this is bbc news. the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the search for hundreds of people still missing following devastating floods in germany and belgium continues. the german president has been visiting one of the stricken areas. our country stands together during this time. i'm very pleased to see just how much sympathy and solidarity is being shown, not only here in the region but also throughout germany. and i am live in erftstadt where the president was visiting, one of the worst impacted towns. the recovery operation is under way.

the uk's 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 lateral flow test this morning and it's come out positive, so i'm now self isolating at home with my family until i get the results of a pcr test. olympics organisers announce the first case of coronavirus in the athletes�* village, six days before the tokyo games begin. hello and welcome if you are watching in the uk or around the world. rescue crews have been racing to find survivors after the floods that wreaked havoc in germany and its western neighbours

switzerland, luxembourg and the netherlands. at least 160 people are so far known to have died across europe, some 140 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 left their homes after a dam was breached by floodwater overnight. german officials say the country s by floodwater overnight. as it was supposed to, but the amount of rain — and how rapidly it fell — was unforeseen. let's cross now to the village of erfstadt and my colleague kasia madera. i suppose it is all about the clean—up now? i suppose it is all about the clean-up now?— i suppose it is all about the clean-u now? ., . ., , , clean-up now? you are absolutely riuht. and clean-up now? you are absolutely right. and what _ clean-up now? you are absolutely right. and what a _ clean-up now? you are absolutely right. and what a clean-up, - clean-up now? you are absolutely right. and what a clean-up, whatl clean-up now? you are absolutely| right. and what a clean-up, what a right. and what a clean—up, what a lot of devastation. a lot of shock in this part of western germany, the two states most affected by the flooding that absolutely decimated

pockets of these parts of this region. erftstadtjust up the road from here is one of those towns that has been hugely impacted, three times there was a collapse, a landslide, buildings collapsed in the centre of town and then this bypass behind me which was completely flooded. we have been monitoring the operation throughout the day, around 30 to a0 vehicles have been completely immersed in water. the military has been backing up water. the military has been backing up the police and fire services, and around 20,000 rescue personnel have been mobilised to help in what was a huge effort. the president of the country was here a little bit earlier on in erftstadt talking about the recovery operation, sending of course his condolences for the loss of life here and across this region, and also showing support of the people who have lost so much here. translation: this is a time - of distress and our country stands together during this time.

i'm very pleased to see just how much sympathy and solidarity is being shown, not only here in the region but also throughout germany. there is a lot of solidarity, a lot of volunteers have been coming together offering supplies, care centres setting up to help rescue people who have absolutely nothing. buildings totally collapsed, holmes washed away, vehicles, like i say they were cars stacked up here by they were cars stacked up here by the force of water as if they were simply toy cars. it is staggering to see, but the rescue operation is under way and people are beginning to return to assess the level of damage as these people have been. translation:— translation: everything is destroyed. _ translation: everything is destroyed, you _ translation: everything is destroyed, you don't - translation: everything is i destroyed, you don't recognise translation: everything is - destroyed, you don't recognise this area any more. before, this was a green oasis, a natural landscape,

and the only thing you could hear was the calm waters of the river. that is all gone, it a catastrophe. if you had told me four days ago that there — if you had told me four days ago that there would be a flood here, i would _ that there would be a flood here, i would have — that there would be a flood here, i would have said may be only in the basement— would have said may be only in the basement but this was two and a half metres— basement but this was two and a half metres high. i basement but this was two and a half metres high-— basement but this was two and a half metres hiuh. , ., , ., metres high. i emptied the house and have thrown — metres high. i emptied the house and have thrown everything _ metres high. i emptied the house and have thrown everything out, - have thrown everything out, everything _ have thrown everything out, everything. there _ have thrown everything out, everything. there is - have thrown everything out, everything. there is nothing have thrown everything out, - everything. there is nothing left. weter— everything. there is nothing left. water is — everything. there is nothing left. water is everywhere. _ everything. there is nothing left. water is everywhere. all - everything. there is nothing left. water is everywhere. all these . water is everywhere. all these things— water is everywhere. all these things when— water is everywhere. all these things when you, _ water is everywhere. all these things when you, just - water is everywhere. all these things when you, just three . water is everywhere. all these - things when you, just three months old. things when you, 'ust three months old. �* ., things when you, 'ust three months old. �* . ., , ., . old. i'm waiting for the insurance auent. old. i'm waiting for the insurance agent- just _ old. i'm waiting for the insurance agent. just like _ old. i'm waiting for the insurance agent. just like everyone - old. i'm waiting for the insurance agent. just like everyone else. i l agent. just like everyone else. i hope the process will be quick so we can rebuild and get back to work, especially after covid—i9. we only reopened two months ago. it is staggering to see the level of destruction given that this was a flood that took place in the space of around 2a hours, but if you think about the amount of water that fell,

