banks, retailers, energy firms and transport networks are among thousands of companies and organisations who've been hit by a major cyber—attack. users are told that their computers have been frozen until a ransom is paid to an anonymous account. president trump's attempt to overturn his predecessor's healthcare reforms has been setback, with senators delaying a key vote. five republican senators have said they won't back the bill. president trump held a meeting with several senators at the white house but hasn't yet persuaded the critics. the left—wing rebel group in colombia, known as the farc, has formally ended its existence as an armed group, after a revolutionary campaign lasting half a century. the group's leader told a ceremony that its disarmament was complete and farc would now transform itself into a peaceful political movement. now on bbc news, it's time for a programme about brexit, asking that crucial question — what happens next? hello. i'm catch out. we are going

to bring you the information on the issue that 33 one half british people voted on a year ago. that result, 17.5for people voted on a year ago. that result, 17.5 for leaving the european union, and 16 million for remaining, was a majority for brexit. but after an election result where nobody won a majority, what has changed 7 where nobody won a majority, what has changed? i am heading to brussels to get some answers, and to speak to those on the other side of the negotiating table. and i am going the other way, to the north. toa going the other way, to the north. to a town with a special place in my life, and which is to tell the story ofa life, and which is to tell the story of a very divided britain. rather in

south yorkshire is the place where my mother was born. it voted firmly for brexit. —— rotherham. but after a year, i want to see views have changed. it is famous for steel and coal. with factories and pits employing thousands. mostly gone, along with thejobs. employing thousands. mostly gone, along with the jobs. today, it the forge is now silent. it is now a size the above. but there is do streets have ta ken size the above. but there is do streets have taken root. —— but new industries have taken root. the chairman of this company is vince middleton, and like many business leaders worried about britain leaving the eu, he wants out. and he says he has already been feeling a brexit bounce. certainly since the

referendum, our confidence and recruitment has increased. so from oui’ recruitment has increased. so from our point of view, we have seen a boost. a year ago, rotherham voted 2-1 to boost. a year ago, rotherham voted 2—1 to leave. i asked people if they change their minds. what we voted for, that was final. immigration was an issue for me. you have thousands of people coming into britain. the number in birmingham. where are they going to live? where they go to work is that you can't have that volume coming in without making plans for them, which we never did.|j coming in without making plans for them, which we never did. i would be than willing for our country to stand on its feet again. if we have depression, fine, we will rise again. and that is what i believe. so from what i heard, rotherham leavers have not changed their mind.

and their message to westminster is to get on with it. rotherham voted one way, but were i grew up, 160 miles south in ealing, west london, it was the other way round, four remain. iam it was the other way round, four remain. i am coming to see somebody who understands why it rotherham and ealing think so different. -- for. you were not a teenager, it quite, but you fancied yourself one. i remember it catching a train to rotherham, and you can see all the workshops and the fires go. people worked in the minds and the steelworks. i think they felt they had a place. why do you think around here and in london in general that they voted heavily to stay in?” don't think there is pressure on job so don't think there is pressure on job so much here as there are in other parts of the country. being very cosmopolitan, people are used to mixing with all sorts of different people. we all get on, on the whole,

quite well. we enjoy the diversity. it is something that we are proud of and we are happy to be part of. two of my childhood friends still live in london. i met them and one of their children at a local haunt. how do you feel, the day after the actual referendum? i felt really quite depressed. it was very sad to see that a lot of people have voted to leave. it just see that a lot of people have voted to leave. itjust felt like, what is next? what happens now?|j to leave. itjust felt like, what is next? what happens now? i am resigned to the fact that we are going to delete. but they also reassured by the fact that the election was the result of a common rice. —— we are going to have two leave. —— compromise. in my department, and nearly half the consultants are european. a hard brexit in the strictest as would be a disaster for britain. jade, do you think people understand a hard and

