this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world... european countries take action to suspend air links with the uk over fears about britain's new coronavirus variant. the uk health secretary warns london and surrounding areas could remain in lockdown for months to contain the spread of the virus. the new variant is out of control, we need to bring it under control and this news about the new variant has been an incredibly and two a frankly awful year. queueing up for el goodo — the fat one — long lines in spain — ahead of its annual christmas lottery. and manchester united move up to third in the english premier

league with a six goal thrashing of leeds. 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. a growing number of countries are imposing travel bans on britain, where a new, fast — spreading variant of coronavirus has been detected. turkey is the latest to suspend all flights from the uk. earlier, eurotunnel announced it was suspending train services heading to france, in line with a french 48—hour ban on passengers and human— handled freight. it followed bans from germany, italy and the netherlands. eu ambassadors are to meet for emergency talks on monday to work out a common strategy. our berlin correspondent,

damien mcguinness has this report. the netherlands is one of the first country to act. on sunday morning, passenger flights to and from the uk we re passenger flights to and from the uk were banned. belgium came next, announcing borders would be close to all travellers from the uk for 2h hours. this means notjust a ban on flights but also on train and car travel. germany has followed suit, announcing a ban on uk flights until the end of the month. other countries including ireland, france and italy have also quickly announced their own individual uk travel restrictions. pressure is now growing for an eu wide response. on monday morning from european government representatives will meet to come up with a plan. the travel bands came after british health secretary, matt hancock, warned that the new strain of virus was out of control. in the uk, the uk has sparked a scramble among

international travellers wanting to get back home before the borders close. coming for christmas, the most important thing is being with family. so i think ijustjumped the gun and went in. that was the idea. appeared about £250 for a flight la st appeared about £250 for a flight last night, but i was meant to on wednesday. the lockdown already meant that this will be a quiet christmas. travel bands mean that an even more people will be spending it at home. damien mcginnis, bbc news, berlin. in the past hour, italy's health ministry has said a person arriving in rome from the uk in recent days has tested postive with the new, more infectious, covid strain. the patient and their partner arrived at rome's fiumicino airport a few days ago and the couple are in isolation together with other family members and close contacts. the italian health ministry says all established procedures are being followed. we can speak now to frank brehany who is an independent travel expert and joins me from monmouth in wales:

thank you forjoining us. a difficult moment for the travel industry and of course for the countries around the world fighting but they're going to do and how quickly they're going to do it. yes and as you heard in the report there certainly initially european countries are looking at their own health systems and the potential threats to those health systems. and quite frankly i'm not surprised to hear that there will be a meeting tomorrow amongst european union countries and the european commission to construct a unified response on how to deal with this particular crisis. but for the travel industry this is devastating. there's actually no question about that. they were hoping, you know if you rounded it off to increasing their schedules to about 20% of the normal capacity and this durable crisis and indeed the under settable actions that the countries that

we've been hearing about today it's actually going to be that. what in you can do to reassure other countries that are worried right now? i think the theme to take part with here is the fact that countries are assessing, if you like, and 2a or 48 hour are assessing, if you like, and 24 or 48 hour of window of opportunity just to assess from their own perspectives to see how things are helping with their own health systems. with there will be looking forfrom systems. with there will be looking for from the united systems. with there will be looking forfrom the united kingdom is information. that is the key part as far as they're concerned so that they canjudge far as they're concerned so that they can judge it against what they need to do within their own health systems. but i think above anything else was uk government has got to build confidence. notjust with these countries, our neighbours, but also with travelling public and indeed the travel industry. you touched on earlier but this is an absolutely key time for the travel industry, isn't it? yes and normally

it would be at this time of year we re it would be at this time of year were ina it would be at this time of year were in a normal year would be seeing packed airports and usual reports about people trying to get back home, but of course this year has been unlike any other on record as far as has been unlike any other on record as faras i'm has been unlike any other on record as far as i'm aware. and certainly what we've got at the moment is a travel industry struggling to try and bring their own industry back to some kind of normality. we did see the beginning of that, shall we say, when the news of the vaccine was introduced about four weeks ago. there was a lot of optimism there and talk about increasing the actual schedules, and indeed the sale of holidays. but unfortunately we have seen, particularly in the last week is that has rapidly dissipated. and of course you've studied the travel industry for many, many years. looking ahead, looking forward what's your prognosis? how long will

