welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: international condemnation of north korea's latest — and most powerful — nuclear test, as the us issues a blunt warning. any threat to the united states or its territories, including guam, or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming. a bbc investigation finds recruiters from so—called islamic state were trying to direct would—be attackers a year before westminster and london bridge. south asia's devastating floods leave millions destitute. aid agencies say they're struggling to cope. and walter becker, guitarist and co—founder of the influential band steely dan, has died at the age of 67. the un security council is holding an emergency meeting on monday —— and walter becker,

guitarist and co—founder of the influential band steely dan, has died at the age of 67. welcome. the un security council is holding an emergency meeting on monday after north korea carried out its most powerful nuclear test to date. the trump administration warned pyongyang that it risks a "massive military response" if it threatens the us or its allies. south korea responded by conducting its own military exercise. seoul says it carried out live—fire ballistic missile drills in response to the north's nuclear test. there's been widespread international condemnation of pyongyang, with china and russia both expressing deep concern. we report from tokyo and beijing in a moment but first,

here's our correspondent yogita limaye in seoul. "it was a perfect success," the newsreader declared, as she announced north korea was close to achieving its nuclear goals. the country says it has detonated a hydrogen bomb small enough to be fitted to an intercontinental missile. this is kimjong—un inspecting what north korea claims is such a device. if true, it would mean that pyongyang is now capable of launching a nuclear attack on cities in the united states. this unprecedented threat prompted president trump to say... any threat to the united states or its territories, including guam, or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming.

it is a strong message to south korea's president who, for months, has said talking to north korea was a solution. today, he expressed outrage and disappointment. translation: north korea has made an absurd tactical mistake by committing a series of provocations such as launching icbm missiles and conducting a nuclear test, which has heightened tensions on the peninsula and is threatening world peace. it will isolate them further. south korea is most worried because it has the most to lose. and that is why, even though military measures like these bombing drills are held in the face of the threat from north korea, it is hard to see what further action can be taken. it's certainly our view that none of the military options are good. the distance between north korea and seoul is very, very small. they could basically vaporise large

parts of the south korean population, even with conventional weapons. here in seoul, we are only about 50 kilometres from the border with north korea, and at any given time, a mass of weapons is pointing in this direction. and that is why, rather than take a military route, the international community has been trying to put economic pressure on pyongyang. but that isn't working, either, and the impact of every move kim jong—un makes is felt notjust in the korean peninsula, but also across the sea injapan. the pod under the belly of this japanese air force jet can sniff the airfor radiation. this afternoon, it roared off towards north korea to do just that. it is less than a week since north korea fired this missile across japan. for prime minister abe, this

is becoming an unwelcome routine. translation: together with the us, south korea, china, and russia, japan will take determined action against north korea. north korea may now have tested a nuclear device that is small enough to put on top of a ballistic missile that could be fired at the united states. and for the government here injapan, that is very disturbing because it raises a very troubling question — in future, will the united states be willing to risk one of its own cities — say, for example, denver — in order to protect seoul and tokyo? this afternoon, the us ambassador rushed to see japan's foreign minister to reassure him. no action taken by the north koreans will, in any way, deter our commitment. japan and the us may have the military might to deter north korea, but they have few other levers to pressure pyongyang. only one country does, and that is china.

china was quite literally shaken by the blast. north korea's nuclear test site is only 60 miles from the border. it will have sent a diplomaticjolt, too, coming just before president xi jinping opened this international summit. although he made no direct reference, he warned of the challenges to world peace. on state tv, the message was more blunt, with an official statement strongly condemning the test. there can be little doubt that the government here in beijing is rattled. once again, it has had to order emergency radiation monitoring along the border. but, despite the frustration, as always, it may be reluctant to punish north korea too hard. china has recently been stopping cargoes of coal and seafood in line

with toughened un sanctions but its biggest fear is not nuclear weapons — it is the chaos that would come with the economic collapse of the impoverished state, shrouded in darkness on the other side of this river. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. and joining me now from washington is balbina hwang, a visiting professor at georgetown university and a former senior advisor on asian affairs at the us state department. thank you forjoining us here on bbc news. do you think these latest tests change the strategic calculation is that the us and other countries must make about north korea? well actually, not quite. what a mean by that is essentially north korea already crossed the rubicon a number of years ago with

its very first nuclear test. and so, this test number six is actually something that many experts and indeed our own us government has been pretty thing will eventually come, perhaps a little faster than we thought that we also have no evidence that north korea actually detonated the kind of device it is boasting or claiming to have done so. boasting or claiming to have done so. i suppose what it does show is that kim jong—un and pyongyang are not going to be deterred by threats and sanctions? i think they are very dangerous, it is very serious, but is not necessarily the crisis in the sense that the united states or its allies are today in no more danger than we were yesterday or a week before the test so i think it's important to understand that these are very, very serious strategic threats and they are quite long—term

and they will take long—term solutions. balbina, in the last hour the white house was put out a statement, saying that they reserve the right to use diplomatic, conventional and nuclear capabilities to defend themselves and their allies. realistically, both last two cannot be used, can they? they are stuck with diplomacy. i cannot take pre—emptive action, can they? it depends on what we are talking about in terms of pre—emptive action and of course the united states could but if we are talking about stopping north korea ‘s nuclear programme and their delivery systems which missiles, then frankly a conventional sort of a tactical, surgical strike is frankly probably too late. because we will not be able to do on strike that will take out just that one facility. essentially, what the sixth test has proven is that north korea's nuclear programme is a very diversified and they are

increasingly becoming more sophisticated and they are very well spread out throughout the country. in terms of the geopolitics find it fascinating that donald trump chose to ta ke fascinating that donald trump chose to take south korea, alluding to appeasement of the north, what do you think is behind that? well, i think we have to always take our president's tweets and off—the—cuff remarks in the context of president donaldj remarks in the context of president donald j trump remarks in the context of president donaldj trump himself. this is a man who likes to speak off—the—cuff, perhaps without many of his advisers, but also though i think he actually enjoys kind of reaction that he gets from these very blunt statements. i don't think those are actually that important. what is important, though, is the concern about the strength of the alliance and just yesterday there was a front—page report in the washington post that president trump is considering cancelling or pulling

out of the us chorus of the free—trade agreement so it's in combination i think that cause some concern among our allies in seoul, and frankly in tokyo. 0k, balbina, good to talk to you as always. thank you for speaking to us here on bbc news. we will, of course, keep you updated on this developing story but don't forget, you'll find plenty more on our website. go to bbc.com/news. we'll have updates, analysis, and the latest from our correspondents in the region. you can also download the bbc news app. do check it out. a bbc investigation has found that so—called islamic state was secretly directing would—be extremists to murder people at both london bridge and westminster nearly a year before each attack. recruiters pointed our undercover reporters to terror manuals which showed how best to drive a car at crowds and attack victims with knives. the government says it is trying to suffocate the group's ability to recruit and radicalise people in the uk. nick beake has more. indiscriminate murder

on the streets of london — exactly the kind of attack so—called islamic state had been calling for. our investigation reveals the group were not only inspiring such plots but issuing directions to target both westminster and london bridge. last summer, our undercover reporter made contact with is recruiters active online. the authorities were fully aware of our communication. after inviting us to talk on a secret messaging site, is agents pinpointed westminster, promising if you succeed with an attack there, it would be huge and damaging. he said that this was a very good target because it was crowded with disbelievers and civilians. he told me to just kill ordinary people, and that it wouldn't require a very complicated plan. with hindsight, the instructions

look like a blueprint for the westminster attack, eight months later. khalid masood used a car to mow down pedestrians and then stabbed a policeman to death. injuly 2016, we were also in conversation with another is handler, who had another target — "london bridge," he wrote. "use truck, axe, anything." we were directed to terrorist guides on the so—called dark web. one of them showed how to use a vehicle to kill people. the other showed how to use knives and home—made bombs for maximum impact. there was a description of how to create a fake suicide vest and how it can be used to stop the police from attacking you if you are standing next to civilians. the instructions bear all the hallmarks of the carnage nearly a year later at london bridge. a van, knives, fake suicide belts, and a stash of improvised bombs. hanif qadir, a former al-qaeda fighter now tackling radicalisation,

is alarmed at how quickly encrypted communication can radicalise young britons. at that time, in 2002, it still took me six to seven months. if they'd have had this kind of technology, i would... i would put my hand on my heart and i would say, guaranteed, within a few weeks you could have somebody so enraged with revenge — that's how they see it — that they would become a suicide bomber or a terrorist. the government has vowed to close down what it calls ‘safe space' where terrorists can both plot and recruit. i think the authorities have an unbelievably difficult task now. encrypted apps, or anonymous web browsers, or the dark net, these places online that are very, very difficult to properly monitor, are proliferating very quickly. and as their self—declared caliphate crumbles in the middle east, is are still making the most of secret communications,

determined to inspire but also direct atrocities here in the uk. nick beake, bbc news. the most devastating floods to hit south asia in a decade have killed more than 1,400 people and focused attention on lack of preparedness for annual monsoon rains. in many areas the authorities are struggling to get aid to millions of destitute people. our correspondentjustin rowlatt is in bihar — one of the poorest states in india and the worst affected by the floods. they're mixing up huge pots of vegetable curry and dhal, food for those left destitute by the floods, and there is no shortage of demand. but you can rebuild a house or replant a field. there are some things you never recover from. so they came down here to get provisions, and the water was just up to their knees. and then, when they turned to go back, suddenly there was this great surge of water came down, and it dragged them away, dragged the father and the women away, and the women managed to grab hold of the trees down here.

she said she watched as her father was swept away. translation: now, he's gone. what do i do? sometimes i wish i had been washed away with him. this was the worst flood in the region for decades. almost a metre of rain fell in just two days, across a vast area of nepal and north india. it came down the river as a great pulse of water. just look at this enormous embankment, and just imagine for a moment the force needed to punch this hole into it. and the fear is that climate scientists say that extreme weather events like this, and the destruction they bring with them, are only going to get more common. and that is a terrifying prospect for vulnerable communities like these. justin rowlatt, bbc news, bihar. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come: the massive second world war bomb defused in frankfurt, forcing the evacuation of more than 60,000 people. she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies, then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting and wives are waiting. hostages appeared, some carried, some running, trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today, described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable. an early—morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the us defence secretary, james mattis, has said there would be a massive military response to any threat to the us or its allies after north korea

tested its most powerful nuclear device yet. kimjong—un's regime has hailed the test a "perfect success." meanwhile, south korea's carried out its own military exercise. german bomb disposal experts have defused a massive unexploded bomb from the second world war. around sixty thousand residents of frankfurt left their homes on sunday to allow the work to be carried out. it was the country's biggest evacuation since the war. there are believed to be hundreds of thousands of unexploded second world war bombs across germany. sarah corker reports. this is ‘blockbuster‘, so—called for its ability to flatten an entire street. the british—made bomb weighs1.5tons and, buried for more than 70 years, the fear was it may have become unstable over time. and so on sunday, there was a mass evacuation of frankfurt's city centre, as technicians worked for hours to make the bomb safe. translation: with the british bomb, you have a particularly difficult task on top of it all.

once that fusers have been removed, the detonators have to be pulled out and they are highly sensitive. the problem with it is that, over time, crystals could have formed and they are highly explosive. the bomb was found last week, during construction work in the city's west end. it is an area home to germany's central bank, where half of the country's gold reserves are stored. archive: into the dusk and through the long dark hours... the hc4000 bomb was dropped on frankfurt by the royal air force in 1944. there are thought to be hundreds of thousands of unexploded bombs across germany, legacies of intense bombing campaigns against the nazis. the scale of this evacuation was unlike any other. more than 60,000 people forced to leave. elderly residents recalled wartime memories. translation: i was here in west end during the war. i heard the bombs falling when i was in the basement the governor of texas says the cost of reconstruction

following storm harvey could be as much as $180 billion. greg abbot said the devastation was worse than hurricane katrina that struck new orleans in 2005. meanwhile, a senior official at the disaster management agency warned that flood—ravaged states cannot rely on the federal government to pick up the bill. the governor of california has declared a state of emergency for los angeles county, as more than a thousand firefighters battle the city's largest wildfire. more than 700 homes have been evacuated since friday and only 10% of the fire which covers two thousand 400 hectares has been contained. with just three weeks to go until a general election in germany, chancellor angela merkel has been facing her main rival, martin schulz, in a live tv debate. much of the sparring focussed on immigration, but there was agreement that turkey should not become part of the european union. a survey of voters showed

mrs merkel, who is seeking a fourth term as german chancellor, won the debate. one of cambodia's last independent newspapers has announced it will close after authorities said it had to pay a huge tax bill. it has often been critical of the government. it comesjust been critical of the government. it comes just hours after the opposition leader was arrested for treason. the prime minister has accused him of plotting with the us to harm cambodia. american singer—songwriter, walter becker, from the band, steely dan, has died aged 67. the band co—founder is being remembered as an excellent guitarist and a great songwriter. steely dan blurred musical boundaries through its mix ofjazz, rock and pop, with hits such as "reelin' in the years." in 2001, the band was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. have a listen.

