welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani. our top stories: south africa's governing anc is preparing to vote for a new leader to replace president jacob zuma. eu leaders confirm that brexit negotiations can move on to the next stage, but they warn the talks will be even harder. austria's conservative party agrees to form a coalition with the far—right freedom party. it follows october's election dominated by europe's migration crisis. wildfires continue to burn out of control in california, scorching an area larger than new york city and paris combined. a firefighter has died. and with christmas just around the corner, this could be the ultimate gift — a woolly mammoth goes under the hammer. hello.

south africa's governing african national congress is preparing this weekend to pick a new party leader to replace jacob zuma, who is also the country's president. the anc is still the dominant political force, but has faced a loss of public trust. president zuma is also facing corruption allegations, which he denies, and there are warnings that the party could split as the country faces mounting economic challenges. virginia langeberg reports. with jacob zuma stepping down as leader of the anc, south africa is left at a virtual crossroad. ever since 1994, the first election where people of every race were allowed to vote, the anc has won overwhelmingly. that was the year that brought an end to white—minority rule.

but now, for the first time in more than two decades, there is the possibility south africans could turn their back on the party that led their country towards liberation. jacob zuma's presidency has been plagued with allegations of corruption, since he took office in 2009. public protests have been held over his handling of the economy, and he has survived eight no—confidence votes in parliament. so the incoming anc leader will not only need to regain the trust of voters, but also unite the party. while there are seven candidates, it is widely thought that two have the best chance of winning, cyril ramaphosa and nkosazana dlamini—zuma. cyril ramaphosa is currently the deputy president, and is running on an anti—corru ption ticket. some analysts say he is most popular with the middle class, and has gained a lot of support from anc around the country.

nkosaza na dlamini—zuma is jacob zuma's former wife. she promises to put more of the country's economy back into black hands, but critics say she is too close to jacob zuma. whoever comes out on top of the anc leadership battle in the coming days will be well placed to become the country's president in 2019. it is at a time when south africa has faced two economic recessions in less than one decade, unemployment stands at more than 27%, and gross national debt at $150 billion. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. a senior un official has strongly criticised the wealth gap between rich and poor people in america. philip alston said the us government's tax reform bill, together with the health and welfare reforms proposed to pay for it, could produce a dramatic increase in inequality. four palestinians have been

killed and 150 wounded in clashes with the israeli army. palestinian sources say most of the casualties occurred near the gaza border, where protests have been fiercest against president trump's decision to recognise jerusalem as the capital of israel. zimbabwe's president emmerson mnangagwa has consolidated his power after members of his ruling zanu—pf party endorsed him as their leader and candidate for next year's election. the new leader took office after robert mugabe was forced to quit when the military took power last month. he declared the party to be on a "new trajectory". and military police in the netherlands have shot and wounded a man who'd threatened officers with a knife at amsterdam's schiphol airport. the main entrance to the airport was evacuated, but later re—opened. no other injuries were reported. eu leaders have confirmed that

brexit negotiations can move on to the next stage, but they've warned the talks will be even harder. the british prime minister theresa may called it an important step on the road to a "smooth and orderly" brexit. the men with the message — part one is done. the european union is ready to grant the prime minister's wish, and move on. she was a tough, smart, polite, and friendly negotiator, and so we were able to conclude that sufficient progress has been made. to get this far on brexit, there has been some conflict and a lot of compromise. what is needed to get to the end of the next phase, and is theresa may's goal of a full agreement by march 2019 realistic? still realistic and, of course, dramatically difficult. the real negotiations on the second

phase will start in march next year. i cannot say when these negotiations will be concluded. but i don't hope that i will have to have as early—morning meeting with the british prime minister than the one i had last week. hopefully with fewer last—minute trips to brussels in the middle of the night, the negotiations step up. it has been a slog to get this far, but their words this morning are part of our history now, the official end of the beginning of our departure from the european union. it has taken time, but at last the government's negotiating team can crack on with initial talks about how we do business in future, and vitally, the transition a couple of years after brexit itself. the uk and the eu have shown what can be achieved by commitment and perseverance on both sides. i'm pleased that it's been agreed we should make rapid progress on an implementation period, which will give certainty to businesses and individuals.

the eu's brokers believe the cabinet at home must bury their differences, though, to give a clearer picture of how they want the future to look, before getting a decent hearing. the divide within the conservative party is going to make it very difficult for us to negotiate a way through, as a country. and theresa may, ultimately, has to be able to deliver for business here. business need that certainty now. the 27 we are leaving behind don't agree with much of what the uk has already put on the table, especially during the transition period. they want the european court to be in charge during that whole time, for the uk to accept any changes, without a say, and for immigration to stay the same. this is a big junction. phase two will be even tougher, she warned. we'd like it to look as much like the current relationship as possible, but that wouldn't necessarily be the view of everyone.

it's a marathon race. we have just finished the first mile. given how far apart the two sides were, and the distance between the different wings of the tory party, the prime minister might feel entitled tonight to take a pause for breath, a moment to savour having reached this junction. but, with clashes in the commons to come, in the cabinet, and contradictions between the european union and the uk still, she has little time or energy to waste on celebration. and, to reach this point, not even halfway, she has already had to yield so much. indeed, at times, it felt like the prime minister simply might not make it even this far. it is a very long way still until the end of this whole journey. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, brussels. austria's conservative people's party has struck a coalition deal with the anti—immigration freedom party. if the coalition is confirmed,

austria would become the only country in western europe to have a far right party in government. bethany bell is in vienna with the latest. we have a government which is conservative and far—right, and it was noticeable that during the election campaign, it was dominated very much by the question of the anti—migrant feeling. and, in fact, it was interesting that the freedom party even accused sebastian kurz‘s conservatives of stealing their positions when it came to anti—migrants. what will be interesting to see, though, is how the two parties have balanced out their ministries. they announced this coalition deal, but they didn't give any details, the two leaders. they say they are going to meet austria's president, alexander van der bellen, who basically has to give the green light for this coalition to go ahead. they will then speak to their parties, and it will be very interesting to see how they cope with their similarities on the right, and also their differences. i think a lot of people will be

wondering exactly how the freedom party will fare in government. sebastian kurz and his conservatives, some people say they will be able to try and tame the freedom party from its populism. others will say they are actually being pushed more towards the right. the so—called thomas fire in california has now burned 400 square miles. nearly 750 houses have been destroyed, along with two residential apartment blocks and two hotels. 8,300 firefighters are currently tackling the wildfires. rained in parts of california for more than eight months. 11 days, and still it burns. more than 8,000 men and women are now battling this blaze, saving homes one by one.

not far from here, the fire claimed the life of a 32—year—old firefighter cory iverson, a father and husband. he is survived by his wife, ashley, his two—year—old daughter evie. cory and ashley were expecting a second daughter in the spring. it is not clear what went wrong here, but the terrain is steep and dangerous, and mr iverson was apparently overrun by flames after a sudden shift in the wind. the gusts destroyed homes as well, almost 700 of them. two apartment blocks and two hotels also burnt down, and another 18,000 buildings remain at risk. this is one of five homes in this tiny neighbourhood which was destroyed when the flames swept through here so fast that firefighters had to abandon the area. which ones survived and which were destroyed was a matter of pure luck. aaron lawson and his family were among the lucky ones.

their home was scorched but it survived, thanks in part to neighbours, who lost everything but stayed to fight the fire. the most rewarding thing, i think, is i think seeing them. some of the guys who lost their houses were working side—by—side with us to keep our house safe for a few days. all week, the skies here have been alive with activity, as pilots battle the blaze from the air. the wildfire has now ravaged an area the size of new york city and washington, dc combined. and, with more gusty winds forecast, firefighters say they expect the battle to intensify this weekend. the us secretary of state says north korea needs to show a "sustained cessation of threatening behaviour" before meaningful talks can begin. rex tillerson was speaking at a meeting of the un security council in new york.

mr tillerson also questioned the commitment of moscow, and especially beijing, in trying to reign in the secretive state's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. as chinese crude oil flows to north korean refineries, the united states questions china's commitment to solving an issue that has serious implications for the security of its own citizens. recently, the north korean regime has sought to portray un sanctions as harmful to women and children. but this is a hypocritical regime that hypocritically spends billions on nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, while its own people suffer great poverty. the regime could feed and care for the ordinary people of north korea, if it chose the welfare of its people over weapons development. the bbc‘s nada tawfik is at the united nations. many may remember that just on tuesday, when rex tillerson was addressing an audience at a think—tank event on north korea, he said the us was ready to enter into talks without preconditions.

