01/08/2016 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today with me, Karin Giannone.

Countdown to the Rio Olympics - but how safe are the waters

for the rowers, sailors and open swimmers?

A new report highlights concern about raw human sewage.

And visitors are warned about pollution on Rio's

I'm Babita Sharma live in Rio - stay with us on World News Today

We will be finding out, is this city ready to play host?

The United States has carried out air strikes in Libya targeting

the Islamic State group in the city of Sirte.

A Russian military helicopter is shot down in Syria,

Moscow says it was on a humanitarian mission.

And ten more cases of Zika are identified in Florida.

So, we're almost there - the Olympic Games open at the end

A political crisis in Brazil, the Russian doping scandal,

The Russians expect the final decision tomorrow,

Meanwhile, a report commissioned by the Associated Press

suggests Rio's waterways are as filthy as ever.

Babita Sharma is live for us in Rio.

Does this feel like more than the usual last-minute jitters? It

depends who you are talking to. We were down at the beach last night,

fielding error where thousands on the beach where super excited about

the Olympics. -- filming of Eire, where thousands. It's the first time

they have come to South America, let's celebrate it, we have no

concerns. And then here, in a lot of critics are saying they have major

concerns. The venues, the waterways are not fit for purpose. There is a

report out in a few hours ago telling us that after a 16 month

long investigation, they believe that Guanabara Bay and another

error, two main areas hosting sailing and canoeing, that they have

dangerously high contamination. Where the health of athletes can be

at risk. That's not the news that officials want to be hearing just a

few days before the Olympics begin. The opening ceremony takes place on

Friday. What they want us to do is concentrate on what we can see

behind us. This tells a completely different story as well. This is

going to be our home for the next weeks. It is the Olympic Park.

Pristine, brand-new, gleaming and ready for business. Just there in

the centre of your screen, you can see the tennis centre. Behind that,

the aquatic Centre. And then we have three buildings that will be held to

the judo, boxing, wrestling, handball offence. Then the

gymnastics area in the official Olympics stadium. Finally, the

second of the Aquatics buildings here. That is the stadium home to

diving, supplies dimming and water polo. -- diving Matt synchronised

swimming. This picture tells a different story, that Rio is open

full business and they are going to do it. Two things happened today

that hadn't happened before in this city. Olympic lanes came into effect

for the first time. Roads are painted green and what they are

designed to do is ease the congestion, allowing all the

authorised vehicles and athletes to proceed as normal. So far, it is

only day one. What we can tell is that they seem to be working. The

second thing is that a Metro system is now underway, connecting the

south zone, the centre of Rio to the West zone of the Olympic Park.

Again, that seems to be working. Passengers numbers, we are expecting

500,000 visitors to be coming here in the coming week. Whether or not

the infrastructure will be able to cope remains to be seen. People are

saying, who is going to benefit from these Olympics? It has cost a lot of

money. There are reports that 65,000 local people from the poorer

communities that had to be evicted to create what you can see behind

me. We have been doing a bit of digging around, trying to find out

who the winners and losers are going to be. Here is the report.

Rio is a city transformed by the Olympic Games.

Billions have been spent on investment in new sports venues,

But critics say it's money that should have gone to other,

If cities want to prioritise the needs of their citizens,

basic education, safety, access to water, food,

things that make a good life, the Olympics is clearly not part

What the Olympics are about is winners and losers.

Few have lost as much as local residents like Dona Maria da Penha.

There's nothing left here now, she says, gazing through a fence

to a corporate car park where the homes of almost

She was bloodied in the battle to save the favela, next

to the Olympic Park, but deemed an intolerable eyesore

for this global mega-event and bulldozed to the ground.

Putting on this showpiece has almost bankrupted the local government.

The impact can be seen and smelled everywhere.

Cleaning up its chronically polluted waters was another key promise Rio

made when it was chosen to host the Games.

But it's a pledge that simply hasn't been kept.

Guanabara Bay is full of solid waste, sewage and

A commitment to treat 80% of the sewage entering this bay

has long since been abandoned, the very waters

But officials say there will be a legacy, and spending is tight.

The Games in Brazil and Rio represent a new model for the Games,

a model of games that are more lean, with reduced costs, under control.

We have spent less public money to do 20 venues than London spent

These Games will be unique because Rio is a unique city,

rich and poor living cheek by jowl, but not all reaping the same benefit

Days away from the official start of the Olympic games. Aside from all

the other issues, people want us to remember that the events, the

competition is taking place. We have thousands of athletes descended upon

this incredible city. They are already in training, we saw them

yesterday in Guanabara Bay. Lots of athletes sightseeing at Christ the

Redeemer, catching some time before they get their training underway. In

their sites will be winning a medal. Joining me here in Rio is the man

that is involved in managing the medal making process.

Let's speak now to Victor Hugo Berbert.

Alongside him, Beatrice from the press team. There is a method to my

madness here. I need a glove, not necessarily to shake my hands, but

you have done something wonderful. Bringing in some very special

medals. I can't touch them, right? I have to have this instead. Yes.

