this is bbc news. i'm anjana gadgil. our top stories: president putin orders an investigation into the explosion that severely damaged russia's only bridge to the occupied crimean peninsula. more protesters take to the streets of iran as demonstrations against the country's hardline islamic rulers enter their fourth week. funerals are held for the victims of a knife and gun attack on a nursery school in northern thailand. and, from sea to space — how china is pioneering a new way to launch rockets from on board a ship.

hello and welcome to bbc news. the russian president has ordered a full investigation into the explosion that destroyed part of his country's only road link to the occupied crimean peninsula. vladimir putin has also ordered the russian secret service to ramp up security on the kerch bridge. ukrainian officials have welcomed the explosion without officially admitting responsibility. 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 were joined for ever. very different scenes here. 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. well, earlier i spoke to michael o'hanlon who's foreign policy research director at the brookings institution. i think you have to take this kind of a threat seriously because we are talking about the ultimate weapon and the potential for apocalypse with the two greatest nuclear powers on earth. having said that, putin knows that a certain anxiety is going to be the inevitable result of any threat he makes and he is trying to play on our psychology so we don't want to somehow give in, orfeel like he's about to launch 5000 nuclear weapons tomorrow and we better somehow concede the effort. so i think what is important is to think specifically about what he might realistically do with those nuclear weapons and in the short—term i don't think he will use them all because he still has a chance

to hold onto a good chunk of the ukrainian territory that he has stolen since february 24th. in fact, since 2014. and we are talking about all of these ukrainian advances and offensives and they are important and encouraging and i am thrilled to see them but they constitute retaking 10% of the land that ukraine has lost. so russia is going to hunker down and keep fighting and they will raise this nuclear spectre in the background but they are not really going to go there yet i don't think, because they still have the potential to maybe not win this war conventionally but at least stalemate it conventionally and that is a much more appealing goal for putin than to risk his own and has country's survival in world war iii. so what action, if any, do you think the us and nato should or could take to deter him? well, i think we should be talking about the kinds of things we might realistically do if he were to use a nuclear weapon, even in a very limited way.

and i've proposed some ideas, everything from international criminal court indictments of putin, meaning he could never travel outside of russia again, to even something more dramatic, like trying to rebuild the united nations without russia having a veto, and that would require some diplomatic gymnastics but we could think of ways to do that. or even putting nato troops temporarily on ukrainian soil to make sure that putin doesn't get some delusion that by throwing around nuclear weapons or threats that he can somehow reverse the course of battle and take kyiv and eliminate ukraine as an independent country. these are the kind of ideas we need to have in the mix, we need putin to know they are in the mix and we need him to know we are serious but i think in the short term we also need to keep our calm and i think this means giving weapons to the ukrainians, helping them make modest tactical ongoing gains on the battlefield and then thinking to 2023 when the war is going to resume after a winter of rearming on both sides and we have to see how well the ukrainians do but then potentially also get a little more creative diplomatically.

so i think all these pieces need to be part of the equation. in the short term we should not be capitulating to any russian nuclear threat, i don't think putin really intends to go there because he still thinks he might win the fight conventionally. you talk about being diplomatically creative, is it possible to expel russia from the united nations? i have been looking at the un charter and i think you would essentially have to have most of the world's countries withdraw from the existing united nations and then agree to build a new one, call it something else without a russian veto at the security council. i think you could do that. you would need china to go along. that would be the big difficulty, the big challenge. so it presupposes a pretty horrific event like a russian nuclear attack and this is one more reason why i think we have to be resolute and firm

in dealing with china but also not turn china into an enemy because we may need china's help in this sort of thing but yes i actually think in a world where we wake up one day and russia has used a nuclear weapon, all sorts of new things become possible that were not previously imaginable. protesters 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 after the death of a young woman in custody who had been arrested by the morality police. 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. video posted on social media shows 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. by the day. caroline hawley, bbc news. the us vice president, kamala harris, has told an audience in texas that the supreme court's ruling

