david shukman, bbc news.y of the uk's highest infection rates are in london and the south—east of england, where the new variant of coronavirus is believed to be particularly prevalent. our home editor mark easton has been to thurrock in essex, one of the worst—affected areas. thurrock‘s christmas wonderland is closed — by law. the vast lakeside shopping centre, almost deserted on what should have been one of its busiest days. at santa claus‘s grotto, another sign of the times. this part of essex appears to be the current epicentre of the outbreak, with the fastest—rising rate of infection anywhere in tier 4. plans have been thrown into chaos. people are making the best of it, but the joy and goodwill of christmas 2020 have been replaced by fear, frustration, and, in some cases, fury. "yes, i'm saving christmas," and then, "no, you're not having christmas." how do you feel about that? i'm really angry. what the prime minister is offering is doolally. who is doolally? the prime minister. really? why? he should

david shukman, bbc news.the bbc sport centre. thanks. good evening. england have won rugby union's autumn nations cup — but it took a dramatic sudden—death penalty to beat a young france side 22—19. our correspondent andy swiss reports from twickenham. at last they were back, the fans might have rather trickled into twickenham but amid the facemasks and temperature checks the anticipation was clear. among the select few, 400 nhs workers had been invited including these to win seats in the royal box. it is tremendously exciting, and to be representing nhs workers and west middlesex hospital. and a final as well, the clincher, the best one to be at, amazing. twickenham normally holds 80,000 fa ns twickenham normally holds 80,000 fans but the 2,000 did their best to make an atmosphere as england began hot favourites against an understrength france. what drama they got as the underdogs took an early lead. a lead they took until the very final minute when luke karen to keep aldo's his way over. at 19-19, karen to

david shukman, bbc news. let's ta ke let's take you back now to canada and the rush for a vaccine.lready received the pfizer jab, and the health ministry has also ordered the moderna vaccine but it is of course facing global competitions to get the quantities it wants. let's try again to speak to doctor andrew morris at the university of toronto. there has been an absolutely brutal second wave in canada, can you set the scene for us, why so bad particularly? canada includes four provinces, makes up includes four provinces, makes up one tenth of canada's population, has created a kind of bubble and they've been actually superlative and how they have been able to control they have been able to control the virus. 0n the other hand, the virus. 0n the other hand, the two largest provinces quebec and ontario have been quite hard hit and we have had many cases and we are experiencing a pretty massive second wave. quebec today announced that after the christmas holiday they are going to be going down into a total lockdown with stay—at—home orders. and 0ntario we don't have that at the mome

david shukman, bbc news.ay a huge radio telescope in puerto rico collapsed after decades of helping astronomers to learn more about our universe. the arecibo 0bservatory telescope — one of the largest in the world — had been in operation for 57 years, but had already been closed after engineers warned the structure was no longer safe. it was made famous as the backdrop for a scene in the james bond film goldeneye. not quite the ending for 007. hello, the weather is giving us a real taste of winter. there is some more snow in the forecast for friday and it's a real mix of rain, sleet and snow that will be filing from the sky. it will be cold and windy, and this big area of low pressure is really dominating the weather across western europe. bands of wet weather spiralling around and cold air being sucked down from the north, so that combination, cold air and wet weather, that is why we're seeing sleet and snow. across scotland, snow falling for a time to the quite low level. they could even be a brief covering

david shukman, bbc news.ght lights, big city — why the people of sao paulo may have to enjoy a drive—through christmas. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th cease—fire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven charges of tax evasion, estimated at £120 million. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. this is bbc news — the latest headlines: donald trump says his personal lawyer —

david shukman, bbc news.sual as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. it was held at the 1,700—year—old church of the nativity — built on the site where christians believejesus was born — but the service which is —— actually, a correction, it was held at a church next to the 1700 —year—old church of nativity. it is normally attended by thousands but was closed to the public this year — not even palestinian president, mahmoud abbas was in attendance. yolande knell is in bethlehem. this is a christmas eve unlike any that local people have ever seen before. not even when there have been the flare—ups in violence in the israel—palestinian conflict have the festivities been so muted. typically, this would be the busiest night of the year for bethlehem with no rooms in it's hotels. inevitably, that is not the case this year, and that is just devastating to a place that is so reliant on tourism. that was yolande knell there. now... ‘twas the night before christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stir

david shukman, bbc news.ntary body which has been controlled by parties in opposition to the president, nicolas maduro, for the last five years. this time the opposition boycotted the vote, meaning president maduro is certain to establish control. the vote came after a two—year power struggle between the president — seen voting here — and opposition leader juan guaido, who is currently recognised as venezuela's legitimate leader by the us and more than 50 other nations. we will bring you those results when we get them. brazil has the third worst coronavirus outbreak in the world. it means christmas celebrations will look quite different there this year. but as sophia tran—thomson reports, the country's most populous city has — hopefully — found a way for people to enjoy christmas safely. the magic of christmas from a distance. in the city of sao paulo, the epicentre of brazil's coronavirus outbreak, the drive—through luminna festival is brightening spirits for those taking precautions to stay safe. translatio

david shukman, bbc news.vernment figures, they show there were 17,272 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week, is now 15,131. 1,345 people had been admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday. 231 deaths were reported. that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week, a29 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 61,245. the organisers of a christmas market in nottingham say they've been forced to "temporarily close" just a day after opening , because of "unprecedented high footfall". large crowds of people were standing close together at the venue , which is under tier 3 coronavirus restrictions. chris ellis reports from nottingham. this was yesterday at nottingham's christmas market, hundreds of people enjoying the stalls, but the crowd caused concerns. people were milling around toget

david shukman, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news.thony pouncey to stay as chief medical adviser —— and lethality. —— fauci. and his interview with cnn, the president elect also said he would ask americans to wear masks for his first 100 days in office. let's cost over to washington. what was the president elect cnn? essentially when it came to doctor fauci, he trusts him and just what a core part of his tea m just what a core part of his team he will be. doctor fauci has kind of seen himself sidelined up it in donald trump's administration perhaps because of some of the things he was saying on coronavirus that the president doesn't agree with. that doesn't seem like it will be the case injoe biden's administration. i was very interested that he said he will take the vaccine if doctor 0uchi says it will be safe, kind of making him the gold standard —— doctor fauci. also the hundred days a mask wearing, telling americans that it won't be forever. it's just for a short while. really echoing the message that doctor faucihas echoing the m

our science editor david shukman reports.iversity hospital in south london with a delivery that could start to change the course of the pandemic. inside these boxes, the first vaccines for covid—i9. ingenious research is creating light at the end of the tunnel. this is so exciting, it's a momentous occasion. the nhs has been planning extensively to deliver the largest vaccination programme in our history. it is really exciting. the vaccines have to be stored at —70, only large hospitals can do that, so distribution is complicated and will take time. nhs staff around the country have been working tirelessly to make sure that we are prepared to commence vaccination on tuesday. this feels like the beginning of the end but, of course, it is a marathon, not a sprint, and it will take many months for us to vaccinate everybody who needs vaccination. so far, only the pfizer—biontech vaccine has been approved in the uk, so it is the one being used first. the roll—out of this vaccine will involve an operation on an extraordinary scale.

david shukman, bbc news.ssembly — the parliamentary body which has been controlled by parties in opposition to the president, nicolas maduro, for the last five years. this time, the opposition boycotted the vote, meaning president maduro is certain to establish control. the vote came after a two—year power struggle between the president, seen voting here, and opposition leader juan guaido, who is currently recognised as venezuela's legitimate leader by the us and more than 50 other nations. the legendary golf commentator, peter alliss has died at the age of 89. a former ryder cup player, the broadcaster charmed tv viewers with his quick wit, rich voice and ability to describe the big moments perfectly. indeed, his commentary became so revered that alliss was affectionately known as the ‘voice of golf‘. the former golf player, turned commentator, jay townsend, says peter alliss will be very hard to replace. peter was a great loss to the game of golf and humanity in general. peter became the voice of golf becau

