prime minister netanyahu says discussions will take place in egypt and qatar in the coming days. a crane is deployed to help clear debris at the site of a baltimore bridge that was struck by a ship and collapsed. as us journalist evan gershkovich marks a year of russian imprisonment, we examine his case and the challenges of reporting there. hello, i'm caitriona perry. we begin the program in the middle east, where the israeli defence minister says that israel will pursue hezbollah wherever the iran—backed militant group operates. yoav gallant issued the warning hours after airstrikes on hezbollah in both syria and lebanon. the israeli military said they killed the deputy commander of hezbollah�*s missiles unit. meanwhile israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu,

has agreed to send officials to egypt and qatar in the coming days for a new round of talks on a possible ceasefire in gaza. injerusalem, there is an uneasy calm as palestinians mark easter and ramadan. our international editor jeremy bowen reports. injerusalem, where tension and worse are normal, there is always the consolation of religion. this ramadan, many of those ending a day of prayer at the aqsa mosque were palestinian israelis, around a fifth of israel's population. israel, citing security, restricts access to jerusalem for palestinians from the occupied west bank. just down the road, palestinian christians were deep in their celebration of easter, walking to the old city from the garden of gethsemane, where they believejesus prayed on the night before he was crucified. but in this city, sacred for christians, jews and muslims, religion and politics always mix. all the palestinian people

are suffering today. they are suffering from occupation, they are suffering from apartheid, they are suffering from genocide. and today, what we are praying is to stop this disastrous situation here in the land of peace and the land of palestine. and we pray that as jesus went to the golgotha, to the calvary, walking with the cross, but after that there was the resurrection, so we are praying to have our own resurrection today, and the resurrection of our land. religion and conflict pervade jerusalem, and six months of war in gaza have deepened every division. this is the essence ofjerusalem — religion, faith and the passion it can generate. but in this city, religion has been linked inextricably with power and with identity for centuries for millennia —

and in more recent times, with the long conflict between palestinians and israelis. since october, reinforced and highly visible israeli security has imposed an uneasy quiet on the occupied eastern side ofjerusalem. the good friday procession along via dolorosa, where christians believe jesus carried his cross, was smaller than usual without foreign pilgrims, who cancelled their trips because of the war. the people ofjerusalem of all faiths are locked in a crisis as bad as any since israel's independence war in 1948. religion offers certainty and answers. but in this holy city, prayers and peace plans have not put a dent in this immutable conflict. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. a short while ago i spoke to aaron david miller, senior fellow at the carnegie endowment for international peace, focusing on us foreign policy, for the latest on the diplomatic efforts in israel.

prime minister benjamin netanyahu is saying that he is going to send a new delegation to more ceasefire talks. what is your reading of that? is there a real chance of a deal here, or is this just to satisfy international and us pressure? i satisfy international and us pressure?— pressure? i think it's impossible _ pressure? ithink it's impossible to - pressure? ithink it's impossible to say. i pressure? i think it's - impossible to say. given my experience in negotiations, these are not normal negotiations. the key decision maker on the palestinian side is ensconced 15, 20 or 30 metres below ground in a tunnel between khan younis and rafah. there are indirect negotiations between qataris, the egyptians and the israelis, and until now there has been an absence of urgency. that is the key. negotiations work when there is something that the parties want to agree on and they are in a hurry to agree on it. here you have two speeds, slow and slower. the reality is this is

the only pathway out. there is no other way to de—escalate the situation in gaza, and surge humanitarian assistance, buying six weeks of calm and relieve the miserable and appalling situation for palestinians in gaza, and of course, free at least 45 hostages. impossible to say whether or not this round is going to work where the others haven't. but as i mentioned, it's the only way out of this strategic cul—de—sac in which israelis and palestinians find themselves.- and palestinians find themselves. ~ , themselves. prime minister netanyahu. _ themselves. prime minister netanyahu, though, - themselves. prime minister netanyahu, though, has - neta nyahu, though, has reiterated netanyahu, though, has reiterated time and again that he will not cease his offensive until hamas is eradicated and until hamas is eradicated and until the israeli hostages have been brought home, despite what the us has been saying. does the us has been saying. does the us has been saying. does the us still have any influence with the prime minister, do you think? i with the prime minister, do you think? ~' with the prime minister, do you think? ~ , �* think? i think president biden does. think? i think president biden does- the _ think? i think president biden does. the question _ think? i think president biden does. the question is - think? i think president biden does. the question is how- think? i think president biden does. the question is how to | does. the question is how to convey it, how to use it. i

