welcome to bbc news, i'm david eades. our top stories: president putin blames ukraine for what he calls a �*terrorist attack�* on a key bridge linking russia to crimea. translation: there is no doubt that this is an of terrorism, - aimed at destroying russia's critically important civilian infrastructure. no end to the protests across iran in defiance of violent repression by the security forces. the un considers a request by haiti to send in military help to tackle the chaos caused by gangs on the island. taiwan prepares to celebrate its national day, but it's in the shadow of growing economic and military threats from china.

president putin has accused ukraine of terrorism after the only bridge between russia and occupied crimea was damaged in an explosion on saturday. he blamed kyiv�*s intelligence services for the blast on the crossing, a crucial supply route for moscow's forces in southern ukraine. meanwhile, ukrainian authorities say at least seventeen people have been killed by russian missile strikes on the city of zaporizhzhia. rescuers are digging for survivors in the rubble of residential buildings that were destroyed as people slept. paul adams reports from the ukrainian capital, kyiv. in zaporizhzhia, this is what escalation looks like. a gaping hole, where once there were homes.

rescue workers searching for the dead — and the living. moments after the blast, in the middle of the night, stunned, furious reactions. "they destroyed a building at night, at 2am," he says. "they simply destroyed a multi—storey building." translation: we ran out into the street. - when we left the corridor, a neighbour ran out with her eldest son and she screamed that her husband was dead. and the whole wall was torn out, their apartment fell into ours. this was a civilian area, not a military target. volunteers helped to clear the rubble. local officials say scores of people were wounded. this industrial southern city is used to being hit, but its civilian are now bearing the brunt of russia's anger — more than 60 killed in and around the city in the past nine days. officials say 12 missiles were fired from russian warplanes

flying safely over nearby occupied territory. here in kyiv, president zelensky said these were merciless strikes on peaceful people. this, he said, was absolute evil, perpetrated by savages and terrorists. it all came less than 2a hours after yesterday's dramatic attack on a key bridge linking russia with the crimean peninsula. russia said this was the result of a truck bomb. others spoke of an audacious act of ukrainian sabotage. tonight, vladimir putin directly accused kyiv. translation: there is no doubt that this is an act i of terrorism, aimed at destroying russia's critically important civilian infrastructure, and this was devised, carried out and ordered by the ukrainian special services. some road traffic has resumed. the physical damage can be repaired, but this was a profound psychological blow to moscow.

up above, work on the ravaged railway bridge goes on. russia says freight and passenger services have resumed. this bridge is vital to moscow's war effort. it cannot afford to lose it. pauladams, bbc news, kyiv. a little bit later in the programme we will also have a report to you from the front—line close to liberated city of lyman. state media in iran says that security forces have used tear gas to disperse anti—government protests in dozens of cities across the country. despite an internet blackout imposed by the authorities, videos are continuing to emerge of widespread unrest. the protests began last month, sparked by the death of a young woman who'd been detained by the morality police. hundreds of schoolgirls are said to have joined the demonstrations in recent days. an iranian human rights group, based in norway, says 185 people have been killed since the unrest began. our correspondent anna foster has been monitoring events close to the iran—iraq border.

they are into their fourth week now and we saw yesterday one of the most significant days so far because geographically these protests really are spreading and we are also seeing new demographics getting involved as well. they have been very much driven by young women like mahsa amini, the 22—year—old who died in police custody. and schools and universities have been at the forefront of the protests but what we saw yesterday was bazaar holders in tehran closing their shops in support and you can really see the size of these protests. i have actually been talking on the border here to some iranians that are on their way out of the country, because of course those testimonies are so hard to get and so hard to hear because of the situation in the country but they were telling me that they came from one of the cities that saw protests yesterday. they believe that ten people were killed in that protest

and they said that their lives at the moment are absolutely intolerable under the iranian regime. they say it is about more than just the hijab, it is about oppression, repression, it's about corruption and the fact that they are scared to go onto the streets because they are afraid they could be picked up and killed by iranian intelligence. and what they are hoping is that these protests spark some sort of change and they want the international community to try and speed that along because they believe that it might not happen within iran based on these protests alone. that is anna foster there. we can now speak to holly dagres, an iranian—american nonresident senior fellow at the atlantic council where she is also the editor of the iransource blog. she joins us from washington. thanks very much indeed for your time. thanks very much indeed for yourtime. it thanks very much indeed for your time. it is extraordinary seeing that these protests have lasted as long as they have, equally extraordinary if not more so, the age of some of these protesters now?- more so, the age of some of these protesters now? yes, we are entering — these protesters now? yes, we are entering week _ these protesters now? yes, we are entering week four - these protesters now? yes, we are entering week four of - these protesters now? yes, wei

