your this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. doctors treating the russian opposition activist alexei navalny say tests have found no traces of poison. his family is furious that medics say he's too ill to be moved to germany for treatment. uk tourists face a fresh race to return home from holiday, as those returning from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago from tomorrow are set to face two weeks isolation. we try to just provide a little bit of relief in there, opportunities as we see the numbers go up, but not shooting right the way up, to come home, so it's a question of finding a balance. new figures show that uk public sector debt has breached £2 trillion for the first time.

joe biden promises to lead america out of what he calls its "season of darkness" as he formally accepts the democratic party presidential nomination. hello and welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world 7 and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. the mystery over the condition of leading russian opposition activist alexei navalny has deepened. the fierce and outspoken critic of president putin collapsed while on a flight to moscow and is now in a coma in hospital. his supporters claim he was poisoned via a substance added to his tea — but one of the doctors in charge

of his care has this morning said that so far no traces of poison have been in his system. mr navalny‘s aides have insisted he be transferred to germany for treatment, but the russian hospital chief says he's too ill to be moved. the hopsital say they have a diagnosis, which they have yet to reveal. they gave this update a little earlier. translation: today, from the tests we have done so far, no poison or trace of poison has been found in his blood or you're in stopso poison is still in the back of our mind but we don't think the patient has been poisoned. our correspondent sarah rainsford is live in moscow. and itjust and it just becomes and itjust becomes more confusing? it does. there has been some very emotional and strong messages coming from the family and friends of alexei navalny on the ground in omsk

at the hospital where he is being treated. they essentially allege a cover—up. they believe mr navalny has been poisoned and they believe the police, doctors and authorities there are doing everything possible to hide and conceal that. but as we have heard from the doctors, the deputy chief doctor came out to say there has been no trace of any poison found in any of the tests they have done on mr navalny, and there is nothing to be found. whilst there is nothing to be found. whilst the doctor said the possibility that he may have been poisoned remains as a theory on the back of his mind, as he put it, officially speaking they are he put it, officially speaking they a re pretty he put it, officially speaking they are pretty much ruling that out. they say there is a diagnosis, we haven't heard what it is yet. but we are told the family have been informed. you would think they would wa nt to informed. you would think they would want to announce their diagnosis very quickly to dispel if they can the suspicions of poisoning. possibly. they are saying this is an

issue of patient confidentiality, so perhaps we will have to wait and see whether mr navalny‘s wife will come out to say what she has been told. i suspect she will. all the while there is a plane, an air ambulance standing by in omsk ready to transport mr navalny to germany as soon as the doctors will release him. there is a big fight going on over that at the moment with the family saying the doctors claim mr navalny is not stable enough to be transported is again an attempt to stop him leaving the country. they say they want to make sure that he can have independent medical treatment, that he can have independent toxicology testing done and get the best possible care to ensure he pulls through this. the doctors are saying he is not fit to travel and as soon as he is fit he will be released. but the team surrounding mr navalny believe this is all part of an attempt to hide what has actually happened to him. you mentioned the team surrounding mr navalny. are they physically surrounding him there, his wife, his

aides, are they bearing a hospital in omsk or is this being done to a degree from a distance? they are at the hospital but i understand that so far only the hospital but i understand that so faronly mr the hospital but i understand that so far only mr navalny‘s wife and brother have been allowed physically into his presence, to his bedside. but around them there is a whole group of people, particularly his aides travelling with him, and another member of his anti—corruption another member of his anti—corru ption investigation team. he has a huge team of people, not just in moscow but across the country who work as part of his campaign, both political activism and anti—corruption campaign, both political activism and anti—corru ption investigations. there are always a number of people who speak on behalf of that team. at the moment it is primarily his aide who was on the flight with mr navalny when they took off from siberia, intending to fly back to moscow, but he fell sick very suddenly. she has been the main person passing on information,

particularly these very deep concerns that mr navalny‘s friends and family have over what has really happened to him. i know you will keep us up to speed with developments in this fast developing story. let's get the thoughts of sir tony brenton — british ambassador to russia from 2004?2008. thank you for talking to us. your reflections at this rather confusing moment? i have to say, the russian medical profession on the whole are pretty professional and pretty cautious was that this is the first i heard on your show that the hospital have now said it is unlikely to be poisoning. listening to the account, if they wanted to dismiss the story completely then they would have done so. instead of which they carefully said, we are keeping the possibility open but there is no trace at the moment so i am rather inclined to believe what the hospital is saying, firstly that there is no evidence so far but they will carry on looking, and secondly that navalny is too sick to travel.

that then creates a problem for everybody, i suppose, that then creates a problem for everybody, isuppose, because that then creates a problem for everybody, i suppose, because there is so little trust between mr navalny‘s team and his family, and then the russian authorities, given all the history that his care inside russia is a problem for everybody, i guess. you have two parties here who don't trust each other, don't like each other. navalny‘s team have very good reasons to mistrust and detest the russian authorities. navalny has had a very tough time in the past with the russian authorities and you fully understand why they are as worked up as they are. on the other hand, and as i have said in the last couple of days, if you look at what the russian governmental interest in all of this is, the last thing they wa nt all of this is, the last thing they want is for navalny to die because if that happens they are facing a huge eruption of domestic and

international protest, at precisely the time when russian domestic morale is very low because of the virus and other things, economic growth has stalled. they have some hideous political disruptions. problem is that if navalny dies will come, the kremlin are probably thinking in this particular case, and their responsibility is probably unlikely. you can understand why people might jump to unlikely. you can understand why people mightjump to the conclusion because there is so much form in terms of unfortunate events befalling critics of the regime. that's absolutely right. i was the ambassador at the time alexander litvinenko was murdered, so i went through it and saw the evidence in that particular case and it was a slam dunk, the russians certainly killed him. they certainly made the attack on the skripals. they are certainly more astute when they are dealing with their own domestic

opposition. a friend of mine, opposition, who was killed outside the kremlin a few years ago, the world deduced it was the kremlin that did it, but the evidence is now pretty strong that it was done by the rather nasty boss of chechnya against whom a dossier was being prepared. no valley is the most serious opponents that the kremlin faces but the opposition is not a serious threat. —— navalny is. vladimir putin hasjust serious threat. —— navalny is. vladimir putin has just won a referendum that effectively makes an president for life if he wants it. the bulk of the russian people behind him and they have the security apparatus to suppress those who are not. people like navalny are an irritant but they become much more of a challenge and threat if they become martyrs, and if they are killed. the kremlin interest is in him being around, in him making noise, but not becoming a martyr. going back to the difficultjudgment

calls for those inside the hospital in omsk, a german air ambulances waiting, and arguably if he was and when he is fit to they might want to put him on there. absolutely, if they can make him fit to travel, they can make him fit to travel, they would be delighted for him to go off somewhere. frankly, they want him cured... sorry, my phonejust went off. they do want him cured, because annoying though he is as an opponent, he would be much more problematic for them if he became a martyr. we will leave it there and thank you forjoining us. people arriving in the uk from portugal will no longer need to quarantine for two weeks. but travellers returning from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago will have to self—isolate. the changes apply to anyone arriving after 4am on saturday. simonjones reports. the beaches in portugal look set to get a whole lot busier. the country has been added to the uk's safe travel list as coronavirus cases there fall.

last year it attracted 2.5 million british tourists. portugal's prime minister tweeted... but holiday firms are warning, it won't be enough to save the summer. it's going to be too late for the peak season. it's a very blunt instrument to use quarantine in the way that it has been used. and people have been extremely nervous of travelling anyway during august. and from 4am tomorrow morning, anyone visiting croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago will now have to quarantine for 14 days when they reach the uk. it follows a rise in the rate of coronavirus infections in those countries. theyjoin other holiday destinations including spain and france to which the foreign office advises against all nonessential travel. in croatia, there is sun, sea and now stress for those aiming to get home before the deadline.

i should have been going to france last weekend and due to the quarantine on france, i changed my flight to croatia. my daughter's fiance and his family all live here. but she booked me a flight home tomorrow in case this did happen. many of the 20,000 british tourists in croatia will also be heading to the airport. others, though, are resigned to isolation when they return to the uk. i think we'lljust stay and then go back and then have to quarantine. and with the british government prepared to add or remove countries from its list of travel corridors at short notice, it's not the easiest time for those looking to get away from it all. simon jones, bbc news. earlier i spoke to darija reic — the uk representative of the croatia national tourist board. she says the uk should take a more regional approach to travel restrictions.

the uk government to, if it was willing to look at our separate regions according to those numbers, then we would have been in a much better position because the majority of our coasts, most of the regions, are actually doing pretty well, so to say overall that croatian numbers are very high is not actually correct. the majority of the coast is still very, very safe. our political correspondent, helen catt has been explaining why the uk government has made its latest decision to impose quarantine restrictions tourists arriving from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago. we have now seen this pattern in recent weeks of more and more of those countries coming off the list of exemptions, so france, spain, belgium and the netherlands, all of those now needing to quarantine if you come back from there. the decision to lift restrictions on quarantine from portugal, though, is the most significant in terms of tourism from the uk, in terms of going the other way, that we have seen so far, but it has come right at the end of the summer season so you heard

questions in simon's report about the timing. thinking back to the point of these policies, the point of the quarantine policy was to stop importing infections from abroad now the rate in the uk is lower. the realisation was that if you make everyone who goes anywhere quarantine for 14 days then that would effectively scupper the travel industry so the point of bringing in a list of exemptions was to boost the travel industry to some extent. we have seen the volatility of how things can change quickly and transport secretary grant shapps reinforced in a tweet last night that you must be content to be able to quarantine for 14 days if you go anywhere. there has been pressure on the government to look at other alternatives to that and one of the things that comes up a lot is the idea of testing at the airport. transport secretary grant shapps said they are looking at that, they are interested in it, but it's not as simple as it sounds. you can test somebody on day one when they come into the country, it may only find — and these figures are of course debated and disputed by scientists

and medical experts — but it may only find 7% of people who are asymptomatic, in other words, people who don't know they have coronavirus and if you have it you shouldn't be travelling anyway, of course. so it's not very helpful on day one. you then need to potentially test on day eight to get a very high percentage. you then need the results and by then you could be in a position where you have taken up quite a lot of time in quarantine. so it's not quite as simple as it is sometimes presented. however, it's something we are very interested in and we are working on, on how that can be delivered reliably. another idea that has been suggested as having what could be called regional travel corridors, so bits of a country with a lower rate of infection could be exempted. grant shapps said there are serious difficulties with that because people move around but he said the government is looking at that to see if it could be done perhaps for islands. this came up when quarantine was reimposed on spain because infection rates were much lower in the balearic islands and canaries. so these things are being looked

at and i think the pressure will stay on the government to look at other alternatives to quarantine. we can speak now to emma irvine, a british student stuck outside dubrovnik. and herfriend rebecca machie, who works two jobs and is worried about what will happen. iam i am sorry you are stuck, when were you hoping to come home? on sunday. and when they announced last night we tried to book flights but couldn't get anything direct into northern ireland any sooner, or anywhere else in the uk so we have resigned ourselves we are staying here and we'll have to quarantine. what will the impact be because you will get back after 4am tomorrow, so you will have to quarantine. emma, what are the imprecations of that for you? i am meant to be starting back at university, starting my final year of medical school on friday. i'm moving into new

accommodation so i won't be able to do that so i am in contact with the university to try to make arrangements to start a bit later but i am not sure what impact it will have on the rest of the year. in terms of your studies, will it make an impact or will it have been virtual anyway? can you do thatjust as well from quarantine? some will be virtual but some was ward placements and hospital placements and given quarantine guidelines i will not be able to do that, so i will not be able to do that, so i will have to probably make that up at some point in the next couple of months, i would assume. at some point in the next couple of months, iwould assume. rebecca, at some point in the next couple of months, i would assume. rebecca, you work in retail, in a supermarket, and you also work in a nursery. yes, i work and you also work in a nursery. yes, iwork in and you also work in a nursery. yes, i work in a tesco a few hours a week andl i work in a tesco a few hours a week and i also work in a summer scheme looking after children from 4—11. if i have to isolate then it will make doing that a lot more difficult

because it's a small business and with the child issues, it will affect other people who need time off and childcare. yourself isolation carries significant implications for your work, because both of those jobs you can't do in isolation. no. i know the government isolation. no. i know the government is asking employers to be understanding of travellers who are caught out by new quarantine restrictions. do you know that your employers will be understanding and have you been able to talk to them? yeah, i feel both my employers have been really understanding. it was something we anticipated. we kept an eye out and thought it would be safe enough here but it has obviously happens now. it will put a bit more stress on the business but it will not cripple it. i willjust have to make upa not cripple it. i willjust have to make up a few extra hours. you both look very chilled out and

philosophical. the sun is shining. do you feel, so be it, this is what has happened, or do you feel irritated by the suddenness of the rules ? irritated by the suddenness of the rules? what's the feeling today questionnaire we thought we might have had it extended to sunday or monday because there are just a few flights out of croatia, but we understand why they are doing it and we wa nt understand why they are doing it and we want the uk to be in a good position so we are willing to take the quarantine. we decided to comment so we will now enjoy the rest of our holiday. we can't get back so we might as well enjoy the sunshine and time we have left. rebecca, you are not worried about the rising caseload in croatia, you're not worried about catching virus there? it is always a worry, but the region we are in is actually pretty safe. most of the cases are not here, and everyone is really safe, everyone wearing masks, every place you go into, there is hand sanitiser everywhere. sometimes i

feel safer here than i would in some places in the uk because they are very safe here. thank you to you both for speaking to us and enjoy your last couple of days and have a safe isolation when you come home. thank you. as the risk of a second wave of coronavirus grows country's across the globe have been setting out their own travel rules and restrictions. so how do they compare with the uk? germany s sixteen federal states have the final say on lockdown measures — and testing at airports is now compulsory for all people coming from high—risk countries. in france travellers with symptoms of the virus — or those who cannot prove the results of a virology test will be required to quarantine. people from many nations outside europe are also subject to compulsory quarantine. any person who enters canada by air, sea or land is required to self—isolate for fourteen days whether or not they have symptoms of the virus. the united states has barred entry of all foreign nationals

who had visited china, iran and a group of european countries during the previous fourteen days. people entering new zealand are required to quarantine for at least fourteen days in an approved facility — they will also need to return a negative test before they can travel around the country. france has reported a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases, up by a thousand since wednesday. it is the first time more than 4,000 daily cases have been seen since may. meanwhile spain, germany and italy have also recorded their highest numbers of cases since late april or may. the uk registered a further 1182 cases on thursday.

