this is bbc news. i'm kasia madera with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. pope francis begins his historic visit to iraq with an appealfor all religions to come together and work for peace. translation: i'm coming - here as a pilgrim to encourage them to express and practice theirfaith, 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. 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.

plus — "beeting" a path to claim this soup as theirs — why a dispute in a bowl is warming up between russia and poland. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we start in iraq, where pope francis has begun the country's first ever papal visit. he brought a message of tolerance, and urged the different religious communities to work together towards peace. the trip is taking place amid tight security — as our correspondent mark lowen reports. still masked, but no longer grounded. pope francis�* first trip since covid, his riskiest of all, a perilous 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 popemobile 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 is worrying many. after a meeting with the president the pope called for an end to extremism. translation: only if we learn to look beyond our differences | and see each other as members of the same human family will we be able to begin an effective process

of rebuilding. for iraq's dwindling christians it is like a salvation. haman, who named her son after pope francis, has watched as much of her community were killed or forced to flee. we have been dreaming of this visit day and night, she says. we must stop the bloodbath 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 that 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. mark lowen, bbc news, baghdad. the pontiff's visit is obviously a huge moment for catholics in iraq and the wider middle east.

as part of his schedule the pope will visit the church of the immaculate conception in northern iraq which was destroyed during the occupation of islamic state. it's located in the city of qaraqosh where archbishop nizar semaan was ordained. this visit brings hope not just 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 the death cannot be stronger than lie. —— it means that the death cannot be stronger than life. it's a call for life. an assurance for the better future for christians and for the entire iraqi population. well the iraq he christian

population has been dispersed —— well, the iraqi christian population has been dispersed across the world given the difficulties in suffering that the community had under 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 church when 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 church. 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 encouraged christians when they saw the church brilliant like theirs, encourage them to practice theirfaith and to stay in this land. so i assure you now it looks like bright. many thanks to christian and due from different parts —— many thanks to christian and jews from different parts of the world that helped us to rebuild. not just 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 iraqi people. how do you prepare for such a visit?

the un's special envoy on myanmar has urged the security council to restore democracy to the country. in a closed—door meeting in new york, christine schraner burgener said anti—coup demonstrators were beginning to lose faith in the united nations. the un's special envoy on myanmar has urged the un spokesman has been giving more details. the envoys stressed that we must be robust and timely in pushing for a stop to the violence and the restoration of myanmar�*s democratic institutions. we must denounce the actions by the military which continued to severely undermine the principles of the united nations and ignores our clear signals to uphold those principles. protests against last month's military takeover have been met by an increasingly violent response by the security forces. a man died in the city of mandalay on friday when police opened fire. police in dawei also used tear gas, and there were rallies in towns and cities across the country. more than 50 people have been killed since the demonstrations began. here's the editor of the bbc

burmese service, soe win than. one person in central city was killed today and on wednesday we saw over 30 people killed in the streets across myanmar in different cities. we still see security troops we are patrolling. it'sjust well over midnight and myanmar now. we saw the pictures coming over from myanmar that security troops going around to the different places and rounding up those people who set up neighbourhood watches. at night they go around to the places and are rounding up. so there is no letting up on the violence or the crackdown. no letting up on the violence but are there any negotiations taking place, is there any willingness to talk to the protesters? no, who did they negotiate with? they have detained all the elected leaders and put away and they are slapping charges against those leaders were him who do they negotiate with, you know? the military is not familiar to the negotiation, the tactics they use is cracking down

and crushing dissent and any resistant to their rule. this is what they are doing right now. here in the uk, two unions representing tens of thousands of health care workers are warning of possible strike action, after the government suggested a i% pay rise for most nhs workers in england. they argue they deserve more for the work they've carried out during the pandemic. but ministers say i% is all the country can afford. our deputy political editor vicki young sent this 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 i% 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. one 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 without