are entering week four of these protests and just earlier this week, schools across the country had open for the school year and we saw this unprecedented amount of iranian youth from university level to middle school taking to the street and also on their campuses, protesting, openly saying that they do not want an islamic republic, they are chanting death to the dictator, with two khameni. there has been viral videos of girls flipping the bird at a photo of the supreme leader or stomping on his photo in classrooms so what we are seeing is unprecedented in the country. they are extraordinary scenes but at the same time we understand, these are allegations to a certain extent but certainly more than 150 people appear to have lost their lives in the course of these demonstrations and the way they have been put down. i am presuming that those taking

part are well aware of that? yes, so as you have noted earlier there was upwards of 200 reported by human rights organisation but we expect those numbers to be much higher. i think that human rights organisations are right now scrambling to get the names and ages of some of these individuals and i should note, many of them are children. they are under the age of 18 and they are being held. i think it is important to note that there were at least 82 killed in a province in the south—east and a number of them were children as well and there are thousands of people that have been detained, at least a0 journalists have been detained, 92 civil society activists including one activist who last spoke to his mother on september 26 and which he told her over the phone that they had broken his legs and he cannot talk and that is when the phoneline went dead so that should give you an idea ofjust

how dire things are on the ground in terms of repression. that are legit picture really puts into context what is going on here as well, doesn't it? you have two almost immovable object, the demonstrations and the protests of people who have simply had enough and of course the authorities who probably feel quite simply they cannot allow this to keep going on? that is the nature of an authoritarian government. when people act out because their needs and wants are not met as in the case of the islamic republic and a3 years of this, the running and people are fed up the running and people are fed up —— iranian people are fed up in the fact they are willing literally to put their lives on the line for freedom and when an authoritarian government like the islamic republic sees this, its only response is to

act by repressing the populace and it is unfortunate but i think looking at the actions of the islamic republic under the islamic revolutionary guard corps in countries like syria and iraq, these have been training grounds for the irgc so repression is what they know how to do best so it is no surprise that they would commit these atrocities against these dominate their own people. all ri . ht dominate their own people. all right holly, thank you very much indeed. the venezuelan government says torrential rains have caused twenty two deaths, after six more people were killed by landslides on sunday. the country's vice president, delcy rodriguez, has been visiting one of the worst affected areas, las tejerias, where 52 people are missing. the el pato river, south of caracas, burst its banks and floodwaters swept away several houses and shops. 1,000 emergency personnel are taking part in search and rescue operations. and in the last hour or so the

localjournalist and in the last hour or so the local journalist gave and in the last hour or so the localjournalist gave me this update. the official number is more than 20 - 22-25 - but there are more than 50 people, between kids, elders, women and men, and they are still missing. you can see the line in the town's hospital, waiting to see the bodies and recognise their families. they are still waiting because of the rain. the people had to go to the roof of their house and those who cannot get to their roof are still missing. there are more than 50 people who are still missing. crosstalk. is it still raining? yes, yes, in the afternoon today, it wasn't raining but about i think between 6:00 and 7:00 tonight,

and it's still raining. not that much like one hour ago when there was thunder and lightning, but the rivers have been growing a lot. there are five who go that big that it went to the roads. they got so deep, there are still so many houses that the policemen and firemen have not been able to get in there to see if there are any survivors still and more than 15 industries have been devastated by the mud into the water. i should just add that president nicolas maduro has now declared three days of

national mourning as a result of those reins. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: let there be light, berlin is illuminated for an annualfestival, but is it energy efficient? parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake are returning to life, but in the marina area where most of the damage was done, they're more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he has gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20—pound bomb exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, - rapping a hole — in the front of the building. this government will not weaken! democracy will prevail! it fills me with humility and gratitude to know i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost of earthly honours.

this catholic nation held its breath - for the men they call the 33. and then... bells toll. ..bells tolled nationwide - to announce the first rescue, and chile let outi an almighty roar. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: our main story— president putin has blamed ukraine for the attack on a key bridge linking russia to crimea. more now on ukraine, and kyiv says moscow is targeting civilian areas because its forces are unable to respond on the battlefield. in recent weeks, ukraine has managed to regain some territory in the south and east, including the strategically important town of lyman. our defence correspondent jonathan beale reports from close to the front line.

distant explosions. ukraine's still advancing, still hunting down russian positions. drone buzzes. here, using a drone to spot them. ukraine's retaken another dozen miles of territory over the past week here in the east, but the retreating russians are still putting up a fight. it's quite intense, the fighting here. yeah, yeah, yeah. it's, uh... it's russian artillery work now. gunfire. chuckles. russian guns haven't been silenced, but this barrage seems indiscriminate. the troops say, unlike theirs. they also see a huge difference in morale.

in ukraine, we name their army, it's meat — only meat — because they don't save their people. do you think they're capable of retaking any of this territory you've liberated? i'm sure that cannot. why are you sure? because they are weak. they're weak now. they're scared about us. you feel safe? yeah, ifeel safe because i'm on my land, so even the ground will help me. this is the same ground president putin recently declared forever russia. but all that's been left by russia is trash. this was a russian position and you can see just the rubbish strewn around — rations. there's even a russian cap here. there's something for artillery shells there, just strewn across the area. and the ukrainian forces say that's what makes them such

an easy target, because they can see this rubbish when they're flying the drones and spot the russian positions, making it easier for them to attack. want to see russian helmet? it's from the future. that's a russian helmet? yeah. ukraine helmet in russia. what's the difference? laughter. army of future! but very bad future! laughter. reca ptu red territory, too, tells the story of a depleted russian army. ukraine's now captured more russian armour than they've been supplied by the west. dozens more vehicles lie wrecked, rusting, destroyed. along with discarded ammunition, the donbas is also littered with lethal mines. but liberation comes with a costly legacy.

bombed—out homes and ruined infrastructure, downed bridges, stations without trains, and the remnants of a population nowjust trying to survive. the people of lyman, those who stayed behind, have now gone through invasion and liberation and constant bombardment. now, they don't even have the basics — food, electricity and water. this is just a queue for bread, and there's not enough to go around. winter is coming and life isn't going to get any easier. katarina worries for her children's future. but more than that, she still fears what russia might do next. translation: they have a lot of power. _ which is why it is scary that they might return. because the city has already suffered very badly, and if the city will be passed back and forth from hand to hand, then nothing will remain,

including people. i know longer know who to believe or not to believe. we just want silence, peace, peace and electricity, at least. help is slowly coming. here, a couple of volunteers are spraying over the pro—russian graffiti, but it'll take much more to erase the recent past. and russia is still at their doorstep. jonathan beale, bbc news, lyman. let's get some of the day's other news. north korea has released stills of leader kim jong—un overseeing his latest missile launch, when two ballistic missiles were fired in the direction of the sea of japan. state media says all of the seven recent missile tests were tactical nuclear drills. the latest launch came after the end ofjoint military exercises between the united states and south korea.

us broadcaster cnn has apologised for filming inside a thai nursery that was the scene of a mass killing on thursday. a cnn reporter and cameraman have had their thai visas revoked and could face further charges. a spokesperson for the broadcaster said it regretted causing offence, and admitted that the film crew did not have the proper permission to enter the crime scene. the united nations secretary—general antonio guterres has proposed to the security council that an international rapid action force should be sent to haiti, which is suffering a nationwide security crisis. mr guterres was responding to a request from the haitian government for military assistance as protests and armed gangs tighten their grip on the country. a coalition of gangs has blockaded the main fuel port, paralysing the country and stopping the delivery of bottled water amidst an outbreak of cholera. the secretary—general said a force involving one or more countries would help secure free movement of humanitarian supplies. taiwan is celebrating

its national day in the face of growing threats and intimidation from china. recent opinion polls suggest a greater number of people than ever identify as taiwanese, wanting the island to maintain its democratic political system and open society. but beijing is waging an economic conflict and recently banned the import of some 2,000 taiwanese products. our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes sent this report from taiwan. it may not look like it, but these ponds in southern taiwan are filled with gold. the huge fish thrashing around in su gou—zhen�*s ponds are called grouper. on the tables of beijing and shanghai, each one can fetch up to us$2,000. 80% of taiwan's grouper used to go to china. now, it's zero. beijing's import bans are hitting taiwan where it hurts the most. so, is it working?

"older fishermen like me are nervous," he says, "but the younger generation, they're not worried. "they think, �*fine, if china doesn�*t want to buy our fish, �*we�*ll sell to other markets all over the world." china isn�*tjust threatening taiwan�*s economy. since august, it�*s made repeated threats to take the island by force, test—firing dozens of missiles across the taiwan strait. but if taiwan people are scared, they�*re not showing much sign of it. it�*s election season here and at nightly rallies, candidates are on stage appealing to voters. unlike in china, people here get to choose who rules them, and they�*re not about to give that up. taiwan is justifiably proud of its democracy — there is nothing like this anywhere else in the chinese—speaking world — but it�*s notjust taiwan�*s democracy that is threatened by xijinping, it�*s all of the rights

