this is the briefing, i'm samantha simmonds. our top story: president trump's planned visit to the uk to open the new us embassy has been called off. deadline day. chancellor angela merkel holds more tough talks to find a coalition deal with germany's second—biggest party. new pictures of the terrifying moment a river of mud hit a town in california. the search for the missing goes on. and coming up in the business briefing: open banking revolution. new rules will give consumers control of their own financial data, and challenge the power of the big banks. also: crude comeback. i will be finding out what is behind the recovery in oil prices, as they touch $70 a barrel for the first time in three years. a warm welcome to the programme,

briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. and you can be part of the conversation. tell us what you think. just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. donald trump has abandoned his plans to visit britain next month. the us president had been expected to open the new american embassy in london. british sources have expressed disappointment, but say other options are being looked at later in the year. dan johnson reports. after nearly 60 years flying above

london's grosvenor square, the stars and stripes were lowered this week ready for the opening of the new us embassy. it is a $1 billion building on the southbank, and donald trump was due to officially open it next month. now, we know he won't. some sources say the president did not wa nt to sources say the president did not want to be associated with 0bama period project, late and over budget. 0thers suggest he just didn't fancy the long journey. what about the so—called special relationship? theresa may was the first world leader to reach out, and a return trip, a state visit, no less, was promised soon. but... donald trump's early decisions, like the ban on travellers from certain muslim majority countries, cause protests here and calls to ban him. a petition with 1.8 million signatures. it shouldn't be a state visit as it will be embarrassing to

the queen and also to the rest of the queen and also to the rest of the uk. then the president strained relations further by sharing online videos from the group called britain first. when theresa may condemned, he even retorted. just last weekend she had confirmed the invite still stands. he is taking decisions in the best interests of the united states. and he is coming to this country? he will be coming to this country. the foreign secretary denied the queen would be embarrassed. i think her majesty the queen is well capable of taking this american president or any american president in her stride, as she has done over six remarkable remarkable decades. let's be clear, opening this place would not have been the same as a state visit. it would have been a shorter, less formal trip. beating the queen is still on. no date has been set. sources denied this decision was down to politics, but with donald trump offending more countries with a foulmouthed remark last night, the list of places he is

welcome certainly isn't growing. last night, the list of places he is welcome certainly isn't growinglj wa nt to welcome certainly isn't growinglj want to thank attorney general sessions, . .. peter bowes is our north america correspondent. peter, we have just peter, we havejust had peter, we have just had a tweet in the past few minutes from president trump, his reaction to this, and somewhat of an explanation, perhaps? yes, we have. i am just looking at it on my phone as well and that is really what tweet says. the reason i cancelled my trip to london is i am not a big fan of the 0bama administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in london for peanuts, only to build a new one in an off location for $1.2 billion. bad deal, he says. wa nted $1.2 billion. bad deal, he says. wanted me to cut ribbon. no! so there we have it, from donald

trump's twitter feed. we there we have it, from donald trump's twitterfeed. we have been wondering over the last few hours, ever since we heard this trip was off, what might be the real reason, and lots of speculation, as we had been hearing, of course, that he didn't fancy the long trip. he is heading to the davos summit in switzerland later this month and it would have meant another trip across the atlantic or it might have something to do with the fact that a lot of people expect major protests in the uk if and when this trip goes ahead. so has it come as a bit of a surprise, peter? yes, it has come as a surprise, i suppose, surprise, peter? yes, it has come as a surprise, isuppose, so surprise, peter? yes, it has come as a surprise, i suppose, so late in the day. then you should say nothing comes as a surprise when you are dealing with the trump administration, and indeed donald trump himself, who seems to make decisions often on a whim and at short notice, and very often without his administration officials really knowing the full details as well. we don't know whether that is the case in this instance. we haven't actually heard a lot of detail in terms of the planning of this trip, which was being described as a more

workmanlike trip than the state visit which has been talked about for a long time, ever since he moved into the white house. and we have again heard theresa may extending that invitation. she was the first foreign leader to visit donald trump and the white house, and that is when she invited him to the uk. and of course, it would be quite unprecedented if the leader of the united states visit the uk pretty soon, fairly soon in his presidency. of course, the two countries have this extremely close relationship, and makea this extremely close relationship, and make a lot of that close relationship. and so for them not to bea relationship. and so for them not to be a trip fairly soon, i think that is increasingly unusual. peter, donald trump also making the headlines over some comments he made in the oval office over the last few hours, being described as a foulmouthed outburst. tell us more about that. yes, well, this was a meeting that he was having to discuss immigration and immigration

