this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm david eades. our top stories: more than 700,000 people are without power, including the whole of new orleans, as hurricane ida hits louisiana. the governor urges people to stay indoors. we can expect devastating impact to continue for most of the next 2a hours or so as the hurricane passes through the state. the us military says it's carried out an air strike to thwart a further militant attack on the airport in the afghan capital, kabul. as the american withdrawal draws ever closer, many afghans are still desperate to leave. flights are almost over. what are you going to do now?

so what about us? we are work with them. we support them. demonstraters in greece clash with police over new rules that force health workers to be vaccinated against covid—19. and one of the most influential reggae producers and performers, lee �*scratch' perry, dies injamaica aged 85. thank you very much for being with us. one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit america's gulf coast in 200 years is now approaching new orleans — hurricane ida's centre isjust

30 miles to the west. nearly a million people now without power, including the city of new orleans. after what is being called "catastrophic transmission damage". it comes exactly 16 years since hurricane katrina devastated new orleans. this is the scene right now. it is nightfall over the city. tens of thousands of people have already been evacuated. nada tawfik sent this report from new orleans as the storm made landfall. well, conditions are deteriorating rapidly now that hurricane ida has made landfall, the wind gusts are clocking in at about 60mph here in new orleans where the storm is, but this is just a tiny preview of what is expected and this is on the day 16 years to the day that hurricane katrina devastated new orleans, a day filled with so much trauma for the residents here. the storm could one of the strongest to hit the united states. the mayor has already warned residents that emergency

services won't be able to reach them, to stay inside, and complicating all the efforts of recovery of course is a surge of covid cases here. it is a dangerous mix here in louisiana. dangerous winds in new orleans, streets all around the city and its famous french quarter sit empty. from this point on, residents are on their own for the duration of the storm. earlier, masses rushed to the airport to evacuate before it shut down. many others took to the road. we have two kids in the car, they are both 12 months, we really wanted to evacuate for them. best case scenario is, like, power outages and some minor flooding. worse case, i don't even want to think about. 8ft of water inside. for kenneth, this brings back painful memories. he had to evacuate doing hurricane katrina. he says this time he has

had no time to leave. you think no matter how strong the infrastructure is, there still might be that little chance the levee could breach. from space, images capture the magnitude of ida, which came ashore with winds of 150mph and is causing a life—threatening storm surge. in washington, president biden received a briefing on ida at the federal emergency management agency. he said his administration will put the full might of the country behind the recovery. everyone should listen to the instructions from local and state officials, just how dangerous this is. and take it seriously, it's notjust the coast, notjust new orleans, it is north as well, the rainfall is expected to be exceedingly high. the region's new storm defences, which failed during hurricane katrina in 2005 on this exact date, will be tested like never before. but even with protections

in place, ida is expected to have a catastrophic impact. ida has been downgraded to two. still a lot of concern that it is going to stay as a hurricane for several more hours. we spoke to a meteorologist in baton rouge, about an hour north of new orleans. he gave us an date from there. all along we were kind of concerned that a lot of what's hit new orleans would head up our way, in baton rouge. and really, it has gotten worse at new orleans and benefited us. and it was expected sort of the core of the storm, after making landfall, would really track right, over baton rouge. instead, after it made landfall, it took a bit of a jog to the right

and what that has done is bring more of the core into new orleans, and it has been hours on end of hurricane force winds and the heavy rain and all the impacts that come along with it. new orleans is largely below sea level and the water has to be pumped out. rainwater on a normal summer day — any rain that comes down has to be pumped out. those pumps are dependent on power. they had backup power systems. the main power grid, as you mentioned, is down. they are having catastrophic failures, as you talked about. the sewage and water board that's in charge of that pumping system has been providing some updates and they are really scrambling. they have some backup systems but obviously it is not ideal. unfortunately, i think we are going to wake up tomorrow morning to some real ugly scenes. and new orleans is my hometown, i'm very familiar with it, so it's — i am hearing from a lot of people down there — it is rough.

