this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lucy grey. our top stories: pakistan's spy chief visits kabul. what does it mean for the taliban's yet—to—be announced government? some fish stocks are bouncing back after years of over—fishing, but the future of other species is still on the line. think your return to the office is complicated? we look at the arrangements in place asjill biden goes back to in—person teaching. and sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is one way to beat congestion and set a world record in the process.

the head of pakistan's spy agency has visited afghanistan amid continued uncertainty about how the taliban proposes to rule the country. general faiz hameed is thought to be advising the military which is continuing its efforts to oust the resistance in the panjshir valley. the taliban have insisted all factions will be included in the new government, though it's not yet clear how that will work. our south asia correspondent danjohnson reports. the taliban says kabul is being cleaned and decorated ahead of a new government and cabinet being announced. many afghans see their freedoms being erased before their eyes under a new taliban regime. for three weeks, bank queues have grown while afghans have wondered what taliban rule will bring. they are still waiting and still hoping. translation: our demand from the islamic emirate i is to activate the schools and universities for students and to providejobs

for the people. we want them to prevent armed robberies and to reduce killings. translation: security is good all over the country. _ people are happy, but the lack of work and the non—announcement of the government is worrying people. everyone is confused and people don't know what the future of the homeland will be because everyone is confused. the head of pakistani intelligence is in kabul, possibly playing a part in shaping the new power structure. faiz hameed's presence will be enough to convince some of pakistan's influence over the taliban. he says he's working for peace and stability. north of kabul, they are still fighting. the taliban has pushed deeper into the panjshir valley, a traditional bedrock of opposition. there have been many injuries on both sides, but the resistance has denied taliban claims of victory and says there will be no surrender. in kabul, these women are refusing to surrender their rights.

protesting is a brave move in uncertain times. reports taliban used tasers against them may be a hint of what they face in the new old afghanistan. dan johnson, bbc news. our correspondent secunder kermani is in the afghan capital kabul and has the latest on that visit by the pakistani intelligence chief. well, turning first to this visit of the pakistani intelligence services, the isi, certainly pakistan has been fielding requests to help with the evacuation of foreign nationals and those eligible to leave the country but haven't been able to do so, that is likely to have formed part of his discussions with the tal abyad. but pakistan also has a long history with the tellebang. it has often been accused of secretly supporting their insurgency. pakistan has always denied that full up and acknowledges having some leverage. this visit is really about discussions, the creation of a new government in afghanistan, it has been nearly three weeks since tellebang

took over kabul and have yet to establish one. some suggest it is because of internal rivalries within the group. whatever the cause, it is prolonging this period of deep uncertainty about the future that many afghans are feasting. returning to the situation and pangaea, is the one place yet to be fully captured by the tal abyad. we have conflicting reports coming out of there, but the taliban seem to be saying that they have made some advances, fighters calling themselves the resistance are yet to be defeated, however. —— panjshir. in the past few minutes they have want of a potential humanitarian crisis developing and panjshir there. secunder kermani in kabul. well, earlier i spoke to javed ali who's a former senior us government counterterrorism official. i put to him that pakistan currently appeared to be quite happy to be seen as being involved in afghanistan's latest chapter. the relationship between pakistan and the tellebang, as

your previous correspondence noted, is long and goes back several decades, with the tellebang and resistance fighters in afghanistan going back to the soviet war. pakistan has always had influence in afghanistan and, again, with the tellebang directly. so it is not surprising that given the recent events with the complete withdrawal of western troops and diplomats from afghanistan that regional powers, like pakistan, will step into the void, exert their influence, try to see how much leverage they can project, and unclear what the results will be. it seems natural for a country like pakistan to take the action they are taking right now. ~ . , y ., action they are taking right now. ~ . , h, now. what is your understanding of what they _ now. what is your understanding of what they would _ now. what is your understanding of what they would like - now. what is your understanding of what they would like to - of what they would like to achieve in afghanistan? im’ith achieve in afghanistan? with pakistan, they _ achieve in afghanistan? with pakistan, they have - achieve in afghanistan? with pakistan, they have been - achieve in afghanistan? ii�*u pakistan, they have been hosts to millions of afghan refugees going back to the soviet war. so there is a security issue for pakistan and then there is a political issue and economic ones as well. so pakistan has

vital national interest it wants to pursue with its relationship with afghanistan, and i would think if you were sitting in azlam about you would want to see a stable afghanistan where you don't have a humanitarian crisis and having more refugees poor over the border. it is not in their interests for afghanistan's to interests for afg hanistan�*s to be interests for afghanistan's to be a launching pad for attacks against their interest in the region. i think pakistani will try to do the things that are lying to its security interests, but those things might also be in opposition to other countries that have previously had a lot of influence, like the united states, like england, like other countries in the west. 50 other countries in the west. so many different forces involved in this. also we hear that there are differences within there are differences within the tellebang itself, these differing factions, and there are concerns about fighting between me too or more than

two. —— between the two. it is two. -- between the two. it is not a single — two. -- between the two. it is not a single lily _ two. —— between the two. it 3 not a single lily monolithic organisation from the taliban. it has multiple factions and centres of power, centres of gravity. there has been a long—standing one in peshawar in pakistan, but recently the negotiators who were in discussions with the united states and other countries were in qatar and there were other power centres in afghanistan itself. so some of the things that appear to be playing out in the country right now, whether it's fighting in the north, whether it's the treatment of women, whether there will be opportunities for people, children to go to school or university is to reopen, these are all things that these different factions of the tellebang have to come together and adopt some kind of common vision or common platform. if not we are going to see this very fragmented and

diffuse situation that appears to be playing out on the ground right out —— tal abyad. fin to be playing out on the ground right out -- tal abyad.- right out -- tal abyad. on top ofthat right out -- tal abyad. on top of that the _ right out -- tal abyad. on top of that the tellebang - right out -- tal abyad. on top of that the tellebang is - right out -- tal abyad. on top of that the tellebang is saying j of that the tellebang is saying it might have trouble containing a terrorist threat that emerges from within the country as well as keeping a trial of the different factions —— taliban. trial of the different factions -- taliban-— -- taliban. this is a very important _ -- taliban. this is a very important task— -- taliban. this is a very important task for - -- taliban. this is a very important task for the i -- taliban. this is a very - important task for the taliban. certainly from the perspective i had in counter—terrorism. this is of the things that they said and the 2020 agreement from the trump administration that they will try their best or they will make the effort to ensure that afghanistan does not become a launching pad for attacks against the west or in the region. but it's not clear whether they have the capability, the resources to follow up on that or even there will. there were reports last week that one of osama bin laden, the former leader of

al-qaeda, his security chief was being paraded around by taliban fighters in different towns in afghanistan and being clouded as a hero. that is just a small example —— lauded. on the one hand the taliban are saying certain things to contain international terrorist threats that may emanate from the country, but on the other hand they apparently welcomed one of osama bin laden�*s former security chiefs who is a known and sworn member of al-qaeda. it is a test for the taliban to pass. if there is a direct terrorist threat that generates from afghanistan, then they will have to face the consequences like they did after 9/11 are being held responsible for that. that is javed responsible for that. that is javed ali. — responsible for that. that is javed ali. a _ responsible for that. that is javed ali, a former - responsible for that. that is javed ali, a former counter| javed ali, a former counter terrorism official with the us government. let's get some of the day's other news. lebanon says syria has agreed to help it import electricity to help ease power shortages now crippling many areas of life. the project was discussed in damascus in the first high—level talks between the two governments for years.

it would involve using egyptian gas to generate electricity injordan, which would then be sent to lebanon via syria. the prime minister of thailand, general prayut, has survived a censure vote in parliament, in which some members of his own party manoeuvred to replace him. the general seized power in a coup seven years ago, holding on to the top job after an election. thousands of people have taken to the streets in france to demonstrate against the government's so—called coronavirus health pass, which requires people to show proof of vaccination to enter some venues. its the eighth consecutive weekend of protests but saw some of the worst clashes with four people arrested after a shopping centre was stormed in the capital paris. two now familiar scenes in a saturday across streets in france. crowds bring parts of the capital and 200 cities to a standstill with the cries of

"freedom". almost a month after the rules took effect, authority say 140,000 feet still turned out, but said it was thousands fewer than the week before. while the numbers may be disputed, the strength of feeling is unmissable. crowds of storm a shopping centre, defying the need to show their health passes, resulting in a number of arrests for criminal damage. the health puzzles is official documentation with a qr code to prove a person has had the covid—19 vaccine or a recent infection. it is a requirement to get into many bars, restaurant, museums, and sports venues. while the majority of people in france are vaccinated, demonstrators say it infringes on individual freedoms. translation: �* _, ., translation: i've come here to the demonstration, _ translation: i've come here to the demonstration, as _ translation: i've come here to the demonstration, as they - translation: i've come here to the demonstration, as they do i the demonstration, as they do every week, to show that we don't agree at all with what's

going on. there are too many infringements of freedoms, too many constraints. translation: iii many constraints. translation: . ., �* many constraints. translation: ., many constraints. translation: �* ., ., translation: if we can't go out an more translation: if we can't go out anymore until— translation: if we can't go out anymore until the _ translation: if we can't go out anymore untilthe health - translation: if we can't go out anymore untilthe health pass. anymore until the health pass is abolished, a will, absolutely.- is abolished, a will, absolutel . ., absolutely. eight weeks on the rotests absolutely. eight weeks on the protests show _ absolutely. eight weeks on the protests show no _ absolutely. eight weeks on the protests show no sign - absolutely. eight weeks on the protests show no sign of- absolutely. eight weeks on the protests show no sign of going j protests show no sign of going away, nor does the health pass. president macron says he will not rule out extending the measures beyond the current end date in november. karl riley, bbc news. the perilous state of the planet's wildlife is being laid bare at the world's largest biodiversity summit. the international union for conservation of nature has released its revised red list of endangered species, with some good news for tuna. but the fate of many other animals still hangs in the balance. courtney bembridge reports. weighing in around 150 kilograms, the komodo dragon is the world's largest living lizard. they're notorious hunters with deadly venom and no predators. so, it is hard to imagine they are under threat. but the reptile has been added

to the endangered species list. there are only found on a of indonesian islands and the habitat is shrinking rapidly. because of global warming and climate change with rising sea levels, it will lose 30% of its habitat in the next 30 to 40 years. another animal that may not conjure up an image of vulnerability. conservationists saying between five sharks are at risk of extinction and they're a similar threat. ocean species tend be neglected because under the water, people don't really pay attention to what is happening to them. some good news, they say that to the populations are starting to recover after years of overfishing. it shows what can be done when reaching the management teams working together because they are a massively important species in all regions of the co—ordinate and it is finally paying off.

it was released at a global conservation summit in france, bringing together thousands of scientists, conservation experts and campaigners, including actor harrison ford. the conference was officially opened by the french president. translation: the battle - for the climate against climate disruption isjoined with the battle to restore biodiversity. and those a warning about the economic impact of an action. translation: there is no economic stability i and financial stability without respect for nature and without natures contribution, our economies are dependent on nature. because our economy is dependent on the resilience the biodiversity brings. experts of the system hundred 30,000 species and found more than a quarter or at risk of extinction.

conservationists say that there should be a clarion call for nature to be placed at the heart of all decision—making at the united nations climate change conference in glasgow later this year. you're watching bbc news. our main headline: the taliban and afghan opposition fighters are battling for the control of the panjshir valley. both sides are claiming to have the upper hand, without producing any convincing evidence. biodiversity researchers say that nearly a third of the species they're monitoring face extinction but some fish stocks are beginning to bounce back. more now on the situation in afghanistan and the iranian president, ebrahim raisi, says he believes that recent events prove that america has a disruptive influence around the world. speaking in an interview with iranian state television, he said the us has interfered with the basic human rights of afg ha ns. translation: the afghanistan issue shows _

translation: the afghanistan issue shows that _ translation: the afghanistan issue shows that american - issue shows that american presence does not provide security in any part of the world at all but it is disruptive for security around the world. afghanistan clearly showed within these two decades that the american presence has caused a lot of rights of the afghan people to be ignored. what has happened is against human rights and this can be seen by all. the solution for afghanistan is that the government must be established ijy government must be established by the vote and well of the people. islamic of iran has always looked to peace in afghanistan and for the will of the afghan people to rain. —— reign. iasked hadi nili of the bbc�*s persian service what iran's relationship with the taliban had been historically. when the taliban took power in kabul, it was an eventful situation for the iranians government. the repose of

uranium people being killed by forces of sharif. somehow they are changing the narrative now saying that people pretending to be taliban killed iranians diplomats so now we can see the feeling in tyrone is a government is trying to change the attitude and language towards the quebec to what we could hear 20 years ago. when they took power in kabul in afghanistan. —— tei run. = they took power in kabul in afghanistan. -- tei run. - - the reigning _ afghanistan. -- tei run. - - the reigning capital. - afghanistan. -- tei run. - - the reigning capital. it - afghanistan. -- tei run. - -j the reigning capital. it could be 0 en the reigning capital. it could be open to _ the reigning capital. it could be open to interpretation i the reigning capital. it could be open to interpretation ifl be open to interpretation if you ask iranians leaders how they recognise the will of the people just have in they recognise the will of the peoplejust have in mind they recognise the will of the people just have in mind that the new president ebrahim raisi has been elected by the minority of the votes in iran

and the election has been the most restricted election according to the variety of candidates being allowed to run. so when he speaks about the will of the people it is not necessarily implying about specific types of election and also the votes is the same as the votes for opinions that he could be sang as long as the government in afghanistan is somehow representing the will of the people in afghanistan according to them they are going to be, as he says, good neighbours. — — she could be saying. i neighbours. - - she could be sa inc. , ., , neighbours. - - she could be sa inc. , . , , saying. i understand this is the first time _ saying. i understand this is the first time on _ saying. i understand this is the first time on state i the first time on state television. how do you think people would have reacted to this change of message? it would be quite surprising if the reigning government want to change the position about

taliban. —— iranian. it is mostly towards the domestic audience. his first interview as the new president, he used to run to the judiciary for years. he had interviews then but now as the president he sounds more like his trying to focus on domestic issues. as you also played the clip, his basically insisting that anything wrong with iran americans it should be blamed for that. americans it should be blamed forthat. is americans it should be blamed for that. , ., ., for that. is it a popular thing to be saying? _ for that. is it a popular thing to be saying? to _ for that. is it a popular thing to be saying? to his - for that. is it a popular thing to be saying? to his base i for that. is it a popular thing to be saying? to his base of| to be saying? to his base of support. but more widely? it could be challenging to say, especially the media in iran is very restricted. they do not use words like bloodshed and criminals for the taliban and

that tells a lot. at the venice film festival the afghan filmmaker, sahraa karimi, spoke of her concern for afghan filmmakers and artists under a taliban government. she appealed for what she called "intellectual support" in the face of a probable ban on artistic work. now, the taliban is trying to show the soft face of themselves. but no. they are as cruel as before, but they're smarter about it now, because they are using modern communication technology and they will use the cinema or any kind of visual products for propaganda. in the 21st century, there is a group of people coming to your country from nowhere and telling to you that music is forbidden, cinema is forbidden,

artwork is forbidden, female art isjust something that should go to the corner and be forgotten. to the corner and be isolated. we do not want this. my generation does not want this. so, we ask for help. for support. to be our voices. many people around the world are heading back to the office, including the american first lady. starting next week, jill biden will return to teaching in person at the northern virginia community college, commuting by presidential motorcade. dr biden is the first first lady to combine that role with a job outside the white house. jada yuan of the washington post told me more about the security arrangements. what we know is what she had when she was second later. she taught remotely but for some but she had the same job and

had a secret service detail. joe biden had some rules for that secret service. —— jill biden. she would not let them in to the classroom and asked them to dress like students, they would carry their equipment in their backpacks. the big difference is going to be the size of the detail and the stricter measures that accompany being a first lady. will her students will have to be vetted? we will her students will have to be vetted?— will her students will have to bevetted? ., ., ~ ., ., be vetted? we do not know that. she has never— be vetted? we do not know that. she has never revealed - be vetted? we do not know that. she has never revealed that i be vetted? we do not know that. she has never revealed that and | she has never revealed that and the secret service and the white house have been tightlipped about security measures basically because docking about it compromises security. my guess is, yes, the student have to have been vetted, as reporters up whenever we travel with the first lady. we are put through

