this is bbc news. i'm james menendez. our top stories: president trump says the decision to appoint a special counsel to investigate russian influence on the election is a witch—hunt. thousands vent their anger on the streets of athens as greece's parliament approves a new package of austerity measures. and the greatest show on earth is coming to an end. we're there as the ringling brothers circus gets ready to close. and in business, france gets ready for macron economics. but does the new president have the right formula to bring back jobs and growth? plus, nafta nerves. tense times for mexico as its two—decade old trade deal with the us is thrown into doubt. hello and welcome to bbc news.

president trump has hit back at the appointment of a special counsel to investigate alleged russian collusion with his election campaign, he said it "hurt our country terribly", claiming that it was the "single greatest witch hunt of a politician in american history." mr trump said he wanted to get back to running the country, and at a news conference in washington, insisted he would respect the appointment. he again denied the allegations. aleem maqbool reports. the president's just not happy with the scrutiny he continues to come under over his links with russia. the entire thing has been a witch hunt. and there is no collusion between certainly myself and my campaign, but i can only speak for myself and the russians, zero. i think it divides the country. i think we have a very divided country because of that and many other things.

did you at any time urge former fbi directorjames comey to close or back down the investigation into michael flynn? no. . . no. next question. the major development of the last 2a hours is the appointment of robert mueller to oversee the russian investigation. he's a man renowned for his independence, having been appointed fbi director by george w bush, and being asked to serve on longer than his term by barack obama. and his appointment has received support from many on both sides of the aisle. probably the best thing that has happened is that the deputy attorney general did appoint bob mueller, a man of impeccable integrity, to act as special counsel in this issue. and that, i think, is of some comfort to all of us in this country. i believe that the professionals in the justice department need to do theirjobs independently, objectively and thoroughly, and i believe the special counsel, which is robert mueller,

helps them do that. some of the president's critics, while happy with the appointment, complain robert mueller has not been given enough power. but what exactly is he investigating? it breaks down into three main areas. russian influence on the election, looking at possible hacking and lea ks. russian collusion with the trump campaign, so meeting and financial ties between the two. and obstruction of the russia inquiry, looking at whether donald trump tried to get the former fbi director to drop key parts of the investigation. well, after the president fired the last man leading the inquiry, it does now feel with this appointment that the russia investigation can now get back on track. bt there are many who feel that donald trump, for whatever reason, is not behaving like a man who wants that. aleem maqbool, bbc news, washington.

let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. polls have opened in iran's presidential election, with the incumbent hassan rouhani seeking a second term. he's the moderate cleric who negotiated the landmark nuclear deal with world powers in 2015. his main challenger is ebrahim raisi, a hardline cleric close to supreme leader ayatollah khamenei. if no—one wins more than 50% of votes cast, there'll be a run—off next week. american planes operating over syria have attacked a convoy carrying pro—government militia. a statement from the coalition says the militia were moving towards a—tanf airbase, near the border with iraq, where western special forces train rebel groups fighting the extremist group, the so—called islamic state. police are continuing to hold a man who drove into pedestrians in times square new york. the man, believed to be 26—year—old richard rojas, is believed to have been arrested on two previous occasions for drunk driving. a teenager was killed and 22 others were hurt in the accident which the authorities have said was not an act of terrorism. after years of economic hardship, greece's parliament has approved a further package of austerity measures that include tax rises and more cuts to pensions.

the government is hoping the savings will appease international lenders, as the country looks for another instalment of its multi—billion—dollar bailout. but outside parliament, thousands of protestors voiced their anger at the plans, leading to violent clashes with police. greg dawson reports. if greece's politicians needed a reminder of the anger, they simply needed to look out of the window. with their backs to the parliament, police face down petrol—bombs and other missiles. another show of defiance as another package of austerity measures was approved. the prime minister said this meant further pain for a country worn down by years of spending cuts. translation: nobody is denying, nobody doubts, that this agreement has difficulties. however, it is a decisive milestone in that we do not have another bailout we need to complete. we finally have a solution

to look forward to. we enter a phase of stability and recovery that the greek economy has not seen in years. the vote means more tax rises and further cuts to pensions over the next three years. a 5 billion euro saving to appease foreign creditors of greece. for the last seven years, the country has been trying to dig its way out of economic crisis. progress has been made, but not enough to escape its reliance on outside help. greece faces its next big debt demand in july, and, on monday, eurozone finance ministers will decide if the country has done enough to receive a 7.5 billion euro bailout fund to keep the economy afloat. earlier in the week, hundreds of thousands of greeks joined a 24—hour general strike. government offices were closed, flights grounded and ships stayed docked.

