New Daily Covid cases hit a six month high as more than half A Million people in england and wales are pinged by the Nhs App and told to self isolate. A long awaited Report Calls for a tax on Sugar And Salt to try to encourage healthy eating but Prime Minister appears to pour cold water on the idea. And coming up in the sport on the Bbc News channel, team gbs womens Football Side Name three captains who will rotate the leadership as they head for the tokyo olympics. Good evening. At least 65 people have been killed in germany after Record Rainfall triggered Flash Flooding the worst in living memory. Many are still missing. As rivers burst their banks homes, roads, cars were all swept away. Thousands have had to leave their homes. The german Chacellor Anglea Merkel said she was shocked by the disaster, calling it a tragedy for the Nation Belgium has also been badly affected at least 8 have died including a 15 year old girl who was swept away. Residents in liege have been ordered to evacuate. Theres been flooding too in the netherlands. Our Europe Correspondentjenny Hill is Western Germany in the village of Schuld One of the worst Hit Areas jenny. Jenny. Yes, tonight this region is ust jenny. Yes, tonight this region is just devastated. Jenny. Yes, tonight this region is just devastated. We jenny. Yes, tonight this region is just devastated. We are jenny. Yes, tonight this region is just devastated. We are on jenny. Yes, tonight this region is just devastated. We are on the i jenny. Yes, tonight this region is just devastated. We are on the banks of the River Ahr and you can see the destruction. The magnitude of the disaster is becoming clearer, the Death Toll here in West Germany now stands at nearly 60, other people are still missing. These are the worst floods in postwar german History And Today Angela Merkel, speaking from washington, described him as a catastrophe. There was, many here told us, no warning. Homes destroyed, lives lost, in a matter of minutes, the water ripped up the roads, tossed because aside like toys. Tossed cars aside like toys. We met margaretta just as she arrived back in the village of schuld. She and her family fled last night. At the very last minute, she says, a fireman Got us out. The family are safe, though her son was injured. He is in hospital. Margaretta points out what once was her neighbours house, but says she does not know what to them. What happened to them. As to her own property, half the house has Gone. Her daughter tells us. It has been a devastating 2a hours, for West Germany, but for belgium and the netherlands, too. Rooftop rescues, people dragged to safety, the water, a deadly torrent, Destroying Houses and engulfing neighbourhoods. Smashing homes, like matchboxes. Almost 60 people have died in West Germany alone, others are still missing. Armin laschet, who may succeed Angela Merkel as germanys next chancellor, said there was no doubt this was the result of Climate Change. Translation we will be confronted with such events, again and again and this means that we need more speed in climate protection measures, european, nationwide, worldwide. In schuld, they are still in shock. Michal and his friend had just finished refurbishing their pub, they were supposed to open on saturday. Translation it is unreal, unbelievable. I still cannot take on what i am saying here. Unbelievable. Better news for their neighbours dog, whom they managed to pull to safety, just in time last night. Was a quiet, village street. What is worrying people now is that there is more Rain Forecast this evening. What will happen, they are asking, when the Water Levels rise again . For now, homeless and fearful, they mourn their dead and wait, anxiously. Jenny hill, Bbc News, schuld. Our Weather Presenter Darren Bett is here what caused these Flash Floods and is it part of long Term Trend . You remember the flooding in london, it is linked to the same system. Let me show you the radar picture, you can say have the right developed and stopped in the same place, across Western Parts of germany there were three Months Worth of rain in just 24 three Months Worth of rain in just 2a hours, hardly surprising we have had these devastating floods. It is linked to the Jet Stream and that is the pattern we had, undulating Jet Stream, a slow moving cut of area of low pressure across germany which just developed the ring and kept it Going. That area of low pressure also tapped into some Temperature Contrasts that we have seen across europe, drawing on some warm and muqqy europe, drawing on some Warm And Muggy airfrom the europe, drawing on some Warm And Muggy air from the mediterranean. Now to the climate question, the physics says that warmer air is Going to hold more moisture that means more rain and we will find more extreme rainfall events. Interestingly, the Climate Scientists were also studying the impact of Climate Change on the Jet Stream. Does it make it more undulating . Does it slow the weather down and allow those extreme events to develop which links us back not just for the rain we have seen in western europe, but to the Heat Wave that we had in the North West, and North Western parts of the usa and canada. Coronavirus cases have risen sharply again across the uk with the highest daily figure for six months. 