hello, this is the briefing. i'm victoria fritz. our top story: the arrest of a huawei executive renews tensions between the us and china, but canada's prime minister says it's not political. there was no engagement or involvement in the political level in this decision because we respect the independence of ourjudicial processes. paris braces for another round of protests by the yellow vest movement. thousands of police and armoured vehicles are put on standby. the charity msf ends its rescue mission for migrants in the mediterranean, and blames the government in italy. and in business, communications breakdown. the huawei affair rattles global markets on fears the us—china trade war could be entering a dangerous new phase. calm is now returning after a tumultuous 2a hours. we bring you the latest injust a moment. hello and a very warm

welcome to the programme — briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. and as britain's biggest gambling companies voluntarily agree to stop adverts during live sports broadcasts, we're asking if you think this is enough to curb problem gambling? tell us what you think. just use the hashtag, #bbcthebriefing the chief financial officer of chinese technology giant huawei is due in court in canada later on friday for a bail hearing. meng wanzhou was arrested in vancouver at the request of the united states. american media say her arrest is related to an investigation into possible violations of sanctions against iran. the company has described

the action as unreasonable, and in a letter to suppliers, say that the business will continue as usual. our beijing correspondent stephen mcdonnell reports. chinese tech giant huawei is today at the forefront of global trade tensions, and the drama will play out in canada in the coming hours when a senior executive appears in court. chief financial officer meng wa nzhou was arrested in vancouver while in transit, and reportedly faces extradition to the united states following alleged breaches of washington sanctions against sales of technical equipment to iran. if this is the reason for her to be taken into custody, the chinese government says it's still being given no explanation for it from either canada or the united states, claiming such detention without a reason is a human right violation. translation: i can't discuss the details of this case here, but what i can tell you is that

after learning about it, we have made solemn representations to canada and the us. we've demanded that both parties immediately clarify the reasons for this detention and that they immediately release the detainee to protect the person's legal rights. the company has also issued an open letter to its suppliers and partners, saying it too has received very little information regarding her detention and that it quickly abides by all international laws. according to canada's prime minister, this is all a routine extradition procedure. i can assure everyone that we are a country of an independent judiciary and the appropriate authorities took the decisions in this case without any political involvement or interference, as must be the case. however, this is a case obviously before the courts, upon which there is a publication ban and it would be

inappropriate for me to comment further. however, the timing of this us request to have a senior chinese executive arrested, seems extraordinary. coming as it does at the beginning of a 90 day truce in the escalation of the trade war. stephen mcdonnell, bbc news, beijing. joining me now is our asia business correspondent, karishma vaswani. what has the reaction being from huawei? well, victoria, itjust has to look through some of the language and later here and i have got a copy. words like unreasonable, exerting pressure, and again they have taken a exerting pressure, and again they have ta ken a leaf exerting pressure, and again they have taken a leaf out of president trump's lift, using words and phrases like these words are against the spirit of a free economy and fair competition, we have heard a lot of that in president trump when he describes what he believes to be on fair trade he describes what he believes to be on fairtrade in he describes what he believes to be on fair trade in china. now huawei,

which is effectively caught in the crossfire is that this us—china trade war, is using the same language to describe this arrest which is that the request of us authorities. we still do not know the details of why meng wanzhou was arrested, part of the reason for thatis arrested, part of the reason for that is that she herself or rested for those details not to be published, and when we'll find out later today when that bail hearing comes through in canada. but that aside, victoria, it is really hard to overstate the significance and symbolism of this event. huawei is effectively the crown jewel of china's tech, it is the emblem of china's tech, it is the emblem of china's ambitions and the world stage when it comes to the polity and when it comes to enterprise, and given the fact that meng wanzhou is the csiro and the other founder, she is effectively the crown princess. this is not going down well in china

at all, many there see this as an attack on the country, with editor there, in fact of the global times, saying to me this is a hostagetaking scenarios. thank you very much. now, you can get more from karishama on the bbc news website. let's turn to france, where the eiffel tower and a number of museums and markets in paris will be shut on saturday. that's because of fears of more street violence, involving the yellow vest protest movement. the demonstrations were initially about fuel tax rises, but have since broadened to include anger over living costs and with president macron. close to 90,000 police are to be deployed across the country, as well as armoured vehicles in the capital. georgina smyth has more. france on yellow alert. burnt out cars, violence and vandalism scenes not to be repeated this weekend, according to the french prime

