you program this is the briefing — i'm sally bundock. our top stories: nicolas maduro makes a defiant speech on venezuelan television — as opposition protests against him continue. a new era begins injapan — as emperor naruhito formally acends to the throne. i will do my maximum effort to serve my country and the people of japan. i'm mariko oi — live in tokyo — where people are looking forward to the era of beautiful harmony. us tech gaint apple sees iphone sales tumble 17% —

while china's slowing economy takes a bite out of its profits. i'll be speaking to eileen burbidge co—founder and partner at passion capital. a warm welcome to the programme — briefing you on all you need to know in global news, a warm welcome to the programme — briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. as japan celebrates a new emperor and the world awaits the duke and duchess of sussex new baby we are asking are you a royalist? there are 26 monarchies in the world who reign over 43 countries in all. tell us what you think — just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing.

the venezuelan president, nicolas maduro, has given a defiant television address, after a day of mass protests against his rule. he says only a small group in the military have sided with the opposition leader, juan guaido —— and their plan to oust him had failed. he accused the opposition of trying to mount a coup with the support of the united states, and said those involved would be brought tojustice. juan guaido — who insists he is venezuela's legitimate president — says the armed forces are turning against mr maduro. he says protests will continue on wednesday. ramzan karmali has the latest. another violent protest in caracas at this time, the violence hit a new

level as an armoured van drove towards the protesters. these were the scenes on tuesday after opposition leaderjuan guaido called on people to take to the streets to help him and president nicolas maduro's grip on power. earlier, he said he had the support of the military. but in a tv address, the president declared himself victorious, surrounded by key figures from his cabinet. including the defence secretary and military leaders. trans- mac with the truth asa leaders. trans- mac with the truth as a sword, as a shield, we face so many attacks and so many lies and thanks to it, we've emerged victorious in every situation and will continue to emerge victorious in any difficulty we face from now on in the upcoming months and years. i have no doubt about it. but earlier, it seems his time as president of venezuela was coming to an end. the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, said maduro was on his

way to cuba. he was ready to go, he made a decision that we had been urging him to make for quite some time and that he was diverted from that action by the russians. we helped him reconsider and get back on the plane. we've made it very clear we support the national assembly, the interim president, juan guaido, and we are supporting the venezuelan people. juan guaido himself appeared to have the backing of the military from this social media post. and it seems his push the power isn't over. in another on line post, he defiantly said the struggle for power on what he calls operation freedom would carry on. struggle for power on what he calls operation freedom would carry onli am calling on the armed forces to continue their march in operation freedom in the rescue of the dignity of our people, ourfamilies, this is the challenge, that's why tomorrow, may one, we continue in the streets at the protest points we have

determined and defined throughout the national territory, across all of venezuela, we will be in the streets. juan guaido has published regime change but he needs the generals at the top on his side. so far, they remain loyal to mr majuro. —— mix but the confidence the opposition had looks like it's waning. we'll bring you more on that story in a few minutes — i'll be speaking to a journalist in the region. japan's new emperor, naruhito, has formally ascended to the throne at a brief but symbol—laden ceremony

at the imperial palace in tokyo. he received sacred treasures that his father, akihito, relinquished when he abdicated on tuesday. emperor naruhito's accession heralds a new imperial era, designated reiwa, or beautiful harmony. let's cross live to mariko oi who's in tokyo. we actually managed to get a glimpse of the new emperor as they left in the car. they attended a short ceremony to formally become emperor number 126, strictly speaking, becoming the emperor midnight local time this was the formal official ceremony for him to take to the throne. he also made his first public red dress as the emperor. this occasion, i inherit the imperial throne. i will look back on

the history of imperial lineage. and i will do my maximum effort to serve the country and the people of japan. it was interesting to note he talked about the protection of the constitution and how he will respect his role as the symbol of the country. of course, japan's constitution doesn't allow an emperor to have any political say. we also heard from japan's by minister made this remark at the ceremony. we receive his majesty's word in the turmoil of the world, we will keep the future of japan in the future of our country, we will build

