at least a0 countries put restrictions on uk travel, as the country concedes it can't contain a more infectious variant of coronavirus. 32 years after the lockerbie disaster, america charges a libyan man with making the bomb which blew up pan am flight 103. a shot made for the cameras — us president—electjoe biden becomes the latest leading figure to get a virus vaccine on live tv. a special report from china. we speak to the scientist whose laboratory is suspected, by some, of being the origin of the outbreak.

the uk is looking increasingly isolated as the government here admits a new variant of covid 19 is out of control. almost all of europe has banned flights from the uk. but the european union is set to announce a unified plan on tuesday that could exempt lorries and freight to ensure trade routes can resume safely as soon as possible. in africa and the middle east — turkey, israel, morocco and saudi arabia are among those to ban all flights from the uk. in asia — india and hong kong, a key travel hub, have suspended flights too. in south and central america — argentina and columbia have also taken swift action. and so has canada — although so far the united states has not. the french ban on some freight lorries is due to last 48 hours, it's already led to long queues on roads to the port of dover. the uk's government points out that most freight is getting

through , and talks to find a solution are still going on, as our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. you shall not pass. travel is blocked. instead of trucks flowing, stuffed with christmas parcels and supplies, the motorway‘s a car park with truckers stuck. this is my home, my bed. gordon's cab will be his bedroom, living room and kitchen for the next couple of days. what do we do? we just have to sit it out. hopefully, they will get their act together and let us go home. colin got stuck at dover but has now made it back to the depot. so i will be able to get home for christmas, but a lot of these people sitting on the m20 are not going to get home for christmas. the french border closed late last night. dozens of other countries are telling brits to stay at home. mr gove, should parliament be recalled? and ministers here are

grappling with a new variant of the coronavirus that's hitting our health, our businesses and trade with the outside world. the emergency meetings have been taking place all day. i want to stress, we in the uk fully understand the anxieties of our friends about covid, their anxieties about the new variant, but it's also true that we believe the risks of transmission by a solitary driver sitting alone in the cab a re really, very low. how confident can you be tonight that you can get the delays and disruption under control? and you said you just spoke to emmanuel macron. did he give you any commitment on when he would open the border? yes, it was an excellent conversation with the french president. he stressed he was keen, i would say, to sort it out in the next few hours if we can, and our teams will be working on it flat—out. but the high risk at home is increasingly clear. i think it is likely that this

will grow in numbers of the variant across the country, and i think it's likely, therefore, that measures are going to need to be increased in some places in due course, not reduced. france, spain, denmark, the czech republic and dozens of others have banned uk travellers, but a decision from president macron about opening the border for freight may not come until lunchtime, although late—night conversations have been taking place. president macron, himself in isolation, told his cabinet: "a problematic mutation of the virus in the uk meant exceptional measures were needed to control the border." the longer the ban goes on, the more damage and disruption it does. the government's spent months rehearsing for this kind of emergency, but not because of the pandemic, but because of what might happen with brexit. the location of that... a border control centre had already been set up to manage the possible chaos, because in ten days‘ time, how we trade with the rest of the continent will

change dramatically anyway. butjust because officials have practised in theory, doesn't make the practise any less painful. this is now a real emergency. we can have no more overpromising and false hope, no more confused messages and slow decision—making. we need strong, clear and decisive leadership. the disease is accelerating aggressively and even though it only affects a small proportion of freight, other countries‘ reaction to that is creating disruption, and before too long, more of the country could be under even tighter restrictions. even despite the turbulent times we have all become accustomed to, tonight, the government is grappling with a crisis on many fronts. finding a way round is not straightforward. as the disease tightens its grip and the very end of the year approaches, political and practical problems now collide. laura kuenssberg, bbc news.

