will v” ”f: “aid will find out vll ”hr milt vain will find out what is supper and we will find out what is on the menu and how successful this evening goes in the coming hours. don't go away. this bbc news. do stay with us. bye—bye. hello, i'm ros atkins. welcome to outside source. the uk's prime minister, boris johnson, is going to be having dinner in the next few minutes with ursula von der leyen from the eu. brexit is on the menu. at the moment, it sound like neither the uk oi’ moment, it sound like neither the uk or the eu is going to back down. we will be taking back control, and we have already taken back control, of our money, our borders and our laws, and we will seize all the opportunities that brexit brings. translation: we are working on it, but we are also prepared for conditions that we cannot accept. so we will keep you up on all of that. the pfizer—biontech vaccine. meanwhile, the roll—out continues in the uk. and indian farmers vow to intensify an extraordinary protest that's been going on for almost two weeks now. and... that is cher singing to an elephant. we'll hear why in a bbc exclusive interview with her. right, straight to brussels. uk prime minister borisjohnson and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, have met. they are going to have dinner very soon. their goal is to unlock trade talks which are running very low on time. here is boris johnson here is borisjohnson at the ambassador's residence, going to meet ursula von der leyen. we will be live in brussels. first, both sides have been laying out their red lines today. here's mrjohnson in parliament. ourfriends, ourfriends in the eu, are currently insisting that if they pass a new law in the future with which we in this country do not comply or don't follow suit, then they want the automatic right, mr speaker, to punish us and to retaliate. and secondly, they're saying that the uk should be the only country in the world not to have sovereign control over its fishing waters. and i don't believe, mr speaker, that those are terms that any prime minister of this country should accept. in berlin, angela merkel also addressed parliament. translation: if there are british conditions which we cannot accept, then we will take the path of no deal. one thing is absolutely clear — the integrity of the eu's market must be preserved. let us bring in the bbc‘s kevin connolly, who is in brussels. where oui’ connolly, who is in brussels. where our expectations set for dinner?” am sure dinner will be good, in that very narrow sense, expectations are pretty high. i think the political atmosphere around dinner is very ha rd to call atmosphere around dinner is very hard to call because, of course, what we hear from hard to call because, of course, what we hearfrom ursula hard to call because, of course, what we hear from ursula von der leyen and boris johnson what we hear from ursula von der leyen and borisjohnson on the way into this meeting is what you and i have heard in many european summits, which is, we want a deal but we don't want a deal that any price, and that is essentially what they are both still saying. they have their red lines, they have those negotiating points beyond which they cannot afford to go politically, but they have not yet revealed them, and time really now is running out stuff we've been saying for a very long time that diminishing pushes coming to shove, it is all coming down to the wire. we really are at the wire. the transition period for the uk ends on the 31st of this month. if there is no deal before then, then there is no deal before then, then there will be no deal until some point in the future, when perhaps they would resume talks on a free—trade agreement, so a very narrow window of time. it seems to me the likeliest outcome of tonight's talks is in agreement to keep talking. for the moment, the chief negotiators on both sides have said, look, we have got to a certain point, we cannot go any further without high—level political engagement. they get a bit of that engagement. they get a bit of that engagement tonight. i think like —— the likeliest outcome they will tell the negotiators to have another 90, tell the negotiators to have another go, to keep talking. meanwhile, kevin, this comes on the eve of the latest eu summit. how does that fit in to the brexit equation? on the european side, there's experts to keep this separate. —— there desperate to. sanctions on what to do with russia, turkey, the mediterranean, what to do about china, how to relate to the new administration in the united states, how to manage their own internal affairs, where poland and hungary are applying problems with the budget. they have a crowded timetable. the member states, rather remarkably, have stayed united on the subject of brexit, the british have not succeeded in separating off german manufacturing from french to and french agriculture, for example, so they have a lot to thing about for themselves, they have delegated this to the european commission, to the figure of michel barnier, now a very familiarfigure the figure of michel barnier, now a very familiar figure on british television screens, and they hope they will be able to leave it in the commission's hands up until the last possible minute and they have trusted the commission to get a deal which suits all of the member states and makes all of the compromises that they are prepared to make between themselves. it is going to between themselves. it is going to bea between themselves. it is going to be a busy couple of days at the summit. they will be hoping that it is not a busy couple of days talking about boris johnson and is not a busy couple of days talking about borisjohnson and brexit. thank you very much indeed. that is kevin life with us in brussels. as we saw, borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen have met, they met in front of the flags, and they have gone off and their talks and their dinner will begin. the stumbling blocks to a deal remain the same they've been for months, but it's worth going through them. there are still disagreements on fishing. the uk wants its fishermen to have far greater access to rights fish in its waters and to be able to review foreign access on a regular basis. the eu argues its fishing industries rest on a quota system the uk has been a willing participant of — and those industries can't have their income removed overnight. there's also disagreement on business competition rules or the so—called "level playing field". here's one german green party mep. the question of the level playing field, which, to remind everyone, had already been agreed in the political declaration with the withdrawal agreement, is certainly the biggest stepping stone