welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: three of donald trump's inner circle are called before congress as part of investigations into russian interference in the us election. the president says he would never have madejeff sessions the attorney general if he'd known he'd recuse himself from the investigation into russia. how the billions of tons of plastic manufactured since the 1950s are now threatening the planet. researchers say the world is at risk of near—permanent contamination. and a british zoo joins the fight to save the northern white rhino, using ivf from its closest relatives. the us congress has just set up what could be a crucial week of evidence in the investigations into russian interference in last

year's presidential election. president trump's eldest son and his former campaign manager will both testify before the senatejudiciary committee next wednesday. earlier this month donald junior published e—mails which showed him accepting what appeared to be a russian offer to help his father get elected, and damage hillary clinton. and us media is also reporting that president trump's son—in—law, jared kushner, has been asked to appear before the senate intelligence committee in a closed session on monday. live now to washington and the bbc‘s laura bicker. first of all, laura, several lines emerging just now from an interview president trump has done with the new york times. he said he would not have appointed jeff sessions as attorney general if he had known he would step aside from the russian investigation. also

accusing the fbi director he sat, james comey, of trying to blackmail him, essentially. then saying that the special counsel investigating all of this would cross a red line if he looks into the trump family finances. is a series of threats that. there is a lot in this interview. the new york times does point out that healthcare other policies were asked about but what is certainly seen in this interview and shown from this interview is his co nsta nt and shown from this interview is his constant drip, drip feed of information and speculation about the investigation into whether or not rush interfered in the us presidential election and whether or not they colluded with trump associates to do so. it hangs over donald trump's and. it is clear from the many answers that he has given that it the many answers that he has given thatitis the many answers that he has given that it is something he simply cannot shrug off, starting with the comment aboutjeff sessions. remember, he was an early supporter

of donald trump, right from the start of the campaign. he was appointed attorney general and after that donald trump says now, had he known he would step back from that investigation, he would not have appointed him in the first place. jeff sessions had to step back from overseeing the investigation because it was disclosed that he had met with the russian ambassador during the campaign. yet another disclosure. and then there was this discussion about james comey, holding that dossier, remember that ossia that was revealed injanuary? it has been controversial, containing salacious allegations, many of which have been widely dismissed. donald trump accused the former fbi director of almost blackmailing him, of holding it over his head. a lot of accusations in there and a lot of claims by the president and, certainly, when it comes down to it, what you can see

through the pages of the interview is that the russian investigation is something needling him. thank you very much. and an update on another hot issue that's been troubling many people concerned about their healthcare and causing president trump and the republicans a lot of political trouble. mr trump has now told his party's senators they should delay their summer holidays, until president obama's affordable care act is repealed and replaced. it was one of his major campaign promises, but the party is struggling to agree on any replacement. at a white house lunch, president trump spoke again ofjust scrapping obamacare, without any other policy in place although a new independent review by the congressional budget office has found that would remove health cover from 32 million americans, within a decade. obamacare obamaca re was obamacare was a big lie. you can keep your doctor, lie. you can keep your plan, lie. it was a lie, directly from the president. we

should not leave town until this is complete, until this bill is on my desk. us senatorjohn mccain has revealed he has brain cancer. the 80—year—old republican had been recovering from surgery after announcing over the weekend that doctors in pheonix had removed a five—centimetre blood clot above his eye. senator mccain, a vietnam veteran, was the republican nominee for the us presidential election in 2008. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the us state department has again named iran as the world's main sponsor of terrorism, due in part to its support for the lebanese shia movement hezbollah. in its annual report for 2016, it also said jihadist groups such as so—called islamic state, al-qaeda and the taliban were the leading culprits for terrorist attacks. the us supreme court has denied a request by the white house to tighten the travel ban on nationals from six mainly—muslim countries. the justices upheld a ruling made by a district court in hawaii last week to allow grandparents and other close relatives to visit family

