this is news live from berlin a massive fire engulfs the cathedral of not shut down firefighters in the french capital are rushing to contain the blaze. to renovation work we'll take you live to paris. i'm phil gail welcome to the program a major fire is raging out of control in paris this landmark much of that get federal first reports came in about forty five minutes ago at the place appears to

be concentrated in the roof of the nine hundred year old building the french president emanuel mccraw has cancelled a major policy speech. this evening. it was described as a terrible fire. straits to paris that where we joined journalist john laurenson. welcome john bring us up to date on what's been happening. and the images we're seeing a total catastrophe anderson this cathedral of it took. two hundred years to fill this second up in flames tonight the very high spire not to down procedural collapse just a few minutes ago. if i started just before seven o'clock this evening it started as you said just under the rafters of that very high roof. there is.

building work carrying being carried out to the moment of scaffolding up on the side of the building the firemen said there is a potential link between the fire breaking out and this and this and this work being carried out but also presumes will have very much up in their minds. the attempt to to burn its cathedral down by islamist terrorists actually female terrorists in the temper two thousand and sixteen the bridges that i've been watching across the this last hour or so i see no sign of firefighters why is that. the firefighters were according to the paris mare and it val go bringing the the blaze under control. then just a few minutes after we're. the roof start to decay they have clearly the firefighters

are failing to to to get this blaze under control perhaps because it's so high we can see hoses trained on the fire but they don't seem to be anywhere up to the measure of the catastrophic proportions of the fire that is blazing at the moment give us an idea of the size and scale of this building obviously we know that that name but for those of us who've never been that how big a construction are we talking about. well it's it's a it's a building that is. it was built in the twelfth twelfth century and it was for centuries and centuries the highest building in paris when you are approaching the city you would see not today an towering against what we're about what was then a very low rise city some of the features of the extraordinary because they could

cathedral are two rows assays two circular therefore. stained glass windows of enormous proportions on either side of the transept of the of the cathedral this is a building that is known and loved by people across the world thirteen million people come to this is every year it's what it's it was when it was built and it remains one of the greatest cathedral him in the western world and it is the most visited parent even more than i forget of times most visited monument in in the western world so this is an extraordinary extraordinary place that it said that the holes in the french magination i think people are going to be absent traumatized by what's happening tonight and it's a working the church where the people inside. i'm sure there were i haven't i haven't read that and i mean there would have been vespers which would have you know to finish by that time by by by ten to seven but it is. as you know it's just

the beginning of holy week where are we we were just moving up to easter to some days of course next next sunday and so there would be very many people in the church also not redounds not have a church is not present has five six mass is taking place every day it's sort of like one out of the other half the other after the other so there are always faithful in the. inside the building i'm sure they were evacuated very quickly i'm sure some of them are extremely. must be in a huge anguish about what they are out of the what they saw i've also seen now that the archies of evacuated the entire area around the cathedral because deadly was starting to fall down on people and. pieces of bernie bernie material was of the full on the on the crowd sort of being pushed back away from the sides

of the river same what about the area around the cathedral is that residential what what goes on there. what is the heart of the most tourist i suppose the heart of the of the biggest tourist city in the world it is a medieval part of paris it were on an island. a tiny island. right next to it you have you were a tiny little time to time little streets lots of restaurants of course a case of patron julie the tourist you have a tiny little park there you have also. only about one hundred metres away from the tremendous façade of not to get notre dame cathedral you have the very enormous and very impressive central police station of paris. word has to be a terrorist attack this would have been taking taking place you know under the noses of the french police. look at pictures now of

a. cathedral it not saddam but a. spy not collapse yes yes the spotify has collapsed. this happened just a few moments ago. i mean it is this is. this is an unbelievable tragedy it's an unbelievable tragedy this is one of the the great buildings in the world. and up in flames john larson in paris thank you so much. let's take a look at some good stories in the news the sudanese approaches leaders say they have blocked an attempt by the army to break up a sit in outside its headquarters more demonstrators are arriving to join the thousands calling on campus militia to hand over power to a civilian administration mass anti-government protests helped depose longtime president omar al bashir last week and now applying pressure to the military council that replaced him. to treat tends to break up

a protest that last eight fit days but despite army efforts to remove them this group is standing firm. we will stop here until we finish all will recall not leave this really. they are some of the sounds and since a dance capital khartoum demanding power for the people it follows the military's decision last week to overthrow the country's unpopular leader of thirty years omar al bashir although it's what the masses wanted they're angry that the army has taken power for itself the new government a real civil government a content. people with qualifications no don't need military people rather be able not only protect our country protect our new government we are here to remove the

entire system a system that does not does god give service equality to the people a system that leaves people under poverty a system that does not also done as a country as a rich country with a human and natural resources to act as any other country in the world the new military council held its first meeting on sunday. over the weekend it also met with sudanese opposition leaders promising to rule for a maximum of two years while democratic elections are organized. opposition forces are in charge of appointing the prime minister and his cabinet for civilian government calling on them to have united voice. but the crucial decision of who will become president is one the military council

wants to keep for itself. back on the streets there are also demands that bashir is associates face justice. while the protests continue many are already painting a new picture of what life inside done could look like. for you know. and. whether that vision one lost depends on what the military decides to do next let's get more amish from sudanese activist and. welcome to d w we'll start with the city outside the sudanese army h.q. that's been going on for some time now for some days what are you hearing it's like this it's an x. in six of afro which is actually all of this political transformation happened because of this big amount of people who appear in the city today in the morning there was attempt from the army to victory sitting but the protest is kind of close and may depress again it's on you which is success for the whole place for for the

for the purpose of the sit and which is make the army reason as a statement saying that we were not we were not attempting to set to have picked we were just coming to the space so basically there's kind of a victory for the for the protesters to keep on hold the space in front of the army had quotes or no shooting and no shooting it was like it and was a negotiation with the head of the army troops who came to take people out so this sounds like the country is actually in quite an interesting transition anyway because the fact that there was no shooting on the fact that the army sort of when say and then retreat if that's significant isn't it yeah yeah basically that the army is like he has made many people from the old old regime is still there and in the poll and they want to keep this in transformation without keeping themselves inside so they wanted to start negotiation because any kind of brutal act it will lead to mass demonstration more and it could also need to end of their will and of being that and so if we if we look at the people who are protesting that aside from

regime change aside from the old president going to the to the protesters necessarily want the same things. yeah the but this is a kind of consensus from the beginning when people want to treat something it's called the declaration of freedom and change that made by cities professional association so it made all the people came out to the street and this declaration that it has to be fulfilled somehow and this demand now from the people all of them to fulfill the declaration that they have a consensus from the beginning and they also give. blood for it when they went in the street in one thousand of december and now there's kind of a political division is still but there's kind of mutual agreement which is declaration of freedom of change that a civil transition or civilian authority babe's a transition for a democratic society very army council who's now in charge they say this will happen within two years do people believe this do you believe this there's old time mistrust because the army was in the last thirty years to govern governing this

country and the army is is not is not an institution could be institution that could pave the way for a democratic society and that was people demanding they need a civil society even in the transitional period that the army called for it now four to either because civil polls could be the way for a democratic society and democratic transition and if the country ready for it to be run like a proper civilian democracy other political parties of effective political parties yeah under this declaration of freedom of change there's many. from the left to conservative to liberal parties inside this and the distillation of freedom of change and the polity since they exist of the modern so that now and actually they are now who are demanding to get the poet to demo or to technocrats authority that could could organize the social conflict which is lead to a democratic society that we will watch and see how this changes over the coming days and weeks but for the you for joining us a sudanese activist and artist ahmed the south think. but take

a look now at some of the other stories making news around the world the international red cross has ended a media blackout to seek information about a nurse from new zealand who's been missing in syria for five years and isolation said it was acting on the thoughts that louisa coffee may still be alive she and two syrian drivers were abducted in the northwestern city of well delivering aid supplies in twenty thirteen. activists have been demonstrating outside london at the london offices of oil giant royal dutch shell calling for action on climate change protesters also briefly a block several key locations in the british capital of events begin the two weeks of climate change protests organized by a group calling itself extinction rebound. not just on its reminder the top story this hour a fire is raging out of control at the paris is the cathedral and the spot house collapsed they say it could be linked to an official french president emanuel has

canceled a planned address to the nation that is on his way to the c. b w business update we've been physical in is that next more world news at the top of the hour of the day. he takes it personally. with wonderful people in stories that make the game so special. for all true fans. more than football on line.