hello, i'm ros atkins. this is outside source. nearly 3,000 lorries are still stuck near the uk port of dover over fears a new variant of coronavirus might spread to europe. ifi if i knew one day before, hey guys, but they were closed in one day, i would never come here. america's top diseases expert gets the coronavirus vaccine live on television and tells the bbc he's not reccomending a travel ban from the uk, but extra measures should be looked at. i think we should seriously consider the possibility of requiring preflight testing. and scientists say the new variant of the virus in the uk demands even tougher restrictions.

the transport crisis at dover in the south—east of england is getting worse. nearly 3,000 lorries are now backed up, and there's still no agreement between the uk and france on reopening the border. the initial 48—hour ban on transport from the uk to france lifts at midnight, but we don't know what will happen then. any solution is likely to include mass testing for lorry drivers, but there's no agreement yet on what type of tests to use. sangita myska is in dover. can you hear that noise behind me? there are all of the lorries gridlocked behind me into dover port beeping their horns, shouting. i think ultimately, they're just set

up. this is a bunch of incredibly frustrated lorry drivers. they've now been here for well over two days. they want to be let in. there is no sign that any deal appears to be coming. what they've been telling me is for this entire time, they've not been given access to toilets, they do not have access to water. remember, we are in a pandemic. we're all being told wash your hands, keep clean. they cannot do that. the very reason the french won't allow these lorry drivers is they're worried they're carrying the muted variant of covid—i9. even if things can start moving, there are questions about how quickly this could clear. john keefe, the director of the eurotunnel, told the bbc... which keeps things moving but doesn't clear the problem as quickly. next, this is a representative of the road haulage association.

0ne one of the logical things about all this is drivers are lone workers. they are in a cab on their own. they sleep on their own, they eat their food on their own. so, they're not incredible investors of disease. the french decision looks over the top at the best of times —— incredible vectors. these pictures are from earlier today — miles of parked lorries on the m20 motorway. there are also hundreds of lorries in this truck park. others have just had to stop wherever they can. many drivers have been sleeping in their cabs while they wait, and the haulage association says they've been offered one cereal bar each. let's look at the significance of dover. this map, based on 2018 figures, shows you the annual lorry traffic and share of eu trade of all the major ports in the uk. i can't show you the map at the moment.

dover is by far the largest — more than two million lorries pass its port — and at least 75% of its trade is with the eu, much more than any other port in britain. in other words, dover is crucial for trade between the uk and eu, and with trucks stuck, many perishable goods are going to waste. there are particular concerns from some about seafood from a business point of view, and just for people's christmas plans. annie bennett is a travel writer in spain. french industry leaders are worried, too. here's gavin lee in brussels. ahead of supermarkets, one of the big chains leaders said they've got trucks stuck on the uk side of the border with all sorts of fish and seasonal seafood produce. scallops, language —— there will be shortages

to tomorrow. he is saying desperately, the borders need to be reopened. so, that's the situation on the continent. here in uk, there are also produce concerns. the supermarket tesco has reintroduced caps on certain items including eggs, rice, soap and handwash, and there are warnings from retailers than certain other products may come under pressure because of the border closure and because of panic buying. charlotte wright reports. with just days to go until christmas, staff are working flat out to keep our supermarkets‘ shelves stocked. this morning, retailers and suppliers have issued a message of reassurance. despite france's ban on freight crossing the channel, there will be no shortages of supply for christmas day. we have pre—empted a lot of this because of the brexit situation, so we started bringing produce in a lot earlier as well. so, we were having products just to cover ourselves for the start of the new year, but a lot of the stuff now is being brought

in through other ports, through rotterdam, so missing out on dover and calais and going round about and coming a different way into the different markets. but behind the scenes, there are concerns that disruption at dover could mean challenges for our fresh food stocks come the new year. with fears that continental truckers may not want to travel here for fear of being marooned. this salad processing plant in preston handles produce from spain and italy. we are bringing in each week about a0 trucks so, if you imagine a two day hold up, that's going to come out of those trucks, and it takes quite a few days to build that gap back—up. to build that gap back up. because all of this produce has a very short shelf life. so, the maximum, once that's here, we can hold it for a couple of days, then we put a seven—day shelf life on it, so it is a very short time, so any hold—up, impinges on the end life of the product.

