Top story: US troops fire into air to control airport scramble
Morning everyone. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories this morning.
The Taliban has declared that the 20-year war in Afghanistan is “over” after overrunning Kabul, prompting the UK, US and other foreign powers into a desperate scramble to evacuate citizens and staff from the conquered capital. Amid chaotic scenes this morning, hundreds of Afghans and foreign nationals were seen surging on to the tarmac at the city’s international airport as they sought the only way out of the country in the wake of the Islamist insurgents’ stunning takeover. US troops controlling operations at the airport have been forced to fire in the air as people try to board planes, reports said. All commercial flights have been suspended. British paratroopers have arrived in Kabul to help evacuate the estimated 4,000 UK nationals and eligible Afghans left in the city. The country’s president, Ashraf Ghani, has reportedly fled abroad after saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Follow live updates of the situation here.
It leaves the Taliban’s political leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, in complete control after 20 years of western occupation. The militants have promised “dialogue to address the concerns of the international community” but many Afghans are fearful of reprisals and the return of fundamentalist rule. One woman writes from Kabul that she sees the “fearful faces of women and ugly faces of men who hate women”. With growing disquiet in the US about how Joe Biden’s announcement of a troop withdrawal in April led so rapidly to Taliban reconquest, secretary of state Anthony Blinken rejected comparisons with America’s humiliating exit from Vietnam in 1975 and said that talks with the militants were ongoing. The Pentagon’s top general has warned that the return of the Taliban could lead to a resurgence in international terrorism. Boris Johnson has recalled parliament to discuss the crisis while urging international unity against the Taliban.
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Vaccine supply ‘neocolonial’ – Gordon Brown has accused the European Union of adopting a “neocolonial approach” to the supply of Covid-19 vaccines and demanded rich western nations relinquish their stranglehold on pandemic treatments. The former prime minister has called on Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and Mario Draghi to convene a summit to coincide with next month’s UN general assembly in New York to address Africa’s vaccine deficit. Writing in the Guardian, Brown said it was shocking that that about 10m single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines produced at a factory in South Africa were being exported to the EU instead of helping African countries meet their modest targets for pandemic jabs. It comes as the government said that all 16- and 17-year-olds in England will be offered a first dose by next Monday, and a top US health official said unvaccinated people are “sitting ducks”. A thinktank says today that home working during Covid has caused an “epidemic of hidden overtime” that particularly affects women.
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Haiti toll rises – The death toll from Saturday’s earthquake in Haiti has risen to almost 1,300 with more than 5,700 also injured in the destruction. The widespread damage could worsen by early next week, with tropical storm Grace predicted to reach Haiti later on today or early tomorrow, bringing torrential rains. The worst-hit region was the epicentre in the country’s southern peninsula where towns such as Jérémie and Les Cayes have been pulverised. The disaster comes as Haitians grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and a wave of gang violence.
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Tout target – The competition watchdog is recommending a crackdown on ticket resale websites such as Viagogo and StubHub in an effort to protect fans. The Competition and Markets Authority says the existing laws are too weak and is proposing that sites should be hit by large fines or even shut down if they are found to break consumer protection rules. The sites have been revealed to offer specialist tools to help touts do business and harvest tickets, pushing up prices.
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Climate complaint – Lord Deben, the government’s independent climate adviser, says Boris Johnson’s delay in publishing the net zero emissions strategy has left a space for climate sceptics to “complain, attack and undermine” on cost grounds. He added that other countries needed more “proper leadership” from the UK before the Cop26 summit in Glasgow later this year.
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Bridal court fight – A court will this week announce its judgment in a landmark case that could bring part of UK law into line with sharia law’s position on “bride price” payments. Nazma Quraysha Brishty is suing her ex-husband and his family for full payment of her mahr, or bridal payment, after the mutually agreed, arranged marriage ended in divorce. The case, which is backed by a women’s charity, could overturn years of legal precedent in the UK.
Today in Focus podcast: After having Covid in ICU
Karl Gray, a 60-year-old Salvation Army minister from north London is reunited for today’s podcast with Dr Susan Jain, an intensive care consultant who helped save his life.
Lunchtime read: Clive Myrie takes on Mastermind
As BBC newsreader Clive Myrie takes over as host of Mastermind, he tells Sam Wollaston about fighting for viewers, dealing with online abuse – and making his parents proud.
Sport
England will aim to restrict India to a lead of less than 220 on the pivotal fifth day of the second Test, according to the all-rounder Moeen Ali. Tottenham sprung the first surprise result of the new Premier League season by beating defending champions Manchester City 1-0 at home thanks to a goal by Son Heung-min. Spurs’ aggression and intent rendered the absence of Harry Kane irrelevant, and overshadowed the City league debut of £100m-man Jack Grealish. Virgil van Dijk says his return to action for Liverpool this summer has felt “very emotional and very tough”, and that he has jumped a mental hurdle after recovering from 10 months out with anterior cruciate ligament damage. At first glance Gerd Müller’s work was underwhelming – until you realise the late Bayern Munich and West Germany striker was doing it every week, season after season. Barcelona’s new post-Lionel Messi era opened with a 4-2 victory over Real Sociedad. Roger Federer is going to miss the US Open and be sidelined for what he said will be “many months” because he needs a third operation on his right knee.
Business
UK house prices have fallen this month as demand for bigger properties eased after the government scaled back its stamp duty tax break for buyers in England and Northern Ireland. Rightmove said the national average asking price of a home had fallen by 0.3% to £337,371 but demand for smaller properties was still strong. The FTSE100 is set to shed 0.4% this morning, while the pound is on $1.386 and €1.175.
The papers
The Guardian front page has the headline “The fall of Kabul” over a picture of Taliban fighters on a day when all the papers lead with the same grim story. The Times says “Triumphant Taliban take Kabul as president flees” and the Telegraph has “The West flees as Kabul falls to Taliban”. The FT splash head reads “Taliban on brink of taking over Afghanistan as president flees”, the i says “Taliban rule returns to Afghanistan” and the Scotsman reads “Exodus begins as Kabul falls”. The Herald in Scotland says “World holds its breath as Taliban take Afghanistan”.
Other papers go for a more UK-focused angle such as the Mirror with “Paras in to save 6,000 Brits”, the Sun’s “Escape from Kabul” and Express’s “Britons flee as Afghanistan falls”. The Mail says the families of the 457 British personnel who have died in the 20-year war will be asking “What the hell did they all die for?”.
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