welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: a family's grief — the funeral takes place for two british—israeli sisters killed in a shooting in the occupied west bank. china continues to simulate an attack on taiwan — on another day of large—scale military drills. an avalanche kills at least four people in the french alps. two others are still missing. and royal revelations — fresh details are released about the upcoming coronation of king charles iii. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday.

hello and welcome to the programme. it has been a day of worship and a day of grief in israel and the occupied territories. tens of thousands ofjews gathered atjerusalem's western wall for passover prayers. not far away, hundreds ofjewish worshippers walked close to the al aqsa mosque. and in a settlement in the west bank, the funeral took place for two british—israeli sisters shot dead on friday. from jerusalem, my colleague lucy williamson reports. as maia and rina were brought in, the wailing of rina's teenage school friends filled the prayer hall. theirfather, a rabbi, bent low over their bodies. the pain on his face hidden for a moment, in a last embrace with his daughters. today, thejewish people have proven that we are one. we are united.

this simple, quiet family is devastated. the whole country hurts. maia was 20 years old when she died, rina was 15. their mother, still unconscious in hospital, doesn't even know yet they are dead. they were travelling from their west bank settlement to the sea of galilee for a family holiday this week when their israeli car came underfire. among the mourners today, israel's national security minister, itamar ben—gvir — a hard—right leader, who was once a member of a banned extremist group. each unique loss here pulls up deep, unresolved questions about land, security and rights. funerals are the fingerprints of this conflict. contested land mapped by the graves of israelis and palestinians.

tensions have risen sharply here this week asjewish, muslim and christian religious festivals coincide. jerusalem's old city was packed today, with easter congregations and jews attending a blessing at the western wall. somejewish worshippers also walked past the al—aqsa mosque on a passover visit to the site, known to jews as temple mount. moments like this are watched carefully by security forces, activists and militant groups. the behaviour of israeli police here this week triggered anger in the region. today, the compound has so far remained peaceful even if, beyond it, tensions remain high. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. our middle east correspondent yolande knell is following events for us in jerusalem. she has more on the story.

this is an extremely sensitive time and officials and diplomats have been warning that that could put pressure onjerusalem's most contested holy sites through this period and really could lead to an escalation in violence. that is exactly what we've seen. during the day, there was a lot of concern about what would happen because at the al—aqsa mosque, hundreds of palestinian muslims marking ramadan had barricaded themselves in the mosque. and there were fears there could be another raiding of the mosque by israeli police, as we saw last week. that had caused regional condemnation. instead, actually, what we saw were that israeli police allowed palestinian muslims to stay. you could see that some people were praying in the courtyard of the compound, while the heavily armed police allowed hundreds ofjewish visitors to go around the site for the passover celebrations. a mass prayer that was taking

place at the western wall just below, that had brought thousands ofjewish worshippers into the old city. i mean, that went off in the end without incident. also at the holy sepulchre church, which is quite nearby, easter sunday services happened without incident. that was your —— yolande knell, reporting on that story for us. in the last hour or so, buckingham palace have released fresh details about next month's coronation of king charles, including the carriages and the priceless crown jewels chosen to play a starring role. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell has all the details. less than four weeks now to their big day, and preparations for the coronation of king charles iii and the crowning of camilla as his queen are in full swing. first, the route that will take them from buckingham palace to westminster abbey and back again has been confirmed — from the palace, down the mall to trafalgar square and then down whitehall, around

parliament square to the abbey's west door. the return route will be the same journey in reverse, a much shorterjourney than that taken by the late queen elizabeth after her coronation. the king and queen consort will travel to the coronation in one of the newest royal carriages, the diamond jubilee stagecoach, escorted by the household cavalry. inside westminster abbey, the service itself will see the crownjewels, the regalia, the symbols of the monarch's authority, being used for the first time since queen elizabeth was crowned. the sovereign�*s orb and sceptres, swords, bracelets and spurs all will have their part in this elaborate religious service, which culminates with the crowning of the monarch with st edward's crown. camilla will be crowned with queen mary's crown, which contains some of the cullinan diamonds. she'll also hold

