new restrictions have just come into force in caerphilly as well, which has the highest infection rate in wales. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, the british—iranian woman who was arrested in iran four years ago, is told she'll face another trial. the foreign, commonwealth and development office calls the action unacceptable. the inquiry into the manchester arena bombing which killed 22 people hears that a0 minutes after the explosion, only one paramedic had arrived at the scene. this does break international law in a very specific and limited way. a government minister admits a new bill to amend the uk's brexit deal with the eu will break international law. heading towards the point of no return — andrew lloyd webber warns of the damage done by the pandemic on theatre and the wider world of arts.

good evening. let's bring you more on one of our main stories that tougher restrictions have been imposed in bolton in greater manchester after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases there — the town now has the uk's highest infection rate. restaurants, pubs and cafes have been told they can only do takeaways from today and they must close by 10pm. the rise in cases across the country is being largely driven by a big increase in cases among 18—to—30—year—olds. it comes amid a continuing rise in new cases and a jump the latest government figures show there were 2,460 new confirmed coronavirus cases reported across great britain in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the past week was 2,199. 32 deaths were also reported of people who'd died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average,

in the past week, 12 deaths were announced every day. that takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 41,586. our health editor hugh pym has the latest. new rules in bolton mean that cafes like this won't be allowed to have customers sitting in. it will be takeaway only. the owner, gill, says because of these new restrictions, she'll have to close until further notice. the news for me is devastating. we were locked down for over three months, we were starting to build our trade back up. i know they say we can do takeaway, but unfortunately, my shop isn't a shop that takeaway works. this pub and microbrewery will only be allowed to serve customers who take their drinks away with them. we have one eye on possible future events, that kind of thing,

so it's frustrating and disappointing, but you've got to take it seriously, and try and get through it again. local people we spoke to weren't surprised by the new intervention. it's to be expected, really, to go back to where it was, really, to try and stop it. i mean, it's rife in bolton, isn't it, at the moment? it's like the virus is getting more and more each day and people are not listening, not wearing face coverings and there are still large gathering. in one way, it is good for the health and safety, but not for the economy, it might not be good because they're just getting back on track. the new rules will be enforceable by law — no eating or drinking in pubs or hospitality venues and all to close at 10pm every evening. socialising by people in their 20s and 30s is said to be a factor in the steep rise in local case numbers. i call secretary of state matt hancock... in the commons, the health secretary explained why young adults should take every step to avoid infection. while young people are less likely

to die from this disease, be in no doubt that they are still at risk. the long—term effects can be terrible, and, of course, they can infect others. research by the bbc for the week to september 11th shows bolton with the highest number of cases in the uk — 122 per 100,000 population. next was bradford with 71, then blackburn with darwen with 63, 0ldham with 61 and birmingham, salford, rochdale, caerphilly and burnley all with 60 cases per 100,000. there's mounting concern in birmingham after a sharp increase in virus cases in recent days. local officials said one factor was people getting together over the bank holiday weekend and forgetting social distancing rules. they've warned that additional restrictions are looking likely. in some areas, booking tests is difficult — and today, one of the system bosses tweeted apologies to anyone

who couldn't get a test. she said laboratory processing was the pinch point. ministers say they're working flat out to boost capacity, but with case numbers rising, widespread and rapid testing is as important as ever. hugh pym, bbc news. the first local lockdown in wales has come into force. no—one can now leave caerphilly county without good reason. family and friends living apart will no longer be able to meet indoors, stay overnight orform extended households. the government says the restrictions could last until october. 0ur wales correspondent hwyel griffiths reports. just six weeks ago, caerphilly was officially clear of coronavirus. now, it's at the centre of one of britain's biggest outbreaks. so what went wrong? house parties and people mixing each other‘s homes are being blamed. most cases are amongst young people, who stand accused of flouting social distancing rules.

