this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds. our top stories: addressing their supporters — joe biden holds a campaign rally in north carolina, as president trump attends his second rally of the day, in nevada. thousands gather in cities across france in support of the schoolteacher beheaded after showing cartoons of the prophet mohammed to pupils. churches are set on fire and people injured in the chilean capital, santiago, as a day of peaceful protests turns violent. and israel and bahrain sign an historic agreement on establishing diplomatic relations, in the bahraini capital, manama.

hello and welcome to bbc news. there are just over two weeks to go before main voting day in the us presidential election. both president trump and his challenger, joe biden, have been campaigning in states they believe they can win. joe biden has been in north carolina, where the democrats lost to trump four years ago. and president trump hasjust finished a rally in nevada, which hasn't voted republican since 200a. it's a choice between a strong borders or no borders, it's a choice between strong borders or no borders, between supporting the police or defunding the police, between delivering a vaccine in record time to kill the virus or a biden shutdown to kill the economy. he will surrender yourjobs to china, he will surrender your future to the virus, he's going to lock down, this guy wants to lock down. mimicking biden: he'll "listen to the scientists". if i listen totally to

the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression. trump said at one of his rallies, "we've turned the corner". my grandfather would say, this guy's gone around the bend if he thinks we have turned a corner. car horns blare. we've turned a corner? things are getting worse, he continues to lie to us about the circumstances. experts say we're likely to lose as many as 200,000 additional lives nationwide between now and the end of the year all because this president cares more about his park avenue perspective on the world, the stock market, than he does about you. because he refuses to follow the science. our north america correspondent, peter bowes, has been monitoring the rallies by both candidates in battleground states. yeah and i think both candidates are really showing us their style in this final couple of weeks and you're absolutely right, they're both focusing on those states that could ultimately be crucial in terms of the number

of electoral college votes. like nevada, not so many votes, but every vote will count, i think, if the election is very, very close. and president trump seems to think that he's in with a chance here in nevada — nevada's a state with high unemployment problems at the moment, in part because of the coronavirus. hillary clinton won the state narrowly last time and the president has made a number of visits to that area. the speech that he's been giving, though, i've got to say, has been all over the place in terms of his focus, he's been riffing on everything from how handsome he is to how he felt like superman when he recovered from coronavirus in hospital to how california should be better managing its forest to prevent wildfires and it's interesting, i heard a senior republican earlier today suggesting that president trump should be focusing more on the economy than he is in a lot of these campaign speeches. the republicans believe that the economy is the president's strongest point, especially going back to where the us

economy was before coronavirus. he clearly mentions the economy but it isn't a major focus in the same way that coronavirus is a key focus from joe biden. we hear time and time again what he thinks about the president's failings in that respect. this we've heard about the president. expand then on what mr biden‘s closing strategy is. mr biden‘s strategy is again, i think, to visit those key states, those states that could actually swing the election in his favour. he talks more about criminaljustice reform, whereas we might hear from the president about law and order and i think that goes back to what we saw during the summer months and the disturbances around the country. butjoe biden‘s strategy really is i think to focus on covid—i9, to explain his policy moving forward and how he would be different if president trump remains in the white house. issues like the wearing of masks that we talk about repeatedly.

butjoe biden believes in a much firmer message around the country, suggesting that americans should be wearing masks at all times whereas the president's messages is clearly much more relaxed in that respect. let's just take a look at how the two candidates are polling at the moment. our own bbc poll of polls shows that nationally joe biden is currently ahead with 52% of the vote, and president trump is behind on 42%. but, of course, what really matters is where they are in the so—called battleground states. let's speak now to larry sabato, author and the founder and director of the center for politics at the university of virginia. fantastic to have you with us. what is the state of the race? it is pretty much the way your correspondence summarised in. joe biden is well ahead. you would rather bejoe biden than donald trump butjoe biden is

ahead about the same margin that hillary clinton was four yea rs that hillary clinton was four years ago so, that hillary clinton was four years ago so, those of us who follow polling on an hour to hour basing, while we do have more confidence in the politics because they have improved, we still remember and have ptsd from what happened four years ago. have they been huge swings in the last couple of weeks? yes, but you remember you had an fbi wrapping a major investigation into one of the two candidates, hillary clinton, just two days before the election and he swung the election towards donald trump but you never know what is going to happen. this is a lax one year if ever there was one. the october surprise — have we had one in 2020? we have had a bunch. smaller than the

