a car bomb has gone off near the home of the defence minister in kabul. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet told us armed attackers are inside his residence, as the fighting continues.|n the last hour — there are reports — of a powerful blast — in the centre of the capital. an investigation into new york govenor andrew cuomo has found that he sexually harrassed several women — including employees at his office. he's previously denied any wrongdoing. wildfires are still burning in turkey. strong winds are making it harder to get them under control. police in ukraine have opened a murder investigation after a belarusian opposition activist, vitaly shishov, was found hanged in a park in kiev. the exiles group he worked for blamed the belarus authorities.

you're watching bbc news. team gb have picked up another eight medals — including two golds — at the tokyo olympics — their biggest haul in a single day so far. giles scott and the pairing of dylan fletcher and stuart bithell were victorious in their sailing events; 19—year—old 800—metre runner keely hodgkinson brought home britain's first medal on the athletics track; while jason and laura kenny were both part of british cycling teams which claimed silver in the velodrome. our correspondent natalie pirks reports from tokyo. nautical perfection, sailing dominance. britain were riding the crest of a wave. dylan fletcher and stuart bithell were in a great place in the men's 49er and just needed to beat the germans in their final race. they literally put it all on the line. right on the line, great britain. with it, the gold medal in tokyo 2020. but not to be outdone, giles scott was doing in the finn class where britain is superb. they have won gold at the last five games.

but with just seconds remaining, scott was cutting it fine. and giles scott holds on to the gold medal, in the dying moments of that race. talk about skin of your teeth! a quick plunge to celebrate, as back home there was delight. cheering. she never ever watches his racing, and so for her to put herself through that is awesome. so we can onlyjust say "thank you, giles" for delivering in the end. although as he said to us, at least she didn't have a heart attack. and silver in the nacra 17 topped off a wonderful day for britain's sailors. three britons in this final. it had been 41 years since that last happened, but here werejemma reekie, alex bell and keely hodgkinson right in the mix. and it's great britain, second and third, hodgkinson now striding towards silver, athing mu away and clear to the gold medal. she's going to take it, and hodgkinson — reekie�*s under pressure for the bronze. hodgkinson, the silver.

atjust19, hodgkinson�*s potent kick finish had propelled her on to the podium. well, that's britain off the mark with their first medal in the athletics stadium, and that silver is britain's first medal in this event since 200a. and once the flag was round her shoulders, thoughts turned to those watching back home. they've put so much belief in me, because i did it. what does this silver medal mean to you, keely? this, because i don't cry. my friends will be like "what's she crying for?" they've put so much belief in me, because i did it. what does this silver medal mean to you, keely? this, because i don't cry. my friends will be like "what's she crying for?" dame kelly holmes was the last briton to know success in this race. her national record had stood for 26 years. till now. i think there'll be young girls looking up at them now, and you know, in years to come we'll see their legacy, but i'm just pleased to have played a part in the fact that i hope that i've inspired these three in particular, but anyone else, to do what i feel they can do, and you know, records are there to be broken.

from one track to another. britain had won gold in the men's team sprint at the last three games, but forjason kenny, jack carlin and ryan owens, today it wasn't meant to be. gold for the netherlands. that silver though, kenny's eighth olympic medal still saw him enter the record books, tied with sir bradley wiggins as britain's most decorated olympian. not to be outdone, wife laura took silver behind a dominant germany in the team pursuit, alongside katie archibald, mia evans and josie knight, her fifth olympic honour. that family trophiy cabinet must be groaning under the weight of those medals — and there could be yet be more. natalie pirks, bbc news, tokyo. there was also a silver for british boxer pat mccormack, which took team gb�*s haul to 43 so far after 11 days of competiton — putting them sixth in the medal table. nicola sturgeon has confirmed the scottish government will go

ahead with plans to end most remaining covid restrictions on august ninth. the first minister said laws requiring physical distancing and limiting social gatherings will be dropped and all venues will be allowed to open. but laws requiring face coverings to be worn in some indoor settings will remain in place. and — adults identified as close contacts of covid cases will no longer have to self isolate for ten days as long as they are fully vaccinated, symptom free and have a negative pcr test. let's take a listen to what she had to say a short time ago. it's the combination of the steady decline in cases, the success of vaccination, helping to weaken the link between cases and serious illness and of course our understanding of the social, health and economic harms continued restrictions have, all underpinned by our obligation to ensure that any restrictions that remain in place are lawful.

