this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top story: britain prepares for the arrival of donald trump — what's been billed "the most controversial visit ever made by a us president." celebrations long into the night, as croatia reach the world cup final for the very first time. i'm rajini vaidyanathan in moscow, where defeat means england's dream of glory is finally over. a german neo—nazi is sentenced to life for a series of racially—motivated murders. detail at last. theresa may's government gets ready to publish its white paper on the brexit deal it wants. but will brussels accuse it of "cherry picking"? a warm welcome to the programme,

briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. and you can be part of the conversation. do share with us your reaction to the end of the world cup dream for england, just use the hashtag bbc the briefing. president trump will arrive in the uk at lunchtime for the start of his first presidential visit and is expected to be met with protests. most of his official business will be on friday, and much of it, including a meeting with queen elizabeth, will take place outside london. our correspondent, gary o'donaghue, reports. a ring of steel goes around the

american ambassador‘s residence, where the president will spend his first and only night in london. tens of millions of pound are being spent on security as donald trump prepares to meet the prime minister and have tea with the queen in what is being called a working, rather than a state visit to. but many will mark their opposition, with protest planned in cardiff, glasgow and edinburgh, meaning the president is likely to travel mostly by helicopter. in london, a giant inflata ble helicopter. in london, a giant inflatable blimp in the shape of a baby will hover over westminster. so, we have made a baby because we feel that donald trump act like a baby. his style and tone of leading the nation is very immature, very childish. he is very much a kind of kick them while they are down, kind of guy. that came into play when we'll trying to find another way to

protest his being in the uk. despite some early, albeit awkward warmth to the relationship, theresa may has found it herself at odds with the president on whole range of issues from trade to immigration and she could do with him avoiding repeating his view that the uk is internal —— is in turmoil over brexit. when it is in turmoil over brexit. when it isa is in turmoil over brexit. when it is a necessary visit, the united states, where the like it or not, is oui’ states, where the like it or not, is our most important ally and partner and we need to have a good working relationship with the us because our security and our prosperity depends in large part on that relationship being in reasonable working order. more than 70 years, reddish governments have sent a special relationship with the us as the guiding light for foreign policy. add to that the imperative of a post— brexit trade deal and you realise just how much theresa may needs this visit to be a success. and you can keep up—to—date with the

latest on president trump's visit to the uk via our website. you will also find analysis of what is due to happen during the trip and who the president will be dining with later today and his agenda for friday. if you watched it like me i'm sure you will agree with me — it was agonising — the result croatia beat england in extra time to reach sunday's world cup final. 0ur correspondent, rajini vadanathyan is in moscow with a full round up of all the action and reaction. huge, huge celebrations in croatia, a historic win them. but as you say, the end of a dream for england. at

the end of a dream for england. at the very last minute i was able to get my hands on a ticket. i was in a stadium watching that match, difficult to watch. in the last half an hourof difficult to watch. in the last half an hour of that, when the game went into extra time because it really was anyone's to play for, we went into extra time because the teams had drawn and it was really down to which team was going to school and additional goal and that team was croatia. 0f additional goal and that team was croatia. of course, it was a rollercoaster for the fans and the stadium because it began with england on a high in that match and after a half—time england fans in the stadium were saying it is only 45 minutes away from making history and getting into a world cup final again. but of course, the croatian side turned it around and they now make history. this is theirfifth world cup and now they are through to the final. well then, deep breath begin. the players with the great opportunity,

some faces here little known to the world just weeks ago, keep your eye on kieran trippier. england flew into the semifinals, croatia conceding a freekick when the world ‘s best would fancy their charges. here he was a. within five minutes the belief soared right to england's team. when you are only one nil up, there is less chance this could happen. ivan perisic‘s foot eating the hand. soviet of the energy for extra time? a moment to rally the plays again but with 11 minutes left, england lost sight of mario mandzukic. injury time and extra time, one last freekick. cleared and that was it. the final whistle blew on england's world cup, a sense of this opportunity. the final venue could have been theirs, instead it will be croatia. so that was the reaction on the

pitch. as i was leaving the stadium, a lot of silent england fans and thatis a lot of silent england fans and that is a real contrast to when they we re that is a real contrast to when they were arriving at stadium singing songs of. the dream is over, as i say, for england. but for croatia, that dream is one step closer. they face france in the final this weekend. my colleague is in croatia and she recorded this with some fans. this is a very, very happy crowd of people in croatia here tonight. just before the end of the match one fan came up to me and said if croatia wins i am going tojump into the fountain. they have been jumping ever since. this is a moment to cherish for croatia, such a small country, 4 million people, but they proved that they can play football ona proved that they can play football on a world—class stage and everyone here is hopeful that they may perhaps win in the final. still a tall order for croatia facing

