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 believe jesus 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 disaster situation here in the land of peace and the land of palestine. and we pray that, asjesus went to the golgotha, to the calvary, walking with a 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 pervadejerusalem, 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 believejesus 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. us media are reporting that in recent days, the us authorised the transfer of billions of dollars�* worth of bombs and fighterjets to israel. it comes as the biden administration publicly expressed concern about the scale of israel's military operation in gaza. when contacted by the bbc, the us state department said they could not confirm the reports. i spoke about efforts to increase aid flow into gaza with maryland senator chris van hollen. he's calling on israel to make it easier for civilians there to receive assistance. the washington post is reporting that the biden administration in recent days quietly authorised billions of dollars of military aid to israel. that is despite concerns about the humanitarian situation in gaza, which you've been very vocal about, of course, and despite concerns about a possible ground invasion in rafah, which appears imminent. what do you make of that? sumi, it's good to be with you. i think it's a mistake for the biden administration to be shipping more military assistance to the netanyahu government for use in gaza before getting the kind of assurances that president biden has been asking for. no major military operation in rafah, and to lift many of the barriers to getting more humanitarian assistance into gaza to help people who are literally starving to death. so i've said that if this is a partnership, it needs to be a two—way street, and the netanyahu government needs to essentially agree to some of these very reasonable requests the biden administration has put forward before we issue a blank check for more weapons. and senator, you've said you think the biden administration should be using some of those levers of influence with the netanyahu government to change the situation on the ground in gaza. why do you think that's not working? well, it's not clear to me by the biden administration thinks that talk alone will achieve their goals, because it hasn't, it hasn't for months. we've seen this pattern of president biden jawboning prime minister netanyahu time and time again with very little to show for it. so when you've got a situation where the netanyahu government continues to thumb its nose at the united states, it does seem to be quite feckless to be sending more weapons for use in gaza. you know, we should match our deeds to our words if we want to have an effective strategy. i should say, senator, you actually visited the region injanuary, you were on the egyptian side of one of the major crossings, and for that reason you've also been talking about the need to open more ground crossings into gaza. but the white house has now confirmed that the netanyahu government has planned that a delegation will come to washington to talk about an operation in rafa h. and i want to ask you about what the israelis have said here, because they say they have to defeat the significant hamas battalion in rafah to prevent further terrorist attacks. what is your response to that? well, i support the goal of making sure hamas does not control or govern gaza. we need to make sure that we achieve that goal — but as cia director bill burns and many others have said, the way to make sure that hamas is no longer part of the future, when it comes to an agreement between palestinians and israel, is to provide some light at the end of the tunnel that would both ensure israel's security and provide dignity and self—determination to the palestinian people. and prime minister netanyahu has repeatedly said he will oppose a two—state solution. so look, the biden administration, president biden himself said it would be a red line for israel to launch an invasion into rafah because of the huge humanitarian costs, already desperate, would get even worse. so that's why i think the biden administration needs to make better use of its leverage. back here in the us — 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 they can be lifted by the crane. they must also ensure none of the hazardous material held in shipping containers atop 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 coastguard just a few hours ago, including the coastguard 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, and to go up there and see up close, you realise how daunting a task this is. you realise how difficult the work is ahead of us. with a salvage operation this close, 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 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. our 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 6am 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. it's been a devastating revelation and has caused a tremendous shock — not just 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 and a big test for the new power—sharing government, isn't it? 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 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. to the race for the white house now — political donations can make or break a presidential campaign. and fundraising for the 2024 race is in full swing — with the two contenders, donald trump and joe biden, making a major push for donations. a new york fundraiser for presidentjoe biden raised $26 million towards his re—election on thursday — that's according to his campaign. mr biden got a boost from former presidents bill clinton and barack obama, whojoined him at radio city music hall, in new york city. meanwhile, the presumptive republican nominee — donald trump — has reportedly invited wealthy donors to a fundraiser in palm beach next week. organisers say the event has already raised $33 million. but the former president is scrambling to raise cash, as he's racked up millions in legal bills over multiple criminal and civil trials. mr trump did get a small reprieve monday, when an appeals court allowed him to post a reduced bond of $175 million to appeal his new york civilfraud judgment. and mr trump's social media network, truth social, went public on tuesday. its stock