this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 2pm: 15 bodies — including those of six children — are found by sri lankan security forces after a gun battle with islamist militants. nearly 100 labour mps and meps, including shadow ministers, are demanding thatjeremy corbyn backs another referendum on any brexit deal. northern ireland politicians are being urged to deliver on power—sharing by the priest who received an ovation at lyra mckee‘s funeral. i get the sense that people want our politicians to move, i do want them to move now, and by that i'm in terms of entering into those talks and ina terms of entering into those talks and in a way that will actually ring and in a way that will actually ring a positive result at the end of them. —— bring a positive result.

cosmetics clinics offering "quick fixes" with treatments such as botox are accused of fuelling a mental health epidemic. and investigating what led to last summer's explosion of anger on the streets of basra. that's iraq's poisoned rivers in half an hour, here on bbc news. good afternoon, and welcome to bbc news. sri lanka's security forces have said 15 people were killed in an explosion and gun battle with suspected islamist militants. six children were among the dead. the search is continuing for the bombers who carried out a series of attacks on easter sunday. from sri lanka, our correspondent yogita limaye reports. the search continues for those

behind sri lanka's horror. police have been carrying out raids across the country. on friday, they followed a tip—off to this house in the eastern city of ampara. armed men were inside, who set off an explosion. a gun battle followed and the house burned down. more than a dozen died. six are believed to have been linked to the bombings. several children were also caught up in the violence. in another house, in the same city, police found a huge stash of bomb—making material — a discovery that shows how grave the threat of more attacks still is. this banner of the islamic state group, which has claimed responsibility for the easter sunday attacks, was also found. not far is the town where this man lived, zahran hashim — the alleged mastermind of the attacks, believed to have been one of

the suicide bombers himself. several suspects are still at large. these photos were released by the government earlier this week. perhaps the most inhuman of the bombings was at this church in batticaloa, because children were the target. young boys and girls, who were attending sunday school. the bbc‘s tamil service spoke to a pastor, who recalls seeing the bummer. —— bomber. translation: he was wearing a shoulder bag and a camera bag. i wasn't aware of his purpose at that time. many children were drinking water in the entrance of the church after their sunday school class. people and children are entering. that's when the bomb went off. workers have begun to clear the trail of destruction, and most of those who died have been laid to rest, but fear remains. yogita limaye, bbc news, colombo.

joining me now is dr rajesh venugopal, assistant professor at the london school of economics and author of ‘nationalism, development and ethnic conflict in sri lanka'. thank you for speaking to us. your reaction first to what the government, what has taken place, is it sufficient? the government has announced a curfew for the last few days, restrictions on the internet, i don't has been a significant amount of security sector led investigation of different hideouts of the kind that we have come across the last few days, and uncovering of several arms cache eight. why do you think sri lanka was the target? there has been a lot of questions

about national, and how they have got from graffiti artists to these fatal bombings. it is an important question. the details are not clear. there is a lot of speculation, and i would urge people to stop and wait for proper investigation to reveal what actually the circumstances are. this was an obscure and tiny extremist organisation that operated in the south—east of the country and that was largely found to be a menace within the muslim community for some time. that community had tried to report this organisation to the authorities, but very little action had been taken. the authorities, but very little action had been takenli the authorities, but very little action had been taken. i understand it was the sufis that had reported the leader, the alleged leader. where would they have received the funding? once again it is speculation, there is a lot of speculation, there is a lot of speculation going around and rumours that it may have come from the middle east, perhaps from isis

stopped once again there is very little ha rd stopped once again there is very little hard evidence out there, so i would be very careful to add to that atmosphere of rumour. what were they after? because there is some description that they were part of the wahhabi tradition. what they want? this organisation has been trying to campaign against other muslim organisations and set in the east of the country for some time. it appears they are one of a clutch of extremist organisations that have been operating within that sort of mill you. in december last year there were reports that they had moved beyond that and started attacking other religious monuments, such as buddhist monuments, which is when they first came to the serious attention of the authorities. what does this now mean for everyday life in sri lanka? many people are very hesitant i do not want to return to the days of civil war when there is

a very high presence of the military on their streets. is this inevitable? i think there is a huge tension now between security and protecting the rights of people. this is something which is a grave tension, because in the past when there was a state of emergency and when there was a much more intense scale of militarisation, there were also serious abuses that were committed and serious problems with those, that greater degree of power and flexibility that was allowed to the security forces. there are very serious concerns that giving those extra powers is to be, you know, a court is good for concern. you spoke earlier of a environment, and many people are asking how it was that this group could have nurtured the rhetoric. do you think there is now a new generation of militants in the country, and what next for the group

