hello and welcome to bbc news. the international monetary fund hasjoined condemnation of president trump's plan to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium. the imf warned that such a move would not only hurt other countries, but also the united states itself. international stock markets have fallen since the announcement and many of the united states‘ trading partners say they're considering retaliatory action. china's steel industry has labelled the move ‘stupid'. european commission president jean—claude juncker says the eu will react in kind if mrtrump goes ahead. meanwhile the world trade organisation says the potential for escalation is real, and that a trade war is in no one's interests. canada's prime minister, justin trudeau, said the whole business was unacceptable — warning of serious problems.

the integrated nature of our supply chains means that there would be significant disruption, in canada obviously, but also in the united states. we buy more steel from the united states than any other country, and disruptions to this integrated... integrated market would be significant, and serious. at that is why we are pressing upon the american administration the unacceptable nature of these proposals that are going to hurt them every bit as much as they will hurt us. and we are confident we will continue to be able to defend canadian industry. our correspondent in washington, chris buckler, gave us his assessment of president trump's trade plans. the tweets keep on coming, and there are two bases for donald trump — there is the base that voted for him when he talked about america first throughout

the campaign but there is also the international community, which is important as he stands as american president and reflects on exactly what he wants to do as far as these tariffs are concerned. there are a number of issues here. first of all it is worth pointing out that the details have to be worked out inside the white house for how this will work. he has said 25% tariffs on steel imported and 10% on aluminium that is imported into the us. will there be exemptions? certainly canada and mexico, they feel they should have exemptions, they feel they should not have these tariffs placed on their products, but this goes right around the world. and you are right in reflecting that the world trade organization, the international monetary fund and country after country is saying that this will only lead to problems. that everybody will come out bloodied as a result of a trade war. that is something that president trump will hear — whether he listens to it is another matter. the united nations top human rights official says war crimes are very likely being committed in the syrian region of eastern ghouta

and there must be prosecutions. hundreds of people have been killed in the rebel—held enclave just outside the capital damascus in the past 12 days. and despite the un calling for a ceasefire nearly a week ago, the violence has not stopped. our middle east editorjeremy bowen is in damascus. so far the united nations security council resolution, calling for a humanitarian ceasefire for 30 days right across syria, that exists on paper — it does not exist in reality. here in eastern ghouta, not farfrom where i am in damascus, there are great humanitarian needs and the un is ready to send in 45 trucks with food for 90,000 people. however, that has not happened and it may not happen for a few days more. right across the country there were hopes among some people towards the end of last year that the war may ratchet down. however, i think the evidence of this year is that the war may have changed its shape

but it has also escalated. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. attacks on military headquarters and the french embassy in 0uagadougou, the capital of burkina faso, are now known to have killed at least eight people and injured several more. officials say a car bomb caused an explosion, and an african regional meeting may have been the target of an attack on the army site. campaigning has ended in italy ahead of a general election on sunday. the major parties held rallies in which each promised victory, although analysts are predicting a hung parliament. the anti—establishment five star movement is likely to emerge as the biggest single party. an alliance of centre—right groups led by the former prime minister, silvio berlusconi, is also expected to do well. in the us, more than 2,000 people have been paying their respects to the world —famous evangelist billy graham. he died last week at the age of 99. stay with us here on bbc

news, still to come: arctic conditions across britain as storm emma collides with the beast from the east. theresa may has outlined her vision of britain's future relationship with the european union. she warned that both sides would have to accept ‘hard facts‘ and that neither would get everything they want. she said the uk would have to pay money into some eu agencies to maintain access to them. but she repeated her commitment that britain would not be part of the eu‘s single market or customs union. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg was watching her speech. roll up, roll up. a hot ticket for a certain kind of audience. looking forward to the speech. ministers and diplomats arriving for a speech. can you unite the party, sir? that will affect us all. and it matters to her survival, too.

with controversy never far away. the first message — no more promises that after brexit, we can have it all, to tradejust as we do now or be completely free from the european courts. i want to be straight with people because the reality is that we all need to face up to some hard facts. we are leaving the single market. life is going to be different. in certain ways our access to each other‘s markets will be less than it is now. the second hard fact is that even after we have left the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice, eu law and the decisions of the ec] will continue to affect us. out of the single market and the customs union, she confirmed, yet no new answer to one of the hardest parts. we don‘t want to go back to a hard border in ireland. we‘ve ruled out any physical infrastructure at the border or any related checks and controls. but it‘s not good enough to say,

"we won‘t introduce a hard border. "if the eu forces ireland to do it, that is down to them". we chose to leave and we have a responsibility to help find a solution. but we can‘t do it on our own. it is for all of us to work together. more details on how she wants much of the economy to stay closer to the eu, but the prime minister wants the right to pick and choose when and how. the commission has suggested that the only option available to the uk is an off—the—shelf model. we both need to face the fact that this is a negotiation and neither of us can have exactly what we want. the fact is that every free trade agreement has varying market access depending on the respective interests of the countries involved. if this is cherry picking, then every trade arrangement is cherry picking. last, an answer to claims her plans are too vague and unreal. we know what we want.

we understand your principles. we have a shared interest in getting this right. so let‘s get on with it. thank you. applause do you accept now that we can‘t have it all as we leave? secondly, you have outlined today you want to pick and mix, even though the eu has repeatedly rejected that approach. what is it do you think you can say to your eu leaders that will actually change their minds? i‘m confident as we come and sit down together we will be able to show that mutual interest and mutual benefit from the proposals i have put forward. after weeks of internal tory wrangling, the prime minister has made gathered tory grandees content. this is about finding a way through that will work for everybody. why have you spent so long saying we can have everything? you said we could have

the exact same benefits? i said that is the aspiration. what we‘re aiming at here, and what the prime miniester said clearly, is that we want to have a complete tariff—free arrangement. we want to have mutual recognition. all those things, not just in our interest, they are in europe‘s interest and that is why we will get them. what happens if the european union says no? the invitation that was made through the speech the prime minister made was to apply a cool head to some very important, mutual problems, but also opportunities. an outbreak of tory unity? the foreign secretary was grounded by snow but gave a thumbs up, and brexiteers and remainers followed suit, for now. governor, were you happy with what you heard? others, like the bank of england governor, less keen to give their verdict. the opposition, unimpressed. i think it will be judged as yet more confusion on the road to complications. what we need is a set of objectives which means we can protect jobs in this country.

number ten has pressed its case with more detail and realism than before. that could make a difference to the next steps of this lengthy tangle. but there are plenty of audiences making demands of theresa may, who will still demand yet more. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. heavy snow has caused crashes, closed schools and stranded motorists, rail and air passengers across the uk. in places the army was called to help. one of the country‘s major routes, the m62 across the pennines is closed. strong winds have added to problems causing large drifts in places. the sheer amount of snow remains a major concern and even where it‘s been cleared the freezing temperatures mean ice is now an added danger. danny savage reports. for the last 2a hours, the m62 between west yorkshire and manchester has been a disaster zone. multiple pile—ups litter the carriageway. 0ne driverfilmed

this early today... dozens of vehicles written off. more than 3,500 motorists were stranded on this road overnight. most had been moved by this morning but hundreds were taken to emergency shelters. we landed in manchester airport about two o‘clock yesterday and we‘ve been trying to get home since then. the main route from the m3 to the south—west of england, the a303, also ground to a halt with drivers defeated by a combination of heavy snow and steep hills. i‘m trying to get to an old people‘s home to get the heating on. i‘ve been stuck out here since three o‘clock this afternoon. there was some respite at this local petrol station that helped people through the night. we don‘t usually get snow here, not like this. do you think you‘re going to get out of here? yeah. of course we will. "there‘s worse trouble at sea," granny would say. snowploughs tried their best

but made little progress because of the trapped vehicles. from yorkshire to the scottish border, nearly every route linking east and west was closed. somewhere under here is the a66 in cumbria. even the gritters aren‘t venturing out this far. this should normally be a busy dual carriageway over these conditions are some of the worst i‘ve seen for many years. the a66 is always one that‘s a problem area. as you can see today, this is particularly bad. trying to get this open is impossible at the moment. in hampshire, the 17:05 waterloo to weymouth train last night unintentionally turned into a sleeper service. passengers were stuck on board for 13 hours

as the train lost power. the heating then failed in the freezing conditions. they managed to restore power so we had lights but we had no heating and things like the buffet car had run out of food and drink earlier on in the evening. so, it was a pretty cold night. in shropshire, huge snowdrifts blocked country roads as an army of farmers set out across britain to try and clear them. neighbouring worcestershire also saw several inches of snow. across the border into wales, three people were rescued after getting buried by drifts in their car near cowbridge. they had to sound their horn to guide searchers in. in ebbw vale, firefighters were called in to dig their way into this house. back in the high pennines, keeping livestock fed was a priority. keeping them watered though is a problem. the water‘s frozen, that‘s the main thing, in the house and out of the house. so, just watering animals is a big chore at the minute and just

trying to feed up and getting to the sheep that are three miles away, just trying to get there is fun and games at the minute really. delivering supplies by any means possible will be normality in much of britain this weekend. there‘s no obvious sign of a thaw yet. the extreme weather has affected emergency teams too — with south—western ambulance service telling people not to call unless there is a threat to life. across the uk, many doctors, nurses and support staff have walked through snow and ice in an attempt to ease the pressure on services. from the royal devon and exeter hospital, jon kay reports. this is the road to exit a‘s main hospital, serving nearly half a million people. in a and e, this eight—year—old has come of her sledge. and she may need a scan. per

doctor is one of many who have struggled into work. how did you get in? i cycled in on a mountain bike about five miles. there was a lot of pushing, just trying to get some traction. thisjunior doctor is helping debbie. wait till you hear about his journey to work. about ten miles and then you have to walk ten miles and then you have to walk ten miles back? yes. just like last night, at night. did you think about calling in and having a snow day? a0 staff slept in the hospital overnight after a critical incident was declared here. phil also stayed over. he could not move his car after visiting his wife in the surgical ward. 0ver after visiting his wife in the surgical ward. over 100 relatives we re surgical ward. 0ver100 relatives were given a place to sleep.

surgical ward. 0ver100 relatives were given a place to sleepm surgical ward. 0ver100 relatives were given a place to sleep. it has been fantastic and i cannot thank them enough. would not wish for a better state. no traffic jams in the city today that emergency crews have struggled to reach casualties. south—western ambulance say only call 909 if its life—threatening. among the walking wounded, plenty of ra kes, among the walking wounded, plenty of rakes, sprains and cuts, meant many of them weather related. pete fell in the snow. it could have been much worse. there were other people in the who had far more serious accidents than i have. after a difficult winter and an exhausting a8 hours, there are more challenges to com. the chief nurse now needs to find extra staff for the next few days. we are now calling out for registered purposes in particular, if they are able to come here if they could. particularly this weekend so we can get through it.

backin weekend so we can get through it. back in casualty, and is making progress after her accident. her father is a local farmer and tonight he will clear roads with his tractor so he will clear roads with his tractor so the hospital can keep running. there was trouble on the trains in south london earlier after delayed and frustrated passengers started jumping onto the tracks. police were called after people stuck on trains near lewisham forced open the doors and began walking down the railway line. 0perator southeastern warned they couldn‘t run the trains while people were on the tracks. you‘re watching bbc news. our top stories: president trump has tweeted that trade wars can be good, because his country is losing billions of dollars mr trump announced tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium to the us on thursday. the british prime minister, theresa may, has denied that she wants to cherry—pick the best bits of eu membership,

in a major speech setting out her vision for a post—brexit partnership with the bloc. across europe sub—zero temperatures have claimed at least 60 lives in the past week. the latest victims were skiers who died in an avalanche in the french alps. the severe weather has also wreaked havoc for transport, countless schools have been closed and tens of thousands of people are without power. janey mitchell has more. the southern alps near france‘s border with italy, a frozen wilderness popular with skiers are now after heavy snowfall, the location of the deadliest avalanche of the european winter so far. translation: six people were involved in this accident, all six have been found. but unfortunately all of them are dead. our thoughts are with the victims and their families. the brutal weather has claimed the highest number of victims

in poland, where temperatures plunged as low as —27 celsius. here in krakow, the emergency services searching for a man who fell into the icy river. in croatia, it was not the snow causing problems, but freezing rain. leading to multiple road accidents. even switzerland, an old hand in dealing with snow, struggled. geneva feeling the strain and another ten centimetres on friday, on top of the 15 which blanketed the city the previous day. almost 350 flights were cancelled on friday from dublin airport, which will remain closed into saturday. not quite sure i am going to feed these two. irish racing stable owners struggled to feed their horses. tens of thousands of people in ireland are without electricity, whether red alert snow and ice warning extended for eastern parts of the country into the weekend.

as always, there are those making the most of the conditions, and capturing the magic of the late winter. a 21—year—old man who tried to kill a woman because she was wearing a hijab has been found guilty of attempted murder. paul moore, from leicester, chose zaynab hussein at random and ran her over with his car. he later told his half—brother he‘d "done it for britain." moore was also convicted of using his car to seriously injure a 12—year—old muslim schoolgirl. he‘ll be sentenced later this month. prince harry and meghan markle are inviting more than two and half thousand members of the public to the grounds of windsor castle for their wedding. they‘ll be able to watch the couple arrive and depart. charity workers and school children are among those invited. this weekend, hollywood celebrates its 90th year

of the oscars. it‘s been a tumultuous year for the film industry following the sex abuse scandal involving harvey weinstein. the actress, heather graham is one of a number of women who accused him of sexual harassment. now she‘s written and directed her first film about sexism in hollywood. she‘s been speaking to our arts editor will gompertz. why are we sitting around talking about how sad our lives are? we should be talking about how great we are. half magic is a romcom, in which three women decide to start asserting themselves, to take a stand against the men who are undermining them. i am so relieved that you find me attractive, but when can you read the script that we wrote? heather graham plays a junior film executive whose career is being frustrated by a mean, sexist boss. your boots are too big. whose interest is focused on her body, not her mind. i wrote this movie because years before that i worked on developing movies that i wanted to get made, women‘s stories that i wanted to act in and produce and i couldn‘t get them made. so this movie was my reaction to that.

why couldn‘t you get them made? people would say that i wasn‘t a big enough star, that no—one cares about women‘s stories, that women‘s movies don‘t make money. they would say if you want to get a movie made, write about a man. let‘s make a pact to be with good guys only, guys who treat us great like we deserve. if you think about how many levels that a woman has to get through to get a movie made and seen, you have to go through so many levels of male—dominated businesses. first of all you have to have the idea that you can ever do this, which there‘s not a lot of role models out there. then you‘ve got to get someone to finance it, which is usually a man. then you have to get someone to distribute it, which is usually a man. then when it comes out, you have to get a bunch of male journalists to not say that the movie sucks. so that you can get to your audience, which is women. so all the different steps that you need to get through to get to women, which hopefully men will watch it too, but you are mainly going for women. you have to go through like walls and walls of men to get your project out in the world.

why did you break up with me? all i wanted to do was love you and mentor you and help you achieve your true potential. i‘m sorry, i don‘t know what to say. i had a business meeting with a guy. i sent in the script. i said, "i want to get this movie made, i want to empower women". we had this business meeting, he doesn‘t finance the movie. i run into him ata party and he said, "oh, that was so fun when we had that date the other day." the lunch meeting where i asked him to finance my movie. i said, "that wasn‘t a date, that was a business meeting." how long ago was this? this was like two years ago. and do you think if that happened today it would be different? i think today men are starting to think about their behaviour and they are starting to question if, you know, how they should treat women in the workplace, which is a good thing. will gompertz, bbc news, hollywood. as we‘ve been hearing, snow has brought chaos to much of the uk, but amid the misery this week for many stuck in cars, on trains, struggling into work, there have also been stories

of great heroism and of those who‘ve gone out of their way to come to the aid of others. sarah campbell reports. an out—of—control car ends up on the wrong side of this edinburgh road. a collision seems inevitable. no, no, no, no! that it didn‘t happen is thanks to the quick luckily, and then i got on with myjob after that. i totally forgot all about it until i got home and my husband asked me if i had seen this video. he didn‘t know it was me that was driving. born in balgedie, fife. despite the village being all but cut off, midwives made it to the mum to help with the delivery and local farmers cleared the roads to get both mum and baby safely to hospital. and stranded drivers on the a1 in northumberland were treated to cream cakes and muffins, handed out by a fellow motorist who happened to be a delivery driver for greggs. in birmingham, this businessman paid for 12 hotel rooms, which he then offered to homeless people. you can‘t expect people to be out in that, it‘s life—threatening, really.

so i just thought, for the sake of £15, £20, it gets a few people off the streets. and stuck in skegness without an event to go to, the bbc‘s concert orchestra offered their services as a wedding gift to fellow hotel guests on their big day. when they started, it took your breath away. oh, yeah. very unexpected. amid freezing temperatures, the warmth of human kindness has resonated. sarah campbell, bbc news. and before we go, let me show you these pictures that have just emerged of a hiking trail in brazil. it was turned into an underwater world by heavy rains. the trail at an eco—tourism site injardim in the south of the country was flooded with crystal clear water from a nearby river last month. local people say it is a very rare phenomenon that happens only when it rains more than 15 centimeters at once. a reminder of our top story.

the eu and canada have pledged counter—measures after donald trump announced tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium.