Hello, im ros atkins, this is outside source. Ethiopias government steps up its three week offensive in tigray, with an assault on the regional capital mekelle. It is not a war crime, it is a Law Enforcement operation taking care of the civilian lives and institutions. Think about the children and the women who are currently trapped in mekelle with very little access to communication, with very little access to communication, with a very dire humanitarian situation, and no access by the international community. Half a Million People live in mekelle and local forces who control the city are vowing not to surrender. Also in the programme thousands are paying their respects to football legend Diego Maradona. Hes laying in state in argentinas president ial palace for the three days. A Million People are expected to visit the site before
hes buried next week. Almost all of england will be facing stricter covid measures when the country comes out of lockdown next week. Borisjohnson is urging everyone to follow the new rules. These are tough strike a balance. They are sufficient to continue driving at the virus downwards, but it is important to recognise that they are less intrusive than the Current National measures. Ethiopias government has told the bbc that claims its military offensive in the Tigray Region amount to war crimes. What is not contested as things are becoming ever more serious on the ground. A deadline to surrender has been and gone and the army has been
ordered to begin its assault on the regional capital mekelle. Half a Million People live in the city. The message from this government minister is clear. It is not a war crime, it is a Law Enforcement operation taking care of the civilians lives andcivilian institutions, and the military institutions will take the maximum care in such a way that life can be saved and institutions can be saved. We cant equate this to war crimes because this targeting only criminals who are identified by name and whose places are also identified. Therefore, we will not equate this to war crimes. We clearly equate this to Law Enforcement operations targeting only criminals based in the city. Mekelle is ethiopias fifth largest city. It has a well developed infrastructure. A prominent university. Lots of busy hotels, cafes and markets. Also 90 of the population are orthodox christians. Its difficult to assess the situation inside the city now. Most phone lines are down. Journalists cant get in. We only have these satellite pictures from monday showing long lines of cars at petrol stations. These pictures were taken last week. Were told this is damage after an air strike on mekelle. One journalist whos there has spoken about what hes witnessing today. Well, its a bit surprising that when we wake up in the morning, the city, everybody was kind of relieved. People were worried they would conduct air strike or anything, but nothing happened. And as far as the news from the front is concerned, 98 kilometers away from us, according to the information coming from there, the invading army has lost momentum. And the city is kind of relieved and more alive than yesterday. This morning, shops, coffee houses, restaurants almost are full. Its not like the pre war time, of course, it is a bit down, but much better than the feeling in the past four days. People are aware because, one, there is mobile phone service
that works within half of tigray. And people are using that. They just cant call outside of tigray. There is television and radio at everyones house if it is not interrupted yet. Thats why there was kind of a depressed mood yesterday, because they are aware of the 72 hour ultimatum. The un is warning bombarding the city could constitute a war crime. And its concerned about what it calls dangerous war rhetoric on both sides. Think about the children and the women who are currently trapped in mekelle with very little access to communication, with very little access to communication, with a very dire humanitarian situation, and no access by the international community. Already its reported that hundreds possibly thousands of people have died since the government began its attack on Regional Forces three weeks ago. The government accusing them of seeking to destabilise the country. And both sides are refusing to negotiate. Heres that same government
minister on its reasons why. As we have been talking for the last 20 days, this criminal group has already done a very big and grave crime, which is equated to treason and these are criminals who have very dangerously attacked the Northern Command of our military forces and they have also massacred about 700 civilians, and this is a very big crime which is a treason to the country. That is why it is the last result of the country to clear out and bring these people to justice. That is why any talks and dialogues are not applicable given these criminal groups have already rejected all of the peaceful mechanisms of solving the conflict. The regionalforces, the tplf, denies those claims. Its leader says his troops are ready to die in defence of our right to administer our region. Hes got a big army behind him. Were told he has around 250 000 fighters whove been drawn were told he has around 250,000 fighters whove been drawn from a paramilitary unit and a local milita to defend mekelle. And there are concenrs this could turn into a guerilla conflict. Reuters quoted a diplomatic source tplf have mobilised lots of people in mekelle. Adding they are digging trenches and everyone has an ak 47. William davison is a Senior Analyst for the International Crisis group a not for profit that aims to prevent and resolve conflict. Hes in addis ababa. Lets talk about how to avoid conflict here because all efforts appear to be failing. Yes, i am actually in the uk now. The efforts to resolve the conflict are failing, as you heard. The government is absolutely set on achieving its military objectives here. That is to ta ke military objectives here. That is to take control of tigrays government and the rest of the leaders. It has
and the rest of the leaders. It has a warrant out for, restore the integrity of the armed forces. What we will see in the next few days is a continued struggle for control around mekelle within a sort of 50 100 kilometre radius, that is where the fight has been concentrated. We have not quite reached the stage where the government is ready to launch an assault on mekelle. If the government gets into that position, the federal forces, it will be a question of whether the Tigray Forces sta nd question of whether the Tigray Forces stand firm and try to hold onto mekelle and essentially, we could lead to a very serious urban wa rfa re could lead to a very serious urban warfare with very damaging con quinces for the civilian population 01 quinces for the civilian population or that will not be the approach that tigray will take and we have not seen heavy fighting in other urban areas as the federal forces have moved through. Under the Ethiopian Governmentjustifies have moved through. Under the Ethiopian Government justifies its actions by saying these regional
forces are trying to destabilise the whole country. Is that allegation credible . They have a very complicated answer to it. That has built up with years of allegations about tigrays ruling party, tplf sponsoring conflict across the country. I have any ethiopian official saying tigray has been acting with as a state within a state. These are political arguments, allegations and the tplf certainly deny allegations of the stabilisation, but there is no doubt there was a severe constitutional, electoral dispute about tigrays right to autonomously run a Regional Election so that really gets to the heart of the disputes over Ethiopian Federalism and the balance of power between the federal government and regional governments and that is what has led this dispute ending up in an armed conflict. Stay right there william. This hasnt come out of the blue. There have been long running tensions between ethiopias federal government and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Forces the powerful party which governs tigray. The tlpf was a dominant Political Force for over 30 years in ethiopia. That came to an abrupt end when Prime Minister abiy ahmed came to power in 2018. When Prime Minister abiy ahmed he removed many tigrayans from his government including high ranking members of the military and intelligence forces. That came to an abrupt end when Prime Minister abiy ahmed you can imagine that upset people. Relations deterioated in 2019 when the Prime Minister dissolved the Ruling Coalition and merged them into a one single political party. The tplf refused to join. In september this year, the tplf defied a nationwide ban on electionsand held a vote. That was declared illegal. The bbcs africa editor mary harper is covering the crisis from neighboring somalia. Heres her analysis on what support tplf has outside of tigray. Might not be sympathizers for the tigrayans because they did hold
onto power, even though they only make up about 6 of the population, they held on to power for so long. And were seen to have a very authoritarian form of government. But you do have other ethnic groups in ethiopia at the moment who are also fomenting their own conflicts against each other. And abiy ahmeds armed federal forces are involved in a number of offensives against these other ethnic groups elsewhere in ethiopia. So even though the eyes of the world are on tigray at the moment, it mustnt be forgotten that large other parts of ethiopia are actually undergoing serious unrest that not only threatens that vast country of 110 million, but the whole rather unstable horn of africa region. If we go back to william from the International Crisis group, what have you made of the African Union and the United Nations to exert pressure on the Ethiopian Government
to possess conflict. The Ethiopian Federal government are treating this asa federal government are treating this as a Law Enforcement issue, an internal affair. Whilst Ethiopian Government is fixated on the pursuit of its military objectives and has from the very start, positioned itself to resist external pressure, thenit itself to resist external pressure, then it makes it very hard for these external actors to really have influence and the federal government has also, i think quite successfully, delivered the message that they had to respond to this tigray attack on the military stationed unit in a tigray. We believe the negotiations are necessary because the potential for mass human suffering. But some movement in the conflict with some signs it is entrenched and maybe will turn into some sort of lengthy
insurgency, perhaps we will see some federal government openness to discussions and that is where the external actors could really have some influence here. William, we will leave it there. Thank you for sharing your expertise. There is much more on this story via the bbc news website. The uk government has outlined how england will be divided into tiers when the Current National lockdown ends next week. And on his first day after self isolation after contact with someone with covid, Prime Minister borisjohnson urged everyone to follow the new rules. Im sorry to confirm that from wednesday, most of england will be in the top two tiers with the toughest measures, and i know that this will bring a great deal of heartache and frustration, especially for our vital hospitality sector, our pubs, our restaurants, our hotels, restaurants, our hotels, in so many ways the soul
of our communities and which continue to bear a disproportionate share of the burden. These tougher tiers strike a balance. They are sufficient to continue driving the virus downwards, but its important to recognise they are less intrusive than the Current National measures. In all tiers, shops, gyms, the leisure sector, hairdressers, other forms of personal care, places of worship will reopen. So which parts of england are in which tier . Everyone wanted to know. So much so, that this happened. The governments online tool which allows people to search how their area is affected crashed. But here are the details. First tier1 with the fewest restrictions affects the isle of wight, cornwall, and the isles of scilly. The majority of england will be living under tier 2 restrictions including london, yorkshire and liverpool. And tier 3 contains 30 regions. Including two of englands largest cities manchester and bristol. And each tier comes with different rules. Iain watson can explain. In the handful of areas in tier 1, groups of six people can meet indoors and pubs are allowed to open, with last orders at 10pm and closing time at 11pm. Most of england will be in tier 2. Groups of six can meet outdoors, but not indoors unless part of a support bubble. Pubs can only open if they operate as restaurants and alcohol can only be served with a substantial meal. In tier 3, with the highest level of restrictions, pubs and restaurants will be limited to takeaways and deliveries. There will be no mixing of households except up to six people in wide open public spaces. Next i want to show you these maps. On the left is england before it went into the current four week lockdown most of the country was under tier 1 marked by yellow. Now if you but look on the right when england exits lockdown next week, much of england will be living in higher tiers than they were before thats marked by shades of orange. Before lockdown, more than 23 Million People were in tier 1. But after the lockdown thatr drops to below a million. But after the lockdown that
drops to below a million. Before lockdown, around 2a Million People were in tier 2. That will rise to around 32 Million People. And then tier 3 8 Million People were in it before the lockdown. Now there will be 23 million under the strictest measures. Heres Health Secretary matt hancock on why this is happening. To keep people safe and to keep the gains that are being made, more areas than before will be in the top two tiers. This is necessary to protect our nhs and keep the virus under control. One of the areas that will move tiers is kent in the south east. Its jumping from tier1 to tier 3. And some people arent happy. Including damian green who is the conservative mp for ashford, in kent he says im hugely disappointed that the whole of kent has been put into tier 3. Before lockdown we were in tier1 so what has lockdown achieved . We need the full analysis made public. Heres the bbcs Helena Wilkinson
whos spent the day gauging the reaction in kent. We are in the district of swale here and if you look at the latest data, it shows us that is the area with the highest infection rates at the moment in england. And there is a sense of frustration because it is a very big area, kent, and there are areas within it which have low infection rates, or below average infection rates, and so there are people in those areas who are saying, why do we have to be put under tier 3 when the rates where we live are not so bad . From kent to Greater Manchester now which will return to tier 3 next week. Before lockdown, Greater Manchester had reporting some of the highest covid 19 rates in the country. But in the last week, things have improved drastically, with the regional rate falling from 432 cases per 100,000 people to 276. Greater manchester mayor andy burnham previously clashed with the government over the Financial Support it was offered when it was first placed in tier 3. Heres his reaction this time. On the evidence alone, if you leave politics outside of it, i can understand the decision because although we have the fastest rate of decrease in england now, our cases are still high and higher than the england average, and there is still quite considerable pressure within our hospital system. But if things continue in this way for the next fortnight, i will be asking the government to review things to bring us down to tier 2 and i will certainly be mounting a cross Party Campaign on that basis here in Greater Manchester. From manchester to liverpool which is bucking the trend and going from tier 3 to tier 2. Judith moritz is there. Its being said here that the extra measures which liverpool has taken have paid off. The mayor of the liverpool city region, steve rotherham, said that it is a vindication of having done the right thing at the right time. He said coronavirus was in danger of spiraling completely out of control here and its been brought back to manageable levels,
brought back to manageable levels. He said, because of the behaviour of people and the way theyve responded to the restrictions seven weeks ago. Seven weeks ago, they were at the top of the infection league tables, they have actually dropped that infection rate down here by nearly 70 . Now, of course, liverpool has piloted mass testing and we now know that more than half of the population here has taken the opportunity to have a test. And borisjohnson said this evening that liverpool has set an example which he would like other parts of the country to replicate. So mass testing and tough restrictions may be the playbook Going Forward in england. And the government says it will review the tier classifications every 1a days. Heres the Prime Minister again. Your tier is not your destiny. Every area has any means of escape and i have no doubt that together we can get through this winter, suppress
every virus until vaccines come to oui every virus until vaccines come to ouraid and then every virus until vaccines come to our aid and then reclaim our lives and on the things we love. All the things we love. On yesterdays edition of outside source we brought you the sad news that footballing legend Diego Maradona had died of a heart attack at the age of 60. There are clashes of those waiting. A lot of people turning out, but we know there have been clashes previously and huge expectations from people who want to get close to the coffin and pay their respects and you can see those fans jumping up and you can see those fans jumping up and down and singing and chanting maradonas name. Lets get more reaction from the football world. He
has been described as a beautiful footballer, he was certainly a controversial one. That can be summed up in one game,. Lets hear from the manager of real madrid. Translation it is a sad news, not only for the soccer world but for the entire world. I remember maradona mostly from 86. I was 1a. I think he was a one of a kind player. May he rest in peace. He loved this game so much. You could see that in each second when you watched him playing. Even his warming up was special. That was a jurgen klopp paying tribute. His life was also full of controversy. They go on to slam those praising him for being more than just those praising him for being more thanjust a those praising him for being more than just a good footballer, commenting on his drug and alcohol problems. The governments response days of mourning as they are struggling to cope with coronavirus outbreak in argentina has also had pushback from some people there. The government is obviously making a great populist event out of this and a lot of people who have been very uncomfortable about this. Lets face it, he was a magnificent player, but a disastrous example for argentine
youth. He is a National Hero and what he did as a sportsperson, but he is not a national example. Lets speak to Veronica Smink live from sao paulo. I think what you are speaking about the infamous match against england really summarises what maradona was. There was a no goals were his two sides, god and the devil and one person and someone who was making a whole fuss about having scored with his hand and then on the other hand, he scores at the best quality century. Many people feel that, actually, maradona was also an example of argentines and that those are two sides are really representative of many argentines. Veronica, what are you seeing in terms of reaction across the continent to his passing . Are people putting aside their National Rivalries . Definitely. Not only National Rivalries, but youre seeing something here and bonus ideas where am that you do not see how they ever buenos aires. They are hugging, sharing this was a celebration of his life most of the day, but it started with some skirmishes and, unfortunately, has ended really badly. They had to move the caskets out of the Funeral Chapel because of the problem and what started out with tears from grief has ended with tear gas, so very sad in that sense. So what we understand about the plans in buenos aires for the next few days . The government had hoped to hold a forte
repeat, but the family requested that it end today. That because of the problems today when people started shutting off the entrances to the president ial palace of people we re to the president ial palace of people were rushing in to try to say goodbye to their hero. The family then announced an extension of a three hours, but by that point, the trouble had started. And this led to, in the end, a suspension of the week. Right now it has been suspended and expected that the family will hold a private burial in a few hours in the evening. As you are talking to me, we are seeing pictures of people packed into the centre of bonus ideas. Are there any events attached, people speaking to the crowd, into buenos aires. Other people gathering voluntarily to pay their respects in their own way . A lot of what we are seeing has been spontaneous. There is some criticism that the authorities were not prepared to deal with this outpouring of grief and everybody
taking to the streets. It has been particularly criticised the fact that argentina did have one of the longest on markdowns due to coronavirus and this has been longest lockdown is due to coronavirus and this has been everything else. Veronica, thank you very much indeed. These are pictures we can see of some activity with police and perhaps the place. My pleasure, goodbye. Thank you very much indeed, veronica. And these are funds paying respects to maradona. Stands. This man been taken away by the local police. A planting change because of clashes between fa ns change because of clashes between fans and the police but are still thousands of people out on the streets of buenos aires paying their respects to Diego Maradona and i am sure you can see the number of people who are out, they will not be going anywhere in the near future people who are out, they will not be going anywhere in the nearfuture by things. We will keep an eye on the sly feed as we go into the second
half of the programme. Hello there, there was some sunshine around today, but where we have the clear skies today, the fog is picking up and developing more widely. Weather fronts picking up and developing more widely. Weatherfronts moving on, this one heading toward scotland and Northern Ireland bringing more cloud. This one sitting on the surface, bring some cloud and patchy rain. In between, we have those clear skies, no wind, some moisture. We are seeing that fog develop cross england, into east wales as well. Telling to scotland, Northern Ireland. Keeping frost away from most areas of scotland. It should be generally frost free in the extreme south east of england, patch of grass around elsewhere. Freezing fog patches too. More fog down tomorrow morning, that will be very slow to clear as a result, it will be a cold
day. This is the ileum are likely to have fog that will linger through the morning. This is where we have the morning. This is where we have the yellow fog running for the met office. That fog slow to left, lifting until now cloud by the afternoon. Sunshine across other parts of england and northern wales, in the south is very well. They sure as running through the english channel, some through the irish sea and cloudy skies with patchy rain for scotland and Northern Ireland. Fog is very slow to clear, it will bea fog is very slow to clear, it will be a cold day. Temperatures could be no better than three or 4 degrees. Into the weekend, for many of us, it will be a cloudy weekend, but it will be a cloudy weekend, but it will be a cloudy weekend, but it will be milder. That is because pressure will be following. We will get a bit more please. That breeze will be coming in from continental europe, pushing the country towards the north and allowing milder air to push out from the south. Ms messy structure that we can, lows of low cloud, dampness. A frosty starting
scotla nd cloud, dampness. A frosty starting scotland in particular, best of the sunshine probably here. Some sunshine probably here. Some sunshine coming through in southern parts of england, milder air here so 11 or 12 degrees without any culture in scotland, temperatures are no better than five or six in some places. Second half of the weekend, grey and gloomy. Lots of low cloud around, listen to patchy fog. Cloud coming into Northern Ireland, western scotland. The best of the sunshine will be in the north east of the country. Temperatures in the afternoon typically eight or nine celsius. Hello, im ros atkins, this is outside source. Ethiopias government steps up its three week offensive in tigray with an assault on the regional capital. Not a war nota warcrime, not a war crime, it is a Law Enforcement operation taking of lives and institutions. Think about the children and the women who are currently trapped in mekelle with very little access to communication, with a very dire humanitarian situation, and no access by the international community. Half a Million People live in mekelle and local forces who control the city are vowing not to surrender. With another brexit deadline nearing the eu tells the uk it must make concessions if theyre to reach a deal on trade before the transition period ends. Well go over the key sticking points. Six members of pakistans cricket team test positive for coronavirus in Hotel Quarantine in new zealand
officials say the players had earlier broken the strict rules while in isolation. After the good news that three vaccines against covid 19 are effective well tell you how long it might take for all of us to access it in our weekly deep dive. Lets check in on brexit, and the negotiations between the uk and eu for a trade deal. There are nowjust 35 days until the end of the post brexit transition period. When december 31st arrives the uk will leave the European Union without a trade deal unless one is agreed and ratified by then. It will exit the transition period where it has effectively been going
along with the previous arrangements agreed by the eu. It had been widely expected the two sides would have reached a deal by now. Michel barnier is due to be in london tomorrow for more talks although its not clear if thats happening. Earlier in the week he threatened to pull out of them altogether unless the uk made more concessions in the talks. And heres the assessment of ursula von der leyen speaking yesterday shes the president of the european commission. These are decisive days for our negotiations with the united kingdom, but frankly i cannot tell you today if in the end there will be a deal. She gave her backing to mr barnier and his team, and outlined the state of play in the talks. There has been genuine progress on a number of important questions, on Law Enforcement and judicial cooperation, on Social Security coordination and also on goods,
services and transport. However, there is still three issues that can make the difference between a deal and no deal. The crucial topics for the european side are of course questions linked to the level Playing Field, the governance and fisheries. One of those stumbling blocks concerns the uks internal markets bill a piece of legislation which would override part of the Withdrawal Agreement called the Northern Ireland protocol which both britain and the eu signed up to. Northern ireland is of course part of the uk and the republic of ireland is in the eu. And there have been no border checks of any type between the two, since a peace deal the good friday agreement in the 1990s. Finding a way to preserve that, when the republic is going to remain in the eus single market, whilst Northern Ireland leaves it has been a challenge. The solution proposed by borisjohnson last autumn was to put customs checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the uk, so customs checks within his own country. That unlocked the stalemate until the government announced its new legislation
which would allow the uk to disapply those rules. Its an issue of such importance, even us president Electjoe Biden has weighed in. We do not want a guarded border. We want to make sure we work hard to get ireland worked we want t to 1ake sure we work hard we want t to the sure we work hard we want t to the wire we work hard we want t to the wire on a work hard we want t to the wire on those hard talks. It does not mean a deal will not be done. Every week we produce a video on one of the main issues of this week. This week were at
vaccines. Help has arrived in the form of the three apparently highly effective vaccines announced one after the other in november, that prompted a surge in the number of searches about them and everyone is asking, when can we get the vaccine. To ask that there are several factors. The first is global demand. An estimated seven and half billion doses are needed because around 6070 of the doses are needed because around 60 70 of the global population has to be vaccinated. This is why. If you have a highly efficacious vaccine and only a relatively small percent of the people get vaccinated you are not going to get hurt immunity you need. And with that herd immunity device will continue to spread that the demand for this texting is fast which takes us to the second factor, capacity. Back seam estimate they can produce up to
1. 2 billion doses by the end of 2021. My donor up to 1 billion, astrazeneca up to 3 billion. Huge numbers, but look at this from the who saying that the only certainty is there will not be enough and if there are not enough doses, which country take priority . In short, the richest ones well. We note the uk, the eu, the us and australia have cut deals to receive millions of vaccine doses and the who is worried. There is a real risk that the poorest and most Vulnerable People are trampled in the stampede for vaccines. There is a plan to stop this. Almost a hundred countries are agreeing to share vaccine resources fairly regardless of the countrys well. So will humanitarian groups providing affordable vaccines but only to a point. Where you live will affect
when you get the vaccine. Next week, you will consider your age, health and job. It prioritises social care work. This is Emmanuel Macron on the french approach. Translation we will start at the end of december, in the january subject to validation by the health authorities, by vaccinating the most elderly people. The uk is prioritising essential workers and older people, beyond that the task force say. In other words, some adults will get it, not all. Then in the us, this is president Electjoe Biden on his ambitions. We will need to put in place a Distribution Plan to put in place a Distribution Plan to get the entire country immunised as soon as possible. Which we will do. It is going to take time. Whether an entire country or some of it, he is right. It is going to take
time. The question is, how long will this take . This is a vast logistical challenges are well vaccinations may start this year, if you are not elderly, vulnerable working in health and social care, the who says you may have to wait till 2022. There are some who are not having to wait at all. In china, hundreds of thousands of people had taken state sponsored experimental vaccines. In russia, its vaccine been used on a range of essential workers, even one of Vladimir Putins doctors have had it. But none of these vaccines have completed Industry Standard trials. And then there are the issues of people who dont want it at all, these are the anti vax protests in germany and a report published recently found that 31 Million People follow anti tax groups like this on facebook. We cannot know what impact this will have on the push for widespread vaccination but we can be clear on one thing. While demand for the vaccine is huge, those who do not want it will not be forced to take it. One of the
stories we are covering other states of the brexit trade talks between the uk and the eu. Lets speak now to rob watson in westminster. What are the big stumbling blocks . |j am not sure how much help i am going to be. Do your best, which of the issues between where there is the biggest gap between the two of them . That is a tricky way of phrasing it. I would say the big three issues at the same three that there are where if you asked me last week, the week before, two weeks before, three weeks before, that just before, two weeks before, three weeks before, thatjust after the referendum. The first one is fishing, tiny economically but important to have people feel about sovereignty and fishing industry is hugely emotive as far as the countries concerned. The second issueis countries concerned. The second issue is what is known as level Playing Field and that is the idea that the europeans are worried that the uk is going to develop into some
sort of singapore on thames, unfair competition off the coast of europe. The third thing is, how on earth do you police what agreement is between the European Union and the uk about that future relationship . The uk is very anxious that the policeman is of the European Court ofjustice. Those are the three issues. I was mentioning i wasnt sure if Michel Barnier was going to come to town for the scheduled talks he has on friday. You have any update on that . Ido friday. You have any update on that . I do not. We have this update from our colleagues in busy Brussels Bureau and that is that Michel Barnier is due to hold a Video Conference call with ministers from those states involved in fishing in the European Union. We know he has beenin the European Union. We know he has been in quarantine because one of the members of his team tested positive. Whether there are going to be face to face talks in london tomorrow, whether there might be something virtual, who knows . But watch this space, we will bring it
to you on the bbc. Dont go anywhere because all of this uncertainty comes at a time when the uk economy, like many others, is being heavily affected by covid 19. Heres a warning from uks office for budget responsbility. If no vaccine proves effective and we end up leaving the eu without a deal and treading on wto terms, that will combine a 6 hit to the economy from the fact we are living with the disease to 80 hit on the economy from the fact we are trading with a single partner on wto terms. Are you surprised politically that is not more of a floor on how close the uk is coming to that scenario . The raw. There is a good question and no, iam raw. There is a good question and no, i am not in terms of the government. If you think about it, this is a very pro brexit government. The Prime Minister and chancellor of the exchequer believes in it, and it was staggering that
the chief finance minister did not mention brexit once. You can see why. The independent body that looks are the facts and figures of the economy says even a deal with the eu is going to leave the uk 4 poorer thanit is going to leave the uk 4 poorer than it would have been had it stayed in the eu. 6 poorer had it leaves without a deal at all. Why might the opposition not want to talk about it . It is a difficult issue for the Opposition Labour Party as well. They sense that maybe for them it would be best if brexit was out of the way. It seems to me it is this extraordinary elephant in the room that you have a double whammy, is what the statisticians are saying. You have the astonishing shot of covid 19 plus you have the certain shock of brexit. Thank you very much. It is going to be a busy friday for sure and rob and the rest of the bbc Politics Team will keep you up to date. We know there are three vaccines that are apparently very effective. Vaccination is an area where misinformation can be rampant online this bbc online article talks about various conspiracy theories that have been coming up again and again in peoples news feeds. The ideas may be recurring, but the methods used to spread them do seem to be evolving. Lets speak to Marianna Spring the bbcs specialist disinformation reporter. What are you seeing in terms of how people are sharing misinformation around the vaccine . One thing we have any notice this week is the rise in vaccine Conspiracy Theory means, so a lot of the false and substantially at it claims about vaccines are being shared in a meme format, pictures are references that make people laugh or react strongly. One that has popped up online both uk and us is a meme of drake. It is
from his music video and people might have seen it in other contexts but here it makes false claims suggesting that a vaccine will be used in epilator change of dna. This is untrue and derive some confusion about rna which is a component of some of some of the seemingly effective vaccines that we could have access to sin. It is this kind of meme that evokes a reaction. Others often feature bill gates. They found themselves at the heart ofa they found themselves at the heart of a lot of conspiracy theories including false claims that he plans to inject the world with a microchip or try and kill everyone. A sinister meme of bill gates is enough to spread conspiracy theories and this tells us how pervasive some of these vaccine conspiracies have become online. They narratives flare up again again and only takes a meme to remind 1s self of the different false claims that are circulating to spread disinformation. This misinformation is pervasive. How do
we gauge its impact on peoples Decision Making around vaccines . That is something that is difficult to do and that is a big difference in between Vaccine Hesitancy in people having legitimate questions about how a vaccine is developed, that it about how a vaccine is developed, thatitis about how a vaccine is developed, that it is safe and approved, and that it is safe and approved, and that these conspiracy theories, false claims about microchips and try to because deliberate harm to people. We can tell these kinds of conspiracies have been going viral online for a number of months and not just limited to online for a number of months and notjust limited to anti tax groups or Conspiracy Theory themed groups. They are in parent forums, whatsapp chats and local groups. They tell us in many ways how they are spreading because they are becoming something thatis because they are becoming something that is really easy to recognise by means of a picture. That is a worry because these are scary, they are emotive. It is a sinister picture bill gates with red eyes might need to think, is there something to this . To think, is there something to this . It to think, is there something to this . It might make you think. That is the worry that information
experts have about the impact. Stay with us on outside source still to come. Turkey has sentenced more than 300 people over an attempted coup in 2016. Well have details for you from our Turkish Service. Scotlands first minister Nicola Sturgeon says there are decisions she deeply regrets in the response to coronavirus. Shes been speaking to sarah smith, about the early days of the pandemic. We were all may be thinking about too much in terms of this being a flu type pandemic and not so much asa flu type pandemic and not so much as a coronavirus type pandemic. And possibly from that in the initial stages, followed some decisions that we re we stages, followed some decisions that were we on the clock, we might have taken were we on the clock, we might have ta ken differently. Some were we on the clock, we might have taken differently. Some of the things i deeply regret and critics
will say our mistakes, are about underdeveloped knowledge of the virus, and the issues around care homes and the length of time to introduce regular testing in care homes. But were not at the beginning of this crisis. I mean, you do look internationally across europe, for instance, scotland has actually been one of the hardest hit countries in europe. Only england and spain have fared worse in terms of excess deaths. I cant answer that question categorically right now, because i dont think we yet have had the opportunity to do the rigorous lookback and come to those conclusions. I think its really important that we do. The snp will go into scottish elections next year promising another independence referendum, but the Prime Minister has already said he will refuse to allow it. There are very important elections to the Scottish Parliament next year. The snp will go into that saying, youre committed to having another referendum on independence, but we already know if you win those elections and ask for that, the westminster government will say, now is not the time. Theyve told us that already, so what can you tell voters . How can you convince voters
that this isnt a hollow promise to have another independence vote . If people in scotland vote for a referendum, there will be a referendum. I mean, we see even right now across the atlantic, even trump is now having to concede the outcome of a fair, free and democratic election and, you know, the same has to happen and that principle has to be defended. If the snp do win next years election, demands for another independence referendum will grow and a tough battle with westminster may ensue. Sarah smith, bbc news, edinburgh. This is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. Our lead story is . Ethiopias government steps up its three week offensive in tigray with an assault on the regional capital mekelle. A government minister has told the bbc the military operation doesnt amount to war crimes. A Turkish Court has sentenced more than 300 people to life in prison over an attempted coup, four years ago. You may remember back injuly 2016, this was playing out on the streets of istanbul parts of the army tried to overthrow president erdogan, and tanks blocked the bridge over the bosporus strait. But when dawn rose the government hadnt been overthrown. This president erdogan was still in power, and greeted supporters outside his home the very next day. More than 250 people died during the uprising and a huge crackdown followed. More than 500 people faced charges in the current trial. Irem kokerfrom the bbcs Turkish Service has more. This specific court that this trial was brought, the incident took place in a major air base in the capital ankara. The warship taken from this base on that evening carried some air strikes in key locations in ankara according to turkish parliament. Today, those who were sentenced including four civilians who are accused of being the masterminds or ringleaders of the coup attempt that was basically managed and organised from that
airspace. One person not on trial today was the man the turkish government alleges was the mastermind of the coup attempt fetelluh gulen. Heres irem koker again. He is a muslim preacher. He used to live in turkey up until early 20005, late 1990s, when there was a number of investigations for him regarding the allegations he was trying to overthrow the secular state and to establish an islamic government there. He has wide followers in the turkish prophecy. So he left turkey back then and he is still in a self imposed exile in the united states, but the turkish government still seems that his followers may still be present in some key positions with the turkish bureaucracy in the government. These are pictures coming in from
these are pictures coming in from the argentine capital, we know there have been some clashes between football fa ns have been some clashes between football fans paying tribute to Diego Maradona and local police. From this picture, it is looking calm and we think potentially his coffin may be moved at some point soon. We no plans have been changing because of occasionally tense exchanges on the streets and as you imagine, many thousands of people have been wanting to pay their respects. The government now says the public weight is being extended until later in the evening. The public weight. You can see people coming up close to where the governors. We heard that Diego Maradona had died of a heart attack and since then many tributes have been paid. Lots of different pictures here. This is life, but let me show you pictures from earlier. These are clashes between some
