jonathan beale, taken over afghanistan. jonathan beale. thank— taken over afghanistan. it is 1a minutes past one. our top story this lunchtime: desperate scenes at kabul airport as hundreds try airport as thousands try to leave afghanistan — following the taliban takeover. still to come... and with some restrictions still in place, what can pupils expect as they go back into classrooms in scotland? coming up on the bbc news channel... we look back on the welcome home concert for the olympic stars of team gb. it was a first chance for them all to celebrate together after success in tokyo. a minute's silence has been held in plymouth to remember the five people shot dead last week. the home office is asking police forces in england and wales to review the way they deal with firearms applications in the wake of the mass shooting. devon and cornwall police are being investigated as to why jake davison was allowed to have his shotgun back injuly, after his licence had been revoked. sarah ransome reports. a minute to remember and reflect. bell tolls. across the city, people f

jonathan beale is here with me now.an troops going on by the weekend. explain more about their mission. it's being presented as a precaution by the us, the british defence secretary ben wallace says it was part of the contingency plan but both admit this is a rip watt response to the rapidly deteriorating security situation. 600 british troops will be there to help around a000 citizens still in afghanistan if they want to come home, they will be helped to move back to the uk. they will also be embassy staff moved out of the country and also those afghans who worked for the british and who are being allowed to settle back in the uk. the embassy itself, there will be the ambassador and a very small staff, but they are going to move the embassy to an undisclosed secure, more secure location. i mean, you know, you look at this and it does look like a rush to the exit. certainly it will look like that to many afghans who are left behind. but the government here and also in the us are insisting this is part of their plans, bu

jonathan beale, bbc news. a week of extreme weather conditions and weather related disasters around the world. algeria has observed a day of mourning after wildfires took the lives of 69 people since monday. high winds and 50 degree celsius heat fueled the rapid spread of the blazes. algerian authorites say they suspect arson in sparking the fires, but the fires were aggravated by the hot temperatures. north of the mediterranean, the italian island of sicily may have registered the highest temperature ever recorded in europe — 48.8 degrees celsius. the average maximum temperatures for this time of year are normally around 35 degrees there. over 500 blazes were reported over wednesday night. the head of a siberian region has declared friday a non working day and urged residents to stay home due to the threat of forest fire smoke to public health. according to the russian forestry commission, this seasons wildfires have burned away 9.2 million hectares of forest, an area the size of portugal. and — emergency tea

jonathan beale, bbc news.haos and crisis we see around kabul airport, the humanitarian situation in afghanistan is worsening rapidly. united nations aid agencies are warning that they only have a few days of medical supplies left. the world health organization, which helps more than 2,000 afghan medicalfacilities, says the emergency hospital it supports in kabul is overwhelmed with casualties from yesterday's bombings. dr rick brennan, who is the world health organization's emergency director for the region, explains how the shortage in medical supplies are crippling their support for afghan medical infrastructure. we have a large staff across the country. we have a presence in all 34 country. we have a presence in all 3a provinces. and we are supporting 70 hospitals across the country, but our ability to support those health facilities is declining just as the humanitarian needs are really escalating. and this is our biggest challenge right now, is trying to get the emergent military need in the country. get

jonathan beale, bbc news. i'm joined now by laurel miller.the program directorfor asia at the think tank, crisis group. kabul next? what's unclear as yet is whether the taliban or even need to attack kabul or whether the government will simply collapse before they have to make that kind of move. i think what we are seeing so far is that the taliban have had a very well laid strategy for surrounding the cities that they have now been able to move on, and for essentially encircling kabul. so it looks extremely fragile at the moment. it's unsure whether the government will collapse and the taliban has to fight for kabul or whether they surrender.- taliban has to fight for kabul or whether they surrender. given that context what _ whether they surrender. given that context what do _ whether they surrender. given that context what do you _ whether they surrender. given that context what do you think- whether they surrender. given that context what do you think the - context what do you think the prospect there are for a peace deal? there are no pr

jonathan beale, bbc news.ldfires are still raging across the region. the italian island of sicily, registered 48.8 degrees celsius on wednesday, which, if verified, would be the continent's highest temperature ever recorded. to put that in context, the average maximum temperatures for this time of year in sicily are normally around 35 degrees. 0ur correspondent mark lowen is there. they climb to the coolest place around, the peak of an active volcano. when mighty mount etna is a relief from the heat, you know it's an extreme. legend has it the ancient god of fire worked beneath etna. for the tourists here, he still feels close. we booked the holidays like half a year ago so we did not know anything about the heat. would you have come if you had known how hot it was be? no. bad. it was totally hot in the last couple of days. but we came with her and we enjoyed it a lot because there are approximately 15 degrees less than next to the area of the sea. italy is sweltering, sicily hitting 48.8 degrees this week, be

