this is bbc news — i'm samantha simmonds — with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. sudan is to normalise diplomatic relations with israel — the third arab state to do so in two months. as coronavirus infections surge in europe again — the world health organisation issues a new warning. we are at a critical juncture in this pandemic. particularly in the northern hemisphere. the next few months are going to be very tough. the entire population of wales has entered a 17—day lockdown —involving the strictest coronavirus measures anywhere in the uk. and we hearfrom nicole kidman and hugh grant about their new project, a whodunnit set among the socialites of manhattan.

hello: sudan has become the third arab country in two months to recognise israel. it follows talks brokered by the united states. president trump could not resist taking a dig at his presidential rivaljoe biden as he made the announcement from the oval office, while on the line to israel's leader benjamin nethanyahu. do you think sleepyjoe could've made this deal, bibi? sleepyjoe. do you think he would've made this deal somehow? i don't think so. well, mr president, one thing i can tell you is that we appreciate the help for peace from anyone in america and we appreciate what you have done. yeah. a diplomatic answer there from the israeli leader. nomia iqbal is our washington correspondent.

she says today's deal will continue sudan's path away from international isolation. this is the third arab league country to recognise israel joining the united arab emirates and bahrain. early in the week donald trump actually removed sudan from a list of terrorism. it was a list that sudan really wanted to come off because it'd been stopping it from getting much needed economic aid and investment. sudan has been in internationalization for quite a while. it was sanctioned back in the ‘90s by the us for harbouring the then al-qaeda leader osama bin laden. this deal today has been in the making for quite a bit. earlier in the year sudan had opened up its airspace to israeli aircraft. the secretary of state had visited a few months ago making him the first secretary of state to do so in a decade. i think any country that has not recognised israel previously now recognising israel is a huge moment.

what does it mean in the context of middle east peace? it doesn't mean a huge amount in direct terms. of course sudan is not in the middle east. history sometimes goes in small tech steps. history sometimes goes in small steps. what it does is pave the way for other arab countries to recognise israel. i imagine the ultimate goal will be for the president to get saudi arabia to recognise israel. both countries are not at war and that would be a huge moment. it's not the deal of the century that donald trump had promised on the campaign trail, that was about bringing peace between the israelis and palestinians and of course iran is nowhere to be seen in any of the deals. the palestinian officials have viewed all these deals so far as a betrayal. let's get some of the day's other news. vaccine makers astrazeneca and johnson & johnson say their coronavirus trials in the united states will resume after regulators

gave them the all clear. it follows reports of illnesses among the trial participants. no links to the vaccines were found. police in poland have used pepper spray on hundreds of people protesting in warsaw against a court ruling to almost completely ban abortions. on thursday, the constitutional court ruled that ending the life of a deformed foetus was unconstitutional making abortion only valid in cases of rape or incest, or to protect the mother's life. the pentagon has condemned turkey for testing their russian—made s 400 missile defence system. turkey's president recep tayyip erdogan confirmed the test but said he was not bound by what the us thought on the matter. the pentagon threatened the nato member with ‘serious consequences'. governments across europe are sounding the alarm as the continent suffers a sharp increases in coronavirus infections — with several countries reporting infection rates higher than during the first wave of the pandemic

in march and april. italy has recorded more than i9—thousand new coronavirus cases in the last 2a hours. northern regions such as lombardy are again worst affected. in neighbouring france, it's a similar picture — more regions have been added to a strict overnight curfew. the country has just passed a million virus cases. and wales has begun a lockdown that will last for 16 days. we'll have more on the uk in a moment, but first freya cole reports on the situation in europe. temperature checks and public hand sanitizer. it's a new norm in the centre of rome. but these measures are no longer enough. italy has recorded more than 19,000 new coronavirus cases in the last 2a hours. the highest daily tally since the start of the countries outbreak. translation: the situation is very worrying, very worrying. i hope for the best but it doesn't look good. i'm worried about the spread of the illness. the northern lombardy region