mean, the key issue now, assuming you can get a deal, will be six weeks of quiet. in the end, the israelis well, i am convinced they are determined to operate in rafah. the question is whether or not their campaign strategy can be ulcerated and ameliorated to some degree to somehow ensure the security and well being of over a million palestinians. and if you had three months to essentially move palestinians into safe areas where they had portable water, shelter, sanitation and access to medical care, i could imagine reconciling those two things. but the israelis are persuaded, i'm sure, that pressure on rafah is the only thing that will increase pressure on hamas perhaps to do another hostage exchange. so the next six weeks — and i don't think the israelis are on the cusp of an operation, we are talking

probably late april, early may, for some sort of ground campaign. again, the question is the israelis are sending a delegation next week. i don't know if they have confirmed that officially — to discuss their plans for rafah, and i'm sure the administration will be pressing hard in order to figure out a way to reconcile that military strategy with the large number of palestinians in the area. if large number of palestinians in the area. . ~ ., the area. if we talk then about the area. if we talk then about the israeli _ the area. if we talk then about the israeli attacks _ the area. if we talk then about the israeli attacks on - the area. if we talk then about the israeli attacks on syria - the israeli attacks on syria and lebanon on in the early hours of friday morning, there has been much talk for the last almost six months since this conflict began of trying to avoid regional spread, particularly from the us perspective. has that point passed? is that all looking unrealistic at this point? had ou told unrealistic at this point? had you told me _ unrealistic at this point? had you told me on _ unrealistic at this point? had you told me on the _ unrealistic at this point? herc you told me on the seventh of october that we'd be nearing the sixth month of daily conflict between israel and has polar, i would have said by now

the escalatory threshold would have been violated and we would have been violated and we would have returned to a major confrontation between israel and hezbollah. but extraordinarily, even though the israelis are striking now deep into lebanon on and in syria, hezbollah appears not to want to see this conflict devolve into a major escalation where they are forced to use thousands of their repository of high trajectory weapons of varying ranges and lethality. i think iran, forany varying ranges and lethality. i think iran, for any number of reasons, is not interested in a major confrontation which could easily evolve into american and/or israeli strikes on iranian territory and iran's response with ballistic missile attacks. we could end up with something the middle east has never seen, which is an actual regional confrontation. i still think there is a way to avoid this, but the longer the

israeli— palestinian conflict goes on in gaza without a ceasefire, the greater the chances that this escalatory threshold at some point will be violated by one or more of the parties. and you could see a major confrontation that goes well beyond the one we saw in december of 2006. fik. well beyond the one we saw in december of 2006.— december of 2006. 0k. erin david miller, _ december of 2006. 0k. erin david miller, senior - december of 2006. 0k. erin david miller, senior fellow i december of 2006. 0k. erin| david miller, senior fellow at david miller, seniorfellow at the carnegie endowment for international peace, thanks for joining us with those thoughts. i appreciate it.— presidentjoe biden announced he will visit the site of the baltimore, maryland, bridge collapse next week. the largest crane on the eastern seaboard arrived at the port on friday to help clear debris. it's unclear exactly when that work will begin, and the economic impact of the tragedy looms large. those involved in the operation must figure out how to cut debris from the bridge into pieces so it can be lifted by the crane. they must also ensure none of the hazardous material held in shipping containers on the dali spills into the river. the us federal government is to allocate $60 million for emergency work.

that's part of the government's quick—release emergency relief funds to help restore essential transportation. with operations suspended at the port of baltimore, one of the largest in the country, it is losing up to an estimated $15 million a day. a new bridge is expected to cost at least $40 million and would likely take several years to rebuild. maryland governor wes moore shared an update on the response. our team went out with the coast guard just a few hours ago, including the coast guard commandant, to survey the damage — to see the wreckage up close. to see a freight that is nearly the size of the eiffel tower, and to see that same freight with the key bridge resting on top of it.

to see shipping containers that were ripped in half as if they were papier—mache. to know that out there, you have to navigate high winds and electric wires. to go out there and to see up close, you realisejust how daunting a task this is. you realise how difficult the work is ahead of us. with a salvage operation this complex and, frankly, with a salvage operation this unprecedented, you need to plan for every single moment, and every time you take action to move a piece of wreckage, you understand that that requires you to reassess the situation. the leader of northern ireland's democratic unionist party, sirjeffrey donaldson, was charged with rape and other historical sexual offences on friday and has resigned as party leader. sirjeffrey was arrested on friday along with a 57—year—old woman who was also charged with aiding and abetting the alleged offences. both will appear in court next month. sirjeffrey said he will be strenuously contesting the charges. sirjeffrey is northern ireland's longest—serving mp at westminster and has been leader of the dup since 2021.

0ur political editor chris mason has this report. sirjeffrey donaldson, one of the biggest figures in northern ireland politics of his generation. the linchpin of a vital breakthrough just two months ago which led to the return of devolved government at stormont. this agreement is something we have worked hard to deliver for the people of northern ireland. in late january, the pride of a breakthrough — sirjeffrey commanding the stage, his power and influence obvious. but at 6:00am yesterday morning, he was arrested. by lunchtime today, a statement from his party...

the man on the left here, gavin robinson, is the new interim leader. he was told what had happened in the middle of the night. i think it's been a devastating revelation and has caused tremendous shock, notjust for myself personally or my colleagues within the dup, but for the community right across northern ireland. it came as a great shock. this is a nightmare for the dup. it's a big test for the new power—sharing government, isn't it? well, i think the power—sharing government has not only has been recognised positively in the last couple of weeks since its restoration. i think you can see and hear over the last few days and weeks the importance the people of northern ireland place upon it — the importance that we place upon it. that doesn't change. jeffrey donaldson became dup leader three years ago. # happy and glorious... the national anthem, the union flag — sirjeffrey donaldson has spent his adult life campaigning for northern

ireland's place in the uk. # god save the king.# here he was in the 1980s. and now what do you do in return? you throw me out of the forum to which i was elected! and here he was in the 1990s. i've got the framework document here. he opposed the good friday peace agreement, signed 26 years ago. sirjeffrey donaldson — a pivotalfigure in northern ireland's recent past, and now another pivotal moment with the capacity to mould its future too. friday marks one year since wall streetjournal reporter evan gershkovich was detained in russia on spying allegations. he is the first american journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in russia since the end of the cold war. gershkovich, thejournal and the us government all reject the allegations. in a statement, us president joe biden pledged to "continue working every day to denounce

and impose costs for russia's appalling attempts to use americans as bargaining chips", and in protest at his ongoing detention, the wall street journal published a blank front page on friday with the headline "his story should be here". the bbc�*s will vernon reported in moscow with gershkovich and remains in contact with him. earlier will told me how concerned he is about evan's welfare. he's in lefortovo prison. this is a notorious facility in moscow for people who have been arrested by the security service, so spies and other national security inmates. of course, we're all incredibly worried about evan. conditions in russian prisons are not good. he shouldn't be there because he's done nothing wrong, and he's been classed as wrongfully detained by the state department,

which means that there are now more resources trying to get him out. but one year on, there doesn't seem to be an awful lot of movement. of course, everyone is hoping that there'll be some sort of deal with the russians, some sort of prisoner exchange. but the moment, i mean, it's a pretty worrying situation. 0n the anniversary of gershkovich's detention, secretary of state antony blinken condemned russia's crackdown on the media, saying: "n the year since evan's wrongful detention, russia's already restrictive media landscape has become more oppressive, with a continued assault against independent voices targeting any form of dissent". in some parts of the world, the press is facing an increasingly dangerous environment. according to the advocacy group reporters without borders, a surge in government crackdowns on the press has left over 520 journalists imprisoned globally. earlier i spoke to carlos martinez de la serna, program director at the committee to protect journalists, a nonprofit that promotes global press freedom.

great to have you on bbc news. today we're marking the one—year anniversary of the detention of evan gershkovich. what do you think of his situation? do you expect to see him released any time soon? it's very difficult to make an estimation on what's going to be the situation for evan. as you know, evan has been the first american journalist facing espionage charges since the end of the cold war, at a time when nearly every person in russia has gone even farther than in the previous years under putin. so he's clearly a major example of how far putin's routines regime is willing to go to silence the press, to intimidate the press, and even

as a pawn in his strategy. he is a journalist, was doing journalism, and that's the only reason why he's facing all this punishment by putin's regime. it's very difficult to get an estimation on what might happen next. he is not the onlyjournalist to have been arrested for that — for doing hisjob, being a journalist. have you seen an increase in the number ofjournalists globally who are being arrested by governments? in the last year, we always do a senses ofjournalist around the world. we always see ragged numbers with countries like russia, belarus, myanmar. butjust one single journalist in prison in one country sends a very

strong message to the rest of the journalist community. right now it's extremely tough for journalists around the world to do journalism, as governments are resorting to all types of strategies, including being behind bars, to silence them, so it's a very tough time for them. being arrested or detained or censorship losses one thing butjournalist being killed. how dangerous is it to be a journalist in 202a? it's extremely dangerous. there is threats of organised crime which is widespread around the world, a combination of both, the organised crime, merry times penetrate this institution of the state, it is very difficult to investigate these cases which is essential to end the cycle of impunity. it's also very extreme forjournalists to report on war, as we see in gaza, which is becoming the deadliest conflict forjournalist in the last 30 years, at least based on the data.

so it's extremely an dangerous moment in time forjournalists. let's turn to some important news around the world: poland's conservative president, andrzej duda, has vetoed a bill that would have made emergency contraceptive pills available without a prescription to anyone over the age of 15. mr duda vetoed the bill over concerns the pill would be available to children. poland is one ofjust two eu countries that still requires a prescription for the medication. pope francis presided over the traditional good friday service in st peter's basilica in vatican city. but the 87—year—old pontiff is skipping the traditional way of the cross ceremony and procession at rome's colosseum to protect his health ahead of other easter weekend engagements, the vatican said. the most somber day in the christian calendar, good friday marks the day christians believejesus died by crucifixion. and finally, beyonce's country—music—inspired album has dropped, and it's making waves, with critics and fans alike praising her ability to straddle the country—pop music genre. take a listen. #jolene, jolene,

jolene, jolene... cowboy carter puts a new spin on country, while also throwing back to the genre's black roots. and it's got wide range, from rock, folk and funk inspired hits to, as you just heard, a rendition of dolly pa rton�*s classic jolene. and the queen of country music herself has praised the rendition in a social media post, saying: beyonce is now the first black woman to top billboard's country music chart last month, with her hit texas hold �*em. her album has sparked conversation about black represenation in country music, a genre where many black artists still face discrimination. american singer—songwriter tanner adell, who appears on the album, says the release is a special moment for artists like her. when speaking to bbc radio,

she said: for more on this pop culture moment i spoke to brooklyn white—grier, who interviewed beyonce and her mom for essence in february. thanks so much for being with us, brooklyn. as i say, you've interviewed beyonce and her mum. how meaningful a project or portfolio is this album for beyonce? i will say, in interview, she mentioned intention in legacy and although she talking about her line. those seem to be themes that are causing through her work, especially in the last couple of years, but if you look at her entire catalogue of the different projects that she's touched, this seems to be very important. so this fits right in.