and freedoms that people enjoy here, their whole way of life. at their home in the south of taipei, mota and sitti are playing with their two—year—old daughter. in 2019, taiwan became the first country in asia to legalize same—sex marriage. sitti is now expecting baby number two. "being homosexual was something you had to hide," says mota, "but things have changed now." "we�*re out in the open and the government has accepted "and recognised us." for couples like this, the stakes couldn�*t be higher. sitti says if china wants taiwan, it will have to invade and if that happens, people like them will have no choice but to leave. rupert wingfield—hayes bbc news in taipei. ever since russia invaded ukraine, the cost of energy has been a concern for many across europe. in berlin, there had been calls for the annual festival

of lights to be cancelled. it has gone ahead, but organisers say energy consumption has been dramatically reduced. the bbc�*s tim allman explains. one of europe�*s great capitals. looking even more spectacular than normal. this festival only dates back to 2005, but it has become an annual fixture. all across the city, dozens of buildings lit up, a spectacle of colour and light. # oh, you look so beautiful tonight. but this year, things are a little different. # in the city of blinding lights. how much power does it take

to illuminate floodlights, laser beams and thousands upon thousands of led bulbs? in an age of sky—high fuel costs, the organisers have cut their cloth accordingly. the number of venues where the lights are on display have been more than halved. organisers say the energy consumption will drop by 75%, and it will all come from renewable sources. they�*re even turning the lights off an hour earlier. # what happened to the beauty i had...? germany has carried out various energy—saving measures in the last few past months, including banning the illumination of public buildings. despite those restrictions, the berlin festival of lights got the go—ahead and will continue until next sunday. after all, if you�*re going to make an exception, you might as well do it in style. tim allman, bbc news. pretty amazing pictures, aren�*t

they, bear, coming from the brandenburg gate? —— there. you can reach me on twitter. i�*m @bbcdavideades. thank you for watching bbc news. sunday was a tale of two halves, weather—wise. we had nearly 19 degrees and nine hours of sunshine in southern and eastern areas but we had heavy rain and strong winds in northern ireland and scotland. places like tyndrum in stirlingshire had another aomm or so of rain, adding to what has been a very wet first week of october. in fact, that�*s not far away — it�*s about three quarters of the average october rainfall — and that rain still heading its way southwards. it�*ll drag its heels before clearing southern and eastern areas, so much milder here overnight. a little bit of mistiness ahead of it. chillier to end the night further north, and still windy, those winds buffeting the northern isles and far north of scotland in particular. that rain giving a lot of spray and standing water on the roads as it continues itsjourney southwards and eastwards, particularly on the faster routes. once it clears away,

it�*s a day of sunny spells and showers but much brighter for scotland and northern ireland. still quite a rash of showers in the north and west but not many, really, reaching east of the grampians or through central lowlands and, again, eastern parts of northern ireland. and not that many at all across england and wales. but temperatures will be a degree or two down because the wind�*s coming from the north—west instead. but the wind then falls a little lighter as we go through monday evening and overnight. we may pick a little bit more cloud up towards the north and west but it�*s not going to stop our temperatures falling much and it looks like a chilly night. quite widely, a touch of grass frost, could be close to freezing in some rural parts of england and wales in particular. and with a ridge of high pressure overhead here as well, there�*s more likely to be some mist and fog issues and at this time of year, without that strength in the sunshine, they can linger till mid morning and cause a hazard on the roads. but otherwise, lots of dry and bright weather. plenty more sunshine but more cloud in the sky. for scotland and northern ireland, some drizzly rain coming in later in the day, particularly to the north and the west, and that takes shape, then, through the night tuesday and into wednesday.

not for england and wales again. a few issues with mist and fog. quite chilly in rural parts. much milder with that cloud and rain further north, which will then meander its way southwards during the day on wednesday to most areas but we look towards the atlantic, some uncertainty as to where exactly this next batch of wind and rain is going to go but it looks like southern areas could see some significant rain. and then some strong winds, even some gales and more rain for the northern half of the country on friday. so, it looks more unsettled laterfrom midweek on, really.

this is bbc news. the headlines — president putin has said ukrainian intelligence services planned and carried out saturday�*s explosion that damaged the only bridge to the occupied crimean peninsula. he described it as a terrorist attack, aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure. elswehere, ukrainian authorities say at least 17 people have been killed by russian missile strikes on the city of zaporizhzhia. anti—government demonstrations have continued in iran, despite heavy measures by the security forces. state media there says the security forces used tear gas to disperse protests in dozens of cities across the country. despite an internet blackout, imposed by the authorities, videos are continuing to emerge of widespread unrest. the united nations secretary—general, antonio guterres, has asked the security council to urgently consider haiti�*s request for deployment of an international rapid action force for the country, which is suffering a nationwide security crisis.