the queen consort�*s rod, which is made of ivory. they will process from the abbey, just as queen elizabeth did, for the return journey to the palace. and for that, they will board this, the 18th—century gold state coach. it weighs four tonnes, and it's notoriously uncomfortable. the king and queen may be relieved that their journey back to the palace, escorted by military detachments, will be only a quarter of the length of that undertaken by queen elizabeth in 1953. royal staff have done their best to make the gold coach as comfortable as possible. back at buckingham palace, there'll be a royal salute and — one imagines — an appearance on the palace balcony, though that hasn't been confirmed. one innovation — the palace has launched a new emoji to mark the coronation. so, a ceremony rooted in history with at least one modern touch. nicholas witchell, bbc news. earlier, i spoke to historian kelly swaby, who shared her

thoughts on what could be expected from king charles�* coronation ceremony. the first is it is 260 years old. it has been preserved very well for the last 70 years, has only come out forjubilee. we saw it for the platinum jubilee, for instance. the second reason is the king is 7a and the gold state coach is a horrible ride. no—one has ever enjoyed riding it, and i think for a bit of an older gentleman, in contrast to the queen, who was only 25, maybe an hour, multiple—hour long journey through london may be a bit too much. i think it is a wise decision. it will be nice for us to see the gold state coach on the day, because there was a question on whether we would see it, and the fact

that we are will only add to the splendour of the day. the most special one will probably be the crown itself and when we say the crown, there are two crowns. we only really see one of the imperial state crown, —— we only really see one, the imperial state crown, but we'll see saint edward's crown, and that is the crown that monarchs are crowned with on coronation day. that will be out on full display, and i think unless you've been to the tower london, you will not have ever seen st edward's crown. we will also see the orb and the sceptre, the key monarchical symbols, and they will be used on the day as they were intended to be used, as opposed to sat in the tower of london for people to see when they visit the museum itself. we'll see a lot of other things, other diamonds that relate to key moments in our history, one of them being the black prince's ruby, and these jewels really go back to key moments in our history, and people who want to do further research will realise how embedded the coronation is in british history and english history.

and scottish history before that. queen camilla has opted for queen mary's crown, as opposed to queen elizabeth's crown, and i think in some ways it is a wise decision. it isa it is a crown that is steeped in controversy. it has a very bloodshed history. there are multiple countries that lay claim to the diamond and it passed down over centuries in quite dramatic scenes, and it was ultimately given to queen victoria in the mid—19th century, and since then, it has been within the british crown jewels and only worn by women, because there is a myth that if a man wears it, he will meet his fate in bloodshed. it is only ever worn by women, and quite interestingly it was in queen mary's crown that queen camilla will wear on the day, but it was changed and put on to queen elizabeth's crown, because queen mary attended her son's coronation, which was quite rare,

but she wanted to show support. but an interesting point in that that has not been mentioned, queen mary commissioned her crown for all future consorts to wear it... it does stick to tradition, but i think leaving the diamond out of the ceremony and trying to negate that sense of controversy, i do think it is a very wise decision, that it is not prevalent on the day. that was kelly swaby speaking to me a little earlier. at least four people have been killed in an avalanche in the french alps. it happened on the armancette glacier and a search is under way for two others still missing. azadeh moshiri has more. now, this is what we know about the area where the avalanche happened. it happened in southeastern france, in the french alps. the glacier itself was near the mont blanc. now, four people were killed in the armancette glacier. several others were injured.

