News Daily: Johnson on pay rises and Wimbledon begins
3 July 2017
Hello. Here's your morning briefing: Boris Johnson "strongly" believes the government can bring in pay rises above the current 1% cap for public sector workers without putting too much pressure on its finances, sources close to the foreign secretary have said. Mr Johnson is the latest of several cabinet ministers to push Prime Minister Theresa May and Chancellor Philip Hammond for a change of heart on the policy, included in the Conservatives' election manifesto. On Sunday, Environment Secretary Michael Gove, recently returned to front-line politics, appeared to reject suggestions that a higher pay rise would mean more taxes. And allies of both Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Education Secretary Justine Greening have made no secret of their wish to see pay policy relaxed, says political correspondent Iain Watson. But, in the Queen's Speech debate last month, Mr Hammond made clear he didn't want higher borrowing. Downing Street has said decisions on pay will be taken on a "case-by-case" basis. The number of midwives registered in the UK fell by 1,783 to 690,773, in the year to March, with many of those leaving complaining about working conditions, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The group says the decline - the first recorded in almost a decade - was most pronounced among UK workers. But the government says that, overall, there are 13,000 more nurses working in England than in 2010. Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning Eight people have been injured in a shooting outside a mosque in the French city of Avignon, but police say they're not treating the incident as a terrorist attack. Worshippers were were approached by two hooded suspects on Sunday night outside the Arrahma mosque. Queues, strawberries, intense scrutiny of the weather forecasts: Wimbledon fortnight starts today. And Britain's Andy Murray is looking for a third men's championship title, to take him level with two of the modern greats, in John McEnroe and Boris Becker. There are concerns about his fitness, but he says he's good to begin the defence of his crown, beginning with a first-round match against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik at 13:00 BST. Seven British players are in action in the men's and women's singles today. By Anthony Zurcher, North America reporter Most will see it as the president probably intended - the latest episode in the biggest show ever to hit the US political scene; a new plot twist to keep the audience entertained. Donald Trump played by his rules and won. He's going to keep reminding us that it's not the same game anymore. Read Anthony's full article There's a mixture of top stories in the national newspapers, as the Daily Telegraph describes a "cabinet split" between Chancellor Philip Hammond and others over public sector pay, while the Times says ministers are being urged by officials to "accept compromise" in Brexit talks with the European Union. Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror leads on a report that at least 69 refugees have drowned this year trying to reach Spain from Africa . South China Sea US warship's presence near disputed island a "provocation", says China Vagina surgery Operations "sought by girls as young as nine" IVF programmes Success rate partly depends on man's age, study suggests Pre-teen magnate What's the 12-year-old CEO's secret for success? The farmer who rescues his cows from death Hadraawi: The Shakespeare of Somalia Do passports restrict economic growth? 14:00 French President Emmanuel Macron will lay out his plans for the next five years in a  speech to both houses of the country's parliament. 15:30 Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire will make a statement in the House of Commons on any developments on restoring the Northern Ireland Executive and the Stormont assembly. 1971 Jim Morrison, lead singer of American rock group The Doors, is found dead in a bathtub in his Paris apartment, after suffering heart failure aggravated by heavy drinking. Don't panic, White House reporters (Slate) Japan's hotels for corpses (New York Times) Should parakeets be culled? (Guardian) Why Wimbledon's getting harder to predict (Economist)
Queues, strawberries, intense scrutiny of the weather forecasts: Wimbledon fortnight starts today. And Britain's Andy Murray is looking for a third men's championship title, to take him level with two of the modern greats, in John McEnroe and Boris Becker. There are concerns about his fitness, but he says he's good to begin the defence of his crown, beginning with a first-round match against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik at 13:00 BST. Seven British players are in action in the men's and women's singles today.
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Wimbledon: Can Murray do it again?