you can watch the english streaming line and i do channels plus thousands of our programs award winning documentaries and get new to a subscribe to. you choose dot com. forward slash al jazeera english. ah . hundreds of people are still missing off the devastating floods in west and germany and belgium search continues as the cleanup begins. the, me know, i'm, i am new mazda in london. you're watching algae 0. so coming up on the program ago, shaffer's from the african government and the taliban tried to revive piece talks and joe, off against the background of increasing violence,

back home a president facing historic unrest. miguel diaz canal. one's misinformation is distorting the reality of what's really happening inside cuba and thailand. government is accused of trying to cover up the true scale of its corona virus crisis. cases that hit another record high. ah, now emergency workers in western germany and belgium is searching for hundreds of people believe to be missing off the devastating floods. more than a 150 people are confirmed to have died. but at figure is expected to rise. germany's chancellor anglo marco called the floods of catastrophe, pledging to support those have been effected, shall visit the region on sunday. in belgium, troops have been sent to 4 of the countries 10 provinces to help rescue in

evacuation efforts. the netherlands is also on iowa. now with towns and villages on the threat from rising water levels, while authority is a warning of possible land slides in switzerland. in a moment, we're here from natasha butler. she's in belgium for his 1st alger. there is stat voss and has more from the german town of arshad, where people are desperate to return to their homes, to assess the damage. what we're seeing now is that the relief efforts are actually picking up quite a bit here and stop. i'm here now at an ethical ation center where our base basically volunteers are handing out clothes, which is a very important item. people are really looking for right now to have been cut off from their homes because 2 days ago, early in the morning there was a huge land slide here in the f stop. so houses were covered completely by not hundreds of people have been taken out of that area and they are not allowed to go

back. which really angus and frustrates them because they really want to see how the condition of their houses. but they also want to get their belongings. they want to get important documents. it's sort of really desperate. this morning i spoke to a mother who actually told me that her son was covered under the month and didn't survive and out of really desperate to get into that area. they said, really want to see, but that's not allowed. so they have only to close that they were wearing at that time when the flash lot sold quickly came up. and so now they're desperately looking for clothes. and that's some item here that's been delivered to to them, but also the precedence. fine, my maya was here, lasha who is a kind of chancellor. we're here so reassuring worth. also from the government like we are helping you, but don't be too impatient because we want everything to be safe before you return to your home. well, in belgium, at least 27 people there of diets and citing began on wednesday over 100. people

are still missing the waters on our receding and that has allowed rescue is to access thousands of affected homes. it's actually reports now from the city of lage, where most of the victims have been found is not much to saver for some residence in this neighborhood of the belgian city of the age. most furniture and appliances are ruined, cause wrecked the flood waters that have caused so much damage have finally subsided. with a clean up, it has only just begun all it was just for the water cupboard the cupboards. pascal is still shaken, rising waters had forced her teenage daughter to climb onto the roof, where they were stranded overnight until a neighbor helped rescue them. she says it's only once they was safe, the reality drunk. one of them is all on the product. we have nothing left, no home, no furniture, clothes. it's so hard, but i say to myself, at least i saved my child as a mother,

that's the most important. it will be some time before residence in neighbourhood like this one comes to turn with what has happened. but what is lifting spirits is the fact that so many people have come here and rallied around to help hunting out food and water, or lending a hand, or nearly every effective st. volunteers off it up. as i said, it's about all a derossi's supporting people to show they aren't alone with this devastation when to see all these young people coming to help them during their summer holidays. well it's just amazing and heart warming, belgium's prime minister visited the town of a hospital. he's called the floods unprecedented, but this scientist says climate change is to blame. to go to the critic the rainfall was of course exceptional. but all of our climate data shows that it could happen again. the future emergency workers continue to move people from areas of homes considered unsafe as they reach regions that were cut off by flood waters.