against the federal right to abortion was "immoral". her comments came as marches took place in major cities the bbc�*s azadeh moshiri reports. vote in november! midterms vote in november! midterms are vote in november! midterms are only one month away and the issue of abortion is still front and centre. thousands marched in the capital and in other cities across the united states and what organisers called a women's wave. it is a woman's _ called a women's wave. it is a woman's body _ called a women's wave. it is a woman's body is, _ called a women's wave. it is a woman's body is, it _ called a women's wave. it is a woman's body is, it is - called a women's wave. it is a l woman's body is, it is women's rights and they should have a choice to do what they want with their bodies and i don't like how men have so much say in the decision on how to use it. , ., _, ., ., it. green, a colour to represent _ it. green, a colour to represent the - it. green, a colour to l represent the women's it. green, a colour to - represent the women's right to choose, that is what these protesters are demanding of their lawmakers and of candidates running for office. ever since earlier this year the supreme court struck down what was once a constitutional right. it is an issue that democrats are hoping will keep the slim majority in congress

and one that is put republicans on the defence in mid—term debate. i! on the defence in mid-term debate. ,, debate. if i were in the us senate. — debate. if i were in the us senate. i _ debate. if i were in the us senate, i would _ debate. if i were in the us| senate, i would absolutely debate. if i were in the us - senate, i would absolutely vote to quantify roe versus wade to protect — to quantify roe versus wade to protect the right to abortion. i would — protect the right to abortion. i would let the people decide on a one—time single issue referendum that asked a decision that needs, that we need to come to a decision on, which is at what point does society have the responsibility to protect life in the womb? but for these protesters, there is no room for debate. we but for these protesters, there is no room for debate.- is no room for debate. we will not no is no room for debate. we will not go back! _ is no room for debate. we will not go back! roe _ is no room for debate. we will not go back! roe versus - is no room for debate. we will| not go back! roe versus wade, the landmark _ not go back! roe versus wade, the landmark ruling _ not go back! roe versus wade, the landmark ruling that - not go back! roe versus wade, the landmark ruling that made| the landmark ruling that made abortion legal, with the law of the land and they want to return to them. azaday moshiri, bbc news. funeral services have been held for dozens of victims of a knife and gun attack on a nursery school in northern thailand. 2a children and 12 adults were murdered by a former policeman on thursday. 0ur south east asia

correspondent, jonathan head, sent this report. all these young faces as they were in life, as theirfamilies would like to remember them. 0ne wall of the temple has been turned into a shrine to what is now a lost generation for this village, with loved toys, stuffed animals and, for this boy, a school uniform he'd onlyjust begun wearing. kanjana and sittipong are saying goodbye to their only child, three—year—old poobet, one of the youngest victims. they rushed back here on news of the attack from another province, where they've been working. translation: he was a very cheerful boy. i everyone admired him. i see you've been holding this blanket ever since we first saw you. and tell us about the blanket. translation: this is - the blanket he really loved. it always had to be a red blanket. he loved the smell of it.

floral tributes have come from all over the country. arranging them properly is one of the manyjobs taken on by volunteers in the village. then, the start of a funeral which is expected to last for four days. this is a holy water pouring ceremony for which people queued on their knees inside and under a fierce tropical sun outside. funerals in thailand are always a community affair, and it seems that pretty much all the residents of this village have come to be a part of this one. it is a way of sharing the grief, of course, of consoling the parents, but also of acknowledging that these dreadful killings have affected everyone. then, it was the turn of kanjana and sittipong. this young couple left their village in search ofjobs they hoped would provide a better life for their son. those hopes have been cruelly

dashed by an attack no—one could have foreseen and which no one can understand. jonathan head, bbc news, north—eastern thailand. let's get some of the day's other news. the israeli army says a border police officer has died from her injuries following a shooting at a checkpoint in israeli—occupied east jerusalem. a security guard remains in a serious condition. one person has been arrested. there has been an escalation of violent incidents in recent months between palestinians and the israeli security forces on the occupied west bank. austrians are preparing to vote in a presidential election to choose their new head of state. the incumbent and clear favourite is alexander van der bellen, the former leader of the greens. he is hoping to secure a majority to avoid a run—off vote. the president's role is largely ceremonial, but has sweeping powers in overseeing times of change and turbulence. spanish firefighters have held mass protests demanding improved workers rights and better terms

