welcome to bbc news, i'm david eades. our top stories. a moment of history for italy — giorgia meloni's election election victory. we will unite the people. the pound sterling plummets to its lowest ever level against the us dollar after the eec. “":- .::§%;—’%%; ’ historic cuts chancellor's historic tax cuts funded by huge increases in

borrowing. super typhoon noru sweeps through the philippines capital, manila — bringing winds of up to 175 kph. 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. cubans give their verdict on legalising same—sex marriage and whether gay couples can adopt in a landmark referendum that's divided the nation. and less than 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 in the new parliament, and putting its leader giorgia meloni on course to become the prime minister. her party leans further to the right than any government since that of mussolini 80 years ago. the opposition democratic party have already conceded, and she said the voters had indicated their desire for a centre—right government and that she would work for all italians. italy has chosen us and we will never betray our homeland. we will govern for all italians, with a clear objective of uniting the people, of underlining what unites it rather than what divides it, because the great objective we have always had as a political

force is showing italians we will once again be proud to be italians. earlier, debora serrachiani of the democratic party addressed the media accepting defeat. translation: tonight, considering _ translation: tonight, considering the - translation: tonight, | considering the numbers translation: tonight, - considering the numbers we have seen 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 and 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. dario cristiani is a resident senior fellow at the german marshall fund. it was not unexpected but i would say the victory was not the overwhelming victory some

members of the centre—right coalition thought they might achieve. i think it's very important what she said immediately after, that the results came out... this idea of trying to unify the country. because the campaign was quite harsh, very polarising in many aspects. and i think she also knows that, for the type of challenges that italy has ahead, she might actually need now, after the electoral campaign, an approach that is a little bit less polarising and more open to try to find ways ahead, even to collaborate with some of the other parties etc etc. it some of the other parties etc etc. ., , , ., etc. it would be interesting to see how that _

etc. it would be 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 thinking - isn't it? well, to be honest, i think this way of thinking of l think this way of thinking of giorgia meloni is the most far right leader since mussolini is a little bit both unfair and inaccurate. she is the head of the former right—wing party whose members have been in several berlusconi governments. so from this point of view, i wouldn't really say she is far right. i think she is a right—wing leader, conservative leader. i think there is in some european capitals and in some european capitals and in some parts, let's say, of the political spectrum in the united states, a bit of alarm, and at the same time a sort of lack of knowledge on 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 the way italy runs foreign policy, economic choices etc etc. ., ., ., . etc. you mentioned economic choices- _ etc. you mentioned economic choices. obviously _ etc. you mentioned economic choices. obviously the - etc. you mentioned economic l choices. 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 sit, she needs to make sure she holds onto that sort of funding. yes, and this funding, _ onto that sort of funding. yes, and this funding, like - onto that sort of funding. yes, and this funding, like the - and this funding, like the programmes related to this funding will last until at least 2026. so almost the entire parliament term. i think

giorgia meloni, of course, because of her background and because of her background and because of her background and because of the ideology of her party, is likely to try to strike alliances in europe with specific countries. i think poland more than hungary, to be honest. but 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 political leaders in italy, that these european funds are essential for the future of the country as a whole.

the number of suspected ebola infections in uganda continues to rise — with the country's health ministry saying there have been 3a suspected cases. health teams are continuing to trace any people who may have come into contact with the virus. this is the fourth ebola outbreak uganda has faced — and neighbouring countries say they are on high alert. banks in lebanon are due to reopen on monday, after being closed for a week due to a series of armed hold—ups. the raids were carried out by the banks' own depositors. in one case, a woman used a toy gun to force employees to hand over her own savings — to pay for cancer treatment for her sister. the co—founder of pink floyd, roger waters, has had a series of concerts in poland cancelled after comments he made, criticising ukraine's actions in the war with russia. in an open letter, waters — who is an anti—war advocate — accused ultra—nationalists in ukraine of provoking russia. he said the west was prolonging the bloodshed by arming ukraine — but failed to mention russia's role in starting the conflict.

the pound sterling has fallen to its lowest ever level against the us dollar. in early asia trading, sterling fell to just over 1.03 before regaining ground to about 1.05. the pound has been under pressure as the dollar has been boosted by the us central bank raising interest rates, and it follows the announcement on friday by the announcement on friday by the new uk chancellor kwasi kwarteng unveiling historic tax cuts funded by very high increases in borrowing. we can join the bbc correspondent in singapore. join the bbc correspondent in singapore-— singapore. what a monday morninu singapore. what a monday morning in _ singapore. what a monday morning in asia, _ singapore. what a monday morning in asia, as - singapore. what a monday morning in asia, as the - singapore. what a monday - morning in asia, as the markets open. as you mention, sterling tumbling to a record low. we

now know it is an all—time low, because decimalisation was brought in in 1971, and it is the lowest it has been since then. in early trading, the pound plunged almost 5%. the big question is why this happening? well, investors are pulling money out of the currency quite frankly, after those announcement in the uk on friday. they lack confidence that the government's economic plan... inaudible. they think at the very least that the uk finances will be stretched to the very limits. they are also concerned about growth and high interest rates. raising interest rates to try and keep inflation down in the us. this is as much a story about the strong us dollar is about the strong us dollar is about the strong us dollar is about the weak pound. because a number of other currencies are weakening because of the strong us dollar. , ' . , .,

us dollar. difficult times for one and all, _ us dollar. difficult times for one and all, but _ us dollar. difficult times for one and all, but from - us dollar. difficult times for one and all, but from an - one and all, but from an international perspective it is seen as a real high wire act that the british government, i say the new british government, at least under the new prime minister liz truss, is prepared to try here. minister liz truss, is prepared to try here-— to try here. with kwasi kwarteng _ to try here. with kwasi kwarteng saying, - to try here. with kwasi kwarteng saying, this | to try here. with kwasi - kwarteng saying, this isn't the end of it, more tax cuts to come. yeah, and that's really what investors look to, david. even when the fed rate the interest rates, it wasn't so much the actual rate that was announced, it was more what the fed said about the future, about economic growth prospects and the possibility of more interest rate rises. in asia, where they are seeing stocks slide across the board. south korea, australia, japan, hong kong. what is really spooking the markets is the high interest rates and poor growth. of course we have other global of course we have other global headwinds at the moment, the

war in ukraine, the pressure on the cost of fuel, which is also priced in the dollar value, so the strong dollar is causing problems there. and the post—pandemic demand is still high, costs are high across the board around the world. in asia, japan actually intervened in currency last week in order to support the yen. many people asking, is the next step for the bank of england to also intervene in the pound? thank ou ve intervene in the pound? thank you very much _ intervene in the pound? thank you very much for _ intervene in the pound? thank you very much for the - intervene in the pound? thank you very much for the gloom l intervene in the pound? thank i you very much for the gloom and doom. 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 miguel diaz canel and his wife, who came out in support of this raft of changes to the country's family code. the most noteworthy change would be the legalisation of same—sex marriages or civil unions. it also would give the right to gay couples to adopt. the president said he expected the motion to pass, although he did recognise there 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 hold 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 19605 and 19705, 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 all forms of dissent. it should be a very close result either way, and the final decision should be emerging in the coming hours. stay with us on bbc news, still to come. less than two months ahead of the men's football world cup in qatar — concerns that there

may not be 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 rebirth this is bbc news, the latest headlines. a moment of history for italy, giorgia meloni will become the first far right leader of italy since mussolini. the pound plummets against the us dollar after the uk chancellor unveiled tax cuts funded by huge increases in borrowing. five rescue workers have been killed after being swept away in flash floods in the main philippines island of luzon thanks to super typhoon noru

whose rapid intensification caught forecasters by surprise. the super typhoon is the strongest storm to hit the philippines this year, with winds of more than 200 miles per hour. super typhoon noru crashed into the main island of the philippines. winds gusted 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. i was speaking to senator richard gordon, the chairman of the philippines red cross and i asked him how the typhoon was in relation to others they had experienced. it’s in relation to others they had experienced.— experienced. it's a lot better than we expected. _ experienced. it's a lot better than we expected. we - experienced. it's a lot better. than we expected. we expected the worst. at the last moment, the worst. at the last moment, the typing became a super typhoon. it was reallyjust a tropical storm to begin with. but it converted into a super

typhoon. and it hit us at night. kind of touch and go, pre—emptive evacuations most happen. 12,000 families in the evacuation centres, being processed. at the same time, unfortunately casualties, with rescuers dying, drowning or being electrocuted, but we have recovered the bodies already. but at the same time, i'm saying that it could have been worse. that would be my assessment. because right now, what we are coping with is trees down, horses losing leaves, that can be repaired. i'm preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. —— house is losing their roofs. the oint is losing their roofs. the point about _ is losing their roofs. the point about loss - is losing their roofs. the point about loss of - is losing their roofs. the point about loss of life l is losing their roofs. the| point about loss of life is critical. anyone who succumbs,

thatis critical. anyone who succumbs, that is too much. you have, i think it's fair to say, an extremely well drilled operation now, when it comes to these typhoons. you know what you are doing, you know how to bring down the casualty list, and that seems to be bearing fruit again. and that seems to be bearing fruit again-— fruit again. well, you know, most of the _ fruit again. well, you know, most of the time _ fruit again. well, you know, most of the time we - fruit again. well, you know, most of the time we have i fruit again. well, you know, i most of the time we have been skilful. some of the time, people didn't evacuate so they had to be rescued and we have the results. at the same time, you have areas out in the pacific, we were trying to get in touch with them. the biggest problem is always communication. if there is no communication, you don't know if they have been swept away by the tsunami. the main thing was to find out how those people were, and about five o'clock we found out they were 0k. the water is not good for drinking

so far. drinking from deep wells, so they are boiling the water. that is the situation. ever since president putin announced a partial military mobilisation on wednesday, videos have been circulating on social media, showing the reaction in russia to this mass call—up. in a rare interview my colleaguejamie coomaraamy spoke to a an active russian serviceman who has decided to leave the military. for his own safety, we're not revealing his name, location, or his role. this is a bloody meat grinder that grinds lives from both sides, a tragedy 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 mobilisation. this law is complete totalitarianism. this will make the war even more bloody from both sides. more deaths on both sides

attacking and defending. so much life and material, i'm scared to think about what will happen to the new recruits. how difficult was your decision to leave the military? yes, a very difficult decision. i spent most of my life in the army, i tried i hit a wall of misunderstanding. broke the law now have to leave their country. i couldn't make a different decision. i had a choice of this or going to war, killing children, mothers and sons. i understand my guilt

and the guilt of my state. with under two months to go until the men's football world cup gets under way in qatar, there are concerns over insufficient accommodation for fans. 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. hello. 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, and out of the sunshine you will notice temperatures 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 us 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 cornwall and 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 before showers develop. 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.

you're watching bbc news. the headlines. in italy giorgia meloni is set to become the nation's first female prime minister and the first far—right leader since benito mussolini. her brothers of italy party, which campaigns against immigration, is set to take more than 40% of the general election vote. the pound has slipped to its lowest value against the dollar since decimalisation in 1971 in early trading as markets opened in asia. the markets opened in asia. dollar has been boosted b the the dollar has been boosted by the us central bank continuing to raise interest rates.

the main philippine island of luzon