the me ah was, ah, this is data news live from them in japan prepared for an lympics without fan. ellen pigs playing arrives in tokyo to an empty stadium, a view of the games to come as organizes and all that cases. i made a corona virus state of emergency. also coming up us president joe biden sits in august the 31 deadline for the country. longest war saying it's time for us to decide its own future about the taliban could be the win is off the withdrawal. ah,

hello, i'm rebecca riches welcome to the program. it's now 2 weeks until the tokyo olympics are due to stop thought that will be a games with no spectators organizes have announced a total ban on both foreign and domestic fans attending the event after a new corona, virus state of emergency was declared across parts of japan, the games will be the 1st in history to be held behind closed doors. and some say they shouldn't be happening at all in the matter late than never. some might say, after a long journey through all of japan's 47 prefixes, the olympic flame has finally arrived in tokyo, one year behind schedule. due to the corona virus pandemic raising cove in 1900 cases in the capital. also, many members of the public were not there to greet the flame authorities and to

state of emergency in tokyo for the duration of the games to try to curb the spread of the virus. amid fears of the delta variance, the measure mostly limits alcohol sales and restaurant opening hours to try to stop contagion. but it also means these will be the 1st 2 limpid games without fans in attendance. stadiums like this one will be mostly empty. toward the government restrictions for tokyo site i'mma can i go well and sheba prefecture would have kept event attendance at 50 percent. the venue capacity up to 5000 people excited data. to go to this we go. we haven't decided to allow no fans during the games as a stricter measure to prevent further spread of the virus. and that he missed. the decision has put a damper on the mood just 2 weeks ahead of the opening ceremony. polls show large swaths of the public don't want the games to take place. some people are even

taking to the streets. who do people? i don't think we should hold the olympics in such a situation. together with these people who share my same opinion. we want to protest against the olympics till the very end, and we want them to be cancelled. that's why i came here today. the organizers are not giving up and are determined to move forward. the olympic flame may be small right now, but they hope it will help spark enthusiasm ahead of these. unprecedented game one. it's bringing journalist, martin fritz. he joins us from tokyo mountain. the olympic flame has arrived in tokyo to quite a lackluster reception. how much enthusiasm overall is there in japan for the games? when i think there is a variety of rather harsh reactions here to the decision yesterday,

not to allow any spectators into the stadiums. many japanese who were able to get the tickets 2 years ago, naturally disappointed. and so the $80000.00 volunteers who spent a month preparing and will not have much to do without spectators. and overall, i think there's a sense of defeat here. many japanese still don't want that to happen, so they are dissatisfied and angry. and you can see that on social media and rhetoric, owners complain that they have to close early in the evening and are not allowed to serve. louis, frightens their likelihood. and all of this just for the olympics to be staged. and another part of the public in japan is that the japan has broken its promise to make these games a success with our spectators. that hardly seems possible anymore. and some japanese people i talked to here are a bit ashamed of this failure. so quite as fit opinion that you might say that over

cases are surging there at the moment. japan overall has relatively low cases. audio authorities just being overly cautious where they have a big problem they have promised to a stage secure and save games. and now they have to make sure this happens. so the number of new infections in tokyo is quite low. it's so far below the peak levels we, yesterday we had about $900.00 cases and the death of a ryan makes up to 20 percent out of em. but the prime minister, your sheet is to justify this whole state of emergency for the cat, the region with its almost 40000000 inhabitants by saying that he wants to prevent the national outbreak of the panoramic. and of course, this is being done with an eye on the some of the beaks which begin in 2 weeks to day. and it is imperative to prevent the pandemic from effecting the staging of the games. so the virus must be contained now as far as possible. that is the idea how

the immunization program going there relate up to the games. immunization rates had been quite low. has there been some improvement that's taken problem. the government had to take into account yesterday in his decision. the vaccination speed has risen quite a lot. now about 15 percent of the japanese population vaccinated twice and about 25 percent have gotten one shot. but at the moment, japan is running low on vaccines, so the speed of vaccinations cannot be increased. and that is also another reason why this state of emergency will last until the middle of august. and japan seemed determined to push on with the games. despite everything mon fritz journalist in japan, thanks very much for speaking to us. as thank you,

look now at some of the stories making news around the world. i think police chief says 17 suspects have been detained in the killing of the countries president jovan l. o. e. 3. others were killed in fighting with security forces and 8 still at large columbia as defense minutes to confirm that several were time colombian soldiers were involved in the assassination a desktop from a fire. in a banquet, food factory has risen to at least 40 thousands of people are injured and missing in the blaze which broke out in an industrial town in the countries north, 8th, 5, the common and bangladesh because of lack safety regulations, russia and western nations, a divided over access to aid into northwest syria from turkey, moscow wants the us to authorize the extension of deliveries for just 6 months. western nations pushing for one year, millions of people depend on getting through about how of crossing. the un security council is expected to vote on friday. us president joe biden has announced