from our side and the question of governance — or how will the rules that we commonly agreed will be enforced in the end. and i hope that this dinner tonight is going to move us ahead, and we were hoping that maybe in this last minute, everybody comes back, realising that we should come together in the end. part of the eu's concern around the "level playing field" issue is that if it compromises here, it will set a precedent. chris morris from bbc reality check explains. and it's notjust because the eu is worried, potentially, about british companies having an unfair advantage in years to come, it's about other big global companies who might be able to come into the uk and potentially take advantage of lower regulations but still be able to access the single market. the final issue separating the sides is governance. the two sides need to agree how any deal will be enforced and how disputes will be resolved. and on the uk side, borisjohnson is facing pressure from within his own conservative party to not sign up to the eu's rule book. and all the enforcement that will come with that. here's the former conservative leader iain duncan smith. in the end of it all, the people voted to be independent, to be sovereign. the prime minister knows that and he knows future governments need to be able to exercise that sovereign choice. we can't do it if we're boot—strapped to europe, with their regulations, adjudicated by them. so that's the perspective from iain duncan smith, inside the conservative party. next on outside source, let's look at what the opposition is saying. the labour party has been criticial. here's the leader keir starmer, speaking to parliament from self—isolation at his home. he is absolutely stuck, between the deal he knows we need and the compromise is backbenchers will not let him do. i genuinely hope this is the usual prime minister's blustar. this will be... let us hear from the bbc‘s katya adler on whether this is a final chance to break the deadlock. negotiations logic would suggest that tonight would be the moment that borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen, the european commission president, who tonight represents all 27 eu member states, would say, "look, we have stared into the whites of each other‘s eyes for long enough, the clock is ticking down to the end of the transition period, now it's time for both of us to make those difficult political compromises to reach a deal." it really isn't that straightforward. and that is because we have had a clash of ideologies right from the start of these talks. for the government, it wants to defend national sovereignty that it's got since brexit. it says it doesn't want to sign up to a new brussels rule book. and for the eu, as we heard earlier today from angela merkel, it wants to protect its single market overall from what it sees as potential unfair competition from the uk, so it's not as easy as the prime minister saying, "look, ursula, i'llsign up to your competition rules if you give me a big compromise overfish." before they met this evening, both separately said they thought a deal was still possible, but the no—deal option still features prominently on the menu. we'll talk much more about brexit a little later in the hour. let's turn to the us. joe biden has unveiled his defence team. lloyd austin, a retired four—star army general, is to be secretary of defence. if the pick is confirmed by the senate, general austin would be the first black leader of the pentagon. these are file pictures of lloyd austin at a senate hearing in 2016. he retired from the army that year, which means he needs to get a congressional waiver to serve as defence secretary. there's a legal requirement that a former member of the military has to be out of uniform for at least seven years before serving as secretary of defence. now, lloyd austin was involved in the iraq war from start to finish. and that's something president—electjoe biden has been keen to highlight. yesterday, the atlantic published this opinion piece from joe biden titled why i chose lloyd austin as secretary of defense. in it, he wrote of general austin's time in iraq that... lloyd austin is the latest ofjoe biden and kamala harris' team to be unveiled. he joins janet yellen, the nominee for secretary of the treasury, and antony blinken the nominee for secretary of state. here is president—elect biden introducing lloyd austin a few minutes ago. i got to know general austin in the early days of vice president. president obama had charged me with overseeing operation iraqi freedom and the withdrawal of our forces and women from iraq. general austin was with me on the ground, notjust meeting the troops or for military strategy sessions. he was there when i was working with the correct political leaders. i watched i was working with the correct political leaders. iwatched his political leaders. iwatched his political skill, how he dealt with them. they respected him, across the board. when i met with the leaders of our coalition partners, same thing. and he was there during one particularly memorable incident when we we re particularly memorable incident when we were at a meeting at the ambassador's residence in the green zone. the insurgents launched a rocket attack on the house, and of course general austin was just another day at the office. he just sat there, kept right on going. so i sat there, kept right on going. so i sat there, kept right on going. so i sat there and kept right on going, and everyone were, what the hell are they doing? but he is cool under fire, inspiring the same in all those around him that's lloyd austin. he was the person president obama andi austin. he was the person president obama and i entrusted with the incredible task of bringing home america's forces and redeploying our military equipment safely out of iraq. it was the largest logistical operation undertaken by the army in 60 years, and getting it done required much more than military know—how. general austin was a diplomat. it was not an easy task. and here is the manjoe biden would like to be secretary of defence, lloyd austin. back in 1877, a young man from the small town of thomasville, georgia became the first african—american to graduate from united military academy at west point. and after his commissioning, he was assigned to one of the army's all— black regiments, and he was assigned to one of the army's all—black regiments, and he became the first non—white officer to lead the first non—white officer to lead the buffalo soldiers of the tenth cavalry. and so fast forward to today, nearly 150 years later. another native son of thomasville, georgia stands before you as the secretary of defence designate. next on outside