in south africa, another new strain of the coronavirus has been discovered. scientists there say they are working with the world health organization to investigate the new variant. it was identified by a genomics team working in the country's eastern cape province where there have been a surge in recent cases. the bbc‘s pumza fihlani is injohannesburg and says even though the new variant of the virus in south africa is different to the one found in the uk, they do share one thing in common. so what do we know about south africa's new variant of covid—i9? well, for starters, it was discovered earlier this month by local scientists during routine surveillance of the virus. we also know that it appears to be unrelated to the new variant currently being seen in the uk. but both these variants are one thing in common: one mutation that has to do with how the virus attaches itself to human cells. experts believe this is the reason behind the spike of cases that we are seeing in the uk and here in south africa. while researchers in the uk say

the new variant there is 70% more transmissible, here in south africa, local experts say there are also gathering data, but expect that this might be the case, too. so, where did it come from? the first cases were discovered in the eastern cape province, all but the virus has since spread to the western cape and kwazulu—natal. scientists say it is not clear at this stage if these new variants are more deadly. they see more research is needed on this, as well as determining if these variants will make vaccines any less effective. so what's the medical advice in the meantime? well, there is saying to continue to wash hands, practice social distancing, and keep wearing masks. at this stage there are saying that prevention is still proving to be the best method. pumza fihlani, bbc news, johannesburg. the european union's medical regulator has approved the use of the pfizer—biontech vaccine, the first coronavirus vaccine it has cleared. the european medicines agency

says the jab has demonstrated an efficacy of 95%, and can be used in people aged 16 and over. our news reporter, mark lobel came into the studio to give more details, starting with the timing of the announcement. despite the fact that britain, america and canada had approved the pfizer—biontech vaccine earlier this month, the european medicines agency is instructed by the eu to look at approving their vaccines for them, took a much more careful approach, looking at more evidence, putting in more checks as they thought it was more appropriate for a max vaccination campaign for its 446 million people, vaccination campaign for its mig million people, so they didn't go down the emergency route that america and britain did but went down the route similarto did but went down the route similar to switzerland with more checks was not however, the tipping point came when eu leaders told them to hurry up. they saw 300,000 europeans dying and saw what was going on elsewhere and so this resulted in the ema coming out eight days soon up with their decision which they say was after 40,000 clinical trials andi after 40,000 clinical trials and i quote," the benefits are greater than the risks for people aged 16 and over". 16

yea rs of people aged 16 and over". 16 years of age and over. it took them just 11 weeks to approve which they described as historic for the period the executive director of the ema. we know a lot more about this disease now than we did ten months ago. even more than we knew three months ago, but there is still more information coming in and this needs to be fully assessed. such is the re ce nt fully assessed. such is the recent reports on the new variant. these are issues that need to be fully scientifically assessed. at the moment we can say that there is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine will not work against the new variant of the coronavirus. there were warnings there for pregnant women and people who have severe allergic reactions, to consider whether to take the vaccine but there was an even more up —— upbeat assessment. charles michelle said this is a defining moment in the fight

against covid—i9 was up let's roll it out safely, efficiently and fairly. and i think you have somebody else talking just coming up, haven't you? in terms of what happens next, emer cooke who wejust terms of what happens next, emer cooke who we just heard from there, said we are not at a turning point yet. she said it will take a lot of time to roll out the vaccines and therefore we need to keep all therefore we need to keep all the other social distancing, face masks and lockdowns in place. the eu itself has bought 200 million doses of this was an extra 100 million if they wa nt to an extra 100 million if they want to stop slightly less than they were offered of the pfizer—biontech. they said it won't be distributed on wealth but population at each country will pay the same. and let's hear from the will pay the same. and let's hearfrom the eu commission president ursula von der leyen. so it can start at the same time during the european union vaccination days on december 27, 28 and vaccination days on december 27,28 and 29th. this is a very good way to end this difficult

year and to finally start turning the page on covid—19. ursula von der leyen there. so the launch will be the responsibility of member states ? responsibility of member states? yes they have two divide ultra cold freezers and designate which groups get it first. on sunday, you might see germany and france with jabs going into people in nursing homes and also austria, italy and spain was aware of the netherlands, the health industry has pencilled in january eight for the first day of jabs there. mark january eight for the first day ofjabs there. mark lobel there. let's get some of the day's other news. the russian secret service has described as a provocation and a fake, a taped phone call in which the opposition leader, alexei navalny, tricks an fsb agent into disclosing details about his poisoning in siberia earlier this year. the agent reveals that the toxin was planted in a pair of underpants. he also acknowledges that swift action by mr navalny‘s pilot and emergency services may have foiled the operation and saved his life.

