welcome to bbc news. i'm rich preston. our top stories: an olympic sprinter from belarus who was ordered home is granted a humanitarian visa by poland after taking refuge at its embassy in tokyo. 26 gold medals up for grabs on day 11 of the tokyo olympics, which will see the return to competition of us gymnast simone biles. there are fears the taliban are on the verge of taking control of lashkar gah, the capital of helmand province in afghanistan. and — why covid infections rise in the american tourist destination provincetown, despite the high rate of vaccinations there.

the belarusian sprinter krystsina tsimanouskaya has been granted a humanitarian visa by poland. she sought refuge in the polish embassy in tokyo after saying she'd been ordered to return home from the olympic games in tokyo against her will. her apparent offence was criticising her coaches on social media after they'd entered herfor a race she hadn't been expecting to run. our tokyo correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes reports. this was the moment earlier this evening when krystsina tsimanouskaya stepped onto polish soil. safe from the belarusian officials she says were forcing her to leave tokyo against her will. the saga had begun two days earlier with this social media post. next, ms tsimanouskaya

was spotted at tokyo's hamada ——haneda airport about to board a flight to istanbul. but it's very clear she didn't want to go. the belarusian team says that claim is nonsense, that she was being sent home because of her emotional and psychological state. but the polish government has decided to believe her story and to offer refuge. what's going on here in tokyo has very much the whiff of history about it because back in the days of the cold war, olympic defections were a regular event. the last one i can find was in los angeles in 1984. now we have someone defecting from belarus, a country that's been described as the last dictatorship in europe, and she's going to poland, a country that was once part

of the soviet bloc and is now very much the opposite. last year, belarus was rocked by huge protests demanding an end to the 27—year rule of alexander lukashenko. poland was a vocal supporter of these protests, and it's clear today's offer of refuge to ms tsimanouskaya fits in with warsaw's support for the opposition. "every person who cannot return to belarus for political reasons and wants to come to poland can count on our support," the deputy foreign minister says. "ms tsimanouskaya is under the care of the polish state. she wants to come to poland. we will grant her all support." back injapan, there is relief this drama has been resolved so quickly. but with six more days till the olympics close, tokyo must be a little worried that other athletes could be tempted to follow ms tsimanouskaya's lead. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in tokyo. the bbc�*s mariko oi is in tokyo and i asked her what the media reaction has been injapan.

i saw it being covered on several news programmes that i saw this morning but it is definitely not the top headline here. as you can see on this newspaper it is still very much about the covid situation but also the prime minister now asking people who have tested positive for covid—19 to stay at home unless your symptoms are really severe, indicating maybe the hospitals are getting somewhat overwhelmed. but still a lot of coverage on the medals being won by japanese athletes, yesterday in wrestling as well as gymnastics. all the sport's papers are very excited about the baseball team, japan beating the united states, this article says that two more victories to the gold medal, so quite a lot of excitement there, but when it comes to the belarusian athlete, i thought it was quite interesting on social media that some people were actually comparing how she, a white athlete, was treated compared to the ugandan athlete who tried to run away from his hotel room.

—— the other sort help —— the other sort help through —— the other sort help through an official through the ioc. some are also wondering whether the fact that she didn't seek asylum injapan may have contributed to the way she was treated because of course japan doesn't grant asylum to many people, including to those elite athletes. well, let's take a look at the sporting action from the games now. sarah mulkerrins is in tokyo and gave us an update a short while ago. starting with the news that simone biles is back after a break from competing last week. a lot of gymnastics fans all around the world will be excited by the news that broke yesterday evening here in tokyo. we had known that simone biles last week pulled out mid team event and had missed some of the other finals she was due to take part in. this was the final event she could have taken part in here in tokyo and she has announced that she will be there at the beam final a little bit later was not there will be an awful lot of

attention on her to see how she goes. lepers may get a little bit more on this story now. four gymnast and a therapist. lovely to talk to you, gina. why do you feel like simone feels like this is something that she can compete in, bearing in mind how much she is battling this thing called" twisties", when she doesn't know how she will go when she is pulling off some of her most dangerous moves. it is pulling off some of her most dangerous moves.— is pulling off some of her most dangerous moves. it has been a few da s dangerous moves. it has been a few days and — dangerous moves. it has been a few days and she _ dangerous moves. it has been a few days and she has _ dangerous moves. it has been a few days and she has been - dangerous moves. it has been a few days and she has been in i dangerous moves. it has been a few days and she has been in a| few days and she has been in a gym _ few days and she has been in a gym off— few days and she has been in a gym offside where there has been — gym offside where there has been a — gym offside where there has been a loose pit and other matting _ been a loose pit and other matting which she has given it a go _ matting which she has given it a go which she did four bars. she — a go which she did four bars. she posted it on her instagram and obviously what happened at practice, — and obviously what happened at practice, that was something that— practice, that was something that she _ practice, that was something that she pulled out from. beam is a different story. she is practising a double pipe dismount which doesn't involve rotation, — dismount which doesn't involve rotation, so she knows where

she is— rotation, so she knows where she is right now when she is flipping _ she is right now when she is flipping and that, from what we understand, is the plan. it is not — understand, is the plan. it is not that— understand, is the plan. it is not that you get dizzy or a system _ not that you get dizzy or a system issue. ithink not that you get dizzy or a system issue. i think people are a — system issue. i think people are a little bit confused as to why— are a little bit confused as to why she _ are a little bit confused as to why she is competing in beam which — why she is competing in beam which seems to be one of the most — which seems to be one of the most complicated inks to do but it seems— most complicated inks to do but it seems to be not affecting her as— it seems to be not affecting her as much on beam sol it seems to be not affecting her as much on beam so i think she is_ her as much on beam so i think she is going _ her as much on beam so i think she is going to give it a go. what — she is going to give it a go. what should we expect from simone biles later, then? two she is definitely known for her dismounts and her double twisting double back which is a full twist and two flips. i think she is going to pull that out and switching it to flipping twice.- out and switching it to flipping twice. -- justin altered _ flipping twice. -- justin altered routine - flipping twice. -- justin altered routine to - flipping twice. -- justin | altered routine to make flipping twice. -- justin i altered routine to make it flipping twice. -- justin - altered routine to make it so that — altered routine to make it so that she, _ altered routine to make it so that she, as it is comfortable for her— that she, as it is comfortable for her and she can actually participate in one of the event

finals — participate in one of the event finals which she so desperately wants— finals which she so desperately wants to — finals which she so desperately wants to do. finals which she so desperately wants to de— finals which she so desperately wants to tie-— wants to do. there will be a lot of sunport _ wants to do. there will be a lot of support for _ wants to do. there will be a lot of support for her - wants to do. there will be a lot of support for her all - lot of support for her all around the world after last week. i wonder what you think will do for simone biles and herfuture will do for simone biles and her future participation in gymnastics? i her future participation in gymnastics?— gymnastics? i think it is opened _ gymnastics? i think it is opened up _ gymnastics? i think it is opened up a _ gymnastics? ithink it is opened up a large - gymnastics? i think it is - opened up a large conversation on the — opened up a large conversation on the physical and orthopaedic risks— on the physical and orthopaedic risks which athletes deal with and the — risks which athletes deal with and the mental health aspects stop that she is definitely somebody that people are looking up to right now for the decision— looking up to right now for the decision she is making and i am not sure — decision she is making and i am not sure she is done with the sport — not sure she is done with the sport she _ not sure she is done with the sport. she does have a tour coming _ sport. she does have a tour coming up that she is hosting and i— coming up that she is hosting and i know she is participating in that— and i know she is participating in that and i would not rule out — in that and i would not rule out world championship if it indeed — out world championship if it indeed does happen. back here, indeed does happen. back here, injust— indeed does happen. back here, injust a — indeed does happen. back here, injust a few indeed does happen. back here, in just a few months and then obviously— in just a few months and then obviously there is only three years— obviously there is only three years until paris sol obviously there is only three years until paris so i think we will see — years until paris so i think we will see how she feels and if she feels like she still has some _ she feels like she still has

