good morning. this is bbc news, i'm victoria derbyshire. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. taliban fighters in afghanistan say they've captured the strategically important city of ghazni as the un warns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster. it's gcse results day in england, wales and northern ireland, with record grades achieved after a second year of cancelled exams. the government says people can be confident in the results. inevitably, you'll get a higher proportion of top grades in this system this year, but they're still valid grades that are backed up by very real evidence of the performance of those young people. the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has led to a record high of 5.45 million people. the economy

crows b of 5.45 million people. the economy grows by nearly _ of 5.45 million people. the economy grows by nearly 596. _ new zealand says it will keep its border closed until at least the end of the year to keep covid out more wildfires in italy, as sicily records what could be europe's hottest—ever temperature. hello, and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. the international red cross has warned of a catastrophe for civilians in afghanistan as the taliban continues to advance across the country. the insurgents have taken control of ten of the country's 34 provincial capitals. let's take a look at the latest developments. intense street—by—street fighting is taking place

in the city of kandahar, where the taliban have also taken control of the jail and released hundreds of prisoners. the taliban say they have taken control of the strategically important city of ghazni, which is on the road to the capital, kabul. president ashraf ghani earlier flew to the northern city of mazar—i—sharif — traditionally an anti—taliban bastion — to try to rally pro—government forces. the un say more than 1,000 civilians have died in the past month. let's speak to yogita limaye who's in kabul. tell us what it is like there at the moment. ~ ., , tell us what it is like there at the moment. ~ . , ., moment. well, in kabulwe are beginning _ moment. well, in kabulwe are beginning to — moment. well, in kabulwe are beginning to see _ moment. well, in kabulwe are beginning to see the _ moment. well, in kabulwe are beginning to see the fallout - moment. well, in kabulwe are beginning to see the fallout of| moment. well, in kabulwe are i beginning to see the fallout of the violence that has been taking place all over afghanistan. violence that has been taking place all overafghanistan. i violence that has been taking place all over afghanistan. i was in the north of the city yesterday were in an open field there are thousands of people who have come in from provinces in different parts of this country, fleeing fighting, hardly

being able to take anything along. they have just rushed here to save their lives. some have travelled for days, making dangerousjourneys past taliban checkpoints and at the front lines to get to kabul. 0ne taliban checkpoints and at the front lines to get to kabul. one woman told me she and her children had been hungry for six days and when they finally got here some residents gave her some food. there is very little by means of food supplies, water, or even sanitation there. when we were in that area we didn't see any government agency or humanitarian agencies on the ground and people were angry because they felt like they had been left on their own. the government say they are going to shelter these people in masks and they are going to provide food material. but what we are seeing here, the un has described it as a humanitarian catastrophe, 18 million people in need of urgent, life—saving support. these are not people who have had to run for their

lives once. yesterday i met in kabul people who i had met four weeks ago in a province in northern afghanistan which fell to the taliban on sunday, and those people had already run once or twice, they were displaced once, and now they have made this dangerous journey to kabul and they say from here there is nowhere else to go for them. thank you very much. now, to give you some idea ofjust how quickly the taliban have been capturing new territory, we can look at these maps. injuly, the areas controlled by the taliban were these, shown in red. with contested regions in yellow. but now a lot more territory has fallen to the taliban, including nine of the country's 34 provincial capitals, as it intensifies its offensive to seize power, following the withdrawal of western troops. meanwhile, peace talks

between the afghan government and the taliban have been taking place for a year in doha but no agreement has been reached. yalda hakim interviewed two high profile figures in the taliban chain of command. she asked them what they want from the afghan government and how they would rule the country if they could return to kabul. afghanistan, 2021 — the taliban are back, taking city after city from government forces. the withdrawal of foreign troops has left a power vacuum the taliban are rushing to fill. if they take power, many people here fear a return to their brutal regime of the �*90s, characterised by public executions, stonings and girls being banned from school. despite the historic peace deal that was signed between the us and the taliban in february 2020, and the ongoing peace talks taking place in doha, qatar, between the afghan government and the taliban, no progress has been made. i travelled to doha to meet

with suhail shahin, a member of the taliban peace negotiation team. if you were to return to kabul, how would you govern? there was in the past some mistakes that we have learned from, because at that time you were new to the government to stop education of women and girls. that is not our goal. of course, education is their right and it is much needed. while suhail shahin continues to talk about peace, it's clearly not a view shared by taliban commanders closing in on afghanistan's cities. back in kabul, taliban commander maulana from helmand agreed to meet me. what do you want? do you want the taliban regime to come back into power or do you think that there should be a power sharing deal with the current government? like the discussions that are being had in doha? translation: we would be happy to have a joint government under.

the umbrella of islamic sharia. a sharia—based system in afghanistan, like the system the taliban used to have. if we talk about law and order and justice, if someone were to steal or commit adultery, what should happen to them? translation: all this is clearly stated in the koran. _ if someone steals, there is a punishment, for example, for some theft, the punishment is cutting off the hand and foot. and if someone commits adultery, then they should be stoned. and if there isn't a political resolution to this conflict, are you prepared to take kabul by force? translation: i'm trying to defeat | the government and they're trying | to make me disappear.

in the end, we will be compelled to kill one another. increasingly, it appears there is a disconnect between what is being said by the political office in doha and what the taliban commanders and foot soldiers are doing on the ground in afghanistan. but the vice president of afghanistan remains defiant. this group in doha. they are a deceptive facade of a very dark reality called the taliban. so in your view, have they changed? no, not only they have not changed, they have become savvier in deceiving. with the government adamant to defy a new era of sharia law, and the taliban making significant gains, afghans now seem to be caught up in a savage war that has taken on a life of its own. yalda hakim, bbc news, kabul.

breaking news to bring you. it is good news. we mention an hour or so ago that a british vessel had sunk off the island of milos in the cyclades, a greek island, and 17 passengers were hopefully being rescued by the greek coastguard. they have rescued them all. that is the news just in. they have rescued them all. that is the newsjust in. all 17 passengers from that british flagged vessel that sank in greece have been rescued. that from the greek coastguard. that from the greek coastguard. here in the uk, gcse students have received another grades following a year of covid disruption to exams in england, wales and northern ireland. the government cancelled exams for a second consecutive year, meaning pupils' grades are based on their teachers' judgment. top grades — that's grade seven or above — rose 2.7% to 28.9%, while those graded four and above, seen as good passes — rose 0.8% to 76.3%.

this is a smaller rise than in 2020 — the first time than in 2020, the first time teacher grades were used. last year, top grades rose by 9% and good passes were up 5.4%. the grades, calculated by teachers, have been taken from a combination of mock exams, coursework and tests. 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley is at a school in dagenham in east london. they have got the results and the wakefield nerve—racking, but the journey to get to this point has been so difficult for so many students, the disruption, the anxiety, but here today those emotions have turned to relief. let's have a chat with some of the students who have literallyjust opened their envelopes. how are you guys feeling? how did you get on? i am really excited, i am really relieved. _ am really excited, i am really relieved. i_ am really excited, i am really relieved, i can finally sleep today. i relieved, i can finally sleep today. i have _ relieved, i can finally sleep today. i have got — relieved, i can finally sleep today. i have got the grades i wanted and i can get— i have got the grades i wanted and i can get into — i have got the grades i wanted and i can get into the six form i wanted and i_ can get into the six form i wanted and i can— can get into the six form i wanted and i can pursue my career, i am

happy. _ ha“ _ ., ha... ., m ha--. ., '. ., , happy. how difficult has the “ourney been to this — happy. how difficult has the “ourney been to this point i happy. how difficult has the “ourney been to this point where _ happy. how difficult has the journey been to this point where you - happy. how difficult has the journey been to this point where you have l been to this point where you have got the results in your hand? fine got the results in your hand? five ears of got the results in your hand? five years of studying. _ got the results in your hand? f e: years of studying, may be got the results in your hand? f we years of studying, may be just my ears are, definitely hard, definitely a lot of topics missed out on definitely a lot of catching up out on definitely a lot of catching up at home and that is meant to be a safe place where you relax, it has been difficult. in safe place where you relax, it has been difficult.— been difficult. in terms of your results, how— been difficult. in terms of your results, how are _ been difficult. in terms of your results, how are you _ been difficult. in terms of your results, how are you feeling? l results, how are you feeling? satisfied, it has got me to the place i want, but this guy is the limit and we will go forth. you have done well today, _ limit and we will go forth. you have done well today, you _ limit and we will go forth. you have done well today, you are _ limit and we will go forth. you have done well today, you are happy. . limit and we will go forth. you have| done well today, you are happy. for anyone who said you did not sit exams, you had assessed grace, what would you say? they might say it was an easier option. i would you say? they might say it was an easier option.— an easier option. i studied, i work my hardest _ an easier option. i studied, i work my hardest in — an easier option. i studied, i work my hardest. in the _ an easier option. i studied, i work my hardest. in the end _ an easier option. i studied, i work my hardest. in the end the - an easier option. i studied, i work my hardest. in the end the tests i my hardest. in the end the tests that we — my hardest. in the end the tests that we did there were similar to the gcses, if not a bit harder because _ the gcses, if not a bit harder because we did even more test. i personally— because we did even more test. i personally did 62 exams, which was bani _ personally did 62 exams, which was hard~ bui— personally did 62 exams, which was hard~ but i— personally did 62 exams, which was hard. but i think the work that we did was_ hard. but i think the work that we did was enough to prove the grace that we _ did was enough to prove the grace that we actually got.—

that we actually got. when you ulled that we actually got. when you pulled open — that we actually got. when you pulled open the _ that we actually got. when you pulled open the envelope, - that we actually got. when you pulled open the envelope, and| that we actually got. when you - pulled open the envelope, and you know what it is like with your emotions and your heart is pounding and the butterflies, what was the emotion? ~ . and the butterflies, what was the emotion? . ., , ., ., , and the butterflies, what was the emotion? . ., i. .,, ., , _ emotion? what hit you? i was happy because of all— emotion? what hit you? i was happy because of all the _ emotion? what hit you? i was happy because of all the hard _ emotion? what hit you? i was happy because of all the hard work- emotion? what hit you? i was happy because of all the hard work i - emotion? what hit you? i was happy because of all the hard work i put. because of all the hard work i put in, because of all the hard work i put in. it— because of all the hard work i put in. it paid — because of all the hard work i put in. it paid off, _ because of all the hard work i put in. it paid off, i_ because of all the hard work i put in, it paid off, iwas— because of all the hard work i put in, it paid off, i was really- because of all the hard work i put in, it paid off, i was really happy. school_ in, it paid off, i was really happy. school life — in, it paid off, i was really happy. school life changed _ in, it paid off, i was really happy. school life changed so _ in, it paid off, i was really happy. school life changed so much, - in, it paid off, i was really happy. i school life changed so much, what have ye past is not yet been like? it has been so hectic, we have had to stay— it has been so hectic, we have had to stay at— it has been so hectic, we have had to stay at home, do online school, missing _ to stay at home, do online school, missing out — to stay at home, do online school, missing out on quite a lot of work, but in _ missing out on quite a lot of work, but in the — missing out on quite a lot of work, but in the end we are all where we need _ but in the end we are all where we need to— but in the end we are all where we need to be — but in the end we are all where we need to be and it isjust great to finally— need to be and it isjust great to finally have these results in our hands — finally have these results in our hands. ~ . . , finally have these results in our hands. . ., ., , ., , finally have these results in our hands. . ., ., , hands. what was the hardest part about all the _ hands. what was the hardest part about all the disruption that - hands. what was the hardest part about all the disruption that you | about all the disruption that you wethrough?— about all the disruption that you wethrou~h? .,,.,_ , ., . about all the disruption that you wethrou~h? , , wethrough? probably try to catch up on thins wethrough? probably try to catch up on things that _ wethrough? probably try to catch up on things that we _ wethrough? probably try to catch up on things that we miss _ wethrough? probably try to catch up on things that we miss outside - wethrough? probably try to catch up on things that we miss outside of. on things that we miss outside of school and try to separate being at home and being at school and it was very stressful and we had to do a lot of things by ourselves. what very stressful and we had to do a lot of things by ourselves. what has it been like as _ lot of things by ourselves. what has it been like as a _ lot of things by ourselves. what has it been like as a parent _ lot of things by ourselves. what has it been like as a parent having - lot of things by ourselves. what has it been like as a parent having to . it been like as a parent having to watch them go through this? so difficult having to watch them. i think— difficult having to watch them. i think the — difficult having to watch them. i think the school themselves have given— think the school themselves have given them so much support, even though— given them so much support, even though they have not had the

contact _ though they have not had the contact. 0nline you have had so much support— contact. 0nline you have had so much support from — contact. 0nline you have had so much support from the school and the teachers — support from the school and the teachers and i think that has made the difference for me as a parent, knowing _ the difference for me as a parent, knowing it— the difference for me as a parent, knowing it is notjust us supporting the kids— knowing it is notjust us supporting the kids because the school is there as welt _ the kids because the school is there as well. . , , , ., the kids because the school is there aswell. . , , , ., , as well. incredibly proud parents and an incredibly _ as well. incredibly proud parents and an incredibly proud - as well. incredibly proud parents and an incredibly proud head - and an incredibly proud head teacher. claire, what a day for your students, but for the teachers as well. they cannot be many professions that have been through as much change as the teaching profession. how do you feel now the results are finally through? we profession. how do you feel now the results are finally through?- results are finally through? we are so delighted- _ results are finally through? we are so delighted. seeing _ results are finally through? we are so delighted. seeing their- results are finally through? we are | so delighted. seeing their reactions this morning hasjust been so delighted. seeing their reactions this morning has just been that moment to remember, that this is what it is all about, it is their futures, it is what they have worked so hard for. yes, it has been hard for teachers, families and everybody, but when you put it in context of these are young people who have had a big part of that, that part of their youth restricted in so many ways, and yet here today they are celebrating fantastic achievements. and those who are at home getting those results in

celebrating those achievements, we really couldn't be more proud. this really couldn't be more proud. as much as academic achievements you have really had to keep across the emotional and mental pressures this pandemic has caused. you emotional and mental pressures this pandemic has caused.— emotional and mental pressures this pandemic has caused. you and i both know how we — pandemic has caused. you and i both know how we felt _ pandemic has caused. you and i both know how we felt at _ pandemic has caused. you and i both know how we felt at different - pandemic has caused. you and i both know how we felt at different times | know how we felt at different times in this pandemic and you put that through our young people and it is incredibly difficult. the home circumstances, the point about separating being at home and learning and working, incredibly challenging. yes, the pressures have been real, but i think having seen what they have been able to achieve over the past couple of months and to get those results has made what they have been through so worthwhile.— they have been through so worthwhile. ., ., , ., , ., worthwhile. how do you feel when you hear about the — worthwhile. how do you feel when you hear about the comparison _ worthwhile. how do you feel when you hear about the comparison to - hear about the comparison to previous years and grade inflation? i don't think it is particularly helpful because i think we have to really focus today on what the students have achieved and the same for the a—level results of the other day. they have been assessed and

awarded results on the merit of what they have produced and that can't be taken away from them. it looks really different this year to how it has looked in previous years. let's focus on the fact they have worked hard and they have got the results they deserve. it hard and they have got the results they deserve-— they deserve. it has been a day of celebration _ they deserve. it has been a day of celebration here, _ they deserve. it has been a day of celebration here, but— they deserve. it has been a day of celebration here, but this - they deserve. it has been a day of celebration here, but this is - they deserve. it has been a day of celebration here, but this is a - celebration here, but this is a results date like no other, but there are similarities. there will be students checking their e—mails who will feel disappointed and who will be worried about what the next stage is. there is a lot of advice out there, stay positive. we have got lots of advice on the bbc website, but speak to your teachers, your friends and stay positive. a message from annie cross, i have passed all my gcses and i am happy as a squirrel that has found its nuts. this one says the type of reporting done on results wants to devalue the students. it has been done differently, but assessment

throughout the year show is consistently hardware as opposed to a one—off exam that you can swap four. if you want to get in touch, particularly if you have received your results. you can send me an e—mail or message me on twitter and instagram. the headlines on bbc news... important city of ghazni as the un warns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster. it's gcse results day in england, wales and northern ireland with record grades achieved after a second year of cancelled exams. the end of the year to keep covid out. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, has said that tough border restrictions introduced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus will remain in place until at least the end of the year.

she said she didn't want to risk a new more transmissible variant of the virus entering the country. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil is in sydney. jacinda ardern said new zealand is not yet in a position to fully reopen, but she did set out a gradual plan of easing and relaxing the borders. later this year a new trial scheme is going to start and it will allow a selected number of vaccinated passengers to come into new zealand and south isolate at home as opposed to hotel quarantine. from 2022, and we don't have a solid date on that yet, but a new risk—based system is going to be put in place. essentially it is different expectations and requirements of isolation and quarantine depending on whether the passenger, who is fully vaccinated, and which area they come from, whether it is a high or low risk area. ultimately fully vaccinated passenger from a low risk area will

be able to come into new zealand without having to isolate or quarantine. the other thing that jacinda ardern talked about is getting as many new vaccinated as possible in the coming few months of this year. the vaccination roll—out has been slow and the rates are still quite low, about 20% of new zealanders have been fully vaccinated and have had theirjabs. the country's elimination policy, which is the closing of the borders and snap lock downs to contain outbreaks, have really helped it in controlling the spread of covid—19. it has become an international success story and it has also helped it in eliminating or in minimising the medical effects of the virus. since the beginning of the pandemic new zealand has recorded less then 30, fewer than 30 deaths overall, but it has come at a price. it has severely hurt the tourism sector and

it has made it difficult for thousands of new zealanders to come back home and be reunited with their families. so while the borders are going to be closed for a while, because they want to consolidate the success and be careful about reopening, we are seeing the beginnings, the features of what it will look like for this gradual easing of new zealand's borders in 2022. let's return now to afghanistan and the aid agencies' warning that civilians are facing catastrophe as the taliban continues to advance across the country. the insurgents have taken control of ten of the country's 34 provincial capitals and the un say more than 1,000 civilians have died in the past month. with us now is ashley jackson, co—director of the centre for the study of armed groups at the overseas development institute, an independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. she is also author of negotiating survival: civilian—insurgent relations in afghanistan.

why do you think the taliban have been so successful in taking control of these areas?— of these areas? they have been la in: of these areas? they have been laying the _ of these areas? they have been laying the groundwork- of these areas? they have been laying the groundwork for - of these areas? they have been laying the groundwork for this l laying the groundwork for this assault for years now. they have crept through the countryside, gobbling up district after district, and really and circling the city is that they have captured over the past week. what we have seen now is they are besieging urban centres. the last government stronghold, really. it is not surprising, given that us intelligence assessments even predicted this outcome, maybe not before the us forces leave at the end of the month, but at some point in the next few months. what point in the next few months. what do we know — point in the next few months. what do we know about _ point in the next few months. what do we know about how— point in the next few months. what do we know about how the taliban is governing the places they have taken over? ~ . governing the places they have taken over? . ., ., ., ., over? well, a lot of their social olicies over? well, a lot of their social policies really _ over? well, a lot of their social policies really look _ over? well, a lot of their social policies really look very - over? well, a lot of their social policies really look very similar| over? well, a lot of their social i policies really look very similar to

what we saw in the 1990s. they have the sharia courts, there are really harsh restrictions on women and their place in public life and their movement. but of course the taliban isn't a government. it is taking over a stunningly large amount of territory and the real question is will they be able to control it? will they be able to keep markets open? will they be able to govern? how much will the civilians suffer? do you think they want to take over the whole of the country? i5 do you think they want to take over the whole of the country?— the whole of the country? is that realistic? absolutely. _ the whole of the country? is that realistic? absolutely. i _ the whole of the country? is that realistic? absolutely. i think- the whole of the country? is that l realistic? absolutely. i think their ultimate objective is to force the government to surrender. there are those within the movement, and it is not a homogenous movement, they don't have a blueprint of what comes next and the future, there are those that do favour political settlements. they are still at the talks in doha. some might say that is disingenuous, but there are those within the taliban movement who

understand that they cannot govern alone, there would be international cries if they laid siege to kabul. then there are those military commanders on the ground to a sense of victory is near and who are eager to push on and capture the whole country militarily.— country militarily. what has happened _ country militarily. what has happened to _ country militarily. what has happened to the _ country militarily. what has| happened to the president's country militarily. what has - happened to the president's forces, the government forces? yes. happened to the president's forces, the government forces?— the government forces? yes, these forces simply _ the government forces? yes, these forces simply do — the government forces? yes, these forces simply do not _ the government forces? yes, these forces simply do not have _ the government forces? yes, these forces simply do not have the - forces simply do not have the leadership and the capacity to hold the line against the taliban. what the line against the taliban. what the taliban has done in taking the cities and taking half of the country's districts in sweeping assaults is they have stretched these forces really thin and the aim is to exhaust them, demoralise them through these very symbolic victories, but also a lot of these forces haven't been paid. they haven't been resupplied, they are not getting the reinforcements they need, and the us is still supporting air strikes, need, and the us is still supporting airstrikes, but need, and the us is still supporting air strikes, but a very limited

number, and they know those forces are leaving. what you have not seen emerge is a real political and military strategy at the top, so a lot of these forces are trying to hold the line, but there is no real plan to defend the capital, to defend the country, and that is the real concern. defend the country, and that is the real concern-— real concern. thank you very much for talking — real concern. thank you very much for talking to _ real concern. thank you very much for talking to us. _ real concern. thank you very much for talking to us. ashley _ real concern. thank you very much for talking to us. ashley jackson. l the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high. a total of 5.45 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end ofjune, according to figures from nhs england. this is the highest number since records began in august 2007. the number of people having to wait more than 52 weeks to start treatment was more than 300,000 at the end ofjune. that is an improvement from the previous month, but around six times higher than figures a year earlier. 12 months

agojust over 50,000 figures a year earlier. 12 months ago just over 50,000 people were waiting longer than a year. chris hopson from nhs providers gave his reaction to the rising numbers of people waiting. there are two things going on here. on the one hand we know that because 0n the one hand we know that because of covid we have a backlog, but on the other hand the nhs is actually running incredibly fast to try and get through that backlog. so in the month in question for which the statistics were released, we did 2 million diagnostic test, the highest number in the past year. we also checked 250,000 people for cancer, and that is the second highest figure, and that was despite the fact we were also trying to deal with 70,000 a&e attendances, and that was up 20,000 compared to the year before. you have got this slightly odd position whereby you have got a growing backlog, but the nhs is going absolutely as fast as ever to try and catch up with that backlog. so it is an interesting

position. it backlog. so it is an interesting osition. , ~ ., ., , ., ., position. it is like a hamster on a wheel. position. it is like a hamster on a wheel- the _ position. it is like a hamster on a wheel. the question _ position. it is like a hamster on a wheel. the question is _ position. it is like a hamster on a wheel. the question is when - position. it is like a hamster on a wheel. the question is when will| position. it is like a hamster on a . wheel. the question is when will the nhs staff who are working unbelievably hard and powering on through, when will they catch up with the backlog?— through, when will they catch up with the backlog? well, that is the roblem, with the backlog? well, that is the problem. it — with the backlog? well, that is the problem. it is _ with the backlog? well, that is the problem, it is very _ with the backlog? well, that is the problem, it is very difficult - with the backlog? well, that is the problem, it is very difficult to - problem, it is very difficult to know. you will have seen the predictions by the institute for fiscal studies, where they were talking about a backlog of 40 million. that is an assumption that everybody who did not present and come forward last year will come forward this year or maybe going into next year, but we don't know whether that will happen. the bit that i can say that is really clear is that nhs staff, exactly as you say, are going as fast as they possibly can, but they are having to cope with dealing with that backlog, they are having to cope with the fact that we are 8000 beds are short compared to the normal number of beds that we have because of infection control. we have got a lot

of staff self isolating and we are in the peak leave period and we have got very large numbers of people coming in for urgent and emergency care and we have still got 5000 covid patients in hospital beds. if you combine those six factors together, what you get is a very busy nhs that is going at full pelt, but we are still in a position where i think this backlog will grow for a period of time, but that is not because the nhs is not doing everything it can to get through it as quickly as possible. it everything it can to get through it as quickly as possible.— everything it can to get through it as quickly as possible. it might be like t in: as quickly as possible. it might be like trying to _ as quickly as possible. it might be like trying to turn _ as quickly as possible. it might be like trying to turn round _ as quickly as possible. it might be like trying to turn round a - as quickly as possible. it might be like trying to turn round a tanker. like trying to turn round a tanker very slowly. what could help speed it up? very slowly. what could help speed it u - ? , very slowly. what could help speed it u? , ., , , very slowly. what could help speed itu? , ., .,, it up? there is absolutely no doubt, victoria, it up? there is absolutely no doubt, victoria. that _ it up? there is absolutely no doubt, victoria, that the _ it up? there is absolutely no doubt, victoria, that the key _ it up? there is absolutely no doubt, victoria, that the key issue - it up? there is absolutely no doubt, victoria, that the key issue of - it up? there is absolutely no doubt, victoria, that the key issue of the i victoria, that the key issue of the moment, and this will be for the next six weeks, is the government is about to decide the amount of funding the nhs will get for the second half of this year and it will probably decide the funding for the nhs for the next three years. to give you one example, the government

gave the nhs £1 billion this year, nonrecurrent, but £1 billion this year to get through the elected backlog. we used that up in the first six months of the year. effectively we will need a multi—year investment programme to get through that backlog. if you go back to the early 2000s, we had a waiting list of roughly the site but we got through it. the crucial bit is the government at the time gave the nhs at least three years 7% annual funding the nhs at least three years 7% annualfunding rises the nhs at least three years 7% annual funding rises and that is what the difference. but this is the key point, over the next three or four weeks, the funding envelope for the nhs will be decided and it is absolutely vital that we get the right funding and we will need to ensure that some of that funding is used to expand their workforce. it is notjust used to expand their workforce. it is not just a used to expand their workforce. it is notjust a question of money, but is notjust a question of money, but is that the key decision that the prime minister and the chancellor now face. the uk economy grew by 4.8%

between april and june as most businesses emerged from lockdown. the growth was fuelled by retail, restaurants and hotels. it's slightly less than the prediction from the bank of england. the chancellor rishi sunak has been speaking about the figures this morning. today's figures show the economy is recovering very strongly, the fastest quarterly growth in the g7 group of countries, and evidence that our plan forjobs is working. but i'm not complacent. the shock that our economy and public finances have experienced is significant and it will take us time to fully recover. that is why we are not done supporting businesses or people, most importantly giving them the skills and the opportunities they need to find great, well paid jobs. the headlines on bbc news... taliban fighters in afghanistan say they've captured the strategically important city of ghazni as the un warns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster. it's gcse results day in england, wales and northern ireland with record grades achieved after a second year of cancelled exams. the number of people in england waiting to start routine

hospital treatment has risen to a record high. the uk economy grows by nearly 5% between april and june, following the easing of restrictions. and new zealand says it will keep its border closed until at least the end of the year to keep covid out. a british man has appeared before a court in germany, accused of spying for russia. the man — who's said to have been paid by the russians — worked for the british embassy in berlin. he is alleged to have forwarded documents to a russian intelligence agent on at least one occasion. as the heatwave gripping the mediterranean continues, some countries are recording their highest temperatures in decades. italy mayjust have recorded the hottest ever temperature in europe. and the heat is only fanning the spread of wildfires in what has been a nightmare summer for many.

tanya dendrinos reports. as night fell over the sicilian hills, disaster glowed. residents could only watch on in disbelief. translation: are a small town was invaded by fire, it is a catastrophe. we are still living some really sad moments because our land has suffered a very serious loss and it will take a long time before it returns to its former glory. before it returns to its former alo . before it returns to its former . lo _ , ., before it returns to its former alo . , ., ._ before it returns to its former alo . , ., ., glory. the island may have registered _ glory. the island may have registered the _ glory. the island may have registered the hottest - glory. the island may have - registered the hottest temperature ever recorded in europe on wednesday, 48.8 celsius. while the record awaits verification, there is no reprieve insight. the heatwave is being caused by an anticyclone nicknamed lucifer, that is moving up from africa. it will see a continued rise in temperatures over the coming days, with the health ministry issuing red alerts for extreme heat in a number of regions. in greece, wildfires continue to tear through

the parched landscape. foreign teams joining local efforts to bring the catastrophe under control. amid the devastation, stories of courage and determination prevail. spiritus is a local supermarket worker. he has no training as a firefighter, but felt compelled to help. training as a firefighter, but felt comelled to hel. �* ,, �* . compelled to help. translation: when i am fiaahtin compelled to help. translation: when i am fighting the — compelled to help. translation: when i am fighting the fires, _ compelled to help. translation: when i am fighting the fires, the _ compelled to help. translation: when i am fighting the fires, the only - i am fighting the fires, the only thing going through my mind is that this could be the home of someone i know, a friend orfamily member. i feel an obligation, i have to do it, just like many others. my house has not burned down, ijust simply went to help my fellow human beings. climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather are likely to fuel wildfires and temperatures will keep rising without steep cuts to emissions the world over. the boss of fast fashion online retailer boohoo has insisted its clothing brands are "not throwaway". speaking to our business

correspondent sean farringdonjohn lyttle said boohoo had a "clear strategy" for being more sustainable. boohoo chief executivejohn little is rolling out hundreds of millions of pounds of investment across factories, offices and distribution centres, like this one in burnley. this is where your order gets put together. as the picker is picking, they are taking in an order but it's different customer, different brands. creating thousands of jobs, but almost more crucially for its business, installing more automation. his customers shopping online demand it. consumer habits have changed wanting to buy online. but equally, the immediacy of when they want that order. if you think of it today, a package can be ordered 10.55pm. it can be picked, it can be packed and it can go to a courier and it can be in your home by tomorrow. so that's probably one of the biggest trends that we've seen in the last sort of 18 months

and that's only getting greater and greater, is what i would say. so, will same day delivery become important? absolutely. but not quite yet, at the moment it's all about next day. is that a target for you? i think without a doubt, it's going to happen. boohoo isn't a business that can only look forward as it still deals with the fallout from revelations about poor conditions and illegal pay for workers making clothes for the retailer in leicester. 0ne investigation found mr little was personally very aware of what was going on. shouldn't you have resigned? i think my role is to make sure that if there is a problem, to fix it. if i'd resigned at the time, that would have set us back in terms of the time it would have taken to do what we needed to do. so for me, i don't recognise that as the answer. i think the answer is always, if you've got a problem, fix it. it's notjust the treatment of workers that make these packages that's an issue for the industry. but in a week where we have had a code red warning for humanity, the fashion world has big questions to answer about making these products sustainable.

can the industry work for the planet and for the workers in it? yes, it is my answer to that. if i look across all of our brands and i look at the number of items and the average number of times per year that somebody buys, we don't see that as a throw away. sometimes fast fashion is seen as, i will buy it, i will wear it once and then throw it away. that certainly, from the data that we have, we wouldn't correlate with that. but looking at all of this that we have here, this is here because people want to keep buying, buying, buying. even if they are keeping it, they are buying, buying, buying. that is not good for a planet that we need to get on top of, is it? but the reality is, we all have to wear clothes. we can now speak to laura young an environmental campaigner and on her blog �*less waste laura' — she teaches people about why sustainable fashion is so important and how to do it. hello, laura. good morning. do you

bu that hello, laura. good morning. do you buy that from _ hello, laura. good morning. do you buy that from the _ hello, laura. good morning. do you buy that from the boss _ hello, laura. good morning. do you buy that from the boss of _ hello, laura. good morning. do you buy that from the boss of boohoo? l buy that from the boss of boohoo? absolutely not. his answers to the question of what is sustainable, i think he, other activists and campaigners and regular people who are trying to live more sustainably have different answers to what he thinks is sustainable and it is important we push back on every word he said. rpm? important we push back on every word he said. ~ , , important we push back on every word he said. . , , ., he said. why is there a contradiction _ he said. why is there a contradiction in - he said. why is there a contradiction in what . he said. why is there a | contradiction in what he he said. why is there a i contradiction in what he is he said. why is there a _ contradiction in what he is saying? the important thing is, sustainability doesn't have a definition. what he thinks is sustainable, we definitely do not. he was talking about scaling up, moving faster and producing more. that is contrary to what sustainability is and although he has talked about targets in the interview about 20% more sustainable or 40% more sustainable, we don't know what that means and we need to find out what their plans are. your oint is, find out what their plans are. your point is. it — find out what their plans are. your point is. it is— find out what their plans are. your point is, it is the _ find out what their plans are. your point is, it is the volume - find out what their plans are. your point is, it is the volume of- find out what their plans are. your point is, it is the volume of stuff they are producing which is not good

for the climate?— for the climate? absolutely. the thousands and _ for the climate? absolutely. the thousands and the _ for the climate? absolutely. the thousands and the millions - for the climate? absolutely. the thousands and the millions and l thousands and the millions and billions when you scale it up to be on boohoo, when we see unsustainable practices. and it is made from plastics, it is environmentally damaging when they produce it. a lot of the stuff ends up in landfills, only one a handful of times before they are thrown away. what only one a handful of times before they are thrown away.— only one a handful of times before they are thrown away. what is your messa . e they are thrown away. what is your message to — they are thrown away. what is your message to john — they are thrown away. what is your message to john lytle? _ they are thrown away. what is your message to john lytle? to - they are thrown away. what is your message to john lytle? to take - they are thrown away. what is your message to john lytle? to take a l message to john lytle? to take a ste back message to john lytle? to take a step back and _ message to john lytle? to take a step back and realise _ message to john lytle? to take a step back and realise the - message to john lytle? to take a step back and realise the model. message to john lytle? to take a l step back and realise the model of business they are trying to do is not achievable in a sustainable way and see that he and his company are situated in a position where they could make a massive benefit to the environment, but it is not what they are doing now. and stop the waffle of sustainability and listen to the campaigners, listen to the workers that are already out there. i am sure he would _ that are already out there. i am sure he would push _ that are already out there. i am sure he would push back - that are already out there. i am sure he would push back on what you

have said, and i am not sure if you read greta thunberg's interview with vogue scandinavia, where she said some fashion groups are claiming they are ethical, green, neutral and fair. but this is never anything but green washing. fair. but this is never anything but green washing-— fair. but this is never anything but green washing. obviously, you agree with that? yes, — green washing. obviously, you agree with that? yes, 10094. _ green washing. obviously, you agree with that? yes, 100% agree. - green washing. obviously, you agree with that? yes, 10096 agree. lots - green washing. obviously, you agree with that? yes, 10096 agree. lots of| with that? yes, 100% agree. lots of clever marketing, clever phrases thrown around and hiding behind green campaigns that are sustainable and natural. but what does that mean? these businesses are making more and more money and scaling up over the last few years, so what they are putting out there has messages, isn't necessarily what they are doing in practice. qm. messages, isn't necessarily what they are doing in practice. ok, so if somebody _ they are doing in practice. ok, so if somebody wants _ they are doing in practice. ok, so if somebody wants to _ they are doing in practice. ok, so if somebody wants to buy - they are doing in practice. ok, so i if somebody wants to buy something new online, maybe they have got amazing gcse results today, they want to treat themselves on buy something new online or walk down the high street and treat themselves, how can they buy sustainable clothes? you can buy

lots of things that are new to you. it doesn't have to be new from high street shop. you can get it from a charity shop, an online second—hand platform, borrow from your friends or even rent something. they are so many other options before going onto the high street. they can still wear fashion, great and treat yourself for any celebration. thank you, laura, thank you for talking to us. the british government says it's seriously concerned about the human rights situation in north—west china, after allegations of abuse against uyghur muslims. our community affairs correspondent adina campbell has been to meet a teenage campaigner — who's written an open letter to the foreign secretary dominic raab — and herfather, who fled china after he was imprisoned. i've seen them personally and them saying that they don't exist is wrong because i've met them. they say that my family living a happy life. but on the other hand, we hear that they have been

sentenced for ten years, 12 years for practising religion. thousands of miles away from their loved ones in china, 18—year—old dilnaz and herfather, karim, are campaigning forjustice. justice from the chinese authorities who sent karim to prison in the 1990s. they kept beating him up, burning his hand with cigarettes, hanging him with hands, like that. and he said that at the end of his imprisonment, which was six months long, he was not able to stand up. karim fled china after serving his time in jail for national hatred and holding a protest, crimes he denies. he and his family say the uighur community in north west china is still at risk and continue to face brutal abuse by the authorities because of their cultural background. how do you feel about the chinese authorities? they're killing people,

they're torturing people in concentration camps, forcibly sterilising and raping women. we asked the chinese embassy for a response. they have previously denied all allegations of human rights abuses. dilnaz and her family now live in london, but fearfor the lives of their other relatives who they haven't seen in six years. they are committing human rights offences on a massive scale. they and other human rights campaigners have been holding monthly protests outside the chinese embassy. it makes me feel angry that the world is not acting up for this. i mean, china's government is committing crimes. they should stop this. karim still bears the physical scars from his time in prison. and there's emotional trauma for dilnaz, who has regular nightmares. do you feel like an

ordinary 18—year—old? no, because if i was an ordinary 18—year—old, i would be now living my best life. but that's not what i'm doing. i'm trying to explore new ways to free my people sooner. adina campbell, bbc news. the polish parliament has approved a law that opponents say will strengthen the right—wing government's grip on the media, as it restricts non—european ownership. one of the tv channels most critical of ministers is owned by the american conglomerate, discovery. a spokesperson for the us state department said it was closely watching developments. ramzan karmali has this report. the applause from the government benches in the lower houses of parliament. they are reacting to the vote which saw them pass a new media bill. the government say this new law prevent firms from china and russia controlling polish media

outlets. but opponents say it is an attempt to silence a tv channel critical of the government. translation:— translation: this is an unconstitutional - translation: this is an unconstitutional law i translation: this is an | unconstitutional law which translation: this is an - unconstitutional law which is designed to gag free media, inconsistent with international treaties. it concerns one of the tv stations, we'll know which one, but it affects the security of poland because no normal investor will want to invest in a country where, in one evening, a law can be passed to factor, injecting capitalfrom an allied country. the factor, injecting capital from an allied country.— allied country. the tv station in tuestion allied country. the tv station in question is _ allied country. the tv station in question is tvn. _ allied country. the tv station in question is tvn. it _ allied country. the tv station in question is tvn. it is _ allied country. the tv station in question is tvn. it is one i allied country. the tv station in question is tvn. it is one of- allied country. the tv station in question is tvn. it is one of the biggest american investments in poland. discovery condemned the new bill, calling it an attack on core democratic principles of freedom of speech. the eu has expressed over this in poland and the fear now is this in poland and the fear now is this new law could sour relations with the us, a close military ally.

we know are free and independent media, they make our democracy is stronger. it makes the transatlantic alliance more resilient, including those who would seek to divide the alliance and divide us.— alliance and divide us. outside parliament _ alliance and divide us. outside parliament in _ alliance and divide us. outside parliament in the _ alliance and divide us. outside parliament in the capital, i alliance and divide us. outside i parliament in the capital, warsaw, crowds began to gather and rallies were held across the country. the bill will now pass to the opposition —controlled senate, which may make amendments or reject the bill. of the lower house of parliament can overturn any changes and finally approve the bill. the headlines on bbc news... taliban fighters in afghanistan say they've captured the strategically important city of ghazni — as the un warns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster. it's gcse results day in england, wales and northern ireland — with record grades achieved after a second year of cancelled exams. and new zealand says it will keep its border closed until at least the end of the year —

to keep covid out. let's go back to gcse results here in the uk — students have received another set of record grades following a year of covid disruption to exams in england, wales and northern ireland. that is the second consecutive year that has happened. many great were based on their teachers' judgment. john adams took his maths gcse this year, so he could help his two children with their homework. hello, john. good morning, victoria. how are you? i’m hello, john. good morning, victoria. how are you?— how are you? i'm very happy, i have tot m how are you? i'm very happy, i have got my maths _ how are you? i'm very happy, i have got my maths gcse _ how are you? i'm very happy, i have got my maths gcse at _ how are you? i'm very happy, i have got my maths gcse at last. - how are you? i'm very happy, i have got my maths gcse at last. what i how are you? i'm very happy, i havej got my maths gcse at last. what did ou tet? got my maths gcse at last. what did you get? got — got my maths gcse at last. what did you get? got a _ got my maths gcse at last. what did you get? got a comfortable - got my maths gcse at last. what did you get? got a comfortable grade i you get? got a comfortable grade four, the highest _ you get? got a comfortable grade four, the highest grader - you get? got a comfortable grade four, the highest grader could i you get? got a comfortable grade i four, the highest grader could have got was a five, i would though have loved the five, but i am happy with

the four. in loved the five, but i am happy with the four. ., ., , , ., the four. in old money, is that c? yes. congratulations, _ the four. in old money, is that c? yes. congratulations, how- the four. in old money, is that c? yes. congratulations, how long. the four. in old money, is that c? i yes. congratulations, how long has that taken you? _ yes. congratulations, how long has that taken you? that _ yes. congratulations, how long has that taken you? that is _ yes. congratulations, how long has that taken you? that is a _ yes. congratulations, how long has that taken you? that is a good i that taken you? that is a good question. _ that taken you? that is a good question. i _ that taken you? that is a good question, i appeared - that taken you? that is a good question, i appeared on i that taken you? that is a good question, i appeared on the i that taken you? that is a good i question, i appeared on the victoria derbyshire show in 2018 with bobby siegel, and we were interviewed by joanna gosling at the time about parents who struggle helping their children with their homework. i was that parent. my daughter had reached yearfour that parent. my daughter had reached year four at school and i that parent. my daughter had reached yearfour at school and i couldn't help her. i happen to say live on air, it was a rash comment, that i would like to say maths gcse again. it took until the first lockdown when i noticed my children were having online french lessons and their skills were coming on so much and i thought, i promise live on tv, i would sit my gcse and i can see online tutoring works, so i sorted myself out with a maths tutor. yes,

here we are. i did end up sitting the exam a couple of times for the final attempts, to actually get there. but i got there in the end, persistence. there. but i got there in the end, persistence-— there. but i got there in the end, persistence. absolutely. describe how it feels _ persistence. absolutely. describe how it feels to _ persistence. absolutely. describe how it feels to finally _ persistence. absolutely. describe how it feels to finally pass - persistence. absolutely. describe how it feels to finally pass it? it i how it feels to finally pass it? it is a huge relief. also quite exciting, because not having a maths gcse because i failed it at school, it didn't stop me having a career as a journalist and working in pr, latterly as i do now, as a blogger and content creator, it didn't stop me going into higher education. but there were certainjobs me going into higher education. but there were certain jobs in the education field and the public sector which i wasn't even able to apply for because i didn't have gcse maths. these options are now open to me and i wouldn't rule out the possibility that i may do another midlife career change, why not? to what? possibly _ midlife career change, why not? to what? possibly into _ midlife career change, why not? to what? possibly into educating i what? possibly into educating

