welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm mariko oi. the headlines. after weeks of chaos — liz truss leaves office — becoming the shortest—serving prime minister in british history. i cannot deliver the mandate on which i was elected by the conservative party. i have therefore spoken to his majesty the king to notify him that i am resigning as leader of the conservative party. the race is now on to find a successor — with a new prime minister due to move into downing street, by the end of next week. we'll examine whether the conservative�*s can find find a person capable

of repairing the damage. also in the programme. in beijing — the chinese communist party congress continues but some parts of the city are back under a covid lockdown. and, a jury in new york clears the actor, kevin spacey, of making unwanted sexual advances on a iii—year—old. hello and welcome to the programme. britain is set to get a new prime minister by the end of next week, after the conservative party announced details of a fast—tracked contest to choose its leader following liz truss�*s resignation. she stepped down afterjust six chaotic weeks in the job — by far the shortest tenure in british history.

her leadership foundered when the markets took fright, the pound crashed, she sacked her chancellor kwasi kwarteng and was forced into a humiliating series of u—turns. we start our coverage with the bbc�*s political editor chris mason. lunchtime in downing street — and the lectern is back. six weeks and two days since liz truss stood behind it as she became prime minister, she was back too — this time to resign. i came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills. putin's illegal war in ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent. and our country has been held back for too long by low economic growth. i was elected by the conservative party with a mandate to change this.

we delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance, and we set out a vision for a low tax high growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of brexit. i recognise, though, given the situation, i cannot deliver the mandate on which i was elected by the conservative party. i have therefore spoken to his majesty the king to notify him that i am resigning as leader of the conservative party. so what on earth happens now? this morning i met the chairman of the 1922 committee, sir graham brady. we've agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week. this will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country's economic stability and national security.

i will remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen. thank you. what an extraordinary moment. just three and a half months since borisjohnson stood at that lectern and resigned himself, now his successor has done just the same. the chaos deepens. enter, then, this man, sir graham brady, who the prime minister mentioned, who will oversee the race to replace liz truss. what's he got to say? good afternoon, everybody. there's not a great deal i can say at the moment. i have spoken to the party chairman, jake berry, and he has confirmed that it will be possible to conduct a ballot and conclude a leadership election by friday the 28th of october. do you accept that this is a complete dog's dinner? it's certainly not a circumstance that i would wish to see. so what do the other

parties make of it? the conservatives�* rivals say it's time for a general election. cor, blimey, another opponent for you to face. what do you make of it? well, it is another opponent, and, you know, we're burning through prime ministers, we're burning through chancellors, we're burning to home secretaries. and that gives it an element of soap opera, but it isn't just a soap opera and this is, you know, for many people who are facing higher prices, higher mortgages, this is real damage that's being inflicted on them. i really don't think another revolving door of chaos, another experiment at the top of the tory party, is the way out of this. what needs to happen now? on a uk level there must be a general election, . it is a democratic necessity. the idea the tories can unite | behind a prime minister now, any prime minister, let alone one that is in the public- interest is one for the birds. the tories have shown they are incapable of providing the leadership, they are not

fit to govern our country and we don't need another conservative prime minister. they need to go, we need another general election and conservative mps have got to do that patriotically duty and vote for that. how did all of this happen? the era of liz truss is far too short to even deserve that word. this was her arriving as prime minister last month. the chancellor! thank you, thank you. in short, nearly her entire programme for government imploded on contact with reality. mr speaker, we're at the beginning of a new era, and as we contemplate... shouting. that's right, a new era. "mini budget, maxi disaster," as her colleagues called this privately. the markets tanked. so did her poll ratings. and her mps lost faith almost instantly. the other night i asked her... will you lead the conservatives at the next general election? i will lead to the conservatives into the next general election. definitely?

well, look, yeah... and even yesterday she said... mr speaker, iam a fighter, not a quitter. now it turns out she's done with fighting, and she's quit. so who will take over? you mightjust remember this guy. hasta la vista, baby. hasta la vista — "see you later". might we again? some conservatives would love it, others hate it. last time's runner—up, rishi sunak, is a possibility, as is cabinet minister penny mourdant and kemi badenoch, yesterday having a pop at liz truss in the process, suella braverman. mr hunt are you looking forward to being in numberten? - ruled himself out. at teatime we found out more

from the conservative party about how the contest will work. nominations are now open, will close at 2pm on monday. candidates will be expected to have at least 100 colleagues nominating them. but if the party should put forward two candidates there will be an online vote for conservative party members to choose the next leader. all stages of the election will be concluded by friday the 28th of october. who might find themselves moving on here a week tomorrow? after what has happened to liz truss, you might imagine it could give some second thoughts. poisoned chalice it might be but prized it still is an tonight the race is under way. chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. let's get the latest from our correspondent, anjana gadgil in london.

