a very warm welcome to bbc news. i'm mike embley. our top stories: a leading opposition figure in belarus reportedly abducted by masked men amid more mass protests against president lukashenko. two dozen wildfires blaze across california — as the heatwave sees los angeles county hit its highest ever temperature. typhoon haishen has lashed south korea's east coast, causing landslides and bringing down power lines. hundreds of rohingya refugees land in indonesia after six months at sea. and is pepper, the culturally—aware robot, the answer to the care home staff shortage?

hello to you. one of the leading opposition figures in belarus has been abducted by unidentified men — according to local reports. witnesses say maria kolesnikava — one of the three women who joined forces to challenge president lukashenko in the recent election, was bundled into a vehicle in minsk and driven away. she had attended a mass demonstration in the capital on sunday. the interior ministry is saying it has no information about her being detained. the bbc‘s jonah fisher has this report. a political survivor. pretty much the last belarus opposition leader who is not in jail and who hasn't fled the country. this was her in minsk yesterday, taking part in a fourth weekend

of demonstrations, calling for the country's president, alexander lu kashenko, to step down. as the day came to an end the riot police fought back. dozens were detained, and this morning miss kolesnikava was picked up from a minsk street. she walked to the post office and she disappeared. a passer—by saw that she was taken to the bus... it was written there that it was the communications service, something like this. after that we couldn't contact her. her phone is not available. miss kolesnikava was one of a triumvirate of women who took on president lukashenko in august's election. svetla na ti kha novs kaya was their candidate and she's widely thought to have won the most votes. but president lukashenko declared victory.

miss tikhanovskaya left the country. a few days later i caught up with miss kolesnikava. do you feel safe here? you are the most prominent opposition leader who is on the streets of minsk. are you worried? no, i'm not worried. i'm very safe and when you see the people who are around me i'm happy. i feel very safe. if president lukashenko is hoping to crush the protests by detaining opposition figures, he's likely to be disappointed. belarus‘s demonstrations have no clear leadership or structure, and just one key aim, to remove an unpopular president from power. jonah fisher, bbc news. i spoke to rachel denber from human rights watch and i asked herfor her reaction to events in belarus. well, it's completely outrageous that maria kolesnikova has been abducted. u nfortu nately, kolesnikova has been abducted. unfortunately, i can say it's

an aberration. —— cannot say, it is something we have come to expect from this government. she is not the first person to be abducted in this way and she is not the first person in the opposition co—ordinated council who has been targeted. i then cursed, the press secretary, has also been abducted and is me “— has also been abducted and is me —— is missing, and other members of the co—ordination can have been abducted and arrested and are currently serving short—term prison terms. and another one was forced to basically leave the country. the government has filed criminal charges against the co—ordination council of belarus. it's not surprising, it's completely outrageous and the authorities have to immediately freebies members of the co—ordination can. immediately freebies members of the co-ordination can. rachel, are you concerned for her safety a nd are you concerned for her safety and the personal safety of the others detained? human rights watch is alarmed and

concerned for the safety of maria kolesnikova and the others. we can only assume the authorities are either threatening to use, either threatening to use, either threatening them or perhaps using some of the methods that they have used against the many hundreds of protesters, you know, beatings and the like, so we're very concerned about personal safety. the determination of the people staying on the streets is surely impressive. what do you make of the international reaction? the international reaction? the international reaction so far has been full of condemnation for lukashenko and for the crackdown. i think there needs to be more. look, there needs to be more. look, the international community now has two opportunities to launch long—term scrutiny of belarus, and that is what we really need right now. lu kashenko and that is what we really need right now. lukashenko is counting on the west, counting on other governments, counting

on other governments, counting on the un, tojust on other governments, counting on the un, to just get fatigued and turn away. and that is when the un human rights council opens its session next week, they need to adopt a resolution that really turns up the scrutiny on belarus, that sets out a monitoring and reporting procedure, and also, governments have do you think about individual sanctions. briefly, if you don't mind. lukashenko's ally, russia, has a veto on the security council, and the united states has its focus on many other things. is there much chance of action from there? well, what we're looking at now is the human rights council, which russia is not on, in this period, so i really think we can count, we should be counting on the un human rights in geneva to take some serious action. rachel denberfrom some serious action. rachel denber from human rights some serious action. rachel denberfrom human rights watch there. the poisoned russian opposition leader, alexay navalny, has been taken out of his medically—induced coma.

