this is bbc world news i'm lukwesa burak. our top stories... the search continues for hundreds of people still missing, following devastating floods in germany and other european countries. the german president has been visiting one of the worst hit 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. the uk's health secretary, sajid javid, says he's 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. a new round of afghan peace talks

gets under way in qatar between afghan leaders and the taliban. both sides are said to be positive. no, no, wait! and nervous laughter in cannes, as the director spike lee accidentally lets slip the name of the winner of the palme d'or ahead of time. hello and welcome to bbc world news. 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 170 people are known to have died so far across europe, some 140 of them in germany alone.

hundreds remain unaccounted for, and thousands are now homeless. anna holligan sent this report from belgium, where at least 27 people have died. 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. let's take at some of the day's other news from around the world. thousands of people have been protesting in france against new rules, which will oblige

health workers to be vaccinated against coronavirus. the restrictions also mean that people will need to show either a vaccine health pass, or a negative covid test, to enter public places including restaurants. since the rules were announced on monday, a record number of people have booked appointments to be vaccinated. a sprawling wildfire raging mostly unchecked for over a week in southern oregon has forced firefighters into retreat for a fourth straight day. it is the state's fifth largest blaze in more than a century. the annual hajj pilgrimmage is getting under way in mecca with a reduced number of participants. 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 pilgrimmage which all muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetimes. cuba's president, miguel diaz—canel, has dismissed

last week's historic demonstrations against the communist government as a lie. you're watching bbc news. the uk health secretary, sajid javid, is self—isolating at home, after testing positive for coronavirus. mrjavid, who's had both vaccines, is understood to have met the prime minister on friday. his announcement comes as the government prepares to go ahead with lifting coronavirus restrictions in england on monday. there've been 5a thousand confirmed cases in the uk , the highest daily total since early january. our political correspondent, nick eardley, reports. downing street yesterday, the health secretary outside number 10, facemask in hand, but this morning he tested positive for coronavirus. 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. face coverings will still be recommended in some places and there will still be an emphasis on caution. and the number of positive cases we're seeing, 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 don't know. at this point, 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. nick eardley, bbc news. let's take a look at the latest uk government coronavirus figures. 54,671; new infections were recorded in the latest 24—hour period, taking the average per day in the past week to 10,900. the data for the number of people currently in hospital with covid hasn't been updated today — but figures yesterday showed 3,964 people were in hospital with the virus. 41 deaths were recorded in the past 2a hours. more than 46.2 million

people have now had their firstjab — that's 87.8% of all uk adults. 67.8 % of all adults —— have had two jabs. well, as you've just heard, the uk has recorded over 50 thousand 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—i9. 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 400 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 eliminate it. it is those hospital admissions that are causing real concern at the moment and the projections of how high they could go are quite alarming. so it is not the situation we 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 more confident about this wave, pointing to the data which shows fewer people have become seriously ill, and those that are are in hospital for less time. amid fears the double threat of covid and the flu could put intense pressure on the 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 only 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. anna collinson, bbc news. high—level talks have begun between afghan political leaders and the taliban, in the gulf state of qatar. afghan government sources have told the bbc, that peace negotiations are off to good start — but the window for a breakthrough is closing fast, as taliban militants continue their unexpectedly rapid advance. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, is in doha. she's been speaking to the key players on both sides, about the significance

of these negotiations. these high—level talks are taking place in the midst of growing uncertainty and anxiety about afghanistan's future. afghan government negotiators say they are acutely aware that the window for peace talks is fast narrowing, perhaps a question ofjust two to three months. because the backdrop of course is that the taliban have been overrunning districts across afghanistan and seizing strategic order crossings. so i asked the minister of state for peace, did he believe after talking to the taliban again here that they were interested in a political solution? we hope so, because the only solution to the conflict in afghanistan is political solution, is through meaningful negotiation, and conflict and taking afghanistan by force is not the solution, it will not

be acceptable to the people afghanistan. afg ha nista n state minister for peace. but of course that is a question for the taliban too, because it has been noticed that as they make rapid military advances, it has emboldened them and they become clearer about their political vision for afghanistan. and it is one, judging by their ideas now on the table, which doesn't include elections and has a new islamic constitution as well as leadership. which of course, for the afghan government team, means that accepting those proposals is tantamount to a call or surrender. a call for surrender. so i asked the member of the taliban negotiating team, their spokesman, whether that was the spirit of these talks. that is the perception of the other side, not our policy. our policy is to have a settlement of the issue. that is our policy, we want this, because in that circumstance,

we can then bring durable peace to the country. that is our objective. the taliban's spokesperson. well, both sides say talks today in doha have got off to a good start, but they are hoping that these discussions can help both sides to clarify their positions and that they will lead to another round of talks involving even more high—level figures on both sides to try to push this negotiation forward. because everyone is aware, most of all afghans on the ground as well as afghanistan's neighbours, that if these talks fail, the war will get worse. much worse. this is bbc news, the latest headlines... rescue crews are still searching for survivors of the torrential flooding which swept

