secunder kermani, for the moment, thank l going to get even worse. secunder. —year—old boy has been found in a river in south wales. police say they were called about a missing child near bridgend at a 5:45 this morning. officers found the boy in the ogmore river near pandy park. police want to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time. bbc news has been told that the government is no longer considering making it compulsory for university students in england to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus before they can attend lectures or live in university accommodation. the department for education had previously refused to rule out the idea. the equality and human rights commission has warned employers that rules requiring workers to be fully vaccinated must not be disproportionate or discriminatory. in america, walt disney has become the latest company, after facebook and google, to tell employees they'll have to have both jabs before returning to work. some businesses in the uk are following suit. back in the uk, the latest government figures show there

secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul.ukraine and azerbaijan are now battling the wildfires on the country's southern coast. four people have died and dozens have been taken to hospital. the flames have forced the evacuation of entire villages. with more, here's david campanale. soaring flames have turned summer skies blood orange over turkeys luxury hotels and villages. dozens of neighbourhoods and tourist resorts had to evacuate before the onslaught of the wildfires which have stretched along the mediterranean and aegian coast. we don't know anything. our hotel doesn't say anything to us. so wejust decided to come outside. translation: everything was normal when we came but there was no smoke in the background. we thought it was raining, all of a sudden we saw the flames. helicopters and planes have made repeat journeys to scoop up and drop water. on the ground thousands of firefighters have been mobilised into action as temperatures have soared. they're working alongside more than a thousand firefighting vehicles to snu

our correspondent secunder kermani reports.he taliban have been advancing rapidly across afghanistan. in some areas, under—resourced government forces have surrendered or fled. in others, the insurgents have faced stiff resistance. the group is now in control of around a third of all districts. but afghan officials are vowing to launch a counteroffensive. the afghan security forces, the afghan air force has reorganised itself so they may have abandoned their posts because they ran out of ammunition, they ran out of supplies, but by no means has anyone defected. bagram was america's largest base in afghanistan and is home to high—value prisoners. it has been handed over to afghan forces, as nearly all international troops have been withdrawn from the country. officials here claim they were not even warned when exactly the americans were leaving. us air strikes had been a key weapon in holding the taliban back. now they are largely stopping. afghan officials are still trying to sound positive. this is war — in a combat, everythin

secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines.t five police officers have been killed in a territorial dispute between the states of assam and mizoram. the officers who died were from assam. more than fifty people were injured after clashes between police and civilians. tensions have been running high after a group of police officers from assam took over a hilly area of mizoram last month. at least 57 migrants drowned on monday after a boat capsized off the libyan coast near khums. that's according to the u.n.'s international organization for migration. hundreds of thousands have made the crossing in previous years, many fleeing conflict and poverty in africa and the middle east. the inuit rights advocate, mary simon, has become canada's first indigenous woman to hold the post of governor—general. at her swearing—in ceremony, she pledged to strive to build bridges across the diverse backgrounds and cultures in canada. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme, hanging ten in tokyo — we'll give you the lowd

secunder kermani, bbc news.na, concerning territorial incursions in the disputed south china sea. a tribunal at the permanent court of arbitration in the hague ruled that beijing had been unlawful in its occupation and blockade of traditional filipino fishing grounds, including scarborough shoal. both china and the philippines claim sovereignty over the large coral reef while vietnamese claim it is their traditional fishing grounds. the maritime territory is closest to the philippine coast, but since 2012, and despite the tribunal ruling, there has been a constant chinese coastguard presence there — with filipino fishermen reporting harassment by the authorities. china justifies its claims in the south china sea based on its controversial 9—dash—line map, first published after world war ii — it didn't take part in the 2016 tribunal or accept its findings. our philippines correspondent, howard johnson, joined a filipino fishing crew to witness what's happening at scarborough shoal. we're on a fishing boat heading

secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul.i near tokyo now and speak to the bbc�*s rupert wingfield—hayes. to see you. a little windy? the pacific coast of japan, about two hours east of tokyo this morning, that's because we've had with the problems already with the olympics. 0n with the olympics. on sunday and monday, a lot of them with heat, with the tennis events, and the triathlon, very hot in tokyo. now we have a slightly different weather problem in that we have typhoon number eight currently off the coast to coming in this direction and that has caused disruption to the surfing, they had to bring the surfing, they had to bring the surfing vinyls which were tomorrow, they brought them today to get out of this typhoon. this is the first time the surfing has ever been held in the olympics and what i know from living injapan is that japan has a very big surfing scene. many people outside japan may not knowjust how huge the japanese surfing scene is. this is the pacific coast ofjapan, about an hour and a half drive east of t

our correspondent secunder kermani reports from kabul.the help of local interpreters. with international troops withdrawing, hundreds of them, along with their families, are being relocated to the uk. but others remain stuck in afghanistan. this man is one of dozens of interpreters whose applications have been rejected. he says he fears for his life. they're going to kill me. that's it. it's a big threat for my family also. because of me, my family will pay for that. he served with british forces for two years in helmand province, but was then sacked. those dismissed for serious offences aren't being relocated. he says he simply refused to go on a second consecutive mission, in order to attend his engagement ceremony. defence sources alleged he repeatedly failed to turn up to work. i was very sad. i wrote all my story, what happened to me in helmand, because i did a good service. so, i thought that maybe i would receive a positive response. afghan forces pushed back a taliban advance towards herat city. the insurgents have not taken any p

secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. let's get some of the day's other news.t mission in iraq by the end of the year. america has about two thousand five hundred forces there, to help iraq fight the islamic state group. this comes as us forces are ending their mission in afghanistan too, and mr biden tries to wind down the wars that were launched after the 9/11 attacks. iraq's prime minister was at the white house on monday, as mr biden explained the role of us troops in the future. officials in north—eastern india say at least five police officers have been killed in a territorial dispute between the states of assam and mizoram. the officers who died were from assam. more than fifty people were injured after clashes between police and civilians. tensions have been running high after a group of police officers from assam took over a hilly area of mizoram last month. at least 57 migrants drowned on monday after a boat capsized off the libyan coast near khums. that's according to the u.n.'s international organization for migration. hundreds of thousands have mad

our correspondent secunder kermani reports. gunfire.aliban advance rapidly across afghanistan. gunfire. in some areas, under—resourced government forces have fled. and in others, the insurgents have faced stiff resistance. the group now controls around a third of all districts, but afghan officials have vowed to launch a counteroffensive. the afghan security forces, the afghan air force has reorganised itself. so, they may have abandoned their posts because they ran out of ammunition or they run out of supplies, but by no means has anyone defected. bagram was america's largest base in afghanistan and was home to high—value prisoners. it was handed over to afghan forces as nearly all international troops have been withdrawn from the country. 0fficials here claim they weren't even warned when exactly the americans were leaving. us air strikes had been a key weapon in holding the taliban back — now they're largely stopping. afghan officials are still trying to sound positive. this is war. in a combat, everything is possible and nothing is

secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul.of some of the oldest examples of stained glass in the world. some panels have now been re—dated using a new technique and experts say they were crafted in the middle of the 12th century. the cathedral authorities say it's a hugely significant find as very little was thought to have survived from the fabric of the early cathedral, as our science correspondent pallab ghosh reports. canterbury cathedral is among the oldest churches in england. inside, its stunning windows depict symbolic religious scenes. this series was thought to have been made in the 13th century, but some of the panels, including this one, of the prophet nathan, have now been re—dated. for decades, historians have thought that some of these panels were made earlier than the others, because they're different in style. now, using a new technique, scientists have confirmed that not only are they much older, but they may well be among the oldest in the world. it's only come to light now because of this device, called a w

secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul.esident sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament. kais saied has been accused of staging a coup, though he insists that he acted in line with the nation's constitution. the political unrest followed sunday's violent protests over the govenrment�*s handling of the covid outbreak. marina daras has the latest. a young democracy plunge into a constitutional crisis. after a day of protests on sunday against the mismanagement of the pandemic, president kais saied suspended parliamentary activities for 30 days before dismissing hichem mechichi, the head of government and interim interior minister. translation: first decision, freezing the functions - of the parliament. the constitution does not allow its dissolution, but it allows the freezing of its activities. second decision, the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of all deputies. third decision, the president of the republic will take charge of the executive power with the help of the government, which will be headed by a new

secunder kermani, bbc news. let�*s get some of the day�*s other news.s, peter r de vries, has been shot and seriously injured in an attack on a street in amsterdam. police said he�*s been taken to hospital in critical condition. de vries has covered numerous high—profile crime cases over the past 20 years. three people have been detained in connection with the shooting. a former challenger for the presidency in belarus, viktor babariko, has been sentenced to 14 years in jail. the banker was found guilty of taking bribes and money laundering — charges he says were fabricated to prevent him challenging alexander lukashenko in last year�*s election. just over two weeks to go before the start of the tokyo olympics, and japanese media is reporting that the partial state of emergency for the tokyo area is likely to be extended over coronavirus concerns. some olympic events, such as the opening ceremony and the marathon, may also be held without spectators. the anti—of spectators at wembley, that is for sure. —— there was plenty. it went to a penalty shootout

secunder kermani in kabul. let's get some of the day's other news now.infections are currently running at record levels in thailand, putting pressure on the country's hospitals. protestors defied rules prohibiting gatherings of more than five people, to call for the thai prime minister to resign. colombia's armed forces have seized 1.5 tonnes of cocaine, after intercepting a speedboat off its caribbean coast. the military say the drugs were thrown into the sea by the occupants, when they realised they were being chased. five people have been arrested. south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, hasjoined in a clean—up operation following days of violence that left more than 200 people dead. protests broke out after the former president, jacob zuma, began a 15—month jail sentence for contempt of court over a corruption trial. as south africans mark mandela day, mr ramaphosa urged people to honour the legacy of the country's former leader by helping to rebuild. with the british travel rules changing tomorrow for people returning from some major holiday dest

secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. — one of the highlights of the cultural calendar. and for the first time since 2019 audiences returned — allowed in if they could show a negative covid test or double jab. more than 2000 musicians from 30 orchestras will play over the next six weeks as live music returns on a scale not seen in the uk since the start of the pandemic. mark savage reports. for music lovers of the royal albert hall, the wait is over.— hall, the wait is over. finally, i am absolutely _ hall, the wait is over. finally, i am absolutely thrilled, - hall, the wait is over. finally, i am absolutely thrilled, i - hall, the wait is over. finally, i am absolutely thrilled, i have l hall, the wait is over. finally, i- am absolutely thrilled, i have been waiting two years for this day. be not socially distance will be something to quickly get over. to be leaning _ something to quickly get over. to be leaning forward, listening to music with the _ leaning forward, listening to music with the same intensity as the per

secunder kermani, bbc news.e house, the press secretary made the case that a us military withdrawal doesn't mean the biden administration is turning its back on afghanistan full—stop. we have every intention of continuing an ongoing presence in kabul which is continuing, even after we bring our military who are serving home by the end of august. that includes security systems, that includes humanitarian assistance and that includes, over the horizon, capacity to ensure that we are working to address any threats that we face. —— security assistance. that will continue and we intend to have a presence on the ground in our embassy there in kabul. for more on this, we're joined by michael o'hanlon from the brookings institution, who has just written about the us withdrawal for usa today. welcome to the programme. now with the us military withdrawn now 90% complete from afghanistan, what actually can the us government do to help the afghans hold off the taliban? �* , . help the afghans hold off the taliban? v . , hel

secunder kermani in kabul.est 24—hour period, meaning an average of 27,464 new cases per day in the past seven days. 71 deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours, that's an average of 70 deaths a day in the past week. the latest figure for the number of people in hospital with covid is just below 6,000 — it hasn't been updated, though, from yesterday. onto vaccinations now, more than 88% of uk adults have now had their firstjab and more than 72% are now fully vaccinated. nhs england and the body that regulates health care products are issuing new guidance on pulse oxygen meters — also known as oximeters — after it was found that the devices can overestimate oxygen levels in people with darker skin. with more here's amara sophia elahi. ranjit senghera marwaha caught coronavirus in december last year and eventually ended up in hospital with seriously low oxygen levels. so, basically, flip the lid, put yourfinger in... she had been monitoring her levels at home with a pulse oximeter, but the meter consistently tol

