good afternoon. the health secretary matt hancock says further national lockdowns cannot be ruled out if people fail to follow the rules on tackling coronavirus. he was speaking amid growing concern at the rise in the number of infections in the uk. yesterday fines of up to £10,000 were announced for those who repeatedly fail to self—isolate if they test positive. labour said the government's

test and trace system was "near collapse". 0ur political correspondent, jonathan blake, reports. rules and restrictions are everywhere to see, but there is concern that too many people are ignoring the advice and coronavirus cases are rising as a result. now, ministers believe it is time to get tougher. the health secretary, matt hancock, warned that the country is ata hancock, warned that the country is at a tipping point. if everybody follows the rules, then we can avoid further national lockdowns, but we, of course, have to be prepared to ta ke of course, have to be prepared to take action if that is what is necessary. we might be facing a further national lockdown that people don't obey the rules? that's exactly right, i don't rule it out, i don't want to see it. in england if any one test positive for covid—i9 is bound to have close contact with someone who has, they will be legally required to

self—isolate, and a £500 payment will be available for those on benefits, with fines of up to £10,000 for those who break the rules. we all have a responsibility to make sure that we don't spread the virus. people going out of their way to ignore the guidelines, i think it is fair and proper that they should get punished quite severely for that. i think the rules i'iow severely for that. i think the rules now are really complex, and it's ha rd now are really complex, and it's hard to find out if you have been in touch with somebody who might be positive, should you be staying in, should you be isolating? it is not easy. we look them up the other day and it is not easy to understand what you should be doing. ministers have been accused of mixed messages over whether people should report neighbours that they see breaking the rules. the health secretary was askedif the rules. the health secretary was asked if he would call the police. yes, for the self—isolation part, thatis yes, for the self—isolation part, that is absolutely necessary, because that is how we break the chains of transmission. the test and trace chains of transmission. the test and tra ce syste m chains of transmission. the test and trace system is crucial to slowing

the spread of coronavirus, but recently it has struggled to meet demand, and labour say the public is owed an apology. whatever measure the government takes, we will support it. if i was the prime minister, i would apologise for the fa ct minister, i would apologise for the fact that we are in the situation with testing. throughout the summer we we re with testing. throughout the summer we were saying prepare for the autumn. instead we had the exams fiasco. i would autumn. instead we had the exams fiasco. iwould make autumn. instead we had the exams fiasco. i would make fixing testing the number one priority, and reinstate the daily press conferences, so that we all know what is going on. persuading people to change their behaviour may make a difference, but, if cases continue to rise, ministers will have no choice but to act. jonathan blake, bbc news. our health correspondent catherine burns is here. so why does the government think this is such a tipping point? they think they are looking at is other countries. recently there has been a time lag between numbers of cases going up and numbers of deaths going up, so we know that, in the worst cases it tends to pan out over

2-3 worst cases it tends to pan out over 2—3 weeks, someone gets sick, they try to recover at home, then need to go to hospital, then they sadly died, so the numbers of deaths we are seeing now died, so the numbers of deaths we are seeing now are died, so the numbers of deaths we are seeing now are probably people who got sick around the start of this month. we know this because we saw it happening here in the springtime and now we are starting to see it happening in other countries across europe. matt hancock was asked about this and he pointed to spain. he said cases shot up pointed to spain. he said cases shot u p followed pointed to spain. he said cases shot up followed by a rise in hospital admissions and an increase in deaths. the government also likes to give what it sees as a more positive comparison and that is to belgium. this is interesting, because there was a spike in cases there, and the government brought in a curfew and started reducing the number of people who could meet up, and it seemed to work, but there is a sting in the tail, because the numbers there are starting to rise to. so for now, where are we at? in terms of actual cases spread across the population are numbers are not as bad as these countries. the government wants to keep it this

way. catherine, thank you very much indeed. president trump has said his nominee to replace ruth bader ginsberg on the us supreme court will be a woman, and he'll make the announcement next week. justice ginsberg died on friday, triggering a huge debate over whether her replacement should be announced before, or after, november's presidential election. paul hawkins reports. america's election in a microcosm. a divided nation, liberals vs conservatives, arguing over what's important, and now who gets to decide. replacing the latejustice ginsburg on america's top court was never going to be straightforward in the run—up to november's vote. but now we know a little bit more about the president's pick to replace her. it will be a woman, a very talented, very brilliant woman. applause who i haven't chosen yet, but we have numerous women on the list. but these are the two favourites.

amy coney barrett on the left and barbara lagoa on the right, both highly respected by the president, who nominated both to the lower circuits. either would become the youngest serving justice on america's top court. barbara lagoa, a cuban—american, the first hispanic judge on florida's supreme court. amy coney barrett, meanwhile, is a favourite of religious conservatives, known for her anti—abortion views. she also said thatjudges should not be strictly bound by supreme court precedents, so she could vote to overturn roe v wade, the landmark decision that gave women the right to choose. and then there is the question of when the republican—controlled senate should vote to confirm the nominee — before the election, or after. the democrats have started to threaten that if they win the senate and already control the congress and win the white house, than if the republicans play dirty then they are going to vote to expand the supreme court and add two more seats which would give biden two more nominations.

but if the president's choice is installed before the election then the nine—judge supreme court would have six conservatives and three liberals, meaning a strongly conservative interpretation of the constitution on big issues like abortion and gun control and civil rights. paul hawkins, bbc news. president trump says he's approved — in principle — a deal that would allow the video sharing app tiktok to continue functioning in the united states. he'd threatened to ban it, describing tiktok as a security threat. under the plan, two american companies, oracle and walmart, will both acquire stakes in tiktok, as well as the company's chinese owner, bytedance. a memorial service marking 80 years since the battle of britain has been held at westminster abbey. the battle was a dramatic turning point in world war two when 1,500 pilots and aircrew lost their lives

fighting the german air force. today's service was the abbey's first major event since lockdown although fewer than 100 guests attended. sarah campbell reports. sir winston churchill famously called the young pilots "the few", and the stakes couldn't have been higher back in 1940. archive newsreel: hurricanes and spitfires roar into action. it was the first time a pivotal military battle was fought in the air. the nazis' plan to overwhelm the allied air defences and then launch a land invasion. their plan failed. today the prime minister arrived at westminster abbey to remember the sacrifices made, along with the leader of the opposition, all in masks, in this, the first major service to have taken place at the abbey since lockdown began in march. usually, 2,000 people attend the service of remembrance which has been held here every year since 19114. not so this year due to the pandemic.

just one of the few is still alive, but their legacy and what they achieved against the odds lives on. some events, some people are not just significant, they are pivotal. the battle of britain was one of those pivotal events, and likewise, those who served in it, ourfriends from other nations, those working on the ground, ourfamilies at home, every one of them. escorted by raf cadets, the battle of britain roll of honour, bearing the names of the 1,497 pilots and aircrew killed in what would be seen as a turning point in the course of the war. last post plays as the service ended, a fly—past above london. the heroism of those who took to the skies 80 years ago remembered.

sarah campbell, bbc news. that's it for now. the next news on bbc one is at 6:20pm. bye for now. good afternoon. hello. i'm holly hamilton at the bbc sports centre with your latest sports news. the first of four premier league games today is into the second half. southampton taking on a tottenham side without gareth bale, who re—signed yesterday. well, for a while in the first half it looked like spurs needed some bale magic as they went behind to a danny ings goal, before son heung—min turned things around with goals either side of half time. 2—1 to tottenham the latest

score in the second half. later this afternoon, newcastle host brighton while the big game of the day is at az30pm as chelsea host champions liverpool at stamford bridge. it's the first meeting of the two sides since managers frank lampard and jurgen klopp had a touchline spat at anfield last season, but both are playing it down. a great rivalry between frank lampard and me, we meet two or three times a year, in respect what he's doing. is probably a really nice quy: doing. is probably a really nice guy, but i do not know because i do not know him in private, he does not know me in private. 0n the sideline, we have quite animated and emotional and sometimes we say a few words, you wish a few minutes later you hadn't said it, that is how life is, thatis hadn't said it, that is how life is, that is how football is must stop nothing woman that.” that is how football is must stop nothing woman that. i have a huge amount of respect for him. —— meant nothing more than that. what he has