minister. addressing the senate and annnouncing almost 90,000 boots on the ground, edouard philippe called for calm, while reminding protestors of parliament's decision to drop the fuel tax rises that ignited the protests in the first place — but some demonstrators were not impressed. translation: the only person who has the power is the president, so the president has to stand in front of the people of france as the father of the nation. that's his role, to be the keystone, but he has to speak to the french people from the gut and with his heart. discontent has only grown around the country since the protests began in mid—november. anger now extends to high living costs, marginalisation felt in rural areas, and grievances felt by ambulance drivers, pensioners and students. this group of protestors in western france, blocking access to a refinery, have set up camp for the long—term. translation: the decision made

yesterday is pointless, it's just hot air. it's what we call magic dust in these parts. it's just meant to hypnotise the people, but people aren't naive and people are still angry. a list of more than a0 demands have been issued to the government and some of paris's most iconic sites will be closed on saturday amid fears of further street violence. georgina smyth, bbc news. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news today. the mobile network 02 says it's restored a full service here in the uk, after millions of customers couldn't get online on thursday. the mobile operator softbank injapan was also affected. 02 says it experienced a problem with its technology supplier, ericsson, which may have affected other services worldwide. senior government ministers have been sent out across the uk, to try to garner last minute support for prime minister theresa may's brexit deal. mrs may has just days left

to convince reluctant mps to back her withdrawal agreement in the meaningful vote on tuesday. in another development, a second broadcaster has scrapped its plans to show a live brexit debate between the prime minister and opposition leaderjeremy corbyn. the bbc had already pulled out of hosting a debate in a different format. and it's day two of peace talks between the yemeni government and houthi rebels, which are being hosted in sweden. it's the first time the two sides have sat around a negotiating table since 2016. these talks are expected to last about a week. thousands of people have died and millions have been pushed to the brink of starvation in the last three years of conflict. that the turnout at top story and

the rest of huawei's chief executive, meng wa nzhou. the rest of huawei's chief executive, meng wanzhou. huawei, the crown jewel of china's tech, and meng wanzhou, crown jewel of china's tech, and meng wa nzhou, the crown jewel of china's tech, and meng wanzhou, the crown princess, it is hard to sort of overstate really what this means and the symbolism for what is going on between the us and china. you are right. there's quite a lot of face actually, face is an important thing, reputation, in china. and yes, meng wanzhou is seen as in china. and yes, meng wanzhou is seen as chinese royalty. it is the embodiment of huawei and huawei's success. and this kind of, especially as we know is coming a few days after president trump and president xijinping

few days after president trump and president xi jinping seem to have moved on and we were skipping back from the brink of increase sanctions oi’ from the brink of increase sanctions oran from the brink of increase sanctions or an increased trade war between china and the us, but this is the focus on iran and this probably bothers the us president more than it does american foreign policy, is when people are doing things that he doesn't want to do. soon to be the thing that has caused this fundamental issue, and cause this very bold step of the us which can have these repercussions not only commercially but also there's reputation that the chinese values so reputation that the chinese values so highly. absolutely, we are going to leave it there we'll find out more about this story when xi —— meng wanzhou more about this story when xi —— meng wa nzhou appears more about this story when xi —— meng wanzhou appears full hearing today. —— on friday. angela merkel‘s christian democrats are expected

to appoint her successor as party leader later on friday, after mrs merkel announced she was standing down from the role. the election at the cdu party conference in hamburg has raised questions over how much longer mrs merkel will remain as german chancellor. our berlin correspondent jenny hill reports. there is a famous german saying, everything has it stands, only the sausage everything has it stands, only the sausage has two. and there is an air of the nullity here, a sense that as the year draws to a close, so too does the angela merkel era. translation: is right, she has been too long in thejob, it translation: is right, she has been too long in the job, it would translation: is right, she has been too long in thejob, it would be better to have a 2—term limit like in the us. translation: domitian is good, i must say i am sorry to see her leave. it was bad luck for were that the refugee policy but for me, she was the chancellor. —— i have to say it is good. her would-be replacements are campaigning for the chance to lead her party and quite possibly the country. there is health ministerjens, ambitious,

