this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the number of new coronavirus cases in england has fallen sharply since the second lockdown began, with some areas down by 50%. some of the northern higher—prevalence regions have had higher drops than some of the midlands and the southern areas but overall we've seen a pretty substantial drop. the prime minister urges disgruntled conservative backbenchers to show "unity" and "resolve" ahead of a commons vote on changes to the tiers system in england tomorrow. ministers say the measures are necessary. we shouldn't stumble at this last hurdle. we've had to take some very difficult decisions. we need to see this through and stick to the course for now. we'll bring you all the latest

political developments, and you can get in touch with your thoughts on this story and the rest of the day's news by contacting me on twitter, @rebeccajonesbbc or using the hashtag #bbcyourquestions. the arcadia retail chain is expected to go into administration today, putting 13,000 jobs on the high street at risk. the us is told to brace itself for a "surge upon a surge" of covid cases as people head home after their thanksgiving travels. when you have the kind of inflection that we have, it doesn't all of a sudden turn around like that. so clearly in the next few weeks we are going to have the same sort of thing, and perhaps even two or three weeks down the line. and coming up this hour.... we'll have the latest from italy, where a second wave of coronavirus cases has seen infection rates soar and deaths pass 55,000.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. coronavirus cases are down by almost a third in england, after the latest lockdown restrictions began. the new research comes as borisjohnson is trying to head off a potential rebellion by tory mps over planned restrictions. the highly respected react—1 study found a 30% fall in infections between 13th and 24th november. cases fell by more than half in the north west and north east, regions with some of the highest numbers of cases. researchers estimated

the virus‘s reproduction rate had fallen to 0.88. this graph shows how the r number has been below 1 for the first time since september. that means on average every infection translated to less than one other new infection, so the epidemic is shrinking. but overall cases in england remain high. an estimated one in 100 people have coronavirus, double the rate in september. meanwhile, the prime minister is urging disgruntled conservative mps to show "unity" and "resolve". he's publishing an impact assessment to try to assuage their fears over planned restrictions when the national lockdown ends. labour will decide if it will vote with the government tomorrow, after meeting england's chief medical 0fficers later today. this report from rachel schraer. to get a sense of how many people across england have coronavirus,

our best option is to pick a sample of people from different age groups, areas and backgrounds, and test them regularly, whether they have symptoms or not. a study, run by imperial college london, has done just this, and it gives us the most up to date picture of what's happening with covid—19. the researchers swabbed more than 100,000 people between the 13th and the 24th of november while england was in lockdown. they found that during this 12—day period, cases of coronavirus fell by 30%, compared with the last time the imperial team carried out this research. they tested people between the 16th and 25th october, when the country was under a three—tier system of restrictions. and at that point, cases were doubling every nine days. it's not the same across all regions of england. so we've seen some of the northern higher—prevalence regions have had larger drops than some of the midlands and the southern areas. but overall, we've seen a pretty substantial drop over the period of lockdown.

the health secretary, matt hancock, has described imperial‘s findings as encouraging, but he says the country can't take its foot off the pedal yet. the government plans to bring in a new three—tier system on wednesday, this time with tougher rules, and more areas have been placed in the highest level of restrictions. the hope is that this will be enough to keep infections falling, while giving people a few more freedoms and allowing shops to open in the run up to christmas. government scientific advisers have said they expect cases to rise, maybe as much as double, when rules are relaxed over the festive period. so keeping infections under control before then is even more pressing. 0ur political correspondent chris mason is at westminster. all prime ministers want unity, don't they and that's what boris johnson once. will he get it? he used the wonderful word assuage just a few moments ago, there is a lot of wonderful assuaging going on, to make sure there is something

approximating unity when the vote happens tomorrow. there will not be entire unity. there really is, and there won't be tomorrow but there are certainly attempts to persuade cabinet ministers over the weekend, those mps who are less than happy about what is imminent and what will happen. for all the noise from westminster, political correspondence like me contribute to that, and so do politicians, but let's be absolutely clear, these rules and this tier in england will happen on wednesday because the commons will back it tomorrow. labour almost certain to back it after they had meetings with the chief medical officer later today. and combine those labour votes and the votes of the vast majority of conservative mps and there will be a stonking majority for it. a persuasionjob stonking majority for it. a persuasion job nonetheless to do because the government is conscience it needs to persuade some of its own backbenchers and the country that

these very difficult measures coming in england are necessary. we can hear from the environment secretary, on bbc breakfast earlier. well, i think it's fair to say that there's a great deal of frustration with this pandemic. with those, you know, emergency measures that we've been forced to take. i completely understand that. what we have to do as a government is persuade parliament, but also the country at large that we've got a route through this. and i think we do know with the great potential to deploy a vaccine, you know, in short order during the first, you know, three to six months of next year, we will start to get this virus under control and turn the corner hopefully by early summer. those who are concerned about this tiering structure, was to see an impact assessment the government have done and what effect it will have done and what effect it will have and that is coming, it will be published today, that is meeting one

of the key demands of those that are concerned. as far as the content is concerned, i suspect what we will see is a lot of what we have already seen, which is a really bleak economic picture, that's the reality of the restrictions people in england have been living under, and indeed restrictions around the uk, and albeit on a tiered basis, that is what will come on wednesday. but it is one of the key demands of the rebels, the potential rebels, and i think some in the end, whilst being genuinely authentically very angry about what is happening and very concerned about the impact it will have in their constituency, i suspect quite a few of them in the end will either decide not to vote at all, abstaining, orwill very relu cta ntly at all, abstaining, orwill very reluctantly back the measures. 0verall reluctantly back the measures. overall the maths will mean these restrictions are coming on wednesday. 0ur political correspondent chris mason at westminster, thank you. sir philip green's retail empire

arcadia, is likely to call in the administrators, putting 13,000 jobs at risk. sources in the company — whose brands include topshop, burton and dorothy perkins — have told the bbc they don't expect a last—minute rescue deal, as greg mckenzie reports. this could be the end of the road for sir philip green's epic retailjourney, one that has brought him riches, a knighthood, but also infamy. arcadia's brand once dominated high street fashion. its chains have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. but its problems stretched further back than that, as it struggled to keep up with online retailers. the company, which includes topshop, burton and dorothy perkins, would be the biggest retail collapse of the pandemic. if it went into administration, shops are expected to still trade for now, while they try to find a buyer.

the arcadia group has more than 500 stores, employing 13,000 people. topshop alone accounts for 250 shops and concessions in 170 towns and cities across the uk. senior sources at the company told the bbc they do not expect a last—minute rescue deal. the offer of a £50 million loan from mike ashley's frasers group has reportedly been dismissed. there is also the added uncertainty for thousands of arcadia staff, as there is an estimated £350 million hole in the company's pension fund. the bbc understands he is currently on his superyacht, lionheart, which is docked in monaco's harbour. he has so far declined requests for an interview. greg mckenzie, bbc news.

0ur reporter chris bockman is in monaco, where philip green is living. what's happening there? indeed, about 300 metres from me you can see some very big yachts and one of them is the lionheart, and i believe sir philip green is there right now. i came here last night and the lights we re came here last night and the lights were burning on the yacht until late that evening. he hasn't left, the boat is here, and we think he is still negotiating. we have been to his yacht several times in the last couple of days asking what's going on, you are not in london so perhaps you can tell workers through you what's going on, but he is keeping a low profile, he doesn't want to be approached, as the crew have been very clear. it's a waiting game. we will find out whether he has achieved a financial bailout but we are here in monaco, where he lives

full time, he hasn't been in the uk and some time, but in the meantime it's up to him. he knows we are waiting for his call and hopefully we can bring you some news to all those thousands of workers for retail chains in the uk. has there been any sign of his wife, who lives in monaco, or perhaps otherfamily members? his wife also lives here permanently and she has an art gallery. i went to the art gallery to see if she was there, plenty of people there but not her. i have seen lots of british licence plate luxury cars in front of the yacht yesterday, suggesting that a lot of people are down here for business and there could be some family members here as well. it's very difficult right now to fly from nice to london because of the pandemic, but of course they could take a private jet if they wanted to, but it seems they prefer to stay down here. let us know if he returns your calls, chris mrfrom monaco, thank you.

four french police officers have been put under formal investigation over the beating of a black music producer in paris that was caught on cctv. the video showed this man, michel zecler, being hit and kicked in the entrance to his studio. france's president macron described the events as shameful, and there were protests in the streets. 0ur france correspondent hugh schofield has the details. in the french system, there's no such thing as being charged, as we would say in the british legal tradition. they are being placed under judicial investigation, which means effectively, almost certainly, they will come to trial. it means that an examining magistrate has been appointed whose job it is to draw together all sides in this case, to look at the incriminating video, obviously, but also to hear from the lawyers of the police officers and from them themselves, whatever elements there might be which might lead to a different interpretation of the case. and he will assess all of that and almost certainly recommend that they come to trial at the end of his investigation,

which might take months, by the way. so that's where we are at. i mean, we say charged, technically it's not charged, but in effect they have been charged because everything suggests that this will come to trial. 0ur paris correspondent, hugh schofield. there could be a "surge upon surge" of coronavirus cases in the coming weeks in the us, after millions of people travelled home for thanksgiving. that's according to america's top infectious disease expert dr anthony fauci. the us has recorded more than 13 million cases and more than a quarter of a million people have died. 0ur washington correspondent nomia iqbal reports. you know what's coming... he is america's most trusted voice on the coronavirus pandemic. and dr anthony fauci, the country's leading expert on infectious disease, painted a dark picture as we head towards christmas. i can't see how we're not going to have the same thing, because when you have the kind of inflection that we have, it doesn't all of a sudden

turn around like that. so clearly, in the next few weeks, we're going to have the same sort of thing, and perhaps even two or three weeks down the line, martha, we may see a surge upon a surge. his warning comes a few days after thanksgiving, one of the biggest holidays in the us. more than nine million americans stuck to the tradition of travelling to celebrate with theirfamilies, despite pleas the day before to stay home over fears it would increase the spread of covid—19. so hang on. don't let yourself surrender to the fatigue, which i understand, it is realfatigue. i know we can and we will beat this virus. america is not going to lose this war. it will take a few weeks to find out what overall impact those decisions to ignore warnings could have. but already a stark number in la county in california. more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases were reported

on thanksgiving day. officials have now issued a new stay at home orderfrom monday, limiting people's movements, which will run right up to december the 20th. and as we approach christmas, dr fauci's message to america's leaders is close the bars, keep the schools open. he reminded americans help is on the way, with vaccine trials proving to be effective so far. but he said current restrictions and safety measures will still be necessary for the christmas holiday season, to keep alive any chance of beating the virus. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington. the headlines on bbc news... the number of new coronavirus infections in england has dropped by 30% since the second lockdown was imposed. the british prime minister calls for unity from his mps has he agrees to

publish the data behind england's new tier system ahead of a vote in the commons tomorrow. the us is told to brace itself for a surge upon a surge of new coronavirus cases as people head home after thanksgiving travel. british and eu officials will resume talks today on a post—brexit trade deal — at the start of what could be the final week of negotiations. the uk foreign secretary, dominic raab, has said fishing rights remain the outstanding bone of contention — but he's insisted there's a "deal to be done". nick beakejoins me now from brussels. good morning. a deal is to be done, and yet the eu has said significant divergences still remain so what's the latest in your view? good morning, yes, the eu has said that and today once again the two sides will resume talks, locked away in

the basement of the business department in central london, just down from parliament and downing street, hoping at some point to emerge with some sort of agreement, but the mood music from the british government over the weekend, ministers who have been giving interviews, is that it's the eu that has to budge and finally recognise the uk's new—found independence, and when michel barnier gets in the room with his counterpart lauder frost today with negotiations. the eu says this isn't the case and rejects this, and this morning the irish foreign minister, simon coveney, said it's ridiculous the idea that the eu has been holding things up, and made the point back in the summer there was the opportunity for the uk to extend this process, extend the transition period, particularly in the light of covid. fishing is a really big thing, if you listen to the uk government and read the british newspapers, they are farapart on read the british newspapers, they are far apart on this, but if you talk to people in eu circles here in

brussels, they say that's only one thing and the uk needs to make clear whether it will agree to eu rules and regulations on all the other stuff in the future if there is to bea stuff in the future if there is to be a deal. it's notjust fishing, also questions around state aid. how big do you think the gaps are?“ you talk to both sides, i think they are considerable, and it seems every week we talk about a crunch week, a crucial week. the people i have been speaking to this morning, i don't think there is any sense there is an imminent breakthrough. the thinking is there will need to be more political intervention and there is talk of a phone call between boris johnson and ursula von der leyen, the eu commission leader, and michel barnier, the negotiator, doing talks on behalf of the remaining 27 countries, and that's the choreography, we could get a phone call later in a week and could that be april you'd to a deal being done?

in terms of trying to anticipate any timeframe, it's really tough. the only thing we know for sure, it's just over a month until the new year and at that point, where there is a deal or not, this transition phase will end, this slightly weird period uk has been in, having actually left the european union but abided by its rules for 2020. this is crucial stuff now. nick beake, thank you. the amount of taxpayer money that farmers receive will be much more dependent on the contribution they make to the environment, under new plans by the government. it will mean traditional subsidies in england will be reduced from next year and payments to protect nature will be introduced. our environment correspondent roger harrabin reports. farming is a toughjob. and in parts of the uk, farmers are struggling to stay afloat. there, good boys, good boys. in sussex, martin is focused right now on a visit from the vet.

