this is bbc news. i'm james menendez. our top stories: italy threatens to close its ports after warning the latest wave of migrants from north africa is unsustainable. european ministers meet for crisis talks. iraqi specialforces recapture more territory from so—called islamic state, but thousands of civilians remain trapped in mosul. double wimbledon champion petra kvitova returns to swi9 after a knife attack that made herfear she'd never play tennis again. onjb on jb robertson in onjb robertson in business. xi jinping of china in moscow to meet vladimir putin. trade said to be top of their agenda. china is looking to push its vision of a new silk road. but beijing is also looking further afield for some fresh impetus. from today, global investors can buy chinese company debt through an exchange for the very first time.

hello and welcome. italy's threatening to close its ports and impound rescue ships carrying migrants from libya, saying other eu countries need to pull their weight. italy's interior minister has been meeting his french and german counterparts in paris to discuss the situation. the numbers of people rescued and taken to italy are up almost 20% on last year — 83,000 in total. a source close to the talks told the afp news agency that the meeting was aimed at finding "a co—ordinated and concerted response to the migrant flux in the central mediterranean". italy said the talks went well but no other details have been released. our 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. others 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 search—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 may be trapped behind is lines, as orla 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. orla guerin, bbc news, mosul. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. 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. a shooting outside a mosque in the french city of avignon has left at least eight people injured, none of them critically. the prosecutor's office has ruled out terrorism as a motive. the french president emmanuel macron will make a speech today setting out his vision for the country over the next five years.

he's convened a special session of both houses of parliament at the palace of versailles. it's the first time a french head of state has taken such a step and mr macron has been accused by some opponents of over—reaching his powers. jamie is here with all the business news. russia and china? a big meeting. chinese president xijinping is in russia for talks with his counterpart vladimir putin. the visit will be president xi's sixth tour to russia since taking office in 2012 and their meetings seem to be bearing fruit. according to chinese statistics, trade between the two increased by over 26% in the first four months of the year, reaching nearly $25 billion. co—operation is increasing, too. russia will be a key component of china's ‘belt and road' initiative — an ambitious multitrillion—dollar project that will link europe and asia

via the historic silk road. beijing is a major driving force behind the project — the chinese government has already agreed to help finance the high—speed rail line between the two russian cities of moscow and kazan. let's stay with the world's second largest economy. china has just opened up its corporate bond market to overseas investors. starting from today, institutions such as banks and hedge funds will be able to buy chinese company debt via an exchange based in hong kong. there's already a similar system in place which allows investors to buy shares in chinese companies, but unlike the ‘stock connect,‘ the new bond platform does not place a quota on the amount of debt which can be bought by individualfunds. we will look at that and a lot more

detail injust a moment. don't forget, you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter, i'm @bizrobertson. i will see you in around 20 minutes. the northern ireland secretaryjames brokenshire will make a statement later about the talks to restore power—sharing at stormont. the president of sinn fein, gerry adams says it would take what he called a "step change" to reach a deal with the democratic unionist party. the two parties have missed a series of deadlines to try to resolve their differences. chris buckler reports from belfast. for months, northern ireland has been without a government. deadline after deadline has passed and despite long days and nights of negotiations at stormont, every still no deal to restore power sharing and the parties are blaming each other. at this in time it requires sinn fein to change its attitude and its approach to these talks and not demand what it is looking for. sinn fein is demanding that the dup agrees the official

status for the irish language and the introduction of same—sex marriage in northern ireland. this is now the only part of the uk where two men or two women cannot get married and at the weekend, there was a large march in the centre of belfast in either of changing the law. we want a quality and rights for everybody and we do have a rights —based society for everyone people ‘s rights, whether you are from the orange or any other tradition is protected under law. 4pm last thursday had been set as the final opportunity for agreement. now today, after all weekend of stalemate, the northern ireland secretary james brokenshire will have to take action. he can call elections, have westminster take over the running of northern ireland for a time or try to delay things further. but he knows power—sharing at stormont needs parties were willing to work together. now, to the latest twitter storm whipped up by president trump. he's 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. tom burridge reports. it's president trump latest attack on the so—called mainstream media. a video from 2007 were donald trump appeared at a w w e wrestling event. ringside, he pretended to beat someone up. ringside, he pretended to beat someone up. it's on the version of the video the president has tweeted ata cnn the video the president has tweeted at a cnn lota is set imposed on the man's head. prominent american journalist even some right—wing commentators have criticised video. this is not modern—day presidential, it is modern day crisis, it is modern coarseness. it is an incitement to violence. one thing aide to the president said on would perceive the video as a threat against the media. but even supporters of the president say his tweets are a distraction. we want

him to concentrate on what is important to the american people, like tax reform and repealing obamacare and national like tax reform and repealing obamaca re and national security, like tax reform and repealing obamacare and national security, and we would really like for him to put down the twitter account. away from the protest, many americans like donald trump's provocative style. mr trump said his tweets are those of a modern president. cnn described the video he tweeted as juvenile behaviour far below the dignity of the office of president. and you can get more on how the president's tweet has been received as well as coverage on all our other main stories. just head to our website bbc.com /news. you can also download the bbc news app. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the milestone stephen hawking thought he would never reach. 75th birthday celebrations for the physicist who overcame disability to become a sensation of science 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 3h years. and there was no hiding the sheer elation of richard branson and his crew. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: italy threatens to close its ports, after warning the latest wave of migrants from north africa is unsustainable. 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. the public enquiry into decades of historical child abuse on the channel island ofjersey will report its findings on monday. more than 600 witnesses have given evidence about abuse in children's homes and in foster care. police recorded more than 500 alleged offences, of which 315 were said to have been committed at the haute de la garenne children's home. robert hall reports.

in the past two years, the story of abuse speak them is has finally been told. —— victims. their cries stifle, ignored or dismissed. the secret police investigation brought the islands hidden past the worldwide attention. claims that children had died at the haute de la garenne, police brought in dogs. bones and children's teeth were discovered but none could be linked toa discovered but none could be linked to a specific crime or timeframe. but there were accounts of abuse across homes in the island. accounts of those in authority is misusing their power. complaints came to light. yet decisions were made not to deal with those complaints in the

way they ought to have been done. when chair frances oldham qc reveal their findings, when chair frances oldham qc reveal theirfindings, victims when chair frances oldham qc reveal their findings, victims will be looking for clear messages. jersey fail catastrophically in looking after their children under their ca re after their children under their care and government are going to promise that it is never going to happen again. brazilian politics has, for the past few years, been full of drama — politicians implicated in a massive corruption scandal, the impeachment of president dilma rousseff last year, and now, in the past week, her successor michel temer charged with accepting bribes. so how are brazilians feeling about the latest allegations? katy watson reports now from rio de janeiro. a week is a long time in resilient politics and it ended up looking like this. a general strike and protesters out on the streets, angry

with the government. it started badly for the president after he was charged with accepting bribes. nearly two months of investigations painted him as a dirty leader but he's not giving up, blaming people to stop rozelle moving forward and he said they would never succeed. only they did. frederick police stopped issuing passports last week because of a budget crisis is all —— brazil. it has been frustrating. the printers are still at work. stockpiling supplies, waiting for the budget to be increased and then police can get back to issuing the documents. the police department and justice ministry already asked for more budget and then there is an internal prices of our congress to

get this approved. —— process. ratings are the lowest in nearly three decades. just 7%. but despite that, the protests, the criminal charges, he is still hanging on because what is the alternative? there seem to be running out of ideas. it is not working and we do not know what to do about politics. we just put one president out and the second is having the same problem now. you give up? no, just trying to find the strength to keep going. but these are unprecedented times. michel temer is the first sitting president to face charges but experts said little will change. time is frozen in brazil and eve ryo ne time is frozen in brazil and everyone is counting the clock to see when are we able to overcome this but the only way to do it,

