To quit after she took a train from london to scotland knowing she had covid. Her actions were reckless, dangerous and completely indefensible. Its been overturned. Sorry. Victory for dozens of former postmistresses and postmasters found guilty of stealing money after a new Computer System was installed. Their convictions look set to be quashed. And the 40th London Marathon will take place this sunday. But its a virtual race for 16,000 other runners only the elites will race together. And coming up on bbc news, one of the biggest names in rugby league, sam burgess, is investigated by police in australia. He denies allegations of drugs use and domestic violence. Good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. The news that President Trump has tested postitive for coronavirus has stunned the united states. With just a month to go before the president ial election, donald trump is now in quarantine at the white house with his wife, the president , whos 7a, is said to be experiencing mild symptoms, is in good spirits, and is still working, according to officials. Now the race is on to track and test the many people who came into contact with the president in recent days. Our north america editor, jon sopel, is at the white house for us now. In some ways there is astonishment, that the president , someone who is tested daily, could have contracted coronavirus, and on another level no surprise whatsoever given the lax attitude there has been in this white house over the wearing of facemasks. It feels today that that is changing. A good piece of news for the democrat has just emerged, it has just been reported thatjoe biden has tested negative for coronavirus after he was on that stage with donald trump in that a very rowdy debate on tuesday night. Last night, one of the great pre election traditions, the president attending the al smith dinner, where donald trump addressed the coronavirus pandemic with what now appears to be grim irony. The worst is behind us, he said. The end of the pandemic is in sight, a next day will be one of the greatest in history of our country. Then later in the evening the bombshell that will reverberate around the world, the most Serious Health issue to affect a serving president in decades. He tweeted, tonight the first lady and i tested positive for covid i9. We will begin our quarantine and Recovery Process immediately. Well get through this together. Today, the president s chief of staff gave reporters this update. The president and first lady tested positive for covid 19. They remain in good spirits. The president does have mild symptoms. A hint of something being wrong came early in the evening last night when it was announced that this woman, hope hicks, had the virus. She travelled by helicopter with the president on tuesday. As donald trump appeared to dance with joy at a rally in minnesota, she had become symptomatic and was quarantined on air force one for the return journey to washington. The ripples of concern will reach everyone who has beenin concern will reach everyone who has been in close contact with the president , not leastjoe biden, who shared a debate stage with him for a shouty 90 minutes on tuesday night. A debate whether president ripped into the democratic candidate for his mask wearing. I dont wear a mask like him, every time you see him he has got a mask, he could be speaking 200 feet away and he shows up speaking 200 feet away and he shows up with the biggest mask ive ever seen. And it was noticeable that none of the trump entourage wore face coverings. That actually violated the rules of the cleveland clinic, which was in charge of all the safety issues inside the hall, which were that everybody except for the president , the Vice President andl the president , the Vice President and i were not supposed to wear masks, were supposed to wear a mask. The president has one masks in public in less than a handful of occasions, and his ambivalence towards them is evident. Can you ta ke towards them is evident. Can you take it off . Because i cannot hear you. You want to be politically correct. It is a recommendation, they recommended. I am feeling good. And he has been holding rallies or as though covid was in the rear view mirror, with thousands turning up, no attempt at social distancing, if you Wearing Masks. Last night, the presents position, a seemingly upbeat assessment. The president and first lady about the well at this time and they plan to remain at home within the white house during their co nvalescence. Within the white house during their convalescence. Rest assured, i expect the president to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering. Today, messages of support from around the world, this from boris johnson, who has been whether president is now. I think we all wa nt president is now. I think we all want to send our best wishes to the president and first lady, and i have done that this morning, as you can imagine. Andl done that this morning, as you can imagine. And i am sure that they will both stage a very strong recovery. And messages of support too from political rivals. Joe biden wrote, jill and i send our thoughts to President Trump and first lady melania for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family. This is first and foremost a medical issue for the president and his wife, but it has upended a president ial Election Campaign that needed no further agitation. With many questions begged and if you a nswered many questions begged and if you answered to give at this early stage. Jon sopel, bbc news, at the white house. So with a month to go until the us president ial election, what impact could President Trumps illness have at the ballot box . Our north america correspondent Aleem Maqbool has been finding out. Everywhere you go here, donald trump getting the virus is todays biggest talking point. Ariel heard when she got to work but said she wasnt surprised. Ifigure he doesnt wear a mask very often, and hes just so totally against it and doesnt really believe in it, so i figured someone like that would get it, just to prove that it does exist, so kind of like you kind of deserve it, man nick, a trump supporter, said he felt the president would come back strongerfrom this. I think, for him, its going to be another one of those things that he runs on and says ive had it, ive dealt with it, ive lived with it. I think thats one of the things he can give his own personal experience, which i think he does a fantasticjob of giving. And his critics wonder if itll work in the president s favour, too. If he is very sick, will people say, you know, some conspiracy that the Biden Campaign went after him or the deep state is going after him, will there be a lot of sympathy votes from people who are concerned . Up the road in washington, visiting Trump Supporters said they werent concerned. One of them, betsy, also disputed the fact that the president hadnt taken the virus seriously. I think what you see the president doing is more than downplaying masks, i think you see him upplaying freedom. He believes people should choose to wear them. Well, the president repeatedly telling people that its only a small proportion of those who get the virus who are badly affected is part of the reason why many of his supporters are now telling us they feel relatively relaxed. There is, of course, no way of telling the severity of symptoms that the president will now experience and how badly, then, the election could be appended. Aleem maqbool, bbc news, in virginia. Its well known that the older you are and the heavier you are, the more at risk you are of having serious complicatons. Our medical editor, fergus walsh, looks at the risk to President Trumps health. Donald trump has several factors which raise his risk profile for coronavirus his age, weight, and being a man. At 7a, he has often insisted how healthy he is, despite a love of Fried Chicken and burgers. Age is the biggest risk factorfor covid i9. In the united states, eight out of ten deaths have been among the over 65. The risk of dying for somebody aged 65 to 7a is 90 times higher than for someone in their 20s. To put that in context, a recent International Study found that once infected with coronavirus, the chances of dying were around one in 100 at age 65, one in 25 at 75, and one in seven at 85. The first lady, Melania Trump, isjust 50, 2a years younger than donald trump, and physically fit, so her risk from covid should be low. The president is six foot three and weighs more than 17 stone, putting him in the obese category, another red flag. His medical team will be on constant guard for any change in his condition. Often patients have quite mild symptoms to start with and then its as if they drop off a cliff and suddenly it gets worse, and that can happen really within hours. I dont think they can be sure for approximately ten days. If then he hasnt really developed any worse symptoms, he seems to be controlling the virus in his throat and nose, then i think they will relax. It was nine days after testing positive for coronavirus before borisjohnson was admitted to hospital in early april. He spent three nights in intensive care and says the nhs saved his life. Another leader who got covid was president bolsonaro in brazil. He had few symptoms and dismissed the virus as a measly cold. Its impossible to predict how any individual will cope with covid. Many people never develop any symptoms at all. And there are treatments now which have helped improve survival rates for what can be a brutal disease. Fergus walsh, bbc news. Our north america editor, jon sopel, joins us from the white house. What a moment, 32 days to go, where does this leave the election . Let me try to answer that by talking about the geography of where im standing. In front of me is the west wing, the oval office is, where the president would normally be working. Behind me, the residence, where he and Melania Trump a hold up, convalescing, and it depends how long they have to spend there which will give us the answer about what impact this will have on the election. He was meant to be at a rally in florida tonight, wisconsin over the weekend that is not going to happen. He is meant to be in the next president ial debate in about 12 days time, that seems very unlikely. What happens to the Vice President ial debate next week in utah . That could possibly be called off. What are you going to do about canvassing people . Are you going to knock on doors now, given the alert that we have just had as a result of the president catching coronavirus . Iam posing the president catching coronavirus . I am posing a lot of questions, but frankly at this very early stage, i dont have a whole lot of answers, and no one knows how this is going to play out. One thing, though. Donald trump wanted to move the selection away from a discussion about covid and his handling of the Coronavirus Crisis it is now squarely at the centre of the debate on the forthcoming president ial election. Jon sopel, thank you. More than 750 students have tested positive in newcastle at northumbria university. Almost all of them showed no symptoms. Its the biggest outbreak so far at any university in the uk. Our correspondent Sharon Barbour is there for us now. Yes, hello, sophie. 