Oui Her Royal Status for love. Live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc news it is newsday. Hello, everyone. It is 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 7pm in Washington Dc where a special prosecutor has been appointed to lead investigations into russian interference in last years residential election. He is Robert Mueller, serving as fbi chief in 2001 2013, and the mueller, serving as fbi chief in 2001 2013, and the news comes as donald trump is accused of trying to getjames donald trump is accused of trying to get james comey and, donald trump is accused of trying to Getjames Comey and, another former head of the fbi, to drop a probe into link between his former National Security adviser and the russians. For the latest, lets cioss russians. For the latest, lets cross over russians. For the latest, lets cross over to washington, and the bbcs laura bicker. How is this appointment is seen by democrats and republicans . Well, Donald Trumps political opponents have long been arguing for a special prosecutor. They have believed, certainly since the sacking of the former fbi director, james comey, that any new head of the fbi couldnt be trusted to be entirely impartial or independent when it came to investigating links between Donald Trumps alleged links between him and russia. They said that the new head of the fbi would investigate the man who appointed him. Also, there have been concerns about the various investigations going on within congress, within the house and the senate, many of which have become mired in partisan politics, bickering between republicans and democrats. This evening, leading democrats have reacted. You have had the House Democrat leader nancy pelosi who said she is pleased by the naming of a special prosecutor. She calls Robert Muller a respected Public Servant and Chuck Schumer said special council is very much needed and they will have significant confidence the investigation will follow the facts wherever they lead. The Deputy Attorney general issued a statement and said the Appointment Ofa Statement and said the appointment of a special prosecutor doesnt necessarily mean that crimes have been committed, although there is a need for prosecution. But he said that there should give the American Public confidence in any outcome and that, and therein, lies the reason for this decision taken this evening. So, laura, what will the scope of mr mullers investigation cover . Well when you look at the papers around this investigation, it says any alleged links between russias meddling in the us election and any links to that now, that will also probably take in the alleged links between the Trump Campaign and russia, but the question being asked tonight is whether or not it will include what you mentioned earlier this revelation that happened just 2a hours ago, that james revelation that happened just 2a hours ago, thatjames comey, the former head of the fbi, has a memo which states after a private conversation with donald trump that the president asked him to drop an investigation into his National Security advisor and his alleged links to russia. Now, no one has seen this memo. Three separate Senate Committees have asked to see the memo and there is also calls for james comey to testify next week. So, the question is whether all of that will also be included within the scope of this investigation. Laura bicker In Washington, thank you for the update. So, Robert Mueller will investigate the alleged russian interference in the alleged russian interference in the us election. Before the latest development that we heard laura and Robert Mueller talking laura and rico talking about. President putin has weighed in, he said he would be happy to provide a transcript of the conversation which took place between his Foreign Minister and donald trump in the oval office. He also said that the us reaction was verging on political schizophrenia. Well, our moscow correspondent has more. Well, you cant help feeling that the kremlin is loving all of this, because, as the Us Administration staggers from one crisis to another, all seemingly linked to moscow, russia is sitting back and watching a political rival tear itself apart. And as for his offer to provide a transcript of the trump lavrov meeting, to provide to the senate, i dont think the kremlin seriously believes that if russia provides a transcript that this would go away. It is another attempt to have a Go At America while the scandal is swirling around the white house. Let Ta Ke Let Take A Pause From American Politics and look at france because the elected french president has unveiled his cabinet, and he is living up to his promise to represent the entire political spectrum. A Manual Macron has collected Sylvie Goullard to defence, the highest ranked woman. Also putting former socialist and conservatives into key positions. Chelsea manning, the army private who leaked thousands of diplomatic documents to wikileaks, has been released from a Military Prison in kansas. She posted this picture of herfeet on kansas. She posted this picture of her feet on instagram ansett first steps of freedom. She was expected to be injailfor decades but president obama commuted the sentence. Now, this is the king of the netherlands, he is called willem alexander, looking very regal here during an important visit but he has revealed he has been secretly flying commercial passenger aircraft. A p pa re ntly commercial passenger aircraft. Apparently for the last 21 years he flew twice a month as a co pilot with klm. Unbelievable. He says he was rarely recognised while in uniform. And these are images of catholic devotees taking part in a religious festival in the northern philippines. They are dancing to worship the painter and saint of fertility. This procession begins and ends in the town of dando at the 263 Year Old Church where the priestsjoin the 263 Year Old Church where the priests join the parishioners 263 Year Old Church where the priestsjoin the parishioners in 263 Year Old Church where the priests join the parishioners in the dancing. Pairton saint. And islamic sword in indonesia has ordered two men to be given 85 strokes of a cane in public for having gay sex. Homosexuality is not illegal in the country but the region of aceh was granted special rights to introduce its own islamic laws decades ago. The pair were found by vigilantes in march. The sentence handed down on wednesday was condemned by human Rights Groups and activists. John hammond is a Journalist Injakarta who has written widely on the subject of sharia law in indonesia. He told me why gay sex is not permitted in the aceh region. It is the only region of indonesia that actually operates with sharia law. Since 2014, gay sex has been formally illegal and it can be punished by up to 100 canes per act. According to Human Rights Watch a total of 339 people were caned in aceh in 2016 on charges of moral indecency. Thats right. It is a lot of people. In a relatively small province. And, when i was there a few months ago, a lot of people from aceh dont like the system. And what they feel is when people are caned it doesnt just they feel is when people are caned it doesntjust hurt a lot but it is publicly humiliating because they are being flogged in front of eve ryo ne are being flogged in front of everyone they have ever met. People are taking videos and it is just really embarrassing. Afterwards it is hard to go on with life because you have to reintegrate into society that just treated you you have to Reintegrate Into Society Thatjust treated you like this. You have to reintegrate into society that just treated you like this. And in an article you have written, you say that there has been a rise of hardline islamist say that there has been a rise of ha rdline islamist groups. Say that there has been a rise of hardline islamist groups. Why has this contributed to the ruling on wednesday . Yes, it is a good question. The thing is aceh pozzo politics are pretty independent from jakartas politics or the politics of broader intermission. It is hard to link the unfortunate sentence handed out to these young men to broader social conservative s in indonesia. Currently, gay sex is legal in Indonesia Outside of aceh. There is a case before the Constitutional Court in indonesia that would make all Sex Outside Of Marriage illegal including gay sex because gay marriage is not legal in indonesia. And how vocal are the aceh people regarding this . Well, the aceh people dont play a huge role in national politics. Many National Political figures, including many hardline islamist figures regularly visit aceh and use aceh as an example of what indonesia could be. So, while it is not necessarily the acehnese pushing their system on the rest of indonesia, many conservative islamist indonesians elsewhere look at aceh as a model. Apologies for the sound issues. We are going to turn to a story of love, where japans princess maker, the oldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, will marry a former university classmate. That means she is giving up Her Royal Status for love. It is putting pressure on the ever shrinking royalfamily love. It is putting pressure on the ever shrinking royal family as love. It is putting pressure on the ever shrinking royalfamily as laura westall reports. And i have to warn you that the report contains flash photography. As the first grandchild of the emperor of japan, Princess Mako as the first grandchild of the emperor ofjapan, Princess Mako is used to posing for the cameras. But soon she will be giving up Her Royal Status. The reason Princess Mako is marrying this man, a man who works in a tokyo law firm and is known as a commoner. The couple met five years ago at university. The closest he came to royalty is starring in an ad on tourism. Translation it is very nice to hear it because there is a lot of bad news. Translation i hope they met one of the happiest families in japan. Unlike his granddaughter, Emperor Akihito was allowed to ascend the throne despite having married the daughter of a wealthy businessman. His engagement nearly 60 years ago to Nichiko Shoda shocked traditionalists. She was the first, no to marry into the japanese royal family. Akihito set out to modernise the old traditions including insisting on bringing up their children themselves. But some traditions remain in place. Under current japanese law, women cannot be imperial success, so if akihito was to retire, and lawmakers are considering allowing this, Princess Mako cannot take his place. The news of this latest engagement has reignited the debate of whether to allow women to stay in the imperial family after marrying a common. , now. It is a Step Conservatives in the country fear moves towards allowing women to inherit the throne commoner. Out of 19 royalfamily members, 14 are women. And so, as another princess marries, the royal family continues