the future of the new imperial era. and i hope the peace and prosperity of the imperial throne. japan's prime minister, speaking there. let's bring in our correspondence laura bicker who is outside the imperial palace. sally was saying how there are 26 monarchies around the world but we saw hundreds of people gathering here, hoping to get a glimpse of that new imperial couple. it really goes to show how the imperial family is viewed here injapan. goes to show how the imperial family is viewed here in japan. they've been given a 10— day holiday here in japan, something unheard of for many people so they are taking advantage of the fact that they have this time to enjoy and some people have decided to come down here with the hope of getting a glimpse. they were

awarded as the car moved its way from the imperial palace back to the residence. those who were lucky enough at the front managed to even see into the car and waved to the emperor and empress themselves. this is what people are coming. there is a glimpse of the imperial palace behind me. people wanting their picture taken on the day that is ushering in this new era injapan. during his short speech and short address, the new emperor said he wished for the happiness of his people, the progress of his country in the pursuit of peace. very much following on from the kind of values that his father had. his father, who redefined what it meant to be an emperor of this country. in dealt with people in times of tragedy and sadness and also he apologised and tried to rebuild japan's image after the war. he looks as if he's trying

to continue on his father ‘s legacy. at the same time, at an earlier event where he inherited the treasures of the imperial family, there was no imperialfamily member allowed inside the room and this abdication has really reignited the debate about whether japan abdication has really reignited the debate about whetherjapan should change the law about the succession rule where only a man can be an emperor. that's right. during that first ceremony, there was the first woman in modern history allowed into the ceremony because she was a cabinet list of no other email was allowed, only mail heirs are allowed to sit on the throne. of course, the emperor is a symbol of this country and he doesn't have a political view but it may well be, certainly it was in japanese society, but it may well be, certainly it was injapanese society, there is a lot of talk about whether or not a woman should be allowed to ascend throne and that would be their daughter but when it comes to the role that his

wife will play, she was a high—ranking diplomat. she has a harvard degree. now she is empress of japan. her role harvard degree. now she is empress ofjapan. her role really harvard degree. now she is empress of japan. her role really has harvard degree. now she is empress ofjapan. her role really has read knighted what it could mean to be a woman injapan and also whether or not japanese values should now include that of allowing the woman to sit on the imperial throne stop thank you for that truly historic moment as japan enters this new era. good to hear all of that news from tokyo live. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. the washington post has disclosed that the us special counsel, robert mueller, has complained to the attorney general about the summary of his report. the special counsel was tasked with investigating allegations of collusion between russia and president trump's election campaign. at least 17 houses have been destroyed by a landslide in the city of la paz in bolivia.

this footage shows the moment homes began to disappear in the suburban area known as the "mountain city". authorities evacuated many families and no deaths are reported. argentina's labour unions staged a 24—hour nationwide strike on tuesday to show their anger against president mauricio macri's ongoing austerity policies. the protestors managed to close down roads in the capital, buenos aires as well as partially shutdown government offices, schools, banks and airports around the country. the brazilian singer beth carvalho — known as the godmother of samba — has died in rio dejaneiro. she was 72 and in a career spanning fifty years, beth carvalho celebrated and promoted the work of rio's greatest samba composers. her golden voice helped define the sound of carnival. she recorded more than thirty albums

and won two latin grammys. us tech gaint apple has seen sales of its all—important iphone tumble 17% — a steep fall — while a slowing chinese economy is also taking a big bite out of its profits. so amidst the gloomy news, why did shares rise? eileen burbidge co—founder and partner at passion capital, an early—stage venture capitalfirm, joins me now. lovely to see you again. you've been looking at the numbers. it's how investors react to this. the first time he had done that since 2002.

but that really set the bar low. the results came in just ahead but that really set the bar low. the results came injust ahead of but that really set the bar low. the results came in just ahead of those expectations so he did really good job. that's why the shares actually spiked five sent in after—hours trading. as you say, iphone sales are down. it's quite interesting how things change. apple would exceed expectations. it's actually quite boring. it was all the same old thing. yet their shares would always go down. as you say, there is a chef doubt. they also announced share buyback. giving liquidity to institutional investors. making sure it is managing expectations. iphone sales may decline or growth may decelerate. hey, take a look at what

else we are doing, which is on the services side. both of those areas of our business which grew year—on—year. you are back later on as well. really interesting. we have some great stories to get our teeth into. stay with us on bbc news — still to come: meet bob the duck, and zita the dog, the feathered and furry friends who've become more like family. nothing, it seems, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government help to build better housing. internationally, there have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia

were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year war for them. they've taken the capital, which they've been fighting for for so long. it was 7 o'clock in the morning, the day when power began to pass from the minority to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. you're watching the briefing. our headlines: nicolas maduro makes a defiant speech on venezuelan television, as opposition protests against him continue. cody weddle is a freelance journalist whojoins me from the colombian capital of bogata. until last month he had been

in venezuela, but was arrested by the venezuelan authorities and forces to flee. just give us a sense of where we are right now because you get an impression that this could actually be on the move. certainly felt like that earlier in the day but it feels like we have fallen into another standstill that probably will be temporary. that's because one guaido, he attempted to encourages military rebels —— a billion bombardier remain standing. on the other hand, it is of course revealing the vulnerability of nicolas maduro, there were a handful of factions of military members and also the military members guiding one of the most prominent politicians in the country, guiding him at his home, he was under house arrest. their latin to leave his

home and reappear in the street alongside one guaido. he is now taking refuge in the spanish embassy to avoid persecution. so i think tomorrow will be telling, we are expecting more mass protest tomorrow by guaido. from your perspective, you've been there covering this intense entity were arrested. you're forced to leave. what's happening within the military and the authorities who have to go ahead with the orders of president maduro in terms of dealing with the unrest and protest, where hearing mr potts about what is going on. there are some authorities who are very wary on carrying out disorders of repression. fearing that if there is a change in government they would face the consequences of that. we do know that the head of the political police defected against mick nicolas maduro, he has already appointed a

replacement and it's also clear that the rank and file members of security forces are highly affected by the humanitarian and economic prices as well. a majority of them would like to see a change. but as the top 3000 or so generals within the top 3000 or so generals within the military will really make the decision here. they live comfortable lives but if they feel like there are some time of tipping point — that kind of tipping point, this is going on one guaido ‘s direction, they feel that they need to jump ship in order to protect themselves. one guaido has offered amnesty to any military member who defects and supports him. it could be a critical 24 supports him. it could be a critical 2a hours, we are in their intense monetary could see a change in your view. this hours will be critical, he is not able to make something

happen if he is not able to convince other military generals to commence military phases tojoin other military generals to commence military phases to join this uprising and i think maduro would probably sweep in and have them arrested and if he is arrested, it's ha rd to arrested and if he is arrested, it's hard to see how he would continue leading this movement. for now, his not convincing military generals to —— defect. his play all of his cards here. he comes out of this prevailing and takes down nicolas maduro or he doesn't. it's hard to see how both of them survive this current scenario. see how both of them survive this current scenario. we appreciate your time. a freelance journalist who until recently was in caracas covering the story in venezuela. hello. i'm gavin ramjaun and this is your wednesday sport briefing. first — to the champions league. and ajax have the upper hand, in their semi—final

tie with tottenham. donny van de beek scored their crucial goal with 15 minutes played. the dutch league leaders with that all important away goal at the tottenham hotspur stadium. the win for ajax leaves them with a good chance of making a first final in europe's top tier competition, since 1996. but spurs still feel there is hope. my players i are still thinking the same — are heroes. to be in the situation we need to be in today, we need to give them the full credit. but of course, the first half an hour wasn't the best. under the circumstances that we're fighting, i think we're still alive, in the game and in the tie. at the snooker world championship, judd trump got off to a flyer in his match against stephen maguire. he raced into a 6—0 lead, knocking in a highest break of 131. the tournament favourite took the final frame to lead 7—1, with three centuries along the way.

first to 13 goes through. they'll finish off on wednesday. liverpool face barcelona later in wednesday's champions league semi—final. barcelona have already won la liga with three games to spare, a boost going into the first leg at the camp nou. liverpool are still battling it out with manchester city, in the english premier league title race. liverpool have the better in head to heads — with the teams last playing each other in the champions league 12 years ago. people say barcelona is not barcelona anymore. i mean, yeah, that's a brilliant team here. we're the first year a little bit and the second year a little bit in contention. they are here for nearly 20 years. so it will be so difficult, but i couldn't be more excited about heading over to play. and that's what i hope i can — transport my players, that they feel the same, and then let's play football. later on wednesday we'll hear

the verdict on caster semenya's appeal against the iaaf. the double olympic champion is challenging the athletics governing body over its rules restricting testosterone levels in female runners for track events from the a00m to the mile. it would mean that semenya would either have to take medication to be eligible to compete in the 800m, change events. or move to compete against men. the verdict is expected lunchtime on wednesday. and, fans of motorsport are paying tribute to the former f1 champion ayrton senna, who died 25 years ago today,in san marino's imola circuit. regarded as one of the greats of racing, senna inspired today's generation of formula one stars. lewis hamilton and fernando alonso have spoken of the influence the brazilian had. while michael schumacher had also talked of their rivalry back “119911.

