i'm james menendez. our top stories: a special prosecutor's appointed to investigate allegations that the trump campaign colluded with russia, as the president complains about his treatment by the media. guru politician in history, and i say this with great maturity, has been treated worse or more on fairly —— no politician —— unfairly. venezuela steps up its military presence along the colombian border as violent anti—government protests spread across the country. on the brink of victory — real madrid edge closer to winning the spanish league for the first time in five years. and i'm sally bundock. from trump bump to trump slump. us markets have their worst day since the presidential election as turmoil grips the white house. plus — alibaba goes west. china's $300 billion e—commerce

giant looks to america, but can it take on its us rivals? hello and welcome to bbc news. a new man has been put in charge of investigating alleged russian interference in last year's us election, as well as alleged collusion between mr trump's campaign and moscow. he's former fbi chief robert mueller. it follows a week in which the president fired james comey and sparked an uproar. mr trump continues to strongly deny any suggestion that russia played a role in his victory. from washington here's laura bicker with the latest. do you swear that the testimony you are about to give... this is the man

now in charge of investigating whether donald trump's election victory was aided by the russians. robert mueller, director under president bush and obama. he will ease demands for an independent requiring. even republicans seemed to breathe a bit easier. it is a positive development and evidence they are taking this seriously. he isa man they are taking this seriously. he is a man who enjoys bipartisan support and respect. is a man who enjoys bipartisan support and respectlj is a man who enjoys bipartisan support and respect. i believe he is the right man for the job. i don't believe it was necessary. having said that, if there has to be a special counsel, they made an excellent choice. trump issued a statement instead of his customary tweet, saying: —— tweet. but the problems for the president our mounting. the fact fbi did james

comey allegedly kept detailed notes of meetings with donald trump, including one in two michael flynn's relationship with russia. donald trump allegedly said: —— fbi to director. this is the most serious charge yet against the president. it comes in the same tumultuous week donald trump was accused of day bulging highly classified intelligence to russia. they have said in modi rees will continue, but many have concerns that the findings will continue. both say they have faith in this man, and that is the hope of the department ofjustice —— enquiries will continue. wherever the investigation leads, it is

important that it is believed and accepted. and sally is here with all the business news. we start on wall street where for months optimism about the trump presidency has been powering markets to record highs. but late on wednesday the trump bump turned into the trump slump — as us stocks and the dollar suffered their worst day since before the election. the cause of the sell—off? growing concern that the president's promised tax cuts and pro—business reforms may never materialise, as the white house battles one controversy after another. let's show you the numbers. the dow jones industrial average fell 372 points, and both the dow and s&p 500 suffered their worst falls in percentage terms since september. the nasdaq had its biggest loss for almost a year. in fact the last time the nasdaq fell this much was onjune 2a —

the day the uk voted for brexit. the us dollar has also tumbled to the lowest in six months — this will give you an overview. this is the us dollar against ten leading currencies over the past year — as you can see, it's lost all its gains since donald trump became president and is now back to where it was in november last year, around the time of the election. direct we'll be speaking to a top market strategist about what happens next in 20 minutes' time.

we are also looking at alibaba — the chinese e—commerce giant that has been described as the country's ebay and amazon rolled into one. it certainly makes more revenue than both put together — its shares have soared since it floated in new york and it now has a stock market value of some $300 billion. it's expected to report anotherjump in profits later today. but the vast majority of its business is in china — something its billionaire founder jack ma wants to change. a full report in 20 minutes' time. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the united states has voiced its strongest possible concern after turkish security personnel attacked protestors during president tayyip erdogan‘s visit to washington. a video posted online showed men in dark suits chasing anti—government protesters

and punching and kicking them as police intervened. 11 people were injured. the greek parliament is due to vote on new cuts to state pensions later on thursday, despite ongoing protests against austerity. it's the 13th cut in pensions since 2010. the measure has been demanded as part of a bailout of the country's debt. if the cuts go through, eurozone countries have said they will consider writing off some that debt. japan's princess mako is to surrender her royal status by marrying a commoner. the eldest granddaughter of emperor akihito will become engaged to lawyer kei komuro who she met as a student. japan's imperial law requires a princess to leave the royal family after marrying a commoner. it's expected to re—ignite debate about the ever—shrinking royal family. the venezuelan government has stepped up its military presence in the state of tachira along the colombian border, a state that's long been a hotbed of anti—government feeling. the move follows days of rioting and looting there, that's left many businesses in ruins. more than a0 people have been killed nationwide since the protests first flared up six weeks ago,

as greg dawson reports. from supermarket to squalor. this is the result of another night of looting in the venezuelan state of tachira. the shelves are empty and the floors are full of debris, dirt and rotting food. translation: we have been told an armed group on motorcycles was trying to get in. about 300 people came over the barriers. they took everything — equipment, cash registers, even refrigerators. it is notjust supermarkets. this is what is left of the family—owned bus station. translation: they were not government buses. they were mine and my family's. my father's. they left our business useless. the government says over 2,000 soldiers will be sent to the region to restore order.

the looting and violent protests come amid widespread shortages of basic goods — a symptom of the deepening economic crisis in venezuela. over the last six weeks, protesters have been demanding a general election and the chance to remove president maduro from power. over a0 people have been killed in protests across the country. the crisis was the subject of debate at a un security council meeting on wednesday where the united states appealed to president maduro to call free and fair elections. what we attempted to do in this meeting today is about prevention. we have been down this road. with syria, with north korea, with south sudan, we have been down this road. and rather than waiting for a serious situation where we have to have an open security council meeting, why not get in front of this? but the chances of maduro bending to the will of the us are slim.

he has already accused washington of backing a coup attempt against him and remains determined to stay in office until at least 2019, when his term expires. here in britain, the conservative party are to announce in their manifesto for the general election that they would stop giving winter fuel payments to wealthier pensioners. they would also end a guarantee that the state pension will rise by at least two—and—a—half % a year. here's our political correspondent, iain watson. when a manifesto is unveiled, theresa may thomases to create interesting divisions between the generations and offer help where it is needed. the taxing pension‘s incomes regardless of their wealth will be ditched. if re—elected, the pensions triple lock would become a double in 2020. the pension would rise in line with earnings, but a

minimum 2.5% annual increase would not be guaranteed. winter fuel payments would be means tested to help meet the costs of social care. the first time, many people receiving care in their own home would have to make a contribution to the cost. the full cost would only be applied to people with assets above £100,000. payment could be deferred until after death. at the other end, schools in england would be protected from any losses from a new funding formula. this pledge comes at a price. free school news for infants would be canned, they would have to provide breakfasts and children from poor backgrounds would be provided free meals. the reason they hoped businesses will demonstrate that she willing to take big, difficult decisions and provide proof that the premiership would be

defined by the phrase, brexit means brexit. almost 200,000 species of plants have been discovered in the past year, but many are close to extinction. they are calling for more to be done to protect them. into the forest in search of new plants. anything row that has not been seen before is taken back to be nurtured and studied. from tiny waterlilies too strange, carnivorous plants. plants underpinned all aspects of human living, from the airwe aspects of human living, from the air we breathe that to medicine and fuel. all life on earth relies upon plants. we have to take extinction very seriously. we still tend to put pla nts very seriously. we still tend to put plants into the category of looking nice in the garden. we need to think

about them as being fundamental to what we are. they are the natural capital of life on earth for humans. almost 2000 species of plant have been discovered in the past year alone. here, and in many of the —— here there are many of the world's most precious plants. scientists say we have a better picture than ever before the value of the world's plants. and we have a duty protect them. about 20% of the world's pla nts them. about 20% of the world's plants are at risk of extinction. the race is on to stop some being lost for good. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the london restaurant with specially composed music on the menu to help you rediscover your senses as you dine in the dark. this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body

landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. the polling stations are all prepared for what will be the first truly free elections in romania's history. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it's been a peacefulfuneral demonstration so far, but suddenly these police are teargassing the crowd, we don't yet know why. the pre—launch ritual is well established here, helen was said to be in good spirits butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: a special prosecutor, robert mueller, has been appointed to investigate allegations of russian interference in the us election. venezuela has stepped up its military presence along the colombian border as violent anti—government protests continue to spread across the country. back to our main story, the appointment of former fbi boss robert mueller is a special prosecutor to oversee an investigation into russia's alleged interference in the election last year. we got the latest from washington a short time ago, but what about outside the beltway? what the donald trump's supporters feel about the torrent of revelations? the bbc went to nashville, tennessee, to find out. bluegrass music in nashville, it is the twang of a guitar that moves this music city.

and 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 rent, finding love. and 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 these leaks and all these kinds of comments in the press that come through almost daily, almost hourly, are not because people are trying to subvert this president. the near daily revelations, including how the president has possibly interferred with the investigations into his associates' ties to russia, do not raise red flags with voters. now, obviously we care whether he is colluding with russians and trying to effect the election and those kind of substantive matters, and, if real hard evidence comes out about that, then obviously we will have to reassess. but in terms of trump, trump's 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 the man they elected have not changed. instead, they are convinced that the constant lea ks and revelations are part of a concerted effort to undermine his presidency. but you make russia the boogeyman... phil valentine hosts a conservative talk show directed at those who do not trust the mainstream media. he says donald trump needs only to cares about delivering on his campaign promises. if he does not cut taxes, if he doesn't lower the corporate rate, if he doesn't do the things that he said he was going to do duirng the campaign then there's gonna be trouble. what has these hockey fans on pins and needles is whether nashville's team will reach the stanley cup, but conservatives here have no fears about president trump. all the medias are all democrats and left—wingers and they don't want to see him do well, they don't want to see america do well, they just want to give america away. the things they're saying about him and everything is total lies.

the media most of the time blows things out of proportion. there's always two sides to the story. there's no doubt that the president's approval rating is taking a hit, but there's no sign of an erosion of trust from his base. they feel empowered by his presidency, and his defiance. nada tawfik, bbc news, nashville. now, let's head to zimbabwe — a country that's had its fair share of economic problems over recent years. but like in a lot of places there's growing demand for internet access. and now for the first time, commuters will have access to wifi when they're on public transport. a local company is rolling out the service throughout the country. from the capital harare, shingai nyoka reports. they are noisy, overcrowded and rickety, and yet these commuter minibuses known as kombis are the public bone of the transport system in zimbabwe. —— backbone. commuters

are tuning out of long hours spent waiting for the bosses to fill up and get home on their mobile phones. —— buses. it motivated a little internet company to produce a product to keep the travelling public reductive. —— the local internet company. installing wi reless internet company. installing wireless internet, or wi—fi, internet company. installing wireless internet, orwi—fi, in internet company. installing wireless internet, or wi—fi, in the mini buses. people these days are connected, and they want to stay connected. either for connected, and they want to stay connected. eitherfor business connected, and they want to stay connected. either for business or for personal productivity. and also, you know, entertainment. people want to watch the latest scores. the idea is that people want to access content and these days there is so much that they can access, in ten minutes, in 20 minutes. the ab reach kombi ride in harare is probably 25— 30 minutes. —— abba region kombi ride. —— average. internet access is

very low, with punishing data limits of up to 30 us dollars for1 gigabyte. wi—fi has cheaper data costs. almost everybody has a cell phone here but not everybody has access to the internet, partly because it is so expensive. zimbabwe is the third most expensive when it comes to mobile barter in africa. —— data. sometimes you don't know when you have used it all up.|j data. sometimes you don't know when you have used it all up. i have a laptop with me right now and i can concentrate on all my homework. now only 100 buses have been fitted with the devices. operators say it is giving them an edge over their competition. translation: it is working out better, people are more willing to get into our cars when they know there is wi—fi. willing to get into our cars when they know there is wi-fi. the company plans to roll—out the programme throughout the country by

the end of the year. however, some believe that if producers reduce the cost of mobile barter there would not be the need for the wi—fi rollout. —— mobile data. time for some sport now, and in football real madrid have edged closer to winning the spanish league title for the first time in five years. they beat celta vigo 4—1 to go top of the table with one game to go. meanwhile, the team they'll face in the champions league final, juventus, have picked up the first of three trophies they hope to win this season. colm harrison reports. cristiano ronaldo scored twice as real madrid made the most of their game in hand on barcelona by winning co mforta bly game in hand on barcelona by winning comfortably at celta vigo, carrying and smartand comfortably at celta vigo, carrying and smart and toni kroos also scored ina 4—1 and smart and toni kroos also scored in a 4—1victory and smart and toni kroos also scored in a 4—1 victory that takes them to the top of the table. they are three points clear of barcelona and a draw at malaga on sunday will confirm them as champions for the first time in five years. barcelona must beat a bar in theirfinal game and in five years. barcelona must beat a bar in their final game and hope that madrid lose in order to retain

the title. in france the title race is over and monaco are the champions. they beat saint etienne 2-0 with champions. they beat saint etienne 2—0 with goals in stoppage time to clinch the title for the first time in17 clinch the title for the first time in 17 years. clinch the title for the first time in17 years. in clinch the title for the first time in 17 years. in doing so, they have ended paris st—germain‘s four—year reign. in italy, juventus won the cup at italia for the third year in a row. “— cup at italia for the third year in a row. —— copa italia. they won over lots year, picking up the trophy for a record extending 12th time. —— lazio. with a li—point lead in syria a and lazio. with a li—point lead in syria aanda lazio. with a li—point lead in syria a and a champions league final against real madrid to come, juventus will hope this is the first step on the way to completing the travel. there was one game played in the english premier league on wednesday. southampton and manchester united drew 0—0 at st mary's west united's goalkeeper sergio romero saved a penalty after only six minutes.

good game, for two teams that are not playing for any big targets. i think it was a good game. they wa nted think it was a good game. they wanted to win. we wanted to win. we made lots of changes, but we gave it a good game. they had good chances, we had good chances. i think, good football. so i think... i have to be happy with my players, especially because they have one of the biggest matches of their career in one week and they still manage to focus and be professional. jose mourinho there. most restaurants play music while their customers are eating. perhaps it's a bit of smooth jazz or maybe a romantic ballad. but at one restaurant in london they've started playing something a little more bespoke. and you'll get to listen to it in the dark. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. the chef is hard at work at his restaurant in london, determined to find just the right combination of tastes to make it perfect.

but could something be missing? not a herb or a spice but a little musical accompaniment? this composer has come up with something he hopes will make your meal easier to swallow. the way i thought about this was to try and turn this meal into a story. so the chef, he gave me his initial ideas and then i started thinking about how can i turn this into a narrative? how can i make music from this? this is already an unusual restaurant where you can eat in the dark. each dish has its own custom—made piece of music. so the diners are taken behind the curtain to enjoy an audio gastro extravaganza in pitch black surroundings. of course, it is quite difficult to show you this on television. once they finish and got used to the light, what was the verdict? it made me think a lot more, to be honest, which is quite weird.

why, it made me feel like i was underwater when clearly i was not. an apparent success. as they say, if music be the food of love, play on. whatever next! don't forget, you can get in touch with me and some of the tea m get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. i will be back in just a few minutes with the latest headlines. sally will be in later with world business report, and then we will be discussing the is. —— the papers. hello. i know many gardeners

in england wanted some rain, but i suspect some of those gardens are now water—logged after what happened during wednesday. this is one soggy picture from lincolnshire. and in fact it was at coningsby, in lincolnshire, that was one of the wettest places during wednesday, notching up about 40mm of rain — that is nearly a month worth of rain in 2a hours, but you can see elsewhere widely around 20—a0mm of rain from this weather system and clearing now into the north sea. we have a few showers for northern ireland and western scotland, parts of wales, north—west england stayed dry. now we are looking at a fresher feel to things during thursday and for the next few days as we bring in some slightly cooler air. it is more noticeably fresher, less humid rather than cooler because, actually, in some sunshine, where we had the rain during wednesday, it will feel warmer. the sun will eventually come out after perhaps a cloudy start in east anglia and south—east england. elsewhere, plenty of blue

sky to begin the day. take a look at things at 8am. some sunshine in the channel islands after wednesday wet weather. plenty of blue sky in south—west england. again brightening up in the far east of england after perhaps a cloudy start. now there is a chance from the word go of picking up a shower somewhere in wales, north—west england. northern ireland, don't be fooled by a dry bright start, cloud will build quite quickly in the morning, showers break out and there will be one or two across western part of scotland to begin the day. let's go on through thursday and see how the weather develops then. quite quickly the cloud builds in northern ireland. the risk of catching a slow—moving heavy and possibly thundery downpours may come with a bit of hail as well. some beefy showers developing in scotland, too, especially to the north. one or two heavy showers for the afternoon for northern england, for wales and south—west england. maybe an isolated one late in the day in the midlands. much of east anglia and south—east england staying dry. a fresher feel to things, but again quite pleasant in some sunshine. things cool down when the showers move through. some of the showers continue during thursday evening.

but as we go through thursday night and into friday morning, another area of rain running up the eastern side of england. during friday, that could actually move across more of the uk, more of northern england and scotland, as we go on through the day. so there's still some uncertainty about this weather system. keep checking the forecast. elsewhere on friday, we're expecting sunshine, showers again, temperatures into the mid—teens. cooler though where you have any persistent rain rather than showers. we're going to keep low pressure close by going the weekend. this is bbc world news, the headlines. the us department ofjustice has appointed a special prosecutor to lead an investigation into allegations that the trump election campaign colluded with russia. he's a former head of the fbi, robert mueller. there've been big falls on us stock markets which have dragged down asian shares over fears the political controversy surrounding president trump will weaken his ability to deliver tax and regulatory reforms. the venezuelan government has reinforced its military presence in the state of tatchira, along the colombian border. the defence minister

says 2,600 troops are being sent to quell looting and rioting. real madrid have edged closer to winning the spanish league title for the first time in five years. they beat celta vigo 4—1 to go top of the table with one game to go.