welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: he threatened "fire and fury." now, president trump says he may not have been tough enough. they should be very, very nervous. i'll tell you what. and they should be very nervous. because things will happen to them like they never thought possible. british police reveal the shocking scale of modern slavery and human trafficking across the uk. after cuba denies it used a sonic device to damage the hearing of us diplomats. now, canada says it's investigating symptoms reported by its staff. writer and filmmaker, michael moore, is making his broadway debut. the oscar winner tells us why he's saving a presidential box. president trump has again threatened north korea.

if the regime in pyongyang thinks about attacking the united states, he said, "things will happen to them like they never thought possible. they will be in trouble like few nations have ever been." he also suggested his earlier threat that north korea faces "fire and fury" might not have been tough enough. his defence secretary has warned that war would be catastrophic, and insisted diplomacy is yielding results. from washington, nick bryant. it's from his golf club in newjersey during his working vacation that donald trump is managing this stand—off. and this afternoon he was back in his trademark suit and tie, and using his trademark tough talk, his response to the latest threats from pyongyang. i will tell you this, if north korea does anything in terms of even thinking about attack, of anybody that we love or we represent or our allies or us, they can be very, very nervous. i'll tell you why. and they should be very nervous, because things will happen to them like they never thought possible. earlier this week he warned

north korea of fire and fury, raising the chilling spectre of a nuclear confrontation. his only regret, maybe that fiery rhetoric wasn't incendiary enough. the people that were questioning that statement, was it too tough, maybe it wasn't tough enough. they've been doing this to our country for a long time, for many years, and it's about time that somebody stuck up for the people of this country and for the people of other countries, so if anything, maybe that statement wasn't tough enough. earlier, on news bulletins in north korea, the customary martial music and also an unusually specific military threat. translation: the hwasong 12 rocket will be launched by the north korean people's army and will cross japan and fly 3356 kilometres for 1065 seconds, before hitting the waters 30 to a0 kilometres away from guam. this is the hwasong 12 missile

on parade in pyongyang in spring. kim jong—un can back his fiery words with weaponry. today, on the tropical island of guam, it wasn't so much a case of fire and fury, as wet and wild. the news crews converging there producing what looked like tourist advertisements, people heading to the beach rather than fleeing. locals not particularly concerned at the threat that north korea missiles might soon come raining in. we're used to the whole ebb and flow of hearing that we're going to be bombed and then it not happening, and hearing about it again, so it's not anything that's new to us. it never follows through, so i wasn't really concerned. i think it's probably like a distraction maybe, maybe a political kind of move on the us and korea, so just to get attention, maybe. guam is in the firing line because it's american territory

that's home to two big us military bases. an attack here would be an attack on america. as well as refusing to back down from his threat of fire and fury, donald trump did say he would consider negotiations. but while the rhetoric is being ratcheted up fears will grow of some terrible miscalculation that could turn this war of words into a major conflict. live now to our correspondents, laura bicker, in washington dc, and robin brant in seoul, the south korean capital. mixed messages again from washington, from president trump, and defence secretary mattis. there are fears there could be a miscalculation in this war of words which could lead to something terrible. the donald trump

administration seems to be taking a com pletely administration seems to be taking a completely different strategy from previous administrations on north korea. donald trump even criticised the obama and clinton administrations in the past. he is making it clear to a career that the comment about fire and fury is not off the cuff, it is part of his strategy is. he wants no mistake, he will defend america. the message was also to china. he was also critical of beijing, saying they could do more. and he gave a little hint that he might be wanting to act against china on trade if china did not help with this situation. remember, china is key. north korea's biggest trading partner. they do not want instability in the region. the message coming from the us to china

