this is bbc news, the headlines at 8pm. south african president jacob zuma warns that the future of the governing anc is under threat and his successor faces huge challenges. thousands of homes in gloucestershire are without water for a second day following a burst water main. severn trent water says some supplies are starting to return. police in canada say they're treating the deaths of the billionaire businessman barry sherman and his wife honey as suspicious. the renowned scientist and television presenter heinz wolff has died at the age of 89. his son described him as having a natural sense of fun. the person people saw when they met him was the person that we knew at home. his sense of humour, his curiosity, his enthusiasm. that was our father. also in the next hour, we'll be look at the financial fears on the high street in the run—up to christmas. retailers are expected to offer

big discounts in the week before the big day in a push to drive up sales. and an half an hour, we go through the lens, capturing iconic images of moments that shaped history. good evening and welcome to bbc news. south africa's president, jacob zuma, says the future of the governing anc party is under threat. at a conference to choose a new leader, he said voters believed it was arrogant and soft on corruption. mr zuma's successor is widely expected to become the next president in 2019. our africa editor, fergal keane, is in johannesburg. not since the anc came to power 23 years ago

has so much depended on the votes of its party members. an organisation that held together through more than eight decades of white rule is now bitterly divided. they sing the same song but support very different visions. this conference is not just about the future of a liberation movement, a political party. it's about the future of this country. will the anc elect a new leader who has promised to sweep away corruption? the anc has always been good at shows of unity, like the clasped hands of the two contenders. they are both vying for delegates‘ votes. who would you like to see? zuma. she will become the president. you will see, you will see. cyril ramaphosa, no doubt. cyril ramaphosa to be

the next president of the anc and the republic of south africa. dr dlamini—zuma is a politician in her own right but also the ex—wife of jacob zuma. cyril ramaphosa could do well if he makes good on his anti—corruption rhetoric. cyril ramaphosa has been portrayed as the puppet of greedy white business, hence this swipe in his speech. we need to find ways of protecting the anc from corporate greed and ensure that the decisions we take are informed by the policies of the anc, and are not dictated...

are not dictated to by business interests. africa's oldest liberation movement is fraying. even in the face of poignant pleas for unity. whoever is elected leader tomorrow will inherit a party in crisis. fergal keane, bbc news, johannesburg. ourjohannesburg correspondent, milton nkosi, explained more about the two frontrunners vying to replace president zuma. the two contenders that are vying for the top job in the anc, which may eventually lead them to be the head of state for south africa, are president jacob zuma's own deputy, cyril ramaphosa, who has a legal background, he is a lawyer by training. he was leading the negotiations to end white minority rule in the early ‘90s alongside nelson mandela. he went into business, came back into politics in 2012 and

has since been deputy president. now he wants to step up and leave the country. the other contender is president jacob zuma's former wife, dr nkosazana dlamini—zuma. she's a medical doctor by background. she was nelson mandela's first health minister in a postapartheid administration. and she served as foreign minister as well as home affairs minister. she was the chair of the african union in addis ababa. she is often referred to as jacob zuma's former wife, but to be fair to her, she is an anti—apartheid activist in her own right. and she has accomplished quite a lot in her political career. and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered

in tomorrow's front pages at10:30 and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are benedicte paviot, uk correspondent at the french broadcaster france 2a, and the defence editor of the evening standard, robert fox. police investigating the deaths of a 75—year—old canadian billionaire and his wife say the circumstances appear suspicious. barry sherman, who founded a major pharmaceutical company, was found dead with his wife honey at their mansion in toronto. reports say there was no sign of forced entry. angus crawford reports. one of toronto's richest suburbs, a house for sale. in the basement, a discovery — two bodies, a man and a woman. barry sherman and his wife honey, one of the richest couples in the country. police cannot yet say what happened. the circumstances of their death lead us to believe

that there may be suspicious circumstances. it is an investigative tool. until we know exactly how they died, we treat it as suspicious. barry sherman, who was 75, is thought to be worth more than £2 billion. he made his money in pharmaceuticals, setting up apotex in the 1970s, and building it into one of the biggest drugs companies in the world. stepping down as chief executive in 2012, he dedicated himself to charity work. today, canadian premierjustin trudeau said that he and his wife sent their condolences to the shermans‘ family and friends and everyone touched by their vision and spirit. this woman, an employee, still could not believe the news. people looked up to him. people are in shock, crying.

