03/08/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me,

The headlines: A dramatic escape and a terrifying moment

after an Emirates passenger plane crash-lands at Dubai Airport.

These are the remarkable pictures of the moment the plane landed -

all 300 people onboard are said to be safe.

Mounting excitement in Rio, as the Olympic torch

I'm Babita Sharma in Rio, where the sporting action has begun,

despite ongoing confusion over whether Russian athletes can compete

Fresh divisions are emerging within the Republican Party

over its presidential nominee Donald Trump.

A bridge collapses on the main route from Goa to Mumbai.

Two buses and several cars are feared to have been

It's the most dramatic of emergency landings -

a passenger jet forced to touch down, apparently

The incident happened at Dubai International Airport

to a plane arriving from Southern India.

All the 300 passengers managed to evacuate before

and just a few minutes later, the fuselage was engulfed

in smoke and flames, though one fire fighter was killed.

Passengers have been speaking about their narrow escape.

You can only imagine what it must have been

A normal landing turns to chaos as the aircraft

skids along on its belly, smoke pouring from the cabin.

An explosion, probably fuel, centrepiece of the aircraft spinning

through the air, although we don't know if everyone

300 people escaped down these inflatable slides.

They say they got no warning anything was wrong.

We had not heard any announcement or anything,

The smoke was coming inside and they asked us

to evacuate so we escape through the emergency exits.

All of the people were shouting, the children and women,

This is what it looked like from another aircraft sitting nearby.

I turned and we saw this plane on its side,

the wings down, sparks coming off, on fire, it was horrific, we saw

The chairman of Emirates said everything seemed fine

Yet the plane doesn't seem to have had its wheels down

We don't yet know if it was down to a mechanical problem, a mistake

Still, it's incredible all of the passengers

For more we can speak to Sean Maffett, an aviation analyst

who joins us from Gloucestershire in the UK.

Any information the sadly not. It seems to be a why would be coming

down I understand at some stage air traffic control said check it is not

clear whether down the approach or whether the wheels were down and a

go around, which means that they put the power on the engines and try to

they were clear to do that by edge up control. Pick up the wheels and

the aircraft continued sitting, we don't know that the moment what

happened. What is worth considering aeroplane skidded along Richard

Wescott said and issue, and yet the cabin crew and a flight crew managed

to get all 300 people off the plane without anybody being killed. It is

dreadful that one of the emergency crew has apparently died fighting

the, I think this is what, and how quickly would you expect as to how

quickly, that is what they will are the two important recorders in the

air plane, sometimes in one box, sometimes in two separate ones, the

flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder, which will tell them

what was happening in the final seconds and earlier, as well, I

suspect they will be able to get those out of the aircraft without

much trouble. It seems as if the back end of the aircraft, the

tailplane area, was of course, we cannot be built to withstand fires

and huge impact and other things. So we will be able to get good

information out of that. And the crew and passengers are still alive

so they will be able to say what went on. It shouldn't be

Two days before the official start of the Games,

the Olympic torch has arrived in Rio.

Yet tensions remain between Olympic chiefs

There are Russian athletes who still don't know

Let's go live to Rio - and Babita Sharma.

it looks stunning it is fantastic, isn't it? We are live on Copacabana

Beach in the. We are 48 hours away from on Friday at the Maracana

Stadium. The sporting action has already begun here. The first round

of the woman's football has taken place in the Olympic Stadium and

Sweden triumphed against South Africa when I can zero in that first

in the last minute and are playing Australia, 60 seconds into that

match getting Jenin Becky as their goal scorer for Canada the action is

still taking place. We are waiting to find out from the International

Olympic Committee whether or not some 250 Russian athletes will

finally be given in these games. They are still waiting to decide

that. We were told that we would know at some point today but the

waiting continues it is an historic day to in because after an epic

journey of some 20,000 kilometres across Brazil, the Olympic torch

arrived in the, as our sports editor Dan after a journey across Brazil,

this morning's arrival in the Olympic torch and was a symbolic

moment. In today's time it will be the focal point of the opening

ceremony, but the build-up to these games has been troubled, dominated

by the Russian doping scandal pressure the accuracy is meeting

amid a crisis of faith Britain's most successful Olympian told me

that start or the sport cannot have seen some amazing performances

across the board from other countries, not just Team GB. Just

something, and remember the point of the Olympic Games. It was about

bringing the world together and celebrating humanity through sport

and not focusing on negative issues all but are the games worth the

billions they cost? Fans found this in London but failed to make Britain

a more the Winter Sochi were the most expensive ever and the most

damaging and terms there are concerns and pollution some want

other values to be prioritised. Campaigners in Rio insist that

events like this are often linked to human rights the international

federations, if they don't react and continue as they did and say, we

don't care, then it might be the Olympic Games, the end as we know

them, as a message, about as laid down in the Olympic charter. But in

Rio, the games remain millions of pounds generated in webcasting and

sponsorship revenue. And some lessons cities still want to play

house. Los Angeles, one of those budding to secure the games for

2024. Their sustainability and 97% of the babies overboard. We only

have to build one permanent venue. We are a sporting town, with the

facilities and 80% of residents not to bring the games back to the city

of Los Angeles. This afternoon, the spirit began, the women's football

tournament in front of other spectators. Organisers will hope the

atmosphere builds as a games progress and provides the showcase

that the Olympic movement it was a momentous

moment when that torch leaving the city and making its way through,

being Mayor of, who said this was that the Brazilians should be. They

have declared a public holiday tomorrow and Thursday as the torch

makes his way through the city. We are expecting that many people,

thousands in fact, will come out on the streets to we have seen shows as

some of the football magistrate under way. The country is going to

get behind the that there was a lot of excitement. For many people, they

did not understand that the games 's adaptation with the women's first

round in further Brazilian locals, Brazilian football is about the

men's team. It is there were lots of empty seats in the Olympic Sweden

against South Africa match I think that when the games get under way,

in full swing, if you like, following on Friday and over the

weekend, we will see more and more of the tickets being sold, and other

of the stadiums that have been built, the Maracana Stadium, for

example and the with lots of spectators, because we still

understand, there is about 15% of tickets left, which is

And you can keep up to date with all our Oympics coverage

there will be a full breakdown of taking place and also more on the

controversy over within the Republican Party

divisions are emerging over its presidential

candidate Donald Trump. Major Republican donor Meg Whitman,

has endorsed his rival Hillary Clinton, saying Mr Trump

was "a dishonest demagogue" and it was time "to put country

first before party". In the latest controversy,

Mr Trump has refused to support two

senior figures in his own party. Barbara Plett-Usher

is in Washington for us. , how significant is that and how

will that go down with Republican voters, it was significant because

the presidential candidate is seen as the standard-bearer of the party

so he would be expected to support and endorse all of the Congressional

Republicans also running to be and for him to state clearly that he

wasn't going to back including the house speaker, Perl Ryan and Senator

John McCain, the subtext being because they had criticised the

reason is quite a big deal for the party. The party responded

furiously. The leaders, builders and strategists. By then, this is the

latest example that they are not quite sure what is going on. They

feel that the messages out of control. This comes off the back of

five days during which Donald Trump a Muslim American family whose son

died in Afghanistan, whose son is effectively and therefore

Republicans have felt the need to come out and distance themselves

from Bell's kind of statements. Having said that, the vast only

distancing themselves. They have not abandoned Donald Trump. He members

of Congress did not want to eliminate one big question is, how

many more Republicans, senior Republicans, will move over the next

Mr Trump's campaign, must a number of other Republicans have said they

were back Hillary Clinton. There are certainly not a Maas -- a mass

defection. They will decide whether it was in their interest in effect,

but I should say it has given a certain bump the Mrs Clinton's

campaign. At a speech at the Democratic convention last week she

appealed to Republicans to join her well going to be representing all

people, members of the different parties. And some have taken her up

the campaign will make as much as it can out of this latest business

criticising the parents of a dead soldier. They have put out an e-mail

with all the negative coverage that that has a brother and I love the

negative statements aware that his own advisers have said this is

counter-productive, he shall be attacking Mrs Clinton, not these

people, so as far as the Clinton campaign goes, they are quite

pleased The Italian authorities

are investigating whether so-called Islamic State is now involved

in organising, and profiting from, the passage of migrants

from Libya to Italy. The crossing is becoming more

popular, as other routes close down, More than 3,000 migrants

or refugees have died Our correspondent, Chris Buckler

joined a rescue ship, operated by the charity MSF,

and sent this report. each day, the Mediterranean appears,

tempting those who see it as a even if they are able -- the stand

reality of what that Search and Rescue teams have become a fixture

on they are a necessity the boast that leave the Libyan with no

hope of they had no obvious way of I was afraid. I was really afraid. In

Libya, I was put in prison with my children. I had to pay money in

order to there is joy for this group. They have found from Gambia,

over the last fortnight a dozen babies each they have been brushing

up on the Internationally, more than 4000 refugees and migrants have

died. It is thought around three quarters of them drowned here in the

Mediterranean Sea. This charity that operates this rescue ship is now

refusing money from European governments because it says their

policies are not helping refugees. Am ashamed of being European and

seeing how Europe is treating these people. We hear numerous times about

people getting tortured, girls are getting macerated and people being

sold into slavery. You see the people back home basically talking

about, we are bringing the terrace to Europe. There have been attacks

that have been linked to refugees. Are you worried that the

governments, the authorities in Europe are actually on only going to

become tougher on how they deal with this problem? They probably are,

absolutely, that is worrisome. I'm terrified it will be tougher because

right now people are suffering and they are suffering a lot. Some are

looking to Europe at the place really can build a better life.

Europe is obviously a place that a lot of people are going to at the

moment. Do you think it has room for everyone? I believe in Greece.

Everybody is not the same. I believe my luck will shame. But the medical

staff say it clear to them that many who have come through Libya have

suffered. There are some very harrowing tales of abuse that has

happened, people who have been forcibly imprisoned as well and they

carry many injuries than that. Whatever they are leaving behind,

rescue is a moment of relief. A time to savour. This journey is only the

start. Europe will bring its own challenges.

Now for a look at some of the day's other news.

Fierce clashes are continuing between government forces and rebels

on the southern outskirts of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Activists say that pro-government forces backed by Russian airpower

have regained ground after a major rebel offensive was

More armed officers are to be deployed on the streets of London

in response to a series of recent violent attacks in Europe.

The Metropolitan Police force has already said it's increasing

the number of officers carrying firearms by 600

Nationally the threat level hasn't changed and remains at severe.

A police officer who worked on Washington DC's metro system,

has been charged with attempting to provide support to

It's claimed that 36-year-old Nicholas Young bought nearly 250

dollars worth of credits for mobile messaging accounts used

South Africans have voted in local elections, seen as a test

of the popularity of the governing African National Congress

Opinion polls suggest the ANC is facing a strong challenge -

for the first time since the end of apartheid -

in the key urban centres of Pretoria, Johannesburg

Here's our correspondent Karen Allen.

This is one of the thousands of times for millions of South Africans

have been casting their vote in an election widely seen as a referendum

on the ANC and of the leadership of President Jacob Zuma. This is one of

the townships where we have seen protest. These are local Government

elections and the things that matter to people I did provision of

housing, education and jobs. But these elections could have national

implications if the ANC sees its power erode and some key strategic

areas. If that is the case and it has been in power for more than two

decades, serious questions could be asked about his leadership. This is

where the people's voice gets heard. 26 million South Africans are

eligible to vote in an election for the opposition are threatening to

inflict severe damage on the status quo. The big question is whether

they can garner sufficient support. 22 years after black South Africans

won the right to vote, one of the key things to look out for might

also be voter turnout with some disgruntled voters are abstaining

altogether. Rather than switching sides. At least 22 people and

At least 22 people are missing after a highway bridge connecting

the city of Mumbai with the beach resort state of Goa

Officials said two buses carrying passengers plunged into

a flooded river as the bridge came down early on Wednesday.

Justin Rowlatt reports from the site of the collapse

Raging floodwaters tore down a huge section of the bridge on the main

road between Goa and Mumbai. Rescue workers say the buses were on this

bridge when it crashed down into the flood waters early on Wednesday

morning. They believe a number of cars will also swept into the

torrent and feared the death toll could exceed 13. Specialist search

teams including expert divers arrived early this morning but

haven't yet found any trace of the missing people or their vehicles.

The water is so strong it could carry the wreckage for males. They

are not expecting to find any survivors. TRANSLATION: We cannot

trace those buses. They haven't reached their destination. We think

a total of 22 people were on the buses. This is the latest tragedy in

a particularly strong monsoon season in South Asia. More than a .5

million have been affected and more than 200 killed as floods have hit

large parts of India, Bangladesh and Nepal. It is part of what appears to

be a pattern of increasingly brittle weather. India recorded its highest

ever temperature the summer, more than 50 Celsius. It was the climax

of two years of drought, which left 300 million people facing water

shortages in India alone. This dramatic weather is pushing the

region's often crumbling infrastructure to its limit.

Experts warn that it will take vast investment to avoid tragedies like

this, if the pattern of extreme weather continues. And today, it is

still raining. A passenger plane coming from India

has made an emergency landing at the Middle East's

busiest airport. All 300 people on board

have escaped unharmed but a firefighter was killed

while trying to put off the flames. The incident happened at the

International Airport in Dubai the plane coming in from southern India.

Some areas enjoyed a half decent day through Wednesday but for the

greater part of Scotland and Northern Ireland, it wasn't bad at

all. Thursday quieter for many with sunny spells around and a scattering

of showers again. This was the culprit for the