tonight at ten — south yorkshire agrees to move into the tighest coronavirus restrictions on saturday. local leaders have accepted more than £40 million from the government to help businesses — the region's mayor says it was the right decision. we don't know how long we will be in tier 3 for, we don't know how long this crisis is going to go on for. so i see this as damage limitation in the short term, an interim payment. barnsley has the highest number of cases in south yorkshire — but opinion‘s divided on being put into tier three. i'm 83, i don't give a salt. i've not got all that many games left and iare not got all that many games left and i are not going to be softened in a house when the government have it all wrong —— i have not got all that many years in the and i not going to

be. more than seven million people in england will be living under the tighest alert level by the weekend. also tonight. the victims of long covid — scientists say if you're a woman, over 50 or overweight you're more likely to feel the effects of coronavirus for much longer. protestors underfire in nigeria — the human rights group amnesty international says it has confirmed that security forces were responsible for killing at least 12 protesters in lagos. and a showdown in nashville — with less than two weeks to go until the us presidential election we report from tennesse, as they gear up for tomorrow night's presidential debate. and coming up in sport, relief for wasps as they will be in the premiership final at twickenham this weekend, despite previously returning ii positive coronavirus tests.

good evening. south yorkshire is being moved into england's highest coronavirus alert level on saturday. it means pubs and bars which do not serve substantial meals will have to close, and households can only mix in parks or in the countryside. betting shops and casinos, soft play centres and exercise classes will also have to close. but gyms will remain open. by saturday more than seven million people in south yorkshire, greater manchester, the liverpool city region and lancashire will be living under the tighest tier 3 restrictions. the mayor of the sheffield city region, dan jarvis, said he has secured £41 million in funding from the government to support people's livelihoods from barnsley and doncaster to rotherham and sheffield. our north of england correspondent, fiona trott reports from sheffield. another northern region preparing for the toughest covid rules, and another mayor asking for money. clearly i will want

to continue to press the government for more support. we don't know how long we will be in tier 3 for, we don't know how long this crisis will go on for, so i see this as damage limitation in the short term, an interim payment. once again, life is changing. some will adapt, some say they will struggle. i think it is more that you can't see your friends and you can't do... i think itjust has a strain on everyone. if you don't laugh, you cry, don't you? i have got a disability and i've got a brain tumour, and i need to get out and about, to meet friends. if not, i will pull my hair out. on the other side of the city, a chance for coffee before the measures come in. this doctor saw them coming. he says people aren't as vigilant and want to keep working. there is a degree of fatigue, without doubt, setting in. we have been in this pandemic for six to eight months and people are probably getting a little frustrated and fed up.

i had a patient and it sounded like potentially she could have covid, and she wanted me to say to her, "i don't think it is," but i couldn't. i said, "i think this may be, you don't have the classical symptoms, but you ought to self—isolate and get tested." a few miles away, a local brewery bracing itself for change. some of the pubs they supply will be shut down, but they have to keep going. they say today's funding agreement doesn't help them. when a pub closes in sheffield, that is one lost customer for us. what that also means is we have to slow down our brewing, which means we are buying less raw materials, which is malted barley and hops, which will ultimately affect the farmer, really, down the supply chain. we are very fortunate that we can change our route to market, through our online shop and sell the beer that we've got. in barnsley, covid numbers are higher and emotions running high.

i'm 83, i don't give a sod. i look at it this way, i've not got all that many years left, and i'm not going to be fastened in a house when the government have got it all wrong. we need... how can we get the country on its feet, money—wise? where is all the money? by the end of this year, there's going to be millions of people unemployed, and you know who's going to pay for it? all the young ones. not me, because i'm going to be dead. moving into the next level of restrictions will be tough, but in the north of england, it is becoming familiar territory. well, people here were expecting this, but they were surprised at how quickly the announcement was made. look at greater manchester, discussions that took days and it has led local politicians here to question the negotiation process over the highest alert level. the leader of the council says there was

a one size fits all approach, the mp for sheffield saudis describe the imagined inadequate. latest figures suggest there are 395 positive cases in sheffield per 100,000 people, ba rnsley in sheffield per 100,000 people, barnsley has the highest number in south yorkshire, a15. the new measures come into full sun saturday, they will be reviewed on 28 days and those numbers need to come down. studio: thank you, fiona. after days of wrangling with local leaders, the prime minister says a £60 million support package for greater manchester will be distributed to local councils in the region — effectively bypassing the mayor, andy burnham. talks between the government and local leaders ended in no agreement. at prime minister's questions the labour leader, sir keir starmer, accused the government of pitting regions against each other and of bargaining with people's lives. here's our deputy political editor, vicki young. for months, life hasn't been normal anywhere in the uk, but slowly more and more of us are being told to live once again under very tight restrictions, telling us who we can see, where we can travel,

what stays open and what must close. borisjohnson insisted today that the sacrifices are paying off, that the coronavirus isn't spreading as fast as it did in the spring. why is it so chaotic? but he's been accused of reducing the amount of help going to workers whose businesses are ordered to shut. there is no other country in europe, mr speaker, where so much support, so much help is beginning to the population get through this crisis, and we will continue do that. but that's not how the mayor of greater manchester sees it. negotiations over financial support for his area descended into mudslinging. after days of uncertainty, the prime minister announced that £60 million would now be given directly to councils. people working in betting shops... but the labour leader says workers will be short—changed because the newjob support scheme pays less than the furlough scheme it is replacing. their rent and their mortgage won't be lower, their food and their heating bills won't be lower and that could last for months.

why can't the prime minister and the chancellor understand this, stop bargaining with people's lives, stop dividing communities and provide the support that's needed in manchester? mr speaker, i am very proud that this government has already given greater manchester £1.1 billion in support for business. and there's another row brewing about money with another labour mayor. sadiq khan says london's transport network tfl needs a second bailout from the government. ministers say that will only happen if the mayor puts up fares and taxes. rather than punishing londoners, playing party political games, let's get around a table and do a deal that's right for tfl, that's right for london and that's right for our country. as this pandemic drags on, the bills rack up and the arguments about how much the government should fork out will continue for months. ministers insist that most of the negotiations have been straightforward. but the recent acrimony between some

local leaders and central government suggests that politics is starting to get in the way. back in the commons, tempers have been spilling over also, too. excuse me, did the honourable lady just call me scum? order! order! from the frontbench we will not have remarks like that. not under any circumstances. the row over funding for greater manchester isn't quite over, but with new restrictions imminent, politicians from all parties are urging people to follow the rules. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. one of the big issues for millions of people living under tier 2 restrictions — the high alert level — is that there's far less support for businesses than those in tier 3. the hospitality industry calls it the "worst of all worlds." our economics editor faisal islam is with me now. and the chancellor is expected to address this tomorrow? we are certainly expecting an

announcement from the chancellor of the exchequer tomorrow in the house of commons, we know that this issue is being discussed in private talks that are going on into the night. it essentially boils down to this, you have three tiers of restrictions across england, in this case, but only two tiers of support and the gap between the two is quite large, 2296 gap between the two is quite large, 22% taxpayer support for wages versus 22% taxpayer support for wages versus 66%, so there is the area in the middle, as we have heard, essentially tier 2, you do not have to close down your restaurant or pub that your business model will not work, quite frankly, with these restrictions. there is some recognition in government and there will be some moves along those lines, if what i am hearing is correct, something that a number of local leaders, specialism conservative leaders, for example

the mayor of the west midlands, andy street, had said there are concerns about. it won the chancellor announced it economic planet was set against a backdrop of infections declining and the economic recovery beginning to take hold. as we have seen, that is no longer the situation, so i think we will see some addressing of these issues tomorrow. the latest government figures show there were 26,688 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 2a—hour period. the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 19,229. 923 people have been admitted to hospital on average each day, over the week to last friday. 191 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, 1a3 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to aa,158. scotland's first minister,

nicola sturgeon, says pubs and restaurants will remain closed across the central belt and current restrictions will remain in place until november 2nd. a new five tier coronavirus alert system will then be introduced. our scotland correspondent, lorna gordon is in glasgow. tell us more about this new system? nicola sturgeon said the middle three tiers of the new covid alert system were broadly aligned with the system were broadly aligned with the system in england, but there will be a lower level of controls, as close to normal life as possible, and a higher level, which will be closer to the full lockdown we saw back in march. we will get more details of how it will all work on friday, that will be followed by a scottish parliamentary debate next week, but for now the restrictions currently in place which were designed to be short and sharp and were due to end on the table remain in place. the first minister said they are being

extended to allow a smooth transition to the new system, but business leaders say they are devastated that the restrictions will continue. nicola sturgeon has acknowledge they are harsh but says there are necessary. she said while there are necessary. she said while there are necessary. she said while there are early encouraging signs that the spread of the virus may be slowed, it is too early to lift the restraints. and for all the information on the restrictions in your area and what they mean, you can visit the bbc news website and navigate to our postcode checker for the details. scientists think they've identified a way of knowing who's more likely to get what's known as long covid — when people are still suffering the effects of coronavirus weeks, even months, after they got it. a study by king's college london and the data science company zoe, found that being female, over the age of 50 or overweight increases your risk, as well as developing five or more symptoms in the first week of the infection. here's our health editor, hugh pym.

i would sit and talk to somebody for an hour, and then i'd think, "they've really got to go, because i've got to go and lie down." i didn't have the energy to have a conversation for very long. it would knock me out. that was how ondine sherwood felt several months after going down with coronavirus, classic symptoms of long covid. she was in touch with others with similar experiences, and that led to a campaign for greater recognition. we really do need research into why people are getting this condition, what can be done to stop them suffering long—term. what are the best therapies? what tests need to be carried out? today the health secretary for england explained what action was being taken. we are putting more money into research, so we can understand why some people get long covid and what we can do to help them, more money into services so that, right around the country, we can have support for people. he visited a specialist long covid clinic. nice to meet you.

he heard from one patient who, before now, had struggled to get help. this is one of the most advanced, but we've got to have them across the country. there's just not enough facilities. it's taken me eight and a half months to be seen by a person, this is my first time. there is no facilities in my area. yeah. i think we are seeing a kind of select group... doctors here acknowledge it's early days, but they believe progress is now being made. i think it has caught us a bit by surprise, the number of patients affected by this, and we have not, up to now, had the right pathways for patients to be referred for assessment. i do feel that things are really improving at pace now. there is much broader consensus about the need that patients have for this kind of care, and there are more and more services opening up. in march, the actress emma samms started experiencing fatigue, a loss of smell and shortness of breath. she still has symptoms.

she has this message for health leaders and ministers. this many people who have had covid, maybe weren't hospitalised but are now really having such symptoms that they can't go back to work, this needs to be addressed very urgently. i thought i'd get it and i'd just bounce back, and... ..i haven't. the nhs in england has launched this video today to drive home a warning about how long covid can blight lives. hugh pym, bbc news. the former head of the civil service lord sedwill has acknowledged that there was a genuine question about whether the uk could have been better prepared for the pandemic. speaking publicly for the first time since leaving the post last month, lord sedwill also said he was troubled by attacks on the civil service. he was speaking to the bbc‘s political editor laura kuenssberg. ourcar not many people get to have their whitehall leaving do

on the queen elizabeth aircraft carrier. welcome aboard! not many people are like lord sedwill and sat right by the prime minister's side. he has seen governments through many crises, but did they get it right at the start of this one? were the right decisions taken at the right time? the second big question, though, i think, which in a sense has been less exposed, is what were the capabilities that the state had to deploy against this? clearly, although we had exercised and prepared for pandemic threats, we didn't have in place the exact measures and we hadn't rehearsed the exact measures for a pandemic for a disease of the kind that covid—19 presented. many ministers would say now, the civil service was meant to be a rolls—royce, the british machine, and, actually, it was sort of, in some parts, it was more like a rusty old banger. well, i don't think that's about the civil service or government or ministers or whatever. i think there were genuine challengers worldwide about some of these things. it also then emerged that the prime minister's chief

adviser had gone to county durham. many people in the country were absolutely outraged by that. do you think that dominic cummings should have quit over that? it was a mistake, but it clearly undermined the government's coherent narrative about people following the rules. he was the top national security adviser too. in charge this week of a government—backed defence conference on board in portsmouth. one of the key elements of this carrier is the ramp... with careful words but a clear message on politics on the other side of the pond. president trump is a very unusual occupant of that office. i think the western alliance needs american leadership. and has that been missing in the last few years? it's been... it's been sort of more up and down in the last few years. do you think the west was naive in the last decade, when it looked to russia and china as actually coming closer? i think when we've allowed the rhetoric to suggest that

countries with very different political systems, essentially authoritarian political systems, are edging towards our values, then we've probably been mistaken. that doesn't mean we can't cooperate, but we mustn't be naive about the underlying nature of their political systems. this is where the captain will essentially command the ship... his departure from government comes alongside the dramatic exits of other senior officials. adamant he wasn't forced out, but exposed to brutal mutterings about the ability of the civil service. of course it was unpleasant for me. it's damaging to trust between officials and ministers and what that means is, within government, it undermines the candour with which people can operate. of course i'm troubled when we see attacks on the civil service, attacks on its integrity, attacks on its capability, because ijust don't believe those are fair and we can't really answer back. figures like lord sedwill are rarely seen, not normally heard.

and are you happier here or in whitehall? he laughs. you know the answer to that question! only a month out of government, now free to set a new course. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, portsmouth. downing street has confirmed that the stalled post—brexit trade negotiations will resume in london tomorrow afternoon. the uk's negotiator, lord frost, said intensive talks would happen every day. the decision was taken after he spoke to his eu counterpart, michel barnier, who — this morning — told the european parliament that a deal was within reach. our europe editor katya adler is in brussels. so what has changed? that is a very good question because if you remember on friday, the prime minister said these negotiations are over. unless the eu fundamentally changes its position. but it hasn't, at least not in terms of substance. the same main sticking points exist between the two sides are now need

to be worked out in negotiations, like fishing or competition regulations, for example. but the eu has done a big about turn on its assertion last week that the uk is going to need to do all the running of the deal is to be reached. today the eu's chief negotiator told the european parliament the eu would also have to compromise. the eu has also have to compromise. the eu has also nodded to a uk criticism that talks haven't been as intensive as they could have been there sort. now, as you say, the two sides a day or night they will talk, even at the weekend. but frankly, some kind of crisis was always predicted this autumn. we are in the last stage of these negotiations. really difficult political compromises have to be made by both sides and that was never going to be straightforward. now the talks resume in london tomorrow, both sides say they are focused but as we know time and trust are in short supply here. katya adler, thank you.

the foreign secretary dominic raab says he's alarmed by widespread reports of civilian deaths in nigeria and called for an end to the violence. the human rights group amnesty international says it has received credible and disturbing evidence that nigerian security forces shot and killed at least 12 people taking part in peaceful protests last night in the country's largest city, lagos. for weeks now, there have been demonstrations against police brutality across africa's most populous country. protesters accuse the now—disbanded special anti—robbery squad — or sars — of torture. nigeria's president has appealed for calm while the army has denied any involvement. an indefinite curfew has been imposed on several regions, including lagos, from where our correspondent mayeni jones sent this report. a city in chaos. across lagos, buildings have been torched and sporadic clashes have erupted. gunfire this is what sparked the outcry.

soldiers shooting unarmed protesters in the country's largest city. they are shooting at us. they are shooting. what happened here on tuesday night has deeply unsettled nigerians. this is not the first time the army has been accused of shooting innocent protesters, but the fact it happened here in what was one of the most peaceful protest sites in end sars has ignited an already volatile situation. what started off as a protest against police brutality has widened to calls for a change in the status quo and inequality. we, the poor, we are suffering. we're congregating in the square. we are doing our protests. nobody was even out. we obeyed the law. why would try send soldiers to harm us? if they can't put this nation in order, let them step aside. let's take over and put this in order. we need a betterment of this nation. they should fix our economy. they should be accountable to us.

we do not want police brutalising the innocent citizens of nigeria any more. this is a protest that was born on social media. more than half of the country is under 2a. last night's events were broadcast online, and the #endsars hashtag has galvanised support. i will say nigerian government, you guys are a shame to the world. for killing your own citizens, sending the military on the street to kill unharmful protesters because they are protesting for their rights. it's uncalled for. nigeria's been a dictatorship for almost half of its life as an independent nation. many of its citizens worry tuesday's events echo the dark days of military rule, and they're determined to make sure that doesn't happen. mayenijones, bbc news, lagos. pope francis has offered his support to civil partnerships for gay couples.

in a documentary broadcast today in rome, the pope also said homosexuals had "a right to a family". our rome correspondent, mark lowen, is at the vatican this evening. this is quite a step forward for the pope. in many ways it is. he is the first pope to publicly back civil unions the same sex couples. these are his best remarks on the issue since taking office. it is likely to read new debate on a key social issue in the church. remember, the catholic teachings classes homosexuality as deviant behaviour but it is not a radical shift in policy from the pope. when he was archbishop of buenos aires he was fiercely opposed to same sex managers but supported civil unions as an alternative to stop this is a pope who has publicly flirted with liberal sentiments in the past but then tended to fall back on more traditionalists doctrinally positions when push comes to shav. remember, he said

these remarks in the context of an interview. no formal speech, these remarks in the context of an interview. no formalspeech, no these remarks in the context of an interview. no formal speech, no high levels of discussion taking place in the higher echelons of the vatican, so don't expect the church to change its policy or teaching on this issue imminently. thank you. the french president has led a national ceremony to pay tribute to the teacher who was beheaded outside his school by an islamist teenager last friday. president macron called samuel paty the face of the republic, who embodied the country's will to break the terrorists. our paris correspondent lucy williamson reports. for france's secular martyr, an irish rock song. samuel paty‘s coffin was carried into the sorbonne to the u2 song one, a favourite of his. a song about unity and division, fitting for a nation making

sense of this attack. on his coffin, the legion d'honneur, awarded to him by president macron tonight. samuel paty, mr macron said, was one of those teachers you never forget. he was the face of france. translation: samuel paty was killed for this, because he embodied the republic that is reborn every day in classrooms, the freedom that is transmitted and maintained in schools. samuel paty was killed because the islamists want our future and they know that with quiet heroes like him, they will never have it. away from this sombre ceremony, there's been a frantic burst of government activity against the spread of militant ideas. president macron has been promising action on this issue since he came to office, but this attack happened before most

of his proposals were in place. among the readings was a poem written for samuel paty by the french singer, gauvain sers. "seems we're getting used to the tears of the nation", it said, "to the horrors that we live through, "but the killing of innocent people, that we don't get used to." president macron then lead a minute's silence. as the country's motto appeared on the ancient stones in front of him, the service ended with a simple marseillaise but samuel paty has left france with a painful question, how values meant to protect the nation failed to protect the man who taught them and instead provoked his death. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. the us presidential election is in less than two weeks time. the democratic challenger, joe biden, has made nowhere

near as many public appearances as the president. but more than a0 million americans have already cast their ballot in early voting, and it's thought to be helping the democrats. tomorrow night, joe biden and donald trump will hold their final debate in nashville, tennessee, from where our north america editor, jon sopel, reports. joe biden onstage in north carolina at the weekend. the last public event that he's done so that he can prep for tomorrow's final debate. the contrast cannot be more exaggerated with donald trump who since then has been in wisconsin, michigan, nevada, california, arizona and last night pennsylvania. although not very happily it seemed. i wasn't coming to erie. i have to be honest, there was no way i was coming. i didn't have to. i would've called you and said, "hey, erie! "if you had a chance, get out and vote." we had this thing won. being an embedded journalist on the biden campaign is turning out to be quite relaxing. just a few months ago before the pandemic during the primary, there would be days where i didn't know what city or state i was waking

up in because we were hitting so many in a day. and now we start the day and end the day in wilmington, delaware. music the next timejoe biden will be onstage although not this one will be here in nashville home of country and western music, soulful ballads of lost love and betrayal. # i don't love you any more #. butjoe biden's slow dance towards polling day is deliberate. he likes the contrast. a president drawing big crowds with few masks and no social distancing and him, sensible, following the science, not putting people at risk. we're likely to lose as many as 200,000 additional lives nationwide between now and the end of the year, all because this president cares more about his park avenue perspective on the world, the stock market, than he does about you. but keeping it low—key also helps a candidate who pre—pandemic seemed way off the pace.