this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'm mike embley. our top stories: international condemnation as turkey invades kurdish—controlled areas of north—east syria. for civilians across the border on the syrian side, this is going to feel like one more round of battle in an agonisingly long war. a gunman kills two people near a synagogue in eastern germany, live—streaming it online. out of tragedy, change comes to iran. on thursday women football fans will be able to fill the stands for the first time. and an online fight between the wives of two top

footballers over stories leaked to the tabloids. turkey has launched a ground offensive in northern syria, hours after its militaryjets and artillery began hitting territory held by kurdish—led forces. just days ago president trump ordered american troops withdrawn from the border area, a decision that's been widely condemned, at home and abroad. the area under attack is controlled by the kurdish—led syrian democratic forces, who played a leading role in defeating the extremist group that calls itself islamic state. they are long—time american allies, but regarded by the turks as terrorists. the turkish government says it wants to clear kurdish forces from a 30—kilometre "safe zone" along the border, to resettle up to 2 million syrian refugees who've been

living in turkey. one monitoring group says 10 civilians have already been killed. the bbc‘s orla guerin is on the border. in syria, a new round of warfare. the town of ras al—ain under heavy bombardment, one of several just inside the border in the kurdish—controlled north—east. it's the start of a turkish offensive that is alarming europe, has been condemned by america and is bringing fresh instability to the middle east. and, once again, syrian civilians forced to flee. a local journalist saw them go. thousands of people migrating to the south side. the turkish army are shelling by mortars everywhere. from across the border in turkey, we could see smoke rising in the town of tal abyad.

the bbc understands turkish troops are now on the ground there. well, here at the border, we have been seeing and hearing the opening salvos in turkey's assault on north—eastern syria. in the last half—an—hour or so, we've heard mortar rounds and artillery fire and there has been incoming mortar fire from syria. president erdogan is calling this operation peace spring but, for civilians across the border on the syrian side, this is going to feel like one more round of battle in an agonisingly long war. turkey says the aim of this offensive is to create a safe zone along its border and allow two million syrian refugees to go home. today, it was creating new ones. ankara also wants to drive out syrian kurdish forces it views as terrorists. that area is needed for our safety and security for the syrian refugees to go back to,

so they can go back to their normal lives and there is no vacuum to be filled by any terrorist network, and also to make sure that syria is not divided territorially. but turkey's assault on the kurds could be costly. they've been crucial in the fight against islamic state and are holding 10,000 isil prisoners. now they'll have to focus on resisting turkey. tonight at the border, rockets in the night sky. the invasion is well under way, is worried nations look on. orla guerin, bbc news, near the turkey—syria border. turkey's military operation — and the change of american strategy that preceded it — could have far—reaching implications — this region has been at the centre of the fight against the extremist group, the so—called islamic state.

our middle east editorjeremy bowen looks at the possible wider impact. turkey's president erdogan says he has called for the operation to close what he calls the corridor of terror along the turkish border. it's this drip of territory in north—eastern syria and it might turn into a corridor of disaster if his critics and enemies are correct. several towns were hit in the first hours of the turkish offensive. that meant civilians were faced yet again with a terrible choice of abandoning their homes and risking the dangers of the road or staying in the firing line. in washington, president trump gave the green light to the turkish plan and says he's had enough of the region. the worst mistake that the united states has ever made in my opinion was going into the middle east. it's a quagmire. we are up to close to $8 trillion and we are bringing ourfolks back home. the turks have made their move because of their long and bitter

battle with kurdish separatists. this was fighting in one of the mainly kurdish towns in eastern turkey in 2016. for the turks, the move into north—eastern syria is a continuation of that fight. kurdish separatists in turkey, the pkk, have strong connections with syrian kurds. the turkish state regards all the armed groups as terrorists. but it's much more complicated than that because of the fight against thejihadist extremists of islamic state. while the us, britain and others bombed the self—styled caliphate that is called the territory it seized, most of the house—to—house combat was done by the same syrian kurdish fighters that turkey is now targeting as terrorists. since the caliphate was destroyed and recaptured, kurdish fighters, women serving alongside men, have been a key part

of the battle against remnants, but the job isn't over. the caliphate is gone but the ideology and sleeper cells remain. now kurds of the sdf, syrian democratic forces, say they can't continue fighting is if they have to fight turkey, and is has potentially been handed a big opportunity. there is also a big question about is prisoners, most of whom are guarded by kurds. with kurdish attention elsewhere, the dangers of a jailbreak could increase. the biggest loser so far are likely to be the syrian kurds who fought with their western allies and now feel betrayed. russia, key allies of the assad regime further south in damascus, will be delighted to hear that

president trump wants out of the middle east and the risks now include an is revival, more misery for civilians and a deeper destabilisation of a fragile land. president trump has released a statement that says:gfx) "the united states does not endorse the attack and has made it clear to turkey that this operation is a bad idea." but it was his decision to withdraw american troops that turkey took as the green light for its offensive. there's been plenty of criticism of that move. here's our north america editorjon sopel. if he thinks it is such a bad idea, why on sunday night did he agree in a phone call with president erdogan and then put out a statement later saying that the long—awaited assault would start soon and american troop would not be in the way. there are only 50 soldiers, but all the time those troops were there on the ground, there was not a chance that president erdogan would have launched this offensive with the risk that american blood might be spilt.

and so a very few soldiers were keeping the peace and that is what has enraged so many republicans as well as democrats in washington. i have scoured social media to find supportive comments for what donald trump has done and it is very difficult to find any. the talk is of betrayal, the talk is of what about our comrades in arms who fought with us? what happens to the prisoners? and also questions about the temperament of the president as well. what about the timing of this? what about consultation? why has donald trump done this after one phone call and very little negotiation with his military chiefs? now, in response to this hostility, donald trump has said look, if president erdogan goes too far, then america will act and flatten the turkish economy. and other quote from the president

just a short time ago in the white house here, he said, of the kurds, apparentlyjustifying why they didn't deserve total protection, they didn't help us in world war ii. didn't help us with normandy. in germany, at least 2 people have been killed and 2 others severely wounded in a shooting near a synagogue in the east german city of halle. one person has been arrested. witnesses describe a gunman wearing a military—style outfit and carrying several weapons. jenny hill reports from halle. calm, deliberate, shattering the peace of a quiet city. an eyewitness filmed as the gunman, dressed in combat gear, opened fire outside a synagogue in halle. he'd just tried and failed to shoot his way into the building. a woman was killed as she walked past. this man told us he came face—to—face with the gunman. "i saw a man wearing army clothes, with a gun over his shoulder," he says. "he was throwing things over the wall of the synagogue cemetery, and then there were two explosions."

but he wasn't finished. not far from the synagogue, he attacked a kebab shop, killing a man inside. the gunman is believed to be a german, in his late 20s. he wore a head camera and streamed footage online. it's yom kippur, thejewish day of atonement. halle‘s dues had to be escorted to safety. this evening, angela merkeljoined worshippers in berlin. there is anger that, unlike most otherjewish institutions in this country, there wasn't a police guard outside the building in halle. it's been a day of confusion and horror. people here have now been told they can leave their homes. the security services say these streets are safe. but after what happened here today, germany's jewish community may find that hard to believe. jenny hill, bbc news, halle. visuals at the rugby world cup

confirm that wind against france and new zealand against italy have been cancelled because of the threat posed by the typhoon in the region. other games including scotland against japan other games including scotland againstjapan are other games including scotland against japan are still under threat and that much could decide who qualifies for the quarterfinals. more on the to come, of course. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: 60 years after they first appeared in print — asterix and obelix appear in the paris metro. this was a celebration by people who were relishing their freedom. they believe everything's going to be different from now on. they think their country will be respected in the world once more as it used to be before slobodan milosevic took power. the dalai lama, the exiled spiritual leader of tibet,

has won this year's nobel peace prize. as the parade was reaching its climax, two grenades exploded and a group of soldiers jumped from a military truck taking part in the parade, and ran towards the president, firing from kalashnikov automatic rifles. after 437 years, the skeleton ribs of henry viii's tragic warship emerged. but, even as divers worked to buoy her up, the mary rose went through another heart—stopping drama. i want to be the people's governor. i want to represent everybody. i believe in the people of california. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: there has been international criticism of turkey's military assault against kurdish—led forces in north—east syria. france, germany and britain have requested a meeting of the un security council. well, let's get more on this now. mutlu civiroglu is a kurdish affairs analyst.

he's in washington. we have one of the biggest armies in nato and a full—scale assault on what is essentially a militia. and effect of militia, long—time american allies and effective fighters against the extremists of the islamic state group. what is the latest you are hearing? just before i connected with you i heard news from northern syria that there are some attempt by the groups to storm the city. this isjust some attempt by the groups to storm the city. this is just coming some attempt by the groups to storm the city. this isjust coming in 110w. the city. this isjust coming in now. so tonight there were some strokes but it looks like as it sta rts strokes but it looks like as it starts to get light over the there area starts to get light over the there are a few attempts on the ground now

because last night there were attem pts because last night there were attempts and attempts to get to syrian soil. the general was talking to us earlier this week and made the point that the so—called islamic state has been defeated military but not this —— defeated militarily but not this —— defeated militarily but not destroyed. what do you think will happen to the prisoners guarded by the kurdish fighters and those who are to be dispersed in the area. will is become more active?|j certainly will is become more active?” certainly do. in last night in raqqa it was symbolic. they consider is the capital of the caliphate and there was an attempt to storm the police station. they were also repelled. but they are emboldened.

the isis fighters in detention at the moment are emboldened. there are not only sleeper cells in the areas that are stronger than when isis existed. i personally think this operation will cause undesirable results because the kurdish officers already have a difficult time controlling isis fighters and also terrorist devices. most of these people were ina camp devices. most of these people were in a camp last month. so there is a huge problem facing the international community. i told the

commander—in—chief the other day that these fighters and their families, they are occupied with protecting their family. the only option they have is to pull the people from the operation. so isis can easily regroup. and of course it isa can easily regroup. and of course it is a problem for the us, the uk and the international community because if isis militants are looking for an opportunity like this to flee, run away and regroup. some are already starting. so this is a serious addition to the problems are defaced by syria. i am sure we will talk about this again. thank you very much. demonstrators in ecuador have clashed with security forces during a nationwide strike. the protests are led by indigenous groups demanding the return of fuel

subsidies and the resignation of president lenin moreno. a state of emergency was declared by the government last week. will grant reports. a day of strike and of conflict in ecuador. the clashes in the streets of the nation continue to escalate. more fires, more barricades, more stone throwing. and, inevitably, more teargas as demonstrators were met with force by riot police and the military. this national strike was called by indigenous leaders who wa nt to was called by indigenous leaders who want to compel the government to reverse its recent end to fuel subsidies which has caused petrol prices to jump by 100% at the pumps. however, increasingly demonstrators are making an even more uncompromising demand to president lennon moreno. translation: we do not want your economic measures. we do not want it was our president. and all of those who are in favour

of those measures are against the people. translation: we want lennon moreno to leave power. we are the ones who govern, the police are blocking the highway, not us. we are here peacefully to get out of here. the besieged government which has moved to another city amid the protests is facing its biggest crisis since it came to power. similar protests have brought down similar presidents —— previous presidents in ecuador but they insist the military remains loyal. translation: i have just come from the naval base and we have been reviewing security protocols. not only for the march but for the controlling containment of acts of vandalism. while the violence is taking place in big cities in the door, the president has pointed the finger at his predecessor in self imposed exile. the former president

released a video on social media in which he called for an early election but denied he was attempting a coup. translation: there is no coup here, he insisted. conflicts in democracy are resolved at the polls. there have been some talks between the government and the indigenous leaders. get following days of constant street violence, this conflict does not look like being resolved peacefullyjust yet. iran will allow women to attend the world cup qualifying game against cambodia on thursday — the first women will have been permitted entry to a football game in tehran. here's our sports editor dan roan. out of tragedy can sometimes come change. sahar khodayari died last month having set herself alight in tehran in protest to having been arrested for trying to attend a football match. her story led to a global outcry. iranian women can go to matches like this one at last year's world cup in russia, but back in their homeland,

that is now set to change with several thousand women allowed to buy tickets for an international in tehran this week, and fifa will be there watching closely. we are totally focused on making sure women can attend this match on the 10th of october and then working just as pragmatically with the federation and the local authorities to ensure women also can attend local matches in leagues in iran, going forward. we are firm and clear, we expect all women in iran to be able to attend football matches. in recent years the protest movement against iran's unofficial ban enforced by religious leaders has been gathering pace. growing numbers of women even risking arrest by disguising themselves as men to attend games. but khodayari's death has brought the issue into sharper focus. fifa has come under mounting pressure to do much more to try and ensure that women can freely watch football in iran and there is now much at stake. this is a case that has shone

a spotlight on the extent to which sports bodies are prepared to wield their influence to try and tackle discrimination. one activist, the sister of the captain of iran's men's team says fifa should have got tough sooner. we have been sending letters to fifa for years. if fifa took this issue more seriously the death of this girl would have been prevented. all of us are really saddened by what happened to sahar. we now need to work to find practical solutions to ensure that women have free access to matches in iran. that is our focus. during last year's world cup, progress as some women were allowed inside the national stadium in tehran to watch their team on giant screens. the hope that this week the authorities honour their pledge to go a step further in what could prove a game changer. a row has broken out on social media where colleen rooney, wife of the former england football player wayne, has accused rebekah vardy, wife of former england playerjamie,

of leaking information from her instagram account to the press. here's lizo mzimba. they're married to footballers who have played for england, but both women have become well—known figures in their own right. rebekah vardy has taken part in the reality show i'm a celebrity get me out of here. coleen rooney has been a guest presenter on shows like the x factor. she says that after years of stories about her appearing in a tabloid newspaper, she decided to lay a trap on her private instagram feed. she told her more than one million twitter followers... she said that she also ensured that only one account could access those false stories and that that instagram account belonged to rebekah vardy.

mrs vardy, who says that many people have had access to her account over the years, denied being responsible, replying... many have applauded coleen rooney, others have questioned whether making public accusations on twitter was the fairest way to act towards someone who was previously a close friend. lizo mzimba, bbc news. they have become unlikely french cultural icons — asterix and obelix — two indomitable gauls. to mark the 60th anniversary of theirfirst appearance in print — parts of the paris metro have been given a temporary makeover. a dozen stations were renamed in honour of the comic book characters — as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. the party started at the gare de lyon, or gare de lugdunum as the invading romans might have called it. fans young and old were in attendance to celebrate the comic book characters who have come to represent

the spirit of their nation. translation: so the idea is that a birthday for characters which transcend all generations. you see here all generations are here, they're superfans of these characters. for six decades those super fans have followed the adventures of asterix, obelix, dogmatix, getafix and the rest. more than 370 million books sold worldwide and stories that have been translated into 100 different languages. some people just couldn't stay away. translation: we drove for more than three hours to come here, we postponed all our plans to come and experience the 60th birthday of our heroes. translation: i think it's an excellent idea, it's very pretty, and livens it up and it reminds us of our roots. giant celebratory posters have been put up as the whole country prepares to celebrate asterix's diamond anniversary,

wild boar and a cup of magic potion for everyone. tim allman, bbc news. thank you for watching. hello there. wednesday has been a very showery day across parts of scotland and northern ireland, particularly western scotland, rainfall totals really starting to mount up, we've seen some flash flooding in places, a lot of surface spray on the roads. as we head on into thursday, it looks like it's going to stay pretty unsettled, turn windier through the day, with another band of rain moving in. could see the new area of low pressure. this is the low pressure we have had for the last few days, eventually clearing off to the north—east. this new area of low pressure will send its weather front out across for the north—west of the country, and it will bring another round of fairly strong winds. thursday though starts off fine and dry for many. lovely spell of sunshine up and down the country. a few showers across western scotland continuing. and then the band of rain starts to push in,

to northern ireland initially, and then into much of scotland and perhaps the far north of england. and it is going to turn very wet and we could see further issues with surface water flooding across western scotland. whereas further south, although there will be a lot of cloud across england and wales, there could be quite a bit of dry weather too. the top temperature of 17 degrees. but through thursday night, it stays quite blustery. further heavy showers, longer spells of rain across the north—west of the country. and then we will start to see some more persistent rain pushing to parts of england and wales by the end of the night. you notice temperatures 12—14 in the south. turning much milder. temperatures nine or 10 the overnight low for scotland and northern ireland. the reason for the wet weather as we head on into friday and, indeed, into the weekend, is this weather front which will be pretty much part across england and wales, we think, and it is going to bring a lot of rainfall throughout friday. tending to pile up into the hills of wales, perhaps the north midlands, and northern england, particularly across the peat district. 50—70 millimetres of rain by the time the day is out, so that could cause some issues, atrocious conditions on the road and some surface water flooding.

across the far south—east, we could se a little bit of a brightness and dry weather, then it will be mild to the south of that weather front, friday afternoon. 18 degrees will be the high. around 15 or 16 on the weather front. but to the north of it, for scotland and northern ireland, where we will see sunshine and showers, cooler air mass, 13 or 1a degrees. and for the rest of friday, looks like the showers across northern areas begin to ease down. perhaps the rain for england and wales might ease down for a bit, before a new renewed bit of rain starts to push into the south—west so that means, into the weekend, i think england and wales look like seeing most of the cloud and outbreaks of rain which again could cause some issues, with some surface water flooding. but a different story further north, for scotland and northern ireland, you'll be in the slightly cooler air mass and there'll be a mixture of sunshine and showers, some of which may be heavy and thundery.

this is bbc news, the headlines: there's been international criticism of turkey's military assault on kurdish—led forces in north—east syria. france, germany and britain have requested a meeting of the un security council and president trump described the attack as a "bad idea". at least ten civilians are reported to have been killed so far. chancellor angela merkel has attended a memorial vigil in berlin for two people killed in an anti—semitic attack in the german city of halle. a gunman tried to get into a synagogue where up to eighty worshippers had gathered. a suspect — a white german man — has been arrested. protesters in ecuador have clashed with security forces in the capital, quito, during a nationwide strike. indigenous groups are demanding the end of austerity, the return of fuel subsidies — and the resignation of president lenin moreno — who has been forced to move his