the headlines. history in italy, giorgia meloni is on course to become the country's first far right leader since benito mussolini. in the philippines, super typhoon noru sweeps through the capital manila with winds of up to 175 kilometres an hour. i evacuated my house because i'm scared, the floods get really high and i don't want a repeat of what happened before. cu ba ns have cubans have their say on same—sex marriage and whether 9“ same—sex marriage and whether gay couples can adopt. japan prepares to hold a state funeral for the former prime minister shinzo abe, who was shot dead during an election rally injuly.

and two months ahead of the men's football world cup in qatar, concerns that there may not be enough affordable accommodation. italy has never had a female prime minister but exit polls suggest that is about to change with the far right brothers of italy emerging as the biggest party, with giorgia meloni set to be in charge. her party leans further to the right than any since benito mussolini's 80 years ago. the democratic party have already conceded, and in her first speech, have already conceded, and in herfirst speech, giorgia

meloni said the voters have expressed desire for a centre—right government. i expressed desire for a centre-right government. i “ust wish centre-right government. i 'ust wish to comment i centre-right government. i 'ust wish to comment on i centre-right government. i 'ust wish to comment on the h centre-right government. i just wish to comment on the par- centre-right government. i just | wish to comment on the par stay rather quickly. tomorrow will be the day in which we can analyse in greater depth what has happened and be more complete as to the electoral results. results are still not final, however it seems to me that what emerges from the early projections in this political election, italians have given a clear indication that a centre—right government guided by the brothers of italy... but after tonight, when the night is out, we will need to remember that we are not at a point of arrival, we are at the starting blocks.

tomorrow is the time, the beginning of the time when we need to show what we are worth. this is a time of responsibility, a moment in history where, if we wish to be part of history, it is necessary for us to understand what responsibility we carry vis—a—vis tens of dozens of millions of people. italy has chosen asked, we will not betray italy, we have never betrayed our homeland. so it's important to understand that if we are called to govern this nation, we will govern on behalf of everybody, all italians, with the clear objective of uniting this people, underlining what unites it rather than what divides it. a deflating time for the opposition centre—left government. a member of the

democratic party addressed the media as she accepted the defeat. ., , , , defeat. considering the numbers we have seen — defeat. considering the numbers we have seen so _ defeat. considering the numbers we have seen so far, _ defeat. considering the numbers we have seen so far, we - defeat. considering the numbers we have seen so far, we can't i we have seen so far, we can't deny the right has won. so far, we can't deny the right has won, led by giorgia meloni. we think this is a sad night for our country, because for us, this is not a positive outcome. despite this, we are the main opposition party in parliament, we are also the second party in the country. we will be a strong opposition force because we have a great responsibility in front of europe and in front of our country. not unexpected, this result, but what should we make of giorgia meloni? she says she is there for all italians, and that italians have indicated they want a centre—right

government? they want a centre-right government?— they want a centre-right government? they want a centre-right covernment? , . . , government? yes, clearly it was not unexpected. _ government? yes, clearly it was not unexpected. i _ government? yes, clearly it was not unexpected. i would - government? yes, clearly it was not unexpected. i would say - government? yes, clearly it was not unexpected. i would say the | not unexpected. i would say the victory was not the overwhelming victory that some members of the centre—right coalition thought they might achieve. i think it's very important what she said immediately after the results came out. the idea of trying to unify the country. because it was very harsh and polarising in many aspects. she knows the type of challenges that lay ahead. she might actually need now, after the electoral campaign, an approach that is a little less polarising and more open, to find ways ahead, even to collaborate with some of the

rival parties. to collaborate with some of the rival parties-— rival parties. interesting to see how — rival parties. interesting to see how that _ rival parties. interesting to see how that works. - see how that works. particularly from beyond italy, the idea that this is the most far right leader since mussolini is quite a headline, isn't it? ~ ., , ., , isn't it? well, to be honest, i thinkthis _ isn't it? well, to be honest, i think this way _ isn't it? well, to be honest, i think this way of _ isn't it? well, to be honest, i think this way of depicting . think this way of depicting giorgia meloni is the most far right leader since mussolini's time is both a little bit unfair and inaccurate. the former right—wing party have had members in several berlusconi governments. so i wouldn't really say she is far right. she is a right—wing, conservative leader. i think in some european places, some parts of the political spectrum

in the united states, there is a bit of alarm. and at the same time, a sort of lack of knowledge about giorgia meloni and her party. but to be honest, i don't really see, i don't perceive this to be a massive shift, both in italian politics and also i don't think this will bring a massive shift in a number of issues related, for example, to how italy runs foreign policy, economic choices etc etc.- foreign policy, economic choices etc etc. ., ., choices etc etc. you mentioned economic _ choices etc etc. you mentioned economic choices _ choices etc etc. you mentioned economic choices there, - economic choices there, obviously the economy is in dire straits. the eu has a covid recovery budget fund, the best part of 200 billion euros available for italy. when you talk about where giorgia meloni might sitcom machines need to make sure she has access to that sort of funding.-

