Transcripts For BBCNEWS Outside Source 20201223

Park in kent after france reopened its border with the uk. We start the programme on brexit because there is increasing speculation a trade deal between the uk and the eu could be agreed as early as tonight. It is understood the broad shape of an agreement is there but theres still some discussion over details. Our europe editor katya adler has the latest from brussels. The expectation here in brussels is that tonight is the night. Or at least that it should be. Eu diplomats say there is so little difference now between the the two sides. That said, they are continuing to negotiate this evening on the last sticking point. Weve spoken so much about fish that eu keep some fishing rights in uk waters after brexit. And all the complexities surrounding that. The Prime Minister is said to have been in very close contact with the president of the European Commission who of course represent all the eu countries in his discussion. That makes absolute sense. Because its only at those top political levels that those very difficult last political compromises could be made. Because its only at those top political levels that those very difficult last political compromises could be made. So course, everybody nowjust waits to hear whether a deal has been reached or not to hear whether a deal has rob watson is our uk Political Correspondent. One imagine they are going over the details with finetooth right now. One imagine they are going over the details with finetooth right nowli have to say waiting more easily than iam have to say waiting more easily than i am after this. After all this time. I think when does have to be very careful after four and a half yea rs. Very careful after four and a half years. Absolutely waiting on the detail. Lets remember that if there is deal this will be its not an exaggeration, a truly historic moment. And the most important moment. And the most important moment in british political history since the vote to leave the european union. Again, without getting too far ahead of ourselves, if there is a deal if that detail does get resolved and they consider the big picture is fine as well is a detail, it means there will think that wont be no deal. That is massively important for someone with think that would have led to political and economic chaos here in the uk. And perhaps the start of an unthinkable sort of enmity or almost rivalry between the uk and the european union. If there is a deal it makes that much less likely. Rob, are we any that much less likely. Rob, are we a ny clearer that much less likely. Rob, are we any clearer as to what this deal potentially looks like . Well, no. Dont forget its going to be over 1000 pages long for them its pretty good. I think its worth remembering, i was talking up the idea of a deal as opposed to no deal and highlighting the differences. Its still worth remembering that were its still worth remembering that we re pretty its still worth remembering that were pretty sure its going to be a very ha rd were pretty sure its going to be a very hard brexit. What do you mean by that is the uk is leaving the European Unions main sort of economic elements as it were, they single market. And the Customs Union and as faras single market. And the Customs Union and as far as we understand, this deal wont cover things which were important to the uk Services Like financial services. It will be what some people are calling a fair lee bare bones trade deal. I guess optimist we tend to take the view that it least if you have a deal at something you can build on. The uk could decide to get closer to the european union, reverse its divergence. Or as some would like it to maybe become more divergent from the european union. But at least you sort of got a starting point where you could decide where you want to go to from there. Preferably with easing of tensions here in the uk over the brexit divisions and of course the uks tension with brussels. We may be getting a little bit ahead of ourselves. Thank you very much. Lets go live to west minister and stick to our correspondent. There has been talk of the uk having to compromise in the end on fishing. Do we know any more about that . And if that is true how will that go down with some parts of tory party . Theres been a lot of movement on fishing in the last few days. It was perhaps the big outstanding issue at the weekend for some it was also the issue of how you police rules. Fisheries has been one of those issues. In the uk it was obviously these symbolic of some of the washed elements of being in the european union. And from very European Countries its really important that their fishermen still have access to uk waters. At the weekend there was some Pretty Big Movement from both sides. And it did seem they were heading in the right sort of direction. Where there could bea sort of direction. Where there could be a compromise. So the big question is whether thats gone far enough and whether it can be signed off tonight. Weve not had that confirmed yet. There is no guarantee that it will be. If we learned anything from the last few months of the Brexit Process its that sometimes last minute hurdles do appear. Dont be sitting there tonight thinking this is absolutely done. My understanding is the two sides last hour have still been in the negotiating room. Not all done. However, if the deal is signed off it will be really interesting to see how coastal communities, how some tory mps react. Because there were some who at the start of this process really didnt want any sort of fisheries deals linked to trade. It looks like there may well be some links between fisheries and trade 110w. Links between fisheries and trade now. Big question is going to be how long before the new rules come in . Whether there is a lengthy transition to new quarters and what the quarters look like i. A lot of that will be in the eye of the beholder. Im sure if that deal is done both sides will be able to say look, weve got something good from theirs. At the same time im sure there will be some on either side who arent completely satisfied. Thank you nick. More of course on that story as and when we get it on bbc news. Lets stay here in the uk. 6 Million People will be moving into tierfor 