this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top story. international pressure grows on syria. britain debates a military response, the us says all options are on the table. the daughter of a former spy poisoned in the uk last month has rejected an offer of help from moscow. we'll tell you about the landmark expedition through the amazon and the hunt for new species of animals and plants. facebook boss mark zuckerberg endures another day of intense questions from us lawmakers — facebook shares bounce but has the compa ny‘s reputation been given a boost? also in business briefing, the tough trade talk returns. china says it's well prepared and will not hesitate to fight back if the united states escalates its trade spat with beijing. 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 about the stories we're covering — today we're asking has mark zuckerberg's facebook revelations put you off using social media? just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. strategic questions over how the international community should respond to the suspected chemical attack in syria take centre stage again today. here in britain, the prime minister theresa may has summoned her cabinet for a special meeting that will consider the options for military action — alongside the us and france. the white house says all options

remain on the table, with no final decision been made. bill hayton reports. setting sail and heading east. more powerful warships left the united states on wednesday. this flotilla will take one week to get within strike range but other ships and submarines are already in the mediterranean. the president has not laid out a timetable and is still leaving a number of other options on the table and we are still considering a number of those and a final decision on the front has not been made. after russia threatened to shoot down any missiles, president trump tweeted his defiance, raising america's new, smart weapons. the who says that 43 people died from exposure to chemicals in the town of douma last saturday. us government believes

that the syrian government was responsible. all the implications believe that the syrian —— all the locations are that the syrian regime was responsible and we will be working with our allies to make sure those responsible are held to account on how we can then deter the catastrophe that comes from the use of chemical weapons in the future. the leader of the opposition labour party says there should be a vote in parliament before any decision is taken. what happened last weekend was terrible. we do not want bombardment that leads to escalation and leads to a hot war between russia and america over the skies of syria. the area where the alleged attack took place is now quiet after five years of fighting. this piece came ata five years of fighting. this piece came at a terrible price and western strikes on syria will not undo that suffering. the question for politicians to answer is that whether strikes may deter such

things happening again orjust make the situation worse. live to washington, and our correspondent chris buckler. we were hearing there that the white house is laying all options remain on the table. given the military action over the last year, there is action over the last year, there is a lot of questions about what it might look like this time. we have had to real tones today. one from donald trump, giving a sense that he was being very blunt that there was a warning of missiles coming and that russia and syria should be prepared for that to happen. and then that much more considered tone from the white house saying as far as they are concerned, all options are still on the table and a military plan is being worked on. you get a real sense that some kind of action, some kind of strike is now looking inevitable. just those in london, today in washington there will be a series of meetings in

which conversations will be had to try and work of those questions. firstly, the size of the strikes on how significant they will be, how sustained and the timing. senior sources told the bbc that it will be an interesting weekend. that may be an interesting weekend. that may be an indication of something. and also interesting to hear that president donald trump has been on the phone to the turkish president. that is an interesting development is well. yeah. we have international consequences from all of this. clearly we have the uk, the us and france on one side of this and we have iran and russia on the other side as well as president assad and his forces. there are other countries in that region that are concerned. we understand that conversation between president trump and president erdogan was frank a exchange of views. an exchange of views and certainly there are some

in turkey who are concerned about what they see as sabre rattling between russia and the us. so no sense that there was any pleasantry in the conversation but certainly some concern being raised from turkey at this stage. thank you very much, chris. we will have more on this story later on in the briefing. having a look now at our other top story. yulia skripal, who was poisoned along with her russian father in the uk last month has rejected an offer of help from moscow. in herfirst statement since leaving hospital, she said she was still suffering the effects of the nerve agent poisoning and did not want to be contacted by the russian embassy in britain. andrew plant reports. yulia skripal left hospital on monday, her father sergei is still there after both were exposed to a nerve agent in the city of salisbury last month. she is now in a secret location and has asked to be left alone. in a statement, she praised hospital staff saying, "i have left my father in their care

and he is still seriously ill. i too am still suffering with the effects of the nerve agent used against us". she also refuses offers of help from russia, adding that she had been made aware her specific contact at the russian embassy who have offered assistance in any way they can. "at the moment, i do not wish to avail myself of their services". sergei skripal is a former russian spy who was living in the uk. he and yulia were discovered on march four on a park bench. it was unclear if they were to survive. they had been exposed to the nerve agent novichok. britain asked the office of the prohibition of chemical weapons to investigate. theirfindings will be released on friday. —— thursday. britain has received strong diplomatic backing with over 20 countries expelling russian diplomats in protest. meanwhile, skripal is said to have

