welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i am duncan golestani. our top stories: a new wave of arrivals from north africa — italy warns the influx of migrants is unsustainable, as european ministers meet for crisis talks. iraqi special forces recapture more territory from so—called islamic state, but thousands of civilians remain trapped in mosul. president trump is accused of inciting violence against the media after he tweets a spoof video of himself wrestling. and the milestone stephen hawking thought he would never reach — 75th birthday celebrations for the physicist who overcame disability to become a science legend. when i was diagnosed at 21, i was told it would kill me in two or three years. now, 5a years later, i am still working and producing scientific papers. hello.

french, german and italian interior ministers have been holding talks with senior eu officials, in paris, to work out a joint strategy for dealing with italy's growing migrant crisis. so far this year, more than 83,000 people have been rescued in the mediterranean, and taken to italy, while attempting to cross from libya. that's up almost 20% on last year. a source close to the talks told the afp news agency that the meeting was aimed at finding "a coordinated and concerted response to the migrant flux in the central mediterranean". italy said the talks went well but no other details have been released. 0ur correspondent rami ruhayem has been witnessing the relief effort that's underway in the central mediterranean, and sent this report from sicily.

no, no, no. leave it, leave it, leave it! rescuing migrants in the central mediterranean. a delicate task, even in fairly calm waters. no, go back! as the rubber boat deflates, people panic, and the rescuers lose control. go back, go back up! one man on this boat drowned. they come from across africa and asia, many fleeing extreme poverty and war. the boats leave from libya, a country that has descended into chaos and brutality. the fortunate ones can pay for wooden boats, but they too are overcrowded and dangerous. we're on a rescue ship run by the charity doctors without borders. so far they've taken more than 600 people on board, from three different boats,

and there is another transfer that is ongoing at the moment. most are men, but there are also women and children. all have risked their lives to make the dangerous crossing. khaled is among a group of syrians. he tells me he is fleeing war for the second time. 0thers tell us they are simply desperate for work. in morocco, nojobs, no. morocco is zero, morocco is zero. italy is good. europe, too, is good. charities began operating in the mediterranean after italy terminated its own sea rch—and—rescue operation, which was replaced by eu missions with a bigger focus on anti—smuggling and border control. currently we are trapped

in a situation that is very difficult, because we know we cannot stop the rescues for the moment, because many people will die, while we know it's not a sustainable solution either. with sicily in sight, a sense of relief on board. but even as the un sounds the alarm over the unfolding crisis, the italian government is pressing the eu for help, and warning its ports may not remain open to the migrants. rami ruhayem, bbc news, palermo. iraqi special forces have recaptured more territory in the old city of mosul, in the final stages of the operation to drive out so—called islamic state. troops and police are now closing in from three sides on the militants, who captured the city three years ago. but iraqi commanders say thousands of civilians remain trapped behind is lines, as 0rla guerin reports now,

from mosul. safe at last from the dying days of battle against is. traumatised civilians are fleeing with little more than the clothes they stand up in, some newly bereaved by the conflict. she weeps for her brother. "every day you ask me how i am," she says, "and we sit together." "now, my heart is burning." well, the civilians here havejust managed to escape the fighting. they're hungry and tired, and they looked scared. they've been caught between the two sides, at risk both from islamic state and the operation against them. but the troops here are being cautious. they want to make sure that no—one has emerged who could be a risk. they are concerned that suicide bombers could be trying to come out in among the civilians. we're fine to carry the women

and the kids out, but if it's a medical emergency, it's better if we have our paramedic. british volunteer sally becker is here with a medical charity. a veteran of war, she says nothing compares to mosul. actually, it's the worst. we've got the snipers. we've got the vehicle—borne explosives. people, suicide bombers, even women. even a woman yesterday, which makes it extremely dangerous now for us, because most of who we carry is women and children. and many come here, to a field hospital nearby. doctors say they have been losing children to mortars and shrapnel. but soon, hundreds could die of hunger. they see dozens per day who are severely malnourished. much of the civilian suffering in here has gone unseen, but three years of is rule have deeply scarred mosul and its people. from this one street in the old city, is executed four men.

