tv BBC News BBC News June 18, 2017 5:00am-5:31am BST
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this is bbc news. our top stories — 58 people are presumed to have died in the london tower block fire — police warn that number is expected to rise. that number, 58, may change. i really hope it won't, but it may increase. relatives and volunteers meet with prime minster theresa may in downing street as she admits the government's response, in the hours after the disaster, was not good enough. forest fires in central portugal kill at least 2a people—the government said many died in their vehicles trying to flee. french voters head to the polls for parliamentary elections later. the newly—elected president emmanuel macron is expected to win a landslide victory, but voter turnout is expected to be low. no sat nav, no compass and certainly no wifi. a team of sailors complete a 3—year voyage around the world in a polynesian canoe. hello and welcome to bbc news.
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58 people are now presumed to have died in the grenfell tower fire in west london. police have warned the death toll is likely to rise. the bbc understands the number of dead or missing could be around 70. the british prime minister, theresa may, has faced criticism over her response to the tragedy. she met with victims and community organisers in downing street. in a statement after, she acknowledged what many local people have been saying for days, that the initial response to the fire on wednesday "was not good enough". jeremy cooke reports. in the midsummer heat, grenfell tower casts a long shadow. a new dark reality on the london skyline, with the power to
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shock, and to move. a sight which stops you in your tracks. too much to take in. it's hard to know what to say, yeah. it's just horrific. we just said that everyone's busy talking, but yet you can just feel a silence. it's really overwhelming. four days on from disaster, and with every official update, more grim news. sadly, at this time, there are 58 people who we were told... we have been told were in grenfell tower on the night that are missing, and therefore sadly i have to assume that they are dead. the investigations into how this happened will be complex and lengthy, but the residents'
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association for grenfell tower and the surrounding blocks is already calling for the council and its management agency to be suspended from their landlords' responsibility. andrea newton says the community felt ignored before the tragedy, neglected since, with no access to basic information. where is everyone? what are they getting next, where are they going to move, what do they need? who needs what, and where? these are fundamental questions, and we are days after this disaster. i've done the angry. i mean, i've got to get this done. today, the residents brought those frustrations to downing street. it was a robust discussion, there was forceful emotion in the room. people were able to say what they wanted to say and we felt that was listened to and listened to carefully. in a statement, the prime minister said: an analysis which chimes with the volunteers who have been
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working flat out to help victims in the absence of effective official support. they have been completely let down and it is the same people that potentially might have caused this that are now letting them down again and it's tragic. and if it wasn't the community here and the volunteers, i would dread to think what would have happened those people. the prime minister says she accepts there are huge frustrations here and she is promising to send more support into the area. it is the sort of help which is desperately needed but this community could have used it days ago. it's way, way too late. but you're reassured by what theresa may has said to you today? not right now, not right now. no, i'm not, not right now. with so much pain and frustration here, there are warnings that the government help must work with the community to avoid frustration and anger.
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and high in grenfell tower, the operation to recover bodies goes on. a reminder of what's been lost and the scale of the task ahead. jeremy cooke, bbc news, north kensington. amid the anger, some are still trying to find answers about their relatives who have been missing since the fire on wednesday. mark lowen has more on the search for the victims. this is a tragedy that has shaken faith in safety, equality and justice. singing. it has brought a tight community even closer, waiting, still, for any news of the missing. dozens from grenfell tower are lost. faces from the floors that were engulfed as the fire rose. the anger and demands for accountability are growing. it's always the public that runs to rescue.
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where's the authorities? where are they? forgotten corners of this area are becoming shrines to grenfell, to grief, to frustration. as the days since the tragedy wear on, the hope of friends and families is fading. the only comfort now would be answers as to what happened. instead, there's the pain of not knowing. though, as time passes, more are presumed dead. still missing, 57—year—old hesham rahman, originally from egypt. his mother and nephew fear the worst. hesham called her shortly after 3am as the fire neared his top floor flat. the last thing he said to my grandmother was, "i had spoken to the police, i told them the smoke was coming into my house and they told me that they were coming, close your door, put some wet towels on the floor, we're coming to get you, it's going to be all right." so he then said to my grandmother, "once i'm out, i'll let you know
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that i'm 0k." how are you bearing up at the moment? you know, we're all angry, we all want the same answers, we're all frustrated. but we really need to do it the right way. we all want to achieve the same thing but not with aggression. it doesn't work, it never did and it never will. my son, he's my son. a mother who watched her son's nearby home turn to horror. one story among so many from the hell of grenfell tower. mark lowen, bbc news, north kensington. the queen observed a minute's silence at the trooping the colour parade in memory of those who died in the grenfell tower tragedy — and also in recent attacks in manchester and london. on what is her official birthday — she said it was "difficult to escape the very sombre national mood". the uk government said a minute's silence will also be observed on monday at 11am.
