this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'm mike embley. our top stories: after a visit from the us vice president — turkey agrees to a five—day pause in fighting in northern syria. britain and the european union shake hands on a new brexit deal — but there's doubt over whether the uk parliament will back it. a crucial point in the impeachment inquiry — president trump's chief of staff tells reporters aid to ukraine was held up for political reasons — then he says he didn't. we do that all the time with foreign policy. "immortal". cuba's president leads tributes to ballerina alicia alonso who has died in havana at the age of 98.

the latest in the dramatic twists and turns around turkey's invasion of north—east syria. a senior kurdish commander has now said his forces will accept the five—day suspension of fighting announced by turkey, in some parts of the border. after talks with the us vice—president, turkey's president agreed to pause the military advance to allow kurdish forces to retreat from a 20—mile zone on the syrian side of the border. but there are reports of new clashes already. our middle east editorjeremy bowen reports from ankara. the meeting did not start well, dark stares, cold handshakes. the united states and turkey are supposed to be allies but it didn't look like that. after more than five hours of talks, vice president mike pence emerged

backed by the us secretary of state with a hint of a smile. today, the united states and turkey have agreed to a ceasefire in syria. but the war in syria has a way of wrecking ceasefires. the war has morphed into another shape these last ten days or so. a generation of syrians has grown up amongst casualties and death. if this agreement holds it is only limited in scope. the turks, who will pause the operation for 120 hours, insist they were not intimidated by trump's threats. instead, they say, the deal delivers what they want. this is not a ceasefire, said the foreign minister, "we are taking a break so the terrorists can "leave the security zone.

"the americans will also destroy their heavy weapons and positions." something like 300,000 civilians, mostly kurds, have been displaced by the fighting, and their leader has said his side will accept the agreement. it is too soon for these families to go home but it might also be too soon for kurdish fighters to want to put down their weapons. many blame president trump for creating the crisis. but he sees proof of what he sees as his strategic brilliance. president trump and his critics will go on arguing about his responsibility for the crisis but what is certain is that the events of the last ten days or so have permanently changed the strategic map of syria. that will have consequences for the way the war eventually ends and for what happens to syrian civilians.

the fighting was supposed to stop just before dusk but it is unlikely to go easily from here. jeremy bowen, bbc news, ankara. alexander bick is a fellow with the woodrow wilson centre. alexander, you were also, of course, director for syria at the national security council from 2014 to 2016 in the 0bama administration. you know the region and the power politics very well. we're being that this agreement is a success it certainly buys some time to visit look like success to you? it is a pleasure to be with you. i think what strikes me most about this deal is, in effect, the us has endorsed the annexation by a neighbouring state of the substantial piece of syrian territory. stay a few days ago, the state department was at

pains to emphasise the united states would not condone taking jackson's but this was something that the united states would not accept. i think we have turned a corner there and ina think we have turned a corner there and in a way that is fairly disturbing. the preservation of territorial integrity is a cornerstone of the international system of the united states —— that the states has purported to defend. it isa the states has purported to defend. it is a dangerous step. whether it stops fighting remains to be seen, there are many questions remaining about whether turkey will be satisfied with what from this agreement and whether kurdish fighters will cease and pull out of the area. essentially turkey still has pretty much everything it wanted from the situation and no sanctions. the kurdish people, surely, are still in desperate trouble. russia and president assad gained

influence, islamic state may rise again and, long—term, surely the prospects could be even worse.” think that is all correct. i would emphasise that it is difficult to know what will happen, the situation is fluid. but stepping back from 120 hours, it is not very long in the overall picture and i think it is worth standing back and looking more broadly at the geopolitics. this is a contest between russia, turkey, the kurds, the syrian government at this point, primarily and russia stands at the middle of that contest. stands at the middle of that co ntest. 0 n stands at the middle of that contest. 0n the one hand they want to bring turkey into their orbit and are showing sympathy for turkey's security concerns in order to move in that direction. 0n the other hand they have a strong interest in seeing the syrian government reclaim all its territory. and so the possibility of aligning with the kurds and the syrian government to

push turkey out is also there. and i think what is remarkable in a way that the united states, although we are playing handmade into the removal of the kurds from some of the areas they have captured over the areas they have captured over the last four years, the united states is unlikely to be a major player in the saga going forward. i think it is indicative of that that the 120 hours corresponds almost a ptly the 120 hours corresponds almost aptly with president erdogan‘s visit to russia to meet with president putin. this will ultimately come down to turkey and russia, much more thanit down to turkey and russia, much more than it will to the united states. what are you most concerned about here is plays out? i have said already, i think the president that are set by the united states condoning the annexation of territory is a dangerous one. but i am also very concerned about the designation of this area is a quote, unquote, safe zone. for a long time