soft reset? i can speak on the -- on behalf of the country. but i have no idea. -- brexit. the phrase is being used, like hard brexit and soft brexit are, of course, political. for many, they are adding to the sense of confusion. but let's try and explain the differences. first, ha rd and explain the differences. first, hard brexit. what some people have described as clean brexit. hard brexit means the uk is completely out of the eu. out of the single market, which allows the free movement of goods, people, services, and money, between all eu members. out of the customs union, in which all eu members buy and sell from each other without paying import taxes. and they all charge the same

tack is —— taxes on goods coming in. britain would regain control. control of employment rights and trade. a british rule book, not a eu one. control of its own trade deals with countries outside of the eu, like america, china, and india. many say hard brexit could cause economic damage, notjust say hard brexit could cause economic damage, not just to say hard brexit could cause economic damage, notjust to the uk, but also to the eu. we are the second largest economy in the eu. since the election, things have become less clear. some people believe we should now be pushing for what is described asa now be pushing for what is described as a softer brexit. many argue this makesjobs as a softer brexit. many argue this makes jobs and the economy the priority, more important than controlling immigration or sovereignty. britain could gain access to the single market, but we might have to make it easier for you

immigrants to work here. —— for eu. we might as well stay in the customs union, which would allow the freedman is a good —— the free movement of goods, but not people. the uk would not be to sign its own trade deals with other countries. brexit is up there as one of the most dramatic european stories i have ever covered. the economics, the politics, the effect it can have on all of our lives. it is a real ripping up of the history books. brussels hosted the first day of negotiations between the eu and brexit britainjust negotiations between the eu and brexit britain just last week. in all of the years i have lived and worked across europe, nobody here saw this day coming. after 12 months as we had the eu referendum, even now, at the first phase of these talks starting. —— we are only now

at the first phase. we must first tackle the uncertainties caused by brexit. we will do all that we can to ensure that we deliver a deal which was in the best interests of eu citizens. in order to make an informed guess about whether negotiations by then, you first to understand why the eu feels as it does that the uk leading. when the result was announced, there were still in shock in this town, and dismay, and a feeling that this could be the beginning of the end for the eu. brussels insiders told me they feared for their european dream. so using brexit is a disaster for europe. on a scale of one to ten, what kind of disaster? ten.

this band became a social media hit overnight when he delivered an impassioned speech on the breakup of eu unity. you cannot be without the united kingdom. we have two invent another name. europe without the united kingdom is not europe. -- to. britain was always seen as a valued member of the european team on a number of levels. that meant that other member countries to special deals for the uk to do it sweet. we didn't have to join the eu currency for instance, and that a rebate on our investment in the budget. but that was when were in the club. now we are on owl way out, they say they have other bodies. i know the uk very well. i've been working with british ministers in the last 20 yea rs. british ministers in the last 20 years. they are fine negotiations. but the other thing is they

negotiate in their own interest. we will negotiate in our own interest, too. the european union is negotiating brexit on the half of all 27 member countries. nobody wa nts to all 27 member countries. nobody wants to punish the uk for its choice. one that is clear is that the show must go on. —— on behalf of. even if there will be some changes in the props department. so i have been told all of the flags of the european union are in this room. let's overlooked. little in it, latvia, ireland, italy... alphabetical order. so where do i find out united kingdom? and there it is. ironically, it is right next to the european union flag. i guess

after the uk leaves, the european union will take the flag of the cupboard. i don't where will go. the eu did not know where it was going after the brexit vote. it was already reeling from the migration and euro crises and the rise of eurosceptics, like france's marine le pen. 12 months on, and it feels really different from here. there is a new eu self—confidence in the air. and why? and it has been put on the migrant crisis, and we have seen the eurosceptics squashed the polls, notably in france. as for the shopper brexit, farfrom ripping the eu apart, it has given normally bickering european countries into each other‘s arms. what about how the eu now views the uk? has to

change? there has been utter astonishment since the general election at the disarray in the uk. and they believe this chaos in british politics makes a deal harder to reach. one of the best-known champions of brexit works right here in brussels. he dismisses all the negative talk. you can't be a self—governing nation if you're part of the european union. you can't control your borders or immigration numbers. so it is the biggest constitutional change in our country since the 17th century. it is that getting that control of our laws. but will we? at the close of day one of eu— but will we? at the close of day one of eu- uk but will we? at the close of day one of eu— uk negotiations, brussels remained unclear about the kind of brexit britain was after. secretary of state, can be eu trust that what you are for today or tomorrow will be what you asked for any few days' time, given the political confusion in the uk? would deliver the single market. we will be seeking to set up

a free trade arrangement. —— we believe in the single market. the circumstances have not changed. but from the eu perspective, everything is change. the focus should not be uncompromising brussels, he says, the uk chose to leave the eu, not the uk chose to leave the eu, not the other way around. so, despite a lingering sense of sadness, the mood music right now in europe is this, brexit, if you are sure you really wa nt brexit, if you are sure you really want it, bring it on. after a general election that nobody quite won, the big question is this or brexit, what, if anything, has changed? how do you think that election result has changed the approach that

britain will take to the brexit negotiations? i think it's changed it pretty fundamentally. theresa may went to the country saying this is my mandate for an extreme form of brexit and she didn't get it. so we start the negotiations in a position where there is no clear mandate and the prime minister's lost authority abroad. overall i don't think it makes a very big difference if any because the government set out the direction of travel. we didn't say we would part leave the european union, we said we would leave it and that's what we're going to do. doctor fox, you can't seriously be saying that nothing has changed since theresa may failed to get a majority in parliament and lead a majority in parliament and lead a majority government? in parliament it will be easier with an overall majority, of course it would, but the government approach will be the same because we believe what we set out is in our national interest. i think many people who campaigned

to remain in the european union really feel the tide is turning. just a few weeks ago they seemed down and out but now they're going back into battle, fighting for a different kind of brexit. are the splits between parties splits within parties? the chancellor philip hammond made his intervention in a speech to city and business leaders. when the british people voted last june, they did not vote to become poorer or less secure. they did vote to leave the eu and we will leave the eu. but it must be done in a way that works for britain. and i'm confident we can do a brexit deal that puts jobs and prosperity first. that keeps our markets for goods and services and capital open, that

achieves early agreement on transitional arrangements to avoid unnecessary disruption and dangerous cliff edges. what really struck me about philip hammond's speech at the mansion house was the stark change in tone. he talked aboutjobs and prosperity in contrast to theresa may before the general election. she was much more focused on immigration and on sovereignty. the message from the public before and during the referendum campaign was clear. brexit must mean control of the number of people who come to britain from europe and that is what we will deliver. next—door neighbours but different approaches. mrs may wants to cut immigration to the tens of thousands. the chancellor is keen to promote immigration as good for the economy, a view shared by political rivals. we've said jobs and the economy must be the priority. at his mansion

house speech he said jobs and prosperity must be the priority. so that's almost the same language as we've been using. is their common ground between you, the liberal democrats, and mr hammond's position that he's outlined ? democrats, and mr hammond's position that he's outlined? i think there's a lot of common ground with him and i believe a lot of people in the labour party who can see the potential disasters of going into a really hard, disruptive, extreme form of brexit and ourjob is to reach out to them and find ways of achieving compromise. so where might those compromises come? let's look at honda's factory in swindon. it's the european single market in action. everyday 2 million components are delivered here, many of them from across europe with no hold—ups at the border. if we leave the customs union it could spell trouble for some. we don't want our

