this is the briefing — i'm sally bundock. our top story: the eyes to the right, 311, the noes to the left, 293. mayhem! the whole brexit process hanging in the balance after the uk government loses a series of votes — but the british prime minister is insistent. the choice before parliament is clear. this deal, no deal or the risk of no brexit. the office investigating alleged russian collusion in the 2016 us election has said it is not pursuing a jail sentence for ex—national security adviser michael flynn. former president george hw bush will be honored with a state funeral today. the service will be attended by current and former presidents and world leaders. stocks tumble around the world, on jitters

about a potential us economic downturn and scepticism about the us—china trade truce. 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. do tell us what you think about the stories we are covering today or what you are spotting where you are. get in touch — just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. the british prime minister theresa may is battling to keep her brexit withdrawal deal on track after mps inflicted a series of defeats on the government. the house of commons passed an amendment that will give

parliament a direct say in what happens if mrs may's deal is rejected by mp‘s next tuesday. our political correspondent iain watson reports. fighting for her deal, fighting for herjob. on the second day of the brexit debate, there is a focus on security. but some mps wonder how sick us theresa may used in number 10. she will hurt today is better than yesterday when her government was defeated three times. as a result, ministers will need to announce today when they will publish legal advice on brexit that they wanted to keep confidential. and if theresa may's deal is defeated next week, mps will now have a greater say over what happens next. at least on day one of the debate, theresa may will have an uphill battle to get her weighed.

debate, theresa may will have an uphill battle to get her weighedlj have uphill battle to get her weighed.” have spent nearly two years negotiating this deal. if i had banged at the table and walked out of the room and at the end of the process deliver the very same deal thatis process deliver the very same deal that is before us today, some might say that i had done a betterjob. but i didn't play to the gallery. i focused on getting a deal that honours the referendum, sets us on course for a bright future and i did so course for a bright future and i did so through painstaking hard work. she was attacked by the official opposition... labour will vote against this deal. a bad deal for britain. a bad deal for our economy and,| britain. a bad deal for our economy and, i believe, a bad dealfor our democracy. our country deserves better than this. and the unofficial opposition. i really cannot believe that there is a single member of this house who sincerely believes that this deal we have before us is a good deal. the debate was closed by the brexit secretary in the early hours of the morning. and the speaker made it clear there would

not be much respite for mps. the debate to be resumed on what day? tomorrow. thank you. indeed, today. today! it is indeed today! just four days of debate to go and theresa may's deal will be put to the test. we will have a lot more on that later on in the programme. the us special counsel robert mueller has told a federal court that president trump's former national security adviser — michael flynn — should be given little to no jail time. michael flynn has been interviewed as part of the investigation into whether the trump campaign colluded with russia during the 2016 election — and has been co—operative, according to robert mueller‘s office. our correspondent peter bowes is in los angeles. it would seem that michael flynn is

being rewarded for his compliance. yes, he has apparently been given substantial —— it apparently has given substantial assistance into the mueller investigation into expect —— suspected collusion between the troubled campaign and the russians. as a result he may get no jail time or the russians. as a result he may get nojailtime ora the russians. as a result he may get no jail time or a very short period time at the lower end of the sentencing guidelines, a maximum of six months and this appears to be a reward for 19 interviews that he has a p pa re ntly reward for 19 interviews that he has apparently given the investigators with mr mueller, talking about a number of different investigations and it seems he has been quite cooperative. and this is what the mueller investigation wants, isn't it? those accused to confess and see what was going on? of course. and he was a key member at the very

beginning of the trump administration. he did not last long, only in his post for a few weeks and he was sacked by the president clearly he knows a lot and he knows a lot about what was happening during that crucial time between the president transitioning from being a candidate to a president and moving into the white house. clearly he has a lot of information about potential contacts between members of the trump team and the russians. and when it comes to the investigation over role, where are we? we had the midterms and president trump has lost his majority in the house of representatives and everyone says now that because of that it will all be about these investigations. they will have more power. to my view it seems to be an investigation that is moving into top gear. there is certainly a lot happening. as far as the court documents are concerned that we have just seen, there was a

lot of information in their that was, as they say, redacted. in other words we could not get access to all of the detail and the explanation for that is that the investigation, based on what mr flynn has been saying, is ongoing. that could potentially mean interviews with other people perhaps they don't want to, the investigators, they don't wa nt to to, the investigators, they don't want to show their hand. they want to keep information secret as it this investigation continues. at this investigation continues. at this stage it does not show any sign of slowing down. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. two senior us republican senators have said they're certain that the saudi crown prince, mohammed bin salman is guilty of the murder of the journalist, jamal khashoggi. they spoke to the media after being briefed by the head of the cia, gina haspel. nato allies have officially accused russia of breaching a nuclear arms reduction treaty that dates back to the cold war. the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, warned that the united states would withdraw from

