have started an operation to recapture western mosul from islamic state militants. this is a rack‘s last city held by islamic state. the assault on that last area of islamic state is under way. this is the scene live from mosul where the assault is going on. donald trump attacks the media again while defending his time in office so far at a rally of his supporters in florida. sinkholes, mudslides and deadly winds. the biggest storm to hit california for several years has left at least four people dead and around 150,000 homes without power. police in malaysia have named four north korean suspects in the killing of the half brother of the north korean leader, and also in the next hour... we'll have the papers. joining me will be martin lipton of the sun and rachel shabi, the journalist and author. that's coming up at 9.30. in across goal... i thought it was

m, in across goal... i thought it was in, it is in! and after non—league lincoln city's win over premier league burnley yesterday — who will they play in the quarters finals? the draw is later today. good morning and welcome to bbc news. thousands of prison officers in london and south—east england are getting an immediate pay increase of between three and five thousand pounds. ministers have made the decision to try to boost recruitment and retain staff numbers in the face of increasing violence. but the prison officers association says it's a divisive quick fix and specialist and more experienced staff won't benefit. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. they are on the front line of the troubled prison service. their numbers have been falling in recent years. and now the government is putting

in place a £12 million pay offer to keep them in theirjobs and to attract new people. but only officers in 31 prisons in london and the south—east, including this one, wandsworth, will benefit. they are the jails under the most pressure, struggling to maintain staff. the offer is for standard grade three prison officers, not more senior supervisors or specialists. each will receive at least £3000. the pay package for new recruits will be boosted by £5,000 to attract them into the job. but the prison officers association believes that this offer will not satisfy members its members. we're going to welcome additional money for our members, of course we are. but we do not think this goes far enough to solving the prison crisis. we believe it needs to be a national issue. we were not properly consulted on this either. we believe if the secretary of state wants to make these arbitrary decisions on pay, she should consult us fully

and we can point out the inconsistencies and problems that will arise as a result of this policy. the government is also increasing training, vital if it is to deal with the growing modern threats to order behind bars, mental health issues, along with what ministers describe as drugs, drones and mobile phones. with me is now is frances crook, from the howard league for penal reform. is this enough? it is a good start. staff should be properly paid untrained. —— and trained. it is a good thing in principle. my worry as it is only part of the story we have seenin it is only part of the story we have seen in the last few months, that prisons are in real crisis. that is because there are too many prisons. putting in of staff and paying them better is good but it will not solve the problem. not everyone is getting a pay rise? no. there will be

anomalies and the devil is in the detail. it is a problem particularly in the south—east but that is not exclusive to the south—east. recruitment and retention is a here. how do we compare to other countries in the way that we approach secure prisons? we add ms. other countries do things in a much more interesting way. in germany, the prison guards are literally just way. in germany, the prison guards are literallyjust guards. the prisons run by psychologists, teachers and professionals. in norway, officers are degreed trained. they are expats. we add in the middle, where we expect pulley paid, pulley trained prison staff to doa paid, pulley trained prison staff to do a very complicated drop. —— brewer. we also need more managers, because you need someone behind you to ask for advice. staffing is part of the issue and it will not solve the problems. you mentioned brewer

—— poorly train. what you mean that? you don't have to have a single gcse to bea you don't have to have a single gcse to be a prison officer. we need to educate and train prison staff. that is one step in the right direction. in the end, i was in prison this week, a busy london local prison thatis week, a busy london local prison that is grossly overcrowded. two people to sell that the victorians design for one person. it has a toilet in it with very little ventilation. very little activity in the prison. there arejust ventilation. very little activity in the prison. there are just too ventilation. very little activity in the prison. there arejust too many people in prison and the staffing issueis people in prison and the staffing issue is only part of the problem. from what you were saying, just putting money in the air is not the answer. you just giving more money to people who need more training, as you suggest, or something changing wet across—the—board. you suggest, or something changing wet across—the— boa rd.|j

