thank you katya. our europe editor katya adlerfrom you katya.sels. when the brexit transition period ends on new year's eve — england, scotland and wales will leave the eu's single market for goods. but northern ireland effectively won't. at the moment there are hardly any checks on goods travelling between great britain and northern ireland. but from january the ist, deal or no deal, there will be new rules governing trade across the irish sea. our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. becoming cut off from great britain through new brexit red tape was one of the biggest fears for businesses in northern ireland, because food exported over the irish sea will be subject to new checks once northern ireland becomes a gateway to the eu. now, supermarkets will have an extra few months to get their paperwork in order, but smaller companies are still awaiting answers. retailers like myself, we do probably a third of our business in december, for christmas, and we just have not had a chance to look at what's happened in brexit. you know, we've just

katya adler there. let's get some of the day's other news now. people who've died in italy with coronavirus has now exceeded 60,000 — that's according to official figures published on sunday. italy the first country in europe to be hit hard by the virus last february. after a recent upsurge in cases, just under 1,000 daily deaths were registered on thursday. that's led the government to ban travel between italian regions over christmas and the new year. around 100 people have been arrested in athens for defying a stay—at—home order to prevent the spread of covid—i9. students and left—wing activists had gathered to mark the 12th anniversary of the death of a 15—year—old boy after he was shot by the police. south korea is raising its coronavirus alert level to the second highest tier after infection rose last week to more than 500 a day. new restrictions will apply to the capital, seoul, and surrounding areas for the next three weeks. donald trump's personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, has tested positive for coronavirus. the us president announced the

katya, iam sure rather have a good deal now. katya, i am sure we will talk again tomorrow. now to today's other main story. from first thing tomorrow morning, people in different parts of the uk will start to be given their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine. those over 80, care home staff and front—line nhs workers will be prioritised as the rollout of the first immunisation programme begins in hospitals. military personnel and planners are on hand to help when the programme is expanded. our health editor hugh pym reports on what the nhs says is the biggest vaccination programme in its history. tomorrow, they'll be part of history, among the very first to get the coronavirus jabs. hari and ranjan are in their eighties, so are in the top priority groups, and they'll go in together to be vaccinated at newcastle's royal infirmary. i'm really excited about it. i feel that it's good that i've got the opportunity of doing it, and so i'm not nervous or anything like that. i'm looking forward to it. the hopes of a nation are on your shoulders! the head of nhs england visited the

laura, many thanks. 0ur europe editor katya adler is in brussels. what are you picking up, katya?nts ago, i was hearing from the building behind me, the european commission building where the prime minister is having dinner with ursula von der leyen, i heard that dinner was expected to wrap up soon and whether we would have a statement after it, a joint statement after it, a joint statement or otherwise, will depend on the mood in the room. of course, we don't know right now what that mood will be. normally in negotiations at this stage, you would expect the two leaders to say, look, time is running out. we have looked into each other‘s eyes for long enough, it's time to make theirs difficult political compromises to reach a deal. but in this case, it's not as simple as saying, i will give you a bit of this if you give me a bit of that. and that is because of this fundamental clash of ideologies that we have had in these talks from the beginning. for the government, we have had in these talks from the beginning. forthe government, it's about national sovereignty after brexit. they

lets join katya adler in brussels. it ta kes two join katya adler in brussels.re you picking up a similar kind of mood music there? absolutely fit the expectation here in brussels is that tonight is the night, or at least that it should be. eu diplomats say there is so little difference now between the two sides. that said, they are continuing to negotiate this evening on the last sticking point. we have spoken so much about fish, haven't we, that eu demands that it keeps some fishing rights in uk waters after brexit, and all the complexities surrounding that. the prime minister is said to have been in very close contact with the president of the european commission, who represents all the eu countries in this discussion, and that makes absolute sense, because it's only at the top political levels at this difficult last political compromises could be made. everybody now just wait to hear whether a deal has been reached or not and don't forget, even if we get that news tonight, it's notjust the uk parliament that will want to have a look. each one of the 27 eu co

earlier, i spoke with our europe editor, katya adler.as a lively and interesting discussion. we've heard from the uk that it was a frank discussion which would imply that it wasn't necessarily so friendly. i think both sides totally agree that gaps still remain. as you say, talks will resume tomorrow, will go on until sunday. is sunday the deadline or is it just the latest deadline? of course, we have seen so many brexit deadlines come and go. to take a decision on the future of the talks we're told by the end of play on sunday could mean to carry on talking or it could mean of course announcing a deal or no deal. the very firm deadline that we have is the end of the year, the 31st of december. it's then that the transition period ends. that's when the uk fully comes out of the european union, it legally did so on the 31st of january. practically, it has remained in the eu's single market and customs union for the rest of this year. as of the 1st of january, no longer. and it was by the end of this year that the two sides wanted this tra

katya adler in brussels. i think she will have a busy few days!alian 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. it was sparked by an illegal campfire in mid october. the state coordinator of queensland fire and emergency services brian cox is optimistic they may be able to gain the upper hand later today but for now, the threat remains to 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. as you know, 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. our correspondent shaimaa khalil gave me this update. she is in

katya adler reporting from brussels.awyer, rudi giuliani, has tested positive for coronavirus. the us president announced the news in a tweet, writing... there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the recent presidential election. our washington correspondent lebo diseko reports. he's one of donald trump's closest allies. now, rudy giuliani is the latest in the president's inner circle to be diagnosed with the coronavirus. he's been spearheading mr trump's efforts to overturn the results of november's election. this was him on wednesday at an election hearing in michigan, asking a witness to remove her mask. would you be comfortable taking your mask off so that people could hear you more clearly? but for all the bad news about coronavirus, on sunday, some hope — two vaccines to be reviewed in the next two weeks for emergency use. and they could be given out within days afterwards. what've we said is within 2a hours of fda green lighting with authorisation, we'll ship to all of the states and territories that we work wit

katya adler there. speak to the head of the international trade practice at the law firm baker mckenzie. great to see you. thank you for joining us. we had been getting mixed messages about whether talks are going ahead or going backwards, but is there too much at stake for they are not to bea much at stake for they are not to be a deal at this point? that is correct. there is too much at stake, and i am very confident that in the next 2a to 48 hours, we confident that in the next 24 to 48 hours, we will see a breakthrough and we will see a deal done. of course there are mixed messages. there are also in game considerations and a lot at stake. i am confident that there will be a deal. when you say of course there is mixed method —— messages and thatis mixed method —— messages and that is part of the endgame, are you reading a lot of posturing into these final bits of negotiation? there as i was a little bit of drama in the very last hours of such negotiations, and you have to see there is also a lot at

it's we have had an update from katya adler saying the two sides are nearing an agreement on fish inations under enforcement is what will make or break these negotiations. some developments in the latest a bit later. donald trump's personal lawyer, rudi giuliani, has tested positive for coronavirus. the us president announced the news in a tweet, writing... "by far the greatest mayor in the history of nyc, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election in the history of the usa, has tested positive for the china virus. get better soon rudy, we will carry on!!!. there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the recent presidential election. we can now speak to our correspondent lebo diseko in washington. yes, as you said, this was announced by donald trump in the last hour or so by donald trump in the last hour or so tweeting out that rudy giuliani had tested positive for coronavirus. we are not entirely clear why it was donald trump announced that news and we re donald trump announced that news and were not clear whether rudy giuliani is himself symptomatic but

so if you say to me, 0k, talk to you, baring 0k, katya, baring all of that in mind, can there still behave to say to you, hugh, yes, very possibly, but absolutely not definitely. let's get some of the day's other news... israel heads towards its fourth election in just two years after the government missed a midnight deadline to pass a budget in parliament. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is likely to face his main governing partner, benny gantz in the next poll, which will be scheduled for march. the usjustice department has launched a lawsuit against the retail giant walmart, over the american opiod crisis. the government alleges the firm has made the crisis worse by unlawfully distributing controlled substances to its in—store pharmacies. 0piod use and deaths in america have risen sharply over the last few decades. thousands of antigovernment protesters have meg rallied in armenia's capital, demanding that the prime minister resigned over the peace deal. this provoked fury as armenia and his allies were forced to seed sick it don't not significant amounts of territory. stay with u