the european union is calling on bosnia to find alternative accommodation for more than 3,000 migrants, facing eviction from a refugee camp near bihac. the international 0rganisation for migration has said it may have to close the lipa centre because authorities haven't provided water and electricity. there is some hope that local officials will now be persuaded to rehouse people from the camp. the department ofjustice in the us has charged a man with making the bomb that blew up pan am flight 103 above the scottish town of lockerbie in 1989. it killed 270 people. adu ajjila masud is injail in libya, prosecutors there claim he has confessed to his role in the bombing. they are hopeful libya will allow his extradition to face trial. from washington, our correspondent aleem maqbool. the images will be seared on the minds of those who saw news of the atrocity unfolding.

the massive scar on the earth where homes had been. 11 people on the ground and all 259 on board pan am 103, flying from london to new york, were killed. the worst terrorist attack in british history, though one that was seen as libyan revenge against the united states. though two men were originally charged in connection, only an alleged libyan intelligence officer, abdelbaset al—megrahi, was ever convicted, in 2001. though eight years later, he was released by scottish officials on compassionate grounds because of the cancer that ultimately killed him in 2012. but now the us says it's charging this man, abu agila masud, for making the bomb that was detonated over lockerbie, alleging he confessed in an interview in libya after the fall of the regime of colonel gaddafi. the affidavit also alleges that the operation had been ordered by the leadership of libyan intelligence, and that after the downing

of the aircraft, gaddafi had personally thanked masud. relatives of some of the 189 american victims welcomed the news. we feel very vindicated, a sense ofjustice that there is another co—conspirator that has been named and will be hopefully brought to prosecution. in honour of those we remember... there was a socially—distanced memorial held here to mark the 32nd anniversary of the tragedy. but across the atlantic, some relatives of those who died talked of being upset and sceptical about the us announcement about new charges. very thoughtless, very ill—conceived. we have become extremely cynical and suspicious of those in authority, suspicious of their integrity. these people are not to be trusted. and that's been the frustration that's led many to feel they can't fully move on —

the lack of real answers about what might have been done to avert this horrific attack. something that won't be resolved with a new trial. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in washington. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: i'v world news, still to come: seen boost of a differer kind i've seen boost of a different kind is the president—elect gets his first dose against coronavirus on live tv. music and chanting saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict — conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents of bosnia, serbia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement.

the romanian border was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house to a trial for his political life, the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton his place in history as only the second president ever to be impeached. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: our top story this hour — more than 40 countries have restricted travel to and from the uk — as the british government says it can't contain the new, more infectious variant of coronavirus. a leading chinese scientist at the centre of claims that the coronavirus leaked

from her laboratory in wuhan, has told the bbc she is open to ‘any kind of visit‘, to rule out the theory. shi zhengli — a virologist who's spent years studying forms of coronavirus — was speaking as a team from the world health 0rganization prepares to travel to the city next month to investigate the origins of covid—19. as our china correspondent john sudworth reports, the authorities appear to be far less keen on scrutiny. the origins of this pandemic may well lie in the jungle covered hills of china's yunnan province. but reporting here is not easy. we're constantly followed and turned back at makeshift barriers and roadblocks. the bat populations here are known to harbour hundreds of coronaviruses, some of which can pass to humans. but it's the years of scientific research collecting

those viruses in yunnan‘s caves that is suddenly highly sensitive. because many of the samples were taken back to this laboratory, almost 1,000 miles away, in wuhan. suggestions the virus leaked from here have so far been met with angry denials. but now the lead scientist, professor shi zhengli, when asked by the bbc whether she would welcome a formal investigation, replied by e—mail. she is correct, of course. with wuhan now back to normal, the government is busy promoting another theory, that the virus didn't come from china at all. it is unlikely to have much appetite for a lab investigation, but nor, it seems, do some members of the who team as they prepare to begin their mission.