two months worth in such a short period of time, the local areas were simply not able to cope. it is not just western germany of course, we have to think about the netherlands and belgium also hugely impacted. the town of liege in belgium has also been impacted. anna holligan reports from there now. 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 what 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.

assu ra nces assurances that people in germany also want to hear. 0ur assurances that people in germany also want to hear. our thanks to anna holligan in belgium reporting on the devastation there. she mentioned the netherlands as well but it is here in western germany where the highest death toll is, and these pockets of devastation we are seeing in places like erftstadtjust up seeing in places like erftstadtjust up the road. another town hugely affected in the same state we are in now is harden and we can speak now to moritz, who is a journalist. we spoke to you in the last few days when this first initially happened. it is good of you to join us once again. talk us through the situation there, because in erftstadt recovery is taking place but it has been devastating for the local community. for sure. devastating for the local community. forsure. first devastating for the local community. for sure. first the good news, the water— for sure. first the good news, the water level— for sure. first the good news, the water level keeps dropping and there was no _ water level keeps dropping and there

was no heavy rain for three days. the people — was no heavy rain for three days. the people are very happy about it, but how _ the people are very happy about it, but how we — the people are very happy about it, but how we actually sat, the real work, _ but how we actually sat, the real work. the — but how we actually sat, the real work, the main work has to be done now _ work, the main work has to be done now streets — work, the main work has to be done now. streets are destroyed, lots of people _ now. streets are destroyed, lots of peorrte are — now. streets are destroyed, lots of people are without a home, they lost their property and it is a really mean — their property and it is a really mean situation and it will last for days, _ mean situation and it will last for days, may— mean situation and it will last for days, may four weeks. absolutely, and can you _ days, may four weeks. absolutely, and can you tell— days, may four weeks. absolutely, and can you tell us _ days, may four weeks. absolutely, and can you tell us about - days, may four weeks. absolutely, and can you tell us about the - days, may four weeks. absolutely, | and can you tell us about the power situation there? because we know homes here are still having power outages, many homes still without power, but at one point there were 100,000 households without power. what is the situation like with you? on wednesday night there was the same _ on wednesday night there was the same situation, there was the complete _ same situation, there was the complete blackout, shut down in hagen— complete blackout, shut down in hagen but now the electricity and power— hagen but now the electricity and power comes back so a lot of powers have gas, _ power comes back so a lot of powers have gas, water and electricity again. — have gas, water and electricity again. trut— have gas, water and electricity again, but it comes back shortly because — again, but it comes back shortly because there are still lots of basement full of water and you can io basement full of water and you can go to— basement full of water and you can go to the _ basement full of water and you can go to the stations to make it better

how _ go to the stations to make it better now it _ go to the stations to make it better how it is _ go to the stations to make it better how it is a — go to the stations to make it better now. it is a really difficult situation _ now. it is a really difficult situation and people will need lots of time _ situation and people will need lots of time to— situation and people will need lots of time to recover from it. absolutely, a lot of time and support. people are rallying round and there are so many volunteers. the newspapers calling this the flood of death. have you ever seen something like this in your lifetime in this area?— in this area? never. it was the heaviest rain _ in this area? never. it was the heaviest rain i _ in this area? never. it was the heaviest rain i have _ in this area? never. it was the heaviest rain i have ever - in this area? never. it was the j heaviest rain i have ever seen. in this area? never. it was the i heaviest rain i have ever seen. it was like — heaviest rain i have ever seen. it was like nodding that takes cars, that takes— was like nodding that takes cars, that takes trees. it was unbelievable, i can't describe it. no one — unbelievable, i can't describe it. no one had thought this rain would be no one had thought this rain would he that— no one had thought this rain would be that heavy, that there would be these _ be that heavy, that there would be these floodings. i can't describe it. these floodings. i can't describe it we _ these floodings. i can't describe it. we have seen the pictures, it is really— it. we have seen the pictures, it is really hard. — it. we have seen the pictures, it is really hard, and i think the politics— really hard, and i think the politics and the city will make lots of changes to provide these catastrophes you have to say, yes, it is a _ catastrophes you have to say, yes, it is a catastrophe. it is