football fa ns these are clashes between some football fans and some police. We should emphasise the majority of fa ns were should emphasise the majority of fans were peaceful throughout. We dont have many details on the circumstances in which these clashes developed but emotions are running high, not least because people are very upset that Diego Maradona has died. We know right police used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets and we think some of the more of such reactions was because the police had announced that access to the event where people can pay tribute to maradona and passes coffin was being restricted and people got upset at that news. We are hearing the government has extended the hours is perhaps the Pressure Point has been eased. Six members of the Pakistan Cricket Team have tested positive for coronavirus as they quarantine in new zealand ahead of a scheduled five international matches. New zealand has been widely praised for its response to the virus, and strict meausres were in place for the tour. To start with, all members of the pakistan squad had tested negative four times before being allowed to travel. New Zealand Health officials also said all 53 members were then tested on arrival, too. The squad left lahore on monday, flying via dubai. They arrived in auckland and travelled south to christchurch where they were expected to indivdually isolate for three days beforejoining up in small groups to begin training. Heres our Sports Correspondent seth bennett. A complicated process which evidently on one level has not worked out. These players were tested when they entered new zealand and it was found that six of them actually tested positive for covid 19. Two of those were historical positive tests. That meant that they previously had the covid virus, four of them were new cases. There is problems for the Pakistan Team because they were found to have broken some of their quarantine protocols which allows them to be able to practice while they are in new zealand and quarantining. That can cause them few issues. They have been warned about their future conduct and whilst it is not going to cast any doubt on the series, again it does raise that question
for International Sports teams that are going to new zealand. Exactly how they are going to handle those first few days, and remember they are playing this really important series. Pakistan have previously operated in a bubble life in the uk without too many problems when they faced england a little earlier in the year. But this is a new thing for new zealand and they are trying to deal with it the best they can. Sport is trying its best to continue in the region. The new Zealand Cricket team are actually playing their first Home International match since the pandemic began tomorrow. Thats a t20 game against the west indies. And the annual state of Origin Rugby League series also went ahead as planned in australia earlier this month. But what about sport elsewhere . Heres seth again. Baseball is a good place to start. The only north american sport which began a full brand new season following the initial lockdown for coronavirus. They had to play the full season without any fans in the stadiums,
it is a real costly business doing that. By the time they got to the world series, 1a,000 were allowed to go and watch in arlington in texas. That was down to individual state rules and that is going to be the big question when they restart the new season. In fact, the mba season and the nhl season are due to start in december, and then they are still trying to iron out the details of whether or not fans will be allowed within the buildings. That is slightly different because they are going to be playing indoors which increases the risk. As for football, it depends which country you are in. The majority have had to play in front of empty stadiums. Fans have returned at times in germany, but then found themselves locked down again. We are in a very tricky period scale for International Sport and you get the feeling that everybody is sitting, hoping and waiting for a vaccine which could ultimately see the return of fans to all stadiums across the globe. Thank you for watching. See you soon. Hello. There was some sunshine around today but where we have clear skies at the moment the dog is picking up and developing more widely. Weather thrones moving in, before moving to a scotland and Northern Ireland and many more cloud. This one sitting in a sappy bringing hard and patchy rain. In between we have clearer skies, wind and moisture which is where we are seeing that fog developing, especially across england and into east wales as well. More cloud into scotla nd east wales as well. More cloud into scotland and Northern Ireland, some patchy rain in the north west. Keeping frost away for most areas of scotland. It should be frost free in the extreme south of england. Patchy frost elsewhere. Together with some freezing frost patches too. More fog around tomorrow morning, that will
be slow to clear and it will be a cold day. This is the area that is more likely to have a fog lingering through the morning, that is where we have the yellow fog warning. That fog is slow to left, perhaps lifting into the cloud in the afternoon. Some sunshine across other parts of northern england, wales and the south west for a while but these showers are from the thicker cloud in the south east, running through the english channel. Some through the english channel. Some through the irish sea and cloudy skies of patchy rain for scotland and Northern Ireland. Where that fog is so tickly, it will be a cold day to the midlands, temperatures could be no better than three or 4 degrees. Slow to clear. For many of us, it will be a cloudy weekend but it should be milder and that is because pressure is going to be following so we get a bit more of a breeze. That is going to be coming in from continental europe, pushing the colder air towards the north and allows milder air to push up from the south. It is a messy start to the south. It is a messy start to the weekend, a lot of low cloud and a bit of dampness, some patchy mist
and fog and a frosty start in scotland, but the best of the sunshine probably here. Some sunshine probably here. Some sunshine coming through across southern parts of england, so 11 or 12 degrees. In the colder air of scotland, to produce no better than five or six. Second half of the weekend looks like it will be grey and gloomy. A lot of low cloud around, its a myth, patchy fog as well. Workers coming into Northern Ireland and western scotland so the best of the sunshine will be in the north east of the country. Temperatures in the afternoon, typically eight or nine celsius. This is bbc news. Iam i am kasia madera. The headlines at eight borisjohnson spells out what happens when the lockdown in england ends next week with 55 Million People being placed in the top two tiers. If we ease off now, we risk losing control of this virus all over again, casting aside the hard won gains, and forcing us back into a new Year National lockdown. Pub owners say they are facing their darkest moments covid rules mean theyre losing out at a lucrative time of the year. Right now, for hospitality, all the tiers are a version of waterboarding for our industry. We were are allowed out for a brief gasp of fiscal oxygen and we are slammed back down. Anger in the hospitality