i've yet to see any evidence at all of a lab leak or a lab involvement in this outbreak. and i have seen substantial evidence that these are naturally occurring phenomena, driven by human encroachment into wildlife habitat, which is clearly on display across south east asia. many scientists agree that a natural origin is the most likely, with the bat virus perhaps passing to humans via another animal in a wuhan wet market. but some are starting to wonder why, one year on, china has published so little about any studies that might help prove it. of course they've done them. they have the capability, they have the intelligence, they have the resources. 12, 13 months out since the first recognised case of covid—19, and we haven't found the animal source. so, to me, it's all the more reason to investigate alternative explanations. and i think it would be in china's interests as well, if only to, you know,

rule that out. but ruling out a lab leak seems an unlikely prospect in a place where further roadblocks get in the way of even basic questions. it might seem odd that journalists find it so difficult to report on the science that took place in a cave somewhere down there, some years ago. but all of this may be proof that china has now decided it needs to control anything that may relate in any way at all to the question of the origin of the virus. the who says its inquiry will be open—minded. but the research done here on bats is not on the agenda. and as our visit ends with us trapped in a field for over an hour, it's clear china wants to keep it that way. john sudworth, bbc news, yunnan province. a court here in the uk has found two men guilty

of the manslaughter of 39 vietnamese men, women and children, who suffocated inside a lorry trailer last october as they were smuggled into britain. the jury also found george neeka and eamonn harrison guilty of conspiracy to assist illegal immigration. daniel sandford reports. hello, caller, is the patient breathing? hello, no, i'm a lorry driver, and ijust lifted a trailer from the port. one of the people smugglers on the phone to the 999 operator. there's immigrants in the back but they're all lying on the ground. but mo robinson was lying. police officers found the bodies of 39 vietnamese people. robinson pleaded guilty to manslaughter, as did his boss, ronan hughes. today, another ringleader, gheorghe nica, and another lorry driver, eamonn harrison, were also found guilty. the criminals involved in this case made their money from misery.

they knew what they were doing was dangerous, but they did it anyway. their 39 victims had boarded what they'd been promised was a vip service — among them two cousins, nguyen van hung and 18—year—old hoang van tiep. in vietnam, the teenager's father still prays for him daily. his mother told us they thought they were paying £10,000 for a safe route to england. translation: nobody knew that the journey to the uk was going to be like that. if they had known, nobody would have let their children risk their lives on such a dangerous journey. the older cousin's father thinks he was tricked. translation: i don't know what happened. but something must have changed in their plan. either that, or he was scammed. pham thi tra my died trying repeatedly to call her family.

she'd only left vietnam a few days earlier, travelling via china. 0thers came through countries as diverse as russia, germany and portugal. for most, the last stage of theirjourney began in paris. first, a taxi ride to northern france. but there, they were transferred into an airtight trailer towed by eamonn harrison, who took them to zeebrugge to travel unaccompanied to essex. but there were too many migrants in the airtight box, and slowly the oxygen ran out. nguyen tho tuan left a message for his children. police found dents on the ceiling of the trailer left by those inside trying desperately to escape. mo robinson, who collected it from purfleet docks, had received an urgent message from his boss, ronan hughes. but when he opened the doors, there was a puff of vapour and a trailer full of bodies.

the "vip service" had been a death trap. ronan hughes and gheorghe nica, seen here handing over a large bag of money, led the people—smuggling gang, and there had been an opportunity to stop them. a previous run on the same route just days before was caught on cctv and reported to the police. a couple whose home overlooks the site saw around 15 people getting out of the truck and into a group of waiting cars. they called the police, but the people—smuggling gang wasn't identified until after the 39 deaths 12 days later. the bodies of those who died on the fatal run were flown home to vietnam, and the two cousins were buried side by side. daniel sandford, bbc news. president—electjoe biden has been given a coronavirus jab live on us television.

he got the pfizer/bion—tech vaccine at a hospital in his home state of delaware — along with his wife, jill. the 78—year—old is considered to be in a high risk group. mr biden urged americans to get the jab as soon as possible. he even had some praise for president trump. the administration deserves some credit getting this off the ground, 0peration warp speed. i also think that it is worth saying that this is great hope of doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it is available to take the vaccine. astronomers have their eyes and instruments fixed on the sky at the moment forjupiter and saturn's so—called great conjunction. for the first time in nearly 400 years the solar system's two biggest planets are crossing paths in the night sky — appearing so close that they will be separated byjust one—tenth of a degree. some suggest this may have been the source of a bright light in the sky 2000 years ago that became known as the star of bethlehem. and you can get in touch

with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbcmikeembley. hello there. the next couple of days, we are going to hold onto this north—south divide with northern areas seeing the colder, drier, brighter weather with some sunshine, a few showers, wintry on the hills. further south, it will continue to be fairly mild, but rather cloudy and wet thanks to low pressure nearby. this is the pressure chart as we head on into tuesday. we still have this weather front straddling southern areas, further north, though, we have got higher pressure. so, here, plenty of sunshine for northern ireland, scotland, much of northern england, midlands and into north wales. more cloud, though, across the south of the country, some spots of rain at times, and here it will be milder. further north, it's going to be another chilly one with temperatures into single digits, some of these showers could be wintry on the hills because of the temperatures being quite low. but, again, double figures in the south. as we head through tuesday

night, we see a new area of low—pressure push—up from the south—west. that's going to increase the cloud, outbreaks of rain across the southern half of the country. further north, it will tend to be clear again, there will be a few showers, which will be wintry, as temperatures will fall to around freezing for many — a touch of frost here. further south, though, you can see 4—10 degrees. so into wednesday, we've got this area of low—pressure, quite a vigorous system. more isobars on the charts, so through the day, it start to get windier. but, there is still some milder air with this area of low pressure. so, the southern half of the country stays cloudy, wet and mild, further north, it will be colder. but the cold air will win out as we move on into the christmas period. so, this is the chart for wednesday. much of england and wales, perhaps even southern scotland will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain, some of it heavy in the south, and there is a chance of further flooding, as the rain is falling on saturated ground. another mild day here, g—11 or 12 degrees in the south, but for scotland and northern ireland, a bright one with sunshine, one or two showers, wintry on the hills

and low single digits. 0ur area of low—pressure begins to slide away into the near continent, it allows this high—pressure to topple in and bring us colder northerly winds. it pushes the rain away from the south—east. we could see showers in northern areas, particularly around the coast, and these will be wintry because it will be cold. but for many, it will be dry with more sunshine around, noticeably colder, particularly in the south 4—7 degrees. so that's for christmas eve. christmas day, a cold start, could see some frost around, and with high—pressure around, it should be dry with variable amounts of cloud and some sunshine. but then it starts to become more unsettled again into boxing day.

this is bbc news, the headlines: at least 40 countries have now put restrictions on travel to and from the uk is the government here admits the new more infectious variant of coronavirus is out of control. european union officials are trying to agree co—ordinated strength and health protocols people travelling from britain. 32 years after the pan am disaster over lockerbie in scotla nd disaster over lockerbie in scotland the us has announced that terrorism charges has been brought against a libyan man accused of making the explosives that brought down the aircraft. 270 people lost their lives. the us president—electjoe biden has appeared before the media to receive the covid—19 vaccine. mr biden and his wife doctorjill biden were given their first doses publicly, live, in an effort to boost confidence in its safety and encourage others to take up the vaccine in its widespread distribution next year.