through germany, belgium and the netherlands. at least 170 people are known to have died. the uk's health secretary, sajid javid, says he's tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing "mild" symptoms. let's get more now on the devastating floods, which have swept through large parts of europe. it's now known that at least 140 people have been killed in germany alone. from the village of erfstadt, near cologne, my colleague, kasia madera, reports on the rescue effort. there is a lot of solidarity, a lot of volunteers have been coming together, have been offering supplies. care centre is setting up after to help rescue people who just have absolutely nothing. buildings totally collapsed, homes washed away, vehicles, like i say, there were cars stacked up here by the force of water that came down here, as if they were simply to toy cars. it's quite staggering to see. but the rescue operation is under way and people are returning to look

and assess the level of damage as these people have been. 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's all gone. it's a catastrophe. translation: if you had told me four days ago - that there could be a flood here, i would have said maybe it will be on the on the in the basement, but this flood was two and half metres high. the antique books are ruined forever. translation: i emptied the house and found - the house and thrown everything out, everything. there is nothing left. water's everywhere. all these things were new, just three months old. translation: i'm waiting for the insurance agent, i just like everyone else. i hope the process will be quick so that we can rebuild and get back to work, especially after covid—19. we only reopened two months ago.

another town that was hugely affected in the same state that we are actually in now is hargen. ——that we are actually in now is hagen. and we can speak to mortiz freedomburg who actually works, he is a journalist at radio hagen. i know we spoke you over the last few days in terms of when this first initially happened. it's good of you to join us once again. just talk us through the situation. because from what we are seeing here, the clean—up operation is taking place. recovery is taking place, but it's just been absolutely devastating for the local community. sure. first, the good news, the water level keeps dropping, and there was no heavy rainfall for three days. that people are very happy about it, but, how are you said, the real work, the main work has to be done now. streets are destroyed, a lot of people are without a home. people lost their property, and it's a really mean situation and it will last for days, maybe for weeks. absolutely, and can you tell us

about the power situation there? because we know that homes here are still having power outages. many homes are still without power. but at one point, there were over 100,000 households without power. what is the situation like with you? yeah, on wednesday night, it was the same situation complete black out, it was shut down, but now, the electricity, the power comes back. so a lot of houses have asked, have water, have electricity again. ——so a lot of houses have gas, have water, have electricity again. but it comes back and back shortly because there are still lots of basements which are full of water, and you can't go to the stations there to make it better now. so it's a really difficult situation and the people will need lots of time to recover from it. absolutely, a lot of time, a lot of support. people are rallying around and there are so many volunteers.

the newspapers, though, calling this the flood of death. have you ever seen something like this in your lifetime in this area? never. it was the heaviest rain i have ever seen. it was like flooding that took cars, that take trees, it was unbelievable. i can't describe it. so no one would have thought that this rain would be that heavy, that there would be this flooding. yeah, i can't describe it. we are seeing the pictures, it is really hard. i think the politics and the city will make lots of changes to provide these catastrophes, you have to say, yeah, it is a catastrophe. well, it's certainly how angela merkel described it. mortiz speaking from a town not far from here, also devastated, thank you so much for your time. so, like moritz was saying, there is still a lot of shock, and awful lot of questions, but the recovery situation,

the recovery efforts are beginning, they are under way, and we have been here throughout the whole course of the day. most of this bypass behind me had been completely flooded, but as you can see, there are so many cars now that had been removed, that grim operation, to discover if there are any remains. thankfully, not here, everybody was able to get away safely from the rains, but the sheer force of the rains, there are metal signs that have just been completely bent under the sheer force of the water that had 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 for both residents and the emergency services? absolutely huge issues when it comes to the mobile networks. we've had intermittent

breakages in mobile networks. it is much better at the moment. at the beginning of the day, there were talks and 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 have been able to communicate with their loved ones have managed to do so, so those figures are dropping, but people are still concerned about the whereabouts of their loved ones. of course, it's understandable. but very much the power is ebing, attempts are being made but very much the power is being, attempts are being made to get the power back on. a lot of generators have been driven down here to try and make sure that 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. of course, an awful lot of concern over the destruction here. a film about a serial killer has won

the prize for the best picture at this year's cannes film festival. film stars and directors returned in droves to the french riviera, after the 2020 festival was cancelled because of the covid pandemic. but the climax of the closing ceremony went a little wrong, when director spike lee accidentally announced the film titane, as the winner of the coveted palme d'or. have a listen. can you tell me which prize is the first prize? yes, ican. oui, oui. cool the film that won the award... wait, wait, wait, don't! she speaks french. ok, so... she speaks french.

we can cross live to cannes and bbc talking movies reporter emma jones. hi there, mi. playing very close attention to that. what a moment. to be there, he was asked what the winning movie was, wasn't he? weill. winning movie was, wasn't he? well, he kind of wise. _ winning movie was, wasn't he? well, he kind of wise. he _ winning movie was, wasn't he? well, he kind of wise. he is _ winning movie was, wasn't he? well, he kind of wise. he is sort _ winning movie was, wasn't he? well, he kind of wise. he is sort of- winning movie was, wasn't he? well, he kind of wise. he is sort of see - he kind of wise. he is sort of see what happens, and there was a lot of confusion amongst the press going what on earth has spike lee just announced, but it is very clear that they did ask him what the first movie was, so you can, either he was handed the wrong envelope, or he did later they take what the winning movie was, and it went that way. i suppose it's made for a wonderful viral clip which is currently going around the world publicising the film festival and the movie and spike lee. so it's not all bad publicity, but it is certainly a moment to rival that i scare

moonlight lala land moment can i do remember that a few years ago? it rarely happens in film, but i think everyone is taking it very lightly, and somebody did say can actually commit that because i was out of the way so quickly, everybody could just relax and enjoy the evening because we knew who had already won. slightly lost in translation there, but tell us about this winning movie. everyone now is going to find out what it is all about. shocked and delayed, many other adjutants coming to mind. it is and delayed, many other ad'utants coming to mind.�* coming to mind. it is the most talked about _ coming to mind. it is the most talked about found _ coming to mind. it is the most talked about found this - coming to mind. it is the most talked about found this year. i coming to mind. it is the most i talked about found this year. for coming to mind. it is the most - talked about found this year. for me personally commit is wonderful, it's by a female director. it has become the second woman ever to win this award, which is cinema's most prestigious prize, the first and only so far in the early 90s, so she made a real splash with this, her second feature found, and it's one

of those movies that when i came out of those movies that when i came out of seeing it a few nights ago, it was brilliant, just so thoroughly confused, open mouthed, going what have ijust confused, open mouthed, going what have i just seen? confused, open mouthed, going what have ijust seen? i really miss those days, because, of course, the sentiments have been closed for nearly 18 months and so many countries around the world. it is, as he mentions, a female cellular kit —— serial killer commits very gory, its bylines, there is a lot of nudity, and lots of very interesting provoking questions about gender as well. —— it's violence. i did speak with the director a few days ago that she did want to have a discussion, all of the ingredients of the hit film. it's being sold around the world. it's released in france if not this weekend, then very very shortly. i'm sure the makers are delighted with this one. an enjoyable, gory found. anna jones, thank you very much indeed. she

somehow did _ thank you very much indeed. she somehow did it. thank you very much. —— emma jones. time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good evening. hot sunshine was the weather story for most parts of the uk today, but the really big story was in northern ireland where, as you can see, it was beach weather in county down, and temperatures at ballywatticock got all the way up to 31.2 celsius — and that is northern ireland's highest temperature on record. plenty of other places not too far behind, but in shetland, lerwick only got up to 13 celsius this afternoon because we had a lot of cloud around. you can see this on the satellite picture, a lot of cloud generally across the northwest of scotland, there was the odd spot of rain here, quite a brisk wind, and elsewhere, it was sunshine all the way. but as we head through this evening and overnight, we will bring more of that cloud down across the north and the west of scotland, with some rain in the far north. northern ireland will cloud over, as well, turning quite murky in places. clear spells further south, a warm night with temperatures in some of the towns and cities no lower than 16—17 celsius. into tomorrow, for england and wales, expect plentiful sunshine once again. it might be a bit murky for some

of these irish sea coasts, northern ireland should brighten up through the day. across scotland, a lot of cloud first thing — again, that should break to give some spells of sunshine, but generally speaking across northern parts of the uk, it will be a little bit cooler than it was today, the highest temperatures being pushed further south — 31 celsius likely in parts of southern england. with that, very strong sunshine, very high uv levels across southern and western parts of the uk, obviously lower uv levels where we keep more cloud further north. but for most, it is a fine end to sunday and, as we head into monday, high pressure will still be close by, so that means plenty more dry and settled weather. the winds will start to come down from the north or the northwest — just a subtle shift, but it will mean monday is a slightly less hot day, and we will see more cloud working into some of these north sea coasts, as well. most places will see sunshine,

there is just a small chance, though, of a shower getting going towards the southeast this afternoon — very isolated but, if one does turn up where you are, it could be heavy and possibly thundery. temperatures a bit lower by this stage, although still in the mid—to—high—20s across the south. and as we head through the coming week, plenty of dry weather still on the way, still some pretty high temperatures and just the chance of some rain pushing in from the west by friday.

this is bbc news, the headlines... the search for hundreds of people still missing, following devastating floods in germany and other european countries. the health secretary, sajid javid, says he's tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing "mild" symptoms. a new round of afghan peace talks has got under way in qatar between afghan leaders and the taliban. both sides have sounded a note of cautious optimism. olympics organisers have announced the first case of coronavirus in the athletes' village six days before the start of the tokyo games.