good evening. you're watching bbc news with me, luxmy gopal. we'll be joined by bbc one viewers shortly for a full round—up of the day's news with ben brown. but first, more on our top story — the huge explosion that brought down part of the only bridge linking russia to crimea. according to russian officials, three people died in the explosion — but russia says the bridge has already re—opened with light traffic. michael clarke is a visiting professor in the department of war studies at king's college london. he's been telling me

about the significance of the bridge being hit. it depends how quickly they repair the bridge. it is a huge symbolic setback because this bridge was mr putin's personal commitment to crimea. it opened in 2018, cost $3 billion, massively overpriced. one of his friends was in charge of the construction and he identified with this because this was a way of uniting the mainland of russia with what he took to be the mainland of crimea which was now going to be russian forever so the bridge is symbolically hugely important. in terms of logistics, the fact is, one carriageway seems to have survived this blast although it may only take light traffic and we don't know how bad the damage is to the railway grid above it. my guess is that although the russians will have a big motive to say that the bridge is reopen soon and all is fine, it will not reopen to military traffic which is very heavy

so we will see how long it is before they can start to use the road and particularly the rail elements to transport tanks, artillery and all of the rest of it on low loaders across the bridge. that will be the key. ukraine is saying that this is as big and symbolic a win for them as the sinking of the russian ship in april, do you agree with that? the moskva, yes, it is symbolically big, and we have seen the design of stamps celebrating the collapse of the bridge which will be on sale from tomorrow or the day after so they have been quick off the mark and it is as big as the loss of the moskva, the flagship, logistically it is not as big as the loss of the moskva because that affected the ability of the russians to operate in the western part of the black sea. this will only frustrate their logistics for an indeterminate amount of time and it might be a matter of days or it might be a matter of a couple of weeks before they get the bridge moving again, in ways that can support their military offensive,

but it won't have the same long—term effect as the loss of the moskva has had on the black sea fleet. if we look at the counteroffensive that has developed by ukraine, how much more of this can we see, moving on from the destruction of the bridge, how much further are we likely to see that, based on events? they will keep on going. the ukrainians know they have got at least another month before the weather turns against them, getting into the wet season now which is more difficult for attacking troops because it means they cannot use the field so easily for heavy armoured vehicles, they have to stick to the roads, and it will get very cold, so they have got another month in which the offensive can move on and we know that they have got reserve forces, they operate on the principle of two up one back, for every two units fighting there is one behind as a reserve, a fallback in case something goes wrong so they have almost certainly the equivalent of another division

to commit to this offensive at some point and we are asking whether they will commit to one of the two fronts they have opened up in the donbas, or in kherson in the south—west, all will they open up a third way, from zaporizhzhia, pushing southwards to try and break into this russian land bridge. we will see. but the ukrainians are not finished yet and they know that they have got the russians on the back foot, the russians are going backwards everywhere, pretty well, and they will want to make the most of that before the weather really changes.

of the crucial bridge connecting it with the annexed crimean peninsula. the 12—mile crossing has been a key supply route for sending russian troops and weapons to ukraine. it's not yet clear who was behind the blast. we'll be getting reaction from both russia and ukraine.

also tonight... ten people — including a young girl and two teenagers — have been killed in an explosion at a village petrol station in county donegal, in ireland. it was like a bomb going off, and a sonic boom accompanied, that shook us to the core. it was something i've never experienced before. chanting mounting pressure on iran's hardline rulers as anti—government protests there enter a fourth week. and it's a record—breaking opening to the rugby union world cup for england's women, scoring 1a tries against fiji.

