welcome to bbc news. i'm rich preston. our top stories: giorgia meloni is set to become italy's next prime minister — its first far—right leader since world war ii. donald trump is summoned to testify before the congressional committee investigating last year's attack on the us capitol. the contest to become the uk's next prime minister heats up. penny mordaunt becomes the first to enter the race, and borisjohnson heads back from holiday. we have a special report on the growing anger inside russia that men with no military experience are being called up to fight on the front line. when mobilisation was being

discussed, i agree with my family that have such a situation where it arose, i would refuse, even if they sent me to present. screaming. and the japanese cartoon characters being recreated for the stage by the royal shakespeare company — breaking box office records in the process. welcome to our viewers on pbs in the united states and around the world. let's begin in europe. the leader of the far—right brothers of italy party, giorgia meloni, has been invited by the country's president to form a government, after winning elections last month. she will be italy's first ever female prime minister and her cabinet will be sworn in on saturday. tom brada has this report. delivered to the presidential

palace in a classic italian car. giorgia meloni has now formally accepted the job of forming italy's next government, and in doing so will preside over the country's most right—wing administration since the second world war. translation: we agreed about the need to give - the country a new government as soon as possible. because we have many urgent issues to tackle at both national and international level. her coalition government includes the far—right league party led by matteo salvini and forza italia led by former prime minister silvio berlusconi. and there are concerns about how they will legislate on a range of social issues from abortion to lgbt rights. what might change is

what happens on the domestic kind of level, especially for what concerns issues such as migration and also the rights of minority groups. ms meloni's ascent is remarkable for italy, one of the founding members of the eu, and the bloc�*s third third largest economy. but when it comes to foreign policy, some but when it comes to foreign policy, some feel her far—right credentials are somewhat overstated. meloni made it clear that italy is with the eu in nature and strongly rejected pro—putin and pro—russia positions. on russia, there is one coalition partner long used to hogging the limelight who is causing ms meloni a painful headache. 86—year—old silvio berlusconi has been at the centre a furious row over two leaked recordings. in them, he blamed ukraine for starting the current and claimed president

putin considers him number one among his five best friends. for now, ms meloni and her allies have a united front, partly thanks to ambitious pledges to rebuild italy's economy and bring down energy costs, but to achieve those goals she'll first to keep the peace in her own political ranks. tom brada, bbc news. for more on this, i'm joined now by the bbc�*s stefano fasano. lots to unpack but remind us how we got to this point. it interesting. most of all we remember that building this government was not easy at all. despite the fact the coalition got more than 44% of the vote in september, the government is formally going to be sworn in on saturday morning but the bulk of difficulties, i would say, came from berlusconi's

forza italia, former prime minister, there have been alleged links between him and russia, with rumours that, intellect audios that he basically claimed that vladimir putin himself would have sent him first birthday 20 bottles of vodka and i'm quoting here, a very sweet letter to which he replied with another sweet letter and 20 bottles of red wine. so the birth of this government has been quite troubled. we somehow got there but the difficulties are still there and we cannot exclude the ben o'connor stomach, the coming future.— ben o'connor stomach, the coming future. ben o'connor stomach, the cominu future. , ., coming future. remind us of the key peeple _ coming future. remind us of the key peeple are _ coming future. remind us of the key people are will _ coming future. remind us of the key people are will need - coming future. remind us of the key people are will need to - key people are will need to know about. {iii key people are will need to know about.— key people are will need to know about. _, , , ., know about. of course we should talk about giorgia _ know about. of course we should talk about giorgia meloni, - know about. of course we should talk about giorgia meloni, the . talk about giorgia meloni, the key player here, most likely going to be at this point italy's next prime minister and

the first female prime minister. she comes from a new fascist position, she has rejected those links, although never rejected her identity which seems a contradiction in terms but never rejected being part of that movement. but she said that her party is not what the movement, that the party comes from yesterday. she tried to institutionalise the party towards a more centre—right tradition, also, for other observers say for a simple reason, silvio berlusconi is now more than 86 years old and he is gonna retire at some point and those votes are going to go, will have to go somewhere. and possibly giorgia meloni is aiming to scoop those votes, this is the elephant in the room and one in italy, everyone knows but no—one is talking about. matteo salvini

is the leader of the league, the biggest party in the right, the biggest party in the right, the far right party, strong immigration, kind of an anti— europe ideology that's been tempered with time but it still there. ., , tempered with time but it still there. .,, ., tempered with time but it still there. ., ~' , tempered with time but it still there. ., ~ , , , there. those other key players. stefano, thank _ there. those other key players. stefano, thank you _ there. those other key players. stefano, thank you much. - the us house committee investigating last year's attack on the capitol building in washington, dc has ordered former president donald trump to testify under oath. the committee says its evidence shows mr trump played a central role in an orchestrated effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. 0ur north american correspondent, peter bowes, explained what the subpeona will expect donald trump to do. they want to see documents relevant to the circumstances surrounding january the sixth, that could include text messages, it could include details of phone calls, anything that could cast any sort of light on what the president was doing, who he was talking to during that crucial time and the committee wants to see

those documents by 4 november, just a couple of weeks away. they also want him to testify under oath in person and have given a deadline of 14 november and right in between those two dates we have the mid—term elections, and that could be crucial in itself because if the republicans take control of the house of representatives, this committee will be disbanded and all of these issues will become moot points. in a few days' time, the uk will have a new prime minister, following the resignation of liz truss on thursday. penny mourdant, the leader of the house of commons, is the first conservative mp to say she wants the job. no other mp has yet declared an interest in being a candidate but both borisjohnson and the former chancellor rishi sunak have had nominations from other mps. sources have told the bbc that rishi sunak has received the backing of 100 mps to become conservative leader.

mrjohnson left office just over six weeks ago, forced out after a series of crises and scandals. whoever becomes the next conservative leader also becomes the next british prime minister. but opposition parties are calling for a general election. 0ur deputy political editor, vicki young, has this report. i will remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen. thank you. once again, there is a vacancy at the top of government. liz truss' resignation means conservatives now need to choose their fifth leader and prime minister injust over six years. but can anyone now unify a party that seems to have lost its way? cabinet minister penny mordaunt thinks she can, launching her campaign with a tweet and saying she offered a fresh start. supporters think she would bring competence to the job. i think penny is the unifying candidate. she is a robust brexiteer, she is a highly experienced and competent

government minister. penny has already indicated, should she become prime minister, jeremy hunt will remain as chancellor, so she is absolutely not going to do anything that risks businesses or the market. remarkably, this man is being tipped by some for a comeback. yes, borisjohnson, who was ousted injuly after a series of scandals including lockdown parties. he has been weighing up his options while on holiday in the dominican republic. this photo was taken last week. seniorfigures are offering support. at the moment i would lean towards borisjohnson. in 2019 he won a general election with a huge majority and he was legitimately sent into parliament as the prime minister based on the vote of the whole electorate, notjust on tory members, notjust the members of parliament. he got a mandate, and i think that is an important thing for all of us to bear in mind. mrjohnson is of course still being investigated by mps over allegations he lied to parliament about parties in downing street. 0ne tory said it would be

"catastrophic" to bring him back. plenty of others are appalled. he was forced out by dozens of resignations only a matter of weeks ago. it is very hard to believe that he could put together a stable government as far as i can tell. i think that is a risk we can't afford to take as a party, and not one we should inflict on the country. morning, mr sunak! momentum is building behind the former chancellor rishi sunak, who lost to liz truss last time. he wasn't saying anything today, but friends say his predictions about the economy were spot on. i am backing rishi sunak because i believe he is able to take us forward. his economicjudgement has been shown to be absolutely correct, and i think he can unite the party by bringing all the talents, if you like, into the government. the problem is, rishi sunak was rejected by conservative party members not very long ago. well i think they might want, in light of experience, to revisit that. unity is what conservative mps keep talking about, but putting aside their differences and agreeing on a leader without a contest —

that was always going to be a remote possibility. even the suggestion today that borisjohnson might stand has reopened old wounds. and all this going on while the country faces difficult economic questions. liz truss is on her way out — her brief, unsuccessful spell in charge has made her successor�*s job a lot harder. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. let's look at the weather might contest. the article corresponded jonathan blake has more. the rishi sunak campaign are claiming to have the support of 100 conservative mps. that's an important number because the bar has been set very high for people to formally enter this contest. they will need 100 nominations from conservative mps to get on the ballot in the first place. although rishi sunak who finished behind liz truss

in the race against boris johnson's replacement has not formally declared his candidacy, it seems to be a case of when, not if. and he seems to be the frontrunner among conservative mps. borisjohnson the other big name who resigned as prime ministerjust a few months ago and is now being talked up by his supporters to make a possible comeback. we can report tonight that he has boarded a flight back to london from the dominican republic where he was on holiday with his family. he's due back in london tomorrow morning and we are told by his supporters that he is up for it. whether he will end up standing and entering the contest, we wait to find out. and then there is penny mordaunt, the leader of the house of commons and has held other cabinetjobs as well and the only one to publicly declare her candidacy. she said via twitter earlier

today that she wanted to unite the party and deliver on their pledges to the electorate and win the next general election. still to come: the japanese cartoon characters making the transition from the silver screen to the royal shakespeare company. enduro gandhi canal die today, only yesterday had spoken of dying in the service of her country and said i would be proud of it. every drop of my blood will contribute to the growth of this nation. after 46 ears of growth of this nation. after 46 years of unhappiness, - growth of this nation. after 46 years of unhappiness, these . growth of this nation. after 46 l years of unhappiness, these two countries have concluded a chapter of history. h0 countries have concluded a chapter of history. no more suswcion. _ chapter of history. no more suspicion, no _ chapter of history. no more suspicion, no more - chapter of history. no more suspicion, no more fear, i chapter of history. no morej suspicion, no more fear, no more — suspicion, no more fear, no more uncertainty of what each day mike — more uncertainty of what each day mike breen.— day mike breen. booster innition day mike breen. booster ignition and _ day mike breen. booster ignition and lift-off - day mike breen. booster ignition and lift-off of. ignition and lift—off of discovery with six astronaut heroes and one american legend! this is beautiful. b,

heroes and one american legend! this is beautiful.— this is beautiful. a milestone in human _ this is beautiful. a milestone in human history. _ this is beautiful. a milestone in human history. born - this is beautiful. a milestone| in human history. born today, this_ in human history. born today, this girl— in human history. born today, this girl in— in human history. born today, this girl in india is the 7,000,000,000th person on the planet _ this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: giorgia meloni is set to become italy's next prime minister — its first far—right leader, since the second world war. the former us president, donald trump is summoned to testify before the congressional committee, investigating last year's attack on the capitol building. a vigil has been held in memory of the murdered french schoolgirl — lola — in her hometown lola's body was found dumped in a suitcase in paris last friday — a discovery that shocked the french public. a 24—year—old woman

from algeria has since been remanded in custody on suspicion of murder, rape and acts of torture. speaking for the first time about the crime, french president emmanuel macron said the murder was an act of "extreme evil" and paid tribute to lola's family. translation: i think that all the translation: | think that all the parents — translation: i think that all the parents fear _ translation: i think that all the parents fear what - translation: i think that all the parents fear what she - translation: i think that all the parents fear what she is l the parents fear what she is experiencing. fearfora the parents fear what she is experiencing. fearfor a child will drop off at school, for for a child would return home at the end of school. it is exactly that. so i think of her parents, her brother, her stepbrother, of this family in disarray which is extremely dignified and united in this moment. above all it needs the respect and affection of a nation. an oil tanker driver has been arrested in mexico after his vehicle collided

with a train in mexico. the accident happened in aguascalientes, some three hours north—east of guadalajara in the north of the country. wendy urquhart reports. streams of black blowing smoke on the horizon was the first inkling that something horrific had happened in this city of aguascalientes. the situation underground was probably much worse than they had even imagined. an oil tanker had smashed into a train causing a massive explosion and a scorching ball of fire was snaking down the railway line, engulfing everything in its path. the emergency services were deployed quickly but the blaze was so fierce the only thing they could do was evacuate those living locally as fast as possible. more than 100 homes were completely gutted and hundreds of families left homeless. translation: the

firefi . hters left homeless. translation: tie: firefighters arrived left homeless. translation: tte: firefighters arrived very quickly and were able to evacuate around 300 homes. but at least 120 of them were damaged. those affected by the fire are being put up in local hotels and a shelter has also been set up to cater for families. the charred remains of cars and buildings all around them, a grim reminder of the lucky escape. no—one was injured and, miraculously, the tanker driver walked away virtually unscathed. but he has been arrested and claims that the accident happened because he was trying to cross the tracks before the oncoming train arrived, but did not make it in time. there's growing anger in russia over the forced mobilisation of men to fight in the war in ukraine. president putin had said the call—up was a temporary measure, but the kremlin refuses to say when it will end. as russian forces struggle

to hold territory in ukraine, men with no military experience are being sent to the frontline to fight, and often to die. our russia editor steve rosenberg reports. this is the picture the kremlin is trying to paint. putin the strongman. the caring commander—in—chief. and russians lining up to do their patriotic duty, mobilised to fight in ukraine. these alleged recruits are well equipped. but these aren't. for weeks now, mobilised russians have been complaining of a lack of resources and training. these men say they've been given old guns and no helmets or body armour. mobilisation has sparked deep alarm in russian society. this human rights group is giving advice on what to do if your loved ones are sent to the front line.

as you can see, it's packed. the kremlin says that more than 200,000 reservists have been called up to fight. with mobilisation, what is happening in ukraine has suddenly become very realfor the russian public. now, the kremlin wants russians to believe that those people who've been drafted into the army are being sent off to defend the motherland. but not everyone here believes that. man speaking in russian. the voice belongs to mikhail ashichev. 500 miles from moscow, he told the local military draft office he wasn't going to fight because there was no threat to russia. mikhail insists that if russia truly needed defending, he would rush to volunteer. he considers himself a patriot, but he doesn't believe in this war. he won't fight ukraine. translation: when mobilisation was being discussed i agreed - with my family that

if such a situation arose, i would refuse, even if they sent me to prison. if i had to, i would choose prison. the state will consider me a criminal if i don't go to fight in this war. but i won't be a criminal from the point of view of humanity or myself. after his refusal to fight, mikhail has received some abuse on russian social media. but what is interesting is that he's had plenty of support, too, for his decision to take a moral stand. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. let's get some of the day's other news. the former pakistani prime minister, imran khan, has called on his supporters to end protests after the election commission disqualified him from public office on charges

of corrupt practices. in a video message, mr khan denied any wrongdoing and said the decision was biased. the election authorities say he failed to declare gifts he received from foreign leaders during his tenure. the un security council has voted to impose sanctions on armed gangs that have caused widespread disruption in haiti in recent months. the council singled out the island's most powerful gang leader, jimmy cherizier, who's known as �*barbeque.’ canada has banned new handgun sales in the country's strongest gun control regulation for forty years. the new measures took effect on friday, and stop people from buying, selling or transferring handguns within canada, and prevents them from bringing newly bought handguns into the country. it's one of japan's greatest cultural exports — the oscar—winning studio ghibli's distinctive animated feature films have a host of devoted fans across the globe. now in a world first, its animated movie my neighbour

totoro has been adapted by the royal shakespeare company for the stage. our culture editor katie razzall has been to the barbican in london for an exclusive peek of the production. it's just an old house. there is no sign of totoro in our sneak preview of this show. the rsc is keeping the mysterious creature befriended by two children under wraps. the only puppets on the stage right now are the so—called soot sprites. working with puppets is so much fun. they're so funny and they are so cheeky, a lot of them, so the and they really do have a life of their own. you're talking about them like they're real people. both: yeah, they are! my neighbour totoro has never been staged before but, for more than 30 years, this hand—drawn animation has been one of the most—loved films to have come out of japan's equivalent of disney, the renowned

studio ghibli. with legions of global fans, there's a lot riding on the new show, not least how to replicate the magical furry totoro. this is our backstage puppet workshop, where we're... puppet designer basil twist, who devised the dementors in the harry potter films, isn't giving much away. so you're showing me chickens. i want to see totoro. right, well, you'll see chickens for now. we're still keeping totoro under wraps so that people can find the surprise of him when they come and see the show. there are clues from los angeles, where basil created the totoro puppet and others, with the company behind the muppets, jim henson, in a real east meets west collaboration. i would keep in touch with the japanese as i went, and they're very specific about totoro's eyes, the distance between his eyes and the shape of his head and how that works because, once you come into a three—dimensional world, it's very different than a 2d world. my neighbour totoro theme plays what's not different is the music and the man behind it,

the celebrated japanese composer who persuaded the studio to allow this adaptation showcasing japanese heritage for a new audience. we have our own music, our own culture, so this is very important for me. to show the world? yes. you saw the production last night. what did you think? great show, spectacular. so there is a daunting aspect of bringing something totally new and the adaptation of it being new on the stage. to be bringing this. treasure ofjapanese culture to the stage, yeah, it's been one i of the privileges of my life. we all love the film. i mean, most of us grew up with it. please, get well soon. but will this magical fantasy cast a spell on theatre audiences, as it has on screen? katie razzall, bbc news.

there is much more on the bbc website or the news app. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @richpreston. hello there. friday brought heavy rain forsome, and in areas where we are desperate for it. the heaviest of the rain moving up through dorset across the midlands, and in fact there was over an inch of rainfall in parts of oxfordshire throughout the day, so some pretty muddy fields starting to develop now. however, eastern england, lots of blue sky and sunshine, and temperatures peaked at 20 degrees. a beautiful opportunity for getting out and enjoying some of the gorgeous autumn colour that we have. the start of the weekend quite promising with this bump of high pressure, but the second half of the weekend sees this low developing, moving in and bringing further outbreaks of rain. once again, the winds will become a feature, but we keep the wind direction from a southerly, so that milder flow stays with us.

those temperatures are widely going to sit in the mid to high teens over the next few days. so on saturday, we'll have some outbreaks of showery rain through northern ireland pushing out of northern england into southern scotland and weakening just a touch. at the same time, we will start to see showers, some of them heavy and thundery, gathering to the south—west. but sandwiched in between the two, that's where the best of the sunshine is likely to be, and temperatures again peaking at 18—19 degrees with that sunshine, it will feel very pleasant. into sunday, here's the low starting to bring some heavy thundery downpours up across the country, a spell of wet weather through the morning, which will pretty much start to grind to a halt across central scotland into the afternoon. brightening up with sharper showers behind and still pretty warm with it, so a day of contrast i suspect once again into sunday afternoon. as we move into the beginning of the week, that frontal system will start to push through the far north of scotland, but we will still keep the threat of further fronts moving in from the west as we go through

the week ahead. so on monday, we have got some wet weather clearing scotland, sunny spells and scattered showers behind, still the risk that some of those showers could be thundery, chiefly out to the west — the best of the dry weather once again remains for eastern england. and again, we will see those temperatures into the high teens, above where they should be for this time of year. and that will be the trend as we go through the week ahead. it stays relatively mild, but we have got more showers to come towards the end of the working week. that's it — whatever you're doing, have a lovely weekend.

this is bbc news. the headlines: italy's far right leader georgia meloni has accepted an offer from the country's president to form a new government after winning last month's election. she's due to be formally sworn in as leader of the country's most right—wing administration since world war ii. the former us president, donald trump, has been summoned to testify before the congressional committee investigating the january 6 riot at the us capitol. the committee says it has evidence that mr trump played a central role in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. here in the uk, the conservative politician penny mordaunt has become the first to put her name forward to become britain's next prime minister. her rivals may include

borisjohnson, who's heading back from a caribbean holiday,