300 have left so far. vice admiral sir ben key says the taliban is controlling the gates of the airport in the capital, and there's no time to waste. there is a dynamic political situation running across the city, we make no assumptions about that other than that we really cannot afford to pause and wait. meanwhile, as president biden defends the us withdrawal from afghanistan, the brother of a soldier killed serving there says he remains proud. you always want to know that what you are doing has purpose and meaning. but purpose and meaning doesn't always come in victory. we'll bring you the latest

on the evacuation from afghanistan. also this lunchtime. morejobs are available than ever before — and average pay is up too. a warning from the data watchdog — don't give too much of your personal information when ordering drinks via the app in your local pub. coming up on the bbc news channel, we have the latest transfer news as tammy abraham agrees a move to italy, the england striker joins roma from chelsea. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. efforts to evacuate people from afghanistan to the uk are being stepped up with 300 people already brought out — with the aim to bring

out as many as 7,000. vice admiral sir ben key who is running the uk evacuation operation, says it's a dynamic situation across the city and they cannot afford to pause with the taliban controlling the gates of the airport. 0n the streets of kabul, the taliban tell people to get back to work and continue with life as normal. 0ur diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports. at kabul airport, the exeter of foreigners continues, civilians boarding an indian military flight this morning after the chaos yesterday, aeroplanes are once again leaving. earlier france sent a plane to evacuate its citizens and their afghan colleagues. this vast international operation now gathering pace. the man running the british operation says he expects to bring out as many as 7000 people. how long have we got? we do not really know and so every day, we are working as hard as we can to put as

many forward into this pipeline as we possibly can. clearly, there is a dynamic political situation running across the city, we make no assumptions about that, other than that we really cannot afford to pause and wait.— that we really cannot afford to pause and wait. and this is what it looks like for— pause and wait. and this is what it looks like for some. _ pause and wait. and this is what it looks like for some. this - looks like for some. this extraordinary image from an american military flight on sunday. 650 afghans crammed on board. in the city, an uneasy watchful calm, taliban fighters highly visible as they assert their authority. and raise their flag. they assert their authority. and raise theirflag. for they assert their authority. and raise their flag. for now, they assert their authority. and raise theirflag. for now, the they assert their authority. and raise their flag. for now, the city appears to be functioning. those who have chosen to stay or have no choice, wondering what taliban rule will be like. �* , choice, wondering what taliban rule will be like. 3 , choice, wondering what taliban rule will be like. �* , , ., will be like. let's see what afghanistan _ will be like. let's see what afghanistan brings, - will be like. let's see what afghanistan brings, i- will be like. let's see what l afghanistan brings, i wanted will be like. let's see what - afghanistan brings, i wanted to stay here, i want to fight for my students, i want to fight for our vision of afghanistan and i know things are never going to be the same any more, it's just, things are never going to be the same any more, it'sjust, i have to

be here. same any more, it's 'ust, i have to be here. . ., be here. inherent, which fell to the taliban last — be here. inherent, which fell to the taliban last week, _ be here. inherent, which fell to the taliban last week, some _ be here. inherent, which fell to the taliban last week, some things - be here. inherent, which fell to the l taliban last week, some things have not changed. schoolgirls were at their desks today, seems unthinkable when the taliban last ruled the country. ml; when the taliban last ruled the count . y ., , when the taliban last ruled the count. g , ., country. my hope is that we will continue to _ country. my hope is that we will continue to resist _ country. my hope is that we will continue to resist any _ country. my hope is that we will continue to resist any possible i continue to resist any possible deprivation in the taliban must also realise they cannot keep afghanistan to the knee, they have to live with the world. in a moderate situation, moderate government, modern islam, we can live with ourselves and the world. , ., we can live with ourselves and the world. , . , ., ., world. these are strange and uncertain _ world. these are strange and uncertain times. _ world. these are strange and uncertain times. a _ world. these are strange and uncertain times. a world - world. these are strange and uncertain times. a world in i world. these are strange and - uncertain times. a world in which a female presenter in kabul can still interview a representative of the taliban. but for how long? it's been 20 years since the taliban last ruled kabul. not everyone here even remembers what it was like. the militants say they want an inclusive islamic government, what people wonder, will that mean?

