this is bbc news. i'm tim willcox. our top stories: russian—occupied regions in ukraine hold referendums on whether to join the russian federation. ukraine says it is a sham doomed to fail. the kremlin organises rallies to support its policy to call up reservists bite. our correspondent looks at the mood. this is not a spontaneous display of love for vladimir putin and his policies, it is a highly choreographed affair designed to give the impression that the whole country is behind the president. in the uk, a dramatic change in

economic direction, the biggest tax cuts and a half a century in a bid to kickstart growth. and the first woman to win back the booker prize twice, the celebrated author dame hilary mantell dies at the age of 70. welcome to bbc news. the g7, the group of seven wealthiest nations, have condemned the referendums being held in parts of ukraine to decide whether they want to join russia. it added the votes, which are being organised by moscow—backed officials, are a breach of the united nations charter. these are the four areas where voting is being held. they include occupied parts of luhansk and donetsk in the east, and zaporizhzhia and kherson, in the south, and cover around 15 per cent of ukraine's territory. voting is expected to run until tuesday, and the result

seems almost certain to go in moscow's favour. these pictures, filmed in russian—occupied donetsk, show representatives taking polling cards to people in their own homes. here, at least, it is not a secret ballot. meanwhile, russia is continuing to mobilise its reserve troops at home, but it appears that the process isn't running smoothly. with the latest, here's our russia editor, steve rosenberg. it was the moment the kremlin tried to show the people still back their president and what he's doing in ukraine. within days, vladimir putin is expected to annex a huge swathe of ukrainian territory. there's international condemnation, but at home, the official picture is they trust putin. many of the people here, though, didn't trust us. when we asked the simple question,

"why have you come to this rally?", there was a certain reluctance to answer. but they had something to say on the subject of mobilisation. "the call—up is worrying everyone with relatives "of fighting age," natalia says. not viera. "i'd be much happier if my son got wounded fighting in ukraine "than die of alcoholism here," she says. "fighting is a proper man'sjob." this is not a spontaneous display of love for vladimir putin and his policies. it is a highly choreographed affair, designed to give the impression that the whole country is behind the president. a lot of the people we've spoken to here today have been brought in specially from schools, from factories and other state organisations. in ukraine today, in those areas occupied by russia troops, self—styled referendums began onjoining russia. the west has denounced the votes as a sham,

a smoke screen for annexation by moscow. back in russia, more goodbyes, more men called up to fight in ukraine. there's growing concern here that the scale of mobilisation is far greater than the kremlin have let on. woman argues. emotions are running high. "why have you taken our sons?", a mother is heard asking this officer. when he tells the audience that his own son isn't eligible for the call—up, listen to the reaction. crowd groans, shouts for the president, this could become a problem. vladimir putin once promised russians stability. now, he's sending them to the front line. persuading russians to keep faith in him won't be easy. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. samuel charap is a senior

political scientist at the rand corporation and russia specialist. he's in washington. the west is decrying these referendums as a sham, there is no validity. is there any evidence to prove that wrong to the contrary? to prove that they aren't sham? yes. well, we have a lot of evidence to prove that they are in that they are being conducted in a totally haphazard, illegalway conducted in a totally haphazard, illegal way without any international monitoring, and often without even real true polling places, and by soldiers who are apparently knocking on doors and asking people in some cases what their boat is, so it hardly qualifies as a free and fair vote. in any case it would be illegal even

if there was a proper period of debate and opportunities for both sides to compete. they just hasn't been any of that. and two of these areas are of course a war zone and not fully controlled by russia, so what do we know about the population living in those areas? how many civilians remain?— civilians remain? civilians, probably — civilians remain? civilians, probably between - civilians remain? civilians, probably between three i civilians remain? civilians, l probably between three and five, it is hard to know for sure. there has been a lot of accidents from the russian—occupied areas in the south but i would also note that all four of the regions are in part connected. ukraine has a foothold in a small part of the highlands, a big chunk of the highlands, a big chunk of donetsk and part of zaporizhzhia and at least partially of kherson as well, so this is quite an extraordinary set of

circumstances to be conducting any sort of voting in.— any sort of voting in. what do ou any sort of voting in. what do you make _ any sort of voting in. what do you make of _ any sort of voting in. what do you make of the _ any sort of voting in. what do you make of the timing - any sort of voting in. what do you make of the timing of - any sort of voting in. what do | you make of the timing of this now because i think putin had been planning to do this beforehand. is this to actually rally the cause for mobilisation of the reserves now, to give more legitimacy to the call up? now, to give more legitimacy to the call op?— the call up? the timing is interesting _ the call up? the timing is interesting because - the call up? the timing is - interesting because originally they had been talk about conducting these on a september 11 which is when russia's ii which is when russia's national election day was happening but ukraine's successful counteroffensive in the region called they to be scrapped. then there was talk about doing it in november. interestingly, britain had never opined on particularly the two southern regions and never publicly endorse this referendums. —— putin had never opined. the shift was pretty dramatic. it was a raising of

the stakes in a major way that sort of minimises the possibility that there could be a sort of political settlement of the conflicts going forward. it is linked to the mobilisation, it is not direct, i would say, it is more are throwing down of the political gauntlet and a raising of the stakes, potentially also to increase the view in western capitals that it brushes going to treat these areas like parts of russia, than the risk of escalation grows.- escalation grows. samuel charap. _ escalation grows. samuel charap, thank _ escalation grows. samuel charap, thank you - escalation grows. samuel charap, thank you for - escalation grows. samuel. charap, thank you forjoining us. many parts of the world are continuing to feel the effects of the war in ukraine, through higher energy prices and increases in the general cost—of—living. here in the uk, the government has taken steps to boost the economy, with plans for the biggest tax cuts for half a century. among a package of measures announced on friday, the higher rate of income tax of 45% is to be abolished. a planned rise in corporation tax from i9% to 25% has been cancelled — that's

the tax businesses pay on their profits. and the rules which cap bankers' bonuses to twice their annual salary hav also been scrapped. the markets have not reacted well to the news, with the pound falling to a 37—year low against the dollar, dropping below $1.09. the opposition labour party has called the government "desperate gamblers in a casino, chasing a losing run." the bbc�*s political editor, chris mason, reports. reporter: can you afford these tax cuts, chancellor? _ technically, this wasn't even a budget. in reality, inside that blue booklet under the new chancellor's arm, the biggest tax cuts in 50 years. i now call the chancellor of the exchequer to make a statement. chancellor! hear, hear. kwasi kwarteng told mps it is all

about firing up the economy. growth is not as high as it should be. this has made it harder to pay for public services, requiring taxes to rise. we need a new approach for a new era, focused on growth. our aim over the medium term is to reach a trend rate of growth of 2.5%... and so rises in national insurance and corporation tax are being scrapped, and then the big reveal on income tax. those on more than £150,000 a year — pay 45p in tax for every £1 over that amount they earn, but not for much longer. they have a big tax cut coming. i'm not going to cut the additional rate of tax today, mr speaker. i'm going to abolish it altogether. from april 23rd, we will have a single higher rate of income tax of a0%. this will simplify the tax system and make britain

more competitive. it will reward enterprise and work, it will incentivise growth, it will benefit the whole economy and the whole country. and there was more, an income tax cut for everyone in england, wales and northern ireland. i can announce today that we will cut the basic rate of income tax to i9p in april 2023, one year early. that means a tax cut for over 31 million people in a few months�* time. also in there, an immediate cut in the property buying tax stamp duty in england and northern ireland. but some of the measures announced, ministers know, are not popular, including removing the cap on bankers' bonuses, so why do it? we need global banks to create jobs here, invest here and pay taxes here in london. in london! not in paris, not in frankfurt and not in new york. overall, this plan involves the government borrowing a massive amount of money, a huge about—turn from recent conservative instincts.

