A massive fire has engulfed Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in the city of Rio de Janeiro, putting its valuable collection of 20 million items, including human fossils and ancient Egyptian artefacts, under threat. 

Firefighters and museum workers raced to save the historical relics from the blaze which broke out at 7.30pm (22:30 GMT) on Sunday. 

The esteemed museum in the city’s north, which houses artefacts from Egypt, Greco-Roman art and some of the first fossils found in Brazil, was closed to the public at the time of the fire.

There were no reports of injuries, the museum said in a statement, and it wasn’t immediately clear how the fire began.

Roberto Robadey, a spokesman for the fire department, said 80 firefighters were battling the blaze and that by midnight local time it was “just about under control” and should be out within a few hours.

President Michel Temer called it “a sad day for all Brazilians”.

“Two hundred years of work, research and knowledge have been lost,” Temer said in a statement.

Jewel of Brazilian culture

Robadey said firefighters got off to a slow start fighting the blaze because the two fire hydrants closest to the museum were not functioning. Instead, trucks had to be sent to get water from a nearby lake.

But he added that some of the museum’s pieces had been spared.

“We were able to remove a lot of things from inside with the help of workers of the museum,” Robadey told Globo News.

The museum was founded in 1818 by King Joao VI and is considered a jewel of Brazilian culture.

VIDEO: President Michel Temer calls the fire at Rio de Janeiro’s National Museum ‘a tragic day for Brazil’ with ‘two hundred years of work and research and knowledge’ lost pic.twitter.com/rG3BhJUbjy

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 3, 2018

According to its website, the museum has a vast collection related to the history of Brazil and other countries, and many of its collections came from members of Brazil’s royal family.

The museum’s deputy director, Luiz Fernando Dias Duarte, voiced “profound discouragement and immense anger” as the treasured institution burned, accusing Brazilian authorities of a “lack of attention”.

He said the museum, a former palace that was once the official resident of the royal family, had never had necessary support.

The National Museum, which is linked to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, had suffered from funding cuts.

As the fire raged researchers, professors and university students expressed a mix of sorrow and indignation, with some calling for demonstrations on Monday in front of the ravaged building.

Latin America’s largest nation has struggled to emerge from its worst recession in decades.

The state of Rio de Janeiro has been particularly hard hit in recent years due to a combination of falling world oil prices, one of its major revenue sources, mismanagement and corruption.

The six-hour flight from London to Tehran was routine.

We landed in a landscape that resembled Death Valley in California’s Mojave Desert.

At London’s Heathrow Airport, I noticed that the majority of the women who boarded our flight looked fully Westernized in skirts, tank tops and other normal European summer attire. They disembarked wearing hijab, chador and other “modesty-preserving” items.

The barren expanse between Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport and north Tehran, where I was staying, yielded little of note to look at in terms of scenery.

Apart from one thing: the mausoleum of Khomeini, the deeply anti-American religious scholar who became Iran’s supreme religious leader and founder of the Islamic Republic.

Khomeini’s shrine houses a marble tomb and has a huge gold dome. It is the size of a football field and contains a shopping mall, a center for Islamic studies and a parking lot with space for 20,000 cars.

Incredibly, the large complex remains under construction – nearly 30 years after Khomeini’s death.

After I checked into my hotel, a 27-story building with views over Tehran’s dry, earthenware-like terrain, I consulted a map. “Evin University,” the prison, was around the corner.

I hoped the authorities would not feel compelled to help me further my education.

My first full day in Tehran was consumed with not getting killed crossing the street.

Tehran is known for its massive traffic jams and spirited drivers. Morning. Evening. Well past midnight.

I don’t know how many cars, trucks and motorbikes there are in Tehran, which is bigger than New York City. It has a population of about 12 million people in the metropolitan area, but at a conservative estimate, I’d put the vehicles on the road at about a gazillion.

In fact, after the captain of my flight from London had announced before takeoff that our arrival into Tehran would be delayed by approximately 30 minutes, an Iranian man sitting next to me on the plane started craning his neck, trying to get the attention of a flight attendant.

“So we’ll get in at 6:15 a.m. local time, right?” the man asked in a nervous tone. He was concerned that this minor delay would totally mess with his carefully calibrated plan to avoid the horrors of Tehran’s traffic.

“Great, no traffic,” the photographer I hired for the duration of my stay in Iran had said in a WhatsApp message a few days before my arrival when I told him what time my flight would land at the airport.

Nevertheless, I was still totally unprepared for Tehran’s traffic.

Not so much the scale of it, which I had seen in comparable volume in Bangkok, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Moscow and other notoriously congested metropolitan areas; it was more the freewheeling, maniacal, video-game-like approach to road safety of Tehran’s drivers.

This I had not previously experienced.

Amazing to me was the average Tehran driver’s ability to make quick decisions and ignore distractions in the service of disregarding red lights, pedestrian crossings and busy intersections. These skills have allowed Iran to distinguish itself by having one of the world’s highest number of per capita road deaths.

It had been awhile since I felt the need for help when crossing a road. In Tehran, I instinctively found myself reaching for my translator’s arm whenever we had to get to the other side of the street. 

“Just stay right next to me. I’ll tell you when,” my translator said on these occasions as I cowered like a nervous school child behind a parent on the first day of classes.

Other pedestrians seemed unperturbed by the tangled mass of taxis, trucks and motorcycles drifting across lanes and stampeding down Tehran’s surprisingly broad avenues while their drivers screamed, weaved, beeped and hand-gestured for every extra inch of road.

Under Iranian law, the car’s driver – in any road accident involving a pedestrian – is always deemed responsible and can even be required to pay blood money to the victim’s family.

How else to account for a scene I saw over and over again on my very first day in Iran?

A man and a woman riding an aging motorcycle. Noisy. Smelly exhaust fumes. While he takes care of the driving and navigation, she takes care of a hijab that is covering her head yet blowing in the wind and gradually untying itself. Sandwiched between them, a child; sometimes, two; once, three. None wears a helmet. All appear to be oblivious to the accident statistic they could become.

Another thing that became apparent quite quickly in Tehran was the abundance of white cars on the road – reportedly caused by the economic sanctions. They are usually cheaper, therefore more affordable to the average cash-strapped Iranian. For reasons no one I met was able to explain, people also seem to just prefer white cars. When a red or black car does appear, it can seem a novelty.

Maybe that’s a good thing. White cars obviously stay cooler in an extremely warm climate. Although it’s not an exact science, research using police data has shown that white cars are among the safest of any color because they are easier to see. I saw the odd Porsche, BMW and Mercedes gliding through Tehran’s wealthy northern neighborhoods. However, the majority of the cars on the street are made by Iran Khodro and Saipa, two local brands that, alongside France’s Peugeot and Renault, dominate the market.

These cars are small, relatively easy to repair and overwhelmingly white.

On my first day in Tehran, I expected to find at least some evidence of a villainous and barbaric terrorist state as portrayed in countless movies, TV shows and right-wing political speeches. It might be out there. I hadn’t seen it. On an extremely narrow side street, as I was leaving an interview with an official, I did notice a taxi parked at a strange angle. It was jutting, dangerously it seemed to me, into the middle of the road, as small as this road was. Both front doors were open. The driver’s bare feet stuck out on one side. His head, tilted back, on the other. He was sleeping. Snoring, I think.

• DAY TWO: Iranians explain their ‘misunderstood’ country and why it’s not North Korea. Read journal entry here.

Eight European players have already booked their automatic places at Le Golf National, Paris as part of Thomas Bjorn’s Ryder Cup team to face the US, but which four golfers will be his wildcard picks?

Who will join Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren and Thorbjorn Olesen in Paris on 28 September?

Stalwarts such as Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter are all hoping to be hand picked by captain Bjorn, but who would you give the nod to?

BBC Sport has chosen 10 players who could be in the running, and now we want you to cut it down to the four who should make the plane to France.

Simply rank your players in order of preference below and BBC Sport will reveal the results on Wednesday, 5 September before the official team announcement at 1400 BST.

The contenders…

Ian Poulter: The Englishman has already summoned some Ryder Cup spirit this year after staging a remarkable comeback to qualify for the Masters via a play-off. An injury meant he was involved as a vice-captain last time out. The 42-year-old, who has lost just four of his 18 matches and is unbeaten in the singles, has been involved in five Ryder Cup wins since making his debut in 2004.