david shukman, bbc news.n amazingly successful war agains the coronavirus. in april, it was reporting more than a thousand cases a day. now, the daily rate is virtually zero. and over the entire course of the pandemic, there've been just 29 deaths. compare that with more than 68,000 deaths here in the uk. so — what lessons can singapore offer the rest of the world? sura njana tewari has been finding out. a sea of masks for more than seven months now. singapore seems to have conquered the coronavirus, and yet, the restrictions aren't going away anytime soon. in ready position. behind this mask is british ex—pat fiona 0h. during singapore's circuit breaker, she was unable to run her tennis coaching business. yes! like most of the country, fiona is now back on herfeet, but restrictions continue to change the way she works. we started, obviously, with the full lockdown, then, as everybody was complying to all of that, then they allowed the measures to be relaxed. there are restrictions, but those restrictions bec

david shukman, bbc news.mbers of the national assembly, the parliamentary body which for five years has been controlled by parties in opposition to the president, nicolas maduro. this time, the opposition boycotted the vote, meaning president maduro is certain to establish control. the vote came after a two—year power struggle between the president — seen voting here — and opposition leader juan guaido, who is currently recognised as "interim president" by the national assembly, the us and more than 50 nations, after the previous elections were criticised as "neither free orfair." an emergency warning is in place for residents of a coastal resort town on a popular australian island. they've been told to leave immediately as a bushfire approaches. firefighters are struggling to control the blaze on fraser island — a unesco world heritage site off the east coast of queensland. the bushfire was sparked by an illegal campfire in mid—october and has already scorched more than half of the island. it's now quickly a

david shukman, bbc news.told eu ambassadors that fishing remains the biggest obstacle to a post—brexit deal with the uk. mr barnier said earlier the talks were at a really crucial point, adding that he was giving it the final push to reach agreement. britain's transitional agreement with eu rules runs out at the end of the year labour has warned that a no—deal brexit would have an ‘absolutely catastrophic‘ impact on the uk —— and that the current problems around dover would be just a taste of what could follow. 0ur europe editor katya adler is in brussels. bring us up today about what you are hearing there about the talks?|j bring us up today about what you are hearing there about the talks? i can just say that in brussels today there have been rumours swirling around about a deal that could be, but isn't yet. we did hear from michel barnier he said that both sides were working hard to find a fair deal for the sides were working hard to find a fair dealfor the eu sides were working hard to find a fair deal fo

david shukman, bbc news.there were 17,272 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 15,131. 1,345 people had been admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday. 231 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week a29 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 61,245. president trump's personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, has tested positive for coronavirus. the president made the announcement on twitter earlier tonight. he praised the former mayor of new yorkcity. mr giuliani is leading the trump campaign's legal challenge tojoe biden‘s victory in the us presidential election. the bbc commentator peter alliss, who became known as the voice of golf, has died. he was 89. he won more than 20 tournaments during his career as a golfer, and played on eight ryder cup teams

david shukman, bbc news. 0n the 32nd anniversary of the lockerbie bombing, the us justice departmentpeople. adu agila masud is injail in libya and prosecutors claim he has confessed to his role in the bombing. they are hopeful libya will allow his extradition to face trial. from washington aleem maqbool reports. 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. the only man ever convicted of involvement was an alleged libyan intelligence officer, abdel baset almegrahi, though he was released by scottish officials on compassionate grounds because of the cancer that ultimately killed him. 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 colo

david shukman, bbc news.st government figures show another 18,450 cases of covid—i9 have been recorded in the latest 24—hour period. it means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week was 19,697. 1,602 people were admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday. 506 deaths were reported for the last 2a hours, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, there were a11 deaths per day. the total number of uk deaths so far is now 611,908. children from the most deprived areas in england have been hit hardest by school disruption, according to new research published by the children's commissioner. anne longfield warned that pupils could not afford to miss more time in the classroom. her comments came as greenwich council in south—east london decided to withdraw its advice to local schools to close from tomorrow and move teaching online. rapid covid testing for staff and pupils is set to be rolled out in secondary scho

