this is bbc news. the headlines at 8: the government defends its decision to allow students to return to university despite several outbreaks of coronavirus — leaving many confined to their rooms. it's important that students not have to give up a year of their lives by not going to university. they are going to university and are paying the fees accordingly. cardiff and swansea have gone into local lockdown tonight, with another three areas in wales facing new restrictions from tomorrow. the murdered police sergeant matt ratana is remembered at the rugby club where he was head coach — as the suspect is named as 23—year—old louis de zoysa. more than 100 people are arrested in belarus, as there's no let up in weekend protests against president lukashenko.

good evening. welcome to bbc news. the government has defended its decision to allow hundreds of thousands of students in england to return to university for the new term, despite several outbreaks of coronavirus on campuses. thousands of students have had to be confined to their rooms, but the culture secretary, oliver dowden, says it's important their studies aren't sacrificed because of the virus. but a member of the government's advisory body modelling the spread of the pandemic, says the consequences of allowing students back have been ‘entirely predictable‘. dan johnson reports now, from manchester. for the student in need, there's one emergency service that always delivers. parents have stepped in when supermarket slots ran out.

it's just really rough at the moment, and we're really disheartened by the whole entire situation. these first year nursing student say they're already rationing food. people wanted to drop out, we're not getting the right uni experience. and we're not talking about going out and partying, we're not getting the right education. people are really struggling, especially with anxiety and depression. it is really hard for those to calm themselves down and relax, because they are being told they're locked up. it's basically claustrophobic, and you feel like you can't get out of here because you're not allowed to. max got a family drop off on the third day of a fortnight in isolation here. do you think there might come a time when you need to take him back? potentially. if it was an option and he wanted to, and felt uncomfortable here, yes. while case numbers are so farlimited... if enough of you come out, we're not going to do anything. the voices of concern are getting louder. students have been done over on their a—levels,

they've been done over on freshers' week. the government is now threatening to lock them up at university. and, very worrying for them, when they graduate we may be looking at long—term youth unemployment. it's no surprise that students living on top of each other will share the virus. and scientific advisers did predict university spikes. they showed quite clearly that the risk areas were particularly first year students in halls of residence, as well as face—to—face teaching. it was very predictable and it was modelled. while some may be questioning this situation, universities say it's all about keeping them and communities safe. we are doing that in order to reduce the spread of the disease and enable them to go back at all. it's important for students not to have to give up a year of their life by not going to university. and they are going to university and paying fees accordingly. of course, this is no start to the new term for these students, and there are likely to be others who suffer similar disruption. but what's the alternative? there are no good options here, really. unless everyone is to be denied even

the chance of a university experience this year. and, in newcastle, these are the latest arrivals. i'm still excited, i still think there will be plenty going on. i'm excited, but quite nervous, just because you don't really know what to expect. in glasgow, tess has the virus and is one of around 1000 students isolating across scotland. the reason why is is spreading out from murano is because people from other unis, or people who can't go don't even go to uni, are coming to murano for a night out, which is ridiculous. there are questions about seeing family at christmas and calls to get enough testing in place to allow that to happen safely. danjohnson, bbc news, manchester. aamer anwar — lawyer and former rector of university of glasgow — questioned what preparations had been made for students returning to university. i believe that they breached their duty of care to university students and the real question that should be asked of senior management, of the principals across this country, is what exactly

were they preparing for over the last six months, when both the ucu unions, staff associations and student leaders were predicting this, as were health experts? i mean, what did they expect to happen, for instance, in glasgow university, murano street village, where you have 1,500 students crammed in like sardines, where there is no contingency, no one—way systems. what did they expect to happen? i mean, this highly infectious disease, other than that it would spread extremely fast and then sometimes forcing people into flats where there is up to 12 people sharing a bathroom and a kitchen?! absolutely hopeless and shamefully inadequate response. and the idea that in the last two days they have been sort of trying to backtrack and apologise for all the various statements that they have put up, let me just be blunt here. you cannot hold students hostage. you cannot treat them as cash cows and tell them to come to university, when by and large most universities across this country knew that they were going to deliver online teaching. what they did was put the lives of students at risk, but also put the lives of the wider community at risk.