katya adler in brussels, thank you very much.ision to keep the effort to get a trade deal going. our business editor simon jack is here. we still don't have an answer to how all of this ends, and yet there are immediate decisions that need to be made. businesses coping? immediate decisions that need to be made. businesses coping7m immediate decisions that need to be made. businesses coping? it feels like torture, this, doesn't it, another extension? but it could have been worse. as you rightly say, business groups say as say as long as they are still talking, there is still a chance of a deal. without one, they could have stood up today and said they are throwing in the towel, that's it. that means january the ist, the eu would be legally obliged, it would not choose to do this, to bring in wto terms, and treat the uk like everyone else it doesn't have a trade deal with. that means tariffs on cars, 48% on some forms of lamb, it would knock 2% of national income according to the office for budget responsibility, £40 billion. steak

with just days remaining in the post—brexit transition period, our europe editor katya adler has themotto or memo, if you like, for these negotiations has that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. and i can tell you where there is no agreement, and that is on fishing. that eu demand to maintain fishing rights in uk waters after brexit and the government says there are other outstanding issues as well. so if you say to me, 0k, katya, baring all of that in mind, can there still be a deal this side orjust the other side of christmas? i'd have to say to you, hugh, yes, very possibly, but absolutely not definitely. let's get some of the day's other news... israel heads towards its fourth election in just two years after the government missed a midnight deadline to pass a budget in parliament. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is likely to face his main governing partner, benny gantz in the next poll, which will be scheduled for march. the usjustice department has launched a lawsuit against the retail giant walmart, over the american opioid crisis. the government alleges the firm

our europe editor katya adler is in brussels for us now. hopeful of a trade deal, when borisjohnson and the eu commission president are so doubtful? well, quite simply, as long as the two sites are still talking there is a chance, however slim that solutions are being found. we don't actually know what is going on behind closed doors. of course it's only the negotiators in the room who are aware of what's going on under health warning, in the meantime we can expect briefing and counter briefing from both sides. you could ask though, if the eu really wants this deal, why is it the angela merkel of germany or emmanuel macron of france aren't meeting the prime minister or talking to him on the phone, like we heard today that he has been suggesting? is it a snub? is it bad faith? the eu says no, it's simply because the focus of these negotiations is on the eu's single market. it's a market that binds all eu countries. it's something that all eu countries make their money from. so they don't think that any one single eu leader, however powerful

in a moment we'll speak to iain in downing street, but first to brussels and our europe editor, katyao you make of the decision to keep going beyond today? talks are continuing in the next two to three days are being described as significant. what does that mean? what exactly is going on? are both sides keeping on talking because neither wants to be the first to walk away and now the wants to get the blame for no deal? no, i am told by an eu contact, they say both sides are being constructive and because they see no deal as a big deal, the eu, they say as long as there is a chance they should go for it. what about the fact that the prime minister in his statement this afternoon sounded more gloomy about the prospect of a deal than the european commission? it is worth bearing in mind that that is not the whole picture, what is being said, in front of the tv cameras. also important is what is going on behind closed doors, either between those negotiators or between borisjohnson in his closed conversations with the commission president, ursula von der leyen. neither will sign up to this

thank katya adler from brussels, thank you.ree months to prepare for additional checks that will be carried out on goods being transported to northern ireland from great britain after the brexit transition period ends on new year's eve. the agreement reached by the uk and eu is designed to stop food supplies being disrupted next year. when the transition period ends on new year's eve, england, scotland and wales will leave the eu's single market for goods. northern ireland effectively won't. at the moment, there are hardly any checks on goods travelling between great britain and northern ireland. but, from january ist, deal or no deal, there will be new rules governing trade across the irish sea, that companies big and small are trying to get to grips with. our ireland correspondent, emma vardy, reports. becoming cut off from great britain through new brexit red tape was one of the biggest fears for businesses in northern ireland, because food exported over the irish sea will be subject to new checks once northern ireland becom

katya adler in brussels.g the four people who died in an explosion at a wastewater treatment works near bristol yesterday. the company says it's "absolutely devastated" by the incident. 0ur correspondent, jon kay, is in avonmouth. what are the police saying tonight? well, formal identification is still going to take some time here, but avon and somerset police have this evening published four names with the permission of the families. as you say, the youngest victim in this explosion was only 16 years old. his name was luke wheaton. we understand he was an apprentice here. he had only started quite recently. i have spoken to a couple of his mates tonight. they say he was a really keen football player and rugby player. they described him as a joy both on and off the pitch. they said he was truthful and the greatest quy: he was truthful and the greatest guy, they say they are all absolutely devastated by the news that he was killed here yesterday. the three men who died alongside him in this explosion were all

0ur europe editor, katya adler. the table, about agreeing eu fishing rights in uk waters after brexit, about competition regulations, the eu says that the uk cannot have preferential access to the single market unless it knows that the market and the eu businesses in it are protect it against what could be unfair competition, and then there is the governance of the deal. so if either side don't keep to their part of a deal, what could then, what punitive action could be taken? so that is where they are still stuck. there is enough of the two sides to keep talking, we hear that the talks are constructive, but the big political decisions still need to be taken. how easy is it to get a sense of what is going on in these negotiations because normally at european discussions like this, there are whispers and monitors but are whispers and monitors but are they keeping it under quite tight wraps? they are trying to lea k tight wraps? they are trying to leak as little as possible out of the talks. for the simple reason that

katya adler, thank you very much.llions of pounds‘ worth of the amphetamine captagon — seized when shipments from syria were intercepted. it was part of a coordinated effort against a trade in lucrative narcotics likely run by the syrian regime and its allies. captagon is used recreationally across the middle east, but is also taken by militants fighting on the frontlines. 0ur correspondent, quentin sommerville, gained exclusive access to the operation in naples. syria's war can seem a million miles away from europe but, tonight, in naples, it intrudes once again. italy's financial crimes police are on a night—time mission that has been months in the making. earlier this summer, they seized 1 billion euros of amphetamines. initially, they thought they came from the islamic state group. well, they weren't right about that. but tonight, they're taking those drugs to be incinerated. the drugs, which came from the syrian port of latakia, are under heavy guard, on a nine—hourjourney to destruction. inside, an unprecedented

katya adler gave us her assessment of this latest pause from brussels.gotiations, we can look at this as a glass half—full or glass half—empty kind of way. 0n the glass half—full side, both sides still say they want a deal and they want to work toward the deal, so it really depends what steps they now take and how willing they are on both sides to take a deal. don't forget, these compromises are difficult and political, so you could cynically say this crisis is quite useful for both sides to show to their domestic audience we have fought to the bitter end before they then agree a deal. 0n the glass half empty side though there are clearly very big differences. and it makes sense because the eu and uk have approached these trade talks from very different directions. the eu, the priority has always been the single market. they worry about uk competition. they hope to bind the uk in a kind of common rule book, like on government subsidies, for example. but the uk after brexit wants to be competitive, doesn't its hands bound and wants to hold onto as much so

katya adler there from brussels.he trade deal, saying it has come as a "huge relief", despite being so late in the day. the details of the 1,500—page document will be poured over in days to come. the deal does finally give businesses some certainty, but big challenges remain, with just days to go before the transition period ends. here's our business editor, simonjack. it's been tough to land, but after a titanic struggle over fish, which will see domestic boats get 25% more of the uk water's catch over the next five years, a trade deal was netted — a perfect last—minute christmas present for businesses that feared the damaging consequences of cutting the uk adrift from the eu. this is a huge relief to british industry. our economy has suffered an awful lot of damage this year and we couldn't really take any more. so, yes, we've still to see the details, but i think a tariff— and quota—free deal means that our factories and farmers stay in business. we now have 2,000 pages and seven days to be ready, so we're going t

katya adler in brussels, thank you.given tomorrow in what's being described as a "decisive turning point in the battle against coronavirus". the vaccine is being delivered to dozens of hospitals across the uk. people over the age of 80, care home workers and front—line health staff will be first in the queue. the army may be drafted in to help transport further stocks of the pfizer biontech vaccine. it needs to be stored at around minus 70 degrees and moved carefully. here's our health editor, hugh pym. tomorrow, they will be part of history, among the very first to get the coronavirus jabs. harry and ranjan are in their 80s, so are in the top priority groups and they will go in together to be vaccinated at newcastle's royal infirmary. i'm really excited now. i think that it is good that i have got the opportunity and so i am not nervous oi’ opportunity and so i am not nervous or anything like that. i'm looking forward to it. the hopes of a nation or on your forward to it. the hopes of a nation or on your shoulders! the