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. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. the head of the world health organisation has said there must be no relaxation in the fight against the coronavirus because there could be more waves

of the pandemic. tedros 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 mass trauma which is beyond proportion, even bigger than what the world experienced after the second world war. 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 ousmane 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 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 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. translation: 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. and this situation is worrying not only for the senegalese people but also is worrying for the 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—i9 pandemic. local media report the death of three people while

the government is investigating the death of one person. 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 up hatred and violence. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — the politics of soup. we'll reveal how the beetroot—based borscht is becoming a recipe for nationalism in eastern europe. (tx breakfiller) the plates slid off the tables. it was a matter of seconds as the farry lurched on her side.

the hydrogen bomb. the americans had successfully tested _ americans had successfully tested the weapon. | americans had successfully tested the weapon.- americans had successfully tested the weapon. i heard the news earlier _ tested the weapon. i heard the news earlier and _ tested the weapon. i heard the news earlier and my _ tested the weapon. i heard the news earlier and my heart - tested the weapon. i heard the | news earlier and my heart went bang. news earlier and my heart went ban. , ., , bang. the rights of these marches _ bang. the rights of these marches are _ bang. the rights of these marches are the - bang. the rights of these marches are the rights i bang. the rights of these marches are the rights of bang. the rights of these - marches are the rights of the citizens — marches are the rights of the citizens of the united states and they should be protected. this religious controversy, doesn't worry you? i this religious controversy, doesn't worry you?- doesn't worry you? i hope everything _ doesn't worry you? i hope everything will _ doesn't worry you? i hope everything will be - doesn't worry you? i hope everything will be all - doesn't worry you? i hope everything will be all right doesn't worry you? i hope i everything will be all right at the end _ everything will be all right at the end of the day. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: pope francis has begun his historic visit to iraq with an appeal for all religions to come together 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. 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. 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 wealthiestj

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 to 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. here in the uk, the duke of edinburgh has been transferred back to london's king edward vii 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. ajudge in argentina has ruled that five children, fathered by diego maradona, will be entitled to his multi—million dollar inheritance. maradona died of a heart attack in november. the world cup winner had money in numerous bank accounts when he passed away. the player officially acknowledged the paternity

of five children. ukraine has been holding a national online cooking competition today as part of a drive to get unesco recognition for borscht, a beetroot soup, as a ukrainian dish. 25 participants from all regions of the country have been cooking their own regional recipe for borscht on youtube. but the origin of the soup is not clear—cut. russia and poland both claim it as their own national dish. so whose borscht is it? polish chef and restaurateur damian wawrzyniak has cooked for the duke and duchess of cambridge. well, it's a long story. i6th—century where the borscht came onto the polish tables. it's definitely polish. ioo%, only made the best of the beet roots. what i have here is the borscht made a national fermentation. this is how the normal polish soup made.

it is a very traditional soup usually served on christmas day. you can't claim it as a completely polish dish only. in romania, moldova, lithuania, russia and ukraine. it's international. it's very european front of the only difference between polish and ukrainian, we eat beans and potatoes. you are not going to find potatoes and beans in ukrainian. you'll find it only in polish. that's the main difference between those two different traditions. when it comes to cooking this, how can ukraine justify their borscht represented in unesco as at ukrainian dish, once they are thinking do you reckon? it all depends on the way it is cooked i've got here a natural starter.

that's the beetroot made of beets which ukrainian and eastern european, we all do the same. like i said, the polish version, the only difference is those beans and potatoes. if we're going to see clear soup like this i would just literally say that's ioo% ukrainian borscht. if you going to see beans and potatoes that's polish traditional borscht from i6th—century even there is a book called the good man, the delight of a good man where he wrote about polish borscht. of course. you've cooked for royalty, celebrities when it comes to the perfect borscht, what's the magic ingredient? share as your tips. the number one ingredient you have to have a really, really good beetroot. we start with your fermentation process. similar to sourdough bread. use small beets or the version which are the long ones.

