this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a former uk conservative minister, and current mp, is arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and coercive control. the australian state of victoria declares a "state of disaster" as the number of new coronavirus cases rises sharply. classified documents released by the british military raise new questions about whether uk special forces killed unarmed civilians in afghanistan. india records more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases for the fourth consecutive day. new homes and hospitals will be granted "automatic" permission to be

built as part of sweeping planning changes in england. and heading home — the space x capsule leaves the international space station and safely enters the earth's orbit. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we're covering all the latest developments here in britain and globally. first, here in the uk, a former conservative minister — and current mp — has been arrested on suspicion of rape. he has now been released on bail. according to the sunday times, the allegations were made by a former parliamentary employee, who has accused him of rape, sexual assault and coercive control. 0ur political correspondent tony bonsignore explained more.

as you say, these allegations against a current mp and former minister, according to the sunday times, these allegations made by a former parliamentary employee. now, the paper says she alleges that the mp assaulted her, forced her to have sex and left her so traumatised that she had to go to hospital. she has accused him of rape, sexual assault and coercive control. now, we have had a statement from the metropolitan police. they say on friday the 31st ofjuly, they received allegations related to four separate incidents involving allegations of sexual offences and assault. these offences are alleged to have occurred at addresses in westminster, lambeth and hackney between july last year and january this year. a man in his 50s was arrested on saturday the 1st of august on suspicion of rape and he has been released on bail to return on a date in mid august. and are the conservative party saying anything about this? well, there are also reports that the conservative party chief

whip mark spencer had been aware of allegations and had spoken to the victim. now, sources have told us that mr spencer had not known the magnitude of the allegations and a spokesman for the chief whip said he took all allegations of harassment and abuse extremely seriously and strongly encouraged anybody who had approached him to contact the appropriate authorities. we have also spoken to the conservative party and they say they take all allegations of this nature extremely seriously. the australian state of victoria has declared a state of disaster because of a continuing rise in coronavirus infections. 650 new cases were recorded on saturday. residents will not be allowed to travel more than five kilometres from their home. this is what the victoria state premier daniel andrews had to say. the stay—at—home restrictions for metro melbourne will be enhanced. there will be additional limits

to the four reasons to leave home. you will no longer be able to leave home or go any further away from your home than a five kilometre radius. you will not be able to be at any point more than five kilometres away from your home for the purposes of shopping for what you need. only one person will be able to go shopping once per day and they will need to secure the goods and services that are what you need within a five kilometre radius. 0ur correspondent in australia phil mercer has more details of the new restrictions. they are mostly centred around the city of melbourne, which is the state capital, home to five million people. in the next couple of hours, these new restrictions will come into force. what they mean is there will be a night—time curfew. people will not be allowed to go beyond five kilometres of their homes, as we've been hearing from daniel andrews, the state premier. people will only be allowed to go shopping once per day per household. there will also be restrictions

on people exercising, so these are, by far, australia's strictest lockdown measures and they follow the worst week of the pandemic for australia as a whole. each day in recent, certainly in the last week and recent weeks too, victoria has been reporting hundreds of new infections and over the last week, dozens of people have died. now, these numbers might not seem large by international standards, but in the australian context, they are big, they are significant and they have prompted the government in victoria to take these unprecedented measures of declaring a state of disaster. meanwhile, here in the uk, there have been some renewed lockdown measures brought in for parts of northern england. but in the city of liverpool the measures are even more localised. there have been 20 cases in the princes park ward in the past week —

about half of the total for the whole city. people in that area — which includes parts of toxteth, dingle and areas close to the city centre — are being urged not to mix households or have overnight visitors. let's speak now to matthew ashton, director of public health for liverpool. thanks very much for being with us. just explain how it is working in liverpool, because it does seem to be very localised the measures you are taking there. yes, it is. 0verall, infections in the city are 0k. 0verall, infections in the city are ok. we want them to be as low as possible but most areas have low numbers. what we have experienced over the last week, particularly in the princes park part of the city, are numbers rising, up to 20, which is half of the city. what are the restrictions on people there? we have put in enhanced testing at the heart of the community, so there is testing available for everybody

