this is the briefing — i'm sally bundock. our top story: held in contempt — us democrats vote to officially

condemn the attorney general for refusing to release the full mueller report. another footballing fightback for an english team — tottenham beat ajax to join liverpool in the champions league final. do you pay extra for the environmental impact of air travel? new research from the bbc suggests you probably don't. in business — the not—so—sharing economy. a bumpy ride for uber as drivers demand better pay and conditions — ahead of its 80 billion dollar stock market listing also coming up in the business briefing — trading threats. president trump says china ‘broke the deal‘ and ‘will be paying' — as the two sides prepare for talks in washington

a warm welcome to the programme — briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. what a week for english football — we'd like your reaction — are english teams set to dominate european football again because we pay for some of the best players? tell us what you think. just use #bbcthebriefing. the fight over access to robert mueller‘s report into russian interference in the 2016 us presidential election has escalated. president trump has used special powers to stop democrats getting access to the full uncensored document. the housejudiciary committee has voted to hold the attorney general

of the united states in contempt of congress for refusing to to hand over the full report, or testify before them. here's our north america correspondent, peter bowes. the making of what the democrats say isa the making of what the democrats say is a constitutional crisis. voting alongside party lines, the house judiciary committee which is controlled by the democrats decided to hold the attorney general in contempt. the committee report for a resolution recommending that the house of representatives find william f p barr, attorney general of the united states favourably to the house. the democrats want to see the mueller report in full to investigate possible in structuring of justice by investigate possible in structuring ofjustice by president trump. obstruction of justice. this ofjustice by president trump. obstruction ofjustice. this was a

graven momentous step we were forced to ta ke graven momentous step we were forced to take today to move a contempt citation against the attorney general of the united states. we did not relish doing this but we have no choice. the next step is a vote of the full house of representatives. it is likely to confirm the decision and set the stage for a showdown in the courts. the democrats are also furious that president trump has evoked executive privilege to stop the mueller report being released in its entirety. i can only conclude that the president now seeks to take a wrecking ball to the constitution of the united states of america. for the first time in the history of the united states a president is now exerting executive privilege over every aspect of life. the american people desire information. at a rally, president trump was defiant. almost $40 million, 20

trump haters, angry democrats, after two years, nothing. no collusion. another democrats, we have a great attorney general now and the democrats say we wa nt general now and the democrats say we want more. in a separate development, the president ‘s son donaldjr has development, the president ‘s son donald jr has been ordered to appear before a committee in the senate to a nswer before a committee in the senate to answer more questions related to the writer investigation. it is surprising and significant because the committee is controlled by the republicans. it goes to show that this issue that has dog trump presidency is farfrom this issue that has dog trump presidency is far from over. this issue that has dog trump presidency is farfrom over. eu leaders are converging today on the eu leaders are converging today on the romanian city of sibiu for an informal summit taking place at the city hall. brexit is not on the agenda and the uk prime minister, theresa may, is not attending. the summit, scheduled two years ago, was meant to look at the union's

future after the expected departure of the uk on march 30. but with brexit now delayed until the end of october, can there really be a european summit where no—one is talking about it? our correspondent adam fleming is in sibiu. what will they discuss? many people say that this particular summit is very heavy on symbolism but may be very heavy on symbolism but may be very light on substance.” very heavy on symbolism but may be very light on substance. i think thatis very light on substance. i think that is a good summary. the buildup to the summit has been more interesting than the summit itself may prove to be because the president of the european commission first dreamt up the idea two years ago and he wanted to be on saturday march 30, the day after the uk's scheduled departure date until some people pointed out that was a little bit triumphalist in the eu should not be celebrating the fact that one of its members had wanted to quit.

so it was moved to today, may nine, a public holiday in much of the eu to celebrate the existence of the eu and now the uk's departure has been delayed until october. still, theresa may has not interned up so this will still be a space for the remaining 27 leaders to talk about what they want to do with the eu once the uk finally leaves at whatever point that happens. i think today we will get a declaration that will be general, principles of the eu going forward. and then they will look at the blue print called a strategic agenda that will set out all the priorities until 2024 that will include things like developing the eu's single market and developing the role in the of the eu as an actor in the world stage. many would argue that their workers cut out for them. the parliamentary elections are not far away at all the many look at the eu and say they are internally —— internally divided on so many issues including

immigration. there is a waiver popular is across the region. that is another point of the symbolism of this. the 27 leaders getting together and showing a united front that they believe in the project. and you do not get any of the bad quys and you do not get any of the bad guys here. there is no right wing leaders, this is the eu elite talking about the looping for the future and they want to make this into a springboard for the eu parliamentary elections because hundreds of millions of people across europe will vote at the end of this month for their meps. one other thing on the agenda today that i think will end up probably being the most interesting thing for the people in the eu bubble is the process for nominating a new round of topjobs in process for nominating a new round of top jobs in the eu. process for nominating a new round of topjobs in the eu. because process for nominating a new round of top jobs in the eu. because the president is retiring in october and there will also be a new high representative for foreign policy appointed and a new head of the

