08/12/2017 BBC News at Six

Part one of the Brexit deal is done,

at last clearing the way

for crucial next stage,

including intial talks about trade.

A handshake seals the agreement

on the divorce bill,

the Northern Ireland border

and EU citizens' rights.

Getting to this point has required

give and take on both sides.

And I believe that the joint report

being published is in the best

interests of the whole of the UK.

It's a real Continental

breakfast, after talks that

went through the night.

I believe we have now made

the breakthrough we needed.

Today's result is,

of course, a compromise.

We'll be looking at the detail

of the agreement, as the EU warns

the hardest part is yet to come.

Protests in the West Bank and around

the Arab world at Donald Trump's

recognition of Jerusalem

as the capital of Israel.

Snow across parts of the UK causes

chaos on the roads and there's

colder weather on the way.

And if you want a museum

masterpiece,

now you can print

your own 3D version.

Coming up in sport on BBC News,

what could be the Premier League's

most watched and most expensive game

in history, Sunday's

Manchester derby.

Good evening and welcome

to the BBC News at Six.

Trade talks here we come,

or at least the very beginning

of talks, along with discussion

about all other aspects of our

future relationship with the EU.

After through-the-night

negotiations, a deal was struck

first thing this morning

between the UK and the EU on key

areas, including the Irish border

and the divorce bill,

which Downing Street has

confirmed will amount

to between £35 billion

and £39 billion.

Now the crucial talks can begin

on how the UK will trade

with the EU post-Brexit,

assuming they're signed

off by all EU leaders

at a summit next week.

And the head of the European

Commission sounded a warning.

"So much time has been

devoted to the easier part

of the negotiations", he said.

"Now comes the hard part".

Our political editor,

Laura Kuenssberg, has more.

While most of us slept, when hardly

a soul was stirring, the residents

of Downing Street were up.

Late-night calls. Then, at seven

minutes past four macro, onto the

plane. Theresa May, travelling,

while Jean-Claude Juncker was

pacing, waiting, in so many ways,

for the UK. And then, touchdown.

Ready? Ready if you are. Taking

their places for the moment, after

three days of cajoling. Compromise

and criticism. It was a good morning

for Theresa May. A deal to pave the

way for Brexit, round two, the

jargon she had launched -- longed to

hear.

Sufficient progress has now

been made on the terms of the

divorce. This was a difficult

negotiation for the European Union,

as well as for the United Kingdom.

After breakdown on Monday, blocked

by allies at home, a huge weight off

the government's stressed shoulders.

I very much welcome the prospect of

moving ahead to the next phase, to

talk about trade and security, and

to discuss the positive and

ambitious future relationship.

Are

you going to be celebrating,

cracking open the champagne?

Still

working.

No celebrations for either

side.

No champagne?

Water.

Many

compromises, and more to come. The

agreement implies it will cost up to

£39 billion to settle our account as

we leave. There is no final figure,

and it could be more, but paid over

many years. Both sides say that

Brits who live elsewhere in the EU,

and European citizens who live here

will have their rights protected.

And, crucially for Tory

backbenchers, the role of the

European Court will be limited.

There is a promise there will be no

hard border in Ireland between North

and South, a vow that rules and

regulations will be aligned if there

is no big trade deal. And a

time-limited transition period as we

leave. But what about the DUP, who

had so embarrassed the Prime

Minister on Monday? She needs their

votes in parliament, and this week

they squeezed some concessions. But

in the early hours, Theresa May made

the decision to crack on, even

though they weren't quite sure.

There are still matters we would

have liked to have seen clarified.

We ran out of time, essentially. We

think that we needed to go back

again and talk about those matters,

but the Prime Minister has decided

to go to Brussels in relation to

this text, and she says she has done

that in the national interest.

The

Leader of the Opposition, speaking

at the UN today, was even less

impressed.

This could have been done

some time ago. The referendum took

place in 2016 and now, right at the

end of 2017, this is the first time

there has been any sign of any

movement to go on to phase two.

But

Tory relief washed over social

media, the Cabinet falling over

themselves to praise their boss, and

notable by their absence, most Tory

Brexiteers.

