tonight at ten — council leaders in some of the biggest cities in the north of england are warning ministers that the current covid restrictions are not working. in leeds, liverpool, newcastle and manchester, where new cases are rising sharply, local leaders say the 10pm rule for pubs and restaurants needs urgent review. we don't believe closing down the whole of the hospitality sector at ten o'clock at night is the way that this is going to solve the problems that we're facing. and in hospitals across england, they've recorded the biggest rise in admissions in a single day sincejune. in scotland — the first minister is expected to announce new restrictions tomorrow but not a full lockdown.

also tonight... boris johnson — minus the usual audience — tells the conservative conference he wants to look beyond the pandemic. i have had more than enough of this disease that attacks, not only human beings, but so many of the greatest things about our country. in washington, more questions about the president's true state of health, as he returns to the white house after treatment for covid. the church of england failed to protect children from sexual abuse, and created a culture where abusers "could hide" according to an official report. and making music at westminster — the freelance musicians who say they've been left to fend for themselves during the covid crisis. and coming up later on bbc news... there's a shock result at roland garros, us open winner dominic thiem knocked out by diego schwartzmann in the quarterfinals.

good evening. we start with the latest debate, on the measures in place to slow down the spread of coronavirus. council leaders and regional mayors in some of england's biggest cities, including leeds, liverpool, newcastle and manchester, where new cases are rising sharply, have written to ministers, warning that the current set of restrictions is not working. they are especially critical of the 10pm rule for pubs, clu bs a nd restau ra nts. in hospitals across england, they've recorded the biggest rise in admissions, in a single day, since june. new cases of the virus in the north of england have continued to rise despite local lockdown restrictions being imposed on millions. but cases in the south of england are relatively low in comparison.

our correspondent dan johnson reports from greater manchester. in the student streets of fallowfield the mood is darkening. there is growing concern here as case numbers rise and there's more confusion as the layers of rules are built on. ian has lived here his whole life. we need to either be in lockdown or not in lockdown. we are either masked up or not masked up. one or the other. not half baked. a bit of this, six of one, half a dozen of the other, and basically nothing. all the local people said, when the students come back this is what's going to happen. we've got a second influx of it. i think we should go back to a proper lockdown again. but leaders of the worst affected cities say they don't want another lockdown. their letter makes clear, they think the existing restrictions are not working, are confusing, counter—productive, and they've called for more shared decision—making. we're facing the worst

of both worlds here. the infection rate is going up and the economy of our cities is tanking, so we decided to come together and really stress to government, the message we have been putting across so many times, work with us locally. i think seven or eight people got tested positive on our floor. the university of manchester has seen more than 1,000 cases. adam and his flatmates have been isolating for ten days. what do they expect us to all do? we are all young and want to have fun. we've had a pretty poor six months, what does he expect? a lot of us did not have a choice so we were all put in this accommodation and we'll all get it in the end. we now need to introduce a contained approach with the universities just to manage transmission over the next three weeks, and then take additional measures if necessary. the council has been delivering letters to residents saying that the return of university students has had an expected impact

on the r number here, and there are leaflets reminding people they shouldn't be partying but some voices here feel it's just too simple and too easy to blame the students when there are other things going on. i feel they have been duped and we have been duped, too. we all share the launderette, supermarkets, public transport. inevitably, it will hit communities like ours and we do have a higher number of vulnerable people, both socially deprived and people from the bame community, and elderly people as well. it's soul destroying for us to see people leave here at ten o'clock, go to a shop, buy a load of booze and then go to a house party. ben has built his bar business here based on student trade. we're down 60% on our revenue and the government either needs to shut us completely and give us full support or let us trade. if it carries on the way it is, we're not going to survive. the government says it's working hand—in—hand with local leaders,

ramping up test and trace and supporting those in isolation. it's important to say not everywhere with students has problems and not everywhere with problems has students, but here universities have announced they are moving most courses online to try to suppress the virus. other big cities are braced for their own case numbers to rise. dan johnson, bbc news. so, as we've established, the rate of coronavirus infections in the uk has almost doubled in a week. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh has been considering the various factors which could be driving the new increase. there is a north south divide with covid, cases and hospital admissions have been rising sharply in cities in the north of england where much of the population face extra restrictions, while they are substantially lower in the south. if we look at three hotspots for covid in the north of england, manchester had 529 cases per 100,000 population.

