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and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc world news". ♪ ross: hello, i'm ross atkins with "open source." and the taliban -- and afghanistan the taliban has announced a caretaker government. we learned this at a news conference. >> [indiscernible] will be the caretaker of ministers. >> a report from germany gearing up for a general election without angela merkel, the party she has led for 30 years is struggling to make an impact. huge demonstrations in brazil on independent day, primarily by

supporters of resident bolsonaro . tens of thousands of those supporters have taken to the streets, supporting their man and accusing other branches of government, supreme court and congress, of persecuting the president. the taliban has started to give details of the caretaker government they will introduce in afghanistan, it took control three weeks ago and now it has been naming ministers as art of steps towards forming full government. here's some of what the spokesperson said earlier. >> until now it is a caretaker covenant. to be in charge of what we are doing today. we will have important governmental institutions. how we will decide to include

people, how we will decide to bring people into the government , it will all be according to the law and the rules. ross: here are the top names. they are familiar, to be honest, if you have been following the taliban in recent years. led by the founder of the group, head of the leadership counc for 20 years with two deputies, another founder of the taliban, along with their political leader and most public face. the her deputy was there when they set up the political office in qatar. haqqani was named as the interior minister and leader of the offshoot network leading terror attacks on u.s. forces. and then there is the acting defense minister. as you can see, we don't know what he looks like we know he is the center -- the son of mullah

omar. we should say that everything is overseen by the taliban's supreme leader. he hasn't been named in the caretaker government but has ultimate authority over the taliban and has in fact released his first statement and say to our congratulating afghanistan on what he calls liberation from foreign control. lots of names there, let's get help from our chief international correspondent in kabul. >> it's a hard-line taliban government. it is a victors cabinet. includes leading members of the taliban regime from the 1990's, people that held senior positions then are holding senior positions this time. members of the younger generation of the taliban have been brought in. there are 33 mullahs, religious

leaders, in it, underlining that people with the right religious credentials have been included. there is also senior military figures as well. quite a few who are still either on the u.s. terrorism watch list or as in the case of the interim head of the caretaker cabinet, on the u.n. sanctions list. this is a message to the world that the taliban has one and this is their caretaker government, indicating that perhaps they need a bit more breathing space as they move from guns to government. breathing space to resolve what are said to be rivalries among these political and military heavyweights. officially they say they need more time to perhaps be more inclusive, but this is being set most of all by an -- afghans, as they say, judge them by their actions and not their words. in practical terms, what does

this announcement change -- ross: in practical terms, what does this announcement change for ordinary afghans? >> a lot. the son of the prominent soviet war commander, member of the hug connie network that they deny exists, a deputy political leader now of the taliban and is the minister of the interior and is head of governance and mns he can start choosing the people who will be responsible for law and order. they have the minister of vice and virtue again, telling women what they can and can't do on the streets and in public offices. choosing the people to be the face of local government, wielding considerable power. ross: taliban fighters broke up a protest in kabul by firing shots into the air. it's an important moment, the biggest show of defiance since

the taliban took over. hundreds turned out demanding women's rights, chanting anti-pakistan slogans. our correspondent was there. >> death to pakistan was the crowds chant. they are furious at what they believe is the country's support for the taliban, including the alleged taking over of the last robbins to be captured by the group. >> pakistan has directly attacked our country. we don't want pakistan announcing the government here. afghanistan is a free country. we women and men are not the same as those 20 years ago that were into submison. >> pakistan says that it's afghan. >> i accept the taliban afghans, but behind them is pakistan. they gave them this idea. >> pakistan says it has always

worked for peace in afghanistan. taliban members initially there to allow protesters to march through the city. >> this is the biggest challenge to the taliban's authority we have seen so far and it is coming from peaceful protesters, women and men. >> amongst the protesters? some not afraid to directly criticize the group. >> we demand freedom of speech, democracy, national resistance against the taliban. x are you afraid? >> i am not afraid of death. our voices will make history. >> as the protests continued, convoys of taliban vehicles made their way to the scene. eventually, fighters fired shop in the air to disperse the crowds. dissent is not something that

taliban argues to. bbc news, kabul. ross: we saw in that report anger directed towards pakistan, one of the claims being that pakistan used drones to attack pan-shear. the bbc has not been able to verify that. here is some reaction to that from the information minister, speaking to the bbc. >> fairytales crafted by the indian media. they literally use a videogame to demonstrate that pakistan is part of the attack. when i see this in the indian media, it feels we are some suture -- supernatur power. countries don't act like that. ross: next we turn to germany. every german election is important of course, but the one

coming down the track is perhaps even more so, the decision about who will replace angela merkel. she had already guided her party to four terms, but her current party is having a torrid time at the polls. we will start what is likely to be her final address to parliament as chancellor. here we see her walking into the lower house of parliament and after 16 years of addressing lawmakers here, it was quite a moment and she used it to attack her coalition partners, the centerleft spd, the party on the rise at the moment. >> [speaking foreign language] citizens have the choice in a few days either a government that accepts the support of the spd or does not exclude it.

