welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america on pbs and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: underfire — president trump's plan to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium is condemned by trading partners — including canada. the integrated nature of our supply chains means that there would be significant disruption in canada, obviously, but also in the united states. war crimes are being committed on civilians in the syrian region of eastern ghouta, says the un. it says there must be prosecutions. britain's prime minister says the uk and eu are now close to a deal on the brexit transition. and saying a final farewell to evangelist billy graham. politicians, family and the faithful gather in north carolina for the funeral of a man who preached to millions. the international monetary fund has joined international condemnation

of president trump's plan to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium. it says such a move will not only hurt other countries, but also those of the united states. stock markets have fallen since the announcement. china's steel industry called the move ‘stupid'. the european commission said it would react if mr trump goes ahead. canada's prime minister described it as unacceptable — and warned of serious problems ahead. 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. but 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. live to washington — chris buckler is there for us. first of all chris, what are the details of this policy move? what our politicians in washington saying about this policy? president trump is tweeting that the trade war is good and easy to win, but there are some in washington and the white house who are concerned about the potential of what this could mean. essentially from a trade war there are many who buy into the idea that is coming from the international monetary fund and the world trade organization, that in simple terms, everybody could end up late by this, and you see all of those trading partners —— end up bloodied. you see trading partners, canada, brazil, mexico, the european union, saying

in simple terms that they will retaliate. if these tariffs come into place they will take action. there is a fundamental concern, which is that they have not worked out the full details of how these ta riffs out the full details of how these tariffs will work. it is clear that the white house wants to put these ta riffs the white house wants to put these tariffs in place but exactly how it will work, will there be exclusions? those still things will have to be worked out. in the meantime you have all these words coming from international leaders, the european union for example saying that they will target the likes of harley—davidson, urban and blue jeans, the most american products as they try to take action before these come into place. but it is worth pointing out that this has not come out of the blue, president trump did promise this in his campaign, and for his supporters, he is deliberate? america first was that message, and you see the problem here. because president trump has two different audiences. there is the international community who are listening to what he has to say and

they are the ones concerned about what these trade tariffs could mean. however very often president trump, particular when he tweets, is thinking of that different audience, those who supported him throughout the election campaign. and if you look at the old industrial heartland of america, where he gained so much support on his way to the presidency, this is what they want to hear. steel manufacturing has of course been in decline in america for decades, and that is something he believes he can tackle with these tariffs. but businesses know that it is not just manufacturing, tariffs. but businesses know that it is notjust manufacturing, there are many companies, many organisations that rely on steel, and america imports much more than exports. they are concerned about rising prices as are concerned about rising prices as a result of this and they are warning it could really damage industry. let's look at one country, the swedish company electrolux, it has a big manufacturing base in tennessee, with a $250 million

planned expansion and investment in a factory. it says it will now delay that occurs it is concerned about the potential of rising prices. although some will say that this is exactly what resident trump promised, the reality is that will it meanjobs, promised, the reality is that will it mean jobs, or could promised, the reality is that will it meanjobs, or could put somejobs in danger? thank you very much. 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 exist 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. a bloody battle is continuing in the north syrian region of afrin. turkish authorities have confirmed that 41 of their soldiers have been killed so far in the violence — which is targeting kurdish fighters, known as the ypg. turkey considers the us—backed kurdish militia that controls much of north—eastern syria a terrorist group. the bbc gained access to film on the kurdish side of the conflict as richard galpin now reports.

night time in afrin province in north—eastern syria. and turkish jets are pounding a target at a checkpoint. bewildered survivors emerge out of the dark and are picked up by ambulances. they had been part of a large convoy of vehicles, bringing food and fuel for the people of afrin city. there were casualties, including teenagers. but most people had managed to run to safetyjust in time. translation: we came here as a peaceful solidarity convoy for our brothers in afrin. we had no weapons, nothing. but the forces of turkish president erdogan rained shells on us. we don't want them here or anywhere in syria. this, the remnants of the convoy. since turkey began its

offensive against kurdish fighters in the area injanuary, human rights groups say over 90 civilians have been killed and hundreds injured, including children, in what they describe as indiscriminate attacks. the kurdish areas, marked in yellow, lie along much of the border with turkey. the afrin pocket in the far north—west of syria is the current focus of the turkish offensive but there may also be a move on the key city of manbij to ensure that kurdish fighters are driven well away from the turkish border. the turkish government says it is targeting a kurdish group known as the ypg because it poses a strategic threat as it is linked to insurgents, also kurdish, who are based inside turkey. already, the fighting has forced an estimated 15,000 people to leave their homes in search of safety. many here are traumatised

by what they have witnessed. this man said everybody fled from his village. the elderly were carried. it was terrifying, he said, and now he fears the village has been destroyed. no—one knows how long they could be stuck here. turkey says the offensive will continue until it has completely uprooted the ypg fighters from the border region. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: italy's political parties have held rallies ahead of the country's general election. despite each party promising victory, 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.

attacks on military headquarters and the french embassy in ouagadougou, the capital of burkina faso, are now known to have killed at least eight people and injured several more. the security minister, clement sawadogo, says an african regional meeting may have been the target of an attack on the army site; he says a car bomb caused an explosion. 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 no—one would get everything they want. she said the uk would have to pay money into some eu agencies to maintain access to them. and she repeated her commitment that that the britain's would not be part and she repeated her commitment that that britain would not be part of the eu's single market or customs union. rob watson has more.

what a challenge she faced. to set out britain's future relationship with the eu, amid deep political divisions at home and profound scepticism abroad. acknowledging possible downsides to brexit for the first time, she said britain had to face up to hard facts. in certain ways, our access to each other‘s markets will be less than it is now. how could the eu's structure of rights and obligations be sustained if the uk or any country were allowed to enjoy all the benefits without all the obligations? mrs may is still proposing a profound separation from europe, the so—called "hard brexit" of leaving the customs union and single market. but she says that should not stop there being a deep partnership partnership in the future. we should not think about leaving the eu as marking an ending. as much as a new beginning for the united kingdom and our relationship with our european allies. change is not to be feared, so long as we face it

with a clear—sighted determination to act the common good. as to domestic reaction, her speech has prompted calls for more detail from business, which remains anxious about brexit, and drawn cautious praise from both the anti— and pro—european wings of her governing conservative party. the eu's chief negotiator said mrs may was at last facing reality but there would be trade—offs. the eu parliament's brexit co—ordinator was harsher. it has been a tumultuous week in the long—running drama that is brexit, with he opposition labour party coming out in favour of closer ties with the eu, and two former prime ministers warning of the dangers of leaving europe and pleading with politicians and voters alike to think again. the politician left with carrying out the results of a referendum that has divided britain like no

other issue in decades, said the country was facing a crucial moment. thank you. few would disagree. large parts of europe are enduring freezing conditions as a siberian weather system continues to bring chaos. in parts of croatia, temperatures plummeted to —23 degrees and several coastal adriatic towns are covered in snow. italy is also stuck in sub—zero temperatures — with snow blanketing the cities of venice, bologna and florence. janey mitchell reports. the southern alps near france's border with italy — a frozen wilderness popular with off—piste skiers but 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 four 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 cracow, 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 how 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, with a red alert snow and ice warning extended for eastern parts of the country into the weekend. as always, there are those making best use of the conditions, and capturing the magic of the late winter. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: rescuing the house of rosa parks. the former home of the civil rights icon is saved from demolition. first the plate slipped gently off the restaurant tables, then suddenly the tables, the chairs and people crashed. it went downwards, and it was just a matter of seconds as the ferry lurched on her side. the hydrogen bomb, one of...

the americans have successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i heard the news earlier and so my heart went bang, bang! the constitutional rights of these marchers are their rights as citizens of the united states, and they should be protected, even in the right to test them out, so they don't get their heads broken and are sent to hospital. this religious controversy, i know you don't want to say too much about it, but does it worry you that it's going to boil up when you get to the states? well, it worries me, yes, but i hope everything will be all right in the end, as they say. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: president trump tweets that trade wars can be good, because america is losing billions

of dollars in existing deals. he's announced a plan to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium. war crimes are being committed on syrian civilians in eastern kuta, says the un. it calls for those responsible to be prosecuted. —— ghouta. thousands of people, including president trump, have gathered in charlotte, north carolina for the funeral of the celebrated us evangelist billy graham. throughout his 70—year career, he preached to millions and served as a spiritual advisor to several us presidents. he died last week at the age of 99. the bbc‘s barbara plett usher reports on how he is being remembered. billy graham's final journey marked the end of the era. a religious leader with broad national appeal and unprecedented international reach. # i'm gonna carry on until the day #. mr graham's simple gospel message, his personal integrity and his charisma impacted the lives of hundreds of millions. the cards that so many have written.

there are so many adjectives that have been given about daddy and they are all so wonderful. he captured the ear of power. president trump the last in a long line of presidents who praised him as america's pastor. there are problems that face us tonight. he was certainly its greatest evangelical entrepreneur, an american success story, combining conviction with the shrewd use of mass media, billy graham took the role of the popular evangelist to a new level, packing out stadiums the world over. god loves you. his central achievement, however, was to turn america's white eva ngelical protesta nts into a social and political force. mr graham himself befriended presidents of both parties and counselled many of them over seven decades. he was most closely associated with richard nixon but after watergate,

he said he had crossed the line and warned against partisanship. that, however, is not the legacy claimed by many of today's evangelicals, now on the defensive as their numbers and power decline. the newer movement that came in his wake had a much harder political edge. it was angry, it was about taking america back. it was a rhetoric of loss and reclamation. that is not the tone you got from billy graham. the bible was his sole authority. the stark contrast is embodied in mr graham's designated successor, his son franklin has embraced president trump someone who delivers for evangelicals. this is a different america to the one in which billy graham thrived. a diverse and polarised nation where a christian evangelist could longer serve as a unifying figure. billy graham was only the fourth private us citizen to lie in honour

at the us capitol. the last was rosa parks — the civil rights icon who died in 2005. now an american artist has saved her house from demolition. it will soon go on display at brown university. the bbc‘s zoe conway reports. this container has precious cargo on board. ijust this container has precious cargo on board. i just found this container has precious cargo on board. ijust found out this container has precious cargo on board. i just found out what this container has precious cargo on board. ijust found out what i was pulling in this container here. rosa parks‘ house. a beautiful day to be an american, i guess. but this is not where the story begins. it is 2016, and rosa parks‘ in ruins. but a rescue is under way. an artist has promised to preserve it, while it is found a permanent home. a lot of people did think that house was not worth saving, because there are a summary worth saving, because there are a summary houses and destroyed that

look like it. it goes without saying that she is a national icon, and what she did was so important for so many millions of people, even if they don‘t know it. many millions of people, even if they don't know it. and so it was taken to pieces and loaded into a container, shipped across the atlantic, to ryan mendoza‘s home in berlin, germany. we did at! when in 1955 rosa parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in alabama to a white man, she became a heroin to the civil rights movement. but she was persecuted. —— record. jobless and penniless, she left the segregated south and head north to detroit, like so many african americans before her. herfamily says the house symbolised her struggle. -- south. the house symbolises that, look, you might not have at $5, but you can still be ethical. you can still be honest. you can still do things for your

fellow man. in berlin, ryan mendoza, with a little help from his son, rebuilt the house in his front yard. and finally the house got some attention. hundreds of people came to see it from schoolchildren to germany‘s deputy prime minister. to see it from schoolchildren to germany's deputy prime ministerlj think germany's deputy prime minister.” think that it is, it‘s deep at the moment for america to come to terms of the fact that this house, in its other simplicity, is enormously valuable. perhaps what this house represents most of all is defined. rickety and decrepit it might be, yet here it is still standing. zoe conway, bbc news. its been a tumultuous year for the film industry following the accusations against producer harvey weinstein. the actress, heather graham is one of a number of women who accused him of inappropriate sexual behaviour. she‘s just written and directed her first film about sexism in hollywood. our arts editor will gompertz has been speaking with her.

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. 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.

and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i‘m @nkemifejika. hello again. there is not as much snow falling now and attention turns to the icy conditions. it is still quite treacherous out there for many of us. gradually over the weekend we should slowly see it turn milder, less cold from the south. there will still be a wintry mix of rain, sleet and some snow. that really cold air with high pressure across scandinavia and siberian winds, that has moved away. instead, our weather will be coming in from areas of low pressure spinning to the south of the uk. ahead of that we still have the cold easterly wind for a while across scotland but gradually we will replace it with something a little less cold from the south or south—west. but still bring a wintry mix nevertheless. that is what we have at the moment. it is still cold out there, still frosty at the moment with a widespread frost and given the snow cover and some snow falling in places as well as that earlier freezing rain it will be very icy indeed. as we move through saturday there is still snow

falling for awhile across northern england and northern ireland. that peters out. north of that, snow showers in scotland on that cold easterly wind. the winds are lighter to the south with some sunshine and wet weather developing in the south. focused towards the south—west and into wales, mostly rain but some snow over the hills of wales. at least those temperatures are just getting above freezing. still cold but possibly six or seven across southern parts of england. this is where we have the focus of the wettest weather on saturday evening. rain for the most part but there will be snow over the hills of wales, developing through the midlands over the peak district and onto the pennines as that wetter weather moves north. we still have some cold air around, maybe some frost and some icy patches are quite likely as well. that wintry mix of rain, sleet and mostly hill snow across northern england will move slowly northwards into southern scotland, still some snow showers in the far north of the country. to the south, a bit of sunshine

perhaps but not lasting long because we will get these areas of heavy rain developing across parts of wales and then a little snow over the high ground. it is mostly rain. quite heavy in fact. temperatures are about eight or nine degrees. the northern half of the uk reaching for five, not warm but better than it has been. these weather fronts continue to push their way northwards. everything spinning around areas of low pressure to the south and south—west of the uk. the wind, we lose that easterly and the wind will be lighter. there will be sunshine in the outlook. temperatures will be better than they have been. not warm yet, those numbers are below average for this time of year. sunshine, but also some showers. this is bbc news — the headlines: the eu and canada have pledged counter—measures after donald trump announced tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium. mr trump said trade wars can be good, because the us is losing billions of dollars from existing deals. the united nations‘ top human rights

official says it‘s very likely war crimes are being committed in the syrian region of eastern ghouta and there must be prosecutions. hundreds have been killed in the rebel—held enclave in the past 12 days. severe weather is bringing chaos to large parts of europe. at least 60 people have died in sub—zero temperatures. heavy snowfall and blizzards are forecast to continue well into the weekend. now on bbc news, the week in parliament.