welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: the founder of huawei hits back. in an exclusive interview, ren zhengfei says american actions against his company and his daughter are politically—motivated. translation: that there is no way the us can crush us. the us can shine and if the north goes dark, there is still the south. —— the east can shine. president trump steps up the pressure on venezuela's leader nicolas maduro. he stresses again, all options are on the table. shamima begum tells the bbc it was her choice to join the islamic state group as she asks the uk for forgiveness. in a medicalfirst, a british woman gets dna treatment to halt the most common form of blindness in the uk. the founder of the chinese telecoms giant huawei has told the bbc that

american attempts to ban it from any stake in 56 networks in the west will not crush the company. several countries are investigating whether huawei poses a security risk. ren zhengfei's daughter, the company's chief financial officer, meng wanzhou, has been detained on the request of the united states. he described that as a politically—motivated act. our asia business correspondent karishma vaswani has been speaking exclusively to him. this is the man the us says is helping china spy on the world. ren zhengfei, a former engineer in the chinese military, started huawei 30 years ago with just three people. he's built a global telecoms giant, bigger than apple, nokia and ericsson, with some of the fastest 56 technology in the world. but now his life's work is under attack and his daughter's freedom

hangs in the balance. the us says huawei's equipment could be used by china to spy on other countries, but in an exclusive interview with me, the company's 74—year—old founder says that would never happen. translation: we will never undertake any spying activities and we will never accept anyone's instructions to install a back door. if we take any such actions, then i will shut the company down. what kind of impact would it have on your business if the us is successful in getting many of its partners in the west to shut your equipment off? translation: there is no way the us can crush us. the east will still shine and if the north goes dark, and then there is still the south. america doesn't represent the world,

america only represents a portion of the world. but the us is putting pressure on huawei. it has slapped multiple charges on the company and at washington's request canada has arrested mr ren‘s daughter, also the company's chief financial officer. translation: i object to what the us has done. this kind of politically motivated act is not acceptable. the us likes to sanction others whenever there is an issue, they will use such methods. we object to this. still, questions about huawei's independence from the chinese communist party have been raised. in the last several years the chinese communist party has been a lot more coercive and this really crystallises worries that companies like huawei will be forced to help them conduct espionage. chinese companies have only started threatening the dominance of western businesses over the last decade.

as they have come up, the world has had to grapple with the different system they operate in. central to this is the fear that these companies are obliged to serve the interests of the chinese communist party. whether they do or not may be beside the point, the perception in itself could determine their success in the future. president trump is trying to increase the pressure on venezuela's president nicolas maduro. mr trump is in miami, again throwing his support behind opposition leaderjuan guaido, who's declared himself president. south florida has one of the largest venezuelan populations in the us. mr trump is pushing for the removal of nicolas maduro from power, and calling on him to allow aid into venezuela. socialism is dying and liberal realism, and democracy are being reborn. today our hearts are filled

with hope because of the determination of millions of everyday venezuelans. the patriotism of the venezuelan national assembly and the incredible courage of interim presidentjuan guaido. we spoke to michael shifter, the president of the inter—american dialogue and asked him whether a peaceful transition of power in venezuela is possible. i think president maduro has his days numbered. the opposition is more united than ever, the pressure is very intense. i think there needs to bea is very intense. i think there needs to be a negotiation of some sort to give some protection or some guarantees against forces who are guilty of criminal activity and human rights violations. i think it

is compensated and it will take a lot of time. let's get some of the day's other news here in britain, seven members of parliament from the opposition labour party have resigned over differences with the leadership on brexit and a row over anti—semitism. they will sit in parliament as a group of independent mps. and two conservative mps have told the bbc they are thinking seriously about leaving their party to sit as independents with the new group. a summit of central european leaders in israel has been cancelled because of a row between israel and poland over the holocaust. poland withdrew because the government has been angered by comments from israeli leaders suggesting polish complicity in the holocaust. scientists say the genome of the great white shark may provide information to fight cancer and age—related diseases, and improve treatments to heal wounds in humans. sharks are known for their impressive ability to recoverfrom injuries. researchers say they've barely begun exploring the white shark genome. a coalition of 16 states led by california has sued the trump

administration over his declaration of a national emergency to secure funding for his promised a wall along the u.s.—mexico border. the president invoked emergency powers on friday. shamima begum, the teenager who left the uk to join the islamic state group when she was 15, has told the bbc, she never intended to become a ‘poster girl‘ for the terrorist organisation. now 19, and with a two day old baby, she says she wants the uk's forgiveness, and while it was wrong that innocent people died in the terror attack in manchester, she saw what happened, as a "kind of retaliation," for attacks on is. she's been speaking to our middle east correspondent, quentin somerville. underneath her black dress, she cradles her two—day old son. only four years have passed since she left britain, but that's a lifetime in the islamic state group. shamima begum stuck with the extremists

until the very last moment. but now she wants forgiveness.” but now she wants forgiveness. i was the one who made the choice even though i was only 15 years old. i could make my own decision back then, idid could make my own decision back then, i did have the mentality to make my own decisions and they left on my own knowing that. it was a risk. but... i just on my own knowing that. it was a risk. but... ijust want forgiveness really from the uk. like everything i've been through, i didn't expect i would go through that and losing my children the way i lost them, i don't want to lose this baby is well and this is really not a place to raise children, this camp. maybe temporarily but not permanently. raise children, this camp. maybe temporarily but not permanentlym

she said she no longer supports isp still hears its propaganda. here is your opportunity to apologise to some of the british men, women, the people who were killed in the manchester arena, you must have heard about that attack. what did you think about that?” heard about that attack. what did you think about that? i was shocked but... ijust you think about that? i was shocked but... i just couldn't you think about that? i was shocked but... ijust couldn't didn't know about the kids actually. i do feel thatis about the kids actually. i do feel that is wrong that some people did get killed. it is one thing to kill a soldier, it's fun, you know, it self defence but to kill people, like women and children, just like people, like women and children being killed right now, unjustly, by

the bombings. it's a 2—way thing, really. because women and children are being killed back in islamic state right now and it's kind of retaliation. like, their justification was its retaliation so i thought justification was its retaliation so ithought 0k, justification was its retaliation so i thought ok, that is a fair justification. is claimed and celebrated the attack, one in a series that killed hundreds across europe. the home secretary says anyone returning from the islamic state group will be investigated and may be prosecuted. shamima begum is u nwa nted may be prosecuted. shamima begum is unwanted here in syria and unwonted at home. as the islamic state's get caliphate collapses, it leaves more than just rubble in caliphate collapses, it leaves more thanjust rubble in its wake. more british women arrived at this camp in the last week alone. japanese car maker honda is to shut down it's factory in britain with the loss of thousands of jobs. a formal announcement is expected in the morning. the british government and the local conservative mp says it has nothing to do with brexit. but a top union official blamed it on what he called "chaotic brexit uncertainty".

jon kay reports. for 30 years honda cars have been heading out of this factory to a showroom near you. but for how much longer? workers leaving the swindon plant tonight were stunned by news that the site could close. i've got two kids, i've got a mrs, obviously this is my full—time job, this is my life, so obviously without this, technically i'm jobless. i just think all these companies that are closing down, it shouldn't be happening. i'm hearing there might be a meeting tomorrow so we willjust wait and see what they say about that tomorrow. but obviously it is all over social media so, yeah, that is all we know at the moment. —— that is all we know at the moment. so you found out on social media? yes, we found out on social media. last month, honda announced it would shut the swindon operation for six days in april, to deal with any brexit disruption. and some of the 3,500 workers now blame brexit for a more permanent closure. i can't imagine a more stark

warning to the government. no deal will be catastrophic for the uk car industry and if there is no deal in particular, this will not be the only plant closure. there will be more to come. honda has helped transform this old railway town into a vibrant business hub, and many here believe the threat to the plant now is more about global trade and vehicle trends than it is about uk politics. whatever the reason, the unions are furious. for the last two years, the uk car industry has been the jewel in the crown of british manufacturing. today's announcement, should it be confirmed, just rips the heart out of it. a lot of people in swindon, all they have ever known is honda. martin has worked at the plant since the 1990s. his honda parked proudly on the driveway. but tonight he is worried notjust about the thousands ofjobs at the plant, but the thousands more in the chain. all the companies that supply honda,

all the lorries that go in and out, picking up the cars, all the people that supply the parts, they are not going to have the money to go into the shops to spend and things like that. so then that's going to hit the shops, the retail. it isjust going to be a catastrophe. honda is the biggest thing to ever hit swindon. without honda, there is no swindon. well tomorrow morning, the thousands of workers here hope to get some kind of explanation, but many of them have told us they're less bothered about the why and that they care far more about what next. john kay, bbc news, swindon. stay with us on bbc news — still to come: the budding businessman from ghana who is trying to save the environment — and make some money

at the same time. nine years and 15,000 deaths after going into afghanistan, the last soviet troops were finally coming home. the withdrawal completed in good order, but the army defeated in the task it had been sent to perform. malcolm has been murdered. it has a terrible effect on the morale of the people, i'm terrified of the repercussions in the streets. one wonders who is next. as the airlift got under way, there was no let—up in the eruption itself. lava streams from a vent low in the crater flowed down to the sea on the east of the island, away from the town for the time being, but it could start flowing again at any time. the russians heralded their new generation space station with a spectacular night launch. they've called it mir, russian for peace. very glad to have you with us.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: runjung fay, the founder of chinese telecoms giant huawei, has told the bbc that the arrest of his daughter on the request of the united states is a "politically motivated act." president trump steps up the pressure on venezuela's embattled leader, nicolas maduro, saying all options are on the table. the city of greensburg in kansas was flattened by a tornado more than a decade ago. as they rebuilt, local people decided to use the very wind that caused so much damage to help power the town. now, greensburg is one of the few american cities that relies 100% on renewable energy. this from the bbc‘s rajini vaidyanathan. ina in a corner of america's mid west, a small towel is leading the way when