or, i'm only telling the truth. or a federal government led by the cdu and csu. ross: we heard a reference there to a party from the far left, democratic descendant of the communist party that governed old east germany. as all parties know there will be a coalition government of some form and they are offering themselves as a would coalition partner with the social democrats and the greens and misses merl is keen to ward off voters who are in fact not focused on the bricks -- risks she sees and is trying to present her own party candidate as a stable leader for germany. >> it's also about tangible economic and fiscal considerations that will define the future of this country.

that is why, ladies and gentlemen, the best way forward is a government led by the cdu and csu. his government will stand for stability, reliability, moderation and balance, exactly what germany needs. >> being presented as a stable oice, but may not be enough. have a look at this latest poll that suggests that support for them, marked in black as the union because they align with their sister party there, together they form as low as 19%. it's the lowest rating for them since they began measuring these things in 1949 and it isown from where they were a couple of months ago. meanile, the social democrats are headed in the other direction. let's get more on all of this without correspondent in berlin.

damien? >> usually these debates are very similar eyes -- civilized, but this time around the last debate before the elections in three weeks were raucous. angela merkel was on the attack, including their -- accusing their leader there, the chancellor candidate, of not ruling out working together in coalition after the election with the radically left-wing linke party. she was doing this to scare off leftists who might consider voting f them off the green party. she said you might wake up with a far left-wing government. the problem is, he has a reputation as a center rest, current finance minister, not exciting but reliable. to portray him as a scary lefty

who might bring a communist regime is not very credible to many voters. this was seen more as a sign of desperation because the conservatives are law -- losing so badly in the polls. until a few weeks ago she wasn't present in the election came previously said she didn't to overshadow antedate who is doing so badly in the polls, she has decided it is time to step in. that is why to many people this was a sign of desperation. ross: we will be covering the full run-up to the german elections at the end of september. el salvador has become the first country to adopt bitcoin as a legal tender and we will have more on that in a couple of minutes for you. ♪ ross: farmers in india have gathered outside a government office in the northern city of arianna, condemning what they called noodle actions by police

during protests last week during demonstrations over new agricultural laws they said threat their livelihoods. >> i am outside the office of the deputy commissioner and you can see the office of the deputy commissioner, a place where many of the offices in the strict sit. but at the moment this place is surrounded by protesting farmers who have been demanding action against one of the officers of this district. they say that this particular officer was responsible for action against the farmers in which many farmers were injured. the farmers have been protesting over nine-months, demanding. ♪

ross: hello, i'm ross atkins and we are here in the bbc news room, our lead story comes from afghanistan. taliban has announced a caretaker government led by one of their founders. turning to central america, el salvador has become the first country to accept bitcoin as legal tender and from today citizens can shop, pay taxes, by land, using bitcoin. all as an alternative to their other official currency, the u.s. dollar. 200 of these machines are being installed to enable people to convert bitcoin into dollars, withdrawing cash free of commission. as an incentive, anyone who downloads the app you need to do all of this will get $30 worth of going for free. the plan is very much being pushed by the president. here he is on some of the

practicalities. >> the people will have an app or they can perceive the coin. businesses, entrepreneurs, independent as this owners, etc.. ross: this is controversial, a developing country where 70% of people don't have access to a bank account. 58% don't have access to the internet and if you don't have a bank account and aren't online, you may struggle to use bitcoin and some are unhappy about the is it insta scission. these are protests in the capital. a poll in july found 70% of people were against this and another survey found under 5% of people understood what bitcoin was. here are more concerns. >> people don't want it. that coin is unstable. there is no price-fixing. >> elderly people find it difficult to use the technology needed for this virtual coin.

>> i don't like it. i like going to the shops and using banknotes. ross: the president is emphasizing that using bitcoin is optional and that the move will save $400 million in fees paid on remittances, money sent back by salvadoreans who live abroad and there are a lot of them, around 2.5 million we think in 2020, it's estimated they set -- sent back 6 million u.s. dollars, 23% of their economy. critics, though, see other motives and question the cost-cutting. here's an editorial arguing that this hipster enthusiasm for bitcoin is a useful distction from widely condemned recent moves to pack the supreme court and allowing him to run for a second consecutive term. that's one view, here's another from this tech commentator.