the intermediate—range nuclear forces treaty within sixty days unless russia came back into compliance. a delegation of houthi rebels has arrived in sweden, where peace talks with the yemeni government are due to get underway this week. a government delegation led by the yemeni foreign minister is due in stockholm on wednesday. the state department hailed the talks as a ‘vital first step'. stock markets in asia have followed wall street lower, amid fears of a potential us economic downturn. investors are also worried that talks between the us and china will fail to defuse the escalating trade war between the two countries. in new york, the dowjones index slumped by almost 800 points — or 3.1 percent. i'm joined by our business reporter kim gittleson.

iam i am pleased to say we have with us in the studiojim. i am pleased to say we have with us in the studio jim. welcome to the briefing. what is going on? can you give us your take on why we saw such massive decline donnell wall street? it isa massive decline donnell wall street? it is a full to try and predict what is going on but when it comes to that the clients that we saw on tuesday, there are two factors at play. the first, fears that there is no trade truce between the us and china in this trade war. the second and more worrying has to do with a lumpy thing called the yield curve. an indicator that is correctly predicted every single us recession. the idea is that we see this yield curve starting to flatten. that is not so bad. it is when it converts,

that signals that a recession will happen in the next year. the idea is that this measures the difference between ten year treasury bond and the two year treasury bond. if investors are willing to get compensated less for waiting longer, that shows that they are scared about what may happen in the future. for many people around the world, they wonder how a recession in the us is civil. the us economy has been surging ahead and president trump has been hailing the fact that it has been hailing the fact that it has grown and grown. the markets have been extremely turbulent, however for several months. why do we think we may see a recession.“ it comes, the recession will not happen in the next three months. investors are worried it could happen sometime maybe around 2020. why? the idea is that grocers maybe peaked in the us because we have tax cut that the president passed. we

have seen the stimulant effect of those be passed through corporate earnings and we have seen a lot of global growth help us companies. the fear now is that there is not much more that will propel that grows higher. now you are with us for the next six months? we will see more and more of you are here in which is brilliant. and key forjoining us. that is one explanation of the markets and i will have more on that in business breathing when we go by dire asian business hub to have a look at how shares are trading in asia. —— when we go to our asian business hub. italian police say they've arrested the head of the sicilian mafia, along with dozens of others, during raids in the city of palermo. it's thought settimino mineo had been chosen as the new godfather in may. the italian government called it one of the biggest blows to organised crime for years. lebo diseko has more a dawn raid by police in the city of palermo, their targets men accused of being the top tier of sicilian mafia.

in all, 46 alleged mobsters were arrested, including the man police say is the boss of bosses. settimo mineo, an 80—year—old jewller, is said to have been chosen as the cosa nostra's new leader in may. it is thought he was elected at a powerful summit of regional bosses known as the "cupola", some of whom were among those arrested. translation: the provincial commission had not met since 1993, when the former head of cosa nostra, toto riina, was arrested. our investigation found it had been reconvened and moved from corleone to palermo. police gathered evidence on the suspects by tapping the phone of a senior member and carrying out secret surveillance. the suspects are accused of extortion, fire arms offences, arson and more. the interior minister matteo salvini said the arrests were an extraordinary intervention by police, who dismantles the new cupola of cosa nostra. and the deputy prime minister has called this a powerful blow against organised crime. lebo diseko, bbc news. a memorial service will be

held at the national cathedral in washington forformer president george hw bush, who died last friday. later he will lie in repose at st. martin's episcopal church in houston, where he lived. today has been designated a national day of mourning. rajini vaidya nathan reports on preparations for the service. a fitting farewell for america's first president. ahead of the state funeral, tens of thousands of people who lined up to pay their respects to george hw bush. mourners of every age and background united in their grief. i thought he was a great man and he showed that you could be a

politician without letting politics takeover. it is very moving. i did not agree with all of these policy but i think he was a wonderful man. it was also a special goodbye from his two—year—old service dog. it was also a special goodbye from his two-year-old service dog. i, george herbert walker bush... sworn in in1993, george herbert walker bush... sworn in in 1993, president george hw bush devoted his life to politics. he was a congressman, the head of the cia, and vice president to ronald reagan. eight years later his son followed him to the white house. he will be delivering the eulogy at the funeral. president trump will be a guest but will not speak at the service. the late resident bush insisted he was invited, ending a feud between two families who once traded insults. preparations are under way here at the national