and of course it is not just affecting imports. businesses who export their goods from the uk are already noticing the impact. the food that's going out of the country in the direction of mainland europe is, as you say, sitting there and going off. and particularly for sectors like fresh seafood, langoustines, salmon and so on, they have a very finite shelf life, and they will be in big trouble if they are not able to move today at the latest. the government says the uk has a highly resilient food supply chain. supermarkets are well prepared, and the industry has been clear that there is enough stock. charlotte wright, bbc news. now to the wider issue of travel bans. many european countries have them in place, but the european commission is recommending that countries lift those restrictions and allow essential travel to resume. european union ambassadors are meeting to discuss the recommendations, and we are expecting something from them later. meanwhile, the uk transport

secretary grant shapps has tweeted in the last hour... while france is yet to release any details on freight traffic, it has said that from midnight tonight, french nationals and citizen from the eu will be able to return to france with a negative test done less than 72 hours before departure. this week, almost all of europe banned flights from the uk in reaction to the new variant of covid. greece and cyprus are the only two eu countries without a ban in place. now, as well as suggesting the bans are lifted, the european commission is also recommending that nonessential travel to and from the uk should be discouraged until further notice, and that people travelling for essential reasons — for instance, medical staff — should be required to undergo a test within 72 hours prior to departure.

it also wants freight to continue uninterrupted, not least to ensure the distribution of covid—i9 vaccines. it's also important to note that while this advice is being offered, eu member states are free to set their own rules on border controls, so they can go their own way if they chose. kevin connolly is live from brussels. just help us understand this tension between what member states can decide on their own and what the european commission recommends. always tension. it's up to member states to decide who comes in and leaves their territory. they remain sovereign states, but the eu institutions try to put a in architecture across that. the european commission is saying after

a couple days of emergency measures, there is now no real reason why all planes and trains should be banned from entering the uk. while nonessential travel is strongly not recommended, of course, people can begin to make journeys recommended, of course, people can begin to makejourneys home, for example, back to the country they live in, back to their home country for the holiday season. now, our country like france can require a test for citizens before it allows that, and that is where we are with the negotiations between france and britain. the european commission has made its view clear that some movement should again now be possible, but quite limited and with safeguards. france is now deciding precise levels of safeguard. it said what it wants, that pcr test. it hasn't yet said what it will want from truck drivers. bearing in mind

the decision, have we had any indication as to whether they will shift their position on the travel bands because of the european commission advice? i think you have to look at the relationship between the commission and states. the commission will have taken scientific advice, it will have looked at the overall economic impact on the european union. it will feel it's acting in the member states interest. it's very unlikely that member states as a whole would go against the commission's advice. france will feel it is in the absolute epicentre. it's the link between dover and calais which is crucial. that is under french control. although many of those drivers are heading back to bulgaria, lithuania, romania, they have to go from france. france is going to take the view that is owned public health requirement will come

first. that's why we have a solution between britain and france on british residents of france going home, for example. but a more difficult decision on the road haulage, on what exactly is going to be required from truck drivers. that has not been announced and that's because of that very big difference. a pcr test means a sample has to be sent to a laboratory which could ta ke 48 sent to a laboratory which could take 48 hours. that is a mentally impracticalfor truck take 48 hours. that is a mentally impractical for truck drivers —— immensely impractical. waiting to hear how they can go home. the british side wants much, much simpler lateral flow testing. that can be done immediately, result in 15, 20 minutes, but it's less accurate. so you can see the nature of the debate between britain and france, you can see why this is been so difficult. just before i let you

90, so difficult. just before i let you go, just to reemphasize what you said, they would approach the issue of freight almost as if a convincing plea —— completely separate issue. of freight almost as if a convincing plea —— completely separate issuelj think plea —— completely separate issue.” think that's right. there is an a cce pta nce think that's right. there is an acceptance that the holiday season, usually high advertise for people to get back to their home countries. but there's also a political and cultural acceptance that people have a right to return to their own countries. if you remember, there was a problem earlier in the pandemic, a sort of overarching right to return home. the french are trying to balance that overarching rife of return, if you like, against the public health risk of allowing people in from a higher risk area. this is the answer they come up with so far. it's why it's easier to sort out your own citizens than it is perhaps for truck drivers. kevin, thank you very much indeed.

there's are now more than 50 countries across the world with bans in place. in africa and the middle east, sudan and tunisia have now issued full flight bans. in asia, singapore and pakistan have joined india and hong kong. in south and central america, argentina and columbia are among those that took swift action, as have canada, grenada and jamaica. so far, the us has not, though three airlines that operate flights from london to new york's jfk airport have voluntarily agreed to a request from governor andrew cuomo that they only let passengers who test negative to fly. well, on that subject and whether a full ban on flights from the uk to the us is necessary, here's the man advising the government on the us response to coronavirus, dr anthony fauci speaking to the bbc. at this point, i am not recommending

that. i'm not sure exactly what the policy would be. i think that might bea policy would be. i think that might be a bit of an overreaction on our part. however, icertainly be a bit of an overreaction on our part. however, i certainly respect the other countries on their decision. i think we should seriously consider the possibility of requiring preflight testing before people leave from the uk to the united states. that's something that's on the table that i believe it needs to be seriously considered rather than an outright ban on all travel from the uk to the united states. so, around the world, plans are being cancelled and some countries have gone even further than a travel ban. for example, switzerland has asked anyone who entered from the uk after december 14 to quarantine for ten days. thousands of tourists from great britain are presumed to be in switzerland for skiing holidays. now they will be stuck in their hotels or will be heading home. here's one of them. yes, we fly home, because this kind

is no point to being here. we have to be inside, it's a shame not to be able to go out really and go skiing, that's the reason people come, if they can't do that, it's a kind of no point being here, you might as well go home. let's take a look at the latest numbers in the uk. a further 36,000 people tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours. that's a record since the pandemic began, though testing capacity has increased rapidly since the initial spring outbreak. 691 more deaths have been recorded, more than double the number reported on monday. a lot of these infections are from this new variant of the virus, and leading scientists say they have ‘high‘ confidence that it's easier to transmit than other variants. the uk's chief scientific adviser is warning the new variant

is now "everywhere", and says more areas may need to enter tier 4, which is the toughest set of restrictions. sir patrick vallance says lockdown measures "need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced". let's hearfrom one member of the independent group of scientists advising the government. i actually think the whole country needs to be in tier 4 because we needs to be in tier 4 because we need to get ahead of it. right now, we're behind it. cost of admissions are shooting up in the south and not yet in the north, and we just don't wa nt to yet in the north, and we just don't want to see it happen everywhere. and if we shut down now, it should stop that new variant becoming dominant. that's really what we have to try to do. there are many unanswered questions about the characteristics of the new variant and how it's managed to become the dominant strain within a matter of months. one of the key questions is whether the vaccines that have been developed will work against it. there's no evidence that they won't

and the who says it's confident they will. here's the chief executive of biontech, which developed a vaccine with pfizer. we have now a new variant and the variant which was discovered in the uk. this variant is a little bit different. we don't know at the moment if all vaccines —— our vaccine is able to provide protection against this new variant. scientifically, it is highly likely that a new response by this vaccine also can deal with the new virus variant. another big unknown is whether people can get the new variant if they've already had covid—i9. on that, this is professor lina bauld from university of edinburgh. we all need to continue following the guidance, even if we've had covid—19, because there are a number

of things we don't know about immunity. the first thing is that immunity. the first thing is that immunity can be short—lived, and we know that is commonly the case with other coronavirus 's. we have to be very cautious there. there have been case reports of infection, that's definitely the case around the world. we don't know how common infection is. it can even occur after not a long period after the first infection, sojust important to emphasise that. i was looking at what was published over the weekend, and they make a note they don't know about reinfection but they expect more data to be available soon. so, the bottom line is even if somebody's had covid—19, it doesn't necessarily mean they're immune and they may get it again, but also, they may get it again, but also, they may get it again, but also, they may be able to pass it on to others. and here's the bbc‘s science editor david shukman on what the new variant may mean long term. what does the new variant mean for

when we'll get out of this? one estimate from the uk says the most vulnerable people and health care workers may be immunised by the middle of next april if everything goes according to plan. 67% of the entire population by mid july. that would achieve what's called herd immunity, basically, when the virus can spread much more. but because the new variant seems to infect people more easily, it could be that 80% of the population has to be vaccinated to achieve that herd immunity, and that would take longer, maybe running into next august. let's look at the us now. it has recorded more than 18 million cases since the start of the pandemic, more than any other country in the world. here's what the country's top infectious disease scientist, anthony fauci, told the bbc today. when you're dealing with a pandemic thatis when you're dealing with a pandemic that is involving the entire country, i believe it would have been better to have a more uniformity of response rather than have different states doing things

in different ways. and you have surges in one part of the country, followed by surges in another part. we're a very large country. we have 330 plus million people in the country, and i believe it would have been better if we did things in a more uniform, consistent way. when you're thinking about the implementation of public health practices. that'sjust one of the things i think were a problem. the other was mixed messaging. things i think were a problem. the otherwas mixed messaging. it's things i think were a problem. the other was mixed messaging. it's been much politcised. there have been, and the situation, i think everyone realises there's a great deal of divisiveness in this country. and there are people who take sides as to what kind of implementation of public health measures they should or should not do. bottom line is rather inconsistent in our response. well, today, anthony fauci received a vaccine jab during a livestreamed event at the national institutes of health. he received the moderna vaccine which was the second vaccine to be approved in the us. here's what he said just