if the leader has indeed been killed? there has been reports for at least a decade of very tiny muslim extremist organisations operating in that part of the country, which is the south—east. that happened in the past in an atmosphere where there was an ongoing civil war and when muslim organisations were there in the twilight zone between peter and edge politics, paramilitary forces and self—serving protection rackets. they were largely in that, boxed in, problematic but not a threat to the country as a whole. that has changed very radically, at what has happened in the last week has been both deeply disturbing and also revealing. it has been claimed that the government were very complacent regarding the build—up to these

bombings. what are the lessons learned, do you think?” bombings. what are the lessons learned, do you think? i think the lessons learned are that a small country like sri lanka can become the victim of dynamics and attacks that are far beyond the shores, beyond what occurs within the dynamics of sri lanka's intercommunal relations. what happened on easter sunday was a terrible attack on one humidity in sri lanka, and by all accounts it did not have its origins within any deep going tension between those two communities in sri lanka, but was pa rt communities in sri lanka, but was part of a larger game that is being played out with an eye to an international audience. thank you very much for your time. around 100 labour mps and meps — including a number of shadow ministers — have now signed a letter demanding the party commits to holding another referendum on any brexit deal. labour's ruling national executive will meet on tuesday to finalise the pa rty‘s manifesto

for the european elections, which are due to take place in less than four weeks' time. 0ur political correspondent susana mendonca joins me now. tell us a little bit more about this, put it into context. a number of mps, around 100, add meps saying that they want the labour party to offer a clear commitment that it is committed to having a vote on a brexit deal at that they want that to be part of the manifesto ahead of the european elections which are due to be held on the 23rd of may, provided that we do ashley have european elections because the prime minister is hoping that if she can get a deal done on her brexit deal before then, it might not happen. presuming the election goes ahead, we expect labour to come out with their manifesto next week, so these mps are pushing for that. it comes off the back of a week where we have had concern raised by some of those within labour, because there was a

d raft within labour, because there was a draft leaflet that was revealed which had no mention of a referendum on the brexit deal. we have since discovered that labour intends to change that leaflet, that it plans to include a general election on their and also what they refer to as a confirm a thierry ballot, so if referendum on a final deal. that will be in that leaflet. these mps are saying that as part of the whole ma nifesto are saying that as part of the whole manifesto they want a clear message so manifesto they want a clear message so that would make them the only viable alternative to the brexit party. labour have a real challenge because within the party there is a lot of controversy over whether on not there should be going for that clear message on another referendum 01’ clear message on another referendum or if that could deter labour voters in some key northern heartlands from voting for labour, people who voted for brexit in the referendum. so there are those who think labour should not be going down that road. to clarify, it is not a given that we will be taking part in those

european elections. it has not a given, it is supposed to happen on the 23rd of may. if the prime minister gets a deal before then, that election would not happen. that is what the tories would like to see, but they have their own challenges with activists who say they not take part in any campaigning, donors who say they do not want to contribute to the campaign, so they have their own issues, many within the conservative party do not want there to be a european election and are very unhappy if they go ahead. a formal investigation has begun into a decision by the home office to accuse more than 30,000 international students of cheating in english language tests. there are claims now that many of the accusations were unfair. many students had their visas revoked and more than 1,000 were removed from the uk after evidence of cheating was uncovered by the bbc‘s panorama programme. the national audit office will conduct the inquiry.

the catholic priest, father martin magill, who criticised northern ireland's political leaders at the funeral of the journalist lyra mckee, has told the bbc that people want results from new talks, next month, to restore power—sharing at stormont. power—sharing broke down more than two years ago. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. at lyra mckee's funeral, the words of father martin magill received a standing ovation when he shamed politicians for failing to reconcile their differences to restore devolution. 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 in his first interview since the address, he urged politicians to listen to the people. i get the sense that people want our politicians to move and they want them to move now, and by that i mean in terms of entering into those talks and in a way that will actually bring a positive result

at the end of them. political adversaries in northern ireland have been brought together by the death of the journalist who was shot during rioting in londonderry. more than two years since power—sharing collapsed in northern ireland, yesterday, the british and irish governments announced that in the wake of lyra's death, there would be fresh discussions to try to reach a new power—sharing agreement, beginning after the local elections next week. and we will work with all the parties to help them do that. but repeated rounds of talks have previously failed, and big sticking points between the parties remain. emma vardy, bbc news. john manley is the political correspondent for the irish news in belfast and joins us now via skype. do all of this has come of public feeling following the death of lyra mckee, but how does that tie—in with

the hard politics of northern ireland in terms of securing a deal? 0bviously ireland in terms of securing a deal? obviously there has been a great outpouring of public sentiment, but it is worth noting that those who applaud father martin magill‘s pointed words during his funeral homily for lyra mckee that those people who applaud it are not what you would regard as dup and sinn fein core voters. they were probably drawn from the middle ground, at add as lyra mckee herself was, and in many ways the government have been forced because of this outpouring of sentiment, perhaps a little prematurely, because we have a convergence of circumstances in northern ireland which are mitigating against the possibility of resolving the differences between the dup and sinn fein in the

immediate future. that would mainly be brexit looming large, the supply deal that the dup has with the tory government those are the two big issues, and also we are reaching a historical tipping point which is not spoken of at the moment in northern ireland, where nationalism is now, non—unionism i should say, is now, non—unionism i should say, is almost neck and neck with unionism in terms of electoral representation. if a deal is not reached, what is the likelihood that we could either go to another election or direct rule? how does that threat affect decisions made?” got the distinct impression that for the meantime the two governments we re the meantime the two governments were acknowledging this was not an

appropriate time tipping the two parties together. people were almost happy enough to let things drift for a while and hope that circumstances on the outside change. 0bviously now they are hand has been forced, but they are hand has been forced, but the possibility of another election, would we have two elections coming up, people will be weary and weary of elections, but it will still give the two main parties another chance to reinforce their mandate. in the past, lyra mckee has poured water over comments she had heard from both sides, from politicians saying that they will do this, and she said, ok, words are something, let's see the action. do you think there is something of a mismatch between public sentiment and the ceasefire and the politicians who are making these decisions? yes. but there is

perhaps an exaggerated overrepresentation of the millennial generation on social media. that is what is precipitating this current, what is precipitating this current, what is precipitating this current, what is being perceived as the public mood. we have a council election later this week, and if that gives an opportunity for people to reject the status quo if they so desire, but i do not envisage that being likely. we will leave it there for now. thank you very much. the headlines on bbc news: 15 bodies — including those of six children — are found by sri lankan security forces after a gun battle with islamist militants. the authorities say the militants set off explosives as troops surrounded a house in the east of the country. nearly 100 labour mps and meps, including shadow ministers, are calling onjeremy corbyn to back another referendum on any brexit deal.

northern ireland politicians are being urged to unite to deliver on power—sharing by the priest who received an ovation at lyra mckee's funeral. clinics offering cosmetic surgery such as botox and fillers have said they will introduce new checks to ensure vulnerable people are not sold unnecessary or damaging treatment. it follows a warning from the nhs director of mental health services, that the cosmetic industry is doing too little to stop those with body image obsessions undergoing potentially harmful treatments. richard galpin reports. cosmetic procedures like botox injections and fillers are popular and easily available — notjust in clinics, but also in high street outlets. the nhs is concerned there is a link between young people's mental health and these kinds of procedures.

25% of youngsters are worried about their appearance, 50% are worried about their weight, and we know that the evidence is if you've got those concerns, if you are feeling pressure or bombarded around idealised body image, that you are more likely to seek procedures, but you are also then more likely to be dissatisfied with the outcome of those procedures. to try to tackle this, the nhs wants all those providing cosmetic procedures to sign up to an online training programme teaching them how to recognise the signs and symptoms

cosmetic procedures to sign up to an online training programme teaching them how to recognise the signs and symptoms of vulnerability and mental ill health, and ensuring they tell customers where to get help if they show signs of being vulnerable. but the course is voluntary and so far, only 10% of providers have signed up for the training. richard galpin, bbc news. health officials in pakistan say they have suspended a nationwide anti—polio campaign, after a series of deadly attacks in the last week. a health worker and two security officers were killed in separate incidents. thousands of parents have refused to allow their children to be given the vaccine — officials are blaming misinformation being spread on social media. cyclone kenneth has become the second powerful storm to hit mozambique in two months. rescue teams are attempting to reach remote villages in the north of the country, where thousands of people may be trapped. the storm hit the comoros islands first, killing three people. it then made landfall on thursday in the cabo delgado region near the tanzanian border. heavy rain has increased the risk of flooding and landslides. 0ur correspondent pumza fihlani is watching from the capital, maputo. it is the worst storm in this part of mozambique has seen. people here were unprepared.

days after cyclone kenneth hit, many are still shocked at the force of mother nature. heavy wind of up to 200 kilometres ripped through northern mozambique, destroying homes and uprooting trees. the people of mozambique had barely recovered from another cyclone, which hit the port town of beira just over a month ago, causing death and destruction. the authorities this time around want to move faster. they're desperate to get their hands on resources which will make it possible for them to get help to where it's needed most. the operation is dependent on how nimble they are on the ground. torrential rains are expected here over the next few days. this means there is a high risk of flooding and landslides. there are fears thousands of people could be left trapped in remote villages. there are nearly 20,000 people in displacement centres — schools and churches that

survived the impact. but as a clearer picture emerges of the destruction, more may be needed, local authorities have said. the worst—hit areas include pemba. teams have been deployed to the area. officials say this will determine where help to where is needed most. 0ne death has been confirmed but there are fears that figure will rise over the next few days. but for some, life now has become the search for the next meal. they are relying on aid efforts. it's a desperate time for survivors. rebuilding their lives will be slow and daunting for many people of this poor country. in washington dc, a benefit concert has been held to raise money for the reconstruction of notre dame.

