welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: fixing faulty genes to eradicate inherited disease. a scientific breakthrough brings hope to millions of people around the world. scuffles in brazil's congress, as it votes not to send president michel temer to face trialfor corruption. venezuela prepares to install a controversial new assembly, but the firm which helped organise the election says the results can't be trusted. we have to report that the turnout numbers on sunday, the 30th ofjuly, for the constituent assembly in venezuela. president trump reluctantly approves new sanctions against russia. moscow says the move amounts to a "full—scale trade war." and prince philip's last official engagement at buckingham palace

as he bows out of public life, aged 96. hello. there's new hope for thousands of families who live with the prospect of passing on inherited diseases to future generations. for the first time, scientists have successfully repaired a faulty gene in human embryos. they used a process known as "gene editing" to correct dna that causes a deadly heart condition. but there is concern that the technique could, ultimately, be used to create so called "designer babies." our medical correspondent fergus walsh reports. the goal could not be more ambitious: to eradicate inherited diseases. these scientists have taken

an impressive first step on a long road, editing dna in human embryos. so how is it done? inside the nucleus of each of ourselves is our genome, billions of pieces of dna. it's the instruction manual for life. the scientists were targeting a faulty gene that causes a serious heart condition. they fertilised a healthy egg with sperm from a man carrying the faulty gene. they then injected the gene editing system known as crispr. this scans the dna, like a spell—check or a satnav. it then cuts both strands of the dna and removes the faulty gene. a healthy copy of the gene from the egg was then naturally inserted. now here are some of the embryos from the study in the journal nature after being edited. 42 of 58 embryos were corrected. they were allowed to develop for five days. none was implanted. we are very excited about all the work, of course... the research has been

welcomed by a team in london who have a license to edit human embryos. they say the technology could eventually help many families. there are some nasty genetic diseases, such as huntington's or, as in this case, a disease that affects heart function later in life, which can basically blight families for many generations. so a method of being able to avoid having having affected children passing on the defective gene could be really very important for those families. nicole mowbray has the same heart condition which was corrected in human embryos. she now has a defibrillator implanted in her chest in case her heart stops. she has a 50% risk of passing on the condition, but is unsure whether she would ever consider gene editing. i wouldn't want to pass on something that caused my child

to have a limited life or a painful life or a life of risk. i mean, that does obviously come to the front of my mind when i think about having children. i wouldn't want to create the "perfect" — in inverted commas — child. i feel like my condition makes me me. and some are worried gene editing technology could lead to an era of designer babies. we will get into a society in which some people's children are genetically enhanced and given advantages over other people's children. people start to be judged on the basis of their genes rather than who they are. as well as ethical issues, there are safety concerns. previous attempts at gene editing human embryos in china led to serious errors in the dna so a lot more research is needed before this could be used to treat patients.

live now to richard hynes, a geneticist at mit. richard, i know you co—chaired a major report this year on human genome editing, for the national academy of sciences in the us. how big a deal is this development? it isa how big a deal is this development? it is a significant advance. there are actually a couple of advances in the paper which show this technique can be much improved over what we saw six months ago. it still has a lot of work to be done before this could be used clinically, and i will come back to this, but before you would consider using it, there is going to be lots more debate about theissues going to be lots more debate about the issues raised by one of your previous figures. but they have made great progress in this paper. it is a very nice scientific paper showing, convincingly, that the m ista kes

showing, convincingly, that the mistakes which are called off target of fa cts mistakes which are called off target of facts —— a facts can be reduced toa of facts —— a facts can be reduced to a low level, to the point where they could not detect any errors. that does not mean there were none, but they are clearly very low and ha rd to but they are clearly very low and hard to distinguish from the background among differences among different embryos. that is one big advance. the second is that if you edit in an embryo, there is a problem called mosaicism, where some cells may be edited and others not. that has been a big hurdle. they have improved that quite a bit. they have improved that quite a bit. they have not got it to 100% competitive embryos that do not get edited, but they have improved it a lot and we can hopefully anticipate it will get better. those are big advances, technically. realistically, how long do you think it might be before patients receive gene editing is a treatment? i would say is.

