this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. as a city in southern afghanistan falls to the taliban, the un's envoy demands the militants end their offensive. we have seen a 50%, five—zero percent, increase in civilian casualties, with the certainty of many more as the cities are attacked. facing the flames, greece issues a nationwide extreme warning as it faces its worst wildfires in decades. it's the penultimate day of action at the olympics, and all eyes are on the women's marathon which is currently under way. i'm mariko oi in tokyo,

where host nationjapan is hoping to bring home some medals in the women's endurance event. and the remarkable spectacle of south africa's sardines run and the predators it attracts. looking bbc news wherever you are watching in the world. it is good to have your company. tonight we start with a question focusing minds notjust in afghanistan but right across the world. can anyone now stop the taliban from rampaging across afghanistan? in the last few hours, their escalating offensive has resulted in the capture of a provincial capital and the assassination of a close

aide of the president. now the un's special envoy has warned the country is facing a possible catastrophe and called on the taliban to halt the violence and take part in meaningful peace talks. our world affairs correspondent richard galpin has more. in the heart of the afghan capital, another assassination. taliban gunmen opening fire on this car, killing the head of the government's media information centre, dawa khan menapal. they'd warned officials would be targeted in response to air strikes by afghan and us forces. the war now increasingly spilling into the capital. but the taliban are also now targeting other key cities in this, their latest offensive. they claim to have captured the city of zaranj in the south—west of the country. officials say if true,

it would be the first provincial capital to fall into their hands in this, the latest upsurge in fighting. and the taliban claim more will follow. at the united nations in new york, there are now calls for action. the council must act and prevent a catastrophic situation. we are alarmed by reports of incidents of gross human rights violations by the taliban and their foreign terrorist associates in almost half of our country. and we are extremely concerned about the safety and security of people in cities under taliban attacks and what brutality would await them. the question now, though, is what action can be taken, given the taliban advances have been precipitated by the withdrawal of foreign troops from afghanistan. the futures of millions of afghans are at stake. i think the region should very

clearly tell the taliban that taliban coming to power through force, continuing the violence is unacceptable. they need to see that their government will not be accepted and recognised. but for now, at least, it seems unlikely the taliban will stop their offensive. they seem determined to seize as much ground as they can. richard galpin, bbc news. i'm joined now from washington, dc by omar samad, former afghan ambassador to france and canada and currently a visiting senior fellow at the atlantic council in washington. thank you so much for talking to us that such a disturbing time in afghanistan's recent history. what do you make of the progress the taliban has made? i spoke to mark allen brown on this programme 2a hours ago and he said it's gone further and faster than he had expected even in his most pessimistic moments. that's true. i

mean, pessimistic moments. that's true. i mean. the — pessimistic moments. that's true. i mean, the taliban _ pessimistic moments. that's true. i mean, the taliban have _ pessimistic moments. that's true. i mean, the taliban have as - pessimistic moments. that's true. i mean, the taliban have as of- pessimistic moments. that's true. i mean, the taliban have as of a - pessimistic moments. that's true. i mean, the taliban have as of a few| mean, the taliban have as of a few weeks ago shifted strategies and sort of given up on the political talks and pushed militarily to capture as much territory as they can, as well as now besiege main cities in one of the provincial capitals fell today. but he is put this in context and putting this in context me the taliban have been fighting for more or less 20 years. maybe about they have re—emerged but they took a sort of a break when the americans began talking to them and when they signed a deal and then when they signed a deal and then when they signed a deal and then when they engaged with the kabul government to go ahead with talks, and it seems that both sides did not have the political or at least one side deny the political will to engage in genuine goodwill for peace and talks and it seems the taliban

