welcome to bbc news, i'm rich preston. our top stories. 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. president biden thanks liz truss for her co—operation on the war in ukraine, while european union leaders call for more stability in the uk. and in other news, a jury in new york clears the actor kevin spacey

of making unwanted sexual advances towards a iii—year—old. hello. we begin here in the uk, which will have a new prime minister by the end of next week — the fifth in six years. the governing conservative party announced details of a fast—tracked contest to choose its next leader following the resignation of liz truss. she stepped down on thursday afternoon, afterjust six weeks in the job. it's the shortest prime ministerial tenure in british history. this report from our 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 through 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 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 their patriotic 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 the conservatives into the next general election. definitely? well, look, yeah... and even yesterday she said... i am 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 are cabinet ministers penny mourdant and kemi badenoch, and the woman who resigned as home secretary yesterday, having a pop at liz truss in the process — suella braverman. mr hunt, are you looking forward to number ten? | the answer is no, the new chancellor has 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 a binding online vote for conservative party members to choose its next leader.

all stages of the election will be concluded by friday 28th of october. who might find themselves moving in here a week tomorrow? after what's happened to liz truss, you might imagine it could give some second thoughts. poisoned chalice it might be, but prized it still is, and tonight, the race is under way. chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. sheri berman is politics professor at barnard college at columbia university. shejoins me now from pittsburgh. thank you very much will being with us. quite the drama in the uk, how is it being viewed in the united states? i uk, how is it being viewed in the united states?— uk, how is it being viewed in the united states? i would say with a combination _ the united states? i would say with a combination of - with a combination of bemusement and puzzlement. bemusement at how such a chaotic situation could arise,

and puzzlement because the rules of your political game are so different from ours. let's talk more about that, because of course we have a parliamentary democracy in britain, whereby the governing party gets to choose their leader, who then becomes the prime minister. and of course in the states, you directly elect a president. so there must be some confusion over how someone can come to power without a direct election. right, exactly, half of americans think it would be wonderful to change our leaders every 45 days, and the other half think this is completely and utterly nutty. it is a lesson for americans to how different democracies can be structured, and how important the rules of the game are. they make a huge difference, not only in who leads a country but in how the parties act, how policies get enacted, and how governments rise and fall. american political watchers will be familiar with the names of some of britain's former

prime ministers, including borisjohnson, the idea has been mooted that he might make a comeback. is that a topic up for discussion where you are? yes, sure, absolutely. the idea that someone who was booted out of office by his own partyjust a few months ago could be making a comeback is really quite remarkable. you have the trump phenomenon here too, he seems to not want to go away, but the idea that the party would have gotten rid of him and potentially vote him back into office, that is really something very difficult for americans to understand. as i said, half the people are puzzled, and half the people find it a bit comedic.- find it a bit comedic. away from the _ find it a bit comedic. away from the circus, _ find it a bit comedic. away from the circus, if- find it a bit comedic. away from the circus, if we - find it a bit comedic. away| from the circus, if we want find it a bit comedic. away i from the circus, if we want to call it that, are there any concerns over the effect this has on the image of the conservative party? absolutely, the headlines _ conservative party? absolutely, the headlines in _ conservative party? absolutely, the headlines in the _ conservative party? absolutely, the headlines in the united - the headlines in the united states just are portraying this as an implosion of the

conservative party, a sign not only that the polling numbers are down and that the party is divided, but that the party that seems to be firmly in control of britain has nowjust really lost its way. those kinds of reversals of fortune in the contemporary united states are really difficult to imagine. again, despite the close ties between the countries, and the fact they are both democracies, it's really a lesson for americans in how very different the rules can make democracy work. you mention those _ can make democracy work. you mention those close _ can make democracy work. you mention those close ties, president biden was critical of prime minister truss's economic plans, but he did thank her after her resignation or her support of the war in ukraine, how do you view the relations progressing from here? i don't imaaine progressing from here? i don't imagine it'll— progressing from here? i don't imagine it'll change _ progressing from here? i don't imagine it'll change that - progressing from here? i don't| imagine it'll change that much. whoever is chosen as the conservative party leader will still have those transatlantic

ties. even if an election comes, it wouldn't change very much. i don't think there is anyone who is running for conservative office, representing much of a threat to the transatlantic relationship, so it's more a question of instability, figuring out who you are supposed to be talking to, and who you are supposed to be negotiating with, rather than any significant threat to the transatlantic relationship. we should know the answer to that question by the end of next week. what do you think the reaction will be in the us if borisjohnson comes back? boris johnson comes back? again, borisjohnson comes back? again, ithink borisjohnson comes back? again, i think most americans would find this completely puzzling. the lettuce analogy in the american political debate, the idea you could have been dealing with a lead of three or four months ago, that

leader disappears and then comes back... i don't think it will make a difference in the way the united states deals with britain, i think biden could deal with a conservative leader and a labour party leadership should that arise. it's more a question of figuring out what's going on, and planning for that, serious threat to that relationship.- serious threat to that relationshi -. , ., ., relationship. very grateful for our relationship. very grateful for your insight _ let's go to ukraine now, and the us says iran has deployed its military experts in russian—occupied crimea to help launch further drone attacks on ukraine. iran is accused of helping co—ordinate so—called kamikaze drone attacks, causing immense damage to ukraine's power grid. tom brada reports. street lights extinguished.

office blocks and apartment buildings without power for hours at a time. russian attacks targeting ukraine's power grid have forced millions to adapt to life in the dark. translation: unable to use | energy resources as a weapon, the current leadership of russia gave the order to turn the energy system itself into a battlefield. in the space of a single week, at least 30% of ukraine's power stations have been taken off—line. hoping to make the most of the energy they do have, ukraine's government has imposed restrictions on electricity use, with power outages of up to four hours at a time. translation: we are ready i for outages, we have candles, we have charged power banks, ukraine is charged to win. the latest wave of drone attacks have specifically targeted ukraine's critical energy infrastructure. and the origin of the drones

being used has put a spotlight on iran. it's believed russia has been using iranian—made shahed 136 drones, also known as kamikaze drones. iran and russia have rejected these accusations, but now the white house is accusing iran of deploying military experts in russian—occupied crimea to help co—ordinate those attacks. we assess that iranian personnel, military personnel, were on the ground in crimea, and assisted russia in these operations. russia has received dozens of these uavs so far and will likely continue to receive additional shipments in the future. western officials have accused iran of playing a destabilising role in global security, and the uk has announced sanctions on iranians businesses and individuals, with other countries expected to follow suit. but with winter approaching

and drones continuing, ukrainians will have to get used to the dark for some time yet. earlier i spoke to sarah kreps, the director and professor of the tech policy institute at cornell university, and a senior fellow at the brookings institution. i asked her if iran's actions have come as a surprise. no, i don't think it does. iran was helping russia in syria, they have had an alliance going back a decade or so. and i think it's pretty clear that it's a case where the enemy of their enemy is theirfriend. iran wants to stick it to the us, russia is trying to guard against the us assistance to ukraine, and it makes a lot of sense that iran would come in and assist russia, as they are facing a lot of uncertainty and setbacks in ukraine. is that the only benefit to iran, this working together

towards a common enemy, or is there something longer—term that tehran is looking to get out of this? a couple of things — one, they have been under sanctions for some time now, and that's kind of putting the hurt to them. the second is they have been a major importer of russian wheat since the war started, so that is a kind of win—win for russia and iran. and anotherfactor, iran has faced instability at home, so it might be a kind of diversionary war aspect to help shore up domestic support at home. let's talk more about the technology, these so—called kamikaze drones, what do we know about them, how are they made, how much do they cost and how is russia paying for them? last question first, it's a little bit unclear how russia is paying for them. some rumours suggest there is a bit of a barter going on between russian wheat and iranian material going over to russia.

they are about $20,000, which is considerably less expensive than a $100,000 missile. so from that perspective, even if many of these don't get through the air defences — the other night about five of the 28 got through, a 17% success rate — but still those five can do serious damage to the energy infrastructure and also to the civilian morale. stay with us on bbc news, still to come. the actor kevin spacey says he's "deeply grateful" after a new yorkjury clears him of making unwanted sexual advances towards a 1a—year—old. 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 bbc news, the latest 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 due to move into downing street by the end of next week. the united nations says colombia has broken its own record for cultivating coca, the main ingredient of cocaine. a new report revealed that colombia's coca harvest area increased by 43% last year, the highest figure in two decades. emer mccarthy reports. these rolling green cops in colombia may look idyllic but they hide an illicit ingredient, coca, the base of cocaine, and the world's largest producer of the drug has broken its own record for coca productions. colombia harvested some 204,000 hectares of the plant last year, a 43%

increase according to the un office on drugs and crime. it's also the highest figure since the body started monitoring colombia's cocaine production in 2001. the report found the increases are due to more productive varieties, better technical assistance, and the replanting of coca bushes. most of columbia's cocaine goes to the us and europe. at the presentation of the report in bogota, the country'sjustice minister said the numbers were clear evidence of the failure of the war on drugs. translation: iii of the war on drugs. translation: . ., ., translation: if we continue to do what we _ translation: if we continue to do what we have _ translation: if we continue to do what we have been _ translation: if we continue to do what we have been doing - translation: if we continue to do what we have been doing for| do what we have been doing for the last ten or 20 years, the result will not change. if we want to reverse the figure, we have to do something different, something new.— something new. that's a view held by the — something new. that's a view held by the country's - something new. that's a view held by the country's new - held by the country's new president, who has raised among other things an amnesty to

gangsters willing to give themselves up and abandon the trade. he has also proposed purchasing arable land to redistribute to small farmers, to make a living from legal crops. in the past, the government has struggled to get farmers to move away from coca production, but promises to provide incentives and subsidies haven't materialised. 50 people have been killed in protests in chard. the demonstrations took place on the day the president was originally due to step down. the united nations has urged an investigation into the violence. english premier league club aston villa says manager steven gerrard has left the club following

a 3—0 defeat at fulham on thursday night. the former england and liverpool midfielder has been with villa for a year. they are currently just above the relegation zone, having won only twice this season. the american actor kevin spacey has defeated a sexual abuse claim against him. jurors found that actor anthony rapp did not prove his claim that the oscar winner made an unwanted sexual advance on him when he was aged 14. i asked our north america correspondent peter bowes about what the deliberation means for kevin spacey. they were deliberating on allegations that were first made by anthony rapp in 2017, the early days of the me too movement, and he claimed in 1986 when he was 14 and kevin spacey was 26 that he was at a party at kevin spacey�*s apartment, they were both working on broadway at the time, and it was during that party that he claims he was sexually assaulted, he was forced down onto a bed. kevin spacey says it didn't happen. as you said, he said

they were never alone together. when the allegations first came out, he issued a statement on twitter in which he apologised and said he couldn't remember what happened. but that it could have been simply inappropriate drunken behaviour. he now says, and he said in the trial, that he regrets apologising for something, a statement perhaps encouraged by his publicist, for something that he says he did not do. and what reaction has there been to this? kevin spacey by all accounts was quite emotional at the end of this, when the jury's verdict was read out. he didn't speak to reporters leaving the courthouse, but his lawyer did issue a statement, and i will read a little part of it. the lawyer said he was deeply thankful thatjustice had been done following what the lawyer described as a swift and decisive verdict. the lawyer went on to say that mr spacey was grateful to live in a country where the citizens have a right to trial by impartialjurors,

who make their decision based on evidence and not rumour or social media. that goes to something that she said at the end of the trial, she actually urged the jurors to set aside what she described as the sexual politics of this case. again, a reference to the me too movement, she said it was not a case of being with the movement or against it, but simply about the facts of the case. a new contest is under way within britain's governing conservative party to decide who will become the next party leader. and prime minister following liz truss's resignation after just six weeks. her replacement is expected to be appointed by friday of next week. the leaders of britain's main opposition parties have called for an immediate general election. the labour party leader keir starmer said that shuffling the people at the top without the consent of british

voters was not enough. 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 south—west, 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 south—west — and some of these heavy, possibly even thundery once again, first thing in the morning. now, they'll 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, 50mph not out of the question into the south—west. but always coming from a southerly direction — a mild source — so in between, with the sunshine coming through, temperatures still likely to peak in 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, north—west england and south—west 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 little bit lighter, because we've got this little ridge of high pressure building for the start of the weekend. however, it 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. we'll 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 pleasant in the sunshine, with highs once again 18 or 19 degrees somewhere where the best of the sunshine is. moving out of saturday into sunday, here's the next low, then — pushing in from the south—west. 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.

this is bbc news, the headlines... britain is getting a new prime minister — after liz truss stood down, 44 days into her tenure. the resignation — which came after weeks of political and economic chaos — means she's become the shortest—serving prime minister in british history. britain's governing conservative party has announced a fast—track contest to choose a leader — so that the new pm can move into downing street, by the end of next week. the leaders of britain's main opposition parties have said there should now be an immediate general election. in other news, a court in new york has dismissed a sexual—assault lawsuit against the actor kevin spacey after ruling that his accuser did not prove his claim that the oscar—winner made an unwanted sexual advance on him,

when he was aged 14. now on bbc news, panorama. it was supposed to be a celebration, the biggest day in european football. liverpool will take on real madrid for what they hope will become their seventh european cup victory. but for thousands of liverpool fans, the dream ended before the game had even begun. they fired tear gas. people were getting crushed at the front. it was like a war zone. i am layla wright, a journalist from liverpool. five months ago, chaos in paris echoed one of my city's darkest chapters.

absolutely reminiscent of hillsborough.