source, let's talk about the covid—19 vaccine. canada has become the third country to authorise use of the pfizer—biontech coronavirus vaccine, after the uk and bahrain. the uk began its mass vaccination programme yesterday and today, medical regulators have recommended that people with a history of significant allergic reactions should not have the jab after two nhs workers had an adverse response yesterday. they've both recovered already and thousands of other people have received the vaccine without any issues. here's our health correspondent dominic hughes. they've been together ever since they met while working at basildon hospital more than five decades ago. now, vic and penny griffiths have returned to the place where they each served for a0 years, from where the covid vaccine offers some hope of better days ahead. our zest for life doesn't diminish when you get older, but the anxieties are there about catching something or doing something that may stop the span of your life. as far as i'm concerned, both of us want to have it done and get on with life. sharp scratch now, angela. but as vaccinations continue, a warning from the medicines regulator — two nhs staff, both with a history of serious allergic reactions, suffered side—effects after receiving the vaccine. we need to strengthen our advice now we've had this experience in the vulnerable populations, the groups that have been selected as a priority. we get that advice to the field immediately. the two staff members are now well again, having received treatment, but those who experience significant allergic reactions have been told to avoid getting the jab for now. experts say of the thousands who is received the vaccine both yesterday and in clinical trials, serious reactions were very rare indeed. at bradley manor care home in belfast, staff and residents were receiving their jabs. by the end of the year, more than 4 million doses of the pfizer—biontech vaccine should have arrived in the uk, and gps will start delivering vaccines next week. but from the government's most senior scientific adviser, a warning — this is no time for complacency. we have a very important light at the end of the tunnel with vaccines, we've got a lot to do to roll out the vaccines, we've got a lot to do to make sure the vulnerable are protected. it's not the time to suddenly say we relax everything, and if that happens, we will have a big surge. the vaccine is now reaching the most vulnerable, even in some of our more remote communities. today, some doses arrived in orkney in the far north of scotland. but as we embark on the biggest mass vaccination programme we've ever seen, expect some bumps along the road. dominic hughes, bbc news. now, if we turn back to brexit... if the uk and the eu fail to reach a deal by the end of the year, we know the economic impact will be considerable. that's why this issue's getting so much attention. in the uk, the government finance watchdog projects a 2% loss in gdp in the first year — that's on top of any impact from covid—19. then the governor of the bank of england says the long—term economic effects of a no—deal brexit will be worse than the coronavirus. he says, "it would be better to have a trade deal, no question about it." there were a series of parliamentary hearings yesterday about the impacts of a no—deal brexit on uk industry. the bbc‘s rob watson was listening. you had the head of the farmers union warning that there might be problems with supply of food to the uk, the car manufacturing warning you might get car production cut in half, the city of london making warnings, the haulage industry warning that you may not be able to get supplies in from the eu. i mean, it does look pretty bleak, and the government's own internal forecast — which leaked out — said in worst case scenario, i mean, you're looking at civil disorder. the disruption rob is talking about can be found in the uk's worst case scenario planning — and much of it is connected to disrupted supply lines. kent in the south—east of england will be one focus. it has a number of ports that connecting the uk to the rest of europe. dover is one of them — it sees around 2.5 million lorries a year — and at the moment, most lorries from the eu don't need to be checked at the border. now, checks are going to necessary even if there is a trade deal, but leaving without a deal will complicate things further. huge lorry parks are being prepared to accomodate the potential backlog. and by some assessments, delays could last for as long as two days. that's what may happen, but there's already disruption at uk ports. honda says it has had to stop production at its plant in swindon because of a shortage of parts. emma simpson has more. so, what has gone wrong? container ships are the arteries of global trade. covid—19 has disrupted the flow, especially from china. ports around the world are now having problems. it's just a perfect storm at the moment where we have a situation with post—pandemic rates and orders, pre—brexit stockpiling, and also christmas being a particularly busy period. we will get through this, we are confident the sector can deal with this. itjust may take a bit of time and we ask people to bear with us. felixstowe, britain's biggest container port, has been hardest hit here. it is grappling with a surge in containers ahead of christmas as well as brexit stockpiling, and it had a backlog of ppe containers, too. the ports say things are improving, but volumes could remain high for months. the whole supply chain now wants the government to look at ways to improve capacity, to keep these containers on the move. as well as impacting deliveries and supply chains, a no—deal brexit would also make eu goods more expensive in the uk. no deal means using world trade organization terms — in other words, a basic standardised set of rules for countries without trade deals. given the eu is the uk's largest trading partner, that's an economic risk, though the prime minister insists the uk will flourish. in 2019, 43% of all uk exports were to the eu and 52% of all uk imports from the eu. without a trade deal, tariffs will be applied to goods going in both directions. the average is about 2.8% for non—agricultural products, but cars may have up to 10% tariffs applied. dairy products — including french or dutch cheeses, irish butter or belgian chocolates — could become 35% more expensive. here's the chairman of tesco, the largest supermarket chain in the uk. so i think there will be an impact in terms of pricing on customers, because those sort of tariffs can't be absorbed only by the producers or the supermarket chains, but it will also, i think, change the mix of that which people eat. are people going to eat