the biggest party in thailand's coalition government has chosen the daughter of the billionaire former leader, thaksin shinawatra, to be prime minister. paetongtarn shinawatra's nomination will be put to a vote in parliament later on friday. the announcement was made a day after the constitutional court dramatically dismissed srettha thavisin as prime minister. it accused him of a gross violation of ethics for appointing a lawyer to his cabinet who'd served time injail. earlier this month, they ordered the dissolution of move forward, the country's most popular party, over its election promise to reform thailand's strict lese—majesty law. let's get the latest from our south east asia correspondentjonathan head. this is an unusual way to

become prime minister but politics can be hard to understand? it politics can be hard to understand?— politics can be hard to understand? ., ., , understand? it ought to be unusual and _ understand? it ought to be unusual and the _ understand? it ought to be unusual and the ease - understand? it ought to be unusual and the ease with | understand? it ought to be - unusual and the ease with which prime ministers, governments and political parties are dispatched by the courts here is almost unique to thailand. it's shows you where the real power lies. it is a stark reminderfor voters. power lies. it is a stark reminderforvoters. it power lies. it is a stark reminderfor voters. it does not matter how they vote, the courts and the establishment behind those doors will decide who is in power. initially, paetongtarn shinawatra's party had tried to form an alliance with move forward but that was blocked when they were told they could not form a government and dissolve them. now the party has in effect been put on notice. that would

much of preferred paetongtarn shinawatra not to be put right in the right spot, she is only 38 years old. they had no choice and it was a shock decision to sack srettha thavisin and the party was left in disarray. it is a clear signal that thaksin shinawatra cannot wield power in the way that he used to. it is a warning shot and for paetongtarn shinawatra, this is a big difficultjob she has to take on, holding together this 11 party coalition and tried to ii party coalition and tried to meet the expectation of thai people. an enormous hope for the economy. these are big challenges for her to make. haw challenges for her to make. how are these elections _ challenges for her to make. how are these elections going to have on the thai population,

given how democracy works or does not seem to work in thailand? it does not seem to work in thailand?— thailand? it is a weary resignation _ thailand? it is a weary resignation in - thailand? it is a wearyi resignation in thailand thailand? it is a weary - resignation in thailand that people realise there is only so much they can achieve at the ballot box. when the monarchy and military are so powerful, to be allowed to choose the kind of government they want. any government that is elected has to fall into line behind conservative expectations and that means specifically not touching the law but for thaksin shinawatra's party, it cannot be as freewheeling as it was in the past in coming up with populist policies that made it an unbeatable machine. at the moment they have a one signature, a $300 digital wallet scheme and the central bank is challenging that and other are challenging at that and it looks like they will have to abandon that. that will suit the hardline conservatives

very well. they do not trust mr thaksin. in a way thailand is still hamstrung by this deep divide between hardline conservatives, many in unelected institutions and parties that want to break the logjam and want to win popular support. logjam and want to win popular su ort. . ~' ,, ., logjam and want to win popular su--ort. . ~ ., , support. thank you for helping us understand _ support. thank you for helping us understand these _ us understand these developments. dr aim sinpeng is the thailand country coordinator at the sydney southeast asia centre. she laid down what to watch out for in the new thai prime minister nominee she is a household name. her nomination makes sense. she is young, likeable and she is more likely to be agreeable on things rather than compared to her colleague who was a much more season leticia, much older and i think her choice is actually going to help to

hopefully work in thai's favour especially after the resentment to what happened in the move forward party. to what happened in the move forward party-— forward party. now that they have been — forward party. now that they have been dissolved, - forward party. now that they have been dissolved, the - forward party. now that they l have been dissolved, the move forward power, what will be the result with finding themselves with the prime minister that was not voted for?— with the prime minister that was not voted for? well, this really happened _ was not voted for? well, this really happened a _ was not voted for? well, this really happened a year- was not voted for? well, this really happened a year ago . was not voted for? well, this| really happened a year ago at the elections. the resentment continues and i think this has been part of a pattern in thai so the best we can hope for in a situation like this is that hopefully the party and the governing coalition made the right bat that choosing paetongtarn is going to help reduce some of that tension because she is very much like the kind of person that supporters would like, young,

educated, she is quite progressive, actually, and likeable, so hopefully that will help them any kind of future short—term political crisis like protests that may occur in thailand. 50 crisis like protests that may occur in thailand.— crisis like protests that may occur in thailand. so you do not see any _ occur in thailand. so you do not see any opposition - occur in thailand. so you do not see any opposition to i occur in thailand. so you do i not see any opposition to herd nomination then?— nomination then? there is already opposition - nomination then? there is already opposition from i nomination then? there is. already opposition from the opposition side but there has not been from the coalition governing side.— not been from the coalition governing side. and what will be the challenges _ governing side. and what will be the challenges that - governing side. and what will be the challenges that she i governing side. and what willl be the challenges that she will face if she is to succeed in this nomination becomes a prime minister? , , , , , minister? the biggest issue is the economy _ minister? the biggest issue is the economy and _ minister? the biggest issue is the economy and a _ minister? the biggest issue is the economy and a lot - minister? the biggest issue is the economy and a lot is - minister? the biggest issue is| the economy and a lot is riding on this policy of the digital wallet so they need to nail that and get it working successfully and i think that would buy some of the resentment going on in thailand because everyone is worried about the economy and the rising cost of living everywhere and around the world. ,, ~ ,

world. do you think these will resolve these _ world. do you think these will resolve these concerns, - world. do you think these will resolve these concerns, to . world. do you think these will i resolve these concerns, to move forward with paetongtarn? the grievances _ forward with paetongtarn? tue: grievances about forward with paetongtarn? tte: grievances about the forward with paetongtarn? "tt2 grievances about the lack forward with paetongtarn? tt2 grievances about the lack of democracy in thailand, the overreach of constitutional court is not resolved and has not been resolved in decades. but taylah need to be followed anything the parties of the coalition government have every interest to keep this government to serve full term because they really worry about the opposition, particular the new people's party which is basically the move forward party so they will band together in order to make sure they can stay in power until they can stay in power until the next elections. now to the middle east, and as the latest ceasefire talks take place in qatar, its been claimed we've reached a stark milestone in the human cost of the gaza conflict. the hamas—run health ministry says the number of palestinians killed there has surpassed 40,000. it's a number that's disputed by israel. the figure does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.

but a majority of the fatalities are said to be children, women or the elderly. the un has previously found the figures from gaza to be reliable. some experts have said the actual number of those killed is likely to be far higher, with thousands buried under rubble. and medical researchers have also pointed out many more could yet die from indirect causes, such as disease and hunger. hussein ibish is a senior resident scholar at the arab gulf states institute. i asked him was was the likelihood of anything significant happening during the talks in qatar. i would say i am less pessimistic than in other rounds. both sets of leaders are strongly in favour and continuing in the fighting in a general and i think they are gaining favour politically but they would gain a lot at the low cost of the broader interests of feeling the war should go and if they did agree to a temporary ceasefire,

retrieve prisoners on both sides with the political benefits that go with that and took the time to regroup with a military is because the war is changing now from an israeli drive from the north to the south, focused on destroying large targets of value, both to hamas and gazza society in general, because this is a war against gaza, and to regroup their forces to the emerging war of insurgency versus counterinsurgency all over gaza, and little bits and pieces. that is the war hamas was looking for when they launched the october seven attack. i think benjamin netanyahu is happy to give it to them so they might agree to a pause but then they will almost certainly go back to warring. almost certainly go back to warrinu. ., ., ., _, warring. he would have to come with some _ warring. he would have to come with some sort _ warring. he would have to come with some sort of _ warring. he would have to come with some sort of agreement i warring. he would have to come | with some sort of agreement but hamas are not even taking part in if these talks.— in if these talks. yes, that is a very good _ in if these talks. yes, that is a very good point. _ in if these talks. yes, that is a very good point. i -