jonathan beale, bbc news. you're watching bbc news. do stay with us.rican—american to win the presidential nomination of a major party, and he accepts exactly 45 years ago to the day that martin luther king declared, "i have a dream." as darkness falls tonight, an unfamiliar light will appear in the southeastern sky — an orange glowing disc that's brighter than anything save the moon — our neighbouring planet, mars. there is no doubt that this election is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the world's newest nation. it'll take months and billions of dollars to repair— what katrina achieved injust hours. - three weeks is the longest the great clock has been off—duty in 117 years, so it was with great satisfaction that clockmaker john vernon swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. big ben chimes this is bbc news. our main headline: the taliban say they've taken up positions inside kabul airport and are ready to take control as soon as american forces leave. the united states has published its assessment on the origins of covid—

our defence correspondent jonathan beale has more.ese british troops know that time's running out. still trying to help as many as possible, but the window's fast closing. and soon they'll have to think of their own departure. the americans have got to be given time to get out after we have pulled out. it's about 48 hours which they've got left to actually extract people before they have to start focusing on their own extraction. western forces are still trying to have to worry about their own security to complete that extraction. aircraft have been firing flares as a precaution to avoid the potential danger of surface—to—air missiles. but securing the perimeter of the airfield as forces draw down will be a battle in itself. the biggest fear now for commanders on the ground is the threat of a suicide attack, with the focus on extremists linked to the group calling itself islamic state. it's hard to overstate the complexity and the danger of this effort. we are operating in a hostile environment, in a city and country now controlled by

jonathan beale, bbc news. the american folk singer and songwriter nancy griffith has died aged 68.the five and dime, which celebrated the south of the usa. her 1993 album other voices, other rooms earned a grammy for best contemporary folk album, and in 2008 she won the lifetime achievement trailblazer award from the americana music association. nancy griffith worked closely with other singers, helping the early careers of artists like lyle lovett and emmylou harris. to turkey, now, and just as crews battled to bring wildfires under control, devastating floods have decimated northern parts of the country. the death toll climbed to 38 on friday as president recep tayyip erdogan declared flood—hit regions as disaster zones. tanya dendrinos reports. vehicles tossing in the torrent. this terrifying eyewitness footage captured the scene in northern turkeyjust days ago. rhodes turned to rivers as building simply crumbled. and this is the aftermath. a mangled heap of mud, debris, and belongings. translation: i mud, debris, and belongings. translation:— mud, debris, and belongings. transla

jonathan beale, bbc news.erving with c company 2 rifles, he sustained serious head injuries and is still on medication. he says the news that the taliban are back makes him wonder why so many fought, bled and lost their lives. ten of his colleagues were killed. he's been speaking to our correspondentjeremy cooke. the pain i felt this morning... ..was like i felt sick. like physically — went to the toilet, retching, thinking i was going to be sick. every area now that ifought, bled, friends lost their lives on, has just gone. i was 18 years old when i arrived in country, coming up to my 19th birthday. i'd aspired to go to afghanistan, like i wanted to be in afghanistan. during that period, it was just like we went to bed one night, woke up the next day, and the world was against us. were you in combat every day at that point? yeah, by mid—june, yeah, every single day we were. that 2nd ofjune incident was, like, the first time i'd ever experienced death. you remember the date? yeah. yeah. and, sadly, there was m

jonathan beale, bbc news. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in kabul.day that nearly 90,000 people have been evacuated. but what hope for the people who are still there? what a staggering number that is, and it doesn't include the afghans who were taken out by the british that you mentioned, the germans, the french, the private charters, the huge effort worldwide. it is so astonishing how people have opened up astonishing how people have opened up their hearts, raised huge amounts of money to get people out, and today we are seeing on social media photographs of these huge transport planes, paid for by well—meaning people around the world, and they are half empty, sometimes with just are half empty, sometimes with just a few people on the plane, because as the window closes fast, it gets ever harder even to get to the airport. we spoke to a taliban spokesperson this morning who was unsympathetic and unequivocal that afghans should not be leaving the country and there was only one route out, and that was through the americans. and we are hearing that in

