this is bbc world news today. our top stories: pop music diplomacy. another sign of improving relations between north and south korea — as kim jong—un attends a rare concert by k—pop stars from the south. some fighters from the last syrian rebel stronghold east of damascus have reportedly been leaving — civilians have also been allowed to leave. syria was the focus of the pope's easter message — he called for an end to the carnage "for a people worn down by an apparently endless war." also in the programme — this man could soon become the world's most experienced everest climber. today marks the start of his 22nd ascent. hello and welcome to bbc world news.

in another sign of improving relations, north korea's leader kimjong—un has attended a concert of south korean artists held in pyongyang. it's the first time a north korean leader has been seen at such an event. and it comes ahead of talks between the leaders of north and south korea later this month. and a possible meeting after that with donald trump. the following report by james waterhouse contains some flash photography. the sight of kim jong—un waving to applause might not be anything new, but south korean reports say he is now the first north korean leader to go to a performance from a group by the south. there are plenty of them. nearly 200 singers and dancers and technicians are in the capital for two concerts. south korean ministers said he showed much interest in the show. he asked about the songs and list yibs. the spectators were treated to performances by k—pop stars.

including the group red velvet. who made their intentions clear before leaving. it is our great honour to perform with veteran singers, as we are the youngest singers we will do our best to deliver bright energy to the north korean people. it is hoped this will serve as a peace gesture ahead of a meeting between the leaders of north and south korea. the south's taekwondo athletes also performed ahead of a joint display on monday. beyond the concerts, south korea and the us have begun theirjoint military exercises, but in a slimmed down form. 300,000 troops will take part but the drill will be a month shorter than usual and won't

involve nuclear submarines. the drills have angered north korea. kim jong—un met the chinese president xi jinping last week and he has offered to have a face to face meeting with donald trump. no date yet, but it is expected before the end of may. some militants in the last rebel stronghold, just east of the syrian capital, damascus, have reportedly been leaving the enclave. state television said fighters from the failaq al—rahman faction were withdrawing from the city of douma within eastern ghouta. earlier, hundreds of civilians, mostly women and children, were allowed to leave. these buses are believed to be part of the evacuation effort on the outskirts of douma today. lebo diseko reports. this is what is left in much of eastern ghouta,

the last few civilians on the streets along with government troops. the suburbs outside damascus a shadow of their former selves. 0n the horizon, douma, the last rebel enclave standing in eastern ghouta. if the government takes it, this whole area will be back in president assad's control. for weeks, there have been evacuations across the area with thousands of civilians and rebel fighters being allowed to leave. now russia says a deal has been made to get people safely out of douma. but forced displacement is what the rebels have called it. they accuse president assad of trying to change the demographics in this area in his favour. for the families ripped apart by the fighting in the area, the hope is that at least they can be reunited. translation: my hope is that my sons, who are in ghouta,

get out and to bring my children together, so we all live together. for those who don't leave, syria's army has threatened a full—scale military offensive. and as the war here goes into its eighth year, it is difficult to know how much more people can take. lebo diseko, bbc news. pope francis has given his easter address to a crowd of thousands at st peter's basilica in the vatican. he appealed for an end to the many conflicts around the world, beginning with a call for peace in syria. translation: today we implore fruits of peace upon the whole world. beginning with the beloved and long suffering land of syria. whose people are worn down by an apparently endless war. this easter may the light of the risen christ

illumine the conscience of all military and political leaders so that a swift end may be brought to the carnage in course, that myanmar‘s de facto leader, aung san suu kyi, has told her country it must listen to the international community if it's to be accepted as a responsible nation. the nobel peace prize winner has faced widespread condemnation for failing to criticise burmese military operations in the west of the country which has forced more than 700,000 rohingya muslims into neighbouring bangladesh. speaking on state television to mark two years in government, ms suu kyi said her administration has learned many lessons but stopped short of specifically acknowledging the persecution of the rohingya. russian diplomats expelled from the united states have arrived back in moscow. they left as part of the biggest wave of tit—for—tat diplomatic expulsions in recent memory.

