i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... one week after the fall of kabul to the taliban, president biden defends his handling of the evacuation — despite growing criticism. i think that history is going to record this was the logical, rational and right decision to make. when this is over, the american people will have a clear understanding of what i did and why and history will record that this was a logical, rational and right decision to make. us vice president kamala harris is in singapore on the first leg of an asia trip that's being overshadowed by events in afghanistan. heavy rain and strong winds strike the north—east coast of the united states as tropical storm henri makes landfall.

# dream, dream, dream... and don everly, who had huge success with the everly brothers, has died aged 8a. this is bbc news... newsday... welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin in the us, where president biden has said there will be no let up in the tempo of us evacuation efforts in afghanistan after a weekend in which 23 american military flights took off from kabul airport. there's been criticism of the decision to withdraw troops from afghanistan and the evacuation operation, but in the last few hours mr biden has insisted there was no way to

carry it out without causing pain and loss. he said nearly 28,000 people had been flown out since august 14th — the day before the taliban seized power. we lifted approximately 11,000 people out of kabul in less than 36 hours. it's an incredible operation. let me be clear, the evacuation of thousands of people from kabul is going to be hard and painful, no matter when we started or began. it would have been true if we started a month ago or a month from now. there is no way to evacuate this many people without pain and loss, and those heartbreaking images you see on television. it is just a fact. my heart aches for those people you see. we are proving that we can move thousands of people a day out of kabul. we are bringing our citizens, nato allies, afghanis who have helped us in the war effort, but we have a long way to go.

and a lot could still go wrong. president biden went on to say that history would show he did the right thing by deciding to pull out of afghanistan. at the end of the day, if we didn't leave afghanistan now, when do we leave? another ten years? another five years? another year? i'm not about to send your son or daughter to fight in afghanistan. i don't see where that is in our interests. and the talk about how our interests are going to be impacted? let me tell you, if you are sitting in beijing or moscow, you are happy we left? history is going to record that this was the logical, rational and right decision to make. our state department correspondent barbara plett usher gave this assessment of president biden�*s speech. well, recent polls show there is still a majority of support in the country

for ending the war in afghanistan and bringing troops back. but there is strong disapproval for how it was conducted. the president is focusing on how it was conducted and painting a sort of positive picture about steps that have been taken, that is his approach. he talked about having picked up the pace of the evacuations at the weekend, he said it was an extraordinary airlift and he talked about improving access to the airport for those who wanted to get there, he suggested the perimeter, the us forces had extended the perimeter around the airport, the safe zone. he also talked about the vulnerability of it and he said it was dangerous and there are possibilities of attacks by islamic state militants and they were being diligent but he said there was no reason to think we could not keep up the pace of the evacuation. he also said that they hoped they could complete this by the deadline, which is the end of the month. it is a deadline he has imposed

but he also said that military officials were discussing about the possibility of extending it if they had to, and that is something that has been called for by both people in the united states and also allies. he was very much coming out there and talking about the way they were carrying out what he called an extraordinary airlift, an extraordinary operation and how things were improving. and he says they will probably continue to improve. acknowledging also that any kind of evacuation would have been heartbreaking at any time. we will see if that makes a difference to people who have been watching those heartbreaking and chaotic images of the american exit from afghanistan. that was barbara plett usher. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet has just flown into kabul airport and sent her first impressions of the situation there. it hits you as soon as you put your foot on the tarmac of this airfield,

the intensity and the urgency of this moment. every direction we look at kabul international airport, afghans and foreigners in straight lines, boarding the military transport planes that are all around this tarmac. taking afghans, notjust away from their country, but away from the lives that they live, the identity that they cherish, leaving everything behind to start from scratch. today is the day that a generation of afghans have buried their dreams and aspirations and our lives. this city, to us, is our home, despite its contradictions. we called it home, we were raised from here, we hope that the taliban can learn from the lessons of the past and everyone else and we can prove that we can move away from the tanks and bullets, towards

a road where everyone can see themselves. this is a scene that no one expected, nobody wanted and no one will forget. there were said to be more than 10,000, possibly 111,000 people, now in this airfield, waiting to board a flight, to take them anywhere out of this country. foreigners as well as afghans. there are thousands more afghans, a crush of afghans who raced to the airport to try to get on one of these flights. afghans have an expression when they travel, which means may yourjourney be happy. some will be so relieved, so relieved. some of them will have spent days outside, hoping to get inside here, it has taken some people days, days to get in because of the people who are pushing outside of the gates.