is again the country's worst affected district and a night—time curfew has been enforced in an attempt to stop the contagion. in neighbouring france, it's a similar picture. from midnight, more regions will be added to a strict overnight curfew. it will impact more than 46 million people. but authorities say the health system needs protection. doctors say they live in fear of the powerful surge of the second wave. translation: help us to avoid the tsunami. we don't want to relive the situation. hospital staff did not come out unscathed in the first crisis. we'd like to avoid getting back into that situation which was inhumane for everyone. the virus is also rampant in the czech republic where outrage is pointed towards the country's leaders. the press snapped the health minister breaking his very own rules.

he was caught without a mask at a restaurant in prague with appeared to be illicitly open. the cost of dinner, his career. he's been ordered to resign. translation: i don't care who they invited they are and why, we can't preach water and drink wine. i think the minister should lead by example without exception. when our medics are fighting the front line to save our lives of our fellow citizens, such a thing is inexcusable. spain has been grappling with the virus since the beginning of the outbreak. more than a million people have now tested positive to the virus. but there has been a lack of testing and leaders believe the actual tally is closer to three million. too many countries are seeing an exponential increase in cases and that's now leading to hospitals and icus running close or above capacity. and we are still only

in october. the pandemic has created a vacuum of grief in society. families torn apart by a virus which again is out of control. a series of new coronavirus measures is coming into force across the uk. greater manchester has entered tier—three, which has the toughest restrictions — and four council areas in south yorkshire have too. in scotland, a new five—tier system of restrictions has been announced for november. meanwhile, the entire population of wales has entered a 17—day lockdown involving the strictest coronavirus measures anywhere in the uk. the welsh government said the "short, sharp shock" would save hundreds of lives. hywel griffith reports. a short, sharp shutdown. wales now has the most severe restrictions anywhere in the uk. some feel already pushed to their limit.

louise has spent thousands of pounds making her gym safe, but like all cafes, bars, pubs and places of worship in wales, she too has to close the doors. it's just totally devastating, if i'm perfectly honest with you. you know, waking up this morning, it was really difficult not to have a wobble. the fire break covers the school holidays. for parents like bethan, staying at home makes for a tough half term. it really is difficult, just trying to get them out for short, sharp bits of exercise, you know, that social aspect that they're missing as well going to their sports club. here in caerphilly, there was a last—minute shopping rush before six o'clock. nonessential retailers are closing, supermarkets stay open for essential items only. but it's not clear what they are. i'm not sure on things like books or newspapers. clothing, we are not going to be allowed to buy, i presume anything like that, footwear and all that, i think, is on the forbidden list. who deems what is essential?

i suppose it's a little unsure. i'm thinking small items might be fine but larger items may be not. asda has already been closing off some aisles. it says it's deeply concerned about having to police purchases. there is a bigger prize at stake here than whether you need to buy a candle or not. it is a straightforward matter of fairness. we are in this together here in wales. no individual and no organisation is above the effort that we are all required to make. and that means the whole nation, regardless of local covid rates. here in ceredigion, they have the lowest in wales, just a fraction of those in caerphilly. haney isn't happy that this national lockdown means shutting down her salon. to compare us to cardiff or merthyr tydfil is ridiculous, i think. england are doing like the tiered lockdown, which makes more sense to me.

but others feel it will protect them. sandra would be prepared to close her book shop for even longer. it's not the greatest thing to say as a business owner, but i think we probably need a longer, more meaningful lockdown. i think the localised measures aren't working. you know, we can see people crossing borders. who can open once this fire break ends still isn't clear. the hope is to save trade ahead of christmas. but there's already fear that the new year may see wales closing down again. hywel griffith, bbc news, caerphilly. the united nations has brokered a ceasefire agreement between two rival governments fighting for control of libya. it raises hopes of ending the chaos which has engulfed the country since the overthrow of colonel gadaffi by nato backed forces in 2011. the deal is between military leaders from libya's un—backed government which controls the western part of the country, (ami and powerful opposition forces led

