this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at two: a state of emergency has been declared in colombia after more than 250 people are killed in mudslides — many more are missing. police in croydon are treating a brutal attack on a 17—year—old kurdish iranian boy as a hate crime. six people have been arrested. the young person was asked where they were from and when they said they were from and when they said they were from and when they said they were an asylum seeker, that is when the frenzied attack took place. also in the next hour, an obstacle puts today's boat race in doubt. a suspected world war two bomb was removed from the banks of the thames, meaning the university boat race will now go ahead as planned. theresa may reassures gibraltar of britain's steadfast commitment and says she will work to secure the "best possible outcome" from brexit talks. and at 2.30, a closer look at the triggering of article 50 — that's in the week in parliament in thirty minutes. good afternoon and

welcome to bbc news. rescue teams in colombia are searching through mud and debris for survivors of huge mudslides which have killed more than 250 people. hundreds more are injured or missing. the mud engulfed the town of mocoa, where rescue efforts are being hampered by bad weather. keith doyle has the latest. a wall of water, mud and debris swathe large parts of the town of mocoa. thousands have lost their homes, hundreds have lost their lives. this mountainous region has had unusually heavy rain in recent months. further downpours caused the mocoa river to unleash a devastating mudslide. witnesses say people were running

for their lives as the mud pushed cars into buildings and ripped trees from the ground. streets were left littered with huge boulders and people have been picking through crumbled buildings, trying to find the missing and salvage any possessions. hundreds of people are still missing, many of them children. lists of their names and ages are scoured by anxious relatives. translation: we have lost a baby who has gone missing. the rest is as you can see. a little baby, we can't find him anywhere. translation: we do not know how many deaths there are going to be. we're still searching, but the first thing i want to say is that my heart, our hearts, the hearts of all colombians, are with the victims of this tragedy. many roads have been washed away or are blocked, making it difficult to get aid into the area, which is without power and running water. troops and volunteers are searching for survivors.

heat—seeking cameras and drones are being flown over the debris. the red cross says it's crucial to find survivors within the first 72 hours. three days on, the death toll is expected to rise. keith doyle, bbc news. with me now is arturo wallace from the bbc‘s spanish speaking service bbc mundo. he's also a former colombia correspondent. just update us on the latest. the rescue operations continued all through the night, the rescue services were using drones with thermal imagery to try to locate survivors. of course now with daylight they are redoubling their efforts, they have seven to two hours to have good chances of finding people alive. it is still going on, it is still very difficult

to bring all systems there because it isa to bring all systems there because it is a very remote area, but there is still hope although everybody knows the clock is ticking. the state of emergency was declared which meant rescue operations would kick in. are they properly equipped to deal with this? colombia has a lot of experience in these sorts of tragedies and they prepared themselves well. the military is assisting in the operation and they are also receiving up support from abroad. countries send their support and help with experts. the most important thing is time. of course very soon it will be about dealing with the aftermath of what happened, there will be a lot of people trapped underneath the mud. there is a risk for health, the local

hospital completely collapsed, there is little food and water, no electricity. things could go back quite quickly but in a way, colombia, it might be one of the best prepared with this sort of stuff. it had been raining for some time, when were people warned?m came as a surprise. the vulnerability of cities such as mocoa is well known. deforestation poses eight big risk. on friday the rain that fell was quite surprising, the colombian president said that in one single day, mocoa got the equipment to 30% of the monthly rain, so it was a surprise in a way.

thank you very much. six people are being questioned about an attack on an asylum seeker standing at a bus stop in south london. the 17—year—old boy, who's kurdish iranian, was left with a fractured skull after being subjected to what police say was a savage attack. andy moore reports. the young man, believed to be kurdish iranian, was waiting at a bus stop late on friday night with two friends when he was approached by a group of about eight people. he was attacked after telling them where he came from. we believe it is a hate crime. prior to the attack taking place the young person was asked where they were from and when they said that they were an asylum seeker that is when that frenzied attack took place. police say the gang chased the young man around the corner into the street where they kicked him in the head and left him on the floor unconscious. after that a number of members of the public came to help him. the attack only stopped when the sound of sirens was heard. the gang made off in the direction

of this nearby pub. the young man was left with a fractured skull and a blood clot on his brain. he is said to be in a serious but stable condition in hospital. his two friends escaped the attackers and received only minor injuries. the local mp said croydon had generally very good relations between people of different backgrounds. he called the incident an appalling crime against somebody who had come to this country to seek sanctuary. our correspondent simon jones is in croydon. what are the latest developments in this investigation? the police are continuing to question four men and also two women. they are being questioned at a south london police station after being arrested last night. to give you a sense of the

geography, this is the bus stop where the 17—year—old was with friends on friday evening when he was approached by that group of eight people. he told them he was an asylu m eight people. he told them he was an asylum seeker and at that point he was chased up this way in this direction, just around the corner there and that is where he underwent that attack, getting several kicks to the head. he remains in hospital but is not thought to be in life—threatening condition. the attackers ran off in that direction near the pub. the police believe as the attack was taking place, several others were in the area and were trying to stop it. they were trying basically to save this young asylum seeker, but it is only when the police sirens were heard because people had dialled 999 that the attackers decided to run. what has been the local community response? there is a sense of shock here. i

have been speaking to won gentleman who lives overlooking the attacks and he had a screen and saw a big group of people. initially he did not realise what was going on but then suddenly the police turned up and he realised it was serious. others who live in the area saying this is very out of the ordinary. they said this is a diverse community where people get on and they are shocked to learn something like this has happened. the police are appealing for information. anyone who saw the attack or try to come to the aid of that boy, get in touch with them. they think any right—thinking member of society will come forward and provide them with information. a university student has paid tribute to her mother and younger brother who were stabbed to death in their home in stourbridge earlier this week. lydia wilkinson laid flowers outside the house, accompanied by her boyfriend. she said her mother tracey had always put others before herself. 23—year—old aaron barley —

of no fixed address — has been charged with their murders and with the attempted murder of lydia's father peter. he is known to the family and will appear in court again in the morning. the government is facing pressure to guarantee migrant workers will still be able to work in the nhs after the uk leaves the european union. a cross—party group of mps is warning that brexit will cause a critical shortage of doctors and nurses. it comes as the defence secretary, sir michael fallon, declined to rule out the possibility that freedom of movement could continue until the next general election and beyond. ellie price reports. the brexit negotiations got under way this week to great fanfare and letters. theresa may wrote to the eu to trigger article 50, the eu in return published draft guidelines on its negotiation strategy, but as expected there was no more detail on the content of the deal, and this morning sir michael fallon

would not be drawn on whether the uk would have full control over its immigration system by 2020. well, you're speculating about the course of the negotiations, which haven't even started yet. rule it out. we've made clear that we are not expecting to take advantage of the four great freedoms, including the freedom of movement of people, because we're not going to be members of the european union. i'm talking about transitionally, now you can't give me any timetable. we can't give a timetable on negotiations that haven't even started. the uk is set to leave the eu by the end of march 2019, just over a year later the country will have a general election. the government will want to avoid setting time limits on such a thorny issue as immigration. but today, a group of cross—party mps wrote an open letter calling on the rights of eu staff in the nhs to be protected. because we have 140,000 eu nationals working in our nhs and social care sector, caring for our sick and elderly, we think they should be given an nhs

guarantee that they will be able to carry on working in the nhs. they need that certainty and they need those rights. theresa may has made it clear she wants the rights of eu nationals in the uk and uk nationals living in the eu to be a priority in these negotiations. immigration was a key issue in the referendum campaign, it will be again. elli price, bbc news. with me is our political correspondent ellie price. how is this matter being handled by the government? theresa may has come out today, phone the chief minister of gibraltar that britain's long—standing position is that it

will remain steadfastly committed to support of gibraltar. this has all blown up following the triggering of article 50, theresa may wrote that letter to the eu triggering article 50. she did not mention gibraltar in that letter specifically. then on friday we had draft guidelines written by the eu and in it was a clause that said spain should have a veto over any future trade agreements in gibraltar. that sort of kicked off over the last couple of kicked off over the last couple of days. today we have seen the government trying to dampen this argument down saying it has been overblown, britain will maintain its interests in travolta and this mortar —— this morning this happened. the letter was about notification that we are leaving and about the process of negotiation, how we want the talks to be handled.

the letter referred to the brexit white paper and gibraltar is firm in that. you will find eight separate references to gibraltar in it and all the different issues we have got to deal with are set out in that white paper, whether it is the position of london, fisheries policy, gibraltar and everything else. the message there from the government is don't panic and this morning we heard from a former tory leader, michael howard, who rounded up leader, michael howard, who rounded up the rhetoric once again. our government will stand by gibraltar. 35 years ago this week, another woman prime minister sent a task force halfway across the world to defend the freedom of another small group of british people against another spanish—speaking country. i am absolutely certain that our current prime minister would show the same resolve and standing by the

people of gibraltar. those comments have come in for some criticism, as you might imagine, he appeared to be talking about a war. tim bannon said it is unbelievable that there are conservatives discussing potential wa rs conservatives discussing potential wars with european partners. downing street will not necessarily welcome those comments, but gives you some idea of the huge extent of issues we have in this brexit negotiation and some of the issues that can be talked about in months and months ahead. the headlines on bbc news: a state of emergency has been declared in colombia after more than 250 people are killed in mudslides. many more are missing. police in croydon are treating a brutal attack on a 17—year—old kurdish iranian boy as a hate crime. six people have been arrested. a suspected world war two bomb has been removed from the banks of the thames, meaning the university boat race will now go ahead as planned.

police have given the all clear for this afternoon's oxford and cambridge boat races to go ahead. they say they've removed an unexploded second world war bomb from the thames after it was spotted near putney bridge, close to where the race begins. our sports reporter kate grey is in putney and sent us this report. it's been a difficult 2a hours for the race organisers, but it's now been confirmed that the boat races the 2017 are going to go ahead, so we can start talking about the races and i'm very pleased to say i'm joined by five—time olympic medallist, katherine grainger. thank you forjoining us. what a wonderful day we have here and an afternoon of racing. what can we look forward to? it's always a cracking thing to watch. last year the weather played a huge part in it, which makes it very dramatic but obviously for the athletes who have trained all year, it an awful way to decide their race. so this year is looking great, it doesn't get much better, little bit of wind but not too much.

weather is warm, the wash is looking flat we have a few hours yet, but all the races this afternoon are going to be quite exceptional. and we can see people are starting to arrive now, they are expecting a lot of spectators here. why do people love this race? i know, generally every year we get hundreds and thousands of people lining the banks of the thames. it really is special. i think there is that atmosphere of, it's a sunday, a beautiful day, everybody comes out to watch, local people, people travel for it. it's very, very accessible, everything is free along the banks. you canjust come up, turn up, watch it. also, you need to know nothing about rowing if you've never watched it before. it's two teams for race against each other, one will win, one will lose, they'll start together, they wear different colours of clothes. it will be really easy to follow and exciting to watch. i think, we've all been to live sport and there is a thrill, and excitement and the drama. and even if you don't have a loyalty between the one set all the other, it still exciting to watch and it's very traditional, people know the history and the tradition that goes and that's attractive. you've never had a chance to compete in this race, are you disappointed in that,

are you gutted you never got to have a flavour of what it's like out there? i always feel, when the crews are clapped out and the audience is there and the spectators are waiting and there is that moment on the start line of terror and fear. there's always that, as a competitor, you always feel, i'd do anything to be in their situation. but i've raced many, many times on this stretch in front of, not the crowds we'll get today, but in front of a lot of people. and it's a great river to race on. it really has drama, at every corner, it's a very winding course and the coxes will play a big part in that, so i will be a little bit jealous of them starting today, but i'm excited for them. can you make any predictions of who's going to win the men's and the women's races? there's probably favourites on both sides at the moment, but when i speak to the coaches involved and some of the athletes involved, everyone is always a bit, they don't hedge bets, but you never know what aspects will come into play on this course. the steering will make a big difference. the weather could change and have an effect. we've had people coming in, the spectators have had an impact on it as well,

so it's hard to predict, although at the moment, you'd say there was favourites. thank you so much, cannot wait for the racing team played place this afternoon and you can see katherine live on bbc one from 4:00pm. the women's race starts at 4:35pm and then the men's follow at 5:35 pm. officials in pakistan say at least 20 people have been killed by the caretaker of a sufi shrine. they believe abdul waheed drugged people before killing them at the shrine in the city of surgoda in the punjab province. waheed and five of his aides have been arrested. our pakistan correspondent, secunder kermani is in islamabad and has this update. it is not uncommon in pakistani for people to be killed in shrines whilst undergoing exorcisms, being treated for bad spirits. people have on occasions been beaten to death but this kind of mass killing is

extremely unusual and it has shocked people here. what we know is that this incident took place in a shrine ina this incident took place in a shrine in a small village outside the city. the man police to be responsible for the killing, abdul waheed, was a ca reta ker the killing, abdul waheed, was a caretaker at this shrine and spiritual leader. local residents have reported as saying some of his followers were regularly beaten and on this occasion police say they believe that abdul waheed called his disciples into a room, he then dropped them and then attacked them with knives, machetes, and clubs. around 20 people are believed to have been killed. abdul waheed and two accomplices have been arrested. the chief minister of punjab has called for a full enquiry into the incident. at least 18 people have been injured, including three children, after the lighting of a carnival bonfire went wrong at an event in a north—east suburb of paris.

dramatic video posted on social media showed a pyre exploding seconds after the fuse was ignited, sending debris into the crowd. police said a wooden effigy had been doused with petrol before it was lit. the chancellor is to urge indian businesses to use the expertise of the city of london in the latest attempt by ministers to build trade links outside the european union. philip hammond's trade mission to delhi and mumbai is part of an effort to build a partnership with india as it tries to forge a future as a global manufacturing powerhouse. our business correspondent joe lynam has more. depending on how britain quits the eu, the city of london is set to lose thousands ofjobs in the coming years, as some banks and insurers leave to remain in the single market. now, the chancellor, philip hammond, is hoping to court new customers for britain's financial services expertise. he leads a delegation of business leaders, as well as the governor of the bank of england, mark carney, to india this week, hoping that

indian companies will use the city of london to fund the estimated £1.2 trillion of spending needed to modernise india's infrastructure. the government also hopes to use the trip to open new markets in india for companies like transferwise, part of britain's rapidly growing financial technology or fin—tech sector. all of this forms the backdrop for a comprehensive free trade agreement which britain hopes to sign with india once it formally leaves the eu. but that won't be easy — india has yet to sign any free trade deal with anyone and one stumbling block could be a demand by india to allow its citizens free movement to and from britain. a huge inquiry into child sexual abuse by members of the catholic church is drawing to a close in australia. the four—year long inquiry, which has uncovered more than 8,000 abuse survivors and heard allegations against more than 500 priests, is being closely watched by the vatican.

from sydney, hywel griffith reports. shining a light on australia's most trusted institutions. for some, the level of abuse exposed by the royal commission has been difficult to comprehend, but for peter gogarty it's been all too familiar. as a boy, peter was sexually abused by his parish priest. it lasted for six years, but it took another three decades for his abuser to be jailed. he believes the catholic church is still failing to protect children by refusing to make it mandatory for abuse mentioned in confession to be reported to the police. what they are doing is saying "we are more prepared to protect an offender than we are to take care of this child and future generations of children". the church hasn't responded with one voice. australia's archbishops have spoken of shame and negligence, over £160 million has been paid

in compensation, but there has been no change on issues like confession. i think it would be a tragedy if the privacy of the confessional, if you like the privileged communication in the confessional is abolished. even if that means abuse goes unreported ? i think what is needed is a protocol, if you will. the catholic church isn't the only body that has come under close scrutiny during australia's four—year inquiry. it's heard allegations of abuse at 4,000 different institutions from orphanages and care homes to schools and sports clubs. the common thread — a failure to listen to the victims. now voices are being heard, the issues raised here will resonate across the world. but for australia's abuse survivors, the impact remains the same. hywel griffith, bbc news, sydney.

a portrait of chairman mao by andy warhol has sold at auction in hong kong for $11 million. warhol began a series of famous silk screen paintings of mao in 1972, using a photograph of the then communist leaderfrom his little red book — carried by millions of ordinary chinese. but for years, the paintings were considered subversive and have not been exhibited in mainland china. the parents of a baby with a rare genetic condition have reached a £1.2 million crowdfunding target for him to have pioneering treatment in the us. connie yates's and chris gard's son charlie — who is nearly eight months old — is receiving 24—hour treatment at london's great ormond street hospitalfor a rare genetic condition. doctors say he should move to a palliative care regime, but his parents are challenging doctors in court to keep him on life support.

the bfg, matilda and esio trott — just some of the famous children characters that illustrator sir quentin blake brought to life. in doing so, he inspired generations of children. now 100 of his works are going on show in a major exhibition. cathy killick reports. they conjure up the innocence and exuberance of childhood, full of life and character, but the seemingly simple drawings of sir quentin blake probe some pretty poignant territory. the artist is 84 now, and increasingly interested in using art to improve health. here they hold workshops for mental health patients. i put on a show for something called the nightingale project in london, which worked in hospitals, and that started me off. i did some drawings

for an elderly people's ward. and a mental health patients' ward. you have got it, i have done it. in this overwhelmingly digital age, his methods are decidedly low—tech, pen and ink mostly, but in his hands, the lines that he draws speak volumes. ijust feel i am doing it, it comes like that, and you are very conscious... i like scratcy nibs, things where you can feel the marks on the paper, so you are getting that as well. it's notjust the process of drawing that can be therapeutic, the results can be as well. these colourful paintings of children and aliens are created for a children's hospital designed to comfort children uprooted in strange surroundings. these paintings are made for a unit treating eating disorders. you go into the situation and you think, what is their problem, the people here, what would be suitable, what would help them?

having pictures on the wall of a hospital at all helps people, it humanises it, it means it is not a health factory. the paintings are on show for three months, true inspiration for illustrators everywhere. time for the weather now. i hear it is beautiful out there. it is. it is a lovely spring day out there across the board. plenty of sunshine at the moment. there is a little bit of patchy cloud in some places, the odd light shower, but that is the exception. here is the satellite sequence. most of the cloud is across the eastern part of england. most across the eastern part of england. m ost pla ces across the eastern part of england. most places enjoying a lovely afternoon, 12, 13, 1a degrees in

glasgow and belfast. 16 and 17 in the london area. light winds, respectable temperatures as well. quiet through this evening. turns chilly with clear skies and light winds. there is some rain beginning to show its hand in the far north—west. maybe a touch of frost in some oral spots but a lovely start to the day for most of england and wales town. rain in the north and wales town. rain in the north and west drifts into scotland but the bulk of england and wales town, the bulk of england and wales town, the best of the sunshine and the highest temperatures in the south—eastern corner. hello. this is bbc news — the headlines: more than 250 people have been killed, many more are missing, after mudslides in colombia. the president has declared a state of emergency in the region. six people have been arrested after what's been called a brutal attack on a 17 year—old kurdish iranian boy in south london.

police are treating the incident as a hate crime. at least 20 people have been murdered at a sufi shrine in pakistan's punjab province. the university boat race will go ahead as planned,