The ultimate arbiter,

put that in your pipe and smoke it.

The real criticism from this man.

Remember him?

Amazing. The British

Prime Minister flies through the

middle of the night to meet

unelected bureaucrats who pat her on

the head, they say you have met our

demands, made sufficient progress

and can move to the next stage. The

whole thing is a humiliation.

As one

of the Brussels brokers was keen to

point out, reaching the next deal to

shake on will be harder still.

Remember, the most difficult

challenges still ahead. We all know

that breaking up is hard. But

breaking up and building a new

relation is much harder.

But round

here, there is no jubilation, more

like thank goodness, because these

negotiations are intertwined with

the Prime Minister's fate. The talks

stumble, so does she. The talks

muddle through, and so does she. Had

there not been this deal at dawn,

there would have been serious

rumblings about Theresa May's

future. With progress comes

breathing space, but there is

compromise, plenty of it. And with

that comes winners and losers, and

no real guarantees. Getting this far

and keeping the peace has strained

this street already. Tory divisions

have not disappeared. But agreeing

anything has been an achievement.

For tonight at least, a little

goodwill. Laura Kuenssberg, BBC

News, Westminster.

So what exactly was agreed

in the small hours this morning

between the UK and the EU,

and what does it mean?

Chris Morris from the BBC's Reality

Check team takes a closer look.

A breakthrough in the Brexit

negotiations for sure,

but it's worth emphasising that this

is only an agreement that sufficient

progress has been made on issues

relating to the UK's withdrawal.

It locks in the progress made

so far, but at the same time

emphasises that nothing is agreed

until everything is agreed.

And the toughest talks

are still to come.

This is not the end,

but it is the end of the beginning.

And we will remain fully engaged

and vigilant throughout phase two,

the drafting and ratification

of the new treaties that will be

required between the EU and the UK,

and their implementation.

So how has the benchmark

of sufficient progress been reached?

Well, on the Irish border,

the hope is that a future free

trade agreement will mean

many of the concerns about a hard

border simply melt away.

But as a backstop, if all else

fails, the UK has promised

to maintain full alignment with EU

single market and customs rules that

govern trade across the border.

Exactly how that will be done

isn't entirely clear,

but you certainly can't have partial

membership of the single market

and the customs union.

On citizens' rights, it's been

agreed that the cut-off date

for an agreement on the rights of EU

citizens in the UK, and UK citizens

elsewhere in the EU, will be the day

Brexit actually happens.

In other words, some people yet

to arrive could still qualify.

There will also be a potential role

for the European Court of Justice,

directly for eight years

and indirectly thereafter.

The number of legal cases it's

likely to cover is very small,

but some Brexiteers

won't be entirely happy.

Nor are some campaigners

for citizens' rights,

because many details have yet

to be resolved.

And then there's the financial

settlement, the divorce bill.

A method for calculating

it has been agreed.

It will be paid in euros.

But technical negotiations

will continue on various aspects,

including when and how

the money gets paid.

How much is the final

amount likely to be?

We'll probably never know for sure,

but UK sources say the equivalent

of up to £40 billion.

While some EU sources

still think it will be higher.

And this is only phase one.

Formal talks about the outlines

of a future relationship on trade,

security and so on haven't yet

started.

The next priority will be to agree

upon the terms of a transition

period for about two

years after Brexit.

The EU says it means the UK staying

in the single market

and the customs union.

The government says that's not how

it understands it at all.

It is very clear that more

challenging negotiation lies ahead.

Chris Morris, BBC News.

In a moment, we'll get

the thoughts of our political

editor Laura Kuenssberg,

but first, Adam Fleming

is in Brussels.

Ad, what can you tell us about the

reaction in Brussels and among

European leaders?

What a difference

has been made by Mrs May's predawn

dash to Brussels this morning. The

atmosphere here feels quite

different tonight, as it starts

snowing. Just listen to Jean-Claude

Juncker saying that today marks a

personal triumph for Theresa May.

