welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: at least five are dead as a huge wildfire sweeps across northern california. officials warn residents must evacuate if they're asked. the worst thing that happens is people refuse to leave, and then the fire is coming and then firefighters are placing themselves in harm's way. final campaign rallies in zimbabwe ahead of the first election since robert mugabe was ousted as president. pope francis accepts the resignation of a prominent us cardinal following allegations of historic sexual abuse. and a feat of spirit and stamina. celebrations as the first female skipper and her amateur crew win the round—the—world yacht race. hello and welcome to the programme.

tens of thousands of people have fled from raging wildfires across north america. firefighters say they are struggling to contain about 130 separate major blazes. almost 40,000 people have already left their homes in the city of redding. those remaining are being urged to leave immediately. thousands of firefighters are battling the blaze which has killed five people and destroyed hundreds of buildings. the fires here have burnt more than a8,000 acres. 0ur correspondent james cook has more. even by the wild standards of rural california, this fire is exceptional. driven by galeforce winds, the blaze was so intense it created tornadoes of flame, uprooting trees and hurling cars aside. that's a home i believe,

some kind of structure completely on fire right there. oh my goodness! nearly 40,000 people were forced to flee. fire everywhere on both sides of the road. there's houses coming down, houses that were already down. hundreds of homes have been destroyed, including some built during the gold rush of the 19th century. two firefighters were killed, and ed bledsoe was searching for his family. i want god to help me out. help me get ‘em. i just can't see how i can go without them. somebody has to know where they're at. the news was not good. two children and their great—grandmother have now been found dead. across the us and canada, 130 major wildfires are now burning, from alaska to texas. oregon has been particularly hard hit. in california, more than 9,000 firefighters are battling seven big blazes. one has closed yosemite national park. a damaging blow to tourism.

ever since, you know, we've had the drought issue now for years in california, the wildfire aspect has intensified over the years, so we've experienced more and more damaging wildfires, more fires that ignite rapidly. it's like throwing gas in these type of fires. scientists say human activity, natural weather patterns and man—made climate change are to blame. the immediate forecast is worrying too — more hot, dry, dangerous weather is on the way. james cook, bbc news, los angeles. the city of redding in shasta county is under threat from the fires, and the local sheriff urges people there to get ready to go. it is important when people receive an evacuation notice that they are prepared and ready to have their belongings, their important paper, artefacts and belongings ready to go and then be set, have your car full

of gas, have those medications ready, have that cellphone and cellphone charger ready with you, and then when you receive that notification, is to go. the worst thing that happens is people refuse to leave and then the fire is coming and then firefighters are placing themselves in harm's way and danger to go in and do a rescue, and we saw that happening in this fire where a firefighter was going in, did a rescue and the windows in the vehicle were literally blown out or all damaged and he was able to perform that rescue, but definitely putting himself in harm's way. brianna sacks is covering the wildfires for buzzfeed news and joins us over the phone from redding.

i understand you've just come from a community meeting, tell us what happened there? sure. they had all the top officials from the slew of federal states and local agencies that are here in redding helping fight this fire. there's about 3&00 personnel who are here. they were talking to concerned residents about the fire's status, which is still holding and 5% contained despite it almost doubling in size. it's now more than 80,000 acres. it's interesting. i spoke with the incident commander, who is a fire chief here in the county, and he said every time that the fire is

unprecedented, we've never seen it before, but it's the same sentiment, they have seen fire behaviour in this kind of situation before and he's been doing this for 30 years. you have been out with the firefighters while they've been battling the fires, what is it like al there? i've been tagging along with some of the teams, and it's extremely smoky, which is making it difficult for them to see the big fires, one of them said to me. we don't really know where it is and in some areas. . . don't really know where it is and in some areas... the aircraft can't go over because they can't drop the water, the fire retardants, it's making it hard when they're on the ground to see what's going on and to see where it's going. you did see some of the devastation, didn't you? idid, yeah. some of the devastation, didn't you? i did, yeah. redding, like lots of california fires, it's more of a

rural, farm like woodsy area and lots of these houses are tucked back on these winding country roads on farmland. things are smouldering and very much burned to the ground. it is heartbreaking, very surreal looking, still horses wandering around among the ruins. it's definitely a kind of wild experience. thank you very much, brianna sacks of buzzfeed news in shasta county in california. paul elliott lives in reading and his home wasjust paul elliott lives in reading and his home was just a couple of kilometres from the fire and he told us kilometres from the fire and he told us what it was like to abandon his home —— redding. we did, on thursday evening, when it got really bad. and did your home survive? it did survive, we are back in at the moment but we are packed and ready to leave at any time because it is such