responded well to treatment and he is expected to leave hospital soon. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. algeria's holding a second day of mourning after 257 people were killed in the country's deadliest plane crash. the military plane, which was carrying mostly army personnel and their families, crashed shortly after take off on wednesday. witnesses working in nearby fields said the plane burst into flames before hitting the ground. an investigation‘s been ordered into the cause of the crash. pope francis has said he made "serious mistakes" in his handling of a case of alleged child abuse by catholic clergy in chile, adding that he felt "sadness and shame". many chileans criticised the way the pope had defended one of the country's bishops who was accused of covering up abuse carried out by a priest. now on to the business story that's

dominated throughout this week — the grilling of facebook‘s mark zuckerberg. after a second day of questioning — this time by the house energy and commerce committee — facebook shares rose again a further i.3%. but has the company's reputation also been given a boost. let's have a listen in to some of wednesday's proceedings. let me ask you. is it true that facebook offered to provide what i guess you referred to as dedicated campaign embeds to be president trump campaign? congressman. i can respond to the first point. just say yes or no. where the embeds... in the two campaigns or offers of them?

congressman... yes or no. were there embeds offered to trump campaign and the clinton campaign? that gives you a sense of howard went on wednesday. —— how it went on wednesday. nina trentman is with us from the wall streetjournal. what is your take on how he went this week? the questions today seemed tougher than the questions on tuesday. in the end this was a big week for mark zuckerberg having to defend the company that he built and that has made him a lot of money and made him an influential person throughout the world. the question is now going forward what kind of changes is facebook making and will there be enough in order to convince regulators and lawmakers, particularly in the us, to say we

will leave it as it is. the question now is what happens next. with the likes of facebook and others, would they see regulation in the future? does that mean less money and made because of advertising revenues? he was grilled on wednesday about whether he would change the business model and he responded that he did not know what that meant. i felt like he was trying to evade a lot of the questions. there were no clear responses from him on many of them. in the end he was trying to limit the damage after the fallout from the damage after the fallout from the scandal and trying to signal, well, we will have some regulation without being clear on what that would be an saying that in the end he does not want major changes to how facebook made money which is through advertising and marketing information. do you use facebook? has it changed your opinion? i do andi has it changed your opinion? i do and i have been getting a little

more cautious about is that i have a lwa ys more cautious about is that i have always only ever used a professionally and posted my stories there along with tv appearances. i have never actually had videos from my holidays or my friends. have never actually had videos from my holidays or my friendslj have never actually had videos from my holidays or my friends. i am less concerned... i guess you my holidays or my friends. i am less concerned... i guess you are my holidays or my friends. i am less concerned... i guess you are not filling in questionnaires and that sort of thing that was put to those whose data... thank you. nina will be back for the news briefing. and just to show you our app. mark zuckerberg's data was among those harvested in this privacy scandal. we are asking you about your concerns. it is quite interesting. one viewer says the he was on the fence about dumping facebook but thought he would wait to see what was said and not said this week on capitol hill. he began deleting his vows book account on wednesday and another one here. another man who says he has stopped using facebook.

against the backdrop of possible us military action in syria, the man who could be america's next top diplomat faces a grilling on capitol hill later. mike pompeo's senate confirmation hearings are expected to focus on his time as the head of the cia, and his support for president trump's america first agenda. critics have already questioned whether his style and politics would best serve us interests overseas. the bbc‘s state department correspondent barbara plett usher reports. i don't do fine lines. i do the truth. that statement pretty much sums up why mike pompeo's nomination for secretary of state is a contentious one. on the one hand he isa contentious one. on the one hand he is a sharp talker and a sharp intellect. that served him well as head of the cia. he also has a reputation of as a hawkish ideologues which could be a

combustible mix with and am predictable president. combustible mix with and am predictable presidentlj combustible mix with and am predictable president. i like to talk three issues to walk war, war, war. this man is apprehensive about how pompeo will approach the complex security challenges. it is hard to see how he has any sense of the value of dealing with these issues. the congress asked those questions. he has a chance here to begin to convince us and other people that he will be a steady hand, rather than an insight. you solemnly swear... pompeo made it through a previous confirmation hearing to become the top spy. he does face a much tougher nomination spot for the spot of —— nomination spot for the spot of —— nomination time to the spot of top diplomat. senators know him from his days as a combative lawmaker. now they want to know how he would have liked the president on crucial foreign policy decisions such as the future of the iran nuclear deal. like donald trump, pompeo has

posted. a summit with the south north korean leader. and how would he handle the strange relationship with russia, especially as conflict looms over syria. the former secretary of state, rex tillerson, could not handle its relationship with the president and was fired by tweet. that he did try to serve as a counterbalance to some of the more volatile instincts of the president. my volatile instincts of the president. my time pompeo talks up an american —— trump like america first view of the world. senators want to know if he will simply echo the president will be ready to offer tough advice. if so, donald trump war link to here. he likes pompeo and trusts him. he will be an incredible secretary of state. in the end it is the president himself was likely to be the biggest challenge for any secretary of state. stay with us on the briefing. also on the programme: going off—road. the mountain biking begins at the commonwealth games. we'll have the latest from the gold coast.