components stuck abroad, we don't wa nt components stuck abroad, we don't want ourcar is components stuck abroad, we don't want our car is going to europe stuck on this side of the channel. it's keeping that free flow of product going. one compromise would be to stay in the customs union where goods can cross borders within the eu without import taxes. but that's not government policy at the moment. it wa nts government policy at the moment. it wants out. for me it's about getting what we promised the british people, getting control of the laws and getting control of the laws and getting control of the borders, you cannot do those things if we remain inside the single market and inside the customs union. if you want the benefits of brexit, being able to get new trade agreements to access the growing markets of the world, that requires the model we set out. the customs union will be one of the big battles over the next few months. if we stay inside it, as many big businesses want, that could mean we won't be allowed to sign free trade deals with countries outside the european union. but if that happens then frankly liam fox

would be out of a job. and how long would be out of a job. and how long would any deal take? well, the eu divorce is meant to be completed by 2019. david davies says the transition to a new relationship after that could take a further two yea rs. after that could take a further two years. others are not as optimistic. to do this in a sensible way... we are talking decades rather than yea rs. are talking decades rather than years. the transitional arrangement will probably be in the order of about three years. it may be that they would have to be extended but i generally think we should be able to get the divorce aspect in the two—year framework and then probably about three years to transition. two—year framework and then probably about three years to transitionlj about three years to transition.” think we have to wait and see how the negotiations go, but on the essential point is it reasonable to have a transitional period if required for the stability of our business and maintaining the market opportunities in europe? that's

perfectly reasonable. they may well try to dress it up as a transitional period to stop a huge amount of public anger but i do think there's now a significant shift in british that says to me the 17.5 million people who voted brexit are probably not going to get what they voted for. ace of brexit, a slower brexit. some in europe even suggest that britain could stay in the eu —— a soft brexit. is there anyway you could foresee britain staying within the european union? there's about as much chance of us staying within the european union as me finding truth very. there was audible spluttering across europe when in the lead up to the eu referendum boris johnson said, europe when in the lead up to the eu referendum borisjohnson said, you know what, we can have our cake and eat it, we can leave the eu but keep the good bits. from an eu point of view it's like me coming into this

ca ke view it's like me coming into this cake shop and saying... bon jaw, view it's like me coming into this cake shop and saying... bonjaw, i'd like, oh, the blue brie from on top of that cake, or all those lovely chocolate flakes from that one and yes, i would like the raspberries from right in the middle of that ca ke from right in the middle of that cake —— blueberry. thank you. and offigo cake —— blueberry. thank you. and off i go leaving the cake shop to sort out the mess. we are hearing a firm but friendly attitude towards the uk but no, borisjohnson is totally wrong. he's sure that in the end brussels will do a deal. this is the city of deals often at the 11th hour. you british invented the club and when you're in the club you have some privileges and not being an eu member means you lose some privileges. you can't have the best of the two worlds, that's just impossible. if we would do so that it would encourage all our members to leave. however hard the eu tries

to leave. however hard the eu tries to market its tough guy approach, make no mistake, it wants a deal with the uk. after all, if the uk economy nosedives that has a big impact on the rest of europe. but brussels insists it won't do a deal at any price. when the eu thinks about brexit it wants to do everything to protect the european single market. it's the biggest trade area in the whole world, right now made up of more than 500 million potential customers. thing is, it's not just about goods potential customers. thing is, it's notjust about goods and trade, it's about the free movement of people as well so when uk politicians say they wa nt full well so when uk politicians say they want full control of immigration but they want to retain the full benefits of the european single market, brussels says that's pie in the sky. a taste of things to come then? an eu no to compromise when it comes to its rules and principles. but is

that realistic? isn't it true that the eu has all the cards? what you're saying is our european partners would treat us as international pariahs, not want our business, not want our markets, not wa nt business, not want our markets, not want our monique. the people hurt most would—be german car many factors and french wine producers. i tell you what the eu needs more than anything and that's our market. now, there is an assumption that all this dealmaking with the eu basically comes down to money and the germans will be pushing hard for a good deal to sell us more and more cars. but to sell us more and more cars. but to think that would be to fundamentally misunderstand germany and its attitude to the eu. hitler's march across europe and the horror that followed still loom large in european minds. the eu was born out of the ashes of world war two. eu

