this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. more than 65 people have been killed in flash floods in western europe, mostly in germany, where a torrent of water swept away buildings, bridges and cars. go, go, go! in belgium, surrounded by water — part of a house is swept away in seconds. a mother and son find themselves trapped on the first floor. the un warns of a �*catastrophic situation�* developing in afghanistan — 10 million people at risk of starvation as the country becomes more dangerous by the day. we're in the city of kunduz, but in recent weeks, this has become a front line. the spaces that people can run to for safety are shrinking every day here.

in britain, new daily covid cases hit a six—month high. more than half a million people in england and wales are alerted by the nhs app and told to self isolate. we have special report from japan — where the small—town excitement for the olympics is being overshadowed by the outcry over rising covid cases. the tremendous enthusiasm here is tempered with anxiety, and that's because places like this in ruraljapan have lots and lots of old people, and so far, almost no covid infections. hello and welcome. more than 60 people are believed to have died and thousands of others have been displaced by extensive flooding in parts of western germany,

belgium and the netherlands. the german chancellor angela merkel called it a catastrophe and linked the events to climate change. our europe correspondentjenny hill reports from one of the worst hit areas in western germany. there was, many here told us, no warning. homes destroyed, lives lost, in a matter of minutes. the water ripped up the roads, tossed because aside like toys. we met margaretta just as she arrived back in the village of schuld. she and her family fled last night. "at the very last minute," she says, "a fireman got us out." the family are safe, though her son was injured. he's in hospital. margaretta points out what once was her neighbours�* house, but says she doesn�*t know what happened to them. as to her own property, half the house has gone. her daughter tells us.

it�*s been a devastating 2a hours for west germany, but for belgium and the netherlands, too. rooftop rescues, people dragged to safety — the water, a deadly torrent, destroying houses and engulfing neighbourhoods. smashing homes, like matchboxes. almost 60 people have died in west germany alone, others are still missing. armin laschet, who may succeed angela merkel as germany�*s next chancellor, said there was no doubt this was the result of climate change. translation: we will be | confronted with such events again and again, and this means that we need more speed in climate protection measures — european, nationwide, worldwide. in schuld, they�*re still in shock. michal and his friend had just finished refurbishing the pub. they were supposed to open on saturday. translation: it's i

unreal, unbelievable. i still can't take on what i'm seeing here. unbelievable. better news for their neighbour�*s dog, whom they managed to pull to safety, just in time last night. it�*s hard to imagine that just yesterday this was a quiet, little straight. what�*s worrying people now is that there�*s more rain forecast this evening. what will happen, they are asking, when the water levels rise again? for now, homeless and fearful, they mourn their dead and wait, anxiously. jenny hill, bbc news, schuld. the un has told the bbc that the situation unfolding in afghanistan is a "humanitarian catastrophe". there�*s been a sharp spike in violence across the country between the taliban and afghan government forces that�*s followed the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country. the bbc travelled to the strategically important kunduz province in northern afghanistan. all of it, except the provincial

capital, also called kunduz, has fallen to the taliban. the un says 35 thousand freshly displaced people have arrived in kunduz city in just over a month. yogita limaye reports from there with the production team of sanjay ganguly and mafouz zubaide. decades of suffering that has now become even more brutal. in kunduz city, besieged by the taliban, tens of thousands of afghans who have fled a surge in violence. running from bullets and bombs. caught between insurgents and government forces. scared, hungry and homeless... ..in 45—degree heat. people rushed to us... ..to tell us their stories. it�*s nearly impossible to count how

many they have lost. this woman said six of her family were killed a few weeks ago, including her husband and four sons. war is devastating people across the country, as the taliban the taliban had entered her home and then a government plane dropped a bomb on her house. war is devastating people across the country, as the taliban gain more territory every day and foreign forces leave. this woman�*s husband and three children were killed when a mortar hit their home. she isn�*t numb with grief, she said. —— he is. "i�*m alone. i have nothing." he is malnourished, she said. her other son barely speaks. he has shrapnel injuries