>> you have to remember, there are 8000 cryptocurrencies in existence at the moment, often used for moneyaundering, not regulated. we have to look at what is being put in place, this, no capital gains tax on payments done through bitcoin. that tells you something right there and if you invest in the country through bitcoin, three of them, 150 thousand dollars, you would be granted residency. this is l being targeted at a very niche group of investors. not targeted at the average person in el salvador. ross: one of the risks is that it is seriously volatile. september of last ■year, on bitcoin costs $10,000. april of this year it was worth $63,000. by july, though, it was down to $30,000. for that reason and plenty of others, the world bank and

international monetary fund oppose cryptocurrency as legal tender. >> it's not going to be for most people. most of them don't have bank accounts or smartphones. most of them are not on the internet. four out of 10 live in prop -- live in poverty. this is an issue last year alone had one of the biggest crashes and its economy in four decades. so who is going to use bitcoin? people who can afford, most likely, the incredible swings, the highs and lows, the volatility. ross: this is though a significant moment for bitcoi and cryptocurrencies, it could pave the way for them to gain greater wettability. let's hear the thoughts from one expert at an investment firm. >> this is just one of the milestones bitcoin has overcome on the road to acceptability.

they have long ceived criticism and skeptics, but they have really outgrown this criticism. it is exciting stuff. the technology behind it, block chain, is likely to be more widely adopted in the future because aside from bitcoin, there is also other coins emerging. they are likely to be used as well. we think it is an exciting thing, but a lot remains to be seen. ross: here is joe, our cyber order, to assess the development. >> if you ask bitcoin enthusiasts, it's a momentous day where the currency has finally found its place and purpose. bitcoin is often described as a solution looking for a problem. if you ask the fans of bitcoin, and there are a lot of fans in

-- out there, they are very vocal and they are celebrating. there has a worse than a push on reddit and other social media people say let's celebrate today by purchasing $30 worth of bitcoin in solidarity with el salvador and pump the value up. it went up to about 52,000 dollars and has since crashed down to $10,000 less than that. even the president of el salvador himself said that he is not consideng being concerned about volatility. ross: those who support and promote bitcoinwhat do they say of the concern that someone with a low income could lose everything if they buy at the wrong moment? >> i haven't heard a decent argument against that, to be honest. even the fans, that's undoubtedly an issue. when you speak to the people who say that bitcoin is the future they point to the fact that it

is decentralized and it allows you to change money across borders with no charges, though that is disputed, and they say that this is the future of currency that we should all be embracing. some countries could follow suit, looking towards kazakhstan , as there are some countries, while el salvador is embracing cryptocurrency, some are pushing back heavily, china included. ross: from central america to south america and brazil, to be precise, independence day, they are, normally a moment of national unity but not this time around. huge demonstrations are taking place in support of the president and there are also huge opposition demonstrations as well. here they are demonstrating against congress and the supreme court, accusing both of mistreating the president.

sao paulo, another huge demonstration in support ofr. bolsonaro, worthy of note, as he's facing record low poll numbers at the moment. here he is enjoying a military parade from the back of a rolls-royce. and he has been tweeting long-lived independencrazil, and the people. not everyone is so enthused by what's happening there now. this is what's happening in another part of sao paulo. critics have gathered for a counter demonstration and there are concerns that both sides could lash, though it hasn't happened yet. let's get analysis from our american editor. >> i have to say that the huge demonstrations in favor of the president have surprised many people. people were wondering, his support being low, if anyone would turn up.

the opposition decided largely to stay and avoid clashes. there were a few demonstrations in a few places, but that isn't the main thing. the main thing is the support of the president, people wearing the green and yellow colors of the national lag and even the famous yellow shirt of the brazilian national team that came to symbolize support for bolsonaro. ross: why do these supporters feel he's being persecuted by the supreme court and congress? >> they say that they are left-leaning and didn't do what they wanted him to do. there are specific cases. the supreme court has opened investigations of corruption against him and people close to him and they also investigated his alleged role in the mass production of fake news, not

only here but also with other politicians and activists as they order the arrests of activists to posted offensive remarks and called for the closure of congress and the supreme court, which is against the constitution. initially they said they were slowing things down and later they said they were trying to persecute people he's close to. ross: quickly let's turn back to afghanistan to bring more details on the statement we have had from this man, the taliban supreme leader. this is his first message since the taliban came to power a few weeks back read reuters tells us that the -- he tells us the new caretaker governmentart functioning at the earliest, committing to all international laws, treaties, and commitment

that are not in conflict with islamic law and that all lives will be regulated by sharia narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs. ♪ da-da-da-duh-da-da-da♪ ♪ da-da-da-da-da-da ♪♪

♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs.