08/05/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today, broadcasting in the UK

Canadian officials say a huge wildfire which has been burning

for a week is moving much more slowly now.

The fire is expected to be the most expensive natural disaster

Those affected continue to tell their stories.

I don't consider myself a hero. But I've met more heroes in this

experience than I'd ever thought existed.

Protesters in front of the Greek parliament have clashed with police

just hours before MPs vote on a controversial austerity bill.

Two buses and an oil tanker have collided in Afghanistan,

And, as he opens his Games for disabled veterans,

Britain's Prince Harry speaks out about privacy.

That line between public and private life is almost nonexistent any more

and we will continue to do our best to ensure that there is a line.

A huge wildfire in western Canada is raging for a seventh day.

The Alberta Premier says it is now moving more slowly. Officials have

completed the transport of residents from Fort McMurray with 80,000

leaving the city. The Premier said the blaze is quite a bit smaller

than was feared when officials expected it to double in size. Many

evacuees are now in emergency shelters in Edmonton. Laura Bicker

has the latest. Here we are on day

seven of this wildfire. Instead of being contained,

it is continuing to Here we are just on the border

of Fort McMurray. There is a bit of good news,

nature is playing a part and lending a hand as temperatures have cooled

and there is a little bit of rain but it is not enough to perhaps stop

this fire reaching After the panic and the fear,

there is quiet in Fort McMurray, They are still fighting

to save what they can, but this fire is growing,

and it's taking its toll But I've met more heroes in this

experience than I've Strong winds are fanning the flames

towards the neighbouring And officials believe this wildfire

could burn for months. In no way is this

fire under control. At this point we have

approximately 500 firefighters, 15 helicopters, 80 Rangers,

12 pieces of heavy equipment and 14 air tankers at work

on the Fort McMurray wildfire. Canadians work together in the face

of a disaster like this. This is as far along

the road to Fort McMurray They are constantly reassessing

because a strong wind is fanning the flames away

from heavily populated areas. The temperature has already dropped

and it's started to rain a little, The bad news is, it's simply not

enough if they are to put This was one of the last

convoys to leave the city. They are safe, but Canada will be

looking at the cost Insurance bills alone could be

billions of dollars, and how and when will they ever get

the chance to rebuild? You might be able to hear

the wind blowing now, it is a strong north-westerly wind

and it is that wind that is fanning the flames towards the neighbouring

province of Saskatchewan. When it comes to what to do

with the 80,000 people who have had to abandon nearby Fort McMurray,

the Alberta government says They say its first priority right

now is to fight the fire but once that is done they will have

to try to figure out what to do with an entire city

that is now displaced. I spent yesterday in a number

of evacuation centres and many of these people

have left with nothing. The other problem for the Alberta

government and for Canada is Insurance losses alone are estimated

at around 9 billion Canadian dollars and it is thought that when it comes

to oil production, this is one of the country's chief

oil production areas, a number of oil production companies

have had to shut down, However, as you can tell,

the weather is beginning to play its part and

the firefighters say that hopefully the bulk of the wildfire is now

moving away from populated towns and cities but still

it is going to take some time, they say it could burn for months

before it is fully put out. We can speak now to Wally Covington

who is a forest ecology professor Thank you for being with us. Laura

was talking about the weather conditions, what do you think is the

main cause behind the fire? Fire and the ones we have seen lately are

most likely tied to the kind of global climate change we are seeing.