between yesterday for the next week and what we have also done is close homes to visitors, make sure community assets remain closed for the next two weeks and we have cancelled any upcoming events and gatherings and we are reinforcing the measures that members of our community and our bars, crappies and restau ra nts community and our bars, crappies and restaurants need to be taking. -- oui’ restaurants need to be taking. -- our bars cafes and restaurants. can you do this street by street? that is exactly what we are doing. we are doing this for the community, our faith leaders and community leaders are absently targeting the areas those infections are popping up and we know where they are, we are doorknocking and contacting people and finding out exactly where they might have got the virus back from, so might have got the virus back from, so backwards contact tracing, and then closing down on those routes of virus transmission. what you want to avoid is a situation like leicester

where you have had lockdown measures imposed on the whole city because of quite a high number of cases. yes, exactly, this is not a national lockdown, this is us taking action ata lockdown, this is us taking action at a local level to try and stop the virus spreading further. it is us being in control of it as well, those who know the city best and can operate in the city best really understanding how the virus is spreading and stop it doing it any further. is that a blueprint for the future? local representatives and authorities taking the lead rather than the national government.” think it is essential that local government and leaders and those who know the city and area best are those that run of that response. this is tradition in public health and it is not new and we have always done outbreak control in the past, but this is now on a much larger scale across the country with the pandemic. we must have the data coming to us at a local level to allow us to take this approach. to what is the picture in liverpool

generally, then? you mentioned the above cases is not too bad, but how does it compare to the rest of the north of england? hour rate in the city is around ten per 100,000, so it is not ok and i always want it to be as low as possible and it is increasing and getting higher. but it is much lower than parts of greater manchester or lancashire. the reason why we are taking these actions is to stop it getting any higher. are you worried that with a general easing of lockdown measures, the reopening of pubs and so on that the reopening of pubs and so on that the number of cases will rise over the number of cases will rise over the summer? yes, of course, i think there is a general upward direction across the whole of the country and liverpool is no different from that. we have to keep on reinforcing those public health messages, particularly around hand hygiene and social distancing and avoiding crowds and face coverings as well as the importance of people getting tested when they are not well and sharing that information into the contact tracing system. 0k, good to talk to

you and good look with all of your work there. director of public health or liverpool, matthew ashton, thank you. —— director of public health for the people. —— for liverpool. india has recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases for the fourth consecutive day. 0verall, there's been 1.75 million cases and there are now fears the country could overtake the us and brazil to become the country with the highest number of infections. many states are imposing individual lockdowns for 15—day periods to help control the spread, but the indian government is stressing that mortality rates are low, at roughly 2%. earlier we spoke to dr ramanan laxminarayan. he's director of the centre for disease dynamics, economics & policy in delhi, and is advising various indian state governments on their covid response... there are basically two kinds of countries, basically one set that has the epidemic under control and the other set, like you've mentioned,

brazil, mexico, the us and india, which don't. in india, it first started with places like delhi, which had an early rise of cases and then it's sort of starting to taper off in some of these places, but now there's a new set of states which include the south. gujarat continues to have an epidemic and states, very large states, the size of brazil as far as population goes, which are now picking up the pace in terms of numbers of cases, and so this is expected to go on for quite a while yet. because the epidemic, to be honest, it's not within control — partly because of the dense population and movement of people, which really can't be controlled, inadequate social distancing, again, which is a function of poverty — people not being able to do that even if they were asked to do so. and it's now entering places, parts of the country, which really don't have much by way of public health infrastructure. and so one would expect to see

the cases go up in the days to come. south africa has now registered more than 500,000 cases of coronavirus, making it by far the hardest—hit country on the continent. it now accounts for more than half of africa's diagnosed infections. the authorities say the rate of infection is increasing rapidly — and it's not expected to peak for another month. paul hawkins has the latest. mourning another life taken by coronavirus. 8,153 people have died from it in south africa, but it could be much higher. the south african medical research council says the number of people dying from natural causes from may 6th tojune 21st is 60% higher this year compared to the same period in 2019 and 2018. the government says there have been over 500,000 confirmed infections in the country — that is at least half

of all the coronavirus cases on the continent — and a third of them are in gauteng province, where hospitals like thelle mogoerane are struggling to cope, as this member of staff explained. the staff is not there. we have a gross shortage of staff. it's chaos, it's crazy. nurses are testing positive as well, and it's a mess. in ourfacilities and in our hospitals, covid—19 cases are all over the place. there is no ward, by the way, that doesn't have a covid—19 person. so how are we curbing the spread of the virus? we are not. south africa imposed a strict lockdown in april and may that slowed the spread of the virus, but began a gradual reopening in june. despite that, cases have surged, the president pointing out, however, that... but that is of little consolation to south africans, with some saying the pandemic has exposed shortcomings

in its health system. the cracks that have been there, even before coronavirus, are getting bigger every day. 0ur health care system, public health care system, is failing our people, it's failing the entire country. it was not ready for this virus. the country has tested over 3 million people and brought in an aggressive early lockdown, but that is no guarantee of success against this deadly virus. paul hawkins, bbc news. health authorities in scotland are investigating a suspected ‘cluster‘ of 13 coronavirus cases in aberdeen which have been linked to a bar in the city centre. 0ur scotland reporter alexandra mackenzie is following developments. what we have been told by nhs grampian, the health board in aberdeen, is, as you say, 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus all linked. they have been linked back to the hawthorn bar, which is in aberdeen city centre.

this has been linked to the 26th ofjuly, so customers that were there last sunday. just last weekend. we have been told by nhs grampian that they are all displaying mild symptoms of coronavirus. the health board has said that the test and protect scheme is under way, they are investigating this cluster and there is further tracing going on — people who were at the bar who may have then met up with other people later this week. so the health board say they have not ruled out that there could be further cases connected with this. the bar has undergone a deep clean and has been allowed to remain open. they have said that all precautions will be used to make sure that people are kept safe and they are asking that all customers do remain vigilant. because what the health board has said is that, obviously, when people are drinking, you may drop your guard,

so just be extra careful when you are in places like pubs and restaurants. the headlines on bbc news... a former uk conservative minister — and current mp — is arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault and coercive control. the australian state of victoria declares a state of disaster and imposes new lockdown measures after a surge in coronavirus infections. classified documents released by the british military raise new questions about whether uk special forces killed unarmed civilians in afghanistan. classified documents from within the british military raise fresh concerns about whether uk special forces may have killed unarmed civilians when they were fighting in helmand in afghanistan in 2011.

the material was disclosed as part of a court case following a bbc panorama investigation. it highlighted allegations that the sas deliberately targeted men of fighting age, even when they didn't pose a threat. the ministry of defence has denied such a policy existed. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale reports. this is how elite troops target the taliban — controversial night raids with the aim to kill or capture enemy fighters. this shows afghan commandos on a mission with american support. but it was the same tactics used by british special forces during their time in helmand. last year, bbc panorama heard allegations the sas had killed unarmed civilians, with testimony from survivors of a raid in 2011 who said the british shot family members when they posed no threat. we've blurred their faces to protect their identity. translation: they tied his hands in front of me. if you've tied someone's hands,

how can they fight? lawyers representing one of the afghan families are now challenging the ministry of defence here at the high court. they're trying to find out whether there was a proper investigation or whether there might have been a cover—up. and they've just forced the mod to release these highly sensitive documents, which show that there were serious concerns about the raid within the british military. in heavily redacted e—mails sent soon after the raid, one british officer asks... another soldier replies with reports that two of the afghans were shot reaching for weapons. he says... while another e—mail highlights the anger of an afghan officer, who suggests...

0ne mp says the documents warrant a fresh investigation. it's deeply alarming, it's deeply serious and the government needs to come clean. if that doesn't merit some kind of inquiry, because at the end of the day, you're talking about war crimes, potential war crimes, then i don't know what does. the british military‘s own report into the raid, released to the court, says the four men killed were all armed and that one was a known taliban commander who'd been targeting coalition forces. in a statement, the mod said... the mod recently closed down the unit investigating allegations of potential war crimes in afghanistan. but these documents, at the very least, highlight concerns about its transparency and the secrecy surrounding britain's special forces. jonathan beale, bbc news.

new homes and hospitals will be granted "automatic" permission to be built as part of planning reforms in england. the overhaul, announced by the housing secretary, robertjenrick, is aimed at speeding up the building process. but the homeless charity shelter has warned against any changes that lead to "bad—quality" housing. a short while ago, mrjenrick was asked about the proposed reform. well, we want to change the planning system to bring it into the 21st—ce ntu ry system to bring it into the 21st—century and make it simpler and faster to build homes, schools and hospitals in local areas. we are going to cut red tape but not cut standards and we want to be building more beautiful, better quality environmentally friendly homes in all parts of the country. let's speak now to brian berry who is the chief executive of the federation of master builders.

what is your reaction to this news? it seems very positive. we have been calling for reforms in the planning system for some years and we have got a housing crisis in this country and we should be building 300,000 homes a year, but we are in building 200,000. anything that speeds up the planning process to increase the supply of housing is welcome news. but we particular want to get more local house—builders involved. but we particular want to get more local house-builders involved. but i suppose the worry for environmentalists and people like shelter who i mentioned is that you might end up cutting corners in terms of the planning process. well, there is automatic approval as the secretary of state has said, we need to see the details. there will be guidelines in terms of quality of design and that is really important. we wa nt design and that is really important. we want to see the details of that. in terms of our countryside, the proposal is to protect areas of outstanding natural beauty and the green belt, so that should give some

reassurance. i would also like to see what the measures are in terms of resources in planning departments because that is an issue as well, in terms of slowing down the application process. but what the governors appears to be saying is they're trying to speed up the process rather than watering down the quality of design. —— what the government appears to be safe. the quality of design. —— what the government appears to be safem the quality of design. —— what the government appears to be safe. is a result of the current economic crisis caused by the coronavirus crisis caused by the coronavirus crisis and the fact we need to get the economy moving? the prime minister has talked about a lot more money spending on infrastructure in this country. building is one of the best ways and investing in that is a good way to do it. we have a serious crisis with jobs, and good way to do it. we have a serious crisis withjobs, and i can see good way to do it. we have a serious crisis with jobs, and i can see why the government is calling for this. speeding up the planning process will actually help create more jobs. it also increases supply of housing

which is desperately needed and that is happening —— that was happening before the coronavirus.. in terms of the number of people who don't have housing, to what extent is this going to help them? anything that increases the supply of housing will be particularly helpful, we are still not building the government's target so increasingly supply, and a portion of that will be affordable housing, it will allow people to get on the housing ladder. the average age of a first—time buyer is now someone well into their 30s. it's about giving choice. that choice must mean greater choice in the housing market itself and we need to see more local builders coming forward as part of that process. the planning reforms i would hope would show that there would be small parts of land which local builders build on rather than the large parts of land where we see large developments. we need a greater mix. so certainly i will be looking at the proposals and hopefully we will

see a greater diversity rather than just the volume house—builders building on the edges of market towns and cities. good to talk to you. chief exec of the federation of master builders, thank you. two nasa astronauts are hurtling back towards earth following an historic mission on the first commercial rocket. the dragon capsule, built by the us company spacex, is due to splashdown in the ocean off the coast of florida. a successful landing would mean america can send its own teams into orbit again after retiring its shuttles in 2011. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle has more. mission control: dragon spacex, separation confirmed. for nasa's bob behnken and doug hurley it is time to head home, the dragon capsule leaving the international space station, the first ever private spacecraft to carry astronauts back to earth. we are about to embark on the final

portion of the journey. i've referred to some of our spacex friends as the hardest part was getting us launched, but the most important pa rt is bringing us home, and so i look forward to the test objectives of not only separating from the international space station smoothly, but then coming down to a nice splashdown off the florida coast. theirjourney began two months ago in a spacecraft owned by the us company, spacex. this move to the commercial sector marks a major change, opening up space to anyone who can pay for a seat. but the return will be a real challenge, with a fiery re—entry through the atmosphere. parachutes will then slow the spacecraft down, ready for an ocean splashdown in the gulf of mexico, the first water landing since the apollo missions ended nearly 50 years ago. there's a lot of reasons why splashing down is preferable but the disadvantage for somebody that has been up in space for a long period of time,

it might be a bit unpleasant. and bob and doug are real tough and i am sure they will be fine but they'll look a little bit like i do after i go to disneyland and ride the teacup ride with my kids and i get off of that thing and i look green. mission control: dragon spacex depart burn zero complete. in the coming hours, this test flight will be complete and when the spacecraft touches down, a new era in spacecraft will have begun. rebecca morelle, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt. hello there. well, it will be pleasant enough today when the sun is on your back, feeling warm enough. when the sun isn't, the clouds are there and the showers come your way, it is going to feel a little on the cool side. there will be a good scattering of showers around this afternoon. not completely dissimilar

to yesterday, but it has been a cloudier start across scotland and northern england. more sunshine here through the afternoon. but where we do see the showers, they could become on the heavy and even thundery side. but in between them, some longer spells of sunshine compared with the morning. cool across some western areas. 1a degrees on the west coast. maybe 17 or 18 towards the east. more showers across northern ireland this afternoon. there will be some heavier ones tracking eastwards across england. but across the western half of england, wales, compared with the morning, fewer showers. whereas, to the east, we will see a few more. but even here, we will miss them at times. 23, 2a the high in the south—east corner. one or two showers. close enough to silverstone at times. overall, though, a largely dry picture. of course, if any shower does hit the circuit, it could add a little bit of interest. through the evening and overnight, showers in eastern areas will fade, but there will still be one or two continuing in the west. with clear skies across many areas, it does mean that with slightly cooler air mass in place, temperatures will drop further tonight. away from the city centres, widely into single figures as we start monday.

so, a bit of a fresh start to monday. but we're almost between weather systems — one across scandinavia. one which mayjust bring some morning rain to the channel islands, clearing away down into the bay of biscay, one approaching from the west. in between them, it does mean a lot of dry and bright weather with some sunshine first thing. like today, a few shower clouds will build up through the afternoon. the odd heavier one. but actually, more of you will spend the day dry tomorrow. even if it is not particularly warm in the cloudier times, 16 to 22 celsius, it feels pleasant enough again when the sun is out. windy weather, though, on the way for all as we go through tuesday and into wednesday. and these weather fronts sitting across scotland and northern ireland will produce quite large amounts of rainfall. particularly for the western highlands — could see 50 to 75mm of rain in the space of 36 to 48 hours. rain, at times, for northern ireland, some for northern england, and north and west wales on tuesday. the further south and east you are, though, still windy but it is a warmer wind. 2a, 25 celsius possible by this stage. it is going to get even warmer still as we go towards the end of the week. the week, summer heat could return from the near continent,

particularly across england. we will keep you updated, though, throughout the week.

this is bbc news, the headlines... a state of disaster has been declared in the australian state of victoria after a spike in coronavirus infections. melbourne has been placed under curfew. residents will not be allowed to travel more than five kilometres from home. more than half a million coronavirus cases have been confirmed in south africa, along with over 8,000 deaths. south africa is the hardest—hit country on the continent and accounts for half of all reported infections in africa. for the fourth day in a row, india has recorded over 50,000 new cases of the coronavirus. 0ne state — andhra pradesh — has had 30,000 cases in 3 days. the government says the death rate remains relatively low. the space x capsule heading home from the international space station has safely entered orbit around the earth.

now, as we've been hearing, there have been some renewed