48,553 new infections were recorded in the latest 24 hour period, taking the average per day in the past week to 37,405. 3,786 people are in hospital with covid the highest number since The End of march. 63 deaths were recorded in the last 2a hours again the highest daily figure since The End of march. More than 46 Million people have had theirfirstjab, thatsjust over 87. 5 percent of uk adults. And almost 35 and half million just over 67 percent of all adults are fully vaccinated. The number of people being told to self isolate in england and wales by The Nhs Test And Trace app has risen sharply more than half A Million people were pinged last week. Its causing significant disruption to some workplaces including at nissan which has said that production at the uks biggest Car Plant in sunderland has been affected. Our Health Editor Hugh pym has the latest. Looking forward to better weather and restrictions easing in england next monday, but with cases Going up, more people are having to change plans because theyve been told to self isolate. More are being pinged by the Nhs App if theyve come into contact with someone who tested positive, and thats affecting the wider economy. The Car Maker nissan, for example, saying that production at its Sunderland Plant has been affected, with reports that more than 10 of the workforce are self isolating. Hello, take a seat. And its affecting The Nhs. This Gp Practice in sheffield might have to close with four staff members unable to work because of isolation requirements. Those rules will change in Mid August for anyone double jabbed, but doctors say that should happen now. It seems ridiculous to us that we have staff who are double vaccinated you know, i had my first vaccine before christmas, weve been vaccinated for months and yet, theyre not able to come to work. In the first week ofjuly, more than 520,000 alerts were sent to users of the app in england, telling them to self isolate, up 46 on the previous week. That reflects the recent increase in cases. In the same week, just over 194,000 tested positive at least once, up 43 and the highest since january. As infections spread, the Test And Trace system has come under pressure. There have been anecdotal reports of delays getting bookings. Performance figures have fallen with more than a third in england not getting results back within 2a hours of visiting a community testing site. With flu as well as covid expected this winter, leading scientists have advised ministers to start planning ahead now. In the autumn, well have a lot more people getting symptoms of respiratory infections. So, that means youve Got to have adequate capacity in the Test And Trace programme. And last year, if you remember, there were problems in the autumn when there wasnt enough capacity, and we know now theres a big demand on that. Across the uk, theres a push to get more people vaccinated including here in birmingham. Scottish officials have advised that foreign travel will be difficult without being jabbed. All this as ministers in Northern Ireland said case increases were concerning and made another appeal to younger adults to get the vaccine. Hugh pym, Bbc News. The united nations says the situation unfolding across afghanistan is a humanitarian catastrophe and one of the worst crises in the world. More than 3000 civilians were killed last year for the seventh year in a row. Around 18 Million people, more than half the country s population, are in urgent need of life saving support. Us led forces ousted the taliban from power in afghanistan in 2001 but now the foreign troops including british soldiers are being withdrawn. Its led to a sharp surge in fighting between the taliban and the Afghan Army as the taliban continues to take back more ground. 0ur Correspondent Yogita Limaye and her team have sent this report from the city of kunduz where people are fleeing taliban violence. Decades of suffering that has now become even more brutal. In kunduz city, besieged by the taliban, tens of thousands of afghans who have fled a surge in violence. Running from bullets and bombs. Caught between insurgents and Government forces. Scared, hungry and homeless. In 45 degrees heat. People rushed to us. To tell us their stories. Its nearly impossible to count how many they have lost. This woman said six of her family were killed a few weeks aGo. Including her husband and four sons. War is devastating people across the country, as the taliban gained more territory every day and foreign forces leave. This womans husband and three children were killed when a Mortar Hit their home. She is malnourished, she said. Her other son barely speaks. He has shrapnel injuries and struggles to walk. They are among hundreds here who have had to run for their lives more than once. This woman fled from her rural district to this area of kunduz city. That, too, Got bombed. All of her three sons were killed. We went to the area where she fled from. We saw signs of Battle And Evidence that a part of the city is no longer under the control of the soldiers. This is the position of the afghan Government forces and then, just across the bridge, on the other side there, is territory controlled by the taliban. We are in the city of kunduz, but in recent weeks, this has become a front line. The spaces that people can run to for safety are shrinking every day here. The critical Care Unit of the Kunduz Hospital was full of the war wounded. Many simply are not able to get here. Abdul was caught up in an explosion when he went to get fodder for his familys Goats. 14 years old, he has lost a hand and has serious injuries to his abdomen and leg. This patient, his condition is really, really poor. This six year old girl has a bullet lodged in her spine. Hit as she and her family ran into their home to hide when a Gun Battle broke out. So, the bullet is still lodged inside the spine . Yeah. She will survive, the doctor told me, but she will not be able to walk. Even the hospital was hit by mortars a few days aGo, he told me. More than half of afghanistans people need immediate Aid Tojust survive. Many here feel abandoned by the Government and departing foreign troops. Outside the camp, anotherfamily arrived. There was no space for them. Even the fragile safety of a basic tent is hard to find. The picture is bleak. The un has issued a stark warning what can be done . The hope is there will be a political solution to the crisis. This week we have seen some steps in that direction with a Renewed Push for talks between the afghan Government and the telephone in doha. Senior politicians from the afghan Government are Going to Go hard to engage in neGotiations, and the expectation is that senior leaders from the taliban will also be there. Of course, there is a big question about whether there can be a Power Sharing Agreement between these two sides, which are virtually at war with each other in more than half of this countrys provinces. Lots of other questions, you know, what would a transitional Government look like . What with the constitution of this country look like . Even more fundamentally, would elections be allowed to be held in this country . And when you talk to people here, theirfear is this country . And when you talk to people here, their fear is that if an agreement is not reached in those talks before the 31st of august, when all foreign troops depart, they fear that a Civil War could break out in this country, or the taliban can seize control of this country. And the gains that have been made in 20 years, elections have been held multiple times in this country, there have been advances in womens rights, that all of that could be undone very quickly. And so the question they are asking is, all of the efforts that were put in for 20 years, what would they amount to if they were so fragile that they could be undone very quickly . They were so fragile that they could be undone very quickly . Borisjohnson appears to have poured cold water on a Proposal Calling for a tax on Sugar And Salt to help tackle obesity. The national food strategy� s independent report says such a tax would encourage manufacturers to make their products healthier. Currently around two thirds of adults are above a healthy weight and of these half are living with obesity. 1 in 3 children leaving Primary School are overweight. Poor diet contributes to 64,000 deaths a year in england alone. Before the pandemic, Obesity Related Illnesses accounted for about 5 of nhs englands annual spend. The Government says it will closely look at the findings of Todays Report but the Prime Minister says he is not attracted to extra taxes on hard working people. 0ur North of England Correspondent Danny savage has more. Too many of us dont eat the right food. Again, were being told to change our diet, to improve our health and save the planet. From now on, we are Going to hear more about social prescriptions. Here on merseyside, doctors refer patients to a charity which hands out healthy Food And Advice on better living. So, what we are aiming to do is reduce gp consultations, to reduce hospitalisations, and to try and tackle, in a holistic way, how to help people improve their health and well being. Maureen is one person who has benefited from this social prescription service. I could pay for it, but it means something else has to Go and it means we Go In The Red instead of staying in the black and i cannot cope with the worry of being In The Red. This new report says our reliance on processed food contributes to tens of thousands