it's been a crazy day — as dust settles and we look ahead to who will become the new pm — the name that keeps coming up is borisjohnson. could that really be a possibility? yes it certainly is a possibility. his supporters would argue that he is the only potential candidate who actually has the mandate of the government because he was elected by the british public. he remained very popular among right—wing and grass roots tories. of course he resigned only injuly. it seems like a long time ago now, but some in the party felt that despite the scandals which eventually forced him out, he should have been allowed to stay. however, he is still under investigation by parliamentary committee for potentially misleading the house for the scandals. some tory say that he should not be

allowed to return to government into that process is complete. others are saying that a boris johnson were vile could trigger other tories giving up their seats triggering potentially damaging elections if you were to return as leader could undermined that leadership. he is currently on holiday in the caribbean believed to be making his way back home. but a poll, many have been released in the uk, have him at 49 mps backing him already. that to compare, rishi sunak is said to have 39 at the moment so he does seem to be gaining support despite not being in the country. his sister racheljohnson was on television in the uk this evening, she refused to say whether her brother would be standing or not. you mentioned boris and rishi _ standing or not. you mentioned boris and rishi sunak _ standing or not. you mentioned boris and rishi sunak but -

standing or not. you mentioned boris and rishi sunak but who l boris and rishi sunak but who else is in the running? ho boris and rishi sunak but who else is in the running? no one has officially _ else is in the running? no one has officially put _ else is in the running? no one has officially put their - else is in the running? no one has officially put their name i has officially put their name in the hat but there are names we are expecting. one is former chancellor rishi sunak. he came second to liz truss in the summer leadership campaign. opposing the economic proposals which she made and eventually brought in. so he has had the benefit of the past 45 days being quietly proved right. however, some tory mps are suspicious of him. he is also incredibly wealthy which could be a gift to labour in the opposition at a time of the cost of living crisis in the uk. other candidates are penny mordaunt, leader of the house of commons. she is regarded as a good communicator however she is untested at this level. as are the other candidates, potential candidates, suella braverman home secretary up until yesterday, and kemi badenoch, some tory say that they don't need untested

candidates. they need someone they know can do business. thank you so much for at the updates there. around the world — leaders have been giving their reaction to news of liz truss' resignation. in the us — president biden thanked her for her partnership on the war in ukraine and said the us and uk would continue to cooperate closely. in france — president macron said it was important for britain to �*find stability�* as soon as possible. our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley has more details on the global reaction.

in brussels, eu leaders holding a summit to discuss the world�*s energy crisis were, for a time, sidetracked by the extraordinary political drama here. translation: listen, i won't get involved i in the political life of the uk. i hope, in any case, the uk can again find stability. that�*s good for us and good for europe. stability is very important and we would like to see the uk system within its capacity, to be in a position to have a successor selected as quickly as possible and that stability will be brought to the situation, given the fairly significant geopolitical issues facing europe. at the weekend, joe biden took the unusual step of making clear he was no fan of liz truss�*s economic policies. i disagree with the policy, but that�*s up to great britain to make thatjudgment, not me.

today, he had warmer words for her. look, she was a good partner on russia and ukraine, and the british are going to solve their problems, but she was a good partner. but diplomats who spent their careers trying to build up britain abroad, such as this former ambassador to the us, are looking on at the political turmoil of the past few weeks with horror. our reputation built up over decades seems to me to have been sacrificed, to have been ruined, almost overnight. it�*s a really sad moment to see this happening. i would never have expected it. and it feels almost surreal to see events unfold in this way. ijust hope that we can get some stable and competent and effective government back and rebuild our repetition, but it�*s going to take quite a long time. today, predictably, russian television mocked liz truss. the foreign ministry said britain had never known such a disgrace as prime minister. but britain�*s allies are fervently hoping now for a period of political calm

with the myriad problems facing the world, not least the threat that russia poses. caroline hawley, bbc news. you�*re watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme. 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 - 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. 0ur headlines. after weeks of chaos liz truss has resigned becoming the shortest serving prime minister in british history. the conservative party is now

racing to find a successor with a new prime minister to move into downing street by the end of next week. in beijing, the chinese communist party congress is continuing but some parts of the city are under a covid lockdown, after an increase in infections. delegates are being kept away from beijing�*s residents. stephen mcdonell has more. thousands of delegates down at the great hall of the people are possibly not aware that the city which is hosting the communist party congress has started to implement localised lockdown. now i say they are possibly not aware because most delegates are in isolation to stop them from being infected. at the moment in beijing though, it is at the housing estate, housing compound type level where there are lockdowns being imposed. if you are a contact with someone who has been infected or a contact of a contact you have to stay home. if you have been to a part of the city deemed to be high

risk your health code will change colour and it will also order you to stay home. earlier this week, china�*s leader xijinping said, there would be no swerving from the zero covid approach. in spite of the fact that this is having a huge impact on the economy. we don�*t really know the latest figures in terms of that impact because gdp figures which were supposed to come out this week have been delayed. presumably because it would be more bad economic news. during the congress. but lockdown like this that we are seeing in beijing that is happening also in shanghai. in inner mongolia, in xinjiang whole cities are locked down. in fact xinjiang the whole region, is kind of lockeddown. you can�*t leave there at the moment. without special permission because of coronavirus outbreaks. then there are cities like hangzhou, xi�*an elsewhere with partial lockdowns. in xi�*an the tourist industry is being absolutely hammered

by these covered amelioration efforts we have spoken to people there who are barely hanging on in terms of keeping their businesses afloat. but, nevertheless at the communist party congress they are preparing to usher in a historic third term in powerfor xijinping. on sunday, he will reveal his new leadership team and there is no indication at all from the chinese government that has an idea of how or when it might provide an off ramp for the coronavirus crisis and with winter closing in, every indication is the situation will probably get much worse. let�*s take a look at some other stories in the headlines. for the first time, since the russian invasion of ukraine, energy restrictions are being introduced across the country after days of strikes targeting its power plants. ukraine�*s energy minister says, people have begun voluntarily reducing their power

consumption but the government will still have to continue black—outs, because of reduced supply. chad�*s military—led government says about 50 people have been killed in a day of protests for a swifter transition to democratic rule. the unrest took place on the day when the president, the un says columbia has broken its own record for cultivating cocoa. a new report revealed that columbia�*s local harvest increased by 43% last year. columbia is the word biggest producer of cocaine. bulgaria has become the third country it will not take part in next years your vision song contest which is being staged in

liverpool on behalf of ukraine. this years winner. macedonia and montenegro have already pulled out of the competition citing eight increased entry feet. entrance have been asked citing eight increased entry fe pay ntrance have been asked citing eight increased entry fe pay more :e have been asked citing eight increased entry fe pay more to 1ave been asked citing eight increased entry fe pay more to coverieen asked citing eight increased entry fe pay more to cover the asked citing eight increased entry fe pay more to cover the costed to pay more to cover the cost of banning russia from the contest. premier league club aston villa says manager steven gerrard has left the club following to knights 3—0 defeat at fulham. he had been with them for a year and just above them for a year and just above the relegation zone having only one twice a season. the actor kevin spacey has been cleared by a jury in new york of sexual assault. the oscar winner was being sued by the actor anthony rapp, who claimed the incident happened when he was 14 and they were both

working on broadway. thank you forjoining us on the programme. is this verdict a surprise to me? it programme. is this verdict a surprise to me?— surprise to me? it may be a surprise _ surprise to me? it may be a surprise it _ surprise to me? it may be a surprise it may _ surprise to me? it may be a surprise it may not - surprise to me? it may be a surprise it may not be. - surprise to me? it may be a surprise it may not be. it i surprise to me? it may be a. surprise it may not be. it was a case of two people telling a very different story. the jury decided in less than 90 minutes it was a swift decision for them, described by kevin spacey�*s lawyer as quick and decisive. to recap the allegations made by anthony rapp who is also an actor, he was 14 at the time, he says when he was invited to a party at kevin spacey apartment and thatis at kevin spacey apartment and that is where he alleged that this sexual assault happened. he was appearing only to just beginning his broadway career at that stage. kevin spacey also appearing on a play on

broadway at the time. kevin spacey says it did not happen. what these allegations were first released, first made by anthony rapp, kevin spacey released a statement on twitter in which he apologised and said that it must have been a drunken mistake if it happened. and he later said that he regrets that apology, an apology for something that did not happen. and clearly the jury not happen. and clearly the jury believed his side of the story. jury believed his side of the sto . ,, . , jury believed his side of the sto . , .,, jury believed his side of the sto. , ., , story. kevin spacey does face other charges _ story. kevin spacey does face other charges and _ story. kevin spacey does face other charges and allegationsj other charges and allegations doesn�*t he? you talk us through it? doesn't he? you talk us through it? .,. , doesn't he? you talk us through it? , , , it? he faces completely separate _ it? he faces completely separate trial, - it? he faces completely separate trial, do - it? he faces completely separate trial, do to - it? he faces completely separate trial, do to go | it? he faces completely - separate trial, do to go ahead in london next year in relation to five charges related to sex offences. we should stress that this is indeed a completely separate case, a trial but will

go ahead under the british legal system. this was a civil trial here in the us. this trial here in the us. this trial was essentially all about money was claiming some $40 million in damages. and that is the decision that the jury how to make whether indeed that they believed his story and if they believed his story and if they had believed it, whether he should were seen for some of that damages. he will not be receiving anything. we did not get much reaction from anthony rapp. the people in the courtroom saying that it wasn�*t much of an expression on his face. certainly anthony rapp much happier mood. she was hugging some of his lawyers and smiling and since said he was deeply thankfulfor the smiling and since said he was deeply thankful for the juries decision. deeply thankful for the “uries decision. . ~ deeply thankful for the “uries decision. ., ,, , ., deeply thankful for the “uries decision. ., . ., decision. thank you so much for the update- _ decision. thank you so much for the update. finally _ decision. thank you so much for the update. finally there - decision. thank you so much for the update. finally there has . the update. finally there has been a lot of reaction to liz

truss resignation. the daily star responded by testing the theory on a live webcam feed. the paper shared the headline, let us rejoice alongside a picture of the vegetable with a blonde wig. that lettuce has become an internet sensation around the world with thousands of people tuning in to the live feed and have also noticed a lot of reaction outside of the uk as well. enjoying the british humour of making fun of the political drama that is going on at the moment. and of course if you want to keep up with all the stories that we are covering had to our website there is planning background and analysis including of course the resignation of liz truss.

hello there. thursday was a stormy day, rumbles of thunder, rain heavy at times moving its way steadily north. and that unsettled picture will continue for the next few days to come, with low pressure centring itself always to the southwest, throwing these weather fronts around that low, driving in plenty of frequent showers. but the wind direction coming from the south, so still relatively mild, a mild start to friday morning. plenty of showers from the southwest and some of these heavy, possibly even thundery once again, first thing in the morning. now they�*ll start to drift out of cornwall, up into wales, and gradually towards the midlands as we go through the morning rush hour, eventually moving their way steadily north.

fewer showers into the far north of scotland, but nowhere maybe will escape those showers as we go through the afternoon. at least they�*ll rattle through at quite a pace because of that strong southerly wind — the strongest of the gusts close to the centre of the low during the afternoon, 50 mph not out of the question into the southwest. but always coming from a southerly direction, a mild source. so in between, with the sunshine coming through, temperatures still likely to peak into the high teens, which is pretty good for this time of year. now, as we move into the early hours of saturday morning, the centre of the low will move up into northern ireland, northwest england, and southwest scotland — that�*s where the frequent sharp showers are likely to be. we may well see some mist and fog forming behind as the winds become just that a little bit lighter, because we�*ve got this little ridge of high pressure building for the start of the weekend. however, won�*t be long before another low starts to move in for sunday. so saturday, certainly the better of the two days through the weekend will have showers into northern ireland and much of central and southern scotland.

clearer skies behind some sunshine coming through, lighter winds. and so it will feel quite pleasant in the sunshine with highs once again, 18—19 celsius somewhere where the best of the sunshine is. moving out of saturday into sunday, here�*s the next low, then pushing in from the southwest, the isobars once again squeezing together, the winds, strengthening, throwing those weather fronts and those showers right across the country. so once again, we could see some sharp thundery downpours on sunday and that story will continue as we head into monday.

welcome to hardtalk. i�*m stephen sackur. 0n the front lines of the war in ukraine, russian forces are struggling, in several areas retreating, which is why vladimir putin is pursuing other strategies. trying to destroy ukraine�*s civilian infrastructure is one. attempting to undermine european support for kyiv is another.

how�*s that going? well, my guest is czech foreign ministerjan lipavsky,