i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore, this is newsday. the headlines: sri lankans unite in grief a week after the easter sunday attacks. prayers in the street for the 250 victims of islamist extremists. here they espoused a kind humanity — the very notion dismissed by the bombers. aid workers in mozambique say they're struggling to reach thousands affected by cyclone kenneth as floodwaters continue to rise. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: a win for spain's socialists, but no outright majority. talks begin to form a left—wing coalition. but the far right also make gains.

and an emotional farewell injapan as emperor akihito prepares to hand over the throne after 30 years. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am here in singapore, 1am in london and 5:30 in the morning in sri lanka, where people have been marking a week since the bomb attacks which claimed the lives of at least 250 people. the attackers were islamist extremists who targeted christian worshippers in church services on easter sunday as well as people in some of colombo's biggest hotels. the sri lankan president has announced that he's using emergency powers to ban any form of face covering in public to ensure national security.

very few church services were held on sunday as a precaution —— but a nationwide service was televised. clive myrie reports from colombo. seven days ago, the devout gathered at st anthony's church to mark the resurrection of christ. today, they gathered again. but this time with the army and police, a security cordon and a sense of fear, because the sounds of screams filled the church at 8:45 last sunday morning. at 8245 today, bells tolled for the dead. bells toll

the bombers may have killed and maimed, but they haven't diminished the devotion of worshippers to venerate their god, even out here on the streets. here they espouse a kind humanity — the very notion dismissed by the bombers. but some have had a crisis of faith. lighting a candle for his own family, this man had just left the church with two of his sons when the suicide bombers struck. his wife, another son and a baby daughter were still inside. "i believed in god," he told me, "but some in my family have no life. i pray to god he will heal them."

meet his four—month—old daughter, lakshika — her tiny body badly burned. her mother and older brother are in intensive care. three reasons, perhaps, to lose faith. in all, 19 children ended up at this hospital after the bombings. others died. this child is five years old. her brother and grandmother are dead at the hands of one of the suicide bombers. her throat, badly scarred by the blast, will recover, but how scarred is her mind? she still hasn't been told her relatives are dead. this is the alleged mastermind behind senseless murder, zahran hashim.

and this is the result of his conspiracy, the bombing of saint anthony's. hashim died blowing up a hotel, while his father and two brothers, co—conspirators, are now dead after a police raid. today, we were allowed inside the still damaged st anthony's church. members of the sri lankan navy trying to clean away the stain of violence to restore this house of god. they reckon it will be about a month, maybe two, before this place is handed back to the people for worship. and what happened here is destined to be passed down the ages, along with all the other acts of religious intolerance that blacken history. this country will move on, like others darkened by fanatics. and the fervent hope is that the trauma of one week ago will unite sri lanka rather than divide it. clive myrie, bbc news, in colombo. let's take a look at some of the day's other news.

tens of thousands of people in the far north of mozambique are facing the threat of severe flooding, as cyclone kenneth continues to bring torrential rain. rescue workers are struggling to reach remote areas. five people are confirmed to have died but that figure is expected to rise. the bbc‘s lebo diseko has the latest from the country's capital maputo. heavy rain is expected to continue to fall over the coming days in the north of mozambique. the wfp, world food programme, telling me that they expect the remnants of cyclone kenneth could dump twice as much rain as cyclone idai did in the coming days. they're also expecting a quarter of their yearly rainfall over just these next few days. in the province of cabo delgado, one of the most northern provinces here, the united nations have been evacuating here after several houses collapsed and in the neighbouring province nampula, there have also been more evacuations.

we are not sure of numbers yet but we are hearing it could be in the tens of thousands. the real fear is that the area affected by cyclone kenneth was much more sparsely populated than that affected by cyclone idai and the fear is there could be pockets of people or even whole villages that are in very difficult to reach, remote areas. also making news today: indonesian officials say more than 270 polling staff have died because of being overworked during the election earlier this month. the country's election commission says many more fell ill because of fatigue. the latest vote combined two ballots in one day, which meant many hours of counting by hand often outdoors in high temperatures. there've been calls for a change to election procedures. canada's prime ministerjustin trudeau has held meetings with japan's prime minister shinzo

abe, who's in ottawa for a two—day trip. the leaders discussed the benefits of a pacific trade deal and said it should serve as a model forfuture agreements. mr abe travelled to canada after meeting president trump in washington. more than 40,000 runners have been taking part in the london marathon. the men's race was won by eliud kipchoge from kenya, who crossed the line in the second fastest time ever recorded. a kenyan athlete took the women's race as well, brigid kogayu tookjust two hours and 18 minutes to reach the finishing line. tens of thousands of people have marched on hong kong's parliament to demand the scrapping of proposed extradition rules that would allow suspects to be sent to mainland china for trial. demonstrators fear it's a move by beijing to try and exert more power over the territory. officials say that no—one at risk

of being sentenced to death, being tortured, orfacing a political charge will be sent to the mainland. joining me now from hong kong is claudia mo, a member of the legislative council who has been campaigning against the proposed extradition laws. first off, you speak very much from the protesters point of view so tell us, why is this new extradition law so us, why is this new extradition law so worrying? first of all, we are terribly pleased about the turnout. we didn't expect a big crowd, 50,000 maybe. we thought more than 100,000 actually showed up. we are very, very worried about the judicial and legal systems on mainland china. we simply have no trust nor confidence

in the system in every way. in effect, they are trying to exercise —— exercise mainland laws in hong kong and that is against the basic law. they will be able to extradite tactically everyone, notjust hong kong people but everyone in hong kong, including those passing through so we need to urge this government tojust through so we need to urge this government to just scrap the whole thing because the motive behind this extradition law is to trick taiwan ina way extradition law is to trick taiwan in a way to acknowledge that it is pa rt in a way to acknowledge that it is part of china because they are basing everyone on some murder case that took place in taiwan. the second thing is, they are opening hong kong's front door to mainland chinese law. in order to legalise

abductions. claudia, iwanted to chinese law. in order to legalise abductions. claudia, i wanted to go back to the turnout. you said you we re back to the turnout. you said you were pleased about the turnout. 0rganisers say well over 100,000 people turn up at the police are saying, it was just over 20,000 summer ——so saying, it was just over 20,000 summer ——so it's a bit of a discrepancy but still, the hugest turnout since the 2014 yellow umbrella turnout since the 2014 yellow u m brella protest turnout since the 2014 yellow umbrella protest so is this a headache for beijing and how they going to deal with it? i'm headache for beijing and how they going to dealwith it? i'm not headache for beijing and how they going to deal with it? i'm not too sure whether they will actually concede in any way except we need to show them that the hong kong people are very resentful and displeased because they can't just are very resentful and displeased because they can'tjust impose where everything they want to do with us, on us. everything they want to do with us, on us. at the end of the day, the whole thing could be, as far as beijing is concerned, a face problem

andi beijing is concerned, a face problem and i can't quite hear you, my earpiece is coming loose. u nfortu nately, earpiece is coming loose. unfortunately, we've run out of time for the interview but thank you so much forjoining us. spain's governing socialist party is on course to win the country's general election — but not secure a majority in parliament. with more than eighty percent of votes counted, they are projected to win 123 of the 350 seats. the bbc‘s katie silver is in madrid where pedro sanchez claimed an early victory. in that speech he declared victory and he also talked about how this is potentially the end of an era of corruption that he says was a very aparent part of his predecessor's government — presidente rajoy.

but as you say, it is far from over. we had the latest numbers here — 123 seats went to the socialists. the magic number is 176 to form a majority orfor a coalition. they have 123. where they will look to team up with is podemos who's got 42, taking them up to 165. so they're just shy of a 2—party coalition, about 11 seats shy. so as you say, it is far from over. they will have to engage in conversations and we don't know exactly how long that may take before a government may be declared. where will they be looking for extra support, will it be the pro—catalan, pro—basque parties? yes, that is the prediction. there was a hope that they may have been able to make it with just the two parties and they wouldn't need to buddy up with these

separatist—style parties. but what pedro sanchez will be probably trying to look to do is perhaps go to the basque representatives. that way he won't have to pander so much to the catalan separatists. he has been in power ten months and part of that has been marred for some people in spain who think he is too close to the catalan separatists. the first port of call will be the basque but after that yes, he may continue to walk this fine line where he tries to create an allegiance with the catalan separatists while not isolating himself from the rest of the spanish voters. it'll be interesting to see how he figured this out as this was a highly—polarised campaign and issues of national identity very much at the forefront. yes, so, we've heard a lot during this campaign about the hard right party vox. it's the first time we have had a far right party in power since the 1970s. they got about 25 seats which was lower than expectations but yes, for the left here tonight, they are seeing it as a real win for their credo. and you can keep up to date with the post election coalition talks on the bbc website —

you'll also find a feature on whether pedro sanchez will be able to form a government — that's all at bbc.com/news. sudan's military leaders and the opposition coalition have agreed to share power on a transitional sovereign council. the two sides held positive talks this weekend on the body that will oversee the transition back to civilian rule. it's not clear whether this will be enough to satisfy protesters who've been demonstrating since president 0mar al—bashir was deposed earlier this month. catherine byaru hanga reports from khartoum. a small group of opposition leaders and military personnel have been holding closed—door meetings at the presidential palace here in khartoum just to the right of me. the military council which took over from former president 0mar al—bashir in a coup has promised to hand over power to civilians. what we understand from the negotiation so far is that both sides have agreed to form a sovereign council.