before he had his jab. it makes me feel good for a couple of reasons. number one, i want this to bea of reasons. number one, i want this to be a symbol for the people in the united states to encourage them about the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine and to get them to be enthusiastic when their time comes up enthusiastic when their time comes up to get vaccinated. but also, especially for me and my group, that this particular vaccine that i will be receiving was actually developed here. let's stay in the us because as we head into christmas, there are concerns around the world, that family reunions will lead to a spike in cases. and one way that we can try to understand the impact of holiday travel and large gatherings, is by looking at what happened in the us over thanksgiving. we know that despite warnings from health officials, travel went up — and saw the largest

number of people pass through us airports since the start of the pandemic. prior to thanksgiving, infection rates were already increasing across the us. but what you can see here, is that because of reporting delays on thanksgiving, there was a flattening of the curve followed by a catch—up period. and overall, cases rose by about 20% in the two weeks following the holiday weekend. there are currently more people in us hospitals with covid—i9 than at any other point during the pandemic. and the us has also reported record daily death totals in the last week, with more than 3,400 deaths on two separate days. did thanksgiving lead to this rise in us cases, or was this the trajectory already? and with christmas a few days away, can we learn any thing from thanksgiving? here's jake horton from reality check. there were warnings... travelling was up during the thanksgiving week, although it was up relatively modestly compared to 2019 air

travel, it was down by about 60%. there were still concerns that they may see a surge in infections following the holiday, and we did see infections grow, but prior to the holiday, there was already a surge in infections in the us. so what we actually saw was a continuation of the curves upwards. after thanksgiving, infections went up after thanksgiving, infections went up about 20%. but infections in the two weeks before thanks giving were also up 20%. so, again, we saw a community awe continuation of that curve. that's not to say thanks giving had no impact, it could've been the case that thanks giving was going to see a leveling off of infections, but the gatherings actually saw infections continue growing and growing and growing. in the national data actually, there are some cracks in the statements, which is all and uptake. we —— which saw and uptake. massachusetts was

one state where infections were relatively heavy. through the holiday, they have rocketed. though, thatis holiday, they have rocketed. though, that is one example of a state that's all a sudden increase. 0ther states that's all cases fall following the holidays, about a majority of states follow that national picture of the trend continuing to rise up. and there are states all over the country that since the holiday have recorded record daily infection rates, from california to new jersey. nationally, that trend is a continuation of the curve upwards, and the country's top infectious lead expert doctor anthony fauci has warned people who feel they dodged a bullet, he says his concern isjust as severe in the build up to christmas, and maybe more so as the christmas, and maybe more so as the christmas holiday is longer. stay with me. in a couple minutes, we will bring you up—to—date on

those brexit trade talks. there are some claims its getting closer. we will all be initially aired by the time to to christmas. but on north, south split continuing. this is where we'll see ata continuing. this is where we'll see at a frost developed for a while. further south, the grey skies we saw in southern parts will develop more widely, bringing rain. it could become a problem again over the next 36 hours. in these areas marked in darker blue. 40—70 mm of rain possible. river levels high, keep up—to—date with weather warnings on our website. the rain will be hit and miss tonight for england and wales, certainly a lot of cloud could french into the borders. much of scotla nd could french into the borders. much of scotland and northern ireland will be dried, partly clear skies —— include fringe. the rain we see on

wednesday will come courtesy of this area of low pressure. that's going to intensify the rain for some and make it more persistent for others. light winds to begin with across england and wales, rain coming and going, have your bursa developing for the day. the odd rumble of thunder. you can see a bit of brightness at times. 13 degrees possible around the england channel. hazy sunshine to begin with, turning a bit sunnier but a cold day here. when's not too much of an issue to begin with. but we will start to pick up —— when as the rain gradually starts to clear its way eastwards at the low pressure departs full the east. the isobars will be coming down for the north, its northerly winds which will introduce much colder airfor christmas eve and christmas day. we will even see a bit of snow, particularly on christmas eve, mixed

in with some showers. snow mainly over the hills. big improvement for england and wales as far as sunshine on thursday, but down the eastern coast, 4 degrees, gale force winds. it will feel subzero, really raw feeling day down the eastern half of the country. to take us into christmas morning, it'll be a sparkle of widespread frost on the ground. a lot of dry and bright weather to come. lots of sunshine, bright start in northern ireland and scotland, but wet and windy weather arriving in the northwest later. see you soon.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is 0utside source. nearly 3000 lorries — are still stuck near the uk port of dover — over fears a new strain of coronavirus might spread to europe. if i knew one day before, hey guys, but they were closed in one day, i would never come here. america's top diseases expert gets the coronavirus vaccine live on television — and he's been speaking to the bbc. i want this to be simple to people in the united states to encourage them about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. and donald trump's border wall with mexico is still unfinished,

but immigrants who have lived in the us for decades are still being arrested. the port of dover has long been a focus of the brexit story. in 2018, foreign secretary dominic raab was criticised for saying he "hadn't quite understood" how reliant uk trade in goods is on the dover—calais crossing. and indeed it is, it's by far the uk's busiest port. more recently, it was announced truck drivers would need a permit to enter kent after the brexit transition period ends at the end of 2020, in order to control pressure on the port of dover. and we know the government's assessments are that if there is no new trade deal between the uk and the eu by the end of this month, there could be queues 7,000—trucks—long. well, as those trade talks go on, a new mutation of covid—19 has shown us in a very real way what happens when travel through dover is restricted or in this case stopped,

thanks to a 48—hour border closure by france. and this is what's happened in and around dover. close to 3000 lorries are backed up, some on the motorway, some in lorry parks, some anywhere their drivers can find. all in wet wintery conditions. this polish driver is unimpressed. it's terrible. as i said, if i knew one day before that, hey guys, europe, uk, the border will be closed in one day. i would never have come here. a romainian driver spoke to the local paper, the isle of thanet news, saying, "we have 2 bottles of water. we haven't received any food. no toilets. regarding our physiological needs, we are using the fields or the lorry‘s wheels." and this is another romanian driver. we tried to find some place to sleep, it was so difficult for us, we are tired, we are disappointed, we are afraid. we miss our christmas with families and we don't know what to do.

i have called everywhere to ask if they can help us and no answer. nobody knows. meanwhile one german driver told, "i am now staying in a hotel, but in front of the hotel there are thousands of people without any rooms. i feel a little bit like robinson crusoe on an island." and the haulage association has said that on monday, kent county council offered each driver one cereal bar. even if this resolved soon, many drivers face uncertainty over where they'll go next and where they'll be on christmas day. and they've experienced what major disruptions in dover can do. 0n the 31 december, when the brexit transition period ends, the uk will leave eu's single market and customs union and the the uk and the eu hope a new trade deal will set the new rules of engagement. but there's no deal yet. today the eu's chief negotiator briefed ambassador‘s from the eu's

27 nations on how talks are progressing, this is what he had to say when he arrived. just a few words. we are really in a crucial moment. we are giving it to the final push. in ten days, the uk will leave the single market and i will continue to work in total transparency with the member states and with the parliament. during that meeting michel barnier told the eu ambassadors progress has been made, but fishing remains the biggest obstacle to a post—brexit deal, specifically how much fish eu nations can catch in uk waters in the years to come. diplomats have said the eu is willing to accept a 25% cut in their quota from 2021 but a 30% cut would be too high. they say there are still disagreements over the amount of time until that reduction is put in place, and how the eu

could retaliate if the uk reduced eu fishing rights further. that may seem like a small difference, but as the political consultant mujtaba rahman points out. the money involved in fisheries is minuscule but crucial to the viability of certain french boats and ports. hence their political salience for the elysee. the difference for french boats between a 35% & 25% cut is e21m a year, spread over 5—6 yearly instalments. let's 5—6 yearly instalments. look at the uk perspective with let's look at the uk perspective with the help of rob watson. he is live with us from oxford. rob, the two sides would appear to be close. we've heard why the eu isn't particularly keen to bridge at least france isn't, why would the uk government not be willing to budge a little and grab the deal? do you mean specifically on the fishing

issue? yes, because people are looking at that and saying, this looks close, why not budge a little and you can get things done?” looks close, why not budge a little and you can get things done? i guess -- of course, it has been a totemic issue and we have discussed before on this programme about how this is a sensitive issue, how it goes to the heart of the idea, for many people the idea of sovereignty. the idea that if you're sovereign, then surely you control the waters around your own country and that of course was a big part of the vote leave campaign in 2016, so it is a huge sensitive issue. even though of course, everybody accepts that as a percentage of the economy, it is less tha n percentage of the economy, it is less than 0.2% of gdp. so that is one issue i want to ask about. another is the uk opposition labour party and its position on this. it it doesn't want an extension to the

transition period. instead, its leader keir starmer had this message. he must also get the brexit daily promised, he has to get it this week. this is not a game of brinkmanship. this is people's lives. people jobs. and people's businesses. they need a deal. they expected deal and a deal is what must happen. so there is keir starmer saying you wants a deal but is giving us detail on where he would give ground to get one? no he hasn't. but i think what's really fascinating is how he has decided to deal with the dilemma that the opposition party here would face, because if you think about it, the governing conservatives are now an absolute out and out pro brexit party. they could have decided to make labouran party. they could have decided to make labour an anti—brexit party saying we don't support any deal, we will certainly not support no deal,

and essentially saying the whole brexit debacle will be the conservatives fault. the danger of that, of course, is that you would be seen as rather disloyal and wishing the country's failure, which wouldn't be popular with working class people who used to vote labour and he voted for brexit. the other option of course was to say, well, britain has left the european union, it's a case of making the best of a bad job. it seems to me that that is what keir starmer has gone for. he has decided to back a deal almost certainly, whatever it is, because no deal is even worse. the danger that he would have, maybe this is why he hasn't spelt out the details, is that there will be many labour supporters saying that if brexit is just half as bad as many of the independent forecasts suggest, then well labour will share some of the ownership and what on earth will have been the point of having an opposition party? so that the government and the opposition. 0ne question about the practicalities. lots of questions from viewers

saying if there is a deal on december the 28, can the house of commons approve it in time for this to be in place forjanuary the 1st? they could. i don't think there is any doubt that they could. the house of commons, it could do anything if there was the will to do it. within reason, of course, with a public health emergency, it won't be entirely straightforward, but i think the short answer to your question is yes. it might be more of an issue with the european parliament. they might have to give some more provisional if there is a deal. rob, thank you. stay with us on 0utside source, still to come. it's one of the world's biggest lotteries, the winning tickets are drawn for spain's el gordo or the fat 0ne. the winning numbers are always drawn by schoolchildren. we can tell you about the winners later.

2020 has been a terrible year for british retailers. the british retail consortium, says "stop start" covid rules are costing retailers £2 billion a week this festive season. emma simpson has returned to st albans to hear from shopkeepers there about what plans they are making now. summer in st albans, the first lockdown. a city full of independent businesses, worried about the road ahead. they are even more anxious now. for sarah and david, these should be some of their busiest days of the year with last—minute jewellery shopping. this latest closure will cost them dear. it is tens of thousands. it is a very large number for small businesses. massive. it is not even just that. we committed to stock way back in august for sale, now. if you can't sell it now, are people going to want to buy christmas presents injanuary? i don't think so. summer feels a long time ago, now. this is the third time businesses here have had to close,

and a lot of them are now mentally and financially at the end of their tether. i'm feeling really sad. emotions on saturday were so high, there were tears in here. sally runs a beauty salon. she could have done with more notice to squeeze in more appointments before shutting shop. terrified, to be honest. we have the next rent quarter due on christmas day, we have had the bill for that, we've got our vat quarter due early january, and we weathered the last economic crisis, we did that because we had a vat cut, and that is what i am calling on for today, the chancellor to look at our industry, personal care, get us in line with every other industry that has now got a vat cut. for now, it is about keeping going as best they can. traders who are also asking for more support to weather the storm, until there are better times ahead. emma simpson, bbc news, st albans.

this is 0utside source live from the bbc newsroom. 0ur lead story. nearly 3000 lorries are still stuck near the uk port of dover — over fears a new strain of coronavirus might spread to europe. france has said it will begin to ease its uk travel ban from wednesday. but that doesn't necessarily impact freight. this hour we've looked at coronavirus in the uk, europe and the us. well, next let's look at taiwan — because it has reported its first local coronavirus transmission, ending 253 days of being virus—free. health authorities say a woman in her 30s tested positive after coming into contact with a "foreign pilot" working for a taiwanese airline. taiwan has recorded just 770 coronavirus infections and seven deaths after it shut its borders

early and implemented strict quarantine rules. here's our taiwan correspondent cindy sui. this locally transmitted case was a woman who had contact with a new zealand pilot. the pilot got covid—19 after going to the united states and the philippines. he returned to taiwan in early december and he was supposed to be under quarantine for 14 days, without seeing anyone going out. instead, he and his female friend went to two department stores and a costco. on three separate days. the woman later tested positive for covid—19. the authorities are not taking this lightly. they have since find this man $10,000 for not telling the authorities that he had seen this woman and had gone out to stores with her on three separate days. they have also thoroughly disinfected the three stores and the company where the woman works, which is a subsidiary of a taiwanese computer notebook maker, has banned its employees from using the canteen,

the gym and also the cafe. they have also restricted visitors from entering its premises. at the same time, the authority to very quickly traced 167 people who had contact with this woman. they have been put into quarantine and their health is being monitored. the authorities in the local city have also cancelled, actually suspended, and outdoor christmas festival which is very popular and is frequented by many people every year. the premier is now saying that people should stay at home to watch the annual new year's eve fireworks instead of going to a central area to watch the fireworks in person. some people might think this is excessive, given that this is only one new locally transmitted case in taiwan, but taiwan does not take covid—19 lightly. it has been very proud of its success in controlling the spread of the virus and that it hadn't had any locally transmitted cases since april

until this occurred. so now, the entire taiwan government and people are once again on high alert. and we also know the coronavirus has reached antarctica — the last continent to be touched by the pandemic. the chilean army has reported 36 cases at a research base on the antarctic peninsula. the army said the infected people were being carefully monitored , adding that it had no concerns about keeping them isolated. us—british citizen paul whelan is preparing to spend christmas in a russian labour camp as he continues to serve time for being an american spy. in his first detailed interview since his arrest, mr whelan has described life as a "very, very grim existence" and called for more to be done to get him out. he's been speaking to the bbc‘s sarah rainsford.

it's an old gulag camp. it's a very, very kind of grim existence. russia calls this man an american spy, but paul whelan has told me he is a political hostage. he's been phoning me from prison to relate his story in detail for the first time. i know that i haven't committed a crime. it's just slimy politics. unfortunately, i'm the one who is caught up in the middle of it. why did you come to russia generally? four months, we followed every custody hearing in court. each time, mr whelan would insist he was innocent. but the guards didn't want us to talk. he is now described directly how he was at this moscow hotel, getting ready for a wedding, when an old friend dropped by unexpectedly. moments later, at least eight fsb security officers burst into the room. i thought at first maybe it was some sort ofjoke or trick or something.

but, you know, it became real quite quickly. they entered by themselves, grabbed me, you know, pinned me down. i actually asked the person who seemed like he was in charge what they were doing and why i was being pinned down like that, and he said he was from the federal security service a former us marine, paul whelan visited russia six times in all, and often posted pictures on social media. it was one of his russian friends who claimed he'd asked the secret data on behalf of us military intelligence. that man works for the fsb, so we are obscuring his identity. the story was that the us dia sent me to moscow to pick up a flash drive with the names and photographs of students from the border guard school. there is absolutely no proof as to what the fsb came up with. i mean, it's really a farce. you hear about these things during the soviet period, and people being taken out and shot — well, that's the same thing.

the trial itself was closed, top secret. but we were there when paul whelan was sentenced to 16 years. so was the us ambassador, who has since driven eight hours to visit him in prison. there is nothing more that i would rather do than give him a hug and wish him a happy new year and send him home. ambassador sullivan has now confirmed to me that talks for a political deal are under way with the russian government. i have no higher priority in what's left of the trump administration than to advocate for paul and to do all we possibly can to get him released. but we haven't been able to come to terms that would be reasonable for any us administration. so this man's fate is entangled in the dire state of relations between moscow and the west. i'm being patient and waiting.

in reality, they abducted mr bean on holiday... but paul whelan looks certain to spend christmas in custody, sewing clothes in his russian labour camp. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. from that report from sarah in moscow to a new report in the us. donald trump came to power promising to crack down on immigration and build a wall along the country's border with mexico. as his presidency enters its final days, the wall is largely unbuilt, but federal enforcement teams are continuing to arrest undocumented immigrants who've lived in the us for decades. as president—elect joe biden prepares to enter the white house, our west coast correspondent sophie long asks, how much he can — or will — change. we're in san diego, california, ice agents just pulled over a worker on his way to work.

immigration activists from union del barrio live—stream, record and document an attempted arrest. the safety issue is ice — they are terrorising our people, they are separating families. they believe ice, immigration and customs enforcement, operate unlawfully and consider this attempted kidnapping. they are in violation of state law right now. even the president is trying to intimidate people here. they want these operations, which often remove parents from children, to stop. they want ice to be abolished. they are not hopeful that joe biden will deliver. if we take the last administration where he served as vice president, it was the administration that most deported migrant families, who separated, created the detention centres on the border, privatised the detention of migrants, so, we don't have many hopes. after 40 minutes, the ice agents and police leave. without making an arrest, but not without reinforcing

the deep felt fear here. there were no activists present the day that this couple were arrested and detained for months. theirfour children left to fend for themselves. to see my mum handcuffed, not being able to see my dad, because of he was in a separate area, it was an overwhelming feeling that we are alone. it was my worst nightmare came to be. i didn't really believe it. three years on, they still don't know if their parents will be deported. what do you hope will happen now? i hope that people will be able to have more empathy and will be more compassionate, that there will be easier path to citizenship instead of confusion, not knowing what will happen. there is hope here and in neighbourhoods along the border, that the end of the donald trump presidency will mark a turning point. the dramatic difference is that this

level of fear has been lifted from the immigrant community, and that is profound, for those of us working in the community, that has been a real terror for folks, every day. so much damage has been done, but there is also a reality check, we know that this is going to take time. halfway through donald trump's presidency we filmed as a young mother and her daughter walked around the end of the border fence. you couldn't do that here now. where there was no barrier, there are now two, and construction continues. joe biden says he will put a stop to that. at the top you have a five foot anticline plate. those who police the border say that the war has made it ——wall has those who police the border say that the wall has made it more difficult to cross. if you're going to push yourself on an 18—30 foot wall, the whole structure is inherently dangerous, you risk falling,

which does happen, we are dealing with compound fractures, fractured vertebrae and even deaths, unfortunately. whether you are crossing to make illegal entry or claim asylum, with a visa, that is the place, that is the front door of our country, the port of entry. for those and the families of those who survive and made it across the border in the years gone by, the reduction in the fear they feel when donald trump leaves office may be instantaneous, mending a dysfunctional immigration system in a deeply divided country, will not. sophie long, bbc news, on the us— mexico border. the winners of one of the world's biggest lotteries — spain's el gordo, or the fat 0ne — have been announced. the prize is nearly 2.9 billion dollars. only a few minutes into

the draw, a ball worth 60,000 euros was called. the largest prize, nearly 4 million dollars, was called for lucky numbers 7, 2, 8 and 9. school children call out the winning numbers is a tradition. 0ur correspondent guy hedgecoe spoke to us earlier today about the significance of el gordo. we heard those children from a local school here in madrid singing out the numbers of the winners, and that's televised live and we all sit around and watch that ceremony. that's very much a christmas tradition here in spain, people tune in to that. many people have bought lottery tickets, and the difference this year was that there were no members of the public in the opera house to follow that ceremony, but still, people were tuning in. and it's a very exciting ceremony.

it's very much a part of christmas for people here, partly because of the huge jackpots involved. as you mentioned there, a total of around $3 billion which was being handed out with this el gordo lottery, as it's known, and some very excited scenes from around the country from those who won today. if you are watching in spain, i hope it was your lucky day. a reminder of our top story. nearly 3,000 lorries are backed up at dover in the south—east of england, awaiting agreement between the uk and france on reopening the borderforfreight. well, now the british transport minister grant shapps says stranded as many as 3500 people are caught up in this, some with not greater access to toilets, food and water.

thank you for watching. good evening. we'll all be in chilly air by the time we head to christmas, but for the time being tonight, bit of a north—south split continuing. where we saw the best of the brightness today across parts of scotland, northern ireland, this is where we'll see a frost developed for a while. further south, with grey skies we saw in southern parts of england and wales, the cloudy conditions develop more widely, bringing rain. and it's rain which could become a problem again over the next 36 hours, particularly for england and wales, and in these areas marked in darker blue in our rainfall accumulation charts, maybe 40—70 mm of rain possible falling on saturated ground. river levels high. keep up—to—date with latest flood and weather warnings on our website. and the rain will be hit and miss tonight for england and wales. certainly a lot of cloud could fringe into the borders and southeast of northern ireland, but much of scotland and northern ireland will be dry, partly clear skies and the chance of a frost. frost free for england and wales and a mild night the further south

you are. but the rain we see on wednesday will come courtesy of this area of low pressure. that's going to intensify the rain for some and make it more persistent for others. light winds to begin with across england and wales, rain coming and going, heavier bursts developing through the day. the odd rumble of thunder, too, but there will be gaps in the rain, as you can see, even a little bit of brightness at times. 13 degrees possible with that around the english channel. scotland, northern ireland by comparison, hazy sunshine to begin with. going to turn a bit sunnier through the day, but a cold day here. winds not too much of an issue to begin with across the country, but they will start to pick up across northern england, wales, the southwest, and it's here where we could see gales developing ahead into the evening and overnight as that rain gradually start to clear its way eastwards as that low pressure departs towards the east of us. as it does, follow the isobars back. they'll be coming down from the north. it's northerly winds which will then introduce much colder air for christmas eve and christmas day. now, we will even see a bit of snow, particularly on christmas eve, mixed in with some showers, they'll be very much hit and miss. snow mainly over the hills,

a lot of dry and bright weather. big improvement for england and wales as far as sunshine's concerned on thursday, but down those eastern coasts, 4 degrees, gale force winds. it's going to feel subzero, a really raw feeling day down the eastern half of the country. and then, to take us into christmas morning, a bit of sparkle of a widespread frost rather than snow on the ground. a lot of dry and bright weather to come, too, early showers and eastern england clearing, lots of sunshine. bright start in northern ireland and scotland, but wet and windy weather arriving in the northwest later. see you soon.

hello, i'm ros atkins. this is 0utside source. nearly 3000 lorries are still stuck near the uk port of dover over fears a new variant of coronavirus might spread to europe. if i knew one day before that, "hey, guys in europe, uk, border will close in one day," i would never come here. america's top diseases expert gets the coronavirus vaccine live on television and tells the bbc he's not recommending a travel ban on people coming from the uk, but extra measures should be looked at. i want this to be a symbol for the people in united states to encourage them about the safety and efficacy of this vaccine. and scientists say the new variant of the virus in the uk demands even tougher restrictions.