welcome to bbc news — i'm david eades — our top stories. more extreme heat in more places — bbc analysis shows how the world is hitting 50 celcius time and again. we have a special report from nigeria, where the oil industry is accused of adding to the problem. more than a billion dollars of global aid pledged for afghanistan — as the un calls for urgent action to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. the people of afghanistan need a lifeline. after decades of war, suffering and insecurity, they face perhaps their most perilous hour. now is the time for the international community to stand with them, and let us be clear, this conference is not simply about what we will give to the people of afghanistan.

it is about what we owe. the us secretary of state defends america's withdrawal from the country — saying staying longer would not have improved anything. if 20 years and hundreds of billions of dollars of support, equipment and training did not suffice, why would another year? another five, another ten? texans prepare to face storm nicholas — as 65 mile an hour winds and 20 inches of rain head for the state's central coast. and — a message in mandarin. how emma raducanu is connecting with a global army of fans — and sponsors — after her astonishing us open tennis triumph. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. sometimes a truth that has long

been recognised needs spellling out and figures from new bbc global research do just that. they show a significant increase in the number of days temperatures around the world are hitting 50 degrees. in other words — the world is seeing far more extreme heat. since the 1980s, the number has tripled. back then there were eight days a year on average. in the last decade we've seen 26 days a year. temperatures of 50c happen most often in the middle east and gulf regions. but they are now happening in more areas of the world than before. north africa has seen them with increasing frequency. and here we can see what happened this year: canada hit 49 degrees and italy 48. we are launching a series called life at 50 c, exploring the impact of extreme heat. first stop, nigeria where climate change has destroyed much of the fertile land. the country's oil production has added to the problem, as millions have been forced

to live near toxic gas flares. peter okwoche reports. this is my mum. she's going to the city fire. under the scorching sun, and in front of an open gas flare in nigeria's oil—rich south, joy risks her life to support her family. temperatures here reach boiling levels. but, despite the risks, joy uses the heat to speed up drying time for her tapioca sweet puddings. translation: the reason i have short hair is because, _ if i grow my hair long, it could burn my head if the flare shifts direction and explodes. the use of fossil fuels worldwide has had a devastating impact on nigeria's climate. the country suffers from severe droughts in the north, and flash floods in the south. when i was a kid, the rain

was not like this, the weather is not like this. so i think that life isn't about to end. but nigeria is also a major producer of oil, with a particular emission problem. this is the flare of the gas that the inhabitants - of this land are suffering, with the abject poverty. l flaring is the process of burning the natural gas that is released when oil is extracted from the ground. the process is a large source of greenhouse gases, and a major contributor to climate change in nigeria. it is also illegal in the country. yet about two million nigerians live within four km of a gas flare — including joy and her children. these are my children. forjoy, working around the gas flare is one way of making ends meet. translation: it'sj bad for our health. but we say, to hell with the consequences. we need to support ourfamilies. joy and her children have

been working extra hard for four days straight. they are processing the tapioca to help herfamily pay for the funeral of her mother. when i came here, i had no work, nojob. i saw the women working this tapioca. then i asked them, could you let me? although they need the money, joy's family still wants the gas flares to stop. translation: in my view, | the government should lead efforts to end gas flaring in the oil industry and hopefully that will significantly reduce the heat wave and associated health hazards. nigeria's economic development is highly dependent on oil revenue. yet the industry's making it one of africa's largest emitters of greenhouse gases.

and, until the government fulfils its promise to end gas flaring by 2030, the country's landscape and the lives and livelihoods of millions likejoy remain at risk. peter 0kwoche, bbc news. the un secretary general, antonio guterres, has said the people of afghanistan face perhaps their most perilous hour following the taliban takeover of the country last month. speaking at an emergency aid conference in geneva, he said one in three afghans did not know where their next meal was coming from. more than three million afghans have now fled their homes, their suffering compounded by a drought, the coronavirus and political turmoil. the people of afghanistan need a lifeline. after decades of war, suffering and insecurity, they face perhaps their most perilous hour. now is the time for the international community to stand with them, and let us be clear, this conference is not simply about what we

will give to the people of afghanistan. it is about what we owe. we can now speak to hardin lang who's vice—president for programs and policy at refugees international. thank you very much forjoining us. we have got conflict, we have got covid and of course we have got covid and of course we have got covid and of course we have got climate. the drought issue. i mean, is worse element than that or is itjust put together itjust compounds the challenge? mil together it “ust compounds the challen . e? �* together it “ust compounds the challenge?— challenge? all three of those crises intersecting _ challenge? all three of those crises intersecting at - challenge? all three of those crises intersecting at the - challenge? all three of those i crises intersecting at the same time, and these are crises that have been building and have been present even before the taliban took power, together they have sort of weed into what could almost be a perfect storm of humanitarian catastrophe. so far you have got 80 million people in the country that require humanitarian assistance. many of them, food insecure, needing insecure from the united nations. 6000 people have been displaced this year and so what

we are looking at is a situation where highly, highly vulnerable populations are now having much of the humanitarian systems kind of cut off and we really need to get money and access put back into the system as quickly as possible. it is clearly an _ as quickly as possible. it is clearly an issue _ as quickly as possible. it is clearly an issue now. - as quickly as possible. it is clearly an issue now. it - as quickly as possible. it is clearly an issue now. it is i clearly an issue now. it is urgent. at the same time, the element of conflict, likely or not, is likely to proceed if this government, the taliban government can hold and can achieve some stability. that, presumably, should help. so achieve some stability. that, presumably, should help. 50 it presumably, should help. so it is an open _ presumably, should help. so it is an open question _ presumably, should help. so it is an open question about - is an open question about whether or not the taliban are going to be able to fully consolidate control around the country. this to one side, the fact that you don't have high levels of fighting is probably a good thing very strict humanitarian terms. it means people will likely stay put for a bit longer. it will be easier to access them over time so this is a good thing for the moment. the real challenge, however, is that with that comes high degrees of repression which may make it very complicated not only from human rights perspective but for people to get assistance

even into the country into those people who need it. just exand those people who need it. just expand on _ those people who need it. just expand on that _ those people who need it. just expand on that a _ those people who need it. just expand on that a little bit hearing about a pledge of over $1 billion in terms of country is ready to help. you're saying thatis is ready to help. you're saying that is all very well but you have got to get to these people. have got to get to these --eole. ., . have got to get to these neale, ., . have got to get to these maple-— have got to get to these --eole. ., . ., ., people. correct. so one of the bi est people. correct. so one of the biggest challenges _ people. correct. so one of the biggest challenges right - people. correct. so one of the biggest challenges right now | people. correct. so one of the | biggest challenges right now is getting that money into the humanitarian agencies as fat as possible so they can start programming because we don't have that long before winter takes hold in afghanistan and once that happens many of the major road arteries will be cut off. it will be very hard to get humanitarian assistance in. in addition we have a number of international staff and national staff inside agencies. they feel themselves under threat because of the result of the taliban taking power so we need some very, very firm commitments from the taliban that they are going respect the rights of these people to operate. rights of these people to operate-— rights of these people to o erate. �* , ., ~ operate. briefly, we talked about our— operate. briefly, we talked about our obligation, - operate. briefly, we talked about our obligation, can l operate. briefly, we talked - about our obligation, can keep at it, to help the people of afghanistan. do you think that

is implicit in the scale of these pledges or perhaps with your concern be that it might be a little bit ephemeral and soon taken off?— soon taken off? there is no doubt that _ soon taken off? there is no doubt that many _ soon taken off? there is no doubt that many in - soon taken off? there is no doubt that many in my - soon taken off? there is no - doubt that many in my business are deeply concerned that, as the troops leave, with the trips gone, the aid will follow shortly thereafter. you have to remember that afghanistan and the government are so bad and billions and billions of dollars of international development and humanitarian assistance for years. we're seeing right now is that most of that aid has been cut off and frozen, development aid, and frozen, development aid, and currency reserves are being frozen which means that the economy inside of afghanistan could very easily collapse in a very short period of time and that will push the humanitarian crisis into a catastrophe. irate crisis into a catastrophe. we wait to thank _ crisis into a catastrophe. we wait to thank you very much indeed forjoining us from washington. as the taliban took control of the country they had promised no revenge attacks on their opponents. but the bbc has obtained and verified footage showing civilians being killed by their fighters. it's further verified that more than 20 people have been killed

in panjshir province, where the taliban have been fighting opposition forces. a taliban spokesperson has denied any such killings are taking place, but based on our reporting, says they will investigate. some of the details in our correspondent yalda hakim's exclusive report are distressing. a reign of terror on the streets of kabul. the taliban bundle two men into the back of a car. the bbc has established this disappearance took place in the past few days, in an area of the capital where people are known for their opposition to the taliban. the panjshiri community is desperately searching for any information on the fate of their loved ones. the bbc has also confirmed that the taliban are committing human rights abuses in the panjshir valley. it lies 100 miles north—east of kabul. a warning — you may find this video distressing. here, a man in military clothing is dragged away.

