march across afghanistan are claimed by the fighters. kandahar is under threat. u.s. troops are dispatched to kabul. ♪ laura: i'm lauren taylor. this is live from london. high voter turnout across zambia as the country decides on its president. the polls say the election is too close to call. nearly 70 dead in algeria's fire emergency as the nation begins three days of morning. >> with three months to go but for the climate conference, i'm jonah hull and ended borrow --

in edinburgh. returning their attention toward the next big crisis of our time. ♪ lauren: hello. it has been a dramatic day and afghanistan where the taliban are capturing board major targets. the city of gaza me, three hours from the capital, and the taliban's most significant price so far, hereafter the country's third-largest city. now there is fighting in afghanistan's second city, kandahar. 11 capitals have fallen. the advance seems to be heading toward kabul. the u.k. and u.s. are dispatching troops to kabul to help pull out embassy staff and civilians. we begin our coverage with charlotte bellus. charlie: charlotte: we can confirm that herat has fallen. residents, we talked to half a

dozen people who say there were taliban and all the streets in the center of town. they had come into town, pushed through, they have been trying to get into the city for a month. crossed through the front line this afternoon and they broke into the prison, they got into the police compound, they got into the governor's compound. they released all the prisoners. residents telling us that they had prisoners, one man said my relatives were in the prison and now they are in my house, and they could hear gunfire. they see us driving through fire. it is celebratory gunfire coming from the taliban. they said from what they could see, security forces seem to give up without a fight. it is a huge price, as we said, for the taliban. the third biggest city in afghanistan. and a huge loss for the government. it is the biggest city in the west. and they had tried very hard to hold onto it.

they have empowered the former governor of herat to create a local uprising movement who had worked with special forces using airstrikes to keep the taliban out. the taliban breaking through this evening. it is not the only place that the taliban are claiming. they have also claimed a province near that. we talked to journalists that say heavy fighting has been ongoing, that there are police and intelligence compounds have been captured. but there is some heavy fighting and the governor's compound. not entirely captured by the taliban, but on the cusp of going. there is also heavy fighting. that is incredibly important because it is the second biggest city in afghanistan, the birthplace of the taliban. they have been fighting incredibly hard to get in. the government has sent a lot of their most elite special forces to keep the taliban out. u.s. airstrikes have been ongoing to try and push the taliban out for at least a

month. but they managed to get into the heart of the city. we saw videos of it. communications are very poor. it is incredibly hard to stand up exactly where they are at now. i talked to some -- someone a short time ago saying heavy fighting is ongoing but it is hard to tell what the taliban controls with communications down. there is heavy fighting ongoing in four other provinces. this is not stopping -- the taliban are not stopping it. they are turning their attention no that they have claimed these other provinces, they are turning their attention to others. i'm told heavy fighting has erected in loca. in helmand, they say they think they are making inroads in the provincial capital which is essentially been under siege for about two weeks. over all of these places they are fighting, the most attention will be on kandahar city, the second-biggest city, the birthplace of the taliban. it would be a huge morale boost for the taliban to get it in the

government are fighting very hard to keep it. lauren: ongoing to violence and afghanistan the u.s. is moving three more troops. mike, what are they saying about the deployment? mike: let's break this down. there are 3000 troops being sent to protect kabul airport. that is two brigades of marines, a brigade of army. in addition to this, there are 1000 troops, a strike forces being deployed to kuwait to operate as a quick reaction. this is understood to be in case the u.s. embassy comes under attack. the quick reaction force would come to the assistance of the embassy in that case. in addition to this, there is another 1000 u.s. military personnel who will be sent to cut her -- two qatar to have the visas for the afghans who have been working with u.s. forces. the u.s. state department itself

says despite these deployments, it does not mean that the embassy in kabul is going to be closing down. >> that's not true. this is not a full evacuation. >> preparation, you. -- you said. >> is an important distinction between planning and contingency planning. right now, the embassy remains open. we will continue to have a diplomatic presence on the ground to fulfill these important functions. of course, the safety, the security, the welfare, the well-being of american citizens serving overseas is of the utmost priority to this president. of course, we are undertaking prude and contingency planning. that is what we did to lead us here today. mike: we heard a reference there as well to the fact that the u.s. had in the fact -- in the past being carrying out airstrikes. part of the problem here,

military analysts are saying, is since the u.s. evacuated from the principal military airport within afghanistan, it has lost the capability to be able to easily strike into the regions around kandahar. thereby limiting any u.s. aerial aid for the afghan forces on the ground attempting to prevent taliban from taking over kandahar. this is one of the many issues being looked at by the biden administration. president biden himself insists he does not regret his decision to withdraw, saying it is up to the afghans to resolve the situation and up to the afghan generals to repulse the taliban. lauren: mike hanna, thank you very much. international envoys, talks and go have. -- ohio have released a final statement encouraging the government to build trust and accelerate the peace process. our correspondent is there with more. reporter: it says participants

agree the peace process needs to be accelerated as a matter of great urgency on the basis of the negotiations of concrete proposals from both sides. participants called for a stop to violence and attacks immediately in and against provincial capitals and other cities in afghanistan. another point is participants reaffirmed they will not recognize any government in afghanistan that has imposed through the use of military force. there is really nothing to revelatory in this statement. frankly, it really is as it was expected to be. it does not seem like there was any major breakthrough that happened over the course of these past three days. having attended these talks, they happened behind closed doors. all of the participants were loath to speak to the press on the record about what was going on. there was not much concrete information that was given. ♪ lauren: zambians have voted for

a new leader. in an election showdown between the president and main opposition rival, looks extremely tight. a result is expected within three days. our correspondent has more. reporter: more than 7 million people were registered to vote in zambia's presidential and parliamentary elections. there was high turnout at polling stations in the capital, and of the parts of the country, in an election analysts say will be very close. the high cost of living, poverty, and unemployment are big concerns for many voters. >> we all want to see things. that is why we are braving this and everything else to come. so that we should be heard. >> if you are not working, it is quite difficult to cope with the standard of life now. yes, everything has become very expensive. it is quite challenging. reporter: there are 16 presidential candidates. the main contenders are the incumbent president and this

man, opposition leader. who is challenging him at the polls for a third time. the majority of registered voters in this election are young people. >> in the last five years or so, the people of zambia have seen life get more difficult. jobs are more difficult to obtain, businesses more difficult to do, there has been a contraction of economic activity and a contraction of opportunities for young people. this year, it appears the youth have spent -- put in a lot more time and energy to registering as voters and coming to vote because they want to be able to vote for a future that they think will be driven by the candidates that they choose. reporter: the president is accused of borrowing from international creditors to find -- find various projects. critics say that is unsustainable. zambia owes more than $12 billion to external companies

and lenders. the president is counting on winning support for his infrastructure projects, including roads and power stations. his name rival -- main rival says he has a good track record in finance and is confident he can attract investment and better managing economy. zambia's electoral commission says results are respected -- expected by sunday. it what happens after that that has many people worried. lauren: algeria is observing three days of morning. the government is appealing for international help to tackle the blazes. the algerian president says most of the fires were man-made, and 22 people have been arrested. julian wolf reports. julian: as all jerry continues to battle these were -- raging wildfires an operation is underway on the ground and from the skies.

>> we are watching the fire to prevent it from spreading further. it seems to be impossible. reporter: crews are doing everything they can with what little they have. using buckets of water, hoses, and branches, the desperation is clear. as people raced to save more homes from burning to the ground and prevent further loss of life. >> people have died, schools and houses have turned down -- burned down. villages have left their homes to take refuge. julian: the hardest hit area is a mountainous region east of the algerian capital. as many as 18 provinces are affected. >> there is a lot of damage. given that the people here live off their all of ropes, this is only the beginning of the disaster. reporter: the government has deployed the army, but dozens of soldiers were among those who

died during a rescue operation and the government is now calling for international help. the european union is lending its planes that were used to battle the wildfires in greece. algeria's prime minister has visited one of the affected regions, announcing the president's plans to compensate those who have been affected. as the country enters three days of national mourning. residents are teaming up with charity organizations to collect necessities for those injured in the hundreds of families left homeless. >> we responded to an anode's been asking to collect donations and medicines. that is what we did. i make another urgent announcement to all pharmacies. we need medicine. reporter: algeria is one of several nations battling wildfires, as record-breaking temperatures spark widespread devastation. authorities here believe many of the flames were deliberately lit.

julian wolf, al jazeera. lauren: still to come, flash floods in northern turkey kill several people just as wildfires in the south have wrought -- have been brought under control. a fresh wave of covid infections is ignored by the thousands attending the iowa state fair. ♪ >> hello there. let's start in australia. things are looking fine and dry across central and northern areas. we are expecting a few showers to kiss the coast of queensland. the on storm or two from northeastern areas of new south wales. down on the south, the sun is coming through. we could see a shower or two. a similar story for the west. plenty of cloud cover. the sunshine will break through

and the temperature is where we expect to see it for this time of year. for the wetter weather, we have to look to tasmania. we have a coastal wind warning and play. things are going to get wetter across the weekend. as we hop across the tasman sea, this is where we see the unsettled weather. north island of new zealand seeing those really wet and windy conditions. for south, there is sunshine on friday. come saturday, that does change. in wintry mix blowing and. there will be plenty of snow across the central areas. as we move to east asia, the flood risk is heightened thanks to the front pulsing those heavy rains. across china and into japan. western parts of honshu are expecting to see heavy rains. we could see some flash flooding and mudslides. ♪ >> new zealand's birds are at

risk of extinction. all with an ambition plan to -- we investigate on "al jazeera." >> frank assessments. >> this is a weapon. it is a weapon against freedom of the press, against freedom of expression, against human rights. >> in-depth analysis of the days global headlines. inside story on "al jazeera." ♪ ♪ lauren: a reminder of the top stories on "al jazeera." the taliban has seized control of ghazni, three hours from the capital, as well as herat, the third-largest city. there is fierce fighting in the

country's second-biggest city, kandahar. the pentagon is sending 3000 u.s. troops to kabul to help remove embassy staff. polls are closed in zambia after long queues of people jammed voting sessions -- voting areas into the night. it is a tight race between the president and his opposition rival. algeria is observing three days of mourning after the number of people killed in wildfires went up to 69. they are appealing for help to attack the blazes. brain has brought much-needed relief to firefighters on the greek island of evie. fires have scorched the northern half of the island. most of the blazes have subsided. the country's prime minister called the destruction the greatest ecological catastrophe greece had seen in decades. he blamed the climate crisis and said he is ready to make bold changes. a new wave of floods and

landslides has swept through turkey's northern black sea region. 11 people are dead. hundreds more have been evacuated from their homes. >> turkey is still battling natural disasters. it was on fire for weeks. now the north is out of the water. a two day downpour has taken hold of the region. a month after floods and landslides killed six people in the area. almost a dozen people have now been forced from their homes. >> we couldn't understand what was happening. week 8 -- it came in a rush and took everything. now we don't have any belongings or anything. >> floodwaters swept away vehicles and wrecked many homes and businesses. search-and-rescue crews were sent to help it. some of them were hampered by votes that had already collapsed. >> we are fighting another natural disaster.

we are in an area, we have received bad news from barton. we are trying intensely to open the roads. >> worst hit province is where several people were killed. a woman in nearby barton is also reportedly missing. rescue helicopters now try to succeed. land vehicles have failed. but the meteorologists have warned the region to raise for more rainfall. right now, nature's wrath is felt all over turkey, and more so by those who have lost everything. al jazeera, istanbul. lauren: heavy rain has triggered landslides in southern china. . several cars were buried under a slope, which collapsed near a highway. the drivers escaped unharmed. torrential rain has lashed china's province, trapping people in flooded buildings. mass evacuations have been taking place throughout the province. a cargo ship is spilling oil

into japanese waters after breaking in half. the crimson has runover -- run aground. it managed to free itself but suffered a crack which split it apart. all 21 chinese and filipino crewmembers have been rescued. the carrier weighs 40,000 tons and was carrying wood chips. officials say they are trying to contain the oil spill. the number of migrants being detained at the u.s. border with mexico has hit another record high. more than 212,000 people tried to cross in july alone. that is a 13% increase from june. phil lavelle has more from mcallen, texas. >> these are figures we have not seen here for more than 20 years. the average now every day, some 1800 migrants making that crossing. this goes completely against what joe biden said not so long ago when he told people that this was a seasonal issue, but come summer, those numbers would

dwindle. the reason he said that is because that typically is what happens. it's hot in texas. it's hot in mexico. there is a huge desert and between. it is not the kind of place people want to get stuck in. these people are still making this trip, 1800 a day. they are making it and then they are turning up, and then they are either being arrested by customs and border patrol, giving themselves up in the hope they can claim asylum. what happens then is they get put onto buses, they are transported to places like here where they have nothing more than the clothes on their back, the paperwork to show they have a case pending. go into the care of local charities. there is one there where they are given shelter, somewhere to stay. these places cannot cope either. they say they are running out of manpower, out of money. they are being hampered by covid. and it is getting out of control. this is a situation that is being pushed to the very edge and being pushed even further along. lauren: u.s. was once leaving the covid-19 vaccine race. at one point, inoculating 2

million people a day. the rates have plummeted since then, despite americans being offered incentives including free beer, donuts, and lottery tickets. here's a breakdown of the numbers. the u.s. reported 70% of adults have had at least one dose of the vaccine. missing president joe biden's target by a month. more than half of american adults have had both doses. this is not easily spread out across the country. in five states, arkansas, louisiana, wyoming, mississippi, and alabama, fewer than 40% of people have been fully vaccinated. arkansas, louisiana, and florida have reported record covid-19 hospitalizations in recent days. new infections are numbering about 118,000 a day. the highest since february. about 500 people are dying from covid-19 every day. as the new surge in fatality and cases is down to the delta variant. the vaccinations are picking up again, rising to 500,000 people daily. part of the reason may be

compulsion as more states, government agencies, and businesses make the jab compulsory. the iowa state fair is opened. it was forced to close last year because of the pandemic. the last time it was on, more than one million people attended. our correspondent has more from des moines. reporter: it is part of the state fair season here in the united states. it is the opening day of this 11 day state fair. this has been going on for over 160 years. it is just full of all sorts of tradition. last year was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. this year, against the advice of many health officials, they decided to hold the event and it could not, at a worse time given in the last couple of weeks, the delta variant has arrived in iowa. we are starting to see the beginnings of another coronavirus search in the state

-- surge in the state. the number of positive cases has gone up 50% in the last week. and just in the last week, more than 600 people were confirmed to be positive with the virus. that is the most since february. there are a lot of concerns. nevertheless, there is no mask mandate whatsoever at the fair, or anywhere in iowa. you are free to do whatever you want. most people that we've spoken to, and we have spoken to many of them, many say we have been vaccinated, we feel we are safe. others say it is personal responsibility that people need to take. others are saying that they need -- they feel that since a lot of this is held outdoors, which it is, there is a lot of natural social distancing. that's why i'm not wearing a mask because no one is within 10 feet of me. lauren: captors are battling new covid-19 -- infection numbers reached new highs in south korea. more cities in australia in the

philippines have gone into lockdown. scott highly reports from bangkok. scott: from south korea onto australia, a surge of new covid-19 cases fueled by the highly infectious delta variant has government scrambling to respond. straley's capital camera entered a one-week lockdown. the city reported its first locally transmitted case in more than a year in the australian capital territory. >> this decision is the result of a positive covid-19 case in the territory. a case that has been infectious in the community. we also have positive water detections. scott: two of australia's largest cities are also seeing high infection rates, despite weeks of being locked down. for the first time in the pandemic, south korea posted more than 2000 new daily cases earlier in the week. it led to a plea from the government for people not to travel this upcoming holiday weekend.

>> if we don't stop, coronavirus will not stop either. i would like to say to the public that we ask you to refrain from traveling. to stay at home during this liberation day holiday. scott: as many of the new cases are outside the heavily populated in politics so let area, officials are concerned of those returning to the city could bring covid-19 with them. this week, the first of more than one million rohingya refugees in bangladesh started to receive covid-19 vaccines. 20 thousand infections and 200 deaths have been recorded in the cox bazaar district, location of the refugee camps. >> we came here with happiness in our heart. we have received that. it is good to see they are treating everyone equally and managing the process lawfully. scott: they usually bustling streets of the philippine capital reduced to a trickle of traffic. only those with authorization can leave their homes. the government imposed the heavy

14 day lockdown this week, as like many of the neighboring nations, it works to stem the rapid spread of new covid-19 infections, and a spike in deaths from the virus.úçççococ■#