this is bbc news. i'm david eades. our top stories: president trump's son and son—in—law will testify before us senate committees investigating russian meddling in last year's presidential election. the senior us senatorjohn mccain reveals he has brain cancer. the 80—year—old was republican nominee for the presidency in 2008. the pr campaign that backfired — we report on allegations of high—level corruption threatening to bring down south africa's president. it's a plastics timebomb for the planet — researchers say the world is at risk of near—permanent contamination from the manufacture of billions of tonnes of plastic. "widespread, damaging and pervasive" — the impact on britain if brexit talks fail, warns an independent report. so as they reach the end of round two — has there been any progress? plus, school's out for summer, but for millions of working parents, the big question — who cares?

we look at the growing problem and soaring costs of childcare. crucial and critical seem to be terms which go with the territory of the trump presidency. but congressional hearings next week threaten to magnify still further the allegations of russian interference into last year's election campaign. president trump's oldest son and his former campaign manager will both testify before the senatejudiciary committee next wednesday. earlier this month, donald junior published emails 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. while we get exercised about it, the us is about to go spare?” while we get exercised about it, the us is about to go spare? i think people in washington, the media, will have a frenzy this week. if these men do agree to testify because we have yet to hear from donald trump junior and the because we have yet to hear from donald trumpjunior and the former campaigner for the donald trump campaign. we do know thatjared kushner, a white house adviser and a donald trump's son—in—law, will appear on monday. when it comes to these three men, they are the closest to the president. they have been part, a key part, of the

campaign and the white house, apart from one who has been forced to resign. they key moment last year was meeting a key russian lawyer. an e—mail chain sent to donald trump junior with an offer of information about hillary clinton, damaging information about donald trump's opponent. it was clear it was being offered because of russia and its government wanted to support donald trump. how did donald trumpjunior respond? he said he loved it. those are the key questions that senators will be asking— why did he not disclose it? were any campaign laws are broken? and if so, why did he not see a foreign power, such as

russia, was trying to interfere in the election. if they decide to turn up, can they legitimately not turn up up, can they legitimately not turn up and get away with that in the court of public opinion?” up and get away with that in the court of public opinion? i think in the court of public opinion, they will have to turn up. so far do not comejunior will have to turn up. so far do not come junior has released will have to turn up. so far do not comejunior has released the e—mails, he wants to be open and transparent, he says. if they do not, it looks like they may have something to hide. the president has said on many occasions that he believes this is a witch hunt, made up believes this is a witch hunt, made up by believes this is a witch hunt, made up by democrats because they lost the election and he says there has been no collusion and the trunk campaign have been very clear about that. —— trump. there are various

investigations going on including the ones in congress and one by a special council, robert mueller. whatever happens next week could be one of the biggest weeks in quite some time on capitol hill. 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 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. the senior us republican senator john mccain has been diagnosed with brain cancer. senator mccain — who's eighty — had a blood clot removed from above his left eye last week. james cook reports. john mccain is known as a tough, independent minded senator. a war hero who is now facing a battle against cancer. his brain tumour was diagnosed following surgery to remove a blood clot. he has been recovering from that procedure at home in arizona but is now considering his treatment options which could mean euskaltel—euskadi therapy and radiotherapy. ——

chemotherapy. he is known in washington as the champions of american might as well as a campaigner of big reforms to campaigner of big reforms to campaignfinance and campaigner of big reforms to campaign finance and immigration laws. president donald trump who insulted the senator during last year ‘s insulted the senator during last year's campaign insulted the senator during last year ‘s campaign released a statement saying... barack obama said... while mr mccain's daughter said... while mr mccain's daughter said herfather said... while mr mccain's daughter said her father was confident and calm, adding the cruellest enemy could not break him. susannah streeter is here with all the business news. fresh warnings about the chaos that brexit could cause. we start in brussels — where the uk's brexit secretary — david davis — and the eu's chief negotiator — michel barnier — will wrap up their second round of talks

on britain's exit later today. they are expected to give a progress report at a press conference later. so what are we looking for? they've been focusing on three areas — citizen's rights on both sides, the so—called ‘divorce' bill britain will have to pay, and the border between northern ireland and the irish republic. the eu says negotiations on the future trading relationship won't come until later. there's huge pressure to reach an agreement. according to an independent report released this morning — the impact on the uk of no deal would be widespread, damaging and pervasive. it warns of potential chaos over customs checks, british airlines being unable to fly, and uk nuclear power plants — which are regulated by euratom — unable to operate. it also warns there would be a further fall in the value of sterling — pushing up inflation — and hitting wages and consumer demand. but is uk business prepared for that scenario? possibly not. britain's corporate lobby group — the institute of directors — says while many firms in the uk are looking at contingency plans — very few — only 11% —