of deaths a year. We, as a Nation Love this sort of food, it has ingredients to make them irresistible. But Todays Review says weve Got to eat less of it and get out of the junkfood cycle. That is nothing new, but are we finally prepared to make that change . Some argued the recent Sugar Tax on soft drinks did work, it made manufacturers put less sugar in their products. Now a tax on Salt And Sugar in food is being suggested. But borisjohnson says he is not attracted to a greater Tax Burden on consumers. Neither is the food industry. Not only will it not encourage companies to reformulate, more importantly it will add, its estimated, £180 to the price of the average shopping basket. Its time to take Food Education seriously as well, says the report. Andrew hartshorn teaches Food Tech in coventry. Pupils call him chef, not sir. 0ne Young Lad said, you dont put Rubbish Petrol in a ferrari, do you . I thought that summed it up. We have to respect the amazing bodies we have and that is why it is so important we give our young people the tools to make the right choices. Because when you do give them the tools, most of the time they do make brilliant choices. A big part of Todays Report addresses farming. It says too much land is used for livestock to produce meat. They are just about to be finished, before they Go off for processing. These are Beef Cattle . Yeah, these are Beef Cattle. It recommends our Meat Consumption is cut by 30 within a decade. I think they will be hugely sceptical. I think a lot of farmers will stand behind the eat less, but eat better. I think that is something we can do in the uk. We are net food importers, so all farmers will be looking at, are you Going to apply this to the imports . This is potentially a future Government policy. It could be the start of a huge change in our lives. Danny savage, Bbc News. The south african Government says it plans to deploy 25,000 troops after days of looting and violence. Clashes were sparked by the jailing of the former president , jacob zuma, who had refused to appear at a corruption inquiry. At least 117 people have died and more than 2,000 have been arrested in the countrys worst unrest in years. The Prime Minister has set out some more details of the Governments plan to level up the uk insisting it would be a Win Win for everyone. In a speech in Coventry Boris Johnson promised more powers outside london and the South East of england and said deprived areas would benefit from more investment in education, infrastructure and regeneration. But labour described his speech as gibberish. With more, heres our political correspondent alex forsyth. The Prime Ministers long promised a drive to tackle inequality across the country. Its a pledge he cant afford to break, and at this Battery Centre in coventry today, he tried to spell out his vision. We dont want to level down, we dont want to decapitate the tall poppies. We dont think you can make the poor parts of the country richer by making the rich parts of the country poorer. That was an attempt to reassure tories in the south, worried politicalfocus has shifted further north. He said investment across the board was vital, in public services, transport, towns, even football pitches. Youve painted a pretty clear Picture Today about the impact of an unbalanced economy. Where is the clear strategy . I do think that, in all fairness, there was at least the skeleton of what to do. Youve Got to restore a local sense of pride, and Ambition And Self expectation. Half an hour down the road, nuneaton is one of the towns receiving money to regenerate. Like many, it bears the scars of recent decline, made worse by the pandemic. Shop ownerjo says any Boost Cant come too soon. The need to start doing it, and not just putting a plaster on it. I mean, its all right Tojust Patch it up and move on, and then somebody else take over, its Got to be a 20 30 year plan. At this local Training Centre for young job seekers, investment in skills and business is welcome. But they say there is no simple answer to the complex problems young people face. I must have applied for about 60 jobs in a month, two months, i and you rarely hear back from anyone. | its really on a Knife Edge for a lot of people, and i think the Government really does need to understand the severity of these barriers, and, the day to day issues. Get out on the streets and see whats happening. The Prime Minister said he wanted to hand powers from westminster to local leaders, who know their communities, an idea broadly welcomed, but, like much of this, the devil will be in the detail. Borisjohnson� s made big promises to improve peoples lives across the country and, politically, hes Got a Lot Riding on it. The labour leader, in blackpool, working on his own offer for the country, said the plan lacks substance. There is inequality, regional inequality across the country. The prime Minister Cant Look at that and pretend it suddenly happened and its not on his watch. Back in nuneaton, the measure of success for many may be whether they feel a Material Difference in their own lives. Alex forsyth, Bbc News, warwickshire. The England Footballer Bukayo saka has criticised the Social Media giants instagram, Twitter And Facebook for not doing enough to stop racist and abusive messages on their platorms. In his first public comments since missing a penalty at the euro 2020 final he thanked people for all their support but said he hoped no one would receive the kind of hateful and hurtful messages that he and his teammates were sent after the defeat. The Information Commissioner has seized Computer Equipment after two homes were searched in connection with leaked Cctv Footage that led to Matt Hancock resigning as health secretary. Mr hancock stood down after the release of the footage by the Sun Newspaper showing him kissing his aide in his office, in breach of covid rules. Police are hunting the driver of a stolen car who hit several vehicles and injured two officers before ending up driving. Along Railway Tracks at Ches Unt in hertfordshire, causing major disturption to train services. Golf, and the 0pen� s underway at Royal St georges in kent. More than 30,000 spectators have been allowed into the event. Former open champion Louis 0osthuizen is the early leader having shot a 6 under par 64. Andy swiss has been watching the days play. Morning, everybody. Have your Qr Code on your ticket. What is a little bit of queueing when you have waited two years . After being postponed by the pandemic, finally the fans flocked to sandwich. The crowd, limited to 32,000, but under Blue Skies the excitement was boundless. Yeah, i think we all miss being back at Golf. Lovely day for it. Really looking forward to the day. Its great. Very special. The weather is out and the Sun Is Shining for us. So its wonderful. Good conditions for watching, then. And not bad for playing, either, as a couple of former champions proved. South africas Louis 0osthuizen leading the way on six under par, closely pursued by americasjordan spieth as he rolled his way into contention. And a cluster of english players, including danny willett, are right there in the chasing pack. Well, this course, with its thick rough and its humps and bumps is always the sternest of tests. And whilst some players rose to the challenge, others found things a little trickier. As ever, Rory Mcilroy was one of the biggest draws. But after a fine start, his round veered into the vegetation. Keep an eye on this one. He is six shots off the pace, while big Hitting Bryson Dechambeau is seven back, after he also took the scenic route. It was hard work. Not so much a Golf-club'>Golf Club is a garden strimmer. Instead, this was the way to do it. Will zalatoris with a contender for shot of the day. If only it was always that simple. Andy swiss, Bbc News, sandwich. Thats it from us. Good night. Hello there. We Got quite a long spell of settled weather coming our way as we look at the weather for the rest of the week, the weekend even into the early stage of next week. Sunshine today in the highlands looking lovely there in cromarty, and it has been across the North And West that weve seen the best of the Days Sunshine but overnight tonight, i think it will turn a little bit cloudier for North West scotland and for Northern Ireland and its one of those nights thats Going to be quite warm for sleeping. These are the minimum temperatures by The End of the night 15 there in belfast and in liverpool as well. So, quite a warm start to the day on friday. Much more in the way of sunshine for central and eastern england but a bit more cloud for the North West of scotland, could bring an odd Passing Spot of rain. For most of us though, its a fine and sunny day, temperatures a little bit higher generally. 24 in aberdeen, 23 for belfast but 26s for birmingham, cardiff and for london. The fine, sunny weather for most of us staying throughout the weekend. Its getting hotter and by sunday, we could see temperatures in the south reach 30 celsius. Thats your latest weather. This is Bbc News, the headlines. In Western Germany, at least 58 people including two firefighters have died and many more are missing after extensive flooding. The chancellor, Angela Merkel, called it a catastrophe, linking the events to Climate Change. Theres also flooding in neighbouring netherlands and in belgium where nine people have died. The mayor of the city of liege has asked some people to evacuate where they can. More rain is forecast. In south africa, 25 Thousand troops have been deployed on the streets to contain 7 days of unrest sparked by the jailing of former president jacob zuma. 117 people are now known to have died in the unrest. Germanys chancellor Angela Merkel has been in washington before she leaves office later this year. Since she came to power in 2005, Angela Merkel has held meetings with 4 us president s