further criticism of the proposed 1% pay rise for healthcare staff in england. the group representing health service trusts hasjoined unions saying it's not enough, particularly given the challenge of covid. on the second day of his visit to iraq, pope francis holds an unprecedented meeting with one of shia islam's most powerfulfigures. the duke and duchess of cambridge talk about the impact of the pandemic in a special programme on the commonwealth. and england have slumped to defeat in the test series in india. they lost the fourth and final match in ahmedabad.

good evening. the group representing health service trusts, nhs providers, hasjoined unions in saying the government's proposed 1% pay rise for health service staff in england is not enough. ministers have defended the rise, saying the pandemic had placed unprecedented strain on public finances. here's our political correspondent, iain watson. the government should look again at its proposed pay rise of 1% for nhs staff in england — that's what the unions have been saying, and now those who run the hospital trusts. they point out that in a pre—pandemic plan for the nhs, government ministers had intended to increase pay by more than twice as much. the assumption is 2.1% which is actually enshrined in an act of parliament, so we have got a strong

legal basis here to say that that pay rise was there. obviously, that was all set out pre—pandemic, but actually the pandemic only enhances the case for a pay rise for nhs staff. government ministers say that an injection of extra cash for the nhs was enshrined in law, but not a specific pay increase. they argue that, in any case, lower paid staff will get more than 1%, and changes to pay grades will also boost some incomes. but some of borisjohnson�*s own mps say he's yet to find the antidote to a politically toxic row. there could be a tax—free bonus as a one—off payment, that might be one way of addressing the issue, but what i do know is that the people that i represent expect and believe that there should be a reward. and that means, i'm afraid, more than 1%. labour believe that political pressure will force the government to change its policy on pay.

in may, independent pay review bodies will make their recommendations and if they're worried about the retention and recruitment of health service staff they could say that pay should rise above i%, but the government is making it very clear that other parts of the budget would have to be cut to fund this. and some who want to constrain public spending don't see why nhs employees as a whole should be treated as a special case. hundreds of thousands of people have lostjobs. many more, unfortunately, we will lose jobs when the furlough scheme is unwound, and many more will suffer pay cuts, and at some point, we've spent £355 billion buying for covid thus far, and at some point the government needs to rein in the spending. but with unions threatening strike action, the political temperature is likely to continue to rise. iain watson, bbc news. concerns are being raised

that thousands of pupils and their households may wrongly be told to isolate because of inaccurate rapid covid test results. secondary school pupils in england are being offered lateral flow tests as schools return next week. these tests are less accurate than the ones carried out at official testing centres which are analysed in labs. our health correspondent katharine da costa reports. like all secondary schools in england, these pupils in london are getting three rapid covid tests in school followed by two home tests a week, but while tests taken at home could be backed up with a standard lab—based pcr test, under government policy, that won't be happening in schools. but lateral flow tests aren't as accurate. public health england suggest that for every thousand carried out, between one and three will give an incorrect positive result, a so called false positive. and with around 3.4 million state secondary school pupils in england, the number of inaccurate tests could run into many thousands.

richard patton's son had a positive lateral flow test result on wednesday. his school told him to take a pcr test which came back negative, but richard says nhs test and trace said the family still needed to isolate for ten days. it has affected my two kids because they can't go to school. it has affected my wife and myself — i can't work from home. my wife can but it is very difficult. it's incredibly frustrating that we know this is a false positive and yet we can't do anything about it. the government says one in three people with covid don't have any symptoms and that a quick on the spot test like this could help identify asymptomatic cases and help stop the virus from being passed on. but some question the government's decision not to recommend a back—up pcr test following a positive result in school. we're currently at a time when the infection rate is low

and so it is essential that positive lateral flow tests for secondary school pupils, as for adults, are subject to confirmation by pcr or by some other means, but i'm shocked to think that is not being done. the department of health says it will keep rapid tests under review. while no test is 100% accurate, many will be reassured by mass testing in schools. others warn the way they are being used risks undermining public confidence. katharine da costa, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 6,040 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period which means that on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 6,118. across the uk, latest data shows the number of patients in hospital with coronavirus is 10,898. 158 deaths have been recorded

in the last 2a hours — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid test. on average in the past week, 220 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 124,419. on to vaccinations now and nearly 437,463 people had their first dose of a vaccine in the latest 24 hour period. in total nearly 21.8m people have now had their firstjab. us presidentjoe biden�*s covid relief plan worth nearly $2 trillion has been passed by the senate. it's one of the biggest stimulus packages in us history, which mr biden said would change the lives of the american people. the house of representatives is expected to approve the bill next week. pope francis has met the influential shia cleric grand ayatollah ali al—sistani during the first ever papal visit to iraq.

he also visited baghdad to celebrate a public mass. mark lowen has been travelling with the pope and sent this report. peace in iraq will take time to flourish, but this visitor is determined to see it. along the narrow alleyways of najaf, and into a historic meeting of two faiths, catholic and shia islam. grand ayatollah ali al—sistani face—to—face with pope francis. at 90 and 84, it's taken long lives and generations to get here. the two religious leaders spoke of friendship to overcome oppression, rare unity after iraq's sectarian conflict. that theme of dialogue then spread further to the remains of ur, biblical birthplace of abraham. and in the shadow of its ancient citadel, pope francis met followers of other faiths.

gestures of respect to those often sidelined and victims of iraq's wars now brought together in a plea for peace. translation: hostility, _ extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart. they are betrayals of religion. we believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion. from these windswept plains, the pope is using the symbolism of the ancient prophet, evoking the figure of abraham, revered by christians, muslims and jews, to try to spur reconciliation between religions today. and then it was on to mass, pope francis hoping to persuade a dwindling christian community to remain. iraq's patchwork of people came together today. but as this country knows too well, the spirit of coexistence can quickly fade. mark lowen, bbc news, in ur, iraq.

police scotland tonight said the disappearances of the 25 year old mother bennylyn burke — and her two year old daughter jellica — are being treated as a murder investigation. an appeal was issued last week to trace the young mother — after she went missing from south gloucestershire. the father of a soldier who died at an army firing range has paid tribute to him on social media. mark hillier said he was "absolutely devastated" and "heartbroken" by the death of his son gavin. sergeant hillier of the welsh guards was fatally wounded during a live—fire training exercise at the castlemartin range in pembrokeshire on thursday. the duchess of cambridge has spoken of how the pandemic has prompted the public to really back and support all those working on the front line. her comments were made during the programme �*a commonwealth celebration�* being shown tomorrow at 5pm on bbc one. prince charles also pays tribute to the extraordinary determination

of the commonwealth's people during the covid crisis. jon donnison reports. once you have had the vaccine, you have a feeling of, you know... for the queen, the country and the commonwealth, the global pandemic has meant it has been a year like no other. zoom meetings and lockdowns, the new normal. royal visits to commonwealth countries a thing of the past. this pandemic has shown us... prince charles will be among several royals to join the queen for a special pre—recorded bbc programme to celebrate the commonwealth in this most difficult of years. the coronavirus pandemic has affected every country of the commonwealth, cruelly robbing countless people of their lives and livelihoods, disrupting our societies and denying us the human connections which we so dearly cherish. amidst such heartbreaking suffering,

however, the extraordinary determination, courage and creativity with which people have responded has been an inspiration to us all. we hear your worries and concerns... the duke and duchess of cambridge also feature in a video call with dr zolelwa sifumba, a south african advocate for the rights of health care workers. we see the problems every day. we walk into work, there - are the problems, but the problem is our voices are not heard. here in the uk, there has been a mass of public recognition of the amazing work the frontline are doing and it is sad almost, that it has taken the pandemic for the public to really back and support all those working on the front line. but there are two royals who are unlikely to appear in tomorrow evening's special bbc programme. they will, though, undoubtedly be getting a fair amount of airtime. the duke and duchess of sussex�*s much trailed appearance on the oprah winfrey show will go out in full in the us just a few hours later. jon donnison, bbc news.