central bank, new president of the parliament and also of the european council. a lot of new names to get our head around. for now, thank you very much. sports fans — we have our usual sport briefing a little later in the programme — but there's one event which deserves more attention this morning. it's the dramatic european champions league semi final between tottenham hotspur and ajax. it comes just a day after an amazing comeback by liverpool to beat barcelona in their semi final. it means there will be an all—english champions league final in madrid on the 1st ofjune for the first time in over ten years. spurs were 3—0 down on aggregate with just 35 minutes left but then, the brazilian lucas moura scored a hat—trick — the last goal deep into injury time to send tottenham through on away—goals. georgina smyth has been looking

at some of the reaction after the game. an unbelievable win on the field, utterjubilation everywhere an unbelievable win on the field, utter jubilation everywhere else. these were the scenes in the changing room. now viral online.. these were the scenes in the changing room. now viral online. # i believe that everybody feels the way that i do about you now... also popular, the reaction of rio ferdinand. fans outside the stadium we re ferdinand. fans outside the stadium were delighted. we have done it. and now going to do liverpool. this is payback for 1962. when did they score? the payback for 1962. when did they score ? the 90th payback for 1962. when did they score? the 90th minute stop i said that was when we needed a goal. unbelievable. i have never cried over football before but this time i did. prince william also had

his say on the kensington palace twitter account looking forward to an old english champions league final and congratulating tottenham on another great comeback. they meet liverpool in madrid next month. fans are desperately booking flights and accommodation to the city which have skyrocketed since the win. for those desperate enough, it is just a 17 point five hour drive from london. and we will have more on that later in the sports briefing. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. the second most senior official in venezuela's national assembly — edgar zambrano — has been arrested by the country's main intelligence agency. mr zambrano live—tweeted as his car was surrounded by the secret police. he is accused of treason by the supreme court. the opposition claim the allegations are false and that he's been kidnapped. a un official has warned a lack of health funding in gaza could lead to hundreds of palestinians shot by israel having to undergo amputations

in the next two years. weekly palestinian protests at the border between gaza and israel have resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries pushing the health system to the limit. the former brazilian president, michel temer, has been ordered back to prison ahead of his trial for bribery and corruption, and leading a criminal organisation. he was detained in march, but denied all wrongdoing and his lawyers argued successfully there was no need for him to stay injail. that ruling has now been reversed. let's focus now on one of our stories, goober, focusing on its share —— one

of our stories, uber. the float of shares could make millions possibly billions. but on wednesday drivers staged protests in cities across the us as well as here in the uk over what they see as unfair pay and conditions. according to one us think tank, average driver earnings after cost is barely $9 an hour. with me is tara reeves, partner at omers ventures europe. good morning to you. there is so much attention and excitement about the uber market flotation on friday night, you know, drivers saw this as a key time to get their message across full dog absolutely. and it is interesting because in the prospectus for the ipo, one of the risks highlighted was driver strikes. the ipo was being priced towards the lower end point of the range, still a huge amount of

money. it is massive. $80 billion is huge but when they first began to discuss the idea, many valued it at $120 billion, that sort of valuation. this is a disruptor that has disrupted worldwide. one of the reasons why we have seen a drop in the possible share price listing todayis the possible share price listing today is because of the result of a similar company, lyft. if goober was posted the same valuation as lyft todayit posted the same valuation as lyft today it would raise 65 billion instead of 80 billion. the difference is that uber has global reach and a few delivery business. lyft is the right sharing app that you can use in the us but uber is global. when i say a disruptor, everywhere it has been around the world it has faced legal issues and all sorts of problems as cities around the world have had to get used to uber. and what is

interesting to me is that the taxi workers are supporting this strike after yea rs of workers are supporting this strike after years of being extremely anti— uber but they are striking in solidarity with uber drivers. he'll be back later for solidarity with uber drivers. he'll be back laterfor our news briefing. so much to discuss, not least the royal baby and the football. more reaction to tottenham's amazing fight back in which leads them to join liverpool in the final of the champions league. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterand. but the tunnel is still not yet ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now, the pope's

visit symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes. memories of victory as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. you're watching the briefing. our headlines: the us housejudiciary committee votes to hold attorney general william barr in contempt after he refuses to turn over the full mueller report. another footballing fightback for an english team. tottenham beat ajax to join liverpool in the champions league final.

