this is bbc news. i'm sally bundock, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. in afghanistan, the leader of the resistance group fighting the taliban, says he's willing to enter peace talks. beyond kabul — we have a special report from rural afghanistan on life under the taliban. the families of victims of malaysia arlines flight mh17 shot down over ukraine are set to testify for the first time. football's world cup qualifier between brazil and argentina is dramatically abandoned after a row about covid quarantine rules. conjoined twins from israel see each other for the first time after a marathon operation

to separate them. big ben's bongs were last heard four years ago with the famous bell out of action for essential repairs. we'll be finding out how the project is getting on. hello and welcome to the programme. the leader of the afghan resistance group waging an intense battle against the taliban in the panjshir valley says he is open to enter peace talks. ahmad massoud said he supported a plan, put forward by religious clerics, for a negotiated settlement, and called on the taliban to end their offensive. earlier, reports suggested

the taliban had rapidly gained ground in panjshir — taking the provincial capital, bazarak. the province is the most prominent example of resistance to taliban rule. meanwhile, across the country, people are adapting to life under the new regime. our correspondent secunder kermani has travelled from the capital, kabul, to the province of logar, from where he sent this report. they've grown up along the front line but their first taste of peace is bittersweet. in the final weeks of the war, government forces flattened these houses after coming under fire from taliban fighters somewhere nearby. the home of this school cleaner was closest to the army base. it's nowjust a pile of rubble.

the afghan army frequently accused the taliban of firing from residential areas. either way, civilians have often been caught in the middle of this conflict. everywhere we go in this village, people are trying to show us signs of the war — where the army used to fire down on the bazaar, where the taliban used to be based, the ceiling hit by bullets, that shop over there hit by a rocket. this man saying to come with him. the signs of destruction might not look that much, but they've had a devastating impact on people's lives. now you've got peace, but what other challenges do you have here?

and we are here, and i don't see any women around us, so is that because of the taliban? in more conservative areas like this, social attitudes do align more closely with those of the taliban. what local women think remains unclear. elsewhere today, a female police officer was allegedly killed by the taliban, though they've denied that. by the time we arrive, the local girls�* school has already closed for the day. across much of the country, classes are taking place — but, for now, only for primary pupils. this village boys�* school is under—resourced and overcrowded, with most taught outside. in the past, lessons would often be interrupted by clashes, the principal tells me, with children cowering

inside classrooms. in villages like this, an end to the violence was the biggest priority. but so many other challenges still remain. will the taliban be able to take them on? secunder kermani, bbc news, logar province. so fears of a taliban crack—down on dissenting voices continue. on sunday a heavily pregnant police officer in afghanistan was shot dead by armed men inside her home. witnesses said banu negar had been beaten the previous day, after taking down a taliban flag. we can speak to heather barr who's an afghnistan researcher at the women's rights division for human rights watch. heather, so good to have you on the programme. we are getting

various reports from around afghanistan of women who are being beaten, abused, that kind of thing. of course the taliban is keen to deny that this is going on, what are you hearing at human rights watch?- at human rights watch? well, this killing _ at human rights watch? well, this killing is going _ at human rights watch? well, this killing is going to - at human rights watch? well, this killing is going to really i this killing is going to really raise what was already a very high level of alarm among afghan women. regardless of whether the taliban deny it or not, it is happening on their watch and their pledge that they are going to investigate it is not can be very reassuring to anyone. it is worth remembering thatjust a few days ago a taliban spokesman said that women should stay home and not go to work because the taliban's own fighters were not trained to behave properly to women, so one of the questions about this killing will be, is the taliban really able to control their men and is it possible that their own men are engaging in these types of crimes without being under the control of their leaders?—

being under the control of their leaders? and also, you know, without _ their leaders? and also, you know, without thought - their leaders? and also, you know, without thought of. their leaders? and also, you i know, without thought of other independent authorities there to keep and i and keep across what is actually going on, we are very much reliant on what people are courageously telling us in the media. —— keep an eye. us in the media. -- keep an e e. ., ., ., ., , eye. the international media is onl in eye. the international media is only in kabul— eye. the international media is only in kabul for— eye. the international media is only in kabul for the _ eye. the international media is only in kabul for the most - eye. the international media is only in kabulfor the most part| only in kabulfor the most part although ic that your correspondent was in logarzo and the international media world to an extent be leaving soon, the afghan media is frightened and many of them are self censoring, so i think many of the things that my organisation has been calling for is a really robust un human rights monitoring mechanism, and one opportunity to make that happen will be the september 17 renewal of the mission in afghanistan. in terms of _ mission in afghanistan. in terms of people in afghanistan

