negotiators from around the world gather in south korea trying to secure the world's first treaty against plastic pollution. young backpackers in laos have spoken of their fears after six tourists died from suspected methanol poisoning in the town of vang vieng. three of them, including briton simone white, died last week. the lao government has now confirmed that three others, an american man and two danish women, who died the previous week, were all staying at the same hostel. our asia correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes has been to vang vieng to meet tourists, from where he sent this report. it's late afternoon in vang vieng, and the nam song river is bustling with tourists and watercraft of every description. for many young backpackers, the preferred form of transport is innertubes.

out here, you can get a real sense of why so many young travellers are drawn to vang vieng. it's got this beautiful river. it's surrounded by stunning limestone mountains. you can go kayaking, you can go hot—air ballooning, paragliding. it's an incredibly relaxed place, with very few rules. each year, hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists come to enjoy this place, including briton simone white and australians holly bowles and bianca jones. their deaths — along with three others — from methanol poisoning, have sent a shockwave through the backpacking scene here. young women, in particular, like these from hertfordshire who've just arrived from neighbouring vietnam. in vietnam, you know, you get free drinks, particularly if you're playing games in the evening, and we've just never thought about it. you just presume that what they're giving you is safe. so, like, we've had free shots. we've had buckets before. but moving on, i think we're just not going to take the risk at all. no, it's not worth it. it's definitely not worth it.

obviously, before this happened, you wouldn't think about it. but now it has, like, it's really impacted how we view drinking culture, going forwards. this is the guest house where all of the victims had stayed. an american man was found dead in his room here, and two danish women who also died were found unconscious on the same day. as night falls, the young travellers would normally be heading out to party. this is a weekend night this is a weekend night in peak tourist season, in peak tourist season, and you get a real sense and you get a real sense here ofjust how much these here ofjust how much these poisonings, or news of them, poisonings, or news of them, is hurting business here, is hurting business here, because so many of the places because so many of the places i've walked past here i've walked past here tonight are pretty empty. tonight are pretty empty. and we also understand police and we also understand police have told bars that they have have told bars that they have to close at midnight, the same thing, which is, to close at midnight, instead of going on to how instead of going on to how they used to be, 3am. they used to be, 3am. not everyone is deterred. not everyone is deterred. we met ned from somerset we met ned from somerset and his friend, jack, both and his friend, jack, both recent university graduates. recent university graduates. it seems like everyone's - it seems like everyone's - still here having a good time. still here having a good time. but there's definitelyj but there's definitelyj like a mood in the air like a mood in the air that people are being that people are being a lot more cautious. a lot more cautious.

and everyone's all saying | and everyone's all saying | the same thing, which is, you know, don't drink the spirits. _ i've been here for, like, a week now. the people here are absolutely lovely. they are some of the nicest people i've spoken to. there's never a purpose of them out to get you. nevertheless, six people died here, and parents with children out on the backpacker trail are now frantically messaging them, telling them not to come here. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in vang vieng. the uk foreign office is investigating reports that a former british soldier fighting for ukraine has been captured by russian forces in the kursk region. a video is circulating online which show a man dressed in military uniform. our correspondent simon jones has more. in that video, he identifies himself as james scott rhys anderson, and says he is 22 years old, and he says that he

was part of the british army forfour was part of the british army for four years before was part of the british army forfour years before being sacked. he then applied to join the international legion. that's part of the ukrainian army made up of foreigners. he said he travelled to poland to get himself to ukraine. now tonight we had report from a news agency, the russian news agency, saying what it calls a british mercenary has been captured in the kursk region, part of southern russia, and there has been fierce fighting there has been fierce fighting there after there was a surprise incursion into that

with one issue gaining greater prominence — immigration. part of the reason for this is the number of asylum seekers in ireland relying on the state for accommodation has more than quadrupled in three years and many have been sent to rural communities. our special correspondent fergal keane reports now from one small village in tipperary. there's trouble in the heartlands. in county tipperary, protest over immigration. last august, villagers tried to block asylum seekers from entering shelter in a local hotel that has been closed for almost a decade. they are still protesting here, saying they were not consulted about plans to house up to 277 asylum seekers. doubling the local population. how can we not feel fear and how can our government ignore that?

partly driven by fears of deportations in the uk, asylum applications in ireland have risen by nearly 300%, compare to the same period five years ago. already, we can see where the cracks are in society, in our housing. hospitals, doctors, gps. in this close—knit community, martin barry knows everybody. but his adult son cannot afford to rent a home here. ireland has a chronic housing shortage. migrants didn't cause that but they have become a lightning rod or discontent. for martin, there is also a feeling that a familiar world is slipping away. here, the local pub for sale. the dance hall where he met his wife. i'm looking at the clock, it says 1995.

instead of being reopened for the community, the local hotel shelters asylum seekers. to me, the changes happening so quick. it'5100% not racism, we have had integration in ireland for the last 20 years or more, but it has been slow, it has been steady, people came in smaller numbers. asylum seekers and communities describe an often chaotic process. newly arrived migrants camped out on dublin's streets. in order to make space for them, existing asylum seekers like these south africans were moved out of that accommodation and driven 117 miles to dundrum and protests. there were posters everywhere. i was in dublin for one year, i have integrated with society, so right now, being here, ifeel like i have been dumped.

at sunday mass near dundrum, i found sympathy for those seeking asylum in ireland but also for the community. people have different opinions. my own view, i can understand why the country needs to take people and i don't have a problem with it because we are relatively wealthy, but what i disagree with strongly is putting big numbers of people into small communities like this because it imbalances the community and it is no good for the people coming in because there is nothing here for them. in recent years, ireland has seen an upsurge in anti—migrant violence. arson attacks on buildings meant to house asylum seekers who faced beatings and threats. the far rate has little voter support but stokes fear. dundrum has been peaceful but the far right has attracted support online.

we were told the go fund me page online was set up by a local businessman who posts far right content including conspiracy theories about the irish population being replaced by migrants. similar claims appear on some dundrum posters. since i last saw you, we have seen evidence of far right anti—semitic posts by someone involved in this group. are you comfortable with people like that being involved? i, as a person from the community, an every day person, it's not my responsibility to manage other people's opinions and how they act towards things. i wasn't asking you that, i was asking are you comfortable with people with those opinions, far right, anti—semitic views? being part of this? no, i wouldn't be

comfortable with that. nationally, it is a sign of fraught times, but the minister handling immigration is canvassing in a general election with two police guards. he was recently attacked on the hustings but rejects claims he has ignored local communities. i recognise in the initial part of our response there were times when communities, there wasn't that level of engagement we need. that's why we introduced the community engagement team and that's why it is working. but there has been a hardening of government policy. deportation orders for those arriving illegally are up by 156%. here, police deployed near the border with northern ireland, expelling people from the country on the same day they are detained. we removed them from a bus and we do further checks and balances here in this vehicle to make sure the person does have legitimate stature to be in ireland.

and if they don't have legitimate staters, we bring them to dublin, where they are removed on a ferry back to the uk the same day. day removal. and there is no exceptions to that? no. migration driven by conflict and poverty is a global crisis that is bitterly polarised opinion. the challenge of how to respond is now reaching the smallest irish communities. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

demonstrations have resumed in georgia where opposition supporters are protesting against the official result of last month's election which they say was rigged. let's go live to tbilisi and our correspondent,

rayhan demytrie. no let up by these protesters then? they are continuing all these weeks later?— then? they are continuing all these weeks later? yes, martin, a short while _ these weeks later? yes, martin, a short while ago _ these weeks later? yes, martin, a short while ago the _ a short while ago the protesters moved closer to the parliament building to the main entrance which is right behind me. and they are now banging on the metalfence, a barrier. i can hear it quite loudly from here. a short while ago, they were broadcasting the session which is happening inside the parliament and just now i heard a shot, maybe this is the warning from the police. and in the past, protests, it was enough for the protesters to approach the building as close as they have done now and the police for them to move in. so it is getting quite tense. a

short while ago they were broadcasting what's happening inside the parliament, on the screen here, and the names of the mps that have taken their oath from the governing party, georgian dream, were read out. this is when the protesters decided to move closer into the parliament building itself. they are protesting what's happening inside the parliament. they are saying that this is an illegitimate session, first session by the new parliament, and is the first session which is taking place after last months parliamentary election, which the opposition and the countries pro—western president say where rigged elections. find say where rigged elections. and ou say where rigged elections. and you mentioned _ say where rigged elections. and you mentioned the president. she has lodged a lawsuit to try to annul the results so what is happening to that?— happening to that? well, it happened _ happening to that? well, it happened just _ happening to that? well, it happened just a _ happening to that? well, it happened just a few- happening to that? well, it happened just a few days l happening to that? well, it i happened just a few days ago that she said she's using all

legal means to challenge the outcome of the 26th of october parliamentary election and she launched this lawsuit with the countries constitutional court. she is trying to annul the results of the parliamentary elections because of the violations. and that she is challenging on two grounds. first, there was no voter secrecy respected during the election. not all citizens of georgia had the right to vote and she is referring to a large number of georgians who live outside the country, who are working abroad. the president says that the government did not create conditions for georgians and the president estimates we are talking about up estimates we are talking about up to i estimates we are talking about up to 1 million citizens who could not vote. some of them to

devote, but not enough. and based on these grounds, the president is challenging the outcome of the election. she also declared yesterday that today's session is unconstitutional, because, as the president, she was supposed to convene parliament. for the president, she was supposed to convene parliament.— to convene parliament. for the moment. _ to convene parliament. for the moment, thank _ to convene parliament. for the moment, thank you _ to convene parliament. for the moment, thank you very - to convene parliament. for the moment, thank you very much | to convene parliament. for the l moment, thank you very much in tbilisi. negotiators from around the world have gathered in south korea this week in an attempt to secure the world's first treaty to fight against plastic pollution. global plastic production has been increasing rapidly for decades. the united nations says around 20 million tonnes a year is ending up in our seas and oceans. our environment correspondent jonah fisher reports. the war against plastic pollution is being fought one piece at a time on the beach in folkestone. i've come to meet a man who calls himself the coastline runner. luke. you must be absolutely freezing. yeah, i'm a bit cold and a bit parky, but needs must.

and what are you doing here? i'm running the coast. i'm collecting plastic pollution. there's just so much of it on our beaches all around the world. luke has run up the east coast of england and into scotland, picking up rubbish along the way. so far, he says, he's gathered more than 700 kilos. how do you feel when you're picking up other people's litter? i feel... i feel desperate. i feel a bit angry and that makes me run even further. and ijust feel we've got to start considering our environment rather than just treating it like a bottomless waste bin, because it's not. sadly, the amount being cleaned up is being dwarfed by the plastic that's getting into our seas. the united nations thinks it's about 20 million tonnes a year. that's the same as a rubbish truck emptying its load into the sea every minute

of the day and night. and it's getting everywhere. in particular, the tiny microplastic particles which can come from, among other things, our clothes and car tyres. we find them from the highest mountains. some of our studies near the top of mount everest, right down to our deepest oceans. we find them from the poles to the equator. we need to be concerned because it will be incredibly difficult to remove microplastics from the environment. once they've entered the environment, they're going to stay there and they're going to persist. so what can be done? well, this week, negotiators from around the world are in south korea trying to agree on an international, legally—binding treaty to hopefully turn the tide on plastic pollution. the most obvious and yet hardest to agree solution is for the world to stop making so much plastic in the first place.

if you look at a business as usual scenario, we're looking at millions and millions of extra tonnes of plastic waste entering the environment by by 2030. and so we really need action soon. there's an urgency to tackling plastic pollution. which do you think is more recyclable? his rubbish on display, luke calls in at a local primary school in folkestone to meet a group of pupils called the eco guardians. so what would they say to those negotiating a plastics treaty? there's so much plastic in the ocean. one little bit of plastic. or like packages with polystyrene in them to just be like completely banned. try to reuse plastic bottles if we get them, but try not to use them as much. i want everyone to recycle and maybe like we can have like an art day where we make loads of like art designs out of like plastic. all great ideas.

but are the world's grown—ups listening? jonah fisher, bbc news in folkestone. adele played herfinal show in las vegas on saturday night — tearfully saying she doesn't know when she will perform again. the singer hasjust finished her 100 show residency at caesars palace and after two years of performing she said she plans to take a �*big break�* from music. she has performed for 4,000 people every friday and saturday for the last two years. you're watching bbc news. plenty more to come on the website.

live from london. this is bbc news. britain braces itself for more disruption from storm bert after severe floods devastate parts of wales.

a far—right, pro—russia candidate takes a surprise lead in the first round of romania's presidential election. and a bbc undercover investigation exposes a fertility scam fuelling a black market trade in babies in nigeria. hello, i'm martine croxall. more than 150 flood warnings are in place across the uk after storm bert battered britain this weekend. wales' first minister, eluned morgan, has described the disruption caused as "absolutely devastating". hundreds of homes remain underwater and many roads have been turned into rivers as a result of the torrential downpours with some areas seeing more than a month's rain in the past 48 hours. vincent mcaviney reports. pontypridd was only under a yellow weather warning, but over the weekend it was one of the parts of the uk where storm bert dumped more than 80% of november's expected

rainfall in less than 48 hours, passing the record set