officials in birmingham are concerned that the city could face tougher restrictions or a local lockdown. it's after a steep rise in coronavirus infections, which have doubled since the start of the month. the leader of birmingham city council described the increase as extremely concerning" and urged council described the increase uk government debt has risen above £2 trillion for the first time, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. the office for national statistics said the government borrowed £26] billion in july. new figures this morning also show retail sales rose above pre—pandemic levels in july, as a rebound in demand continued. retail sales volumes rose by 3.6% between june and july. earlier i spoke to our economics correspondent, andrew walker. we started on the topic of uk government debt — and i asked him whether that two trillion number is a scary figure. it certainly sounds it and in relation to the national income or the size of the economy it takes that figure over 100%. that's the first time it has been that large relative to the economy since the early 1960s.

i suppose one compensating factor is that interest rates are low, very low, and if anything they have got even lower since the pandemic hit, partly as a result of bank of england interest rate moves and other policy initiatives it has taken partly as a result of the weakness of the economy so it means the cost of servicing the debt is actually relatively well contained and it's not a major issue in itself. also worth noting that even in relation to the size of the national economy, we are still a very, very long way from all—time highs, which happened in the past in the aftermath of wars. but for peacetime levels of public finances, it's an uncomfortably high figure at the very least. turning to the other big headline from the ons figures this morning, retail sales are looking a bit better. yes, certainly looking a bit better. and as the lockdown has been eased

people have been spending more. what the figures do not tell us, though, as if we needed reminding of this, is that the high street is not back to normal. although in the latest figures there was a bit of a rebound from online towards in—store shopping, it remains the case that online shopping was 50% more than before the pandemic and so clothing sales, for example, although they recovered a bit, are still 25% down from pre—pandemic levels. certainly the easing of restrictions has led to significant changes in retail, a significant rebound in the retail industry, but it's certainly still looking very different to what it was a few months ago all the same. "a battle of light against darkness" — that's how democrat presidential candidatejoe biden characterised

the upcoming us election as he accepted his party's nomination to challenge donald trump for the white house in november. mr biden said his opponent had failed in his most basic duty — to protect americans from threats such as coronavirus. and he accused mr trump of not taking responsibility, refusing to lead and of ‘coseying up to dictators'. here's our north america correspondent david willis. this was the nominationjoe biden had sought for so long, having run for president unsuccessfully twice before. so it's with great honour, and humility, i accept this nomination for president of the united states of america. # oh, one day... earlier, on the final night of the convention, tribute was paid to the democratic congressman and civil rights icon john lewis, who fought alongside martin luther king for the right to vote.

voice of donald trump: will they be stolen from mailboxes as they get put in by the mailman? will they be taken from the mailmen and the mailwomen? the unifying force at this democratic convention had been donald trump, whether it was ridiculing him or branding him a threat to american democracy. but on the final night, the early emphasis was on stressing their candidate's empathy through the story of a teenager whom he helped overcome a stutter. and withoutjoe biden, i wouldn't be talking to you today. i'm beau biden, and joe biden is my dad. and linking his own heart wrenching story to the lives of millions americans suffering problems of their own. biden lost his son beau to brain cancer five years ago, his first wife and young daughter in a car accident 43 years before that. i have some idea how it feels to lose someone you love. i know that deep black hole that opens up in the middle of your chest and you feel like you're

being sucked into it. i know how mean and cruel and unfair life can be sometimes. a feature of this unconventional convention has been that instead of a background of cheering crowds, speeches have been delivered via video link from largely empty event centres in different parts of the country. joe biden and kamala harris intend to continue campaigning mostly virtually. the final ten weeks of this presidential campaign are shaping up to be one of the strangest ever. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. let's talk now to maria allgaier from democrats abroad. you have long been a joe you have long been ajoe biden supporter so what stood out for you in the speech? thank you for having me. what was so special about biden's speech was he really conveyed his character, his

experience and vision for america, which fit in with the convention's theme of the american promise. it also, with his own personal story, it produced this humanity, which has been missing from the presidency during donald trump's administration. and it hasn'tjust given us a reason to vote against donald trump, but his speech gave us a reason to vote for biden. ever since he has given it, there has been so much unity in the party and its looking great for november. the candidate has been accident—prone in the past so is it to his advantage to campaign virtually in a way that is slightly more detached from the public? you know what, i was thinking when i was watching the speech yesterday, how much more difficult it is sometimes to give a virtual speech, especially at the democrat convention which is usually an event with thousands of people and you can really build off the momentum. i was, and you can really build off the momentum. iwas, on and you can really build off the momentum. i was, on the contrary,

quite impressed you could give such a powerful speech without an audience there. in the days ahead, we will obviously see next week president trump attacking joe biden for sub we have already seen the sleepyjoe tag. do you think he has effectively dealt with that? looking at the speech, there was a lot of pressure from republicans who have been attempting to brand joe biden as in the decline or diminished, but this speech was contrary to all of that. i think it is putting trump in a more difficult position. it is just unity again, it is going to really help us against donald trump. and yet there is definitely a focus on the campaign of fear, darkness against the light, and many other similar kind of rhetorical flourishes that paint a negative picture of the alternative and try to encourage people to get out and

vote for biden out of fear of the alternative. what we cannot have is another four years of donald trump. it wouldn't just be another four years of donald trump. it wouldn'tjust be detrimental to the united states, this is something that would affect the whole world. even looking at the covid—i9 crisis, we are 4% of the world's population and yet we have 25% of the world's cases and 20% of the deaths. around a thousand americans are dying every day. as michelle obama said earlier in his -- in day. as michelle obama said earlier in his —— in her speech this week, it could get a lot worse. democrats have the numbers to win but the issueis have the numbers to win but the issue is getting voters out there. the main worry for this election, for the campaign the main worry for this election, forthe campaign and the main worry for this election, for the campaign and all americans, is how are we going to vote because of the defunding of the postal office? that's when democrats abroad isa office? that's when democrats abroad is a real asset to the rest of the state party because democrats abroad have been doing mail voting for

decades so we are very prepared for this. we have about 6.5 million eligible voters living abroad. that population is bigger than 33 individual state populations. population is bigger than 33 individual state populationslj population is bigger than 33 individual state populations. i do apologise but we have to go to a live event in vilnius. the belarussian opposition leader, is just beginning to start her attack on the election result in belarus. she isjust beginning to she is just beginning to discuss some of the charges about her group

make against election violence and election fraud in belarus. we are having difficulties with translation on that speech so we will come back to that as soon as we can. explain to that as soon as we can. explain to arise where we are in this between the opposition and the president who insists on hanging on. sorry, i have just president who insists on hanging on. sorry, i havejust been president who insists on hanging on. sorry, i have just been told that we do have translation so we will come back to you in a moment. translation: just because they have a different opinion. the russians are behind bars today because they prevented from demonstrating and people are in prison simply because they dared to dream of a different country. our objective is very

simple. we do not wish any longer to live in fear. we want that everybody should have a right to live in the world, be beaten up in the streets, the right not to be imprisoned without a trial, and to have free and fair elections. we belarus and is our peace and peaceful people but anyone who thinks we are lacking in determination is sadly mistaken. you only have to look at our history and the ordeal of our ancestors. today belarus has woken up. hundreds of thousands of people are coming out on the streets of the country and are prepared to see resign.

thousands of workers have announced that they are on strike in order to see enough is enough. enough lying, intimidating, anarchy and violence. violence must stop. political prisoners must be released. and elections must be held by new, free, fairand elections must be held by new, free, fair and transparent. this is what the people of belarus are demanding. and they must be heard. thank you. first question. your staff, how much i'll be in contact with the leaders of the workers movement because striking is obviously a very important force?

how do you rent it out? well, as you know, our staff has set up a coordination council which is made up coordination council which is made up of, i would say, the best representatives of belarus, and the creation of this council is aimed at negotiations for a peaceful change of government, transfer of power and the whole thing of new, free and fair transparent elections. and we should like once more to appeal to all the workers in the factories to announce a strike and for the strike committees to entered into contact with our coordination council so that we can help them. next question, please introduce yourself.

sky news. you have become a symbol of this unprecedented uprising in your country. when are you going to return home and are you willing to risk arrest if he remains in power. translation: i love my country to distraction and i very much want to go back and i will go back certainly when i feel safe. i have a question of this nature to you. are you apprehensive that the russian government is going to interfere in

the events in belarus involving interference by the armed forces, russian armed forces, or the special forces of russia ? russian armed forces, or the special forces of russia? thank you. i urge all the countries of the world to respect the sovereignty of the republic of belarus. thank you. next question. you see that you didn't wa nt to question. you see that you didn't want to become a politician but you have become a politician. whether we actually become a candidate for presidency if they are our new elections? you know, this question asa elections? you know, this question as a present is not even being discussed because our main objective is to obtain these new transparent fairand is to obtain these new transparent fair and free elections. thank you.

next question. baltic news service. sanctions for a regime of belarus. which sanctions could be the most effective? translation: which sanctions could be the most effective? translationzlj which sanctions could be the most effective? translation: ijust would like to thank all those countries who have supported us in the situation in belarus who are providing assistance to belarusians to stand up for their rights but i would like to repeat once again that i would like to appeal to all countries to respect the sovereignty of our country. thank you. next question. to what extent can you

continue your movement? how long in time? how long do you think the demonstrations can last? only time will tell, but you know in belarus people simply cannot continue to accept the present government and cannot forget the violence which has perpetrated against our people in these demonstrations. thank you. next question. you speak excellent english. it would be great if you could give some answer in english. being an opposition leader in belarus in large parts of this region is a very dangerous

occupation as we are finding out in russia at the moment. what threats have you and your family feast since you began this nation? are you prepared to fight on whatever the cost and what is your message to vladimir putin and the kremlin? as i have already said a couple of times, i call for all the countries to respect the serenity of our country and to respect the choice of our people and as for threats i know i do not think i would like to discuss this question now. let eyes believe that there. listening to that was our correspondentjonah fisher

who is the belarus capital, minsk. quite an assured performance by someone who fled the country but still describes herself as a firm patriot and google warm as soon as it is safe. yes, i am not sure i have ever heard a press conference bya have ever heard a press conference by a politician where they have gone through the answers so quickly. but some interesting things coming out. you could see how gaelic kit in a position she is on at the moment. they are trying to push her to say something about vladimir putin and she does not want to go there. a sign of how sensitive questions about belarus' sign of how sensitive questions about bela rus' relationship sign of how sensitive questions about belarus' relationship with russia are at the moment. her current message a similar one to one we have been hearing for the last week or so since she went to look for weenie, calling for the violence to stop,

—— to lithuania. ivy will run of what happened here just my than two weeks ago is being called for but conducted in a way the opposition feels this fear and we want international observers. what are the chances of any of that happening? so far it doesn't seem very likely at all because the response of alexander lukashenko to the coordination council which is what the opposition have put together, to try to transition power, to find some basis for negotiations with the government, has been declared illegal by the authorities. criminal case was opened against it yesterday and some of the members of the council have been called for an investigation here so the mood music if you like

it is not that alexander lukashenko wa nts to it is not that alexander lukashenko wants to talk or rerun the selection, in fact it is looking more likely he is keen to re—establish control of the streets. we have seen the riot police back on the streets and turning up the pressure on the few opposition people still on the ground here. what about the players that surround belarus, the european union players and of course russia, mentioned in that news conference? it is really important to stress that so far the character of these demonstrations and the strikes have been very much focused on the election, the sense that these elections were rigged, that these elections were rigged, that alexander lu kashenko that these elections were rigged, that alexander lukashenko declared a false result and demands that election be rerun and political prisoners be released. it has not been about belarus not to make position in the world or the relationship with russia or possibly

looking towards the west and towards the european union. while alexander lukashenko would like to turn it into a bigger question, diverted away from attention on him, he heard they are from ness tikhanovskaya who is keen to avoid that. she didn't wa nt to is keen to avoid that. she didn't want to speak about any possible european sanction. she didn't want to talk about president putin. she wa nted to talk about president putin. she wanted to keep us focused on belarus and the elections and political prisoners and getting a rerun. many thanks. breaking news from the uk's chief negotiator on the european union on the thames to leave the european union. david frost said we have completed the seventh round of negotiations. the agreement is still possible but it will not be easy.

