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The seat at the Vatican had been vacant for two days when a group of grey-clad nuns stood on St Peter's Square and started to sing.

Softly at first then louder, as if to encourage those who joined in timidly, the nuns broke into Ave Maria.

Every so often they shuffled a few inches forward, following the queue for Pope Francis's lying in state. And all the while they sang, their faces turned to St Peter's Basilica to their left, their white veils glistening under their large sun hats.

It was a fitting sight for an extraordinary week in which Rome seemed to regain its reputation as the "capital of the world" – and St Peter's Square as the centre of the Catholic universe.

There is mourning, but also recognition that the Pope, who lived to 88, died quickly and peacefully. "At least he didn't suffer," many say. Yet this isn't the time for celebration either – that will have to wait until after the funeral, when the conclave will spark the usual frenzy of excitement, intrigue and inevitable speculation.

Before then, in Rome these in-between days have taken on a flavour of their own.

Elena, a Romanian woman in her 50s, said she had noticed a "pensive" atmosphere in the city. "There are big crowds around but I have felt everything was a bit quieter, there is something different in the air," she told the BBC, guessing that the Pope's death was encouraging people to "look inside" more.

She added that everyone she spoke to this week – even non-believers – had been marked by his death somehow.

Her friend Lina agreed. She was standing behind the counter of her tobacconist shop in Borgo Pio, a quiet cobblestoned street lined with buildings in earthy tones and flower boxes near the Vatican. "It's neither a week of tragedy nor one of celebration," she said. "It's a chance for people to think, to reflect, and I think that's much needed."

Nearby, people slowly ambled down Via della Conciliazione – the pedestrian street that connects Italy and the Vatican city state, and the same one the Pope's coffin will travel down on Saturday as he reaches his final place of rest in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The 4th Century church is only located around 4km away from St Peter's, but the journey there is set to take around two hours as the car carrying the Pope's coffin will move at walking pace to allow people lining the streets to see it and say their goodbyes, the Vatican said earlier this week.

Two plain-clothed police officers acknowledged that the neighbourhood was much busier than usual, but that it "felt like a Saturday," and that people had been very relaxed.

Security operation in full swing

Still, the signs of the huge security operation mounted by the Vatican and Italian authorities were everywhere.

On Wednesday, a soldier stood outside a religious goods shop brandishing a hefty bazooka-like anti-drone device. Asked whether the contraption could, for instance, disrupt drone frequencies and force them to return to their bases, he replied mysteriously: "Maybe, among other things."

Next to him, a fellow soldier scanned the sky with binoculars. On the day of the funeral, they will be joined by thousands of security personnel from various branches of the police and armed forces, as well as river patrol units, bomb-sniffing dogs and rooftop snipers.

American student Caislyn, who was sat on a bench sketching the dome of St Peter's, said she was "shocked" at how safe she felt despite the number of people around.

The 21-year-old attributed that to the fact that "people are here to pay their respects to Francis, and to enjoy this beautiful city." She called the atmosphere "bittersweet," but said she saw the funeral as a "celebration of life".

"He gave such a great example to the world," she reminisced.

As Caislyn recalled Francis' commitment to the poorest of society, many others referenced his last-known trip outside the Vatican on Maundy Thursday, when he visited prisoners at the Regina Coeli jail, as he had done many times before.

'He never forgot where he was from'

"He was close to the people," Elena said fondly, adding that she understood why he "couldn't stay away" from helping those worst off.

"I work as a volunteer for homeless people and every time I try to stop, something pulls me back. Why? Because I lived like them for three months, because I come from poverty too. It's not hard for me to feel close to them," she said.

"And I think it was the same for Francis," she said, mentioning comments by Francis's sister Maria Elena who told Italian media last month that she and her siblings had grown up in poverty in Argentina.

Elena added: "He never forgot where he was from. Even when he got to the highest role, he never let it change him."

For Belgian tourist Dirk, whose wife was queuing to see the Pope lying in state in the basilica, the sombre atmosphere since the Pope's death is something that "draws people in, it's something they want to be a part of".

