this is the briefing — i'm samantha simmonds. our top story: he's one of the most influential and powerful business leaders anywhere in the world — and he's facing the sack for alleged misconduct. has the career of nissan's chairman carlos ghosn finally stalled? spain's prime minister says he'll not accept the brexit withdrawal treaty unless the future of gibraltar is on the agenda. the leaning tower of pisa is a little more upright. experts say the popular tourist attraction is now stable. in business — window shopping. us retailers put on the glitz to lure festive crowds offline and into their stores. the will have all the latest business news. —— coming up we will have all the latest business news. 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. today we're asking, as the education secretary says he'll publish a ‘bucket list‘ of life goals for children including going on a train and making chocolate! do we really need to teach our kids how to be kids? what ‘life goals' do you have for your kids? tell us what you think — just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. the board of nissan are expected to formally confirm later today that chairman carlos ghosn has been sacked from hisjob. he was arrested on monday after an internal investigation at nissan revealed "significant acts of misconduct." he's suspected of under—reporting how much he was being paid. he's also boss of renault and mitsibushi — although the french company have yet to remove him from his post. rupert wingfield hayes is our tokyo correspondent —

hejoins me now. take us through the timeline. what we to happen today? we are expecting the board meeting to happen in around two hours from now. it is to be here in tokyo and the board of nissan are expected to meet at their headquarters in yokohama ad for a pm. we think they will meet about one—hour. there are seven members of the board, headed by the ceo who held a dramatic press conference to announce this story on monday night. and the expectation is very much that the board will vote to dismiss carlos ghosn and another executive from there persists positions. and the current ceo will then be appointed as an interim chairman

while nissan looks for another permanent chairman to replace carlos ghosn. meanwhile, carlos ghosn is not yet been charged with anything yet. he is still being charged but a question and the authorities need more time to do that. that is correct. we have a view into japan's extraordinary legal system whereafter 48—hour workers investigators are allowed to apply to foran investigators are allowed to apply to for an extension of up to ten days, initially. they did that yesterday and the court gave approval. so carlos ghosn will remain in custody for ten days. they can then apply for a second extension of another ten days and many people here think they will do that. so it looks very likely that carlos ghosn will remain in custody ina carlos ghosn will remain in custody in a detention centre in the north of tokyo for the next 20 days, initially, while the investigation goes on. we will update you when we get any more details about that decision. spain's prime minister has said he will not accept the brexit withdrawal treaty and accompanying political declaration

on future ties at a summit of eu leaders on sunday unless the wording is changed to reflect spain's concerns about the territoy of gibraltar. pedro sanchez said he is prepared to vote ‘no' because he is defending our europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports from gibraltar. just days before the final summit to seal the brexit deal is due, this is a serious obstacle. the spanish prime minister, pedro sanchez, said the text of the withdrawal treaty and the accompanying declaration of future ties between the eu and the uk are not acceptable for spain. translation: were disappointed that we have found in the withdrawal agreement a number of elements, an article, article 184 that questions the ability spain to negotiate with the ability spain to negotiate with the uk about the future of gibraltar. if this is not solved

between now and sunday, spain, u nfortu nately, between now and sunday, spain, unfortunately, a pro— european government, is to vote no and exercise its veto. mr sanchez wants it made clear that any future trade deals between the eu and the uk are to apply to gibraltar as well, and will not secure a separate spanish agreement. he calls it an essential point for spain. that they can negotiate with the uk about any issues to do with gibraltar.” negotiate with the uk about any issues to do with gibraltar. i have been clear that we will not exclude gibraltar from been clear that we will not exclude gibraltarfrom our been clear that we will not exclude gibraltar from our negotiations on the future of relationship. we want a deal that works for the entire uk family including gibraltar. at the summit, the eu leaders are not expected to hold a formal vote. they will instead seek to agreed by consensus. that means spain does not have that direct veto to wield that it will be littered with problematic for the eu to press ahead over any

objections spain may have at that stage. damian grammaticas reporting there from gibraltar. iain anderson, the founder of the international communications agency cicero is with me. good morning. it is good to see you. the daily telegraph's tack on —— ta ke the daily telegraph's tack on —— take on this is not about gibraltar, it is about whatjeremy hunt had to say after that cabinet meeting. he is warning that the uk is at risk of getting caught in what he describes asa getting caught in what he describes as a turkey trapped. what does he mean? there is a new expression to grapple with this morning, the turkey trapped. this idea, basically, that the united kingdom could become like turkey, stuck on a permanent negotiation for the last 30 years to try and get to the next stage. turkey is trying to get in and the uk is trying to get out and negotiate a new deal. i think it is

