good afternoon. the government is being warned that the country is at a "critical moment" in controlling the spread of coronavirus, as thousands of students prepare to return to university. the latest data from public health england showed the highest number of detected infections was in younger people. in leeds, people have been urged to socialise "sensibly and responsibly" this weekend, after the city was added to a government watchlist of areas with high rates of infection. our health correspondent

richard galpin reports. it is amongst young people now that there is mounting concern about coronaviruses in for. the numbers are increasing. and although the virus has much less impact on the young, they can spread it to other people. and soon, thousands of stu d e nts people. and soon, thousands of students will be travelling to different parts of the country to start the winter term at university. they are going to be travelling potentially to other parts of the country which may not necessarily be seeing outbreaks at that point in time and of course they may carry infection with them and may potentially infect more elderly relatives who may be more severely at risk. 50 now relatives who may be more severely at risk. so now councils in areas regarded as hotspots are wrapping up their efforts to get young people to ta ke their efforts to get young people to take the risk of infection more seriously. more young people are testing positive and they are spread around the cities, so whereas we we re around the cities, so whereas we were focusing more on specific communities at the beginning, it is how communities at the beginning, it is

now clear that the situation is changing and a very strong message going out from as that to avoid having further restrictions put on is, everyone has a responsibility. leadsis is, everyone has a responsibility. leads is already being seen as a coronavirus hotspot. it has now been added to the watchlist of areas of concern. and that list is growing. south tyneside, middlesbrough, rossendale, corby, kettering and norfolk and now also on the list after increases in cases. it is a particularly big challenge the country faces as winter approaches, ensuring young people stick to the rules to prevent infections rising will be critical. richard galpin, bbc news. the government is urging civil servants in england to return to work in the office. in a letter seen by the bbc,

it wants 80% of civil servants to be at their workplace at least once a week by the end of the month. but unions have described the government's attitude as outdated. our political correspondent nick eardley has more. just a few months ago, this was almost unthinkable, but now, quiet, sometimes deserted office districts have become a common sight. many people have got used to working from home. now, though, when esters want that to change, encouraging more of us that to change, encouraging more of us to think about returning to the office and the government is seeking to lead by example with the head of the civil service saying government staff should be back where possible and quickly. he writes that the prime minister believes that increasing both the number of people in the office and the amount of time those people spend in the office will be hugely beneficial for our workforce. in a letter to permanent secretaries, he adds, the prime minister is also clear that getting more people back into work in a covid secure way will improve the public services we deliver, and will also provide a significant boost to

the local economies where they are based. by the end of the month, ministers want four out of five civil servants back in the office some of the time, using a rotor system to limit numbers, but there are warnings that if there isn't a return to the office, many businesses may close. you don't see those coming back until the new year and that is a big driver of football in the city centres, particularly on friday, then we might see a huge wave of closures and redundancies as a result. the government has had some success a result. the government has had some success in tempting people back into city centres. eat out to help out so 100 million meals claimed, which ministers say protected 2 million jobs, which ministers say protected 2 millionjobs, but some believe which ministers say protected 2 million jobs, but some believe the workplace is changed forever and ministers should spend more time preparing for the consequences. and so preparing for the consequences. and so what the government are doing is purchasing and using the civil service not because it is a more efficient way of operating but because they want to send a signal

to the private sector. they are dreaming abouta to the private sector. they are dreaming about a world of work that has, quite frankly, gone. but scotland, wales and northern ireland, the messages still to work from home where possible. but in england, the government is hoping that more people will be persuaded back their workplace. nickjoins me now. how concerned is the government that a kind of back to work campaign potentially conflicts with the public health message? i think that is always going to be a concern and you're going to hear a lot from ministers about the idea of balance, about yes absolutely trying to keep the virus under control, but perhaps shifting the balance of it and thinking more about getting back to some things that we might have called normal back in february, and thatis called normal back in february, and that is why you are going to hear a lot about this back to work message. it is partly because politicians are backin it is partly because politicians are back in westminster and they have seen that part of town is still deserted and it has spoke to them. and it is partly because, as you

heard in the peace there, there are real concerns about the impact, the long—term, permanent impact that people not being in offices is going to have a local economies. if you wa nt to to have a local economies. if you want to know how seriously boris johnson is taking this, he has asked every department to tell them every week how many of their staff are coming into report for duty. he is also interface pressure from opposition parties to do more to think continually about extending the furloughs scheme, but it is quite clear that the main priority for the government is increasingly becoming the back to work message. thank you very much. travellers returning to scotland from portugal now have to self—isolate for 14—days. the country was added to the quarantine list after a rise in infections there. wales imposed its own restrictions yesterday. there is no change for travellers returning from portugal who live in england and northern ireland. these holidaymakers were on one of the last flights back to glasgow from portugal before the quarantine was reintroduced.

