this is bbc news. the headlines. all pubs and restaurants across central scotland will close for 16 days from 6pm on friday under new measures aimed at tackling the coronavirus. the new rules apply across the central belt — which includes glasgow and edinburgh. in other areas, venues will only be able to sell alcohol outdoors until 10pm. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she wants to avoid a full winter lockdown we hope to slow down its spread and that will help us keep schools and businesses including hospitality businesses open over the winter. meanwhile the national five exams are to be cancelled in scotland in 2021 and replaced with teacher assessments and coursework. latest figures show a further 1a

thousand 100 and 62 coronavirus infections have been recorded across the uk. another 70 people have died within 28 days of testing positive two ex—british alleged islamic state militants are charged in the united states over the killing of four american hostages. a major supplier of coronavirus swabs and cancer tests to the nhs warns it's experiencing significant distribution problems. could tonight be the most important us vice presidential debate in history? mike pence and kamala harris prepare to go head to head on live tv.

good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the first minister of scotland nicola sturgeon has announced a further tightening of coronavirus restrictions across scotland. from 6pm this friday pubs, restau ra nts a nd cafes are barred from selling alcohol indoors until sunday, the 25th of october. outdoor bars, restaurants and cafes will be allowed to remain open up until 10pm and will be allowed to sell alcohol up until that time. these establishments can open indoors between the hours of 6am and 6pm for food and nonalcoholic drinks only. in five scottish health board areas across the central belt — greater glasgow and clyde, lanarkshire, ayrshire and arran, lothian and forth valley pubs, restaurants and cafes must shut and will only be open for takeaway only. this area is home to around 3.4 million people.

nicola sturgeon said £40 million would be available for businesses affected by the new restrictions. and, people in the central belt have been asked to avoid public transport wherever possible. the announcement was made as the first minister said a further 1,054 people had tested positive for covid in the last 2a hours. nicola sturgeon said the new measures were necessary to try and stop the rapid spread of the virus. i am well aware that the measures are disruptive to many businesses, obviously especially to the hospitality businesses and it would be unwelcome to many people across the country. but although they are significant as they need to be to make an impact, they do not represent a lockdown in fact they are designed to reduce the likelihood of a future lockdown. we are not requiring people to stay inside all day as we were. schools will stay open and learning will continue in our universities and colleges and shops will continue to

trade and businesses like manufacturing and construction will continue. and these new restrictions are intended to last for 60 days. they are intended to be short, action to arrest an infection. although they are temporary, they are immediate. without them there is a very real risk that the virus will run out of control by the end of this month but with them we hope to slow down its spread and that will help us keep schools and businesses including hospitality businesses open over the winter. fundamentally it will also save lives. i'm asking everybody across the country to please follow these new rules and continue to take the other basic steps, difficult but basic steps that we know will protect you and each other. please do not visit each other‘s homes for now. work from home if you can. download the protect scotland app if you can and haven't already done so and remember

face coverings, avoid crowded places, clean hands on hard surfaces, two metre distancing and self—isolate or get tested if you have symptoms. speaking to all of this is not easy and after seven long months it is higher than it's ever been but it is essential and it is that they straighten that out each other and now more than ever we all need that spirit of love and solidarity that has served us so well. and hard as it is to be right now all the hard sacrifice you the are making will hasten the brighter days the pandemic will pass to let us do all we can to help each other through it. stick with it and above all that stick together and thanks again to everybody across the country for everything you are doing. let's get some reaction to this afternoon's announcement, i'm joined by stephen leckie, owner of the crieff hydro hotel and chair of the scottish tourism alliance. and i'm also joined by carina contini, owner of contini restaurants in edinburgh.

we are grateful to you both. i want to talk about the impact on you both because the rules are different for hotels and because the rules are different for hotels a nd restau ra nts because the rules are different for hotels and restaurants and the rules are different depending on where you are different depending on where you are based in scotland. so perhaps if imight start are based in scotland. so perhaps if i might start with you, your reaction to what nicola sturgeon has announced because it damn right you're going to have to close the restau ra nt you're going to have to close the restaurant from 6pm on friday? yes. here we go again. i thought we had gotten done that once—in—a—lifetime, close, recover, and here we are again. it is tough. it is going to be hard for our business, hard for many, be hard for our business, hard for any be hard for our business, hard for many, many businesses, many businesses will not recover from this. it is going to be a real challenge to pick up consumer confidence even want we opened 16 daysis confidence even want we opened 16 days is a long time. but, we went expecting it to be as bad as this. given the rising number of

infections, did you, do you accept that something had to be done? yes. in the same way that we have got the h0 officers and men about licensing offices, if the hospitality sector is culpable, then the parts of the businesses that are not delivering the level of confidence that we would hope to be providing here, 26 feet high ceilings, we've got ventilation and social distancing and there are many businesses that are providing, i don't use the word safe, but confident dining spaces and for our communities to be able to have some health and well—being, we are not just to have some health and well—being, we are notjust providing food, we are providing community and at this time community is that thing that is going to get us through this. our community and suppliers and our team and customers who we love will help us and customers who we love will help us get through this but we should be here helping them get through this even during these difficult times but doing it in a safe space and in

