this is bbc news. the headlines: on his second day in hospital, donald trump has tweeted a video thanking well—wishers, and says he's making progress but admits he still expects to remain at the walter reed medical centre for a few more days to come. sol so ijust so i just want to tell you that i'm starting to feel good. you don't know — over the next period of a few days, i guess that's the real test, so we will be seeing what happens over the next couple of days. and in other news, despite international calls for calm, fighting has intensified in the disputed region of nagorno karabakh with reports of civilians being targeted. armenia's president says the country is facing a ‘decisive moment‘ as it battles azerbaijan for control of the region. regional powers have appealed for calm.

borisjohnson and the european commission president, ursula von der leyen, issued a statement on saturday agreeing to step up efforts to resolve the differences that exist in the brexit trade talks. they acknowledged that significant gaps still remain. here's our political correspondent iain watson. both sides have agreed to keep talking because the formal negotiations ended without agreement yesterday. despite that borisjohnson in his words is not going to throw in the sponge, both sides have actually intensified to see if they can overcome our differences. was that important? if they don't, by the end the brexit transition period ends there will be tariffs. in other words taxes on goods which push prices up. just because they are talking doesn't mean they are closer to agreement. both sides say they are closer to agreement.

both sides say their differences on fishing rights, side subsidies to industry and other differences. at the conservative party conference the coronavirus crisis the foreign secretary ratcheted up thei rhetoric and said that they've been held over a barrel of brussels have been ended. in other words they will not at any price. now on bbc news: the travel show is in munich marking this year's cancelled oktoberfest, alabama to celebrate the united states‘ oldest mardi gras and sniffing out truffles in italy. this week on the show: great big steins of beer... laughs. .the jazziest pensioner in harlem... ..and how much will i get for this truffle i found 7 oof, that‘s got a whiff. hi, and welcome to the show,

this week from italy, where it‘s coming up to truffle season. and later on in the programme, i‘ll be heading off into the woods to make my fortune, foraging for what they call diamonds in the dirt. first, though, we‘re heading across europe to the city of munich in southern germany. the oktoberfest beer festival is the biggest folk festival in the world. more than 6 million people arrived to celebrate last year but in 2020, like so many other things, it‘s been called off. so we sent christa to see if german drinkers are drowning their sorrows or raising a glass to a quieter autumn than usual. for many locals here in munich, oktoberfest is the highlight of the year. so when the decision was made in april to cancel the event, locals decided to find a way to honour the festival. festivities aren‘t officially supposed to start for another hour and

the crowd is building. i have come to the hofbrauhaus, one of the oldest beer halls in munich. it‘s one of 50 local businesses throwing a quieter party this year. oktoberfest has been taking place for more than 200 years. some of its early rituals are still part of today‘s celebrations, like wearing lederhosen and a dress called the dirndl. and of course, this. the first keg has been tapped, the first steins of beer poured. now let the drinking and singing begin. although there are social distancing rules in place, it does seem pretty busy to me. tobias ra ntzinger is one of the organisers. tell me, what decisions have you have taken to protect your guests from covid? we started to take the tables

and chairs apart so people do not sit as close and that means we cannot have as many visitors as we would like to have. of course we keep the distance, we have all kinds of hygienes and measures and what is a big difference right now, it‘s more quiet. we have the expression gemutlichkeit — it‘s a little bit like cosy, quiet, you feel good but it‘s not the wild party. we went back to the roots of the oktoberfest. the oktoberfest started — they had a wedding. the king married therese, so at that time there was nothing there so the people went to celebrate the wedding of their king, but then they went back to the city, to munich, to drink beer, to have food and to celebrate in the restaurants. so what we do now since there‘s no oktoberfest, just like 1810, we celebrate in the restaurants. outside on the street, there‘s a definite party mood. these are the famous horses

who come to bring the ceremonious kegs for oktoberfest. it‘s getting quite crowded. but for those who take part in the festival every year, the atmosphere this time around is very different. normally, there are millions of international guests, which makes it buzzy, bustling and very cosmopolitan. it‘s left this tour guide feeling a bit bereft. what does oktoberfest mean to you and how did it feel to realise it wasn‘t going to happen this year? was the first time since i‘m born that the oktoberfest never happened. it‘s like christmas is not running, your birthday is not running, you know, easter — the rabbit is not there. it‘s such deep in my heart and in my veins that you cannot compare it to anything else. this year, alex is offering the next best thing — a virtual experience of the oktoberfest. so what can we expect from this online escape? so this should be a very interactive.

