this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top story: we won't beg for talks. north korea threatens to pull out of a planned summit with president trump — for a second time. italy's new prime minister—designate is due to put together his cabinet, drawn from two eurosceptic parties. a critical time to stop the latest ebola outbreak. we have a special report on how authorities in the democratic republic of congo are responding to the crisis. trade tensions move up a gear, as the us says it's investigating foreign car imports. the probe could mean hefty taxes on imported vehicles. also coming up in the business briefing — take—away tensions. restaurants say food delivery apps are eating their profits. we have a special report from new york. good to have view with us.

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. are you eating out less because of the convenience provided by food delivery apps? tell us what you think — just use #bbcthebriefing. so let us get started. north korea is once again threatening to reconsider taking part in a summit with president trump next month. a close aide to kim jong—un said it is entirely up to the us to decide whether to meet at a table or engage in a nuclear showdown. in a sharply worded statement,

pyongyang said it would not beg for a dialogue with the us. rupert wingfield—hayes is in seoul and joins us live. is this typical pyongyang power play just weeks kim jong—un is supposed to meet president trump? or is it oris ita or is it a more serious turn of events 7 or is it a more serious turn of events? well, in this particular case this statement seems to be directed particularly against the us vice president, mike pence, who went ona number of vice president, mike pence, who went on a number of shows in the united states, particularly on fox news, apparently, and described north korea as facing libya type consequences are becoming libya if it doesn't engage in negotiations to give up its nuclear weapons. it is very clear, as we have seen of the last week, that any mention of libya

is something of a red rag to the north korean regime. i think this statement, which has some choice words in it, describes mike pence as a political dummy and describes ignorant, stupid remarks gushing from his mouth, that really what the vice foreign minister of north korea is doing is saying stop talking about libya. the libya model, so to speak, of denuclearisation, that was forced on libya in the early 2000 is not something north korea will accept in any shape or form also stop talking about it. that is where that discussion is out at the moment. in the meantime, journalists have set off on a long journey to a nuclear test site in north korea to see a being dismantled. any update from them? yes. we have heard from the associated press, the latest is that a p pa re ntly associated press, the latest is that apparently be trained they are travelling on arrived at a station at seven a.m.. i tried to find it on google maps. they couldn't. it is

obviously a small place in a part of north korea. we understand it is about four or five hours to the nuclear test facilities. if everything is going to plan, i am looking at the clock, they should have arrived at the site sometime around now or in the last hour or so. around now or in the last hour or so. if theirjourney has gone as planned. that means we could see the dismantling comedy blowing up a balloon and tunnelled later today or perhaps tomorrow. we are getting very scant information out of north korea right now. this is best guess as to what the timetable will be. thank you, rupert wingfield—hayes, in seoulfor us. the man nominated to be italy's next prime minister, giuseppe conte, will begin assembling his cabinet. mr conte, a political novice, is expected to take several days to form his team. caroline rigby reports. arriving in a public taxi to meet the president, to become italy's new prime minister — and somewhat of a political experiment. giuseppe conte will have

the country's does populist and perhaps eurosceptic parliament. its 66th government in 70 years. it is no small tast for a law professor with no political experience. translation: i am ready to defend the interests of italians in europe and internationally, maintaining dialogue with european institutions and representatives of other countries. i want to be the lawyer who will defend the italian people. mr conte's firstjob will be to assemble his cabinet. that's expected to take several days, but is likely to feature the men who put him forward for the role — leaders of the five star movement and the league, the parties that make up the antiestablishment coalition. it means that, at best, mr conte would only be the third most powerfulfigure in his own administration. the 53—year—old's appointment brings to an end weeks of political deadlock. but brussels will be sceptical

of the man in charge of the eurozone's third biggest economy. translation: i am aware of the necessity to confirm italy's place both in europe and internationally. the government will have to look on the issues of the european budget, the reform of the right of asylum, and the return of the banking union. italy is a country that brussels deems too big to fail, because what happens on this man's watch could have been ramifications elsewhere. but for now, mr conte will have to prove he is a prime minister and is not a placeholder. caroline rigby, bbc news. more on that story in our news briefing. the media has had a lot to say about what is happening in italy at the moment. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. after venezuela

expelled two top us diplomats on wednesday, the state department has now ordered two venezuelan officials to leave within 48 hours. president nicolas maduro had accused the american diplomats of conspiring against his government, after his controversial re—election. the state department has rejected the allegations. germany's foreign minister says there's little chance the united states will compromise in its approach to iran after deciding to exit the 2015 nuclear deal. heiko maas, who's on a visit to washington, has told us officials that berlin would do everything necessary to stop iran resuming its nuclear activities. federal prosecutors in the united states have opened an investigation into the disgraced hollywood producer, harvey weinstein. he faces dozens of sex abuse allegations ranging from rape to harassment. the accusations have already led to investigations by law enforcement officials in new york, london and los angeles. no charges have yet been brought against him. mr weinstein‘s lawyer has said his client had never engaged in non—consensual sexual acts. now to the us, where global trade

tensions could be about to move up a gear. the commerce department has confirmed that, at the request of president trump, it will be investigating imports of foreign cars to see whether they harm national security. in a statement commerce secretary wilbur ross said: "there is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry". the move could mean tariffs of up to 25% on imported vehicles and a major escalation in tensions with america's trading partners. dr stephanie hare is a specialist in technology research. but also a political analyst. lovely to see you. good morning. just tell us to see you. good morning. just tell usa to see you. good morning. just tell us a bit more about what the us is

concerned about when they use this banner, national—security, which we hear crop up when it comes to this. we wa nt hear crop up when it comes to this. we want to define this in the context of donald trump starting a trade war. it has been in the cards ofa trade war. it has been in the cards of a couple of different domains, sense of technology, and the auto industry. this has to be away for the united to begin renegotiating the united to begin renegotiating the north american free trade agreement, for a start. it is like an opening gambit. right now the united states imports far more than it exports. there is a massive imbalance there. to address that and to do so legally they had to make a case, otherwise they can't reopen those deals. white autos, nafta, thatis those deals. white autos, nafta, that is canada and mexico, when it comes to the auto industry we are looking at japan, south comes to the auto industry we are looking atjapan, south korea, germany, it is those countries that are more affected by this particular move, as it were, on the part of

trump. you would think that. atley mexico and canada are the countries that export the most cars to the united states —— actually. this is really about can trump do something that will enable him to tell a story to the american people that he is bringing backjobs, to the american people that he is bringing back jobs, manufacturing jobs in particular, to the united states. in doing so he might end up imposing tariffs that will put up the cost of purchasing cars. we have seen many the cost of purchasing cars. we have seen many of the big car makers start to make the cut in the us. they have started to have their main factories there —— cars. interesting they should say this when the news was all about china and the us discussing trade last week, it was more conciliatory. the tough talk was of the agenda, as it were. this was of the agenda, as it were. this was all in the run—up to the sensitive time ahead of kim jong—un's meeting, at that meeting is to take place stop—go that is the

whole thing. when we look at the partners. interesting moves between trump and the leaders of china. he was very worried about chinese jobs, which is interesting. here he is taking on america's friends, mexico, canada,japan, taking on america's friends, mexico, canada, japan, germany. we will watch this space. thanks for now. stefa ny will watch this space. thanks for now. stefany will be back for the news briefing. —— and stephanie will be back in about half an hour to review the main stories being covered by the global media. angela merkel is in china, as well, which is interesting. what's going on as faras which is interesting. what's going on as far as that story is concerned. we will unpack further. 27 have died and nearly 60 cases of ebola have been identified in the democratic republic of congo. but as international organisations scramble to stop the outbreak in its tracks, the african nation is hoping natural advantages and decades of experience will prevent the virus from spreading. our senior africa correspondent anne soy has more. bush meat is a delicacy here. but it

feared that some of the wild animals ata feared that some of the wild animals at a feet host the deadly virus. that will not stop some of these congolese from eating it. "i am an avid fan of bush meat," she says, "i can't get enough of it. if you don't eat your meat, please send it to me. i will eat it. that is the research who co— identified ebola in 1956. he has dealt with every outbreak since. he says bush meat might cause the first infection, but the bigger risk is the person—to—person transmission. and they are prepared to stop it. translation: we have the same skill

to deal with this epidemic in the city before it becomes a humanitarian crisis like the one in west africa. here in the democratic republic of congo, nine outbreaks, including the current one, have occurred over the course of over a0 yea rs. occurred over the course of over a0 years. in the worst case, 280 people died. that level of experience has come in handy now. we were very positively surprised that in most of the areas we visited at least they have a response plan. they also have a response committee in place. now, what needs to be provided is mainly logistic support. most of the suppliers and health workers have to be flown to the affected areas. the transport challenges may be another reason previous outbreaks did not spread far. but a growing population living in congested places brings