"sometimes i worry they'll be back," she says. "when i hearfighting at night, i hope i can forget them." a military victory looks close here, but there are fears about is sleeper cells, and about the future that may await this broken city. 0rla guerin, bbc news, mosul. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news, now. 20 people are reported to have been killed in the syrian capital damascus by a car bomb that exploded north of the old city. syrian officials say the bomber was in one of three cars that had been pursued. saudi arabia has said it will extend its deadline for qatar to meet its demands by 48 hours. the arab states‘ ultimatum includes shutting the broadcaster, al jazeera, and downgrading ties with iran. the foreign ministers from egypt, saudi arabia, the uae and bahrain

are to meet in cairo to discuss the planned sanctions. there's been a shooting outside a mosque in the french city of avignon. witnesses say two men opened fire with a handgun and a rifle on a crowd outside the building. at least eight people were injured. the authorities appear to have ruled out terrorism. donald trump's created another twitter storm and has been accused of inciting violence against the media, after he tweeted a spoof video showing him wrestling a man with a cnn logo super—imposed on his head. the us president's shown slamming a man to the ground and punching the logo on his head repeatedly. it's an altered version of an old appearance he made on a wrestling show. 0ne cnn contributor says the president will end up getting someone in the media killed. in a moment we'll hear from two political writers who told us how they viewed this video but first

here's our washington correspondent, laura bicker. this twitter storm has created a twitter storm. president trump has two twitter accounts. 0ne twitter storm. president trump has two twitter accounts. one is an official account, and the other. he did not take the trouble to twitter from his donald trump account but from his donald trump account but from the president of the united states account which makes it an official record for evermore. some people may say the president is preparing for another foreign trip abroad, meeting vladimir putin for the first time, for instance. there are issues about north korea. he is supposed to be putting his health get put together this week. instead, he has been involved in a war of words with the media. first of all

with a morning show host and this weekend talking about his twitter use and describing all media is fake, saying that he won and beat the fake media and became president despite them. and then this latest video takes it to a new level. reaction from his critics have been swift. we have yet to hear from his supporters and the white house. his press secretary earlier in the week said that he does not incite violence with his tweed. cnn makes to differ and that the press secretary was not telling the truth. cnn goes on to say they will continue to do theirjob and hope the president does the same. he has made a big deal of campaigning

against the press, against reporters all through the two plus years he has entered the political stage and his candidacy. but the rat serious consequences. cnn reporters during the campaign, given the threat against them, had to hire security guards to defend them and make sure they were no incidents at rallies. at trump rallies it has become a regular thing, at trump rallies it has become a regularthing, certainly at trump rallies it has become a regular thing, certainly through the campaign, that supporters would scream at the area where reporters were, calling them all sorts of names. it is a constant issue with threats being sent to various reporters, and i do not meanjust nasty e—mails which is now a regular pa rt nasty e—mails which is now a regular part of the game for reporters but

in—depth threats that certain reporters have got. many arts in and reporters have got. many arts in and reporters who end up being turned against by the president.” reporters who end up being turned against by the president. i do not think it has anything to do with violence, it is a joke, a fake video celebrating trump victory over fake media. it is like the three stooges ora media. it is like the three stooges or a cartoon, the roadrunner, that is the kind of thing it is. i think it is more fake news saying it is inciting violence. any rational person would say it is a joke and it is his way of saying cnn has been reporting inaccurate and biased news with regards to him. he is not any different to what he has been all along. i do not personally support the tweets, because i think he should act more presidential but a

lot of supporters think he's a down—to—earth, unfiltered and the same guy he was during the campaign, willing to speak his mind and talking directly to the people and not letting those in the media filter his comments on change his comments. if you go on twitter, you can see that particular tweet with the mock wrestling has received almost 400,000 likes and his other posts have not received as many as that and so they must like it and i ama that and so they must like it and i am a supporterand that and so they must like it and i am a supporter and i supported too. and you can get more on how the president's tweet has been recieved as well as coverage on all our other main stories. just head to our website bbc.com you can also download the bbc news app. stay with us on bbc news.

plenty still to come, including plans to restrict foreign fishing in british waters. the uk says it is pulling out of an international agreement. still to come: plans to restrict foreign fishing in british waters — the uk says it's pulling out of an international agreement. china marked its first day of rule in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held in the former colony. the chinese president, jiang zemin, said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell of another sheep. for the first time in 20 years, russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. challenger powered past the bishop rock lighthouse at almost 50 knots, shattering a record that had stood for 34 years. and there was no hiding the sheer elation of richard branson and his crew.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a new wave of arrivals from north africa, italy warns the influx of migrants is unsustainable as european ministers meet for crisis talks. president trump is accused of inciting violence against the media after he tweets a spoof video showing him hitting a man with a cnn logo super—imposed on his head. the french president, emmanuel macron, says he's determined to help eradicate terrorists in the sahel region of north africa. he was speaking at a security summit in mali alongside the leaders of five countries in the region. they're seeking support for a 5,000—strong regional force to combat islamist militants. thomas fessy reports. the french president, emmanuel macron, and his west african counterparts

together in bamako to launch a regionalforce. mali, chad, niger, but also mauritania and burkina faso, will each provide 1,000 troops. france will support them with equipment and it will help them convince western countries to fund their operations. only the eu has so far pledged nearly $16 million, a fraction of the force's total cost, but france remains keen to see it deployed as soon as possible. translation: our enemies want only one thing — to destroy our civilisation. and they feed themselves on our weaknesses, the complexities of our past, and our ineffectiveness as a collective. but together we can make the decision to proceed differently. to tell ourselves everything, whether it pleases us or not. to expect things of one another, because we believe that our future is in common. the regional force will face jihadi groups linked to al-qaeda, drug traffickers as well as

smugglers of migrants bound for europe. this deployment is part of a huge security build—up in mali where foreign military presence has dramatically increased in the last few years. french troops are seen here in mali. the us and germany are also operating in the region. the french may be here for the long haul, but they are hoping that they won't remain the only ones standing guard. the british government has announced it's withdrawing from a 50—year—old convention that allows five european countries to fish in waters close to the uk coastline. it's described the move as a first step towards a new post brexit fishing policy but one of the countries affected, ireland, has called it unwelcome and unhelpful. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. as formal brexit talks set off, britain has said that it would be taking back control over

who fishes in its waters. so it is quitting a 53—year—old convention which allowed countries like france and belgium to fish right up to the british coastline. we are giving notice that we intend to quit that. it's a provision in the agreement that enables us to do that with a two—year notice period. and this is important to give us the legal clarity. we're absolutely clear that, when we leave the eu, we leave the common fisheries policy, and we will take control for managing fisheries resources in our own waters. so what is the london fisheries convention? at the moment, trawlers from france, belgium, netherlands, germany and ireland can fish to within six nautical miles of the british coastline. boats from these countries catch 10,000 tons of fish in this area a year. but that is a fraction, just over 1%, of the 700,000 tons a year caught by british fishermen. the real haggling between brussels and london will be over this — the much wider 200 nautical miles of water around the uk.

but the decision has angered the irish government, which has the only land border with britain. its fisheries minister described the move as unwelcome and unhelpful. and scrapping the convention could also be meaningless. michel barnier, the eu's chief brexit negotiator, said in a tweet that the london convention had been superseded by eu rules covered by the common fisheries policy. but fishermen welcomed the government's action. what it does is make a strong commitment to achieving sovereignty over our. . . taking sovereignty over our waters, which international law states is ours at the moment of brexit. and this is just another statement of intent that that will be what happens. so while some have welcomed the government's claim that it's taking back control, they may not get their ultimate wish.

fisheries is a tiny part of britain's economy, and could be used as a bargaining chip in the frosty talks between britain and the eu. joe lynam, bbc news. the two—time wimbledon champion petra kvitova has spoken of her fear that she would never play tennis again after being attacked in her home six months ago. suffering serious injuries to her left hand, she faced a gruelling fight to regain her fitness and will be competing at wimbledon, which gets under way on monday. 0ur sports correspondent david 0rnstein has been to meet her. she's a two—time wimbledon champion whose life was turned upside down. just days before christmas, petra kvitova was attacked in her own home by an intruder with a knife. her recovery has been remarkable. i presume you're not drinking from it yet? well, not yet. i think it's waiting for some big party maybe... she told me the careerthreatening injuries to her playing hand left physical and mental scars. i had all my fingers cut,

all seven tendons actually on five fingers. the lowest point, it's tough to say... i mean, of course, i had some bad dreams afterwards. i couldn't sleep well. i was still a bit tired from everything that happened. emotionally i was very empty. of course i had bad thoughts that i would never play tennis again. kvitova underwent an emergency operation lasting almost four hours, but still faced an anxious wait over the outcome. i was really worried to see my hand after taking the band off for the first time. it wasn't that bad as i thought it would be. is it right you still can't fully close your hand? that's right. which can't be easy for a tennis player? well, on the other hand i'm lucky i'm playing tennis and not playing badminton or whatever where the grip is much smaller. i think it's describing my situation... by march, kvitova was able to hold

a racket again and two months later she even made it to the french open. courage, belief... and podj. which means? "come on" in czech, with the heart. but wimbledon was always her target. she prepared by winning in birmingham and now incredibly she's being tipped by many for the title. i'm not here to win it. i'm happy already. david 0rnstein, bbc news, wimbledon. stephen hawking is not only one of the world's greatest physicists, he's also spent most of his life struggling with the affects of motor neurone disease. professor hawking's been marking his 75th birthday with a lecture at cambridge university. he's been talking to our science correspondent pallab ghosh. when i was diagnosed at 21, i was told it would kill me in two or three years. now, 54 years later, albeit weaker and in a wheelchair, i'm still working and producing

