Well have more on those testing problems, and how the prioritising is meant to work. Also tonight. Unemployment on the rise, as 700,000 people come off the payrolls since march, with more to come. At the white house, a landmark deal to normalise relations between israel, the United Arab Emirates, and bahrain. And a plea for the worlds nations to unite to save the planet. Experts say humanity is at a crossroads, with nature in decline. And in sport on bbc news. We will have all the latest reports, results, interviews and features from the bbc sport centre. Good evening. We start with the growing row over the shortage of tests for coronavirus, especially in some of the uks worst affected areas. Seniorfigures in the nhs are warning that operations are being cancelled because of the testing shortages. Matt hancock, the Health Secretary, for england admits the system is facing an enormous challenge which could take weeks to sort out. He says tests will have to be prioritised with people in health care and care homes being put first. 0ur Health Correspondent Dominic Hughes reports on the situation in greater manchester. Stories from a testing system that seems far from world beating. If you dont spend all day on the site, i dont think you would get a test. Whenever i see the tests appear, theres only about 20. Im pretty sure theres more than 20 people in the bristol area. At times frustrating and bewildering. My year four teacher, he was sent home last wednesday due to covid symptoms, a persistent cough. There were no tests available wednesday. He kept trying to book during the day, and he was given the same place as some of my parents have been suggested to go to, like aberdeen and llandudno. And the anxiety of a worried parent. Hes had a high temperature. Hes supposed to be in school. What do you want me to do . Just leave leave him out of school . For indefinite . Ive been trying since the last two days so ive gotten message here, it says, the system is currently unavailable. Thats been the last two days. And Even Health Care workers are experiencing similar problems. Sheffield gp dr krishna kasaraneni, now back at work, waited nine days for his familys test results. My practice manager was on the phone too, to try and find out the results. It has been a very, very challenging time and weve not even hit the peak of winter months yet, and it really does worry us to seay and it really does worry us to say if were not prepared now, whats going to happen in the next two or three months when the flu season hits and theres going to be quite a lot of chest conditions and infections . And that does worry me as a gp. And delays in testing are not helping a Health Service already under intense pressure. Were absolutely at full pelt in the nhs at the moment trying to recover the services where treatment was understandably but unfortunately delayed because of covid a few months ago. Were trying to get through those cases as quickly as possible, and we simply cant spare members of staff waiting for tests. Ministers say they are putting extra resources into testing centres in covid hotspots like here in trafford in greater manchester. That might well account for some of the difficulties people are experiencing in booking a test. But from right across the country, stories are emerging of people who are waiting days before finding an available slot, or being sent to testing centres that are hundreds of miles away. Speaker shadow secretary of state, jonathan ashworth. Labour says the Unanswered Questions over the governments handling of testing are piling up. When more ill people no longer have to travel hundreds of miles for a test that should be available on their doorstep . When will pupils and teachers out of school get access to testing so they can get back to school . Well, i think that we will be able to solve this problem in a matter of weeks. We are managing to deliver record capacity. But as he well knows, demand is also high and the response to that is to make sure we have prioritisation so the people who most need it can get the tests that they need. And tonight, a plea from the local hospital in bolton. Please do not attend the hospital here. If you think youve got covid 19. The town with the highest infection rate in the country, where the a e is being overwhelmed by people seeking swab tests. This is a system that looks like its struggling. Dominic hughes, bbc news. Back in the month of may, Boris Johnson was promising what he called a world beating test and trace system, but as weve been, system, but as weve been reporting, an increase in demand for tests has led to local shortages, with some people being advised to visit test sites hundreds of miles from their homes. 