we were just disappointed that scotla nd we were just disappointed that scotland obviously have quarantined, but england don't, so it seems ridiculous. people are going to fly to england now and drive up the road. it was a risk. we knew we were taking a risk anyway. so we only lost today. it is annoying but we are just glad we made it on time. we we re are just glad we made it on time. we were supposed to come back on saturday but we paid an extra £100 to come backjust in case. i was scared we would not get back so we had to. france has registered its highest daily infection rate of covid—19 since the start of the pandemic. the latest figures, in the 2a hours from thursday to friday, show almost 9,000 new coronavirus cases. transmission is mainly among young people, which means hospital admissions aren't nearly as high as what they were back in march. the increase is partly a result of more testing, but there are concerns after 12 million children in france went back to school this week. there have been clashes between police and anti immigration protestors outside dover harbour.

the a20 is blocked in both directions due to demonstrations against allowing migrants to seek asylum in the uk. a rival protest organised by the kent anti—racism network is also taking place. they say they want to show "solidarity" with refugees and migrants. 63 people from environmental campaigning group extinction rebellion have been arrested after they blocked access to printing presses overnight, delaying the distribution of national newspapers. as well as protesting outside of media city in manchester, the demonstrators barricaded three presses owned by the publisher rupert murdoch. leigh milner is in waltham cross at one of the sites for us now. what has been happening? well, just a short time ago, large bamboo structures used to block this site here where being dismantled and carried away by police officers, and throughout the night, more than 100 protesters also used vehicles at two

other print works, one in moseley in merseyside and the other near motherwell in north lanarkshire. as a result, there were delays right across the country and getting newspapers like the sun, the daily matter, the daily telegraph and daily mail delivered to shops and newsagents. i have been speaking to the spokesperson for extinction rebellion, who says the demonstration aimed to expose newspaper's failure to report on climate change. the son, however, which ran an interview with sir david attenborough on that very topic today, has described the blockade as an attack on the free press. the home secretary called the action completely unacceptable, while labour said people had the right to read the newspapers they want. in total, more than 60 arrests had been made. 42 of them here at brooks bahn, which is one of the largest newspaper presses in the world. thank you.

the women's super league is back this afternoon, after a long wait. last season ended early because of the coronavirus pandemic, with chelsea awarded the title on a points per game basis. rhia chohan reports. that is absolutely out of the top drawer! after six months and 13 days, the fa women's super league is back and looks to be one of the most exciting and competitive seasons yet because the pandemic didn't seem to affect the transfers. if you thought chelsea meant business with sam kerr last year, then fresh signing pernille harder now makes for a terrifying squad. the champions paid in excess of a quarter of a million pounds for the danish international, a record fee in the women's game. manager emma hayes clearly has her eyes on champions league success. but it's manchester city's new boss gareth taylor who made the mother of all signings. two world cup winners, rose lavelle and sam mewis.

as people go on in their career and playing overseas is something that they are interested in to maybe add some depth to the game or maybe have a new experience of playing in a country where the culture of soccer is so deep here, it'sjust been such a crazy year, so for anyone to be able to continue to get games and training in right now is a win. this won'tjust be a battle between two shades of blue. expect to see three—time title winners arsenal in the mix. with no big signings, they can be seen as the weaker of the triumvirate, however their core players are accustomed to silverware, and if on form these underdogs will bite. elsewhere, manchester united have been linked with world cup winners christen press and tobin heath, who could add more star quality to the league. some big names but no one to see them playing. fans can only hope to get back into grounds to witness some of the world's top payers making their mark. what a goal from bethany england!

rhia chohan, bbc news. the season kicks off with newly—promoted aston villa against manchester city ? there s commentary on radio 5 live at 2.30. and the women's football show returns tomorrow evening, with highlights of the weekend's games — that's on at 8 o'clock on the red button and on bbc one at 10.30. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. bye for now. i was expecting you know, you're watching the bbc news channel with shaun ley. it's 1:12pm. let's get more now on our main story. a leading epidemiologist in the uk has warned that the country is at a "critical moment"

in the coronavirus pandemic, with many students preparing to travel to universities for the new academic year. dame anne johnson — from university college london — said data showed the highest number of detected infections was in younger people. more areas of england — including leeds and middlesbrough — have been added to the government's watchlist of places with high rates of coronavirus. earlier, the elected mayor of middlesbrough, andy preston gave me his reaction. i was expecting it, you know, i've been banging on about it for days and weeks locally, so it wasn't a surprise. we've been taking really strong action. in fact, we've been out with the fire brigade this week visiting venues, warning them. we are seeing a lot of dangerous behaviour and a number of infections coming from pubs and restaurants. in fact, tonight, we're out with the police and we're going to be

visiting venues and where we see bad practice, if we think the public‘s health is in danger, we may well close those venues down. so you're prepared to close them on the spot? yeah, if we see sufficiently bad practice, if the public‘s health is in gnificant danger, we will take everything we legally can to stay out of lockdown. if we go into some kind of lockdown or severe restrictions from central government, we will damage jobs and mental health so it's something we're determined to avoid, so we've got a range of new measures coming in locally, a bunch of actions that i think will keep us out of a lockdown. what sort of behaviour is it? you said you were out with the fire brigade in recent days — what sort of behaviour is causing the problem? is it the customers being just too casual and not maintaining social distancing or the businesses not obeying the rules being set? i think it's both, obviously customers are in charge of their own behaviour, but at the end of the day it's the venues that have to police that and what we saw

during the successful eat 0ut campaign, we saw restaurants come back to life, which is great, but we saw sometimes queues of two hours' deep outside restaurants, huge numbers of people bunched together. we saw tables way too close together, we saw a number of establishments putting profits before people and that's what we're on the lookout for tonight. we're going to penalise any establishment that puts profits before people. we're going to look after public health and try hard to stay out of any central government action that will damage our economy. are you worried that will put the police in a potentially volatile situation, if they are becoming glorified public health enforcement officials? in the old days, councils used to have public health inspectors. there doesn't seem to be many of those these days, but that puts the police in the kind of role that they are just not used to performing. it will be our public health people and environmental people that are visiting establishments with a police escort. we know how to handle these

things sensitively and, when necessary, firmly, but we won't be putting the police in any difficult predicament. we will be handling it effectively, but ultimately, our job is to look after people, to limit the spread of this virus and keep our economy and jobs on track and if that means closing down places with bad practices, then we'll do that. france has registered its highest daily infection rate of covid—19 since the pandemic began. the latest figures, in the 2a hours from thursday to friday, show almost 9,000 new coronavirus cases. joining me now is our correspondent, damien mcguinness. france has ta ken france has taken some quite tough measures but it is the week that schools have gone back. is there a

concern that these figures are the tip of the iceberg? yeah, ithink tip of the iceberg? yeah, i think we are seeing a couple of things going on. schools have gone back and doesn't have had to close again due to outbreaks. i think as life has got back to normal in france and people have gone back to work, infection rates have risen. this number, almost 9024 hours between thursday and friday, is the highest we've seen at any point throughout the pandemic so it's a very worrying record. if you look backin very worrying record. if you look back in march at the height of the pandemic, the strictest point of the lockdown, there were 7500 daily infection rates so this is a sharp increase in daily infections. that's partly because of a sharp increase in testing so we are actually seeing a more realistic view of the figure. we are picking up in france a lot more people who are possibly not showing any symptoms so is just showing any symptoms so is just showing any symptoms so is just showing a more realistic view of the

actual situation. the other thing that's happening is a lot more younger people are transmitting the virus between them. that's serious because it means it spreading throughout the population but the good news is they are less likely to suffer severe complications. although we are seeing a slight rise in hospitalisations, it's not as dramatic as the total rise in infection rates so we are seeing a more realistic picture but it's a worrying trend because we are seeing this across europe, a sharp rise in daily infection rates. i was very struck by an announcement the government made in germany where you are, a week or so government made in germany where you are, a week 01’ so ago government made in germany where you are, a week or so ago now, suggesting it was going to continue the measures to support the companies for another year. what does that tell you about the kind of official view of the impact of the pandemic on businesses and on the german economy? here in germany, people feel that we've got to prepare for the long haul because any solution is not going to be there in the short term. that's

