so it's not a creature that you would quite often see around here, like you said, so we are hoping to raise a little bit of awareness, because all rubbish and all waterways link back to the ocean, so we can make quite a big impact on the difference for these guys in the wild. well, they are swimming around now. you have finally seen them and, dare i say it, they've given this tank the seal of approval. it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz schafernaker. have you seen any seals finding their way to have you seen any seals finding theirway to birmingham, have you seen any seals finding their way to birmingham, and what would await them? today the weather has my seal of approval because... because it is not bad at all. a lot of sunshine around and not everywhere. we have a couple of showers around at the moment in east anglia and the south—east, so perhaps a little unlucky in this part of the country but overall the weekend looking dry

and bright and pretty nippy. i want to show you the big picture of what is happening out in the atlantic, powerful storm... don't worry, is happening out in the atlantic, powerfulstorm... don't worry, not heading away. it is kind ofjust brushing the eye ireland coast at the moment. animating the centre... why ami the moment. animating the centre... why am i showing you if it is not heading this way? it is trying to come in but it can't because there isa come in but it can't because there is a big high pressure across scandinavia right now, driving our weather, giving us this window of settled weather, and it will be here for quite some time, so any weather fronts that do want to come our way kind of bump up against the high pressure, effectively like a block on the weather. and these weather fronts with the bad wind and rain shear off towards the north, south through to date the weather is fine. tonight it will be clear and this is airfrom scandinavia, tonight it will be clear and this is air from scandinavia, so tonight it will be clear and this is airfrom scandinavia, so turning chilly tonight with clear skies, a bit like last night with temperatures this coming night outside of towns could be as low as minus four celsius and in city

centres, in london 0 celsius, very cold for the capital. in plymouth around six celsius. tomorrow admittedly the weather front tries to push on, powerful storm, trying to push on, powerful storm, trying to move the weather front in, increasing cloud in northern ireland and wales and the south—west, and may be some spots of dying rain in cornwall and northern ireland. again the vast majority of the uk a dry day with some sunny spells but still nippy and struggling, around nine celsius through tomorrow and nothing more. if you want something warmer of the good news is the cold currents of air we have from scandinavia right now will be lost and this is a quick animation of what is happening over the next few days, the warmer air comes in from the south, meaning, guess what? temperatures will be rising. there could be some rain around on tuesday and that is the fly in the ointment but by the time we get to friday and into the easter weekend, the indications are that the temperatures could be hitting around 20 celsius, with this big area of

high pressure building, deflecting all the weather systems to the north, so guess what? finally if you wa nt north, so guess what? finally if you want some warmer weather it looks as though just want some warmer weather it looks as thoughjust in want some warmer weather it looks as though just in time for easter it is going to be warming up. that's the latest. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the home secretary, sajid javid, has come under pressure to allow the extradition ofjulian assange to sweden. more than 70 mp5 and peers have written to mrjavid urging him to "stand with the victims of sexual violence." a ten—year—old boy has died after being attacked by a dog at a holiday park in looe, cornwall. a 28—year—old woman was arrested in saltash in connection with the incident. the sudanese general who led a coup to overthrow long—term leader omar al—bashir steps down — just 2a hours after he took charge of the country. anti—government protestors continue to demand a move away from military government. doctors celebrate a new treatment — called gene silencing — that's seen major success

in treating the crippling pain caused by porphyria. now on bbc news: they call her akk — the woman who's replaced angela merkel as the leader of germany's cdu, and could take charge of the nation when mrs merkel steps down. in this special interview, annegret kramp—karrenbauer talks to our europe editor, katya adler. i've come to berlin to meet a female german politician who's had a meteoric rise to international recognition over just the last couple of years. annegret kramp—karrenbauer, otherwise known as akk, is the leader of germany's centre—right cdu party, and she is widely tipped to become the next chancellor of germany — the eu's biggest and most powerful country. now, if she pulls it off she will have very big boots to fill. angela merkel has dominated german politics for pretty much two decades now.

