The president of somalia has blamed al shabaab militants for a deadly bomb attack that killed about 70 people. But Mohamed Abdullahi farmajo said they wouldnt succeed in demoralising the somali people. The explosion took place at a security checkpoint in the south west of the capital mogadishu. Its being reported that at least 16 of those killed were university students. Our africa correspondent Andrew Harding reports. Moments after the blast, an eyewitness films the scene. Smoke still billowing from a vehicle, the remains of what is thought to have been a massive car bomb. Shocked civilians move in to look for survivors. The attack was timed to catch the morning rush hour in mogadishu. Many students had been heading to classes. Dozens were killed when the bomb exploded at a busy intersection in the somali capital. Attacks like this are not unusual here, but they are seldom so deadly. This man said the blast caught him as he was getting out of a minibus heading to work, his leg injured. Within minutes, emergency workers were at the scene. Somalia, plagued by violence for decades, is still wrestling with extremism. The countrys president quickly blamed the Islamist Militant Group al shabaab. Mohamed farmajo said their aim was to instil terror and to prevent the country from rebuilding. They will never succeed, he said. Al shabaab, linked to alqaeda, is still a threat in a country plagued by drought, feuding clans, and the aftermath of a terrible civil war. But the group has lost ground in recent years, targeted by American Drones and African Union troops. Todays devastating attack will fuel the fears that somalias Security Forces are too weak and divided to protect civilians in mogadishu and that foreign troops, who are supposed to be on their way out, will be needed here for many years to come. Andrew harding, bbc news. The Australian Government says thousands of volunteer firefighters in New South Wales will be compensated for loss of earnings during the bushfires. More than a hundred fires are still burning in southern australia and conditions are expected to worsen. Sydneys mayor has insisted the new years eve fireworks display will go ahead despite calls to redirect funds to the firefighting efforts. Briony sowden reports. For those living on the edge of the fires, this is now the new normal. More than 100 fires are continuing to burn across New South Wales, the biggest one threatening the countrys most populated city, sydney, and with temperatures forecast to reach a0 degrees over the coming days, there appears to be no reprieve in sight. Now, a new crisis has erupted city officials are coming under pressure to cancel its annual new years eve fireworks extravaganza, which some say are now an insult. In the past two weeks, an online petition has gained momentum and now has more than a quarter of a million signatures. According to the petition, people are already traumatised and dealing with enough smoke in the air. For weeks on end, firefighters have been out on the front lines. Many of them are volunteers who have given up their own pay to fight the blazes. Despite previously resisting the idea of paying volunteers, the government has now bowed to pressure and says some firefighters in New South Wales will now be compensated. For many, it is welcome news. They are working 12 18 hour days. They are getting caught in some harrowing situations. The fatigue we know just from the talk on the street, is they are very, very tired. Bushfires have taken a toll on australias native koala population with fears almost a third living along New South Wales coastline may have died in the fires. Some have had a lucky escape. This thirsty koala went in search for water, stopping a group of cyclists in their tracks as temperatures hit 42 degrees celsius in south australia. The bushfires have had a devastating effect on communities, destroying more than 800 homes since the fire season began in september. Sydneys mayor says that although she shares her deep sympathies with victims, the fireworks event will still go ahead. Briony sowden, bbc news. Us democratic president ial hopeful joe biden has tried to clarify comments in which he appeared to rule out testifying at Donald Trumps impeachment trial. Mr biden told reporters in iowa he had always complied with legitimate requests from congress in the past. But he insisted the trial should focus on president trumps conduct. The whole point of this is, anyone subpoenaed relating to this investigation of a president has to be able to have some knowledge to share on whether or not he committed the offences hes accused of committing. I have no first hand knowledge, theres no basis to that, so my point was, it would be no basis on which to call me as a witness. Joe biden. 