tonight at ten, britain's airlift in afghanistan starts to wind down as the government admit some of those able to leave or be left behind. the raf has evacuated more than 1a,000 people in the last two weeks on the government pledges to help those who didn't make it. we will shift heaven and earth to help them get out, we will do whatever we can in the second phase. hospitals struggle with the wounded after the airport bombing, two uk nationals and the child of a british citizen are among the dead. those killed in this _ citizen are among the dead. those killed in this awful— citizen are among the dead. those killed in this awful attack - citizen are among the dead. those killed in this awful attack were - killed in this awful attack were trying to escape years of violence in afghanistan. instead, they became the latest victims in a country torn apart by bloodshed.

with all foreign troops due to leave afghanistan in less than a week, how should the west then engage with the taliban? also tonight, america publishes its assessment of the origins of covid—19 but the results are inconclusive. the government reveals plans to ban single—use plastic utensils and polystyrene cups to help the environment. and welcome to manchester... again! cristiano ronaldo and manchester united agree a deal to return to old trafford. and coming up in the sport later in the hour on the bbc news channel, a better day for india at headingley. from certain defeat, they mightjust salvage something from the third test. good evening. the british operation to airlift thousands of afghan and uk citizens out of afghanistan, is winding down, with uk troops

beginning their withdrawal tomorrow. borisjohnson admits not all those civilians eligible to leave can be airlifted out, but he insists the government will do whatever it can to help those left behind. it follows yesterday's suicide bomb attack at kabul airport, with the number of dead, according to a health official, rising to more than 170. it's also been revealed that two of those killed were british nationals, along with the child of another british citizen. our correspondent in kabul, secunder kermani, has the latest, and a warning, his report contains distressing images. distraught relatives search kabul�*s morgues, looking for their loved ones. this baby you managed to save? but there's another baby? amongst those killed, mohammed niazi, a taxi driver from london who had travelled to kabul to try and help his family get inside the airport. his eldest daughter and youngest child are still missing. his wife was also killed. his brother was at the

airport alongside him. i saw some small children in the river. it was so bad. it was a dark day for us. many of those we meet say their relatives were not killed in the blast but by firing in the confusion afterwards, they believe by foreign soldiers. somehow, i saw an american soldier... and beside this there were turkish soldiers, so the fire comes from the bridges, the towers. from the soldiers? yes, from the soldiers. america's department of defense didn't reply to our request for comment. the suicide bombing claimed by the islamic state group would have ripped through the densely packed crowd, causing panic. is has repeatedly launched devastating attacks in the city. the blast has left two—year—old mohammed reza fighting for his life. this looks set to be one of the deadliest incidents ever

in this horrific conflict. so many of the victims those that had worked with the international community. noor muhammad had been employed alongside american forces. the guy has served us army for years. and the reason he lost his life... he wasn't killed by taliban, he wasn't killed by isis. us army started shelling. how can you be sure? because of the bullet. the bullet inside of his head, right here, near to his ear. he didn't have, he doesn't have any injury. these are noor mohammed's eight children. he had hoped to give them a better life. instead, this afternoon, they said a final goodbye. those killed in this awful attack were trying to escape years of violence in afghanistan. instead, they became the latest victims in a country torn apart by bloodshed.

tens of thousands of people have been flown out of the country but now only foreign nationals are being allowed inside the airport. the british government has acknowledged some of those who want to leave will be left behind, like this former interpreter. there is no place for us to stay and we are so worried about our future. i think it's not fair. it is like a betrayal of their own heroes. these are the last days of a chaotic evacuation effort. for those that haven't made it out, a deeply uncertain future. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. the final british and afghan citizens being flown out by the uk are expected to leave in the coming hours. our defence correspondent jonathan beale reports on the logistical challenges that the airlift has presented. it's been the biggest airlift in recent history — a mammoth operation,

overall more than 100,000 people evacuated in less than two weeks. more than 14,000 flown out by the raf, twice the number they originally planned. but the british effort is now over, with hundreds still left behind. as we come now to the final hours of the operation, there will sadly be people who haven't got through, people who might qualify. and what i would say to them is that we will shift heaven and earth to help them get out, we will do whatever we can. the final phase of this operation is getting out the 1,000 british troops who've provided security. that is now under way. it's us troops who'll be the last to leave. drawing down forces in a hostile environment is already high risk,

all the more so with the continuing threat of another terrorist attack. the dangers are the same — somebody will target the aeroplanes or runway, or the aircraft as they leave or depart, or try to penetrate the perimeter of the airport in order to break in to the evacuation. we have seen no sign of that happening so far, other than the terrible carnage of the bomb yesterday. the government has expressed deep regret it wasn't able to get everyone out. those left behind may now have to join the rush for the border. few of these were being allowed to cross into pakistan. around 1,000 afghans who worked for the british are still stranded, living in danger. so, how will they get out now? these are people eligible to come out because they've worked alongside us on the front line in afghanistan and some of those individuals haven't had their claims processed in time, some of them were not called forward, haven't managed

to get through the barriers, and we need an urgent plan for them because they are very much at risk. it's notjust people left behind but the military hardware of an entire army, trained and equipped by the us and its allies, now in the hands of the taliban, who will decide what happens next. the airlift will soon be over but the inquest into how afghanistan fell apart so quickly has onlyjust begun. jonathan beale, bbc news. let's talk to our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, live in the afghan capital. there are reports to knives the taliban are already making moves on the airport. yes taliban are already making moves on the airort. , . ., ~ taliban are already making moves on the airort. , . . ~' . the airport. yes and making a huge statement about _ the airport. yes and making a huge statement about as _ the airport. yes and making a huge statement about as well. _ the airport. yes and making a huge statement about as well. in - the airport. yes and making a huge statement about as well. in the - the airport. yes and making a huge i statement about as well. in the same way the taliban fighters stole a march suddenly on kabul last week, they are doing the same tonight at they are doing the same tonight at the airport. the past few hours we've been watching on social media

as senior officials among the taliban and their supporters are posting photographs with exclamations like the foreign occupation has ended, the islamic emirate is entering the airport, pictures of luxury vehicles, lights blaring, going into the airport ground. we checked with the pentagon and they say we still control the gates, we still control the operation, the mod in london says the military flights are continuing, but it underlines again it is just a matter of time. but such is the desperation of those who got so close and now feel they may lose out, i've been receiving messages tonight. a friend said my sister got an e—mail tonight saying she can go to the airport, how can you get her there? people there showing passports, the afghan passports, seeing how can we get there? this door is closing loudly but other windows are going to open or will they be open enough?—

windows are going to open or will they be open enough? indeed, thank ou, rude they be open enough? indeed, thank you. rude the — they be open enough? indeed, thank you, rude the manure _ they be open enough? indeed, thank you, rude the manure -- _ they be open enough? indeed, thank you, rude the manure -- lyse, - they be open enough? indeed, thank you, rude the manure -- lyse, live l you, rude the manure —— lyse, live in kabul. as the western military presence draws down in afghanistan over the coming days, the focus will then turn to how to engage with the taliban regime. 0ur correspondent, caroline hawley assesses the diplomatic challenges ahead. for two decades the west fought their men and now they're calling their men and now they're calling the shots and western leaders must work out the best way to deal with them so they cause the least harm. there is absolutely no choice but to develop channels to communicate with them at senior level over how they are now going to run afghanistan. what leveraged as the west, the uk have now? in what leveraged as the west, the uk have now? . , what leveraged as the west, the uk have now? ., , ., ., have now? in reality, our leveraged is very limited- _ have now? in reality, our leveraged is very limited. we _ have now? in reality, our leveraged is very limited. we can _ have now? in reality, our leveraged is very limited. we can withhold - is very limited. we can withhold recognition. i'm not sure how much the taliban care about that. we can come as the foreign secretary has hinted, withhold aid, and afghan

military reserves are mostly held and frozen in american banks, so we can withhold money. the risk with thatis can withhold money. the risk with that is that it mainly impact on the afghan people, who are facing a bleak future anyway. the afghan people, who are facing a bleak future anyway.— afghan people, who are facing a bleak future anyway. the un says millions of— bleak future anyway. the un says millions of people _ bleak future anyway. the un says millions of people were _ bleak future anyway. the un says millions of people were already . bleak future anyway. the un says| millions of people were already on the brink of famine before the taliban take over. the ousted government was almost entirely dependent on foreign funding, as much as 75% of state spending came from the outside world which help to pay for everything from security forces to government officials to schools that offered girls and education for the first time. and hospitals and health care. now the taliban are in charge, who is going to pay the bills? could western aid with strings attached moderates in militants or will they look elsewhere for support? earlier this week the taliban proudly tweeted a photo of themselves meeting the chinese ambassador. both china and

russia have embassies in the capital. russia have embassies in the caital. ' . , , capital. the difficulty with using economic leveraged _ capital. the difficulty with using economic leveraged is - capital. the difficulty with using economic leveraged is it - capital. the difficulty with using economic leveraged is it only i capital. the difficulty with using - economic leveraged is it only works if the target of your leveraged has no other options and in this case the taliban has the option of looking to the regional countries for support. and those countries, china, russia, iran, pakistan are likely to be more flexible in their expectations of the taliban. terror ofthe expectations of the taliban. terror of the taliban, _ expectations of the taliban. terror of the taliban, fears _ expectations of the taliban. terror of the taliban, fears for _ expectations of the taliban. terror of the taliban, fears for the - expectations of the taliban. terror of the taliban, fears for the future j of the taliban, fears for the future have prompted a desperate rush to escape and the un warned today half a million afghans could flee the country this year alone and europe fears a repeat of the refugee crisis in the mediterranean in 2015. the west can leave afghanistan but cannot walk away from its problems and there are no easy options for how to respond. caroline hawley, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent, iain watson, is at westminster. the manner of the uk exit from afghanistan, with some of those who

could leave being left behind, that'll be controversial. that's ri . ht. 20 that'll be controversial. that's right- 20 years _ that'll be controversial. that's right. 20 years of— that'll be controversial. that's right. 20 years of uk - that'll be controversial. that's right. 20 years of uk military | right. 20 years of uk military involvement in afghanistan is expected to end this weekend but borisjohnson has been severely criticised notjust by opposition parties but by some of his own mps for leaving civilians behind. 0ne mp who served in afghanistan expressed his anger and shame so the prime minister has said he will shift heaven and earth to try to get more people out and tonight cabinet ministers have written to mps to try to reassure them that the resettlement programme will enter a new phase. quite frankly, i have to say, the planning seems to be at an early stage so the decision has been taken over where or what extent there will be processing centres and there will be processing centres and the taliban haven't guaranteed safe passage. there was broad political support going into afghanistan in the wake of 9/11 but pulling out is bringing its own political and practical problems which will persist even after the last soldier has left. .,

persist even after the last soldier has left. . . ., ., ~ persist even after the last soldier has left. ., ~ ., ., ~ i., on to other news now and, in the last hour, america's intelligence agencies have published their report into the global origins of the coronavirus pandemic. 0ur security correspondent, gordon corera, is here. what does it say? this is one of the bi est what does it say? this is one of the biggest and — what does it say? this is one of the biggest and most _ what does it say? this is one of the biggest and most divisive _ what does it say? this is one of the biggest and most divisive issues - what does it say? this is one of the | biggest and most divisive issues has faced. president biden 90 days ago asked his intelligence community to look again at this issue, go over all the data, and we have their unclassified report now. on the origins, it says, first emerged in november 29, first cluster wuhan a month later. no sign of it being a biological weapon but, on the crucial issue, this is inconclusive. some parts of us intelligence say they believe it moves naturally from animals to humans. a smaller group appear to believe it could have come from a leak from a chinese appear to believe it could have come from a leakfrom a chinese lab, appear to believe it could have come from a leak from a chinese lab, they say they do not have enough evidence to come to a firm conclusion and are

unlikely to be able to do so. i think a crucial line in this as they say beijing has hinted the investigation into this and made it impossible to come to a conclusion without some of the data china holds. in a statement, the white house has said it will be working with allies to press china for a full and transparent accounting of what happened, but you can get a sense here this has been a divisive issue and a source of enormous friction between the us and china, and this report is not going to change that. here, the latest coronavirus figures from the government, show there were 38,046 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, which means, on average, there were 34,177 new cases per day in the last week. the most recent figures show there were nearly 7,000 people in hospital with the virus as of yesterday. 100 deaths were recorded in the past 2a hours, with an average of 108 deaths a day in the past week.

0n vaccinations, 88.2% of adults in the uk, have now had their firstjab, and 78% have had two. there's been a big rise in the number of covid cases in scotland, with a record number on a single day. however, the first minister, nicola sturgeon, says the scottish government "isn't currently considering a circuit—brea ker lockdown". meanwhile, health officials in england have urged people heading to music festivals over the weekend to get a covid test, as dominic hughes reports. at a music festival like leeds, the outside world can seem far away, but there's no escaping the pandemic, even here — negative covid tests and vaccine passes a condition of entry. and the latest data from the office for national statistics shows why we should still be concerned. infections are rising across the uk, especially among younger people. did a lateral flow last night and produced a negative result, which sent a text message to me and i've shown the text message. i'm all ready to go and i'm feeling

quite confident that hopefully i won't carry it or catch it. this is a very big weekend for both music festivals and events like pride, here in manchester. and maybe this is what living with covid looks like, accepting that, while events like this are going to go ahead, they will lead to a big spike in infections, and yet at the same time trusting that the vaccines have weakened that link between infection and serious illness. practical measures like testing can reduce risk, but there's also a heartfelt need for people to start living again. festivals bring people together. that's the most important thing and people are here| to have a great time and celebrate. we've been planning this event for months and covid has been| part of that process. there's been another record number of infections in scotland today, surging above 6,000 new cases for the first time since the pandemic began and, in the south—west of england, where a spike in cases has been linked to this month's boardmasters festival and an influx of holiday—makers, there will be more testing,

a push on vaccinations and pupils will have to wear face coverings when they go back to school. and some experts say they're worried not so much about the next few days but more what the weeks ahead will bring. children are about to go back to school, people will be coming off their summer vacations, and what we might see when mixing patterns change, as we move into september, what that might lead to do transmission. even after 18 months of this pandemic, there's still so much that is uncertain, but one thing we do know — the situation can change faster than anyone anticipated. dominic hughes, bbc news, manchester. one of the world's greatest footballers, cristiano ronaldo, has agreed new terms to return to his old club, manchester united. the fee for the 36—year—old, is around £13 million. he first played for united back in 2003 when he was just 18, and now he's leaving juventus in italy, after making it clear he didn't want to play for them any more. jon donnison has the full story.

brown and sylvester still forward... 12 years after he wore a united shirt, guess who's back. ronaldo! most of the _ shirt, guess who's back. ronaldo! most of the faces _ shirt, guess who's back. ronaldo! most of the faces at _ shirt, guess who's back. ronaldo! most of the faces at old - shirt, guess who's back. ronaldo! most of the faces at old trafford l most of the faces at old trafford might have changed but, speaking just before the signing was announced, the new boss clearly excited. , ., ., , announced, the new boss clearly excited. , ., ., ., excited. cristiano is a legend of this club- _ excited. cristiano is a legend of this club. he _ excited. cristiano is a legend of this club. he is _ excited. cristiano is a legend of this club. he is the _ excited. cristiano is a legend of this club. he is the greatest - excited. cristiano is a legend of. this club. he is the greatest player of if you ask me. i was fortunate enough to play with him. i coached him. ., ., , _, enough to play with him. i coached him. ., .,, _, ., him. the deal was confirmed in a short but sweet _ him. the deal was confirmed in a short but sweet tweet, _ him. the deal was confirmed in a short but sweet tweet, welcome | him. the deal was confirmed in a - short but sweet tweet, welcome home, cristiano. q celebration outside the club's ground. it is cristiano. q celebration outside the club's ground-— club's ground. it is superb! i can't describe the _ club's ground. it is superb! i can't describe the feeling. _ club's ground. it is superb! i can't describe the feeling. our- club's ground. it is superb! i can't describe the feeling. our man - club's ground. it is superb! i can't describe the feeling. our man is i describe the feeling. 0ur man is back, yes! shill! describe the feeling. our man is back, yes!— back, yes! all the talk this week had been that _ back, yes! all the talk this week had been that ronaldo - back, yes! all the talk this week had been that ronaldo was - back, yes! all the talk this week i had been that ronaldo was heading back, yes! all the talk this week - had been that ronaldo was heading to the other side of manchester and

this afternoon city fans were putting on a brave face. that this afternoon city fans were putting on a brave face. that is for that! what — putting on a brave face. that is for that! what a _ putting on a brave face. that is for that! what a waste _ putting on a brave face. that is for that! what a waste of _ putting on a brave face. that is for that! what a waste of money - putting on a brave face. that is for that! what a waste of money he'd| that! what a waste of money he'd have been! —— thank goodness for that. thanks hi ronaldo was 18 when he first signed for united in 2003, now twice that age at least one half of manchester will be hoping one of the greatest players of all time still has more to give. john donnison. _ still has more to give. john donnison, bbc _ still has more to give. john donnison, bbc news. - plans to ban single—use plastic plates, cutlery and polystyrene cups in england havejust been announced, as part of proposals to tackle what ministers say is "the unnecessary use of plastics that wreak havoc with our natural environment." the measures will be considered in a public consultation this autumn, with scotland, wales and northern ireland having similar plans. here's our political correspondent, nick eardley. this is our bamboo set... is this the future of eating on the go? paris sells bamboo cutlery across the uk. we are still working with bamboo and hemp. sustainable items which he hopes are part of the answer to reducing

plastic consumption. what do you think about the idea of banning plastic cutlery? yeah, i would vote for anybody who will ban it. i think plastic is everywhere. we cannot get rid of plastic completely, but there are definitely certain areas where we can improve. this is the problem — plastic in oceans around the world, deadly for a number of species. campaigners have been urging the government to act. the reality is that we are really facing an environmental crisis. 0ur oceans are full of plastic and they are killing marine life and damaging our ecosystem. banning these items is going to contribute to stopping plastic pollution. we need the government to go much, much further. we are facing a plastics crisis and we need to turn off the tap. and this is what ministers want to ban, single—use plastic cutlery and plates. it's all part of a strategy from the government to try and get rid of what it calls avoidable

plastic waste by 20112, but so far anyway there is no mention of things like this, plastic coffee cups, and some want ministers to go further. there will now be a consultation, but it could be another 18 months before a ban becomes law. friends of the earth say faster, more radical action is needed. we need government to take an overall approach, to say that what we are going to do is bring an end to all plastic pollution and what we are going to do is drastically reduce the amount of all single—use products, not just a fork followed by a spoon followed by a cup. we are trying to be sustainable... paris hopes increased awareness and reduced cost will make alternatives to plastic more popular. if we came to your house for dinner, we'd all be eating with bamboo cutlery? i will give you bamboo cutlery — no plastic in my house. nick eardley, bbc news. the government is under increasing pressure to change visa rules,

to attract more lorry drivers from the european union to help fill gaps in the uk's food supply chain. the morrisons supermarket boss has told the bbc that heavy goods vehicle drivers should be eligible for skilled worker visas, allowing them to operate in the uk. our business editor, simonjack, has more details. at this convenience store in the outskirts of coventry, it's hard to know where the next gap in the shelves will appear. 0wner paul showed me his latest delivery notice. dozens of items are missing. lemonade, water, eggs, bread, and we didn't find out until today. to serve his local customers, he's having to scramble. we haven't got milk on the shelf one day, we haven't got bread on the shelf the second day. that customer comes back on the third day and we haven't got it again, will that customer rely on us the next day? probably not, but that's a major impact on the business because then we have tojump in a van, we have to call local suppliers and we have to go and source that

product to put it back on the shelves. this is the weakest link in the chain. an exodus of eu lorry drivers, covid delays to new training and a lack of younger uk workers applying has created a transport crisis. i have not known it for the last 25 years to be like this. so, previously, if we advertised for a job, you can guarantee within a week or two weeks we would fill that place. now we're advertising year round and you see for yourself. we've got vehicles stood because we haven't got the workforce there to carry out the work. i don't know how it's going to be fixed. that's the honest answer. two prospective new drivers didn't even show up for interview today. the most acute shortage of all is people. without people to drive trucks like this, they stand idle like this and the supply chain begins to breakdown, and what brexit did do with the sudden outflux of up to 20,000 drivers was expose that there are sectors like this, like food processing, which over the years uk workers have been less and less keen to do, and fixing that is not going to be quick, it's not going to be easy, it will take time and money and that

ultimately must mean higher prices. the boss of morrisons told the bbc he thought retail competition would limit price rises, but agreed with food producers that a solution should include letting in more eu workers to plug the gaps. |we could prioritise hgv testing, j so that we get rid of the backlog and start to open up that pipeline, and we could look at a list - of people who come into the country to work, maybe add the drivers - to that list for a while and see how we get on with that, _ because we need to break the back of the issue in order to keep - key parts of the supply. chain working in britain. but the government is adamant it wants employers to rely less on foreign labour. however, the uk food growing season is ending, meaning greater reliance on eu food in winter, precisely when further checks on imports come in. these problems could get worse before they get better.

britain's paralympians have added three more golds to an already impressive tally of medals, at the games in tokyo. success for the cyclists and swimmers have put great britain in second place behind china in the medals table. from tokyo, here's andy swiss. rarely has british sport seen a more versatile or a more victorious athlete. for kadeena cox, just the start of what could be another golden games. cox is a cyclist, but also a runner. at the last paralympics, she won golds at both. and, in herfirst event here in the velodrome, she was once again unstoppable. the time trial is normally won by tiny fractions. cox won it by more than a second. and she's done it in fantastic style! it was, she said afterwards, near perfection, and didn't her team know it. but her hopes of more multisport magic have onlyjust begun. well, there's no rest here for kadeena cox. she has her second cycling event tomorrow, and, then, next week,

she switches to the athletics and the 400 metres — two different sports for this one remarkable athlete. 0thers, though, were also showing what's possible, as hannah russell continued the gold rush in the 100 metres backstroke. two years ago, she took a break from swimming to focus on her mental health. to come back and win, she said, had made her so happy. it was the first of two golds in barely 20 minutes. at his first paralympics, reece dunn taking the 200 metres freestyle in a new world record, no less. it's gold to reece dunn! talk about making a splash. as the track and field got under way, there was success for maria lyle as she sprinted a bronze in the 100 metres. for paralympics gb, another very productive day. andy swiss, bbc news, tokyo. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are.

have a very good night. hello. saturday shaping up to be the sunniest day of the weekend. there will be some cloud around northwest scotland, some coastal parts of eastern scotland. quite a bit of cloud in england to begin the day and a lot of that will break and that will mean increased amounts of sunshine going to the afternoon. an isolated shower cannot be ruled out in east anglia in southeast england for a time, but the stiff breeze here coming into the north sea coast will keep temperatures along the coast around 16, 17 degrees. for many, low 20s, 23 degrees in glasgow. 0vernight into sunday, cloud increasing in scotland and northern ireland into north east england. clear spells across the rest

of england and wales. temperatures still dipping down into single figures in some rural spots. and then on sunday, cloudier skies in scotland, northern ireland, northeast england and across more of eastern england during the day. still a few sunny spells, but most of sunday sunshine will be in wales and towards the southwest of england. keeping cooler with the cloud, just as warm where you see the sunshine.

this is bbc news, the headlines the death toll after yesterday's devastating bomb attack in kabul airport has increased to 170. the pentagon has confirmed there was one attack, not two. heightened taliban security is in place as evacuations enter theirfinal phase. spain is the latest nation to announce its evacuation operation has concluded, along with several other nato countries. the us says a total of 12,500 people were evacuated in the past twenty—four hours. two of those killed in yesterday's deadly attack at kabul airport were british nationals. the child of another briton has also been confirmed dead. one other story, manchester united say they've reached an agreement with the italian club juventus to re—sign cristiano ronaldo. the portugal star left manchester in 2009 for real madrid,