alexis tsipras believes these measures are vital for the economic survival of the country, but he and his party were elected on a promise to resist austerity. a promise not forgotten by people now demanding his resignation. greg dawson, bbc news. aaron is here with all the business news. good morning. we are talking macronomics? yes, we. hello. —— we are. —— we we start in france, where the new president, emmanuel macron, says he expects no ‘honeymoon‘ from the public after his first week in power. he now has try and to win a majority in next month's parliamentary

elections, and implement the economic policy he says can turn the country around. so what is macron economics, and can it solve france's problems? macron calls himself ‘neither right nor left‘ — and sure enough, the team he announced on wednesday is a diverse mix of figures from parties on the left, the right and the centre. he says his economic policy is based on the ‘nordic‘ model. what's that? basically it mixes spending cuts on the one hand, and giveaways on the other. he plans to cut spending by 60 billion euros over the next five years. the civil service will be hit hard — 120,000 jobs will go. but over the same period, he has pledged 50 billion euros worth of stimulus measures. that includes cutting the corporate tax rate from 33% to 25% —

and lowering the tax burden on households. it's a similar story with free trade. as a former banker, he's broadly for it. but he's also talked about creating a protective europe — yes, as in protectionism. he wants eu governments to agree to ‘buy european‘ and stop non—eu companies taking over key industries. finally, the awkward question of labour reform. france‘s jobless rate is almost double that of germany‘s at 9.6%. many employers blame strict labour laws, like the 35—hour working week. but they are fiercely defended by unions. so where does mr macron stand? you‘ve guessed it, somewhere in—between.

he wants to keep the 35—hour work week — but change the way the law is applied to make it easier to hire and fire. we‘ll be speaking to an expert in paris in 20 minute time. we will also be in mexico after the trump administration notified congress that it will start talks to renegotiate the north american free trade agreement. as soon as it is practical, basically. president trump has called the nafta deal with canada and mexico a killer of us jobs. it is a worrying thing for the auto industry in mexico who have invested heavily there. our correspondent has been to the area, we will have more on that later in the programme. don‘t forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team

on twitter, i‘m @bbcaaron. 0ne one of britain‘s airports is about to get a control tower hundreds of miles away from the runway. it is said to make managing planes safer and more efficient. we have been given a special preview. born airports are dynamic and fast flowing. all of those movements must be tightly choreographed to keep it safe. —— modern airports. this is london city airport, just one of 300 ta keoffs and landings london city airport, just one of 300 takeoffs and landings that happen here every day. until now, all of those flights have been co—ordinated bya group

those flights have been co—ordinated by a group of controllers who work out of these windows. in future, those windows will be replaced by these high definition television screens. these high definition television screens. controllers won‘tjust see the airport, but they will be able to hear it as well. the seniors, this digital control tower is 120 miles away from the airport. we‘ve been showing this simulation, but by 2019 controllers will be sitting here directing traffic for real. using pictures fed from a camera tower next to the runway. unlike the old tower, they can zoom in for a better view. they can also put radar data onto the screen to track aircraft. the cameras can pick out rogue drones near the airport and delight the runway at night. -- light. it gives the controller more information in terms of what they can see and hear, how they can identify and track targets. it is

all about having to head up, not down. it makes the job all about having to head up, not down. it makes thejob much all about having to head up, not down. it makes the job much easier. i know exactly what you‘re thinking. the number one question i‘ve been asked by everybody i have told about this is, what if the tv screens go down? what if the system is hacked? how secure is it? it is highly secure. it has been stress tested by security specialists. we have three defences in place, so if one of those was to fail, there is always a backup. they are all rooted, taking different routs between the airport and hear. london city is convinced the new operation will make it more efficient and safe. the idea of a control tower miles from the airport might seem odd, but it isn‘t far away. stay with us on bbc