cathedral in washington, dc for the state funeral. former president obama and clinton will attend as well as foreign dignitaries including prince charles and angela merkel. wednesday is an official day of mourning in the united states. a chance to the country to remember a man whose public service few can match. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: from relativity to religion. albert einstein's so—called god letter sells at auction for nearly $3 million. it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. i am feeling so helpless that the children are dying in front

of me and i can't do anything. charles manson is the mystical leader of the hippie cult suspected of killing sharon tate and at least six other people in los angeles. at 11am this morning, just half a metre of rock separated britain from continental europe. it took the drills just a few moments to cut through the final obstacle. then philippe cozette, a minerfrom calais, was shaking hands and exchanging flags with robert fagg, his opposite number from dover. you are watching the briefing. our headlines: british prime minister theresa may will spend another day trying to increase support for her brexit

deal, after the government suffered three defeats in the commons yesterday. the office investigating russian collusion in the us election has recommended that the former national security adviser michael flynn should be spared a jail sentence because of his cooperation. doctors in india are warning that the country is facing a lung cancer epidemic because of high levels of air pollution. one study shows rates of the disease rose by around 50% in a generation, with surgeons seeing more cases in much younger patients than ever before. andrew plant reports from delhi. india's army of taxi drivers keeps the country's economy moving. but tuktuk owners like manoj are paying a high price. 16 hours a day breathing in highly polluted air — equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day.

i know very well that this is bad for our health. but i need the money. smoking, exercise and lifestyle all affect cancer rates. but studies show a direct link between high air pollution and more cases of lung cancer. the air quality here in delhi today is hovering around the 300 mark. that is classed as very unhealthy, but it is heading towards the end of the scale — hazardous. and surgeons say they see the effects. notjust more cases of lung cancer, but cases in patients who are far younger than before and, crucially, cases in people who are non—smokers but have also grown up in non—smoking households. one study here analysing 25 years worth of data showed the cases of lung cancer rose around 50% between 1988 and 2012. today, the scenario is that even when we are looking at the lungs of so—called non—smokers,

we hardly see pink lungs. it's a rarity for me to see pink lungs today, especially in people coming from delhi. this man hasjust had his lung tumour removed. the golfball—sized lump spotted in 2015. now 41 years old, he has never smoked, and he says he believes the air pollution at his home helped cause his cancer. translation: a doctor told me it is either because of pollution or smoking. but i do not smoke at all. even when my child coughs, it scares me to think that he may be a victim of lung cancer due to pollution. the world health organization says that, across the planet, over 90% of people breathe polluted air, and say it is the cause of over 1 million premature deaths across india each year. doctors here say that delhi is now facing a lung cancer epidemic,

and the fear is that the air that millions of indian people are breathing today will lead to increasing levels of lung cancer in the decades to come. now it is time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello, i'm marc edwards, and this is your wednesday sport briefing. on the way: we look forward to what should be an exciting test cricket series between australia and india. it is another big night of premier league football. and we will bring you some christmas cheer. g'day. australia are back in action in the coming hours for their first home test match since the scandal—ridden ball—tampering series in south africa. they are up against an india side who took a share of the spoils in their recent drawn three—match twenty20 series. mitchell marsh has been axed from the australian side for the first test, with peter handscomb taking his place in the line—up for adelaide. handscomb edging out the all—rounder following two half—centuries at the gabba last week and a century in victoria's match before. there are six more fixtures

in the english premier league on wednesday. liverpool, chelsea, manchester united, arsenal and tottenham are all in action. jose mourinho's manchester united lie in eighth, with a sizeable gap to the champions league spots. how many points exactly, jose? i think we have, like, eight or nine points from the fourth, something like that. nine, eight, ten, something like that. i don't think we need a miracle at all. i think we need a good run of results. i think we don't need to waste points where we don't need to waste points where we shouldn't waste. another day another victory for manchester city. they beat watford 2—1 at vicarage road, to stretch their lead at the top of the english premier league to five points, goals from leroy sane and riyad mahrez giving the league leaders a comfortable 2—0 lead. but a scrappy abdoulaye doucoure goal with five minutes to go made for a tense finale, and put them in the right frame of mind ahead of their match against

chelsea on saturday. 15 games were the victory is good, but we know how difficult it will be, it is always difficult. but now, we will focus our mind and go there to promote our game. the kenyan marathon runner eliud kipchoge and jumper caterine ibarguen of colombia won the iaaf men's and women's athletes of the year at a ceremony in monaco on tuesday. kipchoge, who shattered the world marathon record by 78 seconds in berlin earlier this year, received the award for the first time. also honoured for the first time was caterine ibarguen, who was unbeaten in all eight of her triple jump competitions. her triple jump win in rabat was the longest in the world in 2018. now, it is that time of year when some of us around the world are getting into the festive christmas spirit, and borussia dortmund were making their annual visit to a local children's hospital.