i think we should remember walter. they wanted to take pop and rock and do something eccentric with it. the fa ct do something eccentric with it. the fact they could have true hits while at the same time putting forward offbeat lyrical sensibility with jazz influence. why did you describe them as eccentric and different? they were in so many ways not fitting the traditional rock star

model. everything from the fact that after a couple of years of success in the early mid 70s they decided they did not want to tour anymore and went to the studio to make this thing albums. —— pristine albums. they were always exploring sleazy characters that were not rock hero topics. and the music itself was incorporating jazz into pop in a way that was not done before. they were not writing typical rock songs. for the international audience not familiar with steely dan, who were the fans? who did they touch? they definitely catered to the outsider mentality. i interviewed him in 2008. he described steely dan as

creatures of the margins. nerdy young guys interested in literature and jazz and intellectual influences, finding ways to incorporate those into rock and pop. it attracted people who may not relate to the standard, like the stones, you know, straight rock bands. you are watching bbc news. please stay with us. hello. after a weekend of two halves, this week's weather takes us on a bit of a journey

but things are a bit quieter for a time mid—week, as i'll show you in a moment. i will start with a couple of images from sunday's weather. after all that saturday sunshine, grey skies, some rain around. the further east you are, you did not get that rain until quite late on and the weather system that brought it is starting to fizzle out but we are left, as monday begins, with plenty of cloud. it's low cloud, it's misty, murky, some coast and hill fog around. still damp and drizzly in places as well. and it is quite warm, quite humid air that's across us. look these temperatures for 8 o'clock in the morning. some around 16—17 celsius. not as breezy as it has been into england and wales. again the chance of seeing a bit light rain, more especially in parts of northern england and scotland. mainly dry start in northern ireland but this band of wet weather is going to move in and will also push across scotland during the day. still quite windy for some of us here, especially the further north you are. northern isles with a risk of gales, into shetland. on through the day. after all that cloud to begin with, we start to brighten things up a little bit in england

and wales, especially east wales and through northern, central, southern and eastern england. if you get some sunny spells for any period of time, it could be quite warm. 23—24 celsius, could well be yours, maybe the chance a shower. we'll move a band of rain through northern ireland. outbreaks of rain through scotland but the further west you are, especially late afternoon gonig into the evening, it could well be brightening up once again. the rain is not done with us though. on monday night it looks like it will pep up again through this zone here, back into parts of northern ireland, maybe scotland, northern england and wales before going into tuesday this energy will run out eastwards into the north sea. we are left on tuesday with this weatherfront still heading south—east, just not as much rain associated with it. a cold front, the leading edge of cooler, fresher air so there is a change to the feel of the weather coming our way by the end of tuesday from the north—west. so a band of rain pushing south eastwards across england on tuesday, behind that one or two showers following, but actually,

as you can see, sunnier weather, cooler, fresher feeling weather but at least we have the sunshine as temperatures come down a few degrees. and then we embark on that somewhat quieter spell of weather for a couple of days. wednesday just a few showers in the west, variable cloud and sunshine. many of us dry on thursday but it looks we will see another weather system bearing down on parts of scotland and northern ireland as we go on through thursday. so this week's weather then, a humid, quite warm start for some of us, if you see some sunshine, but then turning cooler and fresher, with sunny spells and showers for a few days. but by the end of the week, thursday night into friday, it looks like it will be turning wet and windy for a time. this is bbc news. the headlines — the us defence secretary james mattis says any threat to the united states or its allies will be met with a massive military response. he was speaking after briefing president trump following north korea's latest nuclear test. south korea has responded by carrying out its own military exercise. a bbc investigation has found that so—called islamic state was secretly directing would—be extremists to murder people at both london bridge and westminster nearly

a year before each attack. the government says it is trying to suffocate is's ability to recruit people in the uk. the most devastating floods to hit south asia in a decade have killed more than 1,400 people and focused attention on lack of preparedness for annual monsoon rains. in many areas, the authorities are struggling to get aid to millions of destitute people. now on bbc news, hardtalk.