more from our rome corresndent, mark lowen. this time last year, there were 50,000 people in st. peter's square, watching the pope's christmas message from the balcony of st. peter's basilica. cordoned off the police, in thes middle of a christmas lockdown, and the pe spoke from inside the apostolic palace. the world has changed, and manpe le's faith has been shaken. coronavirus was very much at the christmashe pope's message. he called on people to carean fr to offer generosity to the victims of the pandemic. he also called on world leaders to cooperate so that there he said, we cannot erect walls,r perhaps a message to the outgoiad donald trump nistration there. interesting he singled out among the victims, women who had suffered from domestic violence during months of lockdown. healked about how thoughts were for families who could not come together and those forced to remain at home, so the pandemic very much at the centaer of this message. this is a year that the world as a whole has been fighting a war, and the pope's mess

studio: our rome correspondent, mark lowen.t of years — the first concert to be held inside notre dame cathedral in paris since it was severely damaged by a fire last year. there was no audience and the socially distanced singers wore hard hats and boiler suits because the cathedral is still a building site. as well as classical pieces they gave a heart warming rendition ofjingle bells. they sing jingle bells. christmas in bethlehem looks a little different this year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. this was the scene in bethlehem this morning, in manger square. you can see a normally busy scene is quite empty. but the celebrations still went ahead at the church of the nativity where christians believejesus was born. but the service, which is normally attended by thousands of local and foreign worshippers, was closed to the public this year. the latest headlines, queen elizabeth has been reflecting on the hardships of the pandemic in her christmas speech as she and prince philip break tradition by staying in windsor. europea

mark lowen, bbc news, bergamo. hello there. wednesday brought another wet day, particularly to england and wales. and at one point, we had over 50 flood warnings in force. now, i'm sure as the rain eases off, the number of flood warnings through christmas eve will gradually begin to drop away, but still the potential for a few problems. there is the rain bearing cloud, then, we had across england and wales, but my attention right now is being drawn to this area of cloud just running in across the north of scotland, because this is going to bring some of you snow. yes, there could be a few centimetres lying on the ground in places, along with the risk of icy stretches as we head into the first part of christmas eve. a few showers also running down north sea coast, the irish seacoast, as our main band of rain continues to edge out—of—the—way. it will be cold, mind you, a cold start to christmas eve, a widespread frost certainly for scotland, northern england, probably northern ireland, and perhaps into the north midl

mark lowen reporting.n as ladbaby have become the third act in uk history to get three consecutive christmas number ones with a song about sausage rolls. lizo mzimba reports. # just a sausage roll... ladbaby, driving his latest charity single into the charts. a tongue—in—cheek new take on a popular classic... ..and a third consecutive christmas number one. the first year was actually just completely shocking. i think not only to us but the entire industry. i don't think anyone saw it coming. i think last year was kind of shocking again, a bit unbelievable, nobody thought we would come back. this year is just on another level. hopefully it's really got the message out there about food banks and it's made everyone smile at a time when we all needed it. the last act to produce three christmas chart toppers in a row were the spice girls with 2 become 1... # i need some love like i never needed love before... ..followed by too much... # too much of something... ..and their almost farewell single, goodbye. now,

studio: 0ur rome correspondent, mark lowen. moore, the former british army officer and centenarian, known for his achievements raising tens of millions of pounds for charity in the run up to his 100th birthday during the covid—19 pandemic. john maguire has been to meet him and find out about his christmas plans. it's been a year like no otherfor all of us. but for captain sir tom moore, 2020 has seen him catapulted from his back garden to worldwide adoration, and to a specially convened ceremony where he was knighted by her majesty the queen. december‘s always a time to look forward, but also back to boyhood christmases during the 1920s. you got up at six o'clock in the morning to see what father christmas had left overnight. when we were small boys, or small children, we didn't get a stocking, we got a pillowcase. you knew there'd be an orange at the bottom of it somewhere. but not a lump of coal? no! and later, as a young officer in the british army during the second world war. all the officers gave all the other ranks their

mark lowen, bbc news, bergamo.fashion for the model stella tenna nt across the world of fashion for the model stella tennant who has died suddenly at eight to 50. she made her name is one of the defining faces of call britannia, that time in the 90s when britain seems to dominate popular culture. she was photographed by irving le pen and appeared on the front of vogue numerous times as well as high—profile ad campaigns with chanel and joan versace. the duke and duchess of sussex have finally reeled the christmas card, a finally reeled the christmas ca rd, a stylus finally reeled the christmas card, a stylus image of them and their son sitting with son archie and a pet dog thought to be at their california home. the card was shared by an animal welfare charity on social media. the original photo was taken by megan's brother earlier this month. a spokesman for the sussex sixers place small christmas tree and home—made ornament were selected by archie. 2020 has produced many poignant and powerful photographs buy from

mark lowen, bbc news, bergamo. billion coronavirus relief package, which was agreed by the us congress after months of wrangling. the deal would see most american people receive a one—off payment of $600, about £450, but the outgoing president wants that amount substantially increased. peter bowes reports. without objection. a motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. they thought it was a done deal. after months of wrangling, democrats and republicans in congress finally agreed a $900 billion package of measures to help americans through the pandemic. all it needed was the signature of donald trump. but not so fast. the president doesn't like the bill. he says a lump sum payment that most americans would receive isn't enough. i am asking congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low $600 to $2,000, or $4,000 for a couple. i am also asking congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation and to send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration wil

mark lowen, bbc news, rome. doses of moderna's covid—i9 vaccine are being prepared for shipping across the country. on friday night, the us food and drug administration granted the moderna injection emergency approvalfor use. this vaccine can be stored in normal freezers, at minus 20 degrees celsius. the authorities hope this will make it easier to support smaller and more rural areas. distribution of moderna vaccine has already begun. moderna has moved vaccine from their manufacturing sites to mckesson. who will serve as the central distributor. at mckesson distribution centers, boxes are being packed and loaded today. trucks will begin rolling out tomorrow from fedex and ups, delivering vaccines and kits to the american people across the united states. in other news, donald trump has dismissed allegations that russia was behind a major cyber espionage attack that penetrated several us government agencies. writing on twitter, he blamed the media for exaggerating the gravity of the situation and said everything

mark lowen, bbc news, rome. in a fire at a hospital in southern turkey. the blaze, in an intensive care ward at the hospital in gaziantep, is believed to have been triggered by the explosion of an oxygen tank. turkey has recorded almost 18,000 deaths since the pandemic began. in other news, a uk government source has said there will be no trade deal with the eu unless there's a "substantial shift" from brussels in the coming days. saturday was dubbed fish day by negotiators in brussels, who are racing against the clock to try to solve one of the most thorny issues left on the table. it's understood a decision might be reached before christmas. but uk sources say it is increasingly likely the uk will leave with no deal. our political correspondent nick eardley has the details. the view in london is that there is going to have to be a decision in the next few days before christmas, and it is a big call for borisjohnson again over whether he signs up to this trade deal. there are two things in particular on which t

studio: 0ur rome correspondent, mark lowen.ult of years — the first concert to be held inside notre dame cathedral in paris since it was severely damaged by a fire last year. there was no audience and the socially distanced singers wore hard hats and boiler suits because the cathedral is still a building site. as well as classical pieces they gave a heart warming rendition ofjingle bells. they sing jingle bells the concert was broadcast on french television from inside notre dame in paris. the battle for the top spot in the uk christmas charts is always hotly contested with even successful stars eager to see their name at number one. but this year the youtube star ladbaby one. but this year the youtube star ladba by outsold both one. but this year the youtube star ladbaby outsold both paul mccartney and mariah carey to top the uk chart for the third consecutive year. our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba reports. #just a mzimba reports. # just a sausage roll... ladbaby, driving his latest charity single into the charity b

