this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories: the former president of pakistan, general pervez musharraf, has died at the age of 79. shot out of the sky — the us continues to search and recover the wreckage of a chinese balloon suspected of spying, which was brought down by an american fighterjet. when he successfully took it down and i want to compliment the aviators who did it. china condemns the move — accusing the us of an over—reaction — insisting the balloon was for meteorological research. the former uk prime minister, liz truss, blames what she's calls a "powerful economic establishment" for her downfall.

pakistan's former president, general pervez musharraf, has died following a long illness. he was 79 years old. president musharraf seized power in a bloodless military coup in 1999, serving in office for seven years from 2001. and in 2019 he was sentenced to death in absentia, for treason charges for absconding the murder trial of one of his successors, bennazir bhuto. at the time of his death, he had been living in exile in dubai, receiving medical treatment. the bbc�*s gordon corera looks back on his life. 1999. and when troops stormed the national television headquarters to put pervez musharraf in power, the people of pakistan heard a familiar refrain.

the nation needed another leader in uniform to save it from self—serving politicians. in the past, our governments have ruled the people. it is time now for the governments to serve the people. pakistan had already been under army rule for more than half the time it had been independent. general musharraf portrayed himself as a moderniser out to rid pakistan of islamic extremism. the attacks in the us in september 2001 severely tested his resolve. controversially, within pakistan, he decided to support the american—led military campaign to oust the taliban regime in neighbouring afghanistan. the best way to fight this common enemy is to join hands. he faced protests that he'd sold out to the americans. later, he only narrowly escaped an attempt on his life.

challenges to his authority were put down with military force. he later handed over control of the army. but the killing of the former prime minister benazir bhutto in 2007, soon after her return from exile, undermined president musharraf's claim that the nation was safe in his hands. then his party was trounced at the polls, and the coalition that came in decided to impeach him for his alleged misrule as president. pervez musharraf, though, moved first and resigned. he went into self—imposed exile but returned to pakistan six years later, intending to stand in the forthcoming general election. but he was placed under arrest — a move musharraf described as politically motivated. allowed to seek medical treatment abroad, he was convicted in his absence of treason and accused of involvement in bhutto's assassination. pervez musharraf once said pakistan

would help to shape the future for both islam and the west, and the relations between them. on that, there would probably be little disagreement, but there undoubtedly will be over pervez musharraf's own contribution. 0ur pakistan correspondent, caroline davies, has the latest from islamabad. i think some of the reaction tells you a little bit about the man and how contentious he was. so, to start with, we've obviously heard initially this morning from the army who confirmed the death through their press wing and, of course, offered their condolences and said, "may allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family". we have also heard from musharraf's former party saying, "this is a loss to the country" and we have also heard from the current prime minister shehbaz sharif also offering his condolences too. we have heard from the former aide

and spokesperson to musharraf who is now the leader of the pti, which is imran khan's party. fawad chaudhry has described musharaff as being "a great person" and said his ideology was always to keep pakistan first and we've also recently heard from india's main opposition in the congress party saying that, "once the implacable foe of india, he became a real force for peace in 2002 and 2007." we have also heard indirectly from bilawal bhutto who is the foreign minister here in pakistan, but he's also the son of benazir bhutto and today he posted pictures of benazir with a note saying she will live forever. this is obviously being seen as a reference to the fact that benazir herself before she died said if something were to happen to her, she labelled several people, including

general pervez musharraf, as one of those that she suspected would be behind it. that was something he denied all the way throughout his life, but i think that gives you an indication of how this man is viewed. in terms of the military impact, and the military influence that he has in pakistan through its entire history, since �*47, the partition of india in, you have a military that has on more than one occasion taken power from elected government and deposed. in fact, that's what general musharraf did. he is the most recent case of it happening, you could argue. is the military still at the force it has been in pakistan, in politics and therefore the generals still people the figures that people worry or care about? that's a really interesting question at this stage. musharraf was the fourth military leader in the history of pakistan since 19117 to take power and as you say, the most recent one, and interestingly at the moment,