good evening. president putin has suffered an embarrassing setback in the war with ukraine, after a huge explosion on the only bridge linking russia with the crimean peninsula. the bridge partially collasped but has now reopened to light traffic. russia annexed the crimean peninsula in 2014 and the two have been connected by this road and rail crossing — an important supply route for the russian army. it's part of a corridor running north through these areas of ukraine in red that russia has occupied. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, reports. it is the bridge the kremlin built. and it was under attack. an explosion at dawn. this was the result. russian officials claim a lorry had been blown up here and that the fire then spread to a fuel train. whatever the cause, you could see the damage. this is the bridge that links russia to annexed crimea, and parts of the road had collapsed

into the sea. later, investigators announced that three people had been killed. they have opened a criminal case. the 12—mile long road and rail bridge is not only strategically important to the kremlin as a supply route, it is also a symbol of the russian annexation of crimea. vladimir putin opened it in 2018, getting behind the wheel to show that, as far as he was concerned, russia and crimea werejoined for ever. very different scenes today. pro—kremlin commentators have blamed ukraine for the explosion, but there has been no claim of responsibility from kyiv. it is noticeable how the situation has changed here, and the messaging. a few months ago, russians were being told — by their leaders and by the state media — that the so—called special military operation would be relatively brief and victorious.

now they are being told that there are problems, that russia is losing ground, and today they learned about the attack on a hugely symbolic location — the crimean bridge. news of the attack has sparked concern amongst the public here. but the russians we spoke to had different ideas about how the kremlin should react. "it is worrying," stas says. "war is always bad. they should have done this differently, with negotiations." but olga says, "putin must respond. what a birthday present they gave him! we should blow up the train lines ukraine uses to get its military aid from america. this is nato�*s fault." but from vladimir putin there has been no reaction yet to what happened here. no hint as to how he will respond. steve rosenberg, bbc

news, st petersburg. our diplomatic correspondent, paul adams, is in the ukrainian capital, kyiv. we don't know exactly who was responsible but what has been the reaction where you are? i responsible but what has been the reaction where you are?— reaction where you are? i think it is safe to say _ reaction where you are? i think it is safe to say that _ reaction where you are? i think it is safe to say that ukrainians - reaction where you are? i think it is safe to say that ukrainians are | is safe to say that ukrainians are absolutely thrilled at this news. it has already been likened to the sinking of the russian black sea fleet flagship in april. the post office here has already announced plans to release a commemorative stamp. it is that kind of moment. there are all sorts of theories about what happened. one is that this is a highly successful, audacious sabotage operation by ukrainian special forces than and that has some credibility, it has to be said. but tonight a senior ukrainian official said it was actually the result of infighting in moscow caused by the recent setbacks that the russians have been experiencing on the battlefield. he

may know something we don't, or he may know something we don't, or he may simply be trolling moscow, playing on what are extremely raw nerves there. either way, this could make a significant difference to russia's ability to supply and equip its troops in southern ukraine and the coming days will see if that is indeed the case.— the coming days will see if that is indeed the case. paul adams in kyiv, thank ou. ten people, including a young girl and two teenagers, have died after an explosion at a petrol station in county donegal in ireland. it happened at the applegreen service station in the village of creeslough yesterday afternoon. police say that at this stage they think it was "a tragic accident." from the scene, our ireland correspondent chris page reports. this small community has been caught up in a wave of devastation and desperation. the rescue efforts became a recovery process as the day went on. the sight of ambulances leaving —

a sign that there was no expectation that more survivors would be found. from the moment it happened, blown—out walls, a crumpled roof and tonnes of rubble showed this was a lethal explosion. like a bomb going off and a sonic boom accompanying it that shook us to the core and immediately we just... the people who were there, we alljust waded in to try and help and try and get people out of the building. the building was very precarious, it was very, very dangerous. there were flats above the garage shop, which largely collapsed. several times the emergency services asked for silence so they would be able to hear anyone who was trapped. eight people were taken to hospital. one is in a critical condition. what is really striking in the village is the quietness, the stillness even. the emergency services are continuing to carry out their search and people have gathered to watch, wait for news, but you get the sense they can't really take in that some

of their friends, relatives, neighbours went to the local shop on a friday afternoon and lost their lives so suddenly. all those who were killed were from the area. there are no outstanding reports of unaccounted—for persons. the ten casualties are four men, three women, two teenagers — a boy and a girl — and a youngergirl. this evening, the leader of the irish government came to meet firefighters, police and paramedics. he said the nation was mourning. words on their own will not console someone who has lost a loved one. and i think we just have to be with them, our thoughts and our prayers are with you. and we will be with you for quite some time. rural county donegal is often thought of as the essence of tranquillity, an idyllic retreat.