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our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, reports: on a day intended for celebration, the queen led the nation in sorrow. before leaving buckingham palace for horse guards, she stood with the duke of edinburgh for a minute's silence. a moment of reflection, joined by the footguards on the parade ground and the cavalry at the palace gates — in remembrance of those lost at grenfell tower, and in the terrorist attacks in london and manchester. in a statement issued at six o'clock this morning, the queen said: yesterday she'd visited the scene of the fire at grenfell tower and met some of those who have lost friends and neighbours. it had clearly made a deep impression. in her statement she said: "i have been profoundly struck by the immediate inclination of people throughout the country to offer comfort and support to those in desperate need."
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she went on: band plays her birthday parade went ahead. it had all the familiar components. the footguards marched and trooped the colour of the irish guards, and the royal family appeared on the palace balcony, where prince george as usual stole the show, gazing down at the crowds, and then as the raf fly—past appeared, up at the sky with his sister. but this was no ordinary trooping. this was a year when the head of state reflected the country's feelings of shock and grief. nicholas witchell, bbc news, at buckingham palace. and you can keep up to date on this and all the stories we're following. just head to our website — bbc.com/news. japanese media is reporting that the
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us navy has found the bodies of seven crew member who went missing after the uss fitzgerald was involved in a collision with a container ship of japan. the involved in a collision with a container ship ofjapan. the bodies we re container ship ofjapan. the bodies were found in flooded compartments on the destroyer. three women have been killed in what the authorities in colombia say was a terrorist attack for lotion occurred at a shopping maul in bogota, nine other people were injured. over 100 migrants have been rescued by a cargo ship in the mediterranean sea. the merchant ship deployed emergency rafts after they saw the rugby dinghies carrying men women and children deflating off the coast of libya. the migrants were then transferred to a rescue ship will stop a forest fire in central portugal has killed at least twenty—four people and injured about twenty others, including several firefighters. sixteen of the victims burned to death in their vehicles when they were trapped by flames on a road. nimesh thaker reports.
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a deadly mix of strong winds and a severe heatwave have fan the flames, that now threaten to engulf homes. burning uncontrollably, this fire is already one of the worst forest fires in portugal in decades. more than 20 people have died, most of them trapped in their cars. translation: it was a big tragedy. we have already identified 2a victims but the number could rise. there were all on the road in the same fire at the same place. it started on saturday at 3pm local time, in the mountainous area 200 kilometres to the south—east of lisbon. about 500 firefighters were called to the scene. translation: i was there and staring at my house. i don't know what will happen with it now. officials
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described the fire spreading violently. some properties have been destroyed. the local mayor said there were not enough firefighters to deal with the number of villages at risk. stay with us on bbc news — still to come... a team of sailors complete a three—year voyage around the world ina three—year voyage around the world in a polynesian canoe. there was a bomb in the city centre. a code word known to be one used by the ira was given. army bomb experts were examining a suspect van when there was a huge explosion. the south african parliament has destroyed the foundation of apartheid by abolishing the population registration act, which for a0 years forcibly classified each citizen according to race. germany's parliament, the bundestag, has voted by a narrow majority to move the seat of government from bonn to berlin. berliners celebrated into the night but the decision was greeted with shock in bonn.
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just a day old and the royal baby is tonight sleeping in his cot at home. early this evening, the new prince was taken by his mother and father to their apartments in kensington palace. the real focus today was valentina tereshkova, the world's first woman cosmonaut. what do you think of the russian woman in space? i think it's a wonderful achievement and i think we might be able to persuade the wife it would be a good idea if i could to get her to go up there for a little while. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: 58 people are presumed to have died in the london tower block fire. police warn that number is expected to rise. relatives and volunteers meet with british prime minster theresa may as she admits the government's response in the hours after the disaster was not good enough. polls will open in a few hours for round two
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of the french national assembly elections. new president emmanuel macron's centrist party la republique en marche won almost a third of votes in the first round last week and he looks set to totally change the face of french politics with a diverse group of political novices being elected. hugh schofield has the story. president macron, here voting in last sunday's first round, is within an ace of pulling off the second part of his quiet revolution. if all goes as expected, he is about to secure the biggest makeover in decades in france's parliament, the national assembly. it's notjust that his en marche! party looks set for a crushing majority, the actual candidates are very different from what went before. half are totally new to politics. half are women, which means the new parliament is likely to be one of the most feminised in the world. the opposition parties, meanwhile, are preparing for the worst, which, in the case of the socialists, could mean a total wipe—out.
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so great is the president's predicted victory that the big problem may be the lack of opposition. can that, some ask, be good for democracy? emmanuel macron says that he wants french democracy to be alive again, that he wants the french parliament to work, to criticise, to propose. can he do that with a majority so big, with such a big abstention rate? but not all voters see the president's growing power as a problem. translation: haven't we had too much debate over the last few years? the country hasn't moved forward for the last 30 years precisely because there's too much talking and not much gets done. after today, france's long election season — two rounds of presidentials then two rounds of legislatives — will finally be over and president macron, it's almost certain, will have pulled off one of the most extraordinary democratic coups ever. the tools for reform
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will be in his hand. the task now is to use them. hugh schofield, bbc news, paris. the government of the philippines says more than 300 people are known to have been killed in the battle against islamist militants in marawi. situated on the southern island of mindanao, the city is a centre of islam in the overwhelmingly christian philippines. president duterte says the presence of fighters from the so—called islamic state had made it a brutal conflict. sarah corker reports. despite an intensive bombing campaign by the philippine military, islamist fighters remained holed up in pockets of marawi city. trapped civilians are being used as human shields. the dark plumes of smoke mark the latest battleground. the army says its troops are advancing, retaking key structures and bridges, but the fighting is fierce. translation: it is hard because they have occupied the tallest buildings and you don't
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know where they will hit you from behind, from the side or right in front of you. you can't see the snipers. the battle began in may when hundreds of militants waving black flags of the so—called islamic state group stormed the city. the president then declared martial law across the southern philippines. so far, 329 people have been killed. they have so corrupted the name of god in the form of religion to kill mainly innocent persons and to destroy for nothing. the fighting is going on but, of course it's winding up, but at the cost of so many soldiers also. marawi is a predominantly muslim city in an overwhelmingly catholic nation. the government says is's plan was to declare a caliphate in the region, and as the battle moves into its 27th day, the damage to the city is extensive, while more than 200,000 people have fled, now living in overcrowded evacuation centres.
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translation: i hope my husband gets out. i can't look after our children on my own. i keep fainting becuase i'm so stressed. the government says it's only a matter of time before troops liberate the city, but the militants have stockpiled food and weapons, thought to be preparing for a long siege. sarah corker, bbc news. prosecutors in the us have vowed to retry bill cosby on sexual assault charges after a judge declared a mistrial in the case. he denies drugging and sexually assaulting a woman 13 years ago. the jury failed to reach a verdict, despite more than 50 hours of deliberation is. aleem maqbool reports. after so many accused him of being a calculating sexual predator, bill cosby is free now to go home.
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the jury didn't acquit him, but they couldn't unanimously agree to convict him either. we came here looking for an acquittal, but like that rolling stones song says, you don't always get what you want — sometimes, you get what you need. god bless you all, and happy father's day. all chant: we love bill, we love bill! the mistrial was celebrated like a victory by cosby‘s supporters. is justice way overdue? there's a waste of taxpayers' money... what do you say to those people who say, well, 60 women came forward and accused him... yes, after 20—25 years? c'mon, please. back in his heyday, bill cosby was the most prominent african—american, the highest—paid actor, and undoubtedly a trailblazer. but dozens of women who came forward saying he'd drugged then sexually assaulted them. most cases couldn't go to trial because it was so long since the alleged incidents. one case was heard in court, though,
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brought by andrea constand, a former university employee, who claims that in 2004 he drugged and molested her. bill cosby didn't take the stand during his trial. instead, his defence team tried to undermine the credibility of his accuser. women's rights lawyers have been appalled but say they still hope for a retrial. if the court allows more accusers to testify next time, it might make a difference. in other words, it's too early to celebrate, mr cosby. round two may be just around the corner. for now, bill cosby does walk free, but there is the prospect that he's going to be retried, and there's no question that in spite of this result, his reputation as something of an american father figure has now been tarnished. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in morrisstown, pennsylvania. now this is a pretty
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impressive achievement. a traditional polynesian canoe has just completed its first ever round—the—world trip without using modern navigation methods. the boat returned to honolulu in hawaii after being on the journey for three years. the crew used the stars, wind, and ocean swells to guide it — the same techniques that brought the first polynesian settlers to hawaii hundreds of years ago. kathryn armstrong reports. it was an emotional farewell at the start of an epic voyage around the world. cheering. the first ports of call, the islands of tahiti and samoa, where the crew were welcomed to shore by their pacific cousins. sings. in new zealand, the crew of hokule'a was welcomed with a traditional with a traditional maori greeting before learning about their shared cultural history.
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onto australia, where the boat sailed around the coast from sydney, visiting several different cultural and environmental sites, including the great barrier reef. the trip from australia to bali was a difficult one for the crew due to poor conditions, but also marked the first time the canoe had ventured further than the pacific ocean. sailing into south africa after a brief stay on the island of mauritius meant the hokule'a had successfully sailed 10,000 nautical miles. applause. the leg between south africa and brazil proved tricky for the navigators, who had to use tiny islands as markers to keep them on track. in cuba, crew membersjoined a meeting about us relations and discussions about cultural connections between cuba and hawaii, before heading to the virgin islands and on to america. aloha! after reaching florida in may of 2016, the hokule'a spent the next several months travelling the east coast, connecting with local schools, native american and maritime communities. singing.
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from there, they travelled to new york and new england. the boat then began its journey back to the pacific ocean by a trip through the panama canal. arriving on rapa nui, also known as easter island, was a significant accomplishment but on the journey as the tiny island is considered extremely hard to find using natural navigation skills. the last part of the journey included brief stop at the pitcairn and marquesas islands before the crew steered the canoe back to hawaii. 19 countries and 40,000 nautical miles later and the hokule'a's work is farfrom done — the boat will now embark on an eight—month trip around the hawaiian islands in a bid to reconnect with local communities and schools. last year, three strong earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks caused widespread destruction in central italy and 300 people died. there was also damage
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to the country's cultural heritage. now the authorities in umbria have created an emergency room for the art that was recovered from the rubble. that's it for the moment. don't forget, you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. i'm @duncangolestani. stay with us here on bbc world news. hello again. you didn't need to catch a 2,000—mile flight to enjoy some hot summer weather. with temperatures in teddington hitting 30 degrees yesterday, teddington was actually hotter than teneriffe. the hottest weather the uk's had so far this year with the heat widespread across england and wales. parts of scotland and northern ireland not too bad either. we had beautiful skies, too, this was a weather watcher picture showing the sunshine but it was not sunny everywhere. to the north—west of the uk we have a weather front bringing
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damp weather today into the western side of scotland, particularly the north—west, mind you. it's a very mild start to the day, if you've not been out already. 20 degrees to begin across norwich and london as well. it will rise quickly in thejune strong sunshine. across scotland and northern ireland, with the weather front close by, cloudier skies to start the day, but that cloud should break up across a good part of northern ireland and eastern and southern parts of scotland. the damp weather really restricted to the far north west of scotland. for england and wales it will be another beautiful start to the day. clear blue skies for the vast majority of us and those temperatures very quick to rise in the june sunshine. barely a breath of wind outside, temperatures 2a degrees at 9am in the morning and it will be another hot day. if anything, hotter than it was yesterday. the heat could trigger an isolated shower or storm across east anglia and south—east england but you would be very unlucky to see that. the vast majority having a fine, dry and hot day.
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temperatures, 31 or so for london and the south—east, 26 for newcastle and into the mid—20s again in edinburgh. high levels of pollen so for some of us it could be quite a sneezy day and it's notjust pollen that's high, you also have high to very high levels of uv. it may be worth thinking about using sun cream if you're out for any length of time. for the next few days, we will keep the hot air across southern parts of the uk. high pressure still in charge further north but it's dragging in cooler air so things will cool down across the north and north—east over the next few days. in scotland on monday, a weather front brings damp weather once again, probably cloudier weather working through the central belt so not quite as warm here but still plenty of hot sunshine for england and wales. again, temperatures peaking at around 31 degrees. the cooler air in the north of the uk will continue to move southwards so in sheffield the temperatures into the low 20s through tuesday and wednesday but stay on the warm side
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across southern parts of the uk for much of the week ahead. that's your weather. this is bbc news, the headlines. police say 58 people are now presumed to have died in wednesday's tower block fire in london. they warn it could take weeks to recover the dead and the number could rise. the british prime minister, theresa may has admitted initial support for victims "was not good enough". officials say a forest fire in central portugal has killed at least 2a people and injured several others, including a number of firefighters. the secretary of the interior told reporters that most of the victims had burned to death in their vehicles while trying to flee. french voters head to the polls for parliamentary elections later. the newly elected president emmanuel macron is expected to win a landslide victory, but voter turnout is expected to be low. prime minister edouard philippe urged people to "go and vote!" as we've been hearing
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