this report from rajini vaidyanathan contains flashing images from the start.e wala's music racked up more than 5 billion views. known for his trademark punjabi vocals, mixed with rap, hip—hop and drill beats. creative but controversial. seen here with bestselling uk rapper stefflon don. some of his songs, like this, glorify gun culture. sidhu moose wala had been charged with indian police for sharing violent contact on social media, and it was a shooting that claimed his life on sunday. cctv shows two cars trailing his black suv. officials say at least 30 shots were fired by the gunmen. police initially said it could be gang—related, but they're still investigating. a career that was just getting started. a budding politician who'd also acted in films. so, sidhu moose wala has been called a pioneer, an icon, a legend already, and he was only 28. what this means is that this person has been able to create this mind—blowing legacy which goes beyond music. his artistry was truly inspiring and i think that what he was able to do, which is what we love about him, a

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news.he louvre in paris. stephanie prentice reports. no way! the voice that spoke for everyone there, as the mona lisa, one of the world's most famous painting, is cleaned off by security with tourists and art lovers watching and filming in shock. thankfully, the portrait is protected by bullet—proof glass after somebody showered it in acid in the 19505, but how did leonardo da vinci's renaissance painting become covered in cream? american visitor luke sumbry recorded this footage shortly after landing in paris for a sports match. he told us what happened. we went to, i think it is called the louvre, excuse my — " louvre". excuse my pronunciation. we went to go see the painting, we were chilling there for about five minutes, and then we hear da whole bunch of gasps and "oh" and "ah" from the crowd. ijust looked up and i saw — we later found out it was a man dressed as an old lady in a wheelchair, running out of this wheelchair, and then from there kind of proceeded to hit on that — what we

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka. ukraine's entry is this year's firm favourite, unusually the uk entry — sam ryder — is also among those tipped to win, our media and arts correspondent david sillito reports from turin. one, two, three... yay! sam ryder. the uk's eurovision hopeful is already a hit in turin. his song, space man, is being hotly tipped. eurovision has helped transform his life. two and a half years ago, december 2019, where was your singing career? i did a little bit of everything. i was a labourer, a dogsbody, basically. so, december2019, yourjob is a labourer? yeah. his journey to fame began with this tiktok video. i thought nothing of it. i went to bed that night and just thought, that was funny. i woke up and 2 million people had seen it. you had 2 million views? yeah, yeah. and it was that that led to eurovision. it was lovely to meet you. let's go for a walk. and to understand what that could mean, meet italy's mahmood. this is mahmood's second eurovision. and it's made him a star. you've got a fe

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka.r and podcaster deborahjames — known to millions as bowel—babe. the ao—year—old mother of two who was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer in 2016, revealed this week that her treatment has stopped and she is now receiving hospice care at home. on monday, she launched a fund to help clinical research into bowel cancer, which has raised nearly £3.8 million so far. the prime minister said he hoped this recognition from the queen would provide some comfort to deborah and her family at this difficult time. for many years, scientists have known about the existence of a huge black hole at the centre of our galaxy. now, for the first time, they know exactly what it looks like. it's called sagittarius a — and it's four million times the mass of our own sun. but, because no light can escape from a black hole, capturing images of it has always been impossible. that is, until now — as pallab ghosh reports. for decades, astronomers have been on a quest, searching the skies and into the very heart

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi.is week, eight supersize images of queen elizabeth have been projected onto stonehenge, a prehistoric monument in the south—west of england, and each image marks a decade of her reign. for many, the queen projects an enduring image of britishness around the world. in thisjubilee week our royal correspondent, daniela relph, looks at the queen's iconic public image. one of the most photographed and painted people in the world. sometimes a vivid presence in public life, orjust a quiet part of our everyday. being king or queen is an exclusive club. jordan's king abdullah is in a unique position to understand the pressures and privilege of monarchy. his father, king hussein, became king in 1952, the same year as the queen's accession. a close family bond that continues today. when you look at her majesty, you look at consistency, and i think putting the moral bar at the highest point possible. again, if you look at 70 years of british history, you've had good days and bad days. her majesty,

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka. has burned at least 20 mansions to the ground. fire officials say the blaze has scorched 199 acres since it started on wednesday. hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate their homes. will grant reports. another multimillion—dollar californian mansion reduced to ashes in minutes. around 20 homes in the canyon near laguna beach were quickly engulfed in flames by the fast—moving wildfire, the latest to wreak havoc and destruction along along the southern california coastline. firefighters are doing what they can to try to contain the flames, but theirjob has been complicated by coastal winds and the long—running drought, worsened by climate change, which has turned the thick brush on the hillsides into dry, brittle kindling. the local fire chief said previously manageable wildfires now quickly get out of hand. our fuel moistures right now are very low, which basically means that when a fire starts, it will get established very rapidly. throwing some wind on that and the terrain,

