this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. optimism abounds. reports say most roadblocks have been cleared for a this is the briefing, trade deal between the us and china. i'm sally bundock. our top story: talks begin today in washington. the corruption scandal that sent soccer pushing for a breakthrough on shockwaves around the wall, smack around the world, najib razak stands trial. -- brexit. theresa may prepares to meet around the world, najib razak stands trial. —— shockwaves around the labour leaderjeremy corbyn in a last—ditch bid to find a way world. forward. and on the share markets in asia a new dawn for algeria. celebrations it's looking pretty steady as investors keep a close eye on those trade talks that get as president bouteflika resigns ending two decades in power. accused of stealing billions of dollars. the corruption trial of malaysia's four minister najib razak gets under way. —— former prime minister. most roadblocks have been cleared for trade deals between usa and china as

talks begin in washington. here we are, breathing you on all you need to know with regards to brexit, the other global news stories, business and of course a sport. we would love to hear from you. tell us what you think about the stories we are covering today. get in touch — just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. we began with britain's prime minister who is to ask the european union for another delay to brexit. to give her more time to reach agreement on parliament. theresa may is also saying she will try again to reach a compliment that might

optimise with the labour opposition leaderjeremy corbyn which has incensed many senior figures leaderjeremy corbyn which has incensed many seniorfigures in her own party. here is our deputy political editorjohn pienaar. after two failed attempts at brexit, and a big split in cabinet, the prime minister finally felt forced to consider compromise, her announcement in downing street a dramatic change of direction. i know there are some who are so fed up with delay and endless arguments that they would like to leave with no deal next week. i've always been clear that we could make a success of no—deal in the long—term, but leaving with a deal is the best solution. so we will need a further extension of article 50, one that is as short as possible, and which ends when we pass a deal. i'm offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition and to try to agree a plan, that we would both stick to, to ensure that we leave the european union and that we do so with a deal. the labour leader, invited now

to offer his ideas for brexit, again spelt them out. we've put forward our proposals, which are to ensure there is a customs union with the european union, that there is access to those markets, and above all, there's protections of our standards of consumer, environmental, and of course workers‘ rights. and we'll ensure that those are there, on the table, so that there is no danger of crashing out. but at westminster, most mps lean towards a so—called softer brexit, potentially closer to the eu than that on offer by mrs may. conservative brexiteers are angry, and the thought of building bridges withjeremy corbyn, or trying to, has gone down badly, especially with one who's a likely contender for mrs may's job. the result will almost certainly be, if corbyn gets his way, that we remain in the customs union, so that we can't control our trade policy, the huge areas of lawmaking we can't control, and brexit is becoming soft to the point of disintegration.

senior mps who've been pushing for compromise have welcomed the possibility of brexit by consensus, but weren't taking it on trust. after 2.75 years, she's now said she wants to reach out. but we have been here before, and the net result was the prime minister listened politely, but her mind remained closed. and she really needs to give, i think, parliament an indication that she is willing to move. if mrs may does buy more time, it's time that'll be used by her critics and potential successors, who are keen to end her time in number ten, and carry on brexit under new management. john pienaar, bbc news, downing street. we have ian anderson with us today, founder of the international communications agency. good morning. give us your take on the move on the pa rt give us your take on the move on the part of the prime minister to reach

across the parapet within parliament and reach out to the labour opposition. the question we have all had is when push came to shove, which way was theresa may going to turn? from the point of view of business, she has turned towards a softer brexit. intentionally, actually, by doing a deal with jeremy corbyn stop if she can do a deal with him, turning towards a customs union and for many, many business, many globalised businesses, actually, potentially, solving this conundrum. but there is an awful lot of politics to go and not a lot of time left. is this marking a turning point of her choosing now to learn ——no longer try and keep together her own conservative party, the big divide and also her statement from the beginning which was no deal is

better than a bad deal. actually, she isjust going better than a bad deal. actually, she is just going for the deal and that means she has to go to the opposition party. right at the start of this process, back in the summer of this process, back in the summer of 2016, one of her then advises said to me when push comes to shove, through all of this, theresa may will want to go for the softest outcome, less economically damaging outcome, less economically damaging outcome possibly and that is where she has landed. the question now is what does the rest of her cabinet decide to do? today, i think many of us decide to do? today, i think many of us in the business world, will take oui’ us in the business world, will take our hats off to the prime minister ina very our hats off to the prime minister in a very difficult situation, deciding to back the economy more than the politicians behind her. will brussels, though, help, this is the question stop will they give the prime minister more time to see through this process? —— this is the question. michel barnier said they

wa nt to question. michel barnier said they want to help her and see the best arrangement possible for all sides. brussels wants to see a deal as well. as we have seen many, many times, there is always more time to get a good solution. there is and there isn't because of the parliamentary elections in europe. that is a 23, isn't it? it sets a bit of a line there. what i am reading this morning is that it looks like it is going to be between 110w looks like it is going to be between now and friday, just three days where we see whether or not the impasse can be broken here in westminster. let's see. i do think so westminster. let's see. i do think so far, what i'm hearing from brussels, is a very positive response to what the prime minister has said. we shall talk some more a little later. we have the news briefing. brexit does feature but all the other stories do as well, of course.

now, news that many algerians never thought they would hear. after 20 yea rs thought they would hear. after 20 years in power, president abdelaziz to flicker has resigned. —— bouteflika. huge crowds have taken to the streets of the capital algiers to celebrate. journalist ryad benaidji is in algiers — he describes the scene there. oh, you know, to me it was like tonight algeria won the world cup of football. you had people coming from everywhere. you had — out of their homes, and the smoke, the fireworks. people were singing, and it was like a really special atmosphere. you had people around the corners, talking, sharing views about the situation. and it was really, really an impressive atmosphere tonight.

let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. canada's prime minister has announced that jane philpott are no longer part of the liberal caucus. there was a secret phone call recorded as a top agent and judo said that was unacceptable. police in los angeles has a wreck —— arrested the man who they believe shot nipsey hussle. the rapper, a former gang member was gunned down outside his clothing store. venezuela's opposition leader one glider has been stripped of his parliamentary immunity by lawmakers loyal to the government. —— one

widodo. —— juan guaido. loyal to the government. —— one widodo. ——juan guaido. he says nothing will remove his bed to remove nicolas maduro from power. tu rkey‘s remove nicolas maduro from power. turkey's official party is officially challenging the results officially challenging the results of the local election in istanbul. the opposition claimed victory in the poll by 25,000 votes in the city will dub the president erdogan‘s party, says there was irregularities. the opposition accuses the akp of trying to steal the result. the corruption trial of the former malaysian prime minister najib razak will get underway in a couple of hours' time. he's accused of stealing billions of dollars from malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1mdb. the current prime minister mahathir mohamad reopened investigations after he defeated mr najib in elections last may. let's speak to jonathan let's speak tojonathan head, our south ager correspondent. —— south

asia. ina south ager correspondent. —— south asia. in a few hours. huge attention on this trial. it has sent shock waves, this corruption scandal, when it first appeared. yes and of course no progress was made in the investigation into the alleged siphoning of at least 11.5 billion dollars. while mr najib was in office, the site result last year opened the way for this trial. it has been delayed prior and we are now waiting for mr najib to arrive and for the first time he will be facing in answering charges. seven out of a total of 42 charges already filed against him. these relate to a subsidiary of 1mdb of which he is alleged to receive more than $10 million in his personal bank account and also to have influenced its decision to borrow $1 billion from a civil servant's retirement decision to borrow $1 billion from a civil serva nt‘s retirement fund. decision to borrow $1 billion from a civil servant's retirement fund. it is the start of a marathon on a series of hearings and trials that

could go on even four years. immolation government, the new one, is determined thatjustice will be seen to have been done and that mr najib will have a full opportunity to defend himself. he has pleaded not guilty all the charges. they feel it is important that after so many years of rumours are swirling around this scandal that what actually happened is fully exposed. and also in terms of its reach, it's not just and also in terms of its reach, it's notjust him. the former prime minister. but our massive investment in goldman sachs is also implicated. it is going to be complicated and lengthy, isn't it? it is. the lawyers prosecuting, led by the eternal general, have stressed they are breaking it up into all of these component parts because this is the only way these can be understood. in the case in goldman sachs, the government is suing them to recover nearly $600 million that goldman sachs and through issuing bonds for 1mdb stop the government argues it

should have known that this was an improper transaction. at the whole thing was corrupt. indeed, one of the goldman sachs' anchors has been charged. —— bankers. there is a fugitive businessman who was instrumental in organising all of the complement —— complex 1mdb transactions. it is a fugitive from justice and has also been charged. it is not known where he is was not the government managed to sell his luxury superyacht for over $126 millionjust luxury superyacht for over $126 million just today. it is not clear how much of the money the government will be able to recover they are arguing this must also be a priority, to get this money back, because they say that so much technically belongs to the malaysia people has been stolen. and what is the feeling about how this is being handled was not as you say the, the government is being forthright in what it is saying about how this trial has to be dealt with, how the money has to go back to the malaysia people, to the malaysia people feel this will draw a line under such corruption at government level or