jonathan beale, bbc news.ur chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, live in the afghan capital. there are reports to knives the taliban are already making moves on the airport. yes taliban are already making moves on the airort. , . ., ~ taliban are already making moves on the airort. , . . ~' . the airport. yes and making a huge statement about _ the airport. yes and making a huge statement about as _ the airport. yes and making a huge statement about as well. _ the airport. yes and making a huge statement about as well. in - the airport. yes and making a huge statement about as well. in the - the airport. yes and making a huge i statement about as well. in the same way the taliban fighters stole a march suddenly on kabul last week, they are doing the same tonight at they are doing the same tonight at the airport. the past few hours we've been watching on social media as senior officials among the taliban and their supporters are posting photographs with exclamations like the foreign occupation has en

jonathan beale, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news.he downpour caused flooding and landslides. hundreds of reservoirs have reportedly exceeded their flood warning levels. this comes after massive flooding killed hundreds in henan province last month. china has said it won't co—operate with the world health organisation's new plan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus. the who has asked for more data, partly to continue looking into the theory that the virus escaped from a chinese laboratory. but on friday officials in china said the lab leak theory should not be investigated. clashes have broken out between police and protesters in thailand, after hundreds of people defied a ban on mass gatherings to march on the prime minister's residence and demand his resignation. the protestors claim the prime minister has mismanaged the country's covid—19 response. on friday, thailand saw a new record for daily cases. us government scientists have confirmed thatjuly was the world's hottest ever month. (00v)the national oceanic and atmosphe

jonathan beale, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent iain watson is in westminster.promising borisjohnson is promising to shift heaven and earth he says to get people out who were left behind, how is he proposing to do that without an airlift? ~ , ., an airlift? well, live, it is old claim to _ an airlift? well, live, it is old claim to move _ an airlift? well, live, it is old claim to move heaven - an airlift? well, live, it is old i claim to move heaven and earth. borisjohnson is using that language partly to reassure those who have left behind but also to reassure his own mps so for example the conservative mp who has served in afghanistan says it fills him with anger and shame so many people have been left behind, many of his colleagues feel the same, the lib dems calling for an urgent inquiry and sir keir starmer pressing for evidence that there is a plan to get people to the borders. how will he do it? planning is in the early stage and officials in whitehall and elsewhere are still grappling with the practicalities. for example where and to what extent should

jonathan beale, bbc news.mani, is in afghanistan's capital kabul and can bring you this update. in large parts of kabul of everyday life is resuming, the taliban saying they hoped government offices and banks will open up soon. there are pockets of huge chaos, one, of course, being the airport. a massive crowd is still gathered outside the entrance there. many of them without any kind of the user. they are still hoping, somehow, to be able to leave afghanistan. the taliban, who are in charge of security there, have been firing regularly into the air, beating the crowd back with sticks. and i'm told that most foreign nationals are being able to reach the airport safely. but the taliban are, at times, preventing even those afghans who have permission to board the evacuation flights from doing so. one particularly disturbing episode that is being reported is that of a baby being passed over a barbed wire fence by a desperate parent. other afghans who are due to board these evacuation flights are being able to do

jonathan beale, bbc news. let's return to yogita limaye in kabul.capital? weill. all-out assault on capital? well, --eole all-out assault on capital? well, people here _ all-out assault on capital? well, people here are _ all-out assault on capital? well, people here are really _ all-out assault on capital? well, people here are really looking i all-out assault on capital? well, people here are really looking at the country's government for direction on how things will unfold in the coming days. we haven't heard yet from president ashraf ghani, and the more he remained silent the more there is speculation and rumours here. today the country's first vice president put out on social media that the president had shed a national security council meeting and decided to stand against the taliban. but at this point in time, when there is such a vulnerable position, just those words aren't going to be enough to boost troop morale or allay fears here, and the conversation in a very short span of time has gone from weather kabul will fall to how many days it

here's our defence correspondent jonathan beale.f yesterday's deadly suicide attack. just outside the airport, clothes and belongings strewn across the ground — the remnants of more than 90 people killed. many more were wounded. men, women and children, who were hoping to get on a flight to freedom, never imagining that some of them would be leaving like this. and seared on the memories of those who survived. me and my group waited for more than 25 hours. we did not enter the airport because of the security situation. wounded everywhere. i cannot explain what we saw today. my world is silent. extremists linked to isis have claimed responsibility for this evil attack. at dusk, the plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the south side of the airport. the first blast, a suicide bomb, near abbey gate. the second explosion outside the baron hotel, where the british have been processing evacuees. at the white house, the stars and stripes was lowered for the 13 us military personnel also killed. inside, a president under pressure promis

jonathan beale, bbc news.respondent secunder kermani is in afghanistan's capital kabul and can bring you this update. in large parts of kabul of everyday life is resuming, the taliban saying they hoped government offices and banks will open up soon. there are pockets of huge chaos, one, of course, being the airport. a massive crowd is still gathered outside the entrance there. many of them without any kind of the user. any kind of visa. they are still hoping, somehow, to be able to leave afghanistan. the taliban, who are in charge of security there, have been firing regularly into the air, beating the crowd back with sticks. and i'm told that most foreign nationals are being able to reach the airport safely. but the taliban are, at times, preventing even those afghans who have permission to board the evacuation flights from doing so. 0ne particularly disturbing episode that is being reported is that of a baby being passed over a barbed wire fence by a desperate parent. 0ther afghans who are due to board these

jonathan beale, bbc news. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in kabul.t, despite the evacuation efforts being ramped up, it's getting harderfor afghan civilians to leave the country. we are seeing on social media photographs of these huge transport planes paid for by well—meaning people around the world — and they're half empty, sometimes they just got a few people on the plane because, as the window closes fast, it gets ever harder even to get to the airport. we spoke to a taliban spokesperson this morning who was unsympathetic and unequivocal that afghans should not be leaving the country, and there was only one root out — and that was through the americans. and we are hearing that in these last days, americans are prioritising american passport holders, green card holders, and sending away those who have these special visas which were established for a vulnerable afghans like those who had worked for the american military. but i think we have to remember that once the us, the uk evacuation stops, once the last aircraft turns off, afghanistan doesn't p

the country about how things are going to unfold in the days to come. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan bealend us troops are going back into get their nationals out. yes. into get their nationals out. yes, this is essentially _ into get their nationals out. yes, this is essentially the _ into get their nationals out. ieis this is essentially the endgame. so there are going to be more than 3000 us marines and troops going in to evacuate some of their embassy staff and also american citizens. britain is doing the same, 600 troops britain is sending. this is a temporary surge to extract those nationals from their own countries and to reduce the embassy presence essentially. it is a sign they are worried about the security situation. ben wallace says this is normal, this was planned, but people in afghanistan, people in the government, the army will see this more as evidence of a sense of abandonment, of being left behind and the west rushing to the exit. ben wallace says that, you know, they have achieved over the last 20 years what they went in for, which was to prevent afghanistan becoming in

here's our defence correspondent, jonathan beale. it's been the biggest airless in recent history.uated in less than two weeks. more than 111,000 flown out by the raf. twice the number they originally planned. but the british effort is now over. with hundreds still left behind. this effort is now over. with hundreds still left behind.— effort is now over. with hundreds still left behind. as we come down to the final — still left behind. as we come down to the final hours _ still left behind. as we come down to the final hours of _ still left behind. as we come down to the final hours of the _ still left behind. as we come down to the final hours of the operation | to the final hours of the operation there will sadly be people who haven't got through, people who might qualify. and what i would say to them is that we will shift heaven and earth to help them get out. we will do whatever we can. the and earth to help them get out. we will do whatever we can.— will do whatever we can. the final -hase will do whatever we can. the final hase of will do whatever we can. the final phase of

jonathan beale, bbc news.tary, dominic raab, has rejected calls to resign, after being accused of a �*catastrophic failure ofjudgement�* in his handling of the afghan crisis. he's been criticised by opposition parties, after it was reported that he failed to follow advice while on holiday, to call his afghan counterpart last friday, to discuss evacuations. the defence secretary, ben wallace, says such a phone call, wouldn't have made any difference. our political correspondent ben wright reports. a potentially life—saving flight as the rescue continues. up to ten planes per day are carrying british nationals and afghan evacuees from the chaos of kabul to the uk. i spoke to a uk resident of afghan origin who we will call sara who is waiting to hear if her father and other family have made waiting to hear if her father and otherfamily have made it waiting to hear if her father and other family have made it out. the ractical other family have made it out. tie: practical hyssop other family have made it out. tue:

let's speak to our defence correspondent, jonathan beale, who has joined correspondent, jonathan bealet to secure it better. what is the prospect of that? any prospect of that? i what is the prospect of that? any prospect of that?— prospect of that? i think that is hi . hl prospect of that? i think that is highly unlikely. _ prospect of that? i think that is highly unlikely, i _ prospect of that? i think that is highly unlikely, ithink- prospect of that? i think that is highly unlikely, i think the - prospect of that? i think that is | highly unlikely, i think the focus will be getting those there at the moment out. you know, we know that if a dead in any way of the 31st of august. the question i think this attack prompts his will that be speeded up, that drawdown? i think the us president has lots of tools at his disposal. i think that a withdrawal brings greater risk, as you have fewer troops on the ground, the worries will be there of a again another attack like this and what the president has at his disposal is drones, jets, be 52 bombers we have seen over, just making sure they co

jonathan beale, bbc news.ht that around 2000 afghan refugees have come through uk airports in the last week, since the fall of kabul to the taliban, and it is estimated that the british red cross has handled about 1000 of those cases. we can speak enough to one volunteer from the charity who has been involved in that work. thank you very much for taking time to talk to us and what has always been a very busy week. just describe to us if you would what kind of state people are in when they come off these flights.— off these flights. good evening, many think _ off these flights. good evening, many think for _ off these flights. good evening, many think for having _ off these flights. good evening, many think for having us. - off these flights. good evening, many think for having us. i - off these flights. good evening, l many think for having us. i would describe it as somewhere beyond exhaustion. we have been asked questions about trauma, but really the people coming off these flights are putting one foot in fr

look at the latest developments with this report from our defence our defence correspondent, jonathan bealee of yesterday's deadly suicide attack. just outside the airport. clothes and belongings strewn across the ground, the remnants of more than 90 people killed. many more were wounded. men, women and children who were hoping to get on a flight to freedom, never imagining that some of them would be leaving like this. and seared on the memories of those who survived. me and my group waited for more than 25 hours. we did not enter the airport because of the security wounded everywhere. i cannot explain what we saw today. my world is silent. extremists linked to isis have claimed responsibility for this evil attack. at dusk, the plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the south side of the airport. the first blast, a suicide bomb near abbey gate. the second explosion outside the baron hotel, where the british have been processing evacuees. lowered for the 13 us military personnel also killed. inside, a president under pressure promised revenge. we will not forgive. we will not forget. we w

jonathan beale has this report. more than 25 hours. we did not - survived. me and my group waited for more than 25 hours. we did not enterj more than 25 hours. we did not enter the airport because of the security situation. wounded everywhere. i cannot explain what we saw today. my word is silent. cannot explain what we saw today. my word is silent-— word is silent. extremists linked to isis have claimed _ word is silent. extremists linked to isis have claimed responsibility - word is silent. extremists linked to isis have claimed responsibility for| isis have claimed responsibility for this evil attack. at dusk, the plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the south side of the airport. the first blast at suicide bomb near abbey gate. the second explosion outside the baron hotel where the british have been processing evacuees. at the white house, the stars and stripes was lowered. for the 13 us military personnel also killed. inside, a president under pressure promised revenge. irate killed. inside, a president un

earlier i spoke to our defence correspondent, jonathan beale who gave us this update.ill be a very small military presence included to protect the ambassador, the british ambassador, who will remain in the country with a very small staff in a new location, and more secure location in kabul. that gives you an indication of the concerns they have about the advance of the taliban, but in addition, to facilitate the exit of british citizens and there are still around 4000 in the country, people like aid workers, people who work for ngos, security contractors, they are putting in those troops for a short—term to allow them to get flights out of kabul. there are still commercial flights in kabul. it will also be used to get some of the embassy staff who will not be remaining out and also some of those afghans who worked for the british over the past 20 years like translators, for example, to get them and their families out so they can resettle in the uk, those that have been allowed, so this is not our force that is essentially meant to be doing any fighting. there will be m

let's speak to our defence correspondent, jonathan beale, who's with me now.ery difficult, along with the fact that the taliban control the city. they are identifying people to come to the airport but they have got to make their way through those taliban checkpoints and then those crowds too. ., ., ., ,,, too. that evacuation process is on . oin . . too. that evacuation process is ongoing- nato _ too. that evacuation process is ongoing. nato thanking - too. that evacuation process is ongoing. nato thanking the i too. that evacuation process is i ongoing. nato thanking the countries that have helped with that process, but time is running out on that. irate but time is running out on that. we don't but time is running out on that. - don't know how much time there is. we had a defence minister saying it could be two, five, ten days. we hope is that they can do this right up hope is that they can do this right up until the end of the month, which is the deadline set to get out of afghanistan. it is notjust nationals, people with uk, us passports. there are also af