welcome to bbc news — i'm tim willcox. our top stories. "nojab, nojob" — the vaccine mandate for 100 million us workers among new measures as president biden toughens his stance against those who haven't had the jab. our patience is wearing thin, and refusal has cost all of us, so please do the right thing. the us federal government launches a legal attack on a new abortion law in texas. it says the state's near—total ban, is unconstitutional. washington praises the taliban for being businesslike and flexible as the first civilian airlift takes place from afghanistan since us troops withdrew.

we meet this year's mercury prize winner, singer—songwriter arlo parks, just 21 years old. in his most sweeping act yet, president biden has set out a series of radical measures to get more americans vaccinated against covid 19. it follows a surge in cases of the fast— spreading delta variant. all federal government workers will have to be innoculated — as will businesses with more than a hundred employees. mr biden expressed frustration at the eighty million americans who are still notjabbed, saying they were causing hospitals to become overcrowded and he appealed to them

to get the shot. my message is this. what more is there to wait for? what more do you need to see? the vaccine has fda approval. more than 200 million with at least one shot. we have been patient, but patience is wearing thin. and refusal has cost all of us, so please, do the right thing. just don't take it from me. listen to the voices of unvaccinated americans. taking their final breath, saying, if only i'd gotten vaccinated. our correspondent in washington, nomia iqbal, explained how much of a game changer this was. it was a very tough message from president biden.

he has tried to avoid using federal power in this way, doing the whole softly softly approach to encourage americans to get the vaccine. but he has had enough, you could hear the frustration in his message and that has a lot to do with the number of covid—related deaths, averaging 1500 per day. as you can imagine, not a happy reception to this mandate. in the last half hour, the republican party has released a statement saying it intends to sue the biden administration over the mandate, and even union chiefs have said they felt he had gone too far in trying to muscle some private companies and workers. but worth mentioning a lot of business leaders have come out and said, look, freedom is all well and good, but when it starts impacting other people's freedom and health and safety, it becomes a problem. so there has been a welcome to his message, especially now

the pandemic is showing no signs of fading. where are the worst pockets? it's particularly dominant in parts of the midwest. i was looking at the cdc�*s latest estimates, that part of the country accounts for upwards of 74% new covid infections. you have southern states west of the mississippi, new york, newjersey. .. the share of new cases in this country is down to the delta variant this month. dr anthony fauci, considered the top adviser, gave a stark warning and said things would get worse in the winter. he thinks things will start spreading.

very keen to roll out the booster shots which he mentioned in his speech tonight, hoping they will be rolled out from september 20th. tens of millions have not had the jab. what is that down to? it's interesting. when you talk about people who are anti—vaccine, people think that some people are just against it over conspiracy theories, they have unsubstantiated claims over the vaccine, it is hard to put a number on those people. if you speak to various experts, they say the vaccination uptake, the low uptake is down to a lot of reasons. one of the best analogies i heard recently was comparing enthusiasm for the vaccine to queueing up for mobile phone or sneakers. a lot of enthusiasm when it came out, americans wanted to get it, there were people going on websites trying to log in for an appointment, there was a rush, but over time the enthusiasm faded away, most americans have got

the first vaccine... the enthusiasm, you have those americans who want to get it and passionately believe they have to get the vaccine. those at the other end who don't want to get it, for various reasons. and all those in between. president biden made it clear he is angry at governors, particularly republicans, who have an unrelenting resistance to the masks and the vaccines. he said tonight that they were undermining the american public�*s confidence in getting vaccines. the biden administration is suing the state of texas over its near total ban on abortion. the state law makes it illegal to terminate a pregnancy six weeks after conception — and crucially allows private individuals to sue medics or others who assist in the procedure. courtney bembridge reports.

ididn't i didn'tjoe biden�*s action came a week after the texas law came a week after the texas law came in. it came a week after the texas law came in. , , ., , came a week after the texas law came in. , , ., _, came in. it spans nearly all abortions _ came in. it spans nearly all abortions in _ came in. it spans nearly all abortions in the _ came in. it spans nearly all abortions in the state - abortions in the state after six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant, and months before a pregnancy is viable. it does so even in cases of rape, sexual abuse and incest. it is unconstitutional under long—standing supreme court precedent. under long-standing supreme court precedent.— under long-standing supreme court precedent. that sentiment was echoed _ court precedent. that sentiment was echoed by — court precedent. that sentiment was echoed by vice _ court precedent. that sentiment was echoed by vice president - was echoed by vice president kamala harris.— was echoed by vice president kamala harris. women have the riaht kamala harris. women have the ri . ht to kamala harris. women have the right to make — kamala harris. women have the right to make decisions - kamala harris. women have the right to make decisions about i right to make decisions about their— right to make decisions about their own _ right to make decisions about their own bodies. the right to make decisions about their own bodies.— their own bodies. the texas attorney — their own bodies. the texas attorney general _ their own bodies. the texas attorney general has - their own bodies. the texas. attorney general has accused president biden of meddling in the state, and says he will use every available resource to fight for life. the texas law