energetic, unlikely to win. there is annabel, the former regional minister and the current favourite. and the millionaire businessman, one sideline by mrs merkel, is fighting hard. there is an elephant in this room, and it is the one person was not here. angela merkel has led this party for nearly 20 years. she still commands considerable it respects, and so the challenge for those who replace her is this. —— respect. translation: we are looking for someone translation: we are looking for someone who can keep the party together, who will encourage lively debate that you can also achieve results as someone debate that you can also achieve results as someone who were in the medium term be able to place mrs merkel as chancellor. she leaves a big, we might need all three

candidates to fill that gap. many have written her political obituary and found themselves premature. there in argentina last week no doubt delighted that mrs merkel intends to remain chancellor until 2021, although few nearest homes think that is likely now. -- fans. the moment a new person is in the conservative party, the party will diminish, and depending on who it is, that person will seek the stand off and will seek the decision rather sooner than later. in a country where leaderships last and change is low, the political season is beginning to turn. —— slow. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: a rescue mission for a round—the—world sailor in one of the most remote spots on earth — adrift after a huge storm. john lennon was shot at the entrance

to the dakota building, in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here, standing in more or less silent vigil, and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven charges of tax evasion. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. asian stock markets

have risen slightly, despite fears that the us—china trade war will resume, after the arrest of a senior executive of huawei. the eiffel tower and a number of paris museums and markets will be shut on saturday, amid fears of further street violence involving the yellow vest protest movement. the international medical charity medecins sans frontieres says it has been forced to terminate life—saving rescue operations in the mediterranean carried by its ship, the aquarius. msf said it had had to take the step following what it described as a sustained campaign by the italian government and other european countries to smear and obstruct aid organisations trying to save the lives of vulnerable people at sea. sophie long reports. your lifejackets, take them off,

people, if you must. the number of people attempting to cross the mediterranean has fallen, but the journey remains as dangerous as ever. 3,2... medecins sans frontieres says, with its partner organisation, sos mediterranee, it's rescued or helped more than 80,000 people over the past four years. but in recent months, as men, women and children continue to embark on the world's deadliest migration route, the charity's sea rch—and—rescue vessel, the aquarius, has remained in port. its licence revoked and its crew accused of criminal activity, accusations the aid organisation categorically denies. msf is bitterly critical of european governments. they say they've failed to provide enough dedicated rescue capacity of their own and then actively sabotaged the efforts of others trying to save lives in the mediterranean.

it says european countries have violated international law by refusing to allow those rescued at sea access to safe ports, and have instead enabled the forced return of thousands of them to detention camps in libya. it says eu governments have created a climate that discourages ships at sea from carrying out their obligations to rescue people in distress, and that now it's been forced to terminate its own vital sea rch—and—rescue work, it will result in more avoidable deaths that will go unwitnessed and unrecorded. sophie long, bbc news. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. the swiss cabinet will discuss the new deal that will see it many eu rules automatically applied to the country. nominations will be

revealed for 84 categories of the grammys. the most procedures music awards in america. in washington later, several developments in robert mueller‘s probe into alleged collusion between the trump campaign and russia, among them the sentencing memo on michael cohen, trump's former lawyer who has already admitted to lying to congress. a rescue mission is underway to reach a 29—year—old british sailor whose boat was destroyed in a storm during a solo round the world yacht challenge. susie goodall is the youngest competitor and the only woman taking part in the thirty—thousand mile golden globe race. caroline rigby has more. injured and alone, thousands of

miles from dry land, in some of the world ‘s most treacherous waters. the emergency calls susie goodall made after her boat flipped over. she was concussed, she was not sure how long she was out of it. she is badly bruised but she is ok. she had beenin badly bruised but she is ok. she had been in fourth position when her yacht was hit by a huge way. she is now drifting more than 3000 kilometres west of chile in the southern ocean. this footage gives some indication of the conditions, it was filled by another sale. it is too dangerous for her fellow competitors to help instead, the chilean navy is co—ordinating a

rescue mission. a cargo ship from china are likely to reach until 2900 uk time. the operation will be far from simple. --9 p.m.. because of the sea state, the captain may have to manoeuvre a 45 ton vessel as close as he can and susie would literally have to jump into a cargo net or ladder. what is she most looking forward to what is rescued? a nice cup of tea, of course. here is hoping it isjust a a nice cup of tea, of course. here is hoping it is just a few hours away. coming up: it's been labelled the match which carries the greatest risk in madrid's history, can anyone stop the old lady,

