this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. pope francis begins his historic visit to iraq with an appeal for all religions to come together and work for peace. translation: i'm coming - here as a pilgrim to encourage them to express and practice their faith, hope and charity in the iraqi society. more clashes in myanmar as the united nations security council meets to decide what action to take against the generals who seized power. some nursing staff in england say they are considering taking strike action — after the government says it can only afford a 1% pay increase. also ahead — more from meghan markle's interview

as she reveals what she felt when she joined the royal family. as an adult who lived a really independent live to then go into this construct. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — the pope is on a first ever visit to iraq amid tight security. pope francis called on iraqis to renounce violence and intolerance of religious differences. the country's small christian community has faced persecution and been subjected to terror attacks in the past. our rome correspondent mark lowen has been travelling with the pontiff and sent this report. still masked but no longer grounded.

pope francis�*s first trip since covid is riskiest of all. a powerless pilgrimage to iraq in the grip of a pandemic. on the first ever papal visit here he told me he was very happy, calling it special. beneath the pomp is a significant message, dialogue between faiths and support for persecuted christians. no open top pope mobile here in a country torn by conflict an outstretched hand through an armoured car was all most will see. but less protection from the other danger here, the pandemic. little social distancing and few masks are what's worrying many. after a meeting with the president the pope called for in an end to extremism. translation: only if we live turning to look beyond our differences - and see each other as members

of the same human family we will be able to begin an effective process of rebuilding. for iraq's dwindling christians it's like salvation. hannah, who named her son after pope francis has watched as much of her community were killed orforced to flee. we've been dreaming of this visit day and night, she says. we must stop the blood bath and we must stay in iraq. the risk is that the symbolic importance of this trip is overshadowed by covid concerns and that it becomes a super spreader. but a defiant pope francis believes this nation has waited long enough for a papal visit. and that there is no time to lose to bring a message of peace and hope to iraq. the pontiff's visit is obviosuly huge for catholics in iraq.

let's speak to archbishop nizar semaan. the pope is set to visit his church — the church of the immaculate conception. it is located in northern iraq, in qaraqosh, which is in between mosul and erbil. explained to us this significant to syrian catholics in iraq. this explained to us this significant to syrian catholics in iraq.— syrian catholics in iraq. this visit brin . s syrian catholics in iraq. this visit brings hepe _ syrian catholics in iraq. this visit brings hepe not _ syrian catholics in iraq. this visit brings hope notjust _ syrian catholics in iraq. this visit brings hope not just for - syrian catholics in iraq. this visit brings hope notjust for the - syrian catholics in iraq. this visit brings hope not just for the city | brings hope notjust for the city for all christians of iraq. and for all iraqi people. so it's a sign of hope. it's a call for us as a christian to stay in this land. to live in this land and to share the life with other people. it means that there can not death cannot be stronger than lie. it's a call for life. an assurance for the bigger

future for christians and for the entire iraqi population. ihell future for christians and for the entire iraqi population. well the ira: he entire iraqi population. well the iraq he christian _ entire iraqi population. well the iraq he christian population - entire iraqi population. well the iraq he christian population has| iraq he christian population has been dispersed across the world given the difficulties in suffering that the community had and the islamic state occupation. your parish very much was subject to extreme difficulties. you were here in london, you are in sense return, talk us through a little bit how you rebuild your parish. the talk us through a little bit how you rebuild your parish.— talk us through a little bit how you rebuild your parish. the chance when i was ordained _ rebuild your parish. the chance when i was ordained the _ rebuild your parish. the chance when i was ordained the biggest _ rebuild your parish. the chance when i was ordained the biggest church - rebuild your parish. the chance when i was ordained the biggest church in l i was ordained the biggest church in this area was destroyed, burned by isis. but since the people went back and they start first of all building the houses and then later we start restoring this charge. fortunately now this church looks like bright,

