this is bbc news. the headlines. liz truss and rishi sunak are at wembley this evening, for the final hustings in the conservative leadership race. in a break with tradition, the queen won't appoint the new prime minister in london next week — instead, it will take place at balmoral. the jury in the trial of ryan giggs has been discharged, after it failed to reach a verdict on any of the three charges the former footballer was facing. tributes are paid to mikhail gorbachev, the soviet leader who ended the cold war, who has died at the age of 91. royal mail apologises to customers, as a one day strike by postal workers halts deliveries.

good evening and welcome to bbc news. the contest to become the uk's next prime minister is reaching its climax tonight with the last leadership hustings in london. for the last six weeks conservative party members — who will have the final choice — have been listening to the contenders, foreign secretary liz truss and former chancellor rishi sunak. the voting closes on friday and by next tuesday the queen will appoint one of them as herfifteenth prime minister — though in a break with tradition this will take place at balmoral — and not at buckingham palace. in the past hour the two candidates

have been setting out their stall to party members at tonight's event hosted by lbc. we all know that we face difficult times. we have the appalling war in ukraine perpetrated by putin, we have an energy crisis, we have the aftermath of covid. and we have had two decades of relatively low growth in this country. so what we can't have is business as usual. we need to be bold and we need to do things differently. and that's what i will do if elected as your prime minister. applause. first of all, i would have a bold plan for growth. i'd unlock the opportunities of brexit, getting all of the eu laws of our statute books by the end of 2023. things like solvency too, making

sure we unleash the city of london, our financial services institutions to be able to deliver investment right across our country. i'd also cut taxes. we were wrong to raise national insurance. we said we wouldn't, we said we wouldn't in our manifesto and i believe in keeping your word. and we are still able, even if we reverse the increase, we are still able to start paying down the national debt in three years time. so, you know i have the ability, i have the experience to safely steer us through the storms ahead. applause. and my plan, and my plan is the right plan to tackle inflation, to _ compassionately support those who most need our help

and to safeguard our children's economic inheritance, because as margaret thatcher and nigel lawson knew, maxing out the country's credit card is not right, is not responsible and it is certainly not conservative. applause. but weathering just simply the storm is not enough. i want to use my business experience to lead our economy to a brighter future where we radically reform our taxes so that our businesses are investing more, it's raining more, innovating more, training more, innovating more, where we seize the opportunities of brexit to cut red tape and ensure that our economy is the most dynamic in the world. because unlike labour, we know, the conservatives know that it's the risk taker, the entrepreneur, the small business owner that create jobs and prosperity, and our party

will always be on their side. rishi sunak it before that liz truss speaking in london this evening. well, meanwhile — buckingham palace says the queen won't be appointing the next prime minister in london, but will instead stay in balmoral for the event. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell explained why the break in tradition. up until now, every one at the queen's prime ministers has been appointed by her here at buckingham palace. it's one of her prerogative powers, not done on the advice of ministers, and by convention, she invites the leader of the largest party in the house of commons to form a government. this time it will be different, it will take place at balmoral, as you've said, and the reason for that, of course, is to do with her health. now, we know that buckingham palace is extremely circumspect about any issue concerning her health. all it will say is that there are the mobility issues that we encountered during thejubilee and there is a need for all the participants to have certainty about the arrangements next week. so, next tuesday, the 6th

of september, borisjohnson will be at balmoral where he will tender his resignation as prime minister, and moments later, either liz truss or rishi sunak — who by then, of course, will have been elected leader of the conservative party — will have an audience with the queen and she will invite them to form a government. they will become the 15th prime minister of her reign. they will then return to london, appoint a cabinet and set up their government. i have essay will be talking about the implications of that decision and what we might expect when the new prime minister is appointed. and what we might expect when the new prime minister is appointed. the jury in the trial of ryan giggs has been discharged after failing to reach verdicts on any of the three counts he faced, during a four—week domestic violence trial, held at manchester crown court. earlier, our orrespondent matt graveling gave us the latest from outside court. at the end of a trial which lasted for 3.5 weeks, the jury made up of 11 people

returned to court number two here at manchester crown square crown court after more than 22 hours of deliberation, and they told the judge they'd failed to reach a verdict on any of the three counts faced by the former manchester united player. now, ryan giggs was facing three charges. one of these was the alleged controlling behaviour towards his former partner kate greville between august 2017 and november 2020. and two charges are alleged assault against ms greville and her younger sister emma over an alleged incident that occurred at the former wales manager's home during a scuffle over a mobile phone on the 1st of november 2020. mr giggs denies all of the charges. now, for around two weeks, thejury here heard evidence from a number of witnesses, which included sir alex ferguson, the former manager of manchester united. and they were then sent out to deliberate their verdict last tuesday afternoon. however, after almost 23 hours of deliberation, judge hilary manley called the jury back into court two and asked the foreman if they'd reached a majority verdict on any of these

three charges, to which he replied no. the foreman was then asked was there any reasonable prospect of them reaching a verdict if given more time, to which again he replied no. the judge says, "this brings your service to an end," and then thanked and discharged the jury. mr giggs gave no reaction in the dock whenjudge hilary manley dismissed the jury. however, moments later, his head dropped when he heard how long it could take for the case to conclude. and this is because for the next seven days, it will be up to the prosecution to decide whether or not to bring this case back to court, but if they choose to, judge hilary manley said the earliest that it may be heard is june of next year. friends and family are gathering for a vigil in liverpool to remember 0livia pratt—korbell. a book of remembrance is being signed for the nine—year—old, who was shot dead in her home last week by a masked gunman. hundreds of people are expected to pay their respects this evening

at saint margaret mary's catholic church. two men have been arrested and bailed in connecting with her killing. in what is his last week as prime minister borisjohnson has been defending his government's record on crime — but it comes on the day a new report — commisioned by the centre—right policy exchange think—tank — says police forces�* ability to solve crimes is woefully low. it follows the bbc�*s own research which showed police forces are taking longer to attend serious offences and charging fewer suspects. tonight we bring you a special investigation from chorley in lancashire where frustrated parents who've seen their children beaten and bruised have been protesting outside their local police station. and just a warning — ed thomas's report contains pictures that are disturbing. they are just brutal. screaming. i wantjustice for her, i want her to see that the police will do something if something wrong happens.