unity symbolises democracy and security here. for germany it was the chance for a new start. we tend to underestimate in britain the importance and the way in which europe and the eu is part of the german dna, part of the european dna. it was the way back for germany into respectability after the horrors of the second world war. this idea that of course the germans are going to push for a favourable dealfor the united are going to push for a favourable deal for the united kingdom are going to push for a favourable dealfor the united kingdom because they want to sell us lots of cars, what do you make of that? they're not standing up and saying to the german government we want access to the german market, what they are saying is if the... so be it. we will live with that. contemplating the future of eu uk relations, i keep coming back to the unknown is. what would a deal that like? how

long would it take to agree? what happens if it all falls apart? be under no illusions, if we don't get those deals and if we don't get that agreement, while everyone will suffer, britain would be a lot worse off than our former european partners. they have very many options for them than we do. the european union, its single market is the largest single export market for british goods and services. it's where 50% of our exports go. in the uk many see brexit as an exciting chance for new beginnings, whereas brussels is convinced this is a lose lose scenario for everyone. the warning here to the uk is stark, they'll be little cake left on the plate after brexit, just a lot of salt and vinegar. hello, good morning.

really since the start of the week the weather has turned, we've seen much more rain around. this picture was taken at swanage in dorset. instead of the sunshine of monday we had the rain of tuesday. a lot of rain far and wide across the uk, 56 millimetres of rain already on the isle of man, and then more recently we've seen the wettest weather developing in the south—east, spilling into east anglia. both those areas seeing about a month's worth of rain injust 2a hours or so. and with the rain developing more widely, particularly in england and wales, and with some heavy rain too, a lot of water on the roads, surface spray, even into the morning rush—hour, it could be quite tricky on the roads if you are going to be travelling. you can see how extensive the rain is across england and wales by wednesday morning. still some heavy bursts of rain too. briefly some rain for northern ireland but much of scotland may well stay dry. may well brighten up towards the south—east but unlikely to do so in the south—west of england, the threat of more rain coming in here. and the rain never really clears away from wales. if it does brighten up and turns a bit

warmer in the south—east later, we could trigger a few heavy showers. but further north, much cooler across the north midlands, especially northern england with the rain. quite a keen wind blowing in off the north sea. it should turn a bit drier, perhaps a little bit brighter for northern ireland, and this time the driest weather is going to be across scotland on wednesday. but again chilly with the winds off the north sea. that rain, though, continues to push its way northwards through wednesday evening and wednesday night, so it will turn wetter in scotland and northern ireland too. the rain still around across northern england and north wales, but to the south and south—east it may well be dry. quite a warm night as well but the big story, the rain that isjust continuing. but this time in a different area really on thursday. so the wettest weather going to be for scotland and northern ireland. eventually it turns a bit drier for northern england. for many parts of northern england and wales, it may be a drier day, some brighter skies, a bit of warmth as well and some humidity. but further north where we have the rain and still the winds coming in from the east or north—east, it will feel cold. quite a bit colder

than it should do for this time of the year. low pressure responsible for all the rain, which doesn't really know weather it's coming or going. as we've seen its moving northwards for a while, but into friday that low pressure dragster rain back southwards again into england and wales, where we could see some heavy bursts of rain, especially in the east of england. turning drier this time, though, for scotland and northern ireland. some sunshine but again a stronger wind, this time coming in from the north. now, pressure over the weekend should be a little bit higher. not completely dry but it will be drier and warm when the sun comes out. hello. my name is tom donkin. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: holding the world to ransom: another widespread cyber attack hits banks, shops, transport and energy networks. another setback for president trump's attempt to change american healthcare — this time, the senate delays a crucial vote. after half a century as armed revolutionaries — the farc rebels in colombia finally put down their weapons.

the chinese artist ai wei—wei brings his new exhibition to washington, and, with it, his support for american dissidents.