welcome to bbc news. broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: a thaw in relations — the united states and european union avert an all—out trade war and agree on getting rid of tariffs and the threat of sanctions. as the task of finding more bodies in greece's devastating wildfires goes on, we hear from those who managed to escape. the count continues in pakistan's general election — early signs suggest that imran khan could be the next prime minister. and it's the question everyone is now asking. is there life on mars? scientists say they've found evidence of water on the red planet. the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, has reaffirmed that

washington rejects russia's annexation of crimea from ukraine. there've been indications from president trump recently that he might be close to accepting it. mr pompeo gave evidence to the senate foreign relations committee, and also defended mr trump's right to keep private the content of his talks with president putin. i want to show this committee the united states does not and will not recognise the kremlin‘s purported annexation of crimea. we stand with many in our commitment to the ukraine and its territorial integrity and there will be no relief of crimea related sanctions until russia returns control of the crimean peninsula to ukraine. and for now, threats of a trade war between the united states and the european union seems to have vanished, thanks to a meeting at the white house on wednesday with the european commission president. mr trump had claimed americans were losing out because of unfair deals, and in may, he put tariffs on steel and metal imports. he'd even referred to the european union as "a foe." andrew plant reports. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the president of

the european commission. donald trump and jean—claude juncker. after months of trading tit—for—tat threats on tariffs, now meeting at the white house, the accusatory tone is abandoned and fears of trade wars receding. this is what we agreed today — first of all, to work together towards zero tariffs, zero non—tariff barriers and zero subsidies on non—auto industrial goods, thank you. there is $1 trillion of trade between the two. donald trump says in areas like steel and agriculture, the us has lost what he said was billions of dollars because of unfair tariffs with the eu. services, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical products, even soya beans all mentioned at this meeting as areas where trade could increase between america and the eu. mr trump called it a big day forfree, fair dealing. i had the intention to make a deal today and we made a deal.

we have identified a number of areas in which to work together. work towards zero tariffs on industrial goods. that was my main intention. back in may, the us imposed 25% duty on steel and 10% on aluminium, what he called retaliatory tariffs, and said those would now be resolved. thank you very much, everybody. this was a meeting many are now seeing is a new era between two of the world's largest trading areas and a sign that any all—out trade war is now very firmly off the table. andrew plant, bbc news. our correspondent in washington, chris buckler, has more details about the reset in relations. jean—claude juncker did give a briefing to some of us after he spoke alongside donald trump. i was there and we specifically asked about the relationship,

whether he felt he could trust donald trump and he specifically said that he believed he could. when you have a look at the relationship between the two men, after all those shouts from one side of the atlantic to the other, things do seem to have changed. mrtrump, even, this evening published a picture this evening of him getting a kiss from mrjuncker inside the white house today as he was talking to him. he has talked in the terms of donald trump, that the eu, as represented byjuncker, and the us as represented by him are in love. i'm not sure this goes as far as a love—in. when you have a look at what has been, it looks like more of a ceasefire rather than the end of a trade war. we did not really have the hostility that we were expecting to come with this trade war and they have pulled back from the brink before that becomes the case. what we see here are a number

of things that the eu believe they have won, specifically the idea that while negotiations try to get a deal, they will not have car tariffs being increased in the us, the eu are now talking about purchasing soy beans and energy from the us. these are things that they can work together on. i put it to juncker specifically that this is, really, not a deal to the start of negotiations and he said that was both fair and unfair to say. fair in that ultimately this is not a final agreement on solving all the problems to do with tariffs but at the same time they have made strides. how much weight is being put on on what mike pompeo has been saying today? when you have a look at what he said specifically about russia, he wants to be seen as tough. the secretary of state was very clear that as far as he is concerned, the us government will not accept russia going beyond its boundaries

and that is specifically in regards to crimea and their actions in ukraine. they say it is unacceptable and they will keep sanctions in place. at the same time there were some fiery conversations during that session today in which mike pompeo was being grilled by members of congress about whether or not they would know exactly what donald trump had said to vladimir putin. an example of that was the question that came up time and time again in aggressive terms, asking did they talk about the potential of easing sanctions, for example? mike pompeo did not want to talk about specifically donald trump had said. he was even asked if, as secretary of state, he knew exactly what donald trump had said to vladimir putin. he said he had had conversations, that there were quite a lot of conversations that they are just trying to avoid and a lot of questions that have not been answered. around 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze at a block of flats in north—west london. the london fire brigade said 15 engines were at the scene in west hampstead, and that

the cause was not yet known. the fire is on the fifth, and top, floor of the building. we'll bring you more information when we get it. survivors have been describing their desperate battles to escape the wildfires that have swept through parts of the greek coast. many were trapped in homes and vehicles, others seeking refuge in the sea. it's now known at least 80 people died. from the town of mati, our correspondent mark lowen. it ravaged anything in its path. swathes of the greek hillside erased and with it, the lives it struck. hope too, is dying here. the family of 88—year—old angeliki giannopoulos had just heard the worst. that she was the 80th person killed by the wildfires. her charred remains were discovered in her home. for herson, a mix of shock and rage. fortunately i didn't find her by

myself because i couldn't face that. the body is totally burned. when the pain will calm down, i will prosecute to all levels, everybody that is responsible for this catastrophe. i will not stop until i will die. it is still not known how the spark was lit, but the gale force winds meant the flames galloped down the mountains. dozens are still missing and almost 200 were injured. like susan stephos from britain. minutes after seeing the flames in the distance, they were at her home. she ran through them, burning her arms. it's hard to find words for such a tragedy. when i was in the house, the fire was going over and i thought, i am not going to make

it, this is the end. but, prayers were answered — and i managed. brian 0'callaghan westrop from ireland didn't make it. he was on honeymoon here with his wife zoe, after marrying last thursday. happiness crushed. the streets of mati are like a burnt—out ghost town. the scorched shells are all that remain of family homes. some still bear the trace of the inferno. for the engineers, the task of assessing what can still stand and what must be torn down. dora matsia says it is as if a earthquake struck. just the feeling of walking along in a place that i know was green and full of trees and all these thing is very difficult and i have to cope with people who have a lot of psychological problems right now. it is quite difficult for everyone. go on the water!

volunteer lifeguards scour the coast for any sign of life or death. hundreds of people were rescued as they ran into the sea to escape the flames. they pass a group still searching for any sign of their relatives — and encouragement from the water to keep going. the hope of finding any more survivors has virtually gone. so the aim now is to look for belongings and bodies. for some, the sea marked their salvation from the flames. for others, it was the end. the memories of that night lay buried here and in the remains of a part of greece scarred forever. mark lowen, bbc news, mati. let's get some of the day's other news. here in the uk, 5 men have appeared in court in connection with an acid—attack on a 3—year—old boy at a shopping centre in worcester. one of them is the boy's father. the men spoke with the help of slovakian and afghan translators. all five will appear in court again next month. the swedish air force has joined

efforts to tackle a wildfire that's been burning in central sweden for almost two weeks. military planes have dropped laser—guided missiles to deprive the fire of oxygen. it's thought the explosions have been effective, extinguishing flames as far as a hundred metres from the centre of the blast. new zealand — a country with one of the world's highest rates of domestic violence — has passed a ground—breaking law granting victims10 days of paid leave. the extra time is designed to allow victims to attend court, move home or transfer children to new schools, without fear of losing theirjobs. the european court ofjustice has thrown out an attempt to trademark its kit—kat chocolate bar. nestle has been trying to trademark the four—fingered shape for more than a decade — rival chocolate—maker cadbury has been fighting it. early projections in pakistan's general election suggest the former international cricketer imran khan is likely be the new prime minister, although he'll probably have to form a coalition.

his party fought on an anti—corruption platform — former prime minister nawaz sharif is injailforfraud — but there's concern about whether pakistan's powerful military may be manipulating the results. several of the parties opposing imran khan are rejecting the results, saying the poll was rigged. from islamabad, the bbc‘s secunder kermani. celebrations by imran khan's supporters as results roll in. it looks increasingly likely that the former cricketing star will be pakistan's next prime minister and his party, the largest in the next parliament. i think the hard work of pti, the members of pti, which is definitely, in my opinion, the biggest political force in the history of this country has paid off, and people are not only who support pti but also the people of pakistan can look forward to a golden era. votes are still being counted, with final results likely tomorrow. earlier today, imran

khan cast his vote. he's promised to crackdown on corruption. his main rival, former prime minister nawaz sharif, was sentenced to ten years in jail following an investigation khan pushed for. are his brother shehbaz has been leading the party in his absence. tonight, he rejected the results, claiming fraud. this election campaign has revolved round two competing narratives, about the case against nawaz sharif. his supporters say the pakistani military has been working behind the scenes to ensure his conviction and remove him from power. imran khan says those claims are simply an attempt to distract from the corruption allegations. residents in rawalpindi watching the results come in were divided about who they believed. translation: nawaz sharif has been in power and he has been stealing from us and taking the money abroad. translation:i support the pml-n

