Italy’s interior minister says 400,000 mourners in St Peter’s Square and surrounding area for funeral of Pope Francis

• Report from the Vatican: Pilgrims and powerful come together for funeral
• In pictures: the day’s best images

At least 130 foreign delegations, including about “50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs”, would attend Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday, the Vatican said on Thursday.

Heads of state and government who have confirmed their attendance at the funeral include Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump, Keir Starmer and Javier Milei, the president of Pope Francis’s native Argentina. Francis had a delicate relationship with politics in his home country, but Milei hailed his “goodness and wisdom”.

We will be present at the pope’s funeral, as is only right.

Applause rings out as late pontiff’s wooden coffin carried from altar of St Peter’s Basilica for open-air ceremony

• Pope Francis’s funeral – live

Pope Francis has been eulogised as “a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone” during a funeral mass that brought 400,000 mourners to Rome, from pilgrims and refugees to powerful world leaders and royalty.

Francis, 88, died on Monday after a stroke and subsequent heart failure, setting into motion a series of centuries-old rituals and a huge, meticulously planned logistical and security operation not seen in Italy since the funeral of John Paul II in April 2005.

Some, especially within the US, see the conclave as an opportunity to establish a more conservative leader

For Catholics who cherished Pope Francis’s relentless defence of the dignity of migrants and minorities, the footage of his deeply awkward meeting with JD Vance on Easter Sunday made for unsettling viewing. During his 12 years in St Peter’s chair, Francis railed against Christian complicity with “America first”-type nationalist movements across the west. Here, looming over him on what turned out to be the eve of his death, was the White House embodiment of the insular, bullying politics he spent so much energy fighting against.

What now? The pope “from the ends of the earth” will be laid to rest on Saturday in an unadorned tomb in Rome’s Santa Maria Maggiore basilica, after a funeral attended by about 50 heads of state and 130 delegations from around the world. Progressives inside and outside the church will hope that encounter with the US vice-president was not an ominous portent.

Giuffre’s family issue statement confirming she killed herself at her farm in Western Australia

Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent victims of the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein who also alleged she was sexually trafficked to Prince Andrew, has died aged 41.

Her family issued a statement on Saturday confirming she took her own life at her farm in Western Australia, where she had lived for several years.

US president says he is not sure Russian counterpart wants to stop the war after meeting with Ukraine leader at Pope Francis’s funeral

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have sat down for a face-to-face talk in the opulent halls of a Vatican basilica to discuss a possible ceasefire, with the US president later accusing his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of not wanting to “stop the war”.

The White House described Trump’s meeting with the Ukrainian leader before Pope Francis’ funeral as “very productive”, while Zelenskyy said on X that the talk with the US president was symbolic and had the “potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results”.

Noel and Liam believed to have filmed promo video at Mildmay club in Newington Green ahead summer’s sold-out Oasis tour

Liam and Noel Gallagher have performed together for the first time in 16 years in a closed pub in north London, according to reports.

The brothers were pictured arriving at the Mildmay club in Newington Green, north London, on Thursday where they are believed to have filmed a promotional video for this summer’s sold-out Oasis reunion tour.

Official suggests blast in southern port of Shahid Rajaee in Bandar Abbas due to explosion of chemicals in containers

An immense blast in Iran’s southern port of Shahid Rajaee has killed at least four people and wounded more than 500, according to state media, with an official suggesting the fire was caused by the explosion of chemical containers.

A spokesperson for Iran’s crisis management body pointed to poor storage conditions of chemicals as the trigger for the port explosion. “The cause of the explosions was the chemicals inside the containers,” Hossein Zafari, a crisis management spokesperson, told Iran’s ILNA news agency. He added that the port administration had previously been warned about the danger these chemicals posed.

Number of visitors sinks 11.6% in March as deportations and tariffs make US a less appealing destination

Every summer, Cheryl travels to Iowa, from her home in St Kitts. She rents a three-bedroom house for her and her US-based adult children. She usually rents a car, too, and the family go out for dinners and explore local attractions. Cheryl typically spends $10,000 on the trip.

Not this year.

• Rolling updates on the Premier League and beyond
• Live scores | Latest tables | Fixtures | And email Barry

Championship: On as a substitute, Shandon Baptiste has scored what could be a massive goal for Luton against Coventry. It was a scrappy effort that took a big deflection off a defender who couldn’t sort his feet out but Hatters fans won’t care. A win will take them out of the relegation zone for a couple of hours at least.

League Two: Doncaster Rovers are 2-0 up against Bradford City, with Billy Sharp doubling their lead after Tyrick Wright missed a penalty for the Bantams. A win will send Donny up to League One and leave Bradford in the third automatic promotion place. In London, Port Vale are beating AFC Wimbledon 2-0 and will also go unless Bradford can turn things around very quickly and win against Doncaster Rovers.

Tensions between nuclear-armed countries escalate after attack killed 26 people in disputed territory

Indian and Pakistani troops have exchanged gunfire across the volatile frontier in Kashmir for a second day, amid growing tensions after a brazen attack that killed 26 people at a popular tourist resort.

The massacre has sent relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours into a dangerous downward spin. India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which is divided between them but claimed fully by both.