they are genuinely heartbroken. for now, the investigation continues into two deaths which leave the community in shock and a family in mourning. angus crawford, bbc news. thousands of homes and businesses in tewkesbury in gloucesetershire have been left without water for a second day, following a burst water main. severn trent water says work to repair the broken pipe is extremely difficult. people living in rural areas say they feel abandoned by the company, but tonight the water supply for some customers has been restored. kevin reid reports. this is the area where a three feet diameter water main has ruptured. a flooded field close to the river severn in tewkesbury. it's left much of the town without water for a second day. meanwhile, the supplier has organised three collection points in the town.

they have been here since 7am this morning and will be here until ten tonight. yesterday, 260,000 litres were handed out. they are expecting similar amounts today. i'm surprised severn trent haven't got it back together again. it's been 2a hours. i had to drive nearly ten miles here. just one of those things. we have had water supply discontinued twice in the past eight weeks. i'm beginning to think there is something wrong with the infrastructure. david runs an emergency committee for such situations in the village. it was set up during the floods of 2007. it is proving near impossible to get water directly to the village. i feel the villagers have been left almost to their own devices to a certain extent. we've had no formal delivery of any suppies. no tankering or bowsers or direct deliveries of bottled water. i had to go and negotiate yesterday to get what we did get. how long will the water be off?

i can't say at the moment how long it will take, but i can assure all of our customers we are working as hard as we can to get the network back to normal. businesses have been affected too, many having to close. severn trent is asking people to check on vulnerable neighbours in case they are unable to collect water themselves. austria is poised to become the only western european country with a far—right party in government. the conservative people's party, which won the parliamentary election two months ago but failed to secure a majority, has struck a coalition deal with the anti—immigration freedom party. the leaders of the two parties have met with the austrian president, who has given his approval for the deal. the head of the people's party, sebastian kurz, who's 31, will be the youngest national leader in the world. 0ur correspondent says austria's

new government will take a tougher stance on immigration. they are cutting benefits for migrants, they're making it harder for them to receive that. they want to beef up controls on austria's borders to prevent more illegal immigration. and also, he has said that they want to speed up asylum claims and prevent abuse of the asylum system. quite strong words there. the other thing that was sort of hanging over this the place they chose to have this press conference was up on a outside vienna, which was where the austrians turned back the ottoman turks back in 1683. where the muslim armies of the ottomans were stopped. he was asked whether the choice of that place was symbolic. he denied that is, he said it was just a good place to meet.

but some people will be wondering if this is part of a sort of anti—muslim rhetoric that the freedom party has stressed a great deal. a leading supporter of brexit has warned the uk cannot become a colony of the eu during the expected two—year transition period after britain's withdrawal in march 2019. jacob rees—mogg made the comments after eu leaders yesterday agreed to move to the next phase of brexit discussions in the new year. they suggested the uk would need to shadow single market regulations and remain under the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice during any transition phase. jacob rees—mogg said he would be very surprised if such transition arrangements were agreed to by the government. the prime minister has consistently said that she is in favour of an implementation, which means that we are leaving in march 2019 and the consequences of leaving are implemented. but we cannot be a colony of the eu

for two years from 2019—21, accepting new laws that are made without any say—so of the british people, parliament or government. that is not leaving the european union, that is being a vassal state of the european union, and i would be very surprised if that were government policy. we will no longer be members of the european union. we will not technically or legally be in the customs union or in the single market. but we are committed, as a result of the agreement that we made this week, to creating an environment which will effectively replicate the current status quo so that businesses can carry on trading with their commercial partners across the european union, as they do now. borders will operate as they do now,

and financial services, businesses, will be able to carry on conducting their business across borders as they do now. retailers are expected to make big discounts in the final week before christmas, to convince shoppers to keep spending throughout the festive period. there's fear among some on the high street that with rising inflation and stagnant wages, consumers may be more willing to spend big in the period after black friday in late november, rather than in the run up to december 25th. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. what could be more christmassy than the salvation army warming our hearts and the hustle and bustle of shoppers hunting for bargains? but with money tight and competition intense, some big retailers are starting to offer big discounts well ahead of the boxing day sales. will it work? i do believe that retailers are trying to get the money in before christmas than after.