they punched him, kicked him, head—butted him. four months on and we still don't have an outcome. police response, took them four days before even a statement was taken. i feel completely let down, and so does he. for months, the bbc has been hearing about people's experiences reporting crime. this is the story of mums in chorley, whose children have been attacked by a group of teenagers. if there is any police looking out the window, this is my daughter's face after she was stamped on so many times. had i have done that to my child, i rightfully would have been taken right away. the protest in the face of chorley police station. for my daughter didn't leave the house for 12 months, she has ptsd. parents like lisa demanding to be heard.

this is my daughter, she was attacked on the 12th of april last year. we rang 999 while she was being attacked, she was on the phone, nobody appeared, they never arrived for 48 hours. she said it took weeks for the attack is to be arrested. the doctor said one more stamp to the head would have most likely took her life. we have spoken to eight parents in chorley. who's children have been assaulted. all of the attacks were filmed and posted on social media. jade, like all the parents we feature, want to show the attacks on their children. after ringing police, she says it took two weeks for an officer to visit the family. it is horrific, watching that. i feel like she'sjust a baby, and that your baby on the floor. i'm just so angry with them.

jade says she was told officers would only arrest the attackers if alicia's injuries were more severe, like brain damage. they are not just attacking 11—year—old kids but members of the public, bars and pubs if they drained it in, none of it would have happened. liana's daughter was attacked on the same day in the same park by the same group. she went straight to chorley police station. i thought, if i took her straight there, for evidence, things like that, it's all there for them. i got there went to the counter and said we need to see a police officer, my daughter has been assaulted, she 11 years of age. and then he said to me that there was no police officer available at the time. to do anything. i was gobsmacked. in disbelief really.

tony suffered one of the attacks. she says she has had to repeatedly ask police for updates. ——tony's son it makes me feel sick that they did that to my child. four months on, her son is still waiting for an outcome. he could have come home a lot worse. he could have not come home. there is plenty of parents that want to take this into their own hand at this point obviously haven't done and i'm glad they haven't done, but something has to give. before a family will end up ruined. and this is where it has ended up for some, in the park where children were attacked, parents on patrol. can you believe it has come to this? i can't but i understand why it has because our children are not being protected.

i got to make sure if my daughter is here i do the police�*sjob and make sure she's 0k. modern policing is nonexistent. they need to go back to policing the way it should have been, more police patrols on the streets, quicker response times. what message do you want to send? look at what we are having to resort to. we entrust the police to be there to protect our children and because they can't do that, we are going to have to do it. it is up to the parents to try to do it. you should always ring 999? yes, and that's what we have done but what good has it done us? in response, lancashire police said it has supported all the mothers involved, arrested the offenders and dealt with them in line with national guidelines and that they are proud of their approach to policing in chorley.

the headlines on bbc news — liz truss a rishi sunak this evening for the final hustings in the conservative leadership race. the vote closes on friday. in a break with tradition the queen will not appoint whoever�*s been elected as leader of the conservative party is annexed by minister in london, instead the event will take place at bell moral on tuesday. the jury in the trial of the football or ryan giggs has been discharge of failing to reach a verdict on any of the three charges he was facing. sport, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. good evening. emma raducanu's defence of her us open title ended overnight, but there's still plenty of british interest in new york. it's a decade since andy murray's one and only triumph at flushing meadows. ten years, two grand slams and one metal hip later, the expectations may be a little lower, but he's still box

office in the big apple. the former world number just won on arthur ashe for his second—round �*clash with american emilio nava. nava is ranked 203 in the world, but it's been a grueling encounter. he lost the first set, then came roaring back to take the next two. at the moment, he's xxxx. five matches tonight in the premier league. manchester city are already 2—0 in their game against nottingham forest courtesy of two goals from erling haaland. you goals from erling haaland. can probably guess who scoring you can probably guess who was scoring the goals. patrick earlier. jesus has opened the scoring for arsenal at home to astin villa. that won coming on the half—hour mark. all the other matches as you can see are currently at 0—0. staying with football, chelsea have completed the signing of wesley fofa na from leicester city for £70 million. the french centre—backjoins

on a seven—year deal. he criticised lesser accusing them of false and misleading comments. on saturday, we'll be crowning the second champions of the hundred, but who will be in the final? well, in the women's hundred, there was plenty to play for in the final group games. the 0val invincibles and southern brave were vying for a direct path to that lord's showpiece, whilst the northern superchargers needed to win and win big just to make the eliminator. it was a day of drama taken in by craig templeton. northern superchargers path to the final looked unclear at the start of the days play. but with a big enough when they would have a chance. that need for runs can lead to rash decisions. healy, the first to go. ralph had already qualified in bowling with the freedom that gives you. no freedom for holly armitage. but crucially lara old heart was still there and starting to see with

clarity. hershotmaking still there and starting to see with clarity. her shotmaking a joy to watch and she was giving her side hope. it would take something special to stop her. in step a marvellous piece of fielding and the danger woman gone for 50. her side looking 145 from there hundred. they needed to limit the brave 299 runs to make it through. a wicket with the opening ball and it is a good place to start. they would get two more but then sophia dunkley started to swing for the fences and find them. adam among jade wellington got into the act the chances of qualification slipping away. in the end it was a fine win by the superchargers but not enough to see them through. defeat fort braves opened the door for defending champions oval invincible. a win and debbie in the final. when you've got susie bates it makes winning more likely. the new zealander led from the front. manchester original still had a slim chance of making

