this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. uk government ministers meet to decide how to manage rising coronavirus cases in england, amid warnings that a ‘new variant‘ of the virus is causing faster transmission. switzerland has approved the pfizer/biontech vaccine for use, making it the first country in continental europe to give the jab the green light. americans are set to get a second coronavirus vaccine, as the moderna injection is approved in the us. it comes as more than two thirds of those living in england — 38 million people — are now subject to the toughest restrictions in tier 3. meanwhile, italy imposes

a nationwide lockdown over christmas and new year, as it tries to halt the sharp rise in coronavirus infections. the uk's chief brexit negotiator has arrived in brussels ahead of more talks with the eu, as senior meps say an agreement needs to be reached in the next 2a hours. and in cricket, a devastated india crashed to their lowest ever score of 36, as australia ran riot to win the opening test in adelaide. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world, and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. ministers have been meeting to discuss how to contain the rising number of coronavirus

cases in england. government scientists are continuing to monitor the spread of a new variant of covid in south east england amid "growing concerns" about its transmission. health bosses have warned the nhs is under significant pressure, with nearly 90% of hospital beds in england full. more than two—thirds of people in england are now living under the toughest restrictions, as more areas moved into tier 3 overnight. and the moderna vaccine has been approved in the united states — making it the country's second jab, paving the way for millions of doses to be released. with more detail on the latest coronavirus restrictions, andy moore has this report police officers on patrol in luton giving some friendly advice about protection from covid—19. bedfordshire isjoining many of the home counties around london in moving up to tier 3. from midnight last night, that means 68% of the population

of england is now covered by the toughest restrictions. but one covid patient in the local hospital is worried about the easing of restrictions over christmas is. about the easing of restrictions over christmas. he believes he caught the virus from his teenage son. people are being told that the rules, i know is a few weeks ago it started, that they can travel all over the country to see their families. this is worrying the hell out of me. if you saw the look on my son's face when i was fighting for my breath, you would not be willing to send these children all over the country to see their family. routine operations were going ahead at this hospital and many others are struggling. ministers met yesterday to discuss the outbreak amid growing concerns about a new variant of coronavirus spreading widely in the south east. it is feared that it could be more infectious. what happens to viruses

is that they do naturally mutate all the time, and the ones that are likely to do well are the ones that increase transmission. and so, we know this is a new variant. it has been seen in other countries, but it seems to be quite widespread which suggests that it has got a transmission advantage. there are reports that ministers have discussed travel restrictions into and out of the south east over christmas, but a government source said nothing had been approved yet. andy moore, bbc news. i've been speaking to our political correspondent, jessica parker, about the new coronavirus variant, and how it might affect decisions made by downing street. there is clearly growing concern about this new variant of coronavirus and the rate of transmission, particularly in london, and the south—east. what does that mean, in terms of next week for christmas? there are reports today that travel restrictions were discussed yesterday. as we understand it, no decision has yet been made.

of course, boris johnson, earlier this week, as he and other leaders from across the devolved nations talked about toughening up the advice, but not going so far, apart from a tweak in wales to actually change the law. you've got to imagine, this is what they are juggling with. i think there was a concern, that if you change the law at this stage, there was going to be an issue with compliance. if travel restrictions are being discussed, you have to think, how would that work? how would you enforce it? how to enforce it. i think it'll be interesting over the next couple of days whether they try and toughen up the advice further to really make people think a game and hard about what they are going to do. that may be the best weapon to stop people from spreading coronavirus over christmas. it is very much the case that the four countries had agreed an approach. wales has kind of... tweaked the family mixing. is it to households rather than three? plus a single person.

it would be possible, presumably, including the uk government, to do that for england. as you say, a lot of this is about advice, rather than, necessarily, the law. yes, i think if you start getting significant variance in the law in different parts of the uk, that will bring logistical problems and political issues. i think if they change the law, they will face pressure, probably from conservative mps to bring it to parliament. they would have to bring parliament back to discuss that. there's all sorts of difficult issues that they face here. of course, they faced criticism for not toughening up the rules to begin with. we had from health service journal earlier this week saying that this period will be a super spreader event and calling on the government to think again. an indication of how worried boris johnson is, is yesterday he was asked about the possibility of a third national lockdown for england, as there are post christmas lockdown in northern ireland and wales, and he did not rule it out. we know how reluctant

he was to do a second lockdown, let alone a third. virologist and presenter of the naked scientist podcast, dr chris smith, says the government has left the door open for another nationwide lockdown after christmas. if you look at the wording that was used earlier in the week by downing street, they said that they have no plans at this time to change the guidance. but having no plans doesn't mean that they won't subsequently. the fact that there has been a movement in advice in some of the other nations — nicola sturgeon in scotland asking people to confine their activities to one day — three households, but meeting them in one day. in wales, two households. so there's been a movement in recognition of the fact that the levels are rising. so we might see some additional tweaking around the margins, but i think the core principle that there is this christmas bubble, that is this opportunity to get together, because borisjohnson has said "i don't want to disturb people's long term, well made plans." i think they are going to be appealing, really, to people's common sense, and they will see the numbers. and i know a lot of people who have been asking me are saying

they are very worried by the numbers when they look at the map and they see people shifting up tiers — 60% plus of the country in tier 3 now. and so, as a result, many people i think are adopting a common—sense approach, and they are changing their plans already. in terms of what we know about this new variant, how much research has it been possible to do thus far? well, as one of your clips quite rightly stated, all viruses mutate. in other words, they gently change their genetic code. and this is because they make spelling mistakes when they are copying their genetic information as they grow, and some of those genetic spelling mistakes actually confer upon the virus and altered appearance, and those subtle differences in the appearance of the virus mean that it is in some cases able to spread better. in other cases, it is not recognised by the immune system quite so well. in other cases, both of the above apply. at the moment, theyjust know that this new variant, which has got some changes in the outer coat, the spike protein of the virus has been picked up in certain parts

of thecountry. it mirrors the changes that have been picked up in other countries. it hasn't suddenly popped up. it maps onto the areas in the country where there have been big increases in the rate of transmission. one possibility is that it is transmitting more. another possibility is that if you fight go toa possibility is that if you fight go to a place where there is a lot of virus activity, you will find new variant of the virus. what we do believe at the moment is that the virus has not changed sufficiently to put it beyond the protection of the vaccine. it doesn't appear that this new variant makes anyone at any earlier than the new coronavirus, its just seems to be spreading

faster. switzerland has approved the pfizer/biontech vaccine for use, making it the first country in continental europe to give the jab the green light. swiss regulators have concluded covid—i9 vaccine is safe and that its benefit outweighs the risks. switzerland is due to introduce new coronavirus restrictions in the run up to the festive period, amid a rise in infections. americans will soon have a second coronavirus vaccine, developed by moderna, after it was approved by the food and drug administration. distribution of almost six million doses is expected this weekend, with vaccinations possible as early as monday. rural areas are likely to benefit in particular, because the vaccine doesn't need to be kept at ultra—cool temperatures. our washington correspondent, lebo diseko reports. one more hard earned victory against coronavirus. the moderne vaccine is now the second is to get emergency

use authorisation. nearly 6 million doses will be sent around the country. delivery could start as early as monday with immunisations beginning hours later. it is the second vaccine to be developed and approved in the us in less than a year, widely regarded as a scientific feat. this authorisation was authorised solely by science and data. we worked quickly, based on the seriousness of the global pandemic, not due to external pressure. we have cut the regulatory red tape which can sometimes slow down the process. president trump made to tweet about the vaccine. vice president mike pence had a pfizer vaccine live on tv to boost

confidence. with cases and hospitalisations rising across the country, we have a way to go. but vigilance and the vaccine is our way through. that message of vigilance is one that many say it has come too late. each week, a grim new record is reached. on wednesday, the country recorded the highest number of new cases and deaths since the pandemic began. 3600 and more have lost their lives, more than the number of 9/11. there are queues of patients outside hospitals. there are fears that gatherings might lead to another surge in infections. the warning is that things could get worse before they get better. italy will go into lockdown over

most of the christmas and new year period to deal with a rise in coronavirus cases. shops, bars and restaurants will be closed and travel between regions will be banned. italians will only be allowed to travel for work, health, or emergency reasons. translation: we must intervene. and i assure you, this is not an easy decision. it's difficult to reinforce a series of necessary measures to better face the upcoming holidays and protect ourselves ahead of the resumption of work activities in january. our correspondent mark lowen is in rome and earlier gave us more details... between the 24th of december and the 6th of january, all restaurants, bars and cafes will have too close, although they will be able to offer a takeaway service until 10pm. and except for four of those days all nonessential shops will also be closed, and all but essential movement will be prohibited. people will be allowed only to accept two people into their homes at any one time, be it family or friends. these measures come

on top of restrictions that had already been announced which mean that the ski resorts will be closed until the 6th of january and that there will still be a abroad between this monday, the 21st of december and the 6th of january will be subject to a two—week obligatory quarantine. so extra measures in order to try and avoid that christmas surge. india has become the second country to record 10 million coronavirus cases. but the rate of infection in the country is continuing to slow. the deceleration comes despite india having some of the most densely populated cities and the lifting of many lockdown measures. india is considering seeking emergency authorisation for three vaccines. india has third highest life losses due to the pandemic with just over 145,000 deaths.