but french authorities believed that they are part of a hiking group and that several other people are actually trapped beneath the snow. now, we're about to show you a video that's been circulating on social media. it's also been verified by the french news agency afp. one eyewitness was on a walk near the glacier when she saw this very same scene. she described it as a massive cloud that tumbled down until it split in two. now, this is that cloud of snow that the eyewitness was referring to. a deputy mayor from a nearby region confirmed that two of the victims are well known mountain guides in the area. this is what he had to say. translation: we cry. it's a great sadness for all us mountaineers, for all friends of the region. these were people we knew. all our thoughts are with their families. this is the statement french president emmanuel macron

made on twitter shortly after the incident. he said... now, there hadn't been an avalanche warning that day, but this isn't the first time that this has happened. in 2014, two brothers died on this same glacier as they were hiking. even though they were experienced mountaineers, they still couldn't survive the avalanche. in this instance, the region and the ski resort have warned people to be very careful and take extreme caution, as they can't guarantee another avalanche won't happen. but for now, rescuers are engaged in a search and rescue operation as they look for more survivors. azadeh moshiri reporting on that story for us. migrant rescue charities have raised a safety alert for some 400 people on board a boat that they say is adrift and taking on water in the mediterranean sea. one group called alarm phone says the boat left tobruk in eastern libya and is currently

at this location, which is in malta's search and rescue area. according to the charity, those on board say the captain abandoned the boat. we will have more for you on that story as and when we can get it, but of course lots more on the bbc news website. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. what i love most about myjob and what makes it most unique is the ability to tell stories about people from all over the world, give them a platform to be able to share their stories. and i love doing it, whether it's in the studio or out in the field. the focus of my storytelling throughout my career has been women and children, those who have been impacted by conflict, by upheaval. i often find in my storytelling that the issues that concern a young woman in kabul is also something that young women here in london are also thinking about. so we are far more connected.

our concerns, whether that's about child care or about the cost of living or about energy prices, is something that's truly global. and so to be able to bring uk audiences those stories into their living rooms, on their mobile phones, on their digital platforms is so critical in an increasingly interconnected world. you're live with bbc news. pope francis has been leading a mass at st peter's basilica in the vatican on easter sunday. the 86—year—old expressed his "deep concern" about the escalating tensions between israelis and palestinians and called on the international community to end the war in ukraine. from vatican city, our religion editor aleem maqbool reports. from the early hours, they streamed into st peter's square for easter mass. people had come from all over the world, butjust days ago, there had been doubts

about whether the pope would be well enough to take part in events at all. some here told of their relief when he appeared, but there was still nervousness as to how strong he really was, after his bout of bronchitis. once the service got under way, pope francis seemed untroubled. but it was once the mass was over that he appeared most relaxed. though for the first time, he'd missed one event on good friday, he'd now successfully negotiated the rest of the toughest week in his calendar. well, there have been moments in the week during services when the pope has seemed a little breathless, a little weak, even. but every time he's been in the crowds and interacted with people, he's really appeared to be much more energised. he looked in really good health. you know, the crowd, i'm sure, were encouraging him along, but he looked very healthy, you know, happy and doing doing his job very well. and it was great to see him in fine spirits.

translation: i was very worried when he was in hospital- and i kept informed because he's so special. he wanted to fulfill all his commitments for this holy week, and to see him here, you realise how strong he is. at canterbury cathedral, in his sermon, archbishopjustin welby said easter was a reminder that light triumphs over darkness, even in seemingly intractable conflict. we do not lose heart, but we pray and we work for ukraine and russia, for israel and palestine, with the recent tragedies especially. and for the other so often forgotten struggles of our world. pope francis struck similar themes in his final public duty this holy week, in his appearance on the balcony of st peter's basilica. but during his traditional blessing, he talked of his deep concern over events in the middle east, praying for peace in the holy city ofjerusalem and beyond. aleem maqbool,

bbc news in vatican city. more stories in the headlines today. south korea says it'll hold discussions with the united states after reports that us intelligence agencies had intercepted south korean communications on whether to sell weapons to washington. documents leaked from the pentagon appear to reveal that seoul was concerned artillery shells would end up in ukraine, violating south korea's policy against supplying lethal aid. security forces in pakistan say a soldier and two militants have been killed in separate clashes in waziristan. they said weapons and ammunition had been recovered following an intense exchange of gunfire, and a "clearance operation" was under way to secure the area. with covid cases on the rise, hospitals across india are to run a two—day mock drill for emergency responses. following more than 5,000 new infections and 11

covid—related deaths nationwide in 2a hours, several indian states have reintroduced strict coronavirus guidelines. negotiators from saudi arabia and oman havejoined yemen's houthi rebels in the country's capital, sana'a. they're holding talks in the houthi—controlled city on a new and potentially permanent ceasefire. saudi arabia has backed yemeni government forces against the rebels during the devastating eight—year civil war. a little earlier, i spoke to our middle east regional sebastian usher has more. there was a temporary ceasefire last year, which expired in october. that helped calm the situation, that helped bring in confidence—building measures. and although it expired, there's been no realflare—up in the fighting since. so i think the very basic aim of these talks will be

to ensure that another ceasefire is put in place. but i think it's more ambitious than that, and that's certainly what is coming out from unnamed sources. there's been nothing official from either the saudi side or the houthis on this, but i think the aim is to have at least a considerably longer ceasefire, if not a permanent ceasefire, which would be at least the start of the end of this war that's dragged on for eight years, which is in pretty much a stalemate, really. this particular element of the war, the one where the houthis — who are originally from the north, but came down to sana'a — took over virtually the whole country at one point and a saudi—led coalition fighting on behalf of the government that had been forced out came in. so i think that the hope is that with the saudi delegation there, we've already seen a symbolic photo leaked by the houthis of one of the houthi leaders shaking the hand of a member of the saudi group, that this is a very, very serious mood this time, more so than ever before, to end the conflict. and it comes as there

are diplomatic moves around the region that are helping that happen. to china and taiwan now — because china's military has carried out another day of simulated attacks on the self—ruled island of taiwan. chinese state media say operationjoint sword is using all elements of the military to practice simulated precision strikes on key targets. my colleague katie silver has more details. this is part of a simulated encirclement. we have seen, for example, beijing approach taiwan from all four sides, both from the air, with those 70 aircraft that you mentioned, on saturday as well as 11 ships approaching by sea as well. all elements of the military being deployed here. and to give you an idea, that includes long—range rockets, naval destroyers, missile boats, as well as the air force. from taiwan, we have heard they are enraged by this. they say, for example, that this seriously undermines

peace and stability in the region and they have also issued two clips of video footage which they say shows taiwanese boats having encounters with chinese boats, basically telling them to turn around and saying that their visit and their crossing into the strait undermines peace in the region. we have heard so far from all three parties within this, and we're going have to wait and see, but as you mentioned, it's supposed to be a three—day simulated encirclement, today being the last day, according to chinese state media. yeah, katie, we've seen this sort of action from beijing before, haven't we, on previous occasions, when — in beijing's view — taiwan does something that infuriates or angers it? talk to us about the precedence of this and how this compares to that. sure, so back in august, when then speaker nancy pelosi visited taipei, we saw a very strong reaction from beijing, a similar simulated encirclement.

and, in fact, many could say that that was larger. we saw, for example, missiles being fired during that time, and the discourse was very, very stern. as part of this as well, it was seen as one of the largest simulated attacks in decades. we also saw, for example, between christmas and new year last year about 71 aircraft flying into the space, and many saying this is an exercise in demonstrating firepower. we've also seen president tsai saying, thank you, us, for their support, as a result of this visit, and the bbc has been on the streets in taipei speaking to residents, who say that many seem unperturbed by this, accustomed to these displays of military might from beijing. so it does seem in some ways life goes on and life is somewhat continuing in taiwan, because they have somewhat become accustomed

to this, particularly — as we mentioned — in the last six to eight months. katie silver reporting on that story for us. all around the world, millions of people have been celebrating the easter weekend. later on monday, the traditional egg—rolling event will take place at the white house in washington. but in one town in western germany, when it comes to easter eggs, they do things a little differently, as the bbc�*s tim allman explains. normally, this time of year, you eat easter eggs, but not here in the town of horhausen. instead, theyjust chuck them as far as they possibly can. contestants of all ages take part, throwing hard boiled chicken eggs. and the rules are remarkably simple. translation: the egg must remain intact, and it should l fly as far as possible.

the best thing is to hold it between your index finger and your thumb. every participant has only one go and some throws are a little less impressive than others. the record, dating back more than 20 years, was 78 metres. mind you, it's not about winning, more the taking part. "i threw mine 55 metres," said this competitor. "i didn't apply any specific technique. "i just used three fingers and then i threw it." the winner automatically qualifies for next year's competition — because for the people of horhausen, you can't make an easter omelet without throwing some eggs. tim allman, bbc news. you would not want to come in the wailing of an of those eggs. brings a new meaning to 999 eggs. brings a new meaning to egg on yourface, as one of my colleagues just told

egg on yourface, as one of my colleaguesjust told me. that is it. stay with bbc news for the latest headlines and analysis. hello. compared to the week gone, the week ahead looks different weather—wise and that there'll be more rain around. rain totals totting up right across the country as this chart shows. but where we see the green colours appear, the hills of wales, parts of scotland, we could see 60—80mm of rain before the week is out. notjust wet, it's going to be windy at times. some of the windiest conditions will be through tuesday and into wednesday around some of these western areas. gusts of wind maybe up to 60mph. bear that in mind, if you've got any of this week under canvas or if you're on the move. now, the change to the more unsettled and changeable conditions has already started, this weather front pushing eastwards overnight into the morning, bringing outbreaks of rain for all. through the morning, some of the wettest conditions will be across the south and east of the uk. quite abundant rain to begin with, but don't write your day

off, sunshine will come out. there'll be a scattering of showers across the country through the day, showers most frequent through the afternoon, northern england and northern ireland, as well as the highlands of scotland. winds going into a more westerly direction through into the afternoon, gusty in the south, it will make it feel a bit cooler for some of you compared with today, but for the likes of east of scotland, it'll actually feel a bit warmer with a bit more sunshine. now, as we go into tuesday morning, we'll see showers gradually fade away overnight, and it will be a chilly start to tuesday. only 1—2 showers continuing, and we'll get used to some colder nights through this week at times. but actually, a reasonably pleasant day for some on tuesday. to the north and east of the country, save just 1—2 isolated showers, a lot of dry weather, some will stay dry throughout the day. to the south and the west, though, make the most of the morning brightness because the afternoon turning cloudier, wetter, and also windier, gales in the southwest before the day is out. temperatures again dropping just a little bit. and that brings us into our windiest spell of weather this week, tuesday night into wednesday, deepening area of low pressure pushing across, a pretty wet night

through the uk to take us through tuesday night into wednesday. the rain persisting in parts of northeast scotland with some snow over the mountains as we go through wednesday. but south of that, we'll see a mixture of sunshine, heavy thundery showers with hail mixed in, as well. a little bit of brightness here and there. but it's going to be a windy day across the board with winds touching 50—60mph, as i said, in the south. and that will make it feel distinctly cool. those windy conditions will last as we go through wednesday night and into thursday. that low pressure gradually pulls away, but another wet and windy low hits the south on friday. take care.

tensions rise again potentially spooking investors in the region we will have the latest. and as the easter weekend wraps up and as the easter weekend wraps up a special look into how staff shortages are still hitting the tourism sector. hello and welcome to asia business report. i am karishma vaswani. ourtop business report. i am karishma vaswani. our top story today, investors around the world waking up to the news of escalation in tensions between china and taiwan. over the weekend china's military has been simulating attacks on the south island of taiwan. this

comes after a