quite as much brie if it's costing 40% more? will they eat more domestically produced cheddar? we calculate the overall impact is going to be low single digit, about 3—5%, on food prices, but obviously vastly more on some selected items. of course, if this were to happen next year, these additional costs for business and consumers come in the middle of a pandemic that is already applying future financial pressure. this times article reports that a new team has been set up at the prime minister's office, to co—ordinate the government's response to a possible "nightmare scenario" of a no—deal brexit, a surge in covid—19 cases and extreme winter weather. a whitehall source is quoted, saying... let's speak to the bbc‘s jessica parker in westminster. when theresa may was prime minister, the commons was consumed with the idea of whether it should stop a no—deal brexit, the political inscape is different now, but is it a major issue for mps? i think it is, but you are right, it is an entirely different atmosphere in westminster. and honestly at that time when theresa may was in charge, the principal discussion ended up being about the withdrawal agreement, the divorce deal, that led to the tradition period we are in. —— transition period. and now we are just three weeks away from the end of that transition period, at which point it is worth saying, whatever happens, rub us as to whether there isa happens, rub us as to whether there is a deal, a trade deal, or not, there will be changes at, for example, the border, what you have been running through a moment ago, so changes are coming down the road whatever happens, but what is being obviously discussed tonight between borisjohnson obviously discussed tonight between boris johnson and ursula obviously discussed tonight between borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen, the potential, the hope for a deal which would remove tariffs for goods crossing over to the eu and vice versa. so that is sort of one of the main issues at sta ke for is sort of one of the main issues at stake for businesses looking forward into the new year, and of course businesses, and we have been hearing, have been quite vocal about their concerns of the impact of a no—deal brexit and also the time they have had to prepare for this. the government has said is investing millions in port infrastructure, in staffing and in technology, and as well putting out public information campaigns to try and encourage businesses to get ready, but the national audit office has recently reported that it is very unlikely that all businesses and industry will be ready for that january one change. and speaking of getting ready, to what degree is the government investing in preparations for a new deal —— no deal scenario? -- no deal scenario? they've invested millions in staffing, in customs at the border, in technology as well, but i think disruption is expected to matter what happens because there we extra tracks —— there will be extra checks. really is the extent to which those checks come into place and the level of disruption there is, for example, for logistic firms, for hollier firms, it is money. for those firms, implications for those just—in—time supply chains, and those are all the reasons why what is discussed tonight, the outcome, is so vital, not just for those businesses tonight, the outcome, is so vital, notjust for those businesses who operate across the channel but he impact in terms of what consumers will see, and we are the environment secretary, george eustace, saying if there is not in agreement, you can see a modest impact on food prices, but higherfor see a modest impact on food prices, but higher for beef and pork products. eventually import for businesses, for consumers, but you are right to point out earlier, those who advocate brexit, who believe in brexit, and are potentially more comfortable with the idea of a no—deal, say it will be easier in the long run to regain sovereignty and for the uk to strike trade deals across the world. just, thank you for taking us through it. ——jess. —— jess. of course, we ——jess. of course, we have —— jess. of course, we have a close eye on brussels as borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen have those discussions. good evening. bit more of a breeze today, so less fog around, but sunshine was hard to come by. we did see a little bit, particularly across the eastern half of the uk. you can see in hertfordshire, a rather stunning afternoon sky here. but there was thicker cloud, and that brings the threat of rain as we go through the rest of the day. this was cumbria just a little earlier on. that's because we've got a weather front that's moving in from the west. the rain fairly light and patchy through western scotland and northern ireland, the heaviest of which is going to be across wales and south west england as the weather front splits in two through this evening, so we see a pulse of wet weather drifting off into the near continent, some showery outbreaks of rain moving its way through scotland. widely, it's going to be an overcast night to come. that's going to prevent those temperatures from falling too low, so not a cold night in comparison to recently, 3—8 degrees to greet us first thing in the morning. there's still going to be some showery rain moving its way through northern scotland. elsewhere, the cloud thick enough for a few isolated showers, a bit drizzly, a bit drab, i'm afraid, through much of the day. the cloud is unlikely to break up, so we won't see that much in the way of sunshine, but temperatures should peak between 7—9 degrees quite widely. maybe, if we're lucky, double figures down into the south west. as we move out of thursday, we're going to see another weather front pushing through. that, again, will strengthen the winds and bring some rain. this time, it's likely that the heaviest of the rain will be across central and southern areas, but the good news is, with it, it's bringing some slightly milder air across the country. and you should notice a difference with the feel of the weather over the next few days. so, yes, there's some rain to clear away from the east of the uk. behind it, again, a drab and dreary affair, the cloud thick enough for some drizzle at times, some poor visibility close to the coast, but temperatures should peak between 7—11 degrees. and there's a chance, perhaps, of seeing a little bit of brighter weather across the channel coast. now, as we move out of friday into the start of the weekend, we've got a brief ridge of high pressure on saturday before another area of low pressure is set to arrive, so saturday looks likely to be the best day. we'll see some drier, brighter weather. by sunday, it's a case of