this is bbc news. i'm krupa padhy. our top stories: the world health organization raises its assessment of the coronavirus threat to the highest level. we have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of covid-19 to spread and the risk of impact of covid—19 to very high. coronavirus causes another frantic day on global markets — hit with their worst week since the financial crisis. nato calls on all sides of the conflict in idlib to de—escalate — after a deadly airstrike on turkish troops raises concerns of a wider confrontation. and we speak to asia bibi — the pakistani christian woman who was sentenced to death for blasphemy after an argument with neighbours.

hello, and welcome to bbc news. the world health organization has raised the global threat level from coronavirus to "very high" — the highest possible level of alert. they're planning to send a mission to iran next week. officials there say 3a people have died but health sources have told the bbc the actual figure is more than 200. in south korea, where 16 people have died, there have been a thousand new cases in the past 48 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 2300. here's the who director—general. the continued increase in the number of cases and the number

of affected countries over the last few days are clearly of concern. our epidemiologist have been monitoring this development continuously. and we have no increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of covid-19 to spread and the risk of impact of covid—19 to very high, at global level. here's the bbc persian‘s kasra naji about the spread of coronavirus in iran, and how people are coping. we are getting reports that the spread of the virus is much more serious than what the government is admitting to. today we have managed to get a figure of 210 from our sources ina run, figure of 210 from our sources in a run, hospital sources in several cities where they say at least 210 people have been killed or have lost their lives because of the virus and that

is almost more than six times the official figure of 3a that was given by the health minister at lunchtime today. a source of concern is that the government is not quite sure how to handle the situation and also it does not have quite all the facilities or the kids that it needs to control it. on top of that we also have the issue of that we also have the issue of religiosity, the issue of religious figures who do not wa nt to religious figures who do not want to close down their places of worship in iran for example. frequent the holy city of qom, the centre of a serious outbreak there and the religious authorities are still refusing to close down these main shrine there saying it is the people's religious duty to visit these places of worship and we cannot close them down.

so all that has added to each other to the extent that there isa other to the extent that there is a lack of confidence in the government's ability to handle the situation and also the government's figures coming out from the health minister and others. let's talk now about the economic impact. us financial markets continued to fall dramatically on friday, following sharp declines on european and asian markets. investors are expecting the central banks to cut the cost of borrowing in the us, japan and other major economies. more from our business correspondent samira hussain. us financial market were battered in a way not seen since the 2008 financial crisis. the dow jones since the 2008 financial crisis. the dowjones fell by more than 12% this week although on friday trading was able to come back from a 1000

point lost to close only 350 points lower. wall street continues to worry about the coronavirus and if the increasing number of cases outside china pushes the deadly virus into an epidemic. the white house has been trying to calm nervous investors. the trump administration's national economic director says he does not believe the stock market plunge will have a long—term effect. the president himself spoke to reporters late on friday saying that some of these big drops can be attributed to investor fears of the unknown. earlier in the day, the us central bank, the federal reserve, released a statement saying the us economy remains fundamentally strong but if there is a need for the fed to step in it well. traders interpreted that as a possible cut to borrowing rates, something that other major economies are also considering. a short while ago, president trump spoke of the situation in the us. he said he felt ‘very confident‘ about how

it was being dealt. we have not lost anybody yet and hopefully we can keep that intact. there have been no deaths in the united states at all. much of that is attributable to the fact that we close the border very early. otherwise it could be a different story. so we will just keep doing a good job. we are ordering many supplies and are ordering many supplies and a lot of elements that frankly we would not be ordering unless it was something like this but we are ordering a lot of different elements of medical, we're working on cures getting some very good results and as you know they are working as rapidly as they can on a vaccine for the future. crisis talks have been taking place to prevent a major international escalation of the civil war in northern syria. it comes after a surge in fighting between turkish and syrian forces. 33 turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike, and turkey has

responded by targeting hundreds of syrian government sites. our international correspondent orla guerin has sent this report. payback. in syria today, the turkish military were hitting hard. pounding more than 200 syrian government targets in idlib province. retaliation for this — the killing of 33 turkish troops in idlib yesterday. serious ally, russia, controls the space. as the fallen soldiers were given a hero's funeral, the turkish defence minister said that moscow had

no excuse. the location of our troops, the attack happened. translation: even though we told russia in advance the location of our troops, the attack happened. after the first strike, we warned them again, but it continued. even ambulances were hit. the battle for the limit is continuing. in the last two months, the bombing campaign has also driven almost1 million people from their homes, many towards the turkish border. president putin and president erdogan, seen here meeting last year, have held urgent talks over the phone but they are supporting opposite sides in idlib and so far neither appears to be backing down. as turkey struggles with the fallout in

matt but it wants the west to feel it's painful here is how. by feel it's painful here is how. by allowing refugees to head for europe. small groups began leaving today after word went out the authorities here would no longer try to stop them. 25—year—old mohammed the road fast. he fled damascus four yea rs fast. he fled damascus four years ago. we are going to greek on foot. today, at least, he could not reach europe. now we are trying to cross the river but greek commandos said no, no. and here in istanbul, are clamoured to board a bus for the border without the risk of being detained. turkey has been coping with almost 4 million syrian refugees for

yea rs. million syrian refugees for years. many have built new lives here. but the threat of an exodus gives turkey leveraged with the international community. roman polanski has won best director at the cesars, the annual awards for france's film industry, for his film "an officer and a spy". mr polanski was a controversial nominee, having been a fugitive from justice in the united states since 1978, after admitting unlawful sex with a thirteen—year—old girl. he did not attend the event, saying that he feared for his safety. more than 100 women's rights activists protested at the award nomination, clashing with police near the venue. after mr polanski won, several actresses left the ceremony in protest. hong kong police have arrested three veteran pro—democracy figures — including one of the city's most high—profile entrepreneurs, jimmy lai his supporters have questioned the timing, as the city tackles

with the threat of coronavirus. courtney bembridge reports. an unexpected high—profile arrest. police entered the home ofjimmy lai, one of the few amongst hong kong's elite to be openly critical of beijing. he was let outside and taken to the local police station. the newspaper he founded, apple daily is critical of hong kong and chinese leadership and his arrest is seen as another blow to hong kong's independent media. the 71—year—old is facing two charges, the first, illegal assembly, relates to a banned anti—government march last august. jimmy lai is accused of attending, along with thousands of others who flouted the band. two other pro—democracy figures, both politicians, were arrested over the same protest. the maximum penalty is five years jail. translation: what happened on

that day is in violation of the law. that is the reason they have been arrested today. it was not an authorised assembly. jimmy lai has also been charged with intimidation over a clash with intimidation over a clash with a journalist from a rival newspaper at an event in 2017. he has been arrested before. in 2011: he he has been arrested before. in 2014 he refused to leave a key pro—democracy protest. he was a vocal supporter of the so—called umbrella revolution. we arejust money, so—called umbrella revolution. we are just money, not human beings. these kids are wonderful. over the past year, pro—democracy protesters have again been filling hong kong's streets. the rallies have been temporarily halted the coronavirus outbreak but protesters have vowed to return once the threat eases.

stay with us on bbc news, still to come: prince harry follow some famous footsteps in one of his final engagements before stepping back as a working royal. prince charles has chosen his bride. the prince proposed to lady diana spencer three weeks ago. she accepted, she says, without hesitation. as revolutions go, this had its fair share of bullets. a climax in the night outside the gates of mr marcos's sanctuary, malaca nang, the name itself symbolising one of the cruellest regimes of modern asia. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly using a cell from another sheep. warren beatty and faye dunaway announced to the world that the winner of best film was la la land. the only trouble was, it wasn't. the mistake was only put right in the middle of gushing speeches by the team behind the modern musical. not for 20 years have locusts been seen in such numbers in this part of africa. some of the swarms have

been ten miles long. this is the last time the public will see this pope. very soon, for the sake of the credibility and authority of the next pope, benedict xvi will, in his own words, "be hidden from the world for the rest of his life." this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the world health organization has raised its assessment of the coronavirus threats to the highest level. there was a frantic day on the markets. they have been hit with their worst week since the financial crisis. joining me now is professor rachel vanlandingham, from the southwestern law school in california. thank you forjoining us, professor. firstly, what do you make of the us government's

effo rts make of the us government's efforts to contain the virus. they say it is sufficient and they are doing a good job. what do you make of it? well, i am listening to the head of the cdc, and the scientists who are saying it is not a matter of if but a matter of when there are outbreaks in the us. in fact, i live here in southern california and there was just an announcement a few hours ago that another case has been, has come to light, an individual but has not travelled recently to china, has not been, as far as she knows, in contact with an individualfrom as she knows, in contact with an individual from china. as she knows, in contact with an individualfrom china. so it does seem that in fact they will probably be an outbreak you. and i like the fact that our government officials, our scientists and our health experts are out there giving us the facts. president trump has highlighted that the media are giving an exaggerated account of what is happening. would you agree with that? well, let's just say it is part and parcel ofan just say it is part and parcel of an overall much bigger issue, and that is president from's disturbing authoritarian

campaign to undermine the free press, to undermine the media's role in our constitutional democracy. our role in our constitutional democracy. 0ur press, role in our constitutional democracy. our press, the media, is hardwired with constitutional protections in the first amendment. why? because it is essential for democracy. i give it to him, i give the president and his staff credit for the fact that this is a tough balancing act. they have to balance calming the fears of people, ensuring there isn't hysteria, with real information and giving the fa cts information and giving the facts in order to protect the health of communities. but you do that by promulgating the fa cts do that by promulgating the facts in a very calm and assuring manner. you don't do it by telling us to shut off our tvs. you don't do it by blaming the press. president trump and this administration blamed the present they have done so since day one. they called the new york times the lying new york times, they call the press the enemy of the people. this is part and parcel of that overall sustained campaign to undermine a

fundamental democratic institution. they have also added another aspect to their argument, saying that this is a strategy to bring down president trump, looking ahead to those elections later in the year. well, president trump also mentioned today that he is hoping for a miracle from god but it. this. well, i'm hoping for scientists and the team of professionals at the cdc and the state planners who have primary responsibility to ensure that there is, but this virus is properly controlled and contained and handled in a professional manner. if we are looking in —— looking at conspiracy theories, we're looking at the wrong direction. he should be talking to a scientist. not only does he try to undermine depressed, he tries to undermine belief in the facts and an expertise. this is just the facts and an expertise. this isjust one more example. professor, good to get your views. thank you. thank you so much, have a great evening. and there are special coverage on the bbc news website dedicated to the coronavirus outbreaks, including a look at

all the sporting events that are likely to be disrupted over the next few weeks because of various health concerns. heavy downpours are expected to bring more flooding across england and wales as another weekend storm is due on saturday. up to 80mm of rain is expected to fall when storm horhay arrives, delivering another heavy blow for communities who've already been hit by floods. danny savage reports from the east yorkshire village of east cowik. in the village of east cowick, numerous houses are now flooded. the east yorkshire flood plains have ove rflowed into settlements. why have they flooded us? why haven't they done something about it? never underestimate the misery flooding can cause when your home is ruined. i'm absolutely devastated. devastated.

we've been here 20 years, we've got a beautiful home and just look at it. the emotional impact is far worse than the actual impact of the work that you've got to do. people were so desperate to get back in, they were taking risks. the water is still rising, so sandbags are in front of nearly every door. villagers have been told to move out. the drains have finally started backing up and we have had to move sharpish. the firemen came, didn't they, and said really advise you get out. on the river severn at iron bridge in shropshire, the temporary flood defences which were battered and broken by the highest waters here are being repaired. people who live and work here recall with alarm the point at which they failed. it was horrific, to see them go back three foot, your breathjust like... inhales sharply. and then everything was all right, luckily. christine is back in her shop, but things are a long way from returning to normal.

the most severe warnings have been lifted for now, but emergency workers remain. for us, we haven't really paused yet, we are still in response, we haven't got to recovery, so we haven't been able to do a lessons learned or a review of what happened. there will inevitably be things we want to learn. dozens of flood warnings remain along the length of the severn, but, with more rain to come, the worry has to be that levels will shoot up again. back in yorkshire the flood plains of rivers ouse and aire now stretch for miles. one area is nearly the size of windermere in the lake district. the problem is they are brimming — water is running off into villages and homes that these washlands are supposed to protect. the last thing needed is another storm. in 2010 a christian woman from pakistan, asia bibi, was sentenced to death after being convicted for blasphemy after an argument with neighbours. she spent eight years in jail before her conviction was overturned. her case drew international

attention to pakistan's blasphemy laws, and to the question of religious tolerance fears for her safety led her to flee to france. she spoke to my colleague mishal husain. the fury in pakistan just over a year ago as a woman sentenced to death for blasphemy was acquitted. asia bibi had been convicted on the flimsiest of evidence. now, she has broken her silence about the nightmare that began when she was accused of insulting the prophet muhammad. translation: i was very scared. i couldn't even imagine something like this would happen to me. for a year and a half i kept going to court, not once did the judge hear my side of the story.

they sentenced me to death without letting me speak. asia bibi told me she was working in the fields near her home in punjab province when the mob came to drag her away. her daughters, then aged eight and nine, saw it happen. they have since been reunited with their mother. translation: it was so strange to see my husband and children after so long. i couldn't make sense of my emotions. but when i think about my daughters' childhood... i see them crying at being separated from me. that i cannot forget. after international campaigns and eight years on death row, pakistan's supreme court dismissed the charges but there are still christians and muslims being targeted by the blasphemy law. what would your message be to the government of pakistan? translation: to prime minister imran khan i say,

whenever something like this happens, it should be properly investigated. innocence should not be punished and innocent people jailed for this should be freed. in a statement, the government of pakistan told us it had taken considerable steps to prevent misuse of the blasphemy law and that minorities are treated as equal citizens. this afternoon asia bibi went to meet president macron. she may be granted asylum here in france or in canada, but this period is one of huge adjustment for her. she told us she isn't sure yet what the future holds. mishal husain, bbc news, paris. britain's prince harry has been visiting abbey road studios in london, where jon bonjovi has been recording a charity single for the prince's invictus games foundation. it comes as canada confirmed that it will not pay for the couple's security once they officially step down from royal duties next month. this report from nick witchell‘s contains flash photography.

