welcome to bbc news. i'm rich preston. our top stories: us vice—president kamala harris leads calls for police reform at the funeral in memphis of tyre nichols, who died after being beaten by officers. and as vice—president of the united states, we demand that congress pass the george floyd justice and policing act. joe biden will sign it. pope francis appeals for peace and reconciliation in the democratic republic of congo, as he begins a six—day trip to africa. protesters gathered outside the funeral of controversial australian cardinal goerge pell. american football legend tom brady has announced his retirement

for the second time in a year. we begin in the us where the funeral of tyre nichols, the 29—year—old black man who died after being beaten by police in the city of memphis, has taken place. us vice—president kamala harris was among the thousands attending the service at mississippi boulevard christian church, in memphis, in tennessee. following tyre nichol�*s death, five officers, themselves also black, were charged with murder. several other police officers and emergency staff have also been fired in recent days. our north america editor sarah smith was at the service. # you lift me up...

the grief was overlaid with anger, as mourners celebrating the life of tyre nichols also railed against the injustice of his death. i can't speak for everybody in memphis, i can't speak for everybody gathering, but for me, i believe that if that man had been white, you wouldn't have beat him like that that night. applause. america's first black vice president demanding congress pass police reform legislation. and when we look at this situation, this is a familyi that lost their son and their brother, through an act - of violence, at the hands - and the feet of people who had been charged with. keeping them safe. applause.

tyre nichols�* family want to remember a young man who was a passionate skateboarder. they say he had a beautiful soul, and his mum's name tattooed on his arm. i see the world showing him love, and fighting for his justice, but all i want is my baby brother back. even if the legal reforms being demanded today do come into force, the sad truth is no one here believes that this is the last time a funeral will be held for an unarmed black person killed by the police in america. will this finally bring about change, do you think? bring about the law change? we're going to try to make change happen. change doesn't come, just drops out of the sky, it comes from the ground up. we've got to keep fighting. the five policemen who assaulted tyre nichols, who are all now facing charges of second—degree murder, are all black. amber sherman, who has spent years campaigning for police reform, says she's not surprised.

yeah, i mean the system - of policing is inherently white supremacist, racist and anti—black. - but these were black officers that were involved. the fact that someone - who is blackjoined that system doesn't mean that they're - going to remember that they're black, or they're going to put that first. - they put being j an officer first. the brutal death of tyre nichols has shocked america and reignited the debate about racialjustice, with talk of change and reform, but little hope that anyone can truly say this will never happen again. sarah smith, bbc news, memphis. earlier, we spoke to joe watkins, a civil rights advocate and former aide to president george w bush. here is why he feels the legislation won't be enough. the hope is that it would be. but i know that it's not going to be enough, after all, president biden just signed the law, last year, last december. a police measure meant to de—escalate these kind

of violent confrontations when police arrest people. and just a short time after he signed that bill, you have the death of young tyre, something that should that never have happened to any human being, certainly not anybody�*s son or child. a sad, sad thing, it will take more than legislation to change this, it's changing the hearts and minds of people so people actually treat their neighbours like they want to be treated themselves. if we could teach people to love their neighbour like they love themselves, we'd be in much better shape. the name tyre nichols sadly one of a long list of black people who have died at the hands of police officers, you talk about cultural change and changing hearts and minds. how do you do this in a country which is so diverse and where this has become such a big issue? it certainly starts with our leaders but it doesn't mean regular people can't have a hand in the change, caring about other

people just the way they care about themselves. i wrote 30—page book about it, called the new pc which calls for practical consideration, an the whole idea is that how we treat people in daily life as well as in politics matters. and so it starts with our leadership, the people elected to lead us, it starts with our religious leaders, many of whom have large congregations, to agree they can teach them to love god with all their heart, mind and soul and love their neighbours as themselves, would be the degree to which you would begin to see some change in our society. the videos of tyre nichols were very distressing when released, will remind people of rodney king and the abuse he suffered at the hands of police officers in los angeles, that prompted huge riots across the county back in the 1990s. are you surprised the reaction

to tyre nichols�*s death hasn't been more vociferous and angry, it has been quite calm and measured. i give great credit to the mother and father of tyre nichols, who appealed for calm before the video was shown. they said please don't go out on the streets and tear things up and riot and hurt other people, just remember our son, who wouldn't have wanted that to happen. and protest, but do it peacefully. wonderfully, people around the country complied with that. protests were peaceful, there was no violence in them. but people said something has to change, this has to stop. americans are tired of seeing black men especially and black women, die at the hands of police officers in these confrontations. especially in the case of young tyre, who was stopped for what they say was reckless driving. that's just an allegation, and he hadn't hurt anybody yet still lost his life. that's got to stop

and that's why those americans protested because they say it's got to stop but they were peaceful, which is wonderful. we started talking about the legislation which has stalled in congress, do you have hope it will ultimately be passed ? i think it will be a heavy lift, having worked for a senator and in the white house for a us president, the politics is still very difficult. the democratic house when the george floyd act came up a couple of years ago, passed that bill, but the senate did not, and the senate was even then pretty evenly split. i'm not sure there's any more support for it, than there was a couple of years ago. i don't have high hopes for the george floyd act passing anytime soon, although it would be a great help from the standpoint of police accountability and changing the way police do their business.

joe watkins. pope francis is on an official visit to the democratic republic of congo — the first leg of a six—day trip to africa. on wednesday, he met victims of violence in the capital kinshasa. sofia bettiza reports. an ecstatic welcome from africa's most catholic country. more than i africa's most catholic country. more than 1 million worshippers turned out for a mass held by pope francis in kinshasa. later, the pope met victims of violence and listened to harrowing testimonies of rape, murder and other atrocities at the hands of armed groups that have plagued regions of the gst for decades. i have plagued regions of the gst for decades-_ for decades. i was 16 years old when i was _ for decades. i was 16 years old when i was held _ for decades. i was 16 years old when i was held as _ for decades. i was 16 years old when i was held as a _ for decades. i was 16 years old when i was held as a sex - for decades. i was 16 years old when i was held as a sex slavej when i was held as a sex slave and abused for three months.

every day, five to ten men abused us. fix, every day, five to ten men abused us.— abused us. a prayer and a blessing- _ abused us. a prayer and a blessing- i _ abused us. a prayer and a blessing. i am _ abused us. a prayer and a blessing. i am close - abused us. a prayer and a blessing. i am close to . abused us. a prayer and a i blessing. i am close to you. your tears _ blessing. i am close to you. your tears are _ blessing. i am close to you. your tears are my _ blessing. i am close to you. your tears are my tears. - blessing. i am close to you. i your tears are my tears. your pain is my pain. to every family that grieves or is displaced by the burning of religious and other war crimes, to the survivors of sexual violence, and to every injured child and adult, i say, i am with you. child and adult, i say, i am with vom— with you. nearly 6 million --eole with you. nearly 6 million peeple are _ with you. nearly 6 million people are internally - with you. nearly 6 million - people are internally displaced in congo, and 26 million face severe hunger. largely because of armed conflict. a conflict that pope francis condemned. hands of the democratic republic of congo. hands off africa. stop choking africa. it

is not a mind to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered. but the poe a terrain to be plundered. but the pepe did _ a terrain to be plundered. but the pope did not mention the role played by catholic colonisers backed by the vatican �*s and the atrocities they committed here stop later this week, he will travel to neighbouring south sudan, another country ravaged by conflict and hunger. there, he is likely to urge political leaders to do much more to bring about peace. sofia bettiza, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. rescue workers in the ukrainian city of kramatorsk are searching through the rubble of a residential building that was destroyed by a russian rocket. authorities say at least two people were killed. but they've warned others might be trapped under the debris. kramatorsk is in the eastern donetsk region — much of which is controlled by moscow's forces. the fbi have searched president biden�*s holiday home in delaware, the latest twist in the investigation into the handling of classified

documents at the top of the us government. lawyers for the president said the search was pre—planned and no documents of concern were found, the death toll is rising amid an ice storm hitting the south—central region of the united states. at least seven people have died while driving on dangerous roads in texas as well as one in arkansas. more than 250,000 homes are without power and thousands of flights have been cancelled. a potentially deadly radioactive capsule the size of a pea that went missing in western australia, has been found. the capsule, which was in transit from a mine, fell off the back of a truck in the outback more than two weeks ago. the incident has led to a debate over how dangerous radioactive material is transported. the funeral of the australian cardinal

george pell has taken place in sydney. cardinal pell died last month aged 81, after heart complications arising from hip surgery. at one point, he was the third most powerful figure in the vatican but was also controversial. he spent 13 months injail for abusing two boys while archbishop of melbourne in the 1990s before the conviction was quashed. and a landmark inquiry found that he knew of child sexual abuse by priests in australia as early as the 1970s but failed to take action. well, some protesters have gathered outside sydney's st mary's cathedral where the cardinal will be laid to rest in a crypt. phil mercer told us about the different reactions to his death. to his detractors, he as a man who ignored child sexual abuse in the church and did nothing about it. cardinal pell always denied those allegations. in 2018, he was convicted of abusing those two boys in melbourne in the mid—1990s.

he spent more than 400 days in prison before his convictions were quashed by the australia's high courts in 2020. and speaking to people at st mary's cathedral here in sydney on a very warm, humid day in australia's biggest city, they believe that the cardinal was unfairly pilloried and persecuted, which led to those initial convictions that were ultimately overturned. and to many people gathered today, thousands inside the cathedral and many hundreds more watching on big screens outside, this was a man who was a champion of conservative catholic values. we can see now some live pictures from inside the cathedral as the service is under way, as we touched on there, highly controversial figure, many survivors angry at the way the church treated the cardinal. do they see this as the end of the road in their quest forjustice?

no, i think it, for them will be a very long struggle to get what they consider to bejustice. what we've seen in recent days, many survivors of abuse and their supporters placing ribbons on the metal railings of sydney's st mary's cathedral. we understand there was a bit of a skirmish last evening between those survivors and their supporters and a group of men, who turned up with knives and scissors, trying to remove some of the ribbons. that gives you an indication as to how split opinion is in australia and beyond about cardinal george pell. his convictions were mentioned during the funeral mass, one speaker saying that despite being cleared, he continued to be demonised but the overarching feeling of mourners and people here at the service in sydney is that this man was a giant of the catholic church. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: beyonce has

announced her first new tour in nearly seven years. this is the moment that millions in iran have been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid, and the anc leader nelson mandela is to be set free unconditionally. mission control: three, two, one. a countdown to a critical moment. the world's most powerful rocket ignited all 27 of its engines at once. and apart from its power, it's this recycling of the rocket, slashing the cost of a launch, that makes this a breakthrough in the business of space travel. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship.

one of them called it, "a piece of cake." thousands of people have given l the yachtswoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming - in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record . for sailing solo _ around the world, non—stop. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: us vice president kamala harris meets calls forfuneral us vice president kamala harris meets calls for funeral form at the funeral in memphis for tyre nichols after dying from being beaten by police officers. protesters have gathered outside the st mary's cathedral in sydney where the funeral of the controversial australian cardinal george pell is being held. here in the uk, thousands of striking workers have taken part in marches and rallies across the uk, on what's thought to have been the biggest day of co—ordinated industrial action in a decade.

up to 500,000 employees walked out, including teachers, train drivers and civil servants. unions argue pay increases offered by the government are inadequate to keep up with annual inflation of more than 10%. but ministers say they can't afford to pay more, and theirfocus is on bringing down the rate of inflation. further strikes are planned next week by health service workers. many unions feel there's little progress on talks. over the last 12 years, really catastrophic long—term decline in their pay. teachers have lost 13% over that period. that is, in real terms, a huge amount to lose. i think it is simple, i think these disputes could be resolved. all people want is enough money to pay the bills. with high inflation, high cost of living, | when everyone wants - to take everything you've got and give you nothing for it, it is very difficult _ place to be in. the controversial influencer andrew tate will remain in custody in romania for at least another month after an appeal against his

detention was rejected. mr tate and his brother, tristan, were arrested last month on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group. they've denied any wrongdoing. our correspondent in bucharest, lucy williamson, has more. the court behind me came out with a short statement today saying it rejected the request by the tate brothers to overturn their continued detention. the two men have now been in custody for more than 30 days. they're due to remain there until the end of february. their lawyers say that they have not seen any convincing evidence against the two men, and a new legal adviser has been brought in by the tate brothers from a us law firm. she was in court today and has been arguing their continued detention without charges, without any previous criminal record, is a violation of international human rights law. that has been rejected by the court here today.

the two brothers will now stay in custody until the 27 february. prosecutors will have until then to bring charges against them or to ask a judge to extend their detention once again. lucy williamson, bbc news, bucharest. the american football player tom brady, thought by many to be the greatest quarterback ever to play the game, has announced his retirement again. the as—year old, who's won the super bowl seven times, retired last year too, only to come back and take the tampa bay buccaneers to the play—offs. melissa jacobs, an nfl journalist and founder of thefootballgirl.com, told me more about the significance of this annoucement. we throw the term goat around in so many facets now but he truly is, based on super bowl wins, seven, every passing record, win record and ultimate success and longevity. give us a potted

history of his career. how did he get to be so good, where did he come from? he came from the university of michigan and i think one of the defining factors of his career is always having a chip on the shoulder because he was a sixth round pick. star quarterbacks are normally number one picks overall but he was 199 and he believed in himself but obviously not many other teams did and even when he came in and took over for an injured quarterback, they thought it was temporary and there were so many doubters along the way, and he has carried that all through his career and excelled more than anyone who has played the game. this is the second time he has announced a retirement in less than an year. how have the fans reacted? we knew this was coming.

there is a lot of groundhog day memes out there, but this is really it. he posted a video on instagram and he was short and sweet and sincere and emotional but not overly produced. in this seems like it will actually happen. based on the last season not having as much success, he never looks his age, he's a5, he looks more like a0 than in previous years where he looked like he was 22. and finally, for all the beyonce fans out there, she has announced herfirst new tour in nearly seven years. the renaissance world tour will kick off in stockholm on 10 may, across europe and north america until the end ofjune. the album is inspired by black and queer dance music culture, which according to creative producer angel lenise pyles, is a huge reason for fans to be excited about. this is a huge deal

because the last time any of us saw beyonce live was during beychella, the formation world tour or the on the run 2 tour where the music was about love and reconciliation, primarily about her marriage. this time it is about celebration, dance and freedom, and to be able to experience that after the few years we have had collectively as a world and a society, is just going to be an amazing experience. we have seen incredible excitement on social media among beyonce fans, but also recently we have seen problems with taylor swift's tour and people trying to get tickets for that and the debacle there. will there be issues with tickets for this show? it is stressful, and you can look at twitter and the internet and see that people already making memes about what it will be like to get these tickets. there is registration for a pre—sale code and various pre—sales and it will be competitive but hopefully we will all be able to get

a seat and hopefully the biden administration in the states he will prevent legislation to prevent ticketmaster boosting and from having junk fees on every transaction. like all artists, she has changed and evolved over the past few years, what can we expect? everyone who loves beyonce and the renaissance album though you have to listen to it from track one to track 13, straight through with no skips. this will be a novel experience where we see her perhaps perform her complete collection live from top to bottom, no unnecessary transitions or unexpected transitions but to hear the flow of the album live for how she meant us to receive it. she was criticised recently for agreeing to perform in dubai which does not have a perfect track record when it comes to human rights and especially the rights

of women and lgbt people. do you think that criticism was fair? does it impact on how some people see her? i live in the united states of america and there is plenty of legislation or lack thereof here in the states that is not protective of marginalised communities like lgbtqia+, women, people of colour, black people. her artistry goes beyond that and i think that the message in her music, the collaborators and artists she has worked with especially on this project are a huge statement in and of itself. seven years since her most recent tour. could this be the last one if she is leaving it so long between? i hope it's not, but especially with her announcing a tour and going on tour without any music videos i think it is a testament to the type of artist that she is, so if this is the last one i think she served us well. we will wait for ticketmaster

and see what's to come. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @richpreston. thanks for watching. bye—bye. hello there. there's a lot of settled and dry weather to come for many of us over the next few days and indeed even into the weekend. it's going to be very mild as well. certainly on friday it's going to be extremely mild for early february. and that area of high pressure will bring a lot of dry weather, too. these weather fronts will always be flirting with the north of the uk, bringing rain at times, particularly to the northern half of scotland. and it will be a little bit windier here as well. as you can see, more isobars on the charts. but we start thursday off on a mild, fairly cloudy note across the south, even into southern scotland, parts of northern ireland as well. a little bit cooler for the northeast of scotland. it's here where we'll start very wet, quite windy for the north and west of scotland. elsewhere, southern scotland, northern ireland, much

of england and wales dry, quite a bit of cloud around, but there will be some breaks in the clouds to allow for some sunnier moments. it'll be fairly breezy day to come particularly in the north and the west. windy there for the north of scotland. but look at these temperatures were up to 12, maybe 13 degrees across the south, up to 11 degrees as far north as the highlands. as we move through thursday night, it stays fairly breezy, dry for most with variable clouds, some clear spells. we lose the rain as well across the north of scotland for a while. so we start the early part of friday, off on a dry note forallareas, pretty mild night to come, lows of 6 to nine or ten degrees. so we've still got our area of high pressure to the south of the uk, lower pressure towards the north. this new weather front will wriggle in to northern areas through the day on friday. so that will introduce a little bit of rain initially to northern ireland, then push across scotland, perhaps northern england for a time. quite drizzly, in fact, some low cloud mist and murk. best of any brightness later in the day. northern ireland, parts of central

southern england and wales, another breezy day to come across more northern and western areas. but lighter winds towards the south, closer to the area of high pressure. very mild on friday, we could be up to 1a celsius in one or two spots across central, southern and eastern areas. that wedge of milder air continues into the start of the weekend, but then this cold front spreads southwards, introducing much fresher air right across the uk. still high pressure with us though, so it's going to be dry with lots of sunshine as well. the air will be a little bit drier, so a lot of cloud around one or two spots of drizzle on saturday, mild again and then it's colder, much sunnier by sunday.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the us vice—president has addressed the funeral of tyre nichols, who died last month after being beaten by police. kamala harris urged congress to pass a police reform bill. her demand was repeated by the veteran civil rights activist, al sharpton, who delivered the eulogy. protesters have gathered outside the funeral of the roman catholic cardinal, george pell. he was jailed for child sex offences before the conviction was overturned in 2020. some protesters chanted "pell, burn in hell". but his supporters viewed him as a champion of conservative values. the american football player tom brady, thought by many to be the greatest quarterback ever to play the game, has announced his retirement — again.

the 45—year—old retired last year, only to come back