to shrink. Youre watching newsday on the bbc, live from london and singapore. Still to come on the programme how there is Market Uncertainty in the us and elsewhere. The pope was shot, the pope will live. Thats the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an Italian Television commentator put it, terrorism has come to the vatican. The man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. Winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentenced to six years injail. The judge told mrs mandela there was no indication she felt even the slightest remorse. The Chinese Government has called for an all out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake, the worst to hit the country for 30 years. The computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion, gary kasparov. It is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning World Champion in a classical chess match. Americas first legal same sex marriages have been taking place in massachusetts. God bless america this is newsday on the bbc. Im rico hizon in singapore. Im kasia madera in london. Our top stories a special prosecutor, Robert Mueller, is appointed to investigate russian inteference in the us elections, while president mr trump complains about his treatment by the media. An Islamic Court in the indonesian province of aceh has ordered two men to be given 85 strokes of a cane in public for having gay sex. Two british men have been arrested in bangkok for allegedly selling on line access to illegally streamed football broadcasts. They are accused of causing damages worth more than 100 million baht, £2. 2 million, to the broadcast rights holders. That story is popular on bbc. Com. Lets take a look at some front pages from around the world. The french paper, le figaro, reports on new president macrons new government. The papers headline notes that mr macron is en marche, the name of his party, toward the centre right with appointments from his political opponents. The Philippine Daily Inquirer leads with the story that china has installed Rocket Launchers on fiery cross reef, one of the disputed South China Sea islands. It says the Defence System has been set up to ward off vietnamese divers. The reef is also claimed by taiwan and the philippines. And the moscow times features a Special Report that russias military build up in the arctic is spooking its neighbours. Under the headline, frozen conflict Russias Arctic expansion, is a dramatic picture of a soldier decked out in white and grey arctic camouflage. Now, kasia, we know the internet is all about cat stories, but one particular cat has really got people talking on line. It certainly has, and, rico, when you see this moggy, youll understand why its trending. Meet omar, from melbourne, in australia. Omar is a whopping 120cm long. And this super sized feline could be the worlds longest domestic cat. He found fame after his owner, stephy hirst, started his own instagram account. The Guinness World records then asked ms hirst for his measurements. The Current Record holder is a 118cm long cat from West Yorkshire in the uk. Omar weighs 14 kilograms and eats human grade kangaroo meat. Do you like big cats or smaller ones . I like smaller ones as they are easier to cuddle. Apparently she cannot pick her one up. Now back to our main story, the appointment of former fbi boss, Robert Mueller, as a special prosecutor to oversee a us investigation into russias alleged interference in the president ial election. We heard the latest from Washington A Short while ago. But how do Donald Trumps supporters feel about the recent cascade of negative reports . The bbcs nada tawfik has been to nashville, tennessee, to find out. In nashville, it is the twang of a guitar that moves this music city. Unlike washington, politics is not the topic in the bars. In the capital of country music, the tunes belt out the concerns of the everyday american, paying bills and finding love to be those who voted for donald trump brush off the image ofa for donald trump brush off the image of a white house in crisis. They view the headlines as simply noise. You cannot tell me that all of these lea ks and you cannot tell me that all of these leaks and comments in the press come through daily and hourly not because they are trying to subvert this president. The near daily revelations, including how possibly the president of the feared into the election with russia, do not raise flags with voters. Interfered. Obviously we care about whether he is colluding with russians and influencing elections. But if hard evidence comes out about this we will have to reassess. But in terms of donald trump, donald trump is doing exactly what he has done for the last year, and people love him for that. When you speak to Donald Trumps most ardent supporters, their views on him have not changed. Instead, they are convinced that the co nsta nt instead, they are convinced that the constant lea ks instead, they are convinced that the co nsta nt lea ks a nd instead, they are convinced that the constant lea ks and revelations instead, they are convinced that the constant leaks and revelations or of a effort to undermine his presidency. This man posts a conservative radio show about those who do not believe the Mainstream Media and only cares about promises from donald trump. If he does not do what he said he would do in the Campaign Like lowering taxes, there will be trouble. These hockey fans are wrong pins