so what can we expect from merkel‘s heir? translation: i was born in saarland in 1962. it's a small region in germany. it's a classic industrial region. there was a big mining pit close to my parents' house, which was then closed in the 19605. my grandfather was a miner. my brother and my husband are miners. saarland has a special history, a european history. it was often contested between germany and france, in the region's nationality often changed. saarland is a very catholic federal state, the most catholic in germany, and this characterised myfamily upbringing. i come from a big family. i grew up with five siblings in a multi—generational household, and i had a distinctively happy childhood.

i did in fact have a very close relationship with my father. he was a teacher, and i was very inquisitive from a young age. i really enjoyed reading. my father always encouraged me in this regard, and also had a huge interest in politics, which is why we spoke a lot about politics at home. my mother influenced me too — the way she managed our home, but also the fact that she always told me that she wanted to learn a trade but that at the time that they started a family this was impossible. akk became involved in local politics as a teenager, gradually rising through the ranks to become president of the saarland region in 2011. last year, angela merkel asked her to put regional politics to one side and to move to berlin, where she backed kramp—karrenbauer to become secretary general of the cdu. only eight months later,

with the party struggling in opinion polls, angela merkel decided to step down as party chief, triggering a leadership contest that was won by akk. and the reason angela merkel was in trouble was because of the political fallout from the migration crisis of 2015. chancellor merkel allowed over 1 million refugees to come to germany, hugely boosting the fortunes of the far right afd party. translation: i believe that on the one hand one must accept the afd as a normal political opponent. one must confront them on the actual issues. and one must give back a voice to those persons who feel disillusioned by the established parties, by offering sensible and responsible political answers. what we cannot do is to engage with the language and position of the right—wing populists.

because, effectively, they say, we don't want anyone to come to germany, we don't want anyone fleeing from a conflict, being persecuted in another part of the world, we don't want any muslims to find a home here in germany. that is not the position of the cdu, and that is why we say these people have a right to be here. we want to take them in. but when problems occur, we will take care of them. you did have a case here in germany that has really scarred the public memory. on new year's eve, 2015, to that year where so many people came, there were all sorts of sexual assaults, mainly around the cologne area, on women, and it was later linked essentially, not completely, essentially to migrants, mainly of north african origin. at the time, politicians stayed quiet about that fact. the main press stayed quiet and the police stayed quiet, and that has been very, very damaging in that trust issue

between people and politicians when it comes to migration. translation: that is absolutely correct. this incident on new year's eve in cologne changed a lot in the political and public climate in germany. during that night, a lot of trust in the work of the police was lost. but also, through the communication afterwards, trust was lost in the willingness and ability of politicians to take seriously the needs and worries of the victims. to call them out openly and to solve them. we have learned from this incident on new year's eve in cologne, and also from other incidents. we communicate more openly about these incidents. on the other hand, it is apparent that from the right—wing populists there are efforts to paint an exaggerated picture where all

migrants that have come here, even those that have been here for a long time, are made responsible for those crimes. you said very clearly that you don't think the politicians of the centre should steal the slogans of the far rightjust to get more voter support, basically. but you have chosen some very different words to angela merkel, now, when it comes to migration. you have talked about the closing of borders, you have talked about 2015 as an exceptional situation. that intimates that you would do things differently now. translation: it was an exceptional situation because we realised too late how many people were actually coming. it was an exceptional situation because the cooperation between european states was not working. and when we ask today, considering what we've learned of the last few years, how would you in such a situation,

nobody would say that we would act in the same way. we would look at the numbers more carefully. we would start speaking to the neighbouring states much earlier. we now have angela merkel‘s negotiations with other european states, where the closing of borders as possible when it is communicated and discussed with the neighbouring states. so in this regard we would now have a different situation and could react differently. so, as we are discussing, you are being very careful to say as angela merkel did and that you agree with her. what you don't agree with is when the media nicknames you "mini—merkel", because you are staying at the centre of your party, a party that's traditionally very conservative, because you are a woman. but you say you are not mini—merkel, so how are you different? translation: first of all, i was very annoyed by the fact that an adult woman, 56 years of age, with three grown children