come on, chaps. come on. it seems to have spooked some of the cattle. but the future of the countryside as a whole is far more worrying for livestock farmers like him. that's because for two decades, martin's farm has been kept in business thanks to grants from the european union. the system is frankly bizarre. the richer you are, the more land you own. the more land you own, the more taxpayers' money you get. but that is going to change. it's brexit that's driving the shift. soggy fields are great for wildlife, and the uk government says in future, taxpayers will reward farmers for bringing birds to the countryside and encouraging woodlands to soak up carbon emissions. so basically, martin will be paid to help nature. but will the grants be enough to keep him in business? i think there's a very real concern throughout the industry that the money available to achieve

the objectives of farming for more wildlife, is simply not going to be enough for us to deliver successfully, because delivering wildlife from a farm is an expensive business. it's been announced that farmers will lose half theirformer eu grants by 2024, and all of them by 2028. farmers who embrace the new policy and farm sustainably and make space for nature on their farms, and who want to improve their profitability, so invest in new equipment, they will all benefit from the new policy. there will be incentives for farming sustainably, grants to help space for nature, and grants as well to help farmers buy new equipment. some farmers may object, but the future of britain's countryside will be fewer sheep and cattle, and more birds and trees. roger harrabin, bbc news, east sussex.

police are investigating the doctor of the footballer diego maradona for possible negligence after his death in argentina last week at the age of 60. it comes after maradona's daughters questioned their father's medical care. arturo wallace from bbc mundo joins us now from his home in london. tell us more about why the doctor is being investigated? as you said there, they want to establish whether there was negligence in the way maradona was being treated after he was discharged from hospital after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain. it is being pursued under the assumption of involu nta ry pursued under the assumption of involuntary manslaughter. the doctor has not yet been charged, only being investigated, so the police raided his offices and house to get all the medical documents relating to

maradona's treatment, phones, computers and hard disks. the doctor said he did everything he could to help maradona and was in charge of the conditions of his recovery, which took place in a private house and not in a clinic and he is cooperating with the justice system. we saw the outpouring of grief after maradona's death, so how have the public reacted to this news? everything that had to do with maradona, it's always out of proportion in argentina, it is huge. yesterday it was the main news in all the local media. the raiding of the dr fauci ‘s house clinic started early in the morning, so it was the topic of conversation for most of the day. —— the raiding of the doctor's house. it's a reminder of how difficult it was to take care of

maradona himself, he was a larger than life character with very fixed ideas, and is not always willing to let people now it's not the main news in the newspaper, but this will bea news in the newspaper, but this will be a talking point for days to come. the doctor in question, has he been treating maradona for some time? he sort of started to take care of maradona's health two years ago. he was the one who actually performed the surgery to remove the brain clot. he has been referred to us maradona's personal doctor. he actually labelled himself that way before, but yesterday he said that wasn't really the case, and he was just a close friend, who was also a medical professional, and because he had maradona's ear he had been helping him with his health. it's a two—year relation professionally, but longer than that probably

personally, although the doctor is fairly young at 39 years old. criminal charges have been brought in new zealand over the deaths of 22 peoiple in a volcanic eruption last year. the white island volcano erupted in december 2019, while tourists were visiting the site. new zealand's health and safety regulator said ten organisations and three individuals had failed to meet their obligations. french rescue teams have been searching for a british woman who has gone missing in the pyrenees. esther dingley was on a month long solo hiking trip through the mountain range. she was expected to end her hike on wednesday but has not been seen since. ms dingley has spent the last six years travelling around europe in a minivan with her partner and she was last in touch with him a week ago. back in march, italy was for a long time seen as being the global epicentre of the pandemic as cases

and deaths there soared ahead of other european countries. after a strict lockdown, infection rates and the numbers of new cases fell sharply. but now the country is in the grip of a second wave — as our correspondent mark lowen reports. the resuscitation of italy's nightmare. we were shown the carnage of the pandemic they thought they were beating. but the second wave has hit harder than the first, says this doctor. and here in the south, they're struggling to cope. this is calabria, italy's and one of western europe's poorest regions. intensive care numbers aren't yet out of control, but the country's weakest health care system is on red alert. translation: my staff are truly heroes on the front line and giving it their all. we're fighting this like lions, so as not to keel over. if cases continue to rise, it'll be a disaster for the whole of italy,

and not just for us. this ward can take 18 people. there were 12 patients here until about an hour ago, when one of them died. beds filling up, a shortage of staff. italy thought it had left these horrible scenes behind. but once again, it's been caught on the back foot with the second wave. and this time it's not just the wealthy north that's been overwhelmed, but here, too, in the country's most impoverished corner. italy's southern toe has been overtaken and plundered by its mafia, infiltrating health care. looted by criminals, indebted hospitals were abandoned. so this was one of the closed hospitals. a doctor who exposed corruption five years ago, says he was silenced. translation: our finances were a mess. we couldn't pay creditors and there were fake bills.

so even with fewer covid cases, we've gone into meltdown as the mafia got rich. we now have no hospitals, no health care system. we're in an emergency. just days ago, a police operation arrested a top local politician for laundering money through pharmacies in exchange for mafia support. their tentacles are everywhere. when this award—winning chef refused to pay extortion money 12 years ago, he was threatened and customers stayed away. now, covid lockdown has again emptied his restaurant — history repeating itself in more ways than one under me. repeating itself in more ways than one. translation: the mafia and covid are both pandemics. we'll destroy the virus with a vaccine, but the fight against the mafia will take longer. for now, my heart cannot see the light in this darkness. but we will rise up and defeat both. calabria is battling

to pull through. but in this scarred region, the virus has exposed its fragile heart. mark lowen, bbc news, calabria, southern italy. you're watching bbc news. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the number of new coronavirus cases in england has fallen sharply since the second lockdown began, with some areas down by 50%. some of the northern, higher prevalence regions have had larger drops than some of the midlands and the southern areas, but overall we have seen a pretty substantial drop. the british prime minister urges disgruntled conservative backbenchers to show "unity" and "resolve" ahead of a commons vote on changes to the tiers system in england tomorrow. ministers insist the measures are necessary. the arcadia retail chain is expected to go into administration today, putting 13,000 jobs on the high street at risk.

new restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus in wales will be announced by the country's first minister today. a second wave of coronavirus cases strikes italy, as fatalities pass 55,000 and infection rates soar. the us is told to brace itself for a "surge upon a surge" of covid cases, as people head home after their thanksgiving travels. as we've been hearing, coronavirus cases are down by almost a third in england, after the latest lockdown restrictions began. the new research comes as borisjohnson is trying to head off a potential rebellion by tory mps over planned

professor paul elliott, the director of the react programme, i asked him whether the cause of the fall was due to the second lockdown, the tier system that was in place before that or a combination of both. well, it looks to be a bit of a combination of both because we saw the largest falls in the north of the largest falls in the north of the country. actually over 50%. and particularly in the north—west and north—east, where they have had restrictions. so, we think that they lockdown has certainly been effective so far. clearly, we're not through the whole of lockdown. 0ur samples were collected up until last monday, week ago. so we are still collecting samples all the way through the lockdown period. but, yes, 50% or more reduction in the north of the country and a levelling off, not so much a reduction in the rest of the country. that's interesting. is it possible to drill

down into the data to find out why there is a difference in different parts of the country. clearly, the north was at very high levels and i should stress we are still at a high level. although it has come down, really good news, by 30% or so overall, we are still at 1%, which means that one in 100 people that we test randomly has evidence of the virus on a nose and throat swab. clearly, that is too high. in the north, the rates were much higher. they were over 2%. it is a combination of local measures, the lockdown, people pay more attention and the fact that there have been stresses on the nhs, that has made people more aware. what have you found out about which groups of the population are worst affected? yes, we do see some variation. for example, people living in the most

deprived areas have a higher prevalence. those in very large households have higher prevalence and the asian community have higher prevalence. we have seen this throughout our data. we have been carrying out the survey since may, since the end of the first lockdown. why do you think that might be? sorry, maybe you didn't hear that question. i wondered why you thought there was high prevalence amongst some of those communities you mentioned? well, i think it is a combination of what we might call structural inequality, people having to, you know, if you are having to... if you are living in a large households, there is more opportunity for social interaction within the household. people having to go to work. for example, we do see also higher rates in people who work in the health care setting. i

think it is a combination of all these things. what we need to do, as members of the public, is pay attention to the public health message of social distancing, hand washing and face cover is because we know how this virus is transmitted. it is transmitted through social contact. how much confidence have you got in that given the national lockdown ends on wednesday? how confident are you that the tiered system that will come into play will keep this infection rate low? 0r lower? it is really important we remain vigilant. it really is up to us as remain vigilant. it really is up to us as individuals listening to the tier restrictions. we know how the virus is transmitted. through social contact and interaction. it is a nasty virus. we have really got to do everything we can not only to maintain these levels but get it down. it is still too high at 1%.

0ne down. it is still too high at 1%. one in down. it is still too high at 1%. 0ne in100 down. it is still too high at 1%. one in 100 people. because we go to random samples of the population, it is not just people random samples of the population, it is notjust people who have symptoms, this includes people who don't know they have the virus, asymptomatic people as well. professor paul elliott. new restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus in wales will be announced by the first minister today. since the end of the recent 17—day lockdown the number of cases have begun to rise and hospital admissions remain high. indoor entertainment venues will close, and new rules will be introduced for the hospitality industry on friday. 0ur wales correspondent, tomos morgan, has more. we know it will be based around restrictions on the hospitality sector, a sector that's already been hit very hard over this entire year, really, during the pandemic. it's thought, it's been rumoured, that the model could be may be based on the restriction seen on the toughest areas of scotland. so may be a restriction

and a bringing down of closing times, early in the evening. so maybe a restriction and a bringing down of closing times, early in the evening. potentially a restriction on the sale of alcohol, as well. we will find out the detail at 12:15pm. there will also be a financial package in place to help that sector. but we know it will mostly be based on the hospitality sector today. they will be no restriction on people meeting up and the other things due to close will be cinemas, although gyms essential and nonessential shops will remain open in the lead up to christmas. nicola sturgeon has said prime minister borisjohnson should not follow the donald trump's example on democracy by standing in the way of another scottish independence referendum. the scottish first minister compared the two politicians in a point about democracy, hoping mrjohnson will not act in a similarfashion to the us president after his recent election defeat. she said a second referendum on scottish independence is democratic. i did respect the result of the 2014 referendum, and do.

scotland is not independent. by definition, that vote has prevailed. but democracy is notjust a single moment in time. it's notjust about what i want. polls right now suggest a majority of people in scotland want to be independent. politicians don't have the right to say, "no, no, no, "you had your chance, and there should never be "the opportunity to consider these things again." the very nature of democracy involves the right of people to change their mind, but scotland will only become independent if a majority of people in scotland choose that to be the case. the mass testing of students for covid—19, so they can go home safely for the christmas break, is starting at many universities across the uk today. if they test negative, many students will leave university in the "travel window", starting on thursday. 0ur education correspondent, dan johnson, reports. two of these tests, three days apart, then 2k hours to make

it home for christmas. that's the safest route on offer ahead of the holidays. and here in east london, these students are helping manage the tests as well as taking them. i think this is the safest way of doing it. i think by allowing all students and staff to be tested, we can ensure that we keep the r rate down and people can go home feeling confident. you've got to balance the risk, and this just minimizes it a little bit more. so, yeah, iwould be happier knowing that i got the two negatives to go home and see my parents. a positive result will mean confirmation with a lab test, then isolation. we're very confident that we can test everybody. but support is being promised. the wellbeing advisers will contact the students, make sure they're 0k, offer them emotional support. and i suppose the important thing about doing it now, is that there's a ten—day window if somebody does test positive, so that they can then go back home

to their families and loved ones. still get home in time for christmas? yes, absolutely. it's a huge challenge getting this in place at every university, with enough tests available for all students, and the results being delivered on time, quickly enough so that they can all get home as safely as possible. but this is all voluntary. so the question will be, how many students will actually come forward? in scotland, st andrew's started testing on saturday, and students are already getting results. it didn't feel as bad as i expected it to. like, i'd heard some stories about it being, like, really u nco mforta ble, but it was actually pretty all right. obviously, it's really important for many of them to get back and see families and loved ones during the winter break. we want to do all that we can to make sure that that's possible for them, but we want them to do so in as safe a way as possible. and that's why this testing centre is so important.

