hello. my name is tom donkin. a warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. here are our top stories: "a nutjob": how donald trump is said to have described his sacked fbi director to russian officials. he also reportedly said firing him "took the pressure off". the revelations comes as mr trump embarks on his first foreign trip as us president. counting is under way in iran's presidential election, after a high turnout forced polling to be extended for several hours. the wikileaks founderjulian assange claims a personal victory, as sweden drops a long running rape investigation against him. and the film that's sparked a generational clash at the cannes film festival has its world premiere. we'll tell you what the public thought of it. donald trump's presidency has run into further controversy,

after two separate american newspapers made two new allegations about possible links between the white house and russia. the first relates to a meeting the president had with russian officials, with the new york times claiming donald trump told them: ”'i just fired the head of the fbi. he was crazy, a real nutjob, i faced great pressure because of russia. the senior white house adviser under scrutiny by investigators is someone close to the president. the reports were made publicjust as donald trump was leaving for his first overseas visit as president. and, in yet another development, we've heard that james comey will testify in an open session

before the senate intelligence committee. i spoke to the bbc‘s laura bicker in washington about that latest report. it's one of these hearings where the entire washington and parts of the united states may grind to a standstill. remember, this is james comey, who allegedly wrote a memo after a private meeting with the president in which the president is alleged to have leaned over and said, "i hope you can see your way to letting this go, letting michael flynn go", with regards to an investigation, an inquiry, into the former national security adviser, michael flynn, and his alleged links to russia. so, the allegation is that president trump asked the fbi director to drop an investigation into michael flynn. now, mr comey will be able to give his own account of both his firing and exactly every dealing that he has had with the president. let's just take viewers back

to the report by the new york times which talks about something which donald trump said to russian officials in the oval office. why does that matter? well, the reason this matters is not only did he described former director comey as a "nutjob", he then perhaps more damagingly went on to describe the investigation, saying that he had hoped it would relieve the pressure over russia. now, according to the white house, i've got a statement here, they've said that by grandstanding and politicising the investigation into russia's actions, james comey created unnecessary pressure on our ability to negotiate and engage with russia. the investigation would have always continued and obviously the termination of comey would not have ended it. they say the interpretation that some may take from the president's words to russian officials

is that he was relieved to get rid of the fbi director and this investigation, perhaps, into russia. however, what the white house is saying is that that's not correct. they're saying that donald trump acted in the nation's interests, not in his own interests. the polls in iran's presidential election have now closed after a high turnout forced officials to extend voting by six hours. the votes are being counted, although there have been no exit polls or official early results released so far. the incumbent president hassan rouhani is facing strong competition from the hardliner ebrahim raisi, who promises a tougher stance on the west. now, the bbc has not been given permission to cover the election from within iran. but, our middle east editor jeremy bowen has this report which does contains flash photography. people are encouraged to vote in iran because it gives the system legitimacy, but the election, as ever, isn't free, because the candidates have to be approved by the unelected guardian

council. it's looking like a close race between the main candidates. at this polling station they were supporting hassan rouhani, the current president. translation: we will stand in these queues for as long as it's needed in order not to go backwards, for the shadow of the war not to hang over people's heads. translation: i want socialjustice, social freedoms and political development, and good relations with all countries in the world. iranian elections, with all their flaws, produce vigorous campaigns and moments of political openness. candidates have traded accusations of corruption and criticised iran's security policies. remarks that at other times could land iranians injail. iranians don't seem particularly enthused by the candidates. for many, it's a choice between bad and worse. the main challenger is ebrahim raisi. he is a veteran

conservative hardliner. he is deeply suspicious of the west, and if he wins, there could be crises ahead. president hassan rouhani wants to have another term. he's a moderate who would like more openness in politics and society. rouhani was elected last time because he promised better relations with the outside world and the relaxation of economic sanctions through making a deal about iran's nuclear plans. president rouhani is running on the success of the deal in which iran accepted restrictions on its nuclear industry. if he loses, it's because voters think he's handling the economy badly. raisi opposed the nuclear deal when it was being negotiated, but now says he'd keep it, though he insists his toughness will make sure iran stays strong. whoever‘s going to be the next iranian president,

whether it be hassan rouhani or ebrahim raisi, it's going to change the tenor of iranian politics, its ability to dialogue with the international community and the west, particularly the united states, and also its relationship with its neighbours in the region. whoever wins will have to work with the supreme leader, ayatollah khomeini. in iran, he has the power and the last word. viewed from tehran, the country's a regional power with legitimate security interests and the right to help allies like the syrian regime. but that alarms its adversaries, especially the us, the saudis and israel, and that won't change. the results of the iranian presidential election are expected at some point on saturday afternoon, local time. we will of course bring you the outcome as it happens, and in the meantime you find much more on our website, including profiles

of the candidates. the wikilea ks founder julian assange is claiming a victory, after swedish prosecutors decided to drop their investigation into claims he carried out a sexual assault. but, he remains in the ecuadorean embassy in london, where he took refuge five years ago. british police say if he was to leave they would still arrest him for failing to attend court. caroline hawley reports. out into the fresh air. cheering on the balcony of the ecuadorian embassy, julian assange emerged this afternoon to have his say on the end of the swedish investigation against him. today is an important victory, for me and for the un human rights system. seven years without charge, why my children grew up without me. that is not something that i can forgive. it is not something

that i can forget. but the prosecutor in sweden hasn't cleared julian assange. she said that, in his absence, she simply couldn't pursue the case any further. translation: the decision to discontinue the investigation is not based on an assessment of the evidence but because we don't see possibilities to advance the investigation further, so we do not make any statement on the issue of guilt. this complex international drama began in 2010 when two women alleged thatjulian assange had sexually assaulted them on a visit to sweden, accusations he's always denied. he was detained in britain under a european arrest warrant. in may 2012, the supreme court upheld a decision to extradite him to sweden for questioning. and injune, mrassange walked into the ecuadorian embassy in london asking for political asylum. the metropolitan police mounted a 24—hour guard at the embassy. by october 2015, it had cost over £13 million.

and it's not over yet. julian assange is no longer wanted on an international arrest warrant, but the police say that if he stepped out of the embassy, they're still obliged to arrest him for failing to surrender to a london court back in 2012. at the embassy this evening, his supporters were jubilant. but in sweden, the woman who accused him of rape issued a statement saying he was evading justice and expressing her shock that the investigation was being shelved. julian assange was not held without charge for seven years, he was subject to extradition proceedings within the eu, under the european arrest warrant scheme. he would have received a fair trial in sweden, had he chosen to go back, and the fact that proceedings lasted seven years was entirely down to him seeking refuge in the ecuadorian embassy rather than going to face trial in a country that is governed by the rule of law.

light ‘em all up. come on, fire! it was this footage of an american helicopter shooting civilians in iraq that first brought wikileaks to international attention. a flood of other state secrets followed. julian assange has always said it was his fear of extradition to the us that drove him through the doors of the ecuadorian embassy. thanks, guys. so, despite today's dramatic twist in this long—running diplomatic and legal saga, tonight, he's back inside, not, for the moment, going anywhere. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: a painting by the late american artist jean—michel basquiat is sold for a record breaking price. this morning, an indian air force plane carrying mr gandhi's body

landed in delhi. the president of india walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. the polling stations are all prepared for what will be the first truly free elections in romania's history. it was a remarkable climax to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. it's been a peacefulfuneral demonstration so far, but suddenly these police are teargassing the crowd, we don't yet know why. the pre—launch ritual is well established here, helen was said to be in good spirits butjust a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country, and the challenges ahead are daunting. but for now, at least, it is time to celebrate. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: donald trump departs on his first foreign trip, leaving in his wake fresh turmoil in washington. he's reported to have told russian officials that firing his fbi chief eased "great pressure" on him. counting is underway in iran's presidential election, after a high turnout forced polling to be extended by several hours. donald trump is on his first foreign trip since becoming president. the white house says the 92 is a chance to visit to the sacred to three of the world's sacred religions, while visiting arab and israeli leaders face—to—face. what good political turmoil in washington overshadowed the trip? our chief international correspondent is in the saudi capital, riyadh, where donald trump will arrive in a few hours. the very fact that this is the first

stop on his visit and he is visiting the saudi kingdom is very significant, there are also three summit is taking place. leaders from across the arab and islamic world will be met. they are hailing it as the first visit of its kind in history. there will be some 55 kings, presidents and world leaders who will be coming here. they are already here under touch security to meet the american president. if that is not the welcome of all welcome, it tells you what they are hoping to achieve —— tight. they will discuss extremist groups such as islamic state, and of course for the saudi kingdom their main ambition is to get stronger pressure put on and

rhyme from their allies, particularly the united states. so they are very happy to claim this honour of being the first stop. i put it to adel al—jubeir that this was a bit of a bit ——a bit of a political career. this is a very powerful message to the islamic world that the west is not your enemy, it is a very powerful message to islam that the west is not your enemy. this visit will change the discourse and dialogue between the islamic world in the western world, particularly with america. with the extremists are al-qaeda or islamic state who said the west is our enemy, it will address that. it will also push back against those in the we st also push back against those in the west who say islam is our enemy. so this is a truly historic occasion. do you think people will overcome

the suspicions and anger over the travel ban, widely described as a muslim ban? i think the stories about and i were exaggerated. saudi arabia were not on the travel ban. many countries were quite upset. we question the rights of the united states or any country in the world not to allow people of a particular religion to visit their country. islam is part and parcel of the american social fabric. there are millions of muslims in america. many muslim countries were not on that list. are you worried that the visit could be overshadowed by the controversies in washington over alleged mishandling of intelligence? we are dealing with the president as

out we are dealing with the president as our honoured guest. we have 55 delegations coming from the arab and muslim world, that is what our focus will be. will you make it clear that you have troops to offer? president trump will wonder what you will do if he becomes more engaged. we have made that clear for almost a year i'iow. made that clear for almost a year now. there are troops from the islamic coalition and we are prepared to share the burden of going after the terrorists. ultimately the terrorists are after saudi arabia. they want to take mecca, they have a platform to 1.5 billion muslims. we will not allow that to happen. that was the saudi foreign minister adel al—jubeir talking

to lyse doucet in riyadh. we'll be covering every step of president trump's visit — and you can keep right up to date by following lyse on twitter. vher handle is @bbclysedoucet — as you can see, she's already been giving the view in pictures from riyadh. the self—proclaimed libyan national army says an attack on a southern airbase on thursday, claimed at least one—hundred—and—forty lives. this included civilians and was more than twice the number originally reported. the l—n—a forces support an administration based in tobruk. the internationally—backed libyan government in tripoli has denied ordering the attack which breached a ceasefire. ajudge in minnesota has ruled that six brothers and sisters of the popstar prince are the heirs to his estate. one of his siblings was seen here after his death last year, the six will take shares in his 300,000,000-dollar six will take shares in his 300,000,000—dollar fortune. two more astronauts have been inducted into nasa's hall of fame at a ceremony at the kennedy space centre in florida. they are michael foale, who has british and american citizenship, and ellen

ochoa from the us. both took part in numerous shuttle launches and spent time on the international space station. tim allman reports. space — to coin a phrase — the final frontier. mankind's exploration of the cosmos, one of its greatest achievements. and no british—born astronaut has spent more time in orbit than this man, michael foale. now, nasa is honouring him by inducting him into their hall of fame. a moment of pride, and some poignance. i returned, yesterday, from the uk, because my mum died, three weeks ago.

but the good — the happy part of this is she died in cambridge, and before she died, and she knew i was going to be honoured here. in his 26—year career, he served aboard the international space station and the russian mir platform. he also helped prepare the hubble space telescope, spending more than a year in orbit. also being honoured was dr ellen ochoa, the first hispanic woman in space, and now the director of thejohnson space centre. i remember that one of the first pieces of advice i got when ijoined the astronaut office was that, ok, there are really only two ways to mess up as an astronaut. number one, failing to follow procedures exactly as written, and number two, following the procedures exactly as written. so, the nasa hall of

fame grows ever—larger. a collection of individuals, but also a team who had the right stuff. tim allman, bbc news. one of the most controversial entries at this year's cannes film festival hasjust had its world premiere. the fuss is not so much about the film itself, but who made it. the screening of ok—ja by netflix, has upset some critics who feel the big screen experience is being threatened by online streaming services. greg dawson reports. it had the glamour of a hollywood cast, and the clamour of the red carpet photographers. it may have looked like any other premier at cannes, but it was not. i took nature... and science... and i synthesised. ija, a film about friendship with a genetically—modified superpig, was made by netflix. it is the first year

that the streaming service has made an entry at cannes, upsetting purists because it will not get a cinematic release. at a screening before the awards, the logo was jeered. everytime the logo appeared — there is a lot of controversy about its appearance. people were shouting and were really excited. some people are just like, oh, this is netflix. with a strategy of producing its own films and television series, netflix leaks now has 100 million subscribers, globally, and the service believes its presence at the festival is a reflection of the industry catching up with technology. i think it is an enormous an interesting conversation that is beginning. but the truth is, if you want to know what i really think, i think, as in many matters, there is room for everybody.

ija has been warmly received by critics. more the pity, say some, that many will stream it from their phone or laptop, instead of on the big screen. greg dawson, bbc news. a new record has been set for the work of an american artist. a painting byjean—michel basquiat has sold for a huge $110 million. he came to fame as a graffiti artist in the 1970s and died of a heroin overdose atjust 27 years old. our arts editor will gompertz reports. $57 million. $58 million. the moment is about to arrive at sotheby‘s last night. 65 million on the telephone. when the american neo—expressionist painterjean—michel basquiat, who died nearly 30 years ago. is that a bid, sir? $69 million. ...hit the big—time. the hammer is up, sir. i'm selling it on this side of the room. it's yuki's bid. a fair warning and selling, thank you, sir, for $98 million. thank you, yuki, congratulations.

the sale price when commissions are included puts him in the exclusive auction house $100 million plus club. along with pablo picasso and francis bacon. we definitely had an idea that everybody felt that it was a masterpiece, but the air gets pretty thin at those sort of levels, financially. so, of course, the previous record price was less than half what we've achieved this evening, so you're going into very new territory. the buyer, yusaku maezawa, a japanese online fashion retailer, was delighted, he said, at winning this past piece, which is great. but why might he have be willing to pay so much? it's the kind of rock and roll way he put images and text together, it's extremely influential. that mixed with a kind of expressionistic style of painting, added to the fact that he is, you know, a black american artist. it's a kind of explosive mix. that's andy warhol. two that you could now add the almost mythical nature of basquiat‘s shortlife, which was immortalised and romanticised in this biopic

with his friend and mentor andy warhol, played by david bowie, who himself became a collector of the one—time street artist's work. whatever one thinks of the eye—watering auction price paid for the work, there is no question that jean—michel basquiat fits into the story of modern art. his paintings reference the so—called low art ofjean dubuffet. .. there's something ifind quite alarming about that picture. ..and the expressionism of vincent van gogh and the street art scene of 1970s new york. he is a significant figure in the canon. of course, nobody knows whether his paintings can sustain $100 million prices, but given most are still held privately, the chances are will find out fairly soon. will gompertz, bbc news. before we go, you can get in touch

with me on twitter. but from me for now, buy. —— goodbye. hello, there. good morning. it's quite wet across the north and north—east of the united kingdom, through the small hours of this morning, quite breezy, too, in the north—east. further south and west, some bright spells but a spattering of showers. a bit lower in rural spots. a fresh start across the board. still pretty wet in the morning across a large chunk of scotland, some south—western parts staying dry and bright in the morning. northern ireland one or two showers in the morning, some sunshine. scattered showers in northern england, a good deal of sunshine as well. particularly for manchester and towards hull. some early showers across wales and the south—west of england. towards the midlands and east anglia, a dry and bright start. one or two showers close to east anglia, not far from the south

coast. a southerly breeze pushing in. through the day, showers developing quite widely across england, wales, northern ireland and scotland. wet into the afternoon, some could contain some rumbles of thunder and possibly a bit of hail. some spells of sunshine into the afternoon. 17—18 will be the top temperature in the northeastern corner. there may be some wet weather in inverness, on the chilly side. ten or 11 degrees there. the chance of some showers elsewhere. through the evening, a of showers turning to fade away from england and wales. they may eventually start to fade away from northern ireland as well. wetter weather towards the far north. that moves away by sunday. a fresh start, a good deal of sunshine, especially in the south—east. further north and west, more breeze and cloud. some rainfall western ireland and scotland. 111—15 degrees in belfast, 19 or 20 in the south—east. there may be some extra cloud

in liverpool, but not too much. middle to upper teens. to recap the weekend, saturday will see heavy showers and some spells of sunshine. sunday looks like a much better day, should be dry for the most part. some showers, but mostly warm. that warming trend continues for some into monday. on monday, with a southerly breeze to the north—west, we've got an area of low pressure bringing some cloud, rain and a breeze. we will see some wet and windy weather in the north—west of the uk. to the south—east, very little rainfall and a bit warmer, 22 — 23 degrees. this is bbc news. the headlines: us media are reporting that president donald trump told russian officials that firing fbi directorjames comey eased "great pressure" on him. he's also said to have described mr comey as a "nutjob". the revelations comes as mr trump heads to saudi arabia on his first

foreign trip as us president. voting has ended in iran's presidential election after being extended for several hours beyond the time polling stations were meant to close. the interior ministry says that turnout was about 70%. results are expected to come in on saturday afternoon. the wikileaks founderjulian assange says it's a personal victory that swedish prosecutors have shelved a lengthy rape investigation against him. but mr assange said his legal battle with the us and britain would continue and he would never forgive or forget that his name had been slandered. now on bbc news, children in america are undergoing electric shock treatment in growing numbers.