you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport. but from me, gavin ramjaun, and the rest of the team here, that's your wedsnesday sport briefing. let's head to norway now, and a somewhat unusual family relationship. it's a story about a mother and her adopted son. nothing strange there, you might think. but the thing is, the mother has four legs and barks, and the son has two wings and quacks. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. meet bob the duck. a little fellow —— feisty stop is had quite dramatic slight start in life. abounded is a duckling he had to seek out love and affection elsewhere. zita and bob

have the come the best of friends. for more than a month his involving her around which seems perfectly ok as far as zita is concerned. i've never seen as far as zita is concerned. i've never seen anything like this. but what about bob ‘s biological mother? it's not known why she took against her male offspring but monica has tried to engineer attend a reunion on occasions. it seems the rest of the familyjust on occasions. it seems the rest of the family just don't want to know. yet another sad rejection for bob but he knows where he is truly wanted. back with zita. his adopted mother. he is the full duck whose crack is worse than his bite. —— quack. are you aware list? because we have a new emperor injapan very

much in the news today, we are also looking at the soon arrival of a new royal baby. you've sent in many, many comments so we royal baby. you've sent in many, many comments so we will discuss is ina many comments so we will discuss is in a moment. temperatures reaching 19 degrees only going one way through the rest of this week. it will be getting colder everywhere. the area of the cloud producing some shower outbreaks. that is moving very slowly eastwards. we are dragging out cloud across scotland, most of the rain in the south of the country. the rain should have moved away from northern ireland and some sunshine on the way. a much better today for wednesday. that rain there moving over the irish sea away from the isle of man into the westernmost parts of england, perhaps the west midlands, further east, dry. maybe some mist and fog patches early in the morning through lincolnshire and east anglia and the south east. but some brightness and some sunshine and dry here for most of the day. elsewhere we're likely to find

some showers breaking out, especially if it does tend to brighten up there will be a fair amount of cloud around. temperatures not quite as high as they were on tuesday. highest temperatures towards the south—east — 17 or 18. warmer day though for northern ireland, cooler day for northern scotland. here we will have some more showers which could be quite heavy into the evening as well. showers further south tend to fade away and we'll probably find some more breaks in the cloud here and there, not too cold, mind you. lowest temperatures are going to be around five or six degrees, one or two mist and fog patches, perhaps. as we head into thursday, we're going to find whilst there will be some sunshine the cloud will develop, and we're going to find some showers developing, some could be heavy and thundery. wetter weather moving down ascross scotland into the north—east of england, the wind direction beginnning to change as a sign of things to come. temperatures dropping in northern scotland, still further south temperatures of 15 or 16 degrees. by the time we get to friday, we'll see those showers continuing to develop across a good part of england and wales.

the showers are pushing into scotland, those are turning wintry even to some quite low levels as well. temperatures are only six or seven degrees here, highest temperatures toward southern england and wales, 15 degrees. that colder air is going to be pushing down across the whole of the country through friday night, and into the start of the bank holiday weekend. it may well be a bit of frost around as well for the start of the weekend, too. a chilly start, feeling cold in the wind down the eastern side of the uk, where there will be some showers. but on the whole, a lot of dry weather over the weekend. probably by monday, those temperatures beginning to rise.

this is the business briefing, i'm sally bundock. us tech gaint apple sees iphone sales tumble 17%, while china's slowing economy takes a bite out of its profits. the future is private — the words of facebook boss mark zuckerberg, as he tries to make the world's biggest social network more personal. we have a special report from san jose. and on the markets, time to breathe. most are closed in asia, as japan celebrates a new emperor and others are marking labour day. but it will get busy later, as the trade talks in china