Latest Breaking News On - Pancras - Page 1 : vimarsana.com
in south africa will face further delays. hello and welcome to bbc news. the uk's chief negotiator, lord frost is travelling to brussels to resume talks with his eu counterpart michel barnier over a post—brexit trade deal. here's lord frost heading to the eurostar at st pancras a short while ago. sunday's meeting follows a phone call yesterday between the uk prime minister, borisjohnson and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen which failed to deliver an agreement. a uk source said today's discussions were the "last throw of the dice" as significant differences still remain. let's just take a moment to recap those sticking points which are proving to be so hard to reconcile. the first is fishing. it's just a small part of the uk's economic activity — but a symbolic one — with disagreement over the level of access the eu will get to fish in uk waters. perhaps the biggest issue is fair competition, also known as the "level playing field." the eu says the uk must stick to agreed rules on government aid to british firms, so that there's no unfair advantage. and then there's what's known as the governance of the deal. if an agreement is reached, who will police it? with me is our political correspondent, jonathan blake. those are the three main difficult areas. where are we right now with the negotiations? this is, as you are outlining, for the uk, the final roll of the dice as a source close to the negotiations has put it. there is a feeling there are 48 hours in which there will be either progress or a breakdown. boris johnson and ursula are due to speak on the phone again tomorrow evening. between now and then we will get a sense as to whether this will go the distance and there is a deal to be done or the process will break down. a massive health warning on the statement we have been here before and the timetable could still slip that no one is denying that the timescale now is incredibly tight, as the environment secretary george eustice reflected on the andrew marr programme a short time ago. we are in the final few days in terms of being able to decide whether there can be an agreement. if the ambience warms up can be an agreement. if the ambience warms up again and great progress is made and it isjust about sorting out the detail we can always find more time and extend. unless we can resolve these quite fundamental divergences at the moment, then we are going to have to take a position in the next few days. the question remains if the outlines of the deal emerged and the eyes are dotted and the crossed time, can it be approved and ratified not just the crossed time, can it be approved and ratified notjust here in uk but other eu member states in time for the deadline of december the 31st, when the transition period comes to an end? the big question being asked here is, what will labour do? will they support the deal in the house of commons, will they abstain or will they vote against it? the a nswer to will they vote against it? the answer to that question at the moment it still seems is, let's wait and see. the shadow cabinet office at rachel was asked what labour would do. at the moment, the priority is to get a deal. we'll have to look of course at the content of a deal but also any legislation. we're not going to give them a blank cheque but i have been very clear, both today and on previous programmes with you, andrew, that the most important thing is that government gets a deal. we want that deal to be delivered. we will look at any legislation that comes to parliament. a very difficult question for labour had a sensitive issue. the election was nearly a year ago when the party suffered a terrible defeat on the issue of brexit, which of course dominated the election campaign and gave boris johnson dominated the election campaign and gave borisjohnson a huge majority in the house of commons and it seems there is a bit of debate among shadow cabinet members as to what labour should do. we heard rachel reeves, they are waiting to see what the contents of a deal is. it will need to be approved in various capitals of the eu member states we had france in recent days reminding eve ryo ne had france in recent days reminding everyone that if the deal does not work in the interest, even if it is agreed by eu negotiators, they would veto it. that is something all member states are able do as the french mp alexander holroyd outlined this morning. since the beginning of this procedure, this procedure follows a procedure which is in the treaties of the functioning of the european union and which requires every single member state of the eu to agree to the final deal. therefore, france has a veto. every single member state and the eu is liable to veto this bill or is liable to accept it, just as incidentally, the british prime minister is absolutely liable to veto it as well. in the end it has to be the 28 leaders, so the 27 plus the british prime minister, to agree this deal is the right deal to actually take effect. a crucial couple of days. the sticking points are as they had been for some time, fishing, competition issues at a level playing field as it is often called and the governments and enforcement of any deal. —— governance. a crucial couple of days ahead. the uk chief negotiator is heading to brussels today. we think lord frost will arrive in about an hour or so. it is unclear whether he will go into talks with michel barnier immediately or whether he will meet his british team in brussels. they will take stock and whether the talks will resume later in the afternoon. from the european perspective, they will want to see whether lord frost has come armed with a bit more flexibility. despite the rhetoric on both sides, has borisjohnson giving the rhetoric on both sides, has boris johnson giving him the rhetoric on both sides, has borisjohnson giving him a pathway? downing street would cede sovereignty or give ground. has the european commission negotiator been instructed there is movement? what is the point of continuing if principal negotiators have not been given room for men either from political masters? that is what we are looking at today. —— room for manoeuvre. they are pretty tight—lipped. they want to present a united front that we saw divisions from france noticeably last week, concerned about whether the eu would be giving too much particularly on fish to get a deal over the line for the people here do believe generally a deal can be done. you find very few people who are willing to put money on it. to what extent are there now divisions on the eu side? we read about the different camps, the hawks and their dads. we read about the different camps, the hawks and their dadsm we read about the different camps, the hawks and their dads. it is quite easy to paint the germans as the good cop and the french as the bad cop. —— doves. i suggest to you it is secondary to competition rules. remember there are 27 different eu countries involved. the european commission is negotiating on their behalf against the uk or set me with the uk. lots of different priorities of different countries. at the core that is the idea of britain signing up or saying it will honour competition rules which underpin the whole european project, the single market. if you talk to people in every capital in the eu can enable say we are not simply going to give up our position, we are not going to give the british and unfair trading advantage in the future just to make the brexit problem go away. that is the brexit problem go away. that is the difficulty. you have the idea of sovereignty on behalf of boris johnson, the fact the uk is independent. he says the eu is not willing to recognise this fact. come on, you have to sign up to these principles trying to resolve the very different perspectives at this point is tricky. the time to do it is, we are at that point, aren't we? thank you very much indeed. another busy day in brussels. president trump has again falsely insisted that he won the us presidential election. he was speaking at a rally in georgia — his first campaign event since last month's election, which was won byjoe biden. he was there to support the state's two republican senators, who need to win runoff elections injanuary if republicans are to hang on to control of the senate. peter bowes reports. it is my pleasure to welcome the president of the united states, donald trump. a rare appearance by melania trump, marking her husband's return to the campaign trail. speaking for almost two hours, donald trump received a rousing reception from his supporters in georgia, a state he lost tojoe biden. hello, georgia. we did a greatjob. you know we won, georgia, just so you understand. "we love you" chanted the crowd as mr trump, without providing any evidence, again claimed the election was stolen by the democrats. the rally was staged to promote two republican senators standing for re—election injanuary. at stake is the balance of power in the senate and much of donald trump's legacy. the most important run—off election in american history according to the president. the voters of georgia will determine which party runs every committee, writes every piece of legislation, controls every single taxpayer dollar. simply, you will decide whether your children will grow up in a socialist country or whether they will grow up in a free country. georgia, like many states, has seen a huge surge in coronavirus cases in recent days. yet few in the trump crowd were wearing masks. the democratic candidates for the senate in georgia have also been campaigning. we need to be thinking about the americans over the last several months who have perished, not only from the virus we call covid—i9 but more especially from the virus we call indifference. thank you, georgia. get out and vote. the results of the georgia election will shape american politics asjoe biden enters the white house. for now, donald trump remains a polarising force and true to form he is not going quietly. hospitals in the uk will receive their first deliveries of the new coronavirus vaccine tomorrow, as the country prepares to begin its largest ever immunisation programme. the firstjabs are expected to be administered on tuesday at 50 hospitals in england. jon donnison reports. in these freezers, chilled to —70 celsius, is what everyone has been waiting for. the pfizer—biontech vaccine has now arrived in the uk and is being stored in secure locations. tracking data covering every box's journey from belgium will be downloaded to check that the vials have been kept at the right temperature. around the country, nhs teams are working through the weekend to get everything ready. in england alone, 50 hospital trusts will initially serve as hubs administering the vaccine. among the first to get vaccinated, from tuesday, will be people over 80 years old. individuals will be offered a jab if they attend hospital as an outpatient, or are being discharged after a stay. others will receive calls asking them to come in. care home staff will be prioritised too. and any remaining time slots will go to health care workers deemed at high risk. all those vaccinated will need a boosterjab 21 days later. as more doses of the vaccine arrive, more hubs will be set up. gps and primary care staff are being put on standby to deliver vaccinations in the coming weeks, followed by a plan for mass distribution in pharmacies, sporting venues and conference centres. it will be the largest vaccination programme the uk has ever seen. john donnison, bbc news. venezuela's opposition leader, juan guaido, is boycotting a general election being held in the country today, saying it's a fraud. the us and the eu have also voiced their concerns over the vote. our south america correspondent, katy watson, is in caracas. this is a queue for petrol. you see them wherever you go in venezuela. people here are at the head of the queue. they have been waiting here for five hours, and that's a good day. most drivers i have spoken to say they have spent four, sometimes five days sleeping in a car. it's really, really tough. this has been an important week for the government here in venezuela because of the parliamentary elections but it's a foregone conclusion who is going to win because only the government is taking part. the opposition has said they are fraudulent and they are holding their own parallel vote, if you like, a referendum on the future of the country. but you speak to people here and people are tired. they don't want anything to do with politics any more. there used to be so much division between the opposition on one side and the government on the other. most people here seem to agree more on the fact they don't want anybody than choosing a side at all. i can speak now to paul dobson, who's in the city of merida in northwestern venezuela. calls for a boycott. do you think people will follow those calls and boycott the election? if they do, will it be in large numbers? undoubtedly, there will be a certain sector of the population decided not to vote today, not necessarily because the opposition leader is calling on them to do so, simply because many have not registered, deciding conditions are not right to vote and many do not want to vote. this is normal in elections of this nature, parliamentary elections canada traditionally around 40%. this is what we really expect today that are just to clarify what your south american correspondence said, it is not just south american correspondence said, it is notjust the government running these elections. there are five blocks running, three from the right wing and two from the left wing. only one is a government set of candidates. there is diversity from venezuelans who decide to participate. just put into context in terms of the recent troubled history of this country how important these elections are. what is the significance of these elections? the national assembly is one of the most important members. it governs the country. it has been declared null for the last four yea rs declared null for the last four years due to a power battle and certain administrative irregularities, which the supreme court evaluated and nullified the position. we are looking to bring the country back onto a path of normal institutional order, having a power of state to write legal laws and govern a country as part of an important solution to finding a way out of the economic ills which are currently going on in the country and had been going on now. currently going on in the country and had been going on nowm currently going on in the country and had been going on now. it is or seven yea rs. and had been going on now. it is or seven years. the people are pretty weary. what are the economic conditions at the moment? there are shortages in venezuela which were very famous three of four years ago are almost all eradicated. car fuel is bad. food good products and medicines are readily available in shops. the main problem is a disparity between wages and prices. inflation has hiked up prices quite considerably in recent years and wages have not followed suit. that is the main problem in the economy right now. it is not about finding goods. they are readily available. people are struggling to pay for them and that causes problems. hank you for your time today. paul dobson, an analyst in venezuela. —— thank you. england's first one—day—international against south africa has been called off for a second time after two members of the england team's hotel staff tested positive for coronavirus. the game in paarl was due to be played on friday, but was abandoned after a unnamed south african player tested positive. sunday's game was called off just 30 minutes before the game was due to start. the cricket correspondent for the daily mirror dean wilson is in paarl and said after playing many games in the uk without a positive test result, some of the players might be questioning the safety of the matches. for the second time, we have had matches called off on the morning of the game. some high—level talks are currently ongoing, discussing the future. in the first instance it was a south african player, we understand, who tested positive and the first game was postponed. now today, we have reports of two members of hotel staff where the two teams are sharing and two members of the england touring party also testing positive for coronavirus. they are having those england tour party tests verified. at the moment, they are describing them as unconfirmed positives. they want to double check and make sure they are not false positives. absolutely real uncertainty surrounding the rest of this tour. what are the knock—on effects, do you think, for the following matches? there is no guarantee that any matches will be taking place now. as i say, there are talks ongoing. there are supposed to be three games. they managed to move one into monday. monday was supposed to be a fallow day but they managed to move the friday game into monday. they were supposed to be playing today, tomorrow and wednesday but only now room for the two games. hard to imagine they would try to squeeze three games in on monday, tuesday and wednesday but of course very desperate times for cricket south africa. this tour is worth a huge amount of money for them, a decent seven—figure sum, so they will be very keen to get the games on if possible. absolutely the safety of the players does come first. you would think as well there would be huge concern within the england camp just over how secure they are. they managed to go through the entire summer in the uk playing series against west indies, pakistan, ireland and australia without a single positive test. right now, so close to christmas, a lot of players looking to get home to theirfamilies. some due to leave and go to australia and play in the big bash as well. lots of knock—on effects. the england camp at this moment will be quite concerned. ghanains will go to the polls on monday to elect a president and members of parliament. this is the country's eighth general election since multi—party democracy in 1992. there are two clear presidential frontrunners, and it's effectively a re—run of the vote 4 years ago. the bbc‘s thomas naadi reports from the capital, accra. the president rose to power campaigning for promises to fight corruption and improve the economy. while the president has delivered on some promises. the anti—corruption chief resigned in november citing interference from the president. the government has denied allegations. it has become another talking point among voters. the new challenger is promising to createjobs among voters. the new challenger is promising to create jobs and improve living standards. this is the third time the long—time rebels have faced elections. previous ballots have been close—run races. are we one step closer to discovering how life began? what looked like a shooting star landing in the australian desert was in fact a japanese space