this is bbc news. i'm nkem ifejika. our top stories: world leaders pay tribute to the former un secretary—general kofi annan, who has died 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 interest, what is required, is the welfare of society and the people that they serve. it has been called a 100—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. and the two koreas march as one at the opening of the asian games, to rapturous applause. hello and welcome to bbc news.

leading figures from around the world have paid tribute to the former un secretary—general, kofi annan, who has 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. in his home country, ghana, president nana akufo—addo said flags would fly at half—mast for a week in mourning, to honour one of our greatest compatriots. 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 and, 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 interest — 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. sherine tadros is head of the un office of amnesty international, and she joins us now from new york. you have been speaking to people in the un. what are they saying now about kofi annan‘s legacy? the un. what are they saying now about kofi annan's legacy? it's quite incredible, really, the alp or of adoration that we're seeing both within the un, also without —— out poon within the un, also without —— out poor. all of the world leaders that we have been hearing from all across the world really talking about the same thing. and this is something that the un human rights chief also brought up, which is that right now, in the world, we have a lack of

leadership, a lack of people to speak truth to power. those who really put themselves out there, and don't think about their own political survival, in order to do the right thing and speak up against the right thing and speak up against the atrocity. and this is what many see that kofi annan was able to do. it is true, as your reporter pointed out, there certainly were failures made during his tenure as secretary general, and even before when he was head of the un peacekeeping operations, but really the power of the secretary general is often very limited, and much more limited and i think we only outside can actually see. so to be realistic about what he could have done in those situations, i think, he could have done in those situations, ithink, is really important. and the very fact that he carried out hisjob important. and the very fact that he carried out his job with such grace and dignity, and did speak out, really says a lot about his personality, and that is why we're seeing this at about poor of love for —— this sort of outpour of love

for —— this sort of outpour of love for him today. i think it is significant, when you see this outpouring of love for him, and when you could pay him the other local figures, that he was a towering almost had and shoulders above other people of his generation. yes, that's right, and he spoke out about that's right, and he spoke out about that at the time. he talked about the lack of leadership in the world while he was secretary general, and he felt that his role was to speak out on to talk about what nobody else wanted to say. and he really recognise that. and it's incredible to see that, so many years later, we're almost at the same point here. we have the us administration that is very against the united nations, that doesn't see its role. john bolton, who was at the time the ambassadorfor the bolton, who was at the time the ambassador for the us, is bolton, who was at the time the ambassadorfor the us, is now president trump's national security adviser, and we have a very similar situation. but instead we have a secretary general now who prefers a much quieter, as he describes it,

closed—door diplomatic way to deal with this situation. as opposed to kofi annan, who went head—to—head with the bush administration, called the iraq war illegal, and head—to—head very much with the us ambassador at the time. so really we have these very different styles of secretary general ‘s. and again, you know, i really think that we really need tojudge know, i really think that we really need to judge these world leaders and the secretary general is according to the power that they have, and what we can really expect them to do, if they are going to be great leaders, is to speak out, whatever the cost, and also to use the powers that they have the best of their abilities. and it seems that kofi annan tried to do that, and least understood what the office of the secretary general was all about. and just finally, briefly, of the secretary general was all about. andjust finally, briefly, if you could, sherine, he didn't stop when he left the un. he was still very active. absolutely, in fact, i have been dealing with the myanmar crisis in the last six months or so and kofi annan's name came up

consistently. 0f and kofi annan's name came up consistently. of course, we had the kofi annan commission which looked into the root causes behind the rohingya crisis, and there was also talk of him being a un envoy for burma, myanmar. so really until the final years of his life he was very much involved in world politics and seen as much involved in world politics and seen as a much involved in world politics and seen as a legitimate and excellent negotiator and someone who could really help on the world stage in terms of peace and security. much appreciated. the indian government is stepping up efforts to rescue thousands of people who have been stranded by heavy flooding in the southern state of kerala. the prime minister, narendra modi, who has 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

a 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're nearly a kilometre from the river that has flooded, but even so, water levels are this high. you can see the house behind me, and in fact i'm 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 that 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 that 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 for them to go towards the open areas. so 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 is 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 has 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. ecuador has brought in new rules to prevent entry into the country without a passport. the colombian government has criticised the restrictions, fearing thousands of migrants will remain trapped on its side of the border. a sudanese immigrant with british citizenship

has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after a car crashed into people outside the houses of parliament in central london earlier this week. he will appear before magistrates on monday. prosecutors will be treating his case as terrorism due to the method of the alleged attack. the target selected, and the high—profile location. 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 nord stream 2. earlier, mr putin ignored criticism and attended the wedding of austria's foreign minister, who has 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 have found out that they are 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. the latest headlines: leading world figures have spoken in praise of the former un secretary—general kofi annan, who has died at the age of 80. indian rescuers 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. as one of the world's finest cricketers, imran khan was pakistan's national hero. now he's been sworn in as the country's prime minister in a ceremony which brought together the two worlds. it's more than two decades since he first entered politics, building his pti party from scratch. secunder kermani's report contains some flashing images. takes oath in urdu. pledging to serve pakistan, 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 that imran khan led to victory. after the swearing—in came a guard of honour. imran khan has promised

to create a corruption—free, more equal society. big promises that 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 to the economic growth, 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 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. on top of that, the country is facing a mounting financial crisis which could make increases in public spending difficult. imran khan has promised to create a new pakistan — in the coming months, we will find out exactly what that looks like.

the annual muslim pilgrimage, the hajj, begins on sunday. some two million muslims are expected to take part in the five day ritual, held in and around the city of mecca in saudi arabia. it comes as saudi arabia continues to take a more openly assertive stance on the world stage. 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 it's 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 become an increasingly high—tech operation, with apps for translation and medical help. 0ne innovation is this so—called nap pod from japan, where pilgrims can take a breatherfrom 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 pilgrim's duties. the capsules is one of many ideas we offer in our institute. modernising the hajj is a key gambit of crown prince mohammed bin salman. his vision 2030 plan for saudi arabia is meant to allow the number of pilgrims 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 been double—edged, with dissent — both from religious hardliners and liberal reformers — being harshly repressed.

north and south korea have marched together behind the korean unification flag at the opening ceremony of the 2018 asian games. it is the second such symbolic gesture this year by the two koreas, who also walked together at the pyeongchang winter olympics in february. a warning — andrew plant's report does contain some flashing images. the final part of the journey for the flame as the month—long buildup came to an end and the 2018 asian games began. the fireworks in the indonesian capital lasted long into the evening. this one of the venues that will host 17,000 athletes and tens of thousands of spectators. well organised. it was really loud.

it was well organised, very nice. the theme is about the diversity of cultures in indonesia. translation: that is what impressed me, we existed so many cultures and thatis me, we existed so many cultures and that is what they tried to highlight. there was loud applause, too, as athletes from north and south korea paraded side—by—side behind a unified korean flag. further confirmation of a warming of relations after decades of stand—off between the two. the 2018 games on until september two will take place injakarta. until september two will take place in jakarta. preparations until september two will take place injakarta. preparations have been somewhat controversial. amnesty international accusing indonesian police of human rights violations with more than 30 people killed in raids in the run—up to the games. security services said they had been ordered to crackdown on criminals

and breakup organised gangs. too, remains an issue. particularly in the car clogged capital jakarta. remains an issue. particularly in the car clogged capitaljakarta. but in the 45 nations competing here, —— for the 45 nations, the focus will be on the gold medals up for grabs over the next two weeks. there mightjust be something in the water at a hospital in the us state of arizona where sixteen nurses have found out that they're all pregnant at the same time. 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! 16 intensive care unit nurses at this hospital in mesa all pregnant at the same time. the boon of burgeoning

bellies has increased trips to the cafeteria. soups, lots of soups. and it has some patients a little confused. he was like, are you all 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. i have a theory but trust me, you don't want to hear it. you can reach me on twitter — i'm at nkem ifejika. 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. this is not it is that cloud that has been bringing the rain in from the atlantic with the remnants of that 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 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 muggy feeling continuing into the 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 pressure 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 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 80. 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.