shah welcome to bbc news, i'm david shah eades. our top stories. the defiance of an american president — joe biden stands by the us pullout from afghanistan, but accepts the speed of the taliban's takeover caught them by surprise. i stand squarely behind my decision. after 20 years, i've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw us forces. desperate and chaotic scenes at kabul airport — people cling to moving planes in their attempt to flee the country. taliban militants patrol the streets of kabul — how repressive will they be as the regime takes root? more than 1,400 people are known to have died in haiti's earthquake —

now a tropical storm is bearing down on the country. hello. we begin in washington, where president biden has sought to defend the manner of the us troop withdrawal from afghanistan. he was speaking after a day of chaos at kabul airport, as desperate afghans were prepared to cling onto aircraft as they took off, to escape the country. the taliban have taken control of most of afghanistan, encountering very little resistance on the way. but mr biden said he stood squarely behind his decision, and that there was never a good time to withdraw. our first report is from our north america editorjon sopel. the sudden capture of the country's capital has shocked the world. whatever the political bent of the network... the taliban has taken over

afghanistan, seizing control of kabul... ..the verdict today has been unanimous and brutal. the biden administration is redefining the word i "incompetent". an epic humiliation of us foreign policy, a woeful mishandling by president biden. just a month ago, the president said a taliban takeover of afghanistan was highly unlikely. and given this backdrop, joe biden had little choice but to cut short his vacation and return to washington by helicopter to answer his critics. he was unrepentant. i stand squarely behind my decision. after 20 years, i've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw us forces. i always promised the american people i would be straight with you, and truth is this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. he shifted the blame firmly on the leaders of

afghanistan and their military. we gave them every tool that they could need and paid their salaries, provided for the maintenance of their airforce. we gave them every chance to determine their own future. then he posed this question. i'm left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay, how many more generations of our daughters and sons would you have me send to fight the afghanistan civil war? the hurried evacuation of the us embassy caught everyone by surprise and has unleashed a torrent of criticism. it seems again the biden administration has no plan and has created another crisis in afghanistan where it didn't need to be. this is about leadership and the way in which we are removing ourselves and withdrawing from afghanistan, didn't need to occur. outside the white house, there have been protests

from pro—afghan groups. this woman served two tours of duty in afghanistan with the us air force. today, i'm embarrassed to an american.- because we pretended to be allies with these people - and then we just left them | like lambs to the slaughter and it's immoral — - america is better than this. the anguish is deep among former afghan nationals. they don't care any more about afghanistan. we are not as important as we were back in 2000. that's the reason we are here, we're here to speak up for the women who worked for the united states. today in herat near the iranian border, life is carrying on with an air of normality, but what will the city and the country feel like in a few months with the taliban back in charge? will it be 2001 all over again? jon sopel, bbc news,

washington. at kabul airport, american forces fired into the air to disperse crowds attempting to force their way onto departing planes. several people are reported to have been killed. american and british troops are in the process of evacuating their citizens, while the international community tries to define its response to the taliban's very swift victory. here's our afghanistan correspondent secunder kermani. running for their lives, frantically trying to escape afghanistan on this us military plane. this is how desperate some afghans are to leave the country. a handful tragically clinging on even after take—off,

before falling to their deaths. foreign nationals — and some afghans — are being evacuated, but huge crowds gathered after rumours even those without visas could travel. gunfire. outside the airport, even more chaos. taliban members firing in the air to assert their authority, trying to keep control. despite the dangers, some residents still risking their lives to try and get inside. the group has promised an amnesty to those with links to the government, but many still fear they'll be targeted by the militants. inside the airport, american forces fired into the air too. us officials claimed two armed afghans were killed. an eyewitness told the bbc the victims were ordinary people.

i just saw with my eyes three people, but there's more people, maybe. it's a very, very bad situation and people are in chaos. no—one is quite sure what comes next in afghanistan, though it's clear the taliban are in charge. their members are out in force, patrolling in vehicles seized from government security forces. "we're preventing looters and thieves from harming the people," says this fighter. the group has also reportedly been demanding all weapons are handed over to them. the unravelling of the state has come at a pace many are still struggling to comprehend. now it will be the taliban who decide what direction the country takes. we want an afghan—inclusive islamic government. so, by that, we mean all other afghans have also participation in that government.

