Up to christmas. Retailers are expected to offer big discounts in the week before the big day in a push to drive up sales. And the ashes are slipping away from england. Australia captain steve smith hits a double century, as his side takes complete control of the third test in perth. Good evening and welcome to bbc news. South africas president , jacob zuma, says the future of the governing anc party is under threat. At a conference to choose a new leader, he said voters believed it was arrogant and soft on corruption. Mr zumas successor is widely expected to become the next president in 2019. Our africa editor, fergal keane, is in johannesburg. Not since the anc came to power 23 years ago has so much depended on the votes of its party members. An organisation that held together through more than eight decades of white rule is now bitterly divided. They sing the same song, but support very different visions. This conference is not just about the future of a Liberation Movement, a political party. It is about the future of this country. Will the anc elect a new leader who has promised to sweep away corruption . The anc has always been good at shows of unity, like the clasped hands of the two contenders. They are both vying for delegates votes. Who would you like to see . Zuma. She will become the president. You will see, you will see. Who do you think will be the next leader . Cyril ramaphosa, no doubt. Cyril ramaphosa to be the next president of the anc and the republic of south africa. Dr diamini zuma is a politician in her own right but also the ex wife of jacob zuma. Cyril ramaphosa could do well if he makes good on his Anti Corruption rhetoric. Cyril ramaphosa has been portrayed as the puppet of greedy white business. Hence this swipe in his speech. We need to find ways of protecting the anc from corporate greed and ensure that the decisions we take are informed by the policies of the anc are not dictated. Not dictated to by business interests. Africas oldest Liberation Movement is fraying. Even in the face of poignant pleas for unity. Whoever is elected leader tomorrow will inherit a party in crisis. Fergal keane, bbc news, johannesburg. The two contenders that are vying for the topjob in the two contenders that are vying for the top job in the anc, which may eventually lead them to be the head of state for south africa, or president jacob head of state for south africa, or president jacob zumas own head of state for south africa, or president jacob zumas own deputy, cyril ramaphosa, he has a legal background. He is a lawyer by training. He was leading the negotiations to end white minority rule in the early 90s, alongside nelson mandela. He went into business, came back into politics in 2012 and has since been Deputy President s. Now he wants to step up and leave the country. The other contender is president jacob and leave the country. The other contender is president jacob zumas former wife, doctor nichol says land isa mini former wife, doctor nichol says land is a mini zouma. She said medical doctor by background. She was Nelson Mandelas first Health Minister in a postapartheid mandelas first Health Minister in a posta pa rtheid administration. Mandelas first Health Minister in a postapartheid administration. And she served as foreign minister as well as home affairs minister. But in her last big job, she was the chair of the African Union in addis ababa. She is often referred to as jacob zumas former wife, but to be fairto jacob zumas former wife, but to be fair to her, she is an anti apartheid activist in her own right. And she has accomplished quite a lot in her political career. And well find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrows front pages at 10 30 and 11 30pm this evening in the papers. Our guests joining me tonight are benedicte paviot, uk correspondent at the french broadcaster, france 2a and the defence editor, of the evening standard, robert fox. Police investigating the deaths of a 75 year old canadian billionaire and his wife say the circumstances appear suspicious. Barry sherman who founded a Major Pharmaceutical Company was found dead with his wife honey at their mansion in toronto. Reports say there was no sign of forced entry. Angus crawford reports. One of torontos richest suburbs, a house for sale. In the basement, a discovery, two bodies, a man and a woman. Barry sherman and his wife, honey, one of the richest couples in the country. Police cannot yet say what happened. The circumstances of their death lead us to believe that there may be suspicious circumstances. It is an investigative tool. Until we know exactly how they died, we treat it as suspicious. And once a determination has been made by the pathologist and Barry Sherman, who was 75, is thought to be worth more than £2 billion. He made his money in pharmaceuticals, setting up apotex in the 1970s, and building it into one of the biggest Drugs Companies in the world. Stepping down as chief executive in 2012, he dedicated himself to charity work. Today, canadian premier Justin Trudeau said that he and his wife sent their condolences to the shermans family and friends and everyone touched by their vision and spirit. Local people came to the couples home to lay flowers and pay their respects. This woman still could not believe the news. People looked up to him. People are in shock, crying. They are genuinely heartbroken. For now, the Investigation Continues into two deaths which leave the community in shock and a family in mourning. Apotex released a statement, saying for now, the Investigation Continues into two deaths which leave a community in shock, and a family in mourning. Thousands of homes and businesses in tewkesbury in gloucesetershire have been left without water for a second day, following a burst water main. Severn trent water says work to repair the broken pipe is extremely difficult. People living in rural areas say they feel abandoned by the company, but tonight the water supply for some customers has been restored. Kevin reid reports. This is the area where a three feet diameter water main has ruptured. A flooded field close to the river severn in tewkesbury. Its left much of the town without water for a second day. Meanwhile the supplier has organised three collection points in the town. They have been here since 7am this morning and will be here until 10 tonight. Yesterday, 260,000 litres were handed out. They are expecting similar amounts today. Im surprised severn trent havent got it back together again. Its been 2a hours. I had to drive nearly ten miles here. Just one of those things. We have had water supply discontinued twice in the past eight weeks. Im beginning to think there is something wrong with the infrastructure. David runs an Emergency Committee for such situations in the village. It was set up during the floods of 2007. It is proving near impossible to get water directly to the village. I feel the villagers have been left almost to their own devices, to a certain extent. Weve had no formal delivery of any suppies. No tankering or bowsers or direct deliveries of bottled water. I had to go and negotiate yesterday to get what we did get. How long will the water be off . I cant say at the moment how long it will take, but i can assure all of our customers we are working as hard as we can to get the network back to normal. Businesses have been affected too, many having to close. Severn trent is asking people to check on vulnerable neighbours in case they are unable to collect water themselves. Austria is poised to become the only western european country with a far right party in government. The conservative Peoples Party which won the parliamentary election two months ago but failed to secure a majority has struck a Coalition Deal with the anti immigration Freedom Party. The leaders of the two parties have met with the austrian president , who has given his approval for the deal. The head of the Peoples Party, Sebastian Kurz whos 31 will be the Youngest National leader in the world. 0ur correspondent says austrias new government will take a tougher sta nce government will take a tougher stance on immigration. They are cutting benefits for migrants, theyre making it harderfor them cutting benefits for migrants, theyre making it harder for them to receive that. They want to beef up controls on austrias borders to prevent more illegal immigration. And also, he has said that they want to speed up asylum claims and prevent abuse of the asylum system. Quite strong words there. The other thing that was sort of hanging over this the place they chose to have this the place they chose to have this press conference was up on a outside vienna, which was where the austrians turned back the Ottoman Turks back in 1683. Where the muslim armies of the ottomans were stopped. He was asked whether the choice of that place was symbolic. He denied that place was symbolic. He denied thatis, that place was symbolic. He denied that is, he said it was just a good place to meet. But some people will be wondering if this is part of a sort of anti muslim rhetoric suddenly that the Freedom Party has stressed a great deal. A leading supporter of brexit has warned the uk cannot become a colony of the eu during the expected two year transition period after britains withdrawal in march 2019. Jacob rees mogg made the comments after eu leaders yesterday agreed to move to the next phase of brexit discussions in the new year. They suggested the uk would need to shadow Single Market regulations and remain under the jurisdiction of the European Court ofjustice during any transition phase. Jacob rees mogg said he would be very surprised if such transition arrangements were agreed to by the government. The Prime Minister has consistently said that she is in favour of an implementation, which means that we are leaving march 2019 and the consequences of leaving are implemented. But we cannot be a colony of the eu for two years from 2019 21, accepting new laws that are made without any say so of the british people, parliament or government. That is not leaving the European Union, that is being a vassal state of the European Union and i would be very surprised if that were government policy. Presumably the government hasnt taken its policy to be a vassal earlier, the bbcs china correspondent, robin brant, was asked to explain why Phillip Hammond was bringing David Cameron back into the political fold. We are committed as a result of the agreement we have made this week to creating an environment which will effectively replicate the current status quo. So that businesses can carry on trading with their commercial partners across the European Union, as they do now, orders will operate as they do now, and financial services, businesses, will be able to carry on conducting their business across borders, as they do now. Retailers are expected to make big discounts in the final week before christmas, to convince shoppers to keep spending throughout the festive period. Theres fear among some on the high street that with rising inflation and stagnant wages, consumers may be more willing our Business Correspondent joe lynam reports. What could be more christmassy than the Salvation Army warming our hearts, and the hustle and bustle of shoppers hunting for bargains . But with money tight end competition intense, some big retailers are starting to offer big discounts well ahead of the boxing day sales. Will it work . I do believe that retailers are trying to get the money in before christmas than after. Quite a few shops have got reduced prices, bargains on offer. Obviously if you can wait until the sales. But i think a lot of sales, looking around, have started early. I come to leeds every saturday and stuff that i looked at last week is on sale this week. The consultants pwc have found evidence of pre christmas discounting and expected to intensify next week. Promotional levels are ticking up, both online and offline. So if youve not in your shopping yet, were expecting a lot more promotions, particularly online, in the final week before christmas. The bad weather earlier this week may have kept some shoppers at home, but experts feel that theyll be back in numbers. Retail spending was surprisingly up by 1. 