quite a few shops have got reduced prices, bargains on offer. obviously, if you can wait until the sales... but i think a lot of sales, looking around, have started early. i come to leeds every saturday, and stuff that i looked at last week is on sale this week. the consultants pwc have found evidence of pre—christmas discounting and expect it to intensify next week. promotional levels are ticking up, both online and offline. so if you've not done your shopping yet, we're expecting a lot more promotions, particularly online, in the final week before christmas. the bad weather earlier this week may have kept some shoppers at home, but experts feel that they'll be back in numbers. retail spending was surprisingly up by 1.1% last month. i say surprising because average prices in the shops were rising faster than wages, and ordinarily consumers rein in their spending, but they haven't — yet. and retailers want every penny of that spare money. and to do that, they are slashing some prices.

but in doing so they're merely bringing forward the discounts that they would have offered in winter sales. it's all part of the annual face—off between retailers and consumers. joe lynam, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news. the south african president, jacob zuma, has spoken of the enormous challenges facing the country and the governing anc as it chooses his successor. thousands of homes and businesses in gloucestershire are without water for a second day after a burst water main. some supplies are starting to return. police in canada say they're treating the deaths of the billionaire businessman barry sherman and his wifea ' lots going on in the world of sport,

let's go to the bbc sport centre and say good evening to hugh. another win for manchester city in the premier league, this time they have beaten tottenham 4—1 to increase their lead at the top of the table to 1a points, and it extends their record winning sequence extends their record winning sequence to an amazing 16 matches. adam wild reports. at manchester city, they are not celebrating too early, but there is a sense of inevitability about what this season will bring. elkaayed gumbo and was unmarket, unchallenged, heading into an early lead. in truth, chances were not proving too hard to find, sergio aguero then raheem sterling going close, city totally dominant. harry kane's puts from distance were not

close enough. city were beginning to look as good as the rest of the country feel they are. kevin de bruyne adding a second before finding his way through only to be brought down. he was and the resulting penalty show that city are not completely flawless, but they are looking close. raheem sterling added a third to make the game safe, and then a fourth to make it look very comfortable indeed. a late spurs goal made little difference, city celebrate their 16th win in a row, ha rd to city celebrate their 16th win in a row, hard to imagine there will not be further celebrations come the end of the season. elsewhere, chelsea stay third after a win at home to southampton... gary mackay—steven scored a

hat—trick as aberdeen swept aside hibernian, then are nowjust two points behind leaders celtic, who play hearts tomorrow. hibernian had been unbeaten in the league away from home since march, but this goal put aberdeen on the front foot. defensive blunders helped gift gary mackay—steven his hat—trick, helping aberdeen to a 12 league win of the season. aberdeen to a 12 league win of the season. elsewhere in scotland... an important weekend in the rugby champions cup as teams jostle for the quarterfinal places. in the second of the back—to—back group games, bat avenged their agonising defeat in france with victory over toulon at the recreation ground to move top of their pool. and any johnson watson scoring two

first—half tries. toulon victor baluda is in bonus point would fall to second spot in pool five. lei nster to second spot in pool five. leinster did the double over exeter after winning last week. luke mcgrath‘s late score sealed a famous turnaround for the home side, who trailed by 1a points in the first. exeter on third place in a pool and up exeter on third place in a pool and up against it to qualify. the gallantry invigorated up against it to qualify. the galla ntry invigorated their up against it to qualify. the gallantry invigorated their campaign with a dominant 31—12 win against benetton in should be so. a week after struggling to beat a 1k man benetton side, they one in the wintry italian son. australia will start ina wintry italian son. australia will start in a dominant position on day 01’ start in a dominant position on day or when the third ashes test resumes

in perth injust over six hours' time. they are currently 549—4 in their first time. they are currently 549—4 in theirfirst innings, a lead of 146. captain steve smith is on 229. mitchell marsh is unbeaten on 181. england must avoid defeat if they are to keep the series alive. we have got to —— two more days to play, of course it is going to be tough, but we had opportunities in the last game, and in the previous game, so the last game, and in the previous game, so we the last game, and in the previous game, so we have had opportunities, we just haven't been good enough, or they have been better in the tough moments and have taken the games away from us. but we have two days to go, and we have to believe we can fight hard and make sure there is still a contest to keep going. that is all the sport now, more for you in the next few hours. the former prime minister david cameron is to lead a uk government investment initiative with china. the announcement follows a two—day