catastrophes you have to say, yes, it is a catastrophe.— it is a catastrophe. it is certainly how angela _ it is a catastrophe. it is certainly how angela merkel _ it is a catastrophe. it is certainly how angela merkel described i it is a catastrophe. it is certainly how angela merkel described it. speaking from radio hagen, a town not farfrom here speaking from radio hagen, a town not far from here also devastated, thank you for your time. like moritz was saying, there is still a lot of shark and questions about the recovery situation and efforts are beginning. they are under way and we have been here throughout the course of the day. most of this road and bypass behind me have been flooded but there are so many cars now that had been removed, that grim operation to discover if there are any remains. thankfully not here, everyone was able to get away safely from the rains, but the sheer force of the rains, there are metal signs that have been completely bent under the sheer force of the water that has gushed through here. itjust shows the level and intensity of the water flooding through this area. indeed. i was reading that one of

the highest priorities for the german government was the restoration of the mobile network. what sort of issues has that caused both residents and the emergency services? ~ , , ,, , services? absolutely huge issues when it comes _ services? absolutely huge issues when it comes to _ services? absolutely huge issues when it comes to the _ services? absolutely huge issues when it comes to the mobile - when it comes to the mobile networks. we have had intermittent breakages in mobile networks. it is much better at the moment, and at the beginning of the day there were talks of fears of up to 1300 people unaccounted for, still missing, so there was a lot of concern about what had happened to them. the mobile networks are improving a lot right now, so those people who were unable to communicate with loved ones have managed to do so. so those figures are dropping, but people still concerned about the whereabouts of their loved ones. it is understandable that very much the power... attempts are being made to get the power back on. a lot of generators have been driven down here to make sure people do have

power so that they can communicate with each other, so that if anyone is still unaccounted for, they can get messages to their loved ones. there was an awful lot of concern over the destruction here. you are watching bbc world news. kasia madera there, thank you very much indeed. the uk health secretary sajid javid is self—isolating at home after testing positive for coronavirus. mrjavid, who's had both vaccines, said he'd felt a "bit groggy" on friday night. his announcement comes as the government prepares to go ahead with lifting coronavirus restrictions in england on monday. the decision last night to keep quarantine rules in place for people returning to england and wales from france — even if they are fully vaccinated — has been heavily criticised by travel firms. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley has the report.

i was feeling groggy last night so i'm now i was feeling a bit groggy last night so i took a lateral flow test this morning and it has come out positive. so i am now self isolating at home with my family until i get the result of pcr test. i'm grateful that i have had two jabs of the vaccine and so far my symptoms are very mild. this is a sajid javid at a care home on tuesday, four days before his symptoms developed. it is not clear yet if any one else in government will have to self—isolate as a close contact. it comes ahead of a crucial week for ministers. from monday, legal restrictions will be lifted in england, but there were more than 5a,000 positive cases reported yesterday and some are urging caution.

there is a lot of uncertainty, and if you look at countries that are ahead of us in the curve, like the netherlands and israel, both of which incidentally have good vaccination stories, 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. next week will be a significant moment in the sometimes slow road out of lockdown in england. but it won't be back to normality overnight. these coverings will still be recommended in some places and there will still be an emphasis on caution. and the number of positive cases we have seen, like the health secretary's, is a reminder that even if many restrictions are going, the virus hasn't disappeared. and some rules are changing faster than others. from monday, double jabbed people returning from france were supposed to be spared quarantine, but last night the government announced that would not be happening, leaving the travel industry and many tourists less than happy. i'm trying my hardest to follow the rules but i don't

understand the rules! i am going on my holiday, and whatever happens happens. it is constantly changing. it actually feels more political than anything else. it's very confusing, i think everything is really badly handled. in wales today, restrictions on meeting outside were lifted. across the uk, there are more freedoms on their way, but that isn't without risk. let's take a look at the latest uk government coronavirus figures and 5a,67a new infections were recorded in the latest 2a—hour period, taking the average per day in the past week to a2,900. the data for the number of people currently in hospital with covid hasn't been updated today but figures yesterday showed 3,96a people were in hospital with the virus. a1 deaths were recorded in the past 2a hours.

more than a6.2 million people have now had their firstjab — that's 87.8% of all uk adults. and over 35.7 million people 67.8% of all adults have had two jabs. well, as you've just heard, the uk has recorded over 50,000 new covid cases for the second consecutive day. scientists and medical experts have expressed concern at the relaxation of covid rules while cases are clearly rising. it comes as the government announced an extension to the flu vaccination programme this winter, expected to be delivered alongside any booster jabs for covid—19. here's anna collinson. it is the birthplace of the ashes. but this weekend, the oval cricket ground has become one of many pop—up vaccine hubs, and one of those in line was surrey cricketerjordan clarke.

with significant freedoms for england and scotland less than two days away, there is another push for people to get theirjab. we started the clinic eight o'clock in the morning, as normal, we had a bit of a rush eight o'clock, but now there is a steady flow of people. we're doing roughly a00 people every hour. as expected, as restrictions have eased over recent months, and more people have come together, infections have risen. the big difference this time, though, is the vaccine, which has helped to reduce the threat of covid, though not eliminated it. it is those hospital admissions that are causing real concern at the moment and the projections of how high they could go is quite alarming. so it is not the situation you wanted to be in. we did not want to be opening up, really, quite a dramatic way at a time and we have so many infections, that is why you are hearing so many people expressing concern. but other scientists feel confident about this wave, pointing to the data which shows fewer people have become seriously ill and those that are in hospital.

—— and those that are are in hospitalfor less time. amid fears the double threat of covid and the flu could put intense pressure on health service this winter, free flu vaccines will be offered to more than 35 million people in england. this includes expanding the programme to include pupils up to year 11. in county down, people wait in the hot sun for a vaccine. i live a mile away from here, so it is handy for me to come down here today as opposed to going to the likes of craigavon or somewhere. scientists say every person in queues like this around the uk have played a role in damaging the link between coronavirus and serious illness, jab byjab. despite a sharp increase in covid infections across the uk, the success of the vaccination programme continues. while all over—18s have been able to book their first jab for some weeks now, uptake among young people has been mixed. jamie moreland looks

at why some younger people are racing to get vaccinated, and why some are turning their back on the jab — and even takes a look at vaccine hesitancy in his own family. itjust felt like a really natural decision. as soon as the opportunity came, i knew i had to take the vaccine. i truly believe it is the only way out of this pandemic. _ i have come down from london to eastbourne to visit my grandparents, who i haven't actually seen for more than a year, but ijust noticed there is a pop—up vaccine centre right there. shall we go and have a look? they were welcoming in all over 18s, so i got my first dose of the pfizerjab. but i was talking to one of the vaccine volunteers who does london and the south—east. he said he was having a really difficult time convincing young people to have the jab. i couldn't help but think,

is that really the case — and why? many young people raced to vaccine centres when given the opportunity, with thousands flocking to stadiums on weekends to get the jab. i think it overturns this idea that young people are more vaccine hesitant. they care about the end of the pandemic much as anybody. it both protects themselves and other people as well. helping society to recover. i want to travel in the summer. i would love to get some of the university experience back after a year and a half of not having that. ultimately, we all want this crazy virus messjust to end. _ but there are some who are hesitant. even in my own family, my cousin is worried about people having bad reactions. so, after ages apart, i asked my grandparents what they thought of this. well, it is your own personal choice, really, but i believe people should get it done. so do you think that by me having the vaccine today, it protects you a little bit more? yes. so far, more than 56% of 18 to 2a—year—olds in england have received a first dose of the vaccine compared with 95% of

80 to 85—year—olds. of course, young people have had less time to get theirjabs, but is there anything else at play? i received a lot of messages from young people with reasons why they are not having the jab. i put their concerns to a vaccine expert. if you are young and fit, why would you take an experimental vaccine? they are not really experimental now because they have been fully approved and they were tested in trials first of all in tens of thousands of people, and now we have millions of people who have had no issues whatsoever apart from being well protected. too many people had blood clots and died from it. the vaccine associated with blood clots, which are elected vaccines, are not the ones given to young people. "i react badly to most vaccinations, the last time i had one, i was hospitalised for a week." first of all, check what that allergy actually is. is it confirmed? and then seek the advice of where you might be safest to have your vaccine. i'm waiting until the global roll—out is done because other

people around the world need it more. you are quite right to think about the equity of access. it is really important not to lose sight of that, but you getting yourjab, i'm afraid, is not going to make a great deal of difference. the chance of me dying from covid next to impossible. protecting others? they should get the vaccine. the risk—benefit ratio is something you need to consider. it is much more beneficial to have the vaccine than not to have it, both for yourself and for the wider public. having the jab is a personal choice and you should research before deciding what is best for your own health, but for me, like plenty of other young people, i am waiting for my second dose in august.

the organisers of the tokyo olympics are seeking to reassure athletes and the people of japan that the games will be covid—secure after the first case of the virus in the olympic village was confirmed earlier today. the officials have refused to reveal the nationality of the infected person, but said it was a games organiser from abroad. meanwhile, athletes continue to arrive in tokyo, which is under a state of emergency for the duration of the event. let's have a listen to what one of the games' organisers had to say on that positive coronavirus case. there was one person in the village. this was the very first case in the village that was reported during the screening test. yesterday he or she underwent this pcr test, and right now this person is confined in a hotel.

when we have positive cases, to what extent we disclosed information was another question. are we going to disclose the name of the country or not? we have been discussing with the ioc and the ioc says if we disclose the name of the country, with high probability, you should be able to identify who this person is. the annual haj pilgrimmage is getting under way in mecca with a reduced number of participants. for a second consecutive year, only 60,000 people will be taking part because of covid restrictions. in normal years, around two and a half million muslims from across the world would visit the holiest sites of islam in mecca and medina — a pilgrimage which all muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetimes. eid will be celebrated on tuesday. 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. not just for commercial ventures like virgin galactic, with its recent maiden voyage, but for nations too. three, two, we have ignition. last year, the us military launched another ten satellites into space. america also now has its own space force, not least to protect the systems we now all use — such as gps location. there are threats in space. i'd say the two countries that are most threatening are china and russia. there have been anti—satellite missiles that have been developed. america already has early warning systems to detect ballistic missiles — including the fylindales radar in north yorkshire. now the us wants to build a new radar system for deep space. and one of the new sites could be in the uk.

what could end up in the uk is an array of parabolic antennas, and it could be anywhere from ten to 15 for tracking, and potentially four to six for transmitting. so it would cover a large area, would it? it would cover a large area for it to receive — probably an area of one kilometre in diameter. the deep space advanced radar capability, which will be able to detect and object the size of a football up to 36,000 kilometres away, is being developed here in california. one of the sites visited by the british defence secretary this week, who wants to strengthen cooperation on space — not least to protect critical national infrastructure. space is a growing domain for both commerce, but also to protect all the key national infrastructure that we need to in today's world. it is under threat. in some areas, our adversaries are weaponising space, so we have to make sure at the very least we're providing resilience.

the locations of the deep space radar capability, or darc for short, 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's made clear it wants britain to be in the vanguard of efforts to keep space safe. jonathan beale, bbc news, los angeles. let's find out how the weather is looking. let's find out how the weather is lookinu. ., , ., ., ., looking. the hottest weather of all has been in _ looking. the hottest weather of all has been in northern _ looking. the hottest weather of all has been in northern ireland, - looking. the hottest weather of all has been in northern ireland, 31.2| has been in northern ireland, 31.2 degrees in county down, that is northern ireland's highest temperature on record. it was cooler across the far north of scotland, 13 the high in lerwick this afternoon because of the cloud rolling down off the north—west of scotland. even

the odd spot of rain overnight. clear spells across much of england and wales, and what will be quite a warm night. maybe 17 degrees in some of the bigger town and city centres. into tomorrow, england and wales once again seeing hot sunshine. northern ireland and scotland generally having more cloud although that should break up. a slightly cooler day across the northern half of the uk, highest temperatures found further south. london are likely to reach 31 degrees. the odd shower down towards the south—east on monday, most places will be dry. not quite as warm as it has been.

this is bbc news, the headlines... more than 160 people are now known to have died in severe floods across western europe, with hundreds still unaccounted for. the german president has been visiting one of the stricken areas. here in britain, as coronavirus cases continue to surge, the health secretary sajid javid says he is self isolating after testing postive. in a video on twitter, he said he felt a bit groggy, but he'd had both doses of the vaccine. a new round of afghan peace talks is under way in qatar. it follows substantial taliban gains in afghanistan, in the wake of the withdrawal of us forces. both sides are expressing cautious optimism that progress can be made. the first case of coronavirus inside the athletes' olympic village in tokyo has been detected,

with just six days before the games open.