there has been very little progress, he said. he went on to detail the kind of free trade agreement that the uk would like, similar to those the uk would like, similar to those the eu has concluded with a range of international partners, but when the eu accepts this reality in all areas of the negotiation it will be much easier to make progress, he said, we will continue to work hard to continue to reach an agreement, and that statement ends by pointing out the next round of talks will be the week of the 7th of september, in a couple of weeks. the headlines on bbc news: doctors treating the russian opposition activist alexei navalny say tests have found no traces of poison. his family is angry that medics say he's too ill to be moved to germany for treatment. uk tourists face a fresh race to return home from holiday —

as those returning from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago from tomorrow are set to face two weeks isolation. new figures show that uk public sector debt has breached £2 trillion for the first time. up to a quarter of a million people are said to be at risk of being made homeless in england, when the government ban on evictions ends this weekend. ministers are being urged to extend the ban for those unable to pay their rent — as has already happened in scotland and northern ireland. this morning, the transport secretary grant shapps said he believed there would be "further announcements shortly", but had no further details. our home editor mark easton reports. as we emerge from lockdown, for tens of thousands of people in england there is deep anxiety. notjust of the virus but of losing their home. covid cost david hisjob

in high wycombe in buckinghamshire, and, as the temporary ban on evictions comes to an end, he worries about his family's future. we had guaranteed income and now we don't. we do get some support from universal credit to help with things. but in all honesty, it's not enough. itjust doesn't cut everything. do you think you'll be able to stay in your house? it's difficult times, there is a possibility that we could end up losing our home. david's landlord has been understanding up to now but, like thousands in high wycombe, the terror of losing your income and then your home looms large. landlords too are worried that they may fall victim to the financial impact of the virus. vikram daws advises many in high wycombe. landlords will have very real problems because they themselves are running businesses, so there's a lot at stake for the landlords who could in turn as a consequence become homeless themselves. the ending of the furlough scheme in october is expected to expose the true scale of the economic

damage, with many suddenly unable to afford their rent and a court system unable to cope with the consequences. hundreds of eviction cases are already waiting to be heard here at high wycombe county court. across england, the queue is thought to be around 40,000 cases long. but social distancing means the courts cannot operate at full capacity so it could take more than a yearjust to get through the backlog while more and more people join the wait for judgment. landlords must send the court a reactivation notice to restart eviction proceedings, giving thejudge details of the impact of covid. lawyers warn of impending chaos. you're going to have, without a shadow of a doubt, people whose lives are ruined by this. it's just going to be months of uncertainty for everyone involved. housing departments fear a huge increase in homelessness. here in high wycombe, councillors are bracing themselves for tough times ahead. we will look to house people as locally as possible

to where they currently live, where they have friends and relatives. if that can't be done for whatever reason, then we may have to look at alternative accommodation, potentially using hotels or whatever. the government is being urged to extend the evictions ban and provide more support for tenants whose finances have been laid low by coronavirus. we're very concerned that when the ban lifts next week we're going to see tens of thousands of people who are put at risk of losing their home and potentially becoming homeless as a result of that. the eviction ban has already been extended in scotland and northern ireland. wales has agreed to a support package. ministers in england are now under pressure to ensure tenants and landlords are protected from a virus that could take away the roof over people's heads. mark easton, bbc news, high wycombe. president trump's former adviser steve bannon has appeared in court in new york, charged with fraud over a fundraising campaign to build a wall on the us—mexico border. he and three others are alleged to have defrauded donors

by funnelling hundreds of thousands of dollars away from the campaign for their own personal use. paul hawkins has more. he was one of the president's closest advisers. steve bannon, appearing in a new york federal court, pleading not guilty to charges of fraud. he was released on bail of $5 million. four years ago, he was a key architect of donald trump's 2016 presidential election victory. his right wing anti—immigration ideology fueling the president's america first campaign, part of which included... we're going to build the wall. build a wall. we're going to build a wall. we have to build a wall, folks. with the president short of federal funding for his wall, steve bannon set up a website for private donations which raised $25 million. we do the areas private inland that the army corps of engineers has said too hard.

this, all the way from here to that river, is nothing but those types of mountains and desert. if it's privately built, you can't have 3,000 miles of it. that's why trump got $2.5 billion from the defence department. but today, on this chinese billionaire's yacht, he was arrested and charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors in connection to the fundraising website. he's also alleged to have pocketed $1 million, at least some of which he's alleged to have used on personal expenses. he was involved in our campaign, he worked for goldman sachs. he worked for a lot of companies but he was involved likewise in our campaign, and for a small part of the administration, very early on. i haven't been dealing with him at all. i know nothing about the project other than i didn't like what i read about it, i didn't like it. i said this is for government, this is not for private people. leaving court, steve bannon called

the charges a fiasco to stop people who want to build the wall. he's the president's sixth former senior aide to face criminal charges. paul hawkins, bbc news. in california, huge wildfires in the northern and central parts of the state have forced more than 60,000 people to evacuate. lightning strikes have sparked hundreds of blazes which are spreading rapidly due to a record heat wave. four people have died. aru na iyengar reports. the town of vacaville, looking like a vision of hell, which, for the residents, it is, like karen stickler. there is little left of the house that she lived in for 30 years. i thought, no, we'll be right back and i don't think we will be evacuated for long. well, guess what? this was the one that got us. shawnee had to grab her mother and leave without their six pets. yeah, we're sad. you want to take them but we're not prepared — where's my carrier? where's my food? no, where's your mother! get your mother and let's go! lightning strikes earlier

in the week started the fires and the prolonged heat wave has kept them going. across the state, 60,000 people have been evacuated with the fires burning through 350,000 acres. two people have died fighting the fires and still they burn on, with no end in sight. aruna iyengar, bbc news. drag queen chi chi devayne, best known for appearing on two seasons of rupaul‘s drag race, has died aged 34. devayne, whose non—stage was zavion davenport, appeared on season eight of the show, as well as season three of rupaul‘s drag race all stars. she posted on instagram last week that she was in hospital for a chronic condition — the second time this year. tributes have been pouring in on twitter, with rupaul saying that he was "heartbroken" to learn of her death, and that she will be dearly missed but never forgotten. former winners of rupaul‘s drag race

have also been paying tribute, calling chi chi a "sweet, endearing sister". the pop star taylor swift has donated £23,000 to a student so that she can take up a maths course at warwick university. vitoria mario, who is portuguese but lives in london, set up an online fundraising page because she isn't eligible for any maintenance loans or grants. she'd already raised nearly half the money she needed when the american singer—songwriter chipped in the remainder, with a message saying "good luck with everything you do". speaking on bbc breakfast earlier, vitoria mario said how shocked she'd been when she found out the popstar had helped her out. i was asking friends to share, support, whatever they could do, and just out of the blue my friend messaged me saying taylor swift donated, but i didn't think it was the full amount, and then when she screenshot

it for me and sent it to me i wasjust like, "wow, i need to sign in to check," and i did, and the money was there. i call it a blessing, personally, because for her to donate more than 50% of what i needed itjust blew my mind. i never expected that to happen. it was really different. scientists say unprecedented levels of ice loss in greenland are putting people around the world at risk of catastrophic flooding. more ice melted there last year than in any other year on record — with the equivalent of six olympic swimming pools of water pouring into the ocean every second. the uk quiz show who wants to be a millionaire has had its first winner of the top prize for 14 years. the unnamed contestant answered all 15 questions correctly in a new series — filmed without a studio audience — which will be broadcast from next month. he or she is the sixth million—pound winner in the uk

since the show began in 1998. you're watching bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. we have already seen some strong winds so far this morning and they are going to strengthen further as we head on into the afternoon. there is an unseasonably deep area of low pressure bringing gales for many of us today. it will be a mix of sunshine and showers but the weather could cause some disruption to travel, perhaps some power cuts, and the threat of coastal flooding because the winds are rotating around this big area of low pressure, pushing in some large waves. there are spring tides as well so particularly for parts of wales, southern and south—western england, you have that threat of coastal flooding. flood warnings also for parts of northern england and coastal parts of scotland as well. a mix of sunshine and scattered showers. the fewest showers for east anglia and the south—east and northern

scotland should see some sunshine this afternoon. 50 to 60 mph even inland around the coast for wales, southern england 60 or even 70 mph. disruptive gusts of wind for many others out there today. coming from the south—west so it is still mild. most places we are looking at about 18 to 22 celsius. this evening those winds will start to ease a little bit. still heavy showers rattling through on the breeze. could be the odd rumble of thunder as well but mild overnight. through the day tomorrow a fairly blustery sort of day because low pressure is not far away but it is starting to drift off toward scandinavia so the winds will not be as strong as today. still blustery with a mix of sunshine and scattered showers. most will be into england and north wales.

gusts will be about 25 to 35 mph tomorrow for most of us, not as disruptive as today. temperatures down a touch. still reasonably mild. high teens for scotland and northern ireland but fresher air working in from the north on sunday so a cooler day for scotland and northern ireland. this is a cold front which will be pushing south. drier further south—west. temperatures down a little in recent days. it is very windy out there today. it turns less windy through the weekend and fresher into next week.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. doctors treating the russian opposition activist alexei navalny say tests so far have found no traces of poison. his family is furious that medics say he's too ill to be moved to germany for treatment. uk tourists face a fresh race to return home from holiday — as those returning from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago from tomorrow are set to face two weeks isolation. we try to just provide a little bit of relief in there, opportunities as we see the numbers go up, but not shooting right the way up, to come home, so it's a question of finding a balance. new figures show that uk public sector debt has breached two—trillion pounds for the first time.

the bela rusian opposition leader calls on her supporters to step up their strikes to try and force new presidential elections — saying she will return as soon as she feels safe to do so. joe biden promises to lead america out of what he calls its ‘season of darkness' as he formally accepts the democratic party presidential nomination. 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. the mystery over the condition of leading russian opposition activist alexei navalny has deepened. the fierce and outspoken critic of president putin collapsed

while on a flight to moscow and is now in a coma in hospital. his supporters claim he was poisoned via a substance added to his tea — but one of the doctors in charge of his care has this morning said that so far no traces of poison have been in his system. mr navalny‘s aides have insisted he is transferred to germany for treatment, but the russian hospital chief says he's too ill to be moved. the hopsital says they have a diagnosis, which they have yet to reveal. they gave this update a little earlier. translation: today, from the tests we have done so far, no poison or trace of poison has been found in his blood or urine. a diagnosis of poison is still in the back of our mind but we don't think the patient has been poisoned. those close to mr navalny continue to fight for him to be moved to recieve treatment in germany. speaking to reporters in omsk, mr navalny‘s wife, yulia navalnaya, accused doctors of conspiring to help cover up her husband's poisoning.

his associates have described the decision to stop his move to germany as ‘an attempt on his life' — saying he would recieve better medical support there. the hospital's diagnosis, that no poison was present in his system, contradicts a claim made earlier by the head of mr navalny‘s organisation — a claim based on remarks he said were made to him by an unknown police officer. translation: we went to this member of the transport police which showed us her phone and asked them, what is the substance. she said it's a secret of the investigation. she said we can't say but it's a substance that is deadly dangerous. it is a threat notjust to alexei's life but everyone around him. everyone around him needs to wear protective equipment. let's cross to moscow and to sergei goryashko from the bbc russian service. what does this tell us about the length that the russian government might go to to try to keep mr

navalny in his home country? the latest we got from the doctors in the siberian city of omsk, that is where the hospital is situated, they said that at least for two days navalny will be treated there in the hospital because he is unstable and he is not ready to be moved anywhere in any other clinic. well, if we just think about this. for the kremlin it would be easier to let navalny go. if his condition worsened, it would be on the opposition leaders who urged him to be treated abroad and there would be no mass gatherings around the hospital. the kremlin is trying to keep navalny in the hospital is not to let doctors trace the poison which he has been poisoned with, thatis which he has been poisoned with, that is the only possible reason. the doctor says navalny has not been poisoned and they are ready to tell

his diagnosis. for now, we don't know what they have diagnosed. we should also considered the fact that the doctors did exclude the poisoning from the diagnosis, it means only that they have not found any trace of any poison in his blood, so it is still possible that the russian opposition leader has been poisoned with something. what options does mr navalny and his family have for that matter? even though the german government has said they are willing to have therefore treatment? it is more than that, the german government and some germans have sent a medical ambulance plane which is now in the airport of the city of omsk, so they are ready to go to berlin at any time of the doctors will let him do that. the fact that for now, doctors don't like him to be moved anywhere, they want him to be kept there for another two days. they don't have

either options, butjust to wait for the doctor's decision and to wait for when they will let navalny to be transported to any other hospital abroad. for the moment, thank you very much. let's talk to james nixey, the director of the russia—eurasia programme at the thinktank chatham house. thanks very much forjoining us, for those who don't follow russian politics as closely as you, describe, if you would, the nature of the relationship between president putin and alexei navalny. the relationship between the two men is tenacious to say the least, vladimir putin does not like elections or criticism. he is increasingly sensitive to it and when you consider what alexei navalny really is, he is actually more of an anti—corruption campaigner than more of an anti—corruption campaignerthana more of an anti—corruption campaigner than a politician. he is someone who investigates fraudulent activities, the self—enrichment of

the people in vladimir putin's inner circle, so he is a real thorn in their side. he is more than your average opposition politician who is not particularly well respected and quite weak, he is somebody who is just as many viewers on his youtube channel as a russian national state tv. he is in some ways an increasingly powerful man, he has beenin increasingly powerful man, he has been in this position as leading figure in the opposition promised a decade now, and it is extraordinary the things that he has managed to do in his career so far in the context of russian politics. how vulnerable has mr navalny being or felt he has beenin has mr navalny being or felt he has been in the past? well, clearly the russian state, many a investigative reporter has come to permit your end in russia as you well know. clearly, it was part of his day—to—day life and he would have been looking

behind his back, but there are certainly methods of attempted disappearance, if you well, that evenif disappearance, if you well, that even if this appears to be a relatively common modus operandi, it is impossible to guard against. i think that he knew the risks, as does everybody who works in this field or a related field in russia and he accepted them, but he is very much... he is not so much a liberal western type politician, he does have some slightly strange views, for example on immigration for instance, but he is nonetheless somebody who believes that the russian state is a kleptocratic state and that is what he wishes to change. what is the options for him who would clearly like to get out of this hospital in siberia and take advantage of the invitation the germans have extended? it is hard to say, my understanding is he is in a coma so he as little understanding

of his options, you may have different information from me. there is so much noise around right now, it is hard to say. your previous correspondence was talking about the poison and the possibility of the poisoning, i would only say in the case that we understand here in the uk, the radioactive poisoning and the chemical weapons poisoning of surrogate groupval and his daughter we re surrogate groupval and his daughter were extremely hard to trace. —— skripal. it was externally hard to trace those poisons. people arriving in the uk from portugal will no longer need to quarantine for two weeks. but travellers returning from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago will have to self—isolate. the changes apply to anyone arriving after 4am on saturday. simonjones reports. the beaches in portugal look set to get a whole lot busier. the country has been added to the uk's safe travel list as coronavirus cases there fall. last year it attracted

2.5 million british tourists. portugal's prime minister tweeted... but holiday firms are warning, it won't be enough to save the summer. it's going to be too late for the peak season. it's a very blunt instrument to use quarantine in the way that it has been used. and people have been extremely nervous of travelling anyway during august. and from 4am tomorrow morning, anyone visiting croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago will now have to quarantine for 14 days when they reach the uk. it follows a rise in the rate of coronavirus infections in those countries. theyjoin other holiday destinations including spain and france to which the foreign office advises against all nonessential travel. in croatia, there is sun, sea and now stress for those aiming to get home before the deadline. i should have been going to france

last weekend and due to the quarantine on france, i changed my flight to croatia. my daughter's fiance and his family all live here. but she booked me a flight home tomorrow in case this did happen. many of the 20,000 british tourists in croatia will also be heading to the airport. others, though, are resigned to isolation when they return to the uk. i think we'lljust stay and then go back and then have to quarantine. and with the british government prepared to add or remove countries from its list of travel corridors at short notice, it's not the easiest time for those looking to get away from it all. simon jones, bbc news. our political correspondent, helen catt is at westminster. how satisfied are people saying they are with the amount of notice given about these countries that are now being added to the list? we have seen a pattern emerge over the last

couple of weeks, the opening up of portugal does seem like the most significant for uk holiday—makers out of any of the countries we have seen so far because largely what we have been saying is it going the other way, of quarantine being reimposed on a lot of holiday destinations, we have seen that with france, the netherlands, belgium and spain. since that was done with spain, which was very short notice, the patent does now seem to be a couple of days of leeway for people to get back if those quarantine restrictions are imposed. there has been a constant pressure on the government to try and find an alternative to quarantine. they said they brought in to try and stop infections being imported from abroad now that the infection rate in the uk is lower, but there has been pressure to find something, you heard it described there, as a blunt instrument. to find ways around that. one way that has been suggested is testing people at the airport on arrival. the transport secretary has said they are looking at that, but it is not quite as

simple as it sounds. if you test somebody on day one when they come into the country, it may only find — and these figures are of course debated and disputed by scientists and medical experts — but it may only find 7% of people who are asymptomatic, in other words, people who don't know they have coronavirus and if you have it you shouldn't be travelling anyway, of course. so it's not very helpful on day one. you then need to potentially test on day eight to get a very high percentage. you then need the results and by then you could be in a position where you have taken up quite a lot of time in quarantine. it's not quite as simple as it is sometimes presented. however, it's something we are very interested in and we are working on, on how that can be delivered reliably. the transport secretary. it is a bit ofa the transport secretary. it is a bit of a revolving door though, isn't it? just as some countries join the list, we are seeing others come off it. yes, and that is the nature of it. yes, and that is the nature of it because the reason that countries go on and off this list of

exemptions, it depends on their rate of infection, so grant shapps earlier says what he looks at for england, because the uk government can only set the rules for england on this, is when a country's infection rate goes beyond the cases beyond 100,000, that is when they start to look at it and there is a lot of data that is taking into account. because it is a fluctuating rate of infection, that is why you are seeing the changes happen so quickly. i think the questions are going to be asked of government is at the point of bringing in these exemptions, was to try to help the travel industry because there was a recognition that if you have a 14 day quarantine for everyone going everywhere, that is likely to scupper the travel industry. the idea was to allow some people to travel here, but when it is this unpredictable and things can change when you are on your holidays, is that enough? is it enough to get people moving? i think there will be a lot more questions asked about how this policy has been working. staying with coronavirus but away from trouble quarantine, the government has made an announcement

about protecting people from eviction from rental properties. no announcement yet actually, but there has been a lot of speculation. there has been a lot of speculation. there has been a ban on evicting people from rental properties that was brought in in march, it was renewed injune and it is due to end the sunday, and there has been a lot of pressure, especially from opposition politicians and charities as we are closer to that date, for it to be extended. scotland has chosen to extended. scotland has chosen to extend the ban. what we understand though is that a short extension to that ban on infections in england is being considered by the government here at we should hear details on that later today. thank you very much. the croatian national tourism board estimates there are a lot of british people on holiday there. catherine

is one of them. how likely are you there to be back before the quarantine instruction comes in at 4am on saturday morning? not at all, u nfortu nately. 4am on saturday morning? not at all, unfortunately. i am not in a position to pay for new flights or new transport at all, so i am going to have to ride out when i get back. when did you get there, how long are you staying? i arrived on tuesday night and you staying? i arrived on tuesday nightandi you staying? i arrived on tuesday night and i am staying for a week. i am back into england on tuesday evening, back into london. how much ofa evening, back into london. how much of a gamble that it feel going to croatia at all when you are seeing these countries being added to the list of the last few weeks? to be honest, i didn't feel that it was too risky. i am a pretty pragmatic and organised person, and i have been monitoring everything. this holiday was booked way back in january, december time. i holiday was booked way back in january, decembertime. i have been monitoring all the different countries and the statistics and

listening to travel expert advice. i listened to last thursday's announcement and i kind of thought thenit announcement and i kind of thought then it seems to be fine, plus where i live in england is completely heaving with tourists because it is in the south—west, and i already couldn't go anywhere there because it is literally, with the promotion of staycation four, completely overrun. it genuinely felt like a calculated, not necessarily risk—free, but a fine thing to do. i wouldn't have done it if there was any... ifi wouldn't have done it if there was any... if i had any realfears at all and it feels perfectly safe here. how problematic is it for you to go into quarantine for two weeks when you get home? hugely, to be honest. i don't really have a huge support network and there is the work factor, which is going to scupper a couple of job

opportunities and working. as for the practicalities of getting groceries, all the boring stuff, thatis groceries, all the boring stuff, that is going to be really tricky. you have to pay delivery fees and all that kind of thing for even supermarket delivery slots, if you can get one. it is going to be a bit ofa can get one. it is going to be a bit of a struggle. plus, i live in a very small house with barely a garden, so yeah, maybe cabin fever will set in but i am still trying to make the best of it here. yes, you don't want to let it overshadow your holiday and spoil your time away, but easy to say this now, but knowing what you know now, would you have gone in this holiday?“ knowing what you know now, would you have gone in this holiday? if i had known the quarantine would have come into play, i am not known the quarantine would have come into play, iam notan known the quarantine would have come into play, i am not an idiot so i wouldn't have. i wouldn't have finally gone. because my flights we re finally gone. because my flights were still going when i was humming and hawing about the situation, i didn't have an option to get a refund. hindsight is 2020, but i

wouldn't have been foolish and gone ahead. but at the same time, i do think you have to live your life a little bit as well. be cautious where it is due, but also you have kind of got to just go for it as well in some respects. we will not ta ke well in some respects. we will not take up any more of your precious holiday time. enjoy your next few daysin holiday time. enjoy your next few days in croatia, thank you for talking to us. thank you, no problem. countries across the globe have been setting up their own rules and restrictions. germany's federal states have the final say on lockdown measures and testing is compulsory from people coming from countries. in france, travellers we re countries. in france, travellers were symptoms of the virus or those who cannot prove the results of a virology test will be required to quarantine. people from many nations outside of europe are also subject

to compulsory quarantine. any person who enters canada by air, sea or land is required to self—isolate for 14 days, whether or not they have symptoms of the virus. the united states has barred entry of foreign nationals who have visited china, iran and a group of european countries during the previous 14 days. people entering new zealand are required to quarantine for at least 14 days in an approved facility. they will also need to return a negative test before they can travel around the country. france has reported a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases up by a thousand since wednesday. it is the first time more than 4,000 daily cases have been seen since may. meanwhile spain, germany and italy have also recorded their highest numbers of cases since late april or may. the uk registered a further 1,182 cases on thursday. officials in birmingham are concerned that the city could face tougher restrictions, or even a local lockdown,

following a steep rise in coronavirus infections. parts of england and scotland are already subject to local lockdowns to help stop the spread of covid—19. leicester became the first area in the uk to be subject to a local lockdown at the end ofjune. i'm joined in the studio by our health correspondent, anna collinson. anna, can you talk us through the areas of concern in england at the moment? of course, areas of concern, as you have just touched on, of course, areas of concern, as you havejust touched on, leicester. it weeks ago lester became the uk's first localised lockdown. at the time the coronavirus infection rate was around hundred and 50 cases per 100,000 people a week. since then infections have been dropping and they are now at around 50, so restrictions have been easing, a real relief for a lot of people who have been living there, and having to live under those restrictions while much of the uk has been able to get back to that new normal. earlier this week, businesses in leicester —like beauty salons and outdoor pools were allowed to be

open. but gatherings in private homes and gardens are still not allowed. that ties in with what is going for parts of greater manchester, lancashire and west yorkshire. those restrictions have beenin yorkshire. those restrictions have been in place, so as i say, people are not allowed to meet with another household inside their home or garden. they can socialise with people outside but not indoor public venues people outside but not indoor public venues like pubs, restaurants, that kind of things. they can go to those venues kind of things. they can go to those venues but they are not allowed to go with another household. only their own household. just worth stressing that the four different nations in the united kingdom, this isa nations in the united kingdom, this is a devolved matter, they can make them own mind up. what is happening in scotland ? them own mind up. what is happening in scotland? before i go any further, when i was doing the research this morning, it is so confusing. there is so much going on, ican confusing. there is so much going on, i can completely understand why anyone would just be like, what am i doing, where am i going? it is really important we are reminded people. in scotland pubs, cabbies

and people. in scotland pubs, cabbies a nd restau ra nts people. in scotland pubs, cabbies and restaurants have reopened, both indoors and outdoors, which is significant because outdoors especially when it comes to preventing the risk of transmission, indoors is therefore insignificant that they are allowing that. the reopening of things like gyms and swimming pools has been brought forward to the end of august and socialising rules are slightly more relaxed than in england. just a reminder of the england rules, in england you can meet outside a group of up to six people from different households, two households can meet in any location and those who live on their own can't form a support bubble. scotland is more relaxed, up to eight people from three different households can meet indoors and can state overnight as long as they socially distance, which i don't know about you, but depending on what size house you live in, three households in one house trying to maintaina two households in one house trying to maintain a two metre distance might bea maintain a two metre distance might be a bit tricky. also in scotland, up be a bit tricky. also in scotland, up to 15 different people from five different households can meet outdoors. particular concern in scotla nd outdoors. particular concern in scotland is what is going on in

aberdeen. that city has been in lockdown for two weeks so far, that lockdown for two weeks so far, that lockdown has been extended, much to the upset of the council there.|j keep having to go back to the government website and check what i am allowed to do. if someone invites you to something, you have to go and check. we are expecting wales to loosen restrictions a little bit later, but thank you very much. the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, has said he's "disappointed and surprised" that trade talks have not sped up. mr barnier — who met his uk counterpart david frost this morning — has warned there is "very little time left" to conclude negotiations. the transition period ends on the 31st of december and, if a deal hasn't been secured by then, the uk would have to trade with the eu on world trade organisation terms — which would mean most british goods would be subject to tariffs. the need for a level playing field is not going to go away, even if the uk continues to insist on a low—quality agreement on goods and services only.

it is a non—negotiable precondition to grant access to a market of 450 million citizens, given the uk's geographic proximity and the intensity of our economic exchanges. we are asking for nothing more but nothing less, nothing less, that what prime minister borisjohnson committed to in ourjoint political declaration last october together with the 27 eu leaders. david frost — the uk's chief negotiator — said: we have had useful chief negotiator — been little progress. we are seeking a relationship which ensures we regain sovereign control of our own laws, borders, and waters, and centred upon a trading relationship based on an free trade agreement like those the eu has concluded with a range of other international partners.

when the eu accepts this reality in all areas of the negotiation, it will be much easier to make progress. " uk government debt has risen above £2 trillion for the first time, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. the office for national statistics said the government borrowed 26.7 billion pounds injuly. our economics correspondent, andrew walker, puts that two trillion figure into context for us. in relation to national income or the size of the economy it takes that figure over 100%. that's the first time it has been that large relative to the economy since the early 1960s. i suppose one compensating factor is that interest rates are low, very low, and if anything they have got even lower since the pandemic hit, partly as a result of bank of england interest rate moves and other policy initiatives it has taken partly as a result

of the weakness of the economy so it means the cost of servicing the debt is actually relatively well contained and it's not a major issue in itself. also worth noting that even in relation to the size of the national economy, we are still a very, very long way from all—time highs, which happened in the past in the aftermath of wars. but for peacetime levels of public finances, it's an uncomfortably high figure at the very least. new figures this morning also show uk retail sales rose above pre—pandemic levels in july, as a rebound in demand continued. the office for national statistics said retail sales volumes rose by 3.6% betweenjune and july. it said sales are now 3% higher than february, before the world health organization declared a pandemic and the uk was placed in lockdown. manchester united says they are aware of an incident

involving the club's captain, harry maguire on the greek island of mykonos. the england defender is alleged to have been arrested following an altercation with police. in a statement the club said the 27—year—old was fully co—operating with the greek authorities. let's turn to the situation in belarus — opposition leader sviatlana tsikhanouskaya has given a press conference in the last hour calling on her supporters to step up their strikes at factories across the country to try to force new presidential elections. belarus is facing its biggest political crisis since the breakup of the soviet union, with tens of thousands of demonstrators saying veteran leader alexander lukashenko's alleged aug 9th re—election was rigged and is illegitimate. speaking from lithuania, ms tsikhanouskaya called for new elections. translation: today belarus has woken up. hundreds of thousands of people are coming out on the streets of the country and are prepared

to say, resign. thousands of workers have announced that they are on strike in order to say enough is enough. enough lying, intimidating, anarchy and violence. violence must stop. political prisoners must be released. and elections must be held anew, free, fair and transparent. our correspondentjonah fisher who is the belarus capital, minsk for us — was listening and sent his reaction. yes, i'm not sure i have ever heard a press conference by a politician where they have got through the answers so quickly. but some interesting things coming out. you could see in all her answers how delicate a position svetla na ti kha novs kaya is in at the moment. journalists there trying to push her to say something about russia and vladimir putin

and she does not want to go there. a sign of how sensitive questions about bela rus' relationship with russia are at the moment. her core message a similar one to the one we have been hearing for the last week or so since she went to lithuania from minsk, calling for the violence to stop, for political prisoners to be released, there are still reports, ongoing of people being detained here by the authorities and the call for free and fair and transparent elections, a rerun of what happened here less than two weeks ago, but this time conducted in a way the opposition feels is fair and they want international observers in on that.

hello, this is bbc news with martine croxall. the headlines: doctors treating the russian opposition activist alexei navalny say tests so far have found no traces of poison. his family is furious that medics say he's too ill to be moved to germany for treatment. the european union's chief brexit negotiator says talks with britain appear to be going backwards rather than forwards and it looks unlikely a deal can be made before the end of year deadline. uk tourists face a fresh race to return home from holiday — as those returning from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago from tomorrow are set to face two weeks isolation. new figures show that uk public sector debt has breached £2 trillion for the first time. the belarusian opposition leader calls on her supporters to step up their strikes to try and force new presidential elections — saying she will return as soon as she feels safe to do so. joe biden promises to lead america out of what he calls

its ‘season of darkness' as he formally accepts the democratic party presidential nomination. doctors want tighter controls on coronavirus antibody tests which are sold directly to the public — saying they're putting public health at risk. the royal college of pathologists has written to the health secretary warning that tests used without "professional back—up" increase the risk of false results. no home antibody test has been officially approved for private sale in the uk. i'm joined by professorjo martin, president of the royal college of pathologists. thank you forjoining us. tell us what is wrong with these tests. they are not approved for self use, that's the problem. the tests that you have in a laboratory are quality controlled and run by people, by scientists, by medics who actually know what they are doing and are trained to do it and they know that

they can test the tests themselves and make sure that they do absolutely what they are supposed to do, that they give the right result and they are properly used and do not falsely sure people. so it is really important we have proper regulation around really vital tests. you can understand why people are reaching for these things for some sense of security even if it turns out to be a false one. how accurate can some of the tests be? at the moment a lot of the tests that have been impounded have been recovered by the nhra, the medicines health care regulatory authority, the ones being sold illegally are outside the regulations are not accurate at all. they do not give appropriate results, there's not enough data to even reassure

yourself that they are even testing the right thing and that is why it is so important. could they be banned? they are not allowed, currently, but they are being sold. how can people get an effective antibody test? there is lots of access to appropriate antibody testing through the laboratories, through the nhs. if your doctor recommends that, through nhs staff have had access to antibody testing for some while now. it is possible to get appropriately regulated antibody testing through accredited la bs antibody testing through accredited labs but just antibody testing through accredited labs butjust don't buy them on the internet if they are being sold to you without any professional supervision. do not do it, it is not a good use of resources and it can be misleading. and a waste of money

if nothing else. what do we know about immunity to covid—19? it is a virus that is still quite a mystery in many respects, isn't it? yes it is. we are learning more and more the whole time. we are learning about how the body reacts to the virus and it reacts in two different ways. it reacts to antibody reactions, which is one of the first signs but it also reacts through sales, t cells that come in and help defend you against viruses. we haven't been absolutely sure is about how long anyone's reaction can be detected and if you do produce an immune reaction whether it will actually defend you from the virus as well so both of the two elements, and there are some really good

scientific work and research going on as we speak to try to answer some of these questions definitely. we know that if you have an antibody response it says that you have met the virus, that you have had contact with the virus, but we are increasingly finding out more about what that means in practice. because evenif what that means in practice. because even if you have some immunity for some period of time, do you know whether you can still carry the virus and effectively be spreading it even though you are immune?- the moment that is one of the questions that is being asked and increasingly being answered. we do not know whether you can carry the virus transiently and it won't actually infect you. we don't know whether if you have had the virus how long it is before you might possibly be infected again. we know

that for previous viruses like this effective immunity can last three yea rs or effective immunity can last three years or more. but we know sometimes that immunity can wane so the virus has been around since february, effectively, so we haven't got a long enough experience into really getting the data to be absolutely certain that we have some absolutely first class pathologists and biologists and scientists are working on this getting more and more information so we are learning more information so we are learning more every day about the virus and the immune reaction to it. professor martin, thank you so much for your time today. pleasure.

some breaking news about the russian opposition leader who is in hospital. it is claimed he has been poisoned but doctors have said there is no trace of poisoning and they have some information they will share. there are preliminary diagnosis is an abnormality of the metabolism and have avoided any talk of any talk of poisoning. the chief doctor says the diagnosis we are leaning towards is an abnormality of the carbohydrate balance. this is a local news website courting him and says it could have been caused by a

large fall in sugar levels which could have caused a loss of consciousness. this is why the doctor who is treating alexei navalny is explaining his collapse. "a battle of light against darkness" — that's how democrat presidential candidatejoe biden characterised the upcoming us election as he accepted his party's nomination to challenge donald trump for the white house in november. mr biden said his opponent had failed in his most basic duty — to protect americans from threats such as coronavirus. and he accused mr trump of not taking responsibility, refusing to lead and of ‘coseying up to dictators'. here's our north america correspondent david willis. this was the nominationjoe biden had sought for so long, having run for president unsuccessfully twice before. so it's with great honour,

and humility, i accept this nomination for president of the united states of america. # oh, one day... earlier, on the final night of the convention, tribute was paid to the democratic congressman and civil rights icon john lewis, who fought alongside martin luther king for the right to vote. a contender for the democrats passed for vice presidential nomination told the virtual gathering the time to exercise that right was now. we've cried out forjustice. we've gathered in our streets to demand change, and now we must pass on the giftjohn lewis sacrificed to give us. we must register and we must vote. voice of donald trump: will they be stolen from mailboxes as they get put in by the mailman? will they be taken from the mailmen and the mailwomen? the unifying force at this democratic convention had been donald trump, whether it was ridiculing him or branding him a threat to american democracy. but on the final night, the early emphasis was on stressing

their candidate's empathy through the story of a teenager whom he helped overcome a stutter. and withoutjoe biden, i wouldn't be talking to you today. i'm beau biden, and joe biden is my dad. and linking his own heart—wrenching story to the lives of millions americans suffering problems of their own. biden lost his son beau to brain cancer five years ago, his first wife and young daughter in a car accident 43 years before that. i have some idea how it feels to lose someone you love. i know that deep black hole that opens up in the middle of your chest and you feel like you're being sucked into it. i know how mean and cruel and unfair life can be sometimes. of the protests that followed the death of george floyd in minneapolis earlier this year, protest that president trump has condemned, joe biden had this to say.

maybe george floyd's murder was a breaking point. maybe john lewis's passing the inspiration. but however it has come to be, however it has happened, america's ready, injohn's words, to lay down "the heavy burden of hate" at last last and then the hard work of rooting out our systemic racism. a feature of this unconventional convention has been that instead of a background of cheering crowds, speeches have been delivered via video link from largely empty event centres in different parts of the country. joe biden and kamala harris intend to continue campaigning mostly virtually. the final ten weeks of this presidential campaign are shaping up to be one of the strangest ever. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. job vacancies across parts of the uk are down by more than three—quarters compared

with a year ago, according to data from the adzuna employment website.0ne company in leeds — where advertised vacancies are down by 83% received more than 1,000 applications for one job. spencer stokes reports. i haven't even had an interview, you know, not even a phone call, which has never happened. within a week of applying last year, i had, i think i had four orfive interviews in three or four days. sarah smith moved to leeds from london a year ago, and quickly found employment. she bought a house just before lockdown. but then lost herjob in may. since then, she's applied for 2,000 roles without success. it's scary, it's really scary. are we going to be able to cope? i managed to make my last pay stretch until august, and now i'm reliant on my partner. we can't actually get any help

with our finances at the minute because he's working. but it's a massive struggle. according to the jobs website adzuna, leeds, swindon and crawley have been particularly badly hit by the reduction in available work, all registering 80% falls in adverts placed on the adzuna website. more people chasing fewer roles means some firms have been overwhelmed with applications. like northern monk brewery in leeds. the hr manager here had the task of sifting through in excess of 1,000 candidates for a packing job. when we posted the job, within the first day, we had a really high number of applicants. we've never seen that before. we advertised the job for three weeks and at the end of that time we had had 1,021 applicants for the job which is just way above what we would normally see for an application. we've seen a significant rise in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits at the same time as we have seen vacancies falling by around two—thirds. so as a consequence, now across the whole economy, there's about seven people, seven people claiming benefits for every single vacancy.

whereas before the crisis it was more like about one to 1.5. there's never been a tougher time to be a job—seeker and to be looking for work. for sarah, thejob hunt goes on. she hopes to find work before the furlough scheme ends. something that's likely to make the employment market even more competitive. spencer stokes, bbc news, leeds. fears that pakistan's overcrowded cities would see high numbers of coronavirus deaths ? don t appear to have materialised. its left public health experts surprised and trying to establish why. even the government hadn t predicted cases would fall so quickly. but as the country opens up its economy further, there are warnings new spikes could still occur. secunder kermani reports. this is what coronavirus wards in pakistan looked like for a few weeks injune. now many look like this. and life is getting back to normal.

could this country, despite its weak health care system, have escaped the worst of coronavirus? so just how low are cases? per million of the population, pakistan has had far fewer covid—19 deaths and cases than the uk and other western countries. and it seems its major cities have even fared better than those neighbouring india. that's despite the government's reluctance to order a strict lockdown. we still have to be careful about the spread of the virus but on the other hand unless we open up the economy or we have millions facing starvation. but can we trust the data?

testing levels are low and the total number of cases much higher. but the proportion of tests which come back positive is also falling. so it does seem transmission is reducing. deaths are a better indicator. graveyards in major cities did see significant rises in burials that can't be explained by recorded coronavirus tests alone. but even including them, by international standards pakistan's death rate seems low. a simple question. why? pakistan has a much younger population, a younger age group. 65 years and above, which is the most vulnerable group with complications of coronavirus pakistan has just less than than 4% dead of that population. the virus in outbreaks also an important

factor which is how big the social circle of the population it is infecting? our social circles, how many people we see on a daily basis, is very limited in pakistan or in developing countries. the fall in cases did coincide with the new policy of targeted local lockdown is but they haven't been all that strict. meanwhile, mosques across the country have stayed open. experts are advising caution. there are indications that there is a greater awareness and that is likely to have played a role but is at the whole picture? i would say probably not, i think it is properly a bit more complex than that. i don't think it's as simple as there were higher deaths and suddenly it's gone down and then we've controlled it and we've transformed and this is a victory because we have seen and we've transformed and this is a victory because we have seen australia and other places,

that can be spikes again. there is still much we don't know about the virus and with the surge of domestic tourists now heading from cities to more rural areas the possibility of new outbreaks remains a concern. the world bank is warning that the coronavirus pandemic may have pushed up to 100 million people into extreme poverty. the bank's president, david malpass, said the figure could rise if the crisis continues or worsens. drag queen chi chi devayne, best known for appearing on two seasons of rupaul‘s drag race, has died aged 34. devayne, whose non—stage was zavion davenport, appeared on season eight of the show, as well as season three of rupaul‘s drag race all stars. she posted on instagram last week that she was in hospital for a chronic condition — the second time this year. rupaul paid tribute to her saying that he was "heartbroken" to learn of her death. the headlines on bbc news... doctors treating the russian opposition activist alexei navalny say tests so far have found no traces of poison. his family is furious that medics say he's too ill to be moved to germany for treatment. the european union's chief brexit negotiator says talks with britain appear to be going backwards rather than forwards and it looks unlikely a deal can

be made before the end of year deadline. uk tourists face a fresh race to return home from holiday — as those returning from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago from tomorrow are set to face two weeks isolation. dog owners in germany could soon have to exercise their animals twice a day, for at least an hour in total — or face prosecution. there could also be a ban on keeping dogs chained for long periods. jayne mccubbin reports coco! come on! honey! come on, honey! behold the pure unadulterated joy of walkies. the point is this. dogs love walkies, even dogs with tiny little legs.