m self. what? possibly into educating myself- not — what? possibly into educating myself. not a _ what? possibly into educating myself. not a maths - what? possibly into educating| myself. not a maths teacher? what? possibly into educating i myself. not a maths teacher? i what? possibly into educating - myself. not a maths teacher? i don't want any parents _ myself. not a maths teacher? i don't want any parents to _ myself. not a maths teacher? i don't want any parents to worry, _ myself. not a maths teacher? i don't want any parents to worry, i - myself. not a maths teacher? i don't want any parents to worry, i have i myself. not a maths teacher? i don't want any parents to worry, i have no| want any parents to worry, i have no intention of teaching your children maths. i have to be honest and know my limits. something like english or one of the creative subjects, humanities, though subjects i have had to use throughout my career, where i have built up skills and i could possibly pass them onto the younger generation. let could possibly pass them onto the younger generation.— could possibly pass them onto the younger generation. let us know if ou younger generation. let us know if you decide — younger generation. let us know if you decide to _ younger generation. let us know if you decide to do _ younger generation. let us know if you decide to do that. _ you decide to do that. congratulations, well done. congratulations, well done. congratulations to those who got their results today. i congratulations to those who got their results today.— their results today. i echo that, absolutely- _ their results today. i echo that, absolutely. thank _ their results today. i echo that, absolutely. thank you. - as we've been hearing, the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high. nearly 5.5 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end ofjune, according to figures from nhs england. luxmy gopal has been speaking

to some of those whose lives are on hold while they wait for treatment. waiting in pain for nearly a year, lucy needs a hip replacement to treat her arthritis. this lucy needs a hip replacement to treat her arthritis.— lucy needs a hip replacement to treat her arthritis. this is limbo, m life is treat her arthritis. this is limbo, my life is disabled, _ treat her arthritis. this is limbo, my life is disabled, it _ treat her arthritis. this is limbo, my life is disabled, it is - treat her arthritis. this is limbo, my life is disabled, it is on i treat her arthritis. this is limbo, my life is disabled, it is on hold. it is like a grieving process every time it gets worse you think, maybe this month. today i haven't got a call. it is hanging on. i want to say yes, i can be the whenever. psychological, it is tiring. joanna is et psychological, it is tiring. joanna is yet another — psychological, it is tiring. joanna is yet another of _ psychological, it is tiring. joanna is yet another of the _ psychological, it is tiring. joanna is yet another of the many i psychological, it is tiring. joanna l is yet another of the many millions waiting for a routine operation. a sporty teenager, six years ago her heart was found to have a leaky valve, which was repaired with emergency surgery. in april this year, she was told the valve needed replacing, but she is still waiting for an appointment. the difficulty is, if the operation _ for an appointment. the difficulty is, if the operation is _ for an appointment. the difficulty is, if the operation is delayed i for an appointment. the difficulty is, if the operation is delayed anyj is, if the operation is delayed any further. _ is, if the operation is delayed any further. it— is, if the operation is delayed any further, it may not be as successful as i

further, it may not be as successful as i hoped — further, it may not be as successful as i hoped it— further, it may not be as successful as i hoped it would be. having had an emergency operation that lasted me six— an emergency operation that lasted me six years, hopefully this one will ask— me six years, hopefully this one will ask my— me six years, hopefully this one will ask my life. but if it deteriorates any further, it might only last — deteriorates any further, it might only last a — deteriorates any further, it might only last a short time again and then— only last a short time again and then having to go this process again. — then having to go this process again. is— then having to go this process again, is what i do one. the delay in some treatments _ again, is what i do one. the delay in some treatments could - again, is what i do one. the delay in some treatments could be i again, is what i do one. the delay i in some treatments could be putting some lives at risk, with the number of people on nhs waiting lists in england has risen sharply through the pandemic. doncaster royal in for in south yorkshire is trying a drive—through approach to driving down waiting lists. they are getting patients to fit their own heart monitoring devices. i patients to fit their own heart monitoring devices.— monitoring devices. i have an appointment _ monitoring devices. i have an appointment at _ monitoring devices. i have an appointment at 2.20 - monitoring devices. i have an appointment at 2.20 two i monitoring devices. i have an i appointment at 2.20 two collect an ecg monitor. we appointment at 2.20 two collect an ecg monitor-— ecg monitor. we will be out in one moment, ecg monitor. we will be out in one moment. thank— ecg monitor. we will be out in one moment, thank you. _ ecg monitor. we will be out in one moment, thank you. our _ ecg monitor. we will be out in one moment, thank you. our patients l ecg monitor. we will be out in one i moment, thank you. our patients are after moment, thank you. 0ur patients are after full_ moment, thank you. our patients are after full and — moment, thank you. our patients are after full and ecg and they arrive, -ive after full and ecg and they arrive, give us _ after full and ecg and they arrive, give us a — after full and ecg and they arrive, give us a phone call and tell us they— give us a phone call and tell us they are — give us a phone call and tell us they are here and one of our expert staff issues — they are here and one of our expert staff issues the monitor at the side of the _ staff issues the monitor at the side of the car_ staff issues the monitor at the side of the car and answer some questions

for them _ of the car and answer some questions for them and — of the car and answer some questions for them and gives them instructions on how— for them and gives them instructions on how to _ for them and gives them instructions on how to fit their monitor at home. to do— on how to fit their monitor at home. to do this, — on how to fit their monitor at home. to do this, there is an alcohol light, and then a scratchy pad inside the pack. i light, and then a scratchy pad inside the pack.— light, and then a scratchy pad inside the pack. i have looked at the instructions _ inside the pack. i have looked at the instructions and _ inside the pack. i have looked at the instructions and they - inside the pack. i have looked at the instructions and they are - inside the pack. i have looked at| the instructions and they are very self—explanatory. _ the instructions and they are very self—explanatory. we _ the instructions and they are very self-explanatory.— self-explanatory. we can see a hiuher self-explanatory. we can see a higher volume _ self-explanatory. we can see a higher volume of _ self-explanatory. we can see a higher volume of patients - self-explanatory. we can see a | higher volume of patients within self-explanatory. we can see a - higher volume of patients within our service and be more agile and responsive to their referrals into the service. i5 responsive to their referrals into the service-— responsive to their referrals into the service. is there anything lost b not the service. is there anything lost by not seeing _ the service. is there anything lost by not seeing the _ the service. is there anything lost by not seeing the patient's - by not seeing the patient's face—to—face? by not seeing the patient's face-to-face?_ by not seeing the patient's face-to-face? ~ . ., , , , , face-to-face? we have assessed quite carefully the — face-to-face? we have assessed quite carefully the quality _ face-to-face? we have assessed quite carefully the quality of _ face-to-face? we have assessed quite carefully the quality of the _ carefully the quality of the recordings from these devices and assess them against a group of face—to—face patients we are seeing at another site and we found no difference in the quality of the ecg recordings between the two groups of patients. the recordings between the two groups of atients. .,, , ., ., , . patients. the hospital has received a share of government _ patients. the hospital has received a share of government funding - patients. the hospital has received i a share of government funding aimed at finding different ways to cutting waiting list. aha, at finding different ways to cutting waitin: list. �* ., ., , at finding different ways to cutting waitin: list. �* ., ., waiting list. a lot of patients are bein: waiting list. a lot of patients are being seen _ waiting list. a lot of patients are being seen on — waiting list. a lot of patients are being seen on a _ waiting list. a lot of patients are being seen on a drive-through i being seen on a drive—through facility, so it is much quicker. we don't have to clean between

patients. we have the more tests that we have to do face—to—face in sight. that we have to do face-to-face in siuht. , ., , that we have to do face-to-face in siuht. _. .. , sight. this only scratches the surface of — sight. this only scratches the surface of the _ sight. this only scratches the surface of the waiting - sight. this only scratches the surface of the waiting list, i sight. this only scratches the i surface of the waiting list, what would you like to see the government do, what needs to happen to tackle this backlog? it do, what needs to happen to tackle this backlog?— this backlog? it might be that atients, this backlog? it might be that patients. we _ this backlog? it might be that patients, we look _ this backlog? it might be that patients, we look to - this backlog? it might be that. patients, we look to encourage patients, we look to encourage patients to travel further and maybe other organisations have better access for certain operations or certain procedures. that is where the nhs needs to collaborate to bring those waiting lists down. the government has said it has given the nhs £1 billion that year to help clear the backlog. but with waiting lists at record levels, many patients are continuing their weight without knowing for sure when it will end. it's 30 years today since the dangerous dogs act came into force in the uk but campaigners and charities — including the rspca — say the law needs a complete overhaul. charlotte gallagher went to meet one "banned" dog and its owner. meet alex, he is ten years old. in dog years, a senior citizen. but his

life is very different to that of most other dogs. that is because he has beenjudged most other dogs. that is because he has been judged to most other dogs. that is because he has beenjudged to be a pit bull —type animal, a band breed in the uk. his owner is only allowed to keep him if he sticks to certain conditions. his keep him if he sticks to certain conditions-— conditions. his life is very restricted _ conditions. his life is very restricted and _ conditions. his life is very restricted and it - conditions. his life is very restricted and it is - conditions. his life is very restricted and it is up - conditions. his life is very restricted and it is up to l conditions. his life is very l restricted and it is up to us, conditions. his life is very - restricted and it is up to us, as his owners, myself and my husband, to ensure that he has a full and active life. he has to be muzzled and on a restricted length lead, held by someone over the age of 16 at all times in a public place. that includes the car. he cannot run free unless he is in a secure area. people ask questions, but if anyone backs away all makes an unpleasant remark, i will stop them and tell them why he is like this. the dangerous — them why he is like this. the dangerous dogs _ them why he is like this. the dangerous dogs act bands four different breeds will stop pit bull terrier, dogo argentino, fila

brazilian aero and japanese toes. dogs suspected of being a band type can be seized by the police. they will either be put down a return to the owner and like alex, be kept under strict conditions. because in his garden, he doesn't a muzzle or have a lead on, but outside it is different. the rspca and other charities charities say the law discriminates against dogs like alex because of what they look like and doesn't work, because the number of dog attacks has actually gone up. in the 20 years from 1999, to 2019, hospital admissions for dog bites increased by 154%. from 345a, to 8775. in the last five years, the rspca, battersea and blue cross have destroyed a82 dogs that were judged to be a band breed. many of those had never attacked anyone. this

eight—year—old was attacked by staffordshire bull terrier earlier this year and left with facial injuries. she believes there should be more checks on potential owners. there should be a law where you have to have, they check out your vet, they check out your home and then they check out your home and then they match you to the right dog and they match you to the right dog and they are really strict on it. ijust think that should be done for every dog. think that should be done for every do _ ,., , think that should be done for every do., ,, ,,. think that should be done for every do. ,, ,,. ., think that should be done for every dog. dogs suspected of being a band breed are not — dog. dogs suspected of being a band breed are not dna _ dog. dogs suspected of being a band breed are not dna tested, _ dog. dogs suspected of being a band breed are not dna tested, they - dog. dogs suspected of being a band breed are not dna tested, they are i breed are not dna tested, they are classified on their measurements. 50 classified on their measurements. sr if the dog looks like a pit bull, it is labelled as a pit bull. that means you can end up with illegal pure breeds and crossbreeds being included in this legislation and being subjected to the prohibition. what we do know, if you do want to be able to protect public safety, you need to be very much he

be able to protect public safety, you need to be very much be focusing on individual dogs and having legislation in place that allows you to tackle dogs based on their behaviour, as opposed to how they look. we want to see a reform and consolidation of the current legislation we have in the uk, but with the real focus on it being breed neutral in approach. this is fud . e, breed neutral in approach. this is fudge. her— breed neutral in approach. this is fudge, her owner _ breed neutral in approach. this is fudge, her owner believed - breed neutral in approach. this is fudge, her owner believed she i breed neutral in approach. this is. fudge, her owner believed she was breed neutral in approach. this is i fudge, her owner believed she was a staffordshire bull terrier, but like alex, she wasjudged staffordshire bull terrier, but like alex, she was judged to staffordshire bull terrier, but like alex, she wasjudged to be staffordshire bull terrier, but like alex, she was judged to be a staffordshire bull terrier, but like alex, she wasjudged to be a pit bull type animal. she was taken by police and put down.— bull type animal. she was taken by police and put down. everybody loved her, even walking _ police and put down. everybody loved her, even walking her _ police and put down. everybody loved her, even walking her up _ police and put down. everybody loved her, even walking her up and - police and put down. everybody loved her, even walking her up and down i her, even walking her up and down the road. it was surreal that that many police had come for a puppy. the next day i started to get angry thinking, she never did anything, she never hit anyone, she has never growled at anyone, why is she dead? parliament didn't go out of its way to kill— parliament didn't go out of its way to kill dogs unnecessarily. what we have been— to kill dogs unnecessarily. what we have been left with is the needless destruction of hundreds, if not thousands of dogs. the government

sa s the thousands of dogs. the government says the aim — thousands of dogs. the government says the aim of _ thousands of dogs. the government says the aim of the _ thousands of dogs. the government says the aim of the dangerous - thousands of dogs. the government says the aim of the dangerous dogsj says the aim of the dangerous dogs act is to ensure the safety of the public, adding it has commissioned research on the effectiveness of existing measures and how to address behavioural problems among dogs. campaigners agree the public needs to be protected, but say the current law isn't doing that. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. low pressure is going to continue to dominate our weather for the next few days. it looks like it's not going to be until the middle of next week high pressure will start to try and take over. so for the rest of this week, turning cooler, blustery, rain at times, especially in the north and west. that's certainly the case today as this area of low pressure in the atlantic edges ever closer to us with it weather front. we also still have yesterday's weather front draped across southern areas producing some cloud and some spots of rain. that will edge a little bit further north through the course of the day. so eastern scotland, much of england seeing some sunshine. we've got the rain across western scotland, some showers in northern ireland. one or two showers getting in across western parts of wales

as well, but they will be the exception rather than the rule. and here's the cloud with some drizzly bits and pieces on it in southern england. to the south of that, feeling humid. to the north of that, fresher. and also, some strong winds across the far north—west. those winds continue tonight, as indeed will the showers. our weather front across england and wales still draped across southern areas in between some clear skies and it's not going to be as cold a night in the northern half of the country as it was last night. most of us staying in double figures. so for tomorrow, our low pressure edges a little bit further north eastwards. one look at those isobars tells you there's going to be brisk winds where ever you are during the course of friday. so we still have our weather front, a fairly weak affair, across southern areas bringing in a bit more cloud across the south—west and some murky conditions, but it should break up elsewhere. again, heavy and thundery in temperatures down a touch on today. into the weekend, there's a level of uncertainty into the forecast because we've got this area of low pressure developing and it's where exactly it ends up. so this may well change, so what we think at the moment is there will be more cloud across england and wales with some rain coming in spreading steadily northwards.

for northern ireland, for northern england and for scotland, it looks like you'll have something drier and brighter with some sunshine and just the odd shower. temperatures — 15 to 22 degrees. of course, what happens to that low pressure on saturday will have a bearing on what happens on sunday. and what we think at the moment is, it's going to be a mixture of sunshine and showers. and into monday, still continuing with that theme.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 11. record gcse grades achieved in england wales and northern ireland, after a second year of cancelled exams. the government says people can be confident in the results. inevitably you will get a higher proportion of top grades in the system this year but there are still valid grades that are backed up by a very real evidence of the performance of those young people. the un warns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster in afghanistan, as taliban fighters say they've captured the strategically important city of ghazni the uk economy grows by nearly 5 percent between april and june — following the easing of restrictions

new zealand says it will keep its border closed until at least the end of the year — to keep covid out. and the dangerous dogs act. campaigners call for reform, but the government insists it protects the public. welcome to gcse students have received another set of record grades following a year of covid disruption to exams in england, wales and northern ireland. the government cancelled exams for a second consecutive year, meaning pupils' grades are based on their teachers' judgement. top grades — that's grade 7 or above — rose 2.7 percentage points to 28.9%, while those graded a and above — seen as good passes —

rose 0.8 points to 76.3%. this is a smaller rise than in 2020 — the first time teacher grades were used. last year, top grades rose by 9 percentage points and good passes were up 5.a points. the grades, calculated by teachers, have been taken from a combination of mock exams, coursework and tests. sean dilley, is at richmond park academy in south west london. good morning. and is it a good morning for the pupils we can see behind you?— behind you? yes, we will take a ruick behind you? yes, we will take a quick look— behind you? yes, we will take a quick look at — behind you? yes, we will take a quick look at those _ behind you? yes, we will take a quick look at those pupils - behind you? yes, we will take a quick look at those pupils you i quick look at those pupils you mentioned behind us. it's a very good morning. most people have got their grades by now. some of them are sitting down. notjust celebrating but they are already signing up for their sixth form education. i think that's really one of the key points westminster has

been focusing on. however grades are being assessed this year, it is important that pupils behind us have that ability to move onto the next level, and we will speak to some of them in a moment. that grade inflation turn we keep hearing isn't anything like as pronounced with a level. i can highly recommend checking out the bbc news website if you are confused because there are some brilliant explain is there from the education team. —— like as pronounced with a—levels. how did you do? pronounced with a-levels. how did ou do? �* ., , pronounced with a-levels. how did oudo? .,y ., pronounced with a-levels. how did oudo? ._ ., ., you do? i'm really happy, i got for m chris you do? i'm really happy, i got for my chris evans — you do? i'm really happy, i got for my chris evans and _ you do? i'm really happy, i got for my chris evans and a _ you do? i'm really happy, i got for my chris evans and a nine. - you do? i'm really happy, i got for my chris evans and a nine. and i you do? i'm really happy, i got for. my chris evans and a nine. and that is like an a — my chris evans and a nine. and that is like an a in _ my chris evans and a nine. and that is like an a in the _ my chris evans and a nine. and that is like an a in the traditional- is like an a in the traditional format? ., , is like an a in the traditional format? . , ., , ., ~ is like an a in the traditional format? . ., ~ m

format? that is actually an a". well done forgetting _ format? that is actually an a". well done forgetting that _ format? that is actually an a". well done forgetting that in. _ format? that is actually an a". well done forgetting that in. do - format? that is actually an a". well done forgetting that in. do you - format? that is actually an a". well done forgetting that in. do you get | done forgetting that in. do you get on with your teachers? i do. so you on with your teachers? i do. so you weren't worried _ on with your teachers? i do. so you weren't worried when they said they would be assessing you rather than exams? hot would be assessing you rather than exams? ., . , would be assessing you rather than exams?_ what _ would be assessing you rather than exams?_ what are - would be assessing you rather than exams?_ what are you i exams? not really. what are you doin: exams? not really. what are you doing next? _ exams? not really. what are you doing next? for— exams? not really. what are you doing next? for a-levels - exams? not really. what are you doing next? for a-levels i'm - exams? not really. what are you l doing next? for a-levels i'm doing -h sics, doing next? for a-levels i'm doing physics. maths. — doing next? for a-levels i'm doing physics, maths, and _ doing next? for a-levels i'm doing physics, maths, and psychology, i doing next? for a-levels i'm doing i physics, maths, and psychology, but i'm physics, maths, and psychology, but i'm not— physics, maths, and psychology, but i'm not sure — physics, maths, and psychology, but i'm not sure what i will do beyond that _ i'm not sure what i will do beyond that. ., �* , , , i'm not sure what i will do beyond that. .,�* , , , that. you've seen the results, you have been — that. you've seen the results, you have been pandemic— that. you've seen the results, you have been pandemic impacted - have been pandemic impacted yourself, but there was a lot of talk by politicians and the media about inflated grades which haven't translated the same way to gcse exams. how do you feel about the fairness as you are going into a—levels, do you think you will achieve similar grades? i a-levels, do you think you will achieve similar grades?- achieve similar grades? i feel confident _ achieve similar grades? i feel confident that _ achieve similar grades? i feel confident that with _ achieve similar grades? i feel confident that with a-levels l achieve similar grades? i feel| confident that with a-levels in achieve similar grades? i feel confident that with a—levels in the future, _ confident that with a—levels in the future, i_ confident that with a—levels in the future, i can still keep up the a and a*— future, i can still keep up the a and a�* grades. i future, i can still keep up the a and a“ grades-— future, i can still keep up the a and a" grades. i think what you are sa in: is, and a" grades. i think what you are saying is. don't— and a" grades. i think what you are saying is, don't worry, _ and a" grades. i think what you are saying is, don't worry, i'm - and a" grades. i think what you are

saying is, don't worry, i'm a - and a" grades. i think what you are saying is, don't worry, i'm a smart| saying is, don't worry, i'm a smart one, i've got theirs. chuckles what are you planning? i chuckles what are ou ”lannin? ., chuckles whatare ou ”lannin? ., , , what are you planning? i got sevens, eiuhts and what are you planning? i got sevens, eights and nines. _ what are you planning? i got sevens, eights and nines. wow. _ eights and nines. wow. congratulations. - eights and nines. wow. congratulations. i'm i eights and nines. wow. i congratulations. i'm really relieved- _ congratulations. i'm really relieved. i'm _ congratulations. i'm really relieved. i'm just - congratulations. i'm really relieved. i'm just really i congratulations. i'm really - relieved. i'm just really pleased all my— relieved. i'm just really pleased all my work— relieved. i'm just really pleased all my work was _ relieved. i'm just really pleased all my work was worth - relieved. i'm just really pleased all my work was worth it - relieved. i'm just really pleased all my work was worth it in - relieved. i'm just really pleased all my work was worth it in thel relieved. i'm just really pleased - all my work was worth it in the end. that's_ all my work was worth it in the end. that's realty— all my work was worth it in the end. that's really important, _ all my work was worth it in the end. that's really important, isn't- all my work was worth it in the end. that's really important, isn't it, - that's really important, isn't it, because you hear politicians talking about this. are you ever concerned about this. are you ever concerned about some of the language used around grade inflation or you can look them straight in the eye and say, i have owned this?- say, i have owned this? things definitely could _ say, i have owned this? things definitely could have _ say, i have owned this? things definitely could have gone - definitely could have gone differently _ definitely could have gone differently if _ definitely could have gone differently if we _ definitely could have gone differently if we had - definitely could have gone differently if we had donel definitely could have gone - differently if we had done exams definitely could have gone _ differently if we had done exams but this was— differently if we had done exams but this was all— differently if we had done exams but this was all evidence _ differently if we had done exams but this was all evidence based. - differently if we had done exams but this was all evidence based. i- differently if we had done exams but this was all evidence based. i don't i this was all evidence based. idon't think— this was all evidence based. idon't think any— this was all evidence based. i don't think any of— this was all evidence based. i don't think any of the _ this was all evidence based. i don't think any of the grades _ this was all evidence based. i don't think any of the grades weren't - think any of the grades weren't deserved _ think any of the grades weren't deserved. . . . think any of the grades weren't deserved. , , ., ., , deserved. girls have done better than bo s deserved. girls have done better than boys this — deserved. girls have done better than boys this year. _ deserved. girls have done better than boys this year. do - deserved. girls have done better than boys this year. do you - deserved. girls have done betterj than boys this year. do you think you would have achieved differently if you had sat an exam? i you would have achieved differently if you had sat an exam?— if you had sat an exam? i honestly think these — if you had sat an exam? i honestly think these are _ if you had sat an exam? i honestly think these are an _ if you had sat an exam? i honestly think these are an accurate - think these are an accurate reflection _ think these are an accurate reflection of— think these are an accurate reflection of what - think these are an accurate reflection of what i - think these are an accurate reflection of what i would i think these are an accurate - reflection of what i would have done if i reflection of what i would have done if i had _ reflection of what i would have done if i had done — reflection of what i would have done if i had done exams. _ reflection of what i would have done if i had done exams.— if i had done exams. let's ask georgia- _ if i had done exams. let's ask georgia- i'm _ if i had done exams. let's ask georgia. i'm excited - if i had done exams. let's ask georgia. i'm excited because | if i had done exams. let's ask i georgia. i'm excited because you were particularly happy when you came over to the camera. how did you

