welcome to the programme. russia is observing a national day of mourning today for the victims of friday's attack on a concert venue, just outside moscow. in the last couple of hours, vladimir putin lit a candle in a church outside his residence outside moscow in memory of the victims. at least 137 people died in the attack on concertgoers in the crocus city hall — the latest death toll from officials. mourners have also been placing flowers at a makeshift memorial at the concert venue — others have queued to donate blood for the many survivors. the islamic state group has released graphic footage, which appears to back up its claim of responsibility for the attack. caroline hawley reports — and a warning, it contains some images you may find distressing. a growing mountain of tributes in memory of those killed in russia's deadliest attack on civilians in two decades. many had been attending a concert.

among the dead, three children. the country is in mourning and in shock. inside the venue this morning, a complex rescue operation was still under way. such was the damage, they're having to cut through debris to try to gain access to the music hall itself, where it's feared that more bodies could be found. translation: overnight, a hole| in the main building was created, in order to get engineering equipment inside the concert hall and ensure the work of rescue workers. plans were also made to extinguish small fires on the roof of the building. gunfire. a glimpse here of the terror of friday night, as the gunmen shot their way into the hall. people finding whatever shelter they could from indiscriminate firing. imagine you had a relative at the concert and hadn't heard from them since. translation: the last| time yana contacted me was from the concert hall. she sent me one photo and then a second. i wrote to her and sent a second message.

the first message was read on whatsapp. the second wasn't. the islamic state group says it carried this out, and the us had told russia it had intelligence of an imminent extremist attack, a warning that vladimir putin then publicly dismissed. he's tried to link ukraine with what happened here, saying the attackers were attempting to flee across the border when they were caught, prompting a furious denial. translation: one more thing, - what happened in moscow yesterday, it's obvious that putin and other scumbags are just trying to find someone else to blame. their methods are always the same. we've seen it all before — destroyed buildings and shootings and explosions — and they are always looking for someone to blame. this is an image released by the islamic state group. bbc verify has also been looking at graphic footage released last night — which we're not showing — and have matched the logo on a t—shirt in that video with one worn by this man, under arrest.

the attack has prompted an outpouring of grief in russia, and in the minds of mourners, there are bound to be questions. caroline hawley, bbc news. let's speak now to amira jadoon, assistant professor of political science at clemson university. she is also an expert on the islamic state. thank you very much for being with us. were you surprised when you saw this ais claim of responsibility for this ais claim of responsibility for this attack? thank for having me. no, to be fair as someone who has been studying islamic state, it wasn't that surprising, although i will say it was a bit of a shock just because of the type of attack it was and the destruction it caused. but overall this attack aligns pretty much seamlessly with the is enduring narrative of challenging state powers and what we

have seen in is propaganda, it has consistently identified russia among its primary adversaries, alongside various other state actors such as the governments of iran, pakistan, india and other central asian nations. so this strategic approach which includes this attack on russia really underscores their efforts to broaden and globalise its operational ending recruitment endeavours, really positioning itself as the foremost regional contender. so it amplifies their self betrayal is the dominant organisation if is is indeed specifically involved in some way, and the targeting of major powers like russia but also iran really aids the group in its drive for recruitment and allows it to appeal to a really diverse militant pool by demonstrating its relevance across

its militant base and potential sympathisers... you like you talk about islamic state, how does that fit into the bigger islamic state group umbrella? so fit into the bigger islamic state group umbrella?— group umbrella? so this is an affiliate in — group umbrella? so this is an affiliate in the _ group umbrella? so this is an affiliate in the region - group umbrella? so this is an affiliate in the region which . affiliate in the region which primarily has primary in the region, and as it has lost territory in the middle east, is—k has really been featured in islamic state central is one of its affiliate is, almost as an affiliate that others should be emulating. so is—k over the years,

its ability to survive intense military operations, in pakistan as well, and then come back, it has beenin well, and then come back, it has been in existence for nine years, and that has really given it a lot of credibility in islamic state central. , ., , , central. president putin has 'ust won the russian i central. president putin has 'ust won the russian state i central. president putin hasjust won the russian state election, | central. president putin hasjust i won the russian state election, so how much of a big deal is this for president putin? does this just give him another big thing that he has to worry about while he is trying to fight what he considers to be a justified war elsewhere? i fight what he considers to be a justified war elsewhere? i think we can see how _ justified war elsewhere? i think we can see how his _ justified war elsewhere? i think we can see how his reaction, - justified war elsewhere? i think we can see how his reaction, even - can see how his reaction, even though they have acknowledged that this attack was claimed by islamic state, they are still trying to draw links to the ukraine conflict,

indicating that the militants took roots emerging from there. i would say that this is not uncommon when they experience an attack, especially for a leader like vladimir putin. they will try to associate it with existing political tensions or conflict, and we have seen them do the same. but we cannot ignore the fact that russia has expressed concerns about is—k in the past, and earlier this month, the russian authorities revealed that they foiled an attack by islamic state on a synagogue, so there has been acknowledgement of this threat, but right now, this attack which was shocking and spectacular really is a cause of embarrassment, and so i

think this is one of the reasons why we are seeing this linkage between this attack and the ukraine war. we will have to leave it there, doctor amira jadoon, thank you very much forjoining us. amira jadoon, thank you very much forjoining m— forjoining us. thank you for having me. to the middle east now, and the head of unrwa says israel has told the un it will no longer approve the palestinian refugee agency's food convoys to the north of gaza. unrwa's head, philippe lazzarini, says the restrictions must be lifted. it comes as israel's defence minister travels to washington , with prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, under increasing pressure from the us to halt its planned assault on rafah in southern gaza. the health ministry in gaza, which is run by hamas, says 19 people waiting for aid near gaza city were killed by israeli forces on saturday. israel denies firing on the crowd. meanwhile the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, has continued his call for a humanitarian ceasefire after a visit to egypt, saying israel should remove remaining obstacles from getting aid into the territory.