doneis nothing more than that. what he has done is incredible and that is on him as the focus point of the club and the individual talent they have and the individual talent they have a nightclub that they have brought in. so there is nothing in it for me. the competitive nature of the 90 minutes can always at slightly boil overin minutes can always at slightly boil over in different directions. —— the individual talent they have in that club. in the scottish premiership, second placed rangers are taking on hibernian, who are third. 1—1 currently. it was hibs who went in front thanks to a goal from drey wright — the first league goal rangers have conceded this season. but steven gerrard's side equalised on the stroke of half time through alfredo morelos. in just a few hours' time will cycling history will be made following one of the most dramatic days on the tour de france yesterday. slovenia's tadej pogacar stunned compatriot primoz roglic to all but win the race for the first time at the age

ofjust 21, the youngest champion in 111 years. ben croucher has the story of yesterday's time trial. ascending at the summit in that cycling is seldom easy. the view when you get there is quite spectacular. just ask tadej pogacar, climbing into history. he started it time trial at 57 seconds behind long—time leader, primoz roglic, but as he ate up the miles, the deficit kept dropping until the foot of la planche des belles filles, pretty name, pretty steep, to. on the left, primoz roglic, watching his tour disappearup primoz roglic, watching his tour disappear up the road. 0n the right, tadej pogacar, christine. 0n disappear up the road. 0n the right, tadej pogacar, christine. on his way to becoming the youngest winner in more than a century. —— pristine. detections dealing microseconds close by, primoz roglic was to slow. three weeks of racing decided by less tha n three weeks of racing decided by less than a minute. i didn't know i

would win the stage until i sought roglic just would win the stage until i sought roglicjust did at the finish line. i couldn't believe it, just out of this world. slovenia are set to celebrate in the way. it was the hometown of komenda where his name was chanted through the night. today champagne will flow on the champs—elysees as well most of he has reached the peak of cycling. age 21, you wonder how long he might stay there. american matthew wolff leads the us open going into the final round in new york. at 21, he could become the first debutant to win the tournament in a century. he's got a two shot lead. rory mcilroy meanwhile is six shots back. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. holly, many thanks indeed. holly hamilton that with all the sport for us. let's return to our main story this hour. the health secretary matt hancock says the country has a choice

of whether to follow the pandemic rules, or face further restrictions. speaking on the andrew marr programme on bbc one, he said demand for tests had increased due to people without symptoms trying to get tested. he said it was really important to make sure tests were available for people who really needed them. we face a choice. if everyone follows the rules, everyone follows the rules and we will be increasingly stringent on the people who are not following the rules, if everyone follows the rules, then we can avoid further national lockdowns, but we of course have to be prepared to take action if that is what is necessary. so we might be facing a further national lockdown if people don't obery the ruels? that is exactly right. don't obey the ruels? i don't rule it out. i do not want to see it. and i understand the economic and other downsides of it. let's look at the route

out of this, if i may. give people something to hope for. dido harding has said a million people a day are asking for tests. how many people a day are actually being tested at the moment? just over... we have a capacity ofjust over 250,000. yeah, not capacity, but people. over 200,000. more than 200,000 actual people being tested at the moment every day? yesterday it was 226,000. so that is about 20% of those asking for tests every day. thankfully the demand has come down a bit this week since the figures that dido talked about and the reason for that is that we saw this spike in people who do not have symptoms and are not eligible coming forward for a test and we have been clearer and more stringent about prioritising the tests for people who need them and have symptoms. sorry tojump in, but for a long time we were told it was your civic duty to get tested if there was any possible... if you have symptoms. yes, but presumably also if you have been in a place where you were worried you might have picked it up. no, if you have symptoms... so if you do not have symptoms, under no circumstances... if in doubt, you used to say,

if in doubt, don't get tested. ——get tested. people are in doubt, and they are asking for tests. they are being told they can't have them. we have always been totally clear, it is really straightforward. if you have a symptoms, please come forward and get a test. if you do not have symptoms, unless you have been specifically asked to by a public health professional, do not come forward and get a test. you did actually say, if in doubt, get a test, at one point. if in doubt of your symptoms, absolutely. but crucially this, during the summer we had plenty of spare capacity in the testing system and there was not the demand. capacity has continued to go up and demand has shot up. we have to prioritise and have to make sure that the tests are there for the people who really need them most. that is matt hancock, the health secretary. the labour leader, sir keir starmer, has said that the pm should personally apologise for what he described as the "near collapse of testing", saying that if he were the pm he would "apologise for the fact that we are in this