0ur north america correspondent Chris Buckler explains how the former Vice President has been caught up in all this. In this impeachment trial, donald trump stands accused of abusing his power as president by trying to force ukraine into launching investigations into political rivals, including joe biden, and of also trying to obstruct congress and their investigation by ordering officials in the white house and other parts of the administration to ignore subpoenas those are legal demands for information or for people to come and give testimony to congress. Now, that has been widely criticised by democrats, but in a newspaper interview in the last couple of days, joe biden, who is one of the partys leading contenders to become the president ial candidate to challenge donald trump in 2020, he said that he would defy a subpoena if he was asked to testify during mr trumps forthcoming impeachment trial. Now, that has been widely criticised and has led to some allegations of hypocrisy. As a result, mr biden has now released a statement on twitter in which hes tried to clarify his remarks. He says he has always complied with legal orders and what he calls legitimate requests from congress but he said that there was no legal basis to order him to give testimony in this case. Now, republicans have suggested at times that they might try to turn this whole impeachment trial on its head and ask questions about the bidens. President trump, you might remember, has made unsubstantiated investigations of corruption regarding joe biden and his son hunter during business dealings in ukraine. They have strongly denied that, and in a statement from joe biden, he said its important to recognise this impeachment process should focus on Donald Trumps conduct, and not his. That is Chris Buckler in washington. A german woman, her seven year old daughter, and another seven Year Old Girl have been killed by a large avalanche in the italian alps. The accident happened on the val senales glacier, close to the border with austria. Its the latest in a series avalanches affecting ski resorts in the alps, following recent heavy snow. Bill hayton reports. A rescue helicopter with a sad burden. The bodies of a 35 year old german woman and her seven year old daughter brought down from the slopes above. Another seven year old was dug out of the snow and rushed to hospital. Tragically, she too later died. All three were among a small party of skiers hit by a large avalanche, 150 metres wide and 500 metres long. There was no way to escape. An 11 year old boy and his father, also part of the same group, were injured. 70 rescuers from the Alpine Service and the italian Security Forces searched the mountain in case others had been buried by the snow. That work continues. A spokesman said the avalanche risk had appeared low at the start of the day, but a strong wind and a rise in temperature may have loosened the snow. Several avalanches have hit ski resorts in the alps over the past few days. In those cases, the skiers had lucky escapes. Sadly, in the latest incident in northern italy, that wasnt true. Lets get some of the days other news five people who were on their way to a Football Game have been killed after their plane crashed in lafayette in louisiana. One person on board the plane survived and is being treated in hospital. The plane hit a car as it crashed, injuring the driver. Two more people on the ground were also hurt. Samoa has lifted a state of emergency that was declared last month in response to a measles epidemic. More than 80 people were killed most of them children. There have been no fatalities from measles in the last four days and doctors say a Mass Vaccination Campaign is working. The government says the compulsory vaccinations will become a permanent part of the countrys healthcare system. Riot police have clashed with protesters inside a Major Shopping Centre near hong kongs border with mainland china. The Retail Outlet near the chinese city of shenzhen is popular with shoppers from the mainland. 0ur asia pacific regional editor Michael Bristow reports. In a few days, it will be a new year. But in hong kong, its now an old story violent clashes between police and protesters. Plain clothes officers arrested just over a dozen activists at a Shopping Centre near hong kongs border with china. The protesters have been trying to disrupt trade that takes place with the mainland. Chinese shoppers travel to hong kong, buy Cheaper Products in bulk, and then go back across the border to sell. Shops had to close their doors, trapping some customers inside. The police said they had been forced to act, but these pictures will do little to dispel the criticism that on occasions, they use too much force. The man in the red shirt gets a full burst of pepper spray. Demonstrations, violence, arrests and injuries its been the story of the last six months. There have been few concessions from the authorities, either in hong kong or beijing. It is difficult to imagine the pattern of this year not being repeated in the next. Michael bristow, bbc news. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come the flooding misery thats lasted for months. Parts of east africa where its rained since october. The most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got under way with the introduction of the euro. Tomorrow in holland, were going to use money we picked up in belgium today. And then well be in france and again, it will be the same money. Its just got to be the way to go. George harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his oxfordshire home. A 33 year old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. I think it was good. Reporter just good . No, fantastic thats better big ben bongs this is bbc world news. The latest headlines at least 76 people are reported to have been killed by a car bomb during morning rush hour in somalias capital. The president has blamed al shaabab militants for the attack. Thousands of volunteer firefighters in New South Wales will be offered compensation for loss of earnings. Theyve played a key role in tackling severe bushfires in recent months. Lets return to our top story now. Ahmed hirsi, who is a Community Activist with the largest Somalian Community in the United States in minneapolis, gave his reaction to the attack. First of all, thank you for having me i appreciate the space. And also, i would like to send my condolences to the families of the victims. This tells us that al sha baab is still strong. And we have to find solutions, to find long term on how we can protect and save lives. Somali forces are due to take over from African Union forces in may, 2020. Does this attack show the Somali Forces are clearly not ready to do that . Actually, it is the opposite. Ifeel that we have been ready and we have been waiting for this moment to arrive. The Somali Forces have been ready from day one. We know al shabaab. 0ur troops are ready to fight, if the International Community allow us to do that. 0ur boys will take care of that. The United States Defense Department are conducting a review of american deployment in africa and, in somalia, there are 500 600 special forces troops carrying out drone strikes. Will this attack lead america to reconsider its involvement in somalia . Well, to be honest with you, we have never felt that the joint attacks are helping or eliminating al shabaab. We know, in fact, that the intelligence on the ground is getting stronger and stronger. So this fight here against al shabaab is something that we, as somalis, need to find a solution, rather than outside help. For the International Community allowing for the Somali Forces or the Somali Government to tackle the issue on our own. What kind of evidence do you have to show that Somali Forces can do a job that americans and African Union forces are not doing . Well, the evidence is clear, obviously. These are our people. Al shabaab is part of somali people. We know that you cannot fight intelligence with ideology. We know that it has been proven. If you look at iraq, what happened in iraq, what happened in afghanistan, so we have been asking for a long time for the un and the International Community to lift the arms embargo so that way we will be equipped to tackle this and do it on our own. We have never felt that someone from outside is able to help us defeat al shabaab and that has never been the case. You can see clearly, this has been over and over, attacks been happening and it has increased so, as far as we are concerned in somalia, we are 100 positive as far as we are concerned in somalia, we are 100 positive that we can take care of this on our own if we get the support from the International Community rather than just coming up with ideas and excuses of using joint attacks that we know civilian are the casualties every day. You talk about taking care of this on your own, would that include sitting down with representatives from al sha baab . I think it is going to come down to that. I think the time is now to start a dialogue, to start a negotiation. It happened in afghanistan where they speak with the taliban. What makes these guys so different . So in order to make a change, we have to come up with radical moves and radical decisions and it starts with the top down. Its time for us to start a dialogue with al shabaab. I think we are tired of whats been happening and, if we do not start that dialogue, this will continue because no one can fight with ideology, no one not the americans, not the europeans, no one can fight with that so it is time to sit down with al shabaab and come up with consensus. Ahmen hirsi. Ahmed hirsi. And you can find much more on our website, including a profile of the Islamist Militant Group al shabaab, suspected of being behind this latest attack. Just log on to bbc. Com news. Lets stick in the same region. Parts of east africa are struggling to cope with the effects of more than two months heavy rain that has caused widespread flooding and landslides. Its thought that at least 265 people have died in the region since october and tens of thousands more have been displaced. One of the worst affected areas is around the kenyan town of kisumu. Kathryn armstrong reports. Scenes like this are an all too common sight in kenyas port city of kisumu at the moment. Residents searching through their flooded homes for anything they can salvage. Translation theres no place to sleep, we dont