Sergio Garcia: The 2017 Masters Champion has won 22-and-a-half Ryder Cup points, playing in eight editions of the biennial event. But the 38-year-old Spaniard has struggled for form this year, missing all four cuts at the majors and failing to qualify for the PGA Tour’s FedExCup play-offs for the first time.

Henrik Stenson: The Swede has played in four Ryder Cups and holed the winning putt on his debut at The K Club in 2006. The 42-year-old has registered top-six finishes at both the Masters and US Open in 2018, but has slipped out of the world top 10.

Rafa Cabrera Bello: The world number 29’s best performance this year is tied for third at the WGC Mexico Championship, although he did finish in the top 10 at the last of the year’s majors, the PGA Championship. The Spaniard won two-and-a-half points from his three matches at Hazeltine in 2016.

Thomas Pieters: The Belgian impressed on his Ryder Cup debut in 2016, scoring four points – a record for a rookie – and forged a great partnership with McIlroy. The 26-year-old finished tied for sixth at the PGA Championship in August.

Russell Knox: “Welcome to the conversation,” said captain Thomas Bjorn to Knox after the Scot won the Irish Open earlier this year to put himself in contention for a first Ryder Cup place.

Eddie Pepperell: A first European Tour win at the Qatar Masters in February proved the beginning of a strong run of form for the Englishman, who is hoping to compete in his first Ryder Cup after enjoying a top-six finish at The Open.

Matthew Fitzpatrick: The Englishman was unable to get off the mark in two matches on his Ryder Cup debut in 2016. His best finish on the European Tour this season was tied for third in Abu Dhabi in January.

Paul Casey: The Englishman is eligible for selection again after ruling himself out in 2016 by declining to rejoin the European Tour. He missed out on a wildcard in 2010 despite being seventh in the world, but was part of victories in 2004 and 2006 before contributing just a half point at Valhalla a decade ago.

Matt Wallace: What better way of showing your credentials by winning the final qualifying event before the Ryder Cup? That’s what the Englishman did in Denmark on Sunday for his third European Tour win this season.

Make your picks

Islamabad, Pakistan – The significance of United States cancelling $300m in security assistance to the Pakistan has been downplayed by the country’s foreign minister who said the amount was a reimbursement and not assistance.

Relations between the US and Pakistan have been increasingly frayed since January, when US President Donald Trump suspended more than $1.1bn in security assistance to the country over allegations that it was not acting against armed groups such as the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan denies the charge, saying it has conducted indiscriminate military operations against all armed groups operating on its soil.

On Sunday, Pentagon spokesperson Lt-Col Kone Faulkner confirmed that the US would be finally cancelling $300m in Coalition Support Funds (CSF), which was part of the $1.1bn suspended in January, reassigning the funds to other projects, “due to a lack of Pakistani decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy”.

“This $300m was neither any aid nor assistance,” said Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday evening.

“It is our share in CSF. This is the money which Pakistan has already spent through its own resources and [the US] was to reimburse it to us.” 

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, accompanied by US military chief General Joseph Dunford, is due for a visit to Islamabad on Wednesday.

Qureshi said that ties between Pakistan and the US are currently “almost non-existent”, but he hoped this would change after Pompeo’s visit.

“With the visit of the US Secretary of State we have an opening and a beginning can be made, and we will try to build a consensus in areas of mutual interest,” he said.

“It is our shared objective to cleanse the region and the world of terrorism.

“We will listen to their point of view, and we will present our position to them,” he said. “Our objective is that we move our relationship forward based on trust, respect and understanding.”

Pompeo visit

Pompeo and Dunford are expected to hold talks with the newly elected government, led by longtime opposition politician Imran Khan, and military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

For over a decade, Pakistan has received CSF assistance to reimburse its military for expenditures incurred in its war against armed groups, including the Pakistani Taliban.

Afghanistan and the US accuse the country of offering safe haven to leaders  of the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network, which have been waging a 17-year war since the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Pakistan denies that it has aided the Afghan Taliban and its allies.

In 2016, Akhtar Mansour, then-chief of the Afghan Taliban, was killed in a US drone strike on Pakistani territory, while travelling in the southwestern province of Balochistan using Pakistani identity papers.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeera’s digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.

Premier League reaction: Man Utd, Watford & Arsenal win, Rashford red, Mourinho backs Woodward – Live – BBC Sport

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A Myanmar court has found two Reuters journalists guilty of breaching a law on state secrets during their reporting of a massacre of Rohingya and sentenced them to seven years in prison, sparking an international outcry. 

The US and British ambassadors who were present on Monday at the sentencing of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo called the verdict a blow for Myanmar’s transition to democracy.

Scot Marciel, US ambassador to Myanmar, said he was “sad for Wa lone and Kyaw Soe Oo and their families, but also for Myanmar”.  

“It’s deeply troubling for everybody who has struggled so hard here for media freedom,” he said, adding that the verdict raises questions over the confidence the people of Myanmar have in their justice system. 

Dan Chugg, British ambassador to Myanmar, speaking on behalf of the UK and member states of the European Union, said: “We are extremely disappointed by this verdict.”

“Freedom of expression and rule of law are fundamental in a democracy, and this case has passed a long shadow over both today,” he said.

“The judge has appeared to have ignored evidence and to have ignored Myanmar law. This has dealt a hammer blow for the rule of law.” 

‘Unfair and one-sided’

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had pleaded not guilty to violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. They contended they were framed by police. 

The Reuters reporters were arrested on December 12 while investigating the killing of 10 Rohingya and other abuses involving soldiers and police in Inn Din, a village in Rakhine state.

Myanmar has denied allegations of atrocities made by thousands of refugees against its security forces, saying it conducted a legitimate counterinsurgency operation against Rohingya fighters.

But the military has acknowledged the killing of the 10 Rohingya men and boys at Inn Din after arresting the Reuters reporters.

Calling the decision “unfair” and “one-sided”, Wa Lone said the verdict threatened Myanmar’s democracy. 

“It directly threatens our democracy and freedom of the press,” he said as he was driven away along with Kyaw Soe Oo to begin their sentence.

“I would like to say it’s very disappointing as it’s destroyed the system [democracy] of our country and the way we would like to be. We will continue to face it.” 

The case has drawn worldwide attention as an example of how press freedom is suffering under the government of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. 

Kristian Schmidt, EU ambassador to Myanmar, in a post on Twitter, said the prison sentences of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo should be “reviewed and they should be released immediately and unconditionally”. 

EU: The prison sentences of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo should be reviewed and they should be released immediately and unconditionally.

— Kristian Schmidt (@EUAmbSchmidt) September 3, 2018

Expressing his disappointment, Knut Ostby, UN resident and humanitarian aid coordinator in Myanmar, called for the release of the journalists. 

“The United Nations has consistently called for the release of the Reuters journalists and urged the authorities to respect their right to pursue freedom of expression and information,” he said. 

“Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo should be allowed to return to their families and continue their work as journalists.” 

‘A new low for Myanmar’

Stephen J Adler, Reuters’ editor-in-chief, called the ruling a “major step backward in Myanmar’s transition to democracy, cannot be squared with the rule of law or freedom of speech, and must be corrected by the Myanmar government as a matter of urgency”.

He denounded the charges against the reporters as “false” and “designed to silence their reporting and intimidate the press”. 

He added: “We will not wait while Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo suffer this injustice and will evaluate how to proceed in the coming days, including whether to seek relief in an international forum.”

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for the Human Rights Watch, called the sentence an “outrageous injustice”. 

“How can Myanmar judicial system justify sending reporters doing their job to a longer prison sentence than the Tatmadaw soldiers who killed the 10 Rohingya in their story in cold blood?” he asked in a post on Twitter. 

No words for this outrageous injustice against @Reuters reporters Wa Lone & Kyaw Soe Oo. How can #Myanmar judicial system justify sending reporters doing their job to a longer prison sentence than the #Tatmadaw soldiers who killed the 10 #Rohingya in their story in cold blood? pic.twitter.com/lI2Qp0k6ub

— Phil Robertson (@Reaproy) September 3, 2018

The Committee to Protect Journalists also condemned the sentencing of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, saying it marked a “new low for Myanmar”. 

“The process that resulted in their convictions was a travesty of justice and will cast Myanmar as an anti-democratic pariah as long as they are wrongfully held behind bars,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative in a statement.