because they fulfilled their promises, they developed infastructure and reduced power cuts. imran khan's supporters are in buoyant mood tonight, but it seems likely he would have to form a coalition in order to take power. and his opponents seemed adamant in rejecting his victory. secunder kermani, bbc news, rawalpindi. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: fighting off the wannabe ninjas as a japanese city is inundated with job applicants wanting to become an ancient assassin. 0k, coming down the ladder now. that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight

for the first crash in the 30—year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia. but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly rebuilt, and opens again today. now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly there's been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity, and an increase in malfunctioning sperm, unable to swim properly. thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime, as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: the united states and

european union avert an all—out trade war and agree on getting rid of tariffs and the threat of sanctions. the task of finding more bodies in greece's devastating wildfires goes on. more on our top story — i spoke just now tojesse byrnes, associate editor of the hill in washington. i asked him what he makes of this apparent relationship reset. i think there is lot of scepticism still among the allies of the president in the united states, who are very much against his trade policies, against many of these protectionist tariffs that he has imposed, and they are breathing some sigh of relief today. i think we are seeing some leaders in europe in the same position. but it doesn't change the reality that this president has pushed for months and we would expect him to continue to push for many of the steep tariffs not only involving europe, but china, canada, mexico, any of the top trading partners that the us has had for decades. while this is, in their view,

an optimistic statement today coming out of the white house, there is still a deep scepticism that trump will change his view overall on trade. so you think he will stick with protectionism, even if he has backed off for today? a lot of what he has done in terms of trade negotiations, we have seen a few times now where he will go soft on trade in appearances at least before going very hard. back in march he had the exceptions for the eu, canada and mexico, dealing with the steel and aluminium tariffs before a couple of months later going forward with those and removing those exceptions. we saw the same thing with chinese tariffs, one of his top advisers going on television here in the states, saying that no decision had been made. a few days later donald trump said, no, we are going ahead with it. we understand trump's advisers are looking at potential tariffs on automobiles coming out of europe, but at least for today the statement out of the white house says

they are not looking at any new tariffs. what are you hearing about that president trump apparently backed down from inviting president putin to washington, dc? there has been massive outcry donald trump's warm embrace of vladimir putin last week in helsinki. republicans are feeling a lot of pressure to pass legislation, essentially condemning election meddling and trying to rebuke trump publicly for his embrace of putin last week. we are seeing now trump realising he is in a difficult position. he had a very combative series of statements last week, including having his top national security adviser, john bolton, invite putin to washington. public facing, there is a lot of pressure on him to have some distance from putin at the moment, and we are seeing that statement today from the white house saying

that they are not going to have any kind of meeting at the white house until next year and that is a few months after the november mid—term elections, when so many lawmakers will be running for their seats again. humans have mused for years about possible life on mars, but it does really look as though scientists are close to knowing, at least, where to look for signs of life. a team from the european space agency believe they have detected a lake of liquid water under the martian ice. i spoke earlier to the scientist and photographer dr ken kremer, whose articles and space exploration images are used by nasa.

he said liquid water — actually on mars right now, notjust the traces of it — is like finding the holy grail. that is why it is such big news today. we have discovered ice on mars numerous times, but never liquid water. liquid water is the key to life. that is why this is a big deal. if there is one, there may be more — is that the thinking? that is exactly right. we found this one lake, vast lake, 20 kilometres wide. if there is one, hopefully there is more. it makes sense there would be more and that is what the team has to do. they have to follow up now and see if there is more water, and very likely, there is. if there is, it could be very salty — that is pretty hostile? it is hostile, but we need liquid water for molecules to grow and evolve and get larger and larger. so, yeah, without the salt there wouldn't be any liquid water, it has its benefits and its negatives, but overall it is much better that it is there

than that it is not there. in practice, how much more you think we are likely to find out about it? we would have to send a massive drill and that is quite an ask. that's one thing. however, before we do that, we have these two orbiters right now, one from esa and one from nasa, and that is where this data came from, with ground penetrating radars from the orbiters. we will be electing more data as we are speaking. and europe has another rover that is going in 2020 with a surface ground penetrating radar and that will break even more data. we are collecting more data today and more in the nearfuture and then we will do the drilling that you mentioned, that would be a future mission in the 2020s sometime. briefly, you know people will be yelling at this screen, we are messing up this planet, do we want to mess another one?

