this is bbc news. the headlines at 8pm: the mayor of greater manchester accuses boris johnson of exaggerating the spread of coronavirus in the area to try to persuade local leaders to accept tougher restrictions, as he calls for increased financial support. the figures have been falling in manchester itself in the last few days. across greater manchester, up slightly, but certainly not doubling every nine days. andy has a straightforward choice. is he going to put public health and the economy of the people of greater manchester first? if he is, then we can secure agreement today. the government says there have been nearly 17,000 more cases of coronavirus in the uk reported in the last 2a hours, and a further 67 people have died. debate over possible further

lockdown restrictions in wales that could last for up to three weeks. an announcement could be made in the next 2a hours. vigils and rallies are held across france after a teacher was beheaded in an islamist attack close to his school in a paris suburb on friday. calls from the new archbishop of york for the church of england to "change", as he tells the bbc of his "deep sorrow" at the church's failings around child abuse. and in half an hour here on bbc news, the travel show drops in on rome as it prepares to mark 150 years since becoming italy's capital city.

good evening. welcome to bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the labour mayor of greater manchester, andy burnham, has continued to clash with the government over lockdown restrictions for the region. mr burnham wants greater financial support if the strictest measures are imposed — and he accused borisjohnson of exaggerating the severity of coronavirus in the area. his words were echoed by the senior conservative mp sir graham brady, whose constituency is in the region. the cabinet office minister, michael gove, accused mr burnham of inconsistency in his approach. here's our deputy political editor vicki young. waiting for work and waiting to find out what's coming next for greater manchester. taxi driverjohn says, for months, the tighter rules here compared to many other parts of the country have meant fewer passengers. he's worried about the possibility of even more restrictions. we need help up in the north. if you want to bring these things in, you know, we need financial backing cos

otherwise it is going to be even worse again. this has been going on for a long time now and nothing seems to be resolved. i know covid's notjust going to disappear overnight, but people who work, whether it be in pay—as—you—go unemployment, self—employed, businesses, they all need help, otherwise... they still have bills to pay. for days, politicians here and in london have been trying to reach an agreement. the region's labour mayor, andy burnham, has accused the government of exaggerating manchester's rise in covid cases and says more restrictions must mean more financial support. what we need is a fair financial framework if the government are going to insist on tier 3. at the moment, they're doing side deals with individual councils. that isn't good enough for me. let's remember, the places they're trying to close in tier 3, pubs, bookies, gyms, these are places where people are on low wages. and what we're saying is you cannot take away their place of work and not give them

support. mr burnham says he hasn't seen any scientific evidence that extra measures would work, but ministers insist action is needed soon. the fundamental incoherence of the position of andy burnham is that, on the one hand, as i say, he says, "actually, the virus is not spreading at a rate that merits these restrictions", and then he's saying, "actually, i will have them if i have the money". if he were being truly concerned about public health, then he would say, "let's have these restrictions now". and the other thing is, the earlier we have the restrictions, in those areas where there is high incidence, the better for the economy of those areas because we stop the infection spreading in a way which will do further damage to the economy as well as to public health. it's not just labour politicians who are sceptical. some conservative mps in the area have also been speaking out. manchester is pretty united. certainly, the members of parliament of both parties, the council leaders of both parties and the mayor of greater manchester have been resisting a move to tier 3

on the basis that we simply have not been given the evidence that it would be effective. rising cases are forcing politicians everywhere into action. welsh government ministers have met this afternoon to discuss options for a further tightening of restrictions across wales. the first minister has said that a short, sharp lockdown could slow the spread of the virus. vicki young, bbc news. let's take a look at the latest government figures. they show there were 16,982 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 16,959. a67 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week, 117 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total

number of deaths so far across the uk to 15,616. well, those were the national figures, and our health correspondent dominic hughes has been looking at the figures for coronavirus cases in greater manchester. on friday, the prime minister described the situation in manchester as grave and worsening. he said cases here were doubling every nine days but, this morning, andy burnham told the bbc — andy burnham, the mayor of greater manchester — that was an exaggeration, so exactly what is going on here in manchester? if we look at some figures, first, since the beginning of september, we can see the infection rate in the city of manchester on this chart, the blue line, rose sharply for the first few weeks to exactly around the same time that thousands of students returned to the city at the start of university year but, in the days leading up to the 10th of october, it's declined. over the same period, the wider region of greater manchester, which is the line in red, including nine other boroughs, again saw a steady rise,

a few peaks and troughs, but then it showed signs of levelling off in recent weeks. and if we look now at infection rates in manchester for the week ending the 12th of october, manchester was running at a58 infections per 100,000 people. in comparison, nottingham was at 880, while derry and strabane in northern ireland was at more than 1,000. but in many ways, it's not the number of infections that matters, it's how many people fall seriously ill with the coronavirus and end up being hospitalised. so, if you have a big group of students who are otherwise fit and well, if they all get ill, it will not have a massive impact on the health service, but if the infection spreads to those who are elderly or have underlying health conditions, that situation can change very quickly. dominic hughes reporting. earlier, our deputy political editor vicki young gave us the latest on the political negotiations between the government and greater manchester.

there have been more talks today, and they have been described as constructive on both sides, but that's pretty much all we're getting, really. i think it's worth remembering why we're here. it's because the government doesn't want a national approach with another national lockdown. they don't think that lots of areas of england really require that, so that's why they're trying to do these much more tailored, regional approaches. now, the problem with that, of course, is you have to then negotiate with many more people, so it makes the decision a little bit harder. and as we've been hearing, downing street say that they do want to work with local leaders there in the same way as they have with lancashire, with liverpool city region, where they have managed to do a deal, but, of course, it does involve money. that's what it comes down to. so i do suspect, at the end of this, it will mean the treasury coming up with more cash for greater manchester. interesting, though, that andy burnham — greater manchester's mayor — talked about parliament actually deciding if a region is put into the so—called tier 3, which, of course, is that top level of restrictions,

they should know what to expect in terms of financial support for businesses that are going to close. now, i don't think that is going to happen, but i do think it does pile pressure on everyone to try and get some kind of resolution to this because, ultimately, as the prime minister said on friday, the national government can intervene and impose these restrictions on an area if they decide, actually, the need for it is so great. vicki young reporting. the welsh health minister, vaughan gething, has said that he and his colleagues are "not blind" to the impact another lockdown across wales would have on the economy, but he said covid—19 would continue to grow if they did nothing. the welsh government is considering a possible lockdown that could be announced tomorrow. leaked documents suggest the measures — a so—called "fire break" — will be similar to those imposed in march. 0ur wales political correspondent james williams is in cardiff. james, why has an agreement been reached on the so—called firebrick? after days of negotiations and a

two and of ourcabinet after days of negotiations and a two and of our cabinet meeting this afternoon, the welsh government ministers decided they wanted more data and more information about this potential short firebrick, circuit breaker lockdown for a period of maybe two or three weeks, so they have asked officials to go back overnight, present them with fresh data, first thing in the morning and the cabinet will meet once again in the cabinet will meet once again in the idea is that, come lunchtime, at the idea is that, come lunchtime, at the welsh government's press conference, mark dra keford the welsh government's press conference, mark drakeford will announce the decision for the coming weeks and months. as i understand it, a series of papers, with a range of options, were presented to ministers and officials ahead of the cabinet meeting this afternoon, but essentially this short circuit breakerfirebrick, whatever essentially this short circuit breaker firebrick, whatever you want to call it, short period of lockdown, is really the only game in town, but they are arguing over the exact details of that, how long it will last, how severe the

restrictions will be, will children go back to school after the half term break? how much support will there be for businesses but also for employees as the health minister, vaughan gething, said today, the impacts, the economic impact, weighs heavily on the ministers, but he and the cabinet insisted doing nothing is not an option because, once again today, we see an increase in the daily coronavirus cases. let me give you the latest figures. we have had 950 after cases today, three more people died with coronavirus, that's 711 covid-19 people died with coronavirus, that's 711 covid—19 debts and wells —— 1711 covid—19 debts in wales. at the start of september, the case rate was... where do the opposition

parties stand on what needs to happen next? the welsh conservatives say they want to see any details before they make their minds up. they've called for an emergency session of the welsh parliament tomorrow morning to be reconvened. it is unlikely that will happen. plaid cymru say their support is conditional. they wa nt to their support is conditional. they want to see the welsh government has a plan for the circuit breaker period. what are they going to do to deal with some of the issues around testing and tracing? and if plaid cymru feels they do not address thoseissues cymru feels they do not address those issues for that circuit breaker period, they will withhold their support post of as i said, we should beginning announcements around about lunchtime tomorrow. james, thank you very much. james williams in cardiff. and we'll find out how this story —

and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at10:30pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are the chief sports reporterfor the sun, martin lipton, and the economics commentator grace blakeley. rallies have been taking place in a number of french cities, to express outrage over the beheading of a teacher in a suspected islamist attack. samuel paty was killed near paris on friday, after showing pupils cartoons of the prophet muhammad during a lesson on freedom of speech. 0ur paris correspondent lucy williamson reports. applause once again, around the figure of marianne, a sea of defiance. this statue, this square, a homing point for a nation whose values have come under attack. since his death on friday, samuel paty, like others before him, has become a symbol of france itself. translation: it's important to be here today to show our collective strength because that's what can help us follow our principles during tough times. the prime minister, jean castex, arrived in place de la

republique in a mask printed with the french flag. his message on twitter today read, "you won't scare us, we're france." the newest slogan on posters here, "i am samuel" or, simply, "i am a teacher", an echo of the rallying cry sparked by the attacks on charlie hebdo five years ago. this sombre rally is a show of unity in the wake of samuel paty‘s death, but it's also proof of the power of social media to deliver a message and bring people together. the same power that enabled a one—man campaign against a local teacher to spiral out of control. samuel paty was killed by a man who knew him only through social media, the result of an online campaign launched by an outraged parent and spread quickly outside the area. across france, tens of thousands of people have joined the rallies in his name. a man who stood for the values of the nation, remembered today by a

nation standing with him. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. you're watching bbc news. the headlines... the mayor of greater manchester accuses boris johnson of exaggerating the spread of coronavirus in the area to try to persuade local leaders to accept tougher restriction as he calls for increased financial support. the government says there have been nearly 17,000 more cases of coronavirus in the uk reported in the last 2a hours, and a further 67 people have died. vigils and rallies are held across france after a teacher was beheaded in an islamist attack close to his school in a paris suburb on friday. a record number of shops have closed on britain's high streets during the first six months of this year as the coronarivus lockdown hit many stores. according to research, more than 11,000 chain store outlets have closed their doors, as katy austin reports.

the way we shop was already changing before the pandemic. 0nline sales rising, many physical stores struggling. those trends have accelerated. researchers who track retail and leisure sites, and services like bank branches, found that over 11,000 chain outlets closed in great britain since january, only about 5,000 opened. that adds up to a net decline of 6,000, about twice as many as the similar period last year. the total could end up higher. 0utlets that had not yet reopened after lockdown weren't counted, nor were independents. according to the research, where there have been openings, they tended to be in categories like grocery and value retail, local tradespeople setting up shop and also takeaways. 0ne retail expert told me the way we use town centres has changed for good. i think what's happening to our streets, and it's been happening for a while, is we do not need as much space dedicated to retail as people

are shopping more online. so our high streets really need to be more about work, rest and play and just not about shopping, but about eating, about working and about services. recently, local high streets have benefited from people working from home more. however, the big picture is that retailers and hospitality chains are expected to cut more stores and thousands ofjobs to survive. katy austin, bbc news. more than 60,000 coronavirus tests have had to be re—routed after issues with a uk government lighthouse facility in glasgow. the scottish government says there's a testing capacity issue and is urgently trying to establish with the uk government what's caused the delay but say it's mainly due to demand from outside scotland. the department of health has been contacted for comment. gillian sharpe reports. today's coronavirus figures at 316 positive cases do not, says the scottish government, reflect the real situation.

it says it was notified late last week about a testing capacity issue with the uk government lighthouse facility in glasgow, and that means around 64,000 tests from across the uk, including scotland, will have been re—routed this weekend to other testing sites in the uk. they add that the majority of those tests will still be within the 24—48 hour timeframe for results, but they do expect to see an increase in positives on monday and tuesday when the results are reported. the uk government has set up a network of laboratories to do a brand—new test for a brand—new virus at an unprecedented scale, so i don't blame the uk government or my colleagues in these labs who are working 2a hours a day but, occasionally, that balance of demand and supplyjust lets us down a little, and we've got to spend a bit of time catching up. that doesn't mean it's going to be three weeks or two weeks, but itjust means some

of the glasgow tests might have to go to belfast or milton keynes to allow us to redistribute and catch up. as part of efforts to combat the spread of the virus, we've already become used to face coverings in many public settings like transport and shops. on friday, workplace canteens joined that list. from tomorrow, that'll be expanded to include other communal workplace areas like corridors. the idea is to stop any potential transmission. temporary restrictions are due to expire in just over a week but, already, the first minister has warned that it won't be back to normal anytime soon. gillian sharpe, reporting scotland. a convicted killer who helped stop a terror attack near london bridge last november is to be considered for parole ten months early. steven gallant was on day release when he intervened to end usman khan's attack, which left two people dead. daniela relph reports. running from fishmongers' hall, where he had just killed two people, this was usman khan on london bridge. in the group pursuing him was steven gallant, himself

a convicted murderer out on licence for the day. he was one of the group to wrestle the attacker to the ground before khan was shot dead by armed police. steven gallant had been working with jack merritt, one of the victims, on a prisoner rehabilitation programme. his courage that day and his behaviour injail mean he'll now be considered for parole ten months early. the ministry ofjustice said the decision had been made in recognition of his exceptionally brave actions at fishmongers' hall, which helped save people's lives despite the tremendous risk to his own. steven galla nt‘s case is likely to come before the parole board next year. daniela relph, bbc news. with little more than two weeks to go to the us presidential election, donald trump has been campaigning in the battle ground states that will decide this contest. one of the most important is pennsylvania, which unexpectedly became trump country four years ago. the state lies in the old industrial heartland, which is home to many of the president's

rural and rust belt supporters. nick bryant reports now from the state that could decide the election. an ugly american election is being fought amidst this beautiful american landscape. what often feels like a shared continent occupied by warring tribes. this is the trump house in rural pennsylvania — a site of pilgrimage for a political base that often exhibits a near cult—like devotion, a shrine decorated with the iconography of the modern—day american right. its owner, leslie rossi, points to how the republicans have registered more than twice as many new voters in pennsylvania as the democrats, a portent of victory. they love what president trump has done, that he kept his word, that he kept his promises, that he did all the things he said, or tried to. he is, you know, the people's president and they get that. this is the post—industrial landscape that provided the seedbed

for the trump presidency. the rusting steel works became echo chambers for the slogan "make america great again". but this year, he hasn't come up with a ringing phrase that's reverberated through these valleys. the 2020 election is not a rerun of the 2016 election. donald trump is not an insurgent, he's the incumbent. he has a record to defend. and then there's that question that often decides presidential contests — is the country better off now than it was four years ago? some plants have seen new investment, but the steel industry now employs almost 2,000 fewer workers than it did four years ago, largely as a result of the trump trade war. this isn't coming back. places like this will never come back. this style of manufacturing that existed throughout the 20th century

is gone. has donald trump revived these communities? no, not in the way these communities wanted to be revived. manufacturing hasn't come back. steel hasn't come back — and it won't. the political rationale forjoe biden's candidacy was that he was the democrat best placed to win back white voters in the rust belt, former trump supporters like chuck. in 2020, i think it's a perfect storm forjoe biden because i think people were tired. they want to see normalcy back in this country. they want to see decency. they want to see this hatred stop. they want to see this country united, and i think all of that together is going to bring joe biden the presidency. many voters here still cling to the nostalgic nationalism that donald trump offers and view him as a president of american resurgence.

but are there enough of them in these broken communities to win him four more years? nick bryant, bbc news, pennsylvania. the 98th archbishop of york has called for the church of england to "change" during his enthronement this afternoon. he told the bbc of his "deep sorrow" at the church's failings around child abuse and talked about the role of faith in the pandemic. the most reverend stephen cottrell takes overfrom drjohn sentamu and became the church of england's second—most senior clergyman during a service of evensong at york minster, from where luxmy gopal reports. i, stephen, by divine providence, lord archbishop of york... an occasion steeped in centuries of tradition, but delivered in a very modern way. the enthronement of the most reverend stephen cottrell was streamed live online — a sign of the times in which the 98th archbishop of york has assumed his

post. it's a great honour and also quite daunting and, at such a time when the whole world is in such darkness and difficulty, i feel the world more than ever needs the message of hope, which is myjob to share and deliver. may god be thy father and the angels of god protect thee. the covid—secure service had limited numbers and social distancing — a world away from his predecessor's ceremony. today's service comes two weeks after an independent inquiry found that the church of england had failed to protect children from sexual abuse. archbishop cottrell says it saddens him. we've made some terrible mistakes and terrible failings and people have been hurt and abused. we need to fall on our knees in penitence, but then

we need to rise up determined to change things, and i am determined to be someone who leads on the changes that are needed. lord, who knowest all hearts. in a pandemic that's kept people apart, he says christian faith can be shown by being covid safe. the most important thing to do through this is that we love each other, and there's some tangible ways we can do that. so, wearing a mask is a sign of love, keeping a distance is a sign of love. a message that will remain important in the months ahead. luxmy gopal, bbc look north. liverpool has been transformed into gotham city, as filming gets under way for the latest batman movie. the city centre has been taken over by a huge hollywood production team, in spite of the coronavirus restrictions. 0ur reporter ian haslam joined some of the hundreds of fans who turned up to watch. i'm vengeance.

batman's back and once again protecting gotham city from its criminal underworld. gotham city in liverpool, for this week at least. this is st george's hall, the movie set. anybody in particular you're looking out to see? batman. i'm just going to the shops for now and then i'm going to come back and have a little watch. let's hope he does not pop out while you are gone. i know, i'll have to be dead quick. the caped crusader has been caught on camera a few times. here he is on top of the liver building. but he's not easy to find. i have not seen batman, have you? i have, yeah! i've seen every one. i thought everyone had seen batman! not the film, the actual batman, here in liverpool? no, not yet. i thought i'd seen him earlier, but it was a security guard. tough break. he has been spotted in places including anfield cemetery. but for fans, spotting a stunt man is one thing, seeing new batman actor robert pattinson is a bigger deal altogether. yeah, iseen robert pattinson yesterday. he was filming the walk down scenes there. what was that like, to see a hollywood actor?

i don't know, i didn't really think much of it. but whether the old tv series is your favourite, or likewise one of the many movie versions, the much—rebooted batman franchise is as popular as ever. i've never seen a hollywood film set in person before. there's literally a cast of hundreds. i've not seen batman yet. there's not really that much going on. but if they are looking for a leading man over there, even though i have come dressed in active wear, probably not the best impression to give, iam available... ..if you're watching. come and get me. it's not liverpool's first time as a hollywood set and, who knows? with the new sound stage being built at what was littlewoods, there could be more to come. though not everyone is happy with it. it is an inconvenience because everywhere is blocked off now. i can't go my normal route. maybe if it was a different superhero, maybe i wouldn't be upset. but it's batman, i'm not really the best fan. he won't be helping you if you need him. he doesn't really even

help anyone in general. he'sjust driving around in his... anyway, i'm a batman hater! the movie is due for release in march 2022. ian haslam, bbc news, liverpool. a county durham man has followed in the footsteps of king harold in 1066, walking in a suit of armour the 300 miles from stamford bridge near york to the famous battle site of that year, near hastings. lewis kirkbride made the 19—day walk in more than four stone of armour, raising money along the way for a mental health charity. ian reeve reports. it was quite a feat. lewis from county durham walked 310 miles from near york to near hastings — the same route taken by king harold and his men, heading for the famous battle in 1066 and over the same time period, 19 days in september and october. now back home, the mental health charity he walked for is more than £20,000 better off. i had a few struggles of my own a few years back, and my hobbies in medieval combat and things got me through because my

issues were quite close to home. but i wanted to prove a few things, and i thought that harold's march of 1066 was quite a good physical challenge and, along the way, lots of people came out to help, and i wanted to prove how kind people can be. aside from the distance, what made the walk more gruelling was wearing 11.5 stone of chainmail helmet and authentic thick garments. it was wet and windy and horrible. and some days, i was walking on busy a—roads, so it was a bit scary in places, but i spent months preparing and training, getting used to all the gear and learning how to do my boots properly and stuff like this. his neighbours gave lewis an enthusiastic welcome home on wednesday night in awe of his achievement. did you think he would do it? yeah. there were a few times where i thought he was biting off more than he could chew, but i think he could. it was always there. he had the determination and commitment. king harold, of course, met his death in the battle of hastings.