:00:25. > :00:30.The 2016 Olympics have opened in Rio de Janeiro with a ceremony to mark
:00:31. > :00:33.the first such Games to be held in a South American country.
:00:34. > :00:36.Demonstrators against the cost of the event were kept at a distance
:00:37. > :00:40.From Rio, our sports editor, Dan Roan reports.
:00:41. > :00:42.One of sport's most iconic settings for the start of what remains
:00:43. > :00:51.In front of an estimated television audience of three billion people,
:00:52. > :00:57.the opening ceremony of the Olympics was under way.
:00:58. > :00:59.The evening's key themes of world peace and sustainability immediately
:01:00. > :01:08.Then came a vivid portrayal of Brazil's history,
:01:09. > :01:11.the stadium floor transformed, first into an ocean,
:01:12. > :01:14.home to the start of life, and then a rainforest.
:01:15. > :01:16.The people of the country's native tribes performing a dance
:01:17. > :01:22.with a transparent screen and huge elastic bands.
:01:23. > :01:24.Next came the arrival of the Portuguese, the first
:01:25. > :01:30.Europeans to land here, and a reminder that slavery lasted
:01:31. > :01:33.400 years in Brazil, with an emphasis on the role that
:01:34. > :01:35.African culture has played in the country's development.
:01:36. > :01:37.Many Brazilians believe they were the real inventors
:01:38. > :01:40.of the aeroplane, and in this section, homage was paid to aviator
:01:41. > :01:43.Santos-Dumont as we were taken on a journey outside of the Maracana
:01:44. > :01:49.and treated to a night flight across Rio.
:01:50. > :01:53.1,500 dancers filling the stage, the audience joining them
:01:54. > :01:59.The global audience reminded of the threat posed
:02:00. > :02:02.by climate change, the voice of Dame Judi Dench helping to get
:02:03. > :02:10.That then continued as the traditional parade
:02:11. > :02:16.Each was handed a seed to be planted to create part of the new forest
:02:17. > :02:20.in Rio before being presented to the crowd.
:02:21. > :02:24.Andy Murray leading out Team GB as their bid to win more medals
:02:25. > :02:30.The buildup to these Games has been amongst the most troubled
:02:31. > :02:32.and controversial in Olympic history, but after a vibrant,
:02:33. > :02:35.energetic and memorable show, it is now time for the focus
:02:36. > :02:40.to shift towards the competitors themselves.
:02:41. > :02:44.A large Russian contingent received a mixed reception after the doping
:02:45. > :02:46.scandal that led many to call for them to be banned
:02:47. > :02:52.The loudest cheers of the night were reserved for the ten strong
:02:53. > :02:55.refugee team competing under the Olympic flag,
:02:56. > :03:02.and of course, the hosts, a proud moment for this sporting nation.
:03:03. > :03:07.With that, it was time for the traditional speeches.
:03:08. > :03:11.We welcome you in Rio, the Olympic city.
:03:12. > :03:13.Acting president Michel Temer declaring the Games officially open,
:03:14. > :03:22.And in the absence of Pele, the football icon ruled
:03:23. > :03:24.out through ill-health, marathon runner Vanderlei Cordeiro
:03:25. > :03:28.de Lima had the honour of lighting the Olympic flame,
:03:29. > :03:33.a cauldron designed to be deliberately small
:03:34. > :03:35.and environmentally friendly, encased in a stunning sculpture.
:03:36. > :03:42.Well, 18 sports are being contested today.
:03:43. > :03:44.One of them is cycling, with the Tour de France
:03:45. > :03:46.winner Britain's Chris Froome in the road race.
:03:47. > :03:48.Live now to our sports correspondent, Natalie Pirks.
:03:49. > :04:03.Strong. He is not the favourite. On the face of it the men's road race
:04:04. > :04:07.is simple, the first man to cross the line wins, but it is usually
:04:08. > :04:11.more complicated and tactical. A team of five riders will do
:04:12. > :04:17.everything they can to get their man protected and over the line first.
:04:18. > :04:21.On the face of it, this mountainous course should favour Chris Froome,
:04:22. > :04:26.who has just won the Tour de France. The start line is on the Copacabana.
:04:27. > :04:32.It will make its way past Ipanema beach and go up into the mountains
:04:33. > :04:37.for seven laps of the circuit. Seven climbs, a cobbled section, and the
:04:38. > :04:41.flat race back to the circuit. Chris Froome's CV does not include a
:04:42. > :04:47.single one-day race win. He probably has a better chance in the time
:04:48. > :04:55.trial, he is the 2012 silver medallist. Victory is not nailed on.
:04:56. > :04:57.It will be up to Chris Froome to see if you can do it the way he did in
:04:58. > :05:02.the summer. Thank you. 13 people, many aged between 16
:05:03. > :05:05.and 25, have been killed A polystyrene lined ceiling caught
:05:06. > :05:09.alight, creating toxic fumes. Candles on a birthday cake
:05:10. > :05:12.are being blamed for the blaze The fire took hold quickly,
:05:13. > :05:16.starting in the basement It is reported that the room had
:05:17. > :05:20.been hired for a party and most of those who died
:05:21. > :05:24.were in their teens and early 20s. Local media say the fire may have
:05:25. > :05:27.been started by candles lit on a birthday cake and at least
:05:28. > :05:30.some of the deaths were Neighbours had reported
:05:31. > :05:34.hearing an explosion, but it is thought that may have been
:05:35. > :05:37.the sound of glass TRANSLATION: I just said
:05:38. > :05:43.to my friend, come, I just sat down, boom,
:05:44. > :05:51.everything jumped. We saw the fire, and the flames,
:05:52. > :05:56.the chairs flew out the window. France has been on edge after recent
:05:57. > :06:00.attacks, including the killing of Father Jacques Hamel by Islamist
:06:01. > :06:02.extremists near Rouen. French authorities have been quick
:06:03. > :06:04.to confirm that this fire was an accident,
:06:05. > :06:06.though emergency crews are still trying to find out
:06:07. > :06:08.exactly how it started. A teenager charged with carrying out
:06:09. > :06:18.a knife attack in London which left an American tourist dead and five
:06:19. > :06:21.people injured has been Zakaria Bulhan, who's a Norwegian
:06:22. > :06:26.of Somali origin, appeared in court today accused of murdering
:06:27. > :06:28.64-year-old retired teacher Darlene Horton at Russell Square
:06:29. > :06:31.on Wednesday evening, as well as five counts
:06:32. > :06:37.of attempted murder. Work to develop a pill to treat
:06:38. > :06:40.asthma has shown "massive promise", Most of the five
:06:41. > :06:46.million people in the UK with asthma try to control the
:06:47. > :06:50.condition using inhalers. While the study was small,
:06:51. > :06:53.the charity said the drug could be a step towards a new wave
:06:54. > :06:55.of The next news on BBC One is at
:06:56. > :07:16.6 o'clock. Good afternoon. If you're just
:07:17. > :07:19.settling in for your first session of Olympic action, have some
:07:20. > :07:21.sympathies for the male