this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 6. "on the edge of losing control" of coronavirus — a warning from one leading scientist as more than 3000 uk cases are recorded for a second day it is still a very widely distributed infection, it's across the whole of the uk and, by every measure, the numbers are going up. oxford university and astrazeneca restart clinical trials of their coronavirus vaccine which was halted after a volunteer fell ill. a new trial to reduce pollution levels will cut the speed limit to 60mph on four sections of motorway in england. sir terence conran, the designer and habitat founder who revolutionised british decor

and dining, has died aged 88. and coming up in sportsday — arsenal start as they mean to go on — beating newly promoted fulham in the opening game of the new premier league season. a leading scientist has warned that the uk is "on the edge of losing control" of coronavirus, as infections rise. professor sir mark walport, a member of the government's sage advisory committee, said people needed to limit their socialising, to ensure children can remain at school and students at university. it comes as the latest government data shows the uk recorded 3,497 new confirmed cases of covid—19.

this report from our health correspondent, lauren moss. it's the final weekend before new restrictions are introduced across the uk. from monday, the rule of six will limit the number of people that we can socialise with. yesterday, there were 3500 new confirmed covid cases, and scientists have warned the rate of infection is doubling every seven to ten days. i think one would have to say that we are on the edge of losing control, and you've only got to look across the channel to see what is happening in france and what is happening in spain. the french on thursday had 9800 new infections, and one can see that their hospital admissions, and indeed, their intensive care admissions are going up. the rate of infection is much lower than it was at the peak of the pandemic, when it is thought there were 100,000 new infections a day. but government advisers believe the r number — the number of people an infected person can pass the virus on to — is between 1 and 1.2, which means it is growing.

the latest data from public health england shows the largest increase in positive cases is among 20 to 39—year—olds. but there has also been a steep rise in the number of people over the age of 80 testing positive, which is beginning to lead to an increase in hospital admissions. while people will not be able to socialise in groups of more than six from monday, in parts of the midlands the restrictions are going further. from tuesday, in birmingham, and nearby sandwell and solihull, 1.5 million people will be banned from mixing with other households. the onus is on all of us to do everything that we can to make sure that we are abiding by those rules. and those rules, of course, ensure that we can, with close family members and friends, socialise in appropriate circumstances and those rules also stress the vital importance of making sure that children are at school, that students can study at university and that we can work in a covid—safe environment. in scotland, restrictions on two

households mixing were expanded into lanarkshire at midnight. and there are still reported issues with testing in england, after dozens of people told the bbc they were struggling to get one. the department of health says capacity is being targeted at the hardest—hit areas. as coronavirus cases rise, the country will walk a tightrope between containing it and maintaining a way of life. lauren moss, bbc news. well as i said, the latest government figures show there were 3,497 cases recorded in the latest 2a period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 3,001. 9 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 41,623. as you saw in lauren's report, professor sir mark walport, a member of the government's sage advisory committee, has warned the uk is in a dangerous position. he spoke to my colleague shaun ley earlier about the risk. the numbers speak for themselves. so, as your reporterjust said, the numbers are going up consistently in the uk at the moment. the imperial study suggested a doubling about every seven days, and the numbers of patients on the 5th of september was just over 1800. yesterday, it was 3500. if you look across the channel, then we can see the numbers in spain, we can see the numbers in france. and france had, earlier in the week, just over 9800 infections there, and because they are a few weeks ahead, the numbers of patients going into intensive care is increasing. it's increased by 93 people on wednesday.

so, this is the time to act. and again, if you look at belgium, where they are managing to hold the numbers down, and they had a very severe initial phase, they are limiting numbers of social gatherings to about five people. but the bottom line is that this is still very widely distributed infection, it's across the whole of the uk and, by every measure, the numbers are going up at the moment. just to remind you that we'll be joining viewers on bbc one shortly for a full round—up of the national news presented by my colleague reeta chakra barti. but staying with covid for the time being, and earlier i spoke to dr gabriel scally — visiting professor of public health at the university of bristol, and a member of independent sage — which is a separate group of scientific experts. he is calling for a more localised approach to testing. well, i think it's not fit for purpose at all. it's not delivering the goods. it's not getting people tested quickly and locally.