he's packing as much as possible into these remaining days of royal duty. harry was at the abbey road studios in london. the singerjon bonjovi was there to welcome him and — not far away — harry's security detail — the metropolitan police protection officers who are part of the lives of all the senior royals. for harry, they've always been there. this was the first public walkabout he and meghan did, but now harry is walking away from royal duty and — to a large extent — from britain. it is canada that he and meghan seem to regard as home, but the government of justin trudeau has said — once the couple step back

from their royal role — canada will no longer fund their protection. if the canadians won't pay for security, the cost will inevitably fall to the british taxpayer, the royal family or the couple themselves. ken wharf was protection officer to harry's mother diana. he thinks the annual costs would be considerable. my estimates are the protection package currently to look after — safely — the duke and duchess of sussex in canada would be in excess of £1.5 million, probably reaching to £2.5 million. that is a conservative estimate. at abbey road, harry recreated the famous image of the beatles on the pedestrian crossing outside the studios. he listened to an anthem called unbroken, in support of his creation the invictus games, and he tried a song with jon bon jovi. it was carefree enough but for harry — to stretch the musical metaphor — there is a long, winding and somewhat uncertain road ahead. nicholas witchell, bbc news.

plenty more on the bbc news website, on the news apps and from me on twitter. hello. friday brought more rain to areas which didn't need it. another 10—15 millimetres fell across shropshire. around 40 millimetres of rain fell in around 12 hours in cardiff stop meanwhile, across scotland, further snow. through the weekend, parts of the highlands could see another 20—30 centimetres of snow, and all eyes this weekend are on this area of low pressure. this is storm jorge, which was named by this management service. through the early hours of saturday morning we will see squally rain pushing east. cold aircoming in behind, squally rain pushing east. cold air coming in behind, we could see icy conditions across parts of northern ireland first thing on saturday. but the main focus this weekend is the strength of the wind. gales, if not severe gales, with a large swathe of

the uk - -- gales, with a large swathe of the uk — —— gradually easing down through sunday. wet and windy first thing across the eastern side of england. sunshine following. showers pushing in from the west, likely to be wintry. wet and windy across the northern aisles through the afternoon. more persistent rain and may be hill snow across northern england and into southern scotland. a cold day, particularly when you factor in the strength of the wind. temperatures not much higher than 6— seven celsius in places, and some gusty winds, quite widely 40—50 miles an hour, but through the afternoon, some really strong winds developing across parts of wales, northern england and into southern scotland, where they could gust up to 75 miles an hour, maybe even 80 miles an hour, on the western coast of scotland. also some heavy persistent rain for a time across northern england, southern scotland, northern ireland and also some snow once again over higher ground. through the early hours of sunday morning we keep this focus of rain and hill snow across northern england and southern scotland. to the north and south of this, clear spells, but squally, blustery showers. the strength of the

wind should keep the frost at bay first thing on sunday morning. storm jorge slowly pulls away north through sunday. we are keeping an eye on this feature here, which will start to push outbreaks of rain into south—east england through sunday morning. two things to keep an eye on. the winds will be slowly easing down, but still some outbreaks of rain and snow across northern england and southern scotland. rain for a time perhaps across south—eastern england. we will need to keep an eye on the timings of that. between all of this, spells of sunshine, wintry showers, the wind slowly easing down, but it is still a windy day. certainly still feeling cold given the strength of the wind. we start to lose those severe gales as we go through sunday. it is a blustery day and for most they will be a mixture of sunshine and showers. but is the theme into next week. it will not be as windy. it will be somewhat drierfor as windy. it will be somewhat drier for a as windy. it will be somewhat drierfor a time. still, as windy. it will be somewhat drierfora time. still, some showers around. bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the world health organization has upgraded the global risk of the virus outbreak to "very high". more than 50 countries are now reporting cases. fears about the economic impact of the coronavirus have driven stock markets further down around the world. it's been the worst week for stocks since the financial crisis of 2008. nato has called on russia and syria to stop their offensive in syria's idlib province and halt what it called their "indiscriminate air attacks". it comes after 33 turkish troops were killed, in what ankara says was a syrian air strike. hong kong police have arrested three veteran pro—democracy figures — including one of the city's most high—profile entrepreneurs, jimmy lai. he's been charged with illegal assembly and intimidation.