in fact he lost his own power that when we were doing that interview, just to show the power. we will speak like to another urologist in a few minutes time. several rockets have been heard flying over the afghan capital. it was not immediately clear what the targets were and where they landed. it comes as the us is due to withdraw its troops by tuesday. us military officials say they're confident that an air strike on a vehicle in the afghan capital kabul hit the intended target — a suicide bomber who was about to attack the airport. it was the second american drone strike on an i—s target since thursday, when around 170 died in a suicide attack. the us will continue evacuation operations until tuesday — as our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet reports. a house on fire in a fast—burning crisis, said to be a rocket attack streets away from kabul airport. it may have been the target.

the us says it unleashed a drone strike, too, hitting a vehicle of suicide bombers heading to the airport. gunfire. and next to the airfield, gunfire. this, a likely salvo from taliban guards struggling to control the crowds. machine gun fires. today, military flights are still taking off, but britain's airlift has ended. not long now before america packs up, too. in a fleeting twilight, afghans hold fast to documents, to hope. my life is in danger injalalabad. but the flights are almost over. what are you going to do now? so, what about us? we are work with them. we support them. i'm cia agent. you? - i have documents. this man tells us he worked for us intelligence.

some people, like this man, received an e—mail saying, "going to the gate." other people say they don't have access to e—mails. they hear the news that the military flights are all but over. but even in these last few hours, they still keep trying on the basis of what they've heard. the new face of security in this city. many taliban fighters wearing the same uniforms and driving the same vehicles as the afghan government forces they ousted. a new order takes shape. and on a plane out, a new life starts. this 26—year—old gave birth to a girl as she flew to britain. a baby named hava, or eve, who may now have a better future. lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. a new life for one family, any

more staying behind. we can now speak to the founding co—director of the afghan women's mission, a non—profit organisation funding the project of the revolutionary association of women in afghanistan. just give me an idea as to what you think can be done for women in afghanistan now? the taliban obviously is laying out a position whereby it says, yes, education can go ahead, you can go to university, but do you buy that?— go to university, but do you bu that? ., ., �* ., buy that? no, i don't and the women i _ buy that? no, i don't and the women i work _ buy that? no, i don't and the women i work with _ buy that? no, i don't and the women i work with do - buy that? no, i don't and the women i work with do not. buy that? no, i don't and the women i work with do not as| women i work with do not as well. in the 90s, when they first took over during the us backed civil war, the taliban

stepped in and said they were bringing peace and that women had to take cloistered for their own safety and that eventually they would be come over to society. they are saying that again, for the western media but the women i work with no it is not true. we had reports of folksinger killed by the taliban in northern kabul. all of this is a natural and predictable outcome of the fact that united states has legitimised the taliban and worked with them for the last almost ten years... for the last almost ten years- - -_ for the last almost ten ears... �* , , years... but the message still is clear from _ years... but the message still is clear from western - is clear from western governments, the us included, that there must be respect for the rights of women within afghanistan if the taliban government is to be recognised and treated as a legitimate government? but and treated as a legitimate government?— and treated as a legitimate government? and treated as a legitimate covernment? �* . government? but the taliban has never changed — government? but the taliban has never changed the _ government? but the taliban has never changed the position - government? but the taliban has never changed the position and i never changed the position and the us has been fine working with them in secret, if the us

can about women's rights, that would not have supported the misogynists fundamentalist warlords and invited them into the government. the women perceive them as the ideological equivalent. they have used women's oppression and fear, exploited it as a justification for the us. now everyone is shocked about what women will do under the taliban... women will do under the taliban. . ._ women will do under the taliban... , ., ., taliban... sorry, what do you do under _ taliban... sorry, what do you do under these _ taliban... sorry, what do you | do under these circumstances for women who are in afghanistan?- for women who are in afghanistan? for women who are in afu hanistan? ., , , afghanistan? there are plenty of women _ afghanistan? there are plenty of women like _ afghanistan? there are plenty of women like one _ afghanistan? there are plenty of women like one who - afghanistan? there are plenty l of women like one who released a video think she was determined to remain in afghanistan and she will never stop fighting against the taliban, fighting nonviolently of course. women have seen education as a long—term approach to rebuilding

afghanistan. they want disarmament, they want international war crimes tribunal. this is what the us and western countries could have been supporting for 20 years and if they had, maybe not be in the situation in today. every step of the way we have legitimised warlords and fundamentalists and the taliban and none of this submits reprising that women are bearing the costs and feminist women, secular women, women at the front of this, have been saying for years, did not legitimise the taliban. that is what the us dead and this is the outcome.— the outcome. you are in los angeles. — the outcome. you are in los angeles. how— the outcome. you are in los angeles, how much - the outcome. you are in los angeles, how much are - the outcome. you are in los i angeles, how much are people the outcome. you are in los - angeles, how much are people in the state listening to the sort of message you're putting out? listening a lot. at the beginning of the war, americans donated money but as there were reports coming out, the

donations dried up. today people are concerned again and every time the media covers it, so i am gratefulfor this interview, women want to help and they see groups like ours are some of the best sources of hope. gunderson does not need more bombs, violence, warlords, they have had that, they have had it for decades and it has not worked. it is time to support democratic works, women, students, unarmed people, accountability for war crimes and the support of the international community to do that. all the us can do is work diplomatically with the taliban for peace. it diplomatically with the taliban for eace. . ., , . ., for peace. it is a very clear and passionate _ for peace. it is a very clear and passionate message. | for peace. it is a very clear - and passionate message. thank ou ve and passionate message. thank you very much _ and passionate message. thank you very much indeed. - and passionate message. thank you very much indeed. my - you very much indeed. my pleasure. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we look at the life of reggae legend lee �*scratch' perry, who's died aged 85.

she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church had said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies, then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting, and wives are waiting. hostages appeared — some carried, some running — trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today. described by all to whom she reached out as "irreplaceable", an early—morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion.

this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: more than 700,000 people are without power, including the whole of new orleans, as hurricane ida made landfall in louisiana. let's get more on that story. this is the scene right now either new orleans. it is pretty bleak there. to give us an idea how bleak: geoff fox is a meteorologist, and joins me from la quinta in california. with the full picture behind you, just first of all, what is the risk do you think to new orleans, we are hearing that it 0rleans, we are hearing that it has been downgraded in terms of its category? just

has been downgraded in terms of its category?— its category? just to give you an idea, its category? just to give you an idea. the _ its category? just to give you an idea, the top _ its category? just to give you an idea, the top winds - its category? just to give you an idea, the top winds now i its category? just to give you i an idea, the top winds now are 105 mph, it was 150 mph when it made landfall. the centre of the storm, and by the way i am amazed that the eyes still exist over ten hours since this store may landfall, but the ideas about a0 miles west of new orleans and yet, within the last hour they received a wind gust of 90 mph. —— vi. the wind is still strong, strong wind can do a lot of damage. —— the eye. you double 65 kilometres an hour to get to hurricane strength, you get four times the fourth. —— force. you double that again to get hundred 50 mph that ida had this morning, that is 16 times the force you would feel from a 35 mile narrow wind. so this is the presentation of the winfield from overnight last

night. normally you expect the strongest winds to be in front and to the right of the motion of the storm, and that is what we saw. but now as you mentioned, has moved on shore, the return is a lot more ragged. that being said, we still have hurricane force winds around the centre, and obviously that does a lot of damage. but the wind also pushes a lot of water, this is from a tidal station that is located just off the east of where the storm came in. this blue line represent where we expected the water level to be. so if you would have gone this morning to wear you normally would get your toes wet in the water, it would have been six feet tall, would have been a couple of inches over my head. so we have that kind of tidal flooding. earliertoday so we have that kind of tidal flooding. earlier today the mississippi river, which normally flows at about two fps towards the gulf of mexico, it reversed. it was flowing inland

