this is bbc world news: i'm lucy grey. our top stories: after australia, the us and britain agree a new security partnership, france recalls its ambassadors to washington and canberra. the us military admits one of its drone strikes in afghanistan killed 10 innocent civilians, including seven children. we now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those that died were associated with islamic state or were a direct threat against our forces. england eases restrictions for international travel, scrapping the need for expensive covid tests for fully—vaccinated people arriving from abroad. and algeria's former president, abdelaziz bouteflika, dies at the age of 8a.

hello and welcome to bbc news. france has taken the extraordinary step of recalling its ambassadors from australia and the united states as the row over their nuclear submarine deal intensifies. australia scrapped a multi—billion dollar deal to buy french diesel—powered submarines in favour of american nuclear—powered ones. paris described the security pact between australia the us and the uk as �*a stab in the back�*. courtney bembridge reports. back injune the two presidents sat side by side in the sun in the uk. but that warmth has disappeared and, in an unprecedented move, france has recalled its ambassador to the us and australia. this is why. it is about conecting

america's allies in new ways. a deal struck for a fleet of nuclear powered submarines. it replaces a multi—billion dollar deal australia had signed with france in 2016, in france was only told about it hours before the public announcement which has infuriated president macron. first came this warning from the foreign minister. translation: i am angry with a lot of bitterness - about this cancellation. it is not over. then the next move. the french embassy in the us tweeted that the decision to recall the ambassadors came from the president directly and reflects the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on september 15 which it said constitutes unacceptable behaviour from allies and partners. the us says france is its oldest ally, and the defence secretary has spoken to his french counterpart to try to resolve

their differences. it was clear from the discussion that there is still much work to do and more things to work on. there are opportunities and shared challenges and shared interests, that both ministers committed to continue to explore. the pact means australia will become only the seventh nation to operate nuclear powered submarines, and it is widely seen as an effort to counter china's influence in a contested south china sea where it has built up military bases on islands and reefs. for its part, china has accused the us, uk and australia of having a cold war mentality. our washington correspondent nomia iqbal has more. france is livid, which is an understatement, yesterday, they cancelled this gala are that

they were holding in dc to honour us and french relations and at the time the cancellation was seen as a diplomatic fallout, but recalling an ambassador, not just from here, obviously the us and australia, the penultimate step before you call off diplomatic relations entirely, so it is a massive move by the french and i think it shows just how angry they are over notjust the it shows just how angry they are over not just the financial had they suffered as a result of losing the contract but the political isolation they clearly feel and the white house has released a statement saying they have been in close touch with the french to do this, but they go on to say we will resolve our differences as we have done at other points over the course of our long alliance, tojust remind, it was back in 2003 when the iraqi invasion happened, france and the us fell out, the french were spectacularly opposed to going in without a un mandate

and i suspect the white house is hoping that will happen again. for more analysis, let's hear from benjamin haddad, the director of the europe center at the atlantic council in washington dc. this is not mostly about the commercial needs are all the money. this submarine deal was really the underpinning of france's entire presence in the indo pacific, one of the two main european countries in the region that was conducting freedom of navigation operation, and this is at a time when the bite administration has said that it wants to work with the european allies to confront china's assertiveness, that it wants to reach out within the transatlantic relationship, so this news has come as a shock, the fact that it has been negotiated in absent secrecy between united states and australia. i think that will have long—term consequences on the french and french establishment.

the us military says it mistakenly killed 10 afghan civilians in a drone strike in kabul last month, missing the intended target. seven of the dead were children. this is a major reversal of the pentagon's position. at the time, us officials said the strike was justified and righteous, because it prevented militants from using a car bomb to attack the airport. 0ur afghanistan correspondent, secunder kermani, had this to say about the strike. we were there the morning after the strike, family members coming to the wreckage, looking for a means of the loved one so they could bury them. there were furious at the suggestion they had anything to do with islamic state, in fact a number of those family members killed had worked with american aid organisations, american forces evenin organisations, american forces even in afghanistan, the family had been hoping to be evacuated out to america. this is an

incredibly grim way to bring an end to this chapter of american involvement in afghanistan. meanwhile here, there is a deepening economic crisis, also increasing concern about whether the taliban will respect women's rights or not, they seem to have today replaced the women's affairs ministry for the ministry of affairs and vice. and at the same time the taliban is reaching out to a number of former government employees trying to encourage them to come back to work. here is our report filmed by my colleague from the northern city. lifting off, the taliban's new air force. on board, their fighters. in the cockpit, theirformer enemies — pilots from the previous government. the fleet now under the taliban's control includes fighter planes originally donated by america.

