>> the taliban tighten their grip on afghanistan. kandahar has fallen under the control of the insurgents. fears are growing that kabul could be next. countries pull out their embassy staff and humanitarian crisis looms. also coming up, a nightmare road to an american dream. we are on a dangerous path on the panama columbia border. tens of thousands of people take

the route and hope of originally -- eventually reaching the u.s.. 60 years ago today, berliners will come to be -- to see a wall being built. the berlin wall became the symbol of communist oppression. we started with the fast-moving developments in afghanistan where fighting is raging. the taliban have overtaken two more strategic areas continuing their struggling -- stunning advances. this map shows they control large parts of the country. they have overtaken a string of key cities. areas they hold are marked in

red. in the past 24 hours, they have seized kandahar and another city. the government controlled only the capital kabul and the areas marked in blue. both sides are still fighting over the areas in orange. there are growing fears that all of afghanistan could fall to the taliban within a matter of weeks. amid a growing humanitarian crisis. >> praying just like every friday. a brief moment of normalcy for these men. the they fear their lives racing be in danger. there is fighting everywhere. provinces are falling every day. maybe the taliban -- it is possible.

we are very worried. we don't know what is going on. within days, insurgents took control of much of the country. tens of thousands are fleeing the fighting. families are seeking refuge. they're forced to sleep in parks or on the roadside surrounded by the items they could take from their homes. many are frustrated with what they described as a halfhearted defense. i am not blaming the americans, but the afghani pressed on -- president. when the americans left, the destruction of our country started. >> fis mental is monumental.

-- the human toll is monumental. there are reports of mass executions, objections, and other war crimes. >> the u.n. mission has warned that without a significant de-escalation in violence, afghanistan is on course to experience the highest number of civilian casualties in a single year since the records began. we are concerned about the impact of the conflict on women and girls. >> for now, cobble is a safe haven in a country that is descending further into chaos. fears are that this could be the calm before the storm. an assault on the capital could be imminent. >> for more, we are bringing in our journalist. thank you for joining us. can you tell us why the afghan government has been losing territory so rapidly?

>> i think there is a severe crisis of leadership. a clear disconnect between the leadership and the battlefield. the fact that the taliban have been offering a surrender deal to soldiers, fighters, and commanders i something -- the government is taken by surprise i the fact that the governors and senio officials have talked with the taliban.

the political kabul is one of bickering, selfishness and greed. all of that has had a destructive impact on the psyche of afghan soldiers. they have not been able to rotate. they have been fighting for months or even a year. >> tell us what this will mean for afghanistan. >> the fall of a province to the south of kabul, it means that

the spillover impact will be felt and kabul. also where that province is not secured, it is very complicated city. they have done their work over the years. there are fears that you could see chaos, panic, especially when you know that the taliban continue to attack major presidents whenever they good into the capitals. it is home to the military president, one of the biggest in the country. housing, a big number of taliban as well as fighters from the islamic state and other militant groups. there are legitimate fears and let's not forget what these events have done.

i am speaking to you from kabul where we have not had amnesty for more than 24 hours because electricity towers were destroyed in the fighting. when the russians pulled out, i remember as a kid in the 1990's, those fears exist in the minds of afghans. they are very massive and everyday life. >> there are still some u.s. troops in the country. from what you have been saying, they are having no effect at all anymore. >> i think it is very clear now that the international community, the americans are looking after themselves. they his said that their mission is to evacuate their staff. perhaps we could see 3000 american troops and it is troops based at the airport.

the fact that the embassies continue to call on their sidents to leave afghanistan as sn as they can because it is not safe, it is sending shockwaves among the population that is terrorized, that is scared, that is deeply betrayed by the west because they have had a relationship. also by their own incompetent politicians who have failed to put the interest of the people before their self-interest. >> thank you so much for your insights. the nato secretary-general says the alliance is deeply concerned about the taliban's advance and particularly reports of attacks on civilians. he spoke after discussions with the 30 members of the alliance. he warned the taliban they would not be recognized by the international community if they take afghanistan by force. he said nato remains committed

to a political solution and will maintain its medic presence in kabul. our correspondent is in brussels for us. thank you for joining us. one area of concern was the afghan citizens that are former personnel of allied forces, some countries want to offer them visas. can you tell us more about that? >> many of the nato members offer support for these personnel. they announced again today that this was a question of how shall we organize that. the americans are sending 3000 additional troops to the airport. they are not actually fighting against the taliban. they are only organizing this huge airlift operation that will

now take place. thousands of people every day will be lifted out of afghanistan although this is becoming true of a nightmare scenario, the worst case scenario in nato. is not about withdrawal, it is more about fleeing afghanistan. >> several foreign embassies in kabul are now suspending operations. does nato plan to keep a presence in kabul? >> yes they will keep up their presence there. you have to keep in mind that nato has no task anymore in afghanistan. the nationstates are organizing the destruction of their citizens, the agencies that are still there. the u.n. has a huge presence

there and also ngos, media, all of these people have to be moved out. nato has no official mission there. it is more or less everyone is depending on the americans and british forces. they are also securing the green zone's in kabul, all the embassies are but everybody is worried about the pace. it is not a matter of months, only a matter of weeks. they are tried to hurry up things as fast as they can. >> thank you so much. let's take a look now at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the death toll from floods and landslides in northern turkey has risen to 38. rescue crews are searching collapsed buildings and homes for survivors.

officials say 300 people may be unaccounted for. roads and bridges are down and dozens of places are unaccounted for. russia has declared a state of emergency for northeast siberia because of wildfires. there are currently 117 active fires. smoke has also engulfed a city. the area has had months of hot, dry weather. vote counting is underway in zambia following a close presidential election. the government continues to restrict access to the internet spite calls from the opposition to restore the service. troops have been sent to three regions that have seen outbreaks of violence. travelers from the u., israel, and turkey will soon have to quarantine when arriving in germany if they aren't fully vaccinated against covid-19.

germany has upgraded all three countries to high-risk areas owing to look rising levels due to the delta variant. in the philippines, the contagious delta variant is spreading and bringing the daily death toll to four-month high. the country has seen more than 29,000 deaths in total and more than 1.7 million infections. manella has been placed under the tightest quarantine rules as residents fight for two things that they badly need. the vaccine and economic assistance. >> for those struggling to make a living in manella, direct government aid like this is a lifeline. the pandemic has shattered their livelihoods. each household is entitled to up to 4000 pesos or about 68 euros. with the money, they hope to

survive the ongoing lockdown. >> are used it to buy food for myself because i live alone. i don't have my own house. the living space is very small. i work as domestic help and my daily wage is only 100 pesos. that is just enough for me to eat. since last week, manella and several other cities have been in lockdown as the delta variant drives a steep rise in infections. for now, residents can only leave for essential shopping. this could damage the fragile shopping economy in the philippines. >> we are only allowed to work every other day. that is why business is bad. fearing even tighter

restrictions, thousands have flocked to vaccination centers like this in the capital. many believe misinformation that supermarkets would be off-limits for anyone without a jab. since there was panic among the people because of fake news, our mayor decided to extend the vaccination until midnight or early morning. so the people would no longer congregate in the morning. for others, getting a jab means greater health and job security. this is a big help for us working in the morning. we mingle with a lot of people, so this vaccination is for the safety of everyone. there is still a way to go on that road for safety. just 10% of the population has been vaccinated so far. as the delta variant continues to search, the philippines is

digging in for a protracted battle. >> it is now to columbia where they are trying to get to the u.s. and often end up in this spot. they make a journey before heading into the notorious jungle known as the dorian cap. one more stop on the way to the usa. we have followed the trail of people at the start of their perilous journey through the jungle. >> small town on the coast. it is now a field of tourists. they're here to prepare for the next stage in a dangerous journey north. he is from haiti. he and his family are stuck

waiting for about to take them towards panama. i have been here for 24 days. spending money. $13 a day is a lot of money. everyone has a reason for leaving home. every reason is strong enough that they take about and head toward the gap. to risk their lives on the eight day trek through the jungle. it doesn't scare me yet because i haven't seen it. >> this looks like a tourist boat and a beautiful holiday spot because it is. there is a parallel world to this one. their migrants are charged for this one hour journey. the boat trip once took them to

a beach then to another leg of their journey north. one of the most dangerous. >> she and her son from cuba. they have started the journey three times but the rain defeated them. they were lucky to get out alive. as we were editing the story she messed us to say she was setting out to try again. >> i don't call it the gap. but the gap of death because every step is about survival and death is closed. the hills are steep. you fall and die. we saw snakes, frogs, lizards. then, there are the gangs who rob you. it is about survival. you could diet any second with every step you take.

this is one of the paths migrants follow on their w to the jgle. as they start walking, they realize that their backpacks are too heavy. as we follow this road, we find personal belongings that migrants have thrown away. the child born here was just 13 when he died. his american dream is one of many left in the cemeteries of columbia's border town. >> you are watching dw news. it has been 60 years since berliners woke up to find a wall being built. we hear from someone who made one of the first attempts to jump the wall. first, with just six weeks to go

, politicians vying to be the next chancellor are now in full campaigning mode. the top man for angela merkel's conservatives had the opportunity to meet one of the big names elon musk. he didn't do too well in turning that encounter to a vote winner. >> it was a welcome publicity event. for one of the candidates campaigning to succeed angela merkel, a meeting with elon musk seemed a bit of a gift. >> what an impressive visit here . this is the future. the future of energy, the future of sustainability. we thank you for this investment in germany. >> it is a pleasure to be here. we are looking forward to making the most advanced electric cars

in the world as well as battery packs for home and utilities. generally helping accelerate the green revolution. >> two years ago, elon musk chose this site for his first tesla giga factory in europe. the 5.8 billion euro plant will manufacture tesla model three and model y electric cars. as well as battery. he showed himself to be somewhat out of -- >> what is the future of cars? >> he is confident that he can mount a serious challenge this season. >> it is very exciting. the group has played so well in

training every day. we have enjoyed our time together. we are a good team and now it is time to share all quality. both marsh and the other have their new coach. the title was 19 years ago. if they are to end at the top, they will need to rediscover some consistency and find some leadership. >> they will be aiming simply for buddhist survival. >> the quality is much higher. all of the things we did well last seaso we have to do better this season.

a familiar cast prepares to take on a new set of challenges as anothereason begins. with the champions chasing 10 in a row, the question is can anyone hold them back? what do we expect? >> he is a mastermind. he proved it with what he was able to do. trying to secure the decade of dominance. they have yet to pick up a win. this is the season opener and in the last eight seasons, they have not lost a season opener. the pressure is mounting but he can get it done because he is a mastermind when it comes to tactics. pound for pound, the best 11

players in the league. >> there are new players and all the top clubs. is someone other than him going to go home with that trophy? >> that's the big question. this season will be more interesting because it's like musical chairs. a lot of them swat teams. one of them came over and during the midason lasteason, but they are missing one but he is confident he can get it done. jesse march is the other coach we heard from. both coaches were successful in the league. it will be a bit more competitive this season than last season.

the fans are going to be back this season. >> around the league, there are announcements about letting a third full occupancy in the stadiums. the season opener, 23,000 fans. all home fans. they will have a lot of support cheering them on. >> before i let you go, how do you see tonight's match playing out? >> they don't disappoint. that's what i think. he is hungry. the last time they faced off, he netted hat trick. maybe it's the same, but i think the falls will make it difficult. >> we will be watching. thank you so much for coming on. with that, we have come to the end. coming back, eco-india is up

next. thank you for spending this part of your day with us. ♪

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♪ anchor: the taliban take more cities, sparking panic, thousands fleeing, while countries rushed to evacuate their citizens. a second natural disaster strikes turkey. the death toll from flash floods rising to 38. president recep tayyip erdogan has blamed climate change for the disaster. mexico marks 500 years since the conquest of the aztec empire, commemorations taking place in mexico