thousands flee nagorno—karabakh as armenia says an explosion at a fuel depot has killed 20 people and injured 200 more. as france withdraws its ambassador and ceases military co—operation with niger, the bbc gets rare access and gathers reactions from the ground. friday prayers have been held here right outside the french military base. hundreds of people are in attendance. in today's sermon it was said that in a divorce between a man and woman, take time. justin trudeau says honouring a former nazi soldier in parliament last week was deeply embarrassing for all canadians. and london police say they're investigating allegations of sexual offences involving comedian russell brand.

hello. at least 20 people have been killed in an explosion at a fuel depot in the disputed territory of nagorno—karabakh. that's according to armenian separatist authorities, who say 290 people were also admitted to hospitals. they say dozens are still in critical condition. armenia now says over 13,000 people have fled across the border, amid fears of persecution and ethnic cleansing. it comes as armenia and azerbaijan are due to meet in brussels tuesday for eu—backed talks. it'll be the first such meeting between the two countries since azerbaijan seized the enclave last week. nagorno—karabakh is at the heart of one of the world's longest—running territorial and ethnic conflicts. it's recognised internationally as part of azerbaijan, but has been controlled by ethnic armenians for three decades. bbc russian�*s nataliya zotova sent this report from goris, near the border with armenia. the exodus of refugees started late sunday night.

some arrived in the border town of goris in ambulances — exhausted, too weak to walk on their own. with a few belongings they could transport, families that crossed had lost all hope of ever returning. translation: we went to the airport. everyone was collected in one spot. everyone was in a terrible state. stressed out. children crying. old people crying. hungry, cold, without enough clothes. driving closer to the armenian border with nagorno—karabakh the next morning, the scale of the evacuation became clear. russian peacekeepers we saw were helping refugees cross the border and unloading their bags. this is the main road leading from nagorno—karabakh to armenia, and we have seen dozens of cars with refugees coming. and they are welcomed

with basic supplies. temporary tents have popped up at the border to register the new arrivals. aid workers told us people are in need of food, clothes and medication. the impact of one day's war and a nine month blockade imposed on the territory by azerbaijan. the azerbaijanis deny it was to target civilians, but say it was to prevent arms being taken into the region. translation: no, there was nothing. how did you cook meals? we only picked what we had in the garden. potatoes, beans. we didn't have bread, flour, nothing. translation: people - are malnourished from being in blockade for nine months. they are crushed because they have lost their homes. we see people who come in unsuitable footwear and just the clothes they had on.

armenia says that it will take in all refugees from karabakh — potentially up to 120,000 people. in the 1990s, a different ethnic group fled nagorno—karabakh — the azeris, who having lived alongside ethnic armenians for centuries, felt threatened after the region decided to secede. they headed to azerbaijan, where many of them still live, in temporary and often dismal accommodation. for these armenians, it's unclear what the future holds. the priority today is sheltering themselves and the very little belongings they have from the rain. nataliya zotova, bbc news, goris in southern armenia. edmon marukyan is an armenian lawyer and politician currently serving as ambassador—at—large in armenia. he told us more about the number of ethnic armenians reported to have fled nagorno karabakh.

so, right now, we have information that about 14,000 people already crossed the border, so you can see from images car rivers coming to armenia. and armenian government is organising everything. we announced that we have already a8,000 places for these people to settle them in different hotels, houses, in villages, in cities. so this is going to become a big humanitarian crisis in armenia. a small country with small resources that we have. and i think we will for sure need international support in this as well. also, it appears that the lachin corridor will be closed again, maybe some one or two days, and there are rumours about it. and the main big issue is that nagorno—karabakh is in a process of big exodus and depopulation because of azerbaijani military

attack, because of all commitments violated by azerbaijan, not ensuring the rights and securities under international recognition of the people of nagorno—karabakh. azerbaijani mp nigar arpadarai gave us baku's position on the refugee crisis. it's unfortunate, we do not want these people to go. and azerbaijani authorities were very clear about that. like, these people are our citizens. we are giving them these opportunities. we don't want them to leave. we have had already two meetings with representatives of the armenians of karabakh, we have already sent them supplies and we continue to do that every day, we send them supplies. the electricity is already resupplied. there are a number of steps that the azerbaijani government is taking, and one thing is very clear, that we ensure all the rights within the frameworks of our constitution, we guarantee

their safety if they stay. the thing is, of course we see the numbers that people are going. unfortunately this is their choice at the moment. but from our side, what is very clear, there is no ethnic cleansing whatsoever. this is what armenian propaganda is trying to convince the international community. this is absolutely not true, because no one is forced to leave. we are giving them a chance, we are offering them to stay absolutely safe, we will provide their safety and to become citizens of azerbaijan. the whole thing was around militants, of 10,000 armenian military forces that were stationed in karabakh, that was part of armenia's occupying army, that was still there. and when we had war in 2020, the trilateral statement was clearly saying that armenia should withdraw its troops, but they didn't do that.

that is an azerbaijani mp on the position of baku. a short while ago we spoke to 0lga ivshina who is in baku with the latest developments on this situation. azerbaijan has commented on the recent explosion in stepanakert. they have said that they have sent an emergency car with urgent supplies to help to treat those wounded, but it is unclear whether this car was accepted by the other side, whether it was able to proceed through. you know, it was the same situation with the two security convoys sent from baku in the recent days, it is unclear whether they were able to reach through. baku is saying they are ready to provide security guarantees for all civilians in nagorno—karabakh but the trouble is that there is very little trust towards each other on both sides. people have lived in this conflict for decades and decades, there are a lot of accusations, a lot of pain on each side, and as we are seeing those heartbreaking pictures

from the armenian border, ijust remember about 30 years ago we were seeing very similar pictures on the other side, when hundreds of thousands of azeri refugees had to leave everything behind and had to go on very short notice. it doesn't make the current tragedy any less, it doesn't make current grief any less, itjust reminds us how long and painful this conflict is. well, indeed. and these people say that they are facing persecution in azerbaijan and must leave. yes, yes, that is what karabakh armenians believe, and i am in contact with the people trapped in stepanakert and they say they feel panic and despair because they are just afraid they are losing everything, and despite the security guarantees, they are afraid that if they stay they would be forced to forget their identity,

because in azerbaijan there is only one state language, azeri language, and the armenians are afraid that they will be forced to forget their language, they will only have to... they will have all the education and communication in azeri but they also point to an enormous amount of people which have gone missing during this conflict. but azeris say the same, they say they still have long lists of people who are being accused of war crimes the armenian side since the first war. and this just shows you that there are still a lot of unsolved questions, and the peace is only possible if both sides are ready to hear each other and to learn from each other�*s history and pain. london's metropolitan police have launched an investigation into allegations of sexual offences following the recent claims against russell brand. they are already looking into a possible offence back in 2003, these new claims are also historic. the comedian and actor has denied all the allegations against him, which include rape

and sexual assault. here's our media editor katie razzall. i believe this is about freedom. i believe this is about real democracy. because for there to be real democracy, there has to be dissent. back streaming on the video—sharing platform rumble, where he has 1.6 million followers, and russell brand was on the attack. we are going to be talking about the state and the legacy media's war on free speech, and in particular how that has affected me this week. less than half an hour before his show streamed, the metropolitan police announced its central specialist crime command team is now investigating a number of allegations of non—recent sexual offences committed in london and elsewhere in the uk. the senior investigating officer said, "we continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us.

the police statement didn't name russell brand, but it did refer to this investigation by channel 4, the times and the sunday times, and made public two weekends ago. four women made the original claims of rape and sexual assault, which they allege took place in the us and the uk. the day before the programme was broadcast, the comedian and presenter strongly denied any wrongdoing. i don't mind them using my books and my stand—up to talk about my promiscuous, consensual conduct in the past. what i seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations. the fallout financially has been swift. content—creators earn money from streaming services when they attract advertising. youtube has barred brand from monetising his video content since the allegations surfaced. rumble prides itself on standing up to cancel culture. it's accused the uk parliament of what it called a deeply inappropriate demand, after the chair of the culture, media and sport committee wrote to its ceo asking whether his site

planned to follow youtube and suspend brand's ability to earn money from his content. since the story broke, the number of people following russell brand on social media and subscribing to his channels has increased by several hundred thousand. katie razzall, bbc news. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. a hospital trust has blamed computer errorfor 211,000 letters not being sent to patients and their gps. newcastle hospitals has apologised for the issue, which dates back to 2018. many of the letters explain what should happen when patients are discharged. but a significant number are written by specialist clinics spelling out care that is needed. hundreds of schools across scotland have closed because of a three—day strike by support staff. members of unison, who include teaching assistants, caterers and cleaners, have walked out over pay after last—minute talks failed.

johnna baxter, the local government negotiator for unison scotland, says her members need a serious pay offer. new research suggests that workers in the uk are taking more sick days than at any point in the last decade. staff took on average 7.8 sick days in the past year, up from 5.8 before the pandemic. the chartered institute for personnel and development said the rise was a "worry", and blamed stress, covid and the rising cost of living. you're live with bbc news. the bbc has gained rare access to niger, two months after the military coup which is threatening to further destabilise an already volatile region, home to jihadists and wagner mercenaries. the team has spoken to the regime, its supporters and those opposed to it. 0ur west africa correspondent mayenijones report from the capital niamey. driving across niger,

the countryside appears peaceful. but despite the veneer of normality, this is one of the ten deadliest countries in the world for terrorism. in niamey, pro—junta protesters have been camped outside a french military base for weeks. they say the french have failed to stop the terror attacks. every friday since the military transition in this country, friday prayers have been held here right outside the french military base. hundreds of people are in attendance. and in today's sermon, the imam was preaching patience, saying that in a divorce between a man and a woman, things take time. similarly, he says, niger is divorcing france, and that's going to take time. for the imam, perceived french hypocrisy is to blame for the anger here. translation: why is emmanuel macron now saying he doesn't _ recognise our authorities, when he's recognised juntas in other countries like gabon and chad?

that's what has made us angry. and we think france takes us for idiots. thejunta has seized on historical resentment of the french to argue niger can go it alone. i ask the newly appointed governor of niamey whether the junta can keep his country safe from terrorists. he replies, the nigerian forces have always ensured the safety of their people and can defend their country without foreign partners. but those opposed to the coup believed the departure of french troops could be dangerous. translation: in the fight against the terrorists, - france is a key partner that provides most of the intelligence that helps us beat the terrorists trying to attack niger. but many nigerians are frustrated with the lack of progress when it comes to the war on terror.

adama is originally from tillaberi, one of the regions worst affected byjihadi violence. she tells me her mother's cousin, a village chief, was assassinated by terrorists seven months ago. they killed him by slitting his throat. she doesn't believe the french have successfully reduced terrorism in the sahel. there has been some progress in the fight against extremism. last year, terror related deaths in nigerfell by 79%. no one critical of the junta will speak to us on the record and the military follow our every move. so it's unclear what proportion of the population wants the french to stay. but as france loses its last base in the sahel, its influence in the region has been dealt a blow. the canadian prime ministerjustin trudeau says the honouring of a former nazi soldier in parliament last week

was deeply embarrassing for parliament and all canadians. jaroslav hunka, a ukrainian who fought in an ss unit during the second world war, was given a standing ovation in the house of commons during a visit by president zelensky. the 98—year—old was called a "hero" by the speaker of the house, who says he did not know of hunka's nazi affiliation. anthony rota has since apologised and taken full responsibility for the mistake. he faces calls to resign from some opposition mps. i wish to apologise to the house and i am deeply sorry that i have offended many with my gesture and remarks. i would also like to add that this initiative was entirely my own. the individual in question being from my writing and having been brought to my attention. no one, including you, my fellow parliamentarians, or the ukraine delegation, was privy to my remarks prior to their delivery.

this is whatjustin trudeau had to say. obviously it is extremely upsetting that this happened. the speaker has acknowledged his mistake and has apologised, but this is something that is deeply embarrassing to the parliament of canada and, by extension, to all canadians. i think particularly ofjewish mps and all members of thejewish community across the country who are celebrating, or commemorating, yom kippur today. i think it is going to be really important that all of us push back against russian propaganda, russian disinformation and continue our steadfast and unequivocal support for ukraine, as we did last week with announcing further measures to stand with ukraine in russia's illegal war against it. justin trudeau, speaking in response

to that incident. there's a growing row between china and the philippines over a territorial dispute about islands in the south china sea. both countries claim the area known as the scarborough shoal. the philippines says it removed a floating barrier installed by china to block philippine fishing boats. china said it maintains it has sovereignty of the island, and said the philippines should not make provocations or seek trouble. with more on this, our asia pacific regional editor celia hattonjoins me. celia, tell us more about this barrier. where was it constructed? this barrier is really _ where was it constructed? ti 3 barrier is really interesting because this really seems to be the first time that china has tried to put up a physical barrier to stop philippine boats, the coastguard, fishing boats and the like, from travelling to an area china considers its own. this area is

called scarborough shoal by philippines and other countries but this 300 metre long floating barrier was discovered by the philippine coastguard. there was a very intrusive small vessel that was not meant to be threatening. china had removed the barrier, just another step up in this dispute over the territory in the south china sea that both countries claim, it comes on the back of rising tension say few weeks ago on another part of territory, votes almost came to blows, there was a real threat of danger when the philippines tried to resupply a granted warship where they have troops stationed, they try to resupply that area. china says

the warship should not be supplied, it is in disputed territory, they tried to stop the philippines, eventually the supply mission was allowed to go ahead but it is one more step, the dispute over the granted warship and this new floating barrier, that has really led to increased concerns over what is going on in the south china sea. the international community watch as part of the world very carefully? specifically the united states has recently committed $100 million to help in the philippines to upgrade airports, as trips, they are very deeply involved in what is going on in manila. the current government in manila has really renew ties with the united states, the pass government under rodrigo duterte eight was much closer to beijing. things are shifting in the philippines, political alliances are shifting and the us is really trying to make use of that. they have recently gained access to four more

basesin recently gained access to four more bases in the philippines where they can stationed troops and that is why there is a lot of concern about how this might end, the philippines really being seen by some as a proxy in this ongoing rivalry between the us and china. in this ongoing rivalry between the us and china-— us and china. celia hatton, thank ou ve us and china. celia hatton, thank you very much- — russia is seeking to rejoin the united nations human rights council, in an election that will be seen as a key test of its international standing. russia was suspended from the council after its invasion of ukraine. the bbc has obtained a copy of russia's position paper circulated to un members, promising what it called "adequate solutions for human rights issues". rachel denber is deputy director for europe at the ngo human rights watch. she says russia should not be permitted to rejoin. it isa it is a completely cynical move, russia is no more appropriate to join the human rights council now than one year ago when it was voted

off the human rights council because off the human rights council because of the atrocities that had been perpetrating in ukraine. nothing has changed in the past year, if anything things have only got worse. in no way could pressure in the current circumstances be said to be meeting standards required of human rights council members. when russia was suspended from the human rights council a little more than a year ago it was by a landslide vote against it, right now it is up to delegations, states, to make sure that russia with its atrocious record of atrocities and crimes against humanity, that the united nations is itself documented against ukraine, and also at the same time an unparalleled crackdown against civil society in russia today that is unprecedented in the post—soviet

era, this is also an area, an issue that the united nations has investigated, the un special expert on russia just last week published a new report saying russia was engaging in a massive crackdown on human rights. engaging in a massive crackdown on human rights— human rights. russia's bid to re'oin that met i 0ur our top story is an explosion at a fuel depot in nagorno—karabakh it is reported to have killed 20 people and injured more than 200. it comes as a growing number of ethnic armenian refugees have been leaving nagorno—karabakh after azerbaijan's nagorno—kara bakh after azerbaijan's seizure of nagorno—karabakh after azerbaijan's seizure of the disputed region last week. envoys from both nation are due to meet in the eu backed talks in brussels today, the first such meeting between the two countries since azerbaijan sees the clay. ——

seized the enclave. stay with us here on bbc news. today we have rain which has been pushing from the south of england and coming across northern ireland, and both these bands of rain are moving north eastwards. you can see them here, the isobars telling you it will be a breezy day again. we have an x deepening area of low pressure, stroll agnes, which will come tomorrow. the rain continuing to move across scotland and northern england, the rain this morning clearing into the north sea but behind that a mixture of sunshine and showers, temperatures 1a in lerwick to 23 in norwich and london. this evening and overnight, many showers will tend to fade. we will have clear skies put in the second part of the night the cloud will build across the south—west. this is

a pre—runner to storm agnes. seven to 12 degrees in sheltered glens that temperatures will fall to between three and four overnight. storm agnes will come in from the south—west and it is producing a double whammy, heavy rain and strong winds. gales for some others, gales around the irish sea coast of up to 60 or 75 mph, around the irish sea coast of up to 60 or75 mph, in around the irish sea coast of up to 60 or 75 mph, in london about 60, it is the same across the western fringes of england, wales and scotland, plus of about 50 to 60 mph. many of us will start off dry but the rain will already be coming across northern ireland, into south—west england, parts of wales, northern england and moving into scotland through the day. this will be heavy rain, coupled with the wind it could cause some disruption to travel, it could cause damage and

there could be localised flooding. storm agnes has moved away by thursday, sunshine in the east, a new weather fronts coming from the west, introducing more rain. temperatures ranging from 1a in the north to 21 or 22 in the south—east. through the latter part of the week, showers in the north and west on friday and saturday, rain from the south on sunday but lots of dry weather too.

this is bbc news. the headlines: armenia says an explosion at a fuel depot killed 20 people and injured 200 more. one of thailand's most prominent political activists is sentenced to four years in prison for defaming the king. and tributes are paid to the actor david mccallum, who has died at the age of 90. he played many roles, including a russian spy in the man from uncle. the leader of the uk's liberal democrats sir ed davey will deliver his party leader conference speech today. he's expected to accuse the government of breaking promises about the nhs. it'll be the first time he has addressed the party's main annual conference, having previously been prevented by first the pandemic and then the death of the queen. let's go live to bournemouth and speak to our political correspondent peter saull, who is at the conference.