this is bbc world news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the globe. i'm maryam moshiri. our top stories: notjust gold but a world record win for great britain in the swimming mixed axioom relay on �*super saturday�* at the tokyo games. a decisive victory for team gb in theirfirst—ever triathlon mixed relay, picking up gold in a time ofi hour and 23 minutes, ahead of the usa and france. the tax returns of former president donald trump will be handed to congress after a ruling by the us justice department. as the taliban advance across afghanistan, a warning from the eu special envoy in a bbc interview that there's little hope

of an early end to the violence. the best scenario, which is still much worse than the best one, the best realistic scenario is one where the taliban offensive is held back. # suddenly i see #. singer kt tunstall postpones her tour over concerns she could become completely deaf. hello and welcome. we start with the olympics. we've reached the middle weekend of the games. there are 21 gold medal events up for grabs on �*super saturday'. here's the medal table as it stands at the moment. china is on top with 20 gold

medals, followed by host nation japan with 17. let's find out more about today's action from mike bushell at bbc sports centre1. mike, it's really been a golden saturday in the pool for team gb. yes, and officially we cannot say it is the best olympics for team gb swimmers for over century. they won the inaugural next four by 100 metres medley relay with the world record swim at the tokyo aquatic centre. it is the first time this mixed relay event has been held at the olympics and the quartet of kathleen dawson, james beattie... kathleen dawson, james beattie. .. they kathleen dawson, james beattie... they finished well clear of china and australia and it continues this remarkable competition for british swimmers, now winning four gold medals and abilities games, the most for team gb since 19 awaits. adam

peaty has a second gold, on the left there. the same can be said for james guy next to him. the usa's caeleb dressel is not on his third gold medal at the tokyo olympics, he set a new world record as well in the 100 metres men's butterfly. he still has more to come at these games. back to team gb, or other gold medal performance today, and another new team event at these games in the triathlon, the first—ever mixed relay triathlon. two men and two women on each team. team gb won the first gold medal. alex he produced a stunning run at the end, leaving the usa and france on his wake. he used to run in the 10,000 metres, but switched to triathlon. at last, in his last

olympics, jonny brownlee can have a gold metal around his neck as he moves on to new challenges to add to his bronze and silver at previous olympic games. she's a four—time olympic champion, but this may be the games simone biles is remembered for most? it has been a heart—tugging story at the game so far. the withdrawal of the game so far. the withdrawal of the rope is my greatest gymnast, simone biles. it has raised important issues about mental health, being open about it and getting support. she has pulled out of the vault on sunday and the uneven bars. this comes after she withdrew from tuesday's women's team final and the all—round final saying she had to focus on a mental health. the us gymnastic statement that she would be continued to be evaluated dearly, adding that we remain in all of simone, who continues to handle the situation with courage and grace. simone biles has to decide now if she will compete in the floor

and balance been finals next week. michaela skinner will compete in the vault finals in the us. simone biles says she doesn't trust herself at the moment any more. she said there were a couple of days where everybody tweet you and you feel may be the weights of the world on your shoulders. she said sometimes you just have to step back. we may see them all the time as the superhuman athlete foot out of competition they are just like the rest of us. there's already been controversy surrounding drugs on the track? yes, and one of the big names in the woman's100 metres it on your way home afterfailing a woman's100 metres it on your way home after failing a drugs test. it is blessing okagbare. she was suspended after being tested positive for human growth hormone. that was on the 19th ofjuly. blessing okagbare had won her 100 picture feet on friday and was due

to line up in a few hours against dina asher—smith in the first semifinal, head of the final later on today. she won a silver medal in the beijing olympics in the long jump. this comes after ten nigerian athletes were declared ineligible for the games because of noncompliance with out of competition drug testing requirements in the run—up these olympics. requirements in the run-up these ol mics. . ~' tokyo has just reported that its new daily covid cases has such a record high of a058. the state of emergency has already been expanded to other parts of the country apart from tokyo. the prime minister said the delta variant was not a major factor