france, who have been one of the favourites throughout this tournament, but the croatian side have had a fantastic tournament before the england team, it is time to get ready to leave russia after a fabulous world cup, where they really have exceeded the expectations that they entered this tournament with. now, harry king tweeted after the match, he said: also, the croatian manager tweeted saying, : also, the croatian manager tweeted saying,: now you have it, only two teams left in this world cup and on sunday there will only be one the. —— one when a. —— one winner. later on in the programme we will also look at media coverage of that result. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news.

police in the uk say the surviving victim of the nerve agent poisoning in wiltshire nearly two weeks ago has regained consciousness. officers have been able to speak to charlie rowley, who is no longer in a critical condition in hospital. the israeli military has confirmed that it has attacked syrian army positions near the occupied golan heights after a suspected syrian drone violated its airspace. the army has released this video showing the moment it shot down the drone after it crossed 10 kilometres into israeli territory. syrian state media said government air defences thwarted an attack by israel in quneitra province. the minority government of the billionaire czech prime minister, andrej babis, has narrowly won a confidence vote in parliament, after a 16—hour session. the governing alliance received support from the communist party. it is the first time that a czech government has relied on the backing of the communist party since the collapse of communism. up to 30 flights between

ireland and the uk are likely to be cancelled today because of a planned strike by pilots. unions say ryanair is not taking its demands over pay and conditions seriously. the airline says all ireland to europe flights will operate as normal. a german neo—nazi has been sentenced to life in jail for her part in ten murders. beate zschaepe belonged to a gang that carried out racist killings over a period of seven years. the police initially thought the victims — mostly of turkish descent — were caught up in gang violence. lebo diseko has more. the only surviving member of a neo—nazi terrorist cell, beate zschaepe was found guilty of ten racially motivated murders. for the families of the victims, this day has been a long time coming — a five—year trial almost two decades after the first killing. zschaepe's gang, called

the nationalist socialist underground, or nsu, murdered eight ethnic—turkish people, a greek citizen and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. she denied taking part in the murders, saying she only knew of them after they had happened. she blamed two members of the msu. they killed themselves in an apparent suicide pact. but the court found she was responsible, and gave a verdict that carries an automatic life sentence. translation: i believe that the sentence imposed on ms zschaepe, for life imprisonment, is a substantial and right. she is not a woman who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. she is a nazi, a racist, and a murderer. there has been anger at what many see as the failures of the police, who at first blamed the killings on immigrant gang violence, and many families believe institutional racism hampered the investigation and the trial. so, while they may welcome this

verdict, questions remain unanswered — how the killer selected their victims, and just why authorities did so little to protect them. in the next few hours, britain's government is due to formally lay out its post—brexit trade plans to parliament here in london. there's still plenty of disagreement within theresa may's governing conservative party over the proposals which will cover goods once the uk leaves the european union. also coming out is a white paper, 100 pages in terms of the uk's hopes. with me is henry bonsu, broadcaster and international conference host. good to see you. we will at last some detail, which is what everybody has been crying out for. the

question is, what will it tell us? it will tell us where we are up to. it will tell us where we are up to. it has been an achingly slow process , it has been an achingly slow process, should remember britain voted to leave over two years ago and the eu has been saying tell us what you want. then the british government led by theresa may has been saying make us an offer. there has been a huge amount of division over the what kind of brexit we should have. back on the day it was simple and easy for theresa may to say brexit means brexit but at —— as aalot say brexit means brexit but at —— as a a lot of people have been saying it is much more complicated and it could drive us off a cliff or it could drive us off a cliff or it could tie us to close the eu. this is why her premiership is up for grabs. if she is unable to carry her party, they may topple her before this is seen through. we are getting a clearer picture as to how different parts of the economy will work or what the uk would want in

terms of goods, this common rule book. but the area we didn't know about, the area that brings in the most money, is services, particular financial. it is becoming clear what the uk is hoping for. the question is, is it? 80% of our economy is services and a number of europeans led by emmanuel macron have said this is the chance to take the services bundle —— bubble away from london. bring it to france or it tracks are —— frankfurt because it generates a huge amount of tax. we have a fairly liberal government, but the good is part, that is a diehard brexiteers do not want. thanked you for now henry. we will return for the news briefing. we