"It might just be temporary, it'll probably be over by Monday," he laughed.

• IN PICTURES: Symbolism on show as Pope lies in open coffin
• PROFILE: Acting head of the Vatican Cardinal Kevin Farrell
• EXPLAINER: A visual guide to Pope Francis's funeral
• WATCH: How previous Popes were laid to rest
• Are you in Rome for the Pope's funeral? Get in touch.

Dryly, he remarked on the number of homeless – and often disabled – people around the Vatican. "I saw a woman who was walking almost bent over, and people in clergy clothes completely ignored her, in fact they looked in the other direction so they wouldn't have to be confronted with it," he said.

"So it remains shocking, the wealth of these churches around us and the poverty of the people sleeping on their doorsteps." He shook his head. "The contrast is jarring to me."

Katleho – an upbeat young woman from Lesotho – told the BBC that she felt "special, happy" when she received Pope Francis's Easter blessing on the day before he died, when he appeared on St Peter's balcony. "I thought: I'm a real Catholic now!," she laughed.

She said she felt "so privileged to be joining a multitude of people" who were paying their respects to Pope Francis this week. "It's a real shared experience, it's so wonderful," she said, skipping off to catch up with the rest of her group.

For three days this week, tens of thousands of people streamed into St Peter's to bid their last farewell to the Argentinian Pope who – as he put it when he was elected – had come "from the end of the world".

Father Ramez Twal, from Jerusalem, was the last in line in the queue to see Pope Francis's body.

"It's amazing that we as a group from the Holy Land get to say the last goodbye for our late Pope Francis," he said.

"For us, it's a really emotional moment to say thank you to him for being with us during this terrible time in the Holy Land.

"He means a lot to me, because he gave us a spiritual way of thinking, he had a love he gave for all, and he taught us to respect each other. We will miss him."

As they entered the basilica after hours of queuing, visitors and pilgrims proceeded towards Francis's body, lying in a casket by the high altar built over the tomb of St Peter, the Catholic Church's first pope. Some brandished selfie sticks, others clutched their rosaries or their children's hands. All were very quiet.

Outside, under the warm April sunshine, groups of joyous African pilgrims in flashy head wraps ate gelato by the Bernini fountain, seagulls circling overhead.

Retired Californian couples fanned themselves under the square's colonnades, and journalists from around the world shouted questions in shaky Italian at any cardinal who looked like they may have a vote in the upcoming conclave.

Holding his phone out to show a caller back home his surroundings, a Brazilian priest spun on himself, laughing.

A football and rugby stadium may host regular live music events over several days if the clubs are successful in securing planning permission.

Melksham Town Football Club and Melksham Rugby Club hope to host music events at Oakfield Stadium lasting between one and four days, with a build and break phase before and after each event.

The clubs want permission to erect temporary structures including stages, bars and marquees, with the hope of hosting the Wiltshire Throwback Festival as its first live music event on 20 and 21 June.

It is anticipated the festival will attract up to 3,000 people per day, with the line-up including Boney M's Liz Mitchell, So Solid Crew, and Tinchy Stryder.

A hospice is facing a deficit of more than £1m this year.

St Oswald's Hospice chief executive Steph Edusei said escalating costs, including a rise in employers' national insurance contributions, had left the charity with a "very big" financial shortfall.

She told Newcastle City Council's health scrutiny committee that the Gosforth-based organisation had reserves it could fall back on, but could not sustain this position "year on year".

She also said inflation rate hikes, keeping pace with NHS pay rises and national minimum wage increases had also pushed up St Oswald's bills.

The hospice has been providing short breaks and end-of-life care for babies and children in Northumberland, Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham since 2003.

It opened as a result of a fundraising campaign, the Jigsaw Appeal, which began in 1999.

Ms Edusei also criticised the abolition of NHS England, saying the shifting sands within the nation's healthcare system was a "nightmare", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She said: "We are okay because we have some reserves, but we are only okay for a few years.

