this is bbc news i'm julian worricker. the headlines at 11:00: more than 200 people have died after a series of explosions at churches and hotels in sri lanka. 5 british nationals are among the dead. translation: pup i heard the explosion and then the roof fell on ice. we took the children and ran out through the rear door but when i came to the hospital i saw my brother—in—law and son on the ground. eight people have been arrested so far and the prime minister suggested that information might have been received before the attacks happened. we need to look into why precautions we re we need to look into why precautions were not taken. first and foremost, were not taken. first and foremost, we had to ensure that this is not

happening in sri lanka. the teenage activist greta thunberg has addressed thousands of protesters at the climate change demonstations in london. ukraine's president poroshenko has conceded defeat to his rival volodymyr zelensky, who has won the election run—off with more than 70% of the vote. and at 11:30 we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewersjohn rentoul, chief political commentator at the independent and the sun's chief sports reporter martin lipton — stay with us for that. good evening. at least 200 people have been killed

and hundreds injured in a series of bomb attacks in sri lanka. 5 britons are believed to be among the dead. the explosions were targeted at churches during easter services and some luxury hotels. the attacks took place in the capital colombo in nagombo and batticaloa on the east coast. one of the first places to be targeted in colombo was st anthony's shrine — a very popular site for worshippers. three of the city's major hotels were also hit — the kingsbury, the shangri la and the cinnamon grand, followed by two further explosions on the outskirts of colombo. eight people have been arrested. the sri lankan prime minister says there may have been prior information about a possible attack. 0ur south asia correspondent yogita limaye reports from columbo. this is where people had gathered to pray. but a bomb ripped through the

piece of easter sunday. —— peace put up piece of easter sunday. —— peace put up dozens were killed here at saint anthony's shrine in colombo. this amateur video is believed to show the moment when the explosion occurred. translation: i heard the explosion and then the roof fell on us. we took the children and ran out from the rear door but when i came to the hospital i saw my brother—in—law on the ground. at around the same time and exposure took place here at this catholic dominated town north of the capital colombo at a church which is just down the street. we're not allowed to go past this point now because of security reasons but this is believed to have been the deadliest of all the bombings. a church in eastern sri lanka was also attacked. families rushed to

hospital is looking for loved ones. for hundreds, that search ended in heartbreak. sri lanka is home to more than1 heartbreak. sri lanka is home to more than 1 million christians. heartbreak. sri lanka is home to more than1 million christians. a community that has been left shaken. i would also like to ask the government to hold a very impartial, strong enquiry and find out who is responsible behind this act and also to punish them, mercilessly. three luxury hotels in colombo were also targeted. a pillar with tourists. many foreign travellers are among those killed and five british citizens have also lost their lives. investigators have been searching for evidence. a guest staying on the 25th floor of this hotel, the

shangri—la, describes what happened. we could hear too loud bangs and the entire room was shaking. i could see that a lot of guests have been taken to hospitals. for many, a holiday has turned into a nightmare. 20—year—old jason allen is from america. he is being treated for his injuries. security forces raided a house where they believed some of those involved in the attack were hiding. three policemen died. several people have been arrested in connection with the bombings. we must also look into why adequate proportion —— precautions were not taken. first and foremost, we have

to meet ensure that it does not lift its head in sri lanka. a curfew is in place across the country. security has been heightened to churches, hotels and the airport, among other places. since its bloodiest civil war ended ten years ago, it's the deadliest day sri la nka ago, it's the deadliest day sri lanka has seen. yogita limaye, bbc news, colombo. as we've heard, 8 people have been arrested, but we still don't know who was behind the attacks. sri lanka has seen a decade of relative calm since the brutal civil war which ended in may 2009. 0ur diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley looks at what might have led to these attacks. sri lanka's no stranger to violence, to civilian suffering, but this is completely different to anything it's seen before. christians now mourning en masse, after they'd come together to celebrate and pray. for almost three decades, the country was at war — a civil war between the government and tamil tigers, that killed tens

of thousands of people. but ten years ago, that conflict came to an end and since then it's enjoyed a relative calm. this is how sri lanka would like to be known — for its beautiful beaches. tourism is vital to its economy, but there have been simmering political and intercommunal tensions. last year, buddhist mobs attacked muslim properties, and christians too have complained of being intimidated by hard—line buddhists. interreligious and interethnic violence is not new. it's something that has occurred. however, i think what's significant about today's attack is the scale of the attacks that we've seen and the co—ordination that took place, and the fact that luxury hotels in colombo, where foreigners frequently stay, were targeted. we still don't know who was behind today's attacks. despite the arrests made no finger of blame has been pointed yet and no group has come forward saying it

