welcome to bbc news. i'm james reynolds. our top stories: pope francis begins his historic visit to iraq with an appealfor all religions to come together and work for peace. more clashes in myanmar as the united nations security council meets to decide what action to take against the generals who seized power. "a greater mass trauma than world war ii" — the head of the who says the effects of the pandemic will be felt for years to come. hello and welcome to bbc news.

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. viva papa francis! 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 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 is set to visit the church of the immaculate conception in northern iraq. it's located in the city of qaraqosh. archbishop nizar semaan leads the catholic community there. he says the papal visit is a very important moment. this visit brings hope, not just for the community but all christians are varago. and for all iraqi people. so it is a sign of hope and it is a call for us as christians 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 life so it is a call for life, as is assurance for the better future for the christians and for the entire iraqi population. in myanmar, protests against the military coup are continuing, despite the increasingly brutal crackdown by police and the military. here in the commercial capital yangon, people gathered, chanting slogans and banged on homemade shields as they moved through the city. meanwhile, 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 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 —— which continue to severely undermine the principles of the united nations and ignores our clear signals to uphold those principles. 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. dr tedros ghebreyesus added the world had experienced a trauma greater than it did after world war ii. and now, even with this covid pandemics 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. let's look at some of the day's other news. nigeria, kenya and rwanda have started covid—i9 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 oxford—astrazeneca jab for the over 65s. it follows a similar move by france and germany, reversing advice that its effectiveness in older groups was not proven. at least ten people have been killed in a car bomb attack on a restaurant in the somali capital mogadishu. police said a rickshaw packed with explosives blew up outside the lul yemeni restaurant. some reports have put the number of casualties far higher than that. the islamist militant group al—shabab said it carried out the latest attack. the same venue was hit by a suicide bombing last year. the us space agency's perseverance rover has taken its first brief drive on the surface of mars. it moved 6.5 metres,

which nasa described as a major milestone. the one—tonne robot landed on the red planet two weeks ago. since then, engineers have been carrying out extensive tests on its complex systems. perseverance is expected to travel about 15 kilometres over the next two years, conducting experiments and searching for evidence of ancient life. it's capable of driving about 200 metres a day. 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 i

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. for some of the most deprived areas in england, january was the deadliest month since the pandemic began. one town that has suffered greatly is burnley in lancashire. injanuary, deaths from all causes were 60% higher in there than the average in england, according to analysis by manchester university. ed thomas reports. we thank you for their lives. this is now a weekly routine. we thank you for their love. in burnley, covid and lockdown have taken a heavy toll on the poorest. amen. my days are full, dealing with the torment, the death, the tears. people don't really see it. it's — it's unreal. for some of the most deprived areas, january was the deadliest month since the pandemic began.

and lord, we pray that grace... today's prayers are for grace. her mental health suffered terribly during lockdown. she was 28. everything going for her. and ifeel i have failed her now. you haven't failed her. a family desperate for comfort, a mum, nana and son. you want to see the children. you want to see them get married. he's been so brave, but he's trying to be brave for us. what do you want to happen? just bring her back- and tell her never to go. just stay with me. i mean, i'm only ten — i'm too young. - donations are paying for grace's funeral. i was saying, "mum, where are we going to get the money from?" i can admit, i was suicidal.

ijust didn't... without mick's help, what would have happened to grace? she'd have been in a pauper�*s grave. she would just have gone in with people she didn't know. it's becoming more and more and more obvious that there's a growing number of people who are too poor to die. knocks on door. it's about dignity, this. it's too late forjanet to claim some of that dignity. it's a funeral but with no body. even though he won't be there, he's there in our hearts, you know? kevin had acute respiratory problems. his health got worse during the pandemic. he couldn't walk. he didn't even know me. were you asking for help? we kept asking them, saying we wanted carers in, but we didn't get nowhere. how old was he when he passed away? 56. she had no money to collect her husband's body, so he'll be cremated by the hospital. when they've done it, they are going to ring me and tell mem and then i've to get somebody to go over for his ashes