situation with testing." whatever measure the government takes, we will support it. we did that with lockdown. really? we did that with local restrictions and i have said that whatever measures are taken. but listen, if i was the prime minister, i would apologise for the fact that we are in this situation with testing. throughout the summer, we were saying, prepare for the autumn. instead, we had the exams fiasco. i would make fixing testing the number one priority and reinstate the daily press conferences, so we all know what's going on. because up and down the country, people are really concerned about the fact that the testing system is near collapse. so you are in favour of tough decisions, what i'm asking you is what tough decisions you would take now? you've given a very good assessment of where we are, an analysis of the government, but nonetheless, politicians have to say, is this time for a lockdown? would you ask pubs and restaurants to close now to save lives? andrew, i'm not giving you my view on that for this reason. it's not to duck it. one of the very important things in a pandemic

is clarity of communication, so people know exactly... it is the reason i have said i will support the government. the government has scientific advisers and they will make their decision. now, i may, sometimes we look at decisions... let me finish, this is really important. they make a decision, we will follow that and we will reinforce communications, because in the end this is not about party politics, it is about getting the nation through this virus. if the government takes action, we will support it and their message because what i want, like the government, is for this virus to come back under control, but the single biggest problem is testing. here is something which is nothing to do with the science. do you think a £10,000 fine for failing to self—isolate is too draconian? i think it is necessary to take measures against the very few people who are frequently and repeatedly breaking the rules. would you encourage people to, as it were,

dob in their neighbours? the vast majority of people are following the rules and i want to say thank you for that because they have been doing it for months. the biggest problem up till now has been clarity about what the rules are which is why it is good we have gone to the rule of six, we need that clarity. as for dobbing in your neighbour, i think most people, and the police have actually done this very well over the last few months, by consent, cajoling and advising and instructing people, we have got the vast majority of people complying with the rules. where there are outliers, the few people flouting the rule repeatedly, i support the government about that. you're watching bbc news. hundreds of opposition activists have been detained by the belarussian security forces at the latest women's march demanding the resignation of president alexander lukashenko. men in green uniforms and balaclavas surrounded the protesters, who responded with chants of "only cowards beat women". sylvia lennan—spence reports.

chanting. another saturday, another anti—government protest in the belarussian capital minsk. 2,000 women marching against president lukashenko, against the allegedly rigged election which he claims to have won legitimately six weeks ago. all chant. "people united will never be defeated", they chant. and then... screaming. ..the men in balaclavas arrived. men from the government, taking away its own people. "shame! let them free!" shouted these women, trying to stop their fellow demonstrators being dragged away. 0thers shouted "0nly cowards beat women!" the police wouldn't say how many were detained, but one local human rights groups claims it was 300, including this 73—year—old great—grandmother, nina bahinskaya, a regular

opposition activist and now an icon for this protest movement. she was taken to a police station and later released. so, too, many others, because the police simply didn't have enough vans to take them away — a sign that the authorities' crackdown is having little effect, with more protest planned for sunday, the sixth consecutive weekend. three spitfires and one hurricane have taken part in a fly—past to mark the 80th anniversary of the battle of britain. the raf planes flew over central london this afternoon as part of events marking 80 years since britain claimed victory in the battle, a dramatic turning point in world war two. a memorial service has also taken place in westminster abbey, where the prime minister gave a reading. during the battle, the raf defended the skies above southern england, as hitler's luftwaffe flew daily

attacks ahead of a planned invasion. it's not long since pupils returned to the classroom after lockdown, but rising covid cases means thousands of children are already isolating, so for many it's back to home—schooling. and it brings up a problem we've reported on before — a lack of tablets and laptops for some children means they can't complete online lessons. head teachers say they urgently need more digital devices to stop pupils falling further behind. fiona lamdin reports. how have you been finding staying at home? a bit difficult at the same time... yeah. have you been getting on with the work 0k? yeah. keriya is in year 9. she's one of 300 students who must stay at home after another pupil tested positive for coronavirus, but already is worried she's falling behind. what difference do you think having a tablet will make? a massive difference. honestly, it really will. it'll be a lot more easier. i'll be able to work well and be a lot more productive with the work. at the moment, we only have 15

ipads that we can issue to students at home, and it's really a crisis point at the moment because we just don't have any more to give out. if another year group then goes out — heaven forbid that happens — then we don't have any more devices to go around. this time keriya is one of the lucky ones and can borrow one of the precious few school tablets. she's now able to join her lessons, which are being taught from these empty classrooms. i want you to translate those sentences. we'll do the first one together, 0k? along the corridor, in the library, ethan is in year 11, taking his gcses next summer. he just hopes his year bubble stays well so he can stay in school. he's got six brothers and sisters — sharing the family's only device during lockdown was impossible. during the lockdown, i've missed my english, my maths, my science, all the other subjects. i only got to do two