and needles about whether the National Team will reach the cup. On pins. Whether the National Team will reach the cup. On pins. The media are all democrats and left wingers and they dont want to see him in america do well. It is all lies. The media most of the time blows things out of proportion. There are always two sides to the story. His trust is taking a hit, but there is no erosion of his base. They feel empowered by his presidency, and his defiance. Nada tawfik, bbc news, nashville. So, Trump Supporters are Still Standing by their man. But the recent turmoil In Washington is having an impact beyond the world of politics. Rico, were seeing repercussions on the stock markets. Theyve had their worst day of the year so far. That is right. Controversies in the white house are making investors very nervous. The Dowjones Industrial Index suffered its biggest one day fall since trump was elected last november. It ended the day down by 1. 8 per cent. The us dollar is also feeling the heat, its at its lowest level against the yen since april and a six month low versus the swiss franc. New zealand and australia are also down in negative territory. Our bbc Business Correspondent says us investors are worried that mounting distractions will undermine efforts by the Trump Administration to cut taxes and boost infrastructure spending. Worries about european politics and north korea have now taken a back seat. The us Earnings Season is mostly over, so its all about global stocks being hurt by the trump crisis. Japan and south korea will open Trading Doors in 30 minutes. We are expecting another negative day for key asian markets. Politics and north korea. They have taken a back seat. Well, those are the markets and what we can expect for today. Earlier this week a Congressional Committee in the philippines unanimously voted down a motion to impeach president rodrigo duterte. Mr duterte was accused of abusing power by endorsing the extrajudicial killings of Drug Traffickers and even suspected drug users. But despite his controversial policies, he still commands considerable support in the philippines. The bbc went to speak to some of his followers, to find out why. People in the philippines dedicated to president rodrigo duterte. Thank you for watching newsday. I know many gardeners in england wanted some rain but i suspect some of those gardens may be water logged now after what happened during wednesday. Coningsby in Lincolnshire One of the wettest places. Soaking rain. All day rain for some. Looking at the totals. Coningsby, 40 millimetres. Many of you had 20 40 millimetres of rain. North west england stayed dry. A few showers in Northern Ireland in scotland. This is the wet weather maker. Behind that, thursday, sunshine and showers to be humidity during wednesday. But a fresher feel. But it will feel warm where you get the Sunshine After The Rain on wednesday. Cloud to start the day in parts of east anglia in south east england. Brightening up elsewhere. Blue skies from the word go. Showers developing through the morning. Dry for this stage in the morning. The Channel Islands will brighten up. Lots of blue sky across the midlands, wales, Northern England, but there is still a chance of finding an isolated showers. Wales and north west england even at this stage have that. Northern ireland, take the umbrella. Showers developing from the word go in scotland. Isolated at this stage to be through the day, Northern Ireland sees showers developing. Heavy and thundery downpours are possible in places. The risk of hail. Showers developing in scotland, especially in the north. The afternoon, the odd shower for Northern England and wales. A late stage shower in the midlands. East anglia and the south east, mainly dry. It will feel dry when there is sun. Cooler when there is a shower. Thursday night and friday. Cloudy outbreaks of rain affecting the east of england in particular. Uncertainty about the position of this. It may end up in scotland towards the end of friday. Much needed rain in some spots, especially if it goes into scotland. Cool underneath that. If you avoid that, sunshine and showers over the weekend. Pleasant in the sunshine. The showers could be heavy. Fresh feeling days and chilly nights. Some of the showers continue through thursday evening. Thursday night and friday morning, another area of rain in the east of england. During friday, that could move across more of the uk, england and scotland, through the days. Uncertainty about the weather system. Keep checking the weather system. Keep checking the forecast. Elsewhere, on friday, showers. Temperatures into the midteens. Cool where you have any persistent rain rather than showers. Low pressure close by into the weekend. Ran in parts of scotland to begin saturday. Pleasant in the sunshine. Cool in the showers. It could be heavy. Fresh feeling days and chilly night. Iam i am kasia madera. The top story. The Us Department ofjustice has awarded a special prosecutor to lead the investigation into russian interference in last years president ial election. He is former head of the fbi Robert Mueller. He will consider any collusion between russia and the donald Trump Campaign team. An Islamic Court in the province of aceh has made two men suffer lashes for being homosexual. And two british men have been arrested in bangkok for allegedly selling on line access to football broadcasts. They caused 2. 5 million worth of losses to rod casting companies