The powerful storms hitting california now sweeping north. In sport. Lincoln city will find out this evening who they will face in the quarterfinals of the fa cup. They are the first non league side to reach the last eight of the fa cup for over a century after knocking out Premier League Side only. Burnley. How much physical contact should a teacher have with a pupil . Well hear why psychologists believe that staff who refuse to touch pupils during everyday Classroom Activities could be harming their development. And darren has the weather. Good morning. As well as a giant snowdrop, we have springlike temperatures in the next few days but it comes with a lot of cloud. The best of the sunshine is in the east. More details little bit later. Thank you, darren. Good morning. First, our main story. Thousands of Prison Officers in london and South East England are getting an immediate pay increase of between three and Five Thousand pounds. Ministers have made the decision to try to boost recruitment and retain Staff Numbers in the face of increasing violence. But the Prison Officers Association says its a divisive quick fix and specialist and more experienced staff wont benefit. Our Home Affairs Correspondent tom symonds reports. They are on the front line of the troubled prison service. Their numbers have been falling in recent years. And now the government is putting in place a £12 million pay offer to keep them in theirjobs and to attract new people. But only officers in 31 prisons in london and the south east, including this one, wandsworth, will benefit. They are the jails under the most pressure, struggling to maintain staff. The offer is for standard grade three Prison Officers, not more Senior Supervisors or specialists. Each will receive at least £3000. The pay package for new recruits will be boosted by £5,000 to attract them into the job. But the Prison Officers Association believes that this offer will not satisfy members its members. Were going to welcome additional money for our members, of course we are. But we do not think this goes far enough to solving far enough to solving the prison crisis. We believe it needs to be a national issue. We were not properly consulted on this either. We believe if the Secretary Of State wants to make these arbitrary decisions on pay, she should consult us fully and we can point out the inconsistencies and problems that will arise as a result of this policy. The government is also increasing training, vital if it is to deal with the growing modern threats to order behind bars, Mental Health issues, along with what ministers describe as drugs, drones and Mobile Phones. The iraqi Prime Minister says an operation has begun to retake the western part of the city of mosul from Islamic State militants. Its the last major is stronghold in iraq. Government forces started their offensive in october and last month secured the eastern part of the city after weeks of fierce fighting. The United Nations has urged all parties in the conflict to do everything they can to ensure the safety of hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the area. Our correspondent Quentin Somerville is with the iraqi troops who are preparing to do battle in the narrow streets of Western Mosul. In the distance, american aircraft have been launching air strikes against the outskirts of Western Mosul. Large booms have been sounding all morning and around me are tanks and armoured vehicles of iraqs Emergency Response division. Special forces who are getting ready to move in front of me and begin the assault on Western Mosul. The last remaining city here in iraq that is still in the hands of the so called Islamic State. These men are not expecting an easy day of it as this battle begins. They know from Drone Footage that Islamic State is deeply embedded. They have dug tunnels into the surrounding villages that lie just before Western Mosuls outskirts and before the citys airports. They are also expecting to face suicide car bombs. As you can perhaps hear behind me, the men are in an ebullient mood just as this battle gets under way. That was quentin sommerville, whos embedded with the iraqi troops who are preparing to do battle in Western Mosul. You can follow a link to quintin live tweeting if you go to the bbc news home page. President trump has made a robust defence of his first in office and insisted that a new spirit of optimism is sweeping the us. Speaking to supporters at an Airport Hanger in florida, he repeated his Campaign Pledges to create jobs and improve the nations security. Mr trump again turned his fire on the media, accusing it of being dishonest about his administration. Our correspondent, laura bicker, reports from florida. If you thought the president ial campaign was over, then you would be wrong. Afterjust four weeks in office, President Trump is bidding forfour more years. The first lady also made a rare appearance, starting her remarks with the lords prayer. Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done. But there is more to this rally. Donald trump is trying to change the subject, after headlines of chaos and controversy in his administration. He is back where he appears to be more comfortable, behind a Campaign Podium rather than a desk in the oval office. I am here because i want to be among my friends and among the people. He enjoys an audience and takes heart from his fans. One even made it on stage after waiting since the early morning. When President Trump promised all these things that he was going to do for us, i knew he was going to do this for us. He also had tough words for some of his alleged foes the media. He has a new term for them the enemy. These supporters are his people and this is his message. A chance to appraise his first month in office, one he sees as a success. Make America Great again. That is what it is. He has kind of been up and down. I kind of feel like he is not 100 doing good but i want to give him more time. January 20th, 2017 our presidency died. In new york, protesters held a fake funeral for the presidency. The political ideals of america seem further apart than ever. This rally will be hugely popular with his voting base but it will not help him in washington. If President Trump is to push through his campaign promises, he might need to take his message to capitol hill rather than an adoring crowd. The biggest storm to hit california for several years has left at least four people dead and 150,000 homes without power. Jang singles appeared on some roads. This fire crew managed to get out of the engine before it was swallowed. That happened on a main waterway from los angeles to las vegas. You might remember this one from yesterday. Another sinkhole in studio city. A woman was rescued from the roof of her car. That car had already fallen ina her car. That car had already fallen in a hole and seconds later, another empty vehicle was swallowed up by the same hole. The boss of sainsburys has joined the growing row over the Re Evaluation of Business Rates the commercial version of council tax. The supermarkets chief executive, mike coupe, says changes being introduced to reflect the value of property could leave high streets facing serious challenges and closures, while Internet Operations could see their bills cut. Simonjones reports. Big changes ahead for businesses. For the first time in seven years, rates are being updated in april, in line with property values. With prices rising strongly in the south east, but falling sharply in less prosperous regions, there will be some dramatic differences, some businesses seeing increases of 400 . Sainsburys will see its bill rise to around £500 million, up from £483 million, while analysts predict internet giant amazon will have its Business Rate Bill Cut at the majority of its out of town warehouses. The boss of sainsburys, mike coupe, isnt happy. Mike coupe says businesses like his one, with lots of property and employees, face a bigger burden than online only retailers. He is calling for a fundamental reform of the system, which he describes as archaic. What is needed, he says, is a level playing field, to reflect the changing retail landscape. Business rates affect 1. 85 Million Properties in england alone. They are set to raise £23. 5 billion for the treasury this year. The government says 920,000 businesses will see their bills go down. 420,000 will stay the same. But, to make the sums add up, more than 500,000 will see bills go up. Rates in scotland and wales are being reassessed. Northern ireland wont get an overhaul for another few years. In england, the government says the changes will be phased in, and more will benefit than lose out. The rspca has begun an investigation after as many as 1800 dale checks we re after as many as 1800 dale checks were found dumped in a field in south lincolnshire. The charity was alerted after members of the public spotted the chicks near crowland. Birds cheep. You can hear the noise that they made. Hundreds of them, as you can see. People in the area helped round the birds up into boxes, and a breeder collected the survivors. It is not yet known who abandoned the chicks. Increased levels of violence, low staff morale and a dangerous shortage of Front Line Officers. A picture of prisons in england and wales over the past few months. This morning, to attract new recruits and stop existing staff leaving, the government has announced a pay rise. But the extra money is only on offer to Prison Officers in london and the South East Of England, a move that the Prison Officers Association believes will cause divisions within the profession. Frances crook, from the Howard League for penal reform, joins us now from london. Good morning. Ifi good morning. If i was working in the prisons north of london and i wasnt getting a £5,000 pay rise like my colleagues in london and the south east, i think i would be pretty cheesed off. Yes. But the real problem with recruitment and retention is in the south east where living costs are much higher. The U Nfortu Nate Living costs are much higher. The unfortunate thing is the government did not do this with consultation with staff and the union. However, it isa with staff and the union. However, it is a very good thing to reward prison staff appropriately. It is a very complicated job, dealing with very complicated job, dealing with very Difficult People in challenging circumstances. It is right that prison staff are paid properly to recruit and retain staff. They deserve the money they get but it is not true to say they have a Retention Problem just in london and the south east. I was reading a story about evesham today. In last 18 months, 50 of the staff they left. It is a problem