behind this latest wave. olympic organisers have reported that 21 use games related covid—19 cases. no athletes are affected by these latest cases, but it takes the total games related number since the 1st ofjuly up to 2a1. also it has to be said that olympic officials insist there is no evidence that the games have contributed to the rise in cases in tokyo. we will bring you more on that big spread of covid—19 in tokyo and the surrounding areas here on bbc world news. the usjustice department says tax returns belonging to the former president donald trump must be handed over to congress. the decision reverses a previous ruling. officials now say lawmakers have legitimate reasons for asking to see the documents. our north america correspondent david willis reports. donald trump has fought hard to prevent the release

of his tax returns. this isjust a continuation of the most hideous witch—hunt in the history of our country. this latest ruling could mark the beginning of the end of his ferocious effort to keep those documents out of the public eye. then treasury secretary steven mnuchin�*s refusal to comply with a subpoena back in 2019 prompted a two—year battle for documents including asset, income and tax payment data on the part of the democrat—led house ways and means committee, which is investigating potential conflicts of interest on the part of the former president and the possibility of foreign interference. now, in a 39—page ruling, the usjustice department has reversed a ruling made when trump still in office and has ordered the treasury to release six years' worth trump tax returns — a move hailed by the house speaker,

nancy pelosi, who called access to the documents: every president since richard nixon has disclosed every president since richard nixon has disclosed details of their tax returns, the one exception being donald trump. he claimed before he was elected that his records were under ordered by the authorities, a process that was apparently still under way by the time he left office. republicans say the entire issue is politically motivated. they have denounced thejustice department decision and donald trump is widely expected to challenge it in court, meaning that if those highly anticipated documents are to be made public it could still be many, many months away. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. afghan military officials say they have managed to push back

taliban militants from the southern city of lashkar gah in helmand province after they advanced close to the city centre on friday. it's the second provincial capital the armed group has entered in recent days. it comes after afghan security forces, aided by american air strikes, recaptured a district around the airport in the western city of herat. with us—led foreign forces nearing a complete withdrawal of troops, the taliban have made swift territorial gains over the last two months. the eu special envoy for afghanistan, tomas niklasson, who hasjust visited kabul and doha, described it as a very very serious moment for afghanistan. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, who is in kabul, asked him if he feared the situation would get even worse. i would of course like to say that the best way forward is a ceasefire, universal, immediate, declared today, implemented tomorrow, and peace talks to resume in doha after a few days.

i find that an unlikely scenario. i think what the best scenario, which is so much worse than the best one, the best realistic scenario is one where the taliban offensive is held back, whether there is a bit of pushback, a bit of rebalancing, all these nice words which still mean further suffering, further deaths, a large number of afghans dying in those sides, more people on the run, leaving their homes. but that with this recalibration, rebalancing, the taliban would then, after some time, be ready to come back to negotiations in doha or start negotiations in doha in earnest, to find a negotiated solution to afghanistan's problems. you've had many talks with taliban leaders. do you believe that they do want a political solution or is it one which is basically tantamount to surrender for the afghan government?

i have to qualify that. i have had a number of talks with taliban members of the negotiation team in doha, and a significant part of the taliban leadership lives elsewhere and i haven't had the opportunity... lives in pakistan? lives in pakistan, yes. the primary objective is to return to power or have a very significant share in power in afghanistan. whether that happens through negotiation, which i would find preferable, or whether it is through a military victory, i think it is perhaps secondary in the thinking and i think the focus is really on coming back to something they had in the past, re—establishing, as i see it, the islamic emirate, even though they use that term less frequently and vocally than they did a few months ago. they tell us that europe, envoys like you, have a vision

for afghanistan which is not consistent with afghan values, with the rules of islam. i'm sure they say that to you. what is your response? they are more polite to me. they don't say that but they say they have a vision for afghanistan which has to be consistent with afghan culture, afghan tradition, afghan values and with sharia and every time we talk about that i ask them to explain and define because i say all of these concepts can have different meanings, including sharia, by the way. and it is difficult to get precise answers. for example, we talk about girls�* education, they say, yes, we are all in favour, if i have education as a man why should my sister not have it? but then they still refer to these islamic law or afghan culture and are not willing to go into a discussion on precisely what they mean.

let's get some of the day's other news. the israeli foreign minister has accused iran of exporting terrorism after a deadly attack on an israeli—operated oil tanker off the coast of oman. two crew members, a briton and a romanian, were killed in the attack on thursday. israeli media say an explosive drone hit the ship's bridge. residents in the chinese city of nanjing are being asked not to leave the area in an attempt to contain the latest outbreak of coronavirus. more than 200 infections have been linked to an outbreak among airport workers there eleven days ago. cases have now spread to several other regions, including the city of chongqing. australia's third largest city, brisbane, is to go into lockdown again in another attempt to contain the spread of the delta variant of coronavirus. the deputy premier of queensland said millions of residents in brisbane and several other areas would be ordered to stay at home for three days.

medical experts in the uk are warning that a device designed to help spot early signs of dangerous falls in oxygen levels in patients with respiratory conditions works less well for people with darker skin tones. nhs england and the medicines regulator, the mhra, say pulse oximeters can over—estimate the amount of oxygen being taken in. more than a00,000 covid—19 vaccines are due to arrive in kenya as part of a surplus the uk government is donating to poorer nations. the british foreign secretary has called on other countries to also donate vaccines to assist "vulnerable" nations dealing with fresh waves of coronavirus. bbc�*s rhoda odhiambo in nairobi has more on covid vaccinations in kenya. so, right now more than a million people have been vaccinated, but if you look at the people who have received two doses of the oxford astrazeneca vaccine, which is currently being used

in the country, it is about 800,000, so the vaccines that will be arriving today in the country will go a long way in ensuring that people who need their second doses will get them, and also to prevent people from becoming severely ill with the disease, because the country is currently in a very fierce third wave and many people who are severely ill with the disease are currently in hospitals in need of supplemental oxygen. talk us through the third wave, because kenya has been hit quite hard this time. yes, it has been hit quite hard and there are numerous reasons as to why. number one, if we look at how the politicians have been going around the country, still conducting political gatherings, this has also led to entertainment people holding concerts, but also the fact that people are not adhering to the measures put in place earlier, such as wearing of masks and observing the two—metres social distance rule. other than that we are also seeing that the delta variant, which has been identified in kenya and another 20 african countries

is responsible for the third wave because it is more transmissible and virulent. you're watching bbc news. a reminder of our headlines this hour: a world record win for team gb as they secure gold in the mixed ax100m relay on �*super saturday�* at the tokyo games. the tax returns of former president donald trump will be handed to congress, after a ruling by the us justice department. haulage industry leaders in the uk say they are struggling to find enough heavy goods vehicle drivers to keep the economy moving. it estimates there is a shortfall of more than 100,000 hauliers and it is causing acute problems in supply chains. the difficulties, fueled by a combination of factors, have led one english company to take desperate action. the bbc�*s amy payne reports. trucks like these keep the country moving but right now, many

are parked up and going nowhere. haulage firms, like this leicestershire logistics company, just can�*t find enough drivers. it�*s worrying. i mean, the vehicles arejust sitting there because we haven�*t got the drivers. and there�*s simply a large number of drivers that went back to europe during brexit, we�*ve had covid which has caused us severe problems with the lack of training that�*s available, and that�*s just a few of the things, really. well, we're seeing an impact right across the board, from manufacturing, factories, farming and of course supermarkets which is probably the one thing that most people notice the most. and so translink is taking action. kev is the latest employee here to benefit from free training courses to help tackle the chronic shortage of hgv drivers. i�*ve grown up in the transport industry all my life and obviously companies helping individuals, �*cause obviously it�*s a costly thing to get into but it�*s a good thing to help the country out, really. but many in the industry want government help and a gear change in how thejob is perceived.

