fr lakeport, california, james cook has this report. james: the fire season is more. california is ablaze all year round. in the past six years, not one month has passed without a wildfire here. just now, 17 fires are burning up and down the state, causing problems for the battalion chief and his team. >> the fires are coming up behind us, little enthusiastic right now. it is reacting to the wind in -- and the fuels, coming up below us. it is cooking off the moisture -- that is the crackling part. kind of not where we are looking for them to go right now. james: across north america, tens of thousands of firefighters are btling to save life and protect property, setting controlled burns like y at the and hacking a undergrowth to deprive the fires of fuel. it is relentless and often dangerous work. quite how dangerous was underlined again with the death of brian hughes, the 32-yearld captain of the arrowhead hotshots. he was fighting this blaze near yosemite national park when he was struck by a falling tree. cue fourth firefighter to die in california'ent wildfires. 5

james cook, bbc news, turnberry in ayshire. trump advised her to sue the european union over brexit, rather than negotiate with them. theresa may disclosed his advice as she defended her plan for a deal, which favours close links with the eu on trade in goods. the policy has been strongly criticised by some leave campaigners and faces a tough test tomorrow in the house of commons. here's our political correspondent iain watson. the prime minister is coming out fighting on brexit. though her most immediate battles are with those in her own party. at her country retreat, chequers, she hammered out a new brexit plan and then lost two cabinet ministers. and many more of her mps think shejust isn't being tough enough on brussels. oh, and so does someone else. i gave her a suggestion, not advice, i wouldn't want to give her advice. i would give her a suggestion. i could fully understand why she thought it was a bit tough. and when he spoke to american television, he remained coy about his suggestion, but still thought it was a good i

james cook, bbc news, in northern california.ise but unfortunately some of their parents are unwilling to attend, leaving people on their own on their big day. well, to combat this one woman from oklahoma has offered to step in as the ‘stand in mom' to fill that void. sara cunningham came to terms with her son being gay, now she helps others disowned by their parents. blow the bubbles, whatever you need... if you need a mum to come to your same—sex marriage because your logical mother won't, i am your girls. —— girl. ijust started hearing about parents who were not accepting the relationship between the couples, not recognising their marriage as holy. it is the most profound day of their lives. i was that mum also. i was that mum wondering, could i go to my own son ‘s wedding. i had to reconcile my own fears about that. it doesn't seem like a monumental action but it is so important. it doesn't seem like a monumental action but it is so importantm it doesn't seem like a monumental action but it is so important. it is the highligh

james cook, bbc news, los angeles.ampaigning in zimbabwe's presidential elections, both the main candidates have been holding rallies, drawing huge crowds. 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. bye—bye mnangagwa. 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 parties, 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 has been the most momentous campaign since independe

james cook, bbc news, in northern california.stern bangladesh last week, killing five children and forcing 1,000 people to relocate, including in the rohingya refugee camps. unicef spokesperson in cox's bazar alastair lawson—tancred joins us via webcam from cox's bazar. just give us an update on the situation, particularly the refugee camps. well, we have had very heavy rain over the last week. on one day we had 350 millilitres in the refugee camp alone. this causes huge problems for the refugees because on one hand they have to face an intense flooding risk, and on the other they have to face the risk of landslides, so it does cause enormous disruption, but i'm pleased to say the rain has now abated, but that hasn't done anything really to mitigate concerned about the landslide danger, because the geologists here warned, although the landslides have stopped temporarily, the danger has not disappeared because the water seeps into the hills, the sand dunes where the refugees live in their camps, and the landslide danger is still v

james cook, bbc news, los angeles. to buzzfeed reporter brianna sacks, who is in redding city, where the worst wildfires are. she gave me an update on the situation on the ground. for the first time officials are sounding a bit optimistic. even though the fire grew a little bit, to about 90,000 acres, today at a meeting they were saying they are a little bit of grout. so they're feeling optimistic and they are not as much in a defensive mode but able to kind of make some more room on the line and get a bit more control. does this mean that residents will be able to return to their homes any time soon? well, they keep pushing back on that. some people have. but they are being a bit cautious. i think probably tomorrow and tuesday we will see more and more people start to return but they are still wanting to keep people out because of the erratic wind and weather that can turn at any time, as we have been seeing here. are people still being rescued? is there still a search under way for people missing in the fires? there

