you're watching bbc news — i'm rich preston — our latest headlines. the united states and britain warn their citizens to stay away from kabul airport — amid fears of a potential terror attack. but the scramble to flee the country continues — thousands of people remain at the airport — desperate to leave. is it worth it? is it betterjust staying here in afghanistan for the moment? translation: there's | no way we can stay here. the americans should shoot us or let us through. researchers say booster shots of the covid vaccine may be needed — in the wake of a study suggesting protection wanes after six months. and — a warning that the summer of devastating wildfires underlines the need for radical shifts in behaviour to tackle global warming.

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we begin in afghanistan, where the us embassy in kabul is asking american citizens in the country not to travel to kabul airport. the warning came just moments after similar advice issued by the british foreign office, which included warned of a "high threat of a terrorist attack". the pentagon says about 10,000 people are currently at the airport, as the scramble to leave the country is gathering pace. i'm joined now by our bbc washington correspondent, nomia iqbal. these warnings from the us and the uk came very close together so what do we know?—

so what do we know? they did. what they _ so what do we know? they did. what they are _ so what do we know? they did. what they are saying _ so what do we know? they did. what they are saying is - so what do we know? they did. what they are saying is to - so what do we know? they did. what they are saying is to us l what they are saying is to us citizens and uk citizens, do not travel at this time. so i suppose the question is, well, at what time can people travel given that time is of the essence. there is under a week to go before this deadline hits so we are not really clear at what point, at what point, what day citizens are expected and able to go to the airport. in terms of what this threat is, well, president biden in his conference on monday talked about isis—k. that is an afghan affiliate of the so—called islamic state terror group. there is not really that much known about them apart from the fact that they got together six years ago in pakistan and they are made up of former taliban members. they have carried out several attacks in afghanistan this year. they are actually sworn enemies of the taliban but they do pose a threat and we understand from us military

and us intelligence officials that this threat could involve trucks with bombs and suicide bombers heading to the airports. as you can imagine, if that that happens, and nato has said this letter is not theoretical, by the way. this is a real threat that could happen, then those chaotic awful scenes at carpal airport could get worse.— could get worse. this is less to no could get worse. this is less to go before _ could get worse. this is less to go before the _ could get worse. this is less to go before the deadlines. | could get worse. this is less - to go before the deadlines. how does this warning that deadline and the impact on us troops there? , , , , ., there? this is the big question because peeple _ there? this is the big question because people are _ there? this is the big question because people are being - there? this is the big question because people are being told | because people are being told not to go to the airport i can imagine people might not listen to those alerts because people are desperate to get out. i imagine, just going back to what i was saying about the taliban and isis—k being sworn enemies i imagine that is what america is happening and they are hoping to use it has leveraged so this is why they have struck this extraordinary deal with the taliban to try to

get americans and afghan allies and us troops eventually out of afghanistan because the taliban don't want isis—k to make any inroads either. they are trying to present themselves as a group you can govern and it is not in their interest for them to somehow take over so i imagine the us will be hoping that this evacuation mission can still go to plan in the next few days with the help of the taliban if they do stick to their promise.— their promise. thank you for “oininu their promise. thank you for joining us- — we can now speak to tracy walder who's a former fbi special agent and cia operative who specialised in anti—terrorism. what is your reaction to these warnings? and among thank you so much having me. i think these warnings are extremely serious and need to be heeded

by the british and americans and australians. i am extremely concerned about the security when the airport and i think what we're seeing now is a power struggle between isis—k and the taliban. and i think it is turning into a battle to have control over the airport and i've fully agree it is not in the best interest to allow that to happen. so my hope is perhaps these evacuation efforts can go forward. we have seen pictures of hundreds of thousands of people outside the airport. what could isis—k be planning? what are they capable of? ., , planning? what are they capable of? . , . . , ., of? that is a great question. i live in afghanistan _ of? that is a great question. i live in afghanistan i _ of? that is a great question. i live in afghanistan i spent- of? that is a great question. i live in afghanistan i spent a i live in afghanistan i spent a good deal of time there. when i was with the agency. there are several entry routs from the airport. my best guess in terms of what they may do, there is a couple of things. we are

looking at suicide attacks. they tend to favour things like truck bombs, buzz bombs, parking outside of the vicinity of the airport. because we have to remember the american military is inside the airport, not outside the airport. so my best guess anything is going to happen around the perimeter of the airport and they also have access to mortars and things like that so they can lop that over the walls and fences. so there are several different ways that they can perpetrate an attack. ways that they can perpetrate an attack-— ways that they can perpetrate an attack. ,,, . ~ ., , an attack. speaking generally, how bi a an attack. speaking generally, how big a present _ an attack. speaking generally, how big a present is _ an attack. speaking generally, how big a present is isis-k - an attack. speaking generally, how big a present is isis-k in i how big a present is isis—k in afghanistan? how big a present is isis-k in afghanistan?— how big a present is isis-k in afghanistan? isis-k is mostly in eastern — afghanistan? isis-k is mostly in eastern afghanistan. - afghanistan? isis-k is mostly in eastern afghanistan. they | in eastern afghanistan. they are not a large presence in terms of the area that they take up however, what we saw recently in intelligence reports is that a lot of key isis members were being removed from places like barack and syria into afghanistan as they

sort of saw the situation in afghanistan devolving with the announcement of the american troops and troop withdrawals. i would not say they are this large formidable organised force. however, they have the potential to be and i think they're working on that. what are the goals _ they're working on that. what are the goals and _ they're working on that. what are the goals and relationship with the taliban? you are the goals and relationship with the taliban?— are the goals and relationship with the taliban? you know, the taliban, like _ with the taliban? you know, the taliban, like the _ with the taliban? you know, the taliban, like the previous - taliban, like the previous passion mentioned, the taliban and isis are enemies. really, isis feels... they want out of a global caliphate. in africa, in the middle east, europe, and the united states, latin america and throughout the world. and that biggest point of contention between two of them is that isis does not feel that the taliban is stringent enough and how they apply religious law to the people that they govern. that is really the core difference. and the core issue. also, isis quite frankly uses social media

far better than the taliban and far better than the taliban and far better than al-qaeda so they have a couple of things, i guess, going for them they have a couple of things, i guess, going forthem in they have a couple of things, i guess, going for them in terms of recruitment and swelling the numbers. for of recruitment and swelling the numbers. ., ., , of recruitment and swelling the numbers. ., ._ ., of recruitment and swelling the numbers. ., .,y ., ., numbers. for the day to go before us _ numbers. for the day to go before us troops _ numbers. for the day to go before us troops are - numbers. for the day to go before us troops are due . numbers. for the day to go | before us troops are due to leave the country what they be doing on the ground to mitigate against any potential attacks by isis—k? against any potential attacks by bis-k?— by isis-k? that is a very difficult _ by isis-k? that is a very difficult question - by isis-k? that is a very difficult question to - by isis-k? that is a very i difficult question to answer and one that makes me feel quite frankly quite a little bit hopeless. as i said before, our military is inside the airport rather than outside. however, we have the meeting between the cia and members of the taliban leadership a few days ago and my best guess is we are trying to remedy the situation to intelligence channels. utilising the taliban to ensure safe passage. of people to the airport. that is the biggest issue right now. it is not being able to safely get from one location to the airport. that is my best guess

in terms of how this will be resolved. in terms of how this will be resolved-— in terms of how this will be resolved. ., ~' , ., , . resolved. thank you very much for making _ resolved. thank you very much for making time _ resolved. thank you very much for making time for— resolved. thank you very much for making time for us. - resolved. thank you very much for making time for us. the - for making time for us. the element thank you for having me. president biden has rejected calls from us allies to delay the withdrawal date for remaining american soldiers beyond the end of the month. with time running out for evacuation flights, there's a sense of panic setting in among those trying to leave the country. secunder kermani sent this report from kabul. shame on them! they've been through so much already. now wading through sewage in the hope of somehow being able to leave this country. huge crowds are still flocking to kabul airport, under the watch of american and british soldiers. despite the dirt, the dust, the gunshots and the chaos, people are still coming here, and they're coming here in their thousands. here, a makeshift camp has sprung up.

most of the people gathered don't have permission to board an evacuation flight. the few that do are struggling to make their way inside. translation: we've been waiting here for six - days and six nights. the american embassy told us to come here, but we can't get past all these crazy people. is it worth it? is it betterjust staying here in afghanistan for the moment? there's no way we can stay here. the americans should shoot us or let us through. yesterday, the taliban said they're not in favour of afghans leaving. we saw no sign of them preventing people where we were, but they're clearly frustrated with the scenes unfolding. with time running out, there's a sense of panic amongst those trying to escape. many worry they'll be left behind, like this former british army interpreter who is yet to receive a response to his application. it's very dangerous for us, because from the day the taliban entered kabul,

i've changed my home three times. so two days, two nights, we are living in one place. he's only got one document from the british army, and it doesn't even say who signed it. but we managed to find his former boss, now a retired soldier in the north of england. i absolutely remember him as one of about eight- interpreters i worked with out in afghanistan on my tour, i and like all of the others that i i worked with, he was a brave, bright, intelligent lad - who actually genuinely wanted to do better for his country. the british government says no—one's life should be put at risk because of their support for the uk's efforts in afghanistan and that it's working around the clock to relocate as many eligible afghans as possible. so are other countries.