it will be made up of civilians and soldiers. this council will act as the highest level of government with a transitional period leading up to elections in sudan. the civilian power in the transitional period is expected to come from a legislative council and an executive or cabinet council that will run the government here in khartoum. but there are also other key issues that need to be hammered out. for example, how long will a transition period last and who will take over key ministries like finance, security and foreign affairs? but more importantly, how are the demonstrators going to react to the new negotiated government? you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: and emotional farewell injapan as emperor akihito prepares to hand over the throne to his son

later this week. also on the programme: asia's taste for traditional medicine drives pangolin poaching to new levels. how one of the world's most threatened creatures is being driven to extinction. 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 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 newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: sri lanka is banning face—coverings following the easter sunday attacks that killed at least 250 people. spain's socialists come out on top in the country's election. they're celebrating into the night, but prime minister pedro sanchez‘s party faces an uphill struggle to form a government.

let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the south china morning post which leads on the largest demonstration in hong kong for five years. 130,000 people protested against legislation that would allow the transfer of criminals to mainland china. arab news has the story that military chiefs in sudan have agreed to share power with civilians. talks are continuing to agree on the exact makeup of a newjoint civilian—military council. and the japan times reports that us president donald trump pressed the japanese prime minister to produce more vehicles in the united states. that's according to an account of the recent meeting between the two world leaders.

earlier this month authorities in singapore seized a massive haul of pangolin scales, worth more than 40—million us dollars. they were found in a shipping container on its way from nigeria to vietnam. experts say the news is deeply alarming and that pangolins, the world's most poached animal, are facing a crisis. earlier, i spoke to sonja luz, the director of conservation at wildlife reserves singapore. despite the fact that they were banned from trade at 2016 at the cites convention, they're still the most heavily trafficked animal in the world. 0ver1 million pangolins have been taken from the wild, poached, killed, to meet the demand which largely comes from vietnam and china. so that means every 3—5 minutes we're losing a pangolin. and this is incredibly alarming,

because this is not a sustainable situation, and we'll probably lose these animals very soon unless we can do something about it. they are a threatened species, and we know that singapore is a leader in pangolin protection, and yet it's really the second time a shipment here has been intercepted. so tell us more about that. yes, so first of all, i think we should congratulate our local authorities for this bust. it's very important that we intervene in these trade routes, and it's devastating, because it really shows that the trade now comes from africa. since 2000, the shift has gone over to africa. before that, it was mainly the chinese pangolin being traded. so yes, it's quite a shocking situation that we're in. and so what can we do here in asia to stop so many dreadful deaths? well, first of all, we've all got to understand it is a serious crime. it goes alongside all the other big crime such as human trafficking,

drugs and weapons, ao this has to be taken into consideration when tackling these kinds of issues. you have to come from all sides, meaning you have to strengthen your law enforcement in the countries of origin of these animals, and punish those that trade. but on the other hand, you have to, of course, demand reduction. that means you have to educate people that there's alternatives to using these animals in traditional medicines, and that this is really driving them to extinction — not just pangolins, many other species. and briefly, is that being done? for the first time in more than 200 years, a japanese emperor is about to resign. on tuesday afternoon emperor akihito will enter a ceremonial room —— rupert wingfield—hayes reports from tokyo. in a lush forest on the western outskirts of tokyo, the japanese emperor is on a final, solemn mission. standing before the vast tomb of his father, 85—year—old emperor akihito has come to tell him that he is relinquishing the throne. 0utside, crowds have gathered with shouts of "banzai", as the emperor and empress pass.

this is one of the very last public appearances that the emperor and empress will make before the abdication, and you can see the huge number of people that have turned out this morning, thousands of them, for this last opportunity to see the emperor and empress in public. it gives you a real sense of the genuine love, affection and respect that is felt by people here for emperor akihito, and gratitude for the way that he has carried out this very difficult role over the past 31 years. they do so much good for the country. you see them in the news, doing this or that for the good of the people, and it really takes you here. i think that's why. translation: i am not from the generation that experienced the war, but the emperor is the one that has kept the peace injapan throughout his reign, so i wanted to come and see him to show my gratitude. i wanted to tell him thank you.

