a whole is that it does hide the variation at regional level, and if you look at london and the south—eastfast, whereas up in the north, particularly north—west and north—east, much less rapid increase. if anything, north—east, much less rapid increase. ifanything, more north—east, much less rapid increase. if anything, more flat epidemic. that cannot last. and as the infection spreads more widely i think we are going to see other regions start to see accelerations in the epidemic, and i think we are already possibly beginning to see that in the east midlands and west midlands, where there are suggestions that the epidemic is taking off, and i don't know for certain but that might be because this variant virus is already starting to spread in those areas. but we will have to wait to see before the real data is shared. earlier this week, they were parts of the north that were arguing they do not need to go into tier 3 because their figures as you said are plateauing, sometimes coming down. what would your advice be then having just told us about the expected pattern of movement of transitio

, going into tier 4, east of england, the south east, going into tier4, how east of england, the was during the lockdown in england. look what has happened since the end of that lockdown in early december, how rapidly they have gone up. that, according to chris whitty and sir patrick vallance, is down to this new variant. a very steep rise in hospital admissions, and that is what is putting intense pressure on hospitals in these areas. of course it isa hospitals in these areas. of course it is a different picture in other parts of england, as we head in different tiers. hospital admissions are not rising so rapidly and have in fact been coming down in areas like the northwest. finally, let's go on to see this comparison between the different parts of england. the dotted line shows case rates in areas which are not going into tier 4and areas which are not going into tier 4 and you can see how they go up during lockdown, but then begun to stabilise and come down at the end of the english lockdown, they come right back down, and then they start writing again from early december once

the tougher rules affect those living in london, and large parts of the south east and east of englandt poses, it is with a very heavy heart i must tell you we cannot continue with christmas as planned. wales will go into lockdown from midnight tonight, and scotland has banned all travel to the rest of the uk for the whole of the festive season. also tonight... italy goes into a full national lockdown, to slow their rising number of coronavirus infections. and a decision is likely before christmas on whether or not a post brexit trade deal can be reached with the european union.. good evening. in a dramatic change of policy, millions of people across england have been placed under stringent new coronavirus restrictions for the festive season. borisjohnson made the announcement today after scientists said a mutation of covid—19 was spreading rapidly in london, the south east and east of england. the variant is said to be much more contagious, but doesn‘t cause more serious illness. wales and scotland tonight have also tightened their coronavirus rules. well, from midnight tonight, new t

if ijust concentrate now on the south—east, east and london, we will see a picture which i think begins into the new virus variant. next slide, please. so this is hospital admissions per day in london, east of england and the south—east from nhs data from september through to now. you can see a gradual increase in the number of hospital admissions per day, and you can see very sharp during december. this virus has taken off, it is moving fast, and it is leading inevitably to a sharp increase in hospital admissions. next slide, please. if we now look just at the areas that are moving into tier 4, as the prime minister has just said, which is areas in london, the south—east and the east, and look at the number of cases, the case rate against time, but you can see is that the number of cases increase or in the case rate increases dramatically. if you look at the dotted line that is what england as a whole. case rate is increasing took november, decreasing during lockdown and increasing again. but if you look at the solid blue line, which is london and the south—east and the east, in tier 4

we'll across the south—east on sunday. we' ll start across the south—east on sunday.owery bursts of rain, little was in the south—east, should mostly clear the way, into the afternoon is dry for many with variable clouds and sunshine around, slowing the whole site though, particularly where any low cloud and fog lingers through central areas, temperatures range from around three to 7 degrees, it stays cold start next week, starts to turn unsettled from tuesday onwards and warmer weather by the end of the week. this is bbc news the headlines at 6:00: borisjohnson and the president of the european commission have spoken in order to try and find a way forward on brexit trade talks. this is the scene live in brussels where we're expecting a statement from ursula von der leyen following her conversation with the prime minister. in fact, here she is and let's hear the outcome of the phone call. translation:

and you are only announcing today the widening of tier 4 within the south—east and east of england andut yet another more transmissible strain being identified from south africa, how confident are you that the new tiered system is strong enough to tackle that? as you know, when we got the information on friday afternoon about the impact of the new variant on transmission, that it is that much more contagious, we acted incredibly fast to put the fourth tier in place and to date we have broadened that —— today. there are have broadened that —— today. there a re parts of have broadened that —— today. there are parts of the country where the case rates thankfully have been coming down as you saw, and the whole basis of the tiered system is to ta ke whole basis of the tiered system is to take a proportionate approach to the areas where we need very firm action and other areas where we clearly need restrictions but they don't have to be as drastic. added to that, of course, everybody‘s personal responsibility, and that is the critical thing this christmas, and through until the new year, it