not the old and because obviously it's too much flavour, dryer. that's the base and the best quality borscht. the quality ingredients is the key for perfection. let's end with an inspiring story of a belgian woman living in turkey who's quite literally fighting parkinson's disease. 75—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. nancy now gloves up nearly three times a week, and she's says the punches are slowing down the degenerative effects

of parkinson's. last week was a mainly dry weekend across the uk. this weekend _ weekend across the uk. this weekend will be the same. there is a significant difference between weekends. very different feel to things. spring in the air last weekend, 15 ceisius— spring in the air last weekend, 15 celsius in the sunshine. this— 15 celsius in the sunshine. this weekend, it is closer to 7 degrees — this weekend, it is closer to 7 degrees and it feels like winter— degrees and it feels like winter still has a bit of life left — winter still has a bit of life left in _ winter still has a bit of life left in it _ winter still has a bit of life left in it. but it is high pressure across so it will be mainly— pressure across so it will be mainly dry, just this one week weather— mainly dry, just this one week weather front will deliver some rain into— weather front will deliver some rain into parts of scotland, especially the further north you are _ especially the further north you are. there is milderair out— you are. there is milderair out in— you are. there is milderair out inthe— you are. there is milderair out in the atlantic and it will

come — out in the atlantic and it will come our— out in the atlantic and it will come our way out in the week ahead — come our way out in the week ahead. this is how saturday begins _ ahead. this is how saturday begins. temperatures well below freezing — begins. temperatures well below freezing in the coldest parts, widespread frost, some mist and fo- widespread frost, some mist and fog patches around, the chance of a shower on the north sea coast, — of a shower on the north sea coast, may be on the thames estuary— coast, may be on the thames estuary earlier round. showers in the — estuary earlier round. showers in the western isles, and one or two— in the western isles, and one or two into _ in the western isles, and one or two into the northern isles. elsewhere, variable cloud, temperatures only around seven celsius — temperatures only around seven celsius. saturday night, will keep— celsius. saturday night, will keep a — celsius. saturday night, will keep a few areas of cloud but also — keep a few areas of cloud but also some clear spells. the rain — also some clear spells. the rain becoming more widespread across— rain becoming more widespread across northern scotland with heavier— across northern scotland with heavier births around here keeping _ heavier births around here keeping the temperature up. elsewhere, the temperature will drop below freezing and they will he — drop below freezing and they will be another frost on sunday morning — will be another frost on sunday morning. in scotland, towards the north— morning. in scotland, towards the north and north—west on sunday. _ the north and north—west on sunday, outbreaks of rain. elsewhere, if you start sunny,

you cloud _ elsewhere, if you start sunny, you cloud over, if you start with — you cloud over, if you start with cloud, eventually you'll see sunny spells. less cold in scotland _ see sunny spells. less cold in scotland and northern ireland. on monday, in scotland, outbreaks of rain. further south, _ outbreaks of rain. further south, after a frosty start, a fair — south, after a frosty start, a fair amount of cloud around, a few early— fair amount of cloud around, a few early mist and fog patches. significant weather changes on the way— significant weather changes on the way into midweek. goodbye at high — the way into midweek. goodbye at high pressure, hello low pressure, that does mean a change _ pressure, that does mean a change to slightly milder weather coming our way but some potentially disruptive wet and windy — potentially disruptive wet and windy weather once more.

hello, welcome, you're watching bbc news. our main headlines: pope francis has urged iraq's different religious communities to join together in a journey towards peace. his call comes at the start of the first—ever papal visit to the country, where he's also called for an end to violence and extremism. the un's special envoy on myanmar has told the security council that democracy must be restored to the country. christine schraner said anti—coup demonstrators were beginning to lose faith in the united nations. protests against last month's military takeover have been met by an increasingly violent response by the military and security forces. more details have emerged of the duchess of sussex�*s interview with oprah winfrey in a newly leased clip. meghan says she feels liberated now that she feels she can speak for herself again and she jested life with prince harry within the royal family was not what she expected. —— and she suggested. green spaces are known to

improve health and wellbeing,