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 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 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. how a record haul of the amphetamine captagon has been destroyed in italy. we might i've seen the battlefields in syria, libya, but not in these quantities. queueing up for el

gordo — the fat one. long lines in spain ahead of its annual christmas lottery. 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. i'm a growing number of countries are imposing travel bans on britain, where a new, fast—spreading variant of coronavirus has been detected. flights have been cancelled by a number of countries while eurotunnel and ferry crossings from british ports to france are also being suspended. the prime minister, borisjohnson, is to chair a meeting of the uk's emergency cobra committee on monday to discuss the situation. 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 was the first country to act. on sunday morning, passenger flights to and from the uk were banned. belgium came next, announcing borders would be closed 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, european government representatives will meet to come up with a plan. the travel bands came after british health secretary, matt hancock, the travel bans 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. paid about £250 for a flight last night, but i was last night, but i was meant to come on wednesday. the lockdown already meant that this will be a quiet christmas. travel bans mean that an even more people will be spending it at home. damien mcguinness, bbc news, berlin. italy's health ministry has said a person arriving in rome from the uk in recent days has tested positive 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. so what's the immediate impact of the travel bans imposed on the uk just days before the end of the brexit transition period, the 31st of december? here's our transport

correspondent caroline davies. this weekend has already seen queues of lorries waiting at dover. today's news that france has banned all forms of transport from the uk for 48 hours from midnight, including goods being transported as freight, has many worried this will get much worse. this is an absolute hammer blow after all the queues we've had at ports in the last week caused by brexit stockpiling and, of course, the christmas rush. so, there's real confusion, real uncertainty in the industry tonight. obviously, the ban is into france, other routes that these goods could be taken into in a different part of europe instead? there are other routes, other sea routes, other ports to other parts of europe that can be used. but they are a very long way round compared to the short straits of dover, calais. and really, it's not a great alternative from where we are now, with just a few days to christmas. the prime minister will chair a cobra meeting tomorrow to discuss the situation.

the eurotunnel closed its folkestone terminal at 10pm this evening. the port of dover has closed to all traffic leaving the uk. while france is currently the only country to have imposed restrictions on freight, many other european countries have placed bans on british passengers coming into the uk — including italy, ireland, the netherlands and belgium — concerned about spreading the new strain of the virus. in the uk, some passengers were still boarding trains from london to manchester this afternoon. despite the fact that rules against leaving tier 4 came in last night, other than for legally permitted reasons. the british transport police have said that there will be more officers at major transport hubs and the officers will only use enforcement if absolutely necessary. in scotland, the police have said they will double their presence in the border areas, but that it wasn't appropriate for officers to establish checkpoints or roadblocks. yesterday's announcement has resulted in christmas plans being upended across the country, not least those of businesses thrown

into doubt at the uk's border in the final few days before christmas. caroline davies, bbc news. the number of coronavirus cases in the uk has risen by almost 36,000 in 2a 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. i was pinning all of my hopes on this moment now to get home for 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, 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. i think this isjust 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, when 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. the sharply increased number of new cases in the uk is being linked to the new variant of covid being more infectious. up up to 70%. concerns over the new strain have led to the widespread travel restrictions announced. our health correspondent catherine burns reports now on what we know about the mutation and how it happened. 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. another question is, are people more likely to become very sick, or even die, if they get infected with this? well, so far, there is no evidence to show that this variant causes more severe illness in any one single person, but it's thought that somewhere between one in 100 and one in 150 people who get coronavirus will die from it. and if this variant is more infectious, it could cause more cases, and so more deaths. we've already seen ambulances queueing outside of hospitals and some trusts cancelling routine surgery, as they struggle to cope with the pandemic and winter pressures. now, this too. 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. meanwhile, the brexit trade negotiations have been continuing in brussels. the end of the transition period and therefore the uk's current arrangements is now only 11 days away. our europe editor, katya adler, has been watching developments from brussels. well, i really is a case of so near and yet so far. we're told that more than 98% of this deal has been agreed. the negotiating teams continued all over the weekend, but it just seems that they're stuck. there are a number of open—ended discussions, for example, the uk government said just tonight it

thinks the eu offer on government subsidies is unbalanced, but really, we're coming down to fish here. you might be surprised at that because in pure economic terms, the fish industry is network muster to the uk -- is industry is network muster to the uk —— is network much. that's what the uk government is pushing for in these negotiations. but there are eight eu countries where the coastal communities are extremely important as well. politically, fishing is important to them. so, the eu that they want to maintain some fishing rights in uk waters. otherwise, they say no trade deal at all. forget the deal that's already been agreed. a solution could be found, but the politics here are extremely difficult. so, ithought politics here are extremely difficult. so, i thought that if an agreement can be found on fish, the rest of the deal will fall into place extremely quickly. we could see a deal this week or not. the

standstill transition period and by the 31st of december. it will be that no deal situation with all the pain from the 1st of january, but if there no deal of course you can have there no deal of course you can have the two sides negotiate in 2021, but that depends on that. let me just bring you a tweet from the scottish first minister nicola sturgeon. "it's now imperative that the prime minister seeks an agreement to extend the brexit transition period. the new covid strain — and the various implications of it — means we face a profoundly serious situation, and it demands our 100% attention. it would be unconscionable to compound it with brexit." it's fair to say that's more than up shot across the balance, that's quite a serious warning coming so late in the day. the government was

entitled to ask for an extension, but i had to be done in the summer and it declined to do so and said it regards the 31st of december as the point in which everything has to be agreed. we're out of transition agreements and we then start on the basis of a no deal. it'll be interesting to see what the prime minister has to say in response to nicola sturgeon‘s comments, which you can find on twitter. 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 has warned that london and surrounding areas could remain in lockdown for months to contain the spread of the virus. the italian authorities have destroyed hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of the amphetamine captagon, seized when shipments from syria were intercepted. it was part of a coordinated effort against a trade in lucrative narcotics likely to be run

by the syrian regime and its allies. captagon is used recreationally across the middle east but is also taken by militants fighting on the frontlines. our correspondent, quentin sommerville, gained exclusive access to the operation in naples. syria's war can seem a million miles away from europe but tonight, in naples, it intrudes once again. italy's financial crimes police are on a night—time mission that has been months in the making. earlier this summer, they seized 1 billion euros of amphetamines. initially, they thought they came from the islamic state group. well, they weren't right about that. but tonight, they're taking those drugs to be incinerated. the drugs, which came from the syrian port of latakia, are under heavy guard, on a nine—hour journey to destruction. inside, an unprecedented haul —

85 million pills. syria's criminal regime, and its ally, hezbollah, are deep in the drugs trade. but these drugs weren't meant for european streets. italy was only a stopover on the pills' long journey to libya. captagon, the amphetamine, is wildly popular in the arab world. it's used recreationally and by fighters, too. colonel danilo tommo tells me, "this is the biggest haul we've ever found. the biggest in the world of captagon. looking at the amount, we think it would have flooded the entire market." i've seen this drug on the battlefields of iraq, syria,

libya, but i've never seen it in these quantities before. captagon is produced in syrian regime and here, in rebel—held areas. abu abdu, a fighter—turned—smuggler, explains the drug's effects. translation: fighters use it. if you have doubts, it brings courage and helps detach you from reality. the pills give you power, make you feel like a hero, so you can enter battle and fight, and not be scared. it's been a bad year for syria's drug smugglers. there's been a succession of seizures of their cargo. millions of pills in the last month alone. these pictures are from egypt. there, they were hidden in waterfilters. captagon fuels conflict, but it also fills the coffers of bashar al—assad's heavily sanctioned state. the growing number of seizures from the narcos of the middle east is another front in an effort

to stop the flow of illegal riches reaching the syrian regime. quentin somerville, bbc news, naples. us republican senator, mitt romney, has accused donald trump of having a blind spot about russia, after the president questioned moscow's involvement in a massive cyber attack against the us. multiple us government agencies, companies and foreign organisations were targeted in what's being described as the worst—ever cyber espionage attack on the us government. us secretary of state mike pompeo said it was "pretty clear" that russia was behind the attack, although president trump downplayed this on twitter, suggesting that china may have been responsible, rather than russia. well, in response, president—elect biden‘s nominee for energy secretary, jennifer granholm, highlighted the seriousness of the situation. she was speaking on american news network, abc. the incoming administration is taking this extremely seriously. joe biden has said that the day one priority is making sure that

the country is safe from malicious cyber attacks, and this goes beyond espionage. it is something that, certainly, the incoming administration is taking extremely seriously. us senate republican leader mitch mcconnell says agreement has been reached between republicans and democrats on a covid—19 relief bill worth approximately 900 billion dollars. the package provides additional unemployement payments to millions of americans who have lost theirjobs due to the pandemic. it also avoids a partial government lockdown which would've begun at midnight on monday. 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. the explosion was so powerful it caused significant damage in nearby buildings. several rockets have been fired into the heavily fortified green zone in baghdad where several embassies and government

buildings are located, causing minor damage to residential buildings at the us embassy. the iraqi military has blamed what it called an outlaw group for the attack and said that one iraqi soldier was injured. pope francis has complained that consumerism has "kidnapped" christmas. in his last sunday blessing before 25 december, he told a crowd in st peter's square that there was no consumerism in the manger in bethlehem, only reality, poverty and love. well, london is of course one of the areas which is now in england's tier 4, where the most stringest coronavirus restrictions are now in place. ayshea buksh has been finding out how londoners are adapting to the new changes. trained actor nathaniel richards came to london to pursue his dreams, but his recent roles have been working on a market store and at a covid test centre, and he'll be spending christmas on his own. it's my own decision that i'm

going to be by myself. i could break the rules if i wanted and go home, but i'm not going to do that because i'm not just looking out for myself, i'm looking out for my family, my friends and the people around here. nhs doctor irena gretchen had also hoped this year to have a big nhs doctor irena gresham had also hoped this year to have a big family christmas out of london. she'll still be working over the holidays on the wards at st mary's hospital in paddington. i work for the nhs, so it's normal for us. business as usual, really. it's what we have to do, all of us. we just have to get on with it and do our best, protect their children, protect ourselves and everyone else. already this year, so many of us have had to change our plans so frequently, put our hopes and dreams on hold while still celebrating different festivals. in a unique way. christmas will be no different. but of course for children across tier 4 and beyond, the show must go

on. although many are well aware even on. although many are well aware eve n sa nta on. although many are well aware even santa has been forced to adapt. he can social distance with his reindeer. he might be making masks. ican reindeer. he might be making masks. i can stay at home, so christmas will be as different as i thought. people are doing all sorts of creative things this year that is pushing back and get the idea that this is a bleak midwinter, into the idea that we can do something together for our neighbours and ourselves. and make this a time of year where we look back and have positive memories as well as the sinuses. and so the strangeness and struggles this year in for many with a scaled—back christmas, but nevertheless, a festive celebration to remember —— as well as the sinuses. ayshea buksh, bbc news, london. 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 queuing up for hours at this kiosk in madrid. it's 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. everybody has a different wish. someone to house, some help the family or whatever. el gordo dates back more than 200 years. the prize is big — more than 2 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. the truth is there were no police or security personnel to ensure social distancing. like many countries in europe, infection numbers are rising and restrictions are being tightened, but despite it all, el gordo remains a real festive tradition. tim allman, bbc news. if you have tickets, very good luck. before we go, let's show you some pictures of a violent confrontation that took place at a zoo in russia. on one side was a panda called ru yi, on the other was a snowman. zookeepers in moscow used it as a test for the animal, placing carrots and branches in the snowman‘s body. ru yi used his formidable martial arts to destroy the snowman, and was then able to eat his dinner.

hardly a fairfight in the end! but i think he earned his lunch. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers writer and academic, maya goodfellow, and columnist for the article, ali miraj. that's coming up after the headlines at 11:30. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. hello. for most of us the chances of a white christmas look pretty slim. but it's not going to be are particularly wet christmas. there is some more rain to get out of the way first. on the earlier satellite picture, you can see this big hook of cloud. this is really going to provide wet weather across southern areas, particularly through the first half of this week. this first frontal system bringing rain,

particularly across england and wales, northern ireland as well. chilly air across northern areas with a wedge of really mild air working in towards the south. a very, very mild start to wednesday and southern areas, but a cloudy, wet start with outbreaks of rain pushing northwards across england, wales. getting into northern ireland and southern scotland as well. something a little bit drier following on behind, but probably quite cloudy. northern scotland will see some sunny quite cloudy. northern scotland will see some sunny spells yes but some showers too, and some of these will be turning wintry at times through the afternoon. i weather chilly day in northern areas, very mild in the south with highs of 16 degrees —— a rather chilly day. pulses of rain pushing up into wales, the midlands, further north, clear spells. showers into northwest scotland. pretty mild towards the south, i much colder night for their north. into tuesday,

cloudy, damp weather may continue. further north, we will see more in the way of sunshine. a scattering of showers across the northwest of scotland, some of these hours wintry. temperature is six or 7 degrees, 12 or 13 down towards the south. an area of low pressure is set to bring more rain on wednesday, especially across southern areas, but as we head towards the end of the week, this area of high pressure is going to start to build its way in. christmas eve into christmas day, high pressure will take charge, but with that, some colder air working its way southwards. yes, temperatures dropping away by thursday and friday, christmas eve and christmas day, but by the stage it could be mostly dry with just a few showers.

hello. this is bbc news. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow mornings papers in a moment — first 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 difficult end to 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. france and germany become the latest countries to ban travel between the uk — as european officials prepare