pope francis has presided over palm sunday mass at the vatican just a day after leaving hospital in rome. the 86 year old was admitted with breathing difficulties, and later diagnosed with bronchitis. the pontiff s admission to hospital came ahead of the busiest week in the christian calendar. thousands of people gathered in st peter s square waving palm and olive branches as pope francis was driven into the huge esplanade, sitting in the back of a white, open topped vehicle. he then celebrated mass his initial blessing was made standing up, but he spent the rest of the service sitting down. in his homily, he called on people not to ignore those experiencing great suffering and solitude. the service ended with a procession in st peter s square. and the pontiff left waving to crowds of worshippers from his popemobile. our correspondentjenny hill sent us this update. the palm sunday mass hasjust the palm sunday mass has just ended and the atmosphere in this square is one of
againstjudicial reforms despite the government s decision to pause the legislation. authorities in the united states have been assessing the damage caused by severe storms and tornadoes. at least 26 people are now known to have died as the storms ripped through the south and the midwest leaving a trail devastation. hardest hit were tennessee, arkansas and indiana. in illinois, one person was killed when a theatre roof collapsed in chicago. our reporter shelley phelps has more. two tornadoes left a trail of destruction in arkansas. this was the small town of wynne where at least four people were killed. homes and businesses lie flattened. the local high school torn apart, devastated teachers and students came to see the extent of the damage for themselves. yeah, i taught here for 25 years. this is my classroom and when i walked out yesterday i didn t realise that would be the last time i would be teaching in this classroom. it s just. god protected this town, and he
pope francis presides over palm sunday mass at the vatican, just a day after leaving hospital in rome for treatment for bronchitis. we start with the breaking news that russia says a leading pro kremlin military blogger has been killed in a blast in a cafe in st petersburg. police say 16 others have been injured in the incident. the city is the second largest in russia after the capital, moscow. vladlen tatarsky was one of a handful of reporters writing blogs on the telegram platform from the front line and was a vocal supporters of russia s war in ukraine. it is not clear at this time who s responsible for the blast. as you d expect, details of the explosion are still coming in and of course as we get more on this, we ll bring it to you. to the united states now, though. authorities there have been assessing the damage caused by severe storms and tornadoes. at least 26 people are now known to have died as the storms ripped through the south and the midwest, leaving a trail o
of big ben, where the countdown was projected within the london eye in the lead up to midnight. a spectacular firework display lit up the skies for around 12 minutes in what was thought to be the largest display in europe, with over 12,000 fireworks. there were tributes to the late queen elizabeth, to ukraine s resistance against russian invasion, and 50 years of pride celebrations. the display returned to the banks of the river thames for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. 0ur correspondent greg mckenzie has been soaking up the atmosphere amongst the many thousands of revellers. i am absolutely speechless. that was a 12 minute spectacular. the biggest firework display in the entire europe having taken place just a few minutes ago, and in an incredible way to start the new year. big ben, the chimes the bongs of the big ben started as did the fireworks over here at the london eye iconic around the world. a 12 minute spectacular extravaganza. i am actually
summit frank sinatra there, and lots of kissing as well. people ringing in the new year in style in new york. some great hats as well. several thousand people there in times square. last year the pandemic restrictions meant a limited crowd. like many cities, coming back, the revellers, on new year s eve in new york. lots of happy people that. times square is in new york city and the figure of about 20,000 people expected so they all seem to be having a great time there. live music and performers as well. celebrations to mark the start of 2023 are being held around the world. crowds thronged the streets of capitals from warsaw and stockholm in the east, to brussels, paris, madrid and london, where the countdown was projected within the london eye as midnight approached. a huge firework display lit up the skies for around 12 minutes in what was thought to be the largest display in europe with over 12,000 fireworks. there were tributes to the late queen elizabeth, to ukraine