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news.e voice that spoke for everyone there, as the mona lisa, one of the world's most famous painting is cleaned off by security with tourists and art lovers watching on in shock. thankfully, the portrait is protected by bullet—proof glass after somebody showered at an acid in the 1950s, but how did leonardo the veggie's painting become covered in cream? this footage was recorded shortly after. he told us what happened. we went to, i think it is called the louvre comics is my pronunciation. we would going to see the painting, we were gelling there, then we saw lots of gossips from the crowd. i just looked up and i saw — we later found out it was a man dressed as an old lady and a wheelchair, coming out of his wheelchair, coming out of his wheelchair and then from that kind of proceeded to hit on that what we now know as bullet—proof glass, and smashing cake and smearing cake all over the painting. this man seen exported our biosecurity clamp to behind the attack which is being cited as atta

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka.is dr niro kandasamy, an expert in migration from sri lanka and conflict at the university of sydney. thank you so much forjoining us on the programme. firstly, the prime minister's resignation hasn't calm the situation. if anything, resignation hasn't calm the situation. ifanything, it seems to have worsened it. but is it as simple as the president stepping down? m0. president stepping down? no, it's not, because _ president stepping down? no, it's not, because i _ president stepping down? iirr, it's not, because i think the widespread protests across to my car across the island show the people are beyond frustrated with the sri reflection on the systematic problems within the government itself. economists have long observed and warned that consecutive governments have been mismanaging the national economy. so the current economic crisis we are seeing — the worse we are seeing since sri lanka gained independence from the british in 1948 — was entirely predicable and people are really

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka.s deepened after the democratic unionist party took steps to prevent the power—sharing assembly from meeting. members of the dup took their seats at stormont along with other political parties for the first time since elections last week. but they blocked the election of a new speaker, in protest at post—brexit trade arrangements. their decision means the assembly is unable to function. other parties have condemned the move as shameful, including sinn fein, which has the most seats for the first time. borisjohnson is planning to visit northern ireland on monday to try to find a way forward. one of the main factors in the deadlock is the northern ireland protocol — the post—brexit agreement which requires checks on some goods entering northern ireland from the rest of the uk. mark easton assesses the impact of that agreement. you can't see it, it's not on any nautical map, but somewhere out here is the invisible border that threatens to paralyse northern ireland politics. the brexit dea

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka.cted to meet representatives from the main political parties in northern ireland on monday. political paralysis there is continuing, as the democratic unionist party said it would continue to block the restoration of a power—sharing administration with the irish nationalist sinn fein. our ireland correspondent chris page sent this report — a warning, it contains flashing images. the woman who would be first minister knows her place in history is on the horizon. but michelle o'neill of sinn fein can't become the first irish nationalist to take the job unless the democratic unionist party opens the door for her. members, the assembly has been unable to elect a speaker today. this was the point the political mood took another downturn. the dup blocked the election of a speaker to chair debates. that means the assembly is out of action. sinn fein said the dup was holding the public to ransom. this is our hour of decision. not tomorrow and not for a moment longer can the dup deny democracy,

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka. stay with us on bbc news.down the hours until the eurovision song contest begins in italy. the pope was shot, the pope will live — that's the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism had come to the vatican. the man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentencedl to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication - she felt even - the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake — the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion garry kasparov. it is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legall same—sex marriages have been taking - place in massachusetts. g

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka. from a swift—moving wildfire in southern california. it's burned down at least 20 mansions so far in orange county, south of los angeles. fire officials say it's grown to 199 acres since it began on wednesday. new york's police watchdog has recommended disciplinary action against 145 officers in connection with their conduct during the black lives matter protests in 2020. a review board said 88 of them should face formal charges. vets in the indian state of gujarat say thousands of dehydrated birds have been dropping out of the sky, as a heatwave dries out their sources of water. they say the number of animals that need rescuing has risen significantly this year. the extreme heat is also posing a danger to humans across the country. for many years, scientists have known about the existence of a huge black hole at the centre of our galaxy. now, for the first time, they know exactly what it looks like. it's called sagittarius a — and its four million times the mass of our own sun. but,