not? obviously, it is a test of the new government's declared determination to end the corruption it says was a characteristic of the past government. there are many people, of course, who voted for this change who really expected to see mr najib behind bars already. but also, mr najib has quite a lot of supporters still. his old party is still has a lot of power. it proceeds slowly and it is frustrating for people to see it ta ke frustrating for people to see it take so long. it's hard to follow all the details. for the new government, 1mdb was one of the key issues they campaigned on that they said was a mark of entrenched corruption and clipped chrissy in the old party. ———— kleptocracy. in

the old party. ———— kleptocracy. in the old party. thank you, jonathan head. the trial will get under way soon. we are looking at that story and the business implications of that trial. nato is preparing to celebrate its 70th birthday. the north atlantic treaty organization cemented europe and the united states in a military alliance after the second world war. that alliances faces a number of challenges as it charts its future, and one of them is sitting in the white house. barbara plett usher reports. this was a high point for nato. the inauguration of a new headquarters in brussels two years ago. but these are not happy days for your‘s members, troubled by an american president who has shaken up the alliance. we will now proceed to the signing of the north atlantic treaty. nato was founded at a ceremony in washington after the second world war. essentially a defence pact against soviet

expansionism. america's military might has been its cornerstone. the treaty is now on display, but what stands out at this anniversary is president trump's demand that nato members pay more for their defence, with reports that he has threatened to withdraw if they don't. thank you very much, it's a great honour to have sekera generals domvo... very much, it's a great honour to have sekera generals domvo. .. at a meeting with nato's secretary general mr trump said he was pleased that the treaty was working. indistinct. people are paying and i am very happy with the fact that they are paying. some of mr trump's criticisms have been made by other presidents. unlike them has been ambivalent about the value nato and us military commitment. that has caused greater love. he has canvassed opinion of of the atlantic. for the first time in its 70 year history the alliance really is insured about the commitment and the dedication of the us president.

—— really is not sure. the straight road to the core of the alliance itself. so it surprised us as well. i have great respect for him. you simply wrong. grilled by congress, mike pompeo rejected the criticisms. if the conclusion he true is that president trump is the impediment to nato, he is wrong. the trump administration certainly is acting in support of nato. among other things it has deployed troops to eastern europe and increased the budget for defending it. but words also count. maybe even more than actions when they come from the president of the united states. so this commemoration may feel more like a test of us commitment to the alliance than a celebration of it. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. plenty more to come on the briefing, including fears of a climate catastrophe. new figures show canada's arctic is warming twice as fast as anywhere else.

the accident that happened here was of the sort that can at worst produce a meltdown. in this case the precautions worked, but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine. the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel.

you're watching the briefing. our headlines: theresa may's preparing to meet labour leaderjeremy corbyn in a last—ditch bid to find a breakthrough on brexit. there have been celebrations in the algerian capital after president beautifully got resigned, bowing to rea kes of pressure. beautifully got resigned, bowing to reakes of pressure. —— bouteflika. a new federal government study has found that canada's arctic is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. the report says changes are already evident in many parts of the country and more than half the observed warming is likely to be caused by human activities. caroline rigby has more. industries such this have played a key role in the canadian economy but a new government report suggests they have also played havoc with the environment. a new study suggests human activities are likely to be

responsible for half of all warming of canada's climate and research say temperatures are increasing at an alarming rate. the report shows average temperatures in canada have risen by 1.7 celsius, or 3.1 fahrenheit, since 19a8. that, researchers say, is twice as fast as the rest of the world because the global average is 0.8 degrees celsius. the situation is even worse in northern canada approaching the arctic circle where temperatures rose by around 2.3 celsius and researchers say this region is likely to continue to warm at more than double the global rate. we are seeing warmer temperatures but also more heat waves, fewer extreme cold temperatures. we are seeing melting of the ice in the art, big reductions in arctic sea ice area, shorter snow cover season, glaziers melting, so that's

affecting the streamflow and rivers. —— glaciers. without drastic action, scientists warn the effects of temperature rise are likely to be reversible and campaigners are calling on the government to tackle it. the country's prime ministerjustin trudeau has declared climate action atop priority and canada has already pledged to reach a paris agreement target of reducing co2 emissions by 30% by 2030 but others feel tighter regulation and carbon taxes on the wrong way to go so as the political battle continues to rage over canadian climate policy, it is shaping up to be a divisive issue for the country's general election later this year. caroline rigby, bbc news. nasa has called india's deconstruction of a satellite a terrible thing that could threaten the international space station. indian prime minister narendra modi hailed last week's missile strike as a major breakthrough. but the american space agency says it created at least 400 pieces

of orbital debris — some of which pose a risk to the space station. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello there. i am tulsen tollett. this is your wednesday sport briefing, we shall be the news that a 19—year—old appeared to suffer racial abuse after scoring four juventus in their 2—0 win, as they moved 18 points clear at the top of serie a — closing in on an 8th consecutive scudetto. play was halted for three minutes and a warning broadcast before eventually resuming. coach massimiliano allegri has called for lifetime bans for anyone found to have been responsible. barcelona needed two late goals to secure a 4—1; goal at villarreal. their leader has been cut to eight points. —— their lead. while in the premier league manchester united were beaten 2—1 at wolves. an own goal from chris smalling late

on proving the difference with ashley young also sent off for ole gunnar solskjaer‘s side who now sit fifth in the table having played a game more than the teams around them. elsewhere fulham were relegated after losing 4—1 at watford. later on wednesday tottenham will play the first ever match at their new stadium when they host crystal palace. the venue build at a reported cost of almost $1.2 billion comes against the backdrop of spurs not having won in the league since the 10th of february i think as far as the community is concerned i think it is a massive lift for tottenham and for london. he could not come at a better time in view of the political situation we have at the moment with brexit. so we are definitely open for business. as far as the players are concerned, we business. as far as the players are concerned , we are business. as far as the players are concerned, we are all excited, and i have every confidence they will finish the season very strongly. the augusta open's amateur takes of the course in the next few hours.

the same week the first of the women's majors is being played. the ana inspiration will tee off in california so is the timing an issue? typically, ana has several amateurs who get invited to play in the ana, and now these top amateurs are having to choose between playing in an lpga major or playing at augusta national. there should have been more discussion around timing of this event, rather than just piggybacking off of the men's masters. the nets were beaten by the eastern conference leading milwaukee bucks on monday and this time they face up to the team who are second in the east while the nets who are 7th have the miami heat and orlando magic breathing down on them with only four matches remaining, and in that they have to play the bucks one more time, in wisconsin.

look who's back. former world number one andy murray has posted a video of himself on a tennis court for the first time since his hip operation in january. it's clearly early days, he's not moving much, but as he says there, it's a start. he's been pain—free since the surgery but he's admitted he doesn't know whether he'll be able to play at the top level again. you can get all the latest sports news including that at our website. but from me tulsen tollett, and the rest of the team, that is indeed. our thanks for that. before i say stay with us for the business news, we leave you with these pictures of a budding artist, lola june. she is just two years old and has already had successful exhibits at an art gallery in new york. her first show was so popular — people were snapping up four

pictures at a time. the artist who discovered her says some of her paintings sold for more than $1,000 dollars. her approach to work is fairly simple — when she wants to start, she says "painting?" when she's done, she says "done." there you have it. i will be back with business briefing injust a moment. hello there it is said to get warmer later in the week. what we're seeing at the moment is a short sharp burst of really cold air coming from the arctic. you can see the cold air, charl mcleod is in there. we have seen some hail, some sleet, and some snow over the hills. the cloud is coming in from the north sea, wringing wet weather further into scotla nd wringing wet weather further into scotland and northern england, slippery over high level roots. temperatures will be close to freezing. icy patches around. pretty miserable underneath this wet weather in scotland. rain, sleet, snow over the hills, for awhile affecting the far north of england. rain coming into northern ireland, and into north wales. sharp showers further south and east. maybe hail and thunder in those. improving conditions in northern england. it

should not be too windy. strongest winds around the edges, the west of scotland, northern ireland, delta force —— althusmann is expected. temperatures are 7—9d. when yuat on the strength of the wind it will feel cold in the north—west of the uk. typically 2—4d. equally as cold in the far south—west of england and the channel islands. low pressure dominating our weather. it is cutting off that supply of really cold at that's coming in from the north. we have these weather fronts wrapped around these areas of low pressure. they focus and are more persistent. mainly rain. we have this wet weather coming back into the south—west of england, putting into the west country and into south wales. in between, some sharp showers. dry weather and some sunshine as well. temperatures beginning to creep up a little bit. nine or10 beginning to creep up a little bit. nine or 10 degrees. as we head towards the end of the week and then time for the weekend, it will feel a

little bit warmer and most places will be fine by this stage. they will be fine by this stage. they will be fine by this stage. they will be some turnaround as well. we still have low pressure anchored to the south—west of the uk on friday. instead of northerly winds the winds are coming in from the south or south—east. temperatures will continue to rise. still the threat of some heavier downpours in the south—west of england and wales, perhaps northern ireland. should be dry in northern scotland and many eastern parts of scotland and england will have a dry day on friday. a little sunshine coming through. temperatures getting as high as 13 or 1a celsius. much better.