of oregon are fleeing deadly wildfires that are raging across the pacific northwest. at least 10 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. 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. our 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. now on bbc news, our world.

in the forests of colombia, nature is under attack. since the civil war ended in 2016, deforestation has skyrocketed. i'm frank gardner and i am heading into what remains of the virgin tropical rainforest. i traded in my wheelchair for a packhorse and am tested to my limits. i think this is too dangerous. i don't think i can do this. i am joining a crack team of scientists from the royal botanic gardens, kew. they are on a mission to discover and save unique plant species before they vanish forever. i am going to bear witness on the frontline of rainforest conservation.

this is where the journey begins — not in colombia, but in the royal botanic gardens, kew, london. kew is the world leader in developing plant science. the botanists are preparing for their mission to discover new species. and it is from here that this expedition will be launched. i have come here to see the expedition leader, doctor mauricio de bernardos. he works in a library for lab specimens. this is where we

identify new plants. we believe we have more than 200,000 different species here. you are a botanist and a biologist. and a scientist and an explorer in some sense. what are you expecting to get from this mission? the most remote areas are the best preserved and this is going to be our most important expedition. we're going to try to get into the heart of this area. we do not know what we expect to find. what is at stake with this whole trip that we're doing? why is this so important? we are in a race against time to protect this biodiversity from disappearing. we have rapid deforestation. we see how we are losing this forest very quickly and ourjob is to get an understanding about the diversity of these resources as well

as their importance. in 2016, the colombian government signed a peace deal with the farc rebels. for more than half a century, civil war actually slowed the pace of deforestation. but now remote tracts of land have opened up. farmers, loggers, and miners are scrambling for resources. colombia is now reportedly losing 3,000 square kilometres of forest every year. we are travelling to an area famous for its emerald mines, western boyaca. this is a bittersweet journey for me. this could be the last time that i could see this forest. if i come back in ten years, this forest could be gone. colombia is still an eden.

it's the second most biodiverse country in the world, after brazil. i may be the bbc‘s security correspondent, but my passion is for nature. you know, just look around you. there's incredible scenery. it is such a privilege to be here. i love being surrounded by the sounds and smells of nature. nature has always been something of an antidote to myjob as a security correspondent. in 2004, i was shot and partly paralysed while on the job. i won't deny, i have a certain trepidation about the trip itself because everybody else is walking. i will need to do this on horseback or i will not make it. the team assemble at the edge of the rainforest in las

quinchas. it's going to be a beautiful day. yes, it is going to be a beautiful day. this is the first time this area will be explored by scientists. for so many years, conflict and criminality made this area inaccessible to outsiders. if you see a snake, everybody please freeze, don't move. we are going to carry radios at all times. you, actually, frank, you'll have a radio. so this is going to be your radio. i'm going to be quite busy trying to control the horse. well, yes, maybe we can put this on the horse so you can have something that you can... the horse can do the radio. there is a bit of a risk here.

my legs are like honeycomb, the bones. i cannot afford to fall off and break things. at the beginning of the track is a steep descent. the botanists hope to find new species deep inside the forest. but i am unable to hold on with my legs. guys, i don't think i can do this. i'm going to fall off. i think this is just too dangerous. i mean, it breaks my heart, ijust... i think you will have to carry on without me. but the local guides come up with an idea. well done. 0k.

i am so thrilled that despite my injuries, thanks to the endurance and kindness of these guys, i am able to see this amazing scenery. primary forests are the most bio—diverse terrestrial ecosystems anywhere on the planet. forests are not only vital in mitigating climate change, the botanists hope to find plants with untold potential. they get to work collecting specimens. we don't know what it is. it could be a philodendron.

beautiful. one of the local guides believes that he has chanced on something extraordinary. this, we actually don't know exactly what it is. it could be something new. we are the first botanists collecting in this area. so basically every single collection is a new report for science in this area. the scientists will take the cuttings to the laboratory for further examination, in kew. this, we actually don't know exactly what it is. it could be something new. we are the first botanists collecting in this area. so basically every single collection is a new report for science in this area. the scientists will take

the cuttings to the laboratory for further examination, in kew. beyond the fact that it is scientifically interesting, what does it mean to find new species like this in a remote forest? in a country like this, unusually biodiverse, we still do not know how many species are out there. we are estimating in colombia we have about 30,000 species, but still probably 6,000 new species to be discovered. so you think that there are new species out here in these forests that could actually vanish before they are even discovered? yes, absolutely. and we still don't know the uses of many species. some of the species could have the properties to cure important diseases for humans. and so as biologists, as botanists, we need to understand as much as possible as quick as possible of this amazing biodiversity. this is like a supermarket, or a pharmacy, and we don't know it, we don't appreciate the forest. 0ur quality of life relies on the preservation of these environments.

in the fight to save the forests, the colombian government has extended its protection to millions of acres of land. the army launched 0peracion artemisa in 2019 to combat illegal logging. colonel hermida has a thousand troops deployed in the area. what effect has this had on deforestation here?

but this can't really apply to the whole of colombia, because deforestation is continuing throughout the country. i mean, even here, they are still doing it. this region, colonel, seems very secure, very peaceful but of course in the past, it wasn't like that. do you worry that if they don't find proper alternatives for people to make a living, that this region will go back to conflict?

under colombian law, illegal deforestation carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison.

but in remote places, the law is hard to enforce. illegal loggers are still at work in these forests.

the loggers say they have bills to pay. they've chosen their target — an 80—year—old rosewood tree. chainsaw revs.

this fallen giant will make the loggers $300. these valleys are populated

by miners and loggers. in the town of 0tanche, members of the community have been invited to a workshop organised by the authorities. they hope ecotourism will be the silver bullet, providing an income for the community while saving the forest. the botanists from kew have been invited to make their case.

the fact that there is such a good turnout here, better than expected, shows there is a lot of interest in alternatives to cutting down the forest. but the question is, is it going to give people enough of a livelihood? and that's a big question. the colonel has turned up. sitting next to him is edemildo, who's been a logger all his life. now, though, he is looking for new opportunities.

lidia is one of the pioneers of ecotourism. she set up a butterfly sanctuary to try and entice tourists into the region. it is a natural destination for tourism but there is no infrastructure for it at all. it's going to take years, isn't it? and by then, the forest will be almost gone. are you optimistic or pessimistic? are you going to win this fight to save colombia's natural heritage?

for future generations and the environment, time is running out. the need for a solution is urgent. i'm back on the horse on another field trip with the botanists. this time on rather more even ground. wow! oh, my god! it's like... this is incredible! of all the wild, remote places i've been to in the world, i think this is got to be right up there near the top and as a disabled person, as somebody who can't walk, who has to use a wheelchair, it's amazingly liberating that here, amongst all this rare flora

and fauna, these beautiful butterflies and rare plants, there's this amazing biodiversity. the scientists from kew remain hopeful of finding hidden treasures, before it's too late. it isa it is a very unusual plant, i have never seen it before. i have no idea what genus it belongs to. the thing about plants, they can be rare and special. they all look the same but it's just when you go back and start comparing them with others, you find out how important they are. mauricio, do you think you can persuade people to stop cutting down the forest soon enough before the forest is gone? that's very hard to say. that's our hope and that's our mission. that's why we are here. i believe that we can make a change. we just have to do our best to protect the best of this biodiversity.

jennifer is a local botanist. she's exploring new areas of her country for the first time. how optimistic or pessimistic are you that you, and others like you, who care about nature, who care about biodiversity, that you can save this forest? it's great that you're optimistic but the reality is, the area of forest is getting smaller every year.

colombia today is a post—conflict nation, but it faces a new battle to protect its natural resources. the biodiversity contained in these forests could prove to be its most precious commodity of all.

hello. the weekend is upon us and the weather's looking a bit mixed. it's 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 for 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 north—west of scotland on sunday. but for the here and now, we've got this weak weather front here that's been slipping its way slowly south over the past 2a hours or so. but a more active weather front waiting out in the atlantic — that is what will bring the rain to the north—west. but for saturday morning, we've 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 dry with some long spells of sunshine, but there will be more of those blustery showers for scotland and for

northern ireland, with more persistent rain arriving by the evening. temperatures on saturday somewhere between 13—21 degrees. as we move through saturday overnight, that's where we see that more persistent rain arriving across northern ireland and scotland, too, really heavy around those hills in the west in particular. whereas further south, you should stay dry overnight. and for all of us, it is going to be mild. for most places, temperatures are in the low teens to start sunday morning. now, through the day on sunday, high pressure sits 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. so on sunday, more heavy, persistent rain which could lead to some flooding and disruption across the northern highlands in particular — we've got a weather warning in force for that. but elsewhere, a lot of dry weather. the best of the sunshine towards the south and east, where temperatures will be up to about 2k degrees on sunday. that warming trend is going to continue into the new working week, too. moving on to monday now, as that warm front pushes its way gradually further north, it is pulling in this warmer airfrom spain

and france. so it is going to feel quite warm for many of us certainly on monday with long spells of sunshine. could be a bit more cloud and perhaps the odd shower along some northern and western part of the uk. most places are avoiding it, though. and in the sunshine, those temperatures in the south—east, 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 things turn a bit cooler and fresher as we head towards the end of the coming week. bye— bye.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm maryam moshiri. 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. the first peace talks between the taliban and the afghan government are due to begin, but can they really end decades of conflict? bahrainjoins the united arab emirates in normalising relations with israel, a move which further erodes the arab world's boycott of the jewish state. protests in lesbos against conditions on the greek island, with migrants demanding to be allowed to travel to mainland