With that we are seeing longer fire seasons, greater fuel Ikeme elation

as temperatures increase and carbon dioxide in the press and increase

and both of these interact to produce more fuel with a longer

season and we also see greater wind speed when the fires occur. These

are conditions which are set up for large fires like what we are seeing

in Fort McMurray. The ferocity of the fire seems to have caught a lot

of people out. What can the authorities do to prevent fires like

this? Unfortunately there is not much you can do when it has started,

you have to get ahead of it. This is a global problem with fires like

this. We have to go in and break up these large landscape scale fires,

putting in fuel breaks that are several kilometres wide, two and

three kilometres, perpendicular to the direction the wind blow and this

can limit the size of the fires. It becomes particularly important in

areas of human habitation. We need to start on that. We have 30 or 40

years to get ahead of this and if we don't do that, in 50 years from now,

fires like the one at Fort McMurray will be the norm. Thank for your

thoughts. At least 73 people are now known

to have been killed in a road Two buses and a fuel tanker

collided on the main highway linking the capital Kabul,

to the city of Kandahar Another 52 people have been injured

and are being treated at hospitals Two buses and an oil tanker

have burst into flames Dozens died and scores

were badly injured. It happened on the road

between Kabul and Kandahar on a stretch where drivers often

speed up to avoid attacks TRANSLATION: I was in the bus

travelling when suddenly another bus Right after the accident,

a fuel tanker which was driving on the road arrived and crashed

with our bus. Ambulances carried the injured

to local hospitals as residents helped firefighters

with the rescue effort. Road accidents are common

in Afghanistan but this was horrific TRANSLATION: We have admitted 24

wounded so far, four children Most of them suffered burns

injuries. We will transport them to hospitals

in the capital so they can Victims of a crash which has

taken so many lives. That gets some other news now. --

lets get. A standoff is continuing in a Syrian

prison between security forces and hundreds of prisoners,

demanding the release of political Government forces have surrounded

the jail in Hama since failing State media in China say that 41

people are now believed to be missing after a landslide engulfed

a dormitory housing Rescue workers have pulled nine

people from a vast pile of rocks and mud that swept down

the hillside, reaching as high as the building's

corrugated iron roof. One of the world's busiest

and most famous roads, the Champs Elysees in Paris,

was closed to cars this Sunday. The usually noisy street is part

of an experiment to tackle pollution The initiative will be repeated one

Sunday every month and allows tourists and shoppers to roam freely

along the boulevard. The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

has told a gathering of the political and military elite

that the country1s nuclear weapons He was addressing a rare meeting

of the Workers Party Congress, an event that hasn1t been held

for 36 years and which he is thought to be using to consolidate

his hold on power. From Pyongyang, here1s our

correspondent, John Sudworth. This is the North Korea on display

to foreign journalists. The reality, in a country

with chronic food shortages, And so, too, with the Workers'

Party congress, an event in which propaganda

is the primary purpose. For domestic audiences,

it's a show of strength. For the outside world,

though, a different message. "We won't use our nuclear weapons

unless we are attacked first", the supreme leader, Kim Jong-un,

told the delegates. Outside the congress,

the media bandwagon We are taken to this show home,

a picture of comfort far removed And to a model factory,

a symbol of industrial self-sufficiency at odds

with the antiquated Of course, North Koreans know

the reality, so they are Some countries have nuclear weapons

and they threaten us. So we must have nuclear

weapons and develop it North Korea has long been a master

of nuclear brinkmanship. The leadership openly says it has

learnt the lessons of other rogue For the end of this party congress,

in the city behind me, we have heard the sound of thousands

of people preparing to celebrate what is seen as the defining

victory, the simple fact of regime survival, underwritten

by a nuclear weapons programme. As those preparations continue

tonight, there are reports that North Korea's fifth nuclear

test may be imminent. John Sudworth, BBC News,

Pyongyang. Stay with us on BBC

World News, still to come... Ahead of the opening

of the Invictus Games in Florida, Prince Harry speaks frankly

about his public and private life. Canadian officials say a huge

wildfire which has been burning for a week is approaching

a neighbouring province. Protesters in front of the Greek

parliament have clashed with police just hours before MPs vote

on a controversial austerity bill. There have been lively scenes in

Greece. Protesters in front of the Greek

parliament have clashed with police just hours before MPs vote

on a controversial austerity bill. This is the scene live

in parliament, where measures being debated include a series

of unpopular reforms If the measures are approved,

some pension payouts would be reduced, contributions would go up,

and taxes would rise for those The austerity measures have been

demanded by the European Union Our reporter Yogita Limaye

is in Athens for us now Very violent scenes outside the

parliament, the protesters saying this is the final nail in the coffin

for pensioners and others. Do they have an argument? It is actually

that Parliament dubbing behind me where the debate is going on and in

the street in front of that, we have seen thousands of people gathering

and shouting slogans. There were some tear gas shells fired and

disruption and people dispersed but the crowd came back quite quickly

afterwards and the protests continued. People now seem to have

gone home. In the next hour we expect that vote to happen. Labour

unions are saying this is the final nail in the coffin for workers and

pensioners but the government is clear that unless they are able to

implement these measures, they will not be able to get the money they

need from the bailout package they agreed to with the Eurozone last

year. An emergency meeting is being held on Monday but it seems not

everybody agrees on how to deal with this Greek crisis. That's right, and

what the Greek government is hoping for is that, if they are able to

pass these laws today, tomorrow when they go to the meeting they will be

able to say that we are implementing some of the conditions that were

laid out for the bailout to be given and they are hoping this will

acyclic unblock the stalled review of the financial progress of the

country. That is one step in the direction of getting more money.

That's essentially unblock. What happens if they don't get the latest

bailout from its creditors? It could be a similar situation to what we

had last year. There are some major payment that the country has to make

coming up in July and they don't have the money to pay it so if they

don't get this cash from the Eurozone they will default on those

payments and the government could go bankrupt and that is why they are

trying to do this today. Thank you very much.

Leading figures from British television and film have given

a strong defence of the BBC at the BAFTA TV awards this evening.

The UK government is due to publish its plans for the BBC's

One director said it was important the corporation was protected

against interference and budget cuts.

I think most people would agree that the BBC's main job

is to speak truth to power, to report to the British public,

without fear or favour, no matter how unpalatable that might

It's a public broadcaster independent of government.

In many ways, our broadcasting, the BBC and Channel 4,

which they are also attempting to eviscerate, is the envy

of the world, and we should stand up and fight for it,

Prince Harry is in Florida for the opening of the Invictus Games,

a tournament for injured service personnel and veterans.

The Games are now in their second year.

And in an interview to the BBC, the Prince said he feels it's

important to use his position to raise the profile of such causes.

But he also criticised what he describes as "incessant"

A very Disney welcome for competitors at the Invictus Games.

An event for injured or sick members of armed forces from Britain

It is all the vision of Prince Harry, who has been

spending time with athletes, as they prepare for competition.

He created the first games in 2014, after wanting to do

something for those he served with in his own time in the Army.

Josh from Salisbury has hopes of a gold medal.

He lost both legs and an arm after stepping on an explosive

In London in 2014, we thought it was just going to be a big sports

day and the public would just feel sorry for injured soldiers and,

I will give you a big hug or something.

But the level of competitiveness was great, and you come to a place

We all know the Americans like to put on a show, don't they?

Well, as happy an event as this is, the reminders of the costs of war

are all around, and Invictus isn't just about veterans with physical

injuries, but those with psychological trauma as well.

American Tino suffered PTSD after several tours in Iraq.

It is clear what he feels Prince Harry has done for him.

It gives me the drive, gives me ambition to still accomplish things,

But Prince Harry himself says he is frustrated his private life,

not his charity work, is still what some people are interested in.

There is this sort of incessant need to find out every detail about

It's unnecessary, I hope that people get to see me here in this Invictus

role, cracking on with the guys and mucking in and having a good

time with them, and this what is I enjoy doing.

But the the private life has to be private.

For the next five days, Prince Harry says he hopes

it is the remarkable athletes here who are the focus.

Let's stay on the sporting theme and go to the sports centre. Manchester

City could miss out on Champions League football next season after

drawing 2-2 with Arsenal. It was Manuel Pellegrini's last home game

in charge with Pep Guardiola replacing him next season. They stay

fourth but are just two points ahead of Manchester United who have a game

in hand. The first half was one of our best

halves of the season. I did not have any doubt

that we were going to win Southampton beat Tottenham to won

with two goals from Steven Davis. Spurs are still second in the table

but could be overtaken by Arsenal if they drop points at Newcastle on the

last day. They have managed just two points from their last three

matches, a run that saw Leicester take the title with two games to

spare. I think the whole season I think we were the better team and

created chances. We have managed the game but in the end we considered

two soft games, the only two shots on target and this is a bit of

problem we had in the season. We need to still be fighting and we

have another game and we need to keep our position. One of the game

in the Premier League, Liverpool beat Watford 2-0 with goals from Joe

Allen and Roberto Firmino and they remain in eighth place, one point

behind West Ham. The Europa League is the only chance to good Champions

League. We cannot go through the league in our situation. We never

moaned about it, we will take it like it is until the end. Now we are

in a good moment, 2016 is a good year and now for us and if we win

our last games, everything will be fine. The Spanish title race will go

to the final weekend and it is between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Barcelona beat Espanyol 5-0 and have a lead of one point in the table.

Luis Suarez scored twice. A double from Ronaldo helped Real Madrid beat

Valencia. They have to win at Deportivo La Coruna next weekend and

hope Barcelona slip up at Granada. Atletico Madrid are out of the

running after a shock 2-1 loss to bottom club Levante. The Dutch

league has been settled. PSV Eindhoven have retained

the title knocking Ajax off the top of the table on a dramatic final day

of the season. The teams went into the last

day level on points, with Ajax ahead because of

a better goal difference. But the Amsterdam side could only

draw 1-1 with De Graafschap. World number one Novak Djokovic won

his fifth title of the year at the Madrid Masters, beating defending

champion Andy Murray in three sets. Andy Murray now drops to third in

the world rankings behind Roger Federer.

New York Mets' Bartolo Colon has become the oldest player

in Major League Baseball to score his first home run.

Just three weeks before his 43rd birthday,

Colon lashed out and connected sweetly against the

He took a full 30 seconds to go through the bases,

Then when he returned to the dugout, his team-mates deliberately hid

His first home run comes almost 20 years after his major league debut.

Donald Trump may be a fan of the Rolling Stones,

The group has told him to stop using their music at his rallies.

He has got into trouble over using the song You Can't Always Get What

You Want. It was one of their -- 's favourite rally openers.

The singer Adele has also issued a statement

distancing herself from Trump, who had been playing her hit,

She said she had "not given permission" for him to use it.

And when Trump failed to ask Neil Young if he could use his tune

"Rockin' in the Free World," the singer said he much

Officials in Western Canada say the huge wildfire which has been raging

for a week may have reached a turning point. A spokesman in the

province of Alberta said cooler temperatures and improved conditions

were helping. The premiere of the province said the blaze was growing

at a slower rate. The fire is expected to become the most

expensive natural disaster in Canadian history, one estimate of

insurance losses is about $7 billion. That is it from me and the

team. Goodbye for now.