this is bbc news. our top stories: failing to act on climate change would lead to disaster — the british prime minister's stark warning to the united nations ahead of cop 26. we ahead of cop 26. have an awesome power. in the we have an awesome power. in the next a0 days, we have to choose, the world has to choose what kind of awesome we are going to be. president biden promises to donate half a billion coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries — the world health organization warns they need help, now. 19,000 mainly haitian migrants are stranded on the border with

panama. moving away from fossil fuels — have a special report. planning, building, expanding dozens of mines, and continuing to import coal. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has told the un general assembly that november's climate summit in scotland is a critical turning point for humanity. mrjohnson called for substantial reductions in carbon emissions by 2030. he urged developing countries to phase out power generation from coal, but said richer countries needed to help fund the changes. my friends, the adolescence

of humanity is coming to an end and must come to an end. we are approaching that critical turning point, in less than two months, in just over a0 days when we must show we are capable of learning and maturing and finally taking responsibility for the destruction we are inflicting, notjust upon our planet, but upon ourselves. it's time for humanity to grow up. it's time for us to listen to the warnings of the scientists. if you look at covid, if you want to see an example of the gloomy scientists being proved right, it's time for us to grow up and understand who we are and what we are doing. our correspondent peter bowes was listening to the speech and has been unpicking it all for us. it was a call to arms with that summit in mind. certainly a colourful speech, typically borisjohnson invoking a greek poet and kermit the frog, opposite ends of the cultural spectrum,

but his point was that it is up to mankind, and he was trying to engage as large an audience as possible, it's up to mankind to tackle the problem of global warming and to emerge out of adolescence, as he put it, and take the action necessary to reduce co2 emissions. it was like an archaeology, a biology lesson to start with, talking about the fossil evidence that shows mammalian species tend to be around for a million years before becoming extinct or evolve into something else. he said humanity has only been here for 200,000 years, and he equated that to the human life span, about 80 years. he said, it means we are essentiallyjust coming out of adolescence, sweet 16, as he put it, and emerging into adulthood. that was his overriding theme, that we are adults, we are grown up, and no—one else is going to clean up the mess in the world caused by man other than ourselves.

this was an appeal to world leaders, but a broader message, that now is the time, looking ahead especially to that summit in a few weeks, at the end of next month, when some very difficult decisions have to be made. saying it is time to take responsibility, really. he had some nice words for china, as well, didn't he? yes, he praised china and president xi about the financial support of coal overseas, internationally, also adding that he hopes china reduces dependence on coal domestically. he said imran khan was setting a good example in pakistan, planting ten million trees. he said he hopes this is something other countries would emulate as well. it was full of interesting, colourful references,

that i think he hopes will resonate around the world. clearly very conscious of the fact he is hosting the conference in glasgow in a few weeks, and the pressure is going to be on him to a large extent. he talked about a lot of things happening environmentally in the uk, using them as good examples to the rest of the world. this was certainly an acknowledgement from him that there is a lot of hard work ahead, and he summed it up with his reference to kermit the frog, the muppet who once sang about it not being easy to be green. he said it is easy to be green. he laid out a whole raft of reasons why it is. the money is key. we heard from joe biden, and also talking about getting the private sector getting involved, and how important that is as well, didn't he? yes, he said it cannotjust be up to governments around the world. it is absolutely about embracing the private sector. he clearly welcomed the initiative taken

by the united states, essentially doubling the amount of money it's providing especially for developing countries around the world that need a tremendous amount of assistance to fight global warming. but he was at pains to point out it is the private sector and this is going to be a partnership if it is to work. again emphasising the sense of urgency there. let's listen to more of boris johnson's speech on the impact of inaction on climate change. our grandchildren will know that we are the culprits and they will know that we knew, that we were warned, and they will know that it was this generation that came centrestage to speak and act on

behalf of them, on behalf of posterity, and that we missed our cue, and they will ask is, what kind of people we were to be so selfish and shortsighted. in just a0 days time, we be so selfish and shortsighted. injust a0 days time, we need the world to come to glasgow to meet the commitment is necessary, and we are not talking, i'm afraid, about stopping the rise in temperatures. we can't do that, it is too late to stop the rise in temperatures. but to restrain that growth, as i say, to 1.5 degrees. at a virtual summit on the sidelines of the assembly, president biden has asked world leaders to pledge to vaccinate 70% of the world's population against covid—19, by september next year. he said america would buy an additional 500 million doses of the pfizer vaccine, to donate to poorer countries. research underlines a stark contrast between the richer countries which have vaccinated much of their populations,

while poorer ones are lagging far behind. our health editor hugh pym has more details. wealthier nations are pushing on with boosterjabs, but it's a different story in low—income countries in africa and around the world, where vaccination rates are much lower. that divergence has been criticised by the world health organization, and there've been growing calls for more vaccine doses to be diverted to those most in need. they're going to come together, and they're going to attack the problem... a leading advocate for vaccine supplies to africa said action was needed by the richest nations. promises do not translate into vaccines and jabs in people's arms. commitments are not jabs in people's arms. people are dying for want of a vaccine. now, i spoke at the who meeting, and on that same day, a member of my household had just died, a 30—year—old woman, because she was unvaccinated. new research suggests that, by the end of this year, there'll be around 1 billion

surplus vaccine doses in the g7 group of the wealthiest nations, including the uk and the european union. of those, around 100 million doses will be past their use—by date by december. as of now, estimates vary, but it's thought that only around 3% of the population of africa have been fully vaccinated. that's simple waste. people hate waste. lives could be saved as a result of having these vaccines. the former prime minister gordon brown, now who ambassador for health financing, says shifting vaccines is in everyone�*s interests. if the disease spreads in africa and in low—income countries, and if it mutates and there are new variants, it's going to come back to haunt even the fully vaccinated here. nobody�*s safe until everybody�*s safe. the g7 summit in cornwall injune pledged a billion doses to poor countries as a big step towards vaccinating the world, but critics say the process has moved too slowly.

today, president biden, at a covid—19 virtual summit, promised to double the us contribution. this is a global tragedy, and we're not going to solve this crisis with half measures or middle—of—the—road ambition. we need to go big. but will a pledge to "go big" actually deliver? african countries, and others, will want to see vaccine supplies arriving at a faster rate before passing judgement. hugh pym, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. the five permanent members of the un security council are meeting to discuss how to respond to the taliban takeover of afghanistan. britain has been calling in advance for a unified response, but russia and china both appear more willing to recognise the taliban government than either the united states or the uk. the united states and france have attempted to defuse the row sparked by the security pact announced last week between the us, australia and britain. joe biden and emmanuel macron agreed over the phone that france would reinstate its ambassador in washington.

they also agreed to meet in person in october. closing arguments have begun in the sex trafficking trial of r kelly in new york. the r&b singer is accused of grooming and sexually abusing women and underage girls. earlier he declined to testify in his own defence. the jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict later on thursday. lava is continuing to flow from the volcano that erupted last weekend on the the spanish island of la palma. the eruption has now destroyed about two hundred homes. there are fears that when the lava hits the sea, it will create toxic gases and explosions. danjohnson reports from la palma. it's possible the wind direction has changed today because we're starting to see more ash falling in other places. this is la laguna, a villagejust outside the restricted zone. these are the roadblocks where police are keeping people

back from the villages that have been evacuated. occasionally, a few residents are allowed through to get the last of their belongings. but in the main, there are more roadblocks and more roads that are disrupted because of where the lava is flowing. some roads have been completely smothered. others the police have closed to keep people back. and you can see how much ash has fallen here, and it is coming down the whole time. sometimes really fine volcanic dust, sometimes thicker particles. if i hold out my hand, you might be able to actually see it falling from the sky and landing. and that's happening continuously. that's why we've got the masks and we've also got eye protection as well. one other problem has been trafficjams because of the amount of roads that are closed. the traffic is building up with people trying to get through, and there's a risk that this side of the island actually gets cut off by the lava flow. that will probably happen at some point. so, we're starting to see how everyday life is being disrupted here and this

eruption is causing problems notjust for the people whose homes are directly at risk. and the big question is how long will this last and what will the future impact be? we've seen banana plantations which are the main source of industry here, we've seen banana leaves covered in ash. will they be productive in future? that's one question. but for now, the emphasis is still on the volcano that continues to erupt and the sky is looking a bit darker today, with that ash cloud continuing to spread particles right across the eastern and southern tip of la palma. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: growing fears in the canary islands we will have a special report on fossil fuels in

we will have a special report on fossilfuels in india. benjohnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home to canada in disgrace. all athletes should be clean going into the game. i'm just happy that justice is served. it is a simple fact that this morning these people were in their homes, tonight those homes have been burned down by serbian soldiers and police. all the taliban positions along here have been strengthened, presumably in case the americans invade. it's no use having a secret service which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world. and so, the british government has no option but to continue this action even after any adverse judgment in australia. concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before, breaking the record by six minutes.

the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has warned the un general assembly that failing to act on climate change would lead to disaster. president biden has promised to donate half a billion coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries — the world health organization says help is needed, now. the colombian government says a town near the border with panama has been overwhelme with thousands of migrants trying to reach the united states. the authorities say 19,000 mainly—haitian travellers are stranded there. many of these migrants are reportedly risking their lives by trying to travel at night on substandard boats. the goal for many is to ultimately, with the help of traffickers, make the long and perilous journey through jungle into panama, in the hope of travelling thousands of kilometres north to the us. let's take you now to panama city, and speak with willam spindler —

the unhcr spokesperson for latin america. that is the un refugee agency. thank you forjoining us. tell us about the conditions for these people stuck at the border town. what do you know about it? figs border town. what do you know about it? �* , ., .,, border town. what do you know about it? �* , ., ., about it? as we heard, most of these peeple — about it? as we heard, most of these people are _ about it? as we heard, most of these people are from - about it? as we heard, most of these people are from haiti - about it? as we heard, most ofj these people are from haiti but many left years ago, haiti, because of natural disaster and political instability and many of them moved to countries in south america such asjulia which that where they have been living. but many of these families lost their livelihood as a consequence of the pandemic and now with the reopening of borders, many of them are on the move and looking for a better life. many find themselves in border areas like this town in colombia. and what do you know about the conditions for them in this

area where they are now, presumably they need all sorts of basic things. this is a very small town. the town of necocli. local authorities have been overwhelmed with the arrival of so many people but the unhcr and other ngos are there helping local authorities to provide basic services such as water, sanitation, shelter, medicine and so on. the situation is very difficult. and the journey they are embarking on, apart from anything else it is huge. they have a long way to go. how dangerous is it? we're talking about tracking for a week through thejungle. many about tracking for a week through the jungle. many people are travelling with young children, aren't they? many are families. there are unaccompanied children, there are victims of trafficking, there are survivors of gender and sexual violence and, yes, it is an incredibly dangerous

journey. you go through mountains and rivers in the condition of thejungle mountains and rivers in the condition of the jungle is extremely difficult and in many cases they also have to deal with criminal gangs that prey on them, that robbed them, rape them and even kill them. so, yes, it is dangerous and a huge concern for us. and other traffic is free to operate in these areas? we know that the traffickers operate all along the route that the refugees take and many are linked to criminal gangs. it is very dangerous and very concerning. thank you for talking to us. in less than six weeks time, scotland will play host to a crucial climate change conference known as cop 26. one of the main goals will be to persuade industrialised nations to face our dependence on coal.

but how should fast developing nations such as india satisfy their huge demand for energy while trying to curb emissions. our correspondent with sports now. —— reports now. india's coal belt helps power this vast nation. more than two—thirds of the country's energy production still depends on it. such is the demand that the country is planning on building, or expanding, dozens of mines in the coming years and also continues to import coal. there's pressure on india to reduce its emissions, but cutting coal use is a tricky balance. a major pollutant in the country, the dirtiest of fuels, coal is also a major source ofjobs in these communities, which are some of india's poorest. india cannot live without coal.

our country is a developing country. coal is one of the major resources for indians. if we stop the coal production under the pressure of the world community, then how can we maintain our livelihoods? and how can india meet the energy needs of the population of more than 1.3 billion? a growing middle class is driving that demand, although the average indian still uses far less energy than the average brit or american. india is already shifting to cleaner sources, like solar. experts say the country needs more investment to make the switch to renewables. india has already set out some of the most aggressive renewable energy targets in the world. the more rapidly we can get more investment, more capital, more money into solar, wind, bioenergy and so forth, the quicker we can keep shifting away from the older energy infrastructure.

but making that shift means reaching communities like these, where the oldest and most basic forms of energy are the only option. jhuna is one of the tens of millions of indians who still don't have access to power. "there's no electricity, there's no water. "if we don't have coal, we can't cook. "if it's harmful, what can we do about it?" she tells me. "we have no other option. "at night, we burn coal and keep it in the house "so we also have some light." what people here want so badly is what so many in the west have long taken for granted. in india, progress comes at a price. it means cutting the cord with coal could take time. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, odissa.