let's speak now to juliette touma, who is director of communications at the united nations relief and works agency. thank you very much for being with us. what is your immediate reaction to the news that israel will no longer allow your trucks into the territory? it longer allow your trucks into the territo ? , , , , longer allow your trucks into the territo ? ,, ., .,, territory? it is simply outrageous. the clock is _ territory? it is simply outrageous. the clock is ticking, _ territory? it is simply outrageous. the clock is ticking, and _ territory? it is simply outrageous. the clock is ticking, and with - territory? it is simply outrageous. the clock is ticking, and with this| the clock is ticking, and with this recent decision, the clock will be ticking even faster towards famine. there is more than a quarter of a million people who depend on unwra's food assistance in the north, and we haven't been able to reach them for the past two months. [30 haven't been able to reach them for the past two months.— the past two months. do you think unwra has _ the past two months. do you think unwra has done _ the past two months. do you think unwra has done enough - the past two months. do you think unwra has done enough to - the past two months. do you think. unwra has done enough to appease israel? israel has repeatedly claimed that unwra employees have been involved in the october attacks. it has detained some people, if i'm not mistaken, and it

doesn't say it wants the un and unwra to do better when it comes to ensuring that its staff are appropriate. do you think you have done enough?— appropriate. do you think you have done enough? look, with regards to these allegations _ done enough? look, with regards to these allegations that _ done enough? look, with regards to these allegations that are _ done enough? look, with regards to these allegations that are very - these allegations that are very serious, they are about allegations of involvement of 12 staff out of 30,000 staff in the horrific attacks on israel on the 7th of october. we have immediately asked for an investigation, which is currently ongoing, and the commissioner general of unwra has fired all of these employees. and meanwhile, there is a very serious humanitarian crisis happening on the ground, and we have to do our work. we are the largest united nations agency, the largest united nations agency, the largest humanitarian platform for people in gaza. 2 million people depend on unwra, our staff and our

assistance. we depend on unwra, our staff and our assistance. ~ ., ., ., ., assistance. we hear a lot about the necessity for _ assistance. we hear a lot about the necessity for aid _ assistance. we hear a lot about the necessity for aid to _ assistance. we hear a lot about the necessity for aid to get _ assistance. we hear a lot about the necessity for aid to get into - assistance. we hear a lot about the necessity for aid to get into gaza, l necessity for aid to get into gaza, everything from food and water to medical assistance. everything from food and water to medicalassistance. can everything from food and water to medical assistance. can you tell us specifically what it is that you are trying to deliver to gaza which you now will not be able to? we trying to deliver to gaza which you now will not be able to?— now will not be able to? we are talkin: now will not be able to? we are talking about _ now will not be able to? we are talking about the _ now will not be able to? we are talking about the vast _ now will not be able to? we are talking about the vast majority l now will not be able to? we are. talking about the vast majority of the population that has been forced to flee their homes or their places of refuge, and unwra alone are hosting over a million people who live in the united nations unwra shelters. they lost everything, and they need everything, and they need they need everything, and they need the basics. and right now the most important commodity that people need is food. i would also say that they need safety and they need protection above all, and a ceasefire, which is very, very much overdue. 0k. juliette touma, director of communications at unwra, thank you very much.

as the war continues to rage in gaza, approaching the milestone of six months, there are calls from the far right in israel for israeli settlers to return to gaza. the idea has support from ministers in israel's hard—right government, including the minister for public security, itamar ben—gvir. a prominent settler leader has told the bbc that she already has 500 families "signed up who are ready to move immediately". israel pulled out of its settlements in gaza in 2005. settlements are held to be illegal under international law. israel disputes this. from the west bank, our senior international correspondent 0rla guerin reports. the hills of the west bank. palestinian land, eaten away for decades by illegal israeli settlements. they are an obstacle to peace, the un says. but now many on

israel's far right want to bring settlements like this man who has raised ten children in a settle outpost on the west bank. he lived in dauser in the past, and claims a god—given right to return. do you want to go back? do think that others will go back? we want to go back? do think that others will go back?— want to go back? do think that others will go back? we must do it. it is art others will go back? we must do it. it is part of — others will go back? we must do it. it is part of the _ others will go back? we must do it. it is part of the israel— others will go back? we must do it. it is part of the israel area. - others will go back? we must do it. it is part of the israel area. this - it is part of the israel area. this is the land that god gave us, and you couldn't go to them and say, you give me, i give other people. these at the 21 gaza _ give me, i give other people. these at the 21 gaza settlements - give me, i give other people. these at the 21 gaza settlements that - give me, i give other people. these at the 21 gaza settlements that were demolished in 2005. but daniela is already mapping out a new gaza without the more than 2 million palestinians who live there. the 78—year—old is the grandmother of israel's settler movement. gaza

arabs will not _ of israel's settler movement. gaza arabs will not stay _ of israel's settler movement. gaza arabs will not stay in _ of israel's settler movement. gaza arabs will not stay in the _ of israel's settler movement. gaza arabs will not stay in the gaza strip — arabs will not stay in the gaza strip. who will stay? jews. africa is hit} _ strip. who will stay? jews. africa is big. canada is big. the world will absorb _ is big. canada is big. the world will absorb the people of gaza. how will absorb the people of gaza. how will we _ will absorb the people of gaza. how will we do _ will absorb the people of gaza. how will we do it? we encourage it. palestinians in gaza who wish to remain in gaza, you say that they be forced to go?— forced to go? palestinians in gaza, the aood forced to go? palestinians in gaza, the good ones. _ forced to go? palestinians in gaza, the good ones, will _ forced to go? palestinians in gaza, the good ones, will be _ forced to go? palestinians in gaza, the good ones, will be enabled, i forced to go? palestinians in gaza, | the good ones, will be enabled, i'm not saying _ the good ones, will be enabled, i'm not saying forced, i'm saying enabled _ not saying forced, i'm saying enabled because they want to go. if enabled because they want to go. if they enabled because they want to go. they don't enabled because they want to go. if they don't want to go. they - enabled because they want to go. if they don't want to go. they want. i they don't want to go. they want. the arabs want _ they don't want to go. they want. the arabs want to _ they don't want to go. they want. the arabs want to go. _ they don't want to go. they want. the arabs want to go. if - they don't want to go. they want. the arabs want to go. if they - they don't want to go. they want. l the arabs want to go. if they don't, what happens? _ the arabs want to go. if they don't, what happens? the _ the arabs want to go. if they don't, what happens? the normal- the arabs want to go. if they don't, what happens? the normal peoplel what happens? the normal people don't want to _ what happens? the normal people don't want to live _ what happens? the normal people don't want to live there. _ don't want to live there. what _ don't want to live there. what you are talking about sounds a plan for ethnic cleansing. you what you are talking about sounds a plan for ethnic cleansing.— plan for ethnic cleansing. you can call it ethnic— plan for ethnic cleansing. you can call it ethnic cleansing, _ plan for ethnic cleansing. you can call it ethnic cleansing, you - plan for ethnic cleansing. you can call it ethnic cleansing, you can i call it ethnic cleansing, you can call it ethnic cleansing, you can call it— call it ethnic cleansing, you can call it refugees, whatever you want.

if call it refugees, whatever you want. if you _ call it refugees, whatever you want. if you want — call it refugees, whatever you want. if you want to call it cleansing, if you want — if you want to call it cleansing, if you want to _ if you want to call it cleansing, if you want to call it apartheid, you choose _ you want to call it apartheid, you choose your definition. i choose the way to _ choose your definition. i choose the way to protect the state of israel. also embracing a return to gaza, itamar ben—gvir, israel's far right security minister, settle himself. he was among about a dozen ministers at this conference entitled settlement brings security it's time to go back home, he says. it's time to go back home, he says. it's time to return to the land of israel. most israelis oppose going back to gaza, but since the hamas attacks on october the 7th, it is being talked about out loud. and some already have their eyes on prime real estate in the utter devastation of gaza where the death toll among palestinians is 32000 and counting.

i have friends in tel aviv, so they say, _ i have friends in tel aviv, so they say, don't — i have friends in tel aviv, so they say, don't forget to keep the plot near the — say, don't forget to keep the plot near the coast in gaza, because it is a beautiful coast, beautiful golden— is a beautiful coast, beautiful golden sands, beautiful place. it is beautiful no _ golden sands, beautiful place. it 3 beautiful no more. after almost six months of israeli bombardment. jewish settlers may never get to the beachfront, but much of gaza has already been raised. all are let's come to europe now. ireland is set to have its youngest—ever prime minister. one of the country's main governing parties, fine gael, has declared simon harris, who's 37, as its leader, replacing leo varadkar. he'll be formally appointed as prime minister, or taoiseach, when ireland's parliament reconvenes next month. here's newly chosen fine gael leader simon harris speaking a short time ago. i want to thank you.

i want every single person and every single community you come from across ireland. i want to thank you for your trust. and i want to promise and pledge to you today that i will repay that trust with hard work. with blood, sweat and tears, day in and day out. with responsibility, with humility, and with civility. let's go to a belfast newsroom in northern ireland. reporter kevin sharkeyjoins me now from our belfast newsroom. what has been talking in the last couple of hours?— what has been talking in the last couple of hours? ireland now has a new prime — couple of hours? ireland now has a new prime minister— couple of hours? ireland now has a new prime minister in _ couple of hours? ireland now has a new prime minister in waiting, - couple of hours? ireland now has a i new prime minister in waiting, simon harris, as you havejust new prime minister in waiting, simon harris, as you have just been hearing there. he has been speaking to his party, the fine gael party at an event here in ireland, and he has been speaking and addressing domestic issues across the republic of ireland, but also he has been speaking to global events, referring to what he described as the illegal invasion of ukraine. he also spoke

about the crisis in the middle east and said that ireland would continue to address and do what it could to help what he described as a humanitarian catastrophe in gaza. he also said that under his leadership, ireland will continue to pursue demands for an immediate ceasefire, for the immediate release of hostages, and for the pursuit of a two state solution. and as far as europe was concerned, he said that under his leadership, ireland will continue to be a pro—european party. that is for another day, because simon harris has been elected leader of his party today, but as far as being elected leader of the country and being prime minister and taoiseach, that is some time away. that will happen on the 9th of april when the irish parliament reconvenes after the easter recess and he is nominated by his fine gael party, fine gael being part of a three party coalition government in northern ireland, and all three coalition partners will back his

nomination, and he will then be expected to be elected as the next prime minister of ireland, and when that happens, at the age of 37 he will be ireland's youngest ever prime minister. it will be ireland's youngest ever prime minister.— will be ireland's youngest ever prime minister. it is all well and aood to prime minister. it is all well and good to have — prime minister. it is all well and good to have that _ prime minister. it is all well and good to have that wish - prime minister. it is all well and good to have that wish list - prime minister. it is all well and good to have that wish list of. good to have that wish list of things you want to do, but as you mentioned, this is a three party government at the moment, and there have been calls from some people for a general election to be called. it is feature set and secure? yes. a general election to be called. it is feature set and secure? yes, and the demands _ is feature set and secure? yes, and the demands have _ is feature set and secure? yes, and the demands have been _ is feature set and secure? yes, and the demands have been led - is feature set and secure? yes, and the demands have been led by - is feature set and secure? yes, and the demands have been led by the l the demands have been led by the main opposition party, sinn fein, but the three coalition parties have been steadfast since leo varadkar resigned this week. they have said that they want this to run its full course and that would take the current government in a couple of weeks' time eventually under simon harris's leadership into next year, so at the minute the expectation is that this government will at least try to complete its five year term. but in politics, things can change

