tonight at ten, after the easter sunday attacks, a day of mourning. as sri lankans bury their loved ones, the number of dead has risen again. 321 people lost their lives. these are the first pictures of one of the suicide bombers, wearing a backpack and arriving at a church where dozens were killed. some of his victims have now been laid to rest, as sri lanka remembers those lost. among them, dozens of children killed at sunday school. translation: i didn't expect they would die. i will never see them again. i can't have children like them any more. also on the programme tonight. brexit talks resume between the government and labour, but there's no sign

of any progress yet. the 16—year—old swedish climate activist greta thunberg goes to westminster and tells mps her generation's future has been stolen. this is an emergency. this is an existential crisis. we must do everything we can to stop it. the first british footballer to lift the european cup, former celtic captain billy mcneill, has died at the age of 79. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, more on the young amateur james cahill who shocked the snooker world, sending ronnie o'sullivan packing from the crucible. good evening from sri lanka,

where the first mass funerals have been taking place after easter sunday's suicide attacks on churches and hotels, that has now left 321 people dead. it's been a day of national mourning with three minutes‘ silence observed across the island. the islamic state group claimed responsibility and the country's prime minister conceded that a failure to share intelligence prevented the security services acting on warnings that attacks were being prepared. the bombings were carried out in three areas of the country. churches in the eastern city of batticaloa and the city of negombo were targeted. and there were explosions at six locations in the capital colombo, including another church, restaurants and several hotels, and two residential districts. a state of emergency remains in effect to prevent further attacks, and a0 suspects have been detained, all of whom are sri lankan nationals. our first report tonight is on a day

of mourning across the country, as sri lankans remember the dead. white banners and streamers today greet those entering negombo. in the afternoon breeze, they dance as if heralding a fete or celebration. but in sri lanka, white signifies death. they pray. a meditation on the life of christ and remembrance of the dead. in this house, open caskets contain four members of one family, murdered as they prayed on easter sunday. a mother, two girls and a boy aged seven. then the quiet reflection is broken. she shrieks. "my golden daughter, my small son, why are you like this?" she wails. "get up, get up!"

overcome, this grandmother still can't believe two generations of her family are gone. and next door, another house of sorrow. she shrieks. "i lost my family," says anusha kumari. and all around, her heartbreak is shared. nearby, more bodies. her husband and teenage son. this room is now a shrine. and close by, a 21—year—old daughter, to be laid to rest. so—called islamic state has claimed responsibility and anusha demands that the government gets tough on local extremists. translation: the people of this country are mad. they are fools. we need a strong leader to run this country. sri lanka needs a strong

man for it to rise. it is clear that the sense of shock and grief and loss that this woman is feeling, so many are feeling here in sri lanka is now turning to anger, real anger at the authorities for not protecting them. as he calmly walks past a child, cctv captures the bomber who destroyed anusha's life and so many others. he walks into st sebastian church. it is packed. this is easter sunday. seconds later, he detonates. on this day of national mourning, sri lanka's prime minister warned that some extremists are still on the run and may be returnees from syria. there are a few people on the run, some are on the run so we have to apprehend them... with the explosive. he was asked how many are on the run.

i don't know. back in negombo, excavations for mass burials. the burning question after sunday's barbarity — will the killings bring this country together in grief or see the delicate balance of ethnic and religious fault lines here tear apart? and there are more details today of british nationals killed in the sri lanka attacks. amelie linsey, who was 15, and her brother daniel, who was 19, both from london, died in the bomb attack on the shangri—la hotel here in colombo. they were on the final day of their holiday. in all, eight britons were killed. so as we've been hearing, there's been that claim of responsibility from the so—called islamic state group for the easter sunday attacks. yet the local militant islamist

group which is being blamed for the bombings is relatively small, and previously not considered a major threat. so could the possible involvement of is account for the sophistication of the attacks, and could they have been prevented by better intelligence? our security correspondent gordon corera has been looking at some of the questions behind the investigation. it is one of the most deadly attacks the world has seen in recent years, and a clearer picture of those responsible is now emerging. the attackers, the authorities said from none many coming from none a relatively small group, previously best known only for vandalizing british trains. but officials have maintained they must have had help. there seems to have been foreign involvement. they feel that some

of them have traveled abroad, and come back. there are may be more, that's why we've asked for assistance. today we saw the first evidence of where that help may have come from. the islamic state group issued a video, which we are not showing. in it, eight men, all but one masked, pledged allegiance to the is leader. but there are still questions. did they simply pledge allegiance, or did they receive direct support from the group? and did some of the men, as sri lankan ministers have suggested, return from fighting in syria? the targeting of christians on easter sunday, and also tourists at hotels, was much more in line with is ideology than with the traditional types of communal violence seen in sri lanka. it was a step change for the local militants. there was a warning though, this police report, based on a tip—off from another country, was issued ten days before the attack. it named the leader of the group, and even warned of suicide bombings with churches a target. it says investigations

