this is bbc news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm samantha simmonds. the headlines: russia says a pro—kremlin military blogger has been killed in an explosion at a cafe in st petersburg, where he was holding a meeting. 16 others have been injured. vladlen tatarsky wrote blogs on the telegram platform from the front line supporting the russian invasion of ukraine. and at least 26 people are now known to have died after severe storms batter the north—east of the united states.

we start with the developing news that russia says a pro—kremlin military blogger has been killed in a blast in a cafe in st petersburg. police say 16 others have been injured in the incident. the city is the second largest in russia after the capital, moscow. vladlen tatarsky was one of a handful of reporters writing blogs on the telegram platform from the front line and was a vocal supporter of russia's war in ukraine. it is not clear at this time who's responsible for the blast. these are live pictures from the scene, where there is a security presence further down the street, as you can see. it has been cordoned off. but at the moment, the scene is pretty clear. let's get the latest on this. i'm joined now by sergei goryashko, a journalist at bbc russian. welcome to you. tell us what more we know about this. we welcome to you. tell us what more we know about this.— know about this. we already know that those who _ know about this. we already know that those who suffered _ know about this. we already know that those who suffered in - know about this. we already know that those who suffered in the - know about this. we already know. that those who suffered in the blast

in the cafe were 25 people, according to local authorities. there are different leaks about what actually caused the blast, and according to one of them, tatarsky has been given a sculpture of himself, actually, a golden bust, and just minutes after he was presented this thing, the blast occurred, and according to multiple sources, it was a woman who gave it to him, but it is not clear yet whether it was exactly that which caused the explosion, whether this bomb was inside that sculpture. we do know that, for now, local authorities do not confirm that anyone else died in that attack, and russian investigators are already following different needs about what has happened, why there was not enough security measures in that cafe. �* , ., ., cafe. and tell us more about the bloc cer. cafe. and tell us more about the blogger- who — cafe. and tell us more about the blogger. who was _ cafe. and tell us more about the blogger. who was he? _ cafe. and tell us more about the blogger. who was he? what - cafe. and tell us more about the blogger. who was he? what did | cafe. and tell us more about the i blogger. who was he? what did he cafe. and tell us more about the - blogger. who was he? what did he do? his real name was maxim fomin and he

is from the donestsk. he was in a colony in the donestsk region, because he robbed a bank. he was freed from that penal colony. he joined some paramilitary forces in 2014 and he was in a war with ukrainian authorities. he was actually military, in that so—called separatist donestsk people pot republic —— peoples republic. and in 2022 he became one of the most patriotic progression bloggers. he was sometimes in the front line in ukraine, and he was quite famous by his phrase he said on a video in september 2022. his phrase he said on a video in september2022. he his phrase he said on a video in september 2022. he was in, and after

putting's speech. he told that russia will conquer anyone, will kill everyone and relieved everything we need. —— will loot. the video became viral and he is named from his landmark video. tatarsky was a popular blogger, but it is not known yet what he was chosen as a target. he was at the most prominent russian patriotic tv anchor orjournalist, he was one of the many bloggers who support the war, and telegram, but i would not say he was the most famous one. still, it comes as another hit on a russian pro—kremlin, so—called patriotic blogger, patriotic journalist, another one was this summer, the daughter of a russian philosopher, also killed in a blast

on a motorway on the outskirts of moscow. ,, ,., , ., , on a motorway on the outskirts of moscow. ,, ,., _, , ., moscow. 0k, sergei goryashko, from bbc russian. — moscow. 0k, sergei goryashko, from bbc russian, thank _ moscow. 0k, sergei goryashko, from bbc russian, thank you. _ authorities in the united states have been assessing the damage caused by severe storms and tornadoes. at least 26 people are now known to have died as the storms ripped through the south and the midwest, leaving a trail of devastation. hardest hit were tennessee, arkansas and indiana. in illinois, one person was killed when a theatre roof collapsed in chicago. our reporter shelley phelps has more. two tornadoes left a trail of destruction in arkansas. this was the small town of wynne, where at least four people were killed. homes and businesses lie flattened. the local high school torn apart, devastated teachers and students came to see the extent of the damage for themselves. yeah, i've taught here 25 years. this is my classroom. and when i walked out yesterday, i didn't realise that would be the last time i would teach

in this classroom. it's just... god protected this town, and he will rebuild it and everything will be fine again. i'm a sophomore. i have been here since first grade. and the school, ijust love it. we have many traditions that... ..i'm very proud of this school for. i'm just really sad over the fact it is gone. i know we can come back stronger. we can build a better school and keep those traditions going. 100 miles away in the state capital of little rock, another person was killed, over 50 people hospitalised and at least 2,000 homes and businesses damaged. cody says he was lucky to be alive after a tornado swept over his van, tearing up trees around him.

the wind was just absolutely howling. it was constantly making screaming noises. i could hear it blowing through the cracks in the van, just kind of pushing it and shaking the whole thing. if i didn't have as much equipment in that van and it didn't have the bulkhead and some other stuff attached to the van to make it a little bit heavier, i am pretty sure it would have been flown away. also hit was the central state of illinois, where a storm caused a theatre roof to collapse at a packed heavy metal gig in belvedere. inside wasjessica, whose friend had convinced her to go at the last minute. the lights go out, i hear a noise. everything crashes down, which is the ceiling, and i felt like a tornado hit. i don't know the logistics of it or anything like that. but that went down. one person was killed in the tragedy and dozens of others injured. recovery operations are under way, but some of the affected areas could face more storms on tuesday. shelley phelps, bbc news.

let's get the latest. our north america correspondent peter bowes is in los angeles for us. good to see you. it is of course tornado season in this part of the world, in the midwest, in the south, but the scale of these tornadoes seem to have taken everybody by surprise. seem to have taken everybody by surrise. .. , seem to have taken everybody by surrise. , . ~ ., surprise. exactly, and i think that is worth stressing, _ surprise. exactly, and i think that is worth stressing, the _ surprise. exactly, and i think that is worth stressing, the people - is worth stressing, the people living in these communities are used to tornadoes but nothing on this scale and i think the most frightening thing is that these tornadoes come very quickly. a couple of days ago, some videos when viral of a local weather forecaster in arkansas noticing a tornado sweeping through a town as he was live on air. clearly, he had not predicted in that moment, that is the problem for the people living in these places, that there is very little to do in terms of preparation. we hear a lot about hurricanes and hurricane sometimes

of court much whiter in terms of the strong winds, and we see them coming, the forecaster see them coming. people have some warning. these tornadoes, in many cases, have come out of the blue, and that is why the devastation and, tragically, the loss of life is so bad, and the question always remains, what can be done to prevent these situations from arising? it seems the answer to thatis, from arising? it seems the answer to that is, very little.— that is, very little. president biden has — that is, very little. president biden has been _ that is, very little. president biden has been speaking, i that is, very little. president- biden has been speaking, giving his reassurances of help. yes. biden has been speaking, giving his reassurances of help.— reassurances of help. yes, and the hrase reassurances of help. yes, and the phrase that — reassurances of help. yes, and the phrase that we _ reassurances of help. yes, and the phrase that we always _ reassurances of help. yes, and the phrase that we always hear - reassurances of help. yes, and the phrase that we always hear from . phrase that we always hear from president biden in situations like this is that he's going to help communities to build back better, what he means is provide the financial resources to build homes again and make them more rigid, make them more sustainable, in terms of perhaps resisting some of these strong winds. but that's a very big ask, and especially when we are