they say they may find more bodies of dozens of people are missing. the hope here though is that they'll find survivors. natasha butler al jazeera. yes, belgium are now delegations from the afghan government and the taliban say they are focused on pace as they hold negotiations in qatar. the talks have just concluded for the day . the process has been very drawn out and it's taking place as violence is growing across afghanistan. the taliban has taken advantage of the u. s. troop withdrawal launching several offensives and capturing large parts of the country. while throughout the talks, there has been 4 main sticking points between the taliban and the afghan government, the on group once 40 calls, the genuine islamic system in the country wants to establish an interim. government

include a high council of clerics, while it's taking more territory on the ground. italian also wants to increase its political influence. it's demanding a power sharing agreement with the afghan government. but the government, meanwhile, any group of negotiated a series of prisoners swaps to try and build some sort of confidence between them. government also says that it wants the rights of women to be fully respected. it says a 3rd of all civil servants are currently women. and some have been job aid has more from the talks in doha as they were concluded of the talks between the taliban and representatives from a furnace on a number of issues were discussed, including the release of prison as d listing from united nations list. talk there was talk about amending the constitution and all inclusive government and a political roadmap to words piece the taliban insisting that before the talk there's a discussion about if cease fire across the right. it's on the needs to be an

inclusive government, which represents all segments of the gun society, not specifying how they're going to achieve it. but one thing that as the 1st step, but they've also been saying that because such a high power delegation has come to the company capital, they're willing to discuss everything that they are bringing to the tables. we hope, and we won't. and we, we expect that to be, should have brought something to get mental and on our side we are ready to short flexibility. and our aim is clear. and that is to have and slamming up on lucy wadman in place in our by nissan. and put an end to this phase of piping and into a new piece, which will be our piece and good for you. as the taliban discuss, be the situation on the ground in afghanistan has been deteriorating. there are people who have been expressing their concerns about how taliban have been digging,

not just district, but provincial capital, as well as coming to words the capital capital as well. we asked the minister for peace about what his hope is from this level of talks, as they're definitely not going to be conclusive in 48 hours. but he thinks that he, what he wants the other side to realize is that there is no, there is no solution by force to atlanta sons problem. and the only way ahead is through the go see a, we have to keep the door off. there is ocean open because the solution to the conflict is not violent. so the solution is actually meaningful negotiation to be very frank with you, we've been quite flexible and also tolerance to the part of the tool. so what's important is that i call upon to canada and to show the same flexibility,

same understanding that they need to understand that to have the intention of taking that kind of some by force is not going to work on saturday. these talks are going to be concluded, they are being closely monitored by the united states, the european union, as well as the host in all sides. not directly part of the negotiations, but doing what they can to try and persuade all sides the shorter strain to show flexibility, to try and think of the gun people. because as this fight is ongoing, as the united states is all set to leave by september, the 11th the people on the ground in a gun to sign and afraid they're thinking that they might use all of the hard for the freedom that they received in the last 20 years and on the taliban side, trying to tell them that there is no forceful solution to venice on and piece will only come when all side sit on the negotiation stable. they continue their work by talking to each other and come to a consensus on bringing peace to the daughter of afghan histones ambassador to

pakistan has been abducted and assaulted in as lama bond. the afghan foreign ministry says the 26 year old called seal. sheila eel was severely tortured and suffered blows the head. she was held for more than 5 hours. no one has been arrested. go to development in cuba now the former president, ro, castro as appeared alongside his success that miguel diaz canal at a large pro government rally in havana. the island communist government is pushing back against suggestions of widespread discontent. of the anti government protest recently routed thousands of cubans took to the streets last sunday to demonstrate against the handling of the pandemic. i'm the unfolding economic crisis, which has resulted in crippling shortages of basic goods group as government has accused the us of being behind the protest. what i don't know, my mom, we have come together once again to denounce the u. s. blockade aggression and

terror. not we could not put off this rally the enemy who once again, given everything to destroy the sacred unity and peace of citizen. so we spoke to re lindsey i, journalist based and havana with the new media organization belly of the piece. he told us a bit more about some of the reports and perceptions playing out on social media. foreign minister spoke to data foreign journalists and he actually said government wasting. ready a big news campaign and presented a slide showing our or thousands of going out a creative 6 social media campaign which, which was going on when, when the us broke out. and, and it seems, it seems like the 2 things are connected. there is a lot of it's very difficult to know what is going on a lot of them. ready are swelling around, i saw today information my an base. yeah. but the covers a cuba saying that there was a common way of problems with liberated liberated zone. but then i made. ready us

laugh, photograph come away, police station that street seems very calm and talk to people come away, said that they were normal there and that there was a tooth from the state authority. they government say, i don't believe fake news and i miss it all that. it's not just social media now internet is down. generally. i've got even here at the office here, but industry cell data is pretty much off the people. so it's hard to stay connected. hard to know what's going on. exactly. but overall i was calling today and it's sort of day to day here in cuba. well, i've seen national says about 200 people is still in jail following those demonstrations in cuba out there, a spoke to 2 people who have been released. john holman, has more on that story now. cries of liberty rent the air in cuba this sunday.

and the biggest protests in more than 25 years. they blame the government for chronic shortages of food medicine and the lack of freedom of expression. but it quickly hit back by police and government supports is taking on those cooling for change. human rights organizations say hundreds with born in jail. ringback now al jazeera, make contact with 2 of them who have phillips mosque is, was released on wednesday. he told us he wasn't even protesting and was arrested for taking photos of government supporters arriving in laurie's they took my cell phone and grabbed him, carried me. they put me in a car of the energy ministry handcuffed me and took me to the police station. he believes that's where he caught cove it. he tested positive when he got out in a cell, the size of a room there about a 100 people. i was standing up unable to move the shoulder to shoulder with them,

but he says on the people fed worse, he broke someone's nose in front of me, and they did a very consciously because they always avoided doing it in front of the cameras. the president admitted some state failings, but insist shortages of the full of a long term us embargo. and that protested with a violent model up a sort of people attended or participated in these events with vending shouting for lynchings. unique garcia, a play right? the government that is simply abandoned the people wonder when fidel castro started the revolution. he said it was with the pole by the pole and for the pole. but now the poor are in jail. this revolution died at some point in history. and what we have now is an elite group of people in power who don't want to lose it in any way . he and of the protest is demanded 15 minutes, rare time, and stay tv to reply to be out today. she's against them. this is them being costs

it often trucks to jail instead. and then we didn't have access to a lawyer or the chance of a phone call. our families didn't know where we'd been taken out and we didn't know what would happen to us. he was set free a day later. now he says he's effectively on the house arrest. it's something the amnesty international says is become common in a country long and tolerant of descent. was talking about a site that doesn't lesson and doesn't know how to dialogue. and that's a real concern because we saw the president some days ago about the streets belonging to missionaries as if the street doesn't belong to other people. of course, the demands of those of furniture voices, light union is simple. wow. 7 get on them and i wanted to mock christine with liberty and election and in to the u. s. in bar. and the sooner it comes, the better. none of those things like moving any closer. present john home and does

it a much more lead for you on the program. the tokyo olympics reported 1st covey case inside the athletes village. 6 days before the games kick off, i will take a look at the annual hodge season, which has started in saudi arabia with more security and social distance imagined. ah, the there is still rain floating around the same culpable depression that brought the flooding. the extraordinary rain in germany, it's sitting now of the gym and i was circulating around it will give something of a flood threat to croatia, bossy in his garment, but not the same degree. about half the amount of the matter rain fell in germany will, is destined few in the west balcony, which means things improve germany,

the netherlands and belgium. in fact, if anything, it's warming up slightly. and that has been the story of europe until that flooding outbreak. we've seen warmth in east of the balkan states, up to scandinavia, and the off. it's been the case for the west bass changing dramatically. now, helsinki, it's cooling down little bit, not quite from reco values, but from high values down to average. whereas in london, as an example of western europe, we're up to the 30s this weekend, not a record well above where it's been for the whole of this year. that's larger of wards extends all the way down through france and covers spain. the res, i said concentrating in the balkans, leaving most a central europe behind. rain in africa sees no rain has been that is heaviest. recently on the coast of nigerian donna that is a major runway. it's closed the

when freedom of the press is under threat. in oh, you just because i thought, genuinely about your thought toward the making government step outside the mainstream, there has been a implement here just some of access points that shift the focus the pandemic that's turned out to be a handy little pretext. the prime minister clamped down on the press covering the waves. the news is covered the listening post on the just oh the ah, welcome back, a look at the main stories now and emergency work has been way in germany and belgium and searching for hundreds of people believe to be missing off the

devastating floods. more than 160 people arkansas to have died that that figure is expected to rise allegations from the afghan government and the taliban say they are focused on piece. as negotiations held in the gulf state of cat on the long stall talks are taking place as violence is growing across got it done. the former cuban prize iraq castro is appeared alongside his successor mackenzie as canal and the pro government rally in havana. the islands communist government is pushing back again. ingestion of widespread discontent, often take government protest. now south africans in parts of the country have started cleaning up st. smalls, and sharps after a week of some of the worst violence the country has seen since the end of a heartache, the president. so a rama post that says the riots were coordinated and well planned and an attack on

south africa democracy. more than 200 people have been killed, the unrest was sponsored by the jailing of former president jacob zoom up, but then quickly developed into demonstrations against poverty and inequality. i'm opposed to deploy 25000 soldiers to reinforce security efforts. has the instigators use the pre tags of political grievance to provoke a popular insurrection? so he spoke to one business on edge, an aide at ball who lives in dublin. he says that poverty is the main reason for this violence. business was located when allies and one to the amount of ins we paid in the 4 days was best if there was no way we could have all the predicted this that this is going to come to us. and if it's so sad that it has hit a lower for jane supplies, and people are hungry and looting,

and they can't find bread. the confines for major fester is poverty, poverty, the criminal element in typhoid and job polity as a pool to bring the people and mobilize people to come out and create. this met him a while and that was in my view is the main fact that it was a poverty was the main thing which can live in element used the very 1st day with if i left broke down, i am on the ground. there was no attacks on, on, we were here on does it on trying to protect what we have. it takes you to stand on front of a business, but they did not try to a hit us that that was not the intention they are given by the said direction. i

believe from the mental only law. and i am, when the business is in syria, the president, bashar i sat, has been sworn in for a 4th time in office after an election, which was dismissed by the opposition. as a foss side has been an office for 21 years after taking over from his father half as i thought he's refused to resign from the presidency despite serious decade long civil war and ongoing international pressure. meanwhile, 6 people were killed when government forces on the north west village of far jer, quoting his serious volunteer emergency service, the white helmet. several homes were flattened in the assault south of live, a government offensive, his escalated in recent weeks as troops edge towards restoring control of the last rebel held and life. iranians of march through the streets of the oil rich possessed on province in protest against water shortages. their release reportedly

fired weapons to disperse. the crowds or the shortages do happen in iran, southern provinces during the summer months with a low rainfall making the problem worse. this year we're test is are blaming the government's policy of diverting water resources to central provinces. now, to thailand, the government issued a new corona virus decree, giving them the sweeping powers to suppress the news that it sees as causing fear or panic. but the opposition is accusing the government of trying to obscure its handling of the pandemic. and it comes as the country so another record, high of more than $10000.00 cases. tony chang has our port now from bangkok. a warehouse close to bangkok, dogs, now an emergency vaccination site. this area has seen some of the highest rates of infection in the ty capital. but even here, there are only 500 shares available. i think we can't wait for advice from the