bbc research has found that only a small fraction of people travelling by plane are choosing to pay extra to offset their carbon footprint. that's despite jet fuel creating millions of tons of carbon dioxide which further add to the problem of climate change and scientists warning that we've got less than 12 years to avoid a climate catastrophe. laura foster reports. over 4 billion passengers fly every year. at bristol airport this lot are year. at bristol airport this lot a re pretty year. at bristol airport this lot are pretty excited for their trips. but have any of them ever heard of carbon offsetting? no, never, no, never. i have. they just carbon offsetting? no, never, no, never. i have. theyjust don't know where you go to buy that. no. as a really good idea. people will be able to feel less guilty about flying. what is carbon offsetting, exactly? well, it is where you try to balance your share of

emissions from yourflight, to balance your share of emissions from your flight, you to balance your share of emissions from yourflight, you pay to balance your share of emissions from your flight, you pay extra, that money goes to environment all projects which reduce carbon dioxide. each passenger a return flight dioxide. each passenger a return flight from london and south africa are the co2 emissions are roughly the same as those produced from heating your home for one year. balancing out these emissions would add around $26 to your fare, depending on the scheme. when flying shorter distances from say london to spain return, the emissions for each passenger are less, about one fifth of what is produced for heating your home for one year. it will cost roughly $5 to offset. that money is spent on things like solar panels, planting trees, and capturing methane gas. bbc research shows that half the world's biggest airlines offer customers the chance to offset their carbon footprint. even then, u pta ke their carbon footprint. even then, uptake is low. philip most less than 196. uptake is low. philip most less than 1%. it's a good idea but is not working. though you can offset through independent websites, professor neil harris believes governments and allies need to do

more. all opt in schemes tend to have low take—up, whether his kidney donation or whatever. so having it as opt in does not secondly, think there is a lack of clarity what the scheme is and so you want to know that your money is being well spent. and, thirdly, some people willjust be trying to save costs. but what about the airlines themselves? well, if they increase their emissions after 2020 those will have to be offset. but it's not the only thing that can help reduce the impact of your flight that can help reduce the impact of yourflight on that can help reduce the impact of your flight on the environment. choosing a direct flight, rather than with a stopover, a lot of the emissions are produced during ta keoff emissions are produced during takeoff and landing. as your airline wisely. some are more efficient than others. even small things like taking less baggage, because the highway the more fuel you use. taking less baggage, because the highway the more fuelyou use. some say carbon offsetting doesn't go far enough and that people need to fly less stop others feel offsetting is better than doing nothing. laura foster, bbc news, bristol airport. now it's time to get all the latest

from the bbc sports centre. hello, i'm tulsen tollett, and this is your thursday sport briefing, where we start with the quite remarkable news that a lucas moura goal five minutes into stoppage time handing him a hatrick, has ta ken tottenham through to the champions league final, where they'll play liverpool in an all—english affair. spurs won 3—2 on the night in amsterdam, taking them through on the away goals rule with the semi—final tie finishing 3—3 on aggregate leaving the hosts stunned and mauricio pochettino's club into a first ever european cup finalfor which he paid tribute to his players. isaid i said before, they are heroes. i've told you in the last six months. i think i repeat these sentences. i think i repeat these sentences. i think they are superheroes. to vote the club to the final of champions league, i think is very close to a miracle. at the madrid open, japanese world

number one naomi osaka is through to the quarter—finals after she eased past bela russian aliaksandra sasnovich 6—2, 6—3. osaka pulled out of the semi—finals in stuttgart last month with an abdominal injury and in the last eight, the two—time major champion will face switzerland's belinda bencic. later on thursday, chelsea welcome eintracht frankfurt to stamford bridge in the second leg of their europa league semifinal. the west london outfit are level at 1—1 after the opening match in germany and have already qualified for next season's champions league thanks to a guaranteed top four finish in the premier league but they're not letting up. this is a massive opportunity for us to have a chance to win a trophy. so that would be, think it would be stupid to go into the game with a relaxed manner, because they are a

top team. we felt that in the last leg. so it will definitely be a tough game, but we want to win. while arsenal travel to the east coast of spain and a second leg with valencia holding a 3—1 lead after the opening game in north london, the gunners manager unai emery was in charge at the mestalla for four seasons but later won the europa league three times with sevilla. the british masters tees off shortly. it's being hosted by tommy fleetwood at his local course in southport on the north—west coast of england. he was the european tour champion two years ago and stepped in to help stage the event as it struggled to attract a sponsor. it's so important to keep those events. the british masters has been a huge event on the toua for a long time. it had a few years off and then came back. it's done an amazing job. it's really, really important to keep these events going. in the nba, the toronto raptors can advance to the eastern conference finals for the second time in four seasons, with a victory in game six at philadelphia on thursday night.