in australia, a boat race has been cancelled due to an outbreak of coronavirus. they have had the first domestically registered infection in the past couple of weeks. organisers of the race say they are bitterly disappointed. in other news, the uk is not ready for a new —— no deal. the government still can't provide certainty about what will happen in areas affected by the negotiations. meps say that negotiations need to be made in the next 2a hours if they are to ratify it before the transition period ends on the 31st

of january. i spoke to transition period ends on the 31st ofjanuary. i spoke to hilary benn. the it systems that they will need have come late and that has given them a little time to train their staff in how to use them. some of the infrastructure isn't in place. the government... and i welcome it, the government made a fund available for ports to build new infrastructure, but it was heavily oversubscribed and they were only told of the successful bids in the last week or so. of course, the big question, what will our future trading relationship be like with the eu? will we be facing tariffs or not? it depends on the outcome of the talks that are carrying on as we speak. it's a very significant to change, one way or the other, and it's actually made it hard for businesses to plan, and not all of them are as ready as they need to be. let's speak about the impact on businesses. james sibley is from the federation of small businesses and joins me now.

i suppose a lot of the biggest companies have had the resources to be able to devote to preparations. evenif be able to devote to preparations. even if they have had limited information, they have had the opportunity to work with what they know. presumably, smaller businesses have not had that. you're right, small businesses have struggled because they don't have what larger firms have. we have been trying to inform small businesses of what they should do. we have been doing that for more than a year now. but the issueis for more than a year now. but the issue is that there is so much unknown. small businesses are doing what they can but there is not enough clarity. hilary benn had said that a lot of customers would never have had to fill out customs forms

because europe is our largest exporter. this could be difficult for small businesses. familiarity with customs procedures is something we have been working on for many yea rs we have been working on for many years now. there is a lot to worry about which hasn't had the same attention as border control. for instance, cross—border services. they don't know if their professional qualifications will be recognised, don't know... there is a lot that will trip up businesses in the new year that they have not even thought about yet. like maxim of this will be the situation regardless of whether or not there isa regardless of whether or not there is a trade deal coming into effect on the 1st of january. that is an added complication in terms of planning. you could be facing more serious restrictions. people would

have to have that in the back of their minds. sign not exactly, the decision to leave the single market of the customs union mean there are changes coming whether there is a deal or a no deal. there was plenty ina deal deal or a no deal. there was plenty in a deal that could be complicated. we have just done some research and one thing that businesses have to think about is origin. half of our goods exporters have no experience of filling in documents regarding rules of origin. there is plenty to think about with a no deal situation and also with eight deal situation. a lot of concerns about delay and information not coming soon reverse. what can they do now which will make a difference for small businesses? one of the main thing is that we are calling for at the moment is a phased implementation of certain

elements if there is a deal. i've mentioned rules of origin. that could be phased in over time. this gives time for small businesses to adapt. the other thing that could be done is for a deal to be agreed as soon as possible on both sides. as soon as we soon as possible on both sides. as soon as we have that clarity, the batter. a third thing we are calling forfrom batter. a third thing we are calling for from the government... businesses are struggling due to coronavirus and exit. business vouchers would be useful for them and their staff to get ready for what is coming. they could continue to adapt in the new year. this won't end at the end of the year, it is an ongoing process in 2021 and beyond. a french modelling agent accused of supplying underage girls tojeffrey epstein has been charged with rape and sexual harassment by prosecutors in paris. jean—luc brunel was detained at charles de gaulle

airport on wednesday as he tried to board a flight to senegal and was questioned on his links to british socialite ghislane maxwell and prince andrew. the paris prosecutor's office confirmed that brunel was detained as part of an investigation into " rapes, sexual assaults, association with criminals and the trafficking and exploitation of minors." an asian police officer is suing the met police for sexual harassment and discrimination after receiving "hundreds" of racist and sexist messages from a senior colleague. the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she felt "groomed and violated" after stephen redgewell sent her sexual images over two years. det sgt redgewell represented her through his role as deputy general secretary of the met police federation. the met said it had "zero tolerance" for racist and sexist behaviour and had he not resigned in 2018, he would have been dismissed for gross misconduct.

