Thanks for joining us today as we've brought you the latest coronavirus updates. The live page has been edited by Emily Young and Martha Buckley, and written by Joseph Lee, Lauren Turner and Sophie Williams.

And here are the latest headlines from around the world today:

• Cases are continuing to rise in many European nations. Italy recorded a record 40,902 cases in 24 hours and 550 deaths. Serbia’s health minister Zlatibor Loncar has warned there are no hospital beds for Covid patients in the capital Belgrade
• A number of European nations including Sweden, Ireland and France have said it is too early to plan for Christmas travel
• President-elect Joe Biden has invited Australia to share its findings about containing the spread of the virus, according to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The Australian prime-minister said Mr Biden was “very interested in Australia’s success
• At least 2,500 mink are set to be culled in Greece after coronavirus was found in two farms there. A breeder at one of the farms in the Kozani region has tested positive for the virus
• California has become the second US state to surpass one million cases, behind Texas. Both states have caseloads that surpass other countries including Mexico and Germany
• Sport has taken a hit today with stars testing positive and matches cancelled. Liverpool forward and Egyptian football star Mo Salah tested positive ahead of his country’s international match against Togo. Meanwhile, the French rugby team’s match against Fiji this weekend has been called off after several members of the Fijian side tested positive, organisers Six Nations Rugby said.

Image source, PA Media

We are preparing to close the live page shortly. Here's a reminder of some of the top stories in the UK today:

• The R number for the UK has fallen to between 1 and 1.2, the closest it's been to 1 since early September. It comes as the Office for National Statistics suggests the rate at which people are becoming infected with coronavirus in England is stabilising, according to the data up to 6 November
• In Wales, rising infection levels are still continuing however and it is too early to say if they were stabilising in Scotland a week ago, when the most recent data is available for. In Northern Ireland, infection rates were levelling off, the ONS says
• Areas in the west of Scotland have been warned they could be moving to level four of coronavirus restrictions next week. Discussions are taking place with councils in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Lanarkshire health board areas about them being moved to the highest level of restrictions
• A scheme to help low income workers pay bills when self-isolating in Wales has been criticised after delays due to "practical challenges". From Monday, people will be able to claim £500 if they have to stay off work due to coronavirus. But workers in England and Scotland have had access to payments since October
• Tributes have been paid to a doctor at the Royal Derby Hospital following his death with Covid-19. Dr Krishnan Subramanian, a consultant anaesthetist, died at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester on Thursday. The 46-year-old was described as a "quiet and dedicated colleague" who was known for his "characteristic grin"
• And more than 50 partygoers at a Cardiff Metropolitan University student hall of residence have been fined for breaching Covid-19 rules by attending a party last Friday night

Tulip Mazumdar
Global Health Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Concerns around vaccines is nothing new. But the speed at which Covid-19 candidates are being developed, have made some people - understandably - question how it's possible to make a safe and effective vaccine so fast.

It usually takes around a decade to develop a new vaccine, but in less than a year it appears scientists have created at least one for Covid. So how are they doing it?

Firstly, they are well-funded - and time is money. Governments around the world, desperate for a way out of this crisis, have ploughed billions of dollars into developing a vaccine.

This is unprecedented in such a short space of time. It can take scientists years just to secure funding for their research for other vaccines.

With so many people potentially receiving a vaccine, safety has to be the absolute number one priority. There is a very robust international human trials process which establishes the safety and effectiveness of any vaccine.

The World Health Organization - which is collating all the data from trials for more than 200 vaccine candidates - says safety data cannot and will not be compromised.

Studies will also continue even after vaccines are rolled out to keep track of any rare possible side effects. Also, much of what needs to happen to get a successful vaccine out to people all over the world is already under way. For example, hundreds of millions of the most promising vaccine candidates are already being manufactured.

This usually only happens when a vaccine is approved for wide use. If the vaccines are found not to be effective or safe enough as trial data continues coming in, they won't be used. But if any of them are - the vaccines will be ready to deploy very quickly.

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Image source, Reuters

This weekend's France v Fiji Six Nations rugby match has been called off after a number of the Fijian players tested positive for Covid.

Ben Morel, CEO of the Six Nations, said it was impossible for the Fijian team to field a competitive team, external.

Fiji's match against Portugal was already cancelled after three of their players tested positive.

They are due to play Italy and Scotland next weekend. Further tests will be taken in the coming days.

Image source, @FU99IE/TWITTER

We told you earlier about criticism of fans' behaviour in an Aberdeen pub after Scotland's win over Serbia last night.

Aberdeen City Council and Police Scotland have now launched an investigation after footage posted online showed people at the Draft Project pop-up bar embracing while celebrating the result.