eliminators themselves and had their moments. sophia providing the best of them couldn't contend with the hitting of baits of the invisibles made 163—2, the second highest since the tournament began. manchester is reply i never really got going losing three wickets in the opening 30 balls. if they were to have any chance eggleston had to excel with the bad. chance and eggleston gone. eventually they would fall 33 run short. the result which means the invisibles will defend their titles invisibles will defend their titles in saturday's final. braves and rockets play friday and hope of seeing them there. and in the men's, manchester 0riginals will need to score 144 runs to beat the oval invincibles and make the knockout stages. you can watch that match now on the bbc sport there's a review there. 110 currently on for the manchester

originals. you watch that match now on the bbc sport website 01’ on or on iplayer. that's all the sport for now. we'll have more for you on the bbc news channel later on. thank you mark. political leaders from around the world have been paying tribute to mikhail gorbachev, the last leader of the soviet union who died yesterday at the age of 91. his reforms helped to end the cold war, but they also triggered the collapse of the communist soviet system of government. but as our russia editor steve rosenberg now reports, not all russians held mr gorbachev in such high regard. for a man who has made such a huge impact, a tiny memorial. mikhail gorbachev may have helped to end the cold war, but in russia, there is no major outpouring of grief at his passing. instead, this on russian state tv.

the presenter claims it's the enemies of russia — in other words, the west — that have been praising mr gorbachev. and veiled criticism from the kremlin — a spokesperson says that gorbachev had been badly wrong about the prospect of better relations with the bloodthirsty west. many russians blame mikhail gorbachev for the collapse of the soviet empire — something president putin calls the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. today, vladimir putin sent a telegram to mikhail gorbachev�*s family expressing his condolences. but these two leaders are polar opposites. gorbachev was someone who tried to open up his country, give people more freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to criticise the authorities. undeeradimir putin, critical voices are being silenced. i don't know when... but how much do russians care?

some of mr gorbachev�*s closest allies are starting to wonder. all of us perhaps overestimated the attractiveness of democratic ideas and the attractiveness of the ideas of human rights and rule of law to quite a few people in russia. apparently, there are many people in this country for whom it these values are irrelevant. as for gorbachev�*s legacy, that is being destroyed by the invasion of ukraine, renewed east—west tension and by the kremlin's crackdown on its opponents. some here believe that today's problems are gorbachev�*s fault. "he failed to stop the fall of the ussr, that was a huge mistake." marina says, "i respected him. to me, he was hope and freedom." his supporters hope that one day russians will come to see that

mikhail gorbachev was a force for good for their country and for the world. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. i'm joined by former british diplomat sir david manning, who worked in the uk embassy in moscow during the collapse of the soviet union. thank you very much for being with us. it's hard now perhaps to capture the significance of mikhail gorbachev when he appeared in public, appeared in this country backin public, appeared in this country back in 1984 for the first time. what impact did he make on the sort of circles that you were operating in? he of circles that you were operating in? . . ,., . ., , in? he had a huge impact. he was completely _ in? he had a huge impact. he was completely different _ in? he had a huge impact. he was completely different sort - in? he had a huge impact. he was completely different sort of - in? he had a huge impact. he was. completely different sort of russian leader. we had been used to elderly, ageing idols who had a close vision of the world and sustaining the cold

war. and suddenly this much younger soviet leader appeared, who was engaging and wanted to engage, who was clearly open to ideas and debates and it was a complete change from what had gone before. find debates and it was a complete change from what had gone before.— from what had gone before. and yet we often forget _ from what had gone before. and yet we often forget i _ from what had gone before. and yet we often forget i suppose _ from what had gone before. and yet we often forget i suppose in - from what had gone before. and yet we often forget i suppose in this - we often forget i suppose in this country because of the cutting look at history that followed that his hope was to maintain the soviet union, not to contribute to its dissolution.— union, not to contribute to its dissolution. yes, i think that is important _ dissolution. yes, i think that is important he _ dissolution. yes, i think that is important. he wanted - dissolution. yes, i think that is important. he wanted to - dissolution. yes, i think that is l important. he wanted to reform the soviet union. when he came to power in the mid—80s the soviet union was in the mid—80s the soviet union was in an extremely bad way economically and had been suffering from what became known as the period of stagnation. and gorbachev was somebody who got on board, he's seeing how other societies work. what he wanted to do was reform the

soviet system, open it up to introduce ideas like the rule of law, free election, freer media, have a debate about how to get this stuck society moving, if you like. what went wrong in yourjudgment? what went wrong in yourjudgment? what prevented him from carrying through his objective? i what prevented him from carrying through his objective?— what prevented him from carrying through his objective? through his ob'ective? i think there are lots of through his objective? i think there are lots of theories _ through his objective? i think there are lots of theories about - through his objective? i think there are lots of theories about this. - through his objective? i think there are lots of theories about this. my | are lots of theories about this. my end view is that he inherited a system that was already probably in decline. it was very difficult to revive the soviet union at this point. and certainly to introduce the sort of bracing reforms he wanted to introduce put great strain on the process. it's also important to remember that essentially the soviet union was a system that depended on violence. that is to say, it could only be sis day by the communist party of people were in