blazes, which have claimed the lives of at least seven people. 0ur north america correspondent james cook reports from lakeport, in northern california. the fire season is no more. california is now ablaze all year round. in the past six years, not one month has passed without a major wildfire here. just now, 17 are burning up and down the state, causing problems for battalion chief paul fleckenstein and his team. the fire that's coming up behind us is a little enthusiastic right now. it's reacting to the wind and the fuels. it's coming up from the bottom below us. mostly the thermal column is carrying it up, it's catching the brush, you can hear it cook off the moisture, that's the crackling part. then it's picking up the embers and throwing them kind of where we're not looking for them to go right now. across north america, tens of thousands of firefighters are battling to save life and protect property, setting controlled burns like this one and hacking away at the undergrowth to try to deprive the wildfires of fuel. it is relentless and often dangerous work. quite how dangerous was un

james cook, bbc news, los angeles. 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. allison woods is a news anchor for krcr television in redding city, and joins me live from there.

james cook, bbc news, los angeles.vering the wildfires for the sacramento bee newspaper and joins me live from sacramento in northern california. thank you forjoining us. what is it like in your region? well, it is very hot here, temperatures rn the 90- very hot here, temperatures rn the 90 - 100 very hot here, temperatures rn the 90 — 100 degrees range. —— temperatures are in. it is hazy, it is smoky. where i am in sacramento, which is 2.5 hours south of the fire in redding, we can still see that hayes and smell it. —— haze. in redding, we can still see that hayes and smell it. -- haze. lots of the counties around you are affected by these fires, aren't they? yes, it isafair by these fires, aren't they? yes, it is a fair distance removed from sacramento and it is remarkable that you can see smoke here. or at least see the haze in the air here, 2.5 hours away. it's just incredible that that's what summer is like of them around here. —— often. as your reporter said, the death toll in the redding fire is up to six. the s

james cook, bbc news., has questioned whether the british prime minister's latest proposals for trade after the uk leaves the eu are workable. earlier, theresa may used a speech to urge the eu to evolve its position on the irish border issue. 0ur deputy political editor, john pienaar, has the latest. the protesters often turn out for theresa may, but the problems of brexit follow her everywhere. today she was in belfast, with a plea and a promise — a promise there would be no hard irish border when the uk leaves, and a plea to the eu. she had compromised on her brexit plan. now, it was brussels's turn. the white paper represents a significant development of our position. it is a coherent package. it is now for the eu to respond, not simply to fall back onto previous positions, which have already been proven unworkable. as for the border, her plan sees goods moving freely between the uk and the eu, including ireland, with no customs or other checks. so no special status for northern ireland, no undermining

james cook, bbc news. from philadelphia by us attorneyjeffrey goodman whose firm has represented people injured in past duck boat accidents. thank you forjoining us. what exactly is the issue with the duck boat? the main issue is the canopy. that has been a long consistent theme in all the accidents. going back to 1999, in arkansas, a duck boat cinque, the same thing happen in philadelphia in 2010, u nfortu nately. in philadelphia in 2010, unfortunately. what happens with these duck boats is the canopy above these duck boats is the canopy above the passengers, when the boat sinks, the passengers, when the boat sinks, the passengers, when the boat sinks, the passengers are drawn into the canopy and it draws them down. they have no ability to get out from the trap of the canopy. that is the death trap. the national classification board, when they investigated the disaster came out with a safety recommendations that the canopy is must be removed. —— canopies. unfortunately did not have the authority to comman

james cook, bbc news, los angeles.charged with attempted murder and weapons offences, following a shooting in leytonstone‘s lascelles close on thursday night involving police. no—one was hurt in the exchange. the men were found in possession of a shotgun, an axe and a zombie knife and will appear in court on monday. a 24—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and sexual activity with a child, following the death of a 13—year—old girl. lucy mchugh‘s body was discovered in woodland in southampton on thursday. she'd been reported missing the night before. the british actor ed westwick, won't be prosecuted, following accusations of rape and sexual assault made against him in america. investigators say there's "insufficient evidence." after the allegations emerged last year, the bbc cut his performance from the agatha christie drama 0rdeal by innocence. it also halted the recording of a second series of his hit comedy white gold. the 30—year—old has always denied he did anything wrong. the chief constable of

james cook, bbc news. jeffrey goodman, whose law firm has represented people injured in past duck boat accidents. he told me more about the safety of these amphibious vehicles. the main issue with the duck boats is the canopies that come on these boats, and that's been the one consistent theme in all the accidents. going back to 1999 in arkansas, the miss majestic duck boat sank in a river, and the same thing happened in philadelphia unfortunately in 2010, and the same thing happened in missouri. what happens with these duck boats, given the canopy above these passengers, when the duck boat sinks, the passengers are drawn up into the canopy and it drags them down with the boat. so whether they're wearing their pfds, their personal flotation devices, or whether they're not, they have no ability to get out of the trap of the canopy. that canopy makes these duck boats death traps. where does the transportation board stand on these vehicles? the national transportation safety board, when they investigated the

our correspondent, james cook, reports from the city of redding, in california.e wildfire which roared into reading is becoming clear. survivors describe an apocalyptic scheme as they fled with the swirling tornadoes of flame. some feared they would not make it. homes were exploding, cars were exploding. i have a wife and kids and i said i better face time my wife just in case. i wanted to see her face one more time. the inferno left hundreds of homes in ruins. inside one the bodies of five—year—old james roberts and his four—year—old sister emily and their great—grandmother, melody. i was talking to my grandson on the phone and he was saying, grandpa, you have to help us, the fire is at the back door, come and get us. i said i am close by and i am planning to get in there. i am right by you. two firefighters were killed as well. one had been cutting vegetation with a bulldozer and was 81 yea rs old vegetation with a bulldozer and was 81 years old and everyone here will tell you they have never seen anything like this. every single person i have talked to so far

the bbc‘s james cook joins me now from la. give us the latest, please.this started in the central los angeles, just south of the downtown area, where the suspect was, according to police, accused of shooting his grandmother and girlfriend before grabbing the younger women and fleeing across the city. —— woman. his car was spotted near hollywood and police officers gave chase. as they did so, they say he fired at them as he drove across the city, and apparently it is one officer fired back. then the city, and apparently it is one officerfired back. then the the city, and apparently it is one officer fired back. then the car crashed in the silver lake area. as he got out, there was an exchange of gunfire with police as he ran into a branch of the supermarket trader joe's. shoppers in staff started to run in panic. somejumped from windows of the store. others climbed down a rope ladder. helicopter news footage showed two children being carried to safety by officers who we re carried to safety by officers who were apparently heavily armed. a stand—off ben in

james cook, bbc news, in northern california.ool to the stand in front of that and talk about the fire just being a little bit enthusiastic right now. the latest headlines: india has stripped more than 4 million people of their citizenship in this psalm, mostly bengali muslims. —— assam. 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 anyone, 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, they were cute. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: president trump says he's ready to meet iran's leaders any time and with no precond

james cook, bbc news, in northern california. let's take you to the scene now in sa nta let's take you to the scene now in santa clara, california, where it is approaching 5pm in the evening and as you can see the fires are causing devastation for the communities. houses are still smouldering. a number of firefighters have been trying to tackle wildfires across the state. they say they have made some progress since sunday but still a long way to go, utter devastation, millions of people affected bees. in fa ct, millions of people affected bees. in fact, tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes and as we hearing from james's report, at least seven people have lost their lives. we are keeping a close eye on it, but that is the scene at the moment from santa clara. i think you can also see just in the shot there at the front door of the house that is underfire, are at the front door of the house that is under fire, are firefighters trying to get this situation under control. but more on that situation still to come. in

james cook, bbc news, in northern california. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come...ab their first chance to demonstrate against a possible rise in the pension age. the us space agency nasa has ordered an investigation 110w now no more after almost four decades. not doing any harm to anyone, all these people wandering in and saying you're doing something wrong. they have been met with the roar of approvalfrom wrong. they have been met with the roar of approval from visitors. they are really sweet. welcome back. you're watching bbc world news today. these are the latest headlines. caught on the mountain.... the moment trekkers run to escape landslides as a powerful earthquake hits the indonesian island of lombok. at least 1a people are dead, and there have been more than 100 aftershocks. zimbabwe's ex—president breaks his silence on the eve of the country's election. robert mugabe says he won't be voting for the man who forced him out of office. the new york times has sent donald trump a stern warning — calling the us president's attacks on the news media "dangerous an

james cook, bbc news.hat story and other stories if you go to a website. the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, has said he's invited britain to work on a solution to the irish border issue next week. speaking after a meeting of european affairs ministers, mr barnier said they were open to any solution as long as it could be transformed into a legally operative text in time for the withdrawal agreement. the protesters often turn out for theresa may, but the problems of brexit follow her everywhere. today she was in belfast, with a plea and a promise — a promise there would be no hard irish border when the uk leaves, and a plea to the eu. she had compromised on her brexit plan. now, it was brussels‘s turn. the white paper represents a significant development of our position. it is a coherent package. it is now for the eu to respond, not simply to fall back onto previous positions, which have already been proven unworkable. as for the border, her plan sees goods moving freely between the uk and th

james cook, bbc news, los angeles.cis 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. john mcmanus reports. and to speak with civility and pray together... theodore mccarrick was one of the best—known clerics in the us catholic church. as of now, he is no longer a cardinal. he submitted his resignation to the pope after allegations that he sexually abused a teenage boy nearly 50 years ago. he denies the allegations but last month the archdiocese said that they were credible and substantiated. due to the statute of limitations, 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 after his trial. the scandal is doubly embarrassing be

james cook, bbc news, in northern california.t jenn pirro, who described her experience. the fire originally started 16 miles away and the wind drove it and what happened in my neighbourhood was a spot fire directly behind my house, a green belt behind it, we are in a really wooded area. i was at work, being evacuated from there, and i got a call from someone saying my neighbourhood was being evacuated, so i called home. my daughter was there because she had been evacuated from her house and came and stayed with me. i got home probably five minutes before they closed off my neighbourhood, packed what i could and thankfully i have a wonderful employer in my town and they reserved hotel rooms for all displaced employees, so i'm staying in a hotel in town waiting to be told i can go back to my neighbourhood. right now i have heard they are checking the neighbourhoods for possible gas leaks, or electrical problems, and once they have the clear they will start repopulating all the evacuated areas, but they have to do a lot of safety c

james cook, bbc news, turnberry in ayshire.rowley, one of the victims of the novichok poisoining in wiltshire, has spoken to the bbc about how the nerve agent came to be in his possession. dawn sturgess died after she and charlie rowley were exposed to the chemical in amesbury last month. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw has more detail. it hasn't been confirmed by the metropolitan police, which is conducting the investigation. the metropolitan police said they had identified the source of the nerve agent. they said it was contained in agent. they said it was contained in a small bottle that was in charlie rowley‘s flat in amesbury in wiltshire. now we have a claim from charlie rowley‘s brother, matthew, who spoke to the bbc and said it was actually a perfume bottle. —— actually a perfume bottle. —— actually in a purview bottle. it appears he told his brother that information and it seems to have been passed on to the police. as i've said, we had no confirmation from the metropolitan police of that information. the met

james cook, bbc news.s—based analytics firm while it investigates concerns about the collection and sharing of user data. crimson hexagon, based in boston, describes itself as offering "consumer insights" and has contracts with government agencies around the world. facebook said it was looking into whether some of these deals were in violation of its policies on surveillance. the fbi is reported to have seized a secret recording of donald trump discussing a payment to a former playboy model. the new york times says the tapes were discovered in the offices of mr trump's former lawyer during a police raid. 0ur washington correspondent chris buckler reports. karen mcdougal was a model for hugh hefner's playboy magazine, and she claims that she had an affair with donald trump that lasted for months. their alleged relationship took place a decade before mr trump ran for president, but in the months leading up to that vote, karen mcdougal sold her story to a tabloid newspaper. however, the national enquirer, whi

james cook, bbc news.n pound roll out of smart energy meters has been heavily criticised by a group of mps. the programme was meant to give customers a better idea of how much they're spending on energy, but is now believed to be behind schedule and heavily over budget. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. it is one of the biggest infrastructure projects under way at the moment: smart meters in 30 million british homes by 2020, designed to connect households in real—time with their energy suppliers, and hopefully cut bills. but for one group of mps, things are not going to plan. the cross—party big infrastructure group says the project may miss its target. it says the government is rolling out technology that is already obsolete in some homes, and the smart meters will go dumb due to insufficient mobile coverage in some areas. the mps say the expected savings for consumers may also be in doubt. that accusation is rejected by the group which is rolling out the technology. this infrastructure upgrad

james cook, bbc news.the gaza—israeli border. the palestinian health ministry says one person was shot dead by israeli soldiers during the weekly friday protests. the israeli army also launched air raids on what it described as hamas targets, killing three people. it said one of its troops has died from his wounds in the exchange of fire. the latest violence comes a day after israel's parliament passed a controversial law defining the country as the nation—state of the jewish people. a man arrested in westminster last year armed with several knives has been jailed for life. dramatic pictures from the time show khalid ali being detained by officers moments before attempting to launch a knife attack near downing street. he was convicted last month of terror offences, and will spend at least a0 years behind bars. residents near an industrial estate in the west midlands have been evacuated from their homes following an ammonia leak. emergency services were called to summerton road in 0ldbury this evening where

james cook, bbc news, in northern california. a look at some of today's other stories.dent review of modern slavery laws after its own research revealed the crime costs the uk up to £45 billion a year. the report estimates that each instance of the crime costs around £330,000 including support, lost earnings and law enforcement. pope francis has accepted the resignation of australian archbishop philip wilson. it's after the 67—year—old was found guilty in may of concealing child sexual abuse. he's the most senior member of the catholic church to be convicted of the offence. doctors are calling for women in england to be allowed to take medication at home to have an early abortion, instead of having to go to a licensed clinic or hospital and then travel home and risk the process happening during the journey. the royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists believes the change would avoid distress to women and bring england's policy in line with wales and scotland. our health correspondent jenny walrond has more. i know you've just come back from our scan, and that s

james cook, bbc news, in northern california.ary to change the law, regarding the rules for women taking abortion pills. in england, they must be administered in a hospital or clinic, before a woman is allowed to travel home, to wait for the abortion to take place. but bbc news has been told that some women are illegally taking pills they ve bought online, to avoid visiting clinics. jean mackenzie has more. it was so traumatic and so unexpected. 20 minutes into herjourney home from the clinic, zoe felt the effects of the abortion pill kicked in. the pain and the nausea was so extreme, i had to get off the tube. i lay down on a bench and basically just decided that i wasn't going to move any further. the abortion pill is used to terminate an early pregnancy. it requires women to take two sets of tablets over two days. now, the current law in england states that women have to take both sets of tablets within a hospital or clinic. they have then got to make the journey home back from the clinic while they wait for the abortion proce

james cook, bbc news, in northern california. county isjonathan cox, who is the battalion chief for california's department of forestry and fire protection. thank you forjoining us. such a busy and crucial time for you. tell us busy and crucial time for you. tell us how the scale of what you were dealing with this year compares with previous years. for some perspective we are dealing with 17 major fires in northern california right now and we have 2000 acres currently burning, football pitch is about one maker, a massive scale of the amount of fire we are dealing with. also seeing some one unprecedented weather events, the western part of redding, it has not been seen before, it is indicative, tender and it is an easily ignite but environment. how do you try to deal with the fire vortex or fire tornado which can be so unpredictable for you? we have majorjob tests and fired peoples here trying to predict these patterns and in those situations we are getting people out of harms way and evacuation zones because of how unpredictable

james cook, bbc news, in northern california. uk. discussions are underway in cardiff about how to mark his achievement, as sian lloyd reports. the city waiting for geraint thomas to come home. flags have gone up at cardiff castle. behind the scenes, plans are being made to give him a hero's welcome. i think it is amazing that geraint thomas has won the tour de france and, you know, it inspires little kids to get onto their bikes. i was watching the tour de france and i want to know when is he coming back to cardiff, geraint thomas? we don't know yet, but when we do, we'll let you know. all right, thank you. one step closer to home, geraint thomas is back in the uk and headed to the one show sofa tonight. cheered on by young members of his former cycling club from cardiff, excited to meet their hero. but he is still trying to take it all in. it's been nuts. it's just been crazy. you know, you think about the race, the racing part and all that, and, suddenly, you win and it is all over and itjust goes crazy and you just don't expe