to fetch them back. do you know when that's going to happen? no. i'm seeing the consequences of lockdown. i'm doing funeral after funeral after funeral of people that don't have the finances and support. and we've come together to grieve for kevin. and now this is pastor mick's church, a closed—down gym — another casualty of the pandemic. but it's here janet, her family, can say goodbye. we can express our love and our grief. i appreciate doing it this way. at least he's getting a send—off and all the family can be there. and it's goodwill and charity that has gifted grace's family this day. these people are not statistics. they hurt,

they bleed, they cry. mum, don't leave me. ijust want you in my life forever. these children that are losing their parents — they're not numbers on a board and i want their stories to be told, because this should not be happening. this is bbc news, the headlines: pope francis has begun his historic visit to iraq with an appealfor 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. 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 petrol 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, sonko has denied the accusations against him and maintains that it 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 - of sonko 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 also 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 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. the us economy added 379,000 jobs in february, as hiring surged. but there's still a long way to go. there are almost ten million fewerjobs in america than there were a year ago, and its women who've lost theirjobs in disproportionate numbers, as our business correspondent michelle fleury now reports. so we have two eggs to last for... denise is one of the women — women hit hard by the pandemic. she spent most of the day helping her 12—year—old son with remote learning. she is to be a cook at an airport but lost a job in april. it

be a cook at an airport but lost a job in april.- lost a “0b in april. it has been lost a job in april. it has been very _ lost a job in april. it has been very stressful. - lost a job in april. it has been very stressful. it l lost a job in april. it has| been very stressful. it is frustrating sometimes. it isn't difficult. the _ frustrating sometimes. it isn't difficult. the unemployment. difficult. the unemployment rate for equipment is even higher than for white women. she is pictured here in happier times but now faces a stark choice. her oldjob times but now faces a stark choice. her old job once a back but with schools closed she needs to watch her grandson. i am depending on unemployment right now. it is going to be more difficult into the next couple of months.- more difficult into the next couple of months. when brooke a- lies couple of months. when brooke applies for— couple of months. when brooke applies forjobs. _ couple of months. when brooke applies forjobs, she _ couple of months. when brooke applies forjobs, she is - couple of months. when brooke applies forjobs, she is wary - applies forjobs, she is wary about bringing up being a parent. i about bringing up being a arent. . . . parent. i have had interviews when companies _ parent. i have had interviews when companies have - parent. i have had interviews when companies have said i parent. i have had interviews. when companies have said are you sure this is the right role for you, you are a new mother. are you able to do this or that? ,, , ., ., 4' that? she used to work in corporate _ that? she used to work in corporate training - that? she used to work in corporate training and - corporate training and communication but was laid off in april while four months

pregnant with herfirst in april while four months pregnant with her first child. now she is searching for a full—timejob. i now she is searching for a full-time job.— now she is searching for a full-time job. full-time 'ob. i found myself a- -l in: full-time job. i found myself applying to _ full-time job. i found myself applying to more _ full-time job. i found myself applying to more junior - full-time job. i found myselfj applying to more junior roles applying to morejunior roles or roles i was overqualified for during the pandemic because it felt safe but at the same time, a step back and think about that, what am i doing? i am setting myself back. the clock has — am setting myself back. the clock has turned _ am setting myself back. the clock has turned back at least a generation. with more women out of work than men, some people are calling this recession a shesession. we are -ushed recession a shesession. we are pushed back — recession a shesession. we are pushed back because _ recession a shesession. we are pushed back because of - recession a shesession. we are pushed back because of the - pushed back because of the responsibility of childcare. it is hurtful. michelle fleury, bbc news. 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 markle suggested that 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. oprah winfrey is a media powerhouse. the most watched chatshow on tv. she is now a media executive with an estimated 1.8 billion pounds. a matter which provides harry and meghan markle with the platform. meghan markle with the platform-— meghan markle with the latform. ,, , .,, platform. she is the most powerful _ platform. she is the most powerful woman - platform. she is the most powerful woman in - platform. she is the most l powerful woman in america platform. she is the most - powerful woman in america and the wealthiest black woman in america. it is great for them to be alone with her because she can give a lot of guidance to them in navigating life as public figures in america. oprah winfrey was a guest at

their wedding. the timing oprah winfrey was a guest at theirwedding. 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. japan will soon mark the tenth anniversary of the deadly earthquake and tsunami that caused devastation in the north of the country. around 20,00 people are believed to have lost their lives. many of the survivors had to deal with desperate grief. some have found a unique way to cope as tim allman explains. under the branches of a cherry tree stands this lonely phone box, inside the line is disconnected, the receiver remains silent. this man does not care. he comes out quite often and dials the number of his wife's mobile phone. his wife died ten years ago in the

tsunami. he tells about the stars at night that shine like jewels and he tells how grateful he is that they met. translation:— grateful he is that they met. translation: , , ., translation: this phone booth and braces all— translation: this phone booth and braces all of— translation: this phone booth and braces all of me. _ translation: this phone booth and braces all of me. it - and braces all of me. it embraces the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami. it embraces not only the people who are alive but also those who are alive but also those who passed away.— who are alive but also those who passed away. itaru sasaki find these _ who passed away. itaru sasaki find these garden. _ who passed away. itaru sasaki find these garden. he - who passed away. itaru sasaki find these garden. he put - who passed away. itaru sasaki find these garden. he put up i find these garden. he put up the phone box a year before the tsunami after his cousin died from cancer. he knows why the so—called wind phone has become so—called wind phone has become so important to so many people both near and far. translation: they were suddenly unable to see their loved ones so there are feelings left behind. they would have wanted to say something for the last time, had they known they were not going to see them again. rgrief going to see them again. grief

moves down — going to see them again. grief moves down the _ going to see them again. grief moves down the generation. this 12—year—old �*s grandfather died in the disaster. he tells him, he will still be going to secondary school. he tells him about the coronavirus but he says they are all doing well. thousands come here now, from all overjapan, to speak to the dead. no answer is ever received, of course, but comfort is given with every call. 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. extremely good jams, there! nancy now gloves up nearly

three times a week and she says the punches are slowing down the degenerative effects of parkinson's. knock them out, nancy. to stay with us. ——to stay with us. hello. last weekend was a mainly dry weekend across the uk, with high pressure in control. and this weekend will be the same. but there is a significant difference between weekends — that word there, cold. a very different feel to things. spring in the air last weekend, 15 celsius in the sunshine. this weekend, with only a few sunny spells around, it's closer to 7 degrees. and it feels like winter's still got a bit of life left in it. but it is high pressure across us, so it is going to be mainly dry. just this one weak weather front will deliver a bit of rain into parts of scotland, especially the further north you are. there is milder air out in the atlantic.

it will come our way in the week ahead, but that's not the only change coming, as i'll show you in a moment. this is how saturday begins, temperatures well below freezing. in the coldest parts, a widespread frost to start the day. some mist and fog patches around. there's the chance of catching a shower along the north sea coast, maybe around the thames estuary early on. they'll fade, showers come into the western isles, far north of mainland scotland, one or two into the northern isles. elsewhere, variable cloud, some sunny spells and temperatures only around that 7 celsius mark. on into saturday night, then, we'll keep a few areas of cloud but also some clear spells. the rain becoming a little bit more widespread across northern scotland, with some heavier bursts around here, keeping the temperature up, whereas elsewhere, if you're clear for any period of time, your temperature will drop below freezing and there will be another frost on sunday morning. still in scotland on sunday, towards the north and northwest, some outbreaks of rain. elsewhere, well, again, it's the sort of day where if you start sunny, you're likely to cloud over. if you start with cloud, you'll eventually see a few sunny spells. a little less cold in scotland

and northern ireland. and then on monday, it is again scotland most likely to see a few outbreaks of rain, but the odd spot in parts of northern england and northern ireland can't be ruled out. to the south, after a frosty start, still a fair amount of cloud around, maybe a few early mist and fog patches. but significant weather changes on the way into midweek. goodbye, high pressure, hello, low pressure, and that does mean a change to, yes, slightly milder weather coming our way and some potentially disruptive wet and windy weather once more.

this is bbc news.

the headlines: in baghdad, 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 released clip, meghan says she feels "liberated" now that she can speak for herself again and she suggested life with prince harry within the royal family was not what she had expected. now on bbc news, click.