this is bbc news. the headlines at 6pm: the first black united nations secretary—general, kofi annan, dies aged 80. a nobel peace prize winner, he was modest about his achievements. leadership is not about the individual. when you have macho leaders, who believe they have to shine and it all has to be about them, forgetting that what is interest, what is required, is the welfare of society and the people they serve. facing the worst monsoon in a century, hundreds of thousands are made homeless in southern india. thousands mourn for the victims of the motorway bridge collapse in genoa. also coming up this hour: ministers plan a new tax on disposable plastics including takeaway boxes and coffee cups. britain's new £3 billion aircraft carrier, hms queen elizabeth, is setting sail to the us where fighter jets will land

on it for the first time. and in sport, harry kane gets his first ever august goal in the premier league. the england striker helps spurs to another win. good evening. welcome to bbc news. the former secretary—general of the united nations, kofi annan, has died at the age of 80. mr annan, the son of a ghanaian chief, spent his career with the un. he led the organisation for ten years. richard galpin looks back at his life in this report, which includes some flashing images. i, kofi annan. .. solemnly swear...

kofi annan was sworn in as the head of the united nations in december 1996. the first black african to become un secretary—general and the first to be appointed from within the organisation. during his two terms in office, he used his position as one of the world's top diplomats to try to mediate in many different international crises. for him, the focus was always on the issues. leadership is not about the individual. when you have macho leaders, who believe they have to shine and it all has to be about them, forgetting that what is interest, what is required, is the welfare of society and the people they serve. within five years of taking office, he'd been awarded the nobel peace prize for revitalising the un and for putting an emphasis on human rights. in a statement this morning, his family paid tribute to him, saying that...

after ten years as secretary—general, mr annan had no thoughts of stepping out of the limelight, instead taking on other global roles, including becoming un and arab league special envoy to syria, trying to end the civil war there. already, there have been many tributes from around the world for a leading diplomat who will be greatly missed. as richard mentioned there, there have been many tributes from prominent figures from around the world. the secretary—general of the united nations, ant nio guterres, tweeted... tony blair has written...

gordon brown paid tribute, saying... theresa may said she was... the indian prime minister narendra modi said...

i showed you gordon brown's tweet. he has been explaining what kofi annan meant to him and the influence and impact he had on the wider world. i think each of the world into the modern age. i think he was the first leader of the 21st—century. trying to build an international community we re to build an international community were countries work together and tackle these problems. he was the most soft—spoken of people. he was personally incredibly modest, almost self—effacing, but he was a titan, he was a leader of leaders. and when he was a leader of leaders. and when he took a cause up, whether it be myanmar and what's happening there we re myanmar and what's happening there were candy and what's happening

there or whether it was climate change or whether he was poverty itself, he sighed through. and even in his last days and nights, i spoke to him during this year, the month this year, he was trying very hard to work for causes that he believed m, to work for causes that he believed in, to tackle poverty and inequality. a strong leader but someone inequality. a strong leader but someone who was passionate and if that fit -- someone who was passionate and if that fit —— had empathy. someone who was passionate and if that fit -- had empathy. he was a leader. you try to bring all the world leaders to take action. for example, the sustainable development goals to deal with poverty. tackling the evils of poverty and malnutrition and illiteracy and he got every country working unanimously to try to deal with these goals and he was the mover behind that and of course peace in the middle east and he went to myanmar. he went to kenya when there we re myanmar. he went to kenya when there were riots. he was active in every

pa rt were riots. he was active in every part of ask her to —— in africa. we tried to build a world community and he was the inspirational force behind that. gordon brown. our correspondent imogen foulkes is in berne and has been explaining switzerland's reaction to kofi annan‘s passing. geneva, as you know, is the un's humanitarian home. that's where the big aid agencies have their bases. and kofi annan, after he retired from un secretary—general, made his home there, continued to work, devoting his time to the promotion of peace, to conflict revolution, to tackling climate change. even while he was secretary—general, he was a regular visitor to geneva, which the aid agencies, thejournalists like myself, really appeciated. because obviously, the politics, the power of the un is in new york, but kofi annan never forgot that a major part of the un's role is to work for the benefit of the world's most vulnerable,

the people caught in conflict, the people caught in grinding poverty, and he neverforgot to remind the world that that was his job and that's what the un in geneva was devoted to as well. so i think in geneva and in switzerland, where he was greatly loved... let's not forget that switzerland became a member of the un when kofi annan was secretary—general. it was partly because of his devotion to these humanitarian values rather than so much the politics that neutral switzerland decided, "yes, we willjoin too." so i think across the country, but particularly in geneva, there's mourning notjust of a global diplomat but, really, of a friend. and when he was invited to reflect on his un career, what did he tend to regard as being his greatest achievement? there are a number of things. he devoted much time to tackling aids. he, as un secretary—general,

was instrumental in setting up the global fund. he also became very aware that climate change was something which was going to affect us all, and that the un, as a multilateral body, with all countries involved, had a key role to play. he also was a man who did admit that sometimes he had made mistakes, that sometimes he had failed. he was head of un peacekeeping operations when the genocide in rwanda took place, when the slaughter at srebrenica in bosnia took place. and he admitted that this troubled him greatly, that he had not reacted as quickly and as firmly and as decisively as head of un peacekeeping operations perhaps should have, and said often that what had happened to rwanda and bosnia coloured very much his approach to the job when he became un secretary—general, and that this is why he tried

tirelessly to promote peace and to avoid conflict. imogen foulkes there in burned reflecting on it kofi annan, who has died at the age of 80. a huge rescue and relief operation is being mounted in the southern indian state of kerala, where unusually heavy monsoon rains have caused what officials are describing as the worst flooding in a century. more than 320 people have died in kerala since the rainy season began in june. more than 300,000 have been made homeless. yogita limaye is in kerala. she sent this report. there are over a0 rivers in kerala and every one of them has breached their banks. when there's no way out, people are being rescued by helicopter. the state has been hit with over a third more rainfall than usual and the effects have been devastating. more rain is forecast for the rest of the day. translation: it has been raining

heavily, since yesterday. it's not slowing down and that's why people are scared. they're scared that the water will enter their homes again. torrential rains have also caused other disasters, like here behind me. the mud up there became loose because of continuous rainfall and slipped all the way down onto this, which used to be a two—storey house. nine people were killed here. there was one family, some relatives and some neighbours as well, and that's really how difficult this rescue operation is, because it's not just about evacuating people who are stranded in flooded areas. a large part of kerala is also hilly, so it's also about taking people who might be at risk in parts like these out of here. from an air force helicopter, india's prime minister sees for himself the extent of the disaster. narendra modi says there will be more helicopters and boats to evacuate tens of thousands

of stranded people. hundreds of troops are already engaged in rescue and relief operations. air force transport planes have started bringing supplies to the coastal state. but hundreds of thousands of people are homeless. this is one of 1,500 emergency relief camps. they're overcrowded and some are under threat from rising water. yogita limaye, bbc news, in kerala. rescue operations underway across kerala, with dozens of military helicopters involved in operations much like this one. this is a dramatic rescue of a pregnant woman, people seeing her winched up by a helicopter whilst in labour, with her waters already broken. this is 25—year—old sajita jabeel,

and she gave birth to a healthy boy just after her rescue. two people were winched down to help get her into the strap, with a doctor brought along to oversee the rescue. 0ur reporter salman ravi has sent this report from kerala. water levels are rising in kerala, despite there has been no rain for the last two hours, but gradually, the water level is increasing and many homes have been inundated in this area of kerala. people have been rendered homeless because water has entered their homes and many of them are stranded. relief operations have begun. the rescue workers are going there to just rescue the people. you can see a mob right in front of that vehicle that has gone there, so that the people could be lifted from there and shifted to safer places. right now, where i'm standing here, the water levels was not there but now it has come ‘til my ankles. gradually, the water level is rising and this is the cause of concern for authorities, who want to evacuate all these people as soon as possible.

and the number is in thousands, they say. salman ravi, bbc, kerala. joining me now from new delhi is pankaj anand, director of programmes and humanitarian response at 0xfam india. what are the most pressing needs on the ground in kerala? the most pressing needs is actually water, sanitation and hygiene. mobility is a big problem for aid workers and these are some of the things that need to be, you know, reached out to people. there are some nonfood items that people desperately need, and we are worried about one thing. we are worried about what after a week? i can see from our

worried about what after a week? i can see from oui’ assessment worried about what after a week? i can see from our assessment that we will have to work really hard and the road to recovery is going to be, say, around 12 months. you talk about mobility issues. how difficult is it to actually get the essential things into the area in the first place? extremely difficult. itell you that around 12,000 km of roads in kerala are underwater, and there are real in kerala are underwater, and there a re real fears in kerala are underwater, and there are real fears about landslides which are still happening. and therefore, the authorities are also, in some ways, people going to places which are not saved. which is clearly sound advice but makes it harderfor clearly sound advice but makes it harder for you. it does. it does for everybody. for people in kerala want to get evacuated, who want to leave

kerala immediately, for aid workers, for the government and authorities. just about everybody. what of the immediate weather prospects? there are talk some more rain. yes. over the next 2a hours, moderate to heavy rainfall is expected in most parts of kerala. so that clearly as to your fears. take us forward a few days. he talked about what might happen over the forthcoming months post where would you like us to be inafew post where would you like us to be in a few days in terms of helping these people? , again? where would you like the situation to be in a few days' time when it comes to helping these people? few days' time when it comes to helping these people ?|j few days' time when it comes to helping these people? i think the first thing everybody, aid workers, are looking at is we wanted to reseed a little bit and the issues around is

reseed a little bit and the issues around - is resolved to some around ability is resolved to some extent around ability is resolved to some exte nt — — around ability is resolved to some extent —— we want it to recede a little bit and the issues around ability is resolved. the supplies are not able to reach the places and the community... people have moved their convoys but, you know, storage, movement to places in surrounding areas in kerala are very, very difficult, and you can imagine the difficulty around 12, 13 districts are facing this problem. we wish you well with your efforts. thank you very much for coming on, pa nkaj thank you very much for coming on, pankaj anand thereof 0xfam india. time for the headlines on bbc news. the first black united nations secretary—general — kofi annan — dies aged 80. facing the worst monsoon

in a century, hundreds of thousands are made homeless in southern india. thousands mourn for the victims of the motorway bridge collapse in genoa. and we stay with that last headline. a state funeral has taken place in the italian city of genoa, for some of the victims of the motorway bridge disaster. the city's archbishop said the tragedy had torn genoa's heart, but it wasn't giving up. this morning, firefighters found the bodies of a couple and their nine—year—old daughter inside their crushed car, taking the number of dead to a1. 0ur correspondent, james reynolds, sent this report. this state funeral is forjust under half the victims of the genoa bridge collapse and it is of course a chance for politicians, family members, relief workers, and also members of the public to come together and to pause. it is worth saying that many families have chosen not to take part in this ceremony.

their relatives, their victims, are from other parts of the country and they have simply preferred to carry out private burials — but we do know of at least two families who say they want nothing to do with any official or state ceremonies. 0ne father in particular has said that his son was murdered, and therefore a state ceremony for that family was not appropriate. this is a chance for people here to stop, but it is not enough for this country to put aside the divisions and the arguments about why the bridge collapsed. once the ceremonies are over, once the politicians have gone, those arguments will re—intensify. an official commission will now look at the causes of the bridge's collapse and the public prosecutor here in genoa will decide whether or not anybody should be held legally responsible for what happened. james arnold there in genoa —— james reynolds. britain's new aircraft carrier,

hms queen elizabeth, leaves portsmouth today, sailing to the east coast of america. two f—35 test aircraft will conduct a number of take off and landings from the £3 billion carrier while she's at sea. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale reports. the largest warship ever built for the royal navy is now preparing to leave portsmouth with 1500 sailors, aircrew and marines on board. hms queen elizabeth, which cost more than £3 billion, is about to sail to the east coast of america. what the royal navy says will be an iconic moment in the latest stage of the trials. the first time fast jets will fly off her massive deck. hugely symbolic for the country, very exciting, and of course, it was eight years nearly to the day since i was in command of ark royal and we took off the last harrier from the north sea. so eight years later, here we are, getting the first one back. these are the kind of aircraft that will be taking part in the trials. the us has already been flying

the new f—35 stealth jet off their warships. two test aircraft will be embarked on the british carriers with british pilots among those who will be conducting 500 take—offs and landings from the deck of queen elizabeth. the royal navy says she and her sister ship, hms prince of wales, will ensure that britain remains a first—class sea power, but it all comes with a price and at a time when the defence budget is already under strain. hms queen elizabeth is expected to be ready for her first operational deployment with british jets on board by 2021. jonathan beale, bbc news. you saw a you saw a reference you saw a reference that to the hugely symbolic moment it will be when she leaves. let's take your life to portsmouth now, because she is leaving slowly, and you can see the crowds that have built up around

the crowds that have built up around the harbour edge as hms queen elizabeth edges out into the channel. it is extraordinary when you look at some of the figures and fa cts you look at some of the figures and facts associated with this vessel. it is the royal navy's largest ever worship, weighing 65,000 tonnes, and the bill for construction was just over 3 billion pounds. you saw some of the maneuverings it will be involved in some of those fighter jets, those us fighterjets, which is going to be significant when this exercises take place in the atlantic 0cean. exercises take place in the atlantic ocean. the that... 700 crew currently on board. a rather bizarre fa ct currently on board. a rather bizarre fact that also been passed to me about this particular vessel is that there are 155,000 miles length of electrical cable inside that ship. apparently. there you can see people

taking their vantage points, taking their photographs, getting as good ofa their photographs, getting as good of a view as possibly can of hms queen elizabeth heading out to sea at portsmouth. the sandhurst military academy is investigating claims that two officer cadets used waterboarding on a fellow recruit. according to the sun newspaper, the cadet was allegedly pinned down, and water was poured over a cloth covering his face. the ministry of defence says it is aware of an incident at sandhurst and an investigation by the royal military police had been ordered. the former ukip leader nigel farage says he is returning to frontline politics. writing in the daily telegraph, he says he's decided to return because what he calls the "political class in westminster" is determined to frustrate the 2016 referendum vote to leave the european union. he's taking part in a battle bus tour by the leave means leave group, which opposes the prime minister's chequers plan. a new tax on plastics is expected to be introduced by the government

in order to curb the use of non—recyclable plastic items such as drinking straws, single use cutlery and black food trays. it follows a record 162,000 responses to a government consultation on how to reduce waste and improve recycling. tom barton reports. how best to reduce the tonnes of plastic that end up in landfill... and the oceans every year? that was the question posed by the treasury in a consultation earlier this year, and it received a record response. among the ideas being considered by ministers are new taxes. some of these could target the demand for disposable coffee cups and takeaway boxes, while others are likely to encouragement manufacturers to change their products. we want to see if there are smart, intelligent incentives that we can when they're designing the materials that end up on supermarket shelves

and ultimately in our own homes, to use recycled materials whenever possible. not to use those materials that are very difficult to recycle, such as black carbon plastic, and, of course, overall, to reduce the amount of plastic and use other materials such as cardboard, paper and foil wherever possible. ministers also say they want to encourage recycling for waste that is currently incinerated. the final details of any proposals will be revealed as part of the budget later this year. tom barton, bbc news. the number of children and young adults in england and wales with type 2 diabetes has risen by more than 40% injust four years, according to the royal college of paediatrics. council leaders described the increase as "extremely worrying" and called for a boost in public health funding. the department of health says its new childhood obesity plan will get children exercising more

in schools and reduce their exposure to sugary and fatty foods. i spoke earlier to marianne 0verton, vice chairman of the local government association. she explained the dangers of type 2 diabetes. type 2 diabetes is the sort that is associated with choice and lifestyle, so it's very much about food choices and also about exercise. so what we're looking at, over 70% of cases is this is a direct factor. it's the obesity of children. and these children are the ones we really need to make sure that we can help improve their lifestyle so we can get them back on an even keel. it's a life—limiting disease, and it's debilitating in the longer run. and it's something that's really important for us to tackle. why isn't that help happening to the extent that you would like at the moment? one of the issues is funding.

as i think most people will already know, local government is already £7.8 billion short by 2025. so we're already struggling, which means that having to, you know, with very tight budgets, make very difficult decisions. to make matters worse, we've had £600 million cut from the public health budget that councils are using. so it's the very budgets that we're using to help these young children that is being reduced. so we need that to be replaced. so your clear message to government is "give us that £600 million back"? absolutely. and there is more we can do. there are other powers, as well, that we would like, to do with planning. if we think about where the fast food places are positioned and also about advertising. there is quite a host of things, which, if we had extra powers, we could also do. but certainly, we do need the money to make sure that we can get

those services in place, targeting youngsters who need extra specialised care and also helping the bulk of young people feel... get more exercise and also eat better. marianne 0verton. a man from yorkshire has finished running an entire lap of the county — a 500—mile journey. ben dave from harrogate has been running the equivalent of a marathon every day since setting off at the start of the month. and it's all to raise money for a charity that works to prevent male suicide. ben is on the line. tell us how you are feeling after all this running around. i'm very well. my feet are hurting a bit but other than that i'm in good spirits. how tough did it turn out to be? it was tougher than i expected. it was in the running so much as the navigation

and the drain. all in all, it's been and the drain. all in all, it's been a fantastic experience. how did you decide upon this particular challenge? i started running... i was looking to up the stakes a little bit. the ticket prices were just astronomical, thousands of pounds. i thought there has to be something i can do without throwing thousands of pounds for a ticket. and how much interest have you sparked around the county as you've run? the support is been absolutely fantastic. people from all sorts of walks of life... is been absolutely amazing. and white the money for this particular cause? —— and why the money? it has been an opportunity for me to

hold my hands up to let people know they're not alone and to let them know to seek help. ijust looked at your just giving know to seek help. ijust looked at yourjust giving page and you are over £22,000. absolutely, can't believe it. our original goal was to raise 10,000, and we hit 20 the deck good luck with that and have the rest! enjoy the party. ben dave, whose just run all the way around yorkshire. let's check on the weather forecast with lucy martin. hello there. predominantly close and cloudy for most this weekend. we also have an area of low pressure working in from the west that is going to make its way east through tonight and tomorrow. bringing some outbreaks of, at times, fairly heavy and more persistent rain. turning windy as well with that.