in if these talks. yes, that is a very good point. i do i in if these talks. yes, that is a very good point. i do think| a very good point. i do think they are in an indirect way, in they are in an indirect way, in the sense that there are diplomatic leaders in qatar are easily able to follow what is going on and the real leadership and gas that can influence things one way or the other. that is not countering the agreement. potential. bike killing the hamas leader and he run a couple of weeks ago ismail haniyeh israel and benjamin netanyahu has shown he is more interested in vengeance and symbolic victory rather than an agreement for hostages. 0n the other hand he may want to go ahead if you get a deal he likes. , ., ., , to go ahead if you get a deal he likes. , . ., , ., he likes. israel has not confirmed _ he likes. israel has not confirmed any - he likes. israel has not i confirmed any involvement in that killing. do they want to

pursue a ceasefire, israel? they have stated that the goal is to eradicate hamas and that does not come about stopping fighting? does not come about stopping firuhtin ? ., . does not come about stopping firrhtin? ., ., ., fighting? no, and in fact i am sure that _ fighting? no, and in fact i am sure that boymac's _ fighting? no, and in fact i am l sure that boymac's government would not agree to an open—ended ceasefire. the ceasefire that is on the table is about six weeks long and the israelis and put a whole bunch of new conditions about not withdrawing from strategic areas like the philadelphia cordon and the rafah crossing. they do not want to leave that area and other strategic areas and the other condition if they want to be free to resume fighting as soon as the clock stops taking on the six—week pause that might be on the table and that is different to the joe table and that is different to thejoe biden plan that said that as long as both sides are living up to the agreement, the ceasefire should go on after phase i, looking for an agreement for phase two but the

australian are explicitly saying absolutely not, they want to start fighting again or have the option to, as soon as the six weeks are over. again, this makes it harder to reach an agreement but hamas might be open to that. i would not be 100% sure this cannot happen. president biden and the democratic nominee vice president, kamala harris, have made their first election campaign appearance together, since he dropped out of the presidential election race. they spoke at a rally in maryland, where they announced a deal to reduce the cost of 10 key medicines for older americans. asa as a united states senator i fought to pass laws that would make healthcare more affordable and accessible for all americans and as vice president, together withjoe biden, our president... cheering and applause... we have finally addressed the long—standing issue that for years was one of the biggest challenges on this subject, which was that medicare was prohibited by law from

negotiating lower drug prices. and those costs then got passed on to our seniors. but not anymore. cheering and applause. in the last couple of hours, donald trump has been speaking at a news conference at his golf club in newjersey. he started by attacking the economic record of the biden/harris administration. the record of economic calamity that kamala harris is desperate for voters to ignore. she calls record inflation, she cast a vote, she is trying to blame but it is you know, so it was bided but i'm going to do a betterjob, but it was her and if she wants to do a betterjob she still has five months left, right? our new york correspondent john sudworth has the latest on that donald trump press conference you saw him in sarah's reported holding up the little boxes of candy. he has doubled down under that in this press conference at the golf club.

surrounded by these everyday items from the american shopping basket. clearly, we could tell if a before he began speaking, given the way that stage had been set, that this was supposed to signal some kind of a signal, that this was donald trump moving away is an increasing number of republicans have said he would like to do, from the personal attacks on kamala harris and onto issues of policy, most notably the one we had sarah talking that, the question of inflation. he listed item after item that he said had increased dramatically in cost, food items, energy items, all of these costs he said were hitting american families hard and for which he laid the blame, of course, firmly at the dog of the present administration. there were times for — administration. there were times for questions - administration. there were times for questions from . times for questions from reporters following his prepared remarks. did he stick

to the economic message than as well? , ~' ., to the economic message than as well? , ~ ., .,, well? yes, i think for those republicans _ well? yes, i think for those republicans who _ well? yes, i think for those republicans who would i well? yes, i think for those l republicans who would have liked to see him do that, that question as to whether he is able to constrain those instincts to attack, i think this would have been largely what they wanted to see. there were personal digs, when he was asked a direct question by reporters, in the open part of this press conference, as to whether he has changed his strategy, he said, no, this is business as usual and in terms of the personal insults, he said, look, they are not very nice to be and he raised the unfounded claim that is the victim of a political witch—hunt in terms of the legal action he is facing and suggested in typical donald trump style, that there was some kind of an equivalent. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

you're live with bbc news, now to the united states where five people have been charged over the death of the friends star, matthew perry. the 54—year—old actor was found dead in a hot tub at his home, with the powerful anaesthetic ketamine in his system. those charged include the actor's former personal assistant, two doctors who are accused of supplying the star with the drug and a woman known as the �*ketamine queen'. emmy vardy reports from los angeles. hey, i got you a present. oh, my goodness, where did you hide it?! to fans, matthew perry, best known as chandler bing, was the funny characterfrom friends who'd made no secret of his flaws. he'd struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout his career. i'm in control of the first drink and so i do all these things to protect myself from not having the first drink. at the time of his death, he was said to have been undergoing therapy for depression, taking small doses of ketamine. but when he was found in the jacuzzi at his home, the levels of the drug in his body were much higher.