if you look at the long—term solutions, about attracting, training and retaining, we have programmes in place that we can put in place, with the industry and with the government�*s support. that doesn�*t help today. what i really want to see some sort of temporary visa scheme in place like for seasonal picking in food production. but the government isn�*t keen, insisting the future workforce should be made up of uk residents. for now, drivers are allowed to spend slightly longer on the road and there are plans to increase testing, but as drivers take time off in summer holiday season, there�*s concern the situation will get worse before it gets better. amy payne, bbc midlands today, leicestershire. zimbabwe�*s president says more needs to be done to tackle the country�*s crystal meth crisis, which is an issue amongst children as young as 1a and linked to the country�*s high unemployment. mark lobel reports. a dangerous distraction through tough times for this

2a—year—old agriculture graduate in zimbabwe�*s capital. translation: when i smoke crystal meth i get a lot of energy _ and i don�*t sleep at night. ifeel like i am just waking up and anything is possible. if we were employed and occupied, it would help a lot. doing drugs is a way of healing the pain and stress of being unproductive, and not getting the opportunity to proceed with education. crystal meth is becoming worryingly common and can cost less than alcohol, so it�*s a convenient choice for those in poverty or with mental health issues. there�*s little hope of change as the pandemic persists with a record in daily covid deaths reported earlier this week. the government hasjust approved thejohnson & johnson vaccine but, so far, two doses of china�*s sinopharm jab have reached

less than 10% of people the state says need to be fully vaccinated to control the virus, so they can feel as confident as the vice president. so, after several lockdowns this past year, similar restrictions have just been extended again — a further risk to isolated people tempted by cheap drugs. amphetamine increases the risk of developing depression and suicidal ideations. in a country mired in recession after a drought and lockdown the past two years, encouraging tobacco sales and a bumper maize crop could offer some relief. but despite the government�*s optimistic economic forecast, millions still live in poverty or on low wages. and zimbabwe�*s president,

emmerson mnangagwa, has himself warned of a new phenomenon of unbecoming trends threatening the fate of zimbabwe�*s youth. there is a need for projects, projects that generate income for the youth. the young are zimbabwe�*s future. breaking the link between drugs and the disillusioned will help ensure they find a more positive path. mark lobel, bbc news. the singer kt tunstall has been speaking to the bbc about her decision to pull out of an upcoming us tour due to problems with her hearing. the brit award winner went completely deaf in her left ear three years ago. earlier this month she noticed the early signs of deterioration starting in her right ear and decided to act. she has been speaking to our entertainment correspondent colin paterson

kt tunstall has been playing live for three decades, often doing 200 shows a year. next week she wants to start a three month us tour with hall and oates but what�*s happening to her hearing has caused her to pull out. it�*s almost like a siren goes off and you suddenly get this — "woooo" — and it�*sjust a pulse of a noise. the other thing that you can get is that suddenly you can�*t hear anything and it feels like someone�*s put a vacuum over your head. her plan is now to space out live shows allowing more recovery time, but the brit award—winning singer has been struggling with her hearing since the end of 2007. i got off a long haulflight, and i was actually going to a spice girls concert, and i had a nap before i was going to go to the gig, and i woke up and i felt really

discombobulated and something was up with my left ear and i had a really, really loud ringing. i couldn�*t hear things like the shower, or running water, i couldn�*t hear crisp packets, i couldn�*t hear the indicator on the car. kt tunstall believes her hearing problems are caused by the stress to her body of being on the road rather than by loud music. things got worse in 2018 during a us tour when she went permanently deaf in her left ear. when i saw a couple of specialists, they don�*t really know a lot about the inner ear, it�*s so fine and so complex. i was also told that the more deaf you go, the less likely it is that you�*ll get your hearing back and i was at like 98% or something. i can�*t hear anything in that ear. so i can�*t wear a hearing aid in that year because there�*s nothing going in. your hearing is deteriorating rapidly.