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, colombo.elling here! $130 million. the moment and warhol became the most bankable artist of them all. as his portrait of marilyn munro is sold at auction. the pope was shot, the pope will live — that�*s the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism had come to the vatican. the man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentencedl to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication - she felt even - the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake — the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion, garry kasparov. it is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. ame

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka.re officials say the blaze has scorched 199 acres since it started on wednesday. hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate their homes. will grant reports. another multimillion dollar californian mansion reduced to ashes in minutes. around 20 homes in the canyon near laguna beach were quickly engulfed in flames by the fast moving wildfire. the latest two wreak havoc and destruction along the southern california coastline. firefighters are doing what they can to try to contain the flames, but thejob has been complicated by coastal wins and a long—running drought, worsened by climate change, which is turned brush on the hillsides to dry, brittle kindling. the local fire chief said previously manageable wildfires now quickly get out of hand. ~ ., , wildfires now quickly get out of hand. a, , ., , of hand. moisture right now is very low. _ of hand. moisture right now is very low, which _ of hand. moisture right now is very low, which basically - of hand. moisture right now is i very

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka.orld health organization has said china's zero—tolerance policy against covid is not sustainable. the authorities in beijing have imposed lockdowns affecting tens of millions of people, lasting several weeks, to try to prevent any spread of the illness. but the who's director—general said he had told chinese experts it was time to change that approach. when we talk about the zero—covid strategy, we don't think that it's sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus now, and what we anticipate in the future. we have discussed about this issue with chinese experts, and we indicated that the approach, you know, would not be sustainable. earlier, i spoke to saad omer, the director of the yale institute for global health. i asked him for his view on china's zero—covid strategy, well, the policy had its value at the beginning, or even at the — well, you know, a few months after the start of the pandemic. if you are in a football game and your first ten—minute strategy is being played ou

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka.t the british government's legislative programme, is one of the great events of state here in the uk — but the one which happened on tuesday was a little different because, for the first time in nearly 60 years, queen elizabeth was not there. buckingham palace said mobility issues meant she could not take part — and instead, her eldest son, prince charles, took the role. it involves reading out the programme which the government — made up of borisjohnson�*s conservatives — plans to introduce. it included proposals to tackle housing problems in england. the government has promised to take further action to control the sharp rise in the cost of living. there are plans to remove more eu regulations, which ministers claim will save businesses £1 billion, as well as measures to improve energy security, and to reduce carbon emissions. after prince charles had spoken, the politicians gave their thoughts — starting with the uk's prime minister boris johnson. we need the legislative firepower t

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka. false stories about mrs rooney to the press. our correspondent colin paterson has the story. coleen rooney arriving at the high court, accompanied by her husband, wayne rooney, for the start of a much anticipated trial, which a legal team have summed up as being about betrayal. one minute later, rebekah vardy, who is suing herfor libel, strode in. both women very used to cameras, but not the courtroom. inside, coleen rooney sat next to her husband. at one end of the front bench. no more than ten feet away was rebekah vardy. there was almost zero eye contact between the two former friends. at the 2016 euros, they had cheered on england together from the stands. but everything changed in october 2019, when coleen rooney did some online detective work to investigate who was leaking information about her to the press. she wrote three fictitious tales on her private instagram stories, including ones about returning to tv and their basement flooding to see if they would end up in the sun. a

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka.time, they know exactly what it looks like. pallab ghosh reports. for decades, astronomers have been on a quest, searching the skies and into the very heart of our galaxy for a mysterious and elusive black hole. now they've found it and taken this picture. the black hole is at the centre of the image. it's revealed by swirling hot matter pulled in by powerful gravitational forces. it's dark, you're not meant to see a black hole, it traps light. and yet here we are, capturing something that's meant to be invisible, seeing at the literal edge of space and time. i think that's truly remarkable. a black hole is created by a dead star collapsing in on itself. more than 500,000 computer simulations have been run and compared to the actual image. scientists believe that this video reconstruction is the closest to what the black hole in our galaxy looks like. no single telescope can see the object, so several have been linked together to create a giant observatory on earth. here, high in the m

rajini vaidyanathan reports from colombo on the unfolding crisis. an island paradise... ..where tensions are rising. millions living through an economic nightmare. one kilo used to be 100 rupees and now it's 200 rupees. ok, so that's doubled. if you want to get an idea of the desperation being felt across sri lanka, you just have to come to a petrol forecourt. we are in a national crisis, right now. hospitals running out of medicines. so, if this continues, - i'm afraid to say there may be a situation where we won't be able to save the patient. _ the ruling family blamed for this mess refusing to go. the result — a mass movement sri lanka has never seen. you can see the unity of the people, you can see the unity of the sri lankans. chanting. protesters: "go home, gota, go home!" chanting for change. sri lankans on the streets demanding the president, gotabaya rajapaksa, known as gota, step down. fed up with fuel shortages, rising prices and daily power cuts. i've neverjoined a protest before because i've lived a privileged life, so this is the first

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, colombo.ilyn monroe — one in a series of portraits he made of the actress following her death in 1962 — was expected to fetch somewhere in the region of $200 million. this was the scene at christie's. $170 million is bid for the war whole marilyn here at christie's, and i'm selling it. all done, last chance, fair warning... alex, you are out? giovanna? you are out too. last chance at $170 million, and alex rutter, here it is, 170 million for the war whole is selling here to you, sir. $170 million. the selling here to you, sir. $170 million. th— million. the applause just add _ million. the applause just add onto _ million. the applause just add onto that - million. the applause just add onto that the l just add onto that the commission and the tax and it comes out at $195 million and makes andy warhol the most bankable artist of all time, we are told. that is bbc news. thanks forjoining us. hello, there. there is a bit more rainfall in the forecast for this upcoming week — most of it's across

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, colombo.he prisoner who escaped, apparently with the help of a female prison guard. casey white went missing along with vicky white — they are not related. she took him unaccompanied on a medical visit ten days ago. he was described as highly dangerous. here's sheriff rick singleton breaking the news. there was a pursuit this afternoon in evansville, indiana. now evansville, indiana's about 219 miles from here. the us marshals were in pursuit of a black ford pick—up — i think it was a ford f150. and casey white was driving that vehicle. vicky white was a passenger. during the pursuit, the pick—up truck racked. casey white surrendered, vicky white has been transported to the hospital. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. good evening. it was a thoroughly wet day across some parts of the country — northern ireland, western scotland, for example. and in the week ahead, we have some mixed weather on the way. it's going to be quite blustery. the wettest of the weather will continue to be

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, colombo. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. in a speech to the eu parliament today, mr macron suggested a parallel european community could be established rather than lowering the bloc s strict membership criteria. ukraine began its eu application process in february, four days after the russian invasion. in south korea, yoon suk—yeol will take the oath of office in a few hours�* time, to become the country's thirteenth president. he had the narrowest margin of victory in the history of the vote — by less than 1%. a political novice, mr yoon has vowed to get tough on north korea and bolster the security alliance with the us. police in ecuador say at least 100 convicts are on the run, after a riot at a prison. more than forty inmates were killed, when violence broke out between members of two gangs. officials say they will carry out a search for weapons inside the facility, and transfer gang leaders to a different prison. the leader of the uk's main opposition party — keir starmer, of labour — has said he will resign, if he's fo

this report from rajini vaidyanathan contains some flashing images from the start.n 5 billion views. known for his trademark punjabi vocals, mixed with rap, hip—hop and drill beats. creative but controversial. some of his songs, like this, glorify gun culture. sidhu moose wala had been charged with indian police for sharing violent contact on social media. and it was a shooting that claimed his life on sunday. cctv shows to make your car is trailing his black suv. officials say at least 30 shots were fired by the gunman. police initially said it could be gang—related, but they are still investigating. a career that was just getting started, a budding politician who also acted in films. so sidhu moose wala has been called a pioneer, an icon, a legend already, and he was only 28. what this means is that this person has been able to create this mindblowing legacy which goes beyond music. his artistry was truly inspiring and i think that what he was able to do, which is what we love about him, and what people love about him, is provoke — he was able sidhu moose wala's f

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka.nister has resigned — but the protests are continuing. people are demanding the resignation of the president. but is it as simple as that? a question i put to dr niro kandasamy, an expert in sri lanka migration at the university of sydney. i think the widespread protests across the island show that people are beyond frustrated with the sri lankan government. and this is a reflection on the systematic problems within the government itself. economists have long observed and warned that consecutive sri lankan governments have been mismanaging the national economy. so the current economic crisis we're seeing — the worst we've seen since sri lanka gained independence from the british in 1948 — was entirely predicable and people are really frustrated at the government. as you say, it is a deeply rooted economic crisis, but how long will it take to sort that out? especially the likes of the imf may not offer financial assistance if the political situation is unstable. it's difficult to say, a

