this is bbc news. i'm simon mccoy. the headlines at 3pm: six million people will have to wait longer before receiving a state pension. from 2037, the state pension age will rise from 67 to 68 which is seven years sooner than originally planned says the secretary of state. we can't pretend that you know we can stay with a state pension abling that doesn't reflect the fact that life expectancy is improving as indeed is healthy life expectancy. 96 names are on the list each earning over £150,000 a year. chris evans tops the male—dominated list with earnings of more than £2 million. the bbc‘s director general defends the figures. what we have managed to do is pay

oui’ what we have managed to do is pay our employees below the market rate. a major clean—up operation in the cornish village of coverack after flash floods with severe damage to the main road in. no more surcharge payments for using your debit or credit card. new rules come into force next year. also this hour, president trump's previously undisclosed meeting with russian president vladimir putin. they met during a dinner with world leaders at the g20 summit — just hours after the pair held formal talks. the success story of the boy with a double hand transplant who can now cook and play baseball. to the parents so for forgiving me their son's hands because they didn't have to do that if they didn't have to do that if they didn't want to. the most popular song of all time? it's number one, it's in spanish and it's been downloaded more than 4.5 billion times. good afternoon and

welcome to bbc news. in the past hour the government has revealed that six million people in their late 30s and early 40s will have to work a year longer, as a result of a change in the state pension age, the government has announced. the increase in the pension age from 67 to 68 has been brought forward seven years and will now come into effect from 2037. the change will affect those born between april 1970 and april 1978. the change was announced by the work and pensions secretary david gauk whose defended the change of position. i think it is right that we are honest with the british people. i think it is right that we deal with some of the long—term risks that we have as a country and i don't think we would be doing our duty if we shied away from that. the reality is that the country has to live within

its means. we have got to make the arguments for why that's the case and if you don't address an issue like this in good time and give people notice then you could be faced with sudden increases down the linement you can end up with a crisis. to give you an example. if we just stuck at 66 which the labour party are advocating by 2040 we would be spending a further £20 billion on the state pension compared to the plans that we've set out today. £20 billion that's twice the home office budget. that's com pletely the home office budget. that's completely unsustainable so we have to face up to that and the way that we can have a properly funded state pension and a dignified retirement for people who need the state pension is by ensuring that the age at which it is available reflects what's happening with life expectancy. the shadow work and pensions secretary, debbie abrahams called the move astonishing. most pensioners will now spend their

retirement battling a toxic cocktail of ill—health with men expecting to drift into ill—health at 63. five yea rs drift into ill—health at 63. five years earlier than this proposed quickened state pension age of 68. while women expect to see signs of ill—health at 64. this national picture masks even worse regional inequalities if you live in nottingham men are likely to suffer ill—health from the age of 57, a full 11 years earlier than the government's plans. the government talks about making britain fairer, but their pensions policy, whether it is about the injustice of 1950s born women are facing or today's proposal to increase the spo to 68 is anything, but fair. with me is our business correspondent andy verity. david gauke says we have got to do something because there is a looming financial hole? pensions get paid between retirement and death. so the

longer people live, if life expectancy grows, it means the same pot of jam has expectancy grows, it means the same pot ofjam has to be spread more thinly and because we're living longer and longer in order to maintain the same thickness ofjam, the same level of pension we are paying more and more. so there have been attempts to prune that. we have had the raising of women's state retirement date and the raising of both men and women's to 66 rather than 65, but it was planned that over the next 27 years they would phase in the raising of the retirement age from 66 to 68. now those born between april 19 # 70 and april 1978 have thought they would be able to retire at 67. after this announcement, it is more like 68. what is the government saving?m announcement, it is more like 68. what is the government saving? it is a huge amount. you are always talking big money with pensions and when you spread it out, it is biggermentjust by this move, bricking forward the date at which a

state retirement age rises to 68, they are saving £74 billion according to the work and pension secretary david gauke. i think there isa secretary david gauke. i think there is a flip side to that. if the exchequer is saving £74 billion, that's £74 billion less getting paid out to pension recipients. we saw in the run—up to the general election, social care st a huge issue. the government paid the price at the ballot box. in terms of an elder population, the risks of that and we heard it from the shadow work and pensions secretary there, ill—health and the government has to sort that out, with dementia on the rise, there is a problem there? well, a lot of health costs go with this greater lockjeffity, people lot of health costs go with this greater lock jeffity, people living longer. certain health costs go up like for example caring for alzheimer's if people live long per because the brain doesn't function so because the brain doesn't function so well for as long. we have known about the extra cost, but it is the underlying problem of life expectancy rising, we have known

that life expectancy is rising for yea rs that life expectancy is rising for years and pensions have been struggling and pension schemes have been strewing for years. more recently we found out that it's not going up as quickly. so the urgency of the need for savings is perhaps scpra reduced from what it was. andy, thank you very much. the bbc has disclosed the salaries of its top stars after being compelled to do so by the government. chris evans is the highest paid on the list with earnings of more than £2 million. gary lineker earns over £1.75 million, and graham norton over £850,000 though that figure doesn't include his tv chat show. the disclosure has divided opinion with some saying it's unfair on the corporation, others questioning the bbc‘s use of public money. there's also criticism that only a third of the names on the list are women. the bbc‘s director—general defended the salaries, saying the corporation had to work in a very competitive market. 0ur media correspondent david sillito reports. the pay deals of the bbc‘s top stars are no longer a secret. thank you very much! graham norton received more than £850,000.

the final day of the premier league... gary lineker‘s deal takes him over £1.75 million. how do you feel about bbc talent salaries being published? but top of the bbc pay list, chris evans. £2.2 million. we are the ultimate public company, i think. and therefore i think that it is probably on balance right and proper that people know what we get paid. where is everyone ? the best paid bbc actor is derek thompson, charlie from casualty, with more than £350,000. other actors paid by independent companies don't appear. also some stars such as graham norton also have deals not on the list with independent firms. but it does give a snapshot of the level of top pay. more than £700,000 forjeremy vine, stephen nolan from bbc ulster, more than £400,000. however, the bbc says it has

been cutting top pay, dropping more than 10% over the last 12 months. we are constantly working at ensuring that we get the balance right between our public, who want to have great shows headed by stars and great presenters, and then also wanting to know that their money, and it is their money, public money, is being spent properly. and that is always a balance. and over the last two or three years, yes, some key presenters and others have taken pay cuts. and it's notjust the size of the pay deals that is raising questions. there's also the issue of balance. the bbc has set itself targets for gender equality and yet, when you look at the list, two—thirds of the names are men. tess daly earns more than £350,000. but it's claudia winkleman who is the highest—paid woman for strictly and other programmes, more than £450,000. but many questions will be asked about what appears to be gaps in pay deals between male

and female presenters. there is discrimination and unfairness against women. but i think although everyone will think it is very unfair and outrageous, this is now a moment when it can be sorted out. however one argument against revealing the salaries is that some presenters may now think they have a good case for asking for more money. but the former culture secretary who enforced this new openness has no doubts about the process. if you consider that £150,000 represents the licence fee of 1,000 households, then i think the public are entitled to know that is how their money is being spent. so, 96 pay deals above £150,000. this talent bill has been dropping, but viewers and listeners now have a much clearer picture ofjust who earns what. let's get some reaction to this with maria miller, chair joining us now is damejoan

ba kewell. i hesitate joining us now is damejoan bakewell. i hesitate to ask, your reaction when you saw the figures this morning? well, my reaction was to find out what my colleagues are earning. it is not like it was in my day when women lagged far behind and they have come on very well, but the thing that apals me most is the lack of gender equality now. we're in the zist of gender equality now. we're in the 21st century, get on with it the bbc and make equal pay universal. the bbc says it is getting on with it, and tony hall saying he would like it to be a quicker process, but it's heading in the right direction, is it? yes, it is, but slowly. what's holding them up? it needs will. it needs will power and a decision through the managerial classes of which there are many in the bbc to make it possible. why is it happening, do you think? well, it's in the nature of men on the whole, this is my experience from the 19805, this is my experience from the 1980s, men on the whole, editors and

heads of department, tended to appoint as it were their heir, their son and heirand appoint as it were their heir, their son and heir and thejoke appoint as it were their heir, their son and heir and the joke was on newsnight in the 1980s that the women who worked there were programme wives so they had a lowlier status, that was our way of joking off the fact that we were treated less equally than the men. it is just the sluggishness of major corporations i think. to make it effective. and of course, being such a huge organisation, when you move one brick in one wall then it slides one brick in one wall then it slides on another. so it is a huge operation, but it does need will power to make it happen. are you pleased that we all know now what these people are on?|j pleased that we all know now what these people are on? i think this is a side issue really from what the indications are that the government has insisted that the bbc operates like a business because this is a tory government, it believes in competition, capitalism, and so on and it wants the bbc to do that. but what it denies the bbc is the right

to negotiate to establish the confidentiality of its employees and what it wants in one hand and what it insists from the bbc with one hand,it it insists from the bbc with one hand, it denies with the other. it isa hand, it denies with the other. it is a mess. nothing is clear. it has just got muddier. i'm wondering when you came into the business, how different was it? oh well, i mean i simply accepted that i earned much less. i mean one did. i'm sorry to say this, one was grateful for the opportunity to work. and that gratitude, we are talking about licence fee money. do you feel that there is the wider issue because the bbc says hang on a minute, we're in a commercial world, we have to pay people the commercial rate. is that an argument that works for a public sector broadcaster? well, it isn't sorted out, is it? people keep talking about public

money as though it was coming from taxes. the bbc is paid for by licence fee money which is designated by the government under royal charter. that is so it is not public money out of taxes anymore than the money you pay for your gas and electricity is paid out of taxes. it's not. you pay it out of your own purse at the behest of the licence fee agreement with the bbc. so, it's not essential to have a television set, of course, it is incredibly desirable socially and in many, incredibly desirable socially and in any incredibly desirable socially and in many, many respects, but you couldn't say it's bread and water. it isn't an essential purchase. it's purchased at the decision of the public individually one by one to pay for the licence fee. so, again, the agreement between the government and the bbc, the licence fee, muddies this situation so that you can on the one hand claim that it's public money, we need to know, but it isn't quite public money. it's money we choose to spend on the bbc.

and this is part of an exercise aimed it is said to control costs. i'm wondering on that basis given that there is this gender disparity would you urge women in broadcasting to push to pay or would you say to the broadcasters pay your men less? well, it's very difficult because i still do work for the beboicationly and the rule of thumb is well, you know, costs are being squeezed these days, you know what it's like, budgets are being cut. this case is co nsta ntly budgets are being cut. this case is constantly made by the bbc producers and managers, that's the mantra. i think there needs to be a real culture shift, the bbc is a pillar of our culture. let's have some leadership. let's demonstrate that they really mean what they say and press further for equal pay, not equal pay, but more comparable pay. hang on, what's the difference? well, there are nuances to this. for example, the papers all talk about bbc stars and what they earn. now,

there is entertainment in which you have stars on a par with film stars and west end stars, actors and so on and west end stars, actors and so on and entertainment figures, but then you have factual arenas in which people are experienced, authoritative journalists whose career probably lasts longer than a short—term star of the entertainment world. now there is a discrepancy there and there should be discrepancy in private the star of celebrity or the journalist and their agents can trade with the bbc at what is a reasonable price. dame joan bakewell, thank at what is a reasonable price. damejoan bakewell, thank you. thank you. our correspondent nick higham is outside bbc‘s broadcasting house here in central london. nick, everybody within the bbc was wondering how this would play. how is it playing? well, it's playing in

a confusing way because the figures themselves are actually rather confusing. you've been talking there tojoan confusing. you've been talking there to joa n ba kewell confusing. you've been talking there to joan ba kewell about confusing. you've been talking there to joan bakewell about the gender pay gap and that's clear. there is a very great difference between the number of men earning above £150,000 and the number of women and by and large the men seem to earn more as individuals than the women do. but in other respects this is a rather confusing and incomplete picturement there are lots of people who work as talent for the bbc who are not on the list. for instance, stephen moffitt is not on the list. even though doctor who is a programme produced by the bbc in house, presumably he is paid through an independent production company and anybody who works for independent production company isn't declared as pa rt production company isn't declared as part of these figures. like wise, there are people graham norton is a good example who are on the list, but earn a good deal more. graham

norton earns between £850,000 and £900,000 from the bbc, he gets paid more because the fee for his bbc one chat show which is an independent production isn't included in this. so, it's a rather confusing picture. it's not entirely clear always whether we are comparing like for like. in some cases you have people fiona bruce and huw edwards, they present the news, but then both do other programmes. fiona bruce does factual entertainment programmes things like the antiques road show and huw edwards does election coverage, are they comparable? does the fact that she earns less than him, does that play into this debate about the gender pay gap? is it in fa ct about the gender pay gap? is it in fact merely a reflection of the different sorts ofjobs they do. i can't help feeling looking at the list that what people get paid is often rather arbitrary, it depends on how vigorously they negotiate

with the bbc or their agent does and it depends on how little the bbc thinks it can get away with paying people and it depends whether there are people who have gun out of the bbc and then come back again. some of those tend to get well better paid than colleagues who have remained in the bbc for a long time. i think it's extraordinarily arbitrary and quite hard to come up with a pattern, a consistent pattern. nick higham, thank you very much. let's speak to maria miller. let's speak to maria millenm let's speak to maria miller. it is surprising that the bbc didn't want the figures to be release. they show not really a gender pay gap, but serious than that that there is a problem with equal pay for equal which already clear laws over. when i questioned the bbc about this yesterday they were unable to tell

me what would happen as a result of figures being released today, but there are some serious questions to be asked. what should happen? the bbc needs to look carefully at whether they are paying the same amount toa whether they are paying the same amount to a man and woman for doing the samejob. amount to a man and woman for doing the same job. particularly when it comes to news broadcasting which i can understand why there is an argument to say that talent stars, show business stars, might be paid differently because of their ability to generate different levels of audience, but when it comes to particularly news and journalism, really ultimately it is down to experience and there are individuals with apparently similar experience being paid extremely different amounts of money and i think that the bbc‘s is going to need to explain to its licence fee payer what the legal liabilities are here and that's really for them to answer, not for commentators. you talk about the licence fee payer. this has been rather hijacked by

politicians because the licence fee payer is the ultimate decider as to whether these pay agreements are acceptable? well, yes and no. i mean ultimately you can choose not to pay your licence fee, but i think the ultimate test there is this a public service broadcast organisation that has duties, but also has legal obligations and it would appear that there are people doing the same job for different salaries. now, in any other organisation that could end in quite difficult legal situations and i think the bbc needs to come clean on this. is there going to be a big legal bill at the end of this process ? legal bill at the end of this process? this is part of a cost controlling exercise if you like. if you were an agent and one of your female clients rang you and said, "look, i should female clients rang you and said, "look, ishould be female clients rang you and said, "look, i should be paid the same as the man." are you going to push for an increase in salary or are you going to say the man should be paid

less ? going to say the man should be paid less? these are questions for the bbc. they have to be comfortable that what they are paying is necessary. as a licence fee payer myself, what i would hope the bbc would be doing is encouraging and nurturing the next generation of talent coming through. yes, of course, we need experienced individuals, but really as a public service broadcast organisation particularly the brand of bbc news really do we need as many people on such high salaries when the brand itself is the thing that people trust, the people behind the camera, are the people who are making sure that things are factually correct, i think some even deeper questions to ask here about the way particularly on thejournalism side ask here about the way particularly on the journalism side things are being structured. people earn trust, don't they? it is notjust a brand issue. well, if you look around the world what's trusted is the brand called bbc and i think we should be incredibly proud about that and

certainly having travelled on trade delegations to countries like china or russia that's a brand that has enormous punching power and i think we shouldn't under estimate that. enormous punching power and i think we shouldn't under estimate thatm is not paid for by the licence fee is not paid for by the licence fee is it, it is a very confusing picture? it is a confusing picture on one level, but what is certain and clear, the data which the bbc didn't want to release today has shown a clear picture which there is a lack of women involved in these very highly paid jobs, but when it comes to looking at like for like work, women are not being paid as much as men in many instances and thatis much as men in many instances and that is a very concerning issue. it's not gender pay gap, that's about equal pay and there are clear laws about that. maria miller, thank you very much for joining maria miller, thank you very much forjoining us this afternoon. thank you. a big clean—up operation is taking place in cornwall, after flash floods swept through the village of coverack on the lizard peninsula. there were three hours of torrential downpours last night

and a number of people had to be rescued from the roofs of their homes by a coastguard helicopter. residents reported hailstones the size of 50 pence pieces and the village was divided in two by a four—foot torrent of water. 0ur correspondentjon kay has travelled to the village and fishing port to see the extent of the damage. what a mess. this was the main road into the village of coverack until it was ripped apart. just look at it now. and this is why. heavy rain sent a four—foot torrent of water thundering down the hills into the harbour yesterday afternoon sweeping away everything in its wake. there was so much power it forced down this metal barrier. mary has found her elderly mother's walking frame among the pile of debris.

next to it even her kitchen sink. what's it like to see it all here? devastating. it is really devastating. it has happened. we can't put it back. we've just got to get on and carry on and do what we can and get back to normal. we're cornish, that's what we do! mud and cobbles can be swept up, but major structural repairs are also needed. at this time of year, there would normally be thousands of holiday—makers driving down this road every day to get to the harbour. but it's going to be awhile before anyone can down here. clearly the roads are going to take a while to get back into action properly but we're working with other agencies to make sure that happens as soon as possible. two pensioners had to be winched to safety by the coastguard helicopter as their home filled with floodwater. they couldn't get us out of the velux window out the backs

so they took out the front. the dishwasher was floating around the middle of the kitchen. the washing machine bouncing up and down like a boat and the bookcase with all the cookery books fell over. it was terrible. this stretch of the cornish coast is well used to bad weather but it was the speed, the intensity and the localised nature of this storm that took many people by surprise. an american boy — who was the youngest in the world to have a double hand transplant — is now able to write, dress himself and even play baseball. zion harvey had the transplant two years ago after his hands and feet were amputated when he contracted sepsis. doctors say the key to his recovery has been zion himself, and his inspiring determination to succeed, as sara smith reports. it's the story of extraordinary surgical skill. and an extraordinary little boy.

i just want to write a letter to the parents for giving me their son's hands. because they didn't have to do that if they didn't want to. after losing his hands and feet to infection atjust two, zion harvey was eight when the ten hour pioneering transplant surgery took place. but it was then that the real work began. months and months of tough rehabilitation. nice! he remains a remarkable young man because here we have had weeks of hospitalisation, a daily request for him to interact, to do therapy, to undergo testing. to interface and again there has never been one iota of resistance or, "i don't want to today or i don't feel like it". there have been setbacks. his body has tried eight times

to reject the new hands. but a mix of immunosuppression drugs and hard work means he is making incredible progress. now i can get myself dressed without anybody helping me. now i can get a snack out the fridge without anybody helping me. he has become this independent person that does not need me around all the time. he takes his meds on his own now. like, what am i here for now? that's how i feel. like, oh, my goodness, he's not going to need me next year? it is very bittersweet. here, we have muhammad ali and up here, ray lewis. in the middle of all of them is me. tests have shown his brain is creating pathways for controlling and feeling his hands. there's still a long way to go, but zion is nothing if not determined. if any kid is watching this, and you're going through a rough

time, never give up on what you're doing. you will get there eventually. sarah smith, bbc news. let's get a weather update. it is all about the storms. incredible pictures from cornwall. 200,000 lightening bolts around the british isles in the last 24 hours. this is one from canary wharf in london. elsewhere, we will see storms breaking out across north—west england and some heavy falls of rain in northern ireland. these areas at risk of seeing localised flooding and standing water on the roads and difficult driving conditions. there will be disruption. 0vernight tonight,

outbreaks of rain push from northern ireland into scotland. we will see some damp weather pushing eastwards across wales and england. some low cloud and murky over the hills and very cloud and murky over the hills and very warm across eastern areas. temperatures 18 celsius in norwich. tomorrow, fresher air is on the way. the humidity clearing out along with the cloud and the rain from scotland and england with sunshine following, but later in the afternoon we will see the cloud and rain spreading back into northern ireland and that heralds what we've got coming our way for friday and the weekend i'm afraid. hello, this is bbc news with simon mccoy. the headlines at 3:30pm: it's been announced 6 million people born between 1970 and 1978 will have to work for a year longer before receiving their state pension. the government has announced that the age will go up from 67 to 68 in 2037, seven years earlier than planned. and as an population where life

