this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top stories: in malta, a police investigation into the murder of a journalist is becoming as political crisis, as three senior figures step down in one day. security on the us—mexico border — president trump says he plans to treat mexico's drug cartels as terrorist organisations. arrested when they were teenagers — three men in the us state of maryland have been freed after spending 36 years in prison for a crime they didn't commit. us prosecutors open a criminal investigation into opioid makers and their distributors.

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. the traditional christmas dinner in the uk is likely to cost more due to extreme weather conditions hitting supply of turkeys and some veg. what's on the menu in your home? are your festive traditions changing? tell us what you think. just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. so let's get started. two years after the murder of the maltese journalist daphne ca ruana galizia, a volley of resignations has thrown the government into crisis. three senior politicians have stood

down and angry crowds have called for the prime minister to resign as police step up their investigation into the murder. now out of government are the chief of staff to the prime minister, the tourism minister and the economy minister. all deny involvement in the death of ms caruana galizia, who had been investigating corruptio on the island. —— corruption. rich preston reports. one by one, three government ministers stepped down. first was the prime minister's chief of staff, keith schembri, amid reports he was to be questioned by police. shortly after, the tourism minister, konrad mizzi. and then the economy minister, christian ca rdona, pictured here with prime minister joseph muscat, suspended himself from duties. the men deny any involvement in the death of the prominent journalist. these resignations come days

after angry scenes in malta, with crowds accusing politicians of protecting those responsible for daphne caruana galizia's death. she was killed by a carbomb in 2017. she had been investigating corruption at the highest level of malta's government. to us, daphne's death has always been linked to her work. people had in recent months switched from going complete denial to trying to excuse and defend what is very evidently corrupt behaviour. they are finally having to face up to the fact that the prime minister's chief of staff is implicated in a murder inquiry. so far, three people have been charged in relation to the killing, but police still want to find out who ordered it. rich preston, bbc news. the mexican government says it's seeking clarification after president trump said he would designate mexico's drug cartels as terrorist organisations. under us law, individuals linked to terrorist organisations are banned from entering the country

and have their assets in the us seized. joining me now is professor david shirk, who is director of thejustice in mexico project at the university of san diego. thanks for being on the programme. what would this mean if they were to go ahead with this idea on the part of the white house to call drug cartels terrorist organisations? first of all, it would be a huge change in us counter drug and counterterrorism efforts over the last a0 or 50 years. there's been a clear designation and distinction between terrorist organisations and organised crime groups. what it would mean would be very significantly different mechanisms available to us law enforcement but also other security forces to combat terror, drug—trafficking organisations as terrorists in

mexico. and for mexican it would mean very intensive scrutiny of their activity, and high surveillance mechanisms would be enabled. is that right? potentially for all americans, anyone in the us or mexico, it would unleash... for example, counterterrorist agencies like the cia or other organisations that could utilise counterterrorism surveillance and other techniques to monitor their organisations. these are agencies that are not currently directly involved in counter drug efforts, so it would be a very significant change. in particular, president donald trump seems to want to involve the military encounter drug efforts in mexico, and that would potentially... this change would potentially... this change would potentially... this change would potentially open the door to those heightened security forces

working south of the border —— in counter drug. you don't think this is the right action to take against drug cartels? traditionally weaved treated trafficking organisations and other organised crime groups as distinct from terrorist organisations because they have very different objectives and very different modus operandi. terrorist organisations want to take over territory and take over the government, where drug—trafficking organisations are groups that are just trying to make a profit and so the incentives and the things that drive them are quite different. the tactics u nfortu nately drive them are quite different. the tactics unfortunately are often very similarand tactics unfortunately are often very similar and we've seen recently, just earlier this month, how horrific violence from mexican drug—trafficking organisations can be, with the targeting of three us citizen women and their six children in northern mexico. but the tools, the law enforcement tools that we