last time andi bunch. smaller than the last time and i am told president trump has been pushing his people to come up with even more in the days remaining stop just a little more than two weeks before the final voting. we have incredibly had 26 million people cast their ballot. the election is over for those 26 million people stop this is an election where it is really donald trump versus donald trump and so far donald trump is losing but you do not want to get. he needs time to turn it around. it is ha rd to time to turn it around. it is hard to turn the titanic around without a lot of ocean. is there one particular town, city oi’ there one particular town, city or county that our viewers should look at as a kind of bellwether? particularly with donald trump, bellwether is do not exist. you would be foolish to do that. i would suggest states and the states are obviously florida, pennsylvania, michigan and wisconsin. wisconsin and

michigan so far have been pretty solid forjoe biden. no question that donald trump needs florida and north carolina and several other close contacts like north arizona. in those swing states, that 9-11 arizona. in those swing states, that 9—11 point margin shrinks to almost 3— five points for joe biden. it is a lot easier to turn a campaign around from 3- to turn a campaign around from 3— five then nine — ii. to turn a campaign around from 3- five then nine -11. thank you so much. and you can find more news and analysis about the us election on our website. just go to bbc.com/us2020 where you can find the latest details of the elections and analysis by our correspondents. the french prime minister, jean castex, has told huge crowds rallying around the country that france is not afraid and will not allow itself to be divided by the decapitation of a teacher by a suspected islamist. people gathered in towns

and cities across france, including paris and marseilles, to show their support for the country's secular values, and their revulsion at the murder on friday. our paris correspondent, lucy williamson, reports. applause once again, around the figure of marianne, a sea of defiance. this statue, this square, a homing point for a nation whose values have come under attack. since his death on friday, samuel paty, like others before him, has become a symbol of france itself. translation: it's important to be here today to show our collective strength because that's what can help us follow our principles during tough times. translation: we're here to defend the values of the republic — liberty, equality, fraternity and secularism. the government is too inactive. something must be done. the prime minister, jean castex, arrived in place de la republique in a mask printed with the french flag. his message on twitter

today read, "you won't scare us, we're france." the newest slogan on posters here, "i am samuel" or, simply, "i am a teacher", an echo of the rallying cry sparked by the attacks on charlie hebdo five years ago. this sombre rally is a show of unity in the wake of samuel paty‘s death, but it's also proof of the power of social media to deliver a message and bring people together. the same power that enabled a one—man campaign against a local teacher to spiral out of control. samuel paty was killed by a man who knew him only through social media, the result of an online campaign launched by an outraged parent that spread quickly outside conflans. across france, tens of thousands of people have joined the rallies in his name. a man who stood for the values of the nation, remembered today by a nation standing with him. lucy williamson,

bbc news, paris. two churches have been burnt and several people injured in the chilean capital, santiago, as a day of largely peaceful protests against economic inequality turned violent. a police headquarters was firebombed and shops were looted. gail maclellan reports. a year ayearon and a year on and once again define and spread quickly as protesters and police faced off. the demonstrators had come to mark the first anniversary of the protest movement that demanded greater equality in chile. the unrest last of the military take to the streets for the first time since the rule of dictator augusto pinochet and resulted in a 30 deaths. sunday's anniversary had begun very differently. there was an atmosphere of fiesta is demonstrators, including whole families, demanded better public services and pensions. many

were wearing masks against covid, as they sang and danced, with a sense of optimism in the crowd. translation: it is something wonderful, the feeling ofjoy for the possibility of advancing and achieving a fairerand advancing and achieving a fairer and more democratic chile. but later in the afternoon, the mood change. one church was going to the ground and a second looted and set on fire. police responded with tear gas and water cannon. in a week's time the chileans will vote in a referendum replacing the constitution. it seems change cannot come soon enough for some. gail maclellan, bbc news. china has just released china hasjust released its economic data. due to be growing by 4.9% the year earlier. our china correspondent robin brant‘s in shanghai. what more do the

figures tell us? the wells second biggest economy and in the past responsible for 20% — 25% of growth in the global economy. —— whelled's. what we have seen from the authorities are figures that show growth at around 4.9% for the three months ofjuly, august and september, competitive figures in 2019 and the trend is an upwards of one. so we had the calamitous first three months of the coronavirus first struck. it grew byjust over 3% in the following three months and now by a further 4.9%. that is coming in slightly below expectations and government authorities talking of the economy still be in a process of recovery and huge uncertainty globally. of

course, remember, china remains an economy focused on exporting. it is trying to change that. you look to the us and europe and it is almost miraculous that we see china's economy growing at the level it is but nonetheless figures coming in slightly below expectation. let's break it down slightly, retail sales, a good barometer of consumption, that group by 3%, slightly below expectation but industrial output, is dominated by state companies, that grew by state companies, that grew by over 6% so a slightly cryptanalysis but by over 6% so a slightly crypta nalysis but nonetheless the government could use to put its pedal to the floor in terms of stimulating the economy but retail sales in the consumer, the way china is trying to go, are growing but perhaps not by quite as much as people expected. when you go to shanghai and other cities, what

