this is bbc news. i'm victoria fritz, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the evacuation of aghanistan gathers pace — america says it'll fly 6,000 people out of the country in the coming hours. an intelligence briefing for the united nations says the taliban is stepping up its search for so—called collaborators. waiting for aid and answers — why is it taking so long for help to reach the victims of haiti's catastrophic earthquake? and in a land of vulnerable and endangered species, kenya conducts its first ever wildlife census.

hello and welcome. us officials say they're looking to fly 6,000 people out of afghanistan over the coming hours, as their much—criticised withdrawal gains pace. in total, according to nato, more than 18,000 people have been evacuated from kabul airport since the taliban took over the capital. meanwhile, the taliban insists there will be no retribution against those who worked with us forces. but an intelligence briefing for the un says militants are stepping up their search for so—called "collaborators". 0urfirst report comes from our correspondent secunder kermani, in kabul. this is crowd control, taliban style. outside the airport, thousands of people desperate to leave. this is the road anyone being

evacuated has to travel along. the taliban repeatedly stopped us filming. they don't like the images of so many afghans fleeing their rule. they have denied claims they are at times preventing some afghans with valid documents from entering the airport. but many of those here don't have a visa. they are still hoping somehow to leave. "i want to go anywhere else other than here," says this man. "all the embassies and offices are closed. what can i do?" then taliban fighters bring the interview to an end. the taliban are everywhere you go in kabul. they are heavily armed. but for the most part, in the city, they are friendly. outside the canadian embassy, more chaos. hundreds of people frantically

scribbling their names on pieces of paper hoping it will somehow lead to a visa. the embassy has already been evacuated. these people have no real information about what they can do to leave afghanistan, but they are desperate. they are asking us, is it too, will the canadians give me a visa? the fact is, most of these people will never get one. this family haven't spoken to anyone at the embassy, but heard rumours that if they turn up, they will find help. "there is war, misery. i cannot even buy bread for my children," says this man. new footage today of the even more chaotic scenes at the airport earlier this week. some parents so desperate, they hand their children over. new details of the horrifying story of those who lost their lives. one of the young men

who fell from a plane, clinging to it even after take—off, a talented footballer who had played for the national youth team. part of a generation of afghans now facing an uncertain future. secunder kermani, bbc news. president biden is due to speak about the evacuation effort later today. his presidency is facing unprecedented scrutiny over the chaotic us exit from afghanistan. let's speak to our north america correspondent, david willis. david, every attempt so far has generated further criticism and more uncomfortable questions forjoe biden. can the president quell the criticism of his leadership? that is a very good question and joe biden has been excoriated for his handling of the american withdrawal. he is due to address that issue later today but us officials are at

pains to point out 6000 people are due to be flown out on american planes tonight. 0ver american planes tonight. over the next few hours more than 20 american planes are due to takeoff from the airport in kabul. they make the point that more than 5000 us troops are currently on the ground securing the airport, more consular staff assenting to help applications from those desperate to leave and they are now capable of lifting up to 9000 people a day from kabul. the problem is, although they have spaces of the airplay, but do not have passages to build them, not least because of the democratic bottlenecks we mentioned but also because the taliban checkpoints around the airport are preventing a lot of afghan nationals from getting through. afghan nationals from getting throu~h. ~ �* , ., through. we're 'ust looking at these pictures — through. we're just looking at these pictures of— through. we're just looking at these pictures of the - through. we're just looking at these pictures of the scenes l these pictures of the scenes these pictures of the scenes the airport, utterly chaotic.

nato has also been criticised for failing to stay on in afghanistan after the us withdrawal. its foreign ministers are meeting today — what can they do at this point? this is an emergency meeting of nato foreign ministers to hammer out a common approach to the situation, the changing dynamics in afghanistan and to discuss the possibility of a humanitarian and refugee crisis. but america's departure has upset many in nato. it has been cold and embarrassment to the alliance. 0ne german politician called it the biggest buckle the organisation has suffered sense is founding. as well as damaging relations with allies in europe, the botched departure has raised question about the credibility of the united states, the reliability of this country and nato of course pumped troops and money into afghanistan, it

helped liberate the country from the taliban back into thousand one. many nato members did not want to see american troops withdraw altogether yet they have done so and it has left nato members scrambling to get there nationals and afghans who supported them out of the country. a lot of nato members think thatjoe biden would help ease some of the abrasive edges that donald trump had brought to the surface during his tenure but in actual fact it has left them head scratching really over the future relationships with america now. david willis, thank you. foreign aid has started to trickle into haiti, five days after a powerful earthquake killed more than 2,000 people and flattened tens of thousands of buildings. courtney bembridge has more. this was a welcome sight for haitians waiting

desperately for foreign aid. translation: i don't have a job, i don't - translation: idon't- have a job, i don't have water, my house was destroyed, there is nothing. roads and bridges were badly damaged in the earthquake and heavy rains and has brought mudslides, hampering efforts to get help where it is most needed. translation: every family will receive 50 kilos of food | for a family of five, it should last a month. the un has been able to allow access— the un has been able to allow access for us but it is not certain_ access for us but it is not certain we will be able to access_ certain we will be able to access those roads in future. haiti is the poorest country in the americas and it is still recovering from a 2010 earthquake which killed more than 200 thousand people. translation: hurricane matthew destroyed my house, i've - rebuilt it. it was destroyed again.

i have eight children. things are not good in my community. thousands of people have been injured in the latest quake and remain been cut off from help. the us airforce is reached some of the remote areas and took critical patients to port—au—prince while others are being treated in makeshift hospitals. there are also concerns about a looming public health crisis. the sanitation situation is quite critical and it is our hope that we don't have an outbreak of cholera, so we are preparing for a public health disaster. all the while, tremors are adding to the anxiety. translation: we are afraid to go inside, so we sleep - on the ground in the street. tens of thousands of buildings have been reduced to rubble, many of them yet to be searched and officials say the death toll will continue to rise. courtney bembridge, bbc news. sydney's lockdown

has been extended for at least another month. the decision has not come as a huge surprise, with daily covid—i9 cases growing at a rate rarely seen in australia since the pandemic began. 6a2 new cases in new south wales were announced on friday, and a further four deaths. in tougher measures, parts of sydney most affected by the virus, will be put under a night curfew. and new zealand has extended its nationwide lockdown for four more days. it had been due to end at midnight on friday local time. all of the country will remain at its highest level of covid restrictions, after recording 11 new cases. on tuesday, new zealand was plunged into a national lockdown when it announced one local case of the delta variant. the total number of cases in the outbreak has now hit 31. the japanese martial arts star "sonny" chiba has died from covid complications,

his manager has said. the actor was 82—years—old. renowned for his role as swordmaster in quentin tarantino's cult film kill bill: volume 1, chiba had reportedly contracted the virus at the end of last month. japanese media say he was treated without being hospitalised, but was later taken to hospital for worsening pneumonia. chiba began his career injapanese film and tv in the 1960s, before reaching international audiences. south africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world. recent outbreaks of rioting highlighted some of the major social issues the country faces. with three out of four young people unemployed what hope is there for the next generation? 0ur reporter vumani mkhize has been to meet one young entrepreneur who's attempting to beat the odds and build a business in one of johannesburg's most challenging townships.

around here, there are young men running around with guns, shooting at people, just doing a whole lot of gang type of things, you know. eldorado park injohannesburg is a tough neighbourhood. it is an area that has struggled with drugs, gangsterism and high unemployment. but a young local entrepreneur is working hard to change that. this is my pop—up store in the local neighbourhood. roemello shembe is just 21 years old but believes his clothing brand, called antigang, can be a positive force in the community. antigang stands against police, murderers, people who steal, thieves, like rob your cars and all of those type of things. south africa's unemployment rate sits atjust under 33% but for the youth, the figure is much worse, a staggering 74% and as we saw with the recent looting and rioting that rocked the country, there is a lot

of dissatisfaction and for young people like roemello, they are having to find creative and innovative ways in order to make a living. but in a stagnant economy, how important are young talented entrepreneurs like roemello to the future of south africa? in a word, critical. the majority of south africans live in townships. if they cannot find an economically active role, then we have a serious problem as a society and therefore it is incumbent on all of us to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to participate in the economy because, if they do not, we will have more and more social unrest. roemello has now teamed up with the local mall to bring his designs to a wider market. i believe that if more of us could take a risk and do our heart really wants us to do, we can change the country and make it a better place. vumani mkhize, bbc news.

stay with us on bbc news — still to come: tra ns—atla ntic invasion — why these alien crabs are threatening biodiversity in the mediterranean. washington, the world's most political city, is today assessing the political health of the world's most powerful man. indeed i did have a relationship with miss lewinsky that was not appropriate. in fact, it was wrong. in south africa, 97 people have been killed today, in one of the worst days of violence between rival black groups. over the last ten days, 500 have died. crowds chant: czechoslovakia must be free! _ man: czechoslovakia must be free! - crowds chant: czechoslovakia must be free! _ russia is absolving a national day of mourning for 118 submariners who died on board the kursk. we are all with them

now, within our hearts. the pope has celebrated mass before a congregation of more than 2.5 billion people in his hometown of krakow. "stay with us, stay with us," chanted this ocean of humanity. "well, well," joked the pope, "so you want me to desert rome?" this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the evacuation of aghanistan gathers pace, america says it'll fly 6,000 people out of the country in the coming hours. an intelligence briefing for the united nations says the taliban is stepping up its search for so—called �*collaborators'. kenya is conducting a national wildlife census, the first of its kind in the country.

it's home to vulnerable and endangered species, including lions, giraffes and the only two surviving northern white rhino species in the world. the bbc�*s ferdinand 0mondi reports from the marine parks and forest reserves of coastal kenya. kenya is undergoing the biggest animal count in its history. from above, researchers record wildlife on the country's open lands and check on them, including human activity close to protected areas. the serial count is just one method being used to count all of the country's wildlife. this is one of kenya's forest reserves. as lots of wildlife here and that includes hundreds of elephants. i'm told, but it is so difficult to spot them from above even with an extra pair of eyes and as we are tracking them on foot. jamila is one of

ranges task to count the elephants on foot, but the elephants on foot, but the elephants is nowhere to hide. so research is count by the consistency of their dung. we were taught _ consistency of their dung. - were taught to see the age of the dung to know if it is fresh or over 2a hours. so when you see like this one, it is over 50 centimetres, no destruction, and also when it's fresh, it smells, it has an older, it is also smooth and colour. so we've just _ also smooth and colour. so we've just been driving around the forest reserve looking for elephants and then right in front of our path, there is a heard right in front of us. bigger than what you can see because we've spotted some criss—crossing, we can see some feeding and others playing in the rule here is that the elephants have the right of way

so we just have two wait. kenya has carried out wildlife surveys before but this is the first time the country attempt to count all species on canyon lands and waters. the elephants, _ lands and waters. the elephants, the - lands and waters. the elephants, the rhinos| lands and waters. the - elephants, the rhinos and lands and waters. tue: elephants, the rhinos and a lands and waters. tte: elephants, the rhinos and a few others are on the endangered species but we don't have proper sensors for giraffe, for zebras. , . ., , proper sensors for giraffe, for zebras. , , ., zebras. this count is also important _ zebras. this count is also important for _ zebras. this count is also important for marine - important for marine conservation. this here is a mangrove forest, a breeding area for fish and so fishing here is regulated and the researchers hope that the result of this census will help show the impact of such conservation efforts on marine life. these marine parks alone generate over $1 million annually but the government says they can do more. it wants to use its marine data to accelerate the blue economy and the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth

and jobs. resources for economic growth and “obs. ., ., ., ., and jobs. you need to manage environment _ and jobs. you need to manage environment better, _ and jobs. you need to manage environment better, so - and jobs. you need to manage environment better, so you i and jobs. you need to manage| environment better, so you are going to identify those critical areas that lead to at. this is kenya's biggest ever animal census and its results could encourage better conservation for future generation. let's get some of the day's other news. officials in burkina faso say 80 people are known to have died in wednesday's jihadist attack in the north of the country. the vast majority of the victims were civilians. it's the latest attack in the sahel region, where militias linked to al-qaeda and the islamic state group operate across the border with niger and mali. nicole kidman has become the latest hollywood star to come under fire for circumventing strict quarantine rules for international travellers. the actress's arrival in hong kong has sparked widespread anger after she was reportedly spotted out and about two days after touching down.

this is despite the region having some of the strictest rules in place, with up to 21 days quarantine required. the fishing industry in southern france is becoming increasingly concerned about the spread of a foreign invader. over the last four years, more and more blue crabs have been found in the mediterranean. originally from the north atlantic, they are consuming fish stocks and damaging nets. the bbc�*s tim allman has the story. yves and jean—claude have been fishing these waters for years. they normally make their living from catching eels but in recent years, their haul is mostly full of crabs — lots and lots of crabs. translation: since there are crabs, - we no longer catch eels and, as long as we no longer catch eels, we no longer have any income. it is worse this year. last year we caught a few eels but this year nothing, nothing, nothing. the crab is all over

the lagoon, everywhere. the blue crab has been described as one of the hundred most invasive species of the mediterranean. as well as eels, they eat oysters, muscles and small fish. an alien invader with a voracious appetite that could threaten local biodiversity. translation: so it is a species that comes from the north-east| coast of the united states and across the ocean probably in the ballast water of large ships. it grows fast, it is opportunistic, it eat everything and it reproduces quickly. you can say that again. along these coastal lagoons, a single female crab can lay around 2 million eggs. one suggestion these fishermen could start selling the crabs themselves. it's flesh is said to have a subtly sweet flavour. perhaps the hunter will become the hunted.

tim allman, bbc news. let's have a look at all the sports news. hello, i'm mark edwards with your sports. we start with golf and it has been an exciting first day of the women's open, will number one one of three joint leaders after the first round in the final major of the year. five underpar, 67 as she looks to win her second major of the year following her victory at the women's pga championship in atalanta at. it is also the olympic champion from tokyo but found the condition is rather different on the east coast of scotland. i think it was mainly chilly, that's what i was battling with the most because coming from japan where it was so hot to, you have four layers on it is a little tougher, but i feel like the wind kind of guy down through the days away was able to take advantage of that.

