this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. 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. scores dead and missing after torrential rains and landslides cause devastation in venezuela. taiwan prepares to celebrate its national day but it's in the shadow of growing economic and military threats

from china. hello, thank you forjoining us. 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 17 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. 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 who 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. well earlier i spoke to holly dagres, editor of the iransource blog at the atlantic council. we began by discussing how extraordinary these demonstrations in iran are due to the young age of the protesters. yes, we are entering week four of these protests and just earlier this week, schools across the country had opened 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, death to khamenei." they're removing their head scarves. there has been viral videos of iranian girls flipping the bird at the supreme leader's photo 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 a 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 killed. i think it is important to note that there were at least 82 killed in sistan and baluchestan province in the south—east and among those 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 in which he told her over the phone that they had broken his legs and he cannot talk and that is when the phone line went dead, so that should give you an idea ofjust how dire things are on the ground in terms of repression. that alleged picture really puts into context what is going on here as well, doesn't it?

you have two almost immovable objects, now. 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 43 years of this, the iranian people are fed up, and they want change in their country. and you hear it in the way that they express themselves in their chants and 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 and it's no surprise that they would commit these atrocities against their own people. 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. venezuela's president, nicolas maduro, has declared three days of national mourning after torrential rains killed at least 25 people. the downpour caused landslides and flooding in the centre of the country.

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. local journalist, carla carrera, gave us 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 houses 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, it was still raining 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. one of them was the chevy, —

it's a chinese enterprise that assembles vehicles here. police in the republic of ireland have named the ten people who were killed by an explosion at a petrol station in a village in county donegal. the victims include a 39—year—old woman and her 13—year—old son, and 50—year—old man and his 5—year—old daughter. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page reports. the youngest victim of the explosion was shauna flanagan garwe, who was five. she was killed along with her dad, robert. a mum and her son also died together — catherine o'donnell and 13—year—old. catherine o'donnell and 13—year—old james monaghan. the other teenager who lost her life, was leona harper. she was ia, a sports fan and a keen rugby player. there were five more victimsjessica gallagher, james 0'flaherty, martin mcgill, martina martin and hugh kelly.

creeslough has much more mourning ahead. the emergency operation is over, but the grieving has just begun. it will take many months and years for a community to come to terms with this. but right ahead of us are the sad and difficult days of funerals and saying goodbye to loved ones. the raw reality of what's happened is taking hold in this otherwise idyllic part of ireland. county donegal is usually thought of as being an irish haven, a place of rest and retreat. people in these closest of communities feel that one of the most valuable things they can do is simply to come together to offer solidarity and sympathy to those who've been bereaved so suddenly. keep the families in your

mind, in your prayers. in the village of downings, hundreds came out for a vigil this evening. among them were neil and sean martin, whose mother, martina, died in the shop where she worked. the sense of disbelief is still deepening. everybody has just gone about with their heads down. everybody feels it and everybody�*s mind is on it. thinking about the families all the time, you know, and just people are devastated. there's never been such an unexpected tragedy here. there's been speculation a gas leak caused the explosion, but the police say the investigation will take time. immense suffering has been inflicted on creeslough in only a split second. 10 candles on the church altar are the focus of unspeakable sorrow for each person gone. chris page, bbc news, in donegal. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — let there be light: berlin is illuminated for an annual festival

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's gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20—pound bomb which 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 world news. the latest headlines: president putin has blamed ukraine for the attack on a key bridge linking russia to crimea. anti—government demonstrations have continued in iran despite heavy measures by the security forces. north korea says its recent missile tests were tactical nuclear drills. stills have been released of leader kim jong—un overseeing the latest missile launch, when two ballistic missiles were fired in the direction of the sea of japan. pyongyang says the tests are a warning to south korea and the united states, who've been holding military drills of their own.

let's speak to the bbc�*s suranjana tewari in singapore. suranjana, sura njana, just give suranjana, just give us a little bit of context on these tactical nuclear tests. we had a whole stream of test of various sorts. what do we read into that? that's right, david. with this state media information we received today, it leaves no doubt that the missiles that north korea has been testing are designed to carry a nuclear weapons, specifically smaller, tactical nuclear warheads that could be used on the battlefield against south korea, for example. what we know is what state media said today, is that north korea has successfully simulated hitting south korea's military bases, ports and airports and that this is a warning to south korea and the united states,

have been holding military drills in the region in response to some of those earlier missiles in the last few weeks. analysts say north korea is preparing to test the nuclear weapon for the first time in five years and there are concerns that north korea could use this opportunity to detonate a smaller tactical device for the first time. anything to suggest more of these tests are going to follow? i mean, obviously they are responding very directly to the south and the us having their own exercises?- the south and the us having their own exercises? what we are seeing _ their own exercises? what we are seeing and _ their own exercises? what we are seeing and have _ their own exercises? what we are seeing and have been - their own exercises? what we i are seeing and have been seeing in the past few weeks is a flurry of missiles, as recently as yesterday, sunday, there were two ballistic missiles fired then. and i think the thing that is really significant is that this is the seventh launch sipped —— since september 25. seventh launch sipped —— since september25. king seventh launch sipped —— since september 25. king john on, north korea's leader, it was meant to deliver a strong message of more deterrence and

he is ready to hear —— hit any enemy —— kimjong—un. the problem is the last time we saw this flurry of missiles was in 2017, just before north korea did to another nuclear test and that's why those analysts are saying that it's highly likely that kim jong—un saying that it's highly likely that kimjong—un is preparing for a nuclear test and that would mean a dangerous new sort of phase in north korea's use of phase in north korea's use of these kinds of weapons. suranjana, thank you indeed. bringing us the latest there from singapore. taiwan is celebrating its national day in the face of growing threats and intimidation from china. the president declared in a speech a short time ago there could be no room for compromise on issues of freedom and democracy. 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. 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 by xijinping, at their home in the south of taipei, 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. as we were saying, national day is today so let's look at taipei for a moment. there is a fairly elaborate day of celebration. it is being run a little bit like a duo here. but look what they are launching a eurovision song contest, really. the point is there's plenty of opportunity, as you can see here, for taiwan to

show itself off as its own independent mike hussey. —— democracy. 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 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.

it certainly has got style, hasn't it? the brandenburg gate. thanks for watching. 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 40mm 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 winds 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. i'm davis eades. 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. 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.