she willjust go for miles and miles and she's loved lockdown because she's had so many walks. she'sjust, like, loving it. honey might look cute, but... don't be deceived, she's very vicious. do you think if she didn't go for walks, she would be more aggressive? definitely. 11096. in germany, they think walks are so important for dogs they want to enshrine them in law. you've heard of the reservoir dogs. well, these are a gang who hang out and go for walks, long, behaviour improving walks, with sarah, a professional walker. you're a great believer in walkies tackling dog depression. we are. have you seen examples of this? erm, yes. we had a chap who phoned us up to say that he had a full—time job and he came home

and there was a little bit of wall of his kitchen missing and then as the days went on, in the end the whole of the doorframe had been eaten away. oh, my goodness! a bid forfreedom. a bid for freedom, boredom, something to do, and just being left for a long time and now he comes out on the walkies with us. in germany, if legislation is voted through, dogs like nelly could be legally entitled to two walks a day for at least an hour a day. her humans approve. yeah, that's good. i'd agree with that. yeah, they need that much exercise and it's good for us as well, isn't it? she has been a very good girl. you guys are here because you can afford to have a dog walking service. how often do you do it? we do it every day of the week when we are at work. if this became the law and you were someone who couldn't afford to do a dog walking service, do you think that's fair? if you're working all day and you can't afford a dog walking service,

then really you probably shouldn't have a dog. while many might welcome the ethics of the legislation, is it really practical? let me introduce bertie and his human, matt. do you see the consequences of dogs that haven't got out enough? we do. we see an awful lot of overweight dogs with diabetes, heart disease, joint problems. as a vet, then, is this a policy you would like to see replicated in the uk? honestly, my opinion is no. i think a blanket policy like that is an issue for different breeds of dog, so the likes of your french bulldogs are going to struggle for longer walks, and similarly there is going to be some dogs that are going to need to go out for an awful lot longer. not all dogs are equal, just like their humans. and when dogs outnumber police officers 80 to one here, it's hard to see how a policy like this could ever be imported and enforced. the pop star taylor swift has donated £23,000 to a student so that she can take up

a maths course at warwick university. vitoria mario, who is portuguese but lives in london, set up an online fundraising page because she isn't eligible for any maintenance loans or grants. she'd already raised nearly half the money she needed when the american singer—songwriter chipped in the remainder, with a message saying "good luck with everything you do". speaking on bbc breakfast earlier, vitoria mario said how shocked she'd been when she found out the popstar had helped her out. i was asking friends to share, support, whatever they could do, and just out of the blue my friend messaged me saying taylor swift donated, but i didn't think it was the full amount,

and then when she screenshot the gofundme page for me and sent it to me i wasjust like, "wow, i need to sign in to check," and i did, and the money was there. i call it a blessing, personally, because for her to donate more than 50% of what i needed itjust blew my mind. i never expected that to happen. it was really different. in california, huge wildfires in the northern and central parts of the state have forced more than 60,000 people to evacuate. lightning strikes have sparked hundreds of blazes people to evacuate. lightning strikes have sparked hundreds of blazes which are spreading rapidly due to a record heat wave. aru na iyengar reports. the town of vacaville, looking like a vision of hell, which, for the residents, it is, like karen stickler. there is little left of the house that she lived in for 30 years. i thought, no, we'll be right back and i don't think we will be evacuated for long. well, guess what? this was the one that got us. shawnee had to grab her mother and leave without their six pets. yeah, we're sad. you want to take them but you're not prepared — where's my carrier7 where's my food?

no, where's your mother! get your mother and let's go! lightning strikes earlier in the week started the fires and the prolonged heat wave has kept them going. across the state, 60,000 people have been evacuated with the fires burning through 350,000 acres. two people have died fighting the fires and still they burn on, with no end in sight. aruna iyengar, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas we have already seen some strong winds so far this morning and they are going to strengthen further as we head on into the afternoon. there is an unseasonably deep area of low pressure bringing gales for many of us today. it will be a mix of sunshine and showers but the weather could cause some disruption to travel, perhaps some power cuts, and the threat of coastal flooding because the winds are rotating around this big area of low pressure, pushing in some large waves.

there are spring tides as well so particularly for parts of wales, southern and south—western england, you have that threat of coastal flooding. flood warnings also for parts of northern england and coastal parts of scotland as well. a mix of sunshine and scattered showers. the fewest showers for east anglia and the south—east and northern scotland should see some sunshine this afternoon. 50 to 60 mph even inland around the coast for wales, southern england 60 or even 70 mph. disruptive gusts of wind for many others out there today. coming from the south—west so it is still mild. most places we are looking at about 18 to 22 celsius. this evening those winds will start to ease a little bit. still heavy showers rattling through on the breeze. could be the odd rumble of thunder as well but mild overnight. through the day tomorrow a fairly blustery sort of day because low pressure is not far away but it is starting to drift off toward scandinavia so the winds will not be as strong as today. still blustery with a mix of sunshine and scattered showers. most will be into england and north wales. gusts will be about 25 to 35 mph

tomorrow for most of us, not as disruptive as today. temperatures down a touch. still reasonably mild. high teens for scotland and northern ireland but fresher air backing in from the north on sunday so a cooler day for scotland and northern ireland. this is a cold front which will be pushing south. drier further south—west. temperatures down a little in recent days. it is very windy out there today. it turns less windy through the weekend and fresher into next week.

this is bbc news, the headlines... tourists face a fresh race to return home from holiday — as those coming back from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago from tomorrow are set to face two weeks isolation. we try to just provide a little bit of relief in there, opportunities as we see the numbers go up, but not shooting right the way up, to come home, so it's a question of finding a balance. new figures show that public sector debt has breached two—trillion pounds for the first time. the european union's chief brexit negotiator reveals talks with britain are not going well as he says it looks unlikely a deal can be made before the end of year deadline. too often this week, it felt as if we we re

too often this week, it felt as if we were going backwards more than forwards. joe biden promises to lead america out of what he calls its ‘season of darkness‘ as he formally accepts the democratic party presidential nomination. and the pop star taylor swift donates £23,000 to a student so that she can take up a maths course at warwick university. good afternoon, portugal has been removed from the uk‘s travel quarantine list, but travellers returning from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago will have to self—isolate for 14 days. the changes apply to anyone arriving after 4 am on saturday. let‘s just remind ourselves of how we ended up here.

back injune, the government announced everyone arriving back in the country would have to self—isolate for 14 days. there were no exempted countries at that point. on the 10thjuly, so—called travel corridors were introduced. it meant there was a list of countries exempt from the quarantine, places where holidays were deemed ‘safer‘. butjust a week or so later there was chaos when holiday—makers in spain were given just hours to get back to the uk before they‘d have to self—isolate. it came after a spike of cases in the popular holiday destination. last week france was also taken off the exempt list which led to confusion for both travel companies and travellers. and, last night it was announced croatia, austria, and trinidad and tobago also lost their exempt status. the new rules become effective from 4am tomorrow. simonjones reports. the beaches in portugal look set to get a whole lot busier. the country has been added to the uk‘s safe travel list as coronavirus cases there fall. last year it attracted

2.5 million british tourists. portugal‘s prime minister tweeted... but holiday firms are warning, it won‘t be enough to save the summer. it‘s going to be too late for the peak season. it‘s a very blunt instrument to use quarantine in the way that it has been used. and people have been extremely nervous of travelling anyway during august. and from 4am tomorrow morning, anyone visiting croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago will now have to quarantine for 14 days when they reach the uk. it follows a rise in the rate of coronavirus infections in those countries. theyjoin other holiday destinations including spain and france to which the foreign office advises against all nonessential travel. in croatia, there is sun, sea and now stress for those aiming to get home before the deadline. i should have been going to france last weekend and due to the quarantine on france,

i changed my flight to croatia. my daughter's fiance and his family all live here. but she booked me a flight home tomorrow in case this did happen. many of the 20,000 british tourists in croatia will also be heading to the airport. others, though, are resigned to isolation when they return to the uk. i think we'lljust stay and then go back and then have to quarantine. and with the british government prepared to add or remove countries from its list of travel corridors at short notice, it‘s not the easiest time for those looking to get away from it all. simon jones, bbc news. well, this morning, transport secretary, grant shapps asked whether he thought covid—19 testing at uk airports could remove the need for air bridges — given how many changes there has been to the uk quarantine list. the transport secretary said the long incubation period of the disease meant airport testing

would be difficult to implement. if you test somebody on day one when they come into the country, it may only find — and these figures are of course debated and disputed by scientists and medical experts — but it may only find 7% of people who are asymptomatic, in other words, people who don't know they have coronavirus and if you have it you shouldn't be travelling anyway, of course. so it's not very helpful on day one. you then need to potentially test on day eight to get a very high percentage. you then need the results and by then you could be in a position where you have taken up quite a lot of time in quarantine. it's not quite as simple as it is sometimes presented. however, it's something we are very interested in and we are working on, on how that can be delivered reliably. many other countries have been setting out their own travel rules and restrictions. so how do they compare with the uk? germany‘s 16 federal states have the final say on lockdown measures, and testing at airports is now compulsory for all people coming from high—risk countries. in france travellers

with symptoms of the virus — or those who cannot prove the results of a virology test will be required to quarantine. people from many nations outside europe are also subject to compulsory quarantine. any person who enters canada by air sea or land is required to self—isolate for 14 days whether or not they have symptoms of the virus. the united states has barred entry of all foreign nationals who had visited china, iran and a group of european countries during the previous 14 days. people entering new zealand are required to quarantine for at least 14 days in an approved facility, they will also need to return a negative test before they can travel around the country. france has reported a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases up by a thousand since wednesday. it is the first time more than 4,000 daily cases have been seen since may. meanwhile spain, germany and italy have also recorded their highest numbers of cases since late april or may. the uk registered a further

1,182 cases on thursday. we can speak now to martina jamnig, uk director of the austrian national tourist office. as we have been reporting, austria has just been added to the uk‘s quarantine list. thank you forjoining us, what is your reaction to the uk government‘s decision? obviously we didn't expect it, especially because austria is quite a safe country. we do lots of tests, especially in tourism spots. how much warning did you get? half a day. so what are the implications for austria being on this list? we just have to wait now as other countries have to wait, marketing —wise we had to stop everything, but

we are sure that in the next two or three weeks we will be on the normal travel card list again for the uk. how important our visitors from the uk to austria ? how important our visitors from the uk to austria? the uk is the fourth or fifth most important market for us, especially now in the season. or fifth most important market for us, especially now in the seasonm is not just us, especially now in the seasonm is notjust someone that people like to visit austria. how likely is it that the ski season will go ahead in austria? well, we hope that it will go ahead. key resources on guidelines and tests, and that people visiting us will be safe. which other countries have put austria on its quarantine list? that isa austria on its quarantine list? that is a good question, i don‘t know. i

think it is mainly the uk. and what about austria ? do think it is mainly the uk. and what about austria? do you have a list of quarantine countries as well? yes, obviously. yes, so countries on our list which have a high number of infections. it is very much a movable picture. thank you very much for joining movable picture. thank you very much forjoining us. thank you. and just after 2.30, we‘ll be answering your questions on the latest travel restrictions. i will be joined by quarantine expert professor linda bauld from the university of edinburgh and emma coulthurst from travelsupermarket. you can email your questions to yourquestions@bbc.co.uk or tweet them to the hash tag bbc your questions. that‘s coming up at 2.30 this afternoon. some breaking newsjust in: the attorney general suella

braverman has referred the sentences of pc andrew harper‘s killers henry long, albert bowers and jessie cole to the court of appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. you may recall these three men were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced at the old bailey at the end ofjuly. henry long was sentenced to 16 years in prison and albert bowers and jesse cole sentenced to 13 years in prison. the attorney general said this was a horrific crime that resulted in the death of a much respected police officer while on duty. having said the details of this shocking case, i have decided to refer this case to the court of appeal. attacks made against emergency workers will not be tolerated and offenders should be punished with the greatest severity for such heinous crimes. pc harper suffered fatal injuries when his ankles got caught

in a strap trailing behind a vehicle driven by henry long on 15 august 2019. a date for this court of appeal hearing hasn‘t yet been set. uk government debt has risen above two trillion pounds for the first time, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. the office for national statistics said the government borrowed 26.7 billion pounds injuly. our economics correspondent, andrew walker, puts that two trillion figure into context for us. in relation to national income or the size of the economy it takes that figure over 100%. that‘s the first time it has been that large relative to the economy since the early 1960s. i suppose one compensating factor is that interest rates are low, very low, and if anything they have got even lower since the pandemic hit, partly as a result of bank of england interest rate moves and other policy initiatives it has

taken partly as a result of the weakness of the economy so it means the cost of servicing the debt is actually relatively well contained and it‘s not a major issue in itself. also worth noting that even in relation to the size of the national economy, we are still a very, very long way from all—time highs, which happened in the past in the aftermath of wars. but for peacetime levels of public finances, it‘s an uncomfortably high figure at the very least. new figures this morning also show uk retail sales rose above pre—pandemic levels in july, as a rebound in demand continued. the office for national statistics said retail sales volumes rose by 3.6% betweenjune and july. it said sales are now 3% higher than february, before the world health organization declared a pandemic and the uk was placed in lockdown. the eu‘s chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, has said he‘s "disappointed and surprised" that trade talks have not sped up

and warned there is "very little time left" to conclude negotiations. the transition period ends on the 31st of december the need for a level playing field is not going to go away, even if the uk continues to insist on a low—quality agreement on goods and services only. it is a non—negotiable precondition to grant access to a market of 450 million citizens, given the uk‘s geographic proximity and the intensity of our economic exchanges. we are asking for nothing more but nothing less, nothing less, that what prime minister borisjohnson committed to in ourjoint political declaration last october together with the 27 eu leaders.

david frost — the uk‘s chief negotiator — said: "we have had useful discussions this week but there has been little progress. we are seeking a relationship which ensures we regain sovereign control of our own laws, borders, and waters, and centred upon a trading relationship based on an free trade agreement like those the eu has concluded with a range of other international partners. when the eu accepts this reality in all areas of the negotiation, it will be much easier to make progress." "a battle of light against darkness" — that‘s how democrat presidential candidatejoe biden characterised the upcoming us election as he accepted his party‘s nomination to challenge donald trump for the white house in november. mr biden said his opponent had failed in his most basic duty — to protect americans from threats such as coronavirus. here‘s our north america correspondent david willis.

this was the nominationjoe biden had sought for so long, having run for president unsuccessfully twice before. so it‘s with great honour, and humility, i accept this nomination for president of the united states of america. # oh, one day... earlier, on the final night of the convention, tribute was paid to the democratic congressman and civil rights icon john lewis, who fought alongside martin luther king for the right to vote. voice of donald trump: will they be stolen from mailboxes as they get put in by the mailman? will they be taken from the mailmen and the mailwomen? the unifying force at this democratic convention had been donald trump, whether it was ridiculing him or branding him a threat to american democracy. on the final night, the early emphasis was on stressing their candidate‘s empathy through the story of a teenager who he helped overcome a stutter. and withoutjoe biden, i wouldn‘t be talking to you today.

i'm beau biden, and joe biden is my dad. and linking his own heart wrenching story to the lives of millions americans suffering problems of their own. biden lost his son beau to brain cancer five years ago, his first wife and young daughter in a car accident 43 years before that. i have some idea how it feels to lose someone you love. i know that deep black hole it opens up in the middle of your chest and you feel like you‘re being sucked into it. i know how mean and cruel and unfair life can be sometimes. a feature of this unconventional convention has been that instead of a background of cheering crowds, speeches have been delivered via video link from largely empty event centres in different parts of the country. joe biden and kamala harris intend to continue campaigning mostly virtually. the final ten weeks of this presidential campaign are shaping up to be one of the strangest ever.

david willis, bbc news, los angeles. our correspondent barbara plett usher is in washington. what were the themes thatjoe biden really concentrated on? he you some pretty stark language at times. —— he used. he did, i think his overall theme was he was the candidate who could unite the country at a time of chaos in the administration, the trump administration, and at a time of crisis during the pandemic. use the speech to draw a really clear between him and president trump, almost every sentence some sort of sharp contrast because i think he needed to show he wasn‘t trump, he was the necessary can it scratch a candidate to replace trump but he was an appealing candidate. he presented his policy but his character. building on his own personal history of tragedy and challenge to show he could hear and

respond to americans and heal the nation. he also, despite this contrast with what he called a darkness in the country, he knew that the audience wanted to hear also about optimism and possibility and he stressed that for more than some of the other keynote speakers this week. he ended his speech on that, using that imagery of the light. | that, using that imagery of the light. i will that, using that imagery of the light. i will ally with the light. it was a very powerful speech in terms of words, but it was also powerful in terms of delivery and that was also important, may be equally as important, because president trump has been musing about his mental capacity for weeks saying he is not up to the job, about his mental capacity for weeks saying he is not up to thejob, so he needed to show he was clear and firm and he needed to sound like a president. and he did, he met the moment. democrats had also been wondering about how he would do. he had faltering moments on the campaign trail, they know he is uneven when it comes to performances and afterwards, one commentator said, you know that sound you are hearing? that is democrats across the country breathing a sigh of relief. what are the polls are saying about voter intentions? they

polls still give mr biden a fairly co mforta ble polls still give mr biden a fairly comfortable lead, around eight percentage points which is quite good at this time in the campaign. it is not clear at this point whether the convention will give him a bump in the polls as often happens, because of this unprecedented spiritual experiment, so we don‘t know exactly how many people were each —— virtual experiment. but also because the republican convention is next week and they will spend their time tearing down what mr biden has been trying to build up. as they go into the election period, things get much more uncertain. this was a very scripted week, now we are not quite clear what will happen. mr biden has been trying to present himself as an appealing alternative to mr trump, not only to the country but to his own party because they are united trying to get rid of the current president, but he wanted to say to them, iam president, but he wanted to say to them, i am also somebody who can be... to commit what you want and thatis

be... to commit what you want and that is a difficult thing, because the democratic party, the coalition is diverse factions of gender and race and ideology, so he tried very much to address that this week, but also to create a bigger tent, appealed to the wider american audience, bringing in disaffected republicans and saying i can be somebody at this point he will be able to hear the nation, i hear what you‘re saying and i can help you with this. it is a time for everybody to draw breath and relax, maybe i am the candidate to help you do that. thank you very much. the headlines on bbc news... tourists face a fresh race to return home from holiday — as those coming back from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago from tomorrow are set to face two weeks isolation. the attorney general has referred the sentences of the killers of pc andrew harper to the court of appeal. doctors treating the russian opposition activist alexei navalny say tests so far have found no traces of poison. his family is furious that medics say he‘s too ill to be moved to germany for treatment.

the mystery over the condition of leading russian opposition activist alexei navalny has deepened. leading russian opposition activist the fierce and outspoken critic of president putin collapsed yesterday while on a flight to moscow and is now in a coma in hospital. his supporters claim he was poisoned via a substance added to his tea — but one of the doctors in charge of his care has this morning said that so far no traces of poison have been in his system. mr navalny‘s aides have insisted he is transferred to germany for treatment, but the hospital says he‘s too ill to be moved. and in the last few minutes the head doctor at the omsk hospital has released a statement — saying that a chemical substance was found on mr navalny‘s clothes and skin, but that it is a normal household chemical which we all use, and it wasn‘t found inside his body. he went on to explain the hospital‘s main diagnosis at the moment. translation: our main working

diagnosis is a metabolic imbalance, this may have been caused by a sudden drop in his blood sugar levels in the plane which could have caused him to lose consciousness. at this point doctors are doing everything possible to bring mr navalny out of his coma. up to a quarter of a million people are said to be at risk of being made homeless in england, when the government ban on evictions ends this weekend. ministers are being urged to extend the ban for those unable to pay their rent — as has already happened in scotland and northern ireland. this morning, the transport secretary grant shapps said he believed there would be "further announcements shortly", but had no further details. our home editor mark easton reports. as we emerge from lockdown, for tens of thousands of people in england there is deep anxiety. notjust of the virus but of losing their home. covid cost david hisjob in high wycombe in buckinghamshire, and, as the temporary ban on evictions comes to an end, he worries about his family‘s future. we had guaranteed income and now we don‘t.

we do get some support from universal credit to help with things. but in all honesty, it‘s not enough. itjust doesn‘t cut everything. do you think you‘ll be able to stay in your house? it‘s difficult times, there is a possibility that we could end up losing our home. david‘s landlord has been understanding up to now but, like thousands in high wycombe, the terror of losing your income and then your home looms large. landlords too are worried that they may fall victim to the financial impact of the virus. vikram daws advises many in high wycombe. landlords will have very real problems because they themselves are running businesses, so there's a lot at stake for the landlords who could in turn as a consequence become homeless themselves. the ending of the furlough scheme in october is expected to expose the true scale of the economic damage, with many suddenly unable to afford their rent and a court system unable to cope with the consequences.

hundreds of eviction cases are already waiting to be heard here at high wycombe county court. across england, the queue is thought to be around 40,000 cases long. but social distancing means the courts cannot operate at full capacity so it could take more than a yearjust to get through the backlog while more and more people join the wait for judgment. landlords must send the court a reactivation notice to restart eviction proceedings, giving thejudge details of the impact of covid. lawyers warn of impending chaos. you‘re going to have, without a shadow of a doubt, people whose lives are ruined by this. it‘s just going to be months of uncertainty for everyone involved. housing departments fear a huge increase in homelessness. here in high wycombe, councillors are bracing themselves for tough times ahead. we will look to house people as locally as possible to where they currently live, where they have friends and relatives. if that can't be done for whatever reason, then we may have to look at alternative accommodation,

potentially using hotels or whatever. the government is being urged to extend the evictions ban and provide more support for tenants whose finances have been laid low by coronavirus. we‘re very concerned that when the ban lifts next week we‘re going to see tens of thousands of people who are put at risk of losing their home and potentially becoming homeless as a result of that. the eviction ban has already been extended in scotland and northern ireland. wales has agreed to a support package. ministers in england are now under pressure to ensure tenants and landlords are protected from a virus that could take away the roof over people‘s heads. mark easton, bbc news, high wycombe. our political correspondent, nick eardley is at westminster. the government under pressure to intervene and extend this provision. huge pressure, partly because opposition parties here are really worried that, as you heard in the

peace there, that when evictions start up again, tens of thousands of people could end up potentially homeless. also because scotland, wales and northern ireland have all introduced measures designed to mitigate the impact. in scotland and northern ireland, that is a full extension to the ban, in wales so far it is doubling the amount of time that you have to give notice for if you are going to evict someone. my understanding is ministers are looking at lengthening the ban on evictions. it would be a short but full extension to the current policy, we do not know the full details but i think we will get them this afternoon, so potentially there could be some movement on that that will provide some certainty to those several tens of thousands of people who are currently facing the uncertainty over the next few days. asi uncertainty over the next few days. as i say, the political pressure on this has been considerable. labour and the lib dems, both very worried about what would happen if there isn‘t an extension. have a

listen to the shadow housing minister. the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour and so faroverthe future behaviour is past behaviour and so far over the last couple of weeks, we have seen numerous u—turns from an incompetent government that has left things to last minute. i hope they will back down and halt the end of the eviction span. there are a couple good reasons why that might be tricky and it is their response polity and incompetence that has left this until friday with so many people uncertain and fearful about what is going to happen next. that is tenants, counsellors, landlords, housing advisors and the general public who are worried about the public health implications, possibly a quarter of a million people being made homeless. the government could get a grip today and at least bring in some emergency procedures to make sure we don't end up procedures to make sure we don't end up with this crisis happening on monday. that is labour's view and even we do get, as we expect at the moment, some announcement this afternoon potentially extending the ban on evictions in england, it will

come late in the day for a lot of people and a lot of uncertainty has on because by the fact it is friday and the ban is due to end on sunday. for the moment, thank you very much. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello. we‘ve got some unseasonably windy weather on the cards through the next few days. today, those winds could cause some disruption. there‘s also the risk of coastal flooding across parts of south—west england, wales and further north, across northern england and into scotland, there are flood warnings also in force here. gusts of wind about 40—50 mph inland, but around exposed coasts it could be around 60 mph or more, enough to bring down small trees, with large waves around the coasts as well. 25 degrees in the warmest spots, but typically the high teens or low 20s. through this evening and tonight, winds will ease a little bit but it will stay blustery and there will be further heavy showers, particularly in the north and west, where you could hear the odd rumble of thunder. still mild with temperatures overnight sitting in the mid—teens. through the day tomorrow, a similar day to today, sunny spells, scattered, blustery showers. the wind is not quite as strong. gusts typically about 25—35 mph

through the day tomorrow. still quite a windy sort of day. temperatures a little bit cooler than today, 15—22. goodbye for now.

hello, this is bbc news with martine croxall. the headlines: tourists face a fresh race to return home from holiday — as those coming back from croatia, austria and trinidad and tobago from tomorrow are set to face two weeks in isolation. the attorney general has referred the sentences of the killers of pc andrew harper to the court of appeal. doctors treating the russian opposition activist alexei navalny say tests so far have found no traces of poison. his family is furious that medics say he‘s too ill to be moved to germany for treatment.

new figures show that public sector debt has breached £2 trillion for the first time. the european union‘s chief brexit negotiator reveals talks with britain are not going well as he says it looks unlikely a deal can be made before the end of year deadline. joe biden promises to lead america out of what he calls its ‘season of darkness‘ as he formally accepts and the pop star taylor swift donates £23,000 to a student so that she can take up a maths course at warwick university.

we‘ll go shortly to cardiff where the welsh government is giving an update on it‘s coronavirus restrictions. the belarus opposition leader, svetla na ti kha novs kaya, has urged her supporters to step up their strikes at factories across the country to try and force new presidential elections. belarus is facing its biggest political crisis since the break—up of the soviet union, with tens of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets daily to protest against the re—election of president lukashenko. mark drakeford mark dra keford has mark drakeford has appeared. today i will set out the outcome of the seventh review of coronavirus regulations here. we began the process of easing lockdown measures as long ago as the 11th of may when we lifted restrictions on the number of times a day people could exercise outdoors. since those first tentative steps we have been able to go on carefully and cautiously

easing the restrictions on our lives at every one of the three weekly views. that process always begins here with an assessment of the virus here with an assessment of the virus here in wales. i am pleased to report here this afternoon that the virus remains effectively suppressed here in wales and that the key indicators continue to move in the right direction. indeed wales is the only part of the united kingdom where in the last week the daily rate of new infections continues to fall. the positivity rate, the percentage of tests which are returned as positive, continues to fall. the positivity rate, the percentage of tests which are returned as positive,, continues to

fall. a rate of 0.3%. in five of the last seven days no deaths from the virus have been reported here in wales. but of course there still are dates on which family and friends for the stark reality of losing a loved one to this illness and with a day one death are more wee pauses ever to remember those whose lives have been cut short and those who remain behind are suffering their loss. as well as keeping on top of all the figures about the incidence of coronavirus in wales, we have to make sure that our test, track, protect system continues to perform well. the latest figures show that

88% of tests requiring rapid turnaround were completed within one day last week. since the system was introduced, 90% of all positive cases have been successfully contacted and 90% of their contacts in turn have been successfully traced. while we continue to see local peaks, traced. while we continue to see local pea ks, such traced. while we continue to see local peaks, such outbreaks have either been successfully ended or are under effective control. and all of this suggests that we are well placed to make further positive adjustments to coronavirus restrictions on wheels. i must strike one note of caution. while our present position is strong, the position in other parts of united kingdom and across the world becoming more challenging, with further quarantine arrangements reimposed from thorium tomorrow ——

from 4am tomorrow for visitors returning from croatia, ustralia and trinidad and tobago. restrictions have been extended locally in the north of england as daily infections rates rise above 1000 a day in england. northern ireland has seen a tenfold increase in new cases each day with restrictions imposed again across northern ireland yesterday. scotla nd across northern ireland yesterday. scotland recorded 77 new cases yesterday, the highest number there for nearly three months. the point i am making is that we in wales are not immune of the challenges being faced elsewhere. and that is particularly the case of where we see here that a minority of people and businesses continue to act as though the coronavirus regulations do not apply to them. their actions pose a threat to themselves and to

others. and more can and will be donein others. and more can and will be done in wales to engage and educate and if necessary enforce the rules which keep us all safe. taken together, all of this means we have together, all of this means we have to be especially cautious in lifting what remains of the lockdown. and we have agreed the following measures for the next three weeks. from the 22nd of august, the number of households who can come together to form a single extended household will double from two to four and on the same day weddings and funerals will be able to include a meal for up will be able to include a meal for up to 30 people in suitably socially distancing settings. also from the