but these are the last days of the effort, and many who want to leave are set to left behind. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. don't forget you can get more on the rapidly developing situation in afghanistan on our website. there you'll find a live page updated with the latest developments as those evacuations from kabul airport gather pace. protection against coronavirus starts to reduce within six months of people being fully vaccinated with the pfizer or astrazenica vaccines. new research suggests that booster vaccines will be needed at some point to maintain protection. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson has this report. more than three—quarters of adults in the uk have now had two doses of a covid vaccine, but how long that protection lasts is a crucial question. sarah, a head teacher, received her second dose in april, but injune, after her family all caught the

virus, she became infected too. 0bviously, i'd been shielding at home, i'd been staying in different rooms, keeping doors and windows open, wearing masks in communal areas of the home. so i'd hoped not to get it with my double vaccine, but i knew there was always a possibility of getting it. it was obviously very disappointing to get it in the end, and my symptoms were just like that of a heavy head cold, really. i didn't have to stop working, i was working from home throughout that period. i had to rest a little bit more than usual, but i felt like it was a much lighter version than i had the year before. sarah's one of a growing number of people who've been infected despite being double—jabbed. today's study by the zoe covid team adds to the evidence that vaccines lose some effectiveness over time. it found protection from infection, with both the pfizer and astrazeneca vaccines, reduced slightly within six months of the second dose. but for most, the vaccines still seem to prevent severe disease.

what this study tells us is that we have to keep an eye on the level of immunity and track it as time goes on, so that we can make a prediction, one month, three months, six months into the future, of when a booster might be required. and infections have been rising sharply in some parts of the uk. scotland, where schools have gone back, hit another record high today, well over 5,000 new cases, with more than a third among teenagers and children. experts are warning the new term is likely to be difficult. so i think we do need to be braced for a challenging period. exactly how high the numbers will be, it is very, very challenging to predict that. where i think we can be more confident is that levels of mortality are going to remain low, because we have study after study that still shows the vaccines are working. cornwall�*s rocketing rates of infection have been blamed

in large part on a music and surfing festival. preparations are well under way for this weekend's reading festival, where thousands will gather, and where there are crowds, there is likely to be covid. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news — still to come. farfrom home — the girls of the afghan robotics team — who have joined the exodus from kabul. he's the first african—american to win the presidential nomination of a major party, and he accepts exactly 45 years ago to the day that martin luther king declared,

"i have a dream." as darkness falls tonight, and unfamiliar light will appear in the southeastern sky — an orange glowing disc that's brighter than anything save the moon — our neighbouring planet, mars. there is no doubt that this election is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the world's newest nation. it'll take months and billions of dollars to repair— what katrina achieved injust hours. - three weeks is the longest the great clock has been off—duty in 117 years, so it was with great satisfaction that clockmaker john vernon swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. big ben chimes this is bbc news, the latest headlines. the united states and britain warn their citizens to stay away from kabul airport — amidst fears of a potential terror attack. but the scramble to flee the country continues — thousands of people remain at the airport — desperate to leave.

the greek prime minister says a string of devastating wildfires this summer has underlined the need for radical shifts in behaviour to tackle global warming. fires have torn through several mediterranean countries — including greece, turkey, spain and italy — and russia has been battling its own record—breaking fire season. courtney bembridge reports. this was the scene facing firefighters in central russia. a wall of flames which had them quickly surrounded. translation: the flames were rising up to 30 or a0 metres and it was absolutely horrible. the wind was pushing, blazing pieces of wood were flying around. just 100 metres away. it was a storm of a fire. a storm of ashes and smoke. this is russia's second worst fire season since the turn of the century.

fuelled by extreme heat, they've burned through more than 70 million hectares of land. experts say climate change has made the country's huge expanses of forest drier, hotter and increasingly vulnerable to wildfires. europe has also hit record temperatures this summer and wildfires have torn through the mediterranean. the greek prime minister described it as a bitter cost of climate change. translation: we recognise that dealing with the climate crisis is forcing us to change everything. the way we produce agricultural products, how we move around, how we generate energy and the way we build our homes. everything must change in this immense effort to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis to whatever extent possible. scientists say last year was the warmest on record across europe, exceeding this previous record by a considerable amount, and they are again calling for actions with a crucial moment on the horizon. leaders from almost 200 countries will meet in glasgow in novemberfor a major climate conference.

described as the world's last best chance to tackle climate change. at least 16 people have died in the western venezuelan state of merida following intense rains that have triggered mudslides and caused rivers to overflow. more than 12—hundred houses have been destroyed and i7 people remain missing, as rescue workers continue to search the affected areas. the merida state governor has admitted that neither the state nor municipal governments have the resources to help the affected areas. the subscription website onlyfans, known for its adult content, says it will delay making changes to prohibit sexually explicit photos and videos from october. it follows a backlash from the site's users. the platform also said in a tweet that it would continue to provide a home for all content creators. wariness from investors was originally cited as the reason for last week's announcement.

here's one user of the platform, mary moody. i believe that enough sex workers are finally being heard by everyone and making enough noise and we're finally getting noticed and people are realising that this is a human rights issue workers issue and it is not ok what is happening. ok what is happening. joining me now from los angeles is mike stabile. he's a director of freespeechcoaltion, a trade organization for the adult industry and its workers. thank you for being with us. what is your reaction to this delay? i what is your reaction to this dela ? ~ delay? i think in the short-term - delay? i think in the short-term it - delay? i think in the short-term it is - delay? i think in the short-term it is a i delay? i think in the i short-term it is a great short—term it is a great decision. i think there were a lot of who were about to be devastated financially by the new rules and i think in the long term people are going to be looking and trying to figure out what are the next steps? we understand banks are skittish about sex worker produced

content and we have in the midst of a morals campaign by religious groups in the us that are trying to use their pressure to pressure banks 2d platform sex workers. technically it is open to all content but what makes it particularly appealing for sex workers and adult industry workers? it came from the industry. and what made it appealing. was these adult performers and creators and sex workers who have built up these huge followings and social media, and instagram, twitter, and read it, and it gave them a way to studios, bypass the agent and to sell directly to the consumer. other debtors allow them to build equity so rather than shooting a scene in a day and picking up a paycheque and giving him are not seeing any more from it, you could produce something, you could produce something, you could produce something, you could earn from it and you could earn from it, you know,

and that was a game changer for these workers. the announcement of this ban — these workers. the announcement of this ban came _ these workers. the announcement of this ban came and _ these workers. the announcement of this ban came and after - these workers. the announcement of this ban came and after a i of this ban came and after a bbc investigation this year which found that underage people were allowed to create accounts, start using the platform. should sites like this which to take a cut of the money be doing more to protect children and prevent illegal content from being up on their platforms? absolutely. and they do. i think when it gets lost in this discussion is just all the regulations and all the protocols that are into identify people who are looking to gain the system. i think, you know, there is facial recognition done by the eye and id verification, everyone in the content you create is also represented by the ids. what happens is this is a side that grew very quickly, but that i went from a small number of people before the pandemic.

close to 3 million creators now. so the question isn't whether or not sites should do more. i think that all sites have always been at the forefront of this because they know that culturally they are much more reliable than something like facebook which end up posting a lot more illegal material. so it is not just should they do anything or should they be doing more? they are. what we should do is learn where people are trying to game the system and how they are getting around it and improving it. i don't think that it is either or.— it. i don't think that it is either or. vega to talk to. thank you _ either or. vega to talk to. thank you for _ either or. vega to talk to. thank you for being i either or. vega to talk to. thank you for being with i either or. vega to talk to. i thank you for being with us. as we've seen — the exodus from afghanistan continues — with thousands of people flying out of kabul airport. countries as diverse as australia, uganda and south korea are offering refuge to men, women and children. and mexico has accepted five women who made a name for themselves on the international stage. the bbc�*s tim allman reports.

for so many, they were symbols of what a new afghanistan could be. young educated women excelling in science and technology. they had competed and won awards at international robotics festivals. then the taliban came and they decided to leave. when we enter the plane we were so sad because we left everything in afghanistan. we let ourfamilies, we everything in afghanistan. we let our families, we left our friends and all our relatives. and without saying any goodbye to them. �* , ., , and without saying any goodbye to them. �* , .,, ,, ., ., to them. after we stop in qatar they finally _ to them. after we stop in qatar they finally reach _ to them. after we stop in qatar they finally reach their - to them. after we stop in qatar they finally reach their new i they finally reach their new home. part of the coordinated international operation designed to represent universal values. translation: they are the bearers of a dream and have reality that they have dealt with many difficulties. demonstrating that we can have an egalitarian world where

gender equality. so we consider it very important to open our home to them. that obviously, the taliban had banned girls from school and women from work when they last govern country. now they say they will prioritise women's rights and education. women from the afghan robotics team have their doubts and regrets. the afghan robotics team have their doubts and regrets.— doubts and regrets. the thing that i doubts and regrets. the thing that i really — doubts and regrets. the thing that i really miss _ doubts and regrets. the thing that i really miss is _ doubts and regrets. the thing that i really miss is about i doubts and regrets. the thing that i really miss is about my| that i really miss is about my family friends that we have lots of good days together. lots of funny just lots of good days together. lots of funnyjust memories lots of funny just memories that lots of funnyjust memories that i have but unfortunately, i reallyjust missed them and i hope that one day i can go back to afghanistan and see them again. to afghanistan and see them aaain. ., again. untilthen, a new life and new— again. untilthen, a new life and new opportunities i again. untilthen, a new life and new opportunities far i again. untilthen, a new life i and new opportunities far from home. parliament in armenia descended into a mass brawl, as the country remains split following last year's defeat in a war with azerbaijan. local media says chaos erupted when a ruling party minister described some former defence ministers as "traitors",

prompting water bottles to be thrown. bottles and hand sanitisers have since been removed from the chamber. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ richpreston. hello there. we just had the hottest day of the month on wednesday. and it was western scotland the place to be. looks lovely in the sunshine and temperatures reached 27 celsius. now, it won't get as hot as that again through the rest of the month because we've got this weather front moving down toward the southwest of the uk. it's bringing in cloud, one or two spots of rain just for a while, and as that weather front moves through, so we introduce a cooler wind off the north sea. that's blowing in cooler air and it's dropping the temperatures as well. we start with some fog, though, quite extensively across northern ireland in the morning. not so much fog in scotland. the fog will lift. the cloud that we start with in wales and the southwest will break up. sunshine for many western areas. but the wind will continue to blow in more cloud to the eastern side of the uk.

should get more sunshine, though, for the northern isles, some areas of cloud lingering across some easternmost parts of scotland. much of the country, though, seeing the sunshine and temperatures 23, maybe 2a in the west of scotland this time. could make 22 or 23 in fermanagh and tyrone. always warmer for wales, western parts of england. down the eastern side, a lot of cloud, a cooler wind as well. and around the coasts in particular, temperatures could be no better than 16 or 17 degrees. there could be a hint of sunshine now and again, but generally it's going to be pretty cloudy at headingley for day 2 of an exciting test match. not quite so chilly on friday. by this stage, the cloud is pushing more towards wales and western parts of england, and that means we should get a bit more sunshine for the eastern side of england. there will be some areas of cloud for scotland and northern ireland, some spells of sunshine too, and temperatures are back down to around 19 or 20 degrees typically, perhaps a little lower than that in the far north and east of scotland. heading into the weekend, big area of low pressure is bringing lots of showers into central europe.

they're not far away from the southeast on saturday, but over the weekend, it's high pressure that should tend to dominate. always a wind coming in from the north sea, some brisk winds for the southeast of england. should be a fair bit of sunshine, though, i think, on saturday, some patchy cloud bubbling up here and there. and in the sunshine, again, across western scotland, we could see temperatures up to 22 degrees. second half of the weekend, still dry, high pressure around, bit breezy and cooler around some of those north sea coasts, a bit more cloud perhaps coming into scotland and northern ireland, sunshine for england and wales and temperatures typically 19 or 20 celsius.

this is bbc news — the headlines...

the united states and britain have both warned of a high risk of an attack at kabul airport and advised their nationals not to travel there. the warning comes 2a hours after president biden highlighted the danger posed by extremists linked to the group calling itself islamic state. the pace of the airlift at kabul airport continues to pick up — with dozens of military flights ferrying close to 20,000 people out of afghanistan in the past 2a hours. the us has insisted american efforts to help people leave the country will continue past the august 31st deadline. a study in britain indicates that protection from catching covid—i9 given by two doses of the pfizer and astrazeneca coronavirus vaccines starts to wear off within six months. the study�*s authors underlined the importance of getting vaccinated — but urged the government to make plans for boosterjabs. now on bbc news, three engineers leading the field in clean energy solutions come

together for a special event