some lecturers have warned this travel window could be chaotic after a term that's been so tough for staff as well as students. people feel a bit up and down. i think they're a bit worried about going home to places where the restrictions are higher. i think especially when people have had such little opportunity to mix in st andrew's, i think going home and seeing their family is something that people are quite looking forward to. it's kind of awesome that we can still have some kind of normality and some kind of family time, especially if all the kids are away at uni, it's nice to be home and just to be home and get cooked for and get your washing done and stuff. good to know some priorities haven't changed, despite the pandemic. dan johnson, bbc news. we are nowjoined by larissa kennedy, the president of the national union of students. welcome to bbc news, good to have you with us. broadly speaking, do you with us. broadly speaking, do you welcome this mass testing programme? absolutely, this is something we have been calling for, for a long time. we really welcome the government's recognition that this is needed not only to keep

stu d e nts this is needed not only to keep students safe but communities say, something students have been talking about and wanting to be proactive in doing quite a lot. be honest - how many students do you think will take forward to —— come forward to take this test? anecdotally i have heard about students being very reluctant to ta ke about students being very reluctant to take it into case they test positive for covid—19 and won't be allowed home —— in case. positive for covid—19 and won't be allowed home —— in caselj positive for covid—19 and won't be allowed home -- in case. i think the vast majority of students really welcome this. they want to be keeping everybody safe. what we need in order to make that possible and viable is a recognition of the support needed for those who must isolate if they can get that positive test back. for example, where other members of the population who are on low income are eligible for the £500 support, the payment support scheme, that isn't available to students. of course, again, we saw with the student lockdowns earlier this term, there was lots of chaos in terms of getting access to food, household

products, welding materials. we need to be assuring students that that is going to be possible —— well—being materials. there are things we can do to reassure students that if they get that positive test that we won't leave them in the lurch, that we are not going to abandon them again. and, as wasjust not going to abandon them again. and, as was just said, this not going to abandon them again. and, as wasjust said, this is coming at the end of a very difficult time for students. in fa ct, difficult time for students. in fact, even over the summer, from the a—levels fiasco and the student lockdowns to where we are now, that reassurance there will be the support available for those who need to isolate will make a lot of difference. as i say, i think a lot of stu d e nts difference. as i say, i think a lot of students want to get those tests and keep everyone safe. how much reassurance have you received? i wonder what kind of conversations we re wonder what kind of conversations were going on between you and the government. i mean, as i say, we pushed for this for a long time. we didn't necessarily get that feedback to us directly that this was coming, but we welcome it nonetheless. but what we would do is now encourage government to be working closely

with us and listening to students about where we go from here. because, of course, as students leave, they are asking questions about, ami leave, they are asking questions about, am i coming back injanuary? what does this look like? we need to be looking in the long term now. we can't afford to keep working on this two weekly, monthly basis, and not looking ahead. and making adequate preparations. we want government to be working closely with us, talking to stu d e nts be working closely with us, talking to students and listening to what they need. in fact, they deserve better than what they have had this term. larissa kennedy from the national union of students, the president indeed, good to talk to you, thanks. thanks for having me. the headlines on bbc news... the number of new coronavirus infections in england has dropped by 30% since the second lockdown was imposed. the british prime minister calls for "unity" from his mps as he agrees to publish the data behind england's new tiers system ahead of a vote in the commons tomorrow. the us is told to brace itself

for a "surge upon a surge" of covid cases, as people head home after their thanksgiving travel. china has defended one of its officials who tweeted a faked photograph showing an australian soldier holding a knife to an afghan child's throat. it's triggered a further significant worsening of relations between beijing and the australian government. the tweet containing the faked image was posted on a governemt account. as you can see here, twitter has put a warning of sensitive content on the tweet. australia's prime minister, scott morrison, demanded that the tweet be deleted and called on beijing to apologise. the post made today, the repugnant post made today, of an image, a falsified image, of an australian soldier

threatening a young child with a knife... a post made on an official chinese government twitter account, posted by the deputy director—general of the ministry of foreign affairs, mr lijian zhao. is truly deeply repugnant. it is deeply offensive to every australian. prime minister morrison's comments were put to the chinese ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson. she referenced the recent australian investigation into alleged abuses carried out by australian service personnel in afghanistan — and had this comment. translation: the australian side is reacting so strongly to my colleague's twitter... does that mean that they think the cold blood murder of afghan innocent civilians is justified, while other people's

condemnation of such crimes are notjustified? afghan lives matter. the australian government should do some soul searching and bring the culprits to justice and offer an official apology to the afghan people. 0ur correspondent in sydney, shaimaa khalil, explained the context of the incident. it comes as a comment, or condemnation, if you will, from china on the findings of that report, the war crimes report, which found that australian special forces were responsible for 39 unlawful killings of afghan civilians or prisoners during the afghan war, so the tweet was a condemnation of the findings of the report. mr zhao actually expressed the same sentiment last week, and actually said that the findings expressed the hypocrisy of some of the western nations' calls for human rights, or chants, as he put it. so accusing australia of double

standards when calling out for human rights. i think what's truly shocking, what shocked scott morrison, to these really strong words against china, is that fake images that you referred to. that fake picture depicting an australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of an afghan child, a doctored image with the australian flag and the afghan flag in the background. the prime minister said it was outrageous, that it was a disgusting slur. really the strongest words i have definitely heard scott morrison use against china. and, again, what was infuriating for australia was the fact this was a senior chinese official, this was an official chinese government twitter account, on which this was posted. the leader of ethiopia's rebellious northern tigray region says his forces are still fighting near the capital, after it was captured by government

troops following nearly a month of fighting. in a text message to reuters news agency, debretsion gebremichael, who heads the tigray people's liberation front, said he was close to mekelle, fighting the invaders. meanwhile, the ethiopian prime minister, has been addressing the ethiopian parliament on the military operation. the head of the tplf, debretsion gebremichael, is saying that his forces are still fighting on. he said that they are continuing their fighting around the state capital, mekelle. he admitted, or he accepted that, the state capital, mekelle, has fallen into the hands of the federal government, but the federal government is denying that the war is still going on. over the weekend, they said this military offensive is concluded and they are victorious. currently, they are saying they are hunting down what they call tplf criminals. but what we can understand right now

is despite controlling major cities in the tigray state, the federal government has not apprehended people they are looking for, which means some sort of military skirmishes or conflicts are still going on. there have been a lot of fears and concerns that this conflict might cross boundaries. it might impact the whole horn region and it might continue for long weeks. we are still not sure that we are done, that the conflict is over, but what we can say is that in a period that's shorter than expected by many, the federal army has managed to control the major cities, including the state capital, mekelle, but we are not sure everything is over now. a state funeral has been taking place in tehran for iran's top nuclear scientist, mohsen fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated on friday. the open—air ceremony was broadcast on state television.

a ceremonial military escort carried his coffin. the remains were later transferred to a cemetery in the north of the city for burial. iran's defence minister reiterated his country's determination to avenge the killing, which it has blamed on israel. israeli officials have denied the allegations. telecoms operators in the uk are being told by the government not to install any equipment made by the chinese company, huawei, after next september. the order comes ahead of a new law being unveiled tomorrow, which bans the chinese firm from the network. the government wants to encourage more companies to supply parts for the 5g network. president trump has lashed out at both the fbi and us department ofjustice, saying they were working against him in his efforts to overturn the result of the election. in his first interview since his defeat, which he has not accepted, donald trump repeated unsubstantiated claims the process

was, in his, words, "rigged". meanwhile, president—elect biden is focused on building his top team but he'll have to do it with hairline fractures in his foot. peter bowes reports. donald trump's first tv interview since the election, a friendly encounter with a sympathetic presenter on fox news. almost a month since polling day, mr trump repeated, without providing evidence, that he was cheated out of the presidency. unsubsta ntiated allegations of voterfraud and even a claim that the country's law enforcement agencies could be involved in rigging the election. this is total fraud and how the fbi and department ofjustice. .. i dunno, maybe they're involved. but how people are allowed to get away from this... with this stuff is unbelievable. this election was rigged. this election was a total fraud. my mind will not change in six months.

there was tremendous cheating here. the president's claims are not backed up by facts. his lawyers have brought more than 30 cases contesting state election results. with almost no success. the latest will be filed in wisconsin, where a partial recount at donald trump's request has confirmed that joe biden won the state. but mr trump says he'll fight on. in virtually every case, they've been rejected. including byjudges who were appointed by president trump or by other republican presidents. judges who have a long record in the republican party. they've been rejected by republican officials, who are charged with administering the elections. so, so far, while there's been a lot of hot air from the president, there's been no evidence to support his allegations. the president's persistence suggests there is little chance he'll concede the election beforejoe biden takes over in mid—january. in fact, there is every sign he'll continue denying the result long after the new president

has assumed office. possibly until the next election. it's a scenario that has some constitutional scholars worried. trying to teach millions of americans to believe in an alternative reality that an election was stolen that was actually perfectly fairly run can't help but influence americans' willingness to partake in elections in the future. and that is dangerous. for his part, joe biden is focusing on the transition process. from today, he'll receive the top security daily presidential briefing document that was delayed when the white house refused to acknowledge he won the election. this week, mr biden will focus on making key appointments to his treasury team. as well as dealing with the coronavirus, the new president faces the huge task of rebuilding the economy, which has been devastated by the pandemic. 0ne hick up along the way for the 78—year—old president—elect — he suffered a hairline fracture in his foot over the weekend while playing with his dog, major.

officials say he'll have to wear an orthopaedic walking boot for the next few weeks. a minor stumbling block on the rocky road to the presidency. peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. the formula 1 driver romain grosjean has said he's grateful for new safety measures introduced by the sport, after surviving a horrific crash at the bahrain grand prix. his car smashed through barriers, broke in two and burst into flames on the opening lap of sunday's race. he escaped with minor burns to his hands and feet and speaking from his hospital bed, he put his survival down to a cockpit protection system known as halo. ijust want to say i am 0k. well, sort of 0k. thank you very much for the messages. i mean, i wasn't for the halo,

some years ago, but i think it's the greatest thing that we brought into formula 1 and without it, i wouldn't be able to speak to you today. romain grosjean. you're watching bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. joanna is coming up at 11am. hello, again. the weather this week is looking a bit more changeable than many of us had at the weekend. what we have today, though, is a lot of cloud, once again. patchy rain, which is sinking steadily south and behind that band of rain, we will see a return to some brighter skies. it is this cold front that is producing the rain and watch how the isobars veer towards more of a northerly. a brisk wind down the north sea coastline and across the north and west of scotland. but a lot of cloud ahead of the weather front eventually we see the patchy rain arrive and the rain heavy at times across wales and south—west england. but brighter skies for northern ireland, northern england and scotland, apart from a few

showers coming down the north sea coastline. temperatures 6—11 degrees. through this evening and overnight, eventually that band of cloud and rain get into the channel islands. behind, a lot of clear skies. brisk wind down the north sea coast lines. still with us, some showers here. you can already see the next system coming in from the west, introducing thicker cloud and some patchy light rain and drizzle. in western areas, it's not going to be as cold as it will be across central and eastern parts of the uk. tomorrow, that cold air will be in place, but gradually it will be usurped by milder air coming in from the atlantic, represented by the yellows. to put that in graphics, a lot of sunshine to start the day for central and eastern areas. it will be cold. especially if you are exposed to the northerly breeze. but all this cloud and patchy light rain and drizzle will be moving east through the course of the day. the sunnier skies for the longest will be the moray firth, aberdeenshire and parts of central and south—eastern england. temperatures 6—10 degrees.

as we move through tuesday evening and overnight into wednesday, this next front comes in from the north—west, sinking south. one look at those isobars tells you the wind will strengthen in the north west. here is the weather front sinking south. with its cloud and increasingly patchy and light rain. behind it, brighter skies, some sunshine, the wind picking up in the north—west and a plethora of showers in northern and western scotland, some getting into northern ireland. snow in the highlands above about 300 metres. it will feel cold in the north and that theme continues through thursday and friday with rain at times. some could see some snow mostly in the hills in the west.

this is bbc news, i'm joanna gosling. the headlines at 11: the number of new covid—19 cases in england has fallen sharply since the second lockdown began, according to the most—up—to—date study — with cases dropping by nearly a third across the country. we saw the largest falls in the north of the country, the delay in at is at work they have had restrictions. the government is to publish the data behind england's new tiered system. the prime minister calls for "unity" ahead of a vote tomorrow — ministers insist the new measures are necessary. we shouldn't stumble at this last hurdle. we've had to take some very difficult decisions. we need to see this through and stick to the course for now. new restrictions to combat the spread of covid—19 in wales

will be announced by the country's first minister today. the arcadia retail chain is expected to go into administration today — putting 13,000 jobs on the high street at risk. coming up: we report on the biggest changes to english farming in more than half a century — as ministers publish post—brexit plans to phase out eu farming subsidies and reward enviromental work. good morning. coronavirus cases are down by almost a third in england after the latest lockdown restrictions began. the new research comes as borisjohnson is trying to head off a potential rebellion by tory

mps over planned restrictions. the highly respected react—1 study found a 30% fall in infections between 13th and 24th november. cases fell by more than half in the north—west and north—east, regions with some of the highest numbers of cases. researchers estimated the virus's reproduction rate had fallen to 0.88. this graph shows how the r number has been below 1 for the first time since september. that means on average every infection translated to less than one other new infection, so the epidemic is shrinking. but overall cases in england remain high. an estimated one in 100 people have coronavirus — double the rate in september. meanwhile the prime minister is urging disgruntled conservative mps to show "unity" and "resolve."

he's publishing an impact assessment to try to assuage their fears over planned restrictions when the national lockdown ends. labour will decide if it will vote with the government tomorrow after meeting england's chief medical 0fficers later today. this report from rachel shrayer. to get a sense of how many people across england have coronavirus, our best option is to pick a sample of people from different age groups, areas and backgrounds, and test them regularly, whether they have symptoms or not. a study run by imperial college london has done just this, and it gives us the most up to date picture of what's happening with covid—19. the researchers swabbed more than 100,000 people between the 13th and the 24th of november while england was in lockdown. they found that during this 12—day period, cases of coronavirus fell by 30%, compared with the last time the imperial team carried out this research. they tested people between the 16th and october 25th, when the country was under a three—tier system of restrictions.

and at that point, cases were doubling every nine days. it's not the same across all regions of england. so we've seen some of the northern higher prevalence regions have had larger drops than some of the midlands and the southern areas. but overall, we've seen a pretty substantial drop over the period of lockdown. the health secretary, matt hancock, has described imperial‘s findings as encouraging, but he says the country can't take its foot off the pedal yet. the government plans to bring in a new three—tier system on wednesday, this time with tougher rules, and more areas have been placed in the highest level of restrictions. the hope is that this will be enough to keep infections falling, while giving people a few more freedoms and allowing shops to open in the run—up to christmas. government scientific advisers have said they expect cases to rise, maybe as much as double, when rules are relaxed over the festive period. so keeping infections under control before then is even more pressing. 0ur political correspondent,

chris mason, is at westminster. there chris mason, is at westminster. is some unhappinl confusion there is some unhappiness and confusion over the fact that we have beenin confusion over the fact that we have been ina confusion over the fact that we have been in a lockdown, numbers have come down, and yet only 1% of the population are going to be in tier 1. the government is publishing the impact assessment— is that going to give some clarity on why? it will be interesting to see what is in it, we don't yet know, it's interesting to see what is in it, we don't yet know, its publication is imminent. and then it is one of the most elastic words ever deployed in westminister, so let's see where it p°p5 up westminister, so let's see where it pops up on got that uk. i think this impact assessment matters political lead, because so many of the would—be conservative rebels were demanding it. whether it's would—be conservative rebels were demanding it. whether its content vastly shares the dial is another question, because a lot of the bleak economic prognosis is already out there, we already know how green it is, it was spelt out by the ill r

last week, the chancellor spelt out in the spending review. it offers a ladderfor some potential in the spending review. it offers a ladder for some potential rebels to climb down and acknowledges that this is bleak and desperate and they would rather we be not in this situation, but perhaps it is better than the alternative the government will argue. trying to make that case this morning was the environment secretary on bbc breakfast. well, i think it's fair to say that there is a great deal of frustration with this pandemic, with those emergency measures that we have been forced to take. i completely understand that. what we have to do as the government is persuade parliament, but also the country at large, that we have got a route through this. i think we do now with the great potential to deploy a vaccine in short order during the first three to six months of next year. we will actually start to get this virus under control and turn the corner, hopefully, by early summer.

as you mentioned a few moments ago, labour are due to meet remotely the chief medical officer labour are due to meet remotely the chief medical 0fficerfor labour are due to meet remotely the chief medical officer for england. they have had ongoing concerns throughout this pandemic about the lack of support, particularly for those who have had to self—isolate. 0ne seniorfigure those who have had to self—isolate. 0ne senior figure said to me that they were aware that they sound like a stuck record, but it matters because in their view that the government was not doing enough to address that issue. in the end, it is highly likely that labour will back the government. for all the noise here at westminster and talk of conservative rebels, the blunt truth is that this will pass the commons, so these new, harsher series of tiers will kick in in england on wednesday. thank you, chris. we wait for that imminent elastic announcement. new restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus in wales will be announced by the first minister today.

since the end of the recent 17—day lockdown the number of cases have begun to rise and hospital admissions remain high. indoor entertainment venues will close, and new rules will be introduced for the hospitality industry on friday. 0ur wales correspondent, tomos morgan, has more. well, we know it'll be based around restrictions on the hospitality sector, a sector that's already been hit very hard over this entire year, really, during the pandemic. it's thought, it's been rumoured, that the model could maybe be based on the restrictions seen on the toughest areas of scotland, so maybe a restriction and a bringing down of closing times earlier in the evening, potentially a restriction on the sale of alcohol, as well. we will find out the detail at 12:15. there will also be a financial package in place to help that sector, but we know that it will be mostly based on the hospitality sector today. there will be no restriction on people meeting up. the other things due to close will be cinemas,

although gyms and essential shops and nonessential shops will remain open in the lead—up to christmas. tomos morgan reporting. new research by bbc wales suggests long—term unemployment in the country could increase four—fold to an estimated 114,000 people, as a direct result of the covid—related economic crisis. well, we can speak now to louis leach — owner of freshmans and co, a fish and chip shop in colwyn bay — about some of the pressures businesses are facing. thank you forjoining us. how are you feeling about where we are now, where you are now, in terms of your business and what's been happening? wales have opened up a little bit more so the streets are a little bit more so the streets are a little bit more busy. we are not as much in a locked down of the england. it's getting there. what have things been like for you? went first thing and be closed down, everything was

obviously empty, then a local lockdown scheme in place. business has been very quiet, the street has been very quiet. have you been able to have enough business to feel at all optimistic? business has come m, all optimistic? business has come in, people are a little bit more on the streets, doing a little bit more shopping, i'm seeing the street a little bit more busy. but i think it is because we are not in any of the eight years, it's is because we are not in any of the eight years, its opening up slightly. i hope we don't go back to a lockdown is as businesses are gradually getting there, i think. it's expected that the announcement later will be far more restrictions, the r rate is at 1.11. how will you feel if there are tighter restrictions coming in again?m will be very difficult, shops all around me are closing down as a result of covid. so any more restrictions coming about will be a

tough time. have you been able to sell by people coming to the door, do deliveries? as of the first lockdown came in, i had to shift my business towards deliveries. we didn't let anyone through the door, we just purely delivered. you could make a phone order and we would deliver it to your door with additional expense. as it eased, we started letting people come to the takeaway, one end, one out. and has that been enough? and or it's been paying the bills. it has been paying the bills. you seem quite upbeat? and i macro i think if we can get through this to christmas, and if we can get through this to christmas and it goes down towards match, hopefully that will be a landing.

wales had that firebreak, now cases are on the rise and more restrictions will come in. do you have faith in the government's handling of the situation, is at the right approach as far as you are concerned? no, i don't think it is the right approach. businesses are struggling as it is. any more restrictions, a lot of businesses will take its toll, a lot more people are shopping online, high streets are already dying. i think this will be the final nail in the coffin, as such. so if the restrictions come in any more, it will be a very tough time. depending on how they handle it now, i don't know if i will be here in the future. how do you see the balance between controlling the infection and the other impacts of that? 0bviously, economic, mental health — everything else comes alongside. 0bviously, economic, mental health — everything else comes alongsidelj know everything else comes alongside.” know a lot of people who are really

struggling with being locked in, a lot of people working from home are struggling. a lot of people have lost a job because of covid. so i think mental health is definitely on the rise as a result of the covid pandemic. how are you feeling about christmas? that is a lot of talk that restrictions will be tight in order to facilitate, obviously, friends and families being able to meet up at christmas. how does that factor into the balance of everything, how important is that to you? it is very important, i'd like to see my family and friends, my gran and grandad and that. so i will just have to wait to here is what the government put in place. hopefully extended families will be a little bit more at ease. thank you very much forjoining us, good luck with everything, thank you.

sir philip green's retail empire arcadia, is likely to call in the administrators — putting 13,000 jobs at risk. sources in the company — whose brands include topshop, burton and dorothy perkins — have told the bbc they don't expect a last—minute rescue deal, as greg mckenzie reports. this could be the end of the road force a philip green's epic retail journey— one that has brought him riches and knighthood, but also information. arcadia's brands once dominated high—street fashion. its chains have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. but its problems stretch further back than that, as it struggled to keep up with online retailers. the company, which includes topshop, burton and dorothy perkins, would be the biggest retail collapse of the pandemic. if it went into administration, shops are expected

to still trade for nall while they try to find a buyer. the arcadia group has more than 500 stores, employing 15,000 people. topshop alone accounts for a 250 shops and concessions in 170 towns and cities across the uk. senior sources at the company told the bbc they do not expect the last—minute rescue deal. the offer of a £50 million loan from mike ashley's fraser group has reportedly been dismissed. there is also the added uncertainty for the thousands of arcadia staff, as there is an estimate state £350 million hole in the company's pension fund. the bbc understands he is currently on his super yacht docked in

monaco's hard border. he has so far declined request for an interview. let's get more on this with our business presenter ben thompson. a lot has been made of the fact he is on that £150 million yacht. what are his personal, legal, even moral responsibilities in this? it's fascinating this, isn't it? so many implications coming, right before christmas, the future for those 13,000 staff, those 500 stores, and at massive deficit in the pension fund. the pension fund, yes, there have been significant calls for him to plug a gap in that. this all came about when he sold bhs forjust £8 and there was a gap in that pension fund. we are told that if the sale goes through, then some of that money will go into the pension fund.

the rest for those who may be climbing from it will be sorted out by the pensions protection is fund, so those pensions should get most if not all of those pensions. but there isa not all of those pensions. but there is a moral obligation about his responsibilities to make sure that his staff are looked after. there are also big questions about the future of the other retail giant, debenhams. if arcadia is not able to be sold as a going concern, a lot of its concerns to macro concessions, they form a large part of debenhams's business. it raises so many questions about the future of our high streets. let's get the thoughts from david gill, the national officer for the retail union. just explain what the implications are for some of your members who are staff at any of these brands of arcadia, because the

future is looking very bleak, and as we just heard there aren't many reassu ra nces we just heard there aren't many reassurances from sir philip green, who we believe is currently in monaco? to be fair, it couldn't come ata monaco? to be fair, it couldn't come at a worst time. in the run—up to christmas, we know the shops will be reopening this week so that's positive. at the moment, if it goes into administration, it is looking more likely every hour, it is obviously to get involved in discussions of the administrators to try and hopefully get the business old and ongoing concerns to save the jobs of these long—suffering, hard—working employees. jobs of these long—suffering, hard-working employees. what you think the prospects of sale are? many would say, look, arcadia is an analogue business in a digital world. it failed to invest and keep up world. it failed to invest and keep up with our changing demands and it

has been superseded by online retailers, therefore any buyer wouldn't really be willing to keep hold of those stories. again, obviously, speculation, but we would be hoping, topshop is a very good brand of the high street, it still attracts a lot of the young people. we are fairly hopeful that you would get a buyer interested in hopefully the full business, or at the very least buying topshop. let's talk about the wider high street, because i know you as a union have been putting some pretty bleak figures on potential job losses, putting some pretty bleak figures on potentialjob losses, two and 30,000 retailjobs could go, that is one possibility, 20,000 shops could close. that leaves a lot of gaps on a lot of high streets. yes, it does

and we have been calling on the government for years to actually engage and look at fundamental reforms, whether it is business rates. it is about actually sitting down with the trade unions, the retailers, the government, to try and actually ensure that the high street remains central to local communities. people still enjoy going out for shopping, getting a coffee, meeting up with friends. it is not all about online, it is about ensuring that as much of it retail remains, hopefully, once we get out of this pandemic. yes, let's see what happens, an instrumental 24—hour is ahead. dave, thank you very much. joanna, just a word on an peculiarities of the timing here, terrible timing before christmas. but the next 2a others could prove

pretty instrumental because some new rules come into force tomorrow. if that administration is put off until tomorrow, then put the taxman at the head of the queue as far as creditors are concerned. to all the things that arcadia would be due to the government, things like payroll taxes, things like vat, they would get precedence and some money would go to hmrc to pay for that. but if the administration happens today, then the taxman is much further down then the taxman is much further down the queue. there is a lot riding on it when this is an arms and what happened next, as to whether taxpayers can recoup some money from this, or whether they fall much further behind things like landlords in the chain of creditors trying to get some of the money that they are owed. let's get more now on plans to publish an official impact assessment analysing the economic, social and health costs of the tiers system in england. it comes as the prime minister tries

to head off a potential rebellion from some of his own mps who are sceptical about the new measures. as we heard, a major new study shows the second lockdown in england has helped to reduce the number of coronavirus infections by around a third. the r rate in england is now about 0.88. i'm joined now by nicola stonehouse, a professor of molecular virology at the university of leeds. in spite of the number of infections coming down, the r rate below one, only 1% of areas go into tier1 after a lock down that some areas went into pre—lockdown, they are now coming out of it in duty—free. it all seems pretty confusing. how do you explain that? we have to keep maintaining restrictions, if we don't we will be back in a situation of infections out of control again. how we maintain that, that is a

decision for the government to balance between economic issues with theissues balance between economic issues with the issues of infections. but we know that if we go back to the summer when there weren't a lot of infections in really, in the uk, we have growing from that. so if we don't keep things under control, there will be another major peak of infections and the consequences of that will be very serious. can you explain why after so long of restrictions there is a need still, not just to step restrictions there is a need still, notjust to step them up in some areas, but significantly so, and actually after a lengthy period of heavy restrictions and the national lockdown in england. it is only liverpool and warrington which is going to be going down a tear. there is an argument that, actually, the current restrictions should be kept for longer. if the only thing you

we re for longer. if the only thing you were concerned about was controlling the pandemic and controlling the numbers of infections, you would keep the current levels of restrictions on for much, much longer than we are doing. i know people do feel that their lives are being put on quite severe restrictions, but if your only concern was to control the virus you would keep the restrictions are very tight for much longer. we know that even though the numbers are lower in some parts of the country than others, that can spread very readily and very quickly, especially in the time of winter. i have picked out some examples of apparent anomalies in varies areas. lancaster has 102 cases per 100,000 cases, cases have got there to get to that level, it

goes into tier 3. south lakeland, very nearby, has joined goes into tier 3. south lakeland, very nearby, hasjoined in 2a goes into tier 3. south lakeland, very nearby, has joined in 2a cases per 100,000, and it very nearby, has joined in 2a cases per100,000, and it goes very nearby, has joined in 2a cases per 100,000, and it goes into tier 2. that is because of the context of the counties that they are in. is that logical? no, it is not logical. much of this is not logical. the only really logical thing to do would be to put the whole country under tight restrictions, and then once you have the numbers down much, much lower, then test and trace can much, much —— can work much more effectively. then you have local lockdown if you streets and apartment blocks, much more local restrictions as was done in germany, for example. we are trying to do things on a much more broad basis and to allow some areas a little bit more freedom and flexibility, but thatis

more freedom and flexibility, but that is bound to be some therefore arbitrary boundaries as a result of that. on the subject of logic, doesn't make sense to you that in tear to cat makes indoors but you can attend an indoor event like a sport event or a theatre production with 1000 people? it is in my opinion complete and utter madness. when the government published those plans for large venues, i read it with disbelief. it is notjust that they being inside, but is also lots of people travelling to a venue. in one page of the restrictions, we are saying don't travel unless you have to do, consider yourjourneys, stay at home as home as much as possible. that is the same for tier 2. but you can go to a very large sporting

event outdoors, or even a large indoor event, admittedly with reduced capacity. but encouraging those sort of event is, in my opinion, madness at the current time. you took my breath away, and probably a lot of people's when you said it was complete and utter madness. it sounds farcical, and yet it is the situation we are in. the policies in place are in order to head a situation where people can actually have family get—togethers at christmas. what do you think about that, is that the right imperative? i think again it is giving mixed messages. it is saying don't mix at the moment, but it is 0k to mix for a few days at christmas. the only way i think to make christmas. the only way i think to ma ke safely christmas. the only way i think to make safely with members of another health so it is to self—isolate before you do so. so, you self—isolate, and house or self

isolates, then you can get together safely. i know a lot of people can't do that, it is not possible to do that, but that is the only safe way to do it. otherwise we risk a lot of social mixing for admittedly a few days, but the consequences of doing that could mean another peak towards the end of january. that could mean another peak towards the end ofjanuary. do you think the fa ct the end ofjanuary. do you think the fact that there is apparent illogicality between some of these measures, it may lead to some people to not take them seriously. yes, i do. i think the issue if you live on one side of the street you can do one side of the street you can do one thing, and on the other side your card. the changes that we have had, many, many changes. ialso think the wording in all of these documentations is you should not do this. well, there are a lot of things in life that we shouldn't do

but we do, isn't there? we shouldn't have another bar of chocolate or another glass of wine, but we do. so the idea of shouldn't versus must is is very confusing to a lot of people. but the idea of doubt do it now but you can do it for a few days over christmas— i think this messaging isn't helpful and i think a lot of people will possibly decide they have had enough and need a break. professors, thank you very much forjoining us. the government is expected to announce later if it will order a public inquiry into what has become one of the most notorious murders of the troubles. solicitor pat finucane was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries from the ulster defence association in 1989. his family has fought a long campaign, involving numerous legal actions. they want the uk government to fulfil a commitment given 20 years ago to hold an inquiry. several examinations of the case found state forces colluded in his murder. secretary of state brandon lewis is due to make an announcement after

contacting mr finucane's family. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. it's a fairly cloudy day for most of us with patchy rain sinking south, but it will brighten up sinking south, but it will brighten up quite nicely behind out. the cloud and the patchy rain moves southwards across england and wales at times. at times it will be heavier across wales and south—west england, but brighter skies follow on into northern england, northern ireland and scotland, withjust on into northern england, northern ireland and scotland, with just a few showers in the north and down the north sea coastline. 0vernight, a brisk wind continues down the north sea bringing showers. albert neck system brings on the thicker cloud and some patchy rain and drizzle from the west. that is how we start the day tomorrow, a lot of clear skies, a cold start. cloud

comes in these words through the course of the day, sunny conditions in parts of the south and east. top temperatures of 10 around the moray and aberdeenshire. hello this is bbc news with joanna gosling. the headlines: the number of new covid—19 cases in england has fallen sharply since the second lockdown began, according to the most up—to—date study, with cases dropping by nearly a third across the country we saw the largest falls in the north of the country, actually over 50%, and particularly in the north—west and north—east where they have had restrictions. the government is to publish the data behind england's new tiered system. the prime minister calls for "unity" ahead of a vote tomorrow. ministers insist the new measures are necessary. new restrictions to combat the spread of covid—19 in wales will be announced by the country's first minister today.

the arcadia retail chain is expected to go into administration today, putting 13,000 jobs on the high street at risk. coming up: we report on the biggest changes to english farming in more than half a century, as eu farming subsidies are phased out and enviromental work is rewarded. sport now and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. good morning. we start with that horrifying crash at yesterday's formula 1. french driver romain grosjean crashing into a barrier at 137mph before bursting into flames. remarkably, and thankfully, he escaped with just burns to his hands. the bahrain grand prix begins. 20 cars race, each with a halo — a titanium bar protecting the cockpit, protecting romain

grosjean. and a big fire there! fla mes insta ntly surrounded the driver. that should not happen. it will be part of the investigation. but with medics attending, grosjean, hands burning on the metal, was able to force his own way out, an escape which seemed miraculous. grosjean was able later in hospital to reflect on how the car's improvements had saved his life. ijust wanted to say i am 0k, well, sort of 0k. thank you very much for all the messages. i mean, i wasn't for the halo some years ago but i think it's the greatest thing that was brought to formula one. without it, i wouldn't be able to speak to you today. at the circuit, the teams watched the replays. lewis hamilton tweeted that the crash was a reminder of the risk — the extreme danger that is still there. as soon as the grand prix resumed, another collision. a car upturned. lance stroll was the driver pulled out unharmed.

a safety car finally led the racers home after another incident. lewis hamilton won but 20 drivers came to bahrain, 20 lived to drive again. joe wilson, bbc news. there are renewed calls for concussion substitutes following arsenal's decision to allow david luiz to play on after a clash of heads with rauljimenez. the wolves striker had to be taken to hospital with a fractured skull after receiving oxygen on the pitch. he's since undergone successful surgery. luiz, however, was simply bandaged up and carried on playing before being taken off at half—time. arsenal say they followed the rules around concussion. protocols dictate a player is immediately withdrawn and assesed. however, the brain injury association headway says football is not doing enough to protect its players, a view echoed by alan shearer. football needs to get real, it needs to wake up. it needs to get serious. not next year, not next

month, not next week. now. how on earth is he allowed to come back onto the pitch with a wound that is bleeding through the bandage, dripping down his face? we're talking about life or death here. and players' careers, career ending. it's just not acceptable. the fa will investigate a deleted social media post by manchester united striker edinson cavani which contained a spanish phrase that is offensive in some contexts. he deleted it once told how it could be seen in the uk. it's after he came on to score twice as united came from 2—0 down at southampton to win 3—2. it's their eighth away win in a row. tottenham drew 0—0 at chelsea to go top of the league. after being knocked out of the scottish league cup, celtic fans gathered outside their stadium to protest against recent results. the current champions have just two wins from ten and five defeats. fans threw missiles at the team

and manager neil lennon as they left the ground and clashed with police. celtic have condemed the protests and said the players were shaken. police scotland added that two officers were injured. the womens rugby world cup will increase from 12 to 16 teams from 2025. since 2006, there have been 12 teams split into three groups, but next year's world cup in new zealand will be the last before the revamp. world rugby chairman bill beaumont has described it as a "milestone moment" for the womens game. that's all the sport for now. police are investigating the doctor of the footballer diego maradona for possible negligence after his death in argentina last week. it comes after maradona's daughters questioned their father's medical care. arturo wallace from bbc mundo

joins me now from his home in london. why is his doctor being investigated ? how has why is the doctor being investigated? the authorities are looking into possible negligence after a surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain. they are checking the kind of medication he was happening, whether the right equipment and personnel were available at the house where he was recovering. the doctor hasn't been charged yet, it is just an investigation. the police went to his clinic and his house and they seized all the medical records he had on maradona as well as personal computers, hard drives and so on. the doctor insists he did everything he could to help a friend and he said he is also cooperating with justice. what reaction has to bring to this development? everything that surrounded maradona was always a big

thing in argentina, especially after he passed away. the police raid at the house of the doctor took place early on sunday, so it was everything that people were talking about yesterday. he also gave a very emotional conference, third docked —— the doctor. he explained how it was very difficult to deal with maradona, he had a very strong character, a very strong will. we will wait to see what the findings are. the amount of taxpayer money that farmers receive will be much more dependent on the contribution they make to the environment, under new plans by the government. it will mean traditional subsidies in england will be reduced from next year and payments to protect nature will be introduced. our environment correspondent roger harrabin reports. farming is a toughjob.

and in parts of the uk, farmers are struggling to stay afloat. there, good boys, good boys. in sussex, martin is focused right now on a visit from the vet. come on, chaps. come on. it seems to have spooked some of the cattle. but the future of the countryside as a whole is far more worrying for livestock farmers like him. farming is a toughjob. and in parts of the uk, farmers are struggling to stay afloat. that's because for two decades, martin's farm has been kept in business thanks to grants from the european union. the system is frankly bizarre. the richer you are, the more land you own. the more land you own, the more taxpayers' money you get. but that is going to change. it's brexit that's driving the shift. soggy fields are great for wildlife, and the uk government says in future, taxpayers will reward farmers for bringing birds to the countryside and encouraging woodlands to soak up carbon emissions.

so basically, martin will be paid to help nature. but will the grants be enough to keep him in business? i think there's a very real concern throughout the industry that the money available to achieve the objectives of farming for more wildlife, is simply not going to be enough for us to deliver successfully, because delivering wildlife from a farm is an expensive business. it's been announced that farmers will lose half theirformer eu grants by 2024, and all of them by 2028. farmers who embrace the new policy and farm sustainably and make space for nature on their farms, and who want to improve their profitability, so invest in new equipment, they will all benefit from the new policy. there will be incentives for farming sustainably, grants to help space for nature, and grants as well to help farmers buy new equipment. some farmers may object, but the future of britain's countryside will be fewer sheep

and cattle, and more birds and trees. roger harrabin, bbc news, east sussex. with me is president of the national farmers' union, minette batters. also, i'm joined by tom morphew, ceo of full circle farms, which encourages local communities to get involved with farming. tom, how would you be effected under these changes? it will only benefit us, really. we have been educating people and trying to push this way of farming forward for the last four yea rs. we of farming forward for the last four years. we can only see the benefits of moving forward for the environment under local surroundings. we have been trying to educate people on a more sustainable way of farming for the last four yea rs way of farming for the last four years ina way of farming for the last four years in a move away from the commercial way of farming using heavy machinery and pesticides and

herbicides. tom is a model example of exactly what the government wants to promote with this new system, but you believe there are farmers that go out of business because they don't work in the same way. what are your fears don't work in the same way. what are yourfears on don't work in the same way. what are your fears on that front?” don't work in the same way. what are your fears on that front? i don't think tom is actually meaning to or referring to those who are most impacted by all of this. if you look at the farm business income figures, the ones most impacted by the changes are loan and livestock producers and uplink livestock producers. in some cases we see up to form income. farmers want to know the detail of the monies, up to the 50% that will be taken away by 2024, what to do schemes look like for the

money coming back into farming businesses across all land areas and all sectors, the detail that we need to see. so if a pharmacy is an 8096 reduction in its income as a result of these changes, can that farm survive? it is going to be a very, very tough ask for some farming businesses, hence why it is really important that the government looks at the fairness and functionality of our supply chains. we have the most affordable food in europe, third most affordable food in the world. we have to make sure in this period of change that farmers are achieving a fair return for what they produce. we have seen continual downward pressure on price, we live with an ongoing retail price war. that is a big question that needs to be answered and needs to be acted on, making sure we get a fair return back to the farm gates. the idea presumably hide this change is to

promote sustainable farming with responsibility for the environments. will it not lead to that change? we set and envision ourselves to be net zero carbon neutral producers of food by 2040. we think this is an enormous chance for the uk and a massive opportunity for the world and us to lead a green recovery. what we feel the future is about is getting into the field, focusing on our soil health, focusing on climate smart ways of farming, which are about farming with less input, but are about greater output because you are about greater output because you are farming smarter. that needs new innovation, new research and design, and it needs us to be working really closely with government, making sure that we get this policy right. don't forget, this is england only. we are four nations, one country, so we need to make sure we take a whole framework approach. john, in terms

of incentive to farm in an environmentally sustainable way, what is there at the moment, what are the pros and cons of it? what actually benefits under the current system, it is the people it seems with the most land, in other words the richest? unfortunately, it is not a very fair system. the queen herself gets paid something like 90 million pounds a year for opening herfarmland million pounds a year for opening her farmland and it doesn't reflect very well on the farmers who are struggling and don't have much land. and these new schemes and we will need support for our farmers change the way they farm. this has happened throughout english farming for the last 70 years. we keep bending over backwards to try and achieve whatever the government wants it is. if the government changes the rules

again, we need to have a lot of support for ourfarmers again, we need to have a lot of support for our farmers through that transition. it is all the right way to move forward, but we need to be aware that farmers have already invested a lot of money and time and machinery in the things they have now. to change it all again and change the markets to suit is going to be quite a difficultjob for them. how easy it is to access these payments is going to be interesting. it will be interesting to see how that spans out over the course of this new scheme being rolled out and how easy it is to get your hands on that money to make these changes. there is a window for this to happen. the changes won't come into full force until 2028 at the government says there will be a lump sum forfarmers government says there will be a lump sum for farmers who don't want to change to enable them to retire with dignity, is how the government puts

it. is that fair enough, and enough to make this happen without too many casualties along the way? again, it is back to the detail. the tax implications of a lump sum payment, what does that mean for the tenant landlord relationship? will landowners be happy to let the tenant pull down those monies. we mustn't forget in all of this that the tenant sector is over 50% of farming in this country, so people who don't own their land, they are tenants for a landowner. we should be clear that this is not about prioritisation of smaller farming businesses. there will still be the capability, for large landowners to pull down more money because they have the skill to deliver public monies for public goods. this is a step back from the commitment that you have to actively be farming. you

don't have to be actively farming any more, so you could be a foreign investor. it is crucial that we get this right, that we make sure that we are not marginalising our capability to produce food. we are (50% capability to produce food. we are 60% self—sufficient and we believe that must be maintained, and in things like fruit and vegetables we should be producing much more. the opportunities to level up to get back to a more localised added value for the gender is also important. agricultural acts to come along every day of the week, the last one was 1947. we have to get the act of 2020 right because this is about the future of food. thank you very much. the headlines on bbc news: the number of new coronavirus infections in england has dropped by 30 % since the second lockdown was imposed. the prime minister calls for ‘unity‘ from his mps as he agrees to publish

the data behind england's new tiers system ahead of a vote in the commons tomorrow/ 0ur the arcadia retail chain is expected to go into administration today — threatening thousands of jobs. the mass testing of students for covid—19 so they can go home safely for the christmas break is starting at many universities across the uk today. if they test negative, many students will leave university in the "travel window" starting on thursday. 0ur education correspondent dan johnson reports. two of these tests, three days apart, then 24 hours to make it home for christmas. that's the safest route on offer ahead of the holidays. and here in east london, these students are helping manage the tests as well as taking them. i think this is the safest way of doing it. i think by allowing all students and staff to be tested, we can ensure that we keep the r rate down and people can go home

feeling confident. you've got to balance the risk, and this just minimizes it a little bit more. so, yeah, iwould be happier knowing that i got the two negatives to go home and see my parents. a positive result will mean confirmation with a lab test, then isolation. we're very confident that we can test everybody. but support is being promised. the wellbeing advisers will contact the students, make sure they're 0k, offer them emotional support. and i suppose the important thing about doing it now, is that there's a ten—day window if somebody does test positive, so that they can then go back home to their families and loved ones. still get home in time for christmas? yes, absolutely. it's a huge challenge getting this in place at every university, with enough tests available for all students, and the results being delivered on time, quickly enough so that they can all get home as safely as possible. but this is all voluntary.

so the question will be, how many students will actually come forward? in scotland, st andrew's started testing on saturday, and students are already getting results. it didn't feel as bad as i expected it to. like, i'd heard some stories about it being, like, really u nco mforta ble, but it was actually pretty all right. obviously, it's really important for many of them to get back and see families and loved ones during the winter break. we want to do all that we can to make sure that that's possible for them, but we want them to do so in as safe a way as possible. and that's why this testing centre is so important. some lecturers have warned this travel window could be chaotic after a term that's been so tough for staff as well as students. people feel a bit up and down. i think they're a bit worried about going home to places where the restrictions are higher. i think especially when people have had such little opportunity to mix in st andrew's, i think going home and seeing their family is something that people are quite looking forward to. it's kind of awesome that we can still have some kind of normality

and some kind of family time, especially if all the kids are away at uni, it's nice to be home and just to be home and get cooked for and get your washing done and stuff. good to know some priorities haven't changed, despite the pandemic. dan johnson, bbc news. as we've been hearing, infectious disease experts have welcomed the findings of a major new study which shows the second lockdown in england has helped to reduce the number of coronavirus infections by around a third. the biggest improvements were in the north—west and north—east, where infections fell by more than half. alice wiseman is the director of public health for gateshead council. gateshead will be put into tier 3 on wednesday — along with all 12 council areas across the north—east. welcome, alice. thank you for joining us. i want to bring in a graph to show what the picture has beenin graph to show what the picture has been in gateshead since the beginning of the year. it was march

when cases started to go up. it is interesting to see because it's almost a mirror image of what happened in other areas of the country, with the cases were so high at the beginning but they have come down. explain to you so you would describe the current picture in gateshead. so we are definitely on an improvement journey. we gateshead. so we are definitely on an improvementjourney. we saw cases rise after the announcement of the national lockdown as people rapidly ran out to the shops and at the last minute christmas shopping. for the first week the cases continue to rise, but since then we have seen a dramatic reduction. looking back to that first week, we were at 915 cases in the saturdays, whereas this morning it isjust cases in the saturdays, whereas this morning it is just 300, cases in the saturdays, whereas this morning it isjust 300, so a significant improvement for us in gateshead. this is very much reflected across the whole of the north—east, as you say. reflected across the whole of the north-east, as you say. is it enough for gateshead to be in a lower tier

than tier 3? tier 3 will have a huge impact on businesses and everything else. could things... could it possibly qualified to go into a lower tier because things have improved so much? obviously, the cases aren't the only thing that looked at. we have had pressure in our hospitals, so the numbers are improving in hospital, but they are still too high at this stage for us to be complacent and to start thinking about moving into the next tier. i am thinking about moving into the next tier. iam keen thinking about moving into the next tier. i am keen to see what happens when the national lockdown starts to open this week, what happens to our numbers before i would feel confident in making an assessment as to which tier we should be going into. we are encouraging all our residents to continue what they are doing, they are doing a greatjob, then hopefully we will start to see some light at the end of the tunnel,

if not before christmas and into early january. what do you think about the easing of restrictions over christmas and what that might do? we are worried about that. i recognise why people need to have something to look forward to at christmas. what i would say to people is that the virus risk does not change, so people need to make decisions based on the needs of their own families, so i wouldn't be going to see my mum over christmas because i don't want to risk taking the virus there. there is the potential for the relaxation of the lockdown restrictions over christmas, to see a real push of cases into early january, christmas, to see a real push of cases into earlyjanuary, and christmas, to see a real push of cases into early january, and sadly we will see deaths as a result of that. i appreciate why the government are doing this in terms of giving people the choice about how they want to behave with their families over christmas, but i would

really urge people to be very cautious and limit household mixing wherever possible. you mentioned the pressure on hospitals. could you tell us more about that? we have a significant number of people who are in hospital at the moment with covid. while that number has reduced, it means that our nhs hospitals are not able to perform in the way they previously did before covid. not only do we have the pressure from covid, we have the additional pressures that we normally get at this time of year, and on top of that, our hospitals are working incredibly hard to try to catch up on some of the procedures that were missed earlier in the year when we had to lock those hospitals down. having all of those hospitals down. having all of those things together, it means that our hospitals are working under significant pressure. we also know that staff are tired. they have done this for months now. we complain about wearing a mask and we go into

our shop. many other staff are doing this day in, day out and have been doing it for the last eight or nine months. so thinking about how we can best support our nhs and a wonderful social care colleagues. i would encourage people to be very cautious and limit contact with other households where possible. the weather this week is looking a bit more changeable than many of us have at the weekend. today we have a lot of cloud once again with patchy rain, which is sinking steadily southwards. behind that band of rain we will see a return to some brighter skies. it is this: that is producing the rain. watch out the isobars veer to more of an orderly, so there will be a brisk wind down the north—east coastline and the north and west of scotland. a lot of cloud ahead of the weather front. we

see the patchy rain arrived, the rain heavier at times across wales and south—west england, proprietor skies for northern ireland, northern england and scotland. temperatures between six and 11 degrees. through this evening and overnight, eventually the are and rain get into the channel islands. behind it is a lots of clear skies. the brisk wind on the north state coastline with some showers. you can see the next system coming in from the west, introducing thicker cloud. in western areas that will not be as cold as it will be across central and eastern parts of the uk. tomorrow, the cold air will be in place, but gradually it will be usurped by milder air coming place, but gradually it will be usurped by milderair coming in place, but gradually it will be usurped by milder air coming in from the atlantic, represented by the yellow here. to put that in graphics, a lot of sunshine to start the day for sunshine and eastern areas, it will be cold, but all this cloud and patchy light rain and drizzle will move eastward through the course of the day. the sunny

skies for the longest will be the moray firth, aberdeenshire, parts of central and south—eastern england. temperatures between six and 10 degrees. moving through tuesday evening and overnight into wednesday, this next front comes in from the north—west, sinking southwards. 0n from the north—west, sinking southwards. on and look at those isobars to geed up the wind will strengthen in the north here is the weather front sinking south. behind it, brighter skies, some sunshine, the wind picking up on the north—west and a platter of showers for northern and western scotland, some of them getting into northern ireland, with snow in the highlands above 300 metres. the coal theme continues through thursday and friday. some of us could see some snow friday. some of us could see some 5 now m ostly friday. some of us could see some snow mostly on the hills in the west.

can do this is bbc news — the headlines: the number of new covid—19 cases in england has fallen sharply since the second lockdown began, according to the most—up—to—date study — with cases dropping by nearly a third across the country. we saw the largest falls in the north of the country, actually over 50%, and particularly in the north—west and north—east where they have had restrictions. the government is to publish the data behind england's new tiered system. the prime minister calls for "unity" ahead of a vote tomorrow — ministers insist the new measures are necessary. we shouldn't stumble at this last hurdle. we've had to take some very difficult decisions. we need to see this through and stick to the course for now. the arcadia retail chain is expected to go into administration today — putting 13,000 jobs on the high

street at risk. the biggest changes to english farming in more than half a century — as ministers publish post—brexit plans to phase out eu farming subsidies and reward enviromental work. and coming up: new restrictions to combat the spread of covid—19 in wales will be announced by the country's first minister shortly — we'll bring you that here on bbc news. good afternoon. coronavirus cases are down by almost a third in england after the latest lockdown restrictions began. the new research comes as borisjohnson is trying to head off a potential rebellion by tory

mps over planned restrictions. the highly respected react—1 study found a 30% fall in infections between 13th and 24th november. cases fell by more than half in the north—west and north—east, regions with some of the highest numbers of cases. researchers estimated the virus's reproduction rate had fallen to 0.88. this graph shows how the r number has been below 1 for the first time since september. that means on average every infection translated to less than one other new infection, so the epidemic is shrinking. but overall cases in england remain high. an estimated 1 in 100 people have coronavirus — double the rate in september. meanwhile the prime minister is urging disgruntled conservative mps to show "unity" and "resolve." he's publishing an impact assessment to try to assuage their fears over planned restrictions

when the national lockdown ends. labour will decide if it will vote with the government tomorrow after meeting england's chief medical officers later today. this report from rachel shrayer. to get a sense of how many people across england have coronavirus, our best option is to pick a sample of people from different age groups, areas and backgrounds, and test them regularly, whether they have symptoms or not. a study run by imperial college london has done just this, and it gives us the most up to date picture of what's happening with covid—19. the researchers swabbed more than 100,000 people between the 13th and the 24th of november while england was in lockdown. they found that during this 12—day period, cases of coronavirus fell by 30%, compared with the last time the imperial team carried out this research. they tested people between the 16th and october 25th, when the country was under a three—tier system of restrictions. and at that point, cases were doubling every nine days. it's not the same across all regions of england.

so we've seen some of the northern higher prevalence regions have had larger drops than some of the midlands and the southern areas. but overall, we've seen a pretty substantial drop over the period of lockdown. the health secretary, matt hancock, has described imperial‘s findings as encouraging, but he says the country can't take its foot off the pedal yet. the government plans to bring in a new three—tier system on wednesday, this time with tougher rules, and more areas have been placed in the highest level of restrictions. the hope is that this will be enough to keep infections falling, while giving people a few more freedoms and allowing shops to open in the run—up to christmas. government scientific advisers have said they expect cases to rise, maybe as much as double, when rules are relaxed over the festive period. so keeping infections under control before then is even more pressing. 0ur political correspondent, ellie price, is at westminster.

today ellie price, is at westminster. at are looking very r this today at are looking very much for this impact assessment, which is a true macro is expected to be published by the government. a lot of conservative mps waiting for this document, it is something of a cost analysis type thing that will look at the impact of these restrictions on health, the economy and social issues. it is something that a number of mps have told me they are really waiting on to decide weather or not they can support their own government in all of this. a bit of a panic over the weekend, the prime minister wrote to mp setting out the importance of these restrictions, and also spelling out a concession, if you will, that mps will be given the option of voting on these resections again injanuary the option of voting on these resections again in january with the option of voting on these resections again injanuary with a sunset clause, which means if they don't vote again injanuary the bill at the beginning of february. there isa at the beginning of february. there is a real sense of worry that the

government getting its own conservative mps on board. it looks like labour will vote for these measures, so i think the chances of rebellion spelling any major defeat for the government is very unlikely. but, as i say, there is a sense that there is a persuading to be done of their own mps. this morning and the environment secretary without doing the rounds, doing just that. well, i think it's fair to say that there is a great deal of frustration with this pandemic, with those emergency measures that we have been forced to take. i completely understand that. what we have to do as the government is persuade parliament, but also the country at large, that we have got a route through this. i think we do now with the great potential to deploy a vaccine in short order during the first three to six months of next year. we will actually start to get this virus under control and turn the corner, hopefully, by early summer.

the conversations have been ongoing over the weekend, and the argument isa over the weekend, and the argument is a very well rehearsed over the last few days. we understand that labour it will be meeting with the chief medical officer and chief scientific 0fficer chief medical officer and chief scientific officer for england this afternoon, as well, really to get a final seal of approval on these restrictions. it is worth pointing out that labour had never voted against any covid health restrictions in the past, so i think the government is pretty safe on all of that. the eyes are now on the impact assessment of the government is due to publish at some point, hopefully very soon. chris said it is imminent, and he said in politics thatis is imminent, and he said in politics that is a very elastic word. we are still waiting and will bring it to you as soon as it happens. this details of new restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus in wales are expected to be

announced by the first minister shortly. since the end of the recent 17—day lockdown the number of cases have begun to rise and hospital admissions remain high. indoor entertainment venues will close, and new rules will be introduced for the hospitality industry on friday. 0ur wales correspondent tomos morgan has more. well, we know it'll be based around restrictions on the hospitality sector, a sector that's already been hit very hard over this entire year, really, during the pandemic. it's thought, it's been rumoured, that the model could maybe be based on the restrictions seen on the toughest areas of scotland, so maybe a restriction and a bringing down of closing times earlier in the evening, potentially a restriction on the sale of alcohol, as well. we will find out the detail at 12:15. there will also be a financial package in place to help that sector, but we know that it will be mostly based on the hospitality sector today. there will be no restriction on people meeting up. the other things due to close will be cinemas, although gyms and essential shops and nonessential shops will remain open in the lead—up to christmas. tomos morgan reporting.

and we'll be crossing to cardiff in a few minutes' time for a briefing by first minister mark drakeford. sir philip green's retail empire, arcadia, is likely to call in the administrators — putting 13,000 jobs at risk. sources in the company — whose brands include topshop, burton and dorothy perkins — have told the bbc they don't expect a last—minute rescue deal. ben thompson is out business presenter, and joins me now. talk because a few of these scenarios that might happen today. —— talk was through the scenarios. so much at stake and such doubtful timing, right before christmas, for those 13,000 staff and those stores. let's not forget the concessions and other stories, in places like debenhams, which itself is facing some well—documented problems. we are expecting news today that administrators will be called end, that puts the future of topshop,

burton, dorothy perkins, very much in doubtand burton, dorothy perkins, very much in doubt and whether there will be a buyer. remember that many of those brands have been accused of being analog retail outlets in a very digital world. their competitors are now the like of h&m, boo—hoo, a source zadar, and some say those brands have stolen the lead on sir philip green, who has failed to invest in the last decade, and many say it is not an attractive place to wa nt to say it is not an attractive place to want to shop any more. survey questions about who will want to buy any parts of this business, whether there will be a fight over the of there will be a fight over the of the remains stop the taxman has been paid all of this. the questions over who might want to. it is expected that the who might want to buy the topshop brand, but there are very few willing volunteers who want to snap up the rest of the business. earlier, i spoke to david gill, the

head of the retail union. he says there is hope of a buyer, that it places the future of many thousands of staff in doubtjust before christmas. it couldn't come at a worst time. i think the run—up to christmas, hopefully... well, we know all the shops will be reopening this week, so that's positive. we're look at, at the moment, if it does goes into administration — it is looking more likely every hour —it is obviously to get involved, have discussions with the administrators to try and hopefully get the business sld as an ongoing concerns to safeguard the jobs of these long—suffering, hard—working employees. topshop is a very good brand on the high street, it still attracts a lot of the younger people we're fairly hopeful that you would get a buyer interested in hopefully stacking up the full business, or at the very least actually buying topshop.

the trade union has put some figures to get looking at their two and 30,000 retailjobs currently at risk on the high 20,000 stores could close. —— 300,000 retailjobs. we know the pandemic is because so much trouble for retailers, but also the changing ways we shop has accelerated the change, more of us are buying online of course. at the same time, the future for debenhams is very much in doubt. a lot of the concessions within the debenhams department store are the brands owned by arcadia, burton, evans, dorothy perkins, miss selfridge, all of those brands which could disappearfrom of those brands which could disappear from debenhams stores, of those brands which could disappearfrom debenhams stores, so it makes the future of debenhams

potentially unviable. there are a few questions over what happens next, whether there will be a buyer, we re next, whether there will be a buyer, were habits of the staff, and of course the deficit in the pensions fund, £350 million. that could be played by the proceeds of any sale. but the questions about whether there will be any buyers. british and eu officials have resumed talks on a post—brexit trade deal — at the start of what could be the final week of negotiations. eu chief negotiator michel barnier is in london where this morning he said there was a "reason for determination" in the talks. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, has said fishing rights remain the outstanding bone of contention — but he's insisted there's a "deal to be done." the government is expected to announce later if it will order a public inquiry into what has become one of the most notorious murders of the troubles. solicitor pat finucane was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries from the ulster defence association in 1989. his family has fought a long campaign, involving numerous legal actions. they want the uk government

to fulfil a commitment given 20 years ago to hold an inquiry. you're watching bbc news. as we've been hearing, coronavirus cases are down by almost a third in england, after the latest lockdown restrictions began. the new research comes as borisjohnson is trying to head off a potential rebellion by tory mps over planned restrictions. simon clarke is the conservative mp for middlesborough south and east cleveland. cases in the morth—east fell by over a half during lockdown but all 12 councils will be going into tier 3 on wednesday. do you think that is the right decision for your area to go into a tier 3 despite that they could drop? it isa tier 3 despite that they could drop? it is a really welcome that cases across the north—east are falling

really sharply. cases in my own constituency have fallen by around 40% over the last week, which is fantastic. i do support the government's decision to bring forward tiered restrictions, and i think is important to understand why thatis think is important to understand why that is the case. fundamentally, the raw numbers are still too high to be satisfactory. it is therefore important that we keep the pressure on to keep driving them down. essentially, tier 2 stabilises numbers, tea rfully actually essentially, tier 2 stabilises numbers, tearfully actually cuts numbers. i do actually however believe that we are in a position where we might be looking at he too isa where we might be looking at he too is a possibility by the middle of december. the review date of december. the review date of december numeric 16 is in my mind is looking at the current trend.” spoke to a professor of molecular virology at the university of leeds and asked about some of the anomalies when you have situations where areas with lower numbers of cases are in tier 3 because of the

cou nty cases are in tier 3 because of the county they are in, while other areas with higher cases are in tier 2. additionally, just 1% of areas are in tier1. 2. additionally, just 1% of areas are in tier 1. she said, actually, the situation is complete and utter madness, and if the sole focus is to drive down any number of cases the lockdown should not be coming to an end. what do you think about that? i'm afraid i disagree with her on that, it is important that we end at the national lockdown. we all need to be aware that lockdowns come with very serious trade—offs in terms of both the economic damage they do but also the wider harm to mental and physical health. they are a very, very seriously damaging tool, sometimes they are the only tool open to us, but i think we should end this national lockdown now that case numbers are falling. it is having quite a pronounced effect. we will move to graduated restrictions

based on the case rate. the prime minister said in based on the case rate. the prime ministersaid ina based on the case rate. the prime minister said in a very helpful later that there will be the flexibility to move between tiers from as soon as december 16. i settle hope the north—east does move down. i think on the current trend thatis down. i think on the current trend that is a very real and exciting possibility. that is progress to be made, andi possibility. that is progress to be made, and i think people welcome that downward progress. it is simply not tenable, i think, to say we should remain in national lockdown until the vaccine arrives. that is not a realistic possibility. thank you very much forjoining us. we will go straight to wales, mark dra keford will go straight to wales, mark drakeford outlining will go straight to wales, mark dra keford outlining what will go straight to wales, mark drakeford outlining what is going to be happening in wales. throughout the pandemic, all the actions that we have taken here in wales have been designed to protect our nhs and to save lives, and that remains unchanged today. the facts are

stark. unless we respond now to the growing number of people infected with the virus, the advice we have from our scientific and medical experts is that by january 12 the total number of people with coronavirus in hospital in wales could rise to 2200. our modelling suggests that unless we act, between 1000 and 1700 preventable deaths could take place over the winter period. 0n could take place over the winter period. on friday, the all well seven day incidence rate was 187 cases per 100,000 people. today that has risen to almost 210 cases per 100,000. we have seen further rises amongst the under 25 age group in 17

of the 22 local authority areas in wales. more worryingly still cases of coronavirus are beginning to advise in the over 60 age group in most parts of wales. this is a virus that thrives on human contact — in our homes or when we come together. that is why over the weekend the cabinet met to consider the detail ofa cabinet met to consider the detail of a set of new targeted restrictions in the hospitality and leisure sectors, and a new financial package to support affected businesses. the measures we are taking are based on what the uk sage group tells us has worked best elsewhere. that is why from 6pm on friday, new national measures will

be introduced to provide restrictions for hospitality and indoor entertainment attractions. pubs, bars, restaurants and a cafe is will have to close by 6pm and will not be allowed to serve alcohol. after six o'clock, they will be able to provide takeaway services only. from that same date, indoor entertainment venues, including cinemas, bingo halls, bowling alleys, soft play centres, casinos, skating rinks and amusement arcades, will have to close. indoor attractions, such as museums, galleries and heritage sites, will also have to close. but outdoor visitor attractions will be able to remain open. the rest of the national measures we have in wales will remain the same as they are today. there will be no changes to extended households, how many people can meet public outdoors or indoor

places, or restrictions other businesses. when the english lockdown ends on wednesday of this week, we will look again at travel restrictions in and out of wales and we will make a further announcement later this week. we will formally review these restrictions by december 17, and then every three weeks. i recognise just december 17, and then every three weeks. i recognisejust how december 17, and then every three weeks. i recognise just how hard the hospitality and visitor sectors have worked to comply with the regulations, to make their businesses compliant, and to protect customers from the threat of coronavirus. i am very grateful for everything the sector has done, and i know that these new restrictions will be difficult, coming as they do at one of the busiest times of the year. but it is a simple fact that we continue to face a virus that is

moving incredibly quickly across wales, and a virus that will exploit every opportunity when we spend time with one another. to support the businesses affected by these new restrictions, we will provide the most generous package of financial assistance anywhere in the uk. this will include £180 million of new help, specifically for tourism, leisure and hospitality businesses. that's in addition to the various support schemes available from the uk government. there will also be a package element of £160 million for those 60,000 businesses on the nondomestic rating list here in wales. businesses including those in retail, tourism, hospitality and leisure, and their supply chains, which are materially affected by the

restrictions will receive payments between £3000 — £5,000. discretionary grant of up to £2000 will continue to be available for those even smaller businesses that are not on the nondomestic rating list. this fund will be delivered by local authorities, and i remain very grateful for their ongoing support and help to deliver on this part of the package. the £180 million fund targeted hospitality, tourism, leisure businesses specifically will provide grants for small and medium businesses, and £150,000 for larger businesses. these grants will be linked to the number of people employed in those businesses and their operating costs. up to 10,000 businesses will be supported by this

new fund. it is the first time that we have had such a sector specific fund here in wales, and it will be delivered through business wales. we will work with our partners to ensure that where we can we will make payments to businesses affected as quickly as possible and before christmas. further information on the detail of all of us will be provided on the business wales website shortly. the weeks ahead will be difficult and demanding for all of us, but as we look further ahead than are some signs of how life will get better. last week, the nhs in wales carried out a large and successful test of all the practical things that will need to be in place once a vaccine is given the go—ahead. now, that go—ahead could be as early as this week, and once

it comes we will be ready for it. last week, we saw the first mass testing programme happening and it benefited the. more than 10,000 people have been tested in the first eight days. the strong sense of community responsibility has been very evident in that terrific response. i thank everyone who has come forward and encourage others to do so over the next seven days, including those people who would need to come back for retesting. this week, we will begin using the rapid result of lateral flow test in some care homes to help reunite families who have been separated for many months. today we publish new advice about visits in hospitals, offering hope that in the right circumstances both parents can be more involved in there may be's antenatal care. so, even as we face

antenatal care. so, even as we face a real challenges in the here and now, there are possibilities that if we continue to pull together and make the difference we need to see today, then as far as coronavirus is concerned 2021 could be a better yearfor concerned 2021 could be a better year for us concerned 2021 could be a better yearfor us all. i concerned 2021 could be a better year for us all. i ask again today for your help in making that a reality in our lives. together we will keep wales safe. i will now ta ke will keep wales safe. i will now take questions, as usual. the whole of the proceedings will be broadcast live on the welsh government's social media channels. first today, over to sarah dickens at bbc wales. when you look at the scottish example of what has happened there,

why did you decide to adopt the closing of pubs at six o'clock and no alcohol, rather than changing the numberof no alcohol, rather than changing the number of people in households? they are much stricter on people meeting up are much stricter on people meeting up from households. why did you decide to ditch the alcohol but keep meeting in groups? alcohol isn't allowed in scotland either, so that is the same. 0ur decision on allowing four people from different households along to meet as essentially due to our wish to make sure that our young people have a legal way of getting together. when you allow households to meet, it really doesn't work for younger people— they can't meet up with a friend and other people they socialise with normally. i was very keen, so was the cabinet, not to devise a system where the only way that young people could meet up

together was by going outside the rules. by allowing form people from four different households together, our young people have a legitimate and legal way in which they can be ina and legal way in which they can be in a cafe together, spent time in each other‘s company, in that regulated setting. that is why we have come to that different conclusion. i think you recognise how much businesses in the hospitality sector have suffered already. i think a lot of them would like to hear from you at the evidence that it is their sector where the virus is spreading. that evidence is there for them to see, it's been a series of reports from the technical advisory group, we publish their advice to us every week. on a number of occasions, they have published evidence that shows that when people meet together in a hospitality setting, you're notjust having a glancing encounter with somebody as you do when you go to

the supermarket, you're sitting together with people for a significant period of time. the evidence i'm afraid isjust there. when we get together in that way, whether in our own homes or a hospitality setting, the widest thrives and the cases rise, and we end up with the position that we see in wales today. it is a matter of deep regret. we are having, as in england and scotland, to add this measure to the repertoire of actions we are taking to make sure that when we are taking to make sure that when we get into the christmas period, those five days when restrictions will be relaxed for households, we have created a position in which the risk to one another and to our health service can be contained. 0ver health service can be contained. over to adrian masters at itv wales. just to let you know, i'm joining

this press conference from a cafe, where they have very kindly allowed me to use the wi—fi here. if the coffee machine interrupts us, i thought i would just explain what's going on. the owner he has been talking to me about their concerns, something she would like to know is something she would like to know is some clarity on what she is able to do. one of the popular things they do. one of the popular things they do in this cafe is among wine and mince pies. does that mean that would not be allowed underneath these new restrictions? she would also like to know does she have to apply for those grants or will they issued automatically? well, the mince pies are no problem. the mulled wine will depend whether it has alcohol in it or not. not all does, and if you can have a nonalcoholic wine to have with your mince pies then that would be fine. in terms of the help, we will be using the systems we have used up

until now. they help you get based on your rateable value will be as automatic as we can make it. 0bviously, people have to say that they want the money— we don't give it to people who don't want it. but so long as we know that you want to the system is as automatic as we can manage. could you also explain how you as the government explain how stopping alcohol sales in controlled environments such as this, but allowing them to be bought from supermarkets at home ? it isa it is a difficult conundrum. we will not change our approach to limiting the sales of alcohol in off—licences and supermarkets after ten o'clock at night. the judgment was that if there was a 6p and cut off it wouldn't make any difference to the

sales, people would buy what they needed earlier in the day. it would have been in action without a consequence. as a result we decided not to take it. the good news is they appear to be raffling you in they appear to be raffling you in the cafe. viewers will have seen, if they buy a ticket for a pound, you appear to be available. well advertised! a very good cause indeed. thank you very much indeed. 0ver a very good cause indeed. thank you very much indeed. over to andy davies at channel 4. thank you, first minister. a really significant amount of public money is being spent here to help mitigate the impact that this will have on business. what does the evidence upon which you have based this decision suggest will happen to the spread of the virus as a result of these new measures. the evidence is that the public money we are

spending will help us to mitigate the rise in coronavirus cases we are currently seeing across wales. by itself, it is always hard to isolate a specific impact for a specific course of action. it is the cumulative effect of that, just as the tier 3 is a package of measures, what stage tells us is that level three restrictions were successful, level two restrictions were not. the only thing that was missing from our repertoire when you compared it with tier 3 restrictions elsewhere was that we had a considerably more liberal approach to hospitality. that is why we are filling that gap by announcing the measures today, and the impacts we are confident it

will have on coronavirus. we were told this month that schoolchildren aged between 12 and 16 were eight times more likely to be an index case ina times more likely to be an index case in a household cluster, even though it wasn't particularly clear where they were packing up coronavirus, whether it was in the school or another setting. given that children are more likely to be asymptomatic, isn't there a really strong case now for you to be rolling out lateral flow rapid tests in schools as a way to try to catch some of those cases before they spread? yes, i agree with that. there is a strong case for trying to commit lateral flow devices in schools for that purpose. at the moment we are using the lateral flow devices in our mass testing in

merthyr in our care compiler begins this week, and with some front line staff in health and social care board. as the volumes of those tests grew, then we will you —— look to use them in other settings, as well. we will never have enough to do everything we would like to do, but schools are very much on the list of sectors that we are hoping to prioritise for the reason is that you have just heard prioritise for the reason is that you havejust heard because it would mean that asymptomatic children would then be identified, they would be able to be looked after and they wouldn't have the effect of spreading —— the effect of spreading the virus to other young people. 0ver over to adam at pa. you choose the

lockdown in wales to last for 17 days, the shortest length of time suggested. could you not see further restrictions... wasn't a mistake to make the fabric as short it was and perhaps not have a gradual easing of lockdown measures as advocated by some of your opposition?” lockdown measures as advocated by some of your opposition? i don't think that we took the wrong decision in relation to the lockdown itself. the advice to us was that by going early, and we had a dark period of fabric earlier than any other part of the united kingdom, that the earlier we went the more effective it would be and that provided it was early and deep, that 17 days was adequate, and the fabric is delivered everything we had hoped of it. the difficulties we face

today are not i believe rooted in the fabric decision itself. couldn't we have come out of a firebreak even more restrictions than be put in place? well, ithink more restrictions than be put in place? well, i think that is a more open question. i was very interested to read the article in the times at the weekend by michael gove explaining why the restrictions in tier 3 areas post the uk firebreak will be of a level that they are. we made a judgment at the time, we made it on the best evidence that we had at the time. numbers have gone up faster than we had anticipated or hoped, that is why we are having to ta ke hoped, that is why we are having to take the actions we are taking today. what is your reaction to the fa ct today. what is your reaction to the fact that the death rate from covid is the highest in the uk? the first

thing to say is not to draw too much at all from a very brief period that those figures cover. this is not a competition between nations inside the united kingdom or between the united kingdom and other countries. if you look back over the long haul of coronavirus, excess deaths in wales are significantly below where they have been in england, and given that our population is older, sicker and poorer, that flies in the face of what you would have expected. 0ver of what you would have expected. over the very recent past, that has not been the case, but ijust think as the 0ns and those who have published a figures say, beware of drawing general conclusions from a very short period. will hayward at wales online. can you explain to us

exactly what success looks like with these new measures? should it reduce these new measures? should it reduce the amount of new cases, does it stabilise the amount of new cases or are we just slowing the speed at which the virus is increasing? for me what success looks like is that our nhs is able to go on providing ca re our nhs is able to go on providing care for people who fall ill with coronavirus, and is able to go on doing all the other things that we look to the nhs to do. if we were not to take action and we were to have 2200 people with confirmed coronavirus and hospital beds it would inevitably mean that other activity would be squeezed out of the system. there just wouldn't be the system. there just wouldn't be the capacity there to do that and to do everything else that the nhs is trying to do today, so that is my touchstone for success, but if we ta ke touchstone for success, but if we take these actions, and it means that our nhs has the capacity it needs because a number of people

with coronavirus are contained, then that will have justify the actions we are taking. just to be clear, you would want third r number to one or below, is that fair to say? can you explain some of your thinking behind these rules? if places are closing at 6pm anyway, why cant you have a class of line with lunch, for example ? what were class of line with lunch, for example? what were your thoughts about keeping gyms and leisure symptoms open? it is the package deal. all of these aspects are looked at individually and then i looked at individually and then i looked at in the round. we look carefully at the whole issue of whether alcohol could be a lloyds, but the advice we had was that would be to erode the public health advantage that we see from the measures that are being taken in

scotland and we want to capture that public health benefit here in wales. you can always find a reason to chip away at the restrictions that we are putting in place. you can often make a case for something in isolation, why don't you allow that? why do jell—o something else? but the effect that genre lift —— in total mean to undermine the effectiveness of the measures you're taking. that is why we decided to stick with the scottish example, which has been successful, and not to allow alcohol into settings. 0n gyms and leisure centres, well within the persuaded us there is the mental health benefit to people of being able to ta ke benefit to people of being able to take exercise is significant. again, a different case could be made, so

always wearing a top and think of the different harms that come with coronavirus. we know coronavirus has had a huge impact on people's sense of well— being and had a huge impact on people's sense of well—being and mental health and that the ability to go out and take exercise for some people is the thing that mitigates that the most. weighing that in with the public health evidence from elsewhere to the conclusion that we should keep those things open, even while we are having to introduce new restrictions in the hospitality area. i would like coronavirus to be suppressed in wales so our nhs can be seen to be coping. that is the key test for me. on the scottish

model, level three in scotland doesn't allow household meetings indoors. why are you convinced that pubs are the problem and alcohol sales, what is the data to show that there is more cases coming out of licensed venues than household mixing? we are allowed to meet together. can only meet together in their own home and while that does bring risks with it, it helps to mitigate some of the other harms are coronavirus causes, including the harms of loneliness, isolation, the difficulties that families face when they are not to meet anybody else from theirfamily they are not to meet anybody else from their family indoors. they are not to meet anybody else from theirfamily indoors. in they are not to meet anybody else from their family indoors. in the package deal that i have just described, our view and the advice we had was that we could continue to

allow that very modest concession of two households being able to form a single extended households and reinforced that with the new measures we are taking in relation to hospitality. new pride itself on being a government that plans first and announces later. you announced on friday there would be measures for the licensed trade. have you filled in by your own standard this time? i don't believe so. we announce it on friday because the message from the sector, we are already in discussions with them, that the longer we can give them the impractical decision to more time they would have to take the actions they would have to take the actions they need to take. i thought it was important having made the decision in principle by the cabinet to let the sector know that. i think that weekend has been very helpfully spent. we have had some very detailed discussions with their collea g u es detailed discussions with their colleagues in local government about the delivery of the business,

support package with the sector itself and how that support can be most effective for them and on agreeing the detail of the package that i have announced today. that still gives the whole of the rest of this week for people to plan against the announcement i have just made. i think it is very much in line with the approach that we have taken, working with other people, talking to them while the decision is still being shaped, not after the decision has been finalised, and doing it in a way that does allow people the most we can offer in terms of being able to plan ahead and to accommodate the difficult decisions that i know this will mean for the sector. linda morris at the daily post. good afternoon. do you worry that these new hospitality rules will encourage people to drink in an

uncontrolled way in each other's loans and risk spreading the virus? that has to be an anxiety, of course. we have a that over the weekend as well. we have taken some advice from the people who are responsible for enforcing the current restrictions and on the whole the enforcement agencies don't report a huge displacement of this sort of activity into people's homes, but is it one of the things that we could be anxious about? definitely. but it is why we can after a week now i have been coming to this podium and saying to people in the future is in your hands and my hands at the one of us. if people think that the way to respond to this is to take different sorts of risks and propose new public health challenges, then we will succeed. the real answer to the question is

not for governments to be anxious about it, but for people themselves to ask themselves that question, not what can i do but what should i do, and what i should do does not involve taking risks from one sector and replicating them somewhere else. blanket restrict —— restrictions on the hospitality sector in wales have been granted unfair, in the north of wales the numbers are a lot lower than in the south. there are 19 cases in 100,000 in conwy whereas the average in wales is ten times that. will further restrictions on an already struggling sector, do you think that it's a fair approach for places with less cases?” think that it's a fair approach for places with less cases? i think that isa places with less cases? i think that is a proper point to boot. if the pattern in wales were stable so that lower areas were always low and high areas were always high, then the case for different restrictions on

different parts of the country would be stronger in about ten days ago when i was standing here i was being asked questions about why we were taking action in ceredigion and pembrokeshire were cases were very low. the numbers and carried a gun are nearly 200 per 100,000, and over 100 in carmarthenshire and pembrokeshire, as well. things can change very rapidly. in north wales today three of the six authorities have rising numbers, four of them have rising numbers, four of them have rising numbers in the under 25 age range. i associate myself with what michael gove, the conservative cabinet member said over the weekend in his article in the times, when he was addressing that very issue. he said we are a small, densely populated country where this virus has proven it can spread with these, casting the net wide is more effective. so the actions we are taking in wales are designed to

protect people in north wales, to allow them to hang on to the advantages for longer and to stop the virus from heading back to other places i think is the right thing to do. what would you say to the people who are needing to trade in the run—up to christmas for them to carry on. what would you say to someone who might thinkl what would you say to someone who might think i am not prepared to carry on. what i would say to them is we are still in a public health emergency. we are trying to balance between saving lives and saving livelihoods. i have explained to the

modelling of the lives that could be lost if we do turn back the tide of the virus as it is rising in wales today. i am the virus as it is rising in wales today. iam hugely the virus as it is rising in wales today. i am hugely sympathetic with those businesses, anxious for their futures, looking to find ways through the very large sums of public money that we will not be spending to help those businesses through these difficult weeks. we are having to balance the impact on them with the lives that would otherwise be lost. may i ask why our responsible drinkers being punished? would a limit of one or two drinks not ina would a limit of one or two drinks not in a fairer, highs —— compromise? well, the problem we face is generally like this, isn't it? the vast majority of people in wales to the right thing. they want

to know what the rules are, work ha rd to to know what the rules are, work hard to try to stick by them. what we have learned with this virus is you only need a relatively small minority of people who don't behave in the right way for the virus to thrive and the virus to spread and the virus is no respecter of whether people are behaving well or badly. it can affect anybody. in the end, in order to protect the people who are doing the right thing, we have to have rules that are based on what works for everybody, and that sadly has to include those people who are less willing to follow the rules and to the right thing. that is difficult and it does have an unfair and disproportionate effect on people who would be responsible, do the right thing, but in the end these changes are as much designed to protect them as to protect anybody else.

mark food with those details of the restrictions that will come into force on wales from 6pm on friday. it will basically mean that pubs, bars, restaurants and cappers will have to close at 6pm and not be allowed to serve alcohol. after 6pm, they will only be allowed to offer ta keaway they will only be allowed to offer takeaway services. all indoor entertainment and attractions will have to close. 0utdoor visitor attractions will be allowed to remain. all other current restrictions will remain unchanged. there is no change to the extended households. 0ne there is no change to the extended households. one thing that will be looked at when the england lock tight ends on wednesday, they will look at travel restrictions in and

out of wales and that would then be reviewed on the 17th of december, then every three weeks from there. he also notes for financial help for businesses affected by these new restrictions, specifically hospitality, tourism and leisure. £180 million fund has been set up, thatis £180 million fund has been set up, that is on top of existing financial help from the uk government. he says that unless they act, between a thousand and 1700 avoidable deaths could happen, and that comes on the back of an increase on the number of cases in wales, it has gone up from 187 cases per 100,000 up to now 210 cases per 100,000. he said cases in the over 60s are starting to rise in most areas of wales. 0n the basis of that, they have looked at what the evidence from sage says about what works, so these new national

measures will come into force in wales from 6pm on friday. the attorney general has argued that the sentences handed down to the three teenagers who killed pc andrew harper were "unduly lenient" and should be increased. suella braverman is appearing at the court of appeal in london after having referred the sentences of henry long, albert bowers and jessie cole to the court under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. she said that the sentences of all three teenagers have "caused and continue to cause widespread public concern." this case is a tragedy. pc harper was acting in the course of his duties, protecting the community when he was tragically killed because of the actions of the three offenders, henry long, albert bowers and jesse cole. they were convicted for manslaughter and it has been my view following fair trial that the sentences issued to them were too low. therefore, as attorney general,

i took a view to refer to sentences to the court of appeal so that they could be reconsidered. simon will be here at one o'clock with the one o'clock news. time now for a weather update from chris fawkes. hello, there. mandeep is not weather started very similar to what we had over the weekend. since then, we have seen some rain moved on from the north and this rain has been watching some of the mist and fog of the atmosphere, so visibility has been improving. many of us will stay cloudy with patches of rain in the afternoon. in northern areas of the uk, this skies will brighten but there will be heavy showers, as well. 0vernight rain will continue to pull away. clear skies follow across much of england and wales for across much of england and wales for a time. temperatures will dip down below freezing, so a touch of frost

to start the day on tuesday. for tuesday, the cold air is in place to start the day, but this milder air will need an off the atlantic. for many across eastern wales, most of england, eastern scotland a bright start with some sunshine. cold northerly winds and temperatures will struggle up to 5% celsius. across the north—west it will turn milder. there will be mist and fog patches on the high crimes and patches on the high crimes and patches of drizzle, as well. further changes in the weather picture towards the middle part of the week. another cold front will move south eastwards. this will introduce much colder air across the north west. for england and wales, there will be cloud and patches of light rain and drizzle as that system moves south—eastward. strong winds for western scotland and plenty of showers going right the way across scotland, some for northern ireland, some for the far north of england. turning colder temperatures between fine —— five and 7 degrees. wet and

windy weather for thursday, the heaviest rain for wales in the southern counties of england. the showers in scotland fulcher and pretty singly —— increasingly wintry, especially above 300 metres. we end the week with low pressure slowly pushing to the eastern side of the country. this low pressure group will start to engage some of that colder air, so we may well see some of the rain turned to snow, probably above 200 or 300 metres elevation. by the end of the week a few of us could be waking up to scenes like this on friday.

night.

the effectiveness of lockdown — coronavirus infections in england have fallen by about a third. some of the worst—hit areas see the biggest improvements, but experts warn the figures are still too high. still at 1%, which means one in 100 people that we test randomly has evidence of virus on a nose and throat swab. so clearly that's still too high. we'll be getting all the latest analysis on what the data shows. also this lunchtime... wales faces tougher new restrictions. pubs across the country will be banned from selling alcohol in the run up to christmas. borisjohnson calls for his mps to show "unity and resolve" as he tries to head off a rebellion over his new tier system in england. thousands ofjobs at risk, as sir philip green's retail empire —