david shukman, bbc news.ion, ursula von der leyen, has welcomed what she described as "movement" in talks between the uk and the eu on a trade agreement with the uk. she was speaking as negotiators from both sides continued the intensive discussions in brussels. but the british side says the talks "remain difficult" and that the two sides have not made "significant progress in recent days". 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg has the latest. how long can this go on? vital talks grinding on to agree a new way for the uk and the eu to do business. whether there is a deal or not, the status quo disappears and time will run out in 17 days. he's the one who's always said the clock is ticking. the eu negotiator seems to have softened brussels' position a little since last week, when the uk said there was just no way they could agree. the end will be when we reach an agreement both on fair competition and the reciprocal access to water and markets. the brussels cliche is nothing's agreed until everything is agreed

david shukman, bbc news. rather differently than usual. it was held inside the 1,700—year—old saint catherine church, next door to the church of the nativity, built on the site where christians believejesus was born. it's normally attended by hundreds of believers, with the square outside busy with tourists. however, this year, the service was closed to the public. yolande knell explains. there's the usual christmas tree here, and as usual, palestinians scouts with their drums and bagpipes are escorting the church leaders from nearby jerusalem into the square. but this is a christmas eve unlike any local people have ever seen before. not even when there had been the flare—ups of violence in the israel—palestinian conflict have festivities been so muted. later, midnight mass at a 1,700—year—old nativity church will take place without members of the public. unusually, the palestinian president, who is 85, will not be there either. there is still a coronavirus curfew that remains in place in west bank cities at

david shukman, bbc news.ompleted on wednesday, after both teams walked off the pitch, accusing a match official of racism. players from paris st—germain and istanbul basakshir stopped playing 1a minutes into the game, and i'm joined by our reporter paul hawkins. this was a big match, what happened? i have been watching clips and for broadcast reasons we can show you but i have been piecing together reading reports, this was the 14th minute of a champions league group match between psg and istanbul basa ksehir group match between psg and istanbul basaksehir here. we have some still pictures. what happens there, the referee comes over to the touchline and shows a red card to pierre on the far left there, one of the coaches for the turkish side. pierre webo then appears to turn to the fourth official and appears to and i am paraphrasing to ask him why he has to refer to him by his colour? that fourth official is aua colour? that fourth official is a ua for official on the side. —— uefa official. yes, so there is

david shukman, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... struggling to survive.hfires have left koalas on the brink. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil, and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th cease—fire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven charges of tax evasion, estimated at £120 million. she's pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. this is bbc news. the latest headlines. could keep distance. talks on a post—brexit trade deal between the uk and eu are to continue. it

david shukman, bbc news.nottingham say they've been forced to "temporarily close" just a day after opening, because of "unprecedented high footfall". large crowds of people were standing close together at the venue , which is under tier 3 coronavirus restrictions. it meant things like toilets and other facilities weren't actually open to give people relief in the crowds. chris ellis reports from nottingham. this was yesterday at nottingham's christmas market, hundreds of people enjoying the stalls, but the crowd caused concerns. people were milling around together, no social distancing at all. people defecating in doorways, which was totally unacceptable, but with hospitality closed, there are no toilets for people to go to, and they weren't wearing masks. today, the shutters we re wearing masks. today, the shutters were down as stallholders were told a temporary closure was put in place. it's a massive blow, and we haven't done any markets. every one has been cancelled apart from this, so we we re has been c

david shukman, bbc news. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh is here.atives are justified, it's an historic day and marks the first steps in a long road towards a return to normality. for most of the year the world's hopes have been pinned on a coronavirus vaccine but it was by no means certain that we'd get an effective one so certain that we'd get an effective one so quickly. it's an astonishing achievement. for example despite decades of research and more than £10 billion in investment we still don't have a vaccine for hiv. as well as the pfizerjab there are two more coronavirus vaccines that look safe and effective, the moderna jab and the oxford astrazeneca vaccine. 0xford became the first developers today to publish their full data in a scientific journal today to publish their full data in a scientificjournal which is important for transparency. it confirms it is 77% effective in preventing overt and crucially no one who had the vaccine got seriously ill with covid or was hospitalised. if as hoped the oxford vaccine is approved by the end of the

