this is bbc news with the latest headlines: a former conservative minister and current mp is arrested the government insists that further coronavirus restrictions will be targeted locally. there's a lot of speculation about what might happen in the future, but what we're concentrating on is a targeted rather than a blanket approach. the australian state of victoria declares a state of disaster and imposes new lockdown measures after a surge in coronavirus infections. heading home — the space x capsule leaves the international space station, destination, splash down off the coast of florida. and us infectious disease chief dr anthony fauci speaks to the bbc as cases continue to rise across america.

a conservative mp and former minister has been bailed by the metropolitan police after being arrested on suspicion of rape. a former parliamentary employee has accused the mp of rape, sexual assault and coercive control. our political correspondent tony bonsignore gave us this update earlier. the allegations were made by a former parliamentary employee. according to the sunday times, she alleges that an mp assaulted her, forced her to have sex and left her so traumatised she had to go to hospital. she's accusing him of rape, sexual assault and coersive control. we had a statement from the metropolitan police,

they say that on friday the 31st ofjuly, they received allegations relating 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, he's been released on bail to return on a date in mid august. and what have the conservative party said about this? there have been reports that the conservative party chief whip mark spencer had been aware of allegations and spoken to the victim, but sources have told us that mark spencer wasn't aware of the magnitude of the allegations. a spokesman for the chief whip said that he took all allegations of abuse extremely seriously and strongly encouraged anyone who has approach him to contact the appropriate authorities. we have also spoken to the conservative party, they said these are serious

allegations and it is right they are investigated fully. this is what the housing secretary robert jenrick had to say this morning. well, this is a very serious allegation and it's right that it's treated as such. i understand that the police are now investigating, so i don't think there's anything further that i could add, other than to say that the chief whip in the government are fully aware and i'm sure will take all the steps that are necessary. on the question of whether this mp remains as a member of the parliamentary party, we've had an update in last hour or so, in a statement, the conservative party said the whip has not been suspended, this decision will be reviewed once the police investigation has been concluded. the government has insisted further coronavirus restrictions will be targeted at local levels, with no plans for a national, blanket approach. reports say ministers are considering what measures might be necessary to contain a large surge in infections. the housing secretary robertjenrick also said they will press ahead

with plans to reopen schools in england to all pupils in september, despite concerns that it could drive up cases of coronavirus. jenny kumah reports. in parts of northern england, it's the third day of new restrictions that were brought in to curb the recent rise in coronavirus infections. friends and families from different households are being told once again to keep apart. the interventions that are likely to be the most effective, when you have outbreaks like these ones on a local level, will be things that impact on that particular scenario. so, people gathering under a roof, families getting together, extended families getting together. i think that's why the government have taken the approach they have. there's been disappointment too for businesses in england that were planning to reopen this weekend, as the government decided against easing the restrictions for some part of the economy. according to newspaper reports today, new shielding measures could come in, with vulnerable people

being allocated specific times to have access to services and shops. there could be a citywide lockdown on london if infection rates spike and the tightening of quarantine restrictions on those flying into the uk. but the government's not confirming that it would take such measures. there's a lot of speculation about what might happen in the future, but what we're concentrating on is a targeted rather than a blanket approach. so, if the rate of infection rises to a concerning level, we will take decisive action and you can see that we've done that in leicester and we're doing that now in the north west. in liverpool, public health officials are bringing in their own guidelines to deal with the spike in cases in the princess park ward of the city. people in this 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. it's not a national lockdown,

it's us taking action at a very local level to try to stop the virus spreading and it's us being in control of it, the people who know the city best, really understanding how the virus is spreading and stopping it doing it any further. the government's recent tightening of measures in england has lead to questions over whether schools will be able to reopen in september, with unions calling for greater clarity and more detail on how to prepare for pupils' return. this comes after two scientists advising the government suggested pubs in england may need to close to allow schools to reopen next month. until a vaccine is found, it's likely a return to normal life as we knew it before the pandemic is some time away. a cluster of 13 cases of coronavirus linked to a pub in aberdeen is being investigated by nhs officials. the pub‘s owners said some customers who visited last sunday have tested positive for the virus

and are showing mild symptoms. public health officials say there may be further cases linked to the cluster. india has recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases for the fourth consecutive day. the country's interior minister, amit shah, has tested positive for coronavirus. there have been 1.75 million cases over all in india, 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%. the australian state of victoria has declared a state of disaster and is introducing the country's toughest lockdown measures yet in the state capital, melbourne. residents of the city have been placed under a night—time curfew. a further 671 cases and seven deaths were confirmed in the past day.

from sydney, phil mercer reports. a public health bushfire is how the authorities in victoria are describing the covid—i9 emergency. you can't smell the smoke and you can't see the flames, but this, they say, is a wicked enemy. a state of disaster has been declared and the city of melbourne is under tough new restrictions, including a night—time curfew that will last for six weeks. i am declaring a state of disaster across victoria. this will be in addition to the state of emergency that has operated throughout. this means that police and others have additional powers, we can suspend various acts of the parliament, we can make sure we can get the job done. after early success in suppressing the coronavirus, australia has had fewer confirmed infections and

deaths than many other countries. but the worsening situation in victoria has the entire country on edge. on sunday, 671 new infections were reported, seven people died. in the australian context, these numbers are significant and disturbing. the victorian state government says previous disease control measures were working too slowly. residents will have to stay within five kilometres of their homes and only one person per household is allowed to go shopping for food each day. schools and childcare centres will close. australia's strictest lockdown follows the deadliest week of the pandemic here so far. health experts believe a surge in covid—19 cases was exacerbated by a relaxation of earlier restrictions, complacency on social distancing and sheer bad luck.

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 6 tojune 21 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, 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 coping with 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. the housing secretary has announced proposals to speed up the planning process for new building to shake up what he called a complex and outdated system. writing in the sunday telegraph, robertjenrick said land designated for growth will enable homes, hospitals and schools to be developed automatically. areas of outstanding natural beauty and the green belt will come under a protected category. a little earlier, we spoke to brian berry from the federation of master builders and got his reaction to the announcement.

we reaction to the announcement. need to see the dei there we need to see the details of this. there will be guidelines in terms of quality and design, that's really important, so we want to see those details. in terms of our countryside, the proposal is to protect area of countryside, the proposal is to protect area of outstanding natural beauty in the green belt, so that should be some reassurance. i would also like to see what the measures are in terms of resourcing planning departments because that's an issue as well, insolent and the planning abdication process. but what the government seems to be saying is, in trying to speed up the process, rather than watering down the of design. 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. the programme highlighted allegations that the sas deliberately targeted fighting—aged men, 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 commanders 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 ofa raid in 2011, who said the british shot family members when they posed no threat. we've blurred their faces to protect their identities. 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‘ve been a cover—up, and they've just forced the mod to release these highly sensitive documents, which show that there were serious + one british officer asks, "is this about latest massacre?"