welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: sri lanka grieves. with close to 300 people killed in sunday's bomb attacks, the first funerals are taking place. the shock and disbelief remain raw. outside, shattered glass everywhere, roof tiles that are broken. and all around, a strong smell of blood and death. as the government imposes emergency powers, it's facing more questions about its failure to act on intelligence ahead of the attacks. the us threatens sanctions on any country importing oil from iran after the 1st of may. tehran calls the move ‘illegal.’ mexico's murder rate goes up by nearly 10%, more than 8,000 killed

in the first three months of the year. sri lanka is holding a day of mourning for the victims of the easter sunday bomb blasts. nearly three hundred people were killed in the attacks on churches and hotels. many of the funerals are underway. a state of emergency has come into force — the country remains on high alert; on monday more explosive devices and detonators were found. the government has blamed a little known islamic extremist group for the attacks, but it also said such coordinated bombings couldn't have taken place without international support. questions remain about the fact the government received specific security alerts days before the attacks. my colleague sharanjit leyl is in colombo.

there going concern here about a failure of communication in the lead up failure of communication in the lead up to sundays attack that killed 290 people. and injured more than 500. a festering row within the government has meant the prime minister was excluded from intelligence briefings and kept in the dark about a recent warning of a potential attack by this islamist extremist group. another explosion near one of the bombed churches, in a country that's already on the edge. a van blew up when the police tried to defuse explosives inside. no—one was hurt. but on easter sunday, hundreds died, many of them here at st sebastian's church. it's believed to be the site of the deadliest bombing. the hall was packed with families who'd come here to pray. a priest who was at the altar has told me thatjust before the service

ended, a person entered through one of the side doors and detonated a bomb. such was the impact that it destroyed everything inside. but even here outside, shattered glass everywhere, roof tiles that are broken. and all around, a strong smell of blood and death. people have begun to say goodbye to loved ones. the allen family is from thailand. they were on holiday in sri lanka. these boys lost their mother, monique, when she was at breakfast in a five—star hotel. my wife loved sri lanka. this was her favourite country. she was so happy, and i think maybe it was her destiny to, um... to go back home, you know, to sri lanka. among the eight british nationals who have been killed are anita nicholson, her son alex, and her daughter annabel.

in a statement, ben nicholson said his wife and children had the priceless ability to light up any room they entered and bring joy to the lives of all they came into contact with. also among the dead are a retired firefighter billy harrop, and his partner, sally bradley, from manchester. the vast majority of those dead are sri lankan. hundreds of families in this country in grief. popular chef sha ntha mayadunne, seen here on the left, and her daughter nisanga, to the right, posted this photo just before they were killed at the shangri—la. some, like this woman, are still searching. today, a sri lankan minister apologised to his people. we are very, very sorry as a government. we have to apologise to the families and the other institutions about this incident. several people have been arrested,

and the government has blamed a local hardline islamist group for the attacks. there are questions about whether warnings about the bombings were not passed on. the intelligence never indicated that it was going to be an attack of this magnitude. they were talking about one or two isolated incidents, not like this. and also besides, there is no emergency in this country. we can't request the armed forces to come and assist us. we can only depend on the police, so we informed the police. for a people that have endured war, these attacks are a sudden reminder of more violent times. yogita limaye, bbc news, colombo. it is morning here, a new day in colombo, the capital city of sri lanka. and we know a nationwide state of emergency has been declared coming to effect at midnight, just a few hours ago. that will give the government sweeping powers to detain

and arrest suspects. today is also an official day of mourning and we expect to see more funerals take place today, more outpouring of grief and shock that we've seen the city experience over the last two days. we know that this is the deadliest violence the country has witnessed since the end of the civil war in 2009. that was when the country was torn apart by ethnic strife. but sunday's blast will be adding a new dimension to that, bringing back memories many sri lankans would ratherforget. earlier i spoke to mia bloom. she is professor of communications at georgia state university and studies terror groups. i asked her what her thinking was behind this attack. it's a terrible tragedy and part of the reason the tragedy could have

been avoided is as we know, indian intelligence agencies and the american intelligence agencies warned sri lanka and part of the reason nothing was done is the fact that the president and the prime minister are barely speaking to one another, and the prime minister could have done something, he has been excluded from security briefings. that does seem an extraordinary situation, doesn't it? it does, and because the president and the supreme court sacked his, then reinstated the minister, he has been frozen out and it's unfortunate because how they acted they received two weeks ago or ten days ago, even minutes before the attack, a lot of bloodshed could have been avoided. reading your material, i was astonished to see that something like 60% of terror attacks are never claimed. there is some concern about the fact that nobody seems to have claimed this one.

you wonder whether somebody is waiting to take the temperature, to see the reaction to it, more worryingly, perhaps, another attack is being planned. absolutely, that's generally what is seen in other cases. according to the global terrorism database, which is collected, all the terrorism attacks from the 1970s, 80s, on until 2016. they have been able to attribute about 27%, which leaves more than 50% never claimed. with isis, we've tended to see, for example, the attack on turkey against the airport about two and a half years ago. never actually claimed it. partly because as you say, there could be assessing the reaction as very negative, we've even seen arab and muslim leaders come out against this attack at what is more worrying is that they don't claim the attack. in part because they are worried about increasing security if they do claim it.

there is, however, one thing that happened maybe 20 minutes ago that on the encrypted platforms of telegram, isis began to disseminate three images of alleged attackers from sri lanka, all three of them are in front of a makeshift isis flag and they have their finger up which is the traditional isis dance. these are not official channels, these are only the fan boy channels that are rubbish the material. and what do you make of that? i know in the past is have claimed the las vegas shootings and even the pulse nightclub. yes, and i circumspect about isis claims, for example, in las vegas there was no connection to isis and yet to this very day they claim the perpetrator and as i mentioned to the producer, one of the things that struck me was one of their images that they promoted, before the decline of the caliphate,

to have the isis nightclub shooting in orlando and the san bernadino shooting which was in california, both located in florida. my reaction was, if you don't know what state this attack occurred, you didn't plan it. we do have to be very careful, the extent to which something that might be inspired by isis may never have been directed by isis at all. so how do you expect that you like and government will try to counter the people behind these attacks and the possible threat of any more? i think that one of the things they are doing is that had a prevention of terrorism act which allows them to clamp down on what we considered to be most civil rights. they have a curfew, they have a blackout of social media and they are just trying to get a sense of how they are going to handle this because what they don't want to do is exacerbate the kinds of communal tensions which might be what isis

or these jihadi groups want. we've seen for example, this group, was previously last december accused of defacing buddha statues and as a result there has been violence against the muslim communities. that is something the government is trying to clamp down on. there are going to be heads to roll when this comes out with the fact that because of conflicts between the president and the prime minister, they were left unprepared for this attack, even though they had ample warnings. let's get some of the day's other news. at least eight people have been killed in a powerful earthquake on the island of luzon in the philippines. dozens are feared trapped in buildings in pampanga province, north of the capital, manila. the quake — magnitude 6.1 — caused structural damage to clark international airport and made office buildings sway in manila. thejudiciary committee of the us house of representatives has subpoenaed former white house counsel don mcgahn

to testify before congress over whether president trump obstructed justice. according to the report by special counsel mueller, the president ordered don mcgahn to fire him as he was investigating russian interference in the 2016 election, but mcgahn refused. mr trump denies any obstruction. the bbc understands the white house is to announce a state visit to the uk by president trump. it's thought it could coincide with the 75th anniversary of d—day, so around june the 6th. he made a four—day official visit lastjuly. the trump administration has declared that any country importing iranian oil after may the 1st will face american sanctions. the us pulled out of the international nuclear deal with tehran last year, and this puts further pressure on iran. it will also affect china, india, south korea and japan, who were given waivers to buy iranian oil to limit market disruption. at a press conference, the us secretary of state suggested the sanctions were a way to combat terrorism.

before the sanctions went into effect iran would generate as much as $50 billion annually in oil revenue. 0verall, today, we estimate that our sanctions have denied the regime well north of $10 million. the regime would have used that money to support terror groups continue missile development in defiance of un security council resolution 22—31. at that news conference was our state department correspondent barbara plett usher. in november, when the sanctions against iran fell back into place, the administration here issued waivers to eight countries so they could continue buying iranian oil because the us was afraid there would be disruptions to the market. now officials are saying, after six months, they've made the calculation that the market can bear this sort of thing, so they have cut off these exemptions completely. just the news of the drive prices up to some degree. that's also partly because there is a tight supply at the moment. it is notjust the sanctions on iran, it is sanctions

on venezuela and other things. the administration officials — president trump himself has tweeted that they do expect their allies in the middle east, the united arab emirates and particularly saudi arabia to increase production so the market can manage this, so that any gaps will be filled. the saudis have said they will work together with other producers to make sure the market is balanced. although they have not given full guarantees that they will step up production. they are in fact benefiting from the higher oil prices. but this is something the administration has been quite clear about, they are quite sure that saudi arabia will step up. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: getting away from it all — the home on the high seas causing controversy in thailand. 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 news, the latest headlines: with close to 300 people killed in sunday's bomb attacks in sri lanka — the first funerals are taking place. the government's facing more questions about its failure to act on intelligence ahead of the attacks. the united states threatens sanctions on any country importing oil from iran after the first of may. tehran calls the move ‘illegal‘. more than 220 people have been killed and over 100 injured —— and over 1000 injured in fighting in libya. there have been clashes between the un backed government, and forces loyal to a general from the east, who is trying to take over the capital. our international correspondent 0rla guerin has been to the frontlines and sent this report. in tripoli, the spectre of war has returned. instead of a planned un peace conference, there is a fight for control of the capital. we were taken to the front lines

in the southern suburbs. this is ain zara, a key battle ground, deserted now except for the defenders of tripoli. and here they are. brigade 191. heavy gunfire. there are resounding echoes of libya's revolution. spot the barefoot volunteers. but they have been holding off general khalifa haftar, the military strong man from eastern libya. here at this front line position, there's a very short distance between the two sides. the fighters here are telling us that the nearest of general haftar‘s men are less than a mile away. now, these men are here fighting for the internationally—recognised government. they tell us this isn'tjust a battle for control of tripoli —

this is a fight for the future of libya. and a short distance away in martyrs‘ square, a sea of flags and a chorus of protest. among the crowds — maalak al badri, born and bred in leeds and now living in tripoli. i think haftar is a war criminal. he's the spitting image of muammar gaddafi. he's walking in the same footsteps. he says he's going to free tripoli and then everything's going to be fine, it's going to be safe, but he's just going to be another muammar gaddafi. do you feel disappointed by the british government? i think theresa may is more caught up in brexit than any other thing in the world at the moment. if brexit wasn't here then maybe, but... many here feel abandoned by the international community, but insist they will stand together against the enemy. i would like to say two words to haftar. haftar, these men here, we will break you! there is no way he will take tripoli. there is no way!!

he will never take it while we are alive! freedom! the general presents himself as the face of stability here, the man to crush extremists. many libyans don't buy it but he has support from regional powers. 0n the streets, protesters fear he could lead their fragile country to all—out war and damage any hope of democracy. 0rla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. the murder rate in mexico has risen by almost 10% over the first three months of 2019. 8,493 were killed in this period according to official figures. these numbers were released on the same day as mourners gathered

at funerals for the thirteen victims from friday's shooting in veracruz state. ramzan karmali reports. they have come to mourn a local baseball coach and his infant son, just two victims in a mass shooting. they were at a family party when the attacker struck. it is left to community shattered. translation:- event of this magnitude cannotjust happen. it concerns us all. we are very upset, sad, destroyed because a baby ‘s life was involved. above all, baseball really feel the loss of this great person. this mass shooting took based on a local bar. the motive for the attack is still unclear. but there are reports that the intended target was the owner of the intended target was the owner of the bar. texaco's relatively new president visited the area and gave this assurance. ‘s translation: president visited the area and gave this assurance. 's translationzlj deeply regret what has happened here and in other areas. deeply regret what has happened here and in otherareas. i deeply regret what has happened here and in other areas. i want to say that we will guarantee peace in veracruz. that is my commitment as

president of the republic. but the president of the republic. but the president faces an uphill struggle. he took avenue office last year and vowed to crackdown on violence. but last year over 33,000 people were murdered in mexico. the highest since records began. and in the first three months of 2019, almost 8500 people have been killed. a rise of almost 10% compared to the same period last year. the president may point to the fact that he has inherited a violent country. they all tried but failed to win the war against the drug cartels. the president wants to create a new security force, a national guard. he hopes to have this 80,000 strong force up and running by the end of the year. but some critics out there are enough people willing to join it. environmental activists in london have taken their protests inside one of the city's best—known landmarks, the natural history museum. protests linked to the group extinction rebellion are now

into a second week. more than a thousand people have been arrested. caroline davies reports. central london, day eight of the protest. tents still lie in the middle of a road junction and banners and stages continue to block the streets, so the crowds gathered in marble arch. i think it's a very important time, and time we're running out of. i think it's important to give support. it's all about the numbers, so the more people who show support, the more echo it will create. it's great to see so many people from all different walks of life getting involved and standing up for what we believe in. at the natural history museum, around 100 protesters lay on the floor under the blue whale in a staged die—in. they're not doing theirjob! over 1,000 arrests have been made so far, with over 50 people charged. among those detained was former gold olympic medal winner, canoeist etienne stott.

it's a big step to take, but like i say, i think this is what it's come to for me. and i think if it's working, and i believe that it is, i am happy to have been counted at this point, because this could be the start, well, i believe it is the start of this turnaround. over 9,000 police officers have been deployed to the protests. the mayor of london has called for the group to allow the city to return to business as usual. the group behind me are currently co—ordinating what's going to happen next. after over a week of disruption, they're not the only ones who want to know how this is going to continue. exactly what will happen next isn't clear. organisers suggested that more direct action is planned for this week, but wouldn't reveal the details. caroline davies, bbc news. now the phenomenon known as ‘sea—steading', where people try to build their homes in international waters, beyond the authority of any nation state. two aspiring ‘sea—steaders' have had their property raided by the thai navy. the bbc‘s tim allman has the story.

it doesn't look all that much but this small cabin could be quite revolutionary. made of what appears to be wood and plastic, surrounding a metal frame. somewhere to get away from it all, including, potentially, the sovereignty of the nation—state. for two months, an american bitcoin dealer and his thai girlfriend set up home in waters near thailand. more accurately, 26 kilometres, around 1a nautical miles, off the island of phuket. technically international waters but close enough for the thai navy to get involved. translation: the couple announced their autonomy on social media beyond jurisdiction of any country. as well as this they were inviting others to join them in setting up

this kind of living structure to create an autonomous colony. by the time the navy arrived, the sea—steaders had already left. on social media one of them, chad elwartowski, said that he was free for a moment, probably the freest person in the world. their home has now been towed back to shore where it will be used in evidence. the couple are not in custody but are believed to be somewhere in thailand. they could, in theory, face the death naughty for violating —— they could, in theory, face the death penalty for violating thai sovereignty. that would be quite the price to pay for living on the high seas. and the main news, a growing row intra linker regarding the lack of communication before the bomb attacks on sunday. because of a row within government, the prime minister had been excluded from

information. there is some good news on the weather front if you have been enjoying the fine weather in the last few days. we have one more day of decent weather on tuesday, a lot of sunshine around and temperatures still into the 20s. after that it really will be all change. in fact, it will cool off dramatically and we have showers and thunderstorms potentially on the way. on the satellite already, the picture is looking very u nsettled. you can see clouds swirling around here. weather fronts as well, patterns actually, but these weather fronts are heading in our direction and in around 24—36 hours time

they will arrive and we will see downpours. first in the country's south—west and then in other parts of the uk as well. for the time being, tuesday looks relatively quiet, notjust in the uk but in much of western, north—western europe into scandinavia as well. morning temperatures are between six and 12 celsius though not as chilly as it was yesterday morning. and then in the afternoon it is business as usual. a lot of sunshine around, warm south south—easterly wind, not quite as warm. we had temperatures around 25 degrees in the last few days and i think around 22 or 23 across southern and central areas. still making around 20 in the lowlands of scotland and just shy of 20 for belfast but another fine day on the way. here is tuesday night into wednesday and the high pressure that has been bringing us the fine weather slips away towards the east and this big area of messy weather with its weather fronts, this big area of low pressure is starting to push in. from the early hours of wednesday we will start to see rain moving into cornwall, devon, parts of wales as well, central and southern england and the midlands as well some could be downpours with thunderstorms and watch what happens through the day on wednesday.

difficult to say which towns and cities will get the downpours at what time but suffice to say it will be a lot more unsettled on wednesday compared to the last few days. scotland is still looking fine but the north sea coast may be a little on the cool side there. some cloud as well. that is midweek — towards the end of the week it really will be a big change because we even say goodbye to the mild air. the warm air is long gone but colder currents of air from the north atlantic arrive, breezy conditions as well, showers possible. so the outlook says it all, really — a lot of shower symbols here with temperatures dropping to below average for some of us and towards the weekend even struggling to make double figures across northern areas.

this is bbc news.

the headlines: sri lanka is holding a day of mourning for victims of the easter sunday bomb blasts. nearly 300 people were killed in the attacks on churches and hotels. funerals are already under way. a state of emergency has come into force and the government is facing questions about security alerts received days before the attacks. the government blames a little known islamist group, but also says a local group could not have carried out co—ordinated bombings without international support. one minister described the government as ashamed and outraged at its own failure to prevent the attacks. the trump administration has declared that any country importing iranian oil after may 1st will face american sanctions. the us secretary of state says the aim is to halt iran's oil exports entirely, but it will also affect china, india, south korea and japan, who were given temporary waivers to buy iranian oil, to limit market disruption. older women are being exploited

by ivf clinics, who are "trading