777 is, as you say, an extraordinary number of stu d e nts say, an extraordinary number of students have tested positive for coronavirus here at northamber university in the heart of newcastle. Only 78, though, showed symptoms. Northumbria university. All their flatmates and close contacts all their flatmates and close co nta cts a re all their flatmates and close contacts a re now all their flatmates and close contacts are now self isolating for 14 days. The university is getting food, sorting laundry, any kind of help that they can, but today the council and the University Also appealed to the public to put together food parcels to get to the nearly 800 students. Why are there so nearly 800 students. Why are there so many . One of the reasons, the university says, is that they have made really good Testing Available to the students, they say a lot of stu d e nts to the students, they say a lot of students have been tested, so that is one reason, but of course some of the students we have spoken to say they have also been, you know, celebrating, they started, around 26,000 students started here a few weeks ago, and they have been doing a lot together. Back to you. Sharon barbour, thank you. Scotlands first minister, nicola sturgeon, has called on the mp Margaret Ferrier to resign after she travelled from london back to scotland this week knowing she had tested positive for covid. Ms ferrier, who has been suspended from the snp, has received riera barage of criticism for her actions from all sides of the political spectrum. The metropolitan police has this evening launched an investigation. Our scotland editor, sarah smith, has more. Nicola sturgeon says Margaret Ferrier is a friend but she is not attempting to defend what she has called a monumental almost incomprehensible error of judgment. Her actions were reckless, dangerous and completely indefensible and i feel very angry on behalf of all of you. Every single day i stand here andi you. Every single day i stand here and i ask you to make horrendous sacrifices as part of our collective effo rts sacrifices as part of our collective efforts against covid. I have spoken to her directly and made Crystal Clear to her i think she should resign as an mp. On saturday Margaret Ferrier took a test after showing symptoms of coronavirus yet she travelled from glasgow to london by train. On monday evening she received a positive test result and then she took a train back to scotla nd then she took a train back to scotland knowing she had my mac. It was not until wednesday she informed the snp cheap web who told the parliamentary authorities. The snp cheap web who told the parliamentary authoritieslj the snp cheap web who told the parliamentary authorities. I cannot believe the behaviour of a member of parliament. It is with complete shock that somebody could be so reckless with the staff of the house of commons, with fellow mps and also travelling on public transport. Completely reckless behaviour, totally u na cce pta ble, completely reckless behaviour, totally unacceptable, and i am very angry the house has been put at risk. Really very angry about this. An mp making a speech about coronavirus after having taken a test has shocked her colleagues. A dup mp who sat with her at dinner is self isolating. The real concern is that what Margaret Ferrier has done undermines the Public Health message that anyone with covid i9 symptoms has to self isolate immediately, not even pop to the shops, let alone ta ke even pop to the shops, let alone take a even pop to the shops, let alone takea train even pop to the shops, let alone take a train journey. She admits she made a mistake but people across the country might be asking if she can do it, why cant i . I think she should have known better. Definitely. After all, the kids back at school know the rules and she should know the rules. |j at school know the rules and she should know the rules. I am an snp member. I am very sad about it all. Very disappointed. Margaret ferrier is being investigated by police scotla nd is being investigated by Police Scotland at the metropolitan police. She may face a fine and could be suspended from parliament. Further restrictions come into force at midnight across another swathe of northern england. People living in the liverpool city region, middlesbrough, hartlepool and warrington will no longer be able to mix with other households indoors, in private or public. Our north of england correspondent danny savage is in middlesbrough, where he has been gauging the reaction to the new measures. In middlesbrough, theyve got the message about Wearing Masks but it hasnt kept away Strict Lockdown measures. Im not a covid denier, we need to be super careful and strict. The mayor, though, isnt happy. He was expecting some restrictions but not as tough as have been imposed. I think they go too far, i think theyre too harsh, i think that some of the aspects of them are unnecessary and will