Malu Cursino
Live reporter

If you're just joining our live coverage: welcome. Our teams in Belfast and London are awaiting the arrival of US President Joe Biden in Northern Ireland in a short while.

Tonight marks the beginning of Biden's four-day official visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

He'll start in Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, and we expect the US president to be greeted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on his arrival.

The White House has said Biden's trip will mark the "tremendous progress" since the landmark agreement, which helped end 30 years of violent conflict.

As well as an official delegation, the president is joined by his son, Hunter Biden, and his sister, Valerie Biden.

We'll bring you the latest lines here - and you can watch live coverage from BBC News by clicking the Play button at the top of our page.

We are expecting Air Force One to touch down at Belfast International Airport shortly.

As we have been reporting it will mark the start of US President Joe Biden's four-day trip to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Here's the latest images from Belfast as crews prepare for Biden's arrival.

Lucy Hockings
Presenter reporting from Belfast

I’ve been broadcasting all day from the Lyric Theatre on the banks of the River Lagan in Belfast - a river which threads its way through a city that has seen years of conflict and in many parts remains divided.

But today, a place of hope. This is an exhibition and arts venue which provides a space for many to tell their stories.

“She won’t have heard of me,“ Monica McWilliams, one of the signatories to the Good Friday Agreement, tells me when I introduce her to Ellen who is a 16-year-old student from Downpatrick.

Monica adds: “None of the young ones have.”

The magic that happened when Ellen and Monica start chatting felt all the more special.

Ellen was thrilled to be meeting her hero, Monica - someone who 25 years ago was one of two women at the talks table.

The teenage student listened, rapt as Monica talked about leading the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition.

Back then, the women were mooed at and heckled by men. Ellen’s face on hearing that detail is pure Gen Z astonishment.

Ellen feels her peers don’t value the Good Friday Agreement, there’s not enough taught about it at school, but she says it’s not a fabric of the past - it’s is a fabric of our society.

Monica says meeting Ellen has given her renewed energy but she’s passing on the baton.

Ellen dreams of maybe being a politician one day and now one of her idols is watching out for her.

Conor Neeson
Reporting from Belfast city centre

Garrett and Annette Friel made the journey from Strabane, County Tyrone, earlier today with the purpose of seeing President Biden.

They have been waiting in the city centre keeping warm with coffee.

Annette said that it was the "shared history" with the US which made them decide to make the trip.

Meanwhile, Garett commented that this was the type of visit they may never witness again.

The couple were also present for a famous visit to Londonderry by Bill Clinton, the then-US president, back in 1995.

More on those security arrangements mentioned in our previous post.

Drone operators in Belfast city centre have been ordered to ground all operations until after the presidential visit.

A temporary airspace restriction was put in place at 19:00 BST on Tuesday and will remain until 20:00 on Wednesday, police have tweeted , externalto say - making it an offence to operate such devices.

Image source, PA Media

For those visiting Belfast over the Easter weekend, you may have spotted a larger police presence on the streets and even road cordons.

That’s because security operations have been ramped up for the arrival for one of the most powerful people in the world.

• In Belfast city centre, a number of crash barriers have been erected
• Streets around Ulster University will be closed from 21:00 BST on Tuesday and reopen Wednesday afternoon
• Sewers have been checked by US Secret Service agents
• Security seals have been added to manhole covers along the motorcade's route

Conor Neeson
Reporting from Belfast city centre

Christopher Gallagher has travelled down from Londonderry to try to catch a glimpse of US President Joe Biden at the cordon in Belfast city centre.

The 19-year-old got here at 19:00 and will have to leave by 23:00 to get the last bus home.

He says that he recalls his family talking about Bill Clinton's famous visit to Derry in 1995.

"You just don't get this type of opportunity every day, for someone this big to be coming here," he said.

"So we just decided to make a day of it."

Image source, Reuters

Biden remains en route to Belfast. Something he's been tending to during the journey is the issue of an American journalist detained in Russia.

Evan Gershkovich was arrested last month in the city of Yekaterinburg while working for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). He has since been formally charged with spying - something the WSJ denies.

Just before jetting off to Northern Ireland, the president was asked by reporters if he'd spoken to Gershkovich's family. Biden said he hadn't managed to, but would "try them from the plane". He described what was happening to Gershkovich as "totally illegal".

Gershkovich's family have now confirmed they've had a conversation with the US leader, saying in a statement: "We appreciate President Biden's call to us today, assuring us that the US government is doing everything in its power to bring him home as quickly as possible."

Chris Andrews
BBC News NI

The four-day presidential trip will begin just around the corner from our BBC Northern Ireland offices - where our live page reporters in Belfast will have a front row view of the motorcade.

Image source, PA Media

Biden was asked by reporters two weeks ago if MI5's decision to increase the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland to "severe" would affect his visit.

"No. They can't keep me out," he responded.

There has been a rise in disruption by dissident republicans and loyalist paramilitaries in recent weeks.

Two weeks ago, MI5 raised the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Tensions have been high in County Down where drug gangs associated with the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) are accused of conducting petrol bomb attacks at properties in Bangor and Newtownards.

Image source, Liam McBurney/PA

And just hours before Air Force One touches down in Belfast, four petrol bombs have been recovered from a cemetery in Londonderry in an alleged attack on police officers.

Image source, PA Media

The Troubles is the name given to a conflict between nationalists and unionists that began in the late 1960s.

Armed groups from both sides carried out bombings and shootings - and British troops were sent to Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland was created in 1921 and remained part of the UK when the rest of Ireland became an independent state.

• Read more about the Good Friday Agreement here

We've been telling you about the significance of the timing of President Biden's visit to Northern Ireland, to coincide with the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, but let's take a minute to explain why that deal was so important.

The Good Friday Agreement - also known as the Belfast Agreement - was a political deal designed to bring an end to 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles.

The landmark deal - signed just over 25 years ago on 10 April 1998 - provided a huge moment of hope as it brought together nationalists, who wanted Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic of Ireland, and unionists, who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK.

This trip is clearly in part to honour Joe Biden's Irish roots - but US ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, Claire Cronin, insists there's even more meaning to it.

"I think it's very well known that he has a great fondness and affection for this country, the home of his ancestors," she told Irish broadcaster RTE. "But it's also a time for him to underscore the importance of the US-Irish relationship, which remains so strong always."

In a press conference yesterday, national security spokesperson John Kirby gave a special mention to Ireland's non-lethal contributions to Ukraine, and support in sanctions against Russia.

During his visit, Biden is expected to speak with leaders in Ireland about continued commitment to supporting Ukraine, among other foreign policy topics.

Biden lands in Northern Ireland later - before heading to the Republic of Ireland tomorrow for three days.

Barra Best
BBC News NI weather presenter

Image source, Getty Images

President Biden will arrive in Northern Ireland on Tuesday to traditional Irish weather – rain, although he is set to miss the worst of it.

While a rain warning is in place until midnight on Tuesday most of the wet weather will clear the east coast through the evening.

However, it won’t end there.

After a mainly dry and cloudy start on Wednesday, more rain and very strong winds will move in through late morning, so those hoping to catch a glimpse of the president at Ulster University may be caught in typical April showers.

A date in the White House diary for quite some timepublished at 19:25 British Summer Time 11 April 2023

19:25 BST 11 April 2023

Chris Mason
Political editor

For the best part of a year at least, the prospect of this presidential visit has been discussed among diplomats.

Washington’s deep pride, seeing itself as a midwife to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, ensured this date was pencilled into the White House diary long ago.

But amid the reminiscing about 1998, the politics of 2023 swirls; stirring a loose idea into an actual visit and then moulding its scale, or lack of it.

The prime minister’s diplomatic triumph in re-casting the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland has not - yet at least - delivered its most sought after domestic prize, the restoration of power-sharing devolved government in Belfast, that cornerstone of the peace deal 25 years ago.

And so an awkward, if frequent, political impasse here hangs over this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it visit from both the president and prime minister.

The rationale of those around Rishi Sunak is that overt cajoling of the Democratic Unionist Party now could prove counter-productive.

Tensions between the White House and Downing Street over itineraries has left a shrivelled schedule for both leaders, with No 10 seeking to emphasise a more prominent role for Sunak at Good Friday Agreement commemorations here next week.

Image source, Reuters

President Joe Biden is due to touch down in a few hours time and is being met at the airport in Belfast by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the US ambassador to the UK, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

He’ll stay until Friday, during which time he’ll hail the “tremendous progress” since the Good Friday Agreement was signed 25 years ago.

His visit will also be an opportunity to emphasise “the readiness of the US to support Northern Ireland's vast economic potential,” the White House says.

After a day in Northern Ireland, he’ll travel across the border and meet the Irish president.

Biden will celebrate the “deep, historic ties” between the US and the Republic of Ireland in a speech in County Mayo - where the president has family roots.

Before jetting off from the US, President Biden was asked by reporters about his top priority for the trip.

His answer: “Make sure the Irish accords and the Windsor Agreement stay in place, to keep the peace.

"That’s the main thing. And it’s look like we’re going to. Keep your fingers crossed.”

The Windsor Agreement (better known as the Windsor Framework) refers to a deal recently struck between the UK and the European Union, which aims to resolve post-Brexit trade issues for Northern Ireland.

Andrew Humphrey
Live reporter

US President Joe Biden is currently on board Air Force One and will be touching down in Belfast a little later this evening, to kick off his four-day visit of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

His trip is to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, a historic deal which brought an end to 30 years of violent conflict known as the Troubles.

The president has been a vocal supporter of the landmark peace deal, and will also spend time in the Republic of Ireland reconnecting with his ancestral roots in counties Louth and Mayo.

He left the US at about 15:00 BST and is due to be met in Belfast by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tonight.

There’s a huge security operation in place for his visit. We’ll bring you the latest from the air and the ground as we get it.