6 Million People will be moving into tier for coronavirus restrictions from boxing day. The uk help secretary matt hancock announced the change is saying it was vital the Government Act as cases continue to rise at an dangerous rate. Hospital admissions are now at their highest level since mid april. Our Political Correspondent. Heres our Political Correspondent laila nathoo. Not the gift the government wanted to give. Having already scaled back plans to allow christmas mixing but ministers say the new strain of the virus has forced their hand. We have learned that when it comes to being a matter of when not if we take action it is better to act sooner. And i know that some of these decisions are tough. And i believe that everybody will do what is needed to keep themselves and others safe. Especially this christmas. And i know from the bottom of my heart that there are brighter skies ahead. The government insists its confident that the system of tiered restriction in england is now Strong Enough to contain the new strain of virus that is spreading quicker while the vaccine is being rolled out. Almost half of the countries population will soon be in the toughest tier. Ministers say they dont want another National Lockdown but are keeping everything under review. We been here before and they had to change course. The cheer of christmas is muted this year. If a millions facing even stricter rules boxing day will bring a further test of resolve. The reason for the changes is clear the coronavirus outbreak in the uk is out of control. Here are the latest numbers, they show that there were a further 39,237 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the past 2a hours the highest figure reported on a single day throughout the pandemic. Its important to note that Testing Capacity has increased considerably since the first peak in spring. A further 744 people have died, taking the total number of confirmed uk deaths to 69,051. We all know that 2020 has been a hard year. And its ending in this festive period which is going to be very different. Across the country cases have risen 57 in the last week. The average covid hospital admissions are1,909a day. Thats the highest figure since mid april. There are 18,915 people in hospital with coronavirus right now. Thats almost as many as there were at the peak. So two days before christmas its already a bleak picture and matt hancock now says yet another new variant has been detected in two people arriving from south africa. Heres more of what he said. This new variant is highly concerning. Because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the uk. Weve taken the following action, first, we are quarantining cases and close contact of cases found here in the uk. Second, we are placing immediate restrictions on travel from south africa. And finally and most importantly, anyone in the uk who has been in south africa in the past fortnight and anyone who is a close contact of someone who has been in south africa in the last fortnight must quarantine immediately. Lets get more on that from our Health Correspondent katharine da costa. More work needs to be done in this. There will be further investigations going on in Public Health england, laboraroties in porton down wiltshire to find out more about the behaviour of this South African variant. As well as Ongoing Investigation into the variant that seen circulating predominantly in lending, the southeast and east of england. Well the rapid spread of new strains has led to questions about whether vaccines will still be effective. Scientists say its highly likely they will. Heres katharine da costa on that. More than half a Million People have so far received their first dose of the Pfizer Biontech vaccine, but with concern about a new variant of the spreading 50 70 more quickly, there have been calls to speed up the roll out of vaccines by giving more people one dose rather than two. Given the circumstances we are facing, with the rapidly expanding number of cases, spreading through the country, we have to do what we can to save as many lives as we possibly can as quickly as we can. Therefore, giving second doses only gives a marginal benefit compared with the benefit you get from giving more people first doses. Trials found the vaccine provided 52 protection after the first jab. That rises to 91 after the second dose. And reaches 95 a week later, after the first jab. The uk regulators approved the Pfizer Vaccine based on two doses so any changes we need to be reviewed. In the meantime the decision on the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine is expected soon. The uk has pre ordered 100 million doses. If approved around 4 million could be available straightaway. Given it is easy to store and distribute, Large Community vacination centres like this one in epsom could begin operation. Questions have been raised over whether the new variant in the uk will affect the impact of the vaccine. Those behind the jabs are confident it will work, but a few tweaks can be made. We can start to engineer a vaccine that completely mimics this new mutation and we could be able to provide a new vaccine technically, within six weeks. Further research into the new variant is still ongoing. Some experts advising the government think it could be much more widespread than first thought, after ten cases were picked up in denmark. In a country as small as denmark a relatively low infection rate, it would suggest, in my view, that the virus has been introduced into the great majority, if not more of European Countries. We are likely to see a greater use of Community Mass testing. The uk regulator has just approved rapid tests which provide results in 30 minutes can be used by people at home, too. Catherine da costa, bbc now to the border between the uk an france. It reopened on wednesday but the situation in the port of dover is still chaotic. Rapid testing of the drivers is already under way but because there are now at least 5,000 lorries backed up its clearly going to take time to get things moving. Heres the uks transport secretary grant shapps. Its been an enormous operation. But once we got the army deploying tests which is happened this evening as well as much larger number of people from the nhs test and trace system. We can handle the number of test today. The problem is not the number of tests, its not the number of sailings today. 