this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm nancy kacungira. the last us troops have left bagram, their main military base in afghanistan. the biden administration says it's on course to withdraw completely from the country by the end of august. 20 people are now confirmed dead in the surfside apartment collapse in miami, as rescuers continue their search ahead of an incoming storm. the queen meets the german chancellor at windsor, as angela merkel says britons who've had both covid jabs should be able to visit germany in the foreseeable future without quarantine. with the rapid move from internal combustion engines to battery—powered cars, demand is rising for the minerals needed to make them.

hello and welcome. the last american troops have left bagram air base, the us military�*s centre of operations throughout two decades of occupation and engagement in afghanistan. the departure is a signal that the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from the country is imminent. a taliban spokesman described the handover of bagram as a positive step. our security correspondent frank gardner reports. bagram air base, afghanistan, the most strategically vital base in the country. last night, the us military pulled out after nearly 20 years there. it follows a decision by president biden for us forces to leave afghanistan by september 11. we're on track exactly as to where we expected to be,

but i wanted to make sure there was enough "running room", that we wouldn't be able to do it all till september. there will still be some forces left, but it's a rational drawdown with our allies. the base has now been handed over to afghan government forces. but all over the country, they're coming under pressure from advancing taliban fighters. without western military support, there are doubts whether they can hold out. translation: the situationl in afghanistan will get worse. it is already chaotic. you see ghorband district falling. there is lots of insecurity. the government does not have all the weapons and equipment. western air support has been crucial, both for transporting troops to the battlefield and carrying out air strikes. without it, more districts are expected to fall to the taliban. yet in the capital kabul, some are happy to see the americans and other

western forces depart. translation: this is good news. the americans have reached an agreement with the taliban in doha and these agreements must be implemented, and this is for the good of afghanistan. the taliban are certainly delighted to see the us leaving. they've even thanked them for going. critics of the withdrawal deal say the afghan government got little in return, that the west is rushing to the exit and it's leaving afghanistan on the brink of another civil war. frank gardner, bbc news. the un security council has been warned that a famine in the ethiopian region of tigray is now affecting more than 400,000 people. as aid deliveries to the region resume, un officials suggest that the conflict between tigrayan forces and ethiopian federal troops — supported by soldiers from eritrea — could deteriorate rapidly. now to miami, where rescuers who continue to search through

the rubble of a collapsed apartment block may soon have to contend with a hurricane. authorities are eager to make as much progress as possible before the expected arrival of hurricane elsa this weekend. sophie long sent us this update from miami. well, the search and rescue operation is now in day nine, after it had to be paused for some 15 hours on thursday. that was largely due to fears that the remaining part of the building still left standing could fall. that remains a major area of concern when it comes to the safety of the rescue workers, who are continuing now their painstaking task of sifting through the rubble, and it seems they are now considering a controlled demolition of that remaining part of the building. now, in the latest update we've had from the mayor of miami—dade county, she informed us that, sadly, they have pulled two more bodies from that pile of rubble, one of them that of a seven—year—old little girl, the daughter of one of their own, of a fire and rescue workerfrom miami,

so an extremely difficult day for those rescue workers. now, more than 120 people remain unaccounted for, and the mission to find them continues. but they have been dealing with some very, very challenging conditions. the sun is shining here now, but there are fears that there are more tropical storms on the way due to hurricane elsa. and the conditions they're working under, again, could become even more dangerous. sophie long reporting. the number of deaths linked to coronavirus in india has passed the 400,000 mark as the country tries to speed up its vaccination drive. experts warn that the real number of fatalities may be much higher, as many deaths are not officially recorded. 0ur correspondent in delhi, devina gupta, told me what the response has been to the latest figures. well, it's a grim milestone forsure, and i was just going through... the number of days it's taken india to cross this is just

about over a month — that is 36 days to add over 100,000 loss of lives. for now, there are extreme messages of caution that the government has been giving to the indian public because in pockets of southern states like kerala, the western state of maharashtra and north—eastern states, the daily number of cases are rising, contributing to this milestone. there have been committees that are set up, excessive surveillance is on, but health experts say that, more than that, what's contributing to this number is the lax attitude and covid fatigue of people. because after a severe lockdown from april and may, some curbs were eased in earlyjune. people were allowed to step out of their homes, go to restaurants with limited capacity, visit shopping malls in certain areas, and that has led to people mixing and transmitting of this virus, which is now showing this result. also, another point of caution that's coming at this occasion from scientists

is of a worrying case of a delta—plus variant that was first reported in india. there have been at least 20 deaths because of this variant in the western state of maharashtra, which is being watched with extreme caution by health committees and experts. that's devina gupta reporting from delhi. here in the uk, one of the government's advisers on coronavirus has warned that ministers are facing a very difficult decision about lifting all england's restrictions on the 19th ofjuly — given the continuing rise in cases. here's our health editor hugh pym. as more jabs go into arms, officials are confident that vaccines are reducing the risk of serious illness. the office for national statistics says hospital admissions are much lower than they would have been without vaccines. but, even so, the head of the 0ns told me that making the right call on ending restrictions in england won't be straightforward.

this decision is the most difficult that the government has to make. we are watching with laser focus every day the data, so that the government will have all the information it needs in order, absolutely, to mean that it's data, not dates. the 0ns infection survey suggests that last week in the uk, there was a 67% increase in those testing positive. in england, one in 260 had the virus. in scotland, it was one in 150 and in wales, one in 450. in all of which, there were increases. in northern ireland, one in 670 had the virus and the trend was said to be uncertain. scotland's first minister said there was a need to boost vaccine coverage. vaccination is the reason that this surge in cases hasn't led to the reimposition of a strict lockdown. i think it would have done that at any earlier stage in this pandemic. nhs staff will hope that rising

covid cases don't bring back the pressures seen over the winter. some in england say they're exhausted and angry they've been offered a i% pay rise. the government is set to announce whether that will be raised. senior doctors say if that doesn't happen, members will be consulted on an overtime ban. you have to go back to the 1970s to find the last time this sort of action was taken by consultants. it's highly unusual for them to get involved in a pay dispute, but their union says feelings are running high, with pay after inflation having fallen over the last decade. we've had consultants sleeping in offices, working all through the night. in my hospital, you know, we sadly lost three consultant colleagues. it'sjust been awful, it's like warfare medicine. and to be offered 1% and to have our pay eroded by 30% over the years isjust galling. so another challenge for the new health secretary, sajid javid. a spokesman said the government was committed to a pay

uplift for nhs staff, unlike other public sector workers. but the scottish government's already agreed a 4% deal with many nhs staff. wales and northern ireland will announce their own offers soon. hugh pym, bbc news. canada's national holiday has been marked by protests, following the recent discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at former schools for indigenous children. thousands of people joined a "cancel canada day" rally. catherine karelli has this report. traditionally a day of celebration, but this year, canada has found itself reckoning with its colonial past. this was the scene in winnipeg, demonstrators pulling down a statue of queen victoria. across canada, thousands of people took to the streets protesting a dark chapter in their country's history — the residential school system. they murdered thousands

of children, hundreds of thousands of children, we don't know yet, but we are here to tell you today that that was wrong. you all know that it was wrong. we are here today to stand with everybody to oppose the ongoing genocide of the canadian government and state against indigenous peoples. between the 1870s and 1990s, more than 150,000 indigenous children were taken from theirfamilies. they were made to attend church—run boarding schools. there, they were forced to abandon their native languages and convert to christianity. thousands died of disease and malnourishment. some took their own lives. in 2015, canada's truth and reconciliation commission called it cultural genocide. calls to scale back this year's canada day celebrations intensified in recent weeks, following the discovery of almost 1,000 unmarked graves at former residential schools. that number has now gone up. the latest discovery,

on the eve of canada day, was here — 182 unmarked graves at st eugene's mission school in british columbia. in his canada day message, prime ministerjustin trudeau said canada needed to face up to its history. to this day, we don't have a full picture of how many children died in residential schools and the circumstances of their deaths. indigenous leaders have said that as investigations continue, they expect more graves will be found. catherine karelli, bbc news. do stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the rush to source the minerals needed to make all the batteries for electric cars.

china marked its first day of rule in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held in the former colony. the chinese president, jiang zemin, said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell from another sheep. for the first time in 20 years, russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. cheering challenger powered past the bishop rock lighthouse at almost 50 knots, shattering a record that had stood for 34 years. and there was no hiding the sheer elation of richard branson and his crew.

this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: the last us troops have left bagram, their main military base in afghanistan, as the biden administration says it's on course to withdraw completely from the country by the end of august. 20 people are now confirmed dead in the surfside apartment collapse in miami, as rescuers continue their search ahead of an incoming storm. the government of eswatini says nine people have been killed and over 100 others hospitalised following days of anti—government protests. activists want to see an end to king mswati's decades—long rule by decree. protests have now spread across the country's four regions. a nationwide curfew was declared and the internet shut down for extended periods of time. there are unverified reports

of protestors being shot dead. all the while, the king remains silent and missing. the bbc has been able to obtain exclusive footage from inside africa's last absolute monarchy. this report from shingai nyoka. in the aftermath of violent protests, eswatini's capital is struggling to return to normal. days of rioting have taken their toll. supplies are running low and frustration is high. it is so painful. we don't have food. you see the queueing. they are only asking for one thing, just to elect a new prime minister. and the king is quiet. he can't talk, he can't say anything. i guess he's enjoying seeing his people suffer like this. translation: we can't go and buy bread because - they burned the shops. we've not been going to work. we don't know when we will go back. the anger is on a scale

rarely seen here. it came after authorities burned the delivery of petitions, to silence calls for a more democratic elected leadership. this is how activists responded. property was destroyed, including some businesses linked to the king. this has taken about 37 years to happen. this is all about a system of government that has failed the people. this is a culmination of problems since the ending of freedoms in this country, meaning freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association. the crisis in this kingdom has been decades in the making — at the heart of it, king mswati and his family's unfettered reign.

the calls for democratic reforms and a constitutional monarchy have been raised for almost half a century, and there's little confidence in the government's latest response. we are a nation that believes in dialogue, and it is with that in mind that we once again request all aggrieved emaswatis to use alternative channels to express their grievances. the government has opened an e—mail address where emaswatis can continue to address their concerns and petitions. the government is eager to restore order after the unrest disrupted cross—border trade. the border traffic is flowing again, but in so many other ways, the kingdom of eswatini is isolated. it remains unclear whether the recent protests will affect change or whether king mswati will fight to retain his title as africa's last absolute monarch.

shingai nyoka, bbc news, at the border of eswatini. the german chancellor, angela merkel, has held talks with borisjohnson on what's likely to be her last official trip to the uk, before standing down in the autumn. mrs merkel also met the queen at windsor castle. more from our world affairs correspondent caroline hawley. angela, how are you? despite their disagreements over brexit, today was about celebrating and strengthening the german—british relationship in a new era. high on the agenda for borisjohnson, germany's insistence that british travellers quarantine for 14 days, even if they are fully vaccinated. but after a working lunch of english asparagus tart and 0xfordshire beef, angela merkel hinted at good news to come for british holiday—makers. translation: we are seeing a rise of the delta variant - in germany, a significant rise, and, of course, we are regularly reviewing these travel restrictions

and i expect that, in the foreseeable future, double vaccinated people will be able to travel without having to quarantine upon arrival. after england's historic victory against germany on tuesday, angela merkel wished the uk well for the rest of the euros, but she's alarmed by the number of fans being allowed at wembley matches. translation: i see this with grave concern. - i said this to the prime minister. we in germany decided to have less people attend games in the munich stadium. the british government obviously will make its own decision, but i'm very concerned that it's too much. here in the uk, we have now built up a very- considerable wall of immunity against the disease by our - vaccination programme. borisjohnson is the fifth prime minister angela merkel has dealt with. here she was meeting tony blair back in 2005, when she first became chancellor. germany is britain's second largest trading partner, but it's a measure of angela merkel�*s personal

stature that she was granted, at the end of her final visit to the uk, an audience with the queen. i wanted to take a picture and make history. two women who played such long roles of the international stage. caroline hawley, bbc news. with most of the major car manufacturers focusing their attention on electric cars over the coming years, there's now an increased demand for minerals like lithium and tin — both essential components in the production of car batteries. finding them means going underground. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle reports from cornwall. heading underground into cornwall�*s south crofty mine, where copper and tin were extracted for hundreds of years. what you can see here is the sheet of mineralisation... work stopped decades ago but these caverns could soon open up again, because, with the growth

of renewable energy and electric vehicles, demand for the minerals found here is soaring. anything with an electric connection, a circuit board, whatever, has tin in it. so all of these objectives and uses that we are using to get to this carbon—neutral economy require tin to some degree, and to have that domestic supply on your doorstep, it makes sense to see this mine into production. above ground, too, new methods of mineral extraction are being trialled. lithium, vital for batteries, is abundant in the south—west. if you want to unearth a mineral that is essential for going green, you need to do it in a way that's as green as possible and this is a test of new technology. the lithium—rich rocks lie about a kilometre underground and, as the water there washes over them, the mineral seeps into the brine, which is then brought back up to the surface and the lithium is extracted. the water, though, is returned back underground so the whole process can be repeated.

right now, lithium comes from australia and south america, but the company thinks it could eventually supply around a third of the uk's future lithium demand. if we can produce battery—grade lithium in the uk, but also produce that into batteries and then put it into electric cars, that's a much shorter supply chain which has got huge environmental benefits, as well as security of supply. but mining in the future will have to be different, to minimise and repair any environmental damage. experts say a green revolution is pointless unless the planet is protected in the process. rebecca morelle, bbc news. us officials say they're setting a new tone with central america, after the contentious years of the trump administration. with the coronavirus, mass migration and increasing violence, central america faces a difficult moment. so how can the biden—harris administration reset the relationship with those governments, given all the points of tension?

the bbc�*s will grant reports from washington. a new administration in washington seemed like a new start for many migrants, but on herfirst trip to central america since taking office, vice president kamala harris delivered the same message that the trump administration had told anyone considering the journey. do not come. the united states will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border. she was widely criticised for it and later clarified that claiming asylum is an international right. but with washington also urging central american governments to crack down on people leaving their borders, many say there's no discernible difference from trump to biden. the state department's special envoy for the region denies that charge. the united states government is going to enforce its laws and other governments are going to do that as well, so the focus of this administration really is on trying to change the conditions that are driving people to leave irregularly.

yet the situation on the ground in central america is dire. climate change and natural disasters have destroyed crops, and gang violence and government corruption is rampant. in el salvador, washington has grave reservations about the country's president, nayib bukele, who remains defiant in the face of such criticism. translation: behind this president - and this - is something no—one can deny — there is no oligarchy. there are no militaryjuntas, nor much less a guerrilla commander giving orders, saying what must be done, like all presidents from the past. meanwhile in honduras, the us state department has said the government ofjuan 0rlando hernandez is engaged in state—sponsored drug trafficking. washington's options in the region are few. so the way that we approach corruption in governance in general is consistent with our view that the role of the united states is to work with people in the region, not to impose but to work with people in the region to create the enabling conditions for

broad—based growth. even if they're that corrupt? even if they're being discussed as state sponsors of drug trafficking? we work with a range of partners, people who are... this does not mean that the united states is not continuing with investigations, or with cases where there is a law enforcement interest, those cases continue. we are focused, though, on working with governments and working with civil society and working with the private sector, to work together to create those enabling conditions for growth. washington's policy towards central america speaks of trying to understand the drivers of migration. the key contradiction is, however, that one of the main factors pushing people to flee is human rights abuses committed by autocratic governments, so the biden administration finds itself in the strange position of trying to criticise those abuses while working in tandem with those governments. will grant, bbc news, washington.

stay with us on bbc world news. iam i am always happy to hear from you and hear where you're watching us from. on twitter, i'm @kacungira well, it's going to be one of these days where the weather might turn like that and you'll have to run for cover if you're not prepared. big showers and thunder and lightning on the way. not everywhere. in fact, many of us will miss the storms altogether, but where they occur, they could even bring some flash flooding. now, early in the morning, there will be already some heavy rain spreading across the southern half of the uk, moving northwards. to the north of that, across scotland, it will have been been generally a dry night. a bit fresher here — 11 degrees — but in the south, it's muggy — 16 celsius first thing. now already, that band of rain could bring 30 mm or so in a short space of time, so even with that, there could be a bit of flash flooding here and there. but later in the afternoon, that's when we'll see the really heavy showers and thunderstorms developing. and the thinking is somewhere

in the southwest of england, into western england, we could see this line of storms, mostly inland. in the extreme case, there could be around 80 mm of rain. hence the risk of the flash floods. but the storms will be developing in other parts of the country as well, across the midlands, perhaps the southeast, east anglia and also further north in england, so very hit—or—miss. again, some of us will miss the storms altogether, and it's actually going to be a relatively bright, if not sunny, day. but some of these storms may actually linger into the evening hours as well. how about the other side of the world in the mediterranean? in rome for the football, well, here, of course it's going to be warm and sunny, with temperatures up to 28 celsius. now, here's a look at sunday's weather forecast. and again, showers on the cards, again spread right across the country. you can see how they develop during the course of the afternoon. thunder and lightning possible as well. but again, i think particularly some coastal areas and maybe down towards the southwest may miss the storms altogether. temperatures a little

below par — 19 in london, possibly touching 21 degrees where the sun does pop out for any lengthy period of time. now, into next week, we've got low pressure swinging in off the atlantic. that means strengthening winds across the english channel and possibly the south coast of england as well. and with that also will come a spell of rain, so i think monday and tuesday will be fairly changeable. so here's the outlook for the next few days. i know there's a lot of shower clouds, rain clouds, in the outlook here, but i think at times there will be some sunshine as well, so it's not all bad. enjoy that. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines... president biden says the withdrawal of us troops from afghanistan is on track, but won't be completed in the next few days. he was speaking hours after the us left its main military base in the country, bagram, which served as the hub of us—led operations for almost two decades. 20 people are now confirmed dead in the surfside apartment collapse in miami, and more than 140 people are still unaccounted for. rescuers who continue to search through the rubble want to make as much progress as possible before the expected arrival of a hurricane this weekend. on her final official visit to the uk, chancellor angela merkel has been visiting the queen and addressed a virtual cabinet meeting. earlier she said britons who've had both covid jabs should be able to visit germany in the foreseeable future without quarantine. now on bbc news, the media show.