was having tokyo, before today, she was having to crowdfund her way through qualifying. it is difficult, a lot of people up against here are fully funded athletes, and full—time. we work, so it is a struggle, and it is not only finding the money to compete at this level but finding the time to get annual leave. sports who bid for this cash have do not only prove they can compete but also that they could inspire. britain's softball tea m that they could inspire. britain's softball team believes this money could change everything. softball team believes this money could change everythingm softball team believes this money could change everything. it is a real possibility that great britain will be at the olympics. it would be cool if it is more of a household name, andi cool if it is more of a household name, and i tell people, i play softball, and they say, that is really cool, rather than answering, what is softball? not long before we no longer have to wait. time for a look at the weather... here's lucy martin if you are heading out, stay across

the local forecast. you can see this swelling on the satellite, gradually edging east, and with it, we have strong wind, you can see, tightly packed isobars, this morning's rain courtesy of the cold front you can see clearing towards the east. through the afternoon, the rain, having cleared the east, sunny spells and showers, in the north and west, some more persistent rain for parts of northern scotland, showers could be heavy, temperature is of a dip on what we saw this morning. if we look at scotland, northern ireland, through rush—hour, still gusts of 70 to 80 mph, and for western coastal parts of scotland, that means we could see some big waves, and the potential for transport disruption with that. stay across your local forecast if you are heading out. as we go through

tonight, area of low pressure works tonight, area of low pressure works to the east, further showers, as we move through the night, wind in the north is easing, still a fairly windy night, and temperatures cooler in the south and they have been of late. these are the temperatures in towns and cities, a touch cooler than those rurally. into the weekend, stays windy, saturday brings showery weather, and sunday does turn drier but also cooler, as we move through the day. saturday morning, sunny spells, scattering of showers in the north and west, cloudy conditions and showery rain, moving in through the west, another windy day, temperatures a little cooler than today, a height of around 13 degrees is possible in the south—east. as we move overnight into sunday, we start to pick up more of a northerly wind, so we will start to see things turning cool. pressure chart, you can see, a bit ofa pressure chart, you can see, a bit of a squeeze in the isobars. it will bea

of a squeeze in the isobars. it will be a windy start here, gusts 60, 65 mph for south—west england and southern parts of wales to start the day. sunny spells and showers, will turn drieras we day. sunny spells and showers, will turn drier as we move through the day, cooler feel with the north—westerly breeze and the temperatures taking a little dip, looking at highs between six and 11 celsius. a reminder of our main story this lunchtime. thirty government ministers travel around the country, trying to sell theresa may's brexit deal good afternoon, it's 1.30pm and here's your latest sports news. it's not even christmas yet but there could already be a problem for eddiejones ahead of the start of the six nations. saracens and england lock maro itoje will be out

for an indefinite period — but certainly for "a number of weeks" with a knee injury. england's six nations opener against champions ireland in dublin is only eight weeks away. in better news, both vunipola brothers are expected to be back in action by the end of the month. arsenal say they'll "remind players of their responsibilities" after a group of them were pictured apparently inhaling laughing gas. this is the front page of the sun this morning, cctv pictures from a private party which show a number of players with balloons in their mouths. the paper says the balloons were filled with nitrous oxide, which it's not illegal to be in possesion of. the pictures are from august, before the current premier league season began. staying with arsenal, and they've confirmed that their centre back rob holding ruputured his knee ligaments in wednesday's draw with manchester united. it's likely he'll now be out of action for the rest of the season. busy time for the arsenal medical staff — their midfielderjordan nobbs is going to miss the women's world cup for england.

she had surgery on monday to repair a damaged knee ligament. england manager phil neville said they're "disappointed to lose a player of jordan's ability and importance". jose mourinho says there'll be no excuses when manchester united play fulham tomorrow. united haven't won in the premier league since november and their performances have been criticsed for being too negative. mourinho says they need the points after a run of draws. as search here are some weeks ago speaking about december, and no defeats, that is the reality. good fights, good spirit, butjust one victory against young boys, and three points. we need number back points, and phil is the same. the burnley boss sean dyche says he'd rather see tough tackling than diving in the premier league.

his side have come in for criticism from the liverpool managerjurgen klopp after defender joe gomez broke his leg in mid—week. but dyche says strong challenges are an important part of the game. my my reference point was to say that if you start questioning fair and honest titling, and you think it is better to have cheating in the game. i'm talking about no contact whatsoever and people going down, thatis whatsoever and people going down, that is cheating. simulation or clever play is a whole different ball game. it has been there forever. gamesmanship is the easiest way to describe it. that has been there for ever, and that is absolutely acceptable because it is professional game and everyone is looking for entries. i'm talking about diving, which just cannot be right for the game. england cricketers ben stokes and alex hales should find out today if they'll face any further punishment after that fight outside a nightclub in bristol last year.

stokes was found not guilty of affray in court earlier this year, but has spent the last couple of days in front of a cricket disciplinary panel alongside hales. they're both charged with bringing cricket into disrepute. joe root meanwhile has agreed a new contract with his county yorkshire. the england captain's signed a new three year deal. the barbican theatre in york, where the quarter finals of the uk championship have just got under way. and defending champion ronnie o'sullivan's in action against martin o'donnell — the man who beat ding junhui yesterday. on the other table, it's joe perry against tom ford. you can watch live now on bbc two, and via the bbc sport website. i'll have more for you in the next hour. the mobile network 02 says all of its data services have been restored.

the company said a review will be carried out to discover why 32 million uk customers were unable to get online yesterday. our correspondent, jon donnison, has more. for many these days, life without a fully—functioning smartphone is almost unimaginable. the cameras might have been working at this christmas market in manchester, but for 32 million 02 customers, not much else was. we've not been able to use facebook. the thing is, i don't think you can send messages on imessage either. train times, to get us home. just not good, basically. in london, bus arrival screens which work off the 02 network were also out of action. a first world problem, you might say, but also very much one of our time. it's a digital catastrophe of the 21st century. we are out of internet, out of services, out of our loved ones nearby,

out of capacity for payments. the 02 network, owned by telefonica, said the problem was a global one and down to equipment supplied by the telecoms firm ericsson. we know it's a software issue. it's impacted an ericsson component, which has impacted networks across the globe injapan, in china, and of course here in the uk. 02 says services should be back to normal this morning and that it will be carrying out a review with ericsson. the question is now being raised as to whether customers might be able to claim compensation. jon donnison, bbc news. the former us secretary of state rex tillerson says donald trump is "undisciplined" and "challenging" to work with. in an interview, he also said the president doesn't read any of his briefing reports. tillerson was fired by trump in march and was replaced by mike pompeo. that's kind of the way donald trump is.

he is... he acts on his instincts. he is a challenging individual. he was challenging for me, coming from the disciplined, highly process—orientated exxon mobil corporation, where everybody sang from the same hymnal, or you got kicked out of the choir. and to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports, doesn't like to get into the details of a lot of things... the international medical charity medecins sans frontiers says it has been forced to terminate life—saving rescue operations in the mediterranean carried out by its ship the aquarius. msf said it comes after what it called a sustained campaign by the italian government and other european countries to smear and obstruct aid organisations trying to save the lives of vulnerable people at sea. sophie long reports.

your lifejackets, take them off, people, if you must. let's go. the number of people attempting to cross the mediterranean has fallen, but the journey remains as dangerous as ever. three, two... medecins sans frontieres says, with its partner organisation, sos mediterranee, it's rescued or helped more than 80,000 people over the past four years. but in recent months, as men, women and children continue to embark on the world's deadliest migration route, the charity's search and rescue vessel has remained in port. its licence revoked and its crew accused of criminal activity, accusations the aid organisation categorically denies.

msf is bitterly critical of european governments. it says they've failed to provide enough dedicated rescue capacity of their own and then actively sabotaged the efforts of others trying to save lives in the mediterranean. it says european countries have violated international law by refusing to allow those rescued at sea access to safe ports, and have instead enabled the forced return of thousands of them to detention camps in libya. it says eu governments have created a climate that discourages ships at sea from carrying out their obligations to rescue people in distress, and that now it's been forced to terminate its own vital sea rch—and—rescue work, it will result in more avoidable deaths that will go unwitnessed and unrecorded. sophie long, bbc news. the chief financial officer of chinese technology giant

huawei is due in court in canada later today for a bail hearing. mung wanzhou was arrested in vancouver at the request of the united states. american media say her arrest is related to an investigation into possible violations of sanctions against iran. the company has described the action as unreasonable —— the action as unreasonable, and in a letter to suppliers said the business will continue as usual. our beijing correspondent stephen mcdonnell reports. chinese tech giant huawei is today at the forefront of global trade tensions, and the drama will play out in canada in the coming hours, when a senior executive appears in court. chief financial officer meng wanzhou was arrested in vancouver while in transit, and reportedly faces extradition to the united states following alleged breaches of washington's sanctions against sales of technical equipment to iran. if this is the reason for her to be taken into custody, the chinese government says it is still being given no explanation for it from either canada or the united states. claiming such detention without a reason is a human rights violation. translation: i can't discuss

the details of this case here but what i can tell you is that after learning about it, we've made solemn representations to canada and the us. we've demanded that both parties immediately clarify the reasons for this detention and that they immediately release the detainee to protect that person's legal rights. the company has also issued an open letter to its suppliers and partners saying it, too, has received very little information regarding her detention. adding that it strictly abides by all international laws. but according to canada's prime minister, this is all a routine extradition procedure. i can assure everyone that we are a country of an independent judiciary, and the appropriate authorities took the decisions in this case without any political involvement or interference, as must be the case. however this is a case, obviously, before the courts upon which there is a publication

ban and it would be inappropriate for me to comment further. however, the timing of this us request to have a senior chinese executive arrested seems extraordinary, coming as it does at the beginning of a 90—day truce in the escalation of the trade war. in a moment we'll have all the business news, but first the headlines on bbc news: theresa may sends 30 governement ministers out across the country in a push to win over critics of her brexit deal, ahead of tuesday's vote. a teenager is jailed for bomb hoaxes that led to schools being evacuated and an aiport security security scare. police in new zealand continue to search for missing british backpacker grace millane, who was last seen six days ago at an auckland hotel. in the business news:

the markets bounce back after big falls on thursday. financials, consumer stocks and oil companies all helped life the index. the rises in europe follow modest gains in asia. the price of oil fell again as investors await details of any cuts in production from opec. house prices are rising at their slowest rate for six years. the average proeperty is worth only fractionally more than it was a year ago. the halifax, part of lloyds banking group, the uk's biggest mortgage lender, said prices rose by 0.3% in november compared with a year earlier. the boss of motability operations is to step down by 2020 after a scathing review of his pay by the government's spending watchdog. the report from the national audit office revealed mike betts was in line for an extra £1.86 million bonus this year on top of his £1.7m salary.

today we have been looking at how the different regions of the united kingdom are being affected by the brexit debate earlier we went to wales, now we are off to northern ireland, a place that has become a touchstone of the whole brexit issue. but politics aside, where does business stand on the withdrawal agreement and the prospects of what happens after march 29th? john campbell is our northern ireland business editor. where are you in northern ireland, john? iam in iamina i am in a place called moira, then a distribution house. this business turns over more than half £1 billion a yearand turns over more than half £1 billion a year and specialises in red meat and cereal products, and it sells those products into the uk, ireland and the wider european union. this

is precisely the sort of business that could find itself exposed on a no—deal brexit, because we could end up no—deal brexit, because we could end up trading on wto tallis. they could be new text on food products as the cross the border. trevor, the prime minister's deal, with its backstop, does not appear to have many friends in parliament, so why businesses think it is a deal worth backing? business groups have followed the economic arguments from day one. politicians have political priorities, and our view, they are putting those priorities over economic priorities. the economic argument tells us that a no—deal brexit is bad forjobs, investment and all the citizens of northern ireland. the deal could involve the backstop for northern ireland, which would mean we could still treat into the eu without any new barriers. in

other parts of the uk, for example scotland, they say that is too good a deal. this contributes to our own amazement as to why the opportunity that this presents for northern ireland is not obvious to our political representatives, and we are utterly amazed by the fact that some of our political representatives are pronouncing that they would rather have a no—deal brexit and wto rules than the withdrawal agreement that is going to parliament on tuesday. we support the agreement, and we believe it is good for northern ireland in the long term, and it will provide each adjustment period to allow us to create a future partnership with the european union. you would rather have the big, compper hence of overarching deal in the end. we're not at all persuaded by the wonderful new trade deals for the uk. in our experience of running business, we have very strong

trading relationships internationally. it does not require us to be outside of the udp nimes to make it happen, and they believe we can open up new opportunities. —— outside the european union to make it happen. so, you are seeing to the politicians that they should anchor again before the vote this deal down on tuesday? sciver they should look at the evidence, consider the impact this will have on the livelihoods of the people that put you into power, and you will come to the obvious conclusion that we should vote it through. thank you very much indeed. businesses in northern ireland are looking very closely at what happens in westminster in the days and weeks ahead, because frankly, what happens is going to affect their livelihoods the livelihoods of the country. mobile operator 02 has said its data networks have been restored after a day of disruption for smartphone users. a statement on its website

published earlier today, said the 4g network was working again, having been affected from about 05:30 gmt on thursday. it said the slower 3g data service had been reinstated on thursday evening. facebook could become a threat to democracy without tougher regulation, the former head of intelligence agency gchq has said. robert hannigan told the bbc the social media giant was more interested in profiting from user data than "protecting your privacy". it comes after mps this week accused facebook of striking secret deals over user data. keith williams, who is in charge of a year—long review of uk railways, has refused to rule out nationalisation as a possible recommendation to government. mr williams is a deputy chairman ofjohn lewis partnership. his review is looking into the whole way the railways are run commerically and organisationally. a quick look at the markets. there

you go. as i said, bouncing back. not completely, we have not come back from yesterday because it was a sharp fall. we had seen some weakness, and some numbers are bouncing around. the markets are really very u nsta ble bouncing around. the markets are really very unstable at the moment. the pound is actually quite stable. that's all the business news. with christmas just around the corner what kind of tree should you buy, a real fir or a plastic fake? millions of us buy christmas trees each year, but what impact does this have on the environment in long run? and should you go real or reusable? the bbc‘s lora jones explores. it is the ultimate christmas decoration, and british people buy millions of them each year. but what impact does the christmas tree have on the environment, and should you go fake orfir?