kind of sense do you get? it is interesting. shanghai, the second biggest as significant city in this country, the biggest by size, 94 million people, is on the coastal spine of china, one of the richest cities and among the richest, the recovery is well up and running, no doubt about that and you look consumers and you saw them bouncing back. certainly, three months ago after that calamitous period. there is definitely another side of the recovery and that is if you had west and go inland and things do not seem quite as resilient. some figures pointed to a deep in companies applying for credits, full loa ns, companies applying for credits, full loans, and maybe because i do not feel so quite optimistic about the future. recovery is a strong one but it is not equal. on the eastern coast, much more healthy end the richest cities

but in others more fragile. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: dancing the night away, whilst social distancing, brazilian style. a historic moment that many of his victims have waited for for decades. the former dictator in the dock, older, slimmer, and, as he sat down, obedient enough. dawn, and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside korem, it lights up a biblical famine, now, in the 20th century. the depressing conclusion, in argentina today, it's actually cheaper to paper your walls with money. we've had controversies in the past with great britain. but as good friends, we've always found a good and lasting

solution. concorde bows out in style. after almost three decades in service, an aircraft that enthralled its many admirers for so long taxis home one last time. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: joe biden's supporters see their candidate's campaign rally in north carolina, as president trump is in nevada to address his second rally of the day. thousands gather in cities across france in support of the school teacher beheaded after showing cartoons of the prophet mohammed to pupils. the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, has urged armenia and azerbaijan to observe their latest ceasefire, saying indiscriminate attacks on civilians are totally u na cce pta ble. both countries have accused each other of violating a humanitarian ceasefire

in the disputed region of nagorno—karabakh. but clashes continue, as rayhan demytrie reports from tbilisi in neighbouring georgia. an azeri officer announces to his country's president the liberation of another piece of territory, which for the past 26 years had been under armenian control. the ancient bridge leads to the border with iran. kara bakh is azerbaijan, he declares. the armenian defence ministry released this footage, which it claims shows the azeri forces advancing on armenian positions early on sunday, in violation of a ceasefire agreed the day before. but things were quieter on sunday in civilian areas in the disputed nagorno—karabakh region. they have been under constant bombardment from azerbaijan in recent days. dozens of civilians and more than 700 armenian servicemen, many of them young recruits, have been killed.

translation: there are children dying, women, elderly people. our guys die who are 18,19 years old. stop this war. azeri people have also suffered. this was the scene in ganja, azerbaijan's second largest city, that was struck by armenian missiles on saturday, killing at least 13 civilians and destroying more than 20 houses. this woman lost her home. translation: our people are humanist. we have a beautiful nation. armenia should know that we will not bow to them as people of ganja. we will take back kara bakh from them if it comes to that. azerbaijan's military casualties remain a secret, but it's been very public about its territorial gains. this is jabrayil, another town re—taken from armenian forces. the more azerbaijan advances, the less incentive it has to stop fighting. rayhan demytrie,

bbc news, tbilisi. let's get some of the day's other news: italy has announced a new raft of measures to tighten restrictions amid a surge in coronavirus cases. mayors will get powers to close public areas after 9pm and the opening times of restau ra nts and the size of groups allowed will tighten. the moves come as italy recorded over 11,700 new cases — its highest daily infection rate for the second day in a row. czech police have used tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators protesting against coronavirus restrictions imposed by the government in prague. the rally turned violent after the authorities began trying to disperse the crowd, with the police chief claiming it contained radical football fans. thousands of protesters in belarus have taken to the streets for the tenth consecutive sunday after a disputed presidential election in august. they are demanding the resignation of long—term leader, alexander lukashenko. authorities say more than 100 people have been

arrested. israel and bahrain have formally established diplomatic relations — a move condemned by the islamic state group, which has called for retaliatory attacks in saudi arabia. the new agreement was signed in a ceremony in the bahraini capital manama on sunday. it's part of a us brokered normalisation deal established last month, which has also seen israel and the united arab emirates set up close ties. mark lobel reports. flying in to formalise their friendship. israel's national security adviser sets foot on bahraini soil, with a key american officialalongside, ushering in a fresh wind of diplomacy. translation: israel is offering its hand for real peace to the bahraini people and their courageous leadership. together we will change the face of the nation for our people and neighbouring countries. we do so with the optimism that such a peace will bring

a new stability and prosperity to the region, allowing our young people across the middle east to achieve the potential and aspirations which they have been denied for too long. it was incredible experiencing the first commercial flight coming from israel to bahrain, and i know we will look forward to many more trips in both directions. an elbow bump, a visual proclamation of diplomatic ties following egypt and jordan's bilateral agreements with america's biggest ally in the region. it was at donald trump's white house last month that the world first witnessed both bahrain and the united arab emirates' public declaration of

support after decades of disputes, standing shoulder to shoulder with the israeli prime minister. sunday's ceremony marks an important shift for the former foes that have come so far. the use of el al flight 973 was a friendly nod to bahrain's dialling code — the use of saudi airspace to get here a suggestion of potentially bigger things to come. but this latest agreement is "a stab in the back," according to palestinian officials. arab states had said they would boycott israel until the palestinian dispute was settled. bahrain is still calling for a two—state solution, but its no longer its price for cooperation, instead siding with a country also at odds with iran. this new chapter in bahrain's relationship with israel could be lucrative, as the gulf kingdom says it will be looking forfruitful bilateral

cooperation with its new ally in every field. mark lobel, bbc news. brazil is one of the countries that's been hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. more than 150,000 people have lost their lives — a death toll second only to the united states. restrictions are being eased, although things are still far from normal as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. samba music. this is probably the sort of thing that comes to mind when you think of rio de janeiro. beautiful beaches, stunning scenery, and a carnival like no other. the virus brought everything to a halt, but it seems that was only temporary. this is how you go to a concert in rio these days.

the audiences out in the open air, socially distanced and separated into boxes. entertainment and therapy, all at the same time. translation: what we do here is notjust a party. we are promoting mental health. people can't stand staying at home anymore. there's 150 of these boxes, with up to six people allowed in each one. you're never going to break any attendance records, but no—one here's complaining. translation: it's the second time i've come to this great event. i love being here, in the open air with my friends. as restrictions are raised further, these unusual music boxes may no longer be necessary. but they are proof, if proof were needed, that brazilians will always find a way to party. can we get some of those

dancing boxes sent to london? do stay with us bbc news. hello. this spell of quieter weather continued on sunday, but with all the cloud around, the brightest thing many of us saw was the autumn colour, here on view in staffordshire, though competing with a postbox. it's all change now. we've had some quiet weather, but low pressure is taking over. the weather fronts are gathering, and although there will be some sunnier days in the week ahead, there'll be some very wet days around as well. and it's getting windier, too. and for monday, some of the heaviest rain will be in scotland and northern ireland. this is how it looks as the day begins. some outbreaks of rain into parts of northern england, particularly, to begin with. and there may be a bit of a lull in the rain first thing in northern ireland, but it will come back. heavy, persistent rain. outbreaks of rain across scotland, heaviest and most persistent in the west. so, through western scotland and northern ireland, as the rain continues into monday night, there

is a risk of some flooding and some travel disruption. see some rain pushing back in towards north—west england into the afternoon. patchy rain reaching into parts of wales, whereas elsewhere a bit of hazy brightness around. temperatures just creeping up a few degrees, but it's getting windier. as we just look into monday evening, this area of rain will start to just push in across parts of south—west england. overnight monday into tuesday, well, it's this weather front that will bring a splash of rain across those parts of england and wales that stayed dry during monday. and the rain continuing in scotland and northern ireland, though by end of the night, it should be easing from northern ireland. so, on tuesday, then, some early rain affecting parts of eastern england slowly pulling away. further heavy and perhaps prolonged downpours running in towards particularly northern ireland and scotland, just fringing north wales and north—west england as well. windy and wet still across the far north of scotland and northern isles, easterly winds here. mild south—westerlies elsewhere, and temperatures, particularly across much of england and wales, into the mid to high teens with sunny spells and a few showers. but gales through the irish sea. as we look through tuesday night and into wednesday, focus for the heaviest rain

will be shifting into parts of england and wales. could well be some quite heavy rain moving through, exact position of this uncertain at this stage, but some of that may fringe northwards towards northern ireland and scotland again as we go through wednesday. so, we'll keep an eye on that. it could be quite windy again with that, too. so, again, it is all change. our weather's been quiet. it isn't any more. some of the rain this week is going to be quite heavy. windier conditions at times, too. milder at least to start the week.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

president trump is addressing his followers in carson city, nevada, on the latest stage of his election campaign. joe biden has been addressing a campaign rally in north carolina, where he accused his rival of lying to americans about the state of the coronavirus pandemic in the united states. vigils and rallies have been held across france after a teacher was beheaded in an islamist attack close to his school in a paris suburb on friday. prime minister, jean castex, says france is not afraid and will not allow itself to be divided. two churches have been burnt and several people injured in the chilean capital, santiago, as peaceful protests against economic inequality turned violent. a police headquarters was firebombed and shops were looted. demonstrators were marking the first anniversary of mass protests last year that left more than 30 dead.