good afternoon. cabinet office minister michael gove has warned that hospitals in england could become overwhelmed with new covid cases if mps don't back the planned tougher tiered restrictions due to come in to force next wednesday. writing in the times, mr gove urged them to take responsibility for difficult decisions ahead of the vote. borisjohnson is facing a rebellion by backbench conservatives over the severity of the restrictions, and labour hasn't decided yet whether it will back them. with more, here's our political correspondent ellie price. teignbridge in devon has one of the

lowest infection rates across england, but it will find itself in year two along with the rest of the county. we have just lived through the second lockdown and we have vastly more people being moved up a phase, despite being told this is the last push, this is the new pa na cea . the last push, this is the new panacea. in writing in the times newspaper today, cabinet officer michael gove tried to address concerns of wavering mps. he said... medical experts say the threat to the nhs is real. if we get very large numbers of covid patients in january and we have a cold snap, there will be a danger that the nhs

gets overwhelmed. so far, around 12 conservative mps have said they will vote against the government in the commons on tuesday. another 20 or so have voiced concerns. a number are waiting impact assessment that the government are expected to publish in the coming days. but will it be enough? don't forget there was a sizeable conservative opposition to the previous lockdown, and that still was voted through. the previous lockdown, and that still was voted throughi the previous lockdown, and that still was voted through. i am worried about business support. there is no support for tier 3. hospitality will be hard hit at christmas. we want to know how different parts of the country can come out of their tiers. the government acknowledged the best hope of getting out of any tiered system was mass vaccination. until

that happens, in england, it is likely we will remain under the tiered system. ellie price, bbc news, westminster. iran's president has blamed israel for the killing of one of its top nuclear scientists in its capital tehran, after gunman ambushed his car yesterday. israel has not commented. it had previously accused mohsen fakhrizadeh of being behind a covert nuclear weapons programme. the killing threatens to escalate tensions with the us and its close ally israel over iran's nuclear programme. the snp has pledged to extend free school meals in scotland to provide breakfasts and lunches for all primary pupils. the expanded scheme, expected to cost £230 million per year, would run in school holidays — notjust term time. speaking at the party's virtual conference, john swinney, scotland's deputy first minister and education secretary, praised the campaign led by the footballer marcus rashford.

more than 2.5 million vulnerable people in england will be offered free vitamin d this winter. this follows the lead of scotland, which is also providing free supplements to some people. the vitamin helps to keep bones, teeth and muscle healthy — but a new clinical trial has just started looking at whether it can also protect against coronavirus. 0ur science correspondent, rebecca morelle, reports. a dose of sunshine, helping us to make vitamin d, which is essential for our health. but at this time of year, the sun's in short supply. from october to march, people in the uk are advised to take vitamin d, and now in england people in care homes and those classed as clinically extremely vulnerable will get a free supply too. we know that with things like lockdown measures, people staying indoors much more often, maybe not going out as much because they are shielding, or they are housebound,

here i think supplementation is, you know, a relatively easy and affordable way to sort of protect the health of the general population. but can vitamin d also help with covid? this lab is trying to find out. there is some evidence that it helps with other respiratory infections. now a clinical trial involving more than 5,000 people is looking at its impact on coronavirus. it's not going to be as powerful as a vaccine, but it might reduce the severity of the disease significantly. we only need to demonstrate a small effect for it to be deployed. the vitamins for the clinical trial have been sorted into different doses. then they are packed up and sent out to volunteers across the uk.

it's clear that vitamin d is important for general health. the uk government's now asking health authorities to review the existing science around its effect on covid, and should publish those findings by the end of the year. rebecca morelle, bbc news. charities and nhs services who help problem gamblers say this year has been one of their busiest. more than a quarter of a million people in the uk are thought to be addicted to gambling — with the number of women increasing at double the rate of men. next month, the government is due to launch a review of industry regulations. jeremy cooke reports. gambling to me was as normal as breathing. i was gambling from the first moment i'd wake up in the morning. i would wake up in the night and gamble. there was no time that i wouldn't gamble or think about gambling. kerry is a recovering addict. it felt like something i couldn't stop. it was part of me, it had control. gambling cost her tens of thousands of pounds. but the true cost has been higher still. what i lost was so much more than that. it was my identity, my self—respect, my values, time, sleep,

