this is bbc news, i'm maryam moshiri. our top stories: dozens of people are reported missing in a wave of deadly wildfires in the us state of oregon. many more evacuation orders have been put in place, including right here, such that now more than half a million people in this state have been told to leave their homes. bahrainjoins the united arab emirates in normalising relations with israel, a move which further erodes the arab world's boycott of the jewish state. cheering and applause. protests in lesbos against conditions on the greek island, with migrants demanding to be allowed to travel to mainland europe. coronavirus is back on the rise in the uk,

with the r—number — showing how many people each patient infects — above 1 for the first time since march. hello and welcome. up to 500,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes in the american state of oregon as wildfires continue to spread across the country's west coast with around 3,000 firefighters tackling nearly 100 blazes. the state governor, kate brown has said that dozens of people are missing. the fires have killed at least four people in oregon and 11 in other west coast states. from portland, our north america correspondent aleem maqbool reports. and the scale of these

wildfires is staggering, and as they burn, more lives are being lost. seven bodies were recovered from this community alone, after the flames were fought back. but around 100 major fires are now burning across the north—western united states. they are doing what they can, but erratic winds are hampering efforts and its threatening many communities in three different states. well, overnight, two of the biggest fires in oregon merged, and many more evacuation orders have been put in place, including right here, such that now, more than half a million people in this state have been told to leave their homes. those who fled medford, in oregon, told of having just minutes to grab what they could before their homes were completely engulfed and destroyed. in the last ten years, we see an average of 500,000 acres burned in an entire year. we've seen that nearly double

in the past three days. we have never seen this amount of uncontained fire across our state. the governor talked of this being the acute impact of climate change, and warned that, as unprecedented as these fires have been, to expect more of the same kind of devastation in the future. and there is still such a long way to go in the fight against this disaster, and fears of many more deaths to come. aleem maqbool, bbc news in sandy, 0regon. let's go to california now and speak to commander bill ward. he is from the madera county sheriff's office, where he joins us from now. thank you so much for taking the time for what must be a busy time for you. first of all can you tell me what has been happening around the area? yeah, so much like 0regon happening around the area? yeah, so much like oregon and other western states right now,

oui’ other western states right now, ourfire, we are calling it other western states right now, our fire, we are calling it the creek fire, started last friday so creek fire, started last friday so it has been going for about a week now but as of this morning it is ready up to 176,000 acres and only about 6% contained. so it is one of the worst fires we have seen around here, i have been working here for 2h years and it is definitely the worst fire i have ever seen. how definitely the worst fire i have ever seen. how much damage has done already? you know, it is really hard, we don't know yet. there is lots of areas where the fire is still actively burning so we have not even really had a chance to go in and start surveying the damage. so what have you been doing, i know you said earlier on to the producer that you have been going and helping with the evacuation, checking on residents, what is the situation with the evacuation right now? so when madera cou nty we right now? so when madera county we have operably about 4000 people —— probably about 4000 people —— probably about 4000 people —— probably about 4000 people evacuated and about 15,000 under warning which is

basically, we have told them to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. so what our deputies are doing is basically patrolling those areas to make sure that the looters don't come in and steal from the homes that are now abandoned, so we homes that are now abandoned, so we have been doing a lot of trolling, we helped with the evacuations, and —— patrolling, we help would the evacuations and we are trying to keep the area safe right now. given what you have said about these fires being amongst the words you have seen, have people been willing to evacuate quite easily, have people been 0k with doing that when they have been asked to and needed to? we a lwa ys been asked to and needed to? we always have refusals, but it seems like this time around many more people seem to be willing to leave. i think a lot of people just recognise that this one is different, this one seems a lot more severe than the ones we have had in the last ten years or so. and looking ahead to the next few hours, the next few days, what are you expecting, what are you

hoping? so we're the fire slows down, and doesn't spread as much, they are forecasting some weather conditions that might not be helpful, they are forecasting some conditions that might cause the fire to get started moving more quickly again, but we hoping not, are hoping it slows down. calfire are working on containment lines and beating backfires, so what we really hoping is that the fire doesn't grow any larger. —— beating back fires. commander bill ward from madera county, thank you for talking to us on bbc news. the kingdom of bahrain has become the latest arab gulf state to say it is normalising its relations with israel, less than a month after the united arab emirates said it was establishing ties. announcing the deal, president trump described it as "another historic breakthrough". the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, called it

"a new era of peace." tom bateman reports from jerusalem. an american president hailing a peace deal in the middle east. the agreement makes bahrain only the fourth arab country to normalise ties with israel, a much—needed burn in the white house ahead of an election. -- boone. i want to thank the leaders of israel and bahrain for their vision and courage to forge this historic agreement, their leadership is proving that the leadership —— future can be filled with hope and it does not need to be predetermined by conflicts of the past. ajoint statement between israel and bahrain called their agreement a historic breakthrough. it is likely to involve it —— mutual embassies, direct flights and new security ties among countries that share a common adversarial in iran. translation: i am adversarial in iran. translation: iam moved adversarial in iran. translation: i am moved to be

able to tell you that this evening we reached a peace agreement with another arab country, bahrain. this agreement adds to the historic agreement adds to the historic agreement with the united arab emirates. it is another significant moment for relations between israel and the arab world. last month the uae and israelis agreed to forge diplomatic links. it leaves the palestinians feeling sidelined. they condemned the latest agreement, calling it a dangerous betrayal. they believe the move by the gulf countries torpedoes are promised by arab states not to embrace israel until palestinian statehood is achieved. the gulf countries believe their move could nudge forward an end to the israeli—palestinian conflict but critics see more self—interest than peacemaking for the parties involved. migrants on the greek island of lesbos have been protesting on the streets, demanding the freedom to travel on to mainland europe.

more than 10,000 migrants were left without shelter this week after europe's largest refugee camp was gutted by fire. protesters approached riot police cordoning off the road out of the moria camp. 400 unaccompanied children from the camp are to be taken in by eu countries. the european commission says the destroyed camp will be rebuilt — a plan strongly opposed by authorities on the island. 0ur correspondent bethany bell is on lesbos. many, many migrants are sleeping rough after the moria camp burnt down, they're camping out on the sides of roads, some of them sleeping in cemeteries or under the trees in olive groves. some aid workers have been supplying them with food and basic supplies, but sanitary conditions are grim, there's little to no running water and it is very difficult for people to wash themselves. people here have been holding protests.

migrants have been marching up and down, demanding freedom to move to other parts of europe, away from lesbos and away from greece. "freedom, not food," one person said. "we want to go somewhere else. we want europe to help us." the local greeks here also want the migrants to go somewhere else — they say lesbos has borne the brunt of europe's migrant crisis for too long, but at the moment, an agreement by the eu looks very difficult. bethany bell there. britain's coronavirus epidemic is once more on the rise. for the first time since march, the r number for coronavirus infections has risen above the crucial level of 1, meaning the virus is now spreading again. that appears to be backed up by the latest daily figures for the last 24 hours, which show the highest number of new infections in almost 4 months. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh reports on the rising coronavirus levels.

how do you ensure people have the freedom to socialise and spend money — as in london tonight — while keeping coronavirus in check? more and more evidence is showing the virus is on the rise, including a massive study by imperial college london, testing people at home. this monthly survey acts like an early warning system for the prevalence of coronavirus throughout england. 150,000 volunteers do home swab tests. now, the results for the end of august show there were 136 positive cases, sharply up on the previous month, but still lower than when the survey was first carried out in may. 65% of those who were positive had no symptoms on the day they were tested, which underlines the importance of social distancing. across the uk, the r number

is thought to be between 1.0 and 1.2, which means the epidemic is growing, but from a low base. it's thought the prevalence is doubling every seven to ten days. now, back pre—lockdown, r was somewhere about 3, and cases were doubling every three to four days, so we are in a much better position than back then. heed the message because with the virus turning up and robustly turning up, with the r value being above one but the prevalence quite low. most testing our quite young but there is concerned about the virus spreading to the elderly and vulnerable. if we look at

the number of patients with covid—19 hospital across the uk, that peaked at around 20,000 in mid april and then fell sharply for several months before, levelling off. it is now above 800 patients and may be creeping up again. now above 800 patients and may be creeping up againlj now above 800 patients and may be creeping up again. i am a lot less optimistic than i was even a few weeks ago. partly because of the very rapid and unexpectedly rapid increase in case numbers this last week, and also the reports of the difficulties that we are in actually providing enough testing facilities. those tracking the epidemic say the latest figures are a wake—up call, and a reminder that the threat from coronavirus has not gone away. the british prime minister borisjohnson has told his conservative mps to back his plan to override part of the brexit withdrawal agreement with the eu, saying it's necessary to protect the integrity of the uk.

the government's decision to introduce legislation it's already admitted will breach international law has provoked anger from some in his party, and a stinging response from brussels, which is threatening legal action. here's our chief political correspondent, vicki young. iam not i am not quite sure it was the meeting that many were hoping for, notjust meeting that many were hoping for, not just because meeting that many were hoping for, notjust because it was a remote meeting with a dodgy internet single signal, they we re internet single signal, they were not allowed to ask any questions. they were looking for a sign of compromise, they simply can't believe that the government is prepared to break international law, but that is not what they got from the prime minister. he dug his heels in, no compromise and no backing down on this, he says that the eu is misinterpreting what was agreed in that accident deal and he said it would lead to the breakup of the uk, he is referring to the different trade laws between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. i am northern ireland and the rest of the uk. iam not sure northern ireland and the rest of the uk. i am not sure we should be too surprised that the government is forging ahead

with this, there is plenty of evidence that they actually relish the unpredictable. remember last year there was a brexit stalemate, they suspended parliament, despite the howls of protest. now they are caught up in this very, very long chess game, more negotiations with the eu and today, this week they have done the equivalent of really tipping up the entire table. i think even they can't be sure where the pieces were land. let's ta ke let's take you to the colombian capital bogota where there appears to be a third night of protest after the death of a man in police custody. a video release on social media showed the man being repeatedly tasered by police during a street arrest, pleading for the officers to stop. the father of two later died in hospital. columbia's defence minister on friday publicly apologise for police brutality, he also said police brutality, he also said police authorities had opened an internal investigation against two uniformed officers for the alleged crime of abuse

of authority and homicide. at least 13 people were killed and more than 400 wounded in two previous nights of protest. let's get some of the day's other news. at least 50 people are feared to have been killed in the democratic republic of congo when an artisanal gold mine collapsed near the eastern town of kamituga. the town's mayor said heavy rains caused landslides in three mining wells, trapping the miners. all fourformer us police officers charged in connection with the death of a black man, george floyd, in may have appeared in court in the city of minneapolis. derek chauvin, who faces the most serious accusations, was making his first in—person court appearance since he was charged with murder. afghan government negotiators, seen here leaving kabul, have arrived in doha to take part in the first formal intra—afg han peace talks with the taliban which start on saturday. the us secretary of state,

mike pompeo, will also attend the negotiations. this is bbc news, the headlines: more than 500,000 people in the us state of oregon are fleeing deadly wildfires that are raging across the pacific northwest. at least 10 people are reported to have died and dozens more are missing. bahrain says it is normalising relations with israel, in a move that further erodes the arab world's boycott of the jewish state. it's been 19 years since the september 11th hijackings killed nearly three thousand people in what remains the deadliest attack on us soil since the second world war. and throughout the country, memorials were held in rememberence of the victims. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant has this report. 9/11, the day that separated the past and the future into the before and the after.

this year in new york, the commemorations were loaded with extra meaning. in 2020, amidst a viral onslaught, this city became ground zero again. families of the victims wore masks, but on a day of such high emotion, it was hard to maintain a social distance. moments of remembrance at a time of mass mourning in america. thomas atwood. donald trump marked this solemn day in shanksville, pennsylvania, where united airlines flight 93 crashed into a field after passengers tried to overpower the hijackers. the heroes of flight 93 are an everlasting reminder that no matter the danger, no matter the threat, no matter the odds, america will always rise up, stand tall and fight back.

joe biden, the democrat seeking to replace donald trump as president, began his day by paying his respects to the 9/11 memorial in lower manhattan and suspending campaigning in the presidential race. he's presented himself as the empathy candidate, a father who's suffered enormous personal grief himself, who understands the bereavement of others. in the aftermath of 9/11, america came together in the face of a common enemy. but that hasn't happened in response to covid—19. the pandemic has exposed the polarised state of this nation. this anniversary is hard to detach from the looming presidential election, and in the waters of lower manhattan, some supporters of donald trump made their presence felt. political no—go zones are a thing of the american past. nick bryant,

bbc news, new york. us secretary of state says he is concerned about some arrested activists in hong kong who were detained in mainland china. he called on them to ensure the rights were being upheld. spain was among the european countries intially hardest hit by the covid pandemic. the country brought in strict lockdown measures, and for a while they seemed to be working. cases dropped and life began to return to normal. but, as in many other countries, recent weeks have seen a resurgence of new infections. guy hedgecoe reports from madrid on the measures being taken. for 7—year—old julia, this is a big day. a national lockdown followed by the long summer holiday have meant she is going to school for the first time in six months.

0ver eight million spanish children are going back to the classroom this month. they want to come back to school because they miss their friends, their teachers, so it's a nice moment for them. the return to school is being staggered according to age groups, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus. it's just one of many new measures. children aged six and over must now wear face masks here at sagrada familia primary and in all schools across spain. i think what's going to happen is we're going to open the schools this week and probably start closing, opening, closing, opening, so it's going to be like an intermittance model. this second wave of the virus is affecting younger people more than the first wave.

although infections have been rising steadily, the death rate has remained relatively low and hospitalisation rates are still well below the levels of march and april. the response to the recent resurgence of coronavirus in spain has been for local authorities to reintroduce restrictions in those areas that have been affected. for example, here in madrid just a few days ago, the local government announced new limits on social contact in public spaces, such as bars and restaurants. my worry is that we reach autumn and winter, and then our behaviour change. we go more indoors, we meet with friends, family, we go to pubs, restaurants indoors, and this is a perfect place for virus transmission. after a tragic spring and a difficult summer, spain is desperately hoping for something like a normal autumn. guy hedgecoe, bbc news, madrid. here, as coronavirus infections begin to rise again, there's an increased focus on how to ensure that schools

can remain open across the uk. now, two big new research projects have received funding, to investigate how the virus might be transmitted in schools. 0ur education editor, branwenjeffreys has more details. at the school front door, the first reminder of coronavirus, the risk their education will be disrupted again. but these pupils in bristol could help change that. taking a saliva test for the virus once a month, so cases without symptoms are spotted. if you do know that you have it, then you can stay at home for, like, two weeks and make sure that you've fully recovered. at such a critical time, learning obviously our gcses, so keeping school open for our year right now is probably the best thing that can happen. the benefits are of testing, like, you know you can take

precautions, you can quickly isolate, and help others stay safe. for the first time since march, all pupils are back. cases are rising in towns and cities across england. understanding any links is now urgent. we know remarkably little about transmission between children, because there's been so little testing in schools. and without that knowledge, a winter of disruption lies ahead, because so many of them may get the virus and not show any symptoms. this is the scientist hoping to find some answers. her team will test 4,000 pupils and 1,000 staff. here we are with a project that we have co—created with schools. at the moment, schools often don't know who has or has had the virus.

we need to get increase our knowledge, in terms of the rate of infection in this age group, but also work with schools to be able to embed good health behaviours. the solution isn't solely in testing, it's in how testing is incorporated with other measures. already, some schools have been disrupted. for this head teacher, rapid test results mean keeping her school open. i love seeing children in school, and i love hearing them. i love hearing them learning, and so what i want is all the tools i can have to keep that going. i don't want to have to close the school, and i really don't want to have to ask children to learn from home again. research in schools across bristol will help everyone by mapping infections in one city. branwen jeffreys, bbc news, bristol. you can reach me on twitter —

i'm @ bbcmaryam. hello. the weekend is upon us and the weather is looking a bit mixed. something of a north—south split. across much of england and wales we've got a fairly decent weekend ahead. it's looking largely dry, pretty warm as well with some sunshine on offer. but for scotland and northern ireland, a different story. here, things will be turning increasingly windy, particularly through saturday, and there'll be some rain at times. heaviest for the northwest of scotland on sunday. but for now, we've got this week weather front that's been slipping its way slowly south of the past 24 hours or so. a more active weather front waiting out in the atlantic. that is what will bring the rain to the northwest. saturday morning, we just

got a band of cloud on this weak weather front pushing south. could be the odd spot of drizzle for southern england first thing, but that clears away. much of the uk looking bright with some long spells of sunshine, but there will be more of those blustery showers for scotland and northern ireland. more persistant rain arriving by the evening. temperatures on saturday will move to about 13 to 21 degrees. as we move through saturday overnigh,t we see that that more persistent rain arriving across northern ireland and scotland to really heavy around those hills in west in particular. whereas further south, you should stay dry overnight. and for all of us, it is going to be mild. most places, temperatures are in the low teens to start sunday morning. through the day on sunday, high pressure to the south keeping things settled, but we've got this weather front, this warm front which is going to be quite slow moving through the day. on sunday, more heavy persistent rain which could lead to some flooding and disruption across the northern highlands in particular with a weather warning for that. elsewhere, a lot of dry weather. the best of the sunshine towards the south and east, when temperatures will be up

to about 24 degrees on sunday. that warming trend is going to continue to the working week too. moving on to monday, as that warm front pushes its way further north, it is pulling in this warmer airfrom spain and france. it will feel quite warm for many of us on monday with long spells of sunshine. could be more cloud and perhaps the odd shower along some northwestern part of the uk. most places are avoiding it. for the sunshine, those temperatures in the southeast, 29, possibly 30 degrees. many of us in the low to mid 20s on monday. stays warm to the middle part of the week, gradually turns a bit cooler and fresher as we head towards the end of the coming week.

this is bbc news,

the headlines: more than 500,000 people in the us state of oregon are fleeing deadly wildfires that are raging across the pacific northwest. at least ten people have died and dozens more have been reported as missing. bahrain says it is normalising its relations with israel — less than a month after the united arab emirates said it was establishing ties. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, called it a new era of peace. but the palestinian leadership slammed it as a "betrayal ofjerusalem and the palestinian cause". there have been protests by migrants stranded on the greek island of lesbos after europe's biggest refugee camp was gutted by fire on tuesday. they're protesting against the construction of a replacement camp and want to be allowed to travel on to mainland europe.