President Trump heralded the “dawn of a new Middle East” yesterday and predicted that Saudi Arabia and half a dozen other countries would follow the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as they formally recognised Israel.

“We are here this afternoon to change the course of history,” he said as he opened the signing ceremony for the so-called Abraham Accords at the White House. He talked of how Israel and the two Arab states would establish embassies in each other’s countries and co-operate on tourism, trade, healthcare and security. “They’re going to work together,” Mr Trump said. “They are friends.”

Washington, which has 11 aircraft carriers in active service, will be closely monitoring the progress of the ‘Type 003’ carrier in the Jiangnan shipyard on the outskirts of Shanghai.

It comes as China looks to assert its dominance in the South China Sea where the US has sailed its warships and conducted drills with allies in recent months in a show of strength against Beijing’s claims on the disputed waters.

An appeals court in Michigan today upheld a ruling that said the sending of unsolicited absentee voter applications by mail to registered voters in the state is lawful. Nearly 8 million voters in the state will be receiving applications, along with postcards saying they can register absentee online.

At a press conference earlier this evening, Donald Trump said that issues with mail-in ballots are the “biggest threat to this election”, saying that it is a “much bigger threat than foreign countries”. The Trump campaign has filed multiple lawsuits in efforts to curtail widespread mail-in voting in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“The Abraham accords… will serve as a foundation for a comprehension peace across the entire region something that no one thought was possible,” Mr Trump said. “[It] also open the doors for Muslims to visit the historic site in Israel,” he said referencing the Al-Aqsa mosques in Jerusalem. He said there are other countries which will “very, very soon” follow suit, echoing previous comments that “five or six” other nations were considering signing deals with Israel.

“The peace we make today will endure,” he added.

“Flooding may occur in coastal areas due to rising sea levels due to the high barometric pressure created as the cyclone reaches land.

“There may be temporary interruptions in electricity, telecommunications, water supply and sewerage due to faults in the respective networks.”