hello this is bbc news with annita mcveigh. kent are beginning to move again — after france lifts a ban imposed over a new strain of covid—19. if you are caught with covid, you ain't leaving. you need to book a covid test. tempers flare as drivers are told they cannot travel unless they are tested negative —— tested negative for coronavirus. more parts of england could be moved up to the toughest level of coronavirus restrictions — tier 4 — possibly as early as boxing day. breaking her own rules — scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she made a "stupid mistake", after she was pictured taking off her face covering while at a funeral wake. president trump refuses to sign a $900 billion coronavirus relief package agreed by the us congress, describing it as "a disgrace". sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's katherine downes. arsenal were beaten 4—1 by manchester city in the quarter—finals of the league cup. that's eight domestic games without a win now for arsenal, and despite his determination

hello, this is bbc news with me, annita mcveigh.hristmas socialising will be issued by the four uk nations later, but the rules allowing three households to meet are expected to remain. it's not for government to tell people exactly how to handle this situation but it is to offer them clear guidance. bell rings. last orders in london as it moves to tier 3 — ministers are due to review other english tiers today. people from ethnic minority backgrounds or lower incomes are less likely to take the coronavirus vaccine in the uk, according to new research. germany enters a hard lockdown, closing schools and businesses into january in an attempt to stop a sharp rise in covid—19 infections. just before we go to sport, some breaking news from stunner line. they are confirming that six members ofa they are confirming that six members of a crew had tested positive for covid—19 and currently on that ship, 322 passengers and 53 crew are on board. six crew members who tested positive for covid—19 stena line say are being cared for and doing well

you're watching bbc news at nine with me, annita mcveigh. the headlines: more generous grades and advance notice of topics are some of the measures for pupils sitting exams in england next summer because of the disruption caused by coronavirus. you'll be seeing students performing better than a cohort in 2019. the first doses of the pfizer coronavirus vaccine could arrive in the uk soon. the first 800,000 doses will be given in hospitals. and we'll be putting your questions on vaccines to england's deputy chief medical officer, professor jonathan van—tam, very shortly in a special edition of ‘your questions answered'. students in england face a staggered return to university after christmas to avoid a surge in coronavirus cases. new plans to ban the export of live animals from england and wales — to be slaughtered abroad — by the end of 2021. good morning, and welcome to the bbc news at 9. the first doses of the pfizer/biontech coronavirus vaccine are due to arrive in the uk today. a mass vaccination programme will begin next week, after the

i'm @annita—mcveigh on twitter, or use the hashtag #bbcyourquestions.ial figures show the uk economy grew byjust 0.4% in october, as the recovery from a record slump continues to slow. the united states records more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths in a single day — the highest total anywhere in the world. an experimental rocket belonging to elon musk‘s spacex company crashes and burns on landing. the billionaire calls it a rapid unscheduled disassembly. and coming up this hour, the teenager using tiktok to help students stay motivated during a time of social isolation and remote working. that morning and welcome to bbc news. —— good morning. talks between borisjohnson and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, have ended without agreement. the two leaders have been trying to break the deadlock in long—running brexit negotiations between the uk and eu. a spokesperson for number 10 said very large gaps remain between the two sides. but talks will continue in brussels later today, between the uk's chief negotiator lord frost and the

all hello, this is bbc news with annita mcveigh.uld be the final attempt to salvage talks on a post—brexit trade deal. cabinet minister michael gove says the government wants a deal — but the eu would need to "temper" its demands. as thousands receive the first coronavirus vaccine — it's hoped the oxford jab could also be approved for use after a study found it safe and effective. loneliness, anxiety and depression. a survey finds more than half of students have struggled with their mental health since the start of the pandemic. the route map to net zero — the committee on climate change publishes a major report on how the uk can meet its carbon—cutting targets. and the world's smallest species of possum — thought to have been wiped out by australia's devastating bushfires — has been found on kangaroo island. we re were going to take you to the house of commons for that important committee meeting we were talking about, the health and social care committee and the inquiry into lessons to be learned from the coronavirus pandemic so f

and i am annita mcveigh. good morning to you, and to the listeners. good to be with you today.ight mean for your life. good morning professor jonathan van—tam, thank you for your time this morning. before we start, can i just start by checking is it, professor, jvt, professor van—tam, what does your mother call you? well, she calls mejonny. but you can call me whatever you like, i will answer you. i think professor is probably appropriate for us this morning. we will start off with henrietta. good morning to you henrietta. you are the co—owner of a care home, what would you like to ask? good morning. as you can imagine, we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the vaccine, however given the speed of the vaccine development and the fact that we are the only country so far satisfied with its safety and of course a lot of negative messaging on social media, some of our staff and residents' families have some anxiety about the vaccine being given to them or their loved ones. how would you reassure them that the vaccine is safe for them and residents, some of whom may be very frai

i'm @annita—mcveigh on twitter, or use the hashtag #bbcyourquestions.s testing is to be rolled out to secondary schools in parts of london, kent and essex in an attempt to curb rising infections. scotland and northern ireland ease coronavirus restrictions — with non—essential retail able to re—open for the first time in weeks. the canary islands are removed from the travel corridor list — meaning from saturday, anyone returning to the uk from the islands will have to self—isolate for two weeks. good morning and welcome to bbc news. dame barbara windsor, one of the country's best—loved actresses, has died at the age of 83. her husband, scott mitchell, said she passed away peacefully from alzheimer's at a care home in london last night. he spent the last seven days by her side. he said, she was best known for her work in eastenders and carry on films. david sillito looks back at her life. barbara giggles. that'll do, that'll do. all right, girls, get in the coach, and you get on with the loading. barbara windsor — a lift 10in national treasure. we were to

you're watching bbc news at nine with me, annita mcveigh — the headlines...illions more people in england wake up to the strictest level of restrictions — tier 4 — meaning they will have to mark the new year at home. some secondary school pupils in england face a delayed return to school, with mandatory remote learning for pupils who aren't in years 11 or 13. it comes ahead of a government roll—out of mass testing in schools. on monday of next week, all secondary schools are going to be getting a drop of tests, all the equipment that they need to set up. all the ppe that they need. a bill to implement the brexit deal has passed through parliament and takes effect at 11 o'clock tonight — when the uk will stop following eu rules. formula 1 world champion lewis hamilton receives a knighthood in the queen's new year's honours — alongside members of the public recognised for their efforts this year. in half an hour i'll be looking back on some remarkable breakthroughs, from vaccine discoveries to a new era of private space flight. that's a year in science, with me

earlier, my colleague annita mcveigh found out more about the new strain of coronavirus in your questionsons today are professor linda bauld, who is chair of public health at the university of edinburgh, and also professor stephen evans from the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. linda and stephen, morning to you and thank you very much forjoining us today. linda, this first question is from christine for you. why is this virus spreading so quickly if we are wearing masks and washing our hands endlessly? should everyone be made to wear facemasks when they are outside or travelling if that would help stop the spread? well, that is a good question from christine. of course there is a lot of discussion about this new variant, how it spreads, but also generally the fact that we still have a high number of cases of covid—i9 in the uk. so, why is the virus still spreading generally? well, it is still spreading because of course people are still coming into contact with one another. even with the new, harsher restrictions, people still have to go to work, people are still using publ

questions a nswered now it is time for your questions answered and earlier my colleague was earlier, annita mcveighublic health medicine at the university of exeter medical school and by the epidemiologist professor sian griffiths. and started by asking professor griffiths a question from khloe about why schools aren't being shut down. the whole issue with the schools is it was decided for many when he reasons that children were given priority and their education priority and their education priority because it is notjust the academic learning, it is all the other social skills, social support especially for vulnerable children that schools provide. especially for vulnerable children that schools providelj especially for vulnerable children that schools provide. i think schools are now on holiday, i am not sure if chloe's school is still open, but certainly all my grandchildren are now on holiday and at home which will provide a natural break in terms of the transmission of the disease. when we look at the epidemiology of the cases, over recent weeks there had been an increase in numbers of cases i