even have tents, no water to drink, and i have to take care of my children. Translation all our food went with the water. School shoes and the books for the kids, too. My belongings are outside here and i dont know where i will go. For more than two months now, heavy rain fall has plagued east africa due to warmer water on the western side of the indian ocean part of a climate system known as a dipole. Scientists say its of a magnitude not seen in years, maybe even decades. Many other countries in the region have been affected, including somalia, tanzania and south sudan, where the rain has pushed a country devastated by drought to the brink of famine. With further rain forecast, there are now growing fears that water borne diseases could make the situation much worse. Kathryn armstrong, bbc news. Prader willi syndrome is a little known genetic disorder which causes patients to experience constant hunger and a desire to eat uncontrollably. Patients often suffer health problems, including diabetes, and many die before they reach 20. There are a handful of families in cuba, but a combination of the us economic embargo and decades of economic mismanagement have made caring for prader willi patients even harder. Will grant reports from havana. From the outside, this couple look perfectly normal. But christian has a rare and devastating genetic disorder. Prader willi syndrome, an incurable condition in which patients have a never ending insatiable appetite. The fridge in their home is under lock and key is christian would break into it whatever he could get his hands on. Unsupervised, he could, in effect, it himself to death. Prader willi patients who also have intellectual Development Problems must have their diet strictly controlled as many die young from obesity or diabetes. Christian is good natu red young from obesity or diabetes. Christian is good natured at his father says he can fly into such wages over food it is taking its toll on the family. Translation i asked myself what would happen to him when i am gone, hector tells me. A common fear among parents of prader willi children. Tackling the problem in cuba is especially difficult. Another problem that we have been hit by is that being a rare illness, there are very few doctors in my country who have ever seen any patients with it. They might have seen one case in 20 years and they have never seen another so there is no specialist here. Hector has christian on a macrobiotic diet and the local urban farm is the only place to find the vegetables he needs. Caring for a loved one with Prader Willi Syndrome is tough enoughin Prader Willi Syndrome is tough enough in parts of the world are the appropriate foods and the right medicines are widely available but in cuba, amid the shortage of basic goods, it is perhaps ten times as hard. There have been some positive steps though. Recently, cuba hosted the International Prader Willi conference, the first time it has been held in latin america. It brought together researchers, geneticists and families of patients from all over the world to share their experiences. For me the most important aspect of the conference is to get families and clinicians and scientists and caregivers talking together to learn from each other so that people can go back home and they can argue for better services, they can argue for the right treatment for their children. There are around 100 families on the communist run island affected by the rare condition and with no cure to prader willi, they gradually are building a network of support. Together, they hope to find new ways to manage their awful, unique situation. Will grant, bbc news. Some sports news now and the English Premier League Club West Ham have sacked their manager, manuel pellegrini. The announcement was made shortly after the team lost 2 1 at home to leicester. Its west hams ninth loss in 12 matches and leaves them just one point above the relegation zone. Pellegrini spent 18 months in charge, having been given a three year contract. In a statement, west ham said a change was needed to get the club back on track. A coalition of charities has bought a zoo in the brittany region of france with the aim of returning the animals to the wild. They raised 650,000 euros on crowd funding platforms and have ambitious plans, as Gail Maclellan reports. Zoo de pont scorff in brittany. Closed to visitors for the immediate future. If the rewild teams plans succeed, then the zoo will reopen to the public in the middle of 2020, but it wont be the kind of zoo you might expect. For one thing, the animals will not be on public view. Translation actually, we dont want to close the zoo to the public. For us, its very important that this place stays alive, that people come and continue to have a relationship with living beings. We want to change our vision of wild animals, which are not just consumer goods. We want to take another approach one thats sensitive and educational. But first, they need to assess the animals that crowd funding helped them to buy. They want, they say, to get them out of