the military here is probably at its least popular that it has been throughout the course of pakistan's history, it has taken a real battering and the army often views itself as being scapegoated by politicians and criticised for that. this is an interesting time that this discussion about pervez musharraf is being hard, at this point, about pervez musharraf is being had, at this point, in an election year and exactly the role of the army in pakistan, what was the role of the army and pervez musharraf and what will be the future role of the army as well? they are saying they are not involved in politics, they are neutral and are taking a step back but of course they are still quite often criticised by politicians as having much too strong a role in politics here in pakistan. the giant chinese balloon that had been floating across parts of the united states has been shot down by an american fighterjet off the coast of south carolina. the balloon, which the us says

was being used to spy on military sites, appeared to plummet into the sea. china continues to insist it was a stray civilian weather observation airship. china's foreign ministry says it strongly disapproves of — and protests against — the us attack on a civilian unmanned airship by force. it also said american use of force is a "clear overreaction and a serious violation of international practice". tim allman reports. for days now, all eyes have been on this solitary object, floating serenely through us airspace. was it a harmless weather balloon or a spy in the sky, sent by the chinese? whatever it was, the american government had decided enough was enough. look at that trail of white vapour on the left of the screen. that is a us f—22 fighterjet, streaking towards the balloon. then, a second trail, this time from a sidewinder missile, about to bring its journey to an abrupt end.

suddenly, we saw something take off from the jet and we knew it was a missile and you could see the explosion. didn't hear anything but saw the explosion of the balloon. gosh, it was almost like it was a moving cloud coming down. then the smoke was gone and then it started slowly going down towards the ocean. explosion. whoa! did you hear that? a few moments after the impact, the sound of the explosion could be heard at ground level. then the remains of the balloon — its canopy torn to shreds, falls to the earth. a satisfying moment for president biden although he had to wait a few days for the operation to be carried out. i ordered the pentagon to shoot it down as soon as possible and they decided not to damage anyone on the ground and decided the best way to do that was to wait till it got over water. in a statement, chinese

foreign ministry accused the us of overreacting: it added: the whole incident has caused tensions in what is already a delicate relationship. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, cancelled a planned trip to beijing as a result. the balloon is believed to have come down in relatively shallow water and any wreckage should be easily retrieved. the americans hope they will then be able to work out exactly what the chinese were up to. tim allman, bbc news. joining me now is southeast asia regional specialist carl thayer. he's currently an emeritus professor for university of new south wales canberra at the australian defence force academy. thank you very much for being with

us on bbc news. it is a very curious case, this, isn't it? the fact it is all about a balloon, in some circumstances would seem almost comical, yet it is a very serious escalation of tensions between the countries. ~ ., ~ ., countries. indeed. we now know there were three intrusions _ countries. indeed. we now know there were three intrusions by _ countries. indeed. we now know there were three intrusions by balloons - were three intrusions by balloons during the trump administration and one previous one under biden, but not as detailed and prolonged as this one in particular. the chinese were warned in advance and repeatedly by many diplomats, that the us would take whatever measures. china was asked to change its course, and it didn't do that, and the us, with domestic pressures building on biden, were left little choice but to shoot it down, as they would otherwise have lost the

opportunity. it would otherwise have lost the opportunity-— would otherwise have lost the ouortuni . .,, , , opportunity. it was raised yesterday b one of opportunity. it was raised yesterday by one of the _ opportunity. it was raised yesterday by one of the analysts _ opportunity. it was raised yesterday by one of the analysts i _ opportunity. it was raised yesterday by one of the analysts i was - by one of the analysts i was speaking to, i would be interested in new observations, why would china think it was of use to deploy something like this if it was engaging in spy activities, when it has a vast array of satellite technology at its disposal and ready in use? . , technology at its disposal and ready in use? ., , ., ., ., in use? that gets down into what it could be collecting, _ in use? that gets down into what it could be collecting, and _ in use? that gets down into what it could be collecting, and the - could be collecting, and the strategic collections, including microwave and other transmissions on the ground that the balloon may be able to pick up more accurately. another is that the army did this and the foreign ministry didn't know and the foreign ministry didn't know and china are playing catch up, seeing how america reacts, how flawless or seamless the americans

react to this and what they can actually do. fix, react to this and what they can actually tie-— react to this and what they can actually do. react to this and what they can actuall do. �* , ., ,, ., actually do. a pleasure to speak to ou. actually do. a pleasure to speak to yom thank — actually do. a pleasure to speak to you- thank you _ actually do. a pleasure to speak to you. thank you very _ actually do. a pleasure to speak to you. thank you very much. - actually do. a pleasure to speak to l you. thank you very much. hopefully we will talk again soon. thank you for your time. we will talk again soon. thank you for your time-— let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. pope francis is on his way back to rome after a historic visit to south sudan. addressing an open air mass congregation injuba at the end of his visit, he told the congregation he brought a message of hope and pleaded with south sudan's leaders to focus on bringing about lasting peace. forest fires in chile have killed at least 23 people and injured almost 1,000 more. a number of countries, including argentina, mexico and spain, have offered help. authorities said there were more than 200 fires still active on saturday. president volodymyr zelensky says the situation at the frontlines is getting tougher as russia tries to break through ukraine's defences. he said it was very difficult around the town of bakhmut. in its latest assessment, british military intelligence says ukrainian forces in bakhmut

are becoming increasingly isolated. violence has erupted in peru between demonstrators and riot police in the capital, lima. there were clashes when a group of protesters stormed through a street, throwing objects — including firecrackers — at a wall of riot police officers, who fired teargas canisters to disperse the crowd. the demonstrators are demanding the resignation of president dina boluarte and for new elections to be brought forward. the former uk prime minister, liz truss, has blamed what she's called a "powerful economic establishment" — and a lack of support from the conservative party — for her downfall in number ten. ms truss was forced to quit after her package of tax cuts caused panic in the markets and the pound dropped to a record low. in a newspaper article, ms truss admitted she's not blameless,

but doesn't think her tax policies were given a "realistic chance". on a bbc political programme, the uk's business secretary grant shapps admitted the former prime minister's approach in her short time in office "wasn't correct". liz truss does accept that, actually, you can'tjust go straight to those tax cuts without not only laying out the groundwork, that was her point. my point would be without dealing with the other things first. inflation, first of all, getting growth into the economy, keeping debt under control. your question is, in my heart, do i think we should have a lower tax economy? answer, yes, absolutely. my question is, in your heart, do you think that liz truss' approach was the right one? well, clearly it wasn't.

and uk opposition parties have been criticising liz truss' essay, as well as grant shapps' comments — have a listen to labour's liz kendall. we have a clear plan on growth. i think_ we have a clear plan on growth. i think one — we have a clear plan on growth. i think one of— we have a clear plan on growth. i think one of your former guests here, _ think one of your former guests here, the — think one of your former guests here, the chair of tesco said we were _ here, the chair of tesco said we were the — here, the chair of tesco said we were the only team on the pitch in terms _ were the only team on the pitch in terms of— were the only team on the pitch in terms of growth, whether that is on clean _ terms of growth, whether that is on clean energy, backing businesses and working _ clean energy, backing businesses and working in— clean energy, backing businesses and working in partnership in an industrial— working in partnership in an industrial strategy, or investing in the skills— industrial strategy, or investing in the skills we need for the future. that is— the skills we need for the future. that is the — the skills we need for the future. that is the unspoken thing in the room _ that is the unspoken thing in the room and — that is the unspoken thing in the room and in that interview. i think it leads _ room and in that interview. i think it leads hack— room and in that interview. i think it leads back to what the discussion we are _ it leads back to what the discussion we are having on strikes and pay and the state _ we are having on strikes and pay and the state of— we are having on strikes and pay and the state of our public services, because — the state of our public services, because unless we grow the economy, we won't _ because unless we grow the economy, we won't have the money to put into public _ we won't have the money to put into public services. joining us live now is tim bale, professor of politics at queen mary university of london. he is an expert on the conservative party, which has been a challenging source of study, i should imagine,

but fascinating over the last year. thank you forjoining us. let's start with, do you have a sense of what you might feel now is the time to offer a defence of her time in office and a strategy, which seems to be that the timing was wrong, but the actual content of the policy, she still believes, was quite right? there are two micro things there. one is that she is a true believer in those policies. i don't think she was ever going to give up the idea that they were the right ones to pursue, albeit perhaps poorly communicated and timed. why is she doing it now? because she recognises that the prime minister is not looking like the saviour for the conservative party that some people suggested he might be. therefore, in some senses, she is piling the pressure on him. there are people within the conservative party who

share her agenda, who have never been particularly convinced by rishi sunak and will probably get behind herfor doing so. the sunak and will probably get behind her for doing so.— sunak and will probably get behind her for doing so. the danger is that this creates — her for doing so. the danger is that this creates the _ her for doing so. the danger is that this creates the sense _ her for doing so. the danger is that this creates the sense or _ her for doing so. the danger is that. this creates the sense or appearance of division at a time when the conservatives had hoped, presumably, that the public would start to think about other things, especially after last year. about other things, especially after last ear. ., ., , last year. there are many conservatives _ last year. there are many conservatives in - last year. there are many conservatives in the - last year. there are many conservatives in the heart last year. there are many i conservatives in the heart of last year. there are many - conservatives in the heart of hearts that like the kinds of policies that liz truss was suggesting. but they feel that they made a mess of presenting them and they got the timing wrong. i can't see many conservative mps really coming out and backing liz truss. it is more likely they would like to see the back of her. i don't think there is a great market for this in the electorate. she is one of the least popular prime ministers we have had in recent years. if you look at

support for these kind of policies, it is very small. even among conservative members, they will not be a huge amount of support for liz truss doing this, because they would rather they got behind rishi sunak and gave him a fair whip.- and gave him a fair whip. briefly, once and she _ and gave him a fair whip. briefly, once and she does _ and gave him a fair whip. briefly, once and she does say _ and gave him a fair whip. briefly, once and she does say which - and gave him a fair whip. briefly, i once and she does say which seems and gave him a fair whip. briefly, - once and she does say which seems an extraordinary admission, is that it was driven in part by the prospect of a coming election. she made it faster because she was wanting to deliver results before an election. that is quite an admission, isn't it? ., ., ., . that is quite an admission, isn't it? to borrow from oscar wilde, you would have — it? to borrow from oscar wilde, you would have to _ it? to borrow from oscar wilde, you would have to have _ it? to borrow from oscar wilde, you would have to have a _ it? to borrow from oscar wilde, you would have to have a heart - it? to borrow from oscar wilde, you would have to have a heart of- it? to borrow from oscar wilde, you would have to have a heart of stone| would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh at some of this stuff. the idea there is some left—wing economic establishment and treasury orthodoxy that is responsible, even joe biden at one point seems to be responsible for what happened to her. i don't think it will wash with the british public.—

the british public. thank you very much. a british family has apologised to the people of grenada for the ownership of more than 1,000 slaves. in 1835, the trevelyan family received nearly £27,000 — a huge sum at the time, the equivalent today of around $3.5 million — in compensation from the british government for the abolition of slavery. the trevelyan family is now paying reparations to the people of the caribbean island, in cooperation with the caricom reparations commission. in a personal capacity, bbc presenter laura trevelyan, a family member, spoke to our news reporter, azaday moshiri. how do you make up for centuries of oppression? that's a question countries like britain and the united states are still trying to answer. bbc presenter laura trevelyan is confronting her ancestors' own role in the slave trade. across the caribbean, there are calls for reparations. after she learnt her family was listed on a database of slave owners, ms trevelyan visited grenada to face her ancestors'

painful legacy. when i went to grenada and i saw for myself the plantations where slaves were punished, when i saw the instruments of torture that were used to restrain them. when i looked at the neck braces, at the manacles, at this system of dehumanisation that my family had profited from as absentee slave owners of these sugar plantations, i felt ashamed. the trevelyan family has decided to apologise in a public letter. they write... "slavery was and is unacceptable and repugnant. "its damaging effects continue to the present day. "we repudiate our ancestors involvement in it." they go on...

five—times great grandfather... ms trevelyan explained the impact her family's actions still have today. poverty is rife. there's a lot of obesity, of hypertension, of ill health, which is linked to slavery, health experts feel because of decades of poor diet, of stress. and so some people could see what you're doing and argue, you know what, this is a drop in the bucket and that it's not going to fix the generations of difficulties and setbacks that these families have had to face. what would your response be to that? yes. i completely understand that this can seem like a very inadequate gesture that our family received the equivalent of about £3 million in compensation when slavery was abolished. we got that money in 183a.

so for me to be giving £100,000, almost 200 years later, for a fund that's going to look at economic development in grenada and the eastern caribbean, maybe that seems like it's really inadequate, but i hope that we're setting an example by apologising for what our ancestors did. later this month, the trevelyans will return to grenada. they'll attend a public forum organised by its national reparations commission. that's where the island will continue to reflect on what it's lost after centuries of colonisation and enslavement. azadeh moshiri, bbc news. hundreds of boats have taken part in a parade along the waterways at the start of the annual carnival in venice. the two—week event attracts tourists from all over the globe, with dancers, costumes and music lighting up the city. it was scaled down during the pandemic, but has returned

to normal this year. as you can see from these pictures, it is a remarkable site. all of that colourful activity on the water. 0ur reporter emb hashmi has more. dancing and sparkly masks are back with a bang in venice. the two—week—long festivities were launched by this colourful unicorn, a magical creature that transports dreamers to the stars. the narrow alleys and bridges of the city were lit up by dazzling dancers and spectacular floats for the parade down the canal grande. over the next two weeks the city will be filled with thousands of tourists from across italy and the world.

translation: it's great, it's - magical, what else is there to say? come and feel the spirit here! masked balls are held in ancient venetian palaces, while concerts and gondola parades are organised in the piazzas and canals, and costumed participants gather at the epicentre, st mark's square. the tradition of this carnival dates back to the 11th century, and it is still going strong. a reminder of our top story. the former president and military ruler of pakistan, general pervez musharraf, has died in hospital in dubai after a long illness. he was 79. general musharraf took power in a coup and later served as president for seven years.

he took pakistan into the war on terror on the side of the united states. hello there. part two of the weekend looking much brighter than part one. we had a lot of cloud around on saturday. today feels very different. lots of sunshine around, but feeling a little bit chillier than what we've been used to. in fact, temperatures will be closer to the seasonal norm for the next few days, in fact, for much of this upcoming week. high pressure sitting right on top of the uk, bringing all this fine and settled weather through the afternoon. a bit more of a breeze there for the far southeast, east anglia and for northern and western scotland and many northern and western parts will see some high cloud at times which will turn the sunshine a little bit hazy. but a fine and bright afternoon to come. bit cooler than of late — 7 to 9 celsius. now through tonight, our area of high pressure or the centre of it pushes towards the eastern side of the country, influencing much of england and wales. so here, lighterwinds, clearskies. it will turn cold with

the widespread frost. also, some mist and fog patches, some which could be quite dense across the southeast. but for scotland, northern ireland, more cloud, more breeze. so, less cold here. but it does mean for monday we will see more cloud around generally. scotland and northern ireland, maybe the odd shower for the western isles, more of a breeze. england and wales, a cold, frosty start with some early mist and fog. but again, it's going to be bright with the best of the sunshine down here, albeit a little bit hazy at times. temperatures, again, single figures for most, up to ten degrees in the north and the west, though with more breeze for tuesday, generally, i think mist and fog could be stubborn to clear across parts of england and wales, but it's here where we'll see the best of the sunshine, although here will be the lowest of the temperatures. variable cloud, some sunshine for scotland and northern ireland. for wednesday, a strong area of high pressure holds on across the continents, influencing our weather for the majority of the time. but these weather fronts will try to flirt with the north and the west of the uk,

so it will be windier on wednesday across the northwest, more cloud, maybe one or two showers generally. scotland and northern ireland, these are mean wind speeds. gusts could be quite higher than that. england and wales, lighter winds, a cold, frosty start with some mist and fog. probably the best of the sunshine as we head through the course of the afternoon. for most of us, temperatures remain in single digits closer to where we should be this time in february. could see a spell of wet, windy weather for a time across scotland on thursday. otherwise, for most, it'll stay fine and settled, and on the cool side.

this is bbc news. the headlines. the former president of pakistan, pervez musharraf, has died at the age of 79. general musharraf took power in a coup in 1999, and served as president for seven years from 2001. the united states is trying to find the wreckage of a chinese surveillance balloon, which it shot down over the atlantic. the pentagon believes it had been spying on sensitive sites. beijing has accused the us of an over—reaction. liz truss blames what she calls a "powerful economic establishment" for her downfall. the shortest serving prime minister in uk history says she was never given a "realistic chance" to implement her tax—cutting agenda. police investigating the disappearance of nicola bulley in lancashire say they've spoken to a woman they'd described as a key witness. ms bulley was last seen nine days ago.

nursing leaders in england have made a direct appeal to rishi sunak,