the five people facing charges are alleged to be part of a criminal network supplying the drug, including two doctors, who used the actor, say law enforcement, as a way to make money. these defendants took advantage of mr perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. they knew what they were doing was wrong. they knew what they were doing was risking great danger to mr perry, but they did it anyways. the desperation that led perry to these individuals was not met with help as it should have been from the doctors, but instead it was met with exploitation. exploitation by those have should have guided him towards help. matthew perry was charged $2,000 for a dose of ketamine worth around $12. the doctors are accused of acquiring the drug and falsifying medical records. one of them, writing in a text, "i wonder how much this moron will pay?"

and matthew perry's personal assistant has admitted injecting him on the day he died. investigators say while looking into the actor's death they uncovered a drug supply network involving a dealer known as the �*ketamine queen' in hollywood and say other suspects in connection with the operation are continuing to be investigated. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. a source has confirmed to the bbc that british challenger 2 tanks have been used in ukraine's surprise incursion into russia. moscow has set up a council to coordinate the response to ukraine's continuing offensive in the kursk region. earlier, ukraine said it had established its first military office inside russian territory. sweden has become the first country outside africa to register a case of a new, more dangerous variant of mpox. the news came a day after the world health organisation declared the outbreak in africa a global health emergency. the new variant has killed hundreds of people in the democratic republic of congo. venezuelan president

nicolas maduro has rejected calls from us and brazilian leaders for new presidential elections, after last month's disputed vote. the venezuelan opposition has also criticised the idea. it says it beat nicolas maduro, and accuses him of fraud. to north korea, where tour operators have anounced that the country will be opening up for international tourism soon, opening its borders for the first time in nearly five years. before that, around 300,000 visitors came every year on tightly controlled trips — most of them from china. the closed border also cut off the imports of essential goods which lead to food shortages which were also made worse by international sanctions because of the country's nuclear programme. tourists will get to see the sammy—jee—0n region which has been seeing major redevelopment in recent years, and is now equipped with a ski resort, apartments and hotels in a town described by the nation's media as the epitome of humanity.

most countries in the world have a strict travel advisory against all visits to north korea, but could that tempt you? and if so, how much of north korea might any new tourists really be able to see? jean lee is the former associated press bureau chief in pyongyang. we have seen some russian tourists, i should we have seen some russian tourists, ishould mention, visit north korea earlier this year. they did go to ski resort on the east coast and sent some schoolchildren to a camp on the east coast. the december trips are to the far north to sammy—jee—0n and to a sacred mountain, committees featured in the painting behind me, and it is very interesting. it is very remote which means the north koreans will be able control what it is the visitors see and control the interactions between foreigners and the north koreans. so it is baby steps. but i will say i am not surprised they are seeking

to this part of the country. kinjong—un —— kimjong—un has spent quite a bit building up this area because it is one of his family's mythology. the mythology is that his father was born here, that his grandfather for that against the japanese and today but the liberation day from japanese colonial rule. this is important sides of their propaganda and he has been investing into this so hopefully the town to see in the painting behind me have also been renovated as part of this process but a lot of money has been poured into very remote part of north korea. taylor swift has been back on stage — this time in london — a week after her concerts in vienna were cancelled after a suspected attack was uncovered. the singer performed the first of her five night sell out show at wembley, which will bring her european tour to a close. our music correspondent

