tonight at ten — taliban leaders make the most of their first day, in full control of afghanistan, following the us withdrawal. taliban fighters posed with uniforms and weapons left behind by the americans, as the chaotic nature of the final withdrawal was laid bare. we report on the equipment, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, destroyed by the americans to try to thwart the taliban. now it has ended in the worst of ways, and it will live long in memory, here in afghanistan, in america, and far beyond. the image of the last us soldier to leave kabul, is for many a symbol of humiliating defeat, but president biden disagrees. we succeeded in what we set out to

do in afghanistan over a decade ago. then we stayed for another decade. it was time to end this war. we'll have more on the forthright and detailed defence of the us withdrawal made by president biden a short while ago. also tonight... a shortage of test—tubes means that gps in england and wales are facing difficult decisions about who gets a blood test. in gloucestershire, an alpaca with bovine tb has been destroyed by government vets despite a long fight by campaigners. commentator: as she's crosses the line, she knows she's won. i and at the paralympic games, the 16th gold medal in dame sarah storey�*s career, equalling the british record. and coming up in the sport, on the bbc news channel... britain's emma raducanu wins on her us open debut against an experienced opponent as she eases through to the second round at flushing meadows.

good evening. the taliban have been making the most of their first day in full control of afghanistan an "enjoyable moment of victory" according to the leadership. taliban fighters have been keen to show off some of the equipment and weapons left behind by us forces while pointing out that they now control more of afghanistan than they did 20 years ago when the military intervention started. the taliban are claiming they have won independence but there are hugely challenging problems facing afghanistan, and the taliban leadership in particular, as they try to establish some kind of stable government. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet and cameraman robbie wright sent this report from kabul. american uniforms, american guns, but these are taliban special forces. badri unit 313.

they are in charge at kabul airport. translation: our message - to the americans is they should not have any plans to attack muslims again. our message to all afghans is we are going to protect them. surreal to enter what was a us hub. whiteboards from a moment in time just days before kabulfell, when us soldiers plotted an orderly pull—out. this is what they left behind. hangers are full of helicopters. all disabled, destroyed, so the taliban cannot use them. the best of american military hardware, the best of its generals, were part of its longest war. and now it has ended in the worst of ways, and it will live long in memory, here in afghanistan,

in america, and far beyond. today, an airfield flooded with fighters. theirfirst urgent task, repairing the runways so commercial airlines can fly again. translation: as you can see, these infidels destroyed - the entire airport. they haven't left any machinery in good repair. we had a team ready to fix this mess ever since we came to kabul. now that the americans have left we are ready to clean it up. all flights have stopped, but afghans still keep trying to get in, to find a way out of this country. taliban guards turn them away. the last us flight lifted off last night, and the skies exploded with taliban soldier, after the last

american soldier, major general chris donahue, was on his way home. when we drive through the streets of kabul, the city seems much the same, until we get to the banks. to the queues stretching all the way down the street. most banks are shut, most don't have any money. some people have stood here for days wondering if they can withstand this for long. i should build a future, i should study. so definitely if the situations are like that, you should stay for one weekjust to take 10,000 afghani...$100 from the bank, so it's not possible to live here. a country turned upside down and inside out. an old order suddenly ripped away, a new one suddenly started, in chaos and uncertainty. lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. at the white house, within the past couple of hours, president biden has delivered

a forthright and detailed defence of his decision, to order the us withdrawal. despite criticism from many quarters, the president said the evacuation efforts had been an "extraordinary success", and insisted he'd been faced with a stark choice between "leaving or escalating." the afghan mission was devised overwhelmingly by the americans and led by us forces with the support of other states including the uk. the us is thought to have spent more than $2 trillion on the afghanistan mission over the past 20 years. and then there was the cost in lives, more than 2,400 us military personnel died in the course of the conflict. that number contrasts with at least 116,000 afghan civilians, police and military forces, who lost their lives. 0ur washington correspondent aleem maqbool has more on the us withdrawal. these already iconic images of a commanding officer of the evacuation mission, major general chris donahue,

caught in night vision — the last soldier out of afghanistan. my fellow americans, the war in afghanistan is now over. i'm the fourth president who has faced the issue of whether and when to end this war. when i was running for president, i made a commitment to the american people that i would end this war. today i've honoured that commitment. it was time to be honest with the american people again. we no longer had a clear purpose in an open—ended mission in afghanistan. after 20 years of war in afghanistan, i refused to send another generation of america's sons and daughters to fight a war that should have ended long ago. he hailed the evacuation of more than 123,000 people. but once again blamed the afghan government for abdicating

