hello. this is the briefing. i'm ben bland. our top story: set for a second summit. donald trump plans to invite vladimir putin to washington, but rejects accusations he's cosying up to russia. getting along with president putin, getting along with russia, is a positive, not a negative. now, with that being said, if that doesn't work out, i'll be the worst enemy he's ever had. assessing britain's brexit plan. eu ministers prepare for a key meeting in brussels. coming up in the business briefing: borderline issues. theresa may to promise no hard irish border after brexit and urge the eu to accept her plans for a free trade area. also coming up: driven crazy. auto firms say trump's tariff plans will put thousands of us jobs at risk, and thousands of dollars on the price of a new car. hello.

a very warm welcome to the programme, briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. and we are also talking about this. as cadbury‘s launches a version of its famous dairy milk bar with 30% less sugar, we're asking is that sort of move the answer to obesity or is itjust a gimmick? should we be simply swapping chocolate for something healthier? tell us what you think. just use the hashtag, #bbcthebriefing. so the white house says president trump intends to invite vladimir putin to washington later this year, despite continuing criticism of his summit with the russian leader in helsinki on monday. news that discussions about the visit are already taking place took many by surprise, including the us director of national intelligence, dan coats.

in an interview with cnbc, mr trump defended his attempts to improve relations with russia, but said if it didn't work out, he'd be the worst enemy mr putin ever had. our washington correspondent chris buckler has this report. america's intelligence agencies have never wavered in their belief that the kremlin interfered in the 2016 presidential election, and that to cyber attacks and campaigns of disinformation, russia remains a threat to democracy in the us. but donald trump's own view has been a little harder to pin down. he said he misspoke when he appeared to back vladimir putin's denials over the word of his own intelligence chiefs, but it is clear that he still wants a relationship with russia. getting along with president putin, getting along with president putin, getting along with president putin, getting along with russia is a positive, not

along with russia is a positive, not a negative. now, without being said, if that does not work out, i will be the worst enemy he has had. at his recent actions have unnerved donald trump's political friends and foes in washington. the resolution is agreed to. the senate unanimously passed a resolution opposing president trump's proposal to —— cnbc‘s proposal to remove sanctions, after president trump briefly appeared considerate. the white house press secretary briefly revealed on twitter that president trump has already asked is national security adviser to invite putin to washington in those discussions are ongoing. however, that came as something of a surprise to america's own director of national intelligence. we have seen breaking news, the white house has announced on twitter that vladimir putin is coming to the white house in the fall. say that again. you...

vladimir putin coming here. did i hear that right? yeah, yeah. okayed. that is going to be special. questions remain about what donald trump and vladimir putin talked about in helsinki, particularly during their closed—door private meeting. and democrats say until they get clarity on that, there should be no further one—on—one sessions between the president in washington, or anywhere else. ministers from the eu's member countries will meet in brussels later to discuss the state of brexit negotiations. they'll also be briefed on thursday's talks between the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, and britain's new brexit secretary, dominc raab. —— dominic raab. meanwhile, the british prime minister theresa may is expected to call on the european union to "evolve" its position on brexit, when she makes a speech

in northern ireland later. caroline rigby reports. the new man in brussels meeting an old hand at wreck the talks. but amid the smiles and handshakes, the uk's new brexit secretary wasted no time in getting down to business. in his first face—to—face meeting with the eu's chief negotiator michelle barnier, dominic raab admitted time was running out to reach agreement. we have only got 12 weeks really left to nail down the detail of this so left to nail down the detail of this so that we are going to get an agreement. —— michel barnier. i have set out our proposals, offered to meet with michel barnier throughout the summer to get some energy, drive on them to make sure that we conclude this agreement in good times. mr michel barnier's first impressions of david davis's replacement will no doubt feature as the eu's 27 other nations meet to discuss the state negotiations. talks are also likely to cover their

response to britain's white paper on its future relationship with the eu. the work on withdrawal agreement and issues relating to the irish border, a key sticking point in deciding on exit deal. away from brussels, the british prime minister will also be addressing that as she delivers a speech in belfast later. theresa may is expected to reaffirm her proposal to reconsider a deal which would see northern ireland treated differently to the rest of the uk. the likelihood of britain crashing out of the club without an agreement is farfrom a certainty, but many in brussels now fear it is a growing possibility, and it is that uncertainty that has led the european commission to urge its members to step up contingency planning for a chaotic no deal brexit. now to our top business story. is related to that report by

caroline rigby. —— it is related to. you can just about see his caroline rigby. —— it is related to. you canjust about see his hands in shot, he is going to be talking to me about the business in a moment. britain's prime minister theresa may is in northern ireland, visiting the irish borderfor the first time since taking office. it will become the uk's only land border with the european union after brexit. it's already become a symbol of the seemingly insoluble problem of britain's future trade relationship with the eu. well, there was a tease. joel kibazo is a partner ath associates and a former director of communications at africa development bank. welcome to the programme, good to have you on the programme. this really goes to the heart of the trade difficulties, doesn't it? that issue of the border, and they have got to try to resolve it. even as this week we've had the irish prime minister about making reparations for the kind of checks that you would need in the event of no deal. i think there are two things here.

0ne, i think there are two things here. one, i i think there are two things here. 0ne, ithink i think there are two things here. one, i think nobody foresaw when brexit happened that the irish border would become such a big issue, but it goes to the heart of the northern ireland political situation and of course, trade between what is now the eu in the form of ireland, and of course what then will be a country in northern ireland that is part of the united kingdom, that will be out of the eu. so what is the mechanism that is going to regulate that trade? the second factor is that when the talks started, there was talk of an electronic sort of border, and some form of technology being used. none of that has so far come to pass, so we do not know if there really is that kind of technology and if it is, what has happened to it. so in other words, this really becomes the definitive point on which the discussions are based on until that is resolved, very little can go forward. and as a former director of communications at a major bank, what do you make of the way the messages have been put out and the way this

has been explained to people?” think the most part, each side is talking to their own audience, rather than actually addressing each other. theresa may, prime minister united kingdom, the government is very much speaking to its own people about the vote on what happened, rather than saying what are the practicalities. and of course, the european side also has to safeguard its own interest and to show that the, it is not necessarily a good thing tojust be the, it is not necessarily a good thing to just be able to leave the eu but also to be able to say look, we are going to hold firm and these are the rules by which we have to abide. i think there is a lot of megaphone diplomacy going on across both sides and maybe now they actually is a move to try and start reducing some of that, and i think we have seen very little criticism of the eu white paper that was tabled by the uk government on brexit. so maybe we are starting to get some sense of reality to say that actually we do need to bring

the timed out and maybe actually sit down across the table and negotiate. it will be interesting to see what the other 27 member states make of that when they sit down to discuss it or later. -- bring the time down. thanks. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. president daniel 0rtega of nicaragua has accused roman catholic bishops of supporting a plot to overthrow him. the nicaraguan bishops' conference has been trying to mediate an end to months of violent unrest. mr 0rtega said their proposals for early elections showed they were in league with coup plotters. an international panel of experts has warned that progress in the fight against hiv and aids could stall because of what they call "dangerous complacency". the panel says the epidemic could re—emerge as a new generation of young people enter adolescence and adulthood, because there's been no increase in the funding of hiv prevention. a celebrity plastic surgeon in brazil, dr denis furtado, has been arrested

after four days on the run following the death of one of his patients. the woman, lilian calixto, died after undergoing a bottom enlargement procedure. police say dr furtado, who is also known online as dr bumbum, was captured in rio thanks to an anonymous tip. mark zuckerberg has been forced to defend himself after saying that his company would not prevent holocaust deniers from posting on facebook. mr zuckerberg, who is jewish, said he found such views deeply offensive, but did not think the material should be taken down. dave lee reports from san francisco. mark zuckerberg was giving an interview to a journalist, a technology news website when he said this. i am jewish and there is a set of people who deny that the holocaust happened. i find that

deeply offensive. but at the end of the day, i do not believe that our platform should take that down because i think that there are things that different people get wrong, either, i do not think that they are intentionally getting it wrong. he was talking about his website's policy of not deleting posts that contain the misinformation. but when the pod cast was published on wednesday, the condemnation of his comments was immediate. what is at stake here is that holocaust denial, at its core, whether it is on facebook or any social media platform, is one of the most pernicious and sinister forms of hate speech that exist today. faced with growing criticism, mr zuckerberg later followed up with an e—mail. he said he absolutely did not intend to defend the intent of people who denied the holocaust had occurred. this was meant to be an interview for facebook to explain

some of the ways it is hoping to tackle its various problems. instead, it has becomejust tackle its various problems. instead, it has become just another controversy. the question is being asked, can mark zuckerberg fix facebook? stay with us here on bbc news. still to come: fast track to the future, but at what cost? fears that kenya's first high—speed railway is putting the country's unique wildlife at risk. 0k, coming down the ladder now. that'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 malfunctioning 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. you're watching the briefing. 0ur headlines: 0k, coming down the ladder now. donald trump has defended his relations with russia, and said he plans to invite vladimir putin to washington in the autumn. eu ministers are set to meet in brussels shortly to discuss the state of brexit negotiations. a growing taste for alfresco dining is driving record charcoal sales in the uk, but is it also fuelling global deforestation and climate change?