some redemption that she needs to get— some redemption that she needs to get with the sport. very simitat— to get with the sport. very similar to watching some of the other— similar to watching some of the other athletes who continue on a little — other athletes who continue on a little bit older because they are not— a little bit older because they are not done quite yet. well, all eyes will be on simone biles today, but there are plenty of other big events coming up for us too. let's take a look at what else day 11 has in store for us. on the track, the morning session starts soon with the men's aoom hurdles final which will feature norway's world record holder, karsten warholm. later on in athletics, it's the women's 200m and 800m track finals. the first boxing medals will be handed out today, with the men's welter—weight division and the women's feather—weight coming up. in the velodrome, it could be a good day for britain's golden couple laura and jason kenny — laura kenny has won the team pursuit at two olympics in a row. and jason kenny has won the team sprint at every games since beijing 2008. and for the first time,

we have the new sport climbing event debut today, for the first time at an olympics. fighting in a major city in afghanistan has been intensifying. there are fears lashkar gah in the southern helmand province could be the first provincial capital to fall to the taliban. a tv station there is reported to have been seized by the militants, and thousands of people have been fleeing rural areas. the uk and us say the taliban may have committed war crimes. the taliban say those accusations are baseless. ramzan karmali has the details. firing on the city of herat, one of the capitals coming underfire by the one of the capitals coming under fire by the taliban. in the south, thousands have been forced to flee and in lashkar gah in helmand province, the taliban reports to have seized a local tv station. over the last few months, the taliban have taken over large parts of the countryside but in recent

days fighting has been taking place on the outskirts of the capital couple. the insurgents' main focus has been on the three provincial cities with the cities under the heaviest assault being lashkar gah in the southern helmand province. president of afghanistan is clear who is to blame for this recent violence. translation: ., ,., recent violence. translation: ., ., translation: the reason for our current situation _ translation: the reason for our current situation is _ translation: the reason for our current situation is that _ translation: the reason for our current situation is that the - current situation is that the decision to withdraw was taken abruptly. the president of the united states, i told him i respected his decision but i knew it would have some consequences.— knew it would have some consequences. president gani said there _ consequences. president gani said there was _ consequences. president gani said there was a _ consequences. president gani | said there was a plan to regain control that is giving little comfort to the many who find themselves close to the violence. ~ ,, ~ ., violence. translation: for me as a karate _ violence. translation: for me as a karate and _ violence. translation: for me as a karate and lady, _ violence. translation: for me as a karate and lady, this - violence. translation: for me as a karate and lady, this war i as a karate and lady, this war is worrying. —— —— heratian. the the situation has changed, there are no women in herat

anymore. women who work in offices are not going to work. nearly all of its military forces have left and the us has continued its air offensive in support of afghan government troops. site targeting lashkar gah continued late on monday. the biden administration condemned the actions of the taliban. ~ . , , taliban. we have seen reports of atrocities _ taliban. we have seen reports of atrocities being _ taliban. we have seen reports of atrocities being committed | of atrocities being committed by the taliban in various places where they are on the offensive. and these reports are deeply disturbing and totally unacceptable. helmand was the focus _ totally unacceptable. helmand was the focus of _ totally unacceptable. helmand was the focus of the _ totally unacceptable. helmand was the focus of the british - was the focus of the british and american campaign but if lashkar gah would fall, it would be the first provincial colour —— capital one by the taliban in five years and a bitter blow to the afghan government. —— in the capital won by the taliban. we can speak to michael kugelman, who's deputy director of the asia programme and senior associate for south asia at the wilson

centre and is a leading specialist on afghanistan. what do we know about the strength and force of the taliban force and do the authorities have the ability to fight back?— fight back? unfortunately it will be very _ fight back? unfortunately it will be very difficult. - fight back? unfortunately it will be very difficult. the i will be very difficult. the fact that us air power is about to be removed from the battlefield equation with the with drawl coming, that means that the afghan air force is going to be providing security helping ground forces and trying to push taliban fighters out of cities. for many years. one of the many reasons why the caliban has not been able to see cities is that afghan forces have been able to depend on assistance from nato air power to push them out but now it is going to be a lot different and i do fear that it, we could see a few major cities in afghanistan fall in the coming weeks and the coming months and this is a game

changer. forthe months and this is a game changer. for the caliban to be entering cities is a game changer because for many years has been a puddles, in rural areas, but the afghan government maintains control of the cities but we are starting to see that could be shattered. is there any chance the us will provide additional military support on the ground as well as air force? i support on the ground as well as air force?— as air force? i think it is unlikely- _ as air force? i think it is unlikely. as _ as air force? i think it is unlikely. as was - as air force? i think it is unlikely. as was noted, | as air force? i think it is - unlikely. as was noted, there have been us air strikes, even as us forces are leaving. but even then, once the us withdrawal is complete, they won't be any more us airstrikes to assist afghan air forces. instead it will shift to airstrikes or activities, potential activities that are meant to target al-qaeda and isis. that will be the focus of any us military activities in afghanistan after the with drawl is completed so afghan forces will not be able to

count on us forces in the counterinsurgency, especially after the withdrawal is completed in a few weeks. band completed in a few weeks. and if they continue _ completed in a few weeks. and if they continue to _ completed in a few weeks. and if they continue to take ground, what risks does it pose for the wider region?— for the wider region? well, absolutely. _ for the wider region? well, absolutely. the _ for the wider region? well, absolutely. the more - for the wider region? well, i absolutely. the more violence there is, the more unrest there is and of course the more control, the more the caliban control, the more the caliban control of districts around the country and territory around the country, rush caliban. they will be impacts. they will be spillover and militant groups elsewhere in the region —— taliban. especially in iran, they will be emboldened and will replicate the type of thing the taliban in afghanistan has been doing. this is a big concern particularly for pakistan because of the presence of another particularly for pakistan because of the presence of —— taliban. it has been degraded

in recent years and has been making a comeback. the pakistani taliban which targets the pakistani state and has been stepping up attacks, this is a group you really have to look out for, that will try to mmp look out for, that will try to ramp up attacks. that is a volatile and troubling moment. michael kugelman, thank you very much. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we meet the couple that tries to complete every one of the 96 olympic events, all in the name of charity. the question was whether we wanted to save our people — and japanese as well — and win the war or whether we wanted to take a chance on being able to win the war by killing all our young men. the invasion began at two o'clock this morning. mr bush, like most other people, was clearly- caught by surprise.

we call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all iraqi forces. 100 years old and still full of vigour, vitality and enjoyment of life — no other king or queen in british history has lived so long, and the queen mother is said to be quietly very pleased indeed that she has achieved this landmark anniversary. this is a pivotal moment for the church as an international movement. the question now is whether the american vote will lead to a split in the anglican community. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: an olympic sprinter from belarus who was ordered home is granted a humanitarian visa by poland, after taking refuge at its embassy in tokyo. 26 gold medals up for grabs

on day 11 of the tokyo olympics, which will see the return to competition of us gymnast simone biles. now to massachusetts and provincetown, which was recently cited by the cdc and health experts as an example of the highly contagious nature of the delta variant, even among the fully vaccinated. provincetown, a holiday destination, has one of the highest vaccination rates in the us. but after the 4th ofjuly festivities, cases unexpectedly surged. in the weeks that followed, 469 residents tested positive for covid. almost 75% of those cases were so—called "breakthrough cases" or those among fully—vaccinated people. however, only four ended up in hospital, none of whom died. the provincetown outbreak was behind new mask guidance from the cdc. we can now speak tojeremy hobson, who's a former radio host on national public radio and a resident of provincetown, where he joins us from now.