capsule carrying the first samples of rock from an asteroid — which could help explain the formation of the solar system as mark lobel reports. coming from right side and it is getting brighter and brighter. entering the earth's atmosphere. that fireball on your screen moving from right to left is a closely watched space capsule, whose contents could help explain the creation of our solar system. applause there was joy and relief at the japanese aerospace exploration agency's mission control as the soil sample sent from the japanese space craft hayabusa 2, part of a six—year mission, parachuted down safely in the australian desert. scientists are expecting about 0.1 of a gram will be returned for examination at their laboratory near tokyo from the asteroid ryugu, which lies some 300 million kilometres away. they will measure the rock's age, what it is made of and how it is formed, potentially offering vital clues as to how the sun and planets came to be. this one is special because this one is going to an asteroid that we think is really rich in organic material and water so in the very earliest history of the earth we think it may have been pelted with asteroids like that and that is what gave us the water and the carbon to form our oceans and to enable life to flourish on earth. it is an exciting prospect after a successful landing following what one member of the space agency here described as a perfect mission with many more to come. translation: i had jotted down the dates when the probe adjusted its orbit. if there is a hayabusa 3 or 4 or even 5, i would like to be involved in the mission. that next mission on this mothership, having launched its first capsule, will boldly go examining near—earth asteroids where no—one has gone before. japan's mission is not the only space exploration taking place at the moment. china says it has now begun analysing data collected by its chang—e 5 probe on the moon. the samples were gathered in the last week, and haven't yet been returned to earth — that's likely to happen in the coming days. it's the first time lunar rock has been gathered since the 1970s. chinese scientists say they've already established that parts of the moon's surface are older than others, and they're hoping to discover why. you've been watching bbc news. the duke and duchess of cambridge are beginning a tour across britain by train, to personally thank people who have gone to exceptional lengths to help out during the coronavirus epidemic. during the three day trip, they'll be greeted at pre—arranged stops by care home staff, school children and volunteers. greg mckenzie reports. the duke and duchess of cambridge will board the royal train and travel 1250 miles across the uk over the next three days. it will be a chance for them to thank community workers, front line staff, schoolchildren and volunteers. some of whom have been dubbed coronavirus heroes. a kensington palace spokesman has said the morale—boosting tour will give the royal couple the chance to share their gratitude on behalf of the nation ahead of the christmas holidays. prince william has used the royal train a number of times, but it is thought to be the first time kate has travelled on it. we'd love to hear from you guys, really, about what the challenges are that everyone's facing at the moment. both william and kate have taken a high profile during the pandemic. here, talking to mental health charities. there are so many factors at play here. the uk arts sector, which has been badly hit during the pandemic, will also be celebrated, with a number of festive performances. hello, everyone. i've got some really exciting news. and at the request of the royal couple, the trip has been immortalised in a drawing by schoolboy artistjoe whale. better known as the doodle boy. joe found worldwide fame during lockdown with his youtube tutorials. the royal tour will end on tuesday. greg mckenzie, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. hello. our weather is going to stay on the cold side through notjust the rest of the day but into the first part of the new working week as well. cold at the moment. there is rain in the east. the cold air has been brought to us by the dip in the jet stream with cool when spreading across europe into the west of africa as well. this morning we had seen a widespread frost. temperatures have got down to minus four celsius in spots. the frost has been widespread there has been rain around as well. the majority of the rain has been affecting eastern areas of the uk. we have a big variety of weather from place to place. we see some light and patchy rain crossing the midlands into east wales. showers will continue on the scottish borders and northumberland. athe showers for the west of wales, wet, and the isles of scilly. the best of the sunshine in the west and central scotland. even in the sunnier moments it was stakeholder but overnight it will get colder with a widespread frost on the way. a few showers in the east of scotland. on monday, the uk finds itself between the two areas of low pressure. there will be barely any wind around on monday and the wind will be slow to change that they will be slow to change that they will be slow to change that they will be dense and widespread mist and fog patches to start the day. some could linger well into the afternoon, perhaps a lingering all day in places. some sunshine across north—western areas. the weather will tend to cloud over in the east into the afternoon. look at the temperatures! three to six celsius. monday will be cold. overnight the rain moves into the cold air and we will see some of the rain turning to snow for a time over the high ground of scotla nd snow for a time over the high ground of scotland and northern england as well. in the middle of the week this low pressure will centre over the top of the uk. it will be chilly and cloudy with further outbreaks of rain. the rain will turn lighter and patchy as the week goes by. perhaps turning brighter as well. more cold weather over the next few days. that is the forecast. this is bbc news. the headlines: brexit talks are to resume after last night's phone call between borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen.
GeorgiaUnited-statesAustraliaJapanTokyoNorthumberlandUnited-kingdomPancrasChinaSouth-africaBrusselsBruxelles-capitale