welcoming and waiting for pope francis to enter, to be the first person to enter at the church after being restored. and this is a symbol of return to normality and really, it's encourage christians when they saw the church brilliant like theirs, encourage them to practice theirs, encourage them to practice theirfaith and to theirs, encourage them to practice their faith and to stay in this land. so i assure you now it looks like bright. many thanks to christian and due from different parts of the world that helped us to rebuild. notjust this church but also our houses, our schools, our hospitals, our streets and all that infrastructure. we are building our city step—by—step because we want to stay here. and we are thinking about the future. we are sons and

daughters of the future. and we are going to work for it with all the iraq he people. going to work for it with all the iraq he maple-— going to work for it with all the iraq he pennie— going to work for it with all the ira: he --eole. ., ., , iraq he people. how do you prepare for such a visit? _ iraq he people. how do you prepare for such a visit? how— iraq he people. how do you prepare for such a visit? how have - iraq he people. how do you prepare for such a visit? how have you - for such a visit? how have you organised for it of course you mentioned the covid restrictions as well which complicates everything. first of all we are taught taking all the security measures for covid. by all the security measures for covid. by obligating people to wear the mask and social distance. it is not easy because they are very happy to welcome. they want to be closed as much as they can. with the holy father. they think it's a big blessing for them and indeed it is a blessing for them and indeed it is a blessing for them and indeed it is a blessing for them. but we are trying to do our best. now i am responsible and appearing the big mass in the

stadium. we are expecting 10,000 people to attend this mass. so we are doing everything possible. it's more than one month we are preparing for this event. cooperating with the local governments. we are proud really to have the holy father with eyes. it's a time of first and everyone is full ofjoy, full of happiness and full of hope. so we welcome our holy father. he came to visit us to show his love and to express his love for the christians of iraq to say, i am here, i am with you, i know what happened to you, i know how much you suffer. but look, i am with you, i am close to you and

i am with you, i am close to you and i will be always with you. so courage, go ahead build with other iraqi people the future. you are worth it and all iraqi people for a better future. worth it and all iraqi people for a betterfuture. work for worth it and all iraqi people for a better future. work for it build a foundation for, i will be with you. it's been wonderful to speak to you. thank you so much and best of luck with that a men's visit. thank you so much for your time. me and my security leaders as protesters continued to defy the armies attempt to crush opposition. human rights investigator on myanmar has called for sanctions and a global arms embargo on the country. this comes as reports from myanmar say police opened fire on the protesters in the second city killing one person. police also used tear gas. there were rallies in

towns and cities across the country our correspondent was at one protest to see how the demonstrators were preparing to continue their protest. this is becoming a too typical scene in the streets of yangon. this kind of roadblock can be seen almost everywhere across the city, like little fortresses, made out of sandbags, trash bins filled with water or sand. over a month already into this crisis here in myanmar and protesters have come prepared. people use whatever they can to protect themselves against the security forces. across the city, protests continue, despite the bloodiest clashes in previous days. people here saw the two most deadliest days just within a week, which resulted in several persons

killed across the country. as the demonstrations in the main roads are easily crushed down by the security forces, the protesters change their tactics. instead of marching down to greater gathering points, they create their own space in their own neighbourhoods, like here. they feel much safer, but the situation can be changed suddenly. the riot police chase them down even in small streets. the demonstrators are trying to avoid any direct engagement with the junta's forces. people try to play cat and mouse games with authorities. here in the uk unions representing tens of thousands of workers are warning of a possible strike. that's

after 1% pay raise for most sanitary workers in england. they argue they deserve more for the work at the carried out in the pandemic. ministers say that 1% is all the country can afford. i deputy political elite net editor has his report. deputy political elite net editor has his report. the covid pandemic�*s taking its toll on nhs staff. definitely undervalued is i think what a lot of people are feeling now. the government suggesting a 1% pay rise. really sad, yeah, just very disappointed. alice and ella just two of the many nurses dismayed at today's news. and it's raising awkward questions for ministers. health secretary, you stood at that podium in may last year and said that nursing deserved fair reward. is a 1% rise fair? elsewhere in the public sector, there's a pay freeze in place, and we've proposed what we think is affordable to make sure that, in the nhs, people do get a pay rise.

i bow to nobody in my admiration for nurses. in fact, i learnt that at the knee of my grandmother, who was a nurse. the independent pay review body will look at a range of nhs workers' pay, including nurses. their starting salary is almost £25,000. the government says newly qualified nurses have had a 12% rise over the last three years. the royal college of nursing says a nurse with average experience will be earning over £30,000. i thinkjust a deep sense of worry, really. but for holly, it's the future that worries her. the nhs won't return to normalfor a long time. we're demoralised, we're exhausted, we're fed up, and now i think people are actually quite angry and deeply, deeply worried for our patients. we know that waiting lists are incredibly high at the moment, and there's a big concern of how we're going to manage things when one in three nursing staff want to quit.

0ne nursing union has set up a strike fund in case they decide on industrial action. this was some of the reaction in birmingham today over the pay offer. i think at this time, we really need to be supporting the nhs, - and the nurses in particular, who've done an absolutely. amazing job. they've had a bad experience, and they deserve a lot more than that. in terms of strike action, i can see why they want to do it. it's probably not the best time to do it. i don't think they'd curry much favour with the public. economics in this country are as bad as they've ever been, _ so overall it's better than nothing. they deserve something. so, it's an offer which i feel should be accepted withoutj the threat of a union strike. others have also worked through this pandemic, but most public sector workers will have their pay frozen. the labour leader says they all deserve a rise. the freeze on public sector pay is wrong. we've challenged the government on it. i challenged them in the budget response on it, and we'll continue to challenge them on it.

so, you want pay rises for everyone. you don't want any tax rises. is that financially responsible? we have to have a plan for the future to rebuild the foundations of our country. you don't do that by freezing the pay of those on the front—line throughout this pandemic, public sector workers. the nhs response to this pandemic prompted an outpouring of gratitude from the public, and the decisions ministers make now over how staff are rewarded will be scrutinised extremely closely. the head of the world health organization has said there must be no relaxation in the fight against the coronavirus because there could be more waves of the pandemic. tedros adhanom ghebreyesus added the world had experienced a trauma greater than it did after world war ii. it's in now even with this covid pandemic with bigger magnitude more lives have been affected. almost the

whole world is affected. each and every individual on the surface of the world, actually has been affected. and that means massive trauma which is beyond proportion, even bigger than what the world experienced after the second world war. let's look at some of the day's other news nigeria, kenya and rwanda have started covid—19 vaccination programmes, after receiving their first supplies of the jabs. among the first groups to be injected will be frontline healthcare workers and vulnerable people. denmark and austria have both approved the use of the 0xford—astrazeneca jab for the over sixty fives. it follows a similar move by france and germany, reversing advice that its effectiveness in older groups was not proven. a minutes silence has been held in switzerland to remember coronavirus victms, a year after the first covid—19 fatality was confirmed. switzerland has seen over 9,000 deaths since the pandemic started.

stay with us on news, still to come. more from the meghan markel interview when she reveals what she felt when she joined the royal family. first, the plates slid gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards. it was just a matter of seconds as the ferry lurched onto her side. the hydrogen bomb. on a remote pacific atoll, the americans had successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier. and so my heart went bang, bang, bang. i the constitutional rights of these marchers are their rights as citizens of the united states,

and they should be protected even in the right to test them out, so they don't get their heads broken and are sent to hospital. this religious controversy, i know you don't want to say too much about it, but does it worry you that it is going to boil up when you get to the states? well, it worries me, yes, but i hope everything will be all right at the end of the day. this is news, the latest headlines... pope francis has begun his historic visit to iraq with an appeal for all religions to come together and work for peace. the united nations special envoy to myanmar has called on the un security council to stop the military violence against protestors — and to restore democracy, following last month's coup. days of violent protests in senegal have led to the death of at least one person, with young people taking to the streets nationwide in support of the main opposition leader who was detained on wednesday.