a confidence base. first of all, with their hats on as owner of the hotel, what impact is this going to have on you because their wills for hotels are different, aren't they? the thing to be devastating and extremely damaging for the bulk of the hospitality and tourism businesses in scotland. it's going to be extremely damaging for us in oui’ to be extremely damaging for us in our business as well. we are all in relocation —— locations outside the central belt in scotland. we will receive cancellations. we are a —— it will cost us most of all property during the months and the remaining months of october. the good news for us months of october. the good news for us is the rene ruello location, we can still take bookings, we will also receive cancellations, we are still open but not believe would like to be. as the chair of the scottish tourism alliance, what are

people saying to you? they are on the need to be damaged by this most re ce nt the need to be damaged by this most recent news. many businesses it will simplyjust not recent news. many businesses it will simply just not open recent news. many businesses it will simplyjust not open this month and at the end of this month and it's a real feel for them. the damage caused not only to the specific businesses mentioned this afternoon but the knock on effect so we are hearing stories of many city centre and attractions and receiving cancellations and is no reason to visit as if you go out in the knock on effects to the supply chain for example visitor attractions, they we re example visitor attractions, they were also feeling its and their staff and the people that have been put in, the cancellations all of that will take a significant amount of money and time to wade through all of that and figure out what the next step might be. you have been promised financial assistance, nicola sturgeon mentioned a figure of £40 million to be made available

to help people working in the hospitality sector. what do you know about accessing that? we are all assuming that these has happened in october because the fellow scheme is still there. so out of our table at the moment we think there is maybe two members of the team better not be able to access existing fellow scheme because there are any members of the team. so if we are able to access in the same way that we were during lockdown which she hinted that she would be giving some financial assistance and as you it will be through the fellow scheme then at least that gives us some confidence and we will be able to look after our team but our staff costs are look after our team but our staff costs a re not look after our team but our staff costs are not the only costs we are incurring, we are still in dialogue with the landlord that we have been very supportive but that conversation is not finished and our suppliers we will have to have further conversations with them. they were very supportive but i was going to get a check to actually

allow us to be in the same position that we would have been in if we have been able to trade through this. there aren't many businesses that have not been affected by covid—i9. that had been able to have a successful trading year. we have not been that lucky. it will take us yea rs not been that lucky. it will take us years to get through this. nicola sturgeon has said she wants to consult the sector about the best way to spend this money that she's talking about. what would you say to her? we are grateful for the chance to consult and we already had a lengthy call with the minister for terracing in scotland and he would listen to us and take us back to the cabinet in scotland. and the £40 million offered is nowhere near enough compared to the losses and the damage this is going to cause. we think two thirds of the population in scotland potentially and it would be something like two

thirds of that business is involved in terrorism and hospitality, £40 millionjust does not in terrorism and hospitality, £40 million just does not scratch the surface. we have got to leave it there but thank you both very much. i know it has been a difficult day for you both. thank you. national five exams in scotland are to be cancelled in 2021 , with pupils grades being awarded on teacher based assesments and coursework instead. nationalfive is a qualification taken by students in scotland, generally during their secondary senior phase of education. scottish highers and advanced highers will go ahead as usual, but will take place slightly later in the year. the scottish education secretary, john swinney said a full schedule of exams next summer was too big a risk to take. in taking this decision we also need to think about hires and advanced hires. in a standard exam constitutes more than half of all exams taken

from a public health point of view not having these exams significantly reduces the risk of the exams as a whole and it means we can build an exam for hires and advanced hires that is as safe as it possibly can be using all the coronavirus mitigations we have sadly become so familiar with including physical distancing and enhanced screening. that means the exams determining the results that most pupils leave schools with the exams that attended most peoples feature into what college or university can go ahead as long as the public it also means we can use that time in the school year freed up by cancelling the national exams to make up some of the time people have lost at the end of last year. let's discuss this with larry flanagan, general secretary of the teaching union, the educational institute of scotland. thank you forjoining us. your

reaction to whatjohn sweeney has announced in the way that exams will be assessed in scotland next summer? we welcome the fact that the decision has been made in terms of the school session, that clarity is important for our teachers and young people. we will agree with the deputy first bennett stated that the —— the use as an alternative method for national five as well is welcome. excessive workload because schools are already under pressure just dealing with the complications of covid—i9 and of course we cannot see a repeat of last years situation with their sda trying to overturn a number of those professional judgements but giving those