paul adams, bbc news. let's speak to our chief international correspondent lyse doucet. any word on who is going to lead the new taliban government? iliiui’eiiii any word on who is going to lead the new taliban government? iliai’eiiiii any word on who is going to lead the new taliban government? well i think we 'ust new taliban government? well i think we just have — new taliban government? well i think we just have to _ new taliban government? well i think we just have to look— new taliban government? well i think we just have to look at _ new taliban government? well i think we just have to look at the _ new taliban government? well i think we just have to look at the existing i we just have to look at the existing taliban movement which is very much an islamic movement. it is headed by an islamic movement. it is headed by an islamic movement. it is headed by an islamic a mayor. who will likely almost certainly play a role as they transferred their movement to become a new islamic system. and in effect the new government of afghanistan. we have reports that the deputy leader of the taliban who is one of their senior negotiators, is now on his way from the gulf state of qatar were at the taliban have a political office and is on his way to kabul. there have been reports and other senior taliban officials have already arrived in the city. they do, just like afghan stomp, pretty much everyone around the world, have been surprised by the speed and

scale of their sudden advance, within ten days they took over all of afghanistan, which is absolutely extraordinary and of course devastating for so many afghans. hence those chaotic, frantic, desperate scenes at the airport. but for those who cannot leave, they are coming literally face—to—face with the taliban on the streets, taliban patrols are saying they are trying to prevent looting, we have reports of female reporters, afghans, out on the streets presenting, is this the face of the first few days or the face of the first few days or the face of the new government? a big question for afghans and for all of us. lyse, thank you. here — the foreign secretary dominic raab says details of a new resettlement scheme for afghan refugees will be announced soon. it'll be aimed at helping those most in need, including women and girls. the home office says "it will be guided by the capacity of local authorities" when deciding how many afghan refugees will be allowed to settle in the uk. 0ur political correspondent

is jonathan blake. everybody wants to know how many, how many afghans is the uk likely to accept? how many afghans is the uk likely to acce t? , ., , , ., accept? there is no number yet from the government. _ accept? there is no number yet from the government, victoria, _ accept? there is no number yet from the government, victoria, as - accept? there is no number yet from the government, victoria, as you - accept? there is no number yet from| the government, victoria, as you saw those flights resuming from kabul in the immediate aftermath of the taliban take oak over, afghans who work for the uk government, attention turning to the longer term, but many tens of thousands of people who will no doubt flee the country in the coming days and weeks. that bespoke settlement scheme, which you mentioned, is what the government is planning and the foreign secretary was asked for more details of this morning. we are working on that veryl carefully, we've always been a big—hearted nation. you've got a home secretary and a foreign secretary- who know what that means i from our own personal history but let me allow the home secretary and the prime minister to come - forward with the details of it. the details will be set out by the home secretary i and the prime minister in due course. - we are told it will be similar to a scheme put in place by people

fleeing fighting from syria, under that some 20,000 syrians are resettled in the uk and there is high expectation on the government to match that go further from opposition parties. labour saying an ambitious and generous offer is needed, the liberal democrat saying it needs to be at least 20,000, the snp talking about 35,000 people or more that could be resettled in the uk. conservative mps putting pressure on the government saying now is not the time to be strict, time is of the essence, and one describing this as what could be the biggest mass migration of people since the end of the second world war. as you heard the foreign secretary saying the uk has always been a big hearted nation, we will find out when the prime minister speaks in parliament tomorrow what that means in practice.— president biden says he stands 'squarely�* behind his decision to pull us troops out of afghanistan. he said he wasn't willing to sacrifice more young american lives when the afghans themselves had caved in.

america spent $2 trillion on the war — and over 2,000 troops lost their lives. 0ur correspondent aleem maqbool reports from hookstown in pennsylvania. patriotic country music plays. it's a procession in rural western pennsylvania to honour an american soldier killed in a very different world, one of more than 2,500 us military lives lost in afghanistan in the past 20 years. 25—year—old staff sergeant dylan elchin was killed by a roadside bomb nearly three years ago, but the sense of loss is still overwhelming for his family. though the town is paying tribute now to its lost son, with the renaming of a post office. it is very wonderful to see dylan honoured. he sacrificed everything for our country and i believe that we should all be honouring our military more and realise what they do for, not

only the united states of america, but for the entire world. but as was referred to even during the tribute ceremony for dylan, this was all taking place with a backdrop of a huge amount of criticism of the us, and of the fall of kabul to the taliban. is it difficult to understand what it was all for, given that the very people that dylan was fighting against are now left in charge of afghanistan? dylan, at that given moment, when he had to follow his orders, to go accomplish his mission back in november 2018, he did everything that was asked of him, and then some. regardless of what has happened during this past week and in the past month, i know that dylan did everything right. as i have personally suffered the loss of my own brother who also died... and for the chaplain here, who himself served in afghanistan like his brother, joseph, who was killed, how hard has it been to watch the events of recent days?

it has been difficult. you always want to know that what you are doing has purpose and meaning, but purpose and meaning doesn't always come in victory, i believe. sometimes it comes in the sacrifice, in the experience of it. are we better off, is the country better off, are they better off? it's hard to say. there are profound questions being grappled with, and a stark contrast to the clear conviction of this nation when the war began two decades ago. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in hookstown, pennsylvania. let's talk to our north america correspondent barbara plett—usher. what's been the reaction to president biden's staunch defence of the withdrawal? well, it may have stemmed a bit of

the criticism within his party. one senior democrat praised him for laying out the costs of the lengthy war and laying out the costs of the lengthy warand making laying out the costs of the lengthy war and making the decision to end it but by and large it did not really stop the criticism. it was widely observed although mr biden said the buck stops with me he had plenty of blame for the way donald trump and the afghan issue, for afghan leaders who fled, for the afghan leaders who fled, for the afghan military that did not fight and that did not go down well with many people, especially one veteran who said he has basically blamed people who sacrificed their lives for us and saying you cannot do it on your own, it's too bad. there was also widely observed that he basically took responsibility for making the decision to go, not for the manner in which it was executed and republicans in particular seized on that because of course they had supported a withdrawal under president trump. but they are aghast at the way it is being played out and one former senior official under the bush administration said the speech was a red herring because he talked about the decision to leave, not about the shambolic way it is

being done. president trump himself weighed in, and said it's not about leaving afghanistan, it is about the incompetence of leaving afghanistan so you have those voices. democrats were less vocal but many of them still very unhappy and uneasy, they have been focusing on the humanitarian consequences especially for women and girls is the taliban take over. they are also upset about the delay in getting out those people who help the americans, they have been asking some of them for a refugee evacuation plan for their allies for some time and it has been very y slow so at all. in the end, i think they are also worried about the fact that their commander—in—chief, the image that is going to be associated with not happy at all. in the end, i think they are also worried about the fact that their commander—in—chief, the image that is going to be associated as the september the 11th anniversary is that hasty exit, or it looks shambolic from afghanistan and the taliban are taking over the country again. barbara, thank you. for those here with friends and relatives living there,

there is fear and apprehension. tim muffett has been spending time with members of london's afghan community as the events of the last few days have unfolded. events 3,500 miles away have never felt so close to home. fearful and scared that things will get worse. people are torturing for no reason. why? because they are human? i ask great britain to help them, as a humanity. that's all i can say. the afghanistan and central asian association centre in feltham, west london. for 20 years, this organisation has offered support for the afghan community in the uk. most who come here have friends and family in a country in crisis. there's kids suffering. there's seniors, there's old people, there's homeless people. it's a shame. it's a shame for all of us.

not only me, for all. of the human beings, all of the communities all around the world. i maria's mother and four sisters are in the afghan capital. three weeks ago, my father, he passed away. now they are by themselves. on friday, before the taliban reached the city, she managed to speak to them. phone: people are coming from the provinces under. the control of the taliban. the girls have nothing to do but stay on the streets. they were begging for money and for food, for water. it is a bad situation. getting worse day by day. talking to your sister in those circumstances, how hard is that for you? it is too much. it is heartbreaking for me because this situation, i can't do for them anything. more.

amidst the despair there are positive moments here. lessons in farsi for children, many of whom have never been to the country of their parents' birth. and classes in english for adults looking to improve their language skills. as well as food, advice and support. how important is this place at the moment, given the terrible things which are happening in afghanistan? i think this place plays a vital role. people are becoming very, very. . . not just upset, but also anxious and confused about what will happen in the future. tim muffett, bbc news. the time is 13:16. our top story this lunchtime... the senior british soldier responsible for getting people to safety from afghanistan says unto 7,000 could be evacuated — 300 have left so far — and there is no time to waste.

and coming up — apprenticeships with a difference in one seaside town in devon. coming up on the bbc news channel, andy murray says he feels good as he moves into the second round of the cincinnati open. it's a first singles success on hard court since having his metal hip surgery. the uk economy is continuing to bounce back from lockdown with job vacancies hitting a record high of almosti million — and wages ticking up. unemployment also fell in the three months tojune. our economics correspondent andy verity reports. at this construction site in huddersfield, 18 houses are being built but only four have been completed so far. the amount of work in the construction industry has