and a career gets called mini. nobody would call a man in my situation mini. that was the first point that annoyed me. and the second point, i have a different biography than angela merkel. i come from a different situation, concerning the cdu, from a west german cdu, a different tradition. and all of these things give me a different character, my own profile and my own way of dealing with issues, even if i share many views with angela merkel. this makes me a different person, a different politician and not simply a replica of angela merkel. one area where akk certainly isn't a mini—merkel is the extent to which she throws herself into germany's annual carnival celebrations. whole swathes of the country take to the streets in fancy dress

and annegret takes on the character of gretel, a grumpy cleaner. this year she made a carnivaljoke about tra nsgender toilets, for which she faced a barrage of criticism. if the cdu party wants to attract younger and more metropolitan voters, is akk striking the wrong tone when it comes to social issues like gay marriage, transgender rights and abortion? translation: the situation in the cdu is such that when it comes to these situations we have a broad spectrum of opinions, ranging from the very conservative to very liberal positions. within the cdu we have had these discussions and the decisions have been made. gay marriage is recognised. the law was passed in the bundestag, and the logical consequence is the possibility to adopt. in this vein, the same goes for me as cdu party leader, that this is the basis from which we make political decisions. my position is primarily

a personal position of mine. i don't think that it is shared by the majority of the population. i'm not even sure it is shared by a majority within my own party. but this also has to do with personal credibility. i believe it is important to stand by one‘s convictions, even when one realises that they may not be shared by a majority. you talked about your personal religious convictions there. let's go to your european convictions as well. at the moment we are looking at brexit, the eu losing one of its biggest, richest, most influential members. and there are criticisms levelled at angela merkel that she has entered this debate far too late because she was preoccupied with domestic politics. should she have got involved earlier? translation: i very much regret the decision that was expressed through the referendum in the uk. to this day, i wish that the uk would correct this decision

and stay in the eu. but it's also the fact that this decision was made by the people. it must be implemented now into national sovereignty, and i believe it's not in our responsibility, especially as european politicians, to influence this decision in one or the other direction. the uk leaving, doesn't that leave germany quite naked inside the european union? the uk has been quite useful. germany, of course, is supposed to be the motor of the eu alongside france, but actually disagrees with france over many things — like protectionism, or germany's more competitive minded when it comes to the single market — and has been quite happy to sometimes, you could say, hide behind the uk. so does the uk leaving mean there's going to be more tension with france?

translation: i think there will be even more expectation on germany after brexit. it is true that germany and the uk were closer when it came, for example, to competition rules than germany and france. on the other hand, the franco german axis is very important, and it has never been free of tension. the eu dynamic comes from us forging a common position from our different standpoints. the main challenge of brexit internally for the eu is that the number of other bigger member states reduces further, which means the responsibility on germany becomes even bigger. akk wants to become germany's next prime minister. but angela merkel isn't going anywhere in a hurry. so her first big test at the ballot box comes next month with elections to the european parliament. there is a lot at stake for her here. she has promised to turn her

pa rty‘s fortunes around. her political credibility is riding on it. kramp—karrenbauer‘s passionate but very pragmatic vision for europe contrasts starkly with the appeal for a european renaissance launched by the french president emmanuel macron. translation: my vision for europe is a europe which is strong, which cooperates in the four columns, which can influence the rules of our noble world order. which can enforce its values, because i believe that oui’ its values, because i believe that our values are worth fighting for. but i want to clear up a misunderstanding. we had a very interesting survey in germany where people were asked if they want more europe and they said yes. and then they were asked what more europe means to them? and more europe, for many people here in germany, doesn't mean the creation of new european institutions, responsibility to

brussels. but many people understand the better cooperation of the individual states in europe, and i think we need to be united in our goal to tackle climate change together, to encourage innovation together, to encourage innovation together, to encourage innovation together, to pursue a common security policy. and i believe in order to do this we need a good cooperation between nation states as well as common institutions. that might distinguish my method from that of firms, of emmanuel macron, but we agree on the goals and i say if we reach the best goal at the end of the debate to find a common purse than my vision of europe is fulfilled. for then we have a europe which does not seclude itself but a europe which says, made in europe is more than a good industrial product, made in europe as human rights, individual freedom, made in europe as human rights, individualfreedom, equality, democracy and a constitutional state. and that is what we want to enforce everywhere in the world.

there are those who say that the existence of the european union is in danger now. you have brexit and although countries are not lining up to leave behind the uk, there is a strong force of nationalist, populist, eurosceptic parties here in germany, with eft, we see it in italy, pretty much across the eu, and those predicted parties are predicted to do very well in the european elections. does that make you worry about the future of europe? translation: it worries me because we are translation: it worries me because we are in a situation where we can observe that influence of different countries in the world are shifting. china is growing stronger, not only economically but also politically. the politics of the united states are changing. and if europe wants to

play a future role in this global world order, it must stay united and strong and especially on those issues which are important. so, for example, to complete the schengen area through a functioning border protection, and a functioning defence policy, but also completing the single market, especially in those areas where we lack an ovation. —— innovation. and to clearly state this in this campaign is very important. the german economy is heading downwards, something germany is not used to. we know that having more women in the workforce tends to be good for the economy. you have pointed out that germany is pretty backwards in those terms, if you look at differences in salaries between men and women germany performs far worse than the european average. you have quite

poor representation on the tops of companies, in the german parliament. if you were chancellor what would you do to change that? shouldn't it have been changed already? it is quite a surprise for a leading company like germany. translation: it is a fact we have too few women in leading positions in businesses. the only body where we in businesses. the only body where we currently have a 50—50 line—up is that the german government. we are leading by good example but we are counting on businesses own responsibility, but it is clear to us responsibility, but it is clear to us that if businesses don't recognise the importance of the advancement of women in their own interest, then we might have to face the possibility of changing laws again. if you were to become chancellor, and looking forward into germany, isn't it about changing a lot of common attitudes in germany? we have talked about towards migration, we have talked about women. migration, we have talked about women. what about when it comes to balancing the books in germany? there is quite an obsession here

with actually not investing that much on your own country in order to show that, as you say, you are in the black, not the red. this goes back to an obsession which goes back to the 1930s. isn't it time to move on and say let us invest in our own country because it is notjust good for germany, it is good for the rest of the eu, because those countries in the south say that german obsession with its own economy and keeping the money in the bank is harming the union as a whole? translation: yes. that is a popular argument, that our very conservative budget policy and no new debt leads to fewer investments. but the truth is that we have invested a lot in recent yea rs. is that we have invested a lot in recent years. that we have made available a lot of money. that the economy has grown. it shows that responsible budget policy and investing in the future are not mutually exclusive. i am from a federal state which has a very difficult budget position and there

is nothing that hampers growth and investment more than debt. it is not in it question of a lack of money, our main problem at the moment is that our system is too complicated. we have budgets in our ministries where money has not been used before because the process of getting permission grants, the planning, hasn't been done swiftly enough. that is our main problem, not financing. with your vision for germany that you have shared with us today, and your vision for the eu, is it enough to persuade german voters ? is it enough to persuade german voters? if you look at recent polls, angela merkel is still outperforming you in popularity terms. your popularity has actually gone down since you were voted head of the cdu party at the end of 2018. obviously it is difficult because you are not ina it is difficult because you are not in a position of power at the moment in government, can you pull it off?

translation: first of all, we as the cdu have always said that according to our tradition government leadership and party leadership a lwa ys leadership and party leadership always go hand in hand. because there are advantages to this. angela merkel decided, in an exceptional situation, to separate these two positions. this put us in a new positions. this put us in a new position as cdu. we clearly said that we stand by this decision, and we that we stand by this decision, and we stand by angela merkel to remain chancellor until 2021. you wouldn't be tempted to try and get in now? translation: no, because we can carry a responsibility here. this is not just a carry a responsibility here. this is notjust a question to the european stability as a whole after the parliamentary election. for this reason reason, we parliamentary election. for this reason reason, we want a division of labour which we have on the moment, at the one side having the chancellor at the top of government to govern well but also to prepare the cdu as the governing party for

