this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. let's talk you through the business this is the briefing. headlines. huawei fights back and sues the us government. i'm sally bundock. it says there is no evidence our top stories: to support us restrictions on its products. huawei versus the usa — the chinese technology giant announces that it's suing the us government has long branded the american government. republican senator martha mcsally huawei a threat. it has hacked out says she was raped by a senior officer while serving service. in the us military. —— our service. i blame myself. i was ashamed and confused. "we care about your privacy" — that's the message from mark zuckerberg who says facebook will now be focused around privacy. and financial markets in asia i thought i was strong... follow the declines on wall street but felt powerless. one of africa's miracle babies — why new medicines are saving lives in the battle against ebola. we care about your privacy — that's the message from mark zuckerberg who says facebook will now be focused around privacy.

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. as huawei fights back and says there is no evidence to support us restrictions on its products, what do you think? are you a #huawei fan or sceptic? get in touch — just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. let's discuss in more detail now. the chinese telecom giant huawei says it's suing the united states government over a ban on its products. washington says china could use huawei equipments to spy on or disrupt critical communications. the legal action was announced hours after arrested huawei executive

meng wanzhou appeared in court in canada for the first time since being released on bail late last year. the us wants the 47—year—old extradited to the us to face charges of bank fraud. dave lee reports from vancouver. meng wanzhou meng wa nzhou exhibited meng wanzhou exhibited a remarkably calm casual demeanour. one who is at the centre of an unprecedented little storm. during the short hearing, the lawyers reiterated the argument as she was being used as a negotiating chip in the ongoing trade talks between china and the us. evidence of this the defence said were recent comments by donald trump, suggesting he wouldn't intervene in a case if it meant getting a more favourable deal. the next hearing will be held on may eight. for that, she going on the

defensive. huawei announced it is filing a lawsuit against the us government. america but the decision to effectively banned huawei products was unconstitutional. we are products was unconstitutional. we a re left products was unconstitutional. we are left with no choice but to challenge the law in court. strictly speaking, these cases are not linked, but diplomatically they of course are. it is about who holds the balance of power in the next technological age, and canada experiencing fierce pressure from both sides is caught in the middle. this is the most turbulent moment in canada china relations since tiananmen square. in the rift between the two countries is diplomatic, it is now getting into public perceptions, elite perceptions, a huge new negativity on both sides about the others. this case is unquestionably bigger than just one woman, but the daily reality for meng wanzhou issue must spend most of her time confined to

this house until this huge diplomatic row is over. that could ta ke yea rs. joining me is priya lakhani, founder and ceo of century tech, a uk based education technology platform. she is a regular here. everybody is watching this so closely to see how all this will play out company looks like huawei is on the offensive. they are fighting back, which i think you would expect them to do. they say congress cannotjust make the rules and then apply them as well. huawei should be subject to what all companies are subject to two. these restrictions that donald trump has said no agencies should use either huawei's product or their biggest rival. that is unconstitutional. they are fighting backin unconstitutional. they are fighting back in court and it will be interesting to see how this unfolds. huawei is at pains to see we need to see evidence, we need to see what you are talking about in terms of what you are accusing us of. they

have said they have repeatedly failed the us congress to bring this evidence to life and that is why in open court everyone will be watching and seeing what happens, and what we wa nt to and seeing what happens, and what we want to see is a fair process and it will be interesting to see how this plays out, and donald trump's reaction, interesting to see what he says. in other news today, 3000 words blog that came from the owner facebook where he talks about the fa ct facebook where he talks about the fact he is really understanding and appreciating the fact that we want to have private conversations in small groups as opposed to connect being with the world where everything about us is out there and therefore could he dated, dart that —— data that can be used. therefore could he dated, dart that -- data that can be used. we are used in the openness and he is saying and to end encryption is where we want to go and we should respect people's privacy. it has been huge problems for law enforcement. that encryption is

difficult. the chinese messaging companies, what they have been doing is direct messaging that people can sell ads and it can be lucrative for facebook. it is interesting to see exactly what, they should release the revenues of how much money they make through direct messenger. they have been hugely criticised for everything we have heard about facebook, so it is a move he has had to make. thank you. you are back for oui’ to make. thank you. you are back for our news reading. there will be back with more on huawei and facebook in business briefing at a later in this programme. let's move on to our other top story. the first woman to fly in combat for the us air force says she was raped by a superior officer while serving in the military. martha mcsally, who's a united states senator, said she did not report the attack at the time because she lacked faith in the system. ramzan karmali has the details.

she was the first woman us fighter pilot to fly in combat. but today, senator martha mcsally made this stunning revelation to her colleagues in washington. i am also a military sexual assault survivor, but unlike so many brave survivors, i didn't report being sexually assaulted. this evidence to a senate hearing was the first time in public, but not the first time she had told authorities what had happened. in one case, i was preyed upon, and then raped by a superior officer. i stayed silent for many years, but later in my career, as the military grappled with scandals and their wholly inadequate responses, i felt the need to let some people know i too was a survivor. i was horrified at how my attempt to share generally my experiences were handled. i almost separated from the air force at 18 years over my despair. like many victims, i felt the system

was raping me all over again. mcsally entered politics shortly after leaving the air force in 2010. voiceover: 26 years in uniform, she was taking the fight to the enemy. and she campaigned hard in arizona in the mid—terms of 2018 using her military background to gain support. voiceover: martha mcsally for united states senator. an air force spokesperson apologised to senator mcsally and said, "the criminal actions reported today by senator mcsally violate every part of what it means to be an airman." and that they were steadfast on their commitment to eliminate this reprehensible behaviour. but still, the majority of victims don't speak up. often times reporting somebody inside their chain of command, someone that has complete control and authority over their person, their well—being, their access to schools, their promotions. there are a lot of reasons why a soldier wouldn't come forward immediately or might delay reporting. a member of the senate committee, tammy duckworth,

also a combat veteran, said that the military had utterly failed at handling handling sexual assault. she and her committee want to know what more can be done to bring the perpetrators to justice. ramzan karmali, bbc news. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. the uk has been urged to table fresh proposals to the european union within the next few days to break the brexit impasse. eu officials said they would work non—stop over the weekend if acceptable ideas were received by friday to prevent a hard border on the island of ireland. both sides have described the talks as "difficult". venezuela's government is expelling the german ambassador for what it says is interference in its internal affairs. martin kriener has been given 48 hours to leave. he was one of the foreign diplomats who went to the airport in caracas to greet opposition leader juan guaido as he returned to the country. the singer r kelly is back behind bars after a court hearing in chicago on unpaid child support.

cook county sheriff's office says he will be detained until he pays more than $160,000 he owes. in a tv interview earlier in the day, he angrily denied allegations of sexual abuse. four experimental drugs are being used to try to contain an outbreak of ebola in the east of the democratic republic of the congo. the new medicines have not yet been approved by regulators, but are being used in an attempt to save lives. in the final part of a series of films from the democratic republic of the congo, the bbc‘s senior africa correspondent anne soy reports on the improvements in the care of ebola patients during this latest outbreak. a source of so much pride for this doctor and a milestone in the fight

——fight doctor and a milestone in the fight —— fight against ebola. until now, the survival rates of expectant mothers infected were ebola, and their babies had been almost zero. so, this is a baby only a few days old. this is a miracle baby. that is because josephine court old. this is a miracle baby. that is becausejosephine court ebola while she was reckoned. at the time of delivery, she was taken into isolation so that she could have a baby there because nobody was sure whether the baby had contracted ebola, and a few days later, the baby was tested and is ebola free. hello, baby. a reflection of how the level of care hello, baby. a reflection of how the level of ca re has hello, baby. a reflection of how the level of care has improved since the last outbreak in west africa where this doctor fast treated ebola patients. translation: ebola treatment centres are becoming modern and we are starting to use these. they are

transparent and allow to combat the rumours going around the community. in terms of the medical care, they are in case of emergencies. ebola is are in case of emergencies. ebola is a very serious infection. it is essential to isolate cases like the woman in there, and this pod is the new way of doing that isolation, making sure there is no contact between her and people who had never been infected. so now, people can safely visit and talk to the patients. this patient tells me she has just received a good report from the doctor. she says she will soon be discharged to go home and she's very happy about that. the survivors do some of the simple, but riskyjob is here. they are helping to make life easierfor is here. they are helping to make life easier for both patients and the medics. the health workers also

have some protection. that our among more than 80,000 people who have in vaccinated. i think the vaccination has made a huge difference. if we didn't have the vaccine, maybe in this time we would be talking about more than 20,000 cases. the vaccine is still part of an ongoing clinical trial, as are for new drugs being used to treat patients for the first time ever. survival rates for patients who get to the treatment centres a re patients who get to the treatment centres are improving. while it is not clear if that is a result of the new drugs or an improved care, they will no doubt be more ways to save lives during future outbreaks of ebola. stay with us on bbc news. we have plenty more for you. still to come: small product, big problem — why there may be trouble ahead