Officials say that means now that

the bad-tempered divorce talks are

out of the way, talks about the

future partnership between the EU

and the UK might happen in a much

more constructive, more friendly,

affable atmosphere. The first order

of business will be discussions

about a transition and

implementation phase, where things

will broadly stay the same. Those

discussions will start in the New

Year, although discussions about the

shape of a future partnership on

trade, security, defence, climate

change, you name it, will not begin

until the spring at the earliest.

And the EU is really desperate for

the British Cabinet to sit round the

table and make some big decisions

about the definition of that future

relationship. What does Britain

really want, is the refrain you hear

a lot. And some officials have been

slightly worried by what they have

seen this week. They think the

debate about the issues about

Northern Ireland and by Virgin,

convergence or alignment spell the

fact that the big discussion about

Britain's future might be quite

difficult and bad-tempered in the

UK.

Laura, Theresa May looked

significantly happier than she did

at the start of the week. This must

be a huge relief.

I think it is, no

question. For me, there are three

big things about today. First, as

you suggest, this is the first eight

piece of good news that Theresa May

has had for quite some time. -- the

first big piece of good news. It has

been a rocky few months. Brexit is

the biggest thing they have to deal

with and it was looking extremely

fraught. She had personal

embarrassment when the talks were

blocked by her small party of allies

in the UK. So this is a good day and

the government is very relieved. The

second thing is that there is

probably inevitably an awful lot of

fudge in this agreement. There are

probably more compromises in their

van there are the number of pages,

15. And these big clashes between

the EU and the UK, and the big

clashes inside the Tory party, have

been delayed rather than resolved.

Yes, there are some things that have

been agreed, promises that have been

made. But they are more of the

nature of, we agree this is a

problem and we will find a solution

together when it gets to the thorny

questions. So nothing about the next

phase will be easy. The third thing

to bear in mind is that while this

is a big moment, no question about

it, in the Holbrooke sick process,

it is true, to use the cliche,

nothing is agreed until everything

is agreed. -- in the whole Brexit

process. While they have made this

complicated set of promises, it is

still possible that if the next

phase of the deal goes sour, none of

this might come to pass. So the

government and the EU have come a

long way. They have started to

rebuild some of the trust that has

gone awry in recent weeks, but this

is absolutely not the end. It is

like we have climbed the first hill

in arrange of pretty scary

mountains.

Thank you.

A teenager who "starved to death"

weeks after leaving home

for university was failed by every

NHS organisation that

should have cared for her,

according to the Health

Service Ombudsman.

He said the death of

18-year-old Averil Hart,

who had a history of

anorexia, could and should

have been prevented.

Four separate NHS hospitals

and trusts in Norfolk

and Cambridgeshire have apologised.

At least 14 United Nations

peacekeepers have been killed

and more than 50 injured

after being attacked by armed

militia in eastern Congo.

The UN has been hearing details

of the attack in which six Congolese

soldiers were also killed.

The UN has had a peacekeeping role

there for more than a decade.

There have been clashes

between Israeli forces

and Palestinians protesting

at Donald Trump's decision

to recognise Jerusalem

as Israel's capital.

One person has died,

over 200 have been injured.

There have also been demonstrations

across the Arab world.

Our Middle East Editor, Jeremy

Bowen, reports from Jerusalem.

The biggest protests were in Gaza.

Plenty of people had warned that US

recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's

capital would lead to bloodshed. The

first person to die was a

30-year-old Palestinian. He was shot

by the Israeli army during clashes

on Gaza's border. Others were

wounded. There were clashes around

towns on the West Bank, too. The

Palestinians want Gaza and the West

Bank to be their future state, with

a capital in East Jerusalem.

This is

our land. All Palestine is our land.

Mr Trump, you are wrong.

Israel is,

want all of Jerusalem, are delighted

by President Trump's recognition of

their capital. He said, we asked Ed

fast here, internally, since ancient

times. This city was given to Jews

thousands of years ago and the US

has recognised that. But the golden

dome behind him is part of the third

holiest place in the world for

Muslims, and a few hundred yards

away, several thousand Palestinians

were going home after the noon

prayer. The reality of this city is

that many Palestinians live here.

Life for them can be hard. This home

has been demolished twice this year

by order of the Israeli authorities.