the cdu as the governing party for the next election. to drive it forward , the next election. to drive it forward, to ensure a broad and renewed spectrum of people in the party. to improve the party organisationally, that is myjob. that is a job in which one enters into many political discussions. where 1's political profile is sharpened. you face opponents at the cost of one putt popularity. this is perfectly normal and precisely why the party members elected me. in order to take on this job for the party. i have a good division of labour with and there were angela merkel which i would like to continue. she has been there as chancellor now for a long time. she doesn't like rivals, we all know that. even though she asked you to come here to berlin, you are seen as the chancellor in waiting. isn't that a bit uncomfortable, when you are with her or in relations between you two?

translation: we both have a very relaxed relationship. ithink translation: we both have a very relaxed relationship. i think we both actually deal with it very co mforta bly. both actually deal with it very comfortably. and it is more the journalists who wonder about how we work together than us. it is a new situation for the cdu, which is why one has to get used to it first. it requires a great deal of coordination and cooperation, which has worked well so far. but it needs to be worked on every single day. and of course we need to consider the way in which the situation in germany might change over the next few months. what will be the result of the european elections? what might potentially change with regards to our financial situation? what could change when it comes to theissue what could change when it comes to the issue of competitiveness? so it may well be that we will be faced with different questions than the ones we are with different questions than the ones we are working on at the moment. annegret kramp-karrenbauer,

thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. the weather is mostly behaving itself out there, although it is a little deceiving with the blue skies and the fluffy clouds. it is pretty nippy and actually some of these clouds have been big enough, grow tall enough to give a few showers in east anglia and the south—east. some reports even of a little bit of hail. but on the wind out of the east and it feels very cold. for most of us, beautiful weather out there. in the atlantic however, a very different story. the jaws of oblivion. this is a big area of low pressure, looks like a winter storm. it is not heading our way at all, just moving towards the north, but it isa just moving towards the north, but it is a beautiful swell of cloud here nonetheless. it isjust

brushing ireland right now. through the weekend this weather front won't make much progress towards the east because of this high pressure, and the high pressure stops on the weather so anything coming off the atla ntic weather so anything coming off the atlantic does not because the high pressure is in charge and does not let anything through. so for the rest of this afternoon it is fine weather for the majority of the country, apart from one or two pesky showers in east anglia and the south—east. clear skies, they're coming all the way from sweden. scandinavian air over us. clear skies tonight. a lot of clear weather. —2 in city centres, even —lr outside of town. i really nippy start to sunday. again, a lot of fine weather. is still out in the atla ntic fine weather. is still out in the atlantic at this stage, but all that is left of it in the west is just a bit of cloud, may be a few spots of rain. for most of us it is another bright day. not necessarily sunny,

little bit more cloud around tomorrow, and again in the west is just a bit of cloud, may be a few spots of rain. for most of us it is another bright day. not necessarily sunny, little bit more cloud around tomorrow, and this is what is happening next week. i will speed up the animation. the warm air is wafting in our direction. the air currents will change, rather than cold airfrom currents will change, rather than cold air from scandinavia, currents will change, rather than cold airfrom scandinavia, warm air will be pushed off from the south and it will head in our direction, and it will head in our direction, and apart from a bit of a blip on tuesday where there might be some spots of rain, notice how those temperatures are climbing. and next week, towards the end of next week, this high pressure is building. it will be pushing that warm air out of the continent, rather than scandinavia, in our direction. at the moment the easter weekend is looking good.

this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at two: more than 70 mp5 and peers sign a letter urging the government to ensure julian assange faces authorities in sweden, if they request his extradition. a 10—year—old boy has died after being attacked by a dog, at a holiday park in cornwall. a 28—year—old woman has been arrested in connection with the incident. the sudanese general who led a coup to overthrow long—term leader, omar al—bashir, steps down, just 2a hours after he took charge of the country. anti—government protestors continue to demand a move away from military government. doctors celebrate a new treatment — called gene silencing, that's seen major success in treating the crippling pain caused by porphyria. a dutch fertility doctor is found to have used his own sperm