welcome to bbc news, i'm david eades. our top stories. damage to russia's nordstream pipelines — the president of the european commission says it was sabotage. international condemnation as occupied regions of ukraine claim overwhelming victory in their self—styled referendums on joining russia. we will not, indeed we will never, recognise the annexation of ukrainian territory by russia. florida braces itself for the arrival of hurricane ian — after the storm system devastates cuba leaving the entire island without power. the international monetary fund warns that the uk government's planned tax cuts could increase inequality across the country.

hello. the president of the european commission has said sabotage was the cause of rare gas leaks in two major pipelines connecting russia and europe. ursula von der leyen has warned of the "strongest possible response" if active european energy insfrastructure is attacked. earlier, ukraine accused russia of causing the leaks in what it described as a "terrorist attack". here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. nord stream 1 and nord stream 2 are huge pipelines that bring gas from russia to germany, 700 miles along under the baltic.

they are the largest pipelines of their kind in the world. but look at this, significant disturbance to the sea near denmark, caused by leaking gas, it is thought. the danish military say this area of turbulence was more than half a mile wide and shipping is being kept out of the area. the gas is leaking here near a danish island, bornholm, it is thought there are a couple of leaks in nord stream 1, and a third in nord stream 2. it's not known what caused the leaks, they are being investigated, but many in europe are pointing the finger at russia, including the polish prime minister. we do not yet know the details of what happened but we clearly see this as an act of sabotage. this is an act that probably signals a new phase in the escalation of the situation in ukraine. and that's the point — these pipelines are at the heart of the energy battle between vladimir putin and the west. russia is already restricting gas supplies and some experts say this could be the kremlin showing it can attack

critical infrastructure. that is the question, is the conflict in ukraine spreading? it's most likely a state actor is involved. only one state actor in the baltic has the possibility, the capabilities and the motivation to come together, and that is obviously russia. ukrainian officials are even more certain, one claiming in a tweet that explicitly this was an act of aggression, he says, by russia against the european union. regardless of who or what is responsible, these leaks won't have an immediate impact on supplies to europe, on energy supplies to europe, because neither of them were pumping gas, but the leaks will take time to repair, which means it's unlikely europe will get any gas from these pipes for quite a while. four overwhelming votes in favour ofjoining russia have been recorded in the four russian—held regions of ukraine.

the referendums, which have been widely criticised across the west as a sham, were held in the east of the country, in donetsk, luhansk, zaporizhia and kherson. the american secretary of state, antony blinken, said they would never be recognised. voting ended earlier, and russian state media has been reporting support of 97—98% for the proposal. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, considers what these votes will mean, and how that will affect the russia—ukraine conflict. first, i want to stress the key point here that these so—called referendums were not real referendums, they were hastily arranged, kremlin—created, kremlin—controlled events designed to pave the way to russian annexation of huge swathes of ukrainian territory. we may well see this happen later this week. i expect at some point this week, russia will come out and say, right, this land is now ours, even in the absence of international recognition. the question is,

what happens then? the kremlin has made it pretty clear that if kyiv attacks and tries to get back these territories, then russia will view that as an attack against its territorial integrity, and it will respond with all means available to it, including, potentially, nuclear weapons. we know that washington has warned moscow that if russia uses nuclear weapons, that would have catastrophic consequences for russia. what we don't know is whether that american warning will influence vladimir putin's next move. steve rosenberg. let's get some of the day's other news. members of a far—right us militia are going on trial in the most high—profile case to stem from the assault on the us capitol last year. the group's leader, stewart rhodes, is charged, along with four others, with seditious conspiracy — plotting to oppose the transfer of presidential power. all have pleaded not guilty.

the president of the uganda medical association has expressed support for medical workers who have taken industrial action, accusing the government of not creating a safe working environment for them to handle the ongoing ebola outbreak. at least seven medical workers have potentially been exposed to the virus. the colombian singer shakira has been ordered to stand trial in spain, in a tax evasion case. prosecutors said injuly that they would seek a prison sentence of more than eight years against the singer after she rejected a plea deal over accusations of tax evasion. in an interview last week, shakira said she was confident she did not owe the spanish tax office anything. the entire island of cuba is currently without power after hurricane ian tore across the western end of the island. the cuban government says the electrical system is experiencing a complete collapse after one of the main

power plants could not be brought back online. hurricane ian had already left the western province of pinar del rio in darkness, as well as much of the capital, havana. now, however, the authorities admit the task in bringing the electricity back soon is complex. the category three system has left a trail of destruction and flooding in its wake, as it moved onwards towards the gulf of mexico. hurricane ian is now moving towards the us, and is expected to strengthen before making landfall in florida on wednesday. this is the expected path — and residents along parts of the state's west coast have been warned of catastrophic storm surges and life—threatening flooding. florida governor ron desantis has already declared a state of emergency for the entire state. people have been urged to stock up on supplies, and some mandatory evacuations are under way. earlier, i spoke to kevin guthrie, the director for the florida division of emergency management. he gave us an update

on the approaching hurricane. we are maybe 28—30 hours away from landfall in florida. it is expected to get to a category four storm. it will be just barely category four, but it will bring, as you mention, life—threatening storm surges, catastrophic flooding, catastrophic storm surge to the state. the message is, it's a mandatory evacuation, you've got to get out. are you confident people will, given their past experiences? it's a tale of two states. those that are new to the state have typically heeded the warnings. those that have been here for a long time usually do not heed the warnings. we do have people evacuating. we would love to see

everyone evacuate. but we don't think we will get 100% compliance. what are you expecting or concerned about in terms of damage? still a lot of timber homes, for example. do you think they will go? how much can a category four do? category four is going to cause a lot of vegetation damage, trees will probably be a 100% loss. anything that has a gable roof will most likely come off. some of the areas in south—west florida, and across the southern portions, are concrete block brick homes, those will probably stand. the roof will come off or significant damage, and then you will have flooding inside the home. then we will have another incident with the record rainfall. some areas of florida could have anywhere between 20—30 inches of rain in 36 hours.

so rising water is also going to be an issue. in vietnam, typhoon noru has been downgraded to a tropical storm. the government is still warning residents of the risks from flooding and landslides caused by heavy rain. the storm made landfall in the early hours in to monetary policy."

in lincolnshire, will runs superfoil, a successful manufacturer. but this insulation business can't be cushioned from falls as most of the products we use are kind of global products — plastics and aluminiums, etc — they're all placed in the dollar. so any drop in the pound directly increases our our purchasing power for our main components is halved, making our products twice as expensive. the currency was stable today, but it remains close to historic lows. this is one of the trading

desks where the credibility of britain's finances is up for question. i've never seen a budget move the pound like this in my entire career. essentially, with interest rates rising like this in the uk, it's going to be more expensive to fund the deficit, but the deficit keeps getting wider, especially with all the announcements we had in the budget. so this kind of doom loop, the only way out of it, really, is we've got to tame inflation and get interest rates back down. so, the first thing is tame inflation and all this goes away. the problem is, the budget that we had on friday last week, the only thing it will do is probably add to inflation. the bank of england's chief economist made clear today that by november, it would deliver significant interest rate rises. i think it's hard not to draw the conclusion that all this will require a significant monetary policy response. let me leave it there. those rises from governor andrew bailey are dependent on just how much borrowing the chancellor does. he told bankers and his mps he

was going to stick to his plan. as the cost of mortgages surges, the markets may not wait till november for answers. stay with us on bbc news, still to come. what to do about the invaders that are making the pacific islands more vulnerable to climate change. in all russia's turmoil, it has never quite come to this. president yeltsin said today would decide the nation's destiny. the nightmare that so many people have feared for so long is playing out its final act, here. russians are killing russians in front of a grandstand audience. it was his humility that produced affection from catholics throughout the world. but his departure is a tragedy for the catholic church. this man, israel's right—winger ariel sharon, visited the religious compound, and that started the trouble. he wants israel alone

to have sovereignty over the holy sites, an idea unthinkable to palestinians. after 45 years of division, germany is one. in berlin, a million germans celebrated the rebirth of europe's biggest and richest nation. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. the president of the european commission has said sabotage was the cause of rare gas leaks in two major pipelines connecting russia and europe. as moscow—backed occupied regions of ukraine claim victory in their self—styled referendums onjoining russia, the us secretary of state says

