this is the briefing, i'm sally bundock. our top story: the race is on to stay alive. the world health organization finds a quarter of all adults don't take regular exercise, and could end up with heart disease and cancer. russian airstrikes on idlib, ahead of what could be the final battle of the war in syria. shedding light on crazy town. an investigation into donald trump's white house by veteran journalist bob woodward portrays an administration in chaos, with senior aides hiding important information from the president. tech giants pepare to face up to the us senate, as there are more concerns over the role of social media in spreading of political propaganda during elections. also in business: the archbishop of canterbury has told the bbc taxes must rise to tackle unjust economy. a warm welcome to the programme,

briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. and we would like to hear from you about the stories we are covering. are you concerned we are on the verge of a global health crisis? how active are you? do send us your comments. use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing, and we will share them later in the programme. despite countless campaigns, new research says there has been no improvement in levels of physical activity since 2001. the research, led by the world health organization and published in the lancet global health, has found that inactivity is putting almost 1.5 billion adults at risk, and people who don't take regular

exercise could end up with cardiovascular disease, dementia, and cancers. our global health correspondent smitha mundasad reports. do more exercise. keep fit. get that heart racing. messages the world has heard over and over again. but it looks like some countries, particularly rich ones, aren't keeping up. experts from the world health organization analysed hundreds of self—reported surveys to see if people actually do the 75 minutes of intense activity, or 150 minutes of moderate physical activity, recommended each week. they found more than half the populations of kuwait and saudi arabia did not meet the target.

in the uk, 36% of people were not physically active enough. in contrast, in uganda and mozambique, just 6% needed to move more. researchers say, as countries get richer, their populations become more sedentary, putting them at greater risk of heart disease, strokes and some cancers. and scientists found, overall, women were more inactive than men. they are calling on governments to act so that both men and women do more exercise without actively having to seek it out. we have focused so much on physical activity being individual responsibility, and — instead of thinking about how we can build our environment to facilitate physical activity. for example, through urban planning, through transportation systems, through building more parks and recreation facilities, so that the physically active choices are the obvious choice,

the easier choice, free choices for everybody. some countries, like china and india, have made improvements. but experts say other nations need to act fast to stop this pandemic of inactivity in its tracks. smitha mundasad, bbc news. so what do you make of this research? given how many countries have health services under a lot of pressure. get in touch with us, we will discuss later in the programme. the united nations has called on russia and turkey to act urgently to avert bloodshed in the rebel—held syrian province of idlib. it comes amid signs that president bashar al—assad's forces are preparing an offensive in the densely populated region. russia, which backs the syrian government, has been accused of being responsible for new air strikes in the region. caroline rigby reports. an airstrike on a village in the west of idlib province.

anti—government activists claim this was one of 30 in the region carried out by russian warplanes. for weeks now, the syrian government has been amassing troops in the country's last remaining rebel stronghold, ahead of what is expected to be a major offensive. the population of idlib province in syria's north—west has dramatically increased throughout this conflict, with people fleeing the regime. russia claims the region is now dominated by rebel fighters andjihadi groups, a nest for terrorists. but it is also home to an estimated three million civilians, who have nowhere else to go, around half displaced as a result of previous battles. the un warns a full—scale assault here would be like having a war in a refugee camp.

it has appealed for sanity in order to avoid humanitarian catastrophe. we could see a battle more cruel than any previous battle in this, the cruelest war of our generation. the kremlin has rejected talk of mass casualties, saying action is needed to clear out what it has described as a cradle of terrorism. earlier, president trump warned against a reckless attack on idlib. the us has also threatened swift retaliation to any use of chemical weapons by the syrian regime. russia's making accusations about opponents, white helmets, everything else. assad is doing the same thing. that is the exact formula they always follow before a chemical weapons attack that assad does on his own people. we're not going to accept it, it's not ok. some believe an offensive on idlib could mark the beginning of the end of syria's seven—year war, but at what cost to human life? caroline rigby, bbc news.