turkey has pushed for the creation ofa turkey has pushed for the creation of a safe zone in northern syria. the 0bama administration resisted that for a long time. this agreement, among other things, absorbs that language and reproduces it and absorbs that language and reproduces itandi absorbs that language and reproduces it and i think it is a real question whether an area which is captured by proxy forces aligned with turkey, but syrian proxies, where there are likely to be continuing attacks on both sides is going to be a safe place for people to go. i think the use of that language encourages a kind of complacency about syrians being encouraged to go back there and believe that they will be safe if they do. so i think that is something we will have to watch closely. and to be clear, if it is not a safe zone, it could essentially be a killing zone? that is the fear. that is certainly what i think we have learned over the last 25 years. zone is not truly safe, encouraging civilians enter could be dangerous it is hard to

know again precisely what will happen but this has been turkey's objective for a long time. a safe zone is not a term that, until now, my us —— the us government was co mforta ble my us —— the us government was comfortable using. let's get some of the day's other news. venezuela has won a seat on the united nations human rights council, despite widespread criticism of its human rights record. nicolas maduro's government called it an "important achievement". at least 50 countries no longer recognise him as venezuela's legitimate leader. protests have continued for a fourth day in barcelona after senior separatist leaders were given lengthy prison sentences for their part in the 2017 independence movement. trade unions have called for a general strike on friday. streets across lebanon have been filled by demonstrations against the government's management of the economic crisis. they're the biggest protests in yea rs. police in the capital beirut have used tear gas against the crowds.

people across the us have been paying tribute to the veteran congressman and civil rights leader elijah cummings, who has died aged 68. he represented maryland and chaired the powerful congressional oversight committee — he was a key leader in the investigations into president trump, clashing with him many times. house speaker nancy pelosi said congress would miss his wisdom, warm friendship and great humanity. having secured a brexit deal with european leaders, the british prime minister now has the more difficult task of securing the backing of the uk parliament. he has urged mps to vote for the agreement at a special sitting of parliament on saturday. but it's by no means straight forward — partly because of his acceptance of customs checks on goods entering northern ireland from elsewhere in the uk. that has alienated one of his key backers, the democratic unionists. 0ur political editor laura kuennsberg reports from brussels at speed, tucked under his arm in the red folder, perhaps the way borisjohnson can take us out

of the eu in a matter of weeks. this is a great deal for our country, for the uk. i also believe it is a good deal for ourfriends in the eu. and what it means is that we in the uk can come out of the eu as one united kingdom. it hasn't always been an easy experience for the uk. now is the moment for our parliamentarians to come together and get this thing done. why are you confident this can get through parliament when it doesn't seem to be the case at home, and what on earth will you do if it falls on saturday? there is, as i say, a very good case for mps across the house of commons to express the democratic will of the people, as we've pledged many times to do, and to get brexit done. easier said than done. this afternoon, it looked like he couldn't believe it. how are you feeling, gentlemen? several days after

the talks got going... not only 100 days into borisjohnson‘s time in office and part one of his biggest job is complete. we have a deal. words borisjohnson might not have thought he would hear. but part two is next. many mps will deplore the deal, and it's not totally different to the one agreed by the former prime minister, theresa may, who used to walk this red carpet. but eu leaders did finally accept that the backstop, the controversial border guarantee for northern ireland, had to go. there was enough political will in the end, so there was a way. as things stand, we have a draft agreement between the eu on the one hand and the british government on the other, and also creates a unique solution for northern ireland, recognising the unique history and geography of northern ireland, one that ensures there is no hard border. but the numbers are achingly tight in parliament. if it fails on saturday, what then?

i'm not in charge. that is the job of boris. do you believe that it will? i hope it will. i'm convinced it will. but it has to. it has to, but if it doesn't? there will be no prolongation. there will be no delay? no delay, even if the deal falls? not if the opposition has anything to do with it. we believe the deal is heading britain in a deregulated society and sell—off of national assets to american corporations, so as it stands, we can't support the deal and will oppose it in parliament. mps who fear the consequences of the deal are talking, plotting perhaps to block it. not least borisjohnson‘s supposed unionist allies. in order to avoid trying to get an extension he has been too eager by far to get a deal at any cost.

and the fact of the matter is if he held his nerve and held out, he would have got better concessions that kept the integrity both economic and constitutional of the united kingdom. if the deal does not pass through parliament is this as far as the eu was prepared to go? is this finally the final deal? visibly not something they want to contemplate. "don't ask a question that doesn't arise," the negotiator said. "it's a hypothesis." but one that might soon be true. not what boris johnson or his apparent new friends want to think about tonight. they may all want to enjoy this while it lasts. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, brussels. there's confusion in mexico over the fate of 0vidio guzman, the son ofjailed drug lord el chapo. he was arrested following a fierce street battle in the city of culiacan between masked gunmen and security forces. 0vidio is believed to have become influential in the sinaloa cartel after the arrest of his father in 2016, who is serving a life

prison sentence in the united states. now, though, security forces say he's been released in order to protect lives, that's according to one minister talking to the reuters news agency. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: galactic designs. nasa has been looking at living space in space. parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake are returning to life, but in the marina area where most of the damage was done, they are more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he's gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20—pound bomb, which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, ripping a hole in the front of the building. this government will not weaken. democracy will prevail. it fills me with humility

and gratitude to know that i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost of earthly honours. this catholic nation held its breath for the men they call the 33. and then, bells tolled nationwide to announce the first rescue, and chile let out an almighty roar. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: the us vice president says turkey's offensive in northern syria will be paused after a high stakes meeting in ankara. the eu and the uk have agreed a new brexit deal. the british prime minister now needs to win support in parliament. donald trump's chief of staff has ackowledged that aid to ukraine was held up, partly to pressure for investigations into the democrats. mick mulvaney‘s comments came

after president trump's ambassador to the eu, gordon sondland, gave evidence to the house impeachment enquiry. mr sondland told the committee he had been uncomfortable with the involvement of the president's personal lawyer, rudy guliani, in foreign policy. the bbc‘s north america correspondent, peter bowes, has the latest on mick mulvaney‘s admission. it really came out of the blue. he was talking to journalists at the white house and he appeared to acknowledge that there was a quid pro quo scenario in relation to ukraine, the withholding of funds, of military aid, in return for an investigation — not an investigation into the former vice presidentjoe biden, but an investigation into the hacking of that democratic national committee server that has also been the subject of an investigation. but the key point being the possible withholding of funds in return for that investigation.

i was involved with the process by which the money was held up temporarily, 0k. three issues for that. the corruption in the country, whether or not other countries were participating in support of the ukraine, and whether or not they were cooperating in an ongoing investigation with our department ofjustice. to be clear, what you just described is a quid pro quo. it is finding will not flow unless the investigation into the democratic server happens as well? we do that all the time with foreign policy. the idea that vital military assistance would be withheld for such a patently political reason, for the reason of serving the president's re—election campaign, is a phenomenal breach of the president's duty to defend our national security and i hope that every member democrat and republican will speak out and condemn this illicit action by the president

and his chief of staff. we should just add that mick mulvaney later backtracked, saying the media had "decided to misconstrue my comments". peter bowes has also been giving us reaction to another white house announcement, that one of donald trump's golf resorts will host the g7 summit nextjune. this is the doral resort, which is in florida. and this has been long been rumoured to be a possible venue for the g7 next year. it has been confirmed, in fact, the news conference that we were just talking about, that was the main subject for discussion. and it raised a lot of eyebrows, because this is a trump family resort. this is owned by donald trump and his family. it is part of his international empire, if you like.

so a lot of people questioning — "well, is the president going to benefit from this financially?" we are told by the white house that the white house will in fact be providing the facility at cost. that there won't be a profit motive. and that it was simply chosen because of the geography of the place, the security considerations. there are separate buildings — one for each individual country. clearly, though, again, democrats havejumped on this issue as one which they say sends an extremely bad message internationally about the motives of president trump. peter bowes for us there. the founder of cu ba's national ballet company, alicia alonso, has died aged 98. world—renowned as both a dancer and choreographer, alonso was famed for her performances of giselle, among others. during the cold war, she made cuban ballet a serious competitor for the united states and the soviets. despite her severely limited vision, she was one of the most celebrated ballet dancers ever to have graced the stage. 0ur cuba correspondent, will grant,

looks back on her life. alicia alonso led a life dedicated to dance. from a young age, she was obsessed with the artistic depiction of beauty, making her debut in tcha i kovs ky‘s of beauty, making her debut in tchaikovsky's sleeping beauty. at the tender age of 16, she married and moved to new york, training at the school of american ballet. and it was in the united states that she got her break. her virtuoso performances had the critics agreeing a star had been born. however, her glittering ballet career was almost over before it began. in 1941, alonso was diagnosed with a detached retina and had to undergo surgery to correct it. confined to bed for three months and only able to dance in her head, she described the ordeal as torture to the bbc.

to ove rco m e to overcome her partial blindness, she had her partners be in exactly the right spot and used stage lights to guide her. most audiences were none the wiser. in1959, none the wiser. in 1959, the none the wiser. in1959, the cuban none the wiser. in 1959, the cuban revolution took our. unlike many of her contemporaries, alonso didn't stay away from the island but returned with fidel castro's blessing to set up the national ballet company. it was truly revolutionary, taking artand high it was truly revolutionary, taking art and high culture to the fields and the factories. the dividends are soon and the factories. the dividends are soon arrived as cuban ballet began to be considered among the finest in the world. —— dividends soon.

alonso continued to perform and tell her 70s, and alonso continued to perform and tell her70s, and in her alonso continued to perform and tell her 70s, and in her later years remained the island's principal choreographer and artistic director. her commitment to the arts men she remained a darling of the social revolution and probably the best known artistic... the beating heart of cu ban ballet known artistic... the beating heart of cuban ballet has finally come to rest. will grant on one of the greats. since taking office, donald trump has called for america to return to the moon and then aim for mars. getting there is hard enough, but what do you do once you arrive? well, the space agency, nasa, has been looking at some possible, albeit unusual, living arrangements, as the bbc‘s tim allman reports. at first glance, this looks a bit like a big,

bouncy castle that's fallen over. but it might, just might, be the solution to living among the stars. it's called expandable architecture, an inflatable habitat that could be used for a possible orbiting lunar space station or as a potential home for astronauts staying on the surface of the moon or even mars. and the whole point is to define what we like and don't like about these different habitats. and, from that, we will aggregate all the data and come up with recommendations and even requirements for what we actually want to go to flight with. neil armstrong: that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. when neil armstrong and buzz aldrin first set put on in 50 years ago it was only the briefest of visits.

—— set foot on the moon. they were there a matter of hours, rather than days, weeks, or months. and they travelled in cramped conditions, effectively in a small metal box. neil armstrong: thank you, mr president. this is the sort of living environment modern astronauts could expect. it's not exactly spacious, but it's positively roomy compared with what came before. potentially, we think that for the rest of this century this, the expandable architectures, is where it is out, not in the aluminium cans. this is a mock—up of what a potential lunar space station might look at like. construction is due to begin some time in the next decade. another giant leap could be just around the corner. tim allman, bbc news. much more for you on all the news any time on the bbc website and you can reach me and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley. thank you very much for watching.

hello. given that we've seen so much in the way of rain and some pretty hefty showers over the past few days, in many parts of the british isles, you've probably forgotten there's another face to be had from autumn. it's the quieter, still, misty, sort of chilly starts to the days, and if that's the thing you've been hankering after, that ridge of high pressure will eventually topple its way towards the british isles, but you're going to have to wait until monday. no doubt about it, in the short term it's been this — the odd bit of blue sky and some pretty hefty showers, all thanks to a big area, not of a ridge of high pressure but quite the opposite, in meteorological terms, a big area of low pressure and it's still the boss as we work our way through friday. some pretty heavy overnight

rain quitting the scene from the south—east but lingering for a good part of the day through the north—east of england, perhaps into the south—eastern quarter of scotland. following on behind, something a little bit quieter and drier for a time. showers predominantly there across western and southern parts, but gradually some of them percolating away through the course of the day further towards the east. friday into saturday, the same area of low pressure and on the southern flank we may have another area of cloud and rain just skipping in from the near continent to get into the very far south—east. some areas will stay that wee bit drier, we suspect, ‘g but this banner of cloud will drag some rain across the eastern side of scotland into the north—east of england yet again, and elsewhere, there will be a peppering of showers. temperatures about 10—15 at the very best. and that temperature profile will be tempered across northern and western parts given the strength of the northerly wind. on sunday, we see the same banner of cloud and rain slowly easing its way down into the north of england, leaving behind cold, bright conditions for the greater part of scotland and northern ireland in a straight northerly wind, so not overly warm.

and even in the south, you'll have lost two or three degrees, but sunday, a somewhat drier and brighter day away from that little occluded front in the scottish borders in the north—east of england, and we start the new week with that quieter look at autumn with the mists, the chilly starts, some cold nights to come at least for a few days. at least for a couple of days, there will be somewhat drier conditions to be had across the greater part of the british isles. watch out for mist and fog first thing, that could be a bit of an issue, but once the day gets going, a lot of dry weather, very little in the way of blue to speak of, maybe just one or two showers through the irish sea, and on the cool side despite the presence of the sunshine. tuesday still dry for the most part but you can see yourself — waiting in the wings, more wet and windy weather.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

after talks with the us vice—president, turkey's government has said it will pause its invasion of north—east syria, targeting the kurds, to allow kurdish forces to retreat from a 20—mile zone on the syrian side of the border. a senior kurdish commander has accepted the suspension, but some further clashes are reported. having secured a brexit deal with european leaders the british prime minister now has the more difficult task of winning the backing of the uk's parliament. there'll be a special sitting of parliament on saturday. the acting chief of staff at the white house has told reporters military aid to ukraine was held up — partly to put pressure on the ukrainians to investigate president trump's political opponents. his dealings with ukraine are the focus of a congressional impeachment inquiry. mick mulvaney has since said that what he said has been misconstrued. now on bbc news,