24/08/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today reporting from

A powerful earthquake strikes Italy - killing at least 120 people

Rescue teams continue to scour the destruction for survivors.

There is a risky going on in the rubble here. -- rescue. You can see

right now they are bringing somebody out on a stretcher.

The American University in Kabul confirms that a militant attack

We'll get the latest from the Afghan capital.

Ukraine marks 25 years of independence from the Soviet Union

with a military parade in Kiev amid rising tensions

the US National Parks Service is 100 years old.

I visited an exhibition highlighting the splendour of America's

A massive rescue effort is underway in Italy after an earthquake

At least 120 people are dead and more than 150 others missing

The tremor was so strong it was felt 170 kilometres away in Rome.

A major rescue operation is still underway as the search

The epicentre was near the town of Norcia in Umbria,

The tremor was strong enough to be felt along the entire

Among the worst hit places were the towns of Amatrice

and Accumoli, and the village of Pescara del Tronto -

said by the local mayor to no longer exist -

Deep in the mountains, a piece of Italy has been destroyed.

The residents of were about to celebrate

a summer festival, and were hit as they slept.

Through piles of rubble, rescue workers tried

We have made it to the centre of Amatrice.

There is a rescue going on in the rubble there.

You can see, right now they are bringing out someone

It looks like she is, which will be a huge relief

The woman is being escorted down to an ambulance

We also saw rescuers carry away a number of dead bodies,

Many survivors were barely able to talk.

It is hard to comprehend how your town can fall

TRANSLATION: There is nothing left standing.

I am so sorry for so many people that are under the rubble.

And here, an official talks to a woman who is trapped.

Stay calm, he tells her, we will come to get you.

In Amatrice, Sister Marianna told us she was pulled from

Some of her fellow sisters are still trapped.

When I realised what happened I tried to hide myself

This region is vulnerable to earthquakes, but no

From above, the devastation of Amatrice is clear.

It is too dangerous to take them inside Amatrice's damaged hospital.

Their homes, their lives have collapsed around them.

Let's talk to the Italian Red Cross. They are currently in the centre of

Amatrice. These pictures show total ever station. The death toll is

rising. How big is this operation? -- ever devastation. It reminds me

of an apocalypse. There is destruction everywhere. It is very

difficult in terms of logistics. We are still working around the clock

in terms of the teams and we have now deployed a support team but

there is still a lot of challenges. How quickly do you have to work?

Presumably people are trapped under many layers of rubble. Actually as

fast as possible. As Red Cross and the Italian protection umbrella, we

respond to this type of emergency. Unfortunately, we have worked on a

lot of earthquakes in the past. I am thinking in 2009, for instance. We

knew the first hour after the earthquake was fundamental. This is

why we have deployed hours after the first earthquake. You said you know

people in Amatrice. Do you have any word about how they are doing and

how are people coping in general? Actually, one of my best friends was

here. I am thanking God he is alive. He ran away with his family from his

apartment right after the building collapsed. The point is people are

shocked. Shocked because this was under 42 seconds, really a, not

really a long earthquake. You can imagine how difficult it is to live

after an earthquake like this. The important thing I want to underline

is that we have got a queue of people we are ready to help, ready

to do something for their own community. In this tragedy there is

a beautiful picture. Our thoughts are with you. Thank you very much.

And we can go to Jenny Hill, who is also at the scene in Amatrice. With

the latest death toll, we have 120. What are you hearing? Is there any

update? Yes, in Amatrice itself we have been told 75 people have been

killed and at least 100 are reported missing. Some are thought to be in

this building behind me. This is a convent. It is thought nuns were

inside when the earthquake hit in the early hours of the morning. A

delicate operation is under way here. They are trying to make this

building safe. Because just minutes ago, the rescue teams, who have

tried to get into this building for most of the day, they think they

heard some sign of life inside. The town fell silent every so often as

rescue teams ask people to be quite as they shout into buildings were

sniffer dogs indicate people might still be alive and they are asking

if anyone is there. I would like to show you this. It has pretty much

been destroyed, the end of the building, this is still the convent.

A number of rescue teams were up here and the sniffer dogs were

inside. We all fell quiet and somebody shouted, are you in there?

If you can hear me, knock. Everyone was silent for a few moments and it

sounded as though there is somebody inside. The rescue team is trying to

work out how best to get to them. You can imagine the difficulty of

the task ahead. This building is in a tricky state. We can only assume

they are trying to shore it up and make it safe and take down the parts

in danger of toppling. After the shocks, the ground shakes. These

very precarious buildings will shake with it. The task ahead for the

rescuers is not only challenging, but very dangerous. Still tonight,

the light is fading. They hope they can still find people alive. Most of

the people who live in the town have moved away down to a nearby sports

centre where they can get some rest and sit and wait for news of loved

ones. But a number of people are stood here, dazed, exhausted,

watching as the emergency teams go about their very difficult job. They

had just removed that window. Look at what is inside. That was once a

room. Now it is filled with rubble. It was in their people were sleeping

when the earthquake struck at half past three this morning. Very hard

to imagine anybody is still alive. But we are told there is still hope.

Jenny Hill with the latest in Amatrice. Horrific pictures here.

Another earthquake, measuring six-point-eight,

has struck the central region of Myanmar.

The tremor was felt as far away as Bangkok in Thailand

At least three people are reported to have died in the quake,

Dozens of buildings have suffered damage, including some

of the country's celebrated temples in the ancient city of Bagan.

Photos posted online show clouds of dust and the tops

A militant attack has been launched against the American University

in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Attackers are said to have stormed the compound and accounts

from the site say there's been at least one explosion

Police are describing it as a "complex attack" and special

Several students and professors, including Pulitzer Prize-winning

photographer Massoud Hossain, are trapped inside and appealing

Harun Najafizada of the BBC's Persian Service joins me

What is the very latest? The situation is still developing. We

know after 20 minutes of silence this series of sporadic gunshots

restarted at the University in western Kabul. We know from sources

at least 19 people have been wounded. They have been transferred

to local hospitals, some here in the city. Afghanistan -- special forces

are trying to carry out operations under the cover of the night. We

know some American special advisers are here, a small number of them are

advising on the operation to protect the campus from the militants. We do

not know who they are because nobody has taken responsibility for the

attack. This is the second attack this month. Two faculty were

abducted this month. How vulnerable is this university? The security

protocol and measures for the American University of Afghanistan

is quite tight. Despite that, as you say, we had a report of abduction a

couple of weeks ago of two officers, one American and one Australian. The

gate to get to the Americans is quite tight and other security. But

explosions like this we heard from police is a suicide bomb and it is

difficult to defend. In spite of a tall wall of about five metres.

There were so many students who tried to escape from the attack.

Some climbing the wall. And as we speak some of them are still stuck

in the situation. The ongoing situation there, the latest from

Kabul. Thank you for joining us. Turkish-backed Syrian

rebels say they've entered the Islamic State-held

town of Jarablus. The attack began when Turkish tanks

crossed the border at dawn - US planes carried out airstrikes

supporting the operation. This

footage from inside Jarablus shows through deserted streets -

and bomb-damaged buildings. Rebel commanders say most

of the IS fighters retreated, Meanwhile, US Vice President Joe

Biden has become the highest-ranking Western official to visit Turkey

since last month's failed coup. Mr Biden pledged unwavering support

for Ankara and emphatically denied reports that Washington had

supported the treasonous military. Mr Biden said the US

was Turkey's greatest friend. The people of Turkey have no greater

friends than the united states of America. I offer my personal

condolences and those of the President to the people of Turkey.

Not only for what they went through in the coup attempt, but shortly

after that. Over 50 people murdered, apparently from what we are told, by

Isis, suicide bombing. 28 or 29 young people under the age of 18

were killed. The suffering of your people at the hands of Isis and PKK

in the of your country is beyond what any people should have to

sustain. For more I'm joined

by Soner Cagaptay. He's the director of the Turkish

program at the Washington Institute Emphatic words of support from Joe

Biden for Turkey. Will the Turks be convinced? Relations are very

strained. Better late than never, I think. I think the visit was

delayed. The Turks wanted him there earlier, right after the coup. The

mood in Turkey is very dark. They survived the coup plot. This was a

bloodied coup. It was a factional uprising of the military. They not

only went after the president and tried to assassinate him but also

their own military and bombing the capital of the country. The last

time the country came under attack was in 1402 when the armies occupied

it. It is a big shock in Turkey. Turkey wanted to feel the American

love and care and embrace. I'm happy to see Joe Biden is their hand is

giving a warm embrace. One big sticking point is the Turkish

government blames someone living in America. Joe Biden directly referred

to that. He said the authorities were working together to look at

excavation. -- extraditing. How much do they want him back? They both

believe that he is 100% behind this coup plot. They have not yet

presented evidence linking into it. But many Turkish analysts say

officers aligned with the movement from the core were perhaps the

backbone of the coup plot. Evidence to linking directly to the plot has

not yet been presented. Where Joe Biden's visit comes in handy, he

will explain to the Turkish president, the US has an independent

court, unlike the Turkish one which is authoritarian. Turkey has to

present a waterproof case to get the exhibition process. The best he can

offer in Ankara is to convince him the White House is going to give a

swift and thorough review to their request for extradition. And the

Turkish operation inside Syria right now, how much more difficult this

situation get? This is good news because Bagan -- Jarablus is a major

crossing point into Syria with fighters in and out. This is really

good news it has been captured by Turkey. I think this will really

cripple Isis. Maybe it is the beginning of the end for this group.

Turkey need good news right now to latch onto this and the capture of

Jarablus with US backing is extremely good news. They certainly

need that. Thank you. Ukraine has marked 25

years of independence from the Soviet Union

with its biggest ever Tanks, artillery, and other military

hardware were on full display by Ukrainian troops

in Kiev's Independence Square. The day carried added meaning

because of the ongoing battles with rebels in the east

of the country and Russia's Celebrations to mark 25

years of independence from the Soviet Union

are particularly poignant, given the fact Ukraine is undergoing a battle,

if you like, for its sovereignty today, with the war in the east

of the country and of course the First 20-something

years, we were not totally independent,

but kind of a satellite of Russia, While the last years, we are truly

independent and we fight I think what we saw here

today is that Ukraine is But we do need the world

to recognise the sacrifice we are doing

and the sacrifice really If Russia is permitted to take over

Ukraine again, this is like World War II,

it is appeasement all over again. The Ukrainian military was rebuilt

after 2014, it was suffering back then

from decades of neglect. Over the course of

the past two years, Today is about putting that

on display, sending a signal of And part of the intended audience

is of course Moscow. Russia has got its own little

problems, why don't Apart from spreading influence

and empire building? Those days should have been

gone by now. In my opinion Ukrainians

became independent Up to then there was no

movement in this country, no Since then, albeit

slow, it is happening. We were brought up to want

to realise a dream like the independence

of Ukraine. We never thought we would see

it in our lifetime. Now a look at some of

the day's other news... Severe monsoon floods in northern

and central India have now caused more than 150 deaths,

according to the government. It says 2.4 million people

are affected in the state The level of the river Ganges

is continuing to rise. Tens of thousands of people

are being sheltered in camps. One person has been killed and 30

injured in two bomb explosions in the southern resort

of Pattani in Thailand. The first blast, which

was in a parking lot behind the Southern Hotel,

didn't cause any casualties. The second explosion

was near the hotel entrance, opposite a karaoke bar

and a massage parlour. The world's largest aircraft has

crashed during its second test flight since Boeing

revamped in the UK. At 302 feet long, the Airlander

10 is part plane, part It was damaged at its base

in Bedfordshire this morning. Our transport correspondent

Richard Westcott reports. The world's largest aircraft takes

a long time to crash. Almost in slow motion,

the pilot can't stop it The cockpit with the crew up front

is clearly smashed up. For Angela, an enthusiast

who shot this footage, Because you know, well you don't

know if the people in there have If the ground crew are OK,

just didn't know. Very shaken afterwards, I mean,

I did shake when I was holding the camera trying to get

the pictures of them, And I did say if anyone can hold

it steadier than me, It went very quiet, the other people

stood here went very quiet. Eyewitnesses here told me they saw

sparks coming from the mooring rope But I understand that's not

connected to the crash. There was no chance of a fireball

because the Airlander is full of inert helium gas,

not the explosive hydrogen gas of the famous old airships,

like the Hindenburg. You might think airships

are old technology, but many believe Using a third less fuel

than a normal aeroplane, and able to stay in the air for days,

they can carry huge cargoes This accident is an embarrassing

setback on just its second test flight, but the company says

Airlander should fly again soon. marks the 100th anniversary

of the US National Parks Service. Some of the most famous sites

include Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and of

course the National Mall I went to the Smithsonian's

Natural History Museum to visit a photo exhibition

to celebrate the occasion. These are the gems in

America's jewel box. The unrivalled landscapes

from across the States that attract But this exhibition reveals another

side of the National Parks. More than two-thirds of the system

consists of cultural and historic sites that recount

the nation's history. The Edmund Pettus Bridge

is the story of one of the bloodiest The civil right marchers clashed

with the police and the resulting violence actually was a shift

in the civil rights movement because those images started

to change the narrative in this country about civil rights,

and about what was going on. The Edmund Pettus Bridge is part

of the National Historic Trail. The National Parks also offer

scientists a vast laboratory to study the nation's

natural diversity. It is a partnership that dates

from the 19th century when explorers of the American West brought back

rocks from the volcanic The specimens that they carried back

helped influence Congress to establish Yellowstone

as the first national They were volcanic, they indicated

that this land was not going to be good for agriculture

or for mining, or for any So they set it aside

for preservation. The National Parks even

extend under water. There are diving trails

in Florida's Biscayne Bay. But climate change is threatening

many of these natural havens. We are seeing shifts in animal

migratory patterns and habitats. In Fort Jefferson, for example,

it sits right on the island and, as the sea-level rises,

it is slowly going underwater. And funding remains

another challenge. Investment is needed

to preserve the existing parks, whilst securing new ones to keep

pace with America's constantly Really stunning pictures. A powerful

earthquake has struck central Italy, leaving at least 120 people dead and

hundreds more injured. It had a magnitude of 6.2. The epicentre was

between Rome and Marussia.