relationships, my home. the list is endless. i did think of ways to end my life. i didn't want to be here, because i couldn't see a life without gambling. it had me, it had total control. i would just have a little gamble, maybe... breaking the habit is not easy. this is one of the few residential centres in the uk helping gambling addicts. the process starts thinking again... and it's cold turkey. no phones, no internet, no cash. the event, as you know, could be a sporting event... for years, online betting has been shifting the problem from the bookies to the family home. and then came the covid lockdown. it just amplified the situation. it amplified their feelings, thoughts, and of course their behaviour. it took them to the edge when they were desperate. for most of us, of course, gambling is harmless. but for some it can be disastrous. and now experts say covid

and lockdown have created the perfect storm for a growing and deeper problem. before lockdown, our outreach services were reaching about 30 interactions a month. we are now doing about 1,000 a month. the volume is on the increase, but the intensity is ten times greater then it was before. studies show that the number of women living with gambling addiction is growing, and stands at around 75,000 across britain. kerry now works full—time to help as many of those women as she can. if i hadn't spoken about it, i probably wouldn't be here now, you know? you can recover — it is possible. i never believed it, but i'm living proof. so there is hope, but also fear that this new lockdown once again brings the ideal conditions for gambling addiction to grow and to destroy lives. jeremy cooke, bbc news. it's the second round of the fa cup

this weekend, and it's an extra special occasion for merseyside club marine, one of only a handful of non—league teams left in the competition. if the team gets through, the prize is a potential tie against a premier league side, but marine has had a few obstacles to overcome, as austin halewood reports. for much of england, it's like time has stood still over this second lockdown. grassroots sport had to grind to a halt, but in this part of merseyside, the magic of the fa cup has still shone through. marine has caused the biggest upset of this year's fa cup competition! that was marine beating colchester united, a team 89 places above them, to reach the second round for the first time in 28 years. you can't describe the feelings that were going through everyone, even when the penalty went in. you could probably tell by my celebrations, i still couldn't believe it went in! water everywhere, everyone was jumping over everyone.

there was videos going on. it was a great atmosphere. the first round began just two days after the lockdown started, with marine and nine other non—elite sides granted special dispensation by the government to play. well, only canvey island and marine here in crosby made it through. and since, they have become the only non—elite football teams in all of england to be allowed to train during the second national lockdown. well, marine play havant & waterlooville on sunday, butjust making the game happen hasn't been easy. we have to make sure everyone is temperature tested. hand sanitiser. masks, as you've seen. we've got to keep the fa informed of where everyone is. you know, if anyone has symptoms or whatever, that has to be all logged and passed to the fa. and of course, the nature of the team being classed as amateur means all of these players have been juggling training with their full—time jobs. so, i'm a physio at the royal in liverpool. coming off a covid ward to training, thinking sometimes, should i be here, should i not be here? i don't want to pass it onto the lads, and then ruin the

next round for them, for example. but, to be honest, it's been great. they've followed all the guidelines, all the rules. and again, it's been a pretty smooth transition. and now the team are just one win away from a potential tie with one of the big boys from the premier league. yeah, it would be unreal. unreal for all of us. like, as we said, if we win this one and get a premier league club, well, that's what everyone wants. the fans, the club as well. if they did manage to get there, well, those fans might even be allowed in to watch, too. austin halewood, bbc news, crosby. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at 5:20pm. good afternoon.

let's take you straight to the premier league because the defending champions liverpool are away to brighton in the first game of the day. brighton have missed two good opportunities, including a penalty. liverpool then thought they'd gone ahead when mo salah put the ball in the back of the net, but it was ruled offside. just coming up to half time it's 0—0. there are also second—round matches in the scottish league cup and the fa cup today. you can watch four fa cup games live on the red button, iplayer and bbc sport website, as well as in—play clips from all the day's matches. new zealand thrashed argentina 38—0, to avenge their defeat two weeks ago in the tri—nations rugby championship. ahead of the rematch, captain sam kane laid an all blacks jersey on the pitch, with diego maradona's name and number — one of many tributes at sporting events this weekend. to the match action and new zealand were quick off the mark, with an early try from dane coles. after the break they were ruthless, willjordan racing over for two tries within10 minutes

of coming on for his debut. new zealand will almost certainly take the title. there's a big game in the autumn nations cup later, wales taking on an in—form england side in llanelli. england will guarantee their place in next month's final with a win. they‘ re undefeated in the competition so far, but form often goes out of the window in matches like this. totally basic answer but it is pretty simple and the pure fact of we are going to be saying things like, any player cut obviously the added... 0bviously like, any player cut obviously the added... obviously the added sideshow, but we are in a different context, and we are very aware. sideshow, but we are in a different context, and we are very awarem

is hard to keep that continual drive to the top up. whilst they have gone through that, they have had a change of coach, who is trying to change their style a little. he wants to play more attacking, wider game, so there is an adjustment from the players to the new tactical approach. but they are a dangerous animal. they are that. england cricket captain heather knight said she was "really chuffed" after her side sydney thunder beat melbourne stars to win the women's big bash league title. fellow england internationals katherine brunt and nat sciver were in the stars team. they chose to bat first but crumbled to 86—9 in the face of a fine performance from the thunder bowlers. theirs is a young side, but knight's experience showed. she hit the winning runs, a six giving them victory by seven wickets. after 15 years away from the sport,

a 54—year—old mike tyson returns to the boxing ring tonight, when he takes on royjonesjunior, who himself is 51. ahead of the eight—round exhibition fight in los angeles, tyson weighed in at 220 pounds, with jones junior 10 pounds lighter. there's been plenty of talk about the spectacle, some claiming it's a farce, others concerned for the fighters' health. three—time world heavyweight champion lennox lewis believes they will be safe, despite their advancing years. this is something they have done for most of their career, most of their life. it is trained. their bodies are probably craving it again. they won't be the same, obviously they are older now, a little slower. won't be able to move around as much as they did when they were younger. i'm sure both of them know how to have fun. you know, you're talking toa have fun. you know, you're talking to a movie star, a guy that has his own one—man band show, mike tyson. he knows how to entertain people and royjones, he

he knows how to entertain people and roy jones, he knows he knows how to entertain people and royjones, he knows how to entertain people, he is a showboat can a boxer. you know, people are going to be on the edge of their seats seeing if they still have it. lots of live action on the bbc sport website including qualifying for the bahrain grand prix,' the fa cup second round and the european climbing championships. i'll be back with more later. around 13,000 people employed by one of the high street‘s biggest retailers — arcadia — are waiting to hear if theirjobs are safe — with the company said to be on the brink of collapse. administrators could be appointed to the group — which owns brands such as topshop, dorothy perkins and burton — as early as monday. here's our business correspondent, katy austin. the festive season is approaching, but there's tough news this weekend for the 13,000 people working for arcadia, with their employer

on the verge of collapse. the group had its troubles before the pandemic, already shedding jobs and closing stores. experts say it had failed to adapt as retail changed. new fashion businesses which are digital native have found it much easier to adapt to the shopping climate now. it's not easy for any big company who's an old company to adapt in the same way as a new one can do. arcadia's owner, sir philip green, had built a huge clothing empire, but in 2015, he sold bhs for £1, and the department store chain collapsed the following year. do you mind not looking at me like that all the time? it's really disturbing. leaving him first facing fury from mps, then coughing up hundreds of millions to plug the gap in bhs‘s pension scheme. he was definitely a man of his time, but that time has been changing dramatically in recent years, and then we've had the pandemic, which has catapulted it further forward. his style worked really

well some years ago. it's worked less and less well. in a statement, arcadia said the forced closure of its stores during the pandemic had had a material impact on trading across its businesses. if the administration process does kick—off on monday, the group's 500 shops will continue to trade when they're allowed to reopen in england and ireland, and a buyer will be sought. the question then is if buyers can be found for arcadia's brands, and who they might be. katy austin, bbc news. boris johnson has appointed nadhim zahawi as a health minister responsible for the deployment of coronavirus vaccines. downing street said he would take on the role until at least next summer. it comes as hospitals in england have been told to prepare for the roll—out of a coronavirus vaccine from mid—december. nhs providers, which represents hospital trusts in england, says intensive work is going on to prepare for the first doses of the jab — but the time—frame will depend on when and if vaccines are approved by regulators.

face to face talks have resumed in london to reach agreement on a brexit deal between the eu and the uk. the eu's chief brexit negotiator michel barnier said deep divisions remain. borisjohnson has also spoken to the irish prime minister and underlined his commitment to reaching an agreement, which respects the uk's sovereignty. the government has appointed the network rail chairman, sir peter hendy, to establish whether the train, road and air networks are ready for people planning to travel over the christmas period. families will be allowed to make festive trips during a five—day window, between the 23rd and 27th of december. the department for transport will publish measures aimed at easing travel disruption next week. the transport secretary, grant shapps, has already urged people to book tickets well in advance and be prepared for restrictions on passenger numbers. the number of coronavirus cases recorded in the united states

has passed 13 million, as the pandemic continues to surge. nearly 265,000 americans have died with covid—19. around 90,000 are in hospital. a further spike in the infection rate is expected, as millions have travelled for the thanksgiving weekend despite public health warnings to stay at home. 0ur north america correspondent david willis reports. in the worst affected nation on earth, coronavirus cases are growing at an alarming rate. the united states added more than a million new cases of covid—19 in the space of less than a week, and on hospital wards and amongst health care workers, the strain is starting to show. when the news says we've reached a new death toll, i don't understand that. but as a front line health care worker, i can understand, and i can describe the sound a zipper on a body bag makes. health experts urge people to avoid

travelling over thanksgiving, fearing the holiday weekend could turn into a super spreader. some chose to ignore that advice, although bargain hunters were noticeably thinner on the ground on what's known as black friday, traditionally america's busiest shopping day of the year. some, though, see a deadly virus as little deterrent. kyle camped outside a video game store for two nights to get his hands on a cut—priced playstation 5. it gave me some big concerns that we would all be squashed up less than six feet together. i try to wear my mask as much as possible to limit the risk of getting covid, in case there was someone who had it. but i felt, for the most part, pretty safe. away from the shopping malls, online sales are booming this year.

by the end of the holiday season, they're expected to reach $10 billion, a 40% increase on last year. whilst his successor has vowed to make tackling the coronavirus his number one priority, the current occupant of the white house has seemed more focused on perfecting his golf swing and disputing the result of the election. donald trump once again found himself in the rough after an appeals court judge in pennsylvania rejected an attempt to prevent certification ofjoe biden‘s victory there. certainly i will, certainly i will. and having said on thursday that he would leave the white house if the electoral college formalised mr biden‘s victory nationwide, the president then appeared to backtrack, writing on twitter...

but whether mr trump likes it or not, joe biden will be the president onjanuary the 20th, at which point he will be responsible for the country's response to a virus which is now spreading so fast that officials in los angeles county, the largest county in the country, are preparing to introduce tough restrictions aimed at keeping people at home. some wonder here if a long, dark winter might be just beginning. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. a rare plant has reappeared, more than a century since its last confirmed sighting. known as grass—poly, the pink flower came

out of hiding after seeds were disturbed during restoration work at a pond in norfolk. scientists say conservation efforts could lead to the return of other forgotten species. professor carl sayer, who made the discovery, joins us now. we are so pleased with this. giving this little plant some attention. we have been restoring them for quite some time, ponds in the british countryside. they have been neglected over the last 50 years, are either overgrown or sadly filled in and covered over with soil, so we have been busily, as part of our research, a sort of resurrecting and restoring ponds. you do that by removing the trees and then unearthing them, if you like, exposing the old mod players and taking them out. we have seen all sorts of benefits for wildlife by doing that. amphibians, pollinators, birds and things. sometimes you get some really rare plants come back and it is because we have disturbed

these buried layers of seeds, that are viable for centuries we are discovering, and it means things that are mega rare in the past can come back to us, so it is thrilling to bring this plan. you're essentially saying that because this seeds are buried deep, and presumably the air can get them, it is almost like they are frozen in time? that's exactly it. it is a dark, cold, oxygen free place, which isa dark, cold, oxygen free place, which is a perfect way of preserving seeds. it means wetland plants we think are extinct could just be sitting there waiting, a sort of time capsule of biodiversity. when we disturb these ponds and bring them back to life, or if beepers, for example, the disturb the soil, -- if for example, the disturb the soil, —— if you have beavers, these really where things can come back to us. who knows what is next? there are all sorts of plants that are rare and excitement to come back. it is a