most bosses and business owners want large firms to be forced by law to release statistics on the difference in pay between staff of different ethnicities. that's according to the leaked results of a consultation launched by theresa may in 2018. leila nathoo reports. is there a hidden inequality in your workplace — a gap between what white staff and those from ethnic minorities are paid? in most organisations, employees don't know. there have been calls for larger companies to have to declare the disparity in earnings between workers in different ethnic groups. the professional services firm, deloitte, is one of those that publishes its data voluntarily. nadine is a consultant there, working with bosses to try to close their ethnicity pay gap, which last year was 14.5%. it's not fair that i could be

sitting next to someone in the office and they're earning more than me just because of the colour of my skin. if you really think about it, it can be quite heartbreaking. but i think i use that to drive me forward. two years ago, the government launched a consultation on whether ethnicity pay gap reporting should be mandatory. ministers have still not responded. but the bbc has seen a summary of the main findings. the document shows that three quarters of employers and business groups backed a legal requirement for larger organisations to have to publish their figures. what gets measured gets done. our members want to disclose their ethnicity pay gap because they know this is such an important issue, and if they address this issue they will have companies that are more diverse, more inclusive, more profitable, more innovative. it makes business sense and it's the right thing to do. the department for business said it would respond to the consultation in due course,

and was working with firms to understand issues around data and methodology. campaigners say openness around differences in pay between ethnic groups pushes conversations about inequality to the top of organisations and drives change. ministers are still weighing up whether to impose transparency on businesses, but many say it should have already happened. leila nathoo, bbc news, westminster. india's sporting pride has been severely dented this weekend as the nation's cricket team recorded its lowest ever test match score. the side could only muster 36 runs in the second innings against australia on the third morning of the five day match. india's previous score was 42 at lord's in london in 1974 against england. that summer has since been known in indian cricket parlance as the "summer of 42". pradeep magazine is a leading

cricketjournalist in delhi with the new indian express newspaper well, this was the most unexpected thing to happen in the morning. people had got up, trying to watch an indian victory, because india were ahead of australia, and what they saw was something which has never happened in indian cricket history. very embarrassing. players are obviously disappointed, shocked, you could see them at the post—match. you could see that a player was shocked and he had no words to express himself. i think india has been slightly kinder at the moment. the social media is not all that angry. they're pretending a sense of humour. some are saying the baseline score of 36 is embarrassing. a former in indian opener, said it is like otp, the scorecard of india and a really forgettable one. there is this belief at the moment because no one

expected this indian team, which was a number one side, aspiring to be number one and contested test championship final, to have caved in all of a sudden. theyjust acted like a house of cards. now, the weather with matt taylor rain across wales and england this weekend. the persistent rain has gone. it is a case of sunshine and showers. drier and brighter weather through points of the weekend. at the moment, semi—conditions developing towards the east before another batch of showers go this afternoon. showers keep coming and going. showers could be heavy and

century in places. gusty winds attached to them. these are average wind speeds. but winds could get up to 40 or 50 mph. overall, it is comparatively mild for this stage in december. temperatures down a bit. showers could keep going in southern and western areas overnight. showers most frequent in western scotland. temperatures widely down into single figures tonight. we will area down to three or 4 degrees as we start sunday. bright start in some eastern districts. showers once again. more in the way of dry weather through tomorrow. showers could be fairly frequent in scotland. temperatures again down a degree or so. there will be glad wind and rain around caldwell and the channel islands.

this pressure will run across southern areas. we could hold on to rein in the channel islands all day. lots of surface water around on monday. britain and europe throughout the day. temperatures turning increasingly wintry. that's the start of christmas week. a quiet day on tuesday. rein in the south of the country. we have to keep a close eye on this deep and nasty low pressure on wednesday. with this could bring destructive weather. christmas eve and christmas day, not really a white christmas, but it could be a frosty one with dry and bright weather.

hello, i'm shaun ley. welcome to the programme that brings together leading columnists in the uk, bbc specialists, and the foreign correspondents who send their stories to audiences back home from the dateline london. this week... the eu and uk agree to keep on talking, the us supreme court declines to hear, and borisjohnson sees no covid crisis because of christmas —

provided it's a little one. joining us this week, ian martin whose columns appear in the times. jeffrey kaufmann, a former network news anchor in the united states. here in the studio with me is celia hatton, asia—pacific editor for the bbc. it was the english puritans who cancelled christmas. borisjohnson is no a puritan. in the 17th century, the festival had become an excuse for licentiousness, or — to use the argo of 2020 — failing to observe social distancing. this week, the welsh government departed from the uk—wide consensus brokered just last week — up to three households able to meet indoors. in wales, it will be two households. mrjohnson didn't sing it, but he did plead with people around the uk to "have yourself a merry little christmas". celia, is this a case of boris johnson wanting to have his christmas cake and eat it? it's tricky, we are seeing political leaders around the world struggling