this is bbc news. the headlines at 11: britain says it will protect gibraltar from any sovereignty claims by spain during brexit negotiations. the foreign secretary borisjohnson tweeted his support — "the uk remains implacable and rock—like in our support for gibraltar". only 5% of existing prison staff in england and wales will get new pay allowances of £5,000 pounds, bbc news learns. two million people will get a pay rise today, says the government, as the uk's national living wage goes up. also coming up, protests in paraguay over efforts to change the rules allowing the president to run for office again. protesters storm congress and set fire to the building as anger grows over moves to change the constitution. and in half hour, discussion about the triggering of article 50 you and the long road of those brexit negotiations. that's in dateline at 11:30. are

good morning and welcome to bbc news. tensions are rising over gilbraltar‘s position during brexit after the eu gave spain a potential veto on any future deal for the british territory. last night the government said it would stand up for gibraltar‘s interests during negotiations. the enclave has accused spain of trying to manipulate discussions in order to further its 300—year—old sovereignty claims. mark lobel reports. in gibraltar has been in british hands since 1713. it shares a border with spain, but reject any spanish claim of sovereignty. the current proposals mean a deal between the eu

and uk would not apply to gibraltar without an additional agreement between the uk and spain. gibraltar‘s chief minister has fiercely rejected this as an attempt by spain to encroach on the rock's ability to control its sovereignty. it singles out gibraltar in a way thatis it singles out gibraltar in a way that is unfair, unnecessary and clearly discriminatory, but i'm very grateful that spain has been foolish enough to play this card very early on in the process, and not five minutes to midnight with an agreement in place by the issue of gibraltar. the british government has been quick to affirm it commitment to this territory. foreign secretary borisjohnson tweeted: s but these are draft proposals due to be finalised by the eu at the end of the month. theresa may has until then to try and persuade them to drop this controversial clause. christian hernandez is president

of the gibraltar chamber of commerce, and said madrid was attempting to use the issue to claim a diplomatic triumph. this is not surprising, and frankly to be expected from europe's most corrupt country. they have a history of using gibraltar as a political football to deflect from their internal problems, of which they have many. and this is, in my view, such an instance now. they are already claiming a diplomatic triumph in relation to the inclusion of the gibraltar angle in the eu declaration. and it's something that hasn't caught us by surprise, frankie, unfortunately. leaving aside your point about corruption, and many people might want to argue about the league table of corruption in europe. wejust heard reference

to gibraltar in the conversation i've just to gibraltar in the conversation i'vejust had, to gibraltar in the conversation i've just had, they matter, and you need to get them sorted out. yes. we are the chamber of commerce, we commissioned an independent study two years ago of the effect of the gibraltar economy on the spanish hinterland. its effect is massively positive. we are the second biggest employer in the whole of andalusia. we contribute 25% of the gdp in the neighbouring region. we generate one in every fourjobs. neighbouring region. we generate one in every four jobs. so neighbouring region. we generate one in every fourjobs. so the gibraltar influence in a nearby spain is a very positive one. you also have a lot of spanish workers coming your way on a daily basis, and you need that to continue presumably at the same level and with the same system that you have now. correct, fortu nately that you have now. correct, fortunately in gibraltar we don't really have unemployment. we have a

shortage of labour, and over 10,000 spanish workers come to gibraltar every day to earn a living. by way of example, in the nearby town there isa of example, in the nearby town there is a 40% unemployment, and it would be much higher if gibraltar wasn't there. christian hernandez there in gibraltar. a government briefing note seen by the bbc shows that only 5% of prison staff in england and wales will get new pay allowances of up to £5,000. the money was announced by the justice secretary, liz truss, two months ago to deal with a recruitment crisis, amid claims it would give thousands of staff an immediate pay boost. the document reveals the number benefiting straightaway is 1600. but officials say the allowances will be available for at least four years. around 4,000 households in england earning more than £100,000 a year have received taxpayers' money to help them buy a home.