scientific papers. today, stephen hawking celebrates his 75th birthday. but it's been a great struggle, which i have got through only with a lot of help from my family, colleagues and friends. at an event at cambridge university to pay tribute to his life, he was applauded for his scientific achievements. the legacy will be the scientists that he inspired. and there will be thousands of them, and they're still being inspired today. so there will be ten—year—olds today, or eight—year—olds, who are reading about stephen, and reading about the work that he did, and may go on to be the next einstein. hello, professor hawking. in an exclusive interview with bbc news, professor hawking told me that he was worried about the future of our species. what are your views on president trump's decision

to withdraw from the paris climate agreement, and what impact do you think that'll have on the future of the planet? we are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible. trump's action could push the earth over the brink, to become like venus, with a temperature of 250 degrees and raining sulfuric acid. 0na more on a more political theme, what do you feel the impact of brexit will be on science? science is a cooperative effort so the impact will be only bad and will leave british science isolated and inward looking. stephen hawking has three children. his daughter lucy says his life is an inspiration, and not just to scientists. people who've lived in really extreme circumstances seem to find something very, very inspirational in his example of perseverance and persistence, and his kind of ability to rise above his

suffering, and still want to communicate at a higher level. # happy birthday to you... his ideas have transformed our understanding of the cosmos. but what is also being celebrated is his determination and humanity. pallab ghosh, bbc news, cambridge. let's get a reminder of our top story: eu ministers have been holding talks in paris to work out a joint strategy to deal with italy's growing migrant crisis. so far this year more than 83,000 people have been rescued in the mediterranean and taken to italy. the government says the current wave of migrants is unsustainable. that's it. stay with us on bbc news. hello.

the weekend was something of a mixed bag across the greater part of scotland and northern ireland, but once we get into england and wales, at times it really did look as glorious as that. can we keep it up for the next few days? well, there will be some sunshine in the forecast. as early as tuesday, some areas will be seeing some significant rainfall, and then later in the week it will turn a wee bit hot and humid from the south. now, as i say, the weekend was something of a mixed bag, especially so in the western side of scotland, and into the first part of monday, i think we'll find some of those conditions slumping into the western side of england, through wales too. not a cold start here, 14 or 15, but with clearer skies across scotland and northern ireland, some of the temperatures may even be getting close to single figures. but under the influence of that front, it will be a damp old start across parts of the south—west, coming up into parts of wales. further east, enough cloud for there to be the odd spot of rain, not amounting to very much at all. many of you will start the day dry and bright for scotland and northern

ireland. what an improvement on the dayjust gone. still, a speckling of showers, if not longer spells of rain, getting up towards shetland and through the north end of the 0rkney isles. but as we get on through the morning, into the afternoon, so some of that rain willjust tend to fade away across the far south—west, and indeed in the far north—east. we mayjust pep up one or two sharp showers in the east midlands, east anglia, maybe down into the south—east. just a chance of one or two of those getting down into the wimbledon area as we turn on the heat. elsewhere, 16 to about 19 or 20 covers it. then, as we push that frontal system away, it rather links back, in fact, to a new development for tuesday out in the atlantic. now, i say tuesday, but as early as monday evening i think we'll see the first signs of that rain just beginning to pile its way into northern ireland, and then extending its influence into the southern part of scotland, the north of england, and by tuesday afternoon some of that rain mayjust be getting down towards anglesey and on towards the northern shores of wales. to the south of it,

i think there will be, with some sunshine, a little bit of heat. 24, 25 degrees further north. despite the sunshine, 13—16 will probablyjust about cover it. out of tuesday and on into wednesday, so those fronts will have quit the scene, although there will be a legacy of cloud across the borders area of scotland, the far north of england, to the south of that, the heat will be beginning to build up, feeling quite close and humid, and that mayjust spawn one or two thundery showers as we get on through thursday. a little bit of uncertainty about this, but i think generally those temperatures are on the up by midweek. this is bbc news, the headlines: eu ministers have been holding talks in paris to work out a joint strategy for dealing with italy's growing migrant crisis. so far this year more than 83 thousand people have been rescued in the mediterranean and taken to italy. the government in rome says the current wave of migrants is unsustainable. iraqi special forces say they've recaptured more territory from the so—called islamic state. troops and police are now closing in from three sides on the militants, who captured

the city three years ago. iraqi commanders say thousands of civilians may be trapped behind is lines. president trump has been accused of inciting attacks againstjournalists after he tweeted a spoof video of himself assaulting a man with a cnn logo super—imposed on his head. mr trump regularly accuses cnn and other critical media outlets, of broadcasting what he calls "fake news." now on bbc news, dateline london.