i'm rico hizon in singapore, the headlines a special prosecutor — robert mueller — is appointed to investigate alleged russian interference in the us election. as an islamic court in aceh orders two men to be caned for having gay sex we look at the use of sharia law in the indonesian province. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme. dedicated to duterte — why the philippines president commands mass respect at home despite his controversial polices. and tackling class discrimination in india. we speak to one of india's best—selling authors about his latest bollywood adaptation. it's 8am in singapore, one in the morning in london

and eight in the evening in washington where a special prosecutor has been appointed to lead an investigation into alleged russian interference in last year's presidential election. he's robert mueller, a former prosecutor who served as fbi chief from 2001 to 2013. the news comes as donald trump has been accused of trying to get james comey — another former head of the fbi — to drop an inquiry into links between his former national security adviser and the russians. for his part, president trump said a thorough investigation would confirm there was no collusion between his presidential campaign and "any foreign entity". earlier, he complained about media coverage of his administration. no politician in history and i say

this, has been treated worse or more unfairly. you can't let them get you down. i did not get elected to serve the washington media or special interests. i got elected to serve the four gotten men and women of our country and that's what i'm doing. earlier, our washington correspondent laura bicker gave us more details on the appointment of a special prosecutor. donald trump's political opponents have long been arguing for a special prosecutor. they have believed, certainly since the sacking of the former fbi director, james comey, that any new head of the fbi could not be trusted to be entirely impartial or independent when it came to investigating the links between donald trump's campaign alleged links, between donald

trump's campaign and russia because they said, effectively, the new head of the fbi would be investigating the man who appointed him. there have also been concerns about the various investigations going on within congress within the house and the senate, many of which have become mired in partisan politics, bickering between republicans and democrats. this is evening leading democrats. this is evening leading democrats have reacted. you have the house democrat leader saying she is pleased by the naming of a special prosecutor and calls him a respected public servant. and the republican leader said that a special council is very much needed —— the democrat leader. the deputy attorney general hasissued leader. the deputy attorney general has issued a statement saying that the appointment of a special prosecutor does not necessarily mean that crimes have been committed or

that crimes have been committed or that there is a need for prosecution. he did say that this should give the american public confidence in any outcome and that, there in lies the —— reason is that decision taken this evening. what is the scope of the investigation? when you look at the papers surrounding the investigation had said that any alleged links between russia's meddling in the us election and any links to that. that could also, will will also probably take in the alleged links between the tram campaign and russia —— trump campaign. but the question is whether or not it will include the revelation that happened 2a hours ago that james comey, revelation that happened 2a hours ago thatjames comey, the former head of the fbi, has a memo which states that private conversation

with donald trump that the president asked him to drop an investigation into his national security adviser and his alleged links to russia. no—one has seen this memo. three separate senate committees of us to see the memo and there are also calls forjames comey to justify the week. the question is whether all of that will also be included within the scope of this investigation. within the scope of this investigation. so robert muller will be investigating russia's alleged interference in the us election. before this latest development donald trump was accused of leaking classified information to the russians. president putin has now weighed in. the russian leader said he's happy to provide a transcript of the conversation that took place between his foreign minister and donald trump in the oval office. he also said the us reaction was verging on "political schizophrenia". 0ur moscow correspondent steve rosenberg has more. yukonite help feeling that the

kremlin is loving all of this because as the us administration staggers from one crisis to another, all seemingly linked to moscow, russia is sitting back and watching a political rival tear itself apart. as his offer to provide a transcript of the meeting between donald trump and sergey lavrov, to provide that the congress and senate, i don't think the kremlin seriously believes that if russia would provide a transcript on kremlin had no paper that that would make this crisis go away. i think it is another attempt to have a dig at america while the scandals swirling around the white house. also making news today — the newly elected french president has unveiled his cabinet. and he's living up to his promise to represent the entire political spectrum. emmanuel macron has appointed sylvie goulard, a liberal member of the european parliament, to defence, making her the highest—ranked woman. he's also put both former socialists and conservatives into key positions. chelsea manning, the us soldier

who leaked thousands of diplomatic and military documents to wikileaks, has been released from a military prison in kansas. she posted this picture of her feet on instagram, saying "first steps of freedom". she was expected to remain in jail for decades, but president 0bama commuted her sentence. this is the king of the netherlands, villem—alexander. looking regal here during his inauguration but he's revealed that he's been secretly flying commercial passenger aircraft. apparently for the past 21 years he flew twice a month as a co—pilot with klm. the king admitted that he was rarely recognised while in uniform. and these are catholic devotees taking part in a religious festival in the northern philippines. they're dancing to worship

a patron saint who's believed to grant fertility. the procession begins and ends at the town of 0bando‘s 263—year—old church where priests joined their parishioners in dancing. an islamic court in indonesia has ordered two men to be given 85 strokes of a cane in public for having gay sex. homosexuality is not illegal in the country. but the region of aceh was granted special rights to introduce its own stricter islamic laws decades ago. the pair, aged 20 and 23, were found in bed together by vigilantes in march. the caning sentence handed down on wednesday has been condemned by human rights groups and activists. we're joined now by a jakarta in german wurst who has written widely on sharia log in india. he explained

