this is bbc news. i'm victoria fritz with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the death toll rises from the flash floods in the north—east of america — at least 45 people are killed. a british—born member of the islamic state group pleads guilty to charges of conspiring to murder american hostages in syria. seeking refuge — we meet some of those who fled the taliban and the uncertain lives they now face. and, on the comeback trail — abba are to release theirfirst new album in a0 years.

hello and welcome. severe weather and flash flooding in the northeastern united states has now killed at least 45 people. in new york, most of the dead drowned while trapped in their basement apartments. most of the two dozen killed in newjersey were in vehicles overwhelmed by floodwaters. president biden has blamed climate change, and says the country needs to be better prepared. our north america correspondent peter bowes reports. a disaster that unfolded in minutes and claimed lives in several northeast states. the catastrophic flooding caused by the remnants of hurricane ida came out of the blue and court new yorkers offguard. streets are turned into rivers and subway services forced to close

down as water cascaded onto trains. many of those who died perished in their basements, unable to escape. this is new york's central park, submerged after the wildest flooding in a lifetime. i after the wildest flooding in a lifetime. ., after the wildest flooding in a lifetime. . , ., lifetime. i have been here more than 20 years — lifetime. i have been here more than 20 years and _ lifetime. i have been here more than 20 years and everything i than 20 years and everything park like this, all floated up in the fountain or flooded up on a lot of trees falling down. this is pretty crazy. it on a lot of trees falling down. this is pretty crazy.— this is pretty crazy. it was a similar story _ this is pretty crazy. it was a similar story in _ this is pretty crazy. it was a | similar story in philadelphia, with water as far as the eye could see, engulfing communities. some people had to be rescued from homes in their boats. with a death toll still rising in new orleans after hurricane ida struck with its full fourth on sunday, and 50,000 people evacuated from parts of northern california because of a massive forest fire this week, america is feeling the full wrath of extreme climate related events.

i have lived in new york for something like a0 years and obviously things are changing. and i love tahoe and we are seeing that bandannas was that the whole west is in trouble. wouldn't it be great if we can take the rain imported into california right now, right? in all points to one thing, says president biden. the all points to one thing, says president biden.— all points to one thing, says president biden. the past three da s with president biden. the past three days with hurricane _ president biden. the past three days with hurricane ida - president biden. the past three days with hurricane ida and - president biden. the past three days with hurricane ida and the| days with hurricane ida and the buyers — days with hurricane ida and the buyers in— days with hurricane ida and the buyers in the west and the floods_ buyers in the west and the floods in_ buyers in the west and the floods in newjersey and new york is yet another reminder that— york is yet another reminder that these extreme storms and the climate crisis is here. a the climate crisis is here. crisis on multiple fronts and an urgency to tackle climate change like never before. peter bowes, bbc news. there are reports now in breaking news. reports are coming in of a serious incident in a shopping mall in new zealand. emergency

services responded to people have apparently been injured, at least one —the new lynn mall, where four people have apparently been injured, at least one with a stab wound. the assailant was shot dead at the scene. this event is unfolding right now and police are very much at the scene and will give you more details when we have them. an alleged member of the notorious isis group that were dubbed �*the beatles�* by their captives because of their british accents has just plead guilty in a hearing in a us court. alexanda kotey, originally from the uk — had been charged with conspiring to torture and behead hostages in syria. our washington correspondent, nomia iqbal, has more on the background to this case. we've got to go all the way back to 201a and isis was when this specific cell of the isis terror group, nicknamed the beatles

because there was four of them, the prisoners that they held hostage had nicknamed them that because of their english accents. one of the men accused of murder was alexanda kotey, accused of murdering four americans, two of them journalists, including james foley and steven sotloff and the families were in court today to hear the play. is also connected with the of two british men and in court he accepted the charges and the judge said he is now cooperating with prosecutors which meant he could be telling them what happened and what they did and where they are buried. there was another man facing trial beside him but he has not indicated if he has taken a plea deal. both men do say sentencing next year and will not face the death penalty, that was part of the agreement that the us did with the uk in order to extradite them in the first place and the maximum penalty they face is life in jail.

