tighter restrictions are expected next week in england for areas with the highest coronavirus infection rates. it's thought pubs and restaurants could be forced to close in an effort to drive numbers down. it's much too complicated. we don't know what they're going to do next, do we? it'sjust one big mess. we'll be speaking to the owner of a chain of bars about the potential impact of more restrictions on their business. also this lunchtime... people waiting over a year for hospital treatment in england hit a 12—year high, as fears grow about the pressure of coronavirus on the nhs. if this gets out of control, which it is and we're at that tipping point right now, this isn't a joke, this isn't scaremongering. i don't come from an organisation that does scaremongering. we care about people, we care about our patients.

mandatory outdoor masks in parts of italy — one of several european countries to see a jump in covid—19 cases. i want everybody to be given the same treatment as your president because i feel great. i feel like, perfect. president trump describes getting covid—19 as a "blessing from god" and says all americans will get the drugs he was given for free. and prince william says he wants to bring optimism and positivity to efforts to solve climate change, as he launches a new environmental award with sir david attenborough. in sport on bbc news... scotland have their crucial euro 2020 playoff later against israel, but they'll be without three of their biggest names... after stuart armstrong's positive covid test.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the government is looking to further tighten coronavirus restrictions in parts of england early next week. the bbc has learned that the closure of pubs and restaurants is a possibility in the worst—affected areas, and there could also be a ban on overnight stays. the government is also likely to introduce what's being called a three—tier system for local lockdowns, under which different parts of the country would be placed in different covid restriction categories. some local government leaders in the north of england have strongly criticised the government over its handling of lockdown plans, and a lack of consultation. here's our political correspondent chris mason. this correspondent chris mason. is leeds where new ru some this is leeds where new rules of some sort are expected. new regulations are coming for parts of england where there are lots of

cases, but precisely where, when and how severe they will be is not yet clear. too much complicated. we don't know what they're going to do next, do we? it is one big mess.“ it is going to get rid of this virus again, we are going to have to put up again, we are going to have to put up with all of this. people are losing theirjobs. is it alive? kill the economy, literally. stop everything. the leader of the council here says... we are seeking urgent discussions with government to understand what they are expecting, to understand why there has been a delay in the announcement until next monday which gives a weekend where people can go out as they please, and just understand if there is going to be a time restriction on this. trundle along the m 62 to liverpool where again there are lots of cases, and again lots of questions from local

leaders. you can't have an effective government if its common strategy is announcement by media leak, so we have said all along we want to have an open and meaningful dialogue with government, and i just an open and meaningful dialogue with government, and ijust ask them to speak to areas where potentially they could be facing even more stringent lockdown measures. here is an insight into how concerned the government is, health minister worrying about intensive care units being overwhelmed. but ministers are vague about precisely what they are planning. we will continue to take a proportionate and localised response, which i think is the right thing to do because the variations in the number of cases are very significant in england from over 550 in manchester per 100,000 to as low as 19 in cornwall, dorset and herefordshire. so a localised but proportionate response has to be the way forward. the government wants to

make this patchwork of different rules easier to understand and put everywhere in england in three different tiers. precisely how it is described is not clear but the first tier might be the loosest restrictions such as the rule of six, the second tier one step up from that, and the third tier more set of restrictions. there is still debate going on privately about how the system might work. so yet again it is decision time at westminster with a growing clamour that adds up toa with a growing clamour that adds up to a single demand. tell us what is happening. and chrisjoins us from westminster now... 0n on that very point there has been an important meeting in westminster this morning. what has happened this morning is a video conference call involving chris whitty, the chief medical officer, one of the health ministers working alongside matt hancock, and lots of mps representing seats in the east

midlands and the north—east and north—west, and the questions we understand about precisely what the evidence base is for the kind of things the government is contemplating. 0ur things the government is contemplating. our understanding is pa rt contemplating. our understanding is part of the pitch from the government is to make their case there is at least some evidence that hospitality venues like pubs and restau ra nts hospitality venues like pubs and restaurants are a contributory factor in the spread of the virus. it is on that basis that it is likely the government will suggest some restrictions on how that sector of the economy can trade in those areas where cases are high. as we heard in my report, there is a real demand and desire in many of those northern and midland cities for precise details because it is all very well saying in a few days there will be more restrictions but if you are running a business in one of those cities or nearby areas, you