carried out the bombings. 0ur high commissioner is working on this around the clock and we are trying to gather as much information as we can about this. a crisis centre has been set up and there is an emergency helpline on the gov.uk website for anyone with concerns about friends or relatives who may be holidaying in sri lanka. the sri lankan government has warned that hard—line groups could exploit the aftermath of these horrific attacks to stoke communal tensions. it's appealing for calm as condemnation continues to pour in from around the world. caroline hawley, bbc news. earlier i spoke to rajesh vegugopal — an assistant professor at the london school of economics who has written about ethnic politics in sri lanka. he told me that the attacks have shocked the country. the available information and i think what has to be careful about

that make one has to be careful about speculating at this point. there was information of a possible attack. at that level, there has been some idea that perhaps something was being hatched. but at another level, there are no known extremist groups in sri lanka that are out there waiting to do something about this. this has really no basis in the landscape of sri lankan politics or recent history over the last decade or within the scale of what anyone could have anticipated so perhaps the intelligence of officials that otherwise, it's a complete and devastating shock. because we are talking about a country that has seen relatively calm as the end of the brutal war ten years ago? it's almost the 10th anniversary of the civil war that ended but lasted itself over 25 years. that war itself over 25 years. that war itself was horrific in many ways. they were suicide bomb blast,

atrocities were committed on both sides for a long protracted period of time but that came to an end in 2009 and this kind of violence has just not been seen stop it's not something anyone could have conceived of. and in those last ten yea rs, conceived of. and in those last ten years, how would you characterise the way the different ethnic elements that make up a sri lankan society have got along together? you know, sri lanka is a majority of single leaves and buddhists, about 70- 75% of the single leaves and buddhists, about 70— 75% of the population. —— also, muslims and christians, about 10% each. it should have been dealt within the ten years. —— singhalese. they have been new forms of tensions between buddhists and christians and buddhists and muslims in particular. there has been some evidence of

violence but nothing at this magnitude. but there has been rising tension in the last ten years along religious lines. the pope has condemned the attacks in sri lanka describing them as ‘cruel violence'. speaking at his annual easter day address at the vatican, pope francis said he stood by the victims of the attacks saying that christians had been hit by'mourning and pain‘. 0ur religion editor martin bashir has the latest. st peter's had been transformed into a vast garden of flowers as christians gathered to celebrate the resurrection of jesus. but as news of the attacks in sri lanka reached the vatican, the pope's traditional easter message was altered to acknowledge the unfolding tragedy. translation: i heard of the serious attacks in sri lanka today with great pain and sadness, that on easter sunday have brought mourning and suffering. i would like to express my closeness and affection to the christian

community, struck while it was gathered in prayer, and to all the victims of the cruel violence. at canterbury cathedral, archbishop justin welby condemned the attacks. the will to power leads to the murder of innocents in sri lanka, the utterly despicable destruction that, on this holiest of days, seeks to undermine the reality of the risen christ, to say that darkness will conquer, that our choice is surrender or death. the queen, who is 93 today, also attended an easter service at st george's chapel, windsor. and in paris, worshippers were invited to attend mass at saint—eustache church, on the other side of the river to notre—dame. during the service, archbishop michel aupetit handed

over a bible rescued by firefighters from notre—dame — a sober moment on what is normally a joyous day in the christian calendar. martin bashir, bbc news. the swedish teenage activist greta thunberg has addressed climate change protestors in london tonight. she told the audience they were making a difference. extinction rebellion, the group behind the week long demonstrations are meeting tomorrow to discuss the next steps of their protest with some debate about whether to pause their direct action, as our correspondent jon donnison reports. for a seventh day, climate change protesters were making noise on the streets of london. some dressed for the weather, others not so much. the people that are standing here today and that have been here for the last seven days, have been amazing, and without people standing up and speaking up louder and shouting, no one will listen. 0n waterloo bridge,

there were more arrests, after demonstrators glued or locked themselves together to block the road. but around lunchtime, as protests continued, came news of a shift. in a leaked e—mail sent to demonstrators, one organiser said it was perhaps time for a pause. and a transition from mass disruption to negotiations with politicians. but this evolving movement has no real leaders and the message that it's time for a pause is by no means felt by everyone. we've spoken to one organiser here who says that direct action, like the kind of thing we seen over the past week, should and will continue. there certainly won't be a pause in our activities. the agreement that has been agreed is that we will carry on with a week of activities. we have a whole week scheduled. and this evening, "we love you"

was the chance for the 16—year—old swedish activist greta thunberg who has inspired young people to demonstrate around the world. we are the ones making a difference. it shouldn't be like that but since no one else is doing anything, we will have to do so. as night fell, police moved in to remove the last of the glued down protesters from waterloo bridge. with a debate now within the movement about whether such tactics should continue, demonstrators will hold a public meeting tomorrow to discuss their next move. jon donnison, bbc news. two men, aged 18 and 19, who were arrested in connection with the murder of the journalist, lyra mckee, have been released without charge. ms mckee, who was 29, was shot dead during a riot in londonderry on thursday night. the headlines on bbc news: at least 200 people have been killed in sri lanka after eight explosions at hotels and churches during easter services. five british citizens are among 27 foreign nationals believed to have been killed in the blasts.

police in west yorkshire have arrested three men in connection with fires burning on ilkley moor. dozens of firefighters are still dealing with the blaze, which covers six acres. sport now. and, for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's marc edwards. liverpool are back on top of the premier league after a 2—0 victory over cardiff city. they have leapfrogged defending champions manchester city yet again after a tense afternoon in south wales. there were significant results for the top four, too, as david 0rnstein reports. a day as vital to liveable's title bid as cardiff's fight against relegation when chances need to be taken and relegation when chances need to be ta ken and wastefulness relegation when chances need to be taken and wastefulness could prove costly. for periods the quality was clear but pressure can be a leveller and both goalkeepers were to thank

for keeping the scores level at half—time. level not for long. the deadlock was broken, and almost the net, liverpool in front, the celebration and the smile marks what it meant. cardiff should have equalised. how did sean morrison mess? he is and their afternoon went from bad to worse. penalty to liverpool. james milner as reliable as ever from the spot. the reds rising back to the premier league summitand rising back to the premier league summit and still in contention for a first title in 29 years. knocked out of europe in midweek, manchester united's sole focus is to finish in the top four, but those hopes were dented by an abject display that saw everton condemned them to a sixth defeat in eight. thejob everton condemned them to a sixth defeat in eight. the job facing everton condemned them to a sixth defeat in eight. thejob facing 0le gunnar solskjaer looks bigger by the game. arsenal had a great chance to move above tottenham and into third, but they were beaten 3—2 at home

by crystal palace. christian bentake got his first goal in a year as palace moved to 42 points to secure their place in the premier league next season. for arsenal, though, a missed opportunity. in the scottish premiership, celtic need just four more points to clinch another league title, their eighth in a row. they've got four matches to do it, but were held to a goalless draw at hibernian this afternoon. hibs keeper 0fir marciano was in inspired form to keep neil lennon's side out. chelsea are aiming to reach a first women's champions league final, but five time winners lyon stand in their way. although chelsea lost the first leg of their semi final by 2 goals to 1 to the defending champions, erin cuthbert‘s strike with 20 minutes to go could be a important one as they take an away goal back to london for the second leg. arsenal, meanwhile, need just one more win to take the women's super league title after a 2—1win over everton. they're four points clear at the top of the table, and will win the league if they beat brighton next weekend.

great britain's tennis team are celebrating reaching world group 2 of the fed cup for the first time in over a quarter of a century after they beat kazakhstan 3—1. british number two katie boulter trailed by a set and a break before recovering to win her singles match against zarina diyas 6—7 6—4 6—1 and claim the promotion. johanna konta had earlier won both of her singles matches at the copper box arena. the first round of the world snooker championships continues in sheffield and the 2005 champion shaun murphy is in great form. he's on for a whitewash against china's luo honghao, murphy is 9 frames to nil up in his first round match. there's only ever been one other whitewash at the crucible, that was byjohn parrott back in 1992, but murphy with a chance of grabbing a little slice of history in the next 2a hours. and paris saint germain were crowned champions of ligue un for an eighth time this evening. stephen mcguire is level right now.

and paris saint germain were crowned champions of ligue un for an eighth time this evening. the players worespecially designed shirts carrying the image of notre—dame cathedral following that devastating fire there this week. the names were also changed on the backs of the shirts to notre—dame as kylian mbappe scored a hattrick to beat monaco 3—1, fans were urged to donate money to help fund the restoration project. that's all the sport for now. back to you. thank you. police in west yorkshire have arrested three men in connection with fires burning on ilkley moor. more than 70 firefighters and a helicopter have been battling a large fire covering around 25,000 square metres. in ukraine, president petro poroshenko has conceded victory to his rival, the comedian volodymyr zelensky. exit polls suggest mr zelensky, with no previous experience of politics, has won a landslide majority.

he stars in a ukrainian television show as a fictional president and is said to have won the presidential election with nearly three—quarters of the vote. this report from jonah fisher contains some flash photography. the latest episode of the volodymyr zelensky show started at the polling station. are you ready to be president? i don't know, the people will decide it in the evening. i'm ready. he doesn't, however, have any political experience, or, judging by his election campaign, that many ideas. the choice ukraine must make today is whether to stick with the president they've had for the last five years, or take a leap into the political unknown, with this man, the comedian volodymyr zelensky. across town, there were fewer smiles. mr zelensky‘s opponent, president petro poroshenko, has been blamed for the stalling of reforms. "it's important people vote with their minds and not for thejokes", he said.

