this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top stories: backing brexit — after hours of debate, uk government ministers agree to support a deal to leave the eu. i'm philippa thomas, live in westminster, where the prime minister's plan will face its next major hurdle. doubts an operation to begin sending back thousands of displaced rohingya muslims to myanmar will go ahead. a community destroyed — officials in california say the town of paradise ravaged by wildfires will have to be totally rebuilt. in business — the teenage vaping craze. why flavoured e—cigarettes are leaving a bad taste in the mouth for us regulators. i'll be speaking to business leaders are on their views

on the draft withdrawal agreement. 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. the process which will take the uk out of the european union has completed a significant hurdle, but by no means the last. theresa may has won the backing of her cabinet to the draft deal agreed with the eu.

but now she faces an even more significant challenge — to win the support of parliament. the arithmetic in that is quite complex. she looks likely to need the help of a significant number of mps from parties outside of her own conservative party. let's go over live to my colleague philippa thomas who is in westminster. you have been covering every twist and turn. she managed to get the cabinet on board. what lies ahead today? good morning. it is going to bea today? good morning. it is going to be a really busy day. in westminster and in brussels. we will keep you across all those developments. theresa may has got her cabinet on board. we saw her come out of downing street last night and said there has been a long, detailed impassioned debate after which she said had cabinet had made a

collective decision to back the deal. i am collective decision to back the deal. iam not collective decision to back the deal. i am not entirely sure that amounts to the cabinet being on—board. at least nine ministers spoke out against the deal. some unhappiness. also from conservative mps, making their voices heard no doubt in parliament. we are also waiting to hear from the opposition labour party becausejeremy corbyn said this morning is the time he will reveal whether they will back the agreement. in theory, she has a collect if cabinet decision but it will be a sticky time for her in parliament. ian watson has more on what has happened and what is ahead. last night the prime minister

maintained a fragile unity, in what was described a collective agreement. but some around the table expressed concerns. the prime minister gave a strong hint on how the discussions had gone. the cabinet has just had a long, detailed and impassioned debate about the draft withdrawal agreement and the political declaration on our future relationship with the european union. these decisions were not taken european union. these decisions were not ta ken lightly european union. these decisions were not taken lightly but i believe it isa not taken lightly but i believe it is a decision taken firmly in the entire national interest. this long—standing leave campaign wants his fellow conservatives to reject the deal. the dup are not happy with the deal. the dup are not happy with the specific proposal providing a ha rd the specific proposal providing a hard broader in the island of ireland. the leader had a frank meeting with the prime minister last night. it certainly does appear we

will not be able to support it because it reaches the red line in terms of having differences between northern ireland and the rest of the united kingdom. we would still be in the customs union as well stop we cannot have that. all that because we have even reached the official opposition position. we have even reached the official opposition positionlj we have even reached the official opposition position. i do not believe the deal i have heard so far is in the national interest. it does not meet the needs of all parts of britain and is not give security in trade in the future with europe. one in which we have a say. the prime minister admitted there will be difficult days ahead. resilience is needed if she is to seal a final deal. so many issues remain unresolved and

northern ireland remained the biggest point. there is never going to be an easy solution because northern ireland needs to have a free throw of goods and open to the republic of ireland which is and remains a key member of the european union so it cannot have that hard border across the middle of the island stop that northern ireland is also part of the united kingdom and thatis also part of the united kingdom and that is very, important to the unionist parties including the dup whose leader said she's very unhappy about deal because she believes it somehow begins a separate northern ireland from the rest of the uk. this document, when we were watching michel barnier‘s briefing, he made a big point and spoke in detail about northern ireland's special status

and the fact that, if at the end of and the fact that, if at the end of a transition period of two years, there is no further agreement then backstop comes into effect were there is one rule that covers most of great britain and another that covers the province of northern ireland and that is what has made the dup and some conservatives so very unhappy. it will not be smoothed out in the next few hours but something mps will have to decide to go with if there is going to bea decide to go with if there is going to be a deal rather than no deal brexit. we will return to westminster shortly. but we will also look at business and what this draft withdrawal agreement is and what it means for business and for trade. all that coming later in the programme. let's focus on another critical story on the global stage.

the planned repatriation of rohingya muslims back to myanmar is in doubt. bangladesh had begun preparations to repatriate an initial group of rohingya muslims to myanmar, in line with a bilateral plan agreed on by the two governments in october. but bangladesh's refugee commissioner said none wanted to return and that they would not be forced to go. nick beake joins me from rakhine state in myanmar. this is terribly complicated and it is not surprising at all to hear that these refugees do not want to return? this is a complete mess, this process. this morning we are in rakhine state and what constituted as genocide by some are few miles of way. we are not allowed to get any

closer to it. the first of the rohingya reprint —— repatriation was met by alarm i rohingya inaudible the prospect of being made to go back, where mobs attacked them, the same soldiers who the un have accused of carrying out terrible crimes petrify ‘s people. others have fled. there has been shut on bangladesh to stop this process. people say it is not safe for rohingya people to go back. the un, the us vice president mike pence met aung san suu kyi and said, this is not a process which is going to work and that is what his administration believes is the case here. we are watching extremely carefully what will happen today. let's brief you on some of the other

stories making the news: the white house has confirmed that president trump's deputy national security adviser, mira ricardel, is leaving herjob, but she will remain in the administration. just a day ago the office of first lady melania trump issued a highly unusual statement, saying mrs ricardel "no longer deserves the honour of serving in this white house." the libyan prime minister has told the bbc he expects the younger brother of the manchester arena bomber will be extradited to britian before the end of the year. hashem abedi has been in custody in libya since soon after the attack in may last year, which killed 22 people. he's wanted in britain for murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to cause explosions. a so—called super—earth has been discovered orbiting one of the closest stars to our sun, six light—years away. the planet is thought to have a mass more than three times the earth's and is mostly rocky and very cold,

with a massive atmosphere. let's get back to our top story — the draft agreement on brexit. the pound rose sharply as news of the agreement emerged on wednesday and it has largely held onto those gains. it has now been flatlining. jane foley is senior foreign exchange strategist at rabobank good morning. jane is busy reading the details! we are all trying to get our heads around it. what has been going on in the last 2a hours? the pound has been very sensitive. it has been sensitive to brexit

headlines about anything else. we have been here for quite a while... sincejune have been here for quite a while... since june 2016. have been here for quite a while... since june 2016. last year it was the bank of england and other fact is but in the last few weeks it really has been brexit. the budget was largely ignored, the bank of england meeting largely ignored. a lot of trading on the back of these headlines but a lot of people who do not have to be involved in stirling right now waiting on the headlines because it is difficult to predict and know what is going to happen. because it is difficult to predict and know what is going to happenm the 500 plus document —— 585 i have just been told in my ear, what does it tell us about the economic sector? very little. i have been trying to find out what the reaction is to that but very little. a lot of

it has been the northern ireland issue and that has been the case for a long time. with respect to the financial services, this is an enormous part of the uk economy and it is clearly important. a lot of lea ks it is clearly important. a lot of leaks in the past few weeks that an agreement had been secured but theresa may said nothing is agreed until all is agreed. whether the regulator is equivalent in the uk and the eu. and whether financial services can operate easily both ways. we will talk some more about that and other stories later. the director of the us emergency agency has warned that a california town ravaged by wildfire will need a total rebuild job that could take several years. the death toll has continued to rise — after the authorities confirmed another eight bodies had been found in northern california. that brings the total of dead to 56. dan johnson reports.

a week ago, this was the centre of a vibrant town. now, it is drained of colour and devoid of life. it's people like bill who gave this place its character. this is the first time you have seen your house, bill? first time. there's not a lot left. this is the porch, this is the living room. this is my bedroom, that was her bedroom. back there is the kitchen. it is scorched earth, it's flat, it's gone. it's flat, it's cleared. wow, how do you deal with this? yeah... tyres popping, cars are burning. this is what he faced, driving through the firestorm. we're moving, we're moving. go. he was the last from his street to make it out. yes, people, it is blowing, it is hot.

what happens next? what do you do? rebuild, re—start. start life again. i am alive, i have the clothes on my back, i have my family. these are the people who did not make it out. but it is impossible to grasp the scale of loss, notjust individual lives and family homes but the shared experiences of a community — where they prayed, where they shopped, where they settled to retire — all of it smothered, ruined, dead. danjohnson, bbc news, paradise. plenty more to come. a place apart — why the future of northern ireland could still lead to choppy waters for britain's brexit deal. benazir bhutto has claimed victory

in pakistan's general election. she has asked pakistan's president to name her as prime minister. jackson's been released on bail of $3 million after turning himself into police in santa barbara. it was the biggest demonstration so far of the fast—growing european antinuclear movement. the south african government has announced that its opening the country's remaining whites only beaches to people of all races. this will lead to a black majority government in this country and the destruction of the white civilisation. part of the centuries—old windsor castle, one of the queen's residences, has been consumed by fire for much of the day. 150 firemen have been battling the blaze, which has caused millions of pounds worth of damage. you're watching the briefing.

our headlines: doubts an operation to begin sending back thousands of displaced rohingya muslims to myanmar will go ahead as planned. and our top story: after hours of impassioned debate, government ministers agree to support theresa may's brexit deal. let's stay with that now. and re—join the bbc‘s philippa thomas at westminster. as we say, a long and difficult day ahead. as you mentioned earlier, there is a real concern about how united the cabinet is, because we have been hearing at the bbc that nine of those on the cabinet were not necessarily fully on board with

this idea. as theresa may put it, it was an impassioned debate. we understand some very senior ministers spoke out. they felt that this deal was not ripe for parliament, not right for the uk. there was a collective agreement at the end, not a unanimous agreement, but a collective agreement. to that extent theresa may was able to breathe a sigh of relief. she has formally got the cabinet on board. there are still, sally, many hurdles in many ways in which this agreement could fall apart, technically and politically for theresa may. our politically for theresa may. our political correspondent has been looking at what comes next. it's only a brexit agreement. it is not a done deal now. not really. officials from the eu and britain are now on the same page and there are now on the same page and there are 500 of them. but this huge document that sets out all of the details of how britain will separate from the eu now need to sign off.

are you ready to sign up to the deal, ministers? are you ready to sign up, mrgove? deal, ministers? are you ready to sign up, mr gove? what you make of the agreement? the collective decision of it was that the government should agree the draft at —— withdrawal agreement and the outlined political declaration. this isa outlined political declaration. this is a decisive step which enables us to move on and finalise the deal in the days ahead. all of the eu countries need to decide whether they are on board as well. if they are being european leaders, the presence, the prime ministers, happy get—together to officially say we are in. but then will come the really tricky part. the vote on the divorce deal in parliament. and that looks like it will be really tough for the prime minister. lots of her own mps hate what they have heard so far, for different reasons, so they would support her. am i going to vote

against it? the answer is yes. labour does not like the sound of it and northern ireland's democratic unionist are usually backed the pm in parliament are not keen on the shape of it either. it certainly does not appear that we will be able to support it because it reaches the red line in terms of having differences between northern ireland and the rest of the united kingdom. so if all the numbers don't add up for theresa may here then it might be the end of this divorce deal and, by the way, if it does survive there are still another big deal to be done on how we trade with the eu after we have left. the question that has dominated much of the brexit negotiations is, of course, the status of northern ireland and how to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and the irish republic on the south of the island. this really matters for the people who live there. what will their future relationship be like with the rest of the uk and with the south? here is emma vardy. bomb blast this island's history is marked by struggles over land and sea. today, brexit is redefining its modern borders. people here have found themselves caught in the middle

of a political storm. we don't want to go back to days of old. whatever happens, happens. i don't think individually we can make a gigantic difference to what the higher powers decide. at northern ireland's larne harbour, every day trucks and trade arrive over the irish sea from britain. checks are needed on live animals, but currently little else, because the whole island, north and south, is under the same eu rules. but after the uk leaves the eu, there could be new checks on some products coming from britain to northern ireland. and northern ireland alone could remain tied to some eu rules. the democratic unionist party believes this would undermine the very integrity of the uk. i know that for the unionist community in northern ireland at the moment, this is quite a difficult time. today, ireland's prime minister tried to allay the dup's fears. i know many of them may be feeling vulnerable,

and i want to say to them that the good friday agreement will be protected. northern ireland has achieved peace through a dual british and irish identity. some people believe shared membership of the eu has helped to keep that relationship in harmony, but now brexit is changing things. we're scared about going backwards. it's a big dealfor us. obviously northern ireland always presents that sort of problem, that difficulty of understanding what's happening, and identity. ijust feel with brexit, either we're in or we're out. and if we're out, let's get on with it. brexit isn't just about trade on these shores. it's also about the delicate balance of peace on this island. but now this special brexit status is raising questions on the other side of the water, over whether scotland and wales should be given their own set of arrangements in the agreement too. emma vardy, bbc news. theresa may will be speaking to