here for the endurance tolerance. that was a period of terror. but before gorbachev took over, this is a period of greater pressure where people are frightened, people are locked up in clinics, people are sent to camps. in 201 do this, to introduce wide reaching economic reforms, to introduce a society to the sort of freedoms that gorbachev believed would get things moving was a big challenge, particularly when people lost that fear and knew that they could protest, they could object and they wouldn't end up in the camps. d0 object and they wouldn't end up in the cams. ,, object and they wouldn't end up in the came-— object and they wouldn't end up in the cam s. ,, ~' . the camps. do you think he had... he was clearly — the camps. do you think he had... he was clearly a — the camps. do you think he had... he was clearly a brilliant _ the camps. do you think he had... he was clearly a brilliant communicator. was clearly a brilliant communicator internationally, although he spoke through an interpreter he charms people and most famously margaret thatcher. do you think he had that capacity within russia? the impression i got only as an out side are very young in my career was that

he somehow, unlike boris yeltsin for example had a terrific ability to do that, he was unable to reassure and convince people that they were giving up familiarity and security, evenif giving up familiarity and security, even if it was security based on personal affair and restriction. and they were going to get something better. but it might be some way down the line. the period that followed was actually chaotic for many. i followed was actually chaotic for man . ~' �* , followed was actually chaotic for man . ~ �* , ., ., ., many. i think there's a lot in that. i think at the _ many. i think there's a lot in that. i think at the beginning _ many. i think there's a lot in that. i think at the beginning russians i i think at the beginning russians were excited. this was some but he but very new for them. i think in the early. his plans to reconstruct, perestroika, glasnost, there was a great sense of excitement. but it very quickly became clear reforms would counter. i think he did have problems communicating what he wanted to do. he was also caught between those who want to do very

fast and reform and those who didn't want to move forward at all. so addressing various different audiences was going to be difficult. i think you're right, i don't think he was a natural communicator. but on the other hand, the problems he encountered were probably bigger than simply a question of communication.- than simply a question of communication. ., a, , . ., communication. you were in moscow for that fateful _ communication. you were in moscow for that fateful 72 _ communication. you were in moscow for that fateful 72 hours _ communication. you were in moscow for that fateful 72 hours when - communication. you were in moscow for that fateful 72 hours when there i for that fateful 72 hours when there was a brief attempt by forces in the kremlin to present reform of the soviet union and ultimately, that led to effectively boris yeltsin appearing to defeat the coup and at that time almost visible transfer of power from the man who was president of the soviet union to this up—and—coming star, the leader of russia. what was that. my? {iii up-and-coming star, the leader of russia. what was that. my? of course it was extraordinarily _ russia. what was that. my? of course it was extraordinarily uncertain. - russia. what was that. my? of course it was extraordinarily uncertain. we i

it was extraordinarily uncertain. we didn't know when the attempted coup as it turned out, and attempted coup when it was launched would succeed. a period of great turbulence throughout. it was, we were very unsure at that stage, what with the army do, what would security forces do? above all, what with the resistance do? certainly on the morning of the attempted coup the idea that the coup plotters had failed to secure yeltsin seemed and ask her any oversight. he was somebody who was the first popularly elected leader of the russian federation and had massive legitimacy. as you said earlier, was a great communicator. they failed to deal with them. very clearly it became a very strange coup. why was yeltsin left free to go to the

parliament building, to become the great rally to resistance? which he did brilliantly. and faced the coup down. it was very clear by the time a few years later that had effectively passed yeltsin. he was out but man who's going to decide what happens in russia. find out but man who's going to decide what happens in russia. and yeltsin of course leads _ what happens in russia. and yeltsin of course leads to _ what happens in russia. and yeltsin of course leads to put _ what happens in russia. and yeltsin of course leads to put in. _ what happens in russia. and yeltsin of course leads to put in. we - what happens in russia. and yeltsin of course leads to put in. we are - of course leads to put in. we are now seeing president putin with a desire to recreate some of the old elements of the soviet union if not in scale than the actual system. how much of that do you i think what you said is important because some are talking tonight about putin as though he took power from gorbachev but he did not. there was a ten year period, a very difficult decade from 91 when

gorbachev abdicated in the beginning of the 21st century when putin takes over and you cannot achieve gorbachev of being responsible for everything responsible for what happened in that ten year period. it is not surprising that putin and his people are damning gorbachev with faint praise. he stands for all the things that in a sense gorbachev wanted to put right in russia. he wanted to put right in russia. he wanted to put right in russia. he wanted to introduce the rule of law, he wanted to have free speech and he wanted these things for his people, for the country. and these are not things that are compatible with the sort of despotic rule we now see putin re—imposing on russia. so in a sense what you had was an opportunity opened up by gorbachev and they were all sorts of reasons why it was always going to be very difficult to exploit it, but i think it's wrong to look at gorbachev and

say all the problems that are now attributed to russia with the result of what gorbachev tried to do in those dying days of the soviet union. 5ir those dying days of the soviet union. ,, ., ., ., union. sir david, former head of the olitical union. sir david, former head of the political section _ union. sir david, former head of the political section at _ union. sir david, former head of the political section at the _ union. sir david, former head of the political section at the british - political section at the british embassy in moscow, thank you very much for your thoughts on mikhail gorbachev. . ~ much for your thoughts on mikhail gorbachev. ., ~ , ., much for your thoughts on mikhail gorbachev. . ~' , ., , . now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello there. the rest of today and thursday look pretty quiet, thanks to high pressure. but thereafter, things are set to turn a lot more unsettled as the low pressure starts to close in on us. it could be pretty wet and windy for some as we head into the weekend. now, through this evening and overnight, any light showers die away. still, a breeze continues across parts of england and wales. that'll stop temperatures from falling much below 11—15 degrees, but a few chilly spots across the rural parts of scotland, because skies will be clear, winds will be light. so, tomorrow, anotherfine day for many, plenty of sunshine across northern areas, one or two showers. increasing showers developing across south wales, southern england, the odd heavier one into the afternoon.

but again it's going to feel quite warm — 24, maybe 25 degrees, 21 degrees there through the central belt of scotland. and then low pressure starts to set in through friday. and certainly into the weekend, we'll see heavy rain, some thunderstorms, strong winds, even a chance of some gales across western areas as we move into sunday. hello, this is bbc news with me, shaun ley. the headlines — liz truss and rishi sunak are at wembley this evening for the final hustings in the conservative leadership race. the election closes on friday. in a break with tradition, the queen won't appoint the new prime minister in london next week. instead, it will take place at balmoral. this is the first time in her rain. the jury in the trial of ryan giggs has been discharged after it failed

to reach a verdict on any of the three charges the former footballer was facing. tributes are paid to mikhail gorbachev, the soviet leader who ended the cold war, who has died at the age of 91. he will be buried in moscow on saturday. royal mail apologises to customers as a one—day strike by postal workers halts deliveries. this time next week, the uk will have a new prime minister. tonight, the two candidates, liz truss and rishi sunak, are taking part in the final hustings, this time in london. meanwhile, it's been announced that borisjohnson and his successor will travel to scotland on tuesday for the official handover with the queen. buckingham palace has confirmed the meetings will take place at balmoral for the first time in her 70—year reign. so, what impact will this have on the transition of power and what preparations are taking

place already for the new incumbent in downing street, whoever they might be? let's speak to dr catherine haddon from the institute for government think tank. thank you very much for being with us this evening. i assume it's fair to say that although we have been told that no big decisions are being made in government since boris johnson's resignation until the appointment of the new prime minister, behind the scenes, things have been pretty busy. yes minister, behind the scenes, things have been pretty busy.— have been pretty busy. yes and no. government — have been pretty busy. yes and no. government continues. _ have been pretty busy. yes and no. government continues. there - have been pretty busy. yes and no. government continues. there will l government continues. there will still beat various decisions being made and also in terms of a lot of issues we talk about the moment, cost of issues we talk about the moment, cost—of—living, energy prices and so forth, the government will still have been turning, in particularfor a lot of will still have been turning, in particular for a lot of civil servants thinking about what with the new government's need to know, what might they want to do and what are the plans we can offer to them

to get off the ground quite quickly. but that's really difficult to do when you know that there is a new prime minister coming in and a new set of ministers because there's only so far that you can take those plans, particularly if it means legislation being draughted, big reversals in some of the policies that you've got to do. so there has been a bit of, i would imagine, frustration, a bit of a hiatus in being able to tackle these issues so there is a lot of pressure on the government starting next week, as you can imagine. government starting next week, as you can imagine-— you can imagine. trying to hit the round you can imagine. trying to hit the ground running — you can imagine. trying to hit the ground running must— you can imagine. trying to hit the ground running must be - you can imagine. trying to hit the ground running must be quite - ground running must be quite difficult in those circumstances. what difference do you think practically is the decision to hold the formal audiences at balmoral going to make with matt in terms of most of that stuff... hat going to make with matt in terms of most of that stuff. . ._ most of that stuff... not a huge amount because _ most of that stuff... not a huge amount because on _ most of that stuff... not a huge amount because on the - most of that stuff... not a huge amount because on the first - most of that stuff... not a huge j amount because on the first day most of that stuff... not a huge - amount because on the first day that the prime minister is appointed, is normally in the morning anyway. there is all of that formal constitutional ceremonial back to the palace, and then for the new

prime minister, it's suddenly a whirlwind, which includes all the appointments of the rest of their government, their cabinet usually on the first day. so for a lot of departments, they are spending that first day waiting to hear who their new prime minister... who their new ministers will be, sorry. in that senseit ministers will be, sorry. in that sense it will not be a huge difference most of i think you may think it's from those of us watching on, there is going to be this big gap because of the prime minister comes back to london before they are able to really sort of get on with the job of able to really sort of get on with thejob of appointing able to really sort of get on with the job of appointing those ministers. and starting to have the meetings in number ten itself with her step because there's only so much they can do over the phone. in terms of the timing of all this, we get the announcement of i think he was one the leadership contest on monday at lunch time, certainly monday at lunch time, certainly monday sometime.— monday at lunch time, certainly monday sometime. monday at lunch time, certainly - monday sometime._ we will monday sometime. 12:30 p:m.. we will know then can — monday sometime. 12:30 p:m.. we will know then can the _ monday sometime. 12:30 p:m.. we will know then can the new _ monday sometime. 12:30 p:m.. we will know then can the new prime _ monday sometime. 12:30 p:m.. we will know then can the new prime minister i know then can the new prime minister elect to take any decisions at that

point? elect to take any decisions at that oint? ., ., , ~' elect to take any decisions at that oint? ., ., , 4' ., elect to take any decisions at that oint? ., ., , ~ ., , point? no, only the kind of things the have point? no, only the kind of things they have already _ point? no, only the kind of things they have already been _ point? no, only the kind of things they have already been doing. - point? no, only the kind of things i they have already been doing. they are not prime minister. they become leader of the conservative party and it is de facto because of that change and they then will become prime minister the next day, but until they've gone to the palace, met the queen, no, it is still boris johnson's government until he resigned formally in front of the queen. so, they cannot start making recommendations about who should be appointed to the government, asking the queen to approve those appointments until after that moment. nor can they start taking decisions or making announcements. that does not mean they won't start signalling what they are going to do. i imagine overthe signalling what they are going to do. i imagine over the weekend we will see certain amounts of briefing of what a new liz truss administration which many expected to beat would do and similarly on monday particularly after the announcement, imagine you will see more media briefing partly to fill that gap but because of the government will want to get going,

but until the new conservative leader is prime minister constitutionally, their hands are tied, they cannot formally start governing. tied, they cannot formally start governing-— tied, they cannot formally start auovernin. ., ., ., ., , , governing. one of our traditions is a prime minister _ governing. one of our traditions is a prime minister kiss _ governing. one of our traditions is a prime minister kiss his - governing. one of our traditions is a prime minister kiss his hands. i governing. one of our traditions is | a prime minister kiss his hands. do they? a prime minister kiss his hands. do the ? , , ., ., a prime minister kiss his hands. do the? , ., they? this is one of the sort of secret sees — they? this is one of the sort of secret sees of _ they? this is one of the sort of secret sees of that _ they? this is one of the sort of secret sees of that whole - they? this is one of the sort of. secret sees of that whole process. we see pictures, but when we are watching the cameras from the outside, we don't know what that will be. bbc will have to send cameras up to scotland instead, but normally we just see cars coming and going and maybe a glimpse of somebody getting in and out of them. it is only then with a new prime minister is back in downing street there is time perhaps outside balmoral that we see them for the first time. so, yes, it came out of something, the kissing hands, but is really now more of a phrase that one uses to talk about that moment of formal appointment.— formal appointment. fascinating stuff to watch. _ formal appointment. fascinating stuff to watch. thanks _ formal appointment. fascinating stuff to watch. thanks for - formal appointment. fascinating l stuff to watch. thanks for wedding

or appetite, doctor. thousands of postal workers walked out on strike today, with two more strikes planned for next month. rail passengers will also face more disruption in september as unions push for higher wage rises for their members. our business correspondent caroline davies has more on the summer of strikes that the uk has been experiencing and on why there's unlikely to be any let—up as we head into autumn. after a summer of strikes, august comes to an end with what, according to the trade union congress today, is the biggest strike of the summer so far, and that is with 115,000 royal mail workers and 40,000 bt and 0penreach workers walking out. now, it's not the first time that either of them have been on strike this summer, and of course they are one of many. now, the major strikes that we have covered in the course of the last month are marked here in red — from railway strikes, bus strikes, bin strikes, felixstowe port strikes, and london underground and criminal defence barristers. now, not all of these disputes are aboutjust pay, but it has been an important factor. now, one of the big concerns unions

have raised is the cost of living. inflation, or the rate at which prices rise, was in double digits earlier this month. that was at 10.1%, a 40—year high. and it is expected to get higher because of energy prices. now, ultimately, many of these disputes are going to be ongoing. for instance, today, another one added to the list — september the 15th, which will be the biggest train driver strike yet this year, and that will affect a large amount of the country. so, this summer may be nearly over, but the threat of rail strikes and other strikes is not. all this week, we are reporting on a number of key issues facing the new prime minister. today, we take a look at social care. the covid pandemic shone a light on the importance of this system and the pressure it is under. here's our social affairs editor alison holt.

social care is that vital help that supports working age adults with disabilities and older people in the community. the care system is slightly different depending on where you live in the uk, but because we are an ageing population, the new prime minister will find many of the pressures similar. in england, there are currently more than 540,000 people waiting for a care assessment or service from their council. there are about 165,000 unfilled carejobs, nearly 10% of the workforce. now, the government has promised an extra £5.4 billion over three years to reform the care system. but a committee of mps recently estimated it would take at least another £7 billion a year to cope with existing pressures . they're all big numbers, but what does it mean in reality? well, we've been to nottinghamshire to find out. landermeads nursing home in nottinghamshire is full of life and of love. it's rated outstanding for the care it gives people.

they have many requests from people who want to move in here, but finding enough staff is increasingly difficult. particularly when supermarkets or delivery companies pay more. i know you're quite concerned about recruitment costs at the minute. like many care homes, this is a family business. energy bills at the minute have gone through the roof. we're looking at a 300% increase in terms of cost. ros heath and her sonjay arejuggling rising prices, the need to attract more staff and council fees that don't cover the full costs. they know of three care homes which have closed locally in the last year. there doesn't seem to be any finish to it, especially energy costs. they could go up even more. in terms of recruiting staff, we're going to keep needing to do that, that's not something that's going to go away and stop being a cost. therefore it's that constant balance of where we invest to make sure we're viable, but still offering a quality service.

across nottinghamshire, the county council now has an average of 500 people waiting for services. it's seen a 25% increase in requests for mental health assessments since the pandemic and a similar rise in safeguarding concerns. the council's director of care services says they are supporting more people than ever, but it's financially very difficult. the ability for us to be able to invest in the services - and the workforce in the way that we need's going to be . particularly limited, - so we're very concerned that we won't be able to afford to pay for the current level- of services that we have currently got as a councih _ but investing in care staff like leo and chloe can make a real difference to both the support someone like gladys gets... all right, gladys? ..and the wider health service. going to do your blood pressure. as part of a pilot scheme, they've been trained to take clinical observations for the gp if they suspect something is wrong. so, that includes, like, blood pressure, oxygen saturations, temperature, pulse rate.