talking about some of the poorest communities in the united states. some of these structures that have been blown down our, have been quite flimsy. so the task for local authorities and the federal government, in terms of providing that assistance, that practical assistance over the very long term, is huge. quite honestly, it is going to take years and years for some of these communities to recover. this to moments _ these communities to recover. this to moments of— these communities to recover. this to moments of destruction, as you say, will take many months to repair. a major disaster has been declared in arkansas. what does that mean, in effect? that declared in arkansas. what does that mean. in effect?— mean, in effect? that is the terminology _ mean, in effect? that is the terminology that _ mean, in effect? that is the terminology that is - mean, in effect? that is the terminology that is used - mean, in effect? that is the| terminology that is used that mean, in effect? that is the - terminology that is used that really kick—start the financial process. there will be financial aid for people in those communities with their very immediate needs. people, in a moment, in a heartbeat, that have been made homeless, assistance for those people. longer—term, they will be low cost loans, in terms of

rebuilding, and otherfinancial rebuilding, and other financial assistance. rebuilding, and otherfinancial assistance. one of the problems we are hearing about in that committee and other places like tennessee, the widespread nature of these tornadoes means it is actually very difficult for local officials to get in, to assess the damage and to determine what kind of assistance is needed, so this is going to go on for several days. and we are hearing from the federal government as weather while this inspections are going on, there is a very strong likelihood that similar announcements will be made in terms of major disaster zones for other towns and cities in a wide number of us states. ., ~ towns and cities in a wide number of us states. ., ,, , us states. 0k, peter, thank you very much. let's just return to that seen in st petersburg, a couple of hours ago an explosion has caused the death of a russian blogger vladlen tatarsky. russian blogger vladlen tatarsky. russian news agencies have voted sources saying it was caused by an expose device, tatarsky had more than five heard 60,000 followers on

telegram and was one of the most influential military bloggers, running commentary on the war in ukraine. stay with us on bbc news. more to come. let's get more now on the aftermath of the storms in one of the worst affected states. i'm joined by the salvation army's coordinator for central arkansas, major bill mockabee. welcome to you, thank you for joining us. tell us about the situation is like where you are and what has been up to help those affected. ., what has been up to help those affected. . ., , affected. yeah, we are seeing under devastation — affected. yeah, we are seeing under devastation on _ affected. yeah, we are seeing under devastation on the _ affected. yeah, we are seeing under devastation on the ground, - affected. yeah, we are seeing under devastation on the ground, with - affected. yeah, we are seeing under devastation on the ground, with the| devastation on the ground, with the tornado that came through, it touched down here in little rock, arkansas, and was on the ground for 25 miles, and every thing around thatis 25 miles, and every thing around that is just completely devastated —

homes, businesses. they have been completely totalled. right now, the salvation army of central arkansas, we hit the ground running that evening, serving meals and drinks to first responders, and we were already able to mobilise a couple of feeding units and provided lunch and dinner yesterday, and we continue to get resources coming our way so that we can continue to feed and service the amount of people that have been affected. in some of the most densely populated areas of arkansas. we will continue to provide food, liquid, drinks, along with our emotional and spiritual care, with prayer support, pastoral care, because a lot of the folks they're dealing with right now, they are still in little numb from what has taken place, but they have lost everything in a moment. exactly, and i wanted to ask _ everything in a moment. exactly, and i wanted to ask you _

everything in a moment. exactly, and i wanted to ask you about _ i wanted to ask you about that, because obviously food and shelter are vital to help those people affected but so many people lost their homes, lost everything. where do you even start helping them? or do you even start helping them? or do they even start try to rebuild their lives? 50 do they even start try to rebuild their lives?— do they even start try to rebuild their lives? ., . , their lives? so right now, the city of little rock _ their lives? so right now, the city of little rock is _ their lives? so right now, the city of little rock is putting _ their lives? so right now, the city of little rock is putting together| their lives? so right now, the city| of little rock is putting together a resource centre where we have all of the different agencies, the salvation army included cavalry can really co—ordinate those efforts to get people moving in the right direction, start to rebuild —— where we can really cordon eight. we are really focusing on the emergency part right now, we will get to that long—term recovery, and that is going to be months, even years on, for many people here in central arkansas. ~ ., for many people here in central arkansas-— for many people here in central arkansas. ~ . . , , , , , arkansas. what happens in disasters like this, in the — arkansas. what happens in disasters like this, in the immediate _ arkansas. what happens in disasters like this, in the immediate days, - like this, in the immediate days, there's a lot of attention and support. eventually that goes away. what happens to those people then? the salvation army has been here,

serving in little rock since 1899, so we will be here for the long—term. this is not a mobile incident command here in central arkansas, in little rock. we have been here and we will continue to be here to serve. the thing that is always going to kind of either help or hinder us is we continue to move forward, the amount of monetary donations that we have to be able to serve these folks in a way that helps move them forward, and anybody right now, that's the best way, if you're interested in helping out here in central arkansas or any of the other areas that are affected, mississippi, tennessee, alabama, where the salvation army has boots on the ground and the different areas we are serving, the best way to do that is you can text storm 51555 and make a donation. thank you

ve much 51555 and make a donation. thank you very much for— 51555 and make a donation. thank you very much forjoining _ 51555 and make a donation. thank you very much forjoining us _ 51555 and make a donation. thank you very much forjoining us from - 51555 and make a donation. thank you very much forjoining us from little i very much forjoining us from little rock. very much for “oining us from little rock. ., ~ very much for “oining us from little rock. . ,, , ., passengers arriving at dover for the easter getaway to france have faced lengthy waits despite extra ferries being laid on overnight to clear a backlog. a statement from the port of dover says all of the weekend's coach traffic is now contained in the port ready for processing through immigration controls. marc ashdown reports. inch by inch, things are slowly moving at the port of dover, but coachloads of schoolchildren destined for easter breaks have faced lengthy delays. we got here, down into the queue, about 2:30am this morning. we were about number 33, we're now down to 31, and we reckon we've probably got another 12 hours left waiting. this group are en route to luxembourg but have been queueing since yesterday. i've got mostly elderly passengers on that have paid good money for a holiday, and basically i think some of them now want to go home. now the blame game has begun.

the port of dover said ferry companies accepted extra easter bookings, which added pressure to the system. the companies say they've shared all booking information in advance and have laid on extra crossings overnight to help get things moving. the port is also blaming french border processes. since the uk left the eu, there's no longer freedom of movement to the continent, so passport checks are much more rigorous. and they happen here on english soil, so when you've got, say, a coachload of 80 schoolchildren, every single person has to get off, have their passport examined and stamped. freight traffic and cars haven't been affected. the home secretary said the delays are not down to brexit. they've seen an acute pressure of bookings, of coaches and journeys across the channel. it is a very busy time of year. there's been bad weather, but they've been putting on extra journeys overnight. last summer, there were huge queues at the start of the school holidays, and the christmas getaway saw problems because of strikes. how, then, to prevent a repeat in the future? i can imagine ministers are going

to call in the port of dover, the ferry companies, and say, "right, we can't have this again," so therefore there will be mandated capacity limits, which will be carefully worked out by the port, by the ferry companies, so that they know that they can cope. there will be an early test of resilience in a few days' time, with large numbers expected to travel over the easter bank holiday. marc ashdown with that. the bbc has been told there are "positive updates" in the case of the british men, arrested by the taliban in afghanistan. the government said it had been in negotiations following the news of their detention. yetunde yusuf has more. back under taliban control since the summer of 2021, now it's emerged that three british men are being held in custody by the taliban in afghanistan. so it may be i might be evacuated tonight, maybe next week, maybe a month. it's understood one of them is miles routledge, who had to be

evacuated in the final days of the occupation in 2021. he's gained a social media following visiting countries deemed dangerous by the authorities. two other british men have also been arrested — kevin cornwall, a 53—year—old charity worker and paramedic, and another british man who hasn't been named. the organisation supporting the families of the two men say after three months, they finally had contact. we're not really talking about a hostage situation with controlled language. they were able to discuss personal matters, able to confirm the health and well—being of the individuals. and this is really the first time that we've seen this in any of this style of detentions. it was also an enormous diplomatic step forwards. meanwhile, the home secretary says people should be cautious about travelling to dangerous countries. if there are risks to people's - safety, if they're a british citizen