in slight contrast to tubby old father christmas, it was elite, ultra—toned players handing out gifts, signing autographs and posing for photographs. stars of the german side, who are seven points clear at the top of the bundesliga, bringing a smile to the children's faces — lovely stuff. you can get all the latest sports news at our website. that is bbc.com/sport. but from me, marc edwards, and the rest of the sport team, that is your wednesday sport briefing. a handwritten note about religion penned by nobel prize—winning physicist albert einstein has sold at auction in new york for nearly $3 million. the so—called god letter, written in german, was bought by a private collector. andy beatt reports. final call... $2,400,000... sold! applause. polite applause at the sale

of a letter by one of the 20th century‘s greatest minds, grappling not with science but the concept of religion. apologies to god, i think. laughter. the controversial note was written by the nobel prize—winning scientist when he was 7a, just a year before his death. it is seen as einstein's clearest statement of his views on philosophy and the meaning of life... the physicist also muses on his own jewish identity, writing that... written to the german philosopher eric gutkind, it is seen as a key statement in the debate between science and religion, and it

shows another side to the genius whose theory of relativity changed the way we understand the universe. last time the letter changed hands, in 2010, it sold for $400,000. the prize this time, including commission, nearly $2.9 million — twice the estimate. andy beatt, bbc news. our top story in business briefing is that japanese pharmaceuticals kompany is that japanese pharmaceuticals kompa ny ta keda has is that japanese pharmaceuticals kompany takeda has approval for the £46 billion takeover of shire. this is the uk listed drug kompany shire, clearing the way forjapan's largest ever corporate acquisition. so despite wrecks it, despite all the trade discussions between the us and china, business as usual for many companies —— brexit.

tuesday was colder. freezing fog, perhaps a bit of ice, but cloud in from the atlantic. where it meets the cold air we are seeing wintry conditions over the hills of wales. that'll come up into the northern hills as we go through the northern hills as we go through the morning for the rush—hour and into parts of scotland. it could even fall on the frozen surfaces for scotland, because it is that cold. a ha rd scotland, because it is that cold. a hard frost in the north in particular and it is bitterly cold for some parts of northern england first thing, especially with the breeze. snow pushing into the southern upland in the highlands of scotland. for the rest, southern upland in the highlands of scotland. forthe rest, it southern upland in the highlands of scotland. for the rest, it is wet and grey with heavy outbreaks of rain working their way eastwards. maybe a bit of late rightness in the west but it is much milder. in

contrast we hang onto that cold air across the north. especially scotland. some areas in highland glen may not get above freezing all day then that weather system gets out of the way and another atlantic weather system coming in, so more rain on thursday and potentially more on friday. what we will find progressively is that milder is tucked right amongst those weather systems. so thursday is a much milder day across the board, not just across the southern half of the uk. we may get away with some dry and bright weather for a time, uk. we may get away with some dry and bright weatherfor a time, but lots of cloud, a fairly stiff breeze and more rain later. that rain becomes a developing area of low pressure, but look at the temperatures on thursday. up to 14 possibly in southern areas. but that rain is the precursors to a potentially nasty area of low pressure the friday, severe gales being warned of at this stage which could cause some disruption, bringing down roof towers and damaging trees. it is tied in with this area of low pressure here. there is still some uncertainty on

the detail, exactly how far north those winds will be. north wales northwards will bear the brunt of them, then the cold air digging across the scottish hills for some fairly significant snow and even blizzards over the hills of scotland. some wintry conditions in those showers further south after a windier day. we will find our temperatures falling away as we get some of the cold air digging its way southwards once again. as for the weekend, the details are on the website, as are the warnings. this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. japan's biggest—ever overseas takeover gets the go—ahead as shareholders in takeda pharmaceutical approve its $59 billion acquisition of ireland's shire. china pledges to implement changes agreed in trade talks between presidents xi and trump "as soon as possible", easing investor scepticism about the truce. and how other financial markets in

asia now given the massive losses soar on wall street on tuesday. as you can see we're seeing declines but for some markets they