if chloe's going out doing the observations, it's getting sent to a gp, then they've got the antibiotics they need and it's preventing that trip to hospital. but for this to be introduced means better pay and training for care staff — vital innovation, according to their boss. for me, the new prime minister. should immediately provide funds to social care as we know that funds will not only help - social care operate _ and perform, but also the nhs. as we know, beds are taken up in hospital because of lack- of social care staffing. now, there is realfear in the care sector about the winter ahead, that time when the health and care system comes under most pressure. the government has declared devon, cornwall, the isles of scilly and parts of somerset to be a bird flu prevention zone in a bid to tackle the rapidly rising number of cases in poultry farms and flocks of wild and captive birds. increased precautions and tough

measures will be introduced to prevent the highly contagious and deadly virus from spreading. spotlight�*s jen smith reports. mousehole, the isles of scilly and paignton — just some of the places where bird flu has been detected or suspected in the region in the past fortnight. it's led defra to draw this line around the south—west calling it an avian influenza prevention zone, the only one in great britain currently, restrictions are in place to reduce the chances of more outbreaks. we took the decision to bring in this prevention zone because of the focus on the west country that we're seeing with the disease currently and wanting bird—keepers to do all they possibly can to protect their birds and flocks. so far, the outbreaks have been in both wild populations of birds and in captivity, like paignton zoo,

which was forced to close during the busy bank holiday weekend. the restrictions mean it's now a legal requirement for all bird—keepers to follow strict bio—security measures, including using protective equipment, stringent hygiene practices and reducing the risk of cross—contamination. tens of thousands of birds have been found dead across the country thanks to this new strain of influenza, first discovered in poultry farms in asia. experts say the risk to humans is low, the threat to wildlife is unprecedented. a bird flu outbreak as it happens in the winter and then peters out through the summer. what's happened this year is unprecedented where it's continued throughout the breeding season, and it's why the impact on our world populations have been so severe, so we don't know

what happens next, but it could become a full— blown catastrophe. it's already a major crisis. if you've seen an ill or dead bird, you're being asked not to touch it, keep dogs away and reported on the official government hotline. jen smith, bbc spotlight. donald trump may have concealed documents during an fbi search of his home in florida two months ago, according to america's justice department. in a court filing, officials said "efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government's investigation" into mr trump's handling of classified material. he denies any wrongdoing. nasa will try to launch its giant new moon rocket again on saturday evening after the first attempt was stopped because of technical problems. the uncrewed flight is the first step in the artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the moon. researchers from the university of bristol have discovered it's a post—code lottery when it comes to how well patients recover after a hip fracture. by comparing data from hospitals across the country, they found some patients are more than twice as likely to die within a month depending on where they're treated. matthew hill reports.

hillary is beginning to get her life together after she fractured her hip last summer. it took over a week for her to finally get the operation she needed. i came round, thought that was quite simple and they said, "oh, no, we haven't been able to do surgery, it's far more complicated," and they finally transferred me to southmead hospital where they have a more specialist unit. the delay of over a week wouldn't have helped your recovery? no. i was in a very dark place then. i live by myself in a top—floor flat. i had no idea how i was going to cope with the rest of my life, really. around 70,000 older adults are admitted to a uk hospital after a hip fracture, which can lead to a decline in quality of life, high mortality and readmission risk. and the type of delays that hillary suffered can be crucial. if you look at the red line, you can see there's

been a big increase in the number of hours it takes here to get an operation. the longer the delay, the greater the risk. but no real surprise given the fact that up to one in three beds are taken up with patients who should be in a care setting. researchers identified 40 different ways in which services have been provided to hip fracture patients that influence how well they do. hospitals that were able to deliver surgery promptly within 36 hours of admission to the vast majority of their patients had 10% lower mortality. those hospitals that were able to mobilise more than 90% of their patients on day one after that operation saw substantially shorter lengths of stay. and then we also saw that those hospitals that had an understanding of when community services providing physiotherapy and rehabilitation in the community were able to initiate their care, those hospitals had lower readmission rates. at a time when there's never

been as much pressure on our waiting lists, the nhs could learn valuable lessons from this study that could save lives, as well as bed days. matthew hill, bbc news. if you are the kind of football fan who really gets off your sofa, you might have spent time in your youth collecting world cup stickers. part of your youth for those of us who are not getting near a stadium. but would you be willing to shell out nearly £900 to complete your album? that's how much a group of football finance experts estimate it will cost you. there are now 670 stickers to collect in the official book published by the firm panini who been doing this for decades. will the rising cost of shinies deter collectors from chasing those

elusive final players? we can hear more on this from jason laws, associate dean for postgraduate study at the university of liverpool, who worked on the research. thank you so much for being with us. first of all, fess up, worry or are you a sticker collector? i first of all, fess up, worry or are you a sticker collector?— you a sticker collector? i was t in: you a sticker collector? i was trying to _ you a sticker collector? i was trying to think _ you a sticker collector? i was trying to think in _ you a sticker collector? i was trying to think in preparation | you a sticker collector? i was - trying to think in preparation when ifirst trying to think in preparation when i first started buying stickers and without giving my age away, i recall spain 1982 and i'm sure the sticker packs 10p ago there and you are getting them in the schoolyard and it would be got, got, have not got, need. so i think back and doom and gloom around the world especially in the ukase maybe this will put a little smile on the faces, buying stickers. i little smile on the faces, buying stickers. ., , ,., little smile on the faces, buying stickers. ., , , �* little smile on the faces, buying stickers. , �* ., , stickers. i hope so but i'm not sure there will be _ stickers. i hope so but i'm not sure there will be smiling _ stickers. i hope so but i'm not sure there will be smiling at _ stickers. i hope so but i'm not sure there will be smiling at the price. i there will be smiling at the price. explain how it with a five packs now, they were a lot cheaper than that when you and i were collecting because i'm the same year as you, they are 90p now but how do you get

from 90p to a £83.80.— they are 90p now but how do you get from 90p to a £83.80. depends on the methodology — from 90p to a £83.80. depends on the methodology full to _ from 90p to a £83.80. depends on the methodology full to be _ from 90p to a £83.80. depends on the methodology full to be taken _ from 90p to a £83.80. depends on the methodology full to be taken by - from 90p to a £83.80. depends on the methodology full to be taken by each l methodology full to be taken by each of them individually, so your base price is going to be £120 and that is 434 packs what honestly you cannot buy them all individually. panini actually allow you to buy your last 50 at 28p each, only £14. but prior to that, if you start talking about with an empty sticker album and collecting stickers one at album and collecting stickers one at a time, then when you start off, the next one has to be a unique probability of that next one being unique is one. but once you've got one and the probability of the next one and the probability of the next one being unique gets less and less and less of them at the time you get to holding 500 stickers, the probability of the next one being unique isjust 26%. so it's going to dominate using that, it's going take you nearly 5000 stickers or nearly

970 packs at a cost of £869, but we don't buy them individually, we buy them in packs of five. the same logic applies as you buy more and more packs, the chance of getting a single unique sticker tends towards zero. if you have got a lot already, if you buy more more, to get a single unique ones that chance tends towards zero and we have ventilated this be 947 packs at a cost of £852. because panini let you buy the last 50 yourself, you'll need to get, only in inverted commas, you only need to get to 620 packs and it's clearly a significant saving there. i'm sure people will still collect them and perhaps is going to be a lot easier to fill up nowadays because in spain 82, we never had snapchat, never had tick—tock, never had social media, so i imagine innovative kids who want to feel their books willjust put them on

their books willjust put them on the media and swap their spare stickers and have some kind of virtual got, have not got, etc. so i still think it's an exciting time. i have two boys myself. i don't know whether because they induce me to go to tesco is and by that free annual, that probably got one packet because they want to induce you into buying stickers so i'm not too sure if i'm going to encourage them. i also run a football team, juniors, nearly 400 boys and i'm sure of those 400 boys, many of them will be buying the panini stickers.— panini stickers. you've got the erfect panini stickers. you've got the perfect research _ panini stickers. you've got the perfect research body - panini stickers. you've got the perfect research body there. l panini stickers. you've got the . perfect research body there. even panini stickers. you've got the - perfect research body there. even a control group all lined up but i have to say if you all have too much time on your hands to be doing this research because i cannot imagine some commissioned this for commercial reasons, did they? mr; commercial reasons, did they? ii colleague karen mcguire, commercial reasons, did they? ii1 colleague karen mcguire, price of football on twitter, we absolutely

adore spreadsheets and we adore football and weak adore football finance, so with every dawn, there is a new research question that could be asked and this one itjust happens to be panini stickers. thank ou so happens to be panini stickers. thank you so much — happens to be panini stickers. thank you so much for— happens to be panini stickers. thank you so much for coming _ happens to be panini stickers. thank you so much for coming on - happens to be panini stickers. thank you so much for coming on and - you so much for coming on and talking about that and it's fascinating. ijust wish i had been taught probability like that in mass lessons when i was growing up as i might actually have done rather better. i tell you what, i think also you have to admire the folks at panini because they came up with one heck of a business model. thank panini because they came up with one heck of a business model.— heck of a business model. thank you very much- — heck of a business model. thank you very much- they _ heck of a business model. thank you very much. they certainly _ heck of a business model. thank you very much. they certainly did, - heck of a business model. thank you very much. they certainly did, thank| very much. they certainly did, thank you very much, nice to speak to you. and to you, too. looking for swaps and now it's time for a look at the weather. hello there. things are turning a lot more unsettled to end this week. something we haven't seen for quite a while, deep areas of low pressure. now, remember, tomorrow's the first day of meteorological autumn. the weather is really going to reflect that as we move into friday and certainly the weekend. some heavy rain, thunderstorms and even gales, particularly

across western areas. but for the rest of wednesday and thursday, it's this area of high pressure which will continue to dominate to keep things largely quiet. now, any light showers fade away this evening. 0vernight is going to be mostly dry. clear skies in the north with light winds, but more of a breeze further south. that should stop temperatures from falling much below 10—15 celsius. again, another chilly one to come across parts of scotland. so it will be a chilly start in the north, less so in the south, but it's going to be another largely dry day for thursday, quite a bit of sunshine around. could see cloud tending to build in a south of england into wales, a few showers breaking out here, maybe the odd heavy one. it will still be quite breezy here as well, but temperatures reaching around the mid—20s here and up to 20 celsius or so across the central belt of scotland. now we start to see these areas of low pressure, the weather fronts close in on us for friday. it will be a gradual process, so, again, much of the north and east of the country should stay dry with some sunshine, but the clouds will thicken in the south of wales, southern england, with showers breaking out, some of them could be heavy and thundery. it will start to turn wetter

for western scotland and northern ireland. so that will impact the temperatures a little bit here, but, still, in the brightest, warmest spots in the south and east up to 25 celsius. now, for saturday, that first front will start to move northwards bringing thundering downpours, some intense thunderstorms on there, very heavy rainfall, then we will see another weather front pushing into western areas, we think, later on in the day. the winds will be a feature across the north of the country, gusting 30—40 mph. but there will still be some sunshine around, particularly in the southeast where we will still import some warm air from the near continent, so 23—24 celsius. even further north, the high teens and low 20s. but low pressure sits to the west of us, we think, as we move through the weekend, even to next week, several centres to this area of low pressure, some deep ones, for example, on sunday could affect ireland and parts of western wales, southwest england. there will be some heavy rain around too, and it will stay blustery with further heavy showers as we head into the start of next week.

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. the usjustice department says documents stored at donald trump's florida home were likely moved and hidden in an effort to obstruct the fbi's investigation. in a court filing prosecutors allege that mr trump's representatives had falsely claimed they had returned all sensitive material. most of the world, has paid tribute the statesmanship of the last soviet leader — mikhail gorbachev — who died yesterday at 91. but there are very different reactions in moscow. not the only echoes of the cold war today. russia has again cut gas supplies to europe via the nordstream1 pipeline. while the eu suspended a visa programme for russian tourists. tonight with the context —

nathalie tocci, former eu foreign policy advisor.