and there have been sharp rises in south wales, london, kent, essex and parts of the east and south eastf england. in some areas, the doubling time is now seven days. and this rise has been amongst people of all age groups, not to school age children. and i am particularly concerned about the rise in rates of the over—60s and the number of people in hospital, which is also rising. and that is even before we factor in the increase in the last week's rates. and we know through painful experience that more cases leads to more hospitalisations and, sadly, more hospitalisations and, sadly, more deaths. to think that this link and this chain is broken is wrong and this chain is broken is wrong and dangerous. we have seen it time and dangerous. we have seen it time and time again elsewhere this year. when cases rise, pressure on hospitals mounts and so then sadly do the number of people who die from coronavirus. to stop this, we need to act fast. and i can tell you that because of the testing and surveillance system that we have built, we have also identified a new variant of this virus, which

in itself, it is, i think, in london and the south—east.ondon and the south—east. in itself, it is, i think, taking what the prime minister, new information. but the data was pretty clear before this to have determined that relaxing rules at christmas was the wrong thing to do, and that should have been reversed. i am saying we had the data and may not have known about the new variant at the time, but had enough data to show that the last thing you needed to do was relax rules at a time when the infection was rapidly spreading and increasing the numbers of patients in hospital beds. good to talk to you as always. the chair of the council of british medical association, thank you. more on this new variant of coronavirus. government advisors say the mutation is now the dominant strain in the capital, as our health correspondent katherine da costa explains. hospitals in parts of london, kent and essex are coming under intense pressure. they are seeing a surge in new covid admissions, up by around a third in a week, after a sudden spike in new

from midnight tonight, tier 4 restrictions will apply in all current tier 3 areas in the south east includingondon, kent, buckinghamshire, berkshire, and hertfordshire. that's more than 17 milllion people. in this new tier, a stay at home order will be issued to residents except for those travelling to work or for education. there will be no christmas bubbles. social mixing will be restricted to meeting one other person in an open public space. nonessential shops will close, along with personal services such as gyms, beauty salons and hairdressers. no one should enter or leave a tier 4 area. and there are also changes to the advice for those living in tiers 1 to 3 in england. the so—called ‘christmas bubbles‘ will be restricted to just christmas day. the advice is to remain local and not to travel internationally. our political editor, laura kuennsberg has the full stiry. another twist in 2020's terrible,. that the pirate is outpacing politician and the publics attempt to get hold of itjust when the time of year journeys are to get hold of itjust when the time of yearjourneys are meant to get

nearly 18 million people in london and south—east england move into stricter tier 4 restrictions fromht — people must stay at home, and non—essential shops have to close. for those in tier 4 — it means the relaxation of rules at christmas has been scrapped — and reduced to one day, the 25th, for the rest of england. we must be realistic. we are sacrificing the chance to see our loved ones this christmas so we have a better chance of protecting their lives, so that we can see them at future christmases. the new restrictions are due to a spike in cases — that's being blamed on a fast—spreading new variant of the disease. the whole of wales is to be placed under lockdown from midnight, with festive rules cancelled for all but christmas day. scotland reduces the five—day festive window for mixing with other households indoors to just christmas day itself — and imposes a "strict travel ban" between itself and the rest of the uk. let's recap on the very significant changes that have been announced for christmas and london and the south east — affecting 17.7 million people. the prime ministe

yes, so the new measures in england, and at midnight tonight, so if you are currently at in the south—east, london or the east of england, you will now be in tearful from midnight, meaning nonessential shops will close here, hairdressers, james will close as well, in those areas, christmas bubbles have been scrapped. if you live in the west of england, christmas bubbles will go ahead but one day only on christmas day. in scotland, christmas bubbles are also being limited tojust day. in scotland, christmas bubbles are also being limited to just one day. but on boxing day, the whole of scotland, the mainland, will go into the top level of restrictions, level four. that means there will be significant curtailment of what you can do most of scotland as well. it's also worth pointing out that nicola sturgeon talked about a travel ban between scotland and england, she doesn't want anyone travelling from england to scotland over the next few weeks, and in wales there will be lockdown effective at midnight, so really fast moving, nothing changing in northern ireland yet but a huge day for the uk n

anglia and the south—east missing out on the wet weather for the time being. south—east missinge wet weatherfor the time being. it should be largely dry. windy everywhere, gales in south—west wales but because it's a southerly wind and we have them i'll start it will be a very mild day tomorrow, temperatures could reach 13—14 degrees. but of course there will be some rain around and that wetter weather on that weather front will push its way eastwards overnight, eventually clearing away from eastern areas on saturday morning and then this is the main feature of the weather over the weekend, low— pressure the weather over the weekend, low—pressure to the north—west of the uk. that will push away that very mild airwe the uk. that will push away that very mild air we are seeing on friday. it will turn cool as the weekend goes on and it will also be quite windy this weekend too. we will see a mixture of sunshine but also a scattering of showers and most of the showers, particularly on saturday, will be coming into the western side of the uk. they could be heavy and thundery as well.

for east anglia and the south—east you should stay mostly try eight is part of the day, turning breezyor the west and blustery showers —— for east anglia and the south—east, you should stay mostly dry. when the other to 60 mph unexposed i wish the coasts, further east, gusts of around 30 mph. —— unexposed irish coasts. with outbreaks of rain and wind—chill it will feel cool about those temperatures look. sunshine around on thursday, some scattered showers, then the next area of rain arrives from the atlantic, bringing cloud, rain and strengthening winds. further east, staying dry, still mild, temperatures around 9012 degrees. still mild and unsettled on friday, scattered showers through the weekend and things turning cooler towards the festive break. a reminder of our top story... pressure mounts for a rethink of plans for easing covid restrictions at christmas. that's all from the bbc news at one, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. good afternoon. it's 1.33pm and here's your latest sports news. with the new restrictions putting londo

nearly 18 million people in london and south—east england move into stricter tier a restrictions fromme, and non—essential shops have to close. for those in tier a — it means the relaxation of rules at christmas has been scrapped — and reduced to one day, the 25th, for the rest of england. we must be realistic. we are sacrificing the chance to see our loved ones this christmas so we have a better chance of protecting their lives, so that we can see them at future christmases. the new restrictions are due to a spike in cases — that's being blamed on a fast—spreading new variant of the disease. the whole of wales is to be placed under lockdown from midnight, with festive rules cancelled for all but christmas day. scotland reduces the five—day festive window for mixing with other households indoors to just christmas day itself — and imposes a "strict travel ban" between itself and the rest of the uk. let's recap on the very significant changes that have been announced for christmas and london and the south east — affecting 17.7 million people. the prime minister said the new variant of t

the last of the rain clears east anglia and the south—east early on saturday then it is sunshine and tling into western scotland, wales, western england, heavy and thundery, some showers elsewhere but further east, dry largely. not quite as mild on saturday, it is still windy. it stays windy into sunday, more showers in the same sort of areas so again further east in more sheltered places, more likely to be dry with sunshine. windy on sunday and a little bit cooler. george. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello, and welcome to sportsday — i'm chetan pathak. coming up on the programme... adding their names — more former rugby union players come forward to join those like steve thompson suing the sport's authorities for alleged negligence. permanent concussion substitutions will be allowed in the premier league, as clubs agree to trial it from next month. cut in half — russia's four year ban from all major sporting events for doping is reduced to two years — they'll still miss the tokyo games and

all previous tier 3 areas in the south east and the east of england — including london, kent and most being asked to stay at home, non—essentialshops have been closed, along with gyms, beauty salons and hairdressers. there will be no ‘christmas bubbles', and household mixing is restricted to meeting one person in an open public space. christmas rules have been changed in the rest of england, where the planned bubbles can now gather only on christmas day. all of wales has gone into lockdown, with restrictions easing only for christmas day. that will also be the case in scotland and be followed by the highest level of restrictions for mainland scotland from boxing day. all travel to the rest of the uk is banned for the festive season. northern ireland had already announced a new lockdown, coming in from the 26th of december. 0urfirst report is from our political correspondent, nick eardley. what a difference a day can make. london‘s 0xford what a difference a day can make. london‘s oxford street, normally one of the busiest for shopping in europe, deserted today as part of england enter

we think that would apply to london and parts of the south east, at a minimum. be elsewhere, too. that tier 4 is going to feel a lot like lockdown. i expect it will mean that nonessential shops close, it may well mean that people are told not to leave their homes and to stay local as well. which will have a huge impact on people's christmas plans. the latest we are hearing is that that is likely to come in this weekend, so it is coming very soon. that is england. new restrictions are being discussed is a possibility in scotland, though i do not think they are going to be as severe in scotland. scotland already has a higher level of restrictions. that may well be extended to parts of scotla nd may well be extended to parts of scotland that aren't in it at the moment, there are none in it at the moment. there is talks in northern ireland. it feels like things have moved significantly since we sat here 72 hours ago and said the broad christmas plan for the relaxation of restrictions was going to go ahead. the main concern is the rate at which this virus is spreadin