secunder kermani, bbc news.ative journalist in the netherlands, peter r de vries, has been shot and seriously injured in an attack on a street in amsterdam. police said he's been taken to hospital in critical condition. de vries has covered numerous high—profile crime cases over the past 20 years. three people have been detained in connection with the shooting. the 64—year—old was shot at close range minutes after leaving a chat the british government has signalled a further easing of coronavirus restrictions in england despite admitting that covid cases could reach 100,000 a day this summer. the health secretary, sajid javid, said that from 16th august, people who are fully vaccinated won't have to self—isolate if they come into close contact with a person who has tested positive. the measure will also apply to under—18s even if they haven't had a jab. the opposition labour party questioned what the lifting of restrictions, amid rising cases, will mean for the most vulnerable. here's our health editor, hugh pym

secunder kermani, bbc news. let�*s get some of the day�*s other news.ies, has been shot and seriously injured in an attack on a street in amsterdam. police said he�*s been taken to hospital in critical condition. mr de vries has covered numerous high—profile crime cases over the past 20 years. three people have been detained in connection with the shooting. a former challenger for the presidency in belarus, viktar babaryka, has been sentenced to ia years in jail. the banker was found guilty of taking bribes and money laundering — charges he says were fabricated to prevent him challenging alexander lukashenko in last year�*s election. just over two weeks to go before the start of the tokyo olympics, and japanese media is reporting that the partial state of emergency for the tokyo area is likely to be extended over coronavirus concerns. some 0lympic events, such as the opening ceremony and the marathon, may also be held without spectators. well, it went to a penalty shootout, but italy have beaten spain at wembley to reach the final of the euro 2020 footb

secunder kermani reporting. tested positive on sunday too. the pope has told worshippers to "switch off" and take a break. his message came as pope francis delivered his weekly address from a window overlooking st peter's square, in his first public appearance since undergoing intestinal surgery. the 84—year—old returned to the vatican on wednesday after 11 days in hospital. translation: let us put a halt to the frantic running around . dictated by our agendas. let us learn how to take a break, to turn off the mobile phone, to contemplate nature, to regenerate ourselves talking to god. pope francis speaking in the vatican. you are watching bbc news. you are watching bbc news. these are our headlines this evening. the german leader angela merkel visits the region worst affected by devastating floods. she says the road must act faster in its battle against global warming. the uk print minister and chancellor have made a rapid u—turn in announced they will now self—isolate after being identified as contacts of the

secunder kermani has sent this update from kabul.. the taliban already control vast swathes of rural territories in afghanistan and now they are really pushing into a number of cities, advancing to the heart of lashkar gar city in the southern province of helmand. one report said the taliban had reached within 300 metres of the governor's of this which is really the heart of lashkar gar. fresh troops have been sent into the city, including special forces. troops have been sent into the city, including specialforces. one troops have been sent into the city, including special forces. one local force said that the afghan air force, they believe, i reluctant to carrier air strikes because the fighting is taking place in such a central, catch congested part of the city. meanwhile, ordinary afghans caught in the middle of all of this, one hospital run by the italian ngo and urgency of addressing all its beds are completely full. we have seen fighting in and around the city displacing many people towards the city. now those people will be c

secunder kermani reports. a taliban fighter poses for the camera.nd you can see they have all surrendered. the insurgents launched their assault on qala—i—naw in the northwest of the city early this morning. they have been taking more and more territory in recent weeks but this is the first time during this offensive they have attacked a major city. dozens of prisoners streamed out from the jail. meanwhile, government forces have been trying to push the insurgents back. translation: i assure people that all of our special forces i are defending the city. they are engaging in different parts of the city with insurgents. they have caused casualties to the enemy and they face defeat. i call on you all to be calm. we are defending city. the taliban have launched a series of major attacks in recent weeks as international trips get close to completely withdrawing. us officials have said 90% of their forces have now been pulled out ahead of a deadline in september. the afghan air force is conducting strikes that once would have been carried out by american

secunder kermani has just sent this update from kabul.liban forces came within one kilometre of the governor's office right in the centre of the city yesterday before being pushed back. the afghan army commander there saying his troops managed to inflict a high number of casualties on the militants, but we understand they remain at the mostjust a few kilometres away from the city centre. today in lashkar gah a hospital was badly damaged by government air strikes targeting taliban fighters in the area. i'm told at least one security guard was killed and two doctors injured, though initial reports suggested that patients being treated at the hospital had already been evacuated. in the west of the country, in the city of herat, fighting is ongoing for the third day after government forces managed to recapture the area around the airport, which had been briefly taken by the taliban. government forces there supported overnight by us air strikes and by militia forces led by a powerful veteran commander now in his 70s. it seems pretty clear that

secunder kermani has more from kabul. (tx sot more from kabul.cross the country, except for kabul and two other provinces. the idea is to try and get a grip on the deteriorating security situation, in particular to prevent infiltration into afghan cities of taliban operatives. militants have already encircled a number of cities. they are already on the outskirts of some. whilst they have managed to capture around half of all territory in afghanistan, they have not been able to take hold of any major urban centre. the last few days over the muslim festival of eid had seen a lull in fighting, but now the festival is over, fighting is picking up, and it seems that until we get to the colder winter, fighting will keep increasing. there is also concern about what is going on inside those territories the taliban have taken hold. human rights watch watch, reporting around 100 civilians executed by the taliban. the taliban has denied those allegations. forced at least nine firefighters into quarantine. peter bowes in los angeles. california referred to i

separately, afghan officials say taliban militants have our afghanistan correspondent, secunder kermania number of air strikes were launched in support of afghan forces in recent days, and we understand that at least some of them have been around the southern city of kandahar. that's a city that's both strategically and symbolically important, and there's increasing concern about the way the taliban are pressing in on it. now, these air strikes are said to have targeted military equipment and vehicles seized by the taliban from afghan forces. and they were what's called over—the—horizon operations. in other words, involving aircraft not stationed in afghanistan, but flown in from elsewhere in the region for these strikes and then flown out once again. now, these strikes will have been useful in holding back the taliban advance on the city, but there's real concern about what will happen after the end of august. that's the deadline for the withdrawal of all remaining international forces, and us officials have been suggesting that after august, any of these over—the—horizon air strikes w

our correspondent secunder kermani sent this report from kabul.n comes amidst heightened concern over the country's future. with the taliban closing in on a number of afghan cities after having already captured vast swathes of rural territory, the us has launched a number of air strikes in recent days in support of embattled afghan forces, notably around the southern city of kandahar where heavy fighting has been taking place. and general mackenzie said america was prepared to continue with those air strikes in the coming weeks — though he refused to categorically answer repeated questions about whether or not they would continue after the end of august, when the us military presence in afghanistan formally ends. in the past, he's previously suggested they will not. general mackenzie did however praise the capabilities of the afghan air force and said that a taliban military victory was certainly not guaranteed. i'd like to be very clear — the government of afghanistan faces a stern test in the days ahead. the taliban are attempting to create a se

secunder kermani has more from kabul. except for kabul and two other provinces. everywhere else, there'll be no movement allowed between 10pm and 4am. the idea is to try and get a grip on the deteriorating security situation, and particularly to prevent the infiltration of taliban operatives. the militants have circled a number of cities and are already in the outskirts of some, but whilst they have managed to capture around half of all territory, they've not been able to take hold of any major urban centre. the last few days over the muslim festival eid had seen a lull in the fighting, but now the festival is over, the pace of fighting unfortunately seems to be picking up again, and it seems that the next few months until we get to the colder winter, fighting is going to keep increasing. there's also increasing concern about what's been going on inside those territories that the taliban have taken hold up. have taken hold of. human rights watch raised concern along the border with pakistan, around 100 civilians being kil

our afghanistan and pakistan correspondent, secunder kermani, has more from kabul.the afghan ambassador to pakistan's daughter in the capital islamabad was kidnapped and assaulted. she was travelling in a taxi when another passenger got into the vehicle, started beating her and calling her father a communist. she lost consciousness. when she came to, she was lying in a residential area of the city, her hands and feet had been tied and she was quite badly injured. now, this incident has sparked anger here in afghanistan, feeding into, as you say, an already tense relationship with the two countries. in the last few hours, the afghan foreign ministry has announced that it's recalling all senior afghan diplomats from pakistan, it says, until their security concerns are addressed, including putting on trial those responsible for this incident. the pakistani foreign ministry has responded, saying that that decision is regrettable. it points out that prime minister imran khan has ordered all resources be utilised to apprehend those who are responsible and also ordered sec

secunder kermani there. stay with us on bbc news.o a park in reading and fatally stabbed last january. a 14—year—old girl pleaded guilty to manslaughter. none of them can be identified for legal reasons. duncan kennedy reports. he was just 13 years old. but, in the words of his dad, olly stephens was "a precious gift", whose death became the stuff of nightmares. this was olly injanuary, walking past a neighbour's door bell camera at 3:34pm. by 5pm, he was dead — not at the hands of an adult but by other children. those children, who olly knew, included a 13—year—old girl, who lured him to this park so he could be confronted by two other boys aged 13 and 14. it was, in effect, an ambush. and it was all because olly had simply posted a message on social media. olly was later stabbed during the fight. the girl and the two other boys can't be identified, because they're children. the court was shown this phone footage of the younger boy playing with a knife in his bedroom. the older boy also had pictures of knives. so this is the tree. y

secunder kermani in kabul. _ let's talk more about those talks.ials and the taliban would clarify their ideas on key issues to help chart set a road map to end the conflict. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet has more from doha. the fact they are sitting here is seen as a positive sign, as the war intensifies on both sides and both sides are either trying to recapture or gain territory on the ground. the head of the government delegation just walked past us, and i said, "are you going to be able to finish today?" and he said, "we have to finish today." there's huge pressure on all sides, including the qatar mediation team, to come up with something from this round of high—level talks. they're aiming for this joint declaration on the way forward, and they want it to be on three issues, constitution, power—sharing and confidence building. the taliban have reservations about this, though. their main priority is the establishment, they say, of an islamic system in afghanistan, so they are reluctant to discuss a political road map with a

our correspondent, secunder kermani, has the latest from the afghan capital kabul.of intensified fighting that we've been seeing in afghanistan. the taliban already control vast swathes of rural territory, they've captured that in the last couple of months, but now they're trying to take their first city. earlier this evening they advanced right into the heart of lashkar gah city — that's the capital of helmand province. following the arrival of afghan special forces, there were heavy clashes and we understand that fairly recently the taliban were forced back from the centre of the city. but i was just talking to one local resident from lashkar gah, and he was saying, "look, even if the taliban "don't manage even if the taliban don't manage to capture the city on this occasion, this has been a powerful assertion of their strength." and he also said that the militants had taken up the positions inside the homes of a number of ordinary families — that's, of course, going to make it harder for the security forces to dislodge them. as you say, fighting has been raging e

secunder kermani reports. a taliban fighter poses for the camera.the insurgents launched their assault on the northwestern city early this morning. they have been taking more and more territory in recent weeks but this is the first time during this offensive they have attacked a major city. dozens of prisoners streamed out from the jail will stop meanwhile, meanwhile, government forces have been trying to push the insurgents back. all of our special forces are defending the city. they are engaging in different parts of the city with insurgents. they have caused casualties to the enemy and faced defeat. i call on you all to become. we are the city. there taliban have launched a series of major attacks in recent weeks as international trips get close to completely withdrawing. us officials have said 90% of their forces have now been pulled out ahead of a deadline in september. the afghan air force is conducting strikes that once would have been carried out by americans. but there are fairies about how long the governments can continue to resist the ta

