And it was womens semi Finals Day at wimbledon so who is through to the finals . Well bring you all the latest from the all england club. Welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. The olympic Torch Relay has reached tokyo, two weeks before the games begin. But with the Coronavirus Pandemic causing havoc to the games, the historic ceremony was very different to previous occasions. No crowds were allowed in to watch as the flame was carried on stage in a lantern and handed to the governor of tokyo, yuriko koike. And therell be no spectators at the arenas in the city hosting the bulk of olympic events. The Organising Committee has shut them out, after a State Of Emergency was declared in tokyo. Our Correspondent Mariko oi is in tokyo. The Capital Tokyo has been seeing a growing number of new infections, especially that very infectious Delta Variant, in recent days, and thats why the government last night announced their fourth State Of Emergency, starting on monday, ending on the 22nd of august, basically meaning that it covers the entire duration of the olympics. After that, we heard from the organisers that, as a result, they are not going to allow any spectators inside the stadiums, making these games the first one ever to be held behind closed doors. Of course, we knew this was going to be an olympics inaudible but he situation keeps getting more difficult inaudible but the situation keeps getting more difficult for the organisers but i guess it is not exactly surprising because of the strong public opposition but also with the State Of Emergency i guess you cant exactly tell people to stay at home but you can still go and watch the olympics. And from the Government Point of view, they were very concerned that if people go to watch some competitions and go out to a bar, that could potentially spread the virus even further. Of course, businesses argue that the financial implications of this State Of Emergency, being asked not to serve alcohol in enclosed areas, is demonstrating. But from the Government Point of view, they have been repeatedly saying they want the games to be held in a safe and secure manner and that is what they are hoping to do. Mariko oi there. President biden has defended the withdrawal of us forces from afghanistan, saying he wasnt prepared to send another generation of americans to fight there. Mr biden said washington had achieved its initial goal of punishing those who launched the September 11th attacks, but admitted the talibans growing strength caused uncertainty. Mr biden said that there was no sence in prolonging the us stay in afghanistan beyond The End of next month. In 2011, the nato allies and partners agreed that we would end our Combat Mission in 2014. In 2014, some argued one more year. So we kept fighting, we kept taking casualties. In 2015, the same and On And on. Nearly 20 years of experience has shown us that the current Security Situation only confirms that just one more Year Fighting in afghanistan is not a solution but a recipe for being there indefinitely. It is up to the afghans to make the decision about the future of their country. Our north america correspondent, david willis, says there are questions around the speed of the withdrawal. We were led to believe September The 11th would be the date but now it will be by The End of august, President Biden said today. He also made the point that the united states could no longer afford as the Human Cost no longer afford the Human Cost nor the strategic distraction of maintaining large numbers of us forces in afghanistan. He said the us had done what it sought to achieve when it went in. That was the killing of a Osama Bin Laden and the rooting out of Terrorist Cells in that country, and now, basically, it was up to the afghans to sort out what sort of country they wanted going forward. He said we could go for another year, then another year, then another year what more would we achieve . It is, of course, somewhat controversial, given the fact that now the taliban seems to be forming quite a considerable force and by all accounts may have the afghan capital, kabul, in its site imminently. What about us public opinion, david . Well, it is interesting. Support for remaining in afghanistan has been higher actually amongst democrats than it has republicans, but americans, of course, do not worry too much generally about foreign matters and i think a lot of people here have become somewhat ambivalent to what is going on overseas, especially given the problems that this country has experienced by itself domestically, in recent months and years. I think that there are signs anyway that a lot of people simply really do not care now and many would Like To see the troops come home. The chief of police in haiti has said Twenty Eight people are thought to have been involved in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on wednesday 26 colombians and two haitian americans. The acting prime minister, claudejoseph, told the bbc he believed those he called haitis oligarchs might have planned the attack. Africa has experienced its most devestating week so far of the Coronavirus Pandemic, with worse yet to come according to The World health organisation. Confirmed cases have already passed Januarys Peak and are doubling every eighteen days with deaths not far behind. Its likely that actual cases are much higher than this however, due to poor levels of testing. This comes as only about one percent of the continents earlier the Africa Director at The World health organisation, alluded to the Delta Variant in fueling increasing Case Numbers in weeks to come. As this variant spreads to more and more countries geographically, they will also take off in terms of the speed, of the increase in the number of cases. I think we are in for some weeks of a very difficult situation. Ingrid katz is an associate Faculty Director of the harvard global health institute. She gave me her assessment of the Coronavirus Situation in africa. I remain incredibly concerned about africa. We know that new cases have been increasing for over seven weeks, rising on average of 28 week upon week, and just