the country, and powerful opposition forces led by general khalifa haftar which control the east. here is our middle east editorjeremy bowen. the un mediator said it was a historic moment and i think that is really overrating it because it will only become historic if it leads to peace. libya has a very poor record with ceasefires and a major reason for that is the country is so fragmented, notjust those two governments that you were just talking about but dozens of militia, loyal to tribes, loyal to towns, loyal to themselves. and as well as that, there's foreign intervention and president erdogan, who backed the government in tripoli, the president of turkey, is already sceptical about the chances of this thing working, he has got attack drones there, thousands of syrian mercenaries. on the other side, the russians are backing general khalifa haftar so many things can go wrong in all of this before they get to peace and only then can we really say it is some

kind of historic moment. britain of course is one of the country is behind the overthrow of colonel gaddafi and plenty of people have said that we bore a moral responsibility to try to do more to bring peace to libya than we have actually managed to do. but as for this agreement, it is an important step but there are loads of steps ahead and many things that can go wrong. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: british water—treatment sites start testing sewage for traces of covid—19 — as part of an early warning system only yesterday she had spoken of dying in the service of our country and said i would be proud of it. every drop of my blood will contribute to the growth of the station. after 46 yea rs of growth of the station. after 46 years of unhappiness, these two countries have concluded a chapter of history. no more suspicion. no more fear. no more uncertainty. about a stay. bush ignition i'm left off of discovery with the crew of succession and american legend!

enjoying the show is right. this is beautiful. an milestone in human history. born today, this girl in india the 7 billion person on the planet. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. sudan is to normalise diplomatic relations with israel — the third arab state to do so in two months. the world health organization warns of a critical moment in the pandemic — as europe sufers a new surge in coronavirus infections. in nashville on thursday night was a far cry from the chaotic shouting match last month. the second and final us presidential debate in nashville on thursday night

was a far cry from the chaotic shouting match last month. with just 12 days to go before november's election, joe biden and donald trump argued about the white house's handling of the pandemic, the economy, health care, race relations and climate change. they also accused each other of corruption. from nashville our north america editor, jon sopel reports. applause. joe biden emerged onto the stage masked, the president, maskless. this was identical to the first food fight of a debate but this was altogether more restrained and all the better for it. yes, the shouting had been replaced by a series of emoji faces, eye rolls, mock indignation, derisive laughter, but the exchanges were still sharp. the president claimed coronavirus was turning a corner. we have a vaccine that is coming, it is ready, it's going to be announced within weeks. we are learning to live with it. we have no choice. we can't lock ourselves up in a basement likejoe does. he says that, you know, we are learning to live with it. people are learning to die with it. you folks at home will have an empty chair at the kitchen

table this morning. that man or wife going to bed tonight and reaching over to try to touch their... out of habit, where their wife or husband was, is gone. the president went after the biden family and the son of the former vice president, hunter, and the money he had made abroad. you've got $3.5 million, your family got $3.5 million, and you know, some day you are going to have to explain, why did you get $3.5... i never got any money from russia. butjoe biden was not going to take any lectures from the president about transparency. you have not released a single, solitary year of your tax return. what are you hiding? and on race and racism, claim and counter—claim. nobody has done more for the black community than donald trump, and if you look, with the exception of abraham lincoln... abraham lincoln here was one of the most racist presidents we have had in modern history. and there were harsh words traded over the administration's child separation policy, to discourage illegal immigration at the border. babies were separated from their parents and three years on, there are over 500

children who have become orphans because the us authorities don't know where their parents are. the president defended what they had done. they are so well taken care of. they are in facilities that are so clean. but some of them have not been reunited... but they got separated from their parents, and it makes us a laughing stock and violates every notion of who we are as a nation. joe biden sought to portray himself as the healer and unifier, donald trump as the outsider who would fix america's broken politics. i went to a bar in nashville where trump supporters had gathered. most striking was how empty it was. three weeks ago, for the first debate, it was rammed with a few hundred people there. last night, there were around a dozen. so will this final debate make a difference to the outcome of the election? i think that most americans have already decided. i think it may change a few people's minds but statistically, itjust doesn't change that many people's minds. debates don't. i'm still pretty

