tonight at ten, the foreign office advises against all but essential travel to sri lanka, after sunday's devastating bomb attacks. with concerns about further attacks in tourist locations, the advice is for british visitors to make timely plans to leave. tributes today to two british teenagers, among those who lost their lives, from the relatives who survived. they were getting me food from the buffet when the first blast went off. i hope that's not what, you know... was the fatal blast because we did start running out and i don't know what sort of condition they were, and there was another blast. tonight, police in sri lanka issue wa nted tonight, police in sri lanka issue wanted posters for a number of suspects linked to easter sunday's bombings. this is a country still on high alert. we'll have the latest from sri lanka, where there are some 8,000 british tourists

at the moment. also tonight. after the chinese telecoms firm huawei was discussed at a top secret uk government meeting, calls for an official inquiry into leaked information. knife crime figures for england and wales have risen to record levels in the past year. 31 years after his first run for the white house, the man who was barack 0bama's vice—president announces a new presidential campaign. and sir mo farah aims for a first london marathon win, but the campaign is not without its share of conflict. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, there's surprise as paul pogba is named in the pfa team of the year, the only player not from manchester city or liverpool.

good evening. the government is advising against all but essential travel to sri lanka, after the bombings on easter sunday which claimed the lives of at least 250 people. the foreign office says terrorists are very likely to try to carry out indiscriminate attacks, especially in places visited by foreigners. there are some 8,000 british tourists in sri lanka at the moment, and urgent talks are taking place between the government and the travel industry to help people return home. let's join my colleague clive myrie in colombo. yes, that travel advisory from the foreign office following from others from the americans, the australians, canadians and chinese and japanese. it comes on the same day that the authorities here issued wanted posters for a number of suspects they believe are linked to last sunday's easter sunday bombings. they believe they may be part of the

main terror cell. as a result, the streets are quiet because the curfew remains in place and that has been the case for the last few nights and will continue certainly into the foreseeable future. this is a country that is very much still on the edge. curfew in colombo. rain, the soldiers‘ only companion on empty streets after dark, as a nervous capital guards against more atrocities. the authorities have released the names and pictures of several suspects they want to question following easter sunday's massacres. foreign governments are now anxious for their citizens here. and these suspects, on the run, are the reason why. the city of galle is a magnet for visitors, but troops now greet foreigners as well as guides. 8,000 britons are currently holidaying in sri lanka, too late to heed foreign office advice not to come. i won't be coming back.

first and last time. but the people are wonderful here. the sri lankan people are absolutely fabulous but, no... no, we won't be coming back. the bombers killed and damaged churches and hotels. now tourism's been wounded, too. several countries, including australia, the us and canada, have issued advisories urging only essential travel. for the moment, britons wanting to leave have to make their own arrangements. several people died when a suicide bomber blew up the breakfast room of the kingsbury hotel. three days on, they are sprucing up the entrance for the reopening. you know, it could have been close, i could have been there. you could have died? you don't know, i could have, you know, i could have, because i take my breakfast in this restaurant in the mornings, usually. you never know. but, you know, ithink

you should not think of that, because anything you do otherwise, you will question yourself, what if? it's a view shared by many in the tourism industry here. giving into the fear psychosis would not really make any sense, because it's a beautiful destination. and, you know, it might be a small island but it's a vast space of land and there are plenty of places for people to be safe. but for the moment, this is a land still on edge, its streets pounded more by troops than tourists. i should say that the authorities here today released news that apparently, the death toll should be revised down by more than 100. so originally yesterday, about this time, we were suggesting from the authorities here that those who died numbered around 360. that has been revised down by more than 100. but

going back to the foreign office travel advisory today, there is a real sense here for the people of sri lanka that the bombers, the terrorists, in the minds of some, should not be seen to be winning. remember, this is a country that has just come out of a terrible civil war that went on for almost 30 yea rs. war that went on for almost 30 years. there has been a period of relative peace and the tourist industry was beginning to get back on its feet. now it seems the dark days may have returned. back to you. clive, many thanks, from colombo. to underline what clive said there. the sri lankan government has revised its estimate of the number of people killed to around 250, including eight britons. among the british casualties were teenagers amelie linsey and her brother, daniel. they died at the shangri—la hotel in colombo, just as residents were gathering for breakfast. their father and brother, now back in london, have been talking to our correspondent caroline hawley. amelie linsey was 15, about to sit her gcses, when she was murdered

with her 19—year—old brother daniel. amelie was really the glue that held the entire family together. she was beautiful in every way. she was so smart. she had a wonderful sense of humour. really, it's going to be almost impossible to imagine life without her. a lovely girl. you expect the dad to say that, but she really was lovely, inside and out. and you were having an amazing holiday with them until that moment? they even thanked me and both gave me a hug the night before and said, "thank you very much". they were getting me food from the buffet when the first blast went off. i hope that's not what.. you know, was the fatal blast, because we started running out and i don't know what condition they were, and there was another blast. but they were incredibly kind. daniel, photographed by his dad the night before he died, was about to go to university to study travel and tourism. he, more than anyone, he lived his life in the service of other people.

he would always go out of his way to travel to different places. he volunteered in ethiopia at an orphanage. he lived with a nomad tribe in mongolia. he came back with equally close friends from each one. the linsey family, seen here together on holiday in india, is now desperate to get the bodies of daniel and amelie returned home. we've had to go to our dentist and get their dental records, see their x—rays, they have come to the house, taken their toothbrushes from their bags, they've taken my sister's phone, my father's clothes that he was wearing at the time of the explosion. still, they're not back. what do you want the uk government to do now? obviously, get them back here as soon as possible. i don't want to say anything else. i don't want to be critical in any way, because i know governments work different ways. but we want to get them back. reunite them with their family as soon as possible, as you can imagine.

he shares his grief and pain with ben nicholson, who also lost his wife and two children in the attacks stop we were hugging each other in the hospital, trying to help each other. it is someone who can try to relate to the situation. he just called me today. i am trying, anyway ican called me today. i am trying, anyway i can help him out in the uk. the family wants to also help the many sri lankan victims by setting up a special foundation. the two things we would really like to focus on his first of all the sri lankan families. i am sure several families have lost their only source of income. more on the ground, the medical facilities in troncy, i think they we re facilities in troncy, i think they were quite rudimentary. you know is if they would have done anything for my servings but i'm sure more lives could have been saved, had they been better. david linsey and his father matt talking to our correspondent caroline hawley. an official investigation has been launched into a leak of information from a top—secret whitehall security meeting. the daily telegraph reported earlier this week that ministers had agreed to let huawei,

the chinese telecoms firm, help upgrade the uk's mobile network, despite concerns about its close links to the chinese government. a succession of senior ministers have now denied they were behind the security breach, as our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. secrets are often traded round here, but some of them are meant to be kept. yet crucial cabinet conversations about a chinese firm taking part in a vital project got out. now, there are calls for the police to find out exactly how. the cabinet secretary is also our national security adviser. i think he should now call in the police and properly investigate who the likely leaker was and make sure he's dismissed. this week, the national security council talked about allowing huawei, the chinese telecoms company, to build part of the next network here — superfast 5g. the decision isn't final,

but many ministers are really concerned about the risk to security if it goes ahead, and there's straightforward anger on all sides about the information leaking out. if a minister did leak the information, they are not fit to serve in the cabinet and are certainly not fit to be prime minister. officials, including the security and intelligence agencies referred to, need to feel that they can give advice to ministers, which ministers will treat seriously and keep private. we're well used to information seeping out, sometimes this government leaks like a sieve, but this is different, because the national security council is made up of only the most senior members of the government, like the prime minister, the foreign secretary, the defence secretary and the home secretary, and they've all had to sign the official secrets act, precisely so they can have these kinds of conversations in private. this leak, perhaps, is therefore a symbol of how far the normal rules of discipline and loyalty around here haven'tjust been stretched,

but have been broken altogether. the man who created the security council says these questions have to be discussed in confidence. what is the risk to our relationship with china? what is the balance between our economic interests and our security interests? and you can't have those kinds of discussions in public. you've got to have them in a private space, where you can trust people to keep secrets. the prime minister would not comment on the leak but several ministers have denied it had anything to do with them. cabinet sources have told me a formal inquiry is being launched, but we may see more of the technology on our streets before we really know what happened. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. knife crime figures for england and wales have risen to record levels. last year, nearly 41,000 offences were recorded by police, a 6% increase on 2017. the figures, published by the office for national statistics, show there were more than 730 cases of murder and manslaughter. that's the highest

number for a decade. but the likelihood of being a victim of violent crime is at its lowest level ever, as our home editor mark easton explains. it is a horribly familiar scene. another teenager stabbed to death last night in birmingham, as homicide figures for england and wales hit a ten—year high, and knife offences recorded by police reach record levels. the sense is that violence is rising in england and wales, but let's look at the bigger picture. homicide is up, a ten—year high, but this graph suggests it is too early to say that society is becoming more violent. overall figures for violent crime show actually a huge fall since the mid—‘90s. the chances of being a victim of violence then were 110 in 1,000. now, the lowest ever, 29.

figures for offences involving a knife recorded by police are at their highest. but they only go back to 2011. some experts think the apparent trend upwards may not be quite what it seems. violence involving knives is localised. it affects relatively small numbers of people. so, overall, the risk to us all has decreased. there are hotspots of serious violence, notably disputed gang areas in london and other big cities. but mercifully, for people generally, the risk of being a victim of violence is still going down. mark easton, bbc news. president putin of russia says north korea's leader, kimjong—un, needs international security guarantees if he's to give up his nuclear weapons programme. the two leaders met at a summit in vladivostok in russia's far east, exchanging handshakes and posing for photographsbefore heading inside. they then held a champagne toast before having dinner together. the meeting is being seen

as a warning to president trump that north korea still has the option to form alliances with america's rivals. the united nations refugee agency says it's increasingly concerned about the safety of migrants and refugees in libya, after gunfire at a detention centre on the outskirts of the capital, tripoli. unverified footage shows refugees trying to take cover under fire. more than 250 people have been killed during fighting over the past three weeks, after a military commander from eastern libya launched an offensive on the city. from tripoli, here's our chief international correspondent orla guerin. gunfire and screaming. a hail of bullets and a terrifying ordeal. this unverified mobile phone footage, obtained by the bbc, appears to show migrants and refugees under attack

in a detention centre on the outskirts of tripoli. the government here has blamed militia loyal to general khalifa haftar, a commanderfrom the east who was trying to take the capital. these detainees have now been moved to a safer location, but others have not. we found hundreds of defenceless civilians in a detention centre in the suburb of tajoura, dangerously close to the front line. europe doesn't want them and libya can't protect them. conditions here are extremely basic. the men tell us they are facing every kind of problem. they don't have enough food. they don't have enough water. but the biggest issue now is safety. the fighting is very nearby. we have been able to hear it ourselves, just a couple of miles away. michael is a former medical student from south sudan. like many here, he says

he is living in fear. actually, no one wants to live here. every time, we hear a bomb, we hear a gunshot, every time, every day. even in the night, we cannot sleep at all. you feel your lives are not safe here? of course. because i am still facing the same problem that i was facing in south sudan. i escaped because of the war, and today, i am in a war zone. the united nations says more than 3,000 migrants and refugees are in detention centres near front lines and should be moved to safety. instead, ahmed says the international community has abandoned people like him in the line of fire. we don't see any move for us. so, actually, we feel that we are forgotten here. and it's hard to feel that you can't do anything, just waiting until the sound of bombs pass. and you find yourself, and after that, i found myself alive. it's good, so it's not hit us. not this time.

yes, not this time. for three weeks now, fighting has raged nearby, bearing down on the young. "when there is shooting," she tells me, "we hear it in our hearts. the children cry, afraid the bullets will kill them". many here dreamt of finding a better future for themselves and their children. instead, they are now trapped in someone else's war. orla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. environmental protestors have targeted financial institutions across london on the 11th and last day of demonstrations across the city. supporters of the protest group extinction rebellion blocked roads around the treasury and the london stock exchange. catastrophic flooding and storm surges of up to five metres are expected in mozambique, where cyclone kenneth has made landfall. people there are braced for winds

of over 120 miles per hour. the cyclone has weakened, but it's still strong enough to destroy buildings. 31 years after his first challenge for the white house, the former us vice—president joe biden, who's 76, has declared a new presidential bid, putting an end to months of speculation. mr biden argued today that the core values of america's democracy were at stake under president trump. he enters an already crowded race for the 2020 democratic nomination, as our north america editor jon sopel explains. the next president of the united states, joe biden! will it be third time lucky for former vice presidentjoe biden? this is him 30 years ago, going for the democratic nomination. he tried again 20 years later, when he lost out to barack obama. now aged 76, he's giving it one last shot. and unlike many of his competitors, who are trying to ignore donald trump, he's taking the fight straight to him.

if we give donald trump eight years in the white house, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are. and i cannot stand by and watch that happen. but his pre—launch has been bumpy. accused by some women of making them feel uncomfortable with his touchy—feely approach to politics, he's tried to make light of it. by the way, he gave me permission to touch him! but that backfired, with many saying this is no laughing matter. also, there are now 20 democrats vying for the nomination. they call me mayor pete. early momentum has been captured by this man, pete buttigieg, a mayorfrom small—town indiana, who's gay, a practising christian, an afghan war veteran, a multilingual. this was him after the notre dame fire. nous partageons la douleur aujourd'hui, parce que la cathedrale notre dame, c'etait comme un cadeau a l'espece humaine. and then there's the socialist, bernie sanders, who's raised a lot of money and wants to pull

the democratic party to the left. the united states of america willjoin every other major country on earth and guarantee healthcare to all people as a right. lying in wait for all of them is donald trump. this morning, he tweeted this:. in the race for the white house, joe biden has instant name recognition. he won't have any trouble raising money. he'll get big—name endorsements. he also appeals to blue—collar workers, the group that donald trump did so well with in 2016. but the president is not going to give up the keys to this place without a fight. it's going to be a long haul and it's going to be brutal. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. next week, elections will be held for more than 240 local

councils in england, with more than 8,000 council seats being contested. in most cases, the most recent battle was in 2015, when the conservatives made big gains. this time, brexit is casting a long shadow over the contest. our political correspondent alex forsyth reports from milton keynes, on the factors dominating the campaign. politics can feel a bit relentless right now. good evening... no, thank you. 0k. next week, there's another election, this time for local councillors. do you normally vote in local elections? no, not normally. not normally? no! dave? hi, my name's ben, i'm your local labour councillor. in milton keynes, canvassing is well under way. here, labour currently runs the council along with the lib dems, and hopes to gain more seats, trying to keep their campaign local. although when people open the door,

the first thing they might be thinking about is brexit, actually, when you have a conversation with them, they really want to engage with the fact that people still want to see children's centres staying open, people still want to see libraries staying open. milton keynes is one of the fastest growing places in the uk. here, the referendum result almost mirrored the national picture, with just over half of the residents voting to leave the eu. good morning. councillor katrina morris, one of your local councillors, just coming around this morning... the conservatives currently have the most councillors here and, conscious of brexit frustration, many candidates want to focus on local issues on the doorstep. certainly they want to talk about brexit, but then my comment always is, "i, too, want to sort brexit out. i can't, but i can sort out the bins, i can sort out the bridge and be involved in all of that, but i can't sort brexit for you." when i'm voting, it's definitely about what i'm looking for locally, because i know that's very different.