american troops will leave afghanistan nearly 2 weeks earlier than planned by august 31st. and that's despite taliban forces making rapid advances across the country. with rural will bring an end to the longest us war a nearly 20 year conflict of the departure of nato troops is leaving many worried about us with the dear ration of security. and i've kind of stone the, the taliban say this footage shows them celebrating after using control of the keyboard. they're crusting into iran. it was one of several advances made by the militants throughout ganesh, 10 in recent weeks. they've been gaining ground since the u. s. and now the departure of its military by the end of august, the same military that out of them from power in 2001 in washington, president biden defended the speed of the withdrawal, saying the u. s. would no longer sustain the human cost of a conflict that cannot change. i've gotten instance course. got it. so let me ask

those who want us to stay. how many more? how many thousands more americans, daughters, and sons? are you willing to risk? i will much send another generation america to war and i can stand with no reasonable expectation of achieving the different outcome. but by and also argued, the u. s. had achieved the original goal of routing al qaeda after the $911.00 terror attacks that led to the invasion. he said the decision to leave was overdue . we did not go to afghanistan to nation bill. and it's the right and the responsibility of afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country. just days ago, the u. s pulled out of background air base near campbell, the center of its military operations for nearly 2 decades. the pentagon says the withdrawal of us forces is now more than 90 percent complete.

as foreign troops depart, the african military is struggling to push back the taliban. like here enough gun is trans northwest. peace talks between the government and the militants. have so far failed. and many fear the violence will only get worse once the last us soldiers have returned home. friends, marty is a freelance journalist in afghanistan. he joins me now from the capital cobble from welcome the us troops leaving the country. and of course, those recent mainly rural games made by the taliban. how likely do you think it is that the entire country could fall to the telephone present by the time this turned this scenario? highly unlikely. and now as well as other knowledgeable analysts degree, is not to say that the situation is not very dire. as you said, they have made unprecedented gains $150.00 plus the tricks in the pulse

a little bit over to mom that they have taken over. however, that is nowhere. if he that so far they haven't made a serious attempt to take over a provincial capital. this seems from the poly both sides to be delivered decision because they seem to now have to strategy to take over rural areas and demand a surrender of the african government at the negotiating table. and they will pursue that in the like, foreseeable future, as far as it looks now, even if they would abandon this strategy and would try the ones that have been so forced, there is a question whether to tony bone have enough enough manpower to like actually take over everything they might be able to take over several provinces, but not swiftly. the whole country. in fact, i have spoken by phone to people in like newly conquered district. and they told me

to barely and totally bond our left because they moved them to the new front lines . so that's why all of the whole country is still unlikely at this time. right. comes after 20 years of international support, the afghan national army still not able to completely defeat the taliban and it seems not even really keep them at bay. can you explain why that is? there are several reasons. one thing that is important to us present was already before president biden announced the withdrawal, pretty small, and they didn't do that much. so most operations were done by african government forces. so now that they lost that many districts seems to be more psychological issue in many districts, a government forces abandoned them without being like re forced by the tale bombing wasn't that the, that probably about half this overwhelming military power to force them out. and

then several districts were abandoned like that without apparently due to a clear plan. another thing is that like the tale, bon, as a gave you a movement. they have like an advantage in this as a metric warfare. and at the end, reality is also a not insignificant parts of the population that probably don't have support, especially in the rural areas. so there it is, sometimes that the tale bon, have more support than the government and that allows them to, to like, make them the own says and makes it difficult for the african governments forces. ok, hands were running out of time, but i really wanted to get a sense about the african people themselves. i mean, are they happy to see the end of foreign troops in a country or is ever since they're being let down by the us and its allies? it's very split. some people profited from, from the us presence from the progress that was made. they are worried,

they fear what will happen if the americans leave completely. and if the poly bon move forward like this, there are orders that have seen little benefit of the progress that remain like very rural, very traditionalist and religious. and they are happy that like troops apart. so it's like really it's you have every 6 generalist friends, martin campbell, i'm going to stand. thanks very much for the analysis. now just before we go, any one planning a visit to london this time i can now look forward to a new attraction for the 1st time. buckingham palace, yes. the queen's residence in opening its gardens to the public, previously only guided too, as were permitted. but now for a 16 pound admission fee visitors can stroll the grounds on their own. you are even allowed to take a picnic. you're watching the database need his reminder about top story. they'll pick flame has arrived in tokyo, 2 weeks before the games are due to stop,

but there'll be no spectators in the stadiums due to a new corona, virus state of emergency. thank you. now document re series. dock film is up. next, looking at the exploration of natural resources in antarctica, get hot else's will bringing more headlines at the top of the hour. i'm rebecca versus in berlin. thanks very much. watching the news. the green you feel worried about the planet? i'm the host of the on the green fence is clear we need to change join me for the size of the green transformations for me.