this is bbc news. i'm vicki young. the headlines at 11: political leaders have attended lyra mckee‘s funeral in belfast, where a priest received a standing ovation when he asked why it took her death to unite politicians. idea to hope that lyra's murder on holy thursday evening can be the doorway to a new beginning. -- i dare to. the sri lankan government has admitted major lapses in failing to pass on intelligence that could have prevented the suicide bombings on easter sunday, which killed 359 people. iran's foreign minister says nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe could be

released from jail in a prisoner swap with iranians detained by the us. huawei, the chinese telecoms giant, welcomes reports that the government will let it help build britain's 56 data network, and in football, manchester city have got one step closer to a second successive premier league title, with a convincing derby victory over manchester united at old trafford. and at 11:30pm, we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers, eve pollard and christina paterson. do stay with us for that. the murder of the journalist lyra mckee should be a decisive turning point in the history of northern ireland. that was the forthright message

delivered at her funeral in belfast today. a message heard by a congregation which included theresa may, jeremy corbyn, the taioseach, leo varadkar, and leading politicians in northern ireland. lyra mckee was shot dead by the so—called new ira in londonderry last week. in a powerful address at the funeral service, father martin magill rebuked leaders for the political stalemate in northern ireland, and urged them to renew their commitment to powersharing. our correspondent emma vardy has this report. a modern victim of political violence that many hoped had been consigned to the past. thousands lined the streets of belfast for lyra mckee, her death uniting protestants and catholics and political rivals. lyra was a person who broke down barriers and reached across boundaries. this was her hallmark in life, and this is her legacy in death.

# then sings my soul, my saviour god, to thee...# side by side, leaders of the democratic unionist party and sinn fein, bitter adversaries, today united in their condemnation of the events which led to lyra mckee's death. and british and irish prime ministers brought together too, as theresa may and labour leader jeremy corbynjoined leo varadkar and irish president, michael d higgins. lyra is many things to many people. tributes were paid to her writing and her activism. she campaigned for peace and gay rights in northern ireland, and her family appealed for people to embrace her vision for change. we have the power to create the kind of society that lyra envisioned.

one where labels are meaningless. then came a reproachful plea, directed at northern ireland's divided politicians. why, in god's name, does it take the death of a 29—year—old woman with her whole life in front of her... applause an uncomfortable reminder that more than two years since the breakdown of power—sharing in northern ireland, these leaders, who've come together in solidarity today, have failed to show the same unity in government. i dare to hope that lyra's murder on holy thursday evening can be the doorway to a new beginning, and i detect a deep desire for this.

church organ plays exactly 21 years after the good friday agreement, lyra mckee, gunned down by the new ira, has prompted a backlash against modern day dissident republicans. applause the shock of lyra mckee's death has been felt widely, but there is also a sense of hope here it can bring a new turning point which helps northern ireland move forward. it should have been a thing of the past, you know. it's ridiculous, you know. it's a small minority who hold the whole country to ransom, or who are trying to do it, you know? a young girl's lost her life and i hope there's no more lose their lives after this. if people would only wise up in this country. this celebration of lyra's life, also a reminder of how much northern ireland has to lose through a continuation of its past.

earlier i spoke to father martin magill of stjohn‘s parish, who spoke at lyra's funeral today, and asked her what impression he'd former of her. i suppose when i think about her life, i mean she was very determined. i described her as dogged but one of the things i'm really very clear on is the number of people, the number of friends she actually had, but her life and her death really has touched so many people. and when you spoke, that moment where you address the politicians who had come together from different parties, from across the divide, people of different religions as well, and you address them and really challenge them to say to them this is the moment where you have to do something to come together. i suppose, i... you have to do something to come together. isuppose, i... is you have to do something to come together. i suppose, i... is clearly detecting over the last few days that there was a change in mood and your correspondent touched on that, andi

your correspondent touched on that, and i think lyra's death has given us and i think lyra's death has given us this, in terms ofjust seeing the reactions of individuals, i see it right across social media, i said in some of the campaigns that were on the ground. very clearly, there is an appetite for moving up his process forward. and we saw there was a standing ovation and those politicians did all get up and applaud, suggesting that they do agree with you and realise the responsibility that they have to act. what would you like to see them do next? hello well, i have no doubt whatsoever that they will come back and begin some sort of talks. -- well. there are difficulties and there are problems and yes, a lot of us there are problems and yes, a lot of us will be very sympathetic to that but at the same time, we do want them, we do pay them, we do need them, we do pay them, we do need them to work through those, i referred to lyra's doggedness, and i

think we need doggedness to work beyond those various difficulties. and there is that political deadlock and people presumably in your community also fearful about the apparent rise in violent, how people feeling there in your community? hello —— violence. feeling there in your community? hello -- violence. well, i suppose thatis hello -- violence. well, i suppose that is the question. if there is a political vacuum, people lose the opportunity to make the most of it. at the same time, i am also very conscious that i want to use this opportunity to make an appeal to those who carry out the silence to look around and listen to the vast majority of people who do not to go the violent route and that is why i was calling for nonviolent approach. that was father martin magill speaking to me a little earlier. officials in sri lanka say one of the suicide bombers behind the easter sunday attacks had studied in the uk.

the country's president has asked his defence secretary and police chief to resign over the failure to pass on intelligence about the attack. meanwhile, officials in sri lanka say one of the suicide bombers behind the easter sunday attacks, had studied in the uk. eight of the nine bombers have now been identified — one of them was a woman. clive myrie has this report from the capital, colombo. investigators say in this upmarket corner of colombo lurked an islamist terror cell. a car outside has been dusted for fingerprints. and inside, forensic experts hunt for clues to shed light on sri lanka's easter sunday carnage. one of the men who lived here is ilham ibrahim, caught with an accomplice on cctv, minutes before a powerful explosion left several dead at the shangri—la hotel. investigations quickly led police back to ilham ibrahim's home. but as they stormed the building, it's believed his pregnant wife detonated a device, killing her and three children, and three police officers died. it's now believed two other ibrahim brothers were also involved in sunday's massacres.

today, the deputy defence minister revealed more details of all the bombers, including one man named abdul lathief jameel mohamed. we believe that one of the suicide bombers studied in the uk and then maybe later on, did his postgraduate in australia, before coming back to settle in sri lanka. most of them are well educated and come from maybe middle or upper—middle class. lorraine campbell from manchester, who was 55, died in the sri lanka attacks. she was in the country on a one—day work trip. ijust want to bring my mum home. and i want to give everyone who knew her, who had the opportunity to spend time with her and get to know her like we all did, to give them the opportunity to get together and celebrate this beautiful woman.

mourning for the majority christians who died isn't confined to the catholic church. in the city of negombo, at the grand mosque, prayers have, for days, included thoughts for the hundreds killed in the name of a perverted islam. the rituals remain the same, but something's changed here now. there's an undercurrent of fear that there might be christian reprisals, in a city that's enjoyed so many years of interreligious harmony. "not in our name", say the trustees of the mosque, denouncing the bombers as enemies of their faith. translation: maybe their names may be muslims, but we won't accept them. we won't accept them as a muslim. a short walk from the mosque, more of the dead await burial.

in this house, a woman in her 70s, her daughter, aged 52, and another woman in her 60s. christian lives cut short. but today, in a spirit of reconciliation, mourned by buddhists. the leader of sri lanka's catholics also paid his respects, saying the bombings left him numb. i lost my people, and these were innocent people. they had nothing to do with whatever the struggles of these people who blasted them to pieces. so, it was something that i couldn't grasp and understand. i couldn't understand the rationality of what they did. so many died that easter sunday, the funerals are being staggered. it's a continuing process of remembrance, in a land where the only viable future for its multi—religious and ethnic population

is to try to live in peace. nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe could be released from jail in a prisoner swap, according to iran's foreign minister. the british charity worker was jailed for five years in 2016 after being convicted of spying, which she denies. speaking in new york today, javad zarif suggested she could be swapped with iranians detained in the us and australia. our diplomatic correspondent james landale told me earlier that this latest development in the case was unexpected. there was no sort of forewarning of this at all but what is really interesting is the context of this. if you remember nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, jill british iranian national, then held in iran for over three years now the spying accusations, that she denies. last month the british government gave a

diplomatic detection, new status to try and protect her and raise the case in the international stage and since then, the british government and officials have been waiting on tenterhooks to see what kind of response they would get from iran. there was fear that the response could be negative, they could make a condition to us. instead, today, these are the first substantive remarks that the iranians have given and there's been the offer of a deal. so i think people take some hope that, however, this does not meana hope that, however, this does not mean a deal is likely, does not mean that she is suddenly going to be released. what this does though is it shows that for all the denials before, iran is prepared to use nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe diplomatic and political average, in other words to get other prisoners out. essentially, there are some iranians in australia, germany and the united states, facing charges that the foreign minister said were phony. he'll willing to exchange them, but the problem is, that offer, he said

was already made and there has been no response. is it an idea that could work, has iran offered business swaps before? there was one offered in yemen as an attempt to try and build some confidence between both sides there but these things take a long time, they are very complicated, countries of overla p to very complicated, countries of overlap to do them, particularly if you are talking about multiple countries involved here. and there's been no indication that the americans would ever be willing to give up prisoners for somebody who is not the national, namely reddish. soi is not the national, namely reddish. so i spoke to nazanin's husband this evening and he said that he was surprised by this move and quite sceptical. i was going to say to you whether there had been any reaction. of course, her husband has campaigned on this in the public eye over the years. constantly, co nsta ntly. o ne over the years. constantly, constantly. one of the points of having diplomatic protection given

to nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe was to protect them against this kind of thing, being used as part of a wider diplomatic political game. the foreign office have given a statement but it is a pretty bland one, saying the treatment of all foreign nationals in iran, including nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, is of concern. we raise their cases at every opportunity. the headlines: political leaders have attended lyra mckee's funeral in belfast, where a priest received a standing ovation when he asked why it took her death to unite politicians. the sri lankan government has admitted major lapses in failing to pass on intelligence that could have prevented the suicide bombings on easter sunday, which killed 359 people. iran's foreign minister says nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe could be released from jail in a prisoner swap with iranians detained by the us.

the chinese telecoms giant huawei has welcomed reports that the uk government is to allow it to help build britain's 5g data network. that's despite objections from some senior ministers, who believe it poses a security risk. the us and a number of allies have also expressed concerns about the security implications of working with huawei. the telecoms firm has always denied being controlled by the chinese government and says that its work does not pose any risks of espionage or sabotage. our security correspondent gordon corera reports. the new world of 5g technology promises to transform our lives, connecting millions of devices and enabling everything from driverless cars to smart homes. but it also poses a major security question — should a chinese company be the one to deliver this future?

it isa it is a real game changer because the network is going to be more intelligent. much more software running everything, changing its function all the time. it will be a much more unpredicted verbal service and for cybersecurity experts that meant it presents more of a potential risk. huawei may be best known to most people for making phones, but it's also a leading player in building the infrastructure for all our communications. critics fear that allowing it to build 5g could enable the chinese state to spy on — or even switch off — the flow of data we will all depend on. whatever a final decision is, we can be confident it will be sufficiently tough and demanding oversight for all supplies and for our communications network as well.-

all supplies and for our communications network as well. at a conference in glasgow, an unprecedented appearance from representatives of the intelligence alliance, known as the five eyes. but behind this public show of unity, there are real divisions on how to deal with my weight with the us and australia deciding to exceed the company and now the uk appearing to ta ke the company and now the uk appearing to take a different approach. why way has to be responsive to the intelligence and military need and it presents a friend. we are united that that is different. you will see us that that is different. you will see us draw a line. —— that it is a threat. the expectation is that the uk will exclude huawei from the sensitive core of any 5g network that will not delay all concerns. it

could be the tool of the chinese state has been denied by the company. but it is about how western countries deal with the rise of china and the spread of its technology and the uk's decision is one closely watched at home and abroad. gordon corera, bbc news. the conservative mp johnny mercer has denied doing anything wrong in accepting a private salary from a company linked to the firm that marketed a failed investment scheme. mr mercer receives £85,000 a year from crucial academy on top of his parliamentary salary. it trains military veterans and has been funded by surge financial limited which marketed a bond scheme that lost investors more than £230 million. the committee which represents backbench conservative mps has decided not to change rules which require a i2—month delay between confidence votes in the party leader. it means theresa may cannot be challenged until december.

but the group has demanded the prime minister set out a clear timetable for her departure if her brexit deal is rejected. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has said she wants to hold a second referendum on scottish independence by 2021, if the country is taken out of the eu. speaking at holyrood, she said she would soon introduce legislation to set the rules for another vote. the first referendum on independence took place in 2014. our scotland editor sarah smith was listening to the address. hoping to appear generous, nicola sturgeon is offering snacks to the press. bacon rolls! as well as offering cross—party talks to her political opponents. offering impatient snp members the prospect of another independence referendum just in time for their party conference this weekend, and offering cross—party talks to her opponents on more powers for the scottish parliament.

so if others across this chamber are willing to move forward in that spirit, they will find in me an equally willing partner. but if all they have to offer the people of scotland is a failed and a damaging status quo, then the process of change will pass them by and support for independence will continue to grow. unionist parties are not convinced ms sturgeon really is looking for consensus, and believe voters do not want another scottish referendum. they've watched the whole brexit episode unfold. they can see that leaving a ao—year—old union has proved to be hugely problematic. i think it's persuaded even more people in scotland that trying to leave a 300—year—old union, the most successful one, that they voted to remain in just a few years ago, is actually an even more difficultjob still. i just don't think they want it. the scottish parliament cannot hold a referendum without permission from westminster, something the uk government is not about to grant. nicola sturgeon knows it's extremely

