spreading northwards. bye— bye. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: grief and shock across sri lanka — as a wave of bomb attacks on churches and hotels leaves more than 200 dead. 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 and son on the ground. a government minister tells the bbc police were briefed about the threat ten days ago but the prime minister wasn't told. the million—dollar question was, this was sent on the 11th of april and no proper government official actually had their hands on it.

the comedy actor volodymyr zelensky wins ukraine's presidential election run—off by a landslide — despite no political experience. after a week of protests that brought parts of london to a standstill — what next for the exctinction rebellion? hello and welcome. at least 200 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a series of bomb attacks in sri lanka. 36 foreign nationals are thought to be among the dead including five britons. the explosions targeted churches during easter services and some luxury hotels. authorities have onlyjust lifted an island wide curfew in the last few hours. 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. 13 people have been arrested — the sri lankan prime minister says there may have been prior information about a possible attack. our south asia correspondent yogita limaye reports from colombo. this is where people had gathered to pray. but a bomb ripped through the peace of easter sunday. dozens were killed here

at st 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 and son on the ground. at around the same time an explosion took place here at this catholic—dominated town just north of the capital colombo at a church which is just down the street. we're not allowed to go past this point right 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 hospitals looking for loved ones. for hundreds, that search ended in heartbreak. sri lanka is home to more than a million christians. a community that's 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, popular 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 two loud bangs and the entire room was shaking. i could see that a lot of guests here have been taken to hospitals. they're all casualties, staff and guests.

for many, a holiday has turned into a nightmare. 20—year—old jason allen is from america. he's 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 precautions were not taken in this respect. but first and foremost, we have to meet ensure that terrorism does not lift its head in sri lanka. security has been heightened at churches, hotels and the airport, among other places. since its bloody civil war ended ten years ago, it's the deadliest day sri lanka has seen. yogita limaye with that report from colombo. a few hours after the attack,

a government minister told bbc news that sri lankan police were briefed about the threat of an attack ten days ago — but the prime minister wasn't informed. the report from the military investigation department, the security commission, had these particular details. however it was not dealt properly and the pm was not informed. as you are aware, the law and order minister is the president, and the defence minister is also the president, so therefore there was a problem of miscommunication, and this was raised by the cabinet ministers how this particular report was not taken seriously. the million—dollar question was, this was sent on the 11th of april and no proper government official actually had their hands on it. it says that it could be serious suicide bombs, it could be a weapon, knife or a truck attack. these were

mentioned and names have been mentioned and names have been mentioned as well. they have given a lot of details in this report. i myself find, i don't understand how we didn't know about this because the intelligence report and none of that government ministers or the prime minister knew about it. dr mahesh guna—sekara from the sri lankan red cross is in colombo. i wanted to ask you about how hospitals are coping with the influx of injured. we have been in the front line from the very beginning so front line from the very beginning so when we heard about these bomb blasts, one person activated our blood donor network. we made a

request to the hospitals. this was amazing and quite a lot of blood donors turned in. very soon, the hospital announced they would be an adequate amount of blood. in colombo, i was in a couple of hospitals we saw there was an adequate amount of surgeons, medical staff. there is chaos but they manage it very well. they put the emergency plan into action. no doubt, given the past trouble in sri lanka, the civil war, the medical community is quite good at dealing with something like this. absolutely. they have been trained how to do and what to do. i saw

initially, the icu had limited capacity but once the stables —— once the patients had been stabilised, they transferred them. they kept the icu base available. we saw that the blood donations, pictures of many people wanting to help. you are in the community there, in the capital. how are people reacting just over 2a hours since the attack. what are people saying, how are they feeling? people have been sad, shocked and shattered, really. we have been coming out of a civil war since 2009 and it has been very peaceful. people have been moving around but

we haven't seen anything since. even during the period where we have the war going during the period where we have the wargoing on, during the period where we have the war going on, there was nothing like this. what are some of your concerns coming up in the next couple of days? what is going to have to be looked out for in terms of community reaction or tensions? we are looking ata reaction or tensions? we are looking at a few things. yesterday was really calm and quiet. colombo was basically empty. we are quite vigilant but all the people and communities being vigilant, calm and patient and still then there are

requests coming up, as the red cross, we are working with people who have been missing so we are looking at that today and now we will be working with people who have been affected had by providing them with support and looking at their longer term needs. things have been not very clear so we are just looking at how we are going forward really with their longer term needs. because we don't know who is for this attack but briefly, what would you say people in sri lanka need at the moment? what is the biggest need oi’ the moment? what is the biggest need or concern going forward? the moment? what is the biggest need or concern going forward ?|j the moment? what is the biggest need or concern going forward? i think going forward, i think my request and our request would be to be calm, quiet and patient. for the next couple of days. that's the biggest,

be patient and be calm. all right, from the sri lankan red cross in the capital colombo, thank you so much for your time. reacting to the attack india's prime minister narendra modi has condemned the violence, and expressed solidarity with sri lanka. translation: militancy is so terrifying. every day somewhere in the world it paints us all. —— every day somewhere in the world it paints us all with the blood of the innocent. today, whatever happened in sri lanka, india stands in unity with the people. in this hour of crisis, india is ready to help sri lanka in whatever way possible. two of the explosions took place at catholic churches within the archdiocese of colombo, with sri lanka as a whole home to some 1.2 million roman catholics. in the wake of the bombings, pope francis offered his condolences to the victims in his easter sermon.

translation: to all the victims of such a cruel act of violence. i entrust to the lord all who so tragically died and i pray for the wounded and all those who suffer because of this traumatic event. there's more detail and background to the deadly attacks on our website, including eye—witness accounts and updates as we get them on the victims. do log on to bbc.com/news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: after months of protests in sudan, demonstrators suspend talks with the ruling military. the stars and stripes at half—mast outside columbine high. the school sealed off,

the bodies of the dead still inside. i never thought that they would actually go through with it. one of the most successful singer songwriters of all time, the american pop star prince has died at the age of 57. he was a great musician and, you know, a genius. for millions of americans, the death of richard nixon in a new york hospital has meant conflicting emotions. a national day of mourning next wednesday sitting somehow uneasily with the abiding memories of the shame of watergate. mission control: and lift-off of the space shuttle discovery with the hubble space telescope, our window on the universe.

this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: police in sri lanka have made 13 arrests after a wave of bomb attacks on churches and hotels left more than 200 people dead. a government minister has told bbc news police were briefed about the threat ten days ago, but the prime minister wasn't informed. 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. let's get some of the day's other news. two teenagers arrested over the murder ofjournalist lyra mckee in northern ireland have been released without charge. ms mckee was shot dead during a riot

in londonderry on thursday. her funeral will be held in belfast on wednesday. the police service of northern ireland has appealed for anyone with information to come forward. the bodies of three climbers who went missing on wednesday have been recovered in canada. it's been presumed the trio were killed in an avalanche. they were attempting to scale howse peak in banff national park. a british aid worker killed in nigeria on friday has been named as faye mooney. the british high commission confirmed the death and she was named by mercy corps, the ngo she was working for. mooney was one of two people shot dead by gunmen who stormed a holiday resort in northern nigeria. in sudan, the leaders of the campaign to end military rule have suspended talks with the army. they accused the generals of frustrating plans for a civilian government. the leader of the transitional military council said he was committed to giving power to the people.

our 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. fergal keane, bbc news. a landslide in south—western colombia has killed at least 14 people. five others were injured as eight houses in the village of rosas were buried by the mud. the landslide happened early on sunday after days of torrential rains in the area. but as ramzan karmali reports many are still missing.

a scene of utter devastation has hit the small village of rosas. a landslide swept through the village, destroying eight homes and leaving residents shocked and bewildered. now firefighters have beenjoined by the army and locals in their desperate bid to find the missing. translation: we are working on the rescue of victims. the report we have seen at the moment has the number at 15. we are looking for other missing people. this situation in the rosas municipality is very u nfortu nate. in the rosas municipality is very unfortunate. five people have also been taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. authorities say that the landslide was caused by several days of heavy rain and that parts of the pan—american highway which joins columbia to ecuador have also been blocked. but these landslides are common in mountainous colombia especially during the rainy season. just two years ago torrential rain produced one of the worst disasters to hit colombia in recent times. at least 300 lost their lives as entire

neighbourhoods of macau in the south of the country were washed away. as rescue attempts continue in rosas, the president has said on twitter that the government was in solidarity with the families affected. but for the people of this village, rebuilding of their homes and lives will be a long, hard struggle. the swedish teenage activist greta thunberg has addressed climate change protestors in london. she told the audience they were making a difference. several protest leaders have offered to consider pausing their action if the british government agrees to discuss their demands. 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. on 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. chanting: we love you! 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. let's update you on some breaking news that has come in on the sri la nka news that has come in on the sri lanka attacks. the death toll has increased to 290. it was at 207. it has now increased to 290 with several hundred people injured as well. and we are also hearing that police have arrested 2a suspects now in those attacks, several bomb attacks, suicide attacks on churches

and luxury hotels that have happened more than 2a hours ago. stay with bbc news for all of the latest on that. hello. there are weather changes on the way this week, but we're going to see out the last day of this holiday weekend with plenty more sunshine and warmth. and what a weekend it's been! good friday, 2a degrees. saturday, 25.5. then, for easter sunday, in the sunshine it was the warmest easter sunday on record in scotland, northern ireland and in wales. the record in england, 25.3, still stands. it came close to that, just topping out at 24.6 at wisley in surrey. but, as i indicated earlier, another fine day on the way. now, the satellite pictures showed on easter sunday there was some cloud north—west scotland, the western side of northern ireland. that has actually pulled away, and we are starting today dry and clear across the bulk of the uk. a little chillier than this in some rural parts of central and eastern england, maybe a little misty in one or two spots, but it's a sunnier day in north—west scotland,

the northern and western isles, in the western side of northern ireland, where you've had a few of cloud. but there will be high cloud spilling northwards through much of england and wales, the sun will be hazy, there will be more cloud around in recent days here. there may be a late shower somewhere in south—west england and south wales, especially on the hills, very isolated. temperatures — high teens, low 20s, feeling every bit as warm, maybe mid—20s in the warm spots, it could be the warmest easter monday on record so we will keep you updated on that. it will be breezier, mind you. on through monday night into tuesday, well, a lot of high cloud around, still the chance for a few showers, channel islands, south—west england, south wales and temperatures where they have been chilly in recent nights will be higher. big picture for tuesday, drifting up from the south and on with the high cloud a bit of saharan dust as well, so cameras at the ready, there could be some fiery looking sunrises and sunsets to be watched on tuesday, and maybe for a few days beyond as well. a lot of fine weather again on tuesday. it is hazy sunshine. still fairly breezy out there. and still, the further west you are, you could pick up one or two showers

as the day goes on. it's still very warm, though temperatures may have come down a degree or so on where they have been, and that is a process that accelerates from mid—week. losing the warmth, low pressure setting up as it becomes unsettled and the cool air moves in, particularly at the end of the week and into next weekend. so, gradually turning cooler as the week goes on. you can see this process under way here. we are changing from sunshine to increasing chances of wet weather, not necessarily a bad thing on the gardens and the fields. so, the cooling trend, temperatures may be below average by next weekend, some showers, even some thunderstorms, spreading northwards. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

police in sri lanka have confirmed that the number of dead following the bomb attacks at churches and hotels on sunday has risen to 290. more than 500 people were injured in the attacks. 2a suspects have been arrested. most of the coordinated blasts were suicide attacks. the comedian and actor volodymyr zelensky has won a landslide victory in ukraine's presidential election. full results are not yet in but his rival, the incumbent petro poroshenko, acknowledged defeat after exit polls showed mr zelensky had won about 70% of the vote. the leaders of the protests that led to the ousting of sudan's former president say they have suspended talks and cooperation with the transitional military council that's running the country. they urged demonstrators to continue their peaceful sit—ins until a transition to a civilian government was achieved. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk.