:00:00. > :00:08.More signals that the 1% pay cap for public sector workers
:00:09. > :00:20.With pressure on the Prime Minister including from her own party,
:00:21. > :00:22.the Environment Secretary suggests that the Government may
:00:23. > :00:23.accept recommendations from independent panels.
:00:24. > :00:27.I think that we should listen to the pay review bodies that govern
:00:28. > :00:29.each individual section of public sector pay.
:00:30. > :00:31.We'll be exploring how changes might be made,
:00:32. > :00:43.Also tonight: Plans to restrict foreign fishing in
:00:44. > :00:49.British waters as the UK prepares to pull out of a key agreement.
:00:50. > :00:51.A new wave of arrivals from North Africa.
:00:52. > :00:54.Italy struggles to cope with thousands of people trying
:00:55. > :01:00.Petra Kvitova returns to Wimbledon after an attack that made her fear
:01:01. > :01:03.Of course I had some bad dreams afterwards.
:01:04. > :01:11.I was still a bit tired from everything that had
:01:12. > :01:15.And the milestone Stephen Hawking thought he would never
:01:16. > :01:41.There's growing pressure on the Prime Minister
:01:42. > :01:45.and the Chancellor over public sector pay rises after another
:01:46. > :01:55.Cabinet minister raised the prospect of the current 1% cap being lifted.
:01:56. > :01:57.The Environment Secretary Michael Gove suggested the recommendations
:01:58. > :01:59.of public sector pay bodies, which review increases,
:02:00. > :02:03.One of those has warned that the cap is putting
:02:04. > :02:12.Here's our political correspondent Iain Watson.
:02:13. > :02:19.They save our lives, they keep us safe, they teach our children, and
:02:20. > :02:22.when things do go wrong, they are on the front line, dealing with the
:02:23. > :02:27.aftermath. But politicians from all political parties are now asking if
:02:28. > :02:30.enough is being done to be paid the debt to public sector workers. The
:02:31. > :02:34.Health Secretary and the Education Secretary want to see limits on
:02:35. > :02:37.public sector salaries relax. A former nurse, no Conservative MP,
:02:38. > :02:40.says pressure is on the Conservatives will increase if the
:02:41. > :02:45.Government doesn't lift its pay cap. I know of colleagues who have left
:02:46. > :02:48.nursing, I know of people who are taking early retirement, for
:02:49. > :02:52.example, because it's a tough job and long hours, and they can get
:02:53. > :02:57.other jobs with less hours, less responsibility, for similar pay, so
:02:58. > :03:02.we've got to look at the pay structure across the public service.
:03:03. > :03:07.Pay in the public sector has been strictly limited for most of the
:03:08. > :03:12.decade. In 2011, a two-year pay freeze was imposed. Since 2013,
:03:13. > :03:16.there has been a 1% pay cap for most workers, and if that continues as
:03:17. > :03:20.planned for two more years, the average pay of a public sector
:03:21. > :03:25.worker will be back at 2005 levels in real terms adjusted for
:03:26. > :03:28.inflation. Eight independent public service pay bodies recommend a level
:03:29. > :03:32.of increases from all range of staff, from nurses to doctors,
:03:33. > :03:34.prison officers to judges. The Government can either agree with
:03:35. > :03:39.them or overrule them. This month ministers will be given
:03:40. > :03:44.recommendations on paper police -- on pay for teachers and police
:03:45. > :03:48.officers, and colleagues say they should accept them. I think we
:03:49. > :03:51.should listen to the pay review bodies who govern each individual
:03:52. > :03:55.area public sector pay. These pay bodies have been set up in order to
:03:56. > :03:57.ensure that we can have authoritative advice on what is
:03:58. > :04:04.required in order to ensure that the public services on which we rely are
:04:05. > :04:06.effectively staff and the people within them are effectively
:04:07. > :04:09.supported. Theresa May's cabinet is split over the principle of whether
:04:10. > :04:12.to lift the public sector pay cap. But it could be dismantled bit by
:04:13. > :04:18.bit. It's widely expected that some of the pay review bodies will
:04:19. > :04:22.recommend increases above 1%. And the Government Minister close to the
:04:23. > :04:26.process has told me the Government is prepared to accept those
:04:27. > :04:31.recommendations. But not everyone in government is convinced the pay cap
:04:32. > :04:35.should be eroded. It's very important that we keep budget
:04:36. > :04:39.discipline, because it impossible to pave our public services without
:04:40. > :04:42.having growing economy. What we have done on public sector pay actually
:04:43. > :04:47.by having that cap in place, we have saved around 200,000 public sector
:04:48. > :04:52.jobs. But Labour say they would simply scrap the cap entirely. We
:04:53. > :04:56.are saying to the pay review bodies, get rid of the 1% cap and give a
:04:57. > :05:04.fair pay rise. I think they should consider giving people a pay rise in
:05:05. > :05:08.line with earnings. Demonstrators were calling to an end to austerity
:05:09. > :05:11.in Parliament Square today, they might not get back that they might
:05:12. > :05:14.give to cheers to an increase in public sector pay.
:05:15. > :05:18.And Iain Watson is in Downing Street now.
:05:19. > :05:25.One signal after another. If there is a change, how would it be funded?
:05:26. > :05:30.Some experts suggest that lifting the pay cap entirely could cost ?6
:05:31. > :05:33.billion, six times more than the DUP deal, say you can understand why the
:05:34. > :05:37.Chancellor could be wary. But I'm hearing that another Cabinet
:05:38. > :05:41.heavyweight might weigh in on this in the paper tomorrow, piling on the
:05:42. > :05:45.pressure, so you might say a partial lifting of the pay cap. These pay
:05:46. > :05:50.review bodies are structured in such a way that ministers could decide
:05:51. > :05:54.for example to give nurses a pay increase but not senior managers,
:05:55. > :05:57.rank-and-file police officers but not senior officers. Nonetheless,
:05:58. > :05:59.money has to be found from somewhere, and one former minister
:06:00. > :06:04.this week was suggesting that ought to be what he called careful tax
:06:05. > :06:08.rises. So dealing with the public sector pay cap isn't a cost free
:06:09. > :06:12.option, but not dealing with it, the Government could pay a big political
:06:13. > :06:15.price. Iain Watson in Westminster, thank you.
:06:16. > :06:18.The Government has announced it's withdrawing from a 50-year-old
:06:19. > :06:20.convention that allows five other countries to fish in waters close
:06:21. > :06:24.It's described the move as a first step towards a new post-Brexit
:06:25. > :06:26.fishing policy, but one of the countries affected,
:06:27. > :06:29.Ireland, has called it unwelcome and unhelpful.
:06:30. > :06:33.Our business correspondent Joe Lynam reports.
:06:34. > :06:36.As formal Brexit talks set off, Britain has said that it will be
:06:37. > :06:41.taking back control over who fishes in its waters.
:06:42. > :06:43.So it's quitting a 53-year-old convention which allowed countries
:06:44. > :06:47.like France and Belgium to fish right up to the British coastline.
:06:48. > :06:50.We are giving notice that we intend to quit that.
:06:51. > :06:53.It's a provision in the agreement that enables us to do that
:06:54. > :06:57.This is important to give us the legal clarity.
:06:58. > :06:59.We're absolutely clear that, when we leave the EU, we leave
:07:00. > :07:01.the Common Fisheries Policy, and we will take control
:07:02. > :07:05.for managing fisheries resources in our own waters.
:07:06. > :07:08.So what is the London Fisheries Convention?
:07:09. > :07:11.At the moment trawlers from France, Belgium, Netherlands,
:07:12. > :07:13.Germany and Ireland can fish to within six nautical miles
:07:14. > :07:19.Boats from these countries catch 10,000 tonnes of fish
:07:20. > :07:27.But that's a fraction, just over 1%, of the 700,000 tonnes a year caught
:07:28. > :07:36.The real haggling between Brussels and London will be over this,
:07:37. > :07:39.the much wider 200 nautical miles of water around the UK.
:07:40. > :07:41.But the decision has angered the Irish government,
:07:42. > :07:44.which has the only land border with Britain.
:07:45. > :07:49.Its fisheries minister described the move as unwelcome and unhelpful.
:07:50. > :07:53.And scrapping the convention could also be meaningless.
:07:54. > :07:56.Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator,
:07:57. > :07:58.said in a tweet that the London convention had been superseded
:07:59. > :08:03.by EU rules covered by the Common Fisheries Policy.
