welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories — world leaders pay tribute to the former un secretary general kofi annan who's died in switzerland, aged 80. ecuador bans venezuela ns from entering without a passport — trapping thousands of people trying to flee hardship at home. it's been called a "hundred year flood" but more heavy rain is forecast in india's southern state of kerala. 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. 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. as venezuela's economic problems deepen, the effects are being felt across south america. ecuador has now banned venezuelans from entering without a passport —

trapping thousands of people trying to flee hardship at home. and in one border town in brazil, residents drove out hundreds of venezuelan migrants following a robbery. bill hayton reports. the town of pacaraima on brazil's border with venezuela, soldiers on the street protecting hundreds of venezuelan migrants being pushed back over the frontier. it followed a robbery which local people blamed on the new arrivals. in response, they burnt down the migrant shelter. anti—migrant feeling is growing across south america, ecuador the latest to impose restrictions on venezuelans. the sudden announcement left thousands of people stuck at border crossings. translation: we were on the road already when they put out that news, just like that, boom. on wednesday, we left and all of a sudden, they tell us that today. we would like the ecuadorian institutions to at least help us.

many of these people are heading south through colombia and ecuador to find work in peru and chile, but ecuador‘s move has trapped large numbers of venezuelans in colombia, angering the government there. translation: demanding a passport is not going to stop migration because this population is not leaving the country for pleasure, but out of necessity. the first thing that will happen in the country that is putting this measure in place in this that it will see an increase in undocumented migration. that brings with it a lot of problems. with the ecuadorian border now closed to them and no sign of an end to the economic chaos back home, tens of thousands of venezuelans will be stuck in colombia. the crisis in one country is now affecting an entire region. bill hayton, bbc news. 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 injune — some 300,000 have been made homeless. our 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 were to go 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 are 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 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. let's get some of the day's other news. iran's defence minister says a new, locally—built fighter jet will be unveiled on wednesday. the move comes at a time of increasing tension with the us following president trump's decision to pull out of an international agreement to curb iran's nuclear activities and re—impose sanctions on tehran. violence has broken in berlin after a small amount of data that marcin anniversary. -- small amount of

activist marked an anniversary. 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 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. 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 tons 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 encourage manufacturers to change their products. we want to see if there are smart, intelligent incentives that we can create, to encourage the producers of plastic to take responsibility, 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. leading world figures have spoken in praise of the former un secretary general, kofi annan, who has died at the age of 80. ecuador is banning venezuelans from entering without a passport, trapping thousands of people trying to flee hardship at home. 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. 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 cricket 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 2 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 pad 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 reformists — 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's 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 contains 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. wonderful. well organised. it was really loud. but it was well organised, very nice. translation: the theme is about the diversity of cultures in indonesia. that's what impressed me, we consist of so many cultures and that's what they tried to highlight. announcer: korea! cheering and applause. 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 2

will take place injakarta and the south sumatran city of palembang. 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 crack down on criminals and break up organised gangs. pollution, too, remains an issue, particularly in the car—clogged capitaljakarta. but for the 45 nations competing here, the focus now will be on their performances and the a62 gold medals up for grabs over the next two weeks. andrew plant, bbc news. britain's new £3 billion aircraft carrier,

hms queen elizabeth, has set sail from portsmouth for the east coast of america. there, jets will land on the deck for the first time. two f—35 test planes are expected to carry out 500 landings and take—offs, while she's at sea. steve humphrey reports. it has taken years of work and billions of pounds, but now, the biggest warship britain has ever had is about to do the job she was designed for. providing a [ls—acre floating flight deck for the new f—35jets. the first fixed—wing landing will certainly be an iconic moment. it will quickly become routine. as we build up to embarking several squadrons of aircraft, it will become absolutely everyday activity, but the first one is always special. the high—tech aircraft already flying on and off american ships. but the first deck landing on hms queen elizabeth is going to be quite a moment. hugely symbolic for the country, very exciting. and of course, it was eight years, nearly to the day,

since i was in command of hms ark royal and we took off the last harrier out from the north sea. years later, here we are getting the first one back. a fantastic opportunity and a superb opportunity for the future of the defence force and the royal navy. after the harriers were retired early as part of defence cuts, and a lot of effort went into retaining the skills needed to operate jets at sea. two pilots, one navy and one raf, are in the running to carry out the first jet landing on hms queen elizabeth. somebody is going to be first. yes, certainly. it could be you. it could be. so out at sea, everybody should want to be the first to land on board the ship. as a royal navy test pilot on the f—35, i would love that person to be me, yes. altogether, 1,500 sailors, aircrew and marines are on board for the flying trials off the american coast. the aircraft carrier will be away for about 11 weeks while the trials

