welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: turning against trump. two republican party senators launch scathing attacks on their own president. just a couple of hours until china unveils its new top leadership. will we see a possible successor to president xi? after a year of official mourning, thailand makes final preparations for the king's farewell. and he made the ordinary, extraordinary. for the first time, more than 50 of cezanne's portraits are gathered together for a landmark exhibition. two senators from donald trump's own party have launched scathing attacks on the president, describing his administration

as "reckless, outrageous and undignified." that was from senatorjeff flake of arizona, who announced he would not seek re—election and would not remain silent or complicit. earlier, another senator, bob corker, described president trump as an "utterly untruthful" president. he is also not seeking re—election next year. andrew plant reports. arriving at a lunch with senior republicans, tax issues on the menu, but criticism from inside his party already being served. reporter: mr president, any comment on... arizona senator, jeff flake, announcing he will not seek re—election, accusing the president of a flagrant disregard for truth and decency. reckless, outrageous, and undignified behaviour has been misdiagnosed as telling it like it is when it is just reckless, outrageous, and undignified.

and when such behaviour emanates from the top of our government, it is something else, it is dangerous to democracy. president trump has previously described senatorjeff flake as "toxic." there was no surprise from the president. i have not spoken with him directly since the announcement by senatorjeff flake, but i think that based on previous statements and certainly based on the lack of support he has from the people of arizona, it is probably obvious. senator jeff fla ke's criticism of president trump's administration the second attack on a single day from a senior republican, one also standing down, senator bob corker saying the president is incapable of telling the truth. i think that will be the contribution that

hurts our nation. reporter: do you think the president is bringing down the role? no question. he goes to such a low level. i do. donald trump responded with some scathing tweets, saying this. and then he added this. republican critics of the president only seem to find their voice when the end of their political careers is already in sight, but this may prove to be more than just the latest white house infighting. it could hurt republican chances of re—election in arizona and tennessee. they will be vacated by the current republicans next year. chinese president xijinping's name

has been enshrined in his party's constitution, strengthening his power, and giving him equal status to the founder of the modern state, chairman mao. it came at the end of the week—long communist party congress in beijing. our china editor carrie grace sent this report. translation: those in favour, raise your hands. and those against. none. unanimous. more than 2,000 communists and not a single vote against. so he's in the party bible. "xi jinping thought on socialism with chinese characteristics for a new era." it's a third chapter for communist china.

mao united the country. his successor made it rich. xi intends to make it strong. it's all a long way from the caves where he spent his teenage years as a farmer. xijinping had been born into the communist elite, but sent to the countryside when mao purged his father. that was then, this is now. china on the up and xi promising quality of life at home and superpower status abroad. translation: we want our lives to get better and we want a strong country. translation: xi jinping is very tough. compared to other leaders, he's great. xi believes in control. the party's control of the public. his own control of the party.

and a campaign of fear to silence rivals. xijinping has acquired more authority and more power and the chinese communist party has taken a step away from collective leadership and towards a one—man rule by a very charismatic and powerful leader. for centuries, china's emperors ruled from behind the walls of the forbidden city. by enshrining his vision, xi hopes to make himself invulnerable. the chinese once called chairman mao "the great helmsman" and foreigners called him "the red emperor," one man who dictated the destinies of more than a billion people. now, china has a new red emperor in xijinping, and his party comrades are already calling him the helmsman and the saviour of socialism. mao's one—man rule brought only china misery, but this

time is different. if xi fails, we're all the poorer, and if he succeeds, his drive for control will reach us all. in the next few hours the party will announce the leadership team which will work with president xi. as well as being unknown names to the outside world, many are unknown inside china as well. 0ur correspondent robin brant is in beijing. it is hugely important. firstly, we get this very visual moment where these seven men walk out from behind a hoarding and are revealed to the 1.1 billion people of china and the world. we get them in seniority. xijinping, then the premier, li keqiang, who stays in the post. and then the five league faces. not household names in china and outside of it. this is the most senior decision—making body in the country.

will they all be allies of xi jinping? it looks increasingly likely. or will they reflect some of the factional fighting, some of the competing allegiances, which goes on within the communist party of china? we know some things, the man who led the anticorruption fight in the country, he will not be in the standing committee. he goes. and cheng ming ur, he is now a possibility for the heir apparent. will he feature? we just don't know. a year of official mourning in thailand will culminate in a spectacular cremation ceremony on thursday for the late king bhumibol adulyadej, who died last year at the age of 88. he reigned for more than 70 years and presided over the transformation of his country from a poor, rural economy to a fast—growing manufacturing and tourism powerhouse. 0ur south—east asia correspondent

jonathan head is at the grand palace in bangkok. like a gilded castle, the spectacular complex of pavilions has risen from the ground this year. and bangkok's historic royal court is where it happened. no expense has been spent in preparing this elaborate send—off for a king who ran for seven decades and personified the modern development of his country. this will be a final farewell to a king who they felt a powerful and personal affection. but these lavish preparations are much more than that. they tap into a deep well of tradition and ritual which has been used for centuries to legitimise the monarchy as the highest and most essential institution holding this country together. the royal funeral is a blend of hindu, buddhist, and other influences. king bhumibol adulyadej was seen

as an incarnation of a hindu god who has now returned to heaven. hundreds of thailand's finest traditional artists have contributed to the cremation. each detail carries symbolic importance. the royal urn will be transported to the cremation site on this iii—ton 200—year—old chariot. the late king's finaljourney, a slow and immaculately choreographed progression for a man who restored the status of thailand historically enjoyed by monarchs. the eu's chief brexit negotiator, says a trade deal with the european union could take three years to complete, if talks begin in december.

michel barnier added however that the discussions wouldn't be without risks, because all of the eu's national parliaments must approve any agreement. damian grammaticas reports from brussels. from the eu today, a blunt message. donald tusk is no fan of brexit. how it plays out, he says, is down to the uk, but eu countries must remain united. it is in fact up to london how this will end — with a good deal, no deal or no brexit. but in each of these scenarios, we will protect our common interests only by being together. mr tusk was responding to the prime minister yesterday in the commons, where she suggested it is up to the eu to move things forward. it is now for them to consider what they want to see

from the future of that relationship so that the next stage of those negotiations can indeed begin. and reinforcing the eu's message is the chief negotiator, who said the uk can't expect a trade deal any time soon. michel barnier told european newspapers the transition deal would help because it would give more time to organise future relations, adding trade talks will last several years. this is how the eu sees the timeline. now, exit issues have to be settled, money, citizens‘ rights, were stuck at this stage. possibly in december things could move to the outlines of a future relationship and a transition to get there. that has to be done by march, 2019, brexit day. only after that can a future trading relationship be settled, possibly by 2020. roderick abbott, a former uk and eu trade negotiator, says it could be into the next decade before a deal is done. i think well into the 20s. before you've really implemented everything

and probably into the 20s until you've got a deal tied up. the trade deal. so this could take some years? mmm. and at each stage, if the uk doesn't satisfy the eu's conditions, talks will remain stuck in the slow lane, as they are now. damian grammaticas, bbc news, brussels. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, he painted the ordinary in way that was extraordinary. 50 of cezanne's portraits are brought together for the very first time. a moment they had all been waiting for. performa dig nato, but as he sat down, obedient enough. —— a former dictator. dawn and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain,

it lights up a biblicalfamine, now in the 20th century. the depressing conclusion — in argentina today, it is actually cheaper to paper your walls with money. we had controversies in the past with great britain, but as good friends we have always found a good and lasting solution. the concord bows out in style after almost three decades in service. an aircraft that has enthralled its many admirers for so long taxis home for the last time. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the republican party senator jeff flake has announced he won't seek re—election because of what he called the reckless and undignified behaviour of president trump's white house. in about two hours' time, the communist party of china will unveil its new leadership and we might get some clues about a possible successor to president xi.

kenya is facing a last minute legal challenge to see if a presidential election re—run on thursday can go ahead. president uhuru kenyatta won the vote in august, but that was annulled by the supreme court, which said there were irregularities in the electoral process. his supporters want the new vote to go ahead. but the opposition, led by raila 0dinga, which has its stronghold in the west of the country, claims the vote won't be fair and shouldn't go ahead. 0ur africa editor fergal keane has sent us this report. it looks, and, when you're in the midst of it, feels like a boisterous democracy in action. but it's an election with only one side seeking votes. these are president kenyatta's supporters. and they demand that elections take place, whatever the opposition leader, raila 0dinga, says. raila 0dinga, he want

to come and broke power. he'sjust taking us backwards whereas we want to go forward. he just wants to come and bring war and he can set fire, but he can burn himself. here, the supreme court is seen as having stolen their victory in the last elections. but as we arrived in the opposition stronghold of kisumu in western kenya, it felt like another country. these youths are from the luo ethnic group like raila 0dinga. and believe president kenyatta, from the kikuyu majority, wants to marginalise them. poverty and corruption have deepened ethnic rivalries. we don't want elections that is already rigged. we want a free and fair election. will you allow elections to take place here? no, election in kenya in kisumu is not going to happen. in this kind of volatile atmosphere,

it's hard to imagine free and fair elections taking place in opposition strongholds like this. and if they don't go ahead, there will be a serious doubt over the legitimacy of the result, certainly for those people who support raila 0dinga. this is in part a dynastic struggle. kenya's first post—colonial leader was the current president's father, jomo kenyatta. his first cabinet included raila 0dinga's father. the idea was to banish tribalism, but the dream fell away under decades of one—party rule and cronyism. now recent democratic progress is under threat. what's at stake in these elections on thursday is kenya's democratic future. a lot of blood has been spilled, a lot of labour has been expended by kenyans to achieve the kind of democratic institutions that we have, the kind of constitution that we have. and that's what is at risk here.

it's not just about an election or the repeat of an election. it's about kenya's democratic future. the escalating tension is harming kenya's economy. half the country's manufacturers plan to shed jobs. and for the vulnerable, the fear of violence is palpable. lydia is a widow whose two—year—old daughter, cha ntelle, was wounded by a stray bullet during rioting near their village. she also has a son and since her husband died, she survives on the few pounds she earns washing clothes. translation: life here is very difficult. i wash clothes in order to eat, but now i can't do that because the baby is upset and i can't leave home. kenya is deeply polarised. tonight, the bodyguard of a senior

judge was shot and wounded, amid a growing sense of crisis. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. russia has vetoed a united nations security council resolution renewing an investigation into the use of chemical weapons in syria. it's the ninth time russia has used its veto to protect its ally. last month, un investigators said a forensic examination showed beyond doubt that the syrian air force carried out a sarin nerve agent gas attack in april. the governor of the us territory puerto rico has called on the federal government to speed up its response to dealing with severe power shortages on the island one month after hurricane maria. governor ricardo rossello said only seven brigades of engineers had been sent to the island where more than eighty percent of citizens were still without electricity. elephant poaching in africa

is declining for a fifth year in a row, new research says. but the organisation which monitors illegal trafficking says a record a0 tons of illegal ivory was seized around the world last year. alastair leithead reports from nairobi. the good news is that after a 10—year surge in elephant poaching across africa, the level of killing for ivory is on the decline. it did italy in east africa, which has lost half its elephants in the last decade. what animals are still being killed across the continent and elephant numbers continue to fall. according to a report from societies, which regulates trade in endangered ones and animals. it said 1:0 endangered ones and animals. it said a0 tons of ivory were recovered in seizures last year, perhaps because of better awareness and law enforcement but also because ivory is being trafficked in smaller quantities. there's been an increase in the amount of ivory being carved

independence and bangles, rather than just independence and bangles, rather thanjust being independence and bangles, rather than just being exported to asia as tasks which are easier to intercept. the secretary general of cites says they are starting to get positive results but he added they are certainly not there yet. the french master paul cezanne is famous for his post impressionist art and now a major exhibition of his work goes on show in london. more than 50 cezanne paintings from collections around the world will be displayed together for the first time. 0ur arts editor will gompertz has more. a portrait of an artist as a young man. paul cezanne's early selfie, painted in his 20s, when he was still learning to look like no other artist. he would paint himself throughout his career, making breakthroughs in technique and tone each time, until this final self—portrait, when the artist picasso called "the father of us all" revealed a lifetime's knowledge and skill in a single image. cezanne's portraits were radical when he painted them in the second half of the 19th century

and they still feel radical today. not for him idealised versions of the rich and famous and the great and the good. he just wanted to paint ordinary people in really ordinary settings and thereby create something extraordinary. even though he doesn't seek to represent expressed emotion, obviously his interest in character, and i think he really wanted that sense of the peoplenesses of people regardless of social status, regardless of anything. i mean, when you look back in the history of portraiture, who has done that before, and you end up with rembrandt. are there pictures in this exhibition, john, where we see cezanne the artist take leaps forward? the first big thing is very early, in the mid 1860s, where he makes paintings entirely with a palette knife. portraits had never been painted in that way before.

the next big step is in the middle of the ‘70s where, after having worked with the impressionists, colour blooms in his pictures. then by the ‘80s, volume is very present with regular hatch brush strokes. and then in the ‘90s, all these different currents really start to come together. cezanne was famously grumpy. sitters could be reprimanded for the slightest fidget. "does an apple move?" he'd snap, even though it might have been the 150th session they'd attended for a single portrait. it is fair to say, cezanne was something else. before we go, a british man has taken to the skies across south africa balloon style. tom morgan reached heights of 2500 metres, suspended from 100 helium balloons

strapped to a camping chair. he covered around 25 kilometres. the 38—year—old and his team spent two days inflating balloons ahead of the flight, days inflating balloons ahead of the flight, which he described as unbelievably cool. after several failed attempts there was just enough helium left for one last try. wasn't it worthwhile? stay with us on bbc news. hello, there. tuesday saw quite a range of temperatures across the uk, even though there was a lot of cloud in the south—east and east anglia. a temperature of 20 degrees here. much higher than we normally get at this time of year. about 12 degrees through the central belt of scotland is about normal. in between, we had this weather front. it was south of that weather front where we had milder air. for a while this weather front was active, bringing heavy bursts across northern england and scotland. heading southwards, though, that weather front is weakening considerably and there's not much

rain left by the time to wednesday morning. damp and drizzly across southern england. maybe some low cloud and mist and perhaps the odd patch of fog too. further north cloud is more broken into the slightly fresher air across wales, midlands and northern england. much drier by this stage. a few showers further north still in scotland, chiefly across the north—west scotland. maybe a few heavy ones first thing. the heaviest of the showers probably pushed up towards the northern the northern isles, as the winds gradually ease across scotland. for many places it will be a dry day. more sunshine across england and wales. that cloud sticking generally south of the ma and through the english channel. still 19 degrees in london. 13—1a through the central belt of scotland. this weather front having moved southwards is going to start to move northwards on wednesday evening and wednesday night. it looks like it is moving northwards at this stage and it will drag low cloud and mist and fog further north into england

and wales and bring with it some pockets of rain and drizzle. clearer further north across northern ireland and a good part of scotland. chillier here overnight. 0therwise mild across england and wales. a lot of cloud. the fog that does form will take awhile to shift. we're left with this damp weather in much of northern england. some sunshine developing in northern ireland and scotland as we lose the showers. perhaps the far north of england too. 13 or so in the sunshine. still a decent day. 17 in the south—east, despite all that cloud. that cloud, though, should turn to clear away by the time we get to friday because that weather front is moving back south again and it's going to introduce a brighter day pretty much across the board. not quite as mild across southern parts of the uk, but colder air is still to come this weekend. high pressure to the west and south—west and we draw winds around that saturday. probably a few drizzly showers. cold air is certainly in the second half of the weekend. given the strength of the wind it will feel colder,

but we may end the weekend with a touch of frost, as skies clear. this is bbc news. the headlines: two republican party senators have made fiery criticisms of president trump. 0ne, jeff flake, announced he won't run for re—election next year blaming reckless, outrageous and undignified behaviour from the white house. senator bob corker described mr trump as an utterly untruthful president. the closely—held secret of china's new leadership line—up is due to be revealed in the coming hours. five of the seven members of the politburo standing committee are expected to retire. analysts will be looking out for possible successors to the current communist party leader, xijinping. final preparations are being made in bangkok for the funeral of the thai king, who died a year ago. the five—day ceremony, which begins on wednesday, is expected to cost around $90 million. the new king will lead the rituals, and around a quarter of million people are expected to take part.

a british man who went to syria to fight against so—called islamic state has been killed.