achieve? i came over to the camera. how did you achieve? ., , ., , �* achieve? i got eights and nines. i'm very pleased _ achieve? i got eights and nines. i'm very pleased with _ achieve? i got eights and nines. i'm very pleased with my _ achieve? i got eights and nines. i'm very pleased with my results. - achieve? i got eights and nines. i'm very pleased with my results. as i very pleased with my results. as everyone — very pleased with my results. as everyone said, all of my hard work has paid _ everyone said, all of my hard work has paid off — everyone said, all of my hard work has paid off. i'm very pleased. how hard has it — has paid off. i'm very pleased. how hard has it been _ has paid off. i'm very pleased. finn" hard has it been during has paid off. i'm very pleased. firm? hard has it been during various lock downs, remote learning, you know, what has the experience been like for you? filth what has the experience been like for ou? ., .,' what has the experience been like for ou? ., ., , what has the experience been like for ou? ., .,, ., , for you? on and off to be honest. it's been very _ for you? on and off to be honest. it's been very hard _ for you? on and off to be honest. it's been very hard at _ for you? on and off to be honest. it's been very hard at certain - it's been very hard at certain points — it's been very hard at certain points. but i think with the teachers' _ points. but i think with the teachers' help and support we have overcome _ teachers' help and support we have overcome issues, we've done pretty well, _ overcome issues, we've done pretty well, i_ overcome issues, we've done pretty well, ithink~ — overcome issues, we've done pretty well, ithink. it's been overcome issues, we've done pretty well, i think. it's been a hard year~ — well, i think. it's been a hard year~ all_ well, i think. it's been a hard year~ allis _ well, i think. it's been a hard year. all is fine now. any advice an of year. all is fine now. any advice any of you _ year. all is fine now. any advice any of you would _ year. all is fine now. any advice any of you would have - year. all is fine now. any advice any of you would have to - year. all is fine now. any advice any of you would have to the i any of you would have to the government and to decision—makers about what they should do for future years for gcse or a—levels? the about what they should do for future years for gcse or a-levels?- years for gcse or a-levels? the one thin that years for gcse or a-levels? the one thing that could _ years for gcse or a-levels? the one thing that could have _ years for gcse or a-levels? the one thing that could have gone - years for gcse or a-levels? the one thing that could have gone better i thing that could have gone better this year— thing that could have gone better this year was not making decisions last moment and continuously changing them so much. was it unsettling? _ changing them so much. was it unsettling? it _ changing them so much. was it unsettling? it was _ changing them so much. was it unsettling? it was confusing i changing them so much. was itj unsettling? it was confusing for students because _ unsettling? it was confusing for students because they - unsettling? it was confusing for

students because they weren'tl unsettling? it was confusing for - students because they weren't sure if they— students because they weren't sure if they were doing exams, and they kept changing, but apart from that i think it _ kept changing, but apart from that i think it was — kept changing, but apart from that i think it was fine. any kept changing, but apart from that i think it was fine.— think it was fine. any other thoughts? _ think it was fine. any other thoughts? i _ think it was fine. any other thoughts? i would - think it was fine. any other thoughts? i would like - think it was fine. any other thoughts? i would like to i think it was fine. any other i thoughts? i would like to hear think it was fine. any other - thoughts? i would like to hear about an unsettling feeling. you got clarity in the end, right?- an unsettling feeling. you got clarity in the end, right? yes, but the uncertainty _ clarity in the end, right? yes, but the uncertainty was _ clarity in the end, right? yes, but the uncertainty was certainly - the uncertainty was certainly difficult _ the uncertainty was certainly difficult because _ the uncertainty was certainly difficult because we - the uncertainty was certainly difficult because we didn't i the uncertainty was certainly i difficult because we didn't know what _ difficult because we didn't know what we — difficult because we didn't know what we were _ difficult because we didn't know what we were doing. _ difficult because we didn't know what we were doing. it- difficult because we didn't know what we were doing. it was - difficult because we didn't know| what we were doing. it was kind difficult because we didn't know. what we were doing. it was kind of ”p what we were doing. it was kind of up in— what we were doing. it was kind of up in the _ what we were doing. it was kind of up inthe air~ — what we were doing. it was kind of up in the air~ we _ what we were doing. it was kind of up in the air. we were _ what we were doing. it was kind of up in the air. we were just - what we were doing. it was kind of| up in the air. we were just waiting. it up in the air. we were just waiting. it took— up in the air. we were just waiting. it took a _ up in the air. we were just waiting. it took a very— up in the air. we were just waiting. it took a very long _ up in the air. we were just waiting. it took a very long time _ up in the air. we were just waiting. it took a very long time to - up in the air. we were just waiting. it took a very long time to get - it took a very long time to get confirmation. _ it took a very long time to get confirmation.— it took a very long time to get confirmation. ., _, . ., , ., confirmation. how connected do you feel the government _ confirmation. how connected do you feel the government was _ confirmation. how connected do you feel the government was when - confirmation. how connected do you feel the government was when they| feel the government was when they were making decisions about you and they were working out what is the best way to assess your grade? because it is a difficultjob for them. they've not been in this position before, neither have you, how would you describe the way you felt politicians were trying to arrange the assessments? then;r arrange the assessments? they definitely improved _ arrange the assessments? they definitely improved since - arrange the assessments? they definitely improved since last year because _ definitely improved since last year because i— definitely improved since last year because i think we had a clear image as to _ because i think we had a clear image as to how— because i think we had a clear image as to how exams were going to be carried _ as to how exams were going to be carried out, — as to how exams were going to be carried out, whether we were going to do— carried out, whether we were going to do exams, but i think, as she

said, _ to do exams, but i think, as she said. the — to do exams, but i think, as she said, the uncertainty was definitely a bit confusing, so...— a bit confusing, so... massive congratulations _ a bit confusing, so... massive congratulations to _ a bit confusing, so... massive congratulations to all - a bit confusing, so... massive congratulations to all of - a bit confusing, so... massive congratulations to all of you. | a bit confusing, so... massive i congratulations to all of you. just before i let you run out the door and do cartwheels, what are you doing to celebrate later? hot and do cartwheels, what are you doing to celebrate later? not sure, haven't planned — doing to celebrate later? not sure, haven't planned it. _ doing to celebrate later? not sure, haven't planned it. i _ doing to celebrate later? not sure, haven't planned it. i didn't - doing to celebrate later? not sure, haven't planned it. i didn't think i haven't planned it. i didn't think beyond — haven't planned it. i didn't think beyond getting the grades. and you did not [an beyond getting the grades. and you did not plan to _ beyond getting the grades. and you did not plan to celebrate? - beyond getting the grades. and you | did not plan to celebrate? obviously i will, did not plan to celebrate? obviously iwill, buti did not plan to celebrate? obviously | will, but | didn't— did not plan to celebrate? obviously i will, but i didn't expect _ did not plan to celebrate? obviously i will, but i didn't expect this - did not plan to celebrate? obviously i will, but i didn't expect this at - i will, but i didn't expect this at the beginning, but now everyone is really_ the beginning, but now everyone is really excited.— really excited. fantastic. many congratulations. _ really excited. fantastic. many congratulations. any _ really excited. fantastic. many congratulations. any plans - really excited. fantastic. many congratulations. any plans for| really excited. fantastic. many i congratulations. any plans for you girls? congratulations. any plans for you uirls? ~ . congratulations. any plans for you i irls? . ., ., congratulations. any plans for you lirls? . ., ., , ., congratulations. any plans for you uirls? ~ ., ., , ., , girls? want to see our friends. yeah. girls? want to see our friends. yeah- i'm _ girls? want to see our friends. yeah. i'm looking _ girls? want to see our friends. yeah. i'm looking forward - girls? want to see our friends. yeah. i'm looking forward to i girls? want to see our friends. - yeah. i'm looking forward to seeing the number — yeah. i'm looking forward to seeing the number of _ yeah. i'm looking forward to seeing the number of social _ yeah. i'm looking forward to seeing the number of social media - yeah. i'm looking forward to seeing the number of social media posts i the number of social media posts online with lots and lots of students across the whole of the uk celebrating another record year. good to talk to you. elizabeth coatman is education consultant at the good schools guide. shejoins us now. good to have she joins us now. good to have you with us. why do you think we are

seeing record passes and top grades? it's because the assessment is being done on a different basis. 2019 was the last year they used exams for assessment. this year, the teachers are using their defined pieces of evidence, so it could be a mock exam, may be some test done under controlled conditions in the classroom, or maybe additional coursework that students have taken more time over. that gives a more rounded picture. and it takes off that awful cliff edge element of the exam that if you have a bad day or the questions that you knew an awful lot about did not come up, it removes that. the old guard will insist that exams are fairer because you can have national standards. certainly it is a challenge to make sure you've got national standards

across this system of using teacher assessed coursework, etc. on the other hand, you might say it is fairer because it gives a more accurate picture of what candidates can do. ., , , , can do. nonetheless, there will be some candidates _ can do. nonetheless, there will be some candidates who _ can do. nonetheless, there will be some candidates who don't - can do. nonetheless, there will be some candidates who don't get i can do. nonetheless, there will be | some candidates who don't get the grades they either wanted or needed. what can they do?— what can they do? well, there are alwa s what can they do? well, there are always other _ what can they do? well, there are always other options. _ what can they do? well, there are always other options. it _ what can they do? well, there are always other options. it has - what can they do? well, there are always other options. it has been. always other options. it has been such a difficult 18 months for these gcse students. they've had such a stressful time, and they will have had varied opportunities to actually do their learning. i am sure people will be very, very willing to help them initially with advice, but they could consider retaking at a college of further education. they could consider looking for an apprenticeship, which is a brilliant

way of progressing your career, and seeing if they can get the necessary qualifications of that. they might find they've got enough to get in at level one. then they could quickly get up to level two, which is the equivalent of gcse. you could even go to university with an apprenticeship. so, there will be other opportunities for them. the results suggest, don't they, a widening of what they call the education attainment gap. the children at independent and private schools are doing better in their assessments, their teacher assessed grades, than at state schools. that does suggest an inequality in the system, doesn't it? what needs to change, do you think, to narrow the gap? change, do you think, to narrow the la . ? ., ., change, do you think, to narrow the aa-7 ., ., ., , , change, do you think, to narrow the la?- ., ., ., , ,., gap? there are two examples of ineuuali gap? there are two examples of inequality in _ gap? there are two examples of inequality in the _ gap? there are two examples of inequality in the system. - gap? there are two examples of inequality in the system. there l gap? there are two examples of| inequality in the system. there is the inequality of having private education that parents pay for and

all of the advantages that gives you, smaller classrooms, better resources, teachers who are under less stress, they have wonderful playing fields, etc. that is just unfair in my view. but it would take an enormous political courage, as sir humphrey would say, in order to tackle that system. no government, not even the labour government, has actually been prepared to really go ahead with abolishing private education. so, it is true that the private schools have a lot of bursaries, far more than people actually appreciate, so they do try and have children from a wider social economic background by giving them financial support. but i think thatjust is something that is integral to our education system. then there is the other kind of inequality where you have got the difference between the outcomes for

children from advantaged homes compared with children from disadvantaged homes. that is something the government has been trying very hard to reduce for decades, really, particularly in the last decade. progress was being made, but unfortunately that is maybe going to slip back a bit. but not as much as i think people feared because the very early analysis of the 2021 results is that the gap has hardly widened at all. last year it didn't significantly widen. but what is absolutely crucial now is to make sure that children whose education has suffered as a result of the pandemic, and that's likely to be, you know, to a huge degree, children from disadvantaged homes, it's really important to make sure that they get the catch up support they

need. 1.a billion really isn't going to cut it. it's got to be something far more like the proposition that kevin hollins had in the labour party... kevin hollins had in the labour pa ~ . kevin hollins had in the labour pa ~ , ., party... we must leave it there. time is tight- — party... we must leave it there. time is tight. thank _ party... we must leave it there. time is tight. thank you - party... we must leave it there. time is tight. thank you very i party... we must leave it there. i time is tight. thank you very much, elizabeth. . . the international red cross has warned of a catastrophe for civilians in afghanistan as the taliban continues to advance across the country. the insurgents have taken control of 10 of the country's 3a provincial capitals and the un say more than one thousand civilians have died in the past month. let's take a look at the latest developments. intense street by street fighting is taking place in the city of kandahar, where the taliban have also taken control of the jail and released hundreds of prisoners. the taliban say they have taken control of the strategically important city of ghazni, which is on the road to the capital, kabul. president ashraf ghani earlier flew to the northern city of mazar—i—sharif — traditionally an anti—taliban bastion — to try to rally

pro—government forces. our correspondent yogita limaye has the latest from the capital, kabul. we are we a re really we are really beginning to see the fallout of the violence that has been taken all over afghanistan in kabul. i was in the north of the city yesterday where there are thousands of people who have come in from provinces in different parts of this country, fleeing fighting, hardly being able to take anything along. they have rushed here to save their lives. some have travelled for days making dangerous journeys their lives. some have travelled for days making dangerousjourneys past taliban checkpoint and active front lines to get to kabul. one woman told me she and her children had been hungry for six days and when they finally got here some residents of kabul gave them some food. there is very little by means of food

supplies and water or even sanitation there when we were in that area we didn't see any government agency or humanitarian agencies on the ground. people were angry because they felt like they had been left on their own. the government says they will shelter these people in masks and they will provide food and material. what we are seeing really here, the un has described it as a humanitarian catastrophe. 18 million people in need of urgent life—saving support. these aren't people who have had to run for their lives once. yesterday i met in kabul people who i had met four weeks ago in a province in northern afghanistan, that fell to the taliban on sunday. they had already run once or twice to get there. now they have made this dangerous journey to kabul. there. now they have made this dangerousjourney to kabul. they there. now they have made this dangerous journey to kabul. they are saying from here there is nowhere else to go for them.

the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high. nearly 5.5 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end ofjune, according to figures from nhs england. this is the highest number since records began in august 2007. the number of peole having to wait more than 52 weeks to start treatment was over three hundred thousand, at the end ofjune. —— was over 300,000 at the end ofjune. that's an improvement from the previous month but around six times higher than figures a year earlier. a year ago, just over 50,000 people were waiting longer thank a year. we can speak to our health correspondent dominic hughes who is in salford for us. it can be difficult sometimes when we are talking about these figures, 5.5 million, to remember that these are individual people waiting for treatment. what do we make of the

figures? it treatment. what do we make of the fi . ures? , treatment. what do we make of the fiaures? , , �* treatment. what do we make of the fiaures? . . �* figures? it interesting, isn't it? this routine — figures? it interesting, isn't it? this routine hospital— figures? it interesting, isn't it? | this routine hospital treatment. it's things like hip replacements, knee surgery, these are things which have a massive impact on peoples lives. they can cause, you know, lots of pain, lots of disability, and can cause issues to get worse, as well, as they are waiting for that treatment. it's a bit of a mixed picture. as you say, a record number of people, nearly 5.5 million people, waiting for treatment. but we have seen that the number of those people waiting for both 18 weeks and 52 weeks to the longer end of those weights has fallen slightly, but there has been an increase in the number of people who are being referred for treatment. —— longer end of those waits. this is a sign that the nhs is gearing back up towards full speed in the wake of the pandemic, which has obviously

had such a big impact on those waiting lists. istate had such a big impact on those waiting lists.— waiting lists. we will leave it there, dominic, _ waiting lists. we will leave it there, dominic, thanks. - waiting lists. we will leave it there, dominic, thanks. we| waiting lists. we will leave it i there, dominic, thanks. we will speak now to... george stoye, the associate director at the institute for fiscal studies which has been looking at the nhs waiting lists and the problems they face. hejoins me now from central london. good morning. i have been reading some of the report you have published. in it you say nhs waiting list could go up to 1a million by autumn 2022. it's a startling figure. why do you think it will be so high? it figure. why do you think it will be so hiah? . figure. why do you think it will be sohiah? , ., , ., figure. why do you think it will be so hiah? , . , ., ., so high? it is potentially down to two things- _ so high? it is potentially down to two things. you _ so high? it is potentially down to two things. you are _ so high? it is potentially down to two things. you are talking - so high? it is potentially down to| two things. you are talking about the waiting lists which have gone up to about 5.5 million. that is 1 million higher than it was prior to the start of the pandemic. over that period of time there has been about 7.5 million fewer people coming forward for treatment. the fact those waiting list have gone up, you know, what sounds like a lot, they

could have gone up a lot more if there were more people coming forward for treatment over that period of time. if even a small fraction of those people come back to the nhs now looking for treatment, either because they are less worried about getting the virus or less worried about burdening the nhs, which they might have been during the acute phase of the pandemic, then the nhs is quickly going to be faced with a lot of people needing treatment. and that is during a period of time whilst the nhs as you stated earlier is gearing up towards what it was doing prior to the pandemic, it still isn't quite there. the prior to the pandemic, it still isn't quite there. the question is, can the nhs _ isn't quite there. the question is, can the nhs cope? _ isn't quite there. the question is, can the nhs cope? what - isn't quite there. the question is, can the nhs cope? what does i isn't quite there. the question is, can the nhs cope? what does it i isn't quite there. the question is, - can the nhs cope? what does it need to do to accommodate the demand you are talking about? it to do to accommodate the demand you are talking about?— are talking about? it needs to get back to the _ are talking about? it needs to get back to the level _ are talking about? it needs to get back to the level of _ are talking about? it needs to get back to the level of capacity - are talking about? it needs to get back to the level of capacity it - are talking about? it needs to get| back to the level of capacity it was at prior to the pandemic as quickly as possible, which is difficult because of things like needing to treat patients who are still ill with covid, and because of things like infection control and getting

the right amount of staff in hospital who might be self isolating. first of all, it needs to get back to the level it was operating at before, but even more importantly it needs to come up with a plan of how it adds extra capacity beyond that. if theyjust come back to the level of capacity they had before, you are just going to see waiting lists. they won't continue to rise but they will go to a high figure of how many people come back, then it'll probably stabilise. what you need to do is come up with a way for the nhs to five, 10% more operations per year than it did before. that's going to involve more investment, more staff needing to be found, and more machinery, and ability to do these operations. is ability to do these operations. is itjust down to ability to do these operations. is it just down to more ability to do these operations. is itjust down to more investment? because the government has already given the nhs £1 billion to clear the backlog which has already been spent, as per my understanding. if it is down to more investment, we're talking about huge figures, aren't we? ~ . . �*

talking about huge figures, aren't we? . . , �* , talking about huge figures, aren't we? . ,�* , we? we are. it isn't 'ust about mone . we? we are. it isn't 'ust about money. m h we? we are. it isn't 'ust about money. in terms _ we? we are. it isn't 'ust about money. in terms of h we? we are. it isn'tjust about money. in terms of money i we? we are. it isn'tjust about money. in terms of money it i we? we are. it isn'tjust about| money. in terms of money it is we? we are. it isn'tjust about - money. in terms of money it is hard to say how much that will cost. it will cost more to meet those. you will cost more to meet those. you will have to pay staff to work more hours. particularly if they've been working very hard and they have been working very hard and they have been working very hard and they have been working very long hours beforehand, you will have to start perhaps paying them over time or to give them a bigger pay rise. we are also talking about potentially having to find the capacity from the private sector, which may cost a different amount of money. money is one angle. but it isn't as easy as saying we will spend lots of money because you have to encourage people to want to do the work you need enough people to do that, and you need to have the number of operating theatres, etc, for people to actually be treated in. ~ . . for people to actually be treated in. . , ., ., in. we must leave it there. i have lost our in. we must leave it there. i have lost your name. _ in. we must leave it there. i have lost your name. george! - in. we must leave it there. i have lost your name. george! i - in. we must leave it there. i have i lost your name. george! i remember it was george, from the institute for fiscal studies, my apologies. many thanks. good to talk to you.

the uk economy grew by a.8% between april and june as most businesses emerged from lockdown. the growth was fuelled by retail — restaurants and hotels. it's slightly less than the prediction from the bank of england. the chancellor rishi sunak has been speaking about the figures with our economics editor, faisal islam. today's figures show the economy is recovering very strongly, exceeding many peoples expectations, and the fastest growth... many peoples expectations, and the fastest growth. . ._ fastest growth... from a low base. the evidence _ fastest growth... from a low base. the evidence is _ fastest growth. .. from a low base. the evidence is our— fastest growth... from a low base. the evidence is our plan _ fastest growth... from a low base. the evidence is our plan is - fastest growth... from a low base. | the evidence is our plan is working. i'm not complacent. we have experienced a significant shock. it will take us time to fully recover from that. that's why i'm not done supporting businesses or people. most importantly, giving them the opportunities and skills they need to find well—paid jobs. istate opportunities and skills they need to find well-paid jobs.— to find well-paid 'obs. we are cominu to find well-paid 'obs. we are coming out h to find well-paid 'obs. we are coming out of _ to find well-paid jobs. we are coming out of emergency - to find well-paid jobs. we are i coming out of emergency mode to find well-paid jobs. we are - coming out of emergency mode now. it's revealing the colour of your government, what priorities you have. it is important to know right

now whether you are on the same page, whether you are working well together with the prime minister, your neighbour and boss, together with the prime minister, your neighbourand boss, or together with the prime minister, your neighbour and boss, or have you fallen out? ~ , ,., , your neighbour and boss, or have you fallen out? ~ , , ., ~ your neighbour and boss, or have you fallen out? ~ , ., . ., ~' fallen out? absolutely not. we work well together- _ fallen out? absolutely not. we work well together. we _ fallen out? absolutely not. we work well together. we are _ fallen out? absolutely not. we work well together. we are united - fallen out? absolutely not. we work well together. we are united in - well together. we are united in ensuring our economy recovers as quickly and as strongly as possible. that's my focus. today's figures show that my plan forjobs is working. filth show that my plan for 'obs is workinu. , ., , ., working. on the priorities that you will have to _ working. on the priorities that you will have to set _ working. on the priorities that you will have to set out, _ working. on the priorities that you will have to set out, we _ working. on the priorities that you will have to set out, we know- working. on the priorities that you will have to set out, we know that| will have to set out, we know that you have chosen, despite the fact the bank of england says inflation will be above 3%, up to a% this year, the pay settlement for nhs workers is below that, and yet you are funding the prime minister's private yacht. it are funding the prime minister's private yacht-— private yacht. it is right people are concerned _ private yacht. it is right people are concerned about _ private yacht. it is right people are concerned about the - private yacht. it is right people are concerned about the cost i private yacht. it is right people| are concerned about the cost of living. i'm concerned about that. we want to make sure we keep the cost of living low. have confidence. the bank of england, who are in charge of keeping inflation low and stable, have a good track record of doing

exactly that. as i said at the beginning of the interview, we are not done supporting people. i want people to have well—paid jobs. we are increasing the national living wage, we are helping people find new retraining opportunities to get better paid jobs. those are the types of things that will make a difference. ., types of things that will make a difference-— types of things that will make a difference. ., _, , a, ,, difference. you recognise the bank of encland difference. you recognise the bank of england is— difference. you recognise the bank of england is predicting _ difference. you recognise the bank of england is predicting inflation i of england is predicting inflation at three, a%, and your pay settlement for nhs workers is below that? istate settlement for nhs workers is below that? ~ ., ., .. , that? we have accepted the recommendations _ that? we have accepted the recommendations of - that? we have accepted the recommendations of the i that? we have accepted the - recommendations of the independent pay review body with regard to nhs pay, and we have put that in place. more broadly we are doing other things, for example increasing the national living wage, and making sure we provide people with opportunities to find better paid jobs. those are the interventions for a time like this. the jobs. those are the interventions for a time like this.— jobs. those are the interventions for a time like this. the unions say wh not for a time like this. the unions say why not copy _ for a time like this. the unions say why not copy germany, _ for a time like this. the unions say why not copy germany, have - for a time like this. the unions say why not copy germany, have a - for a time like this. the unions say | why not copy germany, have a less generous but permanent version of the furlough scheme, that will show how committed you are to work as? if you look at the labour market, what we should take away is that our

progress has been incredibly positive. —— look at the labour market. unemployment is forecast to peak at levels half of originally predicted. peak at levels half of originally redicted. ~ , ., predicted. why not continue the furlou . h predicted. why not continue the furlough scheme? _ predicted. why not continue the furlough scheme? because - predicted. why not continue the furlough scheme? because we i predicted. why not continue the i furlough scheme? because we are seeinr a furlough scheme? because we are seeing a labour— furlough scheme? because we are seeing a labour market _ furlough scheme? because we are seeing a labour market recovering| seeing a labour market recovering strongly. we are seeing lots of companies wanting to hire lots of people and unemployment falling again. that's great. it shows our plans forjobs is working. we are helping companies take on new people, provide new opportunity, that's the right type of intervention now. if that's the right type of intervention now. , ., ., intervention now. if you look at the big picture. — intervention now. if you look at the big picture. you — intervention now. if you look at the big picture, you have _ intervention now. if you look at the big picture, you have spent - intervention now. if you look at the big picture, you have spent big, i intervention now. if you look at the big picture, you have spent big, it. big picture, you have spent big, it has made you popular, personally. has that changed your view, are you now an instinctive big spender? mr; now an instinctive big spender? iii desire now an instinctive big spender? m desire is now an instinctive big spender? mg desire is to deliver the priorities we were elected on. in the spending review this autumn people will see no return to austerity. they will see strong investment in public services. that's why we are able to have 20,000 more police officers,

50,000 new nurses, more hospitals, and spreading opportunity across the country through things like fibre broadband. those are the priorities for the government and that is what we will deliver. tanni grey—thompson, one of britain's greatest ever paralympians, is to work with the chelsea pensioners to remind britain's older citizens to start exercising again after lockdown. the athelete, who won 16 paralympic medals willjoin the chelsea pensioners at a wellbeing fair to encourage the country to get active. i'm delighted to say we can now speak to the paralympian tanni grey—thompson. welcome. tell us why is it so important to keep active, to keep exercising in later life? ilute to keep exercising in later life? we know to keep exercising in later life? , know from recent research that frailty is starting to hit people in their a0s as opposed to their 80s or 90s which is when we usually expect it. that's because of a lack of

exercise. it affects every single daily task. with the pandemic, it has been amazing to see lots of people out and about and doing different types of activity, it is also for a lot of people slipping out of daily activity. the chelsea pensioners, they lockdown has been difficult, they've been isolated in their rooms, they haven't been able to take usual exercise. what we want to take usual exercise. what we want to do is protect this amazing group of people. i'm talking to them today about how they can be active, what they can do to actually... there is a day kinda way to do it, but to help notjust prolong their life but give them a good and active life. tell us more about the chelsea pensioners. —— there isn't really a kind way to do it. l’ere pensioners. -- there isn't really a kind way to do it.— pensioners. -- there isn't really a kind way to do it. i've been here a number of — kind way to do it. i've been here a number of times _ kind way to do it. i've been here a number of times before. - kind way to do it. i've been here a number of times before. there i kind way to do it. i've been here a number of times before. there is | kind way to do it. i've been here a | number of times before. there is a real community. in this type of

community there are positive things you can do. they have opportunities to do things. coming out of lockdown it is about building activity and putting those positive things back into their daily life. they are probably not necessarily typical of every older person, but i think also they are very motivational. if people see chelsea pensioners being active and talking about it then people will think about what they can do themselves. it's about inspiring a group of people to go out and inspire other people to be active. ~ ., ., , ., active. what sort of activity are we talkin: active. what sort of activity are we talking about? _ active. what sort of activity are we talking about? i _ active. what sort of activity are we talking about? i know— active. what sort of activity are we talking about? i know from - active. what sort of activity are we talking about? i know from my i active. what sort of activity are we | talking about? i know from my own mum she will say, i got up, ifelt stiff, i couldn't face going out today. this isn't about suddenly embarking on a five kilometre run, is it? how can people start small? stretching. just starting to move around. one of the better things for feeling stiff, for most people, is

to take a bit of exercise. there are a huge range of exercises you can do with a can of soup and a pair of tights. you can be creative. there is lots of information out there but it is about starting small, it's about doing, even a few minutes every day in addition to what you normally do, and building it up gradually. and it can be fun. one of the things with activity is you feel the things with activity is you feel the benefits quite quickly. for most people. when you start feeling the benefits you feel able to do more. briefly, what do you do with the tights? briefly, what do you do with the ti . hts? ., briefly, what do you do with the ti hts? ., , . tights? you stretch them. ch uckles _ chuckles i should have brought a pair with me. you can do stretches. you can rotate your shoulders. you can do it on your legs and lots of fun things. brilliant. we haven't much time and i am being shouted at in my ear, but i am being shouted at in my ear, but i have to quickly ask you, we had this wonderful success with team gb at the olympics, the paralympics is

to come, what can we expect? l at the olympics, the paralympics is to come, what can we expect? i think we are going — to come, what can we expect? i think we are going to _ to come, what can we expect? i think we are going to see _ to come, what can we expect? i think we are going to see a _ to come, what can we expect? i think we are going to see a good _ to come, what can we expect? i think we are going to see a good number i to come, what can we expect? i think| we are going to see a good number of medals. i think we will see some young athletes who would not have been at the games last year who will step up. but our expectations are for the paralympics team is pretty high. for the paralympics team is pretty hirh. �* . . for the paralympics team is pretty hirh. �* , , ., for the paralympics team is pretty hirh. �* . . . ., for the paralympics team is pretty hirh. �*, , ., ., ., ~ for the paralympics team is pretty high. it's been great to talk to ou. high. it's been great to talk to you- tanni _ high. it's been great to talk to you. tanni grey-thompson, i high. it's been great to talk to - you. tanni grey-thompson, thank you. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. hello again, for many of us today it will be dry with sunny spells, but not all of us. we have a weak weather front across southern england producing thicker cloud and spots of drizzle, that is moving further northwards through the day, and also rain coming in across northern ireland and scotland turning more showery through the day, but the showers could still be heavy and thundery with dusty winds across the northern quadrant of the uk. temperatures from 15 to 2a. this evening and overnight, the dregs of the weather front remain across england and wales, some missed and

murkiness around the hills, with rain persisting in scotland. it's not going to be as cold night in the northern half of the country has last night. tomorrow we still have this cloud and spots of rain across southern parts of england and wales. that will break up for most, and we will continue with showers in the north and west. but wherever you are tomorrow, there will be risk winds. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: record gcse grades achieved in england, wales and northern ireland, after a second year of cancelled exams. the un warns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster in afghanistan, as taliban fighters say they've captured the strategically important city of ghazni. the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high.

sport, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's chetan. have they started lords? they have, the were have they started lords? they have, they were on — have they started lords? they have, they were on and _ have they started lords? they have, they were on and off, _ have they started lords? they have, they were on and off, then _ have they started lords? they have, they were on and off, then back- have they started lords? they have, they were on and off, then back on i they were on and off, then back on again. the slightly delayed start. england have brought in moeen ali, haseeb hameed and mark wood for the second test against india. james anderson does play after passing a fitness test. only one change enforced. wood is in for the injured stuart broad. zak crawley and dan lawrence have been dropped, with hameed set to bat three and moeen's spin brought in to strengthen the bowling attack after that wash—out draw at trent bridge last weekend. england won the toss and opted to bowl at lord's after a slightly delayed start because of rain. india are batting

and are currently 1—0 with around a quarter of an hour of play, their only change is ishant sharma for shardul thakur. rohit and kl rahul are the openers. chelsea will be hoping for more details on hakim ziyech's shoulder injury today after he was forced off the pitch before half time during last night's uefa super cup win over villarreal in belfast. he gave chelsea the lead just before the half hour mark, volleying in a great cross from kai havertz. but the europa league winners equalised in the second half through gerard moreno. after extra time, it was still 1—1, so the game went to penalties. chelsea manager thomas tuchel made a big call to swap his keepers, kepa arrizabalaga coming on for edouard mendy, and it paid off with kepa making two crucial saves to give his side the 6—5 win. boss thomas tuchel said afterwards they hadn't wanted to go past 90 minutes... let alone have penalties. physically, this was the worst thing that could — physically, this was the worst thing that could happen to us, playing over time, — that could happen to us, playing overtime, mentally that could happen to us, playing over time, mentally and psychologically this was the best thing _ psychologically this was the best thing to— psychologically this was the best thing to start with the trophy because _ thing to start with the trophy because there was no way to delay the game — because there was no way to delay the game or play it in four weeks.

this was— the game or play it in four weeks. this was the — the game or play it in four weeks. this was the moment when we needed to start _ this was the moment when we needed to start and _ this was the moment when we needed to start and that's why we choose this line—up. we didn't want to break— this line—up. we didn't want to break our— this line—up. we didn't want to break our heads and share minutes. we had _ break our heads and share minutes. we had all— break our heads and share minutes. we had all these discussions and all these _ we had all these discussions and all these thoughts, do we share minutes, do we _ these thoughts, do we share minutes, do we continue preparation phase and use this _ do we continue preparation phase and use this match to be saturday? and then we decided no, we use this _ saturday? and then we decided no, we use this match to win it and nothing else so— use this match to win it and nothing else so we — use this match to win it and nothing else so we went with the team who played _ else so we went with the team who played already against arsenal, who played _ played already against arsenal, who played already against arsenal, who played already against arsenal, who played already against tottenham, to be in the _ played already against tottenham, to be in the best shape possible. chelsea fans are still waiting for confirmation of romelu lukaku's move back to stamford bridge. we understand that deal is done forjust under £100 million. and they could recoup some of that money by selling tammy abraham to roma. their general manager — tiago pinto — is in london, hoping to negotiate that move for the england striker. jo konta will play coco gauff in the last 16 at the canadian open later. the british number one beat elina svitolina in three sets. konta's missed a lot of tennis after pulling out of wimbledon

because she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for covid, and then missed the olympics herself because she tested positive. however, she is back, and showing some good form ahead of the us open which starts at the end of the month. former world heavyweight champion david haye is making a return to the ring, three years after retiring at the age of a0. haye officially hung up his gloves in 2018 after back—to—back defeats against tony bellew. haye — on the right of your screen — said on social media that he'll be boxing joe fournier over eight rounds in los angeles, but that it wasn't a comeback. for the last few years, haye's been a manager and promoter. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you later. back to you, rebecca. and now for more on our top story today. students have received another set of record grades in a year of covid disruption to exams in england,

wales and northern ireland. let's head straight to northern ireland now. our correspondent chris page is at a school in belfast and joins us now. what the picture there? . . . joins us now. what the picture there? ., , , ., ., ., there? here it has been a morning of nervousness — there? here it has been a morning of nervousness and _ there? here it has been a morning of nervousness and tension _ there? here it has been a morning of nervousness and tension but - there? here it has been a morning of nervousness and tension but also i nervousness and tension but also relief and even greatjoy nervousness and tension but also relief and even great joy whenever those envelopes have been opened. let's have a word with the principle here, louise humvee. we are in the sports hall now, this is where the rest of their career begins, where they confirm their choices of a—levels and btecs for next year, so what's it been like for you this yearin what's it been like for you this year in particular, the results morning? it year in particular, the results morning?— year in particular, the results mornin? ., . morning? it has been fantastic. the ear has morning? it has been fantastic. the year has been _ morning? it has been fantastic. the year has been difficult _ morning? it has been fantastic. the year has been difficult for _ morning? it has been fantastic. the year has been difficult for the - year has been difficult for the girls. — year has been difficult for the girls, they have worked really hard, their parents have supported them throughout. the pandemic has been challenging but its been testament to their_ challenging but its been testament to their hard work and also the

staff's— to their hard work and also the staff's hard work. it's been a real 'oy staff's hard work. it's been a real joy and _ staff's hard work. it's been a real joy and it — staff's hard work. it's been a real joy and it feels a little bit like we are — joy and it feels a little bit like we are getting back to something like normal. we are getting back to something like normal-— we are getting back to something like normal. absolutely, we could all do with — like normal. absolutely, we could all do with some _ like normal. absolutely, we could all do with some of _ like normal. absolutely, we could all do with some of that. - like normal. absolutely, we could all do with some of that. the - all do with some of that. the schools have been calculating the grade this year, the last full set of exams took place two years ago now, so what has that process been like? , , , now, so what has that process been like? , ,, , , like? the process has been different this ear like? the process has been different this year since _ like? the process has been different this year since last _ like? the process has been different this year since last year. _ like? the process has been different this year since last year. the - this year since last year. the centre — this year since last year. the centre determined grades have been very robust, teachers have focused on developing assessments that have allowed _ on developing assessments that have allowed the girls to perform well. the girls — allowed the girls to perform well. the girls have sat examinations, provided — the girls have sat examinations, provided coursework and received grades _ provided coursework and received grades that are absolutely robust and well— grades that are absolutely robust and well reflect their ability. the young _ and well reflect their ability. the young people today have been happy, joyous, _ young people today have been happy, joyous, crying, it's been an emotional roller—coaster. we are so happy— emotional roller—coaster. we are so happy for— emotional roller—coaster. we are so happy for them and their parents have _ happy for them and their parents have heeri— happy for them and their parents have been there enjoying that so we are delighted. we have been there en'oying that so we delighted.— have been there en'oying that so we are delighted. we have seen them in the school hall— are delighted. we have seen them in the school hall round _ are delighted. we have seen them in the school hall round the _ are delighted. we have seen them in the school hall round the corner, - the school hall round the corner, the school hall round the corner, the envelopes have been opened and there have been some very emotional

scenes. we come to expect them every year. the girls are now starting the next stage of their lives in many senses, now looking forward to their experience in the sixth form. in every school it will be inevitable some students will be disappointed. what is your approach there? we have had 8796 to c— what is your approach there? we have had 8796 to c a“ _ what is your approach there? we have had 8796 to c a" which _ what is your approach there? we have had 8796 to c a" which is _ what is your approach there? we have had 8796 to c a" which is testament . had 87% to c a�* which is testament to the _ had 87% to c a�* which is testament to the girls' — had 87% to c a�* which is testament to the girls' hard work. the teachers _ to the girls' hard work. the teachers and von tutors are here to provide _ teachers and von tutors are here to provide advice and guidance to make sure the _ provide advice and guidance to make sure the girls have the information they need — sure the girls have the information they need to make the next right steo _ they need to make the next right ste -. . ~ they need to make the next right ste. ., ~' ,, they need to make the next right ste. ., , they need to make the next right ste. . , . ., step. thank you very much indeed for hostin: us step. thank you very much indeed for hosting us here _ step. thank you very much indeed for hosting us here all— step. thank you very much indeed for hosting us here all morning. - hosting us here all morning. congratulations to you and your staff on those fantastic results. to give you an idea of the picture across northern ireland, about 40% of entries this year were in the top grades of a* and a, pre—covid it was

about 32%. the pass rate overall close to 90%. about 3296. the pass rate overall close to 9096-— about 3296. the pass rate overall close to 9096. chris, thank you for that. all close to 9096. chris, thank you for that- all very _ close to 9096. chris, thank you for that. all very well _ close to 9096. chris, thank you for that. all very well behaved - close to 9096. chris, thank you for that. all very well behaved there, | close to 9096. chris, thank you for| that. all very well behaved there, i have to say. but anyway, good to see you and thanks for that. simon lebus is from the exams regulator, quual. hejoins us now. i thought it he joins us now. i thought it was interesting what chris was saying, 40% of entries in northern ireland awarded top grades compared to 37% the previous year and 32% pre—covid. why do you think there has been such a rise in top grades?— a rise in top grades? there has been a rise in top grades? there has been a rise in too — a rise in top grades? there has been a rise in top grades _ a rise in top grades? there has been a rise in top grades not _ a rise in top grades? there has been a rise in top grades notjust - a rise in top grades? there has been a rise in top grades notjust in - a rise in top grades notjust in northern ireland but also in england. i think part of it isjust to do with the overall approach. we had to take account this year of the fact there have been widely different experiences of disruption to learning so the idea was students should be assessed on only what they

have been taught. normally if you do an exam, it's quite possible you turn up and there have been bits of the curriculum you haven't revised or even being taught. here, that element of surprise is completely removed after the arrangements because we wanted to make sure people were not disadvantaged of the experience of disruption to their learning and we needed something that was flexible to support that. so that was the approach. we expected it to lead to some upward movement in grades and it has duly done so. ., .., , , movement in grades and it has duly done so. ., , , , , done so. how can students be sure that their grades _ done so. how can students be sure that their grades are _ done so. how can students be sure that their grades are fair _ done so. how can students be sure that their grades are fair when - done so. how can students be sure| that their grades are fair when they are dependent on what their teachers think of them? i are dependent on what their teachers think of them?— think of them? i think teachers are in the best— think of them? i think teachers are in the best position _ think of them? i think teachers are in the best position to _ think of them? i think teachers are in the best position to make - think of them? i think teachers are in the best position to make those | in the best position to make those judgments. teachers are with them over a long period of time, they see what they are capable of and can use multiple points of evidence to inform their grading judgment, sol think teachers are in the best position to make thatjudgment and students can feel confident about that. also i'd like to take the opportunity to pay tribute for the huge amount of work involved for

teachers because they also have the challenge of catching up on lost learning time in doing this at the same time is a major task but they have risen to that challenge and done a fantasticjob. find have risen to that challenge and done a fantasticjob.— have risen to that challenge and done a fantastic job. done a fantastic 'ob. and you don't think an done a fantastic job. and you don't think any teachers _ done a fantastic job. and you don't think any teachers have _ done a fantastic job. and you don't think any teachers have come - done a fantastic job. and you don'tl think any teachers have come under pressure to award top grades? it is a different pressure to award top grades? it 3 a different thing to an exam because in an exam it is depersonalised, you don't see the person marking the paper, and next thing you get the results. but i guess this is also in a sense a more organic way of arriving at a grade.— arriving at a grade. what can students do _ arriving at a grade. what can students do who _ arriving at a grade. what can students do who are - arriving at a grade. what can | students do who are unhappy arriving at a grade. what can - students do who are unhappy with their grades? can they feel confident they have been checked externally in any way?— externally in any way? there has been a quality — externally in any way? there has been a quality assurance - externally in any way? there hasj been a quality assurance process externally in any way? there has i been a quality assurance process is ongoing since april, when we looked at the policies that centres have for how they will approach assessment, and that has been followed through with discussions with centres where the policies needed tightening up. each grade has had to be looked at by at least one other teacher and signed off by head

of school, then a further process of quality assuring it by making checks and looking at samples of work during the last few weeks, so there's been a pretty extensive process of checking what's been going on since school since for the last three months and it has involved all of the schools and centres and colleges that have been awarding grades, so they should feel entirely confident about that. going forward, entirely confident about that. going forward. what _ entirely confident about that. going forward, what do _ entirely confident about that. going forward, what do you _ entirely confident about that. going forward, what do you think... - entirely confident about that. going forward, what do you think... well, there are two different questions. what do you think would be the best system and what might be the most realistic system? because one danger i can foresee is that future results, let's say we return to how grades were rewarded pre—pandemic future results might be compared to these results and these results might not be taken as seriously, and i wonder how you get over that challenge. i i wonder how you get over that challenge-— i wonder how you get over that challenue. ., �* ,, ., , ., challenge. i don't think that should be a problem- _ challenge. i don't think that should be a problem. first— challenge. i don't think that should be a problem. first of— challenge. i don't think that should be a problem. first of all— challenge. i don't think that should be a problem. first of all i - challenge. i don't think that should be a problem. first of all i should i be a problem. first of all i should say the idea is to return to exams as quickly as possible, and we have as quickly as possible, and we have a consultation about arrangements

for 2022 which envisages a return to exams, and the reason for that is i think people do feel they are a fairer and better way of assessing students so the idea would be to go back to that. there is a challenge because this year and last year were exceptional years and that is reflected in the grading, so the ambition would be to return to as it were the old normal, but the challenge is do you do that quickly, slowly, in one fell swoop, by stages? we have to have a debate and a discussion about that over the next few weeks. quual will be making its announcement in the autumn about the grading approach to next year, but it obviously will be challenging. just next year, but it obviously will be challenging-— challenging. just a final thought, there have _ challenging. just a final thought, there have been _ challenging. just a final thought, there have been debates - challenging. just a final thought, there have been debates about l there have been debates about perhaps abolishing gcses altogether. where do you sit on that? i think perhaps abolishing gcses altogether. where do you sit on that?— where do you sit on that? i think it would be very _ where do you sit on that? i think it would be very unwise _ where do you sit on that? i think it would be very unwise to _ where do you sit on that? i think it would be very unwise to make - where do you sit on that? i think it would be very unwise to make any| would be very unwise to make any long—term decisions about changes to the exam system on the back of what has been a wholly exceptional set of circumstances this year. if there are to be changes, they need long

debate and reflection, and we need time to diejust debate and reflection, and we need time to die just what has happened this year and think seriously about consequences and implications for assessment in the future.- consequences and implications for assessment in the future. thank you so much for — assessment in the future. thank you so much forjoining _ assessment in the future. thank you so much forjoining us _ assessment in the future. thank you so much forjoining us here - assessment in the future. thank you so much forjoining us here on - assessment in the future. thank you so much forjoining us here on bbc. so much forjoining us here on bbc news. so much for 'oining us here on bbc news. . ~ so much for 'oining us here on bbc news. ., ,, , ., so much for 'oining us here on bbc news. ., ,, i. _ ., let's get more now on the situation in afghanistan. taliban fighters have captured the city of ghazni — the tenth provincial capital they've seized in recent days. in kandahar, the country's second largest city, they've broken into the prison and freed the inmates. now, to give you some idea ofjust how quickly the taliban have been capturing new territory, we can look at these maps. injuly, the areas controlled by the taliban were these, shown in red. with contested regions in yellow. but now a lot more territory has fallen to the taliban, including nearly a third of the country's 3a provincial capitals as it intensifies its offensive to seize power, following

the withdrawal of western troops. peace talks between the afghan government and the taliban have been taking place for a year in doha, but no agreement has been reached. my colleague yalda hakeem has interviewed two high profile figures in the taliban. she asked them what they want from the afghan government and how they would rule the country if they seized kabul. afghanistan, 2021 — the taliban are back, taking city after city from government forces. the withdrawal of foreign troops has left a power vacuum the taliban are rushing to fill. if they take power, many people here fear a return to their brutal regime of the '90s, characterised by public executions, stonings and girls being banned from school. despite the historic peace deal that was signed between the us and the taliban in february 2020, and the ongoing peace talks taking place in doha, qatar, between the afghan government and the taliban, no

progress has been made. i travelled to doha to meet with suhail shahin, a member of the taliban peace negotiation team. if you were to return to kabul, how would you govern? there was in the past some mistakes that we have learned from, because at that time you were new to the government to stop education of women and girls. that is not our goal. of course, education is their right and it is much needed. while suhail shahin continues to talk about peace, it's clearly not a view shared by taliban commanders closing in on afghanistan's cities. back in kabul, taliban commander maulana from helmand agreed to meet me. what do you want? do you want the taliban regime to come back into power or do you think that there should be a power—sharing deal with the current government? like the discussions that

are being had in doha? translation: we would be happy to have a joint government under. the umbrella of islamic sharia. a sharia—based system in afghanistan, like the system the taliban used to have. if we talk about law and order and justice, if someone were to steal or commit adultery, what should happen to them? translation: all this is clearly stated in the koran. _ if someone steals, there is a punishment, for example, for some theft, the punishment is cutting off the hand and foot. and if someone commits adultery, then they should be stoned. and if there isn't a political resolution to this conflict, are you prepared to take kabul by force?

translation: i'm trying to defeat | the government and they're trying | to make me disappear. in the end, we will be compelled to kill one another. increasingly, it appears there is a disconnect between what is being said by the political office in doha and what the taliban commanders and foot soldiers are doing on the ground in afghanistan. but the vice president of afghanistan remains defiant. this group in doha. they are a deceptive facade of a very dark reality called the taliban. so in your view, have they changed? no, not only they have not changed, they have become savvier in deceiving. with the government adamant to defy a new era of sharia law, and the taliban making significant gains, afghans now seem to be caught up in a savage war that has taken on a life of its own.

yalda hakim, bbc news, kabul. and you can see the first part of 'our world' from afghanistan... "return of the taliban" here on bbc news over the weekend. a hard—working and loving man who would do anything for his family — marquis davis — was 28—years—old when he died from covid—i9. the father and businessman hadn't wanted to be vaccinated until he was hospitalised, with his last wish being to get the jab. it prompted his family to honour his memory and turn his funeral into a vaccine and testing event. his wife charnese davis is also now calling on everyone to get vaccinated and avoid the pain that she and her family are experiencing at the loss of marquis. we can speak to her now. very warm welcome to you, and i'm

very sorry for the loss you have had, and i will start by asking you how you are doing. it is had, and i will start by asking you how you are doing.— how you are doing. it is hard. i'm takin: it how you are doing. it is hard. i'm taking it one _ how you are doing. it is hard. i'm taking it one day _ how you are doing. it is hard. i'm taking it one day at _ how you are doing. it is hard. i'm taking it one day at a _ how you are doing. it is hard. i'm taking it one day at a time. - how you are doing. it is hard. i'm taking it one day at a time. you | taking it one day at a time. you know, letting people know what happened kind of helps a little bit, kind of gives me that therapy that i need. ., ., , , ., need. tell me what happened to marc uis. need. tell me what happened to marquis- he _ need. tell me what happened to marquis. he started _ need. tell me what happened to marquis. he started to - need. tell me what happened to marquis. he started to feel - need. tell me what happened to marquis. he started to feel ill. need. tell me what happened to marquis. he started to feel ill in| marquis. he started to feel ill in latejuly, is that right? marquis. he started to feel ill in late july, is that right?— late july, is that right? yes, he started to _ late july, is that right? yes, he started to feel _ late july, is that right? yes, he started to feel ill _ late july, is that right? yes, he started to feel ill in _ late july, is that right? yes, he started to feel ill in late - late july, is that right? yes, he started to feel ill in late july i late july, is that right? yes, he started to feel ill in late july at| started to feel ill in latejuly at work. he went to work two days before he actually went to the hospital. the last day he went to work, he was really tired. he said it was a tiredness he had never felt before. so i was like, well maybe,

you know, you need to go to the hospital to get checked due to his job working with kids, having to quarantine several times. so he went to the hospital, he ended up being positive for covid and then they sent him home. he went to the hospital on friday to get tested and then he came home that morning on saturday. and then while he was home for two days, hejust saturday. and then while he was home for two days, he just got worse. nothing at home was working, no medicine. i couldn't break his fever with tylenol, he was running to the

bathroom, he couldn't breathe. it was hard for him to breathe with any sudden movements he had, it was hard for him to catch his breath. you aint a for him to catch his breath. you paint a very _ for him to catch his breath. you paint a very vivid _ for him to catch his breath. you paint a very vivid picture of the symptoms he was experiencing with covid—i9, and i know he went to hospitalfor covid—i9, and i know he went to hospital for around covid—i9, and i know he went to hospitalfor around six covid—i9, and i know he went to hospital for around six days. am covid—i9, and i know he went to hospitalfor around six days. am i write, you had had the jab but he had not, and if so why did he not want it? i had not, and if so why did he not want it? .. had not, and if so why did he not want it? ~' ., , , had not, and if so why did he not want it? ~ .,, , , .~' want it? i think he was 'ust stuck in his ways. * want it? i think he was 'ust stuck in his ways, not b want it? i think he was 'ust stuck in his ways, not really _ want it? i think he wasjust stuck in his ways, not really trusting i want it? i think he wasjust stuck in his ways, not really trusting it| in his ways, not really trusting it at the time. at the time it was not getting young adults, it was more hitting the elderly, so he felt like he was in the clear, you know? like, it wouldn't get to him, like he was

ok. so he didn't want to get it. he was stuck in his ways. he didn't give like a real reason not it, he just said you know he didn't want to get it, he didn't trust it. i just said you know he didn't want to get it, he didn't trust it.— get it, he didn't trust it. i know that unfortunately _ get it, he didn't trust it. i know that unfortunately charnese . get it, he didn't trust it. i knowj that unfortunately charnese we get it, he didn't trust it. i know- that unfortunately charnese we are out of time so we can't hear the full story, but as i said i know that you then turned his funeral into a vaccine and testing event. i appreciate it can't bring him back but i know you were trying to do good and makes a meaning out of his death, and i can't thank you enough forjoining us on bbc news. thank you. forjoining us on bbc news. thank ou. . ~' forjoining us on bbc news. thank ou. . ~ , ., it's 30 years today since the dangerous dogs act came

into force but campaigners and charities — including the rspca — say the law needs a complete overhaul. four breeds can currently be seized by police and either put down or kept under strict conditions. charlotte gallagher reports. meet alex, he is ten years old. in dog years, a senior citizen. but his life is very different to that of most other dogs. that is because he has beenjudged to be a pit bull—type animal, a banned breed in the uk. his owner is only allowed to keep him if he sticks to keep him if she sticks to certain conditions. his life is very restricted and it is up to us, as his owners, myself and my husband, to ensure that he has a full and active life. he has to be muzzled and on a restricted length lead, held by someone over the age of 16 at all times in a public place. that includes the car. he cannot run free unless he is in a secure area. people ask questions, but if anyone backs away all makes but if anyone backs away or makes

an unpleasant remark, i will stop them and tell them why he is like this. the dangerous dogs act bans four different breeds — pit bull terrier, dogo argentino, fila braziliero and japanese tosa. dogs suspected of being a banned type can be seized by the police. they will either be put down or returned to the owner and, like alex, be kept under strict conditions. because in his garden, he doesn't a muzzle or have a lead on, but outside it is different. the rspca and other charities say the law discriminates against dogs like alex because of what they look like and doesn't work, because the number of dog attacks has actually gone up. in the 20 years from 1999 to 2019, hospital admissions for dog bites increased by 154%.

from 3,454 to 8,775. in the last five years, the rspca, battersea and blue cross have destroyed a82 dogs that were judged to be a banned breed. many of those had never attacked anyone. eight—year—old poppy was attacked by a staffordshire bull terrier earlier this year and left with facial injuries. her mum believes there should be more checks on potential owners. there should be a law where you have to have, they check out your vet, they check out your home and then they match you to the right dog for you and they are really strict on it. i just think that should be done for every dog. dogs suspected of being a banned breed are not dna tested, they are classified on their measurements. so if the dog looks like a pit bull, it is labelled as a pit bull.

that means you can end up with illegal pure breeds with legal pure breeds and crossbreeds being included in this legislation and being subjected to the prohibition. what we do know, if you do want to be able to protect public safety, you need to very much be focusing on individual dogs and having legislation in place that allows you to tackle dogs based on their behaviour, as opposed to how they look. we want to see a complete reform and consolidation of the current legislation we have in the uk, but with the real focus on it being breed neutral in approach. this is fudge, her owner believed she was a staffordshire bull terrier, but like alex, she was judged to be a pit bull type animal. she was taken by police and put down. everybody loved her, even walking her up and down the road. it was surreal that that many police had come for a puppy. the next day i started to get angry, thinking, she never did anything,

"she never hit anyone, she has never growled at anyone, why is she dead?" parliament didn't go out of its way to kill dogs unnecessarily. it isjust saddling the execution. -- sadly~ — what we have been left with is the needless destruction of hundreds, if not thousands of dogs. the government says the aim of the dangerous dogs act is to ensure the safety of the public, adding it has commissioned research on the effectiveness of existing measures and how to address behavioural problems among dogs. campaigners agree the public needs to be protected, but say the current law isn't doing that. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. hello again, for many of us today it will be dry with sunny spells, but not all of us. we have a weak weather front across southern england producing thicker cloud and spots of drizzle, that is moving further northwards through the day, and also rain coming in across northern ireland and scotland, turning more showery through the day,

but the showers could still be heavy and thundery with gusty winds across the north—western quadrant of the uk. temperatures from 15 to 24. this evening and overnight, the dregs of the weather front remain across england and wales, some murkiness around the hills, with rain persisting in northern ireland and scotland. it's not going to be as cold a night in the northern half of the country as last night. tomorrow we still have this cloud and spots of rain across southern parts of england and wales. that will break up for most, and we will continue with showers in the north and west. but wherever you are tomorrow, there will be brisk winds. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: record gcse grades achieved in england, wales and northern ireland, after a second year of cancelled exams. what we have seen today is baked in

inequality, the gap between those going to private schools and state schools has got bigger. the un warns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster in afghanistan, as taliban fighters say they've captured the strategically important city of ghazni. the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high. the uk economy grows by nearly 5 percent between april and june — following the easing of restrictions. new zealand says it will keep its border closed until at least the end of the year — to keep covid out. and the dangerous dogs act. campaigners call for reform, but the government insists it protects the public.

and now for more on our top story today. students have received another set of record grades in a year of covid disruption to exams in england, wales and northern ireland. the government cancelled exams for a second consecutive year, meaning pupils grades are based on their teachersjudgment. top grades, seven or above, teachersjudgment. top grades, seven orabove, rose teachersjudgment. top grades, seven or above, rose 2.7 percentage points to 28.9%, while those graded four and above, seen as good passes, rose zero .8 points, to 78.3%. this is a smaller rise than in 2020, the first time teacher grades were used. last year, top grades rose by nine percentage point and good passes were up 5.4 points. the grades, calculate it by teachers, have been taken from a combination of mock exams, coursework, and tests. speaking from a school in swindon,

the labour leader, keir starmer, says the results show the attainment gap between pupils at state schools and those at private schools is widening. and those at private schools is wideninu. . , and those at private schools is wideninu. ., , .., ., and those at private schools is wideninu. . , .., ., , widening. inequality in education is unforgivable- _ widening. inequality in education is unforgivable. we _ widening. inequality in education is unforgivable. we should _ widening. inequality in education is unforgivable. we should all- widening. inequality in education is unforgivable. we should all be - unforgivable. we should all be aiming to close the gap in terms of attainment. we had huge inequality before the pandemic, and it has got worse, and a lot of that is down to the way the education secretary and the way the education secretary and the government have handled this. with a chaotic system. they should have had a plan b from the start. it was obvious we might have had to cancel exams. they didn't put a plan in place. they had a chaotic system. it made it very difficult for teachers. but the net result is that the gap between those at private schools and state schools has got bigger. when inequality goes up in education then it is pretty astonishing the education secretary is still in post. if he won't resign the prime minister should get rid of him. �*

the prime minister should get rid of him. . , ., the prime minister should get rid of him. �* , ., .., the prime minister should get rid of him. �* ., the prime minister should get rid of him. . i. .., ., ., him. are you calling for him to resin? him. are you calling for him to resign? yes. _ him. are you calling for him to resign? yes, i— him. are you calling for him to resign? yes, i have _ him. are you calling for him to resign? yes, i have been - him. are you calling for him to resign? yes, i have been for. him. are you calling for him to resign? yes, i have been for a| him. are you calling for him to - resign? yes, i have been for a long time. if resign? yes, i have been for a long time- if you — resign? yes, i have been for a long time. if you have _ resign? yes, i have been for a long time. if you have a _ resign? yes, i have been for a long time. if you have a system - resign? yes, i have been for a long time. if you have a system which . time. if you have a system which ends up with more inequality rather than less something is going wrong. these are lives. these are young people who have got their results to go onto the next stage of their lives and careers. for the government to say there might be more inequality but nobody could have done better it isn't good enough. have done better it isn't good enouah. ., �* ., enough. you've mentioned the attainment _ enough. you've mentioned the attainment gap. _ enough. you've mentioned the attainment gap. results - enough. you've mentioned the attainment gap. results have| enough. you've mentioned the - attainment gap. results have come out today. 61.2% awarded seven and above from private schools, last year it was about 57%, the year before 46%. how would you have dealt with this disparity? the before 4696. how would you have dealt with this disparity?— with this disparity? the gap between those at private _ with this disparity? the gap between those at private school _ with this disparity? the gap between those at private school and - with this disparity? the gap between those at private school and those - with this disparity? the gap between those at private school and those at| those at private school and those at state school has got bigger. something is going wrong. i tell you what i would have done, i would have done exactly what we called for last september, which is to have a plan b in place to say we might have to cancel exams, therefore we need a

proper approach to assessment by teachers. we've been talking to teachers. we've been talking to teachers here today who have walked us through just how little time they had to do the very best they could in difficult circumstances. back in september, the education secretary and the government pooh—poohed us, said we didn't need a plan b, they would have exams. completely wrong again. more on equality for young people today. completely unacceptable. irate people today. completely unacceptable.— people today. completely unacceptable. people today. completely unaccetable. . ., ., _ unacceptable. we are 'oined by lee elliott unacceptable. we are 'oined by lee surott major— unacceptable. we are 'oined by lee elliott major from _ unacceptable. we are 'oined by lee elliott major from the — unacceptable. we are joined by lee elliott major from the university i unacceptable. we are joined by lee elliott major from the university of| elliott major from the university of exeter. good to have you with us. let's pick up on what sir keir starmer was saying there about the attainment gap widening between those pupils at independent schools and state schools. how concerned are you about that gap? trier? and state schools. how concerned are you about that gap?— you about that gap? very concerned. we are seeing _ you about that gap? very concerned. we are seeing the _ you about that gap? very concerned. we are seeing the legacy _ you about that gap? very concerned. we are seeing the legacy here, - you about that gap? very concerned. we are seeing the legacy here, the l we are seeing the legacy here, the education legacy, of the pandemic. it's being manifested, if you like

in these exam results. we are seeing a widening gap between the education haves and have—nots. you are seeing that with comparisons between private schools and state schools, which we have seen higher grades go to private schools. also we are finding that those children on free school meals are being increasingly left behind. these are really concerning statistics this year. is it that children at state schools didn't get the support during the pandemic that children at independent schools got or is it the fact that perhaps independent school teachers were more generous in giving grades, or is it something else? b. giving grades, or is it something else? . ., ., giving grades, or is it something else? ., ., , , else? a lot of this is driven, i think, by _ else? a lot of this is driven, i think, by the _ else? a lot of this is driven, i think, by the inequalities - else? a lot of this is driven, i - think, by the inequalities outside the school gates. our research has been documenting this over the last 18 months. we have observed huge disparities in home learning when schools were off, you know? we found

children had missed around half of their school classroom days over that period. that's a huge amount. when we looked in our surveys at children from poorer backgrounds or even normal backgrounds, they were less likely to have secured study days, to have extra tutoring, internet connection, and those are driven partly by those inequalities outside the school gates. you said the competition _ outside the school gates. you said the competition to _ outside the school gates. you said the competition to secure - outside the school gates. you said the competition to secure places l outside the school gates. you said| the competition to secure places at six forms will be like the wild west. or did you mean by that? i’ge west. or did you mean by that? i've been west. or did you mean by that? is: been concerned about west. or did you mean by that? i�*”e: been concerned about sixth form admissions for some time now. the reason i say that is, you know, unlike age 11 where there are sort of rules and regulations that all schools adhere to in admissions, and universities where there are all sorts of rules and ways of doing

admissions, different six forms can have very different grades of entry. —— six forms. depending on where you are can determine your likelihood of going on to sixth form. i worry about the poorer pupils who might have experienced greater learning loss and miss out on that grade which means they don't get into that sixth form place which will be increasingly competitive for those places this year or they don't get that a—level because they wanted to do. so, i hope that the people in charge of admissions at six forms will be, you know, we'll look at peoples backgrounds and give them a break, actually, if they have perhaps dropped a grade. thank you very much- — we arejoined now we are joined now by our news correspondent sean dilly who was at richmond part academy in east sheen.

good morning to you again. —— who is at richmond park academy. the students have _ at richmond park academy. tue: students have been walking in at richmond park academy. tue students have been walking in this morning. lots of smiles, lots of happiness at another record year. quite a lot of students looking to the next step of their academic career. that's been the emphasis from westminster, the people we've been speaking to, and if you are after any of the detailed explain as or analysis check out the bbc news website. we are fortunate enough to ask some of those questions we might want to know about, such as how were the grades assessed in place of exams. we are joined the grades assessed in place of exams. we arejoined by the grades assessed in place of exams. we are joined by the principal. what has the last year been like? it principal. what has the last year been like? :. . principal. what has the last year been like?— been like? it has been full of uncertainty _ been like? it has been full of uncertainty for _ been like? it has been full of uncertainty for all _ been like? it has been full of uncertainty for all of - been like? it has been full of uncertainty for all of our - been like? it has been full of - uncertainty for all of our students but we _ uncertainty for all of our students but we are — uncertainty for all of our students but we are proud today. they all opened — but we are proud today. they all opened their results and we are really— opened their results and we are really excited to see what they will

now do _ really excited to see what they will now do as — really excited to see what they will now do as a result of what has been a fantastic— now do as a result of what has been a fantastic achievement this year. presumably this was your best case scenario giving the —— given the uncertainty? irate scenario giving the -- given the uncertainty?— scenario giving the -- given the uncertainty? scenario giving the -- given the uncertain ? ~ :, :, :, uncertainty? we would have gone with an of the uncertainty? we would have gone with any of the possibilities _ uncertainty? we would have gone with any of the possibilities that _ uncertainty? we would have gone with any of the possibilities that might - any of the possibilities that might have arisen but we are happy with how our— have arisen but we are happy with how our students have done. it�*s a really— how our students have done. it�*s a really good — how our students have done. it�*s a really good reflection of their attainment, and it is a really nice nronrent— attainment, and it is a really nice moment here today. talk attainment, and it is a really nice moment here today.— attainment, and it is a really nice moment here today. talk me through how ou moment here today. talk me through how you have — moment here today. talk me through how you have assessed _ moment here today. talk me through how you have assessed the _ moment here today. talk me through how you have assessed the grades. . how you have assessed the grades. there aren't the traditional exams to rely on. what was the process like? it to rely on. what was the process like? :, , : , , to rely on. what was the process like? : _ , :, like? it was incredibly robust, our rocess, like? it was incredibly robust, our process. and _ like? it was incredibly robust, our process, and we _ like? it was incredibly robust, our process, and we did _ like? it was incredibly robust, our process, and we did it _ like? it was incredibly robust, our process, and we did it with - like? it was incredibly robust, our. process, and we did it with honesty and integrity, we believe. we gave the students additional assessments so that— the students additional assessments so that we _ the students additional assessments so that we could assess their true ability— so that we could assess their true ability and — so that we could assess their true ability and their true attainment. there _ ability and their true attainment. there was— ability and their true attainment. there was a really, really robust moderation process internally. that was then— moderation process internally. that was then moderated by our trust. the exam _ was then moderated by our trust. the exam boards— was then moderated by our trust. the exam boards took examples. all of those _ exam boards took examples. all of those layers took place before grades — those layers took place before grades were decided upon. there was

a real— grades were decided upon. there was a real focus— grades were decided upon. there was a real focus on the detail. we sat down _ a real focus on the detail. we sat down for— a real focus on the detail. we sat down for hours and hours looking at every _ down for hours and hours looking at every student, every subject, making sure the _ every student, every subject, making sure the evidence was there, making sure the evidence was there, making sure there _ sure the evidence was there, making sure there was the right and appropriate grades for the students. there _ appropriate grades for the students. there was— appropriate grades for the students. there was a thoroughness and robustness in the process, as well. let robustness in the process, as well. let me _ robustness in the process, as well. let me be — robustness in the process, as well. let me be thorough if not robust, you talked about assessments, that's the sort of thing that really interests notjust many people watching at home but people getting their results today. what have you done to assess that in the absence of exams? , :, , :, , done to assess that in the absence of exams?— of exams? plenty of questions are available. lots _ of exams? plenty of questions are available. lots of _ of exams? plenty of questions are available. lots of unseen - of exams? plenty of questions are available. lots of unseen mock- available. lots of unseen mock papers — available. lots of unseen mock papers were used as a, you know, collaboration to make sure we could -et collaboration to make sure we could get a _ collaboration to make sure we could get a really — collaboration to make sure we could get a really good picture of student knowledge and student skills. so that these grades were as accurate and as— that these grades were as accurate and as fair— that these grades were as accurate and as fair as they could be.- and as fair as they could be. we've heard a lot — and as fair as they could be. we've heard a lot today _ and as fair as they could be. we've heard a lot today on _ and as fair as they could be. we've heard a lot today on disparity - heard a lot today on disparity between different parts of the country. the parts of the north of england, for instance, performing 10% less favourably at those top

marks compared to, say, london. so keir starmer, the labour leader who we heard just a few moments ago on the bbc news channel, he's been speaking to teachers who were slightly concerned they didn't have enough time to assess. is that a fair comment? i enough time to assess. is that a fair comment?— enough time to assess. is that a fair comment? .. , :. fair comment? i think in the year we have had more _ fair comment? i think in the year we have had more time _ fair comment? i think in the year we have had more time would _ fair comment? i think in the year we have had more time would have - fair comment? i think in the year we i have had more time would have always been appreciated but we understand there has— been appreciated but we understand there has been significant uncertainty and therefore i don�*t feel the — uncertainty and therefore i don�*t feel the authenticity of the process has been _ feel the authenticity of the process has been compromised. based on the time _ has been compromised. based on the time but— has been compromised. based on the time. but time is always helpful and would _ time. but time is always helpful and would always be appreciated. you are -- so, would always be appreciated. you are -- so. your— would always be appreciated. you are -- so, your students _ would always be appreciated. you are -- so, your students can _ would always be appreciated. you are -- so, your students can look - —— so, your students can look anybody in the eye next year when they go on to do their a—levels and so you can rely on these results? absolutely. these marks are a true reflection _ absolutely. these marks are a true reflection of what they should receive — reflection of what they should receive. we are grateful for our teachers — receive. we are grateful for our teachers who have gone above and beyond _ teachers who have gone above and beyond to — teachers who have gone above and beyond to get to where we are today.

but absolutely, there is complete confidence in these results for our students _ confidence in these results for our students today.— confidence in these results for our students today. thanks very much for 'oinin: us. students today. thanks very much for joining us- you _ students today. thanks very much for joining us. you can _ students today. thanks very much for joining us. you can check— students today. thanks very much for joining us. you can check out - students today. thanks very much for joining us. you can check out the - joining us. you can check out the bbc news website for all sorts of little nuggets and explain as and details from the education team. thank you, sean. the international red cross has warned of a catastrophe for civilians in afghanistan is the tell of an advance country. the insurgents have taken control of ten of the country's 3a provincial capitals. the un says more than 1000 civilians have died in the past month. let's take a look at the latest developments.

intense street by street fighting is taking place in the city of kandahar, where the taliban have also taken control of the jail and released hundreds of prisoners. the taliban say they have taken control of the strategically important city of ghazni, which is on the road to the capital, kabul. president ashraf ghani earlier flew to the northern city of mazar—i—sharif — traditionally an anti—taliban bastion — to try to rally pro—government forces. we are really beginning to see the fallout of the violence that has been taken all over afghanistan in kabul. i was in the north of the city yesterday where there are thousands of people who have come in from provinces in different parts of the country, fleeing fighting, hardly being able to take anything along. they have rushed here to save their lives. some have travelled for days making dangerous journeys past taliban checkpoints and active front lines to get to kabul. one woman told me she and her children had been hungry for six days

and when they finally got here some residents of kabul gave them some food. there is very little by means of food supplies and water or even sanitation there. when we were in that area we didn't see any government agency or humanitarian agencies on the ground. people were angry because they felt like they had been left on their own. the government says they will shelter these people in mosques, and they will provide food and material. what we are seeing really here, the un has described it as a humanitarian catastrophe. 18 million people in need of urgent life—saving support. these aren't people who have had to run for their lives once. yesterday i met in kabul people who i had met four weeks ago in kundus, a province in northern afghanistan, that fell to the taliban on sunday. they had already run once or twice to get there. now they have made this dangerous journey to kabul. they are saying from here there is nowhere else to go for them.

the number of people pinned by the nhs virus app has continued to full. 317,000 pins were sent out across england and wales last week, a 20% decrease from the previous week. —— the number of people pinged by the nhs virus app has continued to fall, 317,000 pings were sent out across england and wales last week. the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has

risen to a record high. nearly 5.5 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end ofjune, according to figures from nhs england. this is the highest number since records began in august 2007. the number of peole having to wait more than 52 weeks to start treatment was over three hundred thousand, at the end ofjune. —— was over 300,000 at the end ofjune. that's an improvement from the previous month but around six times higher than figures a year earlier. a year ago, just over 50,000 people were waiting longer thank a year. the health secretary said the rises were expected and were a result of the coronavirus pandemic. he said the coronavirus pandemic. he said the government had put in £29 billion to the nhs and social care this year and would be looking at what else they could do. i this year and would be looking at what else they could do.- what else they could do. i think everybody _ what else they could do. i think everybody understands - what else they could do. i think everybody understands why - what else they could do. i think- everybody understands why waiting lists have risen. the nhs has been focused on covid—19 in this horrible pandemic. that means sadly waiting lists have risen. we estimate that there are 7 million people who ordinarily would have come forward to the nhs have stayed away understandably during the height of the pandemic. we want those people to come back. i don't how many will but even if half of them came to the nhs and can ijust stressed, i want people who need to be seen by the nhs to know that the nhs is there for them and they should come forward. as they do i think waiting lists will rise because i think

there will be a huge increase in demand, and i think again people understand that, but the important thing is we are providing the nhs with the resources that it needs already this year money has gone into social care and the nhs and we will certainly look again at what we need to do. but it's also about making sure the nhs has access to the latest technology, new innovations, and continues to find the best service it possibly can. deborah ward is a senior analyst at the kings fund, which is a research body focused on shaping social care and health policy and practice. she joins us now. welcome to bbc news. thank you. sajid javid said there this huge increase was in demand, it was expected, and people would understand, but what do you make of these figures? we know there has been that drop off

in people being referred. we do hope they come back and seek the treatment they need. the interesting thing for us that is starting to pay out now is that the nhs are having to balance that backlog in care along with the return to normal service and emergency care. how do they decide how they deploy their services in managing emergency care at its normal level and this backlog of waiting lists we are seeing. as well as everything else going on in the nhs. we cannotjust look at those in isolation, we also need to look at gp services, mental health services, and social care services which have always —— which have already seen challenges. one of the things to bear in mind is that this is a long—term planning that this is a long—term planning that we need to be doing. it's not a quick fix solution we can come up

with. the types of services the nhs provides, we cannotjust turn on very quickly. they need space, they need people, they need resources. those things take time to put in place. we need to be realistic and honest about how long those things will take and to plan for managing the waiting list in a way that will support people to be on it for a longer time rather than overpromising they will deliver. hour overpromising they will deliver. how lona do overpromising they will deliver. how long do you — overpromising they will deliver. how long do you think it will take to catch up on these waiting lists? irate catch up on these waiting lists? we haven't catch up on these waiting lists? - haven�*t done the modelling but we haven't done the modelling but we don't know the details underneath it. ~ :, don't know the details underneath it. : :, :, :, don't know the details underneath it. we hear a lot about increasing ca aci it. we hear a lot about increasing capacity to _ it. we hear a lot about increasing capacity to accommodate - it. we hear a lot about increasing capacity to accommodate the - it. we hear a lot about increasing - capacity to accommodate the demand. what does that actually mean in practice? it what does that actually mean in ractice? . what does that actually mean in ractice? , ,:, : ~ what does that actually mean in ractice? , : ,, :, :,, practice? it refers back to those thins i practice? it refers back to those things i mentioned, _ practice? it refers back to those

things i mentioned, space, - practice? it refers back to those - things i mentioned, space, people, and resources. physical space is something we have had to think about. hospitals are limited in size. just adding an extra ward to treat people more quickly isn't that simple. we also need to have enough people to staff those beds and we need enough equipment to support those people. we were already struggling with those things before the pandemic. and the pandemic has only increased those challenges. those are the sorts of things we are talking about when it comes to capacity. talking about when it comes to ca iaci _ , :, :, talking about when it comes to caiaci _ :, talking about when it comes to caaci . :, :, ,, :, talking about when it comes to caaci . :, :, ,, :, ,, capacity. good to talk to you. thank ou. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. india are batting after england elected to bowl on the first morning of the second test at lord's. there was a slightly delayed start because of rain but the action is underway. openers rohit sharma and kl rahul

making a steady start, india are 11i without loss. james anderson passed a fitness test but hasn't piecked up any wickets so far. england have brought in moeen ali, haseeb hameed and mark wood. wood is in for the injured stuart broad. zak crawley and dan lawrence have been dropped, with hameed set to bat three and moeen's spin brought in to strengthen the bowling attack after that washout draw at trent bridge last weekend. ishant sharma for shardul thakur is india's only change. southern brave's smriti mandhana is leaving the hundred after helping them get to the final. the indian star helped them to the final yesterday with 78 runs but will fly home to see herfamily before her country's tour of australia. she will take no further part in the tournament and will be replaced by ireland's gaby lewis. chelsea fans are still waiting for confirmation of romelu lukaku's move back to stamford bridge. we understand that deal is done forjust under £100 million. and they could recoup some of that money by selling tammy abraham to roma. their general manager — tiago pinto — is in london, hoping to negotiate that move

for the england striker. jo konta will play coco gauff in the last sixteen at the canadian open later. the british number one beat elina svitolina in three sets. konta's missed a lot of tennis after pulling out of wimbledon becasue she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for covid, and then missed the olympics herself because she tested positive. however, she is back, and showing some good form ahead of the us open which starts at the end of the month. former world heavyweight champion, david haye is making a return to the ring three years after retiring at the age of a0. haye officially hung up his gloves in 2018 after back—to—back defeats against tony bellew. haye — on the right of your screen — said on social media that he'll be boxing joe fournier over eight rounds in los angeles, but that it wasn't a comeback. for the last few years, haye's been a manager and promoter. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour.

a study by the charity the world wildlife fund says britain's budget for policies to tackle global warming is less than one hundredth of what's needed, despite its status as host of a major international conference on climate change later this year. official guidance says countries should allot one per cent of gdp to ensuring climate goals are met. isabella o'dowd is the head of climate change at the world wildlife fund. shejoins us now. good to have she joins us now. good to have you with us. how far off track is the government's spending?- with us. how far off track is the government's spending? thank you. our analysis — government's spending? thank you. our analysis shows _ government's spending? thank you. our analysis shows a _ government's spending? thank you. our analysis shows a snapshot - government's spending? thank you. our analysis shows a snapshot of. government's spending? thank you. | our analysis shows a snapshot of the spring budget that happened march last year —— this year. the government is spending more on policies which are negative to the environment rather than spending on

positive climate change policies, which is around 0.01% of gdp. we are saying that government needs to implement the necessary test ahead of the spending review next year, make sure they have that visibility and are spending more on the positive rather than the negative. give us a couple of examples of what those policies are.— those policies are. when you look at the s-urin those policies are. when you look at the spring budget. _ those policies are. when you look at the spring budget, some _ those policies are. when you look at the spring budget, some of- those policies are. when you look at the spring budget, some of the - the spring budget, some of the negative policies that have been spent on stuff like the fuel duty freeze, which has been shown to reduce emissions, in terms of positive spending they have announced spending around the uk emissions trading scheme, which is a carbon trading scheme which helps reduce emissions, so what we are saying is we need to see this year ahead of 26, more spending to make sure we are upon —— we are balancing the positive with the negative. irate

the positive with the negative. we have been reporting on the billions needed to reduce nhs waiting lists. this is another set of demands, isn't it, on the government's long shopping list? the prime minister has promised £12 billion for a ten point plan for the green industrial revolution. are you saying this still isn't enough? irate revolution. are you saying this still isn't enough? revolution. are you saying this still isn't enouuh? ~ :, still isn't enough? we welcomed that [an last still isn't enough? we welcomed that plan last year — still isn't enough? we welcomed that plan last year from _ still isn't enough? we welcomed that plan last year from government. - still isn't enough? we welcomed that plan last year from government. as | plan last year from government. as the committee on climate change says, we need to see around 1% of gdp each year to meet our climate change commitments. the ipcc report that was launched earlier this week really highlights the extreme weather and the challenges we are seeing in terms of climate change, and our own analysis shows that if we delay this investment now it doubles for the future generations, and we invest in the transition, we can unlock 9o and we invest in the transition, we can unlock 90 billion of annual benefits for the uk which includes increased health as well as

increased health as well as increased green jobs. increased health as well as increased greenjobs. we really need to build resilience as we recover from this pandemic.— to build resilience as we recover from this pandemic. what response have ou from this pandemic. what response have you heard _ from this pandemic. what response have you heard from _ from this pandemic. what response have you heard from the _ from this pandemic. what response i have you heard from the government? we have been engaging with the government over the last year. we've been working with them. we are really looking forward to the next strategy later this year. i want to encourage them to implement this net zero test ahead of the spending review so we can make sure the spending is adding up and they will meet the promises they have committed to.— meet the promises they have committed to. :, , : committed to. thanks very much. thank you- _ now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. for many today there will be dry and sunny spells, but we have a weak weather front over southern england producing thicker cloud and spots of drizzle which is moving further north through the day.- drizzle which is moving further north through the day. we've also not rain north through the day. we've also got rain coming — north through the day. we've also got rain coming in _ north through the day. we've also got rain coming in across - north through the day. we've also | got rain coming in across northern ireland and scotland turning more showery throughout the day but the showers could still be heavy and

thundery with gusty winds across the north—western quadrant of the uk. 15 to 24. this evening and overnight, the dregs of the weather front remain over parts of england and wales. some murkiness around the coasts and hills, the showers and gusty winds persist around northern ireland and in scotland it won't be as cold in the northern half of the country as it was last night. tomorrow we still will have this cloud in some spots of rain across southern parts of england and wales. that will break up for most away from the south—west and we continue with some showers across the north and the west. wherever you are tomorrow, there will be brisk winds.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: record gcse grades achieved in england, wales and northern ireland, after a second year of cancelled exams. what we have seen today is baked in inequality, the gap between those going to private schools and state schools has got bigger.

the un warns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster in afghanistan, as taliban fighters say they've captured the strategically important city of ghazni. the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high. the uk economy grows by nearly 5% between april and june — following the easing of restrictions. new zealand says it will keep its border closed until at least the end of the year — to keep covid out. and the dangerous dogs act. campaigners call for reform, but the government insists it protects the public. and now for more on our top story today. students have received another set of record grades in a year of covid disruption to exams in england, wales and northern ireland.

we are joined now by our news correspondent sean dilly who was at richmond part academy in east sheen. good morning to you again. i wanted to talk about how the attainment gap is widening between pupils in fee—paying schools and state schools. pupils in fee-paying schools and state schools.— state schools. first of all is he riaht, state schools. first of all is he right. and _ state schools. first of all is he right. and if— state schools. first of all is he right, and if so _ state schools. first of all is he right, and if so should - state schools. first of all is he right, and if so should we - state schools. first of all is he right, and if so should we be l right, and if so should we be concerned? he right, and if so should we be concerned?— right, and if so should we be concerned? , :, :, :, j , concerned? he is right, from today's results we see _ concerned? he is right, from today's results we see a _ concerned? he is right, from today's results we see a rise _ concerned? he is right, from today's results we see a rise in _ concerned? he is right, from today's results we see a rise in top - concerned? he is right, from today's results we see a rise in top grades i results we see a rise in top grades compared — results we see a rise in top grades compared to 2% at comprehensives, and really— compared to 2% at comprehensives, and really it�*s a combination of two different— and really it�*s a combination of two different offsetting forces. on the one hand — different offsetting forces. on the one hand poverty made it harder to learn _ one hand poverty made it harder to learn during this pandemic, one in five children on free school meals didn't— five children on free school meals didn't have — five children on free school meals didn�*t have access to a computer. on top of— didn�*t have access to a computer. on top of that— didn�*t have access to a computer. on top of that teacher assessed grades.

teachers _ top of that teacher assessed grades. teachers did their best in difficult circumstances but disadvantaged students — circumstances but disadvantaged students are the most likely to lose out and _ students are the most likely to lose out and that is what we have seen today~ _ out and that is what we have seen today. disadvantaged student hit by the pandemic and the system hitting them harder. and as that because independent school teachers are more generous— independent school teachers are more generous in— independent school teachers are more generous in awarding grades? what do ou mean? generous in awarding grades? what do you mean? what— generous in awarding grades? what do you mean? what i _ generous in awarding grades? what do you mean? what i mean _ generous in awarding grades? what do you mean? what i mean by— generous in awarding grades? what do you mean? what i mean by that - generous in awarding grades? what do you mean? what i mean by that is - you mean? what i mean by that is this system _ you mean? what i mean by that is this system had _ you mean? what i mean by that is this system had teachers - you mean? what i mean by that is this system had teachers cobbling| this system had teachers cobbling together the best marks they could from whatever mark had been produced. each school had a different system and had to submit that to an assessment centre. it's not clear why independent schools did well but we know that disadvantaged students are most likely to lose out from unconscious stereotyping and also less teacher contact time this year because they are most likely to be affected by covid absences. it is unfortunate that there is the case, we will find out exactly why that is in the next few months i imagine. i understand about the next _ few months i imagine. i understand about the next few _ few months i imagine. i understand

about the next few months - few months i imagine. i understand about the next few months so - few months i imagine. i understand i about the next few months so perhaps i should caveat this next question by saying it may be too early to say but in your view i'll be going backwards in terms of the levelling up backwards in terms of the levelling up of education? is it getting worse? it up of education? is it getting worse? : :. , up of education? is it getting worse? : :, , :, up of education? is it getting worse? : :, :, worse? it certainly looks that way. we saw the _ worse? it certainly looks that way. we saw the attainment _ worse? it certainly looks that way. we saw the attainment gap - worse? it certainly looks that way. we saw the attainment gap rise i we saw the attainment gap rise between those not on free school meals and on free school meals. the education policy institute thinks we need about £15 billion to have remedial learning, one—to—one tutoring, longer school days, summer learning programmes as well as other interventions. this government has not put up the cash, only £1.5 billion. to put that into context, we spent about £1 billion on eight out to help out last year subsidising the spread of the virus which cost students, specifically disadvantaged students during the last year. disadvantaged students during the last ear. :. disadvantaged students during the last ear. :, :, , , last year. final thought, girls seem to be doing — last year. final thought, girls seem to be doing better— last year. final thought, girls seem to be doing better than _ last year. final thought, girls seem to be doing better than boys. - last year. final thought, girls seem to be doing better than boys. are l to be doing better than boys. are they cleverer, as one expert has

suggested? i�*m they cleverer, as one expert has suggested?— they cleverer, as one expert has suggested? i'm really happy girls are doinu suggested? i'm really happy girls are doing so _ suggested? i'm really happy girls are doing so well _ suggested? i'm really happy girls are doing so well and _ suggested? i'm really happy girls are doing so well and we - suggested? i'm really happy girls are doing so well and we should i suggested? i'm really happy girls . are doing so well and we should look at what we can do to reach boys attainment but it should be celebrated, and also looking forward to genuine equality in the future. we are lucky we should be proud to live in a world where women have better opportunities in the labour market and we will continue everything we can do to see that happen in the future.— everything we can do to see that happen in the future. really good to have ou happen in the future. really good to have you with _ happen in the future. really good to have you with us, _ happen in the future. really good to have you with us, thank— happen in the future. really good to have you with us, thank you. - i'm joined now by chris page, our ireland correspondent, who is at a school in belfast. it's been another record—breaking year of gcse success. in northern ireland almost 40% of entries have received a*, or an a so once again

more success than ever before. here pupils have been coming and going in small groups at intervals through the morning, picking up their envelopes from result stations here. we have had plenty of tension and nerves but also relief and greatjoy even whenever they learn what their grades are. so let's not forget about the teachers of course in all of this. the assistant vice principal is with me, thank you for hosting us here on bbc news. so what have the last few hours been like for you? $55 have the last few hours been like for ou? : . :. have the last few hours been like for ou? a. have the last few hours been like for ou? a: have the last few hours been like for you? as a teacher it has been wonderful— for you? as a teacher it has been wonderful to _ for you? as a teacher it has been wonderful to see _ for you? as a teacher it has been wonderful to see the _ for you? as a teacher it has been wonderful to see the girls - for you? as a teacher it has been wonderful to see the girls and i for you? as a teacher it has been i wonderful to see the girls and their families— wonderful to see the girls and their families coming to collect their results — families coming to collect their results. in 29 years of teaching the last year— results. in 29 years of teaching the last year has been the most challenging with covid and the restrictions and lockdowns, so to see the _ restrictions and lockdowns, so to see the girls and their hard work and efforts pay off in their receiving of results today and to be able to _ receiving of results today and to be able to have a bit of time with their— able to have a bit of time with their peers has been wonderful. still enforcing the social distancing strategies, but it has

been _ distancing strategies, but it has been great to see the girls and it has been — been great to see the girls and it has been a — been great to see the girls and it has been a very tough year, two years— has been a very tough year, two years for— has been a very tough year, two years for the gcse girls. they have suffered _ years for the gcse girls. they have suffered two lockdowns, but it is very encouraging to see how well they have — very encouraging to see how well they have achieved and how they have gained _ they have achieved and how they have gained those results which they definitely deserved. you gained those results which they definitely deserved.— gained those results which they definitely deserved. you say you have been _ definitely deserved. you say you have been in _ definitely deserved. you say you have been in teaching _ definitely deserved. you say you have been in teaching for - definitely deserved. you say you | have been in teaching for almost three decades with the last two years i don't think anyone could have seen this coming, and it has certainly affected teaching and learning profoundly. irate certainly affected teaching and learning profoundly.— certainly affected teaching and learning profoundly. we are very luc in learning profoundly. we are very lucky in ashfield _ learning profoundly. we are very lucky in ashfield girls' _ learning profoundly. we are very lucky in ashfield girls' school, i learning profoundly. we are very| lucky in ashfield girls' school, we lucky in ashfield girls�* school, we have _ lucky in ashfield girls�* school, we have great — lucky in ashfield girls�* school, we have great teaching staff. we were already— have great teaching staff. we were already starting to prepare for a second — already starting to prepare for a second lockdown before the first lockdown — second lockdown before the first lockdown and did so with the ict department and business department, i had lots _ department and business department, i had lots of strategies in place with online lessons and teams set up before _ with online lessons and teams set up before school started last september so we _ before school started last september so we were already ahead of the game and that— so we were already ahead of the game and that was a life—saver for pupils and that was a life—saver for pupils and staff — and that was a life—saver for pupils and staff it — and that was a life—saver for pupils and staff. it was very challenging but we _ and staff. it was very challenging but we had the strategies in place

so we _ but we had the strategies in place so we were able to deliver a mixture of live _ so we were able to deliver a mixture of live lessons as well as pre—recorded lessons. we were able to engage _ pre—recorded lessons. we were able to engage with pupils and see when they were _ to engage with pupils and see when they were engaging, how they were engaging. _ they were engaging, how they were engaging, and also able to provide resources — engaging, and also able to provide resources and laptops for the pupils — resources and laptops for the pupils. those doing exams objects and further down the school as well. everyone _ and further down the school as well. everyone in — and further down the school as well. everyone in the school worked extremely hard together from classroom assistants, teachers, principal, — classroom assistants, teachers, principal, vice principal across the board _ principal, vice principal across the board. parents as well, we couldn�*t have _ board. parents as well, we couldn�*t have done — board. parents as well, we couldn�*t have done it — board. parents as well, we couldn�*t have done it without parent supporting the children and getting on board _ supporting the children and getting on board and really supporting is where _ on board and really supporting is where we — on board and really supporting is where we needed it, so it was definitely— where we needed it, so it was definitely a team effort of parents, pupils— definitely a team effort of parents, pupils and — definitely a team effort of parents, pupils and staff, and thankfully the results _ pupils and staff, and thankfully the results have shown that has paid off. :, , :,: , results have shown that has paid off. remarkable achievements all round. thanks _ off. remarkable achievements all round. thanks again, _ off. remarkable achievements all round. thanks again, it _ off. remarkable achievements all round. thanks again, it has - off. remarkable achievements all round. thanks again, it has been | round. thanks again, it has been great sharing in such a big moment for you and your colleagues and students. when it comes to the situation around the uk, northern ireland has come top of the class. the proportion of the high grades

here, higherthan in the proportion of the high grades here, higher than in england and wales, though as you heard really more than anything else here a sense of relief that these two completely unprecedented years seem to be drawing to a close and things may well be a good deal more normal when school resumes.— school resumes. certainly quieter than when i _ school resumes. certainly quieter than when i was _ school resumes. certainly quieter than when i was at _ school resumes. certainly quieter than when i was at school, - school resumes. certainly quieter than when i was at school, chris. | than when i was at school, chris. good to talk to you, many thanks. let's get more now on the situation in afghanistan. taliban fighters have captured the city of ghazni — the tenth provincial capital they've seized in recent days. in kandahar, the country's second largest city, they've broken into the prison and freed the inmates. now, to give you some idea ofjust how quickly the taliban have been capturing new territory, we can look at these maps. injuly, the areas controlled by the taliban were these, shown in red. with contested regions in yellow. but now, a lot more territory has fallen to the taliban including nearly a third of the country's 34

provincial capitals as it intensifies its offensive to seize power, following the withdrawal of western troops. peace talks between the afghan government and the taliban have been taking place for a year in doha, but no agreement has been reached. my colleague yalda hakeem has interviewed two high profile figures in the taliban. she asked them what they want from the afghan government and how they would rule the country if they seized kabul. afghanistan, 2021 — the taliban are back, taking city after city from government forces. the withdrawal of foreign troops has left a power vacuum the taliban are rushing to fill. if they take power, many people here fear a return to their brutal regime of the '90s, characterised by public executions, stonings and girls being banned from school. despite the historic peace deal that was signed between the us and the taliban in february 2020, and the ongoing peace talks taking place in doha, qatar,

between the afghan government and the taliban, no progress has been made. i travelled to doha to meet with suhail shahin, a member of the taliban peace negotiation team. if you were to return to kabul, how would you govern? there was in the past some mistakes that we have learned from, because at that time you were new to the government to stop education of women and girls. that is not our goal. of course, education is their right and it is much needed. while suhail shahin continues to talk about peace, it's clearly not a view shared by taliban commanders closing in on afghanistan's cities. back in kabul, taliban commander maulana from helmand agreed to meet me. what do you want? do you want the taliban regime to come back into power or do

you think that there should be a power—sharing deal with the current government? like the discussions that are being had in doha? translation: we would be happy to have a joint government under. the umbrella of islamic sharia. a sharia—based system in afghanistan, like the system the taliban used to have. if we talk about law and order and justice, if someone were to steal or commit adultery, what should happen to them? translation: all this is clearly stated in the koran. _ if someone steals, there is a punishment, for example, for some theft, the punishment is cutting off the hand and foot. and if someone commits adultery, then they should be stoned. and if there isn't a political

resolution to this conflict, are you prepared to take kabul by force? translation: i'm trying to defeat | the government and they're trying | to make me disappear. in the end, we will be compelled to kill one another. increasingly, it appears there is a disconnect between what is being said by the political office in doha and what the taliban commanders and foot soldiers are doing on the ground in afghanistan. but the vice president of afghanistan remains defiant. this group in doha. they are a deceptive facade of a very dark reality called the taliban. so in your view, have they changed? no, not only they have not changed, they have become savvier in deceiving. with the government adamant to defy a new era of sharia law, and the taliban making significant gains, afghans now seem to be caught

up in a savage war that has taken on a life of its own. yalda hakim, bbc news, kabul. and you can see the first part of yalda hakim's our world report from afghanistan — return of the taliban — here on the bbc news channel over the weekend. it'll be shown several times, starting at 13.30 on saturday afternoon. the uk economy grew by 4.8% between april and june as most businesses emerged from lockdown. the growth was fuelled by retail — restaurants and hotels. it's slightly less than the prediction from the bank of england. the chancellor rishi sunak has been speaking about the figures with our economics editor, faisal islam. today's figures show the economy is recovering very strongly, exceeding many peoples expectations, and the fastest growth... from a low base.

the evidence is our plan is working. i'm not complacent. we have experienced a significant shock. it will take us time to fully recover from that. that's why i'm not done supporting businesses or people. most importantly, giving them the opportunities and skills they need to find well—paid jobs. we are coming out of emergency mode now. it's revealing the colour of your government, what priorities you have. it is important to know right now whether you are on the same page, whether you are working well together with the prime minister, your neighbour and boss, or have you fallen out? absolutely not. we work well together. we are united in ensuring our economy recovers as quickly and as strongly as possible. that's my focus. today's figures show that my plan forjobs is working. on the priorities that you will have to set out, we know that you have chosen, despite the fact the bank of england says inflation will be above 3%,

up to 4% this year, the pay settlement for nhs workers is below that, and yet you are funding the prime minister's private yacht. it is right people are concerned about the cost of living. i'm concerned about that. we want to make sure we keep the cost of living low. what i say to people is, have confidence. the bank of england, who are in charge of keeping inflation low and stable, have a good track record of doing exactly that. as i said at the beginning of the interview, we are not done supporting people. i want people to have well—paid jobs. we are increasing the national living wage, we are helping people find new retraining opportunities to get better paid jobs. those are the types of things that will make a difference. you recognise the bank of england is predicting inflation at 3—4% and your pay settlement for nhs workers is below that? we have accepted the recommendations of the independent pay review body

with regard to nhs pay, and we have put that in place. more broadly, we are doing other things, for example increasing the national living wage, and making sure we provide people with opportunities to find better paid jobs. those are the right interventions for a time like this. the unions now say why not copy germany, have a less generous but permanent version of the furlough scheme, that will show how committed you are to workers? if you look at the labour market, what we should take away is that our progress has been incredibly positive. unemployment is forecast to peak at levels half of originally predicted. that's 2 million people view are out of work than we feared. why not continue the furlough scheme? because we are seeing a labour market recovering strongly. we are seeing lots of companies wanting to hire lots of people and unemployment falling again. that's great. it shows our plans forjobs is working. we are helping companies

take on new people, provide new opportunity, that's the right type of intervention now. if you look at the big picture, you have spent big, it has made you popular, personally. has that changed your view, are you now an instinctive big spender? my desire is to deliver the priorities we were elected on. in the spending review this autumn, people will see no return to austerity. they will see strong investment in public services. that's why we are able to have 20,000 more police officers, 50,000 new nurses, 40 new hospitals, and spreading opportunity across the country through things like fibre broadband. those are the priorities for the government and that is what we will deliver. rishi sunak there. the headlines on bbc news... record gcse grades achieved in england, wales and northern ireland, after a second year of cancelled exams. the un warns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster in afghanistan, as taliban fighters say they've captured the strategically

important city of ghazni. the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a record high. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, has said that tough border restrictions — introduced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — will remain in place until at least the end of the year. she said she didn't want to risk a new, more transmissible variant of the virus entering the country. our correspondent shaimaa khalil is in sydney. jacinda ardern said new zealand is not yet in a position to fully reopen, but she did set out a gradual plan of easing and relaxing the borders. later this year, a new trial scheme is going to start and it will allow a selected number of vaccinated passengers to come into new zealand

and self—isolate at home as opposed to hotel quarantine. from 2022, and we don't have a solid date on that yet, but a new risk—based system is going to be put in place. essentially it is different expectations and requirements of isolation and quarantine depending on whether the passenger, who is fully vaccinated, and which area they come from, whether it is a high or low risk area. ultimately fully vaccinated passenger from a low risk area will be able to come into new zealand without having to isolate or quarantine. the other thing that jacinda ardern talked about is getting as many new zealanders vaccinated as possible in the coming few months of this year. the vaccination roll—out has been slow and the rates are still quite low — about 20% of new zealanders have been fully vaccinated and have had theirjabs. the country's elimination policy, which is the closing of the borders and snap lockdowns to contain outbreaks, have really

helped it in controlling the spread of covid—19. it has become an international success story and it has also helped it in eliminating or in minimising the medical effects of the virus. since the beginning of the pandemic, new zealand has recorded less then 30, fewer than 30 deaths overall, but it has come at a price. it has severely hurt the tourism sector and it has made it difficult for thousands of new zealanders to come back home and be reunited with theirfamilies. so while the borders are going to be closed for a while, because they want to consolidate the success and be careful about reopening, we are seeing the beginnings, the features of what it will look like for this gradual easing of new zealand's borders in 2022.

our correspondent shaimaa khalil there in sydney. it's 30 years today since the dangerous dogs act came into force but campaigners and charities — including the rspca — say the law needs a complete overhaul. four breeds can currently be seized by police and either put down or kept under strict conditions. charlotte gallagher went to meet one banned dog and its owner. meet alex, he is ten years old. in dog years, a senior citizen. but his life is very different to that of most other dogs. that is because he has beenjudged to be a pit bull—type animal, a banned breed in the uk. his owner sian is only allowed to keep him if she sticks to certain conditions. his life is very restricted and it is up to us, as his owners, myself and my husband, to ensure that he has a full and active life. he has to be muzzled and on a restricted length lead, held by someone over the age of 16

at all times in a public place. that includes the car. he can't run free unless he is in a secure area. people ask questions, but if anyone backs away or makes an unpleasant remark, i will stop them and tell them why he is like this. the dangerous dogs act bans four different breeds — pit bull terrier, dogo argentino, fila brasileiro and japanese tosa. dogs suspected of being a banned type can be seized by the police. they will either be put down or returned to the owner and, like alex, be kept under strict conditions. because he is in his garden, he doesn't a muzzle or have a lead on, but outside it is different. the rspca and other charities say the law discriminates

against dogs like alex because of what they look like and doesn't work, because the number of dog attacks has actually gone up. in the 20 years from 1999 to 2019, hospital admissions for dog bites increased by 154%. from 3,454 to 8,775. in the last five years, the rspca, battersea and blue cross have destroyed 482 dogs that were judged to be a banned breed. many of those had never attacked anyone. eight—year—old poppy was attacked by a staffordshire bull terrier earlier this year and left with facial injuries. her mum meg morris believes there should be more checks on potential owners. there should be a law where you have to have, like, they check out your vet, they check out your home and then they match you to the right dog for you and they are really strict on it. i just think that should

be done for every dog. dogs suspected of being a banned breed are not dna tested, they are classified on their measurements. so if the dog looks like a pit bull, it is labelled as a pit bull. that means you can end up with legal pure breeds and crossbreeds being included within this legislation and being subjected to the prohibition. what we do know, if you do want to be able to effectively protect public safety, you need to very much be focusing on individual dogs and having legislation in place that allows you to tackle dogs based on their behaviour, as opposed to how they look. we want to see a complete reform and consolidation of the current dog legislation we have in the uk, but with the real focus on it being breed neutral in approach. this is fudge, her owner believed she was a staffordshire bull terrier, but like alex, she was judged to be a pit bull—type animal. she was taken by police and put down. everybody loved her, even

walking her up and down the road. it was surreal that that many police had come for a puppy. the next day i started to get angry, thinking, "she never did anything, she never hit anyone, she has never growled at anyone, why is she dead?" parliament didn�*t go out of its way to kill dogs unnecessarily. it isjust sadly the execution. what we have been left with is the needless destruction of hundreds if not thousands of dogs. the government says the aim of the dangerous dogs act is to ensure the safety of the public, adding it has commissioned research on the effectiveness of existing measures and how to address behavioural problems among dogs. campaigners agree the public needs to be protected, but say the current law isn't doing that. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. a british man has appeared before a court in germany, accused of spying for russia. the man — who's said to have been

paid by the russians — worked for the british embassy in berlin. he is alleged to have forwarded documents to a russian intelligence agent on at least one occasion. a driver in the us state of maryland may think twice before ignoring road closed signs a second time after driving his cadillac straight into a sinkhole. the suv became totally submerged after the driver reportedly dodged barriers and landed in the water. he was able to get out and was taken to hospital for observation. crews were on the scene of the burst water main, which caused the sinkhole. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. low pressure is going to continue to dominate our weather for the next few days. it looks like it's not going to be until the middle of next week high pressure will start to try and take over. so for the rest of this week, turning cooler, blustery, rain at times, especially in the north and west. that's certainly the case today

as this area of low pressure in the atlantic edges ever closer to us with its weather front. we also still have yesterday's weather front draped across southern areas, producing some cloud and some spots of rain. that will edge a little bit further north through the course of the day. so eastern scotland, much of england seeing some sunshine. we've got the rain across western scotland, some showers in northern ireland. one or two showers getting in across western parts of wales as well, but they will be the exception rather than the rule. and here's the cloud with some drizzly bits and pieces on it in southern england. to the south of that, feeling humid. to the north of that, fresher. and also, some strong winds across the far north—west. those winds continue tonight, as indeed will the showers. our weather front across england and wales still draped across southern areas in between some clear skies, and it's not going to be as cold a night in the northern half of the country as it was last night. most of us staying in double figures. so for tomorrow, our low pressure edges a little bit further north eastwards. one look at those isobars tells you there's going to be

brisk winds wherever you are during the course of friday. so we still have our weather front, a fairly weak affair, across southern areas bringing in a bit more cloud across the south—west and some murky conditions, but it should break up elsewhere. the showers continue across scotland, some of those again, heavy and thundery in temperatures down a touch on today. into the weekend, there's a level of uncertainty into the forecast because we've got this area of low pressure developing and it's where exactly it ends up. so this may well change, so what we think at the moment is there will be more cloud across england and wales with some rain coming in spreading steadily northwards. for northern ireland, for northern england and for scotland, it looks like you'll have something drier and brighter with some sunshine and just the odd shower. temperatures — 15 to 22 degrees. of course, what happens to that low pressure on saturday will have a bearing on what happens on sunday. and what we think at the moment is it's going to be a mixture of sunshine and showers. and into monday, still

continuing with that theme.

this is bbc news, this is a special hour—long programme about the conflict in afghanistan and the future of the country. the taliban takes another provincial capital and closes in on campbell. there are reports from the peace talks that the taliban have been offered a power—sharing deal. —— closes in on campbell. what is the end game? i've been talking exclusively to a taliban commander about the kind of law they would impose. —— closes in on kabul. if someone was to steal or commit adultery, what should happen to them? the commit adultery, what should happen to them? . . commit adultery, what should happen to them? , , , : to them? the punishment is cutting off the hand — to them? the punishment is cutting off the hand and _ to them? the punishment is cutting off the hand and foot, _ to them? the punishment is cutting off the hand and foot, if— to them? the punishment is cutting off the hand and foot, if someone i off the hand and foot, if someone commits adultery the punishment is stoning. commits adultery the punishment is stoninu. ~ :. commits adultery the punishment is stoninu. ~ :, :, , commits adultery the punishment is stoninu. :, :, , :,

stoning. what does the future hold? i will be