it's unclear if he was in the army — this is common dress in the valley. voices are raised. seconds later, he's shot several times and killed. we're not showing those images. a bystander insists the man they have just killed was not in the military. the bbc has confirmed that more than 20 people have been killed since the taliban entered the province. one of them was a shopkeeper and father of two called abdul. he was accused by the taliban are selling sim cards to resistance fighters. locals had urged him to leave when the taliban arrived, but he said he was just a poor

man who had nothing to do with war. a taliban spokesperson told the bbc that civilians are not being targeted. translation: we'll i launch an investigation. i have no information about this case and the location it happened. however, if some military personnel or militia attacked our soldiers, ourfighters have the right to defend themselves. human rights watch says the taliban are breaching international law. we are documenting human rights violations across the country. and what seems to be happening in panjshir, as well as other places, are the summary executions and detentions, particular of former security forces. when the taliban entered the valley, they promised peace and stability. but these pictures show that people are not waiting to see if the taliban will keep their word. with telecommunications cut, it's hard to get information out. but the international community is warning of the taliban that they are watching and that they will be held accountable for their actions. yalda hakim, bbc news. meanwhile the us secretary of state antony blinken has been defending the biden administration's withdrawal from afghanistan.

speaking to the house foreign affairs committee from the state department, mr blinken said the decision to leave was a tough one, but necessary. upon taking office, president biden immediately faced the choice between ending the war or escalating it. had he not followed through on his predecessor's commitment, attacks on our forces and our allies would've resumed, and the taliban's nationwide assault on afghanistan's major cities would have commenced. that would've required sending substantially more us forces into afghanistan to defend themselves and prevent a taliban takeover. let's get some of the day's other news. norway's conservative prime minister erna solberg had admitted defeat in monday's election, paving the way for a left wing government led by the opposition labour party. its leaderjonas gahr store looks set to take power. the campaign was dominated by climate change and the future

of norway's oil industry. apple has issued an emergency security update for its devices after reports surfaced of new spyware thought to be used by the israeli company nso group. an independent watchdog — citizen lab — said last week that it had found malicious software on the phone of a saudi opposition activist. a fake news release supposedly from the us retailer walmart led to a spike in the cryptocurrency litecoin — and then a tumble in prices. the statement — published by a newswire service, claimed that walmart would accept the crypto currency. walmart said the announcement was "inauthentic". stay with us on bbc news, still to come: after her dazzling triumph in new york, emma raducanu's marketing potential is being measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.

30 hours after the earthquake that devastated mexico city, rescue teams still have no idea just how many people have died. well, there's people alive, and there's people not alive. we're just helping and giving them whatever we've got. a state funeral has been held for princess grace of monacol at the church where she married prince rainier 26 years ago. - it looked as though they had come to fight a war, but their mission is to bring peace to east timor — and nowhere on earth needs it more badly. the government's case is being forcefully presented by the justice minister. he's campaigned vigorously for abolition, having once witnessed one of his clients being executed. elizabeth seton spent much of her time at this grotto — and every year, hundreds of pilgrimages are made here. now that she's become a saint, it's expected that this area will be

inundated with tourists. the mayor and local businessmen regard the anticipated boom as yet another blessing of saint elizabeth. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. new bbc analysis shows the world is seeing more extreme heat in more places — in parts of africa the oil industry is accused of adding to the problem. more than a billion dollars of global aid pledged for afghanistan — as the un calls for urgent action to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. texas and louisiana are bracing for the arrival of tropical storm nicholas — which is expected to batter the region with an intense storm surge and rains that could cause widespread flooding. it comes as louisiana is still struggling in the aftermath of hurricane ida, which made landfall on the state only two weeks ago. the national hurricane center said nicholas too could reach hurricane intensity when it comes ashore along the southern coast of texas late

on monday evening. joining me is tim pandajis — he's a meteorologist at khou, the cbs—affiliated station in houston. thank you for having me. the latest update is it is a high—end tropical storm. the latest national hurricane centre advise puts it at a category one hurricane and if it strengthens up to land for which is expected around midnight local time it could be the latest a series of storms that we have seen intensifying right up to landfall and the star making landfall would be the eighth storm so far this year to make landfall in the us. they are coming of 2020 with a record—breaking season with a record—breaking season with 11 storms making landfall

and here we are with their 14th storm, eighth landfall. challenges pretty evident. looking at the details of the storm itself it sounds like the rain could be the biggest challenge.— rain could be the biggest challenue. ., ., , ., challenge. right. that was what we were most _ challenge. right. that was what we were most afraid _ challenge. right. that was what we were most afraid of - challenge. right. that was what we were most afraid of in - challenge. right. that was what we were most afraid of in termsj we were most afraid of in terms of south—east texas because we flood quite easily here in the houston metro area but preceding the arrival of our situation is pretty good because we had been dry for a while so our ground was dry, rivers were running quite low we were able to absorb a lot more rainfall. the forecast has evolved and the heaviest rain that stay along the coastline but nonetheless, even if your driver weeks on end, getting a fit of rainfall will cause flooding. fit of rainfall will cause flooding-— fit of rainfall will cause floodinu. , ., ., ., flooding. there is a lot to worry about _ flooding. there is a lot to worry about for _ flooding. there is a lot to worry about for a - flooding. there is a lot to worry about for a lot - flooding. there is a lot to worry about for a lot of. flooding. there is a lot to - worry about for a lot of people but it is difficult to get away from the thought that louisiana could once again find itself being pummelled. it could once again find itself being pummelled. it heads in web later _ being pummelled. it heads in web later tonight _ being pummelled. it heads in web later tonight and - being pummelled. it heads in web later tonight and is -

web later tonight and is expected to take a turn and is it we could ever land it still had a tonne of tropical moisture and as it heads into louisiana they are expecting flash flooding occurrences to happen pretty much in the next couple of days as well. in areas that are still recovering from the last two weeks ago. let's hope for the best. a court in new york is hearing the next stage of a civil case , being brought against prince andrew, the second son of queen elizabeth. it's in relation to allegations of sexual assault , allegations he denies. 0ur north america correspondent nada tawfik reports from new york. it's a phone conference. alleging that he sexually assaulted her in new york, london and the us virgin islands when she was just 17 years old. allegations that he strongly denies. this at first

hearing really focused on procedure more seo than the allegations in the charges. the court was notified today that prince andrew had chosen a lawyer who would represent him. now, in court, he made two main arguments. he said that the complaint had not been properly served to print and —— make to prince andrew and they are caught in the uk would have to weigh in to the legality of that water because this loss it and without merit. he was arguing that a settlement agreement between virginia giuffre in 2009 in florida and jeffrey epstein, of course the associate of the prince who suicide while awaiting federal charges in court, they believe that lawsuit, essentially, it releases the duke from any potential so they have requested a copy of that sealed agreement. californians are heading to the polls on tuesday to decide

the fate of their governor. in the wake of the covid lockdown that gavin newsom ordered —republicans managed to get enough signatures to force a recall vote. the choice on the ballot paper — yes to throw him out, no to keep him in place. but they also have the option to choose a replacement should they wish from a list of over a0 candidates. so important is this to the white house president biden has flown in to lend mr newsom some support. the governor was elected in 2018 — with 62% of the vote but there are a number of issues that have put a dent in that support. and there is a slew of republican candidates ready to take his job, the most prominent among them caitlinjenner though most republicans appear to have rallied behind the conservative talk—show host larry elder. polls in august had voters evenly split between the yes and the no camps— but as you can see the last week has looked a little more comfortable as democratic voters have begun to sit up and take note.

emma raducanu, britain's first female tennis grand slam champion for 44 years, and destined to be a global superstar, is insisting that she's not thinking too far ahead, just trying to take success in her stride. but the two—and—a—half million dollars she won in prize money in new york could soon be dwarfed by the sums being mentioned in marketing, where's she's being described as a �*solid gold' prospect. 0ur sports editor dan roan reports. having conquered the us open, britain's newest sporting superstar proving a hit on american tv earlier. the biggest networks queueing up to speak to the teenage tennis sensation. if you just do the best you can with every single day, time flies and you can really achieve anything with inner belief. raducanu has been thrown into the spotlight in a way no—one predicted, after producing one of sport's greatest ever fairy tales. but today, a british grand slam winner from another era warned

that the youngster�*s new—found fame would have to be carefully managed. she has the potential to be a world number one and a multiple grand slam champion. we've got to give her time to develop, and if it doesn't happen within the next 12 months, it probably will happen in the 12 months after that and we've got to protect her, because her world, it's going to hit her like a sledgehammer. i don't think she realises what's coming her way. having sprung from relative obscurity just a few weeks ago, raducanu is now one of the world's most marketable athletes. click she speaks mandarin the teenager, whose mother is chinese, thanking fans in fluent mandarin, the latest sign of her global appeal. i think quite quickly, her sponsorship earnings off the court will dwarf her prize money on the court. she is the most marketable british athlete since david beckham, because she is the complete package. she's young, she's already winning millions of social media followers, which increases her influence as a brand, she has a multicultural background and she won her grand slam

in america, one of the most important consumer markets in the world. here at the lta's headquarters, tennis chiefs insist much more investment is still needed into publicly available park courts and indoor facilities like this one, if raducanu's success is to translate into a much—needed surge in participation. but there's no doubt the women's game has just had its biggest boost in decades. and if the pitfalls and pressure that accompany such attention can be avoided there seems to be no limit to the impact she can have. a—listers are descending on new york's metropolitan museum of art for the return of one of the bigest events in fashion — the met gala the glamorous

event reknowned for spectacular and flamboyant costumes was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. hello there. this upcoming week is looking pretty changeable. we've started off with a bit of sunshine around and some warmth. today, though, it looks decidedly wet for parts of england and wales in particular. then midweek, a ridge of high pressure will settle things down, we should see some good spells of sunshine before more rain arrives for friday as a new low pressure moves off the atlantic. now we've got a complicated area of weather fronts moving northwards across the country — this first one bringing light and patchier rain across parts of scotland and northern england, but it's this batch of rain across parts of central, southern, and eastern england which will be quite heavy with the risk of some localised flooding in places, maybe some rumbles of thunder as it continues to journey its way north eastwards. but i think we should start to see skies brightening up in northern ireland, wales, southwest, but the sunshine comes

out and could set off a few heavy showers. but disappointing temperatures where we have the cloud and the rain, otherwise highs of around 19—20 celsius in the warmest spots. that rain eventually clears away into the north sea. could see a few showers, though, clinging back across eastern england, and we'll see this very weak weather front push into the northwest of scotland to bring some patchy rain. but elsewhere, mainly dry, temperatures just into single figures under clear skies. 0therwise, relatively mild again where we hold onto the cloud. so, for wednesday and indeed, for thursday here, we have this ridge of high pressure building in, which is going to settle things down. there could be quite a bit of mist and fog, low cloud to start the mornings, but into the afternoons, i think there'll be plenty of sunshine around. i think wednesday looks like being the mistiest, murkiest start to the day. still a few showers across eastern england thanks to that area of low pressure, and maybe a chance of some showers pushing to western scotland and northern ireland. otherwise for most, it should be dry where we get the sunshine breaking through, highs of around 20—21 celsius. otherwise, the high teens for most. thursday, again, a bit of early mist and fog, and then it promises to be a largely dry day —

i think thursday looking like being the driest and sunniest day of the week. but we'll start to see wind increasing with outbreaks of rain across the far northwest of the country later on. top temperatures, though, 22—23 celsius. all change, though, for friday. a new area of low pressure sweeps in off the atlantic. it'll bring a band of rain, some of it heavy, into western areas. it'll tend to weaken, though, as it pushes eastwards, and behind it, we'll see sunshine and showers following. those temperatures a little bit lower on friday than thursday because there'll be more of the breeze, more cloud and outbreaks of rain.

this is bbc news,

the headlines: new bbc analysis has shown the world is seeing more extreme heat in more places, with a significant increase in the number of days temperatures around the world are hitting 50 degrees. the research also highlights nations where the oil industry is accused of adding to the problem. more than $1 billion of global aid has been pledged for afghanistan after a un call for urgent action to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. secretary general antonio guterres said its people are facing perhaps their most perilous hour, following the taliban takeover of the country. the us secretary of state anthony blinken has faced intense questioning in congress over the withdrawal of troops from afghanistan. during a fractious session of the house foreign affairs committee, mr blinken defended america's withdrawal from the country. now on bbc news, yalda hakim examines the rise