you suggest, or something changing wet across-the-board. i welcome what the government is doing. they say they are putting extra training in, which is good. if it is media too, and how to deal with people with complex health needs, that is not enough. —— if it is only a day or two. i hope they will be fundamental change. prisons are not the answer to drive. we have to understand that prison can only be used for people who are serious offenders and people who are serious offenders and people who have violent offences. there has to be properly trained and supported statin prisons. thank you. -- supported staff in prisons. the iraqi prime minister says an operation has begun to retake the western part of the city of mosul from islamic state militants. it's the last major is stronghold in iraq. government forces started their offensive in october and last month secured the eastern part of the city after weeks of fierce fighting.

the united nations has urged all parties in the conflict to do everything they can to ensure the safety of hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the area. bill hayton reports. shortly after dawn but without any apparent urgency, iraqi government artillery opened fire. in the distance, several kilometres away, smoke rose into the morning sky. the assault will not be a surprise to the population of mosul. after the capture of the eastern half of the city last month, it was only a matter of time before government forces advanced into the west and the operation was announced by the iraqi prime minister. translation: i call on our brave forces to proceed with courage to liberate the other half of mosul and its peoples from the oppression of the islamic state group forever. it is believed there could be as many as 3000 is fighters in the west,

hidden amongst more than 600,000 civilians. in the densely packed streets, the fighting will be intense. the united nations has called on government forces to ensure the safety of those civilians is of paramount importance. the operation to retake the city began four months ago, and military commanders are warning that it could be just as long again before it is finished. 0ur correspondent quentin somerville is with the iraqi troops who are preparing to launch their offensive on western mosul. the iraqi special forces the iraqi specialforces police the iraqi special forces police are moving forward. they have breached their own defences and are heading towards so—called islamic state, lying just beyond that hill about to cooperate as a way. all morning, coalition aircraft have been overhead dropping very large bombs

in those positions, softening them up in those positions, softening them up so that these troops commend going. there is no real element of surprise in modern warfare and last night, the residents of western mosul were warned in leaflet drops to stay in their homes. these men, if we spin round, we can show you that they are getting ready for the battle. there is attack coming in just the. these men are not expecting an easy time of it today. they know from drone footage that islamic state is deeply embedded. western mosul is a rack‘s last state held by islamic state. but now of course the assault on islamic state is under way. 0ur correspondent basheer al zaidi joins us now from eastern mosul. what is the latest you can tell us? the latest was revealed in the

statement talking about seizing more villages in the salon outskirts of mosul. —— the southern outskirts. that is well forces and advancing to the area south of mosul airport. they want to reach that area and they are pushing towards the airport and villages on the outskirts of the western side of mosul. what about civilians in the area? what is happening to them? the civilians, as quentin said a few minutes ago, were told to stay at home. there was any drop by the iraqi air force asking him to at home and away from is militants operating on the western side. meanwhile, they are be good to

be offered a safe route, actually, to go south of mosul. there were reports recently about the human crisis and the shortage of food and water. i am crisis and the shortage of food and water. iam hearing crisis and the shortage of food and water. i am hearing the iraqi artillery shelling the western part of mosul, while the coalition air force is still looming in the skies of mosul. there were reports of yea rs of mosul. there were reports of years ago of a suicide attack targeting a group of the tribal fighters who are taking care of the security of the eastern side. they we re security of the eastern side. they were targeted by a suicide bomber who was wearing a suicide belt. that was in one of the neighbourhoods in the eastern side of mosul. so things

are still not completely calm and eastern mosul? they are not actually calm since the few weeks following the recapture of eastern side of the city. we were in a neighbourhood a few days ago, where we watched the drones from is targeting neighbourhoods in the eastern side. the mortar shelling was targeting these areas in the eastern side as well. islamic state considered other people living on the eastern side as helping iraqi forces against... you know, seizing the east side of mosul. for the moment, thank you. president trump has made a robust defence of his first four weeks in office and insisted that a new spirit

