good morning, welcome to breakfast with sally nugent and dan walker. our headlines today. an emergency meeting of world leaders from the g7 richest nations will discuss the crisis in afghanistan. borisjohnson will ask the us president biden to delay the withdrawal of american troops beyond the deadline at the end of the month. protecting shop workers. from today, a new law in scotland makes abuse against retail staff a specific offence. i'll look at calls for the same level of protection in other parts of the uk. despite concerns about covid and a one—year delay, the tokyo paralympics get under way today. we're live injapan to look ahead to two weeks of elite sport.

west ham go top after thrashing leicester city. michail antonio becoming the club's record scorer in the premier league, and celebrating with a cardboard cut out of himself. where the weeds are running wild — how a decision to stop using weedkiller has left one local council in a tangle. good council in a tangle. morning. today we are starting with good morning. today we are starting with low cloud and mist and fog in places. most will lift and many will have sunshine but some will cling to the case and that will pull back the temperature is there. all the details in about 25 minutes. it's tuesday the 24th of august. our top story. the prime minister will chair crisis talks with the g7 nations today as they race to evacuate people from afghanistan. it's expected borisjohnson will use the virtual meeting to ask us

presidentjoe biden to extend the deadline beyond august the 31st. the taliban say any delay would be a violation of the agreement with the us. helen catt has this report. as thousands continued to try to flee afghanistan, the leaders of the g7 nations, which include the us, france and germany, will hold an emergency virtual meeting to address the crisis. it is likely to be very different in tone from when they met in person in cornwall in june. the american presidentjoe biden is under pressure not to withdraw his troops from kabul airport on the 31st of august as planned. downing street said borisjohnson and mr biden agreed in a call last night to continue working together to enable people to leave, including after the first phase of the evacuation. it didn't say if moving the date had been discussed. but the prime minister is expected to ask him for more time to allow more people to get out. the government has already said british troops will have to leave when the us does.

the white house has so far not said whether it will extend the deadline or not. we are in talks with the taliban on a daily basis through the political and security channels. we believe that we have time between now and the 31st to get out any american who wants to get out. the g7 won'tjust cover the situation at the airport. borisjohnson is expected to ask the other countries to match the uk's promises on sending aid and resettling refugees. the uk has said it will take in 20,000 afghans over the next five years. the leaders are also expected to recommit to safeguarding the rights of women and minorities and girls�* education in afghanistan, and to making sure any new government sticks to its international obligations. speaking ahead of the meeting, borisjohnson said the taliban would bejudged by their deeds and not their words. in the early hours of this morning,

another military flight carrying evacuees arrived into the uk from kabul. passengers, including small children, were greeted by ground crew as they made their way from the aircraft. more than 7,000 people have been from kabul in the last ten days. let's speak now to our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. this is a crucial 2a hours ahead. it is, this is a moment when notjust the uk but also france, germany, others are expected to sit around the table with joe others are expected to sit around the table withjoe biden virtually in a video conference chaired by borisjohnson. and to put their view that the us should try to keep troops longer at that airport in kabul. it is a difficult moment because other than doing that, the uk has few levers to pull at this

stage, and even asking joe biden is in itself problematic because the us president made clear he does not want to stay longer. to do so requires him to talk to the taliban, and the taliban have said they do not want to see troops staying longer. yesterday when i asked the prime minister's spokesman what is the point of asking, he said it is entirely right we do everything possible to get as many people out as we can because we are in this situation now, of course, where there are many thousands on the ground in kabul who are scrambling, trying to get to the airport. there was a conversation last night between boris johnson was a conversation last night between borisjohnson and was a conversation last night between boris johnson and joe was a conversation last night between borisjohnson and joe biden. no indications there the us president will look to extend time on the ground. the statement from that was that the leaders talked about ways to get people out after that deadline. we know the uk has

been talking about possibly setting up been talking about possibly setting up a process where afghans could eventually leave afghanistan after eventually leave afg ha nista n after the 31st, eventually leave afghanistan after the 31st, go to neighbouring countries and somehow from there apply to come to the uk. when asked for details the uk government had few to give, saying that was something under discussion and there may be details in future. all eyes today, will the americans stay longer? a serious problem even if they commit to extending a few days. we'll be speaking to defence secretary ben wallace about all this at around 7.30 this morning. the number of online grooming crimes recorded by police in england and wales has jumped by nearly 70% in three years. figures obtained by the children's charity, the nspcc, show that facebook—owned instagram was the platform most commonly used by groomers. the charity has urged the government to strengthen its plans for internet regulation. we know that groomers are able

to exploit the design features of these sites to ruthless effect, to be able to contact large numbers of children at scale with ease, and this starts, grooming starts with a friend request. with the expectation thatjust a relatively small number of children have to click yes to a friend request from an abuser and then the grooming process starts. three people have died and a fourth has been seriously injured in an accident on the m25 in essex last night. a car, a minibus and a lorry were involved in the collision near waltham abbey. two people have been arrested on suspicion of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving. more than 800 migrants crossed the english channel to the uk on saturday, setting a new record for the most crossings in a single day. the french authorities stopped almost 200 others crossing the english channel. nearly 12,500 people have made the journey so far this year. officials say there are safe

and legal routes for migrants and they were working to prevent dangerous crossings. people in england who need care are having to pay thousands of pounds extra a year to fund it, according to bbc research. in half of the 83 areas that responded to a bbc request, bills for people needing support had risen 10% or more over two years. the government says it has put extra money into the care system. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt has more. these are the things that make a huge difference to saskia's life — she has a learning disability and to live independently, she relies on help from her local council. i get support workers coming in to support me and cook. if it wasn't for them coming in, i would have struggled big time. her mum looks after her finances. this was my appeal against

the increased charges. she was horrified when the amount saskia was expected to contribute to her care from her benefits suddenly increased from £92 a month to more than £500 a month. when mum told me, shejust burst out into tears. i hate seeing my mum crying. the family also says £1500 was taken from saskia's account without warning to cover backdated charges. without my intervention, she would not have had any food that week, she would have not been able to pay her gas, electricity or water bills. the bbc asked councils in england about increases in care charges. 83 responded. in the past two years, they have increased the money they collect from people needing care by £51 billion, care by £51 million, the equivalent of a 13% rise in costs for each person getting support. and six councils have doubled the money they raised from community—based learning disability services. this is another sign social care is in crisis

and it needs more money, it needs proper reform. this is simply wrong, that people who are the least well off in society are being expected to make up the shortfall, when this money should come from government. councils acknowledge that the lives of people like saskia are being squeezed, but insist their finances are so tight, they have few options. the government said it had put extra money into adult social care and will publish plans for reform soon. some lovely news to bring you this morning. little mix's leigh—anne pinnock has revealed she has given birth to twins. look at that. she posted a photo of their feet with the caption "we asked for a miracle, we were given two". just a few days ago, her bandmate perrie edwards also welcomed her first child with footballer alex 0xlade—chamberlain. she shared the news on instagram saying "welcome to the world baby".

that is nice. good news. a friend of the programme. i am sure they will not be on for a while now. the paralympic games will officially get under way in tokyo today with the opening ceremony taking place in just a few hours. double paralympic champion steve bate is one of the 227 competitors from great britain — despite being registered blind steve's won a host of medals for cycling and climbed the legendary el capitan rock in california. let's take a look at his incredible story. if you want to be the best in the world, you've got to work harder than everyone else. paralympic champion steve bate is chasing after one thing — gold in tokyo. ten years ago, steve was diagnosed with a rare eye disorder. my eyesight is getting narrower and narrower,

my field of vision is getting , smaller and smaller. if i hold my hands there, i can't see them, you know, which is really bizarre. before his diagnosis, steve had spent his life in the mountains. at that time in my life, that was everything to me. all of a sudden, that wasjust like gone. within a few sentences of getting an eye check, like, "you can't drive, i don't think you should climb any more." living the dream up here. check out that view. but instead of giving up, steve took on the climb of his life, ascending over 900 metres. this is the really scary bit. in 2013, steve became the first visually impaired person to solo climb el capitan, one of the hardest ascents in the world. i always said that was the missing

piece of the puzzle, for me to reach that full potential, like go into overdrive and try and achieve stuff. within four years of picking up a road bike, steve and his co—pilot adam had won two gold paralympic medals. riding in tandem, they are called the power and the pilot. but hang on a minute. is the person on the back doing more work? ask adam that. no, that's not really how it works. 0n the tandem, we've both have powers that power each other. we have to pedal together at the same time. i don't just steer anyway, but people do sometimes think that. "oh, you just steer then, you don't do any peddling?" everyone says, "yeah, really talented." i'm not.

maybe my talent is just that i can focus on something and block everything else out. maybe the tunnel vision eyesight helps with that. fa ncy fancy a bit of that climbing? it is not my thing. i admire people who do it but heights, peril. same. amazing to watch. that was claire press reporting. from today, it's now a specific offence to abuse, assault or threaten retail staff in scotland. the new law comes after an increase in incidents during the pandemic. there are calls to extend the law to the rest of the uk. ben's looking at this today. why is it not the same for the rest of the country? there are calls to abide by it elsewhere. both unions and shop bosses say that retail staff are now better protected in dundee than they are in doncaster because of this new law. and they want that to change.

the pandemic highlighted just how much we rely on retail staff in supermarkets and how much we miss the shops when they're closed. but it also brought about an ugly side in a small minority of people. according to the shop workers union, in the past 12 months, 92%of retail staff have experienced some form of verbal abuse. it's often been a problem when shop workers ask for id or stop people from buying alcohol but, during covid, it's happened when staff ask people to wear masks or keep socially distant. for staff like gary — who manages a small co—0p in glasgow — it's distressing. we've had people coming in, abusive about not wearing facemasks. and telling us that we should be doing things about it. we've had customers coming in abusive, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, who have come in and been abusive to myself, to the point where i had to close the store. it makes you feel very anxious.

even when you've finished at night, so they've come in and you're worried maybe at night when you finish that they're out the back waiting or out the front. they could still be there. whereas before they would come in, we would phone the police, they would maybe get lifted. sometimes, they would get charged. but within a week, they were back in the store again. and it was as if — we actually got to the point where you actually feel, is it worth doing all of this? but to know now that if it happens, that something is going to get done about it is great. it makes my staff feel more secure, safer in the stores, and it's the same with me. even more worryingly, 1k per cent of shop staff have been physically assaulted in the same period. the union has spoken to workers who have been spat at, kicked, punched, had bottles smashed over their head and eggs thrown at them. unfortunately, lots of victims don't tell their employer what's happened.

we've shown pictures like these quite a bit over the last year on breakfast. workers abused or assaulted. these cctv incidents are only able to be shown because a prosecution has happened. that isn't always the case. according to the british retail consortium, just 6 per cent of violent and abusive incidents end in prosecution. so to increase that number and to encourage workers to report abuse, scotland has introduced a new law that the government there says protects shop staff. it makes any abuse against people working in retail a specific named offence. unions and shop bosses want the same in the rest of the uk. what we've seen is a real uptick in the cases of violence and abuse against people who work in in the industry. and so the new rules that come into place in scotland today means that retail workers in dundee

are now better protected than those in doncaster. so this is clearly not a situation that anybody wants to continue, and one where we need the uk government, the westminster government to look much more closely at what can be done in england to ensure that protections are put in place. will anything change? the home office told us retail crime was unacceptable and that it was providing better support and more community police officers. it also said that sentencing guidelines now allow courts to be tougher on people who are found guilty of abusing those in public service. but the british retail consortium told us that's just not enough. there's a police bill about to arrive in the house of lords and they say they want scotland's law replicated in that legislation. so whilst the vast majority of us have appreciated shop staff more than ever during the pandemic, do you think there needs to be tougher legislation to protect them from abuse?

we will talk about this during the course of the morning. let us know your thoughts and experiences. get in touch and we will talk about it later. let's take a look at today's papers. the front pages continue to be dominated by events in afghanistan. the guardian says the uk has begun a last—ditch scramble to take people out of kabul amid warnings from the british ambassador to afghanistan that staying past the end of the month risks provoking the taliban. the daily express highlights a suggestion from the taliban that there will be "consequences" if international forces stay in the country. the paper carries the headline: "get out in seven days, or else". the daily telegraph focuses on the news that an afghan citizen on a no—fly watch list arrived in the uk on one of the evacuation flights. he was flagged as a potential threat to national security,

although was later released after undergoing checks. the evacuation from kabul airport also dominates the front pages of most major us newspapers. the new york times is reporting on the race to get american citizens out of the country. there is quite a bit on the inside of the papers and a lot about the paralympics that we will talk about in the coming weeks. what are you like at diy? what do you think i am like at diy? you have hidden depths. that is not my area of talent. i am pretty rubbish. no one in my house. always pay someone else. there are always things not quite straight. the odd wonky shell. do you know your earth pin from your neutral? most of us do not know how to do the

most basic diy most of us do not know how to do the most basic dionbs. most of us do not know how to do the most basic diy jobs. they pick to six. would you do any of these? research said one third of adults are clueless about doing some of these. and that they have no idea how the lights come on. would you unplug a sync your house? definitely. would you put up a shelf? no, i would not use a drill. have you ever used a drill? yes, it did not go well. would you change a light bulb? of course. would you ever change the of course. would you ever change the oil in your car? oil in yourcar? no, i oil in your car? no, i would oil in your car? no, iwould refill oil in your car? no, i would refill it but not drain it. what about fixing a hole in the wall? done that and sanded it down. could you wire a three pin plug? definitely not. could you do any of those? i would do all of those apart from changing the oil in the car. you can wire a three pin plug. it's really simple. there is a handy

diagram. take that home with you. maybe i'm not as bad as i think. i can do painting and decorating, that is what i can do. i have a job, a bedroom that needs a bit of that, thank you. we like a tom cruise story and he has been filming in the uk the past couple of months. this is great in the times newspaper. alison webb got a phone call to say vip needed to land in her garden, using her warwickshire field as a landing pad. coventry airport was too busy. she was delighted to see... the picture is tiny. she was delighted to see a vipjumping out of is tiny. she was delighted to see a vip jumping out of a helicopter. tom cruise. the world's small this picture, by the way! it could be anyone! a man wearing

shades who looks like tom cruise jumped out of the helicopter, said hello to her kids and made a fuss of everybody and went off to... i don't know if he was working. she said he was nice and friendly and polite. he was nice and friendly and polite. he was in birmingham at the weekend and went out for a curry and ordered to chicken tikka masalas. 0ccasionally you are with people who order two galleries... i bet you have ordered two dinners. two hamburgers. who has a single burger? what is your career choice? i am weak. i would have a butter chicken. i quite like a tikka masala.

last time i tried on recommendation chicken with mince and eggs. i know, i know. it was beautiful. i bet it was gorgeous. i did not have two of them. i did not have two of them. i am not sure i can think about it at this time of the morning. a ban on herbicides by a council led by the green party has triggered what some might call a �*war of weeds'. brighton and hove council banned toxic weed killers two years ago after a petition from residents, but critics say its led but critics say it led to nuisance weeds on pavements. james dunn has more. the cityscape going green. and though few disagree with the admirable aim of protecting the environment, many feel this is not a sensible alternative. the first problem is a growing cost bill on compensation and pavement repairs that is going to be

a long—lasting issue. then it is safety and then there is just general accessibility issues. the council has pledged to stop using all pesticides by 2022, with weed clearances reduced from twice to once a year. but there are mixed feelings on the results. i think it is disgusting. i have been a brighton resident for years. i have never seen it so bad in all my lifetime. it is a dangerous chemical, so we can't do that, so it has to be done physically and it needs to be kept on top of. i'm not very keen on the grass i and weeds growing in the cracks in the paving slabs, - because it is obviously not very good for people - who have limited mobility. as well as the obvious trip hazard caused by these weeds growing out of the pavement, there are also the spiky grasses that can cause a real problem if they get stuck in a dog's paw. i spoke to one couple who said they had been to the vet numerous times over the last couple of years, spending hundreds of pounds

getting it sorted out. but the council say the pandemic has exacerbated the problem. at a time when we are facing an ecological emergency throughout the planet, the least we can do is to stop using such harmful pesticides in our city. the impact of this, of course, is that we get weeds. and we get a lot of weeds, especially after hot, wet weather like we have had this summer. it has created a growth spurt. city clean remove the weeds manually. 0bviously that is a much more environmentally friendly way of doing things, but very labour—intensive. due to covid, we have had an enormous staff crisis. councillors say they are trying to organise extra weed clearances. in the meantime, many residents have had to find their own solution to this growing problem. awaron a war on weeds. the uk's largest ever study into autism is being launched today. it hopes to answer questions such

as why some autistic people have epilepsy or poor mental health outcomes and others do not. we'll be talking about this more later in the programme when we're joined by the person behind the study and tv presenter presenter paddy mcguinness, whose three children have autism. so we would like to hear your experiences of autism and you can get in touch the usual way. we are on e—mail. you can find us on social media. still to come. as sir billy connolly receives a lifetime achievement award for his services to television, be reflecting on his work with comedianjaney godley. we'll have that shortly and bring you the latest news and weather. now it's time for the weather with carol. good morning. what do you have today? i can see sunshine. it is lovely in

london and i am on the roof of broadcasting house in london. it is chilly on the roof but yesterday temperatures in northern ireland and around glasgow hit 2a degrees. today we could see temperatures around argyll and bute to get up to 26, above average at this time of year. the forecast today for all of us is one of some sunshine but also areas of cloud. some of us start today with the combination of low cloud, mist and fog whereas like in london people are enjoying sunshine. in scotland, cloud shrouding shetland. and in western scotland. inland, mist and fog will lift. the other large area of cloud is in northern england and parts of the midlands

and towards wales which will be thick enough for drizzle. come south of that and we are back to sunny skies. the cloud will remain across parts of the north and west today, breaking up in parts of england and wales. many will see some sunshine. temperatures today, up to about 26 in argyll and bute. the average at this time of year is roughly 19 in the north, 22 in the south. again, above average temperatures for sum and a roundabout average for others. 0vernight we have a weather front coming in across the north east of scotland. we will have a blanket of cloud across parts of england and wales, and they could be drizzle as well. breezy along coastlines and across the english channel but that will ease as we go through the

afternoon. wednesday, as the weather front sink southwards, we start with a fair bit of cloud and some of the cloud will break up as we go through the course of the day. some of us will see sunshine and tomorrow rather like today, temperatures as high as 25 degrees. again in argyll and bute, above average. if you are interested in cricket at headingley, it should stay dry today and tomorrow more cloud around. this weekend for some it is a bank holiday and the weather looks like it will be settled because high pressure is in charge as we go through the next few days, which means we will be looking at areas of cloud, sunshine between, the cloud thick enough occasionally for drizzle. temperatures to the latter part of the weekend look like they will go down a touch. we will be

looking at temperatures around 19—20 at best. if you have bank holiday monday off, at this stage, it looks like it will be dry. a slight chance of a shower in the south—east but a lot to play for still. more later. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and sally nugent. coming up on breakfast this morning. we'll be taking in the stunning views of cumbria as visitors are asked to take lateral flow tests before travelling there following a sharp rise in the number of covid infections. it's the third academic year to be affected by covid so as pupils in england prepare to return to school we'll be finding out what they can expect. and one of our greatest crime authors ian rankin will be here to tell us about his new novel the dark remains.

let's return to our top story. it's expected borisjohnson will ask the us president, joe biden, to delay the withdrawal of american troops from afghanistan, when he chairs a virtual meeting of g7 leaders today. we'rejoined nowjulia manchester, who's a political reporter for the hill in washington dc. good morning. great to see this morning. first of all, just remind us howjoe biden got this point. we us how joe biden got this point. we saw us howjoe biden got this point. - saw that earlier in the summer, joe biden announced that he would be withdrawing american troops from afghanistan. remember, this was a decision that was initially made, the decision to withdraw, by former president trump during his administration. we saw thejoe biden was following through on this. fast forward to last week and we saw those chaotic images coming out of kabul airport, after the taliban essentially took over the country in just a matter of days, something the

administration, the americans and those around the world, really were not expecting. sojoe biden real —— right now facing his real first foreign policy pressure as president, facing pressure to extend the deadline to withdraw from afghanistan.— the deadline to withdraw from afghanistan. the deadline to withdraw from afu hanistan. ~ ., ~ ., afghanistan. when do we think that the president _ afghanistan. when do we think that the president will— afghanistan. when do we think that the president will decision - afghanistan. when do we think that the president will decision on - afghanistan. when do we think that the president will decision on this? | the president will decision on this? he said quite firmly in the last 36 hours that he wasn't planning to do it but he left himself a little bit of wiggle room? we it but he left himself a little bit of wiggle room?— it but he left himself a little bit of wiggle room? we are hearing he could announce _ of wiggle room? we are hearing he could announce a _ of wiggle room? we are hearing he could announce a decision - of wiggle room? we are hearing he could announce a decision in - of wiggle room? we are hearing he could announce a decision in the i could announce a decision in the next 2a hours. we do know that tomorrow morning, or i should say this morning in the us, it is the middle of the night here, when he has a virtual meeting with the g7, he could telegraph his next move. he is facing pressure to extend the deadline, not only from boris johnson and other world leaders but

also from lawmakers here on capitol hill. there is this idea that it is impossible to get the thousands of americans and american allies in afghanistan out of the country by august 31. on top of that, he will also need to evacuate the troops, the us troops in afghanistan, by that deadline and that seems like a pretty unlikely scenario at this point. pretty unlikely scenario at this oint. ., , , , point. how is this playing politically _ point. how is this playing politically for _ point. how is this playing politically forjoe - point. how is this playing politically forjoe biden i point. how is this playing i politically forjoe biden over there? , , ., , ,, there? very understandably, i guess, he's caettin there? very understandably, i guess, he's getting a — there? very understandably, i guess, he's getting a lot _ there? very understandably, i guess, he's getting a lot of _ there? very understandably, i guess, he's getting a lot of pushback- there? very understandably, i guess, he's getting a lot of pushback from i he's getting a lot of pushback from republicans. i should say expectedly, he is getting pushback from republicans who is really pouncing on this, pouncing on the emissions of the chaos unfolding at the kabul airport in afghanistan. —— the kabul airport in afghanistan. —— the images of the chaos unfolding. americans have mixed views on the situation. first of all, americans

and i'm sure many people in the uk feel the same way, are fatigued about the us presence in afghanistan after 20 years, they don't have an appetite for a prolonged presence. but we have seen polling in the last couple of days showing that a majority of americans do not believe this withdrawal has gone smoothly, and they are unhappy with the way it has gone. so definitely mixed feelings amongst americans, butjoe biden facing pressure from really both sides, all sides this morning. the united states now has to negotiate as an equal partner with the taliban. what if the taliban refuse an extension to the us military mission? is that speculation there about what might happen then?— happen then? absolutely, we are heafina happen then? absolutely, we are hearin: a happen then? absolutely, we are hearing a lot. _ happen then? absolutely, we are hearing a lot, certain _ happen then? absolutely, we are hearing a lot, certain people i happen then? absolutely, we are hearing a lot, certain people in i happen then? absolutely, we are l hearing a lot, certain people in the administration have expressed concerns that there could be security issues if the taliban were to pushback against this. there is no formal written agreement between

the taliban in the —— and the us right now but they have been negotiating for months now and the us are walking a very narrow tightrope, they want to be able to protect not only the us presence on the ground but also the us allies on the ground but also the us allies on the ground but also the us allies on the ground in afghanistan. so there's this feeling of, you don't want to upset the taliban too much, but at the same time, the us is not beholden to the taliban. so a very tricky situation for the us going forward in these negotiations. thank ou, julia forward in these negotiations. thank you, julia manchester, _ forward in these negotiations. thank you, julia manchester, in _ forward in these negotiations. thank you, julia manchester, in washington for us. let's speak now to one afghan resident who's managed to get out of the country before the us deadline. fatimah hossaini is a photographer and women's right campaigner who's fled to paris. thank you for speaking to us on the abc. give us an idea of how you managed to get out of the process

was like getting to the airport? hello to you all, thank you for having me today. actually, it was so hard, i was completely in panic, it was so shocking for all of us. because we didn't think that taliban would take over kabul this quickly. the evacuation, it was like a movie for me. i couldn't imagine that one day i would leave afghanistan like that. and also, it was hard for me to even reach the airport. i mean, i have worked with so many embassies and organisations in afghanistan, they tried to evacuate many journalists, but in a way it was the hardest, they couldn't manage to help people to get out from their home to the airport. haifa

help people to get out from their home to the airport.— help people to get out from their home to the airport. how quickly did thins home to the airport. how quickly did things change. _ home to the airport. how quickly did things change, and _ home to the airport. how quickly did things change, and what _ home to the airport. how quickly did things change, and what was - home to the airport. how quickly did things change, and what was it i home to the airport. how quickly did things change, and what was it like l things change, and what was it like when you and others heard that the taliban were approaching kabul? actually, it was unbelievable. because just the night before, the taliban took over kabul, we were with friends in cafe is, when shopping, life was totally normal. and also on sunday morning, the president published a video telling the people of afghanistan that everything was ok so don't worry. i was on my way to a pcr test because i had a flight on monday to turkey. and when i was on the streets, i could see that people were running, they were so afraid. they told me, go home, the taliban is coming. and just five or six hours after the

video that president ashraf ghani published, we saw the taliban took over the presidential palace. we know that you published a photograph of some of your colleagues, can you tell us more about that and you're concerned about those left behind? i have so many concerns. because just a few days before the full of kabul, i had an interview with the bbc world service, and i talked about the messaging and the things that i had got from taliban members on different social media accounts. of course, i was a target, like so many of my colleagues, my friends, my students. their profession makes them double targets, and it's so hard for me to think about that. and

of course, because of my work and my photographs, and the concept behind my photos, to hide the burqa and show the face of afghan women in afghanistan, it's completely against taliban ideas and and i am a minority, it made me eight double targets, my ethnicity. and my organisation, because we are working for women, organisation, because we are working forwomen, peace organisation, because we are working for women, peace and the youth. so some of those stories that we have been hearing about particularly women and the concerns they have in afghanistan, hearing stories about mothers running to the market to buy burqas for their children, and people worried about the taliban

going house to house, did you see some of that, are you worried about that since you have left? at}! some of that, are you worried about that since you have left?— that since you have left? of course i have that since you have left? of course i have heard. _ that since you have left? of course i have heard, because _ that since you have left? of course i have heard, because i— that since you have left? of course i have heard, because i live - that since you have left? of course i have heard, because i live alone. i have heard, because i live alone in my house in kabul, it was two days after the taliban took over kabul, i thought everything would be ok and nothing was happening. so i 0k and nothing was happening. so i wasjust in my home and in panic. but after two or three days, on tuesday morning, i saw that one of the journalists who was previously in afghanistan, they wrote and said, delete your profile pictures, deactivate your social media accounts because they are searching social media and theyjust took three of our french journalists. when you think about some —— friend journalists, and when you think about taliban, and the dark experiences of people under the

taliban regime, of course i understand that they will go door—to—door and search for ngo people, journalists, and all of these people who are against their rules. . , these people who are against their rules. ., , ., ., ~ ., rules. really good to talk to you, thank ou rules. really good to talk to you, thank you very — rules. really good to talk to you, thank you very much. _ rules. really good to talk to you, thank you very much. clearly i rules. really good to talk to you, thank you very much. clearly you j thank you very much. clearly you still have concerns about some of those who are left in afghanistan at the moment so i'm glad you are safe and able to tell us about your experience this morning on the bbc. fatimah hossaini, talking to us from paris this morning.— paris this morning. interesting, we are starting — paris this morning. interesting, we are starting to _ paris this morning. interesting, we are starting to get _ paris this morning. interesting, we are starting to get those _ paris this morning. interesting, we are starting to get those proper i are starting to get those proper eyewitness stories coming out of kabul _ eyewitness stories coming out of kabul over the last few days. a kabul over the last few days. reminder of how quickly it happened as well. �* , ., ., reminder of how quickly it happened as well. �*, ., ., ., ., ~' reminder of how quickly it happened as well. �*, ., ., ., as well. let's have a look at the sot as well. let's have a look at the spot nova _ as well. let's have a look at the spot nova all — as well. let's have a look at the spot now. all eyes _ as well. let's have a look at the spot now. all eyes on _ as well. let's have a look at the spot now. all eyes on tokyo. i as well. let's have a look at the i spot now. all eyes on tokyo. despite the dela , spot now. all eyes on tokyo. despite the delay. the _ spot now. all eyes on tokyo. despite the delay, the logistical _ spot now. all eyes on tokyo. despite the delay, the logistical problems, i the delay, the logistical problems, the delay, the logistical problems, the questions about covid, but in a few hours, the paralympic opening ceremony takes place in tokyo. swimmer ellie simmonds and archer john stubbs will carry the great britain flag with sport

getting under way tomorrow. rachael latham has been following the build up. two very exceptional athletes carrying the flag for britain. talk us through their achievements, and why they have been selected for this task. ~ ., . ., ., why they have been selected for this task. ~ ., i ., ., , task. well, ellie and john have been selected not — task. well, ellie and john have been selected not only _ task. well, ellie and john have been selected not only for _ task. well, ellie and john have been selected not only for their _ selected not only for their excellence in their sport, but also the leadership they bring to the team. let's start with their achievements. john stubbs took a gold medalfor great achievements. john stubbs took a gold medal for great britain achievements. john stubbs took a gold medalfor great britain in the archery in 2008 in beijing, and ellie simmonds has won five paralympic gold medals in the swimming pool. this is theirfourth games for both of them, and combined they have won ten paralytic medals. it's notjust about leadership. —— ten paralympic medals. john is the oldest member of the team in tokyo, he has been known for having a cool head which will come in useful in some of the

younger athletes who don't have the support of their friends and family around, they can go for him. as the emmy —— ellie simmonds, so many athletes say their inspiration came from ellie simmonds. they have both said it is an honour and privilege to carry the flag for britain tonight. to carry the flag for britain toniaht. ~ . to carry the flag for britain toniaht. . ., ., ., , to carry the flag for britain toni. ht_ . ., ., ., , , ., tonight. what other names should we be lookin: tonight. what other names should we be looking out — tonight. what other names should we be looking out for, _ tonight. what other names should we be looking out for, what _ tonight. what other names should we be looking out for, what are - tonight. what other names should we be looking out for, what are our i be looking out for, what are our medal hopes? we be looking out for, what are our medal hopes?— medal hopes? we should be concentrating _ medal hopes? we should be concentrating on _ medal hopes? we should be concentrating on dame i medal hopes? we should be| concentrating on dame sarah medal hopes? we should be - concentrating on dame sarah storey, she goes for great britain tomorrow morning on the track. she has already won 1a gold medals at the paralympic games and is hoping to become the most decorated paralympian of all time. if she picks up three gold medals here, she will get that title. she starts

tomorrow, that is a good place to start for our medal. we tomorrow, that is a good place to start for our medal.— tomorrow, that is a good place to start for our medal. we have heard from athletes _ start for our medal. we have heard from athletes during _ start for our medal. we have heard from athletes during the _ start for our medal. we have heard from athletes during the olympicsl from athletes during the olympics how difficult it was to compete under such exceptional circumstances. how much more difficult is it for paralympian is? i think to put it simply, paralympic athletes, a lot of them come from the higher risk community. especially if they have respiratory problems, and they may have had to shield or go into lockdown for longer which might have hindered their preparation for these games. unlike the olympic athletes, who don't often have such problems. a lot of the paralympic athletes do. we look forward to the opening ceremony which begins in a few hours' time. thank you so much. we're only two games into the premier league season but west ham have soared to the top of the table after an emphatic 4—1 win over leicester city.

the goal of the game came from michail antonio, this was the first of his two. he's now west ham's top scorer in the premier league and celebrated by kissing a cardboard cut out of himself. we'll hear his explanation of why he lifted it up like baby from dirty dancing in a moment. but first, his manager david moyes hadn't been happy with antonio's performance in the first half, and let him know. i'm really pleased for him, because he got a few choice words at half—time and he certainly knew how to shut the manager up with what he's done in the second half, that's for sure. because i thought he made a few decisions in the first half were the wrong choices. but he played really well in the second half. and, no, if we can keep him in good condition, he's always going to be a big threat. maybe if i could run to someone, someone could pick me up, and i can be baby, you know? i wanted to be baby. but then i realised that i'm 94 kilograms, no one is really going to baby me. so i decided to do it to myself, i got a cardboard cut out of myself and i decided to lift myself up

in the air~ _ nobody puts him in the corner! england captainjoe root says he has no doubt the side can bounce back from 1—0 down to win the test series against india. a poor final day in the second test at lord's saw england fall to defeat, having drawn the first game. the third of five tests begins at headingley tomorrow. root is very postive about their chances. we're only 1—0 down, three games to play. we've found ourselves in this situation before. and you have seen us come out the other side of it having won the series 3—1, the last time we played india, or two times ago. we found ourselves in exactly the same situation having lost at lords, and then going on and winning 3—1. more recently in cape town, coming back in that series against south africa, this group of players have had experiences doing that, coming from behind in the series and winning. the third test begins at headingley

tomorrow. i loved michail antonio... how did you get the cardboard cutout in? it how did you get the cardboard cutout in? . , how did you get the cardboard cutout in? ., , , , ., ~' in? it was preplanned, he knew he was auoin in? it was preplanned, he knew he was going to _ in? it was preplanned, he knew he was going to get — in? it was preplanned, he knew he was going to get the _ in? it was preplanned, he knew he was going to get the record - in? it was preplanned, he knew he was going to get the record so i in? it was preplanned, he knew he was going to get the record so he. was going to get the record so he put it in himself.— was going to get the record so he put it in himself. that's confidence for ou! put it in himself. that's confidence for you! we _ put it in himself. that's confidence for you! we need _ put it in himself. that's confidence for you! we need a _ put it in himself. that's confidence for you! we need a photograph i put it in himself. that's confidence for you! we need a photograph ofl put it in himself. that's confidence i for you! we need a photograph of him walkin: to for you! we need a photograph of him walking to work _ for you! we need a photograph of him walking to work with _ for you! we need a photograph of him walking to work with a _ for you! we need a photograph of him walking to work with a cutout - for you! we need a photograph of him walking to work with a cutout of i walking to work with a cutout of himself — walking to work with a cutout of himself a — walking to work with a cutout of himself. a brilliant start to the season — himself. a brilliant start to the season. ~ , , himself. a brilliant start to the season. , , ., season. david moyes is doing well, isn't he? top _ season. david moyes is doing well, isn't he? top of — season. david moyes is doing well, isn't he? top of the _ season. david moyes is doing well, isn't he? top of the table. - season. david moyes is doing well, isn't he? top of the table. i - season. david moyes is doing well, isn't he? top of the table. i know l isn't he? top of the table. i know it is only two _ isn't he? top of the table. i know it is only two games _ isn't he? top of the table. i know it is only two games in _ isn't he? top of the table. i know it is only two games in but i isn't he? top of the table. i know it is only two games in but take l isn't he? top of the table. i know it is only two games in but take it while _ it is only two games in but take it while you — it is only two games in but take it while you can! thank you. australia's covid—19 response has been the envy of many countries with relatively few deaths and an economy that bounced back quickly. but with millions still in lockdown and no date for the lifting of the country's tough border rules many are feeling trapped as our australia correspondent shaimaa khalil reports. happy memories in a time of grief. christina's mum died just a month ago in sweden. do you remember when mama was here? yeah. and twice, she was refused permission to travel for the funeral.

because of australia's strict covid—19 rules about who can come in or out, christina had to watch the service online. it's weird when you see it on a small screen on a phone, and i guess the translation of the peace doesn't come. i felt a lot of guilt, i felt like i'd left my brother alone. but there's also the respect of being there as her daughter. you know, it's. .. it's a level of respect which i think she should have been given. we've been hearing many stories of separation, of missed weddings and funerals, of new mums and dads struggling without family support, ofjust wanting to give their loved ones a hug. about a third of people living in australia were born overseas so travelling freely is an integral part of their lives. but the pandemic has changed all that. with no real prospects for the borders reopening anytime soon. anyone who arrives here must do two

weeks in hotel quarantine. but there is limited space. this may have worked well for australia during the first year of the pandemic. but the delta strain is forcing the government to give up on its zero covid strategy. and there are now growing calls for more international travel. and for people to quarantine at home. anyone who is fully vaccinated, there is going to be no significant risk to australia. i just don't understand the conservatism around this at the moment. denying thousands and thousands of people those connections when you look at the risk level, itjust beggars belief. about 30% of adults in australia are fully vaccinated. nowhere near the 80% target the government has set for more freedom of movement. many have decided not to wait. marissa and her family sold their house and are moving to the uk. we are leaving with

very heavy hearts. we've made a life here, we have a beautiful home, our daughter was born here. we never thought we'd leave. but we haven't seen our families for 18 months now, and it is not at all clear when we are going to have that opportunity again. she needs to know her grandparents. she literally thinks her grandparents live in a computer. even with sydney's outbreak, covid—19 cases and deaths remain very low compared to other countries. and despite the complaints, tight border policies are still largely popular. but even if australia has been a lucky place to be during the pandemic, that feeling of being locked in is taking a huge toll. shaimaa khalil, bbc news. seal watching is a favourite pastime for lots of people but a charity has urged the public to keep their distance from the animals after footage emerged of a man apparently "taunting" one of them.

friends of horsey seals shared the footage on social media. it shows a group of people getting close to seals at a beach in norfolk. 0ne seal goes into the sea after a man walks up to it, crouches down and moves an arm towards it. let's speak to chairman, peter ansell. good morning. iam good morning. i am aware that some people might be watching that and thinking, what's wrong? explain to us why that is an issue and what sort of problem that causes. there two main issues _ sort of problem that causes. there two main issues involved - sort of problem that causes. there two main issues involved in - sort of problem that causes. there two main issues involved in this i two main issues involved in this incident unfortunately. the first, possibly the most important, is the fact that this man is not only endangering himself, but he's got a little toddler with him as well. they are far too close to the seals. he was extremely lucky that when he grabbed that seal by the tail, as it went into the water, it didn't spin round and bite him. because they can

sit in round on a sixpence and nippy very quickly, as we all know to our experience because we are dealing with them day in and day out. the second thing to be aware of is the majority of the seals on the beach near our pregnant females, due to give birth in a couple of months' time, running from october to january. he is not only disturbing the seals generally, but upsetting a lot of pregnant females. it is a double whammy on that one. hagar lot of pregnant females. it is a double whammy on that one. how much sace do double whammy on that one. how much space do seals — double whammy on that one. how much space do seals need? _ double whammy on that one. how much space do seals need? are _ double whammy on that one. how much space do seals need? are we _ double whammy on that one. how much space do seals need? are we talking i space do seals need? are we talking five metres, ten metres, more? we normall five metres, ten metres, more? - normally advise ten metres, we would like to see a0 or 50 metres but we have got to be sensible about this. we say to people, think of the length of a double—decker bus. that's roughly ten metres, stand that distance away. the seals are quite used to people, so they won't

normally scarper as soon as they see someone. as was evidenced from that clip. but they do need a bit of space. it's part of their life cycle, if you like, that they come ashore to rest, and sleep. they don't stay in the water as a lot of people believe 2a hours a day. they go to sea to fish, and then rest up, digest what they have courts, and have a rest like any other animal, they don't sleep in the water. sorry, peter, didn't mean to interrupt you. do they need more protection? is there enough in place to make sure people don't do that? i'm glad you said that, at the moment the protection is virtually nil. the protection of mammals on their breeding grounds goes back to

1972 or some such act, which gives no protection at all, virtually, excuse me. but at the moment, the seal alliance group, along with several other interested groups and defra are trying to get a national petition going. we have 10,000 signatures already, we need 100,000 for to be looked at in parliament. if i'm correct on that sort of stuff. there is a national petition which people can find by looking at on the government websites. iglutinous on the government websites. where did our on the government websites. where did your love — on the government websites. where did your love of— on the government websites. where did your love of seals _ on the government websites. where did your love of seals come - on the government websites. where did your love of seals come from, i did your love of seals come from, peter? ,., ., , , did your love of seals come from, peter? ,, ., , �* , peter? goodness gracious, i've been doin: this peter? goodness gracious, i've been doing this for — peter? goodness gracious, i've been doing this for about _ peter? goodness gracious, i've been doing this for about 20 _ peter? goodness gracious, i've been doing this for about 20 something i doing this for about 20 something years now. when i retired, i moved

up years now. when i retired, i moved up this way, got involved in helping out with natural england as a volunteer. when i started, the colony that we look after now, there were less than 100 pups born that year. since then, it's grown to the last year we had 2500 pups born. so in that space of time, the colony has multiplied dramatically. unfortunately for us, social media started to kick in about five or ten years ago, and of course that started to bring people down and we got, as we got more and more seals, we got more and more visitors and ended up with something like 100,000 visitors a year over three months. really good to talk to you, thanks for your hard work on that. peter ansell, the chairman of the friends

of horsey seals, greatjob. ansell, the chairman of the friends of horsey seals, great job.- of horsey seals, great 'ob. thank ou. you. carol is out on a very beautiful sunny day in london. good morning. iam good morning. i am on the roof of broadcasting house, the sun is beating down and for some of us, that's what it is like right now. but for others, low cloud around, mist and fog, and the low cloud is certainly thick enough to produce some drizzle here and there. the forecast for today is one of some sunshine, but also areas of cloud and some of that cloud is thick enough for drizzle even as you go to the day. we have it to central parts of england and wales, and draped across the far north of scotland where some of it will remain across shetland during the day and across the western isles. come inland, we will see the cloud break, the mist and fog break and some sunshine. in

northern ireland, sunshine here after the mist breaks. northern england has some sunshine, then we run into the cloud across parts of northern england, the north midlands and wales. that is thick enough for some drizzle. west wales has sunshine and into southern counties, we have sunshine like we have in london. through the day you will notice the reason the english channel and down the north sea coastline, especially across east anglia and kent, where it will be quite keen. and it will be cooler along the north sea coastline as a result. in the sunshine, you could hit 25 or 26, around the glasgow area, but for many of us, the high teens or 20s. temperatures are still above average for some of the time of year, roughly it should be 19 — 22 north to south. through this evening and overnight, a new weather front comes on across the north—east

of scotland, bringing in a fair bit of scotland, bringing in a fair bit of cloud. the cloud is sinking south across northern areas and we still have a big lump of cloud across parts of england and wales. not a particularly cold night unless you are hanging around outside may be waiting for public transport vesting the morning, but —— first thing in the morning, but —— first thing in the morning, but —— first thing in the morning but tomorrow, it will be cloudy because the north and east. some of the cloud will be breaking up some of the cloud will be breaking up and we will see some sunshine and if we do get that, we could see highs up to 25 degrees once again around the argyll and bute area. for most of us, we are looking at a fair bit of temperatures into the high teens or loads 20s. beyond that, we have high pressure firmly in charge of the weather settings remain settled although temperatures will start to dip a little bit. stay with us, the headlines are coming up

next. good morning, welcome to breakfast with sally nugent and dan walker. 0ur headlines today. an emergency meeting of world leaders from the g7 richest nations will discuss the crisis in afghanistan. borisjohnson will ask the us president biden to delay the withdrawal of american troops beyond the deadline at the end of the month. despite concerns about covid

and a one year delay — the tokyo paralympics get under way today — we're live injapan to look ahead to two weeks of elite sport off the menu. mcdonald's runs out of milkshake and bottled drinks — as a shortage of lorry drivers causes supply issues. the industry says the problem has been made worse by covid and brexit. a goal to remember as west ham got top of the premier league. michail antonio helped them beat leicester city and became the club's record scorer in the process. celebrating with a cardboard cut out of himself. we're live in the lake district where the authorities are asking visitors to take lateral flow covid tests before they go. it's tuesday, the 2ath of august. our top story. the prime minister will chair crisis talks with the g7 nations today as efforts continue to rescue people from afghanistan. it's expected borisjohnson will use the virtual meeting to ask us

presidentjoe biden to extend the deadline beyond august the 31st. the taliban say any delay would be a violation of the agreement with the us. helen catt has this report. as thousands continue to try to flee afghanistan, the leaders of the g7 nations, which include the us, france and germany, will hold an emergency virtual meeting to address the crisis. it is likely to be very different in tone from when they met in person in cornwall in june. the american presidentjoe biden is under pressure not to withdraw his troops from kabul airport on the 31st of august as planned. downing street said borisjohnson and mr biden agreed in a call last night to continue working together to enable people to leave, including after the first phase of the evacuation. it didn't say if moving the date had been discussed. but the prime minister is expected to ask him for more time to allow more people to get out. the government has already said british troops will have

to leave when the us does. the white house has so far not said whether it will extend the deadline or not. we are in talks with the taliban on a daily basis through the political and security channels. we believe that we have time between now and the 31st to get out any american who wants to get out. the g7 won'tjust cover the situation at the airport. borisjohnson is expected to ask the other countries to match the uk's promises on sending aid and resettling refugees. the uk has said it will take in 20,000 afghans over the next five years. the leaders are also expected to recommit to safeguarding the rights of women and minorities and girls' education in afghanistan, and to making sure any new government sticks to its international obligations. speaking ahead of the meeting, borisjohnson said the taliban would bejudged by their deeds and not their words.

the g7 may well face the same expectation. . in the early hours of this morning, another military flight carrying evacuees arrived into the uk from kabul. passengers, including small children, were greeted by ground crew as they made their way from the aircraft. more than 7,000 people have arrived from kabul in the last ten days. let's speak now to our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. good morning. you do feel there is a sense of time running out. there good morning. you do feel there is a sense of time running out.— sense of time running out. there is, absolutely- — sense of time running out. there is, absolutely. what _ sense of time running out. there is, absolutely. what you _ sense of time running out. there is, absolutely. what you do _ sense of time running out. there is, absolutely. what you do get - sense of time running out. there is, absolutely. what you do get a i sense of time running out. there is, absolutely. what you do get a clear| absolutely. what you do get a clear sense of, the americans, it comes down to the americans, will they keep the airport open? the british military cannot keep it open themselves. the americans are not inclined to, it seems. the read out from the call between borisjohnson and joe biden does not talk about extending the airlift. and a lot of this depends on the taliban because

if the security situation around the airport deteriorates, if there is violence, tension, it will be impossible to bring people out any way beyond the end of next week. we know that at the g7 meeting today, germany, france, uk, they would like it to continue but there may be a discussion but ultimately it will be an american decision and then a difficult position forjoe biden. does he want to be seen asking the taliban for something or be in a situation where he is dependent on them? the uk position where it had not got out people before the fall of kabul, thousands of people, now has thousands keen too. equally we know the uk at this stage is not proposing sanctions on the taliban, depending on the behaviour, which might be a sign of wanting to look for goodwill on the ground and to focus on how to help afghans at this

stage, but a precarious situation. we'll be speaking to the defence secretary ben wallace about all this in around half an hour. the shadow foreign secretary will be here in a couple of minutes. the number of online grooming crimes recorded by police in england and wales has jumped by nearly 70 % in three years. figures obtained by the children's charity the nspcc show that facebook—owned instagram was the platform most commonly used by groomers. the charity has urged the government to strengthen its plans for internet regulation. we know that groomers are able to exploit the design features of these sites to ruthless effect, to be able to contact large numbers of children at scale with ease, and this starts — grooming starts — with a friend request. with the expectation thatjust a relatively small number of children have to click yes to a friend request from an abuser and then

the grooming process starts. three people have died and a fourth has been seriously injured in an accident on the m25 in essex last night. a car, a minibus and a lorry were involved in the collision near waltham abbey. two people have been arrested on suspicion of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving. more than 800 migrants crossed the english channel to the uk on saturday, setting a new record for the most crossings in a single day. the french authorities stopped almost 200 others crossing the english channel. nearly 12,500 people have made the journey so far this year. officials say there are safe and legal routes for migrants and they were working to prevent dangerous crossings. ben spoke about food supply issues. milkshakes at mcdonald's. mcdonald's just the latest to be

hit by supply issues. nando's was forced to close stores because it ran out of chicken. kfc also reported shortages. this time, another fast—food favourite — there are no milkshakes or bottled drinks at mcdonald's. it affects all of its 1,250 outlets in england, scotland and wales. remember, ireland has different customs arrangements after the uk left the eu, which makes it less complicated to import goods to and from there at the moment. mcdonald's says the problem is due to supply chain issues. it's just the latest company to be hit by issues blamed on new eu immigration rules and covid restrictions. the industry body logistics uk says there's currently a shortfall of 90,000 hgv drivers. and whilst there was already a shortage —

they say the covid pandemic, and the impact of brexit trade rules and visa rules for workers have made problem worse. it is thought more than 25,000 eu drivers thought to have returned home during the pandemic and after the uk left the eu. that is causing logistical problems for retailers and shows how reliant we are on the logistics network working to get stuff into stores at the right time and there is little margin for error. we're building up to the tokyo paralympics with the opening ceremonyjust a few hours away. around a500 athletes will be competing in the games, which are taking place despite a mounting coronavirus crisis there. 0ur tokyo correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes joins us now. good morning. good morning. what is the mood now — good morning. good morning. what is the mood now as _ good morning. good morning. what is the mood now as the _ good morning. good morning. what is the mood now as the build-up, - good morning. good morning. what is the mood now as the build-up, it- good morning. good morning. what is the mood now as the build-up, it is. the mood now as the build—up, it is getting to the point where people

should be getting very excited about the paralympics. i should be getting very excited about the paralympics— the paralympics. i think it is much as it was the paralympics. ! think it is much as it was for— the paralympics. i think it is much as it was for the _ the paralympics. i think it is much as it was for the olympics, - the paralympics. i think it is much as it was for the olympics, which l the paralympics. i think it is muchl as it was for the olympics, which is these mixed emotions. there is excitement inside the athletes' village, which you can see on twitter and see all the athletes from around the world tweeting pictures and comments about how excited they are to be in tokyo, looking forward to the ceremony, looking forward to the ceremony, looking forward to taking part in competition starting tomorrow. everybody has had to wait an extra year to get here and there was doubt as to whether it would happen and now that it is, like with the olympics, there is tremendous relief 0lympics, there is tremendous relief and excitement amongst athletes coming from all over the world it is happening. when you come out onto the streets of tokyo there are mixed emotions. there is excitement for the paralympics just as there was

for the olympics. tokyo was excited when it got the right to hold these games almost eight years ago. but this is being overshadowed by covid and the situation in tokyo has got worse since the closing 0lympic ceremonyjust over two weeks ago. we are now seeing countrywide injapan, between 20,000, 25,000 new cases per day. hospitals in tokyo are strained to the limits with critical care facilities. i think there is a sense that they want it to happen, they hope it will be successful and see tremendous sport, but at the same time there is worry about the covid situation. . «a time there is worry about the covid situation. . , . time there is worry about the covid situation. ., i . . ., situation. thanks very much. we are talkin: situation. thanks very much. we are talking about — situation. thanks very much. we are talking about the _ situation. thanks very much. we are talking about the build-up _ situation. thanks very much. we are talking about the build-up to - situation. thanks very much. we are talking about the build-up to the i talking about the build—up to the paralympics starting in a few hours. understandable concerns about covid numbers injapan at the moment.

over the last week, we've seen chaotic and desperate scenes at kabul airport as people try to flee afghanistan. one of them was a young woman from nottingham, who was visiting relatives with her mother and two young siblings when the taliban took control. we've been following the family's ordeal here on breakfast — they've now managed to make it back to the uk and our correspondent navtej johal has been catching up with them. glad to see you again. lovely to see you. you look so handsome! thank you! the sound ofjoy and relief. rageeb has spent the past week worrying about his wife, adult daughter and two small children who have been trying desperately to leave afghanistan. they travelled there last month from their home in nottingham to visit sick elderly grandparents, and never expected to be caught up in the taliban takeover. these images were filmed by rageeb's 2a—year—old daughter last week, as they tried to get through to the airport in kabul. rageeb, a taxi driver, said he feared for their lives.

now they've finally returned to the uk. how are you feeling today? i'm very happy, very happy. just so happy and glad. just obviously, they are so tired at the moment, just landing at the airport. i'm very overjoyed because i didn't even know that. in the morning, i felt so angry and annoyed, but then when i heard that, like, when i heard they were here, my emotions, like, immediately changed. his daughter spoke to me from inside the airport. watching the taliban on tv was, it was just like a horror movie for me. but seeing them face—to—face, it was something like — i can't describe it at all. it has been really, really tough. because everywhere you go, you see them. with their guns, and they're really, really rude, there's

no respect for women. much relieved to see my siblings here, really happy, oh, we are home, back, we're going to see dad. so they're really happy. seeing them happy, mum happy, it's just everything for me. and i'm just waiting to see my dad and my brothers. the family, who have returned from afghanistan, will need to complete a ten—day hotel quarantine before they can be reunited with the rest of the family in nottingham. and although they are still worried about their relatives that remain in the country, this family are looking forward to putting the anxiety of the last few days behind them. navteonhal, bbc news, nottingham. that gives you a clear picture of one family's plight. we're joined now by the shadow foreign secretary, lisa nandy. when you see what people are going through and some of those desperate

to get out of afghanistan, what more can be done to help some of those still there and trying to get out? todayis still there and trying to get out? today is the big moment, this is the 11th hour. the air bridge is about to close, on the 31st, and my office is in touch with hundreds of people still stuck in afghanistan who are eligible to come out on uk flights but cannot get onto them for different reasons. we have to get an agreement at the g7 today to make a common approach to the taliban to extend the deadline and that relies on us support. it really does matter. there are few other options and the reality is unless we get the agreement at the g7 today, many will be left behind and face reprisals from the taliban. the be left behind and face reprisals from the taliban.— be left behind and face reprisals from the taliban. the pressure is on. you from the taliban. the pressure is on- you have _ from the taliban. the pressure is on. you have the _ from the taliban. the pressure is on. you have the taliban - from the taliban. the pressure is on. you have the taliban saying i from the taliban. the pressure is | on. you have the taliban saying it will be problematic if it goes beyond the 31st and say they have an agreement with the us. how do you

maintain those tensions, which are clear, the taliban within a couple of feet at some british forces at the airport. how do you persuadejoe biden who has said this is the policy and it is ending, that there needs to be days or weeks to try to get that effort working? it is needs to be days or weeks to try to get that effort working?— get that effort working? it is an enormous _ get that effort working? it is an enormous challenge _ get that effort working? it is an enormous challenge and i get that effort working? it is an enormous challenge and one i get that effort working? it is an l enormous challenge and one the get that effort working? it is an - enormous challenge and one the prime minister as chair of the g7 will have to rise to an otherwise appalling consequences for the afghans who helped us. we have to agree a common approach which means getting america to agree, a big challenge, but not a surprise. joe biden was elected on a manifesto promising to end four f awards. we have known 18 months we would have to evacuate citizens and afghan nationals who supported us. we have known four months that. we have to use the leveraged these powerful

countries have. the g7 between them represent one third of the world economy and 9 billion of those assets held by the afghan government sit in us bank accounts and others across the g7. we have means to get the taliban to supporters to extend the taliban to supporters to extend the air bridge which has to be the top priority. the the air bridge which has to be the top priority-— top priority. the taliban can be financially _ top priority. the taliban can be financially squeezed _ top priority. the taliban can be financially squeezed into i top priority. the taliban can be financially squeezed into a i top priority. the taliban can be i financially squeezed into a decision that would help those who need to get out? that would help those who need to net out? ., , ., , get out? there are levers the uk has and one is assets _ get out? there are levers the uk has and one is assets held _ get out? there are levers the uk has and one is assets held in _ get out? there are levers the uk has and one is assets held in the - and one is assets held in the western bank accounts, but there are others. it is not in the interests of the taliban to alienate the world's biggest economies. afghanistan is dependent on aid and we must continue to provide aid and assistance to the afghan people, but the taliban will be looking to the uk for support and to other

countries. they will look to us for access to airspace so there are levers powerful countries can exert even at the 11th hour and that is what the prime minister has to get world leaders to agree a common approach today or implications will be appalling for people. the former leader of the _ be appalling for people. the former leader of the labour _ be appalling for people. the former leader of the labour party - be appalling for people. the former leader of the labour party and i be appalling for people. the formerl leader of the labour party and prime minister tony blair has spoken strongly and said the decision to come out of afghanistan from america was imbecilic. come out of afghanistan from america was imbecilic— was imbecilic. would you go that far? the decision _ was imbecilic. would you go that far? the decision to _ was imbecilic. would you go that far? the decision to withdraw i was imbecilic. would you go that far? the decision to withdraw is l far? the decision to withdraw is from the united states and nobody can say we were not warned and we have had two successive presidents who made clear they would end involvement in afghanistan after 20 years and thousands of lives lost. while the us deserves criticism for the decision to withdraw quickly with a hard deadline, which signalled to the taliban it was

simply a waiting game and if they held tight, the us would be gone and they knew when they would be gone and i suspect that is why we saw a rapid advance. there have been mistakes made in terms of afghanistan including the past 18 months when the government has not put plans in place for a proper evacuation. right now what we have to do is make sure we extend the air bridge, keep land borders open and agree a common approach to the refugee crisis and stop afghanistan descending back to a haven for terrorists. me descending back to a haven for terrorists-— descending back to a haven for terrorists. ~ , ., �* terrorists. we spoke to the armed forces minister _ terrorists. we spoke to the armed forces minister yesterday. - terrorists. we spoke to the armed forces minister yesterday. he i terrorists. we spoke to the armed forces minister yesterday. he was open and honest about issues they are facing. he is a former soldier and understanding frustrations of what it must be like to be on the front line, but also the red tape of government. the point he was trying to get across is they are trying to

do everything they can. what else could they do to improve the situation? in could they do to improve the situation?— could they do to improve the situation? , ., , ., , situation? in terms of soldiers, diplomats. _ situation? in terms of soldiers, diplomats. uk _ situation? in terms of soldiers, diplomats, uk staff, _ situation? in terms of soldiers, diplomats, uk staff, border i situation? in terms of soldiers, i diplomats, uk staff, border agency diplomats, uk staff, borderagency staff, processing applications as quickly as they can, and the ambassador who stayed to help process applications, i am not sure there is anything more they can do but there is more politicians can do to support them. they need resources. there is burn—out. the mental health pressure of this, watching that crush at the gates, people desperate, that is taking its toll. they need help sorting through cases and they need politicians to agree a plan about how we will get people out, extend the air bridge and support to countries in the region like pakistan, who are seeing huge numbers crossing the border, to keep the borders open we need the

wealthiest countries to step up and say, we will support you, it will not be your problem alone when this refugee crisis is over. that is why the g7 matters. this group of countries can make that commitment. the prime minister has to step up. after cutting aid and stepping back from the world, trashing alliances, this is where he has to say the uk will step forward but we need those g7 leaders to step forward also. [30 g7 leaders to step forward also. do ou g7 leaders to step forward also. do you think the world leaders trust the noises from afghanistan that it is a new look taliban.— is a new look taliban. different from previous _ is a new look taliban. different from previous generations? i. is a new look taliban. different | from previous generations? i do is a new look taliban. different i from previous generations? i do not and there is no reason to trust it is a different taliban. they have threatened reprisals against those who helped the uk and us. we have seen the rolling back of progress troops fought for 20 years for women and girls and also human rights

abuses, as well. the bigger issue todayis abuses, as well. the bigger issue today is whether the prime minister can command the trust of world leaders in order to agree a common approach. 0verthe leaders in order to agree a common approach. over the years we have trashed alliances, we have seen a collapse in relations with united states and eu and this is the moment where he has to bring those people together to agree a common approach. what would you do to keep the taliban in check? you spoke about financial measures, what else? the reali is financial measures, what else? the reality is we — financial measures, what else? tue: reality is we very limited financial measures, what else? ti2 reality is we very limited options available at this stage. the case we should work with regional partners to exert pressure on the taliban. there are actors in the region who have influence. the german foreign minister has spoken to turkey about whether we can broker an agreement to get civilians out of afghanistan after the air bridge closes. it seems there are things the british