:08:04. > :08:08.But fishermen welcomed the Government's action.
:08:09. > :08:11.What it does is make a strong commitment to achieving sovereignty,
:08:12. > :08:13.taking sovereignty over our waters, which international law states
:08:14. > :08:26.And this is just another statement of intent that that
:08:27. > :08:33.So, while some have welcomed the Government's claim
:08:34. > :08:35.that it's taking back control, they may not get
:08:36. > :08:38.Fisheries is a tiny part of Britain's economy and could be
:08:39. > :08:41.used as a bargaining chip in the frosty talks
:08:42. > :08:52.A number of flights into Gatwick Airport have been
:08:53. > :08:54.diverted this evening after reports of a drone flying
:08:55. > :08:57.EasyJet and British Airways confirmed they were affected
:08:58. > :09:01.Police say they're investigating the incident.
:09:02. > :09:04.The Government has identified a further 32 high-rise buildings
:09:05. > :09:08.that have failed fire safety tests, taking the total number to 181.
:09:09. > :09:11.Tests are continuing nationwide in an attempt to identify buildings
:09:12. > :09:17.encased in cladding similar to that used on the Grenfell Tower.
:09:18. > :09:20.According to the figures, Salford has the greatest number
:09:21. > :09:25.of high-rises that have failed tests.
:09:26. > :09:28.Iraqi special forces have recaptured more territory
:09:29. > :09:30.in the Old City of Mosul, in the final stages
:09:31. > :09:33.of the operation to drive out so-called Islamic State.
:09:34. > :09:37.Troops and police are now closing in from three sides
:09:38. > :09:39.on the militants, who captured the city three years ago.
:09:40. > :09:42.But Iraqi commanders say as many as 50,000 civilians may be
:09:43. > :09:49.trapped behind IS lines, as Orla Guerin reports now from Mosul.
:09:50. > :09:56.Safe at last from the dying days of battle against IS.
:09:57. > :09:58.Traumatised civilians are fleeing with little more
:09:59. > :10:07.than the clothes they stand up in, some newly bereaved by the conflict.
:10:08. > :10:16."Every day you ask me how I am," she says,
:10:17. > :10:27.Well, the civilians here have just managed to escape the fighting.
:10:28. > :10:29.They're hungry and tired and they look scared.
:10:30. > :10:33.They've been caught between the two sides,
:10:34. > :10:36.at risk both from both Islamic State and the operation against them.
:10:37. > :10:39.But the troops here are being cautious.
:10:40. > :10:43.They want to make sure that no one has emerged who could be a risk.
:10:44. > :10:46.They are concerned that suicide bombers could be trying to come out
:10:47. > :10:52.We're fine to carry the women and the kids out, but if it's
:10:53. > :10:54.a medical emergency, it's better if we have
:10:55. > :10:58.British volunteer Sally Becker is here with a medical charity.
:10:59. > :11:02.A veteran of war, she says nothing compares to Mosul.
:11:03. > :11:09.We've got the snipers, we've got the vehicle-borne explosives.
:11:10. > :11:14.Even a woman yesterday, which makes it extremely
:11:15. > :11:16.dangerous now for us, because most of who we carry
:11:17. > :11:24.And many come here, to a field hospital nearby.
:11:25. > :11:26.Doctors say they have been losing children
:11:27. > :11:28.to mortars and shrapnel, but soon hundreds
:11:29. > :11:37.They see dozens per day who are severely malnourished.
:11:38. > :11:40.Much of the civilians' suffering here has gone unseen,
:11:41. > :11:46.but three years of IS rule have deeply scarred Mosul and its people.
:11:47. > :11:54.From this one street in the Old City, IS executed four men.
:11:55. > :11:57."Sometimes I worry they'll be back," says Nahla.
:11:58. > :12:04."When I hear fighting at night, I hope I can forget them."
:12:05. > :12:07.A military victory looks close here, but there are fears about IS sleeper
:12:08. > :12:14.cells and about the future that may await this broken city.
:12:15. > :12:24.20 people have been killed in a suicide car bombing
:12:25. > :12:26.in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
:12:27. > :12:28.The bomber was in one of three cars that had been
:12:29. > :12:45.The authorities said the two other cars were intercepted and destroyed.
:12:46. > :12:48.The UN refugee agency is asking European leaders to help Italy deal
:12:49. > :12:50.with the growing numbers of people who have been arriving
:12:51. > :12:54.Last weekend alone, almost 13,000 migrants and refugees arrived.
:12:55. > :12:57.And it's estimated that, so far this year, more than 2000 people
:12:58. > :12:58.have died in perilous Mediterranean crossings.
:12:59. > :13:01.Most of the migrants are from North Africa,
:13:02. > :13:08.trying to reach Italy and then travel on in Europe.
:13:09. > :13:10.Our correspondent, Rami Ruhayem, has been witnessing the relief
:13:11. > :13:14.No, no, no, leave it, leave it, leave it!
:13:15. > :13:16.Rescuing migrants in the central Mediterranean.
:13:17. > :13:20.A delicate task, even in fairly calm waters.
:13:21. > :13:29.As the rubber boat deflates, people panic, and the
:13:30. > :13:38.They come from across Africa and Asia.
:13:39. > :13:43.Many fleeing extreme poverty and war.
:13:44. > :13:45.The boats leave from Libya, a country that has descended
:13:46. > :13:53.The fortunate ones can pay for wooden boats, but they, too,
:13:54. > :14:00.We're on a rescue ship run by the charity Doctors Without Borders.
:14:01. > :14:03.So far they've taken more than 600 people on board
:14:04. > :14:05.from three different boats, and there is another transfer that's
:14:06. > :14:14.Most are men, but there are also women and children.
:14:15. > :14:21.All have risked their lives to make the dangerous crossing.
:14:22. > :14:36.He tells me he's fleeing war for the second time.
:14:37. > :14:40.Others tell us they are simply desperate for work.
:14:41. > :14:55.Charities began operating in the Mediterranean after Italy
:14:56. > :14:59.terminated its own search and rescue operation, which was replaced by EU
:15:00. > :15:00.missions with a bigger focus on anti-smuggling
:15:01. > :15:07.Currently we are trapped in a situation that is very
:15:08. > :15:10.difficult, because we know we cannot stop the rescuers for the moment,
:15:11. > :15:19.While we know it's not a sustainable solution either.
:15:20. > :15:25.With Sicily in sight, a sense of relief on board.
:15:26. > :15:28.But even as the UN sounds the alarm over the unfolding crisis,
:15:29. > :15:33.the Italian government is pressing the EU for help, and warning
:15:34. > :15:35.its ports may not remain open to the migrants.
:15:36. > :15:45.President Trump has been accused of inciting violence
:15:46. > :15:50.against journalists after he tweeted a spoof video showing him physically
:15:51. > :15:55.assaulting a man with a CNN logo superimposed on his head.
:15:56. > :15:58.He is shown slamming the CNN character to the ground
:15:59. > :16:05.Mr Trump regularly accuses CNN and other media outlets
:16:06. > :16:10.of broadcasting what he calls fake news.
:16:11. > :16:16.Our correspondent Laura Bicker is in Washington now.
:16:17. > :16:27.What has the reaction to this been like? CNN have taken the unexpected
:16:28. > :16:35.step of condemning the president and saying that he is inciting violence
:16:36. > :16:40.against journalists, and some journalists, even right-wing ones,
:16:41. > :16:44.believe that Donald Trump has crossed a line. The White House
:16:45. > :16:51.security adviser said this should not be perceived as a threat, but
:16:52. > :16:55.just consider this. On Friday, the White House press spokeswoman
:16:56. > :16:59.rounded on the press accusing them of not covering policy, but if you
:17:00. > :17:04.look at Donald Trump's Twitter habit, the thing he tweets about
:17:05. > :17:07.most often is the press. He describes his Twitter habit is not
:17:08. > :17:12.being presidential bid being modern presidential. It may keep his base
:17:13. > :17:15.happy, but while it continues, it distracts from his agenda to make
:17:16. > :17:18.America great again. Laura Bicker in Washington, thank you.
:17:19. > :17:21.The two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has spoken of her fear
:17:22. > :17:23.that she would never play tennis again after being attacked
:17:24. > :17:28.Suffering serious injuries to her left hand, she faced a gruelling
:17:29. > :17:31.fight to regain her fitness, and will be competing at Wimbledon,
:17:32. > :17:40.Our sports correspondent, David Ornstein, has been to meet her.
:17:41. > :17:47.She's a two-time Wimbledon champion whose life was turned upside down.
:17:48. > :17:49.Just days before Christmas, Petra Kvitova was attacked
:17:50. > :17:58.in her own home by an intruder with a knife.
:17:59. > :18:15.I presume you are not thinking from it? Not yet. But she told me that
:18:16. > :18:17.she was left with physical and mental scars.
:18:18. > :18:20.I had all my fingers cut, so it was a difficult time for me.
:18:21. > :18:22.The lowest point, it's tough to say...
:18:23. > :18:24.I mean, of course, I had some bad dreams afterwards.
:18:25. > :18:27.I was still a bit tired from everything that
:18:28. > :18:40.Of course I had a bad thought that I would never play tennis again.
:18:41. > :18:42.Kvitova underwent an emergency operation lasting almost four hours,
:18:43. > :18:46.but still faced an anxious wait over the outcome.
:18:47. > :18:54.I was really worried to see my hand after taking the bandage off for the
:18:55. > :18:57.first time. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Is it right
:18:58. > :19:03.that used girl can't fully close your hand? That's right. That can't
:19:04. > :19:08.be easy for a tennis player. On the other hand, I am lucky I am playing
:19:09. > :19:17.tennis. Not badminton, where the grip is much more smaller. By March,
:19:18. > :19:25.Kvitova was able to hold a racket again, and two months later, she
:19:26. > :19:29.made it to the French Open. Courage, belief, and-bot Podj. It means
:19:30. > :19:33.heart. She prepared by winning
:19:34. > :19:35.in Birmingham and now incredibly she's being tipped by many
:19:36. > :19:38.for the title. I've already won the biggest
:19:39. > :19:41.fight before, and I won Stephen Hawking is 75 today -
:19:42. > :19:47.a milestone he's said he never thought he would reach
:19:48. > :19:49.after being diagnosed with motor Today he was honoured by friends,
:19:50. > :19:53.family and colleagues at Cambridge University,
:19:54. > :19:55.and he's been talking to our science When I was diagnosed at 21,
:19:56. > :20:02.I was told it would kill me Now, 54 years later,
:20:03. > :20:09.albeit weaker and in a wheelchair, I'm still working
:20:10. > :20:14.and producing scientific papers. Today, Stephen Hawking
:20:15. > :20:19.celebrates his 75th birthday. But it's been a great struggle,
:20:20. > :20:22.which I have got through only with a lot of help from my family,
:20:23. > :20:29.colleagues, and friends. At an event at Cambridge University
:20:30. > :20:32.to pay tribute to his life, he was applauded for his scientific
:20:33. > :20:37.achievements. The legacy will be
:20:38. > :20:39.the scientists that he inspired. And there will be thousands
:20:40. > :20:41.of them, and they're So there will be ten-year-olds
:20:42. > :20:52.today, or eight-year-olds, who are reading about Stephen,
:20:53. > :20:54.reading about the work that he did, and may
:20:55. > :20:56.go on to be the next In an exclusive interview with BBC
:20:57. > :21:05.News, Professor Hawking told me that he was worried about the future
:21:06. > :21:07.of our species. What are your views
:21:08. > :21:09.on President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate
:21:10. > :21:12.agreement, and what impact do you think that'll have
:21:13. > :21:17.on the future of the planet? We are close to the tipping point
:21:18. > :21:20.where global warming Trump's action could push
:21:21. > :21:26.the earth over the bridge, to become like Venus,
:21:27. > :21:29.with a temperature of 250 degrees His daughter Lucy says his
:21:30. > :21:39.life is an inspiration, People who've lived in really
:21:40. > :21:47.extreme circumstances seem to find something very,
:21:48. > :21:50.very inspirational in his example of perseverance and persistence,
:21:51. > :21:53.and his kind of ability to rise above his suffering, and still want
:21:54. > :21:57.to communicate at a higher level. His ideas have transformed our
:21:58. > :22:07.understanding of the cosmos. But what's also being celebrated
:22:08. > :22:20.is his determination and humanity. Stay with us on BBC One - it's time
:22:21. > :22:21.for the news where you are.