a fast—changing situation. to clarify, how long have you lived in california? 13 years. so you're used to seeing wildfires? we used to fires but this is on a completely different level. what do you mean by that, how bad is it compared to other times? the intensity and ferocity of it and the size of it. roughly at the moment it's the equivalent size so what are your preparations for something like this? you pack as much stuff that you think you can fit in the car, anything valuable, passports, any identification and you're just ready to go the minute you are warned or if you feel threatened and you just drive as fast as you can to get out of there. what is it like being in the middle of these fires? it's terrifying, terrifying, especially being english and not really fully appreciating it when you see it on the news until you live in the area. it's something you just don't trifle with. it's a truly terrifying experience. is it something where you can feel the heat, see it at a distance? the smoke... what is it exactly? definitely. it's been so heavy at the moment,

it is like a snowfall with ash, the cloud is just... it's not even cloud, it is a cloud of smoke blocking out the sun. it's oppressive, it's smoky, just the general feel of not a good thing is happening. let's get some of the day's other news. a prominent lawyer who helped to defend the former nationalist serb president, slobodan milosevic, has been shot dead. dragoslav 0gnjanovic was killed in front of his apartment building in the serbian capital, belgrade. mr 0gnjanovic served on the legal team that helped to defend mr milosevic at his un war crimes trial at the hague. chile's president, sebasti n pinera, has said the local roman catholic church could and should have prevented many cases of child sexual abuse committed by priests in the past decades. mr pinera said that as a catholic he was disappointed that such horrific crimes had been covered up. more than 80 priests have been reported to the authorities for abusing dozens of children and teenagers. thousands of

anti—government protestors in nicaragua have taken part in a march to show support for the roman catholic church, which has been mediating in talks between the opposition and president 0rtega's government. the government says catholic bishops have sided with the opposition. more than three hundred people have died in three months of protests against mr 0rtega. the two main candidates in zimba bwe's presidential election have addressed huge crowds of supporters on the last day of campaigning. the vote on monday will be the first in almost four decades without robert mugabe on the ballot. he was forced to step down last november after nearly a0 years in power. 0ur africa editor, fergal keane, reports now from the zimbabwean capital, harare. this is freedom square in harare, and today, in their massed tens of thousands, it belonged to the opposition. out of the dust their leader arrived, greeted by raw and unchoreographed enthusiasm. from early mistakes,

he has gained stature. bye bye, zanu—pf, bye—bye. all: bye-bye! bye—bye, mnangagwa, bye—bye. nelson chamisa is 35 years the president'sjunior, and promising a decisive break with the past. after nearly a0 years of often brutal and corrupt ruling party government, this should be the time that the opposition wins. there is a surge of hope here. this is our year, we are winning this election. it's been the most momentous campaign since independence in 1980. with the ruling party now positioning itself as the guarantor of stability and economic progress. zanu—pf presided over killing, torture and economic disaster, but still expects to win. "we will build our new zimbabwe on unity, peace, love and harmony", the president told his final rally.

the ruling party has the money, has the backing of state media and immense powers of patronage. people here simply can't conceive of losing this election. i'm quite positive, on monday he'll be the absolute winner over his rivals. so much hope, but for such different outcomes. fergal keane, bbc news, harare. pope francis has accepted the resignation of a cardinal, the first such case in nearly 100 years. the catholic church found credible and substantiated claims that theodore mccarrick had sexually abused a teenager nearly 50 years ago. the 88—year—old former archbishop of washington is facing a vatican trial, and has already been barred from carrying out any ministry. john mcmanus reports. and to speak with civility and pray together... theodore mccarrick is one of the best—known clerics

in the us catholic church, but as of now, he's no longer a cardinal. on friday evening he submitted his resignation to the pope, a consequence of an investigation by the archdiocese of new york into allegations that he sexually abused a teenage boy nearly 50 years ago. theodore mccarrick denies the allegations, but last month the archdiocese said they were credible and substantiated. it's thought that new york's statute of limitations means too much time has elapsed for a criminal prosecution, but the former archbishop of washington will now face a church trial. in a statement, pope francis ordered theodore mccarrick, who had already finished his duties, to seclude himself in a life of prayer and penance until his trial finishes. the case is particularly embarrassing for the vatican because mccarrick was heavily involved in drafting new guidelines when the sex abuse scandal first broke in the us church. from now on, anyone who has this problem, who is credibly accused of this, will never work

in the united states. that's clear from what the holy father said. 0ther unsubstantiated allegations have since emerged in the us media, including claims that the former archbishop coerced seminarians into sharing his bed. and two dioceses in newjersey have revealed they received three allegations of sexual misconduct with adults, two of which they settle financially. some catholics have called for a formal vatican investigation into the us church, similar to the recent one in chile, amid accusations that senior clerics knew about rumours surrounding theodore mccarrick for many years. john mcmanus, bbc news. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: tens of thousands join rallies across russia to protest against plans to raise the pension age. the us space agency, nasa,

has ordered an investigation after confirmation today that astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk. the last foot patrol in south armagh. once an everyday part of the soldier's lot — drudgery and danger — now no more after almost four decades. if one is on one's own in a private house, not doing any harm to anybody, i don't really see why these people should wander in and say, "you're doing something wrong." six rare white lion cubs are on the prowl at worcestershire park, and already they've been met with a roar of approval from visitors. they're lovely, yeah. really sweet.

yeah, really cute. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: at least five people have died — including two children and their great—grandmother — as a huge wildfire sweeps across northern california. pope francis accepts the resignation of a prominent us cardinal following allegations of historic sexual abuse. more protests are expected in russia on sunday over a proposed rise in the pension age for men and women. they come a day after demonstrations organised by the communist party — and will be led by the liberal opposition. the government wants to raise the pension age from 60 to 65 for men. 55 to 63 is the proposed raise in pension age for women in russia. russian men have a life expectancy ofjust 66 according to the world health organisation, women fare a bit better, with a life expentancy age of 77. opponents of the changes argue people won't live long enough to enjoy their pensions if the changes are passed.

lebo diseko has more. a rare sight in vladimir putin's russia, thousands on the streets of moscow challenging proposed pension reforms. this sign and the skeleton with it expressing theirfears. "worked all his life but did not get his pension." translation: sadly a significant number of both men and women will not make it to the age of planned retirement that our government is proposing, so this may unfortunately mean many of our citizens are not even destined to live until their pension age and will have to work into the grave. russia's lower house parliament, the duma, gave first reading approval to the measure earlier this month. the proposal was put forward by cabinet on the eve of the world cup and opponents accused the government of trying

to slip the changes through while the nation was distracted. protesters are demanding a referendum on the issue, and around three million people have signed a petition against the changes. president putin says he doesn't like the idea of raising the pension age, but doing nothing was not an option. he also says, though, that he will listen to all opinions. public trust in his presidency has fallen from 80% in may to 64% this month, according to the state pollster. some are now describing the government's move as the most dangerous and risky reform of president putin's rule. lebo diseko, bbc news. let's go back to zimbabwe. dr kenneth mufuka is a zimbabwean historian who grew up 16 kilometres from the ruins of great zimbabwe — a medieval city in the south—eastern hills of zimbabwe near the town of masvingo. it is now a unesco

world heritage site. dr kenneth mufuka tells our witness team about how its ancient structures have been used as a political tool by generations of ruling elites. this is one of the most remarkable sites in africa. these are the corridors of power of an ancient african civilisation. this is great zimbabwe. everybody in power wants to control history because it brings them legitimacy. the europeans said the africans did not build the ruins. it belonged to someone else, the phoenicians, the arabs, the queen of sheba, anybody else except the africans. the great zimbabwe was the greatest

civilisation south of egypt. it carried about 10,000 people. that was quite a large city. it was also the scene of religion and the economy of zimbabwe, it was gold. it could be traced as far back as 1100. i was raised about ten miles away from. i was obsessed with history so i visited it as a child. there was a bus to the great zimbabwe but this was for tourists, blacks were not allowed there. but we just turn up and if there were no white visitors, you can wander about. the structures are massive. the stones are chiselled to be exactly the same size and they are not connected by mortar or cement. we felt in some ways deprived of what belonged to us. that we belonged to a great people.

that we are oppressed by the colonial regime. newsreel: when europeans first saw great zimbabwe in the 1890s, they could not believe that so imposing a structure could have been built by the ancestors of the africans they found living there. zimbabwe was not built by either blacks or whites. the people who built it were semitic. they were brown in colour and were evidently the people who were a mixture of arabs and jews. the europeans, they were going there to civilise africans who were in darkness, who had no history. so if they accepted that some of these africans had these wonderful civilisations, their reasoning would fall apart. newsreel: on april18, 1980, zimbabwe became independent. it was a great moment for us.

history became important. they were going to find a new identity by going into the past. i was the first black director of national museums. i was supposed to use my abilities as a writer to write a new manual for the great zimbabwe, getting away from the eurocentric interpretation so that heritage could be reclaimed. it was one of my happiest times but it was also full of challenges because the politicians insisted that i must say that the great zimbabwe was built by revolutionaries. and i refused, isaid, no, there is nothing revolutionary. they were just ordinary people building as they were told by the king. they were angry with me and i had to leave zimbabwe, in a hurry, because now

they were looking to lock me up. i think my life explains why history is very exciting because look at the problems i have gone through because of my writing of history. britain's geraint thomas is set to win the tour de france after maintaining his overall lead on the penultimate stage of the race — a 31km time trial. he came third during saturday's time trial but still has a 1.51 advantage over his nearest rival. the four time winner, chris froome, will finish the race in third place. after almost 65,000 kilometres at sea, history has been made in the clipper round the world yacht race. for the first time, a female skipper, wendy tuck, has led her team of amateur sailors to victory. thousands turned out to watch the teams sail into liverpool after nearly a year at sea. peter harris reports.

for the winners, a moment to savour, and a first too for the round the world yacht race. wendy tuck becoming the first women to skipper the winning crew. the hardest part is getting the team to gel. you might have people who are really competitive, people who aren't and just trying to get them all together, that's the hardest part. you can teach anybody to sail and i had a few people who could sail but that's the easy part. it's making the team come together that's the hardest part. it had been an 11—month journey across 40,000 nautical miles. the 11 yachts, each with around 20 crew, tackled everything the elements could throw at them. all but the skippers are non—professionals including a teacher and a nurse. for them, it was a life—changing experience. my main aim from this was to come away a better person, it was an ideal way to take a step out of my normal day—to—day life for a year.

a pretty extreme way of doing it but i definitely managed to achieve that. the round the world yacht race will be staged again next year. this year's competitors say it has been a feat of spirit and stamina that they will never forget. peter harris, bbc news, liverpool. a giant panda at the yuen—nan safari park in south west china has been celebrating his fourth birthday with a special cake and young tourists singing happy birthday. zoo keepers prepared mao zhu a four—layer iced cake, with each layer topped by different food including bamboo, bamboo leaves, apples, honey and corn—bread. mao zhu and his partner zhen duo moved to the park in 2016. it was the second birthday mao zhu has spent at the zoo. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @nkem|fejika. good morning.

not only was yesterday our first day below 25 degrees sincejune 23, it was also for some an especially wet one, flooding in northern ireland as we saw a months worth of rainfall in just three hours. bringing about the change has been been a shift in the position of the jetstream. instead of being to the north of us, it's taken a dive southwards across the atlantic and pushed towards the south, circulating an area of low pressure around the uk and dragging in cool air off the north atlantic. it has two discrete centres, one to the north—west of scotland, very strong winds, and one to the south of england. again, some strong winds to come. accompanied by a spell of steady rain, not the intensity we saw on saturday. the big story will be the strength of the wind. 40, 50 mph gusts around southern and western coasts and hills, persistent rain to go with it. little bit drier in eastern areas

of england first thing. the rain is spreading north and east quite smartly through the morning. maybe just clipping the east of northern ireland and into southern scotland first light but much of northern ireland, a good part of scotland, a dry and bright start with some sunshine, although in the hebrides, some of the strongest of winds. 50—60mph gusts in the morning with outbreaks of rain. but getting better here, compared to the rest of scotland where it will turn cloudier and wetter through the day, especially through central and eastern parts. northern ireland, just one or two showers clipping the east, many will have a much better day than saturday. england and wales, the cloud and persistent rain of the morning will ease back to sunshine and showers for the afternoon. some of those on the heavy side, but also, note the temperatures. it will be the first day in a while where we have seen temperatures lower than the average for this time of year quite widely. into sunday night, lots of dry weather, clear skies but a few showers to southern and western areas later. still have a south—westerly wind. while we dropped down into single figures in rural parts of scotland, northern ireland and northern england, further south, temperatures will be in the mid—teens. we start the new working week not on a cold note but with low pressure still circulating to the north—west. still pushing weather

fronts our way. these are not as potent as sunday's. a fairly fragmented area of cloud and rain spilling northwards and eastwards. still breezy but not as windy as on sunday and a bit more sunshine between the afternoon showers. the showers heaviest and most frequent the further north you are. temperatures still in the teens here but getting back into the mid—20s for some towards the south and the east as they will be again on tuesday. always a bit cooler and breezier further north you are on tuesday with a few showers still in the forecast. but after a fresher and showery weekend and start to next week, things do warm up later on. summer is not done yet. this is bbc news. the headlines — at least five people have died, including two children and their great—grandmother, as a huge wildfire sweeps across northern california. 17 people are missing and nearly 40,000 have been forced to flee. firefighters are battling the blaze. they say it's only 5% contained so far. pope francis has accepted

the resignation of a prominent us cardinal. the catholic church found that allegations theodore mccarrick had sexually abused a teenager were credible and substantiated. the 88—year—old is the first man to leave the college of cardinals in almost a century. the two main candidates in zimba bwe's presidential elections have addressed large crowds of supporters in the capital, harare. president emmerson mnangagwa of the zanu—pf party faces a challenge nelson chamisa of the opposition mdc. it's the first presidential poll since robert mugabe was ousted from power in november,