hello. welcome to bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. the top stories: a special report on the refugees passing through iran, in the hopes to reach turkey. this is full of risk but many feel this is their best hope. banning feel this is their best hope. vaccine mandates, putting banning vaccine mandates, putting him at odds with biden. pregnant women at most risk of illness may not being vaccinated.

the son of seven coming out as bisexual. some people have told me they were in tears when they heard the news, some people wish that superman was this one that they were growing up. welcome to the programme. the turkish authorities have boosted security on the border with iran and say they will not accept an influx of migrants and refugees fleeing the taliban in afghanistan. many afghans make the trip hoping to travel onwards to other european countries. turkey already has the world's largest refugee population of around 4 million people. our international correspondent orla guerin has been to the turkish border province of van and sent this report. turkey is cracking down on those who sneak across the border.

even those in this smuggler�*s safe house, who may have fled in fear from the taliban. well, the operation here has taken just a few minutes. there are about a0 men inside, sitting down, looking tired, some looking quite scared. the conditions are pretty squalid and the police here are telling us they believe these men have come from afghanistan. we were flown across van province to turkey's remote eastern border, where many try to enter. if they can get past this, turkey's border wall with iran. built three years ago and now being extended. since the fall of kabul, reinforcements have arrived. there's been an about—face in turkey on refugees and migrants. the country has already absorbed 3.6 million syrians. the local governor mehmed reshid says there will be no

influx across this border. the watchtowers here were funded by the european union. it doesn't want a new wave of arrivals reaching its doors. take a look at the terrain here. this is a mountainous region. it's exposed, the ground is rough, and crossing iran to reach the turkish border here can take a month or more. the journey is full of risk, but some afghans still feel this is their best hope. like this group, who we found on turkish soil. police.

among them, men who stood against the taliban. we are concealing his identity. here he was, proudly serving his country. he told me in recent weeks the taliban have killed some of his brothers in arms, despite promising an amnesty. soon they were on the move and on the run, hoping to avoid capture by the turkish police. "0k, 0k, we're coming," he tells the waiting smuggler.

since we filmed these pictures, some of the men have been detained. they can no longer go forward, and they dare not go back. orla guerin, bbc news, on the turkish—iranian border. barring all vaccine mandates — a move that contradicts president biden who last month required all workers to be vaccinated. our north american correspondent has the details. this is a sweeping ban and taxes on covid—19 mandates, and it means that from now and through to an executive order being brought in by govenor greg abbott that private entities, private companies whether it be restaurants, gyms or stores along with other government agencies as well, will no longer be able to require that their employees

have the covenant in vaccination, or indeed customers of businesses. previously, there was an order in the fact that essentially a planned this ban on government agencies but it didn't apply to private agencies, so that is the change, i think brought on by executive order with a govenor urging the state legislature to pass a law to the same effect. govenor abbott has been tweeting about this. he said the covid—19 a safe, effective, and our best defence against the virus, but should always remain a voluntary and never forced. always remain a voluntary and neverforced. this always remain a voluntary and never forced. this seems at least, in part, in response to what president biden announced last month — at the federal level, companies with more than 100 employees should indeed require those employees to have the vaccination or at least have regular tests. it prompted a couple of major airlines and

southwest airlines to say they would go along with that mandate. in taxes, govenor abbott says it amounts to the bullying of companies and is, as he sees it, hampering those companies as they recover from the pandemic. pregnant women are being urged to get the covid vaccine following concerns about the growing number with the virus needing the most serious treatment in critical care. new data shows one in six of the most critically ill patients in hospital in the uk are pregnant and unvaccinated. with more details on the findings, here is our health editor, hugh pym. we've been trying to have a baby for a long time now. i can't believe we're still both here, to be honest. it's not long now, and he's going to be in the world. claire is reliving her covid ordeal injuly, seriously ill when she was 26 weeks pregnant and then on a ventilator in intensive care for 12 days. i thought i was going to die,

and i thought he was going to die and we'd waited so long for this family that that was the greatest fear, that my husband was going to lose us both. claire did her own research on the vaccines, but by the time she decided to have the jab, it was too late, she'd got the virus. along with medical experts, she's appealing to expectant mums to get vaccinated. some said guidelines earlier this year were confusing, but health leaders now say it's clear, covid can create serious risks for pregnant women. if they become unwell with covid—i9, they're more likely to need intensive care. they're also more likely to give birth prematurely, and that has long—term effects for the baby. they�* re u nfortu nately more likely to have a stillbirth and much more likely to have a cesarean section. here at royal papworth hospital in cambridge, there's a specialist unit using technology known as ecmo, in effect, an artificial lung.

some women who'vejust had their babies have become so sick that they've had to be brought here to this unit for treatment with the most intensive form of life support available for covid—i9 patients. rachel is a consultant here. she's witnessed the heartache for mothers treated away from their babies. i think it's devastating for the mother, for the family and for our staff seeing a woman being separated from their babies for weeks, could be months. often see tears in the unit from both sides. sultana was one of those mums. her twins were delivered by emergency cesarean because she was so ill with covid. she had to be transferred without them to intensive care at royal papworth. while i was asleep, my twins were born. i had no idea

my babies are born. they are kept somewhere else. i'm lying down somewhere else, deteriorating, and...they were taking the decisions on my life, thinking, "ok, this woman might not going to make it." sultana says she didn't get to hold her baby girls for weeks. for 41 days, this will always be a gap in my life. my husband was taking care of them, changing their nappies. my sister was doing that while i was not doing that. that gap can never be filled. regardlessly, i have the diaries, i have the photos, i was seeing them through the screen. so i wouldn't want any woman to face what i faced. we're so excited today, huh? these are happier times. she hadn't had a jab because she got ill in the early stages of the vaccine rollout, but her plea to all expectant mothers is to get vaccinated as it can help families as well

as protecting mums—to—be. hugh pym, bbc news. earlier i spoke to a doctor who said taxes — she is an obstetrician and gynaecologist based in texas, i asked about what is happening in the uk and us. yes, absolutely, these stories are all too real, i see this time and time again in my patience and it seems worse now with the delta variant than at other parts of the pandemic, stories we are seeing everywhere. is this hesitancy to get the vaccine? a hangoverfrom not having information at the beginning of the pandemic? what's going on? you know, iwould never falter mother for being worried about getting the vaccine. there has been so much misinformation out there.

pandemic medicine is a scary and everybodyjust wants to do the best thing for themselves and their baby, but at this point we do know that the vaccines are safe in pregnancy and protect against these very scary, very severe outcomes that pregnant people are more likely to have, and that they are not associated with any increased risk to the pregnancy or the baby. and more widely away from mums to be, there is a generally quite high level, relative, of vaccine hesitancy in texas? yes, we are experiencing higher than average levels of hesitancy, and i think people are confused. there are a lot of things going around that may not be able to be teased out to see what is true, but the fact is that we now have a lot of signs on and data indicates it is both effective and safe for pregnant people

but also the general population as well. if there is one people to get out to people it would be to please get vaccinated. going back to the specific issues with mothers, new mothers in the hospital, what are some of the complications? we know from the data that they are the most seriously ill in hospital, they require the most serious treatment — what does that mean? yes, about 50% of people who are pregnant and get the delta variant who become symptomatic will have moderate to severe symptoms, and out of those who have to be hospitalised, about one in seven will end up in intensive care units. there, you will have an increased risk for being on a ventilator, being transferred for ecmo, the artificial long they were talking about, —— lung. basically a last—ditch effort to let your lungs and heart rest so the machines can do that work for you. all of these things are a risk to the person who is pregnant but we also see an increased risk of preterm delivery, like she was discussing with her preterm twins, and like claire discussed in the segment before. these are things i see as well,

things we see in the data as it comes out. these are very real, they are very scary standing at the bedside and watching this disease process as an obstetrician, it is unlike anything i have ever witnessed. out of the phone with and out of the closet — at the latest superman will be bisexual. parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake are returning to life, but in the marina area where most of the damage was done, they are more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he has gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20—pound bomb which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, . ripping a hole in the front of the building. _ this government will not weaken. democracy will prevail.

it fills me with humility and gratitude to know that i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost of earthly honours. this catholic nation held its breath - for the men they called the 33. and then, bells tolled i nationwide to announce the first rescue and _ chile let out an almighty roar. welcome back. this is bbc news. the headlines: in turkey, authorities have boosted security on the border with iran and warned they won't accept an influx of migrants and refugees fleeing the taliban in afghanistan. important new data from the uk shows one in six of those most critically ill with covid—i9 are pregnant women who have not received a vaccine.

dc comics has announced that its latest superman will be bisexual. john kent is the most recent superhero to come out, following versions of captain america and that manposmac�*s sidekick robyn black. a superman as we have never seen him before. dc comics say the son of clark kent and lois lane, john kent, is coming out as bisexual. the creators say the man of steel has always stood for hope, truth and justice and now presents something more. when i was offered this job, i thought, well, if we're going to have a new superman for the dc universe, it feels like a missed opportunity to have another straight white saviour. dc comics publisherjim lee said in a statement: the comic isn't due to be released until november, but there has been plenty of reaction online already.

look, the reactions have been — honestly, they have been overwhelmingly positive, which i wasn't quite expecting. yes, there is a lot of trolling online, but there are so many people reaching out in so many different languages, saying what this means to them. i'm seeing tweets of people saying that they burst into tears when they read the news, that they wished that superman was this when they were growing up, that they could see themselves, and people saying for the first time ever they are seeing themselves in superman something they never thought was possible. his sexuality isn't the only way the character has been updated. in recent editions, he's been advocating for refugees and fighting the climate crisis. is ita bird, is ita plane or is it social change? courtney bembridge, bbc news. george is a new york times reporter who has been writing about comics for almost 20 years. he says the significance here is the scale of the

character.— here is the scale of the character. ~ . , ., ., character. we have seen a lot of lgbt superheroes - character. we have seen a lot i of lgbt superheroes in the past couple of decades and some of them are not quite household names, but when you can attack something like this to the name superman, who is known around the world, people will pay attention.— the world, people will pay attention. . ., , attention. what have you been ickin: attention. what have you been picking up _ attention. what have you been picking up about _ attention. what have you been picking up about the _ attention. what have you been picking up about the reaction l picking up about the reaction to this? ~ ., picking up about the reaction to this? ~' ., ., to this? like tom taylor said, it has been — to this? like tom taylor said, it has been mostly _ to this? like tom taylor said, it has been mostly positive. l to this? like tom taylor said, it has been mostly positive. a lot of people were really moved by the fact that this is happening and there is also the usual segment of naysayers on the internet who feel like this character should not become this. a , character should not become this. , , , this. many people will be watching _ this. many people will be watching who _ this. many people will be watching who are - this. many people will be | watching who are perhaps this. many people will be - watching who are perhaps not as up—to—date with everything as you are, they will think of superman and think is there still a kind of relevance? superman has been going on for such a long time, is the still relevance today? he such a long time, is the still relevance today?— such a long time, is the still relevance today? he has been around for _ relevance today? he has been around for 80 _ relevance today? he has been around for 80 plus _ relevance today? he has been

around for 80 plus years. - relevance today? he has been| around for 80 plus years. they think that speaks really well to the longevity of the character. and every so often, maybe every couple of decades, dc will try to revitalise the character in some way. for many years he was single, in the 19905 years he was single, in the 1990s he married lois lane. about five years ago they gave the two of them this sun. so they are always adding to his story. they are always adding to his sto . , . , ., ., story. this latest addition hel - s story. this latest addition helps the _ story. this latest addition helps the longevity, - story. this latest addition helps the longevity, i - story. this latest addition - helps the longevity, i assume? for sure. helps the longevity, i assume? forsure. because helps the longevity, i assume? for sure. because you can tell different types of stories with superman as a father, you can tell stories about his son who was coming out as bisexual, it gives you, basically, lots of additional stories to mine. just talk about this specifically, is it coming out in hardcopy form, will there be a rush to the stands like we all imagine in the old days, is that how it works?—

that how it works? typically, when there _ that how it works? typically, when there is _ that how it works? typically, when there is a _ that how it works? typically, when there is a big - that how it works? typically, when there is a big news - that how it works? typically, l when there is a big news story like this, yes, there are a lot of speculators will hit the comic stock in the next month to this issue.— comic stock in the next month to this issue. thanks to george there. to this issue. thanks to george there- un _ to this issue. thanks to george there. un secretary— to this issue. thanks to george there. un secretary general. there. un secretary general antonio guterres is called on the international community to find ways to get cash into the afghan economy to avert its total collapse. on tuesday, italy will share an extraordinary virtual meeting of the group of 20 major economies, the g20, to discuss afghanistan. for more analysis we have an analyst of afghan finance and banking. the afghanistan _ finance and banking. the afghanistan central - finance and banking. tue: afghanistan central bank finance and banking. tte: afghanistan central bank had invested all their cash and liquidity with the federal reserve of the united states. after the collapse of the afghanistan government, all those assets and cash has been frozen. so the afghanistan

central bank and the other commercial bank are facing serious problems of credit and liquidity and there is no cash, basically, in afghanistan. there is credit but people need cash. and that is the major problem for the entire finance and banking industry in afghanistan.— and banking industry in afghanistan. and banking industry in afuhanistan. ., , and banking industry in afuhanistan. ., afghanistan. how do you try to net cash afghanistan. how do you try to get cash into — afghanistan. how do you try to get cash into the _ afghanistan. how do you try to get cash into the hands - afghanistan. how do you try to get cash into the hands of- get cash into the hands of ordinary afghans without all the other risks of trying to get money into the economy? that is definitely the major question for the afghanistan people, as well as for the united states and european partners. at this point, because the taliban are not politically recognised, so there is no financial transaction, but the office of foreign asset control of the treasury department of united

states, the two weeks ago issued two general licenses where the relief organisation could somehow take cash to afghanistan and to support the relief, medical, food programmes. i think these are the ways we don't give money directly to the taliban, but to international and local organisations there is a way you can support the people of afghanistan.— you can support the people of afghanistan. our thanks there. talkin: afghanistan. our thanks there. talking through _ afghanistan. our thanks there. talking through that _ talking through that complicated issue. the commander of the royal navy's uk strike groups as britain will be small ships in asia to demonstrate a stronger military presence. the british aircraft carrier hms queen elizabeth is currently docked in singapore. britain and its allies are concerned that china's apparent island building in disputed seas. katie silver reports.

this is the hms queen elizabeth. she's an impressive vessel — 280m in length and taller than the niagara falls. she left the uk in may and has been travelling through asia where the british navy has conducted joint military exercises with british allies, including south korea, and here in singapore. most recently, she has been travelling through the south china sea and it is being seen as a real demonstration of british military might. this is a part of the world where the navy has probably retreated in the last 20 years, but the recent review has made it quite clear we want to have a more persistent and enduring presence here. queen elizabeth is the first step. i think you will see the air force exercising with other air forces and the british army exercising with other armies, we'll see exchange programmes and education programmes and science and technology. i think that is how we'll symbolise that the indo—pacific is important to the united kingdom. one—third of the world' trade flows through the south china sea, the growing economies here, so it is natural tat united kingdom, you know, wants to have a presence and a say and be involved in this really important region.

there are two new vessels on their way now from panama to singapore, and they will stay here on an ongoing basis — a clear sign that the uk's pivot to asia is for the long haul. thanks there. archaeologists in israel have evacuated a 1500 —year—old winemaking site said to have been the world bob mcleod at the time. it is the size of a football pitch. a warren of previously hidden rooms and chambers. an insight into how life was lived more than 1,000 years ago. in these spaces, grapes were fermented, wine was stored, drink was produced on an almost industrial scale. there are many, many wine presses that have been found during excavations, you can see hundreds of wine presses. so, ok, what is a big deal? the big deal is the size of this complex and also the fact that it is all clustered together to create one sort of whole unit.

the byzantine empire lasted more than 1,000 years and covered much of the mediterranean, north africa and the middle east. at its peak, it was estimated to have had a population of more than 25 million people — around one in ten of the planet's population. and in an age where unclean water could carry disease, almost everyone was obliged to seek an alternative. even babies and small children drank water with wine, and the sweet taste of the wine sweetens the water, and it was a real hit during the byzantine period. dozens ofjugs and kilns were also uncovered, and dna analysis of grape pips may help scientists understand the kinds of wine produced here. as to its taste, it remains a mystery. but ancient texts describe it as "light and agreeable." tim allman, bbc news.

iamoff i am off for iam offfora i am off for a drink. i'm lewis vaughanjones. this is bbc news. hello. it was a chilly start to monday for many a morning commuter, and it will be again on tuesday morning for one or two, particularly across some southern counties of england and south wales, as well as the far north—east of scotland. it's these areas where you'll have the clearest of the skies to begin with. in between, temperatures much higher than they were on monday, and that's because of this weather front and the cloud from it stretching across scotland into eastern england. and that's going to be inching a little bit further westwards as we go through tuesday. high pressure still, though, in the far west, keeping things dry. only an isolated shower possible, still some sunny spells. but a lot of cloud across scotland and northern and eastern england. that could produce some light rain or drizzle here and there, maybe as far west as the home counties as we go through into the afternoon. to the west of it, we'll keep temperatures on the high side for this stage in october, maybe up to around 16—17 degrees. but notice down these eastern coasts of scotland

and north—east england, where they're getting on the other side of that weatherfront, more of a northerly wind, temperatures only around 10—13 celsius. whereas by wednesday, these same areas should warm up a little bit because the wind is going to shift direction. we're going to see our area of high pressure drift a bit further southwards. in doing so, atlantic winds will start to dominate, pushing away that weather front back eastwards in towards the north sea. but it'll reactivate across the farther north of scotland. this is where we'll see outbreaks of rain through the night into wednesday morning. and whilst there will be some pockets of chillier conditions on wednesday morning, for many, it won't be quite as chilly as tuesday. so, here's the details for wednesday. that weather front continuing to march away. there could be some light rain or drizzle close to some western parts of scotland, but most of you will have a dry day, varying amounts of cloud, some sunny spells. temperatures drop a little bit in western scotland �*cause of the breeze off the sea, but warm, as i said, down those eastern coasts, and most places still around 2—3 degrees above average. but a big drop in temperature

is on the way to the north of this weather front, which will be pushing in as we go through into thursday, with some strong and gusty winds around it. notice those blue colours pushing southwards. that will be making inroads across scotland on thursday. along with those gusty winds, outbreaks of rain which could be heavy at times too, making it towards northern ireland, maybe to the borders of england late in the day. but much of england and wales will have a dry day, a bright day, still in the milder air with highs around 16 or 17. but as that weather front works its way southwards and eastwards, we'll all get a bit chillier for the end of the week into the weekend. colder still across some parts of eastern scotland, but even further south, we could see temperatures this weekend in the mid—teens. bye for now.

hello. welcome to bbc news. the headlines: turkish authorities have boosted security on the border with iran and warned they won't accept an influx of migrants and refugees fleeing the taliban in afghanistan. many afghans have made the perilous journey through iran to turkey, hoping to travel onwards to other european countries. pregnant women are urged to get the covid vaccine after concerns of the growing number with the virus needing mysterious treatment and critical care. new data shows one in six of the most critically ill in hospital in the uk are pregnant and unvaccinated. the creators of superman have announced that the superhero son will come out as bisexual in its next edition. he will share a kiss with a budding journalist, and he is the latest superhero to come out.