liverpool, 487, newcastle, 435. now contrast that with three cities in the south. bristol had 46 cases per 100,000 population. norwich, 32, and london, 60. what about those who are getting covid 7 in the north—west of england, as in other areas, the highest rates are among people in their 20s. you can see how sharply it's risen in recent weeks. in more vulnerable age groups, people in their 60s, it has risen there too, as it has among people in their 70s and among the 80 plus. by contrast, in the south of england covid haven't yet started to rise much in older age groups, except in london. and all that is reflected in daily hospital admissions. 0n the 3rd of october, there were 130 covid patients admitted to hospitals

in the north west. 117 in the north east and yorkshire. but only ten in the south west, 19 in the east of england, and 38 in london. every day 1.5 million people use this covid symptoms app from king's college london. it has shown there are consistently five times as many cases in the north of england compared to the south. and there are several possible explanations for this. you've got the deprivation of the population and we do definitely see twice the rates of infection in deprived areas, according to our maps. then i think you have got people not working as much at home in the north compared to the south. daily covid deaths were more than ten times higher at the peak in april, but the concern is that unless coronavirus cases are brought under control in the north, hospital admissions and eventually

deaths willjust keep rising. fergus walsh, bbc news. the latest official government data on coronavirus shows there were 14,542 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 11,994. hospital admissions jumped significantly on sunday — on average 470 people were being admitted every day over the past week. this number doesn't include scotland. 76 deaths were reported — of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week — 53 deaths were announced every day, which takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 42,445. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson is with me.

what about the numbers in hospital admissions? counting the number of people admitted to hospital with covid—19 is one of the most reliable measures we have of how the pandemic is developing and the figures today are concerning. hospital admissions had been dabbling on average every two weeks until now, —— doubling on average every two weeks until now, but now we have a doubling in just about a week. the figures from last sunday as you said, 478 people admitted with covid—19, compared with 241 the week before, and it is also worth noting that wales has seen a sharp rise as well. so far none of the rises in england and wales have translated into a sharp rise in deaths but we know there is usually a lag of about two weeks before death rates are impacted. where are these hospital admissions?

areas where we have seen the infection surge, in the north—east, north—west and yorkshire. infections seem to be taking off in nottingham, as well, the rate has increased from 71 per 100,000 people to 440 per 100,000 people injust a 71 per 100,000 people to 440 per 100,000 people in just a few weeks, and health officials there are expecting more restrictions. sophie, many thanks. what about the picture in scotland ? in scotland, the first minister nicola sturgeon says new restrictions to try to slow the spead of coronavirus will be announced tomorrow, but will not amount to a full lockdown. she was speaking as 800 new cases of covid—19 were confirmed across the country, with the number of people in hospital with the virus rising by 44 overnight to 262. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith joins us from glasgow. what are we expecting tomorrow? we are expecting to hear that

scotla nd we are expecting to hear that scotland will be put under the strictest coronavirus regulations in the uk. nicola sturgeon says it won't be a return to full lockdown and the government are adamant that the schools will stay open, and apart from the planned 0ctober half term holiday, of course, and when the schools are off, the government won't use that fortnight to and really crack down on rising infection rates. we think we might hear that pubs and restaurants may be told to close or they can serve customers indoors, and in scotland we are not allowed to visit each other‘s homes at the moment, remember, so one of the only ways you can socialise with someone from another household is to meet them in another household is to meet them in a hospitality venue but they might be told no one is allowed inside. nicola sturgeon says making these decisions isjust nicola sturgeon says making these decisions is just about the most difficult decision point during the whole crisis because now she is weighing up the public health benefits with what we know are the other harms that can be introduced when you do introduce further

