Plus: Rome prepares for Pope's funeral ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. US envoy Steve Witkoff has held talks with Russia's President Vladmir Putin in Moscow, hours after a car bomb killed a Russian general in the city. In Rome, the BBC's Laura Gozzi reports a sombre mood on the streets before Pope Francis's funeral. And a valuable Andy Warhol print has been mistakenly trashed by a Dutch town hall during a spot of spring cleaning. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Kremlin blames Ukraine for car bomb that killed Russian general |
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|  | The aftermath of the blast in which Gen Moskalik was killed. Credit: Getty | Russia has blamed Ukraine for the death of a general in a Moscow car bomb attack, hours before a US envoy held talks with President Putin. Gen Yaroslav Moskalik died when a Volkswagen Golf exploded in the eastern suburb of Balashikha. He was the 10th Russian general killed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv has not commented. The Kremlin meanwhile said that talks between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin raised the possibility of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv to end the war. And President Volodymyr Zelensky has again insisted Crimea belongs to Ukraine, after US President Donald Trump said the region would "stay with Russia". |
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| Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty over CEO murder | The 26-year-old will face trial over the death of Brian Thompson, a healthcare chief executive shot in Manhattan. | Get the latest > |
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| UN agency runs out of food aid in Gaza | The UN's World Food Programme said all of its stocks had been depleted in Gaza, amid a seven-week blockade by Israel. | Read more > |
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| US judge held for allegedly obstructing ICE agents | Hannah Dugan, of Wisconsin, was taken into custody accused of aiding a Mexican man escape her court to avoid arrest. | Full story > |
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| 'Something different in the air' as hushed Rome bids farewell to Pope |  | Nuns pray in St Peter's Square as thousands of faithful line up to pay homage to Pope Francis. Credit: Getty | Hundreds of thousands of Catholics have travelled to Rome as the city prepares for the funeral of Pope Francis. The mood in St Peter's Square is fittingly sombre, and security is tight. Many pilgrims spoken to by the BBC say they want to mark the life of a man who never lost sight of his background, and remained "close to the people". |
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| | | The seat at the Vatican had been vacant for two days when a group of grey-clad nuns stood on St Peter's Square and started to sing Ave Maria. Every so often they shuffled forward, following the queue for Pope Francis's lying in state. It was a fitting sight. There is mourning, but also recognition that the Pope, who lived to 88, died peacefully.
Elena, a Romanian in her 50s, said she had noticed a "pensive" atmosphere. "There are big crowds but I have felt everything was a bit quieter, there is something different in the air" she said. Her friend Lina said this week was neither one of "tragedy nor celebration... it's a chance for people to think, to reflect, and I think that's much needed." |
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| | - What happens now: A visual guide and full details of Pope Francis's funeral.
| - In attendance: The famous faces that will be in Rome for the Pope's funeral.
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PICK OF THE WEEK | Who will win the race to develop a humanoid robot? |
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|  | A G1 robot shakes the hand of a child at a trade fair in China. Credit: Getty | It's a bright spring morning in Hanover, Germany, and passers-by are meeting G1, a humanoid robot built in China. They shake its hand, laugh as it waves, apologise if they bump it. There's something about its human form that sets people at ease. So how long before it does our dishes? |
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