0ur Health Editor hugh pym has been looking at whats been going wrong, in the search for a more reliable system. Some testing centres like this one were ticking over as normal today. The government says there are more tests being done in the uk than in most european countries. So why is it sometimes so difficult to book a test . There seem to be enough testing sites but there are bottlenecks in the laboratories for processing the swabs taken. Thats why theyre limiting the amount of slots for the public just when more people want to get tested. Testing capacity, thats how much the labs can handle, was rising untiljune. But then it flattened out a bit before increasing a bit recently. It now stands at more than 243,000 tests a day. The number of tests actually processed reflecting demand has been increasing steadily and the gaps fast closing. It now stands at around 206,000 a day. You always needed a bit of spare capacity, but thats fast eaten. Demand has increased partly because children are back at school and there is a strong focus on safety. Scotlands clinical director says with lockdown easing and society opening up, greater need for testing is inevitable. As you open more people are out and about so you would expect more symptoms but you have to let schools back. So we have prioritised schools at the expense of some other elements of society. So im not surprised we are seeing increased testing demand. We have just got to try and balance the supply and that demand. So where is the uk Laboratory Testing capacity . First of all there are nhs and Public Health labs analysing tests for staff and patients, about 72,400 processed in one recent day. Then there are new government run lighthouse labs and privately run centres handling tests for social ca re centres handling tests for social care staff and residents and the public. About 133,300 in a day. The big lighthouse labs carry out work for all the uk nations. There have been reports they are overstretched with staff shortages. They have been calls for explanations. We have to recognise there has been a massive expansion in capacity in recent weeks but nonetheless, there is a crisis at the moment in many schools and hospitals who cant function in the way they need to without these test results. So it is vital that the Health Secretary does solve this problem. Ministers say the nhs and social care will be prioritised for tests, with the problems across the system unlikely to be fully resolved for a few weeks. Hugh pym, bbc news. All this comes as the uk has recorded its lowest weekly death toll since march, with fewer than 100 covid 19 deaths in the past seven days. The latest official daily figures show there were 3,105 new cases of coronavirus recorded in the latest 24 hour period. That means the average number of new cases reported daily in the past week is 3,096. 27 deaths were reported of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test, and that means on average in the past week 11 deaths were recorded every day. That takes the official number of deaths so far across the uk to 1115611. With that in mind, lets talk once again tonight to our Health Editor hugh pym. We mention further problems with testing and then the minister introduced this notion of prioritising. What more can you say about that . Back in july there was a healthy surplus of capacity, the ability to process tests over the amount which were actually required and system leaders were putting out the message certainly in england if people felt unwell it was best just to go and get a test. Then you have had this dramatic increase in demand. Should i have been predicted . That demand. Should i have been predicted . That is demand. Should i have been predicted . That is another question with schools going back and so on. And only a financial amount of laboratories going up rather slowly that capacity and there isnt a big one coming on stream until october. Matt hancock told the commons that it would be a few weeks like this, this current situation. So there would be prioritisation within nhs staff and patients and social care staff and patients and social care staff and patients and social care staff and residents put at the top of the queue, if you like, and the rest of the Testing Capacity would have to be shared out by others who might actually need it. Now, will that be sustainable . Well, that is the big question. Just at this moment you need a working testing system with case numbers rising. You need something thats actually going to have Public Confidence to spot the local outbreaks which may be developing. Hugh pym, our Health Editor. Many thanks. Unemployment in the uk has risen to its highest level for almost two years. Official figures show almost 700,000 people have come off payrolls since march and economists expect more jobs to be lost as the governments furlough scheme is phased out by the end of october. Meanwhile, the chancellor rishi sunak said he wouldnt extend furlough, but would look at new ways to supportjobs and employment as our economics editor faisal islam reports. Unemployment is on its way back up, putting some pressure on the government to extend its support schemes. After nine years continuous work at a car factory, 0rian was let go in the last few days, having returned from furlough. 0rrean was let go in the last few days, having returned from furlough. They reassured us that ourjobs would be fine, they put us on the furlough scheme, so we felt quite secure because we were still getting paid. Gutted. Gutted, gutted. When i lost myjob, i came into work at 6am, sat down for a while, drank a cup of tea, ready to start my position, got called up to the office and let go. The monday after his job was lost, hes on a free retraining scheme in Leamington Spa to provide skills in short supply for building the hs2 rail line. Todays numbers showed the official Unemployment Rate up at 4. 1 between may and july. Still low by historic and international standards, but the individual monthly data show that there was a more significant rise to 4. 