quickly. great to get that update from you, thank you very much. sticking on the island of ireland, four people have been killed in a crash on a road on the outskirts of armagh early this morning. the police service of northern ireland said the driver and three passengers, who were declared dead at the scene, have yet to be formally identified. we just want to bring you some breaking news coming to it in the last few moments. this is coming to us from kent police. they say a 12—year—old boy has been charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon by officers investigating an assault of a teenage girl in sittingbourne in the south—east of england. this happened on friday at apm. police were called following reports that a 15—year—old girl had suffered injuries consistent with a knife wound. the boy cannot be named for legal

reasons due to his age. he is due to appear at medway magistrates' court on monday. kent police saying they have charged a 12—year—old boy with attempted murder following this attack, this assault on a 15—year—old girl in sittingbourne on friday afternoon. staying in the uk, the chancellor has confirmed the conservatives will have a commitment to keeping the so—called triple—lock on pension increases, in their election manifesto. under the pledge, state pensions rise every april, in line with whichever is highest out of inflation, average wage increases, or 2.5%. georgia roberts has this report. will the triple lock be in the tory manifesto this time around? well, i can confirm it will be, yes. the chancellor was determined to spread some economic cheer this morning, after recent news of falling inflation. and some cheer in particular for pensioners came, with a clear commitment to the triple lock, if the conservatives win the next general election. when we came to office in 2010, pensioners were more likely to be

in poverty than other income groups. now, because of the triple lock that we introduced, they are less likely to be in poverty, and i think that's a very important social change. it's a policy that's been criticised as unsustainable because of its hefty price tag. a recent report by the institute for fiscal studies think tank said the triple lock added an extra £11 billion a year to public spending. butjeremy hunt said he could pay for it. what we saw in the budget was because we have a plan for growth, the obr say that we will get back to 2%—ish growth over the next few years... but ijust want to be clear... ..and that means that we can start to make very important commitment. labour's party chair was asked what they would do. we'll set out those plans i for our manifesto in detail. however, we don't want them to be threatened by that - £46 billion black hole that, j unfortunately, jeremy hunt has threatened with _ the national insurance changes that he's proposed. the labour spokesperson told

the bbc they are committed to the triple lock, too, but won't confirm it will be in their election manifesto. the liberal democrats dismissed mr hunt's pledge as a shameless election trick, but they've already committed to it themselves. this election year, all parties will have to spell out whether they think the policy really is affordable in the long term, with an economy that isn't out of the woods yet. georgia roberts, bbc news. the prince and princess of wales say they have been moved by the public�*s warmth and support since catherine's announcement on friday that she is receiving cancer treatment. a statement from kensington palace also said the couple were "grateful" that the public understood their request for privacy. that message of course from the princess of wales on friday got attention around the world. lots of people descending on windsor to pay their tributes to the princess. there have also been tributes paid

by world leaders and also harry and meghan have sent their wishes. and a reminder of our top story this hour, the attack on friday evening in russia, which has left at least 137 people killed. islamic state group has claimed responsibility for that attack. people have been turning up over the last couple of days to pay their tributes and pay their respects at the sight of the concert venue outside the capital. president putin here early in the church adjacent to his private residence just outside moscow as well, lighting a candle for the victims. russian officials say they have detained 11 people who were involved in the attack, including the four direct assailants. there is more on the bbc news website and app, and we will be bringing you much more on that story right here on bbc news.

don't go anywhere. i will see you soon. hello there. sunday didn't turn out too badly with a bit of spring sunshine, just one or two showers. but through the next few days, the weather is looking quite changeable, decidedly unsettled, spells of rain, often windy, and it will be cold enough for snow over high ground in scotland. now let's take a look at the rainfall we're expecting to accumulate over the next five days. wet for hills in the west, very wet for eastern scotland. but while i say rainfall, actually some of this will fall as snow across scotland because certainly over the next couple of days, we've got to hold on to some rather cold air across this northern half of scotland. in the short term, well, through this evening and tonight, we see cloud and rain spreading from the west across

northern ireland, western england, wales, pushing its way a little bit further northwards and eastwards. ahead of that, a slice of clear sky, one or two mist patches, and temperatures dropping away — but out towards the west, as the night wears on, those temperatures will climb a little bit. so, 9 degrees in plymouth, for example, as we start monday morning with the cloud, with the outbreaks of rain, all associated with this area of low pressure, and a frontal system swirling its way in from the west. now, i think there will be parts of east anglia and the southeast that stay dry with some hazy sunshine throughout the day. northern scotland will hold on to some spells of sunshine, one or two wintry showers, but elsewhere we see the cloud, we see the outbreaks of rain moving quite erratically northwards. temperatures on monday afternoon across south wales, southern england, 10, 11, 12 degrees, but northern scotland, just 5, 6 or 7 degrees — and it's as the wet weather runs into that cold air that we will start to see some quite significant snow. overfairly modest hills i think we could see snow,

but above 300 metres elevation we could be looking at 20 centimetres of snow — and at low levels close to the east coast, parts of aberdeenshire, angus, fife, maybe up to 50 millimetres of rain. so that brings with it the risk of flooding and disruption. and the weather across scotland on tuesday only very slowly improving, the snow levels lifting, the rain and snow tending to peter outjust a little bit. windy in the far north, really cold, as well, struggling to get above freezing for some. further south, northern ireland, england and wales, sunny spells, the odd shower, highs of 11. temperatures climbing a little bit, actually, through the week ahead, into the easter weekend, but there will still be some rain at times.