patients receive gene editing is a treatment? iwould say is. i don't wa nt to treatment? iwould say is. i don't want to put a number on the years. sometimes breakthroughs happen which can speed things up faster than you would think. but i think it will be yea rs, would think. but i think it will be years, andi would think. but i think it will be years, and i think the opportunity now offered to us, where we can see this is likely to be feasible, is an opportunity for us to think hard and debate in the public arena these issues that were raised about who should be entitled to do this. the editing technology will differ for different diseases. so each case is going to have to be looked at. is this the best way to treat this or is there a better, simpler way. there are other ways of addressing this problem. they do not always work. they cannot always work. so it each case is going to have to be thought about differently. this repair via the gino and in this set of experiments was unexpected. ——

gino and. —— genome. it was unexpected, certainly, for me. it might cause difficulties for correcting other diseases. briefly forgive me, i know it is a big question, and it will have to be a short answer, but this very thorny issue of whether it will be possible to edit in what parents might consider more favourable characteristics, what would you say? what i would say is that that is going to be much harder. in fact, this paper, to complicated to explain, suggest some of that might be more difficult to do than we thought. we should come back to that, in that case. thank you very much indeed. we will talk to more details of the time. many thanks. brazilian politicians have rejected plans to put the president michel temer, on trialfor corruption. there were chaotic and angry exchanges in congress as lawmakers shouted abuse, pushed each other and threw fake bank notes at their opponents. mr temer was accused of receiving $12 million in bribes from one of the country's top companies. he denied the allegation.

live now to brasilia, and the bbc‘sjulia carneiro. is that the end of this, then? well, it is for now. this is a big victory for the president. he worked very ha rd to for the president. he worked very hard to muster support in congress over the past few weeks. he was manoeuvring with his allies to make sure he would have enough votes in tonight was mac session to make sure he would stay in the presidency. —— tonight's session. there are still expectations that new charges will be pressed against him, but he managed to get 263 votes in his favour in the session thatjust finished in congress. so he needed less tha n finished in congress. so he needed less than 170. he won by a big margin. it is quite a big show of strength, in a very delicate moment for the president. the scandal erupted in may, so ever since we

have been seeing brazil again immersed in turmoil and lots of gossip around what is going to happen in the political scenario, 110w happen in the political scenario, now he is going to get some breathing room with this result. this means that the charges against him will be blocked. we will still have to see if the prosecutor general will press new charges against him. still based on this big scandal that broke, this big meatpacking company, jb, which accuse mr temer of having demanded bride in his favour. —— bribes. accuse mr temer of having demanded bride in his favour. -- bribes. and still cases under way against two former presidents. julia, thank you. after months of unrest, the president of venezuela has begun swearing—in members of a new assembly. he intends it to replace parliament, which is dominated by the opposition, and rewrite the constitution. his opponents say the new constituent assembly has only been created to give nicolas

maduro unlimited powers. and now the company that provided the voting system for sunday's election says the machines were tampered with and the government inflated the number of voters. from caracas, the bbc‘s katy watson. more criticism of the vote, this time from the company that provided the voting system. they said the government inflated the numbers of the bull who turned out by over1 million, although many believe it to be more. based on the robustness of oui’ be more. based on the robustness of our system, we know without any doubt that the turnout of the recent election for a national constituent assembly was manipulated. opposition politicians have called freight criminal investigation to be open. they have criticised the new assembly from the start, arguing that a body designed to rewrite the country's constitution was undemocratic, a power grab. the head of venezuela's electoral authorities say that the voting company's comments are irresponsible and

baseless. the madeira administration is not bowing to pressure either here or abroad, saying that the country is now at peace, but few agree. clemente drives at taxi in a sha nty agree. clemente drives at taxi in a s ha nty town agree. clemente drives at taxi in a shanty town outside the city. i asked him what happened to his windscreen. translation: opposition protesters broke it when i went through a roadblock, because this taxi was given to me by the government. i am fed up. politics is like a marriage. both sides need to sit down and talk. the opposition just thinks about themselves. venezuela would be better off without them. the concern among opposition politicians and the international community is that this could be the country's new reality. stay with us on bbc news — still to come, will he become the world's most expensive footballer? neymar could cost paris saint germain a $250 million — he'll earn one dollar every second. the question was whether we wanted to save our people, and japanese

as well, and win the war, or whether we want to take a chance on being able to win the war by killing all our young men. the invasion began at 2am this morning. mr bush, like most other people, was clearly caught by surprise. and we call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all the iraqi forces. 100 years old and still full of vigor, vitality and enjoyment of life. no other king or queen in british history has lived so long, and the queen mother is said quietly to be very pleased indeed she has achieved this landmark anniversary. this is a pivotal moment for the church as an international movement. the question now is whether the american vote will lead to a split in the anglican community. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: scientists have used gene editing techniques to correct faulty dna in human embryos. the breakthrough could help eradicate inherited diseases. there have been scuffles in brazil's congress after it voted not to send president michel temer to face trial for corruption. president trump has signed off on new sanctions against russia but without much enthusiasm. it was done behind closed doors and then came his statement shortly after that the law was "significa ntly flawed." the russian prime minister was quick to fire back, saying the sanctions are tantamount to declaring a full—scale trade war. dmitry medvedev also claimed the trump administration had shown its "total weakness" by handing over executive power to congress in the most humiliating way." 0ur correspondent, peter bowes, joins us from los angeles.

it certainly makes president trump's relationship with russia more complicated. this is a measure he does not believe in. it was passed by congress. he signed it into law, he said, because of the will of the people. that was the way congress voted. he also said he did it for national unity. he made the point he did not believe in key elements of this particular law, essentially it ta kes this particular law, essentially it takes away his executive power to renegotiate sanctions in the future. the power in that respect still remains with congress. they would have to be consulted for the sanctions to change. president trump says he is the best person to work with to make business with other countries. it shows how far adrift

he is from his party in congress and how little they trust him on russia. yes. there is clearly a large gap here exposed by this bill. he sat on it for several days. it was sent to his desk. this is significant, he signed it behind closed doors. that is not his style. there is a gap between his supporters and congress generally and what president trump believes is the right move and the right way forward in terms of dealing with russia. it has always been a complicated relationship, ever since he campaigned to be president. with that last curious couple of lines in his statement, what is he saying? the last couple of lines are referring to the fact he is the best lesson to essentially

do business, figure out business, with foreign countries. —— person. he is pushing that line in terms of opposing the detail of this law. he believes he should have more power. that is what it comes down to. he wa nts to that is what it comes down to. he wants to mould the relationship with russia in the future. this law essentially in part takes that away from him. thank you very much indeed, peter. the main news. the italian parliament has agreed to send the country's navy to help the libyan coastguard combat people—traffickers. the italian government is denying any breach of libya's sovereignty. it insists the mission will act only with the agreement of the government in tripoli, which is backed by the un. germany has expelled the vietnamese press attache over the suspected kidnapping of this man trinh xuan thanh. it's alleged he was bundled

into a car by armed men at berlin zoo, nine days ago. mr thanh is the subject of an international arrest warrant. four man from the west midlands in england have been convicted for a plot to attack police and military. they were arrested last august in a sting operation. a pipe—bomb, imitation gun and other paraphernalia were found in their cars. they met injailfor paraphernalia were found in their cars. they met in jail for previous convictions. here, queen elizabeth's husband, the duke of edinburgh, has bowed out of public life after almost 70 years of official engagements. the 96—year—old made his final solo appearance at a parade of royal marines at buckingham palace this afternoon. he announced his retirement in may after completing more than 22,000 solo appearances. 0ur royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, reports. it was the kind of afternoon, weatherwise, which would have made anyone glad to be retiring. and the duke's case, he has been doing it for 70 years. but there he was on the forecourt of buckingham palace, a man of 96, standing to attention in the pouring rain, for the salute that he has

had so many times. there were many things to remind him of the past decades. the parade had been mounted by the royal marines, the fighting force which is part of his beloved royal navy, in which he served in world war two. and in the background was the palace, the headquarters of the monarchy, the building where his wedding to the then—princess elizabeth was celebrated 1947, when his life as a royal began, and where he's attended so many events — the garden parties and formal dinners, alongside the queen, in the years since. i'm the world's most experienced plaque unveiler. throughout it all, the duke has retained his own style, always direct, and often humourous. this afternoon, he strode across the palace forecourt. no stick for him — and woe betide anybody who would suggest such a thing. and as he went, the crowd outside the palace applauded. by now, it was almost time to go.

the royal marines gave him three cheers. hip hip! hooray! the duke waved his hat, and turned to go. as he did so, the band of her majesty's royal marines played for he's ajolly good fellow. after 70 years service, and with his own separate programme of royal engagements now concluded, who, today, would have dared to disagree? nicholas witchell, bbc news, buckingham palace. around $260 million, that's what's expected to be paid for the brazilian footballer neymar in a world record football transfer deal. the 25—year—old says he wants to leave his current club, barcelona and move to paris st germain.

