welcome to bbc news. i'm mike embley. our top stories: demands for moscow to explain what happened to alexei navalny, as german doctors say he was poisoned with a nerve agent. this is directly leading to the russians. they are the only ones who have ever made this stuff, they are the only ones who have been known to use it before. fourteen go on trial in france over the deadly attack on the satirical magazine charlie hebdo five years ago. what happens when two black holes collide? scientists may have found the answer and it's challenging the laws of physics. and mishal husain tells the story of her grandfather and the indian army's contribution to ending the second world war.

hello there. there has been international condemnation of russia after the german government said a military—grade nerve agent was used to poison the prominent kremlin critic, alexei navalny. chancellor angela merkel said only the russian government could explain how mr navalny had come into contact with the novichok nerve agent. mr navalny was airlifted to berlin in a coma afterfalling ill on a flight last month. his team says he was poisoned on the orders of president putin. our security correspondent gordon corera reports. alexei navalny has been the most prominent opposition figure in russia, campaigning against corruption. a thorn in the kremlin‘s side, he's been arrested and had his offices raided. but soon after being pictured drinking tea at a siberian airport in august, he fell

suddenly and violently ill on a flight to moscow. russian doctors said there was no sign of foul play and his blood sugar had simply dropped. but, amidst growing pressure, he was airlifted to berlin, where he remains in a coma. and today angela merkel revealed he'd been poisoned with a novichok nerve agent. translation: we expect the russian government to give an explanation. there are now grave questions which only the russian government can and must answer. and the prime minister said on twitter tonight: novichok is the same type of nerve agent used in salisbury in 2018. secretly developed by moscow

in the cold war, western intelligence believe it was turned into a tool for assassination and smeared on a door handle belonging to former russian spy, sergei skripal, poisoning him and his daughter in salisbury. they survived, but a local woman, dawn stu rgess, was killed months later when she picked up a discarded perfume bottle used to transport the agent. the use of such a rare substance was crucial then and now in pointing the finger at the russian state. well, on the face of it, it would appear that they just don't care who knows. this is directly leading to the russians. they're the only ones who have ever made this stuff, they're the only ones we've ever known who have used it before. and the other thing to consider, it took 18 months to clean up salisbury. if this stuff is lying around the airport where he was poisoned, or his hotel, there's a huge threat to the local population. today's revelations strengthens the evidence alexei navalny was targeted by the russian state. the question now is how the international community will respond.

a lot of claim and counterclaim on this, of course. a lot more detail and analysis on the bbc‘s website for you anytime. a trial has started in paris 01:14 people charged with supporting the fatal terror attacks on the french satirical magazine, charlie hebdo, and ajewish supermarket, in 2015. after the magazine printed cartoons of the prophet mohamed, three islamist gunmen stormed the charlie hebdo office and shot and killed seventeen employees. the trial is expected to clarify what really happened and why. lucy williamson reports from paris. they arrived today, 11 men dwarfed by the security and symbolism around this trial — the state reclaiming its authority over those who, prosecutors say, helped terrorise france. sitting behind security screens they heard the charges — complicity, weapons procurement, membership of a terrorist group.

the events at the heart of this trial are seared into the national memory of france, but the people standing in the dock today are almost completely unknown, suspected of being small backroom accomplices and the only remaining links to the violence that erupted five years ago. the violence in 2015 stunned france. 17 people were gunned down in targeted attacks during three days of cold—blooded killing, followed with disbelief on live television. the widow of one cartoonist killed in the charlie hebdo attack said she had been haunted ever since by nightmares of her husband's killers. translation: the defendants are the ones in the dock, but behind them are the kouachi brothers. it's cherif kouachi who i will see. the trial is going to be traumatising, but in the end it might help. i'm asking myself if it will bring healing. i'm not sure.

as france remembers the victims of these attacks, the government said this week that the risk remains extremely high. we should not become the victims ourselves of terrorists, by thinking that islam is not compatible with what the french republic is. the trap of the terrorists is precisely to create oppositions, to create tensions and divisions that we would hate each other, we should refuse that. charlie hebdo this week reprinted the cartoons of mohammed that originally made it a target for jihadist violence. five years ago, france expressed its grief through solidarity with the paper. but its brash, belligerent satire is also a reminder that whatever conclusions this trial may reach, it won't settle debate around the rights and limits to freedom of speech. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris.

let's get some of the day's other news. a record number of migrants crossed the english channel from france on wednesday according to the uk border force. the authorities say they've dealt with 27 incidents so far, involving 409 people. the previous daily high was 235. heavy rain and powerful winds are battering south korea, as typhoon maysak works its way up from the country's largest island, jeju towards the second largest city, busan. authorities are warning of flooding and mudslides as maysak hits the mainland. flights have been cancelled and ferries suspended. anti—government protesters in bulgaria have clashed with police in front of the national assembly building in the capital, sofia. police used pepper spray to disperse the thousands of demonstrators, who in turn attacked officers and police vehicles. the protesters are demanding the resignation of the prime minister over allegations of corruption. truck drivers in chile have ended a seven—day strike that blocked roads and affected supply chains across

the country. the government has promised to fast track legislation to improve safety and punish those responsible for a recent wave of attacks on drivers. let us take you to some low pictures coming in from beating. xijinping pictures coming in from beating. xi jinping and pictures coming in from beating. xijinping and other officials attending a wreathlaying event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of victory injapan in world war ii. we will have more on that subject a little later in the programme. the us has imposed further sanctions on the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, fatou bensouda. the secretary of state, mike pompeo, has described the icc as a kangaroo court, accusing it of targeting americans by continuing its investigation into possible us war crimes in afghanistan. the court said it was an unprecedented and serious attack on the international criminal justice system and the rule of law.

our washington correspondent, nomia iqbal, has more details. this all began earlier in the year after the international criminal court announced it was going to investigate alleged crimes committed by the united states and others in the afghan conflict. as you said there, mike pompeo was not happy about it. he vowed to protect americans from this and said it was truly breathtaking action, calling it a kangaroo court. in june president trump imposed travel restrictions on fatou bensouda, the main chief prosecutor and her colleague and as we have now seen they have gone a step further. isn't it unusual for sanctions to be applied like this against an individual representing an international organisation? i know the un has condemned it. what is likely to happen next? the biggest question is that

donald trump has a history of sacking institutions he does not like, look at the world health organization as an example. recently announcing he is pulling out funding. but what human rights group says different about this, apart from going after another institution, one committed to defending, dedicated to criminaljustice by going after individuals who are simply doing theirjob and they say this undermines the global effort to protect human rights defenders and potentially sets a bad example for other countries around the world. they are perhaps the greatest mystery of the universe. black holes, where matter is so densely packed it creates a gravitational pull so strong not even light can escape. on wednesday scientists announced they had discovered one of the largest ever — 17 billion light years away. this from our science

correspondent pallab ghosh. black holes are the monsters of the universe. the gravity is so strong not even light can escape. they suck in everything around them, destroying stars and planets in their wake. this pipe in louisiana is actually pa rt pipe in louisiana is actually part of a sophisticated black hole detecting work of instruments. it detects gravity waves, ripples in space—time. recently it detected a black hole that was so large it shouldn't exist. when we saw this for the first time, that it was such a heavy object, of course this was incredibly exciting, because it really pushes to the limits our understanding of the origin of these black holes and opens up new ways of investigating, you know, the creation and the evolution of such massive stellar objects. a black hole is created when a star colla pses is created when a star collapses in on itself. but the new one was too large to have

been produced that way. instead, scientists think it was a merger of two black holes to produce one that was 85 times the mass of our sun. an scientists observed it merging with another black hole to produce an even larger monster of 142 solar masses. that sent a shockwave across the universe, with the explosive power of eight sons, powerful enough to have been detected 100 million trillion miles away on earth. the discovery suggests that across the vastness of space, black holes merge often and keep merging to become bigger and bigger. pallor goes, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: as harry and megan strike a deal with netflix, what programmes are they likely to make? she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums.

the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies, then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting and wives are waiting. hostages appeared. some carried, some running, trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today, described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable. an early morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the german government says there is unequivocal evidence that the russian opposition leader alexei navalny was poisoned with nerve agent novichok. the kremlin says there is no proof to support that. 14 people have gone on trial in paris, charged with helping the gunmen who carried out the attacks on the french satirical magazine, charlie hebdo. the cuban government has imposed a night—time curfew on the capital, havana, as authorities struggle to contain the latest coronavirus outbreak. it did look as if cuba had controlled covid—19, but in recent weeks there has been a surge of new cases. now, people have been ordered to remain in their homes at night, for two weeks. from havana, will grant. havana is under curfew — not by day, as people still venture out to find food or in some cases, continue to go to work. but at night, the streets of the cuban capital

are completely deserted. from 7pm until 5am, for at least the next two weeks, people must remain in their homes — as the authorities attempt to bring this latest outbreak of coronavirus back under control. now, cuba had been praised for its response to covid—19 and for containing its local infection rates. indeed, in one day injuly, they registered no deaths and no new infections. however, since then, they've gradually seen the numbers creep up, which has forced the communist run government into these latest measures. they include a halt on national tourism and only certain vehicles are allowed to circulate the streets. the governments say that people welcome these stringent new measures, as they want to see the outbreak brought back under control. but on the streets, they were

greeted with mixed emotions. translation: the queues are much longer than the supplies available in stores. if they carry on only stocking some stores in havana with food and not all of them, then people will keep flocking to those shops. it will be terrible, and covid will keep spreading. translation: there are many basic goods which aren't available everywhere. i think all neighbourhoods must be treated equally to avoid problems of too many people crowding around the same place. translation: the curfew measures are good. i agree that they're necessary, but i don't agree with the rule that says we can only buy products in our local neighbourhoods. some of us have spent hours queuing for nothing. as well as the night—time curfew, residents of havana can only purchase goods in their own municipalities — something which complicates matters for many, especially those living in the

poorest neighbourhoods. now, it's worth remembering that even at its height, cu ba's coronavirus outbreak is far more controlled than those in hot spots in the region, like brazil and mexico. nevertheless, the island's healthcare system is stretched to its limits, and the government is well aware that it simply can't afford a major second wave. will grant, bbc news, havana. round two got under way in the us open on wednesday and while world number one, novak djokovic advanced, it wasn't as smooth a ride for the women's top seed — a stunning upset forcing an early exit for karolina pliskova. tanya dendrinos reports. round two and the top seeds sent packing. karolina pliskova knocked out by caroline garcia in straight sets. karolina pliskova dropped the first, 6-1, pliskova dropped the first, 6—1, before mounting a fightback in the second set. she was unable to take it to a

third, though, garcia cleansing the match in a tie—break. third, though, garcia cleansing the match in a tie-break. it's still great, for sure. it's been a long month, and i think it was positive for me to stay a little bit more quiet, calm and workout. now can take the confidence for it, from a good win againsta confidence for it, from a good win against a top player. she was the playing super aggressive shots. i maybe didn't play my best. i didn't serve that great, especially early in the match. but that is how it is sometimes. i'm not a robot, so don't have to play every day amazing. the world number one also started on the back foot, losing the first in a tie—break to the uk's kyle edmund, but he showed little mercy thereafter, claiming the following sets, 6—3, 6—4, 6—2, jamaica 28 consecutive wins since november last year does make —— to make it 28 consecutive wins since november

last year. in those they plan on completely shifting around the —— unless they plan on typically shifting around the organisation of the venue, it's ha rd organisation of the venue, it's hard to get your practices, to your matches, without crossing tens if not hundreds of people on the grounds. that, to me is the biggest concern, especially with the spikes in france going on right now. now it is all about flushing meadows with around three about to take shape. tanya dendrinos, bbc news. this week marks the 75th anniversary of the formal end of the second world war, and some bbc colleagues have been telling the stories of their families' role in the war effort. mishal husain looks at the part played by her grandfather and the indian army. they served in deserts and jungles, from african battlefields to asia and in europe. and without what was then the british indian army, the war might not have been won. it's all commemorated here at the royal military

academy sandhurst, which has trained officers for generations, and where this entire room on is the contribution of south asian troops through successive conflicts in different parts of the world. my grandfather, syed shahid hamid, was at university in northern india when he found out he'd won a place at sandhurst. it was 1932, and he was one of the few indian cadets. i'd like to show you this lovely photograph of your grandfather as part of the royal military college second six tennis team, named there, and you'll spot him there. yes! this is one of the earliest pictures i've ever seen of him, cos he would only have been about 20 at this point. back home, he became a husband and father, and when war broke out, india began to play a central role. archive: no praise is too high for these fine men who are doing so much forthe empire.

when britain went into the war, it was an imperial endeavour, and the imagination was that everybody around the empire would come to help and to serve and save the motherland. from december 1941, the conflict came closer to india, as japanese offensive threatened british strongholds in asia. shahid was ordered to burma. his ship arrived in rangoon in the middle of an air strike. it was the first of many searing experiences which have been pieced together by my uncle, ali. when the japanese surrounded rangoon, they blocked the road, and he writes that there was a column of over 40 miles long. where is the water coming from? where is the food coming from? what is happening to the injured? the plight of the civilians is terrible. he said that the stage came where they were offering

a fistful of rupees for a fistful of rice. burma was about to fall, and he was living through a perilous time. "it was terrible when the wooden houses caught fire and the ammunition dumps started exploding. i was blown into a trench and thought that i'd been hit and could not open my eyes." the picture that emerges from these pages is of the intensity of this period in burma, and i didn't realise until now what my grandfather faced from the very moment that he arrived. and for him it comes to a very sudden end when an injury to his eyes means he is evacuated back to india in april 1942. the indian army was made up not of conscripts but volunteers, some of them still with us today, who joined up for many reasons. very, very poor people. for inayet ali, it was a livelihood. translation: when the british asked us to help, we thought

there is no work available, so instead of going hungry, we would do this. and there was the hope that if the british won the war, they would give india its independence. by 1945, more than two million indians had served, part of a bigger contribution. there are vast numbers of men recruited, but it also produces raw materials, uniforms, timber goods, cotton. there's a drive to build up factories, munitions factories in india itself. after the war, my grandfather continued his military career and had a long life. others were not so fortunate. it was a war that drew in many countries, changing millions of lives, and taking some far from home, never to return. mishal husain on her grandfather and the second world war.

britain's prince harry and his wife meghan have signed a deal with us streaming giant netflix to produce a series of programmes and films. they say, with a message of hope. the agreement will last several years — but financial details have not been released. jack kilbride has the details. passionate about a range of causes and with extra time in their schedule, it was only a matter of time. only six months after they resigned from duties of the royal family, after they resigned from duties of the royalfamily, harry after they resigned from duties of the royal family, harry and meghan have joined the of the royal family, harry and meghan havejoined the netflix family. "ourfocus meghan havejoined the netflix family. "our focus will be on creating content that informs, but also gives hope." "our lives, but independent of each other, and as a couple, have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit, courage, and the need for connection." they will have documentaries, document a recidivism scripted shows and children's programming. while apple and disney were caught in —— courting the power, it was

netflix that one them over. the ceo said they were proud the royal couple had made their company the home. they will be mostly behind the camera, but the question is for many whether meghan markle could return to acting? for anyone who is a fan of meghan on the hit usa show suits, she will not be returning to acting, but her and harry may be appearing in some documentaries. like on the documentary rising phoenix. we will see things focusing on gender equity, the environment and social justice. jack kilbride, bbc news. and you can get in touch

with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbcmikeembley. hello. it will be a much milder end to the night, that is because we've picked up atlantic weather fronts as more cloud around. and although that is clearing away for many, we will still have quite a cool and brisk breeze with showers coming in on that atlantic wind. these are the weather fronts i've talked about, some heavy, thundery rain for a time through the night. this cold weather front is bringing some more persistent rain southwards and to the south of that it is very misty. low cloud is shrouding the hills and headlands in fog, but it was three or four degrees on wednesday morning in some areas in suffolk. so it will be a milder start, but a grey one for some.

already, though, the brighter skies are with us for scotland, northern ireland, northern england, filtering through wales in the morning, into the midlands in the afternoon, but the more appreciable rain could linger into the second part of the afternoon further south and the cloud towards evening as well. but we will still see temperatures into the high teens in the low 20s, and obviously with some sunshine in north—eastern areas of both scotland and north—east england, feeling pleasant enough, but there will be a near—gale force wind in the far north—west of scotland, most will have a breezier day than wednesday. that breeze will blow the cloud in the rain away from the south on friday, continue to push showers into the north and west but actually, through into friday morning it will be chillier to start, so much milder this morning but a chilly one again on friday morning. there is some uncertainty on the details for friday regarding the rain. still sunny spells and showers, possibly more of them in the north on friday, but this area of rain may push in across southern parts of england and wales, through the second half

or during through the day and it's just uncertain as to how much we are going to get. so we'll firm up on details with time. as that then clears away the weekend is set up with low pressure to the north and a brisk north—westerly wind. high—pressure starting to build into the south—west. but again, it's a chilly direction so if anything, temperatures will be suppressed a little bit more this weekend, just the mid to high teens for most, and showers continuing, possibly something a little wetter later in the day in northern ireland but at this stage, the devil is in the details but if that does develop that could push further southwards during saturday night and into sunday, bringing more showers across england and wales potentially, by that stage. either side of that, some drier brighter weather, still quite cool in that brisk north—westerly wind, high still into the high teens. as ever, there's more online including the warnings.

this is bbc news. the headlines: russia is facing demands for a full investigation into what happened to the outspoken kremlin critic alexei navalny. the german government is saying it has unequivocal proof he was poisoned with a novichok nerve agent — the same substance used in the attack on the skripals in salisbury in 2018. 14 people have gone on trial in paris charged with helping the gunmen who attacked the french satirical magazine charlie hebdo and a jewish supermarket five years ago. over a three day period, three men killed 17 people before being shot dead by police. an international team of scientists has detected a huge gravitational shockwave caused, they believe, by the merging of two black holes. the discovery challenges current theories of physics, raising the possibility that black holes merge often across the vastness of space.