this is bbc news with the latest headlines... the health secretary sajid javid says he has tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing "mild" symptoms. i was feeling a bit groggy last night, so i took a lateralflow test and it has come out positive, so i am now self isolating at home with my family until i get the result of a pcr test. travel firms criticise the government's decision to keep quarantine rules in place for travellers returning to england and wales from france — even if they are fully vaccinated. pop—up vaccine centres open in venues across england this weekend in a push to get more people vaccinated before the country unlocks next week. more than 150 people have now died in severe floods across western europe with hundreds of people remaining unaccounted for, as the waters begin to recede in some areas. european leaders blame the extreme weather

on climate change. experts say global warming makes torrential rainfall more likely. olympics organisers announce the first case of coronavirus in the athletes village, six days before the tokyo games begin. the health secretary sajid javid has tested positive for coronavirus. the health secretary — who replaced matt hancock in the post last month — said he had was fully vaccinated, with two doses of the vaccine, and was experiencing only mild covid symptoms. he broke the news by posting a video on twitter. hi, everyone, ijust wanted to update you all that i have tested

positive for covid. i was feeling groggy last night so i took a lateral flow test this morning and it came out positive. i am now self isolating at home with my family until i get the result of a pcr test. i am grateful that i have had two jabs of the vaccine and so far my symptoms are very mild. i also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in our national vaccine roll—out programme, truly the best of its kind anywhere in the world. if you haven't had yourjabs in the world. if you haven't had your jabs yet, in the world. if you haven't had yourjabs yet, please get out there and get them as soon as you can. add if you might feel a bit groggy you feel you might have come into contact with someone who is positive, please also take a lateral flow test. if everyone plays their part, you're not only protecting yourself and your loved ones, you're also safeguarding the nhs and helping to preserve our way life. thank you. let's get more from our political correspondentjessica parker. the timing of this is interesting,

isn't it? with england's restrictions being lifted on monday. yes, it is, you now have the prospect of the health secretary possibly having to be in self isolation on the day that legal restrictions are lifted in england. now he is waiting for his pcr, the more reliable test to come back, so we will wait for news in terms of what that brings. we know he has tested positive on a lateral flow test, one of those rapid tests, but pending that result there will be questions notjust for wear pending that result there will be questions not just for wear at what sajid javid might be doing on monday but where he has been in the last few days, the last week. we know on tuesday he was on a visit to a care home, questions as to whether he has recently met the prime minister, haven't been able to draw downing street on that, but if the pcr test was to come back positive, you would imagine there will be some sort of

test and trace process for the health secretary, including his contacts, likely to include senior members of government. that contacts, likely to include senior members of government. that is the oint, that members of government. that is the point, that anyone _ members of government. that is the point, that anyone is _ members of government. that is the point, that anyone is susceptible - members of government. that is the point, that anyone is susceptible to l point, that anyone is susceptible to covid, even when they are vaccinated, but when you are trying to convince people to get vaccinated, seeing somebody in this position isn't necessarily helpful. there is that symbolism of senior figures such as last year the prime minister getting ill from coronavirus, the former health secretary matt hancock also, when senior figures get the virus it is a reminder of how prevalent it is, how everybody is at rest, interesting we have had some reaction in the last 20 minutes from the liberal democrat health and social care spokesperson, she said in a tweet, she hopes they health secretary and his family are ok, case rates soaring, those who

0k, case rates soaring, those who haveit 0k, case rates soaring, those who have it mean fully vaccinated and the most vulnerable and most at risk, she says that lifting of restrictions at once on monday is an experiment, so the liberal democrat health spokesperson taking from sajid javid's news the fact that she is concerned about plans to lift restrictions on monday, no says that i am getting from the government that able backtrack on lifting social strictures —— no sense. we saw last night that fairly turnaround on people returning from france, but there has been a suggestion that from jeremy hunt that what the government might do is prioritise reopening the domestic economy even if that comes at the cost of tighter restrictions for international travel.— cost of tighter restrictions for international travel. thank you very much. travel firms have criticised the government's decision to keep quarantine rules in place for travellers returning to england and wales from france — even if they are fully vaccinated. for all other amber list countries