overcast, wet and windy at times. that's it. take care. hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. crunch time for brexit talks. borisjohnson is right now trying to find out if he can still pull off a trade deal. he's meeting with the president of the european commission. we will be taking back control, and we have already taken back control, of our money, our borders and our laws, and we will seize all the opportunities that brexit brings. translation: we are working on it, but we are also prepared for conditions that we cannot accept. we'll bring you any developments from that dinner in brussels. also in the programme — a massive strike by farmers in india is continuing. it's been nearly two weeks now, and there's no sign they're backing down. and this is cher singing to an elephant. we'll hear how this came about in a bbc world exclusive interview with her. returning now to our top story, brexit. these trade talks are proving so hard to resolve because despite how we describe them, this isn't just about trade. neither side defines success solely by whether the best financial outcome has been achieved. far from it. this is about deeply held ideas. or as the bbc‘s europe editor katya adler puts it... it's a clash of ideologies, basically. what the eu want to do, first and foremost, it's not about fish, it's about protecting the single market. that's because the single market is both economically and ideologically central to the very idea of the eu. as a political project, it is unique, and it's also one of the biggest free—trade areas in the world. access to that is arguably the biggest benefit of being an eu member. no wonder the eu wants to protect it. but the economic benefits are just the start. these pictures are from 2018, when angela merkel and emmanuel macron, arm and arm, marked a deeper commitment to france and germany working together. for them, for many within the european union, this commitment to co—operate, to be closer, is rooted in the second world war and a desire to never let war return. the single market is a symbol of that co—operation and that commitment. again, no wonder the eu wants to protect it. but on the other side of these trade talks is the uk, equally committed to the ideas and ambitions that underpin brexit. but the only deal that is possible is one that is compatible with our sovereignty and takes back control of our laws, trade and waters. after all, if you promised voters to take back control and to be free of european regulations, then no wonder you don't want a trade deal that ties you to european regulations. if you promised sovereignty, no wonder you want to be able to choose who fishes in your waters now and in the future. these are not ideas that are easily compromised for either side. and as my colleague lewis goodall notes... in quite different ways, the eu and brexit are radical ideas. the eu seeks peace and proseperity through a profound commitment to integration and the inevitable dilution of the nation—state. brexit is the uk walking way from that idea and reasserting the idea of a sovereign nation—state as the best route to defend its interests and security and the best way for the uk to contribute to the world. when you see the trade talks in those terms, it is perhaps no surprise that agreement is proving elusive. it's not just about trade, it's about trying square two very different ideas of how to organise our world. steven erlanger is chief diplomatic correspondent in europe for the new york times. he's on the line from brussels. great to have you back on the programme. when you try and explain the eu approach and the uk approach to american readers, how do you go about doing that? well i do it much the way that katya did it. which is to say that the european union is a body of regulation of loss, it's not a state. but it does have a free—trade area and a free travel area that it needs to protect. and it wants anyone entering that area with no quotas, note duty, free access to a bay by the rules, otherwise it fears unfair competition. so what is saying to britain is if you want free trade with us, you are going to have to regulate in a way that is comparable to the way we are doing it. and if you don't want to do that, then we cannot have you have a privileged relationship. and britain, as you are saying, is arguing that its sovereignty means it will not be subject to european regulations or more importantly to the european court ofjustice. because british courts have to rule. so in essence there is a principal argument about, yes, you want access but for access you need to at least to be aligned with our rules. and if you are going to diverge from our rules, you need some way of arbitrating disputes that may be outside of your court of justice or outside the british courts. now these are really the issues at stake. the fish, they will deal with. fish is of the biggest problem, it seems to me. it's a politically sensitive problem to be sure both for british fishermen, french fishermen, dutch, belgian fishermen, there is a lot of history in terms of fish, but economically that's not the point. your point is correct, it's about principle. europe is about shared sovereignty for the betterment of all, at least in principle. and britain has said we don't want that. so the question becomes what kind of relationship and how close a relationship they can have. and that's really what's at stake. and as someone who is reported on both sides of the atlantic, in europe, the uk is the odd one out, the one walking away from something most other countries are doing but in the context of north, central and south america, actually being an independent sovereign state without the level of integration that comes with the eu would be considered the norm. actually right. and these are sovereign choices. the british people have made a choice. i suspected they voted again, they might vote a bit differently because this the not the oven ready deal and not the easy deal some suggested that it would be. but britain is a big economy, it's a thriving country, it will do ok. but there will be, if there is no deal, there'll be a period of chaos, there's no question. even if this deal happens, i still believe this deal happens, i still believe this deal will happen in some fashion, it's a very narrow deal. it's not going to be easy. there are still going to be easy. there are still going to be all kinds of paperwork and travel issues and pension issues that will need to be worked out down the road. but britain will be ok. i think it will lose some growth, and growth loss is lost forever. it will bei growth loss is lost forever. it will be i believe more damaging to the british economy than to the european economy