katya adler, thank you for the latest in brussels, our europe editor, there.rds appointment commission, and nominated the businessman and brexit supporter peter cruddas for a peerage. mrjohnson is the first prime minister to ignore the commission's advice on a nomination since it was set up 20 years ago. labour accused mrjohnson, who received £50,000 from mr cruddas for his campaign to become party leader, of "cronyism". mrjohnson said mr cruddas was one of the uk's "most successful business figures". homeless charities have written to the government asking them to spend more money on trying to prevent young people from sleeping rough. the charity centrepoint say young people are facing "a winter like no other", with rising levels of homelessness among those aged 16—25. ministers say they're investing over £750 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping next year. 0ur social affairs correspondent michael buchanan has been speaking to two young people made homeless in recent months. covid has cost me my family home and my relationship with my family. i w

well i do it much the way that katya did it.nyone entering that area with no quotas, note duty, free access to a bay by the rules, otherwise it fears unfair competition. so what is saying to britain is if you want free trade with us, you are going to have to regulate in a way that is comparable to the way we are doing it. and if you don't want to do that, then we cannot have you have a privileged relationship. and britain, as you are saying, is arguing that its sovereignty means it will not be subject to european regulations or more importantly to the european court ofjustice. because british courts have to rule. so in essence there is a principal argument about, yes, you want access but for access you need to at least to be aligned with our rules. and if you are going to diverge from our rules, you need some way of arbitrating disputes that may be outside of your court of justice or outside the british courts. now these are really the issues at stake. the fish, they will deal with. fish is of the biggest problem, it seems to me

we heard katya outlined the sticking points, what is the big issue to you? that the uk does not want to be bound by the rules and fish. the fish are coming up on fisheries and reluctant to make concessions on the fish that the british fishermen will be able to catch. and this of the big sticking point for me and where pursejohnson has to make a point about we know there are some people in his parliamentary party that want to be absolutely free of eu rules but we equally know that if a move will be absolutely free of those rules that their deal is on the table and there isa their deal is on the table and there is a choice to be made. how business is a choice to be made. how business is in motion is coming into the conversation are and how much is this about the motivation to get this about the motivation to get this done? i think both sides would rather have a deal than not have a deal but rather than the motion which could be the same, it could be politics was at this is rule politics was at this is rule politics about what you can sell as a win, what will k

discussions have stalled and no one is quite sure when the negotiators will be back. 0ur europe editor katyaels. like so much during the brexit negotiations, we can look at this as a glass half full or glass half empty kind of way. on the glass half—full side, both sides still say they want a deal and they want to work toward the deal. so, really depends what steps they now take and how willing they are on both sides to ta ke how willing they are on both sides to take a deal. don't forget, these compromises are difficult and political, so you could cynically say this crisis is quite useful for both sides to show to their domestic... there are clearly very big differences. it makes sense because the eu and uk have approached these trade talks from very different directions. they worry about uk competition. they hope to bind the uk and a kind of common rule book like on government subsidies. the uk want to be competitive, doesn't is on a tight hands and wants to hold onto as much sovereignty as possible. this is a deal still possible, yes, but is it definite, no. 0ne deal still possible, yes,

view from london and brussels, here's our political editor laura kuennsberg and our europe editor katyaer. take a deep breath, we are very much on the verge of this deal actually being signed, sealed and then, in the days to come, delivered. negotiators are, i am told, in the room, going through some of the very fine details on the issue, you guessed it, fishing, which has been such a stumbling block. on this side of the channel, uk cabinet ministers are being summoned right about now for a conference call to talk to the prime minister about the deal that is on the verge of being agreed. that wouldn't be happening, or at least would not be made public, if they were not very confident that they were really within touching distance of actually getting it done. there is no question it has been a tricky process, over many months. one of the timetable, the beginning of all this, seemed, to some, to be unrealistic. but after all of the wrangling, all of the agonising, it does feel now is if this agreement is just as good as having the final i's dotted under the t's crossed. i's dotted and the

our europe editor, katya adler, gave us this update on the events of the evening.d it was a lively and interesting discussion. we've heard from the uk that it was a frank discussion which would imply that it wasn't necessarily so friendly. i think both sides totally agree that gaps still remain. as you say, talks will resume tomorrow, will go on until sunday. is sunday the deadline or is it just the latest deadline? of course, we have seen so many brexit deadlines come and go. to take a decision on the future of the talks we're told by the end of play on sunday could mean to carry on talking or it could mean of course announcing a deal or no deal. the very firm deadline that we have is the end of the year, the 31st of december. it's then that the transition period ends. that's when the uk fully comes out of the european union, it legally did so on the 31st of january. practically, it has remained in the eu's single market and customs union for the rest of this year. as of the 1st of january, no longer. and it was by the end of this year that the two sides wanted th