"We cannot maintain that kind of position year on year."

Committee chair Wendy Taylor called it "utterly ridiculous" that NHS funding did not fully cover hospices' costs.

The Liberal Democrat said it was "crazy situation" at a time when health chiefs were trying to stop unnecessary trips to A&E.

The government announced in March that it would be abolishing the "arms-length" body NHS England and was taking management into the Department of Health and Social Care.

Ms Edusei called the decision an "absolute nightmare" and said that repeated reorganisations had already caused disruption to attempts to improve services and plan for the future.

St Oswald's was awarded £252,524 as part of a £25m release of government funding in February for hospice upgrades and refurbishment.

Care minister Stephen Kinnock called it the "largest investment in a generation to help transform hospice facilities across England".

An army veteran has said a cookery session put on to teach life skills have given men "their life and independence back".

Those living in Imjin House in Gloucester, a facility for homeless veterans, are learning critical life skills in a joint partnership with two other charities in the city.

Roy Smith, a veteran and Imjin House resident, worked in logistics when he was in the army but had previously worked as a chef.

He said the session helps the men "in a lot of ways – more than people realise".

Wiggly, a Gloucester-based charity that provides inclusive cookery tuition has partnered with Alabare, a charity that helps people overcome the barriers of homelessness and mental health to put on the sessions.

Veterans get the chance to prepare healthy breakfast options using tinned items commonly found in their pantries.

Mr Smith said: "The cooking today – its important because there's some people who don't know how to cook.

"They get some of their life back, they get some of their independence back."

Mr Smith said many of the veterans had "struggled" to get a hot meal in the past.

"Without stuff like this people would be sat in their rooms doing nothing or not interacting with people," he added.

"It's really important for the guys because sometimes they don't have the interaction and they're out of their comfort zone."

Harvard University has agreed to hand over a set of historic photos believed to be among the earliest depicting enslaved people in the United States.

The agreement ends a long legal battle between the institution and Tamara Lanier, an author from Connecticut who argues she is a descendant of two people shown in the photos.

The images, taken in 1850, will be transferred to the International African American Museum in South Carolina, where the people shown in the photos were enslaved.

Harvard said it had always hoped the photos would be given to another museum. Ms Lanier said she was "ecstatic" with the result.

The images are daguerreotypes, a very early form of modern-day photographs and were taken 15 years before the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution abolished slavery.

The photos were rediscovered in storage at Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in 1976.

The 15 images feature people identified by the Peabody Museum as Alfred, Delia, Drana, Fassena, Jack, Jem, and Renty. According to Ms Lanier, the settlement would mean the transfer of all the images not just the ones about Renty and Delia.

The photos were commissioned by Harvard professor and zoologist Louis Agassiz as part of discredited research to prove the superiority of white people. He espoused polygenism, a now debunked belief that human races evolved separately.

The case formed part of public debate around how America's universities should respond to their historic links to slavery. In 2016, Harvard Law School agreed to change a shield that was based on the crest of an 18th Century slaveholder.

Harvard did not comment on the details of the settlement but a university spokesperson said it "has long been eager to place the Zealy Daguerreotypes with another museum or other public institution to put them in the appropriate context and increase access to them for all Americans."

The spokesperson added that Ms Lanier's "claim to ownership of the daguerreotypes created a complex situation, especially because Harvard has not been able to confirm that Ms Lanier is related to the individuals in the daguerreotypes."

Ms Lanier sued Harvard in 2019, arguing the images were taken without consent and accusing the university of profiting from them through large licensing fees.

In 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld an earlier ruling that dismissed Ms Lanier's claim to ownership. She was, however, allowed to claim damages for emotional distress. It ruled Harvard had "complicity" in the "horrific actions" surrounding the creation of the images.

"Harvard's present obligations cannot be divorced from its past abuses," it added.

Ms Lanier told the BBC, she was "ecstatic" about the settlement. "I have always known first of all that I could never care for the daguerreotypes at the level they would require," she said.

"There are so many ties that bind Renty and Delia and the other enslaved people to that particular part of South Carolina that to repatriate them there would be like a homecoming ceremony."

The South Carolina museum helped Ms Lanier with her genealogy claims but was not involved in the legal battle. Its president said they intend to hold and display the images "in context with truth and empathy."

"These are not gentle images and the story behind how they came to be is even more difficult to hear," Tonya Matthews told the BBC.

"So to be in a space that has already created room for conversations about the inhumanity of slavery and enslavement and how far those implications echo even to today is what we do and it's our mission."

A breast cancer survivor who found staying active helped her recovery has launched an inclusive running group for others with long-term illnesses.

Michelle Hewitt, 45, co-founded Worlingham RoadRunnerz, near Beccles, Suffolk, in April 2020 before her own cancer diagnosis last year.

She revealed being active and outdoors was important for her cancer journey, so she then set up the Together We Run squad within the club for others going through similar battles.

Ms Hewitt said it had been "amazing" to see the friendships forming between group members and it showed "anyone can run".

"What really helped me get through my diagnosis was being active," she explained.

"Running when I could, walking when I couldn't run. Being outside, with the group just really helped.

"This group has got an aim for anyone who is going through diagnosis, cancer or long term illness to help them get out and feel the benefits.

"I love seeing the friendships and the community that is made."

'Quash the stigma'

Ms Hewitt underwent surgery for her breast cancer before getting the all-clear, and added that the mental benefits of being active were "so important to me".

The Together We Run group forms part of the club's Slow Sunday sessions with group members enjoying both running and walking intervals.

"We have a lady going through treatment, another with a tumour and another with a hip problem," Ms Hewitt added.

"I want to quash the stigma. Anyone can run."

Rachel Pavet, 44, and Susan Oglesby, 74, are members of the Together We Run group and have long term illnesses.

Ms Pavet recently rejoined the group, having previously been a half marathon runner

"It's very easy to sit at home and mope about your situation but coming here makes things instantly better," she said.

Ms Oglesby spoke of the importance of the group to her.

"When you have a life changing diagnosis, it can consume you," she said.

"In this group, it doesn't matter who you are, or how little you can do.

"It's being out in a group, talking with people on the same journey."

Sophie Riseborough coaches the Slow Sunday group after joining two years ago as a beginner.

"It shows people that don't think they can run, that they can," she explained.

"For people like me, being a bit bigger, you can injure yourself by going too quick.

"This way, you meet people, make friends and start to enjoy running."

Ms Riseborough said Ms Hewitt had inspired the whole club.

"Even if we don't feel like running – when you see her out, given everything she's been through, nothing can hold us back if she's doing it while fighting cancer."

Controversial plans to install miles of overhead electricity pylons across the countryside have taken a step forward.

Government energy regulator Ofgem has confirmed initial funding for the project, which could see 114 miles (183km) of pylons built from near Norwich to Tilbury, Essex.

Planning permission has not yet been granted for the National Grid scheme, which would carry electricity produced by offshore wind farms, but the network owner has said the decision is a "significant milestone".

Rosie Pearson, of the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group, said: "To allow National Grid to spend more money before the project even has planning approval – it's infuriating."

Ofgem has approved National Grid's request for Early Construction Funding (ECF) for the project.

It said its decision would not affect any future planning decisions by separate authorities and its role was to find out if such schemes could give customers value for money.

National Grid can now spend 2.93% of the total project allowance, with another 17.07% ECF still available to apply for.

It has been previously reported the pylon project will cost £793m.

Ofgem said the advance would be spent on engineering design work as well as designing and building works for the two new Norwich-Tilbury bays.

National Grid is due to submit an application to the Planning Inspectorate later this year and, if approved, construction would start in 2027 ahead of being fully operational by 2031.

The firm has said it will benefit the environment by providing cleaner electricity and was a "vital infrastructure project".

"The funding will enable us to procure essential equipment, driving investment across the supply chain, helping to deliver benefit to consumers sooner," said a spokeswoman for National Grid.

"The views of local communities are incredibly valuable to us, and we listen to their feedback and shape our plans in response."

The latest statutory consultation is currently being run in Thurrock, relating to proposed changes to the substation location at the southern end of the route.

The scheme is part of The Great Grid Upgrade, which National Grid – an investor-owned firm – described as "the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations".

In March, it was announced households within 500m (1,640ft) of new or upgraded pylons would get energy bill discounts of up to £2,500 over 10 years.

However, Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons has called for alternatives to be considered, including the laying of cables underground.

Ms Pearson said it had asked Ofgem for three years to "properly" review the plans and was concerned about the funding approval as it believed the scheme was not a good solution.

"We know [Ofgem] had 650 responses to their consultation… raising concerns about spending money in advance of the project having planning permission," she said.

"You should not be advancing money on a project that has not got approval – that is hugely risky."

She added the group had now sent a legal letter to Ofgem asking it to "better scrutinise" the proposals.

Ofgem said the scheme was one of 26 it was looking at to potentially improve the national energy system and allow more renewable energy to be used.

It said this was part of its work towards the government's commitment to achieve clean energy by 2030 and reduce the UK's reliance on "volatile" international gas markets.

Thousands of people are expected to head to East Yorkshire next month to take part in what is claimed to be the largest music event in the UK dedicated to Northern Soul.

Bridlington Spa will host three days of music between 27 and 29 June with more than 50 DJs from across the country set to perform.

The event, now in its 18th year, has raised £90,000 for the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in South Yorkshire since it began.

Rob Wigley from the organising team said: "It's hard to nail down what makes it so special but you can see people turn up, walk into the Spa and just stare because they are gobsmacked."

Northern Soul began as a British club movement in the 1970s, taking off in places like Wigan and Blackpool and bringing young people together to dance to obscure mid-60s Motown-inspired sounds.

Mr Wigley joked that he and the other organisers only thought the Bridlington event would last for "three or four years" when it started in 2007.

"We never thought the weekender would grow to what it has become and the camaraderie from the Northern Soul community is unbelievable.

"We've all got one thing in common which is music. It opens doors and breaks down barriers."

Mr Wigley said the choice of music on offer, in six different rooms, would give ticket holders the chance to "find something they'd like".

"Some of the stuff is really rare and you might hear something that only exists on one or two records in the whole world. It's incredibly special."

Mr Wigley said the art deco ballroom and sprung dancefloor at Bridlington Spa brought comparisons with the original Wigan Casino but "without the tobacco smells and sweat".

He said: "I used to go to Wigan Casino every week or fortnight depending on if I could catch a bus or a train. It was really scruffy, virtually uninhabitable but it was an original ballroom just like Bridlington.

"People would travel from all over the country. It was packed, it was hot and it was sweaty but those nights were absolutely incredible."

Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Soundslatest episode of Look North here.

A bakery is expanding to be able to offer support to more disadvantaged young people.

Bakerman in Darlington opened in 2020 with the hope of mentoring young adults with learning and behavioural difficulties and create employment opportunities.

Co-founder and head baker Dan Booth said due to the popularity of the bakery they have been unable to offer as much support as they would have liked.

To address this, Bakerman has acquired the premises next door to the current site to allow them to create a dedicated baking and training facility.

Mr Booth said the plan was to expand the bakery, get bigger equipment and switch to daytime baking hours to "actually get these disadvantaged young adults through the door".

"The bakery just became such a huge success from day one that we were so busy and quickly ran out of space," he said.

"Baking through the night doesn't help either."

Mr Booth said there is a "real need for" helping disadvantaged young people gain skills in Darlington.

He used to work for the charity Clervaux Trust before being made redundant in 2020 and previously told the BBC he had seen how breadmaking can be "transformative".

"We've since proved a need for it by working with Darlington College and Darlington Borough Council," Mr Booth said.

"Hopefully we'll have people baking with us every day that we're open, once we get the expansion going."

Innovative rap group Outkast, pop star Cyndi Lauper and 1960s pioneer Chubby Checker have all won places in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

This year's inductees were revealed live on American Idol, with the UK represented by hard rock band Bad Company and gravel-voiced eccentric Joe Cocker, 11 years after his death from lung cancer.

However, Manchester bands Oasis and Joy Division/New Order failed to qualify from the shortlist.

Performers become eligible for inclusion 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording. The nominations are voted on by more than 1,200 music historians, industry professionals and previously inducted artists.

The full list of performers to be inducted this year is:

• Bad Company
• Chubby Checker
• Joe Cocker
• Cyndi Lauper
• Outkast
• Soundgarden
• The White Stripes

Salt-N-Pepa, the first commercially successful female rap group, will also receive the musical influence award, alongside Warren Zevon – a cult singer-songwriter who was revered by Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.

The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on 8 November, and will be streamed live on Disney+.

"Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of Rock & Roll forever," said the Hall of Fame's chairman John Sykes.

"Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps."

However, equal amounts of attention will be paid to the artists who didn't make it into the hallowed hall, which encompasses all genres of popular music.

Mariah Carey's omission, in particular, will be seen as an egregious oversight.

With 19 US number one singles, she is second only to The Beatles in terms of chart success.

Her self-titled debut album spent 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard chart in 1990, and her Christmas classic, All I Want For Christmas Is You, is the 11th best-selling single of all time.

This is the second time she has been overlooked by the Rock Hall's voters.

Asked for her thoughts on being snubbed last year, Carey said: "My thoughts are, I didn't get in."

A second snub will embolden critics who say the Hall of Fame has a poor record of admitting women.

Lauper, who did make it through the voting process, was the only other woman on this year's main ballot.

Oasis were also passed over for a second time, having been nominated in 2024.

But singer Liam Gallagher has previously criticised the institution, saying he wasn't interested in receiving an award from "some geriatric in a cowboy hat".

Veteran jam band Phish also missed out on a place – despite winning a fan vote that counted towards this year's ceremony.

However, losing a nomination doesn't mean an artist is disqualified from future ceremonies.

Nile Rodgers and Chic have famously been included on the ballot 11 times. Although the band still hasn't been inducted, Rodgers was honoured at the 2017 ceremony with the Award for Musical Excellence.

Chubby protest

A similar story emerges this year for Checker, whose song The Twist became a global phenomenon in 1960.

The star, now 83, was ignored by the Rock Hall for years, even as contemporaries like Sam Cooke, Bill Haley, Wilson Pickett and Fats Domino were admitted.

In 2001, Checker took out a full-page ad in Billboard magazine calling on the Rock Hall to recognise him for the song that, he said, became "the biggest dance of the century".

"I want my flowers while I'm alive," he wrote. "I can't smell them when I'm dead."

Demanding a statue in the courtyard of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he added: "I will not have the music business ignore my position in the industry."

That wish has finally been granted.

This year's other inductees include Outkast – aka André 3000 and Big Boi.

Known for hits like Ms Jackson, Rosa Parks and Hey Ya!, their swampy Southern rhythms and bohemian take on hip-hop changed the sound of the genre in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Soundgarden, best known for grunge anthem Black Hole Sun, have also earned a place; as have The White Stripes – the garage rock band formed by Jack and Meg White in 1997, whose hits include Seven Nation Army, Hotel Yorba and Fell In Love With A Girl.

Fans will speculate about whether Meg, who hasn't been seen in public since 2009, will attend the induction ceremony.

There are also musical excellence awards for Thom Bell, an architect of the Philadelphia Soul sound, and English pianist Nicky Hopkins, who contributed to records by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Who.

US guitarist Carol Kaye, whose fretwork can be heard on classic tracks like You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling and the theme to Mission: Impossible, receives the same honour.

Finally, record executive Lenny Waronker, who helped develop acts like Madonna, REM and Prince, will receive the Ahmet Ertegun award, given to non-performers who have had a major influence on rock music.