this is bbc news. the headlines at a... the government says the country is at a tipping point, as it prepares to introduce tough new fines for anyone in england who is told to self—isolate but fails to. if everybody follows the rules then we can avoid further national lockdown is. national lockdowns. but we have course have to be prepared to take action if that's what's necessary. the labour leader says sorting out the problems with testing should be ministers top priority. if i was the prime minister, i would apologise for the fact we are in this situation with testing. throughout the summer we were saying prepare for the autumn. instead, we had the exams fiasco. president trump says he will nominate a woman

within the next week as his choice to replace the supreme court judge, ruth bader ginsburg. anti—government protesters in thailand call for reform of the political system and the monarchy. a fly—past over central london marks the 80th anniversary of the battle of britain, following a memorial service at westminster abbey. and as the us presidential election campaign gathers momentum, we have a special edition of talking movies devoted to cinema and politics. good afternoon, welcome to bbc news. 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 pounds 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 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 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 take action, if that's what is necessary.

so we might be facing a further national lockdown if 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, anyone who tests positive for covid—19, or is found to have had close contact with someone who has, will be legally required to self—isolate. a £500 payment will be available for those on benefits, and fines of up to £10,000 for those who break the rules. we have all got a responsibility really, to make sure we don't spread the virus. and if people are going out of their way to ignore the guidelines, i think it is quite fair and proper that they should get punished quite severely for that. i think the rules now are really, 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's not easy. we looked them up the other day and it's not easy to understand

what you should be doing. ministers have been accused of mixed messages on whether people should report neighbours that they see breaking the rules. the health secretary was asked if he would call the police. yes, and for the self—isolation part, that is absolutely necessary, because that is how we break the 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 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 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.

the latest coronavirus figures have just been announced and the uk has reported 3899 new cases of covid—i9. asa reported 3899 new cases of covid—i9. as a point of comparison, they were 4400 to two on saturday. so a slight drop they are all the figures are sometimes lower at the weekend. —— 4422. there have been 18 deaths in the last period, people who have died from having positive coronavirus tests. we have seen 18 and the total number of deaths 41,759, the total number of people who have died from covid—19 in the

uk. our health correspondent catherine burns explained why she thought the government was seeing this is as a tipping point. i think the thing they are looking at is other countries. really simply, there is 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 weeks, someone gets sick, they try to recover at home, then need to go to hospital, then they sadly die, so the numbers of deaths we are seeing now are probably people who got sick around the start of this month. and we know this because we saw it happen here in the springtime and now we are starting to see it happening in other countries across europe. so, matt hancock was asked about this and he pointed to spain. he said cases there shot up and that was followed by a rise in hospital admissions and an increase in deaths. the government also likes to give what it sees as a slightly 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's a sting in the tail, because the numbers there are starting to rise too. so for now, where are we at? in terms of actual cases spread across the population our numbers are not as bad as these countries. the government wants to keep it this way. i spoke to the virologist and founder and editor of the naked scientists podcast, dr chris smith. he told me that he was fully expecting a rise in cases. well, i think it's inevitable we're going to see a lot more cases yet. i don't know whether or not we are going to get the level we were at back in march when we were at hundreds of thousands of infections per day. at the moment we are somewhere around about 5,000 or 6,000 and rising and as catherine burns was just saying, although we don't have very much activity in hospitals yet, that is no reason for complacency. because what happens generally is that you have infections and they are followed over a three or four week cycle by

hospital admissions. so what we do today, we will not see the effects of for three or four weeks hence, so it's important to bear that in mind and also keep in mind that other countries across the european states have actually seen very big escalations in their cases and we are following along behind them. so i think what's happening here is politicians are seeing what other countries are doing, seeing what's happening in those countries and saying, it's almost certain we are following the same trajectory, that is where we will be if we do not turn the taps off now, and that's why they are trying to do this i think. one of the ways that might and i stress the word might turn the taps off is a second national lockdown, which matt hancock has raised the possibility of. as a virologist, would you recommend that? the government have described this as a nuclear option but importantly said this is not a nuclear option they have taken off the table,

so it still remains a possibility. i'm not sure that it's the right way to go based on where we are at the moment. i think it would be very destructive, i think it be very destructive psychologically, i think it would be very destructive educationally, i think it would be very destructive economically. i'm hoping that the measures that are being introduced will be sufficient and will rein in the numbers and i'm hoping that the current trend which is that most of the infection is in younger people, although not exclusively, who are at very low risk, it stays that way and we don't see it filter into older people who are more at risk. but at the end of the day, this is a very fluid situation and we just don't know. so we have to plan for the worst but hope for the best. president trump has said his nominee to replace ruth bayder 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 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 they already control the congress and win the white house, then 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. britain, france and germany say a us move to re—impose un sanctions on iran over its nuclear programme has no legitimacy. iran says the americans have no authority to reinstate the embargo, since president trump abandoned the nuclear deal two years ago. the us argues it does have the authority as an original signatory of the agreement.