4 injuly, just as the wind down of the government furlough scheme began. Employment remained at a record, but within that there was a record fall in the employment of 18 to 2a year olds down 146,000 on the previous quarter. I couldnt possibly afford it myself. Ben, a personal trainer, says he, too, has to retrain in construction. I lost about 90 of my clients due to covid so it has been quite quiet recently. I had to give it up. And so thats it . So youve chosen to leave that behind, and start afresh . Yeah. Try something new. The pandemic isnt just a one off economic shock. Its changing the structure, how the economy works, the jobs and skills required. And here, theyre trying to help people with that transition. But as the government winds down its support for workers, theres going to be an inevitable, sharp, painful rise injoblessness. In stoke, the chancellor, on a visit to a pottery factory where furloughed workers have returned, says more than half of those furloughed returned to work by the middle of last month. Which raises an obvious question. Is it not the case as your predecessor, mr brown, as your colleague, mr stride says, to extend the scheme, at least in a targeted way . I dont think the right thing to do is to endlessly extend furlough, but protecting peoples jobs, creating newjobs remains top of my mind, and im always looking for interesting, creative, innovative and effective new ways to support jobs and employment. The opposition leader, sir keir starmer, addressing a virtual trade union congress, called for new forms ofjob support. Target those sectors most in need, for example in retail, hospitality, aviation all those hit by local lockdowns and provide certainty for workers and for businesses. The government is waiting to see if british workers can defy predictions of massive rises in joblessness by retraining for newjobs like here in construction. Some new help is being developed. It will be required as the jobless numbers officially turn up. Faisal islam, bbc news. The First Official figures for School Attendance in england for the autumn term show 88 of pupils were back last week. Theres a higher absence rate than the usual figure of about 5 , but the data is not broken down to show whether pupils were at home because of covid outbreaks. A major report by the United Nations convention on biological diversity says that humanity is at a crossroads, and that action must be taken now, to allow nature to recover, and to slow its accelerating decline. The organisation says countries are failing to stop the unprecedented decline in the natural world, and they want every nation to sign up to a new agreement next year. 0ur science and environment correspondent victoria gill has more details. Time is running out to repair the damage we are doing to the natural world. Thats the message from the Uns Convention on biological diversity. Its latest report calls for urgent action to slow and eventually stop what it describes as natures accelerating decline. Covid 19 has taught us clearly the relationship between human action and nature. So we need to change our production patterns, consumption patterns, human encroachment into the wildlife, into the forest. The picture this report paints is of an unsustainable relationship between humans and the natural world. One recent study calculated that nearly £400 billion is spent globally every year to subsidise activities that damage nature, like fossil fuel use, intensive agriculture and unsustainable fishing. Some of those billions, the un says, need to be redirected now into turning the tide on biodiversity loss. We certainly have to invest in conserving the nature that we still have, the wild places we still have, and also restoring those that we have lost. This will be essential to contribute to the climate agenda, as well as preventing the sixth mass extinction. This will mean that every country will need to make commitments to protect habitats, to produce food more sustainably and eat a more sustainable diet. That we will have to reduce pollution so that we and wildlife can have clean air and clean water, and we will have to make more space for greenery and nature, even in our most urban environments. There is a nature crisis, so we really need to think about how we can improve these areas and bring back nature to the city. We really need to connect people back to that nature as well, so people really value its function. In the years ahead, countries will set out to repair the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But without making space for nature as we rebuild, the un says we risk leaving a damaged planet for future generations. Victoria gill, bbc news. In washington, a ceremony to mark the signing of a deal, normalising relations between israel, the United Arab Emirates and bahrain, has taken place at the white house. President trump said it was the dawn of a new middle east. The gulf states are just the third and fourth arab countries to recognise israel, but the palestinians have urged other arab states not to follow suit, while their conflict remains unsolved. 0ur north america editor jon sopel has the story. Since the founding of the state of israel in 1948, only two arab countries have made peace with israel. Today at the white house, that number doubled as the uae and bahrain were brought together by donald trump to sign an agreement to normalise relations with the country. The signatures on the page took only a few seconds but it had taken decades to get here. And for donald trump, with one eye on the forthcoming president ial election and another on his place in history, this was a sweet moment, a significant Foreign Policy victory. We are here this afternoon to change the course of history. After decades of division and conflict, we mark the dawn of a new middle east, thanks to the great courage of the leaders of these three countries, we take a major stride towards a future in which people of all faiths and backgrounds live together in peace and prosperity. For benjamin netanyahu, the israeli prime minister, whose political fortunes have gone through similar gyrations as donald trumps, this was a welcome relief from the domestic pressures of scandal and covid. To all of israels friends in the middle east, those who are with us today and those who willjoin us tomorrow, i say as Salamu Alaykum peace unto thee. Shalom. Theres no cheering for the deal in the gaza strip and west bank, where many palestinians feel betrayed by these two gulf nations signing a deal with israel before any agreement is reached on the future of the palestinian people. And israel says rockets were fired onto their soil by militants in gaza. But no apology for making peace from the uae or the bahrainis today. The declaration supporting peace between the kingdom of bahrain and the state of israel is an historic step on the road to genuine and lasting peace, security and prosperity across the region, and for all who live there. There are still many questions about how these new relationships will develop. But the reality is that these gulf nations have already been dealing with israel through back channels for some time. This formalises a new relationship, though todays signing is no less important for that. The most important words donald trump spoke today were more will follow. In other words he clearly believes there are other arab nations ready to sign up to some kind of peace deal with israel. A lot of people scoffed when donald trump said he would try to bring peace to the region. Its not the deal of the century he talked about at the outset, and some will say there are less to the accords than meets the eye, but in a region used to set backs, today is undoubtedly progress. John, many thanks again. Jon sopel. Some four Million People are waiting for social housing in england. Thats according to new research commissioned by the National Housing federation, which suggests there are half a million more families waiting than official government figures indicate. 0ur social Affairs Correspondent Michael Buchanan has been speaking to some of those affected, including one woman who lived in a camper van for more than a year. Hello. Welcome to my home. This is my bed. Polly richardson spent more than a year living in this van. No electric, no water, no toilet, no shower, nothing. This is me kitchen area. A family argument left the 59 year old grandmother homeless and forced to improvise. This is my cooker. The local council say polly hasnt been in the area long enough to get help from them. This drawers got my cups. And she cant afford a private rented home. All plastic without a job you cant have a house. Without a house, they wont give you a job. I dont want to live like this. Nobody should live like this, but i dont have any options. Despite her predicament, polly doesnt qualify for the official social housing waiting list like half a million other households in england, according to the National Housing federation. They say 90,000 homes for social rent need to be built each year for a decade to meet demand. In 2010 11, nearly 40,000 such properties were constructed, but since then numbers have plummeted by 84 to just over 6,300. Investing in social housing would boost the economy, it would create thousands ofjobs, it would support supply chains in the construction industry, and it would provide better, more secure, safe housing for people in need. But lack of Suitable Properties has left Abigail Macmanus struggling daily to leave her two bed flat. She has young children. Poppy is usuallyjoined by a baby brother in the buggy, but she cant find any ground floor home locally. Were not even getting close to a sniff of a property. Theres nothing in any half decent areas around here. Theres just areas that we dont want. But ive been bidding for the benefit of my children. The ministry of housing say they were committed to building more social housing for lower income families. It cant happen quickly enough for polly. While a friend has recently offered her a room temporarily, she now wants a job to prevent her from living once more in the van. Michael buchanan, bbc news. Lets take a look at some of todays other news. A former conservative mp has been sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting two women. Charlie elphicke represented dover between 2010 and 2019. In a witness impact statement, one of his victims described mr elphicke as having stolen her self worth and broken her spirit. A spokeswoman for alexei navalny, the russian opposition leader, says he will return to russia after hes recovered. Mr navalny is being treated in germany after being poisoned while campaigning in russia. Hes posted the first images of himself on social media, saying he was now able to breathe on his own all day. The kremlin has again denied any allegations of poisoning. Plans for a £20 billion Nuclear Power plant on anglesey have been abandoned. Work on the wylfa newydd project was suspended last year, because of rising costs, after hitachi failed to reach a Funding Agreement with the uk government. The local coucil says the company has now confirmed it is withdrawing from the project. Details continue to be shared about the lives of some of those killed in the Manchester Arena bomb attack at the inquiry into their deaths, with one of the families of a murdered teenager describing how their lives have been ruined since her death in may 2017. 0ur north of england correspondent Judith Moritz reports. What is a life made of . Ajourney of moments, of birthdays and holidays, christmas, prom, graduation. But when life is cut short, as it was for kelly, megan, courtney and martyn, those moments become memories which families hold onto forever. Families like the hurleys, who are mourning the future 15 year old megan should have had. Megans gcses, further education, career and life were so cruelly taken from her during the horrific attack at the arena. Her prom, her wedding, her first car and her own children. So many milestones will be missed and so many questions are still unanswered. The characters and personalities of each of the 22 people who died are being given life again as theirfamilies pay tribute to them. Its intensely moving to watch. The depth of their pain is so clear. Im carrying on in the spirit of martyn. He is leaving this absolutely massive gaping hole inside my soul that without any shadow of a doubt will never heal. Martyn hetts family chose to show pictures which have now taken on extra meaning. I remember saying this might be the last chance we get to have a photo together outside the house. Martyn loved dressing up, here as Margaret Thatcher and deirdre barlow, and was remembered as a celebrity in his own right. The world has been robbed of a potential superstar, of an actual superstar. You only have to look at martyns social media, his old telly appearances, to know that in some way or another, be it before or after he was taken from us, hes obviously touched a lot of peoples lives. Courtney boyles story told the tragedy of a baby becoming a child, then a teenager, but never an adult. I would give the world to see my daughter and best friend again, to hear her voice and look in her beautiful brown eyes. I know that as time goes by, my daughters beauty will never fade and shell always remain beautiful. Kelly brewster was 32. Her parents spoke of their hurt that shell never get married or become a mum. What a waste, it was said today, of so much potential. Judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. Some senior bbc staff have been given significant salary increases in the past year. The bbcs annual report has revealed pay details today, but it mainly covers news and sport, as the details of those paid by the bbcs commercial arm are not made public. Radio 2s zoe ball is set to become the highest paid bbc presenter, earrning £1. 3 million, overtaking gary lineker whos agreed to a £400,000 pay cut. 0ur media editor amol rajan reports. Whatever the complexities and caveats within this annual report, in a time of brutal recession across the country, these salaries are a bad look. 0n £1. 75 million, gary lineker tops the list, but the 23 reduction in his new five year deal means zoe ball on £1. 36 million for her radio 2 Breakfast Show now earns slightly more. Some of the published salaries dont include earnings from shows made by the bbcs commercial arm. The bbc has given some individuals, mostly women, big pay rises for taking on additional work. Thats in an attempt to address the imbalance in gender pay. Can we just say thank you so much, everyone, for listening. At 1 , the overall increase in stars pay is below inflation. In other words, a real terms cut. Lineker and others could, and do, earn much more for their work outside the bbc. This points to a tension within the corporation. Its a Public Sector institution engaged in a commercial war for talent. Audiences flocked to the bbcs news and Education Services during the pandemic. Iplayer viewing is sharply up, and the bbc sounds app has surpassed ambitious targets. But a fifth of those under 16 in this country see no bbc content each week and, among those aged 16 34, youtube will soon overtake the bbc. Given all this, the optics of these salaries, which include my own, make it that bit harder to persuade a generation raised on youtube and whatsapp and tiktok to part with their cash. I dont really watch a lot. I dont feel like it is for my generation. It is one of several that are available and, increasingly, im sort of using on demand services as well. I happily pay it to make sure that i can keep watching those dramas, if we get another lockdown. For them to take a pay cut, i think is really good. And not to whinge, though. So as long as they took the pay cut and wasnt like, oh, a bad thing came out of their mouth, happy days. Shows such as top gear are getting ready to launch their new series. Lockdown hit productions globally. And it cost the bbc £125 million at least. A new commercially minded director general insists bbc programmes need to create value for licence fee payers. The big unanswered question is how much the licence fee payers
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.