tonight, widespread grieving has begun, coupled with an intense feeling of disbelief. chris page, bbc news, creeslough. protestors have again taken to the streets of iran — as demonstrations against the country's hardline islamic rulers enter their fourth week. reports say at least three people have been shot dead by security forces during the latest protests. the wave of unrest across iran began with the death in police custody of a young woman accused of wearing her headscarf in the wrong way. this report from our diplomatic correspondent, caroline hawley, contains images that some viewers may find distressing. chanting. there's a target to their anger and he's inside the building. these students in tehran are shouting at the country's president to "get lost" as he visits their university. inside, ebrahim raisi recited a poem, likening the protesters to flies.

a receptive audience here. but elsewhere in the capital there were chants of "death to the dictator" — a reference to iran's supreme leader, with protests reported in many cities across the country today. video posted on social media shows riot police closed to tehran�*s main riot police close to tehran�*s main bazaar in the centre of the city, in normal times seen as a bastion of support for the regime. but many shopkeepers had shut up their stores in support of the protesters who set fire to a police kiosk. and this was the eastern city of mashhad today where new protests brought new grief. screaming. here, a young woman has been shot in the neck by iran's security forces. distressed cries. it was the death last month of mahsa amini, arrested for being improperly dressed, which ignited this wave of unrest. her family say she was

beaten in custody. her gravestone reads that her name will become a symbol, and it has, as iranians find new ways of resisting the regime. the billboard reads that the police are the servants of the people, but this man, cheered on by others, changes it to read, "killers of the people," and calls for the death of the supreme leader. and this banner draped over a main road reads, "we are not afraid any more, we will fight." after nightfall the protests continued. no one knows quite where they will lead but the crisis of legitimacy facing the islamic regime is deepening by the day. caroline hawley, bbc news. only around a fifth of the usual rail services across england, scotland and wales ran today, as 40,000 members of the rmt union took part in their eighth strike day this year. around half of the network was completely closed with trains

only operating until early evening on most remaining lines. the industrial action is part of a long—running dispute about pay, jobs and conditions. the bbc has been given more details of an incident which led to the sacking of conor burns as an international trade minister. an eyewitness said that mr burns had touched a man's thigh at a hotel bar on tuesday during the conservative party conference in birmingham. the bbc hasn't been able to speak to the man. mr burns denies any wrongdoing and has criticised a "rush to judgment" by party officials. the leader of the democratic unionist party has warned his conference that power sharing in stormont won't be restored unless the dup�*s demands on the northern ireland protocol are met. sirjeffrey donaldson said the protocol was contributing to the cost of living crisis. the dup is refusing to rejoin power—sharing until changes are made to the part of the brexit deal covering trade in northern ireland.

haulage costs, moving goods between great britain and northern ireland have risen nearly 30% as a result of the protocol. where do we think that increase goes to? it goes on the goods that we buy. it goes into and out of the pockets of every single consumer and household in northern ireland. the serial killer peter tobin has died in hospital at the age of 76. he became unwell in prison in edinburgh where he was serving life sentences for the murders of 18—year—old dinah mcnicol, 15—year—old schoolgirl vicky hamilton, and polish student, angelika kluk. police suspected he had more victims, but he refused to cooperate with detectives. with all the sport now, here's lizzie greenwood—hughes at the bbc sport centre. thanks, ben. good evening. in a few hours' time wales take on scotland in their opening game of rugby union's women's world cup, but favourites england have already got their tournament off to a flying start, thrashing fiji 84—19, scoring a record 14 trys in new zealand.

jo currie reports. the year—long covid delay means these players have had a long wait for this moment. england's red roses are expected to bloom at this world cup. fitting, then, that they get their campaign under way in eden. for emerging fiji, a first ever appearance in the tournament. unbeaten in 25 games, this england side knows how to score big tries. they also know how to score simple ones. claudia macdonald opening the scoring. england on the board within five minutes. and the world number ones dotted down twice more to build a comfortable lead before they felt the fizzle of the fiji attack. a reminder that they, too, can turn it on. there is what fiji can do with the ball in hand. whatever was said in the england dressing room at half—time, it had an instant impact, and then the floodgates opened as they ran in ten second—half tries. as fiji faltered and tired...

england were simply too quick, too strong, too good. macdonald shone as she picked up herfourth of the game, capping off a ruthless win for the relentless roses. a bit more composed in the second half, had a bit more control and i like to think we went back to being england and managed to put out a decent performance in the second half. next up in pool c, they face familiar foes france in whangarei next weekend. jo currie, bbc news. match of the day is on after the news with all the premier league highlights but i'm going to give you the results now. and erling haarland's incredible goal tally is now 20 from just 13 games for manchester city. today they beat a struggling southampton side 4—0 to go top of the table. but arsenal will go ahead of them again if they win at home to liverpool tomorrow. in the other games, there were victories for bournemouth, chelsea, newcastle and tottenham. celtic rescued a very late win at stjohnstone to stay two points clear of rangers at the top of the scottish premiership. they were leading i—0 deep into injury time, when stjohnstone

scored an equaliser. but 90 seconds later, celtic were back in front again, just before the final whistle blew. elsewhere there were wins for hibernian, ross county, dundee united and rangers. max verstappen is on the brink of winning a second successive formula one world title. the red bull driver took pole for tomorrow morning's japanese grand prix. if he wins, and records the fastest lap, he'll clinch the championship with four races to go. and a fortnight before england's t20 world cup starts, captainjos buttler is back to fitness in time to play in their warm—up series against australia which starts tomorrow. there's more on the bbc sport website. but that's it from me. and don't forget you can join laura kuenssberg tomorrow morning at 9:00am on bbc one and iplayer. with worries about bills and blackouts, we're in aberdeen this week, the capital of the uk's oil and gas industry. we'll be speaking to nicola sturgeon, the first minister of scotland.

join me live at 9am on bbc one tomorrow. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. that's all from me. have a very good night.

hello. this is bbc news with luxmy gopal. more now on the news that one of britain's most notorious serial killers, peter tobin, has died afterfalling ill in prison. the 76—year—old, who was serving three life sentences, was taken from hmp edinburgh to hospital on wednesday. david cowan reports. a schoolgirl waiting for a bus on a winter's night. as each day goes past, i lose a bit more faith that she's still alive. i pray to god that she is. an 18—year—old hitchhiking home

from a music festival. 1% of me thinks she's alive and the other 99% thinks she's dead now. a young woman living at a church. we are very worried about it. it's totally out of character. three lives brutally cut short by one man, and no—one doubts there were more. born injohnstone in renfrewshire, peter tobin led a nomadic life and used numerous aliases. he was violent and abusive towards his three ex—wives and, in the early—1990s, was jailed for a horrific sex attack. this is peter tobin. hampshire police wish to talk to him after two schoolgirls were sexually assaulted and imprisoned in a flat in havant. tobin was behind bars for ten years and returned to scotland in 200a. after attacking another young girl, he went on the run. fears are growing for the safety of a young polish woman who has been missing for three days. angelika kluk was living and working at st patrick's in glasgow.

tobin was the church handyman, hiding there under a false name. he bludgeoned, raped and stabbed the 23—year—old, before concealing her body under the church floorboards. tobin was 60 at the time. the brutality of the murder convinced police he'd killed before. based in glasgow, operation anagram was a uk—wide investigation into his past. around the country, police re—examined cold cases and, soon, tobin was linked to one of scotland's longest mysteries. my colleagues in west lothian are now gravely concerned for vicky hamilton, a schoolgirl who disappeared nearly five weeks ago. vicky hamilton went missing in bathgate. her mother appealed for help, but the 15—year—old had vanished without trace. she just refused to go out and refused to just leave in case vicky showed up. that broke my mum's heart. she just became a shell of a person and, two years later, she died. she was another one

of peter tobin's victims. yeah, you could look at that, indirectly, yes, definitely. if vicky hadn't went missing, i'm pretty sure my mum would still be with us today. detectives discovered tobin was living in bathgate when vicky went missing. they searched his former home and found this — a knife bearing traces of her dna. there he is, the man... tobin was charged with vicky's abduction. if there is any way that you can assist us in finding this girl now? no. as i say, i've never met her. three police forces are combining resources to search common land in hampshire for a missing essex teenager. operation anagram then linked him to dinah mcnicol, the daughter of a scottish jazz musician who disappeared in august 1991. the police searched tobin's former home in margate and, to their astonishment, found vicky buried in a shallow grave. no—one had expected her to be there. days later, they discovered a second body. it was dinah.

after 16 years, the horrifying truth emerged. tobin had murdered vicky in bathgate, dismembered her body and, five weeks later, taken her remains with him when he moved to a new home 500 miles away in margate. five months after that, he murdered dinah. now a convicted serial killer, serving three life sentences, the scot was linked to other missing girls. 18—year—old louise kay from eastbourne disappeared in 1988, but more searches in the south of england brought no closure for her family, or for any others. we want anyone that was in the church for any reason to come forward. the detective behind operation anagram is convinced he had other victims. as far as i'm concerned, peter tobin is evil. he's pure evil. this is someone who had no respect for humanity. i have no doubt that peter tobin has killed other people, but this is a coward that has taken

the secrets to the grave. and he may speak of his strict religious upbringing and make reference to the bible. over the years, there was speculation peter tobin committed the so—called biblejohn murders in glasgow in the late 1960s, but dna evidence found on one of the victims doesn't match tobin's. it's often reported that he bragged of killing 48 women. police say that story is an urban myth. the truth, unembellished, is bad enough. vicky hamilton's sister hopes he will now be forgotten. we always wanted vicky to be remembered, not tobin. vicky was the victim. just this dark shadow that's over you for the rest of your life, so we were hoping that now tobin's gone, that that shadow can eventuallyjust clear and we can just remember vicky as the sweet, loving sister that she was. time for a look at the weather with helen willets. good evening. it's been a much quieter

weather day today. we've had plenty of sunshine. this was the view in teignmouth in devon late in the afternoon. it wasn't the only place enjoying that sunshine. many areas had a lot of sunshine today because we've had a ridge of high pressure which is holding these weather fronts back, but you can see that high pressure slipping eastwards, so these weather fronts will make progress into scotland and northern ireland in particular later tonight and tomorrow. for this evening we've actually got a few light showers through the central lowlands. they will die back to the west coast later. the winds do start to strengthen, though. the cloud starts to thicken, so it won't be as chilly here overnight compared with england and wales which, once again, with temperatures in rural areas getting down to within two degrees of freezing. you could have some ground frost around, some grass frost, by morning. a little bit of mist and fog, as well, with the light wind regime, but the winds generally will be picking up through sunday, a windier day on the whole. gales or severe gales right from the word go across the western isles of scotland, along with this heavy rain, 30 to a0 millimetres likely

to fall over the higher ground in parts of northern ireland and eventually cumbria. these are the steady wind speeds, but the gusts will be more likely 60 or 70 in northern and western areas and a steady 30 or a0 in more exposed parts of the west coast of england and wales. but where we keep that sunshine the winds won't be quite a feature, 17 or 18 further south and east, still feeling pleasant in the relatively strong october sunshine. through the evening and overnight, you can see that weather front does bring some rain across england and wales, albeit a weakening feature. we're not likely to see that much rain on that weather fronts and it won't be as chilly either, although it turns a little cooler for scotland and northern ireland behind this weather front. it will be windy for a time, as well, sunday night into monday, as that low—pressure crosses close by to the north and west. then high pressure builds for the start of the week. the weather fronts tending to erode that and bring some more rain into the north and west late on tuesday. for monday, we may well start a little bit damp in the south—east for the rush hour. still that brisk wind across north—eastern parts