30/08/2017 Outside Source

Hello, I'm Ros Atkins, this is Outside Source.

Tropical Storm Harvey has reached land again.

This time Louisiana must feel its force -

as Houston continues to face severe flooding - we'll be live there.

North Korea says the firing of this missile over Japan on Tuesday

was only "the first step" of military operations

And while the UN Security Council condemned the test -

already Russia and China have criticised American

In Venezuela, the new constituent assembly wants some opposition

This is the UN on the health of democratic life there.

I think it must be barely alive, is still alive, is the way I would look

at it. If you want to get

in touch - #bbcOS. Tropical storm Harvey has reached

land again - in Louisiana. After devastating parts of Houston,

it's been in the Gulf of Mexico, This is the projected

path for the storm. Heading in an north-easterly

direction through The Zorya, Tennessee and Kentucky.

New Orleans should miss the worst of it -

and the storm will lose intensity as it moves inland.

The cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur received more

than 20 inches of rain overnight and while the storm moves on -

the heart of the story remains in Houston where

Here's what the Texas governor said earlier.

The rain that was received in the Harris County area has

Now that rain has moved to the Beaumont region

Approximately 15 inches of rain have already fallen in that area,

The worst is not yet over for south-east Texas as far

There will be ongoing challenges in the time rain continues to fall,

as well as for approximately four days to a week to come.

Specifically, flooding conditions that will continue to be a challenge

Here are some of the pictures that have come in. Huge swathes are

underwater. Many, many rescues have occurred, around 3000 people have

been picked up. This is one being conducted by helicopter, with a

mother and baby being picked up off a rooftop. The death toll so far

with this storm is 20, but the authorities are saying that they

expect this figure to rise. Many thousands of people have been left

homeless. These pictures from shelters and temporary

accommodation. It's estimated that around 30,000 people are in need of

this type of help. With many homes empty, there are concerns about

looting and crime in general, so a curfew has been introduced. Here is

Houston's mayor explaining why. Frankly, no one needs to be on the

road or out from ten until five. There are too many people from

across our cities who are out of their homes, and they are in

shelters. I don't want them to have to worry about someone breaking into

their home or looting, or anything of that nature, while they are away.

The BBC's Laura Trevelyan is in Houston.

She updated us on the situation a short time ago.

What are the practicalities for people in this neighbourhood getting

around? The answer is right behind me. Can you see that boat over my

shoulder? There's been a flotilla of rescue boats all day. You can see

the extent of the flooding in this neighbourhood, flooding that has

been exacerbated by the fact they are doing a controlled release of

reservoirs. The authorities are saying that is stopping the

reservoirs from completely breaking their banks. The only way to get

around is by boat, but the rescue workers are taking a specific

position. They are only rescuing people, not taking them back to get

their belongings. We've just seen a baby being rescued, a baby coming

out of this car seat covered in a blanket, because it is so hot here

as well. There hasn't been very much good news in the past five days.

More than 16,000 rescues have been carried out, and authorities saying

it will take years to recover from this. I remember going to New

Orleans Saints all years after hurricanes Katrina and visiting

neighbourhoods that were not even close to recovery. Is the fear that

things will not be recoverable here? People haven't got round to

estimating. Behind my shoulder is an airboat. It looks like a gigantic

fan, powered by the air, which means they can go faster over shallow to

rain, which is what we are experiencing here. As to the damage,

the clean-up, the cost, other than saying billions of dollars, no one

really knows yet. Right now, Houston is still in emergency mode. National

services warning that there could be catastrophic, life-threatening

flooding still in Louisiana, over the next few days. Those rivers that

have romcom their banks, the water begins to crest as it runs inland.

We are still in a dynamic situation. There is a rescue happening right

there behind me. A lady there in a green T-shirt, just getting off that

airboat. One of the latest people to be rescued here in Houston. More

than 16,000 rescues have taken place in the last few days. That lady

there just one of the latest to be rescued, looking very relieved

indeed. I spoke to a man who had been rescued, who told me they had

made it since Friday. They didn't think they would need rescuing this

morning, that because some areas have received more than 50 inches of

rain, the flooding kept happening. Can you tell me more about what is

happening behind you? Who would be co-ordinated in these rescue

efforts? We have seen National Guard boats this morning and Texas police

boats. We have seen a lot of volunteer boats, but an airboat is

something very specific. I would think that the boat behind me is a

contractor that's been hired by the government, but I don't actually

know because I haven't spoken to any of the airboat operators yet. This

road has been flooded, but it's been turned into a slipway, into a

marina. Maybe 50 or 60 boats we have seen here this morning, because as

the west point to get entrance into this hugely flooded neighbourhood

behind me. Laura, fascinating to see the work going on there in Houston

as Laura is talking to us. Gives you an idea of the days and weeks of

work to come, because it is still a little while since the storm hit

Houston, but still those problems continue, and the rescues.

If you're wondering what the US position on North Korea is,

In response to the North Koreans firing a ballistic missile

over Japan on Tuesday, Donald Trump tweeted one

'The US has been talking to North Korea,

and paying them extortion money, for 25 years' and 'talking

Not long after that, the US Defence Secretary spoke after

We are never out of diplomatic solutions. We continue to work

together, and we share responsibilities to protect our

nations and our interests. That is what we are going to discuss today.

The UN Security Council meeting has condemned North Korea's actions -

This is the UK's Prime Minister Theresa May is in Japan.

I want to work with our partners to stop these illegal tests. There will

be discussions in the UN Security Council, and I'm pleased there was a

united condemnation of North Korea from the UN Security Council, but we

want to work with international powers to see what further pressure

can be brought on North Korea, and particularly what China can do.

There has been united condemnation, but that doesn't mean all the main

countries agree on how to respond to North Korea. Here is Vincent Lee of

BBC Chinese, explaining how China would like to see this dealt with.

China's reaction has always been very standard. China wants a

diplomatic rather than military solution, or tightening the sanction

on North Korea. China is seemingly not very keen on imposing further

sanctions against North Korea, because there is a real danger that

the regime is going to collapse. China is not very keen on military

action against North Korea, and China has been very worried by the

recent fire and fury blasted by the US president would really cause

military action against North Korea. Give us a more detailed idea of what

the Chinese approach would look like if they were in charge? Many years

ago there was a six party talks which involved China, Russia, the

US, North Korea, South Korea and Japan. China is keen to call for the

resumption of six party talks, because China thinks only through

diplomacy can this issue be solved. North Korea is posing a really big

problem for China domestically as well. Also relevant to this is the

close relationship between America and Japan. Donald Trump and Shinzo

Abe spoke earlier on the phone about North Korea, and lots of people are

monitoring this situation, and particularly Japan's reaction to

what North Korea are doing. There is some speculation that Prime Minister

are they could use this recent test as a platform to increased Japan's

military influence. I want to put the idea to Vincent from BBC

Chinese, and how China would view Japan flexing its military muscles.

China has always been very wary of Japanese military expansion. A few

years ago, Shinzo Abe wanted to expand Japan's role of self defence,

provoking fury from Beijing. Last year, on Donald Trump 's campaign

Trail is, he said he would allow South Korea and Japan to go nuclear,

so China is very wary of this. Don't forget, being more aggressive on the

military front is a hugely contentious issue within Japan. You

mentioned this issue has been basically settled since the end of

the Second World War. In Japan, there is a real sense that this

military expansion in Japan is coming back. A lot of people are not

happy with that. In a few minutes, we will hear from BBC Arabic,

updating us on the Iraqi military's efforts taking on the Islamic State

group in a key stronghold of IVF in the north of Iraq.

The Scottish Labour party is looking for its fourth leader

in less than three years, after Kezia Dugdale

They will meet in ten days' time to consider the process

The Lothians MSP says the party is in a much better state

than when she came to office - and insists she wasn't pushed out

of the job because of past comments about Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

What I'm trying to do is something that politicians rarely do, which is

to leave with my head held high without any sort of crisis. I have

been in this leadership role in a very difficult time in my party's

history. A lot has happened in 2.5 years, but there four years until

the next election, so I want to give the next person space and time to do

the right thing by the party. This is Outside Source live

from the BBC newsroom. Tropical Storm Harvey

has reached Louisiana - as Texas continues to

battle severe flooding. Some of the main stories from BBC

world service. A Brazilian court has suspended

a government decree that would have opened up a vast natural reserve

in the Amazon to commercial mining. Police in Rwanda have denied reports

that they have arrested a prominent opposition leader,

Diane Shima Rwigara, and her mother. Reports say that unknown armed men

dressed in civilian clothes spent a night outside her home before

storming in on Wednesday morning. Her family say that they don't know

where she and her mother are now. And I hard drive containing

unfinished works by Terry Pratchett have been crushed by a steam roller.

This was requested by Terry Pratchett himself, who didn't want

anyone to continue works he had started. As promised, an update on

the Iraqi government offensive against the Islamic State group.

They have recaptured an area around the city of Tal Afar. There has also

been fighting in a smaller town, where some IS fighters had fled to.

When Iraqi government forces say this is worse than Mosul, we know it

is serious. It is. But the importance of Tal Afar, especially

because most of the fighters of Islamic State skipped the fighting

in Tal Afar and went to Al-Ayadiya, it means that most of the leaders

who were formed after the 2003 dismantling of the Iraqi army, were

actually formed in Tal Afar. That is because they were the ex-officers of

the Iraqi army. They were hiding in Tal Afar after 2003, and this was

captured by Al-Qaeda briefly between 2004 and 2006, and then again in

2014 by the so-called Islamic State. Most of those elements were running

from Tal Afar in the week that the fighting was going on. They went to

this small village of Al-Ayadiya, and all the fighting is now going on

in that small village, which is why the Iraqi army is running a very

intense battle there. Is there any way out for the Islamic State

fighters who are there, or is this a fight to the death? Experts watching

Al-Ayadiya say there are two or three tunnels between Al-Ayadiya and

fracker, but the Iraqi army tried to prevent them from using them. The

Syrian regime and the American forces running the umbrella batter

over there, they are waiting for them over there. If the battle for

Al-Ayadiya, Mosul and the other battle in Iraq, if the three battles

are closed for the Islamic State in Iraq, that might mean the end of IVF

in Iraq. Does it get extensive coverage in Iraq, or do people

become slightly immune to the fighting that continues week after

week? After those three battles in Iraq, East Mosul, West Mosul and

Al-Ayadiya, people are feeling for the Turkmen, because they form 90%

of that local population. These people are more or less immune to to

the battles. The Iraqi government say they are going to form safe

passages for them. Fears are coming out from Kurdistan because they are

saying that... The Iraqi government are saying that they are not going

to repeat the fears that came out of the Mosul battles. All we can take

is the Iraqi government's guarantees. Thank you very much

indeed. If you speak Arabic, you can get coverage of this story on BBC

Arabic online. Now for a story being covered by BBC India.

The Delhi High Court is considering a petition

It given a statement to the court which argues that doing this

"may destabilise the institution of marriage apart from being an easy

"What may appear to be marital rape to an individual wife,

You might have thought a woman is the best judge

of whether she's been raped - but that is the

And adding to the outcry - the husband of the foreign minister

- a former governor himself - tweeted this:

"Our homes should not become police stations."

I asked Neha Bhatnagar from BBC Hindi if the government had offered

any further justification for its stance.

The government has gone on to say that they will look at trying to

increase moral and social awareness about this topic, but they have said

that India is unlike any other country. The whole institution of

marriage is considered very sacred, and this kind of move could

completely destabilise the institution of marriage, say the

government, and that some wives could use it as a tool of harassment

to victimise men. But of course, people are talking about it quite a

lot, saying this is not the right kind of approach or attitude. Some

well-known people have gone on to tweet that even our neighbours in

Nepal and Bhutan have criminalised marital rape, but why is India not

doing that? If it is criminalised in a country like Britain, why not in

India? It is the Delhi High Court considering this, not the

government. Not at this stage. Several positions are at the High

Court in India about this issue. The High Court had asked the government

to respond on this issue, and this is what the government has said. But

the High Court is considering many angles. Men have said that there

have been many cases of misuse of gender equality laws in India, and

some man have sent they have felt quite harassed. The High Court has

said they will look at the other side of this argument as well and

see what lies ahead in India. This is a very big issue in India.

Anything to do with sexual abuse or exploit meant is a big issue.

Everyone is aware of the extent of this issue in India. Only 0.6% of

cases of sexual abuse by their husbands are reported. Some feel

that it is brushed aside, and perhaps criminalising it will bring

it more to the forefront, and if a woman does feel abused in a

marriage, she will then speak up, not just in a civil court of law,

but in a criminal way. If it was to be done, it would have a bigger

impact. When the Delhi High Court releases its judgment, we will

update you. Texas is dealing with Tropical Storm

Harvey. President Trump is unveiling plans to change the tax system, and

slash corporate tax from 25% to 15%. Michelle, a number of questions on

this. We knew he had planned to do this, didn't we? We are seeing

Donald Trump launching his big push, the legislative push, to try to get

tax reform done. Stephen Nugent has said he hopes to get it done by the

end of the year. We heard in the past that he hopes to get it done by

the summer. Now there is a real possibility that Congress is just

too busy to get it done on that time frame. You mention the cutting of

the corporate tax rate, and broadly speaking, that was just one of the

areas he gave details. He wants it to be simple and easy to understand,

he wants the tax code to be more competitive, he wants tax relief for

middle-class families, and he wants to bring back offshore profits,. The

details on how to get this dump will be left to Congress. This is a tough

one politically. Lots of his critics on Twitter are saying that this

speech should have been delayed at the very least. He started his

speech talking about Texas. There had been criticism ahead of this,

saying that when Donald Trump spoke yesterday, he wasn't empathetic

enough with the victims of the flood. Today you saw him trying to

address that when he began speaking. Then he had to make an awkward hand

brake switch back to the topic of the day, which was tax reform. For

some, clearly, that is a difficult switch to swallow. Michelle, thank

you very much. I will be back with you in a couple of minutes with more

of the main stories from around the world.

Good evening. Harvey dominates our world headlines at the moment.

Southeast Texas, Cedar Bayview is the wettest