and our europe editor katya adler is in brussels for us. or is this just theatrics? as we heard, there are some real difficulties between the sides, negotiators have been in that building hashing it out for the last four hours. there is a dose of drama being added in by the eu and uk for two reasons. to put that extra last—minute pressure on the other side in talks, but to send the message back home to a domestic audience to say, we are fighting and in your interest. example, france again today brandishing its veto, evenif again today brandishing its veto, even if a deal is reached, says paris, we will veto it if we don't like it. france did not need to say that, every eu state has a veto. france isn't the only country that is worried about negotiations. as for the government, it says it is bringing two bills before parliament this week that could contravene the brexit divorce deal agreed with the eu last year, that has the eu hopping mad. on top of that, both sides suggesting unless dramatic progress is made by tomorrow night, this could b

half years since the eu referendum, another crucial moment of decision beckons. 0ur europe editor katyalowing events in brussels. you've had negotiators this afternoon inside the european commission building behind me, trying to thrash it out in what the uk's describing as the last roll of the dice in these negotiations. and just a few moments ago, i was hearing from some in the eu that a deal on fishing, one of the three key outstanding issues, was really nearly there. now, this has been strongly denied by the uk, and that is confusing. but at 11:55pm, with a deal with such a lot at stake as this, it's not unusual to have mixed messaging like that. and what i'm also hearing is that on the other two outstanding issues between the two sides — that's the eu push to get the uk to sign up to what it calls fair competition rules, in order to get good access to its single market, and also, because there's very little trust, how to then enforce those rules or face stiff penalties for either side if they break them. well, on that issue, the two sides are still very far apart, because the uk say

our europe editor, katya adler, looks at where the proposed face—to—face meeting between the leadersusic. you know, for those around the eu negotiating team, for example, there's a bit of a sigh of relief because, for eu and uk negotiators, they feel they've been round and round and round the same three main sticking points for absolutely months now, with each repeating their arguments, and frustration on both sides getting very high indeed. so haven't we been saying for quite a long time, what you need is political involvement at the highest level, either to have a whisper in the ear of those negotiators to say, "look, now is time for those difficult compromises that need to be made by both sides to reach a deal," or to have, you know, personal involvement. so the fact that boris johnson is coming here — even though the eu says they don't know what he'll say — makes those who want a deal, compared to the real gloom that was felt here this morning, that hope hasn't quite entirely gone away. i've been watching eu politics for many years, and you'd be hard—pushed to find an eu deadline

our europe editor, katya adler, has been watching developments from brussels.case of so near and yet so far. we're told that more than 98% of this deal has been agreed. the negotiating teams continued all over the weekend, but it just seems that they're stuck. there are a number of open—ended discussions, for example, the uk government said just tonight it thinks the eu offer on government subsidies is unbalanced, but really, we're coming down to fish here. you might be surprised at that because in pure economic terms, the fish industry is network muster to the uk -- is industry is network muster to the uk —— is network much. that's what the uk government is pushing for in these negotiations. but there are eight eu countries where the coastal communities are extremely important as well. politically, fishing is important to them. so, the eu that they want to maintain some fishing rights in uk waters. otherwise, they say no trade deal at all. forget the deal that's already been agreed. a solution could be found, but the politics here are extremely difficult. so,

for weeks now, bbc correspondents, katya adler and others, have been reminding us how important fishndeed it was right up until the afternoon of christmas eve that we were negotiating in order to get the best possible deal for fisheries. now, could it have been better? would i have wanted that shorter period? yes, absolutely, but we managed to get the eu down from that iii—year transition period they wanted to five and a half. we also managed to make sure that we have a significant uplift in the amount that we can catch next year and in the years that follow. well, it's nearly a year since the uk left the eu but it's not until january ist 2021 that we are outside the eu transition rules. here's our political correspondent, helen catt. big ben chimes. this was the moment the uk left the eu. 11pm on the 31st of january this year. and it'll be iipm again, this time of the 31st of december, when we leave the single market and the customs union. this time the government says we will notice the change. a trade deal was finalised in brussels last week, and it is expected to be in place befo

our europe editor, katya adler, was following the talks in brussels.the same disagreements remain. remember there are three main sticking points still there that have been there for months. that's the rights for eu fishing communities to access uk waters after brexit. its competition regulations. the eu says, "uk, if you want to have preferential access to our single market, then you need to sign up to some principles on fair competition," says the eu. and the third point is the governance of a deal — how do you police it once it's in place? if either side breaks their word, what kind of penalties can be in place? those are the three outstanding issues, and they were discussed tonight. so it could be that even though not much progress was made tonight, some sense of progress was there, or it could also be that neither side wants to take the blame for walking away first from these negotiations because a no—deal situation will be chaotic and costly and difficult for both sides. and so neither ursula von der leyen, the european commission president who to

our europe editor, katya adler, looks at where the proposed face—to—face meeting between the europeana von der leyen, and the british prime minister, boris johnson could lead. well, it does change the mood music. you know, for those around the eu negotiating team, for example, there's a bit of a sigh of relief because, for eu and uk negotiators, they feel they've been round and round and round the same three main sticking points for absolutely months now, with each repeating their arguments, and frustration on both sides getting very high indeed. so haven't we been saying for quite a long time, what you need is political involvement at the highest level — either to have a whisper in the ear of those negotiators to say, "look, now is time for those difficult compromises that need to be made by both sides to reach a deal," or to have, you know, personal involvement. so the fact that boris johnson is coming here — even though the eu says they don't know what he'll say — makes those who want a deal, compared to the real gloom that was felt here this morning, that hope hasn't quite entirel

well, let's stay with that story now. 0ur europe editor, katya adler, looks at what is likely to happenonly still talking because neither side wants to be the first to walk away? "absolutely not," is what i'm hearing from eu contacts close to the talks. they're saying that both sides are trying to be very constructive in the negotiating room — although big political decisions still need to be taken. so where do we go from here? what will both sides decide? what we know is neither side will sign up to this deal unless they can sell it at home as a victory. for the uk, of course, that would say it's protected its national sovereignty after brexit. for the eu, it would mean protecting the single market. and until then, there just won't be any deal. let's get more on this from the us with david smith — he's the guardian's washington bureau chief. has brexit, like the beatles in 1964, cracked america or did it fade away a long time ago?m faded a while ago. in 2016 it was a massive story in america coinciding with the election of donald trump who called himself mr brexit and then we had affin

our europe editor, katya adler, has been watching developments from brussels. case of so near and yet so far. we're told that more than 98% of this deal has been agreed. the negotiating teams continued all over the weekend, but it just seems that they're stuck. there are a number of open—ended discussions. for example, the uk government said just tonight it thinks that the eu offer on government subsidies is unbalanced, but really, we're coming down to fish here. and you might be surprised at that because in purely economic terms, the fishing industry isn't worth much to the uk or to the eu, but one of the big brexit promises was to get back sovereignty over uk waters, and that's what the uk government is pushing for in these negotiations. but there are eight eu countries where the coastal communities are extremely important as well. politically, fishing is important to them. so, the eu says it wants to maintain some fishing rights in uk waters after brexit, otherwise it says there will be no trade deal at all, so forget that 98 and more percent of the deal tha

our political correspondent leila nathoo is westminster and our europe editor katya adler are in brusselseir analysis reflecting are in brussels with their analysis quickly and with has reflecting quickly and with the mood has been this week because in the middle of the week, it was much more optimistic. michel barnier had come here for an intensive round of negotiations, there is sandwiches, ta ke negotiations, there is sandwiches, take away its fuelling of the night yesterday, there was much more positive feeling that this was really the crunch point into yesterday, when the message of the uk site was hang on, we feel we are going backwards and the chances of a deal receding. they said the eu side was imposing last—minute demands in this morning, and the uk side talks about a difficult moment. i was still a crucial day and talks are going to continue right up until the end and so, if we look at it than in terms of the course the week, we now have the sites at the table as it we re have the sites at the table as it were in negotiations are continuing, albeit paused, we already knew there