some sort of check. i do not know what that cheque is. the question is, will her classroom be cased before she goes in and they, we do not know that yet. there may be more things that reveal themselves. imagine you're in a motorway tunnel and you're stuck in traffic. what wouldn't you give to be able to just take off and fly away? well, one italian pilot has come pretty close to doing exactly that, with an extraordinary feat of aerial derring do. tim allman has the story. dario costa doesn't do things by a half. dario costa doesn't do things by half. for some reason, he wants to fly a plane through a tunnel. through two tunnels, in fact. so, he and his team of taking more than a year to plan precisely, down to every little detail. it is difficult is the mindset

and don't worry about the wall and trust yourself and focus on the centreline and just fly. just after dawn in a road tunnel near istanbul, dario takes off. in an altitude of around a metre, surrounded by solid concrete, his record attempt begins. reaching a top speed of 245 km/h, he exits the first tunnel before racing into the second. travelling more than 1000 metres but barely leaving the ground. you can imagine the delight when dario reaches the end of his journey. yes! very emotional, very emotional. you don't know what to expect, but i have never flown

like that in my life and no one's done it before, so there was big question mark in my head if everything would've been like we expected. an amazing achievement and tunnel vision, but imagine what it may have been like if at the stop to a toll. tim allman, bbc news. a little light in the darkness — berlin has been holding its annual festival of lights. it's one of the most popular light festivals in the world, attracting over two million visitors every year. artists from all corners of the globe create projections and installations across the city. this year the theme was building a more sustainable future. all powered, we trust, by renewable energy. in women's tennis, the wild number one ash barty is out of the us open. it was a 3—set

match that went on for more than two hours. thank you for watching. hello. sunnier, warmer weather on the way with september likely to top august in the temperature stakes. in the month of august, the high temperature was 27.2 degrees celsius. this week, we're expecting 29, maybe even 30. it is unusual for september to outdo august when it comes to the top temperature. and the warmth gets under way in england and wales for sunday, helped by a more generous helping of sunshine than of late, but wetter for some perhaps in scotland and northern ireland. very slowly, high pressure moving away, atlantic weather fronts coming in. that will bring a bit of rain, slowly spreading east during the day. it may be welcome where it's been so dry. we are mainly dry to begin the day, some patchy mist and fog clearing.

for england and wales, there will still be some areas of cloud, but sunny spells, too. an isolated shower in central southern england can't be ruled out. some areas of sea fog around the coast of southwest england. with light winds, it'll feel warm in the sunny spells. the wind strengthening in western scotland and outbreaks of rain moving in, not reaching southern and eastern scotland until very late in the day. the rain moving into northern ireland, too, the east staying mainly dry until later on. temperatures for england and wales in the low to mid 20s in those sunny spells. so, a wet evening in scotland and northern ireland. monday, some of this rain will push on towards parts of northern england. it will be a mild start to monday. and this wet weather system will slowly fizzle out as we go on through monday. we're left with some patchy rain towards the west of northern ireland and western parts of scotland. still a fair amount of cloud here, whereas for england and wales, there'll still be sunny spells, though it could still be quite misty around some of the coasts of southwest england. and the temperatures in the sunshine in england and wales a little bit higher, reaching into the upper 20s in the warmer spots. and the warmth becomes more widespread for

tuesday and wednesday. clearer, warmer weather heading in from the southeast around that ridge of high pressure. there'll some mist and fog early on tuesday. that will clear away. still got some cloud in the far north of scotland, a few spots of rain to clear away, but by tuesday afternoon, there is a huge amount of sunshine out there and the temperatures are responding. scotland and northern ireland with lows of mid—20s, england and wales, mid to high 20s, and near30 in the hotspots. that continues into wednesday. later in the week, as the temperatures wane, a chance for rain goes up. some thunderstorms, too.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the taliban and afghan opposition forces are battling to control the panjshir valley north of kabul. it's the last afghan province holding out against the islamist group. both sides are claiming to have the upper hand without producing conclusive evidence. scientists have revealed that tuna stocks are starting to recover after being fished to the edge of extinction. however, many other plants and animals remain under huge pressure. biodiversity researchers say that nearly a third of the species they're monitoring face extinction. one official warned of a major crisis soon. here in the uk, the labour opposition party has called for clarity on covid vaccines for children to prevent further disruption to their education. labour says there's a strong case for offering all 12— to 15—year—olds coronavirus vaccinations, but the government's scientific advisors don't support it.

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