time is against us — as un climate talks begin in poland they're described as the most critical since the 2015 paris agreement. reenforcing the message, naturalist sir david attenborough — who says climate change is humanity's greatest threat in thousands of years. if we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon. we'll be live in poland with our environment correspondent. also this lunchtime... the deal is the deal and i will see it through — theresa may says she still expects to be prime minister in two weeks‘ time even if she loses the brexit vote in the commons. out of the shadows: the boss of mi6 — the man known as c — warns russia "not to underestimate our capabilities" in a rare speech to potential spy recruits. the price of the decline of the high street — 20,000 jobs have been lost this year with thousands more facing 2019 under threat. time for a catch up — former first lady michelle 0bama returns to london to meet some

of the schoolgirls who say they were inspired by her school visit nine years ago. and coming up in sport later in the hour bbc news, there's been another premier league sacking. mark hughes has left southampton after eight months in charge. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. sir david attenborough has described climate change as humanity's greatest threat in thousands of years. the naturalist and broadcaster said it could lead to the collapse of civilisations and the extinction of "much of the natural world". he was speaking at the opening ceremony of the united nations—sponsored climate talks in poland. the meeting is seen as the most critical on climate change since the 2015 paris agreement and is being attended by around a0 heads of state and government.

0ur environment correspondent matt mcgrath is at the summit there is a palpable sense of urgency here, as delegates digest disturbing scientific reports. those reports underline this scale of the challenge and the shortness of time. there is also a growing awareness among negotiators here about the ability of climate change and it is outpacing our ability to tackle it. all across the world, the disastrous impact of a changing climate can be clearly seen, say scientists. from fires, to floods, droughts and deadly storms, the fingerprints of humanity's use of fossil fuels continues to emerge. against this worrying background, the celebrated broadcaster sir david attenborough came to tell un negotiators the harsh truth about the threat posed by climate change to humans and animals alike. right now, we are facing a man—made disaster of global scale.

our greatest threat in thousands of years. climate change. if we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon. leaders of the world, you must lead. the continuation of our civilisations and the natural world upon which we depend is in your hands. sir david is not the only one raising his voice. in demonstrations around the world, young people have made it clear that this meeting must deliver significant action on cutting emissions. some of the negotiators here agree that the issue is one of life and death. the most important, critical,

one of the key messages coming out of the ipcc is that the world needs to act. we literally have 12 years, and we need massive investment on financial flows. if we don't have that financial flows, we are doomed. but one of the big hurdles to progress on rising emissions is the dependence of many nations on coal. many delegates believe that to avoid deadly climate change, coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, has no role in the future. the polish government disagrees vehemently. they say it is a key part of the economy in this part of poland and it is literally under ourfeet here at this conference. the pressure on the negotiators here has perhaps never been greater. but scientists believe that, equally, the threat to our fragile planet has never been more intense. well, while these talks are highly technical, they do matter. and

negotiators, and indeed the world, will be watching over the next couple of weeks to look for any signs of progress. as we saw in that report, despite the un saying it should be phased out, coal is still an important source of power for many countries, including poland. 0ur science editor david shukman has travelled deep underground at one mine near katowice, to discover some of the challenges in trying to change to greener alternatives. it's not the most comfortable of rides. some of the journey is underground go on for 45 minutes. the mines are all so far. after it, it will probably be another five minutes or so. that sound of rock cascading comes with the odd very loud crack, which is incredibly unsettling. whenever

we say, does that matter, is it safe 7 we say, does that matter, is it safe? we are told not to worry, it is just the rock working. i think that means settling after the tunnel has been dug. it's not often anyone can say this, but i am literally at the coal face. 0ther can say this, but i am literally at the coal face. other head of me can say this, but i am literally at the coalface. other head of me is where they are hacking into the coal seam, and great chunks of it are being brought down by conveyor belt. it's amazingly hot, 2829 degrees. noisy, very hostile environment. partly because it is so dusty. but this is the reality of life for thousands of miners in poland. because the coal—mining industry is so because the coal—mining industry is so important to the economy here, it looks set to last for decades, whatever climate scientists and environmental activists want to see happen. after a couple of hours down here, the effects are starting to show. but what is important is that there are different types of coal.

they are after the coal they use to make steel. the company that runs the play says if there is a ban on coal—mining, how is the country going to make towers for wind turbines? it illustrates the many dilemmas surrounding the industry. that was quite an experience, particularly since the future of coal is being discussed at the un climate conference just up the road in katowice. in a move that has infuriated environmental groups, the owner of this mine is one of the official sponsors. things could get pretty interesting. right now i am off for a shower. 0ur science editor david shukman with that report. theresa may has dismissed the possibility that she could resign if she loses the vote on her brexit deal in parliament next week. in an interview on itv, the prime minister said that she will still be here in two weeks‘ time. this afternoon the attorney general, geoffrey cox, will make a commons statement, amid growing calls for him to publish his full legal advice on the deal. chris mason reports.

from a factory outside glasgow to an agricultural show in paris, to a g20 summit in argentina. brexit has followed the prime minister around the country and around the world for the country and around the world for the last week. and so... you must be knackered. it is a tough time, there has been an awful lot of work. the big sales pitch went on to the itv this morning sofa, but what happens if she loses? in two weeks' time will you be booking a holiday? will you still have a job? i will still have a job. you still have a job? i will still have ajob. definitely? my job is making sure that we do what the public asked us to. we leave the eu, but ina public asked us to. we leave the eu, but in a way that is good for them. so, what is happening in the coming days? the row today is over whether the government publishes all of its legal advice about the brexit deal, 01’ legal advice about the brexit deal, orjust a legal advice about the brexit deal, or just a summary. legal advice about the brexit deal, orjust a summary. tomorrow, mps begin five days of debating the

prime minister's plan. at the weekend, there might be a tv debate featuring the prime minister and the labour leader, jeremy corbyn. but they are still arguing about that. and then there is the big vote, a week tomorrow. so, to today's skirmishes about the legal advice. the crux of it is what it says about the so—called backstop. could the uk be trapped in a customs arrangement with the eu against its will? of the house of commons is being asked to make a decision of such enormous importance, long—term importance for the country, the house of commons should see the attorney general‘s advice. the government has good reason not to publish the advice and, asa reason not to publish the advice and, as a previous attorney, i am entirely sympathetic to its view that if you start having the publication of attorney's advice thenit publication of attorney's advice then it becomes very difficult for then it becomes very difficult for the attorney to produce advice that covers all the bases in a proper fashion. the people have voted! inside parliament, the current attorney general will face questions

from mps later. 0utside, attorney general will face questions from mps later. outside, the noise of those wanting to shout about their visions of the future, if, when, the prime minister's version is rejected. including a 1 million strong petition handed into downing street, calling for another referendum. 0ur assistant political editor norman smith is in westminster. just days to go until the vote, and the prime minister is digging in? well, it is striking, simon, although there is widespread speculation that mrs may is heading towards defeat over her brexit steel, today she struck rather a defiant note, saying she wouldn't quit if she was defeated. she fully expected to be prime minister in two weeks and, by the way, there is rather a lot of other things she wa nted rather a lot of other things she wanted to get on with. not quite a reheat of mrs thatcher's famous phrase about going on and on, but

clearly a sign that mrs may has no plans to stand down any time soon. all of which may be taken out of her handsif all of which may be taken out of her hands if the deal is rejected. to that end, we are told mrs may is going to spend the next crucial seven days here at westminster. in other words, she's not going to be wandering the country visiting welsh agricultural shows, she will be in the tearoom, the corridors of the commons office, meeting sceptical tory backbenchers in an effort to try to win them over. all of which, i think, has perhaps been made harder by the government's insistence that it is not going to release the crucial legal advice given to ministers about the brexit backstop. the danger is that it risks fuelling a sense of suspicion amongst brexiteers that the government has got something to hide. that is why it is not publishing the legal advice. mrs may may be defiant, but her task has not