undoubtedly lead to large scale job losses and Significant Mental Health problems in a town that already has one of the highest suicide rates. There might be some people watching this thinking, does he think he knows better than the medical professionals and the scientists . What would you say to that . All of the guidance we had is that we could help limit the spread of the virus significantly, and we could protect mental health. Because stopping the virus spreading isnt that hard you just lock everything down. Whats important is keeping life going, keeping jobs going, keeping hope going. Despite the mayors concerns, from midnight tonight, people here shouldnt travel unless it is essential. Different household shouldnt meet up in each others homes or gardens, or in pubs and restaurants. Daily life here is changing again. Ijust coughed and coughed and coughed, and i wasnt worried about living or dying, i wasjust, can i get my next breath or not . A few months ago, this local doctor was clapped out of intensive care after beating covid. He knows first hand just how seriously people should take the disease and the new restrictions. I know people feel uncomfortable, social life goes down. We ourselves are suffering, we cant see our grandkid, we cant see our children, they cant see us. But life is more important than not being able to meet your friends in the pub. Neighbouring hartlepool will also have the new rules. People dropping off to a local charity are resigned to the changes. It is upsetting, those members of my family that i cant go and see in newcastle, and now even more so in hartlepool, i wont be able to go and see my friends. So, ijust literally got off the phone with my grandad, who is now devastated, because he knows weve gone back to me dropping his shopping off and a quick hello on the doorstep from two metres. Northern england is now a patchwork of different areas with different rules, and from midnight two million more people from teesside to merseyside will have to adopt a new routine. Danny savage, bbc news, middlesbrough. And you can put in your postcode on the bbc news websites coronavirus section to find out what the restrictions are where you live. The latest government figures show that there were 6,968 new Coronavirus Infections recorded in the latest 24 hour period. That means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 6,273. Over the past week, on average, 372 people have been admitted to hospital every day. This number doesnt include scotland. 66 deaths were reported. Thats people who died within 28 days of a positive covid i9 test. That means, on average in the past week, 47 deaths were announced every day, which takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 42,268. Our health editor, hugh pym, is here. Some signs that the increasing infection rate is levelling off a bit in england . It isa it is a pretty mixed picture. The number of new daily cases reported has been at about 7000 for the last three days although in Northern Ireland the latest number is more than double what it was the previous day and that is causing some concern there. But only captures people who have come forward for a test. What about those who have the virus but do not realise it . A survey for the office for National Statistics testing people and finding some who didnt know they had the virus suggests in the latest report today what the authors say is limited evidence of levelling off which covers england, wales and Northern Ireland, after steep increases in recent weeks, although it is still a bit early to say precisely what that implies. It echoes a survey be publicised yesterday by imperial couegein publicised yesterday by Imperial College in london which shows again slowing down in the rate of increase. The reproduction number telling us about the spread of the virus has gone up a bit. The picture people are painting, it is a bit like accelerating in a car, you get toa like accelerating in a car, you get to a speed and then stay there, it doesnt mean the virus is falling back, it is still going up each time. Thank you. Lets take a look at some of todays other news. Two billionaire brothers from blackburn have won the battle to buy asda from walmart in a deal valuing the supermarket at almost £7 billion. Zuber and mohsin issa made their money through petrol stations and now own more than 5,000 across the uk and europe. The deal means the grocer will return to uk ownership for the first time in 20 years. The National Crime agency says intelligence indicates that the government flagship loan scheme designed to help out small firms affected by covid is being exploited by organised criminals. Earlier this week a bbc news investigation revealed that gangs were setting up Bogus Companies and getting tens of thousands of pounds for each application to the scheme. The green party launched their annual Conference Online today, with a speech from co leaders Jonathan Bartley and sian berry, outlining their plans for what they called a green recovery. They argued that britain is facing a Pivotal Moment in history and they are now the only Party Standing up for radical change. Dozens of former sub postmaster and postmistresses should now be able to quash their convictions for fraud, theft and false accounting after being told the post office will not contest their appeals. Its thought hundreds more may now come forward to try and clear their name. They were convicted of stealing money after the post office installed a new faulty Computer System. For years, their criminal records put some of those affected in dire circumstances. Our Business Correspondent katy austin reports. Thank you, god bless. Goodbye. This was the moment seema heard the conviction that had turned her life upside down would likely be quashed. She became a sub postmistress in 2005, five years later, a jury found her guilty of theft after a discrepancy was found in her accounts. She was sent to prison. I was pregnant with my second son. I couldnt even. That was the pregnancy we were waiting for for so many years. I couldnt even enjoy that. The building is no longer in use but it was here in surrey that seema used to be a sub postmistress. She was just one of hundreds of sub postmasters and postmistresses across the country who were accused by the post office of crimes including theft and false accounting after using an it system called horizon. Horizon was introduced in 1999, and, over the next 15 years, there were more than 900 prosecutions. But more than 500 sub postmasters raised a civil action over the it system, and last year the post office agree to pay £58 million to settle the dispute. The criminal cases review commission referred 47 convictions for appeal. Today, the post Office Confirmed that it wont contest the majority of them. We could see numerous hundreds of convictions overturned, we could see a raft of civil claims, on the back of that, because of course were talking here of people going into debt, theyve lost their homes, they have lost their careers, potentially been made bankrupt. The chairman of the post said office today he was. Seema cant get back the years of hurt or her time in prison for a crime she says she didnt commit, but for dozens of those involved in a scandal that has seen many lives ruined, today there was some relief. I had a strong feeling always. Whenever you are fighting for the truth, you always getjustice. In this case it was delayed, but at least we got it. Katy austin, bbc news. The 40th London Marathon takes place on sunday. Coronavirus means only the elite runners the best in the world will race. As for the rest all a5,000 of us whove signed up it will be a virtual marathon. You can run the 26. 2 miles wherever you want, log your time on the official London Marathon app and when you finish a medal will be yours. Not quite the same but at least its happening. Heresjoe wilson. Heres how the London Marathon can happen. The worlds best runners living in a secret hotel. Theyve been tested and protected before race day. They can even train in the grounds of the hotel, day or night. In central london, St Jamess Park is encircled. The marathon itself restricted. It all happens here. Well, on sunday morning it willjust be the elite competitors here. They will do 19 laps of the parks perimeter road. But this marathon will meet official regulations. There wont be anything special to help eliud kipchoge. Well, apart from his platform shoes, provided legally by his sponsors. Progress, he says. The shoe is good. We live in the 2ist century, so we need to accept technology in our hearts. Move on. Well, kipchoges chances of winning this marathon increased significantly today when his main rival, kenenisa bekele, the second fastest of all time, withdrew injured. Commentator its a superb performance. The womens field is headed by brigid kosgei, world record holder and last yea rs london winner. Remember how it was, how its always been . Thousands on the streets. Well, the masses will still run, will still raise their money for charity, but distantly. Virtual London Marathons will be completed far and wide. Will the atmosphere be the same . No. Will the spirit live, and live in a unique way, and in a way that is appropriate for 2020 and the 40th race . Yes, absolutely. 26 miles will pass, one way or another. The marathons history dates back to 490 bc. It will take more than covid to stop it. Joe wilson, bbc news. Time for a look at the weather. Heres stav da naos. East army and to the week thanks to storm alex which brought very wet weather to england and wales although scotland and Northern Ireland didnt fare too badly today but they will be joining into the wet weather this weekend. We could see perhaps flooding rainfall around and strong winds at times as well. Tonight we have this weather front which is linked to storm alex which is bringing wet weather to a good deal of england and wales and eastern scotland and north east england by the end of the night. For scotla nd england by the end of the night. For scotland and Northern Ireland, clear and cool. For such a deal that looks extremely wet for a good portion of england and wales and also eastern scotla nd england and wales and also eastern scotland turning much wetter. A little bit of dry weather for Northern Ireland but the winds will be strong around irish sea coasts. We could see some brightness into the afternoon for the south east of england. Elsewhere it is going to feel cool. The met office have amber warnings for the rain particularly for wales into south west england, heavy rainfall could see in excess of 50 millimetres, maybe up to 100 millimetres across higher ground. North east scotland could also see the risk of some flooding so disruption likely. The new area of low pressure will be with us as we head into sunday. Some of