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 its military rulers. "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. and more from meghan markle's interview as she tells oprah winfrey that leaving the royal family made her feel "liberated".

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. 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's 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. dr yvette isaac is the president and founder of roads of success — a non—profit, humanitarian ngo tasked with bringing attention and awareness of the situation for middle eastern christians. she joins us from los angeles. doctor, thank you forjoining us. you've met the pope yourself. how important is the fate of iraqi and middle eastern christians to him? it means a lot to him. i met him in 2015 and he was just like

full of passion and compassion towards the people and the christian and the minorities in iraq and i give him pictures of the children, of the refugees and he displaced people, and i looked at him and he started to tear up. he is a man of love and compassion. and notjust love and compassion but a man of action. ., love and compassion but a man of action-— of action. how difficult or dangerous _ of action. how difficult or dangerous is _ of action. how difficult or dangerous is it _ of action. how difficult or dangerous is it to - dangerous is it to be a christian in iraq? it sure is dangemus- _ christian in iraq? it sure is dangerous. especially - christian in iraq? it sure is dangerous. especially we | christian in iraq? it sure is l dangerous. especially we all have seen, the whole world has seen, what happened to christians in iraq in the last decades. and although, if you remember the beginning of christianity, it started in this region, it started in iraq, iraq is one of the first churches that started the christianity there. although this is a place, the birthplace of the churches, among one of

the birthplaces of the churches there, but they did not have rights, they were persecuted to worship, they were persecuted to act as christians, and once they looked like christians, they looked like christians, they would be persecuted. the po -e they would be persecuted. the pepe wants — they would be persecuted. the pope wants to _ they would be persecuted. the pope wants to encourage dialogue between christianity and other faiths in dialogue between christianity and otherfaiths in iraq. how realistic, though, is that ambition?— ambition? really, it's very i realistic after the pandemic. after the whole world realised that we have to move quickly because nothing is stable and this is the land of abraham, he is the father of all the nations, it is the father of all religions in this part of the world. why are we fighting? and he came to say this is the right time. coming at this time, hoping that the hearts would be open to receive the representative of heaven, the

representative of heaven, the representative of heaven, the representative of christianity thatis representative of christianity that is full of hope and full of always faith and we can get together and build a highway of reconciliation and the highway of restoration. in the land of abraham. of restoration. in the land of abraham-— of restoration. in the land of abraham. ., ~ . dr yvette isaac. moving on to other news now. in myanmar, protests against the military coup are continuing, despite the increasingly brutal crackdown by police and the military. 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, members were told that anti—coup demonstrators were beginning to lose faith in the united nations. mark lobel reports. the crackdown continues on citizens calling out the coup. all chant. they remained defiant, despite the deadliest week here. appealing for

international support, these signs are reference to the un's responsibility to protect principle, to prevent mass killings. now, one month after the un's top security body called for a return to democracy, and for the immediate release of detainees, including unsung ct, it has met again. including unsung ct, it has met aaain. ~ , , again. we requested this morning's _ again. we requested this morning's meeting - again. we requested this . morning's meeting following further deterioration of the situation in myanmar. as of today, more than 50 people have been killed and many more injured since the coup began —— aung san suu kyi. over 1000 people have disappeared or are unaccounted for. the economy is in a state of deterioration and “p in a state of deterioration and up toi million people in a state of deterioration and up to 1 million people face a humanitarian crisis. but diplomacy _ humanitarian crisis. but diplomacy can - humanitarian crisis. but diplomacy can take - humanitarian crisis. but diplomacy can take time. it's significant that security council members and myanmar�*s neighbours trade partners china, russia, india and

vietnam agreed to this meeting. but until a joint statement is issued, we will not know how far they are prepared to go. we far they are prepared to go. - will be exploring further national sanctions and stand ready to consider possible measures under the un charter should the deterioration, the situation deteriorate further. that could mean an asset freeze, travel ban or even arms embargo to cripple the jointer. but members of the meeting were also told by the un secretary general�*s special envoy on myanmar of the consequences of no action —— junta. the myanmar of the consequences of no action -- junta.— no action -- “unta. the envoy said that — no action -- junta. the envoy said that the _ no action -- junta. the envoy said that the people - no action -- junta. the envoy said that the people of- no action -- junta. the envoy i said that the people of myanmar including committed civil servants are the real heroes and protectors of the nation's democratic progress. but, she want, the hope that they have placed in the united nations and its membership is waning. action has been taken online, with youtube removing five of the military�*s channels after

facebook removed all of their pages on its side. but china and russia are unlikely to rush to implement sanctions, and with the asean nations, of which over which vietnam and myanmar are embers, seeking their own solutions to, but there is no doubt at the shared frustration now building globally at the myanmar military�*s increasingly violent approach. mark lobel, bbc news. the head of the world health organization has said there must be no relaxation in the fight against of the pandemic. 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 get some of the day's other news. 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. the islamist militant group al—shabab said it carried out the latest attack. a boeing 737 max aircraft has made an emergency landing in the us after the captain shut down an engine because of a suspected mechanical problem. the american airlines flight landed safely at newark airport in newjersey. the company said the problem was not linked to the plane's flight control software. 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. sonko 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, a government spokesman has condemned the violence, calling it

a flagrant 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 their 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: free from royal life — the duchess of sussex tells oprah winfrey that quitting the palace means she's now able to speak for herself. we'll hear more in a moment. first, the plates slid gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly, the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards, and 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! the constitutional rights of - these marchers are their rights as citizens of the united i states, and they should be protected even in the right. to test them out, so that 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's going to boil up when you get to the states? well, it worries me, yes, but i hope everything will be all right in the end, as they say. 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. 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. in january deaths from all causes were 60% higher 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's face, her memory... 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 me, 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. ed thomas reporting there. japan will mark the tenth anniversary of the deadly earthquake and tsunami that caused devastation in the north of the country next week. around twenty—thousand 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. but kazuyoshi sasaki does not care. he comes here quite often and dials the number of his wife's mobile phone.

his wife died ten years ago in the tsunami. he tells her about the stars at night that shine like jewels and he tells how grateful he is that they met. translation: this phonej booth embraces all of me. it embraces the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami. it is a place that embraces not only the people who are alive but also those who've passed away. itaru sasaki owns this garden. he put up the phone box the year before the tsunami after his cousin died from cancer. he knows why the 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. grief moves down the generations. daina okawa is 12 years old. his grandfather died in the disaster. he tells him, he will soon 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. tim allman, bbc news. 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 two hundred metres a day. 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 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 causs 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. good morning 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 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. the gates could soon be re—opening to the happiest place on earth after health officials issued new guidance for california's theme parks. disneyland in the southern californian city of anaheim and other theme parks were given the go—ahead to reopen at a limited capacity from april i. it's notjust exciting news forfans eager to make a return but also for the thousands of employees currently out of work. it's been almost a year since the gates were shut due to the coronavirus pandemic. an official re—opening date has not been given.

do follow our stories on the website and follow us as pope francis travels through iraqi. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @jamesbbcnews. 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 come 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. she suggested that life with prince harry within the royal family was not what she had expected. now on bbc news: the week in parliament.