china is the uk's biggest export market. china hasn't really cultivated a trading relationship with the uk and seen it as a bridge to the european union. instead it has been driven by the prospect of returns, it is seen as a safe haven and also prestige. life outside the european union holds a very significant challenge for the uk in terms of its relationship with asian, because it finds itself starkly between the world's two great trading nations. china and the united states. just look at what has happened over huawei and the pressure that has been exerted, ultimately, in the end, it was the us that succeeded, but look at the pressure exerted from both sides there, as a sign of the future that the uk could face. but uk also has very little choice but to pursue, maintain and to build upon its trading relationship with china. china has an ongoing need for advanced life sciences, advanced life sciences, advanced engineering, healthcare management, financial services, all things the uk as a leading global player in. a challenge

big ben bongs, an hourafter leaving the uk —— the eu behind, the uk left 2020 behind. these were fireworks covid style, all the usual glitz and strictly no crowds and no parties. the message stay at home. it is been very strange because i am used to the fireworks and big crowds and, but it has been very, like, quietand and, but it has been very, like, quiet and there is police everywhere so it is just, like, it is not likely usable. —— like the usual. in scotland, but opted for this. —— they opted. not fireflies but hogmanay drones, 500 in the air, perfectly synchronised 25 miles an hour. fireworks pop. in germany, there were some fireworks. but again, no crowds. speaks french. while at france, the message was stay at home, there are no fireworks. translation: i was at a friends house around here and i'm going back to mine. there is no metro, we are looking for a bus, we're going back quietly, thatis bus, we're going back quietly, that is it, there is nothing, it is not like it was before, unlike previous years. previous yea rs unlike previous years. previous y

so eu citizens lose the automatic right to live, work and retire in the uk in the future, and uk citizens lose the same rights in europe. you won't need a visa for short—term travel like holidays, but you can't stay in most european countries for more than 90 days in every 180—day period. then there are practical issues. if you have an ehic health insurance card, it will remain valid until it expires. the government is setting up a new uk scheme but it doesn't exist yet, so you might need to get travel insurance. you won't need an international driving permit unless you only have a paper version of the uk licence, but you will need to get a green card to prove you have the right vehicle insurance. and if you want to take your pet to europe, you'll need an animal health certificate from a vet. now, services. there's going to be a lot of change for what is a substantial part of the uk economy. there's not a huge amount in the deal about financial services, beyond an agreement to keep talking about it, so the exact conditions on which uk companies can operate in europe aren't yet clear.

it returning to the uk? it's quite a way away, isn't it?— returning to the uk? it's quite a way away, isn't it? it is, it is the million dollar _ way away, isn't it? it is, it is the million dollar question _ way away, isn't it? it is, it is the million dollar question that i way away, isn't it? it is, it is the million dollar question that les, | million dollar question that les, like many others, is asking something that everybody wants to know the answer to. from this morning, of course, you've got this triple travel log, as i call it, coming in. you have the government introducing the need for you to take a test before you come back to the uk. you have the need to fill out a form, the passenger locatorform, and thirdly, you have got to secure yourself in self isolation, in quarantine effectively for up to ten days. this triple lock is now in place this morning. whether it will still be there in may is certainly up still be there in may is certainly up for question. i would hope not because consumers need the confidence to book. this triple lock is stopping p

is based both in the uk and there. correct. so, we have founded our uk arm in 2018 and oui’ have founded our uk arm in 2018 and our dutch arm has been founded around 2019—20 and that is ahead of brexit. and also makes sense because as brexit was unfolding we realised we need to make sure that our supply chain can withstand what is coming up, so making sure that we have suppliers here on this side of the channel, mainland europe, and also making sure that our uk market is also catered for in an appropriate way. this way we split our attention a little bit, invested time and effort in this supply chain and going ahead. so, the changes that have been driven by brexit in many ways, has that been healthy for the business? has it helped it to grow, in your opinion? yes. i mean, it definitely had some growing pains, i won't deny or sugar—coat it but, actually, it pushed us to look beyond the uk and notjust ignoring that, not at all but rather expand and think how we can cater our european market, how we can cater oui’

the uk once a free—trade deal. but joe biden has never been a fan of brexit, unlike donald trump who called himself mr brexit. joe biden even once said that if he had been a uk citizen, he would not have voted for it. and if you look at all his priorities as the year goes ahead, having trade deals is not on that list. so i think it will be interesting to see what the white house has to say in terms of the conversation they had with boris johnson. we have not released a statement from vignettes, but i do think the uk is hoping that at some point this year, as soon as possible, you know, just to reflect the words in the statements they will get that deal. it's worth adding as well that the us ambassador under trump and 0bama had once said not so long ago that due to the priorities of the incoming administration, it's likely that if there is a brexit deal, it would be in 2022, which is certainly not with the uk government wants to hear. 0k, interesting. 0ur report from washington. the headlines on bbc news... in russi

—— i need to get back to the uk asi uk —— i need to get back to the uk as i have been living in australia on a temporary visa. i am approaching the end of pregnancy and will be able to fly any later. there is a restriction on how pregnant you can be and still get on a plane. that's right. without wanting to dodge _ that's right. without wanting to dodge the question, the time between now and _ dodge the question, the time between now and april is huge in terms of how quickly— now and april is huge in terms of how quickly the rules and regulations are changing. certainly at the _ regulations are changing. certainly at the moment, rules and regulations, australia will let you leave _ regulations, australia will let you leave and — regulations, australia will let you leave and the uk will allow you to enter~ _ leave and the uk will allow you to enter~ you — leave and the uk will allow you to enter. you will have to follow the tests. _ enter. you will have to follow the tests. the — enter. you will have to follow the tests, the quarantine, but there is nothing _ tests, the quarantine,

we uk potentially impose controls the other wa ? ~ ., uk potentially impose controls the otherwa ? ~ . ., ., uk potentially impose controls the otherwa 7~ . ., ., ., other way? we are in favour of free and fair trade _ other way? we are in favour of free and fair trade and _ other way? we are in favour of free and fair trade and we _ other way? we are in favour of free and fair trade and we led _ other way? we are in favour of free and fair trade and we led the - other way? we are in favour of free and fair trade and we led the fight l and fair trade and we led the fight at the _ and fair trade and we led the fight at the 620 — and fair trade and we led the fight at the 620 to... limit anything saying. — at the 620 to... limit anything saying. we _ at the 620 to... limit anything saying, we control the flow of goods and we _ saying, we control the flow of goods and we think that vaccine protections are fundamentally problematic. . we want to help other countries, _ problematic. . we want to help other countries, including the developing world, _ countries, including the develop

businesses based in the uk economy. businesses based in the uk economy. businesses based in the uk no longer have the automatic right that they once have to sell services to people and firms in the eu. it is still possible, itjust has become more complicated. they have to follow the rules in each individual country rather than just adhering to european wide regulations. so it's possible, but more complex. the uk and eu have on that front agreed that they will keep talking to try and make sure that the flow of services continues to happen as smoothly as it seems the flow of goods has done. thank you, ben. we will hear more from british businesses trying to make these adjustments in just a few moments. sir david attenborough has praised mankind's ability to pull together after a tough year, in a special new year's message. the veteran broadcaster says "the need to take action" against climate change "has never been more urgent". today, we are experiencing environmental change as never before. and the need to take action has never been more urgent. this year

the uk sites supply the uk first. he also said the contract was only ever delivery based on best efforts. what ursula von der leyen said was, nonsense. it is crystal clear, she said, in the contract, that best efforts only applied if astrazeneca could not actually produce the vaccine in the first place. she said that is discounted and also it stipulates explicitly that the eu has access to these uk sites. she wants this contract, she said, today published immediately and is asking astrazeneca to do so. so that is where we are with that debate today. the european commissionerforjustice debate today. the european commissioner forjustice also speaking on the radio this morning, saying the way the eu have worked, getting a contract together, he didn't want to see vaccine war, but he argued may be the uk does now want to see one with the way this is turning out. so political words are becoming more hostile. for the moment, thank you very much. we will see whether we get details of that contract if astrazeneca agree. profes

he buys and sells in the uk and france, crossing into the uk ina uk and france, crossing into the uk in a small van. what are the rules for small importing and exporting and what paperwork might be involved? you will certainly need declarations and a certificate of origin because you crossed the border. it isjust origin because you crossed the border. it is just paperwork that you will need to do. that'll come with competition and cost. but possible. rory, from carol, travelling to norway in april, stopping off in other countries along the way, has been told that she needs a pcr vaccine 72 hours before she arrives in norway, but is it possible to do this while travelling, do the rules differ if you are travelling to other eu countries. i can give a brief answer by saying april is a really long way away in terms of how quickly events are unfolding. away in terms of how quickly events are unfolding! away in terms of how quickly events are unfolding. i wouldn't worry about it too much at the moment. we will see where we are with vaccines and with tests and things may look very different

i’m uk will not be affected by this deepening row.— uk will not be affected by this deepening row. i'm not going to comment on _ deepening row. i'm not going to comment on the _ deepening row. i'm not going to comment on the eu _ deepening row. i'm not going to comment on the eu was - deepening row. i'm not going to comment on the eu was my - deepening row. i'm not going to| comment on the eu was my own discussions with those manufacturers. what we need to focus on is making sure that uk residents and the nhs here gets the vaccines that's required and as i say, we are confident we will be receiving what we expected in the days and weeks ahead. , ., ., , ., ahead. this morning a senior eumpean _ ahead. this morning a senior european official— ahead. this morning a senior european official accused - ahead. this morning a senior. european official accused boris johnson's government of wanting to start a vaccine war. tonight, the very same charges being levelled at the eu. nick beake, bbc news, brussels. ina in a moment will speak to emma vardy in northern ireland but first let's spe

ftse, the uk index ended 2020 down almost 14%. the cac 40 in france down 8% the only index that ended the year positive was the german index up 4%. despite the strong quarter we had, for the year as a whole it was weak for europe asian equities and u.s. equities were stellar for wall street particularly for the tech sector with the nasdaq ending the year up more than 40% this is what europe looks like in the early minutes of trading here the stock sto quite a big bounce early in trading. let's switch to european markets and see what the picture is like the ftse 100, very strong performance, up 2.2% this is the first day that markets are open for trade since the uk now has formally left the eu and has become a third country, vis-a-vis the eu. strong performance in the ftse 100 for the first day of trade this is in reaction to the deal being passed finally in the last week of the year in 2020 there was a lot of hesitation and a lot of going back and forth, and finally we got some resolution that's giving clarity for some investors l

to its credit, the uk government has done well. meanwhile, we are seeing these reports from spain, france, elsewhere that they are running out of vaccines. you can understand the pressure they are feeling. on one hand, this does expose the fundamental problem with the eu that partly inspired brexit, and to be clear, i'm not a fan of brexit, but i have to say that the eu's bureaucracy, its inability to move with agility a year ago when this first surfaced really is exposed in this problem. now it is trying to point fingers across the channel and — the uk responded quickly, it is not fair, give us some of your vaccines. this is very much an internal response to say, "we are not this— is for the eu leadership. janet, the government here has been under some pressure, feeling the heat over the vaccine question with the bma saying it is not happy with this recommendation that people have to wait 12 weeks for the second dose of the pfizer vaccine. all governments are facing trouble, they've pre—bought doses, but they can't promise t

uk is not participating. this is being possible because spain, as an eu member state, wishes it to happen. both sides recognise that this is an experiment not without its risks. the hope is that with the border gone trust between the historically fractious neighbours can begin to grow. gavin lee, bbc news, gibraltar. more now on our lead story — that germany's christian democrats have announced who's won the race to succeed angela merkel as party leader. it is armin laschet, widely seen as the heir to mrs merkel�*s centrist brand of politics. professor andreas rodder is an historian atjohannes gutenberg university of mainz. hejoins me now. how important is this on the road map, as it were, to who will succeed angela merkel, who has dominated german politics for so long now? it is a crucial decision which has been taken today. the leader of the cdu is one of the strongest people to become chancellor candidate, and probably the success of angela merkel as the chancellor in germany. if the new party chairman

if the uk and the european union. if the uk and the european union. if the uk wants to go its own way and make different decisions, there may be repercussions and that needs to be repercussions and that needs to be sorted out as well. but ultimately, today is the culmination of that political decision four and a half yea rs of that political decision four and a half years ago to leave the european union. brexiteers will say todayis european union. brexiteers will say today is about taking back control, it's about sovereignty. it's now a question of how we use it. nick ea rdley. fines were issued across the country last night to those who breached covid rules for new year's eve. in london, fixed penalty fines were given to more than 200 people, while five others could be fined £10,000 for organising large gatherings. essex police issued more than £18,000 in notices, and greater manchester police handed out more than 100 fines for breaching covid rules. the leaders of eight london boroughs have asked the education secretary to reverse plans to reopen

to the uk, i think the uk government has been very - going to the uk, ithinkthe uk. government has been very careful going to the uk, ithinkthe uk- government has been very careful not to try— government has been very careful not to try and _ government has been very careful not to try and inflame _ government has been very careful not to try and inflame the _ government has been very careful not to try and inflame the situation - government has been very careful not to try and inflame the situation in - to try and inflame the situation in any way— to try and inflame the situation in any way or— to try and inflame the situation in any way or sort _ to try and inflame the situation in any way or sort of— to try and inflame the situation in any way or sort of provoke - to try and inflame the situation in any way or sort of provoke the . any way or sort of provoke the european _ any way or sort of provoke the european commission. - any way or sort of provoke the european commission. i- any way or sort of provoke the european commission. i don't| any way or sort

so eu citizens lose the automatic right to live, work and retire in the uk in the future, and uk citizens lose the same rights in europe. you won't need a visa for short—term travel like holidays, but you can't stay in most european countries for more than 90 days in every 180—day period. then there are practical issues. if you have an ehic health insurance card, it will remain valid until it expires. the government is setting up a new uk scheme but it doesn't exist yet, so you might need to get travel insurance. you won't need an international driving permit unless you only have a paper version of the uk licence, but you will need to get a green card to prove you have the right vehicle insurance. and if you want to take your pet to europe, you'll need an animal health certificate from a vet. now, services. there's going to be a lot of change for what is a substantial part of the uk economy. there's not a huge amount in the deal about financial services, beyond an agreement to keep talking about it, so the exact conditions on which uk companies can operate in europe aren't yet clear.

, , in the uk. meanwhile, the biggest immunisation _ in the uk. meanwhile, the biggest immunisation drive _ in the uk. meanwhile, the biggest immunisation drive in _ in the uk. meanwhile, the biggest immunisation drive in the - in the uk. meanwhile, the biggest immunisation drive in the history i in the uk. meanwhile, the biggestl immunisation drive in the history of the nhsjust keeps immunisation drive in the history of the nhs just keeps growing. this supermarket pharmacy near birmingham started offering covid jabs today to the over—755, one of more than 11100 vaccination sites in england alone. what a contrast in madrid, where supplies of vaccine have all but dried up. the spanish capital has cancelled all appointments for around two weeks. the eu were slow off the mark in ordering vaccine, and now wants some of the uk's supply of astrazeneca doses. in may, the uk government was the first to sign a deal with astrazeneca for 100 million doses of its covid vaccine. it wasn't until august — thre

china is the uk's six biggest export market. china hasn't really cultivated a trading relationship with the uk and seen it asa relationship with the uk and seen it as a bridge to the european union. instead, it has been driven by the prospect of returns. it is seen as a safe haven. and also prestige. life outside the european union holds a very significant challenge for the uk in terms of its relationship with beijing because it finds itself starkly between the world's beijing because it finds itself starkly between the worlds to great trading nations, china and the united states. just look to what has happened over huawei and the pressure that has been exerted and in the end it was the us that succeeded, but look at pressure exerted from both sides there is a sign of the future that the uk could face. but the uk also has very little choice but to pursue, maintain and try and build upon its trading relationship with china. china has an ongoing need for advanced life sciences, advanced engineering, health care management, financi

broadly, though, given the terrible effects this has had in the uk and around the world, how is the uk system bearing up — both the health system and the people who are ultimately accountable for it, the government? if you go into hospitals — as i have been privileged to do, along with colleagues — you see the extraordinary dedication from frontline nhs staff working in really difficult conditions — as they are in hospitals and all health care systems — but with intensive care patients, the strain and stress on staff — they went through it all last march and april, then in the autumn and then now, and it is really, really admirable, seeing what is going on there and the nhs, we should all be proud of the nhs for what it has been doing. the uk is at a very important phase in this pandemic because we have got to the stage were senior health officials are saying that the peak in terms of new cases may have passed in some parts of the south east of england and london. but you then have a delayed reaction, as always, in terms of new patients going into hospital and deaths. so we

in the uk is stronger together. in the uk is stronger together in the fight against this pandemic. i know how tough that fight is. thankfully there are early signs that the actions that we are taking are working. the rise in the number of cases is slowing and falling in some parts of the country like london and scotland. at the same time the number of vaccinations is going up. like many of you i�*ve been talking to members of my family who have just been talking to members of my family who havejust had been talking to members of my family who have just had the call to be vaccinated and it is a very emotional moment when people get vaccinated and mean so much to people because this vaccine brings safety to that individual and marks the route out for us all from this pandemic. and i�*m very proud to be able to tell you that as of last night we had vaccinated 78.70% of all of 80s and that is almost four out of five of everyone aged over 80. i'm out of five of everyone aged over 80. i�*m delighted that you can see from the that there is so much for vaccination amongst the over 80

uk that in a time - into an existing narrative outside of the uk that in a time of- of the uk that in a time of post-brexit _ of the uk that in a time of post—brexit britain- of the uk that in a time of post—brexit britain and i of the uk that in a time ofl post—brexit britain and any of the uk that in a time of- post—brexit britain and any time of covid-19 _ post—brexit britain and any time of covid—19 crisis, _ post—brexit britain and any time of covid—19 crisis, boris _ post—brexit britain and any time of covid—19 crisis, boris johnson - post—brexit britain and any time of covid—19 crisis, borisjohnson is i covid—19 crisis, borisjohnson is struggling — covid—19 crisis, borisjohnson is struggling to _ covid—19 crisis, borisjohnson is struggling to uphold _ covid—19 crisis, borisjohnson is struggling to uphold the - covid—19 crisis, borisjohnson is. struggling to uphold the integrity of the _ struggling to uphold the integrity of the union. _ struggling to uphold the integrity of the union, and that _ struggling to uphold the integrity of the union

in the uk. there are data to suggest that variant is 30% more deadly than the previous strains the big unknown is actually the south africa variant and to a degree the brazil variant. those are the two variants that epidemiologists and virologists are concerned may escape the vaccines and may reduce the efficacy of the vaccines and that may be why we could be looking at a period of extended restrictions and he extended restrictions when it comes to cross-border travel. >>> coming up on the show, despite pushback from some republican circles, president biden insists there's no time to wait in passing his stimulus proposal we'll get the latest next. research shows people remember commercials with nostalgia. so to help you remember that liberty mutual customizes your home insurance, here's one that'll really take you back. wow! what'd you get, ryan? it's customized home insurance from liberty mutual! what does it do bud? it customizes our home insurance so we only pay for what we need! and what did

novavax is an american jab but it's being produced in the uk. it's also easier to roll out than some previous vaccines since it doesn't need to be kept at ultra—low temperatures. the news came amid a deepening row between another vaccine—maker, astrazeneca, and the european union over shortages. our medical editor fergus walsh reports. once again, science has triumphed in the fight against coronavirus. the us firm novavax has released results of its british trial showing the first proven efficacy against the new, more contagious uk variant. there were more than 15,000 volunteers on the trail throughout the uk. over half the cases of covid recorded were the result of the new variant. the results showed the vaccine was 95% effective against the original covid strain and over 85% effective against the new uk variant, giving an overall efficacy of 89%. the former head of the uk vaccine taskforce said that in a separate trial in south africa, the vaccine had showed it protected against the variant of concern there. it's a fantastic result because

if the uk doesjoin if the uk does join this if the uk doesjoin this group, will let the enormous economic benefits? i will let the enormous economic benefits? ~ ,., ~' benefits? ithink so. ithink it is not— benefits? ithink so. ithink it is not only _ benefits? ithink so. ithink it is not only the _ benefits? ithink so. ithink it is not only the access - benefits? ithink so. ithink it is not only the access to l it is not only the access to better access to foreign markets, for uk goods and services, in all 11 of the markets, plus any other country that willjoin in the future. but i think also being part of the group means being part of a very important rulemaking body that will set precedents that will probably guide the world trading system in the future. sorry... . trading system in the future. sorry- -- -_ sorry... . and british firms are integrated _ sorry... . and british firms are integrated in _ sorry... . and british firms are integrated in the - sorry... . and british firms| are integrated in the supply chain in the region. the are integrated in the supply chain in the region.

the uk. 0ver volunteers on the trial throughout the uk. over half the cases of covid—19 recorded came from the new variant. it is very significant because we were able to show that the vaccine works well against both the old, the original strain and the new strain, that had 96% efficacy against the original covid—19 strain and yet still had 86% efficacy against the variant strain. find against the variant strain. and se arate against the variant strain. and separate trials _ against the variant strain. and separate trials have _ against the variant strain. and separate trials have also shown the vaccine works against a new south african strain. is a south african strain. is a fantastic _ south african strain. is a fantastic result - south african strain. is a fantastic result because | south african strain. is —. fantastic result because it shows that the vaccine is effective against both the uk variant as well as the south african variant and has shown phenomenal efficacy and it is ma

the real issue is the uk. the uk is going to have to go country by country and build up these bilateralfree have to go country by country and build up these bilateral free trade agreements. we heard economist say that uk's economy may shift down up to 6% in the coming decade during that decade due to bracket like my brexit. that growth is to come primarily for that the uk has done a good job in the last couple of months with getting free trade agreements already with vietnam, japan, south korea singapore where i ama japan, south korea singapore where i am a couple of weeks ago. so that's been important. they're going to do more, they're in discussions with australia. the big ones to look out will be india and china because they had not yet on the docket. it's not so straightforward, is it? for example if the uk wanted to do a trade deal with the us in a trade deal with china, one site or the other may object to some of the compromises that have perhaps been made to do the deal with the other. it's going to be

the uk government says it's confident that the eu will not block vaccines entering the uk, following a u—turn from brussels on its decision to trigger a provision in the brexit deal which could have seen checks at the irish border. the eu's threat of controlling vaccine exports came amid a deepening dispute over production and distribution delays across the continent. the irish taoiseach has been giving his take on the situation. mi; his take on the situation. my observation _ his take on the situation. ij�*i observation is his take on the situation. ij'i1 observation is that his take on the situation. m1 observation is that the acrimonious row between astrazeneca and the commission over the contractual obligations of the company in respect of supplying vaccines to european member states took centre stage here and people were blindsided by the decision that was taken and its implications. a little earlier, our political correspondentjessica parker gave this analysis. i think the uk government have been trying to strike quite a conciliatory note and it's been interesting, the move

the uk. ., ., , in the uk. how did get to this, prime minister? _ in the uk. how did get to this, prime minister? huge - in the uk. how did get to this, i prime minister? huge changes in the uk. how did get to this, i prime minister? huge changes in in the uk. how did get to this, - prime minister? huge changes in our olitics, prime minister? huge changes in our politics. too. — prime minister? huge changes in our politics, too. government— prime minister? huge changes in our politics, too. government rewired . prime minister? huge changes in our politics, too. government rewired to| politics, too. government rewired to focus on the pandemic but facing questions about whether moore should have been done earlier. i’m questions about whether moore should have been done earlier.— have been done earlier. i'm sure the prime minister _ have been done earlier. i'm sure the prime minister regret _ have been done earlier. i'm sure the prime minister regret the _ have been done earlier. i'm sur

and 1096 of cases uk variant. but its way _ back up. and 1096 of cases uk variant. but its way from - variant. but its way from sunday all essential travel from outside the eu is banned, while testing requirements have been tightened. the new border restrictions coming into force as the eu continues to struggle with vaccine supply. germany's government has reportedly threatened legal action against companies which don't deliver their vaccines to the eu on schedule. pharmaceutical giant astrazeneca will now only deliver a quarter of the doses originally promised to the eu for the first quarter of the year because of problems that want of its european factories. so far, 10.5 million of the eu's 448 so far, 10.5 million of the eu's 4118 million people have been vaccinated. that is way behind the uk and us, where almost 50 million doses have been handed out and nearly 30 million administered astro presenters like this when colorado t presenters like this when colorado— presenters like this when colorado ., , ., colorado i am thrilled, so, es, colorado i am thrilled, s

decision for the uk. . y , ., ~ _, uk. really interesting. thank you for our uk. really interesting. thank you for yourtime- _ uk. really interesting. thank you for your time. i _ uk. really interesting. thank you for your time. i hope _ uk. really interesting. thank you for your time. i hope we - uk. really interesting. thank you for your time. i hope we will - uk. really interesting. thank you for your time. i hope we will have uk. really interesting. thank you i for your time. i hope we will have a chance to talk in the future. a lot of talk about vaccines and we will have more on that in a moment. we have more on that in a moment. we have had the new r—number in. it now stands at between 0.7 and 1.1. it means, on average, every ten people infected with covid will go on to infected with covid will go on to infect between seven and ii infected with covid will go on to infect between seven and 11 other people. that is what that translates to. in terms of the change from last week, a slight change from last week, a sligh

number one, it has created a competitive environment, not within uk, but outside uk. numbertwo, all of our products, except one qualifies for the minimum localised content. and today we decided to localise a 62 kilowatts factory also in the united kingdom, which means all our operations would be qualifying for this. they would become confident not only in the united kingdom but outside the united kingdom but outside the united kingdom but outside the united kingdom. can the united kingdom but outside the united kingdom.— the united kingdom. can you nuanti the united kingdom. can you quantify that _ the united kingdom. can you quantify that in _ the united kingdom. can you quantify that in terms - the united kingdom. can you quantify that in terms of - the united kingdom. can you i quantify that in terms of money and jobs in terms of how much this investment will mean. it is too early for us to say, simon, because today we decided to localise it. for sure if you are localising and bringing in the investments it will be good. but it is very important, as they have bee

there will also be things that we will conclude the uk did well— things that we will conclude the uk did well by international standards. the vaccine roll—out may be one of them, _ the vaccine roll—out may be one of them, the — the vaccine roll—out may be one of them, the economic response, the way we have _ them, the economic response, the way we have treated the homeless. the fact the _ we have treated the homeless. the fact the nhs responded so magnificently and was never overwhelmed like some help services around _ overwhelmed like some help services around the _ overwhelmed like some help services around the world were at times. so there _ around the world were at times. so there will— around the world were at times. so there will be a mixed picture, with some _ there will be a mixed picture, with some things done very well, some things— some things done very well, some things we — some things done very well, some things we might have done differently. i don't for one moment pretend _ differently. i don't for one moment pretend every decision was right but they wer

and the uk completes its formal separation from the european union. doctors warn that hospital staff in the uk are at battlestations as the number of patients with coronavirus continues to rise. they are turning whole floors into additional icu space. that's when we know we are in a very challenging place. big ben chimes. and bringing in the new year — from london to new york, cities and countries adjust their celebrations to fit their covid conditions. next, from theatre screenings to sofa screenings, mark kermode takes a look back at the big releases, on both the big and little screens, and how the film industry has had to adapt this year, in the year in film. hello, and welcome to this review of the year in film. i'm mark kermode, and over the next 30 minutes, i'll be rounding up the highs and lows of what's proved a challenging but also surprisingly creative year for cinema. 2020 seemed to start so well with the uk release injanuary of the personal history of david copperfield. armand iannucci's superb reimagining of dickens‘ classic which bro

it was done by the uk, not by london- henry. — scotland. it was done by the uk, not by london. henry, you _ scotland. it was done by the uk, not by london. henry, you are _ scotland. it was done by the uk, not by london. henry, you are right, - scotland. it was done by the uk, not by london. henry, you are right, it l by london. henry, you are right, it was done by _ by london. henry, you are right, it was done by the _ by london. henry, you are right, it was done by the government - by london. henry, you are right, it was done by the government of. by london. henry, you are right, it| was done by the government of the uk. they have at a base in london but i'll try to make the contrast to the fact that it was not done in edinburgh. but the fact that it was not done in edinburgh-— the fact that it was not done in edinburuh. �* , :, :, . edinburgh. but people from scotland are on the procurement _ edinburgh. but people from scotland are on the procurement teams - edinburgh. but people from scotland are on the procurement teams let's i are on the procurement teams let's look a

but longer term, the uk hopes to build stronger ties with nations who provide uk manufacturers with components. tariffs would be cut on uk exports of food, drink and cars. there would also be faster visas for business travel. the uk will be the first country to join which wasn't there at the start. and if all goes to plan, will be the group's second largest economy after japan. and the icing on the cake, it may be a way of getting a warmer trade relationship with the us. presidentjoe biden has hinted atjoining the partnership. the idea of going to a festival is something very much on hold for the moment. and crowds and parties are definitely not on the billing at this year's film festival in gothenburg. the event is also pushing the boundaries of isolation — from the middle of the ocean, as tanya dendrinos has been finding out. located at the edge of an archipelago off sweden's west coast, this tiny island is in one of the country's most barren and windswept locations. now, it's home to the isolated cinema, an experiment expanding on the theme of social distancing as part of the gothenburg f

the uk is on 12 per 100. supply issues affecting pfizer and astrazeneca have meant countries like germany, spain and france are still lagging behind. one major concern scientists have is whether new variants could stop current vaccines from working as effectively. the good news is that novavax was found to be 86% effective against the uk variant, and both novavax and janssen were found to be around 60% effective against the south african version. scientists are still studying the impact on current vaccines. early evidence shows that they are still pretty efficient, but companies say, if changes are needed, they could be tweaked within weeks or months, and, like flu, we may need new vaccines each year. catherine dacosta reporting. earlier i asked nick eardley, our political correspondent, about the significance of the last 2a hours. the decision yesterday then reversed to invoke this article in the brexit deal which basically allows you to override the rules to avoid a hard border on the island of ireland, tha

there have now been four deaths from coronavirus in the uk... then a horrible and familiar rhythm. 759 have sadly died... 5,300. 16,600... 39,728 have now died. the soundtrack of a crisis nearly a year in the making, a terrible crescendo towards today. i'm sorry to have to tell you that today, the number of deaths recorded from covid in the uk has surpassed 100,000. and it's hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic. around a third of those who've fallen victim to the disease are among the most vulnerable, the most elderly, in care homes, cut off from the outside. twice patients came into ty�*s homes with covid without a test, bringing the worst. this thing came in mercilessly... seven residents died in a week. these people aren't numbers, they're family, they are people we look after, we care for. i'm sorry, i get emotional about it, but it's just devastating. what's it been like foryou, personally? stopping's not an option, is it? i mean, you know, we're dealing with people's lives here, you do whatever it takes, you don't

the trouble was that is the current uk government shows— that is the current uk government shows no— that is the current uk government shows no sign of agreeing. critics of nicola — shows no sign of agreeing. critics of nicola sturgeon's leadership within— of nicola sturgeon's leadership within the snp have demanded she sets out— within the snp have demanded she sets out a — within the snp have demanded she sets out a plan bee. that's what we have _ sets out a plan bee. that's what we have now — sets out a plan bee. that's what we have now. the idea that if the snp contihues— have now. the idea that if the snp continues in government, it will press _ continues in government, it will press ahead with legislation —— plan b. press ahead with legislation —— plan b even _ press ahead with legislation —— plan b. even without uk consent and be prepared _ b. even without uk consent and be prepared to defend that in court and the unlikely event of a challenge. the snp — the unlikely event of a challenge. the snp said they would only hold a referendum if it was a cert

here in the uk airports have warned that the uk's aviation sector urgently needs more government support if it is to survive another long period of coronavirus restrictions. from monday, all travel corridors to the uk will be closed to try to prevent the arrival of any new variants of covid. the change means anyone travelling to the uk will need proof of a negative covid test. they'll also need to isolate on arrival for at least five days. charlotte wright reports. another measure to tighten up travel. this week saw passengers from south america and portugal banned from flying into the uk to stop the spread of a new covid strain from brazil. but the government says it may be difficult to predict where new variants might come from and so further action is needed. to protect us against the risk of as yet unidentified new strains we will also temporarily close all travel corridors from 01100 hours on monday. this latest announcement is not a travel ban. it introduces quarantine for passengers no matter where they have flown from in the world. it means from monday anyone travelling to the uk

international arrivals, including uk nationals travelling to the uk, will need to show that they have a negative covid—19 test, taken up to 72 hours before they travel. it applies to everyone arriving by boat, plane or train, but not to hauliers or children under 11, and it won't apply to anyone travelling within the uk or ireland. the government have said tests will be needed from next week but haven't set an exact date, and they haven't specified a particular sort of test. there can be different types of tests, so viewers will have heard of pcr tests, perhaps, but there are also lateral flow tests and lamp tests. the important thing is, it's up to certain specification, and then people take that test, and as long as it is negative, then they can fly, but they can't board the plane, for example, without having that negative test. some other countries already have strict measures in place. raphael recently returned to south korea. it took 2a hours of testing and paperwork before he was allowed home to quarantine. he said it was very different when he flew to the uk. there were no ch

and the uk's financial conduct authority warned uk investors should take care when trading shares in highly volatile market conditions that they fully understand the risks that they are taking. but is anyone listening? at close of play on friday, the us stock markets were down around 2%. but gamestop, after robinhood eased restrictions, saw a big increase. this is a wall between the walls of wall street and the reddit rebels. no—one is flying the right flag just yet. —— white flag. tim allman, bbc news. there's been a third successive night of street demonstrations in the polish capital warsaw, in protest at new laws restricting abortion. protesters chanted the number of an abortion helpline and carried colourful banners bearing slogans such as "liberty, equality abortion on demand". poland's constitutional court approved the law last october, but its introduction was delayed following large protests. it was suddenly enacted on wednesday, provoking renewed outrage from supporters of the right to abortion. the indian supreme court is hearing contempt of court cases against a fem

. —— to restrict the movement of vaccines to the uk. their plan sparked outrage in london and belfast. the vaccine shortfall seems than fourth pharmaceutical firms to get permission before being allowed to export european— madejabs. hello and welcome to bbc news. the row over distribution of the coronavirus vaccine briefly threatened to boil over into a full—scale diplomatic row earlier, when the european commission threatened to override part of the brexit agreement and impose border controls on the export of the vaccines in northern ireland. it sparked a furious response not just from the united kingdom, but also from the irish prime minister. micheal martin said the eu's move had been deeply unwise. here's our europe editor katya adler. the commission is going to backtrack, it is not going to suspend part of the irish protocol, part of the brexit agreement that of course we spent so long talking about how the commission was insisting on every letter, every word of that agreement being respected, privately i'm being told it has be

have been found here in the uk. but all have links to international travel and there is no evidence to date that it is spreading in the community unchecked. matt hancock has also said we are a "long way" from restrictions being eased — as scientists warn people may still be able to pass on the virus even if they've been vaccinated. our health reporter jim reed has more. the vaccination roll—out in the uk continues. hundreds of thousands of those most at risk are receiving theirjabs this weekend. but as we try and navigate our way out of this pandemic, scientists think new variants of coronavirus are a real concern. a mutation first found in cases from south africa is thought to spread faster. some worry it can make a vaccine less effective, though that is not yet certain. speaking on the andrew marr programme, the health secretary said the government is monitoring it closely. there are 77 known cases of the south african variant here in the uk. they are under very close observation and we have enhanced contact t

ii you are unemployed in the uk. if you were chancellor, _ are unemployed in the uk. if you were chancellor, you _ are unemployed in the uk. if you were chancellor, you would i are unemployed in the uk. if you were chancellor, you would be i were chancellor, you would be creating jobs in the green economy, without your focus?— without your focus? well, we do think that focusing _ without your focus? well, we do think that focusing on _ without your focus? well, we do think that focusing on those i without your focus? well, we do j think that focusing on those jobs without your focus? well, we do i think that focusing on those jobs of the future is very important. we have seen quite a lot of rhetoric from the uk government but sadly we have seen very little action and labour, after a major consultation with 2000 different organisations and individuals, we have set out concrete ways that the government could be building those newjobs. our ambitions were twice as strong as what the government itself thinks it could achieve in the short—term, but there is a lot else t

in trials and will be produced in the uk. so it's a good time to ask if we're now looking at "vaccine nationalism", wther countries are at "vaccine nationalism", where countries are prioritising their own vaccine needs? i'm joined by krishna oodaya—koomar, the founding director of the duke global health innovation center, which studies global health and policy. he gave me his thoughts on the astrazeneca row. i think what we are seeing now is a microcosm of what it looks like around the world and in some cases, just to put this in perspective, we are talking about the eu in the uk about how many days or how many weeks it may be that we should keep in mind that most of the world we are talking about, months to years that they're going to be waiting and so, while the eu in the uk have significant concerns rightly so about how quickly they can vaccinate, there's still taking doses and while we talk about the need for global equity, we are still seeing signs of more vaccine nationalism or regionalism here. nationalism or regiona

the snp would require a section 30 order from the uk - section 30 order from the uk government. it would be hugely problematic for them to contemplate an illegal— problematic for them to contemplate an illegal referendum, because then that would _ an illegal referendum, because then that would jeopardise their relationships with the eu, with the un, relationships with the eu, with the un. with _ relationships with the eu, with the un, with lots of other bodies like that _ un, with lots of other bodies like that so — un, with lots of other bodies like that so it— un, with lots of other bodies like that. so it is a requirement that it should _ that. so it is a requirement that it should he — that. so it is a requirement that it should be illegal referendum. i think— should be illegal referendum. i think what we are seeing today is the high — think what we are seeing today is the high command of the snp throwing some red _ the high command of the snp throwing some red meat to their activists, because — some red meat to their activists, because they know that without t