this week alone, as wasjust indicated, has been the most dire in terms of the pandemic in africa. What countries in particular are the ones that have been hardest hit . Certainly we have the most information about south africa, where certainly the country there has been devastated. But throughout Sub Saharan Africa we are seeing cases continuing to rise. Tell me why . Because during the first wave, if you like, the pandemic around The World, it seemed, didnt it, that a lot of countries in africa did not get hit as badly as many of those countries, lets say, in europe, for example, or latin america. Yes, i think that was an interesting situation earlier On And was puzzling for many people because to be quite honest, people really thought that that would be the seat of the epidemic but fortunately for most of Sub Saharan Africa, they managed to move through that time relatively well. I think what we are seeing right now is certainly due to the Delta Variant. While it has been isolated in 16 countries, its certainly more widespread than that, and we know that the Delta Variant is 30 60 more transmissible than the prior variant, the beta variant, that was in south africa. So we know we have a tremendously transmissible virus on the continent right now and that combined with fatigue from social isolatiOn And lockdowns, is really combined to be a potent and deadly mix. And of course, very much key to all of this or key to the way out of this is the Vaccination Programme which has not seen as effective in that continent, in africa, as it has been in other areas of The World . Yes, as you mentioned, right now there really is just slightly over 1 of the entire continent has received full vaccinatiOn And even one vaccine is under 2 so we are looking at a situation where there has been gross Vaccine Inequity and we see a population of people throughout the continent that are just not getting access to the vaccine at this point. So what is the answer . Where does the Responsibility Lie in helping countries in africa who do not have access and to get it and get it quickly . Certainly, the Covax Programme from the World Health Organization is a critical piece of this. They have pledged to vaccinate a fifth of the population of lower middle income countries, by delivering about Two Billion doses by The End of the year. The us and other nations are stepping up but as of now, they are not really beginning to achieve these estimates and when you think about vaccinating countries throughout The World, we are going to need something like 11 Billion doses to fully vaccinate 70 of The World and really, right now, 85 of those doses are going to upper and upper middle income countries. Ingrid katz there. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come getting ready to hit the Dance Floor again as nightclubs in france reopen their doors for the first time in more than a year. Central london has been rocked by a series of terrorist attacks. Police say there have been many casualties, and there is growing speculation that alqaeda was responsible. Germany will be the hosts of the 2006 football world cup. They pipped the favourite, south africa, by a single vote. In south africa, the possibility of losing hadnt even been contemplated. Celebration parties were cancelled. A man entered the palace i through a downstairs window and made his way to the queens private bedroom, then he asked her for a cigarette and, on the pretext for arranging for some to be bought, summoned a footman on duty who took the man away. Cheering and applause. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change The World. Education is the only solution. This is bbc news, our main headline the Olympic Torch has arrived in tokyo two weeks before the games but organisers have said no spectators will be allowed. Brazils President Bolsonaro is under growing pressure over his handling of the covid pandemic, with protests on the street. More than 500,000 people have died with the virus in brazil The Worlds second highest Death Toll after the us. Now there fears that the highly contagious Delta Variant could also take hold. From Sao Paulo. Brazils agony. Carved into the soil. Fresh graves in Sao Paulo await the new covid dead. The virus is still reaching many here long before vaccines do. Gisildo Di Mora died of covid in mayjust hours after this picture was taken and days before he was due to get a jab. The father of five was the heart of his family. His Son Felipe joined the recent stree protests, seeking justice for his dad. For those who have come out on the streets here, this isntjust about grief and anger, its about political responsibility. They believe that many of the dead are the limbs of President Bolsonaro, his policies and his inaction as well as victims of covid 19, and the pressure on the president is growing. The focus is here, a heated parliamentary inquiry which has become must watch tv. It has already uncovered that pfizer offered to supply vaccines to the government last year and, for months, was ignored. We met the opposition senator, omaraziz, leading the enquiry. His own brother is among the dead. President bolsonaro continues to set this kind of example, not wearing a mask while thronged by diehard supporters last month. He was fined. And in the midst of a pandemic, leading a bikers rally. He insists the wheels of the economy must keep turning and says staying home is for idiots. The president actually guaranteed that covid would spread, according to pedro halal, the epidemiologist leading brazils largest study in the virus. Our president said, oh, its coming to an end, in april last year. Then he said the vaccines were not safe. The statement from the president himself were, they produced damage and they killed people and this is what needs to be said. The protesters go much further, accusing the brazilian leader of genocide. They want him out. For now, he is going nowhere, but the bereaved are hoping there will be a reckoning. Orla guerin, bbc news, brasilia. A row has broken out in spain over Meat Consumption. One Spanish Government minister suggested his fellow countrymen should eat less meat for