with all the sport now, here's olly foster at the bbc sport centre. the england cricket captainjoe root says "there are a lot of things that they can get better at". they collapsed again against india's spinners in ahmedabad, losing the final test by an innings, and the series 3—1. here's our sports correspondentjoe wilson. one consolation for england — it is finally all over. no more must they endure trying to bat in india. zak crawley began this final collapse. bairstow soon followed with another nought. ben stokes had only just finished bowling. now batting, briefly. two runs from him, too much asked of him. and what of the burden onjoe root? the batsman who had put "win" into england's winter. he made 30. and then a familiar—looking lbw. when dom bess lunged hopefully

and edged faintly, axar patel had his fifth wicket. whether the ball is red or pink, it turns to gold in his hand. england needed 190 to make india bat again. really, theyjust needed some pride. dan lawrence made 50 — at least it was something to get dressed up for. that's a surprise. this wasn't. five wickets for ravi ashwin. england all out to spin. this test had unravelled like the previous two. the results have certainly not been for lack of effort or character. i think we did well in that respect but unfortunately we were out skilled by some very talented players in these conditions. yes, conditions and opponents were challenging, true, but england had to find their own answers in this series, and by the end there was only one team in it. joe wilson, bbc news. now, premier league, and if you're watching in scotland, scottish premiership highlights

follow the news, but the results are coming up now, if you want them. rangers fans broke lockdown rules in glasgow, gathering outside ibrox for the team's game against st mirren. the players made sure that they celebrated their 3—0 win where the supporters could see them. rangers now need one more point to secure their first league title in ten years but will also be crowned champions if celtic drop points tomorrow. there were also wins for motherwell, ross county and stjohnstone. hamilton moved off the foot of the table with a draw at aberdeen. leicester are up to second in the premier league. they came from behind to win 2—1 at brighton. aston villa drew with wolves, as did burnley against arsenal. southampton beat sheffield united. there have been more medals for the british team at the european athletics indoor championships. it was an eventful evening in poland for holly archer. she took silver in the 1,500 metres. she was then disqualified for pushing during the race, but reinstated on appeal. there were also bronze medals forjodie williams in the 400 metres and holly bradshaw

in the pole vault. much more on the bbc sport website. it's been a rest weekend in the six nations but there were wins for bristol, exeter and glocester in the rugby union premiership. dragons beat ospreys in the pro 14 and the former european champions saracens lost to cornish pirates in their opening match in the championship. that's just about it for now, butjust to say that tomorrow morning, on the day before schools return across england, the education secretary gavin williamson will be on the andrew marr show at 9am here on bbc one. that's all from me. goodnight.

hello. this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. part of iceland is being shaken by an intense series of earthquakes, 20 miles south of the ice lane 0 place the opening of both of the last eruption happened eight centuries ago but that period of rest may be coming to an end. after days of intense seismic activity. normally there are around 1000 small earthquakes a year. but there have been more than 20,000 in the past ten days. including 3000 on friday alone. leading scientists to believe that interruption is imminent. it is fracturing- — that interruption is imminent. it is fracturing- it _ that interruption is imminent. it is fracturing. it is _ that interruption is imminent. it is fracturing. it is so _ that interruption is imminent. it 3 fracturing. it is so close to the surface, we have to take it

seriously and the possibility that a new eruption can occur. the seriously and the possibility that a new eruption can occur.— new eruption can occur. the close vicini is new eruption can occur. the close vicinity is uninhabited _ new eruption can occur. the close vicinity is uninhabited and - new eruption can occur. the close vicinity is uninhabited and there i new eruption can occur. the close j vicinity is uninhabited and there is no immediate danger to the public. but roads have been closed and people are being told not to travel to the area. the small fishing port of green to vick is only a few miles away. of green to vick is only a few miles awa . , ., , away. the filling is never en'oyable them i can say i away. the filling is never en'oyable them i can say that t away. the filling is never en'oyable them i can say that for _ away. the filling is never enjoyable them i can say that for sure. - away. the filling is never enjoyable them i can say that for sure. of - them i can say that for sure. of course when mother nature is like shaking underneath your feet, course when mother nature is like shaking underneath yourfeet, you feel powerless. but i have been living here since i was born. this has been happening time to time. but this is the first time we are having such a powerful earthquakes so frequently. such a powerful earthquakes so frequently-— such a powerful earthquakes so freuentl. . w ., frequently. earthquakes are common in iceland because _ frequently. earthquakes are common in iceland because it _ frequently. earthquakes are common in iceland because it straddles - frequently. earthquakes are common in iceland because it straddles two i in iceland because it straddles two of the earth tectonic plates. in 2010, the explosive eruption of a more southerly volcano because huge disruption in international air travel can effectively as many as 10

million travellers. but if any erection occurs this time, it is not liable will emerge more slowly from a crack in the surface so it is unlikely to cause the same chaos. we are unlikely to cause the same chaos. - are expecting a small one. but love is flowing, we are not expecting large explosive eruptions come the minimal impact on flights and living conditions will be minimal. figs minimal impact on flights and living conditions will be minimal.- conditions will be minimal. as the round conditions will be minimal. as the ground awakens _ conditions will be minimal. as the ground awakens after— conditions will be minimal. as the ground awakens after 800 - conditions will be minimal. as the ground awakens after 800 years, | ground awakens after 800 years, people await the outcome of this seismic storm. that report there on the earthquakes affecting a part of iceland. finally, spring is on its way, and that means it's daffodil season. britain produces 90% of the world's crop, but this year, millions of the blooms will rot in their fields, because of a shortage of seasonal workers to pick them. growers say the impact of the pandemic and the post—brexit

visa scheme, have led to the labour shortage. jon kay reports from cornwall. it is a beautiful springtime sight, but not for daffodil farmerjames walkers. it is heartbreaking, it is heartbreaking. it's just saddening to see flowers going to waste. when they're yellow, it is too late to pick them, so 50 million daffodils are being left here to rot. everybody loves to see it, it looks really, really nice as you drive round the county, but to a grower it's a crop loss. like other farmers, james has come to rely on seasonal workers from europe, but this spring he only has half the number he needs. aurimas has officially settled in the uk, but his lithuanian friends have stayed away. there are some that don't want to come any more

because of the brexit, especially this year. there are not many people in the field, as you can see. farmers hoped they may be able to turn back the clock and attract more local workers like they did in the past. how many british workers have you got here now? none. no british workers at all. we had five young lads who came to work for us and then it got wet and it was windy and their backs ached, theyjust said they couldn't hack it any more. the government has given 30,000 visas this year to foreign fruit and vegetable pickers, but farmers say the scheme also needs to include flowers. ministers have promised they will make sure that all sectors have the labour they need in future. if you're wondering why the farmers don'tjust use machinery to pick the daffodils instead, well, they say it's not really practical because there are so many different varieties of flower, all growing at different heights

and blooming at different times. they say without changes, their industry could also wither and die. jon kay, bbc news, cornwall. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers john rentoul and lynn davidson — that's coming up after the headlines. time for a look at the weather with tomasz. well, the weather isn't too bad out there. it's a little on the nippy side but it's settled, and that's how it's going to stay over the next two or three days. i suspect from wednesday, we'll be talking about different things. gales and rain. but until then, the high pressure is with us. it's quite a cloudy high so admittedly we're not getting that much sunshine. but some of us did on saturday. there were some good lengthy sunny spells in a few areas.

but i think as far as tonight is concerned, it is partly cloudy and where the skies clear and the winds fall light, we'll see a touch of frost. here in the north—west, the winds are blowing out of the south—west, pushing milder air into western scotland. so 5 degrees in stornoway. but you can see much of the country hovering around zero also. a touch of frost in a few areas first thing on sunday morning. there will be some sunshine around but generally speaking it is quite a cloudy day, and on top of that you can see where the rain is there, across western and northern scotland. temperatures on sunday averaging around 7—8. on monday, the high pressure's still with us, onlyjust. it's a very weak high pressure but it is slipping southwards and it's allowing these weather fronts to sneak in, so i think the northern half of the uk, broadly speaking, will be cloudy on monday. the possibility of some rain into yorkshire. from the midlands southwards, monday should stay dry and there'll be some

sunshine around as well. maybe up to around 11 degrees. tuesday could be quite a bright if not sunny day. temporarily we'll see drier air coming in from the south ahead of this low pressure. this is the beginning of the unsettled spell of weather heading our way. from wednesday onwards, the current thinking is we'll see a powerful jet stream. this is wednesday here. a powerfuljet stream making a beeline for the uk. quite often powerfuljet streams spin up large areas of low pressure, nasty areas of low pressure. you can see one such area of low pressure here on the forecast, just south of iceland, but also one approaching ireland. this will almost certainly mean gales around western coasts and quite possibly severe gales. so from wednesday onwards, a big change in the weather pattern. it'll turn very unsettled.