Winds to fan the flames of wildfires, a day after one Resort City was forced to evacuate. Rescue operations continue in louisiana after Hurricane Ida left millions of people without power. And the bbc� s Sarah Rainsford files her final report from moscow, after being labelled a threat to National Security. At a time where russia is increasingly seeing enemies around, it seems i have been added to the list. Welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the Globe President biden has delivered a strident defence of the us Evacuation Mission from afghanistan labelling it an extraordinary success. The president struck a defiant tone, in his televised address from the white house, the day after americas 20 Year Presence in the country came to an end. He described the operation to fly more than 120,000 people out of kabul in recent weeks as one of the biggest airlifts in history. And said the decision to leave now was on the unanimous recommendation of all his advisers. We have succeeded in what we set out to do in afghanistan over a decade ago. Then we stayed another decade. It was time to end this war. This is a new world. The Terror Threat has metastasized across the world well beyond afghanistan. We are left with a simple decision. Either follow through on the commitment made by the last administration and leave afghanistan or say we were not leaving and commit another Tens Of Thousands more troops going back to war. That was the choice. The real choice. In kabul the taliban have been making the most of their first day in full control of afghanistan an � enjoyable moment of victory� , according to its leaders. Their fighters have been showing off some of the equipment and weapons left behind by us forces, while pointing out that they now control more of afghanistan than they did 20 years ago. 0ur Chief International Correspondent lyse doucet, and cameraman robbie wright, sent this report from kabul. American uniforms, american guns, but these are taliban special forces. Badri unit 313. They are in charge at kabul airport. Translation our message i to the americans is they should not have any plans to attack muslims again. 0ur Message to all afghans is we are going to protect them. Surreal to enter what was a us hub. Whiteboards from a moment in time just days before kabul fell, when us soldiers plotted an orderly pull out. This is what they left behind. Hangers are full of helicopters. All disabled, destroyed, so the taliban cannot use them. The best of american military hardware, the best of its generals, were part of its longest war. And now it has ended in the worst of ways, and it will live long in memory, here in afghanistan, in america, and far beyond. Today, an airfield flooded with fighters. Their first urgent task, repairing the runways so commercial airlines can fly again. Translation as you can see, these infidels destroyed the entire airport. They havent left any machinery in good repair. We had a team ready to fix this mess ever since we came to kabul. Now that the americans have left we are ready to clean it up. All flights have stopped, but afghans still keep trying to get in, to find a way out of this country. Taliban guards turn them away. The last us flight lifted off last night, and the skies exploded with taliban celebration, after the last american soldier, major general chris donahue, was on his way home. When we drive through the streets of kabul, the city seems much the same, until we get to the banks. To the queues stretching all the way down the street. Most banks are shut, most dont have any money. Some people have stood here for days wondering if they can withstand this for long. I should build a future, i should study. So definitely if the situations are like that, you should stay for one weekjust to take 10,000 afghani. 100 from the bank, so its not possible to live here. A country turned upside down and inside out. An old order suddenly ripped away, a new one suddenly started, in chaos and uncertainty. Lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. This War In Afghanistan has cost america dear. In fact at the peak of its involvement, just after 2010, the us was spending 100 Billion dollars a year on its Military Operation in afghanistan. Over two decades the united states has spent more than two trillion dollars more than 2,400 us servicemen and women have died. 20,000 were injured. But that is dwarfed by the deaths and casaulties on the afghan sides, more than 116 Thousand civilians, police and Military Personnel have been killed in the conflict during the same period. Looking to the future Heres President biden again. We have got to learn from our mistakes. For me, there are two that are paramount. First, you must set missions with clear, achievable goals. Not one who will never reach. And second, we must state clearly focused on the fundamental national Security Interest of the united states of america. Gil barndollar is a senior fellow and Military Expert at Defense Priorities and served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps from 2009 to 2016 and was deployed twice to afghanistan. Hejoins me now from washington. Thank you forjoining us. How do you respond to what President Biden had to say there . It was certainly a strident defence . There . It was certainly a strident defence . , , strident defence . That has been his message strident defence . That has been his message throughout strident defence . That has been his message throughout this his message throughout this entire withdrawal, this entire crisis if you want to call it that. The president is trying to close the door and turn the page in afghanistan and you heard familiar notes. We talked about not being the fourth president to continue this war, he was finally putting a close to a war that he said was unwinnable. We talked about withdrawal being a stark decision between Withdrawal And Escalation there was not, and i agree with them, sustainable stalemate or a low cost continuity, a way to keep this going at low cost to the united states. And he accepted responsibility for the decision but referred to mistakes of the past and its predecessor so it is attempting to close the book on this and whether he could do that a lot remains to be seen. That is the point, isnt it . He made the point that it has served its purpose in that it kept the people of the united states save over that period of one or two might, you know, pick an argument with how safe but the future is the issue now, isnt it . Do you feel that the us will remain as safe when there is in that presence on there is in that presence on the ground . I there is in that presence on the ground . There is in that presence on the round . ~. ,. , the ground . I think even a real strident, the ground . I think even a real strident. If the ground . I think even a real strident, if you the ground . I think even a real strident, if you want the ground . I think even a real strident, if you want to the ground . I think even a real strident, if you want to use strident, if you want to use that word, advocate of withdrawal, can see that there are costs of getting out of afghanistan put up you give up a lot of situational awareness on the ground partially because of drones and technological means become a little bit trickier but even more so because our afghan proxy collapsed. A lot of the intelligence were doing on the ground was done through afghan partners, the afghan secret police. So there is no question of the cost of getting out but given the speed of the collapse of the afghan state i dont think any of that was sustainable anyway. Think any of that was sustainable an a. , sustainable anyway. One part of the argument sustainable anyway. One part of the argument that sustainable anyway. One part of the argument that he sustainable anyway. One part of the argument that he raises sustainable anyway. One part of| the argument that he raises now that the us still has quickly average over the taliban. Many people wonder what that leverages. It people wonder what that leverages. People wonder what that leverages. People wonder what that leveraaes. ,. ,. , leverages. It comes down to what you leverages. It comes down to what you think leverages. It comes down to what you think that leverages. It comes down to what you think that our leverages. It comes down to. What you think that our banners and wants to be and it is not clear that the taliban knows that. We may have internal fissures are problems within that movement but if the taliban does ultimately have coherence and does govern all the minister of the afghan state and want to be a more or less normal nation not be what it was in the 1990s, and isolated backward fundamentals country, if that is the case we have enormous financial average over the telephone, for sure. Is a painful irony for sure that the us is going to have to find a way to work with the telephone if it is to keep the likes of Isis K, for example, out of the equation. Out of the equation. No, absolutely. Out of the equation. No, absolutely. And out of the equation. No, absolutely. And there i out of the equation. No, | absolutely. And there are out of the equation. Iiifr, absolutely. And there are some hints of that in the speech. At one point early on the president referred to Isis K is the sworn enemy of the taliban. That is an interesting phrase and an interesting note is to make so no question. We are going to, you know, it is a question how open that is going to be but the bet is that we are going to be door to some extent working with the taliban to keep far more, far nastier transnational terrorist away from the united states. Thank ou ve from the united states. Thank you very much from the united states. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you very much indeed. Let s get some of the days other news. Thirty two people have been killed in peru, including two children, when a bus plummeted off a cliff in the countrys third Transport Accident in four days. More than 20 were injured in the disaster which happened on a narrow stretch of road some 60 Kilometres East of the capital lima. The European Commission says 70 of adults in the European Union have been given a complete course of vaccinations against coronavirus. The commissions head, Ursula Von Der leyen, called it a great success. But the figures hide wide disparities within the eu. In bulgaria, just 20 of adults have been vaccinated. Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets after el salvador� s congress approved a law to create a fund to help the conversion of bitcoin to us dollars ahead of the Countrys Adoption of the cryptocurrency as legal tender next week. Critics say the new fund could open the doors to criminals Laundering Bitcoin into dollars through a national bank. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come Tens Of Thousands are evacuated from Northern California as the wildfires spread and the forests burn. She received the nobel Peace Prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india slums. The head of the Catholic Church had said Mother Teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. We have to identify the bodies and round the coffins and take them back home. Parents are waiting and wives are waiting. Hostages appeared, some carried, some running, trying to escape the nightmare behind them. Britain Lost A princess today, | described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable. An early Morning Car Crash in a Paris Underpass ended | a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion. This is bbc news, the latest headlines. President biden describes the us Evacuation Mission from afghanistan as an extraordinary success the day after The End of americas 20 Year Presence in the country. Rescue operations continue in louisiana as Hurricane Ida brings life threatening floods millions of people remain without power. Thousands of people in california have been fleeing the popular Tourist Spot of Lake Tahoe as a huge wildfire rages. The caldorfire is heading towards the main resort town, in an area which straddles the border between california and nevada. More than 3000 firefighters have been working to contain the blaze. Lets bring in scott stephens, Fire Science Professor at the university of california, berkeley which is where he joins us from today. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. What is your main concern. We get the wildfires in their regular now. It is sadly a feature of life in california. But devastating, nonetheless to the natural habitats. It nonetheless to the natural habitats. , ~ nonetheless to the natural habitats nonetheless to the natural habitats. ,. , habitats. It is. We look at the fire is continuing habitats. It is. We look at the fire is continuing year habitats. It is. We look at the fire is continuing year after. Fire is continuing year after year and we see them moving in places and speeds are basically almost unbelievable. I think it shows that many of our ecosystems in california are very vulnerable to things like this especially when we have drought and Climate Change adds to the problem. Share drought and Climate Change adds to the problem. To the problem. Are they caettin to the problem. Are they getting better . To the problem. Are they getting better . Are to the problem. Are they getting better . Are you. To the problem. Are they getting better . Are you getting better at protecting the people of california, at least . I think what were doing better is getting people out of Harms Way earlier. We are not seeing any fatalities from the fire so far in california this year which is actually a big deal because we have had many, many fatalities in the past i think theyre getting better at getting people attention, getting people attention, getting them away from these fires earlier. We are not getting better at getting the forest prepared for these type of fires and that is one thing we are lacking. Of fires and that is one thing we are lacking. How do you do that . What we are lacking. How do you do that . What we we are lacking. How do you do that . What we have we are lacking. How do you do that . What we have to we are lacking. How do you do that . What we have to do we are lacking. How do you do that . What we have to do is i that . What we have to do is weve got that . What we have to do is weve got to that . What we have to do is weve got to do that . What we have to do is weve got to do a that . What we have to do is weve got to do a lot that . What we have to do is weve got to do a lot more | that . What we have to do is weve got to do a lot more work on getting ourforest weve got to do a lot more work on getting our forest restored to a System Or Condition that when Fires Burn and droughts happen wejust dont when Fires Burn and droughts happen we just dont see the mortality, we dont see the ferocious fires, for a search the fire adapted but we need to have the middle of trees and fields in the ground so when fires happen and droughts happen we dont see the devastation of the speed of the fire. ~. ,. , ~. , devastation of the speed of the fire. ~. ,. , fire. Were looking at pictures aaain at fire. Were looking at pictures again at the fire. Were looking at pictures again at the wildfires. Fire. Were looking at pictures again at the wildfires. We fire. Were looking at pictures| again at the wildfires. We get lifted those from archive four years ago but now and that seems to be the frustration that it seems to be the Frustration Thatitis seems to be the frustration that it is taking so long to find a way to stop this happening. Find a way to stop this happening find a way to stop this happening. Find a way to stop this ha eninu. , happening. That is very true. The last five happening. That is very true. The last five years happening. That is very true. The last five years at the last five years at California State Government have really ta ken California State Government have really taken directions, resources, 400 Million a year are available to do welcome restoration so were releasing a Reason Kind of focus on the State Government to really work on this. But unfortunately this should have been having 40 or 50 ago. In either problem then, wejust never took 50 ago. In either problem then, we just never took decisive action and now we are paying for it. , ~ action and now we are paying for it. I. ~ , for it. Do you think it is auoin for it. Do you think it is going to for it. Do you think it is going to get for it. Do you think it is going to get worse for it. Do you think it is going to get worse thisj for it. Do you think it is going to get worse this Year Thanit going to get worse this year than it is now . Going to get worse this year than it is now . Yes, i think we are going than it is now . Yes, i think we are going to than it is now . Yes, i think we are going to be than it is now . Yes, i think we are going to be a than it is now . Yes, i think we are going to be a driver are going to be a driver probably another six weeks, unfortunately that will allow five to and spread. I feel much as a solo so there are at a very high rate. Their land in areas that are unbanned in sunny fires and that is the big problem this year. We have containment and delegates new onesjumping of the line, and Making It very difficult to contain. ~ Making It very difficult to contain. , ~ ,. , Making It very difficult to contain. , ~ ,. Contain. Thank you very much indeed for contain. Thank you very much indeed for your contain. Thank you very much indeed for your time contain. Thank you very much indeed for your time and contain. Thank you very much indeed for your time and your analysis. Thank you. Indeed for your time and your analysis. Thank you. Thank you. At least four people have died and more than A Million remain without power after Hurricane Ida slammed into the us Gulf Coast on sunday. Officials say electricity may not be restored in some areas for weeks. The mayor of New Orleans has imposed a night time curfew in the city to try to stem crime in the wake of the devastation. Two people were killed and at least 10 injured after a section of highway collapsed in mississippi late on monday. Local authorities believe that drivers involved in the collapse may not have been able to see the road properly because of the heavy rains. Steve caparotta is a meteorologist at Wafb Channel 9 in baton rouge, louisiana, from where hejoins me now. We spent a couple of nights ago and you are feeling like one of the lucky ones because the worst of the storm bypassed duet but you have got the worst of the side effects, though . You make No Doubt that of biggest issue has been the Power Outages tonight. We at el camino, we have political divisions in Louisiana Called Parishes that for the us calls counties. And 56 of the parishes are without Power And State wide in louisiana it is about A Million. State wide in louisiana it is aboutA Million. In state wide in louisiana it is about A Million. In the new Orleans Area that is about 95 0rleans Area that is about 95 so it is the power and the other big issue is it is kind of hard to find gas right now. And this is pretty typicalfor a hurricane like this that is one of the things we are wrestling with. I really want to be talking to the meteorology of this and imagine the parishes there. A mention to the maximal get their act together but may be some woody better than others which can create its own frustrations, of course. , course. This is Something Vessel wet course. This is Something Vessel wet every course. This is Something Vessel wet every time. I i course. This is something i vessel wet every time. I feel for the utility companies. It such a huge undertaking. The states primary Power Provider is a company which released a couple of hours ago, they said they have come up with two separate scenarios for the New Orleans separate scenarios for the new 0rlea ns area, separate scenarios for the new Orleans Area, one that would 0rleans Area, one that would bring the city potentially parts of the city back online within days, another that would take longer. The preferred scenario is one that will take longer because it is restoring the existing system. The one that would bring the city on faster is a temporary patch and it does not sound that they made the those are the sorts of things that are being wrestled with as they try to make the best of a really difficult situation. Best of a really difficult situation. ~ ,. ~ situation. We were Ust Talking to a professor i situation. We were jUst Talking to a professor about situation. We were jUst Talking to a professor about the i to a professor about the wildfires in california and he was making the point that in terms of Human Cost it is very low. Realistically i think looking at the hurricane, it has not been devastating in terms of the numbers of people. One is too many but were only talking about three or four people so far having lost their lives. That has to be a plus but i guess, for you, Synergy Starts Heaving A Sigh of relief that might be what youre youre looking back out as even the next one to come along. Ida the next one to come along. No doubt. The next one to come along. Iir doubt. They actually put together a Graphic Today showing that, you know, we categorise hurricanes on a scale of one to five. 0ne being sort of the weakest five being the strongest. 0n the one that a category three, four, five, we call those major hurricanes. We have got Hurricane Us back to 1851 and from 1851 to 2019 louisiana had been hit by 17 of those major hurricanes. About one every ten years. Now in the last year and two days weve been hit by three of those major hurricanes. So it is just been blow after blow and certainly everybody here is just fatigued and we realise we are relatively early in Hurricane Season and there could be additional ones. Titer . Could be additional ones. Very difficult to could be additional ones. Very difficult to just could be additional ones. Very difficult to just sit could be additional ones. Very difficult to just sit back could be additional ones. Very difficult to just sit back and get over it. Thank you very much indeed. Mt; get over it. Thank you very much indeed. My pleasure. One of the bbc� s most experienced journalists, Sarah Rainsford, who first started reporting from russia some 20 years ago, has been expelled from the country, because shes considered by the authorities to be a threat to National Security. Sarah has now been told she can never return to russia, a decision which the bbc says is a � direct assault on media freedom�. What follows is sarah� s own account of her departure from moscow. This was the moment i discovered i was being expelled from russia. According to a specific law, i� ve been designated a threat to National Security and, as such, i� m not allowed into the country. Pulled aside at passport control, i was told the Fsb Security Service had banned me for life. I recorded the conversation. I was returning from belarus, where i� d confronted Alexander Lukashenko on the Mass Repression and torture of peaceful protesters. His loyal supporters