and that is not acceptable... sorry to interrupt you, but that is what some universities are arguing they are trying to prevent, is putting anybody at risk. manchester metropolitan university are saying they have asked certain students to go into self isolation. they admit that they can't prevent students from leaving the halls of residence, but we have spoken to some students who say there are security guards at the door preventing them from leaving. what does the law say about the right for them to come and go? well, let's put it this way. there is no law in place in terms of coronavirus regulations that separates students out from the separate body of the rest of the population. you cannot hold people hostage in halls of residence, it is against the law. and if security guards are taking these actions on the basis of senior management at universities, then they must be held to account and they are dangerously breaching the law and they could be arrested for that. with regards to the residency in terms of the tenancies that students have, they are well within their rights under coronavirus regulations to terminate their leases and to be allowed to return home back

to their families because they have been treated as cash cows and why would any member of society want to be put into a giant petri dish in order to know that they could catch coronavirus as a result, when they could quite easily carry on their university career for the next few months with online classes? the scottish government has updated his guidance as to what students at university in scotland should do if they wish to leave their university accommodation. they are saying they can return home on a long—term basis as long as they follow the rules on self isolating. they cannot stay overnight if they are not going to be there on a long—term basis because they have effectively formed a new household with fellow students that they are living without university. the higher education minister said they would encourage stu d e nts to minister said they would encourage students to remain in their current accommodation so they can benefit

from a blend of digital and in—person learning. however, we know many students may be struggling with the prospect of not being able to return home for a family visit other support networks, and it is important to stress that adjusting toa important to stress that adjusting to a way of life is always challenging but if you do decide to go home, you have to make it a permanent thing because of the rules about socialite distancing and isolating that are in place. this has been welcomed by the national union of students scotland president but he says they are disappointed the government continues to talk up in—person teaching which may keep stu d e nts in—person teaching which may keep students on campus and increase risks unnecessarily. there has also been a call for students to be given a refund on their accommodation if they choose to leave. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are rachel cunliffe, comment and features editor at city am, and george eaton,

senior 0nline editor at the new statesman. three more welsh counties are to be placed under local coronavirus lockdowns tomorrow evening. new restrictions will be placed on people living in neath port talbot, torfaen and vale of glamorgan. similar measures have come into force in swansea and cardiff. by the end of tomorrow, two thirds of the population of the country will be under local lockdowns. tomos morgan reports. as another autumn begins, so does another lockdown in another part of wales. cardiff will become the first uk nation capital to go back under lockdown measures this evening. as a capital, yes, there is a particular focus. you know, i'm particularly conscious that we are the economic dynamo of the city region. indeed, probably all of wales. so there is an impact and i am disappointed, in that regard. as the economy came to a standstill earlier this year, several industries have been struggling, regardless of the furlough scheme,

with many being made redundant as restrictions persist. the younger generation though, starting their careers, have been particularly affected and have had to use the pandemic as an opportunity to create their own job security. i started a newjob and then i got put on furlough straightaway. so, it was in the back of the mind, oh, am i going to be kept on at thejob, or am i going to need to be let go because i'm new? so that was at the back of my mind, to be fair. along with cardiff, from tonight extended households, or bubbles, must also end in swansea as local restrictions come into force there. nobody will be able to leave either city area without a valid reason, such as work or childcare. the first minister, mark drakeford, has pursued with local lockdown measures for now. however, the welsh government has made the unexpected announcement this sunday afternoon that another three local authorities will be placed under instructions

from tomorrow evening. —— placed under restrictions. figures have continued to deteriorate in those three areas over the weekend. we signalled on friday that we were keeping them under very close scrutiny, and the advice we have had is that now is the moment. we need to act and local restrictions will apply in those three areas, torfaen, the vale of glamorgan, and neath port talbot county borough councils, from 6pm tomorrow evening. that will be in by tuesday that almost 2 million people, two thirds of the population in wales, will be under local lockdown. with cases continuing to rise and the first minister refusing to rule it out, the prospect of another wales—wide lockdown becomes even more of a realistic possibility. tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff. the latest government figures show there were 5,693 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 2a period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week, is 5,816.