those areas will never be recognised by the west. the saudi arabian crown prince mohammed bin salman has been made prime minister in a cabinet reshuffle. the post is traditionally held by the king. mohammed bin salman has in effect been running the country for several years, bringing in social and cultural changes, but also overseeing widespread repression of dissident voices. earlier, i spoke to drjessie moritz from the centre for arab and islamic studies at the australian national university. i asked her what we should make of these changes in government. yes, it's true, the king has been sick, he was hospitalised in may this year, but there's more going on in this story as well. the crown prince mohammed bin salman, mbs, has also been facing a civil lawsuit in the united states.

brought by the fiancee of washington post journalist jamal khashoggi. there is questions about whether he has diplomatic immunity, but the us says they only offer it to heads of state and senior ministers, so until now bin salman hasn't been sure he would enjoy that immunity so this is an attempt to give him a more formal senior ministerial position to nudge the us to give him that diplomatic immunity. so you see this as a shoring up of his position and diplomatic security, but will it have any impact on his domestic priorities or his international ones? you brought in the us there. domestically, it probably won't change much immediately on the ground.

the crown prince mbs was already the de facto ruler, he has vision 2030, numerous transformation project in saudi arabia. diplomatically, they have been trying to improve relations with a number of international actors, including qatar, turkey, israel, and also with the united states. so there's a pattern of trying to improve mbs�*s international image and warm saudi relations with a number of international states. time now for our regular weekly focus on a key issue of climate change. in climate critical today, we are casting back nine months to when tonga was hit by a volcanic eruption and tsunami which revealed its huge vulnerability to rising sea levels, resulting from climate change. that experience has hastened the tongan government's decision to take the lead in pursuing ways to bolster the country's resilience against this changing climate. and it's taking aim at what are called "invasive species" — animals and plants which have

found their way onto the islands of the pacific, undermining the natural habitats and the ability of these small islands to look after themselves. here's how it works. from on high, a thing of beauty, pacific islands, one after the next, in an as you say. but on a ground level, this is a biodiversity disaster. rats, invaders of so many of these islands over so many of these islands over so many years. they have systematically devoured the local birdlife and sea life. as they have feasted, they have disrupted the natural order of things on each uninhabited island and at all.— things on each uninhabited island and at all. anyone who has lived _ island and at all. anyone who has lived in _ island and at all. anyone who has lived in the _ island and at all. anyone who has lived in the pacific - island and at all. anyone who has lived in the pacific looks l has lived in the pacific looks at the pacific as a power —— paradise. it's quite different to what it used to be, so many species have become invasive.

they have outcompeted and taken over from our native species. as the seabirds have gone, so the fish has gone, and the coral reefs off the island have lost critical nutrients for their own growth and resilience, making them more vulnerable to the changes in climate which are among these islands' greatest challenges. but perhaps the tide is turning. this is a rat eradication programme and its working. dropping poison by drone, the invasive species have themselves been wiped out. and heralding the return of the natives, the birds, and behind them, the fish, the sea life replenishing vital fishing grounds for local islanders to harvest in a sustainable world. research has also shown that if we can remove rats, the seabird populations will recover, and the nutrients will improve

health and productivity of the coral reefs. it health and productivity of the coral reefs.— coral reefs. it is a rare cause for optimism _ coral reefs. it is a rare cause for optimism in _ coral reefs. it is a rare cause for optimism in a _ coral reefs. it is a rare cause for optimism in a world - coral reefs. it is a rare cause l for optimism in a world where small gains can have a significant impact on their chances of survival. richard griffiths is the head of operations, island conservation, pacific regional invasive species management support service, and joins us now from new zealand. thanks very much forjoining us. we havejust painted out the way in which the eradication of invasive species does have an impact on climate change. how big a deal is it in the grand scheme of things? to the grand scheme of things? trr answer that question, david, the grand scheme of things? trr answerthat question, david, it might be good to start with why islands are so important. islands make up just a small part of the earth's land area, but they support a disproportionate amount of

biodiversity. unfortunately, that biodiversity on those islands has been severely impacted. 75% of all extinctions, david, in the last few hundred years have occurred on islands. that said, islands also represent a massive opportunity. we can make a huge difference for biodiversity and full human livelihoods on islands. , , , islands. just tell me this, richard, _ islands. just tell me this, richard, how— islands. just tell me this, richard, how is _ islands. just tell me this, | richard, how is eradicating rats helping uninhabited islands to protect themselves, to improve their resilience against climate change? yes, so climate change, _ against climate change? yes, so climate change, as _ against climate change? yes, so climate change, as you - against climate change? yes, so climate change, as you have - climate change, as you have noted, is a massive threat to the pacific. communities and biodiversity on the islands of the pacific, especially low lying islands, is at stake. their future is at stake. what

we need, what we know we need, is islands and reefs to be as healthy as possible. we also know that reefs are living organisms. they can grow. and i'm a hopeful person, david. some studies show that reefs could keep up with rising sea levels, if the conditions are provided for them to do so. so that's the way in which this works, in which case, and we've seen the pictures there, how treating an uninhabited island is one thing, and you can do it, and clearly drones are helping, but what about inhabited islands? what about tonga, for example? is that a realistic proposition?- realistic proposition? yes, it is, david. — realistic proposition? yes, it is, david. we _ realistic proposition? yes, it is, david. we can _ realistic proposition? yes, it is, david. we can remove i is, david. we can remove invasive species from islands, we have been very successful in doing that over the last few

decades. rats for example have been removed from more than 600 islands now. removing invasive species is one tangible action that we can take to improve the health of islands. and also our reefs. ~ . . ~ health of islands. and also our reefs. ~ . ., ~ ., reefs. we are talking about rats here. _ reefs. we are talking about rats here, we _ reefs. we are talking about rats here, we should - reefs. we are talking about l rats here, we should broaden the spectrum a bit, invasive species covered everything, pretty much. plant live, animal life, it's a very big challenge.- life, it's a very big challenge. life, it's a very big challenue. . , . , life, it's a very big challene. . , . , . life, it's a very big challenue. . , . , . . challenge. yeah, but rats are a ureat challenge. yeah, but rats are a great example. _ challenge. yeah, but rats are a great example, they _ challenge. yeah, but rats are a great example, they have - challenge. yeah, but rats are a great example, they have had| challenge. yeah, but rats are a | great example, they have had a devastating impact on seabird populations across the pacific. the loss of seabirds has destroyed the intimate connection that we know exists between islands and the ocean, the marine environment. i think it was a team of uk researchers in the chagos archipelago led by nick graham who first brought this to our attention.

that islands with healthy seabird populations have healthy productive reefs, the coral is more productive, there are more fish, and those reefs are more fish, and those reefs are what we need to persevere in the face of climate change. and develop that return to sustainability of sorts, both for the environment and the communities. it is a drop in the ocean in many ways, it seems, richard. in and of itself it isn't going to change our climate, is it?— our climate, is it? no, of course — our climate, is it? no, of course we _ our climate, is it? no, of course we have - our climate, is it? no, of course we have to - our climate, is it? no, of course we have to stop i our climate, is it? no, of. course we have to stop the our climate, is it? no, of- course we have to stop the use of fossil fuels, course we have to stop the use of fossilfuels, certainly, but at the same time, many of the changes that climate change is going to bring are already in play, so we know we need to adapt to the coming changes, the coming changes in sea level. removing rats and invasive species is a real

tangible action that those communities can take. absolutely. a quick point, money, these things always cost. is this an expensive project? cost. is this an expensive meet?— cost. is this an expensive ro'ect? . ., ., project? eradication pro'ects are expensive. * project? eradication pro'ects are expensive. but fl project? eradication projects are expensive. but they - project? eradication projects are expensive. but they are | are expensive. but they are achievable. there is funding out there, we know that, david. but we do need pacific leaders to understand that this work is possible. and that, in doing so, they will improve their chances to weather the storm, so to speak. chances to weather the storm, so to speak-— chances to weather the storm, so to speak-— so to speak. richard, we have to leave it _ so to speak. richard, we have to leave it there, _ so to speak. richard, we have to leave it there, but - so to speak. richard, we have to leave it there, but thank i to leave it there, but thank you very much for running through the possibilities of the eradication of invasive species. the eradication of invasive secies. ~ , the eradication of invasive secies. y , the prince and princess of wales have made their first official visit to the nation since they were given their new titles. william and katherine visited anglesey in north wales, where they lived for three years after getting married, and the city

of swansea in south wales. prince william's office said there are no plans for him to have an investiture on the scale of the one seen in 1969 when prince charles was crowned. hello there. there's been quite an autumnal flavour to our weather story both by day and at nightjust recently. there's more sunshine and showers to come. plenty of rainbows potentially in the sky, but the wind strength will ease through wednesday, still coming from the north, so still a coolish source. now it's this weather front here that could be a key player as we go through wednesday. it's going to enhance some showers in off the north sea. it's these here, they'll gradually drift their way towards newcastle and down to hull area, some of them heavy and thundery. ahead of it, largely fine with some sunshine, a few scattered showers running down through perhaps the west—facing coasts of wales and south west england. we will see temperatures struggling for the time of year, around 13—16 celsius, and some of these showers

could turn heavy and thundery. now, they are likely to drift their way steadily southwards through wednesday night into the early hours of thursday morning. so still there to clear first thing on thursday. but on the whole, this little ridge of high pressure builds and quietens things down for many on thursday. so some early showers clearing south of the m4 corridor. a few showers still coming in off the north sea for northeast england, but generally fine and settling with a little more sunshine and lighter winds. temperatures will be a degree or so higher back to where they should be really for this time of year. however, it's all change into friday. we're likely to see some pretty wet and windy weather. so, useful rain for all of us at some point on friday. ahead of it, it is going to be largely fine and dry, so not a bad start. if you've got plans for outside, get out and do it first thing in the morning. that rain turning into western scotland, northern ireland, northwest england as we go through lunchtime and then gradually drifting

its way southeast. so probably not arriving into east anglia and southeast england until the end of the day. top temperatures of around 17 celsius. now, as we move into the weekend, that weather front could be a bit of a nuisance for some of us. it's going to continue to push its way steadily south and east. and as you can see, we trail it all the way back out into the atlantic. so for central and southern england, we could see some rain persisting for the start of the weekend, but, eventually, sunday will see somewhat drier, brighter and once again, warmer conditions returning. take care.

this is bbc news, the headlines the president of the european commission has said sabotage was the cause of gas leaks in two major pipelines connecting russia and europe. ursula von der leyen has warned of the "strongest possible response" if european energy insfrastructure is attacked. ukraine has accused russia of causing the leaks. 0fficials installed by russia in four occupied regions of ukraine have reported huge majorities of votes, in self—styled referendums, in favour ofjoining russia. the us secretary of state has said the votes are a �*sham' and that the west will never recognise the four regions. residents of florida are preparing for the arrival of hurricane ian, which is expected to make landfall

there on wednesday. the governor has already declared a state of emergency. in cuba the hurricane knocked out the electricity grid. leaving the entire country without power. now on bbc news...panorama. record numbers are risking their lives on the channel to get to britain. i have been on the south coast as asylum seekers arrive. i the south coast as asylum seekers arrive.— the south coast as asylum seekers arrive. i have counted more than _ seekers arrive. i have counted more than 100 _ seekers arrive. i have counted more than 100 people - seekers arrive. i have counted more than 100 people coming j seekers arrive. i have counted i more than 100 people coming off the boat and still they are arriving. the boat and still they are arrivinu. , the boat and still they are arriving-— the boat and still they are arrivinu. , ., arriving. de leede migrant cam -s arriving. de leede migrant camps of _ arriving. de leede migrant camps of northern - arriving. de leede migrant camps of northern france. | arriving. de leede migrant i camps of northern france. you aet camps of northern france. you net to camps of northern france. you get to the _ camps of northern france. you get to the uk. _ camps of northern france. you get to the uk, and _ camps of northern france. you get to the uk, and this - camps of northern france. gm, get to the uk, and this phone number will help you. find get to the uk, and this phone number will help you.-

number will help you. and to turkey to _ number will help you. and to turkey to investigate - number will help you. and to turkey to investigate the i turkey to investigate the criminals are smuggling people to our