have not decided to go back to the battlefield. in have not decided to go back to the battlefield. ., , have not decided to go back to the battlefield. . . , ., . , battlefield. in those circumstances and we heard _ battlefield. in those circumstances and we heard the _ battlefield. in those circumstances and we heard the special— battlefield. in those circumstances and we heard the special envoy - and we heard the special envoy they're pretty much say that she felt the taliban had been insincere when they signed up to these talks and in a sense they were just playing western countries like the us on their terms, sainted with a wanted to hear because the american politicians and the president like the last president anxious to get troops out and now he has done that is if that is what has changed in 20 years. what can be done and who can do it to try and avert this turning into either a civil war or simply a route? . . into either a civil war or simply a route? ., ., ., ., , , route? there are a lot of players and that is _ route? there are a lot of players and that is one _ route? there are a lot of players and that is one of _ route? there are a lot of players and that is one of the _ route? there are a lot of players and that is one of the problems. j and that is one of the problems. there are too many players. there are players in afghanistan and there are players in afghanistan and there are players in the region in and great power players to have been going on for a long time. afghanistan is a victim of some geography and politics has sort of sealed its fate to some extent. we need to do is sort of take a step back and we need to reassure all

sides that the intention here is not to have one side winning one side loose. the intention is to actually go back and negotiate a settlement thatis go back and negotiate a settlement that is susceptible to if not all than most afghans and is inclusive in something that the afghans have to own. if afghans don't own it, then others will own and when others own it, it is will be back to fighting in afghanistan. former afu han fighting in afghanistan. former afghan ambassador _ fighting in afghanistan. former afghan ambassador to - fighting in afghanistan. former afghan ambassador to both - fighting in afghanistan. former i afghan ambassador to both paris fighting in afghanistan. former - afghan ambassador to both paris and also ottawa, thank you very much for being with us on bbc world news. good to get your analysis of this developing story. a severe heatwave has caused a series of raging wildfires in greece, with strong winds fanning the flames. thousands of people have been moved from their homes in the northern suburbs of athens. an extreme fire warning has been issued, and the country's prime minister says greece is in the midst of an unprecedented environmental crisis. bethany bell sent this report.

around athens, the hillsides are burning. people are desperately trying to put out the flames using whatever they can find. helicopters are bringing water to drop on the fires, but the scorching winds don't help. it's so dry here you can actually hear the parched branches crackle as they burn. emergency crews are struggling to stop the wildfires from spreading. this woman is trying to save her home. her husband's a firefighter, but she has no idea where he is. translation: i'm not leaving here, at least for as long as i can. - my house is behind here. you can see the roof.

i'm not leaving, whatever happens. the effects of the fires are devastating. villages have been burnt out, and dead animals litter the roads. and it's continuing. tonight, we watched as another blaze raged in the outskirts of athens. all day long, a fire has been burning on the other side of this mountain, and now it's coming over the hill. people have been told to leave this area as soon as possible, and we've seen people pack up their cars and go. the air is full of smoke and ash. people here are desperately worried about what's going to happen to their homes. this man's house is up on that hillside. he managed to bring his family to safety. as the flames head towards his house, all he can do is watch. i cannot sleep. i have my mind there.

i don't think that someone can sleep if he knows that maybe his only house will be destroyed. it was too dangerous to stay here. the police arrived to move people away. it's going to be a long night. people hoping against hope that their homes will be spared. bethany bell, bbc news, athens. let's return to the story that has donated much news coverage notjust this year but for two years now, covid—i9. the longer—term trend for coronavirus infection rates has been down across the uk, except in northern ireland where case numbers are rising, according to the office for national statistics. the uk's national statistician has told the bbc he expects the trend to continue downwards over the coming weeks. the news comes as northern ireland began vaccinating i6 and i7—year—olds. here's our health editor hugh pym.

a uk first — the start of vaccinations for all i6 and i7—year—olds. in northern ireland, teenagers in that age group came forward just two days after experts gave the go—ahead for the extension of the programme. yeah, ijust want everything back to normal. you're going to have to get it, so might as welljust get it now. at this theatre school in lincoln, those we spoke to said they were thinking hard about it. invitations to 16 and i7—year—olds to getjabbed in england, scotland and wales are going out from today. we talk about vaccine quite a lot, mainly because some people are quite, like, not sure whether to get it or not. i've seen things, like, - online and things like that, but at the end of the day, - i think they know what's right and i'm happy to get it. say if i wanted to go on holiday with my mates, i will have the vaccine. like, i'm not going to miss outjust because i haven't had the vaccine. "don't miss out" is the message

