this is bbc world news. the headlines. addressing crowds at st peter's square, pope francis has described his predecessor, benedict xvi, as "a faithful servant of the gospel and the church". pope benedict died yesterday at age of 95. celebrations have been taking place around the world to herald the start of 2023. the firework display in london also paid tribute to the late queen, elizabeth ii. as russian missiles strike kyiv, a former war crimes prosecutor calls for vladimir putin to be tried this yearfor crimes against humanity. sir geoffrey nice said the case against the russian leader "could not be clearer." and croatia begins the new year with a new currency, switching from the kuna to the euro, and entering the europe's schengen

zone, which allows internal travel without border checks. it's just ten years since croatia joined the eu. thanks for your company over the last few_ thanks for your company over the last few hours. _ now, charles�*s kingdom. born a prince, he grew up in the public eye, the man who would be king. with the queen's passing, the responsibility for the united kingdom and the wider commonwealth now rests with king charles iii.

amidst the pomp and circumstance, the royal family's private grief has been on very public display. but once the wave of sadness and sympathy subsides, what will the future hold? as the latest census underlines how northern ireland has changed utterly, and the clamour for scottish independence continues, we ask can the monarch keep his kingdom united? it's one o'clock in the morning in south east london and there's no time to lose. hearing rumours the uk's longest queue might soon be closed to new arrivals, this group of friends,

straight off the plane from belfast, hurry along. it's only when they are sure they've passed the point of no return that kathryn beggs and her companions from county tyrone pause to explain their extraordinary late night pilgrimage. i think it's a really historic moment. i'm a teacher, primarily english, but i do teach a bit of history and i just think that the palace of westminster was built after william the conqueror and we teach about that in year 8 in school. we're still talking about him 1,000 years later and i think we will be still talking about this queen for many generations to come. i think the crowd will carry us through. there's eight of us here and we're in it together and in the end it is to pay respects to the queen that served for over 70 years. so i think this is the least we can do. kathryn, good luck, good luck with the rest of the trip. this is by no means the only group

from northern ireland joining this queue. a number of the aeroplanes that have been going across tonight have been packed with people who are intent on waiting all night in order to see the queen lying in state. it's been the longest apprenticeship in british royal history. 1969, queen elizabth�*s eldest son, charles receives the coronet, sword and mantle that go with his role as the prince of wales. i, charles, prince of wales, do become your liege man for life and limb and earthly worship, in faith and truth i will bear unto thee to live and die against all manner of folks. more than a half century would pass before he assumed his new title —

king charles iii. i have say i've been really pleasantly surprised. i think he has done everybody proud. i know talking to people at home we've all sort of felt the same way. he's stepped up, so hopefully he will do her proud. charles�*s job will be to usher them through to the 21st century. i mean the queen did a greatjob over her reign, transitioning from the empire to the commonwealth. i think he and william have a lot on their plate to transition to modern day. as a prince, charles iii's relationship with ireland was marked by tragedy and trauma, as well as gestures of friendship and reconciliation. his ceremonial role as head of the parachute regiment made him a target of republican protests when he visited londonderry. he himself suffered first hand

with the loss of his favourite great uncle, lord mountbatten, murdered by the ira more than a0 years ago. at the time, i couldn't imagine how we would come to terms with the anguish of such a deep loss since for me, lord mountbatten represented the grandfather i never had. through this dreadful experience though, i now understand in a profound way the agonies borne by so many others on these islands. charles shared his mother's determination to build bridges, travelling to dublin in 1995, 16 years before the queen's historic state visit. i think it is great to see him here. he is very welcome. good relations between the two countries.

maybe his mam will come. in a sense his visit paved the way for her visit and he is a frequent visitor to ireland along with camilla. and he has in fact said he wants to visit every county in ireland, and you must give him ten out of ten for effort. when he comes here he does things like he, you know, would have a go at an irish sport and so on — i don't know if he's quite reached the heights that his mother did in her 2011 visit, which was a really landmark visit. a uachtarain agus a chairde. like his mother, charles held out the hand of friendship to irish republicans. it must have been very difficult for her late majesty and our new king to engage with sinn fein figures, having suffered that very real personal loss. i mean, it seems clear