who are able to record what is happening, keep track of what is going on outside of kabul as well as you say, who is there currently?— currently? well, there are eo - le currently? well, there are peeple who _ currently? well, there are people who are _ currently? well, there are people who are posting i currently? well, there are i people who are posting on social media, we are in touch with women's rights activists in different parts of the country but it is very difficult to get clear information because there is a lot of misinformation as well, but what is clear is that this killing comes at a time when there is growing evidence about what the taliban's approach is going to be to women's rights and it is increasingly clear that that's going to be a huge rollback of rights from what women have enjoyed over the last 20 years. we are seeing restrictions on education, on women's ability to work, their freedom of movement, requirements about what they wear, which are really reminding women very much of 2001. �* , ., 2001. and in terms of international - 2001. and in terms ofj international pressure 2001. and in terms of. international pressure on 2001. and in terms of- international pressure on the taliban, as they form a government and of course money is being withheld from the

likes of the imf, the world bank, their assets in the united states, to what extent will that be a pressure that will that be a pressure that will mean women will not necessarily be curtailed to the great agree that we feel the most? i great agree that we feel the most? ~ , , great agree that we feel the most? ~' , , ., most? i think it is very hard to tell, there's _ most? i think it is very hard to tell, there's a _ most? i think it is very hard to tell, there's a lot - most? i think it is very hard to tell, there's a lot of - to tell, there's a lot of questions, including how much does the taliban actually care these things? are they prepared to just let their people suffer if the country remains cut off from these financial mechanisms? and second of all, how co—ordinated and determined our owners and the international community to support women's rights? a concern that i have is that the international community will be focused entirely on trying to enforce counterterrorism edges and won't prioritise women's rights, so there is a lot of open questions and there is an urgent need for the international community to work together to really put pressure on the taliban and push for women's rights to be more

respected than they have been in these recent weeks. we really appreciate your time today, thanks for being on the bbc to tell us what is happening. let's get some of the day's other news. a court in minsk will today deliver its verdict in the trial of two key opposition figures almost a year after they were arrested. maria kolesnikova led mass protests across belarus last summer alongside the presidential election candidate svetlana tikhanovskaya, who is now in exile. specialforces in guinea have declared a nationwide curfew until further notice. they seized power in a coup on sunday capturing the president, alpha conde. in a statement read on the state broadcaster, the group said they guaranteed the wellbeing of the president. four people including a young child have been killed in a shooting in the us state of florida. police say it happened at two houses in the lakeland area. an 11—year—old girl was seriously injured and is being treated in hospital. 0fficers shot and injured the gunman who is also in hospital. it's not known why he

targetted these houses. divers have been trying to locate the source of an oil slick in the gulf of mexico. the slick which is over ten miles long emerged near port fourchon in louisiana in the aftermath of hurricane ida. containment booms and skimmer devices are being used to try to stop the slick from reaching the shore. the families of victims of the mhi7 air disaster will give testimony for the first time at the dutch murder trial. four suspects, three russians and one ukranian national, are accused of shooting down the plane over rebel—held eastern ukraine in 2014, murdering all 298 people on board. all are suspected of being key pro—russian separatists and none are attending the trial. 0ur correspondent in the netherlands, anna holligan has more.

more than 90 relatives will testify over the course of ten days dedicated to ensuring the enormity of their loss is reflected, because to date this case has really been dominated by discussions about the surface to air missile. the four fugitive suspects and the geopolitical ramifications but now it turns to the people at the heart of this. this man's only child was on board the flight, he laid the bench with some of the other families in memory of the 298 people who lost their lives, taking this photograph into the courtroom with him and hope that will help to bring some form of to those whose futures were destroyed. 0ther those whose futures were destroyed. other relatives who will be giving evidence in person remotely via video links or recordings come from all

over the world, the united states, germany, malaysia, australia, indonesia and of course here in the netherlands. they hope that sharing their stories will help the world to pay attention but also may encourage those who still have evidence to come forward and share any clues that could help the investigators to establish what happened that day and why plus who was responsible for shooting flight mhi7 out the sky. and of course as the trail progresses we shall keep you right up to date. a football world cup qualifying match between argentina and brazil has been abandoned after several argentine players — based in england — were accused of breaking covid quarantine rules. amid chaotic scenes in sao paulo, officials from the brazilian health department, anvisa, went on to the pitch shortly after kick—off — prompting the withdrawal of the