really positive conservation study and get something to focus on. do you have the kind of reference? have been able to pin down when the last sighting of this plan was, until you find it? yeah, in norfolk, will be found at any small pond, we are pretty certain it has not been seen for a century. it is 100 years since the last plants were seen. that is quite some time of absence from the adr. it is at least a century. could you describe it for hours? —— absence from the area. are is really pretty, neat little pink flowers, grass —like stems. when you get a lot of it, it can make the sort of a pinky colour on the edges. we are hoping to cultivate our population and manage it, to bring it back even more strongly, so we have a sort of pinkish pond, something that would have been very beautiful in the past. you don't imagine seeing some

of these wonderful ponds with delightful colours, and pink would have been one of these colours. there is a great article on the bbc news website today that people can ta ke news website today that people can take a look at if they're interested in the story. perhaps they will also be encouraged to go and give a bit more love and attention to a neglected point, ithink more love and attention to a neglected point, i think you use the term ghost ponds. what would be your advice? not to stay men, presumably, but to work quite gently? what sort of thing should they think about? —— not to steam n. our advice is directed at farmers that there are so directed at farmers that there are so many directed at farmers that there are so many overgrown directed at farmers that there are so many overgrown ponds covered over by trees in the four—man, and so many trees which. .. by trees in the four—man, and so many trees which... are so many ponds have been buried —— trees out on the farms. we are calling to farmers to restore their ponds. we can see this replicator all over the country, we can see all sorts of wet

limb plans and benefits to wildlife all over, really, —— all sorts of wetla nd pla nts. all over, really, —— all sorts of wetland plants. it is quite a simple process with a chainsaw and dagger, and just look at the results, it is stunning. just be careful that chains like this and get anywhere near the flowers. thank you so much. —— just kebble de chainsaw get anywhere now it's time for a look at the weather with louise lear. hello there. the weather's story this weekend is a little bit drab and dreary, i'm afraid, but at least it is milder than it has been this week. but many woke up to scenes like this, a lot of low cloud, misty, murky conditions, and it may well linger for much of the day. now, we have got two weather fronts bringing some light, patchy rain at the moment. to the north of that, though, we are still in the cold air — that is where the best of the sunshine will be. but to the south, we are starting to drag in more of a south—easterly flow, so milder airfor many.

the rain is fairly light and patchy. this has been the story so far, it has been drifting out of cornwall, up through wales, into the west midlands, and continues to make its way steadily north. now, it will weaken off, as well, as it does so. so, a band of light, patchy rain continuing to drift northwards. quite a lot of cloud generally across england and wales. the best of the sunshine, northern ireland and much of scotland, through the afternoon. but here it won't be quite as warm after that cold start, temperatures are likely to peak at around 5—7. further south, we could see double digits, 11—13 the expected high. as we move out of saturday to the early hours of sunday morning, that cloud continues to drift its way steadily north. acting like a blanket, which is very nice indeed, thank you, but we could see those clear skies lingering in the far north—east of scotland. in sheltered rural glens, we could once again have a touch of frost. but temperatures were rightly holding up at around 5—7 first thing. but again, it is another grey, drab, dreary start to the day, and it is likely to linger throughout the whole of sunday. so, the best of the brightness

perhaps to the far north—east, maybe western fringes seeing a little bit of brighter weather through the afternoon. temperatures, well, widely 8—10. we might see 12 across the south—west and the channel islands. now, as we move out of sunday into monday, we have got this weather front that is going to push into the north—west. it will bring outbreaks of rain, but once again, it brings a change of wind direction, as the winds swing round to a north—westerly. so, the milder air, the yellow tone, is going to be pushed out of the way, and we will see a return to something a little bit cooler as we go through the week. so, yes, there is the potential for some rain around on monday, but look, as we head towards friday, noticeably cooler, and some of those showers to higher ground could once again turn wintry.