really, is to wait for the october 2018 elections. the whent of change may have started bye for now, stability is better than uncertainty. taking the easy option is tempting. 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 underway on monday. our sports correspondent david ornstein 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 career—threatening 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 more 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 ornstein, bbc news, wimbledon. a scientific study in the uk says chemicals flushed through the drainage system have caused about 20% of male freshwater fish to exhibit female characteristics. researchers identified more than 200 agents, including some in the contraceptive pill, which made male fish display feminised traits. some became less likely to mate and some even produced eggs. stephen hawking is not only one of the world's greatest physicists,

he's also spent most of his life struggling with the debilitating effects of motor neurone disease. professor hawking's been marking his 75th birthday with a lecture at cambridge university. and 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, 5a 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. stephen hawking has three children. his daughter lucy says his life is an inspiration, and notjust 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. and before we go, let's head to new york where the queen mary 2 arrived this weekend. the luxury ocean liner, won the bridge 2017, a six thousand kilometre trans—atlantic race that began in france and marks the 100th anniversary of the arrival of american troops in europe to fight in world war i. i will be back shortly with more

headlines. i will be back shortly with more headlines. hello once again. it looks as though the forthcoming week offers the prospect of some sunshine and that's the way we start for many of us on monday but as early as tuesday some areas will be seeing some rain and then later in the week things turn rather hot and humid from the south, and we'll get to that injust a second. first up it looks like it won't be a cold start anywhere, clearer skies for scotland and northern ireland may have allowed temperatures to dip away a touch but the murkier weather that was all over western scotland through sunday will have slumped its way overnight down to the southern and western parts of england and parts of wales too, so rather disappointing start to the day here. further east enough cloud for a spot of rain perhaps but not amounting to very much at all. as we drift up to the borders, across into scotland and indeed across to northern ireland, much clearer here but you'll notice that we've still got an area of low pressure close by to the shetland isles, so a fair few showers here to start the day, maybe the odd longer spell of rain

but eventually that moves to scandinavia, brightening up here. further south i think the front will weaken and the rain will fizzle away across the south—west, maybe one or two showers getting down towards the south—east, the chance of a shower at wimbledon as we turn on the heat and a sharper shower further north, east midlands towards lincolnshire and towards norfolk as well. a lot of dry weather around once that monday front if you like has rather fizzled away. but look out to the atlantic, we see new developments. call it tuesday's weather but it will first show its hand across northern ireland and later in the day on monday. overnight it will be turning quite wet for a time and through the day on tuesday here we see the influence of that rain getting into the central belt and into the north of england and maybe the north of wales too. to the south of it with a bit of sunshine, and there could be some, we could see the temperature around 20 to 25 or so. further north despite the sunshine, on the cooler side of the front, 13 to 16.

through tuesday night and into wednesday we pushed the bulk of the weather front away to the near continent but it leaves a legacy of cloud that has enough about it for the odd spot of rain or drizzle on the breeze but to the south of it the heat begins to build, further north, a bit cooler, by thursday it will be a lot warmer everywhere and with moisture further south we could see the first signs of quite a few thunderstorms. take care. this is bbc world news. the headlines: italy is threatening to close its ports as the current migrants crisis worsens. more than 83,000 people have been rescued in the mediterranean and taken to italy so far this year. european minister have been holding emergency talks. —— european ministers have been holding emergency talks. iraqi special forces say they've recaptured more territory from the so—called islamic state, who captured the city three years ago. iraqi commanders say thousands of civilians may be trapped behind is lines. saudi arabia has said it will extend the deadline for qatar to meet its demands by 48 hours. the arab state's ultimatum includes shutting the news channel aljazeera and downgrading ties with iran.

president trump has been accused of inciting attacks againstjournalists after he tweeted a spoof video of himself assaulting an animated cnn figure. mr trump has regularly accused the channel of broadcasting what he calls "fake news."