into the suspects were under way. there is now a blame game among politicians about why it was not shared or acted on. officials say they had no idea an attack of this magnitude was possible. and it is now an urgent priority for sri lanka, and also other countries, to understand how a small local group could be transformed into one capable of violence on such a scale. gordon corera, bbc news. well, the stories of those who've lost their lives, and those of the families left behind, aren't confined to the capital, colombo. in the east of the country, 28 people were killed in the attack at the zion church in batticaloa. there, children were attending sunday school, when the bomb exploded. our correspondent rajini vaidya nathan has travelled to batticaloa, and sent this report. in the town of batticaloa, they're grieving.

at almost every corner, pictures hang in memory of the young lives that were lost. forjerusham, who'd just turned 13. forjohn, who loved basketball. for amsika, who was two. for the other children killed at church. they'd been attending sunday school. this footage was filmed 20 minutes before the bomber struck. after class, some of them had gone outside for snacks before easter service. 12—year—old niruban was one of the children who stayed inside. "suddenly, we heard loud noises," he told me. "we looked out and saw glass and motorbikes flying around, and heard screams and shouts." at least 25 people died in the blast here in zion church. 13 were children.

niruban‘s mother, krishanthi, was one of the sunday school teachers. her husband ramesh was at the church, which was packed with worshippers, when he spotted a stranger with a backpack. "the man told my husband he was carrying a camera and wanted to film inside," she told me. "my husband said he couldn't enter and forced him to leave. as i went into the church, the bomb exploded." ramesh died, but his actions saved lives. niruban and his sister now have to live theirs without a father. i love myjesus only. and for krishanthi, now a widow, her pain is all too familiar. her parents were brutally murdered in sri lanka's civil war. her aunt died in a tsunami. in this small christian community, entire families have been wiped out.

sundari lost her son, her daughter—in—law, and her 18—month—old grandson. just around the corner, we found another memorial poster, of two smiling children. yesterday brother and sister sharon and sarah were buried. side by side. they were just 11 and 12. both loved to study. still on the wall in their house, their homework calendar. "i'll never see them again," their mum told me. "since they've been gone, all i can remember are their smiles and laughter. they won't come back again. that's the reality." ten years after the civil war ended, this community is once again burying its dead. these graves have barely been dug, just like the lives lost had barely been lived. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, batticaloa.

well, we will have a little more from here in sri lanka later in the programme. for now, back to sophie in the studio. the government has resumed talks with labour that are aimed at breaking the deadlock over brexit. but there's still no sign of a breakthrough. meanwhile senior conservative backbenchers have been meeting this evening to discuss changing party rules so that a challenge to theresa may's leadership can be brought forward amid mounting anger at her handling of the brexit talks. here's our chief political correspondent vicki young. drumming. it's time for mps to make some important decisions. as they returned to parliament after easter, environmental campaigners were out in force, demanding action. frustrated brexit supporters are doing the same. brexit now! theresa may's urging all sides to fall into line behind her deal. talks with labour resumed today, but so far, there is no

sign of a breakthrough. there's got to be a change in the government's approach. they cannot keep on just regurgitating what has already been emphatically rejected three times by parliament. there's got to be a change. one minister is warning mps of dire consequences if they fail to find a way through. the options before us, if they don't get this withdrawal agreement through, is meltdown in our political system. notjust in the conservative party, but in our whole political system. we need to come together now and vote through the withdrawal agreement. how are the cross—party talks going? any progress? the prime minister told her cabinet today that talks with labour had been serious but difficult and progress needed to be made urgently. should the prime minister step down, mr fox? many conservatives hate the idea of trying to get help from labour. some blame theresa may for mishandling the entire brexit process, and say it is time she quit. but the party's rules say there cannot be another vote on her leadership until december. so behind closed doors, senior tories are discussing

whether to rip up those rules to try to get rid of her earlier. we need fresh leadership. and i hope that we are able to persuade theresa may that now is the time to go. beyond westminster, parties are gearing up for european parliamentary elections. launching its campaign in bristol today, change uk, set up by former labour and conservative mps. this is no rebel alliance. this is the home of the remain alliance. these elections are a chance to send the clearest possible message. we demand a people's vote and the right to remain and campaign to remain in the european union. the party unveiled its candidates, including racheljohnson, writer and sister of pro—brexit mp borisjohnson. here, they are enthusiastic about the possibility of european elections next month, but almost three years after the uk

voted to leave the eu, it is certainly not what theresa may had been hoping for. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. buckingham palace has confirmed that president trump will make a three—day state visit to the uk in june, accompanied by first lady melania trump. the white house said the visit would reaffirm what it called the "steadfast and special relationship" between the united states and britain. unlike 2018 — which was dubbed a working trip at the time — this will be an official state visit with the queen as host. the dissident irish republican group, the new ira, has said it killed a northern irish journalist last week. lyra mckee was shot while she was reporting on riots in londonderry. the group released a statement offering apologies to the journalist's partner, family and friends. our ireland correspondent chris page is in derry for us. that apology has really generated a

fresh wave of condemnation and disgust with lyra mckee's friends branding it as callous, cynical and cowardly. they say paramilitary organisations shouldn't be issuing state m e nts organisations shouldn't be issuing statements of regret, instead they should just be disbanding. the new ira is believed to be the largest organisation opposed to the peace process. although they only have a few hundred members they still pose a threat. here in derry, detectives say there has been a massive public response to their appeals for information. more than 140 people have contacted detectives through an online portal where they have been uploading mobile phone footage and other material that could be of use, but police say they still need more potential witnesses to come forward. today they made their third arrest of the investigation with a 57—year—old woman detained. but like two other such expects a rest before her, she has been released without

charge. lyra mckee's funeral will be held in belfast at the head of that herfamily have held in belfast at the head of that her family have released a statement this evening saying she was a gentle and innocent soul who wished ill on nobody. the 16—year—old climate change activist from sweden, greta thunberg, has addressed mps in parliament today and told them that her generation's future has been stolen. she insisted that politicians needed to act now to help bring down carbon emissions. the today programme's nick robinson went to meet her. the passion, the pigtails, the shy smile. greta thunberg is the swedish schoolgirl who wants to teach politicians three or four times her age a lesson they will never forget. hanging on her every word in the commons today, representatives of all the major parties. we children are doing this to wake the adults up. for you to put your differences aside and start acting as you would in a crisis. greta was just 15 when she walked out of class and began the first school strike

against climate change. since then, more than 1 million, in countries all over the world, have followed suit. their message is a simple one. why should we waste time learning when our leaders ignore the facts about global warming? you said something very striking the other day. you said, "we need to panic. we can'tjust have a polite conversation about this any more". what did you mean? if your house is on fire and you want to keep your house from burning to the ground, then that does require some level of panic. you don't sit talking about insurance claims or rebuilding or renovations. then, you do everything you can to put out the fire. greta's school holidays are a little different from most kids. she has spoken to crowds in berlin... this is only the beginning of the beginning. met the pope in rome... got a standing ovation at the european parliament in brussels...

before travelling to london, all by train, of course, to be hailed as a hero by climate change protesters blockading the streets. do you occasionally have to pinch yourself and say, "how has this happened?" yes, definitely. it is hard to sort of understand it. you talk about having asperger‘s and you say that it is a gift, that it helps you in some ways. how? if i would have been like everyone else, i wouldn't have started the school strike, for instance. i think differently. i couldn't believe that everyone... could just continue like before, and yet... while this was happening. politicians are queueing up to be seen with greta thunberg. they all say they share her concerns. she is living proof that you are never too small to make a difference. nick robinson, bbc news, westminster.

sudan's military leader has promised his forces will not use violence against demonstrators who are staging a mass sit in outside army headquarters in the capital khartoum. the country's economic problems sparked the first protests last year. sudan's president was finally forced out this month after 30 years in power. but now the army is in control and the protesters are demanding that the military leave power and organise a return to civilian rule. african leaders, meeting in egypt today, said the military now had three months to do that. and the protests are having an impact beyond sudan, in other countries in east africa, as our africa editor fergal keane reports. chanting. the protesters, still in place. so too, ordered not to use force, the soldiers. and today their leader went on a persuasion offensive in his first interview with the international media.

translation: we don't want to rule the country at all. we just came to secure the country, not to run it. as soon as there is consensus, today or tomorrow, we would hand over power. but here outside army headquarters, there is scepticism. fear that the military is trying to divide further an opposition that has struggled to present a united political agenda in recent days. amjad farid is a senior opposition figure. the chairman of the military council says he's willing to hand over power tomorrow. do you expect that to happen? so, we need him to hand over the power tomorrow. he needs to walk the talk that he says. people are taking to the streets, demanding one demand in order to continue the negotiation, which is handing over the power to a civilian council. this isn't just about what happens in this city on the nile. it has meaning in the lives of millions of young africans. mobilising in countries

like uganda, where police repress popular protest. at makerere university in kampala, students are watching sudan. the young people and generation needs to come in, so when we see these changes of one person leaving power, voluntarily, we feel like it is an inspiration to them because they're trying to join politics, to stand their ground now and take on the cause. but there is a vulnerability in such broad popular movements. they can struggle for consensus. there is now in effect a stalemate with the opposition refusing to talk to the military, but it's unlikely to last. the pressure is on the protest leaders to offer their supporters a way out of the impasse. and there's a lesson in this for civil society across the region. political flexibility is needed when you're trying to get rid of an entrenched regime. but despite arguments — over the length of a democratic transition, about who really speaks

for the people — they keep coming. these from atbara, where the movement began. however difficult the talks ahead, times really have changed. fergal keane, bbc news, khartoum. the former celtic captain, billy mcneill — who became the first british footballer to lift the european cup — has died at the age of 79. in 1967, he led his celtic team — nicknamed the lisbon lions — to a famous victory over inter milan, one of the highlights of a long career. katie gornall looks back at his life. it was often said that billy mcneill was at the heart of everything for celtic. here he is, celebrating the club's greatest triumph — becoming the first british man to lift the european cup. in that moment, the leader became a legend. the victory came against inter milan, on a sun—drenched evening in lisbon in 1967. commentator: barely seven minutes from time came the winning goal.

today, two of his team—mates from that famed lisbon lions side paid their own tribute. we called him caesar, honestly, because he was a leader. and the great thing about it, he had the passion of everybody that was in the terraces. in 1965, mcneill scored the winning goal in the scottish cup final, sparking a period of domestic dominance that would include nine successive league titles. he was capped 29 times for scotland, before retiring in 1975, bringing to an end an 18—year playing career devoted to celtic. not many people get the opportunity to stand in the winners' rostrum, and i've done it on lots of occasions. and it is wonderful, make no mistake about it. and to play for a club and be associated, for me, with this club has always been brilliant. billy mcneill will be remembered by fans here not just for his abilities as a player. he's also one of the club's most successful managers, winning eight trophies, including four league titles

in his two spells in charge. everybody‘s an icon, everybody‘s a hero. they're not. but he was. he was an icon. he wasjust some man, do you know what i mean? he gave so much. there is a feeling among the celtic faithful that something precious has been lost in the passing of billy mcneill, a footballer who was one of a kind. billy mcneill, who has died at the age of 79. back to our main story today, and the easter sunday attacks in sri lanka. thanks, sophie. today, has been one of national mourning here after the easter sunday suicide attacks, with the prime minister conceding there was a failure to share intelligence across the security services that may have prevented the bombings. so, where does sri lanka go from here? with me here in colombo is our south asia editor ambarisan ethirajan. i've seen a snapshot of some of the

sorrow here that this country is feeling and some of the anger as well. what are your thoughts for the future? there is no doubt the country is facing yet another crisis but there is also the potential to unify a divided nation. at times of grief and sadness, people can come together, but it's all up to the political and religious leadership to work together so they can stop radicalisation and nationalism. but the ethnic fault lines of this country are very deep—rooted. there we re country are very deep—rooted. there were the tamil tiger rebels, the war with them ended in 2009 after decades of conflict. after woods many people expected them to reach out so reconciliation could happen. if you ask the tamils in the north and east, they will agree the war ended ten years ago but reconciliation has not happened. now it's for the political establishment to work together to bring communities together so they can

defeat this invisible enemy of hatred. that's it. in a moment the news where you are, but we'll leave you with some of today's images, of national remembrance across sri lanka. good night. singing. in this small village, almost every house has one funeral. you cannot find a single person who is without tears. everybody's crying.

hello and welcome to sportsday. i'm sarah mulkerrins. your headlines tonight. a top four finish in the premier league is the target — tottenham take another big step towards achieving that the amatuer who beat the five time world champion — we've got the story of what's being called the biggest upset in snooker history. tributes pour in for billy mcneill, the leader of the lisbon lions, who has died at the age of 79.

good evening, welcome along. tottenham have boosted their hopes of a top four finish, but brighton face a nervy run in, for their premier league survival. it was a late christian eriksen strike that gave spurs a one nil win over brighton at wembley this evening, the visitors had been resolute in defence, and looked on course for a crucial point, before the hosts finally brole the deadlock and consolidated their spot in third. austin halewood watched the action. a stadium that demands a top—quality performance. an all—star crowd to see them in full flow, but the football on display was anything but the greatest shell. read from the game, it fell into a pattern, all

the chances just