the rules relax on monday, with adults who have been double jabbed in the uk no longer needing to isolate for ten days on arrival. our business correspondent vishala sri—pathma has more the eiffel tower, an iconic symbol of paris, known for its architectural ingenuity, reopen to tourists this week, but despite it being only hours away from many brits it might prove to be a destination too for given these latest changes to quarantine rules for arrivals from france. it has their own plans for these travellers into disarray. very confusing, i am trying my hardest to follow the rules but i don't understand so i don't know, at this point i'm going on my holiday and whatever happens happens. it actually feels more like political than anything else, it is_ very confusing, i think everything is really badly handled. their disappointment was echoed by the travel industry, who had hoped that allowing quarantine—free travel to

fully vaccinate arrivals from amber list countries like france would give people more confidence when booking trips. that confidence now for many has been shattered. everything we do is about mitigated risk when we are taking travellers to different destinations. however the road map has been in place, restrictions are easing as of monday, we are seeing the rest of the globe, us and europe travelling freely, we have a very successful deployment of the vaccine and we still cannot unlock international travel to countries with a lower case of virus than we have. the government is insistent that the decision was made in the interests of public health with there being a widespread of the beta variant in france. france is a popular destination for brits. the proximity, better weather and golden beaches are all part of its allure, making it the second most visited country pre—pandemic from people in the uk. in fact 500,000 brits were due to travel through the country

this weekend, but for many these changes will mean a trip across the channel remains uncertain. vishala sri—pathma, bbc news. i've been speaking to our correspondent leigh milner who gauged the response from holidaymakers at london's st pancras station where eurostar trains arrive from france. mixed reactions, it has been so much a busy day here you might be able to see behind me how many people are out and about enjoying the sunshine, in fact there was a queue outside the entrance this morning at about 9:30am. despite temperatures reaching almost 30 degrees, it seems thatis reaching almost 30 degrees, it seems that is not enough for holiday—makers, they are keen to get a summer getaway. monday cannot come soon enough because for those who are double vaccinated, who are returning from amber list counties, while not have to isolate for ten days, unless they are coming from france. that is causing a lot of confusion, notjust for holiday

confusion, not just for holiday companies, confusion, notjust for holiday companies, but for holiday—makers here in london. i was actually really excited to go to france so i didn't have to quarantine when i got back, so it's really annoying to be honest. has it scuppered your plans quite a lot? i mean, i don't have a choice now. i've booked the ticket, i'm getting on the eurostar and it's just frustrating because i'm double—vaxxed. it's very, very complicated to enter in uk. it took one hour in france to take the train, and we have to complete a formula. 12 pages. it was... are you confused? yeah. yes, we are. but very happy to be here. it's beautiful. first time for us. i'm double—vaxxed so i thought iti would all be all right coming back. i work in a primary school so i wanted to be able - to spend the month with my family, so disappointed. - i don't really understand why. something maybe about the beta variant? - it's meant to be less dangerous? i don't know.

if you're sitting at home thinking why has the government made this decision, as you heard, some of those people talking there, it is to do with the beta variant first identified in south africa, a lot of cases at the moment in france, and there are concerns that vaccines might not work as well against that particular variant. travel firms have of course been furious about this decision, they say it is causing confusion, but the health secretary has responded saying he is doing everything he can to prevent the spread of the virus. just to be super clear, if you are travelling to france today, you will need to quarantine when you return back to england, regardless of how many vaccines you have had. for anybody else arriving from any of the amber list counties, those who have been double—vaxxed lady or under the age of 18, you no longer have to isolate from july 19. —— and those who have

been double vaccinated or those under the age of 18. the change in travel restrictions come as the conservative former health secretary, jeremy hunt, has warned that lockdown restrictions may have to be reimposed in the autumn if case numbers continue to rise here throughout the summer. it comes as the largest ever roll—out of flu vaccine in england has been announced, hoping to reach 35 million people this winter. our health correspondent anna collinson reports. a winter of face coverings and lockdowns. it helped stop the spread of covid—19 and meant far fewer people were catching other bugs. but amid fears winter flu could put intense pressure on the health service this year, free flu vaccines will be offered to 35 million people in england. expanding the programme to include the majority of secondary school pupils up to year 11. it finally feels as if we are giving priority to educational continuity for those young people, so they can start september with the sense that the adults on the room are doing everything they can to look after them right up to the age of 16. significant freedoms