make sure she has access to that sort of funding. yes, the problems _ that sort of funding. yes, the problems related _ that sort of funding. yes, the problems related to - that sort of funding. yes, the problems related to this - problems related to this funding... problems related to this funding. . ._ problems related to this fundinu... , ., ., ~ ., funding... -- giorgia meloni miaht funding... -- giorgia meloni might sit. — funding... -- giorgia meloni might sit, means _ funding... -- giorgia meloni might sit, means she - funding... -- giorgia meloni might sit, means she needs| funding... -- giorgia meloni i might sit, means she needs to make sure she has access to that sort of funding. she needs to t to that sort of funding. she needs to try to strike _ that sort of funding. she needs to try to strike alliances - that sort of funding. she needs to try to strike alliances in - to try to strike alliances in europe. i think poland more than hungary to be honest, but at the same time she has shown at the same time she has shown a certain degree of pragmatism, for instance on ukraine. and i do expect her to use this pragmatism also when it comes to dealing with germany, france, the european commission. and also she is aware, like all italian political leaders, that these european funds are essential for the future of the country

as a whole, not only for one part of the country or for those who voted for her today. nonetheless, the person the eu have become used to dealing with to an extent, mario draghi, former governor of the european central bank of course, very much a european in terms of eu approach to things... he is gone, and in comes giorgia meloni. she has even suggested the sanctions being laid against russia are crippling italy. is this another moment where we might see a little splintering of that sense of solidarity in terms of the eu versus... vis—a—vis ukraine? terms of the eu versus... vis-a-vis ukraine?- terms of the eu versus... vis-a-vis ukraine? well, to the best of my _ vis-a-vis ukraine? well, to the best of my knowledge, - vis-a-vis ukraine? well, to the best of my knowledge, it - vis-a-vis ukraine? well, to the best of my knowledge, it was . best of my knowledge, it was not giorgia meloni who said something against sanctions against russia. where some

other members of her coalition, namely matteo salvini and silvio berlusconi... there was a paradox in the past few months in italy. at least on ukraine, giorgia meloni was very close to mario draghi, despite the fact she was in the opposition. i don't see how italy can shift position on ukraine. and i don't really think giorgia meloni will go through that part, like, immediately... well, we don't really know who's going to be the next prime minister, because the authority rests with our president of the republic to a point. but a new centre—right or right—wing government, i don't think will change the approach italy has towards ukraine until now. we will wait to _ towards ukraine until now. we will wait to see. thank you very much forjoining us.

a category three tropical storm has made landfall in the philippines. super typhoon noru has been lashing the eastern parts of the country with high winds and torrential rain. thousands of evacuations are under way, including in parts of the main island of luzon. president ferdinand marcos junior has suspended work and classes for monday. 0ur correspondent laura bicker has more from manila. super typhoon noru crashed into the main island of the philippines. winds up to 180 mph. there are fears of coastal surges. the torrential rain is already causing river levels to rise. red cross volunteers worked their way through low—lying neighbourhoods, ushering the vulnerable to safety. this country is used to extreme weather alerts, but noru developed into a super—typhoon

with very little warning. more than 8,000 people have now sought shelter. translation: i evacuated the house i'm living - in because i'm scared. the floods there get really high and i don't want a repeat of what happened to me before. as this storm makes its way over land, people here can only wait and hope they have done enough to stay safe. laura bicker, bbc news, in manila. citizens in cuba have been voting on a referendum called the family code. it includes a vote same—sex marriage. the result could be tight.

evangelical churches oppose the moves which would give same—sex couples the chance to adopt. among the first to vote was the cuban president and his wife, who came out in support of this raft of changes to the family code. the most noteworthy change was the legalisation of same—sex marriages or civil unions. it also would give the power to gay couples to adopt. the president said he expected the motion to pass, although he did recognise there could be a strong could be a strong anti—government vote and said that, whatever the result, he felt it had been to the benefit of the nation to have the conversation. this long document had been through more than 22 changes and been debated at community level town hall meetings. nevertheless, there will be significant opposition to these measures coming from a variety of quarters.

one is the growing strength of the evangelical church notjust in cuba but across the caribbean and central america. as well, ingrained conservative opinions in society in cuba, people who see this as wrong and have done for decades. don't forget, in the 1960s and 1970s, cuba sent homosexual people to re—education camps. and of course, there is opposition from anti—government activists who say this is simply an effort by the state to clean up its human rights image at a time that it has been clamping down on any form if of dissent. it should be a very close result either way, and the final decision should be emerging in the coming hours. if you are thinking about going

to the world cup, think about where you might stay, fears that there is not enough affordable accommodation. in all russia's turmoil, it has never quite come to this. president yeltsin said today would decide the nation's destiny. the nightmare that so many people have feared for so long is playing out its final act, here. russians are killing russians in front of a grandstand audience. it was his humility that produced affection from catholics throughout the world. but his departure is a tragedy for the catholic church. this man, israel's right—winger ariel sharon, visited the religious compound, and that started the trouble. he wants israel alone to have sovereignty over the holy sites, an idea unthinkable to palestinians. after 45 years of division, germany is one. in berlin, a million germans celebrated the birth

of europe's biggest and richest nation. 0ur headlines. history in italy — giorgia meloni is set to win. and is on course to become super typhoon noru has hit the philippines with winds of up to 175 kilometres per hour.

we spoke to an active russian serviceman who has decided to leave the military. this serviceman who has decided to leave the military.— leave the military. this is a bloody meat _ leave the military. this is a bloody meat grinder- leave the military. this is a bloody meat grinder that l leave the military. this is a - bloody meat grinder that grinds libs from both sides, a tragedy for ukraine but a catastrophe for ukraine but a catastrophe for russia. i think ukraine will survive and be restored, i don't know about russia. the majority of russian soldiers at war are either dead or wounded. it's very difficult to say what comes next, especially after the mobilization. this law is complete totalitarianism. it will make the war even more bloody from both sides. more deaths on both sides attacking and defending. if a professional army properly trained can lose life and material, i'm scared to think about what will happen to the new recruits.— about what will happen to the new recruits. how difficult was our new recruits. how difficult was your decision _ new recruits. how difficult was your decision to _ new recruits. how difficult was your decision to leave - new recruits. how difficult was your decision to leave the - your decision to leave the military?— your decision to leave the

milita ? , p military? yes, a very difficult decisions- — military? yes, a very difficult decisions. i— military? yes, a very difficult decisions. i spent _ military? yes, a very difficult decisions. i spent most - military? yes, a very difficult decisions. i spent most of. military? yes, a very difficult| decisions. i spent most of my life in the army, i tried to save lives, treat soldiers like people not numbers, but it didn't work. i hit a wall of misunderstanding. i was shocked that honest people who never broke the law now have to leave their country. because evil people who tried to evade partial mobilization are in danger, and people with experience, like me, are in even more danger, wherever they are. �* , ., even more danger, wherever they are. �* y ., . even more danger, wherever they are. �* ., . even more danger, wherever they are. ., . are. but you are convinced you have made _ are. but you are convinced you have made the _ are. but you are convinced you have made the right _ are. but you are convinced you have made the right decision? | are. but you are convinced you l have made the right decision? i couldn't make a different decision. i had a choice of going to war, killing children, mothers and sons. i understand my guilt and the guilt of my state. i will have to live with this for the rest of my life. i was part of this bloody meat grinder. was part of this bloody meat urinder. ., . ., ., , , ., grinder. the voice of a russian soldier telling _ grinder. the voice of a russian soldier telling us _ grinder. the voice of a russian soldier telling us why - grinder. the voice of a russian soldier telling us why he - grinder. the voice of a russian soldier telling us why he is - soldier telling us why he is leaving the russian military.

japan is preparing to hold a state funeral for the former prime minister shinzo abe. who was shot dead during an election rally injuly. political leaders from across the world are set to attend. including us vice president kamala harris and indian prime minister narendra modi. in the last few weeks however, opposition to mr abe's state funeral has grown withinjapan. many of those who oppose the honour say during his eight years in power, mr abe illegally trashed japan's pacifist constitution. from tokyo rupert wingfield—hayes reports. shouting. the message from these protesters is simple. shinzo abe does not deserve a state funeral. most of these people are pacifists. they believe that when he was prime minister, mr abe trashed japan's pacifist constitution, and that he did so illegally without a proper vote. translation: abe made japan able to go to - warand fight again.

that is why i'm against abe and his state funeral. after his killing injuly, there was an outpouring of sympathy forjapan's longest—serving prime minister. but when it was announced he would be given a state funeral, the mood changed. i'm actually surprised that the opposition to the state funeral has gone up so much more. you know, as the weeks passed, and now it's like over 60% of the people. i think it has most to do with the fact that abe is seen as somebody who is not accountable to his people. and so whatever he did, he did it against the constitutional principles. he did against the principles of democracy. the scale of these rallies opposing shinzo abe's state funeral show what an incredibly divisive political figure he remains, even after his death. to these people, he was a corrupt warmonger who wanted to drag japan back into the past. but to his supporters, he was an international statesman who saw the threat from china coming and was

determined that japan must prepare for it. mr abe's supporters say he understood that to fend off a rising china, japan needed to deepen its alliance with america. but to do that, he also knew japan must be ready and able to fight alongside its ally. abe had a very, you know, a futuristic vision. he had this idea that the china will rise and the united states will retreat from the region. so in order to get the united states involved in the region, we need to have the power on ourselves to defend ourselves. but the japanese people were never asked if they agreed to that change. nowjapan's ruling party is preparing a state sendoff for its fallen leader. and once again, the japanese people have not been asked. but they will not stay silent. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news in tokyo.

with under two months to go until the men's football world cup in qatar, there are concerns over insufficient accommodation for fans. over a million people are expected to travel to the finals, but many fans say they're being priced out — with too few affordable rooms, as our middle east business correspondent sameer hashmi reports from doha. with less than two months left for the world cup to kick off, the excitement is building up. qatari nationals and residents are bracing themselves for the biggest football carnival. the country is set to become the smallest nation ever to host the tournament. qatar is expecting to attract 1.2 million visitors during the course of the world cup. it has invested billions of dollars to organise the tournament ever since it won the bid in 2010. but with just weeks left for the kick—off, many fans who were planning to come down

from different parts of the world are struggling to find accommodation. qatar has a little over 30,000 hotel rooms, out of which 80% have been booked by fifa for officials and football teams. this has squeezed availability for travelling fans. the organisers say that there will be over 100,000 rooms available for fans across different categories, including empty apartments like this, villas and floating hotels. but the cost of these rooms is proving to be expensive. even tiny prefabricated cabins at fan villages built on the outskirts of the city are listed for over $200 a night, which many fans say is pricey. we weren't given permission to visit the site by the authorities. with no affordable options available, simon whitney was forced to book a room in dubai, where he is paying a fraction of the price compared to doha. i did expect there to be a quick flurry of purchasing accommodation from the beginning, but i thought i'd wait my time

to see if there was more accommodation, more variety. but that has not proved to be the case. at no stage has the cost actually come down or become more accessible to the average fan. like simon, thousands of fans are choosing not to stay in qatar, and are booking their stay in dubai, which is 45 minutes away by flight. we reached out to the organising committee for an interview, but they declined the request. however, the local hospitality industry here is optimistic that travel from dubai will not dampen the world cup experience forfans. if you ask me, i could be a spectator and like they say, hit two birds with one stone. i could go and see dubai, see qatar, both at the same time, and have the opportunity to watch the match and enjoy tourist attractions in both areas. for qatar, thejourney to hosting the world cup has been mired in controversy right from the start. issues like the treatment of foreign migrant workers and anti—homosexuality laws have been under the scanner. given this backdrop, the stakes are high for the tiny gulf state.

but with time running out, it needs to resolve the accommodation issues soon to ensure that fans have an enjoyable experience. samir hashmi, bbc news, doha. another sporting marathon. double 0lympic another sporting marathon. double olympic champion eliud kipchoge he has broken his marathon world record in berlin, he is 37 years old and he crossed the line in two hours, one minute and nine seconds, 30 seconds better than his previous best set four years ago also in berlin. he was coy about any future plans to tackle the famed two hour mark, saying, one rabbit at a time. one race that does seem to have been won is by giorgia meloni, who is set to become italy's first female prime

minister. we will keep across that story for you. we will get our first proper taste of autumn this week, with temperatures below average for the time of year, north—westerly winds to begin with, a changeable week in terms of sunshine, during the first half of the week, and then the potential for something quite nasty later on. to start the week we have warm weather fronts clearing away from southern coastal counties, bringing early rain, and that opens the door to a north—westerly airflow bringing arctic air our way, but don't forget it is september, there is still warmth in the atmosphere and it won't feel desperately chilly, and temperatures higher than they were on sunday. but we do start with rain across southern counties of england, the channel islands, just one or two showers later here. ever changing skies elsewhere, sunshine and showers, most frequent across scotland and out of the western coast, one or two spots may avoid showers altogether, but quite breezy

compared to of late. strong winds in the west. and of course it all adds up for a cool afternoon, of 10—16, lower than of late, and distinctly chilly in the north of scotland, 8 degrees cooler than on sunday. through monday night into tuesday, we continue with the strong wind, showers frequent across northern parts of scotland and a bit cooler particularly in the south and east, but enough of a breeze to stop a frost forming to take this into tuesday. the chart for tuesday, low—pressure to the north—east of us, system trying to move down, sliding towards the south—west, a bit closer with a chance of some cloudy conditions, outbreaks of rain close to corman in devon but otherwise it is sunshine and showers, a different position of showers due to a shift in wind direction, so some eastern areas will stay dry for longer. and temperatures, 11—15, it will feel cool. the wind is starting

to ease down a little bit, longer spells of rain, eastern scotland pushing down, and overall southern and western areas looking a little bit drier and brighter and it won't feel quite as cold given the winds are lighter. a cold start to thursday, but the quietest day of the week with more places dry, but the potential for some very wet and windy weather on friday.

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