soared in the first few days of trading. he is currently barred from selling his holdings for at least six months, making it difficult for him to profit immediately. he does claim that he has enough assets to post the bond that's due on thursday. still, mr trump lags behind mr biden in the race to raise money for his campaign. mr biden and the democratic party ended february with $97.5 million on hand — that's more than double the amount raised by mr trump and the republican national committee. they had nearly $45 million dollars, according to campaign finance reports. to discuss the importance of fundraising in the election campaign, i spoke to axios political reporter erin doherty. can you tell us why these cash flows are so important? having a robust cash — flows are so important? having a robust cash on _ flows are so important? having a robust cash on hand - flows are so important? having a robust cash on hand total - flows are so important? having a robust cash on hand total it i a robust cash on hand total it sends a message to voters that you are able to run at an aggressive and robust campaign — which at this point is shaping up to be one of the longest general election campaigns in recent history. so these candidates, former president trump and president biden, are staring down many months of intense campaigning, so they need to have strong campaign coffers to be able to sustain their fundraising and outreach to voters. so sustain their fundraising and outreach to voters.- sustain their fundraising and outreach to voters. so how much of a boost _ outreach to voters. so how much of a boost you — outreach to voters. so how much of a boost you think _ outreach to voters. so how much of a boost you think it _ outreach to voters. so how much of a boost you think it is - outreach to voters. so how much of a boost you think it is for - of a boost you think it is for president biden at the state? because he does have this big funding advantage so far. 50 funding advantage so far. so we've funding advantage so far. sr we've seen the biden campaign has used their strong campaign cash to put advertisements out across the country targeting specific important voter demographics, which will be proving key in november. and we've also seen their opening field offices across the country — which again, that's a very direct way to connect with voters who will be key in these battleground states in november.— battleground states in november. �* , �* november. and president biden had a bit of _ november. and president biden had a bit of a — november. and president biden had a bit of a structural- had a bit of a structural advantage as the incumbent, because of course donald trump is now the presumptive republican nominee, but he did face primaries.— face primaries. exactly, so he's coming _ face primaries. exactly, so he's coming off— face primaries. exactly, so he's coming off a - face primaries. exactly, so he's coming off a 2023, i he's coming off a 2023, although he's cruised to victory in the primaries, he still had to spend money to ensure that he won. that's also on top of his legal issues that he is facing — he's kind of bleeding through cass to be able to fight his four criminal indictments —— through cash, and their polka national committee and a 2023 with pretty low campaign totals, ending with some of their lowest cash on hand amounts in almost a decade— that's in comparison to the dnc and biden campaign that has really strong campaign that has really strong campaign finances. so donald trump has ground to make up and campaignfinancing, and he really needs to get a boost as he continues to also fight all these legal troubles in addition to running his campaign. {iii addition to running his campaign-— addition to running his camaiun. u, , addition to running his camaiun. , , campaign. of course, the trump cam aiun campaign. of course, the trump campaign is _ campaign. of course, the trump campaign is very _ campaign. of course, the trump campaign is very confident - campaign. of course, the trump campaign is very confident they| campaign is very confident they can make up this funding gap so far, and we are seeing reporting more and more that wealthy republican donors are starting to coalesce around donald trump. do you think that will help him catch up? i think if he starts — will help him catch up? i think if he starts to get _ will help him catch up? i think if he starts to get some - will help him catch up? i think if he starts to get some of - will help him catch up? i think if he starts to get some of the republican donors, it sends a message to the potentially sceptical republican voters that he is the person they should vote for in november. at the same time, a key metric for voter enthusiasm is something we can look at in campaign finance data, donations over $200 —— under $200. while that might not make a difference in terms of millions of dollars, it does paint a picture of grassroots enthusiasm. so we will see going forward how much of both biden and trump are able to make with their grassroots donations. and able to make with their grassroots donations. and one more question _ grassroots donations. and one more question about - grassroots donations. and one more question about truth - more question about truth social, donald trump's social network that went public this week — the shares and stock have been soaring, could that provide some much—needed funding at least on the road? because we know he can't cash out right away. because we know he can't cash out right away-— out right away. right, he won't be able to _ out right away. right, he won't be able to catch _ out right away. right, he won't be able to catch that _ out right away. right, he won't be able to catch that out - out right away. right, he won't be able to catch that out and i be able to catch that out and use that for his immediate legal battles, but it does continue this narrative of the obvious he has made his personal wealth and assets a strong part of his political profile. so i guess, whereas he may not be able to use that money directly to fight his legal battles, it does add to his narrative that he's built, that he is a very wealthy and self—made politician, however through his business endeavours.