that's what mr zelensky is best known for — slap stick humour and for playing the part of a principled, honest president in a popular television series. this evening, with the music from his tv series playing, mr zelensky took to the stage. exit polls immediately confirmed an overwhelming win. so, there we have it, fact will follow fiction. ukraine's television president is now going to become this country's real president. incredible! cheering. this is a fairy tale win for mr zelensky, but it's also a protest vote against notjust the president, but a political class that are widely seen as self—serving and corrupt.

in sudan — after months of protests — the leaders of the campaign to end military rule have tonight suspended talks with the army. they accused the generals of frustrating plans for a civilian government. earlier the leader of the transitional military council said he was committed to giving power to the people. 0ur africa editor fergal keane reports now from the sudanese capital, khartoum. among the crowds it often feels like a celebration, but for a new world that's still struggling to be born. every cause in the country comes here, to claim its part in the revolution. women's rights campaigners, students. yet the weight of past cruelties is ever present. these are people from darfur. 300,000 were killed there in a genocidal campaign waged by the bashir regime.

and they want justice. the woman leads a chant to avenge the victims. these are relatives of soldiers killed by their own leaders. mohammed sayed malik was executed by the regime in 1990. "i came to congratulate myself and the sudanese people for getting back our rights," says his sister. "those who gave us hunger and a nightmare have been overthrown." past experience of the military is the biggest barrier to trust now, despite a promise tonight from the new regime leader. translation: first, the role of the military council is a supplementary role to the uprising and the blessed revolution. the council is committed to giving power to the people. but this prominent activist is sceptical. she saw her husband and daughter

jailed in the past. i think this military is an extension to the previous regime, so we don't trust it, 100%. how many percent do you trust them? i would say 20%. that's not great, is it? it isn't. so what happens next? i think we will continue on our protest. we will continue on our revolution, until we get what we want. there is so much at stake here, for sudan of course, but also the watching world, because across this region authoritarian rulers can see the challenge posed by a peaceful civil society. remember, it's come to this moment without violence by the protesters, with women playing a leading role, and with the inclusion of all ethnic and religious groups. tonight, the protest leaders said they were suspending talks with the military and escalating demonstrations, hoping the tactics of defiance of the past fortnight

will eventually bring civilian rule. now it's time for a look at the weather with nick miller. hello. there are big weather changes in the weeks ahead but before they start we will squeeze out a fine and to the holiday weekend. what a weekend it has been. good friday and sunshine with 2a degrees, just above 25 yesterday and of course plenty more sunshine today. temperatures topped out close to 25 degrees, perhaps not the uk's warmest easter sunday, it has been for scotland, northern ireland and wales. as i hinted earlier, more weather to come on monday. we will shift cloud away from north west scotland and the western side of northern ireland where it has hung around, the western isles has seen some rain, but the system will pull away westwards, lose the rain from the

western isles. most bases will be dry and clear, misty through central and eastern england and this is where we see the lowest temperatures, close to freezing, and the prone rural spots. high cloud arriving to southern areas on monday. it will drift northwards, turning the son increasingly hazy. look, it is only in north west scotla nd look, it is only in north west scotland and northern ireland's western side. we could pick up an isolated shower to south wales and south—west england towards the end of the day. don't be surprised if something appears. high teens, low 20s. warm spots approaching the mid—20s, and we could see the warmest easter monday on record. as we look to the beach on tuesday, something to draw the air from the south, the high cloud coming from that direction, and also some saharan dust in the atmosphere as well. we could see a sunset on tuesday. most will be fine with hazy sunshine, a fairly breezy day with the chance of showers in parts of wales and south—west england. most places will stay dry. it is still

warm, especially where you have hazy sunshine. the weather changes take place as we go through the rest of the week. the warm start to the week with the air coming from the continent, but by the end of the week we change the direction, we are looking to the atlantic and certainly next weekend it will feel much cooler. as that happens the weather will turn unsettled. from mid—week we will see showers and thunderstorms spreading northwards and it will turn increasingly breezy and it will turn increasingly breezy and windy across southern parts of the uk.

this is bbc news. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow mornings papers in a moment — first the headlines. more than 200 people have died after a series of explosions at churches and hotels in sri lanka. 5 british citizens are among the dead. sri lankan authorities say eight people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. three police officers died during a raid in the capital colombo police say most of the explosions were suicide blasts, it not yet clear who is responsible for the attacks. police in west yorkshire have arrested three men in connection with fires burning on ilkley moor. dozens of firefighters are still dealing with the blaze, which covers six acres.

a comedian and actor, volodymyr zelensky, has won ukraine's presidential election defeating the incumbent, petro poroshenko who has conceded victory. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me arejohn rentoul, chief political commentator at the independent and the sun's chief sports reporter martin lipton. many of tomorrow's front pages are already in. and one story dominates most front pages. in the guardian, there's a dramatic picture inside one of the churches