have started to put those plans into action. more in 20 minutes time. it's the time of year when millions of schoolchildren begin to break up for the long summer holiday. and for working parents, the big question of who is going to look after them. all across bbc news today, we're looking at the pressure of childcare for families around the world. and how businesses are responding to the challenge. we'll have a report from samira hussain in new york state — where for many kids, summer means summer camp — we will have that for you in 20 minutes time. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @bbcstreeter give us your views on how difficult you find covering childcare during the holidays. allegations of high—level corruption in south africa are being fuelled by a huge leak of confidential emails. mixed up in the scandal is a british pr company, bell pottinger, which has been

accused of fuelling racial tensions in order to distract attention from a powerful family with links to president zuma. our correspondent andrew harding reports. these are murky times in south africa. li ting of the fuelling allegations of a giant political scandal and while the president jacob zuma and the power full business family, the guptas guptas accused. the group is crime has been committed. by the president? it comes across to me as an aide and and help. guptas deny any corruption. they hired bell pottinger to try and improve their image. acra free sought to highlight economic and racial divisions in

south africa. what bell pottinger is apr south africa. what bell pottinger is a pr agency managed to do is quite a policy. it sowed back into a nation of very strong... with a history in oui’ of very strong... with a history in our country it is indefensible and unacceptable. it went viral. it was pa rt unacceptable. it went viral. it was part of a black box propaganda campaign to get the media off these corrupt network's back. africa is oui’s. corrupt network's back. africa is ours. it is not yours. soon the vitriol was spilling onto the street. a radical group with alleged ties with the guptas guptas began threatening a journalist who investigated corruption. because you argue and are a british citizen, you think the guptas other organising black people to take their own

necks. that is why you're organising all this at liberty. a backslash followed, against president zuma and the guptas and against bell pottinger highly controversial role. eventually bell pottinger got the message and dropped the guptas as clients and apologise for inappropriate and in offensive campaign —— offensive campaign. back in london, the company insists it was misled about what was really going on here but many here feel bell pottinger must do more. going on here but many here feel bell pottinger must do morem going on here but many here feel bell pottinger must do more. if they wa nt to bell pottinger must do more. if they want to truly retain some credibility out of this saga in a speech on the basis of total transparency. that makes my blood boil, that makes this so angry that essentially they came here to destroy what we have painstakingly, painfully built over 23 years. that

anger is now fuelling a largerfight back against corruption within the governing anc and against what many fear is that this country is dangerous in decline. —— country's. since the 1950's we have manufactured enough plastic waste across the globe to cover a country the size of argentina. and half that waste has come in the past 13 years alone. scientists in the united states say that amounts to more the eight billion tonnes of plastics — the vast majority of which is not being recycled. here's our science correspondent, victoria gill. plastic, it seems to have a million uses. so many, in fact, that we've manufactured 8.3 billion ton of it since it was first mass produced in the 1950s. the very qualities that make plastic so useful, its strength, its durability, make it almost impossible for natural processes to break it down. so, 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 currents, to litter beaches of the uninhabited henderson island. 9% was recycled, i2% incinerated, and 79% accumulated in landfills or the environment. if this trend 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. and attention on that grows as the plastic mt does. and you can get more by heading to our website.

there's full background and analysis — plus video and audio content. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: marijuana anyone? uruguay becomes the first country to produce and sell marijuana legally for recreational use. mission control: you can see them coming down the ladder now. it's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight for the first crash in the 30 year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia. but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly rebuilt and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity and an increase in malfunction of sperm unable to swim properly.

thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: president trump's eldest son and son—in—law will testify at a judicial hearing regarding russian meddling in last year's election. his former campaign manager is also due to testify. the senior us senatorjohn mccain reveals he has brain cancer. the 80—year old was republican nominee for the presidency in 2008. the mother of a murdered journalist

has appealed for the ukrainian authorities to do more to find her sons killers. pavel sheremet died exactly a year ago when an explosive device detonated underneath his car. despite security footage apparently showing the bomb being planted, the ukrainian authorities have made no arrests, and the investigation has been dogged by allegations of interference by security agencies. from kiev, here's our correspondentjonah fisher. this man was known in ukraine for his independent reporting and a host ofa his independent reporting and a host of a popular radio show. 0ne his independent reporting and a host of a popular radio show. one year ago, on his way to work, a bomb exploded underneath his car. he was killed and his death sent a shockwave through the ukrainian journalist committee. it's the clear how it had been done. cctv showed a man and woman in history the night

before, attaching what appeared to before, attaching what appeared to be an explosive to the car. the footage was blurry, and the investigation stalled amid rumours ofa investigation stalled amid rumours of a police cover—up. investigation stalled amid rumours of a police cover-up. we suspected that may be the authorities knew something more about it. and because of that, we decided to make an independent investigation. she and a tea m independent investigation. she and a team of journalists uncovered footage which showed a mystery car with a man inside, littering that night on the victim's street. they tracked the drive down and discovered he had worked for the ukrainian security services. links with security agencies formed a central part of the journalists documentary. it highlighted numerous flaws in the police work, but stopped short of identifying the

killers. i don't know. stopped short of identifying the killers. idon't know. it stopped short of identifying the killers. i don't know. it could be, what, russian secret services? ukrainian? sure. it could be the security services but least three countries at least. countries where he worked. a murky case like this is a real embarrassment for the ukraine. it is trying to convince the rest of europe that they are changing fast and respect the rule of law. there are ukrainian investigators still doing theirjob. they are looking for the killers, looking for the organisations of list... it is a year on, why haven't they made any arrests? it is a serious crime, it is not a simple crime. police have been told to work with the journalists to try and solve the case. but that comes as little comfort to the victim's mother and daughter, elisabeth. a

son and father lost, and despite all the evidence, no justice found. uruguay has become the first country in the world to legally produce and sell marijuana for recreational use.i6 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, buying it was not, until now. it has taken more than three years to implement this pioneering legislation, and there were plenty of customers. those wanting marijuana in uruguay can now get it from a pharmacy, but, to avoid marijuana tourism, only residents who are over 18 can register to buy the drug. using fingerprint recognition, customers can buy up to 40g a month

and, crucially, to help stop the sale of the drug illigally, the government sets the price below black market rates. translation: i decided to buy marijuana at the pharmacy because i do not have enough space at my house to grow it. translation: i have a lot of friends that are users in other countries who have to go to the 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 but drug—related violence is growing. the government says it is time to deal with the profits of the drug cartels before they become too powerful. laura westbrook, bbc news. sport now, and we are a little over an hour away from the start of the 146th open championship taking place at royal birkdale. all the best golfers in the world are converging on the north—west

coast of england. sweden's henrik stenson is the defending champion, after winning the trophy at royal troon in 2016. once you win one, obviously that is of your shoulders. it's more about putting yourself in contention again to try and win a second one. given oui’ to try and win a second one. given our long and successful career, i don't think it is that far away. the chances to win more major championships, that is where that extra spot can come from, i think. a british zoo is part of a radical project 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. and we wish them the best of luck. a reminder of our top story. president trump's son and son—in—law are to testify before us senate committees. it is regarding russian meddling in the us election. his former campaign manager is due to appear as well. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter, i'm @bbcdavideades. hello there.

on wednesday, we still had some energy and humidity in the atmosphere. thunderstorms across the north—west corner of england and north wales. some ferocious storms on wednesday across north wales, that led to some flash flooding. the same across lancashire. the heaviest showers moving north, thursday morning, quite a grey start through central and eastern areas. burst of rain, some heavy. clear out to the north sea. in the afternoon, many of us north sea. in the afternoon, many of us looking something drier and brighter. cooler and fresher air moving in from the west. looking at winds from the south—east at up to 22 celsius. further west, winds from the south—east at up to 22 celsius. furtherwest, or even cooler. temperatures in the mid— teams, but sunshine to compensate. heavy bursts of rain across the north—east, settling into the northern isles. a rumble of thunder.

northern isles. a rumble of thunder. northern ireland toadying showery later in the day, they could be heavy. the reason is this area of low pressure. that will be sticking around on friday and into the weekend. tight isoba rs around on friday and into the weekend. tight isobars as well. strong winds in the forecast on friday, especially across the western half of the uk. for central, northern and eastern areas, a fine day. feeling warm. wet in the west, south—west england and wales and into northern ireland, this slow—moving weather front will bring a lot of rain. could see treacherous conditions. temperatures i6— a lot of rain. could see treacherous conditions. temperatures 16— 23. this weather front moves its way northwards overnight, still quite windy but winds easing. it doesn't mean the start of the weekend, it will be a bit of a disappointing day for northern and eastern areas. some rain. some blustery showers in the north—east, still quite windy as

well. billy gunn the cool side. on sunday, winds turning later. quite wet across scotland. elsewhere, sunshine and showers, some showers slow—moving because the winds will be light and cool. for the weekend, cooler and fresher than it has been of late. some bright spells and sometime, but some showers, some of which will be heavy. the headlines. this is bbc world news, the headlines: president trump's son, donald junior, and his son—in—law, jared kushner, will both testify next week before us senate committees, investigating russian meddling in last year's presidential election. the senior, us senatorjohn mccain has revealed he has brain cancer. the 80 years old, vietnam veteran, was republican nominee for the us presidency in 2008. he had been recovering from surgery to remove a blood cot above his eye. in south africa, allegations have emerged of high—level corruption, threatening to bring down the president. british pr company, bell pottinger has been accused of fuelling racial tensions, to distract attention from a powerful family with links

to the government. uruguay has become the first country in the world to legally produce and sell marijuana for recreational use.