hello, this is bbc news with annita mcveigh.r 48 hours, borisjohnson will chair a meeting of the government's emergency committee. numerous countries restrict travel to and from the uk due to the new, more infectious variant of coronavirus. india has just announced it will suspend all flights from britain until the end of december. supermarket group sainsburys says gaps could appear on shelves in days if the ban extends beyond 48 hours. the transport secretary says he's in talks with his french counterpart. we have just heard from the french government they hope to have a protocol in place to allow movement within the next few hours. that is the protocol, not the moment, hopefully that will come soon after. it is actually primarily french and european goods which are exported rather than british goods leaving the country, it's balanced in that direction. of course, it is in their interest to get it resolved as quickly as possible as well. the easing of northern ireland's coronavirus rules over christmas will be reduced from five

get in touch with your thoughts on the latest developments on coronavirus, i'm on twitter @annita—mcveighthe hashtag #bbcyour questions. the man who murdered british backpacker grace millane in new zealand is named after a court order banning his identification was lifted. music plays and coming up, the former scottish rugby star organising daily street aerobics sessions. good morning. welcome to bbc news. the french government says it will announce measures today that will allow transport links with britain to resume and trade to flow across the channel again. borisjohnson and president macron spoke yesterday following france's decision to close its border after growing concern about the new variant of coronavirus. that's as lorry drivers in kent spent a second night sleeping in their vehicles waiting for the border with france to reopen. yesterday the pm said there are 150 lorries waiting in kent to cross back to the continent, but the home secretary has confirmed that figure is actually over 1,500. 0peration brock, which was initially developed to ease post—brexit congestion, has been

do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh, and use #bbcyourquestions, and i'll try to read outof your comments. after an evening phone call between borisjohnson and eu commission head ursula von der leyen, downing street warns that post brexit trade talks are in a serious situation. a quarter of a million new south wales residents are urged to remain in their homes as the australian state sees a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. with just a week to go until christmas, couriers across the uk are dealing with an unprecedented volume of parcels thanks to the rise in online shopping. and coming up this hour... with most traditional christmas parties cancelled because of covid restrictions, we'll be finding out how some companies are finding alternative ways of bringing their teams together. good morning and welcome to bbc news. northern ireland will go into a new lockdown on the 26th december, lasting for six weeks. the executive said the country faces very difficult times and without the drastic new measures, the health service would be overwhelmed. nonessential shops in northern i

do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions, and i'll try to read outome of your comments. across europe, governments are imposing stricter measures following a surge in covid cases. we'll be getting the latest from our correspondents across the continent. 32 years after the lockerbie bombing, authorities in the us are understood to be preparing fresh charges. and toy shops face stock shortages beause of delays at uk ports. some orders will now miss christmas, costing business thousands of pounds in sales. coronavirus appears to be spreading even more rapidly in wales than previously thought. it's emerged that thousands of positive test results have been left out from official figures. 11,000 covid test results were missing from official figures because of a computer problem with a system recording lab results which had been undergoing routine maintenance. it means the total number of cases from the last week could be twice as high as previously thought. meanwhile, at 11:30am, millions of people across england will find out if a change to their local co

hello, this is bbc news with annita mcveigh. the headlines...committee later after france closed its border with the uk for 48 hours. many other countries in europe and elsewhere have restricted travel to and from the uk due to the new, more infectious variant of coronavirus. retailers play down fears of food shortages as a knock—on effect of the ban on lorries leaving dover. the transport secretary says he's in talks with his french counterpart. it's primarily french and european goods which are exported rather than british goods leaving the country. it's balanced in that direction, so of course it's in their interest to get it resolved as quickly as possible as well. the easing of northern ireland's coronavirus rules over christmas will be reduced from five days to just christmas day when three households will be allowed to mix. brexit talks continue but are still said to be tangled on the topic of fishing rights — scotland's first minister calls for the transition to be extended. sport and time for a full round up from the bbc sport centre. w

you can get in touch — on twitter it's @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions.this evening, pubs, bars and restaurants in wales will have to shut by six o'clock and won't be allowed to sell alcohol other than ta ke—aways. the uk will aim to cut its carbon emissions by at least 68% of what they were in 1990 by the end of 2030. the missing billions — the bank of england is urged to investigate where £50 billion in banknotes is being kept. welcome to bbc news this friday morning. britain and the eu will resume talks on a post—brexit trade agreement later amid signs that the chances of a deal in the next few days are fading. uk government sources accuse the european union of hardening its stance and making new demands at the eleventh hour. an eu insider suggests the uk may be ‘posturing' in the last throes of negotiations and insists there have been no surprises. fishing rights and competition rules are key areas where both sides are urgently seeking compromises. talks continue today in london as the clock ticks down to 31st of december when the current rules end. t

