this is bbc news. our top stories: giorgia meloni is to become italy's next prime minister, its first far—right leader, since world war ii. congressional committee investigating last year's attack on the us capitol. borisjohnson is on his way back to london from a caribbean holiday, as speculation grows that he'lljoin the race to succeed liz truss as british prime minister. inside russia that men with no military experience 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. in central mexico, emergency services tackle a huge blaze, triggered by a fuel—tanker crashing into a railway over—pass. 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 america and around the globe. 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 pm 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, she 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, as well as 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 a remarkable moment for italy, one of the founding members of the eu, and the bloc�*s third—largest economy. but when it comes to foreign policy, some feel her far—right credentials are somewhat overstated. meloni made it very clear that italy is with the eu in nature and has also 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 war

and claimed president putin considers him number one among his five best friends. for now, ms meloni and her allies are putting on a united front, she won power 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. loadstone pat carey. remind us how we got to this point. it wasn't easy at all for giorgia meloni to form this government. they got around 44% of the vote in the elections last month, but the coalition is very fracture is. they have been fighting a lot. the main problem result being that forza

italia, because first some ministerial requests, then some links appeared between, to be between silvio berlusconi and vladimir putin who apparently symptoms 20 bottles of vodka. and a letter, a quote from him, to berlusconi himself, so the government is there. we don't know for how long it will last but we have the first female italian prime minister. lots of people watching what is going on in italy, including the european neighbours. what are the international repercussions for this? many people are scared by potential movements of italy inside the european sphere. i must remind people that parts of this is part of the european popular party, the same party

where the european commission ursula von der leyen comes from, so they need more than 190 billion from the eu as part of the pandemic resilience plan, so it is difficult to see giorgia meloni moving easily outside of the western sphere and european alliance. at the same time she has always been very voice full, its support of ukraine, so it is quite difficult to see her moving away from that as well. they may change may arrive from internal policies. —— the main changes. first of all, there has already been some movement on the social issues such as abortion. a few days ago a senator has already proposed a law to change the legal status of a foetus, in fact complicating access at the law as approved to abortion for women. at the same time,

giorgia meloni is said to be against lgbt lobbying, whatever against lg bt lobbying, whatever that against lgbt lobbying, whatever that means, and gender �*theorists�*, so there is a chance we will see a change on the internal policy side and at an international level. the 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 america correspondent peter bowes reports. they want to see documents relevant to the circumstances the capitol building under siege. supporters of donald trump trying to stop congress certifying joe biden�*s bribbaree and the 2020 election. bribbaree and the 2020 election-— bribbaree and the 2020 election. ~ . . ., ., election. according to the house committee - election. according to the house committee the - election. according to the i house committee the former president was in the thick of

orchestrating what happened, and acted illegally to obstruct the peaceful transition of power. now its members want to hear directly from mr trump and seek any relevant documents in his possession. he has until novemberfour to provide his possession. he has until november four to provide them, and then appear in person to answer questions on or about the 14th of next month. the former president's lawyers say they will respond as appropriate to what they call "this unprecedented action." "this unprecedented action. " donald "this unprecedented action." donald trump could decide to go along with the request, appealing it in court or refusing to comply like steve bannon found guilty of contempt of congress and now sentenced to four months injailfor his refusal to do as the committee asked. he is going to appeal. i have got a great legal team, there will be multiple areas of appeal but, as that sciences writer, can we have the vote sign? 0n writer, can we have the vote sign? on november eight, on

november eight — on over a. there will bejudgement november eight — on over a. there will be judgement on the illegitimate biden regime, and quite frankly, quite frankly that nancy pelosi and the entire committee... and we know which way that is going. the mid—term elections on november eight to go again the democrats with the republicans taking control of the house of representatives, the committee investigating the attack on congress will be disbanded. time is not on and trump ' fr'rijnip'c’adla ” 7 w trump could to run donald trump could try to run up donald trump could try to run up clock through protracted up the clock through protracted legal action to avoid having to testify. in the uk soon we will have a new prime minister following the resignation of liz truss on thursday. penny mordaunt, leader of the house of commons of the first conservative member of parliament to say she wants thejob. no member of parliament to say she wants the job. no other mp member of parliament to say she wants thejob. 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 tory party leader. mrjohnson left offers just over tory party leader. mrjohnson left offersjust over six tory party leader. mrjohnson left offers just over six weeks ago, forced out after series of crises and scandals. whoever becomes the next conservative leader also becomes the next prime minister. but opposition parties are calling for a general election. 0ur political correspondence genital by because greatest details. —— jonathan blake. 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 replacement has not formally declared his candidacy it seems to be a case of when, not if. and he seems to be the front runner 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. saying via twitter that she wanted to unite the party and deliver on their pledges to the electorate and win the next general election. in iran, a climberwho

apologised for competing abroad without a headscarf was forced to make the apology, the sources told bbc pleasure. she broke iran strict dress code and contents in south korea but later sat her headscarf had fallen off. but according to the bbc, authorities threatened to take a family's property if she didn't make the statement. 0ur reporter gave us more details. our reporter gave us more details. ,., . our reporter gave us more details. . ., , ., our reporter gave us more details. . ., , details. our source has told us that she was _ details. our source has told us that she was threatened. - details. our source has told us that she was threatened. herl that she was threatened. her family property worth over $350,000 would have been taken away. she had to sign a cheque before going to seoul for the competition and she had been given — she was forced to give power of attorney to iranian officials to make sure she was going to return to the country. so we always expected a lot of pressure but in recent hours she has posted a piece of poetry on her social media and she has thanked people for

their support, and in the last line she says that, "the road ahead is going to have obstacles which can't be overcome without your support," which means you probably senses that the road ahead is not going to be very easy. meanwhile on a separate matter, protests are continuing and iran are following the death of mahsa amini a few weeks ago. yesterday was exactly five weeks since the death of mahsa amini, 22—year—old iranian kurdish woman. the pictures you are are from the city south—east of iran. people were chanting, "death to the dictator," i know we are looking at five weeks of anti—government protests in the country, and an association of teachers�* union has called for a two day strike starting from today. the truck drivers association has also called for association has also called for a stroke. we know many cities

at night time people go on the rooftops and balconies chanting, death to the dictator, and more importantly many iranians are now rushing to berlin to hold what is expected to be a large anti—government protest where thousands are planning to head there and we are expecting probably one of the largest anti— iranian government protests in europe to be held later today. protests in europe to be held later today-— protests in europe to be held later today. stay weatherzone bbc news, — later today. stay weatherzone bbc news, still _ later today. stay weatherzone bbc news, still to _ later today. stay weatherzone bbc news, still to come, the. bbc news, still to come, the japanese cartoon characters making the transition from the silver screen to the royal shakespeare company. indira gandhi, ruler of the world�*s largest democracy, died today. 0nly yesterday she 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 years of unhappiness, these two countries have concluded a chapter of history. no more suspicion, no more fear, no i more uncertainty of what

each day might bring. . booster ignition and lift—off of we're enjoying the show. this is beautiful. a milestone in human history. born today, this. girl in india is the seven billionth- 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 world war ii. the former us president

donald trump is summoned to testify before the congressional committee investigating last year�*s attack on the capitol building. 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. 0ur 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 real for 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 speaks 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.�* at least 150 people have been killed during two days of ethnic clashes over land disputes in sudan�*s southern blue nile state. sudan has seen political unrest and an economic crisis since a military coup last year. blue nile is one of the 18 states in the republic of the sudan and the region

is home to around a0 different ethnic groups. 0ur senior africa correspondent anne soy has more on this story. fighting first broke out last week and then on wednesday and thursday this week it escalated at least 150 people died. the un says as many as 170 but they haven�*t verified those figures. it has been very difficult for them to get to that area and aid agencies have been calling for urgent and unimpeded access to the affected area. now, at the core of the problem is a dispute over land. these are communities that have lived alongside each other for a very long time but some are herders, others are farmers and therefore, there have been conflicts over the use of resources and the whole of africa is experiencing a prolonged drought, and that just exasperates the situation. from wednesday on, we have been told that hundreds of people

fled from cities and they have been going to neighbouring cities and intense gunfire. and houses are also set ablaze, one hospital in the area said that they had at least 80 people injured. an oil tanker driver has been arrested in mexico after his vehicle collided with a train. the incident happened in aguascalientes, some three hours north—east of guadalajara in the north of the country. wendy urquhart reports. streams of black billowing smoke on the horizon was the first inkling that something horrific had happened in this city of aguascalientes. the situation on the ground 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 firefighters arrived very quickly _ and they 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 caterforfamilies. 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 amid 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. wendy urquhart, bbc news. 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, its animated movie my neighbour totoro has been adapted by the royal shakespeare company for the stage. our culture editor katie razzall has this report. 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�*re so cheeky, a lot of them, and they really do have a life of their own. you�*re talking about them like they�*re real people. both: yeah, they are! screams. 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. growls: to-to-ro! 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 2—d 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, 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 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 news website. i am on twitter. from all of us here in london, thanks for watching. goodbye for now. 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 0xfordshire 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. it was 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 little 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�*ll start to see showers, some of them heavy and thundery, gathering into 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�*ll feel very pleasant. into sunday. here�*s that low, then, 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 contrasts, i suspect, once again into sunday afternoon. now, as we move into the beginning of the week, that frontal system will start to push through the far north of scotland but we�*re still going to keep the threat of further fronts moving in from the west as we go through the week ahead.

so on monday, we�*ve 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 drier weather once again remains for eastern england. and again, we�*re going to see those temperatures into the high teens — above where they should be for this time of year. and that�*s going to be the trend as we go through the week ahead. it stays relatively mild but we�*ve 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 giorgia meloni has accepted an offer from the country�*s president to form a new government, after winning last month�*s election. to testify before the congressional committee investigating the january 6th riot at the us capitol. borisjohnson is heading back to london from a caribbean holiday, as speculation grows that he willjoin the race

to succeed liz truss as british prime minister. an increasing number of conservatives say