will and pack that white paper in more detail in business briefing with another expert view on that. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: the moment football stopped coming home. england fans see their dream crushed by croatia. central london has been rocked by a series of terrorist attacks. police say there have been many casualties and there is growing speculation that al-qaeda was responsible. germany will be the hosts of the 2006 football world cup, and they pipped the favourites, south africa, by a single vote. in south africa, the possibility of losing hadn't even been contemplated and celebration parties were cancelled. the man entered the palace through a downstairs window and made his way to the queen's private bedroom, then he asked her for a cigarette. and, on the pretext of arranging for some to be brought, she summoned a footman on duty, who took the man away. one child, one teacher,

one book and one pen can change the world. education is the only solution. you are watching the briefing. 0ur headlines: it has been a night of celebration for croatian football fans after their dramatic world cup win against england. they will face france in sunday's final. britain is preparing for the arrival of donald trump — what has been billed the most controversial visit ever made by an american president. let's get more on that now. the "special relationship" was a phrase used by sir winston chrurchill in a speech in 1916, when he referred to political, diplomatic, cultural,

economic, military, and historical relations between the united kingdom and the usa. our special correspondent allan little reports on how the relationship between britain and america was nurtured in the past, and how it is now seen in the age of trump. in st paul's cathedral, this memorial chapel remembers the americans stationed in britain who died in the second world war. the roll of the dead has 28,000 names. newsreel: britain and america join together in persons of high and lowly estate... it was inaugurated in 1958. by then, a new world had emerged from the shared sacrifice of war. the american—led atlantic order has endured and evolved over seven decades. its founding fathers were president franklin roosevelt and winston churchill. the institutions of global governance, the imf and world bank, the world trade organization,

the marshall plan, nato and the european union, would all emerge from their victory. at the heart of the international system that america built after the second world war was the idea that nations should live by a set of agreed rules, in politics, economics, security and trade. america was the principal author of those rules, and has spent the last 70 years using its power in the world to enforce them. not anymore. donald trump believes that america is not the beneficiary of those rules, but the victim, that the rest of the world uses those rules to cheat america, and that the european allies are among the worst offenders. the question those allies are now facing is this — is the rules—based order that roosevelt launched ending with donald trump? he doesn't know the history, and he doesn't care. he takes a very transactional approach to international relations, which seems to come from his sort of real estate background, where he is — where everything is a deal. the essence of the american support

for the international order is that you're investing in it. but that investment allows them to sustain the rules—based order, and nobody else could do that, and that rules—based order is something which the united states benefits from tremendously. that's hard to measure in dollars and cents. it's a long—term proposition, and trump doesn't look at transactions that way. but does this mean he wants to tear up the rule book, or just rewrite it? i think trump's role is to be a disrupter in all things. it is to look at how these relationships either help or hinder america. he literally wants to put america first. i think the whole idea of this international, globalist worldview has taken hold of government, and he wants to shake that up and say, well, is it really in the best interest of america to do it this way? for the first time in 70 years, europe looks across the atlantic at an america no longer willing to carry what it sees as the costs

of an alliance forged in the sacrifice of a different age. allan little, bbc news. his mother was assassinated in a terrorist attack, his grandfather was executed by a military dictator, but now bilawal bhutto zardari is following their footsteps and leading their party's campaign, ahead of elections in pakistan at the end of the month. but, as secunder kermani has been finding out, levels of support for the party have dropped over the past decade. bilawal — the third generation of pakistan's most famous polticcal dynasty, takes to the streets in a rally. his mother and grandfather both served as prime minister, and he is now emphasising their party's focus on delivering socialjustice.

this is bilawal‘s first election campaign. many have praised his energy. but, ever since his mother's death, his party have faced serious challenges. having once dominated the political scene, polls predict they will now finish in third place. bilawal is fighting to keep his family's political legacy alive. my vision for pakistan is a peaceful, prosperous, progressive, democratic pakistan. it's a pakistan my mother fought for 30 years of her life, struggled for, and ultimately lost her life in this struggle. it's what motivates me, it's what drives me to continue to push for this message. bilawal‘s father, a former president, leads the ppp party alongside him, but is a more divisive figure. he has been dogged by allegations of corruption, though none have ever been proven.

analysts say his image has lost the party votes. but they still have their supporters, especially in the southern province, and could be crucial in forming a ruling coalition. for now, though, the campaign has been overshadowed by the conviction of former prime minister nawaz sharif on corruption charges, and allegations it was engineered by pakistan's most powerful army, in what supporters say was a soft coup. i wouldn't say that the conviction of nawaz sharif is a soft coup. what i am concerned about would be the decreasing space for human rights in pakistan, the freedom of the press and the freedom to campaign. those things do concern me. the best way to overcome these challenges is to take them into parliament. that is why i'm running for parliament. the family's history has been marred by tragedy, but bilawal says he is determined to be a progressive political voice

for years to come. the first images have emerged of 12 thai boys released from the cave system in which they were trapped. 0ur correspondent reports from thailand. these are the luckiest boys in thailand — still weak, still in quarantine, these pictures the first we've seen since a rescue diver filmed them huddled together in the cave, their schoolboy poses for the camera hiding the miracle that they are here at all. what happened here at the cave over the past two weeks inspired horror, then awe, and now curiosity — a dozen boys who couldn't dive, or even swim, trapped two miles inside the cave. rescuers said the biggest risk was that they would simply panic. so how did they get them out? the incredible story of their rescue from tham luang

is onlyjust emerging. this is the first footage of the mission itself, each boy wrapped in a special kind of stretcher and carried along by hand. in parts of the cave where it was impossible to stand, rescuers built a complex system of pulleys to transport them out. and, where it was flooded, scuba divers strapped the children underneath them and carried them through — a feat described by one rescuer as superhuman. several sources have told the bbc the boys were sedated during the journey. watch his arm. not unusual for normal mountain rescues, experts say, but much riskier with children and scuba diving conditions. you have to believe. we think that our plan is perfect. we try and try and try, we test and test and train. 0k, and you've got the best team so you have to believe in them. leaving from chiang rai airport

tonight, the british cave diver who starred in the rescue denied he was a hero. it's not like that. if you could do the same for someone else's child, you would, i hope. but what most people see when they look at the rescuers and their boys is the most incredible show of courage from one, from the other, incredible trust. lucy williamson, bbc news, chiang rai. it certainly has been an incredible week for stories. we have been asking for your reaction to the outcome of the world cup. i will reveal some of your comments later ina reveal some of your comments later in a news briefing. many pointed to how the referees manage the game. i will see you in a moment for business briefing. temperatures are set to rise towards the end of the weekend

and into the weekend, it will be quite hot for some, but also the risk of showers and thunderstorms, and wherever they occur, good news for parched ground. we start thursday off on a rather cloudy note, through the overnight period, it should ease away. cloud should thin and break. we should see quite a bit of sunshine. seeing showers developing. mainly across western areas. they'll be slow—moving. we think generally developing across west, south—west scotland, west of the pennines, in towards wales and south—west england. some of them could be locally torrential, so the very dry ground could lead to some localised flooding. elsewhere, plenty of sunshine, turning quite warm across the south—east, 26 or 27 celsius. then as we head on into friday, we could start seeing increasing amounts of showers and thunderstorms, there could be a few showers from the word go across parts of northern england, southern scotland and into the afternoon, as temperatures rise, we start to see them becoming more widespread across wales,

into the midlands and maybe southern england as well. of course, hit and miss, some areas may dry altogether, other areas may get a thorough soaking with risks of localised flooding. as we head towards the weekend, a big area of low pressure anchored to the north—west of the country bringing more breeze and cloud to scotland and northern ireland. but also drawing up some warmth on the near continent. temperatures bouncing up across england and wales. from saturday, this is the picture. outbreaks of rain here, more of a breeze as well. cloud across the north—west of england into the north—west of wales. dry and sunny and turning hotter with values of 28, maybe 29 celsius. on sunday, a similar story with more cloud across scotland and northern ireland, more of a breeze here, outbreaks of rain. even the odd shower for north—west england, wale, but for the rest of england and wales, largely dry, sunny and hot in places with one or two locations

in the south—east seeing 30 or 31 celsius. so it's warming up to end the week, turning hot into the weekend but we will also see some showers and thunderstorms in places. this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. detail at last — theresa may's government gets ready to publish its white paper on the brexit deal it wants. but will brussels accuse it of cherry picking? another day, another bid. us cable network comcast trumps fox with a $64 billion bid for european broadcaster sky. we'll tell you why it's so valuable. and on the markets... in asia, they are shrugging off the losses on wall street the night before. for corporate earnings it will