it was originally detected in the south east of england. y european countries and today south korea has reported three cases of the variant. i'm joined by martin hibberd, professor of emerging infectious disease at the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. thank you for being with us. it is spreading around the world, we are hearing more and more countries say that they have detected cases of this variant. it is clearly highly infectious? yes, it is travelling around the world. as we have seen previously with variants which have more transmitability, previously with variants which have more tra nsmitability, they outcompete the other strains. talk to us about the science of it, we know that the virus mutates all the time, why is this variant particularly dangerous? we have recognised it, because it has accumulated different changes and some are hitch hiking on the back of a few key residues that seem to increase the tra nsmitability. a few key residues that seem to increase the transmitability. this virus looks different and it is

it could fringe into northern ireland, wales, towards east anglia, rain across southern counties but if that's further south clears could give some snow for a time, east anglia and the south—east and two new year's eve more in the way of batches of showers coming down which could cover now taking us into new year's day on eastern counties of england. a lot to play for but for new year's day many will be dry and bright but still cold. this is bbc news. the headlines: eu ambassadors unanimously approve the provisional application of the post—brexit trade deal between the uk and the eu. this will provisionally allow tariff—free trade with britain to continue after it leaves the eu single market at new year. 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 are officially beginning a co—ordinated roll—out of the covid vaccine — with all 27 member states offering jabs to the most vulnerable. the eu has secured contracts for more th

anglia and the south—east, northern englande showers and those wintry showers in scotland get pushed away, so it is turning drier through the day. increasing amounts of sunshine but it's cold. temperatures barely above freezing. the highest temperatures tomorrow along the south coast but without rain coming in and some wet weather in the south—east tomorrow evening. low pressure in charge, bands of wet weather swelling around it, the one in the north could be more significant. travel disruption likely on friday morning with snow falling across much of scotland, heavy on the hills, gradually that's no tending to turn to rain but we are stuck with wetter weather across northern england, the midlands and east anglia on friday, some snow in the hills here and maybe some sleet at lower levels too. the details could change but at the moment it looks dry in the south of wales, and the south—west of england. it will be cold on friday and windy, especially around coastal areas. but gradually over the weekend, things calm down. we are st

some rushing for a last—minute late—night trim before hairdressers across the south—east close again.going to work until 12 o'clock tonight just to fit a few more clients in. less than two hours until so many doors close again, less than a week until the strangest of christmases. the end of the year of bizarre traditions, few would care to repeat. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. the first of millions of doses of moderna's covid—i9 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 approval for 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. the distribution at that new moderna vaccine has been done. there will be a central distributor. at the distribution centres, boxes are they have moved the vaccine from their sites to mckesson who will serve as a central distributor, at the distribution centers box are being packed and loaded today. trucks will begin roll

now a surge in cases has pushed the town into tier 3 along with a huge swathe of the south east. it is therefore necessary to apply to your three measures across a much wider area of the east and south—east of england, including bedfordshire, buckinghamshire, berkshire, peterborough, the whole of hertfordshire, surrey, with the exception of waverley, hastings and rather on the kent border of east sussex, and portsmouth, gosport and haven't in hampshire. these changes will take effect from one minute past midnight on saturday morning. millions of people across northern england and midlands will stay in tier 3. i regret having to take the action we have to take. i deem it necessary and there is a strong view right across government that these actions are necessary. greater manchester has been under the toughest restrictions for months and the rate of infection has come down, below the average. despite that the government has decided not to move it to tier 2 yet. the problem with tier 3 as it is devastating from an economic point of view and that is what we said to the government. if

how are the rules from london and the south—east, how will they affect ca re south—east, how will theyow testing. the lateral flow testing isn't perfect. what i would suggest is if you want to go and visit people, self—isolate before you do. self isolating for ten days means that you are very, very unlikely to be able to spread infection. i realise that not everybody can do that but that would reduce the risks down. jim, it is worth pointing out that even in the tier 4 guidelines, there are exceptions? nicola made good points there. there is one important thing to say there. there is one tier in tier4 to say there. there is one tier in tier 4 compared with tier 3. you can meet someone face—to—face in tier 3 if you have one of those lateral flow tests that proved negative. in tier4, it has flow tests that proved negative. in tier 4, it has to be through a window or in those pods. so face—to—face meeting with someone in a care home in tier4 face—to—face meeting with someone in a care home in tier 4 will not be allowed a care home in tier 4 will not be a llowe d a ny a care home in tier 4