parliament. that will be another tricky appearance for her. she will be speaking about five hours because time. we will be here to take you through that, sally. thank you, villa park, we will see you soon. on my way to work this morning, i was digging deep into this withdrawal agreement and what it means. —— phillipa. ifound agreement and what it means. —— phillipa. i found this online. agreement and what it means. —— phillipa. ifound this online. it agreement and what it means. —— phillipa. i found this online. it is a fantastic explainer from the process today onwards and what could happen in every eventuality. it is a good way of getting your head around the process from here onwards. we will have more on brexit in business briefing. former first lady michelle obama has begun an international tour promoting her new memoir, becoming. the book reveals that she had a miscarriage, and used ivf to conceive both her daughters. she talks also of seeking couple's

therapy with her husband, former president barack of course. she told cbs news there were times when their relationship had problems. i tell young couples, it's like when you get married you've got that moment, those years, if you're lucky, where it's just the two of you, individuals on your paths. you come together when you need to. all works until you have kids. yourfirstjoint project where the inequalities are felt. you know, i'm working and managing childcare and sick kids and trying to co—ordinate myjob and he's flittering in. tensions started to arise. and we knew that we needed to have a place where we could really work these feelings out. was he like, great, let's go to counselling? oh no! oh no, no. i can't wait to go! barack is a problem solver. it's like, i'll buy a book and we will study... on relationships. oh relationships, yeah. we will study chapter 12.

you read chapter 13. and we can figure this out. you know, it's just one of those things. we don't need help from anybody. and i was like really? because for me, i was like i need to go to somebody who's gonna tell you... you're wrong. exactly. i have to say that really made me chuckle when she said she wanted to go to marriage counselling so the council would tell ba rack go to marriage counselling so the council would tell barack that he was wrong. there is a much more on bbc online about the withdrawal agreement —— council. we have reality check as well. in business briefing injust a moment reality check as well. in business briefing in just a moment will be getting the view of business leaders on what this withdrawal agreement means for them. see when a minute. hello. we have a largely dry and

settled be whether the next few days. we had rain in the north and west during the day on wednesday. for most of us it was dry. this was the picture as the sunset in oxfordshire. as we have through the day on thursday things will stay mostly male and dry. there will be more cloud than we have had over recent days. also some sunshine breaking through that cloud later in the day —— mild. a weather fronts it into the far north—west bringing some spots of rain. for much of the uk we are under the influence of high pressure sitting across continental europe. that will influence the weather through because of the weekend. for thursday, some rain for the far west of northern ireland and north—western scotland. much of the country it is dry. there will be a lot of mist, low cloud, and fog, especially across central, southern, and eastern areas of england. the north—east and scotland be such a breakthrough and it will feel mild. 30-15 breakthrough and it will feel mild. 30—15 for most of us. higher than one would expect for this time of

year —— 13. bank of scotland overnight thursday. into friday things become dry across the board. we will see some mist and fog developing. for many of us, particularly in the south, temperatures in the double figures from the word go on friday. the weather fronts are sitting out in the atlantic. they are not making their way across the uk. a big area of high pressure that is in the driving seat through friday and into the weekend. some mist and fog and low cloud, especially the central, southern, and eastern parts. that should turn to break up many of us during the day. sunny spells developing but fairly grey in places in the afternoon. top temperatures 13-14 in the afternoon. top temperatures 13— 14 will in the afternoon. top temperatures 13— 1a will stop a subtle change into the weekend. it should stay dry and settled. things will start to feel a little bit cooler. for saturday a dry start to the day. some mist, for, and low cloud which should clear fairly quickly as we seek clearer conditions moving in from the south—east. that slight

change in wind direction will make it less mild, temperatures 10— 12 on saturday. a cold and that saturday night into sunday. a touch of frost. clear skies for many of us. perhaps low cloud for many of the north sea coasts. temperatures for sunday afternoon quite as well, 10— 12 degrees. goodbye for now. this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. a cautious welcome from business for the draft brexit deal but will it ever get through parliament? plus, the teenage vaping craze — why flavoured e—cigarettes are leaving a bad taste in the mouth for us regulators. and on the markets most stocks are headed lower in asia following another slide on wall street but tencent‘s strong earnings is keeping shanghai and hong kong slightly up.