that they were both very close to lord mountbatten, and losing him and his grandson, and others in that tragedy, you know, makes them definitely... i mean, they fall, ithink, within the victim of the northern ireland troubles. so, when charles iii made his first visit to northern ireland as king, few could have been surprised by his diplomatic approach to politicians across the spectrum here. nevertheless, the king's encounter with stormont�*s sinn fein speaker was striking. ba mhaith liom comhbhron a dheanadh leat ag an am crua seo. i would like to sympathise with you at this difficult time. we are thankful for queen elizabeth's commitment and encouragement to building peace and reconciliation across these islands and indeed for all of those who seek to keep us moving towards that goal. there certainly was, for me anyway, a moment of watching the king and alex maskey at hillsborough, thinking this is really an

extraordinary evolution of history. but i think if you'd ask most historians with the best of crystal balls to gaze into 20 years ago, that would have been unthinkable. it would have seemed like something out of a work of hopeful fiction. we recognise the significant role that his — we recognise the significant role that his mother played in advancing peace _ that his mother played in advancing peace and _ that his mother played in advancing peace and reconciliation. it is something republicans were comfortable with. 50 years ago in the wake

of bloody sunday — the british embassy in dublin was burned down. in the days after the queen's death a small number of floral tributes were laid at the embassy gates. i think there's huge potential for king charles to continue the work his mother championed, as trying to unify people, and support reconciliation. throughout his life, he's been enormously positive about his mother's work. so i would be optimistic that he would be able to follow in those footsteps. but his room for manoeuvre could be limited by the souring of relations between london and dublin in the wake of brexit. i think the post—brexit scenario does make things very difficult for king charles. 0bviously relations between britain and ireland now at a government level are not good, in fact probably the worst in recent memory at least. prince charles obviously will be trying to remain above all that, but it's a difficult situation. what is really interesting is that there is an opportunity to get brexit sorted in some way, in some workable way. and i think in parallel with that, king charles can probably reach out the hand of friendship

to ireland again. i don't think we'll see the high water mark that we saw under queen elizabeth on her really groundbreaking state visit. but it can be better than it is, because it's pretty bad at the moment. certainly, he can't do anything that is seen to undermine his own government. he can't be seen to contradict their policy. but i think given what we know about the king's personality, it wouldn't surprise me if that was another flashpoint in this brexit process. back in the queue, 12 hours after they set out, the friends from tyrone are tired but elated. they have just had a royal morale booster. the end is in sight. it's been unbelievable. we've done very well together encouraging ourselves along the way. there was a bit of a surprise. tell me what happened. we werejust coming down to lambeth bridge. and we saw the car with the royal standard on it.

and word got round that charles and william were both arriving. so i got to shake both their hands. i said to william that him and his father are doing such a great job with such a difficult time this last week. and he just said thank you very much. you've done a fantasticjob. there three cheers for the king! hip hip, hooray! when queen elizabeth acceded to the throne 70 years ago no—one could have predicted all the political, economic and social turmoil that played out during the course of her reign. equally no—one knows quite how long king charles will rule or what the world will look like when his time draws to a close. however it's safe to assume that the monarchy will face more

of this kind of thing. commonwealth countries like barbados deciding to jettison the crown in favour of their own elected head of state. godspeed, barbados. may yourjourney be long, fruitful, and bright. and may your sons and daughters all flourish. stand easy! there's no question that there will be fewer monarchies - in the commonwealth within 5 to 10| years, i mean that's almost a given. we've seen a ground swell to stay in the commonwealth but not - to remain tied to the monarchy with a head of state _ from the royal family. his royal highness, the prince of wales, prince charles! charles wants to govern with the broad consent of the people, and wants to be seen as a modern monarch. so in some ways, perhaps, being seen as the midwife at a new age of the transition to republican government. politically it might play well

for the king at home. because what's the alternative? you are seen as someone who wants to reign from afar over countries where a majority of people are of other ethnic backgrounds. and that sits uneasily with a lot of people in the 2020s. whatever happens throughout the commonwealth, king charles�*s reign could witness big changes closer to home within the uk. here in scotland the snp is pushing for a split from england, but crucially, it wants to leave the new king in place. at no point have the snp been critical of the monarchy, indeed, been critical of the king. it has been stressing that their policy was always that they would maintain the crown in an independent scotland. just even the visuals of seeing nicola sturgeon at that proclamation ceremony, at one stage singing

god save the king, that is something that i think a lot of scottish people and other people in the uk and around the world haven't seen before. and it's a fascinating insight into what the snp actually believe in a way that will surprise many people. i think this wave of pro—uk, pro—monarchy sentiment is going to have a big effect on scottish independence for a while. when the scottish last got to vote on independence, queen elizabeth urged them to consider theirfuture "very ca refully." the general assumption is that buckingham palace would like to keep its kingdom united. but with the snp supporting a continuation of the monarchy, that's an issue king charles will have to handle with extreme care. the queen passed away on her scottish estate at balmoral. there's been speculation that the affection expressed

