this is bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. our top stories — world leaders pay tribute as former un secretary general kofi annan dies in switzerland, aged 80. 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 in interest and what is required is the welfare of society and the people that they serve. it's been called a "hundred year flood" but more heavy rain is forecast in india's southern state of kerala. a state funeral for many of the victims of italy's bridge collapse as more bodies are found in the rubble. hello and welcome to bbc news. leading figures from around

the world have paid tribute to the former un secretary—general, kofi annan, who's died at the age of 80. he spent his career with the united nations, and was awared a nobel peace prize for his humanitarian work. james robbins looks back at his life — a warning that there are flashing images in his report. i, kofi annan. .. the softly spoken lifelong diplomat from ghana was sworn in to lead the united nations back in 1996. he was already a hugely respected figure, but this was an age of relative innocence — 9/11 was still five years away, the iraq war seven years in the future. congratulations, sir. applause. kofi annan tried to prevent this — the invasion and toppling of saddam hussein by george bush and tony blair without the support of the un security council. kofi annan later called it illegal. i think, as secretary general, i did everything i could,

conscious of what the results would be, you know, and being powerless to stop it. i mean, i did work with quite a lot of heads of states in their capitals, on the phone and elsewhere, working with the inspectors, but the die was cast, and nothing could stop it. kofi annan had much greater success in his home continent, africa, building global consensus behind the un millennium development goals, a huge initiative to reduce poverty and disease and increase education and opportunity. the young kofi annan had never lost contact with his roots in ghana, even when travelling and studying around the world in his 20s and 30s. his work for africa on aids and un reform was rewarded with the nobel peace prize in 2001. i think he took the world into the modern age. i think he was the first leader of the 21st century, and he tried to build an international community

where countries would work together, co—operate freely, and tackle what he saw as the biggest problems — poverty, inequality, climate change and, of course, conflict. but earlier in his career, as head of un peacekeeping, kofi annan was criticised for the world body's failure to halt the genocide in rwanda in the 1990s. last april, celebrating his 80th birthday, kofi annan told the bbc his style was to be patient, quiet and determined in the face of forceful, often far louder national leaders. 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 required is the welfare of society and the people they serve. tributes to kofi annan from every continent praise his humility, nobility and unshakeable commitment

to work for peace in a more equal and sustainable world. the sheer volume of messages pouring in from all over the world is an indication ofjust how popular kofi annan was. despite his prominence on the world stage, he maintained close personal friendships throughout his life. chief emeka anyaoku is a former secretary general of the commonwealth, who knew kofi annan for more than 50 years. he shared some of his memories with me. kofi annan and i have been friends since 1963 when he was in geneva, working for the world health 0rganization. 0urfriendship working for the world health 0rganization. 0ur friendship lasted over 50 yea rs. 0rganization. 0ur friendship lasted over 50 years. what do you think it was that made it lasts so long? well, i believe that kofi ended up

as un secretary generalfor 18 well, i believe that kofi ended up as un secretary general for 18 years and he was a great global statesmen and he was a great global statesmen and peacemaker. his appointment as un secretary general and his tenure from 1997 — un secretary general and his tenure from 1997 - 2006 un secretary general and his tenure from 1997 — 2006 what huge pride to africa and he made very memorable a lasting global impact as un secretary general. how will you remember him as a friend?” secretary general. how will you remember him as a friend? i will remember him as a friend? i will remember him as a friend with whom i collaborated in office when he was un secretary general and i was commonwealth secretary general. i was a great admirer of his achievements at the united nations. in particular, the resolution on responsibility to protect and his

contribution to development of the african countries. i remember him for all that and also his service to my own country nigeria.” for all that and also his service to my own country nigeria. i know that you are at his first wedding, he was at your atf. what other moments you will remember most with him? —— 80th. we remember the incident at his wedding in 1965 when there was i little issue with the cake that needed a proper knife for cutting it and we laughed over it and kofi was and we laughed over it and kofi was a great quiet diplomat. a first—class a great quiet diplomat. a fi rst—class world a great quiet diplomat. a first—class world ‘s diplomat. the former secretary—general

of the commonwealth, chief emeka anyaoku. 0ne country where kofi annan had a particular impact was kenya — many credit him with bringing an end to the violence which erupted there after the election in 2007. the bbc‘s merchuma in nairobi explains why. i don't think there is a country in the world that owes as much as a debt of gratitude to kofi annan than kenya. this man was instrumental in brokering a peace deal of post—election violence in 2008. his mediation led to the formation of a grand coalition government when mwai kibaki was the president and raila 0dinga was the prime minister. and many leaders have come up to express their sadness and we spoke earlier to raila 0dinga who the prime minister of the grand coalition government and this is what he had to say. kofi annan is a great friend of kenya. as you all remember when this country was on the precipice of tipping over, it was kofi annan

who led the mission that intervened and ended up with the signing of a peace accord which led to the formation of a grand coalition government. when we talk about him, his name is pretty synonymous to peace and democracy and that is what many kenyans and many africans will remember him for. when you look at social media and all the messages coming up, everybody is expressing how proud they are of him. to kenya, we have lost a friend and africa has lost a son. the indian government is stepping up efforts to rescue thousands of people who've been stranded by heavy flooding in the southern

state of kerala. the prime minister, narendra modi, who's visited some of the worst—hit areas, has promised more military help in the relief effort. more than 320 people have died in kerala since the rainy season began in june. some 300,000 have been made homeless. 0ur correspondent yogita limaye reports. one of the state's 44 rivers. the kadalundi breached its banks one week ago, leaving homes and trees submerged. as the water started rising, people fled to safety. some have returned to see what they can salvage. we are nearly a kilometre from the river that has flooded but even so the water levels are this high, you can see the house behind me and i am stepping on a slope, if i went further it would be even deeper. but at least people are able to reach to this point. beyond, there are many parts

are simply inaccessible. and that means these are needed more than ever before. boats and people, to rescue those who are stranded. these are local fishermen doing whatever they can, but hundreds of government boats have also been deployed. those who have made it out by spending their nights in places like this. schools converted into relief camps. there are about 200 families here. this woman spent two days and nights on her neighbours' rooftop before a boat reached her. she tells me they were afraid the house would collapse and they would be swept away. in southern kerala, india's prime minister, narendra modi, surveyed the devastation. he promised more manpower and equipment.

troops have stepped up relief efforts. where it is not possible to rescue people, they are dropping food and other supplies. the water flow is very fast and it is difficult to go towards the open areas. the alternative is to provide food and water to them. so they can at least now survive until the water recedes. with all of the rivers flooded in this small coastal state, that could take a while, even if the rain stops. yogita limaye, bbc news, kerala. thousands of people in italy have attended a state funeral for some of the victims of tuesday's motorway bridge collapse. the archbishop of genoa told mourners that the tragedy had created a deep gash in the heart of the city. some families reportedly stayed away, because of anger at the government. it's now known that at least 42 people were killed. from genoa, james reynolds reports. the campi corniglianese amateur football team came to the state funeral to mourn their youngest squad member. 22—year—old marius djerri was on his way to work on tuesday when the bridge fell.

translation: we are very sad for him and his family. he was one of us. we are bitter and angry. these thoughts charged much of this ceremony. translation: i have friends that lost their lives in that damn bridge. we have no words to describe the pain. this shouldn't have happened. italy's president, sergio mattarella, met the families of the dead. he has called the disaster an unacceptable tragedy. but some relatives, angered by the collapse, didn't want to hear from him or anyone else. they decided to hold private burials instead. families, politicians and members of the public have come together here, but a single ceremony won't be enough to resolve the profound arguments over the collapse of the bridge.

italy's interior minister, the populist matteo salvini, has promised that he'll find the names of those responsible for the disaster. "we will speak through our actions," he told us after the funeral. relief workers are now securing every part of the ruined bridge. the company which operated this structure has now expressed its deep sympathy for the victims. but it's stopped short of apologising for the collapse. the technical situation is so complex that it's up to the, i mean, justice to understand what happened and why and under which conditions. those investigations have now begun. it may take many months before italians are given the answers they demand. james reynolds, bbc news, genoa. the german chancellor,

angela merkel, has been holding talks with the russian president, vladimir putin, outside berlin. the discussions were wide ranging, on syria, iran and the controversial gas pipeline, nordstream two. earlier, mr putin ignored criticism and attended the wedding of austria's foreign minister, who's been attacked for inviting him. 0ur berlin correspondent jenny hill reports. the greeting cordial enough. vladimir putin is said to have a grudging respect for angela merkel. but the relationships tense and she's got some big demands of the man who wields such influence over so many conflicts. translation: syria will be an important topic. most of all we have to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in and around idlib. we've seen fighting decrease elsewhere, but that doesn't mean we've achieved peace. bearing flowers and controversy.

the russian president's had a busy day. earlier, the wedding of the austrian foreign minister. her critics say the invitation undermined eu policy towards russia. he seemed keen to remind them that the eu needs him. translation: last year we marked the 50th anniversary of gas deliveries from the soviet union to western europe. in all these years, our country has reliably provided an uninterrupted energy supply. it's made and is making a significant contribution to the energy security of the entire european continent. even angela merkel admits she doesn't expect much from the talks, but insists it's vital to keep talking to russia. angela merkel and vladimir putin don't agree on much, but these are times of shifting alliances. in the age of donald trump,

they may discover common ground. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — why are these nurses in arziona all smiles? they've found out that they're all pregnant at the same time. washington, the world's most political city, is today assessing the political health of the world's most powerful man. indeed, i did have a relationship with miss lewinsky that was not appropriate. in fact, it was wrong. in south africa, 97 people have been killed today, in one of the worst days of violence between rival black groups. over the last ten days, 500 have died. chanting: czechoslovakia must be free! russia is observing a national day of mourning for the 118 submariners who died on board the kursk. we're all with them now, within our hearts.

the pope has celebrated mass before a congregation of more than 2.5 million people, in his hometown of krakow. "stay with us, stay with us," chanted this ocean of humanity. "well, well," joked the pope, "so you want me to desert rome?" this is bbc news, our main story this hour. former un secretary—general and nobel peace prize laureate kofi annan has died. he was 80. mr annan was the first black african to hold the top diplomatic position, winning the peace prize for helping to revitalise the un. let's stay with that story. those who worked with kofi annan for years can't speak highly enough of him. carlos lopes was his political director at the united nations. they became friends when they were neighbours. he told me about how they met.

when i started working with the united nations i was a young african looking for a man tour, looking for people that could actually give me advice about how to navigate very complex un. and as director of personnel and have a neighbour named kofi anand. —— annan. i used to walk with him to the building that is iconic, which everybody recognises, and that is how the friendship started, really. he was always somebody who would give advice or give a somebody who would give advice or givea hand. somebody who would give advice or give a hand. particularly caring about young africans. what was he like as a mental? —— mentor? about young africans. what was he like as a mental? -- mentor? he was a lwa ys like as a mental? -- mentor? he was always ahead in terms of understanding some of the complex issues. very often, i used to ask

him how he could predict what would eventually happen. and he would say, well, what i do is not really prediction. what i do is intuition. i have the intuition that it may go this way. sometimes it doesn't. 0ften this way. sometimes it doesn't. often it does. because ijust put in my cocktail of analysis the different elements that people normally don't want to see. he was perceptive. he wanted always to give true that chance. he's been a national hero as one of the world's finest cricketers, he has built up his own political party from scratch. now imran khan has been sworn in as pakistan's prime minister. it's more than two decades since he first entered politics and set up the pti party, which won the most seats injuly‘s election. secunder kermani's report contains flashing images. pledging to serve pakistani imran

khan was formally appointed prime minister of the country. in the audience, alongside senior political and military figures, were members of the 1992 world cup winning pakistan team. which imran khan led to victory. after the swearing—in camea to victory. after the swearing—in came a guard of honour. imran khan has promised to create a corruption free, more equal society. the promises he now has to deliver. the biggest challenge is to fight corruption, to fight poverty, to fight illiteracy, to fight disease, and to fight terrorism. and he is determined. and economic growth, economic growth is essential. we have to create 10 million jobs economic growth is essential. we

have to create 10 millionjobs in the next five years. this is our target, our promise to the people of pakistan. we have to build 5 million houses in pakistan. we have to start trading at a much bigger level with oui’ trading at a much bigger level with our neighbours and other countries. we will see massive changes coming. imran khan's coalition will only have a small majority here in parliament. meaning pushing reforms through won't be easy. 0n parliament. meaning pushing reforms through won't be easy. on top of the outcome of the country is facing mounting financial crisis which could make increases in public spending difficult. imran khan has promised to create a new pakistani in the coming months we will find out exactly what that looks like. let's get some of the day's other news. ecuador has brought in new rules, stopping venezuelan migrants from entering the country without a passport. fleeing economic crisis at home, more than four thousand venezuelans have been arriving at ecuador‘s border with colombia every day. the colombian government has criticised the restrictions, fearing that thousands of migrants will now remain trapped on its side of the border.

teams from north and south korea have marched together behind the korean unification flag, at the opening ceremony of the asian games in indonesia's capital, jakarta. it's the second time this year athletes from the two koreas have made such a symbolic gesture. they also walked together at the opening ceremony of the pyeongchang winter olympics in february. counter—demonstrations took place in berlin on saturday as neo—nazis marked the 31st anniversary of the prison suicide of adolf hitler's former deputy, rudolf hess. at least one police officer was injured when around five—hundred activists shouting "nazis out" clashed with an equal number of far right protesters. many of the neo—nazis waved flags with the colors of the german reich the annual islamic pilgrimage, the hajj, begins on sunday. some 2 million muslims are expected to take part in the five days of rituals in and around the city of mecca in saudi arabia. this year's hajj comes as saudi arabia continues to take a much more openly assertive stance around the world, most recently getting into a diplomatic row with canada,

while its crown prince continues an ambitious programme of modernisation. with more, here's david campanale. the importance of the hajj for the almost 2 billion muslims around the world is as unchanging as its rituals. but the way in which it is organised by saudi arabia continues to evolve. hosting the pilgrimage is a matter of immense prestige and pride for saudi arabia and its royal family. but it is a huge logistical challenge, which has seen regular disasters occur, from deadly stampedes to fires. the saudis have expanded and modernised the infrastructure around the hajj at great expense. this year they are stressing how it has come an increasingly high—tech operation, with apps for translation and medical help. 0ne innovation is this so—called nap pad from japan, where pilgrims can take a breather from the intensity of the experience. translation: the pilgrims are guests of god and serving them is an honour, and we think of them as family. to make sure they are rested in doing the pilgrims duties. the capital ‘s is one of many ideas we fight in our institute. modernising

the hajj is a key gambit of crown prince mohammed bin sulman. his vision 2030 plan for saudi arabia is meant to allow the number of pilgrim ‘s to double in the next decade. in a sign of changing times, this year, for the first time, pilgrims will see saudi women driving in the city streets. but the crown prince's reforms have in double—edged, with dissent, both from religious hardliners and liberal reformers, being harshly repressed. there mightjust be something in the water at a hospital in the us state of arizona, where 16 nurses have found out that they're all pregnant at the same time. that's10% of the nursing staff in the intensive care unit. max gorden, a reporter from the local tv station, has the story. it wasn't like they planned it, and they sure weren't counting on this. 0ne after another after another.- intensive—care unit 0ne after another after another.-

