any. official say seven suspects have been arrested after wave of easter sunday bombings killed at least two hundred seven people seven blast targeted luxury hotels and churches filled with easter worshippers hundreds of people and eight explosion came as police attempted to search. the defense minister blamed religious extremists

will get the latest from the sri lankan capital colombo. i would like to express my heartfelt closeness to the christian community attacked while gathering prayer. victims for such a cruel violence. at the vatican this easter sunday adding his voice to of course of condemnation. from world leaders reacting to the attacks also coming up. next president. today's runoff election incumbent president. faces. a comedian he played a president on television it's now a good. i'm

michael okuda thanks for joining us sri lanka's defense minister says police have arrested seven suspects believed to be linked to the wave of bombings that killed at least two hundred seven people the first seven blasts targeted churches and luxury hotels in and around the capital colombo a church in the eastern town of but a cologne was also one of the suspects was arrested on the outskirts of colombo at the scene of an eight explosion that killed three police as a tempted to search the house most of the casualties came from the church bombings where worshipers were celebrating easter. the prime minister of sri lanka ranil wickremasinghe has been speaking about the attacks today. saying that you would like to express my condolences with the families of victims and those injured in the attacks that took place in the country today. i see this is

a major crisis that will lead the country and its economy towards instability. i strongly condemn these attacks that targeted religious sites and luxury hotels and that. all of us must stop hold the lure of the land and if you look beyond it let's cross over now to jamila national editor of news in asia and journalists in colombo jamil thanks for joining us do you have any information yet on the suspects who have been arrested. hi yes so that nico spoke to me and student hearing is that so one suspects have been arrested so much we do not know reach all the nation the suspects will be long two teams days and i didn't like koku imports and there's also a whole social media content being banned however just so shocked by the board this case meaning the prince to one we do our dinner say that most of the attacks. were

caused by suicide bombers reach all the nine patients they belong to is the activity we. are at this point satisfied that they have all of the suspects that might have been involved in these bombs. i do not think they have all of the suspects involved in fact the police are conducting such operations in and around the city and they have been going to hot tears and a few i took me to the a.d.r.'s and checking with the dems and seeing whether they have all the documents to pay. for a for anything. then they are questioning the people so i think again still on the call from one suspect we know that at least two more blasts all of the earlier bombings today what is the situation in and around colombo now. there are basically security has been beefed up twenty two maximum especially in colombo and the

outskirts and all the extra supports areas have also been cut off because and i am by a few easy implores. to see as they. have been company can you see the all the parties are not allowing anybody including the media have to leave the site just give me a sense right now of what the feeling is in the streets colombo. was meant to come eventually non-coms will come to the morning they will come through eastern time today and obviously many women. and within what is still remained on the what if you can't. buy the moment. people are worried. you know

what noise expected. let's hear now from the pope who addressed the attacks earlier today. and. with sadness at the news of the horrendous attacks which on easter sunday have proved sadness and pain to some churches and other places in sri lanka they see little money. i would like to express my heartfelt closeness to the christian community. which was attacked while gathered in prayer. and to all victims of such a cruel act of violence. i entrust to the. who so tragically time and i pray for the wounded and all those who are suffering because

of this dramatic event. pope francis at the easter mass at the vatican today let's get back to jamila national media and covering the story on the ground as we've been reporting all day this is the worst violence in sri lanka since the end of the civil war ten years ago are authorities worried about additional threats to the country at this hour. here's the basic idea tariq aziz has been put on high alert following the multiple attacks in sri lanka today especially because nobody in three longer expected another terror attack after terrorism was wiped out ten years ago two thousand and nineteen in spain europeans sri lanka and i felt terrorism in may two thousand and nine so this was very he's expected by the authorities or the sri lankan topics jamila i'm curious only seven percent of sri lanka's population is christian have there been other attacks against this religious minority in the past. yes sunday which was palm sunday there

was an attack at the methodist church in iraq a poor chase in central park and then some going. on the windows of. the church however. the police took on high alert and there was security given to this church and then last year there was also a deadly attacks which in begun a in fact was against the minority most name so i can't get into the minority has been happening in this country to miller we also understand that authorities have imposed a social media ban following attached could you give us a sense of what the new union's behind. lead basically when we woke up to easter sunday and when we got the news that these multiple attacks have brought colombo and out of the outskirts that was various misinformation which was being sent on

facebook on locks up on the weibo and people started circulating pictures of dead bodies in just the scenes and the government was not able to control the misinformation which is reaching out which eventually led to them banning you. should know what happens now. in sri lanka. there may be clergy right now what we're hearing is that security has been come to you can eat beef up two ways to maximum seven days a curfew in course everything is shocked into concrete nothing is open schools are not close he says a close close to stardom so close to conduct a close so i've been almost at the time of this country i do not know what to expect tomorrow morning but i can see that we are shocked and we are scared you know when you look at the pictures that we are streaming out to our audience you

see security everywhere in this certainly here in the faces of some of the sri lankans on the street there what other measures are the words putting in place right now to safeguard the media in and around london. but basically are targeted have activity speaks three explosions took place today morning and the stuff that no one in fact i my parents very close to a muslim mosque and as soon as the explosions took place seem to churches today morning and there was a police protection which was given to my mosque which happened to us to all of other places of worship across the country is very. high for those who have been deployed outside of our state institutions outside our luxury hotel as outside outside and inside the bandaranaike international after law so i think security has been beefed up to the higher and they are taking measures to address but the

picture it has so far we have already seen that run a risk. that is journalist jamila national do you mean with some excellent information general thank you very much thank you. short while ago we spoke to a song by a good i think kara head of the institute of national security studies in colombo sri lanka he was in one of the hotels in sri lanka's capital that were targeted in today's attacks he told us about what he witnessed. last month off and i was on my way down to the cafe has happened. the day they have all the people were having breakfast and more so than much. and there was lot of foreigners and. victims from that and. more so than actually military barracks the military defend the headquarters right next

to the shangri-la hotel and the meeting today there was one of assistance coming from the military and who was running while you're walking out of the building they would treat running in to assist and. so many casualties so. there was some of it there was. bombs from like everywhere like seven seven other ones from our from different places in sri lanka and some pretty sounding martial even for. the. national guard and i'd like to. see a check on the violent extremist groups. so many. groups. and there could be quite significant coming. and this sort of i mean if you take the targeted attacks and the finance minister she's one of the

most publishers most of the christians who come in from the villages they're coming and the many victims from that church attack and many other churches. that was a song a bear going to sing kara head of the institute of national security studies in colombo sri lanka he spoke to us earlier by phone let me bring you back up to speed on the story we've been following for you this hour at least two hundred seven people have been killed and hundreds injured in explosions at churches and hotels in sri lanka the first seven explosions hit colombo as well as the town of new goma and better in the eastern part of the country a major church in colombo was among the buildings hit other targets were five star hotels the defense minister says seven suspects have been arrested. now to some of the other stories making news around the world tripoli's only working airport has reopened after being hit by air strikes airport had been shut down amid two weeks

of fighting for the libyan capital forces loyal to strongman khalifa haftar have been unable to break into the city defended by libya's internationally recognized government. egyptians are voting for a second day in a referendum that could grant the country's wealth over terry and leader abdel fattah el-sisi another term in office the proposed changes to the constitution would also give the former army general more power over the judiciary a move heavily criticized by international human rights groups. to ukraine now incumbent president petro poroshenko job is on the line today in the country's presidential runoff his opponent is volodymyr selenski a political novice who has never held elective office opinion polls ahead of the vote show selenski with a big lead over poroshenko. it's all about this man comedian

volodymyr zelinsky plays a fictional president on television now he looks set to be elected is the real thing selenski poke twice as many votes as the sitting president in the first round of voting and is on course for a decisive win with you today it will be victory for ukraine the victory of a fair choice we've united the country and now look we've also united the journalists. many ukrainians are looking for change frustrated by the slow pace of reforms and wearied by the five year conflict in the east of the country with russian backed insurgents as a model they piss i'm voting for the young the candidate of hope the choice is obvious the war is dragging on and that's awful. i need something new we've had enough of the old faces we've seen them all before the with the passion for poroshenko i respect him and the good things he has done. i'm for the lenski we can

trust him partially because clever but he's corrupt. but i'm very keen for poroshenko he's professional.