over two decades more than 800,000 americans were deployed to afghanistan often for multiple tours and left behind with the friends and relatives of those who served. millions of those who served. millions of peeple _ of those who served. millions of peeple do _ of those who served. millions of people do impacted - of those who served. millionsl of people do impacted directly and indirectly. here is one family's story. i had been in the military for 15 or 16 years, and then came 9/11. a few months later, i was on a hillside in nangarhar under rocket attack. my family was incredibly supportive. my wife, ellyn, was in the army for four years. she really understood. every day of every deployment is difficult. it's like almost, like, being a widow, but you're not. they're still there. it was difficult, it was trying, but i learned a tremendous amount and it was an amazing honour. it reinforced my

desire tojoin. l ijoined at 17. even if we had wanted to try, i don't think we could've talked him out of it. he was actively trying to get sent over there. i love this picture of you. it looks like you were just coming off of a shift. yeah, same mission that got six guys hurt, same mission - where we lost the interpreter. yeah, i remembersomething, i remember when you told me that story. cos that was the first i'd heard about it. yeah. i wanted it. i sought it out. i probably could've gone into it a little bit - wiser, but experience is the best teacher. . they each went into their deployments thinking a certain way, feeling that they were accomplishing something specific and honourable.

he still thinks that. it was a good thing, and i'm not so sure. look at that. yeah, back from the... that's world war ii. is it? yep. multiple combat tours exacerbated issues that existed in our relationship and as a family. before, i would've said we're a military family with a great deal of pride. now it's more tempered. this has affected us. it has changed who we are as individuals. it has changed who we are as a family unit as well. very, very different from before. and finally we take you to syria where displaced children have composed letters of peace.

this paper roll spans 75 metres, it's being held up by syrian children in idlib province who've written messages and drawn pictures of their hopes and dreams. the roll has toured many of the camps across northern syria housing children displaced due to war. it was displayed to mark the international day of peace, with some of the messages reading, "i dream of returning home" and "i want the war to end". a reminder of our top story. the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has said november's climate summit in scotland is a critical turning point for humanity in an impassioned speech to the un general assembly. mrjohnson called for substantial reductions in carbon emissions by 2030. he urged developing countries to phase out power generation from coal, but said richer countries needed to help fund the changes. there is more on our website

with more analysis on what to expect from the climate change summit. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @lucyegrey hello. wednesday wasn't a bad day at all for the greater part of england and wales. but, quite a significant but, a different kettle of fish at least for a time through wednesday in parts of scotland and northern ireland, where you had to contend with the weather front which is bringing this increase in cloud and at times bits and pieces of rain. through into thursday, we're going to see quite a vigorous area of low pressure dragging its way over towards southern parts of scandinavia. notice how tightly packed those isobars are. the wind will be a real feature across the north of mainland scotland and especially through the northern isles. it isn'tjust the strength of the winds, there will be showers if not longer spells of rain. here, we have the gusts and you'll see i'm indicatimg they are 65, possibly 70mph as we get on through

the daylight hours of thursday morning. even further south, the gusts really quite significant. wednesday's weather front just producing the odd bit and piece of rain and sufficient cloud across wales for a time and then slumping to the southwest of england. all the while the low pressure moves away from scotland, pulling its frontal system with it. a weak linkage back towards more cloud and rain getting towards the western side of scotland. but with sunshine through wales, the midlands and eastern england through the afternoon, 22, possibly 23 degrees. much of the weather action across the northwestern corner of scotland as we bring new weather fronts in with a low centre close to the eastern side of iceland. through friday, the windsjust beginning to fall back to the west and the southwest — a relatively mild direction. any suggestion of the cold air behind tonight's lowjust over the northeast of scotland, that will be pulled away and will all be flooded into this moisture—laden west to south—westerly air flows

as you get on through friday. anywhere facing those western shores could well pick up enough cloud for the odd bit of rain, but again, some brightness and could be looking at 22, 23 degrees. come the weekend, it won't be west and southwest, it will be south and south—westerly winds which will pump it really mild air up and across the greater part of the british isles. it's not wall—to—wall sunshine, nor is it dry for everybody. there will be a scattering of showers, but for the time of year, i suspect it will feel very pleasantly mild.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the british prime minister, borisjohnson, has warned that november's climate summit in scotland is a critical turning point for humanity. in a speech to the un generalassembly, mrjohnson called for all countries to commit to substantial reductions in carbon emissions by 2030. president biden has announced the united states will donate another 500 million coronavirus vaccines to low income countries in need. the world health organization has warned they need help, now. mr biden described the pandemic as a global tragedy which couldn't be solved with half measures. scientists in the canary islands of spain have warned of the dangers from exploding rocks and toxic gasses, when lava from an erupting volcano flows into the sea. the authorities have declared a four—kilometre exclusion zone offshore to stop sightseers in boats getting too close. now on bbc news — hardtalk�*s stephen

sackur speaks to the acclaimed british cinematographer