it all followed the poisoning of two russians in the british city of salisbury a month ago. in the last few hours the bishop of salisbury has described the poisoning of the former spy, sergei skri—pal and his daughter yulia as an act of violation. in his easter sermon he said it had been a "very strange" four weeks. from salisbury, simonjones reports. picturesque from the outside, four weeks on, this city remains unsettled, still coming to terms with a shocking and unexplained attack. for terror and amazement had seized them... at the traditional easter service at the cathedral, the events of the past month are uppermost in people's thoughts. i think what's happened was more than an attack on two individuals — it sort of violated the city, and a section of the city has been cordoned off, just a small section, but it's had a big impact on salisbury, and therefore what we need to do now is to find a way of getting back togetheragain, regrouping. the number of visitors

to the cathedral has dropped by 40% since the poisoning. most of the city centre is open for business, but the police cordons remain, an ever—present reminder of what happened. in this shop close to where sergei and yulia skripal were found slumped on a park bench, they say people are returning but times have been tough. some shops have been closing down early, shutting shop a little bit, not sure if the customers are going to come back, regulars haven't been visiting as frequently as they normally would. and some tell me they are still struggling to comprehend that a nerve—agent attack happened here. this city is not the same anymore. i am walking around the city, and i am thinking, "is there anyone following me? " i think people are scared, cos that's not going to be the last one. i don't think that will be the last one, i think it will happen again. 0thers, though, insist good is emerging from the bad events. we want the world to see that this city is so beautiful, everyone is so nice and friendly here.

it's united the city, we're all fighting to have beautiful salisbury back. the bishop of salisbury spoke of the city's resilience — that will be tested further in the coming months. simonjones, bbc news, salisbury. the governor of russia's kemerovo region has resigned following the huge shopping centre fire last sunday. aman tuleyev held the post for more than 20 years, but said it was impossible for him to continue. after the fire, thousands of people protested over safety failings at the mall. investigators found the fire alarm didn't work and fire exits were blocked. translation: today, now i want to tell you that i've offered my resignation to the president of russia. i consider this decision correct, deliberate and the only thing to do. because it is impossible to hold the post of governor with such a heavy burden.

it is impossible morally. i wish you and your families peace and to be well. let god guard everyone of you and our dear land. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. al shabab militants have launched a gun and bomb attack on an african union base in somalia. fighters from the group detonated two car bombs outside the base in a town south—west of the capital mogadishu. the number of casualties isn't yet known. ten people are reported to have died when a four—storey hotel collapsed in central india. police said a driver lost control of his vehicle and struck the building in the city of indoor — bringing the structure down. three spanish cross—country skiers have been killed in an avalanche in the swiss alps. police in the canton of valais say two other spaniards with them survived the avalanche, which engulfed them on saturday. people who fled the besieged

philippine city of marawi have waited a long time to return. president rodrigo duterte declared victory over a faction ofjihadists months ago. but the threat of unexploded bombs has kept many people from going back. rylee carlson reports. after fleeing for their lives nearly a year ago, residents of marawi are now clogging the streets trying to make their way back in. some 7,000 people were told they could return on sunday — back to homes that were abandoned amid fierce fighting with militants loyal to the so—called islamic state. the destruction here looks like images out of iraq and syria. this is where thosejihadis were trying to set up an is base in south east asia. a reminder of why this woman was forced to flee is spray—painted across the wall of what was her bridal shop. translation: i wept with pain, anger and frustration,

because both my house and boutique — which i worked hard to pay for in saudi arabia for 16 years — are now destroyed. there are stories like these all over marawi, those who desperately wanted to come back have found there is not much left. we have no more residence to live. translation: i try and failed to come back but now our home is gone. it's so painful. this is our house. i cannot explain. translation: we worked hard for this house, we racked up debts paying for this house. we have been paying off the debts, we have not even finished paying them. president roderigo duterte declared victory here in marawi back in october, after a destructive five—month battle. but even now residents who come back are doing so at great risk. explosive disposal teams working in the area say they can only be 80 to 90% sure that the area is clear. translation: the reason

is because the other bombs are buried into the ground. the others have been imbedded in the buildings and the structures have already collapsed. with great caution over the course of the next month, even more people will be going back, returning to marawi in groups for up to three days each. but it's not a home—coming. instead, it's a salvage mission and there's much work to be done before the rebuilding starts. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come... britain's royal air force celebrates it is 100th anniversary with fly— pasts it is 100th anniversary with fly—pasts and it is 100th anniversary with fly— pasts a nd events it is 100th anniversary with fly—pasts and events across the country. the accident was of the sort that

can at worst produce a melt down. in this case the precautions worked. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the work place. anyone lighting up will face a heavy fine. the president was on his way out of washington hilton hotel where he has been addressing a conference. a small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris, a hundred years ago many parisians wished it never been built. this is bbc world news today.