for england and scotland are nowjust two days away. this weekend pop—up vaccine hubs have been set up like here in the oval cricket ground to encourage more people to grab a jab. following the easing of restrictions, coronavirus infections are high and rising, but the real focus is how many cases will turn into serious illnesses. hospital admissions are causing real concern at the moment, and the projections of how high they could go are quite alarming, so it is not a situation we wanted to be in, we didn't want to be opening up in quite a dramatic way at a time when we have so many infections and that is why you are hearing many people expressing concern. both scientists and politicians are warning what happens next will depend on our behaviour. there is a lot of uncertainty, i and if you look at countries that are ahead of us in the curve, i like the netherlands and israel, both of which incidentally have good vaccination stories, _ if we behave like they have done and change our behaviour to - if we behave like they have done

and change our behaviour too. dramatically when the restrictions are changed, then we are going . to end up having to do - what they are having to do now which is reconsider- reimposing restrictions. as millions face further unlocking, the message once again is caution, and to continue weakening the link between the virus and serious illness, jab by jab. in wales, some covid restrictions have been lifted from today. six people can now meet in private homes, and the law limiting the number of people meeting outside has been scrapped. indoor events can now take place for up to 1,000 people seated or 200 people standing. but wales' first minister mark drakeford has urged the public to remain vigilant. rescue crews have been racing to find survivors after the floods that wreaked havoc in germany and its western neighbours. 153 people are so far known to have died across europe, 133 of them in germany alone.

hundreds remain unaccounted for and thousands are now homeless. thousands of residents of wassenberg, an area west of the german city of cologne, have been evacuated after a dam was breached by floodwater overnight. german officials say the country s flood warning system functioned as it was supposed to, but the amount of rain ? and how rapidly it fell ? was unforeseen. 0ur correspondentjenny hill has been at an aid centre in the german town of nurburg and sent this update. there must be scores of people here sorting through all of this donated clothing, donated supplies. there must be scores of people here sorting through all of this donated clothing, donated supplies. people bringing all of this throughout yesterday, overnight, and now this morning, too. they actually say they need more help here. these are all volunteers. it's a mammoth taskjust to get all of this sorted. it is of course for the countless people who have been forced out of their homes by these floods. many of those homes will have been destroyed — many extremely badly damaged. it could be weeks at best before people are able to even think

about moving back in. many of them have been relocated to hotels in the region, or emergency shelters — even staying in people's homes. people have opened their doors to what they're describing as the flood refugees. just outside, there are emergency vehicles, amphibious vehicles gathering. this has become a headquarters for the search and rescue operation. i say rescue operation. with every day that passes, of course, hopes of finding people alive fade. there are still a good number of people missing. the authorities here say it's impossible to actually determine how many are unaccounted for because mobile phone networks are down in so much of this region, meaning it's impossible for people to communicate. even so, the death toll is rising. it's expected to continue to rise even as the waters begin to slowly subside. the german president, frank—walter steinmeier, is due to visit the area later on today. he, i think, echoes the sentiments of so many in this region when he describes what's happening as "a tragedy which has left me stunned".

well, while germany has taken the brunt of the devastation, belgium is also reeling from the floods. 20 people have died and hundreds of people have lost their homes. one of the worst—affected places is liege and our correspondent anna holligan is there. this is the river meuse, and if you look carefully here you can see some of the debris that is being carried downstream. and the smell of oil, the stench, something that you can smell around here. this is the belgian city of liege, and rescue workers were sent from italy, france and austria to help with the recovery effort here — and the evacuations, too. most people are now returning to their homes, but the belgian prime minister has

declared the 20th ofjuly a national day of mourning. at least 20 people have been killed here alone. they say they have never experienced catastrophic floods of this scale before. now, across the border, not far from here, in the netherlands, the emergency services are still trying to reconnect the power supplies. but there, so much of the country lies ten metres below sea level, they have so much experience and talent in managing the rising tides, and watch the last few days has demonstrated, this extreme rainfall, that even the most sophisticated technology will struggle under this kind of pressure. experts have said it should be a wake—up call, politicians across the continent have blamed climate change, but what so many people in this region, here in liege, in limburg, which has been classified as a disaster area, and beyond, what they want to know now — they want assurances from those politicians that something like this can never happen again.