29th of august, the middle week, casinos will be able to reopen and ca re casinos will be able to reopen and care homes will be allowed to organise visits indoors for the first time in many months. we will also organise pilots for outdoor events in the arts and sports with up events in the arts and sports with up to 100 people taking part and if these are successful and the state of coronavirus aloes, our intention will be to be able to do more of that in the future. and as the slide shows from the 1st of september at schools and colleges will start to return from the summer break. in this final point is our priority during this three week cycle and most of the headroom we have is being devoted to ensuring that schools, both staff and students, can makea schools, both staff and students, can make a successful and safe return. as usual, we will also use

the next three weeks to prepare for possible further lockdown lifting measures in the future. during this three weeks, we will focus on preparing for groups of people who earn a living from music tuition, for example, by working on other peoples homes. we will looking safely resuming small group meetings indoors. weight loss classes, book clu bs indoors. weight loss classes, book clubs and face—to—face training events for example. and finally we will use these three weeks to learn from the pilots taking place across the uk to other continual engagement with event organisers regarding the possible resumption of some of their activities later in the autumn. for now however we continue with a cautious, careful and step—by—step approach which has stood us in good

stead. thank you. thank you all for everything that you do to help keep wales safe. the measures i have been able to announce this afternoon are only possible because of everything you do to stick by the rules which protect us all. happy note to take some questions. firstly to felicity evans of bbc wales. could you answer this in welsh as well as english? even the plans to return to school other priority for the welsh government and the attempts to get pupils back at the end of last term forfour pupils back at the end of last term for four weeks pupils back at the end of last term forfour weeks run pupils back at the end of last term for four weeks run into pupils back at the end of last term forfour weeks run into problems, we have also seen the chaos of the exam results recently, how much confidence can parents and pupils have this will go according to plan in two weeks‘ time?

have this will go according to plan in two weeks' time? i think parents and pupils can have confidence that schools in wales will be open and reopen successfully as come september. we are unique in the united kingdom and having that experience from june and july for a school is actually open very successfully, all schools in wales reopened and all pupils in wales we re reopened and all pupils in wales were able to attend and we have learned a great deal from that. i visited a school in cardiff earlier this week with a head teacher told me of the lessons that they learnt from that experience, how they are applying them for the reopening in september. we are in close touch with colleagues in scotland we are schools have already returned and there are things we can learn from them as well. and by using the headroom we have in the next three week cycle primarily for the purpose of reopening schools. i think this demonstrates we are putting the successful and safe reopening of schools right at the very top of our

agenda. he speaks welsh. just to recap what the first minister of mark drakeford recap what the first minister of mark dra keford wales, recap what the first minister of mark drakeford wales, has been saying that they will be running pilots of outdoor events in wales of up pilots of outdoor events in wales of up to 300 people to see how those events work out and whether they can extend them and allow them to happen in other parts of the country. he said from the 29th of august indoor visits to care homes will be able to resume in wales. there will be strict rules for those visits set out in the guidance but care home visits can start again. also on that date casinos in wales will be allowed to reopen. both moves subject to coronavirus remaining under control, of course. but he said of the last five of the last

seven days there have thankfully been no deaths from coronavirus in wales. are there particular insta nces wales. are there particular instances that are of concern to you and can we expect to see a crackdown on noncompliance? there are specific incidents that we see and have reported to us by the police and local authorities. we see gatherings in some places people within their own homes or outside which plainly are not within the rules that apply here in wales. over the whole period since march 500 businesses have closed as as a result of actions taken by local authorities. closed as as a result of actions ta ken by local authorities. in closed as as a result of actions taken by local authorities. in the valley early days that was often businesses —— might very early days that was often businesses that did not understand the lockdown requirements but local authorities have new powers he then wales now which they have begun to use. within another couple of weeks we will have another couple of weeks we will have a better sense of how those new powers are being used and how

effectively they are being used but early reports are encouraging. i still believe the best methods are to engage, to educate, to explain and most businesses and most individuals when they have that explanation do the right thing. put a small minority persist in doing things that are selfish because the cause harm to others as well as themselves then we will not hesitate to make sure the powers that they are on the actions are taken so that harm to others cannot take place. thank you, over to adrian masters at itv wales. with cases so low and we also she explained an coronavirus not even in the top ten causes of death in wales, can you explain the decision not to allow care home visits to resume straightaway from

tomorrow? are you being too cautious? adrian, reopening care home visits indoors as i think one of the most serious decisions we take. the majority of care homes in wales have had no case of coronavirus but we know that once coronavirus but we know that once coronavirus gets into a care home it isa coronavirus gets into a care home it is a very vulnerable population and we have seen the devastation the virus can cause. and there is only essentially one of three ways in which a virus gets into a care home. either a resident brings it are a member of staff brings it are a visitor brings it in and since the beginning of the pandemic we were not allowed visits other than in truly exceptional circumstances and save the care home. sincejune we have had visits taking place outside. care homes have worked really ha rd to outside. care homes have worked really hard to make a success of that but there are care home and nursing home residents were simply

too frail to be able to meet in the outdoors. so carefully and with a lot of advice and guidance what i am seeing today is that as from next saturday visits can resume inside ca re saturday visits can resume inside care homes. it is not an instruction, as ever. we are not ordering care homes to do it because every ca re ordering care homes to do it because every care home will need to make its own assessment but the permission as though they for those visits to take place and i know there will be many families and residents to whom this will make an enormous difference. but care homes are such vulnerable places that it is right we take a different level of caution before we allow those visits to take place. thank you. can ask about testing? there is some evidence that testing in wales are still underused and you are looking to increase it with the lab and

regional hospital labs. are you considering mass testing for everybody? that is not our current intention. the circulation of the virus in wales that such a low ebb that there are a few people with symptoms and few people coming forward for testing and we have spare opacity in our system at the moment. the reason we are increasing that capacity and we announced £32 billion extra for testing in this autumn is that we are sure we will enter a period in which it will be very difficult for the lay to distinguish between the symptoms of coronavirus and symptoms of colds and flu stop if you think you have the symptoms we want you to have a test and we wanted to have the results of that test as quickly as can make it. we are at our benign moment in the cycle now but come the autumn and winter that will become more difficult, we will need more

tests a nd more difficult, we will need more tests and more capacity and we are using the time we have no to prepare for that in advance rather than waiting for when the problem happens. thank you. adam hale at pa. given the priority of people for regulations and wheels do not jeopardise pupils and to stay in school when they do so, is what we have in terms of liberty is more or less what we will have for the rest of the year? i still think we have some things we would like to be able to do under some of them towards the end of the statement today we know there are people who and their living by carrying out work on other peoples homes. if we could find a

way of doing that safely we would like to end as we go into the autumn and winterfor your like to end as we go into the autumn and winter for your meeting outside will be more difficult allowing community centres to have small groups of people coming together for social purposes and to enjoy each other‘s company provided it can be done safely is something we would like to be able to achieve as well andi like to be able to achieve as well and i remain acutely aware of the major event sector in wales which has not been able to resume at all. but i do have to say to all of those sectors and indeed to the things we have been able to do already that schools will be our top priority going into the autumn. and if the coronavirus does not remain at the very suppressed level it currently is, then we will think about schools first as we still try to find some headroom to go on in the gradual step—by—step way we have restoring freedoms to people in wales. the

first minister of wales explaining her restrictions there will be next lifted. doctors want tighter controls on coronavirus antibody tests which are sold directly to the public — saying they‘re putting public health at risk. the royal college of pathologists has written to the health secretary warning that tests used without "professional back—up" increase the risk of false results. no home antibody test has been officially approved for private sale in the uk. the world bank is warning that the coronavirus pandemic may have pushed up to 100 million people into extreme poverty. the bank‘s president, david malpass, said the figure could rise if the crisis continues or worsens. advertised job vacancies are down by more than three—quarters compared with a year ago, in many parts of the uk. the data — from the adzuna employment website — suggests leeds topped the list with vacancies down by 83%.

one company there received more than 1,000 applications for one job, as spencer stokes reports. i haven‘t even had an interview, you know, not even a phone call, which has never happened. within a week of applying last year, i had, i think i had four orfive interviews in the course of three or four days. sarah smith moved to leeds from london a year ago, and quickly found employment. she bought a house just before lockdown. but then lost herjob in may. since then, she‘s applied for 2,000 roles without success. it‘s scary, it‘s really scary. are we going to be able to cope? i managed to make my last pay stretch until august, and now i‘m reliant on my partner. we can‘t actually get any help with our finances at the minute because he‘s working. but it‘s a massive struggle. according to the jobs website adzuna, leeds, swindon and crawley have been particularly badly hit by the reduction in available work, all registering 80% falls in adverts placed on the adzuna website.

more people chasing fewer roles means some firms have been overwhelmed with applications. like northern monk brewery in leeds. the hr manager here had the task of sifting through in excess of 1,000 candidates for a packing job. when we posted the job, within the first day, we had a really high number of applicants. we‘ve never seen that before. we advertised the job for three weeks and at the end of that time we had had 1,021 applicants for the job which is just way above what we would normally see for an application. we've seen a significant rise in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits at the same time as we have seen vacancies falling by around two—thirds. so as a consequence, now across the whole economy, there's about seven people, seven people claiming benefits for every single vacancy. whereas before the crisis it was more like about one to 1.5. there's never been a tougher time to be a job—seeker and to be looking for work. for sarah, thejob hunt goes on. she hopes to find work before the furlough scheme ends. something that‘s likely to make the employment market

even more competitive. spencer stokes, bbc news, leeds. the pop star taylor swift has donated £23,000 to a student so that she can take up a maths course at warwick university. vitoria mario, who is portuguese but lives in london, set up an online fundraising page because she isn‘t eligible for any maintenance loans or grants. she‘d already raised nearly half the money she needed when the american singer—songwriter chipped in the remainder, she‘d already raised nearly half the money she needed when the american singer—songwriter chipped in the remainder, for many of us getting rid of ‘lockdown hair‘ was top of the to—do list — when restrictions on hairdressers were lifted. but it seems not everyone is rushing back to them — some people are embracing the natural colour which began to peek through and have chosen to "go grey gracefully". emma clifford bell reports.

these women all have something in common. they are embracing their natural grey hair and ditching the dye. as life returns to the new normal, they won‘t be returning to the salon. two months into lockdown, i was absolutely desperate to get it coloured. and then i think ijust had a wee light bulb moment. as soon as i made the decision, that was it, i knew at that point there was no going back. everything revolved around a hairdressers appointment. even if i was going to book a holiday. i would be working out if it fell within a two—week period, would i need my hair coloured again in between? my husband actually pointed out that i saw my hairdresser more than sometimes i did my friends and my family. there's some curiosity as to what my whole head of grey will look like, but initially, it was a little bit of a shock that it has come through.

it's going to save me at least £600 per year. £600 per year? yeah. for me, i'm going to stick it out and go full grey, when the rest of the colour comes out in my next cut. i think the most important thing is how you feel about it, not what your friends and family think. and have your friends and family been quite supportive of your new look? my daughters have, yes. they‘re very relaxed about it. my husband was less happy. but then, he‘s mostly white himself now. it looks great on him. when i've spoken to friends about it, they have said, oh, you know, that might mean that you have to change your whole wardrobe because your hair colour goes with your wardrobe. but as it's growing through, they're being very supportive, saying it looks really nice. do you think it‘s harder for women to age, do you think men have it a bit easier? i think it is harderfor women. but i‘m not sure whether it‘s women who make it harderfor themselves. when a man goes grey, even quite young, they look distinguished and handsome.

but you never really hear anyone saying that about a lady. what would you say to women who are considering it but not quite sold? i would say grey is the new blonde, because it‘s people are really thinking it on trend. give it a go, it's only hair, it can be dyed back again if you don't like it. i feel like i've really started to grow into my hairstyle. i feel good. i feel me, actually. these are natural highlights and they are completely free. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. we have already seen some strong winds so far this morning and they are going to strengthen further as we head on into the afternoon. there is an unseasonably deep area of low pressure bringing gales for many of us today.

it will be a mix of sunshine and showers but the weather could cause some disruption to travel, perhaps some power cuts, and the threat of coastal flooding because the winds are rotating around this big area of low pressure, pushing in some large waves. there are spring tides as well so particularly for parts of wales, southern and south—western england, you have that threat of coastal flooding. flood warnings also for parts of northern england and coastal parts of scotland as well. a mix of sunshine and scattered showers. the fewest showers for east anglia and the south—east and northern scotland should see some sunshine this afternoon. 50 to 60 mph even inland around the coast for wales, southern england 60 or even 70 mph. disruptive gusts of wind for many others out there today. coming from the south—west so it is still mild. most places we are looking at about 18 to 22 celsius. this evening those winds will start to ease a little bit. still heavy showers rattling through on the breeze. could be the odd rumble of thunder as well but mild overnight. through the day tomorrow a fairly blustery sort of day because low pressure is not far away

but it is starting to drift off toward scandinavia so the winds will not be as strong as today. still blustery with a mix of sunshine and scattered showers. most will be into england and north wales. gusts will be about 25 to 35 mph tomorrow for most of us, not as disruptive as today. temperatures down a touch. still reasonably mild. high teens for scotland and northern ireland but fresher air backing in from the north on sunday so a cooler day for scotland and northern ireland. this is a cold front which will be pushing south. drier further south—west. temperatures down a little in recent days. it is very windy out there today. it turns less windy through the weekend and fresher into next week.

thousands of holidaymakers race to get back to the uk, before new quarantine rules come into force early tomorrow. people returning from places including croatia and trinidad will have to isolate for two weeks because of a rise in coronavirus cases. i‘m starting my final year of medical school on friday. i‘m meant to be moving into new accommodation but i won‘t be able to do that, so i‘m in contact with the university, trying to make arrangements to start a bit later. we‘ll be live in croatia and hear from holidaymakers trying to get home. also this lunchtime... the uk‘s debt hits £2 trillion — its highest ever level — because of coronavirus spending. the sentences given to the three teenagers who killed pc andrew harper are referred to the court of appeal to assess whether they‘re too lenient.