david shukman, bbc news.an holiday island have been told to leave immediately as a bushfire worsens. fire crews are battling to control the fire on fraser island, a unesco world heritage site, off the east coast of queensland. the blaze was sparked by an illegal campfire in mid—october. the state coordinator of queensland fire and emergency services, brian cox, joined me with an update of the situation a short time ago, optimistic they may be able to gain the upper hand later today, but for now the threat remains with the township of happy valley. the fire has reached around 700 metres short of the township itself. we've asked people to leave, some have chosen to stay and fight for their homes. we have emergency response crews there as we speak now, supporting them on the ground with those fires. it is a very complex environment, it's the world's largest sand island, so some of those burns of sand make it very difficult to get into, so we are using increasingly more air operations to support them. yesterday,

david shukman, bbc news. the uk is the first in the world to approve this vaccine.cal, yet the speed of it all has been criticised by some — including the top infectious disease expert in the us, anthony fauci. 0ur health editor hugh pym is here. tonight he has changed his tune. yes, sophie. there's been a bit of sniping, both from european health officials and politicians, and those in the us, about the nhra's decision to approve the pfizer vaccine yesterday ahead of other leading regulators, and doctor anthony faucl regulators, and doctor anthony fauci, a member of the white house coronavirus task force said in media interviews the uk didn't do it carefully, it rushed through the approval. but in a bbc interview tonight, he is rather rowed back. here is what he had to say by way of explanation. our process is one that takes more time than was taken with the uk, and thatjust is the reality. i did not mean to imply any sloppiness, even though it came out that way. so if it did, ijust want to set the record straight. i have a great deal of confidence in what the uk d

david shukman, bbc news.became the first person to have the pfizer covid jab as part a mass vaccination programme. kicking off britain's so—called v—day, day she said she felt privileged to have it. this afternoon she left hospital to a warm welcome from her family. catherine burns' report contains some flashing images. yesterday, margaret keenan became the most talked about 90—year—old in the world. it's the moment we've all waited for... untranslated. ..margaret keenan... she was the very first person outside of clinical trials to have the pfizer vaccine against coronavirus. applause. today she got to leave hospital after making plenty of goodbyes. bye! thank you. she's like royalty, isn't she? her daughter sue and grandson connor were waiting. come on, mum! hello, granny! she says this whole thing's been a whirlwind and she's pleased to get home to her family. there were a few tears when she saw them. are you 0k? so good to see you. and like any worldwide superstar, the inevitable fans asking for photos. m

david shukman, bbc news. the latest government figures show new infections continuing to fall.ections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 14,408. 1,395 people had been admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday. 414 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week, 441 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 60,113. 0ur health editor hugh pym is here. a huge relief to see this vaccine is starting to arrive in the uk but restrictions are not going to be lifted anytime soon, are they, despite that? at westminster, the optimistic view from ministers is some form of normality will return after easter. in other words, the spring of next year. in the meantime, it will need some sort of restrictions to bring the transmission rate right down, to cut case number cut the number of deaths we are seeing. it will all depend on the roll—out of the vaccine, how

david shukman, bbc news.rnier has told eu ambassadors that fishing remains the biggest obstacle to a post—brexit deal with the uk. mr barnier said earlier the talks were at a really crucial point, adding that he was giving it the final push to reach agreement. britain's transitional agreement with eu rules runs out at the end of the year. labour has warned that a no—deal brexit would have an "abolutely catastrophic" impact on the uk, and that the current problems around dover would bejust a taste of what could follow. 0ur europe editor katya adler is in brussels. bring us up to date on the latest signals from the talks. as you say, michel barnier, the eu's chief negotiator, said they are really in the final push to try to find a deal thatis the final push to try to find a deal that is fairfor the final push to try to find a deal that is fair for both sides. the eu says the prime minister has been in contact with ursula von der leyen, the european commission president. the leaders always said they would stay i

david shukman, bbc news.e of 90, margaret keenan became famous around the world yesterday after becoming the first person to have the pfizer vaccine as part a mass vaccination programme. this afternoon she left hospital to a warm welcome from her family. this report by our correspondent catherine burns contains some flashing images. yesterday, margaret keenan became the most talked about 90—year—old in the world. breaking news, it's the moment we've all waited for... untranslated. ..margaret keenan... she was the very first person outside of clinical trials to have the pfizer vaccine against coronavirus. applause. today, she got to leave hospital, after making plenty of goodbyes. bye! thank you. she's like royalty, isn't she? her daughter sue and grandson connor were waiting. come on, mum! hello, granny! she says this whole thing's been a whirlwind and she's pleased to get home to her family. there were a few tears when she saw them. are you 0k? yes, thank you. so good to see you. and, like any worldwide supe

david shukman, bbc news.igures show new infections continuing to fall, there were 14,879 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week, is now 14,408. 1,395 people had been admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday. 4,414 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week, 441 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 60,113. 0ur health editor hugh pym has more on grim milestone of 60,000 deaths and the vaccine rollout. at westminster, the optimistic view from ministers is some form of normality will return after easter. in other words, the spring of next year. in the meantime, it will need some sort of restrictions to bring the transmission rate right down, to cut case number cut the number of deaths we are seeing. it will all depend on the roll—out of the vaccine, how s

david shukman, bbc news.ry is up there with the sectors hardest—hit by the coronavirus crisis, especially in countries that have seen restrictions placed on their ability to operate. so when lawmakers in the us voted to approve a $900 billion covid relief package on monday night that included special provisions for independent restaurants, you can imagine the collective sigh of relief. but while the move is welcomed by some, many in the sector are warning that the relief will not be able to save them from the side effects of the pandemic. let's bring in amanda cohen. she's a chef and owner of the dirt candy restaurant in new york city and also sits on the independent restaurant coalition advisory committee, an organisation set up this year to lobby for the segment of the dining community worst affected by the pandemic. what will the stimulus package do for you as a restaurant owner? i'm not sure if it is going to do anything for me. taking on a second loa n anything for me. taking on a second loan but that is

david shukman, bbc news. in other news...itive note about the ongoing brexit talks, welcoming what she's called "some movement". but a government source has told the bbc within the past hour that the talks "remain difficult" and the two sides had not made "significant progress in recent days." time is fast running out to finalise an agreement before the uk's brexit transition ends in just over two weeks. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. how long can this go on? vital talks grinding on to agree a new way for the uk and eu to do business. whether there is a deal or not, the status quo disappears and time will run out in 17 days. he's the one who's always said the clock is ticking. the eu negotiator seems to have softened brussels' position a little since last week, when the uk said there was just no way they could agree. it will be when we reach an agreement both on fair and free competition and reciprocal access to water and markets. the brussels cliche is nothing's agreed until everything is agreed. months of tal

and more is being learned about how the transmission of the virus works, as our science editor david shukmann the same ways. either someone infected contaminates an object that someone else touches, or a cough sprays out droplets containing the virus that reach people nearby. 0r tiny virus particles emitted just by talking linger in the air and get breathed in. the result is that infections happen most easily indoors. we've known that for a while, and scientists say that even original forms of the virus can reach further and faster than expected. one study shows the critical importance of timing. in many countries, the guidance is to limit close contacts to 15

and here's the bbc‘s science editor david shukman on what the new variant may mean long—term. of this? 0ne estimate for 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. and 67% of the entire population by mid—july. that would achieve what's called herd immunity, basically, when the virus can't 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 that is involving the entire country, i believe it would've been better to have more uniformity of response rather than have different states doing things in different ways. and you have surges

advisors fear those are the perfect conditions for a huge spike in cases. 0ur science editor, david shukmanhe latest research. it is a precious time of year for restoring morale and scientists researching the virus recognise that. but they also know that spending long hours in packed rooms is the most effective way to spread it. 0n the one hand, schools will be closed over the christmas break along with most workplaces and that should help to reduce infections. but on the other hand, having more people gather indoors is bound to increase transmission. this animation by an industrial modelling company simulates someone infected. researchers are worried. i think there's a big risk over christmas of a transfer of infections from younger groups with more contacts into older age groups who might not usually have this level of mixing, especially in this kind of year, and even in normal years we do see an increase in hospitalisations for things like pneumonia after the christmas period. the rule across the uk is that three different households can form what is called a bubble over the christmas pe