simply by the nature of the comparative size. but this is not an existential problem one way or another. and i have to tell you, in brussels, they are thoroughly sick of this whole topic. they have other issues in front of them having to do with the seven year budget, have you do with the rule of law, have you do with turkish sanctions. this is beginning to be a feeling that if britain does not want to play along, then fine. thank you very much indeed. we appreciate you sharing your analysis with us and you could read him by the new york times website of course. one thing that has apparently been agreed is how resolve questions around brexit and the irish border. yesterday, uk cabinet minister michael gove and european commisson vice president maros sefcovic posed for this picture, and they announced they'd reached an agreement in a separate set of talks parallel to the main trade negotations. it's focus was how to avoid any border checks on the island of ireland. it's the only land border the uk shares with the eu. accodig this new agreement, after the 1st of january when the tranisiton period ends, northern ireland will remain part of the uk customs territory, but also part of the eu single market for goods. so it'll have a combination, following some of the rules of from both. now, the uk was concerned that in some situations, there could be tariffs applied to goods moving within the uk, between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. michael gove said in parliament the eu had been pressing quite hard for tariffs, some of which would have been paid back, but nevertheless. mr gove says now the uk persuaded the eu not to do that. i'm pleased to say that under the agreement that we've reached, and northern ireland businesses selling to consumers or using goods in northern ireland will be free of all tariffs. whether that's nissan cars from sunderland or lamb. internal uk trade will be protected as we promised whether we have a free—trade agreement with the eu or not. under what's been agreed, there will be what's called a trusted trader scheme for companies to sign up to. that should mean 98% of goods going between great britain and northern ireland will be exempt from any import duty that would otherwise be due. it's complicated stuff. here's chris page in belfast with more of what's been agreed. one of the major issues had been concerns that new checks on food products arriving to the likes of here, belfast port, from the rest of the uk would mean there would be disruption to supermarket supply. so michael gove in the commons has announced that there will be a grace period for supermarkets, in effect no change for at least three months and six months for chilled meat products, so that should ensure that goods going to supermarkets keep moving smoothly across the irish sea. another big issue has been around tariffs if there is no trade deal between the uk in the eu. wel, then the position was that goods that came here from england, scotland, wales were deemed at risk of moving across the land border into the republic of ireland, therefore the eu, would have tariffs due. but it's understood there will be a trusted trader scheme, so companies can decide it for that and that will mean that 98% of those goods will be exempt from any import duties that would otherwise be due. now the implications of all this will be carefully analysed. businesses still seeking more clarity in areas like, for example, exactly what kind of paperwork is going to be needed on the goods moving across the irish sea. one bit of administration that we now know isn't going to be required was always a possibility of export declarations being needed on goods going in the other direction, from northern ireland to great britain, the government says now that's not going to be the case. it has been negotiated away. we heard michael gove for the government. the oppositon labour party says the agreement has come too late for businesses in northern ireland, who now won't have time to prepare for the changes. the agriculture department in northern ireland say that the border infrastructure sending won't be ready in time and manufacturing ni sayjust 9% of businesses in northern ireland are ready for the end of transition period. and the systems needed to make trade flow, such as the trader support service, reportedly won't even be going live until december the 21st, eight working days before the end of the transition period. mr speaker, this really does give new meaning to the night before christmas. the polical context is that northern ireland's democractic unionists, who want northern ireland to remain in the uk, oppose the withdrawal agreement that the uk and the eu agreed last year on the terms of the the uk's departure. they oppose it because they say it treats northern ireland differently to the rest of the uk and that's anathema to them as unionists. and while this new arrangement will be subject to regular review, their ongoing fear is that this could be a first step towards loosening ties with the uk, as you'll hear here. the import of foodstuffs from gb will be reviewed again in three months' time. and if the mindset of the eu is still the same in three months' time, namely that goods coming from gb into northern ireland will be treated as imports from a third country, then we're going to have the same wrangle all over again. and indeed i note that the irish government is now the irish government is now spinning that that three—month period should be used by businesses which were selling, supermarkets for example, who are selling food in northern ireland to source their products from the irish republic. john campbell is bbc northern ireland's business editor. no one better to talk to on this issue. help me out here. opt for this conundrum for years. does this agreement finally solved the issue of the irish border? i think it does. effectively it resolves it by pushing the borderfrom does. effectively it resolves it by pushing the border from the land to the sea. so what is going to mean is that over time, they are going to be more checks and controls on goods coming across the irish sea from great britain into northern ireland. therefore nothing will have to be checked as it crosses the land border. that may have been some unionist in northern ireland and people like cindy wilson you just heard from my perhaps they were hoping that uk government would not go through this. —— sammy wilson. in recent times it would mean they would not go through it but remember the uk government said it was prepared to break international about walking back certain parts of that northern ireland agreement but now they have reached this agreement with the eu on this particular matter. they say they are going to implement this irish sea border and as far as the four mr of ireland is concerned, he says the matter is now closed and the checks will be on the sea closed and the checks will be on the sea border and not the land border and that is an arrangement which is going to endure. help me understand this, what is about these checks in the irish sea that is ok for government that was not about the previous plans for the checks in the irish sea? in broadbrush terms, they're irish sea? in broadbrush terms, they‘ re pretty irish sea? in broadbrush terms, they're pretty much the same. what michael gove was saying is different todayis michael gove was saying is different today is under the previous arrangements we could have had an awful lot of goods coming from great britain into northern ireland will be subject to tariffs or trade taxes and under this new trusted trader scheme, that will happen. the other thing he was suggesting was there will be certain goods like sausages which would have been banned altogether, but they will still be able to come in. however only for six months. so it does seem likely that the sort of range of checks and controls that we were talking about a year ago controls that we were talking about a yearago in controls that we were talking about a year ago in this deal was originally done, they were largely still apply and the progress has made on the customs side of things, the terrace will be charged on goods coming into northern ireland in virtually all circumstances. but nonetheless, think back to last year when the then irish prime minister and boris johnson met when the then irish prime minister and borisjohnson met and borges and agree to putting some checks in the irish sea which was a huge political gamble on his behalf. that political gamble on his behalf. that political gamble still holds. the plan in broadbrush terms to use your phrase still holds. there are going to be checks in the uk. absolutely. i think what you have seen over the last year has been a certain amount of denialfrom the last year has been a certain amount of denial from the uk government about what they signed up to. there was certainly disagreement about the extent of checks that were going to be. and there was also that defiance you can government was prepared to break international law, particularly on this issue that may be new paperwork on goods going from northern ireland to great britain. now that that piece of paper work seems to be negotiated away but government seems content because it has removed that threat to break international law. so i think your businesses in northern ireland, there is a great sense of annoyance of time wasted over the last year because they will look at what was agreed a year ago and what's to be home in shortly and say there's front and not that much difference there and we could have taken more time in recent months to repair but as it is, with about three weeks ago, the fine detail of all this movement of goods from great britain and northern ireland, the new changes which are going to come in, we still don't have the law. there are still a lot of outstanding questions despite what we heard from the government today. john, thank you very much indeed. whatever the rights and wrongs of what's happened over the last few months, here we are in the uk at least on the 9th of december and the uk is a period finishes on the 31st and many businesses do not have a complete businesses do not have a complete business picture of what will be acquitted of them on the 1st of january. we will keep you up—to—date on the brexit story as it evolves through the evening with boris johnson and brussels. stay with us on outside source. still to come... i thought, "i'm an entertainer, i can't do this," so i called this guy... we're going to hear exclusively from the singer and actor cher about how she became involved in the rescue of an elephant in islamabad. a landmark report says the uk can make major cuts to carbon emissions more cheaply than previously thought. the climate change committee says that for less than 1% of national wealth, the uk can reduce 78% of emissions by 2035. but we'll need to eat less meat, cut back on flights and change the way we heat our homes. here's inger andersen from the united nations environment programme on what needs to be done. the kind of things we are hearing from the uk and other countries, too, this commitment to net zero that is very important, but then using the stimulus packages that are rolling out now precisely to ensure that we do not go back to where we were and stimulate a high—carbon intense economy, but that we use this to shift our economic track forward. if we do nothing, if we just continue as we were, we will, by the end of this century our report projects, be at an average of 3.5 centigrade increase in temperatures. that is in the red zone, if you like, and that is not where we want to be. if we do what we promised to do in what is called the national determined contributions, these documents that each government government has submitted, and these numbers are as of november, last month, we would be 3—3.5 degrees, not a great deal of difference. if, on the other hand, we take those 51% of emissions globally that those countries have made a commitment to net zero and take that, and then we, for good measure, add the us because we hope that they will come in and make similar, well, then we get to 2.5 degrees, still too high. therefore it is imperative that all that money that we are borrowing from the future generation, that we don't give to the future generation a broken planet and a pile of debt. this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is — uk prime minister borisjohnson and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, are meeting in brussels in the hope they will be able to reach a last—minute agreement on a trade deal. the latest on this massive farmers strike in india. the government's offer to water down proposed changes to the prices paid for crops has been rejected. and the farmers are vowing to intensify their protests, which are already two weeks old. the focus is a village called singhu border, which is on the approach to delhi. tens of thousands of farmers are there. these are some of the latest pictures. they believe new measures will expose their markets to large corporations and in turn threaten their livelihoods by driving down prices. and you can see these blockades are happening in pretty grim wintry conditions. but they're vowing not to leave until the reforms are cancelled. here's our correspondent in delhi, nitin srivastava. despite both sides, the protesting farmers and the government showing consistent willingness to negotiate, to hold regular talks, today was the fourth round of talks between the leaders of the farmers and the government ministers. and until late yesterday, last night, they had like almost four rounds of negotiations. and today, when the government came up with a proposal which spoke about amending the law which is quite controversial now, as the farmers say, they said that they will amend something. the farmers immediately, within two hours of the proposal, they said that we are rejecting the proposal and we are actually going to intensify this. and as you said, it's been two weeks. there are, like, tens of thousands of farmers out here from their homes protesting out in the cold. it has been very tough for them, and the government also is finding it difficult now to sort of convince them as well as a common consensus is to be arrived. this next story involves the singer and actor cher and an overweight elephant in islamabad. cher led a campaign to save the 36—year—old bull elephant from an islamabad zoo accused of substandard care and conditions. the campaign led to the elephant being rescued and flown to a sanctuary in cambodia. cher was there to welcome the animal, named kavaan. well, in an exclusive interview, she's spoken to katty kay and christian fraser about how she become involved. i met this man through bob geldof, who was his manager, and we got in the wrong cars and we started talking about elephants. and so my twitter followers kept bothering me about save kavaan, and i was thinking, "yeah, fine," and go to pakistan. and so i had... i thought, "i'm an entertainer, i can't do this." so i called this guy, mark, and i said, "do you remember me? we rode in a car together and what do you think about saving an elephant in pakistan?" and he said, "oh, good, i'll go right now. " and so he went there and the first thing he did, he walked into the zoo, he said, "put a top on the shed, take off the shackles, give us some water, give us some toys," and they did it. and then, cher, you got kavaan flown to cambodia and you were there to meet him. what did that feel like when he arrived? it was amazing. it was amazing because we were all so happy, i had my friends with me, and we were amazed that we actually did this. i am amazed that we actually did this because i never thought i would be going to pakistan, and i never thought i would be bringing an elephant to cambodia. it's a huge amount of effort, cher, for one animal, for one elephant. why this one? what was it about his story in particular that you felt was worth you going to pakistan, you going to cambodia to meet him and putting this whole operation together? well, because the kids on my twitter site just kept telling me that i had to do this, and i kept thinking, "well, if ijust don't say anything, they'll go away." and they didn't. and then they said, "you know, he was shackled and he has these terrible scars around his back legs and that he was shackled and that i had to do something." you know what they say, cher, elephants never forget. they have a long memory. he's so wonderful. do you think... do you think he knows? i know that's a silly thing, but he had been... 16 years you just described of him being shackled and pulled by a hook, and now, am i right, he's in a safari park, he has room to roam. he's got, like... he went to the penthouse, 0k? and you can see that interview in full with katty and christian on bbc news at 2100 this evening. good evening. bit more of a breeze today, so less fog around, but sunshine was hard to come by. we did see a little bit, particularly across the eastern half of the uk. you can see in hertfordshire, a rather stunning afternoon sky here. but there was thicker cloud, and that brings the threat of rain as we go through the rest of the day. this was cumbria just a little earlier on. that's because we've got a weather front that's moving in from the west. the rain fairly light and patchy through western scotland and northern ireland, the heaviest of which is going to be across wales and south west england as the weather front splits in two through this evening, so we see a pulse of wet weather drifting off into the near continent, some showery outbreaks of rain moving its way through scotland. widely, it's going to be an overcast night to come. that's going to prevent those temperatures from falling too low, so not a cold night in comparison to recently, 3—8 degrees to greet us first thing in the morning. there's still going to be some showery rain moving its way through northern scotland. elsewhere, the cloud thick enough for a few isolated showers, a bit drizzly, a bit drab, i'm afraid, through much of the day. the cloud is unlikely to break up, so we won't see that much in the way of sunshine, but temperatures should peak between 7—9 degrees quite widely. maybe, if we're lucky, double figures down into the south west. as we move out of thursday, we're going to see another weather front pushing through. that, again, will strengthen the winds and bring some rain. this time, it's likely that the heaviest of the rain will be across central and southern areas, but the good news is, with it, it's bringing some slightly milder air across the country. and you should notice a difference with the feel of the weather over the next few days. so, yes, there's some rain to clear away from the east of the uk. behind it, again, a drab and dreary affair, the cloud thick enough for some drizzle at times, some poor visibility close to the coast, but temperatures should peak between 7—11 degrees. and there's a chance, perhaps, of seeing a little bit of brighter weather across the channel coast. now, as we move out of friday into the start of the weekend, we've got a brief ridge of high pressure on saturday before another area of low pressure is set to arrive, so saturday looks likely to be the best day. we'll see some drier, brighter weather. by sunday, it's a case of overcast, wet and windy at times. that's it. take care. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. the prime minister dines in brussels with the eu commission president to try and break the deadlock over a post brexit trade deal. boris johnson says a good deal is there to be done but not at be done but the eu sticks to its current demands. we will be taking back control. we have already taken back control. we have already taken back control of our money, our borders and our laws and we will seize all the opportunities that brexit brings. and that sharad was that uncertainty get the deal to be promised and allowed the country to move on. i'm in brussels where the prime minister is having dinner with the european commission president to debate the main sticking points still in