fascinating thatjeremy hunt has made these comments, broadly regarded as a loyalist for theresa may. but it does reflect the extreme cabinet tension on the entire issue and whether or not she can get this deal through the house of commons. his issue is more about what we hear so his issue is more about what we hear so much about, the issue of the border between northern ireland and ireland. he said that instead of being a backstop warns that the risk that this will become a front stopped. basically, that we cannot get over the threshold into the next stage of the conversation that we are constantly stuck in something that looks like a customs union, which is essentially what the prime minister has said she did not want to do in the first place. might view is that we are at five minutes to midnightand is that we are at five minutes to midnight and the economy and

business now need some certainty and we have to go to the next stage because while jeremy hunt we have to go to the next stage because whilejeremy hunt may complain, we now need to hear what alternatives are available to what the prime minister is negotiating. do you agree with the view that this warning that the uk could indefinitely become trapped as a reduced satellite of the eu or is this an extreme talking up of the worse case scenario? this an extreme talking up of the worse case scenario? if we leave the european union as planned on march 29 next year we can then properly get into that phase two of the conversation which is the kind of relationship that we want to have. it is really important that we get an agreement right because if we do not get an agreement we do not get the economic transition that is so vital for both the economic transition that is so vitalfor both sides the economic transition that is so vital for both sides of this negotiation. thank you and we will see you later. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news: over 800 staff will work through the thanksgiving holiday in california to help identify

the remains of those killed in the wildfires that struck the region earlier this month. more than 560 remain unaccountned for, with 86 fatalities so far. heavy rains have helped firefighters trying to put out what is now the deadliest wild fires in the states history although officials are now concerned flash flooding could hoinder the search for human remains. the head of russian military intelligence agency gru, general igor korobov, has died at the age of 62. general korobov, who took up the post in 2016, is said to have died after "a serious and long illness" on wednesday. the gru was this year linked to a nerve agent attack in britain on ex—russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter. facebook‘s outgoing communications chief, elliot schrage, has said he alone was responsible for hiring a washington—based pr firm to target the compa ny‘s critics. last week the new york times said facebook was using the firm, definers, to spread disparaging information. one of those targeted was the billionaire philanthropist, george soros, after he described the social media network as a menace to society.

the american space agency says its latest mars probe, called insight, is on track for touchdown on monday. only a third of previous international missions have succeeded. nasa is expressing confidence that insight — with a heat—resistant capsule, parachute, and rockets — will touch down safely. saudi arabia's foreign minister has told the bbc that criticising the leadership of the kingdom is "a red line" and will not be tolerated. adel al—jubeir said that includes calls to replace crown prince mohammed bin salman, who he said was not involved in the murder of the journalist — and saudi government critic — jamal khashoggi. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet has been speaking exclusively to the foreign minister in riyadh. an unshakeable bond, but the us congress now has

the prince in its sights. it wants to know what role did he play in the murder ofjamal khashoggi. but in riyadh, the kingdom's top diplomat hits back. the crown prince of saudi arabia is not involved in this. we have made that very clear. we have an investigation that's ongoing, and we will punish the individuals who are responsible for this, and we will make sure it doesn't happen again. so this is a red line — is this a red line for the kingdom, sir, whatever the evidence is? show us the evidence, show us the evidence. if turkey has the evidence, please provide it. all we hear is leaks, leaks. show us the evidence, and then we will talk. it's a red line when you have individuals calling for the removal or replacement of our leaders. that's ridiculous, and that's unacceptable in saudi arabia. there is another crisis too — yemen, said to be on the brink of the worst famine in living memory.

saudi arabia is under mounting pressure to end the bombing and blockades causing such suffering. we are doing everything possible in orderto minimise the humanitarian suffering of the yemeni people. now, when we have a militia that is radical, allied with hezbollah and iran, that launched more than 200 ballistic missiles at our towns and cities, are we supposed to sit there and say, oh, sorry, we're not going to do anything? so, if i understand you correctly, saudi arabia and its coalition are not ready to do anything to bring an end to their involvement in this war? we have said that we support all the political efforts aimed at finding resolution to the yemeni crisis. this week the saudi monarch set out his country's agenda for the next year, his son, the crown prince, in the front row, a signal to saudis and the world that the kingdom sets its own course. lyse doucet, bbc news, riyadh.

stay with us on bbc news, still to come: they are known as one of the world ‘s oldest aphrodisiac. we will find out why the sex life of an oyster has aroused interest. benazir bhutto has claimed victory in pakistan's general election, and she's asked pakistan's president to name her as prime minister. jackson's been released on bail of $3 million after turning himself in to 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 it's 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: spain's prime minister says he will not accept the brexit treaty unless gibraltar is on the agenda. carlos ghosn has been sacked from hisjob. the british foreign secretary will meet today with the wife of matthew hedges who was jailed for life on thursday in abu dhabi.

he was convicted of spying for the british government but his family say he is innocent. our correspondent paul blake is in dubai. the foreign secretary is extremely disappointed after having a meeting of mac are called with the dubai foreign minister and we were assured that this would not happen. what do we expect to happen next? —— or a call. the wife of matthew hedges was in court when the sentence was handed down. she is expected to meet with jeremy hunt today. that still being worked out. jeremy hunt said he was shocked and disappointed at

the outcome. he said he warned of repercussions of the relationships between the two countries and that could be significant because there are expats and holiday —goers here ona are expats and holiday —goers here on a daily basis so a definite significant economic and cultural relationship on the line. what explanation is matthew hedges and his family giving for him being at there? he studies of the impact of there? he studies of the impact of the arab spring on the uae‘s policies. how it has affected its policies. how it has affected its policies. he was out here conducting research and interviews for his ph.d. thesis. research and interviews for his ph. d. thesis. on research and interviews for his ph.d. thesis. on may five he was prepared to go back to the uk when

he was detained by authorities who charged him with espionage and local media are saying that came after a citizen tipped off police that he was asking sensitive questions. the family says he was never engaged in espionage that is a legitimate academic and academics from across the world are calling for his release. officials at the university where he was conducting legitimate business and have maintained his innocence. the favourites are saying he was engaging in an activity for a foreign government. how do you know when an oyster is ready to reproduce? a slightly odd question i know, but finding the answer is critical for oyster fishermen who are trying to boost stocks

off the essex coastline. now, marine biologists at the university of essex have begun using an unusual device to help answer it — a magnet. our science correspondent richard westcott reports, the windswept coast still grappling with an age—old problem, the beast oyster stocks fishermen need to know exactly when the animals are reproducing. in a much warmer later at essex university, scientists think they have found an answer. you can see it connected to the top half so we can can see it connected to the top half so we can then can see it connected to the top half so we can then measure can see it connected to the top half so we can then measure the amount of gaping the oysters and do. when female oysters release their eggs, they do something strange. for 45 minutes, one—hour, the valves pump ina minutes, one—hour, the valves pump in a steady rhythm. you can see the

exit coming out from this rate footage from scientists in alabama. the essex team can now monitor that opening and closing. now they are testing it at sea. it is quite an office, on a raft in the middle of the estuary. it is a bit cold today but we do get to work out here. it can tell us when 50% of the oysters have a ready spawned. we can actually see the spawning behaviour through the dynamics of the valves opening and closing, sending the signal into the data harbour, up to a transmitter which will send a signal back to the mobile phone connected computer in the office. once they get the signal, they have just a matter of days the late tons of crushed shells on to the seafloor. the baby oysters like to

settle but lay them to early or late and the love they get washed away. it could bring other benefits. this estuary is experiencing climate change. warmer coastal seas than before and it would be great to be a will to use rich information on how species are responding to the new environment. the latest science is keeping one of our oldest industries alive. all you ever wanted to know about the reproductive life of oysters. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello, i'm tulsen tollett. coming up in your thursday sport briefing: the semi finals of the icc women's world twenty20. on thanksgiving the new orleans saints are among six teams playing in the nfl.

thursday sees the semi final stages of the icc women's world twenty20 tournament in west indies. the hosts and reigning champions entertain australia, while india take on england. in last year's 50 over a side world cup, england beat the same opposition to win the title, courtesy of a brilliant spell of bowling by anya shrubsole. so should they fear her again? they think they are playing some really good cricket at the minute, and they have shown that against australia. they have some really strong players and have come a long way and a lot can change in that period of time. they look strong, well drilled site but we also know that on our day it could be a good side as well so it is set up well. there are three nfl games later to kick off week 12 of the regular with the new orleans saints looking to extend a 9—game winning streak when they host the atlanta falcons. after losing their season opener

the saints have been rampant and haven't lost since and this match is coming off the back of a 48—7 win over the reigning super bowl champions the philadelphia eagles last sunday. on friday the croatian davis cup team will be looking for sporting revenge when they play france. lille plays host to the final for the third time in five years as the hosts look to defend their crown, but the croats, who last won it in 2005, can gain a semblance of revenge. that's after having been beaten by les bleus in the football world cup final earlier this year. if we win, it is going to be an incredible achievement, again, from a small country and looking back at the history of sport in croatia, it would be an incredible achievement to be world champion in tennis and so we are to be world champion in tennis and so we are going to see and hope we are going to have incredible support back home and here in france. in case you missed it, republic of ireland manager martin o'neill and his assistant roy

keane left their roles on wednesday. o'neill had spent the last five years in charge but endured a pretty torrid 2018 as ireland were relegated from the uefa nations league b as they collected just two points, scoring only once, in four games. engineers in italy have revealed that the leaning tower of pisa is not leaning quite so much as it used to. 17 years after the first phase of rescue work ended, new measurements show that it has continued to straighten. caroline rigby has more. for decades, tourists have flocked to pisa in italy to see its leaning tower, and perhaps offer a little support. but according to experts, the world—famous landmark appears to be leaning, well, a little less than before. building work first again on the mediaeval tower in 1173, and the 57—metre—tall structure has suffered from a tilt ever since. blamed on the soft sand and clay beneath its foundations, it's lean became increasingly

worse over time, reaching a whopping 4.5 metres, or 15 foot, by 1990, when it was closed to the public over safety concerns. cue a major engineering project to stabilise it. that involved earth being removed from the opposite side to correct the tilt and steel braces being added. completed in 2001, the work here saw the tower‘s lean reduced to 38 centimetres. over the following years it appeared to correct itself even more, with experts reporting further movement of 2.5 centimetres by 2013. now, the group who have been monitoring the attraction for the last 17 years say it is stable, having strengthened by a total of four centimetres since the tower reopened. translation: the committee had made a forecast of 15 years to stop this trend. the tower is still recovering, but we can say that now

it's almost steady. but some might question whether this is entirely good news for a tourist industry built around a tower famous for its lean. would you still go if the tower is not going to be leaning quite as much? sherry from vg in near in the us said yes because the grounds around and are so pretty. others say it is beautiful with incredible history. would the grand canyon still he visited if we filled it up, so one still he visited if we filled it up, so one viewer not still he visited if we filled it up, so one viewer not so sure. stay with me on bbc news. i'll be back with the business briefing in just a few moments. hello.

we've had that cold wind, some of us have had the first snow of the season, and now the widespread frost going into thursday morning. coldest in the blue here. in fact, parts of southern england could be as low as —7 to start the day. temperatures down the eastern side of the uk recovering a little bit going into the first part of the day, because you will see here increasing cloud, whereas elsewhere, should be a fair amount of sunshine to begin with. but through the day, the cloud is moving west. now, with the clud, you could see a bit of patchy rain and drizzle, and from the word go into parts of eastern scotland. and this is where it's likely to be most persistent as we go through the the day. let's take a closer look at things at 3:00pm in the afternoon. so you can see the outbreaks of rain, northern and eastern parts of scotland. western fringes of scotland still seeing some sunny spells. northern ireland — early showers clear, and then it's dry with sunny spells here. a lot of cloud through much of northern, central and eastern england. wherever you see that cloud, it could be damp in places, though the rain not amounting to very much. there's still some sunshine through much of wales,

the south midlands, and into south—west england. now, the winds are a touch lighter than they've been. temperatures are still for the most part in single figures, but windchill isn't so much of an issue. still going to feel quite cold though, particularly where you find yourself underneath the cloud cover, and you may be seeing a bit of patchy rain. that will continue on and off through thursday night and into friday morning, still more particularly through eastern scotland. and then, to end thursday and through the night and into friday, the risk of a few heavy showers into the far south—west of england, maybe clipping south—west wales. not as cold as friday begins, though pockets of rural frost around, as some spots still get close to freezing. then, on through friday, still some rain affecting parts of eastern scotland, that chance of a shower into the far south—west. could have a bit of hail with these, maybe a rumble of thunder. elsewhere, variable cloud and sunny spells. going into the weekend, low pressure to the south, high pressure to the north, a flow of air coming in from the east. now, much of the uk under the influence of high pressure. but close to southern england,

there is a weather front here that could well be producing some outbreaks of rain during saturday. some uncertainty about the exact position of that, so we'll keep you updated. still either some showers or some patchy rain towards north—east scotland. elsewhere it is looking mainly dry. you get to see some sunny spells, temperatures around 7—10 celsius. still much of the uk under the influence of high pressure. not particularly warm, but mainly dry. this is the business briefing, i'm samantha simmonds. driven out? nissan expected to oust carlos ghosn as chairman following his arrest for suspected of financial misconduct. plus: window shopping. us retailers put on the glitz to lure thanksgiving crowds offline and into their stores. and on the markets, investors remain on edge over trade tensions, rising interest rates, and weakening global growth. stock markets hold steady, though, after this week's steep losses.