mark lowen, bbc news, bergamo.e news national and international any time on the bbc website and on our twitter feeds. but is it for now, thank you so much for watching. do come again. hello there. wednesday brought another wet day, particularly to england and wales. and at one point, we had over 50 flood warnings in force. now, i'm sure as the rain eases off, the number of flood warnings through christmas eve will gradually begin to drop away, but still the potential for a few problems. there is the rain bearing cloud, then, we had across england and wales, but my attention right now is being drawn to this area of cloud just running in across the north of scotland, because this is going to bring some of you snow. yes, there could be a few centimetres lying on the ground in places, along with the risk of icy stretches as we head into the first part of christmas eve. a few showers also running down north sea coast, the irish seacoast, as our main band of rain continues to edge out—of—the—way. it will be cold, mind yo

mark lowen, bbc news, rome.—19 vaccine are being prepared for shipping to locations across the united states. on friday night, the us food and drug administration granted the moderna jab emergency approvalfor use. this vaccine can be stored in normal freezers, at minus 20 degrees celsius. the authorities hope this will make it easier to support smaller and more rural areas. distribution of mud vaccine has already begun. they have moved vaccine from their manufacturing sites to mckesson. who will serve as the central distributor. at mckesson distribution centers, boxes are being packed and loaded today. trucks will begin rolling out tomorrow from fedex and ups delivering vaccines and kits to the american people across the united states. the israeli prime minister benjamin neta nyahu has received a covid—19 vaccination live on television. it comes ahead of a mass vaccination drive across the country over the coming days. the prime minister was innoculated with the pfizer biontech jab alongside the country's health

mark lowen, bbc news, rome."substa ntial shift" from brussels in the coming days. saturday was dubbed fish day by negotiators in brussels who are racing against the clock to try to solve one of the most thorny issues left on the table. it's understood a decision might be reached before christmas. but uk sources say it is increasingly likely the uk will leave with no deal. our political correspondent nick eardley has the details. the view in london is that there is going to have to be a decision in the next few days before christmas, and it is a big call for borisjohnson again over whether he signs up to this trade deal. there are two things in particular on which the talks are stuck. one is state subsidies. that is the extent to which governments can pour money into domestic industries to try to give them some sort of advantage in competition. both sides are worried about that because they don't want one undercutting the other. the second issue, one that has been an issue since the start of these negotiations, i

mark lowen, bbc news, rome.a nyahu has received a covid—i9 vaccination live on television. it comes ahead of a mass vaccination drive across the country over the coming days. the prime minister was innoculated with the pfizer biontech jab alongside the country's health minister. mr netanyahu said he hoped it would serve as a personal example and encourage the public to be vaccinated. at least nine coronavirus patients have been killed in a fire at a hospital in southern turkey. the blaze — in an intensive care ward at the hospital in gaziantep — is believed to have been triggered by the explosion of an oxygen tank. turkey has recorded almost 18,000 deaths since the pandemic began a year ago. well among the restrictions announced by the british prime minister — are new limits on travel. mrjohnson announced a general "stay at home order" for all of the new areas in tier 4 within england. simon calder, travel editorfor the independent newspaper in london, explains what that means for international travel. unfortuna

mark lowen, bbc news, rome.egations that russia was behind a major cyber espionage attack that penetrated several us government agencies. writing on twitter, he blamed the media for exaggerating the gravity of the situation and said everything was under control. earlier i spoke to alex stamos who is the director of the stanford internet observatory. i asked him if he thought donald trump was correct in saying this was hyped up by the media. no, it is not true. in fact, if anything, the media has not really played up the truth scale. played up the true scale. this is possibly the most effective cyber espionage campaign in history, with the possibility of 18,000 companies having access that would have been taken advantage of by the russian intelligence services. now, they did not actually go into all those companies, they did not access data from all those organizations and government agencies but the capability they had to do so was incredible and unprecedented. wow, that is quite a significant claim you are maki

mark lowen, bbc news, rome. assessment of an important day here, in the goverment‘s battle against the coronavirus, our health editor hugh pym is with me. borisjohnson made boris johnson made his borisjohnson made his announcement today, tough measures that no government wants to take at this time of year but essential? that is right, many people tonight must be deeply frustrated after all the tortuous process of getting here and many weeks of discussion between the administrations in the uk. people thinking it was five days, three households are now just thinking it was five days, three households are nowjust one day in most parts of the uk and effectively no mixing it all in the south—east. and chris whitty at the briefing was askedis and chris whitty at the briefing was asked is this the worst moment of the pandemic? he that we've been through many terrible moments up until now but this was not in his view the worst because although the variant is a matter of concern we do have therapies now for coronavirus a