kawhi leonard led the raptors to victory in game five on tuesday, with 21 points and 13 rebounds as his side beat the 76ers125—89 to take a 3—2 lead. and we may have a social media first — a squad announcement via celebrity twitter. some big names revealed the players selected for the england squad for the women's world cup. prince william, david beckham, and emma watson were among those who used their twitter feed to reveal a name at a time for the tournament that kicks off in france next month. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport. but from me, tulsen tollett, and the rest of the team that is your thursday sport briefing. al thanks. almost three—quarters of the world's great rivers are no longer free flowing — that's according to the first ever in depth report carried out by scientists. the study says that these rivers have been severed by dams, reservoirs or other manmade constructions

as ramzan karmali reports. the world's largest hydro—power project, the three gorges dam. it spans the entire yangtze river in china. it may be a major feat of engineering excellence, but according to the first—ever in—depth studies into long rivers, it has come at a cost. the yangtze is just one of those rivers 1,000 kilometres in length or longer that isn't free—flowing. that means it had some kind of construction that interrupts the flow. experts are worried about the impact this may have on earth's biodiversity. they provide valuable contributions to nature as well as human beings and we need to do a betterjob to protect these rivers going onto the future, looking out more than 4000 dams planned or under consideration worldwide. currently there are two billion people who rely on rivers

as a source of drinking water. and 12 million tons of fish are caught from them each year. the worry for some scientists though, around 500 million people live near river deltas, which they say are sinking as dams starve them of sediments. and the problem is being acutely felt in europe, just two of 14 great rivers in europe that once flowed freely into the sea still do so. the danube is one of the most fragmented rivers, something that is common in populated areas. other fragmented rivers include the nile, the euphrates, the missouri, and the darling in australia. areas where free—flowing rivers haven't been impacted in include remote regions of the arctic, the amazon and the congo. hydroelectric power may be significantly cleaner in terms of emissions than oil, gas or coal, but the study warns that when building new dams, planners should be aware of the environment impact they may have. ramzan karmali, bbc

news. we have so much more to come in the briefing, including all the business stories, of course. but let'sjust bring in some comments from you about the football. we were asking at the beginning of the programme for your views on whether english football teams will now dominate in europe in the future and is that really about the money, what's been paid to the players and the fact that we can attract some of the best players in the world because we pay them so much money? one view, they say it is too early to say. english teams would have to win on a regular basis as in the 1970s and 1980s to save us basis as in the 1970s and 1980s to save us all. keep your views coming let us know your thoughts — use the hashtag bbcthebriefing. eye will see you soon. hello there. wednesday was a thoroughly wet, cold, windy day for many areas.

further south we did see the sunshine appear through the afternoon, but that gave way to showers and some thunderstorms with hail. all courtesy of this area of low pressure pushing off into the new content in the north sea. as weather fronts continue to plague us with further cloud and outbreaks of rain to start this morning. where we have the cloud atlas cold start. chilly across northern scotland, with the frost out of town. further south it will be a relatively damp day with further outbreaks of rain. tending to become a shower into the afternoon for northern ireland, southern scotland, towards the midlands. some of these could turn out to be heavy in the afternoon. 14-15 out to be heavy in the afternoon. 14—15 likely. still out to be heavy in the afternoon. 14-15 likely. still chilly out to be heavy in the afternoon. 14—15 likely. still chilly alonso north sea coasts. as we head on into friday, press enter north sea —— along north sea coasts. that will generate further showers through them friday. mainly central and northern areas. across the south we

will see the best of the sunshine. because stay dry altogether, in fa ct, because stay dry altogether, in fact, across the south—west. temperature is 15—16. notice that temperatures reaching double figures for most areas. a touch warmer than what we have seen. into the weekend, high pressure begins to build in to the west of the uk across the atlantic. it will be quite chilly to start the weekend, but slowly, as high pressure moves east was, we should start to import some warmer southerly winds. it is a drying trend through the weekend although saturday could be quite showery. slowly it will be turning warmer, especially as we head into next week. this is the picture for saturday. a chilly start in those northern winds. sunshine around. and showers could develop. more eastern areas affected by these. the best of the sunshine further west. and in the sunshine further west. and in the sunny spots in the west we could make 16— 17 degrees. a similar story on sunday. a fairly cool start. dry with lots of sunshine. cloud cadantu build—up at times into the afternoon. the best of the sunshine

central and western areas —— cloud could continue to build up. 18 degrees and the warmest spots. high pressure really establishes itself. looks like it will be dry, increasing sunshine, and should turn warmer. temperatures into the low 20s celsius.

this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. trading threats. president trump says ‘china broke the deal‘ and ‘they will be paying‘ — as the two sides prepare for the latest round of talks in washington. plus— the not—so—sharing economy. a bumpy ride for uber as drivers demand better pay and conditions ahead of its $80 billion stock market listing. and on the markets — trade tensions push asian markets lower. hong kong is now down almost 296. hong kong is now down almost 2%.