in other words, that they are both necessary and proportionate that forms the basis for our decision today to move beyond level zero. the move beyond level zero will entail the lifting of most of the remaining legally imposed restrictions, most notably on physical distancing and limits to the size of social gatherings. it also means from the 9th of august no venues will be legally required to close. this change is significant and it is hard—earned. the sacrifices everyone has made over the past year and a half can never be overstated. however, while this move will restore a substantial degree of normality, it is important to be clear that it does not signal the end of the pandemic, or a return to life exactly as we knew it before covid struck. declaring freedom from or victory over the virus,

is in my view, premature. the harm the virus can do, including through the impact of long covid, shouldn't be underestimated and its ability to mutate may yet pose us real challenges. so as scotland confirms the lifting of most restrictions on august 9th — the latest uk government data on the pandemic show there were 21,691 new cases of coronavirus in the latest 24—hour period. that's the fifth day in a row the numbers have fallen. hospitalisations have also decreased. does this mean the trend is now firmly downwards and that more optimism is justified? our health editor hugh pym has been taking a look at the figures and what they mean. a warning his report does contain some flashing images. remember this? nightclubs opening up in england onjuly 19th, along with the ending of remaining legal restrictions. scientists have predicted this would fuel the spread of the virus with more cases, but it hasn't happened.

in fact, they have gone the other way. now one of the experts who expected case increases says it has come as a surprise. all the indications now are that there were a real reduction in cases, particularly in adults between 20—40 years old. covid's had a habit of surprising us and this is a good surprise, for a change. i'd like to understand it better, that's for sure. daily reported cases did go above 50,000 in mid july, though not as high as the january peak, and have fallen back to 26,000 on the seven day rolling average. the decline in cases actually started soon after the opening up in england onjuly 19th. health officials acknowledge gatherings of people to watch the euros football caused some spikes in infection, which might have pushed up case rates more than expected before july 19th. since then, it seems even with new freedoms people remained cautious,

for example with mask wearing, and that was a factor in curbing the spread of the virus. we have had assumed that people would go slightly more back to normal than they actually have. i think probably what's happening is a lot of people are being a little more cautious in terms of returning to normal, which is why what we are seeing it slightly on the lower end of some of the modelling forecasts. so what does all this mean for the nhs? there were fears that hospitals would come under intensifying pressure this month, as infections continued rising. here's what has been happening with daily covid hospital admissions, they started rising sharply in late june, and right throuthuly, though they do appear recently to have levelled off a bit, and are not accelerating at the rate which some experts had predicted. the vaccination roll out has played a major part. nearly 9% of adults have had a first dose and 73% have had both jabs. there was a reminder of the tragic covid toll today,

with more than 100 deaths reported, reflecting cases first identified a few weeks ago. but there is a growing consensus that there won't be another surge as a result of the result of the opening up in england last month. hugh pym, bbc news. krystina timanovskaya — the sprinterfrom belarus — has told the bbc that her country is not safe and she may not be able to go home for many years. she has been granted a humanitarian visa by poland — after officials from belarus tried to send her home early from the olympics against her will. there's growing international condemnation of the regime of president alexander lukashenko who has ruled belarus since 1994, and who stands accused of widespread human rights abuses. our correspondent sarah rainsford sent this report from minsk, the capital of belarus. she is a young athlete thrust into a political row she never sought. when sprinter krystina timanovskaya publicly criticised her coaches at the olympics, they tried to force

her back to belarus. she refused. speaking to the bbc from tokyo, she said she was now scared for herself and for her family. translation: i can't go back to belarus now, of course. - it is definitely not safe for me. i have no idea when i can go back. it may be five or ten years. and today came another reminder of the danger for dissidents. in kyiv, a young belarusian activist was found hanging in a park. but his friends don't believe it was suicide. vitaly shishov fled to ukraine last year to avoid arrest. he had been helping a flood of other opposition supporters who followed. the opposition leader sviatlana tsikhanouskaya is in forced exile herself. she was in london today, part of a tour seeking international support. she wants more pressure, more sanctions against

alexander lu kashenko. the man she tried to topple as president. since then, the mood in minsk has changed dramatically. alexander lukashenko now firmly back in control. a year ago this entire square and all the streets around it were crammed full of protesters. it was opposition to president alexander lukashenko on a scale like he had never seen before. but now there is no public sign at all of that challenge because so many people have been arrested since then that the others have been scared into silence. maria was one of the faces of the protest. touring the country, rallying mass crowds. tomorrow she goes on trial for attempting to overthrow the authorities. her father hasn't been allowed to see her since her arrest. translation: she told me "whatever sentence i get, i i'm ready for that." she writes to me all the time, that we'll meet against soon. everything will be ok.

but belarus today feels anything but ok — even our meeting is being monitored from the shadows. sarah rainsford, bbc news, minsk. the foreign office has confirmed its urgently investigating the suspected hijacking of an oil tanker off the coast of the united arab emirates. several other vessels nearby reported losing control of their steering. i'm joined now by our security correspondent frank gardner. yes, in the last few minutes the maritime intelligence have been confirming that indeed the hijack has taken place and that armed men believed to be from the iranian revolutionary guard corps have taken over control of a medium—sized tanker and awarded it to sail to iran. —— ordered it too. in the past

they usually denied rules initially. this particular tanker was sailing from the portable and i've had a look at the maritime tracker and it's not moving very fast. currently under way but at less than one not it's on a stationary and it's kind of midway between the coast of the uae and iran, and it's been taken very seriously. senna, from the white house saying the us is taking this very serious indeed and a cup just five days after the fatal drone attack that killed a british security guard and sailor on board another tanker not far away also off of the coast of oman.— of the coast of oman. taking this to . ether of the coast of oman. taking this together what — of the coast of oman. taking this together what appears _ of the coast of oman. taking this together what appears to - of the coast of oman. taking this together what appears to be - of the coast of oman. taking thisl together what appears to be iran's strategy? together what appears to be iran's strate: ? �* , ., , ,

strategy? let's remind ourselves, iran has denied _ strategy? let's remind ourselves, iran has denied responsibly - strategy? let's remind ourselves, iran has denied responsibly for i strategy? let's remind ourselves, | iran has denied responsibly for the first one and has not commented on the second one. certainly when it comes to the attack on the street to the us, israel, britain have no doubt that iran was behind it but in due course it's possible they will release what intelligence they have relating to that. if iran is behind it the speculation, and this is speculation, is that with a new hard—line president coming into power taking a position in iran that the hard—line are determined to actually scupper any chance of the nuclear deal being revived. it's very sensitive talks taking place for some months now in vienna to try to revive this deal that curves iran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for lifting of sanctions. hardliners in iran never liked this deal particularly and there were plenty who oppose it being revived. so it's one possibility, but i hasten to say

that that was speculation and that is not confirmed.— that that was speculation and that is not confirmed. thank you so much for “oininu is not confirmed. thank you so much forjoining us- _ seven men have been found guilty of murdering a law student who was shot dead by mistake. 19—year—old aya hachem died in a drive—by shooting in blackburn in may last year. aya was walking along the street in broad daylight when she was hit by a bullet intended for someone else. the seven men were also found guilty of attempting to murder a local businessman. rahila bano reports. the final journey to the resting place. in the family's hometown in lebanon last year. the 19—year—old and her family had only lived in lancashire for nine years. aya was an exceptional student. she was also described as an inspiring voice for youngsters by the children's society where she was a trustee. she was one of four siblings and a much loved daughter and sister.