so, of course, that needs a little bit of time and deliberation and talks. the terror and panic at the airport today, an awful ending to two decades of international efforts to rebuild this country. for all its fractures and rampant corruption, afghanistan had also seen fragile progress. the future for its people is now deeply uncertain. secunder kermani, bbc news. david miliband is president and ceo of the international rescue committee, and served as the uk's foreign secretary from 2007 to 2010. he's in new york. thanks very much for your time. i wonderfirst of thanks very much for your time. i wonder first of all, as an organisation, we have a significant number of personnel in afghanistan in any case... how comfortable are you about

them staying there at this critical, deeply uncertain time? ' :: :: time? there were 1700 international _ time? there were 1700 international rescue i time? there were 1700 - international rescue committee staff in afghanistan. the critical point to understand is they are afghans, all but a handful, and trying to build their own communities. we work in nine provinces, areas previously controlled by the government and areas controlled by armed opposition groups. 0ur by armed opposition groups. our work is on the basis of the consent of the local population. of course i have to report to you a deep fear among some, many of our staff, fear about the future, about what is going to be held for them, and fearfor their going to be held for them, and fear for their communities and theirfamilies. so the report you havejust theirfamilies. so the report you have just heard about uncertainty, i think, you have just heard about uncertainty, ithink, is you have just heard about uncertainty, i think, is a diplomatic way of putting it. this is a perilous, dangerous

time. there are multiple humanitarian crises that we need our stop on the ground to deal with, need our stop on the ground to dealwith, but need our stop on the ground to deal with, but they are afghan staff trying to build their own communities. —— our staff on the ground. communities. -- our staff on the ground-— communities. -- our staff on the ground. we have seen the most dreadful _ the ground. we have seen the most dreadful pictures - the ground. we have seen the most dreadful pictures at - the ground. we have seen the. most dreadful pictures at kabul airport showing the extent to which people will do anything to get out. which people will do anything to get out-— to get out. yes, there is a hiuh to get out. yes, there is a high degree _ to get out. yes, there is a high degree of— to get out. yes, there is a i high degree of desperation. to get out. yes, there is a - high degree of desperation. the international rescue committee worked in afghanistan before the taliban took over in the 19905. the taliban took over in the 1990s. during their time in office, and also since 2001, a humanitarian organisation that is independent of politics, but obviously our staff are people, 44% of our staff are women. i think it's very, very important to try to convey to you that, for those staff, they understand military rule is one thing, but they are desperately fearful that there will be a

humanitarian, political and diplomatic withdrawal as well. it's incredibly important that the un stay, so the comments of the un stay, so the comments of the un stay, so the comments of the un secretary general is are important. but to have diplomats pulling out and to have borders be enclosed strikes terror into the heart of our staff. 50 strikes terror into the heart of our staff.— strikes terror into the heart of our staff. so what do you make of— of our staff. so what do you make of president - of our staff. so what do you make of president biden's i make of president biden�*s comments? a strong, rather defiant line, i've made my choice, i'm sticking by it, ok, could have been done better, but it's the right thing to do... what would you have done? if i may, i'll say something about what president biden didn't talk about. in passing, he mentioned the continuing humanitarian and diplomatic and political responsibilities. my plea today is to remember there are three humanitarian crises alongside the political crisis. 18 million people in humanitarian need, they need

aid to survive. 400,000 have been displaced from their homes by the violence of recent weeks. and about 30,000 per weeks. and about 30,000 per week are fleeing as refugees into neighbouring states, so there is desperate need there. and tens of thousands who are desperate to leave the country because of fears for their own safety. that's an immediate concern and explains some of the terrible teens you referred to at kabul airport.— to at kabul airport. sorry to interrupt. _ to at kabul airport. sorry to interrupt, but _ to at kabul airport. sorry to interrupt, but do _ to at kabul airport. sorry to interrupt, but do i- to at kabul airport. sorry to interrupt, but do i take - to at kabul airport. sorry to interrupt, but do i take it i interrupt, but do i take it that you feeljoe biden is washing his hands of a situation the us holds huge responsibility for? == situation the us holds huge responsibility for?— responsibility for? -- the terrible _ responsibility for? -- the terrible scenes _ responsibility for? -- the terrible scenes you - responsibility for? -- the i terrible scenes you referred responsibility for? -- the - terrible scenes you referred to at kabul airport. there is responsibility to all countries who have been in afghanistan to fulfil their obligations. some of them are absolutely direct. people were promised safety and security in return for working

for the us government or the us diplomats. as a non—governmental organisation, we are in a different position, but there is a direct duty that is owed to them. and i think there is a wider duty to the country of afghanistan, which has been the subject of a terrible civil war over the last 40 years plus. it has been the subject of numerous conflicts inside, pitting different ethnic groups against each other, different regional powers against each other within the country. i think that if the military withdrawal is accompanied by a humanitarian, political, diplomatic withdrawal, it will be very dangerous for afghans. we also know that anything starts in afghanistan rarely ends there. which is why neighbouring countries like pakistan have so much stake in what happens. and i think there is a wider responsibility too.

david miliband, thank you very much forjoining us from new york. and thank you for being with us on bbc news. the mystery of the missing manuscripts — the work of the controversial french writer that reappeared after three—quarters of a century. the big crowds became bigger as the time of the funeral approached. as the lines of fans became longer, the police prepared for a huge job of crowd control. idi amin, uganda's brutal former dictator, has died at the age of 80. he's been buried in saudi arabia, where he lived in exile since being overthrown in 1979.

two billion people around the world have seen the last total eclipse of the sun take place in this millennium. it began itsjourney off the coast of canada, ending three hours later, when the sun set over the bay of bengal. this is bbc news — the latest headlines. president biden has strongly defended his decision to withdraw american troops from afghanistan, saying the us goal had been counter—terrorism, not nation—building. with the taliban patrolling the streets of kabul, the un has urged maximum restraint to protect lives. aid workers in haiti are racing to provide food, water and shelter to survivors of saturday's earthquake, before a major tropical storm hits the country.

hospitals are struggling to cope with thousands of injured survivors. more than 1,400 people are known to have died, after the quake struck on saturday. the problems are even more acute in remote areas. 0ur correspondentjames clayton managed to travel to the town of les cayes, to the north of the path of the storm, and sent us this report. many of these people were asleep when the earthquake hit, their homes caving in. it's hard enough to treat survivors of any natural disaster, but when the hospitals themselves are under fear of collapse, it makes it all the more difficult. well, this hospital is simply too unsafe to have people stay inside. so they've brought everyone outside here and they've tried to place them under trees, under tents, to try and keep them a little bit cooler and out of the hot sun. but what you're seeing here is 48 hours after the quake, the doctors have run out of painkillers, they've run out of antibiotics, and there are major concerns

about things like infection. elsie had just woken up when the earthquake hit. her son has a serious compound fracture and needs to be taken to the airport to be lifted out. seeing him in such pain is overwhelming. there simply aren't enough facilities to treat people in this remote part of the country. from the hospital, some of the injured are taken to this airport, waiting for a flight out to the capital, port—au—prince — like 19—year—old tanya, who's pregnant. so, you woke up and basically tried to run out, but then the house collapsed on top of her? she says her leg hurts and she has abdominal pain. most of the hospitals here are in need of the basics. iv solutions, bandages, medications, including antibiotics and pain management medications. they're in the same situation where they've run out. 0verall, it's dire. you know, sitting here with three hospitals that are moving patients to the airport for transportation out — there's no coordination.

a tropical storm here is also preventing flights in and out of the capital. the people here need help, but at the moment, not enough is coming. carl—henry petit—frere is the field manager for save the children in haiti, and joins me now from les cayes, in the south of the country. we of the country. have just been looking at some we have just been looking at some really terrible scenes in les cayes. what's the situation at the moment?— at the moment? thanks for havin: at the moment? thanks for having me _ at the moment? thanks for having me tonight. - at the moment? thanks for having me tonight. it's - at the moment? thanks for having me tonight. it's a i at the moment? thanks for i having me tonight. it's a very horrific at this time, because we have many people who are dead because of the earthquake. it was really unexpected, because on saturday, people go to the market and it's the

weekend, so we were preparing to have a great party, like a kind of ritual party in this part of the country, in the south. we had many people visiting this area. people passed away because of the earthquake, and we can now say how many places were destroyed. now we have many people in the streets, and unfortunately we have children with parents who passed away because of that situation, but it's very hard now to see how we can support, but we try our best. i now to see how we can support, but we try our best.— but we try our best. i am sure ou but we try our best. i am sure you could _ but we try our best. i am sure you could always _ but we try our best. i am sure you could always do _ but we try our best. i am sure you could always do with - but we try our best. i am sure | you could always do with more help than you have at the moment. and this comes as we hear about tropical storm grace coming into the country. is that affecting you, where you

are? , ., ., .., that affecting you, where you are? , ., ,, are? yes, i am in a car because i t to are? yes, i am in a car because i try to take _ are? yes, i am in a car because i try to take some _ are? yes, i am in a car because i try to take some things - are? yes, i am in a car because i try to take some things in - are? yes, i am in a car because i try to take some things in my | i try to take some things in my house but i couldn't enter. i just stayed in the car. we already see floods, water on the ground. so i think it starts to affect us very strongly. we don't know exactly how things are going. we try our hardest to help, so it's difficult for us right now. it's very difficult, but the state entities are trying their best to make coordination. to see how they can make a kind of

mixture with what they have, and support for the people. but right now, it's not really something we can handle, because it's very difficult. now the storm... it because it's very difficult. now the storm. . .- now the storm... it 'ust compounds fl now the storm... it 'ust compounds the i now the storm... itjust| compounds the problem now the storm... it just - compounds the problem is, doesn't it? best of luck to you. doesn't it? best of luck to ou. . ~' doesn't it? best of luck to ou. . ~ , ., doesn't it? best of luck to ou. ., ~ doesn't it? best of luck to ou. ., . ~ doesn't it? best of luck to ou. ., . �*., you. thank you so much. a lot of success _ you. thank you so much. a lot of success to _ you. thank you so much. a lot of success to you, _ you. thank you so much. a lot of success to you, and - you. thank you so much. a lot of success to you, and i - you. thank you so much. a lot of success to you, and i just i of success to you, and ijust hope people can hearfrom us and bring the support we need here for the people.— here for the people. many thanks. the prime minister of malaysia, muhyiddin yassin, has resigned after losing his majority — but he will stay on as interim leader until a replacement can be found. 0ur south east asia correspondentjonathan head has the latest from bangkok. many would argue that it's remarkable that prime minister muhyiddin lasted even this long, given the dubious way in which he got the job last

year — in an internal coup that brought down the reformist coalition he was then part of, leaving bitterfeelings in malaysian politics — given the deep split in his former party, which has been a central part of his governing coalition, and given the herculean task facing any malaysian government in addressing the fast—growing covid epidemic. now the horse trading begins to choose mr muhyiddin�*s successor, and many malaysians fear that that will inevitably involve concessions to or compromises with some of those facing charges for the alleged involvement in the great 1mdb financial scandal, a scandal that the malaysian public by and large wants to see justice in. what about, though, opposition leader anwar ibrahim, a man who's been campaigning for the top job for more than 20 years, who spent two terms in prison in part because of his efforts? he's often claimed that he's got the numbers to form an alternative administration,

but in truth, in part because of his divisive personality and the fact that he's in coalition with the mainly ethnic chinese democratic action party, he's unlikely to get the number of mps needed to form a government. and then, there's the great survivor of malaysian politics, 96—year—old dr mahathir mohamad. he's been pushing for a kind of national unity reconstruction council to run the country during this crisis. but even dr mahathir probably doesn't have the support to push that idea forward. in reality, the country is likely to end up with a kind of compromise candidate as prime minister, perhaps not a very charismatic figure, to lead an interim government that holds the fort until such a time, as the country can hold a new general election safely. french literary circles have been reeling after the discovery of thousands

of pages of lost manuscripts by a renowned but controversial author. the work — by louis—ferdinand celine — went missing more than 75 years ago. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. ina in a flat in paris, an elderly man examinesa in a flat in paris, an elderly man examines a literary treasure trove. the previously lost work of a writer some view as a genius, but others condemn as a genius, but others condemn as a genius, but others condemn as a villain. whatever the legacy, this is an emotional moment. translation: ~ , ., ., translation: when you have them in our translation: when you have them in your hands. _ translation: when you have them in your hands, you _ translation: when you have them in your hands, you have _ translation: when you have them in your hands, you have a _ translation: when you have them in your hands, you have a part - in your hands, you have a part of celine that comes alive. it's the physical contact with the manuscripts that have been hidden for 75 years and that's celine lived with and worked on. it's very moving. louis—ferdinand wrote under the

pen name of celine, regarded as one of the giants of 20th century french literature, renowned for his distinctive style and pessimistic view of the human condition. he was accused of being an anti—semite and nazi sympathiser and was convicted for collaboration. his manuscripts were stolen towards the end of world war ii, possibly by members of the french resistance. rumour has it they were hidden away, waiting for a specific event. —— they were kept hidden away. translation: in -- they were kept hidden away. translation:— translation: in a sense, this discovery is _ translation: in a sense, this discovery is both _ translation: in a sense, this discovery is both unexpected i discovery is both unexpected and expected. 20 years ago, i asked his widow, where are the manuscripts? she said, don't worry, the day i die, these manuscripts will reappear. that's exactly what happened. the documents include a complete novel called london, and another work of which only and another work of which only a fragment had been published. some estimate the find could be

worth millions. creativity and notoriety, from beyond the grave. hello there. we're looking at a pretty benign week of weather. we've got high pressure fairly nearby, but a lot of cloud streaming in off the north atlantic, bringing us rather cool and cloudy conditions throughout the week. a little sunshine here and there, some patchy rain too. these weather fronts bringing the patchy rain through this morning. generally, though, we've got this airflow coming in from the north atlantic, and it's moisture—laden air, hence all the cloud. so, rather grey skies this morning, that patchy rain eventually clearing away from eastern england. there will be further patchy rain for northern and western hills, but many places will turn drier, and we could see some sunshine breaking through eastern scotland, eastern england, perhaps across south wales and the southwest. a breezy day to come, those winds quite fresh from the northwest, and temperatures pretty

disappointing for mid—august, generally 15—21 degrees in the sunnier spots further south. and we hold onto the cloud and the breeze through tuesday night, as well. most places will be dry, further spots of drizzle, though, across some western hills, especially, especially northern and western scotland. but with all the cloud cover and the breeze, temperatures no lower than around 11—15 degrees. so for wednesday, very little change — it looks similar, rather grey and breezy again, further patchy drizzle across northern and western hills. but again, with some shelter from the breeze, from the higher ground further west, we should see some sunny spells, again, eastern england, perhaps across the south of wales and southwest. again, that pushes temperatures up to 21 degrees — otherwise for most, mid—to—high teens. into thursday, some subtle changes. this weather front�*s a bit more active, it'll start to wriggle into parts of england and wales. the winds will be lighter on thursday, too, coming in from a more west—southwest direction. again, a lot of cloud

around, showers pushing into england and wales — thanks to that weather front, some could be on the heavy side. a bit of sunshine again in the south—west highs of 20—21 degrees, otherwise, again, mid—to—high teens. as we move out of thursday into friday, we start to see this more substantial area of low pressure sweeping up very slowly from the south—west. so, that'll change the wind direction to a south—westerly for many of us, it will be light with breeze. again, quite a bit of cloud around, a few sunny spells here and there, the more substantial rain pushing into northern ireland and later, western england and wales. and again, those temperatures range from 15—20 celsius.

this is bbc news. the headlines: president biden has strongly defended his decision to withdraw american troops from afghanistan — saying the goals of the us mission had been counter—terrorism, not nation—building. he also said he had made clear to the taliban that any attack on us personnel would be met with devastating force if necessary. the us and britain say they'll send more troops to the afghan capital to help the evacuation of hundreds of people — desperate to escape kabul after the taliban takeover. there have been chaotic scenes at the airport — with people clinging to, and then falling from, planes taking off. a tropical storm has made landfall in haiti — drenching the country with heavy rain as it deals with the aftermath of saturday's powerful earthquak. at least 1,400 people were killed in the quake and almost 7,000 injured. rescuers are still hunting for survivors in the rubble.