dozens of pilots fled abroad as the telephone took over, fearing for their lives, taking their aircraft with them. these helicopters launched a lot of attacks against the taliban, that's right, isn't it? but as the group announced an amnesty, others decided to stay on. you are both sitting here very calmly, but do you recognise that it's quite a strange situation for two people who were trying to kill each other now to be working

elsewhere, the political transition is far less smooth. foreign reserves are frozen as the international community weighs up how to support afghans but not the taliban. banks have restricted cash withdrawals. second—hand markets have sprung up across the country. the war might have come to an end, but this is where you see the utter desperation that so many afghans are living in right now. most of this market didn't even exist a month ago — now it's full of people trying to sell whatever household possessions they can just to put food on the table for theirfamilies. most public sector employees weren't even paid their salaries in the last months

of the previous government. now, they have no idea when or if they will be paid again. you were still working, but you didn't get a salary? this teacher has already sold whatever she can. the transition of power in afghanistan was much less bloody than many had feared. but half the country was already in dire need, and the struggle to survive is becoming even harder. secunder kermani, bbc news, mazar—i—sharif. the us has closed one of its border crossings with mexico after twelve thousand migrants crossed into a texas city in the space of a week. officials in the city of del rio said they were finding it increasingly difficult to provide food for the rapidly growing number of undocumented arrivals, who have been camping

out in the shade of a bridge. the local mayor also feared disturbances with the number of migrants, the vast majority from haiti, now totalling a third of the city's population. a surge in holiday bookings is expected after rules around international travel were eased in england. the traffic light system has been replaced with a single red list, but there has been some concern that scrapping pcr tests will impact the country's ability to monitor coronavirus variants. simonjones reports. half term holidays abroad look to become simpler and cheaper for many families, to the relief of the travel industry. is very important to the end of the season, there are lots of people who have not had a holiday for two years, is a big boost for the industry, and we have said all along the best support we can get from the government is being able to fly again. government is being able to fly aaain. ., ., ., again. from the fourth of october. _ again. from the fourth of october, fully _ again. from the fourth of october, fully vaccinated | 0ctober, fully vaccinated travellers returning to england

that from countries that are not on the red list will no longer need to take a test before the travel, and from the end of october they won't need an expensive pcr test on their return. it will be replaced by a lateral flow test. children will be treated the same as vaccinated adults, but if you are not double vaccinated, it's very different. you will need to test before you travel back and self isolated home for ten days as well as pay for pcr tests. it days as well as pay for pcr tests. , ., ., ., tests. if you are not vaccinated, - tests. if you are not i vaccinated, i'm afraid tests. if you are not - vaccinated, i'm afraid there are by necessity a little more costs and bureaucracy involved under the system.— costs and bureaucracy involved under the system. travel agents are gearing _ under the system. travel agents are gearing up — under the system. travel agents are gearing up for _ under the system. travel agents are gearing up for a _ under the system. travel agents are gearing up for a busy - are gearing up for a busy weekend of bookings. this is what we have _ weekend of bookings. this is what we have been - weekend of bookings. this is what we have been waiting l weekend of bookings. this is. what we have been waiting for weekend of bookings. this is i what we have been waiting for a long time, it takes away all the confusion, and that's been one of our biggest barriers, and one of the biggest reasons why people have not been wanting to book, they are confused.— wanting to book, they are confused. ,. , , ., confused. some scientists have warned that _ confused. some scientists have warned that fewer _ confused. some scientists have warned that fewer people - confused. some scientists have| warned that fewer people taking the test could make it harder to identify new variants of the virus being imported into england. at stamford airport, some travellers were concerned.

i think it is good to keep the testing. it safer everyone, and yes, we have to live with covid, but i think it is still important to get tested. anyone with two jabs — important to get tested. anyone with two jabs should _ important to get tested. anyone with two jabs should be - important to get tested. anyone with two jabs should be able - important to get tested. anyone with two jabs should be able to l with two jabs should be able to be tested without any extra tests — be tested without any extra tests and things. the be tested without any extra tests and things.— tests and things. the new travel rules _ tests and things. the new travel rules remain - tests and things. the new travel rules remain in - tests and things. the new. travel rules remain in place until the end of the year at least. the welsh government is considering whether to follow them. northern ireland has yet to announce any decision, but the scottish government mode at this stage change the test travellers need to take due to what it calls significant concerns about the impact on public health. this is bbc news. a reminder of our headlines: after australia, the us and britain agree a new security partnership — france recalls its ambassadors to washington and canberra. the us military admits a drone strike in afghanistan last month against a suspected car bomber killled 10 innocent civilians, including

seven children. the former president of algeria, abdelaziz bouteflika, has died after a long illness aged 8a. he led the north african country for nearly two decades, but his decision in 2019 to seek a fifth term in office led to massive street protests, which resulted in his resignation. rana jawad reports. a military officer and foreign minister for over a decade. for some, he was a hero. for others, the symbol of an ageing political elite. when he first came to power in 1999 algeria were still ravaged by a civil war sparked by the army's refusal to recognise the election victory earlier in the decade.

by granting amnesties to the main armed groups, the new president succeeded in bring the war to an end though the insurgents were to regroup in the following years, aligning themselves to al-qaeda and spreading their operations into the wider region. over time, the president bouteflika's rapprochement with the west and openness to economic reform did little in the way of freeing the state from its dependency on oil revenues, reducing public debt and defeating growing unemployment. he ruled algeria for 20 years — through landslide election victories tainted by a leadership that prevented the rise of any political opponent that could replace the president or his ruling party, the national liberation front. even senior members of the country's military and intelligence services were quietly sidelined over the years.

in 2013, the man that algerians called "boutef" suffered a serious stroke, leaving him in a wheelchair. his speech and mobility had been gravely affected and his public appearances became extremely rare. in the elections the following year, he wasn't able to physically campaign but still won over 80% of the vote. his ill—health started to raise concerns about his ability to rule and the youth of algeria wanted change. when his candidacy for a fifth term in office was announced in 2019 it sparked massive and rare public protests, challenging his and the ruling party's group in algeria. weeks later, the relentless demonstrations coupled with pressure on him from the army led to mr bouteflika's resignation. translation: in seven | days algerians have done the impossible. to get rid of a political regime that was there to stay. the president absolutely wanted to be president for life.

abdelaziz bouteflika managed to survive algeria's tumultuous history as well as avoid the unrest that toppled long serving heads of state in neighbouring countries during the 2011 arab spring. however unlikely it seemed, in his final years at the helm, the rallying calls for change that did eventually reach algeria stripped him of a power that many thought he would never give up. an investigation into the collapse of an overpass on mexico city's metro system found serious flaws in the line's construction. 26 people were killed when the overpass crumbled in may. and now, the victims�* families allege that repeated warnings about the line were ignored. the bbc�*s mexico correspondent will grant is in mexico city. it was called mexico city's

golden line. in this slickly produced launch video, line 12 was heralded as the newest, cleanest, supposedly safest metro line in the capital. the city government claimed it was pioneering, efficientand city government claimed it was pioneering, efficient and dealt with cutting—edge technologies stop the today those claims lay in ruins, now synonymous with death. 26 people died in the awful overpass collapse in may which was blamed in multiple construction errors in the preliminary report. the youngest victim was just 12 years old. his mother is struggling to get through her days without him. to struggling to get through her days without him.— days without him. to see his empty bedroom _ days without him. to see his empty bedroom or— days without him. to see his empty bedroom or children i empty bedroom or children returning to classes and him not among them, that's what the government doesn't realise stopping no compensation will ever bring back my son. soon after its opening _ ever bring back my son. soon after its opening line - ever bring back my son. soon after its opening line 12 - ever bring back my son. soon after its opening line 12 was l after its opening line 12 was shut down for months for urgent repairs stopping the families say the authorities knew the extent of the line's weaknesses

and ignored repeated warnings. parasol is adamant about where the blame lies. she names 2a mayors of mexico city, and the current one. she has failed charges of negligent homicide against them. the bbc approached all three for comment but told none would be made while the investigation was under way. following the horrific elapse here, the victims families that they have been ignored and even intimidated by the city authorities. are some of those behind the construction of line 12 were among the most powerful and influential people in mexico, the road tojustice will be long and arduous. billionaire businessman whose firm constructed the line was applauded by then mayor, now mexico's foreign minister. recently published internal

documents suggest work was rushed to be completed during his time in office and the work online 12 was of such poor quality that one woman metro director calls it a cancer. translation: it director calls it a cancer. translation:— director calls it a cancer. translation: ., , , ., translation: it was built in a hur . translation: it was built in a hurry- there — translation: it was built in a hurry. there was _ translation: it was built in a hurry. there was a _ translation: it was built in a hurry. there was a change - translation: it was built in a hurry. there was a change of. hurry. there was a change of the original project and all of those changes were carried out in a rush. from the construction itself to the purchase of the trains, there was a sudden change in the technology of the train�*s. was a sudden change in the technology of the train's. from her tiny home _ technology of the train's. from her tiny home now empty - technology of the train's. from her tiny home now empty without brendan, marisol intends to seekjustice brendan, marisol intends to seek justice for brendan, marisol intends to seekjustice for her son but just in mexico is rare in her journey for answers and punishment for any negligence is onlyjust beginning. a court in los angeles has found a property tycoon guilty of murdering his best friend in an attempt to cover up

the disappearance of his wife. millionaire robert durst shot susan berman in the head inside her beverly hills home in 2000 in what prosecutors say was a bid to stop her telling police what she knew about his wife's death two decades earlier. the 78—year—old who's recovering from cancer�*s been subject to a number of murder accusations and cases after apparently making confessions on tape. but ms berman�*s is the only one to be proven. the former brazilian footballer, pele, has been re—admitted into intensive care after recently undergoing surgery to remove a tumour in his colon. the 80—year—old has been having treatment at sao paolo's albert einstein

hospital since late august, after the tumour was detected in routine tests. his daughter has tried to reassure fans by using social media to say he is now recovering well. when the coronavirus pandemic first took hold in new york, all the city's theatres and concert venues closed their doors. broadway has begun to re—open, and now one of the big apple's premier orchestras is returning to the stage. the new york philhamonic is putting on its first season of concerts for more than eighteen months. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. established in 1842, the new york philharmonic has been performing for nearly 180 years. a vital and much loved part of the city's cultural bloodstream. but then came covid and the music stopped. now, 556 days later, final rehearsals are taking place. the phil is coming home.

i feel like we are an important part of bringing new york back to normalcy, even though it's starting very slowly and it's still very tentative, we are aiming in the right direction. this is a very optimistic and exciting new beginning. the orchestra has performed a series of one—off events, mostly online, or outdoors, but this will be a proper concert, in a proper concert hall, with a paying and no doubt appreciative audience. ifeel like almost a rebirth as a musician. as a musician we play 130—140 concerts a year and you never take it for granted, but sometimes you think, oof, i'm a little tired today i gotta play this again. but not any more — ifeel, really, such gratitude. the first concert is called from silence to celebration, which seems strangely appropriate. 0rganisers hoping the audience will simply enjoy the moment

and be free. tim allman, bbc news. in thailand, taxi companies have come up with an unusual way to make use of vehicles made idle by the coronavirus crisis. workers from two taxi co—operatives have assembled miniature gardens that are providing food, as well as drawing attention to the plight of the drivers. gail maclellan reports. new passengers for these taxis, chilis, aubergine, tomatoes and basil. when covid—19 hit thailand, the country imposed strict rules, leaving taxidrivers with no fairs and no money. most of them left the capital and abandon their cars. instead of letting the vehicles decay, two drivers cooperatives decided to put them to good use. translation: the employees invested a little _ use. translation: the employees invested a little bit _ use. translation: the employees

invested a little bit of— use. translation: the employees invested a little bit of their - invested a little bit of their money to buy the plants, everyone chips and little by little. the plants are cheap and easy to grow.- little. the plants are cheap and easy to grow. the vegetable ield is and easy to grow. the vegetable yield is used _ and easy to grow. the vegetable yield is used to _ and easy to grow. the vegetable yield is used to feed _ and easy to grow. the vegetable yield is used to feed the - and easy to grow. the vegetable yield is used to feed the staff . yield is used to feed the staff and what little is left over will be sent to market. thailand got through 2020 relatively unscathed by covid, recording low numbers of infections, but since april this year, the delta variant has taken hold and cases have soared more than 1.3 million, with almost 111,000 deaths. tourism to the country and especially the capital bangkok has dwindled and quiet streets mean hardship for taxidrivers. it's unlikely these vehicles will ever see passengers again, but they are not completely idle. a peculiarly 2021 version of the roof garden. don't forget there's plenty more on all the stories we are covering on our website, and

you can reach me on twitter if you can reach me on twitter if you like. i'm @lucyegrey. thanks very much for watching. hello there. many of us yesterday had a decent day of weather. temperatures reached 22.3 degrees celsius in the warmest spots, but it wasn't like that everywhere. in argyll and bute, cloudy for much of the day with rain and some mist and fog patches over the high ground until this happened. late on, as the weather front started to clear through, some of the cloud from the front was lit up by the setting sun, and it was a glorious end to the day. there is that weather front on the satellite picture, this stripe of cloud you can see here. the weather fronts associated with this cloud are particularly slow—moving beasties, and they're going to take the whole of the weekend before they reach right the way

across to the eastern side of the country. so, this weekend, mixed picture — could be a bit of rain around on saturday, but for many areas, it's a dry day. by sunday, outbreaks of rain become a bit more extensive, heavy and thundery as well for some. so, as i say, a mixed fortune, really. for southern and eastern scotland, western areas of england and wales, it's a cloudy start to the day with outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, probably some mist and fog patches mixed in as well. to the east of our weather front, perhaps east wales, but definitely central and eastern england, there'll be a lot of dry weather, with sunny spells and warm in that september sunshine — highs up to 23. brighter slice of weather as well for west scotland and northern ireland, but here, a fresher feel to the weather, temperatures 17—19. now, saturday night sees heavy, thundery rain start to break out across wales, moving in across northern england, into scotland as well, so there will be some heavy downpours around. and then, through sunday, this area of heavy and potentially thundery rain will continue to push eastwards and become

really slow—moving across parts of central and eastern england. there's a risk of some localised flooding, 30—110 mm possible in one or two areas. in the wettest areas, that's enough to cause some localised surface water flooding. at the same time, the western side of the country will turn brighter and drier and a bit sunnier through sunday afternoon. by monday, could still be a little bit of rain left over across east anglia and the far southeast of england, but otherwise, pressure will be building across the country for a time for monday and for tuesday as well, and that means for most of us, we're looking at a fine spell of weather with sunny spells. temperatures into the high teens or even the low 20s. however, it's not going to stay that way because, into the middle part of next week, we're going to see low pressure move in, bringing some heavy rain across the country and some much windier weather on the way as well.

this is bbc news. the headlines: france is recalling its ambassadors from australia and the united states in what it describes as an exceptional decision. the french foreign minister said the ambassadors were returning due to the seriousness of the announcement made on wednesday that australia would scrap a multi—billion dollar deal to buy french—designed submarines. a top american general�*s confirmed one of the last military operations in afghanistan inadvertently killed 10 members of an innocent family. the head of us central command said an investigation had found a drone strike killed an aid worker and nine relatives — seven of them children. the former president of algeria, abdelaziz bouteflika,has died after a long illness aged 8a. he led the north african country for nearly two decades but the ailing president's decision in 2019 to seek a fifth term led to massive street protests.