he called for support and generosity for victims of covid—19. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen has beenthis time last year, there were 50,000 people in st peter's square watching the pope's christmas urbi et 0rbi to the city and the world christmas message from the balcony of st peter's basilica. this year, st peter's square is completely cornered off by police. we are in the middle of a christmas lockdown and the pope spoke from inside the apostolic palace. the world has changed and many people's faith has been shaken and coronavirus was very much at the heart of the pope's christmas message. he called on people to care for and offer generosity to the victims of the pandemic. he also called on world leaders to cooperate, so that there should be access to vaccines for all countries. he said we cannot erect walls, perhaps a message to the donald trump administration there. and interesting that he singled out, among the victims, women who had suffered from domestic violence during months of lockdown. he talked about how his thoughts were for families who could not come together and those

the poorest it is from there that mark lowen since this report. rk: the resuscitation of italy's nightmare. we c were shown thenage of a pandemic they thought they were beating. but the second wave has hit harder than the first, says this doctor come and hear in the south, they are struggling to cope. this is calabria, italy'son and e of western europe's poorest regions. intensive care numbers are not get out ofol conbut the healt weekend health care system isn alert. >> my staff are truly heroes on the front line and giving it their all. we are fighting this like lions, as not to keel over. asif continue to rise, it will be a disaster for t whole of italy, and not just for us. mark: this ward can take 18 people. there were 12 patients here until about an e ur ago, when them died. beds filling up, a shortage of staff -- italy thought it had left these horri.e scenes behi once again it has been caught on the back foot with a second wave, and it is not just the wealthy north that has been overwhelmed, but here, to me in the country's most impoverishe

mark lowen, bbc news, bergamo.st asian nation of singapore has had an amazingly successful war against the coronavirus. in april, it was reporting more than a thousand cases a day. now, the daily rate is virtually zero and its fatalities are among the lowest on the planet. suranjana tewari has more. 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. are you ready for this, yeah? behind this mask is british expat fiona. during singapore's circuit—brea ker, she was unable to run her tennis coaching business. like most of the country, fiona's now back on herfeet, but restrictions continue to change the way she works. we started, obviously, with a 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 become, really, your new normal. these tracing tokens are part of that new normal. they help track down people who ha

mark lowen, bbc news, bergamo.me of the day's other big stories was that mexico says it will start vaccinations against covid—19 on thursday. health authorities approved the biontech vaccine last week. mexico has been among the hardest hit countries in the world. the organisers of the tokyo 2020 and a big said they would spend $900 million on measures to stop the spread of the covid—19 virus at the games. unveiling the latest budget for the games, they revealed the total cost of postponing it will be just shy of $3 billion. it's time now for the sport. hello, this is your wednesday sport briefing with me, ben croucher. we'll start with a player many believe is the greatest of all time, lionel messi, has claimed a record many thought would never be broken. he scored his 644th goalfor broken. he scored his 644th goal for barcelona broken. he scored his 644th goalfor barcelona in broken. he scored his 644th goal for barcelona in their 3—0 win on tuesday night. that is more than any player has managed for a single club

our correspondent in rome mark lowen gave us more details on the lockdown.d the 6th of january, all restaurants, bars and cafes will have too close, although they will be able to offer a takeaway service until 10pm. and except for four of those days all nonessential shops will also be closed, and all but essential movement will be prohibited. people will be allowed only to accept two people into their homes at any one time, be it family or friends. these measures come on top of restrictions that had already been announced which mean that the ski resorts will be closed until the 6th of january and that there will still be a night—time curfew in place, and that anybody coming into italy from abroad between this monday, the 21st of december and the 6th of january will be subject to a two—week obligatory quarantine. so extra measures in order to try and avoid that christmas surge. india has become the second country to record 10 million coronavirus cases. but the rate of infection in the country is continuing to slow. the deceleration comes despite india having