let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news: south korean envoys have travelled to pyongyang to plan for a third summit between president moonjae—in and the north korean leader, kim jong—un. the visit comes as attempts to get the north to abandon its nuclear weapons programme appear to be stalling. the new york times is reporting that us special counsel robert mueller will accept written answers from donald trump on whether his campaign conspired with russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. but it seems that offer doesn't apply when it comes to allegations the president tried to obstruct mueller‘s investigation. thousands of people have been stranded at an airport after a powerful typhoon hit japan on tuesday. ten people have been killed and major infrastructure is damaged. more than a million homes are still without power. the typhoon has now been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves north towards russia. the archbishop of canterbury has

called for a fundamental reform of the uk economy, to include more public spending, and higher taxes on technology giants and the wealthy. it comes ahead of the launch of a major report by the left—leaning think tank the commission on economicjustice, of which justin welby is a leading member. this is what he told the bbc. we have this enormous challenge of saying can we reimagine the future of this country so its foundations are in hope, based onjustice and fairness. david buik, market commentator at core spreads, joins me now. obviously he said a lot more and there is a lot more detail on what he had to say on our website, speaking to the economics editor,

kamal ahmed. what do you make of some of his ideas? there is quite a few in there and a lot of detail online for our viewers. first and foremost, i am a big fan of his grace. he ticks all the boxes for me, because he knows it. he comes from a comfortable background but a difficult background. he is a successful businessman, he has turned to the church, he has done an incredible job turned to the church, he has done an incrediblejob at a turned to the church, he has done an incredible job at a time when numbers in the church are diminishing. you sometimes feel that the church in england is detaching itself and i think by way of this speech he is trying to get back, to get people back to community values and common values which are good for all of us, and so it is very good to hear. it is actually, regardless of your political persuasion, very difficult to argue with any of these things. ever since basically the turn—of—the—century, of the century, even the start of tony blair's premiership, we have seen the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. he talks about an unjust economy, about ways of trying to change that.

to turn it around. with this think—tank. he also talks about the fa ct think—tank. he also talks about the fact that data is the new gold, and about the fact that the big technology giants should have a regulator in the same way as water and energy has a regulator. a lot in there, but at a time when here in there, but at a time when here in the uk we are trying to figure out how to leave the european union, it would seem that... is this not the right time to try and do this?” think we are letting the european union and brexit get in the way. this is a fundamental problem. but can it be tackled now, that is the question? absolutely, because life goes on and you've got to find a way whereby you can get that minimum wage up perhaps by £1 an hour, which is one of his suggestions. the debt situation, i mean, we have seen wonga go down by 150%. it is absolutely ridiculous. all of these things. all right, lots to do. absolutely. and david will be back in about half an hour to review the main stories

being covered by the global media. the picture is of a white house in a perpetual state of nervous breakdown as staff try to control the president's anger, and even secretly remove some controversial policy documents from his desk, to avoid him acting on them. that account is one of many in a damning new book by the distinguished american journalist bob woodward, whose reporting helped remove president richard nixon from office. excerpts have been published by the washington post. the white house says they are fabricated stories by disgruntled former employees. nick bryant reports. today, the white house looked as stately and elegant as ever. but, according to the new book, this mansion is home to a presidency in chaos, a west wing suffering a nervous breakdown, an administrative coup d'etat. it details how senior aides tried to prevent donald trump

from wielding his presidential pen, hiding official documents from his desk to stop him withdrawing america from the nafta free—trade agreement, and ignoring his suggestion to assassinate the syrian leader, bashar al—assad. it quotes the white house chief of staff, john kelly, describing the president as unhinged. i think it's going to be a lesson that has to be absorbed by future presidents... what gives the book so much credence is the authority of its author, bob woodward, whose work alongside carl bernstein during watergate did so much to bring down richard nixon. woodward is a washington institution. bob woodward finally managed to speak to the president, but only after the book was finished. ..so help me god.

it's certainly a bad one for the embattled attorney general, jeff sessions, who mr trump apparently described as "mentally retarded" and "a dumb southerner". and there are insights into the legal advice the president received about talking to the special counsel, robert mueller. "don't testify", his former lawyer told him. "it's either that or an orange jumpsuit". the president last appeared before the cameras yesterday, on what looked like an aborted golf trip. and now, yet another diversion. the white house claims the book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees. now, the white house chief of staff, john kelly, has also issued a statement saying he didn't call the president an idiot. he has also referred

to a statement he made in may, saying the allegation then was "total bs", in his words. it is curious, though, that the white house hasn't used the phrase "fake news," its usual blanket condemnation of the media. maybe that will come, but it is worth remembering they are up against bob woodward here, a journalist known for his rigour and fairness. he has written about eight presidents, and has been critical of democrats and republicans. even the president, in that phone conversation with bob woodward, admitted that he was fair. so i think many readers will see in this book an accurate rendering of history. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: they are amongst the most famous footwear on film. judy garland's stolen ruby slippers from the wizard of oz are finally found. she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums.

the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting and wives are waiting, so... hostages appeared, some carried, some running, trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today, described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable. an early—morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion. our headlines.

research led by the world health organization and published in the lancet global health, has found that people who don't take regular exercise could end up with cardiovascular disease, dementia and cancers. the united nations has called on russia and turkey to act urgently to avert bloodshed in the rebel—held, syrian province of idlib. tropical storm gordon is making its presence felt in the gulf states of the us. but this time last year, a string of intense storms cut a devastating path across parts of america and the caribbean. hurricane harvey ushered in record rainfall for houston and hurricaine maria left almost three thousand people dead in puerto rico. bbc weather‘s tomasz schafernaker was in florida when hurricane irma hit and he's been looking at the prospects for this year's

atlantic hurricane season. last yea r‘s atlantic accurate to season last yea r‘s atlantic accurate to season will never be forgotten in the caribbean and the us. it spawned extreme storms, from record rainfall in houston, two entire island nations being devastated. —— to. parts of the karrabin still have many years of recovery ahead of them, anguilla, saint martin, puerto rico and dominic oh. this was the bedroom. that is a bedroom. that is a bedroom. that is the bathroom and thatis a bedroom. that is the bathroom and that is another bedroom over there. it started picking up and the rain came in. at the time i was sleeping and my brothers worked me up. he started pulling and i am helping him, we were fighting the wind. florida hadn't seen a major

hurricane in many years, it also experienced widespread damage and massive destruction. we originally came here because the iowa ‘s got to come past this location, but oversized the track —— overnight the track changed and it will strike the other side of florida. that is how unpredictable hurricane' can be. hurricane irma, harvey and maria broke records, each of them fought different reasons. hurricane irma reached category five with sustained wind of 65 mph. it managed to maintain his intensity longer than any other tropical cyclone in recorded history. that are fixed on. it is one thing to talk about wind speed and pressure, but it is a com pletely speed and pressure, but it is a completely different thing to experience a hurricane first—hand. but why did 2017 spawned such powerful hurricanes, and will we see

anything similar in 2018? last year, crucially, the ocean surface in the tropics was a lot warmer than usual. that meant more energy for developing storms. also, the atmosphere was often calm and lacked any wind shear. these are destructive currents of air which can otherwise prevent the storms from forming. so far this year, the waters in the tropical atlantic have remained cooler than last year, perhaps signifying less energy for hurricanes, but now the conditions are becoming more favourable for growing storms as we approach a peak of hurricane season. —— of the peak. bbc weather presenter, tomasz schafernaker. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello there. coming up in your wednesday sport briefing. europe is set to name their wildcard picks for this month ryder cup in paris. novak

djokovic heads out on his us open quarter—final later. and jurgen klopp gets ready to meet his landlord this weekend, who is also the opposition manager. tiger woods has been picked as one of the picks for the upcoming ryder cup. the skipperfor europe has for the upcoming ryder cup. the skipper for europe has four wildcard picks to make fought this month scottish and it are as. the big question is does he go for experience orform? question is does he go for experience or form? we'll find question is does he go for experience orform? we'll find out around 13 gmt. there is a lot of quys around 13 gmt. there is a lot of guys playing well. yeah. we are in a situation where we are going to make someone really happy and we are going to let somebody down and it is fortu nate going to let somebody down and it is fortunate and unfortunate in the same breath and that is the way it is. as a captain you will be sometimes when you have four picks, there will be four missed. that is

not the case this time. a bit of thinking and stuff to do. like most of us thought, i am sure novak djokovic was expecting to play roger pedder. is that he will be playing john millman, he will be hard to beat but novak djokovic will fancy his title —— chances of a fourth title. in case you missed it, on tuesday in the us open number 19 seed anastasija sevastova knocked out defending champion sloane stephens with a 6—2, 6—3 victory to progress to the semi—finals. the latvian number 19 seed, who is through to her first grand slam semi—final, broke stephens twice in the opening set and completed the win in just under an hour and a half. i have been six and seven since monday, bad sinus infection.

whatever, you to play. i said, i have been playing well in the last matches and today was a tough day, aided and play my best, i wish i could have played better but itjust wasn't that a. —— itjust could have played better but itjust wasn't that a. —— it just wasn't the day. a source close tojose mourinho has disputed a spanish newspaper report claiming a suspended prison sentence has been accepted by him. earlier reports in the el mundo newspaper claimed that the manchester united manager had accepted the punishment and a fine as part of a deal to settle a spanish tax evasion case. the manchester united boss appeared before a court near madrid last year and said afterwards he considered the case closed and he would pay what he owed. we're so used to hearing football managers talking about the game aren't we? form, fitness, tactics, that sort of thing. jurgen klopp though doesn't always stick to the rules. when he took the liverpooljob he started renting former manager brendan rodger‘s house. ahead of a match with celtic this saturday, who rodgers now manages, he's recorded this message and it's been very popular on social media. it will be fun, for sure. especially

because i meet my landlord. i think the first time since he left liverpool and i came here we meet. we have a lot of things to talk about. the plumbing issue, illiteracy, —— electricity and the pool and stuff like. brendan, illiteracy, —— electricity and the pooland stuff like. brendan, hope you have a good shave and pavlich and discussed. you can get all the latest sports news at our website, that's bbc.com/sport. but from me and the team, that is your wednesday sport briefing. they're considered to be hollywood's most treasured piece of america's film industry, and were lost for 13 years after being stolen from a museum in minnesota. now, a pair of ruby slippers worn byjudy garland in the wizard of oz have been recovered by the fbi. an anonymous donor had once offered a million dollars ransom money for the shoes, which are one of four pairs which were worn by the star in the 1939 film.

they are more than just a pair of shoes, the slippers. they are an enduring symbol of the power of belief. and i know i speak for everyone in the grand rapids community when i say that we are very, very pleased that the public again has a potential opportunity to view this piece of hollywood, this most treasured piece of the nation's film history. absolutely. remember watching that film as a little girl i was scared to death by the witch, but also, those shoes. everybody wanted a pair. we have asked you to get in touch about our lead story today.

the world health organization reporting that more than a quarter people worldwide, 1.4 billion people, are not doing enough physical exercise. we asked you to get in touch. we are heard from many of you. thank you so much for your comments. this is one i wanted to show you. stephen is getting in touch with us. he says this. i have two agree, i am it out every day with my black labrador because he needs to walk. —— to. we have kept a guy who says, as technology takes over the world, people tend to exercise less with each passing year. i'll be back with the business briefing in just a few moments. if you are heading outside as the

next hour or two a cross england and wales, you will do so underneath cloudy skies. we have got a cold front bringing a bit of rain to the east coast of east anglia in particular. showers in western scotland as well, but otherwise, it's dry enough. a relatively mild to start the day here, cooler air for scotland and also for northern ireland. it is here where we will have the best of the morning sunshine. we are going to see a weather front moving off the atlantic, and that is going to bring some rain to northern ireland and western scotland, where it will turn progressively heavier through the course of the afternoon. england and wales stays pretty cloudy, only the occasional sunny spells. then as we get towards the end of the week, we are going to see weather patterns turn increasingly unsettled. it is going to become cool and breezy, with rain at times. here is thursday's chart. low pressure starts to form across scotland, and that is what is going to be bringing rain initially to scotland,

then to northern england. a wet day here. further south, another weather front probably starts to move in across south wales and that will put on two parts of southern england, particularly the south—west and maybe the midlands in the afternoon as well. in between these areas of rain, there could be a few places that avoid the downpours and stay dry and bright, but it will be turning noticeably cooler, particularly in the north. the change is all down to the jet stream, which becomes more amplified over the few days. if we were underneath this ridge, it would be more dry. instead, we're under this trough, the area of low pressure becomes trapped and slow—moving. as you can imagine, we will have areas of rain rotating around this slow—moving area of low pressure through friday and into the weekend as well. more rain to come through scotland and northern england in particular. there could still be some showers around across southern counties of england, and southern temperatures nothing to write home about really. about 15 degrees or so for aberdeen,

maybe 16 or so from birmingham, 19 if we see sunny spells in london. we could see some heavy rain and maybe parts of england too. sunday looks likely to become a bit drier. this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. tech giants pepare to face up to the us senate, as there are more concerns over the role of social media in spreading of political propaganda during elections. first apple, now amazon. the online retail giant becomes the world's second company to be worth $1 trillion and launches a new hindi language service for india. and on the markets, concerns about contagion and the vulnerability of emerging market currencies, the south african rand and indonesia's rupiah among the latest victims.