it take the industry to recover from all of this? i've been saying since the beginning of this crisis that the beginning of this crisis that the clue about what's going to happen is contained with the aviation industry have been doing so far. for example from march on words they have been, the airline industry have been mark following their fleets, taking numbers of different types of aircraft out of service altogether and indeed working substantially to reduce their schedules. they themselves predicted that to return to 2019 levels of traffic and passenger numbers, will not see a return until about 2023. there have been some shifts in that months where some are predicting perhaps about 2024, but it's going to bea perhaps about 2024, but it's going to be a long march back to normality. the key, obviously, understatement of the year, is the vaccine. but it's something that's on the horizon on the just as you see the caution being expressed by

countries today we are going to see countries today we are going to see countries in the very near future saying if you want to come into our country, you are going to have to prove that you've been vaccinated. thank you very much indeed. here in the uk, the number of coronavirus cases has risen by almost 36,000 in 24 hours, an all—time high. the health secretary, matt hancock, has described the new mutant variant as "out of control" — as new restrictions come into force for millions of people in parts of england and in wales. all previous tier 3 areas in the south east and east of england have moved into a new tier 4. our political correspondent nick eardley reports. what a difference a day can make. london's oxford street — normally one of the busiest for shopping in europe, deserted today, as parts of england entered a new lockdown and millions more faced up to a significantly scaled back christmas. people like michaela mccann, who works as an occupational

therapist in surrey and now can't get home to northern ireland. everybody had made their plans and itjust seems like it's just a bit too late. it'sjust really difficult to accept. and i feel like, myself, my resilience has sort of depleted through the year and i think this wasjust one, like, final kick. the government said it was forced to act because of a new variant of the virus that's thought to spread much quicker. the new variant is out of control and we need to bring it under control. and this news about the new variant has been an incredibly difficult end to, frankly, an awful year. wales entered lockdown again at midnight. in scotland and northern ireland, new restrictions are coming just after christmas. and new tier 4 restrictions mean in london, the south east and the east of england, people are being urged to stay at home.

we don't know how long these measures are going to be in place. it may be for some time, until we can get the vaccine going. that isn't an easy thing to say. it all feels very different to wednesday, the four nations agreed that there would still be a relaxation of the law over christmas. but ministers here say they were given new evidence on friday about how the new variant of the virus spreads, and that they had to act quickly. others think they were too slow. how could the government allow people to go on as they were? labour's leader this morning said that the prime minister had waited until the 11th hour because he was reluctant to make an unpopular decision. england, scotland and labour—run wales all took pretty drastic action yesterday after being briefed by the experts. so what makes you think, in terms of this new variant, that the government should have acted sooner? to put all of this on the new variant is wrong. the infection was out of control and that's why the government, the prime minister, should have grasped this, instead of flippantly on wednesday simply saying, have a merry little christmas.

it was obvious that the indicators were all in the wrong direction. the government says that's wrong, that when the data changed, their approach had to as well. but for many, the last couple of days mean a heartbreaking end to what's already been a uniquely difficult year. nick eardley, bbc news. just to bring rely we are getting from number ten the last minute or two, a spokesman for number ten has just released a statement that says the prime minister will chair a cobra meeting tomorrow to discuss the situation regarding international travel, in particular the steady flow of freight into and out of the uk. further meetings are happening this evening and tomorrow morning to ensure robust plans are in place. this of course is a response to a number of countries including france and ireland saying that there will not be allowing air travel in and out of their countries from the uk.