marc savage was there. 92,000 fans poured into wembley stadium dressed in tassels, sequins and ball gowns, as taylor swift returned to the uk. this was herfirst time on stage since an alleged terror plot against her shows in austria last week. some fans who missed out when those concerts were cancelled managed to make it to london. i was just so devastated and the whole city really did have an air of depression. there was kind of a cloud over the city, but i managed to get very last minute tickets last night, finished work early today, ran here, and i'm here now. there was increased security at wembley and fans who didn't have tickets were warned to stay away. that didn't stop some of them gathering outside to sing along. and they were just as enthusiastic as the fans who managed to get inside. everyone is so friendly. all the friendship bracelets, the amount of people that stopped and said, happy birthday and wanted

to swap wristbands. anywhere you go at any taylor swift thing, at any event, everyone isjust, it's just like a community. i think that she is, like, so sisterhood, like, she joins every single girl here. i really think- she is like an idol because she has been i through so much and then she still, like, - rises like a phoenix. on stage, taylor chose to celebrate her music and herfans rather than dwell on recent events, and there was a special treat in the shape of a surprise appearance from ed sheeran. she plays another four nights at wembley before the eras tour returns to north america for its final leg. when it ends in december it will have taken more than $2 billion in ticket sales alone. mark savage, bbc news. if you cannot get enough of taylor swift, and over to the website where we have an article about all the tour in the uk. taylor swift has a

privately reached out to the families affected by the southport attack. i will be back with business in a few moments. bye—bye. hello there. the summer holiday season is in full swing, and if you have plans for the weekend, well, it looks likely that the weather is going to behave itself. it will be largely dry, sunny and pretty warm. now, we have got a little bit of rain clearing away from the south and east as we speak and this area of low pressure to the far north—west. that's at risk of driving in a few isolated showers, chiefly to the north—west of the great glen, and here, a brisk wind with it as well. but elsewhere, a lot of sunshine. any early morning residual cloud will ease away from the kent coast. the sunshine break through and temperatures should peak between 15 and 20 degrees in the north, highs of 25 in the south.

that comes at a cost if you are a hay fever sufferer. certainly across england and wales, through friday afternoon. but as we go into the start of the weekend, we'll have clear skies across england and wales. still a bit more of a breeze and a few isolated showers to the far north—west. but that means during the early hours of saturday morning, under those clear skies, temperatures will fall away to single figures in a few spots. so a slightly fresher, more comfortable night for sleeping. but we've got high pressure building in from the south and west, quietening things down. again, that low to the far north could still drive in just one or two isolated showers, but on the whole, it's a dry picture for many of us through the weekend. we will be chasing cloud amounts around, particularly with that south—westerly wind. some cloud lapping onto west—facing coasts. here, not quite as warm, but these temperatures are where they should be really for this time of year, ranging generally from mid—teens in the north to the mid 20s in the south.

then on sunday, scattered showers are likely to be continuing into the far north and west, maybe one or two through the irish sea — very fleeting, few and far between. we keep the sunshine for most. and once again, if you are planning any outdoor activities, the weather should behave itself then into next week. there is a potential for weather fronts to push its way into the far north—west. just how much rain we'll have in the south—east corner is really subject to question. here is where we're likely to see the driest of the weather, but a little more unsettled further north and west, and as a result, not quite as warm. take care. bye— bye.

alibaba's sales and profits fall in the second quarter, as chinese consumers cut back on spending. plus, football season is back, as asian fans gear up for the return of the english premier league. hello and welcome to business today. i'm steve lai. chinese tech giant alibaba reported weaker—than—expected quarterly results. revenue and profit for april tojune came in below expectations, with the latter falling 27% from the year before. the company has been grappling with stiff competition from the likes ofjd dotcom and temu—owner, pinduoduo. a more cautious chinese consumer also not helping boost sales. china tech analyst ray ma explained how alibaba plans

to turn things around. i think elliot barbour has, as you mentioned, is dealing with a relatively sluggish economy in china and cautious consumers. it is also faced stiff competition from pinduoduo and while it is trying to execute on its new strategy, reprioritising its core business it has struggled through the reorganisation and it is struggling to keep the cost controls under control. tell us more about these new strategies. what are the coming initiatives or projects four but to try and get things back on track? —— projects for alibaba. on track? -- pro'ects for armani on track? -- pro'ects for alibaba. �* , on track? -- pro'ects for alibaba. , ., alibaba. alibaba has focused on three main _ alibaba. alibaba has focused on three main things. _