doctors treating him in berlin say his condition is improving. he was flown to germany after falling ill on a flight in siberia in august. doctors say he was poisoned with the nerve agent novichok. his team believe that was on the orders of russian president vladimir putin. he has denied any involvement. officials have blamed a baby gender reveal party for wildfires in california. a smoke bomb precipitated a fire that now has covered thousands of acres. nearly a million hectares of land across the state have already burned this year, making it the worst season for wildfires since records began. i spoke to peter bowes earlier, his home is not far away from the fires raging. it is too close to comfort. i experienced

fires closed to my home and neighbours lost their homes altogether. i have lived here for nearly 25 years, year—on—year, these fires do seem to be getting much worse. and what we are experiencing right now, 49 celsius over the weekend, searing temperature is, extremely dry conditions. of course it hasn't rained here seriously since april, it probably won't rain for 2—3 months, and it's a perfect storm of conditions that are generating more than two dozen fires, and you refer to the rather unusual circumstances surrounding one fire, this pyrotechnic device, smoke generating device at a gender reveal party, which in itself a lot of people have never heard of before, but a party where people reviewed the sex of their baby, and that family under investigation could face charges —— where people reveal, and they could face charges if they are found to be the blame

for the huge blaze. how is it that, peter, people and you around you, live day by day and night by night? do you have bags packed and cars loaded? that is routine. you are ready for these fires, you're ready to go ata for these fires, you're ready to go at a moment's notice. what i am noticing with this spate of fires is the intensity of the smoke. right now locally the fires are not at my doorstep, they are quite a number of miles away, but we are experiencing smoke, in my neighbourhood like we really have never seen before. and thatis have never seen before. and that is because of the conditions, the heat and the number of fires conditions, the heat and the number offires in conditions, the heat and the number of fires in a very wide area that pretty much most of los angeles, a vast, sprawling city of course, is formed by this layer of very dense smoke. i walked out for ten minutes today and i could feel the smoke on my lips and my face for the rest of the day. it is difficult to get ready of that once you have experienced it

forjust a few minutes in the day. and the wind strength and direction is always a key issue. what is the forecast? the forecast is not promising. the forecast is not promising. the forecasting of the next 24-48 the forecasting of the next 24—48 hours is strong, hot winds coming into los angeles from the east known as santa ana wins, they happen every year and they are a feature, towards the end of the year. this is really early for these conditions to be so bad. they area conditions to be so bad. they are a result of the wind being sent through the canyons, which increases the speed and intensity and the potential for it to fan more flames, perhaps start more fires if there are right conditions, or perhaps make those fires even worse. so there are red flood warnings across los angeles for people to ta ke across los angeles for people to take care. —— red flag.

typhoon haishen has touched down on the korean peninsula after hitting southern japan. the storm hit parts of the east coast across both north and south korea and made landfall in the city of ulsan. hundreds of flights were cancelled, with some train services suspended. mark lobel reports. wild weather has hit the south—eastern tip of the peninsula, with sustained winds of up to 112 kilometres per hour. tens of thousands of households were without power, and thousands of families displaced. further up the east coast, a city surrounded by water, leaving some major roads submerged. that's left south korea's second largest city in need of help. extra rescue workers have been rushed in as typhoon haishen

carved a trail of destruction and left people missing. in north korea, state tv pictures show the extent of the damage there. heavy rain and strong winds left high waves that flooded streets and left buildings partially submerged in water. the country bore the brunt of recent typhoons, and there are fears of the damage being wrought on its agricultural sector and the country's tenuous food situation. as the peninsula comes to terms with a spate of storms that has taken lives, closed businesses, cut power and clogged the country's transport systems, there are now calls to quick action to designate the hardest hit as a special disaster zones and receive extra aid. mark lobel, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come:

can so—called intelligent robots help improve the mental health of care home residents? george w bush: freedom itself was attacked this morning, and freedom will be defended. the united states will hunt down and punish those responsible. bishop tutu now becomes spiritual leader of 100,000 anglicans here, of the blacks in soweto township, as well as the whites in their rich suburbs. we say to you today in a loud and a clear voice, "enough of blood and tears. enough!" translation: the difficult decision we reached together was one that required great and exceptional courage. it's an exodus of up to 60,000 people caused by the uneven

pace of political change in eastern europe. iam free! all this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a leading opposition figure in belarus is missing — following more mass protests against president lukanshenko. —— lukashenko. maria kolesnikava was seen being bundled by masked men intoa van. two dozen wildfires are blazing across california as strong winds and heat hamper efforts to contain them. meanwhile, the heatwave sees los angeles county hit its highest ever temperature. the british prime minister borisjohnson has declared that if a trade deal with the eu is not reached by the 15th october, both sides should move on, meaning the uk would go

on to trade with the eu states on international trading terms. with the latest round of negotiations due to get underway — it's reported the government is planning a new law which could change parts of the uk's divorce deal with the eu, in particular the special arrangments for northern ireland. the government's critics say it's in danger of breaking an international treaty. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. by the time the branches are bare, the wrangling over business after brexit is meant to be done. yet the trade deal that was meant to be easy pickings is proving difficult to conclude — the prime minister declaring if it is not done in five weeks, it won't be done at all. what the prime minister is saying is emminently sensible, which is we all need to know where we stand by the middle of october, so we know what we are planning for. the talks over how we will trade in future get going again tomorrow, but making progress, well, that's a different question. there's bellyaching over stubbornness on both sides, and disagreement still on fishing and on government support for business. but just as the talks about the future are clearly

in some trouble, there is dispute as well over what was exactly agreed in the past. this autumn irritation is familiar. there were plenty of threats on both sides last year. late nights and worried whispers before salutes, high fives and fist bumps when the divorce deal was finally done. but to forge that agreement special arrangements were made for northern ireland — how to manage business across the border has been complicated all along. north of the 310—mile line is part of the uk, out of the eu, but on the other, ireland, part of the trading bloc. both sides agree some goods leaving great britain will have to be checked crossing into northern ireland, but there's still a dispute over whether to have declarations going the other way. and the uk wants to give its own ministers the power to decide exactly what happens to what kind of goods that are on the move.

for the eu's top brass, that's a threat to the deal already done — an icily diplomatic reminder from its most senior official. "the agreement is an obligation under international law and prerequisite for any future partnership." in other words, mess around with what's past and the future could be off. the full implementation of the withdrawal agreement, and in particular the protocol in ireland and northern ireland, are essential. these are legal obligations under international law, this is a matter of trust. downing street's adamant the government stands by last year's deal and only wants to make limited changes. yet beware the black—and—white on wednesday when parliament will receive the exact plans. the government simple cannot withdraw unilaterally from elements of an international treaty which it has signed up to, and it is deeply worrying for northern ireland. on northern ireland and on trade, a lot of haggling lies ahead. we've gone from the eu, but the arguments about what's next aren't forgotten yet. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster.

the women's world number one ashleigh barty has announced she won't play at the french open which is due to start in paris at the end of the month. barty has also pulled out of the us open currently taking place in new york. meanwhile organisers said on monday that fans would be allowed inside roland garros despite the increase in coronavirus cases in france. the tournament was postponed from may as a result of the pandemic and is scheduled to start in paris on 27th september. this collide to california, san berna rdino this collide to california, san bernardino county, this collide to california, san berna rdino county, tim this collide to california, san bernardino county, tim edwards. we've had trouble getting connection with you. know you are the president of the union representing 7000 firefighters and a buyer but yourself, 25 odd years. can you tell us what

it's like fighting fires in these conditions? right now, it's really extreme, we have temperatures well over 116 degrees, and at the fire, it's over 1000 degrees with flames up over 1000 degrees with flames up to 1000 feet. your members have been dealing with fires for something like three weeks continuously? yes, throughout the state of california, my members have been running up and down the state dealing with 300 active buyers at one time and now 25 so they've been going three weeks straight without a break. and many of them worried about their families and friends as well. what's it like. if you can, ta ke what's it like. if you can, take us inside the helmet. you have smoked locking up the sun, it's incredibly tough, isn't it? you have smoked locking up the sun, earning your lungs, making it hard to breathe as you're trying to go around homes and protect them, blames up homes and protect them, blames up to 100 feet, temperatures up to 5000 degrees along the fire

lines. i can only imagine what he might have to say to the people who may have started some of these fires, at least accidentally. in california especially, southern california, unfortunately, we are fire hardened and residents should know the severity of the fire danger at this time and it's unfortunate that so many vehicles decided to do fireworks as a celebration at this point in time. what would you say to them? i would say they need to be careful and watch out because they are putting thousands of firefighters lives on the line foran firefighters lives on the line for an accident they could have avoided. why are the fires so particularly intense at the moment, tim? well, we are experiencing an historic heatwave right now in california and dry conditions over the last ten years. this year is becoming an historic fire season, the worst so far in california. do you think long—term or even sooner than that, it's going to become impossible to live in this area? well, i think it's going

to bea area? well, i think it's going to be a challenge to live, especially with them building more and more into the wild land area up around this vegetation that is very dry. they are going to have to find ways to prevent this by happening by hardening the communities they build but it's becoming a way of life in california and there is no end in sight. tim, is there more the public could do to help firefighters? is there enough information going out to the public, do you think? yes, we doa public, do you think? yes, we do a public campaign every year across the state of california asking individuals and members and residents to clear their property, at least 100 feet around it, take precautions when they are mowing the lawns, and just be prepared to go but u nfortu nately, and just be prepared to go but unfortunately, residents choose not to clear their property so it puts firefighters at risk and they are trying to protect their homes. thank you so much for your time.

the fiancee of the murdered saudi dissident journalist jamal khashoggi has criticised saudi authorities for the final sentences over his killing. a court ordered eightjail terms ranging from seven to twenty years, and commuted five death sentences. the assassination of mr khashoggi at the saudi consulate in istanbul two years ago has cast a shadow over the man who effectively leads the country, crown prince mohammed bin salman. the largest—ever study of the use of so—called ‘intelligent‘ robots — in care homes — has found they can help improve the mental health of residents. i should say this report from our home editor mark easton contains filming carried out before the lockdown restrictions in care homes. hello, peter. in a care home in bedfordshire... hello, pepper. ..peter the human and pepper the robot have become friends. nice to see you again. tell me what was the most difficult thing that you and yourfamily had to go through during the second world war?

well, it was the fact that... pepper has been programmed to play games or music, ask about meals, organise calls to relatives, but, most importantly, pepper is a great listener. i also once think i saw a doodlebug... thank you for sharing this with me. it is interesting to know more about you. in the jargon, pepper is a culturally aware robot. do you feel that pepper is your friend? all the time i'm with him, yes. really? yes. you don't think that's a bit odd, having a robot as a friend? well, life can be a bit odd sometimes, especially the older you get. the idea that a computer could be a carerfeels, well, alien, but an academic evaluation suggests a robot, actually, can do a pretty good job. i wasn't too keen on modern jazz... they viewed the robot almost like a person after two weeks. they didn'tjust see it as a tool or a robot. they saw it as something that

they could really connect with. this hello, mark. the pandemic has changed human interactions in the care home since we filmed but pepper never needs to wear ppe. can a machine really understand compassion? i am just a machine. the participants found me to be compassionate and that's what matters. we cannot say that the robot is feeling real emotion or wants to care, but what is very important is the perception that people have, so when you see the robot you will see something that will behave as if it cares about people. alexa, answer the front door. demand for care services is increasing and the system is struggling to cope, but can artificial intelligence ever offer a real relationship? quite a few people get anxious that we are thinking of replacing carers, but that is absolutely not the case. it is, how can we use the technology to make our care staff more effective and efficient? and the technology is there to support us in doing so. i hope you have fun together.

we like to believe that empathy is a human trait but, troubling though it may be, it appears some robots are actually more caring than some people. mark easton, bbc news. something a little bit different. not as exciting as you might be opening. the world's first naked international football game, players from germany and the netherlands, wearing socks and trainers got together at a stadium in ruperthal in a protest against fifa. they said football now is all about money. needless to say, the players had no responses. and they did not disapprove of the sponsorship system. that's it for now. much more on all the

news and on our twitter feed. thank you for watching. hello there. although for many of us, monday was a cloudy day, we did have some rain as well across north—western areas, we also had a few brighter moments, and that was of those captured towards the end of the day across parts of devon by alan 0. now, on the charts for tuesday, we've got low pressure to the north of the uk, high pressure to the south and this front working eastwards. now, this area is called a warm sector. and that's going to be moving right across the uk. bringing warmer air, yes, but increasing amounts of humidity. all that's going to do is thicken the cloud up and bring some outbreaks of drizzle, some mist and fog patches forming around our coasts and hills. so it will turn increasingly murky over the next few hours. some dampness around, as i say. a few spots of drizzle, no great amounts butjust some dampness in the air across the west first thing.

starting off with the day on tuesday, we start off with that extensive cloud. the best of the sunshine, actually, northern and eastern scotland, north—east england starting out sunny as well. elsewhere, there could be a few breaks coming along in the cloud, but it's always going to be a struggle to break the cloud against the west, so staying quite grey. the cloud across the west, so staying quite grey. despite that, temperatures still into the 20s. rain moves into the north—west of scotland, becoming persistent towards the end of the day, and if we do see any lengthy clear breaks, with some sunshine, it will feel warm, it will fill humid. that rain will continue to push southwards as we go through tuesday night as this cold front extends towards england and wales, taking its rain with it. the front itself is moving towards high pressure so the front is weakening all the time. as it takes its cloud, the rain increasingly turns patchy as it works towards the south and east. temperatures on wednesday, lower, and about 5 degrees lower across the north and east. you will notice that change. but across the south—east, we're stilljust about hanging

onto that warm air. temperature still around 22 or so in london. it will turn a bit fresher, though, on thursday. we say fresher, it will be fresher, but of course in the sunshine, it still september, it is still warm in that sun. after a sunny start cloud on thursday will tend to spread across the sky particularly across northern and western areas. a few showers to brush into the far north—west of scotland. our temperatures for many of us between around 15 and 19 degrees celsius. and then we finish the week with low pressure moving and bringing wet and windy weather to the north—west. again the front weakens as he pushes through the south—east. that's your weather.

this is bbc news. the headlines: it's reported that one of the leading opposition figures in belarus, maria kolesnikava, has been abducted by masked men amid more mass protests against president lukanshenko. the european union has officially strongly condemned the authorities for what it calls arbitrary and unexplained arrests and detentions before and after the falsified presidential election in august. two dozen wildfires are blazing across california as strong winds and heat hamper efforts to contain them. the fires have been made worse by a heatwave across the state. scientists have recorded the highest ever temperature in los angeles county, 49.1; degrees celsius. hundreds of rohingya refugees have landed in indonesia after six months at sea. they'd travelled from bangladesh. locals in aceh helped the boat come ashore and the refugees have now been moved to a shelter where they will be tested for coronavirus.

now on bbc news.