Welcome to bbc news im james reynolds. Our top stories a panel of us experts recommends that the szier covid 19 vaccine be given approvalfor use. The fda normally follows their advice. A stark warning from britains Prime Minister borisjohnson says theres a strong possibility that the uk will fail to strike a post brexit trade deal with the European Union. I stand ready to talk to anybody, our friends and partners in the eu, whenever they want. At the moment, i have to tell you, in all candour, the treaty is not there yet. Pushing at the poorest further into poverty, how coronaviruses hitting those already struggling making a hard situation even worse
and the british actress, barbara windsor, best known for her roles in eastenders and the carry on films has died aged 83. Lets start with the news that broke in the past few hours a top Us GovernmentAdvisory Panel has recommended the authorisation of the countrys first vaccine against covid 19. The committee agreed 17 4 that the known benefits of the vaccine, developed by pfizer and germanys biontech, outweigh the risks in those over 16 years of age. The formal approval from the food and Drug Administration is expected to follow very soon and the first patients in the us could receive the vaccine as early as next monday. Heres what the head of the fdas office of Vaccines Research and review said as the meeting concluded. I just wanted to thank the committee for voting
on this very complex topic, i wanted to thank the committee for the discussion and their suggestion, we very much appreciate their input on this very important topic and we will take what we have heard today into consideration when deciding on, not only the eu issue here but also how to move on in the development of this product. Thank you so much. Speaking before the vote, Vice President mike pence said this could be a turning point for the spread of coronavirus in the us. We are living in a challenging time. Cases rising, but you need to be assured, we have never been more prepared to combat this virus than we are today, and people deserve to know that we are just a few short days away from what i believe will be the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic in america. A little earlier i spoke to doctor Craig Spencer whos
the director of Global Health in emergency medicine at Columbia University medical centre in new york. I asked him whether this was the beginning of the end for covid i9. Well, it depends. If you are someone like me whos going to be in the first line of those who get vaccinated, if the eua is granted by the fda, i, as an emergency worker, could potentially be vaccinated next week, but the rest of the country could be weeks or months or into the summer before they get vaccinated. In a sense it is the beginning of the end, but the end of going to last a really long time. Every single day we are shattering records for the number of new cases, hospitalisations and deaths. We had more people die today than died on 9 11. It was one of the deadliest days in history and we had even more deaths yesterday so yeah, its a light at the end of the tunnel, but this is a really long tunnel full of a lot of pain, a lot of death and hospitalisations. And i would like this
administration to quite frankly recognise that a lot more while at the same time, being quite happy about the fact that we have a vaccine in record time. We need to do both of these things. Prepare to get a vaccine out but focus on the things that work to prevent transmission over the next few months before people can actually get vaccinated, and we are not doing that. A small number of other countries have approved this jab, the uk has found it has triggered a response in people with allergies. Does the us Pay Attention to the experience of those other countries who have approved the vaccination . Absolutely. We are all doing this at really record speed so we are hearing what is happening in canada, we are hearing what is happening in the uk and other places, and we are going to learn from that. Its something that we will take into our practice and make sure that we consider that when we are going to be vaccinating as well, because we expect the same issues, the same complications as you are seeing, really anywhere that people are getting vaccinated. That being said, we know that this vaccine is going to be reactogenic, meaning that it is going to cause some muscle pain, maybe some fever in some people, some soreness. These are all good things because we know that the vaccine itself is working. We just need to be upfront and honest with people that they are aware of these symptoms and make sure that people who need to be protected, who might have complications, know beforehand so that they can better protect themselves and be better prepared. Some people, for whatever reason, are sceptical about vaccines, what would you say to them about this one . I completely understand why people may be sceptical. You know, a lot of people have questions about this vaccine, they say it was made in record time, they have questions about whether it was made with dna or how it might change your body i get all of that. The reality is, is that right now, we have a vaccine that has been made in record time but it is built on really many, many years of technology and research. We have a vaccine that can end the pandemic which has caused this unbearable and unbelievable death toll in the us and around the world, and looking at the data myself, i feel comfortable that the benefit definitely outweighs the risk and i will certainly be the first in line, if possible, and i will be very happy to roll up my sleeve to get this vaccine. This is a way for us to get back to normal. I have reservations, of course there could be some complications for a small subset of people, but what were seeing is that covid itself has a lot impacts, and if we dont get vaccinated the likelihood is that covid will continue to infect many people and your risk of getting long term impacts from covid itself is likely actually much greater than it is of the vaccine. Doctor Craig Spencer there. Clinical trials of a covid 19 vaccine in australia have been abandoned, after participants returned false positive hiv test results. The developers of the vaccine, the university of queensland and the biotech firm, csl, stressed there had been no serious safety concerns. It is one of four Coronavirus Vaccines which australias government has committed to purchasing. Prime minister, scott morrison, says it was not a wasted investment. Every cent we have invested
in getting the best and most early available and safe vaccines for australians in the middle of the covid 19 pandemic has been money well spent. Every single cent. I mean, there are no guarantees when it comes to Vaccine Development and if you dont put the investment in across a range of opportunities and options, then you dont get one come out the other end. And i think the expectation that there would be a 100 success rate across these is naive. It is just not true. Scott morrison there. From covid to brexit. The uk Prime MinisterBoris Johnson has said theres a strong possibility of a no deal brexit after he and the European Commission president , ursula von der leyen failed to break the deadlock last night in the negotiations. His comments come after the European Commission set out contingency plans to ease disruption if britain and the eu fail to secure an agreement. Talks will continue until sunday. A decision would then be
made on whether or not the discussions are worth continuing. The Prime Minister urged the uk to start preparing for a no deal outcome. We need to be very, very clear, there is now a strong possibility, strong possibility, that we will have a solution that is much more like an australian relationship with the eu than a canadian relationship with the eu. That doesnt mean its a bad thing. There are plenty of ways, as i have said, that we can turn that to the advantage of both sides in the conversation. There are plenty of opportunities for the uk. Israel and morocco have agreed to establish diplomatic relations in a deal announced by the white house. President trump has called the agreement another historic breakthrough. The deal makes morocco the fourth arab country to set aside hostilities with israel in the past four months. Israels Prime MinisterBenjamin Neta nyahu called it extraordinary. The deal will see direct flights and the intention to open embassies. But the palestinians have called it unacceptable saying it encouraged israeli
denial of their rights. Karim mezran is the director of the north Africa Initiative at the atlantic council. He joins us from washington. Why has morocco decided to take this step . We have to remember that among arab and muslim countries, morocco has been the ones that had informally the largest amount of dealings with and relationships with, either financial, economic, on the trade, and so on. So it is not a big dealfor morocco to move toa a big dealfor morocco to move to a normalisation of relations with israel from a pragmatic point of view. From a formal point of view. From a formal point of view. From a formal point of view, yes, it is a lot for somebody in morocco who considers himself a descendant
of the profit. The commander of the faithful to be one of the four or five the faithful to be one of the four orfive arab the faithful to be one of the four or five arab states to recognise the normalisation with israel, it is a big deal. But they got a lot in exchange. And that point, in exchange, thatis and that point, in exchange, that is a Crucial Point obviously. I understand the exchanges the us recognises moroccos western sahara, its claims that area. How will that affect the diplomatic situation in the territory . In general, one tends to see replacement with israel from many other countries as a positive thing because it eases the tensions in the area, decreases the chance of war and so on. But you have to remember that this recognition by the United States of moroccan sovereignty over israel is a slap in the face, not only to the European Union and the united nations, but more importantly to the great protector of the saharan
people in algeria. That is in a region which is already full of tension and risk for terrorism, migration and terrorism. It can really escalate, it can really cause a clash if not a full fledged war between algeria and morocco. What you gain from one side is just decreasing the tensions in the middle east in general, you lose it by increasing by a liked the tensions and the possibility of a war in the region in that area. Egypt and morocco then have advanced tires, or the promise of advanced ties with israel. What about other countries in north africa in terms of their relations with israel . africa in terms of their relations with israel . I dont think there will be any other one. I dont see libya, tunisia 01 one. I dont see libya, tunisia or algeria doing that, and even egypt. Im not sure. Karim mezran, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you, thank you very much. In the past hour, convicted killer Brandon Bernard has become the ninth
person to be executed by the us federal government in the last five months. The ao year old is the youngest person to be executed by the federal government in nearly 70 years. His execution is the first of five scheduled before the end of Donald Trumps presidency, breaking with an 130 year old precedent of pausing executions during a president ial transition. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come could it be the beginning of end for the movies . Disney becomes the latest major studio to divert its focus from cinema to streaming. John lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building in the centre of new york. Theres been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil, and the flowers have been piling up. The 14th ceasefire of this
war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. This morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. People are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. Elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. Imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. Shes facing seven charges of tax evasion, estimated at £120 million. She pleaded not guilty. The prince and princess of wales are to separate. A statement from Buckingham Palace said the decision had been reached amicably. This is bbc news. The latest headlines a panel of us experts recommends that the szier covid 19 vaccine be given approvalfor use. A final verdict from the food and Drug Administration is expected within days. A stark warning from britains Prime Minister. Borisjohnson says theres a strong possibility that the uk will fail to strike
a post brexit trade deal with the European Union. Some of the poorest countries of the world face severe hardship from the long term consequences of the pandemic. International organisations such as the world bank and the Charity Oxfam have warned that up to 70 Million People could be pushed into extreme poverty, undoing decades of progress. And as the bbcs George Alagiah has been finding out, the squeeze on Household Income here in britain is having a direct impact on lives elsewhere. Spitalfields in east london has attracted migrants for centuries. In the 17th, it was french protestants. In the late 19th, jews settled here. Today, it is a home from home for bangladeshi migrants. One of the things migrants have always done, once they establish themselves and their new lives in places like this, is to start sending money back home. My own family has done that. The problem is, this year,
2020, covid has put a stop to that vital flow of cash. From barbers to waiters, they all want to help relatives. Roughly one in every 20 in the bangladeshi economy comes from families abroad. George alagiah, bbc. Athaur rahman used to send £2000 per year but since march, his earnings as an electrician have plummeted. He says hello to you, as well. Im short of income here. I cant then send money to bangladesh. And this is money they really depend on. Absolutely. We support the childrens education and we are not able to do that for them, so it makes us sad here. Athaurs cousin taiyab is desperate and is about to sell two of his cows just to keep going. Translation my cousins were helping me before. That made it possible to cover our living costs. Now, because of the pandemic, we dont get any help from anyone. I dont know how we will survive in the days ahead. Only allah knows how
we will live. There are 15 people in the extended family to support. Translation its hard to buy food, pay for the childrens education and pay our expenses. This loss of income comes on top of the faltering global economy, with devastating consequences around the world. 20 years of incredible progress on health and millions of people coming out of poverty has really stopped. South africas struggle against tuberculosis is a classic example of how covid has hijacked healthcare. Next to prosperous cape town lies the settlement of khayelitsha. Tb is a disease that thrives on poverty and overcrowding. Coughs. Limited resources have been diverted to fighting covid 19, leaving thousands undiagnosed with tb. Each one of them could infect up to ten other people. It is a ticking time bomb
and ijust want to remind the viewers that tb remains the leading Infectious Disease killer globally, and certainly in south africa twice the number of people die from tb in south africa compared to covid 19. The arrival of covid vaccines brings hope, but even this has the potential to widen the gap between rich and poor countries. If the first 2 billion doses of covid vaccines go only to rich countries, then not only will the pandemic last much longer but we will see twice as many deaths. We are not safe until everyone is safe. The pandemic has exposed the way in which the well being of people around the world, whether they live in the north or south, whether they are rich or poor, is a shared problem, needing global solutions. George alagiah, bbc news. Lets get some of the days other news. The short term letting website airbnb has begun trading on the stock market for the first time. Its share price opened far higher than originally predicted. The company is valued
at more than 100 billion. Its the biggest debut sale of shares by a us firm this year. Crowds have gathered in front of the Argentine Congress building in buenos aires, where mps are debating a bill to legalise abortion. If passed, it would allow terminations up to the 14th week of pregnancy. Supporters of reform wearing trademark green scarves have been dancing and singing and banging carnival drums, while groups of opponents in blue have been holding prayer vigils. Conservationists say decades of efforts to save the european bison are proving successful. According to the latest update of the official extinction list, more than 6,000 of the Large Mammals are scattered across poland, belarus and russia. They were almost wiped out by hunting and habitat loss a century ago, surviving only in zoos. Disney is the latest major studio to divert its focus from cinema to streaming. Its Just Announced plans for several new Television Series based in the star wars universe. Disney , which was launched
just over a year ago, now has nearly 87 million subscribers a figure far exceeding its own predictions for customer growth. With me is our news correspondent paul hawkins. That announcement, it just that announcement, itjust kind of kept on coming. How many shows are there and they are they new shows orjust. . Spin offs of spin offs of spin offs. The star wars universe just never seems to end i remember the days when george lucas said thats it, we are done and now disney has bought it and they are. They are milking it. Ten new star wa rs are milking it. Ten new star wars tv series, we have got one called lando, one about obi wan kenobl called lando, one about obi wan kenobi, darth vader, lots of tv series, two men delorean spin offs, it has been a big hit for disney , and one new star wars film, i should add,
rogue squadron outing christmas 2023 and directed by Patty Jenkins who directed wonder woman, coming out which is significant because disney paused the Film Productions after solo which did not do well in 2018. That was quite boring, in some ways. It was a bit, really. But the tv show seem bit, really. But the tv show seem to be doing well so what is the plan . Do they want is to go to cinemas with popcorn and an usher showing us to a seat 01 an usher showing us to a seat orare an usher showing us to a seat 01 are we an usher showing us to a seat or are wejust left alone an usher showing us to a seat or are we just left alone in oui or are we just left alone in our homes . If they own the cinemas, yes. The streaming services, not so fast, is on and netflix and disney are not so and netflix and disney are not so fast. Last week we had Warner Brothers releasing all of their films Warner Brothers releasing all of theirfilms on hbo max in 2021, all of their films on the streaming service 2021, hbo max, then the cinemas so the cinemas were getting worried because obviously during the pandemic they had been virtually empty and now disney have said, along with these
figures, that peter pan and wendy and tom hankss pinocchio will be released on disney first before they go into the cinemas. Not all of the disney films for disney so we could have been worse but two big releases early on in the year will be available on disney so disney kind of going the way of Warner Brothers but still, if youre the sinema, you think it could be worse. Sinema. Youre the sinema, you think it could be worse. Sinema. We have disney, netflix and amazon, they all survive streaming orders one. They can only be one cinema. Streaming orders one. They can only be one cinema. Very good netflix, to put these figures here, disney has been around for one year and is now 86 million subscribers and netflix, 195 million but that has been around since 2007, so disney has made huge strides in catching up just over a year, amazon prime sandwiched between the two on 150 million subscribers and at the bottom, apple plus on 3a million. They have been around the same time as disney so they have got
some massive catching up to do so some massive catching up to do so at the moment you with the apple plus is struggling. Paul hawkins. Thank you so much. You know it all lets stick with the world of entertainment but something slightly different. Dame barbara windsor, one of britains most beloved entertainment stars, has died aged 83. She was best known for her roles in the soap eastenders and the carry on films. Those were in the 60s and 70s. Dame barbara was diagnosed with alzheimers disease in 2014 and made the news public in 2018. Her husband Scott Mitchell says she died on thursday night at a london care home. David sillito looks back at her life. Thatll do, thatll do alright, girls get in the coach get on with the loading. Barbara windsor, a 410 national treasure. We were told to bring the minimum of clothing. No, really, lets see those chests come out and, fling . Funny, cheeky, slightly naughty and fling but there was a lot more to her than carry on camping. Matron, take them away
barbara ann deeks began acting as a teenager. Born in shoreditch in london, the daughter of a barrow boy, it was Joan Littlewood at a Theatre Workshop that saw her star quality. She won a bafta nomination for the film sparrows cant sing sings and a tony for oh what a lovely war. Movies and cabaret introduced her to glamour and some shady friends at one point, she dated the gangster reggie kray but it was the carry on films that made her a star. Hi. Her entrance always an excuse for something slightly saucy. Sorry have you got a large one . Ive had no complaints so far. Especially if sirjames was around a relationship that carried on off camera. Quick, before somebody comes in you havent got any soap on that bit. Up up to the west end. But after those nine
carry on films, there were some lea n yea rs, until she found peggy. Grant mum. I heard you are back. I was going to give you a call. Well, why didnt you, you useless great lump . Peggy mitchell in eastenders the new landlady of the queen vic was a role made for her. Youre unfit to be a father dont you dare turn your back on me get off me 22 years on albert square, which ended with barbara becoming dame barbara. dame ba bs sounds nice, doesnt it . My mum would like it to be dame barbara. She was a bit of a cotton snob, my mum, so it would be dame barbara. God, what would she be thinking now . What would she be thinking . However, her farewell to woolford was also her farewell to acting. She been diagnosed with alzheimers. Oh, my dear friend. Dame barbara windsor. You will never leave me, will you . Talent, warmth and a lifetime of cheeky fun. No, sweetheart. Thank you. Barbara windsor, who has died at the age of 83. One of britains great entertainers. A reminder of our top story a panel of experts in the United States have endorsed the United States have endorsed the Pfizer BiontechCoronavirus Vaccine for emergency use. This paves the way for approval by the us food and Drug Administration. Pfizer says its vaccine has an efficacy rate of 95 . Other countries including the uk and canada have already given the vaccine their own green light. Covid 19 cases are continuing to surge in the United States. On wednesday, there were more than 3000 deaths, record high. If the fda signs off on the vaccine, it clears the way for the logistically complicated task of distributing it across all 50 states. Us hopes to have about a0 million doses of the vaccine ready by the end of the year. More on this story on our
website. You can reach me on twitter. Im jamesbbcnews. Do stay with us. Hello again. Although skies across the uk on thursday were almost uniformly grey and drab, skies like these overhead in llangollen were pretty commonplace across the country. There were, however, big temperature contrasts from place to place. In the west, we had some milder atlantic air moving in, whereas across central and Eastern England, along with the whole of scotland, we had much colder continental air. In the west, temperatures reached double figures it was actually quite mild, 10 or 11 celsius but across central and Eastern England and scotland, temperatures were more typically around 5 or 6 celsius. We only managed to get a in dalwhinnie in the highlands of scotland, so there were some big contrasts. Those contrasts were driven, really, by this weather front thats been bringing rain eastwards over recent hours. And its, as well, been one of those nights where the milder air has been pushing in. Temperatures for some have actually been rising throughout
the night as well. So for most of us, friday will get off to a relatively mild note but across Eastern England, eastern scotland, there will still be some rain around. In fact, the rain will linger in aberdeenshire pretty much all day, bringing a risk of some localised flooding. But i suspect there will, for a time in the morning, be some low cloud for north east england and eastern scotland with some hill fog patches around. Now, the skies do try to brighten up from the west but there will be plenty of showers coming through later on in the day. That milder air pushing into pretty much all of the uk, though, as we head towards the afternoon, so temperatures will be lifting across those central and eastern areas. The weekend, well, weve still got low pressure loitering on the weather charts. That will continue to bring some rain for a time across scotland. The rain quite slow to ease across eastern areas of england none of it particularly heavy, mind you but later in the day, well start to see a ridge of High Pressure building in from the west and that means that we should see more in the way of sunshine for northern ireland, for wales, for western and central southern areas of england. Now, that sunshine isnt going to hang around too long
because the ridge is going to move away to be replaced by the second half of this weekend by low pressure. That low pressure will be bringing south westerly winds, so again, we should see some milder air sloshing its way in across the uk. Now, sunday promises to be quite a windy day. We may well even have gales for a time around some of our western coasts. There will certainly be a lot of rain around as well and even as the rain clears, showers will follow on. Temperatures, though, on the mild side, reaching a high towards the south west of 13 degrees. Thats your latest weather. This is bbc news, the headlines a panel of experts in the United States has endorsed the Pfizer BiontechCoronavirus Vaccine for emergency use. It paves the way for approval by the us food and Drug Administration. The us hopes to have around a0 million doses of the vaccine ready by the end of the year. Britains Prime Minister has issued a warning that leaving the eus Single Market and customs union, without a trade deal is now a strong possibility. Borisjohnson, said the eus current offer was unacceptable because it would keep the uk locked into its legal system. Talks will continue until sunday. The british actress Dame Barbara Windsor best known for her roles in the carry on films, has died aged 83. She later successfully crossed the generational divide, and becamejust as revered for her role as peggy mitchell, the queen vics landlady, in the bbc drama eastenders. Its a part she played for more than 20 years. With many theatres still closed
actors are having to come up