welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm mariko oi. the headlines. as warnings grow about china's threat to taiwan, we report from the island's front line. this is the chinese city ofjinmen, one of the wealthiest in china. and this behind me is the taiwanese military outpost called lion rock. the british prime minister fights on as her future hangs in the balance, with warnings of spending cuts. fears for the safety of an iranian athlete who took part in a climbing competition not wearing a hijab. as the bbc celebrates its 100th anniversary, we look ahead at the challenges it faces.

it's 6am here in singapore and also in taiwan, where a retired military commander has told the bbc the island would be unable resist the use of force by an increasingly assertive china. it follows a warning by the us secretary of state anthony blinken that beijing is pursuing unification on a much faster timeline than previously thought. our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes has been to front line taiwanese island ofjinmen, just a few kilometres off the chinese coast, to assess the growing threat.

the island ofjinmen is so close to china, they used to blast anti—communist propaganda from these giant speakers to people living on the chinese coast. it all looks peaceful today, a tourist curiosity. but twice in the last 70 years, china has tried to cross these narrow straits. the island is still a fortress covered in tunnels, bunkers and lookouts. so the main island of taiwan is 150 kilometres away across the taiwan strait, but this is the realfront line between taiwan and mainland china. across there is a chinese city, one of the wealthiest in china, and this behind me is the taiwanese military outpost lion rock, and it's from here that a chinese drone flew over the top of the outpost on september 1st, and

theyit the outpost on september 1st, and they it down. the last time chinese troops tried to come up these beaches, they were no match for taiwan's forces, but this retired colonel says today it would be completely different. translation:- completely different. translation: ., �*, translation: now it's the opposite, the aa- translation: now it's the opposite, the gap between _ translation: now it's the opposite, the gap between china's _ translation: now it's the opposite, the gap between china's military - the gap between china's military power and taiwan's is getting bigger and bigger, their military power is getting stronger and stronger. xi jinping is determined to use military force, taiwan couldn't stop them. in military force, taiwan couldn't stop them. , , ., ., military force, taiwan couldn't stop them. , , . ., , ., , them. in july, taiwan put on this hue them. in july, taiwan put on this huge military _ them. in july, taiwan put on this huge military drill, _ them. in july, taiwan put on this huge military drill, aiming - them. in july, taiwan put on this huge military drill, aiming to - them. in july, taiwan put on this i huge military drill, aiming to show how well—prepared the island is to fend off a chinese attack. instead, critics say it showed how vulnerable taiwan's forces are to a bigger, more modern, more heavily armed both. 0ne more modern, more heavily armed both. one of the fiercest critics used to command taiwan's armed forces. if used to command taiwan's armed forces. ., used to command taiwan's armed forces. . . ., forces. if we remain unchanged, we will be defeated, _

forces. if we remain unchanged, we will be defeated, certainly, - forces. if we remain unchanged, we will be defeated, certainly, no - will be defeated, certainly, no doubt. i urge the government, you have to take action. you have to take action right now. we don't have time to consider or research and study, again and again, time is not on our side. he study, again and again, time is not on our side-— on our side. he is not the only one to feel a sense _ on our side. he is not the only one to feel a sense of— on our side. he is not the only one to feel a sense of urgency. - to feel a sense of urgency. thousands of civilians are joining training programmes like this one, to learn how to fight if war comes. like all the young men here, this man has done his military service, and he says it taught him nothing about realfighting. ida. and he says it taught him nothing about real fighting.— about realfighting. no, we didn't learn anything — about realfighting. no, we didn't learn anything about _ about realfighting. no, we didn't learn anything about rifles - about realfighting. no, we didn't learn anything about rifles or - about realfighting. no, we didn't. learn anything about rifles or guns, no. but you learn about the concept, i never touched a gun in 11 months. when you live with a threat so close for so long, it's easy to become complacent, to believe it won't happen. but as admiral li put it to