official figures also reveal that the help to buy equity loan scheme has assisted more than 20,000 households who were not first—time buyers. labour said it showed the initiative was badly targeted, but the government insisted it continued to make home ownership a reality for thousands of people. a homeless man accused of murdering a woman and her 13—year—old son has been remanded in custody. he appeared at birmingham are charged with killing tracy wilkinson and her son, pearce, and faces a further charge of attempting to murder the boy's father, peter, at their home in southbridge. two young boys who have gone missing with their mother had been removed from her care on the day they disappeared, it has emerged. 42—year—old samantha baldwin from newark has not been seen since monday, and is believed to be with nine—year—old louis madge and dylan madge, who's six. police say they are treating the case as an abduction. protesters in paraguay have stormed the congress and set fire to the building as anger grows over

moves to allow president ca rtes to stand for a second term. ahead of the opposition party said that an activist has been shot dead. the country's constitution limits the president to a five—year term. greg 0lsen reports. this was a night of violence in paragraph after months of speculation about the country's future. protesters were directing up their anger at the riot police and politicians who they believe are steering the country towards dictatorship. hours earlier, a secret vote had taken place here to approve a new bill which could allow president carter is to run for another term of government. the offices of lawmakers were set alight, with computers and tvs becoming missiles. reports say

dozens becoming missiles. reports say d oze ns of becoming missiles. reports say dozens of people, including police and politicians, were injured. this is the man at the centre of the dispute. horacio agulla tears came to power in 2013, but paraguayan presidents have been banned from re—elections and 1992 to try and stop returned authoritarian regimes in the country. president cartez once the restriction removed. trouble began early in the day, with tear gas on the streets of the capital. rubber bullets were also fired at demonstrators. translation: the people of paragraph can fight against these rubber bullets. they have installed a dictator in this country. the bullets against paraguayans will soofi bullets against paraguayans will soon be metal. the controversial bill still needs further approval, with another vote in the congress. that was due to happen on saturday, but has now been postponed. as lawmakers and the president appealed

for calm. two million people are set for a pay rise today as the national living wage goes up to £7.50 an hour. the change has been broadly welcomed by unions. but employers have expressed concern about the strain of additional costs, as our business correspondent joe lynam reports. 23—year—old louise davidson is already paid more than the national living wage by his employer. lewis certainly notice is the difference from his previous company. certainly notice is the difference from his previous companylj certainly notice is the difference from his previous company. i was struggling for money. it was a big concern for me. it was very much go to work, come back, spent the night in front of the telly. now i can afford to have a social life, and i can afford to have a social life, and i ca n afford afford to have a social life, and i can afford to do stuff in my local area. enjoy myself a bit more. home today, all workers over 25 must be paid at least £7 50 per hour. if you work a full week, you will now get at least £281.25. many of our

members were already paying staff more than the national living wage, but for those that were not, it is adding significant costs to their businesses, around £900 per year. on average, and a further £120 per year with the knock—on consequences for national insurance payments as well. much of that cost will be absorbed by the businesses themselves rather than passing it on as higher prices. and that is not the only change. controversial new business rates come into force today. while most companies will be paying less, some especially in the south—east will be facing much higher bills, and a new system that calculating car taxes starts. hybrid car owners will be paying more than they did. president trump has signed executive orders aimed at combating foreign trade abuses and bringing down america's half—a—trillion dollar trade deficit. he continued walking as a reporter

continued to shout about whether mike flynn was still being given immunity. in the confusion, mike pence picked up the orders from the table, and they were signed in another room. patients referred to the nhs for fertility treatment in scotland will be eligible for three full cycles of ivf treatment. from today, the scottish government is increasing the number of cycles funded by the health service for women under a0 from two to three. it's expected to cost around a million pounds a year, as helena lee reports. it's thought that around one in seven couples experience difficulty having children. in scotland, up until now, women under a0 have been offered two cycles of ivf on the nhs. that is now changing to up to three. older women between a0 and a2 will also be offered one cycle if they fit certain criteria. in other parts of the uk, the number of ivf cycles on the nhs for women under a0 varies.