rounded on me. In a coordinated attack. Vladimir putin� s presenting this as just another working visit. I� ve reported from russia for two decades the Whole Span of vladimir putin� s presidency. There� ve been highs like the World Cup but i� ve also charted the slow erosion of freedoms here. The crackdown on dissent. A year ago, the government put me on short term visas. Sarah rainsford. Then i became the news, as State Television announced i had to leave. After tense negotiations, i had been allowed to enter russia. They let me in for now. But only to pack. I was then told my visa wouldn� t be renewed supposedly what happened to a russian reporter in london, but that was two years ago. When i was called in here, to the foreign ministry, they kept insisting that my expulsion was nothing personal they talked about it as a reciprocal move but they refused to even engage with the fact that i� ve been labelled a National Security threat. They said that was just a technical moment. But, at a time when russia is increasingly seeing enemies all all around, it really feels like i� ve now enemies all around, it really feels like i� ve now been added to the list. It� s happening as the pressure on russian journalists who don� T Toe the Kremlin Line is intensifying. Dozhd tv has just been added to a growing blacklist of media labelled foreign agents for getting funds from abroad. This terror of foreign agents means that We Dozhd we are enemies of the state. The pretending of being democracy is over. It is very bad, and it could become much worse any time. So, i� m leaving a country i first came to as the Soviet Union fell apart. When free speech or freedoms were new and precious. It feels like today� s russia is moving in reverse. Sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. And before we go, a reminder of our top story President Biden has defended the us withdrawal from afganistan, calling the Evacuation Mission an � extraordinary success�. Speaking at the white house, Mr Biden accepted responsibility for the decision to withdraw, saying it wasn� t an option to stay longer. Meanwhile, taliban figthters spent their first full day in control showing off the military gear the us left behind the images a stark reminder of the change of power in afghanistan. You can reach me on twitter i� m bbcdavideades. Hello there. The last day of august was a rather cloudy cooling with spots of drizzle across Eastern Areas. Best of any sunshine towards the west. Indeed the next few days of september are looking pretty similar, often cloudy, occasional drizzle in the east. A little bit of sunshine at times, particularly across more sheltered Western Parts. For wednesday, it� s a rather cloudy picture again. The thickest of The Cloud against eastern coast where we will see Light Rain or drizzle. But through the afternoon we could see quite a bit of sunshine for scotland, maybe Northern Ireland Western Fringes of wales and into the southwest. But it will be breezy across the channel. Certainly around the North Sea coast. That will take at the edge of the temperature, highs here around the mid to upper teens. Further inland a little bit warmer where you have the sunshine across Central Western Scotland in particular we could see temperatures reaching around 21 22 degrees. As we head through Wednesday Night it stays mostly cloudy so for england and wales, a bit of cloud continuing for Eastern Scotland then it will trundle its way eastward although some Western Parts of scotland, Northern Ireland could stay clear. It will be fairly cool under clear skies where we have The Cloud and the breeze 11 14 degrees. Very little change for thursday and friday. An area of high pressure still sitting on top of us and bringing this north, north easterly airflow. It� ll bring a lot of cloud again into northern and Eastern Areas in particular. Further west that you are a better chance of seeing some sunny breaks of course, temperatures in the sunshine reaching the low 20s. Otherwise it� s mid to high teens in The Cloudier spots. For the weekend, signs of change was an air of high pressure begins to break down and moves eastward which allows this area of low pressure to slowly push in from the atlantic. That� s going to bring in increasing breeze and also the chance of showers or even longer spells of rain particularly for part two of the weekend. Saturday doesn� t look too bad. Looks like it will stay mostly dry. Variable cloud, light winds. Light winds with some sunshine. The winds will start to pick up across southern and western areas as that area of low pressure arrives was up by The End of the day he could start to see Showery Burst Of Rain Arriving here. Temperatures, low 20s in the brighter spots. Mid to high teens across the far northeast. Into sunday it looks like we will see a band of Rain Start spreading across the country that could be quite heavy. Followed by sunshine and heavy showers. This is bbc news. The headlines. President biden has defended his decision to withdraw us troops from afghanistan a move which led to taliban militants returning to power after 20 years. Mr biden said staying longer was not an option, before praising troops for organising an airlift of more than 120,000 people. In kabul, taliban fighters have been showing off some of the Military Equipment and weapons left behind by us forces. They have also been pointing out that they now control more of afghanistan than they did 20 years ago. Rescue operations are continuing in louisiana as Hurricane Ida continues to bring life threatening floods. Authorities say it could take weeks to restore electricity and reliable Water Services to over One Million people after one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the us Gulf Coast. Now on bbc news, the travel show