first, the natural tree. around seven million chrismas trees are bought in the uk each year, with three quarters being grown here. it takes up to 12 year to grow a typical christmas tree. during this time, it has a positive impact on the environment because it absorbs carbon from the atmosphere and nitrogen from the soil. but once it is chopped down, it starts releasing emissions back into the atmosphere. transporting a tree can contribute to its overall carbon footprint, so buying a treat locally grown can help keep its carbon footprint down. but the biggest potential environmental impact for a natural christmas tree comes from its disposal. if it ends up in landfill, its carbon footprint will be higher because organic matter, which decomposes away from oxygen, produces methane, a greenhouse gas contributes to global warming. it is better if your tree get incinerated or composted. that can reduce its carbon

footprint by up to 80%. you can find out from your local council what happens to it when you throw it out. if you have the space, you can buy a potted christmas tree which you can keep over the next year and use again next christmas. what about a plastic christmas tree? here, the biggest impact comes from production. artificial trees are usually made out of a combination of metal and plastic, the production and process of which can significantly increase the tree's carbon footprint. most artificial trees are made in china, which means they have to be packaged and shipped to the uk. the good news is you can reuse a plastic tree. how many years do you have to keep it to have a lower environmental impact? experts think it is about ten years, but that it is a rough estimate. it depends on the size of the tree. if you do decide to throw out your plastic tree,

it is most likely to end up in landfill, as it's not currently recyclable. overall, your choice of christmas tree has a relatively small impact on your annual carbon footprint. to give you a better idea, driving 12 miles in an average sized petrol car produces as much greenhouse gases as buying and natural tree. if you get an artificial tree, it is equivalent to driving 135 miles. of course, there are other factors you might want to consider. but in terms of environmental impact, reuse for artificial trees and disposal for natural trees are just two factors you might want to keep in mind. china has launched what it's calling a giant panda culture alliance. it's aimed at stabilising the breeding of one of the world's most vulnerable species, along with protecting habitats. the alliance was launched in sichuan province, which is home to a number

of panda breeding programmes. this week, panda twins which were born in an austrian zoo were flown to sichuan to be resettled. now, it's time for a look at the weather. good afternoon. many of us senior brett and windy started the day to day, but when is particularly strong in the north, northern ireland and scotland. severe gales and headed game does being there is for distruption to transport, so stay across your local forecast if you are going out. we have an area of low pressure swirling in the north, and that is why we are seeing strong winds and outbreaks of rain. you conceded tightly packed isobars across the north, and that is where we will see the strongest winds. through this afternoon, there will

be further showers, largely in the north and west. some of them will be quite heavy, and went to the overhyped round. more persistent spells of rain for the north. temperatures cooler than the bad this morning, taking a dip this afternoon, with highs around nine celsius. through rush—hour, it is looking windy for northern ireland and scotland. these are the wind gusts that we could see. 65 to 60 mph, and perhaps higher in a few spots. there is a potentialfor bed with in western parts of scotland. tonight, that area of low pressure edges eastwards. there will be further showers. the wind in the north tending to ease slightly, but it is still a breezy night. temperatures in the south cooler than they have been of late. these are the temperatures in towns and cities. into the weekend, it stays

windy, and fairly showery on saturday. cooler has been moved to sunday. this is how it looks on saturday. a scattering of shadows, largely in the north and west. cloudier in the west with showery and outbreaks of rain through the day. temperatures in little bits cooler, in maximum of nine to 13 celsius. and to sunday, we will start to see wind spanning round in a northerly direction. it does look like we could see some quite gusty winds for south—west england and southern wales as we move into sunday morning. gusts oven safe to five miles per possible. there be showers and sunny spells, but drier and cooler as we move through the day. those are the temperatures, six to 11 celsius. hello, you're watching afternoon live. i'm rebecca jones. today at 2. the government won't say no—deal

brexit would mean six months of chaos at our ports. there are emergency plans to fly in medicines. we need to ensure that in all eventualities there is a unhindered flow of medicines for people who need them. that work is ongoing. there is further details we are releasing today, including about how we'll prioritise medicines, if there isa we'll prioritise medicines, if there is a blockage at the border. 30 government ministers including the brexit secretary are touring the country to sell theresa may's brexit deal ahead of the vote.