so it‘s not only that i talk, talk, talk, talk, talk and you sleep. so i‘m starting with the history, which is very important, really brilliant. a bit with that idea, then i show you some photos, some music. i would love to bring the spirit of the oktoberfest, even if it‘s not working, to your house, to you, ok? i have...now it‘s empty but it will be full later. so i can drink a beer with you and we‘ll eat sausages with you, you know? i have a pretzel still in there. so all these things i want to have that you can actually enjoy it in these times, a little bit of the spirit, and probably you learn more about the oktoberfest than you thought. but if we‘re looking for a silver lining here, this online event means that oktoberfest is truly accessible for everyone around the world. not everyone can make it to oktoberfest in person, yet now they can have an experience of it. correct. and therefore, and you can actually take

all the information, all the life events that i bring it to you, and you can do it with your family. now, you build a little tent in your garden, you buy some beers, some pretzels, some white sausage, a lot of things, you dress like this and you have your own oktoberfest. since filming, munich has further tightened its rules on mask wearing and social gatherings, but it seems even the pandemic can‘t dampen the locals‘ love for oktoberfest. so how do you feel about covid in this environment? is it something you‘re worried about? it‘s quiet — not a normal a situation but it‘s right to keep distance to each other. i think we care but it's not about us, it's about our grandparents, so if you wear your mask and you keep your distance and wash your hands, i think it's all right. but i don't want to go to my grandparents in the next week or two so they're safe. covid hasn‘t quite ruined oktoberfest yet. no, not at all, it'sjust different. and for some, this quieter celebration

is a welcome return to the festival‘s origins. it is a really lovely atmosphere here, and it makes me wonder if local people mightn‘t rather like going back to the old traditions, rather than the kind of hectic oktoberfest we‘ve come to know. we have 3,500 regular guests, local people, from munich, from the suburbs. and in the past years, some of these older people said, "i will not go to the oktoberfest because it‘s just so much party, there are so many people" and this year, these people come happily to the oktoberfest but we still hope very much, we expect, we need, we want,

the oktoberfest next year, of course. in a normal year, oktoberfest goes through around 7 million litres of beer. it‘s served up by an army of waiters who can walk up to 20 kilometres a day. ahh! traditionally, it‘s poured into glasses called steins and you need a powerful arm to carry it around. so do you do weights at home or do you do training? no, we have training every day here. laughs i start this work in 2003 and the first morning after my first day, i cannot brush my teeth because my arms don‘t do this. i‘ve been to munich, to the hofbrauhaus and seen ladies like you with these amazing stacks of beers and you make it look so easy. and ifeel like oh, i should be able to do that, but i‘m also aware that... i think you can do this. you think i can do it? yep.

all right. if i can get an inch of the table i‘ll be happy. put it to your... 0k, have to put it- ..breast... oh, oh, ohh! laughs. i can‘t do it! just put it first to your breast and then you... ok, all right, one more try. i‘m genuinely trying here, this is not... struggling. ahhhh, yes! i got an inch off the table! come on! that‘s the best i‘m going to do, i think. laughs perfect. you can start working here tomorrow. laughs i think i would have to seriously pump some iron before i can considered that, but thank you so much. you‘re welcome. i mean, that‘s it for my career as a waitress here at the hofbrauhaus. i think i‘d be a disaster. i‘ll have to drink the beer instead.

still to come... meet marjorie, the woman keeping parlour jazz alive in harlem. and italy‘s black gold — will this fungus make me rich? oof, that‘s got a whiff. this week i find myself in northern italy. these are the backstreets of turin, and while i‘m here, there‘s something i want to show you. turin likes to see itself as being the capital of chocolate in europe, and in fact, in the 1800s, swiss chocolatiers used to come here to learn their trade. but what perhaps isn‘t known that much is that before we had the chocolate we know now, the edible chocolate that we all eat, drinking chocolate was the real treat for the privileged elite

from the 1700s onwards, and in fact, it‘s this cafe, al bicerin, which was the first establishment of its kind to be created in this city. and in fact, here it is. so you can see it here in the bicerin glass, which is why it‘s named that, it‘s three layers. on the top is milk, in the middle is chocolate and on the bottom is coffee. now, this is a secret recipe, they tell me. what i do know is that they spend hours back in the kitchen making the chocolate. and over the centuries, we‘re talking artists, intellectuals, all your hoi polloi, have come here and drunk this stuff, and today it is a tourism magnet. salute. exquisite.

next this week, we‘re off to new york city in the first part of our series meeting some of the characters we think really define the united states. and we‘re starting in harlem with a pensioner who, before social distancing became a thing, spent her sundays cramming the crowds into her front room for a feast of jazz. i came to new york with the dream of being an actress. i‘d always wanted to have my own theatre. to have my own theatre, write the plays, direct the plays. this apartment worked out to be ideal. band plays jazz. i live in harlem, new york. i have music and theatre every sunday. jazz, 3:30. my door is not locked

and the public is invited in. people come from all sorts of places. they come as if they have known me forever and we become instant family. there‘s a connection there. i moved to this apartment 36 years ago. this building was filled with musicians. we used to have readings here. we‘d have rehearsals here, poetry nights here. i found that there was a vibrant theatre movement in harlem. but now, it‘s every sunday, a celebration. my son passed away in 1992, august. i wanted to celebrate

the anniversary. i went next door to morris—jumel mansion — i wanted to do a jazz concert, music outside. i needed to do it because sundays were really difficult, because he passed away on sunday. i asked my friends to come. "you‘ve gotta come, gotta come". the word—of—mouth was very, very important — really critical to the way it started. and now, i‘m excited, getting a lot of young people who come to new york from all kinds of places. and it‘s a cheap date, no charge. i serve food but that‘s not — they didn‘t come for the food. # this little light of mine. # i'm gonna let it shine. # this little light of mine. they‘re really bringing

something to you, this healing power of being together. they don‘t really know what they give me. it keeps me anchored. sometimes when i play, i‘ll... ..fight tears. but then i... ..geta grip. there‘s a joy in the music. the audience is really the most powerful piece of this because i feel they trust me and they celebrate with me. the celebration honours my children and it‘s exciting for me. the activity of getting it ready kind of holds me together. somewhere, there is a strength that that i didn‘t know i had. we‘re connected by the music because music has its own language. people make the world go round, if you want, but we need each other. it‘s a moment where we can

find pea, you know, for at least two hours. it‘s quite stunning and i think "wow! how did all of this happen?" marjorie eliot! cheering and applause. marjorie, who is still going strong and hoping to restart her regular sunday get—togethers in harlem once the current restrictions are lifted. i‘ve come to a tiny town in north—west italy called alba, which is the truffle capital of the world. it‘s what‘s made this region famous everywhere, and i‘m about to have the signature dish. grazie.

buongiorno. there we are. and the truffle. ah! 0h! doesn‘t that smell. . .! so this is what the fuss is all about. it may be a fungus but actually, the aroma especially and the taste make it a real speciality. and sometimes, the value of this can go sky high. and i am going to find out some more. these fungi are famously fickle about their growing conditions. it‘s the perfect combination of elements in the hills of italy that produce the flavour that is sought after. pre—covid, there was a growing demand for these truffles and this led to a burgeoning tourism industry that‘s bringing people to this area. buongiorno! i‘m meeting a little truffle hunter who is willing to show people how to discover some

of the easierfinds. what is it about this region that makes the truffle so good here? tell me how competitive it is between truffle hunters. how much rivalry is there? do you — when you find a really good spot, do you keep it a secret? do you tell anybody?

nobody? you don‘t tell anyone? but there are some areas that he is still willing to share. no? no good! no good. over the last 25 years, there has been a 30% decrease in truffles due to the change in climate and in some places, they are disappearing altogether. there it is! oof! that‘s got a whiff! now, in addition to their rarity, truffles are perishable so it‘s really important to get them harvested, processed and shipped as quickly as possible.