much undecided. i think i'm just disappointed in both candidates. donald trump was much more disciplined, much more effective in the debate last night, but is it too little, too late, with only 11 days to go until polling? and already in the united states, it seems that probably over a third of the electorate have already cast their ballots. jon sopel, bbc news, nashville, tennessee. a scheme to test sewage for traces of covid—19 is being extended to waste water treatment sites across the uk. it aims to give local health teams an early warning of outbreaks. here's our health editor hugh pym. it's a new approach to tracking down coronavirus, monitoring sewage in local communities. this is an early warning system, as fragments of genetic material from the virus can be detected in waste water. scientists say its real value is in areas where there might be people who are infected but showing no symptoms.

the beauty of this technique is that we can detect people who are in that situation and don't know they've got the virus, but they are still shedding it, and we can still find it in the waste water, and we can find it in advance of there being any positive tests in a catchment. samples from sewage plants reach labs for testing the next day. the results are passed on to local health leaders. in plymouth, an outbreak was detected despite relatively low numbers of people going for tests. data is also shared with national experts at the joint biosecurity centre. the aim is to support the work done by test and trace staff. but in england, the testing and tracing system has come under intense strain. performance figures for time to get results back and tracing of contacts have fallen to their lowest levels since the launch in may, though it has had to deal with rapidly rising case numbers. perhaps we wouldn't have seen ourselves in the situation we are in now if that had been a bit more optimal.

some experts argue that the national system could have been better planned and prepared. i think the intention behind setting up test and trace was well intended and well meaning, and actually was there to meet a desperate need that we had at the time. but perhaps it wasn't as familiar with the challenge that it faced and perhaps therefore does not have the capacity set up to deal with it adequately. while the national setup can be struggling, local public health teams like here in hertfordshire are taking on more of the tracing work, to try to ensure infections don't spread and get out of control. we have a call centre. if we don't get through, we can go and knock on doors. that is reassuring for people when they see someone and hear someone, and also then to collect the information that we need that helps us identify locally perhaps the sort of clusters, and where the infection might be spreading that the national information may not be getting.

sewage monitoring will add to the range of techniques health officials can use at this critical stage in the bid to seek out and control the virus. hugh pym, bbc news. conservationists say that more than 10,000 seals have died and been washed ashore on the coast of namibia in recent weeks. the vast majority of them are reported to be premature pups. the exact reason for the deaths at the seal colony at pelican point is not fully clear, but one of the most likely causes is lack of food. nodia dreyer is the co—founder of ocean conservation namibia, which has been monitoring the situation at pelican point. he explains that female seals are known to sacrifice their pups when food gets scarce. in history this has played out a few times before. it's normally down to food availability. it is the most likely cause right now. because the animals are very emaciated. they're very thin lying on the beaches.

obviously very malnourished. females don't have a huge range because they're all with current pups on the coast. if the fish are too far away theyjust don't have a means to get the food and come back and nurse the pups. so they abort the foetus in an attempt to save themselves. can anything be done by humankind to help them? it's on such a big scale. if you had a couple of isolated individuals you could set up rehabilitation centres and try to feed them. but also the other big factor is that we can't say for certain that it is starvation. there could be toxins involved, sickness, disease and until we have a clearer picture of what the potential threats are, it's very difficult, we also want to avoid too much human, animal interaction. two of hollywood's biggest stars, nicole kidman and hugh grant are appearing together for the first time in a new tv series. the undoing is a psychological

thriller, which revolves around a successful rich couple, who appear to live the perfect life. our arts editor will gompertz spoke to them about the series and about the changes taking place in entertainment industry. slow piano music. there's nicole. hello. i play a successful therapist. hugh plays a child oncologist. not all my patients die, anyway. oh! why are you so dressed up? i liked the idea that he was a man who appeared to be wonderful on the surface and then... all hell breaks loose. tonight, the gruesome discovery of a mother bludgeoned to death... in recent years, i have done a lot of, um, what you would call character acting and i guess this was less like that. it was back to someone closer to me, or old, fat hugh was used in this one.