government for its handling of the worst economic crisis in decades. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathanu can see crowds who have gathered again for another night of protest. there is a real sense of celebration and camaraderie here — although earlier, things were tense as police fired tear gas and water cannons into the crowds here. i've talked to almost any protester here, and they'll say they will continue to protest until sri lanka's government quits. in particular, they want the president and his brother, the prime minister, to quit office. now so far, the two brothers say they aren't going anywhere, and they are promising they will get sri lanka through this financial crisis, but many people here blame them and their economic policies for this mess. now tonight, the president met with his cabinet — we are hearing reports there are some tensions between the two brothers. earlier this week, there were reports that the prime minister might step down. as of now, both men remain in office. this summer marks queen elizabeth's platinumjubilee — 70 years on the british throne. a key moment

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, colombo.nter, with average energy bills set to rise by over £2,500 a year. the chancellor of the exchequer, rishi sunak, has repeated that people will have to wait until the autumn for any further government help, as our business editor, simonjack, reports. gerard barwick, like millions of other energy consumers, is looking at soaring bills with dismay. he can�*t see how he can afford another rise this winter. we�*ve already cut back on not using as much heating, not using as much electricity. now, come october, they expect you to pull out another £1,000. you�*re already looking at an empty purse, and you cannot pull any more money out of an empty purse. the price cap was introduced in early 2019 to ensure customers weren�*t overcharged. it stayed relatively stable until soaring wholesale prices saw it shoot up to nearly £2,000 this april, and scottishpower estimate that it could hit 2,900 this october, which would see workers on average salaries spending 10% of their take—home pay on energy.

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news.handguns, rival guns will also be limited to no more than five rounds. the prime minister said there was no reason for anyone needing guns in their everyday lives, except for hunting or sports shooting. he said the government have a duty to act against rising guidelines. i am joined duty to act against rising guidelines. iamjoined by duty to act against rising guidelines. i am joined by the canadian minister public safety who introduced legislation early in the day. thank you very much indeed for your time. how far is this going in terms of your overall aim in the gun control? in short, this is the most sweeping legislation that we have introduced in gun policy in a generation. it provides for a nationalfreeze on handguns in a way that will have a decisive and immediate impact to reduce the alumni trend around gun violence. it also takes on organised crime including some of the provision she mentioned in your introductory comments. we are going to make sure we raise maximum penalties a

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, colombo. this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. how to transform our high streets. the uk government sets out its agenda in the queen's speech as parliament opens later today the used car market is booming as computer chip shortages and supply chain disruptions limits supply of new vehicles an andy warhol painting of marilyn monroe has become the highest priced american work of art and the most expensive painting of the 20th century to sell at auction. a very warm welcome to the programme. breathing life back into the high street — that's expected to be one of the focuses of the queens speech later today as the uk government promises to rid britain's high streets of "derelict shopfronts" and help to restore neighbourhood pride. more money will be given to local authorities and extra powers will enable councils to force landlords to rent out empty shops. the plans are also set to include the ability to make pavement cafes a permanent part

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, colombo. you're watching newsday on the bbc.l hunter who found a shark's tooth that's millions of years old — and he's only six. the pope was shot, the pope will live — that was the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism had come to the vatican. the man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentencedl to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication - she felt even - the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake — the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion, garry kasparov. it is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legal same—sex marriages have been taking i plac

rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, sri lanka. its spy chief after a phone hacking scandal that engulfed the government. the mobile phones of the prime minister, defence and interior ministers were infected with the notorious pegasus spyware. the bbc�*c azadeh moshiri reports. the bbc�*s azadeh moshiri reports. spain's spy chief is out, and it is a big shift at the top. it all comes down to a hacking scandal that became too unwieldy to handle. translation: unwieldy to handle. tuna/mom- unwieldy to handle. translation: ., ., , translation: the government has a . reed to translation: the government has agreed to change — translation: the government has agreed to change and _ translation: the government has agreed to change and that - translation: the government has agreed to change and that the - agreed to change and that the leadership of the national intelligence centre is very important to me to emphasise that this is my position as minister of defence but also the position of a government that we have an intelligence service mad