if the deal goes ahead it will make him the most expensive player in history. 0ur sports news correspondent, richard conway, reports from paris. a hasty arrival for neymar at barcelona's training ground this morning, but this slow—burning transfer saga now appears to now be reaching a conclusion. after saying goodbye to his teammates, his strike partner, lionel messi, took to social media to wish him well for the future. today's destination was unknown but, according to one of his representatives, the poster boy of brazilian football is likely to be a psg player by the weekend. translation: yes, paris made the proposal. they're going to pay the clause. the planned dealfor neymar would set a clear world record. back in 2009, cristiano ronaldojoin real madrid for £80 million. in 2013, gareth bale made a move also to real for £85 million. then last summer manchester united

signed paul pogba for the current record sum, but, at £198 million, neymar‘s fee would eclipse them all. psg is owned by qatar. the gulf state has a world cup in 2022 to prepare for, but this mega seal is a sign that, despite being subjected to an economic blockade by four other arab countries, it will not be cowed or diminished in its international dealings. i think what we are seeing is qatar saying, "we want to be considered a serious power in the business of football. we can bring lots and lots of commercial endorsements to the game. we can have a much bigger influence on a global scale, notjust a european scale," and there's no finer example of doing that than signing one of the world's best. back on the streets of paris, there's a sense of disbelief this deal appears to be finally happening.

so, too, about the pricetag. i like paris and he can make good things in this team. he's too expensive. but it's neymar. and so the stage is set. paris st germain will likely name neymar as their new leading light within the next 48 hours. this is a most political and financial of transfers but ultimately he will be judged by what he does on the pitch. richard conway, bbc news, paris. backin richard conway, bbc news, paris. back in the 50s, test pilots were not without accident. hundreds of films showing early space flights have been released. let's have a look. coming out of world war two, we were in a race, if you will, to see who could build the highest, who could go the fastest, so there were a very large number of unknowns associated with each

of these vehicles and how they were gonna be flown. so, the risks were significant. each time the pilots went up, they were probably doing something for the first time. so, a lot of these flights, you just didn't know what the endgame was gonna be. and we didn't understand all of the physics that were going to occur during these tests. and there were a large number of accidents in the early days as we learned what were the big risks and what we could do to keep the pilots safe. i think it's important to remember that in the ‘50s, we were trying to expand both the speed and altitude of aeroplanes. so, bigger motors with jet engines, with afterburners, new materials, new ways to build and fly aeroplanes. sort of what motivates them, what drives them to do this business

which, especially in the ‘50s, was relatively risky. and i think the answer is a desire to push the envelope a little bit, to be a pioneer. clearly, these people felt themselves to be very competent pilots. and many of them were very good aerospace engineers, so they participated not only in flying the vehicle but also in developing the profiles, developing the technology. so, curious people, explorers, who are confident in their ability to handle almost any situation. and i think those characteristics follow through to today as well. while the risks are generally better understood and better mitigated, the character of the people that undertake these flights and work in this business is fundamentally the same. dana purifoy there, with a look back. much more as always on the bbc news website. thank you for watching.

hello. the area of low pressure that brought wednesday's rain is still close enough during thursday to produce showers across the uk, making it quite windy too. it is gradually edging its way north—eastwards. not quickly enough for many of us before it gets to scandinavia and our weather improves. plenty of showers from the word go across many parts of the uk. the north and west in particular. some of these will be heavy. the risk of a rumble of thunder and perhaps some hail too. a look at the picture. eight o'clock in the morning, showers scattered in south—west england. much of central and eastern england will be dry at this stage. some sunny spells around. but you will notice through england and wales it is a windy day, unseasonably for the time of year. gusty winds at that. plenty of showers in northern england and northern ireland, beginning to pull away actually. showers in scotland initially to the west. longer spells of rain in the northern isles. here we have easterly winds. brisk south—westerly gusts of wind in england and wales will be noticeable during the day. some sunny spells. showers fading in the afternoon,

especially in england and wales. they linger on through the afternoon in scotland. slow—moving with lighter winds here. thundery downpours especially in eastern scotland into the afternoon. temperatures, high teens, low 20s. the first day of the women's british 0pen golf at kingsbarn, not far from st andrews on thursday. we have the threat of some heavy showers moving through. some will fade thursday night into friday. could well see some spells of rain in ireland and scotland. edging southwards here for a time around the area of low pressure which hasn't quite yet got to scandinavia yet. the breeze is a notch down. more in the way of sunshine. feeling pleasant between showers. and in fact, for the bulk of the uk, the showers away from scotland will be few and far between. those temperatures, well, into the low 20s in east anglia and south—east england. though most of us still pegged back into the high teens. the big picture going into the weekend, a ridge of high pressure trying to come in. we will still see showers on saturday, perhaps for a time in north england, north wales, scotland, more numerous

in those areas. temperatures in high teens, low 20s. after a chilly night on saturday, sunday delivers drier weather. though there is a weather system poised to come in from the west later in the day. brazil's government has decided not to send michel temer to prison. the government is accused of channelling millions of dollars to politicians. venezuelan has delayed plans to rewrite the constitution. nicolas maduro has been accused of pushing the country towards dictatorship.

there are accusations that the polls cannot be trusted. it