why a gay sex is not permitted. the only region of indonesia that operates with sharia log so since 2014, gay sex has been formally illegal they are and it can be punished by up to 100 canes. her act. according to human rights watch, a total of 339 people were caned in ourchair watch, a total of 339 people were caned in our chair in 2016 on charges of moral indecency. —— caned in aceh. it is many people in a relatively small province and when i was there a few months ago, many of the people do not like the system. what they feel is that when people are caned it does notjust hurt but it is publicly humiliating because they are being flogged in front of

eve ryo ne they are being flogged in front of everyone i have ever met and people are taking videos. it is really embarrassing. afterwards it is extremely hard to go on because you need to reintegrate back into society which just treated you like this. in an article that you wrote, you say that there has been a rise of hardline you say that there has been a rise of ha rdline islamist you say that there has been a rise of hardline islamist groups. has this contributed to the ruling on wednesday? that is a good question. the thing is that the politics of aceh are independent from those of ja ka rta aceh are independent from those of jakarta or of the country more broadly. it is difficult to link this sentence handed out to broader social conservatism in indonesia. but indonesia, overall, is currently... gay sex is legal in indonesia outside of the province of aceh however there is a case that would make all sex outside of

marriage illegal, including gay sex because gay marriage is not legal in indonesia. how focal are the people of aceh regarding this? -- vocal. the people of aceh do not play a huge role in national politics. that being said, many national political figures including many key hardliners regularly visit aceh and use aceh is an example of what indonesia could be. and so while it is not necessarily that the aceh are pushing their system onto the rest of indonesia but people elsewhere in indonesia look at aceh as a model. chetan bhagat is one of the best—selling authors in india. now another one of his books has been adapted for bollywood. ‘half girlfriend' is out in cinemas worldwide this week — it deals with controversial themes like class discrimination in india. haroon rashid met chetan recently, in london. my

my stories have been about social issues in india, wrapped in love stories and the bollywood format. but they are always about a social issue. beat the education system and how it keeps creating fee for. your latest film talks about the struggle ofa man latest film talks about the struggle of a man in his late 20s who cannot speak english in india. we got that idea come from and this is a real issue affecting india today?” idea come from and this is a real issue affecting india today? i think the hungerfor a issue affecting india today? i think the hunger for a good issue affecting india today? i think the hungerfor a good life, and aspirational life is high in india. however, english is still a problem. i saw some absolutely marked people over there who cannot getjobs, because they do not have a polished english image that elite in our society expect. the message of the book and the film is what you say

matters, not the language you say then. as simple as that. you began at as an author and then became a screenwriter and now you have co—produced this film. why have you become more actively involved in the adaptation of your books? writing books is my first love and i always encourage people to read but we are seeing a change in the entertainment industry. if i see myjob as somebody who is spreading ideas in my country, if you want to reach as many people as possible you need to be medium agnostic. i try to reach young people wherever they are in india. your opinions are quite vocal on social media and you have gotten into trouble full of more than i would like. but i am commentate on what happens and if i do not give my opinion and i am not doing myjob. for example, the ban on beef you

protested against. he received death threats and there was a lot of trolling and outrage online. did you anticipate the reaction? if you aspire to be a global country you need to meet global standards. maybe it bothers you are that you do not to eat it. i think that is the problem. that is all i was saying. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme — with washington in uproar, what do donald trump's supporters feel about the recent cascade of negative reports? we head to nashville to find out. the pope was shot, the pope will live. that's the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism has come to the vatican.

the man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world wa23 winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentenced to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication she felt even the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake, the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion, gary kasparov. it is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legal same—sex marriages have been taking place in massachusetts. god bless america! the headlines: a special prosecutor,

robert mueller, has been appointed to investigate alleged russian interference in the us election. an islamic court in the indonesian province of aceh has ordered two men to be given 85 strokes of a cane in public for having gay sex. two british men have been arrested in bangkok for allegedly selling online access to illegally streamed football broadcasts. they are accused of causing damages worth more than 100 million baht to the broadcast rights holders. — that story is popular on bbc.com let's take a look at some front pages from around the world: the french paper le figaro reports on new president macron‘s new government. the paper's headline notes that mr macron is "en marche" — the name of his party, toward the centre right, with appointments from his political opponents. the philippine daily inquirer leads

with the story that china has installed rocket launchers on fiery cross reef, one of the disputed south china sea islands. it says the defence system has been set up to ward off vietnamese divers. the reef is also claimed by taiwan and the philippines. and the moscow times features a special report that russia's military build—up in the arctic is spooking its neighbours. under the headline, frozen conflict: russia's arctic expansion, is a dramatic picture of a soldier decked out in white and grey arctic camouflage. now kasia we know the internet is all about cat stories but one particular cat has really got people talking online. it certainly has and rico when you see this moggy you'll understand why it's trending. meet 0mar, from melbourne, in australia. 0mar is a whopping 120cm long.

and this super—sized feline could be the world's longest domestic cat. he found fame after his owner, stephy hirst, started his own instagram account. 0mar weighs 14 kilograms and eats human—grade kangaroo meat. ican i can see us carrying him this way and having a cell free. i can see us carrying him this way and having a cell freelj i can see us carrying him this way and having a cell free. i would love and having a cell free. i would love a self feed but i think he would ta ke a self feed but i think he would take up the whole camera! now, back to our main story — the appointment of former fbi boss robert mueller as a special prosecutor to oversee a us investigation into russia's alleged interference in the presidential election. we heard the latest from washington a short while ago. but how do donald trump's supporters feel about the recent cascade of negative reports?

the bbc‘s nada tawfik has been to nashville, tennessee, to find out. in nashville, it is the twang of a guitar that moves this music city. unlike washington, politics is not the topic in the bars. in the capital of country music, the tunes belt out the concerns of the everyday american, paying bills and finding love. and to be those who voted for donald trump brush off the image of a white house in crisis. they view the headlines as simply noise. you cannot tell me that all of these leaks and comments in the press come through daily and hourly not because they are trying to subvert this president. the near daily revelations, including how possibly the president has interferred into the election with russia, do not raise red flags with voters.

obviously we care about whether he is colluding with russians and influencing elections. if hard evidence comes out about this we will have to reassess. but in terms of donald trump, donald trump is doing exactly what he has done for the last year, and people love him for that. when you speak to donald trump's most ardent supporters, their views on him have not changed. instead, they are convinced that the constant lea ks and revelations or of a effort to undermine his presidency. this man posts a conservative radio show about those who do not believe the mainstream media and only cares about promises from donald trump. if he does not do what he said he would do in the campaign like lowering taxes, there will be trouble. these hockey fans are

on pins and needles about twether the national team will reach the cup. the media are all democrats and left—wingers and they don't want to see him in america do well. it is all lies. the media most of the time blows things out of proportion. there are always two sides to the story. his trust is taking a hit, but there is no erosion of his base. they feel empowered by his presidency, and his defiance. nada tawfik, bbc news, nashville. so trump supporters are still standing by their man. but the recent turmoil in washington is having an impact beyond the world of politics. rico we're seeing repercussions on the stock markets. they've had their worst day of the year so far. controversies in the white house are making investors very nervous. injapan

in japan that injapan that nikkei is down already. the dowjones industrial index suffered its biggest one—day fall since trump was elected last november. the rest of the market will also be heard. —— affected. a motion was voted down to impeach president duterte. the extrajudicial killing of drug traffickers and drug users. mr duterte was accused of abusing power by endorsing the extrajudicial killings

of drug traffickers and even suspected drug users. there are you have been watching newsday, stay with us. as we've just been talking about, the turmoil in the trump administration is impacting wall st, wiping out most of the gains since the president's inauguration. we leave you with a bit of glamour from the french riviera, the calm film festival —— cannes film festival is starting. i know many gardeners in england wanted some rain but i suspect some of those gardens may be water—logged now after what happened during wednesday. this is one soggy picture from lincolnshire. soaking rain. all—day rain for some. looking at the totals.

40 millimetres. many of you had 20—40 millimetres of rain. north—west england stayed dry. a fresher feel to things over the next few days. slightly cooler air. noticeably fresher. humid. sunshine. it will feel warmer. the sun will come out after a cloudy start in east anglia. elsewhere, plenty of blue skies. looking at things at 8am. sunshine in the channel islands after the wet weather on wednesday. plenty of blue sky in east england. a cloudy start. showers from the word go. you might get one in wales, north—west england. northern ireland, a dry start, but don't be fooled. showers breakout.

one or two in western part of scotland to begin the day. thursday. looking at how the weather develops. the risk of catching a slow—moving and possibly thundery downpour. hail as well. beefy the showers in scotland. and isolated shower in the midlands late in the day. a fresher feel to things. pleasant in the sunshine. things cool down as the showers moved through. some showers continuing through thursday evening. thursday night and friday morning. rain in the east of england. during friday, that could move across more of the uk, the bulk of england and scotland, through the day. uncertainty still about the weather system. keep checking the forecast. elsewhere on friday, sunshine and showers again, with temperatures into the mid—teens. cooler where there is persistent rain rather than showers. wet weather close by during the weekend.

rain during scotland's weekend. pleasant in the sunshine. cool with the showers. fresh with the sunshine. a fresher feel to days and cooler nights to come. i'm kasia madera with bbc news. the us department ofjustice has appointed a special prosecutor to lead the investigation into alleged russian interference in last year's presidential election. he's a former head of the fbi, robert mueller. he'll also consider any collusion between russia and the trump campaign team. an islamic court in the indonesian province of aceh has ordered two men to be given eighty—five stokes of cane in public for having gay sex. the sentence by a sharia court is expected to be carried out next week. two british men have been arrested in bangkok for allegedly selling online access to illegally streamed football broadcasts.

they are accused of causing damages worth more than $2.5 million to the broadcast rights holders. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk — new measures to fund social care and curb immigration are understood to be among the pledges in the conservatives' manifesto