quiet and modest he may be, but in his 31 years on the throne, akihito has revolutionised the japanese monarchy, comforting people in times of disaster and distress, and reaching out a hand of reconciliation to the countries japan invaded and brutalised under his father. akihito is a huge figure, and so he created a new role for the emperor, and that was as the nation's chief emissary for reconciliation, criss—crossing the region, making gestures of atonement and contrition, remarks of remorse, basically trying to heal the scars of the wartime past. at times, this has brought conflict with right—wingers at home. there were violent protests ahead of the emperor's historic visit to china in 1992. his steadfast support for pacifism has put him increasingly at odds with the country's political elite, particularly with prime minister shinzo abe. everything is quite subtle when it comes to the emperor, but clearly emperor akihito and

shinzo abe have frosty relations. they totally disagree about the wartime narrative. akihito has, you know, referred to the tragedies of the war, and the need for pacifism. abe is trying to rehabilitate that era and promote a stronger military role forjapan. at 85, akihito is now increasingly frail. for nearly a decade, he has been pushing to hand the throne to his son. on wednesday, he will get that wish. crown prince naruhito will become the 126th emperor of japan. we will have a lot more on that story live on the news day this week. i know what marvel fans were

doing this weekend. have a look at this. the final film in the avengers franchise has made box office history, by taking a record—breaking 1.2 billion dollars in global tickets in its first five days. hello there. a weekend that began with wind and rain ended on a relatively quiet note across most parts of the uk. that is how we start the new working week, with some dry weather for most of us. western areas will see some rain, and that will slowly spread eastwards over the next few days. could be some fog patches to contend with, and for a time, butjust for a time, it will turn a little bit warmer. this is what's going on — the view from space, the satellite picture from a little earlier on. you can see a few stripes of cloud pushing in from the west, but all these frontal systems making very, very slow progress, so this monday morning really only dragged across the far west of the uk. elsewhere, high pressure in charge, very light winds, hence we have some

mist and fog patches around. they should tend to clear through the morning, and in most places monday will bring some spells of sunshine. best of the sunshine likely to be found across scotland. but remember, that front in the west still dangling its way down into northern ireland, west wales, the south—west of england, with some patchy rain at times. here, relatively cool — 12 in belfast, 13 degrees in plymouth, but come further east we'll be up into the mid—teens, maybe 18 or 19 degrees across some parts of scotland. then we go through monday night, and we'll continue to see these areas of cloud and patchy rain in the west. perhaps some heavier rain reaching northern ireland later in the night, elsewhere some clear spells, some mist and fog patches, also some low cloud rolling in from the north sea. most of us not having a particularly chilly night, mainly parts of eastern england and eastern scotland getting relatively close to freezing. so we get down into tuesday, and it's more of the same, to all intents and purposes. still some rain in the west, heavier rain for northern ireland, maybe fringing into northern scotland, the far west of wales and cornwall later in the day. further east some spells of sunshine, and for many of us tuesday will be the warmest day

of the week, with highs between 17—20 degrees. i say tuesday will be the warmest day of the week, because that warmth is not going to last. as we move out of tuesday into wednesday, this front which will have been in the west eventually moves its way eastwards, taking cloud and showery rain with it. the rain will be quite sporadic, quite on—and—off, there's some uncertainty about how quickly this band of cloud and rain will slide its way eastwards. but ahead of this band of cloud and rain, this frontal system, there will still be some holding on across the south—east corner. temperatures here could get close to 20 degrees. but behind the weather front, this is where things start to change. it turns much cooler and fresher from the north—west, that cooler feel extending to all parts on thursday, and by friday it could potentially feel very chilly indeed, with northerly winds across the uk, and showers for some of us.

i'm kasia madera with bbc world news. our top story. sri lanka is banning face coverings following the easter sunday attacks that killed at least 250 people. the announcement makes no specific mention of the niqab and burka, worn by muslim women, but says people's faces should be fully visible so they can be identified. spain's governing socialist party have won the most votes in the general election, without securing a majority in parliament. with almost all the votes counted, they've won 122 of 350 seats. and pictures from mozambique are most watched on bbc.com. aid workers in the north say they've not yet been able to reach many of the people affected by cyclone kenneth, three days after the storm hit. roads have been impassable because of rising floodwaters. that's all. stay with bbc world news.