and we've an increible story of recovery. that's all ahead in friday's sport briefing. can anyone stop defending champions and serie a leaders juventus this season? third place inter milan are the next team to try when they meet in the derby of italy on friday. juve are eight points clear of napoli at the top having won 13 of their 14 league games so far this season. despite that run manager massimiliano allgeri believes there's still a long way to go before they can be regarded as champions in waiting. translation: we must continue on our path was great club. right now the numbers might be saying that juventus is killing serie a, he did not kill it, you win it and you win it in may. it is impossible to do before that time. the numbers say that. you need to win around 30

matches see a have to play 30 and we have only played 14. milwaukee bucks, another team on a great run, are looking for back to back wins in the nba when they play the defending champions the golden state warriors, in one of ten fixtures in friday's nba schedule. the bucks, currently 2nd in the eastern conference, thrashed the detriot pistons 115—92 in their last outing on wednesday. giannis antetokounmpo one of the leading lights for the bucks this year, the teams major star. more than 2,500 police officers are expeted to be on more than 2,500 police officers are expected to be for sunday's copa libertadores final between boca juniors and river plate. spanish police are calling it a match with teh highest risk in madrid's history. both teams have arrived in the spanish capital for the superclasico along with 12 police from argentina whose job it is to identify potential trouble makers among the 10,000 fans they believe will travel from south america. the teams drew 2—2 in the first leg

at boca's ground but the second leg, originally scheduled to take place in buenos aires last month, was twice postponed after river supporters attacked boca's team bus and injuryed players outside the monumental stadium. louis oosthuizen surged into a first round lead in the south african open in johannesburg on thursday after shooting a brilliant nine—under par 62. the former open champion fired nine birdies and nine pars in his flawless round, including this birdie on the 16th. he leads america's kurt kitayama and zambia's madalitso muthiya by one shot gong into the second round. here's what has been catching our eye on social media. how about this for a recovery. last year pittsburgh steelers line backer ryan shazier suffered a horrific spine injury while playing for the steelers

against the cincinnati bengals. there were fears that he would never walk again. buta yearon, he's not only back running, but here he's doing deadlifts in the gym. he posted this on instagram account. quite amazing recovery. and a very inspiring story and clearly he's not given up on his dream of playing football again. and that is all for friday's sport briefing. stay with us here on bbc news, so much more to come. get in touch with us and the rest of the team. we want to know what you make of gambling companies agreeing to stop adverse during live sporting events. keep them coming in the us to read them. the risk of localised transport

disruption this week. heavy rain around south—west england, southern parts of wales. a rapidly deepening area of low pressure the troublemaker. the weeds continued to get stronger and swinging their way in. if you are heading outside in the next few hours, the winds will continue to strengthen so it will be quite blistering outside. not particularly cold. seven degrees in the north, 12 in the south. the strongest winds hitting western scotla nd strongest winds hitting western scotland as we head through to the middle part of the day. up to 70 and

perhaps stronger miles per hour is. the wind speed likely to cause speed restrictions on the scottish bridges. heavy rain could bring localised feeling across south—west england. showers moving into western areas in the afternoon. temperatures will go down through the afternoon and will start to fill cooler and fresher. for the weekend, and will start to fill cooler and fresher. forthe weekend, pretty blustery, further showers on saturday, drive but cooler weather for the second half of the weekend. friday night into the weekend, some heavy snow into oslo. for us, a mix of sunshine and showers. rain in the west. transferring eastwards. most of us will see a downpour. temperatures are not doing too

badly. for the second half of the weekend, as we start to drag in north—westerly winds, dry weather with sunshine for most of us but rain showers these areas. that's your weather. this is the business briefing. i'm victoria fritz. communications breakdown. the huawei affair rattles global markets, on fears the us china trade war could be entering a dangerous new phase. plus, over a barrel. crude slumps almost 3%, as opec and its allies struggle to reach a deal on cutting oil production. and let's show you those marketd. pretty much stabilizing after thursday's steep losses. asian shares trading higher after us markets staged a late recovery. ending downjust 0.23%

ending down just 0.23% for the dow jones.