me, no country can rely on the kindness of its enemy. as china builds its military strength, its emerged the country is employing former british military pilots for training. up to 30 ex—uk military staff are believed to have travelled to china for salaries of up to £240,000. it doesn't break any british laws, but the government in london is considering legislation to stop it happening. i'm joined by ian black, a former raf fighter pilot for more than 20 years. thank you forjoining us. aside from that huge salary that's been reported, why do you think a former pilot would do this? it’s reported, why do you think a former pilot would do this?— pilot would do this? it's a very difficult question _ pilot would do this? it's a very difficult question to _ difficult question to answer. 0bviously difficult question to answer. obviously the money is a huge draw. perhaps covid had a part in it, when

so many pilots were laid off in the far east, that could have attracted them. and i guess because fighter pilots always want to fly jet fighters, so i don't suppose it matters where they are doing it. however, if you are a british pilot, and you drive for the royal air force, teaching a non—friendly nation like china your tactics and skills is definitely not, as we say in the uk, cricket. i skills is definitely not, as we say in the uk, cricket.— in the uk, cricket. i understand those former _ in the uk, cricket. i understand those former pilots _ in the uk, cricket. i understand those former pilots are - in the uk, cricket. i understand those former pilots are still - in the uk, cricket. i understand i those former pilots are still bound by official secrets act, so what are the chinese hoping to learn from them? �* , the chinese hoping to learn from them? �*, ., ,_, them? there's obviously a huge cultural difference _ them? there's obviously a huge cultural difference in _ them? there's obviously a huge cultural difference in the - them? there's obviously a huge cultural difference in the way i cultural difference in the way chinese pilots fly and the way british pilots fly. what would worry me now is, with artificial intelligence and the way computers can work so quickly now, you would think before that may be the language barrier would be a difficulty of having an english pilot in the front or back of an

aircraft, and a chinese pilot in the front or back, but with google translate, you can talk to someone in english and it would translate into chinese very quickly. so they could impart all their knowledge, and i guess the chinese would be looking for how western air forces live, how they train, how they engage their enemy. the worrying thing of course would be that if these pilots are flying fifth generation fighters like the typhoon, the f 35, and they could tell the chinese how to defeat those aircraft. that is the big worry, they would maybe not consciously but surreptitiously telling the chinese, this is the best way to engage, this is the best way to defeat the f 35, so that is a huge worry. the british government _ so that is a huge worry. the british government is _ so that is a huge worry. the british government is now _ so that is a huge worry. the british government is now talking - government is now talking about changing the law, trying to stop this, is that a good idea in your

view? ., , this, is that a good idea in your view? . , �* , ., ., view? certainly it's a good idea. i mean, view? certainly it's a good idea. i mean. you _ view? certainly it's a good idea. i mean. you can't— view? certainly it's a good idea. i mean, you can't have... - view? certainly it's a good idea. i mean, you can't have... pilots i view? certainly it's a good idea. i i mean, you can't have... pilots have a shelf life. a fairly limited shelf life. example, i haven't flown a jet fighterfor life. example, i haven't flown a jet fighter for maybe ten or 15 years, so my knowledge is very limited, but the people they would be targeting are the pilots who are maybe one or two years out of the cockpit. those are the people who have a very in—depth knowledge of current tactics, missile doctor ins, laws of engagement, so those are the people, perhaps the government could say, after you leave the british air force, the us air force, the french air force, forfive force, the us air force, the french air force, for five years you are not allowed to teach chinese or russian air forces. not allowed to teach chinese or russian airforces. —— missile doctrines. afterfive russian airforces. —— missile doctrines. after five years, russian airforces. —— missile doctrines. afterfive years, the world is changing so rapidly, technology changes so rapidly, the information they possess is probably going to be meaningless anyway.

thank you so much forjoining us. pleasure. let's take a look at some of the stories around the world. russia's new military commander in ukraine has said he's preparing to evacuate people from the occupied city of kherson. general sergey surovkin has been put in charge of trying to hold back ukraine's counter—offensive, but has admitted that the situation on the ground is difficult. a new york court has ordered a french cement company to pay nearly $780 million for its payouts to the so—called islamic state group during the war in syria. la farge admitted that it had paid the terrorist organisation and other armed groups money, in exchange for protection of its staff at its plant in kobane. aid workers in somalia say children suffering from severe malnutrition are being admitted for medical treatment at the rate of one a minute.

the un fears many thousands more have been unable to get help because of insecurity caused by islamist militants. the worst drought in a0 years has left nearly half the population needing help. protests have been taking place in cities across france as thousands of transport workers, civil servants and teachers within their department to help plug the gap in the uk's finances. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth reports. reporter: is she finished now?

as ministers met this morning the questions continued. this part of the cotswolds is typical conservative turf. liz truss came here to make her pitch to party members over the summer, so now she has had to ditch much of what she offered and apologise, where does that leave the party members who just months ago made her prime minister? i voted for liz truss but i regret it. the values that i hold don't seem to be the values that some modern conservatives are holding, and ijust don't understand some of the decisions that have been made. they are not conservative decisions. i've been a memberforyears and this is the first time i'm totally questioning it, and it's because we are not uniting. ifeel we're more backstabbing and we're destroying our own party from the inside.

we have a prime minister, we should be supporting her. in westminster, efforts are under way to shore up support. the cabinet told today, spending cuts are coming in the quest for economic credibility, with almost everything on the table — even, potentially, pensions. that could mean more unpopular decisions, and in here there's already deep unrest. though conservative mps don't agree on the path or the person they should now follow. for some, the economic choices the prime minister makes with her new chancellor could be key. if the two of them work together and are a success, and i'm going to do everything i can to try and make sure that that is the case, then i think she will lead us into the next election. if it's not a success and if it doesn't work, then the conservative parliamentary party will have to think again. labour say any further shift should be the choice of the country, not the conservative party. many people now feel that the real risk now is carrying on with this lot rather than actually having

a general election, bringing in a labour government, and securing our economy. that's the first thing that absolutely needs to be done. back in the cotswolds these are the conservatives who will be knocking on doors. with warnings of difficult decisions on tax and spending to come, there is little consensus about the right path or the prime minister. she persuaded me, i thought she was very strong, she seemed to come across very well. so i voted for liz in the end but she really has become quite a weak personality. i'm afraid that i feel that she should go. i didn't vote for liz. i voted for rishi. but i have a prime minister and a chancellor who i respect, the democratic decision, and i want to give it time to see whether the changes in the policies will actually bear fruit. the needs of the country come before the needs of our party. _ we are a patriotic partyj and we need somebody in place immediately, i so i don't think that there is simply the time to-

have a leadership contest. these conversations are taking place at every level of the conservative party right across the country, and that is where the consequences of the choices made in westminster will be felt, too. alex forsyth, bbc news, in the cotswolds. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme. it's three weeks to the crucial us midterm elections and the battle for power in capitol hill is heating up. we'll have the latest on the campaign trail. a historic moment that many of his victims have waited forfor decades. the former dictator in the dock older, slimmer and, as he sat down, obedient enough. dawn, and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plane, it lights up a biblicalfamine —

now, in the 20th century. the depressing conclusion — in argentina today, it is actually cheaper to paper your walls with money. we've had controversies i in the past with great britain, but as good friends, _ we have always come to a good and lasting solution. concorde bows out in style after almost three decades in service. an aircraft that has enthralled its many admirers for so long taxis home one last time. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i in singapore. an iranian athlete who competed in a climbing event in south korea without her hijab says it

dropped off by mistake. some saw the move as a gesture of solidarity with the recent protests against the compulsory hijab laws in iran. a post on elnaz rekabi's instagram account says it was "unintentional" and that she is on her way back to iran with the rest of the team. bbc persian's rana rahimpour reports. this iranian climber has become a symbol for the protest movement, for not wearing the mandatory headscarf. elnaz rekabi was representing her country in south korea, when she made what appears to be a very public show of support for women back home, who are fighting against the compulsory hijab. to the alarm of her family and friends, elnaz rekabi then vanished from her hotel. there are reports her phone was confiscated. this post then appeared on her instagram.

bbc persian understands she was sent home early, with one theory that the authorities wanted to avoid protestors gathering at tehran airport to welcome her. in 2020, iranian chess umpire shohreh bayat also refused to cover her hair at an international competition. i was asked exactly to write an apology letter on my instagram, and to apologise publicly and i was given a list of things to do. she later sought asylum in the uk. the biggest anti—government protests in more than a0 years started after the death of a young kurdish woman in morality police custody, for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. human rights groups say at least 200 people have been killed and thousands detained.

women continue to protest, whatever the risks. rani rahimpour, bbc news. it's just three weeks to go till the crucial us midterm elections, which could see the power of balance change in washington. republicans are hoping to retake both the house and the senate. president biden has been out in the last few hours talking about an issue the democratic party see as key to getting people to vote for them. abortion. your right to choose, it rests with you. and if you do your part and vote democratic leaders to congress, i promise we will do our part. i will do my part. and with your support, i will sign a law codifying roe injanuary. together, let's remember who we are, we are the united states of america, and there's nothing beyond our capacity. so vote, vote, vote! i'm joined now by our north america

correspondent peter bowes. thank you forjoining us. that was president biden talking about abortion, which is of course a huge issue, but is the president trying to rally voters because his approval rating is otherwise not great? his rating is otherwise not great? fl 3 approval rating is not great and it hasn't been for some time, but the president is doing everything he can to get voters to help his party, the democrats, retain congress, because thatis democrats, retain congress, because that is crucial to him as president for the next two years, to achieve his agenda. and abortion is close to the top of that agenda. it is one of thoseissues the top of that agenda. it is one of those issues that traditionally isn't an election issue, elections are generally fought on the economy, and probably will be this time. a lot of people in the country are hurting because of the cost of

living crisis, because of rising inflation. and the challenge for the president and for the democrats is to get people to balance their concerns, and clearly abortion is a big concern for many women in this country. what the president is promising to do, as hejust said, is too enshrined into law the rights of women to have an abortion if they choose, across this country. —— to enshrined into law. it will be an uphill task to get the votes in november, but this is why he is doing it, three weeks ahead of polling day, to focus minds on that issue. ., ., ., ., issue. you mentioned inflation, the cost of living _ issue. you mentioned inflation, the cost of living crisis _ issue. you mentioned inflation, the cost of living crisis and _ issue. you mentioned inflation, the cost of living crisis and so _ issue. you mentioned inflation, the cost of living crisis and so on. i issue. you mentioned inflation, the cost of living crisis and so on. howl cost of living crisis and so on. how big an issue is that for voters compared to issues like abortion? i think it's a very big issue. people are hurting every day. you've only got to drive past a petrol station and look at the price of a gallon of

gas in this country. it continues to rise. there was a bit of a lull a few weeks ago but prices seem to be rising again. those kinds of concerns, can i pay the rent at the end of the month? the mortgage payment? those issues motivate people traditionally at elections. it also has to be said, for an incumbent democrat in the white house, it would be expected that that party would probably lose seats in congress at the midterm elections, the same applies to republicans. so it is a challenge for the democrats. interesting that this country continues to be so divided. i am speaking to you from california. there is a raise here where there is a incumbent republican battling to keep his seat from a democrat who has been campaigning strongly on the abortion issue. —— a race here. campaigning strongly on the abortion issue. -- a race here.— indonesia has announced plans

to demolish the football stadium where at least 131 fans died and hundreds were injured in a stampede earlier this month. presidentjoko widodo said the kanjuruhan stadium in malang would be rebuilt according to safety standards set by the sport's governing body fifa. the bbc has turned 100 years old. it started in 1922 as the british broadcasting company, with just four employees and a promise that there would be no news broadcasts before 7pm. 0ur media editor amol rajan reports. 2l0, marconi house, london. a century ago this country did a curious thing. it set up a company that would use wireless communication to engage the public. and so, the bbc was born. put the statement in. get everything off. ten seconds. 0ver that century it has faced few bigger tests than the death of her majesty queen elizabeth ii.

do we have the go? yeah. we can go, chris. let's do it. yeah. a few moments ago, buckingham palace announced the death of her— majesty queen elizabeth ii. the bbc is interrupting normal programmes. 0pt in. for 100 years now, the bbc has been a mirror to the nation. from the announcement of war... this country is at war with germany. ..reflecting every aspect of our lives... fairly thundery with some... 0h. dean _ ..from sporting glory... they think it's all over. it is now. it's four. | ..to the birth of local radio... we've had the postmaster general to open the station. the lord mayor of leicester... after hours of shooting... gunfire ..and facing a line of troops the crowd is still here. ..and the unfolding of world history. i'm going to give you i a damn good thrashing! the corporation has created

countless smaller cultural institutions, from shows across genres such as comedy... laughter dr who theme ..and programmes in drama... ..to national treasures. there is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance. along the way, the bbc has made a habit of annoying prime ministers. thank you for what the bbc, if they are true to their usual form, will tonight describe as a hostile reception. laughter and been responsible for some appalling scandals. throughout its century, technological innovation has powered the bbc, from the birth of collective eavesdropping known as radio to alexandra palace here in north london where the first public television transmissions were made, new technologies allow the bbc to reach ever bigger audiences and secure its emotional

contract with the people. but today's new technologies, the internet, smartphones, social media have weakened the bbc�*s grip on our culture, together with political pressure, threatened its future. in an age of super—abundant choice there is a generational divide in consumption of bbc shows. older people remain deeply attached, and mostly, willing to pay. young people, less so. now i will bid you tonight. the next tonight will be tomorrow night. goodnight. britain has changed almost beyond recognition over a century, and so has the bbc. this is the bbc television service. to remain relevant, vital and loved, it needs to use the latest technology to secure a new contract with the people, and persuade them that it is worth paying for. across the nations and the regions for the news where you are, goodbye. amol rajan, bbc news.

a lot of special programmes to celebrate the 100th birthday of the bbc across the week, join up if you can. hello again. yesterday once the early morning mist and fog patch cleared out of the way, most parts of the uk had plenty of sunshine but there was a big contrast in temperatures from north to south. across england and wales, very mild weather and in parts of sussex, temperatures as high as 20 degrees but even though we had sunshine across the north of the uk in scotland, here, it was much cooler with temperatures in shetland just reaching 10 degrees and the reason, we had cooler air mass underneath an area of high pressure and moving eastwards to the next few days in this area of low pressure

tour southwest really days abd this area of low pressure in the southwest really is going to dominate, it will be very slow and to even more unsuitable weather conditions, really, the transition is taking place right now and dressing up of rain arrived with strengthening winds and look at this, towards the start of wednesday morning at the end of the night, temperatures are looking in plymouth or the temperatures are higher than they should be during the middle of the afternoon. let alone the end of the night. for the rest of wednesday, these bands of rain are going to be erratically working their way northwards into the further east as we go to the day, i suspect parts of east anglia northeast england and scotland will stay dry but there will be more cloud around and a few sunny spells in the wind your candidate in the 30s, still very mild and 15 to 19 for england and wales and temperatures close to a bit

below average for scotland and northern ireland. for thursday, another band of rain comes up and this was going to be heavier and some rumbles of thunder as it swings across all the country and this does tend to clear and there could be some further healthy showers arriving later in the day from the south. temperatures still mild, 16 to 19 for england and wales and temperatures raising in northern ireland. on friday, the low pressure still firmly in charge and there will be plenty of showers around potentially merging to get some lengthier spells of rain towards parts of wales, western england and northern ireland closer to that centre of low pressure. but it's mild to give a temperature starting to write a little bit in scotland with highs heading to 15 degrees or so to the central belt and at the pressure is stuck with us for the weekend and it's a case

this is bbc news, the headlines a retired military commander in taiwan has told the bbc the island would be unable resist the use of force by china. it follows a warning by the us that beijing may act on unification sooner than previously thought. the british prime minister liz truss has spent the day battling to regain her authority amid unrest within her party. at cabinet in the morning, ministers were told to find savings within their departments. joe biden has promised to reinstate nationwide abortion rights if the democrats retain control of congress after the midterm elections. the democrats have made the issue a central part of their campaign. an iranian athlete who competed in a climbing championship without covering her hair says her hijab dropped by mistake. the comments were published on her instagram page.