david shukman, bbc news. despite the great advances on vaccines, a lot of questions remain.ccines will protect people, or whether they stop the virus being transmitted to others. to help us is immunologist dr gigi gromvall, who is a senior scholar atjohns hopkins center for health security. thanks forjoining us on bbc news. well, a wonderful day for the people of britain, it seems to be a wonderful day for other people around the world quite soon as well in terms of the first vaccinations but there is still a what we don't know isn't there? just talk us through that. yes, we just don't know exactly how long protection is going to last like you just said, and we don't know if people are able to transmit the virus to others after they've been vaccinated. we don't know if they have sterile rising immunity. they didn't look to see if people were perhaps asymptomatic and spending the virus. that is a data gap we need to fill over the coming months. although i think the oxford virus with astrazeneca is explained that an trials or when to start in a few weeks' time about that becau

david shukman, bbc news. forced to tighten restrictions ahead of christmas — following record daily cases and deaths this month. the netherlands has entered a 5—week lockdown, with non—essential shops, theatres and gyms closing — the strictest set of measures announced in the country since the pandemic began. germany will enter a hard lockdown from wednesday after the number of infections there hit record levels with the measures in place untiljanuary 10. france meanwhile, has replaced its second national lockdown with a night curfew. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: six weeks after the us election, president putin offers his congratulations tojoe biden — the man who described russia as the biggest threat facing america. music. 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, th

people are being urged to fly less, phase out gas boilers and eat less meat. 0ur science editor david shukmanevolution, powered by fossilfuels, that made the country rich but also started the process of changing the climate. one way to look at this is how much each of us in the uk is responsible for the carbon dioxide and other gases that are heating up the atmosphere. back in 1990, the average per person was just under 16 tonnes. by last year, that had fallen by about half, mainly because of cleaner sources of power and more efficient household appliances. but, in the next 30 years, well, each of us is meant to get down to effectively zero, and that's going to be a lot harder. a lot will depend on building many more wind turbines out at sea. since we last filmed these giant structures, making the long climb up inside them, their costs have fallen dramatically. the government's advisers say that going zero—carbon will cost much less than expected. it's happening at pace because it's also happening at scale, so it's those scale changes, those big wind farms that we'll have in british waters in

our science editor david shukman explains. this is where it all began.ocess of changing the climate. one way to look at this is how much each of us in the uk is responsible for the carbon dioxide and other gases that are heating up the atmosphere. back in 1990, the average per person was just under 16 tonnes. by last year, that had fallen by about half, mainly because of cleaner sources of power and more efficient household appliances. but in the next 30 years, well, each of us are meant to get down to effectively zero, and that's going to be a lot harder. a lot will depend on building many more wind turbines out at sea. since we last filmed these giant structures, making the long climb up inside them, their costs have fallen dramatically. the government's advisers say that going zero carbon will cost much less than expected. it's happening at pace because it's also happening at scale, so it's those scaled changes, those big wind farms that we'll have in british waters in the future, that deliver those kind of cost reductions. and we all benefit from tha

and here's the bbc‘s science editor david shukman on what the new variant may mean long term.mate 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 w

david shukman, bbc news.pidemiologist at this variant was detected in the uk. might it be spreading in other countries that don't have the same surveillance? that's very possible. it's already been detected in australia, denmark and the netherlands. likely to be exported from the uk, but we will find out more when countries start testing for this variant. it is quite possible that it spread wide and then we think. viruses mutate. is this mutation within the range that you might have expected? this particular strain is unusual because of the number of mutations that appear to have accumulated in what looks like a short period of time. so, 17 mutations, many of which is in the spike protein. that's concerning, because usually we have a predictable rate at which viruses mutate and this one appears to be a jump mutate and this one appears to be a jump above the normal mutation rate which is what has raised a lot of concerns about it. what's the best way to contain it? the best way to contain it is, what we alread