in england, up to three full cycles are recommended, but local clinical commissioning groups decide, and in over half the areas in england, only one cycle is offered. in wales, women under a0 are entitled to two cycles. in northern ireland, just one. the ivf programme in scotland is expected to cost the nhs around £1 million a year, money which has been put aside already. the public health minister says the changes made access to ivf treatment in scotland the fairest and most generous in the uk. two people are now known to have died in tens of thousands remain stranded after the aftermath of cyclone debut this week. six large rivers were still rising in several areas, causing the authorities to order more evacuations. a state of

queensland is expecting record levels of flooding next week. the two deaths were confirmed by the prime minister late on friday night. the artist gilbert baker, who created the rainbow flag that became an international symbol for gay rights, has died. he was 65. baker was asked to come up with a flag design for the lgbt community in 1978 by harvey milk, who was california's first openly gay elected official. people living in orkney enjoy the best quality of life of any rural area in the uk, according to a new survey. the study by the bank of scotland praised the islands for their stunning scenery, low crime rates and good choice of pubs. it's the first time they have topped the poll, having jumped from a6th last year. they beat wychavon in the west midlands into second place. the headlines on bbc news: the uk says it will and upper gibraltar‘s interest after the

territory accused spain of using it to forward its aims. bbc news learns that only 5% of prison staff in england and wales will get new pay allowances of up to £5,000. two million people are set for a pay rise as the uk's national living goes up by a%. for the past ten years, young people who've made amazing contributions to their communities have been recognised at the rotary young citizen awards. kirsty ashton was 19 when she won her award, in 2009, for her fundraising work. she suffers from a rare nerve condition, which can mean she can have 100 tumours on her body at any one time. today, she's working hard to raise awareness of disabilities. this is her story. i am kirsty ashton, and some people call me kay. i am from manchester, i am 26 years old, and i won the rotary young citizen award in 2009 because of the amount of money i have

raised for when you wish upon a star and helping dreams come true. i live with a condition called neurofibromatosis and scoliosis. neurofibromatosis is where tumours will grow on the nerve endings. scoliosis is curvature of the spine. i do voluntary radio presenting for a station called uk health radio, and i have a show called the sunshine uk health show. i have now become a scope role model. being a scope role model means i will go into high schools and i will do a q&a with children about disability. the idea of the sessions are that we make them more aware and inspire them about disability, and breaking boundaries as well with disabled people. kirsty ashton there. and all this week, the bbc news channel will be featuring the stories of past and present award winners. and next saturday, we'll be broadcasting the ten—year anniversary ceremony live from manchester. that's at 10:30 next saturday morning. music often provides an escape

from the real world. but in hull, one sound installation aims to give listeners a better connection to their surroundings. the work celebrates the humber bridge by incorporating sounds made by the structure. visitors can listen to the music as they walk across the bridge. lucy hester reports from the uk's city of culture. here in leeds, something magical is taking place. musicians from opera north are putting the finishing touches to a recording which will evoke the essence of one of yorkshire's most iconic sights, the humber bridge. many of us will have driven across the bridge, taking in the sights of the humber river, but this unique project is hoping to inspire people to walk along its mile long length and get lost in the incredible sounds. opera north is working with norwegian composers jan bang and arve henriksen to create this musical guided walk. it is a fantastic construction, and it is so much

bigger than i expected. it has been interesting to walk across the bridge together with avre and to hear the sound of the bridge itself. meanwhile, the opera north orchestra is recording its part. it is a truly beautiful sound, produced by top—class musicians. how could we blend different instruments into that, and then building melodies on top of it, or chords or sounds? the music just felt like it was a natural blood running through your veins. some of these musicians are using their instruments in a very unusual way. the opera north chorus also has a part to play in creating the soundscape. it is very atmospheric. part of the problem is that we only know our bit, and there are at least seven other