their responsibilities and the trump administration for entering into a deal with the taliban. but it was this president that oversaw such a frenzied, chaotic withdrawal. in a country renowned for honouring its servicemen and women and in a city that at its very heart pays tribute to american war dead, what looks to many inescapably like a defeat has been a huge blow. and military veterans have been vocal about their dismay. i think it was a waste of... a waste of time over there, because it wasn't run properly, i don't think. $2 trillion spent over there, and nothing has changed, it seems like. the taliban is back in, they were just waiting for us to leave. i love this country. it'll be... it'll come back but it's not in a good place right now, that's for sure. for all the debate about the impact on america's place in the world,

president biden�*s decision does mean these were the last 13 us soldiers to return home in this manner from the war in afghanistan. the us public may want their troops home, but the sense isjoe biden has done a bad job of convincing them it couldn't have been done in a better way. that speech from joe biden was what we were expecting, absolutely resolute in the fact that the decisions he had made during the withdrawal where the right ones but he did say some things which listeners would have found unpalatable, when he talked about the fact there was no national interest for america in being in afghanistan for the last ten years, something that will be according to many afghans who will have heard from the americans about human rights and democracy, and of course the families of those coalition troops who have been killed and already struggling to make sense of the sacrifice.— the sacrifice. thanks for “oining

us. from the start of the afghan mission in 2001, britain played an important role, indeed the prime minister at the time, tony blair, said the uk stood shoulder to shoulder with the americans. now that the military operation is over, and the taliban once again in charge of the country, it is up to the diplomats to work out how best to work with people who until very recently considered implacable enemies. tonight, downing street has confirmed a uk government representative has met senior taliban leaders in doha to discuss safe passage for british nationals and afghans who've worked with the uk. 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale reports. for 20 years, the relationship between the west and afghanistan has been shaped by military force. but those boots are no longer on the ground, so how now might the world engage with the taliban from outside? well, it certainly requires a new kind of diplomacy.

western powers want the taliban to ensure afghans can leave if they want. they say the rights of women and children should be protected. i shall put the draft resolution to the vote now. and that's what they called for last night but the united nations works better when, well, it's united — and china and russia abstained. ministers insist there's a shared international agenda. we will use all the levers at our disposal and we need to bring in a wider cast of countries to exercise maximum moderating influence on the taliban. one way of doing that is through humanitarian aid. afghanistan is desperately poor, with one in three people facing food insecurity. but will the taliban continue to allow in aid from the west or look elsewhere for support? people unable to feed themselves, hungry people

leads to desperation, can lead to, potentially, unrest. the country needs stability at the moment and the country needs support. and for stability, the country will need security. most countries agree afghanistan shouldn't become once again a base for terrorism but can western powers cooperate with the taliban in tackling the local islamic state group, isis k, and will that give them influence in kabul? the key leverage that you have is international recognition and aid money. those two levers, as humble as they may be at this point, will be incredibly important in forcing the taliban to do something. the problem is the west has a number of priorities in afghanistan right now, from counter terrorism, to human rights, to women's rights. what will be the one overriding priority? so, the western powers that once deployed troops here need a new clarity of purpose in their diplomacy, and in afghanistan that can be hard to achieve. james landale, bbc news.

over the course of the past two decades there were a57 deaths among british armed forces personnel and countless others injured, some of them with life—changing conditions. our special correspondent ed thomas has been talking to veterans, and to the mother of one of those lost in the conflict, about the circumstances in which the military operation came to an end and the questions that remain. the 20—year afghanistan war is over. but for those who served, and their families, the stories of grief, pride and survival will last a lifetime. i can't talk very well. i can't live by myself because i can't reach up into the cupboards. can't wash myself, can't do anything myself. ben parkinson served with 7 para rha. in 2006 his land rover

was hit by a mine. today he questions everything. what was it like for you watching the taliban sweep in, take over, in days? i was disappointed, basically. i lost my legs for nothing. so it's been a waste of time. afghanistan? it has. a total waste of time. it has destroyed my life. my heart's broken and it's going to be broken forever. this is where lisa comes to reflect on the life of private daniel wade. her son was 20 when he was killed in afghanistan. he was such a lovely lad, his smile would light up a room. he had the most beautiful blue eyes and he was such a cheeky chappie as well. after watching television over the past two weeks how do you reflect on daniel's sacrifice? them pulling out of afghanistan and now, what about the people

they've left behind? daniel's sacrifice among 456 others, families as well that are feeling so hurt that the sacrifice — is it for nothing, or do i try and take comfort that he's brought dreams to people that could never dream at one point? people say did you feel anything, a click or anything like that? i didn't feel anything. the next thing i was aware of, i was laid on the floor on my back. in 2009, andy reid stepped on an improvised explosive device on patrol in afghanistan. he refuses to blame or question his service. everything we did out there was worth it, 100%. we were changing lives on a daily basis. every time we went out of camp we were putting ourselves at risk but we were changing kids' lives, changing adults' lives, women's lives, young girls' lives.

those kids there now have had a taste of freedom, have seen what it could look like, have seen what democracy can look like. and i think they will want that for the future. that was armed forces veteran andy reid ending that report by ed thomas. after a ll after all of today's news, let's go live to the afghan capital and our correspondence secunder kermani. how do you see the challenge for the taliban of trying to form some kind of stable government? the taliban of trying to form some kind of stable government?— taliban of trying to form some kind of stable government? the taliban do have some experience _ of stable government? the taliban do have some experience of— of stable government? the taliban do have some experience of being - of stable government? the taliban do have some experience of being in - have some experience of being in power but back in the 19905 only a handful of countries around the world recognised their regime, whilst here are many people have terrible memories of that time, the sweeping restrictions preventing women from working and getting an education, for example. the taliban leadership today says things will be very different, but many here are

5ceptical of those a55urance5, particularly in big cities like kabul where there is a young, more educated, more socially liberal population. that's going to be one of the major challenges for the taliban going forward. how to convince tho5e afghan5 that they can represent them whilst at the same time not alienating the hardliner5 within their old rank5. now we have seen the final departure of international forces we are expecting to get an announcement on the government in the coming days. secunder kermani, thank you very much for the update, secunder kermani in kabul. let's turn to some of the day's other news. family doctors in england and wales are warning that they're facing difficult decisions about the allocation of blood test5 to patients because of a shortage of test tubes. the nhs has decided to stop all non—urgent testing for the time being. 0ur health editor hugh pym has the story. tube5 for blood tests like tubes for blood tests like these are in short supply and at least until the middle of september that will

affect some patients. the nhs is sent out warnings that all blood tests will be stopped for the next few weeks unless they are for emergency cases, but gp leaders are frustrated. it emergency cases, but gp leaders are frustrated. , . emergency cases, but gp leaders are frustrated. . , , frustrated. it is concerning because sometimes — frustrated. it is concerning because sometimes there _ frustrated. it is concerning because sometimes there isn't _ frustrated. it is concerning because sometimes there isn't a _ frustrated. it is concerning because sometimes there isn't a sharp - sometimes there isn't a sharp dividing line sometimes between what is urgent and what is routine. it's very difficult as a gp when you are held to account and blamed by a patient, for example, for not doing a blood test when the responsibility for it lies outside our control. in practice, tubes like this will continue to be used in some urgent cases like cancer and also to assess whether it is safe to put patients on certain medication, but, routine monitoring for a range of different conditions will be put on hold. the shortage may only last a few weeks, but even so, doctors argue it will cause disruption. we only do tests when they are clinically indicated and anything we have to push down the road is then going to delay the care for another patient that we should have been seeing in that time frame. so, it's a difficult one.

a us supplier of the tubes, becton dickinson, said there had been problems with transport and raw materials. it said production at its british plant had been boosted and more tubes exported to the uk. geraldine had a blood test injune after feeling very tired. her doctor said she might have a condition needing treatment and a follow—up test was booked for august, but the day before she was called and told it was postponed because of the tube shortages. i'm still not aware whether i have this condition, which is worrying, because i'm still tired and i'd just like to get some decision about it. it would be good to know i haven't got it, basically. the department of health said more supplies of the tube had been secured and that work was continuing to minimise the impact on patients but it's still not clear how long the shortages will last. hugh pym, bbc news. let's look at the latest official figures for the pandemic in the uk.

they show there were 32,181 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means an average of 33,776 per day in the last week. the latest figures show there were 7,015 people in hospital being treated for covid on friday. 50 deaths were reported in the latest 24—hour period — people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that takes the average deaths per day over the past week to 97. 0n vaccinations — 88.4% of people aged 16 and over have now had theirfirstjab. and 78.7% of the population aged 16 and over have had both doses. a four—year battle — to save geronimo — an alpaca being kept at a farm in gloucestershire — has failed. the animal was destroyed — after twice testing positive for bovine tb — a highly infectious disease of cattle. geronimo's owner had claimed the tests were not reliable.

the government said the action was necessary to prevent the spread of disease, as our correspondent claire marshall reports. he's not done anything wrong! this morning, the moment geronimo's supporters have been dreading. a team of defra officials and police officers came to take the alpaca away. you're frightening him! he was taken in this trailer with a police escort to be euthanised. mrs macdonald had brought geronimo to the uk from new zealand in 2017. the alpaca had tested positive twice for bovine tb. but mrs macdonald maintains the tests were flawed. i heard that borisjohnson has sympathy for me. well, stuff your sympathy, borisjohnson. why the hell didn't you sort this out?! why am i stood here today surrounded by media, and my animal was dragged off with a rope round his neck?! the webcam that thousands of people around the world

watched has gone and there were lots of protest banners on this gate. they've gone as well. but no—one has won this long battle. it's only highlighted the deep divide about how this disease should be controlled. in england, a key government strategy is the controversial badger cull, tens of thousands are shot each year, and cattle testing positive are sent for slaughter which can devastate farming businesses. we have lost around about 160 cattle. unfortunately, when it happens i don't like it, but i accept that if it's failed a test, or if some of my cattle have failed a test, unfortunately their fate is sealed. the government said it was following the scientific evidence. the results of a postmortem on geronimo should be released soon. claire marshall, bbc news, gloucestershire. one of the bbc�*s most experienced journalists — sarah rainsford — who first started reporting from russia some 20 years ago — has been expelled from the country — because she's considered by the authorities to be a threat to national security.

sarah has now been told she can never return to russia — a decision which the bbc says is a �*direct assault on media freedom'. what follows is sarah's own account of her departure from moscow. this was the moment i discovered i was being expelled from russia. according to a specific law, i've been designated a "threat to national security" and as such i'm not allowed into the country. man speaks russian pulled aside at passport control, i was told the fsb security service had banned me for life. i recorded the conversation. i was returning from belarus, where i'd confronted alexander lukashenko on the mass repression and torture of peaceful protesters. his loyal supporters rounded on me... ..in a coordinated attack.

vladimir putin's presenting this as just another working visit. .. i've reported from russia for two decades — the whole span of vladimir putin's presidency. there've been highs — like the world cup — but i've also charted the slow erosion of freedoms here. the crackdown on dissent. a year ago, the government put me on short—term visas. sarah rainsford... then i became the news, as state television announced i had to leave. after tense negotiations, i had been allowed to enter russia... they've let me in. for now. ..but only to pack. i was then told my visa wouldn't be renewed — supposedly what happened to a russian reporter in london, though that was two years ago. when i was called in here, to the foreign ministry, they kept insisting that my expulsion was nothing personal — they talked about it as a reciprocal move — but they refused to even engage with the fact that i've been labelled "a national

security threat". they said that was just a technical moment. but at a time when russia is increasingly seeing enemies all around, it really feels like i've now been added to the list. it's happening as the pressure on russian journalists who don't toe the kremlin line is intensifying. dozhd tv has just been added to a growing blacklist of media labelled "foreign agents" — for getting funds from abroad. this terror of "foreign agents" means that we — dozhd — we are enemies of the state. the pretending of being democracy is over. it is very bad, and it could become much worse — any time. so i'm leaving a country i first came to as the soviet union fell apart. when free speech — orfreedoms — were new and precious. it feels like today's russia is moving in reverse. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow.

paralympics gb have achieved three more gold medals — on day 7 of the games injapan. there was a record—breaking performance in the pool — as well as two wins in the cycling — with dame sarah storey taking a 16th gold medal — to equal the british record. 0ur sports correspondent andy swiss reports from tokyo. it was, she said, a dream come true. for dame sarah storey another remarkable milestone. she began the time trial knowing another gold would equal the all—time british record, and it was never really in doubt. storey was a minute and a half faster than anyone else and history was hers. she crosses the line! her 16th paralympic title, equalling the british record set by swimmer mike kenny. storey herself started out in the pool, winning her first gold as a 1a—year—old, and now nearly three decades later the tears of joy flowed. to the delight of another sporting dame.

she still has the amazing physical ability to set new standards and push the barriers every single time the games come around. but importantly she still got the same passion, the same drive. well, dame sarah storey could yet make even more history. if she wins the road race here on thursday she'll clinch her 17th paralympic gold, and no british athlete has ever done that. the cycling also brought a more unexpected gold. during the last games, ben watson was working as a chartered surveyor. now he is a paralympic champion. cue exhaustion and eventually elation. every member of britain's cycling team has now won a medal here. in the pool, meanwhile, there was another gold for one of britain's breakthrough stars, reece dunn surging to his third title here and a new world record to boot. it's gold to reece dunn! but this was the most poignant moment. just days after arriving following his evacuation from kabul, afghanistan's hossain rasouli competed in the long jump.

he finished 13th. but merely being here was a victory in itself. andy swiss, bbc news, tokyo. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night.

this is bbc news, the headlines. president biden has described the us evacuation mission from afghanistan as an extraordinary success. he said no other country would have been able to fly out so many people, and the us achieved everything it set out to do in afghanistan. the taliban have been celebrating the us departure, describing it as a victory which should serve as a lesson for other invaders. but the group said they want good relations with the united states and the rest of the world. a huge rescue operation is taking place in the us state of louisiana — after it was struck by hurricane ida. at least four people have been killed by the storm and millions remain without power. the bbc 5 moscow correspondent sarah rainsford has left russia, after being expelled by the authorities. the kremlin says it's in response to the expulsion of a russian

journalist from the uk.