reform with members of congress from both parties. and during the course of that meeting he said this. he said why are we having all these people from these countries. now, he didn't say these countries, he used a crude expression to describe the countries that he was talking about, haiti, el salvador, and african nations. and he went on to say what do we want haitians here for? why do we wa nt do we want haitians here for? why do we want all these people from africa here? he said we should have people from places like norway. 0f here? he said we should have people from places like norway. of course, he met the prime minister of norway in the white house just a couple of days ago, but it is the tone and especially his use of language that has certainly caused a fire storm of controversy here, with people accusing him of racism. peter, thank you. the german chancellor, angela merkel, is still trying to find a coalition deal with the country's second—biggest party, and has admitted today is going to be a tough day of talks. september's inconclusive elections

left mrs merkel without a majority, and she has struggled to find partners to govern germany. we can now speak to our correspondentjenny hill, from berlin. welcome to you. so today looks like being crunched day. yes, actually last night was supposed to be crunched night, if you like. angela merkel and her negotiating teams had hoped to come to some kind of agreement by close of play yesterday. instead, angela merkel has been up all night trying to negotiate what is in effect the deal of her career, an attempt to form a coalition government with her former coalition government with her former coalition partners, the social democrats, who having already said they would not work with her again, changed their minds. and that is why we have had these talks now. we are told the talks are stuck over two issues at the moment, finance policy, issues over tax, and refugee policy, issues over tax, and refugee policy, which has come back to haunt

angela merkel in these talks. don't forget this is her second attempt to form a stable government for germany. coalition talks with another set of partners collapsed last year. it doesn't leave mrs merkel with many options. it is coming to the 11th hour. she needs to come up with a solution, and all eyes really in germany are on the cdu party headquarters where those negotiations have been going on throughout the night to see what they can potentially come up with this morning. what happens if they can't come up with a deal? there are a range of different scenarios. 0ne of the options is that he might say we need more time to crunch this deal together. the second option is mrs merkel might say if we can't make this coalition work, let's go back and see if we can't go back and talk to our previous coalition partners, and see if we can't get that off the ground again. there is the option of a minority government, thatis the option of a minority government, that is not something which is common in germany, it is not mrs merkel‘s third option. it is not

generally speaking a popular option. so that leaves the prospect of fresh elections. again, that is not something that anyone here really wa nts. m ost something that anyone here really wants. most of the parties involved suspect that the result would be similarto suspect that the result would be similar to that of the september election, and everyone would be back to square one and another coalition government would have to be formed. it doesn't leave mrs merkel in a good place, either, if these talks fail. bear in mind that she led her party to one of its last election results in decades in september. she has failed on one coalition agreement already. if this goes down the pan as well, she is considerably weakened. there is no saying that her party would allow her to lead them into another election. rescuers are using helicopters, search dogs, and thermal imaging equipment to try to find eight people missing in california since the devastating mudslides on tuesday. 17 people are known to have died when a torrent of mud carrying boulders the size of cars smashed through the town of montecito. at least 500 homes have been damaged or destroyed. james cook reports.

turn around! the flash—flood's right there, the flash—flood's right there! get out of here, go! this was the moment it began. oh, my god, mom! and then panic. close the door! it was a million miles an hour, in slow motion, if that makes sense. i clicked into survival gear, survival mode. wake dad up! every second, it's just roaring and banging against the house, and the most vicious, violent sounds you've ever heard. montecito is onlyjust beginning to grasp the scale of the disaster which will bear its name. for this idyllic little town ofjust 9,000 people, recovery will be long and hard. people walk their dogs through here, there's trails, my kids have grown up riding their bikes. noelle strogoff fled with her three children just before the storm,

but many of her neighbours did not. two young boys were swept out of their home, along with their mother, in the middle of the night. and their dog is gone, and they're lucky to be fine. it's just like a war zone here. there's homes that are just missing. and i walk down the street and i see balls, and toys, and bicycles, and shoes and socks, and knives and hammers. and it's like people's lives are just washed to the ocean. much of that debris ended up clogging the main coastal motorway. we were told that the people in this car escaped. above the town, the scorched hills are scarred by rivers of mud. well, the mudslide came roaring down here, sweeping everything before it. and, if you want to know how houses can be swept from their foundations so easily, well, this is the answer. just look at the size of the boulders that were pushed down from the mountains.

to drive through this little town is to be stunned by the power of this mudslide. southern california was once famed for its agreeable climate. these days, it reels from drought, fire and flood. james cook, bbc news, montecito. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news: here in the uk, tomorrow will see the start of a revolution in the way we manage our money. it is known as open banking. under new rules, consumers will be given control of their own financial data, that is currently held by their bank, so they can shop around for a better deal on anything from overdrafts to mortgages and insurance. nina trentmann is from the wall streetjournal. welcome to you, very good morning. just explain how this is going to work, because the uk is the first country in the world to do this,

aren't we? yes, the uk is, as you said, the first country that is now allowing customers to access their data in a way that they have not done so before. the biggest uk banks, at the moment only i think a couple of them will start with that. they are supposed to create some sort of firehose of data which is then allowing the customer to save then allowing the customer to save the third party companies, access my data and give me deals, give me options, what should i be doing with my money. the idea is to create something which is more competitive for customers, which is then allowing them to access financial services and products at a lower cost. because the regulator here in the uk has found out that people are paying too much and not switching their bank accounts often enough, and don't use all the options that are they are in the market. and don't use all the options that are they are in the marketlj and don't use all the options that are they are in the market. i am definitely one of those that have the same bank account for over 20 yea rs. we the same bank account for over 20 years. we will see you later to talk about the other main stories making the news in the papers.

stay with us on the briefing. also on the programme: we will have the latest from our sports team, with analysis and reports from on and off the field. day one of operation desert storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since the second world war. tobacco is america's oldest industry, and it's one of its biggest, but the industry is nervous of this report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. there is not a street that is unaffected. huge parts of kobe were simply demolished as buildings crashed into one another. this woman said she'd been given no help and no advice by the authorities. she stood outside the ruins of her business. tens of thousands of black children in south africa have taken advantage of laws, passed by the country's new multiracial government, and enrolled at formerly white schools. tonight sees the 9,610th performance of her long—running play, the mousetrap.

when they heard about her death today, the management considered whether to cancel tonight's performance, but agatha christie would have been the last person to want such a thing. you're watching the briefing. 0ur headlines: president trump's planned visit to the uk to open the new us embassy has been called off. he does not want to open the new embassy in london which he has described as a bad deal. facing major obstacles — chancellor angela merkel holds more talks to find a coalition deal with germany's second biggest party. czechs go to the polls this weekend, in the first round of the country's presidential election. milos zeman has sought to bring his country closer to russia and china, in his first five—year term, but most of the eight men challenging him want to reaffirm the czech republic's place in europe. there are also grave concerns about his health. from prague, rob cameron has more. the czech republic, a country in the

heart of europe, still unsure of its sovereignty after being divided and conquered for centuries. this weekend, checks are being given a choice, which direction should they be heading? east or west? even in the two's hometown, opinions are divided. translation: i believe in the president the fact he is with russia does not bother me. translation: his stretch to china and russia, the way he goes over there, no,. translation: ithink we should orientate ourselves more to the west than the east. i think there is more of a future for us in there is more of a future for us in the west than the east. despite his health problems, heavy drinking and

chain—smoking, his political allies say he is wise and experienced enough to chart a sensible course. translation: he is a person with his own opinions. he does notjust down from them. he is not a politician that just says what the voter wants to hear or what russell or washington wants to hear. the czech republic is expressing the same burgeoning divide europe is facing asa burgeoning divide europe is facing as a whole and a perception, at least in the countryside, is that prague is disconnected from the lives of normal citizens. a rebate and elitist cafe society. his promise, when he was beginning in his office, was that he would unite the society and he definitely has not done that. he has been really

dividing. it will be a really close election and, judging from the past few months and yes, with donald trump and brexit, i'm afraid the outcome will be that he will stay in office for the next five years. milos zeman says he is pro— european, a federalist even, but advocates preserving the nation's sovereignty and take the exporters from outsiders, especially emigrants. whoever wins the keys to this castle, later negotiate tricky path between closer european integration and ingrained hostility to too much outside influence. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. at wadi al—kharrar injordan thousands of catholics are expected to make an annual pilgrimage to the site on the jordan river where they believejesus was baptised. in mexico city, the un food and agriculture organisation will be hosting its first international forum on hunger and malnutrition in indigenous communities. and for the first time

in saudi arabia, sports stadiums are opening their doors to women to watch football matches. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hi i'm nick marshall—mccormack with your sport briefing for friday where germany's top footballers have thawed out after their winter break and we find out how you go luging without any snow? the bundesliga is back and the friday night game is a cracker. bayern munich travel to bayer leverkusen where they always struggle to win. while the english premier league crammed as many games as possible into their christmas schedule, bayern munich have been taking in some winter sun in qatar. victory later would see them go 1a points clear at the top of the league. translation: two teams who both play

very good football will meet each other in this game. it really packs a punch. they are unbeaten in 12 games. they are young and talented and hungry team with a lot of imagination and that is why the opening match has all the ingredients of making it an attractive and beautiful foot will. —— football. friday 12th january — remember the date. history will be made later in saudi arabia when women will be allowed to attend a professional football match for the first time. until now they've had to watch only on tv. three stadiums in riyadh, jeddah and dammam will have special sections for female fans. chris paul fired the rockets to victory over portland midweek and houston fans will be hoping for a repeat performance when they face phoenix in the nba later. paul's season—high 37 points helped keep the pressure on golden state at the top of the western conference. the rockets are in the hunt for theirfirst nba championship since 1995. two of the nba eastern conferences's

most exciting teams turned on the razzle dazzle in london, as the boston celtics rallied from 22 points down to beat the philadelphia 76—ers by 114 points to 103. the celtics coach said they hoped they showed a little of the character that can make them nba champions. things got "messi" for celta vigo in the copa del rey in spain as lionel messi turned on a masterclass with a double to put him into the top ten all—time scorers in the competition. jordi alba, luis suarez and ivan rakitic also scored to make it 5—1 on aggregate. the draw for the quater finals is later on friday. home favourite branden grace has a share of the lead after the first day of golf‘s south african open. but shot of the day came from jamie donaldson —

a hole in one on the 14th helped him to finish 5 shots off the lead. and you may mave missed these great pictures of lien te—an training for the winter olympics without any ice here he is in taiwan's yilan county where it's more hot and sticky than cold and icy. so he swaps his luge runners for wheels and finds a steep mountain road. lien reaches speeds of over 100 kilometres an hour. not much protection there if he falls — the gravel rash would sting! he's hoping to better than he did at the sochi games where he finished 39th. now, this next story has been huge on social media, including weibo in china. wheelchair—bound lai chi—wai could be the first chinese athlete to win the laureaus world's best sporting award,

after he was nominated for climbing hong kong's lion rock. a car accident left him paralysed hip down in 2011, but now he's become an inspiration to millions. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport. i'm nick marshall—mccormack, and that was your sport briefing for friday. tell me what you think about our talking point today. as president trump cancelled his visit to london, what do you think it means about the special relationship between the uk and the us. he said that he was not a big fan of the obama administration selling off the best uk embassy only to seller. lots of you have been

getting in touch. thomas from ireland says it will not change anything. mr celtic says not buying the word cancelled, he isjust fea rful of the word cancelled, he isjust fearful of public reaction. 400 yea rs fearful of public reaction. 400 years is a long time, and juliana from tennessee says it would not wa nt from tennessee says it would not want this full in my country either. aa man want this full in my country either. a a man from newjaensch saint —— new hampshire, saying he is showing you the greatest honour by not turning up. another says he has failed to understand that one select that he represents all of us. stay with us, more to come. hi there.

i'll be the first one to admit the weather has not been exciting in the last few days. take yesterday, many of us had cloud, mist and fog. just a few cloud breaks, the best of these in south—west england and wales and across western scotland. the and across western scotland. cloud at times low er touch the cloud at times low enough to touch the tallest buildings. the main players on the weather, high pressure and low pressure near greenland. both a mile away from the uk. that is what the weather is not changing very much. mist and fog patches are dotted around. visibility down to 100 metres. the worst of this around somerset. northern ireland and over the hills and the high ground as well. the rest of the day, after cloudy start, brea ks rest of the day, after cloudy start, breaks in the cloud across wales,

parts of south—west england and western scotland and northern ireland. here in eastern england cloud is stubborn. thick enough to occasionally get the odd spot of drizzle. friday evening, the first sign of change in the western areas. a band of rain in northern ireland, swinging into north and western wales and south england. to the east, same old story, cloud and misty with some clearer spots in scotland. temperatures above freezing. for the weekend, this band of rain will become slow—moving. if you find yourself stuck underneath, it might be raining for most of the day on saturday. to the east, greater chance of getting a few breaks. just as the breeze starts to pick upa breaks. just as the breeze starts to pick up a little bit. on sunday, another atlantic front moving from the north—west pushing its way south and east. in the monday, it will

clear at the way and it is then that oui’ clear at the way and it is then that our weather gets more exciting because cold air is swinging right backin because cold air is swinging right back in and that means next week will be colder, windy, perhaps very windy at times and some snow in the north and on heals, and especially on northern hills. this is business briefing, i'm samantha simmonds. open banking revolution. new rules will give consumers control of their own financial data, making shopping around easier, and challenging the power of the big banks. plus: crude comeback. oil hits $70 a barrel for the first time in more than three years. and, on the markets, that recovery in the oil price has helped boost global stock markets, the us closing at yet another record high, and those gains continuing in asia.