this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top story: theresa may continues her diplomatic trip to china — but the shadow of brexit still looms large. a controversial memo that claims the fbi is biased against donald trump is expected to be published later. aiming to support education in developing countries — a high—level summit is opening in senegal. 2.1 billion friends and counting — and more profit than ever. but facebook users are spending less time on the network. also in business we'll be live in delhi as india's finance minister presents the budget. 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. there's plenty of reaction to formula one's decision to axe the glamorous "grid girls". so what do you think? is this progress or political correctness gone mad 7 just use #bbcthebriefing. the fbi has grave concerns about the accuracy of a confidential memo that alleges bias in thejustice department against president trump. the white house is expected to publish the memo later today. the democrats claim the document is an attempt to discredit the fbi's investigation into russian meddling in the us elections. our washington correspondent david willis has more. the fbi, in a rare statement, has

said it does not think it is a good idea for this memo to be released, expressing grave concerns over what it says are omissions which therefore render the document itself inaccurate. the democrats say the memo is selective and is aimed, by the republicans, at discrediting the investigation that has been undertaken into collusion, russian pollution in the 2016 election by the special counsel robert mueller. 0bviously the special counsel robert mueller. obviously the department ofjustice and the fbi feel that this is an extraordinarily reckless step to ta ke extraordinarily reckless step to take because the information has not been vetted and we have not been able to do research on the sources and methods. while that analysis is

supposed to go on, they say the president has not read the memo. releasing that memo might be a pretext for donald trump to sack the special prosecutor robert mueller and the man who appointed him, the deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein. the danger for all of this, aside from the obvious dangers to the intelligence process, is that it sends a message to the white house that they can fire rob rosenstein and they can fire robert mueller, and there are g 0 pence members that are so vested in his presidency that they will roll over -- gop. that presidency that they will roll over —— gop. that would cause a constitutional crisis. the white house has to sign off on its release. there are reports it is looking to do so, possibly as early as later today, thursday. david

willis, based in washington. more detail on that story on our website. theresa may has signalled she'll oppose a proposal made by the european union to ensure full residency rights for eu citizens who move to the uk during the transition period after brexit. the prime minister, who's visiting china, said the british people had not voted in the eu referendum "for nothing to change". let's cross live now to beijing and speak to our correspondent stephen mcdonell. he is keeping track of her trip. good to see you. wherever she goes she is going to be grilled about the terms of leaving the european union. this one puts her at odds with brussels, doesn't it? indeed. i think some people will see this as a sign of nervousness on her part. you

come to china, you are speaking to the top two leaders in this very powerful country with the potential to sign huge deals which will affect britain's economy and yet you are speaking to reporters about brexit still. i think it shows the concern on her part, back at home, over this, over the details of this brexit deal. and, you know, ithink it will be seen by some as getting tough and standing up for britain, et cetera, and some might like it. 0thers et cetera, and some might like it. others will wonder what the details are. we mentioned that the eu is saying that its citizen should have full rights to in the transition period, but what rights are they talking about? they could be not that significant or very significant. we have to see what aspects of those rights the europeans in that transition period might not be available to them. in the meantime, how is it going in china. she arrived with a huge

business delegation, people representing countries like bp, jaguar land rover, how are they getting on with joy this is a big effort on britain's part to try to push ahead economic relations with china. the real proof of the pudding, if you like, will be in the details in the online. for example, she spoke with premier li overproduction. it is important for economy is all over the world. it is these types of discussions that could bear fruit in the future. in the coming hours she will be meeting president xijinping. the the coming hours she will be meeting president xi jinping. the discussion is expected to turn to international matters, potential moves at the un

security council against north korea. that is the chance for her to be raising the subject of hong kong. some have been calling on britain's prime minister to be speaking about that former british colony and what seemed to be the envy eroding rights of the people who live in that special region of hong kong these days. thank you very much. stephen mcdonell looking at theresa may's trip to china. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. a controversial bill has been passed in poland to outlaw any suggestion of polish complicity in the nazi holocaust. israel has fiercely objected to the draft law, which would also make it illegal to describe nazi death camps in poland as polish. critics say it seeks to limit discussion about polish involvement. the bill has yet to be signed into law. the driver of the crop was killed,