several stores as well as gas stations, have been looted and burned. the senegalese opposition leader 0usmane sonko was arrested after a hearing over alleged rape charges. the bbc�*s emiline nsingi nkosi reports. supporters believe it to be a plot to remove their leader and suspect they are looking to run for a third term. at the beginning of february a young 20—year—old masseuse working in a private practice in the car filed a complaint against him. believed to be his last strong rival. she accuses him of sexual assault and death threats. in a series of public state to eight statements he has denied the accusations against him and maintains that it is a conspiracy hatched by the president. the president has denied any involvement in what he has declared this private affair. but his lawyers are suggesting otherwise. affair. but his lawyers are sun arestin otherwise. �* . �* suggesting otherwise. translation: let there be no _ suggesting otherwise. translation:

let there be no mistake _ suggesting otherwise. translation: let there be no mistake the _ suggesting otherwise. translation: let there be no mistake the arrest - let there be no mistake the arrest is a state conspiracy. it is clear that the rule of law has given way to a repressive state. that the democratic and republican state has given way to a dictatorial state with methods that senegal has never known. in this situation is worrying not only for the senegalese people but also is worrying for the international community. many senegalese _ international community. many senegalese are _ international community. many senegalese are saying - international community. many senegalese are saying these i international community. many senegalese are saying these protests are due to the hardship of life of the past year since the start of the pandemic. a strong police force has been put in place in the surrounding areas of the courthouse. about 100 metres from there the area surrounding the presidency has been sealed off. and on the ground the situation is really tense. clashes have been going all day friday in neighbourhoods of the city. in a statement released late thursday government spokesman has condemned the violence calling it a flag

violation on the state health disaster in place since last month due to the covid—19 pandemic. local media report the death of three people while the government is investigating the death of 1%. the government has suspended two television stations for a 72 hours for the coverage of the unrest and issued a warning to the media over what the government has called biased coverage likely to stir patriot and violence. —— hatred. here in the uk, the duke of edinburgh has been transferred back to london's king edward the seventh hopital after his heart procedure this week. prince philip — who's 99 — was taken by ambulance from st bartholomew's hospital, where he underwent the procedure on a pre—existing condition on wednesday. our royal correspondent nick witchell gave us this assessment. on monday he was transferred to saint bartholomew is and on wednesday this unspecified surgical procedure was carried out to treat this unidentified pre—existing heart condition. this morning he was moved from the nhs hospital specialising

in cardiac care back to a private hospital where he will remain for some days for rest and recuperation and where on sunday he will be able to watch the queen and other members of the royal family taking back do my part in the commonwealth day event and on monday he will be able to watch his grandson and his wife, should teachers, taking part in their big interview, but somehow i think he may choose not to tune in. the duchess of sussex says she feels "liberated" now that she and prince harry can make their own choices without the royal family. in the latest clip from her forthcoming interview with oprah winfrey meghan suggested life within the royal family was not what she had expected. daniela relph reports. "would you please give me an interview? " and you said. for three years, oprah winfrey has pursued this interview. finally we get to sit down and have this conversation. well.

for the duchess of sussex, talking to oprah a sign that the restrictions of royal life have lifted. it's really liberating to be able to have the right and the privilege, in some ways, to be able to say, "yes, i'm ready to talk. " and to say it for yourself. to say it for yourself. and not to have to consult with anybody at this point. yeah, to be able tojust make a choice on your own and just be able to speak for yourself. meghan and harry are just the latest in a long line of high—profile confessionals. when people make up stories that i don't want to be - who i am, it hurts me. oprah winfrey got cyclist lance armstrong to finally come clean. yes or no, did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance? yes. and she's previously persuaded royalty to bear their soul. it was so hard because the last bride up that aisle was me. - news anchor and war correspondent christiane amanpour has been interviewed by oprah winfrey. she says her interview style

is perfect for drawing out royal revelations. there's been a bit of chat that perhaps she isn't going to be the most challenging interviewer for harry and meghan, particularly cos there is a sort of friendship, a personalfriendship, there. but i wonder if that's underestimating oprah a bit. she's not an investigative reporter, she's not a pit bull, she's not massively aggressive. but if you look back and see the interviews she's done, oprah has been able to get the answers. and i think it's unfair to suggest that sitting down with her for two hours is an easy ride. welcome to the show! oprah winfrey is a media powerhouse. for 25 years, the oprah winfrey show was a phenomenon, the most—watched chat show in tv history. we're going to take a break! she is now a media executive worth an estimated £1.8 billion. and that oprah brand provides meghan and harry with an influential platform. oprah is the most powerful

woman in america. she's also the wealthiest black woman in america. it's great for them to be aligned with her because she can really give a lot of guidance to them in navigating life as public figures in america. you wanted a—list, we're going to give you a—list. oprah winfrey was a guest at harry and meghan's wedding, so there will be a familiarity for this interview. the timing is also sensitive, with the duke of edinburgh still in hospital and royal relationships strained. but oprah is an expert at dealing with family dramas. daniela relph, bbc news. and, before we go tonight, here's the inspiring story of a belgian woman living in turkey who's quite literally fighting parkinson's disease. seventy five year old nancy van der stracten has taken up non—contact boxing — to help her battle the symptoms of parkinson's disease. nancy says when she first stepped into the ring, gym members watched in awe as this grandmother of eight

threw punch after punch. thanks for watching. bye—bye. bye— bye. hello there. the weekend is nearly upon us now, and it doesn't look that bad. it's going to stay mainly dry thanks to a big area of high pressure which will be sitting overhead. it's going to be chilly, though, both by day and by night. we could see some frost and fog in places, but we should see a bit of sunshine, too. i can't promise wall—to—wall sunshine, though, cos underneath this high, there's some cold air trapped into it, like i mentioned, but also quite a bit of cloud, too. we will have variable amounts of cloud through tonight, thickest cloud across the north and the west of the uk, where here, we could see the odd spot of rain. the odd shower elsewhere towards the east coast, which could be wintry in nature, but for most, dry with some clear skies, and that's going to allow for pretty widespread frost to develop. lows down to —3, maybe “4 celsius across parts of england and wales. as we start saturday, we notice that

cold frosty start, but bright with some sunshine around. there will be variable amounts of cloud, too, a little bits of early mist and fog. through the afternoon, it could be that the cloud tends to build through the day, so some places turning a little bit grayer. a few spots of rain for the north west of scotland, most places dry but chilly, temperatures of 5—7 degrees. and then saturday night, it's going to be another cold one. particularly where skies are clear, we'll see further frost and also some fog to greet us for sunday morning. but again, some in england and wales will start cold, bit of sunshine and then start to see the cloud building up into the afternoon. for the north and west of scotland, though, slight changes taking place here. with a weather front pushing, going it's to turn windier with outbreaks of rain and the temperatures lifting by a degree or so, highs of 8—9 degrees. as we head on into next week, for monday, it starts to turn more unsettled across the north west of the uk. further south, our area of high pressure is ebbing away. but it will still bring another fine, pretty chilly day to large parts of england and wales. a little bit of sunshine, then the cloud builds up

again into the afternoon. for scotland, northern ireland, though, here, breezier, cloudier with outbreaks of rain. temperatures reaching 9—10 degrees, tending to stay around 6—8 for england and wales. and then as we move out of monday into the middle part of next week, it turns very unsettled. the potential of some deep areas of low pressure sweeping in to bring some spells of rain and gales. and for a time, certainly around the middle parts of the week, we'll see a blast of milder air moving up from the south—west before things potentially turning colder by the end of the week. so, turning much more unsettled as we move through the week, with spells of wet and windy weather for all of us.

this is bbc world news. the headlines... pope francis has urged iraq's different religious communities to join together in a journey towards peace. at the start of the first ever papal visit to the country, he called for an end to violence and extremism. myanmar�*s military rulers are facing further international condemnation at a un security council meeting in new york, as protesters continue to defy the army's attempts to crush opposition. the head of the world health organization has warned there could be a third, or even a fourth, wave of coronavirus infection. tedros ghebreyesus said it was a mistake to think falling death rates meant the pandemic was over. in the latest clip from her forthcoming interview with oprah winfrey, the duchess of sussex, meghan, says she feels "liberated" now that she and prince harry can make their own choices without the royal family.