rajini vaidya nathan rajini vaidyanathan in colombo. joint ticket, is ferdinand "bongbong" marcoer, son of a late dictator — and sara duterte, daughter of the outgoing president, who's running for vice—president. howard johnson, is in the philippine capital, manila with the latest. philippine elections are a fun and lively affair, as you can see. music, entertainment, and at the moment, there are people coming on the stage in support of the vice president currently in second place in the polls for this election. you can see her supporters are here in huge numbers, 300,000 is the estimate. kevin is one of them. why are you supporting her? i am supporting — are you supporting her? i am supporting her _ are you supporting her? i am supporting her because - are you supporting her? i —n supporting her because she are you supporting her? i 2h supporting her because she has no corruption issues, she is a lawyer and economist with a good platform and economist with a good platform and good governance record. hagar and good governance record. ho

much of the country is on strike — and there are food and fuel shortages. 0ur correspondent, rajini vaidyanathannment sweeping powers. they can arrest people for long periods of time without a warrant, they can also break up protests, and it could mean that we see more military on the streets in sri lankan cities. i'm here at galle face green in colombo, and as you can see, protesters are gathering here. many have set up camp here. they say they are not going to leave here until president gotabaya rajapa ksa leaves office. he's showing no signs of quitting, but people here blame him for this economic crisis. today, people are asking why he has brought in this state of emergency. they say, as you can see, that protests are peaceful and they believe that the government has brought this state of emergency in as a way of stifling free speech. as i say, the government says they've done this to restore public order. yesterday evening, at parliament, i was down at protests that were peaceful. after i left, police fired tear gas into the crowds and things got more tense. now, while the protests continue

rajini vaidyanathan in colombo, thank you.ssistance. the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi told fellow democrats it was important to act quickly. as putin desperately accelerates his campaign of horror and brutality, mr speaker, horror and brutality, in ukraine, time is of the essence. that's why we're so pleased to hear that we could proceed immediately with this bill today, so that it goes through the senate and to the president's desk so that the assistance can reach the people of the ukraine and eastern europe. nancy pelosi. meanwhile, our correspondent james waterhouse is in kyiv and following developments in ukraine. even though vladimir putin has said, "my new goal is to take the whole of the donbas region in eastern ukraine." the worry from us intelligence chiefs is that he is using that to effectively replenish his, until now, faltering troops, to sort out those supply issues, to replace losses, before digging in for the long haul, before trying to mount something larger scale once more. vladimir putin is no stranger

our correspondent, rajini vaidyanathan, joins me from colombo.rime minister- first of all. i'm here outside the former prime minister mahinda| former prime minister mahinda rajapaksa's residents, and as you can see, there is a military presence behind me. colombo is a city which is fortified now, as the city which is fortified now, as the city and the country remains under a curfew, because the authorities say, of the escalating violence we have seenin of the escalating violence we have seen in recent days. as you mentioned, victoria, overnight there were more crashes in the city not too far from here, were more crashes in the city not too farfrom here, and in the capital, shops and businesses set alight. in other parts of the country, hotel resort which belongs to the son of the former prime minister mr rajapaksa was also set alight. more destruction following a night of destruction on monday night. the government has now given orders to the military to shoot at sight at anyone who damages public property or threatens life. but many of the mostl

the bbc�*s rajini vaidyanathan is outside a fuel station in colombo. road, hopefully you are able to see, just all those cars through the traffic there that are waiting to get to the petrol station. we've been hearing today that some petrol stations here in colombo are already out of fuel, so some people will just have to go home. we drove past another station on our way to get to this one which was already out, which is why some people are coming here, and i've been talking to people who say it is a daily routine, they have to wait three hours, maybe four hours every single dayjust to fill up their tank. let's look into how sri lanka's economic crisis began. it all comes down to the fact that sri lanka's foreign currency reserves have virtually run out. it's heavily reliant on imports, but can't pay for them — things like essential supplies of food, fuel and medicines. the government says it has only 50 million dollars of usable reserves. when he came to power in 2019, president rajapaksa decided to offer big tax cuts. this meant less money to buy for

supporters of the prime minister and his brother, president gotabaya rajapaksa. 0ur correspondent rajini vaidyanathan in the morning. the prime minister gave a speech to his supporters, many who travelled in on buses from other parts of the country, and then that is when the tensions began. supporters of the prime minister who is no longer at the prime minister were seen attacking anti—government protesters quite violently. we spoke to some a journalist who said they were beaten by these supporters of the government, one being asked to delete the footage on his camera by the police. many anti—government protesters here accusing the police of failing to protect them and effectively turning a blind eye to what was going on the. really, really tense scenes. further down the road from here, where for weeks now protesters have been peacefully demonstrating, some setting up tents and camping out there, in protest at the government's handling of this ongoing financial crisis. we saw those supporters of the prime minister demolishing some of those protest sites, so things flowed up even more. right now thing