rachel reeves! labour pointed out the tories have been in government since 2010. this statement is an admission of 12 years of economic failure, and now here we are, one last throw of the dice, one last claim that these ministers will be different. for all the chopping and changing, all the chaos and confusion, there has been one person there throughout — the prime minister. a new era, but they've been in government for 12 years. it stretches credibility beyond breaking point, saying that tax cuts for the rich, whopping bonuses for bankers and low corporation tax for companies will somehow re—float, magically, britain's sinking economy. they live the bankers' bonuses,

they— they live the bankers' bonuses, they are — they live the bankers' bonuses, they are looking _ they live the bankers' bonuses, they are looking at _ they are looking at billionaires - they are looking at billionaires for- they are looking at - billionaires for example they are looking at _ billionaires for example being handed — billionaires for example being handed the _ billionaires for example being handed the best _ billionaires for example being handed the best offer- billionaires for example being . handed the best offer £55,000, almost — handed the best offer £55,000, almost double _ handed the best offer £55,000, almost double the _ handed the best offer £55,000, almost double the median - handed the best offer £55,000,| almost double the median salary for people — almost double the median salary for heapte of— almost double the median salary for people of england _ for people of england and wales _ wales. the . wales. i the prime wales. — the prime minister and chancellor visited a factory in kent this afternoon. a town that may become one of the government's new investment zones for targeted health. i asked him if he felt if he was taking a big gamble. i don't think it is a gamble at all. what was a gamble was sticking on the because we were on. we had a tax system, taxes at a 70—year high, highest since the 1940s, unsustainable, so we needed a reboot, everything. what we are doing is pushing growth, incentivising investment and actually critically helping people on low incomes keep more of the money that they own. what does being bad mean to you as chancellor? being firm is what we did this morning, where we reduce taxes right across the income

brackets. if you look at what we did with the basic rate, originally it was going to kick in and 2024, reported forward to 2023. the energy intervention has also managed to help people face what is potentially a really difficult winter in terms of bills. do you think the economy is in recession? well, technically the bank of england said it was a recession in the showers, and i think we can rebound and grow. so you acknowledge there will be a recession? no. two. you said showers. technically, we have had two quarters a very negative growth. i think these measures are going to help drive growth. i don't think it is a week picture. if you look at the unemployment, it is at a 50—year low. look at some of the things we're doing in and signs intact. that is also very positive. that is what i said my statement, there is a great story about the uk. i am confident we have the right policies to steer us through that. i'm very confident we can actually grow the economy and

the way we want to see. some financial statements from governments can feel inconsequential, easily forgotten. today's was not one of them. this is a big change of them. this is a big change of direction from a new chancellor and new prime minister with not long to prove that it can work. syrian officials say they're continuing to search for survivors, after a boat carrying migrants sank near the city of tartus. almost 80 people are now known to have drowned, among them many children. the boat set off from tripoli, in northern lebanon, on tuesday, with more than 100 people on board. the migrants are believed to have been lebanese, syrians, and palestinians, heading for europe. 0ur middle east correspondent, lina sinjab, sent this report. another boat sinking, another catastrophe. another failed attempt to change destiny.

desperate migrants left lebanon earlier in the week, only to drown in the mediterranean in less than 24 hours. rescue operation is ongoing on the syrian coast. some survivors made it safe. many more arrived dead. 0thers made it safe. many more arrived dead. others are still missing. in shock, and grief, this family has lost four of its members. their son and his three children were among the dead. the wife is still in critical condition in hospital in syria. 35 years old, he worked as a taxi driver and dreamt of a better life for his family in europe. his mother is devastated. translation: g ,., devastated. translation: g ., translation: my son tried to esca -e translation: my son tried to escape the _ translation: my son tried to escape the hunger— translation: my son tried to escape the hunger and - translation: my son tried to | escape the hunger and poverty. no water or electricity, nothing, he ran away to get a better life but they sent him to the grave. his

better life but they sent him to the grave.— to the grave. his cousin says there is no — to the grave. his cousin says there is no hope _ to the grave. his cousin says there is no hope left - to the grave. his cousin says there is no hope left in - to the grave. his cousin says there is no hope left in the l there is no hope left in the country. did you talk to his daughters before? did they want to go, did they know about going in the boat? i5 to go, did they know about going in the boat? is eldest daughter. _ going in the boat? is eldest daughter, she _ going in the boat? is eldest daughter, she did _ going in the boat? is eldest daughter, she did not - going in the boat? is eldest daughter, she did not want| going in the boat? is eldest. daughter, she did not want to, she cried — daughter, she did not want to, she cried and said that she did not want — she cried and said that she did not want to go because i do not want _ not want to go because i do not want to— not want to go because i do not want to die. unfortunately... the — want to die. unfortunately... the economy of lebanon has gone from bad, to worse, to catastrophic, leaving many to unable even secure the basics. lebanese, syrian and palestinian nationals are all believed to have been on board the boat. this is one of several attempts of people trying to reach europe over the past weeks. we are at the border crossing between syria and lebanon. just a few metres away from the mediterranean water are that people are trying to cross to reach europe. families have gathered here, anxiously waiting for news about their loved ones.

some are fortunate, they will be waiting for survivors, but many others are just waiting for bodies to bury. at this point of the loss, the crowd are still calling to migrate. anger of reality look stronger than mourning the dead here. translation: we than mourning the dead here. translation:— than mourning the dead here. translation: we as lebanese eo - le translation: we as lebanese people believe _ translation: we as lebanese people believe we _ translation: we as lebanese people believe we are - translation: we as lebanese people believe we are better. people believe we are better off because we are all dead anyway. we are hopeless. all these people, all of them, sea reach are l5 to those are risk the journey to aspire a future are now aspire to a future are now taking the journey to the grave. lina sinjab, bbc news. this is bbc news. a reminder of our main headlines this hour: referendums on whether to join the russian federation. ukraine says it's a sham which is doomed to fail. the united states says it

will ease internet restrictions to allow iranians greater access to services curbed by the tehran government as it tries to stamp out protests. 0ur reporter in washington, azadeh moshiri, explains what difference this decision is going ot make. this is something that us lawmakers both republicans and democrats have been asking for since the protests began and of course there has been a lot of demand from this from iranians themselves, and that is because given a heavy us sanctions on iran, tech companies are not been able tojump iran, tech companies are not been able to jump in iran, tech companies are not been able tojump in or iran, tech companies are not been able to jump in or provide a lot of the services they typically would in response to this clampdown on internet services, as well as western messaging services within iran. the united states, washington, had looked at this and thought it is time to ease those restrictions. it has responded to us lawmakers demands and this means the door is now open for tech companies to jump this means the door is now open for tech companies tojump in and offer a way for iranians to be able to share what is going

on in the country and continue communicating with each other as the protests continue across the country. now, specifically, this opens the door for a company like starling, elon musk�*s internet satellite system, meaning that iranians want the grant could bypass the government's censorship right now and continue communicating on the ground and continue to share what is going on within the country. it does seem like elon musk has been watching what is going on and is interested in solving that issue because he did say earlier this week that starling would apply for an exemption from the us treasury and that is when lawmakers urge the treasury to accept if the request comes through another ball is in his court. italy's general election on sunday could make history, potentially giving the country its first female prime minister. 0ur europe editor, katya adler, reports. italy's political earthquake travels in style these days.

are you the best person to govern italy, giorgia? i had to ask. giorgia meloni, self—appointed defender of the italian people, poised to become italy's next premier, comes from the neofascist hard—right, though her tone is now consciously more mainstream. cheering and applause. italy is changing, says giorgia meloni. while her critics worry about her roots in the far—right, she's carefully concentrating on economics. this crowd is worried about the cost of bread and the price of gas. they really want to give her go. translation: we need to change the future of our country, for our children. we believe in giorgia meloni. political rivals are sounding the alarm about far—right government, but many here think they're exaggerating.

right is trying to scare us and to design enemies for us, and instead of that, left is building and trying to give rise for people. they are talking about the past and we want to go to the future. giorgia meloni insists there are no nostalgic fascists in her party. but what about this? it looks like a fascist salute. just surfaced on social media, we see a city councillor from meloni's party making the gesture with others at a family funeral. prosecutors are investigating. then there are meloni's chosen coalition partners, both traditionally close to vladimir putin — silvio berlusconi — remember him — and far—right matteo salvini. italy's allies in the eu and nato worry about a meloni government — should they? let's judge the future governor by facts. she voted in favour

of the sanctions. there's no reason that she'll do different things in government than she's done in the opposition. most italians just want some stability. these ceramic workers' jobs are at risk because of spiralling energy costs. translation: we start work before dawn now because energy prices are cheaper then. 0ur bills have gone up 1000%. ijust hope the next government has a stable majority so they can do something fast to help us and other struggling workers. which ever political bandwagon voters jump on this sunday, italy's next government will have their hands full, but their policy choices limited by eu law and the italian constitution — cold comfort perhaps for those fearing the far—right. katya adler, bbc news, rome. the celebrated author, dame hilary mantel, widely

regarded as one of the greatest british novelists, has died at the age of 70. our culture editor katie razzall looks back on her life. thomas cromwell is now 50 years old, the same small, quick eyes, the same thickset, imperturbable body... cromwell, why are you such a person? thomas cromwell and hilary mantel will be forever entwined. her trilogy about the life of henry viii's fixer became a bafta—winning tv series. her vivid novels conjured a tudor world of intrigue and violence that readers could feel and taste. she won the booker prize twice, for wolf hall and bring up the bodies, the first woman to do so. mantel had been writing historical and contemporary fiction for years before she found popular acclaim. i hesitated for such a long time before beginning to write this book — actually, for about 20 years.

the young hilary mantel had wanted to be a barrister, but her lack of connections and the endometriosis she struggled with all her life saw her turn to writing instead. the law's loss was humanity's gain. anywhere she chose to write about, at any time, any character, was the best anybody could have done. she's a classic writer, in the footsteps of dickens and mrs gaskell and george eliot, but she was writing in our time. she really is that important. recognition of those searing talents got mantel a damehood, for services to literature, and she talked in recent years of her hopes for the future. there's so much i want to do, and it'sjust a question of, "how much stamina have i got, what time have i got left?"

dame hilary mantel died from a stroke in a hospital in exeter, with her family beside her. the author dame hilary mantel who's died at the age of 70. hello. the autumn equinox happened on friday and saturday is going to be ourfirst full day of autumn. the skies are pretty clear the moment and the weekend, how's it looking? actually not too bad. there will be a few showers around, but predominantly sunny spells. so, this is what it looks like out there right now. yes, a few showers around, but generally clear across most of the uk through the early hours of saturday, and the temperatures ranging from close to freezing in the scottish glens, around ten in liverpool and 12 degrees in the south. now, recently in the southeast, it has been pretty cloudy and wet because of a stubborn weather front, but the thinking is that

weather front should be out of the picture in the english channel and across france early on saturday morning. but there is a possibility it could be cloudy, if not damp, in the extreme southeast. elsewhere across the country, we're waking up to sunny spells, and i think through the course of the afternoon, we'll see showers developing — quite well scattered across england and wales. but in scotland and northern ireland, it should be a predominantly dry day. here, temperatures will range from 12 degrees in the northern isles, 16 in glasgow, in the south, still around 18. that was saturday, this is sunday's weather forecast. a lot of sunshine, particularly across england and wales, but watch this cold front sweep into northern and western scotland later in the day. the winds will increase, and that heralds a change, a change into next week. we'll have a look at that in a second. first, i want to update you on hurricane fiona, which has just passed to the west of bermuda and it is heading towards nova scotia and also newfoundland, and the effects of this storm are likely to be very significant around

the canadian maritimes. when the storm hits, it'll no longer be a truly tropical hurricane. it'll sort of turn into more of a mid—latitude weather system, but the strength of the wind will still be blowing at hurricane force, and waves around coastal areas are forecast to reach 10, even 12 metres of ferocious weather there, the other side of the atlantic. but over in our neck of the woods, we are expecting a colder plunge of air on monday following a cold front. if you look at the forecast here, 13 degrees in aberdeen and edinburgh probably as well, and cardiff, mid—teens expected and similar values there in london. have a good weekend.

this is bbc news. the headlines: 0fficials officials in four occupied regions in ukraine have been holding referendums on whether to become part of the russian federation. the kremlin supports the vote, but given western nations have said they are a sham and would be recognised. written's finance minister has defended the government's plans to boost the economy, insisting they are not a gamble. he said massive tax cuts are fairfor all, a gamble. he said massive tax cuts are fair for all, despite the highest earners gaining the most. tax cuts were paid for by extra borrowing. the syrian

health minister says more than 70 people have drowned after carrying migrants sank.