four people were injured. among those on board was paul ryan. 11 people have died after a fire broke out at a residence for elderly people in northern japan. the victims, eight men and three women, were among 16 residents of the facility in sapporo, on the island of hokkaido. the other five residents escaped with minor injuries. let's turn to our top business story — facebook. the world's biggest social network has got bigger still, with another massive jump in the amount of money it's making, as yet more people around the world sign up. but despite some more mind boggling figures, facebook revealed its users are spending less time on the network. dr stephanie hare is an independent political risk analyst. is that a new trend or a blip? good

to see you. what did you make of facebook‘s numbers? initially, on financial markets, b shares dropped by something like 5% but they ended the day higher again. what take from thatis the day higher again. what take from that is that people listening to it took some reassurance from motbey facebook executives were saying. i question whether that well holed. most people have been spending time on facebook for years, and that is how they have been making money. now we are seeing the user numbers drop in terms of time spent on the site. people are not spending as much time engaging with advertising. the question is, how will they make money people are not spending as much time on the site? that is about a targeted approach so that when you are on you see advertising that you engage with more meaningfully, it is like quality targeting of advertising. whereas before it was maybe a bit hit and miss. i think thatis maybe a bit hit and miss. i think that is their play. also, as well, mark zuckerberg talks about the fact

that they have had quite a difficult year. they have on many levels, the sense of with the us election, what extent facebook enabled abuse of that election process. also, as well, what is on there, fake news, discussion that has followed. they have had to put a lot more people on the ground to kind of police themselves. there is that concern that they may be policed by another organisation. all of that is going on as well, as well as the fact that itodo on as well, as well as the fact that ito do business and grow and get more advertising and make money. behind all of this is the spectre of regulation. facebook has been trying to save for years that it is not a publishing platform and it should not be regulated in the way that publishers are, that the media is. that is interesting. they have had to atone, almost, for the russian interference in the us election, potentially brexit and other things. so they are trying to make good gestures of faith, but faith, by

altering their newsfeed and cleaning backup. whether people believe that is another question, whether it works is another question. they are tinkering with this now. i think thatis tinkering with this now. i think that is part of the problem. people do not necessarily trust what is happening with those algorithms that no one can see. when the proof of concept. thank you for now. and stephanie hare will be back in about half an hour to review the main stories being covered by the global media. it's a trial that has gripped audiences around the world, for its harrowing and powerful testimony from survivors of sexual abuse. now, the entire board of usa gymnastics has resigned over its failure to protect young athletes from the convicted doctor, larry nassar. more than 250 victims have now accused nasser, who preyed on young girls, under the pretence of giving them medical treatment, for two decades. bill hayton reports. another day in court for larry

nassar, the former gymnastics coach exposed as a prolific paedophile. now time for some of his victims to break the use of silence. now time for some of his victims to break the use of silencelj now time for some of his victims to break the use of silence. i lost all motivation as i was overwhelmed with the truth of your abuse, but that ends today. you are the most vital, disgusting creature i have ever met. scum of the earth is too high of eight title for you —— vile. i hope you realise that you will never have any power over anybody for the rest of your life. nassar get medical treatment to hundreds of young girls. there are now more than 206 if i'd victims. he has already been sentenced to 135 years in jail —— 265. it is imperative that we as a society do not view this as an isolated incident. he was prolific because running authorities allowed him to be. because the gymnastics we re him to be. because the gymnastics were allowed him to be. because,

still, women are not perceived to be credible. many are now suing him for damages and usa gymnastics and other institutions that they accused of ignoring their earlier allegations which they say a loud larry nassar to continue to abuse and girls were more than 20 is —— allowed. it was mexico's bloodiest year since records began. 2017 saw more than 25,000 murders in the country. 0nly around one in ten ever results in a successful prosecution, as the government struggles to contain the violence. now president enrique pena nieto has pledged to get the situation under control, using thousands of troops in problem areas, as andrew plant reports. another murder scene in mexico where police are fighting against record numbers of killings, more than 25,02017. homicide rates are measured per 100,000 people,

25,02017. homicide rates are measured per100,000 people, in mexico that number is more than 20. 0thers mexico that number is more than 20. others are higher still. venezuela and 57. honduras with a2. el salvador at 61. mexico's government has vowed to crack down, pledging to get gang violence under control will stop and this is how, using more troops, aiming to round up known criminals and break up the cartels. drugs, they say, turf wars are fuelling the violence. translation: the different crime gangs have slow down their activities. people are happy that the soldiers are there now. there was a demand for a prompt response from the governed. i think we will have good results over time. the violence is not confined to gang members. in the tourist resort of kang koon three days ago people were killed in a bar. a tourist murdered in acapulco. a wave of murders that

has terrified locals and is putting off tourists. as politicians and security forces struggle to stay in control. stay with us on the briefing. also on the programme: we'll have all the sport news, including those last—minute big—money deals, as football's transfer window slams shut south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. the ban on the african national congress is lifted immediately, and the anc leader, nelson mandela, after 27 years injail, is to be set free unconditionally. the aircraft was returning from belgrade,

where manchester united had entered the semi—final of the european cup. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it a piece of cake. thousands of people have given the yachstwoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world non—stop. you're watching the briefing. 0ur headlines: britain's prime minister theresa may is continuing her diplomatic trip to china, but the shadow of brexit still looms large. a controversial memo that claims the fbi is biased against donald trump is expected to be published later. a high level summit aimed at raising funds to support education in developing countries

begins today in senegal. among those attending are french president emmanuel macron and representatives from a number of international organisations. one of the overwhelming issues in the host country is the modernisation of koranic schools, called daaras, as laeila adjovi discovered. it isa it is a regular sight in dakar, pupils of daaras or koranic schools begging in the street. most of them are from rural areas, their parents think they are receiving a religious education, but some will not learn a thing or verse of the koran. a lucky few will end up at the safe house, the children's empire. there is to care, shelter and fun, salvation from the harsh conditions of the street. translation: if he doesn't

return with the right amount of money he will be beaten. the children are really maltreated. how can anyone bear to see children in that situation? any love, affection and to be with their families. it is their right. this children's rights activist argues that the government is not doing enough to regulate the schools and enforce an existing ban on begging. the bill to modernise daaras was drafted years ago but has yet to become law. 0ver years there have been efforts to widen the curriculum of senegal‘s daaras by introducing subjects like maths, history classes. they have even attended change the learning for entire generation is going to koranic schools. in most creep primary schools, this would not happen. there would be no playing with toys or korean, there would be no girls, orat with toys or korean, there would be no girls, or at least not sitting in

the same classroom as boys. and the co re the same classroom as boys. and the core of the activities would revolve around memorising the koran. the director of this daaras, is among one of the imams encouraging change. translation: i encourage all parents to support daaras that aim to modernise daaras. we have done a lot to support the need to improve the quality of the element in the schools and the quality of the education. there are open 5000 koranic schools here, in the country, many parents are in favour of modernising the daaras, striking the balance is one of the major challenges facing education in senegal. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. the court of arbitration for sport will rule in the matter of 39 russian athletes appealing against their lifetime 0lympic bans

following doping offences at the 201a sochi winter games. meanwhile in berlin, parliament is expected to pass a law allowing refugees to bring family members to germany, setting an upper limit of 1,000 new arrivals per month. anti—fracking protest will take place at the hague ahead of a parliamentary meeting to discuss the issue. citizens and farmers are protesting against the fracking of gas in the groningen area in the north of the netherlands. it has been a busy time for football in the past 2a hours. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sport centre. hello, i'm sarah mulkerrins and this is your sport briefing for thursday. with suarez and messi scoring for fun in the league for barcelona, how will they fare in the copa del rey later? and can oklahoma city thunder pose a serious threat to the dominance

of golden state warriors in the nba? barcelona's hunt for the treble is very much on, but they have some tough games coming up, not least in the copa del rey. ernesto valverde's team face valencia in their semi—final first leg on thursday. los che are trying to win the competition for the first time in 10 years while barca are looking for a record extending 30th title. translation: when you are in a semi—final, you have to risk everything, that is very clear. not because in elite you have more or less points than those for you in the standings, but it is a semi—final is an opportunity to play a final, so we have to give everything. the same thing that valencia will do, valencia will give everything. there's been so much talk of the golden state warriors' superiority in the western conference this season, but oklahoma city thunder are without doubt an emerging threat.

despite their loss to washington on tuesday, the thunder have been on fire. that loss ended an eight—game winning streak, and many are tipping them for more success this season. they face the denver nuggets later as they chase their first conference title since 2012. there were some twists and turns along the way buy it's now official, pierre—emerick aubameyang is an arsenal player. his deal went through for a club record $80 million on the final day of the european transfer window. borussia dortmund agreed to the sale after striking a deal to sign chelsea forward michy batshuayi on loan. aubameyang has scored 21 goals in 2a matches this season for the bundesliga side. former arsenal striker ian wright is hopeful he'll make a big impact at his new club. i think ithink in i think in the current climate, i

think that if you can get somebody of his quality, which we know he definitely has got polity in respects of the goals he has scored for dortmund. i think in the current climate and current market, that is not bad value. 0bviously climate and current market, that is not bad value. obviously the proof is in the pudding, once he gets his feetin is in the pudding, once he gets his feet in the premier league hopefully he will score the goals that arsenal desperately need at the moment. christain eriksen scored for tottenham after just 11 seconds in their 2—0 english premier league win over manchester united. spurs' second came by way of a philjones own goal. the game at wembley broke the premier league attendance record, 81,978 fans. iamso i am so pleased, we are happy we are in the race for the top four. that is important, we go ahead with a lot of important games, still a lot of important games to play and this is why we need to stay focused in everything, because we have premier

league, fa cup and champions league thatis league, fa cup and champions league that is coming soon. shock of the day came at stamford bridge, where champions chelsea were beaten 3—0 by bournemouth. elsewhere, league leaders manchester city made light work of west brom and new signing theo walcott scored twice, as everton beat leicester 2—1. have you ever wondered what tennis players actually do in training? well along with weight training and speed drills, there's always room for some fun. that's what svetlana kuznetsova has been focusing on. this is the two—time grand slam champion getting the better of her hitting partner in a video she posted on instagram. it's nice to see they get to enjoy themselves on the road to achieving peak performance. remember you can stay updated with all the latest news on the website bbc.com/sport. but that is your sport briefing for thursday. i'll be back with the business

briefing in just a few moments. we will be talking about facebook and also india's budget day, coming up. tell me what you think about our talking point today, there's been a reaction to formula 0ne's decision to axe the glamorous grid girls. is that moving with the times or is it political correctness gone mad? quite interesting to get some of your reactions. steve in the uk, if girls are not want to work in that sort of business than they would stay away from it. what next, no models on the catwalk? also one of our colleagues, lisa says, i would hate to say it but i am with the sun on this one, the son believes it is formula done. back with the briefing ina formula done. back with the briefing in a moment. hello.

it will be a cold and frosty start this thursday morning. we have had a band of sleet and snow, be careful of the met warning because it could be slippery on surfaces. that is the band of rain easing away but there is a real plus torah of showers following behind. we have got snow across scotland, even to low levels and certainly rain and sleet around the coast, temperatures just above freezing perhaps in the air but on the road and pavement will be at freezing. add to that, a strong to gale force wind, but there will be some wintry nest with showers across the hills of northern ireland and even at lower levels there will be some wintry nest, down through the midlands to the home counties as well. away from the showery areas, there will be some sparkling

sunshine, a lovely crisp day, but windy. that will make it feel it out and about. it continues throughout the morning, the sunshine elsewhere and it will be lovely and bright. five and six on the thermometer, add to that wind it will have a significant chill effect. the showers will tend to ease a little bit overnight but if anything, tra nsfers to bit overnight but if anything, transfers to eastern areas, the wind easing further west and it looks like there will be a harsh winter. more showers on friday, not feeling as cold but there will be more showers in the east and still that strong wind to. it will still feel pretty raw across the east and coastal parts of. we have got this weather system running on that cold air, there will be cold rain but possibly some style in there as well. especially in the north, but exclusively, it could turn to snow in the south as well. we will keep a close eye on it and keep you posted.

it will feel bitterly cold during the day. as the sunday, by that stage we think the weather front will have ground to a halt and petering out. lot of cloudy weather, feeling cold with that wind picking up feeling cold with that wind picking up north—easterly and across the country. the further north and west you are, the more sunshine. to watch out for some ice and snow through this morning. —— do. you will —— this is business briefing. i'm sally bundock. 2.1 billion friends and counting — and more profit than ever. but facebook users are spending less time on the network. plus, clash of the tech titans. apple, amazon, and alphabet are all soaring in value — which will be first to hit a trillion dollars? and on the markets a mixed picture is emerging across asia as the us central bank indicates the cost of borrowing will be headed up again in march.