it took place at the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception. nearly $1 billion has already poured into the fund from donors around the world, since the cathedral was devastated by a fire 12 days ago. a group of feminists in spain have disrupted a far—right rally ahead of sunday's fiercely contested elections. the controversial far—right vox party is threatening to shake up spanish politics, but critics say its divisive message could set the country back decades. andy beatt reports. spain's third general election in just four years. with as many as 40% of voters still undecided ahead of sunday's vote, politicians of all colours have been campaigning hard. among them, the far—right populist party vox, enjoying a surge of support and hoping to upstage their rivals. but in madrid, activists

from feminist group femen, written across their bodies, "this isn't patriotism, it is fascism." anti—immigration, anti—separatist, and anti—women's rights, vox is one of five parties with a chance of entering government. if it does it, would become the first far—right group to sit in parliament for nearly a0 years. its leader, though, is keen to brush aside links with spain's fascist past. translation: vox is the only party capable of defending national unity and the freedoms for spaniards that are under attack from socialism, communism and separatism. the party's rise, dubbed an earthquake in spanish politics has clearly shaken that country's

socialist prime minister. translation: i ask you all to unite around the only party that can guarantee spain looks to the future and does not go back 40 years, as the right would have it. political tremors have also unsettled the centre—right. led by the main opposition people's party, they are likely to lose votes to vox, or end up depending on them to hold onto power. after the convulsions of the campaign, saturday has been set aside as a day of reflection. but with results expected to be close, and followed by lengthy coalition talks, the calm is not likely to last. in the uk, around 500,000 people have a debilitating form of heart failure that doctors know very little about. the condition stops the heart from relaxing, meaning the muscles become too stiff

to function properly. now researchers at four british universities are looking into how to diagnose and treat the condition. here's our science correspondent richard westcott. around 500,000 people have a type of heart failure we know very little about. it's called hfpef and this is a new study to find out what makes it tick. i didn't realise i had a heart condition and i thought, why, i'm so fit? i can't be — i've been a dancer, done so much, gardening, et cetera, i can't believe it. so you are quite good at walking on the flat but not the inclines? definitely. as well as the physical tests, they will be asking patients about their lives. if i said, could you walk to the shop and back again? i couldn't. this is an interesting patient group that are pretty much left to their own devices, there are not any evidence—based

treatment therapies for them so it's really interesting to try to find out what would help them. it wasn't long ago that some clinicians doubted hfpef even existed. it might be common, but it's hard to recognise. symptoms can be similar to more well—known types of heart failure or evern other conditions, but there is a key difference. a normal heart muscle needs to be able to expand and contract so it can pump the blood. around half the people with heart failure have a muscle that's too loose but they know how to diagnose that and treat it. the other half have a muscle that's gone thick and goes too tight and that is the one they need to find out a lot more about. this is one of the more obvious signs we see. this blue jet you see here is blood leaking back because this valve should be closing, but it's not, and that can occur because the heart muscle has become thickened. we know that there are things that we can do for this group

of patients and it's just ensuring that there's a systematic way of diagnosing and managing, that people are more aware of it, and they know, right, if we get the blood pressure controlled, if we control their diabetes, if perhaps we make sure they are doing more physical activity, then we can actually improve them. researchers will study around 200 patients for a year. well, i hope they find the reason why we go downhill like we are and i'm quite pleased, actually, that i had that call from faye last year, when she asked if i would come and participate in research, because it must help the future. they will then recommend new ways to identify and look after the hundreds of thousands who suffer. richard westcott, bbc news. it's being claimed that some fitness trackers from leading brands are so inaccurate, they can be out by up to 11 miles when logging the distance of a marathon. the consumer group, which? ,

has published analysis of some of the most popular devices from big names in the market. the watchdog used a calibrated treadmill to compare different trackers logging the number of steps and distance travelled. it's warning some simply can't be relied upon. a months of training will come to fruition this time tomorrow, when thousands of amateur and professional athletes line up for the london marathon. in the men's wheelchair race, all eyes will be on david weir, who's looking for a record ninth course victory. his team matejohnboy smith, is an upcoming wheelchair racer whose life was changed in a split second as a teenager. kate grey has been to meet him at his training base at richmond park. johnboy smith is one of britain's rising stars on the wheelchair racing circuit but he never set out to be. his life changed at the age of 16 in a tragic case