of course, it's a huge moment because it is her way into country, but it follows a theme that is close to her heart. it's brave in a way, particularly the covers that she takes on. we heard a bit aboutjolene, that dolly parton classic, beloved all over the world, heard in karaoke bars day in and day out. has beyonce reinvented that for the better? absolutely. she added her signature sass to it, as she tends to do. i think it's fabulous and it's got the stamp of approval from dolly parton. she also covers the beatles blackbird about the american civil rights movement. and given that beyonce, as you say, is the first black woman to top the country music charts, is this a movement in music history? paul mccartney wrote that song

to black women and she has a number of black women appearing on this southern with herfrom brittany spencer, and a lot more. as well as the kennedy, so it is a historic moment for black women in country to band together and just speak to what it's like to be a black woman in country music. and have that shared experience. and so it's nice that they have a platform, and such a huge platform, to talk about it. this is an empowering an inspirational thing for beyonce to do? absolutely, yes. i think her topping the country charts is something obviously has never been done before and someone that i love beyonce spoke about, as a black woman, not feeling welcomed previously in the country music scene, has she answered her critics with this album? she always answers her critics. in some straightforward ways, with certain x but also with the general excellence and experimentation that she does so well on all of our project so, i think she shut down. cowboy carter is part two of a three—part physical

project album. where does she go from here? it could be anything, i know some fans are hoping that it's rock, i've seen some people hope that its gospel. but it's beyonce. even with this, she says that this is not a country album, this is a beyonce album. so whatever she does touch next will continue the legacy, continue the project while also being very much so her own. aside from legacy and empowerment, is the album any good? yes, fabulous. i listened to it at 11:00pm at night all the way through, sat in the same position listening to it. a lot of surprises, beautiful covers, again, just that spunk and that rhythm that she just does so well, so, yes, great album. good endorsement there. hello there. the easter weekend will settle down a little —

perhaps music to your ears, in comparison to the last few days. yes, there is going to be more sunshine around and fewer showers, and as a result it will be a little warmer, but there's more rain to come for some of us by easter monday. more on that in just a moment. for the moment, though, the low pressure is drifting its way westwards. the isobars are opening out. so saturday will be a quieter, less windy day for all of us. maybe a little more cloud across east anglia and that kent coast, and a few isolated showers out to the west — most frequent showers perhaps to northern ireland and scotland — but even so, few and far between in comparison to recent days. 11—15 degrees, with a little more sunshine coming through. that should feel quite pleasant. now, with those clear skies by day continuing through the night, though, temperatures are likely to fall away for some — the exception down to the south—west, where we could continue to see some showers pushing up through the channel isles and across cornwall. but low single figures. a touch of frost is likely

through scotland and north—east england, and even some patchy fog. it's worth bearing in mind, as well, that we are springing into british summer time on sunday. yes, we all lose an hour. the clocks go forward and the daytimes get a little longer. so sunday morning, then, the fog will lift quite readily away. a lot of dry, settled weather for most of us on sunday. that rain down towards the south—west could still be a bit of a nuisance here, and temperatures generally between 10 and 14 degrees once again. now, as we move out of sunday into monday is when we start to see the potential for another spell of wet weather, as the low drifts its way eastwards once again and brings some rain for england and wales. not looking too bad — the best of the sunshine, perhaps through northern ireland and western scotland. more cloud coming in off the north sea, and the rain will be quite showery from time to time across england and wales. but as a result of the change of wind direction, here a little cooler on those

exposed east coasts. 9 or 10 degrees, perhaps highest values of 12 celsius. and then, as we move out of monday into tuesday, low pressure is set to dominate the weather story. you can see the next system waiting in the wings, and so, as we go through the week ahead, we'll see some showers or longer spells of rain from time to time.

voice-over: this is bbc news. we will have the headlines

for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. japan is reeling from the biggest child sex abuse scandal in its history. last year, we revealed howjohnny kitagawa, the godfather ofj—pop, had spent a lifetime sexually abusing some of the young boys in his talent agency, boys that dreamed of becoming pop stars. loud cheering since then, almost 1,000 men, ranging in age from 20 to 70, have come forward as survivors of kitagawa's abuse. in the aftermath of the scandal, the ceo resigned and the company, johnny & associates, was dissolved. japan's age of consent has gone from 13 to 16 and the prime minister is under pressure to strengthen sexual abuse laws.