the headlines on bbc news... the health secretary sajid javid says he has tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing "mild" symptoms. travel firms criticise the government's decision to keep quarantine rules in place for travellers returning from england took —— to england from france. pop—up vaccine centre is open in venues across england this weekend any boost to get more people jabbed before the country unlocks next week. also glad of an air—conditioned studio this weekend. good afternoon. it is nice and warm in salford, cool in the studio. to the open first, it's moving day at royal st george's. the leader louis 0osthuizen

gets his third round under way in around a0 minutes, the south african is two shots clear at the top. 0ur reporter ben croucher is there for us. play's been under way since 09:30 — a good day for scotland's robert macintyre but ultimately frustration for rory mcilroy? yes, a glorious day here at royal st george's, definitely not complaining about how warm it is, mr whippy all over the place, temperatures in the mid 20s, conditions reasonable, the wind off the coast is not quite whipping upjust wind off the coast is not quite whipping up just yet. wind off the coast is not quite whipping upjust yet. it has been a challenge for rory mcilroy, struggled for much of the first couple of days, we thought he had brought his a—game, he made five birdies in his third round but slightly unravelled, three bogeys to close on one of the park, leaving him ten shots off the lead, better

news for bob mcintyre, the scottish left—handed golfer. five under par round of 65 a few members ago, that leaves him on for under the championship, going along nicely. 0ousthuizen is the man to catch, a former 0pen winner but so often somebody who's had to settle for second place at majors, how will he be feeling ahead of his third round? i think quietly confident at the minute, he hasjust been metronomic so far this week. going about his business any very unassuming manner, madejust one bogey business any very unassuming manner, made just one bogey mac courses first couple of rounds, holding a two shot lead at a tournament he knows how to win back in 2010 at saint andrews, two shots clear of the american open debutant, they tee offjust afterfour the american open debutant, they tee off just after four o'clock, the american open debutant, they tee offjust after four o'clock, the chasing pack, dustinjohnson another man who has quietly crept up the

leaderboard, sitting on seven under par at the moment, behind him england's andy sullivan hatcher off away to my right on the first hole as he searches for his first major championship, he said yesterday that nobody expects andy sullivan to win, he is hoping to fly under the radar. you can find coverage on the bbc sport website and bbc radio 5 live, highlights later on bbc two at eight o'clock. in rugby league, the challenge cup final is under way at wembley. it's the first time castleford and st helens have met in a major final theres around 115,000 fans at wembley today to watch the match, ten minutes gone and it's still 0—0. saint helens have just taken the lead. here we go. live pictures over on bbc one at the moment.

st helens are looking to win the trophy for first time since 2008. it's castleford's first final since 2014, they last lifted the cup in 1986. you can watch it now on bbc one. history will be made at silverstone later on today, with the first "sprint race." final practice took place earlier this afternoon with red bull's max verstappen the fastest. lewis hamilton was only eighth fastest but he'll start on pole position after winning last night's qualifying event. the inaugural "sprint race" starts at 4:30 this afternoon with the winner of the 17—lap sprint taking pole for tomorrow's race and three championship bonus points. you will be able to follow that on the sport website on bbc, as well as the sport website on bbc, as well as the latest from the challenge cup, it is all happening there. that's all the sport for now.

let's turn to afghanistan now where high—level talks between afghan political leaders and the taliban have begun. afghan government sources have told the bbc that peace negotiations are off to good start but have warned that the window for negotiations is closing fast, as taliban militants continue their unexpectedly rapid advance across the country. the talks are underway in doha. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in doha. she explained what these negotiations mean for the people of afghanistan. afghanistan, even in the best of times — but no—one can remember the best of times — is one of the poorest countries in the world, notwithstanding the fact that there's been 20 years of major international engagement, and now it is reeling from a humanitarian crisis — growing hunger, growing displacement from the violence, and growing fear amongst so many afghans about what the future holds. we saw so many of this new, young educated generation, which came of age after the fall of the taliban in 2001, wondering now whether there is space

for them in the kind of afghanistan which emerges. what has happened on the battlefield has emboldened the taliban and they've been clarifying their ideas about afghanistan's political future, and it is one in which they dominate and it's a very different kind of political order than the one now in the islamic republic of afghanistan, so there's a sense of urgency here and if these talks make progress this weekend, hope they can have another round in the coming weeks before that window to actually negotiate an end to the war, rather than fight to the end is not lost. as england prepares to lift remaining coronavirus restrictions, there are calls for greater mental health support to continue for people with anxiety as we emerge from lockdown. the mental health charity mind says the mental health consequences of coronavirus require an immediate and long—term commitment from government.

