Transcripts For BBCNEWS Newsday 20170619 : comparemela.com

Are hoping for lower temperatures and winds after at least 61 people were killed in a huge forest fire at the weekend. Many of the victims died in their cars while trying to flee the densely forested district of pedrogao grande. Portugals Prime Minister has declared three days of mourning. Paul adams reports. A desperate, sometimes hopeless, battle against nature. Searing heat, strong winds and low humidity the worst possible conditions. Large areas of Central Portugal now ablaze. This mountainous area is no stranger to forest fires, but these are some of the deadliest ever. The speed and ferocity of the flames catching people in their cars and homes. A woman screams for her house. As the fire rages on several fronts, entire villages have been evacuated. Officials still not sure what remains. Translation we were inside the house, the fire was all around us. The firefighters came to get us out because we could hardly breathe any more. As to whether the house burned or not, it must have burned, for sure. Almost instantly, we saw the fire on the right hand side of the car, and within 15 seconds at the most, the wind that the fire created leapt across to the other side, and within 30 seconds, it was to the right, to the left, to the back of the car. You had no option but to keep driving into the fire. At times, the response has seemed chaotic. Hundreds of firefighters working furiously since yesterday. But some people say they have been left to fend for themselves while their homes burn. Thick low lying clouds of smoke are making it hard for firefighting aircraft to work effectively. France and spain have sent their aircraft to help. As the death toll mounts, the goverment has declared three days of National Mourning. With no signs of a break in the weather, this battle isnt over. Paul adams, bbc news. Lets take a look at some of the days other news. At least two people have been killed after militants attacked a tourist camp close to bamako, the capital of mali. Special forces managed to free around 30 other people. Our west africa correspondent thomas fessy, says the situation is being brought under control. The Security Minister spoke about guests who have been rescued. He is not clear whether those Hostage Situation or not. What we know is that the operation under way has helicopters hovering above the leisure centre. The troops, supported by french soldiers and un peacekeepers are at the site and it is not clear how many attackers have been involved. Is it one or are there several . Where are they from, which group do they belong to . These are the details that we are still waiting for. We understand that at least 30 people have now been rescued from that tourist centre. Also making news today iran says it has fired missiles into eastern syria, aiming at the bases of militant groups it holds responsible for attacks on its parliament which left 18 dead last week. It came hours after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a statement on his website, vowing iran would slap its enemies in honour of the victims families. The United States says one of its fighters has shot down a syrian warplane after it dropped bombs on forces fighting Islamic State militants in raqqa province. Us Central Command said the syrian aircraft was brought down in accordance with Rules Of Engagement allowing it to defend allied forces in syria. The Philippine Military says it has killed nearly 250 militants in its fight against the Islamist Maute group holed up in the Southern City of marawi. Troops are continuing to pound militants allied to is with air strikes and artillery. The military says resistance is dwindling 26 days into the offensive. Sailors missing after the Uss Fitzgerald collided with a Container Ship offjapan have been found dead. Seven sailors were left missing and three injured after saturdays collision, which the us navy said almost sank the destroyer. Singapores veteran politicians have called for the end of a bitter family feud over the will of the former leader lee kuan yew, who died in 2015. Mr lees younger son says his father wanted his home to be demolished as it says in his will. But his older brother and singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Have raised concerns over the addition of that clause. The British Government is bringing in a team to improve the official response to the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in west london. Some residents have complained that they got little or no help after it happened. Police have issued new pictures from inside the tower block. They show how badly the fire destroyed the building. Jon kay reports. A week ago, this was someones home. A bedroom. A kitchen. A bathroom. The people who lived in these flats are all accounted for. They agreed police could release these images tonight to showjust how much damage has been done, to show the conditions recovery teams are now faced with as they search Grenfell Tower. Father, we pray for those who are suffering loss, while we pray for those who are waiting with hope, in the end fear. Beneath the tower, people of all faiths are trying to heal. It continues to be a time of bewilderment, of anxiety, of anger. Some of the dead and missing are known in this congregation, and even in moments of peace, you can feel the rage. Heaven knows what the next few weeks. If that death toll rises, im being deadly serious, what is going to happen, because the anger, i have never seen anything like it. It is terrible. The community is terrible, and they are mad about everything. At a nearby mosque, more donations for the bereaved and displaced. The Community Response remains overwhelming. But five days on, some feel they are still having to do what the authorities should be doing. Are you from the home office . No, i live up the road. No one knows that theyre here, theyre sitting at empty desks. I dont know whos coming down. So ive done a little poster. But there are signs of progress, the Main Rescue Centre is now being run by a Neighbouring Council after all the criticism of Kensington And Chelsea. And the extra foot patrols promised by the Prime Minister are now here, brought in from other parts of london to provide reassurance and information. But politicians from all sides know that emotions are still running high. Angry. Angry not simply at the poor response in the days afterwards from the council and the government, but the years of neglect from the council and successive governments. Tonight, the Prime Minister has announced that every household affected is to get £500 cash immediately with at least £5,000 more to follow, and that there will be additional money available to pay for funerals and for Mental Health services. It is a good gesture, i guess, in a way, because at least. But patricia, who lives nearby, told me money is only part of the answer. Im a mother and a grandmother, and no amount of money could replace their life. The leader of Kensington And Chelsea visited the scene today. He said he understood all the criticism, but he also defended the response. The council has been incredibly active since the early hours of wednesday morning. I was here at 3 30am on wednesday morning, ive been here on and off ever since. There are still so many questions about the way the tower was built, the way it was refurbished and managed. And despite the desperate need for answers, people know it will take time. Gratitude tonight for the firefighters searching through the wreckage, months of Gruelling Work Lie ahead. While politicians talk of the legacy and of lessons learned, for some here it is far too early. On a day like this, they say, it is impossible to think about the future. Jon kay, bbc news, north kensington. A stretch of water in South East Asia is considered one of the riskiest regions in the world. Indonesia, malaysia and the philippines are launching a Maritime Patrol in the sulu and celebes seas. Its due to a spate of kidnap for Ransom Incidents since last year. Many of which have been attributed to the Abu Sayyaf Militant Group operating out of the southern philippines. I spoke to Maritime Defence Expert Collin Koh and asked him why it took so much time for the region to agree on this security arrangement. There are actually a few issues, one has to do with the political issue of sensitivity for one anothers sovereignty. Initially deferring that perception when it comes to the severity of these issues. Of course i think there is something more practical, it is to do with the need to not just co ordinate with agencies of these three countries but within each country, the Co Ordination of various agencies because its very unlike the case of the Malacca Strait when were dealing with piracy and armed robery, we are looking at dealing with terrorism so youre requiring co operation between the defence ministry, Foreign Ministry as well as home industry, so its a complex undertaking. It is indeed a very complex undertaking but have all these three countries gotten their Heads Together with the political will in one deal to be able to make this happen . Yes, correct. This is actually replicating the previous Malacca Strait patrol, and i think at the end of the day they recognised that if they dont resolve this issue it is going to dent the image of the association of Southeast Asian nations so as to affect the trade that is taking place in the sulu sea. Were talking about a total of Us 40 Billion annually in Terms Of Trade passing through. Because of the threat of the terrorism and other the transnational issues in the sulu sea, we are looking at shippers who were concerned because they had to reroute and therefore had to incur more costs. I think we are looking at a return to the early situation that afflicted the Malacca Strait where the issues of economic pressure and the severity of issues come into place. I think theres one more element in it, the threat of extra Regional Intervention as well. Alright. This is indeed a major agreement that has to be signed by these three countries, but will it have the assistance of maybe the americans or the chinese, these two global powers . Yes, i think if we go by the normal approach taken by asean countries, they will not want extra regional direct intervention, meaning direct policing of the waters, but all financial, technical and Training Assistance will be welcome. Youre watching newsday on the bbc. Still to come on the programme the French National Assembly Election delivers another win for president macron but on a very low turnout. There was a bomb in the city centre. A code word known to be one used by the ira was given. Army bomb experts were examining a suspect van when there was a huge explosion. The South African Parliament has destroyed the foundation of apartheid by abolishing the population registration act, which for a0 years forcibly classified each citizen according to race. Germanys parliament, the bundestag, has voted by a narrow majority to move the seat of government from bonn to berlin. Berliners celebrated into the night but the decision was greeted with shock in bonn. Just a day old and the royal baby is tonight sleeping in his cot at home. Early this evening, the new prince was taken by his mother and father to their apartments in kensington palace. The Real Focus Today was valentina tereshkova, the worlds first woman cosmonaut. What do you think of the russian woman in space . I think its a wonderful achievement and i think we might be able to persuade the wife it would be a good idea if i could to get her to go up there for a little while. This is newsday on the bbc. Im rico hizon in singapore. A devastating forest fire in Central Portugal has killed more than 60 people. Hundreds of firefighters are still battling the blaze. Police say the latest searches of the burnt out Grenfell Tower block suggest the number of people presumed dead is higher than the official figure of 58. British police have sealed off a road outside londons park station after an incident. Police say one person has been arrested after a vehicle struck pedestrians. There are reports number of people were injured. Details are still coming into and we will have it all for you on Bbc World News as this story develops. Lets take a look at some front pages from around the world. In the uk, the Times Newspaper reports on heightened tensions at the very top of british politics. It says the countrys finance minister Philip Hammond effectively stabbed Prime Minister theresa may on national television. In a tv interview mr hammond criticised his own partys general election campaign, which focussed heavily on mrs may. Meanwhile the china daily has a story about an unlikely Energy Source combustible ice. It says reserves of gas hydrate could represent a major breakthrough in clean energy. Finally the gulf news reports on the ongoing fallout between qatar and its regional allies, some of whom have accused it of sponsoring extremism. It says the spat could affect the fifa world cup, thats scheduled to take place in 2022. In france, president Emmanuel Macrons new party has won a big majority of seats in parliamentary elections. Lucy williamson reports. Two months ago, this result would have stunned france, more than 60 of Parliament Won by a party that a year ago did not even insist. The only surprise today that they didnt win more. Proof of how much mr macron and his party have reshaped french politics. Translation you have given a clear majority to the president. This majority will have the mission to act for france. The majority of french people have preferred to choose hope over anger, optimism over pessimism, and trust over fear. The front national, by contrast, won just a handful of seats, one of them going to their lead at marine le pen. Who will enter the National Parliament for the first time. Translation in the face of this party and in the face of this beast of the system, we are the only force of resistance to the dilution of france, of its social models, and its identity. Never before has a french Political Party won such a stunning majority from scratch, big enough for mr macron to push forward with his bold and controversial labour reforms, big enough even for him to weather the inexperience and diversity of his new mps. And with around 200 seats shared among a divided opposition, some are asking where real political pressure will come from. We must put something on the table, and for the moment, we have nothing to put on the table but to say, you are going to work more. And you are going to be paid less. If he will succeed, he will have to cope with us, and it will be a fight. Who wins . I dont know. We will see. Mr macrons sweeping victory hides a more complex national mood. Turnout was just 43 today, the lowest for decades. And many voters wanted change, but most did not pick Emmanuel Macron as their first choice for president. And not everyone agrees with his plans for economic reform. Mr macrons new elected army has been drafted quickly. Most have never served before. Having swept away the old political order, will they deliver something new . Lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. The United Nations has called on thailand to amend the harsh law against insulting the monarchy. The office of the un High Commissionerfor Human Rights said it was deeply troubled by the high rate of prosecutions, and the disproportionate sentences for the offence. The un said that since the Military Coup in 2014 the number of people investigated for violating the Lese Majeste Law has risen to more than double the number investigated in the previous twelve years, and that only 4 of those charged were acquitted. Trials are routinely held in closed session, often in Military Courts where defendants rights are limited. Earlier this month a man was given a 35 year sentence for facebook posts judged to have defame