- through his business endeavours. ., . endeavours. thank you so much for breaking _ endeavours. thank you so much for breaking that _ endeavours. thank you so much for breaking that down - endeavours. thank you so much for breaking that down for - endeavours. thank you so much for breaking that down for us i for breaking that down for us today. for breaking that down for us toda . . ~ for breaking that down for us toda . ., ,, i. for breaking that down for us toda. ., ,, i. for breaking that down for us toda. ., ,, . friday marks one year since wall streetjournal reporter evan gershkovich was detained in russia on spying allegations. he's 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 my colleague caitriona perry how concerned he is about evan. he's in the fort of a 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 are all incredibly worried about evan, the conditions and 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 there'll be some sort of deal with the russians, some sort of prisoner exchange. but the moment, it's a pretty worrying situation. 0ppenheimer was one of last summer's biggest blockbuster movies, sweeping the awards season. up until now, people injapan have not been able to see the film. it opened in cinemas there on friday. the film tells the story of the scientist, j robert 0ppenheimer. he created the atomic bomb, which was later used againstjapan during world war ii, killing more than 200,000 people. it was seen as too controversial and sensitive a topic for the people of japan. 0ur tokyo correspondent shaimaa khalil reports from hiroshima. explosion this was the bomb, nevertheless, that foreshortened the war and prevented the further killing of hundreds of thousands. the first atomic bomb exploded almost directly above this building here in hiroshima. the city was flattened and the stone stands as a reminder of the devastation and carnage. oppenheimer may be this year's most celebrated film, but for the people here, the story cuts much deeper. you are the man who gave them the power to destroy themselves. and the world is not prepared. the biopic, based on the life, work and moral dilemma of the enigmatic scientist, is finally being shown injapan nearly a year after its initial release. but some criticized the film for not portraying the terror his invention unleashed on the city and its people. i was almost like offended in some scenes. like they are talking about hiroshima again and again, but in the meeting room, not thinking about people. translation: we were often | educated from the perspective of the japanese victims, but in this film they say the use of atomic bombs saves lives. when i heard this, i felt as if i had learned something new from the american point of view and from the world's point of view. translation: what struck me was the sense of excitement i among people celebrating - the experiment and the dropping of the atomic bomb. i felt disgusted. toshiyuki maki was three when hiroshima was hit. he still remembers seeing a bright light in the sky, ash flying around, and the bodies in the streets days after the bombing. translation: so | wishj they'd shown the burned ruins of hiroshima. the museum here has displays of other children's heads were burned and their clothes were burnt. i wanted people in the us in particular to be able to see this. he continues to speak out against nuclear weapons. he says it's important for people here to watch the film like he did and keep the conversation going. translation: my biggest worry right now is that the us, - russia, or china might test a nuclear device without us knowing. i think there are smaller and better performing nuclear weapons and there could be the next oppenheimer in the shadows now. hiroshima's peace memorial stands as a symbol of resilience, sounding the alarm from a city that knows first—hand the terrors of nuclear warfare. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, hiroshima. hiroshima survivor toshiyuki mimaki ending that report from shaimaa khalil. 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 require a prescription for the medication. uk members of parliament have warned that fire and the withholding of food are being used as weapons of war in sudan. analysis shared with the bbc shows over a hundred villages burnt since the conflict began last year. there is also evidence that the two warring parties — the sudanese army and rsf paramilitary group — are restricting the flow of humanitarian aid. pope francis presided over the traditional good friday service in saint 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 sombre day in the christian calendar, good friday marks the day christians believejesus died by crucifixion. louis gossettjr, the first black man to win an oscar for best supporting actor, has died aged 87. he made his broadway debut as a teen, and went on to gain critical acclaim across a six—decade career, appearing in the tv series roots and the movie an officer and a gentleman — winning the academy award in 1982. mr gossett�*s family confirmed his passing to the bbc�*s us partner cbs. no cause of death was given. and finally — beyonce's country—music—inspired album has dropped, and it's making waves among critics and fans alike. take a listen. #16 # i6 carriages driving away # i6 carriages driving away # while i watch them right away with my dreams... "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 a more classic cover of dolly parton's "jolene". thank you so much for watching bbc news, stay with us. hello there. the easter weekend will settle down a little — perhaps music to your ears, in comparison to the last few days. yes, there will 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. ii—is celsius, 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 summertime on sunday. yes, we all lose an hour, but 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 southwest could still be a bit of a nuisance here, and temperatures generally between 10—14 celsius 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 bring 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 coast — 9—10 celsius, 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. this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. hello and welcome to las vegas, sin city, home to big casinos, big hotels and big entertainment. and everyjanuary, it's also home to big tech because this is where ces happens, the consumer electronics show. now, it takes place across the city in hotels like this and also in the massive las vegas convention center.