and treatment in england's hospitals because of the pandemic. some two million have now been waiting for longer than 18 weeks — the official target — as revealed in the latest figures. as admissions double across england, for patients with covid, we report from one hospital preparing for the challenges of the winter months. 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. we'll have more from that hospital in bournemouth, as parts of england brace themselves for news of more restrictions on monday. in leeds, business owners warn that any plans to close restaurants and pubs will spell disaster for the local economy. this is bbc news. can i ask you a few questions

about the arena attack, please? the older brother of the manchester arena bomber refuses to say why he won't co—operate with the public inquiry. a warning that animal welfare standards could suffer, under new legislation on trade deals after brexit. and the royal ballet gets ready for its first performance with a live audience in seven months. and coming up on bbc news... could scotland and northern ireland secure the wins that would keep their hopes of qualifying for next summer's european championships alive? england and wales are also in friendly action. good evening. the damage being done to many hospital services in england in the wake of the pandemic is exposed by new nhs figures. more than four million patients are now waiting for routine surgery and treatments. nearly half have been waiting for longer than the official

target of 18 weeks. doctors are warning that a second wave of the pandemic, especially during the winter months, could make things even worse. in fact, more than 110,000 people in england have been waiting for treatment for more than a year — that's the highest figure for 12 years. more than 20,000 cancer patients did begin treatment in august, but that's a reduction of 5,000 on the same period last year. and hospital admissions for covid are still rising, and they've doubled in the past two weeks in england. 0ur health editor hugh pym reports from a hospital in bournemouth preparing for the challenges ahead. eight in the morning, and the pressure‘s already on at the royal bournemouth hospital. 0k, 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—harm patient or person that's got mental problems, mental health 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 come 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 for use for the second surge of covid. at the peak, there were 20 patients in intensive care here, half with covid. they've got room for more, if needed. so, we are all still fairly raw from last time. we are very used to having family members on intensive care units and to suddenly be told we can't see those family members and they can't see all the work that goes into helping their loved ones, that was 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 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 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'm 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 official figures show a significant rise in new infections. 17,540 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 past week is 14,520. hospital admissions have jumped significantly. on average 528 people were 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 lauren moss is here. we mentioned the new cases and of course this issue about rising admissions. so let's take stock. what's the picture tonight? hospital admissions are an important indicator of the scale of the pandemic and how many people are falling seriously unwell. if we take just england alone, more than 500 patients were admitted on tuesday. approximately 3,000

are being treated in total. but to put that into context, at the peak of the pandemic there were about 3,000 patients being admitted every single day. and the numbers vary across the country. the north west, north east and yorkshire and the midlands have greater numbers in hospital compared to say london and the south west. today we also got the latest figures for the test and trace system in england. so these are for the week up to the 30th september. one of the important things to look at is test turnaround times. as you can see in this graph, byjuly nearly everyone tested in person — so going to a test centre — got their results within 2a hours, the target time. but over the last six weeks that's been declining and actually the latest figures showjust a quarter of results were back within 2a hours.

24—hour is the target. time is critical, to limit the spread and then in order to quickly trace who else may have the virus. and nhs representatives say both of these things are a big issue. lauren, many thanks. lauren moss, oui’ lauren, many thanks. lauren moss, our health correspondent. local authority leaders and mps from the midlands and northern england are calling for more detail of possible government plans to close restaurants and pubs in the areas worst affected by the pandemic. the measures are part of a new tiered system of restrictions in england, expected to be announced next week, to try to slow down rates of infection. 0ur deputy political editor vicki young considers what's likely to be decided. all eyes are on the numbers and they're going in the wrong direction. coronavirus cases are rising fast in some places. hospital beds are filling up and businesses are going bust. as the data floods in the problems are obvious. now ministers must decide what to do about it. there's real concern about cities like liverpool and manchester. and an argument about

whether bars and restaurants are fuelling the pandemic. mps had a private briefing from government scientists today and were shown data suggesting licensed premises and cafes were the most frequent setting for coronavirus exposure. we're currently considering what steps we should take, obviously taking the advice of our scientific and medical advisors. we'll 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's proposing local covid alert levels for england made up of three tiers. if an area is in tier 0ne, measures will include the rule of six and the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants. tier two is likely to mean no household mixing. tier three would trigger the toughest restrictions. no final decisions have been made, but extra curbs on the hospitality industry are being considered.

ministers want to avoid more national restrictions. that's because some areas have very low numbers of covid cases. torridge, in devon, has recorded just 89 since the pandemic began. they want to keep as much of the economy open as possible. the government's 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. you can't have an effective government, can you, if it's comms strategy is announcement by media leak, so we've said all along we want to have an open and meaningful dialogue with government. my message would be first of all talk to us more. we haven't been talked to at all apart from at a public health level. secondly, let's check the facts, let's try and work with the science.

when are new restrictions coming, prime minister? another big rise in cases today has given more weight to the argument that 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. and the city's hospitality industry is bracing itself for even tougher restrictions next week. 0ur 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're going to have to put up with all this. it's not working, is it? we've been locked down and wearing masks for weeks and weeks, and it's still going up. for northern cities like leeds,

manchester, liverpool and newcastle, so much of their economy is built on hospitality. they've 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's told to shut up shop. there's a very immediate wish, is 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're 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 in terms of closing public venues, that will force social activity underground into people's houses. 12 miles away, infection rates are low in wetherby, but because it's within 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 in as a customer, is going to further damage the overall future of it. and 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. there are conflicting signals tonight about the likelihood of a second presidential debate between president trump and his democratic challenger, joe biden. the plan was to hold a virtual debate, because of mr trump's

treatment for covid, but the president said that would be a waste of time. last night saw the only face—to—face debate between the vice—presidential candidates, mike pence and kamala harris, as our north america editor, jon sopel, reports. 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 two being only a heartbeat away from the oval office has never seemed more relevant. in the 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.

but when you say what the american people have done over these last eight months hasn't worked, that's a great disservice to the sacrifices the american people have made. this debate had none of the histrionics and shouting of last week, in what felt like a 0—0 draw. to be honest, the most exciting bit came when a very black fly landed in mike pence‘s very white hair, and stayed there. president trump and i stand with you. it ended with this trail—ahead. the second presidential debate is next week on october 15th — a town hall—style debate in miami. but this morning the independent commission that runs the presidential debates ruled that next week's encounter should be virtual. the president's reaction — a furious "i' no, i'm not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. that's not what debating's all about. you sit behind a computer and do a debate — it's ridiculous. and 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's going to do — he changes his mind every second. for me to comment on that now would be irresponsible. i think i'm going to follow the commission's recommendations. if he goes off and he's going to have a rally, i'll... i don't know what i'll do. the strategy of the president pre—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. this was a blessing in disguise. but, for all that, he's still confined to quarters, whilejoe biden is out campaigning, something that will add to the president's growing frustration. it's understandable that the president would much prefer to have an in—person debate but, arguably, he is cutting off his nose to spite his face. all the polls suggest donald trump is way behind joe biden needs the debates as a way of resetting the race. a final debate is scheduled for the 22nd of october

in nashville and, frankly, i think there must be a question over whether that will happen as well. 0ne whether that will happen as well. one other significant thing happened today, the senate majority leader, a republican, normally slavishly loyal to donald trump, has come out with withering criticism of the white house's handling, and has said the president more or less has got what he deserves by the laxness over mask wearing and keeping social distancing. maybe we are seeing the first cracks in republican unity. jon sopel with the latest from washington. 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 bomb at the concert venue. his older brother, ismail, is still living in manchester, as our correspondent, judith moritz, reports. 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? who's this? it's bbc news. no. can i ask you a few questions about the arena attack, please? no, you can't, sorry. 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's not prepared to talk. did you speak to them 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, then 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. there has been more fighting between azerbaijan and ethnic armenians over the disputed region of nagorno—karabakh, ahead of talks involving the us, france and russia, in the search for a ceasefire. the territory is internationally

recognised as part of azerbaijan but is populated and governed by ethnic armenians. more than 300 people have died and thousands have been displaced in the latest fighting, the worst since the 1990s. 0ur international correspondent, 0rla guerin, reports from the azeri city of goranboy. the newest victim of a conflict decades old — an azeri woman killed in indiscriminate shelling by armenian forces. but both sides are guilty of that. a mourner cries out, "god, kill the armenians!" the community here steeped in its own pain, just like its enemies across the front line. tourian guliyeva, on the left,

was 63 and a widow. her neighbours deep in shock, just hours after the attack. translation: she was a single woman and she wouldn't leave her house. we were asking her, "come to us, stay with us or go to your relatives." she said, "they won't be able to hit us." but they did, at 6:30am. her sister—in—law is anguished but committed to the fight for nagorno—karabakh. "karabakh is ours", she tells me. "it was ours and it will be ours." "0ur sons and brothers are fighting now, and i know they will be "fighting to the end." it has already been a long