for her across scotland may bolster support for the country staying in the uk. i think it is going to have an impact, most definitely. i think, you know, a lot of people will reassess and rethink things. and if it's going to do anything, it's going to give people probably a push to think again, and i hope it does. i love the queen and i love princess anne, but i'm still a yes. i think we could make it a lot better with independence. so i would probably stick with being a yes, i don't think this has impacted my decision at all. i think the political thing is different from the royal thing, you know. with the royal thing, i think sort of we've got an affinity to the queen and the royal house, but politically with what's been going on under borisjohnson and the rest of it, i don't know

about liz truss being any different, that might be a stumbling block. and that might be why people want to go independent. as for me, i'm on the fence a bit. how soon the impact of recent events will be tested remains uncertain as london continues to resist edinburgh's demands for a fresh referendum. one question that we really need to ask ourselves for the next few months, especially with a view to a potential referendum in 2023, as nicola sturgeon has promised, is, have people been monarchists, or have they been elizabethists? is it actually support for queen elizabeth that has felt like support for the institution of the monarchy and does that dissipate under king charles? if scotland goes it alone, albeit with a monarchy, what will the future hold for the rest of charles�*s kingdom? it would be very, very difficult for charles to, you know, continue to say he was the king

of the united kingdom because the kingdom would no longer be united. there are risks around the union at the moment, and i think it is crucial for everyone, you know, who believes in the union to make a really positive case for it. and i think we also need to sort of engage the wider business communities, the civil society. of course it's important for those of us in elected office, to explain that unity and working together has tremendous advantages. it's the most successful political union in history. i wouldn't be able to make any kind of a prediction about whether or not northern ireland will be breaking away from the union anytime soon, but if the opinion polls are to be believed and sinn fein does win the next election and lead the next government in dublin, certainly you will hear talk of a desire for a united ireland ramping up a good few notches.

whatever happens in scotland, census results show the underlying picture here is also in flux. when queen elizabeth took the throne in the 1950s, more than 6 out of 10 people here were protestant and there was no doubt a clear majority of northern ireland's population — roughly two thirds — favoured the union. the latest census reveals, though, that for the first time people here from a catholic background outnumber their neighbours from the protestant community. it's important, of course, not to equate someone's religion with their politics. however, taken together, the findings on religion and national identity show that the northern ireland king charles reigns over today is a very different place from the one his mother inherited 70 years ago. well, i wouldn't take the census in isolation. i think that it is an example out of many, which shows that we are living in a society

that has changed. we are living in a society that will continue to change. and i think the results from the census show that there is a momentum and a trajectory to further change on this island. there is a conversation around constitutional change, and i do think it's inevitable that the question will be put to the people on this island, north and south. unionists reject the notion a united ireland is inevitable. some believe the monarchy�*s popularity here will shore up the argument for staying in the uk. undoubtedly, demographic change means that it's more important than ever for those of us who believe in the union to make a positive case for it. you know, i absolutely don't think that attitudes to the union have to split down sectarian lines. i feel sure that our new king and the royal family will continue to provide an important symbol of unity for our country, which i hope will be part of this continuing positive advocacy

for keeping our nation together. do you believe that king charles iii will be the last monarch to reign over this part of the world? well, i don't know. but what i do say is that i do think constitutional change will be coming to this island. that's open for debate. but if an independent scotland would keep the monarch in place, what role, if any, might the king play in the event of a united ireland? northern ireland is different. if, as is likely, sinn fein becomes the largest political party and achieves power in the republic of ireland, and prioritises its unity agenda, would they be open to the idea of ireland rejoining the commonwealth? given that they will be under pressure to emphasise what they are prepared to compromise on when it comes to their relationship with unionists?

could the commonwealth be a part of that story? if you were to achieve a united ireland, would there be any symbolic role that you could envisage king charles or his successors continuing to play? well, i'm an irish republican. i'm not a monarchist. but what i would say is that the shape of a new ireland is for all of us to have input into. everything needs to be on the table for conversation. in terms of a cultural emotional tie to unionism, the monarch is an extraordinary force. i think we would be naive, there's no possibility there's there's no possibility if there's a border poll that there will be any role for the monarchy in the island of ireland politically or from a head of state role afterwards. but i think the strength of royalist enthusiasm within the loyalist or unionist community would last for quite some time after any border poll, potentially for at least two, three, four generations.

of course, charles�*s kingdom isn't just about lines on a map. it's also about what the public think and whether they remain content with the traditions of a constitutional monarchy. you only have to look at these queues to appreciate the enormous levels of affection felt for the queen. but in the future, will the people be content for the royal family to continue as if nothing has changed, or will they want a more cost—efficient, streamlined monarchy? i think we will end up within 10 years, maybe within 5, of being closer to the model used by the danish monarchy which is slimmed down. certainly, they have been pretty efficient about making sure that queen margaret ii doesn't include all the grandchildren or even all her children in hrh duties, for want of a better word. so i think the british monarchy will go down that route where it is smaller in its composition. we've seen dramatic changes during her late majesty's reign, so one would expect

that to continue. it is an institution that's shown itself again and again ready to adapt to new circumstances, so i suspect we are likely to see some changes from our new king. polling carried out after the queen's death indicated that, across the uk, 67% of the public supported a continuation of the monarchy, with only 20% backing an elected presidency. in the polling for my own newspaper, the times, by yougov, you see for the first time in living memory, a majority of people saying they think king charles would make a good king. the difficulty is, as time goes on, will questions over whether this king is the right person to shepherd the institution into a new age rear their head again?

back home in county tyrone, kathryn and herfriends relive the moment their 1a hours waiting in line came to an end, culminating in walking into the grand surroundings of westminster hall. as we walked up the steps, there was just a real wave of emotion. it was worth it. just to be a part of history and to have had that opportunity was amazing. what are your hopes for king charles in terms of filling his mother's shoes? well, i think he's had a long time to learn the ropes, if you like. so i think that's been a good learning curve for him. the nation is trying to come to terms with the loss of a queen of 70 years, and so i think that we just would quite like a bit of steadiness and consistency. you know, there's changes within government as well so hopefully, king charles will sort of continue on and maintain the high standard that his mother has set. he may not get as long as his mother to make his mark. but king charles iii's reign could yet turn out to be one

of the most decisive and eventful eras in his kingdom's long constitutional history. hello. we welcomed in 2023 with a real range of conditions across the uk. parts of scotland had snow and temperatures in the highlands got very close to minus nine celsius. compare that with 11 degrees last night in the south of england and it is mild air that will win out for much of the time. i think through this coming week. there will be some rain at times, but equally some drier and chillier interludes. so for the rest of today, we will see thickening cloud and some patchy rain

across the channel islands and fringing into the south coast of england. elsewhere, some showers, some of which will be heavy and thundery and some rain still with some snow over high ground affecting northern parts of scotland. temperatures four degrees for aberdeen and glasgow, 13 in london. and then tonight, we will see this area of wet weather pushing across southeast england into east anglia, some showers further north. most of them will phase. there will be some clear spells, ice likely to be an issue through northern ireland, northern england and up into scotland where it is going to be another really cold night, minus eight in the highlands and even further south, it will be chillier than it was last night. now into monday, some showers likely to move across south eastern parts of england. first thing, we will see some further showers pushing into western scotland. some of those wintry over high ground. but in between, a slice of sunshine, relatively light winds, decent weather to get out and about for a bank holiday stroll. although it will be a chillier day in the south, highs of nine degrees and further north, just two or three degrees in northern scotland.

now, as we head through monday nights into tuesday, we'll see frontal systems pushing in from the atlantic, bringing some outbreaks of rain and some strengthening winds. it is going to be quite a windy day on tuesday. we may see some hill snow for a time in the north of the uk, but i think it will tend to turn back to rain as the air turns milder. temperatures on tuesday will be a little bit higher for many places five or six degrees in northeast scotland, 12 or 13 across south wales and the south of england. now that weather system moves away, drier for a time as we move through wednesday and into the first part of thursday. but then this next weather system pushes in and that will bring more outbreaks of rain and again, perhaps some snow over high ground in the north. but it is looking mild for much of the time through the coming week, perhaps just a little colder as we get into friday.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. our top stories. brazil's new left—wing president, luiz inacio lula da silva, is to be sworn into office in just an hour's time — 20 years since he first led the country. this is the scene live in the capital brasilia, where thousands have gathered to see the inauguration of the new president. as russian missiles strike kyiv — a former war crimes prosecutor calls for vladimir putin to be tried this year for crimes against humanity. pope francis pays tribute to his predecessor, benedict, as a "faithful servant of the gospel and the church". croatia begins the new year with a new currency — switching from the kuna to the euro.