nicole, the undoing has a female director and you are a female lead. if you do ever want to talk... thank you. do you think things are changing in the movie and tv business? um... yeah, gradually, very... i mean, ithink, you know, it is slowly, slowly, everything is slow. as women who have some sort of opportunity, we have to actually make that call and say, "well, we actually want a female to direct this." hugh, are you noticing from the sort of scripts you are seeing, the business is genuinely becoming more diverse? there's a very strong impulse to make everything very diverse, yeah. if they are trying to make their project more diverse, it's coming from a good place, where that's a passion for them, that's an important cause, then that's all terrific. but if it is done out of a sense of...

fear of backlash, then i'm not sure that that's great, so healthy, creatively. is that enough, we've put in an appearance? can we go? the undoing touches on fear and backlash and class and race. i'll make it up to you later. make it up to be now. ..in what is a protected whodunnit among the manhattan set. make an englishman happy, go on. will gompertz, bbc news. and before we go, it's not everday you see a building go for a walk but in shanghai you just might. this old primary school walked to its new location to make way for a new commercial center. in attempt to preserve the building, engineers used nearly 200 devices that acted like legs to lift this 7000 tonne building which moved it step by step. the walk lasted 18 days, and the school will now transform into a cultural education facility. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @samanthatv news.

hello. if you are hoping to get out about this weekend, the weather may have an impact on your plans. it is looking decidedly unsettled. it will be windy, some heavy rain at times but not all the time. some drier and brighter moments as well. low pressure in charge of the weather at the moment. quite a big low and deep low as well. a lot of white lines and isobars quashing together. it shows we will have strong winds and the strongest of those will always be in association with this band of rain. the wet and windiest weather to start saturday across the western side of the uk, the rain band will push it eastwards through the day and you can see

the bright green and yellow colours showing up, a short and sharp burst of really intense rainfall accompanied by the really squally winds pushing eastwards as we go through the day. largely dry in the southeast. sunshine and showers from the west. windy for all and strong winds along the lines of the rain band. and temperatures 17 degrees across the southeast. turning cooler and fresher from the northwest as the rain band clears its way through. the rain will persist across east anglia and the southeast for a good part of saturday night. clear spells and showers follow on from the west and don't forget, the clocks go back an hour through the early hours of sunday. the end of the british summertime and as the weather goes, summer has long since left us, and it's an autumnal weather chart that takes us into sunday. low pressure again up to the northwest of the uk. pretty brisk winds on sunday, not quite as windy and it would have been on saturday. some swells of sunshine and showers as well some spells of sunshine and showers as well and the most frequent and plentiful across the western areas.

as i mentioned it will be windy, strongest winds across the west of scotland. these are the average wind speeds. quite a cool feel as well, with temperatures between 11 and 14 degrees. we head into the new working week, low pressure still with us. it will lose some of its intensity as we go into the monday. the winds will ease a little but still some showers and rain around. and it is looking like a very unsettled week ahead. that is it from me for now. enjoy your weekend.

this is bbc news, the headlines. sudan is to normalise relations with israel — the third arab state to do so in two months. us president donald trump made the announcment and said he expects saudi arabia to follow soon. palestinians have reacted angrily to the announcement, describing it as another stab in the back. several countries in europe have reported coronavirus infection rates higher than during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring. in france, the government has imposed an overnight curfew on two—thirds of the country which will operate for the next six weeks. there's been a broad international welcome to a permanent ceasefire deal between libya's rival governments. under the agreement, foreign fighters supporting the rival sides have three months to leave the country. france's foreign ministry described the agreement as an important step towards a sovereign, stable and united country