have identified a new variant of coronavirus which may be associated with the faster spread in the south—eastal analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants. we have currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant, predominantly in the south of england, although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas, and numbers are increasing rapidly. he said there was nothing to suggest the new variant made people sicker or that it was resistant to vaccines. labour said the picture around england was now less encouraging. overall, the increasing areas are rising faster than the decreasing areas are falling. and as things stand, we are heading into the christmas easing with diminishing headroom. the buffer zone these tiers were supposed to provide is getting much thinner. of the top 20 virus hotspots in england, all but two are in the south—east. the london boroughs of havering, enfield and southwark, with case increases of more than 50% in the most recent week, and brentwood and thurrock in essex even more — around 80%. the health

news about this new variant of the virus that was spreading very rapidly throughout the south and south—east that is what he was saying, but he brought in these new curves and other restrictions have been brought in in scotland and wales. he said he did not want to cancel christmas, he thought that would be inhuman, but these new restrictions are in place andi these new restrictions are in place and i think one of the questions now would be of course how long will they be in place for, and it is something that has been put to their health secretary matt hancock this morning. there has had to be a luck and forcing swayed of england because of a new strain seen here and in other countries around the world in order to save lives. we are saying that we don't know how long these measures are going to be in place. it may be some time until we can get the vaccine going. that is not an easy thing to say. these things are not straightforward. i totally understand how people are frustrated at the situation and disappointed. of course i do. but they are also... i'lljust finish my answer thank you. peop

some wetter weather threatening the south—east of england and east anglia.sy night, patchy frost in england and wales, more widespread with some ice in scotland and northern ireland. there could be some travel disruption early tomorrow in scotland, particularly the higher levels because of snow put it we might see some snow at lower levels but it will turn to rain and that process will continue on friday. the snow turning to rain across much of scotla nd snow turning to rain across much of scotland and the strengthening winds pushing wetter weather into northern ireland. prying off quickly in the south—east and east anglia, rain moving into northern england with some sleet possible and snow over the pennines. it should turn drier across the midlands and southern england with some sunshine. another cold day, feeling colder because we have some stronger winds. those winds are around that low pressure which keeps the wet weather going tonight into tomorrow and over the weekend, the low moves into france, the winds ease off and the weather comes down, gradually

that has emerged in the south—east of england in particular, and is driving up infections in the south—east announce the suspension of flights to and from the uk. the italian foreign minister had said —— has said that they are suspending those flight after the news about the coronavirus variant. italy nowjoins news about the coronavirus variant. italy now joins belgium news about the coronavirus variant. italy nowjoins belgium and benevolence as european countries that have now and flights —— the netherlands, because of that coronavirus variant. as we've been hearing, millions of people across parts of england are now living under the toughest coronavirus restrictions — tier 4 — as the government looks to contain the rapid spread of the new variant of the virus. similar measures have been introduced in wales, which has some of the highest infection rates across the uk. we can speak now to the welsh health minister, vaughan gething. thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for being with us. just spell out for us if you would for those who have not read about the latest res

nearly 18 million people in london and south—east england move into stricter tier 4 restrictions fromidnight — people must stay it is with a very heavy heart i must tell you we cannot carry on with christmas as planned. in england, those living in tier 4 areas should not mix with anyone outside their household at christmas. the new restrictions are blamed on new variant of the disease. travel is banned except for essential business with others across england asked to stay local. donald trump plays down a major cyber attack on us government agencies and questions whether russia was responsible. hello and welcome if you are watching in the uk or around the world, stay with us for the latest news and analysis. the british prime minister has announced tough new restrictions for parts of london and the south—east of england. from midnight tonight, millions of people have been told to stay at home, not meat in each other‘s homes are not travel outside their local area. nonessential shops will close for two weeks, the music comes after scientists advising the government said a new coronaviru

many hospitals across the south east are under increasing strain. they will cancel nonurgent operations because of the increasing covid patient numbers, and in other areas they need to be ready for a possible surge into the new year. austria will enter its third coronavirus lockdown from december 26—january 2a as the country fights to bring down its coronavirus infection rate. for the first three weeks, nonessential stores will close as will services such as hairdressers. a planned series of mass testing will be carried out next month, and from january the 18th, stores and restaurants will open again for those who test negative. 0ur correspodnent bethany bell is in vienna. well, austria's second hard lockdown ended just 11 days ago, and the result of that hard lockdown was that they did manage to bring down the infection figures quite a lot, from 9000 or so in november to about under 3000 at the moment. but there are concerns that that is still too high, that there is pressure on the hospitals here, and there has been a lot of expectation here that