are carried out with the new f—35 jets. the idea is to have this ship and all of her aircraft ready for operational deployment by 2021. 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. max gorden, a reporter from the local tv station, has the story. it wasn't like they planned it... they're wondering what's in the water. ..and they sure weren't counting on this. 0ne after another, after another, after another. 16 intensive care unit nurses at banner desert medical centre in mesa, all pregnant at the same time. did we have some kind of pact going on? the boon of burgeoning bellies has increased trips to the cafeteria. to sample, you know, the soups, making sure they taste all right. laughter. and it has some patients a little confused. and 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. but don't fear. a maternity leave induced nurse shortage isn't on the way. we've been planning for this for months. it's left some of these nurses learning a lesson. you find out how supportive your co—workers are of you, your management team. it's been a good experience. in mesa, max gorden, arizona's family. residents in northern finland are turning skiing into a summer sport, swapping the slopes for a swamp and mountains for mud. swamp skiing might be less esteemed than its winter counterpart but what it lacks in snow it makes up for in style. georgina smyth has the story. swapping the snowfall this swamp. this is northern inland in the

summer, and this is what the locals do forfun. summer, and this is what the locals do for fun. crossing 30 summer, and this is what the locals do forfun. crossing 30 metres summer, and this is what the locals do for fun. crossing 30 metres of swamp on skis in nothing other than suits, tea dresses and heels. translation: it is an insanely lovely idea to ski the swamp in high heels. finnish performance artist carla is the man behind the unconventional race, and this niche sport certainly has quite a few diehard fans. these fins proving they are adept on the skis, whatever they are adept on the skis, whatever the weather. —— finns. at the swamp is less forgiving than the slopes and victims are claimed to face first and stuck in the mud. competitors skiing, running or crawling down way to the finish line. this woman made it across, winning it for the ladies and proving you can dress for success. now let's get the latest weather

with darren burnett. sunshine was in short supply yesterday and it will be again today. despite the cloud, it will be warm up there and quite humid as well, seeing the cloud breaking up but for a while, there will be rain around and that is coming from tropical air tracking it over the last few days. the scarier of cloud has remnants of tropical storm ernesto which is brought remnants across the uk. it would be too long until it moves away across the north sea in the morning, allowing a few dribs and drabs, rain and drizzle heading towards the midlands before pushing out in the afternoon. not a huge amount of sunshine. the best of that later northern and western scotland, northern ireland, where it will be a little bit cooler. highs of 22, 23 across and wales. a good deal of cloud as we head into the evening once again. that rain, having cleared away over towards southern scandinavia, a few breaks here and there. it is uite a cloudy and muggy air stream we are in at the moment. those temperatures overnight on the high side, and probably a bit warmer across scotland as .too. here, though, a weak weatherfront that will bring a few pockets of rain and drizzle. the odd spot of drizzle around the hills. particularly urther south

across these western parts of england and wales. further east, the best of the cloud breaks in the sunshine. should be a bit warmer in the south—east. 25 or maybe 26 or so. 20, 21 in many parts of the country. a weak weather front across the north. weak because we've got high pressure trying to build an across the uk. it doesn't quite reach northern areas where the next weather system begins to arrive. this arrives, especially in the north—west, later on in the day. some and that. a bit more about as well. still quite muggy so get a bit of sunshine. it will feel warm again. those temperatures perhaps into the mid—20s at best. that weather system bringing the rain the north—west, that moves away, almost the rainbows and we get a weak weather front moving southwards. behind that, more of a north—westerly airflow. it will probably get as far south as maybe mid wales and the midlands. some sunshine here and brighter skies with that cooler and fresh air. a better chance of seeing some sunshine. still in the warm and muggy conditions across the southern parts of england. bye bye. that weather system bringing the rain the north—west, that moves away, almost the rainbows and we get a weak weather front moving southwards.

behind that, more of a north—westerly airflow. it will probably get as far south as maybe mid wales and the midlands. some sunshine here and brighter skies with that cooler and fresh air. a better chance of seeing some sunshine. still in the warm and muggy conditions across the southern parts of england. bye bye. 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.