Clinic and investigation is under way into the cause of a fire at a block of student flats in bolton. Witnesses say the blaze spread quickly to the upper floors, prompting concerns about the cladding on the block. Two people we re cladding on the block. Two people were injured. These videos posted on social media show an intense fire which spread rapidly, sending chunks of burning cladding and sparks to the ground. At first, some of the students ignored the alarms. There was this girl who came running and she banged on the doors of the people on my floor, and she just started screaming, saying that theres a fire, get out of here right now. When we were running down the stairs, it was getting higher and higher and catching really quickly. The cladding on this building is not the same as that which has been blamed for exacerbating the fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017, which killed 72 people, and the students living here in the cube have been reassured it was safe. But the videos posted on social media have raised alarm bells. This isnt a grenfell cladding scenario. This is a different type of material, but, essentially, its a compressed wood or paper pulp, which is still combustible and, as we see from the footage, once it takes hold with a fire, it has potential to impinge on the evacuation or the safety of the occupants. This afternoon, Prime Minister borisjohnson visited a shelter to meet affected students, and then to the scene where he met firefighters. The university of bolton says its finding new accommodation for its students and offering them support. All my belongings, its all gone. I dont know what to say. How are you feeling about it all . Traumatised. Tonight, theres a warning from the Fire Brigades Union who describe the videos as alarming and say urgent action is needed. Olivia richwald, bbc news, bolton. Now on bbc news, our world. As australia wrestles with the effects of Climate Change, Nick Lazaredes meets those who are fighting to preserve the reef and those being blamed for its sudden decline. Australias Great Barrier reef has lost a third of its coral and is now in danger of collapse. Australians are caught in the grip of a bitter culture war over Climate Change and its impact on the reef. I dont believe the lies they have been telling us to do with the Great Barrier reef. I dont believe in all that rubbish. Cheering and applause there are elements out there in Australia Community that dont agree with Climate Change. Chanting galilee, galilee, galilee they re not understanding, or they dont want to understand what the climate is actually doing. Australias farmers also stand accused of damaging the reef. Now theyre fighting back. Sooner or later youve got to decide there are governments you cannot work with and you walk out, bang the gun on the table and burn the house down. This weeks unprecedented bushfires in australia have fuelled a fierce debate over Climate Change. Now, theres a battle raging over how to save a national icon. Six, eight, a cross, a channel. Passing over the crest right now. A zero. Yeah, same for me, zero for the inner flat. Zero for the tops. Circle the lagoon. As scientists flew over the northern stretches of the Great Barrier reef in 2017, they knew what to expect. Remote sensors and satellite data had triggered alarms about warming ocean temperatures, but no one anticipated the scale of the devastation. We got a very broad crest and just about everythings bleached. Reef after reef, it was the same story. Four on my side as well. It was as scientists feared a back to back bleaching. Vast expanses of coral had been turned white. At the centre of the more than 2,000 kilometre long reef on australias North Eastern coast, townsville is not only a launchpad for tourists, but has become a giant research harbour for the worlds leading coral scientists and marine biologists. Andy hoey is one of australias top reef experts. Seeing what ive seen in 20 years on the reef, that was something vibrant and colourful but then after the back to back bleaching that look like a moonscape. So it is quite emotional to see it. The term has been coined, ecological grief, we are seeing this change in front of our eyes. And our children and future generations are going to have to deal with that. Weve lost, conservatively, 30 of corals. Dead corals dont make babies. In this we address it now, we arent going to have a reef. For australians, the reef really matters. Its at the heart of their national identity, and it brings in billions through tourism. But it is now officially in a very Poor Condition and the question about what to do about it has unleashed a series of culture wars about Climate Change and who is to blame for the reefs decline. Queensland is australias sugar country. Along the states coastal fringes, adjacent to the barrier reef, vast cane fields adorn the land. At night, during the harvest season, burning cane fields light up the sky. A tradition passed down through the generations. But now the mostly family owned sugar farms here stand accused by the queensland State Government of damaging the reefs Water Quality with run off from their land. This picture, taken by nasa earlier this year shows a plume of flood water and sediment washing out towards the reef. Many farmers are furious that being blamed. Its bloody ridiculous its just that they are appealing to people who dont have a clue. And if people in the city are upset by me saying that, ill say it again. Youre judging us when you dont have a bloody clue. Look at it. Were not allowed touch that. There you go, thats what it can look like. And, see, i can make a living on country like that. Council and cane farmer martin bella says queensland farmers should be recognised as the best guardians for the environment and shouldnt be demonised. Were sick of being treated like idiots. Were being told by people sitting behind a desk who might have academic qualifications and what to do. Now, why would we not get annoyed . As a Rugby League Star in the 1980s and 90s, martin bella had an intimidating reputation as a prop forward. Now hes helped form a rebel Farmers Organisation called green shirts. He is planning to fight the tough new laws protecting the reef. In society we have to operate on a little bit of trust. You know, to me, yeah, we trust guys that live in cities to look after their city. Can they not trust us to look after the country . Look, digging down, what do we find there . Grass roots. Look at that. Thats abused farmer soil. Look at it. Filthy. And its kind of funny. I say to people who criticise me, what native animals and plants do you have in your backyard . Four hours south of townsville, in the city of mackay, business is booming. Mackay is australias sugar capital, and a major gateway to the coal reserves of central queensland. Many here think strict, new laws on land clearing, fertilisers and grazing are an attack on farming by southern bureaucrats. Measure how much nutrients goes in, and how much we actually polluted, and you will find that. Ill cover that for you. Thank you for being out there. Send them out fishing. Go and have a look. How much of those chemicals, pesticides and whatever are being thrown down south and over here. At todays meeting of the mackay womens cane growers network, martin bella is promoting his rebel green shirts movement. This legislation is a dog. And yet we compromised and what i say is, if you go to the table the table they all talk about and you copped an absolute kicking from government, and you keep doing it, what is the onus on them to in any way compromise . There is nothing. Sooner or later, youve got to decide there are governments you cannot work with, and you walk out, burn the house down. What so what so much of what we do is encourage real people who want to have a real say in what they are doing, tojoin green shirts. Martin bella is winning more farmers over, too. Just because there is damage to the reef, doesnt mean they have done it. And remember, i go back, there is no sediment and there are no chemicals. With growing anger at the strict new farming laws, martins militant pitch to defy the State Government is gaining attention. We need to make them worried we will turn the guns on them, that they actually start to play ball a little bit. You know, we have got to stop being a quiet, sleeping group of people. If people are willing to step up, ill go up the front for yous, but i wont do it for people who wont back it up. At this green shirts shed meeting, farmers are keen to discuss the quality of the science on the Great Barrier reef. Next question, chaps. I assume the result of the enquiry will be looking at the science of the reef, how robust it is . The question i ask is who does the peer review . All right. Forget peer review. Peer review is bastardised. As soon as you hear someone say the science is settled, they have no idea of science. Not a clue. As soon as they say there is consensus, they do not have any idea whatsoever. They are not acting in the interests of science. They are acting in the interest of being found out. They have a vested interest. Ive talked enough. So, theres no more questions . applause . 0n the website . I never even thought about that. With more recruits to martin bellas green shirts, the breakdown in trust between farmers and scientists over what is damaging the reef is getting worse. And its been stoked by a rebel scientist. So, there are reefs along here. Doctor peter ridd is an expert on rivers and a man who was fired from his job for taking on the Scientific Consensus that the reef is in imminent danger. 2,000 kilometres of coastline, every industry is affected by legislation on the Great Barrier reef. So this is a huge issue, and it should be debated. And the science should be debated respectfully and it should be debated. Having spent decades measuring Water Quality on the Great Barrier reef, doctor ridd claims the data used by scientists linking the death of coral to agriculture is deeply flawed. So, for example, a drop of water that is offshore just here will be out in the Pacific Ocean in a couple of months. Theres a massive amount of flushing of water from the Pacific Ocean that purifies the Great Barrier reef lagoon. Theres as much water comes in from the Pacific Ocean in just eight hours as from all the rivers along the whole coast in the whole year. And this keeps the Water Quality of the Great Barrier reef really phenomenally good. With polluted river sediment from farming declared as a major threat to the Great Barrier reef, i have travelled with dr ridd to one of queenslands largest rivers. So this is the burdekin river, the biggest river on the coast, and it is dry at the moment but when it flows, its actually one of the biggest rivers on earth. And some of the mud that comes out of this goes over the inshore reefs and a very tiny amount, just occasionally, reaches the Great Barrier reef itself. Is this threatening the Great Barrier reef, this river system . In my view, not. Dr ridd also takes issue with the belief of an overwhelming number of scientists that the greatest threat to the reef is from Climate Change and warming seas. I disagree that there is a huge rush. The problems of Climate Change are going to hit the reef if they are going to hit the reef, in 100 years. Theres billions of dollars being spent on the science of the reef and i think that the a lot of the threats to it are negligible, almost infinitesimal, in fact. Although most scientists reject dr ridds assertions that the science is wrong, the Australian Government found his views credible, launching a Senate Enquiry into the quality of Scientific Data on the Great Barrier reef. With their research under a cloud of suspicion, reef scientists are appalled at the direction australia is moving. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but should the government be putting a hell of a lot of money into an enquiry and delaying any policy based on that . Probably not. It is pretty disappointing, you know . There is a lot of evidence up another Climate Change is the biggest threat to the reef, yet the policies that we are seeing coming down and some of the agendas being pushed by politicians is conflicted with that. The single biggest commodity which has an impact on the fate of the Great Barrier reef is coal. The vast majority of scientists believe Carbon Emissions are driving a rise in sea temperatures, which is damaging the coral. In central queensland, a huge new mine is being built which has become a key flashpoint in the culture war over australias changing climate. This is the main road that leads to the coal port. This is a super important action at this time. Currently under construction, the giant adani mine is projected to provide coal exports to india for at least 60 years. And its a plan that has outraged many here and driven a wedge into national politics. Australia has become a global pariah in the last couple of decades. Weve gone from the front of the class, in being leaders in protecting the environment, to the back of the class. The government is simply bringing in laws to make that illegal. Bob brown is australias best known environmental champion. A former leader of the Australian Greens who saved tasmanias rainforests from destruction, now hes heading into the battle to save the Great Barrier reef. The heating ocean means that the Great Barrier reef is faced with temperatures it cant live through. By the end of this century, with global warming, it is going to be like carthage a heap of White Pillars leaning against each other, but no sign of life. And id really like you to welcome bob brown to the stage. Tonight, bob brown is promoting a documentary about the struggle to stop the adani mine. So were going to give them as much publicity as we can. Laughter and applause. In the lead up to australias federal election earlier this year, bob brown led a protest convoy from tasmania 2000 kilometres north into the heart of the galilee basin. 5,000 here today to say stop adani save the planet thats what we want all chant galilee galilee but bob browns convoy touched a raw nerve in queensland. Another clash in the climate war. Bobs not welcome in north queensland. And all of these greens, they are not welcome. Im at the showgrounds and our convoy have been interrupted by a angry mob, and the cops are there. Of course, everybodys got a right to be here, so the local miners and coal workers are also here protesting against us. Go home all chant scomo scomo the resulting furore over bob browns vocal opposition to the adani mine made coal a central election issue, galvanising queensland voters and handing the conservative coalition, government, led by scott morrison, a clear victory at the polls. How good is australia . cheering and applause. Scott morrison has made no secret of his support for the coal industry. Mr speaker, this is coal. Dont be afraid. Dont be scared. The treasurer knows the rules on props. Its coal it was dug up by men and women who work and live in the electorates of those who sit opposite a new breed of radical activism is on the march. Now, hes spoiling for a fight with climate protesters, saying jobs for ordinary australians come first and delivering a thinly veiled threat. Let me assure you, this is not something my government intends to allow to go unchecked, these indulgent and selfish practices that threaten the livelihoods of fellow australians. This weeks unprecedented bushfires in New South Wales and queensland have fuelled the culture war about Climate Change and how australia should react. While australias climate wars rage, the future of the Great Barrier reef remains uncertain. In economic terms, the industry with the most to lose is tourism, with a us 6 billion a year market and 64,000 jobs. But here, a different story is emerging. So theres about 350 different species of corals that come back to four main species. Which are plate corals a big plate staghorn corals, which grow like a staghorn, brain corals, which look like the human brain, and stone corals, which look like a stone. Although the reef has been decimated in the far north, in the south, it is thriving. One, two, three, go lady elliott island, on the southernmost fringes of the Great Barrier reef, is known for its manta rays and turtles and tourists flock here to experience the flourishing underwater haven. Fish everywhere. Anyone see a turtle . Nice awesome this is extremely healthy. Peter gash is a pilot and entrepreneur who has transformed the island from a barren guano patch to one of the best preserved ecosystems on the reef, built on sustainable tourism. They give us power for free, from the sun, every single day. Fully supported by solar power and a desalination plant, peter recycles the islands waste into soil, which nourishes newly planted native trees. When i first came here, there was no soil here at all. Now, look at it. This is amazing home to more than 100,000 nesting birds, like the white capped noddy. This is the best time to be out here, because when the tide is low, you get more light into the water, and its the light that shows you the colour. As australians continue to fight over the effects of the changing climate 80 kilometres away on the mainland, peter believes the will is there for a brighterfuture. I think australia is australians. Australia is not one Prime Minister or one politician. Australia is 25 Million People and as a collective, we care. But theyve got the same challenges as everybody theyve also got to go home, theyve got to feed their family, you know, go to work. We have all got the day to day challenges that we face. Its i i i think that theres two worlds out there. There is the Perfect World and there is the and theres the real world. Here, at least for now, the Great Barrier reef continues to thrive and enthral. A marvel of nature from which we have so much to learn. And although the predictions are grim, the story of this remarkable ecological wonder is not over yet. Im very optimistic for the future. Im optimistic for the Great Barrier reef. I know it is not going to come without pain, but i also know there is nothing like a bit of a fun challenge and we are up for the challenge. We humans, we aussies, are up for this challenge of making a difference and leaving this place better than when we found it. I know i have made a big difference here with my family and my amazing team, how we have left lady elliot better, so we as a collective in australia can leave the Great Barrier better and leave australia better. The challenge is a huge one to save an australian treasure at a time when australian politics has never been more divided. In the news last week you might remember that venice was hit with severe flooding, and we have got similar weather conditions on the way for today. Later on, around midday we will see the high water coming in around 1. 6 metres above normal, that makes it one of the highest of the last 90 odd years, perhaps not quite as high as it was on tuesday but it will still be widespread, big flooding the city. Those flooding conditions are caused by an area of low pressure in the mediterranean, drawing up these strong winds, pushing a bulge of water from the adriatic, there will be some thunderstorms as well fairly widely in italy. That low pressure will get close to us as we will see injust a moment. For the time being over the next few hours, where we have clear spells, we are seeing things turn pretty frosty, particularly in scotland, the odd patch across parts of southern england as well. So for some, a chilly start of the day on sunday. For others, a cloudy start, with fairly persistent but mainly light outbreaks of rain affecting north east england, becoming quite patchy in nature as it works across Northern England into the midlands and wales. Probably no huge rainfall totals building up, just some dull and damp weather. Brighter on the south, we should see some sunny weather moving into scotland and Northern Ireland during the day, although there will be some showers across northern scotland driven in by a north west wind, it will feel quite chilly here. Through sunday night the skies will clear further across the northern half of the uk really, so as that happens we will see temperatures plummet, there will be a widespread frost, temperatures down to around i in edinburgh, colder in the countryside, some mist and fog patches to take us into monday. Then that area of low pressure bringing flooding to venice later today, here is the low coming around europe and coming quite close to the uk on monday. This area of High Pressure though, it looks like it will stop its progress, but it is something we are monitoring carefully given the saturated ground conditions and the flooding problems we have in places, any rain would not be helpful. At the moment it looks like it will be mostly kept at bay, so for monday it will be a cold start to the day, widespread frost and mist and fog patches, a lot of dry weather with sunshine, highs of around three degrees in edinburgh, you could just about see some of that rain getting into parts of eastern england. After that as we get into tuesday and wednesday, low pressures from the atlantic are going to take over. As that happens the wind will back around more to a south easterly direction, which means we will see rain spreading into eastern wales across the midlands, which of course is not great news. Thats your weather. Bye for now. Hello, and welcome to bbc news. Prince andrew has told the bbc he categorically denies having sex with virginia roberts. She insists she was forced to have sex with him when she was 17 years old. In an interview with Bbcs Newsnight the prince answered questions, for the first time, about his links with the convicted sex offenderjeffrey epstein. 0ur royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell reports. In the state rooms at Buckingham Palace, a Senior Member of the british royalfamily, prince andrew, second son of the queen, is preparing to be interrogated about allegations of sleazy behaviour and gross misjudgement. Your royal highness, weve come to Buckingham Palace in highly unusual circumstances