pol pot, one of the century's greatest mass murderers, is reported to have died of natural causes. he and the khmer rouge movement he led were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million cambodians. there have been violent protests in indonesia, where playboy has gone on sale for the first time. traditionalist muslim leaders have expressed disgust. the magazine's offices have been attacked, and its editorial staff have gone into hiding. it was clear that paula's only contest was with the clock, and as for a sporting legacy, paula radcliffe's competitors will be chasing her new world—best time for years to come. quite quietly, but quicker and quicker, she seemed just to slide away under the surface and disappear.

you are watching the briefing. our headlines: international pressure grows on syria. britain debates a military response. the us says all options are on the table. the daughter of a former spy poisoned in the uk last month has rejected an offer of help from moscow. in our ever—shrinking world, we take it for granted that we are familiar with virtually every aspect of life on earth. but a leading team of scientists has trekked through one of the most remote places on earth to find new and previously undiscovered species of animals and plants. in what is being called a landmark expedition, they were granted rare access to the brazilian amazon. the bbc‘sjoao felletjoined them as they explored brazil's highest mountain.

brazil's pico da neblina, in a peak of mess. true to its name, it is shrouded in clouds, hidden from view, sitting deep in the remote amazon, the national park stretches across densejungle. amazon, the national park stretches across dense jungle. we follow four professes and biologists from the university of sao paulo, a world leading institute in zoology. it is a mission of discovery. they are here to find new animal and plant species, to find life that may be under threat from deforestation and climate change. this is the first expedition to an area that is absolutely unexplored in the amazon. big l is heading the exposition,

made possible with the help of indigenous guides and the brazilian army —— miguel. indigenous guides and the brazilian army -- miguel. this is one of the most important parts of the amazon today, to get genetic material. the amazon is home to 10% of the earth's known species. it is thought a new animal or plant is discovered every two days. here! this is an explosive breeding frog. there are at least 18 species under this name. that look exactly the same. could this frog beer new species? yes, sure. so we might have found a new species. the mountain has taken the army months of careful planning. we are 2000 metres up, 1000 metres away from the mountain's highest peak. on arrival,

creatures began wandering close to the scientists is‘ tent. creatures began wandering close to the scientists is' tent. we don't know what it is. it is very different from what we know. we have a guess for the family. seems to be a guess for the family. seems to be a frog. what is very interesting about this guy is his eyes. check it out. there is this weird iridescence, in kind of like orange and green. what was your reaction when you saw it? so it was totally unexpected. hopefully we are going to have a better idea if this is a known species, or if this is something completely new. the scientists are racing against the clock to find out if life peer can survive rising temperatures. —— life up survive rising temperatures. —— life up here. day eight of the commonwealth games in australia, and today sees the start of the mountain biking. we can go live to the gold coast, and in amongst the trees and bushes is our reporter chris mitchell.

good to see you. thank you, i am glad you can see me. we are in the heart of the nerang national park weather mountain biking is taking place. we have already had the women's event, and annie last came first for england. success for her as she has endured injury. she didn't come here as one of the favourites, but now has the gold medal. i want to give you an impression of how close we are to the track. this track cuts through the track. this track cuts through the nerang national park, in amongst the nerang national park, in amongst the gum trees and the frogs and the beatles, and we have seen the mountain bikers come down here at great speed over the rocks and compacted earth. here they come, ta ke compacted earth. here they come, take a look at the speed of these bikes. lego new zealand, one, two, with south africa in second —— lego

new zealand. just how it was in glasgow four years ago, so new zealand doing very well. 7000 people are watching this race right now, in amongst the national park. 2000 have bought tickets to be over the finish line. what i think this is the place to be. here again, look how close we are to the action on bbc world news. unbelievable speeds. let's talk to some of the people who like this sport. let's get around this tree, ifi sport. let's get around this tree, if i can. these guys here, for example, you are right close to this, and look at the smile on your face. i was laughing at my son jumping around the tree. why are you here to watch mountain biking? we love mountain biking, and it has been an exciting and free event. important that it is free, you can just turn up. yes, so we parked across the road and came and had a look. why has mountain biking become such a big thing? because it is,

especially in australia. it isjust getting fit and active, yes. it is interesting because this is a young sport. thank you very much, i hope you enjoy yourselves. you have to bearin you enjoy yourselves. you have to bear in mind it was only introduced to the olympics in 1996 in atlanta, and in the first time it was at the commonwealth games was in 2002. more athletes coming storming past us through the nerang national park. so exciting to be so close to the action. let's see if we can talk to action. let's see if we can talk to a couple more people. i don't know if you can follow me through the bush, it is probable you bit difficult. a lot of young kids. why do you like mountain biking so much? i don't know, just came to watch. have you mountain bike here before? i know a few of the kids around have. no. why do you like mountain biking? it is quite fun because you get to spend a lot of time in the

wild. and is that good fun? yes. better than playing on your xbox or your device? sometimes. so you get an impression of how popular this is. as i say, annie last was first, she has the first gold of the day for england. australia here hoping to medal but it is that new zealanders who lead at the moment. thank you so much, it is great to get a sense of what is going on there, and my children love mountain biking. i spend a lot of time in the woods hoping they don't break limbs. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. in the next couple of hours members of the european parliament will begin a debate in brussels into whether hungary and its right—wing government are at risk of breaching eu values. later, the long—awaited report by the international chemical weapons watchdog into the nerve agent attack in salisbury will be published from the opcw‘s headquarters in the hague. and also coming up: a court in moscow considers

an appeal by russia's ex—economy minister alexei ulyukayev, who was sentenced to eight years in jail last year after being found guilty of soliciting a $2 million bribe. we asked you at the beginning of the programme if you have been put off social media in the light of what we heard from mark zuckerberg this week. many of you have been in touch. one viewer says collectivity is essential to make things move faster. facebook is one of the social media outlets going through investigation which will initiate changes everywhere. it is positive towards better collectivity. others have said he had neverjoined facebook, from the beginning, it looked too creepy —— connectivity. i will be back with the business briefing in just a few moments. hello. there is something brighter

and considerably warmer on the way in the coming days, but improvements will be fairly slow. so thursday is looking like another mostly cloudy one. generally dry, though, and there will be some glimmers of rightness. the satellite picture shows all these different kinds of cloud being flung around an area of low pressure sitting down here to the south. this area of slightly thicker cloud that you can see has been producing some outbreaks of slightly patchy rain and drizzle which will continue to drift northwards and westwards as we go through thursday morning. generally a lot of cloud around, some mist and murk and hill fog. but as we go through the day some spots will brighten up. the north—west of scotla nd brighten up. the north—west of scotland should see a decent start

to the day. other areas of england and wales, perhaps sheltered spots in northern ireland, these areas could see temperatures up to 14 or 15 degrees but close to the north sea coast is where we keep a lot of cloud. murky conditions and with this breeze it will feel quite chilly. thursday evening looks likely to bring some heavy and thundery showers into the south—east. these will then run their way northwards as we go on through the night. most areas will stay cloudy, again with a fair amount of mist and murk and, but temperatures not dropping far, five we keep that the overnight lows. in the friday, we keep that scandinavia, low pressure across the south, continuing to send frontal systems in our direction. on friday we will see outbreaks of showery rain across northern england and scotla nd rain across northern england and scotland to the ghillie. further south generally a lot of cloud but hopefully again the keen breeze across the east. high pressure across the east. high pressure across scandinavia, low pressure across scandinavia, low pressure across the south, continuing to send frontal systems in our direction. on

friday we will see outbreaks of showery rain across northern england and scotland to the ghillie. further south generally a lot of cloud but hopefully again the write a little bit to reveal some spells of sunshine, and temperatures on friday again not doing too badly. we could get up to 15 or possibly 16 degrees in the south—east. maybe at this stage not quite as chilly around those north sea coast. the wind should ease a little to some extent. and over the weekend those temperatures are subtly going to continue to climb. 17 degrees in london, for example. some brighter glimpses, equally some showery rain at times. we can summon the up like this. things generally warming up, slowly but surely. some spells of sunshine, still the chance of some showers, but watch what happens as we go on into next week. low pressure will sit to the west of the british isles, drawing up southerly wind, and that will lift temperatures, we could well get up into the low to possibly mid 20s as we go through next week. this is business briefing. i'm sally bundock. the tough trade talk returns. china says it's well prepared and will not hesitate to fight back if the united states

escalates its trade spat with beijing. and the chinese ride hailing app best known for driving uber out of china once again takes on it its old rival. and the markets are mixed in asia as investors weigh the risks with tensions escalating in the middle east.