tonight at ten — more evidence the coronavirus pandemic in the uk is growing again. for the first time since march, the r numberfor infections has risen above one, meaning cases are beginning to rise sharply. the virus is increasing in prevalence and it's an early warning and what we really need to do is to ta ke and what we really need to do is to take heed of that warning. 1.6 million people in birmingham will be banned from meeting other households at home, as infections double in a week. it's going to be very difficult for families, you know? i can understand that they've got to try and curb it, but it's going to be a very hard thing.

across the uk, infections are now doubling every seven to ten days. also tonight... better news on the economy, recovering by 6.6% injuly, after lockdown. up to half a million have to leave their homes in oregon, as wildfires devastate the american west coast. singing. we report on the philippine government's war on drugs, which is killing more people than the coronavirus pandemic. and back in the big time. after 16 years, leeds united prepare for their return to the premier league. and in the sport on bbc news, england are beaten by australia. despite a century from sam billings, they lose the first one—day international by 19 runs in manchester. by 19 runs in manchester. good evening. there's further evidence

that the uk's coronavirus epidemic is getting worse. for the first time since march, the r numberfor infections has risen above the crucial level of one, meaning the pandemic is now growing. and that appears to be backed up by the latest daily figures, which show the highest number of new cases in almost four months. a worrying development, say those tracking the virus, despite the fact that more tests are now being carried out. the r number represents how many people could get the disease from one infected person, and that figure now stands at between 1.0 and 1.2. but in parts of the midlands, including birmingham, it's much higher, with new lockdown restrictions being imposed on more than a million people there next week. more on that in a moment. but, first, our medical editor fergus walsh reports on the rising number of coronavirus cases. how do you ensure people have the freedom to socialise and spend money, as in london tonight, while

keeping coronavirus in check? more and more evidence is showing the virus is on the rise, including a massive study by imperial college london, testing people at home. this monthly survey acts like an early warning system for the prevalence of coronavirus throughout england. 150,000 volunteers do home swab tests. now, the results for the end of august show there were 136 positive cases, sharply up on the previous month, but still lower than when the survey was first carried out in may. 65% of those who were positive had no symptoms on the day they were tested, which underlines they were tested, which underlines the importance of social distancing. across the uk, the r number is thought to be between 1.0 and 1.2, which means the epidemic is growing, but from a low base. it's thought the prevalence is doubling every

seven to ten days. now, back pre—lockdown r was somewhere about three and cases were doubling every three and cases were doubling every three to four days, so we are in a much better position than back then. it behoves us all to heed the message, because with the virus turning up and robustly turning up, with the r value robustly being above 1 but the prevalence still quite low, it's a chance for us to nip this in the bud. most of those testing positive now are young but there are concerns about the virus spreading to the elderly and vulnerable. if we look at the number of patients with covid—19 in hospital across the uk, that peaked at around 20,000 in mid—april and then fell sharply for several months before levelling off. it's now above 800 patients and may be creeping up again.

i'm a lot less optimistic than i was even a few weeks ago. partly because of the very rapid and unexpectedly rapid increase in case numbers this last week, and also the reports of the difficulties that we are in actually providing enough testing facilities. those tracking the epidemic say the latest figures are a wake—up call and they reminded that the threat from coronavirus has not gone away. fergus walsh, bbc news. well, as we've been hearing, the number of new coronavirus cases in the uk is now doubling every 7—10 days. latest figures show there were 3,539 cases recorded in the latest 2a period. —— 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 2,761. six deaths were reported of people

who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test, and that means on average in the last week, 11 deaths were announced every day, taking the total number across the uk to 41,614. well, from next week, 1.6 million people living in birmingham and neighbouring sandwell and solihull will be banned from socialising at home with other households. birmingham now has the second highest infection rate in england, after bolton, in greater manchester. there's been a rapid rise in infections, doubling in just a week, with laboratories processing coronavirus tests in the area apparently overwhelmed. 0ur health editor hugh pym has more from birmingham. a new direction of travel for birmingham, sandwell and solihull, with a ban on people mixing with other households and now in line with some other parts of the country, where coronavirus cases have escalated. there are people who think this is over, it's history. the region's mayor said the local infection rate was now a major concern. all the talk about the virus

being less virulent than earlier in the year is just not true. so, for the sake of particularly the elderly members of the community, we have to turn this number around. there were mixed reactions after the announcement. fair enough, because birmingham is a big city, isn't it, so there's more people going to gather, absolutely. they've got to try and curb it, but it's going to be a very hard thing. forfamilies and households not to be together who have been doing so before. i do think more needs to be done, though. bars and clubs are still open, and as long as they're still open the cases are going to keep rising. this local cafe owner is relieved he can stay open, but he says business has already been affected. at the beginning of the week, when there were some mutterings that potentially birmingham was on the radar of the uk government, we noticed our sales and footfall dropping. since the big jump in uk case numbers became apparent

at the weekend, health officials have been watching very closely to see if this results in more patients with covid—19 needing hospital treatment. at birmingham's major hospitals that is now happening. hospital numbers have doubled in a week, and the chief executive told me he was very concerned. we can't see any reason why we're not expecting the numbers to double again next week, and quite probably the week after as well, because there will be a lot of people already exposed who haven't yet presented who are not aware they have been exposed yet. and that means a lot of distress for a lot of patients. around the country getting tested is still a problem for some. jack, from basingstoke, has been trying without success to book for his son, who has symptoms. i've been prepared to drive anywhere in the country where they send me in order to get that test, but the fact there are no tests available is incredibly frustrating and it's also incredibly worrying.

patricia, from braintree, also has a son with symptoms. she's tried since yesterday to get a test, but with no luck so far. feeling very stressed, i'm worried and that, and not able to get access to the test straightforward as well. it doesn't. . . it seems very complicated. west midlands laboratories are said to be struggling with the workload, just when widespread testing with rapid results is badly needed. hugh pym, bbc news, birmingham. in scotland, tougher restrictions on home visits have been extended to those living in north and south lanarkshire. people won't be able to meet other households in their homes from midnight tonight. the new rules cover more than 1.75 million people in the west of scotland. from monday, people in wales must wear face coverings in shops and other indoor public spaces. there'll also be the rule of six for socialising indoors, though children under

11 won't count. but, unlike in england and scotland, up to 30 people from different homes will still be able to meet outside. here's our wales correspondent, hywel griffith. ready for the new rules, and relieved that they're coming. this shop in cardiff has had to deal with some confused customers over the last few months. face coverings haven't been compulsory inside public spaces in wales — unlike the rest of the uk. now, that's changing. most were confused. we had people constantly coming to us and saying, "do we have to put one on, or don't we?" and we were just saying, "well, it's entirely up to you at the moment." from monday, the masks will be mandatory, and people will not be allowed to meet indoors in groups of more than six. younger children won't count. and up to 30 can still meet outdoors. that's significantly different to most of scotland, where only six people from two households can meet indoors or outdoors.

similarly, young children won't count. in england, up to six people from multiple households can meet, but that does include children. there are exceptions, if the household is larger. in northern ireland, some postcodes have had stricter new rules imposed, with no home visits. in other areas again, only six people from two households can meet indoors. 0utdoors, it's up to 15 people. the rule of six was meant to bring clarity and consistency. instead, every government has its own version. here in wales, ministers insist there's no scientific basis for banning larger outdoor meetings. where people can spend christmas has become a universal dilemma. charlotte has five adult children who all live at home, so her house will be full. if they want any visitors the rules mean someone will have to leave. i think it's a good idea, but i don't think people will stick to it.

i know some of my friends already said they won't stick to it, so, but i think it's a good idea. the welsh government says it's trying to get ahead of a gathering storm, moving towards more restrictions in the hope that it will pass. hywel griffith, bbc news, cardiff. the government's long—awaited coronavirus contact—tracing app will be rolled out in england and wales later this month. businesses are being urged to display signs with qr, or quick response codes, so that people can scan them with the app. previous versions were abandoned after problems emerged during trials. 0ur health editor hugh pym is with me. the r number across the uk is above one, we have more local lockdowns, infections are doubling every seven to ten days, it seems the battle against coronavirus, it seems to be getting harder, not easier whether yellow well, what is concerning is

just as cases are going up around the uk, especially in cities like birmingham you have a testing system which seems to be struggling and it's really stretched, with people reporting every day they are finding it difficult to go online and book a slot or find it difficult to go online and book a slot orfind something it difficult to go online and book a slot or find something close enough to home. there are differences from earlier this year. at least there is a testing system, even with some of these problems, and as we heard earlier infections are rising a lot less rapidly than they were back in march, april and may, and government advisers have said before that you would expect an increase in cases as people came back from holiday, more people came back from holiday, more people went back to work, and schools are going back. but the things to watch our, will it result in higher hospital numbers? that isn't particularly evident as a trend nationally but as we heard earlier in birmingham they had a lot more cases there. will it spread to older people in society? and tonight the department of health, it emerged, has sent a letter to care homes in england saying there are

some cases being seen in care homes, particularly involving staff coming in and for extra vigilance to be used in all cases. that is the worry, will it go from the community, into care homes? that will be watched very closely. hugh pym, our health editor, thank you. boris johnson has tonight told conservative mps to back his plan to override part of the brexit withdrawal agreement with the eu, saying it's necessary to protect the integrity of the uk. the government's decision to introduce legislation it's already admitted will breach international law has provoked angerfrom some in his party, and a stinging response from brussels, which is threatening legal action. 0ur chief political correspondent, vicki young is at westminster. borisjohnson boris johnson having borisjohnson having to work hard to keep his own mps on side over this. yes, i'm not sure it was a meeting many of them were hoping for, not just because it was a remote meeting with a dodgy internet signal and they weren't allowed to ask any questions, they were looking for a

sign of compromise. they simply can't believe the government is prepared to break international law but that is not what they got from the prime minister. he dug his heels m, the prime minister. he dug his heels in, no compromise and no backing down on this. he says the eu is misinterpreting what was agreed in the brexit deal and could lead to the brexit deal and could lead to the break—up of the united kingdom, referring to the different trade laws between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. but, you know, i'm not sure we should be too surprised the government is forging ahead with this. there is plenty of evidence that they actually relish the unpredictable. remember last year, brexit stalemate, suspended parliament, despite the howls of protest. now they are caught up in this very long chess game, more negotiations with the eu and this week, they have done the equivalent of ready to bring up the entire table. i think even they can't be sure where the pieces are going to land. vicki, thank you, at westminster. the uk economy continued its recovery injuly,

after the massive falls in the immediate aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. the growth was 6.6% injuly, as hairdressers, pubs and restaurants reopened. it's the third month in a row that the econmy has expanded, that the economy has expanded, but output is still far smaller than before the lockdown. here's our economics editor, faisal islam. in spring, during the peak of the pandemic, the economy fell at an historic record and now the figures show the opposite over the summer, as industries such as construction returned to work. here, the building of the tallest new office block outside london. you can see the numbers of people who are operating on the site, who are using the shops, who are using the local amenities and i think the local businesses really appreciate seeing the construction industry at the forefront of the recovery, of the bounce—back. but this has been, it's been like nothing else we've ever encountered. the economy normally grows by fractions of a percent, not nearly 7% in a month, as injuly, but the context is, of course, the switch off

of a quarter of the economy during the shutdown. sincejune, even a sharp rebound has only made up just over half of what was lost. still 12% lower than precrisis and the question is where it goes from here. so we now know that, by the end ofjuly, the economy had staged a half bounce back of the extraordinary pandemic shutdown hit, and that recovery continued through august. but, now, in september, the situation is different, with the virus going back up, some restrictions having returned, the expiry of government support packages imminent and the return of post—brexit trade uncertainty, all of which raising serious questions about the sustainability of the recovery. even before today's additional shutdowns, major city centres, such as birmingham, were struggling to return to normal, with a newjohn lewis and other department stores closing permanently. some leading conservatives and the former labour pm, gordon brown, today backing extending government support

forjobs and businesses. we need a recovery plan now. we need the same spirit of consensus that brought around the rescue plan, now for a recovery plan and ijust got to be honest, what's being proposed at the moment is totally inadequate. elsewhere, another economic casualty of covid, the boat show in southampton cancelled even as the yachts were being lined up on the marina. the treasury is holding firm on ending the furlough scheme, even as the cash flow of many companies is sinking. and beyond those gdp figures, the government has announced its first major trade deal since brexit. yes, an important deal with the world's third largest economy, japan, agreed in principle, not yet signed, to be signed next month, and vindication for some ministers, they tell me, for some ministers, they tell me, for the overall approach to their

trade strategy. it important, it basically replicates the trading conditions the uk government is currently enjoying, or have enjoyed, within the european union and does a little bit more for digital trade, for some types of food exporters, too. the overall impact on the economy is relatively modest, but if you carry on racking up deals like this, it will do the economy a lot of good. we don't know the precise detail of the extra access that we got, what was given in return, because the text hasn't been published, it's going to be published, it's going to be published next month but an important staging post for the government in its poster brexit staging strategy, at a time when these traders are going out of fashion and proving quite difficult for the uk fashion and proving quite difficult forthe uk and fashion and proving quite difficult for the uk and other spheres, an important boost at a tough time for the economy. faisal, thanks very much. let's take a look at some of the day's other top stories... hampshire police say three children who were hurt when a school bus hit a railway bridge,

have suffered "potentially life—changing injuries". 12 others were also hurt, after the double—decker‘s roof was torn off in the crash in winchester yesterday. in america, commemorations for the 19th anniversary of the september 11th terror attacks have been taking place, including a ceremony at ground zero in new york. in all, nearly 3,000 people died when four airliners were hijacked back in 2001. president trump has announced that israel and bahrain have reached a landmark deal to normalise their relations. for decades, most arab states have boycotted israel, insisting they would only establish ties after the palestinian dispute was settled. however, donald trump took to twitter to say... "the second arab country to make peace with israel in 30 days". this follows a similar decision by the united arab emirates last month. up to half a million people have been ordered to leave their homes in the us state of oregon, as wildfires continue to spread across the american west coast. around 3,000 firefighters are tackling the blazes. from portland, our north america correspondent aleem maqbool has just sent this report.

the scale of these wildfires is staggering and, as they burn, more lives are being lost. seven bodies were recovered from this community alone, after the flames were fought back. but around 100 major fires are now burning across the north—western united states. they are doing what they can, but erratic winds are hampering efforts and its threatening many communities in three different states. well, overnight, two of the biggest fires in oregon merged and many more evacuation orders have been put in place, including right here, such that, now, more than half a million people in this state have been told to leave their homes. those who fled medford, in oregon, told of having just minutes to grab what they could before their homes were completely engulfed and destroyed. in the last ten years, we see an average of 500,000 acres burned in an entire year.

we've seen that nearly double in the past three days. we have never seen this amount of uncontained fire across our state. the governor talked of this being the acute impact of climate change and warned that, as unprecedented as these fires have been, to expect more of the same kind of devastation in the future. and there is still such a long way to go in the fight against this disaster and fears of many more deaths to come. aleem maqbool, bbc news in sandy, 0regon. the president of the philippines, is facing fresh criticism the president of the philippines is facing fresh criticism over his war on drugs, as the number of related killings continues to rise, even during the coronavirus pandemic. the united nation's human rights council is set to discuss the issue on monday. since his election in 2016, president rodrigo duterte

has cracked down on drug users and dealers, thousands of whom have been killed during police operations. in one suburb of the capital, manila, more lives have been lost in the war on drugs than to covid—19. howard johnson's report contains some images you may find distressing. this is pinyahan, the seemingly bright and breezy suburb of manila. but, at night, death stalks the streets. the war on drugs here is a very public spectacle. 11 people have been killed this year, all allegedly involved in drugs. 0ver recent years, the police have killed thousands of mainly poor low—level drug suspects, during operations across the philippines. the government say it's made streets safer, but communities like this one sayjustice isn't being carried out. father robert reyes is pinyahan‘s parish priest. he shows me to the spot where jeselyn 0rdono, a 39—year—old mother of five,

was shot dead injuly. there was talk that bullets were sprayed across here. yes, they shot her here. there a bullet hole there, there's another bullet hole in one of the motorcycles. the residents are already reeling from the threat of a pandemic and so they don't need something even worse than that. all kinds of murders are happening, they are spreading faster than the virus. the vast majority of drug—related killings in the philippines remain uninvestigated. jeselyn‘s brotherjeffrey says he feels powerless to find out who killed his sister. translation: it still hurts because there is nojustice. there is a cctv camera here but the camera wasn't recording. there is a cctv camera here but the crime wasn't recorded. the police line, when i came across here, i already saw the body. photojournalist vincent goh has been covering the drug war killings for four years. i've documented maybe more than a thousand cases. recently, it's more of there are less police operations and more of motorcycle gunmen and abductions

and dumping of dead bodies. the government's drug war death toll, published on facebook, shows that, during the covid—19 pandemic, the number of suspects killed during police operations increased by double digits, bringing the total to nearly 6,000. but human rights groups say that doesn't include the thousands more shadowy killings by masked gunmen, like the ones taking place in this neighbourhood. despite the gory killings, president duterte continues to have broad support in the philippines. but the united nations are considering sending an investigation team to the country, following a damning report by human rights observers. the government say they have already established a panel to look into the killings during police operations. if there have been certain lapses orflaws in the procedure implemented, then certain recommendations on how to correct those flaws will be made.

but rights groups say they believe the government's actions are a smoke screen to prevent un intervention. you have to keep in mind that the drug war is entering its fifth year and the government has not done anything, so that's why we are very sceptical about the actions of the government right now in relation to what is happening at the human rights council. back in pinyahan, some of the families of the 11 killed join father reyes for a candlelit vigil to remember the dead. to date, there have been ten covid—19 deaths in pinyahan, making the masked killers more deadly than the coronavirus here. howard johnson, bbc news, manila. here, as coronavirus infections begin to rise again, there's an increased focus on how to ensure that schools can remain open across the uk. now, two big new research projects have received funding, to investigate how the virus might be transmitted in schools. 0ur education editor

branwenjeffreys has more details. at the school front door, the first reminder of coronavirus, the risk their education will be disrupted again. but these pupils in bristol could help change that. taking a saliva test for the virus once a month, so cases without symptoms are spotted. if you do know that you have it, then you can stay at home for, like, two weeks and make sure that you've fully recovered. at such a critical time, learning obviously our gcses, so keeping school open for our year right now is probably the best thing that can happen. the benefits are of testing like, you know you can take precautions, you can quickly isolate, and help others stay safe. for the first time since march, all pupils are back. cases are rising in towns and cities across england. understanding any

links is now urgent. we know remarkably little about transmission between children, because there's been so little testing in schools. and, without that knowledge, a winter of disruption lies ahead, because so many of them may get the virus and not show any symptoms. this is the scientist hoping to find some answers. her team will test 4,000 pupils and 1,000 staff. here we are with a project that we have co—created with schools. at the moment, schools often don't know who has or has had the virus. we need to get increase our knowledge, in terms of the rate of infection in this age group, but also work with schools to be able to embed good health behaviours. the solution isn't solely in testing, it's in how testing is incorporated with other measures.

already, some schools have been disrupted. for this head teacher, rapid test results mean keeping her school open. i love seeing children in school, and i love hearing them. i love hearing them learning, and so what i want is all the tools i can have to keep that going. i don't want to have to close the school, and i really don't want to have to ask children to learn from home again. research in schools across bristol will help everyone by mapping infections in one city. branwenjeffreys, bbc news, bristol. it will be a baptism of fire tomorrow for newly promoted leeds united, as the premier league season kicks off. their first game, against the champions, liverpool. here's our sports editor, dan roan. mcnab on the outside, he's round the back. once one of the country's most feared footballing forces, for many, the premier league has felt incomplete without leeds united, but now, after 16 years

featuring desperation,