this is bbc news. i'm ben bland. our top stories: turkey's lira hits an all—time low — as president trump doubles tariffs on their metal exports. the saudi—led coalition says it will investigate an airstrike that killed 29 children in yemen — the un demands it be credible. an immigration reprieve for a 9 year old chess progidy — we meet the boy who's just been told he doesn't have to leave the uk. hello and welcome to bbc news. us president donald trump

is ramping up sanctions against turkey, doubling steel and aluminium tariffs against the country. it's because of the continuing row over this man — american pastor andrew craig brunson. he's been held in turkey for nearly two years on disputed terrorism charges. and all of this has caused the turkish lira to tumble dramatically. its value has fallen as much as m percent in the last day. our correspondent selin girit reports from istanbul. a day the financial market will never forget. the turkish lira has seen ups and downs but it has never sunk so low before. at one point the lira plummeted by nearly 20% overnight but the turkish government was keen to put on a brave face. translation: they keep on talking about this foreign exchange rate

and whatnot, forget about that. despite all the tax aimed at our country through foreign exchange rates, god willing, we will continue to grow in the second quarter and in the 2018 at record highs. erdogan‘s rhetoric may have gone down well with the supporters but not with international markets. another major blow came when the us president donald trump tweeted this to announce a doubling of steel and aluminium tariffs on turkey. "our relations with turkey are not good at this time," he commented. they argue that the extra tariffs were against the rules of the world trade organisation as the rift between the two nato allies deepened. these are the options that turkey has at the moment, an hike which president erdogan sees as the mother of all evils is not likely to happen. he might seek help from the imf, following the example of argentina, but that is not likely either as it will have strings attached and it will be frowned upon in turkey. there is a feeling that the quickest and most efficient step is to ease the tensions with washington, and for that to happen, washington expects an american pastor currently under house arrest in turkey to be

released and sent home. otherwise washington warns more sanctions could follow. selin girit, bbc news, istanbul. the saudi—led coalition says it will investigate an attack in yemen which killed at least twenty—nine children. the target was a school bus in saada — a town under the control of houthi rebels, who are backed by iran. following the strike the coalition initially claimed they had targeted militants. the un secretary general has called for an independent inquiry into the attack. earlier the bbc‘s nada tawfik spoke to my colleague kasia madera. she described events at the un today. they met behind closed doors, they received a briefing from a top un official and said they agreed there was a need for a credible and transparent investigation. this attack has really

shocked the world. there has been instant condemnation because dramatic video footage shows this school bus hit, with dozens of children killed and many others injured so the un has come out to say that they should have an independent investigation, that this is a low point in this conflict, and the security council members have taken this seriously. they've met and they haven't called for an independent investigation which is notable but they have set a credible one is needed. what's also interesting is the saudi coalition has also ordered an inquiry into this airstrike. yeah, absolutely. now originally, they said this was a legitimate attack against militants but they came under pressure from the united nations but also the us and others and they reversed course and said that they would order their own inquiry. they said that before the security council came out, so it gave saudi arabia's allies

on the council like the us, france and the uk the freedom to join this statement to call for a credible investigation. the british ambassador to the united kingdom, karen pearce, was asked, why wasn't the investigation independent and she said, the key point here is we are calling for a credible investigation so when one comes to us, we will study it and it is credible, we will look at what happened and if it isn't, we will review that as well so her saying there that the security council will stay across this. let's get some of the day's other news. in afghanistan, at least 16 people have died after a major assault by the taliban on the city of ghazni. it's a provincial capital on the key highway between kabul and kandahar. officials said the militants took control of parts of the city before being pushed back to the outskirts. it's a provincial capital on the key highway between kabul and kandahar. officials said the militants took control of parts of the city before being pushed back to the outskirts.

israeli soldiers have reportedly shot dead a paramedic during the latest clashes on the territory's border. another man was also killed and more than 300 people were injured according to the gaza health ministry. thousands of protesters had gathered along the border for the twentieth week in a row. israel says demonstrators threw firebombs at troops during the confrontations. police in the canadian city of fredericton say four people have been killed in a shooting, including two of their officers. one suspect is in custody following the attack in the provincial capital of new brunswick. the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau, said the government was following the situation closely. tens of thousands of romanians have been protesting against corruption and low wages. in the capital, bucharest, police clashed with protesters demanding the government stands down. tiffany wertheimer reports. in the centre of bucharest, right at the front of the city's government building, this crowd demands change. the protesters want the governing

social democrat party to design, angered that it's sacked an anti—corru ption prosecutor whose work was highly effective. scuffles broke out between protesters and police. some demonstrators threw bottles and tried to break through barricades. police fought back with tear gas and water cannon. more than 100 people on both sides have needed medical treatment. many of these protesters are romanians living abroad but have returned home tojoin the rally, wanting an end to the country's corruption, low wages, poor living standards and the government's interference in the justice system. since the social democrat party came into power last year, it's tried to decriminalise several corruption offences. hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition demanding a law that would ban anyone charged with corruption from running for office. according to the world bank, there are between 3—5 million romanians working abroad where there are more opportunities

and more money. tiffany wertheimer, bbc news. the inauguaration of zimbabwe's president emmerson mnangagwa has been postponed, after the opposition challenged last week's election results in court. the mdc claims it has evidence that opposition leader nelson chamisa was cheated out of the presidency. if the court decides in favour of the challenge, it could order a recount or nullify the election results. shangai nyoka has more from harare. the movement for democratic change alliance lawyers filed their papers here at the constitutional court and at the very last minute, they are challenging the outcome of the presidential results and say that ballot boxes were staffed and numbers inflated to give president emmerson mnangagwa a narrow victory. they will have to prove that those irregularities affected the outcome of this vote.

president emmerson mnangagwa avoided the run—off by less than 40,000 votes. this election on the outcome of this court case is hugely significant, not just for him but for zimbabwe. he is seeking legitimacy after a questionable takeover of power last november. the international community and observers are also looking at this court case and the election results, and they say that free, fair and credible elections are the first step to normalising international relations with zimbabwe and providing much needed financial assistance. parts of australia are suffering the effects of the worst drought in living memory. a warm, dry winter has left many outback farmers in new south wales struggling to survive — and little rain is expected in the months ahead. our correspondent, phil mercer, sent this report from gunnedah, about 260 miles north of sydney. it's been two years since decent rains fell here, but this farming family is determined to beat the drought.

keeping its beef herd alive is exhausting and expensive. crops have failed and the monthly food bill is £25,000. a daily grind taking its toll. everyone is stressed, under more pressure financially and therefore you are stressed in your relationships, and just trying to keep it together. we can see that our seasons are no longer what we would call normal. we have had the lowest rainfall in 116 years of recording, so this is the worst. this should be some of australia's prime agricultural land. in good times, these fields would have crops up to your knees, butjust look at it now. the earth is bone dry and barren, and many farming communities are struggling like never before, as the big dry in eastern australia strengthens its grip.

the lack of rain has dramatically altered the landscape. all of new south wales is now officially in drought. for many it is a disaster. the small town of manilla is in the heart of the drought zone. at the local school, the children of farming families share the community's pain and uncertainty. a lot of sorrow. you can sense that sorrow in their voices when talking about home and the farmers at the moment. it is pretty heartbreaking for them to watch their stock slowly but surely starve to death in front of them. pretty stressful for me. i have to do a lot of study so i wake up earlier, go to bed later, to keep on top of that, as well as keep working on the farm, so everything gets done and the cows are looked after. the money is held very tightly. we're not spending it on unnecessary things. we are making sure we are counting every dollar we spend. australia's capricious

climate can be cruel. it can turn fertile ground into a wasteland. money from the government is helping but what is really needed is rain, and lots of it, but the forecast for the months ahead doesn't look good. phil mercer, bbc news, near gunnedah, in new south wales. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: how a 9—year—old chess prodigy has ensured the british government allow his family to stay in the country. the big crowds became bigger as the time of the funeral approached. as the lines of fans became longer, the police prepared for a hugejob of crowd control. idi amin, uganda's brutal former

dictator, has died at the age of 80. he's been buried in saudi arabia, where he lived in exile since being overthrown in 1979. 2 billion people around the world have seen the last total eclipse of the sun to take place in this millennium. it began itsjourney off the coast of canada, ending three hours later, when the sun set over the bay of bengal. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: tu rkey‘s turkey's lira it's an all—time low. it drops 20% in monday as president

trump doubles tariffs on steel and aluminium. a new app is to offer rewards to families for talking to each other around the dinner table rather than checking their screens. a novel concept? well, the idea was originally designed to help students study, but could it help all of us stay connected to those around us. catrin nye has been looking at the rise of anti—tech tech. can ask you both how much you check your phone? recently, every day. every hour. quite often. probably too much. probably every hour. a fair few hours a day. at home about every 20 minutes. every couple of hours. i am always on it and now i have got a phone call. there are now loads of apps offering to get you off your phone. one called mute tracks your screen time, space helps you set goals to use it less, moment sets daily limits on your use and will even send you a barrage of messages

if you're on it too much. and one called forest grows you a tree as long as you're not browsing. it is, of course, very debatable whether tech companies are the ones who should be helping us spend less time on tech. facebook and instagram are releasing their own time limit tools. and app called hold has been launched in uk — created by students in copenhagen. why did you want to start this? we struggle so much on focusing. we checked our phones all the time. we started to get ourselves incentives. the ones who check the phone is the least get the coffee. that worked out for us three. the app allows us three allows you to start a timeout which was the phone on hold which means you cannot get on other apps. you're putting the phone to one side, the phone gets locked, having the screen there can be a distraction.

it can be to one side and the idea then is to say i will be productive now. once you have done 20 minutes on hold you start earning rewards, things like cheap cinema tickets, free drinks, donations to charity. this app is still doing advertising. it allows product marketing to users. it does not work overnight and is currentlyjust for students, like clara, a masters student from the london school of economics, from singapore. she says the destruction of lent is a problem for the whole family. i have voiced my unhappiness to my parents before. about them using their phones. i really think that it comes down to the psychology and the depth of the interactions you have with your family members or friends at the dinner table, for instance. their creators of hold are making

a version for families to use together. they say they have had tens of thousands of people get in touch, because phones are disturbing their dinnertime, too. charlie brown is a technology commentator who also packed as is digital detox himself. i asked him first about the irony of the idea of being rewarded just for speaking to those around us. yeah, it is a good point you make there. i think what that report was really focused on and i think they were talking a lot about families, were teenage kids, for example. that is the main point in the community for those that are finding the challenge of human face—to—face communication without our devices, it is the heart is. it is across the community. my wife and i have younger children, they are not in their teens,

we have done a digital detox in the past six months. what you find when you do it is that you have greater conversations and those conversations lead to things better for your life. you spend better time together because you are not focused on the phone. it is a little bit sad that we have to have technology companies helping us to do this. a lot of people would say, myself and many of my colleagues included, that actually you have got to keep checking it for work. you have got to keep an eye on the e—mails and keep up—to—date with what is happening in the world, you have got to reply to those messages. they would say i am not addicted, but it is an efficient way of conducting my life. it is an efficient way. one of the tips i give people is don't have your phone in your bedroom when you go to bed. if you put it in the study or the room down the hall, it is one third of your life you were getting back without having the phone around you straightaway

byjust one little decision. in terms of using your phone, you need to remember that you are the person in charge of using it. you need to manage yourself using it. there are a lot of tools around — apps. there are features to help you along the way. but it is about habits and behaviour. if you are a parent your habits and behaviours will transfer onto your children. you need to take the initiative. for you personally, charlie, what did you find were the most addictive apps? was it checking likes on instagram, looking at tweets, which app was the biggest drain on your attention? it was talking to people on twitter while i was watching television, and it was e—mail, it was social media as well. i think social media, that tractor beam of social media is really interesting. most of us are just flicking through the feed. it is nothing tangible what we are doing. if you change your focus on looking at the device to looking at the people around you, you still get engagement,

richer engagement, that engagement, but it comes back to you managing what you are doing. charlie brown there. new video footage shows just how far china's military development has progressed in the spratly islands in the south china sea. the spratlys are a chain of islands which lie between vietnam and the philippines, with china to the far north. all three countries have claims on the spratly islands, but it is china that has been building on them. rupert hayes joined a us navy surveillance flight over the islands, and sent us this report this is the chinese navy politely telling the us navy to go away. far out in the south china sea, we're approaching one of china's huge new island bases. it's very clear they

do not want us here. for the crew aboard this us navy p8 surveillance plane, this is now a daily encounter. it's a routine occurrence for us on these flights. it happens throughout the flight, when they come over and then we just go back with our standard response. it really has no effect on any operations or anything we do. as we close to 12 nautical miles, we can now see the huge extent of china's development out here. so, what we're seeing on the screen here is live pictures of a place called mischief reef. the last time i flew over here two—and—a—half years ago, it was really just a large pile of sand. now you can see there has been extensive construction. this is what it looked like then — millions of tonnes of sand being pumped onto the reef to create new land. the first outline of a runway, but no buildings. look at the same place today — a forest of radar domes,

aircraft hangars and maybe a building to park missile launchers. using the plane's high—powered camera, we watch as a group of vehicles drives down the runway. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine... nine vehicles, moving. still looks like nothing on the runway, no aircraft present. these flights aren't just about surveillance. the americans are here to make a point. in the broadest sense, it's making sure that we maintain the rights that we have as a military aircraft, to fly in international airspace, maintain our presence in the area and show that we're not worried about the build—up that's happening and we're going to continue to stay down here in the south china sea. to understand what is at stake out here, listen to how the chinese navy today talked to an aircraft from a smaller, weaker neighbour, the philippines. with the spaces, china is succeeding in changing the very geography of the south china sea. despite america's assurances, down here the tide of history

appears to be flowing towards beijing. rupert wingfield hayes, bbc news, with the us navy in the south china sea. the british government has told a 9—year—old chess star that he and his family can stay in the country. shreyas royal has represented england in chess championships and is ranked 11th in the world for his age group. the uk home office had said his family would have to leave, but now the home secretary has stepped in, as chi chi izundu reports. this is shreyas royal. he may be only nine, but he's ranked fourth in his age group in the world.

he's a silver medallist, and, according to a former chess grand master, the greatest chess prospect in a generation. he only started playing chess three years ago, and was told he would have to return to india with his family, unless his dad could get his work visa renewed by next month, and immigration rules state that that can only happen if he earns £120,000 a year — which he doesn't. he grew up here and when we heard that, it's really sad for us and surprising for us. his dad, jitendra, appealed to the home office who they told him that, while, yes, his son showed immense promise, it did not mean the family could stay in the uk. two mps have backed shreyas' case. in a joint letter to the home secretary, leeds west mp rachel reeves and greenwich and woolwich mp matthew pennycook said: "he performs outstandingly in adult competitions, breaking uk records in the process. if shreyas royal is forced to leave the uk and return to india,

the country will lose an exceptional talent." the home secretary personally looked in to the royal's case and has extended their right to remain on their current visa. how did you react when you heard that you had been given leave to extend your current visa? i was jumping here and there and dancing. i almost trashed the room, so i was really happy today. the home office says it considers every application on its merits, but for now, shreyas is concentrating on competing in the chess championships. i want to be the best at it and become the world chess champion at the age of 18. chi chi izundu, bbc news. don't forget, you can reach me and most of the team here on social media. good morning.

weekend weather coming up, but first, let us look back at friday, because it was a day of mixed fortunes, some heavy rain around for some. so much so that weather watchers had to shelter under hastings pier to get this dramatic shot. there was some sunshine to be found, particular cross the channel isles, as you can see at guernsey. there was this kind of changeable theme that moves us towards the weekend, in actual fact. something that will be quite important will be the feel of the weather. that is because we have these clear skies moving across us as we speak. the air direction coming from the north—westerly, quite quiet. the showers disappeared. not much in the way of significant weather to talk about. temperatures are falling away. that is worth bearing in mind if you are up and off early saturday morning. likely to see single figures, may be low single figures in rural spots.

a chilly start to saturday. lots of sunshine around. that bodes well for day three of the cricket. it looks as though we could get a decent day's play in there. perfect weather conditions for spectators and players. we have already talked about the clear skies, plenty of sunshine around first thing on saturday. as we go through the day the cloud will gather into the south—west. rain putting into south—west england and wales, eventually into the midlands. clouding over a little bit. sunshine turning hazy. nevertheless, eastern areas staying dry, highest values potentially of 23 degrees. the breeze will pick up a little along the west facing coast as we start to see the rain arriving through the evening and the overnight period. the rain will push in. a few bursts through the night. there is a level of uncertainty as to how much wet weather we are likely to see on sunday. this area of low pressure still producing 12 headaches from time to time. it looks at the moment as though the rain is likely to linger first thing in the south—east. behind is that they will be quite a lot of cloud on sunday, a muddy humid field for all. isolated showers. if we get some brightness then temperatures will start to respond. and they will start to pick up. generally speaking, we are looking at them sitting in the local 20s. as we move out of sunday into monday, the area of low pressure still sitting

out to the east. we are likely to seek showers around. as we go through the week this ridge of high pressure will build. it is an improving picture. after a slightly disappointing start on monday we could start to seek more warmth pushing into the south—east for some on tuesday. this is bbc news, the headlines: donald trump says the us is doubling steel and aluminium tariffs on turkey, amid worsening relations between the two countries. it adds further pressure to turkey's economy, the lira falling to an all—time low after the announcement, losing 20% of its value in 2a hours. the saudi—led coalition has announced it will investigate its air strike in yemen which killed at least 29 children.

the attack targeted a school bus in the town of saada which is under the control of iranian—backed houthi rebels. the un says investigations must be credible and transparent. tens of thousands of romanians have been protesting in the capital city over corruption and low wages. police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds. now on bbc news, click.