is if you do not help us out, we will do it ourselves, and you don't wa nt will do it ourselves, and you don't want that. the risk is, as nick brya nt want that. the risk is, as nick bryant mentioned, the rhetoric could be so ramped up there is nowhere else to go. let us be clear, general mattis said this is diplomatic. worry in the region would be catastrophic and no one wants it. —— war indeed. donald trump said he is open to talking. there is a diplomatic possibility, it is just who will approach first. so much to lose in this. still officially at war with north korea. yet people have lived with the rhetoric for yea rs. have lived with the rhetoric for years. how does it look for them? people finding themselves in the office and school and park this morning here in seoul are a bit bemused, frankly, that the rhetoric, the words, from president trump,

could have escalated overnight. they thought fire and fury was as bad as it can get but things have gone further. they will be encouraged to hear the president talk about how he does not think kim jong—un can go around threatening the us, japan, and south korea. the message is a strong us alliance with the country of south korea is crucial. south koreans would be glad to hear they stand side—by—side. in terms of the diplomacy general mattis talked about, we don't know what he is referring to. but they were reminding the north yesterday they wa nt reminding the north yesterday they want the sabre rattling to stop and they want to return to negotiations. the president is more conciliatory in tone than his predecessor in south korea. they want reverse

nuclear programmes through the whole peninsula. though it seems a long way off. thank you, both of you. more on that a little bit later in the programme. modern slavery and human trafficking has become so widespread that there are victims in every large town and city in britain. the uk's national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims. here's our social affairs correspondent, dominic casciani. another day, another antislavery operation. over the last six months, the national crime agency has automated operations to smash trafficking and slavery gang is. this suspected brothel in north—east england isjust this suspected brothel in north—east england is just one of many being raided. today, new analysis from the agency suggest the true scale of modern slavery is far greater than previously expected. this man from croatia was coerced into hard

labour. a gang controlled his life forfour months labour. a gang controlled his life for four months until he got out. labour. a gang controlled his life for four months until he got outm is just horrible. even for four months until he got outm isjust horrible. even now for four months until he got outm is just horrible. even now i feel like my heart has stopped beating a little bit. i feel like like my heart has stopped beating a little bit. ifeel like you cannot call them people. modern-day slaves are attracted to the uk by gangs promising a better life and coerced into work they cannot escape from. women forced into prostitution make up women forced into prostitution make up to £600 a day. they are trapped to work in food processing and agriculture. they are on the high street in nail bars and carwashes. you could have unwittingly come into contact with one. this cannabis farm ina suburban contact with one. this cannabis farm in a suburban home is under control ofa gang. in a suburban home is under control of a gang. it is impossible to count all of the victims. like this enterprise, they are hidden from view view. the more they look, the more they find. we see teenagers

forced into prostitution. it is a growing problem which we think there isa growing problem which we think there is a shared responsibility across the uk to address. some critics say the uk to address. some critics say the nca has been too slow off the mark, a charge they deny. they say there has been a surge in police response to the charities say there are obvious signs someone is being held against their will. passports are taken off them. they are forced to work against their will. they are held in squalid conditions. they control their finances and movement. in small villages there are fewjobs and no money. a new campaign from the national crime agency. they are pledging to carry on raids every month. investigators say they will still need the help of the public to find all the victims. dominic, bbc news. canada's foreign ministry

is investigating why at least one of its diplomats stationed in cuba has needed treatment for hearing loss and headaches. yesterday, it emerged american diplomats in havana have experienced strange physical symptoms. us media are suggesting cuban agents may have used a covert sonic device that causes hearing loss. from havana, will grant. this was perhaps the highest point in us this was perhaps the highest point inus— this was perhaps the highest point in us — cuban relations over the past 60 years. the moment amid much p°mp past 60 years. the moment amid much pomp and ceremony where the long chartered embassy in havana was reopened in august, 2015. however, in this troubled relationship, it is a lwa ys in this troubled relationship, it is always good to expect the unexpected. more so with this latest plot twist. in late 2016, several us embassy plot twist. in late 2016, several us e m bassy staff plot twist. in late 2016, several us embassy staff in havana began to report headaches and loss of hearing. as things got worse, they returned to the us for treatment. us officials in cuba began to investigate. some familiar with the case have suggested a sonic device

was placed inside or outside the homes of the diplomats. for now, the state department is saying little. we don't have definitive answers about the source, cause, of what these incidents are. it is 2017. you don't know what the answer is? we need to give them examinations. be reported symptoms. it took time to figure out what it was and this is still ongoing. as a result, in may, two cu ba n still ongoing. as a result, in may, two cu ban diplomats still ongoing. as a result, in may, two cuban diplomats in washington, dc were asked to leave the country but were not left as persona non grata. the cu ban but were not left as persona non grata. the cuban department released an announcement on television saying this was unsubstantiated. they staunchly defended their record of protecting diplomats on the island. however, the incident comes after a

recent downturn in relations. after president obama a good ties with cuba, president trump has rolled back the relations. —— aided the. the idea of diplomats from the us losing their hearing is unlikely to help. this latest twist in the long and convoluted relationship between the united they found cuba is straight out of a spy novel. —— the united states. after the obama administration, it helps nothing after donald trump unwinding the thais. -- after donald trump unwinding the thais. —— ties. will grant, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to

come. taking time out to make an important. the new installation designed to help meditation in the dublin mountains. the big crowds became bigger as the time of the funeral approached. as the lines of fans became longer, the police prepared for a hugejob of crowd control. idi amin, uganda's brutalformer dictator, has died at the age of 80. he's been buried in saudi arabia, where he lived in exile since being overthrown in 1979. 2 billion people around the world have seen the last total eclipse of the sun to take place in this millenium. it began itsjourney off the coast of canada, ending three hours later when the sun set over the bay of bengal. good to have you with us on bbc

news. one main headline for you as our: “— news. one main headline for you as our: —— this hour. president trump has again threatened north korea if, as he put it, it even thinks about attacking the united states. he's also suggested his earlier threat of "fire and fury" may not have been tough enough. well, as the military and diplomats weigh the options, a lot has been made of the messaging over the past few days. the white houses insists they're all on the same page. so let's have a listen to some of the latest statements from the trump administration, starting with the president reacting to the latest threat from north korea. i have read about guam and august 15. let's see what it does about guam. if it does something in guam,

it will be an event the likes of which nobody has seen before, what will happen in north korea. you can see the american effort is diplomatically led. it has diplomatically led. it has diplomatic traction. it is gaining diplomatic traction. it is gaining diplomatic results. and i want to say the tragedy of war is well enough known. it does not need another characterisation, beyond the fa ct another characterisation, beyond the fact that it would be catastrophic. we can now speak to eric ham, a political scientist who has worked for the democrat party and also published a widely lauded biography of the republican party, who's in our washington studio for us. good to talk to you again. whatever general matters says, we have the president, apparently they are today winging it. —— general mattis. he has dismissed pyongyang's threats as nonsense, but surely all this seas the paranoia of the north korean leadership, and that is a dangerous game, isn't it? it is. all you have

to do is look back to the george w bush administration, when he actually lumped north korea and with the axis of evil, the rain and iraq. that is one we saw them ratchet up their attempts at the time. that has led us down a slippery slope to earlier today. once north korea, who seas threats at every turn, once they are actually cold out, that only ramps up their paranoia, and i think donald trump's rhetoric is not making the situation better, but actually making it worse. have is that workers make in the space of a few weeks, we have had the present talk about nuclear war, and nothing that the rain is not comply with the nuclear deal, when the official line is that they are, and his comments on transgender people. —— iran. and

the military has been ignoring what he has had to say. that is what we are seeing coming out of this government. i think what they recognise, particularly the pentagon, is that there is a job that play. just lately mercenary trouser we're going to be seen between the us and south korea. those types of activities, those types of events, will continue to ta ke types of events, will continue to take place. —— just like the military trials we are going to be seen. you have a government that is trying to operate and do so without the necessary blessing, or in spite of what is taking place from the actual commander—in—chief. what we are seeing today, particularly with north korea, is very reminiscent of what we saw back in the early 1960s with the cu ban what we saw back in the early 1960s with the cuban missile crisis. and many people wondered ifjfk would

pass the commander—in—chief test. and that is we are. can this president past the commander—in—chief test? —— past. president past the commander-in-chief test? -- past. we have not seen him do that yet. and yet some of his arrogance say that you should absolutely listen to the president. you should absolutely believe that things are the way that he says they are. what are people supposed to believe? the problem is, and this is a member does not get the attention it should. you have nearly two thirds of the national security appointments in the administration that are simply unfilled at this point. what is supposed to happen is that people are on the creed desk, the asian desk, and that information, those experts and that high level of expertise should be filling up to the key cabinet members. u nfortu nate, the key cabinet members. unfortunate, since we have this huge gap, were we don't have the people

in place, upwardly donald trump is not able to get the necessary information, because his cabinet secretaries are not getting the information. so there is a huge gap and unfortunately donald trump is winging it. which is a push listening he does best. when you're talking about a mercurial leader in kimjong—un, and you look at talking about a mercurial leader in kim jong—un, and you look at the potential catastrophe at stake, he think what we need is cooler heads to pervade, and that is what needs to pervade, and that is what needs to happen with donald trump right now. eric, thank you very a much indeed. thank you. american filmmaker michael moore is best known for his documentaries and liberal political views but tonight he will be making his broadway debut. it probably comes as no surprise that the one man show takes satirical swipes at president trump and his attempts to inspire his followers with optimism. tom brook went to a preview performance in new york. it's a hot ticket — michael moore on broadway, skewering president trump. he was saying "i'm going to make you all rich, i'm going to make you all rich!"

but it's not a non—stop anti—trump rant. it's something gentler. he regales audiences with anecdotes from his life, where small actions brought significant change. it is supposed to bring inspirational comfort to liberals still gutted by donald trump's victory. millions of people have been depressed for a good nine or ten months. and — and so i'm trying to give people maybe a sense of hope to not give up, don't be filled with despair, and, you know, liberals, democrats, have won six of the last seven presidential elections with the popular vote. the majority of americans are with us. at the stage door, the verdict from moore's fans was positive. it was inspiring. it was hysterically funny. he was great. iadmired him before, and after seeing him the show, i want to ask him to marry me. to marry you? yes. with your show, though, aren't you just preaching to the converted? yes, yes. the converted needs — needs — they want to hear a few things that we can do.

the choir that we are preaching to wants a song to sing. the hype surrounding the new show cannot camoflage the fact that he might not be the pleasant political firebrand that he once was. there's a certain segment of the left that still worships him. or at least respects him. but i don't think he is seen as a bellwether of how liberals think any more. and i think, in fact, there is not one any more. it has become very divided. he does not have the power levels that he once had. which is surprising, because he was the only person on the left of note to predict that donald trump would actually win the presidency. so you would think that that would make more people start listening to him. and yet i don't really feel that that has happened. sometimes members of the trump family go to broadway shows. i can't imagine this is one they'll not be coming to. i hope they come. i have a box reserved for them.

every night, the presidential box is there. and no—one can sit in it until somebody from the trump family comes. and you think that's going to happen? absolutely. yes. i actually do believe that. michael moore will be on broadway for a 12—week run. the production has a lofty goal. it's tagline poses a question: can a broadway show bring down a sitting president? —— its tagline poses a question: can a broadway show bring down a sitting president? the answer is, it isn't very likely. but michael moore is not giving up. once the show is over, he has fahrenheit 11/9 in the works, a new anti—trump documentary. what are the chances? a new installation near the summit of two rock in the dublin mountains is causing a bit of a stir. the group responsible for the so called wind phone say it's designed to be a private space to meditate on life and loss. sarah corker reports.

nestled in the mountains, high above the city of dublin, this is the wind phone. it is made from recycled materials from an old door to salvage floorboards. but it is no ordinary phone. you can't actually make any calls. and to put it here is something of a mystery. this mountain biker saw it being installed. we came over and saw what appeared to be a telephone box. and there were three lads working away, drilling the foundations of the telephone box. so we went down and said goodbye, and they explained to us all about the project. the group behind the installation wishes to remain anonymous. according to a note inside, it is a private space to meditate on life and loss, a place where you can speak privately and openly, and the words will be

carried away on the wind to wherever you want them to go. the project's inspired by a similar wind phone in japan, a place for those dealing with grief after the 2011 tsunami. the dublin mountains are popular with hikers, who are certainly intrigued. it is a lovely concert. it is quite soothing. for one reason or another, it is very in touch with the surroundings. the group picked this spot because of the view, the wind, and the privacy, and they hope will become a special place for many to visit. sarah corker, bbc news. and there are remarkable stories about the one injapan. more on the bbc website on that and all of the news. thank you for watching. hello there. thursday was a fine

day for most of us. and the weekend isn't looking too bad either. we just have friday to get through first. because things will be turning increasingly cloudy. we'll see some outbreaks of rain. in fact, already, some wet weather already in north—western areas. an area of low pressure sliding across the north of the british isles. tightly squeezed isobars — notice the white lines quite tightly packed. that shows us that the winds will be strong. gales at times across areas of scotland, with areas of rain working from west to east. but for the midlands, eastern england, in the south and the south—east, it'll start off dry and bright, and will stay that way for good parts of the day. cloud only very slowly increasing from the west. so even by 4pm in the afternoon, for east anglia, down to the south—east, there should be some sunshine around. 22—23 degrees is quite possible. mainly fine for the channel islands. just a bit of patchy rain creeping in here. that patchy rain continuing to work across the south—west of england. most of it quite light and patchy. perhaps some heavier bursts for coasts and hills. similar story there across wales.

16 degrees in cardiff for the middle of the afternoon. for northern ireland, even though the main area of rain will have cleared away by this stage, there's like to be some cloud left behind, some drizzle. so was true for much of scotland. but to the north, the murray firth, aberdeenshire, they can see some brightness holding on. if that happens, temperatures could get to about 20 degrees. rather cloudy and a little damp across much of northern england. as we go through friday night into the early hours of saturday, the heaviest bursts of rain will have cleared away. but there's still gonna be cloud, mist, murk and drizzle around. not a chilly night by any means, 13—16 degrees. and for some, it is going to be a struggle to clear that cloud away during saturday morning. the frontal systems really dragging their heels, particularly across the south of the british isles. generally speaking, high pressure takes charge of the scene for the weekend, which means it will be largely dry, with some spells of sunshine. as you can see, though, quite a cloudy start for saturday. that cloud struggling to break up too much in southern areas. there'll be the odd spot of drizzle around. but northern england,

northern ireland, and scotland, the skies will brighten. we'll see some spells of sunshine and perhaps a shower for scotland, north—east england. temperatures nothing to write home about, but in the sunshine it won't feel too bad. and with high pressure right on top of the country on sunday, it should be mainly fine day. good spells of sunshine, and you would be unlucky to get a shower, 16—22 degrees. so, quieter through the weekend, but things will turn unsettled again into the start of next week, with rain at times, particularly in the north—west. this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump has again warned north korea about attacking the united states. mr trump said "things

will happen to them like they never thought possible." his defence secretary, james mattis, said armed conflict would be "catastrophic" and that diplomacy was bearing fruit. modern slavery and human trafficking has become so widespread that there are victims in every large town and city in britain. the uk's national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims. 111 arrests were made across the uk in may and june. the us and canada are investigating reports that cuba may have used a sonic device to damage the hearing of its diplomatic staff in havana. the us said its diplomats were taken ill. one canadian is reported to have had hearing loss and headaches. washington has expleed two cu ban diplomats. now on bbc news, hardtalk.