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 has been hit by flooding as a result of heavy rain from super tycoon noru. emergency services in low lying areas have rescued people in low—lying areas from the roofs of their houses. noru is the strongest storm to hit the philippines this year. and now on bbc news, time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. a few days ago, oleksandr shapoval, one of ukraine's leading ballet dancers, was killed while serving in the ukrainian army fighting the russian invasion. art and culture are not immune from the impact of war. my guest today knows that well. alexei ratmansky is a world—renowned choreographer with roots in both russia and ukraine, once director of the bolshoi ballet in moscow, and now putting on a special production of giselle

with the united ukrainian ballet, to show the world ukrainian culture lives on. has ballet become a battleground? alexei ratmansky, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much, it's an honour to be here. delighted to have you here. you are here in london because you are mounting this extraordinary set of performances of giselle, performed by ukrainian dancers. how can you go about putting on a performance with ukrainians when their country is at war? there was an extraordinary

project, it started in march. i received a call from my friend in holland, she is a former principal ballerina, and she said, i have some ukrainian dancers who are refugees, and i would like them to do one of your ballets, if you don't mind. i was absolutely supportive of the idea, wholeheartedly. at the beginning it was just some women, and then as time passed, we received men who needed special mission passed, we received men who needed special permission to leave the country. because men are required to stay in ukraine under 60 years of age, they are expected to stay and fight. that is correct. so these male dancers have special dispensation. they were sent on a mission to show the world that ukrainian culture is alive, and to represent ukraine and the culture.

you are one of the world's top choreographers. is it possible for you to meet your own exacting standards with this company in these circumstances? it is a very different project from anything i have done before, and we all do it for other reasons. and it is not a company, it is a group of dancers who happen to be together. we do it for ukraine, and actually this is such a strong motivation that the quality follows. how difficult is it to concentrate, i'm thinking particularly for your dancers, when every day there is news from the battlefront.

many of them will have families serving in the military and, just a few days ago, we all heard that one of ukraine's leading ballet dancers, who had chosen to go and fight at the front in the east of the country, was killed. this cannot be easy to focus. no, very challenging. as you said, the dancers have families. i have family in kyiv. they are all checking the news constantly. you wake up in the morning, you want to know which cities were bombed, how many people were killed. which buildings were destroyed. and check that all of your loved ones are ok and safe. you do it every day for more than half a year now. it becomes a routine. it sounds horrible. but that is the reality.

what about the impact of the death of oleksandr shapoval who i know you worked with and many of your company will have worked with. he was also a teacher in a school, a ballet school, so we have some of his students in the company. he is a brave man, a hero. that was a moment that broke the hearts of many. there was another man who fought and died, a dancer, back in february i think, and there are other dancers, numerous musicians, actors, directors, who feel the need to defend the country and their land with arms. i don't know what else to say. i can feel how... we are all so grateful

to these brave people. your own background is fascinating in the context of what is happening, because you have family roots both in ukraine and russia. in professional terms, you are sort of more russian than ukrainian in that your dancing was learned in moscow, you have a very big connection with the bolshoi ballet where you are artistic director, and you were in moscow working with the bolshoi ballet on february 24th when putin launched the invasion. what were your immediate feelings and reactions then? it felt like the world was crushing. you could not comprehend how that was possible. it sounded surreal. however, for a couple of months before the beginning of the war, the president of the united states was telling the world

that it was going to happen. there were warnings, but you stayed until february 24th. nobody really believed it was going to happen. my family in kyiv, we talked every day, my friends and relatives in moscow. when i flew from new york, where i have been based for already more than 12 years, to moscow, i warned the bolshoi ballet management that if something like that happened, i would need to leave immediately, and they said, "what are you talking about? it is not going to happen." so just a week before, i think, when vladimir putin announced the support of the independence of the luhansk and donetsk so—called republics, it was clear that it was really serious, it was going to happen tomorrow. how difficult a decision was it for you to quit?

because as soon as the tanks crossed that border, you quit, you walked away. idid. i got a call from my wife 5am in the morning, she said that kyiv is bombarded, and i said, i'm leaving. i took my artistic team with me. the bolshoi arranged the tickets. so they didn't try and stop you? no, probably because i warned them beforehand. were you fearful at that point? it was a horrific day, just horrific, but nothing felt important except the safety of my family in kyiv, and the existence of the country, of my country. so my history was with the bolshoi and with russian ballet, and i knew right away that it is terminated now, it is not going to continue.

i sort of have to cut my past... that is a very interesting way of putting it, because you were deeply embedded in the russian artistic establishment. i mean, you don't get to be artistic director of the bolshoi without having a massive network of connections, of being deeply respected in moscow for your artistic achievement. now, how do you feel about all of that professional commitment, life, and energy you gave to russia? on one hand, i grew up as, you know, russian ballet is a very big part of the world. arguably russia takes ballet more seriously than any other country in the world. absolutely, yeah. classical ballet is russian. well, half of it is french, but...

in that sense, in a sort of professional sense, did you feel yourself to be russian? these are questions that i still don't have answers to, because i think i need time to glue my identity together. most of my ballets are choreographed to russian music, or russian themes. and your whole approach to ballet, as i understand it, is to respect tradition and the past, and to pore over the notes made by some of the greatest choreographers of the past, and to be very serious about the history, particularly of russian ballet, and now all of that must feel very strange. it does. it does feel strange. but i tell myself that the russian culture of the past,

it doesn't have anything to do with putin's crimes, and the crimes of the russian army in ukraine. and i am going to defend russian culture now... you are? you feel it is important to defend russian culture? not for myself. not, i am not an advocate for russian culture. it will survive. ukrainian culture and needs help at the moment because it is in danger. ukrainian cultural institutions are destroyed. artists can't practice their art. they are dying on the battlefield. that is much more important. and i don't think in the near future we are going to see big tourism in the region. that is ok, they will survive. i think the world has to make sure that ukraine wins,

and this dangerous russian fascism is stopped. in that very statement, you have expressed your convictions, in a sense your activism, as a campaigner against this war and against vladimir putin. you have expectations of russian artists. what do you expect from them, in terms of a public statement, a declaration, a position on what is happening? in february, when it all started, i first remember, i remember my first thoughts were that is the end of putin because i thought millions of russians would be out on the streets to protest. there were hundreds of russians, not millions... and to be fair to them, they were extraordinarily brave people, because they got

arrested. absolutely, yes. the first week, i think the state was just watching them, and then the arrests started, the new laws that do not allow them to call the war, the war. so you can be arrested for that. you cannot expect people to protest when they face imprisonment or other dangers for themselves and their families. but you have expected that, haven't you? because you have made statements saying you are deeply disappointed with those artists who have remained silent, and that silence is not an option in the current situation. let me explain my position. i think if the artists in russia, those who represent the great russian culture, want to continue going back and forth, and publicly support

putin, that is not acceptable. it cannot be accepted by the west, i think, because of obvious reasons. it is not always as simple as that, though, is it? let's take a specific case, i would be interested to know what you think of it. one of the great sopranos in the world, admired and loved in russia, and in concert halls she plays in and around the world. she, after the invasion, she said she condemned the war, she did not want war. but what she didn't do was condemn or criticise vladimir putin himself. it seems she managed to upset everybody, those in russia were angry that she condemned the war, those outside russia wanted much more in terms of a criticism of vladimir putin. she now seems to have been "cancelled" both inside russia and in many concert halls outside russia. is that fair?

i wish she had made a clearer statement. i think her desire to avoid consequences on both sides made her statement really unclear, and confusing, and that is why she is facing the situation. is it fair, and i ask this with all respect for everything you were doing, but is it fairfor you to draw thosejudgements sitting here with me in london, living in new york, based in the west, is it fair for you to tell russian artists who live, and have family inside russia, who see the consequences of speaking out against putin, is it fair for you to criticise them orjudge them? probably not, because they are not safe, but when you compare their situation

to the situation of ukrainian artists, i think thejudgment is more clear. we discussed the life and death of oleksandr shapoval. the existence of the whole nation is in danger. theatres, libraries, schools, colleges, universities, cultural sites. many institutions of historical significance are destroyed. i talked about the years you spent in russia, the network you have built up inside the artistic community. because of your stand and your expectations of others, have you lost in relationships, lost friendships, because of this? yeah, i lost a lot of friendships. and that is very hard, it is very painful. can you tell me about some of the conversations you have had with people you used

to regard as friends? when it all started, because it was so hectic and so inexplicable, i thought, ballet dancers and all of us concentrate on ballet, we're so focused from a very early age, we live in a very narrow world, you need to practice, you need to prepare for performances, and that takes your whole attention, so very few of the ballet people that i know are political at all, most of them are just, you know, have a passing by... so i was writing letters to my close friends, dancers who i admired, worked very closely, saying, guys, listen, maybe you don't have any information, you don't know what is going on, i tried not to be emotional, but i just gave them facts

reported by international news outlets. how many killed, how many are refugees... and what was their response to facts? silence. or, let's not mix politics and art. we are doing art, we want to concentrate on that. that is an interesting point. i just want to ask you whether you now feel there is a basis for, if i can use a word like this, derussifying the artistic output that we see in the west? for example, the bolshoi ballet was cancelled from performances in london. in cardiff, in wales, they cancelled a tchaikovsky concert.

you are performing giselle, one of those classic ballets that is not russian, is that deliberate? do you think that there has to be a de—russification of culture? swan lake, the most famous of all ballets, was always used as a political tool by the soviet powers. so today, performing swan lake nowadays many millions of people. so you do not want to see it? on the other hand it is much more complex than that. but what does tchaikovsky have with in common with what is going on now? he is the most sensitive

and human of all composers. the bolshoi ballet like the marinksy ballet or any other big cultural institutions in russia, they are state funded. they pay the state as well from their benefits, and this money is used for killing ukrainians. a lot of my ballets are — were — performed by russian companies. when the war started, i asked them to suspend my ballets. they have licence, i cannot do anything about it. and they sort of agreed, then they started performing again. the knowledge that the taxes the dancers pay and the spectators pay and the theatre pays from benefits are used to kill my fellow countrymen is horrific.

the bolshoi ballet is probably the most renowned ballet company in the world. you have a long association with it. i just wonder whether you feel it is impossible for you to imagine ever working with them again, or indeed, frankly, ever returning to russia again? until the war ends, and there is a clear denouncement of what happened, and putin is sued for his crimes, not only him but the army of propagandists, the military, and his government, i don't think it would be possible for me to go back. but i hope that russia will change and i can return, because it is a part of me.

how ambitious are you for the ukrainian ballet? you have built this group from scratch. now, of course, it is temporary and many of them will go back to ukraine, many of them have very difficult circumstances, but would you like to see in the future this planting a seed of a sort of artistic renaissance inside ukraine? yes, that is a great ambition and hope. i do want these dancers to go back to their home companies and continue their lives there. this situation is very dramatic because let's say ballet students, growing up, they left the country, they left their schools, they installed in different schools and i have to say that the ballet community around the world has been very helpful, giving them spaces to live and study. now you get attached to your class, to your teachers,

you learn the repertoire of the companies, and it might be impossible for them to return. so when the war ends, and ukraine starts to rebuild its life back to normal, we might need to start everything from scratch. final thought, do you think this war and the experience you have had in the last crazy six, seven months, it has clearly affected you deeply as a person. do you think it has forever affected your art form as well? do you think you might actually look at ballet differently from now on? yeah. it did change me, absolutely. at the beginning, i was not able to imagine choreographing, creating a ballet, but i finally did, and i used ukrainian music and ukrainian design. it is going to premiere

next week in seattle, the ballet�*s done, and it is a different me. in a way, a new start for you. i have never worked with ukrainian dancers since my youth in kyiv. so it is a new beginning. that is where we have to end. alexei ratmansky, it has been a pleasure talking to you on hardtalk. 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 some 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 actually 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 down the western coast, one or two spots may avoid showers altogether, but quite breezy compared to of late. strongest winds in the west,

gusting up to 50mph. and of course it all adds up to 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 most 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, 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 with showers due to a shift in wind direction, so some eastern areas will stay dry for longer. and temperatures, ii—is, it will feel cool. the winds starting to ease down a little bit, heavier, 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 light. 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.

this is bbc news — i'm sally bundock with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. a moment of history for italy — giorgia meloni's election victory puts her in line to be the country's first female prime minister, and the first from the far right since mussolini. if we are called to govern this nation, we will do so on everybody�*s behalf, for all italians, with an objective of uniting the people. the pound plummets to its lowest ever level against the us dollar after the uk chancellor's historic tax cuts, funded by huge increases in borrowing. cubans give their verdict on legalising same—sex marriage