jessica parker, bbc news. impassioned condemnation of extremism and violence during the first ever papal visit to iraq. he said believers could not remain silent when terrorism abused religion, and he talked of the need for coexistence. earlier he had an unprecedented meeting with the hugely influential shia muslim cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani. the ayatollah echoed the pope's sentiments, saying that it was time for wisdom and sense to erase the language of war. ina in a moment we will return to the scene inside the chaldean cathedral in baghdad. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen is travelling with the pope and has sent us this report. if the first day of pope francis�* visit to iraq was about the politics and about meeting the country's dwindling christian community, today was about the outreach towards other faiths, most notably a meeting this morning with the country's top shia cleric, grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, bringing together the leader of the world's catholics with perhaps the most powerf

jessica parker, bbc news.ns to attend sporting events this summer. with fans due to return to some stadiums in may, culture secretary oliver dowden said that ministers were reviewing the possibility of introducing a document providing proof that a person has either been vaccinated against the virus or tested negative. the 9/1 shot minella indo has won the cheltenham gold cup. ridden byjockey jack kennedy, minella indo finished ahead of rachael blackmore's a plus tard, and the 2019 and 2020 winner al boum photo. earlier, blackmore picked up her sixth win of the week on board ouilixios in the triumph hurdle. it has not been easy making new film and tv drama over the past year. productions were shut down as covid took hold. and then when restrictions loosened, sets had to be redesigned, the cast and crew had to live in bubbles with everyone being tested all the time. but it worked for the bbc hit drama line of duty. it's back on our screens this weekend. our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba, has been spea

jessica parker, bbc news. had their coronavirus vaccination are being urged to book their appointments this week, before a possible slowdown in vaccine availability after easter. our health correspondent naomi grimley is here. naomi. yes, the government wants to focus minds because take up the vaccines has been phenomenalfor those over 70, but not so good for the 50 somethings and 60 somethings and it is happening against the backdrop of worries about supplies. we know a consignment from india was put on hold and that means that the government really once the over—50s to get theirjabs in before those issues become more serious. they will only depend pre—because the moderna vaccine will come in my next month. , , , . , month. given there is this temporary slowdown in — month. given there is this temporary slowdown in supply, _ month. given there is this temporary slowdown in supply, at _ month. given there is this temporary slowdown in supply, at least - month. given there is this temporary slowdown in supply,

jessica parker, bbc news.now to the executive director of external relations for the royal college of midwives, jon skewes, who is also lead negotiator on pay for nhs unions. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. you will have seen obviously all the criticism, the government line of defence. what is your union's position on this at the moment? i your union's position on this at the moment? ~' ., your union's position on this at the moment? ~ ., , ., ., moment? i think our view is that a siunificant moment? i think our view is that a significant pay _ moment? i think our view is that a significant pay increase _ moment? i think our view is that a significant pay increase for- moment? i think our view is that a significant pay increase for nhs i significant pay increase for nhs staff is affordable, necessary, economically sensible and it has public support and what the government seem to be doing is saying that it should only be i% when they actually had already accounted for 2.1%. nhs providers hav

jessica parker, bbc news.met the spiritual leader of iraq's shia muslims, in the city of najaf on the second day of his trip to the country. he's the first pope to hold talks with grand ayatollah ali al—sistani, a highly influential figure in the middle east. pope francis has now arrived in the ancient city of ur where the prophet abraham — central to islam, christianity and judaism — is believed to have been born. from ur, he has now moved to baghdad where he is currently giving mass, as we can see here at the chaldean cathedral of saintjoseph in baghdad. this is part of the eastern tradition in christianity, but it is recognised by the church in rome. the relatively small number of christians now left in the city have obviously appeared across the country in their droves to watch the pope's visit in the country. this is the second day of a four visit, it is longer than most political figures go for. we will listen in to mass. they sing. mass continues this afternoon, perhaps the biggest mass will take place

jessica parker talking to me earlier.incident happened in the village near chorley in lancashire. two other teenagers were also hurt in the incident, which happened yesterday evening. lancashire police say an investigation is underway. on the third and final day of his trip to iraq, pope francis has visited some of the areas previously held by the islamic state group. christians were among those targeted by is when they seized parts of northern iraq in 2014. today, pope prayed among ruined churches in mosul before meeting iraqi christians in qaraqosh. and in irbil, he celebrated mass in front of an estimated 10,000 people. our correspondent mark lowen is travelling with him and sent this report. from the rubble of war, a messenger of peace. face—to—face with the brutality of islamic state terror in mosul, pope francis came to appeal for unity to rise from its ashes. beside a church destroyed in the fighting, a powerful moment of reflection. rarely has the hand of healing been needed more than this. he called for persecute

well, for more on this we're joined by our correspondent, jessica parker.big moment in terms of boris johnson's a big moment in terms of boris johnson's road map on easing restrictions in england.- johnson's road map on easing restrictions in england. yes, it is the first step _ restrictions in england. yes, it is the first step on _ restrictions in england. yes, it is the first step on what _ restrictions in england. yes, it is the first step on what is - restrictions in england. yes, it is the first step on what is hoped . restrictions in england. yes, it is i the first step on what is hoped the last lockdown. the previous lock than was hoped to be the last one but one of the reasons, and they have talked about this, the cautious approach ministers say they are taking, there is quite a big gap between each step is that they want to really closely monitor the impact of each step. schools is a big one, children returning to schools, staff returning to schools. yes, they have this testing regime in place. but the government will want to monitor the governmen

proposed a 1% pay increase for nhs workers in england next year. 0ur political correspondent, jessica parker led to a backlash from a number of health unions. the budget was on wednesday and the government saying it was submitting a recommendation, and it isjust a recommendation at the moment, for a 1% pay rise for nhs workers. there was quite a backlash from unions and, actually, from nhs providers. they represent health trusts in england. they said there was a long term funding settlement for the nhs which was enshrined in law, which included an assumption that nhs workers would actually get a 2.1% pay rise over the coming year. that is something that labour's shadow health secretary, jon ashworth, was keen to bring up this morning. this document is of the nhs's long—term spending plan. it promised a 2.1% increase for nhs staff. not only was it promised, it was budgeted for and it was legislated upon. this is the law of the land. tory mps voted for 2.1%. that is a document. you can ask gavin williamson about it if you like. you say 2.1%, the rcn says 12.5%. it is a big gap. let me finish.

jessica parker, bbc news. don't forget to fill it basing it on tomorrow.25 to six. now it is time for the travel show. this week, look back at some of our top to thailand. henry is rolling with the punches. look at his abs! _ rolling with the punches. look at his abs! they _ rolling with the punches. look at his abs! they are _ at his abs! they are ridiculous.- at his abs! they are ridiculous. , , ridiculous. mike gets stuck in. i am knee _ ridiculous. mike gets stuck in. i am knee deep _ ridiculous. mike gets stuck in. i am knee deep and _ ridiculous. mike gets stuck in. i am knee deep and still- i am knee deep and still sinking further.- i am knee deep and still sinking further. and carmen tries a tech _ sinking further. and carmen tries a tech solution - sinking further. and carmen tries a tech solution to - tries a tech solution to pollution. i tries a tech solution to pollution.— tries a tech solution to pollution. tries a tech solution to ollution. . . . pollution. i am cleaning the beach. hello and welcome to the travel show. it is hard to believe i

jessica parker talking to me earlier.33—year—old sarah everard say her disappearence is �*totally out of character'. detectives released this cctv image of sarah the night she went missing, while walking home from a friend's house in clapham, in south london, and are appealing for information. i think we've got to carry on with our enquiries, look for where the evidence takes us. we are undergoing lots of enquiries at the moment around the clock, we don't want to draw any conclusions at this stage, we're keeping an open mind and our main objective is to locate sarah and hopefully reunite her with herfamily. let's return to our lead story, that the british—iranian woman, nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe has had her ankle tag removed, following the completion of her five—year prison sentence in iran. she was convicted of spying in 2016, which she's always denied. rebecca ratcliffe is the sister—in—law of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe. i asked her how the family was feeling following today's decision. the fact that she has had the ankl

jessica parker, bbc news.he tells us about the pressures of trying to make it as a professional — both physical and mental. there has been a couple of lads recently who have been released by clubs who have taken their own lives. that should not be how it is. young people are often overshadowed on the mental side, you kind of see, you�*re playing football every day, what can be wrong with you? who knows what is going on inside? i am 17 years old and i play for burton albion football club. i am a first scholar at the moment so it�*s my first year of two years. there�*s loads of pressures and different kinds of things going on. the football is kind of a hour and a half of your day. you are leaving school, you are leaving your mates, you are leaving your whole kind of last 12 years, almost, to come and play football. and if you don�*t get a pro at the end of it, it�*s a big step to make. yeah, ijust kind of wanted to highlight the importance of the mental health side of football. people think, you are a footballer

i asked our political correspondent, jessica parker, whether we should expect any movement on the government'shis 1% recommendation to the pay review body, this independent pay review body. we do not expect to hear back from them until later in this spring. some breathing space, but not so much in the sense that your hearing discussions of strike action. you are getting a lot of criticism from opposition parties as well, i think something else to keep an eye on over the coming days is what is the reaction on the conservative benches? because, of course, conservative mps, if they want to pile pressure on the government, the government relies on its conservative mps to back it in its plans, then that could change things. doctor dan poulter, former health minister and a conservative mp, has this morning been saying he thinks it is the wrong time for pay restraint, and says it can be counter—productive because it can mean it is harder to retain staff. you end up spending more on agency staff. i've been speaking to some other tory mps, who say at the moment the reaction they are getting from the pu

jessica parker, bbc news. and that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are michael booker, deputy editor of the daily express and susie boniface, columnist at the daily mirror. welcome at the daily mirror. to you both. let's start with welcome to you both. let's start with the front pages we already have. the times reports that a surge in coronavirus cases across europe threatens a new wave in britain and makes holidays abroad increasingly unlikely — government sources fear. the i weekend leads on a poll commissioned by the paper on how the uk has changed as a result of lockdown, saying people have become more resilient despite experiencing damage to their mental health. the mirror reports on the divorce between hollywood stars angelina jolie and brad pitt. the daily mail claims election watchdogs are questioning tory chiefs over a payment for boris johnson's flat renovation. the telegraph says that the uk's vaccine tsar has condemned

here's our political correspondent, jessica parker.

jessica parker, bbc news. since watching that report, we have had the latest statistics in.62 new cases. they are the lowest numbers since september. also, 19 deaths, much lower death numbers as we have been seeing over the last few weeks. case numbers are the slowest daily for get the six months and that comes just 20 minutes or half an hour after news the government announced 30 million first doses of the vaccine have been given. modern 33 million overall in the drive to vaccinate people with second doses accelerating as well. —— more than 33 million. a group of influential charities is calling on borisjohnson to start sharing the uk's coronavirus vaccine doses with poorer countries. save the children and the wellcome trust are among the organisations to warn that britain is in danger of "hoarding supplies" while health workers in the developing world go unvaccinated. alex harris is the associate director of government relations at the wellcome trust. we're not going to beat the virus unless we think and act globally. the uk has made really impressive progress with its own

jessica parker reports. census, 1951. this snapshot usually takes place every ten years.work? running for over two centuries, things have moved on. thank you, babe. welcoming the new questions, keland lisa. we are counted now, in a way that we haven't been previously. yes, it does feel that statistics have been guestimated, to some extent, but now we're going to have, hopefully, accurate representation. do you think it's a bit nosy? it'sjust representative of life in britain. yeah. it might feel nosy, but the census in itself is a nosy document, isn't it? yeah, how are those two new questions any different to anything else that's on that census document? they're not. taking calls, a charity in brighton, offering advice to lgbt people, and some reassurance. this is the first year - that the census is online. there's probably a little more anxiety as to where that - information is going. that kind of idea that - their information isjust kind of, you know, out in the big, wide world. j and it's specifically, if you're not out to anybody or you're not - out to your household,

well, for more on this we're joined by our political correspondent, jessica parker. . this is a huge row about nurses's .a _ , this is a huge row about nurses's -a . , ., , this is a huge row about nurses's a. , ~ , pay. the budget was on wednesday and the government — pay. the budget was on wednesday and the government saying _ pay. the budget was on wednesday and the government saying it _ pay. the budget was on wednesday and the government saying it was _ the government saying it was submitting a recommendation, and it isjust a recommendation submitting a recommendation, and it is just a recommendation at the moment, for a 1% pay rise for nhs workers. there was quite a backlash from unions and, actually, from nhs providers. they represent health trusts in england. they said there was a long term funding settlement for the nhs which was enshrined in law which included an assumption that nhs workers would actually get a 2.1% pay rise over the coming year. that is something that labour's shadow health secretary, jon ashworth, was keen to bring up this morning. this d

jessica parker, bbc news.poke to sir richard sykes, who's chairman of the royal institution. that's an independent charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science. he told me that there is no need to continue being over cautious when it comes to living with the virus. we have to be cautious but we have a testing regime now. we can test people easily to find out if they have the virus or not. we can isolate them. the prime minister had a strategy, whack a mole. but he couldn't use the strategy because he had no idea where the mole was and there were too many of them. now we can whack them and make sure you keep any variant, which we can identify, under control. and when i say under control, total quarantine, lock them up until the virus has gone away. it is now having a policy of keeping it under control. you cannot keep people locked up forever. so if there are some countries with low virus rates, lower numbers, why would you not allow people to travel there? let's speak now to azeem majeed, p

here's our political correspondent, jessica parker. filling up a very public row about this week's1% pay offer, with claims an increase of 2.1% had been baited as part of a longer term settlement. it baited as part of a longer term settlement-— baited as part of a longer term settlement. , , ., settlement. it is enshrined in an act of parliament _ settlement. it is enshrined in an act of parliament so _ settlement. it is enshrined in an act of parliament so we - settlement. it is enshrined in an act of parliament so we have - settlement. it is enshrined in an act of parliament so we have a l act of parliament so we have a strong legal basis to say that that pay rise was there. obviously that was set out pre—pandemic but the pandemic only enhances the case for a peer race for nhs staff. an pandemic only enhances the case for a peer race for nhs staff.— a peer race for nhs staff. an nhs fundin: a peer race for nhs staff. an nhs funding boost _ a peer race for nhs staff. an nhs funding boost was _ a peer race for nhs staff. an nhs funding

jessica parker, bbc news.rd skyes, chairman of the royal institution, an independent charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science. he's also chairman of the imperial college healthcare nhs trust, and a former chairman and chief executive of glaxosmithkline. good afternoon to you. where are we, do you think? are we at risk of squandering our gains, as the director of nhs england is saying? are we going to quickly to slow? we have are we going to quickly to slow? - have done a brilliantjob and we have done a brilliantjob and we have gone at pace and we have put ourselves in a very strong position. to talk about third waves, i think, is scaremongering. we may see a couple of ripples, but we are certainly not going to see anything like third wave. we have vaccinated almost half of population, lads of people have had deep virus, there is a lot of immunity within the population. —— lots of people. fifi’s population. -- lots of people. 6096 of new variant _ population. -- lots of people. 6096 of new

well for more on this we're joined by our political correspondent, jessica parker is the government onand therefore being full stent or something of a defence but no sign yet they are going to —— forced into a defence but no sign yet they are going to move. the rows broke out on thursday and yesterday nhs dividers pointed to the long—term funding settlement enshrined in law which they say had assumed a higher increase this year ofjust over 2%. the government said longer term funding settlement was enshrined in law, specific increases were not and do something labour shadow health secretaryjohn ashworth was keen to raise this morning. this document is the nhs long—term spending plan. well, i can't read it from here! no, i know you can't. but it promised... it promised a 2.1% increase for nhs staff. not only was it promised, it was budgeted for and it was legislated upon. so... this is the law of the land. tory mps voted for 2.1%. that's the document. you can ask gavin williamson about it, if you like, i'll give it to you, there. that's really interesting. that is the basis... you say 2.

jessica parker, thank you very much.ncourage action on climate change. earth hour began in sydney in 2007, and it's now observed in seven—thousand cities. gail maclellan reports. three, two, one... earth hour! lights go off all around the world. starting in asia, well—known landmarks going dark, all in the cause of climate change. for a very brief moment, energy consumption drops around the globe. translation: global warming is very serious now, _ and it affects all the people on earth, as we are all part of the earth. if doing such a simple thing can help the earth, i think it's great. this year, the world wildlife fund, organisers of the event, want to make the link between the destruction of the natural world, deforestation and the loss of animal habitats, and the increasing incidence of diseases which make the leap from animals to humans. the message is that we face more pandemics if nothing is done. one hour is not enough for us to remember that climate change is actually a problem. while an hour might be fleeting,

they simply want to privatise getting children back into school. 0ur political correspondent jessica parkery stage really of boris johnson's this is the first key stage really of borisjohnson�*s road map out of lockdown in england. of boris johnson's road map out of lockdown in england.— of boris johnson's road map out of lockdown in england. yes, the first ste - lockdown in england. yes, the first ste of lockdown in england. yes, the first step of the — lockdown in england. yes, the first step of the course _ lockdown in england. yes, the first step of the course of— lockdown in england. yes, the first step of the course of what - lockdown in england. yes, the first step of the course of what is - lockdown in england. yes, the firstj step of the course of what is hoped will be the last lockdown and if people feel like they have heard that before, of course, the difference this time is the vaccine roll—out which has widely been seen as a very successful roll—out of the vaccination programme. 0ver as a very successful roll—out of the vaccination programme. over the coming weeks, what to look

here's our political correspondent, jessica parker. up, a very public row about this week's i% pay offer, with claims an increase of 2.1% had been baked—in as part of a longer—term settlement. which is actually enshrined in an act of parliament, so we've got a really strong legal basis here to say that that the pay rise was there. obviously, that was all set out pre—pandemic, but actually the pandemic really only enhances the case for a pay rise for nhs staff. an nhs funding boost was enshrined in law, say the government, but not figures on pay. its proposal will now be looked at by an independent pay review body. last night again, the message — the pandemic has changed things. the challenge is that nation's finances are tight and whilst everybody else in the public sector is going to have a pay freeze, we are able to give a... to propose a pay rise for nurses. they also say over a million nhs staff are benefiting from existing deals, but is this new offer counter—productive? a former conservative health minister says yes. you begin to

with the any loss coming against roger federer in the 2019 final and in the women's tournament jessica parker look at her 3rd with over karina prisca in the months she didn't have all her own way they often take in the 1st set 61 figure then lost the 2nd to the number 5 seed but she won the decide at $64.00 to set up a last 16 tie with maria comrie. and that is useful for me barbara i'm a very busy night of world cup qualifying that i want to mention actually while we're there wins for it's a while now that's got to the thought you might be interested and i thought so for a bit thanks gemma and that is it for this news hour remember you can get the latest on everything that we have been covering on our website the address al-jazeera don't call or stay right here because i'm going to back in just a few minutes with more of the best news. when the news breaks 4 months ago cheney 9 years was president of bolivia and now she's under arrest when people who need to be moved 11000000 people infected hospitals in brazil are struggling to cope al-jazeera has teams on the ground the last time voters lo

jessica parker, bbc news. data shows a further 3,862 cases of covid—19 have been reported in the uk in the past 2a hours. — the lowest reported daily case numberfor six months. it takes the seven—day average to 5,355. you can see from the graph on your screen that although cases are on a downward trend, the fall has slowed. a further 19 deaths have been reported in the past 2a hours — the seven day average stands at 62. and again, from the graph you can see the steep decline in deaths — but unlike cases, deaths continue to fall steadily. a group of influential charities is calling on borisjohnson to start sharing the uk's coronavirus vaccine doses with poorer countries. save the children and the wellcome trust are among the organisations to warn that britain is in danger of "hoarding supplies" while health workers in the developing world go unvaccinated. alex harris is the associate director of government relations at the wellcome trust. we're not going to beat the virus unless we think and act globally. the u

our political correspondent, jessica parker said ministers were unlikely to change their pay offer despiteis recommendation they've put to the independent pay review body for a 1% rise. the rows that have broke out on thursday night and then yesterday, nhs providers which represents nhs trusts in england, they pointed to a long—term funding settlement enshrined in law which they say had assumed a higher increase this year ofjust over 2%. the government said, though, that while the longer term funding settlement was enshrined in law, specific pay increases weren't. but it's something that the labour shadow health secretary, john ashworth, was keen to raise this morning. this document is the nhs long—term spending plan. it promised a 2.1% increase for nhs staff. not only was it promised, it was budgeted for and it was legislated upon. this is the law of the land, tory mps voted for 2.1%. that's the document, you can ask gavin williamson about it if you like. so that's really interesting. you say 2.1%, the rcn says 12.5%. there is a big, big gap. the government budgeted 2.1%, they passed that

our political correspondent jessica parker is in westminster.d about the timing of the government bringing in the quarantine at hotels because this just misses that, but the prime minister has been fairly robust in defending that? we have heard some _ robust in defending that? we have heard some familiar— robust in defending that? we have heard some familiar arguments i robust in defending that? we have heard some familiar arguments to | robust in defending that? we have i heard some familiar arguments to be honest, today, despite this new information which is the labour party suggesting the government was too slow on borders and particularly bringing in this quarantine policy in mid—february, the same policy although slightly stricter brought in at scotland at the same time, borisjohnson insisting no, the regime is one of the toughest in the world and ministers moved as quickly as they could in terms of having hotel quarantined for people arriving from so—called red list countries which of course brazil is one of them. as you point out though,

our political correspondent jesccia parker is at westminster. manning jessica. over to you.t this bezel variant and it has led to accusations again from the labour party that the government was too slow to bring in hotel quarantine from this red list countries because these arrivals were preteen production of that hotel quarantine policy both in england and scotland. —— pre—the introduction of that hotel covered introduction of that hotel covered in tape of the summit policy. labour have also warned about the risk of indirect travel because of from banned from travel from places like brazil but people can come back via indirect flights and that is the argument over what has happened in the past and something else that is now being talked about is what should happen going forward. should the system be tightened up further in the chair of the home affairs select committee, the labour mp yvette cooper says the government should be reviewing situation. the two different approaches you can take to _ the two different approaches you can take to this, the new zealand approach which

let's speak now to our political correspondent, jessica parker.e. but there is a difference now because of the vaccine programme. you are right as well, a big test for schools as more children begin to return. there is pretty extensive testing in the resume, there are questions as to how effective that will be, the national education union raising their concerns that some of their teachers are struggling to get rental consent in terms of testing peoples and our calling for a bigger ministerial pushing the issue. it's worth remembering of course in scotland and wales we have seen the staggered return of some younger students, and also worth remembering tomorrow in england in terms of lifting the lockdown, there will be limited controlled care home visits and you will be able to visit a friend on a park bench. you will be able to socialise, notjust meat for exercise. able to socialise, not 'ust meat for exercise. . ., able to socialise, not 'ust meat for exercise. . ,, , ., able to socialise, not 'ust meat for exercise. . ,, . ,, the family of a wom

we'rejoined now from our london newsroom by our political correspondentjessica parker. jessicakey, thatis that's right, the data will be key, that is what they will be watching over coming days and weeks as people are handed these new freedoms, freedom they have not enjoyed a very long time and you say in the last few days, borisjohnson said there is nothing in the data and, of course, schools have returned, that gives him any reason to stop progressing with the roadmap as it stands but there has of course this week been a lot of pressure from some of his conservative mps who actually want the roadmap to go faster, they want freedoms to come soon enough. they point to the successful rollout of the vaccine. i have also raised concerns about the government's emergency powers which they say are too sweeping but on the other side of that you have people like stephen powis really urging caution ahead of this lifting of lockdown measures tomorrow, telling people not to squander those gains. what the government has said, in terms of this roadmap, is what they want is the progress to b

we'rejoined now from our london newsroom by our political correspondentjessica parker. jessicaus but they very much hope irreversible but there is still uncertainty hanging over various things, not least of all of course concerns about the potential third wave in parts of europe and this week we have seen the ongoing vaccines row with the eu. ., ~ , ., ten people have been arrested in bristol after the police took action to clear the third mass protest in the city in a week. around a thousand people had gathered to oppose law changes that would give officers more powers to restrict demonstrations. some people attending the protest claimed the police were heavy handed but superintendent mark runacres said his officers response was proportionate. i was at the briefing for yesterday's operation and points always covered around the need for proportionality and responses. officers are chain trained in tactics. we need to provide protection with helmets and shields and protective clothing but when they come under attack bottles being thrown, eggs being thrown, a bicycle pedal being t