17 deaths were reported, of people who died, within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test, so on average in the last week, 30 deaths were announced every day. that takes the total number across the uk to 111,988. the health secretary matt hancock has taken to twitter to praise what he calls a ‘fantastic response‘ to the governments track and trace phone app. in his tweet, mr hancock said that over 10 million people have downloaded the nhs covid—19 app in just three days. the suspect in the killing of police sergeant matt ratana is being named as louis de zoysa, who‘s 23 and from norbury in south london. he remains critically ill in hospital following the shooting. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds has the latest. police memorial day commemorates all of those who‘ve died while serving but the killing

of an officer is a particularly traumatic event. the home secretary and the mayor of london laid wreaths, but the metropolitan police commissioner, dame cressida dick, was remembering an officer she had personally served alongside. matt ratana, she said, was extraordinary, firm but supportive of those needing help. if something good can come out of this terrible incident, it would be that more people understand a little bit about the challenges of police work and see us police for who we are. you know, human beings who go to work to help people, to support people and to protect people. and matt was the epitome of that. matt ratana was killed when shots were fired by a handcuffed suspect inside a secure police custody facility. the bbc has been told louis de zoysa, who‘s 23, is the man of murdering him.

—— the man suspected of murdering him. this morning, searchers continued at his family home in south london. police were also at a rural property in surrey, where early yesterday morning local residents heard what was later described to them by police on the ground as a controlled explosion. as the investigation gathers pace, a man has been arrested in norfolk on suspicion of supplying a gun. matt ratana was as dedicated to rugby as he was to policing. and today, several clubs were remembering him, including east grinstead, where he was head coach. two families, rugby and police, will never forget their loss. tom symons, bbc news. armenia has warned there could be all—out war with azerbaijan after the heaviest fighting for years in the disputed region of nagorno—karabakh. both nations have now declared martial law and accuse each other of starting the fighting. 0ur correspondent rayhan demytrie reports.

sunday morning in nagorno—karabakh. heavy fighting using tanks, artillery, drones and helicopters broke over this territory disputed by azerbaijan and armenia for more than 30 years. both countries accused each other of reigniting the conflict. both sides reported casualties, including civilians. translation: it is no secret that the first fire, including artillery fire, was opened by armenia. and the first to die were azerbaijani servicemen. azerbaijan gave a decent response to the enemy and the enemy could not move an inch. the armenian prime minister urged the world community not to stay silent. translation: the outbreak of a large—scale war in the south caucasus, the brink of which we are standing now, could have the most

unpredictable consequences. it could go out of the region's borders and take wider volumes and threaten international security and stability. turkey expressed its solidarity with azerbaijan. russia called for an immediate ceasefire. the mountainous kara bakh was an autonomous region within soviet azerbaijan, populated largely by ethnic armenians. the two countries fought a war they are in the early 1990s. armenia gained control over the territory and a number of adjacent azerbaijani districts following a 1994 ceasefire. azerbaijan has repeatedly expressed its frustration with a lack of progress in the decades long peace process. it is now resorting to a military solution to regain its territories. the headlines on bbc news: the government defends its decision to allow students to return

to university despite several outbreaks of coronavirus, leaving many confined to their rooms. cardiff and swansea have gone into local lockdown tonight — with another three areas of wales facing new restrictions from tomorrow. the murdered police sergeant matt ratana is remembered at the rugby club where he was head coach — as the suspect is named as 23—year—old louis de zoysa. in belarus more than 100 people have been detained after riot police tried unsuccessfully, to disrupt demonstrations against president lukashenko. tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across the country, demanding he steps down. belarus has seen daily protests, since a disputed election in early august. from the capital, minsk, jonah fisher reports. seven weeks after the disputed election, belarus‘s protests now have a certain rhythm.

sundays are the big ones, and there was once again tens of thousands on the streets of the capital, minsk. over the weeks, the protesters‘ outfits have evolved, as have the jokes and the insults. why have you got a rat on a cross? it‘s our president! president lukashenko is widely thought to have lost august‘s vote to sviatla na tsikhanouskaya. they chant for her, but a crackdown has all but destroyed the opposition leadership. sergei dylevsky, a tractorfactory worker and trade unionist, is pretty much the only leader who is neither injail or in exile. and he‘s worried. while we are with him, his wife calls twice to make sure he hasn‘t been picked up. at the moment, there is no organised opposition

inside belarus, he tells me. but if you call the people of belarus the opposition, then the opposition is stronger than ever. while the police and military remain loyal, and willing to use force, it‘s hard to see president lukashenko going. so, this is what we have seen repeatedly here. excuse me, sir. basically, these masked guys, nothing on them which says who they are, disrupting demonstrations. detaining people, taking them into vans. where are you taking these people? this was a women‘s march yesterday. what is happening to you? she says she was just standing next to a cafe. what is your name? we showed you our name. no name. no name?

why not? no name, no face? why don‘t you show your face? on europe‘s eastern flank, the men in masks are still very much in charge. jonah fisher, bbc news, minsk. the democratic presidential candidatejoe biden has accused donald trump of rushing to install a new supreme courtjustice to ‘eliminate the entire affordable care act‘, known as obamaca re. president trump nominated justice amy coney barrett on the supreme court on saturday giving conservatives a 6 to three majority if the senate approves. the move has drawn criticism because the nomination is so close to november‘s presidential election. never before in our nation‘s history has a supreme court justice been nominated and installed while a presidential election is already under way.

it defies every precedent, every expectation of a nation where the people, the people are sovereign and rule of law reigns. but yesterday, before justice ginsburg could be laid to rest and after 100,000 americans had already cast their ballots, the president nominated a successor to her seat. it is no mystery about what is happening here. president trump is trying to throw out the affordable care act. he has been trying to do it for the last four years. the republican party has been trying to eliminate it for a decade, twice already the supreme court has upheld that law, the affordable care act. and the congress, expressing the popular will of the american people, has rejected president trump‘s efforts

as well. now, all of a sudden, this administration believes they have found a loophole, in the tragedy ofjustice ginsburg‘s death. a wildfire in the us state of california that began overnight in napa county has quickly burned across 800 acres and forced evacuations in northern california. the blaze known as the ‘glass fire‘ began early on sunday morning but quickly spread. the us national weather service says low humidity, dry fuel and winds are causing "significant fire—weather concerns." it‘s the latest in a series of blazes to engulf large areas in the state. there are fears that the 10pm curfew placed on pubs and restaurants in england and wales could place the future of many venues into jeopardy. the pub chain, greene king, has said trade has dipped significantly since the restrictions came into force. katy austin reports.

the new saturday night. at 10pm, the doors of pubs, restaurants, bars and casinos had to close. fresh restrictions, including mandatory table service, applied in england since thursday, and in scotland since friday. when the rules were announced, trade association uk hospitality said to be forced closing time would be bad for business and damage customers‘ confidence. a group representing bars and other night—time economy venues said there had been a huge drop in trade. they‘re in a very precarious position. they‘ve had a lot of their revenue sort of taken away from them by the reduction of these hours, and all they‘ve tried to do is practically work with government to get to a point where they can open, and now what‘s happening is they‘re reducing that position by taking hours away and making it more challenging. pub chain greene king said the impact on food sales had been bigger than expected. it wants the government to provide further targeted support. it also said customers were leaving all at once,

making managing people‘s safety when they left a challenge. this week the government announced a new scheme aimed at protecting viable jobs after the furlough scheme ends, by subsidising the wages of people working reduced hours. there will be extensions and changes to coronavirus loan schemes for businesses also, and a vat cut to hospitality will continue for longer. but many in this industry feel unfairly targeted by the new restrictions, which the prime minister has warned could be in place for six months, and they worried support on offer will not prevent furtherjob losses. katy austin, bbc news. the australian city of melbourne is preparing to lift a night—time curfew imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus following a drop in the number of infections. it‘s one of a number of restrictions that are to be eased — primary schools will be allowed to reopen in two weeks‘ time and staff in a number of industries will be able to return to work. melbourne was placed into a second lockdown injuly. voters in switzerland have rejected

a move to end the free movement of people with the european union. the proposal to end the agreement came from the right wing swiss people‘s party, who argued that immigration from europe was to blame for a rising population. nearly 62% of people voted against the proposal. in switzerland, a polar blast has brought early snowfall to the alpine nation as well as parts of neighbouring austria. tanya dendrinoss has more. it is only september but already the swiss alps are looking like a winter wonderland. more than just a dusting of snow, trees and chalets were picture perfect. the cold snap is thanks to a low pressure system dragging polar air masses with it and resulting in the unseasonably early snowfalls, 25 centimetres fell in montana. a new september record. elsewhere, conditions

saw roads closed. as you would expect with scenes like this, temperatures across the swiss plains and alps plummeted far below—average for this time of year so there is only one thing to do. dodge snowballs, launch toboggans and build a snowman. there was plenty to play in in austria as well, heavy flakes making for a brief walk while the snow groomers had their work cut out. translation: last night about 60 centimetres of fresh snow came down, strong winds causing snowdrifts but they made the glacier surface smooth and clean. we are optimistic we will be able to prepare an amazing ski slope. a taste of what is to come and a welcome distraction from the mountains still to climb in the midst of the pandemic. the french open tennis championship has got off to a difficult start.

the us open runner up, victoria azarenka, walked off the court after just three games in protest at the windy, wet weather. she called the playing conditions ‘ridiculous‘. another women‘s match also started late when players objected to the cold. the tournament usually takes place in may and june. andy murray did not have a very good time at the french open either. he has been knocked out after the first round. 6—1, 6—3, 6—2 by stan wawrinka. andy murray has said he is going to have a long, hard think. i know how that feels. now it is time for a look at the weather. for those in france, temperatures have been much slower than we would normally expect. tonight, it is frost for us. could see some of the

cold est frost for us. could see some of the coldest conditions of september, particularly across parts of northern england in south—east scotland. temperatures down to around —3 or “11 in some spots. double figures in the south—east, the cloud and re—still there. we will see some outbreaks of rain tomorrow morning. that will spread into western scotland through the morning and from late morning into the afternoon across parts of wales and western england, patchy rain and drizzle. brightening up in the west later, and at long last, after a cloudy, cold windy weekend. it will feel warm across east anglia and the south—east is the sun finally returns. cloud and rain will push through as we go through monday night into tuesday, lingering through the first part of the day before brightening up. one or two isolated showers on tuesday into the west, but overall it will be the driest day of the week across the country. most places, temperatures 13-18. country. most places, temperatures 13—18. more details later.

hello, this is bbc news with me, martine croxall. the headlines: the government defends its decision to allow students to return to university, despite several outbreaks of coronavirus, leaving many

confined to their rooms. but in scotland students are told they can return home — as long as they follow the rules on self—isolating. cardiff and swansea have gone into local lockdown tonight, with another three areas in wales facing new restrictions from tomorrow. the murdered police sergeant matt ratana is remembered at the rugby club where he was head coach — as the suspect is named as 23—year—old louis de zoysa. more than 100 people are arrested in belarus, as there‘s no let up in weekend protests against president lukashenko. now on bbc news, in herfirst in—depth british tv interview, stella moris talks to victoria derbyshire about her relationship withjulian assange while he was living in the ecuadorian embassy in london.

she‘s now the mother of the wikileaks founder‘s two young