last year, britain imported tens of thousands of tonnes of charcoal. it's much cheaper than sourcing it from within the uk, but as our environment correspondent navin singh khadka has been finding out, there could be much bigger hidden costs for the environment. ina yearagain. in a year again. barbecue season is upon us. and this is what is fuelling the feasts. britain imported a record 90,000 tons of charcoal last year. it is cheaper than sourcing it here in the uk. but where is it coming from and at what cost to the planet? to find that out, i have brought random samples of charcoal in written to a lab here in germany. the tests will tell us the species of the wood and,

possibly, where it was found. we used 3—d reflective light to make a 3-d used 3—d reflective light to make a 3—d scan of the surface, which looks like a little mountain. and then we produce pictures of this important area for identification. so what did you find for us? within the investigation of the assortment you brought us, we found a mixture of timber that are naturally originating in tropical, subtropical areas. with our eucalypt which you can find areas. with our eucalypt which you canfind in areas. with our eucalypt which you can find in australia naturally and we found some other species such as a case yet. so these tests have shown us that this charcoal is from tropical regions. what we have not been able to establish, even in the case of certified wood, is whether they are from sustainable sources. we put this to the forest

stewardship council. i'm sure that there has been tropical charcoal coming into the uk market. i am sure that most of us would have been without an official logo but i cannot guarantee that there has not been a problem with some certified material. since last year we have been looking at the financial —— charcoal business as a risk. with an charcoal business as a risk. with an charcoal where we were uncertain about where it had come from and thought that it looked different from what we had expected. amongst the main suppliers to the uk are countries such as nigeria and paraguay where deforestation is a major issue. this problem with complex supply chain ‘s reach is beyond british borders. there has been a long campaign for a better system. most of the charcoal traders are importing from other countries and continents because the profit is bigger. they earn more money and the

question is why? if they are safe and convinced that everything is fine, why not put that on the packaging and inform consumers that it is coming from africa? the charcoal industry is seen as high risk by conservationists who say it contributes to a worrying global crisis. last year we lost tropical forest is equivalent to 21 million football field. that is a0 pictures a minute wiped off the face of the earth. that is more than half of all global deforestation. there are very few laws in place to regulate the charcoal industry. until that changes, the true cost of our summer parties may never be known. the construction of kenya's first high—speed railway network should be good news. but part of the $3 billion flagship railway is being built through a game park in the capital nairobi. activists say this poses a major threat to wildlife, which attracts tourists from around the world.

the bbc‘s tomi 0ladipo reports from nairobi. it is the only national park was in a capital city anywhere in the world. for decades, wildlife and the nearby human population have lived as neighbours. but now the latter is creeping in, call by call. a new elevated railway line is being built on these peers that have sprung up in the park. its intrusion into the wildlife reserve has angered conservationists. they say the project is not good for the ecosystem and is already pushing animals away. scientists start telling us that the numbers are crashing. activist filed and won a legal challenge to stop construction in its tracks. government is ignoring due process and rule of law. they need to do proper

environmental studies and engage the public effectively. they should have planned. we tell them that we want ra i lwa ys planned. we tell them that we want railways and we want to ride on the train. it is a good thing. the pillars are being built high and wide and with noise reduction, with the aim of lessening any inconvenience to the animals so that those behind the project say there is no need to sound alarm bells. we entered the national park in february this year. that is three months ago when the national environmental tribunal agreed. we are in compliance with the law. the issue should be what sustainable mitigation measures are you taking to ensure that the infrastructure remains sustainable and conservation activities are also sustainable. that is really the question. we cannot say we are not going to develop because we can't. the issue has not been resolved and remains contested in court. what makes this railway such an important project is

not just the thousands railway such an important project is notjust the thousands of passengers to travel on a daily, but also the tons of cargo that move between the port and major points further inland. this is all part of kenya's plan to compete with its neighbours and become the region's major transport hub. the current plan have the railway connect inc —— connecting mombasa to the capital and then heads west. next door, tanzania has similar plans with its own railway. both countries are racing towards central africa, to become the prime route to export congo's vast natural resources via the indian ocean. this rhinoceros is being moved to another park to help manage the falling populations there. wildlife campaigners fear these scenes could be replicated on a much larger scale if the encroachment on this park carries an. hello, i'm tulsen tollett.