visit to the country by the chancellor phillip hammond. mr cameron will be involved in a new $1 billion fund which will invest in the uk, china and other countries. earlier, the bbc‘s china correspondent, robin brant, was asked to explain why phillip hammond was bringing david cameron back into the political fold. we are committed as a result of the agreement we have made i think maybe the answer to that is more about uk institutional investors, their desire to have such a prominent figure on board and mr cameron's desire to continue the work he did in government where he championed even closer ties, expanded ties, between the uk and china. philip hammond told me a few hours ago here in beijing that he supports this investment fund, he endorses it, but it is not public money, not taxpayers' money, not a government fund. nonetheless, david cameron, very well known, has taken a pretty low profile since he left downing street a year ago. he has campaigned on some health causes, he's been involved in the national citizen service for 16 to 17—year—olds in the uk. but he is now turning his aim to institutional investing and continuing that focus on,

as i said, trying to improve and expand economic ties between china and the uk. so i think philip hammond thinks that david cameron will lead this fund, is going to invest in a swathe of projects, possibly, pipelines, railways, infrastructure projects, closely linked with the rather awkwardly named belton road initiative which is china's number one public policy priority and is aimed at helping economies to the west of china and beyond in europe to develop, because that helps china gain access there and then helps those countries improve their economic ties with china. but i think what it shows more than anything, when you add it to comments from philip hammond, is how much the uk continues to believe in better relations with china, better economic ties, because it believes, especially as brexit approaches and then passes, that china,

the world's number two economy, is key to helping the uk economy grew. the scientist and broadcaster professor heinz wolff, perhaps best known for presenting the bbc science programme the great egg race, has died. the german born inventor became well—known to british television audiences in the 1970s, encouraging teams to invent useful things out of everyday objects. a little earlier, my colleague lu kwesa everyday objects. a little earlier, my colleague lukwesa burak spoke to the professor's son about his father. the person people saw

when they met him was the person that we knew at home. his sense of humour, his curiosity, his enthusiasm. that was our father too. he has been described by some of his colleagues at brunel university as a sparkling scientist. what was his background in science? he used to say it was his first experience was doing chemistry with his father in berlin as a four—year—old. holding sugar in a test tube over a bunsen burner. he encouraged that in us as well. we had workbenches. it will horrify those concerned with health and safety. we had a bunsen burner at six in our rooms! he was an extremely bright student when he arrived at oxford. at school, this was. he was already inventing proper medical instruments in his teens. so it began there.

we talk of tim peake today. but your father was actually, he played a huge role in getting the first briton up in space, dr helen sharman. how did he come to the world of space? he always thought that science was a cultural thing as well. and that he knew that there needed to be big projects like sending somebody to space to inspire other people, particularly young people. that was one interest, one reason. he knew that there were some very big challenges for the human physiology when you go up into space, so he was the scientific director of that programme. of course it was done through, not through state funding. i think there wasn't as much science

in it in the end as he wanted. helen sharman went into space. we're very lucky because you have brought some personal photos. look at that, obviously a sense of humour. he has been described as something of a joker. that was just his natural sense of fun. he knew that it was also a way of engaging people. from just looking at some of the comments on social media, he obviously entertained as well as educated. he made no excuses for that, but it was also something absolutely within his character. to have fun in that way. a lovely picture there with a little girl. that one is a lovely portrait of him showing his kindness. he was enormously valuable in that quality, kindness. there is a picture of my daughter and son with a strange instrument.

that was a machine that was designed to perhaps grow food on a mars mission. my children have just come into the laboratory to look at it. he has been described by so many, including my husband, as inspirational. it encouraged him to go with the sciences. what would he like to be remembered for? i think that really was important. it always struck me that he had the most desirable kind of fame, has people would stop him in the street, just as your husband said, and would say, "you got me into science." 0r two paramedic teams that came to him a few days ago, they said, "we used to watch you and you really explain things well." incidentally, he also had a morphine pump on him this morning or yesterday,

of which a little part of the mechanism was designed by him. you can see how he touched so many people through his ingenuity, in terms of his inventing, you might say, and his great belief in education about science and technology. in terms of everyday life and the sciences, what sort of inventions do we not realise your dad played a part in? i think it is true to say, you know when you have an ecg and you have those little sticky things on? back in the ‘50s, you literally just stuck a wire, it was glued onto the skin. i was with him in hospital and one of these more comfortable things with a little bit of gel in them, i believe that he casually said, "we invented those." so there are just absolutely basic

things that you see in a hospital. when he started, a hospital really, a hospital ward was a room with beds in it and that was all. all the paraphernalia you see around hospital bed in terms of monitoring of patients, he was there at the very beginning. did he like his time on tv? he did. it was a small part of his career, but it's the magic box is what makes people so well known. a woolly mammoth skeleton has been sold at auction in france. the skeleton, measuring 3.5 metres high, is said to be exceptional in quality.