the british foreign secretary, dominic raab, will visit pakistan later in an attempt to secure safe passage for british and afghan citizens from afghanistan. there are already around three million afghan refugees in pakistan, with reports of many people gathering at the border since the taliban regained control of kabul. the uk government has announced a large aid package to assist countries who help those who choose to leave afghanistan. many of the refugees streaming out of afghanistan are members of the hazara community. they're often described as one of the most persecuted minoritiy groups in the country. thousands have already left afghanistan for fear of taliban attacks, only to make it to the so—called graveyard for hazaras in quetta, pakistan. from there, the bbc�*s saher baloch has this report. fleeing to a place that offers little welcome, but it is he that hazaras from afghanistan are seeking refuge. she hazaras

are seeking refuge. she hazaras are a minority group based in afghanistan and pakistan and militants often target them because of their faith and they can be easily recognised because of their distinct facial features. because of their distinct facialfeatures. some hazaras have spent their lifetimes fleeing from one country to another. in the past weeks, many from the community have fled from their homes in afghanistan. this 2a—year—old watched as a husband was taken away by the taliban. she fled, travelling for four days with a three—month—old baby to the border and does not know what happened to her husband. translation: m33 happened to her husband. translation: g , ., , ., translation: my husband was a military unit _ translation: my husband was a military unit commander, - translation: my husband was a military unit commander, they . military unit commander, they took him an i do not know when that he is alive or dead. we do not know anything about him. our only scene is that we are hazaras. , our only scene is that we are hazaras-_ hazaras. -- sin. this 18-year-old - hazaras. -- sin. this 18-year-old was - hazaras. -- sin. this 18-year-old was an i hazaras. -- sin. this- 18-year-old was an army hazaras. -- sin. this— 18-year-old was an army soldier 18—year—old was an army soldier and was at home when the taliban came looking for him.

translation: the taliban came looking for him. translation:— translation: the taliban threatened _ translation: the taliban threatened my _ translation: the taliban threatened my father - translation: the taliban i threatened my father because translation: the taliban - threatened my father because of me. i wasn't at home and later i received a call from my father saying that they are after you, so run away. i ran away and i'm not in touch with my father since then. he away and i'm not in touch with my father since then.- my father since then. he also has not called _ my father since then. he also has not called anyone - my father since then. he also has not called anyone home, | has not called anyone home, fearing it will give his location away to the taliban. but the place at the hazaras has led to is also not safe for them. the community quite openly refers to quetta as a graveyard for hazaras because in the past they have killed many in the community, and most of whom are buried here. this couple packed in haste whatever belongings they could gather. it is not the first time they have fled. when the taliban came to power in 1996, their

families fled. now, they are fleeing again to protect their six month old son. the stories they hear it make them fearful of going back. translation: , ., ., ~ translation: they have taken our family members _ translation: they have taken our family members from - translation: they have taken| our family members from homes and we don't know whether they are dead or alive. a lot of people are missing and on each street, when you ask people, there are 2— three people missing. we do not want to experience them anymore. we are tired. ., ., , ., tired. for a community have sent tired. for a community have spent their— tired. for a community have spent their lifetime - tired. for a community have spent their lifetime fleeing l spent their lifetime fleeing violence, many have come here looking for safety, despite the threats, they say that anywhere else is better than living in afghanistan. saher baloch, bbc news, in quetta. and you can keep up to date with the situation in afghanistan. plus, all the latest developments and reporting from lyse

and our team in kabul on our website, including this piece on resistance fighters battling against the taliban in the panjshir valleyjust north of kabul. just go to bbc.com/news. let's get some of the day's other news. hundreds of firefighting and emergency service volunteers have been drafted in to help contain a coronavirus crisis in the australian state of new south wwales. they will set up testing clinics and vaccination centres. more than half of the australian population is in lockdown as case numbers continue to surge. in the democratic republic of the congo, the environment minister says nearly a,500 people have fallen sick following a toxic leakfrom a diamond mine in neighbouring angola. eve baziba said 12 people had died. she said the drc would ask for reparations for the damage caused. there has been no response

so farfrom the mining company. the federal aviation authority in the united states has grounded the virgin galactic space ship while it investigates a deviation in its flight to the edge of space in july. the space ship two's pilots are reported to have received yellow and amber alerts for flying too low, while it was carrying the british billionaire, richard branson. poland has declared a 30—day state of emergency along the border with belarus because of an influx of migrants. poland, lithuania and latvia have accused belarusian authorities of flying migrants into belarus, then pushing them across the border. the rise in unauthorised crossings started injune, after the eu imposed sanctions on the authoritarian leader of belarus, alexander lu kashenko. courtney bembridge has this report.

polish troops gathered on the border as nearby regions entered a state of emergency. measures mean people can't gather in groups and must carry identification in public. it's an unprecedented move in response to a surge in migrants coming across the border which poland says is being engineered by belarus. translation: what's happening at the border on the part - of the belarusian authorities is difficult and dangerous. poland is responsible for its borders but also for the eastern borders of the eu. we have to take such decisions to ensure the full security of poland and the eu. it comes after videos like this surfaced, allegedly showing belarusian officers in full riot gear trying to push a group of migrants across the border with lithuania. thousands of migrants, iraqis and afghans have crossed from belarus into neighbouring countries in recent months and the eu has accused the belarusian president alexander lukashenko

of using migrants as a weapon in response to sanctions imposed on his government over his crackdown on opposition. it is a claim the president denies. poland says it is also preparing for potential provocations during military exercises being run by the russian army along the border next week. translation: yes, we are under attack and the security _ of our state and our citizens is under threat. our actions are adequate to the scale of the threat. is preparing fresh sanctions against belarus because of —the european commission says it is preparing fresh sanctions against belarus because of the ongoing situation at the border. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — once again, extreme weather causes chaos around the world, we talk to an expert about the dangers of climate change.

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 round the coffins and takej 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 news — the latest headlines: the death toll rises from the flash floods in the north—east of america — at least a5 people are thought to be dead. a british—born member of the islamic state group pleads guilty to charges of conspiring to murder american hostages in syria. as we've been reporting, america's north—east is still reeling from flash flooding and tornadoes that have killed at least a5 people. president biden says the us is facing climate—related destruction across the country and tackling it is "a matter of life and death". it's notjust a us issue, heatwaves, deadly floods and wildfires have been increasing all over the world

over the last year, and scientists say without reductions in global greenhouse emissions, this cycle will continue to worsen. professor will steffen is a climate change expert and researcher at the australian national university, who has served as the science adviser to the australian department of climate change and energy efficiency. even under the most ambitious emission reduction these events appear to be happening with greater frequency but also greater ferocity as well.— frequency but also greater ferocity as well. why is that? it's ferocity as well. why is that? it's because _ ferocity as well. why is that? it's because there's - ferocity as well. why is that? it's because there's more - it's because there's more greenhouse gases go into the atmosphere, it traps more heat so the lower atmosphere is becoming more energetic which means when the storms form such as tropical storms or fires, they are in an atmosphere that

has much more energy which means wind speeds become higher, rainfall becomes more intense. ., , intense. even under the most ambitious _ intense. even under the most ambitious emissions - intense. even under the most| ambitious emissions reduction scenarios, the world to understand is likely to be heated to 1.5 degrees or more above preindustrial levels by 20a0. what in your view does that mean for the world? that means we _ that mean for the world? that means we have _ that mean for the world? that means we have to _ that mean for the world? that means we have to prepare ourselves for even worse natural disasters. the forest, windstorms come. (speaks indstinctly) sea levels i continue to rise so coupled with rising sea levels, when you get a stronger cyclone, that means more coastal erosion and lighting so we have to brace ourselves and adapt for this because it is, as you say, built into the system for at least the next two decades.

i've been reading some of your own material and publications and one thing stood out for me, you set unless the world slashes climate emissions by 50% by 2030, we are only talking nine years away, the world faces an impossible situation. have we left it too late? ~ �* situation. have we left it too late? �* . ., , late? we've certainly lifted very late — late? we've certainly lifted very late and _ late? we've certainly lifted very late and the _ late? we've certainly lifted very late and the pathway. late? we've certainly lifted l very late and the pathway to stabilising the climate that is anywhere near liveable, the pathway, it is disappearing fast. what we do over the rest of this decade will be the make or break. i5 of this decade will be the make or break. , , ,., or break. is there is some short-term _ or break. is there is some short-term solution - or break. is there is some short-term solution to . or break. is there is some i short-term solution to spend short—term solution to spend the money on defending populations against the effects of climate change? rather than trying to mess about with targets. these targets are clearly not going to work in the short—term. clearly not going to work in the short-term.— clearly not going to work in the short-term. we'll have to -ut the short-term. we'll have to

put ourselves _ the short-term. we'll have to put ourselves on _ the short-term. we'll have to put ourselves on a _ the short-term. we'll have to put ourselves on a water- put ourselves on a water footing. on a brighterside, it's becoming so cheap now, and so quick to deploy them. we can cut emissions very deeply and rapidly. we've done it here with nationaljurisdictions. there is proof we can do this. in terms of adaptation and risk, we have to. but if that's what we only do, we will lock in those conditions for our children and grandchildren. professor, thank you for joining us. japan is the first country in olympic history to host the paralympic games twice, but what is it like to be a disabled person living injapan today? it is one of the few countries that requires companies by law to hire a certain percentage of employees with disabilities. but, as our tokyo correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes discovers — prejudice against

people with disabilities is still widespread. natsuko izena calls herself the tiny 100 centimetre mum. she was born with brittle bone disease and that means she cannot stand and has repeatedly broken numerous bones. but natsuko has given birth to two children, something almost unheard of for someone with her disability in japan. and something she says many people here still do not accept or approve of. many people are surprised and do not believe that i have children. if people say their honest feelings, they think it is not good. many people think it is not good to have children for disabled people. natsuko's experience shows how farjapan has to go, but also how far it has come.

because last time the paralympics was held here in tokyo back in 196a, japan was still forcibly sterilising disabled people to prevent them from having children of their own. that so—called eugenics protection law was only finally repealed in 1996. and to this day, the japanese government has not fully recognised the role it played in violating the rights of more than 20,000 disabled people. yumi suzuki is one of those victims. she was born with cerebral palsy. and when she was 12 years old, her womb was removed without her knowledge or consent. "when i found out i can never be a mother, it broke my heart," she tells me. suzuki—san and other victims are now suing the japanese government, demanding it compensate them for what was done. "i don't want money," she says.

close to the paralympic village, japanese schoolkids are learning what it's like to have to use a wheelchair to get around. this is a start. but natsuko thinks the real barrier to acceptance for people like her is that mostjapanese people have never actually met a disabled person. i use a wheelchair and people just walk the other way. many people see me and look at me strangely. and if i watch them,

they ignore me because they don't have the chance to live with people with disabilities. natsuko says all she really wants us to be given the same rights and be treated the same way as any other mum. for that, she says japan still has some way to go. the legendary pop group abba have announced their first studio album for a0 years. abba voyage will be released in november. the quartet split up in 1982 —— but they're now preparing for a tour with a difference — as our arts correspondent david sillito reports. # i still have faith in you # i see it now abba, and a new song. indeed, a new album.

a0 years on, benny and bjorn were in london to show some news. one of pop's greatest acts was back. # there was a union # of heart and mind to go into the studio and for frid and agnetha to say, "oh, yeah, yeah, let's do that." you know, that was, i mean... they have not been that interested in doing a new abba record, i can tell you that, for 35 years. but now they said, "ok." i remember we stood there the first day in front - of the mixing console, - the four of us, looking at each other, and everything came rushing back, in seconds. . that was so amazing. # waterloo! # i was defeated,

you won the war it's a7 years since waterloo, and ever since abba split up they've been asked if they would ever perform on stage again. and today, they said yes — sort of. # you can dance # you can jive and the reason the announcement is taking place here in the olympic park is because this is where the abba concerts are going to be taking place — but you won't be seeing abba as they are today, but rather with a degree of digital youthful enhancement. the group has been performing in a studio, and with the aid of motion capture digital effects, the image we will see and hear on the stage will be the band members in their �*70s heyday. to create, after the musicals and movies, another abba experience. but what makes this moment different is the new music. the new album. the reunion, a0 years on. david sillito, bbc news.

business coming up soon. hello there. we're finally going to see some changes to the weather this week and into next week things look quite different. but in the short term we are ending the week on a similar note with this area of high pressure continuing to bring in a lot of cloud. on a similar note with this area of high pressure in to the afternoon favoured spots to see some sunshine developing more widley wil again be across scotland, northern england and parts of northern ireland and also southern england towards south wales and this is where we will see the highest temperatures

in the low 20s. otherwise where we hold onto the cloud, it will be around the mid to high teens for most. as we head through friday night it looks like it's going to be another cloudy one. across central and northern areas with clear spells across the south. but temperature wise, no more than ten to 1a celsius. we are starting to importing our winds from a more southeasterly direction to start the weekend as our area of high pressure finally begins to retreat eastwards. it looks like it will bring some slightly drier air in from the near continent. we should see will see some holes in the cloud from the word go across central and southern areas. could see a few showers across southern and western areas into the afternoon but many places will be dry. temperatures around 21 or 22 for the high around the high teens though further north and east with the cloud. for sunday we see this feature runs to the northwest of the country. that's going to bring thicker cloud, more of a breeze, out breaks of rain, northen irleand, northwest england and northwest wales later in the day. some of this ring

could be quite heavy. further south, it is a drier picture for sunday afternoon, lighter winds coming in from france. and we should see increasing amounts of sunshine into the afternoon. temperatures responding to 2a degrees in the south. obviously because of more cloud the wind and the rain in the north and not quite as warm. and next week, we'll will start to import some warmer air the continent and some southern areas across the south on monday and tuesday, given some sunshine we could see those temperatures creeping around the mid 20 celsius and a little bit warmer and further north too.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. on the edge of coping — not me! retailers warn parts of britain's food industry are becoming unsustainable as staff shortages hit the supply chain. it is that kind of constant challenge at the moment where the supply chains just always trying to keep its head above water. chips off the menu — general motors halts car production because of a shortage of semiconductors. wall street shares hit new records but is the us recovery at full steam ahead or about to be derailed by delta? markets await the latest us jobs figures. plus, sour grapes —