government could be doing, but there is a clear set of things the g7 has to deliver and that starts with evacuation and making sure we get out those people who helped us. 0therwise out those people who helped us. otherwise the implications will be felt in other parts of the world where the uk operates in dangerous conditions. we rely on people to help us and we cannot send the message we abandon people after 20 years of sacrifice. me message we abandon people after 20 years of sacrifice.— years of sacrifice. we will put some of those questions _ years of sacrifice. we will put some of those questions to _ years of sacrifice. we will put some of those questions to ben - years of sacrifice. we will put some of those questions to ben wallace. | of those questions to ben wallace. thank you. visitors to cumbria are being asked by the county's head of public health to take a lateral flow test before travelling there. it follows a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the region. 0ur reporter dave guest is there for us this morning. good morning. good morning. good morning, welcome aboard. a mist has descended but i am assured by

the locals that it will burn off as the locals that it will burn off as the day goes on and they hope to welcome more tourists during what is a bumper season in the lake district. they needed it after the restrictions. however, tourists are reminded covid has not gone away and they should exercise caution. this is the director _ they should exercise caution. this is the director of _ they should exercise caution. ti 3 is the director of public health. if you are coming to cumbria, please come, it is a beautiful place. but test before you travel. take a lateral flow test to make sure as you come here you are clear of the virus. we would appreciate it. lateral flow tests, social distancing the advice. we are joined ljy distancing the advice. we are joined by the managing director of cumbria tourism. what is your reaction to that? ~ ., ., tourism. what is your reaction to that? . ., ., ., tourism. what is your reaction to that? ~ ., ., ., , . that? we are encouraged to expect fluctuations — that? we are encouraged to expect fluctuations and _ that? we are encouraged to expect fluctuations and throughout - that? we are encouraged to expect fluctuations and throughout the i that? we are encouraged to expect fluctuations and throughout the 18| fluctuations and throughout the 18 months businesses and customers have

been adept at managing situations. it is important we continue to be vigilant and responsible. ihe it is important we continue to be vigilant and responsible. he issued advice following _ vigilant and responsible. he issued advice following an _ vigilant and responsible. he issued advice following an increase - vigilant and responsible. he issued advice following an increase in i advice following an increase in cases in some areas. the number has doubled in some areas in the past week. it is with foundation he gives this advice. we week. it is with foundation he gives this advice. ~ . week. it is with foundation he gives this advice-— this advice. we are here to look after the communities. - this advice. we are here to look after the communities. it i this advice. we are here to look after the communities. it is - this advice. we are here to look after the communities. it is a i this advice. we are here to look. after the communities. it is a rural area and we are part of the communities and we are here to look after customers and they are having after customers and they are having a responsibility to look after everybody else. it is working together which we have done brilliantly. businesses and customers have adapted and we will continue to do so to provide covid safe experiences. he continue to do so to provide covid safe experiences.— continue to do so to provide covid safe experiences. he stressed there is no proven — safe experiences. he stressed there is no proven link— safe experiences. he stressed there is no proven link between _ safe experiences. he stressed there is no proven link between tourism . is no proven link between tourism and that rise in cases. but you do have a lot coming in. we saw a case in cornwall of a festival, and following that a couple of weeks ago

the health authorities there are looking at 5000 cases that may be linked in the festival. is it a concern here? i linked in the festival. is it a concern here?— linked in the festival. is it a concern here? , , , ,, , concern here? i believe businesses in cumbria — concern here? i believe businesses in cumbria and _ concern here? i believe businesses in cumbria and visitors _ concern here? i believe businesses in cumbria and visitors have - concern here? i believe businesses| in cumbria and visitors have worked brilliantly together. we have not had any links between tourism, hospitality and covid. when we have had increases it is areas away from tourism. as long as we are vigilant, people behave responsibly, we have a fantastic wide—open county. you cannot quite see it at the moment! this year we have seen people choosing to visit lots of places, not necessarily coming to the same favourite places, which has worked well. we have seen changes in behaviour. people wanting to stay in bubbles. to spend but spending less places. visitors adapting behaviour and supporting communities.

businesses are adapting. people who operate these cruises on the lake have themselves imposed limits on numbers. would it have been helpful if the government had kept some restrictions so they had firm guidance?— restrictions so they had firm auidance? , ., ., , ., , guidance? everyone has a different oinion but guidance? everyone has a different opinion but what _ guidance? everyone has a different opinion but what you _ guidance? everyone has a different opinion but what you will _ guidance? everyone has a different opinion but what you will see - guidance? everyone has a different| opinion but what you will see across the county is businesses being responsible and visitors being responsible. that is what we will need. we have had a good few weeks during summer but businesses lost half of their income through the lockdown so it will be important to have a strong autumn and winter and strong 2022 to get a full recovery. not to mention the bank holiday weekend where you expect an influx. what is your advice to people? it should be a lovely weekend. be responsible. follow advice. always book ahead. a bank holiday weekend here is always going to be busy so book ahead and make sure you get the

best possible experience. sound advice. please _ best possible experience. sound advice. please come _ best possible experience. sound advice. please come to - best possible experience. sound advice. please come to cumbria| best possible experience. sound i advice. please come to cumbria is the advice. you do get fantastic views. but be cautious because covid has not gone away. it still looks great, dave. you cannot see much. we can use our imagination. that is fog. if you can see further than a kilometre it is mist, if you cannot, it is fog. you are watching bbc breakfast, still to come. we'll be following the build up to the paralympics as around 4,400 athletes prepare to compete in tokyo. we'll have that shortly and bring you the latest news. and we will have the weather. hello. are you laughing at me? i thought we were going to carol.

good morning. sally was going with the formalities. sally can do no wrong in my eyes. i am in london on the roof of broadcasting house. sunshine, different from the pictures you have just been seeing in cumbria. but there is cloud and fog around. a lot of it will lift but some will stick around the coast and some thick enough for drizzle. today some sunshine but also cloud. this morning, we have a lump of cloud across england and wales. we also have cloud in the far north and west of scotland which is likely to linger across shetland. also in some of the islands in the west. inland, we lose the mist and fog and the sun

should come out. northern ireland, a similar scenario, should come out. northern ireland, a similarscenario, mist will should come out. northern ireland, a similar scenario, mist will lift and you will see sunshine. and in northern england, the same, we should see sunshine come through. some of it across lincolnshire, yorkshire, north midlands and parts of wales may stick for much of the day. west wales, some sunshine, also in southern england. it will be breezy through the english channel and in the south—east of england and down the north sea coast. that will peg back temperatures. cooler this week along the north sea coastline and at times more cloud. but we could get up to 26 around glasgow today. most in the high teens, low 20s. through the evening and overnight, we will have cloud. still across the central parts of england and wales. sinking sound. a new

weather front and wales. sinking sound. a new weatherfront in and wales. sinking sound. a new weather front in north—east scotland will introduce more cloud. it moves across the mainland scotland and across the mainland scotland and across the mainland scotland and across the east and west, some moving inland. as a result, there will be mist and fog patches forming. tomorrow any mist and fog should lift, although it will start on a cloudy note. through the course of the day, through the morning into the afternoon, you will notice the fog will lift and the cloud will break and some will see sunshine. if you are stuck under cloud on the north sea coastline, temperatures will be lower. we could see sunshine across the north west and this is where temperatures will be higher. more later. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and sally nugent.

borisjohnson will chair a virtual meeting of leaders from g7 countries today when it's expected he'll ask joe biden to delay the withdrawal of american troops from afghanistan. they're due to leave in a week's time, despite concerns that some people eligible to leave won't have been helped out of kabul by then. the taliban have warned there'll be "consequences" if the us and its allies extend their presence in the country. borisjohnson is chairing a virtual meeting of the g7 leaders today, and he's expected to ask president biden to delay the withdrawal of american troops from afghanistan. us soldiers are due to leave kabul in one week but mr biden is facing calls to extend the deadline. we're joined now by the defence secretary, ben wallace. good secretary, ben wallace. morning mr wallace. goof morning. good morning mr wallace. good morning- if— good morning mr wallace. good morning- if i _ good morning mr wallace. good morning. if! could _ good morning mr wallace. good morning. if i could get - good morning mr wallace. good morning. if i could get a - good morning mr wallace. good morning. if i could get a little i good morning mr wallace. good| morning. if i could get a little bit of information _

morning. if i could get a little bit of information from _ morning. if i could get a little bit of information from you - morning. if i could get a little bit of information from you about i morning. if i could get a little bit| of information from you about the deadline. you have said the deadline is ours rather than weeks. took me through what that means exactly. i’m through what that means exactly. i'm not through what that means exactly. i�*m! not going to give you an exact end date of each different phase because i think to do so would risk potentially stampede, and we have seen already some tragic deaths outside a number of the gates in the airport because of the panic and fear through the crowd. operationally it also puts people at risk, if organisations or terrorist groups like isis wish to make an attack. we are planning on august 3! is the leave date of the united states, that means that the uk military would have to leave before that date, and evacuation of refugees and entitled personnel and british passport holders, all the other people i talked about, would have to be before that. i think my point is, we don't have the luxury of days and days and weeks, we have

literally hours to make sure that everybody that we can get through the gates, through the testing centre and onto the aircraft. if i can give you an example, the last 2a hours, we have flown out 2000 people, over2000 hours, we have flown out 2000 people, over 2000 people from the airport. they have been processed, called forward onto a plane and then flown back to safety. we have done over 10,000 since april and 8600 alone since august iii. big challenges, but we are trying every minute to get more people on the plains. ! minute to get more people on the lains. . ,, . . minute to get more people on the lains. . ,, .. ., plains. i appreciate you cannot give us the finer — plains. i appreciate you cannot give us the finer details _ plains. i appreciate you cannot give us the finer details but _ plains. i appreciate you cannot give us the finer details but that - plains. i appreciate you cannot give us the finer details but that at - us the finer details but that at least is what is going to happen between now and the deadline. what can you tell us, do you think, might not happen between now and the deadline? you have said already that some people will get left behind in afghanistan, what would you say to the families of those people who you

know will not make it three? the reason we _ know will not make it three? the reason we have _ know will not make it three? tue: reason we have talked know will not make it three? tte: reason we have talked about know will not make it three? t"t9 reason we have talked about —— know will not make it three? tt9: reason we have talked about —— make it through? the reason we have talked about an alternative to being settled in the uk is that people need to have hope, and they need to know that the government will continue to support the process wherever they are. there are three options for those people. one is to make it to a third country. the borders are open in afghanistan, not all of them are open all of the time but they are open, and if they make their way to those countries, our embassy will be beefed up or increased in many of those embassies to increase the processing of those people. and get them out of those countries as soon as they can to the united kingdom, and that is really important. we have already seen people turning up in other embassies around the region. i as the mod have offered to work with the home office to provide them with more workforce

alongside border. process people, and it is important —— alongside the border force to process people and it is important that they know that is an option. secondly, the airport itself will eventually reopen and go back to some form of normality. the taliban need air links to places like macro and other parts of the region, afghanistan need open borders and they need to trade so the apple will open at some point. that isn't comfort to people who feel that they are targeted and may be are targeted, it's not a comfort to those in grave danger. that's the hardest group of people for me to have to eventually potentially say, i'm afraid the aircraft are going, or have gone. that's why they are being ruthlessly prioritised within the chaos, people trying to get out in military fights. flights ——

flights. one of the messages for the g7 will be the taliban do not hinder those people trying to leave the country and recognise that their human rights should be protected, and we will not allow them to be persecuted and murdered, and that they should be given free access. there is a strong statement from the g7, if it does come out, if that's what they decide to say. the tell need money and international recognition and they need open borders. those three things should motivate them to recognise that putting these people under threat is putting these people under threat is putting their best interest. mr wallace, anyone listening to you this it would perhaps think that what you are about requires more time and the biggest problem at the moment is the deadline and this red line of august 31. do you think we could go beyond that? is there any chance that this deadline at this

stage might be extended? t chance that this deadline at this stage might be extended? i think we need to see — stage might be extended? i think we need to see what _ stage might be extended? i think we need to see what happens _ stage might be extended? i think we need to see what happens at - stage might be extended? i think we need to see what happens at the - stage might be extended? i think we need to see what happens at the g7. j need to see what happens at the g7. there are lots of anxious countries, i have had phone calls from many european countries who are as equally anxious as we are. that's why time it matters more than anything. we have planned for the west, 31st of august, that's why we have flown in 1000 troops —— planned for the worst, that is why we have flown in 1000 troops to be there to process these people and secure the airport, we flew them in mid—august and they have done an amazing job. i wish we had more time. i think at the it is unlikely, i see the public statements from joe biden and from the taliban, we have to plan the sist the taliban, we have to plan the 31st of august being the last moment. every day after that would be a big bonus. we would like it, we are only there to rescue these

people, we are not there for any ulterior motives, the taliban should not fear that. people have put the question to them, at the moment they have said no. but time is people. will the uk government be pressing today at the g7 for more time? t today at the 67 for more time? i think collectively the g7 today at the 67 for more time? i think collectively the 67 will think collectively the g7 will discuss that. i, like you, the prime minister has already spoken, i think he spoke to president biden only yesterday. i think numerous people have asked for more time, both within our government but also across the government in the international community. i think what we will hear from the g7 is a final statement or a final decision about whether there will be more time given or not. everyone knows that the rest of the international community wishes to have more time but there are two other people with a vote on that, and that is the taliban and the president of the united states. in the end, both of

them have significant power in that final decision. pare them have significant power in that final decision.— final decision. are we in a position now where — final decision. are we in a position now where we _ final decision. are we in a position now where we just _ final decision. are we in a position now where we just do _ final decision. are we in a position now where we just do what - final decision. are we in a position now where we just do what the - now where we just do what the taliban says? now where we 'ust do what the taliban says?— now where we 'ust do what the taliban says? now where we 'ust do what the taliban sa s? :, ~ ., taliban says? no, i think we are in the realistic _ taliban says? no, i think we are in the realistic position _ taliban says? no, i think we are in the realistic position that - taliban says? no, i think we are in the realistic position that the - the realistic position that the taliban have predominantly taken over the country, and under the doha deal, the united states and the rest had agreed to leave that country. that is the simple facts on the ground. do we wish to return as a big army in the way we did in 2014, when the last really big military operations were being undertaken? that was over 100,000 troops. without the united states at the moment, that would not be a possibility. it's the simple truth on the ground, the taliban now control kabul. we need them to allow our people through the checkpoints and onto planes to leave the country, we need them to respect those people and allow them travel if they want to go to a third

country. at this moment in time, my number one priority is getting out people under threat, that is all that matters to me and all that matters to many of us in government, to do that and we will then work out what we are going to do and the consequences and the future relationship with afghanistan after that. : :, :, relationship with afghanistan after that. : . . ., relationship with afghanistan after that. ~ . . ., ., that. attallah bana said that missin: that. attallah bana said that missing the _ that. attallah bana said that missing the deadline - that. attallah bana said that missing the deadline would | that. attallah bana said that. missing the deadline would in that. attallah bana said that - missing the deadline would in their words —— the taliban said that missing the deadline would in their words provoke a reaction, what do you think they mean by that? t words provoke a reaction, what do you think they mean by that? i would ruess you think they mean by that? i would auess that you think they mean by that? i would guess that that _ you think they mean by that? i would guess that that means _ you think they mean by that? i would guess that that means everything - guess that that means everything from blocking people getting to the airport to attacks on the airport or indeed attacks on individuals. and i think also what they are referring to is isis in that statement. the taliban and isis do not have a relationship, they have in the past attacked each other. isis have been very clear that they would attack, they would like to attack now, the security threat is growing because of their ambitions. if that airport

gets attacked, effectively it closes down, mortarfire onto gets attacked, effectively it closes down, mortar fire onto the runway etc, then we are left with a very big humanitarian problem there and then. at the moment, unless the united states and the taliban decide to push it for another 28 —— 24 or 48 hours, that's why we should focus on the 31st and i hope that maybe there is an alternative. at the moment planned for the worst but hope for the best. you moment planned for the worst but hope for the best.— moment planned for the worst but hope for the best. you set a moment aro hope for the best. you set a moment a . 0 that hope for the best. you set a moment ago that your — hope for the best. you set a moment ago that your priority _ hope for the best. you set a moment ago that your priority is _ hope for the best. you set a moment ago that your priority is getting - ago that your priority is getting people out. if you get to that scenario on the 31st, how will you continue to get people out, if they can't get to the hubs and there is no other way out except to wait in the queue at the airport? t’m no other way out except to wait in the queue at the airport?- the queue at the airport? i'm not auoin to the queue at the airport? i'm not going to pretend _ the queue at the airport? i'm not going to pretend there _ the queue at the airport? i'm not going to pretend there is - the queue at the airport? i'm not going to pretend there is a - the queue at the airport? i'm notj going to pretend there is a magic wand, there isn't a magic wand. we have one of the biggest airlifts in history coming out of kabul, military huge number of people flying in and out of a very dangerous situation. thousands of people being cleared through the

system, tens of thousands being evacuated through that system. i can't pretend there is an easy alternative at the end of this on august 31. i can say that the british government will continue to keep the scheme open, we will make sure we process people from third countries, whether they are in refugee camps or whether they present in countries in the region, and we will make sure they are efficiently and quickly processed so they don't stay in that country and get in the way of the governments of those countries and we bring them back to look after them in the uk. but i simply cannot pretend that after the military leaves, there is some magic way to get those people out. :, , ., ., :, some magic way to get those people out. ., , . . ., ., out. you will be aware of the former marine pen — out. you will be aware of the former marine pen farthing _ out. you will be aware of the former marine pen farthing who _ out. you will be aware of the former marine pen farthing who was - out. you will be aware of the former marine pen farthing who was talking j marine pen farthing who was talking about getting his rescue animals and staff from an animal rescue centre out of campbell —— the marine penn farthing. he chartered a plane, and

he has now been blocked... tie farthing. he chartered a plane, and he has now been blocked... he hasn't been blocked. — he has now been blocked... he hasn't been blocked, that _ he has now been blocked... he hasn't been blocked, that is _ he has now been blocked... he hasn't been blocked, that is nonsense. - he has now been blocked... he hasn't been blocked, that is nonsense. go . been blocked, that is nonsense. go on then, tell me. there _ been blocked, that is nonsense. go on then, tell me. there is- been blocked, that is nonsense. go on then, tell me. there is a - on then, tell me. there is a confusion — on then, tell me. there is a confusion about _ on then, tell me. there is a confusion about this - on then, tell me. there is a confusion about this story. | on then, tell me. there is a - confusion about this story. penn farthing was contacted last friday, he has publicly talked about that, his wife flew out last week. as a british passport holder and a person who could be under greater risks, he was offered a root out as an individual. this is not about chartering a plane and it is somehow but coming to the airport and somehow if the plane lands, he and all his animals will be able to get on it and fly back to the united kingdom. this is not a bad capacity of aeroplanes. there are aeroplanes coming in and out —— this is not about capacity of aeroplanes. there are players coming in all the time, this is a military airport run by the united states, it's not about flying a plane in. this is about

people who work for him and his rescue pets and animals can make it through the taliban checkpoints, the crowds, the people in front of him in the queue. not him but his workforce. there are people in that queue right now, you have seen them on your media stream, thousands of people some of which are under really direct threat. very dangerous threat because of what they did during the last 20 years. and they have a right to get on the plane as much as anyone else. therefore our priority is getting those people processed, and i simply cannot push those people out of the way because, to allow through some of those other cases. they have been given the right to be settled in the united kingdom, his western —— workforce. but it is misleading to say that if we only let the praline, everything would be fine. if we let the plane

in, it would sit effectively waiting for hours and hours for him and his people to get through the thousands of people waiting outside. there are 15,000 people in front of the airport, 3000 people in front of the gate, and therefore this is a matter of that prioritisation and who we get in those very few hours and days we have left. he was asked if he would come forward, he has chosen to say he will not come forward without his rescue animals and his 68 staff. i strongly advise him to not do that but to come back, and i do believe that the attallah bana and his rescue animals, —— the taliban and his rescue animals, they will not be under the same threat as those who helped the british government. and i think in the longer term, when this is over, either that charter plane can come in or they will be able to come out in a slower time, as we call it. this is not about somebody,

and it is certainly not true that my advisor is apparently blocking a plane, that is total rubbish. he is being misinformed if that is what he believes. it is simply about that the airfield is working at full pace, and there are spaces on the plane for him and for many thousands of people, not everyone, but there are. they have to get through the gates. it is taking currently 24 hours for people to get through the checkpoints, the queues, etc, before they get on our planes.— they get on our planes. defence secretary ben — they get on our planes. defence secretary ben wallace, - they get on our planes. defence secretary ben wallace, thank. they get on our planes. defence l secretary ben wallace, thank you they get on our planes. defence - secretary ben wallace, thank you for your time. jane's got the sport for us this morning. looking at what is happening in tokyo, the paralympics are upon us. the opening ceremony due to get under way in a few hours, very exciting. in rio, their one 147 medals won by team gb. —— there are

hundred and 47 medals were won by team gb. but they are not putting a target on it this time because of the pandemic. five—time gold medallist ellie simmonds will carry the great britain flag at today's paralympics opening ceremony in toyko, alongside archer john stubbs, who at 56 years old is the oldest member of team gb. both are competing at their fourth games. simmonds has won eight paralympic medals since making her debut at beijing in 2008 aged 13. these games are, of course, very different from any other and some athletes' training has been affected by the pandemic more than others. runners, cyclists, they can go out on the road, they can go for a run. but swimmers, we didn't have our normal environment so we all had to adapt in a different way. but also that makes you stronger because it shows that actually, we've been able to be here, we're here today at the paralympics, and we have had a challenging year, we had four months out of the water we've been able to be here, we're here today at the paralympics, and we have had a challenging year, we had four months out of the water but we're here and ready to compete. so it grows us mentally stronger and it shows that we can do anything.

it was a special night for west ham and for michail antonio who had a celebration to match up his sleeve. west ham thrashed ten—man leicester city 4—1, which put them top of the premier league for now. this was the first of two from antonio and it meant he passed paulo dicanio's record, making him west ham's top scorer in the premier league. he celebrated with a carboard cut out of himself, saying he was recreating the lift from the film dirty dancing. manager david moyes wasn't happy with antonio's performance in the first half, and told him. i'm really pleased for him, because he got a few choice words at half—time and he certainly knew how to shut the manager up with what he's done in the second half, that's for sure. because i thought he made a few decisions in the first half were the wrong choices. but he played really well in the second half. and, no, if we can keep him in good condition, he's always going to be a big threat. england captainjoe root says england can still win the series against india ahead of their third test at headingley, despite being 1—0 down after a poor performance at lords. england drew the first test and were criticised after a dismal

batting performance in the second. they've had a further blow with bowler mark wood being ruled out of the third test with a shoulder injury. the third test starts at headingley tomorrow, there is coverage across the bbc. that is your sport. sir billy connolly is one of britain's best—loved comedians but he retired from stand up last year after he was diagnosed with parkinson's disease in 2013. in recognition of his contribution to the industry the 78—year—old has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award as part of this year's edinburgh tv festival. here's billy and his wife dr pamela stephenson connolly talking about his career and the award. a lot of people wonder how you're doing, they're concerned about you. but you seem great. on the last tour, i used to say to the audience, "good evening, symptoms spotters!" i would show them symptoms, and it would work really well, really well. what about physical challenges?

well, the challenges lately have been medical. they're getting worse. not long ago, you made a two—part bbc two special, called billy connolly made in scotland. which was described as your love letter to your homeland. how did it feel going back through memories and your past on tv? it's a scary thought, doing it. i don't like visiting the past, it depresses me terribly because some of it's pretty dark. at other times, it's wonderful. i remember filming on a street in glasgow, i was looking at one of my paintings on the wall, where people have painted me. and in the middle of it, a guy went, "0h, billy boy"! he was half drunk and he came up and gave me a cuddle, kissed me on the cheek and started to talk to me. he knew damn fine i was filming, he didn't care. it was lovely. being in among them was brilliant.

well, that it seems like the perfect note to wrap up, and name you this year's edinburgh television festival lifetime achievement award recipient. congratulations, billy. thank you very much, i'm very proud. proud and happy. good man, great to hearfrom him. let's reflect more now on sir billy connolly's influence with scottish comedianjaney godley. lovely to have you on the programme, janey. you have had a long association with sir billy. tell us when you first met him and the influence he has had on you. t when you first met him and the influence he has had on you. i have met him a — influence he has had on you. i have met him a few _ influence he has had on you. i have met him a few times, _ influence he has had on you. i have met him a few times, but - influence he has had on you. i have met him a few times, but the - influence he has had on you. i have met him a few times, but the best| met him a few times, but the best time was when i was in wellington new zealand in 2012, and we were sharing a hotel, and he was doing, making a movie and i was doing the comedy festival. and my daughter ashley and i had been hanging out,

and he came to see my comedy show which was terrifying. i can't give anything more terrifying than standing backstage knowing that billy connolly is sitting eating pizza with your daughter. i thought to myself, if this is the time that i die on stage, it will be the worst time possible. but we had a great time possible. but we had a great time together and he is everything, he means everything to scottish comedy. he means everything to scottish comed . ~ :, , he means everything to scottish comed . ~ . , ~ :, he means everything to scottish comed .~ . , ~ :, �*, comedy. what is it, i know it's difficult probably _ comedy. what is it, i know it's difficult probably to _ comedy. what is it, i know it's difficult probably to answer . comedy. what is it, i know it's difficult probably to answer in | comedy. what is it, i know it's| difficult probably to answer in a short_ difficult probably to answer in a short answer, what is it that makes him so _ short answer, what is it that makes him so special? is it because of where — him so special? is it because of where he — him so special? is it because of where he is _ him so special? is it because of where he is from, is it because of the difficulties his face? is he so funny— the difficulties his face? is he so funny because he knows what it's like to _ funny because he knows what it's like to he — funny because he knows what it's like to be so sad? i funny because he knows what it's like to be so sad?— funny because he knows what it's like to be so sad? i think what made billy connolly _ like to be so sad? i think what made billy connolly a _ like to be so sad? i think what made billy connolly a global— like to be so sad? i think what made billy connolly a global sensation - like to be so sad? i think what made billy connolly a global sensation as i billy connolly a global sensation as he made the very ordinary extraordinarily funny. this is a man who could make the whole world love

talking about a tea cosy. and the thing that made him, he was so taken to the heart of the scots, he spoke about the working class. he made it funny that it was ok to sleep on a code with a duffel coat on because he didn't have blankets. —— sleep on a bed with a duffel coat on. he held a bed with a duffel coat on. he held a mirror up to society and he made ordinary things really funny and thatis ordinary things really funny and that is his amazing gift to the world. he that is his amazing gift to the world. , :, : , world. he is an incredible storyteller— world. he is an incredible storyteller to _ world. he is an incredible storyteller to and - world. he is an incredible storyteller to and it - world. he is an incredible storyteller to and it is - world. he is an incrediblej storyteller to and it is the world. he is an incredible - storyteller to and it is the ability to make the mundane hilarious by the way you tell it. sometimes the story takes 15 minutes but you laugh the whole way through.— takes 15 minutes but you laugh the whole way through. yeah, he's the onl man whole way through. yeah, he's the only man i — whole way through. yeah, he's the only man i know— whole way through. yeah, he's the only man i know that _ whole way through. yeah, he's the only man i know that makes - whole way through. yeah, he's the only man i know that makes you i whole way through. yeah, he's the - only man i know that makes you laugh so much that your kidney hurts. i loved so much for him that i thought i was going to have to take painkillers and have a lie down. and he's an amazing writer, he was a playwright, he wrote plays as well.

and he is a fabulous actor. his legacy will live on, and scottish comedy is all the better for him being the ambassador. when we went anywhere in the world to do stand—up, they already knew billy connolly. so he had kicked that dorian for us and for that, i am eternally grateful. —— kicked that door in for us. t eternally grateful. -- kicked that door in for us.— door in for us. i get the impression, _ door in for us. i get the impression, that - door in for us. i get the impression, that billy l door in for us. i get the - impression, that billy connolly door in for us. i get the _ impression, that billy connolly when you meet_ impression, that billy connolly when you meet him off stage is exactly the same — you meet him off stage is exactly the same person as he is on stage, is that— the same person as he is on stage, is that right — the same person as he is on stage, is that right or is he more subdued and quiet. — is that right or is he more subdued and quiet, what is he like? he is so funny offstage! _ and quiet, what is he like? he is so funny offstage! we _ and quiet, what is he like? he is so funny offstage! we sat _ and quiet, what is he like? he is so funny offstage! we sat for - and quiet, what is he like? he is so funny offstage! we sat for two - and quiet, what is he like? he is sol funny offstage! we sat for two hours talking, we never even spoke about comedy. i can't even tell you what we talked about, but me, ashley and billy connolly stood on a balcony in a pub in new zealand, with mugs of tea, until two in the morning, talking like glaswegians talk all over the world, and he made me laugh

so much. he has a huge heart, there is a lot of compassion and love that i think people see that in him. you're not talking to someone snide or a backstabber, you're not talking to someone snide ora backstabber, it's you're not talking to someone snide or a backstabber, it's billy and you know you are the focus of his attention and he isjust know you are the focus of his attention and he is just wonderful. we are seeing a bit more for that video at the edinburgh festival, he said he's proud and happy. i think that lifetime achievement award will have meant a lot to him and a lot of people as well, you included. filth. people as well, you included. 0h, absolutely- _ people as well, you included. 0h, absolutely. there _ people as well, you included. t absolutely. there is people as well, you included. ot, absolutely. there is nobody people as well, you included. (ztt, absolutely. there is nobody else people as well, you included. (tt, absolutely. there is nobody else as far as i'm concerned, especially this year, that would be a worthy recipient. his body of work speaks volumes. what he's done for comedy and scottish comedy especially, he went abroad and spoke in a language and accent that everybody has told us to change. and he did it, and he made people laugh. he'll be my hero forever. :, , :, , ., ~

made people laugh. he'll be my hero forever. :, , :, , ., forever. lovely words, thank you so much for that _ forever. lovely words, thank you so much for that this _ forever. lovely words, thank you so much for that this morning, - forever. lovely words, thank you so much for that this morning, janey. l much for that this morning, janey. and thank you for putting a smile on all ourfaces telling us and thank you for putting a smile on all our faces telling us how he has made you laugh over the years, thank you, janey. made you laugh over the years, thank ou, jane . :, ~' ,, made you laugh over the years, thank you. janey-_ it's _ you, janey. thank you. it's brilliant — you, janey. thank you. it's brilliant to _ you, janey. thank you. it's brilliant to hear _ you, janey. thank you. it's brilliant to hear he - you, janey. thank you. it's brilliant to hear he is - you, janey. thank you. it's brilliant to hear he is the l you, janey. thank you. it's - brilliant to hear he is the same offstage as he is on stage. tlot brilliant to hear he is the same offstage as he is on stage. not many --eole like offstage as he is on stage. not many people like that. _ offstage as he is on stage. not many people like that. i— offstage as he is on stage. not many people like that. i can _ offstage as he is on stage. not many people like that. i can tell— offstage as he is on stage. not many people like that. i can tell you - offstage as he is on stage. not many people like that. i can tell you one i people like that. i can tell you one erson people like that. i can tell you one person who _ people like that. i can tell you one person who is _ people like that. i can tell you one person who is exactly _ people like that. i can tell you one person who is exactly the - people like that. i can tell you one person who is exactly the same i people like that. i can tell you onej person who is exactly the same on people like that. i can tell you one i person who is exactly the same on tv and not on tv. t5 it person who is exactly the same on tv and not on tv-— and not on tv. is it carol? she is lovely all — and not on tv. is it carol? she is lovely all the _ and not on tv. is it carol? she is lovely all the time! _ good morning everybody! talking about lovely, the sun is beating down here, it isn't like that everywhere, though. there is low cloud and tankless in the air this morning, also some mist and fog. there is some dank cloud in the air. there is some dank cloud in the air. the forecast is some sunshine and areas of cloud today. you can see

slapping across the middle of england and wales, we have a big area of cloud, and another one draped across the north of scotland. especially across shetland where it will be quite damp. but some of the western islands of scotland as well. move inland, we are looking at something drier and brighter, when this morning's mist and fog clears. northern ireland has some mist and fog to lift and then we have sunny spells. and the same in cumbria, a lot of low cloud which will break as we go through the day. going into yorkshire, lincolnshire and the midlands, and much of wales, still a fair bit of cloud for you. some of that producing some drizzle, but in the southern counties, and east anglia, lots of sunshine. it will be breezy in the south—eastern corner which will knock the edges of the temperature. across the east coast, the north sea coast it will field ——

look and feel cooler today. temperatures could get up to 25 locally, 26 around the glasgow area. most of us are mid to high teens or low 20s. as we head onto the evening and overnight, we still have cloud across england and wales. continuing to sink southwards. a new weather front coming in across the north—east of scotland will introduce further cloud. you can see how that sink southwards across northern scotland and across the west and the east. it isn't going to be a cold night, most in double figures. like last night, mist and fog patches forming. tomorrow we are seeing a cloudy start for many, still quite breezy and also as we go through the day, you will start to notice some of the cloud break and there will be some mist and fog patches to start with, which will also lift and break. we will see some sunshine develop as we go

through the day. for many parts of the uk. but still feeling cooler when the north sea coastline. temperatures could get up to 25 degrees, somewhere around argyll and bute at foremost we are looking at the mid teens and low 20s. as we head onto the ensuing few days and into the weekend, for some bank holiday, high pressure remains in charge of the weather so things remain settled. temperatures will dip a little bit. the headlines are next. good morning, welcome to breakfast with sally nugent and dan walker. our headlines today.

an emergency meeting of world leaders from the g7 richest nations will discuss the crisis in afghanistan. under discussion will be a delay to the withdrawal of american troops beyond the deadline at the end of the month. it is unlikely. i have seen the public statements of president biden, seen the statements from the taliban. but we have to plan on the 31st of august being the last moment. every day we get after that would be a big bonus. protecting shop workers. from today, a new law in scotland makes abuse against retail staff a specific offence. i'll look at calls for the same level of protection in other parts of the uk. despite concerns about covid and a one—year delay — the tokyo paralympics get under way today — we're live injapan to look ahead to two weeks of elite sport. as the uk's largest ever study of autism gets under way, tv presenter paddy mcguinness shares his experiences

of bringing up three children with the condition. wish you were here? we're live in the lake district where the authorities are asking visitors to take lateral flow covid tests before they go. it's tuesday, the 24th of august. our top story. the prime minister will chair crisis talks with the g7 nations today as efforts continue to rescue people from afghanistan. it's expected borisjohnson will use the virtual meeting to ask us presidentjoe biden to extend the deadline beyond august the 31st. the taliban say any delay would be a violation of the agreement with the us. let's speak now to our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. interesting to hear what the defence secretary ben wallace was saying to sally half an hour ago. yes, secretary ben wallace was saying to sally half an hour ago.— sally half an hour ago. yes, and he was sober— sally half an hour ago. yes, and he was sober in _ sally half an hour ago. yes, and he

was sober in his _ sally half an hour ago. yes, and he was sober in his assessment, i sally half an hour ago. yes, and he was sober in his assessment, the l sally half an hour ago. yes, and he i was sober in his assessment, the uk having failed to get thousand out before kabul fell, having failed to get thousand out before kabulfell, now facing having failed to get thousand out before kabul fell, now facing a scramble to get them out. he said how dangerous it was, he said about the fears of people getting more desperate as the deadline approaches. the fear of attack around that base and the security situation there. ultimately, also the fact the uk itself is relatively powerless to decide what happens on the ground. he said the g7 as we believe the leaders, chaired by borisjohnson, will discuss the possibility of extending that airlift are beyond the 31st, but it is not the uk's decision to make. t is not the uk's decision to make. i wish we had more time. i think at the moment it is unlikely. i see the public— the moment it is unlikely. i see the public statements of president biden and the _ public statements of president biden and the statements of the taliban. but we _ and the statements of the taliban. but we have to plan on the 31st of august— but we have to plan on the 31st of august being the last moment.

everyday— august being the last moment. everyday we get after that would be a bl- everyday we get after that would be a big bonus. we would like it. we are only— a big bonus. we would like it. we are only there to evacuate those people — are only there to evacuate those people. we are not therefore any ulterior— people. we are not therefore any ulterior motive. the taliban and other— ulterior motive. the taliban and other should not fear we are there in any— other should not fear we are there in any other— other should not fear we are there in any other way. he other should not fear we are there in any other way.— other should not fear we are there in any other way. he said there are some ways — in any other way. he said there are some ways in _ in any other way. he said there are some ways in which _ in any other way. he said there are some ways in which there - in any other way. he said there are some ways in which there is - some ways in which there is leverage. he said taliban needs access to international finance and open borders for trade and travel, if it will run a functioning administration. there are ways to talk to the taliban, something labour's shadow foreign secretary said, saying now is the moment for the prime minister to stand up and show leadership, otherwise the consequences for those left behind in afghanistan could be grave. tote behind in afghanistan could be rave. ~ behind in afghanistan could be rave. . ., , ., grave. we can get the latest from kabul grave. we can get the latest from kabul- what _ grave. we can get the latest from kabul. what is _ grave. we can get the latest from kabul. what is the _ grave. we can get the latest from kabul. what is the latest - grave. we can get the latest from

kabul. what is the latest you i grave. we can get the latest from kabul. what is the latest you can | kabul. what is the latest you can tell us about the situation at the airport? tell us about the situation at the airort? ., ,:, .,, airport? the airport, i was there yesterday- _ airport? the airport, i was there yesterday. slightly _ airport? the airport, i was there yesterday. slightly less - airport? the airport, i was there yesterday. slightly less chaoticl yesterday. slightly less chaotic thanit yesterday. slightly less chaotic than it has been in previous days but that is not saying much. at one of the gates, there was a contingent of the gates, there was a contingent of afghan soldiers. who have not surrendered, they are working with the americans providing security. very aggressive, firing regularly into the air, even when the crowd did not seem to be trying to surge forward. lots of children there, families there. people camped out for days. most of these people do not have documents. they will not be evacuated. many of them clutching documents proving they worked with international embassies, foreign troops, but they have not gone through the process yet. it means they will not be taken out but they are so desperate to leave, worried

about staying in afghanistan, they pitched up anyway, desperate for some way to get in the airport which makes it more difficult for those with permission to get through. we are told at one of the gates controlled by british soldiers, where we were last week, we saw chaotic scenes with british passport holders unable to get past the ground. there, we hear the taliban has set up a filtration system where they check people's documents and turning those away who do not have the correct paperwork. apparently letting through those who do. so is somewhat less chaotic but still thousands of people at the airport. and when you talk to people who are going to the airport, how aware are they of the fact. we had the defence secretary saying there are other ways to get out. are you seeing signs of people trying to get out in

different ways? thai signs of people trying to get out in different ways?— signs of people trying to get out in different ways? at the moment, no. the focus seems _ different ways? at the moment, no. the focus seems to _ different ways? at the moment, no. the focus seems to be _ different ways? at the moment, no. the focus seems to be on _ different ways? at the moment, no. the focus seems to be on trying i different ways? at the moment, no. the focus seems to be on trying to l the focus seems to be on trying to get to the airport and get through. i spoke to someone yesterday, he had permission from the americans to be evacuated but could not get through the crowd, because he had a young family with him. i said the situation is so dangerous here with people firing in the air, is it worth perhaps staying on in afghanistan? he said we do not have that option. i am afraid for my life. he had worked with american forces. previously, i had seen a spike in interest in people looking at trying to get smuggled out of afghanistan through pakistan, iran, into turkey. there was interest being expressed in these people smuggling group set up online, people being charged around $1000 to be taken to turkey and from there,

some would likely try to move on into europe. at the moment the focus is on the airport, especially as these are likely to be the last few days of the evacuation effort. {lister days of the evacuation effort. over here, we days of the evacuation effort. over here. we are _ days of the evacuation effort. over here, we are talking _ days of the evacuation effort. over here, we are talking a _ days of the evacuation effort. over here, we are talking a lot - days of the evacuation effort. over here, we are talking a lot about the deadline of the 31st of august. what is your sense on the ground of how people feel about how concrete that deadline is? mr; people feel about how concrete that deadline is?— deadline is? my sources tell me it is unlikely american _ deadline is? my sources tell me it is unlikely american forces - deadline is? my sources tell me it is unlikely american forces will i is unlikely american forces will stay beyond the 31st. it does not seem realistic for other western nations including britain to stay on without american help. i think that firm deadline is contributing to the sense of panic and sense of frenzy amongst the crowd. another afghan trying to leave, we talked about how

so far the taliban at least publicly seem to make more conciliatory noises, and whether it was worth trying to stay on and see how the situation develops. he said we do not have the luxury of time, we do not have the luxury of time, we do not know what will happen after the sist not know what will happen after the 31st and whether it will be possible to get out. it seems likely for a period of time the airport will have to close and whatever new government comes out of this, which will be dominated by the taliban, tries to at least get the technical and logistics staff in place to maintain the airport. that firm deadline is contributing to the sense of panic we are seeing at the airport. tt is we are seeing at the airport. it is fascinating _ we are seeing at the airport. it is fascinating to — we are seeing at the airport. it is fascinating to talk _ we are seeing at the airport. it is fascinating to talk to you. our afghanistan correspondent in kabul. the number of online grooming crimes recorded by police in england and wales has jumped by nearly 70 per cent in three years. figures obtained by

the children's charity the nspcc show that facebook—owned instagram was the platform most commonly used by groomers. the charity has urged the government to strengthen its plans for internet regulation. three people have died and a fourth has been seriously injured in an accident on the m25 in essex last night. a car, a minibus and a lorry were involved in the collision near waltham abbey. two people have been arrested on suspicion of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving. more than 800 migrants crossed the english channel to the uk on saturday, setting a new record for the most crossings in a single day. the french authorities stopped almost 200 others crossing the english channel. nearly 12,500 people have made the journey so far this year. officials say there are safe and legal routes for migrants and they were working to prevent dangerous crossings. mcdonald's says it's run out of milkshakes and bottled drinks in its outlets in england, wales and scotland after supply chain issues. the firm is just the latest

to be hit by problems, after similar issues at nando's and kfc. the industry says there's currently a shortage of 90,000 hgv drivers, blamed on older drivers retiring, new immigration rules after brexit and covid restrictions that stopped new recruits taking tests. we're building up to the tokyo paralympics this morning with the opening ceremonyjust a few hours away. around 4500 athletes will be competing in the games, which are taking place despite a mounting coronavirus crisis there. our tokyo correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes joins us now. we have had the tokyo olympics and now we are into the paralympics about to start. are there concerns about to start. are there concerns about the number of coronavirus cases in japan about the number of coronavirus cases injapan and how does it impact on preparations for these paralympics? yes impact on preparations for these paralympics?—

impact on preparations for these paral mics? , , :, ., , , paralympics? yes the short answer is es. the paralympics? yes the short answer is yes- the number— paralympics? yes the short answer is yes. the number of _ paralympics? yes the short answer is yes. the number of infections - paralympics? yes the short answer is yes. the number of infections has i yes. the number of infections has gone up dramatically in the aftermath of the olympics. i am not saying it was caused by the olympics, but we are seeing a wave of infections. here in tokyo and now across the country, going up at a rapid rate with 25,000 confirmed infections every day injapan. that is putting strain on hospitals in tokyo. there are more than 10,000 people waiting to get into hospital for treatment in tokyo. that is overshadowing the opening of the paralympics tonight. we have mixed emotions. you have the athletes who have arrived and in the village close to where i am, who are excited, looking forward to the opening ceremony and getting into competition. they have waited an extra year through this difficult time and are finally here and want to get on with it. then you have the general population of tokyo, which

is concerned about why it is going ahead. not that they do not want it but why it is going ahead in a pandemic. but why it is going ahead in a pandemic-— the uk's largest ever study of autism launches today. it hopes to answer why some autistic people have epilepsy or poor mental health outcomes and some do not. the university of cambridge research centre wants 10,000 autistic people and theirfamilies to centre wants 10,000 autistic people and their families to take part. lots of you have got in touch about your experiences. here are some of the comments. alfie emailed in. he says "i got diagnosed with autism back in 2011. i've always found communication a massive problem. my mental health's been affected. but about three years ago ifound my running club. since then they've helped me chill out".

linda got in touch... and alison says... let's now speak to paddy mcguinness, who has three children with autism. and joining us in the studio is professor sir simon baron—cohen who is leading the study. lovely to have you on the programme. we hear from lovely to have you on the programme. we hearfrom people like linda and from alison getting in touch this morning. i think your three children are under ten. what challenges does that bring to you as parents? there

are a lot of — that bring to you as parents? there are a lot of challenges. _ that bring to you as parents? there are a lot of challenges. but - that bring to you as parents? there are a lot of challenges. but there i are a lot of challenges. but there is also the other side. at the minute i have to macro kids, an eight—year—old and one who will be five in september and starting school. the youngest, she is felicity. the little things like when you say about challenges, even something you take for granted like putting the kids in the car and going to the supermarket. that process, which seems simple to most people, it can take a couple of hours to plan and get everything in place so everything is just right and the kids are happy. the other day i walked in the supermarket with my youngest daughter. as soon as i walked in she put her hands on her ears and said, i want to leave. that

day, we had nothing in the house, no cups of tea, anything like that. you have to adjust to that during the day and then dip out on your own. even when you think you are used to it, something else gets thrown up. for me, from going to bed to waking up for me, from going to bed to waking up you are constantly planning how the day will go. tt up you are constantly planning how the day will go— the day will go. it sounds challenging, _ the day will go. it sounds challenging, but - the day will go. it sounds challenging, but how i the day will go. it sounds i challenging, but how much the day will go. it sounds - challenging, but how much harder the day will go. it sounds _ challenging, but how much harder is it when perhaps you come into contact with people who do not understand the situation? [30 contact with people who do not understand the situation? do other --eole understand the situation? do other people make _ understand the situation? do other people make it _ understand the situation? do other people make it harder? _ understand the situation? do other people make it harder? i _ understand the situation? do other people make it harder? i would i understand the situation? do otherj people make it harder? i would not say other people make it harder. it is easy to sort of point the finger at someone and go, do you mind, my child is autistic. the best way is to educate people. we had an incident where we were in a disability spot with the children.

going to a children's group we had going on. this bloke was looking at me, judgmental, because we were in a disabled parking bay even though we had a blue badge. normally, i would let it go but i was thinking i would have to speak to this fellow. i said is everything ok? he said you are in a disabled spot. i said that's all right. he said well, they do not look disabled. the level of ignorance sometimes... but he is probably unaware of autism, hidden disabilities. i took a deep breath and explained it to him. i think that was the right thing to do. if i had gone mad and shouted and he had gone away upset, i would have been upset, but things like that, they

are important, to educate people and let them know exactly why you are in that disabled spot. that let them know exactly why you are in that disabled spot.— that disabled spot. that is only a tiny thing- _ that disabled spot. that is only a tiny thing. education _ that disabled spot. that is only a tiny thing. education is - that disabled spot. that is only a tiny thing. education is a - that disabled spot. that is only a tiny thing. education is a huge i tiny thing. education is a huge part. i will bring in the professor as well. i suppose it would help to define what autism is and how broader definition we need. t define what autism is and how broader definition we need. i know padd and broader definition we need. i know paddy and l— broader definition we need. i know paddy and i am — broader definition we need. i know paddy and i am glad _ broader definition we need. i know paddy and i am glad he _ broader definition we need. i know paddy and i am glad he is - broader definition we need. i know paddy and i am glad he is an i paddy and i am glad he is an ambassador for our project called spectrum — ambassador for our project called spectrum 10k. it is a disability that— spectrum 10k. it is a disability that affects social skills, communication, being able to manage unpredictable change. some kids as autistic— unpredictable change. some kids as autistic adults get stressed as change — autistic adults get stressed as change. they think differently, their— change. they think differently, their brain develops differently. they— their brain develops differently. they process information differently. some of those differences translating to give talents — differences translating to give talents. it is a complex condition.

this new— talents. it is a complex condition. this new study is trying to understand why some autistic people have no— understand why some autistic people have no language and others have good _ have no language and others have good language, why do some have learning _ good language, why do some have learning difficulties and others don't? — learning difficulties and others don't? why do some people have good mental— don't? why do some people have good mental health and others don't? we are inviting — mental health and others don't? we are inviting the public, we want to -et are inviting the public, we want to get 10,000 autistic people to take part. _ get10,000 autistic people to take part. by— get 10,000 autistic people to take part, by going to the website, spectrum 10k. they will be sent a dna kit~ — spectrum 10k. they will be sent a dna kit. they spit into a tube and send _ dna kit. they spit into a tube and send it— dna kit. they spit into a tube and send it back so we can look at the genetic— send it back so we can look at the genetic causes of autism and the environmental ones.— genetic causes of autism and the environmental ones. hearing paddy, it seems in the _ environmental ones. hearing paddy, it seems in the real _ environmental ones. hearing paddy, it seems in the real world _ environmental ones. hearing paddy, it seems in the real world there i environmental ones. hearing paddy, it seems in the real world there is i it seems in the real world there is not enough understanding, but perhaps in the scientific world you are catching up. the perhaps in the scientific world you are catching up— perhaps in the scientific world you are catching up. the science has to catch u- are catching up. the science has to catch up but _ are catching up. the science has to catch up but this _ are catching up. the science has to catch up but this is _ are catching up. the science has to catch up but this is about _ are catching up. the science has to catch up but this is about autistic. catch up but this is about autistic people _ catch up but this is about autistic people and their family. the science is important to deepen understanding but as— is important to deepen understanding but as paddy said, the public have to have _

but as paddy said, the public have to have better awareness. autistic people _ to have better awareness. autistic people need better support and so do their families. what people need better support and so do their families.— their families. what environmental factors might _ their families. what environmental factors might make _ their families. what environmental factors might make somebody's i factors might make somebody's condition worse or more difficult to manage? taste condition worse or more difficult to manare? ~ . , :, , . manage? we are trying to understand what causes — manage? we are trying to understand what causes autism _ manage? we are trying to understand what causes autism and _ manage? we are trying to understand what causes autism and that - what causes autism and that variability. we know autism starts early. _ variability. we know autism starts early, so — variability. we know autism starts early, so the environmental factors we are _ early, so the environmental factors we are interested in is what is going — we are interested in is what is going on— we are interested in is what is going on in— we are interested in is what is going on in pregnancy. when a woman ends up _ going on in pregnancy. when a woman ends up with— going on in pregnancy. when a woman ends up with a child who is autistic, _ ends up with a child who is autistic, what is different about her pregnancy? there will be questions on the website mothers can complete _ questions on the website mothers can complete and questions about whether the mother had a medical condition herself, _ the mother had a medical condition herself, polycystic ovary syndrome is an example, gestation or diabetes is an example, gestation or diabetes is another~ _ is an example, gestation or diabetes is another. changes during pregnancy, part of the woman's physical— pregnancy, part of the woman's physical health might contribute to how her_ physical health might contribute to how her baby's brain develops and what _ how her baby's brain develops and what the _ how her baby's brain develops and what the brain is exposed to. on the

issue of how — what the brain is exposed to. on the issue of how it _ what the brain is exposed to. on the issue of how it presents _ issue of how it presents differently, you talked about your children. do you see different things in your children? massively. it is well documented _ things in your children? massively. it is well documented that - things in your children? massively. it is well documented that you i things in your children? massively. | it is well documented that you meet one child with autism and you have met one child with autism. every person with autism is different. i have three, they are siblings and they are totally different. like any other kid, they have days when they can be up to mischief and other days when they are angels. they are no different to other children, it is just autism obviously, living with it, the challenges that brings as a parent. you are unaware of that. this spectrum 10k and the study into autism and also, it will help people with autism. it is so frustrating to

hear one in five people in the uk with autism, actually in employment. things like that need to be changed. because people with autism can contribute to so many things. but getting back to your point, every child is different. our three kids, they all have their own quirks and funny little things they do. haifa funny little things they do. how hard was it _ funny little things they do. how hard was it for _ funny little things they do. how hard was it for the _ funny little things they do. how hard was it for the family getting a diagnosis? and what is your advice to other parents who might be listening and thinking, what signs might i look out for? should i get that checked?— might i look out for? should i get that checked? ,, :, , , that checked? simon could probably rive ou that checked? simon could probably give you more _ that checked? simon could probably give you more details _ that checked? simon could probably give you more details on _ that checked? simon could probably give you more details on the - that checked? simon could probably give you more details on the signs. | give you more details on the signs. weirdly enough, as a parent with children with autism, you are that

bogged down injust getting through the day and making sure they are happy and comfortable and everything else that you lose sight of those other things. to give an example, my children when we first took them to nursery, three, four at the time, we walked into the nursery and the kids were sat down eating with plastic spoons and drinking from cups and chatting. i say to my wife we have to get the kids into this nursery, they are so advanced, these children. amazing! it was because we did not know developmentally, that is what they should be doing. we did not have other friends were children at that age. they were the first kids, twins. so things like that, we were not aware of it. to think that

something was not right, why are they not holding this boom properly? drinking properly? you are almost learning on thejob, if drinking properly? you are almost learning on the job, if you drinking properly? you are almost learning on thejob, if you like. simon, if you want to pick up. you can hear that _ simon, if you want to pick up. you can hear that paddy has three kids on the _ can hear that paddy has three kids on the autism spectrum that shows that autism runs in families. that is the _ that autism runs in families. that is the genetic element. even with twins _ is the genetic element. even with twins you — is the genetic element. even with twins you can have one that is autistic— twins you can have one that is autistic and one that isn't which means— autistic and one that isn't which means there must be nongenetic factors— means there must be nongenetic factors contributing. and paddy talks— factors contributing. and paddy talks about how early can you spot it. talks about how early can you spot it we _ talks about how early can you spot it we have — talks about how early can you spot it. we have tools to identify if a child _ it. we have tools to identify if a child is— it. we have tools to identify if a child is delayed and social development and communication development. the real problem is awareness. even the waiting list to -et awareness. even the waiting list to get a _ awareness. even the waiting list to get a diagnosis, it is shockingly slow _

get a diagnosis, it is shockingly slow that— get a diagnosis, it is shockingly slow. that is another sign. today is about— slow. that is another sign. today is about a _ slow. that is another sign. today is about a project looking at the science — about a project looking at the science but even in terms of services _ science but even in terms of services we need to speed up the time _ services we need to speed up the time to— services we need to speed up the time to get a diagnosis. gnce services we need to speed up the time to get a diagnosis.— time to get a diagnosis. once a arent is time to get a diagnosis. once a parent is given _ time to get a diagnosis. once a parent is given the _ time to get a diagnosis. once a parent is given the diagnosis, i time to get a diagnosis. once a i parent is given the diagnosis, what happens? parent is given the diagnosis, what ha ens? . parent is given the diagnosis, what ha--ens? :. . parent is given the diagnosis, what ha ens? . , :, , :,, happens? that is the other problem. sometimes you _ happens? that is the other problem. sometimes you get _ happens? that is the other problem. sometimes you get the _ happens? that is the other problem. sometimes you get the diagnosis i happens? that is the other problem. | sometimes you get the diagnosis and nothing _ sometimes you get the diagnosis and nothing happens. we need diagnosis and post— nothing happens. we need diagnosis and post diagnosis support.- and post diagnosis support. looking at statistics- — and post diagnosis support. looking at statistics. about _ and post diagnosis support. looking at statistics. about 700,000 - at statistics. about 700,000 autistic people we believe in the uk, but the support varies massively, and also i imagine it depends on where you live in terms of support. tt depends on where you live in terms of su ort. , . depends on where you live in terms of support-— of support. it might be a postcode lotte . of support. it might be a postcode lottery- some _ of support. it might be a postcode lottery. some people _ of support. it might be a postcode lottery. some people get - of support. it might be a postcode lottery. some people get fast i lottery. some people get fast tracked — lottery. some people get fast tracked by their local authority into having extra support at school or in nursery. speech therapy, social— or in nursery. speech therapy, social skills, and some people get absolutely nothing. we must notjust focus on _ absolutely nothing. we must notjust focus on children because it is a

lifelong — focus on children because it is a lifelong disability. paddy mentioned 85% of— lifelong disability. paddy mentioned 85% of autistic adults are unemployed. unemployment by itself leads to _ unemployed. unemployment by itself leads to poor mental health and a sense _ leads to poor mental health and a sense of— leads to poor mental health and a sense of exclusion and not being valued — sense of exclusion and not being valued. yet a lot of autistic people can contribute at work, theyjust need _ can contribute at work, theyjust need a _ can contribute at work, theyjust need a more receptive welcoming into work and _ need a more receptive welcoming into work and may be reasonable adjustments into work. paddy i hope ou can adjustments into work. paddy i hope you can hear — adjustments into work. paddy i hope you can hear that. _ adjustments into work. paddy i hope you can hear that. this _ adjustments into work. paddy i hope you can hear that. this is _ adjustments into work. paddy i hope you can hear that. this is not - adjustments into work. paddy i hope you can hear that. this is not all- you can hear that. this is not all negative. you have three gorgeous children who brighten your day every day. for parents, this is not doom and gloom?— and gloom? no, but adding as a arent and gloom? no, but adding as a parent with _ and gloom? no, but adding as a parent with children, _ and gloom? no, but adding as a parent with children, they i and gloom? no, but adding as a parent with children, they do i and gloom? no, but adding as a| parent with children, they do not brighten your day every day. we all know that doesn't happen! they brighten your day 3—4 minute spread

out. they brighten your morning. you are spot on, paddy! spot 0 just n, paddy! spot on, paddy! just touching on what simon said about diagnosis. it is a postcode lottery and it needs to change. where we live at the moment, we were told, when our children were diagnosed, that we were lucky we happen to live in a certain area, because things can be accessed quicker. if i had lived somewhere else in the country that would not have happened. one of the biggest thing is for any parent who is struggling, who does eventually get the diagnosis, is then it is like right you have your diagnosis, then what? there are not things in place quickly for parents, i feel, what? there are not things in place quickly for parents, ifeel, to support them. but it depends on

where you live. that definitely needs to change. we where you live. that definitely needs to change.— where you live. that definitely needs to change. we have a lot of --eole needs to change. we have a lot of people watching _ needs to change. we have a lot of people watching today _ needs to change. we have a lot of people watching today getting i needs to change. we have a lot of people watching today getting in i people watching today getting in touch saying how do i get involved. spectrum 10k. the website is spectrum 10k. the website is spectrum uk. they sign up, they give their dna. _ spectrum uk. they sign up, they give their dna. it— spectrum uk. they sign up, they give their dna, it is stored anonymously, they do— their dna, it is stored anonymously, they do not— their dna, it is stored anonymously, they do not have to worry about confidentiality, but we can link it to nhs— confidentiality, but we can link it to nhs records and two education records _ to nhs records and two education records to— to nhs records and two education records to collect a lot of data to understand the variability in autism _ understand the variability in autism. and most important, what autistic— autism. and most important, what autistic people need.— autistic people need. thank you. padd , autistic people need. thank you. paddy. go _ autistic people need. thank you. paddy. go and — autistic people need. thank you. paddy, go and have _ autistic people need. thank you. paddy, go and have your- autistic people need. thank you. paddy, go and have your day i paddy, go and have your day brightened by those lovely kids! thanks. that is paddy mcguinness and professor saayman. your children brighten your day every day, you don't mean that.

—— professor simon baron cohen. you are watching bbc breakfast, still to come. we'll be taking in the stunning views of cumbria as visitors are asked to take lateral flow tests before travelling there following a sharp rise in the number of covid infections. we'll have that shortly and bring you the latest news and weather. now it's time for the weather with carol. morning. iam morning. i am on the roof at broadcasting house, sun is beating down, feeling very warm. yesterday's highest temperatures were in western scotland, and we could get a little higher today. a lot of low cloud, mist and fog this morning, under the forecast for today is one of cloud but also some sunshine. the low cloud is thick enough to produce some drizzle. this morning you can see where we have got it, across parts of england and wales, and also draped across the far north of

scotland, especially over shetland. more especially the islands, there will be some, but inland, it will burn away. northern ireland the same view, mist and fog around, and we should see some sunshine. that will tend to lift, the cloud, over the hills, and the sun will come up. the cloud will slide south through the day but for southern areas, east anglia, back into some sunshine. any local spot of mist and fog lifting. breezy especially in the english channel and the south—east coast line. generally speaking, the north—east coast not just today line. generally speaking, the north—east coast notjust today but for the next few days will feel cooler. we should hit 25 or 26 around the glasgow area today in the sunshine but most of us will be from the mid teens to the low 20s. as we

head through the evening and overnight, we will see some return to the cloud. we will still have cloud across central part of england and wales, mist and fog patches, and and wales, mist and fog patches, and a new weather front will introduce some thicker cloud. that is moving across the far north of scotland and as a result it is not going to be a cold night. tomorrow, not a cold start, but is fairly cloudy. still breezy across the now the coastline, —— north sea coastline, and temperatures pegged back under the cloud. we could get temperatures tomorrow up as high as 25 degrees around argyll and bute. but generally speaking the temperatures will be from roughly the mid—teens to the low 20s. at this time of

year, roughly speaking, they should be 18 or 19 in the north to 21 or 22 in the south. high pressure continued to dominate the weather into the rest of the weekend, so things remain settled. more details later. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and sally nugent. classrooms across england are getting ready to welcome pupils back so let's take a look at the rules being introduced for the new term across the uk. in england, secondary schools and colleges can "stagger" or delay the return of pupils across the first week to help manage the testing process. pupils will be tested twice weekly at home until the end of september, when this will be reviewed. lateral flow tests will also be carried out between three and five days apart once pupils are back at school. in wales, schools and local councils will be able to make decisions

on rules including mask—wearing. face coverings and contact groups are no longer mandatory. most scottish pupils are back in the classroom this week. all pupils are being encouraged to take twice—weekly lateral flow tests and wear face coverings in classrooms and corridors. in northern ireland, the class bubble system has been removed and face coverings will be worn in school buildings for at least the first six weeks. geoff barton, general secretary of the association of school & college leaders, says the measures in england could be reassuring to parents. i think parents might have been assuming that it was going to be business as usual at the start of term, and actually in secondary and fe, it's not quite going to be that. but the big win of all of that is that if these tests are used in order to identify who has got symptoms and who hasn't, and keep those without symptoms in schools, in colleges, that surely is in the interests of those young people and parents i think would feel reassured by that. neil renton, headteacher at harrogate grammar school, joins us now.

good morning. good morning. good mornin: , good morning. good morning. good morning. mr— good morning. good morning. good morning, mr renton! _ good morning. good morning. good morning, mr renton! i— good morning. good morning. good morning, mr renton! i nearly i good morning. good morning. good morning, mr renton! i nearly did i morning, mr renton! i nearly did that! how ready _ morning, mr renton! i nearly did that! how ready are _ morning, mr renton! i nearly did that! how ready are you - morning, mr renton! i nearly did that! how ready are you for- morning, mr renton! i nearly did that! how ready are you for the i that! how ready are you for the testing in the process is coming now? ~ , :, . now? we feel well prepared for what is cominu , now? we feel well prepared for what is coming. we _ now? we feel well prepared for what is coming, we know— now? we feel well prepared for what is coming, we know this _ now? we feel well prepared for what is coming, we know this has - now? we feel well prepared for what is coming, we know this has been i is coming, we know this has been happening, we have been preparing for a number of weeks and we have been through the testing regime before. there's been some changes to the regime, this isjust nasal swab rather than just a throat and nasal swab. so it is quicker, we can do 15 tests per hour and test 900 students in five hours after the practice of the first regime of testing. still]! the first regime of testing. still uuite a the first regime of testing. still quite a big _ the first regime of testing. still quite a big operation. how will the staggered start times affect your peoples, how has that gone down? we peoples, how has that gone down? 9 would usually stagger the return of

children back into school, we are a large school of over 2000 children. the way it will work is we have summer school next week anyway for year seven students, we will test them next week, and then to year groups a day, and then all of the students will be back by the wednesday of the first week. logistically it has been a challenge, it is hard at this time because it is the holiday period so having to communicate over the holidays, but it is planned and ready and organised. t holidays, but it is planned and ready and organised.— holidays, but it is planned and ready and organised. i know all of the children _ ready and organised. i know all of the children are _ ready and organised. i know all of the children are in _ ready and organised. i know all of the children are in the _ ready and organised. i know all of the children are in the same i ready and organised. i know all of| the children are in the same boat, all going through this process together but how tough is it for them to go to all of this? t together but how tough is it for them to go to all of this? i think children have _ them to go to all of this? i think children have made _ them to go to all of this? i think children have made lots - them to go to all of this? i think children have made lots of i children have made lots of sacrifices in the pandemic, they have mist out on trips, extracurricular activities, music has been really affected for example by schools not being able to —— children not being able to sing. they have been very affected and theyjust

they have been very affected and they just adapt. they have been very affected and theyjust adapt. our children have reacted really well to the challenges they have faced. we try to see them is really remarkable young people who want to do their very best and we have a moral duty to look after them and provide for them. mt; to look after them and provide for them. ~ , , to look after them and provide for them. g , ., to look after them and provide for them. g ,. to look after them and provide for them. g , them. my parents are both teachers so i am aware _ them. my parents are both teachers so i am aware of _ them. my parents are both teachers so i am aware of the _ them. my parents are both teachers so i am aware of the pressure i them. my parents are both teachers so i am aware of the pressure of i them. my parents are both teachers so i am aware of the pressure of it, | so i am aware of the pressure of it, but those who aren't, you say, you get your long summer holidays. but what has it been like? with all the planning and logistics for the new term, i imagine you haven't had much time for stopping. tt term, i imagine you haven't had much time for stopping-— time for stopping. it has been busy, the whole of — time for stopping. it has been busy, the whole of the _ time for stopping. it has been busy, the whole of the last _ time for stopping. it has been busy, the whole of the last year _ time for stopping. it has been busy, the whole of the last year has i time for stopping. it has been busy, the whole of the last year has been | the whole of the last year has been very busy. the particular challenge was having to do the contact tracing, working over the weekend is to isolate children and ask them to stay at home, there was a really challenging time because asking children not coming to school is very tough. but we have a fabulous team where i work, people have worked really hard to put it together but it has been a very busy year, it hasn't been a six—week holiday. year, it hasn't been a six-week holida . ~ . ~ year, it hasn't been a six-week holida . 9 . ~ . year, it hasn't been a six-week holida.9 . , ,, , holiday. we talk about the pressures on children and _

holiday. we talk about the pressures on children and teachers. _ holiday. we talk about the pressures on children and teachers. what i holiday. we talk about the pressures | on children and teachers. what about the pressures on head teachers? who is helping you? t the pressures on head teachers? who is helping you?— is helping you? i have two amazing coilots is helping you? i have two amazing co - ilots at is helping you? i have two amazing copilots at school, _ is helping you? i have two amazing copilots at school, and _ is helping you? i have two amazing copilots at school, and we - is helping you? i have two amazing copilots at school, and we also i is helping you? i have two amazingl copilots at school, and we also have a trust behind us to support us, understand the guidance and the changes. but i have a very supportive wife as well, and you just get through it, we have all faced challenges in ourjobs in the last year and it's one of those things where you pull together and you work for the community you serve and try your very best. th you work for the community you serve and try your very best.— and try your very best. in terms of other measures _ and try your very best. in terms of other measures you _ and try your very best. in terms of other measures you are _ and try your very best. in terms of other measures you are putting i and try your very best. in terms of other measures you are putting in| other measures you are putting in place this term to keep students safe and reassure them, and parents, and teachers as well, have you done anything differently to last year? we are keeping some of the things we put in place last year. the ventilation will still be in place, we will keep the windows open, the hygiene practices, so i stand at the queue for lunch and we ensure that every child sanitises their hands before they have their lunch. the children will still be grouped in their year group bubble, so if we have an outbreak, we can drop back to those plans that we had before.

we feel well prepared and we feel ready. we feel well prepared and we feel read . :, we feel well prepared and we feel read . 9, :, ready. you mentioned the extracurricular _ ready. you mentioned the extracurricular stuff i ready. you mentioned the extracurricular stuff that l ready. you mentioned the - extracurricular stuff that children have been missing out on, one can i come back? we have been missing out on, one can i come back?— come back? we hope that that can come back? we hope that that can come back — come back? we hope that that can come back in _ come back? we hope that that can come back in september. - come back? we hope that that can come back in september. we - come back? we hope that that can come back in september. we havei come back? we hope that that can - come back in september. we have lots of things planned so our aim is to every child to be involved in an extracurricular activity. we are trying to put the trips back in place that we missed last year, and we want to have that push and get back on the road and make it happen for children next year.— for children next year. when did you become head _ for children next year. when did you become head teacher? _ for children next year. when did you become head teacher? two - for children next year. when did you become head teacher? two years i for children next year. when did you i become head teacher? two years ago, 'ust before become head teacher? two years ago, just before the — become head teacher? two years ago, just before the pandemic. _ become head teacher? two years ago, just before the pandemic. 0h, - just before the pandemic. 0h, goodness! _ just before the pandemic. 0h, goodness! i — just before the pandemic. 0h, goodness! i imagine _ just before the pandemic. 0h, goodness! i imagine you - just before the pandemic. 0h, - goodness! i imagine you expected the 'ob to be a goodness! i imagine you expected the job to be a little _ goodness! i imagine you expected the job to be a little bit _ goodness! i imagine you expected the job to be a little bit different - goodness! i imagine you expected the job to be a little bit different to - job to be a little bit different to how it has turned out. i job to be a little bit different to how it has turned out.- how it has turned out. i didn't really exoeet _ how it has turned out. i didn't really expect what _ how it has turned out. i didn't really expect what we - how it has turned out. i didn't really expect what we have i how it has turned out. i didn't i really expect what we have faced that it has been a great learning activity in terms of learning to lead through a crisis period, with new guidance, its testing how you communicate to people, and you show humility and listen to staff and students and try and respond. just

thinkina students and try and respond. just thinking sort of years down the line, once hopefully we have moved on from some of the tighter restrictions, do you think there will still be sanitising a children's hands in the queue before lunch and things like that? do you think that will be in continuing practice? l think that will be in continuing ractice? .. . , , practice? i think many things will sta . i practice? i think many things will stay- i think _ practice? i think many things will stay. i think the _ practice? i think many things will stay. i think the biggest - practice? i think many things will stay. i think the biggest long - stay. i think the biggest long shadow of covid is about how we support the children into the future, and that's what we really need to be working on a society. education is the biggest gift you can give a child and how do we look after that long shadow that has affected children and how we can support them. so the small things we will keep, the bigger question is, how do we generally look after the next generation so they are not affected by the disruptions they have faced. mr affected by the disruptions they have faced-— affected by the disruptions they have faced. ~ ., ., ~ , ., have faced. mr renton, thank you very much — have faced. mr renton, thank you very much and _ have faced. mr renton, thank you very much and good _ have faced. mr renton, thank you very much and good luck. - have faced. mr renton, thank you very much and good luck. all - have faced. mr renton, thank you very much and good luck. all the l very much and good luck. all the best for the _ very much and good luck. all the best for the new _ very much and good luck. all the best for the new term. _ the paralympic games will officially get under way in tokyo today with the opening ceremony taking place in just a few hours. double paralympic champion steve bate is one of the 227 competitors from great britain. despite being registered blind steve's won a host of medals

for cycling and climbed the legendary el capitan rock face in california. let's take a look at his incredible story. if you want to be the best in the world, you've got to work harder than everyone else. paralympic champion steve bate is chasing after one thing — gold in tokyo. ten years ago, steve was diagnosed with a rare eye disorder. my eyesight is getting narrower and narrower, my field of vision is getting smaller and smaller. if i hold my hands there, i can't see them, you know, which is really bizarre. before his diagnosis, steve had spent his life in the mountains. at that time in my life, that was everything to me. all of a sudden, that wasjust like gone. within a few sentences of getting an eye check, like, "you can't drive,

i don't think you should climb any more." living the dream up here. check out that view. but instead of giving up, steve took on the climb of his life, ascending over 900 metres. this is the really scary bit. in 2013, steve became the first visually impaired person to solo climb el capitan, one of the hardest ascents in the world. i always said that was the missing piece of the puzzle, for me to reach that full potential, like go into overdrive and try and achieve stuff. within four years of picking up a road bike, steve and his co—pilot adam had won two gold paralympic medals.

riding in tandem, they are called the power and the pilot. but hang on a minute. is the person on the back doing more work? ask adam that. no, that's not really how it works. on the tandem, we've both have powers that power each other. we have to pedal together at the same time. i don't just steer anyway, but people do sometimes think that. "oh, you just steer then, you don't do any peddling?" everyone says, "yeah, really talented." i'm not. maybe my talent is just that i can focus on something and block everything else out. maybe the tunnel vision eyesight helps with that. that was claire press reporting. incredible images in the piece. what

a man. i incredible images in the piece. what a man- i feel— incredible images in the piece. what a man. i feelwobbly _ incredible images in the piece. what a man. i feelwobblyjust_ incredible images in the piece. what a man. i feelwobblyjust looking - incredible images in the piece. what a man. i feelwobblyjust looking at| a man. i feelwobbly 'ust looking at it! we a man. i feelwobbly 'ust looking at m we have _ a man. i feelwobbly 'ust looking at m we have a _ a man. i feelwobbly 'ust looking at it! we have a couple — a man. ifeelwobblyjust looking at it! we have a couple of— a man. i feelwobblyjust looking at it! we have a couple of brilliant - it! we have a couple of brilliant guests coming up, hopefully we will talk to david smith in tokyojust guests coming up, hopefully we will talk to david smith in tokyo just a second. beijing gold medallist rower helene raynsford who is chair of the british paralympic association athletes' commission, joins us from reading. just a few hours away from the opening ceremony —— ceremony, does it feel like we are nearly at christmas?— it feel like we are nearly at christmas? ~ , ,., , ., , it feel like we are nearly at christmas? ~ , , ., , , ., christmas? absolutely, it has been a ve lona christmas? absolutely, it has been a very long couole _ christmas? absolutely, it has been a very long couole of — christmas? absolutely, it has been a very long couple of years _ christmas? absolutely, it has been a very long couple of years especially l very long couple of years especially with the extension, and i know everyone in the paralympic movement across britain, that is athletes, support staff, and the staff at the paralympic committee, we have been working our shocked —— sucks of the plan and we plan to make sure we have got to this point and i cannot wait for the flag bearers to go out and for the games to commence. it

and for the games to commence. it will be helpful for our views this morning, the same way as before the olympic games, to tell us the big stories, set us up for the paralympics, what sort of thing that we have on our radar?— we have on our radar? where do i start? so many — we have on our radar? where do i start? so many exciting _ we have on our radar? where do i start? so many exciting stories i we have on our radar? where do i l start? so many exciting stories with our athletes. we have 228 athletes covering 19 sports. 142 returning athletes, and 85 have won medals before. 43 paralympic champions. who knows, with all of the new faces as well, we have got a real wide selection, our youngest is ellie challis in swimming, who is 17 through twojobs top challis in swimming, who is 17 through two jobs top —— john stubbs in archery who is 56. some of the stories behind the athletes are just as exciting as the performances you will see on the field of play. some athletes are at their eight games, sarah storey from cycling, her eighth car olympic games. 14 golds,

eighth car olympic games. 14 golds, eight silver, and two bronze, and if she wins two more goals, she will become the most decorated and successful paralympic athlete in great britain. so much potential. we need a copy of your stats book, you have got loads there! that has set us up very nicely! have got loads there! that has set us uo very nicely!— have got loads there! that has set us up very nicely! let's go to tokyo now and talk— us up very nicely! let's go to tokyo now and talk to _ us up very nicely! let's go to tokyo now and talk to david _ us up very nicely! let's go to tokyo now and talk to david smith, i now and talk to david smith, paralympics gb boccia champion. good morninu. paralympics gb boccia champion. good morning. morning, _ paralympics gb boccia champion. (limo. morning. morning, how are paralympics gb boccia champion. (imo. morning. morning, how are you doing? we are great, more importantly, how are you _ we are great, more importantly, how are you feeling ahead of the start? really— are you feeling ahead of the start? really excited, it's mad here, it feels like going to the first one. this is my forth now and it feels special, really cool.— special, really cool. does it feel very different — special, really cool. does it feel very different because - special, really cool. does it feel very different because of- special, really cool. does it feel very different because of the i very different because of the restrictions in place? to our corresponded in tokyo and they said that even more —— talking to our

correspondence, they say there are even more restrictions now, there are lots of concern about the coronavirus numbers injapan. do you feel that taking part as an athlete in the paralympics? we feel that taking part as an athlete in the paralympics?— feel that taking part as an athlete in the paralympics? we got all the covid safety _ in the paralympics? we got all the covid safety measures _ in the paralympics? we got all the covid safety measures as - in the paralympics? we got all the covid safety measures as normal | in the paralympics? we got all the i covid safety measures as normal but we have _ covid safety measures as normal but we have been doing it for so long, it feels_ we have been doing it for so long, it feels almost normal which is weird — it feels almost normal which is weird to— it feels almost normal which is weird to say. the volunteers and the japanese _ weird to say. the volunteers and the japanese public had been so welcoming, and everything is on point _ welcoming, and everything is on point in — welcoming, and everything is on point in terms of timing is, in terins— point in terms of timing is, in terms of— point in terms of timing is, in terms of the test we have to do every— terms of the test we have to do every day _ terms of the test we have to do every day. it feels very safe, actually _ every day. it feels very safe, actually. weirdly, ifeel very comfortable about it. and i know a lot of— comfortable about it. and i know a lot of the _ comfortable about it. and i know a lot of the guys do as well. we're used _ lot of the guys do as well. we're used the — lot of the guys do as well. we're used the routine now. temperature checks— used the routine now. temperature checks every morning and that sort of stuff _ checks every morning and that sort of stuff. nothing is taken by chance _ of stuff. nothing is taken by chance. it feels good, and the venue is spectacular. it isjust the best place. _ is spectacular. it isjust the best place. the — is spectacular. it isjust the best place, the boccia venue is stunning.

it's almost — place, the boccia venue is stunning. it's almost the same as spectators arent— it's almost the same as spectators aren't there but it still feels special, _ aren't there but it still feels special, i_ aren't there but it still feels special, i don't know if that makes sense _ special, idon't know if that makes sense it— special, i don't know if that makes sense. ., , ., ~ special, i don't know if that makes sense. ., , , , ., sense. it does make sense, and we have 'ust sense. it does make sense, and we have just been _ sense. it does make sense, and we have just been seeing _ sense. it does make sense, and we have just been seeing pictures i sense. it does make sense, and we have just been seeing pictures of. have just been seeing pictures of you in action, and as world and paralympic champion, this is something we have spoken to a lot of athletes about in the last few weeks, you are the one with a target on your back. how difficult is it for you to go in in such a strong position? for you to go in in such a strong osition? ., ., , for you to go in in such a strong position?— position? you do get used to it after a while, _ position? you do get used to it after a while, which _ position? you do get used to it after a while, which is - position? you do get used to it after a while, which is weird. i | after a while, which is weird. i have _ after a while, which is weird. i have been— after a while, which is weird. i have been world champion and paralympic champion before, so it doesn't _ paralympic champion before, so it doesn't feel new to me. and this time _ doesn't feel new to me. and this time round, _ doesn't feel new to me. and this time round, i'm going in in the best shape— time round, i'm going in in the best shape of— time round, i'm going in in the best shape of my— time round, i'm going in in the best shape of my life and my mindset feels _ shape of my life and my mindset feels really good in terms of, i am really— feels really good in terms of, i am really calm — feels really good in terms of, i am really calm about it. i actually feel really good. and what will be will b _ feel really good. and what will be will b i_ feel really good. and what will be will b. i haven't played any of my rivals _ will b. i haven't played any of my rivals for— will b. i haven't played any of my rivals for the last few years so it is hard — rivals for the last few years so it is hard to — rivals for the last few years so it is hard to tell where i am at in relation — is hard to tell where i am at in relation to— is hard to tell where i am at in relation to them so i'm not really thinking — relation to them so i'm not really thinking about it, i'm just looking

forward _ thinking about it, i'm just looking forward to— thinking about it, i'm just looking forward to doing the best i can out there _ forward to doing the best i can out there and — forward to doing the best i can out there and if— forward to doing the best i can out there and if that is good enough it will be _ there and if that is good enough it will be good enough, and if it isn't, — will be good enough, and if it isn't, then— will be good enough, and if it isn't, then i still have got many paralympics left in the tank. you know full well _ paralympics left in the tank. you know full well what _ paralympics left in the tank. you. know full well what the british public aleix, they are ready to get upset with schools they don't know about. —— they are ready to get obsessed with sports they don't know about, so tell us about boccia, it is like a bowls? it about, so tell us about boccia, it is like a bowls?— is like a bowls? it is the furthest away keeps _ is like a bowls? it is the furthest away keeps going _ is like a bowls? it is the furthest away keeps going until - is like a bowls? it is the furthest away keeps going until they i is like a bowls? it is the furthest away keeps going until they run| is like a bowls? it is the furthest i away keeps going until they run out and then— away keeps going until they run out and then the other person finishes off. and then the other person finishes off it's _ and then the other person finishes off. it's playing with soft leather balls _ off. it's playing with soft leather balls on — off. it's playing with soft leather balls on a — off. it's playing with soft leather balls on a hard surface, about the same _ balls on a hard surface, about the same size — balls on a hard surface, about the same size as a badminton court. and we are _ same size as a badminton court. and we are one _ same size as a badminton court. and we are one of— same size as a badminton court. and we are one of the few paralympic sports _ we are one of the few paralympic sports to— we are one of the few paralympic sports to have no direct olympic equivalent. and the athletes are some _ equivalent. and the athletes are some of— equivalent. and the athletes are some of the most severely physically disabled, _ some of the most severely physically disabled, so it's quite a special sport— disabled, so it's quite a special sport within the paralympic movement. sport within the paralympic movement-— sport within the paralympic movement. ~ , , ., ., ,

movement. we wish you all the very best, i movement. we wish you all the very best. i know — movement. we wish you all the very best. i know you _ movement. we wish you all the very best, i know you have _ movement. we wish you all the very best, i know you have a _ movement. we wish you all the very best, i know you have a full - movement. we wish you all the very best, i know you have a full set i movement. we wish you all the very best, i know you have a full set of i best, i know you have a full set of medals, lets hope you get another one. many will be cheering you on. enjoy the tokyo experience and we hope you have a really successful olympic games. and thank you for running up to 70 things to keep an eye on, helene, i'm sure we will come back to you at some stage, enjoy the paralympics.— come back to you at some stage, enjoy the paralympics. thank you, take care. a ban on herbicides by a council has triggered what some might call a war of weeds. brighton and hove council banned toxic weed killers two years ago after a petition from residents but critics say its led to nuisance weeds on pavements. james dunn has more. the cityscape going green. and though few disagree with the admirable aim of protecting the environment, many feel this is not a sensible alternative. the first problem is a growing cost bill on compensation and pavement repairs that is going to be a long—lasting issue. then it is safety and then there is just general accessibility issues.

the council has pledged to stop using all pesticides by 2022, with weed clearances reduced from twice to once a year. but there are mixed feelings on the results. i think it is disgusting. i have been a brighton resident for years. i have never seen it so bad in all my lifetime. it is a dangerous chemical, so we can't do that, so it has to be done physically and it needs to be kept on top of. i'm not very keen on the grass i and weeds growing in the cracks in the paving slabs, - because it is obviously not very good for people i who have limited mobility. as well as the obvious trip hazard caused by these weeds growing out of the pavement, there are also the spiky grasses that can cause a real problem if they get stuck in a dog's paw. i spoke to one couple who said they had been to the vet numerous times over the last couple of years, spending hundreds of pounds getting it sorted out. but the council say the pandemic has exacerbated the problem.

at a time when we are facing an ecological emergency throughout the planet, the least we can do is to stop using such harmful pesticides in our city. the impact of this, of course, is that we get weeds. and we get a lot of weeds, especially after hot, wet weather like we have had this summer. it has created a growth spurt. city clean remove the weeds manually. obviously that is a much more environmentally friendly way of doing things, but very labour—intensive. due to covid, we have had an enormous staff crisis. councillors say they are trying to organise extra weed clearances. in the meantime, many residents have had to find their own solution to this growing problem. the war on weeds! i think we need a follow-up story _ the war on weeds! i think we need a follow-up story on _ the war on weeds! i think we need a follow-up story on that! _ for more than 30 years, scottish crime writer ian rankin, has gripped the nation with his stories about edinburgh's greatest fictional detective, inspectorjohn rebus. but rankin has left the character behind for his new project putting the finishing touches

to a handwritten manuscript left by the so—called godfather of "tartan noir". ian joins us now to tell us more. i love the phrase, tartan noir. when we say the finishing touches, that's not strictly true, is it, it is quite a lot of work you had to do? yes, it's100 pages that his widow siobhan _ yes, it's100 pages that his widow siobhan lynch had typed up from 100 notes _ siobhan lynch had typed up from 100 notes that— siobhan lynch had typed up from 100 notes that he had left hanging around, — notes that he had left hanging around, and i had to sift through it and see _ around, and i had to sift through it and see what was there. and his publisher— and see what was there. and his publisher said, is there anything for a _ publisher said, is there anything for a book?— for a book? this is william mcllvanney? _ for a book? this is william mcllvanney? yes, - for a book? this is william mcllvanney? yes, and i for a book? this is william mcllvanney? yes, and his| for a book? this is william - mcllvanney? yes, and his character laidlaw, they _ mcllvanney? yes, and his character laidlaw, they had _ mcllvanney? yes, and his character laidlaw, they had been _ mcllvanney? yes, and his character laidlaw, they had been out - mcllvanney? yes, and his character laidlaw, they had been out of- mcllvanney? yes, and his character laidlaw, they had been out of print| laidlaw, they had been out of print for so _ laidlaw, they had been out of print for so long — laidlaw, they had been out of print for so long but then they got printed — for so long but then they got printed again and they had a new lease _ printed again and they had a new lease of— printed again and they had a new lease of life so he decided to write anyone _ lease of life so he decided to write anyone but— lease of life so he decided to write anyone but sadly died before he could _ anyone but sadly died before he could complete it. i said, if you could _ could complete it. i said, if you

could do— could complete it. i said, if you could do x. _ could complete it. i said, if you could do x, y and z, could complete it. i said, if you could do x, y and 2, you could get a novel— could do x, y and 2, you could get a novel out _ could do x, y and 2, you could get a novel out of— could do x, y and 2, you could get a novel out of it. but i also found another — novel out of it. but i also found another novel that he was thinking about— another novel that he was thinking about doing which he had left very little for~ — about doing which he had left very little for. so it was a challenge because — little for. so it was a challenge because he met so much to me as a writer— because he met so much to me as a writer and _ because he met so much to me as a writer and human being that i wanted to do him _ writer and human being that i wanted to do him justice. give writer and human being that i wanted to do him justice.— to do him 'ustice. give us an idea wh ou to do himjustice. give us an idea why you had _ to do himjustice. give us an idea why you had such, _ to do himjustice. give us an idea why you had such, why _ to do himjustice. give us an idea why you had such, why he i to do himjustice. give us an idea why you had such, why he meantj to do himjustice. give us an idea i why you had such, why he meant so much to you? i why you had such, why he meant so much to you?— why you had such, why he meant so much to you? i was a young student stud inc much to you? i was a young student studying literature, _ much to you? i was a young student studying literature, and _ much to you? i was a young student studying literature, and he - much to you? i was a young student studying literature, and he had i much to you? i was a young student studying literature, and he had won| studying literature, and he had won the whitbread prize, and he then wrote _ the whitbread prize, and he then wrote three crime novels set in glasgow. — wrote three crime novels set in glasgow, and i thought, oh, crime fiction— glasgow, and i thought, oh, crime fiction can — glasgow, and i thought, oh, crime fiction can be literature, because william _ fiction can be literature, because william mcllvanney wrote literature. and i once _ william mcllvanney wrote literature. and i once run up to him and said, i have— and i once run up to him and said, i have written — and i once run up to him and said, i have written books which are like your laidlaw books but set in edinburgh, and he wrote in my book,

-ood edinburgh, and he wrote in my book, good luck— edinburgh, and he wrote in my book, good luck with your edinburgh laidlaw — good luck with your edinburgh laidlaw. and that was before the firstjohn — laidlaw. and that was before the firstjohn rebus books. so laidlaw. and that was before the first john rebus books.— laidlaw. and that was before the first john rebus books. so what was it like starting. _ first john rebus books. so what was it like starting, compared _ first john rebus books. so what was it like starting, compared to - first john rebus books. so what was it like starting, compared to when i it like starting, compared to when you are writing for yourself, was it a different way?— a different way? yes, he had a beginning _ a different way? yes, he had a beginning and _ a different way? yes, he had a beginning and no _ a different way? yes, he had a beginning and no ending, i a different way? yes, he had a beginning and no ending, and| a different way? yes, he had a| beginning and no ending, and i filled— beginning and no ending, and i filled in— beginning and no ending, and i filled in the middle. sol beginning and no ending, and i filled in the middle. so ijust re-read _ filled in the middle. so ijust re—read the books trying to get his style. _ re—read the books trying to get his style. i_ re—read the books trying to get his style, i didn't want people to see me style, ididn't want people to see me in— style, i didn't want people to see me in this — style, i didn't want people to see me in this book, it had to be an act of ventriloquism. and then i got maps _ of ventriloquism. and then i got maps of— of ventriloquism. and then i got maps of glasgow, because the book is set in _ maps of glasgow, because the book is set in 1972. _ maps of glasgow, because the book is set in 1972, when i was 12 years old and set in1972, when i was 12 years old and i_ set in1972, when i was 12 years old and i didn't— set in 1972, when i was 12 years old and i didn't know glasgow. i went to the glasgow herald newspaper and got the glasgow herald newspaper and got the old _ the glasgow herald newspaper and got the old issues from 1972, in which i found _ the old issues from 1972, in which i found a _ the old issues from 1972, in which i found a news story about a young writer— found a news story about a young writer who — found a news story about a young writer who has taken on —— who was taken _ writer who has taken on —— who was taken on _ writer who has taken on —— who was taken on to— writer who has taken on —— who was taken on to do— writer who has taken on —— who was taken on to do creative writing at strathclyde university, a young man called _ strathclyde university, a young man called william mcllvanney. so he was

actually _ called william mcllvanney. so he was actually in _ called william mcllvanney. so he was actually in those newspapers. so actually in those newspapers. sc when actually in those newspapers. when his actually in those newspapers. ’so when his widow actually in those newspapers. 5o when his widow said he couldn't see thejoin when his widow said he couldn't see the join between when his widow said he couldn't see thejoin between his writing when his widow said he couldn't see the join between his writing and yours, that must have been amazing. yes, she wrote me a handwritten letter— yes, she wrote me a handwritten letter from — yes, she wrote me a handwritten letter from lockdown and she said she couldn't see the join, she also said, _ she couldn't see the join, she also said. it _ she couldn't see the join, she also said. it was — she couldn't see the join, she also said, it was like willie was in the room _ said, it was like willie was in the room with— said, it was like willie was in the room with me when i read it, i could hear his— room with me when i read it, i could hear his voice — room with me when i read it, i could hear his voice. and i was so moved by that, _ hear his voice. and i was so moved bythat, even— hear his voice. and i was so moved by that, even if no one else likes the book. — by that, even if no one else likes the book, she likes it and i'm happy. — the book, she likes it and i'm ha . . _ , the book, she likes it and i'm ha . _ , ., , happy. this was written during lockdown. _ happy. this was written during lockdown, which _ happy. this was written during lockdown, which i _ happy. this was written during lockdown, which i can - happy. this was written during lockdown, which i can imaginej happy. this was written during i lockdown, which i can imagine was a whole different process for you. not in your usual place, you normally go up in your usual place, you normally go up north to write, what was it like writing in edinburgh? it up north to write, what was it like writing in edinburgh?— writing in edinburgh? it was a release in _ writing in edinburgh? it was a release in a _ writing in edinburgh? it was a release in a way, _ writing in edinburgh? it was a release in a way, because i writing in edinburgh? it was a| release in a way, because you writing in edinburgh? it was a i release in a way, because you could stop worrying and think about the pandemic, —— thinking about the pandemic, —— thinking about the pandemic, you could escape into a much _ pandemic, you could escape into a much simpler world, 1970 toe glasgow. _ much simpler world, 1970 toe glasgow, no dna analysis, no cctv,

no mobile _ glasgow, no dna analysis, no cctv, no mobile phones, no computers in police _ no mobile phones, no computers in police stations. it was like a release _ police stations. it was like a release and i didn't have to think about— release and i didn't have to think about the — release and i didn't have to think about the pandemic, which was great. and during _ about the pandemic, which was great. and during the pandemic as a whole i was writing _ and during the pandemic as a whole i was writing a lot and i think it was a way— was writing a lot and i think it was a way of— was writing a lot and i think it was a way of not — was writing a lot and i think it was a way of not thinking about what was going _ a way of not thinking about what was going on— a way of not thinking about what was going on in— a way of not thinking about what was going on in the real world, to escape — going on in the real world, to escape into this fantasy world. have ou been escape into this fantasy world. have you been writing _ escape into this fantasy world. have you been writing some _ escape into this fantasy world. the: you been writing some of your escape into this fantasy world. h22 you been writing some of your own stuff as well, is there something in the pipeline, inspired by the pandemic, you could be writing about that? j’m pandemic, you could be writing about that? �* ., ., ., ., that? i'm not going to write about the pandemic! _ that? i'm not going to write about the pandemic! i'm _ that? i'm not going to write about the pandemic! i'm trying - that? i'm not going to write about the pandemic! i'm trying not- that? i'm not going to write about the pandemic! i'm trying not to! l that? i'm not going to write about the pandemic! i'm trying not to! i| the pandemic! i'm trying not to! i did a— the pandemic! i'm trying not to! i did a very— the pandemic! i'm trying not to! i did a very small play for the national— did a very small play for the national theatre of scotland featuring brian cox, the actor not the astrophysicist, playing ribas, talking _ the astrophysicist, playing ribas, talking to — the astrophysicist, playing ribas, talking to camera talking about the pandemic— talking to camera talking about the pandemic and how he is coping and that is— pandemic and how he is coping and that is the — pandemic and how he is coping and that is the most i want to talk about— that is the most i want to talk about that. and the next project will start — about that. and the next project will start fairly soon as my agent and publisher have their way. what is it? it will—

and publisher have their way. what is it? it will be — and publisher have their way. what is it? it will be a _ and publisher have their way. what is it? it will be a novel— and publisher have their way. what is it? it will be a novel but - and publisher have their way. what is it? it will be a novel but i - is it? it will be a novel but i don't know _ is it? it will be a novel but i don't know if _ is it? it will be a novel but i don't know if it _ is it? it will be a novel but i don't know if it is _ is it? it will be a novel but i don't know if it is a - is it? it will be a novel but i don't know if it is a john i is it? it will be a novel but i i don't know if it is a john rebus novel or a stand—alone novel. 50 if novel or a stand-alone novel. so if our novel or a stand-alone novel. so if your agent — novel or a stand-alone novel. so if your agent says. — novel or a stand-alone novel. so if your agent says, you _ novel or a stand-alone novel. so if your agent says, you have - novel or a stand—alone novel. so if your agent says, you have to write something, what do you do? due to sit in your writing chair and come up sit in your writing chair and come up with something? what do you do when you do not have a an idea? i go when you do not have a an idea? i go to m bi when you do not have a an idea? i go to my big book of ideas. i have got a folder— to my big book of ideas. i have got a folder full — to my big book of ideas. i have got a folder full of clippings from newspapers and magazines, i will sift through it, a character name, a 'oke sift through it, a character name, a joke or— sift through it, a character name, a joke or a _ sift through it, a character name, a joke ora pan, _ sift through it, a character name, a joke ora pan, then sift through it, a character name, a joke or a pan, then something will come _ joke or a pan, then something will come up _ joke or a pan, then something will come up which i want to explain further— come up which i want to explain further and then come up which i want to explain furtherand then i come up which i want to explain further and then i will find an idea to build — further and then i will find an idea to build it — further and then i will find an idea to build. it is like what i had to do with— to build. it is like what i had to do with the william mcllvanney novel~ — do with the william mcllvanney novel~ ls — do with the william mcllvanney novel. , ., �* ., ., , novel. is it right that brian cox is readina novel. is it right that brian cox is reading the _ novel. is it right that brian cox is reading the dark _ novel. is it right that brian cox is reading the dark remains? i novel. is it right that brian cox is reading the dark remains? he l novel. is it right that brian cox is i reading the dark remains? he was ersuaded reading the dark remains? he was persuaded to _ reading the dark remains? he was persuaded to do — reading the dark remains? he was persuaded to do the _ reading the dark remains? he was persuaded to do the audiobook- reading the dark remains? he was persuaded to do the audiobook andj reading the dark remains? he was i persuaded to do the audiobook and he is the _ persuaded to do the audiobook and he is the perfect choice, we managed to -et is the perfect choice, we managed to get him _ is the perfect choice, we managed to get him between filming seasons of

succession. we got him into the studio— succession. we got him into the studio in— succession. we got him into the studio in edinburgh and off he wants. — studio in edinburgh and off he wants, and it was fantastic. i know this is a very _ wants, and it was fantastic. i know this is a very different _ this is a very different collaboration, someone you greatly respected with william mcllvanney, has this open your eyes to working with someone else on something or do you prefer writing on your own? writing novels i prefer on my own but i _ writing novels i prefer on my own but i do _ writing novels i prefer on my own but i do write with other people with stage plays and tv. but i like writing _ with stage plays and tv. but i like writing for— with stage plays and tv. but i like writing for myself, i like playing god _ writing for myself, i like playing god i_ writing for myself, i like playing god. i don't know if i would do this for anyone — god. i don't know if i would do this for anyone else but william mcllvanney, hejust for anyone else but william mcllvanney, he just meant so much to me and _ mcllvanney, he just meant so much to me and i_ mcllvanney, he just meant so much to me and i wanted to show my respect. how tricky— me and i wanted to show my respect. how tricky was it if he didn't write down and ending? it how tricky was it if he didn't write down and ending?— how tricky was it if he didn't write down and ending? it was in there, he had it in his — down and ending? it was in there, he had it in his head, _ down and ending? it was in there, he had it in his head, he _ down and ending? it was in there, he had it in his head, he knew— down and ending? it was in there, he had it in his head, he knew who i down and ending? it was in there, he had it in his head, he knew who did i had it in his head, he knew who did it and _ had it in his head, he knew who did it and why. — had it in his head, he knew who did it and why, but ijust had to get into his — it and why, but ijust had to get into his thought process, and i thought. — into his thought process, and i thought, it made sense if it was this person for this reason and i

went— this person for this reason and i went with — this person for this reason and i went with that and hopefully he would _ went with that and hopefully he would be ok with it.— went with that and hopefully he would be ok with it. thank you so much for telling _ would be ok with it. thank you so much for telling us _ would be ok with it. thank you so much for telling us about - would be ok with it. thank you so much for telling us about that. i 'the dark remains' is out on the 2nd of september. all the best with your next project! you're watching bbc breakfast. it's 8:59.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines. pressure builds on the us to delay its withdrawal from afghanistan — to allow more time for those trying to flee the country. an emergency summit of world leaders from the g7 richest nations will discuss the crisis in afghanistan. we have to plan on the 31st of august being the last moment. every day we get after that will be a big bonus, and we would like it. the reality is unless we get that agreement at the g7 today, many, many people will be left behind and face reprisals from the taliban. the nspcc says the number of online grooming crimes recorded by police in england and wales hasjumped to an all—time high.