if i want to give the tories a little bit of a run for their money, that'll be in the european elections. ukip, though, thinks the national picture will play a part. well, brexit is number one on people's lips and next thursday, the people of this country have got a chance to show their anger. so, will they? have you thought about the local elections? no, not really. national, yes. no, i probably shan't vote. i will probably put a big cross through the paper and post it. back on the campaign trail, the local lib dems hope disaffected voters may turn to them. if anything, we're getting rants on the doorstep from voters from other parties. they're angry, they always mention brexit. what i tell them is think locally and what the lib dems can do for you. i'm yourlocalgreen party candidate... in another part of town, the green party is trying to offer an alternative. people are a little bit, kind of, disgruntled with the current situation politically, so they're looking for something new. or could they just stay at home? like most people, i think, i'm pretty fed up with the whole carry—on at the moment. i believe that if you've got a vote, you've got to use it

because there's no point in moaning if you don't. so, the focus for some parties might be the local scene, but these elections could well be influenced by the wider political landscape. alex forsyth, bbc news, milton keynes. and there's more on all the local council elections on the bbc website bbc.co.uk/politics. you will see all the links on the page. this sunday, sir mo farah will try to win his first london marathon. but instead of preparing quietly for the big race, he has become embroiled in a row with the ethiopian former distance runner, haile gebrselassie. sir mo alleged he'd been robbed at a hotel owned by the ethiopian, an allegation which led to an exchange of insults, as our sports editor dan roan reports. he's one of britain's greatest ever olympians, but for two days now, sir mo farah has been embroiled in a bitter war of words with another legendary distance runner. farah competed against haile gebrselassie and has been

training at the hotel he owns in addis ababa. today, the ethiopian great claimed farah assaulted a coach and his wife here at his hotel's gym. he had a fight with two athlete, with a husband and a wife. he beat both of them up. that was the action of a criminal. farah's camp deny this, insisting he acted in self—defence, and tonight, the alleged victim spoke publicly for the first time. translation: when a brawl erupted, mo kicked me around my neck. it was a minor hit. this caused a disturbance inside the gym. police came to the scene, and it was resolved with mediation, but he never touched my wife. this all comes after farah went public yesterday over his anger at the way the hotel dealt with a robbery, he says he suffered there last month.

someone at the hotel came into my bag, opened my bag, took my money, took my nice watch my wife bought me as a present. just to be honest, it's haile who owns the hotel. when you stay for three months in that hotel, it was very disappointing to know someone who owns that hotel and has that kind of support could do nothing. gebrselassie hit back by accusing farah of not paying his heavily—discounted hotel bill, and revealed a message on his phone, apparently from farah, warning him he would go public with the dispute. he told me he was going to attack me directly. "i'm going to spoil, i'm going to destroy your name, destroy your hotel", he says. farah denies all the claims and must now focus on sunday's london marathon. but with the origins of the row still unclear, the tension between two of athletics' biggest names is set to continue. dan roan, bbc news. newsnight is about to get under way on bbc two. here on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye.

hello and welcome to sportsday. there's surprise as paul pogba's named in the pfa team of the year. mo farah gets embroiled in a very

public row with one of the world's best distance runners ahead of the london marathon. and an expensive red — as shaun murphy just misses—out on a 147 break, and the 50 thousand pound bonus, at the world championships. hello and welcome to sportsday. thanks forjoining us. the professional footballer‘s association has announced its "team of the year". it's pretty much made up exclusively of players from manchester city and liverpool, with only manchester united's paul pogba coming from outside the top two teens. six city players and four from liverpool make the team — voted for by premier league players themselves — including england internationals raheem sterling and trent alexander—arnold. but the inclusion of french world cup winner —

pogba has caused ripples of displeasure amongst experts and fans who clearly don't agree that 13 goals and an inconsistenent season are enough to make the grade. he could be as with the question there is a world cup winner and he's got lots of qualities and certain performances he's an exceptional, but i don't think he deserves to get into tea m but i don't think he deserves to get into team of the year because i think his farm has been erratic, certainly the marina part of the season certainly the marina part of the season where they did not get on and see eye to eye, he his game was nowhere near the level it was when it was a different coach, he is not consistent enough for me. he has ability, he's magnificent, as an individual though. but i don't think he deserves to be even close to this team. gary lineker and jimmy floyd hasselbaink discussing paul pogba's