for germany's gnome manufacturers. first, the plates slid gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly, the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards, and it was just a matter of seconds as the ferry lurched onto her side. the hydrogen bomb. on a remote pacific atoll, the americans had successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier, and so my heart went bang, bang, bang! the constitutional rights of these marchers are their rights as citizens of the united states, and they should be protected even in the right to test them out, so that they don't get their heads broken and are sent to hospital. this religious controversy — i know you don't want to say too much about it —

but does it worry you that it's going to boil up when you get to the states? well, it worries me, yes, but i hope everything will be all right in the end, as they say. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the chinese telecoms giant huawei is suing the american government because federal agencies have been barred from using its products. republican senator martha mcsally has said that she was raped by a superior officer while serving in the us military. australian universities have seen a 50% rise in international students over the past 5 years, according to the latest figures. many expect australia to overtake the uk, soon, as a study destination. nearly half of those foreign students come from china or india — but there's concern that institutions may become dependent

on funding from overseas. more from our sydney correspondent, hywel griffith. study business by the surf. it's compelling argument that persuaded jian to study in sydney. she had been to the country before to visit a country but it topped money and lifestyle. i looked at the uk and america, they are all fantastic study education and they have fantastic education systems but with australia, it's more financially friendly and it seems young to me. australia looks to me, it seems like they are making their own history at they are making their own history at the moment. education is a big multinational business. education is a big multinational business. the us is the global leader in

attracting international students. the uk is in second position. but numbers there have stagnated, while in australia, the third biggest market, there's been a 50% growth in five years. chinese students, in particular, are grabbing the opportunity to come to australia's universities. sydney's uts is typical. one third of the foreign student here are from china. international students can pay four times the fees of their australian counterparts, and they have to pass a language test to study here. but some academics have warned that they have seen students with very little english and assignments clearly written using internet translation. that's prompted a warning that universities shouldn't undermine their own success. this is a thing we need to guard really closely, the standards and the reputation and the authority of universities. if that gets watered down so that we are passing students simply because they are good revenue source, then that's a problem. for some students it's life after uni that really matters. maxim from moscow hopes to take

advantage of a two year visa for graduates to start his career here. i'm100% staying in australia. i love it. i'm obviously working very hard to get my employment here and stay in the country. as enrolments keep on growing, australian universities are clearly feeling the love, with more students thinking this is the right move for them. hywel griffith, bbc news, sydney. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. in brussels a verdict is expected in the trial of mehdi nemmouche and nacer bendrer, who are suspected of killing four people in a shooting at the jewish museum of belgium, in 2014. portugal has declared a day of mourning today for victims of domestic violence after data showed attackers had murdered 11 women so far this year — the highest number in a decade. government buildings

will fly flags at half mast. and also today, it's the return of crufts, the world—famous annual dog show where thousands of canines compete to win the coveted ‘best in show‘ prize. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello, i'm chris mitchell with your thursday sport briefing. shock and disbelief in paris. manchester united are through to the quarter—finals of the champions league. they overturned a 2—nil 1st leg deficit against paris saint—germain — to go through on away goals. the second leg was only two minutes old when romelu lukaku reduced the deficit with the opening goal of the game for united. 10 minutes later, juan bernat equalised for psg and re—established their two goal cushion in the tie. once again, lukaku dragged united back into it — making it 2—1 just before half—time. but they still needed one more. they got it from a controversial penalty scored by marcus rashford in the fourth minute

of stoppage—time. of course we can go all the way but we could, we just have to wait for a draw. and then take the game as it comes. we have loads of injuries, suspensions but that was maybe a good thing today because we have a fresh loads of energy, we knew we had to defend and be humble enough to work hard and we had a team to do that. porto are also through to the quarter—finals — and they also did it the hard way, after being taken to extra—time by roma. alex telles won it for porto — with a penalty as they overturned a 2—1 deficit, to go through 11—3 on aggregate.

we've been hearing from former world number 1 andy murray who says he's no longer in pain, but still isn't sure if he'll be able to play top level tennis again. he had his second hip operation five weeks ago. he hinted that january's australian open might be his last, but says he wants to continue playing — but doesn't know if his body will let him. it's a pretty big operation and not many 30 —year—olds are having that. i feel good, many 30 —year—olds are having that. ifeel good, i'm walking many 30 —year—olds are having that. i feel good, i'm walking around pain—free, which hasn't been the case for pretty much 18 months, two yea rs, case for pretty much 18 months, two years, and that was the main reason for having done so i'm really happy with how that's going. day—to—day things are a lot more enjoyable now. the indian wells open continues on thursday with venus williams match against former top 10 player, germany's andrea petkovic — and the winner will face petra kvitova. the winners on wednesday included great britain's johanna konta.

the former world number 4 enjoyed a comfortable win against pauline parmentierfrom france. konta won 6—2, 6—3 — and will play taiwan's hsieh suwei in the second round. we like to keep our eye on all things social media here on the briefing — and we head to the second division in guatemala... deportivo carcha against deportivo jocotan — luis acuna took a penalty and then decided he'd change the scoreboard himself, climbed a ladder said hello to the operative and changed the number. 1—nil was the final score.

yesterday it was real madrid today it's big spending paris. out of europe. the english stay in as manchester united join tottenham in the quarter—finals after beating the french 3—1 in paris. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport. we're living in an age of rapid technological change. the way we work is being transformed — and there are concerns some older traditions are being lost. that's certainly the worry at a company in eastern germany — which produces a very particular kind of product — garden gnomes. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. meet iris and reinhardt and their little friends. for nearly 150 years, this factory has been churning out garden gnomes. lots and lots of garden gnomes. translation: garden gnomes

were not only invented but brought to life, a symbol of hard work from the mine. at one point, there were 60 of us working here. now, there are three of us. and soon there may be none. believe it or not, production was banned by communist east germany for several years after the war. these days, the estimated gnome population of the country was 25 million but as popular as they may be, thejob of making them is less so. there are two possibilities. either a work until i'm 100 or the garden gnomes reproduce by themselves. the third option is to find them.

and that's who we are looking for. if a new generation of gnome makers can't be found, the company may have to shut up shop if no buyer is found. less hi—ho, more oh, no. we'll have more on huawei's legal action against the united states and we'll take a closer look at why the chinese company is doing this. they want more evidence as to why some federal agencies are using huawei products. are you a fan of a sceptic. tt says, i am a fan of great products at low prices and huawei fits that description perfectly. patricia in mexico says, it's a great brand, i've been using it's a great brand, i've been using it for three years, it is amazing but don't want to be spied on by any

government. we will talk more about huawei in business briefing, cu a moment. ——we will see you in a moment. a vigorous jet stream will keep pushing areas of low pressure our way, all the way through the weekend, into next week as well. on the satellite picture you can see the swell of cloud here. we've got one area of low pressure gradually pulling away from the uk. still have some wet weather associated with that during thursday and, around it, as it moves away, notice we're drawing colder air drawn down from the north so it is, for many of us, going to feel colder during thursday and that comes on a pretty strong wind as well. very gusty in places. this is how it is looking to start the day. nothing particularly cold, a lot of cloud and wind around overnight to stop the temperature going down too far. and notice where it's wet to begin the day, across northern ireland and scotland. some hill snow too. all of this is pushing its way

further south on through the day, not too much in the way of wet weather reaching the south, far south of wales and int osouthern england. let's take a look at things three o'clock in the afternoon, you'll notice wind gusts in excess of a0 miles per hour quite widely. and again, feeling colder in the wind. brightening up across much of scotland, away from the far south—east. any showers that follow on the wind will be wintry, at least on hills. for northern ireland, some sunny spells developing. a large part of england and wales though cloudy, soem outbreaks of rain moving south. not too much, as i mntioned, to the far south of wales. and bar the odd passing shower in southern england, much oft he day is going to be dry. just into the evening there's a greater chance of catching a few showers before even they clear away. with the winds easing under clearing skies on thursday night into friday morning, it will be colder and there will be a frost around, in fact, quite widespread. —5, —6 in ireland, scotland. temperatures lower than this away from the towns, city centres to the south as well. maybe the odd mist and fog patch. a lot of fine weather as friday

begins but it's not going to last. cloud increasing from the west, helping to make for quite a cold feeling day, still quite windy out there. outbreaks of rain pushing eastwards as well. again, some hill snow in scotland so bear that in mind if you are planning on travelling on any of the higher routes. really unsettled picture over the weekend. windy most of the time. there will be at least the showers around. perhaps longer spells of rain and still the potential of some hill snow on a cold—feeling weekend. some things to play for in their detail and there will be some sunshine at times, soon.