been slowing down across the country, not because of covid but two shortages, raw materials and workers. there are now 38,000 vacancies being advertised in the sector. , ., ., ., vacancies being advertised in the sector. ., ., ., sector. there is a shortage of young --eole, sector. there is a shortage of young people. without _ sector. there is a shortage of young people, without doubt. _ sector. there is a shortage of young people, without doubt. we - sector. there is a shortage of young people, without doubt. we need - sector. there is a shortage of young i people, without doubt. we need more young people of all trades, bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and an acute —— and there is an acute shortage. this site has kept — there is an acute shortage. this site has kept on _ there is an acute shortage. this site has kept on workers into their 60s and across the industry they are being forced to pay more, with the average wager by 12% in the last year. across the economy vacancies are a fifth higher than before corona by and employers cannot find the stuff they need. i corona by and employers cannot find the stuff they need.— the stuff they need. i think it is a erfect the stuff they need. i think it is a perfect storm. — the stuff they need. i think it is a perfect storm, we _ the stuff they need. i think it is a perfect storm, we have - the stuff they need. i think it is a perfect storm, we have had - the stuff they need. i think it is a perfect storm, we have had a - perfect storm, we have had a pandemic, people have been sticking where they are, not moving jobs, we have had a lot of eu workers that have had a lot of eu workers that have gone home and it is difficult to get back if you want to. and

going back to a lack of apprenticeships from a long time ago that have not been coming through. there are about 1.9 more workless people than before the pandemic, with more than 607,000 fully furloughed, almost eight or 50,000 partially furloughed, 201,000 fewer on payload —— payroll and 201 —— 291,000 fewer self—employed. in london there are still far fewer jobs serving coffee and lunch to city workers, for example. in the wider economy the big issue in the jobs market is not so much people who cannot find work but are players who cannot find work but are players who cannot find work but are players who cannot get the stuff. a record 161,000 roles are going unfilled in health and social care, likely to put increased pressure on inflation notjust in rising prices but lengthening queues and waiting times. andy verity, bbc news.

heavy rains have caused flooding in southern haiti, just days after it was struck by that powerful earthquake. rescue work was still under way when the tropical storm hit the island. our correspondent james clayton reports from the town of les cayes — which is in the path of the storm. the church behind me is called l�*eglise du sacre—coeur and as you can see it's been hugely impacted by this earthquake. you can see right the way through it. there is a statue of the virgin mary completely smashed, there are these huge lines that cut across church that is structurally unsound and actually the locals have told me they are worried about that spire up there could fall at any moment because there are these huge cracks down the side of it. up across the road you have the local coffin maker. a small business trying to make ends meet. and once again it has been totally decimated by this earthquake. and really this is a very similar story across this town. there are some buildings that are

fine, or at least cracked but have not fallen, and others that have completely fallen in on themselves. the death count at the moment is still increasing and people are worried now about a storm. there are dark clouds over that way. we have heard it is raining in some parts of this region already, and people do worry that now they are forced out of their homes they are going to have to sleep in the wet and cold. james clayton reporting from haiti. from today, plasma will be taken from blood donations in england to produce medicine for patients with cancer and rare immune diseases. there has been a ban on using british plasma since 1998 because of fears about the human form of bse — but regulators say it is now safe. our health correspondent dominic hughes is here, what difference might this make?— hughes is here, what difference might this make? plasma makes up around half of _

might this make? plasma makes up around half of our _ might this make? plasma makes up around half of our blood _ might this make? plasma makes up around half of our blood and - around half of our blood and crucially contains antibodies which can be turned into a treatment called immunoglobulin, which can help boost the immune systems of people whose immune systems are under threat or otherwise compromised, so for example people with rare conditions or diseases and also people being treated for cancer can have compromised immune systems. since the 1990s, as you mentioned, there has been a ban on using plasma produced in the uk from uk donors because of concerns about the spread of new variant quite felt yacob disease, the human form of mad cow disease, the human form of mad cow disease, but the medicines regulator has no said britishjoan applies is safe and earlier in the other government changed the restrictions and nhs blood and transport said the change will improve long—term supplies and save lives because until now the uk has been very

reliant on plans imports from the united states —— plasma imports from the united states. there are around 770 blood donors in england he will be able to provide plasma now, they say it will not impact chance he is because they mostly use red blood, it will happen in england, they have not decided to change the rules in scotland, wales and northern ireland but they could do.— but they could do. thank you, dominic- _ new zealand has announced a snap lockdown after a man tested positive for covid, the first case in six months. it was detected in auckland, which will be in lockdown for a week, while the rest of the country will be in lockdown for three days. authorities say they are working on the assumption that the new case was the delta variant. hundreds of firefighters in southern france are battling a wildfire that's forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate as a precaution. officials say the blaze broke out on monday and has so far burned more than three square kilometres of forest and scrubland to the west