it comes to green energy. there has been global interest in this wind turbine project with officials from as far afield as germany, russia and china coming here to take a look. but even though greensburg is being held up as an example to others, it is still one of only a handful of towns in america which relies exclusively on renewable energy. this is our new school, which you will notice has got a loss of natural daylight, it has sold on the roof. this is the former mayor who helped greensburg go green. he drove me around, and explained why. this is where the tornado entered town from the south. in may 2007, a fierce tornado ripped through the town, leaving iith people dead. virtually every building was flattened. it was during the rebuilding process that greensburg decided to adopt an environmentally

friendly way of life. bob dickson said it made sense and is pioneering pa rt said it made sense and is pioneering part of america. if you take care of the land, it will take care of you. that is the way we were raised out here. so those conservation values told us leave it better than you found it. take care of what you've got and live within your means and resources you have available, and thatis resources you have available, and that is green. our business, the antique business is one of the, probably one of the first green sustainable businesses that ever existed. this building, which houses erica goodman's antiques laura, was one of the few left standing after the tornado. erika says going green has saved eight on her bills. it was economics which persuaded others in this staunchly republican area to get on board. i think most people realise that it is not a big hippy liberal thing, there are little

things we can do that make our lives better, but put an ease on your pocketbook. there are many reasons why this town of fewer than a thousand is leading the way in green power. wind might have destroyed greensburg once, now it has become its saviour. now, it's being celebrated as a medicalfirst. a woman from oxford here in the uk has had gene therapy to try to halt the most common form of blindness in the uk, age—related macular degeneration. surgeons injected dna into the affected eye under local anaesthetic to try to protect her remaining vision. this exclusive report from our medical correspondent fergus walsh. can you see the letters, the next one down? this has become a blur. little by little, janet 0sborne is losing her sights. look straight ahead. she has age-related macular degeneration. it is a massive

problem in the uk as acting several hundred thousand people. the condition means her central vision is blurred. if you are not clear, i can see your glasses and your ears. can you see the colour of my eyes? no. can you see the light? in a world first, this professor of homology at the university of oxford is going to use an injection of gene therapy to try to halt a&e in her left eye. so, how does it work? —— a&e. teams was possible for the ipod and natural defences start in malfunction and start destroying cells in the macula, the most sensitive part of the retina responsible for such sharp central vision. in this trial, an injection is made at a back of the eye. a harmless virus infects the retinal cells and releases a synthetic gene. this is used by the cell's own

machinery to make a protein. it is hoped this. the immune system overreacting and keep the macula healthy. the procedure at oxford eye hospital is done under local anaesthetic and takes less than an hour. if it works, the invitations would be huge. imagine a future in which the commonest cause of blindness in the uk could be prevented a single injection. that is what is at stake here because if this treatment is successful, it could be offered to patients before they have lost any vision are stopping their disease in its tracks. approximately 350,000 people in the uk are severely sight impaired by age—related macular degeneration. the treatment and method early on to reserve the patients would be akermanis breakthrough in ophthalmology, and something i hope to see in the new —— nearfuture. something i hope to see in the new -- near future. it is to -- too early to say that such loss has been stopped, but she is being monitored along with other patients on the

trial. it would mean a lot to keep your vision. it would be amazing, absolutely amazing. put some compost... there is already a gene therapy treatment for another rare form of blindness. if it is successful forjanet‘s form of blindness. if it is successful for janet‘s common condition, it would help many other older people retain their site and their independence. africa is the continent with the youngest population on earth, and some have suggested it could be an engine for global economic growth. foreign countries have invested billions of dollars betting on africa's future. the bbc‘s tim allman reports on one man in ghana who has become a budding businessman. here, in his workshop in this town, geoffrey performs miracles of thought. he takes old tyres are recycled glass, fabric, different coloured rope and makes the spokesman is just. —— coloured rope and makes the

spokesman isjust. —— bespoke furniture. copy tables, armchairs. a thriving business and an example for others. i love my job, thriving business and an example for others. i love myjob, i thriving business and an example for others. i love my job, i love what i do. it is the best thing for myself. i feel part of the problem solving community. jeffrey has been doing this for five years picking up tyres dumped here and there which he then transforms. he is a busy chap. he also studied economics at university and strains other aspiring entrepreneurs. items themselves or anything between 30 and $250. for his customers, it's a chance to buy them new furniture and fly the flag. the only exciting part of it is it is made in ghana, and i want to buy it to promote our product. jeffrey says he wants to teach others about waste management, proving you can

help clean the environment and make some money at the same time. great idea from ghana. and finally, you've very likely seen this image before. it's arguably one of the iconic photographs of the 20th century. well, sad to report the american sailor captured kissing a nurse in new york's times square as crowds celebrated the end of the second world war has died. george mendonsa was just a few days short of his 96th birthday. the photo was taken in august 1945 by alfred eisenstadt for life magazine. 0ur correspondent peter bowes joins us from los angeles. an overused word, iconic, but this really is. yes, it is one of the most memorable photographs, most significant photographs of the 20th century. it was on the day that eve ryo ne century. it was on the day that everyone found out the second world war was over. there was a sense of euphoria here in the us and around

the world, japan had just surrendered to the western allies, and in new york's times square, there was a huge celebration and george mendonsa was there. in fact, he was on leave from his navy posting, which he had then girlfriend, the woman who was to become his wife of more than 70 yea rs. become his wife of more than 70 years. that is not who he kissed. this was a very impromptu moment. he jumped into the crowd, he spotted a nurse dressed all in white, flung his arms around her and they had a very impromptu embrace. but photographer you mentioned just happen to be there, he clicked his camera and produce this memorable photograph. and she was greta friedman, wasn't she? several people have claimed to be this couple. yes, that's the fascinating thing about this story, that they didn't realise that the time that they had been photographed, they didn't know about the magazine. it was many years later that it was pointed out to

them. in fact it was a friend of here is —— is that said, i think thatis here is —— is that said, i think that is you, and despite other couples coming forward to claim they we re couples coming forward to claim they were in that photograph, it was eventually shown, i think almost 100% convincingly there are some people who still doubt it, but that they were the couple. as far as george is concerned, that really was in the latter years of his life, thatis in the latter years of his life, that is what defined his life in that is what defined his life in that photo will live forever. he had fanmail, people writing to him asking for autographs, people writing him letters telling him what photograph on and of course what that moment in history meant to them. she died three years ago at 92. thank you so much. thank you for being with us. much more on the bbc website. hello there. there is a trend for

oui’ hello there. there is a trend for our weather to turn very mild towards the end of this week. we are seeing southerly winds develop over the next few days, and they will drag up is warm airfrom the tenor reef 2000 miles to our south and pushit reef 2000 miles to our south and push it northwards across the uk. there is a question as to how much cloud there will be. towards the end of the week, as pressure begins to rise, that is where we are most likely to see the cloud rake and given some decent cloud breaks towards the end of the week where we could see temperatures lift as high as 17 or 18 degrees celsius. that too today's weather. we do have relatively clear skies at the moment across england and wales. the breeze keeping temperatures up most of us. a few showers across the uk, lighter winds across the south, clear skies

and sun patches of frost out in the countryside, even one or two fog patches first thing in the morning. there will be some chilly weather out there, at a bright start to the day with some sunshine. showers across the north—west will ease as cloud build the late in the day. we will see wet weather pushing in on tuesday afternoon. the rain eventually peak —— reaching northern areas later in the day. dry and bright for east anglia, south—east england and the north—east of scotla nd england and the north—east of scotland with temperatures in two double figures. it will be a mild day. the rain pushes north and east and it will be a mild night with temperatures between seven and 10 celsius. rain quite persistent and heavy at times across the north—west. my take us into wednesday's forecast, and the winds are coming from the south—west slopes will be mild but rain at times. the wettest of the weather

likely across north—western areas of the country. the rain tries to move eastwards and will weaken as it bumps into that building area of high pressure. not much rain across east anglia and south—east england. that is probably where we have the best of any brightness around. thursday should start to brighten up with the best of any sunshine most likely to the east of high ground. perhaps the midlands. in the north—west, quite a bit of cloud, still the threat of a little grove rain across the western isles but those temperatures are beginning to rise, and by friday with a bit more sunshine around, it is then that we could see temperatures go as high as 18 degrees. that is your weather. this is bbc news, the headlines: the chairman of the chinese technology giant huawei has said there's no way the united states can crush his company. in an interview with the bbc, ren zhengfei said efforts to limit huawei's global expansion would only encourage it to improve its products and services. president trump has urged the venezuelan military

to end their support for president nicolas maduro and refuse his orders to block humanitarian aid. in a speech in miami, mr trump said soldiers risked losing everything if they did not switch their allegiance to the oppposition leaderjuan guaido. a teenager who left britain to join the islamic state when she was 15 has asked the uk for forgiveness. shamima begum wants to return to raise her newborn baby. she said she was sorry for those who lost friends and relatives in terror attacks carried out by the group.