battle for many here. they were driven from nagorno—karabakh during the war in the early ‘90s. they say it's occupied territory and part of their motherland. there is a real sense here of shock, of grief and of anger. this was a woman killed in her own home, in her own bed. every fresh attack, every new death adds to the bitterness here, which already stretches back for decades. as tourian was buried, russia, france and the us were pushing for a ceasefire. for now, there is no sign of that, no respite for those who mourn, here or inside nagorno—karabakh. 0rla guerin, bbc news, goranboy, azerbaijan. the government's being urged to do more in the years

ahead outside the eu to ensure that farming and animal standards are guaranteed in law. there's concern that new legislation going through parliament at westminster could result in a lowering of food standards in any future trade deals. 0ur political correspondent, alex forsyth, has the story. the farming landscape is changing and, for some, that brings concern. at this farm in south wales, they are keen to make sure animal welfare and food standards they have to follow are applied to other countries the uk might trade with. 0ur margins are pretty tight at the moment so, if the price is undercut and our prices reduce, a lot of those farms will become unviable. a campaign has been under way since brexit, and it has some high—profile support. 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. then you have farming, we have got a farming community that holds some of the best standards in the world. if they have to fight against an influx of lower standard

products, they're not geared up for that. the government has repeatedly said standards won't be compromised, but campaigners want that to be legally binding. no one person should ever be able to promise the british public that it's all going to be all right. that's why we have legal frameworks. blooming hell, all we're asking for is 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, make sure the standards are up to scratch. why is that not enough? because they don't have any legal power, as far as i can work out, so for me it just feels like a gesture just to shut everyone up. despite the government's reassurance, there's pressure building here too. next week, the agriculture bill is before the house of commons — that's part of the 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.

but ministers aren't budging, saying they won't sign a deal that undercuts the british market, and pointing out parliament will have a say. we're absolutely clear that we're going to stand up for high standards in any deal we strike, including with the united states, and making sure that 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 then respond to their requests by saying we're 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 in a tough economic climate, they're fearful about the future. alex forsyth, bbc news. football, and all the home nations have been in action tonight. northern ireland and scotland were looking to qualify for next

year's european championships, while england faced wales in a friendly at wembley stadium. andy swiss has more. no fans but, for scotland, no shortage of pressure. beat israel and they'd be just one match from the euros. but, as scott mctominay proved, when you haven't qualified for a major tournament in 22 years, nothing is straightforward. his glaring miss leaving scotland frustrated at the break. and, after it, israel started to threaten — eyal golasa going close. chances, though, were a rarity and, goalless after 90 minutes, it went to extra time. northern ireland, meanwhile, were up against bosnia—herzegovina and about 2,000 of their fans. the home supporters allowed in by the government in sarajevo, and they soon had plenty to cheer. rade krunic giving the hosts an early lead. although northern ireland nearly hit back immediately — only a stunning save denying josh magennis. but, after the break, their

attacking endeavour got its reward. niall mcginn with the equaliser. mcginn picks out the bottom corner! game on. bosnia—herzegovina came within a whisker of a winner but, still 1—1 after 90 minutes, again, extra time beckoned on a nail—biting night. yes, real drama for both scotland and northern ireland, and i can tell you that both games have ended up going to a penalty shoot out and, in the last few seconds, scotland have beaten israel on penalties, so they are through to the euro 2020 final play—off, and so are northern ireland. they have beaten bosnia—herzegovina on penalties, so both scotland and northern ireland are through on penalties. what drama! there has also been a match at wembley tonight, with england taking on wales in international

friendly, and natalie pirks was there. the 103rd meeting of great rivals played out to great silence. with anglo—welsh bragging rights on the line, gareth southgate rang the changes. he'd won more caps than the entire england starting xi. butjust as wales were pulling all the strings, jack grealish‘s cross justified his first start. commentator: there's calvert-lewin! a debut to rememberfor the hottest striker in europe right now. wales were on an eight—match unbeaten streak, but experimental england were just warming up. the rarest of goals brought the broadest smile. no such joy for ryan giggs, though. his disappointment compounded by his young defender‘s failing to track danny ings. that's another brilliant goalfor england! 3—0, then, made a friendly to forget for wales, a night to rememberfor others. natalie pirks, bbc news, wembley. as we've been reporting, the world of the arts and entertainment has suffered huge problems because of the pandemic,