more chaos and confusion in a vote on fracking, revealing the depth of anger among conservative mps. we have a special report from the frontline in ukraine's donbas, with russian positions just a few hundred metres away. some small arms fire, probably from a russian scouting party. they are looking to get out of here back to the main headquarters. president biden signs off the release of oil supplies from the us strategic reserve in an attempt to limit global price rises. rediscovering iraq's cultural heritage — archaeologists find ancient rock carvings, six years after the islamic state group tried to destroy them.

hello. a very warm welcome to the programme. the british government has been plunged into fresh chaos after the resignation of its home secretary, suella braverman, and accusations by some members of the governing conservative party that they had been manhandled into supporting the government in a vote in parliament. in her resignation letter, ms braverman accused the prime minister liz truss of pretending there had been no mistakes and hoping everything would "magically come right". later, two ministers in charge of party discipline were rumoured to have resigned but it was later announced that they are to remain in post. here's the bbc�*s political editor chris mason. tonight at westminster, rolling case studies in chaos — crises engulfing the government by the hour. the home secretary resigns. those at the highest level in government don't

even know if others have followed her. at teatime, a man who was rebelling against liz truss just days ago was appointed by her as home secretary. i accept that the government has obviously had a very difficult period. what i do know is that there is a very importantjob to do, people expect their government to ensure there is security for them, the home office is at the heart of that in so many different ways, it is a great office of state, and i'm honoured to do that role. how long can the prime minister last? never mind the prime minister — well, for now at least — it is suella braverman who has gone. this was her yesterday, today she is out, because this morning she sent an official document from her personal e—mail account — a breach of the rules. in a zinger of a resignation letter to the prime minister, suella braverman wrote, "pretending we haven't made mistakes,

"carrying on as if everyone can't see "that we have made them and hoping "that things will magically come right is not serious "politics. "i have made a mistake, i accept responsibility, "i resign." she continues, "i have concerns about the "direction of this government — not "only have we broken key pledges that "were promised to our voters, but i have had serious concerns "about this government's commitment "to honouring manifesto commitments." last month, suella braverman was promoted to one of the great offices of state. she cheered on a prime minister in trouble at the party conference. today, she becomes the shortest serving home secretary since the second world war. all that after a summer in which she pitched to be prime minister herself. don't vote for me because i am a woman. don't vote for me because i am brown. vote for me because i love this country and because i would

do anything for it. a hellish week for liz truss has got worse. earlier, she had to endure a prime ministers question time loaded with humiliation. a book is being written about the prime minister's time in office. apparently it is going to be out by christmas. is that the release date or the title? i have been in office forjust under two months, and i have delivered the energy price guarantee, i have reversed the national insurance increase. mr speaker, that is more of a record of action and the honourable gentleman in his two and half years in the job. the prime minister defiant, the labour leader said she had crashed the economy, put bills up and was now cutting spending. and, he said, she ditched everything she had stood for. 45p tax cut, gone. corporation tax cut, gone.

20p tax cut, gone. two year energy freeze, gone! economic credibility, gone! they are all gone! so why�*s she still here?! the prime minister stands up, the folder is slammed down, and liz truss insisted: i am a fighter and not a quitter! but what policies will survive given the new chancellor is looking over all sorts of promises? news from the prime minister — the state pension will rise in line with spiralling prices after all. can the prime minister perhaps turn to a chancellor right now, get permission to make another u—turn and commit to raising the state pension at the rate of inflation? prime minister! we will maintain the triple lock, i and i am completely committed to it, - so is the chancellor.

tonight, the next flashpoint — a vote on fracking, drilling into the land to extract gas — was turned by downing street into a serious test of loyalty in the government itself. division, clear the lobby! compelling conservatives to back it will face being kicked out of the parliamentary party — a weak government attempting a show of strength and then seemingly changing its mind. in the voting lobbies, confusion, tory mps not even knowing the consequence for them of their vote. and afterwards, this extraordinary allegation from a labour mp. i saw members being physically manhandled into another lobby and being bullied. while crying! if we want to stand up against the bullying in this house of our staff, we have to stop bullying in this chamber as well, don't we?