across the country. White is the pi is not across the country . Dont ask me, ask the mo] it is not my fault. It is not just a ask the mo] it is not my fault. It is notjust a question of pay, but training and support. I welcome the fa ct training and support. I welcome the fact the government is announcing extra training for staff. But it is still mere few weeks. If you look at the training that other staff in other jurisdictions across the training that other staff in otherjurisdictions across europe get, norway, for example, it leads toa get, norway, for example, it leads to a full occasional degree. Vocational degree. Theres prison staff do a difficultjob and need to be properly supported and trained properly. And recognise that it is a bit good job they do. But this is still only half the problem. It will not solve the problem in prisons. The issue is that there are simply too many people in prison. It is grossly overcrowded. I was in a busy london prison a couple of days ago, which is almost double the overcrowded. The people were crammed into victorian cells with a toilet, often for hours and hours and hours, days and days with very little to do. You cannot expect prisoners to behave well if they are treated so incredibly badly. 35,000 more prisons and jails than 20 years ago. Absolutely. The bbc will put some of the tough questions to liz truss later. She is on the Andrew Marr Programme after us. On the Andrew Marr Programme after us. You can watch that. Generally, is she doing a good job at the schiavo grip of the problem . Shes utterly new. She has money from the treasury, so there are good moves coming from the ministry ofjustice. My coming from the ministry ofjustice. My disappointment is that they are not dealing with the overuse of prison. It is Sentence Inflation where we have more people serving indeterminate, open ended sentences when they do not know when it will end. It is more than the whole of europe added together. We are sending to people to prison for long periods of time without hope. People without hope difficult to manage. One of the problems, and it is often underreported and Prison Officers dont like it, but some Prison Officers are Smuggling Things into jails. There are drugs and Mobile Phones going into prisons. That is perhaps why Training Needs to be there, and also the money. Absolutely. If people are paid better, they are trained better. That should combat the corruption in prisons. But they also need proper management. It is notjust Front Line Officers at work at after yea rs Front Line Officers at work at after years ago. If you are front line officer managing 60 or 100 people in prison, you need someone behind you. You need advice and support and managers. It is very complex to managers. It is very complex to manage a prison. More money for Front Line Officers is good but it is only one step. There are much more fundamental problems to be dealt with them solved in the prisons. We are grateful for your time this morning. Thank you. We have talked about the weather getting a little bit warmer, but it is becoming feisty as well, isnt it . That is a good word. I like that. We will have windy weather the next few days. It is not necessarily the day for sitting outdoors. Other week for sitting outdoors. There will be rain as well around. What a lovely sunrise and milk in milton keynes. For all of us, sunrise and milk in milton keynes. Forall of us, it sunrise and milk in milton keynes. For all of us, it will be a mild day as it was yesterday. We will find some sunshine breaking out in the eastern uk. Cloud thickening and loading in some parts. Drizzle in west wales and the farce of western and good. Fog lifting in the south east. Temperatures listing as well. Sunshine for the north developing in the east, west of scotla nd developing in the east, West Of Scotland and Northern Ireland not feeling so well. Grey, cloudy and dull. Hell fog and rain and drizzle cropping up. Hill fog developing as cloud laws in parts of england and will as well. Maybe across east will so will as well. Maybe across east will so well as well. East england and scotla nd so well as well. East england and scotland seeing sunshine but not huge amounts. Quite a lot of cloud coming in. It is still a huge amounts. Quite a lot of cloud coming in. It is stilla mild huge amounts. Quite a lot of cloud coming in. It is still a mild day, temperatures of 11 and 12 celsius. 11 celsius in london for the football. There could be some shocks again an fa cup fifth road. Temperatures lower in blackburn. There could be drizzle around as well. We have rain coming into scotla nd well. We have rain coming into scotland and Northern Ireland this evening. It is initially heavy, then syncs south molton becomes like and patchy. A lot of cloud. More hill fog, despite the freshening wind. Mild and i, temperatures not falling much at all. Very mild ear coming into the uk from a long way south. We will not get any tropical sunshine but higher temperatures will come through. Gusty winds in Eastern Scotland and eastern pennines. Band of Rain Tomorrow living south away from scotland and Northern Ireland, into england and wales. Behind that, sunshine, temperatures dropping. In Southern Parts of the uk, we have very mild ear on monday and if we do get some sunshine, locally temperatures could be 16 or 17 celsius. That