has started widespread protests across the country. it's being enforced extraordinarily by private residence encouraged to sue anyone who facilitates access to an abortion. the statute deputises - access to an abortion. the statute deputises all - access to an abortion. tue: statute deputises all private citizens without any showing of personal connection or injury to serve as bounty hunters, authorised to recover at least $10,000 from individuals who facilitate a woman's exits the eyes of her constitutional rights. eyes of her constitutional ri . hts. eyes of her constitutional riahts. ., ., ., rights. the rationale was exolained _ rights. the rationale was i explained earlier this week. rights. the rationale was - explained earlier this week. we have explained earlier this week. - have prosecutors sworn to uphold the law. we are not going to enforce the law. we have no choice but to find a way to enforce the law. the sopreme — way to enforce the law. the supreme court _ way to enforce the law. the supreme courtjustices decided... inaudible. many fear it spells trouble for the roe vs wade decision from almost 50 years ago. in a

landmark — almost 50 years ago. in a landmark ruling, - landmark ruling, the supreme court today legalised abortion. 0fficials court today legalised abortion. officials in several other us states... inaudible. prompting a warning from the attorney general that the justice department will bring the same kind of lawsuit against them. staying with that story, we can speak to mary zeigler now, a professor at the florida state university college of law. and the author of abortion and the law in america. many critics would say this is sex discrimination at its worst. but looking at roe vs wade back in 1973, is this the most serious challenge yet to that? ~ ., , that? we have never seen a state of essentially - that? we have never seen a state of essentially able - that? we have never seen a state of essentially able to l state of essentially able to enforce a law that is clearly unconstitutional under roe vs wade. prevents 85 to 90% of all

abortions in texas. wade. prevents 85 to 9096 of all abortions in texas.— abortions in texas. viability was 24 weeks _ abortions in texas. viability was 24 weeks on _ abortions in texas. viability was 24 weeks on the - abortions in texas. viability was 24 weeks on the roe i abortions in texas. viability| was 24 weeks on the roe vs wade. this is known as the heartbeat bill. have the situation changed technology? t situation changed technology? i think there has been coalescing around the idea, because the time of viability changes... depending on the resources of the hospital in question. people don't necessarily think viability maps onto life in the womb. there is considerable risk... most americans favour access to legal abortion. and there is a risk of having a bounty bill that incentivises people to sue to get $10,000,

including miscarriages and other things... that aspect of the bill is uncomfortable for people. the bill is uncomfortable for --eole. ~ . , the bill is uncomfortable for --eole. ~ ., , ., , people. was it legally the only way texas _ people. was it legally the only way texas thought _ people. was it legally the only way texas thought they - people. was it legally the only way texas thought they could | way texas thought they could get this through, saying they want this bill but state officials didn't want to prosecute it? officials didn't want to rosecute it? ., �* , prosecute it? that's right. if state officials _ prosecute it? that's right. if state officials were - prosecute it? that's right. if| state officials were enforcing the law, they would expose themselves to constitutional challenges. the only way you can sue a state in the united states is if you are suing the officials enforcing the law. so texas just got the public to enforce the law, so they can pass the law without consequences in federal court. whether it works long term...

suing by the attorney general under the amendment, is that watertight? it’s under the amendment, is that watertight?— watertight? it's not watertight. - watertight? it's not watertight. i- watertight? it's not watertight. i think. watertight? it's not i watertight. i think the challenge for the federal government, there are two challenges. 0ne government, there are two challenges. one is figuring out who you are suing. at this point, the federal government is saying that texas is interfering with a woman's ability... inaudible. and conflicting with the federal government upholding federal government upholding federal law.— federal law. forcing federal employees _ federal law. forcing federal employees to _ federal law. forcing federal employees to do _ federal law. forcing federal employees to do things - federal law. forcing federal| employees to do things that conflict with federal law. it gets into the idea of federal law pre—empting state law. at this point it is kind of speculative. inaudible. abortion providers sighting abortions. that makes it

harder... you have to identify a concrete injury to be able to sue in the first. inaudible. asimilar a similar catch—22 to what we saw, you need to be able to identify people to sue or you can't get into the courthouse. thanks very much. the united states has described the first civilian charter flight from afghanistan since the american military withdrawal as a positive first step from the taliban. qatar airways flew more than a hundred foreign nationals from kabul to doha. they included thirteen britons and up to thirty americans. a spokesperson for the us national security council said the taliban had been flexible, businesslike and professional in facilitating the departure of american citizens. hundreds of foreign nationals

are thought to be stranded in afghanistan since the taliban seized power last month. here's what white house press secratary, jen psaki, said about the taliban's cooperation with the evactuation. we just had a plane landed in qatar that is evidence that we are working to co—ordinate to get american citizens, to get afghan partners and to get legal permanent residents out, and we're hopeful and working to ensure there are additional flights. journalists in afghanistan say they've been beaten, detained and flogged by the taliban when covering protests. you may find some of the pictures distressing. this is nematullah nak—dee and taki dar—yabi. they had been covering a women's protest in kabul on wednesday when they were taken to a police station. they say they were beaten with batons, electrical cables

and whips. nematullah told the afp news agency "0ne of the taliban put his foot on my head, crushed my face against the concrete. they kicked me in the head... i thought they were going to kill me." 0ur south asia correspondent yogita limaye says the taliban have also begun to place restrictions on any kind of protest. yesterday, they called the protests illegal and said they were instigated by people with malicious interests, people from outside afghanistan and they were being done with the intent of creating chaos, and they've effectively banned protests like these, because they've said demonstrators need to get permission from the ministry ofjustice. then they need to tell security services, not just about where and when the protests will be held but also what slogans will be raised and what banners will be displayed. but i've been speaking to women who have been out on the street more than once, demanding their rights. they were at the protests in kabul yesterday. some of them were also out today.

and they've been saying whatever happens, despite the risks they're facing... and they've told me they were whipped and that they were beaten with batons, but despite that, they say, "we will continue going out." one woman said that, "i'll go again and again until i'm killed by the taliban, because it's better to die once than to die gradually." their main concern is whether they will be able to go back to theirjobs, because as of now, the taliban have said they don't want women to work given the security situation. stay with us on bbc news — still to come. lights, camera, action — in space. the russian movie that is not of this earth.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines.

around 100 million workers in america will be required to get a covid—19 vaccine — as president biden unveils tough new measures against those who refuse the jab. the us federal government sues texas in an attempt to block a law banning almost all abortions in the state. twenty years on from the 9/11 attacks, the man thought to have planned them — khalid sheikh mohammed — and his key associates are still in guantanamo bay, yet to stand trial. when president 0bama took office in 2009 he pledged to close the prison within a year, but many inmates are still held there — the wheels ofjustice turning extremely slowly. aleem maqbool reports from guantanamo bay. a demand forjustice following that horrific day 20 years ago led to a wide reaching response. but one that's since led to accusations the us perpetrated injustice.

in a tiny corner of cuba, one notorious by—product of the 9/11 attack still remains. prisoners are still being held in limbo in guantanamo bay. well, of course the us authorities have allowed us to be here, but they are extremely restrictive in controlling what we can show, in terms of people and structures. they certainly haven't allowed us anywhere near the detention facilities where the remaining prisoners are being held. when i was last here, things were very different. we saw some detainees mingle and eat together and interact with the guards, though we knew of other camps where prisoners didn't have such privileges. we were even able to wander through the long abandoned camp x—ray, where in the months after the 9/11 attacks men and boys were first transferred, interrogated and, in many cases, tortured. of nearly 800 men and boys who have been detained

at guantanamo bay, 39 remain. about a quarter were cleared for release as far back as 2010, but are still waiting to leave. two have been charged and convicted, in what are called military commissions. 17 have never been charged, but will remain in prison for life, because they are deemed a security threat. the other ten are still waiting trial. they include five men accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks. well, for the first time in more than 18 months, those five men were inside a court room. we couldn't film it, but we were in the gallery, just through the glass, just feet away from those defendants, including at the very front there with the ginger beard, khalid sheikh mohammed, the man who it is believed conceived of the idea of 9/11 and took that idea to 0sama bin laden. but the proceedings themselves were extremely slow. people often ask is

there an end in sight? and for a long, long time there wasn't even a middle in sight. but now, we are in the middle of the case, because wrestling with the question of what effect torture has on the admissibility of statements is really the heart of the case. but that's where things are stuck. all the while the family members of those killed in 9/11 wait for resolution, and the detention centre here looks no closer to shutting down. for more than 60 years, mankind has beenjourneying into space. sometimes described as the final frontier — it's mostly been a voyage of scientific discovery. but in recent months — some have made that trip for other reasons. we've had space tourists — and very soon there will be

space movie—makers. the bbc�*s tim allman explains. ever since the dawn of the silver screen, we have looked up towards the heavens. films and television programmes set in space. but for fairly obvious reasons, never actually made there. until now, that is. here at the gagarin research and test training cosmonauts centre in star city, a crew appearance before the media. these are not any old cosmonauts, these are movie stars, with the emphasis being very much on the stars. next month, they will set off to the international space station for a film set and made in space — sounds a daunting task but apparently not. the guys are ready 150%, i'm not worried about them at all.

russia's space agency says it wants to open up space travel to a wider range of people. a sentiment shared by billionaire entrepreneurs like sir richard branson and jeff bezos. they have both recently journeyed to the edge of the atmosphere, trying to build a new industry, space tourism. it could get crowded up there, tom cruise is planning to film a new movie on the international space station. currently on the iss, these two cosmonauts were performing a routine space walk. no doubt both of them were ready for their close—up. the winner of this year's mercury prize has been announced — the singer/songwriter arlo parks, who's just 20—years—old.

this is the track eugene — from her debut album collapsed in sunbeams. arlo parks got her first break in the music business after sending a demo to the bbc. 0ur entertainment correspondent colin patterson and i am here with the winner, arlo parks. the judges described you for having a singular voice. they said that was one of the factors. and the themes of this album, collapsed in sunbeams, it dealt with anxiety, it dealt with loneliness, mental health, many of the issues people went through during lockdown. in what way do you think that actually helped this album connect with people? i guess it's the honesty at the core of it, it's the fact that i'm trying to talk about real experiences and what it's like to be a human being. and that's a bittersweet thing, so i'm just glad people have enjoyed it. we're outside the hammersmith apollo. you used to cycle by here every day on the way to school. how special is this place to you? incredibly special. i grew up really close to here and i used to have my school

christmas carol services in the church literally right opposite, so it feels like a homecoming in some way. your parents still live ten minutes up the road, you still have your childhood bedroom. and a couple of the songs on the album were actually written in that room. what's it like? i mean, again, it feels... it feels really fulfilling, it feels like i'm doing something purposeful, and i'm glad that i'vejust been welcomed with open arms by being myself and making music i love. what do you want to do next? what can this album open up doors towards? i guessjust continuing making more music, more collaborations, just being able to finally tour and travel the world and meet different people and just keep making music i'm proud of. and back to your parents for a cup of tea right now? probably, yeah. give us a look at the trophy?

hello there. some bursts of torrential rain and gusty winds moving from east to west across west africa. from senegal and sierra leone on saturday, the next cluster of storms will develop around the gulf of guinea running into nigeria. it is not that warm parts of south africa... we could see a week where a front arriving in cape town. should turn dry in dakar.

storm clouds arriving in lagos, marrakesh has changeable weather, dry but turning cooler into the early part of next week. across the middle east, dry and sunny, inaudible. across the middle east, dry and sunny, inaudible. we may find the wind picking up a bit with saudi arabia, with the breeze coming down from kuwait. dubai, dry, hotand sunny. dubai, dry, hot and sunny.

now on bbc news, panorama. this programme contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting. this programme contains scenes which some viewers may find upsetting. more and more schoolchildren are speaking out about sexual abuse by other children. we were walking up the stairs and he grabbed up my skirt and it really made me upset. new figures show an alarming rise in the number of cases reported to the police. he just sort of pinned me on the bed and i was shouting a lot but no—one could hear me at all. i'm mariella frostrup, a mother of two teenagers. i'm worried the sex lives of their generation are being shaped by their lives online. it's not taken as seriously as it should be. it's just like, "oh thatjust happened, oh, it's only a joke. it's just banter." and that parents are struggling to keep children safe.