Like many Palestinians, he built

without a permit. Israel gives

Palestinians very few construction

permits, while building thousands of

homes for Jews.

I born in this land,

and my father and my grandfather. I

will die in this place.

Palestinian

areas of Jerusalem were quieter

after Friday prayers than many

expected. Whenever a crowd formed,

mostly of onlookers, the police

broke it up. Mr Trump's declaration

is a big challenge for the

Palestinian national movement and

will turn into a big defeat for it

as well if the Palestinians are not

able to organise a coherent

challenge to what has happened, and

to build on all the international

criticism there has been. Israel

feels on the up. It has been given

American presidential recognition in

this city, without mention of

occupation, and without, so far, a

single concession in return.

Our top story this evening.

A breakthrough in Brexit talks -

as the UK and EU reach agreement

on the divorce bill,

the Northern Ireland border

and EU citizens' rights.

And still to come...

Bringing art to life -

the pioneering project

that means you'll be able to print

your own museum masterpieces.

Coming-up on Sportsday

on BBC News...

Mooen rests his finger

from the Ashes pulse,

as the England all-rounder says

he won't bowl in tomorrow's tour

match ahead of the third test.

Snow and wintry weather

have caused disruption

across many parts of the UK -

with power cuts, school closures

and icy conditions on the roads.

The Met Office says snow showers

have been affecting parts

of Scotland, Northern Ireland

and northern England -

and it's warning of more snow

and ice to come this weekend.

Judith Moritz reports.

Shropshire saw snow from early on.

The roads were already treacherous

before morning rush hour, and those

sledges were an option for some.

Few commuters went anywhere quickly.

The police warned of numerous

crashes and gridlocked roads,

and it was the same story

on the Isle of Man, the whole island

succumbed to the snow.

All of its schools closed,

a result of traffic difficulties

and safety concerns.

Flights were delayed and medical

appointments cancelled.

In Wales, there have

been problems all day.

This view of the A5

near Wrexham was filmed

by the passenger in one car.

Drivers were warned to be careful.

Other roads were closed

after multiple accidents.

This bus in Denbighshire

struggled to get up the hill

and eventually gave up,

even if its name had seemed apt

for the freezing weather conditions.

It has meant with their lessons

cancelled, many children in Wales

are having a long weekend.

This school in Flintshire took

an early decision to close this

to close this morning,

others sent pupils home

during the course of the day.

In total, nearly 200

schools across Wales shut

because of the snow.

In Scotland, all schools in Orkney

and Shetland are closed and dozens

shut as well in Aberdeenshire

and the Highlands.

Hundreds of homes are without power.

In Northern Ireland,

this school stayed open,

but there was travel disruption

elsewhere, and there is more

to come across the UK,

with heavy skies promising more snow

throughout the weekend.

Judith Moritz, BBC News, Flintshire.

A state of emergency has been

declared in California,

in response to wildfires that have

raged for five days and destroyed

hundreds of buildings and homes.

Over 5,000 firefighters have been

battling the blazes -

which stretch from Los Angeles up

to Santa Barbara County.

Almost 200,000 people have been

forced to flee with homes.

Vaginal mesh implants are used

to treat conditions

such as prolapse and incontinence.

But their use is controversial.

At least 800 women across the UK

are preparing to take legal action

against the NHS and the

manufacturers, saying they've

suffered life changing complications

and chronic pain.

A ban on the implants

is expected soon.

But now the Royal College

of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

has told the BBC they're

an essential tool

and shouldn't be banned.

Tulip Mazumdar has been speaking to

some of the women affected by them.

I was in a lot of pain, I found

coming to work difficult. Very

upsetting.

Catherine was 35 when she

suffered her first prolapse. It left

her incontinent. But last day she

had vaginal mesh fitted.

Since

having the mesh, I have had a

relatively normal life. I go

swimming with my children, I carry

on normally. Things I would not feel

confident doing if they had had to

do a colostomy on me. I wear bikinis

on holiday, that kind of thing.

This

address -- professor is a leading

surgeon treating women like Kathryn.