the latest headlines: kim jong—un has attended a rare concert in south korea. fighters from the last stronghold east of damascus are reportedly leaving. civilians have also been allowed to go. a nepali climber and guide, kami rita sherpa, is beginning an attempt to break the record for the number of successful climbs to the top of mount everest. a successful summit could cement his place as the world's most experienced everest climber. rebecca hartmann has more. standing at over 8,800 metres, climbing everest is seen one of the biggest achievements in climbing. but to kami rita sherpa it is all pa rt

but to kami rita sherpa it is all part of the dayjob. but to kami rita sherpa it is all part of the day job. translation: i did not start climbing to set a world record. but in the course of my work in the guiding industry, this is going to be 22nd ascent. it wasn't for any competition. kami rita sherpa first scaled the mountain in 1994 rita sherpa first scaled the mountain “11991181111 rita sherpa first scaled the mountain in 1994 and completed his last one last year. translation: things have changed a lot since then. it does not snow when it used to. there is no snow on mountain. climbers rely on guides and nepal relies on the climbers. over the past two decades the boom in the industry has provided much—needed income for the country. over $4 million was made last year in permit fees for everest alone. kami rita sherpa will be leading a group of 29 climbers and plans to push the reach the summit on may 29th. well earlier i spoke to the mountaineer alan hinkes —

he's the only briton to have climbed all fourteen world peaks over 8,000 meters, including mount everest. an impressive feat, but could he imagine doing it another 21 times? no, i definitely can't. once is uf. it is really dangerous. you can get frost bite or get killed and it is a great achievement to do. how important is the role of sherpas to those who are climbing it? well, generally, dare i say, it is not pompous, somebody like me i wouldn't necessarily need a sherpa, because i'm an experienced climber. there are other people that help that are not sherpas. for these trips that go to everest where you get fee—paying clients, the sherpas are essential, they fix the ropes and ladder and

help people up and more importantly help people up and more importantly help them down. so they're essential. but it is a greatjob and they're well paid. but it is a dangerousjob they're well paid. but it is a dangerous job they have. and how important is it for those who work as sherpas or other guides and the local economy that people like you and others go to everest to do these climbs and pay for these guides? yeah it is important to them, to the economy of nepal. i would recommend anyone going to me the pap. it is —— nepal. it is nearly as nice as yorkshire. it is a friendly, and everest is their gold place and everest is their gold mine. it is all they have got place and everest is their gold mine. there they have got place and everest is their gold mine. there is |ey have got place and everest is their gold mine. there is still iave got place and everest is their gold mine. there is still onlygot place and everest is their gold mine. there is still only 8,000 really. there is still only 8,000 people ever climbed everest. it is only in may. you get photographs of a couple of hundred people, but the following day there will be nobody. nobody is attempting everest at the moment. well, they're trekking to

base camp. it is may when they make the summit bids. with the 22nd attempt by kami rita sherpa, what is it that drives you when you're a climber to seek these new records and be the one who has climbed the most? not all climbers try to be the fastest or the most number. the thing with kami rita sherpa, i think i have met him, i have been to nepal 30 times, he will now be a household name, or he is a household name in me the nepal and very famous. he will get well paid. let's hope he survives and goes on to be, to live happily ever after in nepal really. now time for the sport with gavin.

we start with football and tottenham have beaten chelsea at stamford bridge for the first time in 28 yea rs. bridge for the first time in 28 years. dele alli scored twice to add toa years. dele alli scored twice to add to a stunning strike from eriksen to hand them a 3—1win after morata gave chelsea the lead. they stay fourth clear of chelsea and two points behind liverpool. we're so happy. first for our fans, points behind liverpool. we're so happy. first for ourfans, because we know very well how they suffer. this type of things. then i think also we are happy, because the performance was fantastic, great character. yes, massive three points for us. that allowed us to look for and fight to the end for our own position in the champions league. we lost a big chance today to try to

reduce the gap. with tottenham. but there are seven games to go. we have to try to do our best until the end. i think that after the whole season you finish in the position that you deserve. in the early game, arsenal scored three times in the last 15 minutes. two from pierre—emerick aubameyang gave them a win. it deepened stoke's relegation worries. the gunners were booed off at half time. but two from pierre—emerick aubameyang and another from la cazette aubameyang and another from lacazette gave them the three points. it was a game of two halves for us. in the first half we were too sloppy and not sharp enough. and not mentally switched on quickly enoughin not mentally switched on quickly enough in our situation of a game. second half was much better. and we played with more dynamic, more pace and againsta

played with more dynamic, more pace and against a good stoke side i must say. i'm surprised when you see the quality of what they have shown that they're down there. we took slowly control and made the difference. cricket and south africa are cruising to victory in the fourth and final test with australia. south africa posted 488 in their first innings and bowled out the tourists for 221. only four australian batsmen got into double figures. south africa will not enforce the follow on. they're 2—1 up in the series. pakistan have thrashed west indies by 143 runs in theirfirst t20. john isner has won the miami

masters. nicky terpstra won the tour of flanders. anna van der bregen won the woman's vent. she never looked in danger of being caught. her team mates amy pieters left the chasers for second. it was a clean sweep for the dutch riders. that is all the sport for

110w. ceremonies are being held in britain to mark 100 years since the country started the world's first independent airforce. those behind the royal air force — or raf — led the way in military aviation, where other nations would follow. the bbc‘s robert hall takes a look at the aerial pioneers. on the runway echos from the day the raf became a reality. this tiny by plane would have been familiar to the men who pioneered military aviation. archive footage: they flew like goldfish in a bowl, in all directions, around guy... you were alone, you know, and you fought alone and died alone. today stow maries' airfield is turn back the clock, remembering the airships, and those are argued airpower could expand and survive. we are very proud to say that of the operational aerodromes active on operations the day of formation,

we are the only one left, the only one you can still fly from. and the only one where you can see these aircraft are doing what they did then. in london serving personnel and veterans gathered for a service to mark the start of the centenary commemorations. the raf family, looking back to events which provide inspiration to the future. it was a wonderful service, a service and a commemoration but also i think a celebration of the work our air force has done throughout its history and what it is today, what we achieve and who we are as an organisation. in 1918 the airmen of stow maries watched the raf standard hoisted for the first time. a moment replayed to hundreds of local air cadets, drawn into distant events. the raf is still evolving, but without the courage of those young men long ago its history might have been very different. that is it for now. see you soon.

hello there, apart from eastern england, many places started easter sunday on a promising note with some sunshine. that began to diminish in the afternoon. apart from scotland, many places became cloudy like this picture from shropshire. we are starting a change in the south—west. this system will bring us some severe weather. already wet and windy in southern and western areas with some snow falling over the high ground. the snow will become more widespread across wales and the midlands and northern england by the end of night. much of scotland stays cold, dry and frosty. for the far south some milder air and most of

precipitation will be rain. some hazardous conditions on monday morning in northern ireland, central, southern scotland and northern england. some heavy snow to the higher ground. and snow to the lower levels. some areas could see up lower levels. some areas could see up to 15 centimetres of snow. add on the strong easterly wind and there will be some drifting and maybe blizzard conditions on the hills. it will continue to move north through the afternoon into more central parts of scotland, bringing some heavy snow here. further south it turns drier. it is much milder with temperatures up to 13 celsius. but still cold in the north. that snow will pose a problem on easter monday. stay tuned to the forecast for possible disruption from this snow. it will continue to move north into tuesday a big area of low pressure means the weather will remain unseted. but this low

pressure will push milder air in through tuesday. much milder and much more spring—like. tuesday we start off with that weather front with the heavy snow across the north of scotla nd with the heavy snow across the north of scotland and further drifting and blizzard conditions. further south a fairamount of blizzard conditions. further south a fair amount of cloud and outbreaks of rain. also some sunny spells in england and wales. some showers could be heavy and thundery, but very much milder. this is bbc news, i'm ben bland with the headlines. north korean leader kimjong un and his the headlines. north korean leader kim jong un and his wife have watched south korean stars perform ata watched south korean stars perform at a rare event in pyongyang. amid thawing relations between the koreans after months of tension.