unlikely that westminster would allow another scottish referendum within the next couple of years, so she's playing a longer game here, saying she wants to start a conversation that includes people who don't support independence about how scotland should be governed. hoping of course to persuade them that independence would be the best option. scotland's future is often debated amongst the volunteers at this community garden in ayrshire, where brexit has changed some people's minds on independence. if we end up with a soft brexit, i'm not sure there will be independence, or a successful independence referendum. if we do crash out, i think there probably will be another independence referendum, and this time it could edge it. does brexit make scottish independence more likely? i think it actually does. i think eventually, if scotland wants to stay in europe and europe wants scotland to stay in. i think everybody is fed up with referendums, quite honestly. sorry, no second chances. the snp know they need to grow support for independence before

they can hold another vote. they hope they've begun to cultivate a conversation that will persuade people to consider it. sarah smith, bbc news. figures released today show that government borrowing last year fell to its lowest annual level in 17 years. borrowing for the last financial year was £17.2bn less than the year before but nearly two billion more than the official forecast made in the spring statement. the deficit has also fallen to its lowest level in 17 years. the search has begun for mark carney‘s successor as the governor of the bank of england. mr carney is due to step down at the end of january after six years in the post. for the first time the government is using a recruitment agency to find a successor. ten days on since climate change activists took to the streets, blocking key routes in central london, organisers say the protest will end by tomorrow evening. more than a thousand people have been arrested so far.

and ten thousand officers have been deployed across the capital. tonight questions have been raised about whether the police have the right powers to deal with this type of peaceful protest. sonja jessup reports from marble arch. campaigners told us, this is our last stand. a few remaining protesters removed from the road at marble arch. our last standard that came with singing and even smiled shed with police at the campaign has brought serious disruption to london and today they were calls to tackle such protests with new laws. these public order acts, you need time to carry them out. you need to gather your evidence. we need to respond immediately and clearly saying you cannot block a carriageway and you

will be removed immediately. police have powers to make arrests, they did so under section 13 of the act but they cannot use more controversial methods. for that there has to be a threat of violence. in 2009, we saw scenes like these. while in paris at the weekend we have seen, campaigns targeted with pepper spray, in london policing has been done differently and some believe there is no need for new powers. when protests are is no need for new powers. when protests a re known is no need for new powers. when protests are known violet, police have tools to balance public order. and it is really difficult to understand what beyond that police need. some have criticised police tactics at time and others been frustrated at seeing the strain of

the protest has put on resources. it isa the protest has put on resources. it is a real challenge of deciding how to react. would it be more harmful to react. would it be more harmful to enforce the law in these circumstances? it is a balance you have to strike. broadly, they have taken the right approach. protesters continued to insist mass disruption is necessary to bring about change and say the laws were there for police to act. people were there to be arrested. we were not running away from arrests or resisting arrests. if police have had sufficient numbers, they could have arrested those roadblocks. there was clearly a n arrested those roadblocks. there was clearly an issue of lack of resources . clearly an issue of lack of resources. the home office says it is working closely with the police and will be considering any lessons they can learn. the roads have now reopened. protesters say it is the last night double be camped out

here. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers — former fleet street editor, eve pollard, and writer and broadcaster, christina patterson. that's coming up after the headlines at 11:30. now it's time for the weather with darren bett. our weather has changed. we're not going to see temperatures of 25 degrees for quite some time. the position of the jet jetstream degrees for quite some time. the position of the jetjetstream is different from where it was over the easter weekend, diving to the south of the uk, drawing in coolerair from off the atlantic. the heat pushed away into eastern parts of europe. it also picks up areas of low pressure and will tend to steer into the south—west of the uk. that allows wetter weather to move north. broadly speaking, it is a day of sunshine and showers on thursday but

if it could be heavy and thundery rains away from south—east england through the midlands. by which time in the afternoon, sunny skies across southern england. temperatures they should be. the rain pushing its way into scotland early in the night and then pulling away. on the whole, clearing skies arriving. turning chillier even though we have a southerly breeze. not warm by any means. low pressure will dominate our weather through the rest of the week. this next area arrives in time for the weekend. ahead of that, some sunshine to start the day on friday but it will not be long until showers develop in the south—west of england and more widely into england and wales. thundery downpours again.

out towards the west, it clouds later on. an area of low pressure arrives for the start of the weekend so showers along with spells of rain and wind it was the south—west of england and wales with galeforce winds possible. a disappointingly cool day on saturday. things are looking up for the second half of the weekend. the area of low pressure taking the wet weather away before the next one comes in. we have a brief ridge of high pressure. it will not be 25 degrees for the runners in the london marathon, a more comfortable 15 degrees and probably dry. temperatures beginning to recover a bit with some sunshine and lighter winds. more rain pushing in overnight heading from the atla ntic in overnight heading from the atlantic on monday and this looks quite heavy as well. it will push slowly eastwards that we may get

sunshine in the afternoon for northern ireland. temperatures