we say we need to take america to try to bring people together trying to deal with people who've been left behind me. oh, this is al jazeera. ah, hello and welcome. i'm pete adobe. you are watching the news live from coming up in the next 60 minutes. the taliban says it's captured another afghan provincial capital is government forces fight defensive battles across the country. the protest across runs against the corona virus health paused

due to become mandatory for monday. the c a guess and the rest and the ty, capital protest is angry at the government's pandemic response. and calling for reforms also had the mounting challenge facing greek rescue teams as they struggled to contain wildfires that have left thousands homeless, homeless and not have all the action from the tokyo olympics. and always jacob, the angle mission has become the 1st runner from europe to win demands 1500 meters in almost 2 years. ah, the taliban says it's taken over a 2nd. afghan provincial capital is the un ones. the conflict has reached a dangerous turning point. taliban video from the city of ship gun shows the arm

group proceeds, buildings including the police headquarters and the prison, the government ascending reinforcements, and conducting air strikes and a bit to re take control of the city. it's come just a day after the southern city of the ranch felt the taliban pictures posted line showed captured military vehicles being driven through the streets, flying taliban flags. and a funeral is being held for darwin con, menopause. the government's top media officer who was assassinated by the taliban. on friday, the afghan president asked ref, connie says his killers will be punished. doing that, but the enemies of f canister can not arise. the history of a gun, a stone, and they can not take our honors away from us. and clearly my promises that we will find the killers and god willing we will punish them. poor. everyone should know that we are standing in place like a mountain. their waists will be broken because they have no message other than evil. they fill coffins with young people and send them like savages. this is not

humanity. we stand for the humanity, life and dignity of afghanistan. and this is our village and shallow bell as has morn out from cobble a government affiliated source has told us that sure the gun has fallen, although it is quite nuanced and fluid. the taliban say that they took control of the city on saturday afternoon. they took control of the police office, the intelligence officers, the governors compound, they even broke into the prison and released a number of prisoners. now the government says that they don't have full control of the city, that security forces remain at the port and that they are planning a counter offensive. they have started, it strikes and that they are sending in special forces and reinforcements for this counter offensive to try to take the city. if sure, the gone back, not if it is confirmed to be fallen, it would be the 2nd provincial capital to fool and f gonna stop in just 2 days. and to put that into context for you, the last time

a provincial capital fell was in 2015, and that was condos. and that was very briefly the very concerning for the afghan government. we were with the interior minister earlier, you had to rochelle for an emergency meeting with the defense minister. and then later president ghani prison also met with marshall dawson leader from jos jan province. as the government here looks to see what they can do to push the telephone back out of the city. now that is not the only place where there is heavy fighting. there is strikes and a lot of gunfire in the cities of kansas city, herat, and also lash cargo in helmand shot as well as reporting there. let's talk again to summer. he's a former african diplomat. he joins us on skype from washington. omar, welcome back to the news. is the taliban on the verge of completely taking over the country here? i wouldn't say on the verge, but they may be on the way. meaning that it will very much depend on what tone of

on thinking and we're talking about strategy. is it to take as many act provincial capitals, and as much terry as possible, or at school for the juggler into a cobble at the end of the larger cities and full control of the country? i. my view is that it's all about also know how much weight and how much power they had and the maybe engaged in some kind of reinforcement of the political leverage. meaning that you want to gain as much as possible in order to use that. sure to never later, i didn't negotiating. political leverage is one thing coming back from so many civilian deaths just in the past month is something completely different? shouldn't we now be questioning the taliban apparent commitment or lack thereof to a political settlement? so this could mean that at the moment, the last 23 years,

if you go back to even longer to 2010, i remember that the americans and the all edge and others are trying to find a political solution on it's done. it's been a very long war. all styles are tired, i am sure. even though it's all about me feel the tendency. but at this point, there has to be some pressure brought upon both the taller one as well as pressure on cobble to be ready to compromise and, and be ready to agree to terms that maybe may not be suitable to mr. honey. but for the sake of the country, they may have to do something that is agreeable to most africans. and can, can end the war in the carnage and put a stop back on a peaceful track. why would the taliban agree to any preconditions brought to bear

in an atmosphere pressure? one assumes pressure difficult to know where it would come from. but presumably born out of the the peace talks process taking place here in katha they have numerous locations. if you go back and read the statements said that they want a political sacrament. so on one hand you're saying that on the other hand they feel like maybe others are not ready for that. so. ready the environment is not ready for that. the region may not be ready for that other powers before that the situation and the hardest on boils further and, and becomes more a war like, i think, is tolerable, need to realize that and to gain control of this territory is one thing holding onto it as another thing governing obviously is much more difficult. so when, if the ask them of the, the question, they realize it back in the 990, they had

a lot of problems governing in upon the stone and still the same problem will arise again, knowing that international committee will not recognize them as they wish to be recognized, we've been hearing from the un, deborah lyons in the past. what 2436 hours now. she is clearly drawing parallels between what's going on in afghanistan and syria and even sarajevo during the 19 ninety's. is the taliban prepared to jettison the political credibility that it might get if it sticks or stays with a political process or looks like it staying with the political process? is it prepared to jettison that political respectability and just take over the country? i think that the lease case of syria may be the worst case scenario for afghanistan, if the country continues to fall apart,

and that would always be shared responsibility that will be shared on the war and actions you couldn't call upon. i think it told him on it realized that they have some level of the commission, family, medical clout. they have good relations with some countries in the region. but at the same time, they have to realize that there are 2 things that international community will not stand for. and also the africans will have problems with one is the fact that they will impose by force to minutes mean then on afghan is there. and the 2nd one obviously, is that they want to reestablish the everett which always he has to be discussed. they ask and people who to decide what kind of regime they want the future. okay, we've got to leave that on my summer. joining us from washington on sky. many thanks. so my good to talk to you. not more still to come for you here on the news are including more than 3000000 vaccinations in 6 days, bangladesh sets. and i'm bishop cobit 19 target. and the 20th anniversary of the

$911.00 attacks approaches, we talked to families who are still demanding answers. and in sports, kevin gerard, to make us basketball history guides, team to go with thousands of people in thailand have taken part in anti government protest in bangkok, calling for the prime minister to resign. in addition to the demands for political reform protest as an angry at the government's response to the most severe wave of corona virus cases, florence louis with the latest the fine cove at 19 restrictions on gathering. and t government demonstrated faced off with police just 500 meters from the prime minister's residence in bangkok, police fire tear gas and rubber bullets, but said it was in retaliation to protest is throwing fire crackers and other

objects at the what police have been doing is to strictly follow police at major abilene operations based on the domestic law that the lot that goes protest just had gathered around victory monument on their bikes earlier on saturday afternoon. a youth lead protest smoothman for democracy rose up last year . but last momentum often increase in probate 19 cases and the rest of several protest leaders. but people are once again protesting, angered by the government handling of the pen debit. people are out on the street because they are suffering. the government shut down the economy, but we didn't get any kind of compensation from the government to opt out. i mean, it's up to you, it's monthly. right now, people need a good vaccine. what we see, people die every day. people have to fend for themselves because the government

can't help much. thailand has been reporting record highs in new infections and death is this week. it's vaccination campaign has been sluggish. the protesters are also calling for part of the budget for the monarchy and the military to be redirected to fight the corona virus surge in the country. florence louis al jazeera, now tens of thousands of people in france of joint processed against the new cove at 19 health passed from monday. they'll need to get it. it's a habit rather to get into cinema's restaurants, bars and other public spaces and places opponent say, it infringes the civil liberties. frances constitutional court ruled the pass code largely compliance with the republic funding charter. the french president emanuel macklin hopes the mules will encourage people to get vaccinated. let's bring in an elizabeth would say she's the french jealousy, joins us from paris, annals of which welcome back to the news of the people demonstrating on the streets of france. now they're not all anti vexes, so is it that they've got

a problem with being forced towards being vaccinated, or do they have a problem with a manual macro? well, they have a white, right, that is a problem with a manual mccoy also front, right? to say that they're all different trains within the demonstrations. and actually you've got different groups to demonstrate, just sort of in really cohesive groups that don't mingle with one another. oh, you got tell you extreme right wings warranty boxes. you've got less twin, good war against the attempts you've talked against liberty and who also are coalescing the kind of a position that the french atomized left cannot create. it's sort of outside the traditional ring bosses, but it's very prevalent if the government going to be listening to them in any change of direction. way know 1st of all because the government has completed them. that would be proven. i think that's wilful. they hope that is

their hope. they're not seeing the demonstration that it is not working, but they have done that he'll do them. they say that the measures that president hall has introduced to not being introduced or being considered in every countries, most notably in the united states and germany, that they all necessary. but the more of them that you have measures, and that's the fact that my call is now facing a difficult reelection in next year. and the unrest of people who really would like to see the back of them. because she's so diminished the part played by traditional partitions. traditional vault is that's the way the the position will express itself on my side. is he in trouble politically, therefore, and if he'd introduce it in a gentler kinder way, would people maybe have been more disposed to accept it? i think the one thing that people didn't like people perfectly understood that

especially during the year and a half ago at the beginning of a panoramic, we did not know what was hitting up and so there were mistakes. but everybody make mistakes. i mean, take it for an ignoble voice, johnson in britain and for a couple of weeks they decided of following the advice of interior colors that they should do. seek hard immunity by just letting the virus circulate. it was that it didn't work. and then the big change talking several story didn't work. we're doing something else. my whole has all of the things administered and all sorts of things, but they were contradictory and they never at any moment apologize. they 1st told us that we didn't need not wear masks that were unnecessary, and it was a technical gesture to technical for us p. o, basically to put on march. and then the minute they had enough muffed to turbo to provide for the population. they said it was compulsory and nobody ever said we were all the 1st time. and i think that's the if the arrogance of the answer to that is not flying very well. i don't think from managed to condemning much. was

that anybody else? everybody made the same mistakes at different times, but certainly the way about it was with 1st authoritarian and then a sort of dispensing one cell from there and then finding something else. again, to think that it's a style that really is sort of proving not good for the president when it comes to the presidential style. is this a unique ingredient, if you will, to paris? because paris, politically, at every general election of france, every presidential election, paris always kind of tilts towards the left i would say, and every poll confirm that actually the majority of the country now phil tools the right and they would rather be reasonable conservative. we have uninspiring candidates for the presidency. we have left wing candidates who actually are doing

extremely badly. the socialist party, which was also regional faulty, pulled 6 percent of the vote, even if they ally themselves with a green, they can reach a grand total of 38 to 40 percent. so normally the majority enrolls is bright now to the right, but the pulse of the main hub, right? lead a look, that is actually an inspiring and it's really a question of there isn't any offer, does the demand, but there's no offer. okay, we must leave it there. good to get your thoughts today and a little bit. they're talking to us from paris now to the us where the weekly average for new daily infections has gone above 100000. the 1st time since casey searched during the winter months, the number of people going to hospital is also rising and rising fast. infections are particularly bad in the southern states, including florida, where hospitals describing overrun with patients. vaccination rates are lowest in those states. mike, hannah joins us live now from washington. so might just just unpack the numbers for

us. is this all delta variant? well, 80 percent of the numbers in a city like new york for example, are the consequences of the delta vary and the bus majority of cases throughout the united states as a whole. also consequences of this particular variant. but to give some example, the co relation between vaccination and hospitalization is very stock. health officials have pointed out that those who are vaccinated may still contract the virus about the consequences are far less severe than they are for those were not vaccinated. we then take a state like florida, which at the moment is accounting for one in 5 of the total infections across the united states. now bear the hospitalization rate is higher than any other state there as well. you've got a vaccination rate of some 40 percent, and you've got a governor rhonda santos, who is opposed to any mitigating measures. he has just passed an executive order,

forbidding counties to place a mosque mandate. so instead of actually trying to fight the ongoing pandemic who run the son to us is making what he believes the political point that mosque with wearing for example, is an abroad regiment of individual rights. so you've got these very clear examples of the rate of hospitalization, directly connected to the rate of explanation. and indeed the rates of vaccination reflects as well on the number of people contracting covered the boss majority of kind of good recent cases. as i said in florida, but also in other southern states where there's a drop in vaccination or a low vaccination rate, up between 30 to 40 percent over all in the united states. some 60 percent of people are now vaccinated. but throughout a number of states, new york, here in the district of columbia mosse mandates

a back in place mosse ought to be worn in all indoor environments. and certainly this is a massive swing around from just 3 weeks ago, when it appeared throughout the united states. that the virus was being dealt with adequately. how much of a pushback is there against what the politicians are telling people to do now, given what you've just said, there are clear differences between states based on individual state vaccination rates. indeed, yes. will i mention the case of florida there? the governor is actively opposing the wearing masks. for example, although he does support vaccinations, you do have some states where previously governance would not come out in open support of vaccinations. this absolute surgeon infection has changed their minds that would appear. you have a nice day to talk. and so for example, as i got into the insisting on vaccinations increasingly as well within federal

departments, you've got a mandate on vaccinations. if people do not get vaccinated, they will have to be tested regularly. they would have to wear a mosque at all times as they have to do anyway. so that is a push to try and get the fax the nation rate up. but this store remains particularly with regard to a mosque mandate, which many experts now are doing is absolutely crucial to get that vaccination rate . there's massive differences that the southern states, as i mentioned, completely oppose to the wearing of mass, other states, particularly in the east. now months have become mandated again, so there is a different way in dealing with this virus. there's no direct federal approach with regard to mosque mitigation. although in all federal properties, this is a mosque mandate, but the political divisions are directly leading into an increase in the infection rate. and most importantly, an increase in the rate of hospitalization. mike, thank you very much. mike. hannah. tony live from washington. parts of libya have

entered another full lock done in an attempt to curb the spread of corona virus. there, the capital tripoli is one of several areas now under restrictions. and the 3rd time such measures have been imposed since the start of the pandemic. the governance received 2000000 doses of china sino found vaccine to speed up its campaign. a 6 day mass coby, the vaccination drives, on the way in bangladesh. the government has set a goal of inoculating 3200000 people above the age of 25. in many rural and regional areas, and it plans to start offering jobs to range refugees by early next week we don't have a campaign. there has been one of the slowest in south asia, whether they're struggling to contain a delta outbreak and extend the lock down until next week, 10 via charges and deck up with more. let me give you some description where i'm at . i'm in doc. i sit ish in the morning, i was informed to la hospital this adjuster later hospital. the line has been like

since morning it's been organized like the other place papers been complaining. they've been waiting after getting stamped in their registration. each person waiting like over an hour sometime in cases people are a little bit and not now since february about 14000000 people got vaccinated, some of them still didn't get the 2nd job. now that's about 3 percent of the population of $165000000.00. then over the government run shot of india and supply chart bang. as i've said back to and from china, us, and all those photos and not a planted to go at least 3200000 people within next one week the idea was to vaccinate 10000000 people. but the situation of logistic in the rural area was challenging because many people don't have access to the internet, a computer to register online in order to able to go to the hospital. so the

government setting up and mobile clinic on going door to door and it was already as in order to get this paper vaccinated and the people are doing it online and they come with the form in here and then they're waiting in line to get vaccinated moving on, they have been mass evacuations. north of athens as wildfires tear through the vast areas of pine forest and get closer to the great capital. thousands of people have now fled their homes while others have been fighting to put on the flames. in the throbbing reports from north athens, the to know where the fires are and where they are going. greeks look to the sky. in a worrying sign, helicopters have been getting closer to major towns and cities on the ground. this is what the business of fighting fires looks like. holding back, the inevitability of mother nature's fury is dangerous and exhausting work. right

now. it's an endless and uphill fight. one that has already taken its 1st life. a firefighter. anthony tucker on us was there when the 38 year old volunteer suffered a head injury. he says they tried but could not save him struggling to recall the incident. and they gave me whatever it is, there is a difficult thought, if it runs out of fuel, the fuel is the woods, the house is everything around. can you describe how you're feeling right now? i know it's emotional and i'm so sorry for your see so much destruction it doesn't help you by you trying to work with me in say, i'm sort of there are too many fires and to few firefighter's spontaneous

uncoordinated efforts like this one are trying to make sure rescue cruise as well as civilian volunteers on the front line. have plenty of food, water, and 1st aid when they need it. despite these efforts, though, smoke clouds seem to have become a permanent fixture in the skies over the attic. and it's because of scenes like this homes all over the area, have been burning for days. several areas along the base of the pardon, if the mountains are still on fire fire, if you can hear me north of athens, they're doing the best job they can. we've seen one water tater team as well as far fighters, put out a bush fire and a house fire just over in that direction. but when it's 2nd of that far, been put out. this one has just a rough it and become much bigger. and if you can see by the train trucks, the fires climbing up the hill just behind us, the hope is the fire will stop when it runs out of fuel. but for the moment,

the fuel is everything inside. the fire moves fast and fills the air with smoke quickly. many forced to run for their lives, had to leave friends behind on the gotten going to feel there's no voice station i'm here with my daughter were just trying to help animals that are in need from the fire. we found so many so far, better yet. i came here after watching what was happening on television, and i couldn't just sit back and do nothing. in the face of the fires greeks we spoke to said right now, every life is precious. and they enjoy us live now from near athens thursday. and i guess one of the key things here is the firefighters. they need the wind to diminish any sign of that happening. not really, peter, we're here just in the north of the attic, a basin and very bobby. next tell you the wind is picking up. now, i have to remind people of what happened in the attic based on the east side in

2019. there was a wildfire the killed $1100.00 plus people. and it really is because of that, that we're seeing the scenes we're seeing now here on the bridge into very bobby, we have the firefighters and police that have put up a roadblock. and that is to do that is basically to block any non essential personnel from going in to the town of ari bobby. one of the most acutely affected parts of this region from this season's wildfire. there's volunteers dropping off supplies for those on the front line. but no one else is being allowed to go in, not residence, no one's being allowed to go look on their homes or their businesses, which is creating some frustration here at this police court. and, but i can tell you why. if you look just passed all of these things, all of the activity happening here. if you look past, we'll just pass the camera up to the hills. we'll see that the hillside were still thing helicopters dropping water and the hillsides are still smoking. there are still fires happening up in the hills on the foothills of the part of the mountains

. now the government has placed a premium on human life above all else. let's hear some of what the prime minister had to say. roberto wallace of the priority of these last few days has been 1st and foremost the protection of human life. and so we must protect property where we are trying to prevent great damage. and of course, we must protect a critical infrastructure now as noble as a position that the prime minister may appear to be taking. the fact is that greeks, the people living here, there is anger at the government. they say that they're having to fight for their own homes and livelihoods, because the government wasn't well prepared enough with enough firefighters to take on the task of these wildfires. there are people who have said to that there should have been better, better preparation. that pullet politicians across the political spectrum had the opportunity to legislate differently had the opportunity to take climate change

seriously and did not do so. and now they're having to fight for their own properties where the government cannot. so there's anger and people are looking to point blame. so much of the criticism is now being leveled at the government for not having enough in the way of resources in position. well, in advance of what they knew was going to be a very, very difficult wildfires season. zane keep us posted. we'll come back to a little late from sure in the meantime. thank you very much. same bas robbie that report in life from skirts of athens. ok, turning our attention to turkey where tens of thousands of factors of forest there have now been destroyed by wildfires. that being described as the worst in decades, at least 36000 people have been displaced from their homes in the southern province of modular, where there are a tourist resorts. russell said he is in iden province in the south western area of turkey. he says most of the wildfires across the country are now under control that are 5 active fires that are feel burning in fire in fire

into.