entire argentine team. freelance sports journalist andrew downey explained the situation for us. a lot of blame to go around today. it appears the argentine team thought the same protocols from the copa america injuly were in place, which allowed them to come and go from brazil and to compete without having to quarantine. however, the brazilian authorities said that no, when the argentine players came in, four players who played in england, one of the four states where they say if you have been in england within ia days, you have to quarantine because of the delta variant, they said these players had filled in the form and not said they had been in england, they tried to mislead the authorities, and because of that, they needed to take action, because they should have been in quarantine and they shouldn't have been with other players, shouldn't have been close to brazilians or officials in the stadium.

andrew downey they're talking us through that extraordinary situation. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: one of london's most famous attractions big ben has been largely silent for the last four years. we'll be finding out how the £80 million restoration project is going. freedom itself was attacked this morning, and freedom will be defended. the united states will hunt down and punish those responsible. bishop tutu now becomes spiritual leader of 100,000 anglicans here, of the blacks in soweto township, as well as the whites in their rich suburbs. we say to you today in a loud and a clear voice, enough of blood and tears. enough. translation: the difficult decision we reached - together was one that required great and exceptional courage.

it's an exodus of up to 60,000 people caused by the uneven pace of political change in eastern europe. iam free! this is bbc news, the latest headlines: an afghan resistance leader — who's been spearheading a battle against the taliban — says he's willing to enter peace talks. the families of victims of malaysia arlines flight mhi7 shot down over ukraine are set to testify for the first time.

conjoined twins from israel have been able to see each other for the first time after being separated. the one year old sisters underwent a twelve hour operation that took months of preparation and involved dozens of experts. claire sedman reports. —— mark lobel reports. sisters face—to—face for the first time after surviving a miraculous marathon operation. conjoined at the back of their heads from birth a year ago, separation surgery was meticulously planned between major blood vessels in their heads. a very delicate task — one bleed could be catastrophic. translation: of course, after all the preparationsl and all of the models we have built in a designated surgery room, we specifically prepared for this thing with a surgical theatre and vr of the twins and with a 3—d model we prepared in advance. where the two were attached, there was no skin and skull, so doctors needed the babies to essentially grow more skin. inflatable silicon bags were inserted into their heads

and gently expanded to stretch their skin slowly. this meant that when doctors reconstructed their skulls after the separation, they had excess skin, which they could use to seal their new heads. we are just finishing the twins' separation procedure. it has gone extremely well and i'm delighted how well the whole team's done. it's an excellent team here and it's been a real pleasure to be a part of it. medics say this type of surgery, a first for israel, has only ever happened 20 times worldwide. separating them so young, they say there is now a high chance they will live normal lives — already breathing and eating on their own. there is rehabilitation for their physical and cognitive development planned, which will, no doubt, be spurred on by these remarkable sisters' own determination to succeed. mark lobel, bbc news.

incredible, incredible story. we wish those two all the best. now let's ring you up—to—date on all the latest sport news. —— bring you. hello, i'm chetan pathak with your sports news. world cup qualifying continued across the globe on sunday — and in europe, england are one of the few nations to have a 100% record. they made it 5 wins out of 5 with a 4—0 win over andorra. jesse lingard opened the scoring inside 20 minutes. england made 11 changes to the side that beat hungary, and second half substitutions were needed as harry kane scored from the spot, lingard got another and bukayo saka made it 4. we think he is a super player. he is 20 years old. the way he has progressed, the maturity he plays with and the talent he has is a hugely exciting player, he has a ready produced some big performances for

england so no need from our side for closure. europe held off a united states fight back to take a 9—7 lead into monday's solheim cup singles matches in ohio. fortunes fluctuated on sunday, there was a crucial moment right at the end when the americans threatened to secure what would have been a valuable full point, jennifer kupcho chipping in for a birdie at the 17th, the americans 1 up with i to play but mel reid then fashioned a birdie to get a vital half point to ensure europe have a two point advantage going into the final day. it's been an incredible us open so far at flushing meadows — and there's no doubt canadian teenager leylah fernandez has been one of the stories of the tournament. having knocked out the defending champion naomi osaka, she's now beaten the 2016 winner angelique kerber. a day before her 19th birthday, fernandez fought back from a set down to beat the three time grand slam champion kerber in 3 sets. she'll face the fifth seed

elina svitolina for a place in the semi—finals. max verstappen�*s retaken the formula one championship lead after winning the dutch grand prix with a commanding drive. he started his home race from pole and kept his red bull in front of title rival lewis hamilton throughout. valtteri bottas in the other mercedes briefly led after pitstops, but finished third. verstappen leads hamilton byjust three points. and it should be a fascinating final day's play in the fourth test between england and india at the oval on monday. the tourists were eventually bowled out for 466 in their second innings with shardul thakur and rishabh pant both hitting half centuries. england made a promising start to their pursuit of a record 368 to win and will resume play on the final day 77 without loss with the series finely poised at 1—1. we have certainly got the belief that we can go and get

the win. a lot of hard work still needs to be done yeah, you can draw on those experiences, i think. you can draw on those experiences, ithink. on you can draw on those experiences, i think. on what we have done in the past. but we have done in the past. but we are capable as a team and a lot of the time it is just a matter of belief and believing you have the ability to do that and going out and executing. there's more on that fourth test — and updates from the us open tennis — on the bbc sport website. but from me and the team, that is all your sport for now. goodbye. it's one of london's most famous attractions but big ben has been largely silent for the last four years while a massive restoration project has been under way. the refurbishment has been held up by the pandemic but now the countdown to completion is on. tim muffett has more. countdown to completion. one of the biggest restoration jobs ever undertaken on a landmark british building is approaching the finish line. good to see

you, ian. what is it you're doing here?— doing here? servicing the rollers. this _ doing here? servicing the rollers. this is _ doing here? servicing the rollers. this is one - doing here? servicing the rollers. this is one of - doing here? servicing the rollers. this is one of the | rollers. this is one of the bits we couldn't actually get to in the service while the hands were on. if to in the service while the hands were on.— to in the service while the hands were on. if you are a clock mechanic _ hands were on. if you are a clock mechanic this - hands were on. if you are a clock mechanic this is - hands were on. if you are a clock mechanic this is like l hands were on. if you are a i clock mechanic this is like the champions league and the world cup rolled into one.— cup rolled into one. working on this clock would _ cup rolled into one. working on this clock would be _ cup rolled into one. working on this clock would be a _ this clock would be a once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. to take it all to pieces, putting it back together again and then carrying on looking after it for another few years, it is absolutely fantastic. the . reat it is absolutely fantastic. the great clock — it is absolutely fantastic. the great clock of _ it is absolutely fantastic. the great clock of westminster that act beats the hammer which strikes the great bell. or big ben as it is known. we filmed the clock before it was taken off site for restoration. it should be reinstalled soon. five years ago we also saw why restoration was necessary. this elevation. _ restoration was necessary. this elevation, the _ restoration was necessary. this elevation, the water _ restoration was necessary. ti 3 elevation, the water ingress is actually coming into this clock face and as you can see it is actually affecting and rusting away the ironwork. this actually affecting and rusting away the ironwork.— away the ironwork. this is in so much better— away the ironwork. this is in so much better condition i away the ironwork. this is in i so much better condition than it was four or five years ago,

isn't it? it it was four or five years ago, isn't it? ., , ., , it was four or five years ago, isn't it? . , . , ., ~ isn't it? it has all been taken back to the _ isn't it? it has all been taken back to the bare _ isn't it? it has all been taken back to the bare frame. i isn't it? it has all been taken back to the bare frame. any | back to the bare frame. any damage, it has now been coated and painted back to its original colour.- and painted back to its original colour. one of the most striking _ original colour. one of the most striking things i original colour. one of the most striking things you . original colour. one of the i most striking things you notice is the colour of the clock faces. for many years the minute demarcations, the clock hands, were painted black, but during the refurbishment as many layers of paint were stripped away it became clear that they were originally this shade of blue. it is called prussian blue and that is what they have been repainted in. this restoration project was originally budgeted at £29 million was of the total bill is now set to exceed 80 million. is now set to exceed 80 million-— is now set to exceed 80 million. ~ , i. , .,' million. as you peeled off the la ers of million. as you peeled off the layers of this _ million. as you peeled off the layers of this building - million. as you peeled off the layers of this building you i layers of this building you find more and more that needs to be done. we are taking out one piece of stain, adjacent stains need to be replaced. until you can get up close to it it is difficult to see the scape of repair —— scope. the scape of repair -- scope. the pandemic— scape of repair -- scope. the pandemic also _ scape of repair —— scope. the pandemic also brought work to a halt for several months so the tower has been covered up for

longer than expected. i’m tower has been covered up for longer than expected.- longer than expected. i'm sad that i longer than expected. i'm sad that i can't — longer than expected. i'm sad that i can't see _ longer than expected. i'm sad that i can't see it. _ longer than expected. i'm sad that i can't see it. here i longer than expected. i'm sad that i can't see it. here for i that i can't see it. here for one night and then... we have been here _ one night and then. .. we have been here for— one night and then... we have been here for two _ one night and then... we have been here for two years i one night and then... we have been here for two years and i one night and then... we have | been here for two years and we haven't— been here for two years and we haven't seen it open. we been here for two years and we haven't seen it open.— haven't seen it open. we need it back. already _ haven't seen it open. we need it back. already you _ haven't seen it open. we need it back. already you can i haven't seen it open. we need it back. already you can kind l it back. already you can kind of see — it back. already you can kind of see the _ it back. already you can kind of see the restoration. i it back. already you can kind of see the restoration. iilli�*iithl of see the restoration. with the clock — of see the restoration. with the clock mechanism i of see the restoration. with the clock mechanism out i of see the restoration. with the clock mechanism out ofj the clock mechanism out of action, a computerised system has meant that on special occasions, big ben has still been struck.— occasions, big ben has still been struck. ~ . , ., been struck. we are standing in the belfry of — been struck. we are standing in the belfry of elizabeth - been struck. we are standing in the belfry of elizabeth tower i the belfry of elizabeth tower and it has been constructed at the chiming quarters could be heard right across london. there is one piece of damage here that has been deliberately left alone. this crack appeared when big ben was struck during a test in 1858. the hammer was too heavy. but it gives the bell its unique tone. fascinating, isn't it? tim muffett with a look at big ben's restoration. i will be back with all the top is and is

a story so don't go anywhere, stay with us and i will see you very soon. hello there. sunday was a warm, sunny day for most, hot for some along the south coast. we saw temperatures peaking at 27 celsius in west sussex — that's 80 fahrenheit. we haven't seen temperatures like that in england since the end ofjuly. now, there was some cloud around, and you can see in the highland, the cloud thick enough for some rain, some of it heavy at times. and in fact, that weather front still continues to bring some outbreaks of rain as it moves its way steadily south into the north of england. it is weakening off as it bumps into this area of high pressure, so a band of cloud and a few spots of rain towards dawn. a mild start for all, maybe some mist and fog lingering across south wales and southwest england.

but once that lifts, there'll be plenty of sunshine for england and wales once again, and the temperatures are set to climb. even a weak weather front will start to ease away and some sunshine comes through eastern england and northeast scotland. a light breeze coming from a southerly direction. that means it's driving up that warm, dry air, so temperatures peaking potentially once again at 27 degrees. now, as we move out of monday into tuesday, still high pressure influencing the story, and as the winds move around in a clockwise direction, well, that means that the wind direction is coming from a southeasterly, driving in this warm, dry air from the near continent. in actual fact, with a little bit more of the breeze around potentially on tuesday, that's going to break up that cloud. the sunshine is going to be fairly widespread right across the country, bar the exception perhaps for the western isles. temperatures will be a little bit warmer in scotland, peaking at 25 celsius. we might see 28 or 29 somewhere across central or southern england. now, as we move out of tuesday into wednesday, again,

still plenty of warm, sunny weather, but there is the potential for a few sharp, thundery showers towards the end of the day to develop down into the southwest, tied into another area of low pressure. so, here, not quite as warm, but again, we're still likely to see those temperatures peaking into the high 20s. that means that thursday will start to see a change as areas of low pressure move in off the atlantic, the wind direction changing once again and we'll see some outbreaks of rain. now, not widespread, but it does mean that there will be a change as we move towards the end of the week. so, turning from warmer weather into something cooler with rain from thursday.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the show is back on the road. the international automotive show returns, but with a new home. we speak to its organiser. how to get black executives in the boardroom, we assess the latest attempts to increase diversity at the very top of ftse 100 companies. and we meet the professional gaming coach, at more than $100 an hour it's turning out to be a lucrative business fuelled by the pandemic.

let's start in germany where the international