german online classes out of all the time we were off. so it was not good. most of the schools i've spoken with say they're putting contingency plans in place. they're sending home surveys so they know exactly who has and who hasn't got access to devices. and some trusts are so concerned about what lies ahead they‘ re making sacrifices to buy in extra kit. we're investing about 50,000 in new laptops. we might defer from doing some building projects. the worst thing that can happen in the future is if we have a yo—yo system where they are being educated and then not. so, really, we're trying to make sure that even if they're not in school, they're still being educated. but not every school can spare the money. at this primary in bristol, they're relying on charity. thank you. today, they were given 12 laptops. 12 is brilliant, and that means that we could potentially give more families access to computers if we went

into a lockdown again. but we definitely need more. we've got 230 children and about 100 families, if we could give one to every family it would make such a difference to us. for thousands going back to school it's been far from straightforward, so devices like these are vital. the problem is therejust aren't enough to go round. fiona lamdin, bbc news. one in seven indigenous plant species in the uk is threatened by extinction, according to research from the woodland trust charity. that's why 24—year—old botanist, joshua styles, has made it his mission to bring back local flora. he's already re—introduced 19 endangered species to north—west england, some of which disappeared during queen victoria's reign. abbiejones has been to meet him. in the wilderness of this vast peat bog in wigan, plants extinct for over a century are thriving once again, thanks to a remarkable young man.

it might not look it, but this ditch is very, very exciting. this is lesser bloodwort. it used to be extinct. it was extinct in greater manchester for 50 years. we introduced it in 2018, and now there's over 185,000 plants on this whole site, which is amazing, yeah. watch your step! a few minutes walk away on astley moss, another ofjosh's success stories. there they are! they're looking really good. this is great sundew, endangered until he reintroduced it here a month ago. it's really sad because it's an endangered species in england. there are less than 20 sites where you can see it. it feels incredible to see this endangered species back here in its rightful home after over 150 years of being extinct. so it feels wonderful.

ecologistjosh has now reintroduced 19 species at 45 sites around the region, including the dune wormwood in sefton sand dunes, the common butterwort in cumbria, and the green—ringed orchid in cheshire. he's been studying plants and grasses since the age of seven and grows them in his garden in southport. his work is supported by organisations like chester zoo and lancashire wildlife trust. in two years he has reintroduced nine speciesjust at this one site. increasing the biodiversity more than we would have been able to by ourselves. and until we've got the right plants, we can't reintroduce animals either. what do you want to see? what point do you want to get to in the north—west? my overriding aim is to see over 40 target species that are on the cusp of extinction in the region come back, that i was never able to see as a child, so that other people can

enjoy them as much as i do. abbyjones, bbc news, manchester. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willets. —— susan powell. to sick and beautiful at the moment, some is doing a really good job of lingering and it is pretty warm across southern counties of the uk. this picture sewing something slightly different, beautiful here on loch lomond, but we have this layer of cloud hanging, slowly lifting across eastern scotland and that is the case across much of north—east of as well. still of the north sea, should bend back as the afternoon goes on, but a bit greyer here as temperatures pent back a bit as a result of that cloud. a academy south coast, it could bring the charity to hampshire, dorset, the isle of wight in the next two hours.

0ur temperatures are bearing very well for the time of year, are above average, 24, 25 expected in the south of england this afternoon, high teens across much of northern england. but it is along that north sea coast that perhaps just 14 or 15 will be as high as we get. northern and western scotland seeing more cloud draping across the northern and western isles. brighter spells rather than sunshine here. on into this evening and overnight we get a little bit of a change in wind direction to take us to the small hours of monday, is actually clearer skies across eastern scotland, still some low cloud and murk putting in to the north—east of england, but the thing to look out for a monday morning is a fog developing across eastern wales, parts of midlands and eastern wales, parts of midlands and eastern england, could be a hazard first thing on the road, but a lot is on trend colours that bounce back through the course of monday afternoon and again at temperatures approaching the mid 20s. call it was the north west. more cloud and a

weather front counter to squeeze into the