safeguards rethink their national five cancellation is the best way of handling the current situation. i think there is probably still some concern about the ability to deliver exams for the higher and advanced higher and if the situation does not improve and there will also be a requirement but for the moment those exams will go ahead. are you calling now for the cancellation of those higher and advanced higher exams? we have been involved in discussions and put out alternatives and the government is keen to try and deliver that and it's indicated that the final decision will be taking some time towards the end of january and february and teachers need to know what the alternative will be

because if you are doing continuous assessment as one agenda and if you are planning for exams and you have are planning for exams and you have a slightly different approach that clarity at the earliest point will be important for not just teachers but also for young people and families because these are big exams and the ease access to university and the ease access to university and college courses so we want to make sure. young people get the qualifications they deserve. going back to the national five, i appreciate that you said that you welcome the fact that they have been cancelled and they will be assessment in coursework which is relied upon. i suppose the question is how can you guarantee that score of 80 in is the same as a score of 80 in aberdeen? the consistency

around the standards i think last year teachers need a good job of estimates and the sq a computer algorithm created but by and large they young people in particular are being content to accept the professionaljudgement. so we will work with the sqa to make sure the professional development for the standards we do want that consistency and i'm confident that teachers will be able to do that over the course of the school session. thank you for your time. the uk has seen another sharp increase in the number of new coronavirus cases, according to the latest government figures released in the past hour. there were 14,162 new infections recorded today. a further 70 people have died within 28 days of testing positive with the virus — which takes the total number

of deaths across the uk to 42,515. (read on) positive with the virus — which takes the total number of deaths across the uk to 42,515. let's speak to our health correspondent catherine burns. we get these figure is updated every day. sometimes it's difficult to lose track of what came the previous day so give as a wider sense of what they actually mean. i think when you look at these figures there are markers of how bad the virus is right now. whether it is rising and by all these markers over the trend, yes it is rising. a really interesting want to look out for its hospital admissions because that tells us who is so sick that they need to be in hospital right now. so most need to be in hospital right now. so m ost rece nt need to be in hospital right now. so most recent figures was 508 people. let's put that in context. the beginning of april when we were at the peak there were about 3000 hospital admissions at bay so i

fixed available —— level we are at them but numbers overall if you take them but numbers overall if you take the trend they are writing. the most recent figures we have for the number of people in hospital where monday. on that day there were 3145 people in hospital. if you go for days back, there were 2447. so you can see that there is an increase. the other thing interesting to look for is the number of people on ventilators. that's the most sick and right now there are 410 of them. we know why there has been this increase? obviously there was the backlog in tests but the thing is in mood music has been going on sometime now, the increase we had been warned that winter is coming and we will see these increases are very the season. it's an upward trajectory. it tells us what we have been seeing and has been predicted over the most recent weeks. and months. thank you for that.

two serving prisoners have been convicted of attempted murder — after a prison officer suffered stab wounds at hmp whitemoor in cambridgeshire earlier this year. the jury tookjust over three hours to convict the two men of what the prosecution called a terrorist attack. our home affairs correspondent june kelly reports. this is terror convict brusthom ziamani. in whitemoor top securityjail, he's become close to a fellow inmate with a history of violence. baz hockton shares his extremist ideology. and between them is prison officer neil trundle. ziamani has asked the officer for a spoon out of a store cupboard. as he unlocks the door, the pair pounce. neil trundle manages to stop them pushing him into the cupboard. with cries of "allahu akbar", brusthom ziamani and baz hockton launch their attack. both are wearing fake suicide belts.

ziamani shouts, "i've got a bomb!" during the trial, neil trundle described how with their makeshift weapons, ziamani and hockton stabbed him repeatedly in the head, neck, and chest. the court saw footage of the attack from cctv cameras and neil trundle's body—worn camera. in the melee, the record button on the officer's camera was turned on. he put up his hands desperately trying to protect himself as he lay on the floor at the mercy of his attackers towering over him. neil trundle's colleagues came to his rescue and overpowered his attackers. i think the case should be a wake—up call... professor ian acheson is a former prison governor who led a review of islamist extremism in jails. he believes this case demonstrates a failure to manage the risk posed by certain inmates. if i was a terrorist,

and we have to think very like these people if we are to contain them and to defeat their intentions, i would be trying to target and injure, take hostage, and kill a member of prison staff because that would be the quickest way to break through of law inside prisons, and the shortest route to creating chaos. brusthom ziamani was jailed as a teenager for planning to behead a british soldier. he was trying to imitate the barbaric street murder of fusilier lee rigby in woolwich in 2013. injail, brusthom ziamani remained committed to his attack plan. and he found a willing partner in baz hockton, a convert to islam, who became radicalised in prison. june kelly, bbc news, at the old bailey. the trial has begun of four men charged in connection with the deaths of 39 vietnamese people in the back of a lorry in essex last october. our correspondent sangita myska is

at the old bailey with the details. there are four men on trial here at the old bailey. all four of them are charged with people smuggling offences but only two of them have been charged with manslaughter offences in relation to the 39 migrants who died. today the prosecution opened its case by telling the jury of six men and six women but the issue of illegal immigration into britain had become a hot topic in politics both here and abroad. the court was then told that i mixed all of the sound and fury generated by the media it was possible to lose sight of the human beings who had taken enormous risks to come here because they are desperate. there prosecution case was led by jones desperate. there prosecution case was led byjones and he alleged that

the men were part of an international conspiracy to smuggle people into the uk and that it had operated successfully on at least two other occasions. and it was their crimes that led directly to their crimes that led directly to the deaths of the 39 migrants. it's alleged that on the 22nd of october last year, a man harriston drove those migrants who were in the back ofa those migrants who were in the back of a sealed container of his lorry from somewhere in northern europe to the parts in belgium. that container that crossed the channel unaccompanied and it's alleged that he was part of the conspiracy to then distribute or spread those migrants across various locations in southeast england. however, the prosecution said that in the early hours of the 23rd of october at a lorry park in essex, that container was opened by another member of this

alleged conspiracy and upon opening that container it was discovered that container it was discovered that all 39 migrants including h1n1 and toa that all 39 migrants including h1n1 and to a 15—year—old boys had suffocated to death because they had not received any oxygen in the previous 12 hours. the container was described to the court as a tomb from which one of the migrants was able to send a text message to her family in vietnam saying that she believed she was choking to death. all four of the defendants in this case denied the charges against them. two members of the so—called islamic state group — accused of killing western hostages in syria — have been charged by the us department ofjustice. alexanda kotey and el shafee el sheikh — seen here in an interview with the bbc two years ago — were being held in military detention in iraq. the men, originally from london, were dubbed ‘the beatles ' while in syria, because of their british accents.

they were part of a group of four i—s jihadists in syria accused of carrying out sadistic punishments on their captives... and had been fighting a battle against extradition. earlier, the us assistant attorney generaljohn demers had this to say. they were members of the notoriously brutal isis hostage taking saturn that had become known as the beatles. i mean their captives gave to them because of their british accents. they are charged with terrorism offences related to hostagetaking and killing of four americans as well as citizens of great britain and japan. for over a year they were held in iraq by the us military under the law of armed conflict. i'm to confirm that they are now in fbi custody and will soon appear in federal court in the

eastern district of virginia. today, he said that they but it is also a psalm one. today we remember therefore i americans whose lives we re therefore i americans whose lives were taken by isis. james foley, stephen joel's sell—off, were taken by isis. james foley, stephenjoel‘s sell—off, peter edward kasich, and caleb g mueller. many around the world are familiar with the barbaric consensus of their deaths. but we will not remember these americans by the way they died, we will remember them for the way they lived there good and decent lives. as for many —— as fry elsheihk and like many of the terrace before then they underestimated the american resolve

to justice for fellow citizens who we re to justice for fellow citizens who were harmed or killed by terrorists anywhere in the world, these men will now be brought before a united states court to face justice for the depraved acts alleged against them in the indictment. as for their ringleader infamously known as jihadijohn, he faced a different kind of american resolve, they may view each of our military reach successfully targeted hi m view each of our military reach successfully targeted him in an air strike several years ago. two women have been jointly awarded the 2020 nobel prize in chemistry. jennifer doudna and emmanuelle charpentier won the prize for their development of a technique for editing genomes. the nobel committee in stockholm said the technology was revolutionary — and could realise the dream of curing inherited diseases. american musician, johnny nash, has died at the age of eighty.

# i #ican # i can see clearly now the rain is gone. # i gone. #ican gone. # i can see all obstacles in my way. the singer—songwriter is best known for his reggae—inspired 1972 single "i can see clearly now", which sold more than a million copies. his son told us media, nash — died at home of natural causes. # it's going to be a bright, bright, sunshiny day. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willets. good afternoon. there's been some dry and bright weather for many parts of uk today. fewer showers around, away from the far north, and temperatures have reached above where they should be at this time of year. but it will be quite wet throughout the evening.

for much of wales, northern ireland, and england, and reaches the borders of scotland. with the rain and strengthening wind, it is a wet and windy night. it will be relatively mild. but a soggy and grey start to our morning. therre could be some heavy rain on that weather front as it clears away, but the afternoon will be dry for england and wales. but in that stage we have more showers going across northern ireland and scotland. temperatures will be in the mid—teens for many, which is a bit above where they should be for hello this is bbc news. the headlines. all pubs and restaurants across central scotland will close for 16 days from 6pm on friday under

new measures aimed at tackling the coronavirus. the new rules apply across the central belt — which includes glasgow and edinburgh. in other areas, venues will only be able to sell alcohol outdoors until 10pm. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she wants to avoid a full winter lockdown. with them, we hope to slow down its spread and that will help to keep schools and businesses, including hospitality businesses, open over the winter. meanwhile the national five exams are to be cancelled in scotland in 2021 and replaced with teacher assessments and coursework. latest figures show a further 14,162 coronavirus infections have been recorded across the uk. another 70 people have died within 28 days of testing positive. two ex—british alleged islamic state militants are charged in the united states over the killing of four american hostages.

a major supplier of coronavirus swabs and cancer tests to the nhs warns it's experiencing significant distribution problems. sport now, and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, and chetan pathak. good evening we will start with coronavirus. we start with coronavirus has struck the scotland squad and their chances of reaching the euros next year. stuart armstrong, kieran tierney and ryan christie will miss their play—off semi—final against israel tomorrow. it's because armstrong tested positive for the virus and tierney and christie have been identified as close contacts and must self—isolate for 14 days. as well as the israel play—off, the three players will also miss the nations league matches with slovakia on sunday and the czech republic on wednesday. if you look at the way the virus is

spreading, obviously it is becoming more prevalent. as restrictions were eased which i think everyone expected and there is no reason why it can't infiltrate and football camp nou matter how secure your bubble is and the particles that we put in place that we must try to protect people as much as possible. everyone else involved has got a negative test and we look forward to the game. the ones of us that are left. —— they can infiltrate your camp nou matter what. coronavirus' impacting premiership rugby too with sale's game against worcester now cancelled. it was rearranged from the weekend because of 19 positive coronavirus tests in the sale camp. but six more sharks players have since tested positive, meaning tonight's game is off, worcester get the points and sale miss out on the play—offs. our sports correspondent andy swiss reports. their title hopes ended by covid. this was sale sharks training earlier in the summer challenging

for the premiership like all teams being regularly tested. on and off the pitch they were doing well until last week some 19 players and staff tested positive. it happened shortly after they had won a cup competition. sale have strongly denied claims their players had been out celebrating in manchester. but it is now proved very costly. after eight more positives emerged this morning, they had to forfeit tonight's pivotal game here against worcester, ending their hopes of becoming champions. the club said... ina in a statement, premiership rugby said they shared sale sharks's disappointment at the way their season ended but they could not jeopardise the health of any players 01’ jeopardise the health of any players or staff. and as the rugby authorities investigate what has happened here for the whole sport,

these are challenging times. wu rste r, these are challenging times. wurster, who had expressed concerns about playing sale tonight, welcome the cancellation. —— worcester. about playing sale tonight, welcome the cancellation. -- worcester. the forefront of the decision was a health and safety of players and theirfamilies, health and safety of players and their families, and i feel that health and safety of players and theirfamilies, and ifeel that the decision was made with that at the forefront. therefore i think the correct decision was made, i know it's tough from a repeat perspective. but one england star says sale deserves sympathy. perspective. but one england star says sale deserves sympathym perspective. but one england star says sale deserves sympathy. it is a shame that the boys out there have for so hard to get themselves in a position to qualify for the playoffs and, you know, it has come undone at the last hurdle for them. what the rules are the rules. and covid is impacting other areas of rugby. one of the first games of the new women's season after a bristle player tested positive. there's been a case in the england men's squad for that with peers francis having to withdraw. —— peers francis. with

a sport of tries, these are trying times. andy swiss, bbc news. next to the french open, where stefanos tsitsipas has just made it through to the semi—finals. the greek beat russia's andrey rublev in straight sets. he will play the winner of novak djokovic and pablo carrena—busta who are about to go on court. former wimbledon champion petra kvitova is through to the semi finals. she saw off germany's laura siegemund in straight sets at roland garros. it's just the second time that kvitova's reached the last we will bring you up—to—date with everything at the french open. we'll have more for you in sportsday at half past six. back to you rebecca. we will enjoy, thank you very much. in the last two minutes at the labour leader sir keir starmer was speaking. he was

askedif keir starmer was speaking. he was asked if he supports the strict measures being adjacent scotland and whether england should have the same. let me first say it like everybody else i am concerned with the rising levels of infections in scotland and we are think about those who have been infected and some of those in hospital obviously. and we all want to get that infection rate down but these measures would append this announced this afternoon are not inevitable. we have to look at the decisions that up and made in relation to students going back to universities, to trace and protect which have not been done well. and i think what people need to hear is a firm set of proposals from the government of scotland as to how you are going to deal with the underlying issues that are the only way to bring these infection levels down. are those specifics given that the infection rates have gone up, with people in hospice living annealing greater restrictions with jobs on the line. hive ever we got here with the circumstances, is

nicola sturgeon right to take that action? an action that prevents infections and brings the level down are of course important and we have been supporting them. but i think it is important to make this point that it is not inevitable. if you're trace and protect system is not working properly, then that is a big source of the problem. if your stu d e nts source of the problem. if your students are coming back to university and that's not been properly thought through, that's the the reason why we're in the position we're in. it's all very what to say there has been this announcement but what us circuit to the underlying issues or we will go round and round in circles here. will mac you talk about the situations in inge, north england had been under in the ha rd est set england had been under in the hardest set of measures for one time. why don't you... should it be that if it isn't working, you should see something more like the scottish syste m see something more like the scottish system with more restrictions or do you want to see the ditching of ineffectual restrictions perhaps