how about this for shot of the day from the 2019 open champion hinako shibuno, an eagle at the par 4 11th. absolutely take a bow, hinako. so here's the leaderboard. nelly korda shares the lead with the 2020 pga champion kim sei—young and sweden's madelene sagstroem. four players are1 shot back on li—under including the 2018 champion georgia hall and the reigning us open champion yuko saso. the defending champion, germany's sophia popov — five shots off the lead after a level par round of 72. on to tennis and the world number one ashleigh barty is through to the quarter—finals of the cincinnati masters, as the build—up continues to the final grand slam of the year, the us open. barty made it through to the last eight in cincinnati by thrashing a former world number one, and double grand slam winner, victoria azarenka in straight sets. barty beat the number 1a seed 6—love, 6—2 injust over an hour. the reigning wimbledon champion will now face the french open champion barbora krejcikova.

in the men's singles, russia's daniil medvedev remains on course for back—to—back masters series titles. the top seed, who won in toronto last week, is through to the quarter—finals in cincinnati after a straight sets victory over grigor dimitrov. medvedev won this battle of two former champions 6—3, 6—3. former player azeem rafiq has accused one of english cricket's leading county sides, yorkshire, of downplaying racism by calling him the victim of �*inappropriate behaviour�*. yorkshire have offered him their profound apologies after several of the allegations were upheld in an independent investigation. rafiq claimed last year that institutional racism at the club left him close to taking his own life. he also questioned yorkshire's reference to the phrase inappropriate behaviour, claiming the club is fudging the issue. have given them countless

opportunities to do the right thing. and clearly, these people are just not interested. it's just not on, i people are just not interested. it'sjust not on, i am sick people are just not interested. it's just not on, i am sick and tired of it now. it'sjust not on, i am sick and tired of it now.— tired of it now. very emotive words. finally, spanish forward pedro has completed one of the most contentious transfers in european football. the 34—year—old has become the first player since 1985 to cross the roman divide, signing for lazio from arch rivals roma. the former chelsea player has signed a two—year deal and will link up with former blues boss maurizio sarri again. roma released pedro from his current contract, with new managerjose mourinho deeming him surplus to requirements. and that's all your support for now, from me mark edwards and the rest of the team, goodbye. you can reach me on twitter, coming up on business we are going to be looking at the

prospects for the taliban coffers being swelled by the shadow economy there, see you soon. hello. after what's been a relatively cloudy and relatively cool week so far for many of us, the weather is set to change a little bit through friday and into the weekend. it will briefly turn a little bit warmer. it will also start to turn a lot wetter because low pressure is pushing in from the west. this frontal system bringing rain very early on on friday across northern ireland. that will push eastwards over the coming days. but ahead of that weather front, we draw in a southerly wind, bringing some slightly warmer air in ourdirection. but many of us are going to start off on quite a cloudy note on friday. for england, wales and scotland, most places will be dry, just the odd spot of rain. but for northern ireland, this

heavy rain working its way in. that will persist into the afternoon, rain extending into southwest scotland, maybe getting into western fringes of england and wales. further east, a few sunny spells will start to develop. turning quite breezy, particularly for western coasts, but with that breeze coming up from the south, it'll feel a little bit warmer. and given some sunshine, eastern england could see highs of around 2a degrees. as we head through friday night, our band of rain will move a little further eastwards. it's likely to dry out a little bit across northern ireland by saturday morning, some mist and murk and low cloud on what will be a pretty mild night. a mild start to saturday with our band of rain working erratically eastwards and heavy bursts running along it. eastern parts of england will see a little bit of sunshine for a time. northern ireland should brighten up, too, along with the far west of scotland, wales and the southwest, but some thundery showers could break out here later. highest temperatures likely to be across eastern england if we see some sunshine, maybe up to 25 degrees. but for the second half of the weekend, this frontal system continues to journey eastwards. we end up with a little area of low pressure lingering close to eastern counties of england, so still the potential

for some rain here. quite windy for some of these eastern coasts as well. elsewhere, some sunny spells, a scattering of showers, but we lose that southerly flow, we lose that slightly warmer feel. now, into next week, high pressure looks set to establish itself, but the winds generally will be coming down from the north. to see any sort of heat wave, we'd need the winds to come up from the south, but that's not going to happen. so, there is some pleasant weather to come through next week. a bit more in the way of sunshine, a lot of dry weather, but no real heat wave. temperatures generally around the low 20s.

this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world: in the balance — eyes turn to trade and what kind of future a taliban—led economy might have. custom chips for training artificial—intelligence — the future, according to elon musk. and us trade regulators have a go again at facebook, in a new antitrust lawsuit. will second time be a charm? and a candid take from singapore's finance minister on how the pandemic has impacted its status in asia.