we're more likely to go out and see our friends, break the rules, if the option‘s there. but i mean, everyone‘s been going out. you can't really point fingers at one demographic in particular. a lot of people need to look at their actions, not only young people. and people have forgotten, ithink, what it's like and what damage it can do, and how many people have lost their lives. the lockdown won't mean a shutdown of pubs, cafes and restaurants. the evidence suggests that isn't where the virus has been spreading. but people can no longer meet indoors. and caerphilly has become the first place in wales where masks are mandatory in shops. the rules will be enforced. people who thought coronavirus was no longer a threat should sit up and take notice. people in those communities who see behaviour taking place, who see and hear house parties — well, if they're going to tell the police about those, we expect the enforcement action to be taken. while businesses can stay open, keeping their

customers might be harder. sarah only fully reopened her spa four weeks ago — and the last 2a hours has brought a flurry of cancellations. caerphilly‘s a small county borough at the end of the day, and there's still a lot of people who are perhaps or three or four miles away, or actually live in different counties. so we are already seeing the impact of that on today's business, for example. this is the first local lockdown in wales but, with cases rising in neighbouring counties, there are warnings others may follow within days. hywel griffith, bbc news, caerphilly. nicola sturgeon has said restrictions in five scottish local authorities are "absolutely necessary" to stem the increase in coronavirus cases. rules limiting household visits came into effect in east dunbartonshire and renfrewshire at midnight, having already been reimposed in glasgow city, west dunbartonshire and east renfrewshire last week. the first minister said there was evidence that house gatherings were

driving the rise in cases. i know that these rules are really unwelcome. as i have already said, i live in glasgow, so i know how frustrating they are and i, just like all of you watching, don't want them to be in place for any longer than is necessary. but overall, i believe they represent a proportional, hopefully effective but also an absolutely necessary of response to a worrying increase in covid across these areas. the restrictions will be reviewed again next week and will stay in place as long as they are needed, but they will not stay in place for any longer than that. at yesterday's meeting, i discussed the situation in other parts of scotland, such as inverclyde and north and south lanarkshire. as the moment, the number of new cases here, while rising,

does not warrant additional restrictions but this will be kept under close review. we also discussed the hospitality sector. the evidence we have at this stage suggests house gatherings which, by their nature, are hard to regulate for things like physical distancing, have made the biggest contribution to the spread of covid across greater glasgow and clyde. they are also a setting in which older and more vulnerable people are often most at risk of infection because older and more vulnerable people are perhaps more likely to socialise at home rather than visit pubs and restaurants. as a result, our restrictions focus on meetings in people's houses. however, some transmission we know is taking place in pubs and restaurants, and so we will also keep that under close review. 0ur scotland political correspondent andrew kerr says this means there are new cases in all scottish mainland areas. there's been a rise of 176 cases overnight. and, actually, we had three deaths as well, under the 28 day measurement test. so that's the first time we've had that many deaths in scotland since 30 june.

so, the first minister was saying, "we ought to listen to these warning signals" — and it was a sharp reminder that coronavirus is now spreading in scotland, really echoing what we were hearing from matt hancock in the clip earlier. despite a rise in cases, intensive care units remain quiet. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh has been back to one london hospital that he visited at the peak of the pandemic. so, fergus, this is one of the bays of our intensive care unit that was full, back in april, may, with patients with coronavirus. for weeks now, london's university college hospital has hardly seen any coronavirus patients across its 500 beds. what a difference from when we filmed here at the peak. then, the intensive care unit had to double in size, to cope with the influx. now, it is empty of covid patients.

but confirmed cases of covid infection have risen fourfold since mid—july. as this graph for england shows, it is mostly people in their 20s and 30s who are testing positive. those figures showing who is getting coronavirus help explain why this and other intensive care units are not filling up with covid patients. the young are generally at low risk from the virus. but there is concern if it spreads further in the community, things could change here, in the coming months. we are used to any way having more people come to hospital with respiratory virus infections in the winter. the worry is the sort of people who get infected are the sort of people who we saw previously, the older population, the people with comorbitidies, with other risk factors

for doing badly and ending up in hospital. france has seen an even bigger spike in cases than the uk. that is having an impact in hospitals. in april, french covid hospital patients peaked at more than 32,000, and then fell steadily. but the numbers have begun to creep up again, to nearly 5,000. covid deaths are rising too. shielding of those with health vulnerabilities may need to be reintroduced here if cases spike. it's a difficult balance, to safeguard those most at risk while keeping society functioning. we have to protect our children's education as much as we can, because the impacts of that will last for decades. we have also got to protect and encourage the economy in ways that won't actually unnecessarily

increase the death rates. the nhs is open for business, but uch says many patients are still too scared to come to hospital because they fear catching coronavirus. it is one of the many hidden costs of covid. fergus walsh, bbc news. as we've been reporting, a lot of new cases of coronavirus are among young people. and that includes students preparing to start the autumn term. today, the five universities in greater manchester have written to students with an official reminder of their responsibility to the local community and a warning that they could face sanctions if they fail to stick to safety guidance. 0ur education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. across manchester, students are returning — 100,000 in this city. i think campus will feel completely different. some new, others like rhys staying on, the start of term is normally party time, when students meet up with friends. it's very easy to do that and to make plans like that,

and actually not think what we are doing, "oh my goodness, it's completely out of order." you start university and you meet new people and you are excited. and of course people are silly, they are badly behaved when they're in that mind set, so it will be really, really difficult. in term time, this canteen would be humming with students. university campuses are very social places, they bring together thousands of students from all over the country. and that is why scientists are warning there is a very high risk of an outbreak. it is notjust about how students behave when they are here, but also about how they behave in the community. so in these bags, a mask for every student arriving — a nudge. salford university, like others, will ask them to sign up to a code of behaviour. to keep everybody on campus safe but also, recognising that when they leave campus they need to be careful to keep other people safe within the cities

of salford and manchester. the first freshers at manchester metropolitan. teaching will be in small study groups, because tracing covid cases is crucial. students can pass it on even with few symptoms, so all five universities in manchester are issuing a joint warning. if students are not observing social distancing, if they are partying, if they are mixing households, we will absolutely act to ensure they understand the way to behave. but those living next to students say big parties have started in the last week. there need to be very strict guidelines and we need proper policing of the streets, because the problem is, once the party starts, in a way, the damage is done. if there is going to be a spread of the virus, it is too late.

they are not adhering to the numbers game, and they should really respect, respect one another's potential vulnerability to covid—19. students bring money and jobs to cities, but also this autumn extra risks to manage. branwen jeffreys, bbc news, manchester. and regarding quarantine... northern ireland has followed england in announcing that anyone travelling from seven greek islands will need to self—isolate for 1h days. the islands affected are crete, lesvos, mykonos, santorini, serifos, tinos and za kynthos. it will come into force from 4am tomorrow. 8:46pm. you're watching bbc news. the headlines. concerns over the sharp rise in coronavirus cases — particularly among the young — as part of greater manchester is placed under tight new restrictions. bolton has the highest infection rate in england. new restrictions have just come into force in caerphilly as well, which has the highest infection

rate in wales. the inquiry into the manchester arena bombing which killed 22 people hears that a0 minutes after the explosion, only one paramedic had arrived at the scene. let's stay with that story. the public inquiry into the manchester arena bombing three years ago has heard that a0 minutes after the blast, only one paramedic had been in the room where it had taken place. 22 people died in the attack outside the ariana grande concert. the inquiry has been asked to investigate whether the delays in getting to the injured made a difference to the number of people who survived. judith moritz reports. we need to get round. get round this way, come on! in the chaotic moments after a bomb went off at manchester arena, people started to call 999.

that injured man was john atkinson, who later died. today, it emerged that he only received full medical attention after more than an hour. the issue of whether he could have been saved is significant. evidence suggest that the emergency services failed to coordinate with each other properly on the night. the inquiry will need to consider whether that is so, and, if it is, why that occurred and whether life was lost as a result of any failure. as is beyond obvious, even the loss of a single life due to such a failure would be completely unacceptable. only three paramedics went into the foyer where the bomb exploded. only one stretcher was used there. injured people brought out on barriers and hoardings. communication between police forces on the night was ineffective. because the arena is connected

to a railway station, british transport police were supposed to be in charge, but they did not have a plan in place and did not coordinate with greater manchester police, who themselves did not even know there was a concert on that night. gmp did not declare a major incident for nearly three hours. btp did so much earlier, but did not tell the other force. half an hour after the blast, the btp control room had this conversation with an officer at the scene. although ambulances did arrive outside the arena, most paramedics remained away

from the place where the bomb exploded. the first fire engine did not arrive until more than two hours after the blast. 22 people were killed in the attack. the youngest, a child ofjust eight years old. the bereaved families are learning much of this detail for the first time and say they are finding it extremely distressing. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. you're watching bbc news. it's 8:50pm. the government's most senior lawyer sirjonathonjones has announced his resignation today. it's believed he was unhappy with the government's plan to override elements of the brexit withdrawal agreement in a new bill. the former uk ambassador to the us, sir kim darroch, has been speaking to newsnight. he gave his reaction to the resignation. first of all, you really can't unilaterally rewrite an international agreement.

we just don't do that. i thought to myself, "if this were true, i'd be surprised if government lawyers weren't thinking about their positions." because this would be such an extraordinary thing to do. and then i hear a few minutes ago that the most senior lawyer has announced his resignation. so was jonathon jones right to resign? did he have no choice? i wasn't surprised to see a government lawyer resign because we stick by international agreements. it's one of the things that we stand for. and by the way, we are criticising very strongly the chinese government for, we believe, breaching the agreement on hong kong, the future of hong kong. so the idea that you could unilaterally rewrite part of the agreement is just unacceptable. it's a breach of international law. well, you can watch the full

interview with sir kim darroch, the former uk ambassador to the us, on newsnight. that's at 10.45pm on bbc two. the british—iranian national nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe — who was arrested in iran four years ago — has been told she is to face a new trial on sunday. she appeared in court today on an unspecified new charge. she was arrested in 2016 on visit to tehran, accused of espionage and sentenced to five years in prison. tonight, the foreign, commonwealth and development office said bringing new charges against her is indefensible and unaccceptable and added they have been consistently clear and unacceptable. they added they have been consistently clear that she must not be returned to prison. nazanin‘s local mp, tulip siddiq, has urged the government to step up its efforts to try to bring her home. i've spoken to nazanin‘s family at great length and i was told that she was taken to court this morning and she'll face another trial

on sunday this week. it's an extremely worrying development and one that we really weren't expecting. the last four years have been excruciating for nazanin, for her husband richard, for their small daughter gabriella, who's been growing up without her mother, and the united nations have recognised nazanin‘s imprisonment as arbitrary and unlawful. and another further court case is clearly unacceptable on charges possibly relating to espionage. she's now completed four years in prison and was reaching herfifth year and we were really hoping she would be coming home, back to westhampton to her family, but if there are new charges now, a new trial on sunday, any decision could be reached and it's possible that a further a few years in prison might be facing nazanin from sunday. so we're very worried. we're especially worried that british citizens are being used as pawns in a larger political game, and i'm asking the government to step up their efforts to protect nazanin and to bring her home.

tulip siddiq, mp. the playwright and 0scar—winning screenwriter sir ronald harwood has died. his agent confirmed he died of "natural causes earlier today". in a statement, she said "his wife natasha died in 2013 and sir ronald is survived by their children, antony, deborah and alexandra". sir ronald was regarded as one of britain's great post—war dramatists. his plays include the dresser and quartet, both of which were adapted for the screen. the composer and theatre impresario lord andrew lloyd webber says the pandemic has caused so much damage to theatre and the wider arts that they're now approaching the point of no return. he has called on mps to name a date when productions can get under way again. here's our arts editor will gompertz. beverley knight performing at the london palladium injuly. the concert was put on by andrew lloyd webber as a way

of persuading the government to allow theatres to fully reopen. but it was all to no avail. the show did not go on. and so, today, he was in front of a select committee of mps once again making his case for theatres. we just simply have got to get our arts sector back open and running. britain is the leader in world theatre in my view, in many, many ways, and we really, really have got to use this opportunity not only to say we want to get the sector open but to demonstrate to the world how it can be open. a musical like phantom of the opera takes months of preparation before it can be staged, hence the call for more theatre owners asking for the government for a date in the future when it thinks reopening might be possible. that way, they say, plans at least can start to be put in place. andrew lloyd webber isn'tjust arguing for his own shows in his own theatres, he's making a much broader point about theatre

in general, and particularly its economic value to city centres. you close les mis, and suddenly the local hotels, the local restaurants, the local book shops, they all close too. he argues that you have theatres that are dark, very quickly, you have city centres that turn into ghost towns. he's also worried about regional theatres, many of which rely on the annual panto to survive. if it can't be put on this christmas, they're going to need a significant share of the government's emergency funding. if we are very careful, we can probably last until christmas, but without this funding, it will be a very, very difficult situation for us and for the artists we work with and the orchestra that we host as their home. it's a very sad sight. this is her majesty's theatre, where the phantom of the opera opened and should be playing now, and it's ridiculous that britain, the country where so many people have come to in the 50 plus years that i have been in the theatre,

come to see theatre that we are dragging our heels. the live music business has also been hit hard, with the boss of reading festival telling the select committee that mass testing, he thought, was the most likely route to reopening. the government said it was working flat out to support our world—class performing arts. will gompertz, bbc news. that's it for now. let's have a look at the weather with nick miller. hello. it's been quite a humid day out there, but for some of us, very warm. in fact, all parts of the uk recording somewhere with a temperature above 20, but some spots into the mid—20s saw plenty of sunshine across parts of eastern scotland, whereas in the west, it's been turning wetter. this cold front is about to move south across the uk into tomorrow, and that's bringing cooler and fresher air with it. now some rain then for scotland and northern ireland to end the day, running in the parts of northern england and north wales as the night goes on. it's to the south of that where we hold onto a lot of cloud, and mild, muggy air with some spots around 15—16 celsius as we start the day tomorrow.

this is a cold front, this area of cloud and rain weakening all the while as it moves further south during the day, not a whole lot of rain left on it. won't clear from the south of england until right at the end of the afternoon. but behind it, you've got the sunshine — and it is a cold front, so behind it, you get the cooler, fresher air moving in with a few blustery showers moving through northern scotland. now the wind just tilting around for a west—northwesterly out of the south—west today. and that is that fresh air moving in. but where we see temperatures today into the low 20s, they'll be down towards the mid—to—high teens. so still very pleasant where you get that sunshine through the afternoon, but bear in mind with largely clear skies that's been going through wednesday evening, it will be a much cooler night into thursday morning, with temperatures quite widely into the single figures. with an area of high pressure nosing in for thursday, that brings a lot of fine, settled weather. a good deal of sunshine to start the day, there will be some cloud building and probably more

so towards the west, especially towards northern ireland, north west england and western scotland. another atlantic weather system pushing a weaker front end which will give some patchy rain and a fresh new breeze once again. and temperatures for the most part on thursday are in the mid—to—high teens. now there will be a stronger weather front initially coming into scotland on friday, so expect stronger winds and heavy rain moving through scotland on friday, through northern ireland, again feeding down towards parts of northern england and north wales later in the day. whereas to the south of that, you stay dry with heavy showers running into western scotland — again, temperatures running into the mid—to—high teens with something warmer by the end of the weekend.

this is bbc news — international drug companies make a rare joint statement — they won't rush through a coronavirus vaccine until it's safe. their promise comes as president trump says there will be a vaccine before the us election. that would be the october surprise to end all surprises — but would the public trust a vaccine that came out so fast? we have done a greatjob with covid—19. we have done a greatjob. whether it is ventilators, whether it is vaccines or ventilators which you will be seeing very soon. the uk sees a spike in coronavirus cases particularly among young people — but getting them to behave safely, well let's face it, that's quite a challenge.