very good very good to very good to have very good to have you very good to have you on very good to have you on the very good to have you on the programme. was it a surprise for people in provincetown two suitcases rise so quickly? it suitcases rise so quickly? it was. and i think the reason is, as you said, this is one of the most vaccinated places in the entire country. everybody felt, when things opened up, which happened at the end of may, that things were safe, the government told you you could government told you you could go inside a bar, you didn't have to wear a mask, you didn't have to wear a mask, you didn't have to wear a mask, you didn't have to socially distance, and thatis have to socially distance, and that is what people did on the fourth ofjuly weekend. 60,000 people came into this town, which is 3000 population year—round. it was parked. it was raining. people were inside crowded bars. and then we started to see cases, a lot of cases, coming out of this provincetown cluster. the good news, as you said, is because so many people were vaccinated we only had a handful of hospitalisations and at this point we are starting to see the active cases go down, there has been no deaths from this cluster. ., . , , ,

cluster. how closely is the cdc watchin: cluster. how closely is the cdc watching what _ cluster. how closely is the cdc watching what is _ cluster. how closely is the cdc watching what is happening . cluster. how closely is the cdc watching what is happening in | watching what is happening in provincetown, and what effect is that happening on the wider united states?— is that happening on the wider united states? well, they have said that their _ united states? well, they have said that their new _ united states? well, they have said that their new mask - said that their new mask guidance for vaccinated people across the country is in part because of what they saw happen in provincetown, that they saw people who were vaccinated to become infected with the delta variant and could even transmitted to other people, who were also vaccinated or unvaccinated. i think if you look across the country, the interesting thing, especially because of the politics and the divisions in this country, and lots of people who are very against the idea of vaccination on the right, lots of people who are very against the idea of masks, they don't want to see a mandate coming from the government. and you can see politicians are being very careful about saying, we are going to mandate that you get vaccinated. people like the governor of new york, he just said, we would like businesses to mandate that people be vaccinated to go inside, whether they are an employee or a customer, but stopping short of actually saying it is

required that everybody in the country get vaccinated. you mentioned _ country get vaccinated. you mentioned ahead _ country get vaccinated. you mentioned ahead of - country get vaccinated. you mentioned ahead of the july for mentioned ahead of thejuly for celebrations, bars and restaurants were open, parties were being held, it felt normal. does it feel like you have now gone back in time again back to this era of wearing masks? how do people in provincetown feel? i wearing masks? how do people in provincetown feel?— provincetown feel? i think that a mixed reactions. _ provincetown feel? i think that a mixed reactions. there - provincetown feel? i think that a mixed reactions. there are i a mixed reactions. there are some people who look at what is happening and say, look, we need to shut down again, we need to shut down again, we need to shut down again, we need to put mask mandates back in, and others who are saying, look, there is never going to be an all clear. this virus is going to go on for some time, especially given the amount of unvaccinated people in the us, and we need to learn to live with it, and may be the best way to live with it is to require that people be vaccinated to go into certain places, because the nation's top infectious disease specialist, anthony fauci, said today, if you are vaccinated you are 25 times less likely to end up in the hospital or die

from coronavirus, even with this new delta variant. jeremy hobson, joining _ this new delta variant. jeremy hobson, joining us _ this new delta variant. jeremy hobson, joining us from - hobson, joining us from provincetown, massachusetts, thanks forjoining us. let's get some of the day's other news. palestinian families facing eviction from their homes in neighbourhood of sheikh jarrah in east jerusalem say they'll reject a suggestion by israel's supreme court that they rent their properties from a jewish settler organisation. the families say they want recognition of their ownership of their homes. the uk and iran have summoned each other�*s diplomats, in a row over last week's deadly attack on an oil tanker, off the coast of oman. the uk, us and israel blame iran for the attack, in which two crew members — a briton and a romanian — were killed. iran says it had nothing to do with the incident. huge wildfires are burning for a sixth day in turkey, threatening villages and resorts in tourist regions along its southern coasts. eight people have died in the worst blazes in the country in a decade. help has come from azerbaijan, iran, russia, ukraine

and the eu. over 100 fires are burning. all but 10 have been brought under control. the flames are threatening homes, hotels and boats. three 5—star hotels have reportedly been evacuated. an investigation into brazil's president, jair bolsonaro, is to go ahead. the country's top electoral court will examine his statements claiming that there will be fraud in next year's elections. the president, who is expected to seek a second term in 2022, has repeatedly claimed that brazil's electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud. critics say his unfounded claims are sowing doubts to pave the way for him to deny defeat. now, while the games in tokyo are reserved for athletes at the pinnacle of their sport, one couple from oxfordshire in england are aiming for a gold for effort, if not achievement. they're trying to complete every one of the 96 events in 17 days, most of which they've never tried before. they're doing it all to raise money for a charity close to their hearts. andrew plant has the story.

they've gone from cycling to synchronised swimming, tried their hands at taekwondo. in fact, they're not missing out a single olympic sport. it was trampolining today, then triathlon tomorrow. their olympic timetable has almost 50 sports, most of which, they've never even tried until now. what's been the hardest one for you so far? this! and bouncing with a back injury isn't helping. have you ever been on a trampoline before? this is my second time ever, and i'm pretty confident to say it will be my second and last. so, we absolutely hated the 50k walk. it was really hard. and i did not like the windsurfing because i have a massive fish phobia and it was on a fishing lake, and it was alljust very traumatic. and i've absolutely loved trampolining, that was brilliant, loved the rowing. there are so many things that have been great fun. it's all in the race

for donations for the motor neurone disease association. the charity which supported stuart's brother spencer, who passed away from the illness. he was a9, he had two boys who were four and seven who he loved unconditionally, as all dads do. he wanted his legacy to be that we would keep raising money and awareness, and we will do that. 60 events down. still more than 30 to go. tomorrow, they'll also take on the 100 metres. aiming fora time under 20 seconds. congratulations. thank you. so, no world records being broken, but they've already won the silver and gold for effort. andrew plant, bbc news. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @richpreston. 60 events already completed, good on them, what a pair. from me and the team, thanks

for watching. goodbye for now. hello. sunny spells aplenty on tuesday, but there'll be showers around, too. and in fact it's going to stay quite showery for the rest of the week, and, if anything, it'll turn even more unsettled towards the end of the week. now, thejet stream's not on our side. we're on the cool side of the jet. the jet stream separates the cool air from the north and the warm air to the south, and it also sends weather systems in our direction. so, actually much of western and central europe is feeling the effects of that cool air. you can see the yellows there, whereas the hot air is in place across the balkans, greece, turkey and into russia. in excess of a0 degrees there. obviously not for us, not that we'd want it anyway.

but this is what it looks like early in the morning on tuesday. a lot of clear weather, sunshine right from the word go, but quite nippy in the morning in some places. around five degrees in rural spots. so, the weather map for tuesday shows that we're in between weather systems. more weather systems out in the atlantic heading our way, but in between means that we'll see those scattered showers here and there. very light winds as well. now, watch where the showers form, some across the south almost along these distinct lines here. elsewhere, a lot of sunshine around, but if you're caught underneath that area of showers, it could be very, very wet, thunder and lightning as well. but like i say, fine sunny weather for the majority of the uk, and temperatures getting up to around 20 or so. now, the showers could linger into the evening hours for some of us on tuesday. here's a look at wednesday's weather map, and there's a weak weather front approaching

from the west. it'll bring some showers to parts of northern ireland, scotland, too, and there'll be one or two showers breaking out elsewhere. but once again, plenty of sunny spells, so it's really sort of all or nothing really over the next few days. temperatures could get up to around 22 whether you're in the south or the north. now, towards the end of the week, so here's thursday and friday, a low pressure is sitting on top of us. that inevitably means strengthening winds. they could be quite strong and gusty in the south of the country, and they will bring quite changeable weather. so, frequent showers on the way. now, you can see the outlook, really not much changes overall for the foreseeable future. that's it from me. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the belarusian olympic athlete krystina tsimanouskaya has been granted a humanitarian visa by poland. she sought help from police at tokyo airport on saturday as belarusian officials tried to force her onto a plane home, after she criticised the team's coaches on social media. the american gymnast simone biles will compete in the beam final, after pulling out of previous events at tokyo 2020. it'll be herfinal chance of an individual medal. a total of 26 medals are up for grabs on day 11 of the games. there are fears the taliban are on the verge of taking control of lashkar gah, the capital of helmand province in afghanistan. us planes are continuing to attack their positions. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, says he's seen deeply disturbing reports of taliban atrocities.

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