this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'm aaron safir. our top stories: sudan is to normalise diplomatic relations with israel. the third arab state to do so in two months. protests spread across poland after a court ruling bans virtually all abortions. the demonstrations take place despite tight coronavirus restrictions. as coronavirus infections surge in europe again, the world health organization issues a new warning. and how one london company is determined to change the face of opera.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. president trump has announced a dealfor sudan and israel to normalise relations. it makes sudan the third arab league nation to formally recognise israel in less than three months, allowing the trump administration to boast of a foreign policy win with just over a week to the presidential elections. nomia iqbal reports from washington. the state of israel, and the republic of sudan, have agreed to make peace. president trump invited reporters into the oval office to witness his exchange with the leaders of israel and sudan on the phone. and he

couldn't help but take a swipe at his democratic presidential rival, joe biden, as he spoke to the israeli leader, benjamin netanyahu. do you think sleepy joke would have made this deal? do you think he would have made this deal somehow? i don't think so —— sleepyjoe. this deal somehow? i don't think so -- sleepy joe. mr president, one thing i can tell you is we appreciate the help for peace from anyone in america and we appreciate what you have done enormously. yes. in return, sudan has been removed from a us list of state—sponsored terrace, which allows the north african nation to receive economic aid and investment. mike pompeo visited saddam's capital, cartoon, in august. he was the first us secretary of state to do so in more than a decade —— sudan. it is now the third arab league country to formally recognise israel this year after the uae and bahrain. this gives

credibility to donald trump's reputation as a dealmaker and isa reputation as a dealmaker and is a huge foreign policy win for him. he is trying to push this as steps towards getting what he considers the deal of the century, peace between the israelis and the palestinians. but palestinian officials have called this latest move further betrayal. we are totally denouncing this deal and we are sure that the sudanese people, the intellectuals, the sudanese national parties, that the people of sudan also will reject this deal because sudan and the people of sudan they have failed the palestinian cause. it was in khartoum are backin cause. it was in khartoum are back in the 1960's, when the nations agreed never to negotiate with israel into an independent palestinian state was established. some countries now see the benefit with working with a us president was open to making deals. and that

is increasingly leaving palestinians are sidelined. nomia iqbal, bbc news, washington. earlier, i spoke to mark fathi massoud who is professor of politics and legal studies at uc, santa cruz. he was born in sudan, as well as being an author on the country. i asked him what we can expect to change in the relationship between israel and sudan. i'm not sure what will change, actually, aside from a few things at the top. it is telling that the deal that was made, and it has been in the works for some time now, it's telling that it was announced by the united states that israel and sudan kind of took sidelines, typically in an international mediation of this sort. the countries that are having the conflict with one another will take the kind of centre stage. so i wonder what could this will do, ultimately, for israel and also for sudan. and also the extent to which it will do for the united states as well. you go further than that, actually, don't you. you said today's deal might prove

to be bad for sudan and the us in the long run. can you explain that? so, you know, one can't conjecture about the future too much, but i will try to do it. in saddam's history, there have been, over the last 64 years since its independence from the uk, democracies in sudan have not lasted. for the sudanese people the clock is picking —— ticking, potential to another dictatorship. i know their current transitional government is a fragile one, it is doing its best. people are doing their best to survive. it isa doing their best to survive. it is a crumbling economy, and economy still crumbling. i fear a decision like this that is not made with real input, both from israeli civil society leaders as well as sudanese civil society leaders, it is really made at the top, i'm not sure 80 like this will stick in the long run. it may even

embolden conservatives who might want to use islam for their own purposes. it might even embolden them to say, look, look at what this transitional democracy did for sudan. we did more for israel thanit sudan. we did more for israel than it did for sudan. it may embolden them to want to overthrow this democracy when, actually, what we should be doing is supporting it. i'm not saying that relations are bad between sudan and israel. whenever two countries decide to make these, but is usually a good thing. they may be right now was not the best time when the sudanese people and the sudanese government is on its knees. it is tough to make a deal when one party is on its knees. and, very briefly, if you can, the other element to all this is sudan coming off a list of state sponsors of terrorism. what are the immediate impact of that 42?“ sudan gets off that list, it can unlock the atm, the cash machine foreign aid, can lessen

oi’ machine foreign aid, can lessen or reduce sanctions against sudan, which sudan needs right now in order to provide a healthy economy for its people who are struggling, for people in civil society and the people who may represent. so that's really important to get sudan off the list. i wonder f the removal of the state sponsors of terrorism designation to recognition of israel, these are my two separate mrs may yet they were completed by the united states —— i wonder f. i'm not saying sudan shouldn't recognise israel or palestine, for that matter, and work with both countries, what i am saying is potentially right now is not the time for the sudanese government to be taking its attention away from its people. that is mark fathi massoud from the uc santa cruz university speaking to me earlier. we are going to poland now. thousands of people — most of them women — have been protesting in cities across poland against a court

ruling that bans almost all abortions. the demonstrations are taking place despite tight coronavirus restrictions which ban gatherings of more than ten people. adam easton reports from warsaw. despite coronavirus restrictions, large protests took place in cities across the country. in warsaw, there was a heavy police presence once again outside the home of the deputy prime minister, who heads the governing law and justice party. it was mostly mps from his party who brought the six successful legal challenge that has made poland's strict abortion law even more restrictive. translation: i am worried that we will achieve nothing and that nothing is going to change because the government does not care about people and they don't care about people who protest here today. but staying around the home is not something we should do. that is what we have civil rights for.

that is why we are citizens — to demonstrate. in the early hours of friday, officers in riot gear used pepper spray on protesters after clashes outside the deputy‘s home. there is considerable anger at the timing and manner of the change. it was made without a parliamentary debate and by a court which is dominated by law and justice. it also comes during a pandemic, when large demonstrations are banned. adam easton, bbc news, warsaw. 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. the us has condemned turkey for testing their russian—made 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 turkey, which is a nato member, with serious consequences. governments across europe are sounding the alarm as the continent suffers a sharp increase 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 19,000 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 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 in the uk, wales has begun a lockdown that will last for 16 days. freya cole reports on the situation across 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 24 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. translation: i'm worried about the spread of the illness. the northern lombardy region is again the country's worst affected district. 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. on the latest on the coronavirus, of course all the figures on our website. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come: we hearfrom nicole kidman and hugh grant about their new tv project and the industry's progress indira gandhi, ruler of the world's largest democracy, died today. only yesterday, she'd spoken of dying in the service of her country and said, "i would be proud of it. every drop of my blood will contribute to the growth of this nation". after 46 years of unhappiness, these two countries have concluded a chapter of history. no more suspicion, no more fear, no more uncertainty of what each day might bring. mission control: booster ignition and lift—off of discovery, with a crew of six astronaut heroes and one american legend. well, enjoying the show is right. this is beautiful.

a milestone in human history. born today, this girl in india is the 7 billionth person on the planet. this is bbc world news. our main headline: sudan is normalising diplomatic relations with israel, making it the third arab state to do so in two months. in the united states, the handling of the coronavirus pandemic has become a key electoral issue and resulted in sharp exchanges during the final presidential tv debate. that was this week. more than 80,000 new cases were recorded on friday, the highest number since the pandemic began. and in a speech in delaware, joe biden accused president trump of giving up on fighting the virus.

he said that, if elected, he'd ensure a future vaccine was free. once we have a safe and effective vaccine, it has to, whether or not you are insured. let me say the vaccine must be free, and freely free. kelly hyman is an author and a democratic strategist. there are 20 million people who cannot have healthca re there are 20 million people who cannot have healthcare under trump's watch. people are concerned about that. think it is important to have a vaccination for the people because we need to come

together and unite and that is what biden is going to bring to oui’ what biden is going to bring to our country and other countries and our allies, such as the uk. it was interesting in the debate on thursday, we did hear the president say the us was turning a corner. that isn't borne out by the fact because cases are rising, hospitalisations are rising. joe biden said "i will end this". is that i will end this about the coronavirus pandemic. scientists are telling us this virus will be will —— with us for a very long time, if not indefinitely. as joe biden being a straight with the american people as he needs to be? absolutely. i would disagree with some of what he said. he basically said it is going to be with us. but he does have a plan. we have to remember that trump had no plan. he knew about it, he knew how contagious it was, and he said this isjust how contagious it was, and he said this is just a how contagious it was, and he said this isjust a hoax. it's going to go away in the spring. inject yourself with bleach and everything will be ok. and then

he later said he was joking everything will be ok. and then he later said he wasjoking in that regard. think it is important to remember that biden definitely has a plan. he also said he will talk to the governors. and we have to come together as a nation. in the united states it is not a red state or a blue state, it is the united states of america. and that's what biden represents. we will bring people back together and unite the people and speak to the governors and work with them and have a plan and move forward. 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 gaddafi 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, and powerful opposition forces led by general khalifa haftar which control the east. here is our middle east editor, jeremy bowen.

the un mediators said it was an historic moment, i think that is really overegging it, because it will only become historic if it leads to peace. and libya is a poor record with these and a major reason for thatis these and a major reason for that is the country is so fragmented, not just those that is the country is so fragmented, notjust those two governments, but dozens of militias, loyalty to tribes, loyalty to towns, loyal to themselves, and as well as that, there are foreign interventions. resident erdogan, who backs that government in tripoli, president erdogan of turkey, he has already been very sceptical about the chances of this thing working. he has attacked drones there, thousands of syrian mercenaries. on the other side, the russians are barking general khalifa haftar. there are many things that can go wrong and all of this before they get to peace, and only then can we say it is some kind of historic moment. as of this agreement, it's an important

step, but there are loads of steps ahead and many things that can go wrong. 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. hello, nicole. hello. i play a successful therapist, hugh plays a child oncologist.|j won't let my patients die anymore. why are you so dressed 7 anymore. why are you so dressed up? i like the idea he was a man who appeared to be wonderful on the surface, and then all hell breaks loose. tonight, the gruesome discovery

ofa tonight, the gruesome discovery of a woman bludgeoned to death. in recent years i have done a lot of, what you would call character acting. i guess this was less like that, back to somewhat closer to me, bold fat hugh was used in this one. the undoing, has a female lead. hugh was used in this one. the undoing, has a female leadm you ever want to talk. thank you. do you feel things are changing in the movie and tv business? mm, it gradually. slowly, slowly. everything is slow. as women who have some sort of opportunity, we have to actually make that call and say we actually want a female to direct to this. hugh, you noticing from the scripts you are seeing in the business, is it genuinely becoming more diverse? there is a strong impulse to make everything very diverse, yeah. if they are trying to make their project more diverse, it is coming from

a good place where that is passion for them, it's an important cause, then that is all terrific. it is done out of all terrific. it is done out of a sense of fear of backlash, thenl a sense of fear of backlash, then i am not sure that that is great, so healthy, creatively. is that enough, have we put on an appearance,? can we go? the undoing touches on fear and backlash and class and race stop i will make it up to you. make it up to me now. a protracted whodunnit. will gompertz, bbc news. let's stay with diversity in the arts, because the pegasus opera company in london has launched its first mentoring scheme for promising singers and this weekend will host a free online concert that looks back at the contribution that black composers have had in classical music. phoebe hopson reports. joshua elmore, originally from alabama, is one of 15 singers

on the pegasus opera company's scheme for underrepresented singers in opera. joshua things countertenor, the highest male voice in classical singing. it's one of the rarest. i started singing classically in high school. i was asked if i wa nted high school. i was asked if i wanted to be in the choir, i said no, this is really lame. but i needed high school credits to graduate, so i joined. then i absolutely loved it, and that is when i started classically singing. and when i went to university i started taking voice lessons and i started singing opera. from then, i was hooked.

started singing opera. from then, iwas hooked. i started singing opera. from then, i was hooked. i liked something about the rawness of it. you are on stage, with the orchestra, there is no electronics or amplification. it's just that true passion and singing that are really enjoy. the vibration and all that, it's just good as it's amazing. opera often comes under criticism for its inaccessibility and lack of diversity, both on and off stage. according to the english national opera, ethnic minorities only making up 10% of audiences, raspberries organisations like the pegasus opera company want to show that the opera really is for everybody. —— grassroots organisations. the director, alison buchanan, is the uk's only black female director of an opera company. she says if offer —— opera wants to keep up with the times, it needs to promote black talent. you want to see people who look like you on the stage. in england, mostly you haven't seen anybody

who looks like you on stage. the company showcases the influence of often overlooked like classical musicians and composers, like margaret barnes and florence price. their respective work with the writer langston hughes led to many compositions influenced by african—american spiritual music. what is stopping opera being as diverse as it could be? it's a mindset. there is a school of thinking where black people are not allowed into this world. and i think as time goes on, and that school of thinking dies, then we will kind of change things. things will change. keep pressing play. go for it. a really inspiring message to

and on. you can reach me on twitter. i am aaron safir. no singing, i promise! iwill be backin singing, i promise! iwill be back ina singing, i promise! iwill be back in a few minutes with the headlines. bye—bye. hello. if you are hoping to get out and about this weekend, the weather may have an impact on your plans. it is looking decidedly u nsettled. plans. it is looking decidedly unsettled. it will be windy, there will be heavy rain at times but not all the time, there will be some dry and brighter moments as well. the pressure in charge of the weather at the moment, quite a big blow, quite a deep low as well, lots of light lines, lots of isobars crossing together, that shows we will have some strong winds and the strongest of the winds will always be in association with this band of rain. so the wettest, windy is whether to start saturday across the western side of the uk, this rain band will push its way eastwards through the day. you can see the bright green and yellow colours showing up a short, sharp burst

of really intense rainfall accompanied by really squally winds wishing eastwards as we go through the day. towards the far south—east it is likely to stay dry for a good part of the day, sunshine and so is following on from the west. windy filed the strongest winds along the line of our rain band, and temperatures 17 degrees across the south—east corner and perhaps cooling from the north as the rain band clears its way through. the rain will persist across east anglia and the south—east very good part saturday night. clear spells and showers following on from the west, and don't forget the clocks go back and our through the early hours of sunday. the end of british summertime, and as far as the weather goes, summer has long since left us. it's autumnal. low pressure up to the north—west of the uk, some pretty brisk winds on sunday, perhaps not quite as windy as it would have been on saturday, there will be some spells of sunshine but some showers, too. the showers most frequent, most

plentiful across western areas, andi plentiful across western areas, and i think we will also see quite a few running and across the english channel coast. it will be windy, strongest winds across the west of scotland, these are the average wind speeds, just be stronger than that was a classical view as well with temperatures between 11 and 14 degrees. as we head into the new working week, low pressure still with us. this low will lose some of its intensity as we go on into monday, so the wenzel is a little bit but there was to be some showers and spells of rain around, and it is looking like around, and it is looking like a very and settled week ahead. that is all 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. the announcement was made by president trump, whose government brokered the deal. palestinians have reacted angrily, describing it as another stab in the back. protests are spreading across poland after a court ruling banning virtually all abortions with exceptions only for cases of rape, incest, or where the mother's health is at risk. poland already has some of the eu's strictest abortion laws. 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. the test and trace system

in england came underfire this