intensive—ca re unit nurses 0ne after another after another.- intensive—care unit nurses out this hospital in maister or pregnant at the same time. the boon of burgeoning bellis has increased trips to the cafeteria. and it has some patients are little confused. he was like, are you or pregnant? though there are a few limitations to the cases these nurses can now treat. certain infections, and then also chemotherapy drugs, can be very toxic to the fetus. don't fear. a maternity leave induced nurse shortage isn't on the way. we have been planning for this for months. it has left some of these nurses learning a lesson. you find out how supportive your co—workers are, your management team. it has been a good experience. quite something, isn't it? remember, you can reach me on twitter. i would love to hear from you. hello they are, good morning. last

weekend we had the remnants of tropical storm ernesto. this weekend it is the turn of ernesto software will get that in a moment. ahead of that, generally cloudy skies across most parts of the uk on saturday and more cloud coming in from the atlantic. it is that cloud that has been bringing the rain in from the atla ntic been bringing the rain in from the atlantic with the remnants of that earlier tropical storm. atlantic with the remnants of that earliertropicalstorm. some atlantic with the remnants of that earlier tropical storm. some heavy rainfora earlier tropical storm. some heavy rain for a while. i think very quickly we will see the wet weather moving away. still quite muggy on sunday. for many parts of the country, sunshine will be at a premium. heavy rain still for a while across central and southern scotla nd while across central and southern scotland and northern england. that should move out into the north sea. pockets of light rain and drizzle for a while, extending down into the midlands. 0n the whole, cloudy and dry in the afternoon, limited sunshine for england and wales. more about the northern ireland scotland. temperatures cooler in scotland,

highs of 22 or 23 in and wales. a muqqy highs of 22 or 23 in and wales. a muggy feeling continuing into the evening and overnight. maybe more brea ks evening and overnight. maybe more breaks in the cloud beginning to filter down into england and wales. lots of cloud coming in. that will keep the temperature is coming up. it might be a warm night across the northern half of scotland as well. here we will find pockets of rain and drizzle around on monday. further drizzle south around weston hills and coasts. the best of the sunshine in this generally cloudy airstream is going to be across the more sheltered eastern parts of england and wales. temperatures could get as high as 25 or 26. it doesn't need much sunshine. it will feel quite warm. humid air mass across the uk, south of this string of weather fronts. high across the uk, south of this string of weatherfronts. high pressure in the south, the nexus of arriving in the south, the nexus of arriving in the north—west on tuesday. that rain will turn out to be a bit heavy on the north—west of scotland later in the north—west of scotland later in the day. ahead of it elsewhere, probably a bit more sunshine around. still some areas of cloud, mind you, and a muggy feeling with

temperatures around the mid—20s at best. now, that weather system is going to bring some rain. most of it will be closer to the centre of low pressure driving it and the cold front, that weather front there, moves south behind it. that north—westerly airflow will drag down cooler and fresh array. probably more sunshine across scotland, northern ireland and northern england, perhaps as far south as mid wales and the midlands. more southern parts of england and wales are still in that cloudy and my ds streamer and will see higher temperatures. looking ahead to the san friday, more weak weather fronts arriving in the north—west. they don't bring much rain further south at eventually fresh air arrives in the south—east of england. this is bbc news. the headlines — leading world figures have spoken in praise of the former un secretary general, kofi annan, who has died at the age of eighty. mr annan rose through the ranks of the united nations to serve two terms in the top job and was awarded a nobel peace prize for his humanitarian work. indian rescuers in helicopters

and boats have braved torrential rain to reach people stranded in flood waters in the southern state of kerala. nearly 200 people have been killed in the past ten days, following unusually heavy monsoon rains. a state funeral has taken place for some of those killed in italy's bridge collapse, but some families stayed away in protest. meanwhile, the chief executive of the company that ran the motorway bridge said the firm is committed to finding out exactly what caused the disaster. now on bbc news — another chance to see a hardtalk special, with the late