in a new drive in england to boost take—up of the vaccine among 18 to 30—year—olds. with reminders that to get into nightclubs from late september, proof of being double—jabbed will be required. the venues themselves will be promoting those messages. this central london nightclub, heaven, is even hosting a pop—up vaccination site on sunday. it'll be open right through from 12 noon till nine in the evening. the aim's still to reduce the spread of the virus. the office for national statistics survey of community infections, which covers people with and without symptoms, showed the first fall in uk cases last week since early may. in england, one in 75 people had the virus. in scotland, one in 120. in wales, one in 230, all of which were down. but in northern ireland, it was one in 55, an increase, though experts said the delta variant spread later than elsewhere. rates are still relatively high

in many parts of the country, but i would have to say that the evidence very much is of a decline everywhere. i'm expecting a continued decline. not, i would suggest, incredibly steep, but i think we will see a continued decline. but he added things might change in september after the holiday season. the improving outlook has led to most restrictions being lifted in wales from tomorrow, though masks will still be required in many public places. all business will be able to open and all legal limits on meeting l people in indoor private spaces will be removed as well. - but alert level zero does not mean the end of coronavirus, _ and it very certainly does not mean a free—for—all. - public health experts say levels of the delta variant can remain high, even in people who are vaccinated while still offering strong protection against serious illness, another reminder there's still much

to learn about covid and its spread. hugh pym, bbc news. let's turn to the olympics now, where after two weeks of elite sporting action, we've reached the penultimate day of competition. china looks set to finish on top of the podium with 36 gold medals, ahead of the us with 31, ahead of the host nation in third and great britain in fourth place. well, the action is already under way on day 15 with the women's marathon event. so, let's head straight to tokyo and talk to mariko oi. you have been following every twist and turn of these olympic games and there have been some remarkable offence. tell us about today's main event, the women's marathon and why it is being staged not in tokyo. indeed it was moved to sapporo

because usually it is cooler in the northern ireland of hokkaido. ironically here in tokyo it has been brutally hot for the last few days but it is actually quite cool this morning because we have several typhoons approaching the japanese capital while sapporo is actually quite hot and that is why they had to actually move the entire event an hour earlier and start at 6am. locally it was saying that it was a last—minute change made last night so they were concerned that some runners may not have been aware of the last minute change but of course japan has three runners and this is one of the competitions where japanese athletes have managed to win medals in the previous games so we are hoping that they will bring home some metals today. we we are hoping that they will bring home some metals today. we will keep across that obviously _ home some metals today. we will keep across that obviously of _ home some metals today. we will keep across that obviously of course - home some metals today. we will keep across that obviously of course the - across that obviously of course the next few hours. a couple of other stories that are happening and not related to the olympics we should talk about one being a reports of a stabbing incident on a commuter train in tokyo. what can he tell us about that? is

train in tokyo. what can he tell us about that?— about that? is highly unusual for an attack like this _ about that? is highly unusual for an attack like this to _ about that? is highly unusual for an attack like this to take _ about that? is highly unusual for an attack like this to take place - about that? is highly unusual for an attack like this to take place in - attack like this to take place in tokyo or injapan. but last night at around 8:30pm local time on on auto line train, a man in his 30s began around 8:30pm local time on on auto line train, a man in his 30s bega and stabbing passengers around him and according to the latest report, nine people were injured in all of them stable but one woman apparently is in a serious condition with seven stabs. as for the suspect, he escaped the scene by later was arrested at a convenience store where he stopped by and actually told the store manager that i'm the suspect in the incident on the news and i'm tired of running, so that's when he was arrested so the police are currently investigating his motive. but definitely ash very shocking incident that hardly happens here.— shocking incident that hardly happens here. shocking incident that hardly ha ens here. ., ., , , shocking incident that hardly hauens here. ., ., , , ., happens here. commuter trains but to me --eole happens here. commuter trains but to me people have _ happens here. commuter trains but to me people have only _ happens here. commuter trains but to me people have only been _ happens here. commuter trains but to me people have only been returning i me people have only been returning to it reluctantly anyway because of covid—i9. on that point, what is a

situation with infection numbers because a lot of japanese people watching very nervously about the actual impact the olympic games once it came would have on infections in the rest of the country notwithstanding all the restrictions imposed on the athletes and officials. . ., imposed on the athletes and officials. ., ~ ., officials. indeed and i feel like a broken record _ officials. indeed and i feel like a broken record talking _ officials. indeed and i feel like a broken record talking about - officials. indeed and i feel like a broken record talking about thisj broken record talking about this surge in covid—i9 case is everything the day but we do continue to see the day but we do continue to see the number rising. yesterday's latest figures across japan surpassing more than 15,000 and also here in tokyo the number coming in just above for —— 4584 record high it was over 5000 and we are seeing record numbers in surrounding prefectures as well as osaka and kyoto and of course tokyo has been under a state of emergency for several weeks now but we are seeing these numbers creeping up because these numbers creeping up because the very fact the games are taking place in this city is just sending the wrong message and as you can see behind me people are out and about. you must forget that the state of

emergency is here but the speed at which the virus is spreading is definitely a lot quicker.- which the virus is spreading is definitely a lot quicker. thank you so much for— definitely a lot quicker. thank you so much for this _ definitely a lot quicker. thank you so much for this report _ definitely a lot quicker. thank you so much for this report and - definitely a lot quicker. thank you so much for this report and also l definitely a lot quicker. thank you | so much for this report and also for all the many reports you've given us over the course of the olympic games and i hope this weekend is a good last hurrah on that score for tokyo. thanks so much. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, thousands of residents in california have been told to evacuate amid worsening fires on america's western coast. 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 i 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's 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 — a un special envoy has warned that afghanistan is facing a possible catastrophe after the taliban seized their first provincial capital. more now on that story.

the sick deteriorating security developments in afghanistan. the country 20 years now with the us leading an invasion to seize osama bin laden in the process topple the caliban regime which had been shielding him. what now for american involvement after the troop withdrawal announced byjoe biden? outside the white house is the bbc�*s north america editorjon sopel. nearly 20 years ago, i was in northern afghanistan moving with a northern alliance front—line as they were trying to retake control of the country. i was in a city called kunduz. well, now it's the taliban who are looking like they're about to retake control of that city. so, it's all gone round, hasn't it, in 20 years. and i think this is the price that joe biden is going to pay for his precipitant decision to say, come september 11, 2021, 20 years after 9/11, our troops are going to come out of afghanistan and others have followed suit.

and it leaves a very unstable situation. and so, you heard these dire warnings, the un security council today, of what's unfolding, of 1000 deaths and people being stoned to death again, beheadings and people having their hands chopped off, all sorts of unspeakable events here. and urging the taliban to stop and say, "this is turning into syria," or, "it's turning into sarajevo." but surely those words again fall on deaf ears as far as the taliban are concerned if it's not backed up by force. you remember after the iraq war in 2003, that banner on the aircraft carrier mission accomplished. this does not look like mission accomplished. this looks more like the fall of saigon in vietnam when the americans pulled out with that last helicopter leaving the us embassy. it's notjust europe facing wildfires, they've also been buring in the us. california, which is seeing a record—breaking

year of destruction. in the north, the state's largest blaze has consumed nearly all of a historic gold rush town. residents were told to evacuate before the three week old fire tore through the downtown area. barbara plett usher has this report. it is called the dixie fire, the largest blaze burning in california. greenville didn't stand a chance. this historic downtown muscle of the of that era. that's gone now. as the fire roared closer, residents were ordered to leave immediately. we're all evacuating. everyone's driving home as fast as they can to get there. well over 100 homes were destroyed as well as businesses. a swift and brutal loss that left both people and politicians in anguish. we lost greenville tonight,

and there's just not words for how us in government haven't been able to get the job done. dixie is the sixth—largest fire in california's history, but only one of dozens burning in the country this year. these are torching mostly western states that are suffering exceptional heat and drought which scientists say is tied to climate change. california's fire season usually peaks later in the year. it's on pace to be even worse than 2020. here, firefighters did everything they could. increasingly, that's just not enough. barbara plett usher, bbc news, los angeles. now to south africa, where a truly phenomenal event occurs each year, the sardine run. from may tojuly, millions of sardines breed in the cool waters of agulhas bank and move northward along the east coast of south africa, with thousands of ocean predators and birds in their trail. clarisse fortune tells us more about this beautiful spectacle. deep under south africa's east coast, a beautiful and intriguing