The owner of the bar has now spoken, saying staff were "unable to prevent or contain what happened".

Stuart Clarkson, owner and founder of PB Devco, which owns the bar, said: "Having seen the videos I am shocked, disappointed and saddened.

"This simply is not acceptable and I understand why people are so upset by this."While we are proud of our venues and the safe environment they provide, it is clear that in this case we misjudged what was likely to happen.

"Despite having four additional members of security staff on duty, we were simply unable to contain the outbreak of joy at Scotland's success."

Aberdeen is currently in Level 2 of coronavirus restrictions and rules state no more than two households can mix in pubs.

Police said there were no arrests or fixed penalty notices issued in relation to the alleged incident.

Read more here.

Italy has reported a record 40,902 coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours and 550 deaths.

Earlier this week, the country became the third nation in mainland Europe to surpass one million cases, after Spain and France.

There have been calls for a national lockdown to help curb the spread of the virus.

Italy was one of the worst affected countries in Europe during the first wave of the pandemic.

More than 43,000 people have died there since the pandemic began.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

California has become the second US state to hit one million cases.

Texas was the first state to hit the landmark figure. Both states now have more viral caseloads than countries including Mexico and Germany.

The US reported a record high of 153,496 new infections on Thursday as well as 919 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Over 67,000 people are currently in hospital in the US.

Eleven counties in California have been told to reverse some opening measures. The state’s positivity rate – the percentage of positive tests in the population - is now at 3.6%.

California Governor Gavin Newsom urged people to wear masks and distance.

“Your actions could literally save lives,” he said.

Read more about the pandemic in the US here.

The only Scottish fan in the stadium for the team's victory over Serbia - securing them a place in the delayed Euro 2020 event - says it was a "great moment".

Gordon Howat had been in France for the 1998 World Cup, the last major tournament Scotland have competed in.

And when the team won on penalties at the Rajko Mitic stadium, he was there too - having been a pitch consultant for Red Star Belgrade since 2017.

He joked: "Sometimes you have to call in a favour and arrange a visit at the right time."

Mr Howat was spotted in the main stand with his saltire by BBC Scotland sports news correspondent Chris McLaughlin before the match.

Mr Howat told him: "I was lucky enough to be in France for the Brazil game 20-odd years ago.

"It was a great moment. I guess it was just myself and a few guys, like yourself, in the press.

"I'm sure it was big back home in Scotland, despite lockdown."

There have been 27,301 new cases of coronavirus recorded in the UK, according to the daily figures released by the government, external.

It brings the total - since the pandemic began - to 1,317,496.

There have been a further 376 deaths of people who had a positive test within the previous 28 days. It means 51,304 people have now died, under this measure.

A devoted couple who have been married for 71 years have been reunited in a care home after five weeks apart.

Ken Meredith, who has dementia, has been living at Bourn View Care Home in Birmingham for five weeks. His wife Betty was unable to visit him due to the coronavirus pandemic - so decided to move in, so they could be together, without telling her husband.

After self-isolating for two weeks, she was allowed to be reunited with him, and the pair were treated to a romantic dinner by care home staff.

Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics

The scientists advising the government believe the R number for the UK is between 1 and 1.2, slightly down on last week’s 1.1-1.3.

The worst case, an R of 1.2, means that the epidemic is doubling roughly every four weeks.

When the epidemic had been doubling fortnightly through much of the autumn, slower growth is better news. But it’s still growth.

The best case, an R of 1, means no growth. That would mean a continuation of about 50,000 cases a day in England, more across the UK, and just over 2,000 coronavirus deaths a week.

It is possible that it may be below 1 in the north west of England, and in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Scientists advising the government say we need the epidemic to shrink - for R to be below 1, consistently, before the pressure on hospitals starts to ease.

Image source, EPA

US President-elect Joe Biden has invited Australia to share its findings about containing the spread of Coronavirus, according to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The pair spoke over the phone on Thursday, external, SBS News reports.

Mr Morrison told reporters he would be sending a copy of the National Contact Tracing review to the Biden team as well as to President Trump.

The Australian prime-minister said Mr Biden was “very interested in Australia’s success”.

Australia shut its borders early on into the pandemic and introduced strict measures. The country has recorded more than 27,600 cases and 907 deaths in a country of more than 24 million people.

During the election campaign, Mr Biden said he would “listen to the science” when it came to tackling the pandemic in the US.

The US has recorded 10.5 million cases and more than 242,000 deaths since the outbreak began.