lockdown measures. sarah, many thanks. borisjohnson has sought to convince the conservative party membership that he's not running out of energy or ideas, despite his government's focus on the pandemic and the need to agree a trade deal with the european union. the prime minister was addressing the annual party conference, taking place online this year, when he promised to defeat covid and build a better country, a ‘newjerusalem' as he called it, in the years ahead. he talked of improved housing and social care and an expansion of green energy. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg has more. fancy a prime minister's speech with your coffee break? borisjohnson, for years the irreverent darling of the sweaty party conference circuit, this year online only, a prime minister grappling with what it means to govern in crisis. i don't know about you, but i have had more than enough of this disease and we will succeed, just as this country has seen

off every alien invader for the last thousand years. we human beings will simply not content ourselves with a repairjob. we see these moments as the time to learn and to improve on the world that went before. he compared the disease to a state of war, himself a leader at a moment of history. in the depths of the second world war, whenjust about everything had gone wrong, the government sketched out a vision of the post—war newjerusalem that they wanted to build. and that's what we're doing now. promises on education, skills, homes, wind power on offer but with almost zero detail. the uk government has decided to become world leader in low—cost, clean power generation. as saudi arabia is to oil, the uk is to wind. he confronted whispers about his own ability now.

i've read a lot of nonsense recently about how my own bout of covid has somehow robbed me of my mojo, and of course this is self evident drivel. even in the darkest moments we can see the bright future ahead. and we can see how to build it and we are going to build it together. but did it impress tories right round the country watching along? i would have liked some recognition that there are problems. i mean, we're having a bad time up here. i'm just hoping, hoping, hoping that we all come out of this well, and that he does. i was very impressed by it, actually. it was very upbeat, i thought it was a nice change. it was very positive and optimistic. although i enjoyed the prime minister's speech, i would say it wasn't the standout moment for me. he always talks highly of the union. we need to make sure that we're taking the home truths to the nationalists more. i think we saw a bit

of the old boris. there is a degree of frustration by some members that we're just not doing what we would normally do as a conservative party in power. but the prime minister quite rightly, he's setting the tone and the agenda. at any other time this whole week would have been a victory parade for tory h0, a moment for borisjohnson to lap up the applause after the election. but it's been anything but that, and although he dangled better days ahead, there was very little mention of the real risks to people's jobs and health that the country faces right now. a stutter of applause from a small stage for a politician that craves the big platform, who can't be remotely sure how the world will look when the lectern‘s out again next year. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. president trump says he's prepared to go ahead next week with the second televised debate against his democratic rivaljoe biden, despite his

treatment for covid, and ongoing questions about the true state of his health. the president returned to the white house from hospital last night, and his doctors insist he's doing ‘extremely well‘, as our north america editor jon sopel reports. dramatic music plays. when donald trump left the white house last friday, he appeared dejected, fearful. but wow, his return last night couldn't have been more different. the former reality tv star knows how to make an entrance — and so had the white house turn into a made—for—television spectacular, all deliberately timed so it could be taken live by the network news bulletins who were on air at the time. and, after striding off of marine 0ne, he walked up to the south portico.

and the first thing he did there — he very deliberately removed his mask, even though still infectious. covid — what's there to be frightened of? don't let it dominate you. don't be afraid of it. you're going to beat it. we have the best medical equipment, we have the best medicines — all developed recently. and you're going to beat it. i didn't feel so good. and two days ago — i could've left two days ago — two days ago, i felt great, like better than i have in a long time. i said just recently, better than 20 years ago. although 210,000 americans have died and over 7 million have been infected, this was donald trump presenting himself as the warrior president who had seen off the hidden enemy. i stood out front, i led. nobody that's a leader would not do what i did. and i know there's a risk, there is a danger, but that's ok. and now i'm better — and maybe i'm immune, i don't know. there were numerous takes as the president, all the time without a mask, interacted with staff. in swing state pennsylvania there are some pretty entrenched views. president trump has not taken covid

seriously from day one. if he had taken it seriously we would not be in the situation. as a country where the address to. he was trying not to scare the people, that is why he did what he did. i don't understand how he contracted covid, get released, then come out and take his mask off and start talking to people. it is crazy. his democratic rival, meanwhile, was campaigning in florida. he said he was glad to see the president back, but added this. anybody who contracts the virus by essentially saying "masks don't matter, social distancing doesn't matter" i think is responsible for what happens to them. the latest medical bulletin issued by the president's physician said he had a restful night, was reporting of symptoms and that his vitals were stable. but after climbing the stairs yesterday evening, he was clearly gasping for breath. maybe there is a gap between the image he

wa nts to there is a gap between the image he wants to project and a more fragile reality. it is fairto it is fair to say he has delivered another surprise this afternoon. he has collapsed talks going on between congressional leaders on the new covid stimulus package that would help the poor and small businesses. he did it to the surprise of republicans and the stock market has fallen sharply. nobody saw that one coming. jon sopel, thank you very much, at the white house. the church of england protected its own reputation rather than protect children from sexual predators, that's the stark conclusion of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. its report declared that the church had failed to take allegations seriously, and was ‘in direct conflict‘ with its moral purpose of providing ‘care and love for the innoncent and the vulnerable‘. the church said it felt ‘shame‘ over the failings listed

as our home editor mark easton reports. bell tolls. the church of england, for almost five centuries the established body of faith within the english state, is today accused of handling allegations of child abuse in a way that conflicts with its moral purpose. instead of protecting victims, it focused attention on supporting alleged perpetrators, men like the dean of manchester, robert waddington, the bishop of gloucester, peter ball, the bishop of chester, victor whitsey, and the trainee priest timothy storey, all known to have sexually abused children. the church, today the‘s enquiry report finds, created a culture where such abusers could hide. clergy are still allowed to officiate, even after they‘ve been convicted of child sexual abuse, but it sends a really strong moral message if you say, if you have been convicted of child sexual abuse, you are no longer allowed to officiate as a member of the clergy in the church of england or indeed any other church. i think many people would be amazed that they are. i think that‘s right. the report has found 390 church of england figures have been

convicted of abusing children since 1940, and evidence that abuse remains a current and significant issue. in the year 2018 alone, the enquiry discovered there were more than 2500 safeguarding concerns, and 449 child sexual abuse allegations reported. at church house today, senior clergy said they would support an enquiry recommendation that allegations of abuse should be dealt with by professional safeguarding officers rather than bishops. the church of england filed catastrophically in its duty to care for children and vulnerable people, and in its support for victims and survivors. that has to change, that is changing. we are utterly committed to that change. the church of england insists it will do what‘s necessary to make amends for its sins, but for the survivors of this pervasive and extensive institutional failure, there are still questions of trust. this man was abused by an anglican

vicar in the 19705 but says he has onlyjust come to terms with what happened. now a campaigner for survivors, he says the church of england has covered up and avoided its crimes too often. how deep a wound is there to be healed here? i think massive. many survivors have walked away limping, you know, bitter, angry. many have, i think, crawled under rocks to nurse their anger, because they‘ve been treated often so badly. i've learnt to be ashamed again of the church. the archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, who appeared before the enquiry last year, has written an open letter apologising for the shameful way the church has acted. for abuse survivors, the test will be whether that contrition turns into action. mark easton, bbc news. people living in the disputed territory of nagorno—kara bakh are facing genocide, according to the prime minister of armenia. nikol pashinyan told the bbc

that the region was facing assault from azerbaijan, turkey and what he called "terrorists" from syria. more than 250 people have died in recent fighting, the latest in a long—running dispute over the territory which is officially part of azerbaijan, but run by ethnic armenians. 0ur correspondentjonah fisher sent this report. sirens ten days in, there is no sign of either armenia or azerbaijan easing up. in and around the disputed region of nagorno—karabakh, shells are falling on cities and on civilians. with people fleeing and having lost territory, armenia‘s prime minister is on the defensive. under international law, armenia has been illegally occupying nagorno—karabakh and the adjacent areas for more than 25 years. you can see why some people have very little sympathy for your plight... translation: that is not true.

it is true. look at international law, look at the un general assembly resolutions. translation: there is no such international law that you are citing. everyone is citing the un general assembly resolutions but very few people, unfortunately, have read them. there isn‘t anything in it to say that armenia has occupied anything. that is not the case. explosion there is very little armenia can do to stop nagorno—karabakh being targeted from the air. this weekend we experienced first hand the terror of shells landing randomly nearby. translation: you have come back from stepa na kert, and it‘s because you have seen today that the armenians in nagorno—karabakh are facing an existential threat. it is an existential threat, so the whole problem is, if the armed forces of azerbaijan

succeed, it will mean a genocide of the armenians in nagorno—karabakh. azerbaijan is carrying out this offensive with turkey‘s full backing and today the turkish foreign minister met the azeri president. no social distancing here. both men stated their determination to reclaim nagorno—karabakh. armenia‘s best bet for support is russia, but for now moscow seems content to watch, as the fighting continues. jonah fisher, bbc news. the number of black students from around the uk attending cambridge university has risen again this new academic year. the university says 137 out of 3,500 first year undergraduates are black and british — the highest number ever. the bbc‘s ashleyjohn—baptiste has been following three black students who started in 2019 and experienced

a tumultuous year. fabiana, success, and sharon — three black british undergraduates who this time last year were starting out at cambridge university. success is from manchester. and for his nigerian parents, cambridge is a big deal. not long into the first term, we caught up at a cambridge barbershop. from where i come from, this like very, very traditional, very nigerian culture, into is like upper class, like white community. sharon is from tottenham and her family of eritrean origin have come to visit. cambridge, we would have seen as something so unattainable, but it was a goal for you. if you enter certain, like, classes, you might be young person of colour there. you might be the only black person, you might be the only one with your hair there. all my friends have said, like, they've changed hairstyles and people don't recognise who they are.

a few weeks into her first term, fabiana from coventry says she experienced racial discrimination from a white student at a social event. the incident involved the use of a racial slur. this boyjust said like a really ignorant comment. hejust said, i‘m too drunk to say the n word. what went through your head? it was mainlyjust like shock, like, ididn‘t... i couldn‘t say anything. everyone wasjust like, oh, my god, i can‘t believe you just said that. no one really spoke up apart from me and my black friend. you‘re definitely like, i‘m black at cambridge! fabiana didn‘t report the incident, but confronted the student privately, who she says later apologised. the university says it regrets that the incident occurred and urges students to come forward if they experience or witness such behaviour. cambridge says it stands firmly against racism. it‘s not too long after her own encounter that fabiana hears of another incident involving a staff memberfrom one of the university‘s colleges verbally abusing a black student. i was on the train.

one of my feet was on the seat. a man from trinity college looked at me in disgust and just said, bleep. verbally assaulted me on the train. i think to myself, would i have been spoken like that if i was a white man? it really grates me that i'm getting emotional about it. yeah. beause you feel like you have to be strong. my mum keeps saying to me, just keep fighting. she keeps saying, do you want to drop out? do you want to leave? i'm fighting for every other black person who i know needs to occupy these spaces. the university says that nia told her college she had reported the incidents to the british transport police. they understand that no action was taken. whilst measures have been put in place to improve diversity, the university recognises there‘s still a problem. do you think this is a place that is institutionally racist? race has not been acknowledged as relevant, particularly to the whole intellectual experience

of being at cambridge. so in that sense, i would say it is racist because it doesn‘t acknowledge race in people‘s lives. despite challenges, the university‘s african caribbean society, also known as the acs, has been a lifeline for the students. when else in cambridge's history would you get a room full of black and minority ethnic students? we are alljust here existing and thriving. it's just such a beautiful symbol of how far we've come, and i'm so excited to be able to say that. over the summer black lives matter protests broke out across the uk following the death of george floyd in the us. i‘m sure every black person in cambridge has a story to share about some sort of covert racism. byjuly, the academic year has ended. and for sharon, there is some good news. i got my exam results. somehow i managed to bag a first in both history and in spanish!