at about half a foot a second, thatis at about half a foot a second, that is not unheard of but it is certainly unusual. so here is certainly unusual. so here is what we have going on with the storm now. again the eye continues to be visible, i think a lot of the reason it has remained intact is because so much of southern louisiana is just marshland, so much of southern louisiana isjust marshland, it so much of southern louisiana is just marshland, it is bayou, and it looks to the storm like water. now that it has gone farther inland i expect it will dissipate. howeverthis farther inland i expect it will dissipate. however this is how much rain we have seen in the last 2a hours. writing there where you see the blue a little lighter, that is about ten inches of rain. so that is certainly enough to cause flooding. and watch what is going to happen as the storm continues to move to the north. it is not going to be a hurricane anymore, but it is going to be a wet sponge, and it is going to leave lots and lots of liquid everywhere it goes. i expect that we are going to see flooding through

the mid—atlantic states and possibly as far north as new england. from the remnants of ida. unfortunately the gift that keeps on giving. it is the water and _ that keeps on giving. it is the water and the _ that keeps on giving. it is the water and the wind _ that keeps on giving. it is the water and the wind isn't - that keeps on giving. it is the water and the wind isn't it. i water and the wind isn't it. matt is a very comprehensive analysis of the situation, thank you very much indeed, geoff fox. police in greece have used tear gas to disperse thousands of people protesting against mandatory covid—19 vaccinations. the government has taken the step as the delta variant takes hold and coronavirus cases rise. sylvia lennan—spence reports. the clashes came at the end of a long day of rallies in athens' syntagma square. riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades at protesters throwing flares and missiles. hundreds of people tried to outrun police who used a water cannon to disperse demonstrators — angry at the government's plan to make vaccinations mandatory for the care sector from the beginning of next month.

translation: all these people gathered here i are united as one. we do not want to be forced or people fired if they are not vaccinated. nothing more. 0ur country's freedom must remain high. they need to stop calling us anti—vaccine or deniers. there isn't anybody like that here. and even if there is, they are a minority. earlier in the day, more than 7,000 had rallied outside the greek parliament, many waving placards declaring, "we are not against vaccines, but against fascism". more than half of greece's 10.7 million inhabitants have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, but the spread of the delta variant continues to cause concern. at the moment, 99% of seriously ill patients, those who are intubated in hospital, have not been vaccinated. cases remain high in greece, which has reported more than 13,500 deaths since the start of

the pandemic last year. there were more than 1,500 new daily cases on sunday alone. sylvia lennan—spence, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. the main candidates to succeed angela merkel as german chancellor have clashed on climate change and taxation, in their first televised debate ahead of next month's election. snap opinion polls after the event suggest the social democrat 0laf sholz fared better than his conservative and green rivals. in southern yemen, at least 30 soldiers have been killed in an attack on an airbase. a fighter who witnessed what happened at the al—anad base said it was targeted by a drone. the army has blamed houthi rebels. france's president macron has urged iraq's different religious communities to work together to rebuild the country. he made the appeal from a church in mosul that was badly damaged in the battle to recapture it

from the islamic state group. lee �*scratch' perry, one of the most influential figures injamaican music, has died at the age of 85. reggae music plays. a pioneer of reggae and dub, perry produced artists from the wailers to the beastie boys and released more than 70 albums. the jamaican prime minister was among those to pay tribute. lloyd parks is a jamaican reggae vocalist and bass player who's worked with bunny wailer, bob marley and lee �*scratch' perry. i will remember lee �*scratch' perry as one of the most significant and one of the best reggae producers injamaica — out of jamaica. because i've worked with lee perry and one thing i can tell you, when lee perry

calls you for a session, he gets things out of you that you never knew are inside of you. he's spontaneous. he's like a miracle man, you know? so, he will be sadly missed, for each and every one of us, he's one of the greatest producers, produced tunes with bob marley, myself and it goes on and on. he's eccentric. what did he do for bob marley then? well, bob marley has three styles, where i'm concerned, that i can see. one of the styles comes from lee perry, right? and one comes from bob marley himself and one comes from the wailers. that is what i've seen with my eyes. so, you know, boy, lee perry, he's great. great, great, great, great. and he had a band called the upsetters which, from what i've read, seems quite appropriate because he had an interesting

time of life, didn't he? yes, yes, he has a band called the upsetters and i think his label was called the upsetters as well. but lee perry is remarkable, lee perry is spontaneous, lee perry is great, he's phenomenal, you know — and believe me, laughs, he'sjust different, you know? a tribute to lee "scratch" perry who has died at age 85. let's bring you back to our main story this hour, let's look at the scene at the moment, hurricane ida which has been downgraded from hurricane for to a hurricane two, nonetheless, president biden has now declared a major disaster exists in louisiana, and ordered federal aid to supplement recovery efforts in the areas worst effect did by the areas worst effect did by the hurricane. and in fact the

slower it goes, the more rainfall it is dumping on cities along its route. we will keep across that for you on bbc news. hello there. sunday was a day of contrast — cool in the cloud, warm in the sunshine — and in actual fact, across southwest england, we saw temperatures into the mid—20s. a beautiful sunday afternoon for many. the next few days look likely to stay quite quiet across the whole of the country. quite a lot of dry weather around as well, but it will be mostly cloudy, and i suspect the temperatures easing away just a touch, around average if we're very lucky. high pressure still dominates the story. it's a blocking high that's preventing weather fronts from moving in off the atlantic. but a little bit more of a breeze always down towards the south, and that's going to continue to push this cloud in off the north sea, which could be thick enough on monday morning for a spot or two of drizzle. favoured western areas, perhaps

as we go through the afternoon, seeing some sunny spells, but i suspect not as much as recent days. so, the temperatures not as high. cool in the cloud and drizzle, 15—17 celsius, maximum values of 21, possibly 22. now, that cloud will continue to push back in off the north sea through the night. that's going to act like a blanket. it's not going to be a cold night, with overnight lows perhaps staying into mid—teens for some. it will be a quiet start to tuesday, but once again, a rather grey and gloomy one. the high pressure keeping things very quiet, but again, that breeze just coming in off the north sea, and a few more isobars, so the breeze picking up, and the cloud will continue to sit across the country for much of the day. favoured spots for any brighter, sunnier spells perhaps into northern ireland and western fringes of scotland once again, but those temperatures are going to be a little bit more subdued. again, we're looking at maybe around 15—19 celsius at the very best. wednesday is the beginning of september.

the high pressure is still with us, little in the way of significant change to the weather story. so, i suppose the good news is you will be able to plan ahead. there's going to be a lot of dry weather to look out for. and maybe on wednesday, more sunshine coming through scotland, northern england and northern ireland. top temperatures in the sunnier moments maybe of 21—22 celsius. it looks likely that that dry theme is set to continue as well thursday into friday. no significant rain in the forecast of the next few days to come. enjoy.

this is bbc news, the headlines: one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the us state of louisiana is moving inland, flooding coastal areas and cutting power to all of new orleans. 0ne one person is reported to have died after being hit by a tree. resident biden has dictated a major disaster. —— declared it stop american military officials say they're confident say they're confident that an air strike on a vehicle in the afghan capital kabul hit its intended target — a suicide bomber who was about to attack the airport. police in central athens have used tear gas to disperse thousands of people protesting against mandatory covid—19 vaccinations. the government has suspended holiday leave for all healthcare workers from next month, when the new measure comes into effect.