10,000 is about will get through in a busy day in kent. We can do that number of test as well for the is the logistics of people following the instructions, make it sure its clear in order we can get traffic rolling for some again, the more that people follow the clear instructions the faster to get this resolved. It will take a matter of days rather than weeks or anything else. But they will be, im afraid im some patients required. We will be providing some welfare for lorry drivers and others at making sure that we can do that. Well after 3 days stranded the drivers are frustrated and angry. This was the scene earlier as you can see groups of protesting drivers clashed with lines of police who had blocked the port off. The bbc has heard from some of them. Police from three days told us that testing will start soon. But they dont know when. They dont know when. And thats why people are protesting for that because we just want to make the test and go straight to home. In one day is christmas. We are in a three day, we are very tired, we stay in the cars, we dont have a lot of food, no money. Its not very good. England told me and i have to pass next test. Said i can go to france. But i dont see test. Our reporter amanda akass was there and had been hearing their frustrations. Ive spoken to people whove been here since sunday night. One man told me im out of food, out of drink, out of money. There is nowhere to go to the loo down here in central dover. Ive had people crying to me saying that they were hoping to get back to see their children in time for christmas. They dont know whats going on. They cant go back because both sides of the road here are completely blocked. So it is an extremely difficult situation. Weve heard today from the leader of Dover Council who says he just doesnt see how all of these people are going to be able to get across the channel in time for christmas. Even when the port itself has reopened. So heres how travel and freight is now working between the uk and france under the agreement. Hauliers, french citizens and british nationals living in france can now travel by air, rail or sea. But in order to get across theyll have to show that theyve tested negative for covid 19 in the last 72 hours. As i mentioned to help clear the blockage of lorries at dover rapid lateral flow tests will be given out to hauliers. Results will come in 30 minutes a positive test will mean isolation in a local hotel. The arrangement will be reviewed on the 31 december, but could run until 6january. Nhs test and trace staff and the military have started testing. Sangita myska is there and sent this a short time ago. We think that there are about officially 5,000 vehicles trying to get into the port of dover. But i have to say, my colleagues suggested the real figure is quite a bit higher. What you can see perhaps in the background, again, more police lines. And some of the vehicles now coming out of the port of dover. I have been told on the ground that these are lorries that are disembarking from ferries. That would be a positive sign. The reason thats a positive sign is because it means that those ferries could be getting ready to set sail for the paddle i know that . Because about two hours ago we saw the first mobile testing kits. Coming here to the port of dover. Let me just take you across to the mouth of the port. What the Police Officers as been telling me is that they took some vehicles in quite a few hours ago and had the drivers park them inside the mouth of the port. Its thought that what will happen is they will get tested. If they test negative they will, when the ferry is ready, be able to board that ferry and start breaking the deadlock. The job of testing all the hauliers is a massive one and heres why this is the manston air field where thousands of the lorries have been parked up for days testing has began there but is clearly taking time. The lateral flow tests they are using are quick but still take around 30 minutes to get a result. Elizabeth de yong is the policy director for logistics uk, which is involved in efforts to get lorry drivers tested for coronavirus and back to mainland europe. She says despite the agreement with france and the start of Rapid Testing not a single lorry has crossed the channel from the uk to france. Well, last night so hopeful with the situation thinking that it could just be done. We had offers of additional sailings add additional ports. But now 18 hours after the border has operated, i am far less hopeful. I think we need to be planning for the lorry drivers to be still be an kent and doing our best to give them a better christmas than they might be otherwise having without our help. Theres also been frustration in france with thousands stranded in the uk trying to get home for christmas many are slamming the government for their handling of the situation. And the frustration is clear among those making the decisions as well. This tweet comes from frances Deputy Europe minister clement beaune. He tweeted a picture of the huge number of lorries and said, in french, for all the pseudo atriots who call for the permanent closure of borders every day. Tagging the far right politician Marine Le Pen and others. But amongst the waiting, the anger and the uncertainty people have been reaching out to help the lorry drivers, particularly with food and supplies. One of them is ravi singh who runs the charity, khalsa aid. He travelled to the m20 last night with a group of volunteers and worked late into the night providing over 800 hot meals and snacks for hundreds of stranded lorry drivers. One thing that lifts people all over the world is a warm meal. So that was the aim to see if we could reach out, provide a hot meal, to lift the spirits of these guys. Who are prisoners in their cab on the m 20 without no services, no shops, no access to anything. More countries are easing their travel restrictions with the uk with the netherlands and bulgaria starting to allow travel from the uk with a negative covid test. But the uk is very much still very isolated from the rest of the world days before christmas. The list of countries