their own health and the planets. Courtney bembridge reports. It is a country famed for its dry cured ham, chorizo and sausages. Spaniards love their meat more than any other eu country, slaughtering 17 Million pigs, cows, sheep, goats, horses and birds every year. So many spaniards were surprised to hear their consumer affairs minister, alberto garzon, saying this. Translation what would you think if i told you that l excessive Meat Consumption harms our health and also our planet . Without the planet, we have no life, without the planet we have no salaries, no economy, and we are destroying it and we have a direct impact on one of the parts that we are destroying it. We can change our diets and improve the state of the planet. His comments came underfire from, you guessed it, the Agriculture Minister who said it denigrated the work of the countrys farmers. Then the prime minister, pedro sanchez, interrupted a trip to lithuania to weight in. Translation on this | controversy, i will put it in very personal terms for me, there is nothing that beats a well done t bone steak. The average spaniard puts away more than one kilogram of meat a week and each kilogram takes around 15,000 litres of water to produce. In a country thats facing a rapid expansion of its deserts, at the very least it is food for thought. Courtney bembridge, bbc news. The Tennis Player Naomi Osaka has asked for Privacy And Empathy when she returns to competing. Earlier this year she withdrew from the French Open saying her Mental Health had to take priority. The 23 year old said she felt pressure to disclose her symptoms in order to be believed by some parts of the press. Lets cross live to melbourne in Australia And Talk to Dr Noel Blundell a Sports Psychologist who works with olympians. Thank you so much for talking to us. What kind of pressure do you think Tennis Players face thatis you think Tennis Players face that is unique to them and is different to what other championship sportspeople May Sufferfrom . I championship sportspeople may suffer from . Suffer from . I think there are Uuite A suffer from . I think there are quite a few suffer from . I think there are quite a few similarities suffer from . I think there are quite a few similarities but i i quite a few similarities but i think the fact that it is such an individual sport, certainly increases the amount of which they are under and they are also required to do Media Interviews after matches and so on, so add that to the enormous amount of money and so on thats involved in the sport, and the international travel involved, its not difficult to see how pressure can really build, especially when the athletes are not performing exactly to the level they would Like To. ,. ,. ,. , Like To. Given the amount of pressure Like To. Given the amount of pressure and Like To. Given the amount of pressure and the Like To. Given the amount of pressure and the amount. Like to. Given the amount of pressure and the amount of| pressure and the amount of money and all those issues youve talked about, it surprises me this hasnt happened before, but there havent been other Tennis Players have said, look, i need to take Time Out from all this. I think itjust hasnt come to the fore but i think what really accelerated the process was the trauma that naomi went through in the ceremony, in the match against serena williams, in the Us Open, where she was booed by the crowd, the whole circumstance was incredibly traumatic, way more than many other Sporting Event i would have thought in the trauma associated with that clearly trigger the response from naomi, and you would be very surprised if Something Hadnt occurred as a result of the trauma that went On And that Us Open final that was televised through The World. Im open final that was televised through The World. Open final that was televised through The World. Im not sure if ou through The World. Im not sure if you saw through The World. Im not sure if you saw the through The World. Im not sure if you saw the british through The World. Im not sure if you saw the british tennis if you saw the british Tennis Player at wimbledon, if you saw the british Tennis Playerat wimbledon, Emma Player at wimbledon, emma raducanu, playerat wimbledon, emma raducanu, who was playing and had to leave the court. For an 18 yearagain, a had to leave the court. For an 18 year again, a lot of usher in the sport of tennis. How potent is the team around the player at times like this . It is absolutely critical. This is where the answer lies, whether it is naomi or the young british lady, its important they have the right support but they have the right support but they get psychological assistance where required, given media training, so they can understand the media, whats the purpose, be able to create a perspective in terms of what this Media Event is about, and i think someone who does a fantasticjob, and im a bit biased, but i think that Ash Barty is someone who is very self confident, has a clear perspective of, what it means, this is me, im very comfortable with myself, and i hope you enjoy my interview. If you dont, that is your choice. And even she left tennis for a little while to play cricket, i believe. And she came back to The World of tennis. The way, she had a bit of a breakfrom it. She had a bit of a break from it. ~ , y it. Absolutely it did, it wasnt it. Absolutely it did, it wasnt the it. Absolutely it did, it wasnt the result it. Absolutely it did, it wasnt the result of i it. Absolutely it did, it | wasnt the result of the it. Absolutely it did, it wasnt the result of the media but for other reasons, taking a break from her, but for other reasons, Taking A Breakfrom her, put it but for other reasons, taking a break from her, put it this way, if she hadnt taken that rate, ash would be not playing right now but to her credit, she took the time, she used it well, and when she was ready, she came back to play and we are seeing the real Ash Barty from a professional perspective but also a personal perspective which is a pleasure. Qm. But also a personal perspective which is a pleasure. Which is a pleasure. Ok, its been good which is a pleasure. Ok, its been good to which is a pleasure. Ok, its been good to talk which is a pleasure. Ok, its been good to talk to which is a pleasure. Ok, its been good to talk to you, i been good to talk to you, doctor noel blondel, thank you for giving us your insights into The Worlds of sport psychology. Thank you. Thank you very much, pleasure. Friday will be a Big Day for many people in france as nightclubs will be allowed to re open. For nearly eighteen months ever since the pandemic began theyve had to remain shut. But not all clubs will be re opening their doors. Just a warning this report from the bbc� s Tim Allman contains flashing images. Back where he belongs, Dj Vinz behind the decks at Le Duplex in paris. No one is dancing yet but it is only a matter of time. Soon this nightclub will be full, or at least mostly full, of party goers. It is going to be a special night, he says. Its always great to see people so we are really looking forward to it. This was Le Duplex before the pandemic, a hotspot on the Paris Nightclub scene, its owners desperate to get the party started as soon as possible. Translation | think what matters most is to open, making profit it is important but it will be secondary. I think were really eager for this wind of freedom because we know that, maybe, in august or september, we may be told to close our doors again. Its believed only around a quarter of clubs will actually reopen, and only then with reduced capacity. The Trade Body that represents the industry says around 400 nightclubs have been forced to close permanently or are in deep financial trouble and this Grand Reopening coincides with the spread of the Delta Variant. Translation so its true that the timing is probably not the best, because we still have a very high incidence rate, and insufficient vaccination rate, so we consider that our businesses will not be ready from a health standpoint. Anyone hoping to get in will need proof of vaccination or a recent negative test but as one potential customer put it, we havent had fun in a long time, and we need to have one. It is all we have time for, thank you so much for watching bbc news. Hello there. The next few days look pretty unsettled, with low pressure always nearby, so were likely to see sunshine and showers notjust for friday, but into the weekend and into the start of next week, too. So, for today, these showers will be heavy, much like they were on thursday, and youll see on the Pressure Charts were in between systems, and theres barely any isobars, so the winds are light and the showers will be slow moving again. So, quite a bit of cloud to start this morning, particularly across scotland, where well see some patchy rain in the north east. The sunshine will get going, though, the best of it in central and eastern areas and this is where well see most of the heavy showers into the afternoon, again, some with Hail And Thunder mixed in. An area of more persistent rain will push into the South West later in the day. Temperature wise, 20 24 celsius. Now, for wimbledon for friday and into the weekend, therell be a lot of dry weather around with some sunshine, but theres always the chance of catching a heavy shower. Now, as we move through friday night, those heavy showers across central and eastern areas will tend to fade away, many places will turn dry with variable cloud and clear spells. So, for this weekend, again, its one of sunny spells and scattered showers, though well have that area of rain across southern areas for a while, but that will clear away during the course of saturday, then all areas will see sunny spells and showers. That area of rain could bring some persistent, fairly Heavy Rain to central and Southern England through the morning, eventually clearing away. Elsewhere, after a rather cloudy start, the sunshine will appear, and then, these showers will get going and again, some of them will be heavy with some Hail And Thunder, theyll be relatively slow moving. Temperature wise, 17 22 celsius. As we move out of saturday into sunday, a new area of low pressure pushes into Western Parts of the Uk Thatll bring enhanced showers to the northern and western areas in particular. Again, some of them will be heavy and merge together to produce longer spells of rain in places. Probably the better area to see the driest conditions will be central and eastern parts of england, where well see the best temperatures, 22 23 celsius otherwise, the high teens further north and west. Very unsettled into the start of next week, as well, particularly england and wales could see some very wet weatherfor a while. Then from midweek onwards, it looks like High Pressure wants to build in. Thatll settle things down with increasing sunshine. This is bbc news. These are the latest headlines as the Olympic Torch arrives in tokyo, the japanese government has said that spectators will not be allowed to attend events at venues in the capital. The government is placing tokyo under a new State Of Emergency from next week because of rising coronavirus infections. President biden has defended the withdrawal of us forces from afghanistan at The End of august, saying he could not send another generation of americans to fight there. Mr biden said washington had achieved its initial goal of punishing the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks, but he admitted there was uncertainty with the taliban continuing to gain ground. A row has broken out in spain over Meat Consumption after One Spanish Government minister suggested his fellow countrymen should eat less meat for their own health and the planets. Now on bbc news, panorama follows companies on the Brexit Frontline as they navigate their way through britains new Trading Relationship with europe. The government says there will be bumps along the road to brexit success. Every single box needs to be opened, so every single product needs to be labelled. So what are those bumps like for people in the most affected industries . So were seeing lots i of administration fees, extra costs being i added onto invoices. Weve been following Uk Businesses at the sharp end of brexit. Paperwork