abroad, then the uk government is going to do whatever it takes i to ensure that they're safe. the presidium network say negotiations are still under way and that there's hope for a positive outcome. yetunde yusuf, bbc news. ukraine's president hailed the first anniversary of russia's withdrawal from the kyiv region on sunday, saying ukrainians had stopped the greatest force against humanity of our time. volodomyr zelensky also renewed his pledge to see all occupied territory liberated. meanwhile, ukrainian officials say six civilians have been killed in russian shelling in a town near the embattled city of bakhmut, in the east of the country. speaking from kyiv, bbc correspondent hugo bachega explained the significance of the anniversary to ukrainians. it's been a year since russian forces were expelled from the kyiv region, and their brutal occupation of towns like bucha and irpin included possible war crimes — executions, torture, rape. today, president zelensky said ukrainians had stopped the greatest

force against humanity of our times. he's been using this anniversary to boost morale here in the country. the ukrainian army is expected to launch an offensive to try to take back territory that's now under occupation, and the president renewed his pledge to see all occupied parts of ukraine liberated. now, parts of the south, of the east of the country remain under russian control. and the front lines have barely changed in recent months. but the fighting continues in the east, near the town of bakhmut, which has been the main target for russian forces in the east of the country. russian shelling killed six civilians in the donetsk region, according to ukrainian authorities. and in the south, ukraine again attacked the occupied city of melitopol in the zaporizhzhia region. and the russian—appointed official said ukrainian shelling hit a train depot and residential areas and six

people were injured. hugo bachega there. the home secretary insists asylum—seekers who've arrived in the uk will be safe in rwanda, if they're deported as part of the government's new migration strategy. but it remains unclear when the scheme will be up and running. opposition parties have criticised the cost and feasibility of the plans. our political correspondent ione wells reports. this is the home secretary stepping off a plane in rwanda two weeks ago. the first plane due to take asylum—seekers here from the uk last summer never even took off. the government want to send asylum—seekers here if they cross the channel in small boats. the plans are still facing a legal challenge. ministers can't commit to when they will stop the boats and insist rwanda is a safe country. the united nations refugee agency has evidence. i2 congolese refugees there were shot dead during protests in 2018.

the bbc has verified the location and the date at which that happened. the rwandan government says it was a last resort and there was violence at the protests. suella braverman was confronted with this footage of what happened in the aftermath of that protest. well, as i said, that might be 2018. we're looking at 2023 and beyond. the high court — senior, expertjudges — have looked into the detail of our arrangement with rwanda and found it to be a safe country and found our arrangements to be lawful. i think we're on strong ground to say that rwanda's a safe country, it is the right solution for us grappling with our small boats problem. opposition parties are not convinced the rwanda plan will ever happen. i think this is a con trick being perpetrated on the british people. the government is not processing asylum claims. they've got an enormous backlog. they've added £500 million to the cost because of these delays that have been caused by them pursuing all these new strategies, barges that don't exist, claims to send people to rwanda that haven't materialised.

the liberal democrats said ms braverman's comments show the rwanda plan is unworkable and on hold. the number of migrants crossing the channel hit a record high last year. it will result in their detention... the prime minister has pledged to stop the boats, but he and his party know this is a political risk. they are aware, if they fail, voters could make that disappointment known at the next election. ione wells, bbc news. pope francis has presided over palm sunday mass at the vatican, just a day after leaving hospital in rome. the 86—year—old was admitted with breathing difficulties, and later diagnosed with bronchitis. the pontiff's admission to hospital came ahead of the busiest week in the christian calendar. thousands of people gathered in st peter's square, waving palm and olive branches as pope francis was driven into the huge esplanade, sitting in the back of a white, open—topped vehicle. he then celebrated mass. his initial blessing was made standing up, but he spent the rest of the service sitting down.