like the 10pm curfew or do you want to see mrof like the 10pm curfew or do you want to see mr of both, where do you stand? i want to see a frank admission from the prime minister that there is a problem. we have 20 areas that have been in special measures under special restrictions for two months. in 19 of those areas, the infection rate has gone up. when i would do practically is straightaway put trace and isolate powers with local authorities. they have been pleading for the for three months, it is a practical constructive suggestion that we have been making for three months and the prime minister simply won't listen to that. that is not urgent. but we need the test, trace, and isolates us need the test, trace, and isolates us and to be amended because that not only helps trace cases it also helps with the intelligence on what measures are likely to work but soupy to pretend that it is not a problem there is part of the problem. i want you to be clear, you've been talking about the problem of diagnosis, nonetheless can you rule out the kind of measures that have been taken in

scotland and in manchester and closing down whole suites of the hospitality industry?” closing down whole suites of the hospitality industry? i don't think anybody wants to see another national walk—out and everything should be done to try to prevent that because that will have huge applications across the united kingdom and across england for the —— to see another national lockdown. but india and the only way to have this fix is to have a system that works because that will provide the intelligence that tells you what measures are going to work locally and allows you to quickly follow up on infections and mission people are self isolating when they should be for some and the loss of 16,000 positive covid test mean there are thousands of people still who have not been told the self—isolate when they need to do so. sir keir starmer speaking in the last half an hour. there's a warning the government's flagship business loan scheme could eventually cost the taxpayer up to £26 billion. a report by the spending watchdog, the national audit office, says the scheme is open to fraud — and that some firms may never be able to repay their loans. angus crawford has this report.

meet sue and dave, victims of fraud that came out of the blue. i've just gone from tears to anger. now, i'm going to be scared to do anything. a fake company, a new bank account, sue's identity stolen by criminals out to get rich. he's got your mother's maiden name... oh, my god! my god! that's correct, isn't it? yes. you have set up a business. what?! "sussiebuddy services"? he's having a laugh, isn't he? the gang and got themselves a government bounce back loan in sue's name. gob smacked. absolutely gob smacked. so, you applied for this loan. "sussiebuddy services..." holy mother of god. you're trading as that... 50 grand. ..at 2.5% interest. that's immoral. and this is where sussiebuddy services says it's based, a flat in a block in central london.

we don't know who's behind sussiebuddy services, we don't even know if it's just a place where they pick up the post. and there may be many more cases. the national audit office says... it is big numbers, that's undeniable. government went into this with its eyes wide open and its intention was to lend money as quickly as possible to these businesses with an objective of getting them the funds within 24 hours. and as a result of that, it made a series of trade—offs. the government insists it's tried to minimise fraud. lloyd's admits it did approve the loan in sue's name but in this

case later checks stopped the scammer getting the money. sue and dave though are still worried and angry. the first thing we said was, "oh, my god. "a scammer‘s delight," because... i didn't honestly think it would be that easy though. yeah, because the banks are getting paid, aren't they? with public money. it's disgusting. angus crawford, bbc news. how infectious are covid—19 particles when they're circulating in the air? understanding that is a challenge facing scientists all over the world, as they try to learn more about how the virus is transmitted. a team at the university of bristol is using ground—breaking technology to examine the smallest droplets as they float through the atmosphere. jon kay has been to see the work. it's one of the biggest questions we face right now — how long does covid—19 stay infectious in the air, whether we're at work,

on public transport or socialising? at a secret location, scientists from the university of bristol are trying to find the answer. we were given exclusive access as they made their final preparations at this sealed laboratory. they're now taking samples containing the coronavirus, placing them in this unique bit of kit and, using an electric field, levitating the tiny droplets, making them hang around in the air for minutes or hours at a time just as they would in the real world. then, by adjusting the temperature, humidity and light, they can find out what impact those conditions have on the infectiousness of the virus. we're trying to directly mimic the type of particles produced by people when they are coughing and breathing and these kind of things, and then see how long the virus remains infectious in the aerosol phase. these are the first images from the covid experiments, six microscopic droplets suspended

in the air. this project is about studying the smallest airborne particles, those that are invisible to the naked eye. we can look at how the virus remains infectious. the man in charge told me the research could be particularly useful as we head into winter, spending more time indoors. how does this help us understand how covid could be spread in a pub or an office or factory? it helps us better understand the survival of the virus. we're particularly concerned in terms of airborne transmission in poorly ventilated spaces, spaces where people might be talking very loud, they might be singing, where they're generating a lot of these small, inhalable aerosol particles. this research is set to last a year, with the first results before christmas. the scientists hope it will add to our wider understanding of the risks we face and the changes we may still need to make.

the headlines on bbc news. all pubs and restaurants across central scotland will close for 16 days from 6pm on friday under new measures aimed at tackling the coronavirus. the new rules apply across the central belt — which includes glasgow and edinburgh. in other areas, venues will only be able to sell alcohol outdoors until 10pm. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says she wants to avoid a full winter lockdown. latest figures show a further 14,162 coronavirus infections have been recorded across the uk. another 70 people have died within 28 days of testing positive. with all the ongoing uncertainty over the health of donald trump, it is easy to forget sometimes that the us presidential election is less than a month away.

tonight in utah, the democrat vice presidential candidate kamala harris and current vp mike pence, will go head—to—head in a debate. our north america correspondent sophie long has more. judge kavanaugh, i am concerned whether you will treat every american equally. she is a senator from california known for her incisive questioning of president trump's nominees for the supreme court. i know full well the importance of presidential leadership. he has been president trump's right—hand man for the past four years. tonight they will take to a specially adapted stage for a debate that will be watched by tens of millions of voters. vp debates are not normally the headline act of a presidential election campaign but this one is anything but normal. given the age of their bosses and the fact that president trump's recent hospitalisation with coronavirus means we don't yet

know if the remaining two presidential debates will even take place, tonight's meeting between kamala harris and mike pence will be the most important of its kind in history. they take over under the death or the resignation of the president of the united states. when you have one candidate that's fairly old and one candidate that's sick right now, everyone is talking about it. there's no way that you can't talk about that particular issue because there is at least some track where one of these two candidates could end up being president of the united states. we are an independent collection of latter day saint women from across the political spectrum, who speak for ourselves. in this deeply religious state, president trump's first term and his reaction to covid—19 has led lifelong republicans to look for something different. i wish no ill towards him. but i think that it's time for us to once again think about doing better. this should have never been a politcal issue. coronavirus should have been something where we all come together and work together for the good of everyone.

and that's why character matters in a president. but at this pro—trump potato bar, yes, there is such a thing, people think his personal handling of the pandemic is a show of strength. when you're a soldier, you're at risk and you're at a war, and you're fighting something, you go in there and you've got to rally your troops. you've got to build the morale of the troops. you got to be victorious, you can't be afraid. and that's what i look at it as. and unfortunately, some soldiers when they go to war, they get wounded. tonight, mike pence will be going into battle for the current commander—in—chief against a former prosecutor fighting for his competitor, joe biden. with less than a month to go and a campaign thrown into chaos by covid—19, the stakes are high. sophie long, bbc news, salt lake city. and you can follow the us vice—presidential debate live, in a special programme from 1.30am on the bbc news channel, and via the bbc news website.

or you'll be able to watch it later on the bbc iplayer. back to our top story — and all pubs and restaurants across central scotland have been told to close for more than two weeks, to try to help tackle a surge in coronavirus cases. the announcement was made at holyrood earlier by the first minister nicola sturgeon. of course, we have already taken perhaps the most important and certainly the most painful step we can to reduce transmission. for the last 10—12 days apart from certain limited exceptions, we have not been able to meet up in each other‘s homes. that should already be making a difference to infection rates even if because there is always a time lag between introducing new measures and the impact they have, we are not yet seen it reflected in our figures. and let me take the opportunity to emphasise again today how vitally important it is that we all stick to that rule. it's incredibly hard for all of us not to visit friends and family

or have them visit us but it is the single most effective measure we can take to stop covid passing from one household to another. so, please stick with it. that measure is vital but the clinical advice i have received now is that it's not sufficient. we need to do more and we need to do it now. and those who will wonder and ask understandably if the measures i set out today go too far, let me be very clear about this. if this was a purely one—dimensional decision, if the immediate harm from covid was all we had to consider, it is very likely that we would go further. but seven months into this pandemic, i am acutely aware that this is not and cannot be a one—dimensional decision. we have a duty to balance all of the different harms caused by the pandemic. we must consider the direct harm to health from the virus which must be reduced but we do that alongside the harm being done tojobs in the economy which in turn of course has an impact on people's health and well—being. and we have to consider the wider

harms to health and well—being that the virus and the restrictions deployed to control it are having on all of us. for all of these reasons, we are applying a firmer targeted approach than we did in march, one reduces opportunities for the virus to spread while keeping businesses and other activities open. and if we are not recommending that people who shielded over the summer should return to staying completely indoors. we know how damaging that is to your well—being but we do recommend that you take extra care especially if you live in the central belt. you can now access information about infection levels in your local neighbourhood on the public health scotland website. winteriness at the additional measures we are proposing. the measures we are proposing. the measures on hospitality are intended to be enforced for 60 days from this friday at 6pm to sunday the 25th of october inclusive. in other words across the next two weeks and three

weekends. firstly, with the exception of the five health board areas i will talk about shortly, pubs, bore ten micro bars and restau ra nts a nd cafes pubs, bore ten micro bars and restaurants and cafes will be able to operate indoors on the following very restricted basis only. during the day from 6am to 6pm for the service of food and known alcoholic drinks only. hotel restaurants will be able to operate beyond 6pm but only for residents and without alcohol. —— and no alcohol treats. the reason we are not closing the com plete the reason we are not closing the complete hospitality is we know that... people who live alone should be able to meet a friend for coffee or chat but the restrictions will be surgery applied in all current regulations and the limits of meaning a maximum of six people from two households in indoor and public places will still apply. with the exception of the central book areas, bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes can continue to serve alcohol outdoors up to the existing curfew time of 10pm

outdoors up to the existing curfew time of10pm and outdoors up to the existing curfew time of 10pm and subject to the six rule on group size was that there will be an exemption it to these rules for celebrations associated with specific life events such as weddings already booked and funerals. the current rules for those will continue to apply. these are the new measures that would take effect nationwide however because the significantly high bubbles of infection in the central belt, we are introducing stricter restrictions in the following five health board areas, grated grass and clyde, and others. —— greater glasgow and clyde. all licenced bonuses with the exception of hotels for residents will be required to close indoors. no takeaways will be permitted. the hotels will remain open for residents. cafes which do not have an alcohol licence will be able to stay open until 6pm to support social isolation presents holes, bowling alleys and bingo halls will close in these areas for

two weeks from the 10th of october. context was for people age 18 and over will be suspended for the next two weeks with the exception of professional support and indoor group exercise activities will not be allowed although the current rules will remain in place for under 18 so. gyms can remain open for individual exercise. and outdoor why events will not be permitted in these five regions for the next two weeks. and finally we are asking people living in these five health board areas to avoid public transport unless it is absolutely necessary. for example for going to school or work, if home working is not an option. we are not imposing mandatory travel restrictions at this stage and specifically we are not insisting that people cancel any half term breaks they have planned but in general, we are advising people living in greater glasgow and clyde and the other areas not to travel outside the house what area they live in if they don't need to and likewise people in other parts of scotla nd and likewise people in other parts of scotland should not travel to

these areas if they do not need to. more detail of all that i had just set out will be available on the scottish government website. good afternoon. we have seen fewer showers on the whole through this afternoon, a beautiful shot here of whitby taken in the sunshine. not too far away, autumnal colours coming through in leeds. we have had showers, particularly in the north, but also across the south of wales. porthcawl here in bridgend seeing that beautiful rainbow. most of the showers now confined to the north because further south the cloud is starting to fill in. this length of cloud sticking out in the atlantic is a developing area of low pressure set to bring us our next spell of wet and windy weather. so, where we have the sunshine, it will tend to diminish as this cloud rolls in, continues its progress in off the atlantic through the rest of the afternoon. by the evening, it will be looking quite wet, through some areas. still pleasantly warm, if you are in the sunshine. as well as the wetter weather, the winds will strengthen again, pushing this wetter weather in across the south—west of england, wales and northern ireland

for the beginning of the evening rush hour, whilst we continue with the sunshine further north but those showers, particular for the north and north—west of scotland, but many other parts of scotland seeing the dry weather. it looks, as i say, really quite wet through the evening across notjust northern ireland and the south of england but much of england and wales as well. that will hold temperatures up, the cloud, rain and that stronger wind. further north, with light winds across scotland, we could see temperatures dipping towards freezing in the glens. by morning, the rain starting to move out of the way. it drags its heels in the south and it still could be quite heavy here with some lively downpours, but as it pulls away, the afternoon looks drier and brighter, more sunshine. by that stage, the sunshine in the north replaced by more showers for scotland, northern ireland and the north—west of england. again, between those, temperatures will get up into the mid—teens, which is above where they should be for the beginning of october. some uncertainty regarding friday. it looks like we will see another area of low pressure move in, another area of rain,

this time potentially further north, but it gradually works its way southwards through the day, showers following on behind. quite a chilly wind starts to set in. temperatures won't be quite as high across scotland and even further south because of the rain, they will be down a degree or two by the end of friday. as for the weekend, we are getting a brisk wind from the north, feeling cooler for all of us, but a lot of dry weather to be found. goodbye.

pubs, restaurants and cafes that sell alcohol across a large part of scotland are ordered to shut to try to slow the spread of coronavirus. from glasgow to edinburgh, all licensed premsies in scotland's central belt will close on friday for 16 days. in the rest of scotland there's a 6pm curfew and no alcohol served indoors. without action, and this is perhaps the starkest warning in today's evidence paper, we are likely to return to the peak level of infections we had in the spring by the end of this month. no unnecessaryjourneys on public transport and face coverings will soon be mandatory when moving around workplaces. meanwhile, there are warnings that some hospitals in northern england