coming up in your friday sport briefing: tiger woods heads into the second round of the open championship five shots off the pace. british rider geraint thomas holds onto the yellow jersey ahead of stage 13 of the tour de france, and formula one world champion lewis hamilton signs a new deal to remain with mercedes. 1a—time major champion tiger woods sits five shots off the lead heading into the second round of the open championship at carnoustie in scotland. the former world number one had a mixed round, dropping two shots on the back nine after a promising start. his fellow american kevin kisner is the one stroke leader after going out in one of the early groups on thursday. there could be rain on friday but kisner‘s fine with that. the golf course is great for me, the conditions have been fine. and going forward, you never know what you're going to have in the sky.

i know rain's coming in tomorrow. i don't think the rain is going to affect the way the golf course is playing in one day, but i'm going to have to just keep doing what i'm doing. and if i have 22 putts the next three days, i bet i'll have a pretty good shot. team sky's geraint thomas will start stage 13 of the tour de france in yellow once again after another commanding ride on thursday. the welsh rider won his second consecutive stage, to give himself even more of a lead in the general classification. he's now1 minute and 39 seconds ahead of teammate and a—time champion chris froome who's in second place. in case you missed it, la galaxy striker zlatan ibrahimovic has told bbc sport that his former manchester united teammate paul pogba could become one of the world's greatest players in time. last season, the french midfielder endured plenty of criticism at old trafford — but he was in fine form during the world cup — scoring in the final against croatia. zlatan insists he's shown what he's capable of and doesn't need to prove himself. many people want to find in here but

i don't think he is there yet.” think he is a fantastic player but he is still young. he has been playing champions league and european finals with the national team. he won the world cup. i think he is not up there with the top yet that we should see him as a fantastic player in a good team. lewis hamilton will stay at mercedes for a further two seasons. the four—time formula 1 world champion has signed a new contract and is expected to earn at least $a0 million rising to about $50 million depending on bonuses. carnoustie has seen many of the world's best golfers arrive for the open championship. jhonattan vegas is one of them, the venezuelan travelled from houston and shared his extraordinary trip on social media. he had planned to travel to scotland earlier in the week but had trouble with his visa.

and once that was sorted, his flight from the states was delayed. so, afterfinally reaching glasgow airport, he needed to take a helicopter to carnoustie in a mad rush to make his tee time. he made it, just, but because he was unable to travel with his clubs, he had to borrow a set from his sponsors, finishing the day 5 over par. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport. but from me and the team, that is your friday sport briefing. stay with me on bbc news, i'll be back with the business briefing in just a few moments. hello there. it has been a fine day at with

thickening cloud and light rain pushing into the highlands here ahead of the weather front. will be bringing useful rain to the north—west as we head through the course of friday where is further south and east coast there is an area of high pressure. the start friday morning with a couple of shells across the extreme south—east otherwise there is such an here. to the north a different feel with cooler, breezy and more cloud around. that will be useful rain, some quite useful petering out as it heads to these. for england and wales it will be fairly warm, not quite as warm as thursday, about the mid—20s. some sunny spells. we will then season showers popping in and

some of these could be heavy and thundery across the south—east quadrants of england. if you catch one of these you will know about it. there could be flash flooding. there are hitand there could be flash flooding. there are hit and miss showers and storms for some areas. into friday night they clear away and into saturday it looks like it will be a largely dry one across the country by the odd shower developing. during the sunny spells we could see temperatures bounce back up and a little bit warm as well for scotland. into sunday and it is warmer still. england and wales will be very warm with more sunshine around and we could see thick cloud for scotland and northern ireland. eastern scotland, not too there. the low 20s and 20 pitches of 26 around wales. heading into next week, things are hotting up into next week, things are hotting upfor into next week, things are hotting up for england and wales. to the north and west we will see a new weather front waxing and waning to

bring clarity and cool conditions at times. for england and wales, they will import a worn and humid south south—westerly winds and don't be surprised if a few places in the south—east could reach 3233 degrees. hot and south—east could reach 3233 degrees. hotand humid south—east could reach 3233 degrees. hot and humid across the south on a cooler and cloudier further north and west you are. —— reaches 32— 33 degrees. hello. this is the business briefing. i'm ben bland. borderline issues. theresa may to promise no hard irish border after brexit and urge the eu to accept her plans for a free trade area. also coming up: driven crazy. auto firms say trump's tariff plans will put thousands of us jobs at risk, and thousands of dollars on the price of a new car. in other markets, renewed concerns

over trade fears caused falls on wall street. asian markets managing to eke out some small gains.