used to fight organised crime are very different from those we use to fight terrorist organisations and insurgent groups. i think the mexicans are particularly concerned that this could turn into a very ugly situation with the united states sending troops or counterterrorist units south of the border. 0k, counterterrorist units south of the border. ok, thanks for your analysis. professor david shirk there from the justice in analysis. professor david shirk there from thejustice in mexico project at the university san diego, thank you. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. families left homeless by tuesday's earthquake in albania have been sleeping in tents overnight as rescuers continues to look for survivors. 0ver a0 people have been pulled from the rubble but 20 people died and 600 were injured in the 6.a—magnitude quake. a reportjust out in the united states shows death rates among young and middle—aged people have been rising over the past decade, driving down overall life expectancy. the report says drug addiction including opioid use, obesity rates and even driving using mobile phones could be possible factors.

the findings show a reversal of historic patterns of increasing longevity and go against trends in other wealthy nations. the increased death rates cut across gender, racial and ethnic lines. thejudiciary committee of the us house of representatives has invited president trump's legal team to take part in its impeachment hearings next week when the discussion will focus on constitutional reasons for removing mr trump from office. mr trump has been blocking several senior officials from giving evidence to congress, but complained that his legal team was unable to take part in earlier hearings by the house intelligence committee. us researchers in the bahamas have found that bottle—nosed dolphins have a dominant right side, much like the majority of humans. the flipper bias was displayed by a group of 27 crater—feeding dolphins while echo locating prey near the ocean floor.

the leader of britain's main opposition labour party, jeremy corbyn, has insisted that antisemitism in labour has not risen under his leadership. in a bbc interview, he also resisted calls to apologise to britain'sjews after the country's chief rabbi claimed he had let poison take root in the party. nick eardley reports. mr corbyn, are you fit for high office, sir? labour's handling of anti—semitism allegations has been an issue of controversy allegations has been an issue of c0 ntrove i’sy over allegations has been an issue of controversy over the years and it burst into the headlines yesterday after the chief rabbi said it had been an adequate response. jeremy corbyn said he had toughened up procedures but last night, speaking to andrew neil, he declined to apologise. what i will say to you is this: i am

determined our society will be safer for people of all faiths. i don't wa nt for people of all faiths. i don't want anyone to feel insecure in our society and our government will protect every community. against the abuse they receive on the streets, on the trains or in... so no apology? or any other form of life. some labour politicians have called for tougher action and last night a member ofjeremy corbyn‘s front bench said there should be an apology. i would say absolutely that we need to apologise to our collea g u es we need to apologise to our colleagues in my own party who has been very upset, but to the whole of the jewish community as been very upset, but to the whole of thejewish community as well, that we have not been as effective as we should have been in dealing with this problem. it is a shame on us, it really is, and it's something that i am very, very ashamed of. mr corbyn was also quizzed about his plans for power. he said the only people paying more income tax under labour will be those earning over £80,000 a year, but the party also

wa nts to £80,000 a year, but the party also wants to get rid of the marriage tax allowa nce, wants to get rid of the marriage tax allowance, a tax break for wants to get rid of the marriage tax allowance, a tax breakfor some couples who are unwell under that sum. mr corbyn argues those affected will benefit from other labour policies, like the real living wage of £10 per hour. nick early, bbc news, westminster. with me in the studio is jeremy thomson cook, founder of complete currency consulting. good morning, jeremy. all the headlines and the media, social media, is all discussing this issue with our colleague, the bbc‘s andrew neil yesterday, where jazz, as we would not apologise to britishjews for what been happening in the labour party —— wherejeremy corbyn. this is dominating, this story, in terms of their campaign, the labour party campaign. you look at any front page in the uk this morning and if it's not the top story, it is the second top story, it is on the front page of every paper. the chief

rabbi's column in the times yesterday started all this and jeremy corbyn was given the opportunity for times during the interview with andrew neil to say sorry to the jewish interview with andrew neil to say sorry to thejewish community and refused. the second day story, the story we are seeing today, is why is he refusing to apologise? labour collea g u es he refusing to apologise? labour colleagues are saying we should be apologising and this is not something we want in the labour party, whichjeremy corbyn also said, but sorry isn't a word he is prepared to say at the moment. and what a lot of the analysis points to, and this is what we can see on bbc online today, laura kuenssberg, oui’ bbc online today, laura kuenssberg, our political editor, saying labour might struggle to move on from this row, which has been a real issue in the labour party sincejeremy corbyn became leader. looking at the messaging of the general election campaign, lots of people are saying it's the brexit election and labour have tried to send it to the nhs. if that messaging is lost in this about

anti—semitism, all the good work they can say they have done about trying to pivot the electorate to think about the nhs will fall away. he is not a favourable character, his unfavourable ratings are very high. from the point of view of your clients, what are you advising them in the midst of all this uncertainty and difficulty? the pound has been very sensitive, but 0k of late. and difficulty? the pound has been very sensitive, but ok of late. it's been very quiet, there's a lot of geopolitical issues that are holding things steady at the moment because no—one is willing to commit until we have further info about what will happen on december the 12th. for my money, borisjohnson wins a majority. i think corbyn and the labour party don't have the figures for a majority party, maybe there could be rain hung parliament but in the grand scheme of things as i won't be prime minister come december the 13th. we will see! -- a hung parliament. we have lots of stories to get our teeth sunk into later with the news

review, where jeremy will be teeth sunk into later with the news review, wherejeremy will be back. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: more on our series on cancer in africa. we'll be hearing from 0thelia maimane, a south african mother of two who is being treated for breast cancer. president kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. the murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. he caught the imagination of the world, the first of a new generation of leaders. margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. before leaving number 10 to see the queen, she told her cabinet, "it's a funny old world." angela merkel is germany's first woman chancellor, easily securing the majority she needed. attempts to fly a hot—air balloon had to be abandoned after a few minutes, but nobody seemed to mind very much. as one local comic put it, "it's not hot air we need, it's hard cash." cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.

castro developed close ties with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. you're watching the briefing. 0ur headlines: protesters turn their anger on malta's prime minister as police step up their investigation into the murder of an investigative journalist. security on the us—mexico border: president trump says mexico's drug cartels will be treated as terrorist organisations. three men in the us state of maryland have been freed after spending 36 years in prison for a crime they didn't commit. alfred chestnut, andrew stewart and ransom watkins were 16 years old

when they were arrested. their convictions were cleared following a review of their case. gail maclellan reports. it is impossible to imagine what it must be like to spend 36 years locked away for a crime you didn't commit. it is clear, though, how it must feel to walk free. commit. it is clear, though, how it must feel to walk freelj commit. it is clear, though, how it must feel to walk free. i am looking forward to living the rest of my life being humble and peaceful as i am, praise to god, looking after my family. 0h, am, praise to god, looking after my family. oh, man, iam telling am, praise to god, looking after my family. oh, man, i am telling you, it is out of this world. this is the first time i have been able to hug my son in about 20 something years. it is wonderful. the people around me that you see here will help me get through all this. they never stop fighting for me. and i never stop fighting for me. and i never stop fighting. the men were convicted in 198a of shooting a 1a—year—old at a baltimore school.

prosecutors said the police ignored and withheld reports from multiple witnesses identifying another person as the killer. baltimore state attorneys said detectives had coached and coerced teenage witnesses, all of whom have now recounted their evidence. she said they should all receive compensation. support goes beyond just transitional assistance. it goes beyond just apology. it also means you have to support them when they should be rightfully compensated, and right now in the state of merrill and it is discretionary whether or not innocent men who have spent decades behind bars can be compensated. that fight is still to come. for the moment, their celebration and relief. when i got the information i cried. i didn't know how to stop crying. until a friend of mine came to me and hugged me and said, your journey is coming to an end. but it

is not. my journey journey is coming to an end. but it is not. myjourney isjust beginning. all this week, we're running a new series on cancer in africa. we'll be looking into access to treatment, as well as individual stories from across the continent. today, you'll hear from 0thelia maimane who is a south african mother of two undergoing treatment for breast cancer. she spoke to us about how the disease has affected her life. i cannot be depressed and still look ugly. positive thinking, positive living. i still wear my lipstick as you can see. it was the fourth of november when i got the call that changed my life for good to tell me that i have actually tested positive for breast cancer. i felt a actually tested positive for breast cancer. ifelt a bit actually tested positive for breast cancer. i felt a bit of a discomfort on my left—hand side and in the

breast area and i felt something hard. 0ne breast area and i felt something hard. one person asked me, how did you feel the first time it hit you that you have cancer? i said, if your question is whether i was worried that i'm going to die, no. death has never ever been anywhere close to my mind. therefore, i do not even speak death out of my mouth. i am a left—handed, so you can imagine what it does to me. i do have my moments. ijust run to the room and just let it out. cry about it, write about it because that is where i am getting my therapy. come back and a soldier on. if i waited to be given an opportunity to write something to cancer, i would tell cancer, cancer, two years ago, he walked into my life. with your own hidden agenda. i beg you to share with me what you were all about. i

asked you very humbly to tell me how long you are going to stay. you totally rebelled against me. i gave you my strength. i traded my happiness. now, iam back on you my strength. i traded my happiness. now, i am back on my feet andi happiness. now, i am back on my feet and i can tell you i am up, i am fighting and the girl that i am, so you better start running. good for her. we are supporting her all the way. let's have a quick look at some other events taking place across the world today. the spanish city of seville hosts the ministerial council of the european space agency from 9am. the meeting will agree a multibillion—dollar budget including new missions to the moon and mars. in brussels, from midday, the european parliament will vote on whether to support the new european commission led by ursula von der leyen. it's a straight yes or no vote to the team of 27. finally, in geneva, activists will hand over

the necessary signatures to trigger a referendum on the swiss glaciers initiative. if passed, it would oblige switzerland to adopt a target of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. now, it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello. i'm chetan pathak with wednesday's sport briefing. three more teams have qualified for the knockout phase of the european champions league. 13—time winners real madrid and the english champions manchester city are through, and so are last season's beaten finalists tottenham hotspur. it was jose mourinho's first home game in charge, and it didn't look good for spurs when 0lympiakos went 2—0 up with goals from youssef el arabi and ruben semedo. but tottenham turned it round with goals either side of the break from dele alli and harry kane. that made it 2—2, and a point would have been enough for spurs, but they weren't finished. there were further goals from serge aurier and kane again as tottenham completed a a—2 win

to seal their place in the last 16. afterwards, jose mourhino was asked what he said with players at halftime. i think if you wait a few months and you buy the amazon movie, you will get it. laughter i felt that they were in need of some love at that time and not. . .the critical one. new zealand captain kane williamson says he'll apologise in person tojofra archer for what he's called the "horrific" racist abuse he received from a fan during the first test. new zealand cricket have also said they'll apologise to archer as they look to identify the perpetrator. williamson said, "it's against everything that we, as kiwis, are about." the second test starts on friday in hamilton. the champions league holders

liverpool can win their group on tuesday if they beat napoli at anfield. liverpool's only defeat this season was their 2—0 loss in naples in september, but napoli's current form isn't good. they haven't won in six games and there's reports of friction between players and the club manager. jurgen klopp, though, isn't giving it much importance. now they are not in italy. now they are in liverpool. now it is a different competition. now they think maybe, i am not sure, but maybe they feel relief that they can play completely free in a game like this, and we have two exactly expect that and that is what we do. so, whoever will play for napoli will be an outstandingly strong player. golden state need to start winning games, and fast. they've won just 3 from their last 18 games. the warriors, who've made it to the nba finals for the past five years, face the chicago bulls later.

they lost again on monday, this time to oklahoma. they led for most of the game, but sloppy mistakes cost them in the fourth period as the thunder came from behind to steal a 100—97 win. the defeat leaves the warriors firmly rooted to the bottom of the western conference. before we go, have a look at this. you hear about sportsmen and women taking ice baths, but this next clip takes things to a whole other level. this is professional skier tyler wallasch who decided to take to the ice in a different way than usual. in he goes and you know what's coming, there's a bit of swim involved, and he's then all set to re—emerge. got to make sure the hair's right first, of course, before sitting up but still keeping his feet in. cool as ice. you can get all the latest sports news at our website. that's bbc.com/sport. but from me, chetan pathak, and the rest of the sport team, that's your wednesday

sport briefing. that is indeed. you are almost up—to—date. let's talk you through the story we are discussing a little later. christmas dinner could cost more this year stop that is because of the extreme weather we experienced in the summer, affecting checks, turkeys and their process. and also the wet weather we have had recently impacting brussels sprouts and potatoes and other vegetables. prices could be on the rise. we asked you what are your traditions at christmas, what will be on the menu in your home, and you have been in touch from all over the world. we heard from various people. here in zimbabwe, we cannot afford a simple christmas dinner. things are really tough here. that is the reality for many of you of course around the world. we have clark kent in queensland. i am assuming you are not superman. 0n

queensland. i am assuming you are not superman. on our menu, of lamb, potatoes, sweet potato, steamed green beans, scallops, squash a rich gravy. sounds amazing. i am coming to your house. stay with us. we have is this briefing coming up next. —— we have business briefing coming up next. hello once again. i don't know about you, but i'm struggling to remember the last time i saw any meaningful sunshine and there's not a great deal of difference as we lose tuesday and move on into wednesday, with that low pressure very much the dominant feature, a number of attendant fronts. and of cloud to be a showery burst of rain. still relatively mild at this stage in proceedings. 0n into the evening commute, still keeping that rain going across eastern side of scotla nd that rain going across eastern side of scotland and the north—east of england as well. as far as head is

thursday, still the low pressure. for the most part it is dominating oui’ for the most part it is dominating our weather. just the first signs of a change is a weather front is its way down across the country. it opens the door to a colder, fresher and brighter regime, which certainly come thursday some parts of scotland will be enjoying, but again, across northern ireland, much of england and wales quite a bit of cloud. the farce out, dryer, some sunshine around and still at this stage the temperatures here at least in double figures. however, as i take you from thursday to friday, good by low pleasure, hello hi pressure and look at these isobars in the wind flowing from north to south and quite a bit of wind as well. down the north seacoast. it is a golden writer, fresher sort of day. crisp start to the day, while brad frost i would have thought and no disease temperatures. it is about four to 10 degrees. that is how his other weekend for the most part. cold, crisp, bright and dry until the next set of weather fronts become a real

mother across the south—west of england and eventually to the southern parts of wales. elsewhere, after the crisp start, it is a lovely, dry, sunny sort of day. variable cloud across the north of scotla nd variable cloud across the north of scotland but what you will notice is as you are stepping out is that the temperatures are well down into single figures. it feels pretty chilly. the weather frontjust about quitting the scene into the near continent come sunday stop the cloud tempering the sunshine here, but elsewhere plenty of sunshine. 0ne tempering the sunshine here, but elsewhere plenty of sunshine. one or two showers elsewhere plenty of sunshine. one or two s howe rs a cross elsewhere plenty of sunshine. one or two showers across the far north of scotland. a cold start for a cold day.

this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. us prosecutors open a criminal investigation into opioid makers and their distributors. softbank‘s troubles. as the japanese conglomerate pushes ahead with its wework rescue, we look at the problems facing its vision fund. and on the markets... fairly mixed today, as you can see. in asia, up slightly for hong kong andjapan in asia, up slightly for hong kong and japan following a pretty muted session on wall street the night before.