welcome to bbc news — i'm david eades. our top stories... the taliban take centre stage — their leader says the rights of women will be respected as long as they adhere to islamic laws. translation: there | will be nothing against women in our ruling. our people accept our women are muslims. they accept islamic rules. if they continue to live according to sharia, we will be happy. the uk government says up to 20,000 afghans will be resettled in britain in the long term. 5,000 in the coming year. half a million children in desperate need of shelter and drinking water in haiti — after the earthquake which has left nearly 2000 dead. and the trial is due to begin of the singer r kelly — accused of racketeering,

bribery and sexual abuse. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we begin in kabul in afghanistan, where taliban leaders have stepped into the public limelight to outline their intentions after sweeping through the country and taking control within a matter of days. they are leaders who have in fact never been seen in public before. and they were quick to send out messages of assurance to both aghan nationals and the international community. they said afghans who assisted international forces would come to no harm, that media freedoms would be protected, and that women would be allowed to study and work, albeit adding �*within islamic principles�*. with the story of how the taliban claims it

will rule, here's our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet. the republic has fallen. its leaders fled. taliban rule is returning, day by day its fighters more visible on the streets of kabul. patrolling with us military vehicles left behind or lost by government forces. taking on tasks to show they're in charge now. and showing the new face of afghanistan to the world. today, the first press conference by a man who's long been a mystery. taliban spokesman zabihullah mujahid showing his face in public for the first time, making their message clear. translation: i reassure| all internationals, the un, all embassies, our neighbours, that we will not be allowing the soil of afghanistan to be used against anybody. we have given amnesty to everybody. there is no revenge. all those young people who have

talent, who have got an education, we don't want them to leave. day by day, afghans come to terms with the taliban again. waiting, not for words, but for what will change in their lives. let's see what afghanistan brings. i want to stay here, i want to fight for my students. i want to fight for our vision of afghanistan. and i know things are never going to be the same any more. it'sjust i have to be here. and so far, some surprises. female presenters are still fronting popular news programs. a talib taking her questions. but many fear it's just a shiny new show for now. women are already taking to the streets. "we exist," they shout. "work, education, political participation, is our right." women make up half of afghan society. "don't upset us,"

they tell the taliban. "be our voice." today, the taliban also focused on that fear. translation: there | will be nothing against women in our ruling. our people accept our women are muslims, they accept islamic rules. if they continue to live according to sharia, we will be happy, they will be happy. they've said that so many times before. as an afghan woman, i wouldn't trust them because they don't have a very good track record of keeping their promises or something like that. if they were so keen on women's rights, they wouldn't stop girls from going to university. they wouldn't stop women working in banks. these are two different narratives. with fighting finished, time forfun, too — taliban style. not the usual image of austere islamists, but it may be but a brief pause before new rules come into force.

look atjust one snapshot of how many people, afghans and foreigners, are fleeing as fast as possible. the evacuation from kabul airport proceeds ever more urgently, including britain's operations. the taliban are promising stability too, and a government that's different this time round. their words have changed, many wait to see what they really mean. lyse doucet, bbc news. some of those pictures are quite extraordinary. the united states says the taliban has promised safe passage for thousands of civilians scrambling to reach kabul airport. according to the pentagon the goal is to evacuate up to 9,000 every day. white house officials have just disclosed that 1100 us citizens, permanent residents and their families were flown

out of the country on tuesday. james miervaldis is chairman of the charity no one left behind. he's in north virgina. specifically, you are looking to bring out interpreters, translators, people who have directly helped the us in the years gone by. it is a bit of a long queue in terms of getting people out? long queue in terms of getting peeple out?— long queue in terms of getting people out? yes, thank you for havin: people out? yes, thank you for having me _ people out? yes, thank you for having me this _ people out? yes, thank you for having me this evening. - people out? yes, thank you for having me this evening. i - people out? yes, thank you for having me this evening. ijust l having me this evening. i 'ust wonder how i having me this evening. i 'ust wonder how you i having me this evening. i 'ust wonder how you bide i having me this evening. ijust wonder how you bide your - having me this evening. ijust i wonder how you bide your time? we haven't slept much over the last 72 hours. we have been inundated with thousands of us service members inquiring about the fate of their allies. prior to the events of sunday, we have flown out five families commercially. we respectfully disagree with president biden�*s statement that the afghan