with restrictions and bans is massive more than forty countries have taken action and even more are following suit. The philippines, japan and south korea have become the latest countries to restrict british people from entering because of the new variant of coronavirus. On tuesday the eus executive branch, the European Commission, called on Member States to lift their travel bans imposed against the uk amid fears of a new covid strain. As we mentioned some countries have followed that advice but most have not changed their restrictions. Heres our correspondent in brussels gavin lee. About 22 countries Member States that have still got some kind of restrictions or bands wholesale in place. Its interesting because the restriction recommendations to be lifted were quite clear yesterday that they should be lifted and in places should be test people to prove negative for covid within 72 hours before arrival. Or quarantine measures in place. There were they did exactly what they said. Only france nationals and freight drivers which were heaven about. Its interesting because some of the British Press suggesting that this is down to politics. Micron was pushed into it by a commission of the french as a no, this was one of their ideas to lift these measures with these tests in place. Some papers calling him ms. Europe may have. They said thats not the case. As they say many countries doing their own thing for top including baltic states. They are putting on a report deviation flight next monday at half past five for all those people who cant get home for christmas. To bosnia now where a fire has broken out at an emergency migrant camp, just as aid agencies began to pull out due to the lack of electricity and water. Officials say former residents set fire to tents and containers. There are no reports of anyone hurt but the blaze means nearly three thousand people will have to sleep in the open in freezing temperatures. The un says theyre in dire need of humanitarian aid. Lets get more from our balkans correspondent guy de launey. This particular centre which weve seen the fire up their is called lipo. Its near the city in northwestern bosnia. In that city itself is quite close to the border with croatia felt up its a magnet for thousands of people coming up those balkan trails who want to get into the european union, over the borderfrom bosnia into croatia. The problem is at anyone time bosnia has something between seven and 10,000 people who are staying in the country prior to moving on. It doesnt have the means to accommodate them. Once more youve got places where organisations like the International Organisation for migration have set up Emergency Centers for these people. But the local authorities, local residents dont want that to happen. They dont want that to happen. They dont like having thousands of outsiders in their town. And what weve seen today is a result of that. The iom was going to close libre the National Authorities were meant to renovate it. But the local authorities were blocking people from moving elsewhere. And this fire appears to have been a protest at all those shenanigans. And a couple of weeks ago the International Organisation for immigration were warning me about exactly this. We talk to them and they were saying look, people will die in the winter if they are not given accommodation. Because now with the 1500 or so residents of libra effectively out on their own, they are joining another 1500 to 2000 people who were already sleeping rough in abandoned buildings, improvise camps or even just in the forest. Now this is a great at the best of times was up and winter in the western balkans is not the best of times if you have a got proper shelter. To stay with us on outside source. Coming up in a few minutes time ill have much more on the brexit deal situation and also be hearing from our correspondent on the situation in tigre and ethiopia. To stay here with us here on bbc news. Hello. Certainly been another wet day on wednesday. Things thankfully turning dryer and also cold as we move through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day itself here is the area of low pressure that brought a lot of rain to england and wales on wednesday for some there is still plenty of Flood Warning in forest with up river levels very high in places without localised flooding continue tonight into Christmas Eve morning for that that rain clearing away towards the south, colder, clearer skies. Also some wintry showers. Could be some snow for the north of scotla nd could be some snow for the north of scotland for some some here as well. A touch of frost further south. Quite a chilly start to quit like that Christmas Eve morning for them heading through Christmas Eve on thursday High Pressure sent out towards the west. Keeping things mostly dry but weve got these cold, northerly winds. The blue colour across the map showing that really cold air mass. Moving through Christmas Eve a day of sunshine and showers was up most showers Christmas Eve a day of sunshine and showers was up most showers across eastern england, Northern England and scotland see wintry flurries. Though showers blowing in on that brisk northerly wind for them it will feel cold if youre exposed to that northerly wind. Temperatures around three to 8 degrees on Christmas Eve. Best of the sunshine and dry conditions to be found towards western parts of the uk. Moving through Christmas Eve night into Christmas Day itself, and this area doing an area of High Pressure will dominate. That will squeeze away most of the showers was up still one or two around that east coast for the first thing christmas morning, look at those temperatures. Below freezing pretty much across the board. A crisp, frosty start to the board. A crisp, frosty start to the day. Plenty of sunshine for Christmas Day especially across more southern and eastern parts of england and wales. The cloud will increase from the north much of the day and there will be some rain across the far northwest of scotland for top temperatures on the chilly side between about four to 7 degrees for most of us Christmas Day for that but a lot of dry weather get for getting out and enjoying a christmas walk. Boxing day, things are all changing. Weve got milder air moving in from the west. Quite a windy spell could be gales in the west end rain in the hills. Snow moving in through the northwest of scotla nd moving in through the northwest of scotland for top temperatures on the chilly side between about four to 7 degrees for most of us Christmas Day for that but a lot of dry weather get for getting out and enjoying a christmas walk. Boxing day, things are all changing. Weve got milder air moving in from the west. Quite a windy spell could be gales in the west end rain in the hills. Snow moving in through the northwest of scotla nd moving in through the northwest of scotland was up a few showers for hello, im maryam moshiri. This is outside source. A brexit deal could be imminent. Agreement on trade appears to be within reach. Well bring you any signs of movement. Millions more people in the south east of england enter the highest level of covid 19 restrictions, due to the pace at which the virus is spreading. Another variant of covid 19 is detected in the uk. This time, its from south africa. The un has repeated a call to investigate possible war crimes in Ethiopias Tigray region. And President Trump refuses to sign a 900 billion Coronavirus Relief package agreed by both sides in congress, calling it a disgrace. Our top story is brexit because there is increasing speculation that a trade deal between the uk and the eu could be agreed as early as tonight. Lets go straight to our uk Political Correspondent, rob watson. Rob, what more do we know about what could happen tonight or tomorrow . Well, we dont really know, but i guess the way id put it is we havent been discouraged from thinking that theyre on the way to a deal. What will be most likely to happen is that the Prime Minister wont sign off would sign off and the president of the European Commission will call on states that would likely be a meeting of the eu ambassadors get either later tonight 01 ambassadors get either later tonight or tomorrow. The Prime Minister would of course have to brief his cabinet. They get that sort of sense of the pieces of the jigsaw moving into place at this rather late hours. Rob, its been days now that the uk side and, indeed, at times the uk side and, indeed, at times the eu site have been saying a deal looks unlikely. What do you think s changed . I have to say im not trying to say i told you so, please dont think that, but i have said all along to be amazingly cautious about trying to judge the mood of these things. You just have to wait until theres definitively a deal or definitively no deal, but i guess to a nswer definitively no deal, but i guess to answer the specific its of your question, its the clock ticking. I think both sides would be nervous about what a no deal brexit would be like. Pressure of time, pressure of economics. I suppose in some ways doing a deal is kind of easier than doing a deal is kind of easier than doing no deal. But say there is a deal, that its announced tonight or tomorrow. Will there be enough time tomorrow. Will there be enough time to get everything in place before that deadline on the 31st of december . Well, it may well be that the European Parliament house to vote on it retrospectively, but in terms of getting everybody on board, could there be a slick . May be one member state would be happy, but i think once theres been a broad agreement reached between the negotiators, i think that sort of a technicality. Its been signed off at the highest level. Rob watson, thank you very much indeed. In the us, donald trump has blocked a 900 billion Coronavirus Relief package, which was agreed by congress this week after months of wrangling. In a video released on twitter, mr trump denounced the bill as a disgrace, and demanded changes to the payments americans are due to receive to help them through the pandemic. Our north america correspondent, peter bowes, reports. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. They thought it was a done deal. After months of wrangling, democrats and republicans in Congress Finally agreed to a 900 billion package of measures to help americans through the pandemic. All it needed was the signature of donald trump, but not so fast. The president doesnt like the bill, he says a lump sum payment that most americans would receive isnt enough. Im asking congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low 600 to 2,000, or 4,000 for a couple. Im also asking congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a covid relief package, and maybe that administration will be me, and we will get it done. If he refuses to sign the bill, the Us Government will shut down next week and the emergency economic aid will be put on hold. Even the president s most loyal supporters say it is a bad move. Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted democrats say they wanted americans to receive bigger Lump Sum Payments all along. Nancy pelosi tweeted it is far from clear whether a Christmas Eve session in the house of representatives will resolve the matter. President trump, who has less than a Month Remaining in office, wasnt involved in negotiations over the bill. His last minute objections have stunned washington and leave the country in limbo. With Many Americans preparing for a bleak holiday period, broke and unable to see their families because of the coronavirus, it simply means more uncertainty. Peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. Donald trump has also issued pardons for 15 people. Among them, four military contractors involved in a massacre in iraq in 2007. Also, two men convicted of lying to Robert Muellers inquiry into russian meddling in the 2016 us election. George papadopoulos, a former Trump Campaign aide and alex van der zwaan, a lawyer, both served briefjail terms. Theyre among a group of 15 people whove been granted clemency by the outgoing leader. Cbs news correspondent Debra Alfarone says questions are being asked about the timing of the pardons and Donald Trumps call for larger covid relief payments. Were hearing that therell probably be more down the road. But also, some people are saying, ok, this happened yesterday, and the president had that video where he was basically asking congress, demanding congress, to up those direct payments. Maybe that was something he was doing to kind of offset that large amount of people that he was granting clemency to. The president Electjoe Biden says the massive cyberattack on the Us Government, which was revealed earlier this month, constitutes a grave risk to us national security. Mr biden said foreign actors had been able to exploit the breach since late last year, and he wants them officially identified. We cant let this go unanswered. That means making clear and publicly who is responsible for the attack and taking meaningful steps to hold them to account. Initial indications, including from secretary pompeo, secretary of state, and attorney general william barr suggest that russia is responsible for this breach. It certainly fits russias long history of reckless, disruptive side re activities, but the Trump Administration needs to make an official attribution. This assault happened on Donald Trumps watch when he wasnt watching. The attack was huge. Hackers were able to read and potentially download documents at a string of Us Government departments including defence, Homeland Security and the us treasury. They gained access through updates to a piece of software used to monitor networks. The company that makes it, called solarwinds, says up to 18,000 of its customers downloaded the malware. Further analysis suggests 50 organisations were significantly hit, most in north america. The hack was discovered when it Security Company fireeye found it was one of those affected. Kevin mandia is chief executive of fireeye. Hes on the line from washington, dc. Kevin, thanks for taking the time to talk to us on outside source. Explain to viewers what exactly happened. Yeah, theres no easy way to say it in under a thousand words, but ill say it this way. This was a breach that wasnt a break through the window, this was a special operation where if somebody was robbing the building in cyberspace, they came under cover of darkness and helicopters through the back door and solar winds. Solarwinds. This was by the best hackers in the world or at least a nation with decades of experience going on offence and executing these campaigns. Can you point the finger at russia . We respond to over a thousand breaches a year and we take the fingerprints, like a good detective, on every one of those breaches. Youve heard government officials point the finger up russia. We have no reason to believe thats not the case, but what i can tell you is the breach is so pervasive and theres so many people working on it that im confident were going to go to 90 certainty, were going to go to 90 certainty, were going to find the building where this occurred in an get attribution right on us. You described this as a special operation. What exactly were the hackers looking for . Right. In the cases that were involved in, there was definitely a focus on government capability, government agencies, primarily in north america, and it did stay focused. You heard in the announcement there were is over 300,000 companies that use solarwinds, but then you come down that funnel and got 18,000 companies downloaded the back door from solarwinds, but only about 40 to 50 organisations appear to be impacted. Notjust organisations appear to be impacted. Not just the organisations appear to be impacted. Notjust the back door, but the threat come in and steal information and do additional operation. So, this attack was very focused, very disciplined, and in my opinion, based on thousands of hours of forensics on this. Operational security mattered most, and Mission Accomplished might have been their second goal on this. It was primarily what i call the. Gov against. Gov kind of intrusion. Fireeye is a company which is used by companies and governments around the world to protect them from hackers. What reassurances can you give any of your customers right now . Well, theres no question, we we re now . Well, theres no question, we were designed for this moment. This is what we do. Ive always felt its extremely important that even though we extremely important that even though we you have to respond to every breach of that matters so you create an innovation cycle to protect your customers. Our goal, we recognise when a modern nation goes on offence and use their resources to target the private sector or even the government agency. Overtime, the private sector or even the government agency. Over time, the modern nations intelligent capabilities will be the company, but we are here to learn on the front lines, do the forensics and infuse that into our system. Right now, our products detect this attacker and the ttp s that they use to carry out this campaign. Ceo of fireeye, we really appreciate you talking on outside source. Thank you very much. Stay with us on outside source. Still to come. At concerns over the plight of civilians in Ethiopias Tigray region, the un has once again called on the government to allow full access so that allegations of war crimes can be investigated. 2020 has been a year many of us would like to forget, but the stories of everyday heroes whove gone above and beyond have helped put a smile on our faces. We asked you to nominate your hero of the year and weve been overwhelmed by the response. Jayne mccubbin has been speaking to just a few of the incredible people youve chosen. Ive got wind beneath my wings i think this time im going to make it tomorrow. This year more than any year, we have needed a hero, and there have been plenty some familiar, some unknown. But look around you. There are heroes walking amongst us, and you have nominated some of yours. Weve got magic in our bones. Haley nominated ben. We think ben is an absolute hero, and its a privilege to nominate ben for this. He ran his second marathon on the 2nd of december. Right now, ben is running 31 marathons in 31 days for children with brain tumours. I run with their names on my vest, and when it gets tough when im running and it always gets tough when youre running especially when youre running 26 miles the day after running 26 miles and the day after and the day after, i always look down at the name on my vest and thats my inspiration. Thank you so much, ben. What youre doing isjust incredible. Don gardiner isa doing isjust incredible. Don gardiner is a total hero. Simon reeves nominated don, who runs a food bank in cornwall. He fed those in need right through the pandemic, even when he lost his own. He never stopped working. I have a feeling hell be working all over christmas if people let him. He gives and gives and gives. This is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. Our lead story. There are reports from brussels and london that the major issues have been resolved and the eu and uk are closing in on a trade deal. To ethiopia now. Weve been following the conflict there for seven weeks. The Tigray Region in the north of ethiopia borders with eritrea, and its here around tigrays capital mekele, with a population of around 500,000, that the conflict is centred. The conflict escalated when the Ethiopian Military tried to overthrow the regions ruling party, the tigray Peoples Liberation army. After consistent reports of artillery strikes on civilians and mass killings of non combatants, the United Nations is now calling for access to the region, as well as an investigation into Human Rights Violations and war crimes committed by both parties. We are releasing together with 30 humanitarian partners and urgent appealfor 156 million humanitarian partners and urgent appeal for 156 million to support refugees fleeing Ethiopias Tigray crisis. Requested funds are needed to meet the critical humanitarian needs of ethiopian refugees fleeing the conflict and tigray throughout the conflict and tigray throughout the first half of 2021. This appeal will also bring all my strength and prepared us receive refugees and other countries in the region in case of also bring strength. Without proper facilities and there continues to be a shortage of medicine and other supplies. We have seen a medicine and other supplies. We have seen a huge demand for family tracing and unification, education and for child friendly spaces and nutrition programmes. Well, we know very little about the situation on the ground in tigray because of communication blackouts and aid agencies being blocked from entering the region, but the bbcs Beverly Ochieng has been following closely as tens of thousands of refugees have fled from tigray. Shejoins me now from nairobi. What do we know now . Its still quite tense and tigray. Prime minister was there two weeks ago to ensure that normalcy has returned and Civil Servants were asked to return to work. Communication blockade has been lifted and there are reports of emerging at the height of the conflict in november 01 height of the conflict in november or ongoing fighting. Some of these reports are very difficult. Civilian accou nts reports are very difficult. Civilian accounts from people still fleeing, ensure there is a devastating loss and the human impact distilling felt. Before this conflict, there we re felt. Before this conflict, there were already 100,000 air train refugees and tigray. Have any aid agencies been able to access them or civilians whove been affected in recent weeks . Ethiopian government has said it sent aid to these refugees displaced, including food and medical supplies. But this is not been confirmed and the un and other aid agencies are still reporting frustrated efforts in reaching thousands of people within the tigray account. Thereve also been some reports about refugees being forced out of tigray and taken back home. Many of them have been fleeing from forceful rights abuses and the information minister tweeted criticism. Im commenting about refugees. But this lack of information is a worrying situation beverly, there are reports of another massacre in the northwest. What can you tell us about that . So, the state appointed Ethiopian Commission Rights Commission or a set at least a hundred people have been killed and this was hours after Prime Minister visited the region. He was there to address the rising violence. Over the last two years, they have seen instigated of tax by other local instigated of tax by other local instigated attacks. Some have been linked to the rebel officials. Five months ago, there are plans to answer. Months ago, there are plans to answer. Keeping in mind this is the home of which is been the subject of decade long negotiations. Any situation that might be beneficial to the effort shows ethiopia is in a very fragile political state. Beverly, thank you very much indeed. Lets now have a brief look at the coronavirus in other parts of the world. Well start in italy because it looks set to end 2020 with the highest covid 19 death toll in europe. The government has tightened measures over christmas, including closing ski resorts. Italy was the First Western country to be hit hard by the virus, with the city of bergamo in the north particularly devastated. Mark lowen reports. Clearing the lifts with nobody to use them. High in the italian alps, this resort should be preparing for a bumper christmas season, but it and all italian ski resorts have been shut by the government to slow coronavirus. Its in the province of bergamo, worst hit in italy by the pandemic. Another is the financial shock. And now there is the financial shock. Translation at christmas, we make up half of our season, losing it causes irreparable damage that we will never make up, and i imagine some businesses here wont survive. What we from bergamo lived through in march was very frightening, hearing the sound of ambulances. We must take care not to relive it but the mountains can be enjoyed safely and this is not a fair decision. The first wave of the virus closed these lifts on the eighth of march, these lifts on the eighth of march. Having to shut down again is a devastating blow for resorts that make up 11 billion euros of the italian economy. But there is a trade off between economic damage and halting the virus, and losing this christmas on the slopes is a sacrifice the government feels it has to make. Desperate measures to stop a repeat of march, when deaths in bergamo were more than five times previous years. Christmas wont ease the pain of a city whose despair became a symbol of italys agony. Next, lets look at singapore. Its response has been described as the Gold Standard in pandemic control after it reduced its number of new daily cases to almost zero. And since the start of the pandemic, singapore, which has a similar size