got any easier. norman, thank you very much. the head of the uk's mi6 has warned russia not to underestimate our capabilities. delivering a rare speech at st andrews university, alex younger described to students how intelligence agencies are developing a "fourth generation of espionage", as adversaries take advantage of the "blurred lines" between the cyber and physical worlds. 0ur correspondent richard galpin is here. what has he been saying? quite a lot. it is pretty rare. he has been in post as head of mi6 for four yea rs in post as head of mi6 for four years and this is only his second speech in public. i think inevitably, after what happened in this country in salisbury, with the novichok attack was carried out by russian agents, russia has been a major focus. russian agents, russia has been a majorfocus. he russian agents, russia has been a major focus. he came out with this phrase, he said that russia seems to believe it is in a state of perpetual confrontation with the united kingdom. he then went on to issue this morning. we will be successful,

nonetheless, and i urge russia or any of the state intent of subverting our way of life, not to underestimate our determination and our capabilities or those of our allies. we can do this to any opponent at any time. another part of the speech was what seemed like a recruitment drive. it was in front of a lot of young students, aspiring. he talked about the need for much greater diversity in mi6. he said people from all sorts of different backgrounds should now apply to step forward, he said, to take up a role, even if they had never considered doing anything like spying for mi6. another key point i think, that he talked about, was the need to strengthen security ties ahead brexit. this is a really vexed issue. a lot of work is going into

that. there is real concern that the intelligence agencies here will no longer have access to databases within europe. 0bviously that is something which is being worked on. thank you. our top story this lunchtime... time is against us — as un climate talks begin in poland they're described as the most critical since the 2015 paris agreement. and coming up... the growing number of families struggling to get the help they need as council budgets for vital care services for the elderly are squeezed. coming up in sport in the next 15 minutes on bbc news... gareth southgate talks about his brilliant year with england and how that world cup semifinal still hurts. if you want to see how bad things are for the retail sector, just go out and look at your nearest high street. rising costs, sluggish sales, and online competition just some of the factors blamed for the demise of names such as maplin, toys ‘r' us and poundworld.

the consequences for those working in the sector are severe. research carried out by the bbc reveals that 20,000 jobs have already been lost since the beginning of the year with another 20,000 under threat. our business correspondent, theo leggett has more. john brailsford has worked in retail all his life. he's been made redundant five times. watch that rug. most recently earlier this year by carpet right, which has closed a swathe of its stores. he's since found anotherjob and he says others should be encouraged by his example. if you are made redundant, don't panic, just take a step back. find the company you want to work for, there's plenty ofjobs out there. if you have to take a lower position, take one. if i can do it, anybody can do it. john is one of thousands of retail workers who've been affected by a chill wind blowing down the high street. household names like toys ‘r' us and bhs have disappeared. while other chains such as debenhams and house of fraser say they will close stores.

the retail sector is a major employer in this country. it still accounts for 2.8 millionjobs. but the industry is changing. last month, 18% of all transactions are carried out online. ten years ago it was just 5%. the growing popularity of online shopping is undoubtedly one reason why traditional stores are struggling. bbc research suggests 20,000 retail jobs have gone so far this year and another 20,000 could be at risk. we have been calling for some time now for a strategy from the politicians and employers and communities to look at in more detail what we can do to firstly secure the high street, look at the change and habits taking place in retail in general. it also get this message across that retail is a real job, it's a properjob. many of those who lose theirjobs leave the retail sector altogether. but recruiters say most of them will have skills that can be used just as effectively elsewhere.

there's so much opportunity for people to change careers, do lots of different things and really take those transferable skills with them into other sectors and to you know, have other careers. but equally, for people that love retail, there's still some fantastic opportunities still in retail. the government insists it is acting to support the high street, setting aside money to improve town centres and offering discounts on business rates for small retailers. but analysts say changes within the industry mean furtherjob cuts are inevitable and many more people will have little choice but to look for work in other parts of the economy. theo leggett, bbc news. the amount of money councils spent on care for the elderly in england, scotland and wales has fallen in the last eight years, according to figures analysed by the bbc. by far the biggest drop was in england, where the amount councils say they spent was cut by nearly a quarter. the government says the figures don't take into account the money the nhs in england puts into the care system. alison holt reports.

would you like a cup of tea? no? what about a glass of bitter lemon? this is a day when 89—year—old dottie harman simply doesn't want to get out of bed. she has alzheimer's and needs constant care. it means her daughter sam has seen first—hand, the pressures on the care system that today's analysis of spending reveals. mum was dancing in my garden to a song called ‘happy‘. sam's videos and pictures show the contrast to how life used to be for dottie. but when the illness took hold and they needed help, it was hard to get. her mum spent nearly three months on a hospital ward before they found a bed in a local authority funded home. there's lots of expensive places for people to go. if you don't have £5,000 a month, well, between 4000 and £5,000 a month. then you have to wait

for a local authority bed. it's crucial, that as families, we find somewhere that is spot—on. because it's really tough? yeah. the bbc‘s analysis shows reported council spending on care for each person aged 65 and over has fallen over the last eight years. in england, last year £747 was spent for each older person — 24% less than in 2010. in wales, more than £1200 is spent per head — 8% down. the most recent figures in scotland showed just over £1900 is spent per person — 7% down over seven years. here at age uk portsmouth, they said the fall in funding in england has meant the loss of many early help services. i think in the long run it's costing us more, because people are reaching that crisis point which could possibly have been prevented and then

they perhaps need more support or help. the government says it has put more than £3.6 billion extra into the care system this year, but councils warn that doesn't solve the longer term problem. we need to find a sustainable way forward for social care. we are very grateful we've had additional funding this year, but it's on a short—term basis for this year and next year and it doesn't really address the overall sustainability of social care in the long term. plans for the future funding of care will, according to the government, be published soon. alison holt, bbc news, portsmouth. a senior mp has called on the government to ban a new extreme right—wing organisation after an undercover bbc wales investigation revealed its online recruitment tactics, which urge followers to spread hate in communities. police believe the group — system resistance network — operates largely underground,

grooming and recruiting young people for what it calls a white revolution. wyre davies reports. the small mid—wales village which, unbeknown to locals, was harbouring a hardened neo—nazi. a far right extremist who also happen to be a serving soldier in the british army. by the time police caught up with mikko vehvilainen, discovering a cache of weapons and extreme right—wing material, he was making plans to turn his new home here in llansilin into a haven for white supremacists. police uncovered secret online conversations between vehvilainen and other extreme far right supporters. in one he offered to let them use his home for meetings and said welsh villages like this one, with relatively cheap properties for sale, were ripe for turning into national socialist communities. vehvilainen was one of ten people convicted this year of continued membership of national action, a neo—nazi organisation considered so extreme it was proscribed two years ago.

its two most prominent leaders were south wales—based ben raymond and alex davies. we've discovered both continue to promote extreme right wing ideology. you're listening to radio aryan. davies has used this web radio station to promote an extreme organisation called system resistance network, or srn, which police believe was inspired by national action. it urges followers to take direct action, including spreading racist graffiti. so we went undercover to infiltrate this relatively new but extreme hate group. just wear black clothes, cover your face with a mask, don't look into any cameras. just stick up 20—odd posters. he's asked me to go out and commit acts of vandalism which incite racial hatred.

srn is stepping up its racist activities. 0ne senior mp says the group is so dangerous it should now be banned and platforms that promote it investigated. we need to have a much quicker process for looking at the proscription of organisations. it is also about, i think, penalties for technology and internet companies that continue to host this content. ben raymond used radio aryan to urge support for convicted racists, those the station called pows. ben raymond refused requests for an interview and we were unable to put our concerns to alex davies. but the bbc now understands the government will soon announce new measures to combat online extremism. wyre davies, bbc news. you can watch exposed: the hidden world of neo—nazi recruiters

on bbc one wales at 8:30pm and it will be available on the iplayer across the uk later this evening. a vegan man is bringing a landmark legal action in which a tribunal will decide for the first time whether veganism is a ‘philosophical belief‘, akin to a religion — and therefore protected in law. jordi casamitjana claims he was discriminated against by the league against cruel sports because of his vegan beliefs — after he was fired for disclosing it invested pension funds in companies that carried out tests on animals. our legal correspondent clive coleman has been to meet him. if these were puppies, do you think people should have the choice to kill them this way? this is veganism in action. it shows you the whole life of the animal, how they are killed... jordi casamitjana is an ethical vegan, who regularly takes to the streets of london to inform and persuade others they should take up the vegan lifestyle. some people only eat a vegan diet but they don't care about the environment and all the animals because they care only worry about their health, for instance.

i care about the animals and the environment and my health and everything. that's why i use this term ethical veganism because for me veganism is a belief and affects every single aspect of my life. jordi worked for the league against cruel sports and claims that to his surprise, he discovered it was investing its pension funds in companies that carried out animal testing. he says he drew this to his boss' attention, but when nothing changed, he informed other employees and was sacked as a result. jordi is now bringing a legal case, claiming he was discriminated against on the basis of his vegan belief. in a statement, the league against cruel sports said... whether ethical veganism can amount in law to a philosophical belief, is the issue at the heart of this dispute. for veganism to qualify as a philosophical belief,

it has to meet a number of criteria. so for instance, it has to be a genuinely held belief, it has to cover a substantial part of a person's life and it has to be worthy of respect in a democratic society. so that means it can't interfere with the fundamental human rights of everyone else. butjust how practical is the legal recognition of everyone's beliefs? the irony in all this is that rights are intended to be liberating. but if we are all turned into rights bearers with my rights clashing with your rights, we end up having to appeal to the courts to sort out our differences. that can become oppressive for everybody. next year, a tribunal will, for the first time, decide if veganism is a philosophical belief protected by law. the case could provide vegans with protection against discrimination in employment, education and the provision of goods and services.

clive coleman, bbc news. the latest mission to the international space station has blasted off in the first manned soyuz rocket launch since a dramatic failure in october. two astronauts from the us and canada and a russian cosmonaut lifted off from kazakhstan, this time without incident. 0ctober‘s aborted trip saw two cosmonauts forced to make an emergency landing just minutes after take—off. england will host the uefa women's european championships in 2021. the tournament will be played at eight venues across the country, with wembley stadium used for the final. 16 teams will take part, and england will qualify automatically as hosts. her visit nine years ago had a profound impact on many of those she got to meet and now former first lady michelle 0bama is returning to london to to be reunited with some of the schoolgirls who described her as an inspiration back in 2009. mrs 0bama, who's just published her memoirs, will be speaking at an event

in front of nearly 3,000 people. our community affairs correspondent adina campbell reports. i like michelle 0bama because she's a strong woman. to see her succeed like she has makes me feel like i can also succeed in life. michelle 0bama is a legend. she has showed people that you can get to where she is right now. michelle 0bama is not only beautiful on the outside but she is beautiful on the inside, too. they have secured what many say is a golden ticket, tonight these girls will be in the same room as michelle 0bama. has it sunk in yet? when i told my mum, she was so jealous. she was so excited. i feel special right now because i'm going to meet michelle 0bama. i know lots of people aren't going to get that opportunity. with emotions and expectations running high, all eyes will now be on the clock. but this isn't the first time the former first lady has created a buzz among young people here in the uk. cheering. in 2015, she made a surprise visit

to this school in east london. and the impact of that day is still being felt. when michelle 0bama walked in, the shock on our faces... so what difference has it made three years on? just seeing her speaking in real life has influenced me so much. i wanted to do it before i saw her, but after seeing her it has inspired me even more. inspiring young people of colour is one of michelle 0bama's top priorities, and despite her own success she often speaks about the challenges and stereotypes she has had to endure, something other leading black women say is still a problem. we need to own up to the impact of discrimination and prejudice, and what this means in the way that our society works, in the way that our institutions work, in the things that we take for granted.

ijust feel like, like, i love her. for these girls, they're looking forward to meeting the woman who means so much to them. adina campbell, bbc news. time for a look at the weather... here's chris fawkes. we've got rain around at the moment across england and wales. not the last of the rain we will see. it will often be cloudy, rain returns a mid week onwards and it will be windy towards the end of the week, possibly disruption by friday. 0n the radar picture an area of rain pushing across england and wales and showers into the north—west. although it is cloudy for much of north wales, it is sunny for northern ireland.