do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions, and i'll try to read out

i'm @annita—mcveigh on twitter or use the hashtag #bbcyourquestions.ial figures show the uk economy grew byjust 0.4% in october, as the recovery from a record slump continues to slow. the united states records more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths in a single day — the highest total anywhere in the world. an experimental rocket belonging to elon musk‘s spacex company crashes and burns on landing. the billionaire calls it a rapid unscheduled disassembly. # say you'll share with me...# and how about a pop—up musical on your doorstep? with most of britain's theatres still closed, one company is bringing performances direct to the people. hello and welcome, if you're watching in the uk or around the world, and do stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. talks between borisjohnson and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, have ended without agreement. the two leaders have been trying to break the deadlock in the long—running brexit trade negotiations between the uk and eu. a spokesperson for number

do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions, and i'll try to read outour comments. president trump refuses to sign a $900 billion coronavirus relief package agreed by the us congress, describing it as a disgrace. in australia, authorities in sydney so in australia, authorities in sydney so restrictions will be eased for three days over christmas, even though the number of infections in the city continues to grow. and coming up this hour: after a year of many sacrifices, we meet the care home relatives singing for residents and staff. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. rail, air and sea services between britain and france have restarted, after the french government agreed to ease its ban on people entering the country from the uk. almost 3,000 lorry drivers stranded at dover, will be offered rapid lateral flow tests, after many spent a third night in their vehicles. under the new travel agreement between the uk and france, french citizens british nationals living in france and hauliers will be among those who can now trav

you're watching bbc news at nine with me, annita mcveigh — the headlines...uipment that they need to set up. all the ppe that they need. a bill to implement the brexit deal has passed through parliament and takes effect at 11 o'clock tonight — when the uk

you can get in touch — on twitter it's @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions.

on twitter, it's @annita—mcveigh or #bbcyourquestions.he mayor of los angeles orders the city's four million residents to stay at home because of what he calls a "terrifying increase" in covid cases and the number of people being admitted to hospital. more generous grades and advance notice of topics are some of the measures for pupils sitting exams in england next summer because of the disruption caused by coronavirus. we do believe that exam assessment is the best form, but we do equally recognise that we're going to have to take extraordinary measures to support children as they take their gcses, as they take their a—levels and do their vocational qualifications. students in england face a staggered return to university after christmas to avoid a surge in coronavirus cases. new plans to ban the export of live animals from england and wales — to be slaughtered abroad — by the end of 2021. 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.

do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions, and i'll try to read outof your comments. germany enters a hard lockdown, closing schools and businesses into january in an attempt to stop a sharp rise in covid—19 infections. the head of the european commission says a "narrow path" has opened up for the uk and eu to strike a post—brexit deal, but that disagreements remain overfishing rights. ministers say more than 130,000 people in the uk have been vaccinated against coronavirus so far, but research suggests people from ethnic minority backgrounds or lower incomes are less keen to have the jab. and coming up this hour... cleaning up the clothing industry — the small town in italy that's leading the way in sustainable fashion. 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. the uk prime minister is resisting calls to scrap the relaxed approach to covid rules at christmas, despite warnings from scientists that hospitals risk becoming overwhelmed. no final d

you can tweet me @annita—mcveigh or use the hashtag #bbcyourquestions.

do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh and use #bbcyourquestions, and i'll try to read outome of your comments. the french president emmanuel macron tests positive for covid—19 after showing symptoms and will isolate for seven days. the world health organisation is given the green light to visit wuhan in china to investigate the origins of the virus. 32 years after the lockerbie bombing, authorities in the us are understood to be preparing fresh charges. and toy shops in britain face stock shortages beause of delays at uk ports. some orders will now miss christmas, costing businesses thousands of pounds in sales. 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. coronavirus appears to be spreading even more rapidly in parts of the uk than previously thought. it's emerged that thousands of positive test results have been left out from official figures in wales. 11,000 covid test results were missing from officialfigures because of a computer problem with a system recording la

you're watching bbc news at nine with me, annita mcveigh.ion of ‘your questions answered'. students in england face a staggered return to university