it's not delivering the results in a timely fashion, it's taking far too long. and finally, there are still data—flow issues getting that information to local level. it needs to be completely rethought and moved to a more locally based system which is responsive notjust to the needs of the population, but also to a number of cases in the population. are we expecting too much, too soon? this is a huge undertaking. not at all. the government stopped testing on the 12th of march and their view at that time was that testing was unimportant and wasn't for countries like the uk. it took them two months to change their mind on that and go back to community testing, and they said this nhs test and trace, which is not an nhs service at all, it is run by deloitte

and serco and private contractors, would be fully functioning in september. and there is still no sign of it. and anyway, as a public health doctor, i think it's flawed asking someone who has got symptoms of this problematic disease to drive 100 miles, or if they are not driving, asking someone to go in a car and drive with them 100 miles to get tested. just doesn't make sense in an era of social distancing. it needs to be locally driven, locally resourced and locally coordinated and it's none of these things.

good evening. a leading scientist has warned that the uk is "on the edge of losing control" of coronavirus, as infections rise. professor sir mark walport, a member of the government's sage advisory committee, said people need to limit their socialising to ensure children can remain at school, and students at university. it comes as oxford university confirmed its clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine will resume. the trial was paused earlier this week due to a participant in the uk becoming ill. this report from our

health correspondent, lauren moss. 0n the final weekend before new restrictions are introduced there is a stark warning about what may lie ahead. 3500 more coronavirus cases have been diagnosed for the second day ina have been diagnosed for the second day in a row. scientists say although the rate of infection is lower than it was at the peak of the epidemic, covid—19 is growing in the community. we have to say we're on the edge of losing control. you've only got to look across the channel to see what's happening in france and spain. the figures in the uk on the 5th of september, it was around 1800 people identified with the infection and on the 11th it was 3500. there's been an increase in cases across all age groups, most pronounced among 20—39 —year—olds. there's also been a steep rise in people over the age of 80 testing positive. those numbers declined over the summer but now they are going back up. to try and keep a lid

on infections the rule of six is going to limit the numbers we can socialised with from monday and people i getting their heads around the rules. why is it monday, why not straightaway? i do think it's a funny system. if it's saving lives thanit funny system. if it's saving lives than it makes sense. it's a lot clearer. the rule of six, i think people understand it. i have to say i'm in support of it. in birmingham in nearby sandwell and solihull where the rate of infection is among the highest in the country, 1.5 million people will be banned from mixing with other households from tuesday. everyone is warned they have a part to play. the onus is on all of us to do everything we can to abide by the rules, which ensure that we can, with close family members and friends, socialise in appropriate circumstances. those rules also stressed the vital importance of making sure that children are at school, that stu d e nts children are at school, that students can study at university and

we can work in a covid safe environment. traction is on two households mixing were expanded into lanarkshire from midnight and four monday in the rest of scotland there will be a limit of six people from two households to meet and in wales indoor gatherings of more than six will be banned. there is positive news that the vaccine trial by 0xford news that the vaccine trial by oxford university is restarting after it was paused because a participant became ill. an independent investigation concluded it is safe to continue. but any vaccine is likely to be several months away. for now we'll walk a fine line between maintaining a way of life and containing a virus that's changed it for so many. lauren moss, bbc news. well, the latest government figures show there were 3,497 cases recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week, is now 3,001. nine 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 41,623. sir terence conran, the british designer who transformed uk retail and interior design, has died at the age of 88. best known as the founder of habitat, sir terence brought modern style and simplicity to uk homes. today, the design museum described him as a "visionary" — saying he "revolutionised the way we live in britain". in a statement, his family said he "passed away peacefully" at his home. david sillito looks back at his life. you know, i believe in what i call easy living. duvets, flatpack furniture, the wok.

it wasn't just a shop. sir terence conran introduced britain to a new way of living — a design philosophy that had its roots in the festival of britain. newreel: bank holiday, and the festival spirit pulls the crowds to the southbank exhibition. as a young industrial designer, he worked on the exhibits at this vision of the future. it had a powerful impact. i just saw the faces of people coming in in their long macintoshes with their sandwiches and their smiles. they hadn't seen anything cheerfulfor so long. habitat. 13 years later, he opened habitat. light, bright, modern, continental — furniture for the swinging ‘60s. it was the beginning of an empire. bhs, richard shops, mothercare, heal‘s. he helped turn dowdy old hepworth‘s into the high street titan next.

