another big surge in coronavirus infections as hospitals gear up for the next wave. the impact of the pandemic means that more than 4 million people are now on hospital waiting lists for routine treatments. some hospitals like bournemouth are only treating a few coronavirus patients, but they have difficult decisions to make. if we see a flu season, if we see covid rising, how we balance that with keeping all the other patients who need to be treated in hospital coming through. next week, the government will announce new measures for parts of england targeting hotspots where the virus is rife. in leeds — where infection rates are particularly high — pubs and bars are bracing themselves for even tighter restrictions, even temporary closure. i think this was a blessing from god that i caught it. president trump claims he's

no longer contagious and refuses to take part in next week's presidential debate after it's made virtual. the older brother of the manchester arena bomber refuses to say why he won't co—operate with the public inquiry into the attack. and farewell to the queen of the skies as british airways retires its last two 7a7s. and coming up on bbc news... can northern ireland and scotland get themselves in with a chance of playing at a major tournament again? they're in action in their european play—off semis later. good evening and welcome

to the bbc‘s news at six. almost 3500 people with coronavirus are now being treated in hospitals in england — the number of patients being admitted has been doubling every fortnight since the start of september. hospitals — that have been quiet over the summer — are making preparations for a second wave. some are already dealing with large numbers of covid patients. it's all had a huge knock on effect on other services. new figures reveal that more than 4 million people are currently waiting for routine operations on the nhs in england. half of them have been waiting at least four months. and more than 110,000 people in england have been waiting longer than a year. that's the highest figure since 2008. more than 20,000 cancer patients did begin treatment in august. but that's a drop of 5,000 on the same period last year. but there has been a considerable rise in the number of procedures like hip and knee replacements. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, is in bournemouth, in dorset, tonight. hugh. this hospitals around the uk have a

tough task right now, with usual winter pressures already bringing more patients in, and then there is a big backlog of work, routine surgery a big backlog of work, routine surgery and appointments all postponed earlier in the year because of the covid situation. most hospitals, including here, are getting to grips with that in beginning to work through it, but it remains quite a difficultjob ahead, and of course they've also got to worry about coronavirus. eight in the morning, and the pressure‘s already on at the royal bournemouth hospital. next patient? any idea people are staying away from a&e is a distant memory. she has regularly self—harmed over the last couple of years. all the bays filled up overnight. now comes the staff handover. so, she is a 24—year—old lady, again, known to the mental health team, who had a crisis last night.

irrespective of covid, hospitals like this are facing up to the build—up of the usual winter pressures. here, they've seen some of their busiest ever days in the emergency department. dr farhad islam is a senior consultant here. he's seen an increase in patients needing mental health crisis care. it might be a call for help. it might be a psychiatric problem. it might be a self harmed patient or person that's got mental problems. we are seeing the whole array of patients, but in amongst that, the rate of covid is increasing. covid case numbers are relatively low in the local area. i think the goal today was to try and clear another bay if possible. but at this meeting, they need to work out how to make space while protecting other patients. we do need to get another bay empty, i completely agree. we are still seeing numbers of patients coming in with non—covid related conditions, but we've got a small proportion of patients with covid and we are unable to mix those pathways,

so we need to find a way to do that safely. this is our intensive care unit that we have ready to use for the second surge of covid. the intensive care beds are ready and staff know only too well what could come their way. so, we are all still fairly raw from last time. we are very used to having family members on intensive care units and suddenly be told we can't see those family members and can't see all the work that goes into helping their loved ones. it's very difficult for the staff. and that anticipation of having to go back to that is quite traumatising for critical care staff. so can you just take me through what we are doing? we are actually going to be doing a double award refurb over here, a double ward refurb over here, which is the first time we've done this. elsewhere, they are preparing for the usual winter challenges, creating a frailty unit to help the recovery of elderly patients and their safe return home. you've been seen by our nursing team, and you've been seen by our surgical team. some patients, like christopher,

are coming back in for non—urgent operations. i'm having a reconstructive surgery. christopher's ankle operation was postponed in march. he's pleased it's now about to be done, but the wait has been difficult. quite a lot of pain, i am on quite a lot of heavy dose painkillers. it's difficult to walk, really. i put a lot more weight on my other leg. yeah, pretty tricky. i asked the chief executive how they were tackling the backlog of operations put off because of covid—i9. we've been going through all the long—waiters and really trying hard to get people who have been waiting longer. none of us want that for our friends and family. and none of our commissions want that. everybody wants to treat patients. we know how awful it is when people have to wait a long time, so it's a top priority. during the first surge, much of their focus was on the sickest covid patients, but now there are other worries as well. if we see a flu season,

if we see covid rising, how we balance that with keeping all the other patients who need to be treated in hospital coming through in a timely way, that's going to be the biggest challenge. it'll be tough for staff, some still exhausted from their efforts earlier in the year, but they all want people to know that they are there and ready to help patients, whatever their needs. hugh pym, bbc news, bournemouth. so the latest government coronavirus data shows a significant rise in new infections — 17,540 new coronavirus infections were recorded in the latest 24—hour period — up from just over 14,000 yesterday. it means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 14,520. hospital admissions jumped significantly on sunday — now, on average, 528 people are being admitted every day over the past week. this number doesn't include scotland.

77 deaths have been reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test. it means on average in the past week, 56 deaths were announced every day, which takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 10,592. 0ur health correspondent laurent moss is here. it does feel like the situation is accelerating. hospitaladmissions it does feel like the situation is accelerating. hospital admissions in particular are what we need to watch. that's right. another increase in the number of positive test results in the last 2a hours but hospital admissions are really important to look at. if we take england alone, another 524 patients we re england alone, another 524 patients were admitted on tuesday. the total number being treated now in england is 3000, so it is rising. to put it in context, going back to the end of march and beginning of april, 3000 people were being admitted every single day. it's important to note this is not widespread across the country. the northwest, northeast and yorkshire, and the midlands have

and yorkshire, and the midlands have afar and yorkshire, and the midlands have a far greater number of patients in hospital. in the north—west, 1000 patients being treated compared to around 300 in london and fewer than 100 in the south—west. around 300 in london and fewer than 100 in the south-west. we had new figures for test and trace, still not performing as it should. test and trace in england is under a lot of is key is the turnaround time for test results. in july, of is key is the turnaround time for test results. injuly, nearly eve ryo ne test results. injuly, nearly everyone tested in person, so that's people going into a test centre. they were getting their results within 24 hours. but over the last six weeks you can see the numbers are slowly declining, dropping down. more tests are of course being done but they are taking longer to come back. the figure for the data last week showed more than one third were coming back within 24 hours. this week it is one quarter. it could suggest the programme is not keeping up suggest the programme is not keeping up with the demand of testing that needs to be done. as we head to winter and if hospital admissions continue to rise, it's important these results are known quickly, not only for the public but also nhs

staff as well. lauren moss, thank you. the government will outline new measures for england within days. it's thought a system of alert levels will be announced. in the worst affected areas it would mean pubs and restaurants could be forced to close. much of the north of england is expected to come under even tighter restrictions next week. 0ur deputy political editor vicki young has been looking at the likely details. all eyes are on the numbers, and they are going in the wrong direction. coronavirus cases are rising, fast in some places, and hospital beds are filling up, businesses are going bust. as the data floods in the problems are obvious. now ministers must decide what to do about it. there is real concern about cities like liverpool and manchester. and an argument about whether socialising in bars and about whether socialising in bars a nd restau ra nts about whether socialising in bars and restaurants is fuelling the rise in cases. we are currently considering what steps we should take. 0bviously taking the advice of oui’ take. 0bviously taking the advice of our scientific and medical advisers.

we will continue to take a proportionate and a localised response, which i think is the right thing to do because the variations in the number of cases are very significant in england. the government is proposing local covid alert levels for england made up of three tiers. if an area is in tier one, measures will include the rule of six and a ten curfew for and restau ra nts. of six and a ten curfew for and restaurants. tier two is likely to mean no household mixing. tier three would trigger toughest restrictions, no final decisions have been made but extra curbs on the his hospitality in your being considered. ministers want to avoid more national restrictions. that's because some areas have very low numbers of covid cases. this town in devon has recorded just 89 since the pandemic began. they want to keep as much of the economy open as possible. the government is gearing up possible. the government is gearing upfor possible. the government is gearing up for tighter restrictions in some areas and mps and local leaders want to see more of the scientific

