this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: royal crisis injordan — former crown prince hamza accused of plotting to destabilise the country. new coronavirus restrictions in india's worst affected state, as the country records the world's highest number of daily infections. the florida reservoir leaking toxic waste—water, and the battle to prevent an environmental disaster. and tears ofjoy, the swimmer who's qualified for the tokyo olympics after being diagnosed with leukemia.

the half—brother of the king ofjordan is being investigated for allegedly plotting with foreign parties to destabilise the kingdom. in a video sent to the bbc, prince hamzah bin hussein denied being part of any conspiracy, but he accused jordan's leaders of corruption and incompetence. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports on this unprecedented crisis withinjordan�*s ruling family. a young prince at the heart of a major royal rift. hamzah, 41 years old, graduate of sandhurst in the uk, harvard in the us. now he says he's under house arrest. all my friends have been arrested. my security has been removed, and the internet and phone lines have been cut. this is my last form

of communication. and in this video, passed to the bbc, rare public criticism from a jordanian prince. i am not the person responsible for the breakdown in governance, for the corruption and for the incompetence. today on state tv, a dramatically different account — prince hamzah and others accused of plotting to destabilise the kingdom. translation: the investigations monitored interference _ and phone calls, including with foreign parties, which discussed the appropriate timing to start steps to shake the security of our stable kingdom. king abdullah is being said to be trying to resolve this within the family — an effort failing so far. so much is so unclear. there have long been some strains between brothers. hamzah was called the favourite of their father, the late king

hussein. there's a striking resemblance between them. but when the king lost his long battle with cancer in 1999, he chose his eldest son, abdullah, to succeed him. hamzah became crown prince. 2004 was a pivotal yearfor the prince. he got married and was stripped of his royal title. the king made his own son second in line. prince hamzah has expressed veiled criticism before, but nothing like this. this crisis in a quiet corner of a volatile region has rattled neighbours, including other arab monarchies. they've rushed to back the king. the kingdom already worried about discontent over an economic crisis made much worse by a painful pandemic, now there's uncertainty over whether this is a family crisis or one which goes much further. lyse doucet, bbc news. earlier, i spoke to jonathan schanzer. he is senior vice—president

of the sink tank foundation for defense of democracies. i asked him how serious these meetings were against the king. well, right now, thejordanian government is still, i would say, holding a lot of this information close. it's only being shared by a very small circle. i think we'll be hearing more in the coming days but i would say that off hand, looking at the arrests that have taken place — right now, according to the news sources out ofjordan, it's somewhere between 16—20 people — this does not sound like a widespread conspiracy that stretches across thejordanian bureaucracy and thejordanian military, so that would suggest that either it's a small group of people that they caught very early on in a plot or perhaps, as your reporter suggested, maybe this is a bitter squabble between two royals. and the position and the strength of the king in the country is crucial

to many of its western allies. it is, but i think it's worth noting that really, over the last ten years, the kingdom has been rocked to its core, i think first from the arab spring and some of the challenges that met the kingdom on the street. then, of course, the syrian civil war, which really had a devastating impact economically. there are about a million syrian refugees that have crossed over the border — the second largest population centre in syria — or injordan right now, it's basically a syrian refugee camp, the za'atari camp. and then, of course, we've got covid—i9, which has destabilised the country economically, and it was add to all of that the fact that the country has somewhere between let's say 60 and 75% palestinian in terms of place of origin, where most of the — that's where most of its population comes from. it makes the country somewhat unstable and, of course, has a lot of western countries very nervous about what they're

seeing right now. well, given the long list of potential problems, do you see now, in the coming weeks, months, years, more criticism or, on the other hand, more clampdowns? well, i think maybe a bit of both, and that is not really a great prognosis for the country. i think that the real issue is about, i think, quite frankly, as prince hamzah noted, that there are a lot of questions out there about institution—building, fighting corruption. i think a lot of those things have been tabled primarily because these are all legitimate threats that i just noted — the arab spring and the syrian civil war and the palestinian population — all of these things have been very, very difficult for the kingdom to navigate and i think it probably does sort of shine a spotlight on the needs of the country going forward. of course, we're going to hope that things remain stable, but this does not appear terrific at the outset here, as the reports start to come in.

the indian state of maharashtra will see tighter restrictions from monday after a significant rise in coronavirus infections. india has the third highest number of cases in the world, after the us and brazil. tanya dendrinos reports. a crowded market in mumbai. masks are on, but social distancing is virtually impossible, and coronavirus cases are rising rapidly. the warning is stark. translation: the number of covid-19 cases reported | in the past 2a hours is alarming and is a matter of concern. it could turn into a hazardous situation. almost 15 days ago, there were about 23,000 cases, which have increased four times now, which is a very big thing. if the cases increase in this proportion, the impact of the pandemic will be as dreadful as last year. 165,000 people have died of covid—i9 in india, the country recording 12.5 million infections. on sunday, the number of daily cases peaked at its highest level since september,

with more than 93,000 recorded. more than half of those were in maharashtra, the state facing tighter restrictions from monday, including a night—time curfew and full lockdown on weekends. translation: this is a very - good decision by the government as coronavirus cases are surging and the chain of transmission of the virus will break, which will be very beneficialfor all of us. stopping the spread of the virus is a mammoth task, particularly in a country with a population of 1.3 billion. despite having the world's largest inoculation drive, so far administering more than 68 million doses, it has not yet been enough to halt transmission. tanya dendrinos, bbc news.

flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall have left at least 44 people dead in the indonesian island of flores and the neighbouring state of east timor. in one village in eastern flores, a mudslide buried dozens of houses. a landslide killed three people in the east timor capital, dili with homes washed away. power supplies were cut and floodwaters also engulfed the presidential palace. aid groups in mozambique say nearly 10,000 people have been evacuated from the northern town of palma, which was recently attacked by islamist militants. authorities say thousands are still hiding in the forests surrounding the area, in desperate need of food and water. where many victims have sought refuge. this man hasjust gotten off the rescue ferry

at pemba harbour. his tears are for his dead father. his brother is still missing. all morning, they arrived, a steady procession of over 1,000 survivors grateful to be alive, but in shock. they spoke of decapitations, bodies on the streets, and fleeing through dense forest from the gun—wielding insurgents. this distraught woman lost two sons during the attack. translation: it hurts a lot. every day, we saw mothers crying. three, four of their children — they don't know where they are. it's too painful. gunfire. isis—linked insurgents began the coordinated attack on palma just over a week ago, killing indiscriminately and displacing thousands. the official death toll is still not yet known and, according to the un, tens of thousands of people have been displaced. among those missing is british man philip mawer. his family fear the worst.

as victims made their way out of the besieged town, doctors struggled to keep up with the wounded. we could not help everybody. i mean, the need is huge there. this population is really in need of medical care, protection and evacuation, and food. i'm at a local community sports complex that's been converted into a makeshift shelter for survivors of the deadly attack in palma. now, these are some of the victims who have come here seeking shelter and refuge following the horrors that they encountered at the hands of the insurgents. the people that made their way off the boat are the lucky ones. thousands remain scattered in the forest surrounding palma. many will not survive. and with reports of an ongoing conflict in palma, mozambique will struggle to keep up with the escalating humanitarian crisis. vumani mkhize, bbc news, pemba, mozambique. emergency workers in florida are trying to prevent catastrophic flooding after a leak in a toxic

wasterwater reservoir. this is all happening in florida's tampa bay, where the piney point reservoir is located. more than 300 homes have been evacuated. this is the waste water reservoir which contains 480 million gallons, that's over two billion litres, of polluted water. and this is the leak itself, which is now a week old. efforts to plug it have failed. so workers are now using these pipes to pump water out to reduce flooding, if the containment wall breaks. here's governor ron desantis with an update on the emergency response efforts. to be clear, the water being discharged to port manatee is not radioactive. it is primarily saltwater from the port manatee dredge project, mixed with legacy process water and stormwater run—off.

we're currently pumping out 33 million gallons per day. this new process will help to significantly increase the volume of water that we are pumping out at piney point. i asked florida's agriculture commissioner, nikki fried what's happening in her home state. so what is happening is that this is an old phosphate mining location, where the phosphate mining has stopped for many, many years but unfortunately, this has been something that has been on the radar for the department of environmental protection for at least two decades that if, in fact, there was leaks in the piping — which is exactly what's happened — in these gypsum flumes, then the water was starting to kind of seep into the tampa bay and seep out of the water. and so while it is not radioactive, it is extremely filled with nutrients that when they collide with something like tampa bay and the waterway creates a red tide, so right now the department of environmental protection has been unsuccessfully stopping the spill into the waterways

but unfortunately, at some point, all of this is going to have to be drained. significant problems here and it could end up being a tremendously detrimental environmental disaster here in the state of florida. and just how preventable was this, in your — in your opinion? extremely preventable. this was something that back even in the late �*90s—early 2000s was told to the governors of our state, over 20—plus years was brought aware that this was a disaster waiting to happen. and it is notjust this mining location — we've got other phosphate mining places all across the state of florida. and unfortunately, the past 20 years have been under one party's control have really kind of spent time deregulating and not having enough attention, financial resources. this is something that should have been addressed 20 years disaster here in the state because action was not taken.

even our current governor, who you heard earlier tonight, he was made aware of this situation last year and unfortunately, he too took no action to have prevented these leaks and made this a priority for the states. not only are those homes that are in the area really going to be severely impacted but it's also the ecosystem, the environment — the fish lifeline in that community — so this is going to have a huge impact and if we start seeing red tide on our coastal communities, not only the killing of ourfish but all of those communities that are impacted on the economic revenue, not only from people coming and visiting, but a lot of these communities are very, you know, their survival rate is based on the fishing industry that will collapse if we will start seeing a lot of these red tide and algae blooms that will blossom because of this discharge coming from the mining location. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: often our best friend — and often a life—line in lockdown. but what happens to our pets after the pandemic?

25 years of hatred and rage as theyjump up on the statue. this funeral became a massive demonstration of black power. the power to influence. today is about the promise of a bright future. a day when we hope a line can be drawn under the bloody past. i think that picasso's works were beautiful, they were intelligent, and it's a sad loss to everybody who loves art.

this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: a royal crisis injordan — former crown prince hamza says he's under house arrest, accused of plotting to destabilise the country. new coronavirus restrictions in india's worst affected state of maharashtra, as the country records the world's highest number of daily infections. pope francis has used his easter message to focus on the victims of coronavirus. he urged a quickening of the vaccine rollout around the world. our rome correspondent mark lowen reports. st peter's basilica echoed to its emptiness. beneath michelangelo's dome, a small group of worshippers gathering for easter mass, more a consolation than a celebration, a time to reflect on a painful year and for the leader of the world's catholics

to comfort those whose faith has been shaken. pope francis focused on the pandemic in his message, calling the resurrection of christ a symbol of hope for those who had lost loved ones, jobs, and time with friends or in the classroom. and he spoke of the panacea. translation: vaccines are an essential tool - in this fight. i urge the entire international community in a spirit of global responsibility to commit to overcoming delays in the distribution of vaccines and to facilitate their distribution, especially in the poorest countries. the pope talked of conflict across the world, condemning what he called "scandalous military spending amidst the pandemic." there were words too for the victims of the burmese coup. translation: | am close - to young people from all over the world, and at this time

especially to those of myanmar peacefully, aware that hatred can only be dissipated by love. churches could stay open today despite the whole of italy being put into the tightest covid restrictions. but the measures were strict with italians battling a third wave. with shops and restaurants closed across the country, it's a second straight lockdown easter. "it's just a few of us at lunch today," she says. "we were hoping for a faster solution to all of this." "i'm meeting with my family today, my mother has already been vaccinated, so we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel," he says. not a moment too soon for the medics, who managed a touch of easter cheer today

and some sweet treats. how they keep their spirits up is itself a miracle, giving us all hope that real joy isn't too far off. mark lowen, bbc news, rome. the swimmer rikako ikee has qualified for the tokyo olympics three years after being ——exit polls for bulgaria's parliamentary election suggest the centre—right party of prime minister — boyko borissov — has won the most votes with around 25%. if confirmed, he will need the support of others to continue governing. mr borissov�*s main challengers are the pro—russia socialists, with approximately 16% of the votes, according to the exit polls. ——the swimmer reekako ee kayay has qualified for the tokyo olympics three years after being diagnosed with leukaemia. she only resstarted her olympic training last year. she cried when she realised she'd won, saying she was really surprised. loretta race is our reporter for swimswam news. i spoke to her a little earlier to get her reaction to the qualification. thank you for coming

on the programme. thank you for having me. let's just pause for a second because i just want to show our viewers the moment of the win. we can see the joy and the emotion because this is such a hugely significant moment, obviously for her, but it seems to represents a little bit more for the country as well, and she's kind of clenching herfist and then the tears come as she realises the huge significance of what she's done. wonderful photos. and i want to get your reaction. you were watching that. what was your reaction when you saw it? it was utter amazement. i mean, shejust returned to racing, herfirst official race back was august of last year. and here we are about seven months later and she qualified for the olympic games. she was targeting paris, this 20—year—old said, so the fact that she's way ahead of schedule

and her body and her mind has persevered is just a testament to her character and mental fortitude. and physical, and then, wow. how do you go about building back after that treatment? oh, my goodness. so, in march 2020, that was her first time in the pool in over 400 days. and all she did was walk around. i mean, we're not even talking actual physical swim workouts. and so she had to build back a lot of her muscle mass that was lost, and if you see, obviously in the video she's still very slim, and so she had to fight her way back both in mind and in the pool. and it seemed to be — the reaction of the win, of course it's huge for her personally, and are we reading too much into it to say actually it really represents the country and says something wider than just her achievements? oh, my gosh, absolutely not. everyone around the world is rooting for her, and the fact that everyone need

some positive news nowadays. and the olympics are a beacon of hope for all of us and the fact that they are going to be going on, even sans foreign spectators, she's just a beacon of light and that's just going to give us all inspiration as we move forward tojuly for the olympics. and what about realistic chances come the actual main competition? that's a very good question. so she has a couple of days off. she has a 100 freestyle coming up on wednesday. it's very realistic, given her qualification in the butterfly for the medley relay, that she could potentially join the freestyle relay as well. individual qualification would just be complete icing on the cake. at this point she's so overwhelmed, so excited, it's as if she already won the gold medal.

brilliant stuff, brilliant pictures, and great to have you on, loretta race, thank you. for so many people, one of the worst things about the global pandemic has been loneliness. millions unable to meet family orfriends. one possible solution has been to get a pet — but some are worried about what will happen to those animals once the lockdown is over. tim allman reports. this is uschi. for markus and his daughter, analie, she's made life just that little bit more bearable. one of around a million dogs and cats that have found new homes in germany since the covid crisis began. translation: a pandemic is obviously a time - when we stay at home a lot, confined. that means i have to work from home. the children are also at home a lot so it's obviously a good time to get a dog used to a family. across the country, there was a 20% increase in dog ownership last year. one survey showing that more

than eight out of ten owners said animals like uschi provided emotional support. but the lockdown won't last forever. and the manager of this shelter in berlin is concerned about what happens next. translation: we estimate that after the current lockdown - ends, there will unfortunately be a crazy number of abandoned animals dropped off at our shelter, when people return to their normal lives. marty is typical of the kind of animal returned to the shelter — a staffordshire terrier mix, he's friendly, lovable, but a lot to handle. the message is a simple one — a dog is for life, notjust a pandemic. tim allman, bbc news. that's about it from me. i will be back with the headlines. there is always plenty more online. to download the bbc news app. and you can get in touch

with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @lvaughanjones. i'm lewis vaughan jones i'm lewis vaughanjones and this is bbc news. bye—bye. hello, there. easter sunday's highest temperature was in worcestershire, where it got very close to 18 celsius. but at the other end of the uk, the weather was changing, and it was changing drastically. that was shetland with some snow showers and some cold air, and that cold air is now moving southwards. behind this cold front, a much, much chillierfeel to the weather for easter monday. the start of the new week bringing much colder days and some frosty nights. snow showers quite widely but especially across northern scotland, where there will be blizzard conditions with some really strong winds. so as we start monday morning, then, the remnants of our cold front bringing some patchy rain into the south. behind that, sunny spells, yes, but plenty of showers, especially for coastal areas. the showers falling as a mixture of hail and snow in most places and the showers most plentiful across northern

scotland, where we'll see the snow really piling up over the highest ground. and there will be blizzard conditions here, as i said, with wind gusts of 50—60, maybe 70 mph. and even if you see sunshine through monday afternoon, 4—9 degrees the maximum temperature. factor in the strength of that northerly wind, this is what it's going to feel like. it will feel subzero for many, feeling like —4 there in aberdeen. now, as we head through monday night into the early hours of tuesday, you can see the snow showers continuing, particularly for eastern and western coasts, some for northern ireland and plenty more for northern scotland, and it is going to be widely a cold and frosty night, and there could be some icy stretches around as well first thing on tuesday morning. and another cold and wintry day to come on tuesday with some spells of sunshine. showers especially around the coasts but actually, a greater chance of seeing some showers inland and again, those showers are likely to be wintry.

and it's another cold day, still windy too — 2—9 degrees at best. a subtle change as we head towards the middle part of the week, and it comes courtesy of this little frontal system here. it is a warm front running in from the west. as the name suggests, the air behind it will be warmer, or perhapsjust a little bit less cold. temperatures will slowly nudge upwards. that front will bring a little bit of rain for some, but not quite all of us, so through the middle of the week, some slightly higher temperatures but then, actually, by friday in northern areas, it will turn cold once again.

this is bbc news, the headlines: the half—brother of the king of jordan is being investigated, for allegedly plotting with foreign parties to destabilise the kingdom. in a video sent to the bbc, prince hamzah denied being part of any conspiracy, but said he's under house arrest and accused jordan's leaders of corruption and incompetence. new coronavirus restrictions are being introduced in india's worst affected state, maharashtra, as the country records the world's highest number of daily infections. on sunday, india recorded 93,000 cases. the country now has the third highest number of cases in the world, after the united states and brazil. emergency workers in the us state of florida are trying to stop catastrophic flooding after a leak in a toxic waste—water reservoir. more than 300 homes have been evacuated.

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur.