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Why are London landmarks such as Harrods, the Shard and some of Canary Wharf being bought up with money from Qatar?
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The attacks came a day after the Taliban announced the start of a new offensive A suicide bomber said to be aged 12 has killed four people in east Afghanistan, one of several attacks a day after the Taliban announced a spring offensive.
A dozen people were injured as the suicide bomber struck a crowded market in Paktika province, killing a local official, a woman and two other men.
In Ghazni City, a gunman opened fire at a police checkpoint, killing two police officers and two civilians.
A bicycle bomb near the city’s police station wounded 13 civilians.
The suicide bomber involved in the attack in Paktika was a 12-year-old boy, said a statement from the governor’s office.
This is not yet the wave of attacks against high-profile targets that some expected, says the BBC’s Paul Wood in Kabul.
On Saturday the Taliban declared a new campaign to attack foreign troops, Afghan security forces and government officials.
International organisations, including the UN, have warned their staff not to go out unless it is absolutely necessary.
In Kandahar, in the south, and in other cities across the country, thousands of extra soldiers and police have been deployed.
A gradual withdrawal of foreign combat troops is set to begin in July as part of a handover to Afghan security forces.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The opposition promised further anti-government protests Police in Maldives have used tear gas and batons to disperse a mass anti-government protest in the capital Male.
Several thousand people gathered to demand President Mohamed Nasheed quit because of the worsening economy.
An opposition spokesman said more than 30 people had been injured in the early morning clashes in the normally peaceful tourist paradise.
Mr Nasheed took office in Maldives’ first multi-party election in 2008, ending 30 years of autocratic rule.
At least 10 people were arrested as protesters expressed their anger on Saturday night at soaring food prices and rising unemployment.
A police official said only those who had damaged public property were detained and that the situation had been brought under control.
But the opposition said more protests would take place on Sunday night.
The main opposition DRP, or the Maldivian People’s Party, says a recent currency devaluation has increased the price of essentials by more than 30% in recent weeks.
But the government says the price hike is linked to the recent increase in global food and oil prices.
The Maldives, which is made up of 1, 200 islands scattered in the Indian Ocean, is entirely dependent on imports, and tourism is one of its major sources of revenue.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Voters will decide on 5 May whether to change the system for electing their MPs The two sides in the battle over the Alternative Vote (AV) have mounted a fresh drive for support before Thursday’s referendum.
Senior Liberal Democrat Chris Huhne has called for an anti-Tory alliance to change the current voting system, which he says has favoured the Conservatives.
But David Cameron warned voters against AV, which he called “unfair and undemocratic”.
He also said AV “could come with additional costs”.
The referendum on 5 May will decide whether to switch from the current system known as first past the post to AV, where candidates are ranked in order of preference.
Both the Yes and No campaigns include people from different parties, but the debate has pitted the coalition government partners against one another.
In the Observer, the Lib Dem Energy Secretary Chris Huhne joins forces with Labour’s shadow Business Secretary John Denham in a call for a “progressive majority” to mobilise against the Conservatives.
The article is also signed by the leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas, the MP for Brighton Pavilion.
“Britain consistently votes as a centre-left country, and yet the Conservatives have dominated our politics for two-thirds of the time since 1900,” says the article.
“On only two occasions in that long century – 1900 and 1931 – have the Tories won a majority of the votes. No wonder David Cameron says the current system has ‘served us well’.”
The prime minister warns in the Sunday Telegraph that there is a “real danger of exchanging an electoral system that works for one we would come to regret profoundly”.
At the moment MPs are elected by the first-past-the-post system, where the candidate getting the most votes in a constituency is elected.
On 5 May all registered UK voters will be able to vote Yes or No on whether to change the way MPs are elected to the Alternative Vote system.
Under the Alternative Vote system, voters rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference.
Anyone getting more than 50% of first-preference votes is elected.
If no-one gets 50% of votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers’ second choices allocated to those remaining.
This process continues until one candidate has at least 50% of all votes in that round.
Q&A: alternative vote referendum AV referendum: Where parties stand
He calls AV “a confusing mess of preferences, probabilities and permutations”.
“AV could come with additional costs, from public information campaigns explaining the complexities of AV to the extra expense of counting votes at election time”, Mr Cameron also argues.
“At this time I think our money is better spent on public services than on our political system,” he adds.
BBC political correspondent Carole Walker says that with so much at stake “the final push for votes looks set to increase tensions within the coalition government”.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg voices support for AV in a Sunday newspaper interview.
“I kept my silence for weeks and weeks and weeks of ludicrous bilge being put out there… to dupe and scare the British people,” he tells the Observer.
Mr Clegg said he hoped voters would be able to “strip away the yah-boo” and see AV as a “relatively modest” change.
With the vote just days away, a new poll poll suggests increasing support for keeping the current system.
Research by BPIX for the Mail on Sunday concluded that 51% of those asked were opposed to the change, compared with 33% who supported it.
Asked if they would use the Alternative Vote if it were introduced, 55% said they would carry on voting for just one candidate.
BPIX interviewed 2,003 people online on April 27 and 28.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The four party leaders will feature in a televised debate on Monday night The four main party leaders in Wales are to go head-to-head in a debate on BBC Wales on Monday evening, only days before voters go to the polls.
Nick Bourne, Carwyn Jones, Ieuan Wyn Jones and Kirsty Williams will appear on the Leaders’ Debate programme, which is being recorded in Newport.
The debate will be shown on BBC One Wales at 22.20 BST.
In the final weekend of campaigning before the 5 May vote, parties continued to highlight key issues.
Welsh Conservative leader Nick Bourne on the campaign trail
The Welsh Conservatives promoted their plans for community empowerment.
Candidate for South Wales Central, Andrew RT Davies, said: “Welsh Conservatives would give more communities the opportunity to get involved – co-operate – and take control.”
Mr Davies was speaking on a visit to a pub, previously owned by the local community, in the Vale of Glamorgan.
“We want them to take over the running of local amenities like village halls, community centres, post offices and pubs.”
Ieuan Wyn Jones goes from Swansea to Wrexham on the campaign trail.
Plaid Cymru signalled the last few days of the campaign would be devoted to fighting for the future of Wales – on the issues of education and a stronger economy.
The party’s leader in Westminster Elfyn Llwyd MP insisted the party’s commitments, including increased spending on infrastructure and health, were fully funded.
“The initial spending on these promises is about £20.5m in the first year, rising a similar amount on each and every year in the next five years,” he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme.
Mark Hannaby has been finding out what makes Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams tick
“It’s easily affordable. It is not pie-in-the-sky by any stretch of the imagination.”
Liz Newton, Liberal Democrat candidate in Newport West, told BBC Radio Wales the “same issues” of Wales underpeforming in the economy were being returned to in this election.
“The Welsh Liberal Democrats have many innovative ideas,” she said.
“One of those is to expand private sector to help the private businesses to innovate and patent new ideas so we can get a new private sector economy for Wales and we would support those employers who have jobs to fill to skill-up those people who are young and unemployed to fill those spaces.”
Carwyn Jones on the campaign trail in Cardiff.
Labour said expanding the private sector should not be at the expense of the public sector.
Vaughan Gething, candidate in Cardiff South and Penarth told BBC Radio Wales: “One of our key pledges is the creating a Welsh jobs fund, which we think will create 4,000 training and job opportunties for young people each year.
“How we develop skills is crucial to our economic future.”
The Leaders’ Debate will be shown on BBC One Wales on Monday 2 May at 2220 BST.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Voters will elect the next Holyrood Parliament on Thursday Campaigning has continued ahead of the Holyrood election as leaders from the four main parties prepared to discuss the issues in a televised debate.
Alex Salmond, Annabel Goldie, Iain Gray and Tavish Scott are set to go head-to-head in front of a 1,000-strong audience at Perth Concert Hall later.
As the campaign entered its final week, the parties have focused on a range of issues, including law and order.
Voters in Scotland are due to go to the polls on Thursday 5 May.
The SNP unveiled plans to improve access to justice for those on low incomes.
The party said class actions and a new law on damages would be introduced by a re-elected SNP government.
They said they would bring in new rules to allow people who have similar complaints against the same party to go to court together in one single case.
Kenny MacAskill said the plans would bring an end to the situation where people who could not afford to take legal action were denied justice.
He added: “With class actions and a reform of damages law, a re-elected SNP government will ensure that all those who need access to the law and to legal redress have access to the law.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie said her party would ensure the 1,000 additional police officers, delivered during the last Parliament, would be protected.
She added that she had given Alex Salmond “a kick up his political posterior” during his time as first minister.
She said: “It was of course Scottish Conservative pressure and Scottish Conservative votes which forced the 1,000 extra police on our streets.
“Alex Salmond also knows that I and the Scottish Conservatives committed to keeping these 1,000 extra police nearly two weeks ago, at the Scottish Police Federation Conference in Inverness.
“I’ve proved in the past four years that I can keep Alex Salmond in check and judging by the fact he is trying to take credit for Scottish Conservative policies, he’ll need a kick to the political posterior in the next Parliament too.”
Scottish Labour’s election coordinator, John Park, said voters in Scotland faced a clear choice in the election.
He accused the SNP of being “obsessed” with independence and said the issue distracted the party from the issues that mattered.
He said: “With every day that goes by Labour is fighting back and momentum is returning to Labour as voters realise just how dangerous the SNP’s grand plan to rip Scotland out of the United Kingdom is.”
He added: “Regardless how much he tries to hide it, everybody knows a vote for Alex Salmond is a vote for separation and a vote for Labour is the only way to stop them.”
The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Tavish Scott, said the next Parliament would be a time for a Scotland “that looks outwards and upwards, and is not insular, throwing insults over Hadrian’s Wall”.
He added that his party continued to fight “a determined and positive campaign”.
He said: “Scotland needs long-term solutions, not short-term political fixes.
“A government for the whole country, not a minority party.”
The Scottish Socialist Party’s joint leader hit out at the four main parties, saying they were indulging in nothing more than “shadow boxing”.
The SSP is standing in all of Scotland’s regional lists.
Frances Curran said: “Behind the big party shadow boxing lies a simple choice that either the rich pay their share or the rest of us will with frozen pay, slashed services and sackings.
“Unlike the grey suits of the big four, the SSP tells it like it is without spin. Our message is simple – the rich must pay.”
The party leaders election debate, presented by Glenn Campbell, will be broadcast at 2225 BST on BBC One Scotland.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The forest fire broke out near Bala Fire crews have spent the night dealing with a large forest fire in Gwynedd.
Two crews were still in attendance on Sunday morning dampening down at Rhos y Gwaliau at Aberhirnant near Bala.
Crews were called in a 1420 BST on Saturday and eight fire appliances were working through the night.
The North Wales Police helicopter has been deployed to monitor the fire, while the fire service has sent relief crews with situation ongoing.
Meanwhile, South Wales Fire and Rescue dealt with seven grassland fires on Saturday, the worst of which broke out in Clydach Vale.
Three fire crews tackled the blaze on Saturday, with equipment including an eight-wheeled all-terrain vehicle.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Retired snooker commentator Ted Lowe dies aged 90 following a 10-week illness.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The scene of the murder at Rooney Park in Kilkeel Police investigating the murder of a man in Kilkeel, County Down, have charged a man with affray and assisting an offender.
The 28-year-old is due to appear at court in Newry on Monday.
Ukrainian born, Dmytro Grysunov, 29, was shot dead during a clash between two groups of foreign nationals at Rooney Park in Kilkeel last Saturday.
Two men have been arrested in Dublin in connection with the murder.
A man in his twenties was arrested on Wednesday after he made enquiries about applying for a passport at a Garda station in the city.
A second man was arrested in a follow-up search in north Dublin on Friday.
A 32-year-old woman appeared in court in Newry on Friday charged in connection with the murder.
She was charged with assisting an offender, perverting the course of justice and withholding information.
Three men aged 31, 36 and 26 have also been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
It is believed a dispute between the two groups started when a house was attacked at Haywood Way at 2100 BST on 23 April.
The trouble then moved to Rooney Park, where at least two shots were fired in the street.
The attackers fled the scene on foot.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Man City host West Ham after Arsenal beat Man Utd 1-0 at the Emirates to blow the title race wide open again, while Birmingham draw with Wolves and Liverpool defeat Newcastle.
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The royal wedding was watched by millions of people in 180 countries around the world. Check out how some of the big numbers stacked up for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
In the UK, initial viewing figures from industry body Barb suggest that more than 24 million people were tuned in to the BBC or ITV at the high point in the ceremony. The National Grid said its figures showed a huge surge in demand for power after the service – equivalent to one million kettles being boiled – when the royal couple returned to Buckingham Palace.
Over the course of the day power use rose and fell during key moments – with the biggest drop in demand when the couple made their balcony appearance and people stopped what they were doing and turned back to their televisions.
Out on the streets of London, the Metropolitan Police estimated one million people turned out to try to catch a glimpse of the wedding parade. There were 5,000 police officers keeping order and, 24 hours after the wedding, 55 arrests had been reported.
Westminster Council was in charge of clearing the streets of the procession and deployed 130 road sweepers – 100 more than usual. They moved an estimated 140 tonnes of rubbish – a spokesman for Westminster Council said horse manure was the “biggest issue”.
The bride’s dress was probably the best-kept secret of the day. The ivory lace and silk gown had a 2.7m train – considerably shorter than Princess Diana’s 8m train. Each lace motif was attached with a tiny stitch and workers had to wash their hands regularly to keep the lace and threads absolutely spotless.
Around the country there were thousands of street parties with people taking advantage of the extra bank holiday. There were 5,500 official applications for road closures – with people in Hertfordshire making the highest number of requests at 298.
Tesco said it had sold 120 miles of bunting, enough to wrap round Westminster Abbey 100 times. Its sales of champagne and sparkling wine were significantly up. While Marks and Spencer claimed sales of chicken drumsticks had doubled in a week to one million and sales of sausage rolls reached two million.
Celebrations at Buckingham Palace continued all day. The formal lunch reception was attended by 650 guests, who consumed 10,000 canapes, prepared by a team of 21 chefs.
Later, 300 close friends and family were invited to an evening do where guests were offered a choice of two wedding cakes. The traditional fruit cake was made up of 17 individual cakes, eight tiers high and it was decorated with some 900 sugar-paste flowers. A less traditional chocolate biscuit cake, requested by Prince William, contained 1,700 Rich Tea biscuits and 17 kilos of chocolate.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Lara Box has just graduated in Social Work at Birmingham University There is a national shortage of social workers with 10% of posts unfilled and both recruitment and retention causing problems.
Yet university applications for social work courses have never been more numerous. At Birmingham University competition is high, with 15 applicants for every place.
Lara Box joined a three-year BA course straight from school. “When I was choosing my A-levels, I couldn’t decide between catering or health and social care.
“But now I’m on the course I love it and can’t imagine doing anything else.” Lara is hoping to work with adults with mental health problems.
Social work has been under immense scrutiny in recent years with a plethora of government-backed reviews into where the profession is going wrong.
Child protection failures such as the deaths of Baby Peter Connolly and Victoria Climbie have led experts to question whether the right people are entering the profession and how they could be better trained.
James Burn had both a prior degree and relevant experience of work in housing and adoption when he joined the Masters course in social work at Birmingham University.
“The degree has been really interesting,” he says. “The reasons why I decided to do this were about protecting children, but in the interim I’ve really come to think about the parents of those children and how they find themselves in those positions.
“No-one ever wakes up and thinks: ‘You know what, it will be a great laugh to have my kids removed and be a crap parent’.”
Despite their training, many students still leave university feeling unprepared for the realities of the job.
After graduating last year, James Burn got a job in the children’s services department of Birmingham City Council. He has found it tough learning how to ask awkward questions of hostile families.
“The consequences of getting it wrong are just immense”
James Burn Social worker
“Looking around the house is the most intrusive bit – obvious things like kick marks, punch marks in the door,” says James.
“Sometimes if families know you’re coming, they’ll put a towel over the door to hide the marks. So you have to lift the towel back or feel a child’s bedding to see if it’s urine sodden. Or go and stare down someone’s toilet. But the consequences of getting it wrong are just immense.”
Lara Box also graduated last year and signed up with a social work agency to gain experience of different roles. She’s currently working in Solihull in the West Midlands, assessing the needs of vulnerable elderly people.
“I really wanted to be the most amazing social worker,” she says, “which I now know is unrealistic and I can only be the best that I can be. But I’m 110% ecstatic that I’ve done the social work course.”
Few remain as positive as Laura under the strain of heavy case loads, endless paperwork and the constant fear of getting it wrong.
David Ashford graduated in social work last year: “I left school at 16 and had had no formal education for 30 years when I started this,” he said.
A father in his early fifties, David was one of the oldest students on his course. He did not find it easy and many times questioned whether he would “see it through to the end”.
Like many students, David’s first real taste of social work came when he was sent out on placement with a social work team.
The settings can be anything from a school or hospital, to a child protection team, drug addiction service or homeless shelter.
It’s a chance to gain real hands-on experience, and David Ashford got more than most, immediately finding himself in difficult circumstances.
“At university you are taught to reflect deeply… most of my reflection is done through sleepless nights.”
David Ashford Social Work
“On two separate occasions I’ve removed children from their parents. And the second time I did it I hadn’t met the family before the day I removed the children. So you’re actually on a placement but it becomes very real, very quickly.”
He has now got a job at Sandwell Council in the West Midlands, working with those same children who get taken into care, dealing with problems at school, with their foster parents or any other complex issues they may have.
He is finding it a big responsibility and five months in, he is already considering giving up.
“At university you are taught to reflect deeply. All the time you are supposed to be referring to evidence-based practice and the literature but the reality is there is no time for that and most of my reflection is done through sleepless nights.
“If something went wrong with a case and I knew I’d cut corners to achieve what needed to be achieved, I’d have a real problem with that. I am finding it a frightening experience.”
I know it’s the right career for me and I love being able to do things for people. Although it might not always be as much as I could do, I know it’s enough to make a slight difference.”
Lara, though, continues to find the work rewarding. She has had a real insight into the difficult role of families looking after relatives with dementia, or struggling to cope at home after a discharge from hospital.
She finds it satisfying to know she might have made their lives easier.
“I love being able to do things for people. Although it might not always be as much as I could do, I know its enough to make a slight difference.”
Who’d be a Social Worker? is on Radio 4 on Mondays at 1630BST from 2 May or afterwards at the above link.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Christian Fraser describes the scene of the air strike in which Saif al-Arab Gaddafi is said to have died
A Nato air strike in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, has killed the son of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, a government spokesman has said.
Colonel Gaddafi himself was in the large residential villa which was hit by the strike, the spokesman added, but was unharmed.
His son Saif al-Arab was said to be killed, as well as three grandsons.
Journalists say the building was extensively damaged and one unexploded bomb remains at the site.
Saif al-Arab, who had a lower profile than his brother Saif al-Islam, had been studying in Germany and returned to Libya recently.
Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said the villa in which he was killed was attacked “with full power.”
“The attack resulted in the martyrdom of brother Saif al-Arab Muammar Gaddafi, 29 years old, and three of the leader’s grandchildren,” he said.
“The leader with his wife was there in the house with other friends and relatives, the leader himself is in good health, he wasn’t harmed.” Col Gaddafi’s wife was also unharmed, he said.
“This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country,” the spokesman added.
Earlier this evening we heard three enormous explosions to the west of the city. Normally we are taken to the bomb sites within an hour, but tonight there were a lot of concerned faces around the hotel, a lot of whispering and secrecy.
Two hours later we were eventually brought to the villa, which was surrounded by reinforced concrete, cameras, and military positions. This is clearly an exclusive neighbourhood. Inside, total destruction.
There were signs there had been a family gathering. There were no bodies in the house, they had been removed, and we are reliant on the government’s account of what happened.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone could have escaped unscathed, though according to the government spokesman the Libyan leader and his wife were present and are safe and well. But there’s no independent evidence they were there.
Libyan rebels began a campaign in mid-February to end more than four decades of rule by Col Gaddafi.
Since last month they have been aided by an international coalition acting on a UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians.
Mr Ibrahim said the attack late on Saturday was against international law.
“We ask the world to look into this carefully because what we have now is the law of the jungle,” he said.
“How is this helping in the protection of civilians? Mr Saif al-Arab was a civilian, a student… He was playing and talking to his father and mother and his nieces and nephews and other visitors when he was attacked and killed for no crime he committed.”
He accused the international coalition conducting air strikes over Libya of not wanting peace.
“We have again and again declared that we are ready for negotiation, ready for road maps for peace, ready for political transitional periods, ready for elections, ready for a referendum.
“Nato does not care to test our promises. The West does not care to test our statements. They only care to rob us of our freedom, our wealth, which is oil, and our right to decide out future as Libyans.”
Gunfire rang out in celebration in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi following the news that Saif al-Arab Gaddafi had been killed.
The strike that Libya said had killed Saif al-Arab Gaddafi came less than a day after a speech by his father was broadcast on state TV, in which Col Gaddafi called for a ceasefire and negotiations.
Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim: “Direct operation to assassinate the leader”
During his speech the Libyan government reported a Nato air attack on a complex that includes the state TV building, which it said was also designed to kill Col Gaddafi.
Several air strikes against Col Gaddafi’s sprawling Bab al-Aziziya compound have been reported recently.
In response to the Libyan leader’s comments, Nato officials said the alliance would not consider talks until government forces stopped attacks on civilians.
The vice-chairman of the Transitional National Council also rejected the offer of negotiations, saying the Libyan leader had “offered ceasefires only to continue violating basic human rights, international humanitarian law, and the safety and security of Libya and the entire region”.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
More than half a million Polish nationals moved to the UK between 2004 and 2009 Immigrants from eastern Europe have added almost £5bn to Britain’s economy since 2004, according to a new report.
The National Institute for Economic and Social Research says 700,000 people moved to the UK after their former communist homelands joined the EU.
It believes they drove up British GDP by 0.38% in the years to 2009, the equivalent of £4.91bn.
The report says countries which imposed restrictions on eastern workers saw growth reduced because of this.
Only the UK, Ireland and Sweden allowed free access from the start to workers from the eight 2004 accession countries, which included Poland, Latvia and Hungary.
The last EU members to keep restrictions — Germany and Austria — lift them on Sunday.
Between 2004 and 2009, an estimated 1.5 million people from eastern Europe came to the UK. It is thought 700,000 of them stayed, with half a million from Poland alone.
During the same period Britain’s GDP grew by £98bn, or 7.7%, and the NIESR study says that a 5% share of the £98bn can be put down to the migrants.
The NIESR says the UK probably benefited from the restrictions imposed by other member states. It says Germany will suffer a “permanent scar” on its level of output, with its GDP reduced by between 0.1 and 0.5%.
One of the report’s authors, Dawn Holland, says that the final lifting of restrictions by all EU countries will make little difference to the situation.
“Lifting barriers in Germany may divert some Polish and other workers away from the UK”, she says, “especially given the relative strength of the German economy”.
“But as the existence of support networks for new migrants is one of the most important factors, much of the shift in migrants since 2004 is likely to prove permanent.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
An aerial view of Rome on Saturday showed pilgrims gathering in the Circus Maximus arena Tens of thousands of pilgrims are in Rome to attend ceremony to mark the beatification of the late Pope, John Paul II.
Among those addressing crowds in Circus Maximus park on Saturday was a French nun, Marie Simon-Pierre, who says she was cured of Parkinson’s Disease.
Her apparently miraculous cure is part of the case for the beatification, the last stage before sainthood.
Among those in Rome for the event is Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.
A Roman Catholic, he was given special permission by the EU to fly to Italy despite being the subject of a travel ban.
The presidents of Poland and Mexico are also among some 90 heads of state and other dignitaries due to attend the beatification.
The event is expected to draw at least half a million people, including large numbers of pilgrims from the late pope’s native Poland.
St Peter’s Square has been transformed for the occasion with a giant video screen showing Pope John Paul II’s life story and a massive photograph hung from the white colonnades, the BBC’s Duncan Kennedy reports.
The late pontiff’s coffin has already been exhumed from the crypt below St Peter’s Basilica to be placed in front of the altar.
After the Mass, it will be moved to a different part of the basilica.
Some have questioned the Church’s speed in beatifying the late pope, just six years after his death, our correspondent says.
But such concerns are not likely to surface during what the Vatican hopes will be a special service for a pope who led Catholics through 26 momentous years, he adds.
Beatification, or declaring a person to be “blessed”, is the necessary prelude to full sainthood.
Sister Marie addressed the vigil For this to happen, the Vatican must declare the person to have performed a miracle.
In John Paul II’s case, Sister Marie, 49, said she and her fellow nuns had prayed for the intercession of the pope after his death to cure her from Parkinson’s Disease.
Her sudden cure had no logical medical explanation and she later resumed her work as a maternity nurse, the Vatican says.
Appearing at Saturday’s vigil, she told the crowd: “I was cured on the night between June 2 and June 3, 2005.
“I woke up at four in the morning and felt that something had changed in me.”
If the late pope is declared to have performed another miracle he will be eligible for canonisation as a saint.
The vigil had the feel of a youth festival, correspondents say, with groups of young people dancing and singing. Many carried backpacks and sleeping bags in preparation for a night to be spent outdoors.
“It’s true that nowadays most of the young don’t care about religion, but John Paul showed us love, and love is all we need,” said Matea Sarlija, a 21-year-old Croat, who had spent 10 hours on a bus to arrive in Rome for the vigil.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.