this is bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: a race against time. president trump urges people to vaccinate after measels outbreaks force two universities to quarantine staff and students. tension in sri lanka, as large amounts of bomb making equipment are found in the hunt for those behind the easter sunday attacks. the prime minister tells the bbc he wasn't aware of the early warnings. what do you do when you're out of the loop? you are talking about not being in the loop? what the prime minister. you are number two of the national security council. driving further inland, cyclone kenneth hits mozambique with strong winds, threatening more floods. and a new exhibition opens exploring the life and work of maverick cinematic

genius stanley kubrick. president trump has urged americans to get immunised against measles, despite previously casting doubt on the vaccination. health officials believe the recent spike in cases of the virus is partly connected to misinformation about the jab. in the latest outbreak, about 270 students and staff have been in quarantine after cases were confirmed at two universities in california. caroline rigby reports. the president's line on measles has not always been consistent. but as the us faces a major resurgence of the disease, he had this message for parents. they have to get the shot, the vaccinations are so important. this is really going around now,

they have to get their shots. a mark change in direction from a man who previously promoted now—discredited anti—vax theories, and suggested inoculations are linked to what he described as "a big increase in autism". his call to arms in the battle against measles comes amid a new outbreak in california, after two infected students attended two separate universities. one visited a campus at the university of california los angeles, potentially coming into contact with 500 people. the other went to a library at california state university, attended by up to 2000 people a day. there is a blanket order and statement, that if you were in this area you would need to be quarantined, notify the health centre, notify your immune status or you will be quarantined. so far this year 700 cases have been reported across two states.

—— 22 states. that's the highest number since the us declared the disease to be eradicated at the turn of the century. and the outbreak is not confined to the us — the un warns the number of cases around the world has nearly tripled compared to last year. health officials have linked the increase in the us to misinformation about the safety of the measles vaccine, and discredited theories about possible related side—effects. they will hope the president's call to action will encourage more people to get immunised, in turn helping to limit the spread of the disease. we can now speak to leah russin, who's executive director of vaccinate california. thank you for your time. first of all, is there a pattern at least in the state of california for these outbreaks and why are they happening? thank you so much for having me, there was a bit of a pattern, we see often in unvaccinated californian travelling

abroad, catching measles, being exposed to it in a different country and measles are circulating. then coming home, travelling to libraries, to cafe ‘s using public transit, exposing other people who are unvaccinated and we get outbreaks. so the current help for outbreaks. so the current help for outbreaks in the state of cover for new. which have led to more cases for this time of year than we've had since the year 2000. and it's a real problem. is the increase purely down to people who haven't vaccinated their children and other contracting measles that other people bring in for they have gone overseas and come back or are there other reasons behind it? i think there is a problem with... the low vaccination rate we have, they are clustered in schools, we have a number of

stu d e nts schools, we have a number of students who are not up—to—date attending the same school creating a hotspot of vulnerability. at another reason is diesels are circulating abroad in places that people from california like to go and visit and we re california like to go and visit and were people who live may have measles like to come and visit california. those two things create increased risk of exposure and increased risk of exposure and increased risk of contagion. donald trump has said, he's called for americans to be immunised, and that's the opposite to some of his comment is made in the past where he seemed to link the vaccination to autism. the discredited dairy. do you think that people who don't want to vaccinate children will watch donald trump and then change the mind another to set something?” cannot speak to the capabilities of president trump is a thought leader

or influencer in the minds of people who are not currently vaccinated. i hope it does. i hope thisjust like mine, messages like the ones from the mom who took a five—month—old infa nt to the mom who took a five—month—old infant to hospital because he was sick and discovered later that while there, he had been exposed to measles, and sure enough two weeks later he came down with measles. and now she will have to live for the next three years arching to see if he will suffer an always fatal obligation of measles. hoping her message on the messages of others like i will reach people and they will realise that you need to vaccinate your child notjust to protect your own child butjust vaccinate your child notjust to protect your own child but just to —— also to protect your community. thank you very much for your time. we do apologise for the quality of the land there. donald trump has said he will withdraw the united states from the international arms trade treaty. the treaty, which was signed by barack 0bama, aims to regulate the international sale of conventional weapons. addressing the annual meeting of the national rifle association,

mr trump said he would ask the us senate not to ratify the pact. under my administration we will never surrender americans sovereignty to anyone. we will never allow foreign bureaucrats to travel on your second amendment freedom. and that is why, my administration will never ratify the un arms trade treaty. i hope you are happy. sri lanka's prime minister has told the bbc that he considered resigning in the wake of the easter sunday bomb attacks. ranil wickremesinghe said he simply "wasn't in the loop" for a briefing on warnings of a possible terrorist plot received two weeks before suicide bombers killed more than 250 people. the security operation across sri lanka has been continuing, with a large cache of bomb—making equipment found during a raid in the east of the country. clive myrie reports.

in sand where nothing else will grow, wreaths blossom. no names yet, just numbers in this catholic graveyard. christian souls lost to suicide bombers on easter sunday. anil fernando was away working in cardiff when his sister died in the attack on the local church. he, like many, accuses the government of not doing enough to protect the public. if the prime minister was here in front of you now, what would you say? i don't want to talk this. you don't want to talk to him? no, that's it. thank you. can't explain it. i am so sad, that's the only thing i can say. thank you very much. we were given the chance to speak with the prime minister, who says he is grieving, too, despite public perceptions

of a lack of empathy for those distressed in this nation's hour of need. did you feel any pain at the sight of those churches? i really felt pain. the hotels? i didn't go into the hotel, i went to the churches. you've seen the pictures? i have seen them. you have pain but you know you have a job to do, and you do thatjob. but we had to get things back to normal, the country must get functioning again. you must move on? we had to move on. 0therwise terrorism will take us. but perceptions matter, and on our travels in sri lanka this week we have come across so many who say their government has been a disaster, and we wanted to put their concerns to the prime minister. this man lost four relatives in the bombings and is appalled the government didn't act on warnings that there may be attacks. anytime, any moment, this can happen again. the political leadership, we cannot believe it,

we condemn it, we really condemn them. there is a credible warning and you are not aware of that? unfortunately, i didn't know of it. what you do when you are out the loop? you are talking about not being in the loop? you are the prime minister, you are number two on the national security council. that is the critical issue, to find out why i wasn't in the loop, who was in the loop and who wasn't in the loop. as we were speaking, the security forces were raiding a vast bomb—making factory in the east of the country, where they found a giant islamic state group flag. there were huge quantities of gelignite, ball bearings and explosives. this, the safe house of another cell of suicide bombers, preparing to strike sri lanka. there may be a dysfunctional elite at the top of government, but the nation hopes its leaders can unite to beat the real enemies of the people,

because too much is at stake. after so many lives were lost that easter sunday morning, when a government failed in its solemn duty to protect its people. let's get some of the day's other news. the british and irish governments have announced a new attempt to restore a power—sharing government in northern ireland. they say the decision had been prompted by the reaction to the murder of the journalist, lyra mckee, last week. ireland's foreign minister said two years without a government had enabled "voices which do not believe in democracy" to emerge. a 30 year—old russian woman, maria butina, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison by a court in washington, after pleading guilty to being a foreign agent. a gun rights activist, butina admitted working on behalf of russia to influence us policy, infiltrating organisations such as the powerful national rifle association. she will be deported back to russia once she has completed her sentence.

semi—naked activists in spain have disrupted the final rally of a resurgent far—right party, ahead of parliamentary elections on sunday. during the vox party's campaign event, women ran onstage displaying anti—fascist slogans on their breasts. the election is being seen as a battle between established parties and a rising far right. the damage caused by cyclone kenneth in northern mozambique is being assessed, amid fears that hundreds of thousands of people are going to need humanitarian aid. it's the biggest storm ever recorded to hit mozambique. since making landfall it has now been downgraded, although there are warnings of flooding and landslides as a result of several days of heavy rain. 0ur correspondent, pumza fihlani gave us this update from mozambique's capital maputo. 0peration at the moment is still quite scant. they are still trying to get as many resources out here to mozambique as possible. we knowjust from an update that's come in from the national disaster

management team here that they are working with three helicopters and they've got a few hundred humanitarian agencies trying to set up here in mozambique. we do also know that over 2500 families are currently in displacement camps that have been set up across the northern part of mozambique and there they are receiving food aid, water, and hygiene products, to sort of help and avoid the occurrence of disease at this point. the number of areas that authorities are currently looking into, there's an area called quissanga which has been badly affected as well as pemba, as well as an area called ibo — all of these are further north upcountry. what they are trying to do there — a lot of the houses have been destroyed, some of the homes are very basics — so they are trying to work out how to get aid to people who may not have time to evacuate

and they're also trying to get access to health, to medication rather, so they have that on standby for people who may need urgent medical care. we know at this stage that one death has been confirmed but authorities fear that, as the picture becomes clearer over the next few days, that figure could rise. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: the end of an era as the marvel cinematic universe reaches its final frontier, with avengers endgame. nothing, it seems, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government to build better government housing. internationally, there have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong.

only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year war for them. they've taken the capital, which they've been fighting for for so long. it was 7 o'clock in the morning, the day when power began to pass from the minority to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: president trump urges parents to vaccinate their children against measles, after two universities quarantine staff and students to try to contain an outbreak. driving further inland — cyclone kenneth hits mozambique with strong winds and

threatens more floods. the trump administration says it will pursue diplomatic efforts aimed at ending 18 years of war in afghanistan, despite the taliban's decision to cancel the latest planned round of talks. the death toll, civilian and military, continues to rise at an alarming rate. over the last four years, 16,000 afghan soldiers and police have been killed. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale has more. this is not the life that this 24—year—old imagined. just a few years ago, he was a proud officer in the afghan army, and about to get married. now that's all gone. he put his life on the line for his country, clearing roadside bombs and fighting the taliban. this filmed before he was shot and lost the use of his legs.

since then, he says he has received little support save for a modest pension. he says, "i was not looked after. of course, you get upset. you tell yourself you served for this soil. i served for this country. they should have treated me properly, they should have helped me get better." the afghan government's focus is not on the casualties of war but on its very own survival and that means rapidly reinforcing the ranks depleted by the constant fighting. 16,000 afghan soldiers and police have been killed over the past four years. this is like a production line for the afghan army. at any given time at this one centre, there are 5000 recruits being trained but, remember, every single day, around 30 members

of the afghan security forces are being killed in battle. for every soldier killed, at least another two are seriously wounded. and this is one of the few clinics in afghanistan that treat the many who have lost limbs. hussein was severly injured in the explosion, soon after he joined the army. atjust 19, he is a double amputee. 22—year—old ali stepped on a mine in helmand — he is still waiting to be fitted with prosthetics. especially in the condition they come here, without both legs, life is terrible. in many countries, the ministry of defence has its own rehabilitation facilities for soldiers. in afghanistan, no.

these young recruits who have never known peace are having to prepare for the worst. the afghan forces have been taking their highest casualties since they have been leading the fight. and there will be many more forgotten victims in this too easily forgotten war. and you can see more onjonathan's story on bbc world news this weekend. defending afghanistan — what does the future look like for the afghan people? is on saturday and sunday. beginning on saturday, the japanese will enjoy an extended 10—day holiday, in the run up to the accession of a new emperor. crown prince naruhito will assume the chrysanthemum throne on the ist of may as his father, emperor akihito, abdicates. for many japanese, it's a chance to see their own families and reflect on the end of an era,

as rahuljoglekar reports. lights, camera, action. 78—year—old royal fan fumiko has lights, camera, action. 78—year—old royalfan fumiko has been waiting for this moment for three decades. she is a superfirm of emperor akihito and his wife, and has clicked thousands of photographs of the royal couple over the years. as the royal couple over the years. as the new emperor ascends to the throne, fumiko plans to be there at the palace to capture history being made. translation: there are always plans to follow them here or there, soi plans to follow them here or there, so i feel excited. if ijust stayed at home that i wouldn't do anything. but not everybody is sticking around to ta ke but not everybody is sticking around to take photographs of the royal couple. japan is on the move over the festive period. a record 24.7 million people are taking a holiday. that is one fifth of the total

population. while many will travel within japan, hawaii seems population. while many will travel withinjapan, hawaii seems to be a favourite destination for those going abroad. since the ten day holiday was decided in october, people started to book their trips earlier compared to past years. our customers also booked longer stays. the imperial house ofjapan is believed to be the oldest continuous monarchy in the world. emperor akihito is the i25th emperor in a line that extends back to the country's founding. as emperor akihito hands it all over to his son after 31 yea rs on akihito hands it all over to his son after 31 years on the throne, he will be looking forward to some time off. something that japan's will be looking forward to some time off. something thatjapan's many holiday makers will also be doing over the next few days. it's 20 years since the american—born, british—based, oscar—winning director stanley kubrick died. for the first time in the uk, a major retrospective exploring his film—making

is being held in london. when they came out, many of his films like a clockwork orange, 2001: a space odyssey and dr strangelove were seen as ahead of their time — and they still resonate today. our arts editor will gompertz reports. you are entering a stanley kubrick experience, a world of single—point perspective and almost obsessive attention to detail. if film—making was the art form of the 20th century, then stanley kubrick was its da vinci. a fine artist with a mechanical eye who produced celluloid masterpieces, from barry lyndon to a clockwork orange. malcolm mcdowell starred in the film. ok, malcolm. the sports car he drove takes the lead in the exhibition. the last time i did this, i think i was in my 20s. oh, my god! what's the matter, will? are you having a problem? my feet are stuck... i'm in. good man, ok. how did kubrick differ to other directors?

i asked him, "how do you direct?" he said, "well, i know... "i don't know what i want. "but i do know what i don't want." and how, wow, that was true. and i think that's why he did a lot of takes. luckily, with me, he never really did that many takes. on barry lyndon, i heard he went up to 100 takes. the exhibition charts kubrick's near 50 year career. from his earliest days, earning a living as a chess player and a photographer, to the short films he made as a young auteur, in which he did pretty much everything. each of his major movies is given a gallery, telling its story, presenting the processes, props and people with whom kubrick collaborated. this is where most of the show‘s contents have come from. the film—maker's home and h0 in hertfordshire, which was a sort of kubrick studios. ok, so, this library was the screening room. this was a workroom. so, the steenbeck was over there,

the control table was over here. what connection was he wanting to make with the audience? he wanted to tell stories that made people think. he didn't spoon—feed you what you should think about his movie. and that's why, 50 years down the road, people are still discussing and talking about them. the exhibition ends with his oscar—winning sci—fi classic 2001: a space odyssey, complete with a space station v installation, and a range of archive material that brings us as close as we are ever going to get to understanding this master film—maker. staying with film, the wait is over for american fans of the marvel cinematic universe. the 22nd and final film in the superhero series, avengers: endgame, has been released in the united states. with fans flocking to the cinemas, disney is predicting the film will make $300 million at the us box office over the next three days. that would smash the current opening—weekend record of $258 million, set last year

by its predecessor avengers: infinity war. here's what some of the first viewers in los angeles thought of the movie. and don't worry — there are no spoilers ahead. hands down, one of the greatest films i've ever seen. and i love movies. ijust think films i've ever seen. and i love movies. i just think with all these things, we've had ten years ofjust an amazing run of comic books that i used to read when i was, you know, five, six, seven, eight, you know? and to see it all culminate in this film that they've just put together, it was literally everything i wanted, everything. the only reason i'm giving this interview is so you understand that the tears will come and they will not stop. it was incredible. i screamed, and they will not stop. it was incredible. iscreamed, i and they will not stop. it was incredible. i screamed, i cried. and they will not stop. it was incredible. iscreamed, icried. i even laughed. funny story, i was actually scared of endgame, i was scared to watch it because of the screaming and now people are going to be scared of my screaming because i screamed through it. you can reach me on twitter.

i'm @regedahmadbbc. hello. it will be a stormy start to the weekend for many parts of the uk. in fact, storm hannah has already brought power outages to parts of ireland. the winds have been escalating through the night and evere gales are expected quite widely around the coast and the hills in the west. this is a deep area of low pressure so late into the season, of course, when the trees are now in full leaf in many areas so we do expect some damage to trees, buildings, power lines and that disruption to transport. there are warnings out there on the website for this storm, mostly for the winds but not entirely because it looks pretty wet as well. we've had one band of rain moving through the night. this next one coming in becomes a slow—moving feature, so with all the cloud around, it's not going to to be a cold start to this saturday morning, but it will be a very windy one. particularly for england and wales where we're expecting severe gales around the coast and over the hills, but inland we're expecting gales,

gusts up to 55 miles per hour, which is pretty unusual anyway, and remember, we are very late in the season now. as well as that we've got this rain which will be persistent across parts of northern ireland, south—west scotland, into northern england, north wales, the midlands, across towards the humber and, with that rain and the wind combined, it is really going to feel quite chilly. temperatures barely reaching nine or 10 celsius. to the south, showery, and to north as well with some good spells of sunshine potentially for western scotland. but some heavy thundery showers around too. and the afternoon may bring a strong wind to northern ireland, south—west scotland and the isle of man as well as north—west england and north wales. it will still continue to blow a gale or severe gale further south. a very windy day, certainly not a day for the outdoors. but the winds do ease through the night, and that's because storm hannah starts to blow out to the north sea. and we get a ridge of high pressure

building for the second part of the weekend. it's not plain sailing but i think for the london marathon probably the day of the two and almost great conditions for the runners because it will stay cool, we think, quite a bit of cloud around, i think there will be some brightness coming through, and temperatures will be doing a little better than saturday. however, you can still see this weather front draped into western parts, so northern ireland and wales and south—west seeing further dank weather. further east we'll have the remnants of our weather front. in eastern areas, a few showers around. a cool northerly breeze will be much lighter. 12—15 looking like our highs. they're a little bit more respectable from the days ahead. then high—pressure starts the new week so it could be a bit chilly first thing monday. could be a little bit of mist and fog around, but as the day wears on, we'll start to see this next weather system winding inself to bring some rain into the west. so generally we keep an unsettled picture into early next week. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: president trump has urged americans to be immunised against measles — despite previously casting doubt on the vaccination. health officials believe the recent rise in people contracting the virus is partly connected to misinformation about the jab. 270 students and staff are in quarantine after cases were confirmed at two universities in california. sri lanka's prime minister has told the bbc that he considered resigning in the wake of the easter sunday bomb attacks. he said he simply "wasn't in the loop" for a briefing on warnings of a possible terrorist plot received two weeks before 250 people were killed. severe flood warnings have been issued in mozambique as cyclone kenneth, the second in as many months, moves further inland. there are fears that hundreds of thousands of people will need humanitarian aid. now on bbc news: the week in parliament.