as this is a family there's no meaning _ as this is a family there's no meaning for life any more. no one goes _ meaning for life any more. no one goes to— meaning for life any more. no one goes to bed — meaning for life any more. no one goes to bed before remembering her and shedding a few tears. life has been _ and shedding a few tears. life has been turned into hell. aya hachem was walking to a local supermarket near her home in blackburn on sunday the 17th of may last year when she stopped here to let two youngsters pass her by on their bikes. just moments later, two gunshots were fired from a passing car. one of the bullets hit the windows of the quickshine tyres premises, the other hit aya. disbelief. i would never have expected something like that to happen to her. and then that followed with anger, frustration, just rage. i can't explain it, my exact reaction and my exact feelings. it was like i wasn't there.

i got disconnected from the world. aya's death has taken its toll on herfamily and on those who knew her, including her fellow law students at the university of salford. i will always remember her kindness. she was a very helpful girl. she was a very smart girl. at university, throughout the two years that we shared together, she was pushing not just me, everyone else to do their work to the best of their ability. she was very genuine and very driven. she always wanted to be an international lawyer, so i would always remember her as a lawyer. i remember her as a tough person, as someone who can take care of themselves, as someone who has always been successful and was going to be successful, someone who just wants to do good, help people,

because she worked a lot with charities and she wanted to be a solicitor to help people who are less able. i have never seen a pure person... i don't think i will ever see a pure person like her again. she was a literal angel walking on earth and now she is back in heaven where she belongs. a senseless killing of a teenager who dreamt of a career where she could fight for justice for other people and whojust happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. rahila bano, bbc north west tonight, blackburn. drug deaths in england and wales have reached a record high — new data from the office for national statistics show that more than 11,500 deaths were recorded in 2020 — that's the highest number since records began 28 years ago. last week, figures for scotland

showed the country continued to record more drug related deaths than any other country in europe. well, in the seaside community of rhyl in north wales, research by bbc news shows that violent crime increased for four years before the pandemic, with drug gangs playing a significant part, as our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. they caught three people injecting there the other day. weekend patrol in the most violent neighbourhood in wales. shouting. i did not step forward! as covid restrictions ease, there is fear here, as elsewhere, that serious crime will increase. violent crime, for a long time in rhyl, was linked to the night—time economy. assaults and beatings and stabbings a consequence of drinking too much, often at the weekend.

but in recent years, the nature of violence here has changed dramatically. the town is plagued by so—called county lines, gangs from big cities importing violence as they battle for control of the drugs market. when we get rid of one county line, another will pop up. this car chase ended with feuding criminals murdering a local man. the drugs trade killing both users and dealers. these are vulnerable people, they exploit them, they look to get them hooked on drugs, and when they can't pay for them they look to encourage them to commit violence themselves, or deal on their behalf. i hear it all the time around rhyl. drug selling, sometimes stabbings. in rhyl�*s poorest neighbourhood, this club offers an alternative. self defence, discipline and perhaps, most importantly, resilience. we try and get the youngsters off the streets. we stop them having peer pressure. we give them confidence so they can say no to drugs

and things like that. and we try and teach them to be respectful and disciplined. the impact of addiction exacerbates other toxic behaviours, too. # you are not alone. # we are here to guide you out of the dark #. betty harper felt compelled to write this song about the domestic abuse she witnessed. # you are not alone. # blood is thicker than alcohol #. her mother natasha had a violent relationship with a former partner. there was beatings, theft ofjewellery to self or drink. lots of emotional abuse. broken bones, cuts. there was beatings, lots of emotional abuse, broken bones, cuts. he was standing over me with a chair and i knew that if i couldn't get away he would have killed me. # you've wiped tears from your cheeks #. local charities say referrals

for domestic abuse have increased by 40% during the pandemic. it is a major driver of violence in rhyl. i would do anything to look after my family, and so i kind of took on the role of protector. when i see something like that, and that's something that i cannot control, the next best thing is to turn to music. to write a song to help. the song helped betty harper win a recording contract. as ministers turn to tackling crime as part of their efforts to regenerate towns like rhyl they, too, will have to turn negative experiences into positive outcomes. michael buchanan, bbc news, rhyl. back now to the olympics — and tomorrow morning team gb�*s youngest—ever summer olympian will be competing. skateboarder sky brown turned 13 just last month — she divides her time betweenjapan and the us with herjapanese mum and her british dad. last year she suffered skull

fractures and broken limbs in a skateboarding accident. but she's made a remarkable recovery — as natalie pirks reports. we first met a long time ago and we talked about this dream, now you're here. what does it feel like? it's insane. it's unbelievable. it's so cool to be here, at the village, there is all different kinds of people, like, super tall people and super strong people. was there a moment where you thought, the olympics isn't going to happen? i thought maybe it wouldn't happen and i was a little bummed, but people's lives are more important, so i thought about that and got through it. you and i last spoke after a really serious accident that you had had. yeah, that was definitely a heavy time for my parents, my family. it was bad, but i really think

the accident made me want to go harder and, you know, yeah, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. how important is it for you to have dad here with you? it's really nice, you know? i'm still pretty young, and it's nice to have someone here to, like, look after me, and it would be hard without my dad. you are going to make history for britain. has that sunk in? what does that mean to you? it was my dream to be one of the youngest in there, and show girls that it doesn't matter how old or young you are, you can do anything, you know? we've seen you in some big events in the last year, since we last saw you. how much confidence has that given you? i'm feeling good, and i can't wait. i'm going to really try to get on the podium, get a medal, get a gold, hopefully! but, no matter what happens, i just want to inspire girls around the world, and hopefully they will see this little girl here and, like, oh, if she can do it,

i can do it, too. that's my goal. that's why i wanted to be in the olympics. good luck to sky tomorrow. time for a look at the weather. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. hello. there's no heat wave, temperatures are a degree or so either side of average for this time of year, but it undeniably feels warm when you get to see some sunshine. and most places did at some stage of today. here's the view from powys this afternoon. there weren't that many showers, but in kent, one of our weather watchers caught a view of the rain bouncing off the ground for a time. and there were more showers in scotland today compared with recent days. and there will be a few continuing overnight to effect the far north, northwest and into the western isles. whereas elsewhere, most places will lose the showers, becoming dry with clear spells, some patchy mist and fog around, and temperatures will be lower than this in the countryside where we could be down into single figures. find whether to start the day tomorrow, but these showers still around northeast scotland from the word go, a few more will pop up in scotland, northern ireland, and more so in northern england tomorrow

compared with recent days. again, the chance of catching a heavy downpour that may be thundery. elsewhere in england and wales, the showers will be very well scattered, most places will avoid them and stay dry, and again, get to see some pleasantly warm, sunny spells with temperatures just creeping into the low 20s. most of the downpours will die away through wednesday evening, a few showers overnight and into thursday will continue in northern ireland and western scotland. then from thursday onwards, our weather is dominated by low pressure moving in — which will take a full four days to come in and clear away from the uk, as our weather terms. windier, more widely better again across the uk. and it will come in, this area of low pressure, with bands of rain and showers, initially across western areas on thursday, many eastern areas will stay largely dry, but there will be a few showers pushing in here, as well, as we get deeper on in the day. the winds picking up initially in the west, gusts of around a0 mph or so, and it will be turning windier across the uk,

temperatures heading down slightly, as well. so that area of low pressure will be very much with us friday into the weekend. it's moving its way slowly northeast words, but it won't be till the start of next week when it clears away — though there will still be a few showers around, our weather will be rather more settled again for a time. so a selection of places with the longer forecast taking us through the weekend — at many locations will look like this, and that means there'll be some heavy, even thundery downpours. could be disruptive on friday, showers easing later on sunday.

this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. new york's governor, andrew cuomo, is facing an uncertain political future after a five—month investigation found he sexually harrased women. the independent investigation has concluded that governor andrew cuomo sexually harassed multiple women. i never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. the afghan capital kabul is rocked by a series of blasts and gunfire. police in ukraine open a murder investigation after a belarusian opposition activist was found hanged in kyiv. there are suspicions he was targeted by agents from belarus. mandatoryjabs in the big apple. new york will become the first

american city to require proof of vaccination to enter indoor places such as restaurants,