well we are not messing it up by looking for water. 0k? this is a very innocent, very simple thing. we are looking to see what is there, and that is what exploration is all about. if you want to make an argument about that, we might as well have not sent columbus over here to the americas. is all about exploration, what nasa and esa are all about. we are studying the solar system and the universe to see are we alone? is there a second is that of life forming? is what we are doing and that is what we want to find out and i think that would be one of the greatest discoveries we could ever make a. point taken. how soon are we to see the information that

you want to see? as i said, there are two orbiters that are orbiting mars collecting more data. in the next few months or years, we could have already more data. i am sure they are looking at other areas already at the south pole and the north pole and the equatorial region. we don't even have to send another spacecraft there. we already have the assets there to do the work, all we need to do is continuing to gather the data and use the painstaking process of analysis to make sure the data is telling us exactly what we think it is. we have to make sure, this is an amazing statement to make them so you have to back up with amazing science that proves that it really is accurate and that is what we are doing now. thank you very much. now — how do you fancy a change of career? well—paying job, demands dedication, steeped in tradition. how about becoming a ninja? well it seems there were some vacancies in the ancient japanese city of iga but as the bbc‘s tim allman reports,

things were not quite what they seemed. asjobs go, this one looks quite a challenge. you have to be quick on your feet, proficient with a sword, and a dab hand at throwing razor sharp metal stars. this is iga, the traditional birthplace of the ninja. a recent us radio broadcast had announced the city was on the lookout for new recruits. there was a shortage of ninjas, and they were willing to pay big money: more than 9 million yen, or $85,000 a year. local officials were inundated with applications from all around the world. there was just one small problem... translation: the city of iga is home to the ninja and should entertain visitors and promote culture, but we are not going to recruit any ninjas from abroad.

the legend of the ninja stretches deep into japanese history, perhaps as far back as the 12th century — an assassin, a spy, a mercenary, they were feared, and they were renowned. surviving in popular culture, practitioners of the martial art take it very seriously indeed. translation: i won't hire people who just want to make money. only those who want to be dedicated professionals. culture and tradition can only be passed onto dedicated people. the city has put out an online message in five different languages to clear up any confusion. for now — no ninjas required. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team good morning.

if you think it's been hot enough already this summer, well, just wait for the next couple of days because it looks like it's going to turn even hotter. some spots could get to 36 degrees and that brings with it the chance of some thunderstorms and welcome rain and you can see from the satellite picture, a couple of different areas of low pressure spinning out into the atlantic as they approach our shores. we will eventually see some wet weather but ahead of that, drawing this very hot air up from the south. we start thursday morning in double digits just about wherever you are, parts of the south—east starting the day up around 20 degrees, and as we go through the day, a lot of dry weather and some spells of sunshine. more on the way of cloud spreading up from the south. small chance we might break out the odd shower into the afternoon. a bit more cloud into the west as well, into the western side of northern ireland, particularly, a bit cooler here. down towards the south—east, look at these temperatures. 3a degrees in the heart of london,

but for some in the south—east, maybe 35 degrees. but the building heat and humidity, it looks like we will see some showers and thunderstorms starting to break out across the eastern half of the country, particularly as we head into the early hours of friday. thickening cloud and outbreaks of rain starting to trickle across northern ireland. a warm and muggy start to friday. during friday, this rain band tracking in from the west. then we see these thunderstorms blossoming to life across parts of south—east england, the east midlands, maybe eastern scotland. these are the areas most prone to vicious downpours. perhaps even some disruption. to the far east of the country, that is where we might get all the way up to 36 degrees. however, we push these various bands of rain and thunderstorms to the east as we get into the start of the weekend. then we start to tap into some much fresher air, these green and even blue colours blowing in our direction. during saturday, we say goodbye

to ourfirst rain band quite quickly but there will be further bands of showers or further spells of rain from west to east on a fairly brisk breeze. the wind a little bit stronger than it has been of late. some sunny spells as well but a big drop in temperatures. a io—degree drop in places. 25 for norwich in london. maybe 18 for edinburgh, glasgow and belfast. we stick to that fresher feel for the second half of the weekend and we'll see some rain spreading in from the west. this is bbc news. the headlines: the us secretary of state — mike pompeo — has reaffirmed that washington rejects russia's annexation of crimea from ukraine. there've been indications recently from president trump that he might be close to accepting it. mr pompeo has been giving evidence to the senate foreign relations committee. russia's foreign ministry then dismissed his statement — pointing out other recent reversals in american foreign policy. a series of measures to try to avert an all—out trade war have been

agreed by the united states and the european union. after talks at the white house with the eu commission president — jean—claude juncker — mr trump claimed a new phase in their trade relations had begun. 80 people are now known to have died in the wildfires around athens — they are the deadliest ever recorded in greece. and dozens of people are still missing. survivors have been describing their desperate battles to escape now on bbc news — it's hardtalk.