Plus, could an alpine solar farm be a climate change solution?
| Biden insists on Afghanistan withdrawal deadline |
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| | | Despite calls for an extension of the deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan so evacuations from the Taliban-controlled country can continue, US President Joe Biden insists: "The sooner we finish the better." The US is "on pace" to meet the target 31 August withdrawal date, he says, and some troops have already left, according to reports. This isn’t affecting evacuations of its nationals and eligible Afghans, but the president claims they must leave due to an "acute and growing risk of an attack" by another group in the country – Islamic State. The Taliban, according to Mr Biden, "have been taking steps to help get our people out". However, this is on the backdrop of the Taliban saying Afghans shouldn’t go to Kabul airport or try to leave, working women must stay at home for now over safety fears and one Afghan journalist saying “it's unbelievable to think no place was safe for me”. Mr Biden’s resolve to leave on the agreed date came despite pressure from G7 leaders in an emergency meeting chaired by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday. They wanted more time to evacuate more people but after it was clear an extension was unlikely, Mr Johnson turned to the Taliban saying they must guarantee a safe passage for those who want to leave after 31 August. The G7 leaders from the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan have agreed a "roadmap" for engaging with the Taliban. But the Taliban have made it clear that they probably wouldn’t agree to an extension. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the G7 leaders had "agreed that it is our moral duty to help the Afghan people and to provide as much possible support as conditions will allow". So far thousands of people have been flown out of Afghanistan on relief fights but Mr Biden’s remarks were a bitter disappointment for many in Kabul, who say the mission is far from over, since it leaves them stranded, according to our White House reporter Tara McKelvey. | |
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| Double Covid vaccine protection wanes - study |
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| Although expected, protection against Covid-19 infections fades over time for anyone who has had both vaccines, according to research. The study shows protection after two jabs of the Pfizer vaccine decreased from 88% at one month to 74% at five to six months and fell from 77% to 67% at four to five months for those who have had the AstraZeneca jab. "Waning protection is to be expected and is not a reason to not get vaccinated,” says lead investigator Prof Tim Spector. Vaccines are still doing a very good job at stopping severe illness and death with Public Health England estimating that around 84,600 deaths and 23 million infections have been prevented in England so far. "Vaccines still provide high levels of protection for the majority of the population, especially against the Delta variant, so we still need as many people as possible to get fully vaccinated," adds Prof Spector. The UK is expected to begin offering some people a third Covid booster jab next month. | |
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| Rolling Stones lead tributes to drummer Charlie Watts |
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| A photograph of Charlie Watts smiling while seated behind a drum kit and a picture of a set of drums with a "closed" sign have been shared by his Rolling Stones bandmates by way of a tribute. Watts, the band’s drummer, died aged 80 in a London hospital on Tuesday, weeks after it was announced he’d miss the Rolling Stones' US tour starting next month to recover from an unspecified medical procedure. Singer Sir Mick Jagger used no words to describe Watts when he posted the photograph of him smiling with his drums on Twitter and Instagram. And neither did guitarist Keith Richards when he shared his picture of a drumkit with no one behind them. They’re just two of the many tributes that have been pouring in for the man who once said: "I don't know what showbiz is and I've never watched MTV. There are people who just play instruments, and I'm pleased to know that I'm one of them." | |
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| | | | | Madagascar is on the brink of experiencing the world's first "climate change famine", according to the United Nations, which says tens of thousands of people are already suffering "catastrophic" levels of hunger and food insecurity after four years without rain. The drought - the worst in four decades - has devastated isolated farming communities in the south of the country, leaving families to scavenge for insects to survive. "These are famine-like conditions and they're being driven by climate not conflict," said the UN World Food Programme's Shelley Thakral. The UN estimates that 30,000 people are currently experiencing the highest internationally recognised level of food insecurity - level five - and there are concerns the number affected could rise sharply as Madagascar enters the traditional "lean season" before harvest. "This is unprecedented. These people have done nothing to contribute to climate change. They don't burn fossil fuels… and yet they are bearing the brunt of climate change," said Ms Thakral. | |
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| | Andrew Harding | Africa correspondent, BBC News | |
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| | | | The crisis in Afghanistan leads many of the front pages again this morning. The Metro splashes on "Joe's no to Bojo", saying Prime Minister Boris Johnson "fails" to persuade US President Joe Biden to extend the 31 August deadline to withdraw from Afghanistan. As Mr Biden insists on that withdrawal date, the UK is scrambling to rescue more than 4,000 of its nationals and eligible Afghans by the end of the week, reports the Times. According to the Guardian, British troops will leave Kabul within "24 to 36 hours", ending evacuation efforts. The paper like many others also carries a photograph of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts who has died aged 80. The Sun splashes on the story, describing him as "the rock behind the Stones". Read the newspaper review in full here. | |
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| | | Pandemic UK self-catering holiday prices soar |
| | | | Climate Consumer 'confusion' threatens net zero homes |
| | | | Covid Smoking surge in young during first lockdown |
| | | | Beavers Consultation begins on reintroducing the mammals |
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| If you watch one thing today |
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| If you listen to one thing today |
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| If you read one thing today |
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| Need something different? |
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| Reaching the summit of all 282 mountains in Scotland within a day sounds like an impossible challenge. But one running club has done just that - with time to spare. Some of the 120 or so runners made it to not just one or two summits but 12, while others covered distances that would normally take days to walk. How was it possible? Find out here. This sounds - and looks - like something out of the future. But a video's been released showing how people could travel above 1,000km/h (600mph) through tubes in pods that use magnetic levitation. One critic says it's "hype". What do you think? Have a read and decide. And finally, people who were displaced during the partition of India in 1947 have been stepping back in time. Using virtual reality technology they’ve been able to revisit the places they thought they’d never see again. Take a look. | |
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| | | | 1944 After four years under German occupation, Paris is now free and General Charles de Gaulle - who has been living in exile in London - enters the French capital. |
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| Let us know what you think of this newsletter by emailing bbcnewsdaily@bbc.co.uk. If you’d like to recommend it to a friend, forward this email. New subscribers can sign up here. | |
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