so just to reiterate, out of their countries from the uk. sojust to reiterate, there out of their countries from the uk. so just to reiterate, there will be a cobra meeting chaired by the prime minister tomorrow to discuss the ever—changing situation with international travel, in particular freight into and out of the uk over the next couple of days. more and that of course as and when we get it here on bbc news. so how has the coronavirus mutated and what do we know about how infectious this new variant is? here's our health correspondent catherine burns. since the pandemic started, we've learnt a lot about coronavirus, but it's been learning about us too. it's had practice at dealing with our immune systems and has developed an extra way of fighting us — this new variant. it's changed 23 times. many differences are linked to the all—important spike protein — the part of the virus that lets it bind onto human cells. so, the worry is that this mutation could make it easier for the virus to infect us.

doctors think this new variant could spread up to 70% faster, although that figure is just an estimate. scientists advising the government also say it could increase the r number, which shows how the virus can spread, by between 0.4 and 0.9. when we find the virus, we're finding the virus in the nose and throat. the higher amount of virus means that people are likely to be more infectious than they would otherwise be, and this means that we need to reiterate the social—distancing measures, keep your distance, reduce your contacts. one key question is, will vaccines still work against this? well, the vaccine trains our immune systems to recognise and react to the spike protein in the virus, and it has changed. but we're talking about tweaks, rather than huge differences. it's early days, but scientists think the vaccines are now, more than ever, the key to getting this under control. there's no evidence to say this

variant will cause more severe illness in any one person, but it's thought that somewhere between one in 100 and one in 150 people who have coronavirus end up dying from it. this variant is more infectious, so more people could get it, which could lead to more deaths — and, of course, more pressure on the nhs. we're already in a situation where we're seeing ambulances queueing for hours outside of hospitals, others are cancelling routine surgery, and on top of that comes this new variant, how worried are you? we're 11,000 beds fewer than we were last year because of infection control. and of the remaining beds, 16,000 of them are occupied by covid patients. that's 2,000 more than eight days ago. so, what chief executives are saying to us is, it's going to be a nail—biting week to ten days for them whilst they see whether these new measures will have the desired impact. until enough of us have been vaccinated, the best way to stop this virus spreading is to stick to social distancing, wear our masks, wash our hands, and to cut contact with other people.

catherine burns, bbc news. dr mike tildesley is an associate professor in infectious diseases at the university of warwick. first of all, what more do we know about this new variant? is for much of the day since his bid was discussed that we are starting to see and even we believe this has been around for several months circling in the uk it's only really been the last couple of weeks that we started to see cases raising in the concerning way. the evidence we have so far suggest it's more infectious, so if you are infected with the new variant you are more likely to pass it on to other people than previously with other strains of the virus. we don't yet know whether it causes more severe symptoms. early evidence would suggest it does not. we are not seeing a big increase in hospitalisations as a result of this. and has artie been discussed it's not clear that the vaccines

that are being rolled out now both failed to work against this. so it's a cause for concern, but it's really not cause for alarm. we will be monitoring this over the next few weeks to get as much evidence as possible, see how it's going to spread in the weeks to come, and they really have confidence as to what we might expect as we move into the new year. we pinpointed this in the new year. we pinpointed this in the uk. we know, as you said commit toa the uk. we know, as you said commit to a circular in the uk for a while, do you understand why other countries are stopping travel from the uk? because for the fence or cleaning for a while surely it's now gone international as well. is very possible and i gather that their suggestion that there have been cases reported in other countries in europe, and you believe italy has reported a case of this variant. i would suspect that probably because international travel has been continued i'll be at a lower level, that we probably will start to see cases emerging in other countries in

europe in the coming days. it's one of these problems with covid that when we know cases are reported these individuals probably infected up these individuals probably infected up to two weeks ago, so given that we are now seeing quite a significant number of cases with variant will have been circulated for some time. it's very possible that it for some time. it's very possible thatitis for some time. it's very possible that it is starting to circulate in other countries in europe. that it is starting to circulate in other countries in europelj that it is starting to circulate in other countries in europe. i stuck with the uk. we are now in many areas under stricter restrictions. you think these restrictions are strict enough to stop this virus which the health secretary today has described as out of control? it's a real challenge. this is the real difficulty that we have now. as of the country going into tier 4, it difficult to know how much restrict you can be then these rules. again we've only literally just you can be then these rules. again we've only literallyjust been introduced to these and of the next few weeks we a real understanding as to whether tier 4 is effective. when a proctor lockdown that tier 3, as it was, was effective at bringing