world news, still to come: they‘re considered one of the most harmful exotic species on earth. so how‘s peru coping with an infestation of giant african snails? 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: president trump has said the decision to appoint a special counsel to investigate russian influence on the election is a witch—hunt. thousands have protested in central athens after greece‘s parliament approved a new package of austerity measures needed to release the next instalment of its multi—billion dollar bailout. the japanese government has approved plans to allow emperor akihito to step down, the first such abdication for two centuries. the cabinet has backed draft legislation, which will now be sent for parliamentary approval. the emperor, who‘s 83, indicated last year his desire to abdicate due to ill—health. rupert wingfield—hayes

is in tokyo for us. just take us through how this is going to work. at what point will he stepped down? as you said, this has to go to parliament, and they will approve it. it is widely expected to go through smoothly. it is supposed to happen within three years. we understand this will take place at the end of next year, 2018, and he will step down at the end. on the first day of 2019, his son will be the new emperor. a new imperial era will begin. we are in the 29th year of the heisei period. a new period which is yet unnamed will be for the

son. emperor akihito is widely and deeply loved in this country. people will be that he is going to step down. but they supported him last yearin down. but they supported him last year in his address on television. he said he was getting frail and had cancer and has had open heart surgery cancer and has had open heart surgery is. he is concerned he will not long be able to carry out his duties. after that television address, opinion polls suggested the overwhelming of people here injapan support his wish for a quiet retirement. there are worries about the succession in the future. retirement. there are worries about the succession in the futurem retirement. there are worries about the succession in the future. it is a one—off bill, applying to him only. it is not a continual abdication law. it is only for emperor akihito. it does not address

other serious problems for japanese royalty which is that the gene pool is getting smaller and smaller. emperor akihito has four grandchildren, three of them are women. they are not allowed to ascend the throne. and so the whole of the future of japan‘s royal family rests on the shoulders of a boy, hizahito. thank you very much, rupert wingfield—hayes. cordoned off, at first sight, this appears to be a crime scene. but things are not what they seem. these are believed to be giant african snails, hundreds of them. brought here by heavy rains and flooding, these creatures can be deadly.

harmless in themselves, but they are potential carriers of disease and infection. 0ne conservation group has them listed in the top 100 most dangerous species. authorities are removing them as quickly as possible. translation: by habit, they like to be in the dirt. so that is where they become contaminated. and from there, they go on to transmit parasites and bacteria. so serious is the problem, government officials have launched an information campaign to warn the public what to do if confronted by a giant african snail. translation: the number of poisonous snails is rising and i‘m scared. they‘re climbing my wall. that‘s why i‘m trying to kill them with salt. with one region already placed on alert for a dengue outbreak, now they have another thing to worry about.

tim allman, bbc news. and now it is time for some sport news for you. football, and the title race in the english premier league may be over, but the battle to win the golden boot as the league‘s top scorer goes on. tottenham‘s harry kane scored four goals as spurs won 6—1 at leicester on thursday night. it makes him the favourite to win the accolade for a second successive season. south korean forward son heung—min scored tottenham‘s other two goals. well, i think it was very good. we feel very proud, very happy. it was fantastic. the attitude was so, so, so fantastic. the attitude was so, so, so good. and that is the way that we wa nt to so good. and that is the way that we want to finish the premier league, the season. we will have to wait for the season. we will have to wait for the next one. that is a very good

win. the first time in my professional career doing that. there has been a bit of buildup during the week. i wanted to at least get one or two tonight to put pressure on, so four least get one or two tonight to put pressure on, so four is amazing. you have done more than put the pressure on. absolutely. i still have one more game to go. i will try and win first and foremost. i will see what ican first and foremost. i will see what i can finish up with. in scotland, the champions, celtic, are one game away from getting through the entire season unbeaten in the league. patrick roberts scored twice as they won 5—0 at partick thistle. that‘s 37 games without defeat for celtic with one game to go. now to tennis, and novak dokovic is through to the quarter—finals of the rome masters. the world number two beat spain‘s roberto bautista—agut in straight sets. he says he‘s "on track" in his build—up to the defence of his french open title later this month.

djokovic won 6—4, 6—4, and he‘ll now facejuan martin del potro who beat japan‘s kei nishikori. rafael nadal is also through to the quarter—finals. he beat jack sock of the united states in straight sets and remains on course for an eighth rome masters title. nadal, the numberfour seed, will now face the austrian dominic thiem in the quarter—finals. meanwhile, garbine muguruza is among those through to the quarter—finals of the women‘s singles. the number three seed from spain, who‘s preparing to defend her french open title, beat germany‘s julia gorges in straight sets. muguruza won 7—5, 6—4, to seal her place in the last eight. muguruza will now play venus williams, who beat the number five seed from great britain, johanna konta, in three sets. konta had won their previous meetings, but williams, the number nine seed, came through 6—1,3—6, 6—1. now, it‘s long called itself the greatest show on earth but after 146 years the ringling brothers circus

is shutting down. it‘s entertained millions but in recent years revenues have dropped and there have been legal battles with animal rights groups. a bbc team went to see the closing moments with those who‘ve called the circus home. music plays. ringling brothers circus is older than coca—cola, older than baseball. for us to be coming to a close, it‘s really sad. riding a cannon out onto arena floor, you know, it's powerful. smiling right before i get into the canon. as soon as i slide down and focus 100%, i think the word i think of the most is "attack." go! in between cities, we travel and live on a train.

we‘re sort of like professional gypsies. you know, it is such a unique lifestyle. i think that‘s one of the most nostalgic elements of this show coming to a close, is that this lifestyle is coming to an end as well. there‘s a culture that we are losing. that is 146 years deep. we're just devastated. the performers, they're pretty much all out of work. and, hopefully, something else will happen, something else will come up. where it's something similar. you know? but if not, you always have these amazing memories. and i'mjust glad i could be a part of it. i think we‘re feeling very bittersweet, bitter because we don‘t want the show to end, we want to do this forever,

and sweet because we got to do it at all. the end of an era. don‘t forget, you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. i‘m @jamesmenendez. another chilly start in northern and

western areas on friday morning. chilly skies could see some frost. further east, cloud and rain, less cold. most likely around double figures to begin friday morning. across the north, the west, a bright start to be plenty of sunshine. chilly to start. low cloud and murk towards the northern isles. further south, a dry start. to the north—west of england and wales, the south—west of england, the odd shower. the midlands, outbreaks of rain. 0dd heavy outbursts. the reigning world pull away from the south—east slowly through the day. -- rain south—east slowly through the day. —— rain will. this area of low pressure will go across the coast towards southern and eastern

scotla nd towards southern and eastern scotland towards the afternoon. a breeze. fairly windy towards the east of england. a little bit of brightness towards the end of the day across this area. elsewhere, sunshine and showers. the odd heavy one. saturday, conditions are improving. high pressure moving up from the south. another day of sunshine and showers. persistent rain to the north—east of scotland and northern isles. the odd heavy shower around. in the sunshine, not too bad. winds lighter around this area. cool in north—east scotland. high pressure coming in from the south mainly across the near continent. bringing wind from the south. always a northern direction this time of year. very few showers around. a few around this area. temperatures will respond with the light winds in the sunshine. 20— 21. this area of high pressure out towards the atlantic will go into

the north—west of the uk towards monday. england and wales will be influenced by light pressure. a fine day. warm sunshine. 0utbreaks influenced by light pressure. a fine day. warm sunshine. outbreaks of rain. temperatures responding. mid-205 rain. temperatures responding. mid—20s across the south—east is possible on sunday afternoon. tuesday. an area of low pressure moving across northern areas bringing cooler westerly winds and a mixture of sunshine and showers. this is bbc world news, the headlines. president trump has said the appointment of a special council to investigate the russian influence on the election of the country and has called it a witch—hunt. he has denied any collusion with roche. —— russia. there‘ve been violent protests on the streets of central athens after greece‘s parliament approved a new package of austerity measures needed to release the next instalment of its multi—billion—dollar bailout. polls have opened in iran‘s presidential election,

with the incumbent hassan rouhani seeking a second term. his main challenger is ebrahim raisi, a hardline cleric close to the supreme leader ayatollah khamenei. the japanese government has approved plans to allow emperor akihito to abdicate. the draft legislation will now be sent for parliamentary approval.