of optimism is sweeping the us. speaking to supporters at an airport hanger in florida, he repeated his campaign pledges to create jobs and improve the nation's security. mr trump again turned his fire on the media, accusing it of being dishonest about his administration. 0ur correspondent, laura bicker, reports from florida. if you thought the presidential campaign was over, then you would be wrong. afterjust four weeks in office, president trump is bidding forfour more years. the first lady also made a rare appearance, starting her remarks with the lord's prayer. 0ur father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done. but there is more to this rally. donald trump is trying to change the subject, after headlines of chaos and controversy in his administration. he is back where he appears to be more comfortable, behind a campaign podium rather

than a desk in the oval office. i am here because i want to be among my friends and among the people. he enjoys an audience and takes heart from his fans. 0ne even made it on stage after waiting since the early morning. when president trump promised all these things that he was going to do for us, i knew he was going to do this for us. he also had tough words for some of his alleged foes, the media. he has a new term for them — the enemy. these supporters are his people and this is his message. a chance to appraise his first month in office, the one he sees as a success. make america great again. that is what it is. he has kind of been up and down. i kind of feel like he is not 100% doing good but i want to give him more time. january 20th, 2017!

0ur presidency died. in new york, protesters held a fake funeral for the presidency. the political ideals of america seem further apart than ever. this rally will be hugely popular with his voting base but it won't help him in washington. if president trump is to push through his campaign promises, he might need to take his message to capitol hill rather than an adoring crowd. the headlines on bbc news... thousands of prison officers in london and the south—east of england are to get an instant pay increase of between £3,000 and £5,000. ministers hope it'll ease the pressure on the service. iraqi troops — supported by american air strikes — have begun their assault to recapture western mosul from islamic state militants. donald trump has defended the achievements of his presidency so far at a rally of his supporters in florida. mr trump also made another attack on the media.

malaysian police say they are seeking four more north korean suspects in connection with the death of kim jong—nam, the half—brother of the north korean leader. police identified the four suspects, all men between the ages of 33 and 57, but say they have already left malaysia. police on saturday arrested a north korean man over the killing of mrjong—nam. he died shortly after being sprayed with a chemical at kuala lumpur airport last week. the malaysian police also said they are trying to get the victim's next of kin to assist with the investigation. of the newly—named suspects, there are an additional two unidentified men who are wanted. let's hear more of what was said in that press conference. the suspects that we have named now, the north koreans, we believe they

have left the country. we have checked and i can confirm today that they have left our country the very same day the incident happened. yes. we have international cooperation, especially with interpol. we have bilateral agreements and we will use all our resources. we are not interested in political... whatever the word is. what we're interested in is why they committed such a crime in our country. 0k? in is why they committed such a crime in our country. ok? you can put all politics aside because this is not ourjob. 0urjob is to reveal the truth together. the facts. we

will get the evidence and bring the perpetrators to justice. that will get the evidence and bring the perpetrators tojustice. that is our responsibility. let's go now to seoul where our correspondent kevin kim joins us now. more twists in this deal. —— this tale. correct. according to the police, the four suspects all had north korean passports and boarded flights and let malaysia on monday, immediately after the killing took ways. authorities have said that they are still waiting for toxicology reports that will confirm whether mist kim was poisoned. —— mr kim. kimjong—nam was waiting at whether mist kim was poisoned. —— mr kim. kim jong—nam was waiting at the security checkpoint of malaysia's main airport when two women approached him and sprayed him with approached him and sprayed him with a chemical. he sought medical help but fell unconscious and died hours later. two women who are arrested

