welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: sri lanka's president admits even he wasn't told of prior intelligence on the easter day attacks and promises a shake—up of security services. meanwhile, the grieving say goodbye. the first funerals take place as dozens of children are confirmed among the 321 people who died. translation: i didn't expect they would die. i'll never see them again. i can't have children like them anymore. and i'm in colombo. memorials continue here in remembrance of the people who lost their lives in easter sunday's attacks.

in other news: he's packed up and on his way — north korean leader kim jong—un sets off to russia for his first ever summit with president putin. one man, one vote, one trek through lion—infested jungle. the story behind this indian priest casting his ballot. the president of sri lanka is replacing the chief of police and security services in response to sunday's suicide bombings, which it's now confirmed killed at least 320 people. he's also promised action against those who didn't share warnings, received beforehand, about likely attacks. the prime minister has said lives were lost because intelligence tip—offs were not passed on to the government. it's early morning in colombo and my

colleague sharanjit leyl is there. thanks mike. it's the third day of mourning and group for many sri lankans and others who have lost families and loved ones. memorials are set to continue later today as well. tuesday, of course, we know is a national day of mourning. we saw the mass funerals take place, of course many others are due to happen over the next few days. we know the government has blamed a small terrorist group in sri lanka for these attacks but the so—called islamic state has also claimed responsibility. the bbc‘s clive myrie reports. 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?

it wasn't just the capital, colombo, that was attacked. more than 25 people, many of them children, lost their lives in the attack at the zion church in batticaloa, that's in the east of the country. the bbc‘s rajini vaidya nathan reports: 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 went 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. this woman 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 i2. 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. as we mentioned, the grieving still continues and many more memorials are set to take place. government schools and universities remain closed, there is a state of emergency nationwide invoice. that gives the government sweeping powers to detain or arrest anyone they think is a suspect without a court order. we know they have already arrested some a0 sri lankan nationals, all locals, but, as we

mentioned at the start of the programme the president has been speaking, he said a lot of the intelligence reports that were a p pa re ntly intelligence reports that were apparently shared by intelligence services from abroad that an attack was due to take place, he said he was due to take place, he said he was not privy to those reports either and that he plans to change the heads of the defence forces over the heads of the defence forces over the next 2a hours. we've been hearing from the prime minister as well, he essentially says that yes, even though everyone who has been arrested is sri lankan and we do think they know the group behind it, the nt], a local extremist group, the nt], a local extremist group, the prime minister essentially thinks they were able to do this attack, co—ordinated suicide attacks, with the help of outside influences. of course, in the last few days or so, as our state has claimed responsibility for the

attacks —— islamic state. the co—ordination suggest there was external help —— suggest. this country remains on a state of high alerts and there is still a lot of war mourning and grieving to do —— alert. let's get some of the day's other news. saudi arabia has executed 37 people in a single day on terrorism charges. all were saudi citizens and most, it's reported, were from the country's shia minority. the body of one was crucified after execution. amnesty international says one of the men was i6—years—old when arrested, and that many of the trials violated international standards and relied on confessions extracted under torture. in hong kong, nine leaders of 201a's pro—democracy "occupy" movement are expected to arrive shortly for sentencing at west kowloon magistrates‘ court.

earlier this month the defendants were found guilty on public nuisance and incitement charges, which carry a maximum jail sentence of seven years. an appeal court in brazil has voted to reduce a i2—yearjail sentence of former president, luiz inacio lula da silva. he will now serve a term of eight years and ten months. he was convicted of accepting a seaside flat as a bribe to help a construction company get lucrative deals. he is also appealing against a second sentence of almost 13 years in a separate bribery case. north korea's leader is heading to russia for his first meeting with president vladimir putin. security and protocol staff for kim jong—un have been spotted making final preparations in vladivostok for the summit. the kremlin has confirmed the two will meet on thursday in the city, which isjust over 100 kilometres from the border with north korea. the bbc‘s sarah rainsford reports: they have been sprucing up vladivostok, preparing for a summit

that russia wants to reflect its status as a serious global player. vladimir putin will host the leader of north korea at this college campus to talk nuclear weapons, among other things. kim jong—un‘s armoured train will roll into this station. though the special service from pyongyang isn't being announced here and there is no obvious fuss yet among the locals. 17 years ago kim's father made the same journey to see the same man. then, vladimir putin was trying to renew an alliance that had flagged after the soviet collapse. now he wants russia to help negotiate an end to its neighbour's nuclear ambitions. two months ago donald trump's efforts to do that collapsed, but analysts here argue mr putin is looking to revitalise the diplomatic process, not undermine it. i don't think putin would try to pour fuel into this fire. i think putin wants russia

to be a constructive and responsible player. russia... it is not in russia's interests to see another crisis surging on the korean peninsula. seven time zones east of moscow, it isn't hard to see why. this place is full of visitors from china and crowds of tourists from south korea. the border with the north isjust over 100 kilometres away as the crow flies. from here in vladivostok, north korea is very close and russia definitely doesn't want a nuclear—armed state right on its border. but these talks are important politically, too. they're about vladimir putin stepping in and engaging with pyongyang after donald trump's efforts have stalled. people here welcome that, worried about an unpredictable nuclear neighbour.

yeah, it is a bit unsettling and it does make me a bit uncomfortable i guess when i think about it. the timing suggests kim jong—un is travelling here because he now needs russia to push his case with america. russia has always argued that maximum pressure on pyongyang won't work, so this is vladimir putin's chance to explore that firsthand. let'sjoin sarah live in vladivostok. even making the point that there is real diplomacy here but some of this of course is for show. sending a message to a very select audience and the white house in washington.” and the white house in washingtonlj think and the white house in washington.” think there's a lot of signalling in all of this, both from russia and from north korea. the timing is key, bearin from north korea. the timing is key, bear in mind that is actually a year since russia invited the north korean leader here and it's only now that this meeting is taking place. the first one between the leaders. the first one between the leaders. the timing is not an accident, it's

happening two months after the talks between the north korean leader and donald trump are down in hanoi. that isa donald trump are down in hanoi. that is a surprise collapse of those talks. north korea is now looking for allies, it's looking to tell washington that it does have friends here in russia, an important ally. i think russia is about inserting itself into the logical and muddy process. we've heard from the kremlin after they confirmed the visit was taking place, the kremlin said they said this is critical to resolving the political and the magic stand—off on the korean peninsula. i think a lot of signalling, but there will be some substance to. plenty for the two men to talk about. we are seven times over from moscow. what you expect to come out of it? how much are we likely to know? at the moment we have been told there won't actually be any statements made after this. i

think it will be difficult to know what has gone on the hind closed doors. it's been difficult up till now to get details of where this is going to take those. we have been gassing the last couple of days looking for signals, we now know the meeting will take place on the couege meeting will take place on the college campus on an island here across the water. a lot of this is about personal relationships, it's about personal relationships, it's about looking each other in the eyes, one former diplomat of north korea told me that kim jong—un is not going to trust vladimir putin, he doesn't trust many people. he doesn't distrust russia less than any other potential partner it is talking to about its nuclear programme. here in russia as well as many other countries, thus people are worried about when i look at north korea. that relationship could be important going forward. sarah, thank you for that. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: thirty years in development, now an experimental vaccine against malaria is launched in malawi.

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: sri lanka's president promises a shake—up of security services as he admits even he was kept out of the loop on prior intelligence of sunday's bombings. sudan's new military ruler has told the bbc he will not allow his troops to use force against civilian protesters. it's just a day since the military ordered demonstrators to dismantle their barricades on roads leading to the army headquarters. the bbc‘s zeinab badawi is in khartoum. the protest was removed i'll pursue from power are stuck in a group. everyone wants to know what the next chapter is. everyone on the streets,

they say they are sit ins and the protest because the next stage hasn't happened. the military council led by the general, has not indicated exactly when it's going to hand over power to the civilians. and they say, they will step up the demonstrations until that happens. so everybody wants to know what the general has on his mind. and i spoke to him in his first interview to the international media. i put it to him about the situation has now reached about the situation has now reached a stalemate. people are aware of the current state of the nation. the state could have descended into chaos and the authorities were negligent. therefore, the armed forces decide to ta ke therefore, the armed forces decide to take on control. we don't pose a threat to the people, just what the situation to, and for things to return to normal. but protesters

have the right to demonstrate anywhere and anytime. so, the general there, an army man reassuring me in my hardtalk interview that is in control of all the factions of the army and that he is determined to make sure that the military remains subservient to the people. but still, no clear resolution on when or what is going to happen next. for the first time a new malaria vaccine is being tested in the field. it's the culmination of more than three decades of work and cost $1 billion to develop. malaria kills a35,000 people every year, the majority of them children. a large—scale pilot has been launched in malawi. but it will also be rolled out in ghana and kenya in the coming weeks. victoria wahonda reports. the world could finally be getting closer to winning the fight against malaria.

it's all thanks to a new vaccine, the first of its kind, which is undergoing a large—scale pilot in malawi. the rts,s vaccine works by training the immune system to attack the malaria parasite. with initial testing indicating it reduces cases by a0%. the world health organization, expect it to be a crucial step in combating the disease. children will receive the vaccine in four stages before they are two years old. the aim is to immunise 120,000 infants to reduce the number of deaths. currently, a child dies from malaria every two minutes. the pilot will roll out to ghana next week, while kenya will follow suit in the next weeks. victoria wahonda, bbc news. polls have now closed in the indian election‘s super tuesday — the third phase of the country's marathon seven—stage general election.

with nearly a billion eligible voters, the logistics can be quite daunting, but as the bbc‘s tim allman explains, election officials are determined everyone, and i mean everyone, can take part. bharatdas darshandas is a man who takes his civic duty very seriously indeed. a priest who lives in a remote forest temple, he walks nearly a kilometre to his polling station. a polling station set up for him and only him. it's often described as the world's biggest exercise in democracy. 900 million eligible voters, around 1 million polling stations. officials had to travel through nearly 70 kilometres of lion—infested jungle to set up shop at banej, in the western province of gujurat. bharatdas was given a warm welcome. he's been the sole voter here for nearly 20 years. nd then he got down

to the business at hand. he wouldn't say who he'd voted for, but when the returns come back it shouldn't be too hard to figure it out. translation: i live here, deep inside the gir forest. there is just this one polling station here. and the government spends a lot of money on it. i've voted here today and hence this station has a turnout of 100%. i ask everyone to cast their valuable votes so there's 100% voting everywhere. job done, he returns to work at the temple. but two words are do spring to mind — postal vote. tim allman, bbc news. going live to hong kong to the west kowloon magistrates court, we are expecting the nine activists, the

nine leaders of pro—democracy movement found guilty earlier this month on public nuisance and incitement charges. the carry a maximum jail sentence of 17 years. these public nuisance laws are rarely used, they date from the colonial era. we'll bring you results as soon colonial era. we'll bring you results as soon as we colonial era. we'll bring you results as soon as we have them. sri la nka results as soon as we have them. sri lanka ‘s president has promised there will be a restructuring of the country ‘s police and security services. a response to the bombings at churches and hotels on easter sunday. some changes are expected within 2a hours. the government also intends to reduce a measure from the civil war era and set up security committees at district doubles. both the president and a minister have denied any prior knowledge. we now know that more than 320 people died.

there is a change on the way, it's certainly going to feel a lot cooler, but not really until the end of the week. today, wednesday, it's actually not going to be too bad. temperatures could still get up to around 20 degrees but some of us will need our brollies. there are showers on the way, there could be some thunderstorms too. a lot of cloud on the satellite image, these are weather fronts, they are heading in our direction and for the rest of the week, we will see a succession of weather fronts approaching us and those will be giving showers. we can still see quite a lot of orange and yellow, that is basically the temperature of the atmosphere. it's what we call the air mass. some warmth there but the colder current of air across the north atlantic, that won't reach us until probably friday, that's when we will really notice the temperatures tumbling.

here's first thing in the morning on wednesday, temperatures of ten in the south, six in the north. showers going right from the word go across cornwall and devon. much of the west country into wales as well. some just about nudging into the midlands by around lunchtime. but by two or three in the afternoon, notice that the south coast is actually clear of the showers so the sun may come out again. quite a changeable day from showers, back to sunshine. those showers will continue to drift northwards into the lake district, eventually later on in the afternoon. those temperatures still managing to get up to around 20 degrees but where you have the cloud and the showers, it's going to feel quite a bit cooler. maybe around 1a or 15 degrees. you can see those blobs of blue, the showers move northwards as we head into wednesday evening. eventually, that warmth or what is left of it will waft away towards the east and this colder air will reach us. thursday and friday, that's where we see those

temperatures tumbling away. here is thursday, again showers in the forecast, a little bit more widespread, and some of us that didn't have the showers on wednesday may get them on thursday. temperatures only 13, 1a, 15 degrees. throughout the country, whether you're in the south or the north, may be some sunshine thrown in there. here is friday's weather forecast. breezy as well, showers, could be the odd crack of thunder as well, really feeling quite cool, i suspect by the time we get to the weekend some northern areas might be struggling to even make double figures. the outlook into saturday and sunday is a showery one. temperatures in the south of around 12—1a degrees. maybe 10 or 11 in the north.

this is bbc news. the headlines: sri lanka's president says he will replace the heads of the police and security forces after criticism that more could have been done to prevent sunday's deadly terrorist attacks. in a televised address president sirisena admitted that security officials did not share with him the intelligence report warning about a threat to churches at easter. the first burials of those killed in the suicide bombings have taken place as officials say the number of people killed stands at 321. among them are many children. north korean leader kimjong—un has set off for his first summit with russian president vladimir putin. the two will meet in the russian city of vladivostok just over 100 kilometres from the border with north korea. it's thought president putin will focus on curbing his neighbour's nuclear ambitions. it's clear messages also being sent to president trump in washington where talks between the two broke down in