our correspondent secunder kermani is in the capital, kabul.ost serious fighting we've seen since this latest taliban offensive began. the group already had captured vast swathes of rural territory. now, they're trying to take their first city and earlier this evening, they made their way right to the centre of lashkar gah before being pushed back by afghan special forces. in the last few hours, a number of air strikes have been launched against taliban positions there, too. the fighting, as you say, has also been taking place around herat in the west of afghanistan and kandahar in the south. caught in the middle of this, of course, ordinary afghan families. tens of thousands of people have had to flee their homes in recent weeks and the international military mission here will formally come to an end by september with the taliban looking emboldened, peace talks stalled, everyone�*s worried that in the coming weeks, the violence is going to get even worse. is kabul at risk too? kabul for the moment, _ is kabul at risk too? kabul for the moment,

our correspondent secunder kermani sent this report from kabul.ckenzie�*s visit to afghanistan comes amidst heightened concern over the country's future. with the taliban closing in on a number of afghan cities after having already captured vast swathes of rural territory, the us has launched a number of air strikes in recent days in support of embattled afghan forces, notably around the southern city of kandahar where heavy fighting has been taking place. and general mckenzie said america was prepared to continue with those air strikes in the coming weeks — though he refused to categorically answer repeated questions about whether or not they would continue after the end of august, when the us military presence in afghanistan formally ends. in the past, he's previously suggested they will not. general mckenzie did however praise the capabilities of the afghan air force and said that a taliban military victory was certainly not guaranteed. i'd like to be very clear — the government of afghanistan faces a stern test in the days ahead. the taliban a

our correspondent, secunder kermani, is in kabul with the latest.t serious moment, i would say, in the weeks of intensified fighting that we've been seeing in afghanistan. the taliban already control vast swathes of rural territory, they've captured that in the last couple of months, but now they're trying to take their first city. earlier this evening they advanced right into the heart of lashkar gah city — that's the capital of helmand province. afg ha n afghan army soldiers are still there, they are trying to hold the taliban back. we have been told that fresh trips have been sent into the city, including specialforces. speaking to one on the call source, may believe the afghan air force are reluctant to carry out air strikes because the fighting is in a such congested parts of the city. meanwhile, ordinary afghans caught in the middle of this. one italian ngo releasing its beds are filled. we have seen lots of fighting in and around lashkar gah city, displacing people around the centre of the city. now those people will be cut up city. now those

secunder kermani has more from kabul. this curfew is in place across the country.curity situation, in particular to prevent infiltration into afghan cities of taliban operatives. militants have already encircled a number of cities. they are ready on the outskirts of some. whilst they have managed to capture around half of all territory in afghanistan, they have not been able to take hold of any major urban centre. the last few days, had seen a lull in fighting, during the festival of eid, but now fighting is picking up, and it seems that fighting will keep increasing. there is also concern about what is going on inside those territories taliban has taken hold. human rights watch watch, reporting around 100 civilians executed by the taliban. the taliban has denied those allegations. the headlines on bbc news. the olympics host nationjapan picks up its first medals — a gold and a silver in thejudo competition. afghanistan imposes a curfew across almost the entire country in an attempt to stop the taliban infiltrating its cities. tackling britain's "pingdemic" — hundr

secunder kermani has more from kabul. this is coming across the country except for kabul. on the deteriorating security situation. in particular, to prevent infiltration of taliban operatives. the militants have already encircled a number of cities. they're already in the outskirts of sun, but what they have managed to capture around half of all territory, they haven't been able to take hold of any major urban centre. the last few days, there has been a little in the fighting, but now the festival is over, the pace of fighting unfortunately seems to be picking up again. it seems the next few months until we get to the colder winter, fighting is going to keep increasing. there is also increasing concern about what's been going on inside those territories that the taliban have taken hold of. human rights watch ways and concern along the border of pakistan —— raising concern. a hundred civilians being killed, executed by the taliban for alleged links with pro—government forces. the taliban deny those allegations of. pro-government forces. the taliban deny those allegations of