and conditions. unlike their full—time colleagues, these so—called forest fire crews are only employed on a temporary basis, in a year when wildfires destroyed thousands of hectares of woodland across spain and throughout europe. russell trott reports. suchis such is the strength of feeling amongst 0spina's part—time firefighting crews that they were determined to fan the flames and smoke of descent in the middle of the capital, madrid. the 2000 or so part—timers made the case loud and clear to demand a firefighter�*s statute to guarantee similar working rights to their full—time colleagues and recognise injuries inflicted while doing thejob. injuries inflicted while doing the 'ob. �* ,, �* ~ injuries inflicted while doing the 'ob. �* ~ ., the job. translation: we are forest firefighters, _ the job. translation: we are forest firefighters, and - the job. translation: we are forest firefighters, and we - forest firefighters, and we wantjustice because we are a

public service for society. we want our administrations to recognise us and respect us, and create a status for forest firefighters. we are here today but we're not going to stop. this fire is not going to stop until our rights recognised. wildfires raged through europe this summer, set light to the second biggest area of land on record, a dozen european countries including spain, italy and france suffering major fires this year, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes and businesses, destroying many properties in the process. with winter looming, the wildfires may be over, but the firefighters, along with our other spanish workers, say their protests have onlyjust begun. russell trott, bbc news. the irish prime minister has attended a church vigil for victims of the explosion in county donegal on friday which killed 10 people.

three children were among the dead. the blast happened at a petrol station in the village of creeslough. 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, wejust — 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'd be able to hear anyone who was trapped. eight people were taken to hospital. one is in a critical condition. what's 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 that 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 governments 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 wejust have to be with them. our thoughts and our prayers are with you, and 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. the us state department says it's reviewing a request from haiti for an international armed force to help tackle gang violence which has recently spiralled out of control. in recent weeks the violence has blocked the country's main fuel port, meaning hospitals, schools and businesses have had to close. it's also created a shortage of bottled water, just as the country confirmed

a new outbreak of cholera. earlier i spoke to jacqueline charles, haiti/caribbean correspondent for the miami herald, and asked her how haiti has got to this situation. the situation had basically been spiralling for a while, it wasn't just because of the president's assassination lastjuly. i mean, we watched this country, after the devastating 2010 earthquake, just take a downward spiral, and this latest crisis, this powerful gang has basically been blocking fuel distribution for the fifth week now we're going on, and we have this cholera outbreak. so imagine being in a country where you have no access to potable water, hospitals are closing their doors, schools cannot start, and you've got cholera. so what the government is asking for is some support to create a humanitarian corridor so that they can get assistance to people, but not everybody is happy with that. prime minister ariel henry has been the target of a number of widespread protests, since last month. we have a coalition of civil society groups, called the montana accord.

they want to take control of the country and lead a two—year transition, and they are opposed to any foreign intervention. so what has caused this current crisis, with the fuel lines being blocked ? what we have was is the prime minister, the government announced that they were going to raise the price of fuel. haitians were already seeing a huge spike in the cost of food, over 52%, and they were frustrated and so that decision basically ignited protests but those protests became violent. we have seen with the pillaging of united nations food warehouses, government warehouses, school warehouses, and just buildings throughout haiti, and so that has raised a concern there that, you know, we heard from the international community that economic interests are also taking advantage of this popular revolt to also sort of shut down any reforms that the government is pushing both with the fuel but also at the ports, where they are scrutinising ships that are coming in and there's been a number of significant seizures of illegal arms and ammunition because despite the fact that haiti has a us arms embargo, the place is awash with illegal

arms and ammunition. which countries are likely to send military assistance? well, that's a very interesting question. when you think about the united states, which some people are saying even though we don't say it, we have a mid—term election — is the biden administration going to do this before november 8th? can haiti even wait before november 8th, given the deteriorating situation? i mean, last night, there was the gangs that attacked another major private port, and today they put up a perimeter outside that port, locking the port and a flour mill, and no traffic in or out. so we are thinking this is going to go before the united nations security council which is meeting on the 23rd of this month, to take up the issue. there's also talks of sanctions against individuals who are fuelling the violence, notjust the gang members, but that is the question today, which countries are likely to send in any troops or to come to haiti's assistance?

because while this is a formal request, there has been talk now for a while in terms of how can the world assist haiti police and whether or not countries in this hemisphere, for instance, were willing to send in their own police officers. jacqueline charles. china has successfully launched two new satellites. the authorities say they will be used to help global navigation and communication. tim allman explains. when you think of rocket launches, this is probably the sort of thing you have in mind. a big, controlled explosion and tons of metal heading into space. but when it comes to slipping the surly bonds of earth, the earth bit has always been a fairly important part of the equation.

tell that to the chinese, who are now launching rockets from on board a ship. this giant vessel heads out to the yellow sea, a few kilometres off the coast, providing both innovation and flexibility. translation: there are different launch sites - to choose from for a seaborne launch, making it easier to find a safe area for rocket debris. therefore, it's more convenient than launching from land. it also helps that the launch site is not a fixed point. taking off from different latitudes means you can choose different orbits, which saves costs on fuel. the sea has long been an important part of the space exploration journey with splashdown often the final chapter of each mission. but now, china has turned that on its head — from the high seas to outer space. tim allman, bbc news.

you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ anjanagadgil. there more on all these stories on the bbc website. thanks for watching. after what's been a wet week for some, saturday was a lot quieter. 18 celsius in the south, nearly ten hours of sunshine and only around nine millimetres of rain and the reason was this area of high pressure ruling the roost. but these weather fronts are now starting to nudge that high pressure system out the way, so for the day ahead, increasing amounts of cloud, wind and rain. but ahead of it, we've still got starry skies and through the night, temperatures have been tumbling away — within two or three degrees of freezing in some rural areas by morning, notably of england and wales — so a touch of grass frost, a little bit of mist and some fog around where we've got the light winds but the winds far from light further north and west — gales or severe gale—force winds are forecast for the day ahead — that's gusts of 60 or 70 miles an hour for parts of the western isles, the northern isles, too.

starting to throw in this really quite heavy rain, several hours of it, across scotland and northern ireland. with it, some squally winds and hill fog, eventually pushing into north—western parts of england and wales. ahead of that, we've got the early morning mist and fog to clear but we should hold onto hazy sunshine across central and eastern areas. 17 or 18 and feeling quite pleasant but clearly, with the cloud, the wind and the rain elsewhere, temperatures will be held nearer 13 or 1a. now, the progress of that weather front will continue through the evening and overnight, becoming stuck across southern and eastern areas, but it will be milder through the coming night so, as we go towards monday morning's rush, we may well have a band of wet and relatively breezy weather to contend with in southern and eastern areas. it'll be pretty miserable during the day ahead with that rain. then, showers follow on that north—westerly breeze, so temperatures taken down a degree or two but some good spells of sunshine and just the odd shower coming through on that brisk wind, which will start to ease away. it will initially be really

quite windy across even the north on monday morning, and then that eases away and we've got temperatures falling low once again with a touch of frost potentially in a few spots as we head towards dawn, so that'll be more widespread. but then later in the day, we'll start to pick up more cloud and then by wednesday, the next weather front arrives to bring rain, particularly across the northern and western half of the uk — that's this weather system here. but it's all eyes out to the atlantic for later in the week when it looks as if we could have a very deep area of low pressure moving in, with a lot of wind and rain associated with it. we'll keep you posted.

this is bbc news. the headlines: president putin has ordered the russian secret service to tighten security on the kerch bridge, hours after an explosion ripped through the only road link between mainland russia and the occupied crimean peninsula. mr putin also ordered a full investigation into the incident. there've been reports of at least three more deaths on another day of mass protests against the iranian authorities that erupted after the death of a young woman in custody. videos have emerged showing female students shouting "go back" when president ebrahim raisi visited a women's university. the us vice president, kamala harris, has told an audience in the southern state of texas

that the supreme court's ruling against the federal protection of abortion rights