of the resort of st—tropez. firefighting aircraft are dumping water to help douse the flames. bob dylan is being sued by a woman who says the us singer—songwriter sexually abused her in 1965 when she was 12. her legal case alleges the star "exploited his status as a musician to provide her with alcohol and drugs and sexually abuse her multiple times", and used threats of physical violence. it says the abuse took place at dylan's apartment in new york's chelsea hotel. mr dylan denies the allegations. the data watchdog is warning pub customers to think carefully before handing over personal information when signing up to apps before ordering drinks. app and web—based ordering has become pretty commonplace during the pandemic — and despite the easing of restrictions the big pub chains

are continuing to offer them as an option — but there are concerns about the amount of personal data being collected. our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has the story i'll wait until we've all ordered. the lads are out for pints — but which will be quicker, the app or the bar? the race is on. table service sweeps in with the phone orders before the slow coaches make it back. if this place was packed, i would be dreaming for the app, i wouldn't go anywhere near the bar. you end up with ten different passwords — greene king, wetherspoons, i've got so many different apps. postcode, e—mail, there seems like a lot of irrelevant information that you don't technically need. the information is irrelevant, we all know it but it's kind of the cost you have to pay almost, i think. but the privacy watchdog wants customers to be careful not to give away too many personal details. it needs to be relevant to the order and it also needs to be not excessive. if you are a member of the public and you're filling in your details and you think, "hang on a second, they want my name and address, they want all my personal details," question it.

if it feels excessive, just pause for a second. we have been in touch with the biggest pub chains, who have all told me their apps are here to stay. they've all got one now. tech companies say take—up across the industry is still on the rise. in terms of small, independent businesses, you know, the take—up has been slower, but it is still probably around 50%. the data that we collect from individuals has gradually, gradually been worn away now to a point where we want to make it as simple and easy as possible for customers to sign up. bar manager steve makes a little less money on every order through the app, but it's staying because plenty of customers are still using it. bar service is higher. it is roughly 70% at the moment compared to the app, which is 30, but on our busy periods, friday and saturday nights, then the app comes into play more because people don't particularly want to queue at the bar, so they use the table service more. whether you are an app addict or you've got an app aversion, the reality is things

are here to stay, with more and more venues offering apps as an option for customers to order. but for most of us, the reality is we'll never read the terms and conditions behind the app — especially after you've had a few. however the next round is ordered, the chief question is, who's paying? cheers, guys. colletta smith, bbc news, in manchester. an apprenticeship is usually in trades like plumbing, hairdressing or brick—laying — but one town in devon has been giving young people training in stilt—walking, clowning and puppetry. it's part of an effort to give traditional seaside entertainment a boost, and attract more visitors. sarah ransome went to have a look. roll up, roll up, come and see the punch and judy show! echoing the past on the prom... i can go out and do funny things and spread joy and be joyful.

make way! ..trainee street performers are putting into practice newly learned skills of the showman... i think we all need a laugh and we all need to feel joyous at the moment. ..in celebration of traditional seaside entertainment. in its heyday, one of the draws of the great british holiday were the professional performers. the hope is it's the same for this new generation. you see a man, six, seven, eight foot tall, walking down the street in the 1800s, it will have the same reaction as right now. it's actually the same joy and the same feelings of excitement, and i don't think that's a thing that will stop. welcome to uncle taco's flea circus! as overseas travel became more pocket friendly, small resorts like this one saw visitor numbers drop. now a new project has seasoned showmen sharing the tricks

of their trade to help keep the skills alive in the hope of also giving a family friendly boost to the town. we grew up in teignmouth and remembered watching it when we were children, many, many years ago. and it's really nice to see. it's important to try and keep the traditions going, isn't it? | it brings back childhood i memories, to be honest. it's exciting, it's just amazing. i'll give you a jolly one this time. and it's notjust about the music, the magic and the merriment. the skills they've got in teamwork, i pride, a sense of their confidencel in presenting in public space, these are life skills, i hope, i that they'll take with them for the rest of their lives, i and an experience i they'll never forget. while the sun shines, the shows will go on. the plan is to take the training and the tricks to more places next year. sarah ransome, bbc

news, in teignmouth. iam not i am not sure if it is seaside weather. darren, ialmost i am not sure if it is seaside weather. darren, i almost put my central heating on last night. you and many others, i suspect. it does not feel like summer at the moment and it does not look like summer, if you are heading to the beach, you might need a jumper. it will be cool and cloudy with a little rain for the next few days but there has been sunshine in inverness and the cloud is looking thinner in scotland. a dull and damp start across england and wales, most of the rain and drizzle has moved through, jumping northern ireland but sunshine is coming through south—eastern wales and we will get south—eastern wales and we will get so many eastern areas too. the north—westerly breeze is making it feel cool. most of us are under a

pilot and as a result