population to scotland, has recorded just 29 covid related deaths. Sura njana tewari reports. A sea of masks for more than seven months now. Singapore seems to have conquered the coronavirus, and yet the restrictions arent going away anytime soon. Are you ready for this, yeah . Behind this mask is british expat fiona. During singapores circuit brea ker, she was unable to run her tennis coaching business. Like most of the country, fionas now back on herfeet, but restrictions continue to change the way she works. We started, obviously, with a full lockdown. Then, as everybody was complying to all of that, then they allowed the measures to be relaxed. There are restrictions, but those restrictions become, really, your new normal. These tracing tokens are part of that new normal. They help track down people who have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for covid 19. The idea is to get at least 70 of the population into the system, so that Contact Tracing can be carried out quickly. Targeted testing of specific groups in the community, like taxi drivers and teachers, are a big part of getting back on track. But there are still strict laws around social distancing. This aggressive yet effective approach has largely worked because of consistent communication to the public. But in many ways, singapores plan has succeeded because of its political and social culture. We enforce the rules, and, at the same time, we issue warnings as well as penalties for people who repeatedly flout the rules. So, when we implement a rule like mandatory mask wearing, most of the people, i wouldnt say all, but most of the people, actually understands the rationale and is willing to comply with it. Singapore plans to vaccinate the entire Adult Population living here on a voluntary basis and for free. That is more than 5 Million People. Even with the vaccinations, we will be Wearing Masks well into next year, possibly longer, and safe distancing rules remain in place. People here are willing to accept those restrictions, though, because opening up slowly and carefully allows them more control over their lives, while keeping the virus under control. Suranjana sura njana tewari, bbc news, singapore. Next, south korea. Gatherings of more than four people will be banned in the Capital Region after a surge in coronavirus infections. These are the latest pictures of people being tested in seoul. Ski resorts and major Tourist Spots nationwide will all shut on Christmas Eve. The measures will be in place until the 3rd of january. Also today, mexico said it will begin inoculating Health Workers in the country against covid 19. After the country against covid 19. After the first vaccines arrived in the country. Mexico has been battling a pretty sharp surge in infections, which has pushed hospitals to their very limits. Thats it from this addition of outside source. Plenty more of course on oui addition of outside source. Plenty more of course on our website, including much more detail on that potential brexit deal that were all waiting on either tonight or tomorrow. Thats bbc. Com news. Ill be back later on when more news. From me and the team here in the london studio, thanks for watching. I buy from us. Bye bye from us. Hello. Theres a change in weather type in store as we head through the festive period. But its certainly has been another wet day on wednesday. Things thankfully turning dryer and also cold as we move things thankfully turning drier and also cold as we move through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day itself. Here is the area of low pressure that brought a lot of rain to england and wales on wednesday. There is still plenty of Flood Warning in forest with up river levels very high in places without localised flooding continue tonight into Christmas Eve morning. That rain clearing away towards the south, colder, clearer skies. Also some wintry showers. Could be some snow for the north of scotland for some some here as well. A touch of frost further south. Keeping things mostly dry but weve got these cold, northerly winds. The blue colour across the map showing that really cold air mass. Moving through Christmas Eve, a day of sunshine and showers, most showers across eastern england, Northern England and scotland seeing wintry flurries. Those showers blowing in on that brisk northerly wind for them it will feel cold if youre exposed to that northerly wind. Temperatures around three to eight degrees on Christmas Eve. Best of the sunshine and dry conditions to be found towards western parts of the uk. Moving through Christmas Eve night into Christmas Day itself, and this area of High Pressure will dominate. That will squeeze away most of the showers, still one or two around that east coast for the first thing christmas morning, look at those temperatures. Below freezing pretty much across the board. A crisp, frosty start to the day. Plenty of sunshine for Christmas Day especially across more southern and eastern parts of england and wales. The cloud will increase from the northwest and there will be some rain across the far northwest of scotland and top temperatures on the chilly side between about four to seven degrees for most of us Christmas Day for that but a lot of dry weather get for getting out and enjoying a christmas walk. Boxing day, things are all changing. Quite a windy spell, could be gales in the west end rain in the hills. Snow moving in through the northwest of scotland, top temperatures on the chilly side between about four to seven degrees for most of us Christmas Day for that but a lot of dry weather get for getting out and enjoying a hello, im maryam moshiri. This is outside source. A brexit deal could be imminent. Agreement on trade appears to be within reach. Well bring you any signs of movement. Millions more people in the south east of england enter the highest level of covid 19 restrictions due to the pace at which the virus is spreading. Another variant of covid 19 is detected in the uk. This time, its from south africa. Tempers flare as Truck Drivers stranded in southern england are told they need a test and a negative result before they can travel to france. And well take a look at the massive cyber attack joe biden calls a grave risk to Americas National security