he also had a chain of restaurants, and while the businesses had their ups and downs — food, clothes, furniture — he touched the lives of millions. and all of it came together with this — his last major project, the design museum. a shrine to the ideas that had been his life's work. this is the great day of my life, to see the place actually finished. the life and style of modern britain owes much to sir terence conran. sir terence conran, who has died aged 88. the afghan government has called for an urgent ceasefire on the first day of peace talks with the taliban. us secretary of state mike pompeo called the talks a "truly momentous" breakthrough. the discussions are taking place

in the qatari capital doha, after months of delay, in an attempt to end decades of conflict in afghanistan. the speed limit will be cut from 70 to 60 miles an hour on parts of four motorways by the end of this month, in a trial to reduce pollution. highways england says the four areas are: on the m1 between sheffield and rotherham, also in the north — the m602 coming into manchester from liverpool and the west. there are two stretches in the midlands too, on the m6 between junctions six and seven. and finally on the m5, between junctions one and two. 0ur correspondent danny savage is by the m1 near rotherham. if you let by a motivate chances are that at times their pollution around you will be quite high, especially if there is no breeze or if there is a trafficjam. if there is no breeze or if there is a traffic jam. what if there is no breeze or if there is a trafficjam. what highways england

have done is identify the four stretches of motorway as areas of particular concern whether levels can be quite high. they believe that introducing a 60 mph speed limit, reducing it by ten mph, will reduce the pollution levels. new levels come into place before the end of the month on those four stretches of motorway. the key thing is that they are 24—7, they will be in place all the time. if you passed through that stretch and it is quiet there will still be the 60 mph speed limit. there won't be the default setting of 70 mph. what highways england also say that is going forward, what will bring down pollution is what comes out of the tailpipe of your car. most of us drive in petrol and diesel cars. in years to come more of us will be in electric and hybrid ca i’s of us will be in electric and hybrid cars and that will have the biggest effect on pollution but that's something that's a 20 year programme. for the time being it's an experiment for 12 months and it will be reviewed after that to see

what sort of difference it's made. danny, thank you. its been just 48 days since the season finished — but england's premier league is back. there was a win for crystal palace, while champions liverpool are beating newly promoted leeds united 3—2. but it was arsenal who kicked off the season with a 3—0 win against another promoted team, fulham, as patrick gearey reports. after the longest season and the shortest summer, premier league football's back, in its bubble. with the world locked out, newly—promoted fulham are doing some building work but it only took ten minutes for arsenal to find a hole. and then it will be tapped in. alexandre lacazette finished thejob. later in the half, willian spotted another crumbling wall. arsenal's new signing, so close to scoring. and after the break another new boy went one better. free header and it's in. gabriel's rise out of the shadows made it two. a debut goal courtesy of his shoulder. officially this season not a part of his arm. the next signature arsenal want is pierre—emerick aubameyang's on a new contract and here's why.

aubameyang with a goal again. the game flashed and finished before scott pa rker‘s eyes. welcome back to the premier league. it was all fulham could do to stop aubameyang from squeezing in a fourth. a long, exhausting journey awaits but mikel arteta and arsenal complete their first step at a stroll. patrick gearey, bbc news. that's it for now. we're back with the late news at ten. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. more now on those peace talks between the afghan government and the taliban, which are under way in the gulf state of qatar. 0ur chief international corresopondent, lyse doucet, is there. the bright lights of doha seem a long way from afghanistan. they are, but today, as you have been hearing, a very first and historic step

was taken in what will be a very long and very hard road towards ending four decades of a devastating war. it is also, for so many afghans who travelled here, a very emotional moment. they spoke of that today, about how emotional they feel, all of them pondering the losses that every family across afghanistan has felt in all of these years of war. after the opening ceremony, from which you heard those speeches, the two sides sat down for their first direct negotiations. the taliban on one side, the afghan government on the other. after, both sides said that they went much better than expected. they were able to agree on the formula for the talks. on a 6—member committee to facilitate the talks, and they have said they will meet again tomorrow to discuss the agenda for the talks. let us just hear a little bit more about how the afghans are describing the mood. i was speaking to the taliban chief spokesperson.

we want to bring about peace to afghanistan, to see an independent country, to see an advanced country. to see prosperity of our people. that means, when we follow these aims and these goals and the other afghans follow, we will of course come together in shared goals. notice the taliban negotiator in his opening remarks emphasising the need for an islamic system for all afghan citizens. there already is an islamic republic in afghanistan. what more do you need? people worry that you will have an even harsher interpretation. this is no harsher interpretation. the rules are clear islamic rules, so there will be a committee of the scholars set up and they will see about the islamic system.

isn't there already an islamic system? no, they say, it is a republic... this is a red line for the afghan delegation for many afghans? they say we have a republic, not a system... but all of the afghan people, which is all muslim people, they want a system which is participated by all afghans. and the mood on the other side of the table, the question for a government spokesperson, and one of the negotiators. indeed, it is a hopeful day. we have looked for ending this violence for so long. of course, we are careful. it is a complicated process. we have to sort out those complications. we have to make sure that we find that common ground for a shared future for our people and for all of those actors — especially for those who are submitting to violence. it is a hopeful step.

the window is now opened. we are looking forward to discuss those differences to end completely the violence, silence the gun and protect and strengthen further the values of the republic, the islamic republic of afghanistan. we have given so much sacrifices. 0ur international partners have given so much sacrifices to see afghanistan a stable and democratic country. that is what we are here for. everybody at the opening ceremony except the taliban called for a ceasefire. how much of a stumbling block is that going to be? our people long for the silencing of the gun. throughout the country, the overwhelming majority of our people, they want ceasefire. we understand that is a difficult step for the taliban to take, but we also understand they have an obligation, both to afghan people but it is also

a religious obligation to all of us who believe in the sacred provision of islam that promotes peace. they must end that violence if we are to develop a shared future. we also keep telling them, and we would tell them, if you are using violence to be considered serious — stop that violence, you will be not weakened. we will still consider you as a group that you are today. therefore, stop the violence. if you continue the violence, your value will diminish continue the violence, your value willdiminish and go continue the violence, your value will diminish and go down. but if you stop it, we will hold you to the same level we hold you today. from the afghan government delegation and a negotiator. you have it there, the very sense on both sides that this was important. it is only a start.

you got a hint of the deep differences dividing these two sides and, indeed, dividing afghans. disagreement over the timing of a ceasefire that so many afghans are yearn for. in what kind of a political system and what kind of islamic state does afghanistan want in the future? what will be the extent of rights and freedoms, particularly for afghan women many of whom are concerned as the phrase goes against the last 19 years since the toppling of the taliban won't be lost? this is a country where 19 yea rs lost? this is a country where 19 years and one day since the attacks of september the 11th on the united states and the intervention of the international community is still a country where the afghan president says 90% of afghans are still living on less than $2 a day. it is not just peace, it is also prosperity. there is a long way to go, but today was a start. the weather is looking

pretty good for most of us for the rest of saturday. a lot of dry weather about. tomorrow, also a decent day. however, not absolutely everywhere. across western scotland, farfrom everywhere. across western scotland, far from it. it everywhere. across western scotland, farfrom it. it is going to turn very wet and windy. this is the reason, this elongated weather front across the north atlantic stretching all the way to almost the eastern seaboard of the us. it is heading in our direction. it has already reached us and you can see where the rain is in parts of early evening around northern ireland, western scotland. winds freshening here as well. it is a completely different story, 21 degrees in london and some sunshine. through this evening and overnight, it stays dry to england and wales. northern ireland will have a little bit of rain, but most of that rainbow full across scotland. not particularly wet in the north—east of scotland. plymouth, southampton, temperatures

around 12 or 13. tomorrow, it stays clear across the south. even some sunshine. cloud elsewhere across the uk but particularly heavy rain across the western isles of scotland could be as much of 100 millimetres of rain. that is a lot. wind as well, 50 miles an hour gusts are possible. london hotting up to around 25 tomorrow. we are in for a brief hot spell this coming week. in fa ct, brief hot spell this coming week. in fact, temperatures could hit 20 degrees across the south—east of the uk. high—pressure dominating on monday across much of the continent. 0n the edge of this high pressure, we have a warm current of air coming out of spain and also france, spreading in dry, hot air. out of spain and also france, spreading in dry, hotair. not particularly unusual for this time of year. these temperatures do tend to happen in september, at least now and ben, but certainly not that common. monday, not particularly hot at all. 19 or 20 degrees. the middle

high 20s across central england and up high 20s across central england and up to 30 in london. possibly 30 again on tuesday, and then a slow decline in temperatures as we go to the next part of the week. back to normal on thursday and friday.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... "0n the edge of losing control" of coronavirus — a stark warning from one leading scientist following a sharp rise in cases. it comes as a further 3,497 cases are confirmed in the uk. it is still a very widely distributed infection, it's across the whole of the uk and, by every measure, the numbers are going up.