welcome to bbc news — i'm mark lobel. our top stories... europe's flooding disaster — with the death toll at 120, rescue teams in germany, belgium and the netherlands search for hundreds of people still missing. in the us, president biden slams social media companies for not doing enough to tackle vaccine misinformation. they are killing people. the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. and they are killing people. just days until most covid restrictions are lifted in england — the uk records more than 50,000 new cases in just 2a hours. and after days of rioting and looting, south africa's president says efforts to overthrow democracy have failed.

using the pretext of a political grievance, those behind these acts have sought to provoke a popular insurrection amongst our people. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we start in western europe where hundreds of people remain unaccounted for after some of the worst flooding in decades. 120 people are so far known to have died as record rainfall caused rivers to burst their banks. in germany, chancellor angela merkel described the floods there as a catastrophe. torrential rain has also devastated parts of belgium, the netherlands and luxembourg. swollen rivers, including

the rhine, the meuse and the arr have filled towns and villages, destroying homes and leaving many stranded. in the town of erftstadt in germany, whole houses have been submerged and a landslide has demolished parts of the town. 0ur correspondent, jenny hill, spent the day there. the ground just fell away. this is the town of erftstadt, where overnight houses collapsed as the water gushed in. another shock for a country reeling from the enormity of its loss. it happened so fast, one official said, there was no time for a warning. rescuers rushed in, but this morning, the authorities here said people trapped in their homes were calling them for help, and in many cases they just couldn't reach them. those who did make it out came to shelters like this. we metjohannes here. he and his wife were winched to safety last night. he arrived barefoot and soaking wet.

what were you thinking as they winched you up, i asked. "i had to leave my cat behind," he says. johannes has lived here more than 70 years. there have been floods, he told us, but not like this. translation: you can run i from fire, but not from water. tens of thousands of people still don't have power. and they're on alert. water levels have dropped in some areas, but few here feel safe. you can see how powerful the water is here still, and what's worrying people in this area is thatjust upstream there's a dam. experts say it's unstable. they're still inspecting it, but people think if that dam breaks the water is heading in this direction. and with every hour, news of more deaths. people are still missing. with mobile networks down, it's hard to know how many made it to safety. they're desperate for help here. this was a caravan park. how to even begin clearing up?

we met the owners, still visibly in shock. translation: indescribable. we've been here since 1979. we've never seen anything like this. if we don't get any help, we'll have to go on benefits. bankrupt. germany, a country famed for its strength, its security, feels vulnerable now. jenny hill, bbc news, erftstadt. beyond germany — the extreme weather has touched parts of the netherlands, luxembourg, switzerland and belgium. 0ur correspondent anna holligan assesses the scene for us, beginning in belgium. homes engulfed, whole villages submerged. parts of liege annihilated by the elements. rescuers are still navigating areas to the west, in the town of pepinster. the military was drafted

in to assist the stranded on land and by air, and for some it's a desperate wait to find out whether their loved ones made it. translation: my wife | is looking for her mother who lives in a town nearby. we have no means of communication. we don't know where she is or how she's doing. in nearby verviers, the waters have receded, but they're still stunned by the extent of the destruction. translation: this shop has been open for three years. _ we had to go through renovations. we had to live through covid. we were hoping to get back on ourfeet. and now this. in the netherlands, this was roermond. swathes of the city have disappeared. this region has been declared a disaster zone. these are the remnants of businesses in the spa town of valkenburg. while the emergency services are busy trying to restore power and secure pavements, the people have come

together to try to bring some form of order to these devastated streets. while covid kept them isolated and apart, this crisis has caused a community to come out in solidarity. we need to stay positive. we can cry all day, but this will not help anything, so better smiling, and keep working! the rain has paused, but the threat, here and in towns and cities across europe, isn't over yet. anna holligan, bbc news, valkenburg. this is not over, there are warnings for affected areas in italy and the balkans. for more on the devastating floods in europe — go to the bbc news website. there are maps to show you the worst—hit areas and background analysis on why these floods caught everyone by surprise. go to bbc.com/news and follow the links.

let's turn away from the flooding now and in the united states there's a resurgence of coronavirus, with infections rising 70 percent in the past week. the centre for disease control has warned of a pandemic of the unvaccinated. the city of los angeles is again requiring people to use face masks while indoors in public settings. the cdc has shown where there are high infection rates in states with low vaccination levels, pointing to nevada, arkansas, missouri and florida in particular. florida itself now accounts for a quarter of new infections in the whole of the us. president biden has been speaking to reporters and said this about people spreading covid misinformation on social media platforms. they're killing people. i mean, look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. and they're killing people. we can now speak

to ashley kirzinger who's associate director of public opinion and survey research at the kaiser family foundation. thank you forjoining us. how confidently and clearly can you see how you vote determines how you jab? see how you vote determines how ou “ab? ~ , ,., , see how you vote determines how ou “ab? ~ ,,., , ., you “ab? absolutely, we have two youjab? absolutely, we have two thirds — youjab? absolutely, we have two thirds of _ youjab? absolutely, we have two thirds of us _ youjab? absolutely, we have two thirds of us adults - youjab? absolutely, we have two thirds of us adults who i two thirds of us adults who have received at least one dose of a covid—i9 vaccine but that still leaves a substantial share that have not got vaccinated and we do find partisanship, so whether you are a republican or democrat really drives your vaccine intention, with larger shares of republicans saying they will not get vaccinated or only will do so if required. i not get vaccinated or only will do so if required.— do so if required. i guess this is something _ do so if required. i guess this is something president - do so if required. i guess this is something president biden would like to know in his quest to get all political shades of america vaccinated, what is it putting republicans off? it’s america vaccinated, what is it putting republicans off? it's a varie of putting republicans off? it's a variety of different _ putting republicans off? it's a variety of different things, - variety of different things, they are worried about the immediate side effects of a

vaccine and they also don't think they are at high risk of catching coronavirus so they think the dangers of the vaccines are allergic to them than the dangers of the virus itself. i5 than the dangers of the virus itself. , ., ., ., , itself. is that from what they are hearing _ itself. is that from what they are hearing on _ itself. is that from what they are hearing on stations - itself. is that from what they are hearing on stations they| are hearing on stations they are hearing on stations they are watching or is it distrust of president biden, what is causing that? we of president biden, what is causing that?— causing that? we do know vaccine misinformation . causing that? we do know vaccine misinformation is| vaccine misinformation is really prevalent across the us. we have two thirds of unvaccinated adults saying they have either heard and believed one of these covid—i9 vaccine myths or are unsure if it is true or not so there's definitely a relationship between this misinformation and your intent to get vaccinated. away from the politics of this, what have you found beyond the white house that works in changing attitudes and getting people to come forward and get vaccinated? we people to come forward and get vaccinated?— vaccinated? we have been trackin: vaccinated? we have been tracking vaccine _ vaccinated? we have been tracking vaccine intentionsj tracking vaccine intentions since late 2020 and we have conducted now nearly 20,000 interviews with people and in

doing this we get to really talk to people, we went back to some of those people be interviewed early in 2021 that ended up getting vaccinated even though they initially said they were hesitant and we ask them what was the determining factor, what persuaded you and it was really conversations with their friends and family members. seeing theirfriends members. seeing their friends and members. seeing theirfriends and family members get vaccinated with very few are really minor side—effects, it really minor side—effects, it really was the biggest persuasive argument for them themselves deciding to get vaccinated. and in addition, conversations with their positions seemed to be a driving factor with this as well. ~ ., ., ., ., well. word of mouth and personal— well. word of mouth and personal conversations l well. word of mouth and l personal conversations but well. word of mouth and - personal conversations but we are hearing a lot about this information through social media platforms. do you think president biden is taking the right approach by attacking these platforms? i right approach by attacking these platforms?— right approach by attacking these platforms? i think what is really important _ these platforms? i think what is really important is - these platforms? i think what is really important is for - is really important is for people in the us to have those conversations with their family members, not only talking about their experience of getting vaccinated but the truth about

the vaccines, the technology behind them that has been around for decades, it's not impacting fertility, and so counteracting those messages is really going to be important. thank you very much forjoining us. the uk has recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day, for the first time since january. it comes as the research suggests one in a hundred people has the virus. on monday, the majority of covid restrictions in england are due to be lifted, but fullyjabbed travellers returning from france will still have to quarantine because of concerns vaccines may not work as well over the beta variant. here's our medical editor, fergus walsh. queueing for art and for a vaccine — exclusive access to tate modern�*s galleries this evening was on offer to those getting a jab at this iconic london setting. with restrictions lifting in england on monday,

and cases soaring, the race between the virus and the vaccine is intensifying. in newham, in east london, just over a third of adults are fully immunised, half the uk level. so council teams are going door to door to encourage people to have the jab. hello. how are you? the number of first vaccinations across the uk has halved in the past two weeks as demand from young people starts to falter. yet again, the nhs has appealed to adults to come forward for first and second doses. and that can mean overcoming vaccine hesitancy, especially in the young. i think that on social media, people believe very quickly what they read on whatsapp or other online platforms and i think it's trying to change that perception. i think giving human

guidance to them, that will show that the benefits outweigh the risks. brothers uresh and diresh are 22 and i9 and are having their first doses. the more people we have vaccinated, it means that the cases will reduce and help us in the long term. it is good for people around you, getting vaccinated, - so you are protected, as well, and you're . protecting other people. i'm in icu and my lungs collapsed. that was paul godfrey, 18 months ago. in his early 30s, he was susceptible to infection but never imagined the damage that covid could do. it was the worst experience of my life, obviously. i couldn't believe how this virus had ruined my body so quickly and the fight i would have to fight. a new study has found that one in three younger adults

hospitalised with covid suffered complications like kidney, lung and heart damage. although older frail adults are at the greatest risk, it is a reminder that covid can be indiscriminate in who it targets. fergus walsh, bbc news. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: tributes are paid to a prize—winning news photographer, killed while capturing the conflict in afghanistan.

this is bbc news, the latest headlines... with 120 deaths so far — the search is on across western europe for hundreds still missing or stranded.

president biden accuses social media networks of killing people by allowing users to post misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. so why is flooding across europe happening now? it's perhaps no surprise that some politicians in germany are calling for work on climate protection measures to be accelerated — but how is a hotter climate causing record rainfall? 0ur chief environment correspondent, justin rowlatt explains. the floods in germany are not the only extreme weather event we have seen this summer. there was the dramatic heatwave in canada and the western united states last month, and russia, mexico and new zealand have all been experiencing unusually high temperatures. now, the climate science is very clear on this, it has been predicting notjust for years, but for decades, that if we continue to pump huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, we will experience increasingly high temperatures, and because warm air holds more moisture, that means heavier rainfall too, and therefore floods.

you only have to look at the pictures of these devastating floods to know that we need to do better, and it is not ok for this number of people to die in 2021 from floods. the next obvious question is, is the world doing enough to tackle climate change? again, the answer is very clear. it is not. the un says we need to reduce carbon emissions by 7% every year for the next decade if we're going to stand a reasonable chance of staying within what is reckoned to be the safe limit, 1.5 degrees centigrade. now, we did achieve that last year but in the teeth of the pandemic, so the only good outcome from these recent extreme weather events is if it encourages the world to raise its carbon cutting game, when it meets at the landmark climate conference in glasgow in november. justin rowlatt, bbc news.

the south african president cyril ramaphosa has addressed the nation about the recent violence in the country. the unrest follows the imprisonment of his predecessor, jacob zuma, on charges of contempt of court. so far, more than 200 people have been killed in rioting and looting. president ramaphosa said what he thought lay behind it. it is clear now that the events of the past week were nothing less than a deliberate, a coordinated and a well—planned attack on our democracy. the constitutional order of our country is under threat. the current instability and ongoing incitement to violence constitutes a direct contravention of the constitution of our country and the rule of law. these actions are intended to cripple the economy of our country, to cause social

instability and severely weaken or even dislodge the democratic state. let s get some of the day s other news. a federaljudge has ruled that a programme which protects migrants from deportation — if they came to the united states as children — was illegal. judge andrew hanen said the government should not enrol new applicants in the programme, but that people already covered by it won't be affected until further court rulings. more than 600,000 people — known as dreamers — are currently enrolled. the us state department has condemned raids on at least 25 media and rights organisations in belarus over the past four days, including the us—funded "radio liberty". rights groups say the country's leader, alexander lukashenko,

is working to eliminate the independent media. hundreds of cuban americans in several cities in florida marched on friday, for the fifth day in a row, in support of the thousands of demonstrators in cuba who took to the streets on sunday to protest over food and medicine shortages, price increases and the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. protests are extremely rare in cuba, where opposition to the government is stifled. the diary that anne frank wrote while she was hiding from the nazis in amsterdam during world war two has inspired many plays and movies. now, the cannes film festival is featuring a new interpretation of her story, and it's generating controversy, as tom brook reports. this secret apartment is going to be our hiding place. much of the new animation is set while anne frank was in hiding in amsterdam but it also moves between past and the near future with a focus on kitty, anne's imaginary friend from her diary. the new film is being hailed

as the first international holocaust movie for children. israeli director ari folman has emphasised frank's humanity to make her engaging to a young audience. she's a teenager with all the cliche of the problems of a teenage girl. she has endless issues with her mother, coming—of—age issues about boys. come down, anne, i'm waiting foryou. she is sometimes funny, sometimes mean. and i want to make herjust this kind of person. folman�*s film has certainly won praise at cannes but at a reception for israeli cinema, there was the prediction that it would be controversial in israel because the narrative suggests that the plight of refugees in contemporary europe has some characteristics in common with the persecution ofjews during the holocaust. he brings the memory of the holocaust and put it in the current context of what is happening in europe with refugees coming from the middle east and the way

that they are being treated. the fact that he's putting it like an almost an equal way, that will be a real problematic subject in israel. but ari folman is accustomed to this kind of criticism. nothing can be compared to the holocaust of the jews because i don't think i even can understand it. nothing can be compared from one genocide to another, from one war to another. we take this piece of history and we use it as a tool to teach our audience about what's happening today in the world. not compare, not try to make it parallel but how do we use it? there is a sense of urgency surrounding ari folman�*s film. to get it out to audiences as quickly as possible at a time when reports of anti—semitism are increasing and the holocaust continues to be denied. industry experts here at the cannes film festival think that movie's prospects are good. i see huge potential for that

film all over the world. every family will want their children to see this film because it will open their eyes to something that they need to know about. do you think it is entertainment that will engage children? yes. and i think it could be a major oscar contender as well. and in cannes, ari folman appears to have also succeeded in reminding audiences through cinema of a young jewish girl's tremendous zest for life. up until a year ago everyone was in love with me. everyone? tom brook, bbc news, cannes. tributes have been paid to the award winning reutersjournalist — daneesh siddiqui — who was killed reporting on the conflict in southern afghanistan. he'd been embedded with special forces in kandahar. reuters said he was an outstanding journalist and will be remembered as a much loved colleague. the bbc�*s tim allman has more.

in southern afghanistan, special forces come under attack. you can hear the gunfire and see damage to their vehicle. they are trying to rescue a police officer trapped at a border post. travelling with them, and taking this footage, a photojournalist and only with his camera. daneesh siddiqui was chief photographer for the reuters news agency in india. he was on assignment, embedded with afghan troops when he was killed in an ambush. earlierthis when he was killed in an ambush. earlier this year, when he was killed in an ambush. earlierthis year, he could be found in the hospitals of delhi, chronicling the covid pandemic in his own country. these images of mass funeral pires went viral, earning him global recognition.— pires went viral, earning him global recognition. there are technical challenges - global recognition. there are technical challenges and - technical challenges and emotional challenges, technical challenges or how to showcase

this story in a dignified way, you know, in a way that people are, you don't go too close to it, so that the dignity of the victim or his family is maintained.— victim or his family is maintained. ., ., maintained. he was also part of the reuters _ maintained. he was also part of the reuters team _ maintained. he was also part of the reuters team that - maintained. he was also part of the reuters team that won - maintained. he was also part of the reuters team that won the | the reuters team that won the pulitzer prize in 2018 for its coverage of the hinge refugee crisis. danish siddiqui understood the power of images, of lives lived and lost. moments of celebration, protest, and sometimes despair. he said he enjoyed most capturing the human face of the breaking story. but in that desire to uncover truth, he has paid the ultimate price. danish siddiqui, the journalist killed danish siddiqui, thejournalist killed in an ambush in afghanistan. a reminder of our top story more than 120 people have died in flooding in parts of western europe. these strong

pictures from a town in germany showed the sheer scale of the destruction caused by the flooding and mudslides. that is over now. goodbye. hello. a few places got close to 29 degrees on friday, it's likely over the weekend we will get above 30 for the first time this summer. mostly dry with hot sunshine and it is all because of high pressure which is taking up residence right on top of the uk. but notice there is a frontal system to the north, that will provide more cloud, especially across the north—west of scotland. some cloud to start the day across the irish sea coast, england, north wales, quite a lot of cloud for northern ireland and a little bit across the south of england. that will clear quite quickly but some mist and murk for northern ireland and a little bit across the south of england.

that will clear quite quickly but some remaining for north—west scotland, 17 degrees in aberdeen, highs of 25. the cloud in northern ireland retreating to the coast, 26 inland through the afternoon, murky for some irish sea coast of north—west england and north wales, but inland, temperatures in a few places up to 29 or 30 degrees. always cooler around the coasts with sea breezes. at silverstone, for the british grand prix, it looks hot through saturday and more especially for race day on sunday, lots of sunshine. strong sunshine, very high uv levels for many, especially in the south and west of the uk. make sure you protect yourself if you are out and about for any length of time. heading through saturday night, we see long clear spells, especially down towards england and wales, northern ireland and scotland have more cloud, some of that filtering across the irish sea towards north wales and north—west england, pretty mild and warm night in places, 1a, 15 or 16 degrees. sunday, the further south you are, expect sunshine again, further north, generally more cloud in the mix, and some patchy rain across the north of scotland. temperatures a little bit lower across the northern half of the uk, further south,

another very warm or hot day, one or two places in the london area could get up to 30 or even 31 degrees. into the start of next week, our area of high pressure will still be with us but tending to slide further west, that will allow something of a northerly wind, knocking the edge off the temperatures, turning less hot, the odd shower in the south on monday and some rain later in the week.

this is bbc news.

the headlines: rescue teams in germany, belgium and the netherlands are searching for hundreds of people still missing after some of the worst flooding in western europe in decades. record rainfall caused rivers to burst their banks. more than 120 people lost their lives. president biden�*s accused social media networks like facebook of killing people by allowing users to post misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. with cases rising 70 % in the past week, he warned of a pandemic of the unvaccinated. facebook hit back saying two billion people accessed authoritative vaccine information on its site. in a speech to the nation the south african president has said the deadly unrest that's swept the country was clearly planned and instigated. cyril ramaphosa said the violence was a failed attack on democracy but that the effects would last for months to come.

now on bbc news: the week in parliament.