new challenges. the country may be some experience in dealing with outbreaks of ebola and ending the more they are still small, but there isa more they are still small, but there is a real worry that if it gets here, in the capital, kinshasa, it will become more difficult to control. already a city that is up along this river, bohnacker, is dealing with that outbreak. this port city is on high alert. there are better ways now to tackle ebola. patients are being isolated and treated in these centres. their contacts and health workers are getting vaccinated. there is hope this outbreak can be brought under control will stop anne soy, bbc news, kinshasa. stay with us on the briefing. also on the programme: surfing — but not as we know it. we'll tell you about foil—boarding — bringing aeroplane technology to the waves. this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body

landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it's become the first country in the world to approve the change in a national referendum. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it's been a peaceful funeral demonstration so far, but some of the police are tear—gassing the crowd — we don't yet know why. the pre—launch ritual is well established here. helen was said to be in good spirits butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country and the challenges ahead are daunting but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate. you're watching the briefing.

our headlines: north korea has declared that it is up to the united states whether the two countries now meet at the negotiating table, pyongyang said it would not beg for a us dialogue. italy's new prime minister—designate is due to put together his cabinet, drawn from two eurosceptic parties. the nfl says that from next season, american football teams will be fined if their players in the field fail to stand for the us national anthem. the league wants to avoid a repeat of last season's controversy — when players kneeled to highlight racial injustice. however, it has said that players who do not stand for the anthem will be allowed to stay in the locker room until the anthem has been performed. we're joined now from los angeles by sports commentator robert littal,

who owns and runs the website black sport online. thanks to being on the briefing. what do you make of their decision? they've bowed to pressure of donald trump, they are scared of his tweaking and what he says that the anthem protests. he has call them names, he has threatened them and said things about colin kapernick and the nfl wanted to nip this in the bud basically because they are afraid of donald trump. is it a cce pta ble afraid of donald trump. is it acceptable to say that this is how you must behave all you can stay in the locker room ? you must behave all you can stay in the locker room? absolutely not. the nfl takes up a lot of different causes but the causes of woollies brutality and racial injustice for some reason makes them very uncomfortable. they prefer to cater

to the donald trump base in addressing the issues that the players, which are 70% african—american, are trying to address. so by saying it is disrespectful to kneel against police brutality and to kneel against racial injustice is set —— is sending a message that the nfl does not cash carrot issues of the players, they just want them to does not cash carrot issues of the players, theyjust want them to use another expression to shut up and dribble, or in this case, shut up and play football. what other players saying about this? have any high—profile layers reacted ? players saying about this? have any high-profile layers reacted? -- players. not many, we heard from one from the champions. you have heard from the champions. you have heard from the champions. you have heard from the nfl pa saying that they we re from the nfl pa saying that they were not consulted and the players we re were not consulted and the players were not consulted and the players were not consulted and the players were not consulted on this as well. it is yet to be seen what is going to happen when the actual nfl season starts, but there have been a lot of

talks behind the scenes that the players do not like to be told what they can and cannot do in regards to protest against racial injustice. as you said, when players chose not to stand, it was an extremely powerful step on their part, very brave, all over the press. what has changed since then? what has changed is, you saw what happened to act one and eric reed, a player who knelt with him. you have to get the sense that if you want to step out and you do that and could he possibly putting your career injeopardy. that and could he possibly putting your career in jeopardy. there that and could he possibly putting your career injeopardy. there is a lot of tension and division and the nfl had an opportunity to bring the players together, bring the country together but they decided to take a side and the side that they took was the side of division, a side with donald trump, a side with ma hea and

this is what we have right now, and what we have is more division notice in the nfl, but in our country. thank you very much a. we have got a lot more in this programme. the outlook programme on the bbc world service has been running a campaign searching for the world's most inspiring people. ‘the outlook inspiration awards' have now released the shortlist from which the winner will be announced injune. some amazing people have been nominated and today we bring you the story of faith kalungia from zambia. a woman who went to a prison to hand in donations and ended up leaving herjob to start a newjourney in life. this is her story. idid not i did not know there were children growing behind prison bars. the first thing that caught my eye

we re the first thing that caught my eye were children. they were all different ages, four months tom like my different ages, four months tom like b different ages, four months tom like my baby at home and even won a day old, others were toddlers, they were playing around, the place was muddy, the kids did not have shoes. i did not know what to say all that i knew. because of the environment, they actually behave like prisoners. and i thought, if we can provide education, we can transform the mindset of the children in prison and they can come out of prison reintegrated into society as responsible. they have never seen the world

outside prison, so they are amazed. so when you take them out ice cream they don't know whether to eat or not. and you wait for the expression on theirfaces. others would say it how can you leave your full—time job to do this charity? how will get money and so on the. but i think i got the satisfaction just to know that a child's rights have been advocated for, just to note that a child can go to school. just to see that smile ona go to school. just to see that smile on a child's face, i got the payment. i did. what a great lady.

faith kalungia. she runs the mother of millions foundation which helps to feed, educate and provide places to play for the children growing up in prisons in zambia. faith is just one of the nominees for the outlook inspirations awards — you can find all the others on: it is on bbc world service radio. fantastic stories. people like faith, they interview them all the time. what comes to mind when you think of the beaches of southern california? bronzed bodies — golden sands — and surfing. lots of surfing. well — things might be changing — with a surfboard that is a little bit different. in this workshop in the small town of carlsbad, a kind of sporting revolution is taking place. dave daum and his colleagues are perfecting a new kind of surfboard. somewhere along the line

i took my engineering talents and coupled them with surfboard and stand up paddle board design and worked out what i was doing, and came up with the foilboards and a paddle board like you see in the background. high—tech, computer designed, but these testing on the waves. cue the beach boys. surfin' safari. technically, it is not surfboarding, but foilboarding. either way it's a ride. we have so much fun. it was the worst conditions today, and we went out and had a blast. the board works like a hydrofoil. the wing under the water helps it to rise up in the air as it gains speed. and because there is less drag, it can travel much faster, even on the smallest of waves.

there isjust a lot of lift, you know? you are literally feeling like what an aeroplane wing would do when it lives up. you're that on your body, under your feet. the foilboard is by no means perfect. you will still fall off every so often, and it's probably a little more awkward to carry home. tim allman, bbc news. stay with me on bbc news, i'll be back with the business briefing in just a few moments. we'll have more on the us investigation into whether imports of foreign vehicles should be curbed on grounds of national security. we will tackle this convenience with food apps, if it is killing the local independent restaurants in terms of the margins being squeezed. aiwa see very soon, stay with us. --i will aiwa see very soon, stay with us. ——i will see very soon. hello.

there is plenty more spring sunshine in the forecast for the next few days. but an increasing number of thundery showers, particularly to the south. we will see those as we go through thursday. this little weather front responsible, drifting up in the near continent. it doesn't look like a much but it introduces extra humidity and moisture, just to keep that the atmosphere needs to produce some of the showers and thunderstorms. drifting across southern areas thunderstorms. drifting across southern areas as we thunderstorms. drifting across southern areas as we get to the first part of the days of the lot of mist and murkiness rolling in from the north sea and that will burn back towards the coast as the day goes on. through the afternoon and this is how it looks a bit more detail. showers and storms drifting westwards, brightening by the afternoon across east anglia and the south—east and midlands. to northern england, ireland and scotland, a lot of sunshine but still in cloudy conditions fought some north sea

coast area. temperatures for the afternoon are doing pretty well. 3a degrees in edinburgh, 19 in belfast and towards the south—east highs of 23 but a relatively humid, muggy feel and that will continue as to night. will see further showers and thunderstorms thing up from the south—east, some of this in the mist and murkiness in low cloud for the east coast of scotland. temperatures not dipping too far between 8— 13 degrees in most places. during friday, the showers and thunderstorms will continue to drift northwards, perhaps at this stage getting up into northern england. northern ireland and scotland should stay dry with spells of sunshine and some messiness and murkiness. cloud to the south at this stage. as we go into the weekend, those temperatures look like they will rise. we will

tap into this warm and that will waft its way up from the near continent but what we are also going to bring up from the continent is further showers and storms, particularly drifting into southern and western parts of the uk. forecast for the bank holiday weekend brings 20 of spring sunshine, some warmth as well. to get into the high 20s but there is a risk of thunderstorms, especially in the south. this is business briefing. i'm sally bundock. trade tensions move up a gear, as the us says it's investigating foreign car imports. the probe could mean hefty taxes on imported vehicles plus, take—away tensions. restaurants say food delivery apps are eating their profits. we have a special report from new york. and on the markets, in asia the big losers are some of the world's biggest car makers, shares in toyota, nissan, and honda hit hard on the trump trade threats.