live from london, this is bbc news. this is the scene live in rome, as the pope is about to deliver his christians around the world are marking their holiest day of the year. the king, queen consort and senior royals gather at windsor castle for the first easter sunday service of the monarch�*s reign. jewish worshippers converge at the western wall for the passover blessing injerusalem. a short distance away, hundreds of palestinians have barricaded themselves inside al aqsa mosque — as a tense stand—off with israeli police continues.

we begin at the vatican, where thousands of catholic worshippers have gathered in st peter's square to hear the pope lead easter mass, and pronounce the traditional �*to the city and the world' blessing — he's doing that now, let's listen in.

this is the national anthem of the italian republic in 1946. forcedwhite translation: dear brothers and sisters, christ is risen. on this day we proclaim, that he, the lord of our life is the resurrection and the life of the world. today is easter, a word that needs passage four in jesus world. today is easter, a word that needs passage four injesus the decisive passage of humanity has been made, the passage from death to life, from fear to confidence, from desolation to communion. he is the lord of time and history. i'd like to say to everyone with heartfelt joy, happy to say to everyone with heartfelt joy, happy easter to everyone.

people are responding to the holy father who is seated today. translation:— father who is seated today. translation: ., ., , , , ., translation: four dear sisters and brothers, translation: four dear sisters and brothers. for— translation: four dear sisters and brothers, for the _ translation: four dear sisters and brothers, for the sick _ translation: four dear sisters and brothers, for the sick and _ translation: four dear sisters and brothers, for the sick and the - translation: four dear sisters and brothers, for the sick and the poor i brothers, for the sick and the poor and the elderly and those experiencing moments of trial and weariness, a passage from affliction to consolation. we are not alone. jesus, the living one, is with us for ever. let the world and the earth rejoice. today, our hope is no longer come up against the wall of death, because the lord has built us a bridge to life. yes, brothers and sisters, at easter the destiny of the world was changed and on this day, which also coincides with the most probable date of christ's resurrection, we can rejoice to celebrate by pure grace, the most important and beautiful day of

history. christ is risen, he is truly risen in this traditional proclamation in the churches of the east. the word truly reminds us that our hope is not an illusion, but the truth and that in the wake of easter, humanity'sjourney now easter, humanity's journey now marked easter, humanity'sjourney now marked by hope, advances all the more readily. more hastily. the first witnesses of the resurrection show this by their example. the gospel speaks of the haste with which on the morning of easter, the women ran to tell the disciples. and after mary magdalene ran and went to simon peter, whilejohn and peter himself then ran together. to the place where jesus himself then ran together. to the place wherejesus had been buried.

and later, on the evening of easter after meeting the risen lord on the road, two disciples set out without delay and hastily travelled several miles uphill and in the dark, spurred on by the irrepressiblejoy of easter that burned in their hearts. the same joy that led peter on the shore of the lake of galilee. after catching sight of the risen jesus, to leave the boat with the others, threw himself immediately into the water and swam quickly towards him. and easter then, the journey quickens and becomes a race. since humanity now sees the goal of its journey, since humanity now sees the goal of itsjourney, the meaning of its destiny, jesus christ. and is called to make haste to meet him, who is the hope of the world. maybe to make

haste to progress on a journey of reciprocal trust, trust among individuals, peoples and nations. maybe allow ourselves to experience amazement at the joyful proclamation of easter, at the light that illuminates the darkness and the gloom which all too often our world finds itself enveloped. let us make haste to cement our conflict and divisions and open our hearts to those in greatest need. letters us hasten to pursue path of peace and fraternity. let us rejoice at the concrete signs of hope that reach us from so many countries, beginning with those who offer assistance and welcome to all fleeing from war and poverty. at the same time, along this journey we also encounter many stumbling stones which make it more difficult and demanding to hasten towards the risen lord. to him then

we make our prayer. lord, help us to run to meet you, help us to open our hearts. help the beloved ukrainian people on theirjourney towards peace and shed the light of easter upon the people of russia. comfort the wounded and all those who have lost their loved ones because of the war. and grant that prisoners may return safe and sound to their families. open the hearts of the entire international community to strive to end this war and all conflicts and bloodshed in our world, beginning with syria, which still awaits peace. strengthen all those affected by the violent earthquake in turkey and in syria itself. let others pray for those

who have lost family and friends and those who were left homeless. may they receive consolation from god and assistance from the family of nations. on this day, lord, we entrust to you the city of jerusalem, the first witness of your resurrection. may there be a resumption of dialogue and a climate of trust and reciprocal respect between israelis and palestinians so that peace may rein in the holy city and in the entire region. lord, aid lebanon which still seeks stability and unity so that divisions may be overcome and all citizens cooperate for the common good of the country.

be mindful of the delivered people of tunisia and in particular, they are young and those suffering from social and economic hardship, so that they may not lose hope and they work together to build a future of peace and fraternity. turn your gaze on haiti, which has long experienced a grave social and economic and humanitarian crisis and support the efforts of political actors and the international community to seek a definitive solution to the many problems that afflict those sorely tried people. consolidate the processes of peace and reconciliation undertaken in

ethiopia and in south sudan and grant an end to violence in the democratic republic of the car. sustain the christian communities that today celebrate easter as in nicaraguan and eritrea and remember all those who are prevented from freely and publicly professing their faith. grant consolation to victims of international terrorism, especially in burkina faso, mali, mozambique and nigeria. help, lord, myanmar, help them to pursue path of peace and enlighten the hearts of leaders so that the deeply afflicted rohingya may encounterjustice. comfort refugees and deportees, political prisoners and migrants, especially those who are most vulnerable. as well as the victims of hunger, poverty and the dire

effects of the drug trade, human trafficking and all other forms of slavery. lord, inspire the leaders of nations to ensure that no man over woman may encounter discrimination or be violated in his or her dignity that respect for human rights and democracy, these social wounds may be healed. and that the common good of the citizenry may be pursued always and slowly. and that security and the conditions needed for dialogue and peaceful coexistence may be guaranteed. brothers and sisters, our holy father has now risen to his feet. maybe he rediscovered the joy of the journey, experienced a foretaste of

the beauty of heaven. today, let's summon the energy to advancing goodness, towards goodness itself which never disappoints. if, as one of the ancient fathers once wrote, the greatest sin is not to believe in the power of the resurrection. today, let us believe and profess christ has truly risen from the dead. we believe in you lord jesus, we believe that with you, hope is reborn and the journey continues. may you, the lord of life, encourage us on ourjourney and repeat to us, as you did to the disciples on the evening of easter, peace be with you. three times repeating peace be with you.

studio: there is pope francis delivering the easter blessing to the city and the world from the balcony of saint peter's basilica. let us ask almighty god to grant the pope let us ask almighty god to grant the form many— let us ask almighty god to grant the pope many years as leader of the church_ pope many years as leader of the church and — pope many years as leader of the church and peace and unity to the church _ church and peace and unity to the church throughout the world. announced by cardinaljames michael harvey to the people of basilica of saint paul, outside the walls. we

now prepare ourselves to receive this blessing along with the indulgence. translation: ~ , ., . translation: we trust and receive onto us before _ translation: we trust and receive onto us before the _ translation: we trust and receive onto us before the lord. _ translation: we trust and receive onto us before the lord. through i translation: we trust and receive | onto us before the lord. through the prayers and merits of placid mary of a virgin, saint michael the archangel, saintjohn the baptist, the holy apostles peter and paul and all the saints, may almighty god have mercy on you, forgive all your sins and mayjesus christ bring you to life everlasting. may be almighty and merciful lord grant new indulgence, absolution and the remission of all your sins, a season of true and fruitful tenants are well disposed heart, amendment of life, comfort of the holy spirit and perseverance and good works. and now

the blessing itself. studio: the cheering throughout st peter's square where tens of thousands of catholic worshippers have gathered to see that pressing, receive the blessing from pope francis and listening intently to his blessing to the city and the world. he talked a lot about the conflicts going on around the world, called for an end to all conflict and talked about many countries in his address, offering prayers up for victims of the earthquake in turkey and syria, called for dialogue between israelis and palestinian son. he talked about tunisia, haiti,

ethiopia, south sudan, eritrea and myanmar, many countries listed in his address and a general talking about the effects of the drug trade, talks about other victims of slavery and discrimination. and called for social wounds to be healed. that is pope francis overlooking crowds of thousands there in saint peter's square in rome. meanwhile in the uk, the king and the queen consort and senior royals have arrived at windsor castle for the first easter sunday service of charles' rain. a staple in the royal calendar, it is also likely to be a moving moment for the royalfamily, with the 15th century chapel being the late queen's final resting place and the easter sunday service the first to take place since her death. now it's time for the sport.