Gordon Corera
Security correspondent, BBC News

Image source, Reuters

Microsoft says it has detected cyber-attacks from Russia and North Korea targeting seven companies involved in researching vaccines , externaland treatments for Covid-19.

The company’s vice-president, Tom Burt, said in a blog post that the targets included leading pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers in Canada, France, India, South Korea and the United States.

The attacks came from one group in Russia and two in North Korea.

The "majority" of these attacks were said to have been blocked and the companies informed.

It is not the first time that states have been accused of targeting vaccine work.

In July, the UK said Russian intelligence was behind the targeting of UK research, including on the Oxford vaccine.The US also accused China of similar activity.

All of this is part of a global race for a vaccine as countries seek advantage over each other.

Image source, EPA

Footballer Mo Salah has contracted the virus, according to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA).

A tweet from the association said the Liverpool star had tested positive, external but was not suffering from any symptoms.

The Egyptian national team are preparing for their African Cup of Nations qualifier match against Togo on Saturday.

None of the other players have tested positive, the EFA said.

Read more here.

This is the moment police shut down a party with more than 50 students at Cardiff Metropolitan University, recorded on body-worn cameras.

One shouted "kill the music!" over the noise of the Friday night party, while another asked: "Do you all live in this flat, boys?"

The officer added: "You are the future of this country and you are messing it right up."

Police issued 52 fines of at least £60, saying the party-goers had shown "flagrant disregard" for the coronavirus regulations and for public health.

A university spokesperson said: "It is disappointing that a small number of students have decided to behave in this way when the vast majority have stuck to the rules."

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, Beijing News

Some 1,800 live sheep are today arriving in China today from Mongolia, and will begin the roughly 1,000 mile journey to Wuhan - the city where the coronavirus was first detected.

They are the final batch of 30,000 donated to China by Mongolia’s president, Khaltmaa Battulga, during a visit there in late February, when Wuhan was hard-hit by the virus. It was also in strict lockdown, with residents unable to leave the city, or even their buildings, without special permission.

The sheep have been travelling in batches since late October. The official China Daily newspaper says sheep are a “symbol of wealth and status in Mongolia” and that the gift represents “the best wishes of the Mongolian people”, external.

Wuhan was the Chinese city worst hit by the coronavirus. More than 50,000 of the city's 11 million population contracted Covid-10, and some 3,800 people died. It also experienced heavy flooding during the summer, external, impacting the agricultural sector and leading to fears about winter food shortages.

The city is, however, Covid-free now and this week hosted an international health expo, which attracted some 13,000 guests from 34 countries and regions., external

Image source, John Lewis Partnership

The annual John Lewis Christmas ad has been revealed - with the boss of the shopping chain saying it wanted something "appropriate for how we're all feeling at the moment".

It focuses on acts of kindness, inspired by the public spirit shown throughout the pandemic and shows different characters helping other people, with a love heart as a central theme throughout.

"We wanted to have a message out there about thinking of others and helping families in need and people in need," John Lewis's Pippa Wicks said.

Other big brands have also released their adverts. Coco-Cola and Aldi's ads show loved ones being reunited, while Morrisons and Argos focus on families at home.

Image source, Getty Images

YouTube won't be producing its annual Rewind video, looking back at the previous 12 months, this year.

It said in a statement: "2020 has been different. And it doesn't feel right to carry on as if it weren't."

YouTube has produced a retrospective every year since 2010, featuring big names looking back at some of the year's viral moments.

Some have been better received than others however, with the 2018 video becoming the most-disliked video on the platform.

And then last year, the format of Rewind was changed, with a compilation of the most-liked videos from 2019 instead.

Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker, who writes about YouTube and other social platforms, said it was a shame that Rewind had been cancelled because YouTube had become "a major source of entertainment and support for people during the pandemic".

But he added: "There's just not that much new that's come out of YouTube this year. It's been outmoded and overtaken as the place that trends begin, by more nimble apps like TikTok."

Robert Cuffe
BBC head of statistics

The figures from the Office for National Statistics today suggest that infections were stabilising in the first week of November.

Yesterday’s figures showed a sharp rise in people testing positive in the middle of this week.

So if there is a sharp rise in infections towards the end of last week or early this week, we wouldn’t see it in the surveys until next Friday.

But one day’s sharp jump doesn’t establish a trend, so we’ll have to wait for a few more days to know for sure.

There are two main long term trends in the data on the virus, and the ONS figures fit into that picture.

In the places or people where the virus has risen furthest, places like Northern Ireland, the north west of England or among teenagers and young adults, infections appear to be stabilising or even falling.

But it is still rising where it has, to date, made fewer inroads.

That is in places like the south of England or in those over the age of 70 who are most likely to become seriously sick.