at the wembley arena asjoshua knocked his opponent off his feet several times over nine rounds, before the referee called time. his victory paves the way for a potential fight against britain's other heavyweight champion, tyson fury. adam wild reports. anthony. . joshua! this was anthonyjoshua's moment. heavyweight champion of the world. but the man with it all had it all to lose. pressure, perhaps, or motivation. whatever it was, joshua cut a determined figure. kubrat pulev now looking to upset the odds. the fans were back, 1,000 of them, all instantly aware this was a real battle. joshua starting quickly, pulev taking it with a smile. but moments later, pulev was down, the end seemingly not far away.

incredibly, pulev battled on until the ninth round. the finish, though, when it came, as swift as it was brutal. commanding, impressive, joshua back to his best, but he barely celebrated before thoughts turned to his future — tyson fury, britain's other world champion, immediately taking to social media. i want the fight. i want the fight next. i'll knock him out inside three rounds. tyson fury‘s co—promoter describing the stage as set for the biggest heavyweight championship fight since ali—frazier in 1971. fury againstjoshua will have to wait, but with a performance as powerful as this from anthonyjoshua, the boxing world won't want to wait long. adam wild, bbc news. at this time of year, we're used to seeing christmas lights covering our houses and streets in the uk — but an illuminated steam train is a more unusual sight.

in a world first, a group of volunteers have used 14—thousand led lights to light up the tracks in hampshire in southern england. our reporter duncan kennedy has been to see the display. this is where steam meets electricity. and where heritage meets wattage. it's the watercress line in hampshire. now lit up in a spectacular christmas mix of light and wonder. red, green, blue. there are almost too many colours to count. it took eight weeks to design and two weeks to rake the lights will stop on a train run by a steam enthusiast. it is a amazing. my boys

are so enthusiast. it is a amazing. my boys are so happy. it has really made their day. the kids are loving it. it's nice to do something christmassy. this isn't the only heritage line to put christmas lights on trains. but this one is designed by simon horne who usually creates concert lighting for the likes of westlife. you have the band, you have the pop star and the sound system. this was all about the lights. this can't go wrong. so, i don't think i have ever been as proud as i am of this. it has really touched my heart. the train is 120 metres long. but cabling led lights has not been easy. there is one more nagging question? how many lights are there on this train? mac there is 14,000 are there on this train? mac there is 111,000 individual leds on this

train. 111,000 lights on this train, each one of them individually co ntrolla ble each one of them individually controllable and simon, the lighting man, thinks that's a new world record. trains are coronavirus safe. the operation was kept going by around 500 volunteers. we have steam trains and the magic of christmas and we have these wonderful lights. it is simply magical. magic that now i’u ns it is simply magical. magic that now runs all the way to christmas and beyond. light amid the darkness of 2020. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello after today's rain, we have a windy night to come. there will be a

few sunny spells around. the persistent rain will clear away north and east as we go away this evening. some of these showers will be heavy and possibly thundery and accompanied by some gusty winds as well. temperatures are continuing to head up and rising overnight across parts of scotland and north—east england. it will be a mild start on monday. a day of some sunny spells. showers will affect all parts as they push eastwards during the day that they will be some spots in the east with a couple of showers. the rest of the day will be dry with sunny spells. it will be windy tomorrow with gas around 60 mph. these are average speeds, blustery particularly as the showers move on through. it is a mild start to the week and it is looking fairly mild throughout the week but with further rain at times.