government. we have to help ourselves. i'm lucky that there's some vaccines left for me, but there are others who suffer more than me. how many miles went out and becoming more depressed. and i'm scared when i watch news about co that. especially when people that i know caught the virus and they conditions getting worse as new cobit 19 restrictions have come into place, including a nighttime curfew. the thai government has also imposed an emergency decree that gives it powers to arrest and charged any one spreading information that could create there among the public. regardless whether it's true or false. the new powers come up to control the c regarding thailand's vaccine roller which relies heavily on the sign back an astrazeneca vaccines. those now appear to be less effective against new variance. and in short supply, when opposition and p is cool for greater transparency regarding the deals done with astrazeneca, the contract they were sent had all of vital information blacked out,

like the budget and delivery dates. effective vaccines like pfizer, madonna, from the united states have still not reached thailand, raising suspicions about the government's procurement process. u. s. companies are not allowed to pay commission and that money. and this me, some people think that if there's a reason that thailand to tie government never fitted us back theme, you had made back things because you had, companies cannot find, cannot pay bribe. but there are some things the thai government come suppress the cobra. 1900 destiny is now greater every day that it was in the whole of 2020 as crematorium, struggle to keep up with demand. the emergency decree may keep some of the criticism bay, but there is growing frustration with the government has mishandled the found the vaccination program and the economic blowback of the pandemic. and those voices growing louder every day. tony chang al jazeera bank of the 5 cases. the

corona virus has been confirmed inside the athletes village in tokyo, just 6 days before the started and pick games. the officially hasn't been identified is in isolation in a hotel. now, after being removed from the village, there have been 44 positive cases linked to the olympics. since the start of july, i oh, i see that it does, you must for the athlete money to disclose this information thoroughly every day. i understand it's a big concern for people that have received our information and for athletes. we will come here and under all circumstances we need people to understand the games are safe. so we will work hard to share and disclose information and respond accordingly. for the 1st time, women will be able to perform the hedge el camino without a male relative accompanying them to saudi arabia ended. it's guardianship requirements. but because of the pandemic,

only saudi residents can attend and in limited numbers. sorry, high right, has worn out on this years. restrictions around the hodge malik fulton, my mood doesn't meet the requirements for this. he is, has in saudi arabia and 66 year old in pakistan is one of nearly 2500000. must them from around the world missing the annual gathering for the 2nd year because of the pandemic. so malick is now pending his hopes on going in 2022 instead. if it's, i'm not going to, but i had to run on the, i mean nobody can trust this life. there's no guarantee that i'll be alive even for another 2nd. so in my heart, i wish i can do the hush. every muslim tries to go, but it is god's fight. why the saudi arabia has limited numbers to just 60000 vaccinated residents, age between 16 and 65. and it's implementing strict coded 19 measures at the holy sites. social distancing is a must even in prayer,

pilgrims have also been put in groups with a government guide to ensure safety protocols are followed, and the new digital system has been introduced. worshipers must use a small call to gain entry to the holy sites. it also contains their medical history and services for food and transport. some of the pilgrimage. this is happening under exceptional circumstances. new things have been created for the 1st time, like online submissions to the hodge ministry and electronic payment. behind the scenes, police are making the most of the reduce numbers and all testing out new technology can receive a call in 2 seconds and we pass it's necessary for a teeth in less than 45 seconds using an advanced technical system. hodge is one of the largest gatherings in the world and brings in an annual revenue of $12000000000.00 for the saudi government. but the pandemic has had a devastating effect on businesses, especially for hard travel agencies,

both in saudi arabia and abroad. got them had good luck hash and i think close for 2 years now, and there is nothing that can be done about it. but we're in the process of closing the highest or a union handing over a file to the ministry of labor. we ask god to end this, worry this greece and this pandemic for all my, my left foot in the car was up for many muslim, the highs remains a lifelong dream and at least for those living in saudi arabia, they'll be able to fulfill it this year. so to hide under zito. ah, i just want to take you through the main stories we're covering this tower and emergency workers in western germany and belgium, searching for hundreds of people believe to be missing off the devastating unprecedented floods. more than a 160 people are now confirmed to have died, but the figure is likely to rise. germany's.