the r number below one. the strains that were circling prior to lockdown. my hope is that the more stringent rules will get the r number below one and you may see more parts of the countries moving into higher levels of restrictions over the coming weeks. thank you very much for talking to us. the headlines on bbc news... a string of countries — many of them european — have suspended air links with the uk over fears about britain's new coronavirus variant. the health secretary warns london and surrounding areas could remain in lockdown for months to contain the spread of the virus. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's olly foster. manchester united and leeds united first league meeting in 16 years was very one—sided. running out the

winners at old trafford. the first ofa winners at old trafford. the first of a premier league player has done that. bruno fernandes also scored a couple and they have a game in hand on the other teams around them. leads, they play the same way whether they're for having zero up work for having zero down. you know you're in the game until the final whistle. they do that every three days or every game. that's the challenge for us as well. at half—time it's not going to stop them you have to run into the whistle goes and i think we are showing that physical capability and the fitness is getting better. chris we knew we were lacking at the start of the season and now we are looking stronger. leicester city second the table andjamie stronger. leicester city second the table and jamie vardy scored his

second—half penalty. involved again as spurs failed to deal with the long ball in the second half and to be scored an own goal. to having zero the final score, for spurs that's slipped to fifth. blessed are now four points off the top. —— lester. real madrid are playing right now, they were 2—1. milan still top in italy. after scoring the fastest goal ever and score after six seconds after the whistle in the game. give them one point clear of milan.

celtic have concluded the trouble of domestic trophies for four years in a row. les ethan pocic scottish cup final took place at hampton park. they beat hearts on penalties. frustrating to go like that. but to come back even with the penalties. to keep coming up and keep getting knocked down again, the boys step up. the knocked down again, the boys step ung knocked down again, the boys step s knocked down again, the boys step up. the young boys as well. stepping up up. the young boys as well. stepping up and taking a penalty with ten months out is amazing. absolute buzzing. it's never been done in clu b buzzing. it's never been done in club history. so... five birdies in the last seven whole 93v five birdies in the last seven whole gay victory at the appreciate ship to ship in florida. the create finished five shots clear of the

chasing pack being her compatriots and australia's hannah green into second. it is director of the t20 series against pakistan with a game to spare. the one by nine wickets in hamilton. their skipper give the tourists some help with an unbeaten 99. the reached hundred 63 for sex, but a century partnership between tim seifert and kane williamson took the black caps to victory with four balls to spare. third game but of the dead rubber is in napier on tuesday. that's all your support for now. now let's take a look at more of the day's news from around the world: a senior uk government source says the post—brexit trade talks remain difficult, with significant differences. but the talks are expected to continue on monday. the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier has described the discussions as at a ‘crucial‘ point. there are only 11 days to go, until the uk's transition period ends on 31st december.

the authorities in afghanistan say at least eight people have been killed and 15 injured in a car bombing in the capital, kabul. the interior ministry says women and children are among the victims. the blast targeted the convoy of a member of the afghan parliament, who survived. several rockets have been fired into the green zone in baghdad where several embassies and government buildings are located. iraqi security sources say the rockets were aimed at the us embassy and caused some damage to nearby buildings. a residential complex was hit, although no casualties have been reported so far. well london is of course one of the areas which is now us republican senator mitt romney has accused president trump of having a blind spot about russia. mr trump on saturday ignored the conclusions of his top spies and even his secretary of state, and suggested that china — not russia — was behind a major hacking attack on us government agencies. mr romney said the data breach was "extraordinarily damaging" and demanded a response.

it is one of the biggest lotteries in the world with the unforgettable name: el gordo — or the fat one. millions of people in spain take part. the draw takes place on tuesday. the pandemic doesn't seem to have dampened enthusiasm. tim allman explains. this year, perhaps more than any other year, people could do with a little luck in their lives. hundreds of people queueing up for hours at this kiosk in madrid. it is considered the luckiest kiosk in the country, selling lottery tickets for more than a century. translation: it's a dream for the end of this year. people want to leave misery behind, poverty. i don't know, everyone has a different wish, something for the family, or whatever. el gordo dates back more than 200 years.

the prizes big more than two billion euros. but there are usually lots and lots of winners. hence the long queues, although the shadow of coronavirus still hangs over the proceedings. translation: i've been waiting in line for two hours and the security measures were respected a lot less at the end, a bit more at the start. there were no police or security personnel to ensure social distancing. like many countries in europe, infection numbers are rising, restrictions are being tightened. but despite it all, el gordo remains a real festive tradition. tim allman, bbc news. now to bosnia—herzegovina, where election observers in the ethnically—divided city of mostar have reported few irregularities at polling stations during the first municipal elections there for 12 years. ten years ago, bosnia— herzegovina's constitutional court

ruled the city's power—sharing arrangement illegal, and it has taken until now for rival bosnian muslim and croat politicians to reach a deal on new voting rules. results from the vote are expected in a few hours. mps want the government to publish a list of the companies that signed up to the furlough scheme amid concerns money is being lost through fraud and error. under the scheme, the government pays up to 80% of staff wages. fraud where furloughed staff continue to work, could be running at as much as 34% of cases, the public accounts committee said. the wages of more than nine million workers have been paid by the government at a cost of £46 billion. meg hillier is chair of the commons public accounts select committee and is calling on the government to take action. it was introduced at speed he did an amazing job, but by now we are nine months in. so we would like to see a full list of all companies that

received for the money because i think that transparency will highlight anyone that is trying to commit fraud. they're still millions of people who have not received a penny because of the peculiarity of their freelance or self—employment. which means they dropped out of the scheme and nine months on the have now submitted tax returns for last year, so they could be included. generally the government seems to be clear so if they're changing it in the recent announcement by the chancellor extended to april was there was a bit more notice in the last one which was already after redundancy notices would've been issued. they hopefully learning a bit as they go on but we are concerned about these people are all still excluded and not getting any help at all. show some pictures of a violent confrontation that took place in a zoo confrontation that took place in a zoo in russia. on one side was the panda and in the other was a snowman. the zookeepers in moscow used as a test of the animal placing carrots and branches in the snowman's body. he used his

formidable martial arts to destroy the snowman, real kung fu panda and then was able to eat his dinner. hardly a then was able to eat his dinner. hardlyafair then was able to eat his dinner. hardly a fair fight then was able to eat his dinner. hardly a fairfight in the end. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good evening. after a weekend of sunshine and showers, there is a bit more rain in the forecast over the next couple of days. not great news for those parts of england and wales where flood warnings are currently in force, but as we had through the week towards christmas, it will turn drier but colder. so, through this evening and tonight, rain will push its way up from the south across southern england, wales, into the midlands. some showers further north, also some clear skies in northern areas. so a little bit chilly here. but by the end of the night, it will be turning very, very mild, indeed, down towards the south, 11 celsius in plymouth by five o'clock in the morning, and then as we go through the day, this wet weather pushes its way northwards across much of england and wales, into northern ireland, southern scotland, some rain will linger down towards the south as well. some heavy showers across parts of northern scotland. these could start to turn wintry later.

temperatures here just 6—7 degrees, compare that with 15 in parts of southeast england. and then as we look further ahead, more rain to come, particularly in the south on tuesday and wednesday. by christmas eve and christmas day, it should be drier, but it will feel rather chilly.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines... millions of people in england and wales are told to stay at home on the first day of tough, new coronavirus restrictions — as action is taken on a new variant of the virus. the new variant is out of control, we need to bring it under control and this news about the new variant has been an incredibly and two a frankly awful year. the health secretary labels crowded scenes at london stations last night as "irresponsible" — the transport secretary says extra police officers will be deployed to enforce the rules.