this is bbc news. i'm nkem ifejika. our top stories: finance ministers from the g7 warn america that its steel and aluminium tariffs could spark a trade war within days. china rejects allegations by the us that it's trying to intimidate neighbours in disputed areas of the south china sea. thousands of palestinians attend the funeral of a nurse killed by israeli gunfire. her mother says she was trying to help injured protestors in gaza. translation: this is what she was resisting with. on what basis did the soldier kill her? she has been targeted since the first day of the protests. and world cup countdown — we travel to the russian city of kazan as it prepares to welcome fans and celebrate ramadan. hello, and welcome to bbc news.

finance ministers from six of the g7 countries meeting in canada have expressed "unanimous concern and disappointment" at america's new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. they've warned washington that there are only days left to avoid a trade war. in tough words exchanged after the meeting, the canadian finance minister said he was very disappointed. his american counterpart, steve mnuchin, insisted the us doesn't want to abandon its leadership of the world economy. what did we ask secretary, the treasury secretary, to do? we said that we were collectively hoping that he would bring the message back, the message of regret and disappointment at the american actions, and concern that they are not constructive. and my sense is he is going to take a message back in washington. obviously, trade was a big focus of the last few days here and speaking to all the members

of the g7, and i've already spoken to president trump and reflected some of the comments and look forward to speaking to him more when i get back. our business correspondent paul blake is in new york. we just heard that bill morneau talking about taking a message back to washington, it appears they want to washington, it appears they want to make their anger known and felt? definitely an awkward few days for us treasury secretary steve mnuchin. normally after these big meetings you get a joint statement from all the ministers who were in attendance, summarising what they talked about and what they hope to accomplish going forward. that hasn't happened after this one and thatis hasn't happened after this one and that is a clear sign of discord in the group. on top of that we have the group. on top of that we have the french foreign minister coming out with a very strong statement, saying the united states had just days to avoid potentially sparking a trade war with some of its closest allies. for his part, steve mnuchin

says he has conveyed some of these concerns back to the white house and back to president trump. and what has president upset? so, there has been no official reaction from the white house, at least not yet. but the president has been tweeting on the president has been tweeting on the topic of trade throughout the day, slamming what he calls on fair trade and stupid trade, saying that he wants to see a rebalancing of trade with some of these key allies that he has imposed tariffs on in the past few days. that could set him upforan the past few days. that could set him up for an awkward meeting this weekend. he is going to quebec, where he will meet with other g7 leaders, and i think it is highly likely the issue of trade will come up. i guess all of this suggests that these countries want to talk first, before getting entangled in serious trade wars? they are definitely looking for some sort of concession from the us, or even a reserve “— concession from the us, or even a reserve —— even a reversal of the ta riffs reserve —— even a reversal of the tariffs imposed this week. the us,

for its part, says the imposition of ta riffs for its part, says the imposition of tariffs is not preclude negotiations. wilbur ross was in paris this week where he met with eu officials ahead of the imposition of the tariffs which were announced on thursday and came into effect on friday. he said there thatjust because we are imposing tariffs doesn't mean we are not willing to negotiate on trade. he pointed to the example of china, where the us has imposed tariffs in recent weeks and months, and will ross is in china this weekend where he is holding trade talks. —— wilbur ross. the main takeaway from the perspective of the us is, just because we are imposing tariffs doesn't mean we can't also talk and discuss and come to a deal. and just a reminder, i have in trying to observe and figure out how far things are moving, my head is spinning thinking about it. things are moving, my head is spinning thinking about itm things are moving, my head is spinning thinking about it. it has been a busy week. on thursday wilbur ross, the commerce secretary, was in europe meeting with officials. there was a bit of a preview, you got the

sense from european officials, they have a pessimistic outlook. wilbur ross certainly took a hard line with them. on thursday the us then said that on friday, the following day, these tariffs would come into affect not just with these tariffs would come into affect notjust with europe but with canada and mexico, key allies of the united states. he is also now in china, and major trading partner of the us. it has been a very busy weekend and it is looking like the next few days and the next few weeks will be very busy with fast moving the relevance on this story. paul blake, thank you. —— fast moving developments. a war of words has broken out between america and china after the us accused the chinese of expanding their military presence in the south china sea to intimidate their neighbours. china said the comments, by us defence secretary james mattis, were "irresponsible" and "not worthy of rebuke." mr mattis was speaking at a security summit in singapore. from there, karishma vaswani has sent this report. the united states is here to stay in

asia. that is the message us defence secretary james mattis had for his asian counterparts in singapore today. but he also warned of china's increasing influence. and whenever the two sides are in the same room, they usually argue about the same thing. china's power in the region and the impact on its neighbours. china's militarisation of artificial features in the south china sea includes the deployment of antiship missiles, surface—to—air missiles, electronicjammers, missiles, surface—to—air missiles, electronic jammers, and more recently, the landing of bomber aircraft on whitney island. despite china's claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapons systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion. china says it owns all of the south china sea, a lucrative and strategic shipping zone, even though six other countries lay claim to it. it has been building military installations in the area, and critics say beijing has silenced

condemnation of its actions, either by paying off its asian allies or by bullying them. translation: by paying off its asian allies or by bullying them. translatiosz by paying off its asian allies or by bullying them. translation: it is within china's sovereignty to deploy troops and weapons on islands and reefs in the south china sea, and it is allowed by international law. anybody who makes comments on this is trying to interfere with china's internal affairs. it is not worthy of refuting. the us and china are also battling over trade. an american delegation led by us commerce secretary wilbur ross is in beijing this weekend to address what the us says are on fair trade terms set by china. —— unfair. injust under two weeks, singapore plays host to the summit of the century. the meeting between president trump and north korea's kimjong—un. but tonight, american and chinese military delegations are just a parting from their dinner at the presidential palace. on the menu, trade, security, and thejostling of two superpowers fought regional

influence in the very heart of asia. —— superpowers fighting for regional influence. thousands of palestinians have attended the funeral in gaza of a volunteer nurse who was killed by israeli fire during protests along the border on friday. health officials and witnesses said 21—year—old razan al—najar was shot dead as she ran towards the border fence in southern gaza to help a casualty. in a statement, the israeli military said it would investigate her alleged killing by its forces. our arab affairs editor sebastian usher reports. once again, thousands of mourners have filled the streets of gaza through which the body of the young woman was carried on a stretcher, wrapped in the palestinian flag. health officials and eyewitnesses said that razan al—najar, a volunteer nurse, was shot in the chest by israeli forces on friday as she ran to treat a casualty near the gaza border with israel which has been the scene of weeks of palestinian protests. her father held what had once been her white medical coat, now drenched in blood, as her mother lamented her child

and demanded justice. translation: this is her weapon. this is my daughter's weapon. this is what she was resisting with. on what basis did the soldier kill her? she has been targeted since the first day of the protests. so many times, she has survived death. she would come and tell me what she went through. may god account every person who is silent about this. razan al—najar had become a well—known figure at the weekly protests at the border, held to demand the right of return for palestinians to israel. the israeli military said it will investigate her death. more than 100 palestinians have been killed by israeli forces since the demonstrations were launched at the end of march. israel said its soldiers have only opened fire to prevent militants from breaking through the border. it accuses hamas, which controls gaza, of orchestrating the unrest for its own ends. but the un and human rights groups have accused israel of using disproportionate force.

palestinians see razan al—najar as a new and potent symbol of their cause. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. protesters have ta ken to the streets injordan for the third night in a row calling for the dismissal of prime minister, hani mulki. security forces fired tear gas and blocked main roads near government offices in the capital amman. the protesters are angry at a new tax bill that is part of austerity measures. king abdullah has called for compromise from all sides. a number of people have been injured in clashes between the police and opposition protestors in the malian capital, bamako. police fired tear gas and beat the demonstrators who were holding a march demanding transparency in next month's presidential election. the authorities had earlier banned the protest, which was organised by a coalition of opposition parties. turkey's president, recep tayyip erdogan,

australia has issued an alert after 83 shipping containers fell from a vessel off the coast of new south wales during heavy swells. the items include sanitary products, surgical masks, and nappies. they've begun washing up ashore and there are concerns that they could prove dangerous to whales if they swallow them. spain's new prime minister, pedro sanchez, has been sworn in after the ousting of former prime minister mariano rajoy in a vote of no confidence. a new separatist catalan government was also formally sworn in on saturday, with its regional leader calling for talks with spain's new prime minister. richard galpin reports. the leader of spain's socialist party taking the formal steps to becoming the country's new prime minister. translation: i promise on my conscience and honour to loyally fulfil the responsibilities of prime minister

and to be loyal to the king and to safeguard the constitution, as well as keeping the deliberations of the cabinet secret. king felipe the first to congratulate pedro sanchez at today's ceremony in the royal palace on the outskirts of madrid. all of this following a parliamentary vote of no—confidence in the long—standing prime minister mariano rajoy on friday, forced out as a result of a corruption scandal within his party. 46—year—old pedro sanchez takes the reins of power without ever having held government office before. and his party has only a quarter of the seats in parliament. he need allies urgently. meanwhile, the new leader of catalonia, quim torra, on the left, was also attending a swearing—in ceremony. this in barcelona, for members of his separatist regional government — a move which ends seven months of direct, emergency rule of

the region by madrid. and already, the catalan leader is saying he will pursue the goal of independence, despite last year's failed attempt to break away following a referendum. translation: this government is committed to advancing in accordance with the referendum of october i. that is, to pursue an independent state in the form of a republic — a mandate which was supported by the december 21 elections. it will not be easy, there are powerful interests against this. # catalunya, triomfant! this catalan government wants negotiations with spain's new prime minister about independence. their support in the last few days

helped bring him to power. but madrid says the constitution bans any break up of the nation. saturday was the first full day in office for italy's new prime minister, giuseppe conte, after being sworn in on friday. mr conte is to lead a coalition government, one half of which — the five star movement — held a celebration rally in rome. our correspondentjames reynolds was there. this rally, organised by the five star movement in rome, shows how quickly things can change in italy. just a few days ago, five star was calling for everyone to come here and call for the impeachment of the country's president because the president had vetoed the choice of a eurosceptic finance minister for the five star—league coalition. then everyone got together, the arguments were resolved, and so this rally has now been rebranded as a celebration. people have still decided to come

out, and it is an important moment for five star. bear in mind this movement was only founded in 2009 as a direct democracy and anti—corruption party and now, for the first time, it is now officially in government. its priority, it says, is to bring about a jobseeker‘s allowance for many italians who live in poverty, particularly in the south of the country, and the league, its partner, wants to have a tough new policy on migration. everyone here is a reasonably celebratory mood because they are still talking about promises. that may all change when they realise they are now no longer the anti—establishment parties — five star and the league are now officially the establishment, and they have to get on with it. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, after decades

of communist rule in cuba, could the new president be about to bring in significant changes to the way the country is run? the queen and her husband began their royal progress to westminster. the moment of crowning in accordance with the order of service, by a signal given with great guns of the tower shall be shot off. tributes have been paid around the world to muhammad ali, who has died at the age of 7a. outspoken but rarely outfought, ali transcended the sport of boxing, of which he was three times world champion. he was a good fighter and he fought all the way to the end, even through his illness. yes, he did. uefa imposes an indefinite ban on english clubs playing in europe. today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the beatles‘ lp sgt pepper's lonely hearts club

band, a record described as the album of the century. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: g7 ministers accuse washington of abandoning its leadership in the global economy and warn of a trade war over new tariffs. eswar prasad, professor of trade policy at cornell university and former head of the international monetary fund's china division. he joins us now from washington. thank you forjoining us. i am assuming all parties want to avoid a trade war. will that happen? that

would be in the interest of all parties. it is interesting to see the us taken to the woodshed by its traditional trading partner analyse. trade has increased significantly with the us showing no chance of slowing down. donald trump thought it would cost the other countries and they would capitulate. instead, there has been harsh retaliation. it has not been easy for either side. what does donald trump want from these other countries? that is the interesting point. what donald trump has defined tree relationships as is eliminating the trade deficit with those countries. he sees a trade surplus with any country as a win for the us and a trade deficit is the opposite. macroeconomic policy

happens in the economy rather than trade policies. donald trump wants a win in terms of bringing down trade deficit, like getting china to commit to reducing the bilateral trade deficit. it is not a zero-sum game. is donald trump says he is losing against china, when you look at the trade balance of china with its neighbours, that tells a different story. —— if donald. certainly. this is not the right way to view a trade relationship. it is not a zero—sum game. all countries can benefit. the us is earning a significant trade deficit, though it is more than it used to be, what is driving it up his the policies the

us are taking. there has been a huge increase in the budget deficit of the government. that will drive up the government. that will drive up the trade deficit, plus the fact the private sector in the us does not save much. it is policies to fix thoseissues save much. it is policies to fix those issues which are important. there are legitimate issues with china, but the way donald trump has approached this, i do not think it will be successful, even in that area. thank you. the former head of the international monetary fund's china division. cuba is getting ready to change its constitution to open up the island's economy to businesses and investments. today, the national assembly held an extraordinary session where president miguel diaz—canel picked his predecessor, rahul castro, to lead the parliamentary commission that will draft the constitutional reform. the bbc‘s will grant is in havana. these are changes that raul castro has wanted to see codified

in the constitution for some time now. i think specifically in terms of the economy. he wants it clear that cuba will be moving to a mixed, and more mixed economy than the previous completely communist socialist economy, and he wants that reflect that so that perhaps the small business owners that are permitted under cuba law have a bit more legal representation under the constitution. and there are other things too — particularly term limits on president, on the president, and on other high officials, age limits, too — things that will make a difference to the way that cuba is run, but not the underpinning philosophy, the political philosophy, the socialist nature of the revolutionaries enshrined in law and obviously, they won't be touching that. 11 cities across russia are preparing to host fans from around the world for the world cup later this month. one of them is kazan. it's largest city in the republic of tatarstan, a semi—autonomous region in central russia.

the city is home to half a million muslims and restaurant owner aydar is getting ready to welcome fans, ensuring that the muslim ones from iran and elsewhere have a place to say their prayers and the chance to celebrate the end of ramadan together. world cup fever is rapidly building up. now, if you're afraid of closed spaces, this might leave you a bit anxious. a french performance artist has embarked on a "less—than—comfortable" trip back in time by locking himself in a wooden cavity. abra ham poincheval will stand upright in an oversized wooden replica of one of the world's oldest and most famous stone—age carvings a lion—headed man. with gifts of dried food and a wave to the crowd, the artist will test his mental and physical limits for the next seven days. why? why? you have to ask these

questions. don't forget, you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. i'm at nkem ifejika. you can also go to the website to see more news. goodbye. hello. the weather contrast continued on saturday. thundery downpours once more, a few for scotland and northern ireland and northern and eastern parts of england. there will be a few more to come for the first half of the week. some sunny spells, too, on saturday. pretty warm and there will be more of those on offer in the day ahead. it will feel a bit warmer, too. starting the day warm, 10—14 degrees. the area of cloud and rain still with us the further north you are in england and southern scotland. it is not moving much in the day ahead.

the rain will ease but for some of us, it will still be there into the afternoon. north of the central belt we'll get sunshine in scotland but a few thunderstorms developing. northern ireland, the rest of england and wales, warm, sunny spells. low to mid—20s, maybe an isolated shower, most of us will stay dry. it's late afternoon i want to focus on, the thunderstorms in scotland. slow—moving, frequent lightning and hail. not everyone will see it but if you do, you will know about it. then the cloudy, wet zone in parts of southern scotland and northern england. for northern ireland, the rest of england and wales, you can see the lack of cloud, plenty of sunshine around and the chance of picking up an isolated shower. most of us will avoid them and stay dry. these thunderstorms in scotland fade away on sunday evening and the rain eventually gives up in northern england and southern scotland but you will notice the increase in cloud from the east as we go through the night and into monday morning. similar temperatures

on monday morning but then again, there will be a different look to the weather with all of that cloud around. the reason why, low pressure to the south us responsible for delivering thunderstorm in the past week and less of a player of the first half of the week ahead. high pressure still with us. to the north, it is around that. north—easterly flow coming into the uk and we will see on monday, plenty of the cloud and lower temperatures as a result. some of the cloud will thin and break at times. particularly, the north sea coast will be cloudy and misty and murky. west is best, sunny spells on monday although there will be an isolated shower developing. most of us will avoid them and stay dry. as we go through the week, the temperatures will gradually recover as some of the cloud begins to clear away, particularly by the time we get to wednesday. while the emphasis is on plenty of dry weather, the risk of some showers and maybe thunderstorms across southern parts of the uk. this is bbc news.

the headlines: the us treasury secretary has faced sharp criticism at a heated meeting of g7 finance ministers in canada. members are angry over america's imposition of new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. ministers have warned washington has just days to avoid a trade war. the us has accused china of expanding its military presence in the south china sea to intimidate its neighbours. beijing says it has the right to to deploy troops and weapons "on its own territory" and called the comments by us defence secretary james mattis "irresponsible." thousands of gazans have turned out for the funeral of a palestinian nurse who was killed by israeli fire during protests. 21—year—old razan al—najar was shot dead as she hurried to the side of a casualty at the border fence. the israeli military says it will investigate her killing. now on bbc news, the travel show.