clear, whether it be a vaccine or any sort of treatment, so i think what the german economy is doing is trying to get back on its feet. we've also had a lot of statements from ministers here saying there isn't going to be another lockdown so isn't going to be another lockdown so the health ministry for example has said in retrospect, certain measures in the lockdown were not necessary. germany never really had a very severe lockdown in the first place so in a way that's good news. the more we are finding out about the virus, the more we are finding out how to prevent the transmission. i think more ministers here in germany are saying, certain things can remain open. there's also a big debate here about the quarantine time you need and how long you need to stay in self—isolation to stop further transmission. that seems to be, according to experts here, much shorter than we previously thought so shorter than we previously thought so there's a lot more information coming out. people are more aware. the thing we are seeing on the streets, particularly in germany and france, is the wearing of masks so certainly masks and face coverings

whether inside in shops or on the streets in certain french cities is seen as a streets in certain french cities is seen as a big part of the solution so seen as a big part of the solution soi seen as a big part of the solution so i think the governments across european countries are saying we're going to have to adapt our lives to keep potential transmission to a minimum while at the same time getting the economy back on order because there is no way that the european economies can afford the sort of lockdown we saw earlier this year. one economy which probably can't afford german tourists staying at home is spain. what's happened? that has been a really important driver of the economy in spain since the franco years with the opening up, you think of british tourists on the costa del sol, you think of german holiday—makers too. what is the impact been on this curtailed holiday season, not least because the british have imposed quarantine? that's right, and germans as well, germans have also imposed quarantine

from certain areas of spain and that has had a big impact on where the germans and british go in spain. that has had a big impact on the spanish economy but i think what we're also seeing in spain is a similarly sharp rise in infection rates so if you look at the figures it's not as high as france, more like 3000 per day rather than 9000 per day but it's still very high and the fact that it's rising again now, again partly because of increased testing but also because of an actual rise in infection rates, especially between younger people, does show that authorities across europe are particularly concerned so it's all about getting a balance between how do you get the economy going again, how do you get people travelling again, while at the same time preventing or minimising the risk of infection. i think the trend we are seeing is a rise of infection across europe but we are also seeing that within younger people in particular and this might be seen as less d ea d ly particular and this might be seen as less deadly but also something which younger people have to adapt their

behaviour too. people are socialising more, people are going back to school and university again, and the question is how do you get younger people to adapt their behaviour and wear masks and keep social distancing in order to keep the rest of the population safe as well, particularly those who are potentially more vulnerable? ministers are being urged to set up a scheme to support clinically vulnerable people in the uk who can't return to their workplace because the risks associated with coronavirus remain too high. a cross—party house of lords group says such employees should be given a "decent income and job security". charities estimate there are tens of thousands of people who can neither do theirjob from home nor return to the office. president trump says he hasn't yet seen proof that the russian opposition leader, alexei navalny, was poisoned with a deadly novichok nerve agent. germany — where mr navalny is being treated in hospital — says it has "proof beyond doubt", and is asking the russian government for an explanation. 0ur correspondent, nomia iqbal,

reports from washington. alexei navalny‘s supporters claim he was poisoned on the kremlin's orders, which russia denies. germany says a novichok agent was used — similar to the one that almost killed a former russian spy and his daughter in salisbury two and a half years ago. that assessment received support from some trump administration officials, including the head of the white house national security council. president trump, who had been criticised for not speaking about the case earlier, said that he would study the evidence. i don't know exactly what happened. i think it's tragic, it's terrible. it shouldn't happen. we haven't had any proof yet, but i will take a look. it is interesting that everybody‘s always mentioning russia — and i don't mind you mentioning russia, but i think probably china, at this point, is a nation that you should be talking about, much more so than russia.

he went on to say that no—one has been tougher on russia than him, but he stopped short of criticising president vladimir putin, which has been a constant pattern throughout mr trump's presidency. hundreds of people have joined anti—lockdown protests in melbourne as tensions rise over the state's handling of the pandemic. at least 15 people were arrested as some demonstrators clashed with police. freya cole reports. chanting for their freedom, which these protesters say has been taken away from them. in return, police form a barrier, pushing back against a crowd which has no regard for the coronavirus lockdown in place. a crowd which has no regard for the coronavirus lockdown in placem a crowd which has no regard for the coronavirus lockdown in place. it is not safe, it is not smart, it is not lawful. in fact, not safe, it is not smart, it is not lawful. infact, it not safe, it is not smart, it is not lawful. in fact, it is utterly selfish for people to be out there protesting. the only protest we should be engaged in, the only argument, the only fight we should be engaged in, is against this

virus. it didn't take long before things turned ugly. more than a dozen people were arrested. in some cases, there was violence. melbourne is coming to the end of its second six—week lockdown. covid cases have fallen dramatically. there were 89 new cases in the last 24 hours. the restrictions are due to end next week, but the premier hasn't ruled out an extension. human rights matter! divisions are growing deeper, a bitter rift between anti—lockdown protesters and those willing to comply. computer problems and a huge backlog has meant thousands of learner drivers in england and wales have had their tests cancelled or delayed. bookings for tests started up again two weeks ago, but for many learners it's been a struggle to get a slot, as our reporter adam mcclean has been finding out. it's jack's first time

on the road since march. his test was cancelled and lessons suspended and only now can he make up for lost time behind the wheel. have you checked everything? you're happy with your mirrors? yep. you can move off when you're ready, jack. at the end of the road, we're turning left. my original test was booked in april, the start of april. obviously everything went into lockdown, which then got rearranged for august, and then i got told just to wait for their reply and they will tell me when it was. after spending more than four hours in an online queue, jack tried to book in the early hours of the morning and managed to get a test on the 30th of september. it was an early rise, but it got the job done. i booked it for a month's time from when i had to press the link. yourjudgment was absolutely perfect. well done. wow, panic over! i know it's been four orfive months. i'm thinking, "we've got a test coming up pretty soon!" for those teaching others to drive, the shortage of tests presents a big challenge.

we were pleased that we were allowed back to work. that was the big plus for us. but then we came back, obviously we're dealing with the problems we've got with trying to book a driving test. we've not got anything for the pupil to aim for so trying to get the lessons sorted out is really difficult. before march, there were nearly 4,500 driving tests in great britain every day. there is now a huge backlog of people whose tests have been postponed or cancelled. to help more people book a test, the dvsa says that it's increasing the number of tests each examiner does every day from five to six and from the 14th of september, it'll be possible to book a test as far as 18 weeks in advance as opposed to the current six—week limit. i waited all this time to then realise there's, like, half a million other people in the exact same boat and we just can't do anything about it. i just feel like we're not getting anywhere.

i don't think i've seen anyone actually book a driving test. and while practical tests have been suspended, the theory tests of provisional drivers have been expiring. those certificates won't be extended beyond the two—year limit, meaning many who were close to taking the practical test will have to retake their theory test. it's so frustrating, especially the point, like, i was good to go. i was literally in spitting distance of sitting my test and then all this happened. i was completely patient about it. i wanted it to be safe for both my instructor and the test centre to deal with it, but i thought that mots are a legal requirement so they were completely waived during this so why are expired theory tests not waived? it's completely ridiculous. the driver and vehicle standards agency says that all 210,000 candidates who had a test booked in march have been re—invited to book a test and that from the 14th of september, a further 375,000 testing slots will be available to book.

sir mo farah has broken the record for the longest distance run in one hour. at a diamond league event in brussels, he ran more than 21.3 kilometres, breaking the ethiopian haile gebrselassie's distance by 45 metres. now the weather with sarah keith lucas. hello. we've got a bit of a mixed weekend weather—wise for you. we are expecting a mix of sunshine and showers. now, today, a cooler, fresher feel to the weather compared to what we've seen recently, too. most of these showers today will be across parts of the north and west of the uk, whereas tomorrow, they will drift further southeastwards. there's high pressure at the moment pushing in from the south—west, low—pressure out towards the north—east. that combination is drawing in these north—westerly winds, pushing the bulk of those showers across scotland and northern ireland. some also for north west england into north wales as well. quite blustery winds of about 35 mph across the north of scotland.

further south and east for england and wales, you are more likely to stay dry with some long spells of sunshine through the day, dodging those showers. temperatures about 14 to 19 degrees. so a touch lower than recent days, but not feeling too bad in the sunshine. the winds easing through the weekend too. there will be a spell of more persistent rain for a time this evening in northern ireland into parts of south—west scotland too. then overnight the cloud drifts its way eastwards and patchy light rain moves across much of the uk. but there will be some clearer spells, particularly for the south—east of england and northern scotland, where temperatures will fall to mid single figures. through the day tomorrow, we have got this feature here that will pep up those showers, moving south eastwards across england and wales. so that is where we will have the bulk of the showers tomorrow. whereas scotland and northern ireland will see a drier day, with more sunshine, lighter winds than we are seeing out there today. so not a bad day. cloud breaking up to allow some sunshine. but some of these showers, as they drift eastwards across england, could be quite heavy and thundery later in the afternoon. temperatures about 14 to 20 degrees, probably a touch warmer tomorrow than today. 0ver sunday night and into monday,

there is a deep area of low pressure