expectancy is increasing, something to be celebrated —— the reality is that we have a population where life expectancy is increasing. but we also need to have a state pension that reflects that rising life expectancy. the bbc has revealed how much it pays its top stars for the first time. it's been forced by the government to disclose the salaries of those who earn more than £150,000 a year. a clean—up operation is underway following flash flooding at a village in southern cornwall. coverack on the lizard peninsula was hit by three hours of torrential downpours, with hailstones the size of 50p pieces. no more surcharge payments for using your debit or credit card — new rules come into force next year. time to catch up with all of the sports news at the bbc sports centre with hugh.

a different competition but some of the same faces. england against scotland again but for the first y-xxff. .f:.-..-.—.-.!! .-.-..—..-..-.l.— s..-..-.—. ns.-gel?!— england finished third in the last world cup in canada and they come into this tournament ended netherlands being spoken about as one of the favourites alongside germany and france, an unfamiliar position for england. as such they have prepared for this tournament in a way they haven't done before. they may have only arrived here in utrecht a few days ago but really the preparations started months ago. mark sampson named his team three months ago for this, which was unprecedented. they have had four training camps since may and have physically also gone to places they have not been before. this team is being talk about by the players and staff as the fittest and best prepasred england team yet. as for scotland, they will be desperate to achieve an upset here in utrecht. a big occasion for their side. after coming so close to qualifying

for the euros in the past they are finally here. their first major tournament. unfortunately they are here without some of their best players, missing the likes of kim little, the world—class arsenal midfielder, missing through injury, as isjen beattie the manchester city defender. but they do still have players to trouble england, jane ross, who also plays at manchester city, who will be familiar toa number of the england players, and caroline wear has also been in great form for liverpool. 0ther scottish players are talking about this as the biggest game of their careers. it is also the biggest game for their coach as well, anna signal, which will be the last game for her with scotland before she leaves to take up a coaching role with finland. they will be desperate to end that on a positive note. and you can hear that match on bbc five live, kick—off in utrecht is 7:45pm. arsenal beat german champions bayern munich 3—2 on penalties

in the international champions cup in shanghai this afternoon. alex iwobi left it late to take the match to penalties with a goal three minutes into injury—time — equalising a robert lewandowski goal. then reserve goalkeeper emiliano martinez won the game for arsenal as he saved juan bernat‘s penalty. arsenal face chelsea in beijing at the weekend. dominic solanke scored for liverpool against crystal palace in their 2—0 win in hong kong in the last hour, his first goal since his move from chelsea this summer. the second liverpool goal came from divock 0rigi — it's also been announced that liverpool are about to sign hull city left—back andrew robertson. marcel kittel has been forced to pull out of this year's tour de france. the german was involved in a crash on today's stage 17 while wearing the points leader's green jersey

after injuring his shoulder. he's won five stages so far in the race. australian michael matthews will take over the green jersey later today. the 146th open golf championship starts at royal birkdale in the morning — the destination of the claretjug looks wide open but one man unusually not being touted as a potential champion is the 2014 winner rory mcilroy. the four—time major champion has suffered with a sharp downturn in form lately but says he fancies his chances this week. i feel good. if my game ifeel good. if my game is i feel good. if my game is all there. like i said, it is like the pieces are there and it is just finding a way to put them back together. that economic happen through playing golf tournaments and playing rounds, and i have not had enough of them recently, and hopefully i can play my way into this tournament and build scores and sort of do what i have been able to do in the past. ifeel as i can get off to start like that i will be all right in this tournament. that is all your sport for now. leah bolleto will be with you in the next hour. thank you very much. from january, businesses will be

banned from charging fees on transactions made by debit and credit card. it follows a directive from the european union to end the charges often imposed by airlines, food delivery companies, and small businesses. the treasury says the fees cost consumers £473 million in 2010 alone. sarah campbell has the details. four years four yea rs consumers four years consumers have been charged more for using their credit or debit cards. fancy a late night takeaway? apps such as hungry house and just eat will add charges. but from january such charges will be banned. it is great that they will put an end to these, and not just those ones, but american express and paypal as well. it is further than the government had to go so it is great news for consumers. it does cost companies money to process payments. 5.5p for debit card payments according to 2016 figures, and 16p for credit cards. up until now some companies have passed significantly higher

costs on to consumers, including the dvla, which charges £2.50 per card transaction. 77% of all retail sales in the uk are made using card, so it is the predominant way to pay, and therefore it is quite right that consumers should not be charged for the privilege of paying in the way they want to. surcharges will cease, but it will be open to firms to recoup the costs they incur by other means. sarah campbell, bbc news. planned strikes by southern railway guards and drivers in the rmt union have been suspended to allow talks with the transport secretary. the union said its general secretary mick cash had been contacted by chris grayling, inviting him to meet, subject to the suspension of the planned industrial action. the strikes had been due to take place in early august. the first official face—to—face meeting between presidents donald trump and vladimir putin at the g20 earlier this month was scrutinised around the world. it's now been revealed they held

another, undisclosed meeting later that day. it's understood the pair spoke for up to an hour — but details of their conversation have not been disclosed. chris rogers reports. this is the first image of the two leaders meeting at the first time at the g20's summit. the backdrop, alleged russian collusion with trump's campaign team. we now know that the two leaders met again hours later, at a dinnerfor leaders that the two leaders met again hours later, at a dinner for leaders and their spouses. the doidge has emerged showing a brief interaction with other world leaders as mr trump ta ke with other world leaders as mr trump take his seat —— footage has emerged. we now know what followed was an informal meeting between the two men. but why did the white house only acknowledge this after it was publicly revealed by this man, the president of the us —based eurasia group. he told clients in a

newsletter he saw the men talk for around an hour. never in my life as around an hour. never in my life as a political scientist have i seen two countries, major countries, with a constellation of national interests that are as dissonant while the two leaders seem to be doing everything possible to make nice and be close to each other. that is what people don't understand. donald trump took to twitter to defend himself. he said... the media did know about the dinner, but not about the private conversation. congratulations, dad, we love you! donald trump had hoped to put allegations of russian collusion behind him, but then came the need for more denials from his son, donald trump jr, the need for more denials from his son, donald trumer, revealing his meeting with russian government

lawyer offering damaging information about hillary clinton. and other key campaign figures who attended the meeting. they insist it was nothing but that meeting has emerged as a key focus of the investigation of the trump campaign's interactions with russians. chris rogers, bbc news. some schools across england are routinely practising ‘lockdown' procedures to prepare for a violent or dangerous threat to pupils and staff. in schools in west yorkshire this involves children as young as five being locked in classrooms and in some cases hiding under desks so they can't be seen. spencer stokes has this report. subtracting now, a little bit harder. an ordinary maths lesson at reinwood junior school in huddersfield, but there is nothing ordinary about what happens next. tannoy: this school is in lockdown. pupils take cover under desks. obstacles are placed in front of doors and the room is darkened. the aim is to restrict entry and make it hard to see whether there is anyone in here. so even staff hide away. the lockdown practise takes place twice a year and the reasons

for hiding are explained to pupils. you need to protect yourself in case, like anything is outside, like if danger is outside. you're practising for someone that could be potentially harmful being in school. and even if they could get into the classroom they mightn't even be able to see us. west yorkshire council see themselves as trailblazers for school safety and a number of training sessions for teachers have been held. similar strategies are in place across the uk. but there is no national guidance. with the department for education saying they believe individual schools together with local emergency forces are best placed to determine their safety arrangements. tannoy: all clear. all clear. in huddersfield, the lockdown drill is complete. children and staff emerge from under their desks.

more prepared perhaps for potential threats to their school. the australian prime minister is demanding answers from authorities in minneapolis over the fatal shooting of a woman from sydney by police. she was killed on saturday. the officer who fired the shot has so far refused to speak with investigators and his body camera was switched off. here is a report. at dawn in sydney hundreds gathered at the silent vigil. mourners threw red flowers into the ocean, just ian ward: favourite colour. flowers a nd ward: favourite colour. flowers and tributes were left with a simple question. why did police shoot the 40—year—old yoga teacher? —— justjustine's shoot the 40—year—old yoga teacher? —— just justine's favourite colour. how cana

—— just justine's favourite colour. how can a woman out in the street, in her pyjamas, be shot like that? it isa in her pyjamas, be shot like that? it is a shocking killing. she had called police to report what she thought might have been a sexual assault in the alley behind her house. when she preached the police car, one of the officers sitting in the passenger seat shot and killed her. it is possible he was startled bya her. it is possible he was startled by a large noise by the squad car but he is yet to be interviewed by investigators. it is frustrating to have some of the picture but not all of it. we cannot compel the officer to make a statement. i wish that we could. minnesota's department of criminal apprehension has looked into the incident. it was already confirmed that ms damond was unarmed. what happened from the time the officers arrived on the scene to when she was pronounced dead? why don't we have footage from body

cameras? why were they not activated? we all cameras? why were they not activated ? we all want cameras? why were they not activated? we all want answers to those questions. the australians had relocated to the us to marry her fiance don damond. their wedding was to be next month. now questions over how the woman could have been killed by someone there to protect her. the supreme court has ruled that a man — arrested but never charged in connection with an investigation into sexual offences against children can be named. he is tariq khuja and he had sought to stop reporting of his name and other matters relating to him at a public trial. an anonymity order protecting his identity has now been lifted. the former eastenders actor paul nicholls is recovering in hospital after being seriously injured in an accident in thailand. nicholls broke both his legs

and smashed one of his kneecaps after falling down a waterfall on the island of koh samui. he was trapped for three days before being rescued, after his abandoned motorcycle was spotted nearby. the duke and duchess of cambridge have arrived in germany for the second part of their tour in europe. the royal couple, who are travelling with their children prince george and princess charlotte, met the german chancellor angela merkel, before making a visit to berlin's brandenburg gate. ina in a moment a summary of the business news this hour, but first the headlines on bbc news... it has been announced that the uk state pension age is to rise from 67 to 68 from 2037, seven years earlier than originally planned and affecting about 6 million people. the bbc has revealed for the first time how much