in his homily, he called on people not to ignore those experiencing great suffering and solitude. the service ended with a procession in st peter's square. and the pontiff left waving to crowds of worshippers from his popemobile. early results from the finnish elections have given the centre—right national coalition party a 0.1% lead over prime minister sanna marin's social democrats. with 42% of the votes counted, the ncp have 20.8% of the vote with the government on 20.7, whilst the far—right finns party have 18.6%. full results are expected in the next few hours, with the winner overseeing the country's entry to nato. the chief executives of more than 200 academy schools in england say the regulator, ofsted, must rethink how it carries out inspections. they've told the bbc ofsted fails to take into account the effect the pandemic has had on schools serving poorer communities. it follows the death of a head

teacher, who took her own life after her school was downgraded. here's our education editor, branwen jeffreys. music is important at this london primary school, but two ofsted inspections in the last year have struck a note of discord. it's been a year like no other. on a visit a year ago, inspectors raised concerns — they'd heard racist, sexist and homophobic language in the playground and wanted better record keeping on child safety. the head teacher was told the school would go from "good" to "inadequate". i went walking for about five hours before i could find the strength to return home and face people again. it was five months until the report was published in september. i wasn't sleeping. i was always anxious. i had lost my confidence. you've to be seen to be resilient and strong and confident, but internally every essence

of your being has been eroded. two months after that first report, different inspectors were back, the school had made a few changes. at the end of term, it was judged "good" again. ofsted has a legal duty to inspect all state schools, checking that children are safe, happy and get the education they need. i have been speaking to people who between them run hundreds of schools across england. they share similar concerns about ofsted. they told me the way inspections are carried out is too rigid, and that the one grade that is awarded at the end doesn't give parents the full picture of what's going on. this nottingham school is part of a group of 38 academies. the chief executive said ofsted isn't taking account of the impact of the pandemic, and many others share his view.

i think that there is an issue, particularly for disadvantaged communities and schools that serve disadvantaged communities, how fair their experience is when ofsted are looking for things that are becoming increasingly challenging for any school to deliver. ofsted said it recognised the challenges schools face, adding there is a legitimate debate about how schools are graded. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. time for a look at the weather with elizabeth rizzini. hello. good evening. plenty of blue sky and spring sunshine across much of the uk today, but particularly england and wales. towards north sea—facing coasts, then, there was a chilly and a noticeably brisk north—easterly wind and we've still got that onshore breeze tomorrow. but over the next few days, it will be dry and fine, really very settled with high pressure largely dominating, especially away from the far north and the west. and overnight tonight, we'll see clear skies. temperatures are likely to drop below freezing,

particularly across parts of england and wales. you can see that marked by the blue tones here. but it's milderfor northern ireland and for much of western scotland, a little cloudier and breezier. that's the way it will tend to stay as we head into tomorrow morning. so, a touch of frost out there, a little bit of early mist. it won't last for too long. we'll keep sunny skies for most of the day tomorrow. bit of patchy cloud developing, particularly across east anglia, central/southern england through the afternoon. and towards those north sea—facing coasts, again, we've still got the onshore breeze, so a little cooler here. otherwise, highs between 12 and 14 degrees.

this is bbc news, the headlines the russian government says one of it's leading war bloggers has been killed in an explosion at a cafe in st petersburg, russia's second largest city. sixteen other people were injured. vladlen tatarsky was a vocal supporter of russia's war in ukraine and was holding a meeting at the venue. vladlen tatarsky wrote blogs on the telegram platform from the frontline supporting the russian invasion of ukraine. authorities in the united states have been assessing the damage caused by storms and tornadoes. at least 26 people are known to have died and dozens are missing — after the severe weather left a trail of devastation. he bbc has been told there are �*positive updates' in the case of british men,

two of whom are pictured here, who were arrested by the taliban in afghanistan earlier this year.