for weeks now, bbc correspondents katya adler and others have been reminding us how important fish was up until the afternoon of christmas eve that we were negotiating in order to get the best possible deal forfisheries. now, could it have been better? would i have wanted that shorter period? yes, absolutely, but we managed to get the eu down from that 1a—year transition period they wanted to five and a half. we also managed to make sure that we have a significant uplift in the amount that we can catch next year and in the years that follow. the latest headlines on bbc news: more signs of growing pressure on uk hospitals from the new coronavirus variant. three ambulance services in the south—east of england are asking people not to call unless it's a genuine emergency. countries across the european union begin a co—ordinated roll—out of the covid vaccine — with all 27 member states offering jabs to the most vulnerable. the uk government warns businesses and travellers to be prepared for substantial changes and possible disruption from new year's eve when new brexit rules come into forc

live now to our europe editor, katya adler, in brussels. does that chime with what you are hearing?e we are hearing? clearly, because we are hearing things from the negotiators who are right here in brussels finishing off this deal. they stayed awake throughout the night, haggling over the last details on fish. do you remember the last months we kept saying over and over again the three outstanding issues, competition regulations, the eu saying it needs what it calls fair competition rules in order to give the uk tariff and quota free access to its single market. also the governance of the deal, so if either side break their word in this deal what could happen. then the third issue was on fish as well and that is where we are. don't forget, it is notjust a negotiation between the eu and the uk but also between the eu and the uk but also between eu member states as well. we wait to see the details but essentially the prime minister needs to say he has kept post—brexit sovereignty and the eu needs to say it has been able to protect its single market. both sides seem confident of that.

katya adler is in brussels this evening. strong word — brinkmanship?h? absolutely. we have to remember this is crunch time. whether it is political posturing or briefing by anonymous sources or 20 47 jittery analysis on social media, we have to ta ke analysis on social media, we have to take it with a big pinch of salt. behind closed doors compromises are now being reached between the uk and the eu and that is uncomfortable for both sides. it's very high stakes here, as of the ist of january we will start finding out what brexit really means. in public, france, the rest of the eu and the uk want to sound tough. firstly, for their domestic audiences to show they are fighting for their interests, but put as much a last—minute pressure as possible on the other side. what we really have to do is keep a tight watch on these negotiations, because of their bedside say they want a deal, not at any price. neither will sign up to a deal that they cannot sell back home as a victory. they hope the differences can be met and compromises reached this weekend. thank

our europe editor katya adler has the latest from brussels. expectation here in brussels is that tonight is the night, or at least that it should be. i mean, eu diplomats say that there is so little difference now between the the two sides. that said, they are continuing to negotiate this evening on the last sticking point. we've spoken so much about fish, that eu demand that it keep some fishing rights in uk waters after brexit and all the complexities surrounding that. the prime minister is said to have been in very close contact with the president of the european commission, who of course represents all the eu countries in his discussion. and that makes absolute sense because it's only at those top political levels that those very difficult last political compromises could be made. so, of course, everybody nowjust waits to hear whether a deal has been reached or not. a short while ago, i asked our uk political correspondent rob watson if we're still waiting on details of the deal. i have to say no one waiting more easily than i am after thi

that the current problems around dover would be just a taste of what could follow. 0ur europe editor katyae 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 for the eu and sides were working hard to find a fair dealfor the eu and the uk. he insisted that progress continue to be made and he told eu countries that he thought all of the issues in this deal were resolved, on their way to be resolved except the eu demand to have the right to fish in uk waters after brexit. however much michel barnier thinks a deal is almost there, the mantra is nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. i spoke to a uk official and he said there are more complications between the negotiating teams than fisheries alone. we only have ten days left until the

and our europe editor katya adler is in brussels for us.n fishing? that's right. i am hearing from some in the eu that the negotiators who have been hard at work in the european commission building what you see behind me are nearing a deal ona you see behind me are nearing a deal on a fish. this has been strongly denied in the uk. that is confusing, this kind of mixed messaging at five to midnight on a deal like this with so to midnight on a deal like this with so much at stake is not exactly uncommon. what i'm also hearing is that on the two other outstanding issues that we heard about there, the two sides are still very far apart, so the eu really does want to tie the uk to some kind of agreed fair competition principles in exchange for good access to its single market. and it says it wants sovereignty and to be free to make up sovereignty and to be free to make up it's own rules and regulations, and because there is little mutual trust, the eu is saying that we need to find a good way to enforce our agreement to make sure that both sides