layers, as far as i can tell, so i have no idea what the end product is going to be. the finished piece will be heard through headsets as people walk across the bridge. what is particularly amazing about it is it makes you look at everything completely differently when you're listening as well. you look at everything much more carefully. it is really great. lucy hester reporting. injust over ten minutes in just over ten minutes time on injust over ten minutes time on bbc news, you will be able to see dateline, with much to discuss on the week, theresa may's letter was sent to brussels, with all the ramifications that have emerged since. before that, you might remember the crystal maze, the quiz show in the 1990s. if you ever wished you could have a go, now is your chance. the format has been

revived as part of an immersive theatrical production which sees people take part in the show and even become characters themselves. our reporter has been to have a go. the audience as participants, not just watching the show, but being in it. the crystal maze experiences soon to open in manchester. it is based on the early 1990s tv show. he has got it. look at that. it was a really british tv show, it was irreverent, funny, tongue in cheek, silly. that isjust irreverent, funny, tongue in cheek, silly. that is just the irreverent, funny, tongue in cheek, silly. that isjust the way it crumbles. like the london show that has been selling out for a year, this new manchester production will see audience members compete for c rysta ls see audience members compete for crystals to buy time in the crystal dome. start the fans, please. we have broken the disconnect between people wanting to be active and passive, wanting to play and follow a passive, wanting to play and follow ney, passive, wanting to play and follow a journey, rather than being sat in

a journey, rather than being sat in a darkened auditorium. this immersive production may be inspired bya tv immersive production may be inspired by a tv game show, but in recent yea rs, by a tv game show, but in recent years, many theatre producers have sought out new audiences by making them part of the story. montagues and cappielows, i very different version of romeo and juliet, the latest production by these immersive specialists. audiences choose which subplot to follow. there is even dodge ball and the 1990s rave. why has it taken off as an idea? it is a response to social media. we are all our own protagonists on facebook and twitter. when i go and see a show, i feel like audiences are less sympathetic to characters they're watching on stage and on screen but they are wanting something different. it is very immersive. maybe not what i was expecting. i

think the fact that it involves everybody, that is the whole thing. you're not sitting separately. the a rts you're not sitting separately. the arts council has seen a big rise in the number of funding applications from experimental theatre groups, a296 from experimental theatre groups, a2% since 2013. many immersive shows, like this one based on alice in wonderland, have proved popular, but some feel the novelty is wearing thin. it may immersive theatre has gone from being an art form that was new and exciting, people are now going for the experience of it. if you have not got something you want to see and achieve by bringing the audience into the show, then you may as well not do it this way, you may as well not do it this way, you may as well not do it at all. confusing at times, perhaps, and audience participation is a must, but the growth of immersive theatre suggests that watching the show, for some, is no longer enough. sport now and a full round—up

from the bbc sport centre. hello. many thanks. there's a little over an hour to go before this weekend's premier league begins with the merseyside derby between liverpool and everton at anfield. both teams are missing key figures. adam lalanna and jordan henderson two names missing for the home side, whilst the visitors are without jame mccarthy and seamus coleman. we can hear now from the liverpool managerjurgen klopp. they are on a really good run. they really did not lose a lot of games in the last few weeks or months. good results, obviously confident, but we are liverpool, we play at anfield, and nobody should underestimate the power of anfield. whenever we play there, we all have to create a special atmosphere. it isa it is a new season, it is a new game, and new manager, like everton. ido game, and new manager, like everton. i do not know why. i heard a little

bit about the last two seasons of everton, that they were too afraid to play against liverpool, but why do you need to be afraid to play against liverpool? i do not understand that. tiger woods, the 1a—time major champion, will play no part in golf‘s first major of the year, the masters, after pulling out of next week's tournament. 20 years after he won the first of his four masters titles at augusta, he says he's still not tournament ready and that there's no timetable for his return. he was side—lined for 15 months after two surgeries to try and fix it. the 1a time major winner won his first major at the masters 20 years ago. in a statement on his website he says: "unfortu nately, i won't be competing in this year's masters. i did about everything i could to play, but my back rehabilitation didn't allow me the time to get tournament ready. i'm especially upset because it's a special anniversary for me that's filled with a lot of great memories. i can't believe it's been 20 years since i won my first green jacket. i have no timetable for my return, but i will continue my diligent effort to recover, and want to get back out there as soon as possible."

roger federer won a thrilling three—hour match against nick kyrgios to set up a final against rafael nadal at the miami open. the victory means federer has won 18 of 19 matches in 2017. the final is a repeat of this year's australian open final. roger federer was the winner in that. there were three tie breaks in each set, federer winning the decisive one. much to the frustration of the man across the net. and at six o'clock, johanna konta is in action in the women's final in miami, the first british woman to get there. she's playing caroline wozniaki for what would be her biggest title to date and her third on the wta tour. mark williams is through to the final of snooker‘s china open after beating hossein vafaei 6—1. williams dominated the match including making this century break to go four frames up. the welshman will face either kyren wilson or world number one

mark selby in the final. that's all sport for now. on the bbc sport website you can watch the world figure skating championships, live in finland. it's the men's free skating this morning. that's at bbc.co.uk/sport, and i'll have more in the next hour. now it's the weather with tomasz schafernaker. well, it is certainly not been sunny all round this morning. some of us woke up to quite heavy rain, particularly if you live in wales in north—western parts of england. today we have sunshine and showers under way. this is the cloud that brought the rain across the site waste into wales, and then the north—west. many central and eastern areas woke up to sunshine. today, it isa areas woke up to sunshine. today, it is a real mixed bag in the afternoon. hit and miss.

is a real mixed bag in the afternoon. hitand miss. sunny spells but you might get a downpour as well. let's look across other parts of the uk in the middle part of the afternoon. some showers will be hale and thunder. the course looks good. if you're going to bournemouth, brighton, looking out to see it will be clear, but inland, you will see showers growing. lots of breaks between the showers. very hit and miss weather. some of us might get hailstones, others will be dry. if you stay dry through the day, consider yourself lucky. the showers will feed through the evening. by nine o'clock. —— by nine o'clock, there will be fewer of them around. we are left with clear skies and it will be quite cold tonight. perhaps cold enough for a grass frost. in the south, it will be milder, around 8 degrees in london. on sunday, two very different days.

from the show early saturday to sunny sunday. the high pressure means that the weather on sunday morning will be sunny from dawn until dusk. it will be fine with ever you are. just some scattered cloud. temperatures on sunday similarto cloud. temperatures on sunday similar to what we will get on saturday, but the fact there will be more sunshine around, less rain, it will feel warmer. 16 degrees in london. cooler on the coast. on sunday we have the boat race, oxford against cambridge, tradition there. partially sunny with temperatures in the mid teens. the weekend forecast, april showers, hit and miss, the mid teens. the weekend forecast, aprilshowers, hitand miss, cold night on the way, and sunny on. enjoy. hello and welcome to dateline. two examples of power

to the people for us this week, but with very different responses from those in charge. russia saw some of the largest street protests of vladimir putin's 17 years in power, which ended with more than one thousand arrests and the organiser in jail. nine months after the british voted to leave the european union, prime minister theresa may sent a polite letter to brussels triggering divorce after aa years. to discuss the week's events in russia and the eu, with me are three journalists who write to the world from london: the russian—born writer alexander nekrassov, michael gove mp, who was a conservative cabinet minister until last summer, and is now a columnist with the times. stephanie baker of bloomberg news. and stefanie bolzen, from germany's die welt. welcome to you all. let's begin with britain's exit from the european union. last summer, by a margin of 52% to a8%, people here voted to leave. theresa may wanted to stay in the eu, but now she has the task of negotiating notjust brexit, as it's become known, but also a trade deal with europe. since 1973, britain's laws have absorbed growing quantities

of regulations devised between the 28 member countries, on which a court in luxembourg has the final say. those who want to stay argue this pooling of sovereignty has made it easier to trade and has created new protections in areas like employment or consumer rights. supporters of brexit say it's simply a case of taking back control. michael gove, you were a supporter of brexit, a big advocate during last yea r‘s of brexit, a big advocate during last year's campaign. on wednesday, the tone was sadness on all sides.