and in fact, you can get a truffle leaving a forest like this and going anywhere around the world on a restaurant table within 36 hours! so i had better get a move on. in italy, to protect the trade and way of life for rural communities, the importation of truffles is strictly controlled. here in alba, the hunters come to town to the dealers who find buyers around the world. i‘m going to see what i can get for mine. wow! you are chiara? buongiorno. yes, hi! buongiorno. rajan. nice to meet you. hi, nice to meet you. so this is the spiritual home of truffles and truffle selling. wow. i have got one here. let me see. ah, it is a good piece! small but nice! let me... so is 20 grams. today, more or less,

20, 2a euros. 2a euros? these piece. wow! that‘s good! i‘m pleased! is good! you make a good job! i believe the guy who started the shop is really responsible for the whole explosion of truffles? yes, giacomo morra, starting in 50 years, he was a marketing genius before marketing was invented. he gave a full free, every year the hugest truffle they could find, to a vip person, such as marilyn monroe, truman, president churchill, hitchcock, many, many movie stars. so, underneath this... so, one, two, three. whoa! so that is truffle heaven. i didn‘t really make a fortune on my own specimen here,

but it‘s still worth something to me, and i have a real grasp of how valuable truffles are to this region and now to the world. that is all for this week, butjoin us next time when... ade takes us on a trip down memory lane from all four corners of the uk. from a vegan chow down in london to deep inside a freezing scottish snow hole. it should be well worth a watch! i can‘t believe we made it! cheers, everyone! cheers! woo—hoo! sojoin us if you can and don‘t forget, you can keep up with all of our adventures by following us on social media. but in the meantime, from me and the rest of the travel show team here in northern italy, it‘s goodbye.

hello there. it has been a thoroughly wet night up and down the country and we continue with more rain this morning, maybe across western and southern areas, where we‘re likely to see more transport disruption and further flooding in places. it‘s here where the winds will be strongest as well. all tied in with this area of low pressure. you can see where the isobars are closer together across western and south—western areas, and this is where we will have that weather front as well, bringing that heavy, persistent rain. the amber warning across south—west england and wales is likely to persist up until around midday today, so we could see further

flooding here through the morning period, whereas further north, the amber warning across eastern scotland should expire early this morning as the rain begins to pivot away and push towards the west. so we should see a bit of brightness appearing here as the day wears on. the heaviest of the rain will tend to be across northern ireland and down into wales, south—west england, across the south and south—east as well. even here the rain should start to move away as we head on into the afternoon. central areas, some lighter winds, sunshine around. temperatures reach around 15 or 16, and it will be quite chilly across the south—east. into sunday night, it looks like those rain bands begin to spread away from the uk. we will continue to see lots of showers spiralling around the centre of the load. lengthy clear spells in between and when that happens it could potentially warm in one or two spots, generally 8—10 for most. low pressure still with us as we head on into the new working week for monday. it will be slowly filling, which means it will be gradually weakening

through the day, so conditions should slowly improve as we move through the week. for monday, again, we will see scattered showers around, the winds not quite as strong, some of the showers that develop could be on heavy side again. some could merge together to produce long spells of rain. in the sunshine we could see 15 or 16 degrees, and that is where we could see some of the heaviest of the showers. as we go out of monday, i will show you our area of low pressure, beginning to drift north. it opens a north—westerly wind across the uk which will drive in a few showers but we should also see good spells of sunshine as well. it‘s really a slow improvement as we move through the week. that low pressure system moving away. by the end of the week, high pressure will start to build in, so that will settle things down.

welcome to bbc news. i‘m james reynolds. our top stories: donald trump says he‘s doing well in hospital, where he‘s being treated for coronavirus, but expects to remain for the time being. you don‘t know, over the next period of a few days, i guess that‘s the real test, so we will be seeing what happens over those next couple of days. meanwhile, as more senior republicans test positive, we ask — was last week‘s unveiling of the president‘s supreme court nominee at the white house a super—spreader event? and in other news, civilian areas come under fire as the conflict in the disputed region of nagorno—karabakh intensifies.