told authorities that they were paid told authorities that they were paid to ta ke told authorities that they were paid to take part in what they believed was a prank for a tv show. if 46—year—old man from north korea is also under custody. what is being made of it interior, north and south, can you tell us? —— of it in korea. the south korean government has expressed concern over the recklessness and brutality of the assassination. the government in seoul is pointing the finger is directly at kim jong un himself. meanwhile, malaysia, the embassy there has been trying to gain access to to the body of kim jong—nam but the authorities have said mr kim's body will only be leased his family members. earlier, north korean diplomats expressed their disapprovalfor and

diplomats expressed their disapproval for and autopsy and said the north would not acknowledge the results. the government in pyongyang has been silent but other officials in the wider region will be waiting for those concrete facts backing up the fev that the cause of death was poisoning and was carried out by those with ties to north korea. —— backing up their theory. the biggest storms to hit california for several years has left at least four people dead and around 150,000 homes without power. giant sinkholes appeared in some roads. a fire crew managed to get out of this engine before it was swallowed on the main motorway from los angeles to las vegas. this was another sinkhole in studio city where a woman was rescued from the roof of her car moments before a second empty vehicle was swallowed up. the boss of sainsbury‘s has joined the growing row over the re—evaluation of business rates — the commercial version of council tax. the supermarket‘s chief executive, mike coupe, says changes

being introduced to reflect the value of property could leave high streets facing serious challenges and closures while internet operations could see their bills cut. simonjones reports. big changes ahead for businesses. for the first time in seven years, rates are being updated in april, in line with property values. with prices rising strongly in the south—east, but falling sharply in less prosperous regions, there will be some dramatic differences, some businesses seeing increases of 400%. sainsbury‘s will see its bill rise to around £500 million, up from £483 million, while analysts predict internet giant amazon will have its business rate bill cut at the majority of its out—of—town warehouses. the boss of sainsbury‘s, mike coupe, isn't happy. mike coupe says businesses like his one, with lots of property and employees, face a bigger burden than online—only retailers. he is calling for a fundamental

reform of the system, which he describes as archaic. what is needed, he says, is a level playing field, to reflect the changing retail landscape. business rates affect 1.85 million properties in england alone. they are set to raise £23.5 billion for the treasury this year. the government says 920,000 businesses will see their bills go down. 420,000 will stay the same. but, to make the sums add up, more than 500,000 will see bills go up. rates in scotland and wales are being reassessed. northern ireland won't get an overhaul for another few years. in england, the government says the changes will be phased in, and more will benefit than lose out. the former boxer, michael watson, has been injured during an attempt to steal his car in london. mr watson, who's 51, and partially disabled, had a substance sprayed in his face

and was dragged along the road. he and a friend are recovering at home. the police have appealed for information. the woman at the centre of the landmark "roe versus wade" abortion court case in the us has died — nearly half a century after setting in train a a legal battle that was to create history. norma mccorvery was 22 when under the pseudonym "jane roe" she took the state of texas to court over its law outlawing abortion. her fight went all the way to the us supreme court, wherejudges ruled that women had a constitutional right to terminate their pregnancies. mccorvery later became an anti—abortion campaigner and called the court case "the biggest mistake" of her life. caroline davies reports. she was known as jane roe. the unexpected hero of abortion rights in the united states. in 1969, aged 22, norma mccorvey wanted to end her pregnancy. abortion was illegal in the state where she lived, texas, so she sued,

using the namejane roe, against the dallas country district attorney, henry wade. her case reached the supreme court and became one of the most well—known cases in american legal history, roe versus wade. the landmark ruling by the court meant that it was no longer legal for an american state to outlaw abortion in the first three months of pregnancy. but, by the time the case had been won, four years later, mccorvey had already given birth. she gave her daughter up for adoption. in the early 1980s, mccorvey dropped her anonymity and campaigned for a woman's right to have an abortion. but in the 1990s, she changed her position. you know, i had started getting disillusioned with the pro—abortion movement, back as far as 1991. i started working in abortion clinics, i started talking to the women before they would go in for their abortions, after they would come out, and it was the same thing over and over.

they all regretted it. politically, roe versus wade has also remained divisive. but could it be overturned? the president, it's no secret, has made it clear he is a pro—life president. donald trump has said that he thinks abortion should be largely banned. last month's executive order stopped federal money going to international groups which perform or provide information on abortions. the question now is, could this presidency limit abortion at home too? mccorvey was the face of both sides of the argument over abortion. the case she launched, then condemned, remains as polarising as ever. anotherfive pound note estimated to be worth fifty thousand pounds due to a tiny,

engraved portrait of jane austen has been found. it's the third such discovery across the uk, meaning thatjust one more note is outstanding. the fivers are the handiwork of birmingham micro—artist graham short. he spent a note in each of the four home nations and said the latest find was in northern ireland. no note has yet been found in england. it might be worth checking your purse. poetry‘s normally associated with the written word but a new project is giving walkers the chance to hear six new verses as they make their way around northumberland's national park. "poems in the air" was the brainchild of poet simon armitage. people can access his work at certain locations via an app on their phones. alison freeman went to see if she could track them down. wind out of the south—west scalped the ridge, careened up the spine of the hill, and over the ramparts between cairns. even on good days, the boulders are pierced with toothache.

words to reward the hardiest of walkers on the bleakest of days. northumberland national park has worked with acclaimed british poet simon armitage to create six poems which can only be heard via an app using gps at the places which inspired them. and on a day like this, when the visibility is not so good, they can help to bring the landscape to life. starting to show that we are getting really near the point where the poem will unlock. we're at this one. we are doing the proposal stone. why is it you can't hear them until you get near the place? well, that was the poet, simon armitage, he really liked the idea of poems that do not really exist, they're not written down anywhere. simon was inspired, and looking around you, listening to the words and going, yeah, i get it, i can see what he is writing about here. so it's kind of like your own

personal performance, i guess? exactly, it's like it's right next to you. this poem is about the proposal stone at a point in the park called simonside, discovered by a ranger five years ago. it bears a neatly inscribed marriage proposal. stand next to me now on this altar stone, its threshold just one step from the rest of our lives. you've got 360—degree views. it's a special place. and we have other stones on simonside that are carved, names and dates etc, but this wasjust that bit different. you know, somebody had gone to the bother of etching it into the stone, which i thought was quite something. who carved the stone remains a mystery, and the park is keen to know if they ever made it down the aisle. now all of england has gone down on one knee, listening, hoping you will say yes.

the hike to each poem is fairly long, and walkers are recommended to seek them out on different days. let's get the weather. good morning. we have a westerly breeze today. the best of the sunshine across more sheltered eastern parts of the uk. signs of cloud breaking up in suffolk earlier but very different grey skies in cheshire, where we could find some drizzle later. it will be mile for all of us but for many parts of the country, it will be on a cloudy site. we'll see a bit more sunshine developing any used in parts of england and scotland, perhaps east wales full time. further west, the cloud is lauding and thickening. we will find some hill fog around and pockets of rain and result was well. that will probably keep temperatures

and men are 10 celsius. some sunshine in the east but we could lose some of that later in the afternoon and temperatures are likely to hit 13 celsius. for northern ireland and western scotland, not such a good day. a lot of cloud around and grace guys. turning wetter in western scotland after the afternoon. east of scotla nd after the afternoon. east of scotland is better, sheltered from the moist and mild westerly winds. you can see the difference and temperatures in london and blackburn. for the fa cup. there might be drizzle later than the day and blackburn. we have drizzle arriving in scotland and northern ireland this evening. the rain band six sophos tonight. the rain becomes lighter and patchy. it leaves behind cloud untilfour, lighter and patchy. it leaves behind cloud until four, despite lighter and patchy. it leaves behind cloud untilfour, despite any freshening westerly wind. it is really mild tonight, temperatures not following much at all. heading into tomorrow, we are looking for high temperatures across some parts of the country. we have this very mild aircoming from of the country. we have this very mild air coming from a long way