colleen harris reports. there is just this sense of, like, overwhelming anxiety of being around large groups of people. not everyone is looking forward to restrictions easing. lauren developed anxiety and depression in her teens. just the thought of socialising can be a challenge. i would struggle a lot previously with not, i couldn't leave the door, and the build—up to it was just awful, and i'd sit here and kind of pick holes in myself, and it just all spirals. this is a song that i've been working on. it's called merry go round. like lauren, angelica jane also has anxiety and depression, but found lockdown helpful and life less overwhelming. stepping out of that is

causing her worries. it would be nice to be able to actually go out with friends and do nice things, but on the other hand, there is kind of this fear, like i don't really know how it's going to be going back, if i'm starting school again, because i haven't been experiencing that in a while. the government has pledged £500 million towards a mental health recovery plan in england, but charities warn it's not enough to meet a long—term need for support. the mental health consequences of coronavirus are here in the here and now. many people really struggling. but we also know there is a longer term issue affecting people with existing mental health problems, which we will see for many, many months and years to come. solutions like this alongside clinical treatments can help. for angelica jane, it's music, and for lauren, it's art. i just find it almost a source of mindfulness.

my brain is constant all the time, and when i'm doing art, it kind ofjust stops. while the end of coronavirus restrictions are in sight, it's just the beginning of the pandemic�*s long—term legacy on mental health. colleen harris, bbc news. the us military wants to build a large new radar site in britain to track targets in deep space. it comes amid growing concerns about an arms race in space. the us and britain have accused china and russia of developing weapons to shoot down satellites. the us space force is developing a global radar system to identify potential threats up to 36,000 kilometres in space. as well as the uk, other sites will include texas and australia. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale reports. the race in space is already under way. notjust for commercial

way. not just for commercial ventures way. notjust for commercial ventures like virgin galactica with its recent maiden voyage but for nations also. last year, the us military launched another ten satellites into space. america also now has its own space force might not lead to protect the systems we now all use, such as gps location. there are threats in space, i would say to countries that are most threatening are china and russia. there had been anti—satellite missiles developed. there had been anti-satellite missiles developed.— there had been anti-satellite missiles developed. there had been anti-satellite missiles develoed. �* ., missiles developed. america also has a early warning _ missiles developed. america also has a early warning systems _ missiles developed. america also has a early warning systems to _ missiles developed. america also has a early warning systems to detect - a early warning systems to detect ballistic missiles, including a radar in north yorkshire. the us wants to build a new radar system for deep space. one of the new site could be in the uk.— could be in the uk. crude end up in the uk, parabolic— could be in the uk. crude end up in the uk, parabolic antennas, - could be in the uk. crude end up in i the uk, parabolic antennas, anywhere from ten to 15 for tracking,

potentially for 26 four transmitting. it would cover a large area for receive, probably an area of one kilometre in diameter. the deep space _ of one kilometre in diameter. the deep space advanced radar capability, which will be able to detect and object size of a football, up to 36,000 kilometres away, is being developed here in california. 0ne away, is being developed here in california. one of the sites visited by the british defence secretary this week, who wants to strengthen cooperation in space, not least to protect critical national infrastructure.- protect critical national infrastructure. ., infrastructure. space is a growing domain for _ infrastructure. space is a growing domain for both _ infrastructure. space is a growing domain for both commerce - infrastructure. space is a growing domain for both commerce but i infrastructure. space is a growing i domain for both commerce but also infrastructure. space is a growing - domain for both commerce but also to protect all the key national infrastructure that we need to edit a's world, it isn't a threat in some areas, our adversaries are weapon icing space, we have to make sure at the very least we are providing resilience. the very least we are providing resilience-— resilience. the locations of the dee - resilience. the locations of the deep space _ resilience. the locations of the deep space radar _ resilience. the locations of the deep space radar capability - resilience. the locations of the i deep space radar capability have still to be agreed, but one of the

sites being considered by the us space force is in the south of england or scotland, as well as in texas and australia. it may prove controversial but the government has made clear it wants britain to be in the vanguard of efforts to keep space safe. the vanguard of efforts to keep space safe-— hippos, walruses and whales could be given greater legal protection under plans to crack down on ivory poaching. the government wants to extend a planned law banning the trade of items containing elephant ivory to cover other at—risk animals. conservationists say the move sends a "clear signal to the rest of the world". now it's time for a look at the weather.