Wednesday evening news briefing: Where next lockdown could be

Which town could be next to face a local lockdown?

First Leicester, now Blackburn - but who is next? Last month, Leicester became the first city to see a local lockdown imposed after public health officials raised alarm over the number of Covid-19 cases in the city. Now Blackburn is facing a "rising tide" of cases, centred on its large Asian community, as extra restrictions have been brought in to try to stem the outbreak. The rate of confirmed cases in the Lancashire town and surrounding area has gone up to 47 per 100,000, up from 31.6 cases in the seven days to July 4. There have been 114 cases in the last two weeks, of which 97 were from the south Asian community. But where could the next lockdown be? Use our interactive tool to see whether cases are on the rise in your area and a graph showing the areas with the highest number of infections. Meanwhile, researchers at King's College London have said a skin rash could be a symptom of coronavirus, advising people to self-isolate and get tested if they notice a new rash.

It comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock admits rules requiring people to wear face masks in shops and on public transport could remain in place until next summer. Yet the mandatory wearing of face masks already appears to be ushering in a new culture war. Head of Culture Serena Davies reveals how "mask rage" ruined her first trip to the National Gallery since the lockdown. And how will the Government persuade people to change their habits and wear masks? Emily Cronin reveals celebrity 'maskfluencers' - or mask influencers - may be the key.

Ghislaine Maxwell secretly married, say prosecutors

Ghislaine Maxwell has secretly married but refused to disclose her husband’s identity to FBI investigators, it was claimed in court. Federal prosecutors told a judge hearing Maxwell's application for bail that she had a spouse although his name has been withheld. The disclosure appears to have been made deliberately by prosecutors to bolster their legal argument that Maxwell has not been forthcoming about her circumstances and finances. Chief Reporter Robert Mendick and Josie Ensor in New York summarise the speculation on who it could be.

Black Lives Matter sculpture replaces Colston statue

A sculpture of a black woman who took part in a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol has been erected on the plinth where a statue of slave trader Edward Colston used to stand. The Mayor of Bristol described it as the "work and decision of a London-based artist". Marc Quinn created the life-size black resin and steel piece of Jen Reid, from Bristol, after seeing a photograph of her standing on the empty plinth after the Colston statue was toppled. A debate is now raging about the future of the sculpture and the plinth where it stands. Click here to see it.

At a glance: Latest coronavirus headlines

• Coronavirus response | Boris Johnson commits to future inquiry

• Train travel | Rail firms abandon messages to avoid unnecessary trips

• 'R' number | Scale of England's infection rate before lockdown eased

• Travel latest | Magaluf party 'strip' closes after Britons' bad behaviour

• Towel wars | Costa del Sol's Covid crackdown on reserving beach spot

Also in the news: Today's other headlines

Apple wins Irish tax bill fight | Apple has won its appeal against a €13bn (£11.8bn) tax charge from the European Commission, in what will be seen as a significant blow for Europe's antitrust chief. The landmark ruling from Europe's second highest court comes after Apple was accused of receiving a "sweetheart tax deal" in Ireland. Details here.

• Johnny Depp | Former fiancee Winona Ryder to support him in court

• St Andrews | Staff to root out sexual violence after Telegraph probe

• Aircraft carrier | Deployment to China shows 'immense capabilities'

• In tears | Thieves steal entire contents of five-year-old's honesty stall

• Astrology | Nasa discovery means you could be a different star sign

Around the world: Iranians call for end to executions

Iranians have flooded social media to demand authorities halt executions in an unprecedented online outcry against capital punishment following recent death sentences. After a judicial spokesman confirmed three young men were on death row after being convicted of violent offences related to protesting, Iranians rallied around the Farsi-language hashtag “don’t execute” to demand clemency. Read on for details.

Wednesday interview

Thomas Bjorn - 'Some of the world's best courses could be obsolete'

The winning Ryder Cup captain talks to Kate Rowan about his concerns that brutal ball striking could lead to "bland" golf, the psychology of top-level sport and learning from his beloved Liverpool.

Read the full interview

Comment and analysis

• Robin Hodgson | Time for grown-up approach to population change

• Eliot Wilson | What Grayling's appointment shows about Government

• Con Coughlin | We must stand with the free world against Beijing

• Tom Harris | Why has Labour been on the fence over face masks?

• Peter Jones | Save us from elitists who want PM to cut out the Latin

Editor's choice

1. The cancel-culture fightback | How the ‘Harper’s letter’ astonished the Twitter mob

2. Mrs America looks so right | Why the clothes in the drama series are painfully relevant

3. Oliver Stone's JFK | Why it is the greatest lie Hollywood ever told

Business and money briefing

Chancellor scrutinised | Rishi Sunak faced MPs on the Treasury Select Committee where he was questioned about his summer statement and the economic impact of Covid-19. Our business liveblog has a summary.

• 'Unsustainable financial losses' | The Guardian to cut 180 jobs

• Single currency | Why Bulgaria and Croatia want to join the eurozone

• On top of markets | Live stocks and shares updates 24 hours a day

Sport briefing

Players out | Manchester United will listen to offers for six players this summer as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seeks to raise funds to swell his transfer kitty. Read on for details of who could be sold if the right offers come in as Solskjaer prepares to step up his Old Trafford rebuild.

• James Corrigan | How Adebayo Akinfenwa took path to cultdom

• Michael Vaughan | Is Buttler out of chances to show Test calibre?

• Gavin Mairs | Why Exeter have no need to drop their 'Chiefs' tag

Tonight's TV

Bears About The House, BBC Two, 8pm | Conservationist Giles Clark turns his attention from big cats to bears, spending 12 months taking on the illegal wildlife trade and building a pioneering bear sanctuary in Laos. Read more.

And finally... for this evening's downtime

Inside the surreal mind of Mervyn Peake | Today the British Library has acquired the visual archive of Mervyn Peake, the writer and artist who became one of Britain’s leading illustrators in the Forties. Jake Kerridge takes an exclusive look at the visual work by the author of Gormenghast and analyses their haunting quality.