james cook, bbc news, in northern california.part in the first elections since robert mugabe's removal from power in november after almost four decades. his successor, emmerson mnangagwa, is hoping to legitimise his rule. nomsa maseko is in the capital, harare for us now. tell us in more detail what will ta ke tell us in more detail what will take place today. polls opened at you minutes ago and they will remain open for the next 12 hours. millions of zimbabweans have registered to vote. they are expected to go out there and cast their ballots because of the next five years, what happens here, will be determined either those who will be voting. they will be given three ballot papers. they will be voting for counsellors, they will be voting for counsellors, they will be voting for counsellors, they will be voting for parliamentary leaders. they will also be voting for the president. we heard also yesterday from the former president robert mugabe saying that he was very angry, very bitter and also that he would not be voting for a

james cook, bbc news, northern. californ jane: california.cenes in today the italian prime minister eame calling at the white house president trump war to welcome the populist leader with open arms. during the press conferenc t they stress ir common bonds on the economy and immigration. then mr. trump doubled down on his threat to close the government if he doesn't get what he wants. pres. trump: as far as the border is concerned, and personally, if we don't get borderit sec after many many years of talk within the united states, i would have no problem doing a shutdown. jane: that wasn't the only headline. when asked if he would meet with iran's president, this was hison re. pres. trump: i would certainly i meet with irthey want to meet. i don't know if they are ready. ec do you have preconditions? pres. trump: no ditions. anytime they want. more on that offer, our north america editor jon sopel 20 from the white house short time at -- joined me from the white house or short time ago.ro you were in th. was anybody

from the university of the west of scotla nd lee from the university of the west of scotland and james cookess conference yesterday at chequers with theresa may and donald trump, and we could probably write a book about each answer. extraordinary event. you were saying to me earlier that the comments about immigration rather got lost in the coverage of the brexit issues that were thrown up. yes, lots of discussion about brexit, and rightly so. clearly a junior trade deal between the uk and the us is a critical ambition of the prime minister. —— the achieving a great deal but but with immigration, it struck me that the language being used by this president is exceptionally unusual, and something we haven't heard in mainstream british or american politics for some long time. he said without any caveat that immigration was bad for europe, that it was undermining the culture of europe. some people will regard those comments as refreshingly robust but others will ta ke refreshingly robust but others will take them as disturbingly racist, but you can't deny that they are extremely unusual for som

james cook, bbc news, in northern california.o meet donald trump. on the issue of immigration, both the us and italy have similar views. italy has recently closed its ports to boats carrying migrants rescued from the mediterranean sea, and donald trump has campaigned on building a wall along the us border with mexico. this, he claims, is to keep unwanted migrants out. a few hours before conte arrived at the white house, president trump tweet tweeted, "we must have border security... go to merit based immigration... protect the law enforcement agencies... and of course, keep building, but much faster, the wall!" the two leaders held a news conference a few minutes ago and it didn't take long before the issue of immigation was raised. like the united states, italy is currently under enormous strain asa result of illegal immigration, and they've fought it hard. and the prime minister, frankly, is with us today because of illegal immigration. italy got tired of it. they didn't want it any longer. the people of italy have borne a grea

james cook, bbc news, los angeles.ing from a california resident whose house has been destroyed in the fire. that's at 6:a0am. terrible pictures there from california. more on that for you later. at least 10 people have died and dozens have been injured after a 6.a magnitude earthquake struck a popular tourist destination in central indonesia. —— tourist. residents and tourists poured onto the streets and into open fields to escape damaged buildings on the island of lombok. the tremor was felt 60 miles away in the bustling holiday island of bali. qatar is being accused of running a secret campaign to undermine its rivals during the bidding process for the world cup in 2022. the sunday times claims pr firms and former cia agents were used to discredit australia and the us, breaking fifa rules. qatar says it rejects each and every allegation. 0nline trolls who intimidate election candidates or campaigners could be barred from public office. the government's considering the move after a report found social media abuse was

james cook, bbc final stage is always a formality for the man in yellow, a chance news, and a warmings cook, bbc final stage is always a formality for the man in yellow, a chance news, in northern and a warming climate. james cook, bbc final stage is always a formality for the man in yellow, a chance news, in northern the government says it's looking into ways to increase transparency final stage is always a formality for the man in yellow, a chance around online political advertising. into ways to increase transparency final stage is always a formality for the man in yellow, a chance ministers also want to crack down on cyber abuse final stage is always a formality for the man in yellow, a chance against candidates in elections. down on cyber abuse final stage is always a formality for the man in yellow, a chance the plans follow a report into the extent final stage is always a formality for the man in yellow, a chance of fake news on social media and its impact on the final stage is always a formality for the man in yellow, a chance democratic process. and its impact on the final st

more than 3000 firefighters are on the scene. 0ur correspondent james cook reports from los angeles.ards of rural california list is exceptional, driven by the floors winds it was so created tornadoes flown uprooting trees trees and hurling cars aside. that is a home i believe, some kind of structure. 0n fire right now. nearly 40,000 people were forced to flee their homes. they spy on both sides of the road and houses coming down, —— there is fire. sides of the road and houses coming down, -- there is fire. hundreds of homes have been destroyed including sandberg jumbled gold rush of the 19th century, two firefighters were killed —— including some that were built during the gold rush. killed —— including some that were built during the gold rushlj killed —— including some that were built during the gold rush. ijust can't see how i can go without them. somebody has to know where they are at. the news was not good, two children and their great—grandmother have now been found dead. the question us and canada and 30 major wildfires are now burning —— across the us. oregon has been partic

james cook, bbc news.nment's multi—billion pound roll out of smart energy meters has been heavily criticised by a group of mps. the programme was meant to give customers a better idea of how much they're spending on energy, but is now believed to be behind schedule and heavily over budget. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. it is one of the biggest infrastructure projects under way at the moment, smart meters in 30 million british homes by 2020, designed to connect households in real—time with their energy suppliers, and hopefully cut bills. but for one group of mps, things are not going to plan. the cross—party big infrastructure group says the project may miss its target. it says the government is rolling out technology that is already obsolete in some homes, and the smart meters will go dumb due to insufficient mobile coverage in some areas. the mps say the expected savings for consumers may also be in doubt. that accusation is rejected by the group which is rolling out the technology. this i

james cook, bbc news, in northern california. the headlines on bbc news...ssion will not be needed to end care for patients in a permanent vegetative state trying to get back on track, after months of passenger misery, northern rail reinstates most of its cancelled trains. the polls have closed as millions vote in zimbabwes first presidential election since robert maugabe was overthrown last year. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's hi there. think you very much. tyson said he hasn't talked with the bbc champion for a fight later on this year. there is some flash for tariq ricci coming up. here he made his return to the rink after nearly three years out last month and he is scheduled to fight francesco again in three weeks' time, in belfast. it has been long linked to a fight with anthonyjoshua a dilfer has been long linked to a fight with anthony joshua a dilfer that has been long linked to a fight with anthonyjoshua a dilfer that has yet to be signed. soak fury has taken the initiative. i can revealthat negotiations are be

here's our north america correspondent, james cook.d 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 roads. 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

james cook, bbc news. terrible tragedy in missouri. a look at the day's other news. the israeli army has launched a number ofomrdments on what it describes as military targets across the gaza strip in the sponsor what it says w gunfire aimed at israeli troops. for palestinians reportedly were killed, as palestinians he another friday protests in gaza beside the israeli border. the personal data of a quarter of the population of singapore, 1.5 million people come has been stolen by hackers, according to officials. they say the attack on a government health database was deliberate and well planned, adding that it appeared to target the health informatn of the city states promised her. -- the city state's prime minister. a british man who became seriously ill after coming into contact with novichok last month has been discharged from hospital. 45-year-old charlie rowley is thought to have found the substance in perfume bottle. his partner dawn sturgess died in hospital earlier this month from exposure. duncan kennedy reports. duncan: it has been a life-changing three we

so-called duck boats have beenn involvedstring of fatal accidents. .vestigators are on the s the bbc's james cook reports. this duck boat made it back to the shore. the passengers not wearing life jackets, apparently unaware of quite how much in danger they were in. >>h my god. >> oh my god.in >> it's gog under. james: further out, a second duck boat was bigger trouble. unable to cope with the blast from a severe thunderstorm. >> they have lost sight of it. >> i need a rope. ojames: of the 31nboard, just 14 survived, brought ashore in shock. among the dead was a b one-year-oaby. >> call the emts, please. james: the missouri govcenor's ofold the bbc that nine of the 17 dead were frd one family, o other members survived. >> been a veryrying night. please keep all of our family's -- families involved and the first responder personnel in your prayers. james: now the question -- the weather warning d been issued, so why were the boats on the water, and were the passengers wearing personal flotation devices, or pfd's? en>> it ha so quick. i guess everybody should have had a pfd, i don't know. w the up