August through what we're going to look at. This is the Bronze one. --

talk us through. It has a 0.5 kilograms weight. This is the

initial design with the goddess. On the back, the iconic emblem which we

have seen all around the city, Rio 2016. I'm not just holding any other

bronze medal, and I? If a particular one? It is 100 metres running. The

100 metres men's running, possibly the most celebrated race in the

world. I don't know if you can see that on the camera, but it is

actually etched in right there, men's 100 metres. Beatrice, I'm

pleased to say that you haven't just brought me the bronze. Let us take

on the other ones as well. We have silver here, which is just coming

out. As you take it out of the box, tell me a bit about how it came to

fruition, this design and the process of getting this right here.

The committee chose the design, then present it to the Brazilian team. We

scoped that on clay. And then we started engraving it. I don't want

to cling to it too much. They are a little bit heavy. This is the one

that we love. Thank you for letting me hold it, I am so excited! This is

gold. 100 metres men's gold. I'm holding it! See you later! Can I go?

This is what it looks like. What happens if I walked off right now?

Don't walk off, don't walk off! So, these are the ones that means so

much to the winners. But they do have an economic value of sorts?

It's good to calculate this, because it is a lot of work on it, a lot of

material. But is a lot of art on it. It's a sculptor. -- it's difficult

to calculate. We have a lot of artists that draw, design, scoped

and transport into the metal matrix and only strike them. It's an object

of art. It really is. It feels like such an honour to hold it. So, we

thinking, Blake for Jamaica for the bronze? America for the silver? And

you same bolt looking for their third win. I think I look pretty

good in it! -- and Bolt looking. Beatrice turned up with these medals

in very official manner. Can you show videos? She walked here, up the

left, holding a plastic bag with no security. -- can you show the

viewers. If you see pitches walking along, stand near to her! I feel so

privileged. -- if you see pitches. The design is beautiful. I might

keep a hold of this one. What do you think? Doesn't look fetching on me?

Can you do the hundred metres just as fast as Bolt? Don't think I need

to. I have my hands on it now. Just move away quietly, we will lead you

to it! Thank you very much. Lots more from the rear of the next few

weeks. -- lots more from Brazil. A Russian helicopter has

been shot down in Syria, killing all five members

of the military who were on board. The Defence Ministry said the crew

were returning to their base after delivering humanitarian aid

to the city of Aleppo. It is not clear which group brought

the helicopter down. Our security correspondent

Frank Gardner reports. Shot down over Syria's Idlib

province, this rebel footage shows Moscow says all five of those

on board were killed - after it said they were

delivering aid to Aleppo. For those still trapped in that

northern Syrian city, Pro-government forces have been

pushing back a rebel advance The rebels are trying to break

the government siege But Syrian troops, backed by Russian

air strikes, appear determined For it's quarter of a million

inhabitants, the humanitarian Can you consider displacing people

from their homes is Of course, people could run away

from Aleppo before, besieging it, but they decided to stay

because this is their home, this is their land,

they want to stay here. The Syrian government says it's

opened corridors of free passage for civilians trying

to flee the fighting and for any rebels

prepared to surrender, but so far only a trickle of people

have taken up the offer. And a British surgeon who has been

working with local doctors accuses In 2012, the Assad regime

actually passed a law to say that it was legitimate

to target hospitals, to target doctors,

to target civilians. In fact, to target anybody that

wasn't involved positively So they made it legal

to actually bomb hospitals. Amongst the latest victims

of Syria's endless civil war, a 14-year-old child star of a local

sitcom set in the ruins of Aleppo. He was killed by a missile

as he tried to flee the city The Pentagon says the US has carried

out air strikes in Libya against the stronghold

of the so-called The airstrikes followed a request

by the Libyan government. That is the GNA, the internationally

recognised government. This specific targets

will be precision targets. These are targets that the GNA has

indicated, has already made

progress on the ground, significant progress

on the But the precision targets

that they have asked for our assistance with in which they have

had more trouble. These are targets for example I can

detail today, was one of the targets It is that kind of

precision location, precision target that we will be

targeting that the GNA at this point felt like that would be a helpful

support for their efforts. The BBC's Aleem Maqbool

told us more about what They certainly say that they will

continue to support the Libyan They are saying this is at

the request of the government of It's also been

confirmed by the Prime Minister there, who said there had

been significant casualties in Sirte Which they requested

to support the gains that the government forces have made

around the city in recent weeks. But yes, the Pentagon

is saying it is consistent with their

policies of the past. Of course, they were heavily

criticised in not doing enough sooner when it came to fighting

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. That's where they have been

conducting air strikes until now. These are the first in Libya

against Islamic State. And they do, Islamic State,

have considerable presence in Sirte, but we are talking about

around 1500 to 2000 militants there. But they have carried out

atrocities, executions and so on. And this is a time

when the Government of National Accord

are And that's why I think

the Pentagon chose to act now. Now a look at some of

the day's other news. A compound housing foreign

contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, has come under attack

from Taliban fighters. A truck bomb went off at the gate

of the North Gate compound and then In the following gun battle,

one police officer and both A leading air crash investigator

says he's confident that flight MH370 was deliberately flown

into the sea. Larry Vance told an Australian news

programme that the erosion on recovered wing parts points

to a controlled landing. The plane disappeared with 239

people on board in March 2014. The mother-in-law of the Formula One

boss, Bernie Ecclestone has been freed in a police operation

following her abduction The kidnappers had demanded

a $36 million ransom Two suspects were arrested

and the victim was not injured. Turkey says it's captured 11

soldiers suspected of trying to seize the country's President

during the failed They are said to have been caught

in a forested area near the resort of Marmaris

after a two-week manhunt. Recep Tayyip Erdogan was on holiday

in Marmaris on the night of the coup attempt but fled after a tip-off,

just before his hotel was raided. More than two weeks after the coup,

the last of the renegade soldiers These 11 men are accused

of being part of the squad that was sent to seize

or kill President Erdogan. Tipped off the last minute,

he narrowly evaded Over the weekend, he has announced

a sweeping overhaul of the Armed Forces, placing them under

full civilian control for the first These measures will make our

military much stronger, he promised. They will also, inevitably make

the Turkish President even more The government still wants to uproot

the influence of this man, preacher Fethullah Gulen who lives

in the US and was once He is blamed for

instigating the coup. Thousands of his followers have

been arrested or sacked. The full ramifications

of a botched coup that killed more than 200 people,

many of them listed at this memorial, and stunned a country that

believe such things were no longer possible,

are still being felt here. No one knows how far president

Erdogan will go to pursue The raw emotions that have been

stirred up are badly straining Turkey's relations with its western

partners, who President Erdogan believes should have

given him more wholehearted The pro-government rally by Turks

in Cologne over the weekend has now provoked

a spat with Germany. The German authorities would not

allow an address by Mr Erdogan to be broadcast

to the crowd. Turkey has stubborn

and summoned a senior German

diplomat here to complain. There will be friction with the US,

too, over requests to extradite

Fethullah Gulen. The captured soldiers were jeered

by government supporters as The mood in Turkey

is angry and fearful. Previous coups have left deep

scars on this country. It's been another tough day

for the Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump,

as leading party members distance themselves from his attacks

on the family of a Muslim army In an exclusive interview,

the captain's father told our North America Editor Jon

Sopel he won't ask for an apology This is one fight that people

are telling Donald Trump he can't win, but for the moment

he isn't listening, media that he had been

the subject of a vicious attack Their speech at the Democratic

Convention about the death captain posthumously awarded

the Bronze Staff for heroism. I asked them if they had committed

an attack on Mr Trump. He can insult, he can disrespect

women, judges, even the members of his own party, yet

when an ordinary citizen of this country, a patriotic

American Muslim of this country, says anything about him,

he says he has been Ghazala Khan was derided by Mr Trump

for not having spoken Without saying a word,

I was sitting in their heart. So I was surprised that he

doesn't feel the pain. What type of person doesn't

feel the pain? You are attacking Mr Trump

over his behaviour, very openly. Isn't there a danger that you will

get attacked openly as well? In every person's life,

there comes a time when you choose to either say what is the call

of the time or shy away. I felt my family supported my stand,

they said, you should do that, and the burden,

we would equally bear. The normal law of politics is that

if you are in a hole, you stop digging, but that is not

Donald Trump's style. Not only over the Khan family,

this weekend he has got in a right tangle over policy towards Ukraine,

and having previously said he had a close relationship

with Vladimir Putin, he has now clarified

he has never met him. It has not been a great few days

for the Republican candidate. Jon Sopel, BBC News,

Washington. Health authorities in Florida have

advised pregnant women not to go to an area where ten more people have

been diagnosed with the Zika virus. Our reporter reports from Miami.

The tourism industry here in Florida is obviously

massive to this part of

the world, about 106 million visitors a year come here.

And of those, about 1.5 million are British.

At any one time, there are

A lot of them come to the southern part of Florida around

Of course, what we know is that Zika is particularly

dangerous for pregnant women and four women thinking of becoming

And that's why the Foreign Office has suggested that people

consider postponing any nonessential travel if they are pregnant.

That's not the advice incidentally that the

authorities, the medical authorities, the people that look

It's not the advice they are giving Americans.

Bystanders forming a human chain to rescue a woman whose car was stepped

away in floods. -- swept away. This happened in the state of Maryland.

As well as sweeping away cars, storm damaged businesses and homes. Two

people died during Saturday night's storms. Thankfully, this particular

episode ended happily. Just to remind you of our main news story.

A new report highlights 'alarmingly high' air and water pollution

in Rio, with just days to go until the start

And the United States has carried out air strikes in Libya targeting

the Islamic State group in the city of Sirte.

Requested by Libya's to recognised government.

If you want to get in touch with us here at BBC World News,

But for now from me and the rest of the team, goodbye.