and struggles to walk. they are among hundreds here who have had to run for their lives more than once. this woman fled from her rural district to this area of kunduz city. that, too, got bombed. all of her three sons were killed. there was heavy fighting and she lost her sons. their bodies were ripped apart. "i wish i had died too. i can�*t live with this pain. there�*s no one to care if i�*m dead or alive, so i�*m just sitting here. where should i go?" we went to the area where she fled from. we saw signs of battle and evidence that a part of the city is no longer under the control of the soldiers. this is the position of the afghan government forces and then, just across the bridge,

on the other side there, is territory controlled by the taliban. we are in the city of kunduz, but in recent weeks, this has become a front line. the spaces that people can run to for safety are shrinking every day here. the critical care unit of the kunduz hospital was full of the war wounded. it was a bomb placed on a fuel tanker. no one was hurt in this attack, but there is no way for us to tell what�*s happening just a mile from here. many of the wounded cannot get help. abdul was caught up in an explosion when he went to get fodder for his family�*s goats. 14 years old, he�*s lost a hand and has serious injuries to his abdomen and leg. this patient, his condition is really, really poor. this six—year—old girl has a bullet

lodged in her spine. hit as she and her family ran into their home to hide when a gun battle broke out. so, the bullet is still lodged inside the spine? yeah. she will survive, the doctor told me, but she won�*t be able to walk. even the hospital was hit by mortars a few days ago, he told me. and there are so many dying at home. more than half of afghanistan�*s people need immediate aid tojust survive. many here feel abandoned by the government and departing foreign troops. " they leave so irresponsibly and all of a sudden." "no one is hearing

our voices." outside the camp, anotherfamily arrived. there was no space for them. even the fragile safety of a basic tent is hard to find. germany�*s chancellor angela merkel was in washington today, meeting president biden in herfarewell visit to the white house before she leaves office later this year. since she came to power in 2005, germany has been a reliable ally of the us, though relations were sometimes strained. 0ur senior north america reporter anthony zurcher is at the white house for the meeting. you can appreciate the scope, the sweep of merkel�*s time in office. just looking at the guest tonight thatjoe biden�*s going to throw for her. that includes colin powell and hillary clinton. but it hasn�*t been smooth sailing. she took office in

the aftermath of the iraq war when strange relationships between germany and us were definitely high. there were some things they had disagreements over. the pipeline from russia to germany, biden has criticised that in the past. this does have a feeling of a valedictorian moment. i saw military members walking past. there is going to be a big dinner. celebrating her 16 years. but they will have some disagreements they will have to work through the point. coronavirus cases have risen sharply again across the uk, with the highest daily figure for six months. 48,553 new infections were recorded in the latest 24—hour period. the number of people being told to self—isolate in england and wales by the nhs test and trace app has also risen sharply. more than half a million people were pinged last week. it�*s causing significant disruption to some workplaces. our health editor hugh pym has the latest. looking forward to better weather

and restrictions easing in england next monday, but with cases going up, more people are having to change plans because they�*ve been told to self—isolate. more are being pinged by the nhs app if they�*ve come into contact with someone who tested positive, and that�*s affecting the wider economy. the car—maker nissan, for example, saying that production at its sunderland plant has been affected, with reports that more than 10% of the workforce are self isolating. hello, take a seat. and it�*s affecting the nhs. this gp practice in sheffield might have to close with four staff members unable to work because of isolation requirements. those rules will change in mid—august for anyone double—jabbed, but doctors say that should happen now. it seems ridiculous to us that we have staff who are double—vaccinated — you know, i had my first vaccine before christmas, we�*ve been vaccinated for months — and yet, they�*re not able to come to work. in the first week ofjuly, more than 520,000 alerts were sent

to users of the app in england, telling them to self—isolate, up 46% on the previous week. that reflects the recent increase in cases. in the same week, just over 194,000 tested positive at least once, up 43% and the highest since january. as infections spread, the test and trace system has come under pressure. there have been anecdotal reports of delays getting bookings. performance figures have fallen with more than a third in england not getting results back within 2a hours of visiting a community testing site. with flu as well as covid expected this winter, leading scientists have advised ministers to start planning ahead now. in the autumn, we�*ll have a lot more people getting symptoms of respiratory infections. so, that means you�*ve got to have adequate capacity in the test and trace programme. and last year, if you remember, there were problems in the autumn when there wasn�*t enough capacity, and we know now there�*s

a big demand on that. across the uk, there�*s a push to get more people vaccinated — including here in birmingham. scottish officials have advised that foreign travel will be difficult without being jabbed. all this as ministers in northern ireland said case increases were concerning and made another appeal to younger adults to get the vaccine. hugh pym, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: a korean palm oil giant has lost its sustainability certification following a bbc investigation. i�*ll talk to our reporter about what happens now. after months of talks and missed deadlines, a deal has been struck to keep greece within the eurozone. the immediate prospect of greece going bust in the worst crisis to hit the eurozone has been averted. emergency services across central europe are stepping up their efforts to contain the worst floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed.

broadway is traditionally called the great white way by americans, but tonight, it's completely blacked out. it's a timely reminder to all americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. leaders meet in paris- fora summit on pollution, inflation and third world debt. this morning, theyjoinedl the revolution celebrations for a show of military might on the champs—elysees. . wildlife officials in australia have been coping with a penguin problem. fairy penguins have been staggering ashore and collapsing after gorging themselves on their favourite food, pilchards. some had eaten so much, they could barely stand. this is bbc news. the latest headlines. widespread flooding in western europe.

more than 65 people have died, mainly in germany, across the border in belgium, people in the city of liege have been urged to evacuate their houses. as foreign troops withdraw, the united nations warns of a humanitarian catastrophe coming to afghanistan. a korean palm oil giant has been expelled from the world�*s leading green certification body. the decision comes in the wake of a bbc investigation into the company�*s conduct. the korindo group, which has bought up huge swathes of asia�*s largest remaining rainforests, will no longer be able to use the forest stewardship council tree logo — a mark to tell consumers products are sourced from ethical and sustainable companies. the fsc said its relationship with korindo had "become untenable" and korindo�*s trademark licenses with fsc will be terminated from october. last year, the bbc obtained a report by the fsc from 2018, which found "evidence beyond reasonable doubt" that korindo�*s palm oil operation destroyed 30,000 hectares of high conservation forest in papua, indonesia.

the fsc said korindo had breached its regulations and that the company was "on the balance of probability, supporting the violation of traditional and human rights for its own benefit." here are some of those affected. translation: according | to my faith, i have sinned. i deceived ten tribes. the company said, "thank you for looking after us so well," but in my heart, i knew i had done wrong. translation: iwalked past the plantation, - crying, and asked myself, "where are our ancestors' spirits now that our forest is gone?" and it happened under my watch. those interviews are from a report by our asia editor rebecca henschke. shejoins me live. rebecca, this investigation included

a look behind the scenes what was happening in korindo, including some fires. what did you find? this happening in korindo, including some fires. what did you find?— fires. what did you find? this is a visual investigation _ fires. what did you find? this is a visual investigation by _ fires. what did you find? this is a visual investigation by the - fires. what did you find? this is a visual investigation by the group l visual investigation by the group for ingest arcs or checks are. there at goldsmith university —— interest for architecture. and they created the pattern looking at one of back to�*s concessions over the period of land clearing, using heat maps to show where this forest was cleared and lining that up with hotspots —— one korindo of�*s creating evidence that fire was used to clear the land. this is something the company strongly denies. he said fires are likely to be started by villages, and it�*s also something fsc said no evidence of. but they did find that

the company cleared high conservation. we�*re talking about 30,000 hectares. also, was not faithful or honest in its conduct with indigenous tribes. it�*s faithful or honest in its conduct with indigenous tribes. it's very strikin: with indigenous tribes. it's very striking that — with indigenous tribes. it's very striking that this _ with indigenous tribes. it's very striking that this report - with indigenous tribes. it's very striking that this report was - with indigenous tribes. it's very striking that this report was in l striking that this report was in 2018. two years later, you exposed that. it may surprise people that they haven�*t acted sooner. that. it may surprise people that they haven't acted sooner. well, when we poured _ they haven't acted sooner. well, when we poured our— they haven't acted sooner. well, when we poured our evidence i they haven't acted sooner. well, when we poured our evidence to| they haven't acted sooner. -ii when we poured our evidence to them, their report was never made public due to a threat, we obtained that as part of their investigation. they didn�*t deny the contents of it, but they said that they were working with the korean company. they insisted that that was the best path forward, that would create the

results. they said they were working on improving the company�*s environmental and social record, much of to the criticism of the environmental groups that said the decision really undermined this major green logo�*s credibility. but now the fsc says after six months from making that statement that road map has fallen down, and this is something companies also set in a statement. the two sides could not agree on how to verify any meaningful improvement on the environmental and social issues that had been uncovered. what environmental and social issues that had been uncovered.— environmental and social issues that had been uncovered. what has korindo itself said about _ had been uncovered. what has korindo itself said about your _ itself said about your investigation?- itself said about your investigation? itself said about your investiuation? . , ., , investigation? on the decision they have set in the _ investigation? on the decision they have set in the statement - investigation? on the decision they have set in the statement they - investigation? on the decision they l have set in the statement they were very surprised. they said it came as a shock. they believe they were working with the fsc to improve its records. they told us at the time that they strongly denied the fires,

they believed they paid the tribes compensation, but they also admitted there was room for improvement. they now say that they haven�*t been able to reach an agreement with fsc on what that improvement is, and they insist that they and the company respect human rights and the environment, but they now have vast plantations in indonesia being the biggest exporter of this product. it's biggest exporter of this product. it�*s found in everything from shampoo to biscuits. it's found in everything from shampoo to biscuits.- it's found in everything from shampoo to biscuits. thank you so much. let�*s get some of the day�*s other news. the director—general of the world trade organization has said ministerial talks on fishing have been successful and she�*s optimistic a long—awaited deal to stop overfishing can be agreed. negotiations have continued for 20 years towards a deal banning subsidies that favour overfishing. a un study estimates thatjust two—thirds of global fish stocks are biologically sustainable.

firefighters have been trying to contain a massive blaze in oregon on the west coast of the united states which has displaced hundreds of people from their homes. more than 1700 firefighters, aided by 12 helicopters have been deployed. in washington state, meanwhile, officials say they�*ve contained about 20% of a fire northeast of seattle which was caused by lightning and fuelled by dry grass and timber. a teenager is to become the youngest person to fly to space when he joins jeff bezos on the first human flight launched by his company, blue origin, on 20 july. oliver daemen, who just turned 18, willjoin 82—year—old wally funk, who will become the oldest ever person in space, on the new shepard rocket. with just over a week to go before the olympics is due to open, tokyo is back under a covid state of emergency. in the capital, enthusiasm for the games is hard to find. but in some small towns, there is still excitement, especially among those acting as the adopted home for foreign olympics teams.

our correspondent rupert wingfield hayes has been to murayama in northern japan as they prepare to welcome the bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics team. not many japanese kids are lucky enough to have a former international gymnast as their teacher, and notjust any gymnast. antoinette vitali was once a world—class rhythmic gymnast competing for bulgaria. but for the last two years, she�*s been teaching here in the mountains of northern japan. for me, was really like a dream come true to experience to come here to a place i already love and to work with gymnastics. that was my childhood. i was growing up in gymnastics, so this is my passion. five years ago, murayama invited the bulgarian women�*s gymnastics team to make this place their olympic hometown.

but that was before covid. he speaks his own language. this hotel manager shows me the route the bulgarian team will now have to take to get back to their rooms. ok, so there�*s a screen here, can�*t go any further. at every stage, the team members will have to be kept separate from other guests. news that two ugandan athletes tested positive for covid after arriving injapan has added to his worries. translation: when i heard about ugandan team, - i was a bit concerned. if we have an athlete in fact after they arrive, the infection could spread around the team. that is what i'm most worried about. murayama is really an exemplary of what the whole olympic spirit is supposed to be about. but because of covid, the tremendous enthusiasm here is tempered with anxiety,

and that�*s because places like this in ruraljapan have lots and lots of old people, and so far, almost no covid infections. that�*s not going to stop this woman. she is the founder of murayama�*s bulgarian gymnastics support club. she says she thinks of the team as her adoptive granddaughters, and she can�*t wait to see them compete. translation: i know there's a lot of criticism because of covid, - but i really wanted to be in tokyo to see them perform. _ their families and friends can't come, so that's why i wanted i to be there to make sure the girls know we are all behind them. - the majority of japanese may still be very sceptical about the games taking place, but here in murayama, there is real excitement as they await the arrival of their bulgarian granddaughters. she chants. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news,

in yamagata, northern japan. that is bbc world news. our sunshine that we see believe it or not is linked to the extreme weather we�*ve seen across other parts of europe. it's seen across other parts of europe. it�*s linked by the jet stream. this is the pattern that we�*ve seen. a very undulating debt stream. —— jet stream. we�*ve had low pressure bringing the rain across europe. eventually taking the wayne lay —— rain away from germany. with the sunshine we had on thursday, temperatures and northern ireland reached 26 degrees, making it the warmest day of the year so far. it�*s going to be a warm start across

belfast, temperatures at 16 degrees. we start with cloud across east anglia, but it will break up more readily. it�*s going to feel warmer. sunshine across england and wales. there will be spells of sunshine for northern ireland, but across scotland, more of a breeze and more cloud. sunnierskies scotland, more of a breeze and more cloud. sunnier skies and warmer weatherfor cloud. sunnier skies and warmer weather for eastern parts of scotland and across england and wales, 26—27 degrees. it�*ll be a warmer day for the eastern side of england. high pressure in charge in the weekend. around the top of the area of high pressure, winds are coming in from the atlantic. stronger winds of scotland again on saturday, and that will drag in more cloud and a little more drizzle. the cloud and a little more drizzle. the cloud and a little more drizzle. the cloud and northern ireland will tend to break up and will will get sunshine coming in across other parts of scotland. lots of sunshine and light winds across england and wales. temperatures continuing to climb up to around 27 or 28 degrees. temperatures in scotland and

northern ireland probably not changing too much at this stage. as we head into that second half of the weekend, we see more cloud coming down across scotland and northern ireland, perhaps into northern england. a change of air mass which will drop the temperatures. lots of sunshine for the southern half of the uk. temperatures could reach 29 or 30 degrees. you can see those low temperatures as you had further north. as we head into the beginning next week, maybe one or two showers. but that cooler air in the north will be pushing its way further south.

this is bbc news, the headlines. in western germany, at least 58 people including two firefighters have died and many more are missing after extensive flooding. the chancellor, angela merkel, called it a catastrophe, linking the events to climate change. there�*s also flooding in neighbouring netherlands and in belgium — where nine people have died. the mayor of the city of liege has asked some people to evacuate where they can. more rain is forecast. in south africa, 25 thousand troops have been deployed on the streets to contain 7 days of unrest sparked by the jailing of former president jacob zuma. 117 people are now known to have died in the unrest. germany�*s chancellor angela merkel has been in washington before she leaves office later this year. since she came to power in 2005, angela merkel has held meetings with 4 us presidents.