little children, families, not knowing what kind of life they are heading to. lyse doucet. whilst chaos at the airport has dominated the coverage so far, many of the afghans staying in the country are worried about what the future holds for them under the taliban's return to power — in particular on the issue of women's rights. the group have promised that women will be allowed to go to work and girls will go to school, but many remain sceptical and anxious. 0ur correspondent secunder kermani sent this report, and a warning that it contains some distressing images. when the taliban took over kabul, many residents were terrified. but rowena, a young female journalist, decided she should go and talk to them for her youtube channel. that was the last video she uploaded.

she is unsure if the group will approve of her working or not. for now, many offices have told female employees to stay at home. many female professionals have fled in fear. it is hard to imagine the taliban accepting even small freedoms like this, filmed before the takeover. i really love myjob and i want to carry on working, she says. i hope the taliban will allow me to, otherwise i will have to leave the country and go abroad. the last time the taliban were in power in the 1990s, women were not allowed to work, girls could not go to school. even now, they defend punishments like lashing and stoning adulterers to death. today, under taliban rule, you do still see some women out and about in kabul, though significantly fewer than before. many are simply too

afraid to step outside. so far, here, they have not been ordered to wear the burka or to stay at home unless accompanied by a man, but no one is sure if that will last. we have been trying to speak to any of the women here, but all of them are extremely reluctant to go on camera. that is not something entirely new, but one woman did tell me that while she was deeply anxious about the future, she did not feel safe saying anything critical about the taliban. even without new laws being imposed, the fear is changing the way many women dress. no one is buying jeans any more, says this shopkeeper. instead, they are buying head scarves and more conservative gowns. many are deeply suspicious of the group, but today the taliban told female employees at kabul�*s mayor's office to return to theirjobs. this woman is one of a handful that turned up.

theyjust said you have to wear the hijab, she tells me, but i already dress like this anyway. the taliban have always been vague on their commitments to women's rights. in some areas they banned girls going to school beyond the age of 12. young afghan women have been among those taking part in scattered protests to defy the group. this woman is a prominent campaigner who was a member of the team negotiating with the taliban. a lot of women actually contact me, they come to see me 01’ message me. they are trying to find a way out or looking for something different. not only in terms of security, but in terms of hope, for a better country. they do not have it any more. but in the meantime, i am very proud to see them getting ready to resist. many women worry, whatever the taliban say now, about being able to work or go to school, they will grow

increasingly strict once the international focus comes to an end. for now, it is a time of deep uncertainty. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. the former uk prime minister tony blair, who sent troops into afghanistan 20 years ago, has described the us withdrawal as �*tragic, dangerous and unnecessary�*. mr blair said the decision to end what us president biden has called �*forever wars�* was wrong — describing the slogan as �*imbecilic�*. he said the exit of allied troops would havejihadist groups "cheering", adding that the government must "evacuate and give sanctuary" to afghans who helped the uk. peter galbraith is a former un deputy special representative for afghanistan. he criticised mr blair for branding the pullout imbecilic. i think what was imbecilic was the strategy that was followed for the last 20 years.

a strategy that was initiated, in fact, when tony blair was prime minister. that strategy involved, after ousting the taliban in 2001, in partnership with the northern alliance, it then entailed creating, moving to create and afghanistan, a highly centralised state in a country that is geographically and ethnically very diverse, concentrating all power in kabul, and in kabul, all power with the president, who can only represent one of the multiple ethnic groups. and the other part of the strategy was a counterinsurgency. and a counterinsurgency involves having to have a local

partner, as architects will tell you, and the trouble was there was no partner. the government in kabul was corrupt, ineffective and illegitimate. but peter, hindsight is 20/20 and president biden says he does not want to hand this war over to another american president. what could they have done? do you suggest that us troops stay there indefinitely? no, my point is the opposite. that the strategy failed. what can you say about a conflict where you spent several trillion dollars, in the case of the united states, nearly 2500 dead, nearly 500 uk soldiers dead, and at the end of it the government and military collapse in ten days. my first visit to afghanistan was on february 14th 1989 with the mujahedin, the day that the soviets withdrew.

and the soviet—installed government lasted another two years. in fact, it lasted longer than the soviet union. this time the american—supported government could not even last to the end of the american withdrawal. there couldn�*t be a better example of failure. peter galbraith, the former us ambassador. if you want to get in touch with me, i�*m on twitter @bbckarishma. i look forward to hearing from you. you�*re watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... tributes pour in for don everly, who had huge success with the everly brothers, and has died aged 8a. washington, the world�*s most

political city, is assessing the health of the world�*s most powerful man. i the health of the world's most powerful man.— powerful man. i had relationship - powerful man. i had relationship with - powerful man. i had i relationship with miss powerful man. i had _ relationship with miss lewinsky that was not appropriate. in fact, it was wrong. in that was not appropriate. in fact, it was wrong.- fact, it was wrong. in south africa, 97 — fact, it was wrong. in south africa, 97 people _ fact, it was wrong. in south africa, 97 people were - fact, it was wrong. in south | africa, 97 people were killed today in one of the worst days of violence between rival black groups. 0ver of violence between rival black groups. over the last ten days, 500 have died.— 500 have died. czechoslovakia must be free! _ 500 have died. czechoslovakia must be free! russia - 500 have died. czechoslovakia must be free! russia is - must be free! russia is observing _ must be free! russia is observing a _ must be free! russia is observing a national i must be free! russia is| observing a national day must be free! russia is - observing a national day of mourning for the 118 submariners who died. we are all with them _ submariners who died. we are all with them now, _ submariners who died. we are all with them now, within - submariners who died. we are all with them now, within ourl all with them now, within our hearts. ., , ., , all with them now, within our hearts. . , ., hearts. the pope has celebrated mass before _ hearts. the pope has celebrated mass before a _ hearts. the pope has celebrated mass before a congregation - hearts. the pope has celebrated mass before a congregation of. mass before a congregation of more than 2.5 million people in his home town of krakow. star; his home town of krakow. stay with us, chanted _ his home town of krakow. stay with us, chanted this _ his home town of krakow. st: with us, chanted this ocean his home town of krakow. 5t

this is newsday on the bbc. 0ur headlines... one week after the fall of kabul to the taliban, president biden defends his handling of the evacuation — despite growing criticism. us vice president kamala harris will work to reassure southeast asia — and more directly, singapore and vietnam — of us reliability on a short visit to the region, which is seeking more than a defense relationship. her message is expected to be one of economic opportunities and health, with many southeast asian countries facing rising covid—19 infections and short vaccine supplies. she�*s the second high—ranking official to visit these countries in as many months, following us defense secretary, lloyd austin. for more on the state of play in the relationship,

let�*s talk to regional security expert, lynn kuok. great to have you. first of all, this is the first major senior trip of the biden administration to the region but against the backdrop of the afghanistan crisis. has it become so damaging to president biden at her visit seems ill timed and likely to weaken the us in the region?— timed and likely to weaken the us in the region? thank you for havin: us in the region? thank you for having me- _ us in the region? thank you for having me- i— us in the region? thank you for having me. i think, _ us in the region? thank you for having me. i think, as- us in the region? thank you for having me. i think, as great- us in the region? thank you for having me. i think, as great a l having me. i think, as great a tragedy as what afghanistan is, and as upsetting as some of the images are, i think if we look at the broader geopolitical consequences for the region in the long run, it is likely to be far less than what some of these images today may suggest. i think it is quite clear that china will be seeking to milk the decision as well as its

shambolic execution for all it�*s worth, to suggest that the us security guarantees in the region are not worth their salt, as well as suggesting that the us is not a terribly capable superpower. and indeed, in the short run, we are going to see us credibility undermined. however, the implications for the geopolitics of the region will be less than we might imagine, simply because us credibility has already for some time been questioned in the region. the reason why the region works with the united states is less that it with the united states is less thatitis with the united states is less that it is completely reliable but simply because it is the strongest, still the most capable superpower, the strongest superpower in the region currently. and also because an unreliable partner is better than none at all and

in a region that is seeing destabilising forces and undermining international order... , ., , undermining international order- - -— undermining international order... , ., , , order... sorry to “ump in, but to net order... sorry to “ump in, but to get ah order... sorry to “ump in, but to get a sense _ order... sorry tojump in, but to get a sense of _ order... sorry tojump in, but to get a sense of what - order... sorry tojump in, but to get a sense of what you i to get a sense of what you think the focus might be for vice president kamala harris as she makes her attempts to convince the region in singapore and vietnam that the us is a force for good in this part of the world. the united states vice _ part of the world. the united states vice president - part of the world. the united states vice president is - part of the world. the united | states vice president is going to be focused on ensuring that the us has enduring interests in the region and will be seeking to set out a positive vision for what the united states has to offer in the region. it will be very much focused on the pandemic, how countries can work together to overcome notjust the health crisis but also the long—term economic recovery. and secondly, given that we have

the secretary of defence in singapore a little under a month ago and he set out united states�* security vision for the region, kamala harris will be very much focused on the united states�* economic agenda in the region. of course, in a sense that the united states hobbled itself by president trump�*s decision to withdraw from the trans—pacific partnership, the tpp, and presidentjoe biden�*s foreign policy as well, at least in the short—term, curtailed the ability of the us to negotiate in the short—term with the region so the united states�* ability to forge greater and stronger economic ties were limited in a sense and what will be on the table in singapore will be discussions on a possible digital trade deal.

domestically, with the united states, it is far away off that. another item on the agenda in singapore as in vietnam will be the strengthening of supply chains, strengthening of supply chains, strengthening of supply chains, strengthening of the resilience of supply chains. pail strengthening of the resilience of supply chains.— of supply chains. all of that to counteract _ of supply chains. all of that to counteract the _ of supply chains. all of that to counteract the rising - to counteract the rising influence of china in this part of the world, as you well know. how successful do you think these sort of deals and agreements will be in that? i think it is one of a sense of the united states showing that it is notjust interests in the region, it is multifaceted, it has interests in lifting the region up economically as well as providing security guarantees in the region. i think it is very important in terms of response to china. but

i think it is important for the united states not to proceed on the basis that everything is a response to china so these trade deals are very important in terms of providing asian pacific countries with the platform for co—operation with each other. with an ability to put a stake in each other�*s success. as well as to be able to shake the regional security. as far as the rules are for governing nations between countries. governing nations between countries-_ governing nations between countries. ., . countries. thank you so much forjoining _ countries. thank you so much forjoining us— countries. thank you so much forjoining us on _ countries. thank you so much forjoining us on newsday. . the east coast of the united states has been hit by strong winds and heavy rain as tropical storm henri made landfall in the state of rhode island. power has been cut to more than 125,000 homes from newjersey to maine. flash floods have closed bridges and swamped roads. the storm is expected to move through parts of connecticut, massachusetts and maine as it heads out towards the

atlantic later on monday. a short time ago i spoke to the bbc�*s bahman kalbasi in long island and he gave me this update. it has gone from very heavy winds, massive rain and an ocean that seemed to be coming closer and closer with very big waves that kept pounding to blue skies. this tropical storm moved pretty fast, we know that it has made landfall in rhode island. about five or six hours ago. but the worry is that these communities sitting on the ocean had a storm surge and that is not as much any more, it seems like much of long island has been spared, although the worries about flooding continues. there are a number of flash flooding warnings across the state, including neighbouring states in newjersey and connecticut. but all in all, it seems that

at least this part of new york state has been spared, we will have to see about the total damage when the flooding counting comes in from rhode island. finally, tributes have been paid to don everly, of the everly brothers, who�*s died aged 84.( the duo, with don here on the right, had six number one singles in the uk in the 1950s and 60s — including cathy�*s clown, walk right back and all i have to do is dream. they were awarded a lifetime achievement award at the grammys in 1997. phil everly died eight years ago. that�*s all for now — stay with us for bbc world news. president biden has defended the us withdrawal in

afghanistan again. thanks for joining us. hello there. after the rather cloudy weather we had to contend with last week, this week does promise something just a little bit brighter. certainly it will be largely dry with some spells of warm sunshine. having said that, no heatwave on the way. temperatures will be nothing exceptional for the time of year, but high pressure firmly building in and taking control of our weather. that�*s why it�*s going to be mainly dry and settled, but the winds around high—pressure flow in a clockwise direction, so we will be pulling our air down from the north and not tapping into any of this heat across parts of southern europe. so as we head through monday, we will start off with a lot of mist and murk, and certainly quite a lot of cloud around. much of that will break up, though, to reveal some spells of sunshine. i think it will stay a little bit misty and murky for some western coasts, and it�*s going to be another grey and quite gloomy day across shetland. a small chance for a

shower over high ground in western scotland, wales and the southwest, but most places fine, with light winds, some spells of sunshine, so not feeling too bad, 21, 22, maybe 2a celsius in parts of western scotland. now, as we head through monday evening, any showers that do crop up in the west will fade. it�*s going to be dry, some clear spells, but some areas of cloud. and this area of cloud here may well work into parts of eastern england and perhaps into the midlands, and then continue its journey westwards as we head through the day on tuesday. so it could well cloud over a little bit across some parts of wales, maybe even with the odd spot of drizzle. some misty, murky weather clinging to some of these northern and western coasts, but elsewhere, tuesday will bring further spells of sunshine. again, the highest temperatures likely to be across western scotland, maybe parts of northern ireland as well, up to 2a, possibly up to 25 celsius. wednesday, a similar sort of day, best of the sunshine in the west. more cloud filtering into eastern areas, and also this noticeable northerly wind starting to develop close to eastern coasts. so that will knock the edge off the temperatures here, the highest temperatures once again out towards the west.

now, a subtle change as we head towards thursday. 0ur area of high pressure is likely to drift away northwards, allowing this frontal system to work into the picture. not a lot of rain with that, but a lot of cloud into eastern areas, and coupled with that strong northerly breeze, it is going to feel really quite cool for eastern coasts. not quite as cool further west, but even here, temperatures coming down a little as we head towards the end of the week.