three ambulance services in the south—east of england are asking people not to call unless it's a genuinemergency. a leading think tank forecasts that the uk economy will see slower growth next year due to the tightening of coronavirus restrictions. the 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 force. businesses will need to make sure that they're ready for few customs procedures and we as individuals will need to make sure that our passports are up to date, because they need to have at least six months before expiry on them to be able to travel abroad. president trump signs a coronavirus relief and spending package, after previously threatening to block the bill — saying parts of it were ‘wasteful‘. at least 200 british tourists are reported to have fled the swiss ski resort of verbier to avoid a 10—day quarantine, ordered after the discovery of the new covid variant in the uk. in half an hour i will be looking back at the year that coronavirus hit the uk. it's a story whic

many hospitals across the south—east are under increasing strain.y will cancel nonurgent operations because of the increasing covid patient numbers and in other areas they need to be ready for a possible surge into the uk. —— into the new year. the latest government figures on coronavirus show there were 28,507 new cases in the latest 24—hour period. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 23,959. the number of people being admitted to hospital is rising too — 1,707 on average each day between now and last sunday. 489 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 434 deaths per day. the total number of uk deaths is now 66,541. our health editor hugh pym is here. tell us more about the concerns that are surrounding this new variant of covid—19? are surrounding this new variant of covid-19? we learnt on monday about this new variant, matt hancock, the health secretary for england, announcing it in the house of commons a

our headlines today: millions of people in south—east england and wales move into a new upper tier ofovid restrictions, as hundreds tried to leave london before the rules kicked in. christmas plans are ruined as plans to relax rules are scrapped. millions in tier 4 are told they can't mix with other households at all. it is with a very heavy heart i must tell you that we cannot continue with christmas as planned. seventh heaven for liverpool as they thrash crystal palace to extend their lead at the top with their their biggest league win in 31 years. and some of us will see sunshine at times today but watch out for dark gloomy clouds. details on that and the christmas week forecast here brea kfast. it's sunday 20 december. our top story. millions of people in england and wales are waking up to new lockdown restrictions. at midnight london and large parts of the east and south—east of england were put into a new category of tier 4 — with an order to stay at home where possible. similar restrictions came into force for all of wales at midnight. the announcements were made as plans to re

restriction in england after scientists said a mutation of covid—19 was spreading rapidly in london, the south—east the country. the variant is said to be much more contagious but doesn't cause more serious illness. from midnight tonight, tier 4 restrictions will apply in all current tier 3 areas in the south east including london, kent, buckinghamshire, berkshire and hertfordshire — that's more than 17 milllion people. in this new tier, a stay—at—home order will be issued to residents except for those travelling to work or for education, there will be no christmas bubbles, social mixing will be restricted to meeting one other person in an open public space, nonessential shops will close, along with personal services such as gyms, beauty salons and hairdressers, no—one should enter or leave a tier 4 area, and there are also changes to the advice for those living in tiers 1—3 in england. the so—called christmas bubbles will be restricted to just christmas day. the advice is to remain local and not to travel internationally. our political editor, laura kuennsberg, has the full story. another twist in

north of thing then and much of the midlands, now it has completely changed, reversed, it is the south eastgoing up east where we have seen cases going up —— north of england. much of the rest of the country is seen cases come down. what has been caused concern is we have beginning to see rates going up in the over—60s and hospital admissions in london and the surrounding areas, parts of hertfordshire, essex and kent, are also rising. there is no more than 2,000 patients in london hospitals with covid. a month ago, it wasjust 1,200, and there are onlyjust over 1,000 beds free in london hospitals. so it is notjust raising infections, it is which age groups they are rising in and the fact people are ending up in hospital that has forced the government to act quickly. and one question matt hancock was asked by one mp was, why is it only going to be tier 3 in parts of hertfordshire and essex, but all of london? in other words, why has london not been separated into its constituent districts, areas and different tiers imposed? there is a variation in infection rates in the different london borou

discuss what's being described as the "alarming rate" the coronavirus is spreading in london and south east england. new measures — although it hasn't been specified what — are said to be under discussion — there will be a news conference this afternoon. earlier this week leaders across the uk issued stricter guidance ahead of the temporary relaxation of the rules over christmas. our political correspondent, jessica parker, reports. not long now, christmas comes in less tha n not long now, christmas comes in less than a week. and some families are agonising over what to do. leanne in london is self isolating for two weeks ahead of c hopes travelling to see family. she is now waiting to see what the government says top yellow if they cut it down or stop it altogether with literally four days to go, it is going to be a massive u—turn and it will upset and disappointed a lot of people, but if they do do that, then i understand white. the law is set to rule out some limited temporary household mixing this christmas, but leaders across the uk have called for people to exercise caution. yesterday

and new tier 4 restrictions mean in london, the south east and the east of england, people are beingwe don't know how long these measures are going to be in place. it may be for some time, until we can get the vaccine going. that isn't an easy thing to say. it all feels very different to wednesday, the four nations agreed that there would still be a relaxation of the law over christmas. but ministers here say they were given new evidence on friday about how the new variant of the virus spreads, and that they had to act quickly. others think they were too slow. how could the government allow people to go on as they were? labour's leader this morning said that the prime minister had waited until the 11th hour because he was reluctant to make an unpopular decision. england, scotland and labour—run wales all took pretty drastic action yesterday after being briefed by the experts. so, what makes you think, in terms of this new variant, that the government should have acted sooner? to put all of this on the new variant is wrong. the infection was out of control and that's why the governmen

several hospitals in london and the south east of england say they are under extreme pressure due to the sheer weight of covid cases — patients are being moved as intensive care units reach capacity. we're on our knees begging for people to do their part... to take the pressure off. but we are shattered. the end of a nearly 50—year marriage. the uk leaves the trading bloc of the eu tonight. and goodbye 2020, hello 2021! this is the scene live in dubai as the city begins its new year celebrations. in wuhan, china, the new yearwas welcomed with a mass street party — a packed scene where the covid pandemic began. we'll find out how different countries are welcoming in the 2021. hello, and welcome if you're watching in the uk, on pbs in the us, or around the world. and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. let's stick with those fireworks in dubai, to celebrate the new year. fireworks and a laser show on the burj khalifa — the world's tallest building in downtown dubai. i could tell you about the 1371 kg of fireworks they are using, i could probabl

several hospitals in london and the south east of england say they are under extreme pressure due to the sheer weight of covid cases — patients are being moved as intensive care units reach capacity. there's been a small number of patients transferred around the country, very long distances, to enable them to receive intensive care. so patients have come both to plymouth and to bristol from kent. the end of a nearly 50 year marriage — the uk leaves the trading bloc of the eu tonight. china approves its first, home—produced corona virus vaccine — for general use — claiming it's nearly 80 percent effective. and a rare sight of fireworks this new year — sydney bucks the global trend for a celebration muted by covid. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. record numbers of coronavirus cases have been recorded here in the uk as several hospitals in london and the south—east of england say they are under extreme pressure because of the current surge. one senior intensive care doctor has gone so far as to accuse anyone who ignores the rules on social distancing

other ambulance services in the south—east are reporting similar problems.rusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community and mental health services. everybody affected by the impact of covid. and talking to trust leaders overnight, they are under no illusion about how challenging this is. in wales, more than half of intensive care beds are now occupied by covid patients. it's a situation described as unprecedented. the situation across wales is quite sobering. the number of people that are presenting with symptoms of covid that not only require hospital admission, but are so seriously ill that they require intensive care, and that more than 50% of our bed occupancy in intensive care, is now due to covid patients, is very worrying. in scotland, the country's clinical director has denied the system could be overwhelmed. he said measures were in place where extra capacity was needed. but some doctors are warning that a combination of factors could create a perfect storm. the combination of these two occurrences, much more mixing over ch

minister is to hold a news conference later this afternoon to announce a new tier 4 for london and the south—eastould affect christmas. it comes amid warnings from england's chief medical officer that a "new variant" of the virus is causing faster transmission in the south east. wales, scotland and northern ireland have held a four nations call with westminster and will have their own cabinet meetings this afternoon. more than two—thirds of those living in england — 38 million people — are now subject to the toughest restrictions in tier 3. that may change from four o'clock. meanwhile, italy imposes a nationwide lockdown over christmas and new year, as it tries to halt the sharp rise in coronavirus infections. americans are set to get a second coronavirus vaccine, as the moderna injection is approved in the us. the prime minister is to hold a news conference later this now, we meet those developing new technologies to protect an ancient city. the roman settlement of baiae was the las vegas of the roman empire. a place where the rich and powerful came to relax, party and carry out illicit affairs.

be under the toughest covid restrictions — from hampshire to bedfordshire, much of the south and south eastnow in tier 3. in the north of england, hopes of moving down a tier are dashed but in the south—west, bristol and some surrounding areas see an easing of the rules. i know that tier 3 measures are tough, but the best way for everyone to get out of them is to pull together, not just to follow the rules, but do everything they possibly can to stop the spread of the virus. and the furlough scheme is extended by a month to the end of next april, in wales, covid is the leading cause of death again — a computer upgrade means that the number of cases could be twice as high as the previous estimate. within the next hour, a call between borisjohnson within the next hour, a call between boris johnson and the within the next hour, a call between borisjohnson and the president of the eu commission. the latest attempt to break the deadlock. a staggered return to school after the christmas break for secondaries in england — they need time to prepare for mass testing. remember, the show will go on. a

till the middle pa rt and the south—east till the middle part of the afternoon and then for scotla nd the afternoon and then for scotland and northern ireland after the morning rain there will be sunshine and showers later on in the afternoon. gusts of wind are likely to reach about 60 miles an hour through some of these exposed irish sea coast and elsewhere about 30 mph, so certainly a noticeable wind through the day on wednesday. between nine and ii through the day on wednesday. between nine and 11 degrees, so still mild for the time of year but cooler than it has been out there today. heading through wednesday into thursday we have a brief ridge of slightly higher pressure pushing m, of slightly higher pressure pushing in, so that will squeeze most of the showers away during the day on thursday and still a few for the north west of scotland, perhaps xiao state —— south—east england and may be dry before the next area of cloud moves in on thursday. that's all from the bbc news at six. so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello and we

it could fringe into northern ireland, wales, towards east anglia, rain across southern counties but if that's further southll be snow rather than rain, north staying dry and bright. that system once it clears could give some snow for a time, east anglia and the south—east, and into new year's eve more in the way of batches of showers coming down which could cover now taking us into new year's day on eastern counties of england. a lot to play for but for new year's day many will be dry and bright but still cold. this is bbc news. the headlines: eu ambassadors unanimously approve the provisional application of the post—brexit trade deal between the uk and the eu. this will provisionally allow tariff—free trade with britain to continue after it leaves the eu single market at new year. 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 are officially beginning a co—ordinated roll—out of the covid vaccine — with all 27 member state

three ambulance services in the south—east of england are asking people not to call unless it's a genuinecy. a chinese journalist who reported on the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in the city of wuhan has been sentenced to four years injail. and coming up, it's the most watched scripted limited series of all time on netflix, we'll be speaking to the screen writer and producer of the queen's gambit. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. all 27 eu ambassadors have unanimously approved the provisional application of the eu—uk post—brexit trade deal that was agreed last week. on wednesday the president of the eu council, charles michel, and president of the eu commission ursula von der leyen are expected to officially sign off on the trade agreement. but this has to be ratified in a european parliament vote early next year. also on 30th december, uk mps at will vote on the deal —— on the 20th of december. in a special sitting of parliament. it all means that tariff—free trade will be provisionally allowed after britain leaves the eu single market at the

from the north and the west, some snow over the high ground of scotland, dry weather further south and eastes in the south. io back into double figures in the south. 10 degrees or so. pretty wet and particularly windy across the board for boxing day. then it remains unsettled for further spells of rain, turning cold again through sunday and into monday. goodbye for now. this is bbc news. the top stories. more of the east and south—east of england will enter the toughest tea of restrictions on boxing day. the home secretary said it is difficult but necessary. this is not news anybody wants to deliver and i am truly sorry for the disruption it causes, but i think people know how important it is that we take decisions like this to keep people safe and protect the nhs. matt hancock also confirmed two cases of a different, new covid variant in the uk from south africa, saying all those who travelled from the country must quarantine immediately. the talks in brussels continue with suggestions opposed brexit trade deal could be finalised within hours. and there is continued disruption in dover. th

it pushes the rain away from the south—east. will be dry with more sunshine around, noticeably colder, particularly in the south 4—7 degrees. so that's for christmas eve. christmas day, a cold start, could see some frost around, and with high—pressure around, it should be dry with variable amounts of cloud and some sunshine. but then it starts to become more unsettled again into boxing day. the latest headlines for you from bbc news. at least 40 countries have now put restrictions on travel to and from the uk as the government here admits the more infectious coronavirus variant is out of control. european union officials tried to agree co—ordinated strength and health protocols. 32 years after the pan am disaster over lockerbie, scotland, the us has announced terrorism charges against a libyan man accused of making the explosives that brought down the aircraft. 270 people lost their lives. us president—elect joe biden has appeared before the media to receive the covid—19 vaccine. mr biden and his wifejill were given their first