She says vaginal mesh for prolapse

to prevent organs slipping out of

place is meant to be a last resort

treatment, but some doctors have

been over using them. But women

should be able to choose what is

right for them.

Banning is a

retrograde step. We will be back to

how we were a century ago when we

did not have the facilities to offer

women a range of options.

There is

another concern. The different types

of mesh are being mixed up and are

causing women unnecessary anxiety.

We have had many women coming

forward who have had surgery often

many years ago, without any

convocations at all. They appeared

but they are panicking because they

believe something terrible may be

happening inside their body.

This

the type of vaginal mesh which has

been used in thousands of women

across the UK who have suffered a

prolapse. It is inserted into the

walls of the vagina and acts as a

scaffolding to protect organs like

the uterus, bowel and bladder.

Hundreds of women have reported

problems. There is another device

called a tape which stems the flow

of urine from a leaking bladder. It

is made from the same plastic

material but this procedure is far

more common with doctors say, far

fewer convocations. Campaigners like

Stephanie wanted the use of all mesh

and tape to be suspended until more

research is done. They say

complication rates have not been

properly researched and women have

not been given the full facts about

possible side effects. We went to

meet Stephanie at the pub she runs

with her husband. She says she did

not realise she was having a vaginal

mesh implant.

Booked in to have a

hysterectomy in June this year, and

right up to the point of going down

to the operating theatre, I believed

I was having a hysterectomy. I would

not even have known what mesh meant

at the time, and if it was mentioned

beforehand, I would have looked into

it.

Stephany is now waiting to have

her mesh removed. The health

watchdog Nice is due to make its

final recommendation in the next few

days.

If you've ever wanted to own a Rodin

or a classical Greek statue -

but have only pennies to spare -

now's your chance.

A group of the world's leading

museums have just signed up

to a new agreement to scan

and share their works of art.

Which means that if you

like a work in a museum,

you'll be able to print

off your own 3D version at home.

Our arts correspondent David Sillito

has been looking at how it's done.

You must be John. Nice to meet you.

I have got to ask you first come it

you have brought the cameras?

Yes, I

have.

Is this legal?

It is, don't

worry!

His name is Jonathan Beck and

he is from a group called Scan The

World. We are the V&A. This felt a

bit like theft. He took a few photos

from different angles, uploaded them

and within seconds, a 3-D printer

across town had set to work making a

copy of the sculpture. These

printers now can cost as little as

£99, so the V&A, along with the

Louvre, the Hermitage and the

Smithsonian have published a new

convention, setting out plans to

allow anyone to copy and share their

artworks. They are even doing their

own scans now. This scanning and

sharing, what is in it for you?

What

is interesting is the more content

we put online, on the web, the more

people who come through our doors

here at the V&A.

They want the

original?

I think there's something

about the human condition, that

despite seeing it on the screen,

they want to see the for themselves.

I have a special gift for you.

Meanwhile, in the sculpture gallery,

Jonathan was back. How long did this

take?

It took about six hours to

print.

Cost?

About 30p.

30p, there

is the future.

Remarkable! Let's take a look at the

weather, we know it will be snowy.

Here is Louise Lear.

The showers have been fairly

frequent although fairly isolated.

They have been at across Scotland,

the Isle of Man and stretching down

across Wales. It looks like the snow

showers will continue for the next

few hours but as we go through the

night, they will start to ease up a

little. There could be some icy

stretches on the roads first thing

in the morning. It will be a cold

and frosty start across the country,

and that is how we start of Saturday

morning. You will notice that the

winds will start to fall light. Not

a bad day in some

respects on Saturday. It will be dry

and cold with some sunshine around.

Showers fairly isolated through the

Cheshire Gap and the far north of

Scotland. But look at the

temperatures. Then as we go into

Saturday night, Sunday morning, this

looks quite interesting. There is

some mild moist air starting to push

in from the south and is that hits

the cold air across us, look at

that, snow. Northern Ireland, across

Wales and Northern Ireland. The Met

Office have issued an amber warning,

be prepared for disruption. This

snow will start to ease away as we

go through the day on Sunday. To the

south of that, very windy. Gales

across the extreme south coast but

milder across