a man's been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a number of people were hurt in a knife attack in plymouth. five people were taken to hospital, including a man with potentially life—changing injuries, following the attack outside a pub. police were called to the railway inn in the stoke area of the city at about 10pm on saturday. officers say it was an isolated incident and is not being treated as terrorism related. anti—government protesters in thailand have installed a plaque near bangkok's grand palace proclaiming that the country belongs to the people and not the monarch. protests calling for the resignation of the government and reform of the monarchy have been continuing. activists camped out overnight in a field near the royal palace after tens of thousands joined demonstrations demanding reform. 0ur correspondent jonathan head reports.

they had camped overnight under the shadow of the old palace. protesters of all ages from the city and the countryside with a message for the government, the military and the king. they want sweeping changes to how power and resources are allocated in thailand. here, in what you might call king vajiralongkorn‘s backyard, they laid a brass plaque with an inscription that the country belonged to the people, not the monarch. theyjoined in singing the national anthem. "we are patriotic," they say, "not nation haters," an accusation made by some royalists. but their hunger games salute has become a potent symbol of dissent in one of the world's most unequal societies. they have been allowed to occupy this park, site of the most illustrious royal ceremonies, but as the protest moved towards the grand palace, they found their way blocked by the police.

22—year—old student panusaya sithijirawatta na kul, who last month stunned thailand by reading of a ten—point manifesto for royal reform, was left to deliver her letter, addressed to the king, to the police commander with instructions to pass it on. the party—like atmosphere we have seen here belies the seriousness of the challenge that these protesters are throwing down to the monarchy, notjust the occupation of one of the most important royal sites here in bangkok, but also some of the critical comments made about king vajiralongkorn from the stage. stronger than anything i think most thais have heard said in public before. what we cannot guess yet is how the palace and the authorities are going to react. in the two months since these protests began, they have

transformed the political debate in thailand, saying things once thought unsayable. there is an understandable sense of elation in watching taboos being broken, but there are plenty of risks, too, when a near sacred institution is confronted and questioned like this for the first time. jonathan head, bbc news, bangkok. the engineering firm rolls—royce, which makes jet engines, the headlines on bbc news... the government says the country is at a tipping point, as it prepares to introduce tough new fines for anyone in england who is told to self—isolate but fails to. the labour leader says ministers should apologise for the problems with the testing system, and sorting them out should be its top priority. president trump says he will nominate a woman within the next week as his choice to replace the supreme court judge, ruth bader ginsburg. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's holly.

after a busy couple of days in the transfer market, tottenham have delivered the goods on the pitch today. son heung—min scored four times as spurs thrashed southampton 5—2 to claim their first premier league win of the season. adam wild was watching the action. in the south coast sunshine, no sign of spurs star signing gareth bale, not ready for their game at southampton. for much of the first half, his new team—mates looked rather ill—prepared as well. danny ings putting saints ahead, spurs were poor. but before the break, son had level. a brilliant goal and a glimpse of what was to come. the second halfjust moments old, son had another, spurs ahead, whichever way you look at it it was perhaps more than they deserved. but this was becoming something special. son put through again and his hat—trick was inevitable. a brilliant performance

by hemant harry kane whose cross set up yet another, son running out of fingers to count them on, that was his fourth. with spurs firmly in control he eventually let someone else have a go. harry kane adding another. 5—2 the final score. so who needs bale in the sun, when you have son to bail you out? so 4 goals for the first time in his career, son heung—min got the match ball but manager jose mourinho had his own ideas about who should get man of the match. man of the match, harry kane. laughter yeah, i will say that. if it comes from the boss you can't argue can you? i would say harry is the man of the match because he scored a goal and gave a few assists, and with harry we are working together so long, this is the sixth season and we know

each other well and we have a good relationship on the pitch and even off the pitch. elsewhere this afternoon there was a good win for brighton away at newcastle. graham potter's side were two up after six minutes. both those goals coming from neal maupay. aaron connelly added a third in the closing stages although brighton had to finish the game with ten men after yves bissouma was sent off for this reckless high foot. but 3—0 it finished at st james park. still to come, this afternoon, it's chelsea taking on the champions

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 over 150 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. ecologist josh 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. 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 1500 pilots and aircrew lost their lives fighting the german airforce. 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 1944. 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, our families 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. opportunities to meet new people may have been hampered over recent months, but a return to old ways of communication has helped some people forge new friendships. among them, 93—year—old care—home resident, madge weatherhead, who began receiving letters during lockdown from six—year—old ella, who lives almost 200 miles away. emma baw has been hearing their story. bridging the gap across the miles and the generations. a unique friendship forged with pen and paper. i started writing because it's kind and it's obviously fun and it's obviously happy, cos when you get

letters sent back to each other. well, a pen pal as lovely as ella, i think it's wonderful. it's wonderful. i look forward to her letters. and i look forward to writing to her. they got together through the friends of the elderly charity, which matches pen pals to make new friends. i really look forward to her letters and we sometimes draw a picture for each other and that's very nice. this is a picture of popeye. oh, wow! it's interesting, because that she's not in school and she's in a care home. for the prolific pen pals, age is but a number. i'm 93 and she's six.