ballet�*s being performed, a choreographed dance of nature. it's the annual migration of millions of sardines, the so—called sardine run, in this part of the indian ocean. but behind the beautiful sight looms danger. it attracts a host of marine predators looking for food. these dolphins lead the trail. they're on the hunt, a sure sign of an upcoming feast. this is a super pod of common dolphins. so, you just see... thousands and thousands of commons dolphins, and these guys are always associated with the starting run. this group of divers are scanning the surface for activity. and after several hours at sea, they strike it lucky. the cape gannets are there already. this is what's known as a bait ball, a group of sardines that predators have cut off from the main school.

sardines are always looking for depth, for protection, so they try to go down deep and that's where the sharks come in. the sharks are at the bottom, stopping them from going down. so, you have the sharks at the bottom, you've got the dolphins around the edges. and you can see how those dolphins... you see how they're jumping around? it'sjust stopping the sardines from running away. and then one of the most menacing of guests arrives. stealthy, deadly, a large dusky sharkjoins the frenzy. the bait ball is decimated in minutes, to thejoy of the watching tourists. it was great! it was amazing! best time ever! if you haven't had that, you're not living. you've got to have that. that is an amazing experience. the hunt will repeat itself many times over the next three to four months, as kilometres of shoals migrate. clarisse fortune, bbc news.

don't know about you but that is making me peckish. thank you very much for your company. get up is always on the website. goodbye. hello there. the very unsettled august weather continues into this weekend. low pressure nearby will generate further showers, and again, like friday, we could see some thunderstorms which could lead to some localised flooding in places. but there will be some good spells of sunshine in between, particularly across more southern areas. so, here it is, this area of low pressure, which is going to stick around both saturday, sunday and indeed even into monday. lots of isobars on the charts, so it'll be quite breezy again, particularly across southern, southwestern areas, and across the northern isles, gusts of 30—40 mph. we'll have showers pretty much from the word go anywhere, but most of them will be across scotland, northern ireland, western england and wales. they will drift their way further eastwards into the afternoon, and again there'll be some torrential downpours in places. but some good spells of sunshine, particularly across the south east. another breezy day, these

are the mean wind speeds. temperatures will be a bit disappointing for august, particularly when the showers come along, it'll feel quite cool. but in the sunny spells, we could make 20 degrees or so across the south east. otherwise, generally the mid to high teens celsius. as we head through saturday, we continue with the breeze, further showers. again, some of them will be quite heavy, particularly across central, northern and western areas. perhaps turning a little bit quieter across the south east quadrant of the country. and again nowhere particularly cold, with overnight lows 12—14 degrees. so, into sunday, our area of low pressure still with us, a little bit. pressure still with us, there's fewer isobars on the charts, but there's still enough energy in the low pressure system to generate further showers, which again could be quite heavy in places throughout sunday. mainly across central and northern part of the country, because i think as we head on into the afternoon, there may be a greater chance of seeing some sunnier, drier weather for wales, central and southern england. so, that mayjust bump up temperatures to 21 degrees, slightly lighter winds.

again, for most, though, the high teens celsius. into next week, then, for monday, our area of low pressure's still with us, so it's going to be another day of sunshine and showers. but the winds will turn light, and the system continues to weaken. as we head on into tuesday, we've got this bump of high pressure which will build in, and that should settle things down. but low pressure always close by to the north and the west of the uk. so, we'll have most of the showers through the new week across northern and western areas. greater chance of seeing some drier, sunnier and warmer weather in the south and east.

this is bbc news. i am shaun ley with the latest headlines. afghan officials say the taliban have captured their first provincial capital since 2016, zaranj in nimruz province. in another development, the militant group assassinated a close associate of the president in the capital kabul. greece is bracing for a new wave of wildfires, as strong winds whip up the flames which are thought to have been brought under control. an extreme fire warning has been issued as the flames engulf the outskirts of athens. china has reacted angrily to president biden's announcement that hong kong residents currently in the us will be granted temporary safe haven. it described the decision as a gross interference in china's internal affairs. it's the last few days at the tokyo olympics. all eyes are on the women's marathon, which is currently under way.