members in the united states. a brazilianjudge has ordered assets belonging to the country's former president, luiz inacio lula da silva to be frozen following his conviction for corruption. lula says the charges are politically motivated. he is still standing for election next year. the bbc has revealed two—thirds of its stars earning more than $200,000 are men and admitted the corporation has to do more to tackle the gender pay gap. the bbc was compelled to reveal the information under the terms agreed with the uk government. there is also a gap between the pay for white presenters and those from a black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. scientists in the united states have calculated that 8.3billion tons of plastics

have been manufactured since the 1950s. that's enough debris to cover an entire country the size of argentina. the study also found that the use of the synthetic material has been accelerating. here's our science correspondent, victoria gill. plastic. it seems to have a million uses. so many, we have manufactured 8.3 billion tons of it since it was first mass produced in the 1950s. the very qualities that make it so useful — strength, durability, make it almost impossible for natural processes to break it down. even out in the middle of the south pacific, researchers have calculated that there are about 400,000 plastic particles per square kilometre. 18 tons of the stuff floated on the current, littering beaches of this uninhabited island, henderson island. as of 2015, the scientists worked out we had generated 7 billion tons of plastic waste. 9% was recycled, 12% incinerated, and

79% accumulated in landfills or the environment. if this carries on, there will be more than 30 billion tons of plastic in the environment or landfill by 2050. scientists say we need a new, tailor—made strategy to deal with plastic once we've finished with it. in venezuela the economy is on the verge of collapse and as protests against the government grow — the threat of a larger humanitarian crisis is spilling over to its neighbours. so far this year 52,000 venezuelans have sought refuge abroad — with the us, brazil and argentina the top destinations for asylum seekers. 0ur south america correspondent katy watson has this report from the brazilian state of roraima, on the venezuelan border which is feeling the impact. it isa

it is a simple meal, the wonder people here are grateful for. lunch queue at the shelter is getting longer everyday. shelter has been open forjust over six months. they offer medical help, vaccinations, food and shelter. families sleep on the floor of the gymnasium, over 300. but with more people arriving every week, people now need to sleep outside. this man says his family came here to find work. he shows me around his new home, a piece of tarpaulin under which he, his children and wife eat and sleep. is a member ofan children and wife eat and sleep. is a member of an indigenous tribe. he, like hundreds in his community, be they have to flee venezuela just a week. hunger is not the only thing driving venezuelans week. hunger is not the only thing driving venezuela ns out. translation: what we have seen this past month if they arrive here scared and traumatised. they tell us stories of persecution and torture. summarised injured. they cry a lot,

some have mental health issues because they have had to leave everything behind so quickly. this woman is a mother of two with a degree in education. together with herfriends, she now needs degree in education. together with her friends, she now needs to ask for work at traffic lights. washing windscreens as one way to make ends meet. i was thinking of the future of my children, to give them food so they will not die of malnutrition. in venezuela, they do not give you anything. the number of venezuelans sex workers is also on the rise. i spoke to a 22—year—old mother of three who says that she can now support her family who live with her here in brazil. three hours up the road is the border. it is a crossing point these days. william has bought this mountain of cash to purchase 1a sacks of sugar. he comes here every three days. it is a 12 hour car

journey each way. believing it any longer would mean carrying more cash and robberies are common. translation: in venezuela you do not live, you survive. everybody knows that. in order to live you need to go to another country. sleeping on the streets of rozelle is more about survival than living. but for these venezuelans they say it is still better than back home. sunstate pulled, but many others continue the journey to find a better quality of life. —— some stayed put. here in the uk it's estimated hundreds of gay and lesbian people of south asian origin, are thought to be under pressure to marry someone of the opposite sex. west midlands police in england say dozens of people have come forward seeking help, after their families tried to force them, into heterosexual marriages. our correspondent sima kotecha reports. cosmopolitan birmingham, a city which reflects much of the west midlands with its large ethnic minority population, but in some cases social conservatism can cause problems. decades of pressure that

you're put on as a child that you have to conform, that you have to marry a woman. it made me wish that i could be the straight son that he wanted. a gay sikh man who felt he was trapped in a lie until he told his family he was homosexual. his father won't accept it. still after me telling him that i was gay, he still said, "just get married, it's just a phase you're going through. once you get married, everything will be fine", and you get told that if you follow what your parents want you to do that, yeah, you will be cured or you will be straight. he eventually married his partner, but his father didn't go to the wedding. also affects our lgbt community... at a conference, police in birmingham talk about how strong anti—gay sentiments still exist in many south asian families. homophobia is rife in some communities and to be seen

as being gay or lesbian or bisexual, it can absolutely destroy the dynamic of that community. well, over the last week we've spoken to 22 gay and lesbian people of south asian heritage from here in the west midlands and all of them told us that at some point they were pressurised to marry somebody of the opposite sex. in many of those cases, they even said they considered doing so because they didn't want to bring shame on their family. 1,400 people asked the government for help last year about forced marriages and only 30 voluntarily said they were homosexual. police believe the true figure is significantly higher. officers want religious leaders to speak out more against what's happening. islam is categorically against any form of forced marriage. what's important is that you are sensitive towards the concerns of young people,

including when it comes to matters of sexuality and that we provide them with the necessary support and care that they require to grow and become healthy members of society. homosexuality is illegal in parts of south asia. it's now hoped, by stressing the laws and practices here, entrenched attitudes can be changed to be in line with modern britain. sima kotecha, bbc news, birmingham. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: a mixed reaction — as uruguay becomes the first country in the world to legally produce and sell marijuana for recreational use. the flamboyant italian fashion designer gianni versace has been shot dead in florida. the multi—millionaire was gunned down outside his home in the exclusive south beach district of miami. emergency services across central europe are stepping up their efforts

to contain the worse floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed. broadway is traditionally called the "great white way" by americans, but tonight it is completely blacked out. it is a timely reminder to all americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. 200 years ago today, a huge parisian crowd stormed the bastille prison — the first act of the revolution which was to topple the french monarchy. today, hundreds of thousands throng the champs—elysees for the traditional military parade. finally, fairy penguins have been staggering ashore and collapsing after gorging themselves on a huge shoal of their favourite food, pilchards. some had eaten so much they could barely stand. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: three of donald trump's inner circle are called before congress — as part of investigations

into russian interference in the us election. it could prove crucial in to the investigation. researchers say the planet is at risk of near—permanent contamination from the billions of tonnes of plastic, manufactured since the 1950s. let's stay with that story. denise hardesty is a senior research scientist for the csiro in australia and has been researching the effect of marine debris around the world. how concerned are you buy the numbers in this report?” how concerned are you buy the numbers in this report? i think those numbers are very concerning and hopefully if they provide a really important wake—up call that we need to change the relationship we need to change the relationship we have with plastic. there are a lot of things we can do as humans to resolve this issue but they are very confronting numbers. give us an idea of some of those things and what chances are that manufacturers and retailers will do it? i cannot speak

as to what manufacturers and retailers will do but it is important to have as part of the conversation. some of the things we can do are important, simple and straightforward. particularly in developed countries where biak though heavy users. so much of the plastic is used in our food packaging. about three quarters. single used items, stay away from some of those things. his mother. we are seeing plastic bags being banned ina lot are seeing plastic bags being banned in a lot of places. catch the bottles a nd in a lot of places. catch the bottles and cans. all those things can help. —— cash. we can take our coffee cups, we can help. —— cash. we can take our coffee cups, we can can help. —— cash. we can take our coffee cups, we can bring our rain bags to the supermarkets, shop in places that provide products in accordance to our values. if we do

not want a lot of packaging, we can buy in bulk. support the manufacturers are making decisions that support the values that we have stopped vote and choose with your wallet, your pocketbook. we do not need to be brushing our teeth with plastic as is in some of the major toothpaste brands. we do not need to be using plastics to wash our face with in some of the many products we use. we can make smart consumer decisions and it is important to look at a big deep, asked the right questions, and check—in and invite the right information from manufacturers. but read things each and everyone can do and that is a real difference. it is a solvable, tractable problem and each and every

one of us can make decisions which i really effective. there is a huge cleanup problem? there are absolutely is. plastic does not go away but breaks into smaller and smaller particles that are dan available to more and more animals. —— that are then available. uruguay has become the first country in the world to legally produce and sell marijuana for recreational use. 16 pharmacies are authorised to distribute the drug. supporters say it could help stop the illegal trade. but not everyone is convinced. laura westbrook reports. smoking marijuana has been legal in uruguay, eyeing it was not until now. it has taken more than three yea rs. now. it has taken more than three years. —— buying it. there were

plenty of customers. those wanting marijuana in uruguay can now get it from a pharmacy but to avoid marijuana tourism only residents over 18 can register. customers can buy up to a0 g per month and crucially to help stop the sale of the drug, the government sets the price below government rates. translation: i decided to buy marijuana at the pharmacy because i do not have enough space in my house to grow wheat. translation: i have a lot of friends who have to go to the illegal market which can be dangerous. i feel lucky. illegal market which can be dangerous. ifeel lucky. today illegal market which can be dangerous. i feel lucky. today is a before and after. uruguay has one of the lowest crime rates in latin america. the government says it is

time to deal with the profits of the drug cartels before they become too powerful. a british zoo is taking part in a radical plan to save one of the world's most endangered species from extinction. there are only three northern white rhino still alive. so, its closest relatives — based at longleat safari park — have been enlisted to help. our science correspondent, rebecca morelle, has this exclusive report. meet ebun, a seven—year—old southern white rhino who could save a species from extinction. the one—and—a—half tonne animal is sedated. a little agitated at first, but soon she's sound asleep. she's ready to take part in an experimental fertility treatment. scientists are harvesting her eggs to be fertilised in a lab, this is rhino ivf. this procedure is farfrom easy. the team here are keeping an incredibly close eye

on this rhino, it's essential she stays under heavy sedation. over the last week or so she's been given hormone treatment, but what's being done today requires millimetre precision. egg collection is really only a technique that's been perfected over the last year. this is conservation science at its most extreme. here's the animal ebun could save, her closest living relative, the northern white rhino. once widespread across central africa, today there are just three left on the planet, but they're unable to breed. back at longleat, in a makeshift lab, the researchers check for eggs — they find one. they'll take this southern white rhino egg and mix it with sperm from one of the last northern white rhinos, creating a hybrid. the scientists say it's better than losing the species altogether. the last three can die at any time, they're not as old, but anything can

happen to them and then all the genetics would be lost. if we had at least 50% of this species preserved in a hybrid embryo, we would preserve at least half of this for future generations. with herjob done, ebun is soon back on her feet. the safari park is proud of the role she'll play. with the northern white rhino being sojeopardised in numbers, practicing techniques like this with the southern whites, it's a huge advance for science and conservation, i suppose. yeah, it's a real honour to be able to help. the eggs are now being rushed back to a lab in italy, there's a 20—hour window to prepare them for fertilisation. they could be implanted back into ebun, but with her northern cousins so close to extinction, it's a race against time. rebecca morrell, bbc news. for uber driver, raymond telles, it was meant to be the lastjourney

of his evening but it took an unexpected turn when his passenger told him she needed to go to hospital because she was in labour. and despite his best efforts to get there, time ran out and he had to help deliver the child in his car. it was a specialjourney and it was caught on camera. 0k, ok, your water broke? 0k, your water broke? my god. sorry. it's ok, it's ok, let'sjust 0k, your water broke? my god. sorry. it's ok, it's ok, let's just get in the quick. the baby is already coming out. the babyis the baby is already coming out. the baby is coming out. oh, my god. the baby is coming out. oh, my god. the babyis baby is coming out. oh, my god. the baby is out! the most prettiest, ugliest, beautiful... it wasjust baby is out! the most prettiest, ugliest, beautiful... it was just a mixture.

i was worried to come in. two hours later, i had a baby. let's get her there. let's get her there. a reminder of one of our main stories us senatorjohn mccain office has revealed he has brain cancer. the 80—year old republican had been recovering from surgery. senator mccain a vietnam veteran was the republican nominee for the us presidential election in 2008. president trump sad he and his wife said they'd send their thoughts and prayers to senator mccain and and his wife and family. more on that and all other news on our website. i also on twitter. --i am.

hello there. there was still quite a lot of energy in the atmosphere, during wednesday afternoon some pretty intense thunderstorms broke out across north wales and parts of north—west england. weather watchers pictures coming through of torrential downpours, and there were reports of flash flooding across the rural area and parts of western lancashire. and there were reports of flash flooding across the reel area and parts of western lancashire. during the small hours of thursday, those heavy, thundery showers continue to move their way northwards. quite a wet start to thursday across scotland. further south, much of england and wales, it's going to be cloudy with showery outbreaks of rain. the odd heavier burst there too. turning a little bit cool and fresh and pushing to the far west, but quite a humid start again for thursday morning across eastern areas. and it means it will be quite a drab start across many eastern areas through the morning, and outbreaks of rain, the odd heavy outbursts too. eventually clearing out into the north sea, becoming more confined towards the north—east of scotland. but something a bit brighter and drier into the afternoon, but with it cooler and fresher air,

so you will notice that — highs around 21 and 22 degrees across the southeast. further west, even cooler than that. around the mid—teens celsius, but at least you have the sunshine to compensate. in towards scotland, it's central northern areas will see most of the cloud, outbreaks of rain, the odd heavier burst, particularly across the northern isles. and then into northern ireland, something more showery moving in later on in the day. that is because of this area of low pressure which will become quite a player in our weather through friday, and potentially on into the weekend as well. notice isobars deepening as it continues to move in towards western parts of the uk. so it means quite a windy day for the western half of the country. and a weather front, pretty slow moving, will bring a lots of rain to northern ireland, to wales, particularly into south—west england and maybe in towards the west midlands. whereas further north and east, actually a fine dry day with some sunny spells and temperatures around 20—23 degrees. but cooler further west under that rain. through friday night, the weather front slowly gets a wiggle on, moves its way a little bit further northwards and eastwards but it's still with us though, as we head on into saturday,

but a bit of a disappointing start to the weekend, i have to say, across northern and eastern areas — quite wet, the odd heavier burst there, too. feeling quite cool as well. the south could see the sunshine come out a little bit but then blustery showers will arrive and it will feel fresh. on into sunday, the winds ease down a little bit but it doesn't mean any showers that develop through central southern areas could be quite slow—moving so quite a bit of rain falling in a short space of time. further north, it looks like it will remain quite wet. i think the main message is, then, through this weekend, it is going to remain fairly cool and fresh for the time of year, longer spells of rain, but more likely showers and sunny spells. this is bbc news. the headlines: three of donald trump's inner circle have been called before congress — as part of investigations into electoral interference. his eldest son, his former campaign manager and his son—in—law will testify before a committee investigating possible russian meddling in last year's presidential election. president trump says he would never

have madejeff sessions the attorney general, if he'd known he'd recuse himself from the investigation into russia. in a newspaper interview mr trump called the decision very unfair. before recusing himself mr sessions revealed he had twice met with the russian ambassador in 2016. the office of us senatorjohn mccain has revealed he has brain cancer. the 80—year—old republican had been recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot above his eye. senator mccain — a vietnam veteran — was the republican nominee for the us presidential election in 2008. now on bbc news, it's time for wednesday in parliament.