1 last month. I say surprising because average prices in the shops were rising faster than wages and ordinarily consumers rein in their spending, but they havent yet. And retailers want every penny of that spare money. And to do that, they are slashing some prices. But in doing so theyre merely bringing forward the discounts that they would have offered in winter sales. Its all part of the annual face off between retailers and consumers. Joe lynam, bbc news. The headlines on bbc news the South African president , jacob zuma, has spoken of the enormous challenges facing the country and the governing anc as it chooses his successor. Police in canada say theyre treating the deaths of the billionaire businessman Barry Sherman and his wifea and a leading brexit supporting mp says hes unhappy about the idea thousands of homes and businesses in gloucestershire are without water for a second day after a burst water main. Some supplies are starting to return. The former Prime Minister, David Cameron, is to lead a uk Government Investment initiative with china. The announcement follows a two day visit to the country by the chancellor Phillip Hammond. Mr cameron will be involved in a new 1 billion fund which will invest in the uk, china and other countries. Earlier, the bbcs china correspondent, robin brant, was asked to explain why Phillip Hammond was bringing David Cameron back into the political fold. I think maybe the answer to that is more about uk institutional investors, their desire to have such a prominent figure on board and mr camerons desire to continue the work he did in government where he championed even closer ties, expanded ties, between the uk and china. Philip hammond told me a few hours ago here in beijing that he supports this investment fund, he endorses it but it is not public money, not taxpayers money, not a government fund. Nonetheless, David Cameron, very well known, has taken a pretty low profile since he left downing street a year ago. He has campaigned on some health causes, hes been involved in the National Citizen service for 16 17 year olds in the uk. But he is now turning his aim to institutional investing and continuing that focus on, as i said, trying to improve and expand economic ties between china and the uk. So i think Philip Hammond thinks that David Cameron will lead this fund, is going to invest in a swathe of projects, possibly, pipelines, railways, infrastructure projects, closely linked with the rather awkwardly named belton Road Initiative which is chinas number one Public Policy priority and is aimed at helping economies to the west of china and beyond in europe to develop, because that helps china gain access there and then helps those countries improve their economic ties with china. But i think what it shows more than anything, when you add it to comments from Philip Hammond, is how much the uk continues to believe in better relations with china, better economic ties, because it believes, especially as brexit approaches and then passes, that china, the worlds number two economy, is key to helping the uk economy grew. Detectives investigating the death of a man who caught fire while walking down a london street say they havent found out how the fire started. Members of the public found seventy year old john nolan on the street in haringey and tried to save him, but he later died of severe burns following the incident, which happened in september. An inquest will open at Barnet Coroners Court on 13 march. More than one million homes and offices across the uk still struggle to get good broadband according to the communications regulator. Although coverage is improving, a report by 0fcom found that roughly 4 of properties in the uk were stuck with slow internet speeds. The situation is worse in rural areas, with 17 of homes having a poor connection. Officials in california says one of the wildfires which have driven tens of thousands of people from their homes now covers nearly 400 square miles. A firefighter has died tackling the flames, north of los angeles. 0ur correspondent, james cook, sent this report from the town of fillmore. 12 days on and still it burns. More than 8,000 men and women are now battling this blaze, saving homes one by one. Not far from here, the fire claimed the life of 32 year old cory iverson, a firefighter, a father and a husband. He is survived by his wife, ashley, his two year old daughter, evie. Cory and ashley are expecting a second daughter this spring. The fire has destroyed homes, too. More than 700 of them and another 18,000 buildings remain at risk. This is one of five homes in this tiny neighbourhood which was destroyed when the flames swept through here so fast that firefighters had to abandon the area. Which ones survived and which were destroyed was a matter of pure luck. Aaron lawson and his family were among the lucky ones. Their home was scorched, but it survived, thanks in part to neighbours who lost everything but stayed to fight the fire. The most rewarding thing is seeing them, some of the guys who lost their houses, working with us, side by her side, to keep our houses safe those first few days. All week, they have been racing to contain the fire, and with fierce winds forecast again tonight, that battle is about to intensify. A full state funeral for manys remaining monarch has been held and eucharist. His coffin is now arrived ata eucharist. His coffin is now arrived at a city north of the rest were he will be laid to rest at the royal necropolis. King michael, who died last week at the age of 96, is best remembered for switching the media from announces to the allied side in world war ii. He was forced to abdicate by remaining as communist leaders a few years later, and lived most of his life in exile in switzerland. The scientist and broadcaster, professor heinz wolff, perhaps best known for presenting the bbc science programme, the great egg race, has died. He was 89. Richard galpin looks back at his life. Hello, and welcome to the murky depths of the great egg race. Heinz wolff became a Television Star in the 1970s and 80s. You have already got full marks of eccentricity and having made a five foot bridge to bridge an eight foot 93p his programme the great egg race, testing the scientific skills of teams to solve a problem he had set them. Always the performer, he later showed them how he had done it. Now, this is the most critical point, probably. But this distinguished academic was also an inventor in his own right, making a counting patients blood cells and other important medical devices. Making a machine for counting patients blood cells. And he was scientific director of the programme which sent the first british astronaut into space in 1991. Both the technical innovations, the big programmes, the mission is to space, they were important, but i think everyday human interactions, giving people advice, and teasing them about science and technology, he felt those who are equally important. The man who arrived in britain as a refugee from nazi germany at the start of world war ii leaves and ensuring scientific legacy. Professor heinz wolff, whos died, at the age of 89. They were thought to be lost forever, but now tv shows, starring cilla black and Pete Postlethwaite, are being seen for the first time in decades, at an exhibition in london. The event, by the british film institute, celebrates the discovery of programmes which were believed to have disappeared from the archives. 0ur entertainment correspondent, colin paterson, had a preview. I could learn a lot of things from you. You shine at every single thing you do. Cilla black and dudley moore together on her bbc one variety show. This episode of cilla has not been seen since it was first transmitted in march, 1968. Youre the one whos really versatile. A copy has turned up in the house of a former fairground worker near blackpool, whose dad was a film collector. Today it will be shown in full at the Bfi Southbank as part of their missing believed wiped series, where rediscovered tv is showcased, including a crackly recording of the first ever tv appearance by Pete Postlethwaite at the age of 29. I still like you, sometimes. Come on. Local loony hears voices from outer space, get on with it. Lets get it over with. One was a half hour bbc play broadcast in 1975, from which he played a journalist investigating a possible arrival of an alien spaceship. The original was wiped, but the director held onto the video of the first edit, which has been restored. 0ther discoveries include the only surviving episode of late night horror from 1968, which was cancelled by the bbc after one six part series, due to the number of complaints about it being too scary. And an episode of itv police drama no hiding place has turned up in australia. In the 1960s it had audiences of seven million, but only 20 of the 236 episodes survived. This one is from 1960 and features a guest appearance by Patrick Troughton as a grumpy prisoner, six years before hejoined dr who. They dont release nutcases you know, not even after seven years good conduct. You will do another seven, in a straitjacket its hoped events like this will encourage more people to come forward with their own tv treasures. A woolly mammoth skeleton has been sold at auction in france for around 644,000 dollars. The rare male skeleton, measuring 3. 4 metres high, is said to be exceptional in quality, having 80 of its original bone. It was discovered hole and frozen in siberia ten years ago. The businessman whose company has a mammoth logo was the buyer. He says he will have no problem storing it. Is actually almost my ancestor. I think he is magnificent and he has a successful lineage. We will put him at the entrance. We have enough space. Coming up in the pic next few minutes, we will bring you up to date with all the main sporting action of day, including the Manchester City the spurs game. The latest on the ashes and rugby in sports day. Meanwhile, its time to get the latest on the prospects for the weather. Louise has the details. Good evening. Cold conditions on saturday will slowly be replaced by a mild, wet weather with a weather front moving in from the west. It will take its time in doing so, and this ridge of High Pressure ahead of it means temperatures are likely to follow way. In the eastern half of the uk, colder and frosty. We could see some patchy fog lingering in the south east. Temperatures sitting at around freezing orjust below. Add to the west, milder air. But it will be cloudy and we will see some rain. The rain heavily through northern islands, west of scotland. Accompanied by blustery winds. Perhaps staying dry in east anglia and the south east during Daylight Hours before the rain pushes through. 0nce hours before the rain pushes through. Once that clears, it looks as though, into next week, it will be largely quiet. Mild for most of us, mostly dry but it does look like it will stay cloudy