live from london, this is bbc news. president putin lights a candle for victims of the concert hall attack — where137 people, including three children, were killed. large numbers of russians continue to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial near crocus city hall, as the country marks a day of official mourning. the islamic state group says it was behind the attack. israel tells the un it will no longer approve the palestinian refugee agency's food convoys to the north of gaza — that's according to the head of unrwa. meanwhile, at least 1a people have been killed as israeli forces carried out ground and air attacks in northern and central gaza. and the prince and princess of wales thank the public for their support following catherine's announcement she is being treated for cancer. details of the cancer

have not been disclosed. much more to come in all of those stories. sport now, and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. thank you. max verstappen missed out on a record—equalling tenth f1 victory after carlos sainz stole the show at the australian grand prix, capping off a remarkable return to form and fitness in melbourne. sainz started alongside world champion verstappen, who was on pole. but the dutchman handed him the lead, after having to retire his red bull with brake problems. the race finished under safety car conditions after britain's george russell crashed his mercedes at the end. he was unhurt, and sainz claimed victory — two weeks after having his appendix out — ahead of ferrari team mate charles leclerc, with the mclaren of britain's lando norris completing the podium. drama in the motogp in portugal, too,asjorge martin won for his first victory of the season, following a bizarre

incident towards the end. ducati's enea bastianini took second from aprilia's maverick vinales, on the penultimate lap. vinales slowed on the pit straight, allowing bastianini to come through, before the aprilia rider and sprint winner ran off at turn one and crashed on the dusty run—off area. that allowed pedro acosta to finish third in his debut season. world champion francesco bagnaia also crashed out. it turned out to be a rather one—sided affair between italy and england in their women's six nations opener — as the defending champions turned on the style in the second half. italy held out, before two tries close to half time had england away. sarah beckett was shown a red card for an illegal tackle too, but england were still streets ahead. mackenzie carson, ellie kildunne and connie powell among the tries, in a 118—0 bonus—point win in parma. elsewhere this weekend, wins for france and scotland, but favourites england top the table. a remarkable collapse from england handed new zealand a dramatic three—run victory in the third t20, as the hosts kept the series alive in nelson.

england were cruising in pursuit of 156, needing only 29 runs from 29 balls with eight wickets left, but then lost 6—25. that left them needing eight from the last over. but they scored just four and lost two wickets. england lead the series 2—1 ahead of the fourth match in wellington on wednesday, in the five—match series. credit to them. i think we got put under a lot of pressure and today we maybe didn't come up well against it. but i think that's a big learning curve. this team is always about learning opportunities and it's all right to make mistakes but we have to learn from them. i guess it is one to learn from, big time. a busy sunday in the english women's super league, as chelsea aim to return to the top of the table with a win over west ham. the merseyside derby has finished — everton drew 0—0 with liverpool at goodison park. brighton came from behind against leicester to win 3—2. chelsea 1—0 up against west ham — aggie beever—jones with the goal.

and after that, third—placed arsenal are away at aston villa in the late game. jesper svensson won his first dp world tour title in singapore on sunday, after three play—off holes against kiradech aphibarnrat. svensson eventually sealed victory after the pair had halved the 18th in birdies, and then pars on the first two trips back up the par—five closing hole. but at the third time of asking, svensson had two putts for a par and the win. tadej pogacar wrapped up the 2024 volta a catalunya in style on sunday, winning the seventh and final stage in a sprint finish in barcelona. it was the 25—year—old slovenian's maiden victory in the event and marked the 12th stage race title of his career. pogocar finished three minutes and 41 seconds ahead of spain's mikel landa in the general classification and more than five minutes clear of colombia's egan bernal in third. meanwhile, the danish rider mads pedersen was faster to the line than the world champion mathieu van der poel to win gent—wevelgem in belgium.

the rider from the lidl—trek team winning the 253 kilometre classic for the second time. belgianjordi meeus finished third, 16 seconds further back. and that's all the sport for now. we will be back with more later on, see you then. great, looking forward to it, thank you very much, gavin. staying with sport, and let's get more on the women's six nations. let's speak now to kirsty scotter, who is a forwards coach for rugby team kendal wasps. thank you for being with us. italy versus england in the six nations, what did you make of the game? i thought it was a really interesting game, really a game of two halves. italy came out fighting in the first half and really put england on the back foot. we have seen a lot of changes with england recently with a lot of players coming back from injury so i think it took them a bit of time to get into the swing of the game but by the time we got to the second half we really saw england in

dominant force, as previously, which was exciting to see stop i think people were not sure how england would look today under their new head coach and it was great to see them fighting in that second half and end up with a really dominant win against italy.— win against italy. 48-0 at full-time. _ win against italy. 48-0 at full-time. easy _ win against italy. 48-0 at full-time. easy to - win against italy. 48-0 at full-time. easy to feel- win against italy. 48-0 at - full-time. easy to feel confident full—time. easy to feel confident after a result like this. is there a risk that for the next match they might be a feeling of complacency? i'm not sure. i think england tried out a lot of players and i think they are trying to work out what their formation looks like. they have emily skerrett for example at the 12 position rather than the 13, and i know they are trying to work out who their ten is going forward. we could see more change coming as they look to settle their squad. i don't think they will be complacent just yet but it will be really good to see how they get on against the likes of france further down the line in the competition. i5 likes of france further down the line in the competition.- line in the competition. is this unsettling. — line in the competition. is this unsettling. to _ line in the competition. is this unsettling, to have _ line in the competition. is this unsettling, to have the - line in the competition. is this| unsettling, to have the players line in the competition. is this - unsettling, to have the players move around their position and try to