deafness in musicians was a theme explored in the oscar—winning film sound of metal. i can't hear you! do you understand me? ican't...|'m deaf! kt tunstall thought it was excellent and hopes it leads to more understanding of the issue. have you thought about what your life would be like if you are no longer able to play live? i would be really, really sorry to not be able to do it anymore but i think that the decision that i�*m making with how i�*m approaching my career here is to really carve a way of life that allows me to keep playing live. totally intend to continue, butjust at a slightly different pace now. colin paterson, bbc news. cheering and applause. you can reach me on twitter — i�*m at @bbcmaryam.

hello, there. storm evert yesterday brought some damage and disruption across southern parts of the country. it brought almost autumnal weather rather than mid—summer weather to our shores. this weekend, though, it�*s looking a bit better. it�*s going to be a little bit quieter. we�*ll have sunshine and showers in the forecast, but it will remain on the cool side for the time of year. that�*s because we�*ve got northerly winds running down across the uk. that area of low is what was storm evert. we�*ve got showers in the forecast, mainly across england and wales through the day. some showers also across eastern scotland, north—east england. this will tend to turn heavier into the afternoon, but it�*s part of wales, the midlands, southern england which will see the heaviest of the showers. hitand miss. some places will stay dry. we could see quite a bit of dry weather for scotland and northern ireland, albeit rather cloudy. the winds arew going to be lighter today than what they were yesterday,

particularly across england and wales. it�*s not going to feel particularly warm for the time of year, particularly across the north of the country, 15 to 19 degrees here, but we could make 21 to 22 across the south—east. here, but we could make 21 or 22 across the south—east. the winds will be lighter and, given the sunshine is pretty strong this time of year, it shouldn�*t feel too bad. as we head through this evening and overnight, most of the showers die away, but a few will linger here and there. most places will be dry, variable cloud and clear spells. temperatures in double figures figures for england and wales, but some chillier spots across scotland and northern ireland. so into sunday, we�*ve got this very weak weather front spreading south across the country. that�*s going to introduce the cooler air. maybe a bit more cloud for england and wales as we head on into the afternoon. so it�*s going to be one of sunshine and showers again. most of them for england and wales closer to that weather front. again, into the afternoon it could turn out to be heavy and thundery in places. the odd shower, as well, for the north and east of scotland.

we will hold on to a bit more breeze here. otherwise, the winds will be light so any showers will tend to be fairly slow moving. but that cooler air will push its way southwards, so i think highs of maybe 20, maybe 21 degrees in the south. mid to upper teens celsius further north. as we head on into the start of next week, this pump, this ridge of high pressure notices from the south—west. that will settle things down a bit. there will still be a few showers around, but a more active jet stream later in week will fire low pressure systems towards our shores, so the general thinking is next week we start off generally fine unsettled with some sunshine before it turns a lot more unsettled towards the end of the week.

this is bbc news. the headlines... on the middle weekend of the olympics, team gb have won two of the new mixed relay events, taking a world record in the swimming ax100 metres and winning the inaugural olympic triathlon mixed title. the us champion gymnast simone biles has withdrawn from two more competitions in tokyo. her team say she�*s ruled herself out of the finals of the vault and uneven bars. the usjustice department has ruled that former president donald trump�*s tax returns must be handed over to a congressional committee. unlike other recent presidents, mr trump resisted demands to surrender his tax records. the eu�*s special envoy to afghanistan has warned that there�*s little prospect of an early halt to the violence as the taliban advance. tomas niklasson says the most realistic hope is for the offensive to be resisted and peace talks to begin in earnest.