we will have a little bit of good - behaviour for a moment — i on both sides of the house! the mp who it was suggested was manhandled and said he had had what was described as a frank and robust conversation. some conservative mps then told the bbc the chief whip, in charge of party discipline, had resigned — livid at the chaos over whether this was a vote of confidence in the government or not. and then watch this, a senior cabinet minister who didn't know what was going on. i'm not entirely clear on what the situation is with the chief whip, there has been an element of confusion over whether it was a confidence vote or not. tory mps cannot believe the dysfunction they are witnessing. i think it is a shambles and a disgrace. i think it is utterly appalling. you seem quietly furious. iam livid, and i really

shouldn't say this, but i hope all those people that put liz truss in numberten, i hope it was worth it, i hope it was worth it for the ministerial red box, to sit around the cabinet table, because the damage they have done to our party is extraordinary. what is happening with chief whip? it was a great victory today, chief whip, great credit to her. tonight, many senior conservatives gathered at a private members club. is it right to be having champagne while the government is collapsing, sir graham? they don't know, we don't know, how long this government has left. after a day like today, it's life expectancy has shortened further. chris mason reporting there. professor garret martin is from the school of international service at the american university in washington. professor, in recent years we

have looked across the atlantic at american politics and thought, goodness, what is going on and what comes next? i dare say this is being reciprocated in the other direction right now. yes, absolutely, _ direction right now. yes, absolutely, it _ direction right now. yes, absolutely, it has - direction right now. yes, absolutely, it has been l direction right now. yes, - absolutely, it has been quite a spectacle to look from my side of the pond to the state of british politics. i think, to be fair, this has been a story that has been happening over the course of years, if you go back to what happened over brexit, and the scandals with borisjohnson. but even by those standards the recent events have been absolutely astonishing with the rapidity at which the legal fortunes of liz truss seem to have collapsed. it liz truss seem to have collapsed-— liz truss seem to have colla sed. , , ., collapsed. it is interesting to carner collapsed. it is interesting to garner the — collapsed. it is interesting to garner the opinion _ collapsed. it is interesting to garner the opinion of - collapsed. it is interesting to garner the opinion of how. garner the opinion of how countries around the world are viewing this, but i suppose the us particularly so, given that phrase that is used so often, the special relationship between the two countries. how do you think the us views britain as a strategic trade

and military partner in light of all of this? i and military partner in light of all of this?— of all of this? i think there is no doubt _ of all of this? i think there is no doubt that _ of all of this? i think there is no doubt that the - is no doubt that the accumulation of these internal scandals or internal moments of crises really hurt the credibility of the united kingdom with its closest allies, including the united states. there is, of course, a long political camp where the relationship is deeply ingrained, buti relationship is deeply ingrained, but i think it is particularly troublesome if you consider the gravity of the situation that there western world is facing, the serious challenges that are happening outside, whether rossa's actions in ukraine or rising china, i think is real concern that it china, i think is real concern thatitis china, i think is real concern that it is absolutely not help all to have the uk government be consumed by these internal battles. and i would think also one of the additional challenges, which are similar, if you think about what happened 6 january if you think about what happened 6january in the united states, is allies will ask, rightfully so, if there are any guarantees that successive governments will be any better? whether they will

be in the same situation moving forward. , ., forward. given the impact that the financial _ forward. given the impact that the financial decisions - forward. given the impact that the financial decisions by - forward. given the impact that the financial decisions by the l the financial decisions by the liz truss administration have had on the currency, weakening the pound, although it has since recovered somewhat against the dollar, the us dollar was already strong. a week pounds, presumably, puts pressure on american exporters as well, it makes them more expensive and potentially to british importers buying less from them, so that can't be well received that.- well received that. no, absolutely _ well received that. no, absolutely not. - well received that. no, absolutely not. keep . well received that. no, i absolutely not. keep in well received that. no, - absolutely not. keep in mind that, of course, if the inflation numbers we are seeing inflation numbers we are seeing in the united kingdom, i believe, over 10% for the month of september, particularly striking even in comparison, the united states, much like other countries in the western world, is also facing significant pressure from rising costs, from inflation, and from economic adversity. the biden administration is also doing its utmost to try and address that and reassure,

you know, american voters that it is, it has a plan and it is taking these concerns seriously. and so i think additional external pressures such as the one you refer to are certainly not going to help the situation.— the situation. 0k, professor garret martin, _ the situation. 0k, professor garret martin, from - the situation. 0k, professor garret martin, from the - garret martin, from the american university thank you very much. my american university thank you very much-— american university thank you very much. my pleasure. thank ou. president putin has announced heightened security measures across russia, including the annexed crimea, and declared martial law in the four unlawfully occupied regions of ukraine. the move, in the luhansk, donetsk, zaporizhzhia, and kherson regions, allows the stopping of people's movement, forced labour for defence purposes and the confiscation of property. the new general in charge of the russian invasion has admitted that the situation for his troops remains tense. in kherson, russia has started moving civilians, as ukrainian troops on the counter—offensive are closing in. in the east, ukrainian troops have also recaptured thousands

of miles of territory. our defence correspondent jonathan beale has been with ukrainian forces on the frontline as they advance east of the city of lyman. and a warning that this report contains some distressing images. the road of retreat. a dead end for some, where these russian forces met their own armageddon. the carcasses of tanks, armoured vehicles and bloated dead bodies scatter the ground of the recently liberated east. a village now the new front line for these ukrainian troops. artillery still within range of russian artillery, the signature sound of this war. russian positions are just 500 metres away. you can see they're getting... telling us to get down here. come on, let's go.

but this war also involves close quarters combat, as we're about to find out. gunfire shouting gunfire a grenade's fired into the tree line from where the russians were firing. as we make a speedy exit. let's get out. we're getting out of here. some small arms fire, probably from a russian scouting party.

so they've been telling us to get out of here back to the main headquarters. russian forces have been trying to outflank them. gunfire radio chatter many of these troops only volunteered at the start of the war. months of fighting has transformed them into a professional army. but these counter—attacks are slowing their advance. volodymyr, the captain, tells us they need more armour and they need more reinforcements. the push east is testing supply

lines. most bridges blown, ukraine has had to lie on amphibious craft and boats to keep feeding the frontline. they have onlyjust completed the construction of this new crossing. ukraine is still advancing, but it is getting harder. jonathan beale, bbc news, donbas. president biden says the us will sell off a further 15 million barrels of crude oil from its emergency supplies. the release is meant to prevent prices rising after the oil—producing nations, led by saudi arabia, said they'd cut production. speaking in washington, president biden called on american oil companies to pass on lower prices to consumers. my message to the american energy companies is this — you should not be

using your profits to buy back stock or for dividends. not now. not while a war is raging. you should be using these record—breaking profits to increase production and refining. invest in america for the american people. bring down the price you charge at the pump to reflect what you pay for the product. president brian there. —— biden. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: we'll tell you why these ancient rock carvings in the iraqi city of mosul are being celebrated by archaeologists. a historic moment that many of his victims have waited for for 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 plain outside korum, it lights up a biblical famine 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 in the past with great britain, but as good friends, we have always found 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 bbc world news. our stop story this hour: the uk government has been engulfed in further chaos after the home secretary resigned and launched an attack on liz truss's premiership. the former us president donald trump has testified

in a defamation case brought against him by a prominent former american columnist who says he raped her in the 1990s. he denies the allegation. a little earlier, our north america correspondent peter bowes told me what this case is about. ejean carroll is a long—time columnist with elle magazine, and in a book in 2019, she claimed that she had been raped by donald trump in the changing room of a department store in new york city in the mid—1990s. when she made this allegation, donald trump was the us president. he responded by saying that he had never met her, and he said, "she's not my type and she's totally lying." and in response to his response, she launched this lawsuit, saying that his comments had damaged her reputation. in the last two or three years, there has been a lot of legal

back and forth, but it has got to the point where the judge in the case ordered both sides to provide their sworn depositions, and that is what we understand had just happened — that in giving confidential evidence, donald trump has given his side of the story. and so, what happens from this point on then, peter? what's the next stage in all of this? the trial is scheduled to take place in february of next year. there is another complication to this already—complicated case in that for some time now donald trump's lawyers have been arguing that since he was a federal employee, he was the us president, that under a law he in fact has — or had — immunity to this kind of defamation lawsuit, and there is an appeal court ruling still pending on that. we have in the last few hours had a statement from donald trump's lawyers, and it says — i willjust quote part of it — it says: "as we have been saying all along, "our client, donald trump, "has been pleased to set the record straight." the statement goes on:

"this case is nothing more than a political ploy "like many others "in a long list of witch—hunts against donald trump." let's get some of the day's other news. the united states has warned tehran the world will be watching how it treats the iranian climber, elnaz rekabi, who has returned home after competing abroad without wearing a headscarf. earlier, large crowds turned out to greet ms rekabi at tehran airport. at least eight people have been killed in explosions at a notorious prison in myanmar. the blasts are thought to have been caused by parcel bombs, which tore through an office where mail is sorted. many of those held in the prison were detained for resisting the army coup last year. the world health organization has announced that a shortage of cholera vaccines has prompted a shift in strategy to using a single dose rather than two. the agency says there has been an unprecedented rise in outbreaks of the water—borne disease worldwide. 29 countries have

reported cases this year. archaeologists have discovered ancient rock carvings at the city of mosul�*s monumental mashki gate, a site the islamic state group tried to destroy in 2016. they include 2,700—year—old works depicting scenes from the ancient city of nineveh. tom brada reports. in early 2016, the city of mosul in iraq was under the control of the islamic state group. when is took over major cities, its militants would often lay waste to cultural treasures they'd come across, and would target ancient artefacts with impunity. that was the case with the mashki gate in mosul. this is what it once looked like. it was one of the monumental gates to the ancient assyrian city of nineveh,

which was, at one point, the largest city in the world. mosul was effectively bulldozed by the islamic state, but from within the ruins, archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery — 2,700—year—old rock carvings, preserved in magnificent detail. translation: these are | marble bas relief carvings, showing different scenes, including trees and soldiers in battle, as well as details of the gate. the chiselled artworks show a soldier preparing to fire his bow, as well as intricate vine leaves and flowing palms. the grey stone carvings date back to the rule of king sennacherib, who was in power from 705 to 681 bc. translation: the importance of this gate lies in the fact - that it is the only place containing completely preserved carvings. iraq was the birthplace of some of the world's earliest cities, and home to some of humanity's

first examples of writing. it was feared that the ruthlessness of the islamic state meant that many of iraq's treasures were lost forever. but with discoveries such as this one, there seem to be reason still to be hopeful. tom brada, bbc news. one of the most iconic paintings of 20th century british art, ls lowry�*s going to the match has been sold at auction for a record—breaking $8.81 million. the 1953 artwork features lowry�*s emblematic stick figures set in an industrial landscape of north—west england — in this case, a crowd of people heading to a football match in bolton. it was bought by the lowry arts centre in manchester, which means the painting will remain in britain and accessible to the public. just before we go, how about this for an adventure on the high seas! a couple in virginia are offering nights

aboard their own pirate ship, dubbed thejolly lodger. the two—bedroom boat comes with a skeleton crew — actual crew of skeletons. it also has a full kitchen, wi—fi and tv. there are kayaks for those who want to venture out and an outdoor picnic area. but the main draw of course is a chance to live out your pirate dreams, preferably without too much pillaging. i without too much pillaging. am not sure if the trea is i am not sure if the treasure is included. you have to find out for yourselves. see you soon. hello. wednesday brought a top temperature of 22 degrees celsius in jersey. it was a warm day for some, but a wet day for others, and that is all because of this big, broad area of low pressure, really the engine room of our weather at the moment. it's been sucking

warm air up from the south, but it's also been throwing pulses of rain northwards and it will continue to do so. a soggy start to thursday for many, but a mild start. some of the heaviest rain through the morning will be found across the south—east of england, up into east anglia, the east midlands, then into lincolnshire and parts of yorkshire. but some of that rain likely to get as far west as, say, east wales and parts of the west country. this lump, though, of really heavy rain will be working its way northwards through the day, essentially hugging this north sea coast, so running into north—east england and south—east scotland. all the while, things brightening up from northern ireland — a much drier day to come here. some sunny spells developing for wales and the south and south—west of england. not as windy as it was on wednesday and still quite warm. actually, temperatures through south wales, south—west england and the channel islands could well get close to 20 degrees. but into the evening, this lump of very heavy rain justjourneys northwards across scotland. it may tend to ease a little as the night wears on as we get into the first part of friday, then another swirl of showers pushes in from the south—west.

it does feel a little relentless in terms of these weather systems pushing up from the south, but it will be another mild start to the day. so, low pressure's still in charge for friday, quite a few white lines, isobars, squeezing together here — that shows that we will have some really strong winds. a windier day on friday, certainly around some of these western coats. showers or longer spells of rain with some thunder and lightning drifting northwards, some spells of sunshine in between. these are the wind gusts. we can expect winds gusting up to around 50mph for some of these exposed coasts of south—west england and west wales. but that wind direction, it's a warm wind direction, so where you see some sunshine in east anglia, highs perhaps of 21 degrees and a fairly warm day elsewhere as well. now, into the weekend, this first low will weaken a little, drifting northwards. there's another one hot on its heels. in between, though, this brief ridge of higher pressure, so a slice of something a little drier. i think we can say for the weekend, there will be some drier interludes, but still the chance of some rain at times.

bye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the uk government has been plunged into fresh chaos after the resignation of its home secretary, suella braverman. she accused prime minister liz truss of pretending there had been no mistakes. later two ministers in charge of party discipline were rumoured to have resigned, but it was later announced

they're to remain in post. president biden says the us will sell off