find the perfect line—up in the middle of the tournament? i find the perfect line-up in the middle of the tournament? i think if ou look at middle of the tournament? i think if you look at the _ middle of the tournament? i think if you look at the world _ middle of the tournament? i think if you look at the world rugby - middle of the tournament? i think if| you look at the world rugby schedule at the moment it is kind of a good time because we have a home world cup next year, 2025, so i think england will be really trying to find out who those players are who are putting up their hand for the world cup position, to make sure they are going into that tournament with a really strong squad. i think this is kind of a good opportunity for them to have a bit more depth of squad and really work out how they want to go into that world cup next year. it want to go into that world cup next ear. ., , want to go into that world cup next ear. . , ., want to go into that world cup next ear, ., , ., ., want to go into that world cup next ear. ., ., ., ., _ , ., year. it was not all rosy, we should address the — year. it was not all rosy, we should address the fact _ year. it was not all rosy, we should address the fact that _ year. it was not all rosy, we should address the fact that cerebellar - year. it was not all rosy, we should address the fact that cerebellar kit | address the fact that cerebellar kit was sent off for using a so—called crocodile role against one of the italian players. what happened? this was a italian players. what happened? t�*i 3 was a difficult one. she was coming in to break down very quickly and the italian player was low so it was important we keep the game safe. sarah beckett would not have

intended to cause any harm at all so it is one of those misfortunes of the game but hopefully it will not be too long until we see her back in action again and the italian player played on, which is fantastic to see. , , played on, which is fantastic to see. , y ., played on, which is fantastic to see. , , ., ., ., see. kirsty scotter from the kendall wass, see. kirsty scotter from the kendall wasps. thank _ see. kirsty scotter from the kendall wasps, thank you. _ see. kirsty scotter from the kendall wasps, thank you. amazing, - see. kirsty scotter from the kendall wasps, thank you. amazing, thank| wasps, thank you. amazing, thank ou. let's get back to one of our top stories today. russia is observing a national day of mourning for the victims of friday's attack on a concert venue just outside moscow. people were laying flowers outside what remains of the concert hall. president vladimir putin did not attend the scene — he paid his tributes lighting a candle in a church. at least 137 people died in an attack by gunmen on the crocus city hall. 0ur russia editor steve rosenberg has been reporting from the scene. well, we haven't heard much more today from the kremlin, but i can tell you what, on this national day of mourning,

there is a long queue of people outside the crocus city hall here. people queueing up with flowers, roses and carnations, lining up at the makeshift shrine to the victims of this attack. people have been leaving messages, too. one that i read was addressed to the attackers and it read, "you are scum, we will never forgive you." and just from talking to people here, there is a deep sense of shock at what has happened, and a mixture, i'd say, of grief and also anger. one woman was in tears when i spoke to her. she said that she felt a great sense of loss and had to come. one man said that he wanted president putin to remove the moratorium on the death penalty. he was very, very angry. as to who was behind this, people here are not sure, but as you mentioned, russian officials have been hinting very strongly that in some way, somehow, ukraine is connected to this attack. even though islamic state says it

carried out the mass shooting, even though islamic state has released these graphic images of the attack, and even though american officials have said they have no reason to doubt that claim of responsibility by islamic state. the feeling is that the kremlin is trying to convince russians that somehow, ukraine played a role in this. 0ne one of the other stories we are looking at today, and the chancellor has confirmed that the conservatives will have a commitment to keeping the so—called triple—lock on pension increases in their election manifesto. under the government pledge, state pensions rise every april, in line with whichever is highest out of inflation, average wage increases, or 2.5%. a general election is expected in the uk some time this year. the chancellor spoke to the bbc�*s laura kuenssberg this morning —

she started by pressing mr hunt on the cost—of—living crisis, which many people say is the fault of the tories. well, let me tell you what we're trying to do politically. it was very straightforward as far as i'm concerned. the main reason people vote conservative is because they trust us to take the tough and difficult decisions that gets the economy back on track. now, in the last few years... the economy has been off track wildly for a long time. not for a long time. in the last few years, since 2010, we've talked about this before, we've grown faster than countries like germany. but, yes, in the last three years, we had a once in a century pandemic. we had a 1970s—style energy shock. and what they've seen from this conservative government is that we've taken the really difficult decisions. i think the first time i spoke to you, the first interview i gave after i became chancellor, i had to put taxes up — very difficult for a conservative chancellor. i had to cut back public spending plans. and those very difficult decisions, what they expect from a conservative government, we can now see they're bearing fruit. but those difficult decisions were taken by you as chancellor because the person who sat in your chair before you had made

huge unfunded tax cuts that sent the markets completely crazy. well, that was a mistake. but that that was corrected very quickly. but that was corrected very quickly. and, in fact, in terms of the markets, they reflected that correction very quickly. the reason why inflation was 11.1% when i took over is, i'm afraid, because putin decided to invade ukraine and that caused a global energy crisis. and that's in common with countries like america, france, germany. we've all felt the impact of that. that took very difficult decisions. but there's a way to go. but i think we are making progress. yes. let's talk, then, about the next few months, because everybody knows the economy is likely to be top of the list at the general election. now, your rival, rachel reeves, was here a couple of weeks ago and you're both sometimes criticised inside your own parties and outside for sounding a little bit similar, and some of the things you say are actually remarkably similar. i just want to show you a couple of things. "higher growth means more

opportunity, more prosperity, and more funding for our public services." "economic growth is essential for raising living standards and funding strong public services." now, can you tell us which one of you said which sentence? because they are remarkably similar. i can tell you because i wrote the sentence at the top myself. so it was me. but, yes, iagree. and let me answer your question directly. let's see if you got it right. you did get it right. but do you accept that there does seem to be an awful lot in common? well, the first thing i say is i like and respect rachel reeves. and i think now this week is a big turning point because she's given a one—hour lecture in which she's said what our economic policies are. said what her economic policies are. there are some very profound differences. and you were talking about the cost of living crisis. i mean, the question is not simply how do we get simply, how do we get through current difficulties?

but how do we move decisively to higher growth, higher living standards? and to do that, we've got to confront very difficult questions. and i would say there are probably three that we need to confront. i don't think rachel has confronted those this week. let me give you one. if we're going to grow the economy, that means businesses are going to hire more workers. is that going to come from more migration or making work pay with the six million adults of working age who are not in work and not at university? now, she didn't mention welfare reform or controlling migration once in over 8,000 words of a speech, we have introduced free childcare, we've changed the rules on pensions so that people in their fifties want to carry on working. mel stride's plans to make to bring people back into work will help a million

people back into work. making work pay is a profoundly important part of the economic change we need to see. we will speak to anneliese dodds from labour later. but are you saying if there's a big difference on welfare, which you are saying, do you believe actually you can make it harder for people to claim benefits, then, in order to get them back into work? i think it's a mixture of carrot and stick, but labour have actually ruled out sanctions. that's a very big thing, and i think we need to say that people who are out of work would be much better off in the majority of cases in work and we need to do that. can ijust tell you something else? a very profound difference. how are we going to create the jobs of the future for our children? i want to be clear on that point. would you tighten any increased sanctions, then, on people to get them back to work? it sounds like that is what you're saying — it should be harder still to claim benefits. well, that's what mel stride has said. and he said, if people are out of work after 18 months, he will require them to do a work placement. and the changes in the work capability assessment that he's already announced, the office for budget responsibility say 400,000 fewer people will be

getting the higher level of benefit. but can ijust go back to jobs? because you ask about differences. we've had many challenges. you've talked to me about them on many occasions with the british economy. one thing we've been very good at is creating jobs, four million additional jobs since 2010. that's 8,000 people every single working day that the conservatives have been in office. now, the question is, how do we sustain that? and what we have now is... rachel reeves did talk about that. she talked about labour's new deal for workers. you have the president of the cbi, completely independent of government, saying that risks destroying the job creating factory that the uk has. but you have also presided over — and you've mentioned it yourself — a lot of people falling out of the workplace, often due to ill health, often because they can't get the treatments that they need because nhs waiting lists are so long. but it's interesting, you've clearly articulated there, i think, that you are open to squeezing the welfare budget

further and making it harder for people to claim on a different for people to claim. on a different form of payment, though, when it comes to pensioners, what about the triple lock? because you hinted this week that the triple lock, which guarantees pensioners income, keeps pace with inflation. you hinted that might be reviewed, but will the triple lock be in the tory manifesto this time round? well, i can confirm it will be, yes. and there's two very important things i would say about that. when we came to office in 2010, pensioners were more likely to be in poverty than other income groups. now, because of the triple lock that we introduced, they are less likely to be in poverty. and i think that's a very important social change because, unlike adults of working age, pensioners can't work, they've retired. and so we need to respect that. but the second thing i would say is that is an expensive commitment. it's very expensive. indeed, and you can only make that commitment if you're confident that you're going to deliver the economic growth that's going to pay for it.

the chancellorjeremy hunt speaking to laura kuennsberg. meanwhile labour's chair, anneliese dodds, said her party would be setting out economic details of its manifesto in due course. the liberal democrats dismissed mr hunt's pensions pledge as a "shameless election trick". the prince and princess of wales say they have been moved by the public�*s warmth and support, since catherine's announcement on friday, that she is receiving cancer treatment. a statement from kensington palace, also said the couple were "grateful" that the public understood their request for privacy. this is the national with erica johnson. catherine, the princess of wales, i made a shocking announcement... making headlines globally. kate middleton... the impact of the princess' diagnosis has been felt far and wide. her video message was the most direct and personal we have

ever seen the princess. this, of course, came as a huge shock. it was also an attempt to shut down the rumours. i think what the princess of wales is hoping is that this message will be direct enough to appeal to people's better natures and say, "look, the invasion of privacy that has been going on on social media for the last couple of months has just been way too much. people need to stop and think and not engage in that kind of activity going forward." and now a fresh statement from kensington palace — a public thank you. it said... family has rallied around the princess, including those with whom relations are strained. the duke and duchess of sussex sent a public message of support.

the bbc understands they've also reached out privately. public sympathy remains strong. we've been thinking of her all along and wish her the best. they're going through something so private and hard and, you know, the public eye on it, it's really tough, to be honest. yeah, she's got young kids, right? and she's a human being, so i thought it was all quite upsetting. protecting her three children has been a priority for the princess of wales. she said she's taken time to explain and reassure george, charlotte and louis. the new message from the prince and princess is both a thank you and a polite warning. they now wants to be left alone. we don't expect to hear from them over the easter holiday. instead, we may see the king back in the royal spotlight. christmas at sandringham. the last full gathering

of the royal family. sandringham. the last full gathering of the royalfamily. next sandringham. the last full gathering of the royal family. next sunday, many will be back for the easter church service in windsor. buckingham palace are hopeful that the king will also be there. daniela relph, bbc news. a vet from midlothian has become the first woman to complete one of the world's hardest running races. jasmin paris finished the 100 mile barkley marathons in tennessee with just 99 seconds to spare. 0ur reporter simonjones has the details. cheering. she said her body was screaming at her to stop, but jasmin paris believed in herself and made it to the finish gate. her legs scratched from days of running through thick woodland. this is what exhaustion combined with joy looks like. the legendary course once featured in a documentary called the race that eats its young, the barkley marathons involve running up and down the equivalent of 60,000 feet,

about twice the height of mount everest, in extreme heat. the route is unmarked, so competitors have to memorise it and it begins when the race creator, known as laz, lights a cigarette. and for some people, just to get back to camp alive is all they want in the world. fellow ultra marathon runners are full of awe. she has learned, she's grown, she's trained hard in races, and, of course, you have to train every week and be consistent, building up your mileage and the strength and endurance in your body, to even attempt the barkley marathons. there are some very, very famous well—rounded runners, with huge amounts of experience, who get one loop done of the barkley marathons, and then tap out and say, "that was too hard." jasmin paris did all five loops. this is jasmin about to set off on the final loop. and it's not the first time she has made history. in 2019, she completed

the spine race, from derbyshire to the scottish borders — a mere 268 miles — in 83 hours, 12 minutes and 23 seconds. she broke the course record by more than 12 hours, expressing milk for her baby along the way. i did lots of long, long runs, often mainly in the dark, actually, getting up at 4am and training in the dark. and carrying my full pack, so long days over christmas and new year, training in the hills. jasmin paris, who is a vet back home cannot currently speak, because she did so much heavy breathing over the 100 miles, but she sent us a text to say... now, some much deserved rest before the inevitable next challenge. simon jones, bbc news.

now a very different kind of running. tourists in paris today might have found themselves in the unusual position of having to dodge hundreds of waiters and waitresses swarming the streets trying desperately not to spill trays of coffee and croissants. the infamous la course des cafes has returned to the city after a 13—year hiatus. the race, which is over 100 years old, sees servers complete a two—kilometre loop — thatsjust over a mile — in the city's historic marais area while trying to avoid any spillages. runners were split in different categories given age group and gender. the mayor of paris revived the race, after it was put on hiatus in 2008 due to high costs. here's one of today's winners captured there on social media — sprinting his way to the finishing line — and then a race from the others to make the podium.

a quick recap of one of our main stories this hour. simon harris has been confirmed as the new leader of the fine gael party — which is part of the governing coalition in the irish republic. it means that, at 37, mr harris, is on course to become ireland's youngest prime minister — after leo varadkar announced his resignation last week. they offer ed case that he was resigning for personal reasons and said he was no longer at the best person for thejob, which prompted this leadership contest. he is on the red tie. he will govern in ireland's coalition and will take up thejob when ireland's parliament reassembles at the beginning of april, confirming him in the role. much more on that story and all the

other stories on the bbc news website and the bbc news app. that's it from me for now. don't go anywhere. i will see you next time. hello there. sunday didn't turn out too badly with a bit of spring sunshine, just one or two showers. but through the next few days, the weather is looking quite changeable, decidedly unsettled, spells of rain, often windy, and it will be cold enough for snow over high ground in scotland. now let's take a look at the rainfall we're expecting to accumulate over the next five days. wet for hills in the west, very wet for eastern scotland. but while i say rainfall, actually some of this will fall as snow across scotland because certainly over the next couple of days, we've got to hold on to some rather cold air across this northern half of scotland. in the short term, well, through this evening and tonight, we see cloud and rain spreading from the west across northern ireland, western england, wales, pushing its way a little bit

further northwards and eastwards. ahead of that, a slice of clear sky, one or two mist patches, and temperatures dropping away — but out towards the west, as the night wears on, those temperatures will climb a little bit. so, 9 degrees in plymouth, for example, as we start monday morning with the cloud, with the outbreaks of rain, all associated with this area of low pressure, and a frontal system swirling its way in from the west. now, i think there will be parts of east anglia and the southeast that stay dry with some hazy sunshine throughout the day. northern scotland will hold on to some spells of sunshine, one or two wintry showers, but elsewhere we see the cloud, we see the outbreaks of rain moving quite erratically northwards. temperatures on monday afternoon across south wales, southern england, 10, 11, 12 degrees, but northern scotland, just 5, 6 or 7 degrees — and it's as the wet weather runs into that cold air that we will start to see some quite significant snow. overfairly modest hills i think we could see snow, but above 300 metres elevation

we could be looking at 20 centimetres of snow — and at low levels close to the east coast, parts of aberdeenshire, angus, fife, maybe up to 50 millimetres of rain. so that brings with it the risk of flooding and disruption. and the weather across scotland on tuesday only very slowly improving, the snow levels lifting, the rain and snow tending to peter outjust a little bit. windy in the far north, really cold, as well, struggling to get above freezing for some. further south, northern ireland, england and wales, sunny spells, the odd shower, highs of 11. temperatures climbing a little bit, actually, through the week ahead, into the easter weekend, but there will still be some rain at times.

live from london, this is bbc news. the head of the un agency for palestinian refugees says israel has told him it will no longer approve its food convoys to enter northern gaza. as the conflict between israel and gaza nears the six—month mark — we have a special report on calls from the far right in israel for jewish settlers to return to gaza. ireland is set to have its youngest ever prime minister, with simon harris declared as fine gael leader. russia's president putinjoins a day of national mourning, lighting a candle for victims of the concert hall attack where137 people were killed. and after a 13—year gap, paris revives its century—old tradition — the waiters' race.

hello. welcome to the programme. we start this hour in the middle east. the head of the united nations agency for palestinian refugees says israel has told him it will no longer approve its food convoys to enter northern gaza. in a post on social media, unrwa's head philippe lazzarini described the move as outrageous. he said israel's decision meant many more people would die of hunger, dehydration and lack of shelter. there's been no word from israel. it comes as the country's defence minister yoav gallant is set to travel to washington, with israel leadership under increasing pressure from the us to halt its planned assault on rafah in southern gaza. israeli forces continue to carry out ground and air attacks in northern and central gaza, including around al—shifa hospital. juliette touma is from unrwa.