lucy, thank you. the masters golf at augusta will resume in just over a couple of hours. we're set for a marathon final day because of heavy downpours on saturday. america's brooks keopka has a four shot lead overjohn rahm. but they still have 12 holes to finish of their third round — before coming back for the final round later. organisers are hopeful to avoid the first monday finish since 1983 as andy swiss reports: so far the weather has been the masters' only winner. with the course submerged, a premature end to day three, leaving the tournament to play catch—up. before the rain became too much, america's brooks koepka had opened up a four—shot lead. his closest challenger, spain'sjon rahm, had threatened to reel him in before a few errors proved costly. britain's leading hope is matt fitzpatrick. the us open champion is currently tied for fourth, but he's still some

eight shots adrift. but after another day curtailed by the weather, fans, players and organisers will be keeping their fingers crossed. well, thankfully the forecast is better for sunday, but with much of the third round still to be completed, as well as the final round, a masters marathon lies in store. andy swiss, bbc news, augusta. to give you an idea how the players have been feeling so far. well, adam scott who is currently 2 over par, was speaking after the dealyed game, and says he is concerned with how the weather will impact play .. if the wind picks up, even playing ten courses going to play very long. injust ten courses going to play very long. in just the variables, the water and everything, it is going to test us all. , , ,., .,

everything, it is going to test us all. , , ., ., , all. they did see some rain forecast but they are — all. they did see some rain forecast but they are optimistic _ all. they did see some rain forecast but they are optimistic that - all. they did see some rain forecast but they are optimistic that clay - but they are optimistic that clay can be completed. let go to football. it could be a significant day in the english premier league — if the leaders arsenal are able to win at struggling liverpool. they haven't done that at anfield for over a decade in the league, but know victory would take them eight points clear of manchester city again. liverpol won the fixture 4—0 last season when both managers had a heated confrontation — but say that's long forgotten. that's football. it happens in football and after that we hug each other and move on. the last time we were together, i have full respect and admiration for what they've done, him and the coaching staff at liverpool and we've moved on. i'm really calm in this moment. you might be surprised, but i'm really calm. it's like i'm in it, i see everything and i've based my decisions on that. again, we will see what the outcome is, i cannot do more. in the nba, the la clippers will clinch a playoff spot with a win in their final game

after victory over the portland trailblazers, while the minnesota timberwolves beat the san antonio spurs in a high—scoring game. there was also a win for the utahjazz over the denver nuggets, led by a career—high 28 points for ochai agbaji. the nuggets, for whom star centre nikola jokic had ten rebounds and ten assists, will clinch top spot in the west if they beat the sacramento kings in theirfinal game or if the memphis grizzlies fail to beat oklahoma city. the jazz, who are out of playoff contention, signed off at home with a win and complete their season at lebronjames�* la lakers. my my results on the bbc sport website. and that's all the sport for now. jewish worshippers have been gathering at the western wall for passover prayers this morning. the event draws tens of thousands of worshippers, with crowds spilling out from the wall�*s plaza into the surrounding areas. there is a heavy security presence

today and officials are concerned there could be violence. just a short distance away hundreds of palestinians have barricaded themselves inside al aqsa mosque injerusalem. these are the latest images from the mosque. police said they were bracing for violence, but so far it has been calm. jordan, which manages the religious complex, has warned of catastrophic consequences if police storm the mosque. funerals are also taking place later for the two british—israeli sisters who died in a shooting on friday. they were named as 20—year—old maia and 15—year—old rina dee. let's speak to our correspondent, what is the situation in the al aqsa mosque? irate what is the situation in the al aqsa most ue? ~ ., ., , , mosque? we have had this tense stand-off which _ mosque? we have had this tense stand-off which continued - mosque? we have had this tense l stand-off which continued through stand—off which continued through the morning as israeli police

escorted some 800 jewish visitors around the site. for muslims, this is the alexa mosque compound, we saw how they had lined up many of those who had barricaded themselves in the mosque, with their prayer mats in the yard and a line of israeli riot police had stood there separating them from thejewish visitors. now over the last few hours, there have also been 15,000 jewish worshippers who were crowded into the closet in front of the western wall, the holiest place wherejewish people can pray, a place called temple mount. that was the cause of real fear there could be problems today. the fat you have this big event for passover taking place at the time as palestinian muslims continuing to mark the islamic holy month of

ramadan. in the old city of jerusalem, it has been the easter sunday celebrations with big crowds for the prayer service at the church, which is not very far away. the latin patriarch leading prayers there and that also brought more visitors into the old city. we were 'ust visitors into the old city. we were just listening _ visitors into the old city. we were just listening to _ visitors into the old city. we were just listening to the _ visitors into the old city. we were just listening to the pope - visitors into the old city. we were just listening to the pope in - visitors into the old city. we were| just listening to the pope in rome giving his address to the crowds there and talking about wanting dialogue between israelis and palestinians, didn't we? that's riaht, palestinians, didn't we? that's right. and _ palestinians, didn't we? that's right. and he _ palestinians, didn't we? that's right, and he was _ palestinians, didn't we? that's right, and he was saying - palestinians, didn't we? that's right, and he was saying he . palestinians, didn't we? that's i right, and he was saying he hopes peace may rein in the holy city. he may be encouraged by what we have seen just in the past few hours, because there were concerns we could have a repetition of what happened last week when israeli police stormed the al aqsa mosque saying that masked agitators had barricaded themselves inside. that was ahead of themselves inside. that was ahead of the start of passover when they were also expecting to escortjewish

visitors around this site. it is the third holiest place in islam and the third holiest place in islam and the third holiest place in islam and the third holiest place injudaism and it can be a real flashpoint for tensions. we have seen that with some of the rocket fire that also took place last week, with a barrage of rockets fired from southern lebanon into northern israel, which israel blamed on a palestinian militant group and also rockets fired from the gaza strip into israel as well. and then overnight, what we have seen, although we haven't been given any claim of responsibility or explanation of exactly what was going on, but there are reports claiming a palestinian militant group in syria for six rockets that were fired into the israeli occupied golan heights. israeli occupied golan heights. israel has been responding to that by air strikes on military targets inside syria. by air strikes on military targets inside syria-— by air strikes on military targets inside 5 ria. , ., ., ., inside syria. yes, and also today, there are the _

inside syria. yes, and also today, there are the funerals _ inside syria. yes, and also today, there are the funerals of- inside syria. yes, and also today, there are the funerals of the - there are the funerals of the british israeli sisters who were shot dead on friday?— british israeli sisters who were shot dead on friday? that's right, ou have shot dead on friday? that's right, you have this _ shot dead on friday? that's right, you have this backdrop _ shot dead on friday? that's right, you have this backdrop of- shot dead on friday? that's right, you have this backdrop of rising . you have this backdrop of rising tensions which have gone on now for several months, particularly an upsurge in violence since the start of this year. the latest attacks on friday saw these two british israeli sisters from a settlement in the occupied west bank, they were actually driving, we understand through the west bank trying to reach the galilee where they were planning to spend a passover holiday with members of their family when the shooting attack, suspected palestinian attack happened. their mother remains unconscious, seriously wounded in hospital. the funeral will take place later close to where they were living on friday we saw suspected car ramming attack by an italian tourist was killed and

several people injured.— by an italian tourist was killed and several people injured. several people in'ured. thank you. i will leave several people in'ured. thank you. i wnueaveyou— several people injured. thank you. i will leave you with _ several people injured. thank you. i will leave you with some _ several people injured. thank you. i will leave you with some pictures i will leave you with some pictures alive from rome where pope francis has been giving his address. hello there. the weather story is on the change for our week ahead, but for many today we should see some sunshine and warmth. that sounds a little bit odd if you woke up to skies like this in aberdeenshire, a lot of low cloud, mist and fog. the best of the sunshine first thing in the morning was out to the west and bigbury on sea in devon, a beautiful start here. and we will keep some sunshine today but there's rain on the way with this swirl of cloud, this area of low pressure that's going to bring rain into northern ireland through the middle part of the afternoon. so cloudy conditions as we go through the day, eventually wetter. a brisk southerly breeze starting to pick up and that should help to lift any low cloud as we go through the day. so, sunny spells for many across the country today. we could actually see the warmest day of the year so far. in orderfor that to happen,

we have to see temperatures above 17.8 degrees. we mightjust see that, but unfortunately, with that sunshine and that warmth, well the pollen across england and wales, and it's tree pollen at this time of year, looks high or very high. now, as we go through the rest of the evening and overnight, the rain moves out of northern ireland and into scotland. the trailing weather front will bring a blanket of cloud as well across england and wales. so that will clear away first thing on easter monday. and then tightly packed isobars drive in plenty of showers from the west. so a grey and wet start across eastern england, the centre of the lowjust to the west of scotland — that's where we'll see most frequent showers. and some of these showers as we go through the afternoon could be quite heavy, maybe with the odd rumble of thunder. not everywhere will see the showers and if you do manage to escape them, you could see highs of 15 degrees, but will be a slightly cooler day, particularly in the sharper showers with temperatures struggling at around 12 or 13 celsius and a frequent rash into the far north of scotland — here nine to 12 degrees the high. so as we move out of easter, monday into tuesday, another low moves in bringing yet

more wet and windy weather. the winds remain a feature and then another frontal system and an area of low pressure is set to push in from the atlantic. so our week ahead looks pretty unsettled. showers or longer spells of rain, the winds will be a feature at times and those temperatures just a little bit below par for the time of year.

this is bbc news, the headlines: tens of thousands of catholics worshippers have gathered in saint peter's square in rome — as pope francis presided over easter sunday mass. in his traditional holiday blessing, the pontiff called for an end to all global conflicts and prayed for all social wounds to be healed. king charles, the queen consort camilla as well as other senior royals gather at windsor castle for easter sunday service. the royal family are attending st george's chapel for the first service of the new monarch's reign. jewish worshippers converge on the western wall for the passover blessing injerusalem. there's heavy security as officials

fear violence could breakout. a short distance away, hundreds of palestinians have