it pays its top stars. 96 names are on the list, each earning over £150,000 a year, and two thirds are men. chris evans is the biggest error on the list receiving a salary of over 2.2 million years. in the business news... six million people in their early 40s will have to work a year longer, as a result of a change in the state pension age. the rise in the pension age to 68 will now begin in 2037, rather than in 2046 as was originally proposed. those affected are currently between the ages of 39 and 47. extra charges that get added when you pay with a credit or debit card are going to be scrapped. from nextjanuary, the government will ban businesses from charging customers extra for paying by card. but they can pass on the processing fee. the treasury says airlines and food delivery apps do it most often — and estimates that in 2010 we spent nearly £500 million on such additional charges. and the gap between the richest and poorest has now reached the same as

the recession of 2007 and 2008, according to the iss. —— the institute for fiscal studies. so extra charges that get added when you so extra charges that get added when y°u pay so extra charges that get added when you pay with a debit or credit card will be stabbed. —— scrapped. next journey to leave my january the government will ban businesses from charging people who pay with card. james isjoining charging people who pay with card. james is joining us charging people who pay with card. james isjoining us to charging people who pay with card. james is joining us to speak about this. it does seem a bit unfair, doesn't it, charging extra? yes, i could never see any good reason why we we re could never see any good reason why we were getting charged for peeing but unfortunately it was something that became more and more prevalent particularly in the airline and travel industry —— i could never see any good reason why we were getting charged more for paying. thankfully all this will be put an end to next year, and not a moment too soon.

good news for consumers but how does it affect businesses? for smaller businesses it will be a harder. some of the banks hit them quite hard with fees of two or 3%, but of course they will have to put that pressure back on the banks and hunt for better deals, and the regulator will have to make sure accommodation is working well in the business market. this is the right outcome for consumers because you can't make meaningful comparisons if you don't know the total cost until the payment screen. james from there are finance, thank you forjoining us. i will have to leave it there. more now on the news that the uk state pension age is to be brought forward. the government announced a short time ago that it is to be brought forward by seven years to 2037. the retirement age is to increase from 67 to 68. joining us now is neil wilson, senior market a nalyst, now is neil wilson, senior market analyst, etx capital. we are seeing

the pension age is costing increasing amounts of money. how do we pay for that? firstly, the news today about increasing the age to 68, it is, as was put in the redland report, it is simply unsustainable to keep pensions and keep paying for them as we have done —— the cridland report. if you don't increase the aegerter thing about increasing taxes and national insurance contributors, that sort of thing. do you think that age is likely to increase? —— if you do not increase the pension, you have to think about increasing taxes and national insurance. it is simply not sustainable to keep increasing it so we will have to point sooner or later when we do need to set aside extra money through general taxation. and the point on people doing manualjobs, taxation. and the point on people doing manual jobs, so taxation. and the point on people doing manualjobs, so working outdoors, very labour—intensive jobs, in your60s, outdoors, very labour—intensive jobs, in your 60s, into your late 60s, that does not seem sustainable.

what happens to people injobs 60s, that does not seem sustainable. what happens to people in jobs like that? i think there could be some kind of policy to shift around that kind of policy to shift around that kind of policy to shift around that kind of thing. i think there needs to be some acceptance that not all jobs are the same and i think we have seen in thejohn cridland's report, some emphasis on carers tending to be older people, and some allowa nces tending to be older people, and some allowances perhaps allowed for them, andi allowances perhaps allowed for them, and i think we should also make extra allowances for people in hard manualjobs, that extra allowances for people in hard manual jobs, that you just simply cannot keep doing forever. 0k, we will have to leave it there. thank you, neil wilson. let's will have to leave it there. thank you, neilwilson. let's look will have to leave it there. thank you, neil wilson. let's look at some other business stories. investigating the possible manipulation of diesel exhaust emissions, the company daimler

recalls millions of cars over harmful emissions. and the poor treatment of passengers has had little impact on the company united's earning results. you will remember the news story about it airline forcibly removing a passenger from the plane. airline forcibly removing a passengerfrom the plane. the profits between march and june were almost 40% higher than in the same period last year. and reckitt benckiser‘s the business has been won by the us company mccormick. after buying the baby formula maker newjohnston. and this disturbing picture is from an audi advert in china that compares buying

advert in china that compares buying a carto advert in china that compares buying a car to choosing a wife. audi said advertising in china was the responsibility of its local partner, passing the blame there. a quick look at markets before we go... the ftse 100 look at markets before we go... the ftse100 was really helped by that reckitt benckiser deal, at you can see here. the director—general of the bbc lord hall has said the corporation had to attract the very best and warned making the salaries of its top stars public would drive up of its top stars public would drive up wages. of its top stars public would drive up wages. joining me now from our westminster studio is huw merriman, conservative mp and chair of the all—party parliamentary bbc group.. do you agree with this move? yes, i think the bbc got a good charter deal, but i do have some issue with the point that private contractors remain private, but we are where we

are and! remain private, but we are where we are and i think we have to get on with it. but i have some sympathy with it. but i have some sympathy with people who are probably now facing at the top intrusion. that is the dilemma, because that issue of giving licence payers value for money is not being balanced out in this case with the need to operate ina this case with the need to operate in a commercial environment? —— are now facing some intrusion. the bbc produces absolutely brilliant programmes and content and you have to ultimately pay for the talent to present those otherwise people would watch other channels. it is notjust itv and sky now but you have netflix, amazon, much bigger market to compete with. people have to be realistic. we love these presenters but they are on the bbc because they will be paid market rates. we have to a cce pt will be paid market rates. we have to accept unwelcome that. loving someone to accept unwelcome that. loving someone does not necessarily mean they are worth more than £2 million, though, doesn't it? i am a conservative mp and i believe in the free market and paying people the rate. the reality is that if the bbc does not pay them that rate, they will go, because others will. if the

bbc does not have that talent pool would not watch it and it would not have the same sport. we have to be careful or for. have the same sport. we have to be careful orfor. we have the same sport. we have to be careful or for. we support the institution and all of it and that means sometimes paying fees some people would find mouthwatering but in the market that is what is paid for that talent. but not for its women because only a third of the list is made up of women? yes, of course that needs to be looked at andi course that needs to be looked at and i welcome the commitment from lord hall that the bbc would dojust that by 2020. but i hope that what that by 2020. but i hope that what that will mean is that overall the figures are actually reducing rather than paying people a lot more to catch up and it is fair to the bbc to say that their talent he has gone down by 25% over five years, saw on that basis we look forward to parity between men and women but also look at the bottom line. irony of that is that that of course will push the price up? well, i mean, ultimately, it may well do, but i think the bbc‘s argument could possibly be that they are reducing amounts down

so that overall the males are not paid quite as much, but again it will be based on market factors and we have to accept that the bbc offers a brilliant deal for the public, about the same price as buying the sun each day but it means you have to pay for the presenters on it. you would subscribe to the idea of bringing male salaries don't rather than bringing up the salaries of women to be paid what men are? absolutely not. i am saying that over the last five years the bbc has been reducing the overall talent price it pays out so that is obviously a downward trend and the more it can do that, the more it can spend on programmes. but i want to see parity and the bbc has said they will deliver that an regardless of how it is done it is the most important bit. again, i think we have to be realistic. it made it a bit of time to get there. 2020 is the deadline bought whole set so we will be holding him to that. thank you for your time. a single in spanish called

despacito has become the most—streamed song of all time, just six months after it was released. it's currently at number one in the uk, and has been played 4.6 billion times worldwide, overtaking justin bieber‘s sorry. despacito's singer luis fonsi called its success "insane," saying he just "wants to make people dance." mark savage reports. # despacito. .. in english despacito moves slowly but the rise of this song has been anything but. injust six months it has been played 4.6 billion times on streaming services like spotify, youtube and apple music. i love it, i sing it every day. yeah, it's really nice. it is not my cup of tea. but it is very relaxed. 4.6 billion times. are you one of those 4.6 billion people? yeah. no! it has become a break—out song for starc luis fonsi, giving him a global hit nearly 20 years into his career. i still do not go to

bed saying, hey, hey, i have the biggest song the world — i was just lucky to have that song at the correct time and just break it open. originally released injanuary, despacito really caught on when pop starjustin bieber heard it in a nightclub and asked to record a new verse. the head of universal records says the success of the song shows how streaming is changing music. streaming is and will continue to open up music from latin american artists globally. it is also injected new life into the music industry — revenues going up after a 15—year downturn. so in latin america and elsewhere, artists will be hoping to recreate the despacito phenomenon. let's have a look at the weather with chris. thank you simon. we have seen with chris. thank you simon. we have seen the torrential rain and the effects in cornwall. my eyes are rather drawn at the moment as storms affecting north wales. you can see the fairly slow downpours again, the

risk of some flash flooding here. a recent weather watcher picture from this area shows just how much the rain is coming down. you can see the flooding there on the roads. it was just send them in the last half—hour, so some quite dangerous driving conditions to go along with that rain. those thundery downpours working in the merseyside in the next couple of hours as well so that is something else to watch out for. also heavy rain in northern ireland so we can see puddles building upon the roads. some disruption is a possibility but that they will look into scotland through the night. some damp weather pushing eastwards across wales and england and then fresh air to the west, very humid still across eastern areas. this is the picture through thursday. the rain clearing northwards through scotla nd rain clearing northwards through scotland and eastwards from england to allow some sunshine, feeling fresher than the weather has been for the last few days with temperatures cluster normal for this time of year but feeling cooler in the west, as this cloud and rain comes back and across northern ireland. that is your weather. this is bbc news.

the headlines at 4pm: six million people will have to wait longer before receiving a state pension. from 2037, the state pension age will rise from 67 to 68 which is seven years sooner than originally planned — says the secretary of state. we can't pretend that it will stay the same because it does not reflect the same because it does not reflect the fact that life expectancy is improving, as indeed is healthy life expectancy. the bbc reveals how much it pays its top stars. 96 names are on the list — each earning over £150,000 a year. chris evans tops the male—dominated list with earnings of more than £2 million. the bbc‘s director—general defends the figures. what we have managed to do is always pay our talent and a biscuit to the market.