the conditions in which they currently live. The rhino is not well. You can really feel the weight of captivity on his shoulders. The black rhino is a folivore and here, he never has access to foliage. The new owners have asked all 17 of the zoos employees to stay and help look after the animals. Their plans are ambitious and expensive. They are keeping the appeals for funding going as they aim to rehabilitate their charges and, in some cases, reintroduce them to the wild. But not everyone thinks this is a good idea. The European Association of zoos and aquaria think that public contributors are misguided. They point to the difficulty of reintroducing animals to the wild and suggest the conservation arena is no place for amateurs. But they agree that animal species are in serious trouble and it could be that the pont scorff zoo experiment is at least a small step in the right direction. Gail maclellan, bbc news. More on all of our stories on our website. If you want to get in touch with me, i am on twitter. Im jamesbbcnews. Please, do stay with us. Hello there. Saturday sunshine was in short supply. Many of us got stuck with grey, gloomy conditions. Only the favoured few got to see much in the way of brightness. Iam hopeful, though, that through the day ahead, a few more of us will get to see something just a little bit brighter. And it certainly is going to feel mild, especially in the north of the uk, with this feed of really warm air. You can see these orange colours extending in our direction from the south or the south west. And at the same time, were going to start to tap into some of this drier air across the near continent, so that should allow us to break some holes in the cloud and give us a little bit more in the way of sunshine. So this is how we start off sunday with a lot of cloud, that cloud thick enough in parts of the west to give the odd spot of drizzle, some misty, murky conditions, but through the day, for east anglia, the south east, also north wales, northern england, Northern Ireland, southern and eastern scotland, these areas likely to see some at least some bright or sunny spells developing. Some rain will continue to plague the far north west of scotland. The southern half of the uk seeing highs of 8, 9 or 10 degrees. The northern half of the uk, 12 13 degrees. And with this south or south westerly winds blowing across the high ground, where you get some shelter to the north of Higher Ground the north coast of Northern Ireland and the moray coast of scotland well, you could get to 1a or 15 degrees that is pretty exceptional for this time of year. Now, as we go through sunday night, we will keep some areas of cloud but i think that cloud is going to tend to break up a little bit more. So well see more clear spells developing. This band of rain in the north west will try to make some progress south eastwards. Its going to be a slightly cooler night than weve had of late. So as we go into monday then, this front will be sitting around across the north west, trying to make some progress south eastwards, bringing some rain for scotland and Northern Ireland through the day. You can see these outbreaks of rain pushing very, very slowly south eastwards with a mix of sunny spells and a few showers coming in behind. Ahead of that rain band, its a largely dry day for much of england and wales. Some areas of cloud. But i think a fair amount of sunshine by this stage. And at this point, the mildest weather will be in southern parts, with highs of 12 or 13 degrees. Now, into tuesday, remember the weather front in the north west . It will have worked its way southwards, still lingering across the south west of england, maybe the spot of drizzle, certainly some extra cloud. But for most, we see bright skies but we also feel the effects of something cooler and fresher just 5 degrees in glasgow. Still, perhaps, up to 10 in london. And then as we go through tuesday night into the very first part of 2020, well, it is looking predominantly dry. There will be some clear spells, it will be quite chilly, but there could be some fairly dense fog. This is bbc news. The headlines the somali president has condemned a massive bomb attack in the capital mogadishu, which killed more than 70 people. A number of the victims were university students. The president said he believes al shabaab, a group of islamist militants, are to blame but said they wouldnt succeed in demoralising the somali people. The australian prime minister, scott morrison, says thousands of volunteer firefighters in New South Wales will be offered compensation for loss of earnings. Those in the Public Sector have already been promised four weeks paid leave. The volunteers have played a key role in tackling severe bushfires in recent months. The Us Democratic president ial hopeful, joe biden, has tried to clarify comments in which he appeared to rule out testifying at Donald Trumps impeachment trial. Mr biden told reporters that he had always complied with legitimate requests from congress
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