wa nt those cities or nearby areas, you want precise answers. are they going to have to close? will there be restrictions for how long and when? and as things stand, we cannot a nswer and as things stand, we cannot answer those questions. chris, many thanks. 0ur political correspondent chris mason in westminster. well, business owners, particularly in the hospitality sector, are watching nervously to see how any new restrictions might affect them. let's go live now to our correspondent sarah corker, who's in a bar in manchester for us now. yes, large parts of the north and midlands are already under these local lockdowns and tighter restrictions and the hospitality sector has said it is already struggling with the 10pm curfew and fewer customers, and so the prospect of this so—called circuit breaker, closures of pubs and restaurants, have horrified some businesses. william runs a brewery and more than 150 pubs across the north west. what potential impact could the closures

have on your business? it could be devastating. a pub like this didn't reopen until september so we are just getting into the swing. we don't have many customers but it is a safe environment and we are open. what was your reaction when you heard about the potential announcement next week? devastated, and particularly for those colleagues working in scotland because we have spent millions as an industry to make pubs safe. 0n monday we were campaigning to get rid of the ten o'clock curfew, it fiow rid of the ten o'clock curfew, it now looks like we are campaigning just to stay open and we want to know what help the government will give to protectjobs in the industry. what specific financial support would help you get through this period? support would help you get through this period ? there support would help you get through this period? there has been a target ofa this period? there has been a target of a return to full furlough for example? are sector specific furlough scheme would be brilliant, and so far rishi sunak has been amazing. he came out with the eat out scheme which in my mind had nothing to do with spreading the

virus, but so far rishi sunak has pulled something out of the bag every time and we hope he will do that this time as well. manchester has the highest infection rate in the country and there is some evidence to show hospitality plays a role in spreading the virus. something has got to happen to get the infection rates back down, hasn't it? something has got to happen, but when you look at the evidence it was suggest between three and 4% of infections being spread through hospitality, which i would suggest is the safest place to be, and when new look at the statistics the virus is not in the ce ntre statistics the virus is not in the centre of town. it is a very local problem and we all have to work together to stop the virus. thank you. as you can see there is no lunchtime rush here, few office workers in manchester means fewer customers. sarah caulker in manchester, thank you. medical leaders are warning

that the nhs may not be able to cope if people don't abide by the local lockdown restrictions. the latest figures show that the number of people waiting over a year for hospital treatment in england has hit a 12—year high — and three times as many people were waiting more than 18 weeks to start hospital treatment in august compared to last year. our health correspondent lauren moss reports. it is another stark warning about what could lie ahead. coronavirus hospital admissions are still far below what they were in april but medical leaders are concerned about the recent increase with 3000 patients currently being treated. we are at that tipping point right now. this isn't a joke, it isn't scaremongering. we care about people, we care about our patients, we wa nt people, we care about our patients, we want to keep doing the best for them through what was always going to bea them through what was always going to be a difficult winter. let's not make it spectacularly difficult. latest figures show there have been three times as many deaths related

to covid—19 compared with flu this year and the impact of the pandemic is still being felt across the health service. more than 100,000 people have been waiting longerfor them one yearfor people have been waiting longerfor them one year for routine operations in england, the largest number in 12 yea rs. in england, the largest number in 12 years. almost 170,000 urgent cancer referrals were made in august, a large increase in april and may but fewer than last year. 20,000 patients began cancer treatments, again up in the spring but still one fifth lower than august last year. rob has been waiting for a joint knee replacement since last october. he has been told surgery will go ahead this month but he is still concerned it might not happen. ahead this month but he is still concerned it might not happenm has affected me physically, mentally and i'm now suffering from a second condition which i expected would happen to me sooner or later. i am 110w happen to me sooner or later. i am now being treated for anxiety. it is so much uncertainty around all this, and to be honest, this has really

been hard to cope with. i have had some really bad, dark days with the pain. nhs england says more than 1 million routine operations are taking place every week, and 85% of cancer treatments continued during the pandemic. but there are concerns about the future. people with cancer cannot afford this to happen to their treatment again. they are already experiencing stress and strain through the disruption they are already seeing, so we are urging the government to put the appropriate plans in place to ensure that cancer treatment will continue during the winter pressures and as covid cases rise again. according to the test and trace system in england there was a 56% increase in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus between the 24th and 30th of september. at a quarter tested got their results back in 2a hours and a third were not referred to the contact tracing system by the

end of that period. nightingale hospitals are on standby if covid admissions rise. with over 4 million people waiting for routine treatment in england, the nhs says it is vital clearing the backlog is not jeopardised by a second wave spiralling out of control. 0ur health correspondent lauren moss is with me now... we are going into the winter season, there are worries about the pressure on the nhs. yes and the figures are a snapshot of where the nhs in england is right now. useful way to compare where we were before the pandemic and at this stage too, so if we take some of the figures like a&e attendances, 1.7 billion in september, still down 400,000 on where they were last year. in april 41,000 routine operations, now back up 41,000 routine operations, now back up to 156,000. but there were 275,000 routine operations in august last year. when we look at urgent

cancer referrals in april, 80,000 of those,in cancer referrals in april, 80,000 of those, in august back up to 170,000 but still not quite where they should be. this is about clearing the backlog and a big emphasis on encouraging people that the nhs is open for business. the chair of the academy of the royal colleges has said today that unless everyone follows social distance and guidelines, there is a danger of the nhs being unable to cope and deliver the other services. we know more about what to expect with covid, like i mentioned the nightingale hospitals are on standby and there is widespread community testing. treatment as well and ventilators ready. but all of this service with the health leaders warning everyone needs to be alert as we head into the winter months. lauren moss, thank you. there's been a big increase in cases in the derry city and strabane local authority area. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy is at stormont. talk us through the figures.

derry and stra bane derry and strabane has the highest rate in the uk and medical experts here say they were seeing clusters rising from social gatherings and then more recently have seen a majority of cases happening or lots of those cases happening in hospitality settings. this is a border area, lots of cross—border travel is the norm, and the neighbouring county of donegal in the republic of ireland has also had higher rates of the virus than other parts of ireland too. a number of restrictions have come in in derry and stra bane restrictions have come in in derry and strabane in the last few days. currently pubs, restaurants and cafes can be taken away only or outdoor dining, museum attractions are closed, and across northern ireland the rule is no mixing of households in private homes. in donegal tighter restrictions have been imposed by the irish government including asking people not to travel into or out of the county

unnecessarily. we are expecting a new announcement from the stormont executive later today, we are hearing that may be toughening up on fines and ways to enforce restrictions. ministers say they are very worried about the big jump in numbers recently, particularly as we are also seeing hospital admissions increasing too. mr, thank you very much. the r number in scotland — the average number of people each person with covid—19 passes the virus — could now be as high as 1.6. speaking at the start of first minister's questions at the scottish parliament, nicola sturgeon said the rising number of cases was why the scottish government had announced new measures including closing pubs and bars early to try to tackle the virus. well, many parts of europe are also seeing a growth in the number of covid—19 cases. cafes and bars in the belgian capital, brussels, have been ordered to close for at least a month from today because of a sharp rise, although restaurants

are being allowed to remain open. and germany has reported a big increase in daily infections — they are now at their highest level since april. 0ur correspondent gavin lee is in brussels. a sobering picture? well, the figures for brussels are stark. the regional president has said it is one of the worst cities in the whole of europe. there is only madrid that has higher infection rates and the recent tests show that for every seven people, one person is coming back with a positive covid result. so the pressure is on hospitals. they are a third busier than they were a week ago. they are starting to move i see you patients to other cities and towns, and that is why they say within a few weeks, according to the regional president, there could be a point of collapse. that is how seriously they are setting this out and that is why they are closing the bars and cafes. it is quite confusing. at the moment, for example, this is a cafe in the

centre of brussels which is closed. next door, a restaurant is open and by that, you have a wine bar that is closed. but there are lots of places like the battery here where the owners are not sure. they are keeping open for now. and i have met many owners today who say they have a cafe, but they are going to stay open because they see the police going around but they are not checking and they don't believe the fines will start this week. but ultimately, this is a contamination hotspot and they believe this. there being an entire lockdown for the city. elsewhere in europe, other restrictions are coming in. in italy, face masks have now become mandatory on the streets as well as inside. in poland and ukraine and the czech republic, they have had the czech republic, they have had the highest figure today for the past 24 hours in the entire pandemic. in germany, the highest figure since the start of april, with their health minister saying if it continues at this rate, it could spiral out of control. so we have got pandemic fatigue being spoken of by leaders and they are urging people not to be complacent if they are going to turn this around.

gavin, many thanks. our top story this lunchtime... tighter restrictions are expected next week in england for areas with the highest coronavirus infection rates, still to come, british airways says farewell to the last of its fleet of 747s. coming up later in sport on bbc news... decision time over england's number one — will england stick with jordan pickford ahead of tonight's friendly against wales? the us vice—president, mike pence and his democratic challenger, kamala harris have taken part in their one and only debate ahead of the next month's presidential election. the candidates clashed over the economy, healthcare and racial justice, but inevitably it was coronavirus which dominated the debate. ms harris described the trump

administration's handling of the pandemic as the "greatest failure in any presidential administration in history", while mr pence accused her of undermining confidence in an eventual vaccine. 0ur correspondent nada tawfik watched the debate. with the chaotic presidential debate still on the minds of americans, vice president mike pence and senator kamala harris walked on stage eager to reset the tone. over the course of 90 minutes, they delivered a far more substantive discussion that was civil, but not without fire. this is important. mr vice president, i'm speaking. i have to weigh in. straight away, the coronavirus that has infected millions of americans, including president trump and his white house, dominated the discussion, their divisions going beyond the glass barriers that separated them on stage. the american people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country. and here's the thing. 0njanuary 28th, the vice president and the president were informed about the nature of this pandemic.

and they knew what was happening and they didn't tell you. but the vice president, as head of the coronavirus task force, said their efforts saved lives, including by restricting travel from china in late january. what i want the american people to know, from the very first day, president donald trump has put the health of america first. before there were more than five cases in the united states, all people who had returned from china, president donald trump did what no other american president had ever done, and that was, he suspended all travel from china, the second largest economy in the world. mike pence repeatedly challenged kamala harris on her own progressive record, and tried to redirect the conversation to the economy. this is supposed to be a debate based on fact and truth and the truth and the fact is,

joe biden has been very clear he will not raise taxes on anybody who makes less than $400,000 a year. he said he would repeal the trump tax cuts. mr vice president, i'm speaking. i'm speaking. the important issue is the truth. joe biden said twice in the debate last week that he's going to repeal the trump tax cuts. this was perhaps the most important vice—presidential debate in history, touching on everything from racialjustice to the supreme court to foreign policy. the only lighter moment on this otherwise policy—heavy night was when an uninvited guest, a rogue fly, stole the spotlight for a couple of minutes, its choice of landing spot picked up clearly by the cameras against the vice president's white hair. this debate may not change the course of the campaigns, but it's certainly a reminder to voters ofjust how much is at stake in this election. nada tawfik, bbc news, salt lake city, utah. president trump has released a video suggesting the treatment he received for coronavirus has cured it,

and that it will be offered to americans free of charge. the drug, regeneron, has not yet been approved by federal regulators. mr trump said his experience had been a revelation: i want everybody to be given the same treatment as your president, because i feel great. i feel, like, perfect. so i think this was a blessing from god that i caught it. this was a blessing in disguise. i caught it, i heard about this drug, i said, "let me take it", it was my suggestion. i said, "let me take it", and it was incredible, the way it works, incredible. and i think if i didn't catch it, we'd be looking at that like a number of other drugs, but it really did a fantasticjob. i want to get for you what i got, and i'm going to make it free. the second presidential debate will take place online. the white house said said it will take place on the 15th of october and will be virtual "in order to protect the health

and safety of all involved", but president trump has said he will not participate in a virtual debate. the men who organised the people—smuggling journey in which 39 vietnamese migrants died last october had organised a very similar but "successful" trip less than two weeks earlier, a jury has been told. two of the men face manslaughter charges, two more face charges of conspiracy to assist illegal immigration. daniel sandford is at the old bailey now. tell us more about what happened in court today. the jury had been watching cctv from the 11th of 0ctober. watching cctv from the 11th of october. the prosecution says the lorry driver, christopher kennedy, collected an unaccompanied trailer from purfleet put on the thames estuary, a trailer that had come from zeebrugge in belgium. thejury we re from zeebrugge in belgium. thejury were then shown cctv of that same lorry being given past or is it golf course, down a remote country lane, accompanied by four or five smart

black curse. the jury were told they would hear from eyewitnesses that saw 15 to 20 migrants jumping out of that lorry and into the cars, which then sped off. thejury that lorry and into the cars, which then sped off. the jury have that lorry and into the cars, which then sped off. thejury have been told that some of the organisers of that successful trip on the 11th of 0ctober were then also involved in the fatal trip on the 23rd of 0ctober the fatal trip on the 23rd of october in which 39 people died. the suspect, who faces 39 counts of manslaughter, admits being involved in the previous trip, but not on the fatal trip. the driver was later called in northern france with 20 vietnamese migrants in the back of his lorry, and two of those migrants ultimately ended up in the fatal trip. christopher can —— kennedy denies the charges of assisting an illegal immigration. british airways has waved its last two boeing 747 jumbo jets out of its base at heathrow.

the original version of the aircraft has been flying for more half a century. the airline's entire fleet of the jets has been retired four years earlier than scheduled because of the pandemic‘s effect on international travel. 0ur transport correspondent tom burridge watched the last flight take off. the queen of the skies, on a final departure. it was over and out for the british airways 747 era. julie, cabin crew, we will bring you in. how are you feeling? so tearful, sorry. really sad to see her go. such a shame about the weather, but amazing. a glamour glider through the decades. the original version launched in the 60s and defied all the odds. how are they going to get that thing in the air? julie welcomed a listers and royalty on

board. no need to go to a gym either. you become very attached to a huge chunk of metal that takes you around the world. and it is glamorous, it is iconic. and you do actually fall in love. the stretched upper deck is new to ba. in its day, the double deck was novel. it's like a private jet the double deck was novel. it's like a privatejet appere. the double deck was novel. it's like a private jet appere. it's still pretty cool today. a private jet appere. it's still pretty cooltoday. i a private jet appere. it's still pretty cool today. i know somebody who, boarded a 747 and thought she was still in the departure lounge because it was so big. she didn't realise and kept saying, when are we building? the dress code changed and the food got better, but there were millions miles and millions of 747 memories. everyone knows thejumbo. it was borne out of the moon landing age 50 years ago and it has been with us ever since. you can recognise it. you just see it when you get to the airport. it stands out and it is iconic and customers, collea g u es out and it is iconic and customers, colleagues and everyone who has ever

anything to do with the jumbo just loves it. the captain then at the controls as the plane taxied out one last time. rain and tears. a short trip to south wales for one, the other to gloucestershire, a fond goodbye. tom burridge, bbc news, at heathrow. the duke of cambridge and sir david attenborough have joined forces to launch the biggest ever environmental prize, worth £50 million. the earthshot prize will aim to find 50 solutions to the world's gravest environmental problems by 2030. 0ur chief environment correspondent justin rowlatt reports. public figures don't get much higher profile than prince william and sir david attenborough. last year, they launched the british antarctic su rvey‘s launched the british antarctic survey‘s new ship together. launched the british antarctic survey's new ship together. may god bless her and all those who sail in her. now they have joined forces to launch an initiative that they hope

will literally change the world. 0urs will literally change the world. ours is will literally change the world. 0urs isa will literally change the world. ours is a world of wonder. their new earthshot prize aims to find 50 solutions to the world's gravest environmental problems over the next ten years. we very much felt that what was needed and what was missing at the moment was very much a case of harnessing people's optimism and hope. there has been a lot of negativity and pessimism, and i think it's such a big scale topic that people themselves don't know, ifi that people themselves don't know, if i re cycle that people themselves don't know, if i recycle my plastic every single day, how much of a big difference am imaking? day, how much of a big difference am i making? kensington palace says the earthshot prize will make five awards of £1 million every year for ten years. prince william and sir david say they are looking for ideas that will transform our approach to five key issues — fixing the climate, building a waste free world, restoring nature, cleaning ourairand world, restoring nature, cleaning our air and reviving world, restoring nature, cleaning ourairand reviving our world, restoring nature, cleaning our air and reviving our oceans. but higher temperatures mean a lot more

than longer summers. sir david acknowledges that these are bold ambitions, but he says he time for action is now. i do know that if you help the natural world, the word becomes a better place for everybody. 0rdinary people worldwide are beginning to realise that greed does not actually lead to joy. we are right on the coast. it is becoming clear that protecting the environment is the issue that will define prince william's public role from now on. you can hear the ducks and geese all along the coast. he says he hopes the earthshot prize will help repair the planet, no less. the idea is that it will call forth new and innovative ways to bring real change. the prince told the bbc today that he has taken inspiration from his father, prince

charles, and now