mark lowen is back in bergamo. of the authorities now to the situation they were in in the spring? well, you will remember, ros, that italy became the first country in the world to oppose a national lockdown in early march. —— impose. this time, with the second wave, we have been much more cautious, mindful that the economic it is already expected to be 10% this year. so, what the government is trying is a regional tiered approach, not a national lockdown but placing certain regions in red, orange and yellow zones, what they're trying to do at the moment is working out over christmas how many of those days between the 23rd and 24th of december on the fifth or 6th of january there will be a national red zone. there are discussions taking place at the moment between the prime minister in the heads of various coalition parties to decidejust the heads of various coalition parties to decide just how tight the restrictions will be, whether they stop all but essential movements, do they close all shops? to the close all r

mark lowen reports. clearing the lifts with nobody to use them.nment to slow coronavirus. it's in the province of bergamo, worst hit in italy by the pandemic. another is the financial shock. and now there is the financial shock. translation: at christmas, we make up half of our season, losing it causes irreparable damage that we will never make up, and i imagine some businesses here won't survive. what we from bergamo lived through in march was very frightening, hearing the sound of ambulances. we must take care not to relive it but the mountains can be enjoyed safely and this is not a fair decision. the first wave of the virus closed these lifts on the eighth of march, these lifts on the eighth of march. having to shut down again is a devastating blow for resorts that make up 11 billion euros of the italian economy. but there is a trade—off between economic damage and halting the virus, and losing this christmas on the slopes is a sacrifice the government feels it has to make. desperate measures to stop a repeat of march, when deaths in bergamo w

in a moment we will speak to anna holligan in the hague and mark lowen in lombardy.erlin. some really tough measures in place in germany. walk to the authorities think this is going to mean for the christmas period itself, christmas eve, christmas day and so on, and into the new year? the authorities are hoping to reverse what is increasingly a serious situation in germany. the figures speak for themselves, nearly 700 deaths and 27,000 cases in the last 2a hours. germany is in lockdown. we are allowed to go out and about here but in addition to buyers and restau ra nts in addition to buyers and restaurants which closed six weeks ago, shops, schools and hairdressers are closed. i do not think any german expected to enjoy the trappings of a traditional christmas given the situation, but the current restrictions mean that festivities will need to be limited to the very small family gathering. at the moment you are allowed to get together with one other household, a maximum of five people excluding children. 0ver maximum of five people excluding children. over the three

mark lowen, bbc news, bergamo.ly, and newsjust coming in the continuing situation in italy, and news just coming in that italy has now recorded over 70,000 deaths asa has now recorded over 70,000 deaths as a result of the covid—19 pandemic. it is only the fifth country in the world to record more than 70,000 deaths. many here have made sacrifices this year to keep their loved ones safe, none more so than their loved ones safe, none more so tha n staff their loved ones safe, none more so than staff at a care home in somerset. they left their families and moved into the home for several months, to care for those who live there. now the residents families want to say thank you this christmas. fiona landon reports. # someday soon we will all be together. happy christmas and a huge, huge hug. hello, mum. hello, just to wish you a very happy christmas, mum. these are just some of the families who won't be together this christmas. we miss you loads, i would really like to see you this christmas but unfortunately due to th

in a moment we will hear from anna holligan in the hague and mark lowen in lombardy, but first our berlin the authorities are hoping to reverse what is increasingly a very serious situation in germany. the figures speak for themselves, nearly 700 deaths and 27,000 cases in the last 2a hours. germany is in lockdown. we are allowed to go out and about here but in addition to bars and restaurants which closed six weeks ago, shops, schools and hairdressers are closed. i do not think any german expected to enjoy the trappings of a traditional christmas given the situation, but the current restrictions mean that festivities will need to be limited to the very small family gathering. at the moment you are allowed to get together with one other household, a maximum of five people excluding children. over the three days of christmas. germans celebrate christmas on what we see as christmas eve. you are allowed to invite an additional four people to that gathering but they must be close family members. it is going to be a very different christmas for people here. some scientists are really worried t