evidence behind the decisions. especially when it comes to closing parts of the hospitality sector. as ministers mull over what to do, some of the details are leaking out and that's infuriated those in the hardest—hit areas. that's infuriated those in the hardest-hit areas. you can't have an effective government, can you, if its communications strategy is announcement by media league. we have said all along we want to have an open and meaningful dialogue with government. —— media leek. an open and meaningful dialogue with government. -- media leek. my message would be to talk to us more. we haven't been talked all other than at public— health level. secondly, let's check the facts and try to work with the science. when new restrictions coming, prime minister? another big rise in cases today has given given more weight to the argument urgent action is needed. borisjohnson the argument urgent action is needed. boris johnson might the argument urgent action is needed. borisjohnson might not be able to delay until next week. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. leeds has some of the highest infection rates in england. the city's hospitality industry is bracing itself for even tighter restrictions next week.

0ur north of england correspondent danny savage has been speaking to people living and working there. within a few days, millions of people in northern england are likely to be living under even tighter restrictions. pubs and restaurants could be shut down again. well, if it's going to get rid of this virus again, then, you know we are going to have to put up with all of this. it's not working, is it? we've been in lockdown and wearing masks for weeks and weeks, and it is still going up. for northern cities like leeds, manchester, liverpool and newcastle so much of their economy is built on hospitality. they have set themselves up as work and weekend destinations. to close that sector once was difficult, but to lose it again, say those in it, could be terminal. this popular successful cafe will struggle if it is told to shut up shop.

there is a very immediate wish, to still be in business come christmas. and two or three weeks out of business now, we won't make it, to be brutal. the government has to come up with a hospitality industry specific safety net. we have to be looked after here, we can't close the doors and be expected to bounce back again. the government now says there's too much exposure to coronavirus in the hospitality sector. although the leader of leeds city council has been told otherwise. we are seeing the infections rising in household settings rather than in the hospitality sector at the moment, so our major concern is if the government are forcing us to bring more restrictions in terms of closing public venues, that will force social activity underground into people's houses. it's notjust the city centre — 12 miles away infection rates are low in wetherby, but because it's in the wider city area it could see closures. the longer the sector

is affected severely, and the perception that the sector is a dangerous place to be as a customer is going to further damage the overall future of it. and some companies, some businesses can adapt, but many, many won't and certainly it's not just about adapting, it's about surviving. if there is a hospitality shut down in the north, the main question is how long will it be for? danny savage, bbc news, leeds. donald trump is claiming he's no longer contagious after contracting coronavirus but he is refusing to ta ke coronavirus but he is refusing to take part in next week's presidential debate if it's held virtually. 0rganisers say the second pa rt virtually. 0rganisers say the second part of the campaign will go ahead but with them each in a separate location. 0ur north america editor jon sopel has more. never before has a vp debate been so important and there's a reason for that. with both presidential

candidates well into their 70s, the old phrase about the number to only being a heartbeat away from the oval 0ffice being a heartbeat away from the oval office has never seemed more releva nt. office has never seemed more relevant. in a debate between mike pence and kamala harris, covid was centre stage although divided by plexiglass. the american people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country. i want the american people to know that from the very first day, president donald trump has put the health of america first. whatever the vice president is claiming the administration has done, clearly it hasn't worked. when you say what the american people have done hasn't worked, that is a great disservice to the sacrifices they have made. this debate had none of the histrionics and shouting of last week in what felt like 0—0 draw. the most exciting part came when a blackfly and in mike pence's

hairand when a blackfly and in mike pence's hair and stayed there. it ended with this trail ahead. the second presidential debate is next week on 0ctober presidential debate is next week on october the 15th, a town hall style debate in miami. but this morning the independent commission that runs the independent commission that runs the presidential debates ruled that next week's encounter should be virtual. the president's reacted was a furious i'm out. it is not what the debate is about, to sit behind a computer, then they cut you off whenever they want. joe biden, who has agreed to a virtual debate, was today throwing up his hands. we don't know what the president will do, he changes his mind every second. i'm going to follow the commission recommendations. if he goes off and he's going to have a rally, i don't know what i will do. the strategy of the president before his illness had been to change the subject away from the pandemic, now he seems to be embracing it as a

gift. i think this was a blessing from god that i caught it. with trump trailing in the polls he needs the debate much more thanjoe biden asa the debate much more thanjoe biden as a way of resetting the race. if he goes ahead with his threat in not taking part in a virtual debate next week, no one will be more pleased thanjoe week, no one will be more pleased than joe biden. week, no one will be more pleased thanjoe biden. he has far more to lose and very much less to gain. jon sopel lose and very much less to gain. jon sopel, bbc news, at the white house. our top story this evening... another big surge in coronavirus infections as hospitals gear up for the next wave. the government's being urged to enshrine the uk's food and farming standards in law following our departure from the eu. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... we'll tell you who's in the french open final, as the dream dies for qualifier nadia podoroska, who's beaten in the semis by iga swiatek. prince william and sir david attenborough have joined forces to launch

what they hope will become the "nobel prize for environmentalism". the earthshot prize is being described as the most prestigious global environment award in history, offering £50 million to projects that aim to repair the planet. 0ur chief environment correspondent justin rowlatt reports. sir david attenborough: ours is a world of wonder. prince william and sir david have joined forces with the dizzyingly ambitious goal of repairing the planet. their plan is that the new prize will find 50 earthshots, 50 solutions, to the world's gravest environmental problems over the next ten years. the earthshot prize is the most prestigious global environmental prize there's ever been. it's a hugely ambitious target, but i do think that positivity and finding ways through this is better than saying, you know, it's all doom and gloom, we are all going to perish. i think we've got to harness our ingenuity and our ability to invent some of this out.

kensington palace says the earthshot prize will make five awards of £1 million each, 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 our air and reviving our oceans. it isn't just about the money. earthshot is backed by companies, environmental organisations and celebrities, who will help nurture and scale up ideas so they can be applied worldwide. sir david says action is needed right now. time is short. i am well aware, on my travels and in the environment, i've seen problems that are right now. and they are building. i mean, we really have to be getting onto it as fast as we can. here we are, right on the coast. prince william told the bbc today

he now sees championing environmental action as a central part of his public role. you can hear all the ducks, geese, all the birds, all the way along the coastline here. and the earthshot prize is at the very heart of that. a way, he hopes, of uniting the world behind an effort to find new ways to protect our planet. justin rowlatt, bbc news. the older brother of the manchester arena bomber has refused to say why he won't co—operate with the public inquiry into the attack. 22 people were killed in may 2017 when salman abedi detonated a suicide bomb at the concert venue. his older brother ismail is still living in manchester. 0ur north of england correspondent judith moritz has this report. ismail abedi was once happy to be seen on social media toting a gun in libya, but since his younger brother detonated a suicide bomb at manchester arena he's been keeping a lower profile.

ismail, bbc news, can i ask you a few questions please? that is until we tracked him down in the city, not far from the public inquiry which he is refusing to co—operate with. ismail abedi, the brother of the killers, has been required by the inquiry legal team to answer a series of questions relating to what might in general terms be described as the issue of radicalisation. to date, he has declined to answer those questions on the basis that he maintains that his answers may tend to incriminate him. in the days and hours before he exploded his bomb, salman abedi was recorded on cctv using his mobile phone. he received text messages from his brother, hashem, who has since been convicted of the murders. at the same time, hashem texted blessings to ismail abedi, a text the inquiry says may be innocent but wants to explore along with islamic state group videos found on his phone in 2015.

ismail was arrested on the day after the attack and released without charge. in his possessions police found a bank card which his brothers had used whilst preparing the bomb. ismail, bbc news, can i ask you a few questions, please? it's bbc news, can i ask you a few questions about the arena attack please? why won't you help the inquiry, ismail? why won't you speak to the inquiry? did you know what your brothers were doing, ismail? when we caught up with him, it was clear he was not prepared to talk. did you speak to him at the time of the attack? don't you have a moral obligation to speak to them, ismail? at each of the inquests for the london bridge and westminster bridge terror attacks, relatives of those responsible for the murders gave evidence. the manchester arena public inquiry has asked salman abedi's parents and younger sister, jomana, to give statements and continues to press his brother ismail for answers, saying the family has a moral obligation to provide information.

i'm representing seven of the bereaved families... lawyers for the relatives of those who died say there must be maximum clarity from public officials on one hand and from those closest to the abedi brothers on the other. if on either side if there is a lack of openness and transparency, it's much more difficult for the public inquiry to achieve its ends of delivering truth and justice to the families. and ultimately trying to prevent an outrage of this kind happening again. 22 people were murdered in the bombing, the youngest a child of eight. the public inquiry has been described as a search for the truth about the atrocity which claimed their lives. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. five police officers have been placed under disciplinary investigation by the metropolitan police after they stopped and handcuffed the athlete bianca williams and her partner in north west london in july. the investigation will cover claims including that officers breached police standards of professional behaviour

relating to use of force, duties and responsibilities, authority, respect and courtesy. the government is being urged to do more to make sure that post—brexit farming and animal standards are guaranteed in law. there's concern new legislation currently going through parliament could result in a lowering of food standards in future trade deals. the celebrity chef jamie oliver is one of those lobbying the government, as our political correspondent alex forsyth has been finding out. british farming has to follow some pretty strict rules to protect both the animals they rear and the food they produce. since brexit there has been a they produce. since brexit there has beena campaign they produce. since brexit there has been a campaign under way to make sure those same standards applied to food produced in other countries the uk might trade with, and they have some high—profile backing. uk might trade with, and they have some high-profile backing. there's hundreds of banned pesticides and herbicides that we don't use in britain that they do in north america. a bad trade deal is bad for

public health. my main concern is child health, but then of course it is public health, their parents are pretty important too. then you have farming, we have a farming community that holds some of the best standards in the world. if they have to fight against those products they are not geared for that. campaigners wa nt are not geared for that. campaigners want the promise to be legally binding. no one person should be able to promise the british public it will all be all right. that is why we have legal frameworks. all we are asking for is a debate in parliament and not a back door to do a quick deal. you know the government has set up this agriculture and trade commission which they say can oversee the trade deals. why is that not enough? because they don't have any legal power as far as i can work out so for me it feels like a gesture to shut everyone up. despite the government reassurance, there is pressure building here too. next week the agriculture bill is before

the house of commons, that is part ofa the house of commons, that is part of a framework for food and farming after brexit. the government has repeatedly promised food standards won't slip in future trade deals but some mps, including some conservative backbenchers, want that written into law. ministers though say they simply won't sign a deal that undercuts the british market, pointing out parliament will have a say. we are clear that we will stand up say. we are clear that we will stand upfor high say. we are clear that we will stand up for high standards in any deal we strike, including with the united states, and making sure the high standards our farmers operate to will not be undermined. some argue restrictive regulations could jeopardise future trade deals with other countries. if we respond to their requests by saying we are going to be more restrictive than really a ny cou ntry going to be more restrictive than really any country in the world, it would drive a stake into the heart of our trade negotiating agenda. but many in the uk's farming communities

remain concerned. already operating ina tough remain concerned. already operating in a tough economic climate, they are fearfulfor the in a tough economic climate, they are fearful for the future. alex forsyth, bbc news. there were tears and plenty of rain this morning as british airway said farewell to the queen of the skies. its last two heathrow—based boeing 747s made theirfinal flights from the airport. thejumbojets, which have been flying for 50 years, are being withdrawn from service earlier than planned because of the huge drop in demand for air travel. 0ur transport correspondent was at heathrow for the final flights. 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. absolutely incredible. sorry. a glamour glider through the decades.

the original version launched in the ‘60s and defied all the odds. julie welcomed a—listers and royalty on board. old newsreel: the stretched upper deck is new to ba... in its day, the double deck was novel. it's like a private jet up here. it's still pretty cool today. i know somebody whose grandma boarded a 747 and thought she was still in the departure lounge because it wasjust so big. she didn't realise and she kept saying, "when are we boarding?" the dress code changed, the food got better, but there were millions of miles and millions of 747 memories. i think everyone knows the jumbo. 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, it's iconic, and customers, colleagues and anyone who has had anything to do with the jumbo just loves it. the captain 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. time for a look at the weather here's darren bett. hello, good evening. it will get colderfor all hello, good evening. it will get colder for all of hello, good evening. it will get colderfor all of us over hello, good evening. it will get colder for all of us over the next few days. it will feel chilly and it is certainly chilly that evening as the cloud is melting away. you may get a few media showers but overnight the weather changes in the north—west with stronger winds bringing in rain across scotland, briefly northern ireland, heading into northern england and northern wales. ahead of that with the clearer skies it will be a lot colder than it was last night with lows of five or 6 degrees. here following the rain we have sunshine and showers tomorrow for scotland and showers tomorrow for scotland and northern ireland. there is the band of rain leaving england