now, the white house quickly came out and denied that, saying that the us policy had not changed at all. and so today we saw rex tillerson really toughening his stance there, saying that north korea had to earn its right to get to the negotiating table, and they had to show commitment, walking backwards nuclear programme before those talks could get under way. and it is interesting, because it echoes a lot of what the us‘s allies said today in the council. so, for example, the japanese foreign minister, who presided over this high—level meeting, he said that we should not be conducting dialogue for the sake of dialogue. the security council resolution is quite clear that north korea needs to end its programme, and so there should be no compromise on that front. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the wedding and the cup final. a diary clash for prince harry's nuptials. after eight months on the run,

saddam hussein has been tracked down and captured by american forces. saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict that has claimed over 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents of serbia, bosnia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house to a trial for his political life. the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton his place in history

as only the second president ever to be impeached. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: south africa's governing anc is preparing to vote for a new leader to replace president jacob zuma. eu leaders have confirmed that the brexit negotiations can move on to the next stage — but they've warned the talks will be even harder. the billionaire founder of canada's largest drugs firm, barry sherman, and his wife have been found dead at their home in toronto — in what police are calling suspicious circumstances. the couple were well known for their charitable work — donating millions to causes across the city and helping to send medical aid to disaster zones. kathryn armstrong reports. called to this house on a cold canadian afternoon, emergency services responding to reports of a medical complaint.

inside two bodies are found. police have not formally identified them, but friends and local officials say they are barry sherman, one of canada's richest men, and his wife honey, both highly respected philanthropists. few details are yet known about what happened. 0ur investigations lead us to believe there may be suspicious circumstances. until we know exactly how they die, we treat it as suspicious and then once a determination has been made by the pathologist and coroner, we move forward from there. barry sherman founded apotex in 1974 and it is now one of the world's biggest drugmakers. he stepped down as in 2012, but stayed on as executive chairman. news of his death has come as a blow to many. this woman, thought to be a apotex employee, came to lay flowers outside their home. at work extremely respected, people look up to him. genuine, people are in shock and crying. we are genuinely heartbroken.

a statement by the company which was posted on twitter read: police say they may release more information if evidence of homicide is uncovered, but now those that knew in respect of the couples are coming to terms with their deaths. the uk is to play a bigger role in china's massive infrastructure building programme — aimed at increasing it's presence in central asia and eastern europe. the british chancellor of the exchequer, philip hammond, who is in beijing on a trade trip confirmed there will be ‘closer collaboration‘ between the two nations. china is one of the countries britain hopes to sign a free trade pact with, once it leaves the european union. robin brant, our correspondent in beijing, told me what mr hammond

was hoping to achieve during his trip. he wants commitments in terms of money and back in the days of coalition government, david cameron and george osborne, it was about china giving access to its markets for uk firms, there was much more an emphasis the chinese letting a british companies come here, make things here, sell things here. now i think the direction of travel is the other way, this is about trying to encourage chinese companies, many of them linked of course to the chinese state to invest in the uk. at the forefront of that effort are british financial services, and britain's service industry which of course includes things like insurance, and legal specialities as well. on this trip we have some bankers from hsbc and lawyers as well, and we have the chief executive of the london stock exchange as well, there is a hope that in terms of a deal being signed, and i always

like to have something to show at the end of these trips, but they will be some kind of link up, some kind of trading connection between the stock exchange here in the south of china and the london stock exchange, allowing people another side to trade in other side trading stocks other side. what kind of infrastructure projects are being considered? you mentioned at the beginning what is known rather oddly as the belt and road initiative, it is previously known as one belt one road, this is china and its president xijinping's massive effort to create much deeper links in terms of railways, ports, roads, marine links as well between china and countries to its immediate west in central asia but stretching much further to europe. it is about ports, railways, pipelines, but this is not mean that philip hammond is coming here and asking the chinese to suddenly start paying

for railways in the uk. it is about trying to encourage the chinese more to use london as a base for financial services to seek finance for many of these infrastructure projects through london. but belt and road is slightly controversial because it is pretty much notjust about trade presence and trying to deepen economic ties between china and its neighbours, it is also about broadening china's political influence, so it is controversial in that aspect as well. kensington palace has announced that prince harry and meghan markle will marry on may the 19th next year. in a break with royal tradition, the ceremony will be held on a saturday, at st george's chapel in the grounds of windsor castle. it will take place on the same day as another major event — the fa cup final. here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell there will be, i am sure, a great deal of attention from around the world, as there always is to the british

royal family, but particularly on this occasion from the united states of america. and the date, saturday the 19th of may. the choice of a saturday is unusual but certainly not unprecedented for a royal wedding. there have been royal weddings on saturdays before. i am sure the calculation has been that because there is to be no public holiday in the united kingdom for this royal wedding, as there was for william and kate, the fact it is being staged on a saturday will give those who are so minded an opportunity to go out to windsor, not farfrom london, to be part of the celebration, as the couple said they wish to be the case. i am sure, although the wedding itself is in the chapel inside windsor castle, there will be a carriage procession through the towns that people can join in. the other interesting thing is that saturday the 19th of may as the date of one of the biggest sporting events, the fa cup final. now, prince william is president of the football association and he would normally attend the cup final. on this occasion, i expect he will have to give it a miss. a rare skeleton of a woolly mammoth

goes up for auction in france on saturday, where it's been valued at around $600,000. the skeleton was discovered around ten years ago in the siberian permafrost. hugh schofield reports from paris. according to the auctioneers, it is the largest woolly mammoth skeleton in private hands. on this display in new york it stands 3.4 metres high, with magnificent curving tusks that reach more than three metres in length. it is also a rare example because 80% of the skeleton is the original bone, with only 20% resin used to complete assembly. translation: if you want to put it in a room it must be big. look here in a building hall, it doesn't seem disproportionate. indeed, you need space. there are not 50 people in lyon

who could find room for it. around the world only about a thousand who could. but in an apartment hall, a company hall, everyone would be pleased and it is funny. translation: this wine cellar in one year after exhibiting the mammoth doubled its turnover and noted a 30% increase in visitors and had the opportunity to do a special mammoth vintage wine, which brought tourists to the region from all over the world because the tourist office promoted this mammoth skeleton. woolly mammoths lived alongside early man, who hunted the animals and portrayed them in cave drawings, but they became extinct more than 10,000 years ago. this male was believed to be about 50 years old when he died. scientists say his teeth show signs of decay which may have been a factor in his death if it was unable to graze.

australia are piling on the runs in the ashes test in perth and closing in on england's total. a few moments ago australia will work 324— quarter of in reply to england's first—innings total of 403. steve smith is on the 149 not out. a reminder now of our top stories. south africa's governing anc is preparing to vote for a new leader to replace the president. it is going to be quite chilly first thing on saturday,

certainly a good frost around. but the weather will turn milder over the next couple of days. in fact, by the time we get to sunday, i suspect double—figure temperatures across the south of the uk. at the moment there is a dip in thejetstream. that's when cold air comes in from the north. here, we start to see a south—westerly flow of air, which will push the weather front and cloud in our direction and this area of milder air will be in place across the uk by the time we get to sunday. but saturday is still going to be quite a cold day across most of the uk. and the cold snap is still not quite over. in fact, look at this. we're still getting weather watcher pictures with nice, snowy scenes across the uk, mostly across the hills now. so first thing on saturday morning, a widespread frost across the country. these are the city temperatures. outside, in rural areas, it will be much colder. even as low as —6. saturday morning start off on a beautiful, crisp note, through plymouth and bournemouth, all the way to brighton and dover. the midlands also nice and sunny, but crisp temperatures around.

—1 in nottingham. freezing across most of yorkshire and into scotland as well. we start to see slightly milder air at this stage getting into parts of northern ireland. 0n the whole, a nice start to the day, but there will be a change on the way later in the morning on saturday. in fact, clouds will be increasing and it might turn cloudy across wales and maybe around merseyside, into the west midlands and the south—west. here, at times, it could rain. the best of the sunshine in the east and the south—east and the far southern counties. then the change happens to that milder weather through the course of saturday night into sunday. the weather fronts comes off the atlantic, we develop a south—westerly wind. so that milder air will arrive through the early hours of sunday and for many of us sunday is going to be at least starting off on a cloudy, damp note, if not wet note in many areas. quite breezy too for a time.

we could even see gale force winds across the far north. look at the temperatures — back up to double figures, even in scotland. the extreme still hanging onto around six degrees. that damp weather will last right through the course of sunday but by the time we get to monday it looks like things will be drying out. a little bit of a dip in the temperature. so into next week, it looks like the weather will dry out but it's still going to stay relatively on the mild side. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: south africa's governing anc is preparing to pick a new party leader to replace president jacob zuma. there have been allegations of widespread bribery and warnings that the party could split over the election, as the country faces mounting economic challenges. austria's conservative party has agreed to form a coalition with the anti—immigration freedom party, which would make austria the only western european country with the far—right in government. the two party leaders will hold talks with austria's president on saturday

about forming a new administration. wildfires in california are continuing to burn out of control, scorching an area larger than new york city and paris combined. 0ne firefighter has been killed battling the blaze. ajudge has called for an inquiry after a university student