interpreters, some of them wanted to stay in afghanistan. they couldn't afford the $10,000 in the commercial air fare and they hadn't heard about the evacuation. we stepped in, we were able to get five families out, we had another 50 scheduled this week, but those flights are now on hold. , , ., ., ., hold. give us an idea of overall— hold. give us an idea of overall numbers, - hold. give us an idea of overall numbers, you . hold. give us an idea of i overall numbers, you are hold. give us an idea of - overall numbers, you are the ones who will have to find the wherewithal to get them out? correct, 50,000. looking at at least 50,000 interpreters and theirfamilies. these least 50,000 interpreters and their families. these are peoples who served as embassy workers, combat interpreters, many saved uk and american lives. i served for one year in afghanistan and most of these interpreters served through five years, eight years through multiple rotations. always

because they had promised to come to safety in the future and here we are. it come to safety in the future and here we are.— come to safety in the future and here we are. it is going to cost a lot _ and here we are. it is going to cost a lot of— and here we are. it is going to cost a lot of money, _ and here we are. it is going to cost a lot of money, i - and here we are. it is going to cost a lot of money, i see - and here we are. it is going to cost a lot of money, i see you | cost a lot of money, i see you are raising funds. it is not like you have just turned up, you are well established. the 50,000 is a huge number. it would take a long period of time. and that seems to be something that potentially you just don't have? ida. something that potentially you just don't have?— just don't have? no, so we don't. just don't have? no, so we don't- this _ just don't have? no, so we don't. this is _ just don't have? no, so we don't. this is a _ just don't have? no, so we | don't. this is a transatlantic issue. we have been following the same happenings at the ministry of defence and what is happening with the uk and their interpreters. in the united states it takes three and a half years to make it through the 14 half years to make it through the 1a step process. the burden of proof is on the interpreter, who is usually fleeing for his or her life, being in hiding with the taliban, they have to provide letters of recommendation and proof of employment, it is bizarre. as general petraeus said we could

put a rover on mars, it took seven months and yet we cannot send a piece of paper halfway around the world. it is send a piece of paper halfway around the world.— around the world. it is very frustrating. _ around the world. it is very frustrating. i _ around the world. it is very frustrating. i can _ around the world. it is very frustrating. i can feel- around the world. it is very frustrating. i can feel that l frustrating. i can feel that coming in your voice. we have had a british senior military official quoted over here are saying, it may be that british troops have to come out before all the evacuations can take place. we don't know if the american position will be the same. but what would your plea be in terms of helping you to bring out such a vast number of people? bring out such a vast number of --eole? �* , ., people? absolutely, we would like the united _ people? absolutely, we would like the united states - people? absolutely, we would like the united states to - people? absolutely, we would like the united states to stay. like the united states to stay and hold the airport as long as possible. we have had the pentagon say august the 31st is the end of the mission. we encourage them to look at the number of interpreters and other allies they need to evacuate. please keep the airport intact so civilian military aircraft can execute

the evacuation.— military aircraft can execute the evacuation. james, thank ou ve the evacuation. james, thank you very much _ the evacuation. james, thank you very much indeed - the evacuation. james, thank you very much indeed for - you very much indeed for joining us. worth reiterating the us military are hoping to get up to 9000 people a day out of kabul in the very near future. the british government has announced further details of its own resettlement scheme for afghan refugees. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley explained what we know so far, about how it will work and the scale of the government's ambition. up to 20,000 afghan refugees to come to the uk and resettle over the next few years — 5000 in the first year, the rest expected to come after that. and ministers here say it will focus on what they're calling the most at risk, in particular, women and girls. it is different from the scheme which had already been announced, which was for afghans who worked with uk forces over the past 20 years and their families.

we expect about 5000 people to settle in the uk under that scheme, but this is 20,000 people separate from that. we don't have details about how it's going to be funded just yet, but we do know that the government plans to work with local councils and devolved governments to figure out the best places for refugees to be housed over the next few years. but the message from government tonight is that they believe this scheme, which is modelled on the one which was used during the syrian war, and ultimately saw 20,000 people settle in the uk over around five years. ministers saying the new scheme for afghanistan will ultimately save lives, and we've seen those pictures over the last few days that show how desperate some people are to leave kabul and to leave the country as a whole. and the hope in the uk government is that this will be part of a wider humanitarian effort. yes, money for humanitarian aid, but also countries who have been involved

in afghanistan over the last 20 years pledging to take significant numbers of refugees. a tropical storm has hampered efforts to help the survivors of saturday's powerful earthquake in haiti. almost 2000 people are known to have died. tens of thousands forced into temporary shelters are now having to deal with flooding, heavy winds and rain. unicef says half a million children have been left with limited or no access to shelter and safe water. 0ur correspondent, james clayton reports now from the town of les cayes, one of the worst affected areas. at times, it feels like haiti is being hit from all directions on multiple fronts. first the earthquake. then the storm. it hit just after dark. violent winds and horizontal rain. misery loaded on top of misery. all across this town

people have been left with a stark choice. do they either sleep in unsafe structures or do they decide to sleep on the streets in the wet and the cold? this is the biggest camp in the area. people seeking refuge on a football field. they were told they'd be safe here, but as the rains poured, they were soaked, their tents ripped apart by the winds. the people here are desperate and angry. translation: we have problems here. - just look at the conditions. and where are the government? they're not here. there are injured people here, too. this woman's foot has a deep laceration, but she's had no medical attention. and another woman tells me she has not eaten since saturday. the other option here is to sleep in homes already badly damaged. joshua runs the local lottery shop. he and his family were lucky the house didn't totally collapse, but they've had to make a difficult decision. and did you sleep here last night? translation: yes,

i slept here in this l broken house last night. there was wind and rain. but the other people in the tent city had to sleep outside on chairs. there are simply no good options in this situation. these are desperate times and the storm has meant that the help that is needed by air and road simply hasn't arrived. james clayton, bbc news, les cayes. we can now speak to makayla palazzo who's policy stay with us on bbc news — still to come. art for all the senses — the dutch museum that is catering for people who are visually impaired. 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... taliban leaders vow to respect the rights of women —

in theirfirst public comments since re—taking control of afghanistan. the uk has announced plans to welcome up to 20,000 afghan refugees and calls on other nations to do the same. the american r&b singer r kelly goes on trial in new york on wednesday, accused of racketeering, sexual abuse, and bribery. currently held without bail, he denies the charges, some of which date back as far as two decades. from new york, the bbc�*s samira hussain reports. r kelly is one of the most successful artists of all time. sometimes called the king of r&b, kelly has been credited with redefining r&b music. but for the last two years, the embattled musician has been behind bars. r kelly and members of his entourage are accused of recruiting women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with the r&b singer. he is also accused of paying

victims and witnesses to cover up his alleged crimes. in a now infamous interview with an american network, kelly fervently denied any wrongdoing. i didn't do this stuff. this is not me, i'm fighting for my bleep life. y'all killing me with this bleep. inaudible. robert. you are all trying to kill me. allegations of sexual abuse are not new for mr kelly. he's been facing them for more than two decades, but the only time he faced criminal charges back in 2008, he was acquitted. these new allegations against kelly are far more serious. if found guilty he could spend the next several decades in prison. samira hussain, bbc news, new york.

we are going to go back to haiti. we understand almost 2000 people who have lost their lives but it is the elements they are fighting against at they are fighting against at the moment. we can now speak to makayla palazzo who's policy and advocacy manager, concern worldwide. makayla joins us from les cayes an area that has suffered widespread devastation following the earthquake. i hope you can hear me 0k. i hope you can hear me ok. you have travelled to les cayes from photo prints, what was the journey like, what with the conditions like?— journey like, what with the conditions like? the “ourney took about six h conditions like? the journey took about six hours, - conditions like? the journey j took about six hours, longer than usual because there is so much debris on the road. there has been no efforts to clear up the debris, but we saw a lot of destruction on the way. so it's

definitely not a normal situation here.- definitely not a normal situation here. ., ., ., situation here. you are now in les cayes. — situation here. you are now in les cayes, what _ situation here. you are now in les cayes, what has _ situation here. you are now in les cayes, what has the - situation here. you are now in | les cayes, what has the picture you have been confronted with? could you repeat the question? what does it look like in les cayes, now you are there? restarted to visit sites that suffered destruction. the fear is people will be forgotten or not receive the aid they need. buildings have been destroyed. i spoke with the owner of a hotel whose look of disbelief in his eyes when i spoke to him about what he will do next, it is a difficult situation here. absolutely, then made so much worse by the weather?- worse by the weather? yes, absolutely- _ worse by the weather? yes, absolutely. so _ worse by the weather? yes, absolutely. so many- worse by the weather? yes, absolutely. so many people| worse by the weather? 133 absolutely. so many people have been left without homes and

then on top of that, it has been raining all night. it is just devastating for so many families here. in addition, that contributes conditions for driving difficult, which might impact aid to help. you driving difficult, which might impact aid to help.— impact aid to help. you said they worried _ impact aid to help. you said they worried about - impact aid to help. you said they worried about being i they worried about being forgotten, not getting any help, what are you able to offer them?— help, what are you able to offer them? ~ ., ~' , offer them? where i work, it is on the ground _ offer them? where i work, it is on the ground conducting - offer them? where i work, it is on the ground conducting a - offer them? where i work, it is| on the ground conducting a site of the region to see what people need. we will be able to give people the most essential things. right now, we are looking at hygiene thing is, toothpaste, toothbrushes and soap. also giving cash to people so they can buy them on items they need.—

items they need. yes, the bare essentials. _ items they need. yes, the bare essentials. i — items they need. yes, the bare essentials, i guess _ items they need. yes, the bare essentials, i guess this - items they need. yes, the bare essentials, i guess this will. essentials, i guess this will go on for a long time. thank you so much forjoining us. scientists in oxford have begun trials of a new vaccine against the plague. a0 british volunteers will receive the treatment, designed by the same labs that created the 0xford—astrazeneca covid jab. our medical editor, fergus walsh reports. protection from an ancient killer — a vaccine against plague. larissa is one of the first volunteers to receive it as part of a trial in oxford which will assess the vaccine's safety and whether it induces a good immune response. i am lucky enough to live in a time where vaccines are being developed, and so when i saw that there was a study in the developing of a vaccine against a disease that's been around for thousands of years and has killed millions of people... and, so, that's the reason i did. plague is caused by bacteria found in fleas and rodents and can be spread by humans

whose lungs have been infected. the deadliest pandemic in history, the black death in the 14th century, killed around 15 million people, half of europe's population. plague is thankfully now rare and treatable with antibiotics, but an outbreak in madagascar in 2017 killed around 200 people, and there are cases each year in rural parts of africa and the united states. current vaccines are only partially effective, so if the oxford jab works, it could help protect vulnerable communities. there's no danger that the vaccines stored in this freezer can cause plague. it contains just a tiny amount of its genetic material, which has been inserted into a disabled common cold virus — the same virus that's been used to create the oxford astrazeneca covid vaccine.

we've already done clinical trials using similar technology against a bacterium, meningitis b, and in virus zika, but we're also looking to develop vaccines against new and emerging diseases such as lassa fever or the marburg virus. if the plague study goes well, then scientists aim to conduct further vaccine trials in africa in the hope of curbing one of the biggest killers in history. fergus walsh, bbc news, 0xford. a museum in the netherlands has opened a new exhibition aimed at people who are visually impaired. called �*the blind spot�* — and based in the city of utrecht — it recreates existing artworks — but adds extra dimensions, including sounds and smells. the bbc�*s tim allman has more. art tends to be, by its very nature, a visual medium. a display of colour and light, texture and contrast.

but galleries like this have long struggled to cater for those whose vision is impaired. so, here at utrecht central museum, they are using beyond two dimensions, transforming paintings into sculptures, inspired by one woman's interaction with 3d art. she was blind. she had a lot of emotions, she was touched. so then we have something. based on the theme of inclusivity, that moment was the starting point to actually create this exhibition. you don't look at this art, you touch it, you smell it, you listen to it. the visual becomes physical, spectacle is replaced by something much more tactile. translation: the second painting, from what i felt, |

that was just a regular painting. from what i felt, there were all kinds of blocks. one could feel very well, the kinds of shapes those blocks are. sighted visitors are encouraged to cover their eyes so they too can experience the exhibition in a new way. it's been described as a first experiment, arts for everyone, that triggers all the senses. tim allman, bbc news. a reminder of what has been a historic day, the leaders of the taliban have held their first news conference in kabul. people who have not been seen in public before, laying out their intentions for the country. at the same time we are hearing 3200 people have been evacuated from kabul airport. those figures coming from the us officials. 0nly from the us officials. only 1100 in the course of tuesday. but their aim is to get up to

9000 people out each day as soon as possible. this is bbc world news. sunshine was limited across the country on tuesday, but we did see some good spells of sunshine for central south—eastern scotland when temperatures reach the mid 20s. for the next few days we hold the largely cloudy skies and it will feel pretty cool for the time of year. we maintain these northwest winds across the uk, rolling in off the atlantic and will bring a of cloud. thickest across northern and western fringes where there could be light rain and drizzle. but some shelter to central and eastern scotland, east of the pennines, south—east wales and south—west england will see good spells of sunshine. winds brisk across north and western

coastal areas and temperatures in the high teens for most, but in the high teens for most, but in the high teens for most, but in the sunny spots, the low 20s once again. as we had to wednesday night it stays benign, cloudy for most. the odd spot of light rain or drizzle across northern and western hills, the ugliest bell, too. temperatures, no lower than 11 to 15 degrees, pretty much where they have been. as we head into thursday, a similar story with a lot of cloud around. the odd spit and spot of light rain here and there and the weather front will be pushing into wales and spreading across parts of england through the day. that will bring showery bursts of rain but skies will brighten up the south—west england and wales and that will bring temperatures into the low 20s. the weather front spreads across eastern england across friday and then we got the new area of low pressure starting to work its way into western areas. that will bring cloudy, wet breezy weather to northern ireland that may be western fringes of britain. for most it is a cloudy day, but later in the day we will see some sunny

spells increasing across the south. that will live temperatures into the mid to late 20s, otherwise it is the high teens. this area of low pressure will work its way in during the start of the weekend but we started to pick up southerly winds and that will tap into something much warmer across france into central, southern and eastern parts of england. we will see a brief warm spell to stop this weekend with some sunshine around. 26 degrees also in the south. that weather front will continue to push eastwards bringing some showers. some of which could be heavy and thundery the many places will see the showers during the course of sunday.

this is bbc news —

the headlines... in his first news conference the taliban spokesman — zabihullah mujahid — tried to reassure the rest of the world afghanistan won't be used as a base for foreign fighters to spread terrorism. he also insisted women would be able to work, study, and be actively involved in society. twenty—thousand afghans are to be welcomed to the uk in the coming years as part of government plans to resettle people at risk of persecution by the taliban. the prime minister has pledged up to 5,000 can seek refuge this year saying the country owed them a "debt of gratitude". the authorities in haiti now say nearly 2,000 people are known to have died in saturday's powerful earthquake — an increase of 500 on the previous figure. the united nations children's fund estimates that around 1.2—million people in haiti have been affected, including 500,000 children. now on bbc news,

another chance to enjoy the second part of rajan data's